Marco-Terrorism: The U.S. Enters A New Age Of Neoconservatism
January 5th, 2026I wrote this a couple of days ago with regard to Iran: “The old PNAC/Neocon operation never died. It continues to jump between U.S. regimes as necessary.”
So it goes…
Via: ZeroHedge:
In the interregnum between the Republican administrations of George W. Bush and Donald J. Trump, the foreign policy of the former of the two presidents served as the largest obstacle keeping the party from returning to the White House. Although the Democratic Party under President Barack Obama continued the Bush-era foreign policy by perpetuating the War on Terror in Afghanistan and Iraq while expanding it to Syria, Libya, and elsewhere through covert operations, the Republican Party’s unwillingness to disavow itself from an overt neoconservative foreign policy aimed at nation-building the world over served as its Achilles heel, which led to Obama being elected to consecutive terms in the Oval Office in 2008 and 2012. The renaissance of the Republican Party under Trump was made possible by disavowing that neoconservative ideology, an ideological shift that catapulted him to the presidency in 2016 and again in 2024. However, since returning as head of state for a second term, Trump’s embrace of the neoconservative foreign policy that he once stood against is poised to mark the undoing of the movement he led, which reshaped conservative politics in the United States.
Deposing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro marks the apotheosis of Trump’s transformation from a political iconoclast into another rank-and-file member of the neoconservative establishment. Operation Absolute Resolve, which captured Maduro under a contrived justification little more than an iteration of the lies that drew the U.S. into Iraq to depose Saddam Hussein, is a watershed moment in U.S. history for reasons far beyond its impact in reshaping the geopolitical landscape of the Americas. It marks the moment in which Trump signaled his irrevocable assimilation into the neoconservative Republican establishment he once sought to defy. By waging a regime change war of his own, Trump hasn’t just jeopardized his political legacy: he has penned the death letter for the future of American conservative populism.
Walz Drops Out Of Minnesota Governor’s Race Amid Somali Fraud Scandal
January 5th, 2026Will even a single person go to prison for what happened there?
Via: ZeroHedge:
The Wall Street Journal has confirmed our earlier report that left-wing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, embattled by alleged Somali-linked welfare fraud in his state, has ended his bid for a third term.
“As I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all.”
“Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences.”
“So I’ve decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work.”
Upcoming Appropriations Bill Will Limit Warnings, Regulations, & Guidance Applied to Pesticides
January 5th, 2026
An upcoming appropriations bill will limit warnings, regulations, & guidance applied to pesticides. I plan to sponsor an amendment to strike section 453.
(1) full bill text:https://t.co/y0wum51cCQ
(2) pesticide industry rebuttal:https://t.co/mwiGeV1fWl
(3) current section 453: https://t.co/74E5scOArR pic.twitter.com/ZGemTE7xBk— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) January 5, 2026
Grid Scale Battery Fires
January 5th, 2026Most new grid scale battery systems are being built with lithium iron phosphate cells which are far safer than nickel manganese cobalt:
Within the lithium-ion sector, a shift towards lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistries has been taking place, particularly in utility-scale deployments. LFP’s market share has grown from 48% in 2021 to an estimated 85% by 2024, driven by their lower costs, higher cycle life, and better security.
Via: Manhattan Contrarian:
It turned out that the big problem was that these facilities were subject to large and dangerous fires on a regular basis. In some cases the same facility would catch fire multiple times. That post reported on major fires in California at a site called Valley Center in San Diego County in September 2023, and at another one called Moss Landing south of San Francisco in September 2022. In January 2025, the Moss Landing facility had another major fire.
Related: What can be learned from grid-scale battery fires?
Research Credit: Brendan
Boston Dynamics Atlas Humanoid Robot Testing in Hyundai Factory
January 5th, 2026Via: 60 Minutes:
How U.S. Delta Force Raid Captured Maduro
January 4th, 2026Via: Cappy Army:
Britain: Ministers Planning to Issue Digital ID to Newborns
January 4th, 2026Then add the digital wallet (to use the central bank digital currency) and it’s GAME OVER.
Via: Daily Mail:
Newborns could be allocated digital IDs in a ‘sinister’ expansion of the controversial policy.
Ministers have privately raised the prospect of issuing the new technology to children at birth, along with the ‘red book’ of health records given to new parents.
It would mark a major expansion of the digital ID scheme announced by Sir Keir Starmer in September to tackle illegal immigration by making all job candidates prove they have the right to work in the UK.
