Crooked Bough News Round-up

— How Washington Think-Tanks Paved The Road To Serfdom

 

at 11/7/26 10:00pm

How Washington Think-Tanks Paved The Road To Serfdom Authored by James Bovard via Brownstone Institute,In the same way that medieval kings seized any excuse to invade neighboring countries, today's politicians perennially seek pretexts to further invade citizens' lives. And there is never a shortage of intellectuals who, like the courtiers long ago, assure their masters that God - or at least social science - blesses their aggression.Inside the Washington beltway, it is bad taste to recognize how federal policy is often shaped by the love of power. Experts and activists persistently overestimate the likelihood of successful interventions because of their starry-eyed assumptions about the political class. Because political scientists cannot measure power lust, they leave it out of their equations. This makes everything neat and tidy garbage.The more power that government amasses, the more intellectual homage it receives. Washington experts constitute a Greek chorus that bestows accolades on the Powers That Be. There are now more than 400 think tanks in the Washington area, some of which offer little more than an intellectual version of "rent-a-mobs" of political protestors.Oppressive regimes buy good reputations as think tanks become "a muscular arm of foreign governments' lobbying in Washington," the New York Times reported in 2014. The Brookings Institution received a windfall from the government of Qatar, which has a dismal human-rights record, to set up a research institute that, according to the Qatari government, would devote itself to "reflecting the bright image of Qatar in the international media, especially the American ones."After an especially tawdry fixed election in 2011, the Kazakhstan government's image was burnished by two think tanks on its payroll - the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Institute for New Democracies. The Atlantic Council, another prominent D.C. think tank, pockets cash from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and NATO. The Times noted in 2014 that "since 2011, at least 64 foreign governments, state-controlled entities or government officials have contributed to a group of 28 major United States-based research organizations."Washington think tanks proliferated at the same time that federal policies became more hare-brained. Some think tanks are little more than "cash machines for power" for politicians. Clifford May, the president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, commented in 2005: "It is the job of think tanks to create political capital. It is the job of politicians to spend it." May's think tank extols politicians who advocate bombing Muslim nations.The profusion of think tanks and policy wonks spawn the illusion that ideas drive policy in Washington. But in many cases, ideas are simply pretenses to sanctify the pursuit of power. A president or prominent politician knows he can recite bosh and a bevy of commentators will race to praise his courage and vision. For instance, in a 2016 email to Hillary Clinton presidential campaign chief John Podesta, Neera Tanden, the president of the Center for American Progress, assured him that she was a "loyal soldier" and that "I would do whatever Hillary [Clinton] needs always." The Washington definition of "independent thinker" is merely someone without a visible receipt for his opinions.Some think tanks have been fronts for political operatives. Jack Abramoff, the most powerful lobbyist in Washington during the early years of the George W. Bush administration, placed an aging beach lifeguard at the head of American International Center, a think tank he created to funnel money to himself and his favorite causes. The scam was fruitful until Abramoff's other machinations won him admission to federal prison.Newt Gingrich's boutique think tank, the Center for Health Transformation, pocketed $37 million from healthcare corporations and industry groups before going bankrupt in 2012 after Gingrich's presidential campaign floundered. Gingrich used his op-eds and speeches to tout positions favored by his think-tank donors and omitted mentioning who was bankrolling his operation.Think tanks have done nothing to countervail Washington tendencies that conspire against common sense. As the New York Times' Mark Leibovich noted, "From the moment Obama secured the Democratic nomination [in 2008], he and his staff were subjected to a frantic frenzy of flattery." The more applause a politician hears, the more deluded he usually becomes. And the biggest hallucination in Washington is that politicians' power is a great blessing for America. That assumption would be scoffed at in most places but is greeted with solemn nods in receptions and briefings in the nation's capital.The more power politicians capture, the more profitable lying about government becomes. Nobel Laureate Friedrich Hayek, in his famous 1944 essay in The Road to Serfdom, "Why the Worst Get on Top," showed why, once government acquires vast power, "the readiness to do bad things becomes a path to promotion." In the same way, Washington is biased in favor of intellectuals who defend torture, illegal government surveillance, and presidential killing sprees.Former White House spokesman Bill Moyers observed in 2007: "The further you get away from official Washington, the closer you get to reality." Rewards go to those who report what politicians want to hear, and political loyalty is infinitely more prized in D.C. than fidelity to facts. As attorney-author Chase Madar observed, "When there is good intel that runs against the political winds, the intel gets politicized. The politics don't get intelligent."For instance, President Obama ignored dire warnings before committing far more soldiers to the Afghan war. Washington Post reporter Rajiv Chandrasekaran noted, "Obama purposely did not read a grim CIA assessment of Afghanistan that found little measurable benefit from the 30,000 'surge' forces Obama eventually approved."Bad policies balloon into national catastrophes because politicians ignore bitter realities. In 1967, the Pentagon ordered top experts to analyze where the war in Vietnam had gone wrong. The resulting study contained 47 volumes of material exposing the intellectual and political follies that had already left tens of thousands of Americans dead. After the study was finished, it was distributed to the key players and federal agencies - and completely ignored. At the time the New York Times began publishing excerpts in 1971, "the White House and the State Department were unable even to locate the forty-seven volumes." New York Times editor Tom Wicker commented at the time that "the people who read these documents in the Times were the first to study them."Daniel Ellsberg, who helped write the Pentagon Papers and leaked the documents to the press, was stunned by the incorrigibility of US policy. No matter how many Ivy League grads and Whiz Kids were manning the helm, "there was a general failure to study history or to analyze or even to record operational experience, especially mistakes. Above all, effective pressures for optimistically false reporting at every level, for describing 'progress' rather than problems or failure, concealed the very need for change in approach or for learning," Ellsberg observed.Paternalist policies are also skewed because federal agencies usually ignore any costs they are not compelled to pay. The Supreme Court declared in 1803 that "the very essence of civil liberty certainly consists in the right of every individual to claim the protection of the laws, whenever he receives an injury." But agencies routinely define such injuries to private citizens out of existence. The history of federal interventions is littered with collateral victims who the government claimed never existed. Instead, agencies boast of money spent and legions of purported beneficiaries and ignore everything else.Paternalism presumes that government will serve the people even better than the people could have served themselves. Why? Because government knows best. But this simply means nothing more than "government employees know best." And why do they know best? Because they work for the government."Honest paternalism" is almost as rare as an honest war. Once the political-bureaucratic class labels vast swaths of people unfit to run their lives, it is almost inevitable that federal policies will be shrouded in deceit and denial. The presumption that some people must forcibly care for other people drives a wooden stake into any hope for honest government. The details of "paternalistic" interventions will be determined by political calculations that have nothing to do with benefiting the American public. Instead, there will be a series of closed door deals - or in the case of the creation of the Obamacare legislation, a secret black box computer program.Paternalism is fashionable in part because it is self-evident that Washingtonians are superior to the rest of the nation. In reality, federal officials are almost as ignorant of the American people as citizens are of government operations.Johns Hopkins University political scientists Jennifer Bachner and Benjamin Ginsburg surveyed almost 900 federal bureaucrats, White House and Congressional staffers, and other members of the Washington policy community for their 2016 book What Washington Gets Wrong: The Unelected Officials Who Actually Run the Government and Their Misconceptions about the American People.Bachner and Ginsburg noted a "pervasive attitude of smug dismissiveness toward the citizenry and little sense of accountability" as well as a "sense of cultural or intellectual superiority" inside the "Beltway Bubble." Washington policymakers favor punitive solutions in part because they fail to understand fellow citizens: "Government officials writing rules inconsistent with the life experiences and understandings of ordinary Americans find compliance a problem and resort to harsh measures....Hence, 'enforcement' is a hot topic in official Washington."Washington Post reporter Jeff Guo, reviewing the book, insisted that "a lot of this elitism is probably justifiable" because most of the survey respondents had advanced degrees. Guo asserted that "it should be a comfort knowing that there exists a specialized class of people who have dedicated their lives to understanding the intricacies of, say, tax credits for the poor or the diplomatic intrigues of the Caucasus." It was unclear whether folks should feel "comforted" before or after being fined or jailed. That review should have included the favorite quote of Washington officialdom from Reagan's National Security Advisor Alexander Haig: "If you knew everything I know, you'd agree with everything I'm about to say."The issue is not whether political appointees have higher IQs than citizens under their sway. Instead, the question is whether their presumed brilliance outweighs bureaucracies' refusal to recognize or reveal problems and failures. Policymakers must practically be able to see in the dark better than average citizens perceive their own lives.Paternalism often presumes that bureaucrats have a stronger incentive to assist people than those people have to take care of themselves. But prevailing administrative routines do not inspire confidence on federal rescue missions. Government programs fizzle dollars in part because officials are spending other people's money. It was an English proverb 400 years ago that "the king's cheese goes half away in parings.""It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it," quipped novelist Upton Sinclair in 1935. Actually, a person's thinking is Washingtonized when he is no longer able to recognize any harms the government inflicts. Government intervention is a cornucopia for politicians and bureaucrats regardless of what happens to purported beneficiaries. Washington continues becoming richer and more powerful despite - or perhaps because of - the dismal batting average of federal interventions.American democracy has been betrayed by the experts who claimed that permitting politicians to capture nearly unlimited power would not radically change the relationship between the rulers and the ruled. If people are unfit to care for themselves, there is no reason to presume they are fit to choose caretakers. The doctrines currently driving federal policy almost ensure ever greater degradation of the intended beneficiaries. Token choices on Election Day will be followed by ever more dictates each day of the year.Rather than benevolent bureaucracies, we have no-fault pseudo-benevolence. But as American Bar Association president Smythe Gambrell warned in 1955, "By every step we take toward making the government caretaker of our life, we move toward making it our master."We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of ZeroHedge. Tyler Durden Sun, 11/08/2026 - 00:00

