New Week, Same Old News

To my mind, the primary story continues to be the fall of the US empire and the rise of the BRICS+ alliance. The repercussions of the empire's death throes appear to be war and more war amid economic collapse. Seems to me, the possible (likely?) illegal Venezuelan war is a distraction from the rapidly approaching loss in Ukraine, the on going Gaza genocide and Zionist aggression in Syria and Lebanon, the economic misery of so many US citizens, and the revelations in Epstein files. I find it amazing how the people are fooled time after time...WMDs in Iraq seems the same lie as drugs in Venezuela...we are lied into war time after time.

Pepe Escobar has long suggested the US and NATOstan are at war with BRICS+ trying to stifle the new rising cooperative venture.

(66 min) Pepe Escobar: TRUMP’S NEW EMPIRE PLAN CRUSHED— The Heartland Strategy No One Saw Coming!
Pepe contrasts western oligarchy with Chinese meritocracy.

Einar Tangen continues the theme of the US decline and the BRICS+ rise focusing on resources.

(49 min) AI Bubble, Rare Earths & America's Decline
Einar Tangen is a Senior Fellow at Teihe Institute and a Senior Fellow at CIGI. Tangen discusses how the growing structural problems in the US economy are not being addressed, as Trump is looking for a quick fix.

Max discusses the situation in Israel, Venezuela and Syria.

(52 min) Max Blumenthal: Levin & Shapiro UNLEASH on Tucker Carlson - Middle East ERUPTS

Max was making the rounds this week. He also appeared with George Galloway discussing the relationship between the Epstein files and Israel.
INTERVIEW: Trump is serving a foreign country (19 min)
The issue of Israel is at the centre of everything, says Max Blumenthal. Under age and under pressure in the Epstein Affair. It's clear that Trump is hiding something. That's why he won't release the entire files

Additionally he was hosted by the Judge.
Max Blumenthal : The MAGA Divide: Israel, Epstein, and Kirk Split Trump’s Base (33 min)
Max ties our foreign policy with our domestic issues...

I found this conversation with the Duran and Robert Barnes interesting. He paints a picture of the Trump administration being controlled by neocons, Susie Wiles being chief among them followed closely by little Marco Rubio.

(2 hours) Foreign policy HUBRIS and MAGA division w/ Robert Barnes
They begin with the recent US elections, cover the Trump administration, discuss tariffs, Venezuela, Iran, Syria and "bizarro 'elensky" (al Jolani).

Check this out for more on Susie Wiles
SHOCKING new details show that Susie Wiles is ENEMY number one inside the Trump Administration (15 min) Fast forward through the embedded ads.
Is Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles ruining his presidency and the MAGA movement? It sure seems that way... and Trump knows this... he's not an idiot, so why hasn't he fired her yet?
Now we're learning new information from Dr. Steven Hatfill and Grey Delany who were fired from HHS over the Summer. They're blowing the whistle saying that Susie Wiles is destroying the MAHA movement on purpose and controlling everything that RFK Jr. does.

Robert Barnes and Daniel Davis have an in depth discussion about Epstein and later in the show Jan 6. NEW Epstein Emails: Trump Mentioned Repeatedly /Robert Barnes
In conclusion, Barnes maintained that releasing all Epstein documents would be the best path forward to dispel rumors, but he doubted Trump would do it. Continuing to withhold the files, he said, will lead to “death by a thousand cuts,” as more partial leaks and insinuations emerge.

More on Israel, Gaza, Syria and Western Asia...
How to Monkeywrench a Genocide
Palestine Action, condemned as a terrorist group in the UK, has embraced property destruction as a means to undermine the arms pipeline to Israel.

Israel arrests dozens in West Bank raids as settlers torch mosque
Here's just a few of the atrocities:
The Israeli military carried out air strikes on Gaza on Thursday, including in Beit Lahiya; eastern areas of Gaza City; and the city of Khan Younis, where artillery shelling was also reported; according to Al Jazeera. The Israeli military also blew up several buildings in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City overnight, according to the Palestinian Information Center.
Since October 11, the first full day of the ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 260 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 632, while 533 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Ministry of Health.

