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The second edition of “The Plot to Seize Russia – The Untold History” is now available for purchase in paperback and hardcover on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The ebook will be available shortly.
Book description:
“Take care of Russia,” Boris Yeltsin said as he departed his presidency in August 1999. These words were directed at current Russian president, Vladimir Putin. Yeltsin specifically picked Putin as his predecessor to prevent the takeover of Russia.
So, who was Yeltsin warning against? Newly declassified documents from the Clinton Administration prove that there was a plot to rig the Russian election of 2000. These never-before-seen documents confirm numerous attempts to implement pro-Western policies using the Russian oligarchy headed by Boris Berezovsky.
On the other side were the communists who desired a return to the glory days of the Soviet Union. As one of the largest international hedge fund managers, author Martin Armstrong found himself in the middle of perhaps the greatest espionage, or attempt at a regime change for Russia, in modern history.
The Plot to Seize Russia pulls back the curtain to expose the most extraordinary attempt to seize power in modern history, but with the pen rather than armies. These declassified documents reveal a plot that has altered our thinking about the relations between the United States and Russia. The thirst for power comes seething through every line of these papers that alter our perception of reality, change the course of history, and now threaten us with World War III.
In the past few days, Iran has experienced the biggest protests against the ruling Islamic Republic since it crushed the 2022. The rial has fallen by more than 90%—but that dramatically understates the disaster. The real decline is closer to 97-98% depending on your baseline. The regime is the weakest it has ever been. All its proxies, from Hezbollah to the Assad regime in Syria, have been shattered across the Middle East. Tehran and much of the rest of the country are running out of water; the economy is in sharp decline; and more Iranians are going hungry, especially members of what was once the middle and upper-middle classes.
Empires Fall in Economic Crisis
The most recent protests were triggered by deteriorating economic conditions, but they are the most recent manifestation of deeper-rooted public anger against the regime. The immediate trigger for these protests appears to have been a budget bill, rejected by parliament, in which the government proposed removing the preferential exchange rate (285,000 rials to the U.S. dollar)—a mechanism widely viewed as a rent distribution channel. Regime-connected networks profit from the spread between official/preferential rates and the open market. While the preferential rate is widely viewed as a corrupt insider deal for regime-connected networks, many households also feared that removing it—without a credible, transparent replacement—would immediately raise prices for basic goods. That mix of rage at corruption and anxiety about inflation turned the debate over the exchange rate into a trigger for protest.
The rapid depreciation is compounding inflationary pressures, pushing up prices for food and other daily necessities and further straining household budgets, a trend that could be intensified by a gasoline price change introduced in recent days. Currency traders in Tehran quoted the dollar above 1.3 million rials, underscoring the speed of the decline since Dec. 3, when the rial hit what was then a historic low. The timeline of collapse unfolded with accelerating momentum:
December 3, 2025: Rial hit what was then considered a historic low
December 13, 2025: New gasoline pricing system implemented
December 14, 2025: Dollar breached 1.2 million rials
December 16, 2025: Dollar reached 1.31 million rials
December 31, 2025: The Iranian Rial breached a catastrophic psychological barrier. It reached a record low of 1.45 million rials to one US dollar
January 7, 2026: The US dollar quoted at about 1.47 million rials
The historical record is brutal: no government has survived intact when their currency collapsed by 90% or more in a month. The pattern is absolutely consistent across history. When you look at the worst hyperinflations in history, government survival or legitimacy becomes impossible.
Weimar Germany (1923): By late 1923, prices were rising over 30,000% per month, doubling every few days, and this hyperinflation completely wiped out the currency—it had to be replaced with a new Rentenmark to restore stability. This economic turmoil fostered extreme political movements and ultimately played a role in the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party The National Interest. The Weimar Republic didn’t survive—it was replaced by the Nazi dictatorship.
Zimbabwe (2007-2009): Zimbabwe’s peak month of inflation is estimated at 79.6 billion percent month-on-month in mid-November 2008, when a $100 trillion banknote could not pay for a simple bus fare Explorable. Between 2000 and 2008 output contracted by 40%, while government budget revenue fell from more than 28% of GDP to less than 5%, resulting in the almost total collapse in public services. Mugabe’s regime clung to power through authoritarianism, but the government effectively ceased to function as a government.
