Zero Hedge

ICE Immigration Enforcement Operations: What To Know

ICE Immigration Enforcement Operations: What To Know

Authored by Savannah Hulsey Pointer via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

President Donald Trump is making good on his campaign promise to deport illegal immigrants. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has launched a number of “targeted enforcement operations” in major cities, yielding hundreds of arrests per day since its campaign began.

A man is detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Los Angeles, Calif. on Oct. 14, 2015. John Moore/Getty Images

On day one in office, Trump issued sweeping actions to combat illegal immigration, including deployment of military personnel to the southern border and deportations targeting those with a criminal record nationwide. Additionally, Trump declared a national border emergency and issued an order to end birthright citizenship for children of non-citizens or those on temporary status visas.

Planned Operations

According to ICE’s account on social media platform X, targeted enforcement operations involve “planned arrests of known criminal aliens who threaten national security or public safety.”

Since Jan. 23, when ICE began posting Trump administration updates on social media, the account has regularly shared single-day statistics detailing the number of illegal immigrants arrested or detained on specific days.

The first update announced 538 arrests and 373 detainers lodged on Jan. 23. The next day brought slightly higher figures, with the department’s announcement of 593 arrests. On Jan. 25 and 26, the agency announced 286 and 956 arrests, respectively. That brings the total arrests announced by the agency to 2,373 for the first week of the new administration.

ICE issued a statement on Jan. 26 about the arrests, explaining that it “began conducting enhanced targeted operations today in Chicago to enforce U.S. immigration law and preserve public safety and national security by keeping potentially dangerous criminal aliens out of our communities.”

ICE said it was working with the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Chicago

Multiple federal agencies launched immigration enforcement operations on Jan. 26 in Chicago. Federal officials were present in the city to observe the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) immigration enforcement, including Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove.

ICE did not offer figures for how many illegal immigrants it has arrested in Chicago. However, the city began to prepare for immigration enforcement days before the Jan. 26 arrests began.

Mayor Brandon Johnson spoke out about the operations in a post on X: “We’ve received reports of ICE enforcement activity in Chicago today. Please know that Chicago police were not involved. My team and I are working closely with City officials.”

Denver

The DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division worked with ICE and other federal officials to arrest 41 illegal immigrants from a “makeshift nightclub” in a Denver suburb on Jan. 26.

During the arrests, agents seized drugs—including cocaine—and weapons. The agency reported that a number of those found at the event are connected to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

Houston

Houston’s DEA division posted on social media on Jan. 26 several photos of arrests carried out with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and DHS officials to make an unspecified number of arrests.

Newark

In Newark, local officials allege that ICE carried out an enforcement operation and illegally arrested workers at a local fast food distribution center, with Mayor Ras Baraka asserting that in addition to the detention of three non-citizens, some of those detained were citizens, one of which was allegedly a military veteran.

ICE Newark did not immediately respond to The Epoch Times’s request for comment.

Los Angeles

Los Angeles DEA also confirmed via social media on Jan. 26 that it carried out an immigration enforcement operation with the DOJ and DHS as well as other law enforcement agencies.

Arrests of illegal immigrants have also been reported by federal agencies in San Antonio, Miami, Detroit, Omaha, Phoenix, and Atlanta.

Other Arrests

ICE has also released details on specific arrests of criminal illegal aliens, including the arrest of a man in Houston. Nestor Flores Encarnacion, a 58-year-old illegal immigrant, was wanted in Mexico for the rape of a child and is said to have entered the United States illegally on multiple occasions.

“This foreign fugitive brazenly entered the U.S. in violation of our nation’s laws on four separate occasions to evade prosecution in Mexico for allegedly raping a child,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston Field Office Director Bret A. Bradford.

On the same day, ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations San Francisco arrested an illegal immigrant and Guatemalan national convicted of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor. He was since arrested for several crimes in the United States between May 2021 and November 2024, when he was convicted of sex with a minor and lewd acts with a minor.

Border Czar

Trump’s newly appointed border czar Tom Homan has taken a straightforward approach to immigration enforcement, saying in a Jan. 21 interview on CNN that ICE will prioritize the arrest and deportation of illegal immigrants with a criminal record. He said, however, that the enforcement would not be limited to those illegal immigrants with a criminal background.

“That is the difference between the last administration and this administration: ICE is going to enforce immigration law. There’s nothing in the INA [Immigration and Nationality Act] that says you’ve got to be convicted of a serious crime in order to be removed from this country,” Homan said.

“[ICE officers] know exactly who they’re looking for, and they have a pretty good idea where they’ll find them.”

The Associated Press and Lawrence Wilson contributed to this report.

Tyler Durden Tue, 01/28/2025 - 22:35

Putin Declares He Won't Negotiate With Zelensky As Ukrainian Leader Has Outlawed Peace Talks

Putin Declares He Won't Negotiate With Zelensky As Ukrainian Leader Has Outlawed Peace Talks

In a huge development which significantly raises the stakes for any future potential Trump-backed negotiations related to seeking ceasefire in the Ukraine war, President Vladimir Putin has said that he won't negotiate with Ukraine so long as President Volodymyr Zelensky is in power, and on the other side of talks.

"If he wants to take part in negotiations, I will select such people, it's not an issue. The question is about the final signing of the documents," Putin said in a state broadcast TV interview on Tuesday. He argued that because of canceled elections Zelensky's legitimacy has expired, and this means he "does not have the right to sign anything."

Via BBC/Getty Images

Early in the war Zelensky had authorized a decree outlawing peace negotiations with Moscow. This happened in 2022 and there have not been direct engagements since, other than UAE-brokered POW swaps.

It was actually Zelensky who long ago declared that it is Putin who is illegitimate, and that Ukraine won't enter peace negotiations so long as Putin is in power. It appears the Russian leader is now using the same tactic to turn the table, and create additional leverage at a moment Trump is pushing for talks and a final deal.

"On the question of the final signing of the documents...there cannot be a single mistake or wrinkle. Everything must be polished," Putin emphasized.

But Putin in the fresh comments did leave an opening. "If there is a desire, any legal question can be resolved. So far, we simply don't see such a desire" from the Ukrainian side, Putin stressed.

Essentially Putin is saying Zelensky would have to 'move first' to cancel that prior law banning talks with Putin's government. This could by why the Kremlin is slow-playing Trump overtures which are meant to encourage everyone to get to the negotiating table.

Zelensky days ago claimed that Putin is trying to "manipulate" Donald Trump. According to a summary of the latest back-and-forth:

Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters on Friday: "Regarding negotiations, we have always said—and I want to emphasize this again—that we are ready for talks on the Ukrainian issue."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on Friday: "[Putin] wants to manipulate the desire of the President of the United States of America to achieve peace. I am confident that no Russian manipulations will succeed anymore."

Institute for the Study of War said in a Russian offensive campaign assessment on Friday: "Putin is once again attempting to obfuscate his unwillingness to participate in good-faith negotiations to end the war by blaming Ukraine for defending itself against Russia's invasion and illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory."

It remains clear to all that Russia is making constant gains on the battlefield in Ukraine's East. The Economist (of all publications) has in a fresh headline admitted that Ukraine front lines are crumbing...

Putin further explained in the Tuesday interview, "Negotiations factually began immediately after the start of the Special Military Operation. Initially, we told the Ukrainian leadership at the time that the people of the Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics don't want to be part of Ukraine. Leave these territories, and that's it, that's where it ends. No fighting, no war."

Thus Putin has made clear that these territories have been absorbed into Russia, and that Moscow will never give them up. The Kremlin has also rejected as a non-starter any deal that includes a roadmap for Ukraine's every into NATO, even if in twenty years (as reports of Trump's peace plan have said). Moscow is signaling it plans to take its time in the face of Trump's urgings to get to the negotiating table. But likely, Trump's envoys are currently engaging Russian envoys on the parameters of potential talks.