— Feds Slap $50 Million Bounty On Tren De Aragua's Top Three

 

at 11/7/26 9:30pm

Feds Slap $50 Million Bounty On Tren De Aragua's Top Three The Justice Department and State Department just announced rewards of up to $50 million combined for information leading to the arrests and/or convictions of Tren de Aragua's three top leaders, according to a Justice Department release. The Venezuelan prison gang is designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization.The State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs is paying the rewards under its Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program, for information "in any country." Yohan José Romero, 48, known as "Yohan Petrica," goes from up to $4 million to up to $20 million. Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano, 37, known as "El Viejo," goes from up to $5 million to up to $15 million. Juan Gabriel Rivas Núñez, 44, known as "Juancho," is a new offer of up to $15 million.All three were charged in a 2025 six-count second superseding indictment in the Southern District of Texas with conspiring to provide, and providing, material support to the gang. A nine-count third superseding indictment was returned in July 2026 and unsealed this week. Mosquera Serrano is also charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine and international cocaine distribution. An indictment is an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.Mosquera Serrano is on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List. Romero and Rivas Núñez are also fugitives.Attorney General Todd Blanche said that since President Trump returned to office, the department "has charged more than 350 members and associates of Tren de Aragua, including Yohan Petrica, El Viejo, and Juancho." He asked anyone who knows where the three are to "help save lives by notifying the FBI."U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz of the Southern District of Texas, whose office is prosecuting the case, called the three "monsters" and said they were indicted as such. Reitz added, "I'm confident the enhanced bounties will incentivize these terrorists' return to my district, where we will bring them to justice."DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said the announcement shows "what can be achieved through unprecedented coordination and intelligence sharing across federal law enforcement." Under Secretary of State Thomas G. DiNanno said Secretary Rubio "has repeatedly stated" that groups like Tren de Aragua "are the most urgent security threat in our hemisphere."The bounties follow a string of moves against the gang. In June, as we reported, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said a U.S. strike on a compound in Venezuela had killed the gang's founder, Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, known as "Niño Guerrero," for whom U.S. authorities had offered $5 million. In October, as we noted, the Department of Homeland Security said agents arrested 131 people with alleged gang ties from Oct. 4 to Oct. 10, 13 of them linked to Tren de Aragua.The Justice Department says the gang began as a prison gang in Venezuela in the mid-2000s and has since spread across the Western Hemisphere and into the United States. Its alleged activities range from drug and firearms trafficking to sex trafficking, kidnapping, robbery, fraud and extortion. It also steals from banks: the investigation found the conspiracy targeted or carried out ATM jackpotting attacks in 47 states, the District of Columbia and several foreign nations, stealing millions of dollars in cash, according to the release.The FBI and DEA are running the investigation with the Houston Police Department, the Harris County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, Colombian National Police and Colombia's Attorney General's Office. It is part of Joint Task Force Vulcan, created in 2019 to go after MS-13 and since expanded to Tren de Aragua, and of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative. Tyler Durden Sat, 11/07/2026 - 23:30

— Leak Reportedly Exposed Netanyahu & Mossad Chief's Plan To Attack Iran Before Israeli Election

 

at 11/7/26 9:00pm

Leak Reportedly Exposed Netanyahu & Mossad Chief's Plan To Attack Iran Before Israeli Election Via Middle East EyeIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mossad chief Roman Gofman sought to carry out an operation against Iran on the eve of Israel's 27 October election, but the plan was thwarted after Washington was inadvertently alerted, Israeli media have reported. A report by Channel 12 said the proposed operation was opposed by senior officials in Israel's security establishment, who feared it could trigger a major escalation with Iran and lead to the postponement of the vote. It said preparations nevertheless continued until an Israeli security operative mistakenly alerted the United States, prompting Washington to move quickly to stop the plan. Getty Images/AFP Netanyahu's office denied the account, saying: “The prime minister himself clarified in real time that an attack before the Israeli elections was not on the agenda.”The report adds to allegations of tensions between Netanyahu and senior military officials over proposed action against Iran in the days before the election.On October 25, two days before Israelis went to the polls, Channel 12 reported an "unprecedented confrontation" between Netanyahu and Israeli military chief of staff Eyal Zamir over a military action that defence officials feared could provoke a confrontation with Iran.The network said Zamir had resisted carrying out the action and sought further deliberations, as well as signed documentation from Netanyahu confirming its legal authorization. A military source quoted by Channel 12 said: "This relates to an action that could lead to a flare-up with Iran, at a sensitive and dramatic moment, creating this [potential] miscalculation."The report also cited unnamed sources who said military leaders were concerned that the political leadership was seeking to “utilize the Iranian issue for political benefit”.On October 26, a day before the election, Channels 12 and 13 reported that Zamir was the only senior Israeli security chief to oppose military action sought by Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz, amid concerns that it could trigger an escalation with Iran and disrupt the vote.The New York Times also reported that Netanyahu had "sought for weeks to orchestrate a new airstrike on Iran" but was blocked by Zamir.  It said the military chief had become concerned that Netanyahu was pushing for a separate operation short of an overt strike, which Zamir believed could provoke an Iranian response.Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, a critic of Netanyahu, said in an interview with Channel 12 on Thursday that the prime minister had planned to carry out “a provocation” involving Iran “via the Mossad, behind the back of the IDF chief of staff”.Threat of renewed strikes   The reports of the alleged operation come amid diplomatic efforts to end the war between the United States and Iran, with Qatar mediating between the two sides as Washington weighs its next steps.On November 1, Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu had urged US President Donald Trump to resume the war against Iran immediately after the 3 November US midterm elections. The report, citing Israeli and American sources familiar with a phone call between the leaders, said Trump wanted to give negotiations with Tehran more time. Netanyahu reportedly feared that a diplomatic agreement could lead to a significant easing of pressure on Iran, while Trump wanted Israel to avoid disrupting the negotiations. Qatar's mediation efforts have continued since the US midterm elections.Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said on Saturday that Washington remained willing to reach an agreement with Tehran and that significant progress had been made. “We cannot wait to reach a perfect agreement; we hope to reach a good agreement,” he said, according to Reuters.Trump said on Friday that the United States was talking to Iran, while insisting that Washington had the upper hand in the conflict. “We've beaten Iran. We are doing very well with Iran. We're talking to Iran. We haven't lost a soldier in six or seven months,” he told reporters outside the White House.He also repeated his claim that “Israel and, in fact, the entire Middle East, WOULD NOT EXIST TODAY if I did not stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon”. Tyler Durden Sat, 11/07/2026 - 23:00

— 'Super Intelligence' Fraud Ring Impersonated CEOs And Lawyers To Steal $129 Million, Feds Say

 

at 11/7/26 8:30pm

'Super Intelligence' Fraud Ring Impersonated CEOs And Lawyers To Steal $129 Million, Feds Say Federal prosecutors in Manhattan unsealed an indictment Thursday charging three foreign nationals with using what they call "super intelligence" to mimic the voices and images of corporate chief executives and big-firm lawyers, and so talk employees at companies around the world into wiring about $129 million, according to the Justice Department.Jacob Soall, 41, of Marbella, Spain, and the United Kingdom, was arrested in Spain on June 17. Sharon Hazan, 54, of Israel, was arrested in Spain on Aug. 5, and Guy Sheetrit, 42, of Israel and the United Arab Emirates, was arrested in the United Kingdom on Sept. 7. Extradition requests for all three are pending. The release also lists aliases: Soall as "Seba Clarke" and "Rocky Balboa," Hazan as "Superman Cash," "Impossible Mission," "Fat Boy" and "Ron."The scheme ran from 2024 to 2026, prosecutors say. The crew allegedly opened with a call to an employee in which a faked voice of the company's CEO asked for help on a confidential financial transaction, then steered the employee to "lawyers at large international law firms" who were supposedly working on the deal. Those lawyers were fakes too. One of them would finally tell the employee to wire a large sum to an account the conspirators controlled.Three foreign nationals arrested and charged with scheme to use super intelligence to defraud companies of $129 million: "SI technology offers tremendous potential. But the public should recognize that there are some who seek to use this emerging technology to pursue criminal...— US Attorney SDNY (@SDNYnews) November 5, 2026The release puts the haul at more than $129 million from "Victim Companies all over the United States and the world," and lists six examples totaling about $31.9 million: $11.6 million from a U.K. financial technology company, $5.2 million from a Florida pet food company, $4.8 million from a Missouri hospital system, $4.6 million from a Massachusetts mutual fund company, $3.0 million from a California hospital system and $2.7 million from a Rhode Island bank.The money did not stay where it landed. Prosecutors say the victims' wires went to accounts in the United States, Spain, Portugal, Greece, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Austria, Slovakia and China, and the conspirators then converted the cash to cryptocurrency to hide its source and split it among themselves.Soall, according to the release, mainly played the British lawyer, working from a handwritten script titled "Lawyer Call" that included language to convince victims not to discuss the calls with colleagues. Hazan and Sheetrit are accused of laundering the proceeds. Hazan allegedly boasted that he had been laundering money since 1994, had laundered over $400 million in the past three years and was "number one all over the world" among professional launderers. Hazan was convicted in the Southern District of New York of conspiracy to commit bank fraud in 2008.Each man faces seven counts: conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud (20 years each), two counts of aggravated identity theft (two years each), and money laundering conspiracy and two money laundering counts (20 years each). The release notes that Congress sets those maximums and a judge decides any sentence. The charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said the technology "offers tremendous potential," but that "the public should recognize that there are some who seek to use this emerging technology to pursue criminal goals," and urged the business community to "consider how to best protect themselves from the emerging threat of SI-enabled crime." FBI Assistant Director James Barnacle Jr. said criminals "continue to weaponize emerging technologies." The case is with the office's Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit, and prosecutors thanked Spain's Policía Nacional and the U.K.'s National Crime Agency for the arrests.The release does not say how the voices and images were generated, how any victim company's bank flagged the transfers, or how much of the $129 million has been recovered. It asks anyone who believes they were a victim to use the FBI's tips page. Tyler Durden Sat, 11/07/2026 - 22:30