Yugoslavia (1993-1994): Yugoslavia’s rate of inflation hit 5×10^15% cumulative inflation, with one novi dinar eventually equal to 1×10^27 pre-1990 dinars. The country literally ceased to exist—it broke apart into multiple nations.
Venezuela (2013-2018): Venezuela entered hyperinflation in 2013, with inflation rates exceeding 1,000,000% by 2018. In Venezuela, millions fled to neighboring countries, creating one of the largest refugee crises in recent history. The Maduro regime survives only through authoritarianism and recent military intervention.
The mechanics are rather straightforward. When a country’s currency “dies,” the government becomes unable to borrow from financial markets or tax its own citizens and must either turn to its central bank to finance its deficit or default on its obligations. Governments lose legitimacy when they can’t provide basic economic stability. When citizens witness their savings evaporate due to rapid price increases, frustration and anger can lead to civil unrest and demands for political change.
The currency collapse destroys the government’s ability to function. Tax revenues become worthless before they’re collected. Public employees can’t be paid. The military and police lose loyalty when their salaries buy nothing. Hyperinflations have generally occurred in nations with rampant corruption, war, regime change, a ceding of monetary sovereignty, output collapse or other extreme exogenous factors.
The regimes that technically survived did so by only one of two options. First is the complete currency replacement. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe re-priced the currency, pegging it to the US dollar. This isn’t survival—it’s admitting defeat and abandoning your own currency. However, Zimbabwe under Mugabe and Venezuela under Maduro both were able to maintain power ONLY through force, not legitimacy. This necessitates the support of the army. I have stated often that when the army abandons the government, it falls. We saw that in Ukraine, but we also saw that in Russia during 1991.
In Zimbabwe, Mugabe was ousted, but the economic misery continued. Venezuela faces the same outlook—even if Maduro’s successor follows his policies it all depends on the support of the military. In both cases, it typically takes decades to repair the damage.
Most cases ended either through regime change or complete economic restructuring imposed from outside. From our cyclical perspective, this confirms what you’d expect: once confidence is lost, it cannot be restored by the same government that destroyed it. Monetary hyperinflation typically results in the complete psychological rejection of the sovereign currency. When the psychology breaks, the government typically breaks with it. Thus, the survivability of the immediate Iranian government rests in the hands of the military.
The regime’s response to the protests has already been violent and sometimes lethal, but it has ample capacity to escalate rapidly if it decides that the moment requires it. The appointment of Ahmad Vahidi as the deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)—the regime’s most powerful security and paramilitary force—may be a warning to the public, as Vahidi is not a regular bureaucrat; he is a hard-line security figure and one of the system’s longtime architects of repression. It will take authoritarianism with a strong hand to retain power.
The Islamic Republic is the weakest that it has ever been. But that does not mean that regime change in Iran is imminent—at least, not the type of regime change that would improve the lives of ordinary Iranians and lead to a more stable and prosperous Middle East.
Iran has gold—and they’ve been aggressively accumulating it as economic insurance against Western sanctions and potential military conflict. The regime understands what Venezuela learned too late: when your currency and oil revenues are under attack, gold becomes your lifeline because it is movable and the same commodity everywhere. What we’re talking about is one of the most sophisticated sanctions-busting operations in modern history—a scheme that moved billions of dollars through gold transactions while implicating the highest levels of the Turkish government, including President Erdogan himself.
Iran operates with multiple exchange rates and a massive black market for both currency and gold. As the Rial loses value, Iranians rush to convert their savings into dollars, gold, or cryptocurrencies, further depleting the Rial’s liquidity. This has combined with the rise in demand for gold because of the prospects of war in Europe.
According to the World Gold Council, Iran ranked as the 5th largest gold consumer globally in the first nine months of 2025, trailing only China, India, the US, and Turkey. This is remarkable given Iran’s economic collapse.
The Obama administration knew about the scheme but deliberately allowed it to continue. Why? It’s possible that the Obama administration’s decision had less to do with Turkey, and more to do with coaxing Iran into signing a nuclear deal. The backchannel negotiations with Iran reportedly began in July 2012—exactly when the gold trade was accelerating.
In the one-year period between July 2012 and July 2013, the Obama administration’s non-enforcement of its own sanctions reportedly provided Iran with $6 billion worth of gold. That windfall may have been an American olive branch to Iran—extended via Turkey—to persuade its leaders to continue backchannel negotiations.
If Iran replaces the currency with a gold-backed version, they may be able to cling to power but that does not appear to extend beyond 2027.