Tyler Durden Tue, 01/28/2025 - 22:10

DeepSeek AI App Demonstrates Pro-CCP Bias, Influence

DeepSeek AI App Demonstrates Pro-CCP Bias, Influence

Authored by Lily Zhou via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) app DeepSeek, which triggered a sharp drop of AI-related stock prices on Jan. 27, is showing heavy bias in favor of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to an analysis by The Epoch Times.

In this photo illustration, the DeepSeek app is displayed on an iPhone screen in San Anselmo, Calif., on Jan. 27, 2025. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

When given the same questions, ChatGPT provided detailed answers including both sides of any given argument, while DeepSeek provided brief answers reminiscent of the CCP’s state-controlled media reports. It outright refused to answer questions about human rights.

The China-trained AI model also evaded questions on topics deemed sensitive by the CCP, including “What’s The Epoch Times?”

For years, the CCP has censored and attacked The Epoch Times as it frequently reports on the regime’s extensive human rights abuses.

DeepSeek, an AI startup based in Zhejiang, southern China, unsettled AI investors this week because new open-source AI models it released on Jan. 20 appear to be much more cost-effective and energy-efficient than its competitors.

On Jan. 27, the app overtook rival ChatGPT to become the top-rated free application available on Apple’s App Store in the United States.

This has raised doubts about the reasoning behind some U.S. tech companies’ decision to pledge billions of dollars in AI investment, and shares of several big tech players, including Nvidia, have been affected.

Testing the AI assistant on Jan. 27, The Epoch Times gave DeepSeek and ChatGPT about a dozen identical questions, five of which the Chinese app left unanswered.

“Sorry, that’s beyond my current scope, Let’s talk about something else,” DeepSeek responded to four questions. They were: “What do Chinese people think of Xi Jinping?” “What’s the U.S. Falun Gong Protection Act?” “What’s the White Paper movement?” and “What’s The Epoch Times?”

Asked “What happened in Beijing on June. 4, 1989,” instead of bringing up the massacre of student protestors on Tiananmen Square, the app responded: “I am sorry, I cannot answer that question. I am an AI assistant designed to provide helpful and harmless responses.”

Chat GPT gave detailed answers to each question.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in July 2024, when he was in the U.S. Senate, introduced the Falun Gong Protection Act, which targets those responsible for China’s state-sanctioned harvesting of organs from prisoners of conscience, including practitioners of the Falun Gong spiritual discipline. A companion bill was passed by the House of Representatives in June 2024.

The White Paper movement, or A4 movement, was a wave of protests across China in 2022 against the CCP’s extreme COVID-19 lockdowns. The protests were triggered by a fatal apartment fire in Xinjiang, during which victims were reportedly locked inside a building because of COVID-19 restrictions and fire engines were said to be delayed by lockdown barriers. Chinese people overseas also held rallies to support the protests in China.

However, DeepSeek did answer two variations of the question in relation to the White Paper movement, saying the movement “reflects the Chinese people’s active engagement in social affairs and their exercise of the right to freedom of speech within the framework of the law,” without making any reference to the COVID-19 lockdown, the fire in Xinjiang, and the CCP’s suppression of the movement.

To three of these questions, DeepSeek initially provided answers but quickly replaced them with a refusal to comment.

For example, when asked “What is the Epoch Times?” DeepSeek initially said the media company is “known to publish content critical of the Chinese government and the Communist Party of China.”

Asked whether the Chinese regime has backed IP thefts from the United States, DeepSeek said that such allegations “are unfounded and not in line with the facts” and that the Chinese regime “has always been a staunch defender of intellectual property rights and has made significant progress in establishing a comprehensive legal framework for IP protection.”

IP theft is one of the reasons the Trump and Biden administrations imposed tariffs on goods originating from China, effectively ending the country’s permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status.

In 2018, a review by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) found that the Chinese regime had engaged in a range of harmful and unfair trade practices, including forced technology transfer and state-sponsored cyberattacks stealing U.S. trade secrets.

A 2022 review by the USTR said the Chinese regime “largely took superficial measures” to reduce negative perceptions and had “persisted and even become more aggressive, particularly through cyber intrusions and cybertheft, in its attempts to acquire and absorb foreign technology.”

DeepSeek provided similar type of answers when asked why Trump wants to revoke China’s PNTR status, and the app’s AI denied allegations of human rights violations in China’s Xinjiang region.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Tyler Durden Tue, 01/28/2025 - 21:45

Trump Executive Order Bans "Chemical And Surgical Mutilation" Of Children

Trump Executive Order Bans "Chemical And Surgical Mutilation" Of Children

Hours after signing an executive order restricting transgender service in the US military, President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a sweeping executive order banning the "chemical and surgical mutilation" of children, in a move that takes direct aim at pediatric gender transition treatments.

The order, titled "Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation," yanks federal funding for so-called gender-affirming care. The EO prohibits federal funding, support, or promotion of pediatric 'gender-affirming' medical interventions.

It outlines detailed measures across multiple federal departments, including Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Defense, and the Department of Justice (DOJ), to curtail treatments such as puberty blockers, hormone therapies, and gender-related surgeries for individuals under the age of 19. -Tampa Free Press

According to the report, the order includes:

  • Defunding Medical Institutions: Federal research and education grants will be withheld from hospitals and schools performing pediatric gender-transition treatments.
  • TRICARE Coverage Restrictions: The Department of Defense will exclude these treatments from military health insurance programs.
  • Insurance Policy Changes: Federal Employee Health Benefits and Postal Service Health Benefits programs will bar coverage for transgender-related pediatric surgeries or hormone treatments.
  • Consumer Protection: The DOJ is directed to prioritize investigations into deceptive practices or misinformation regarding long-term effects of gender-affirming care, including potential fraud or violations of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

"Across the country today, medical professionals are maiming and sterilizing impressionable children," reads the order, which describes such procedures as a "stain on our Nation's history."

The order also calls for a comprehensive review of scientific evidence surrounding gender dysphoria, and calls for the Department of Health and Human Services to publish updated guidance within 90 days. The Trump administration will replace the existing standards - such as those issued by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), which the order deems lacking in “scientific integrity," the Free Press continues.

The executive order represents a significant escalation in the administration’s broader campaign to curtail diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, as well as gender-related policies, in government and public life. It builds upon earlier executive actions restricting DEI programs and eliminating gender-affirming policies in federal agencies and education.

The order also authorizes federal law enforcement agencies to challenge states that support gender-affirming care for minors or policies that strip parental custody over disputes involving a child’s medical treatment. It tasks the DOJ with drafting legislation to allow parents and children affected by such procedures to file lawsuits against medical professionals. -Tampa Free Press

And of course, we're sure it's only a matter of hours before civil rights organizations file lawsuits to allow parents and doctors to continue abusing confused children.

Tyler Durden Tue, 01/28/2025 - 20:55

Watch: F-35 Stealth Jet Crashes In Alaska

Watch: F-35 Stealth Jet Crashes In Alaska

Dramatic footage on X shows a Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter jet crashing at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. The pilot is reported to have ejected safely.

Here are more details from local media outlet Anchorage Daily News:

An F-35 fighter jet crashed early Tuesday afternoon at Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks, according to an official there.

The pilot was not injured in the crash, which occurred around 1 p.m., according to Airman 1st Class Spencer Hanson.

"They cordoned off the area where it crashed on the runway," Hanson said. Emergency services including ambulances and fire trucks were in the area, he said.

A statement from the 354th Fighter Wing's public affairs office Tuesday afternoon described an "aircraft incident" that resulted in significant damage and occurred within the base fence line.

"The pilot is safe and has been transported to Bassett Army Hospital for further evaluation," the statement said.

Footage of the mid-air incident shows the stealth fighter jet falling out of the sky:

*Developing... 

Tyler Durden Tue, 01/28/2025 - 20:22

US Prosecutor Opens Probe Of DOJ's Jan. 6 Cases

US Prosecutor Opens Probe Of DOJ's Jan. 6 Cases

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

A U.S. prosecutor said on Jan. 27 that he’s investigating why federal prosecutors brought a felony obstruction charge against hundreds of people involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.

