Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 2, 2025

This is a strange bedfellows/man bites dog type of story. I wonder how long this alliance will last. Azerbaijan’s state oil company to buy 10% stake in Israel’s Tamar gas field

Pakistan Separatist Militants Kill 18 Paramilitaries in Ambush

Panama Backs Out of China’s Silk Road Agreement

Canada, Mexico, and China Strike Back Against Trump’s Tariffs

Sundry observations on the Trump tariffs

Democratic states and their economies depend much more on Washington largesse than Republican states do. This year, New York received roughly $4,900 per capita from the feds and California $4,300—two to three times as much as Florida ($1,700) and Texas ($1,500). That’s because Democratic states provide more generous social welfare, which is increasingly funded by Washington thanks to regulatory changes by the Biden administration.

NYT, NBC, NPR, Politico Evicted From Pentagon Press Offices In Favor Of Trump-Friendly Outlets

The Mediterranean diet is a lie

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 1, 2025

Japan’s Aging Problem In One Chart

The US spent millions on STD prevention in Gaza. But it was a province in Mozambique

Trump launches trade war with tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China

US Cattle Herd Shrinks To 1951 Lows As Beef Crisis Deepens

No survivors expected after air ambulance crashes in Philadelphia

About Those Onesies

Hochul’s Deportation Stance Sparks Fear, Confusion

Lumber Prices Up 6% YoY

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, January 31, 2025

EU fertilizer dilemma: How to kill Putin’s profits without hitting farmers

North Korean forces pulled back from front lines after heavy losses

Sinkhole in Japan That Swallowed a Truck Just Keeps Getting Bigger

This is not what I expected when I saw that a border agent got shot in Vermont but it is what I would expect from the culture that is Vermont. More here.

Trump’s Tariffs on Canada, China, Mexico Begin on Saturday

FLASHBACK: FAA’s diversity push includes focus on hiring people with ‘severe intellectual’ and ‘psychiatric’ disabilities.

“Just give me the f***ing links!”—Cursing disables Google’s AI overviews

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, January 30, 2025

Discovery of explosives-filled trailer near Sydney averted mass casualty event

“Elevation Issue” With UH-60 That Collided With CRJ700 Over Potomac Being Investigated

GOP Deficit Hawks Standing Firm on Trump’s Reconciliation Bill

Policy options to reduce the deficit or use as offsets

Trump Set On 25% Tariffs on Mexico and Canada Starting February 1

Prenatal Nutrition Breakthrough Reduces Risk of Preterm Birth by 27%

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, January 29, 2025

Putin growing concerned by Russia’s economy, as Trump pushes for Ukraine deal

Dozens Of Israeli Patriot Missiles Sent To Ukraine

Likely a lot of dead, but this is breaking news at the time of this posting. H-60 Black Hawk Collides With CRJ700 Airliner Over Potomac River

Trump’s new head of DOT rips up US fuel efficiency regulations

A proposed 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico would seriously disrupt the supply chain U.S. refineries rely on to produce the fuels and petroleum products Americans use every day.

Trump’s White House Rescinds OMB Federal Aid Freeze Memo

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, January 28, 2025

Moscow has been stealthily funding much of its war costs with risky, off-budget financing overlooked by the West.

Rebel Troops Claim Capture Of Congo Border City Stoking Fears Of Wider Conflict

Rwanda-Congo Issues & Kagame’s Stewardship

Uncovering DeepSeek: The Ultimate Tale of Chinese Tech Idealism

Winter Storm Essentially Extinguishes Greater Los Angeles Wildfires

White House reveals Trump explanation for NJ drones — and raises even more questions

Adderall shortage sparks scramble for ADHD medication alternatives

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, January 27, 2025

Top Ukrainian military intelligence official allegedly warns of nation’s collapse if negotiations aren’t underway by the summer. Kyiv denies story.

Russian Withdrawal From Prized Syrian Naval Base Now Underway

Sweden Captures Ship Suspected of ‘Sabotage’ in Undersea Fiber Optic Cable Rupture

C-32 Forced To Delay Landing After F-16s Scrambled To Intercept Drone Near Capital

Nvidia suffers record wipeout on DeepSeek fears — as CEO Jensen Huang’s net worth tanks

Relevant because of the stock market movements although I am pretty sure this was written before the sell off. The Short Case for Nvidia Stock

Tracking Trump’s Cabinet Nominee Hearings, Confirmations

Not the video but Deepseek’s capabilities.

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, January 26, 2025

U.S. Sanctions Are Squeezing India’s Russian Oil Imports

How Oct. 7 mastermind’s elusive little brother Mohammad Sinwar, known as ‘The Shadow,’ rebuilt Hamas despite 15 months of brutal war with Israel

Colombian President Gustavo Petro is backing down from his refusal to take back the deportation flights. According to a new letter he wants a “more dignified return” and is offering his presidential plane.

Feds round up 50 Tren de Aragua members at ‘makeshift nightclub’ in Denver as nationwide ICE raids bust child rapists and suspected ISIS terrorists

Kansas tuberculosis outbreak is now America’s largest since the 1950s

Scientists Discover Promising Molecule That Restores Cognitive Function in Early Alzheimer’s

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, January 25, 2025

Ukraine Is Running Out of People

We shouldn’t be sitting at all when we take our blood pressure—we should be lying down.

I feel some sense of civic duty, as a Chicagoan, taxpayer, and reasonably financially sophisticated person, to say the following publicly: What the hell, Chicago.