Israel plans to deport roughly 90 Palestinian patients—including infants, elderly people, and those in active treatment—from East Jerusalem hospitals back to Gaza next week, according to CNN. Over 94% of Gaza’s hospitals are damaged or destroyed, and doctors and rights groups warn that many deportees will die without care, with Physicians for Human Rights Israel calling the move “unacceptable” and illegal under international law. One patient with kidney failure told CNN that returning to Gaza would mean, “I will die there in two days.”

Israeli soldiers described the routine use of Palestinian civilians—including teenagers—as “mosquitoes,” when the soldiers forced them to walk ahead of troops with phones transmitting GPS data through tunnels and neighborhoods, according to an ITV investigation. Multiple soldiers said the practice became widespread within a week of its introduction, with one commander telling those who objected that they need not worry about international law, only about the “IDF spirit.”

Unchecked Israeli violence displaced 30,000 West Bank Palestinians in 2025

Settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has intensified, despite garnering little attention amid Israel's horrific crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.
The UNRWA statement came after Jewish settlers torched and defaced a mosque in a Palestinian village of Deir Istiya in the central West Bank overnight Wednesday.

It isn't just the Palestinians
As the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire nears its one-year anniversary, Israeli attacks continue apace, with the UN Human Rights Office reporting today that Israel has killed at least 114 civilians since the ceasefire began in November of 2024. ...
Israel continues to carry out attacks daily on southern Lebanon. A flurry of strikes were reported again today, including an attack on Toul that injured one unidentified person.

al Jolani is taking marching orders from the US and Israel.
Syria deploys foreign fighters to Lebanon border
According to Lebanese media reports from the last two days, the deployments come as part of clashes between the Syrian army and ISIS cells facing the Lebanese town of Arsal, in border areas on the Syrian side.
Just days ago, the US announced Syria’s official entry into Washington’s ‘anti-ISIS’ coalition, which was formed in 2014 and followed by a widespread US military occupation of Syrian oil fields.
As self-appointed Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa arrived in Washington on Sunday, Damascus’s forces began what they said was a widespread campaign against ISIS. Some of the images and videos released by state media appeared to be staged.
The Syrian military itself is made up of several extremist factions with links to both Al-Qaeda and ISIS. Scores of former ISIS fighters and commanders occupy positions in many of the Syrian army’s brigades.

Ukraine is on the Ropes
Alex Krainer: NATO Lost Ukraine War - New Economic World Order Awaits

(48 min) Alex Krainer is a market analyst, author & former hedge fund manager. Krainer discusses the economic and political consequences of NATO's pending loss of the proxy war in Ukraine.

Logistics wins wars w/ Scott from Kalibrated

(57 min)
0:49 - Discussion on the military situation in Ukraine
1:44 - Analysis of the recent missile strike across Ukraine
3:20 - Overview of the battle of Pokrovsk and conflicting narratives
4:18 - Explanation of the information disconnect in the war
5:58 - Assessment of manpower issues affecting Ukraine
8:40 - Discussion on the encirclement of Pokrovsk
10:54 - Possible solutions for the Ukrainian forces in Pokrovsk
15:15 - Importance of Pokrovsk and its strategic implications
22:05 - Situation in the Zaporozhye region and its significance
27:30 - Concerns about the open country battles favoring Russians
30:20 - Discussion on the political implications for Ukraine
39:01 - U.S. involvement and the future of Ukraine
49:36 - Russian military advancements and implications for Ukraine
56:47 - Closing remarks and concluding thoughts on the conflict

Also from the Duran...
Zaporozhye accelerated collapse. Zelensky corruption scandal (32 min)
From the comments below the clip:
Having grown up in Ukraine, I can say that unhappy country has been mired in corruption since the break-up of the USSR. Sure, there was some corruption there before, but it went through the roof in the 90s and it's just gotten worse ever since. The cases of corruption are legion and would fill a book longer than "War and Peace." The impact it has had on the ordinary people has been devastating. Ukraine should be a happy, prosperous land. And the reason it is not is because certain persons, inside and outside the country, are motivated by greed and filling their already bulging pockets at the expense of the long-sufferring population.

Russia is on attack in 9 different regions. The scale of these operations. Are something no Western militaries today have any idea or experience in whatsoever.

The US has been in charge of Ukraine since 2014 there is nothing they do not know and nothing they have not known all these years, ppl can pretend NATO is not the US but its 90% the US - Ukraine is a US project so lets not rewrite history to save face for Trump.