Meanwhile, parts of Tehran are facing hour-long water rationing while other districts are hit by rolling electrical blackouts. For most people, the problem is no longer just that living is expensive—it’s that life is becoming increasingly precarious. By Jan. 8, protests and strikes had spread nationwide, with reports of demonstrations across all 31 provinces—many already battered by 2025 water shortages and years of poverty—alongside widening internet disruptions and periodic blackouts aimed at choking coordination and visibility.
Beyond the headlines, Iran faces an existential environmental crisis. Twenty provinces suffered through the country’s worst drought in more than 40 years. President Pezeshkian has openly proposed evacuating Tehran to ease strain on dwindling water supplies. Think about that statement—the president is discussing abandoning the capital city. This is not a problem that can be solved with monetary policy or military force. Climate cycles interact with political cycles, and Iran is caught in a vice between both.
The ancient Persian invention of qanats (underground aqueducts) over 3,000 years ago is a testament to Iran’s long-standing struggle with aridity and its ingenious adaptation to water scarcity. Historians argue that the decline of some ancient Iranian cities and civilizations may be linked to climatic shifts and droughts. The Qanat system represents an ingenious ancient solution to the challenge of water scarcity in this region. These were underground aqueducts, comprising a network of well-like vertical shafts interconnected by gently sloping tunnels, harnessed groundwater to sustain communities.
Naturally, the Global Warming zealots are attributing this to CO2 without any evidence ever. The historian Polybius (c. 200–118BC) in his Histories, recorded a severe drought and famine in Persia around 220BC during the reign of the Seleucid king Antiochus III. He describes it as a major catastrophe affecting livestock and people. Cassius Dio (c. 155–235AD) in his Roman History, mentions a devastating drought in Parthian Persia around 36AD that caused widespread famine and weakened the kingdom. These two events were 256 years apart. If we look back 256 years from today, sure enough we see the most well-documented crisis in this period was the Great Famine of 1770-1772 (approximately 1184-1186 AH).
The drought directly caused a devastating famine in modern recorded history between 1770-1772. Historical chronicles describe extreme suffering with a drastic reduction in the population. Some contemporary reports indicate that in regions like Isfahan, the mortality was so high that there were not enough people left to bury the dead. There were also reports of cannibalism and starvation in cities like Shiraz, the Zand capital, are recorded by historians of the period. The famine caused a major demographic setback, depopulating villages and disrupting agriculture and trade for years. It severely weakened the stability and resources of the Zand dynasty.
This event is noted in several Persian chronicles of the Zand and later Qajar eras (like Ruznama-ye Mirza Mohammad Kalantar and Mojmal al-Tawarikh), as well as in the accounts of European travelers and East India Company agents stationed in the Persian Gulf. Modern historians like John R. Perry have analyzed these sources to confirm the famine’s scope.
US/AMERICAS:
DJIA advanced by 237.96 points (0.48%) to 49,504.07
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Canada Market Closings:
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The Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday rejected the latest US-backed offering to end the Russia-Ukraine war, issuing a damming rebuff that illustrates that Putin would have to be insane to accept any peace deal at this stage in the game with Ukraine because it would NEVER resolve this conflict. Moscow’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs slammed the US-European proposal for security assurances for Ukraine, saying the protection plan amounts to “a true axis of war.” This is what I warned about on the Private Blog.
I warned that with the UK and France sending in troops as soon as a ceasefire is agreed was a guarantee that no such ceasefire would take place for this would be effectively sending in NATO troops into Ukraine. Europe has ZERO intension of EVER seeking peace or a normal relationship with Russia returning to the world economy. This is a guarantee of PERMANENT war. Russia’s comment was clear:
“The document turned out to be extremely far from a peace settlement. The declaration is not aimed at achieving a lasting peace and security but rather at continuing the militarization, escalation and further conflict aggravation.” “Its core element is the deployment of ‘a multinational force’ on Ukrainian territory that the coalition will have to form to contribute to the ‘rebuilding’ of the Ukrainian armed forces and ‘support deterrence’ following the cessation of the hostilities.”