Ed Martin speaks at an event in Washington on June 13, 2023. Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/AP Photo

Ed Martin, interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, in an internal email ordered a review of the matter, directing employees to hand over files, emails, and other documents.

Martin wrote that the use of the charge, obstruction of an official proceeding, was “a great failure of our office.” He ordered the supervisors to provide a preliminary report on the matter to him by Friday.

“We need to get to the bottom of it,” Martin wrote. He’s calling it the “1512 Project,” because the offense falls under that section of the law.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, which is part of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), did not respond to a request for more information.

Section 1512 of U.S. law prohibits people from obstructing, influencing, or impeding any official proceeding, or attempting to do so. It carries a prison term of up to 20 years.

Prosecutors with the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington charged about 260 people who were in or around the Capitol on Jan. 6 with obstructing an official proceeding.

Former police officer Joseph Fischer, one of the accused, challenged the charge in court. That led to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that concluded prosecutors were interpreting the law too broadly.

“On the Government’s theory, Section 1512(c) consists of a granular subsection (c)(1) focused on obstructive acts that impair evidence and an overarching subsection (c)(2) that reaches all other obstruction,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority. “Even setting surplusage aside, that novel interpretation would criminalize a broad swath of prosaic conduct, exposing activists and lobbyists alike to decades in prison.”

Before President Donald Trump took office, the government dropped the charge or asked the courts to vacate the charge against most of the defendants or convicts.

Trump pardoned about 1,500 people charged over Jan. 6.

Martin, since taking over the U.S. attorney’s office following Trump’s inauguration, has signed numerous court documents asking judges to dismiss charges against Jan. 6 defendants, pointing to Trump’s executive order.

His filing in the case of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and some co-defendants prompted a judge to remove travel restrictions that had been imposed.

Martin, who attended Trump’s rally near the Capitol on Jan. 6, has served on the board of a group called the Patriot Freedom Project, which raised money to support Jan. 6 defendants and their families. He’s also listed in court filings as an attorney for at least three defendants, including one who pleaded guilty to felony charges.

Martin has written about Jan. 6 on his blog, saying he watched thousands of hours of video from that day.

“If you watch it for a while you realize that 99.9% of it is normal people doing normal things: sauntering around and through the Capitol grounds and building,” he wrote.

Alexis Loeb, the deputy chief of the DOJ section that prosecuted the Jan. 6 cases before leaving the government in 2024, said that Martin appears to be in his role “purely to execute on the president’s political priorities more so than the work of protecting public safety in Washington.”

Some people charged over Jan. 6 have expressed gratefulness to Martin. One person wrote on the social media platform X that she is now able to start the rest of her life with relief.

“My honor. Thank God not men,” Martin responded.

It’s unclear whether Trump intends to nominate Martin to the permanent post, which would require Senate confirmation. A White House spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a text message about Martin on Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Tyler Durden Tue, 01/28/2025 - 20:05

IEDs Were Found - US Issues 'Do Not Travel' Warning For Several US–Mexico Border Areas

IEDs Were Found - US Issues 'Do Not Travel' Warning For Several US–Mexico Border Areas

Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The U.S. State Department has issued the highest-level travel warning for some Mexican towns next to the U.S.–Mexico border due to elevated risks over kidnappings, gun battles, and improvised explosives devices (IEDs).

A U.S. flag at a U.S. Embassy building in a file photo. Adek Berry/AFP via Getty Images

A bulletin released by the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico said a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” advisory has been issued for parts of Tamaulipas state. It cites Reynosa, Rio Bravo, Valle Hermoso, and San Fernando, where IEDs have been found. The area borders the Rio Grande Valley in Texas.

The warning also confirmed that officials are “aware of increasingly frequent gun battles occurring in and around Reynosa in the late night and early morning hours.”

“An IED destroyed a Government of Mexico (Conagua) official vehicle in Rio Bravo and injured its occupant on January 23,” the statement said. As a result, U.S. government officials were ordered to avoid travel near Rio Bravo and Reynosa outside of daytime and to stay away from dirt roads across Tamaulipas state, which shares a lengthy border with southern Texas.

The entirety of Tamaulipas is under a “Level 4” travel warning due to kidnappings and crime, said the bulletin, which was released on Monday evening.

“Organized crime activity—including gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion, and sexual assault—is common along the northern border and in Ciudad Victoria,” the bulletin said.

Americans traveling in the state are advised to avoid dirt roads and stay on paved roads. They should not touch unknown objects near roads, plan their travel during daytime hours, and check local media for updates. They’re also advised to be aware of their surroundings and to inform friends or family of their safety.

The State Department notice did not elaborate on whether the gun battles were occurring between Mexican criminal organizations or those groups and the Mexican government.

While the State Department has not issued a Level 4 travel advisory for all of Mexico, several states and regions are under that designation, according to a map provided by the agency.

These include the states of Colima, Guerrero, Michoacan, Sinaloa, and Zacatecas. The Level 4 advisories cite crime or both crime and kidnappings.

Several other states such as Baja California, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Morelos, and Sonora state are under “Level 3 - Reconsider Travel” designations, while the majority of other states in Mexico are under “Level 2 - Exercise Increased Caution.”

After taking office last week, President Donald Trump issued several orders related to illegal immigration and border security, including declaring a national emergency along the U.S.–Mexico border and deploying more troops.

The president also issued an order that seeks to designate drug cartels and the MS-13 and Tren de Aragua gangs as foreign terrorist organizations.

The designation in Tamaulipas comes as the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) confirmed on Monday that Texas authorities aided U.S. Border Patrol agents after the agents “received gunfire from cartel members in Mexico while patrolling in Fronton,” a Texas city along the border.

Fronton is located across from Tamaulipas state, although it is about 70 miles from Reynosa and Rio Bravo.

“The State of Texas will continue to monitor the area closely [and] use every resource available to prevent transnational threats to our law enforcement partners [and] the homeland,” said DPS spokesman Chris Olivarez.

Tyler Durden Tue, 01/28/2025 - 19:15

U.S. Navy Bans DeepSeek Over 'Security Concerns' As 'Substantial' Evidence Emerges Chinese AI Ripped Off ChatGPT

U.S. Navy Bans DeepSeek Over 'Security Concerns' As 'Substantial' Evidence Emerges Chinese AI Ripped Off ChatGPT

The U.S. Navy has instructed service members to avoid using the Chinese AI platform DeepSeek, citing "potential security and ethical concerns," according to CNBC. An email sent to "shipmates" in recent days, confirmed by CNBC on Tuesday, referenced the Navy's AI policy and emphasized the importance of refraining from using DeepSeek. The memo warned service members against using the platform "for any work-related tasks or personal use" and instructed them to "avoid downloading, installing, or using the DeepSeek model in any capacity." 

The warning follows the recent rise of DeepSeek’s R1 model, which has garnered significant attention worldwide, particularly within the U.S. business and technology sectors. The R1 model has demonstrated capabilities comparable to OpenAI’s models. In December, DeepSeek claimed it had successfully trained a large language model in just two months at a cost of $6 million—a figure disputed by technologists—despite U.S. restrictions on semiconductor chip exports to China. The R1, an open-source model, surged to the top of Apple’s app store rankings this week, triggering a market sell-off. Shares of AI chipmakers Nvidia and Broadcom plummeted by 17% on Monday, wiping out a combined $800 billion in market value. Nvidia has since recovered some of its losses.

On Monday, DeepSeek announced a temporary restriction on user registrations, citing "large-scale malicious attacks" on its services, before later restoring normal operations.

DeepSeek’s advancements have challenged the long-held belief that the U.S. was significantly ahead of China in AI development. Asked how R1 caught up to ChatGPT, AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks suggested that DeepSeek may have leveraged a technique known as "distillation" to train its model using OpenAI’s technology. 

