And Now… U.S. Unveils Plans for ‘New Gaza’ with Skyscrapers
January 23rd, 2026Via: BBC:
The US has unveiled its plans for a “New Gaza” that would see the devastated Palestinian territory rebuilt from scratch.
Slides showed dozens of skyscrapers stretching along the Mediterranean coast and housing estates in the Rafah area, while a map outlining the phased development of new residential, agricultural and industrial areas for the 2.1 million population.
They were presented during a signing ceremony at the World Economic Forum in Davos for President Donald Trump’s new Board of Peace, which is tasked with ending the two-year war between Israel and Hamas and overseeing reconstruction.
“We’re going to be very successful in Gaza. It’s going to be a great thing to watch,” Trump declared.
“I’m a real estate person at heart and it’s all about location. And I said: ‘Look at this location on the sea. Look at this beautiful piece of property. What it could be for so many people.'”
Dangerously Cold Air to Surge Through Dozens of States
January 23rd, 2026Via: Accuweather:
The coldest air of the winter may visit many areas across the central and eastern United States, with AccuWeather RealFeel Temperatures of 50 below zero in the coldest spots.
More: State of Emergency Declared in Multiple States
Up to 25 Percent of U.S. Colleges May Close Soon
January 23rd, 2026Good.
And this should be done at the high school level:
The initiative seeks to overhaul the university’s general education curriculum, expand access to internships and apprenticeships, and provide students with micro-credentials tied to skills valued by employers.
Via: The College Fix:
Higher education is approaching a period of profound disruption, and many colleges may not survive, Arthur Levine, the newly appointed president of Brandeis University, said during a recent event.
Levine estimated that between 20 and 25 percent of colleges will close in the coming years, while community colleges and regional universities move increasingly online.
…
Levine said he is attempting to respond to these issues through his “Brandeis Plan to Reinvent the Liberal Arts.”
The initiative seeks to overhaul the university’s general education curriculum, expand access to internships and apprenticeships, and provide students with micro-credentials tied to skills valued by employers.
“The liberal arts have always been practical,” he said, noting that early American higher education was designed to prepare students for professional and civic leadership. Under the new plan, Brandeis aims to redesign general education to better align with the demands of a global digital economy.
Withdrawing The United States From The World Health Organization
January 22nd, 2026Via: The White House:
Sec. 2. Actions. (a) The United States intends to withdraw from the WHO. The Presidential Letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations signed on January 20, 2021, that retracted the United States’ July 6, 2020, notification of withdrawal is revoked.
Pentagon Orders More Active-Duty Soldiers to Prepare for Deployment in Minnesota
January 22nd, 2026Via: Independent:
Hundreds more active-duty soldiers have been given orders to prepare for possible deployment in Minnesota, amid ongoing tensions and concern that Donald Trump may invoke the Insurrection Act to quash anti-immigration enforcement protests.
The Pentagon has ordered members of an Army military police brigade based at Fort Bragg, in North Carolina, to be on standby, sources familiar with the matter told MS NOW.
Scientists Mimicking the Big Bang Accidentally Turn Lead Into Gold
January 22nd, 2026Via: Independent:
While smashing lead atoms into each other at extremely high speeds in an effort to mimic the state of the universe just after the Big Bang, physicists working on the ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland incidentally produced small amounts of gold.
Extremely small amounts, in fact: a total of some 29 trillionths of a gram.
Trump Speech at World Economic Forum
January 21st, 2026Via: AP:
More: Bullet Points of Speech
Russia Restores Mothballed Soviet-Era Jets As Plane Shortage Worsens
January 20th, 2026Via: ZeroHedge:
Russia has throughout nearly four years of its ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine been largely successful in weathering constantly expanding US and EU sanctions. While isolated, its economy has stayed afloat, but it has been forced into desperate measures as sanctions take a toll on some key sectors.
Russian newspaper Izvestia reports that Russia’s commercial airline industry is having to call back aging, decommissioned planes in an effort to sustain passenger traffic. Soviet-made planes which are several decades old are being restored to service.
“The plan involves nine Tupolev Tu-204/214 jets, one Antonov An-148 and two Ilyushin Il-96 widebody planes delivered to carriers including Red Wings,” The Moscow Times says of the Russian media reports.
“Ten of the 12 aircraft, which are reportedly up to 30 years old, have already been returned to service, Rostec told Izvestia,” the report continues.
China to Launch 200,000 Satellites for ‘Mega-Constellation’
January 20th, 2026Via: Daily Mail:
China has applied to launch almost 200,000 satellites into space, sparking concerns that the nation seeks to build a ‘mega-constellation’.
On December 29, a newly formed body called the Institute of Radio Spectrum Utilisation and Technological Innovation filed applications for two satellite constellations.
Each of these enormous collections of spacecraft, dubbed CTC-1 and CTC-2, would contain 96,714 satellites spread over 3,660 different orbits.
If completed, China’s new mega-constellation would dwarf even SpaceX’s bold ambition to put 49,000 Starlink satellites in orbit.
Together, CTC-1 and CTC-2 would be the largest assembly of satellites ever put in orbit, and would effectively lock competitors out of a region of low-Earth orbit.
With Chinese authorities remaining quiet about the satellites’ intended use, experts have raised concerns that the constellation may pose a security or defence threat.
As reported by China in Space, the Nanjing University of Aeronautics claims that the satellites will focus on: ‘Low-altitude electromagnetic space security, integrated security defence systems, electromagnetic space security assessment of airspace, and low-altitude airspace safety supervision services.’
This suggests the constellations may play a similar role to the SpaceX Starshield satellites used by the US military for secure tracking and communications.
Monday Morning in Los Angeles…
January 19th, 2026I sometimes have Conner playing in the background as I read through headlines…
Gunfire at Los Angeles street takeover, Monday morning. pic.twitter.com/gYEMVDVYNa
— cryptogon (@cryptogon) January 19, 2026
Just a little slice of life in Los Angeles that won’t be reported anywhere.