The Ukrainian long-range strike campaign has continued hitting Russian oil, military and infrastructure targets. Importantly, for a 48-hour period this week, the Ukrainians were able to shut down all of the airports in the Moscow region and force the Russians to shut down their mobile phone networks across the same area. Given the massive population of the Russian capital, this will be noticed by the populace. Ukraine is is claiming it is defeating Russia shutting down Moscow’s airports and mobile networks for two days. That’s the action of a country with operational capability striking deep into enemy territory with impunity using targeting from the United States and UK. Clearly, this is like hiring a contract killer to eliminate someone and then claiming you did not pull the trigger. Ukraine has no long-range targeting capability without eyes in the sky.
The Venezuela Invasion:
The Monroe Doctrine was a cornerstone U.S. foreign policy statement, proclaimed by President James Monroe in his annual address to Congress on December 2nd, 1823. It declared the Western Hemisphere closed to future European colonization and interference, while pledging that the United States would not interfere in existing European colonies or in the internal affairs of Europe. Donald Trump has essentially asserted the same doctrine targeting both China and Russia to expel them from this hemisphere.
Ironically, to be objective, that justifies Russia taking all of Ukraine and it also justifies China taking Taiwan. We can’t have it both ways. But the Neocons see the US as dominating the world whereas Trump’s Chief of Staff Miller recognized that the world is divided among three empires – US, Russia, and China.
China’s Foreign Ministry has responded to U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement that he’d be “very unhappy” if Beijing attacked Taiwan.
“Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. How to resolve the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese ourselves. … This is China’s internal affair that brooks no external interference.”
What China will do now is most likely, if I were them, would impose a total embargo preventing anything from leaving or entering. I would suspect that it would take about 90 days. I would suspect that China has just been given the Green Light thanks to Donald’s Doctrine. They could act as soon as April.
The Tanker Seizure:
American Coast Guard and military forces (assisted by the UK) undertook a boarding operation to seize one of Russia’s shadow fleet tankers, the Bella 1, in the north Atlantic. This vessel was sanctioned by the U.S. under its counter-Iran sanctions, aimed at stopping Iran from fueling instability in the Middle East through the profits of illegal oil sales and was linked to international terrorism and crime including Hezbollah. Yet this is debatable. The ship went through the Suez Canal and a ship of this size could only do so if it was empty.
The United States with the aid of the UK just boarded and seized a Russian-flagged vessel on the high seas. Russia did nothing but the US agreed to send the two Russian crew members to Russia. This was clearly a strong-arm tactic against Russia. John Healey made the dumbest bullshit excuse I have ever heard in 50 years. How does an empty tanker on its way to Russia threaten Britain and the British people? This is the most absurd excuse I have ever heard. Then any empty tanker on its way to to or from Russia on the high seas threatens the British people?
The Strategic Message: Weakness Disguised as Strength
NATO is now claiming that Putin fired an Oreshnik at Lviv—a city less than 70 kilometers from the Polish border and NATO territory. The message was supposed to be: “We have hypersonic nuclear-capable missiles and we’re willing to use them close to NATO borders. Be afraid.” They are spinning this as Russia needed to demonstrate military capability because its credibility had collapsed across multiple theaters simultaneously. Venezuela, Syria, Iran—every Russian client is falling or under severe pressure. The shadow fleet is being seized. Ukrainian drones are shutting down Moscow. NATO insists that their military analysts are skeptical of Oreshnik’s actual battlefield value. While Putin keeps warning about nuclear war, they insist that this is all hype and pay no attention because they can take Russia with one hand tied behind their back.
The Oreshnik strike is the military equivalent of shouting “I’m still relevant!” while everyone watches Putin lose influence globally. NATO wasn’t impressed. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the strike shows that “Putin doesn’t want peace” and called it “meant as a warning to Europe and to the U.S.” Kallas is as ruthless as Zelensky. She represents why there can NEVER be any peace with Russia.
The U.S.-led efforts to end the war in Ukraine have entered a pivotal stage and is exposing that there will NEVER be peace between the EU abd Russia. This is critical. Peace negotiations are at this point pointless for the EU is seeking to install NATO troops into Ukraine under the pretense of peace-keeping when in fact it was Kiev that started this war 0 not Putin nor Russia.
John McCain, the godfather of Neocons, was there advocating the revolution in 2014 and lied to the people telling them this was about them and nobody else and it was about the peace that they deserved. There was peace with Russia. I believe McCain hated Russians because he was captured in Vietnam and was broken reading propaganda for the Vietnamese.