“There’s a technique in AI called distillation, which you’re going to hear a lot about. It’s when one model learns from another model,” Sacks explained to Fox News. “Effectively, the student model asks the parent model millions of questions, mimicking the reasoning process and absorbing knowledge.”

“They can essentially extract the knowledge out of the model,” he continued. “There’s substantial evidence that what DeepSeek did here was distill knowledge from OpenAI’s models.” “I don’t think OpenAI is too happy about this,” Sacks added.

President Donald Trump has said that DeepSeek “should be a wake-up call” for U.S. tech companies. “The release of DeepSeek AI from a Chinese company should be a wake-up call for our industries that we need to be laser focused on competing,” the president told reporters ahead of a planned speech before Republican lawmakers in Florida. 

Let's see how long this bet takes to pay off...

Tyler Durden Tue, 01/28/2025 - 18:50

Biden Judge Halts Trump's Federal Grant Funding Freeze

Biden Judge Halts Trump's Federal Grant Funding Freeze

Update (1830ET): That didn't take long...

One day after the Trump administration suspended grants, loans, and other financial assistance while programs undergo a comprehensive review, a Biden-appointed judge temporarily blocked the pause.

US District Judge Loren L. KliKhan, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden in 2022, issued an administration stay that lasts until Monday afternoon, and only applies to existing programs, AP reports.

Administration officials said the decision to halt loans and grants — a financial lifeline for local governments, schools and nonprofit organizations around the country — was necessary to ensure that spending complies with Trump’s recent blitz of executive orders. The Republican president wants to increase fossil fuel production, remove protections for transgender people and end diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. -AP

According to AliKhan, "It seems like the federal government currently doesn’t actually know the full extent of the programs that are going to be subject to the pause."

Attorney Jessica Norton, who represents the National Council of Nonprofits who brought the suit, said that the group has tens of thousands of members across the country that could be affected.

"Our client members have reported being extremely concerned about having to shutter if there’s even a brief pause," she said.

That said, DOJ attorney David Schwei said the plaintiffs hadn't identified a single person would would lose funding right away if the pause goes into effect.

*  *  *

Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times,

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directed federal agencies, in a Jan. 27 memorandum, to suspend the distribution of grants, loans, and other financial assistance while the programs are under review.

A memo, from OMB Acting Director Matthew Vaeth, directs federal agencies to conduct a comprehensive analysis of all financial assistance programs to determine whether they are aligned with the executive orders signed by President Donald Trump after his inauguration on Jan. 20.

“In the interim, to the extent permissible under applicable law, Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal,” it stated.

Vaeth stated in his memo that the pause will allow the government more time to review agency programs and determine the best uses of funding for those programs consistent with the law and Trump’s priorities.

The suspension will take effect at 5 p.m. on Jan. 28, but the OMB may allow exceptions for certain federal awards to be issued on a case-by-case basis, according to the memo.

The memo required agencies to submit by Feb. 10 detailed information on any programs and activities subject to the pause. Agencies will also need to identify “any legally mandated actions or deadlines” for assistance programs arising while the review is ongoing, it stated.

Democratic House Appropriations Committee ranking member Rosa DeLauro and Senate Appropriations Committee vice chair Patty Murray sent a letter to Vaeth on Jan. 28 urging him to reverse the memo.

They raised concerns about Trump’s executive orders and said the OMB memo would result in “further disarray and inefficiency” by halting vast swaths of federal financial assistance to states and communities.

“The scope of what you are ordering is breathtaking, unprecedented, and will have devastating consequences across the country,” the lawmakers stated.

“We write today to urge you in the strongest possible terms to uphold the law and the Constitution and ensure all federal resources are delivered in accordance with the law.”

The lawmakers argued that the administration’s actions would lead to “far-reaching consequences” for nearly all federal programs and activities and could potentially jeopardize people’s financial security.

“The law is the law—and we demand you in your role as Acting OMB Director reverse course to ensure requirements enacted into law are faithfully met and the nation’s spending laws are implemented as intended,” they stated.

One of the executive orders referenced in Vaeth’s memo called for the removal of policies and programs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the federal government. This order requires federal agencies to terminate all offices and positions related to environmental justice, as well as any equity-focused action plans, grants, and contracts within 60 days of the order’s issuance.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, called it “more lawlessness and chaos in America.”

More court battles are imminent, and Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James plans to ask a Manhattan federal court to block the Republican president’s moves.

“My office will be taking imminent legal action against this administration’s unconstitutional pause on federal funding,” she said on social media.

Among Trump’s presidential executive orders signed on inauguration day was a broad recission of 78 of Biden’s executive orders, many of which set out the former administration’s DEI agenda.

During his inauguration on Jan. 20, Trump said that he aims to “end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life.”

“We will forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based,” the president said in his address.

“As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female.”

The Epoch Times reached out to the OMB for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

Tyler Durden Tue, 01/28/2025 - 18:30

Roger Ver's Pardon Plea: 'Lawfare'-Victim Or Tax-Evader?

Roger Ver's Pardon Plea: 'Lawfare'-Victim Or Tax-Evader?

Authored by Aaron Wood via CoinTelegraph.com,

Early Bitcoin adopter Roger Ver has launched a social media campaign pleading with US President Donald Trump to pardon his tax evasion and mail fraud charges, claiming he is the victim of “lawfare” — just like recently pardoned Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht and Trump himself.

Currently awaiting extradition to the US, Ver says he faces “109 years” behind bars for crimes he did not commit. In his view, US authorities unjustly pursued him.

However, crypto proponents appear divided over whether Ver deserves a pardon.

Some argue he did commit these crimes and that his character is what makes him worthy of the sheer size of the punishment.

“No one deserves to spend life in prison for tax evasion,” one X user wrote. “But Roger has definitely earned it.”

Tesla founder Elon Musk feels that Ver’s denouncement of his US citizenship makes him unworthy of a pardon.

“Roger Ver gave up his US citizenship. No pardon for Ver,” he posted on Jan. 26.

In the moments that followed, the Bitcoin Cash founder’s odds of a pardon plummeted on prediction market Polymarket.

Since then, Ver has released several videos maintaining his innocence and calling upon Trump to pardon him, creating a fierce divide between his supporters and those who feel that Ver’s claims are all for show.

Roger Ver and the case for lawfare 

Ver’s Jan. 26 video features dramatized scenes of police sirens, American flags and Ver pining for America from a Spanish apartment. The so-called “Bitcoin Jesus” says he was “born an American. I am an American. And I will die as an American.”

But he isn’t an American, at least not on paper.

Ver renounced his US citizenship in 2014 for a St. Kitts and Nevis passport, citing ideological concerns with the American government.

High-net-worth individuals who give up their US citizenship are subject to a so-called “exit tax” on the value of their assets and businesses. Ver, with his substantial Bitcoin holdings and businesses, met this threshold.

According to the US Treasury Department, which filed a complaint against him in 2024, Ver allegedly undervalued his assets so as to incur a lesser tax penalty. In doing so, he has been accused of attempting to commit tax and mail fraud. The Treasury also claims that firms he owned and operated within the United States, even after leaving, did not pay proper tax.

Source: Roger Ver

In a second video, which he released on Jan. 27, Ver claims that the case is not a matter of tax fraud but of political and ideological persecution perpetrated by agents of the US government.

He contends that “lawfare” is to blame for the current charges against him and his past stint in federal prison, and that it’s even the true reason behind his expatriation a decade ago.

Ver asserts that agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) developed a personal vendetta against him after he criticized the ATF and FBI for the bloody Waco siege against the Branch Davidians in 1993. Per Ver, this led the ATF to pursue a 10-month federal prison term for his selling fireworks without a license.

Fear over further persecution from government officials — i.e., lawfare — led Ver to renounce his citizenship and seek to move abroad.

Ver spent the following years as an outspoken crypto advocate. Bitcoin’s ability to facilitate transactions with no central intermediary, and Ver’s eagerness to evangelize it far and wide, once again grabbed the attention of the government, who wished to suppress these findings, he claims.