— Inside CHIRLA's Secret Voter Campaign

 

at 11/7/26 8:00pm

Inside CHIRLA's Secret Voter Campaign Authored by Christopher F. Rufo, Kenneth Schrupp and Austen Hufford via City Journal,Since 2019, California has granted more than $100 million to a left-wing NGO called the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, or CHIRLA. The group has used those or other resources to fight deportations, address "hate incidents," and craft what it calls "progressive policies."CHIRLA and its political arm, CHIRLA Action, are radical. The nonprofit wants to abolish ICE, expand welfare for illegal migrants, and "roll back immigration enforcement." Some of its programs, like its "Immigrant Political Power Project," are explicitly political, targeting "new citizens, Latinos, and English learners" in hopes of creating "a voter base from scratch, with enough power to sway state politics."Last week, we went undercover to a CHIRLA get-out-the-vote event at its headquarters in Los Angeles, ahead of the midterm elections. The event featured speeches, a mariachi band, and a press conference. The building was festooned with left-wing iconography, ranging from a massive LGBTQ pride flag to a "Stop ICE" poster.During the press conference, CHIRLA's executive director, Angelica Salas, described the group as a 501(c)(3) organization, and said that its members participate in campaigns year-round."Every campaign and election cycle is an opportunity for us to flex our electoral muscles," Salas said. "We will also be paying tribute to the people who have died in custody in our detention centers or in the streets at the hands of ICE."Inside, we discovered that CHIRLA was hosting an official L.A. County voting station, with multiple Smartmatic voting tablets and a ballot drop box. After we entered, a woman wearing a neon vest gave us a state-issued voter guide. County Registrar records confirm that CHIRLA was hosting a County Flex Voting Center that day, which the government has deployed to "reach voters with distinct needs."We returned to the main room, where a man in a CHIRLA polo shirt, whom we later identified as one of the nonprofit's employees, agreed to help us vote. He took us into an adjoining room, then went through our ballot line-by-line and relayed endorsements for various races."Starting with here, the city, we've endorsed Karen Bass," the employee said, pointing at the incumbent mayor's name on the ballot. "For the city attorney, we've endorsed Marissa Roy."The employee also recommended Xavier Becerra for governor and Rob Bonta for attorney general, noting that Bonta, in particular, has been "very supportive." Though he had mentioned that we were "free to vote" for other candidates, the "endorsements" were crystal clear.This potentially violates state law. In California, it is a misdemeanor to "solicit a vote or speak to a voter on the subject of marking the voter's ballot" within "100 feet" of "the entrance to a building that contains a polling place" or ballot-drop location. Given the voting infrastructure in CHIRLA's office that day, the employee's remarks could constitute a prosecutable offense.CHIRLA's voting operation might also violate federal law, which prohibits 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations from electioneering. According to the IRS, charitable organizations cannot endorse candidates or engage in "voter education" efforts "with evidence of bias that . . . would favor one candidate over the other." Though CHIRLA has a related 501(c)(4) political organization, CHIRLA Action, the voting center was advertised as a CHIRLA event, the employee was wearing a CHIRLA shirt, and when we asked him to which organization he belonged, he replied: "I'm with CHIRLA."When reached for comment, CHIRLA defended its employee's conduct. "Our Civic Engagement staff are trained to give every voter who asks for assistance clear, accurate guidance," said a CHIRLA representative. "This is yet another example of the dirty, underhanded tactics anti-immigrant opponents have used to target CHIRLA because of who we are."CHIRLA has long ridden the edge between charitable work and partisan politics. This time, CHIRLA may have crossed the line. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who has been aggressive with nonprofit-law enforcement, should take decisive action. If CHIRLA has violated federal regulations, the IRS should strip the radical group of its nonprofit status once and for all. Tyler Durden Sat, 11/07/2026 - 22:00

— ICE Deported 'Brian' - Months Later He Was Back Fleecing Seattle Homeowners, And He's One Of Dozens

 

at 11/7/26 7:30pm

ICE Deported 'Brian' - Months Later He Was Back Fleecing Seattle Homeowners, And He's One Of Dozens The bearded man in the cowboy hat who talked his way onto Seattle porches as "Brian" was, according to a KING 5 investigation, an Irishman ICE had already arrested in Boston and deported to Ireland on July 16, 2025. Five months later, the station reports, he was knocking on homeowner David Diedrick's door. Via King5.com KING 5's investigators say sources in Ireland and the UK identified "Brian" as Bernard "Bernie" McDonagh, 42, and that the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the identification. ICE had described him as being in the country illegally when it picked him up in July 2025. "He pretty much just turned around and came back," Diedrick told the station.The pitch, as Diedrick tells it, was a small one. "Brian" stopped him on the sidewalk and said the chimney "could use some work," quoting a job on the top three rows and a cap. Diedrick figured anything under $5,000 was manageable. Once work began, the problems multiplied, the whole chimney came down, and the number became $22,000. "It's January. It's raining," Diedrick said.He got off lightly. Another homeowner told KING 5 of losing nearly $200,000 to the same man, and said that halfway through the job his company's name changed from TrueCraft Masonry to Flex Roofing and Repairs. McDonagh has not been charged with anything in the US, and he did not respond to KING 5's calls or to a letter delivered to his home in the UK, which the station says was signed for by the woman sources identify as his wife.One Of DozensInvestigators describe McDonagh as one face of something much larger. Law enforcement has called it a "crime ring" of dozens of men with Irish accents working homeowners across the country, most recently in the Pacific Northwest, with losses estimated in the tens of millions of dollars, according to KING 5. The men rotate names and business names, sometimes impersonating legitimate companies, hand out flyers promising licensed and bonded work, then manufacture problem after problem once the job starts.The station says it has now spoken with 50 victims in the Seattle area alone. In August it confronted a crew whose porch job in Bellevue had climbed to $47,000 (the company on its paperwork has not been charged), and after the report aired the crew fled town.McDonagh's past fits a rougher picture than the charming contractor. In 2021, The Irish Times reported that a Bernie McDonagh, then 37, of Ballyvolane, was charged in Cork District Court with possessing offensive weapons after men armed with machetes descended on a rival family during a feud in which a shot was reported fired. Gardai alleged in court that CCTV showed him discarding weapons as he got out of a car, and a judge refused him bail. KING 5 says that is the same man.Where Are The Arrests?The federal government knows the playbook. The FBI's Terrorist Screening Center recognizes the "Traveling Conmen Fraud Group" as a transnational organized crime group whose members are typically Irish or UK nationals who overstayed tourist visas or, more commonly, entered illegally, according to the US Attorney's Office in Rhode Island. In April that office got a 56-month federal sentence for John O'Brien, an Irish national living in the US unlawfully, who admitted defrauding homeowners in Rhode Island and Massachusetts of more than $1.5 million.The O'Brien case ran on the same script. He told an 83-year-old Warwick man he had spotted cracks in his foundation, took $9,500, then "discovered" more damage and asked for another $80,000. A home inspector hired by prosecutors found no evidence the foundation needed the repairs. O'Brien is expected to be deported after his sentence.In Washington, DHS took over all the Seattle-area cases after KING 5's first reports, through its investigations unit, which is separate from ICE. Officials told the station these cases take time and that they want the evidence in hand before going to prosecutors. So far, KING 5 says, it knows of no arrests.That is the part Diedrick can't get past. He contrasted the resources spent deporting people "here working hard, trying to make a living" with McDonagh: "someone like this [McDonagh] who is already here illegally and is scamming people and has been arrested, and now is back. That's really frustrating to hear." Tyler Durden Sat, 11/07/2026 - 21:30

— Hegseth Authorizes National Guard To Use Military Vehicles, Boats, Patrol Cars In DC

 

at 11/7/26 7:00pm

Hegseth Authorizes National Guard To Use Military Vehicles, Boats, Patrol Cars In DC Authored by Timothy Frudd via The Epoch Times,Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has issued new guidance authorizing the National Guard to use military tactical vehicles, dozens of patrol cars, boat assets, and other equipment to support law enforcement operations in Washington.The War Department confirmed the new guidance when asked about reports concerning a pair of Hegseth directives issued on Oct. 29 aimed at strengthening National Guard patrols in Washington. The new authorization comes as President Donald Trump's deployment of thousands of National Guard members in support of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force has continued to face legal challenges."The Secretary of War has authorized the continued use of National Guard personnel and capabilities in support of the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission," a War Department official told The Epoch Times on Nov. 6."The October 29, 2026, guidance authorizes the use of up to 60 marked patrol cars, military tactical vehicles, up to 20 light towers and generators, and D.C. National Guard maritime boat assets in support of federal and local law enforcement operations."The Epoch Times reached out to the White House for additional comment, but was referred to the Department of War.Trump deployed the National Guard to Washington in August 2025, saying that the city was "under siege from violent crime" and suggesting that Washington's local government had "lost control of public order and safety."The Pentagon previously confirmed in July that the mission for which the National Guard was deployed to Washington had been extended until Jan. 20, 2029, or until terminated by the president. The Pentagon projected in August that the extended deployment could cost an additional $1.4 billion.Prior to the mission's extension, Hegseth credited National Guard members serving in support of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force for what he described as a "staggering" crime drop in Washington.Metropolitan Police Department crime statistics from Jan. 1 to Nov. 6 show that homicides have dropped by 26 percent compared with the same period last year. Additionally, motor vehicle thefts have decreased by 40 percent, property crimes by 14 percent, and robberies by 2 percent.While total crime is down 11 percent from last year, the number of assaults with a dangerous weapon has increased by 39 percent. Total violent crime has also increased by 12 percent from last year.The president's deployment of the National Guard in Washington has been met with criticism and legal pushback from Democrats.In Nov. 2025, Judge Jia Cobb of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled against Trump's National Guard deployment in Washington, saying that he overstepped his authority. However, the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit paused the ruling, allowing the troops to remain in Washington while the case is litigated.A three-judge appeals panel heard arguments on Oct. 14 from both D.C. government and Trump administration attorneys regarding the legality of the deployment.U.S. government attorney Eric McArthur argued that Trump has authority to deploy the National Guard under the 1889 D.C. Militia Code. He told the court that the National Guard deployment has been "a striking success, with even the D.C. mayor acknowledging the dramatic decrease in violent crime since the deployments began."Meanwhile, D.C. attorney Mitchell Reich argued that the president is only authorized to deploy the National Guard under limited circumstances under the Militia Code.On Nov. 5, Brooke Pinto, a Democratic D.C. council member and chair of the public safety committee, called on newly elected Democratic lawmakers to recall National Guard troops from Washington following the midterm elections."I am very hopeful and optimistic that we now have the partners we need at the state and congressional level to push back and demand that this unnecessary, harmful, and unlawful military presence be removed from the district," she said.Pinto specifically urged the Democratic governors-elect in Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, and Texas to withdraw their National Guard troops after they take office. The councilwoman noted that the five states currently have a total of 628 troops in Washington."We are calling on them to withdraw their troops immediately, and it's something they can do [on] their first day in office," she said. Tyler Durden Sat, 11/07/2026 - 21:00