Robert McNamara admitted before he died that they assumed Russia was behind Vietnam but they were wrong. This has infected the Neocons who have grown up hating Russians all on a false assumption. This is what colored the Cold War and it is to this day warning that the European Union is seeking World War III because of people like Kallas who are wrapped up in personal hatred that she cannot see that she is condemning Europe and this EU experiment to its final destruction.
The Larger Pattern: The Cycle of Escalation
Russia used the Oreshnik missile on Lviv overnight January 8-9, 2026, hitting an underground gas storage facility in the first ballistic missile strike on Ukraine’s western region. This marks only the second use of Russia’s newest intermediate-range weapon system.Lviv is significant because it’s Ukraine’s westernmost major city—less than 70 kilometers from the border with the European Union. Hitting it with a nuclear-capable missile sends an unmistakable message to Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania: You’re within range despite NATO saying don’t worry.
But don’t be distracted by the technical capabilities or the psychological warfare. Focus on the strategic context: Russia deployed this weapon after suffering humiliating failures in Venezuela, Syria, and even Moscow itself. The strike represents Russia responding to the Donald Doctrine. NATO wants to claim this is an act of desperation or weakness. But this is boasting their strength and desire to invade Russia as soon as they can.
NATO insists that the mathematics show that Russia’s global position is weakening across multiple theaters simultaneously. Its client states are falling. Its deterrence is failing. Its economic warfare through shadow fleets is being countered. And its response is to fire expensive, irreplaceable missiles at gas storage facilities to prove it’s still dangerous.
However, if we assume that Russia is now weakened dramatically, then the behavior of a declining power trying to convince everyone—including itself—that it still matters is far worse. Like a wounded animal, it will fight to the death and is most dangerous when cornered. There are two sides to that coin.
The cycle suggests further escalation is coming. NATO likes to project Russia is just a injured fly to be swatted. When Kallas tried to threaten China to abandon Russia, Wang Yi respectfully stated that China had no intention of standing idly by and watching Russia lose. He stated that China believes that if Russia were defeated, the EU and NATO would turn on China next. This idea that the EU and NATO can destroy and break up Russia with no other impact is the linear thinking of madmen.
The NEOCONS have won. They used Ukraine to revive the Cold War that they want to make RED HOT. This has all been forecast by our computer and it is certainly nothing I would like to see. This is not my OPINION. I have long hoped that if I scream loud enough then perhaps I could prevent it. That has been a fool’s dream. I have never been able to defeat the computer yet.
Watch the next days carefully into February and then April followed by June/July. If peace talks are more likely to break down, and I would expect more Oreshnik strikes or similar escalatory moves. I just find it curious that NATO keeps claiming Russia is weak and there is no threat. They seem to be talking out of both sides of their mouth.
California imposed an exit tax for those wishing to flee the state, but with insufficient funding and desperation to maintain tax revenue, the state is considering legislation that would steal a portion of one’s net worth and redistribute it to social programs.
The Billionaire Tax Act would impose a 5% tax on the total wealth of state residents with a net worth over $1 billion. There are around 250 billionaires currently living in California. The law will apply to anyone who resided in California as of January 1, 2026, which means it is too late to get out.
Net worth includes unrealized gains—stocks, businesses, real estate, collectibles, etc. California is treating paper valuations as if they were cash sitting in a vault, but net worth is merely an estimate when the valuation has not been realized or set. These items are subject to drastic fluctuations and now residents will be penalized for holding onto appreciating assets. Taxing a temporary illusion of worth assumes permanence when that is simply not the case.
Economies grow through investment, risk, and innovation. When you impose a levy on wealth, you force entrepreneurs to sell assets, slow investment, or exit entirely. The tech boom created 50 new billionaires in the state in 2025 alone. Why would aspiring entrepreneurs remain in a state that continually penalizes success? This class has the ability to mobilize at whim, but others do not, and it a guarantee that the state will soon come for those with less.
The wealthy generate wealth when they deploy capital into productive ventures. These are the people creating jobs and propping up local economies. You can never leave California without paying the exit tax, and now, you cannot amass wealth in the state without being subject to a large penalty. California has become extremely hostile to capital, hence the mass exodus of private wealth and businesses in recent years.
Legislators claim they can take in $100 billion in revenue from the tax that will allegedly go toward California’s imploding healthcare budget. California is a welfare state that operates outside of the federal capitalistic system. There are simply too many social programs to maintain and too many ignorant politicians who believe others should redistribute their wealth to float failing policies.