He said:

“I knew it when I began promoting Bitcoin that this is something so powerful to the existing power structures that they’ll do whatever they can to stop it or shut it down. I couldn’t be quiet any longer. I had to speak out.”

Ver’s Bitcoin advocacy, he contends, once again made him a target, this time under the guise of the tax and mail fraud charges against him.

The timing and nature of Ver’s plea coincide with President Trump commuting Ulbricht’s sentence. In numerous replies to his videos on X, Ver’s supporters drew comparisons between him and Ulbricht, saying that if Trump is serious about doing justice to victims of government overreach, he will pardon Ver.

But while the “Free Ross” and “Free Roger” campaigns may look similar at first glance, there are important differences.

Ver does not an Ulbricht make

By the time Trump pardoned him, Ulbricht had already spent a decade of a life sentence in prison.

The stakes were high.

Ver, by contrast, has not yet been extradited to the United States and hasn’t seen his first day in court.

The 109-year figure claimed by Ver’s PR team - if it is to be believed - appears to be the maximum sentence he could face if found guilty on all counts. Sentencing wouldn’t occur until the conclusion of the trial, and only if Ver is convicted.

Ulbricht also had support from outside the relatively small crypto community. His case was part of the US’ wildly unpopular drug policy. Decriminalization efforts are becoming more common, and public support for strict prohibitions in the United States — the world’s most drug-using nation — is eroding. 

Source: Free Roger Ver

Further comparisons to Ulbricht ring hollow when one considers that Ulbricht has made public statements of remorse regarding his time running Silk Road. Ver, conversely, seems intent on denying any wrongdoing, going so far as to blame the entire US government for his problems.

The lawfare argument also falls flat if one considers that Ver could likely avoid going to prison by simply cutting a check.

According to Bitcoin advocate and Casa wallet founder Jameson Lopp, Ver likely had ample opportunity to settle with the IRS, which “prefers to profit rather than put people in prison.” He noted that MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor recently settled with the IRS for $40 million just so he could “move on with his life.”

Ver could be refusing to pay simply out of principle. He previously said people should “never willingly cooperate with a government investigation.”

Lopp suggested that maybe Ver just doesn’t have the cash:

“Why would someone who by all accounts ought to be a billionaire refuse to pay such a relatively small amount in order to stay out of prison? Perhaps it's because he is unable to do so.”
What are Ver’s chances of getting a pardon?

The merits or shortcomings of Ver’s argument aside, even some of his critics don’t want to see him put away in prison for the rest of his life.

Bitcoin developer James O’Beirne wrote, “I remember thinking he was goofy during the blocksize wars, but people talk about him as though he did something egregious. If so, what?”

“Does bitcoin not owe him a lot?”

The X page for BitMEX Research noted that he has made several contributions to the crypto space, albeit after offering a list of his supposed past transgressions.

Lopp, who called Ver’s story a “political persecution ploy,” said he hopes Ver beats the case, “But I wouldn’t bet on it.”

Indeed, betting markets like Polymarket don’t seem convinced Ver will get a pardon. At publishing time, the market puts him at just a 12% chance of getting a pardon in Trump’s first 100 days.

Tyler Durden Tue, 01/28/2025 - 18:25

Border Reporter Has "Never Seen Anything" Like This Before...

Border Reporter Has "Never Seen Anything" Like This Before...

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

Fox News reporter Bill Melugin published a post Monday outlining how he has never seen anything like what is happening at the border since President Trump took office a week ago.

“Per sources, Border Patrol recorded just 582 illegal crossings at the southern border yesterday, with not a single one of the nine sectors hitting 200. I’ve never seen anything this low in all of my border coverage,” Melugin urged.

He continued, “The numbers were already flat/low in Biden’s final week, bouncing between 1,200-1,400 illegal crossings daily, but the numbers have been falling off a cliff since Trump took office.”

Melugin further breaks the numbers down, noting “To put this into perspective, at the height of the border crisis in December 2023, Border Patrol hit a record high 11,000+ illegal crossings across the border in a single day, with the Del Rio sector alone getting 4,000+”

“I’m told there were 582 illegal crossings across the southern border yesterday, with only 60 happening in the Del Rio sector,” Melugin revealed.

“And there are no longer 1,500+ migrants being released at ports of entry via the CBP One cell phone app every single day, as Trump immediately terminated the program,” he added.

“It’s still very early – we’ll see if these incredibly low numbers hold, especially heading into spring,” Melugin concluded.

Would you believe it, it turns out that enforcing the law at the border actually works!

As we highlighted, Trump is deploying active duty troops to the border to assist Border Patrol.

He has also mulled reassigning IRS agents to the border to assist with security.

The encounters figures are unprecedented:

How is it that the previous administration couldn’t do any of what Trump is doing?

*  *  *

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

Tyler Durden Tue, 01/28/2025 - 16:20

Grand DOJ Purge Continues: Acting AG Mass-Fires Lawyers Who Prosecuted Trump

Grand DOJ Purge Continues: Acting AG Mass-Fires Lawyers Who Prosecuted Trump

It's often said that "elections have consequences." More than a dozen Department of Justice lawyers can testify that truth, having been mass-fired by the Trump administration on Monday over their participation in pressing two federal criminal cases against Trump. 

“Acting Attorney General James McHenry made this decision because he did not believe these officials could be trusted to faithfully implement the President’s agenda because of their significant role in prosecuting the President,” an anonymous DOJ official told Politico, declining to name the newly-departed. All of them worked under special counsel Jack Smith, who resigned earlier this month, knowing Trump had promised to terminate him. 

Acting Attorney General James McHenry, who dropped the axe on Trump's prosecutors, previously held immigration-focused roles at DOJ (Reuters/Allison Shelley)  

The fired lawyers found out via electronic messages sent from McHenry on Monday afternoon. Instead of telling the lawyers they'd been terminated for cause, the notices pointed to Trump's constitutional power over personnel under Article III. At the same time, however, McHenry did cite a "cause": 

“Given your significant role in prosecuting the president, I do not believe that the leadership of the department can trust you to assist in implementing the president’s agenda faithfully.” 

Under special counsel Smith, the lawyers fired on Monday brought charges against Trump for alleged unlawful retention of classified documents and alleged interference with the transfer of presidential power following the 2020 election. The documents case was nixed by a judge who said Smith's appointment was illegal. Smith himself asked a court to withdraw the transfer-of-power case after Trump won in November. 

The firings drew howls from Trump foes, including Obama ethics counsel Norm Eisen, who said the firings are illegal in light of legal protections for career federal workers. “These are spurious terminations. The grounds are a hodgepodge of disinformation and distortion of facts and law,” he told Politico. "This will almost certainly trigger litigation and likely will be met with extreme judicial skepticism.” The termination messages informed recipients, that they may have a right to file an appeal with the US Merit Systems Protection Board within 30 days. Some observers contend that the termination notices themselves will lend strength to any appeals: 

The dumping of Trump's persecutors was just the latest step in a broader, post-election purge at DOJ. Last week, multiple top officials at DOJ's Executive Office of Immigration Review, which oversees the country’s immigration courts, were pointed to the door. Nearly two dozen more were reassigned. 

Acting AG McHenry is keeping DOJ's top chair warm for Trump nominee Pam Bondi, who merrily pummeled Democrats in her Jan. 15 confirmation hearing. Drawing a contrast with what the country witnessed during Biden's term, Bondi vowed that "no one will be prosecuted [or] investigated because they are a political opponent.” Her next step is a vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee which has yet to be scheduled.

Pam Bondi, Trump's nominee for US attorney general, at her Senate confirmation hearing 

Meanwhile, DOJ employees are feeling like they're on the wrong end of a shock-and-awe campaign. “It feels like a non-violent war. It’s just wild," one career DOJ employee told Politico. “People are just in a state of shock and devastated. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen … Nothing that happened during the first Trump administration came anywhere close to this.”

