Pentagon warns that mergers in arms industry put US military at risk . . . Decades of mergers in the American defense sector have left the US military less well-equipped and needlessly overburdened taxpayers, according to a Pentagon report aimed at reversing the consolidation trend. The Department of Defense report, released on Tuesday, detailed the post-Cold War surge in mergers which has shrunk the number of American defense prime contractors from 51 in 1990 to 5 today: Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman and Boeing.
“Since 1990, there have been extreme levels of consolidation in the defence industrial base,” a senior Biden administration official said. “That has grown to threaten national security and taxpayer value.” There's a growing sense in military circles that consolidation among defense contractors may have gone too far, resulting in higher prices and supply chain gaps. The report found a decline in the number of tactical missile suppliers from 13 to 3, of fixed-wing aircraft suppliers from 8 to 3, and of satellite suppliers from 8 to 4. The report said 90 per cent of missiles now come from three sources. Much of that consolidation began in the 1990s at the direction of Pentagon planners, who urged companies to merge when the US began to reduce its military spending after the cold war. Financial Times

 

NATO Prepared To Mount ‘Gender-Inclusive’ Response to Putin’s Aggression in Ukraine . . . Russian forces are poised to invade Ukraine unless the United States and NATO cave to Vladimir Putin's demands. The Biden administration and the Western military alliance have no plans to mount a meaningful response to Russia's unprovoked aggression, but they have gone to great lengths to ensure their symbolic expression of outrage will be as "gender inclusive" as possible. The NATO Gender-Inclusive Language Manual, published in April 2020, offers crucial guidance for Western military officials regarding the use of "communication as a basis for advancing gender equality." The pivotal document was prepared by the office of Clare Hutchinson, who has served as the NATO secretary general's special representative for women, peace, and security since January 2018. Washington Free Beacon 

 

Russia's parliament asks Putin to recognise breakaway east Ukrainian regions . . . Russia's lower house of parliament voted on Tuesday to ask President Vladimir Putin to recognise two Russian-backed breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent, the house speaker said. The move by the State Duma, if approved, could further inflame a wider standoff over a Russian military build-up near Ukraine that has fuelled Western fears that Moscow could attack. Russia denies any invasion plans and has accused the West of hysteria. Recognition of the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics could kill off the Minsk peace process in east Ukraine, where a conflict between government forces and Moscow-backed separatists has killed 15,000 people. "Kyiv is not observing the Minsk agreements. Our citizens and compatriots who live in Donbass need our help and support," Vyacheslav Volodin, the State Duma speaker, wrote on social media. Volodin, a member of the pro-Putin ruling United Russia party, said the appeal would be sent to the Kremlin immediately. It was not clear how long the Kremlin would take to review it. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told reporters: "If the decision on recognition is taken, Russia will de facto and de jure withdraw from the Minsk agreements with all the attendant consequences. Reuters

 

Canada Loans Ukraine Nearly $400M as Nation Readies for Russian Invasion . . .  Canada has pledged a nearly $400 million loan along with $6.1 million worth of military aid to Ukraine as the threat of a Russian invasion grows. Though Russia is adamant that it has no plans to invade Ukraine, there are currently about 130,000 Russian troops near the Ukrainian border as tensions rise. Canada, a longstanding ally of Ukraine, says it's stepping in to support Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement Monday, saying the lethal weapons and ammunition provided are in response to Ukraine's specific request with the intent of deferring "further Russian aggression." Trudeau said he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday to reaffirm Canada's support as Russian troops surround Ukraine's eastern border. Newsweek

 

Putin ready for talks on security but keeps pressure on west . . . Vladimir Putin said Russia was ready to hold “dialogue” with the west on core security issues after its defence ministry announced it had begun drawing down a troop build-up near the border with Ukraine. Russia’s president said he was prepared to hold negotiations on intermediate nuclear missile forces and confidence-building measures with the west if the US and Nato pledged to discuss Moscow’s grievances with the transatlantic alliance — including its chief demand that it pledge never to admit Ukraine. The comments, made after three hours of negotiations with new German chancellor Olaf Scholz, were Putin’s strongest indication yet that Russia is ready to de-escalate despite western warnings of Moscow’s plans for a renewed invasion of Ukraine. Putin said “a decision has been taken to partially withdraw forces” following what Russia claims were exercises involving more than 130,000 troops near the border with Ukraine and in neighboring Belarus. Financial Times

 

 