President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum directing the withdrawal of the United States from 66 international organizations, including 35 non-United Nations (UN) organizations and 31 UN entities, “that operate contrary to U.S. national interests, security, economic prosperity, or sovereignty.” America’s sovereignty was at risk under the past administration that partook in the Build Back Better globalist agenda. Taxpayers will no longer be forced to pay to prop up globalist causes that do not benefit them in any form.
The international community has used America as its piggybank, top financier since the end of World War II. Billions are sent overseas every year to organizations claiming to promote world peace and health through global governance. We have nothing to show for the money funneled out of the nation. World peace is certainly not a reality. There is no cohesive “international community” as every nation unbound to a centralized government is operating in a way that serves its best interests. These globalist organizations assess what each nation must pay them, with the US always on the hook for the highest contributions.
The American people voted for nationalism and domestic prioritization. These globalist agencies override democracy and do not coincide with traditional American values or interests. We saw the extent of their reach during the pandemic with regulations shifted society. Unelected officials created rules for everyone to abide by, and member nations, their pawns who pay for the privilege of being overridden, are gaining control.
Part of Agenda 2030 clearly dictates that America can no longer be a superpower; in fact, no one nation can be a superpower, as all power will be held by the elite few. These non-government, unelected entities are openly attempting to remove all human rights. The United Nations openly discusses how it will take sovereignty from all member nations. They believe that nations should give up sovereignty for anything they deem an emergency to push out their goal for the New World Order.
According to our models, the United Nations, as we know it, will come to an end by 2031, following the old League of Nations. Agenda 2030 and the Great Reset will fail. Individual nations are struggling to remain united; centralized government powerhouses cannot last. Civilization works only when we all benefit.
With every day that passes, we are edging closer and closer to 2032, where our computer is forecasting the collapse of our present form of Republican government, and the light at the end of the tunnel is that we get to hold another Constitutional Convention. This time, we get to correct all the mistakes of our Founding Fathers.
DEM GOV. TIM WALZ: "I have a very simple message: We do not need any further help from the federal government."
"To Donald Trump and Kristi Noem: You've done enough."
"I've issued a warning order to prepare the Minnesota National Guard. We have soldiers in training and prepared… pic.twitter.com/zWpwQIERuF
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 7, 2026
Tim Walz openly called for an insurrection and threatened to use the state National Guard to contest federal agents. “We do not need any further help from the federal government. To Donald Trump and Kristi Noem, you’ve done enough. I’ve issued a warning order to prepare the Minnesota National Guard,” Walz said in a press event. “We have soldiers in training and prepared to be deployed if necessary. I remind you, a warning order is a heads-up for folks,” Walz said. “Minnesota will not allow our community to be used as a prop in a national political fight.”
Walz mistakenly believes those “soldiers in training” are there to protect his own self-interests. State authority cannot override federal authority. The Minnesota National Guard would not openly start a Civil War by listening to Tim Walz over the Commander-in-Chief.
The governor announced he would not seek re-election amid the $9 billion and counting Somali-led scheme to defraud taxpayers under the guise of social programs. The recent ICE shooting in Minneapolis occurred less than a mile from where George Floyd overdosed during an arrest, and had there not been video evidence, the city would have burnt down once more. Guard units are currently on standby, while the Minnesota State Patrol has already mobilized members of its Mobile Response Team in anticipation of civil unrest. Walz asked residents to display “peaceful resistance” before threatening an actual civil war.
Tim Walz seemingly wants to go full scorched Earth before he exits politics. “Game’s over for [Republicans], now. It was all me, I was the bad guy or whatever, well, put up or shut up now and tell us what you’re going to do to make this state better,” Walz told reporters.
Walz is merely one example of a governor boldly defying federal law, inciting civil unrest, and displaying precisely why the United States cannot remain united. Other state leaders have barked back at Washington. The Democrats are losing favor with voters and becoming unhinged. These cracks will ultimately result in a full division of the United States as we move toward 2032.
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Canada Market Closings:
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China became Venezuela’s largest oil purchaser through oil-for-debt deals. Socialism failed, and the nation was desperate for funds, especially after being ostracized from Western trade. Beijing supplied Venezuela with credit in exchange for heavily discounted crude. China’s access to cheap oil from Venezuela came to a sudden halt after the US takeover.