— Musk's Starlink Is Building An Orbital Bypass As Undersea Cable Sabotage Threats Mount

 

at 11/7/26 6:30pm

Musk's Starlink Is Building An Orbital Bypass As Undersea Cable Sabotage Threats Mount Undersea telecom cables are critical civilian infrastructure and are increasingly under threat. The wars in Ukraine and Iran have shown how civilian infrastructure can become easy targets. On Friday, the Financial Times, citing maritime intelligence firm Windward, reported that several Iran-linked vessels slowed or lingered over cable routes in the Gulf of Oman as cable-cutting threats rise. For Gulf-allied states, the challenge is both to protect the cables from sabotage and to keep data centers humming amid Iranian drone threats. It's not just cable-cutting threats in the Gulf. Remember in 2024 when Baltic undersea cables were severed between Finland and Germany, causing weeks of "disruption." There must be a solution to cable sabotage that could bring parts of the internet down for days, if not weeks, and that solution might be Elon Musk's Starlink. Musk joined Ron Baron of Baron Capital on Friday afternoon to discuss several topics, including Starlink buildout and bandwidth, SpaceX Starship launches, the mega AI-chip plant called Terafab, and, of course, with Democrats set to control Congress, the future of orbital compute. Keeping our focus on what could be the best solution to undersea telecom cables. Well, Musk told Ron: "Starlink version 4 will have 10x the capability of V3 (which itself is 10x better than V2), especially with the long-distance laser links. Our next-gen laser links will be 10-terabits per second. 100x better. And we'll put 10 of them on."The clip of Musk and Baron was shared on X by Tesla investor Sawyer Merritt, in which Musk responded and said, "100 lasers per satellite, each operating above 10 Tb/s, with over 100k satellites should be able to outcompete undersea cables," adding, "Speed of light in space is ~40% faster than cable and the path is direct, instead of following the outline of land masses." ~100 lasers per satellite, each operating above 10 Tb/s, with over 100k satellites should be able to outcompete undersea cables. Speed of light in space is ~40% faster than cable and the path is direct, instead of following the outline of land masses. https://t.co/l7aqDUoTAK— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 6, 2026 In other words, Starlink is building a parallel internet backbone in low Earth orbit that would make it much harder for foreign adversaries to sever critical undersea cables, whether with a ship dragging an anchor, a covert special operations team, or a proxy group. This will certaintly suggest that the next domain of warfare in the 2030s is space.  Tyler Durden Sat, 11/07/2026 - 20:30

— It's The War, Stupid

 

at 11/7/26 6:00pm

It's The War, Stupid Authored by Sohrab Ahmari via UnHerd,An all-too common analytic error is to reduce complex problems to simplistic causes (sancta simplicitas, "holy simplicity", as Nietzsche mockingly referred to this tendency, particularly among religious believers). But there is also the reverse error: a deliberate seeking out of complexity when simple explanations suffice.In the wake of the Democratic blowout in Tuesday's midterms - South Carolina, Kansas, and Texas have gone blue - beware the preachers of holy complexity bent on obfuscating the obvious: President Trump and the GOP broke their pledge of peace, launched an ill-conceived war with Iran, and thus exacerbated an affordability crisis they'd been elected to solve.To be sure, other failures marked the first two years of the Trump administration: the chaotic tariff regime, the grotesque corruption, the performative cruelty of ICE, Trump's own descent from mere reality-TV vanity to ballroom-obsessed, Neronian caprice. But the Iran war - given both its inflationary effects and galling betrayal of one of Trump's core pledges - looms largest.The preachers of holy complexity have good reason to avoid this bare truth. Because it indicts their entire project: a hawkish foreign policy that sees US and Israeli interests as identical or nearly so. Its advocates have for years underwritten Israeli maximalism at great cost to American global prestige and domestic well-being. After the ballot-box shellacking wrought by the Iran war, that project faces a bleak future in mainstream American politics.Voter polling - what actual voters tell pollsters upon leaving the precinct - is rarely this unambiguous. Nine of 10 voters identified the cost of living as a major concern as they headed to the polls. Only a quarter of voters described the condition of the US economy as "excellent" or "good", while three-fourths described it as "not so good" or "poor". And a staggering 87% of voters said they were very or somewhat concerned about the price of gas and diesel.Most telling: about 60% of voters told the Associated Press that the Iran war was a mistake. Yes, fewer identified the Iran war as a "crucial" factor than did the cost of living. Then again, the war itself is a cost-of-living issue.It's also true that, as political economist Justin Vassallo noted in these pages, the current inflation is partly structural, having to do with the general trend toward de-globalization. But since energy prices ramify through the economy, the Islamic Republic's (predictable) closure of the Strait of Hormuz in response to the US-Israeli invasion has unquestionably aggravated the affordability crisis.As one senior Trump official told me recently, the administration shouldn't have been "adding the short-term energy shock" of the Iran war to the structural inflationary trends.Or take it from outgoing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who recently said: "Some of these Republicans are saying, "Oh, well, the gas, don't worry. It's no big deal." . . . No, no. Listen, we've just got to be honest. Gas is higher. It hurts people, working-class people, and it's higher because of the Iran conflict. That's just the fact. If you can't admit that to voters, then you're gaslighting them, and they're not going to listen to you on other things." Even Fox News pundits - yes, them - openly lamented the war's baleful effects on GOP campaigns Tuesday night.This matters because, ever since Jerusalem demanded that Washington join its 12-Day War, the hawks and neoconservatives insisted that a military intervention in Iran would be popular, or at least not unpopular. "There is no US downside to striking the Iranian regime," counseled the former George W. Bush speechwriter Marc Thiessen in January, a month before the full invasion. A few weeks into the war, he cheered: "The Trump Doctrine is here. It ends forever wars" (the Iran quagmire has now entered its ninth month).The hawks also went out of their way to pooh-pooh the economic downsides of the war. John Podhoretz of Commentary (where, full disclosure, I once served as senior writer) reassured a radio host that "I don't think the American people care very much, they're very uninvested in this. Unless gas prices go up to $250 a barrel, and suddenly it costs $9 a gallon at the pump, what cost is being inflicted on any individual American by this conflict? There is no cost. There is no cost!"News Nation host Batya Ungar-Sargon said: "The markets seem to have ... a kind of anti-Trump Derangement Syndrome, in which Trump can do no wrong. It seems that no matter what he does, the markets love it. ... Even while the US blockade was on, the markets seemed totally oblivious."Never mind that the blockade is still on, and that Gulf oil is transiting with great difficulty and at high expense. Ungar-Sargon identifies as a populist of sorts, and thus knows well that what happens to equity prices often has very little to do with the economic conditions of ordinary people. Indeed, in March 2025, she wrote in praise of Trump's plan to shift the US economy away from finance and toward manufacturing. The headline: "Trump vs. Wall Street". (But when there's an unpopular war to defend, one reaches for the nearest non sequitur.)And when, over the summer, there was a chance at a negotiated settlement in time to extricate the GOP from the Persian Gulf mess, the hawks assailed the talks - relentlessly. "Mr. President, Give Up on a Nuclear Deal With Iran", urged The Free Press. Which also published the following not-at-all-uniformly-hawkish opinions: "America Will Regret Withdrawing From Iraq", "Houthi Defeat Is Closer Than We Think", "The Dangerous Pause in Iran", "Danger Lurks in JD Vance's Negotiations With Iran". You get the idea."Trump's Iran strategy is working," argued Thiessen. "His vice president isn't." (Why the opprobrium targeting JD Vance? Because the Vice President had taken the lead on negotiations with the Islamic Republic.) Ben Domenech slammed Vance as "Hillbilly Obama" for trying to clinch the deal. The hawkish elements of the religious Right dutifully stepped up to claim a just-war case for preemption and against diplomacy; papal teaching suggested otherwise.These voices, to be clear, weren't marginal or irrelevant to Trump's decisionmaking. Far from it. Although many of them began as Never Trumpers, and even prayed that the Trumpian chalice might pass from them in 2024, these pundits and outlets rebranded themselves as MAGA true believers (or respectably Trumpian, in the case of The Free Press). More than that, they took it upon themselves to police the Right's boundaries, framing the movement's antiwar dissidents as unrepresentative at best and traitors at worst.Trump listened. As several administration sources have told me - including both hawks and restrainers - the President in his second term ignored the usual executive-branch processes. The "deep state" had throttled him during his first term, in his view, and he now preferred to hear from loyalists only. He watched a lot of Fox News, and heard directly from pro-Israel mega-donors such as Miriam Adelson.One consequence was the lack of foresight and lousy planning that marred the operation, not least Team Trump's disregard of the Hormuz threat. The echo chamber of yes men and women also, paradoxically, led 2024's "peace" candidate to realize a long-cherished goal of the more hawkish elements of the deep state he once denounced.In the event, the results are disastrous. Trump is hemmed in at home, and while he will retain greater scope for action abroad, his ability to keep waging the Iran war will depend upon congressional Democrats' power of the purse. The deeper tragedy is the collapse of the remarkable coalition he put together that, by 2024, encompassed the multiracial working class, including half of Hispanic men and a fifth of African-American men. The Iran war, as I warned in these pages in September, was driving a re-realignment favoring Democrats.But the outcome is worse still for the hawks themselves, especially those who had come to treat American and Israeli interests as one and the same, and to take the aspirations and tone of Israel's hard Right as an unimpeachable guide for US policy. It had gone too far. At one point last year, US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce described the United States as "the greatest country on Earth" before pausing to correct herself: ...next to Israel." (Cleanliness, recall, is next to godliness, not the other way around.)Where will they go now? The Middle East hawks still enjoy tremendous institutional power. But their worldview can no longer be considered to be in the American mainstream. Republican elected officials no less than Democratic ones can read polls, and foreign policy must enjoy some degree of domestic buy-in. Even before the GOP's Iran-war rout, the polling was clear: Israel - at least, in its current, maximalist iteration - is massively unpopular among Democrats, Independents, and younger Republicans.Probably, as a number of Trump World sources told me on Tuesday, the hawks will remain part of the broad conservative coalition. But it's hard to imagine them in the cockpit of Republican governance going forward. Negotiating their long-overdue demotion, however, will prove far from simple.Sohrab Ahmari is the US editor of UnHerd. His next book, on The Triumph of Normal, is forthcoming from HarperCollins.We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of ZeroHedge. Tyler Durden Sat, 11/07/2026 - 20:00