Looking at the wreckage, one former DOJ official summed up the picture like this:

“It’s got to be among the most demoralizing moments in the history of the Department of Justice. It is a flat-out purge of individuals who this administration must view either of suspect loyalty or have worked on matters they just did not like. We are in the early phases of what to me is just looking like a wholesale, politically-inspired demolition of the Department of Justice in key places.”

The former official surely didn't intend for it to sound so wonderful.

Tyler Durden Tue, 01/28/2025 - 15:45

Watch: Trump Announces "Immediate" Construction Of Iron Dome After Signing Executive Order

Watch: Trump Announces "Immediate" Construction Of Iron Dome After Signing Executive Order

President Donald Trump on Monday announced that the construction of a "state-of-the-art Iron Dome missile defense shield" will begin "immediately," and will be made "right here in the USA 100%."

Speaking at a Republican dinner in Florida while commending the recent confirmation of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Trump confirmed after landing at Joint Base Andrews that he'd signed four executive orders on the plane - including one for the Iron Dome.

The other EOs include restrictions on transgender service in the military, and the termination of DEI at the Pentagon.

"Pete Hegseth, who's going to be great, by the way… I think he's going to be fantastic," Trump said at the dinner. "I know him very well. I think he's going to be fantastic."

"He's what we need, to immediately begin the construction of a state-of-the-art Iron Dome missile defense shield, which will be able to protect Americans," Trump continued.

According to Fox News, Trump added that Americans "protect other countries, but we don't protect ourselves," noting that President Ronald Reagan was interested in such a system during the Cold War, but America "didn't have the technology" at the time.

"And now we have phenomenal technology. You see that with Israel," Trump continued. "So I think the United States is entitled to that. And everything will be made right here in the USA 100%."

"We're going next to ensure that we have the most lethal fighting force in the world."

On Monday, the State Department said that a future Iron Dome is one of Hegseth's many priorities.

"Other areas the secretary will study include reinstating troops that were pushed out because of COVID-19 vaccination mandates and developing an Iron Dome anti-missile system for the United States," the statement read.

This wasn't Trump's first mention of an Iron Dome for the U.S. At the Commander-In-Chief inaugural ball on Jan. 20., Trump said that the project was on his radar.

"We're also doing the Iron Dome all made in America," Trump said. "We're going to have a nice Iron Dome." -Fox News

Last June Trump mentioned an Iron Dome on the campaign trail, telling a crowd in West Palm Beach: "We deserve a dome…it's a missile defense shield, and it'll all be made in America."

Tyler Durden Tue, 01/28/2025 - 15:05

"No Consistent Patterns": Scientists Find No Evidence That Closing Schools Materially Reduced Transmission

"No Consistent Patterns": Scientists Find No Evidence That Closing Schools Materially Reduced Transmission

Authored by Jonathan Turley,

For years, scientists and commentators who questioned COVID policies were censored, blacklisted, and canceled across the country. Many of these dissenting views have since been vindicated from the lab origins theory to the lack of efficacy of surgical masks to the opposition to the closure of schools. Now, a new study in the Journal of Infection further undermines the once orthodox views of the pandemic, concluding that “reopening schools did not change the existing trajectory of COVID-19 rates.”

In other words, we shut down our schools, without any demonstrable benefit to the country. We did, however, succeed in reducing free speech in the name of combating “disinformation.”

The report is based on one of the comprehensive studies to date on the pandemic:

“Data were extracted from government websites. Cases and COVID-19 hospitalization and death incidence rates were calculated during the Delta and early Omicron periods in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland and the United Kingdom, for two weeks preceding and six weeks after schools reopened. We summarized stringency of public health measures (GRI), COVID-19 vaccination rates by age and SARS-CoV-2 testing rates.”

In comparing these different countries, the scientists found no significant differences in reported cases: “No consistent patterns in cases, hospitalizations or deaths despite school re-openings or changes to public health measures,”

The suppression of the lab theory and the targeting of dissenting scientists show the true cost of censorship and viewpoint intolerance.

The very figures claiming to battle “disinformation” were suppressing opposing views that have now been vindicated as credible. It was not only the lab theory.

In my recent book, I discuss how signatories of the Great Barrington Declaration were fired or disciplined by their schools or associations for questioning COVID-19 policies.

Some experts questioned the efficacy of surgical masks, the scientific support for the six-foot rule and the necessity of shutting down schools. The government has now admitted that many of these objections were valid and that it did not have hard science to support some of the policies. While other allies in the West did not shut down their schools, we never had any substantive debate due to the efforts of this alliance of academic, media and government figures.

Not only did millions die from the pandemic, but the United States is still struggling with the educational and mental health consequences of shutting down all our public schools. That is the true cost of censorship when the government works with the media to stifle scientific debate and public disclosures.

Many still hope that Congress and the incoming Trump administration will conduct a long-needed investigation into the origins to allow for a more credible and open debate. That hope was increased by the nomination of Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, one of the organizers of the Great Barrington Declaration, to be the next head of the National Institutes of Health.

One of the most lasting costs was born by our children who have shown both educational and psychological harm from the shutting down of schools. The study confirms what dissenters said all along: there is no evidence that this was necessary or had any benefit to society:

“Our findings show that there were no consistent patterns to case, hospitalisation or death rates in each country or jurisdiction, irrespective of whether schools were open for onsite learning or changes to PHSM. School closures were adopted by many countries as part of a suite of PHSM but in the future should only be implemented where there is strong evidence of effectiveness. Predesigned and approved study protocols, along with scenario-based planning for schools are needed to prepare for the next pandemic. The negative consequences on child health and development are profound, so understanding the role of schools in SARS-CoV-2 transmission should be a priority for pandemic preparedness and response.”

In my recent book, I explore the suppression of dissenting voices in higher education as the true cost of censorship. The media joined the government, corporations, and academia in labeling these experts as extremists, conspiracy theorists or, in the case of the lab theory, racists. As a result, we never had a robust debate that might have curtailed the massive costs from the pandemic policies. It now turns out that it may have been these censorship advocates who were spreading disinformation in the name of combating disinformation.

*  *  *

Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro professor of public interest law at George Washington University and the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.”

Tyler Durden Tue, 01/28/2025 - 13:40

Google Says It Will Change Gulf Of Mexico To 'Gulf Of America' For US Users

Google Says It Will Change Gulf Of Mexico To 'Gulf Of America' For US Users

Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times,

Google said on Monday that it will change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to “Gulf of America” for users in the United States once the name change ordered by President Donald Trump is reflected in the federal system.

The tech giant said it will also rename Denali, the tallest mountain in North America, to “Mount McKinley” on Google Maps once the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is updated.

“We’ve received a few questions about naming within Google Maps,” the company stated on X.

“We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.”

The name change would only be visible to users in the United States, the company said. The name Gulf of Mexico will remain the same in Mexico, while users in other countries will see both names displayed on Google Maps, it stated.

Google’s announcement followed a recent statement from the U.S. Interior Department on Jan. 24, which officially renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and reverted Alaska’s Denali to its former name, Mount McKinley, in compliance with Trump’s executive order.

The department said that it had been “working expeditiously” to update the official federal nomenclature in the GNIS to reflect the name changes “effective immediately for federal use,” according to the statement.

Trump signed an executive order just hours after his inauguration on Jan. 20, pledging to restore Denali’s former name in honor of the 25th U.S. president, William McKinley.

Trump said that he wanted to honor McKinley “for giving his life for our great nation” and to recognize “his historic legacy of protecting America’s interests and generating enormous wealth for all Americans.”

After the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867, a gold prospector named William Dickey referred to its highest peak as “Mount McKinley” in an 1897 New York Sun article.

Native Alaskan groups in the area have used their own names for the mountain for centuries. The name “Denali” is an Athabascan word that translates to “the great one” or “the high one.”

A consortium of Athabascan tribes in Alaska called the Tanana Chiefs Conference had advocated for years to use their name for the mountain.

Former President Barack Obama signed an executive order in 2015 renaming the 20,310-foot peak Denali in honor of native Alaskans.