Col. Larry Wilkerson ties many of these issues together suggesting relationships stemming from the Epstein files and blackmail to Israel and Venezuela.
Colonel Wilkerson: “Israel Is Behind Trump’s Escalation on Venezuela”

(46 min) Wilkerson explains why the U.S. is escalating against Venezuela, how close Washington is to a possible military intervention, and why he believes Israel is playing a driving role behind Trump’s Venezuela strategy.
We also explore bigger geopolitical questions:
• Does the U.S. have a real grand strategy after losing the tariff war to China?
• Will NATO retreat from its failing venture in Ukraine?
• What does Syria’s effective re-absorption into the U.S. Middle East architecture mean for the region?
• Is Washington reacting to global shifts—or blindly escalating on multiple fronts?
If you want a deep dive into U.S. empire, great-power competition, and the hidden actors shaping today’s conflicts, this interview with Colonel Wilkerson is essential.

Larry suggests that our foreign policy mistakes (coups, wars, regime change) across the globe created opportunities for China to create and expand better partnerships.

The Economy
The last US penny was minted this week. There's literally billions in circulation, so they will be around for a while. Perhaps it makes sense that we have no cents?

Is Now the Time to Start HOARDING PENNIES?

(14 min) In this video I talk to a coin dealer about the end of the penny. The us penny or 1 cent coin has been minted for 232 year and the last one ever was minted just a few days ago. The US Mint will still be producing collector pennies, but will no longer be minting pennies for circulation. Will the nickel be the next coin that is discontinued? The US Mint was losing money making the penny and is still losing money making the nickel. Is this also the first step in the government pushing a digital dollar? One there is no more cash what does this mean? We also show off some rare an unique pennies including a real silver penny. Will the penny be allowed to be melted down soon? Pre 1982 pennies are now valued at over 3 cents per coin. Is now the time to start hoarding pennies?

Harry's coin shop is out west, Oregon I think. I thought this was a fun clip looking at collectors pennies. Just for kicks we've been putting our 1981 and earlier pennies in a jar. Theoretically they contain three cents worth of copper.

"Every reserve currency has COLLAPSED, the US dollar is next" We better buckle up!

(23 min) Well yesterday it happened, after 232 years the United States of America finally printed the final penny. Here was the moment at the US mint where the final penny came off the line. Done gone. But of course when I saw this it was immediately obvious that this has nothing to do with the penny. It's a metaphor for our economy... the US dollar is declining faster than the titanic, central banks are hoarding gold and silver... and the US is 38 trillion dollars in debt with no end in sight. Many are predicting that we are heading for the an economic catastrophe the likes of which we haven't seen since 1929.

"This Will Be The Best Run Of Your Life": Frank Giustra on Gold’s Final, Explosive Phase
"All you folks that want $5,000 gold and $10,000 gold — be careful what you wish for. That’s not the kind of world you want to live in." — Frank Giustra

(45 min) He argues that the weaponization of the U.S. dollar has fueled an unstoppable de-dollarization trend, paving the way for a China-led “digital superhighway” that could challenge the dollar’s global standing. Giustra breaks down why efforts to “dollarize” other economies are a non-starter — and why the real threat to U.S. dominance may be the gold-backed system already taking shape across the Global South.
00:00 — How the U.S. can stop de-dollarization
05:50 — The mBridge project and the TINA argument
10:25 — Stablecoins and the GENUIS Act
12:00 — Can gold go much higher?
16:37 — Who’s behind the reset?
18:43 — Why Bitcoin is not digital gold
29:07 — Tether joins the gold rush
31:43 — America’s debt problem
37:00 — The future of Canada
37:56 — Frank’s big gold bet

I've long thought an economic collapse might be our best hope to end all our forever wars. Though it won't be pleasant for US citizens, I think we might come out better in the end. Certainly better than what nuclear war would bring. I think it is obvious the system is broken beyond repair, and we need to re-invent ourselves. That will not be allowed by the oligarchs unless they fall in economic (or some sort of) collapse. As I often suggest, get to know some local farmers so you and your family can eat if SHTF. If you don't have any precious metals, consider purchasing mercury dimes (90% silver) as a medium of barter. The dimes are fairly inexpensive and might be useful in dire times.

Well, on that cheerful note, I'll wrap up this weekly watch. There are many more stories I didn't cover. Please add any you think we should know in the comments below. The thread is open! Have a great Sunday!