— The Next Trilateral Talks On Ukraine Could Lead To A Grand Deal If Trump Has The Will

 

at 11/7/26 5:00pm

The Next Trilateral Talks On Ukraine Could Lead To A Grand Deal If Trump Has The Will Authored by Andrew Korybko via Andrew Korybko's Newsletter,He just has to "creatively coerce" Europe and Ukraine through "plausibly deniable" means...Putin confirmed that the next trilateral Russian-US-Ukrainian talks will be held in Abu Dhabi from 10-11 November. Earlier that same day, Trump's Special Envoy to Russia Jared Kushner published a detailed post on X about his boss' envisaged peace. It included the "five principal goals" of "permanent security consultations, reliable crisis communications, greater military transparency, reciprocal measures to reduce escalation risks, and an enduring framework for long-term European security and stability."President Trump today advanced an important discussion with several European leaders about the need for a broader European security architecture that can help establish the conditions for lasting peace.Building on his leadership and the substantive work undertaken this week in... https://t.co/jZ9uAQnkd4— Jared Kushner (@jaredkushner) November 6, 2026Kushner also declared that "Any arrangements must fully respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independent decision-making of every nation. Each country will retain authority over its own security and alliances, and no country would have a veto over another's sovereign choices. NATO will remain central to European collective defense, and this initiative would build upon existing institutions and commitments." This vision for the post-war European security architecture is actually quite realistic.In fact, the gist of the one that was recently detailed here could suffice, albeit with one important modification in light of Kushner stating that the US will "fully respect...(the) independent decision-making of every nation." Instead of the US demanding that all pre-1997 NATO members withdraw their forces from all post-1997 ones, possibly exempting its own in Poland where it's exploring a permanent military base, it won't explicitly make this a condition for peace but could coerce them into this decision.The way of doing so was outlined here a week after the abovementioned analysis, and it's for the US to declare that it'll radically curtail its export of energy to the EU by a specific date in the near future in order to redirect fuel to the domestic market. So as not to leave them in the lurch, they'd be told to resume Russian pipeline imports in which the US would have partial stakes as a "political safeguard" per a deal with Russia if the EU releases its frozen assets as proposed here, which would compensate.The redeployment of pre-1997 NATO states' forces to post-1997 NATO states would be punished by Russia cutting off US-invested pipeline exports with Washington's approval. Likewise, the US could coerce Ukraine into socio-political concessions regarding the linguistic and religious rights that Russia has demanded as part of its denazification agenda by announcing that it'll soon radically curtail EU-funded "Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List" (PURL) arms exports in order to bolster the US' own stockpiles.Reducing domestic fuel prices and bolstering stockpiles with a view towards possibly using Ukrainian-destined equipment in Ibero-America in alignment with the National Security Strategy's prioritization of the region (Third Gulf War-depleted stockpiles aren't of much use there) are America First policies. They're therefore sensible, in line with Trump's agenda, and importantly "plausibly deniable" means for coercing European NATO and Ukraine into these crucial concessions that are required for a lasting peace.Russia is expected to implement the legal workaround proposed here in summer 2025 to formally end the conflict without obtaining full control over the disputed regions due to prioritizing this post-war European security architecture. Russia's restored complex economic interdependence with the EU and Ukraine in which the US would have stakes coupled with a resource-centric strategic partnership with the US would keep the peace. All of this is realistic if Trump has the will to coerce Europe and Ukraine.We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of ZeroHedge. Tyler Durden Sat, 11/07/2026 - 19:00

— Ex-CIA Officer Says The Agency Delivered The Same Iran Verdict Three Times Before The War

 

at 11/7/26 4:30pm

Ex-CIA Officer Says The Agency Delivered The Same Iran Verdict Three Times Before The War Former CIA officer John Kiriakou says the agency produced three separate national intelligence estimates before the Iran war began, and each one found that Tehran had no nuclear weapons program. He made the claim on the Nov. 6 "Intelligence Community Roundtable" edition of Judge Andrew Napolitano's Judging Freedom, alongside Larry Johnson.Napolitano asked what the CIA had told the president "about the practical consequences of his plan with Netanyahu to win the war in six days." Kiriakou answered that "we know a little bit from leaks," then said: "the CIA had published three separate national intelligence estimates and all three times concluded that the Iranians did not have a nuclear weapons program. It just simply didn't exist."Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told Congress in March 2025 that the intelligence community "continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon," and Trump answered that he didn't "care what she said."Kiriakou said the agency's analysts were just as consistent on what a war would cost. "The CIA was pretty consistent that this was a bad idea from the very beginning," he said, arguing that the analysis held "the Iranians were far tougher than we as policymakers believed." In his telling, a look at the map was enough: Iran is "the size as the whole of Western Europe," ringed by mountains on three sides, with "92 million people, all of whom will go to their deaths to protect their homeland." Conquering it, he said, would have taken "one million ground troops."He also pointed to a leak from "less than three weeks ago." A CIA "red cell" team, the kind of group meant to "think outside the box," had concluded that "it was Israel that could break up and fall apart and cease to exist because of all of this, not Iran," Kiriakou said. The person who leaked it, he said, was a CIA contractor who passed it to his girlfriend, who put it in her blog. That matches the case of Ian Brinksman, the contractor the FBI arrested last month, as we reported. His case is ongoing, and Kiriakou's account of what the red cell concluded rests on the leaked reporting, not on a document we have seen.The segment was part of a broader hour in which Johnson and Kiriakou argued that Trump's Iran policy cost Republicans in Tuesday's midterms. Both are known critics of the war, and the claims above are theirs.INTEL Roundtable 6-NOV w/ Larry Johnson & John Kiriakou - Weekly Wrap https://t.co/cpZZSsq0c3— Judge Napolitano (@Judgenap) November 6, 2026 Tyler Durden Sat, 11/07/2026 - 18:30

— Quo Vadis, AI? Study Suggests AI Use Makes Us Lazier And Less Intelligent

 

at 11/7/26 4:00pm

Quo Vadis, AI? Study Suggests AI Use Makes Us Lazier And Less Intelligent Authored by Walker Larson via The Epoch Times,The Oxford word of the year in 2024 was "brain rot," due to a 230 percent increase in usage of the term between 2023 and 2024. The moniker reflected a collective sense - already on the rise in 2023 - that our heavy use of digital technology has corroded our ability to think. Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images Now, in the futuristic era of artificial intelligence known as 2026, brain rot has acquired a whole new level of relevance. Now that it's possible to outsource complex questions or research problems to a tool that summons answers in seconds, seemingly siphoning them out of mid-air, we need to take stock of how reliance on these digital genies blunts our own mental sharpness.Well, a recent study presented at the Conference on Language Modeling confirms our worst fears about how using AI may be diminishing our own brainpower. The paper - titled "AI Assistance Reduces Persistence and Hurts Independent Performance" and authored by researchers from MIT, Oxford University, Carnegie Mellon, UC Berkeley, and the University of California, Los Angeles - found that spending a mere 10 minutes relying on an AI tool noticeably impairs one's attention span and persistence on challenging tasks."The best collaborators maintain a balance between helping and fostering autonomy; they know when not to help," the study's authors wrote."Current AI assistants are a stark contrast to this dynamic. They rarely refuse to help, and provide instant answers to almost any query. ... In this sense, AI systems are ... extraordinarily helpful in the moment, but indifferent to what that help does to the person receiving it over time. In this paper, we investigate the consequences of this misalignment."To examine AI's impact on human cognitive abilities and habits, the researchers conducted a series of experiments. The first one involved dividing 354 participants into two groups tasked with solving 15 fraction problems. The first group had to solve those problems on their own, while the second group could use AI for help. After 12 problems, researchers removed the AI assistance from the second group.As expected, the AI-boosted group had more accurate answers at first, compared to the group relying on only their own gray matter. But once the AI tool was removed, the group struggled to answer questions accurately.Similar results arose from an experience with 667 participants. The group that started out with AI assistance would simply give up or provide incorrect answers once that crutch was removed, while the group that hadn't had AI assistance at any point rode the problems out to the end and ultimately achieved greater success.Switching to a different kind of problem-solving didn't make a difference; when researchers ran a third experiment with 201 participants involving SAT reading comprehension questions, the same thing happened. Participants who had come to rely on AI assistance buckled once that support was removed - both their persistence and their accuracy fell.As the UC Berkeley press release on the study noted: "The findings backed up what anecdotes and surveys have increasingly found in recent years: An overreliance on AI for answers erodes our cognitive fitness. When AI produces answers in seconds, we get used to that speed; anything that takes longer feels inefficient."A Rapid Advance in ProblemsCommenting on these findings, author and computer scientist Cal Newport noted that we've seen technology-associated cognitive declines before, like with the rise of smartphones, but we've never seen a mental degradation happen this rapidly."What is new ... is the jaw-dropping speed of these impacts," he wrote. "We're accustomed to slow-moving techno-cognition trends such as the negative effects of ubiquitous smartphone usage, which took years to emerge in the data. With chatbots, the negative impact is immediate. The high generated by side-stepping mental effort using LLMs is so compelling that, with only a short exposure, hard thinking quickly becomes intolerable."Whether these negative effects are permanent remains to be seen, as Newport acknowledges. Would the AI-assisted participants score better a week later in an environment that was AI-free from the beginning? Maybe.Even so, the findings should unsettle us. We're witnessing perhaps the most rapid transformation of human cognition in history, a reshaping even more seismic than the ones caused by the introduction of the printing press, the radio, or the internet. Those technologies changed how we thought and how quickly we thought by rapidly opening vast new fields of information to be mined. Yet, the mining, compiling, analyzing, filtering, and utilizing remained the task of the human thinker.Not so with ChatGPT, Claude, and the rest of the digital genies. AI is unique in that it doesn't just hand us more information to think about; it "thinks" about that information in our place, or at least simulates the process of doing so. It researches and compiles sources, puts findings into its own words, offers logical arguments, and provides answers. In other words, it does all the heavy lifting. It's little surprise that our mental muscles quickly atrophy as a result.A Frictionless Life Has NegativesAI makes research and problem-solving more efficient, though the quality of the research or the solutions is highly questionable. That's one reason why we might so quickly adopt AI tools, so readily surrender to them portions of our cognitive functioning, and apparently so quickly turn into mental couch potatoes.The more important question isn't whether AI makes life more efficient (it does, at least on some metrics), but whether we even want it to. In other words, are difficulties, challenges, and hardships so bad that we ought to pour billions of dollars and the attention of our brightest minds into just making things ... easier?At least since the Industrial Revolution, we've been operating under an unquestioned technological paradigm: make life faster, easier, and more efficient. It's worked.But does easier always mean better? Isn't overcoming challenges what makes us grow in the most important ways? If the end result is an impoverished experience of life and the world on the most basic level, then maybe we took a wrong turn."Thinking is how we make sense of ourselves and the world, and is how we imagine new horizons and create the key elements of our future," Newport wrote. "It's at the heart of philosophy, theology, and human empathy; the ability that separates our species from all other animals." He pointed out that inventing useful tools is only half the battle; we still need to learn how to use them in a way that servers rather than diminishes our humanity: "Silicon Valley is good at creating tools, but terrible at figuring out how we should use them. The latter step is still up to us - but it requires us to care."Newport's unstated critique is one I can't help but agree with: AI was supposed to be a tool to improve our lives. But if it's literally killing brain cells, undermining the kinds of activities that make us human, and impoverishing our experience of life and the world, then clearly something has gone wrong, and we need to think of a better way to use the technology. Tyler Durden Sat, 11/07/2026 - 18:00