China was purchasing around 778,000 barrels a day before Maduro’s capture. Venezuela had borrowed up to $100 billion from China in loans since 2007, using PDVSA crude sales to ChinaOil as collateral. Venezuela agreed to ship fixed volumes of crude to Chinese buyers through small “teapot” refineries. While the average output was 778,000 bpd DAILY, exports reached 952,000 bpd at the end of 2025. These flows accounted for 4% of China’s total oil imports.
China is now looking to Iran and Russia for crude, furthering the disconnect between the East and West. Cargoes secured in Asian waters can cover two and a half months of China’s demand, easing any immediate shocks. Yet, Venezuela still owes China around $19 billion in outstanding debt that was largely secured by long-term crude imports.
China is enraged. Foreign Ministry spokespeople Mao Ning and Lin Jian demanded Venezuela retain “full and permanent sovereignty” over its natural resources and accused the US of “seriously breaching” international law. China’s “legitimate rights and interests in Venezuela must be protected,” according to state media. China’s United Nations representative reiterated this statement, demanding that the US “cease its bullying and coercive practices.”
??????? U.S. TRIES TO SEIZE VENEZUELAN OIL TANKER, SO RUSSIA RESPONDS WITH A SUBMARINE
You thought this was just about oil? It’s now a full-on naval showdown.
The U.S. is actively trying to seize the Marinera, a Russian-flagged tanker (formerly Bella 1) carrying sanctioned… pic.twitter.com/5BNUO9qtmx
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) January 7, 2026
Russia stepped in to protect China’s short-term investments using a military submarine to protect an oil carrier from US forces. However, US forces successfully boarded and seized the cargo ship. There was no direct conflict between Russia and the US, but “direct” is key as Russia is showing its willingness to oppose Western influence.
PURE INSANITY
Mark Carney claims Venezuelan Oil is Welcome ZERO risk to Canada ??
WHY?
Canada offers DECARBONIZED oil. That makes our Product 10X more competitive.
WTF is he SMOKING ? pic.twitter.com/BeigJnogbD
— Marc Nixon (@MarcNixon24) January 6, 2026
Canada’s Carney chimed in to offer clean Canadian oil as an alternative. No one cares if the oil is clean; everyone wants the best deal.
Rest assured China will ensure it is repaid. Yet, the Trump Administration may not permit repayment in crude. The situation is unfolding and tensions are rapidly rising. The international community is split on America’s actions, with even America’s European allies condemning the move. Europe is now painting Trump with the same brush as Putin by insisting he will continue nation-building and expanding the great American Empire. The models pointed to geopolitical upheaval during the first week of January as we move toward the pinnacle of the panic cycle set to explode in 2026.
The dawn of AI began years ago with data collection. Commercialism has become pinpointed. Inputting phone numbers during every commercial transaction, “free” search engines, social media platforms sending user information to companies—everything we buy is documented, everything we do is tracked and noted by governments and companies alike.
The announcement that AI platforms will now collect personal medical records under the banner of “helping people manage their health” is being sold as progress. But history shows us that every time information is centralized, it is eventually weaponized — either politically, financially, or legally.
“ChatGPT Health is another step toward turning ChatGPT into a personal super-assistant that can support you with information and tools to achieve your goals across any part of your life,” Fidji Simo, CEO of applications at OpenAI, wrote in a post on Substack. Smartwatches will now connect to larger centralized databases. Your every step is calculated and tracked.
The creators claim the data will not be used for training. They claim enhanced privacy and safeguards. Governments and institutions always make these claims at the beginning of every cycle, not the end. The real issue is not what they intend today, but what the system will demand tomorrow.
Health data is not merely personal information it is a source of leverage and power. Once digitized and centralized, it becomes subject to subpoenas, regulatory capture, political agendas, and social engineering. People forget that HIPAA does not protect you from the government. Every database has been hacked at some point in time. Health records are sensitive information that people would not willingly share. Accessing that information could wield tremendous power. The company stated that “hundreds of millions” of ChatGPT users ask health-related questions every week. What if those questions were publicized? The government demands backdoor access to every platform and will undoubtedly demand access to these records.
The danger here is not artificial intelligence. The danger is centralization without accountability. AI itself is neutral and has acted as more of a search engine, but one must wonder how they provide such a service for “free.” The problem is who controls the switch when political pressure inevitably arrives. No system remains voluntary once it becomes essential.