The idea has been discussed in secret meetings held recently by Cabinet Office minister Josh Simons, the Daily Mail can reveal.
He has told civil society groups that other countries already issue lifelong digital identities to babies.
Estonia, whose own scheme is seen by Labour figures as a blueprint, creates a unique number for each infant when their birth is registered. Later on, it gives them access to public services.
Mr Simons also suggested that digital ID could be a way for teenagers to sign in to social media, following Australia’s ban on under-16s using addictive apps such as TikTok.
Since announcing the scheme, which is due to be introduced by the end of this Parliament in 2028-29, Sir Keir has tried to highlight the ways in which the technology could make everyday tasks easier – such as childcare or applying for a bank account – in the face of a backlash from the public and many of his MPs.
U.S. Attacks Caracas, Venezuela, Captures Maduro and Wife
January 3rd, 2026Full Speech: President Trump Addresses Nation after U.S. Captures Venezuela’s Maduro
The most salient quote from Trump’s speech:
We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country. And we are ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to do so.
Via: ABC7NY:
—
Update: Trump Announces Maduro and His Wife Captured
Via: Donald Trump – Truth Social:
The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
—
Via: The War Zone:
Videos and images are emerging on social media showing what appears to be a large U.S. military operation now underway around the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, which includes multiple large explosions and the presence of American special operations helicopters. While there has been no official announcement of such an operation kicking off, this comes after months of U.S. military buildup in the region aimed at pressuring cartels and Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
…
Videos show explosions and the resulting clouds of smoke across the skyline.
TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts Induce Measurable “Brain Rot”
January 2nd, 2026I don’t go on TikTok or Instagram, but Firefox with the Hide YouTube Shorts add-on reliably blocks YouTube Shorts for me.
Via: Focal Points:
Now, a peer-reviewed paper titled, Demystifying the New Dilemma of Brain Rot in the Digital Era: A Review, confirms that brain rot is real: the digital environment is chemically, cognitively, and psychologically degrading the developing human brain. And the damage is measurable.
…
The review shows that young people now average 6.5 hours per day online — primarily on algorithm-driven platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and endless-scroll feeds engineered for split-second novelty.
Most of the content involves rapid, low-information stimuli: ultrashort videos, memes, reaction clips, and trivial entertainment fragments that provide novelty without cognitive substance.
These platforms deliver rapid bursts of artificially rewarding stimuli, creating a cycle of:
Constant cognitive overstimulation
The brain never enters a “rest” mode or deeper thought state.
Weakening of working memory
Information is consumed too quickly to be consolidated.
Fragmented attention networks
Short-form content trains the mind to expect constant novelty.
Difficulty processing long or complex information
Deep reading and sustained focus become neurologically harder.
Mental fatigue & reduced executive function
Chronic overstimulation taxes the prefrontal cortex — the center of planning, reasoning, and self-regulation.
The study describes this as a shift from healthy, top-down cognitive control to bottom-up, dopamine-seeking impulsivity.
Iran: “What Are Demonstrators’ Demands?”
January 2nd, 2026What we’re seeing in Iran is economic collapse that is now being operationalized by CIA and Mossad for regime change. The old PNAC/Neocon operation never died. It continues to jump between U.S. regimes as necessary.
What’s not clear, at least not to me, is how much support the Iranian regime can muster from Russia and China to try to cling to power.
I can’t imagine that anyone believes that what’s happening in Iran is totally organic, except, perhaps the author of the piece below. It is, however, a useful brief overview. Rest assured, U.S. and Israeli spooks are deeply involved with this.
Via: France24:
A protest movement, which began in Iran on Sunday with a strike and demonstrations by Tehran’s shopkeepers, continued Friday in multiple towns and cities across the country, with university students joining the protests.
Demonstrations are spreading from major cities to smaller provincial towns and are increasingly fraught.
At least seven people died on Thursday in clashes between protesters and security forces in western Iran, local media reported.
The Iranian authorities have ordered the closure of public institutions, placing much of the country on holiday, officially citing the cold weather and the need to save energy.
The discontent is not, so far, on the same scale as the unprecedented national protests seen in the wake of Mahsa Amini’s death in 2022, during which demonstrators called for increased rights for women and the overthrow of the Islamic Republic.
But videos posted on social media show demonstrators from different social groups taking to the streets to express widespread discontent and voice demands for political, social and economic change.