— Houston Mayor Curbs ICE Cooperation Days After Abbott Loses - And Says Texas' New Leaders Are On Board

 

at 11/7/26 3:30pm

Houston Mayor Curbs ICE Cooperation Days After Abbott Loses - And Says Texas' New Leaders Are On Board Houston Mayor John Whitmire has ordered the city's police to stop calling ICE on anyone who isn't arrested for a jailable offense, and says he cleared it with the Democrats who just won Texas. "SB4 is not a priority of the new statewide elected officials," Whitmire told reporters Friday, three days after Gov. Greg Abbott lost his bid for a fourth term. Lucio Vasquez/Houston Public MediaFILE – Houston Mayor John Whitmire at City Hall on May 8, 2024. "This morning, I have directed the chief and HPD through an executive order that we will change our policy in regarding contact with ICE," the mayor said. "I do this to begin a healing process, reduce fear and anxiety across our community. I also do this knowing that elections matter."After Democrats swept statewide elections in Texas, Houston Mayor John Whitmire said Friday he has directed the Houston Police Department to change its policy on contact with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying the move is intended to reduce fear and anxiety in the... pic.twitter.com/uQxCXWJV4M— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) November 6, 2026He said he had been in contact with the incoming statewide officials, whom he said he knows from serving with them in the Legislature, and had "consulted the new state leadership." Whitmire said he hopes the order becomes a "model for Texas cities," and that he will take responsibility for making the change "even with the current administration still in office for two months," the Daily Wire reported from the news conference.What Changes On The StreetUnder the order, officers will contact ICE only when they arrest someone for a jailable offense who also has an administrative immigration warrant. Police Chief J. Noe Diaz Jr. spelled out what that means for a traffic stop: "if our police officers pull someone over for a minor traffic infraction and they write a citation, that person receives a citation and goes about their day.""HPD will no longer contact ICE if they have an administrative warrant and they are not arrested," Diaz said. The mayor's office put it more broadly in its post on X, saying police would "no longer contact ICE for nonviolent offences."I have signed an executive order directing HPD to no longer contact ICE for nonviolent offences, helping reduce fear in our communities. Thank you to Chief Diaz, our state and local leaders for their collaboration. A step toward building a stronger Houston. Let's Go to Work. pic.twitter.com/r5jshAdqWS— Houston Mayor's Office (@houmayor) November 6, 2026The April ClimbdownIt is close to the policy Whitmire abandoned this spring. In April, the City Council passed an ordinance barring officers from detaining people on administrative immigration warrants. Two weeks later it was rewritten, after the state threatened to pull more than $110 million in public safety grants from a city it said was breaking Senate Bill 4, the 2017 law that bars Texas cities from limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The revised version said nothing in it limited the cooperation state law requires, and police were told to hold people long enough for ICE to take custody.Abbott had made the stakes plain. Cities that refuse to help federal immigration authorities "forfeit the money" and must "repay to the state every single dollar they have received," he told the Daily Wire in an earlier interview. On Friday, Whitmire said he "had to listen" to Abbott back then because "our finances were at stake."The pressure showed in the numbers well before any of that. The Houston Chronicle reported that HPD contacted ICE at least 107 times in the first eight months of 2025, against nine times in all of 2024, including a domestic violence call in which the caller had an ICE warrant and no agents ever came, Click2Houston noted.SB 4 is still on the books, and Abbott remains governor until Hinojosa takes office in January.Hinojosa's TexasThe order leans on Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa, who, as we reported, vowed to stop helping ICE and voted against SB 4 as a state lawmaker. "As governor, I will never offer up Texas as a staging ground for operations that terrorize families and enrich his donors," she said of Abbott at a Jan. 31 rally.Understand the implications of what happened in Texas last night.Gina Hinojosa has called on Gov. Abbott to end state & local cooperation with ICE & she can order that on day one.Hinojosa voted against the 2017 SB 4 as a TX state rep. The bill was essentially a sanctuary...— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) November 4, 2026Washington wasn't impressed. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the department is "disappointed that sanctuary politicians seek to limit cooperation with ICE," pointing to three people ICE has arrested in Houston, among them a Cuban national wanted for homicide, Fox News reported.Whitmire summed it up at the news conference: "This is the right thing to do at the right time." Tyler Durden Sat, 11/07/2026 - 17:30

— After Bibi's Unity Plea, Israel's President Gives His Rival First Shot At Power

 

at 11/7/26 2:30pm

After Bibi's Unity Plea, Israel's President Gives His Rival First Shot At Power Israeli President Isaac Herzog has given opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot the first chance to form a government, a setback for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose bloc finished 14 seats short of his rival's backers. Herzog announced the decision Saturday night, a day earlier than expected, according to the Associated Press.The timing was pointed. AP reported that the announcement came shortly after Netanyahu released a video calling for a "national unity government" and warning against "hastily swearing in a government with terrorist supporters," an apparent reference to the Arab-led parties that now sit at the center of the count.??‼️? NETANYAHU CALLS FOR A UNITY GOVERNMENT TO FIGHT IRANNetanyahu just released a video calling for a "national unity government" of all national-camp and Zionist parties, saying it would permanently remove Iran's nuclear threat.It comes one day before President Herzog...— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) November 7, 2026Eisenkot, a former military chief who led the challengers' bloc, did not take the offer. His Yashar party answered on X, and AP said it urged Likud members to disavow their alliance with "radical parties," an apparent reference to the harder-right partners in Netanyahu's religious-nationalist base. Eisenkot himself said, as relayed on X, that "those who have divided and torn apart Israeli society from within only mention the word 'unity' when they realize their time in office is coming to an end."Eisenkot Responds to Netanyahu:"Those who have divided and torn apart Israeli society from within only mention the word 'unity' when they realize their time in office is coming to an end. Unity is an important value for Israel, and Netanyahu has systematically and resolutely... https://t.co/TbG5BjfggM— Eli Kowaz - איליי קואז (@elikowaz) November 7, 2026The arithmetic is why Herzog moved. The Oct. 27 vote left no one with a majority, and when the Central Elections Committee certified the results Nov. 4, Netanyahu's bloc had 53 of the Knesset's 120 seats, down from 68, against 48 for Eisenkot's. The Arab-led Joint List and Ra'am took a record 19, and 61 are needed to govern.Those 19 seats decide it. Ra'am endorsed Eisenkot on Wednesday, and as we reported, the Joint List followed on Thursday, bringing the total backing him to 67, according to Middle East Eye. The Joint List said it would back an opposition government from outside the coalition rather than take ministries. Ynet's count before that endorsement had 60 recommendations for Eisenkot and 46 for Netanyahu, built from Likud's 27 seats and the Otzma Yehudit, Shas and Religious Zionism parties.Eisenkot has said he will not serve in any government led by Netanyahu, and as we reported earlier this week, he turned down a US-backed unity arrangement even at President Donald Trump's personal request, according to Israel's public broadcaster KAN. Ynet had reported earlier that Herzog himself raised a Netanyahu-Eisenkot unity government, which his office denied.The mandate is only the first step as Eisenkot now has 28 days to assemble a coalition, with an extension of up to 14 more, ynet reported. If he fails, Herzog can hand the task to another lawmaker, usually from the rival bloc, or send it to the Knesset, and if no one wins a confidence vote the Knesset dissolves and Israel goes back to the polls. An Eisenkot government would lean on Arab-led parties that most of Israel's political class has promised to keep out, as we noted in our look at the deadlock. AP said Eisenkot has signaled willingness to partner with them under conditions, including calling Hamas a terrorist group that must be destroyed.Netanyahu's camp has spent the week contesting the result instead, with his party alleging bribery, forgery and intimidation at polling stations in Arab-majority towns and said Qatari money reached Arab-led parties. Police arrested seven suspects, but the elections committee found no systemic irregularities and dismissed Likud's motions, according to Brussels Signal's account of the Nov. 4 certification. Ra'am denies involvement.Washington is left watching from an awkward spot given Trump's double endorsement of Netanyahu before the vote, then his announcement that the US would end its roughly $4 billion in annual military aid to Israel by year-end. The two men are also at odds over whether to restart the war with Iran, which Netanyahu pressed Trump to do right after the US midterms, and which a post describing Netanyahu's video says he cast as the reason for unity.Israelis are not sold on either path, with a Direct Polls survey for i24 on Nov. 2, posted on X by the account Israel Elects, found 34% preferring a Netanyahu-led unity government and 34% preferring new elections, against 16% for an Eisenkot-led minority government and 14% for an Eisenkot-led unity government.The mandate does not make Eisenkot prime minister, and Netanyahu remains in office until a new government is sworn in. Eisenkot has 28 days to prove he can hold the 61 seats together with Arab-led parties outside his cabinet and Netanyahu outside his tent. Tyler Durden Sat, 11/07/2026 - 16:30