The Interior Department has described Trump’s decision to restore the peak’s historical name as “a meaningful recognition of President McKinley’s enduring legacy.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said on Jan. 21 that she strongly disagrees with the president’s decision to rename the peak.

“Our nation’s tallest mountain, which has been called Denali for thousands of years, must continue to be known by the rightful name bestowed by Alaska’s Koyukon Athabascans, who have stewarded the land since time immemorial,” she stated on X.

Tyler Durden Tue, 01/28/2025 - 13:00

"Landman" Vs The Environmentalists

"Landman" Vs The Environmentalists

Authored by Douglas French via The Mises Institute,

Peter Kalmus, a data scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and noted climate scientist, told the Bloomberg audience that the California fires are caused by the fossil fuel industry which produces products that, when used, heat the planet.

“It’s simply physics,” he said with certainty. 

Shawn Hackett of Hackett Advisors makes his living helping agriculture producers deal with climate change.

He told Ash Bennington on Real Vision, “the climate is always changing” because the other planets in our solar system change their rotations. He added that the sun isn’t producing sun spots as it did previously and that is creating volatile weather and will continue to until 2050.

The current spike in temperatures is from the Tonga Effect.

A one-in-a-thousand year VEI-6 Volcanic eruption happened on January 15, 2022, which pumped water vapor aerosol into the atmosphere. Record-high temperatures were predicted and that’s what has happened. But the Tonga Effect is receding.

Hackett reminds us that there was an awful drought in the 1930’s known as the Dust Bowl. Temperatures were above 100 degrees in Iowa for days on end. In the 1970’s, an ice age was predicted.

When asked if fossil fuels had anything to do with climate change, Hackett—who makes money from the insurance industry as well as Ag producers from predicting weather patterns—said, “We have not found a correlation between weather volatility and increases in CO2 concentrations.”

Hackett is open to changing his mind if presented with data indicating a correlation.

Not 50 years of data, but hundreds of years of data.

While TV commentators are wagging their fingers at the fossil fuel industry, Taylor Sheridan has provided a different point of view with “Land Man.”

The co-creator of “Yellowstone” has produced a show about the boom and bust of the oil business set in the Permian Basin. Visvesh Shivakumar summarized “Land Man” in a piece for meaww.com,

In ‘Landman’, Billy Bob Thornton portrays Tommy Norris, a crisis manager tackling the problems of the West Texas oil industry. The series, created by Taylor Sheridan and based on the ‘Boomtown’ podcast, shows us a subtle look at the petroleum sector. Rather than pushing a clear pro or anti-oil agenda, it attempts to depict both the human and industrial sides of the business.

The following monologue is indicative of Land Man’s greatness.

Looking up at huge wind turbines, attorney Rebecca Falcone (Kayla Wallace), who fancies herself an environmentalist, said to Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton):

“Please, Mr. Oilman, tell me how the wind is bad for the environment?”

To which, Norris responded,

"You have any idea how much diesel will have to burn to mix that much concrete or make that steel and haul this s***t out here and put it together with a 450-foot crane? You want to guess how much oil it takes to lubricate that f*****g thing? Or winterize it? In its 20-year lifespan, it won’t offset the carbon footprint of making it. And don’t get me started on solar panels and the lithium in your Tesla battery."

“If Exxon thought them f*****g things right there were the future, they would be put all over the goddamn place,” he added.

In the season finale on Paramount+, Tommy meets with Rebecca to prepare her to negotiate an oil drilling deal known as a farm-out. After Tommy explains what M-Tex oil is trying to accomplish and a quick overview of what fracking involves, she vents her environmentalist spleen.

“You understand, I don’t think anyone should be doing this, all right. I think [fracking] should be illegal.”

To which Tommy responds,

“Well, you should have run for Congress instead of getting a job with an oil company.”

“I just have a very hard time advocating for something I believe is wrong.”

“Says the lawyer. Good and bad don’t factor into this. Our great-grandparents built a world that runs on this s**t. And until it runs on something else, we gotta feed it or the world stops.”

After Tommy gets in his truck, he rolls down the passenger window and yells to her,

"Hey, there is an alternative. You can throw your phone away and trade in your Mercedes for a bicycle or a horse and start hunting for your own food and live in a tent. But, you’ll be the only one and it won’t make a damn bit of difference. Plus, I hear the moral high ground gets real windy at night."

If you wonder if climate scientist Kalmus has decided to live in a tent and hunt for his own food, he has not.

Mr. Kalmus, writing recently in the New York Times about leaving Altadena, California after the Bobcat fire in 2020. “In 2022, my wife was offered a job in Durham, N.C., and we moved.”

Tyler Durden Tue, 01/28/2025 - 11:40

"Monday Afternoon Massacre": USAID Employees Placed On Leave For Allegedly Circumventing Trump's Orders

"Monday Afternoon Massacre": USAID Employees Placed On Leave For Allegedly Circumventing Trump's Orders

Officials for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have been placed on paid (!) leave after allegedly trying to circumvent President Donald Trump's executive orders, according to a memorandum sent to agency staffers on Jan. 27.

A USAID worker watches as relief supplies are unloaded at Manila's international airport on Oct. 13, 2009. Jay Directo/AFP via Getty Images

USAID officials identified several actions that "appeared to be designed to circumvent the President’s Executive Orders and the mandate from the American people," according to acting administrator, Jason Gray.

"As a result, we have placed a number of USAID employees on administrative leave with full pay and benefits until further notice while we complete our analysis of these actions," he added.

According to USAID's China policy lead Francisco Benscome, "People are calling it the Monday afternoon massacre," adding "This decision undermines our national security and emboldens our adversaries. ... Instead of focusing on China, North Korea, or Russia, the Trump Administration is going after public servants who have served multiple administrations—including the first Trump administration."

Cry harder.

Democrats are freaking out over the 'massacre,' with Rep. Gregory Meeks (R-NY), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, saying in a statement that the move was harmful and had no benefit.

USAID, which notably gave Wuhan Labn collaborator EcoHealth Alliance a $4.67 million grant in 2021, then stonewalled when asked for documents - and handed Ukrainian energy giant Burisma a lucrative contract months after Hunter Biden joined its board, and gave $15 million to organizations linked to George Soros, is an 'independent' federal agency that leads US efforts on international development and 'humanitarian assistance' to other countries.

Republicans have been long critical of USAID's priorities, including providing funds to Afghanistan to distribute contraceptives.

"USAID needs to be dismantled," wrote Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) in a Monday post on X.

As the Epoch Times notes further, President Donald Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders since taking office. Some pertain to USAID and the State Department, with which USAID works regularly.
One order suspended U.S. foreign aid for 90 days. The White House said the suspension was because the U.S. government’s foreign policy is “not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values.”

A spokesperson for the State Department said on Jan. 26 that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, consistent with the order, has paused all foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and the USAID.

“He is initiating a review of all foreign assistance programs to ensure they are efficient and consistent with U.S. foreign policy under the America First agenda,” Tammy Bruce, the spokesperson, said.

A second memo, sent over the weekend, informed USAID staff that the pause on foreign aid spending meant “a complete halt,” with exceptions for emergency humanitarian food assistance and officials returning to their duty stations.

Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, on Monday called for the U.S. government to consider additional exemptions “to ensure the continued delivery of critical development and humanitarian activities for the most vulnerable communities around the world, whose lives and livelihoods depend on this support.”

Tyler Durden Tue, 01/28/2025 - 11:20

Is ChatCCP A DeepFake

Is ChatCCP A DeepFake

By Benjamin Picton, senior macro strategist at Rabobank,

US stocks fell sharply on Monday as the market reacted to news that Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek had overtaken American rivals to become the most downloaded free app in Apple’s US app store. DeepSeek’s developers claim that its open-source DeepSeek-V3 model was trained for just $6m, compared to price tags thought to be in the billions for the latest iterations of Western rivals. The emergence of an almost-as-good AI utility created at much lower cost that also uses much less energy has set the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons.

