This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †
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Canada signing a trade agreement with China to permit the import of EVs is another escalation in the exploitation of the USMCA compact.
For the position of China, using Canada as a route to ship component goods into the United States is just a slight expansion of their current technique to avoid U.S. tariffs. However, President Trump is taking action immediately.
Noting on his Truth Social platform, President Trump announced that if Canada does effectively go through with allowing the import of Chinese electric vehicles, then the U.S. will impose a 100% countervailing duty against all Canadian imports.
[SOURCE]
“[…] As a part of the deal, Canada will ease the tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles that it imposed in tandem with the U.S. in 2024. In exchange, China will lower retaliatory tariffs on key Canadian agricultural products.” ~Politico
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney continues giving President Trump the ammunition to dissolve the USMCA trade agreement this year.
USTR Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick have both expressed anticipation of a new bilateral trade agreement to stop all this Canadian nonsense.
The bad news is that nothing much visible has changed in language or action from the negotiations. The good news is that for the first time military leadership from Russia, Ukraine and the USA joined with the diplomatic negotiators. This could indicate they are trying to work out the details on just how a ceasefire could be executed.
For the first time a trilateral discussion was held between the warring parties of Ukraine and Russia with the U.S. team working as an intermediary. The venue was the UAE acting as neutral turf for the discussion. According to Ukraine President Zelensky, the meeting in the Emirates was the first time representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States were engaged in a trilateral format since the full-scale war began.
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to the UAE meeting after three hours of discussions with Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Zelensky noted the arrangements were coordinated by the American side, describing the meeting as one of several unexpected diplomatic initiatives that emerged during negotiations.
ZELENSKYY – Our delegation delivered a report; the meetings in the UAE have concluded. And this was the first format of this kind in quite some time: two days of trilateral meetings. A lot was discussed, and it is important that the conversations were constructive.
The negotiations also involved military representatives from all three sides. From our side, today’s participants included Rustem Umerov, Kyrylo Budanov, Andrii Hnatov, Davyd Arakhamiia, Sergiy Kyslytsya, and Vadym Skibitskyi. From the American side, the participants were Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Dan Driscoll, Alexus Grynkewich, and Josh Gruenbaum. The Russian side was represented by members of their military intelligence and armed forces.
From DHS – “At 9:05 AM CT, as DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault, an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. The officers attempted to disarm the suspect, but the armed suspect violently resisted. More details on the armed struggle are forthcoming.
Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene. The suspect also had 2 magazines and no ID—this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.” VIDEO:
“About 200 rioters arrived at the scene and began to obstruct and assault law enforcement on the scene, crowd control measures were deployed for the safety of the public and law enforcement. This situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming.” (more)
President Donald Trump delivered a brutally honest Truth Social message noting the motives behind the local and state officials who are desperate to keep themselves protected from their involvement in criminal fraud of taxpayer funds.
In the surface this looks like an immigration and customs enforcement operation; however, just below the surface is a large criminal network operating in coordination with state and municipal leadership. This is why the Mayor and Governor are trying desperately to keep riots on the streets.
This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †
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According to most forecasters and the National Weather Service, a significant weather event begins tonight and will likely bring extreme snow and ice to much of the U.S. mainland.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE -…Major winter storm to begin impacting the Central and Southern Plains today, before moving into the Mid-South, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast this weekend… ♦Catastrophic ice accumulations are expected from the Southern Plains to the Southeast/Mid-Atlantic… ♦Dangerously cold temperatures set to expand across much of the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. through early next week.
A significant winter storm is forecast to begin in the Southern Rockies and Central/Southern Plains today, progressing eastward through the Mid-South and into the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast through Monday. This is expected to produce large swaths of heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain, bringing hazardous driving conditions, power outages, and tree damage. The heaviest snowfall is expected across a large area, including parts of the Southern Rockies, Plains, and through the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Snowfall totals are expected to exceed one foot in parts of these areas, and widespread travel disruptions are likely.
South of the snow axis, widespread freezing rain and sleet are expected, affecting the Southern Plains, Lower Mississippi Valley, Tennessee Valley, and much of the Mid-Atlantic. Catastrophic impacts are expected where freezing rain totals exceed half an inch, with over an inch expected in parts of Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and the Southern Appalachians.
Hilarious Bloomberg interview with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The topics are European trade and politics combined with the overlay of Canadian trade and politics. The Bloomberg panelists question Lutnick about the similar “feelings” of the Europeans and Canadians, as it pertains to the outcome of trade discussions. It’s the feelings that make things difficult to negotiate.
Secretary Lutnick doesn’t dismiss the narrative but deconstructs the substance of the topic brilliantly. Lutnick notes the ridiculous nature of the Canadian trade position and their decision to go running to China because their feelings are hurt. Lutnick then affirms the USMCA is going to be dissolved mid-summer and fall of this year.
As we noted at the end of last year, splitting the USMCA into two bilateral trade deals, one for Mexico and one for Canada, will be one of the most interesting and long-term economically significant moves in U.S. trade history. It is going to be a lot of fun to watch these negotiations, and the pre-positioning gives us a preview of what is to come.
Mexico is doing everything almost perfectly in preparation for their bilateral deal. Canada is doing exactly the opposite and positioning themselves for the worst possible outcome of a deal with the USA. The disparity in approaches is so different, even now it is remarkable to watch. PROMPTED:
(VIA BLOOMBERG) – […] Canada has “the second-best deal in the world” with its access to the US market, Lutnick said, behind only Mexico. The Commerce chief also indicated that Canada’s tilt toward China could become an issue in talks over revamping the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement known as USMCA.
If Ottawa opts to import Chinese electric vehicles and other trade-strengthening steps with Beijing, “do you think the president of the United States is going to say you should keep having the second-best deal in the world” during USMCA talks, Lutnick questioned.
Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) Director Dr. Mehmet Oz and Deputy Director for Health and Human Services, Jim O’Neill, just released a stunning video from Minnesota. They discuss a former linen factory that was transformed into 400 Medicaid businesses that generated almost $380 million in billing to CMS.
It doesn’t make sense. One industrial building housing almost 400 individual Medicaid businesses that cost taxpayers $380 million in payments for services that are now under investigation. It is almost guaranteed these complex houses fraudulent fake businesses. Director Oz dropped the video on his X account.
You’d never believe the kinds of fraud schemes happening in Minnesota. @HHS_Jim and I were taken aback to say the least.
Here’s just a snippet of what we saw on the ground and are working to stop. pic.twitter.com/UNgpjrMoIk
— DrOzCMS (@DrOzCMS) January 23, 2026
“Why did no one in the state figure out this was a concern? Perplexingly to me, in a place of this nature, an industrial complex that people would not come to for child care or autism care or transportation support, how is it possible this could come up like an abscess in the heart of Minneapolis and nobody was watching?!”
“They generated about $380 million of billing that you, the taxpayer, were putting up. That means roughly each business had a million dollars of billing.” … “It’s an industrial area. There’s no reason that you have a mother bring her child.”