— US Offers $20 Million, Relocation Program, For Info On Iran's Nuclear Program

 

at 11/7/26 2:00pm

US Offers $20 Million, Relocation Program, For Info On Iran's Nuclear Program The Pentagon has just unveiled another major and high dollar 'reward' program related to the war against Iran, and amid continued efforts to topple the Islamic Republic government. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Friday it is offering up to $20 million for 'insiders' or any Iranian official who can provide information about the country's nuclear program, its facilities, equipment or personnel.Any Iranian 'leakers' would also be given possible relocation for valuable information, according to the announcemnet by Rewards for Justice (RFJ) and CENTCOM.RFJ indicated that it accepts tips via Signal, Telegram, and Tor Browser in several languages.Some pundits were quick to react by saying it smacks of desperation on the part of Washington, given it comes over eight months into what's looking like an intractible conflict, or a quaqmire. We are now to the Iraqi Rewards Program stage of the Iran conflict. Welcome, everyone. https://t.co/92kNLwEhdl pic.twitter.com/PBuAkpdbjR— Matt Burnell (@mdburnell) November 7, 2026 President Trump has also repeatedly claimed Iran's nuclear program has been "obliterated" over the course of a conflict which has had shifting US objectives, and which the US has struggled to extricate itself from.This new $20 million reward offering suggests that US intelligence could be much more in the dark at this point, despite the White House constantly trying to project confidence on the issue.Skeptics have also of late compared this to the notorious Iraqi Rewards Program, where the CIA once desperately sought 'proof' that Saddam Hussein had Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). And yet this program sought to essentially backfill 'evidence' in support of what the Bush administration had already been claiming of Iraqi WMD. In the end it was proven all a NeoCon hoax which helped launch a disastrous Iraq invasion and 20-year occupation under false pretenses. Tyler Durden Sat, 11/07/2026 - 16:00

— Schumer Vows Not To Let Trump Place 'Right-Winger' On Supreme Court

 

at 11/7/26 1:30pm

Schumer Vows Not To Let Trump Place 'Right-Winger' On Supreme Court Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times,The top Democrat in the Senate said in a new interview that his party will not let President Donald Trump place a "right-winger" on the Supreme Court following the Democrats' flipping control of the upper chamber in the midterm elections."The bottom line is we're not going to allow a right-winger on the court," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who is expected to become majority leader early in 2027 as the new Congress is seated, told The Associated Press."Extreme Democrats have a history of politicizing the Supreme Court, even entertaining plans to pack the Court with liberal justices," Lauren Bis, a White House spokeswoman, told The Epoch Times via email. "President Trump will never let them pack the Supreme Court and ruin the independent judiciary."Schumer declined to say in the interview whether he might keep any Supreme Court vacancy that arises open until after the 2028 presidential election, a strategy employed by former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) ahead of the 2016 race. Schumer did say that Democrats would not allow "any crappy nominees" to be confirmed to any judicial posts, or Trump's Cabinet.Schumer told reporters during a post-election press conference on Wednesday that "the days of Trump's supplicant Senate are over."He also said that Senate Democrats are open to judicial nominees "who obey the law, who have fidelity to the rule of law" and that "too many of Trump's nominees did not have that at all."Judicial nominees require a majority vote. Democrats are projected to have at least 54 Senate seats in the next Congress, with two races still to be called.Nine justices are on the Supreme Court. The two oldest - Justice Clarence Thomas, 78, and Justice Samuel Alito, 76 - were appointed by Republican presidents. The third oldest, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, 72, is an appointee of former President Barack Obama.Justices can choose to serve until death or retire at any time. Some retire as they age. The last vacancy opened up in 2022, when Justice Stephen Breyer stepped down.Thomas has not outlined retirement plans, while Alito said in October that he will not retire during the court's current term, which just started.Trump was able to nominate three justices during his first term. Only Republicans voted for Amy Coney Barrett; one Democrat voted for Brett Kavanaugh; and three Democrats crossed the aisle to support Neil Gorsuch.The Senate has confirmed 56 of Trump's judicial nominees in his second term, following more than 230 in his first term. Democrats have cast votes for a number of the nominees, and Republican Senate leadership allowed Democrats to block some nominees from their home states through the so-called blue slip process.There are 28 vacancies in federal courts at present.Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said on X this week that the accomplishments of Senate Republicans include placing "strong conservative judges on benches across the country faster than we have since the Reagan administration."He told Punchbowl News over the summer that confirming judges was a priority. Because senators who are leaving office due to retirement or losing reelection bids historically often don't return to Washington after the midterms, he said that the goal was to confirm as many as possible before November. Tyler Durden Sat, 11/07/2026 - 15:30

— "Defend Us Against The Lunatic Left": Trump Wants UFC's Dana White As Press Secretary

 

at 11/7/26 1:15pm

"Defend Us Against The Lunatic Left": Trump Wants UFC's Dana White As Press Secretary President Trump said Saturday he has offered the White House press secretary job to UFC CEO Dana White, three weeks after his last pick was pushed out five days into the job."I am pleased to announce that the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior, has been offered the job of Press Secretary of the United States," Trump wrote on Truth Social, before naming the backup he wants White to bring along: "assistants, even though some are not from our Country, of Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and Kayla Harris.""We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left. Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other," Trump added. "Dana, please take the job!"Makhachev, a former UFC lightweight champion, and his longtime friend Nurmagomedov, who retired undefeated at 29-0 in 2020, are both from Dagestan in Russia. Nunes, who held two UFC belts at once, is Brazilian. Cormier, a former champion in two weight classes, and lightweight Gaethje round out the list along with "Kayla Harris," presumably Kayla Harrison, the two-time Olympic judo gold medalist who made her UFC debut in 2024.White, who has run the UFC for more than two decades, has been a Trump friend for just as long. He spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2016, 2020 and 2024, and in June staged the UFC Freedom 250 card on the White House South Lawn.White answered on Instagram with a photo of himself in the Oval Office, captioned "On to the next chapter." There has been no formal word that he's taking the job.Weeks after the 2024 election, White told The New Yorker he wanted nothing to do with politics and would never work on another presidential campaign. "I'm never f---ing doing this again," he said.The job has been open since mid-October, when Katie Zacharia was fired after five days and a single briefing. Zacharia, a commentator for Trump's media company, had been tapped to replace Karoline Leavitt, and was quickly buried in questions over calling herself a lawyer without having passed the bar. Leavitt left at the end of August to spend more time with her young children.Politico reported that Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who hadn't wanted Zacharia in the job, helped line up the Sean Hannity interview that sealed her fate, which one source called a "sanctioned hit." The White House and Fox News both denied it.Wiles herself is now out as chief of staff: Friday was her last day, and Stephen Miller takes over on Monday in the wake of Tuesday's midterms.If he says yes, White would be the seventh press secretary of Trump's two terms, after Sean Spicer, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Stephanie Grisham, Kayleigh McEnany, Leavitt and Zacharia. Tyler Durden Sat, 11/07/2026 - 15:15

— "Next Chapter Of Chaos Is Coming": Look To France As America's Left Already Telegraphs Their Plan

 

at 11/7/26 1:00pm

"Next Chapter Of Chaos Is Coming": Look To France As America's Left Already Telegraphs Their Plan French trade unions are now coordinating nationwide strikes amid an ongoing far-left revolution, lawfare against right-wing leader Jair Bolsonaro following socialist President Lula's runoff victory in Brazil, and Poland's coup d’état by the pro-EU regime should not be viewed in a vacuum. This is the globalist playbook of street mobilization, lawfare, and chaos across the West, which all could be repackaged by the Democratic Party and used to launch a revenge cycle against the Trump administration for nuking their nation-killing DEI experiment and disrupting timelines of a socialist takeover of the US. The end goal has always been to crash the Trump economy and destroy capitalism - full stop. Top of the Democratic agenda on day 1 needs to be a pause on advanced AI development, regulation of this out of control industry, and a ban on artificial superintelligence.— Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari (@RepYassAnsari) November 4, 2026 Just hours after the Democratic sweep in the US midterms, Democrats, oddly enough, did not boast about their affordability plan but instead fired up their Trump revenge agenda, signaling their move to target companies, Elon Musk, and anyone else associated with Trump. Democrats have quickly morphed into purple-haired socialist clowns and are furious about Trump's war against DEI and, of course, the endless money machine of USAID that came to a partial end in early 2025. Democrats are already promising lawfare instead of affordability. Thank you, Mr. President. Our thank you will come in January - with subpoenas.— Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari (@RepYassAnsari) November 4, 2026 The second Democrats take control, the first thing they’re going to focus on isn’t going to be affordability, it’s lawfare:“We will not hesitate to go after private corporations that are collaborating with Donald Trump.“ pic.twitter.com/RfS5clqPaD— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) November 5, 2026 Not even 24 hrs after election night and the overreach is beginning.Democrats told you they cared about affordability. All they care about is lawfare. https://t.co/NgkcpiSz7K— Senator Jim Banks (@SenatorBanks) November 4, 2026 With immense lawfare expected, Democrats plan to cripple the Trump economy and reindustrialization efforts by going after data center buildouts. Their campaign pitches for moratoriums and AI regulation made that very clear. Data centers are a key pillar of today's economy. If the reindustrialization revival slows, the Trump economy tanks. Next, NGOs and lefty trade unions, aligned with socialist reformists and Democrats, could easily take a page from France's far-left uprising playbook and move forward with this strategy. Anti-communist analyst Karlyn Borysenko cites United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain's statements that the union is planning labor action for "May Day 2028."Borysenko continued:The next part of the chaos will be what exactly is happening in France as socialists and communists groups revolt in what can only be described as a revolution that now has lefty trade unions joining forces to push with nationwide strikes. What happens here is going to build on what we're going to do in '27 going towards May 8th 2028. So May Day 2028 is the day that all the unions have organized their contracts to expire on the same day. So basically all the major labor unions led by the United Auto Workers — this is who this is — they are going to go on strike on the same day, May 1st 2028. The goal being to shut down the economy for an extended period of time.They are organizing with all major labor unions. They have been organizing this for years already. They have been planning for this moment. They've been building for this moment. They've been doing structured tests leading up to this moment. This is going to be a big deal.. . . Should I mark my calendar to be back here in 2028 for a general strike?I'd say we got big plans for 2028, so I'll reach out. By the way, give me a little behind the scenes: whoever his PR people were not happy that he said that. Whoever — because technically a general strike is not legal in the United States of America underneath our horrendous labor laws. But that was a very good job by you.Are you telling me that one of the leaders of one of the largest labor unions in the country — the labor unions that have led the effort to plan for a May Day 2028 mass general strike on May 1st — you're telling me he openly admitted last night on a live stream to doing something that perhaps isn't the most legal thing in the world for him to do? Huh? I wonder why no conservative news outlet has reported this. WatchLeftist outlet Status Coup reacted to last night's midterm results. @DrKarlynB listened in to their upcoming plans.Status Coup interviewed a UAW union member about May Day 2028. @HarrisonHSmith can pretend he's the one that initially found this intel, but Karlyn informed him. pic.twitter.com/9Vy6MtWB0y— Far Left Clips, anti-communist (@MarxistClips) November 5, 2026 What should be quite obvious today is that globalists have accelerated their timeline for a socialist takeover of the West and, in doing so, will take an all-hands-on-deck approach to wrecking Trump and his economy over the next two years. First comes lawfare, then NGOs and unions mobilize, and who knows what wild cards could emerge in a Poland-style coup d’état.All of this suggests globalists are moving full speed ahead, and the unfolding European crisis of social unrest and turmoil may be heading for American shores.What Democrats did not anticipate, and what really irks them, is that the Trump administration has already laid the groundwork to combat far-left extremist and foreign subversion networks through a multi-agency approach that, according to the New York Post, extends into the Treasury Department. Stephen Miller being named as White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy sent Democrats screaming by the end of the week - that's because Miller will likely ramp up the campaign against the far-left. Remember, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for the civilized world to unite against an “encroaching darkness.” That darkness he is talking about is exactly what you see playing out in Europe and what has infected the Democratic Party with far-left lunatics who rail against the nation and seek its imminent demise.The civilizational crisis in America is about to accelerate. The players are known: socialist/communist vs. pro-America.  Tyler Durden Sat, 11/07/2026 - 15:00