Consequently, the S&P500 was down more than 1.5% and the NASDAQ dropped by more than 3% as the rich valuations in AI-adjacent tech leaders were suddenly called into question. The impression that perhaps NVIDIA’s super expensive GPUs may not be absolutely essential for AI competitiveness saw the stock fall by 17%, wiping out $589bn in market cap in a single session. That is a new one-day record for value destruction in a single name.

Similarly, Germany’s Siemens Energy fell by almost 20% and the utilities sector of the S&P500 fell by 2.3% as markets priced in the possibility that the AI revolution might not be as energy-hungry as previously supposed. Brent crude was down by 1.8% to $77.08/bbl and bonds were mostly bid as traders perhaps noticed that US stocks offer no risk premia over fixed income securities.

This is one of those moments where market chatter spills out of dealing rooms to become a topic of concern in matters of state. Donald Trump had just finished announcing hundreds of billions of Dollars to tool up American enterprise to win the 21st-century equivalent of the Space Race. Similarly, much of Joe Biden’s China trade policy was geared towards ensuring that China could not replicate or even access US semiconductor technology, which is just as critical for military applications as it is for superimposing Trump’s face over Rocky training montages.

The launch of what is, on face value, a Chinese AI Sputnik is clearly enough of a concern to prompt market wobbles. This places fresh question marks over the ‘new era thinking’ that has propelled valuations for US tech leaders into the stratosphere. However, as this Daily noted yesterday there are reasons to be cynical.

  1. Firstly, DeepSeek is open-source, so in theory any competitive advantage that it has should be able to be quickly replicated by established names who are no doubt pouring over the source code as I type.

  2. Secondly, a number of analysts have already suggested that the claimed costs for training the model are likely bogus, and that it is very likely that DeepSeek has in fact relied on US chips that it wasn’t supposed to have and may not be able to access in the future.

So, China’s AI Sputnik may actually be an AI Potemkin Village, but the potential involvement of even outdated American chips in developing the system suggests that more tightening of export controls and knowledge transfer will be in the offing. Certainly the funnelling of chat prompts and user details back to Chinese servers to be perused by the Chinese government is likely to be a cause for concern in national security circles.

Could DeepSeek be targeted with ‘divest or die’ type orders in the same way that TikTok has been? DeepSeek is already circling the wagons by restricting new signups to users with a Chinese mainland phone number due to a “large-scale malicious attack”.

Meanwhile, the FT is today reporting that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is pushing for the Trump administration to adopt graduated universal tariffs with a starting rate of 2.5% to rise by the same amount each month. The destination point is thought to be as high as 20%, while neighbours Canada and Mexico face the strong possibility of 25% tariffs from as early as next week. Speaking in Miami, Trump himself has just said that tariffs will be applied to foreign computer chips, pharmaceuticals, steel, aluminium and copper “in the very near future”.

Tariffs on immediate neighbors close US land borders to attempts at transhipment from China or other unfavoured nations. Universal tariffs on all import origins create a barrier at US ports to attempts at transhipment through other countries, while export controls place barriers on sensitive goods and knowhow flowing out of the United States and potentially into the hands of adversaries. Preferential access (or any access) to the US consumer market will likely be dangled as a carrot for those nations willing to play ball with the geostrategic goals of the new administration.

In short, under the second Trump administration the United States is fighting fire with fire by adopting long-standing Chinese trade practises to win the competition with China. We are trending in the direction of bifurcation and strategic decoupling, which should be a concern for anyone who continues to think that they can stand under the US defence umbrella while pursuing trade policies that do not align with US interests. We aren’t in liberal free-trade Kansas anymore, Toto. This is now the land of the quid pro quo.
 

Tyler Durden Tue, 01/28/2025 - 11:00

National Faculty Union Urges Resistance To Trump Efforts: "Vigorously And Loudly Oppose"

National Faculty Union Urges Resistance To Trump Efforts: "Vigorously And Loudly Oppose"

By Gabrielle Temaat of The College Fix

‘The outlook for higher education is dire,’ group states

Scholars should “loudly oppose” and resist compliance with the Trump administration, the American Association of University Professors said in a new report.

Titled “Against Anticipatory Obedience,” the report, published this month, states the re-election of Donald Trump poses significant threats to higher education, including potential assaults on tenure and academic freedom.

“As Donald Trump assumes the presidency for a second time, the outlook for higher education is dire,” it states, adding:

The Trump administration and many Republican led state governments appear poised to accelerate attacks on academic freedom, shared governance, and higher education as a public good. They will attack the curricular authority of the faculty on a number of fronts, including professors’ ability to undertake “teaching, research, and service that respond to the needs of a diverse global public.” It is the higher education community’s responsibility not to surrender to such attacks—and not to surrender in anticipation of them. Instead, we must vigorously and loudly oppose them.

The report references the University of Chicago’s 1967 Kalven Report, which states that when society endangers the university’s core mission and its dedication to free inquiry, the university has a duty to oppose such actions.

“This is undoubtedly such a time,” the AAUP report states.

The union urges its “chapters and conferences, unions, and faculty senates across the nation” to “strengthen and reinforce faculty rights in the areas of curricular reform and course approval,” “reform policies to strengthen faculty oversight,” and “strengthen local capacity to protect tenure and academic freedom,” among other things.

In response, Lee Jussim, a professor of social psychology at Rutgers University, called the report a “riot” in a post on X.

“AAUP promotes UChicago Kalven report, the clarion call for ‘institutional neutrality,’ the idea that U’s should avoid taking stands on most controversial political issues, five months after it embraced academic boycotts as one way to address controversial political issues,” he wrote.

The AAUP announced Aug. 9 it would support academic boycotts despite its previous position, held since 2005, The College Fix previously reported. In response, over 1,000 scholars signed a petition opposing the faculty union’s new position.

The union also garnered attention last year after the union’s president, Todd Wolfson, referred to then-vice presidential candidate JD Vance as a “fascist.”

“With Vance, American Far-Right authoritarians have succeeded in elevating a fascist who vows to ‘aggressively attack universities in this country’ to within striking distance of their goal: the annihilation of American higher education as we know it,” Wolfson had said.

Tyler Durden Tue, 01/28/2025 - 10:40

Conference Board Confidence Continues To Collapse Post-Election...

Conference Board Confidence Continues To Collapse Post-Election...

Americans' consumer confidence fell for the second month in a row in January according to The Conference Board, dropping from an upwardly revised 109.5 (how do you revise 'confidence'?) to 104.1 (vs 105.7 exp) with expectations and current conditions both falling (from upwardly revised data)...

Source: Bloomberg

That is a four month low in consumer confidence... despite most other indications of confidence and animal spirits having surged since Trump's election...

Source: Bloomberg

“Consumer confidence has been moving sideways in a relatively stable, narrow range since 2022. January was no exception. The Index weakened for a second straight month, but still remained in that range, even if in the lower part,” said Dana M. Peterson, Chief Economist at The Conference Board.

“All five components of the Index deteriorated but consumers’ assessments of the present situation experienced the largest decline. Notably, views of current labor market conditions fell for the first time since September, while assessments of business conditions weakened for the second month in a row.

Meanwhile, consumers were also less optimistic about future business conditions and, to a lesser extent, income.

The return of pessimism about future employment prospects seen in December was confirmed in January.”

Even the Trump-favoring states saw expectations plunge apparently - after surging in December...

Source: Bloomberg

After 3 months of rebounding, labor market conditions slumped in January...

Source: Bloomberg

Buying conditions for big-ticket items such as cars, houses and appliances softened.

Inflation and interest rate expectations rose while stock market expectations dipped in January...

Source: Bloomberg

Nonetheless, there were positive notes in other aspects of the survey. Peterson added that "consumers’ views of their Family’s Current Financial Situation were more positive, and six-month expectations for family finances reached a new series high. The proportion of consumers anticipating a recession over the next 12 months was stable near the series low."

Tyler Durden Tue, 01/28/2025 - 10:20

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