How the CDC Abandoned Science . . . The main federal agency guiding America’s pandemic policy is the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, which sets widely adopted policies on masking, vaccination, distancing, and other mitigation efforts to slow the spread of COVID and ensure the virus is less morbid when it leads to infection. The CDC is, in part, a scientific agency—they use facts and principles of science to guide policy—but they are also fundamentally a political agency: The director is appointed by the president of the United States, and the CDC’s guidance often balances public health and welfare with other priorities of the executive branch. Throughout this pandemic, the CDC has been a poor steward of that balance, pushing a series of scientific results that are severely deficient. This research is plagued with classic errors and biases, and does not support the press-released conclusions that often follow. In all cases, the papers are uniquely timed to further political goals and objectives; as such, these papers appear more as propaganda than as science. TabletMag

 

Biden's economy drags US to all-time low in Heritage freedom index rating . . . "This year’s Index of Economic Freedom paints a disturbing picture, both at home and abroad," Heritage President Kevin Roberts said of the report. "The decline of American economic freedom is serious cause for alarm and has real and tangible consequences for all Americans, especially low-income families and the working class." The report determined the U.S. fell 2.7 points from the 2021 Index of Economic Freedom to a record-low score of 72.1, according to the data released Monday. The U.S. also fell to its lowest ranking globally, from the 20th spot in last year’s rating to 25th in 2022.  Fox News

 

Stocks Rise, Oil Drops as Investors Eye Ukraine and Russia . . . U.S. stock indexes opened higher and European indexes rallied, following days of losses, while energy prices slumped and bonds sold off, after Russia said it had pulled back some troops from the Ukrainian border. The S&P 500 rose 1.2% Tuesday, putting the broad index on course to halt three days of losses after the opening bell. The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1%, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 1.6%. Yields on benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury notes rose to 2.043% from 1.995% on Monday. Bond yields and prices move in opposite directions. The threat of war between Ukraine and Russia has, in recent days, added a geopolitical element to an already troubled market outlook. Warnings from the U.S. and its allies about the likelihood of a Russian invasion have grown louder, spooking investors concerned about the economic effects of such a conflict or resulting sanctions on Russia’s economy.  Those fears abated somewhat Tuesday after Russia’s Defense Ministry said some troops on the Ukrainian border were returning to their bases after completing training, though large-scale military maneuvers continued elsewhere. Wall Street Journal

 

US producer prices accelerate in another sign of inflation dangers . . . US producer prices jumped more than expected at the start of the year, reinforcing the case for the Federal Reserve to more rapidly remove the economic stimulus it has provided since the early days of the pandemic. The producer price index, which tracks the prices businesses receive for their goods and services, rose 1 per cent in January, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Tuesday — the biggest gain in eight months. That was well above the 0.4 per cent rise registered in the previous period and double what economists had forecast. The large monthly gain translated to an annual increase of 9.7 per cent, in line with December’s surge. Last year was the largest calendar year increase in wholesale inflation since the data were first compiled in 2010. Once volatile items such as food, energy and trade are stripped out, so-called core producer prices increased 0.9 per cent between December and January, or 6.9 per cent on a year-over-year basis. In December, those prices were 0.4 per cent higher month on month, or 7 per cent higher compared with the same time last year. Financial Times

 

What Are Our Children Being Taught? States Move Toward Curriculum ‘Transparency’ . . . The COVID-19 pandemic revealed disturbing trends about how critical race theory and LGBT indoctrination were being promulgated in schools. Parents, infuriated that their kids are being brainwashed, went to school board meetings to express their discontent. Now, some educators are attempting to hide their lesson plans from parents who would take issue with them. But there’s pushback. Many state legislators across the country are introducing bills that would require educators to be transparent about what they’re teaching kids. The director of education policy at the Arizona-based Goldwater Institute, Matt Beienburg, says these bills are simply about empowering parents with respect to their children’s education. Daily Signal

 

Catholic priest incorrectly performed thousands of baptisms by changing word, making them invalid . . . A priest has resigned from a Catholic church in Phoenix, Arizona, after it was determined he incorrectly performed thousands of baptisms for decades by changing one word.  Father Andres Arango resigned from St. Gregory Catholic Church in Phoenix after it was determined he used the words "We baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," instead of the correct phrase "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," according to Thomas J. Olmsted, the bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix. "The issue with using ‘We’ is that it is not the community that baptizes a person, rather, it is Christ, and Him alone, who presides at all of the sacraments, and so it is Christ Jesus who baptizes," Olmsted said. Fox News

 

DESIRABLE WOMEN according to Jordan Peterson | Jordan Peterson Advice

 

This is the type of woman you should marry, recommends Dr. Jordan Peterson.