— Podcasters Laugh About 'Digging Up Charlie Kirk And Doing It Again'

 

at 11/7/26 12:00pm

Podcasters Laugh About 'Digging Up Charlie Kirk And Doing It Again' A 39-second clip of podcasters Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan laughing after Welch read out a post joking that "we're digging up Charlie Kirk and doing it again" spread across X on Thursday, with conservative accounts calling it a celebration of Kirk's murder. Collin Rugg posted it to his followers with the line that the two "can't stop laughing at the thought of digging up Charlie Kirk's corpse."Podcasters Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan can't stop laughing at the thought of digging up Charlie Kirk's corpse and "doing it" again to him.After laughing for 30 seconds straight, the women falsely claimed that Tyler Robinson was a 'MAGA person.'They will celebrate your... pic.twitter.com/KQ2bwtVIO7— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 5, 2026In the clip, a voice reads the line, the two laugh, and one then says, "No comment on that. Other than he was shot by somebody that was super MAGA. He was shot by a MAGA person." The other answers, "Do that with what you will," and the first adds, "White person, white MAGA family." Neither says what they found funny about the post, and the clip does not show where in the episode it came from. The post they read was not theirs. The clip's transcript credits it to an account called "Dad Morose," a spelling we could not check.Welch and Sullivan host the I've Had It podcast. Welch has been in this fight before: in December, Fox News reported that she told Don Lemon on her show that Kirk "justified" his own killing, saying "The person that I heard that justified his death was him." Lemon disagreed, saying "I don't know anyone who justified his death."The MAGA claim is the part of the clip the record contradicts. Tyler Robinson, charged in Kirk's September 2025 shooting in Utah, was registered to vote as unaffiliated and listed as inactive, according to Utah records reported at the time, and had never cast a ballot; his parents are registered Republicans, The Week reported. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said a family member told investigators Robinson had "become more political in recent years" and had lashed out at Kirk, and an acquaintance said he "wasn't too fond of Trump or Charlie." We found no record that Robinson supported Trump or the MAGA movement.Robinson has not been tried. A Utah judge has put off setting a trial date, with prosecutors seeking a January 2028 start and the defense asking for 2029, and has scheduled another hearing for Nov. 9. Tyler Durden Sat, 11/07/2026 - 14:00

— Kunstler: "The Election Numbers Are A Little... Queer"

 

at 11/7/26 11:35am

Kunstler: "The Election Numbers Are A Little... Queer" Authored by James Howard Kunstler via Clusterfuck Nation,Color Revolution Is Insurrection"If there's one thing I've learned in politics, it's that when you win, it's never as good as it seems." - Rogan O'Handley (DCDraino on X)Half the country is doing an end-zone war dance, the other half is scratching its weary head. That was some election! But you know what? The numbers are a little. . . queer. I mean queer in the old-school sense. Peculiar. Puzzling. Kind of. . . fishy. . . maybe statistically impossible?What I think happened: Democratic Party election ninja Marc Elias knocked himself out for two years registering new voters by the bale, as in manufacturing them. . . illegal aliens. . . homeless junkies. . . straight-up fictitious persons. . . in order to flood the zone with fake mail-in ballots, that is, in-your-face fraud. And the reason these finaglers did it was so that when the fraud was detected and announced, they could run the next play - which I have laid out in several previous blogs - namely their well-planned color revolution.That is, to dare the president to do something about the in-your-face fraud, and when he does, to activate riots, which the president would respond to, and when he does, declare him to be illegitimate, a tyrant, and attempt to transfer federal authority to a panel of state governors. That's their play, declared overtly and explicitly by a gang of Dem Party aligned NGO capos on recorded Zoom calls this past year. They are all remnants of the defunct USAID, the very officials who carried out color revolutions for years against Serbia, Georgia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, and other sovereign states.The reason that the Democrats went all-in on yet another national election fraud is because the party had evolved into nothing more than a criminal enterprise, a colossal racketeering operation and the ongoing cover-up of their activities was unraveling badly. For instance, a most blatantly obvious case, Minnesota, where Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan was implicated in assisting Governor Tim Walz's involvement in Somali public health fraud, as well as running a Signal chat comms group that coordinated anti-ICE riots in Minneapolis last winter. On Tuesday, Flanagan defeated challenger Michele Tafoya by ten percentage points for a seat in the US Senate, where she will join the Trump impeachment crew. She should be in a federal court with Mr. Walz, charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States.Many Dem partisans are guilty of serious crimes and are liable for prosecution. They are desperate to capture as many government positions as possible to block any path leading to that outcome. Since the Constitution assigns election management to the states, it was crucial for the color revolutionists to gain control of the states' election apparatus in this midterm election. Of course, under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution (Article VI, Clause 2) federal law can override conflicting state laws or constitutions. This has been litigated all year long, especially in the DOJ's demands to inspect state voter rolls, which several blue states refused to submit to. The question had not been settled before the midterms.Wouldn't you suppose that the DOJ will use AI (or SI) to match all the new voter registrations to actual persons who cast ballots? This is the kind of tedious and exacting task that used to take human workers months to accomplish, but can now be done in a day's work. We'll know soon enough just how fake the election was. The Democratic Party (and not a few RINOs) will denounce the discovery as "election denialism," like they did the last several cycles. It's not going to stick this time. Too many Americans are alert to their shenanigans. When that tactic fails, they'll call out the Antifas and the jihadis to make a giant ruckus, and that's when the main act of the color revolution plays out.Make no mistake about it, a color revolution will amount to an insurrection. And under the Insurrection Act of 1807 (10 U.S.C. §§ 251-255) the president can deploy the armed forces (or call the National Guard into federal service) to restore civil order. President Eisenhower deployed the 101st Airborne in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957 to desegregate the schools. President Kennedy invoked the Insurrection Act three times during the Civil Rights unrest of 1962-63 in Alabama and Mississippi.It is looking a little bit as if the president set a trap for these birds, daring them to try another rigged election. He has acted like Mr. Conviviality since Nov. 3, offering best wishes to the winners as the final numbers slowly spool out. Mr. Trump is a well-seasoned actor, of course, and his role for the moment is Cheshire Cat.Stand by to see if this battle is joined - I think it will be. We're entering an exceptionally sketchy several months of US history ahead. The Democrats have been flamboyantly talking shit about how they will punish and persecute anyone ever associated with the president. I think they will be most ruefully disappointed. Their primary target for the moment is Secretary of War Hegseth, for the obvious reason that he directs the armed forces. They won't succeed in taking him off the game-board. And they won't win the game, either.We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of ZeroHedge. Tyler Durden Sat, 11/07/2026 - 13:35

— Heavily Armed Illegal Alien Arrested Near White House With AR-15, MAC-10; DHS Say He "Heard Voices In Head To Kill Trump"

 

at 11/7/26 11:10am

Heavily Armed Illegal Alien Arrested Near White House With AR-15, MAC-10; DHS Say He "Heard Voices In Head To Kill Trump" Secret Service agents arrested a heavily armed illegal alien from Venezuela down the street from the White House who, according to the federal government, "heard voices in his head telling him to kill President Trump."A new report from the Department of Homeland Security said the illegal alien had an AR-15-style rifle, a MAC-10, a Glock 43X, and ammunition in his vehicle at the time of his arrest near the White House grounds.Federal agents approached Ronny Yordrix Guanipa Chrinos on Thursday evening after observing suspicious behavior in a car parked on Constitution Avenue in Washington. The vehicle had been reported stolen, and he admitted to federal agents that he had weapons inside.Here's what federal agents recovered from the vehicle:What's disturbing is that, according to DHS, the illegal told agents he "heard voices in his head telling him to kill President Trump."This is another example of how nation-killing mass migration allowed under the globalist Democrats during the Biden era flooded the nation not with the world's brightest doctors, nurses, and engineers, but with deranged criminals who are arming themselves for a fight. Democrats have pushed for broad amnesty measures that would put illegals like this on a path to legal status. Project MKUltra? Tyler Durden Sat, 11/07/2026 - 13:10

As of 11/8/26 2:26am. Last new 11/7/26 11:32pm.