Friday, December 26, 2025

Links 12/26/2025

US Launches Christmas Strikes on Nigeria—the 9th Country Bombed by Trump

With Nigeria, Trump—who calls himself “the most anti-war president in history”—has now bombed more countries than any president in history.

Is Your Dog or Cat Getting Old? These Simple Gestures Could Help Them Live Longer and Happier Lives

Like human seniors, an old cat or dog will benefit from help with their special needs.

Elections in Venezuela and Honduras: Two Sides of the Same Coin — Minted in Washington

In Venezuela and Honduras, the U.S. demonstrates that political authority in Latin America derives not from democracy, but from U.S. endorsement

Links 12/25/2025

Satyajit Das: The Shadow of Financial Instability

Shadow banks, rebranded as anodyne “non-bank financial institutions” are larger than ever and pose a threat in a new financial crisis

Why the Ukraine Electric War Has Been Failing Until Now

Confirmation that Putin has been restraining the execution of the electric war in Ukraine….but might finally be relaxing the choke chain.

Coffee Break: Going Beyond the MSM Name-Calling Narrative at TPUSA

The MSM covered the name-calling at TPUSA, but ignored the MAGA vs MIGA subtext driving the conflict between Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson.

What World Was Jesus Born Into? A Historian Describes the Turbulent Times of the Real Nativity

On the debate over the life of the historical Jesus.

Links 12/24/2025

John Helmer: Merz’s War Against Russia Is Splitting the Europeans – Greek Role in Tanker Attack Exposed

NATO is trying to have it both ways: escalating against Russia via a naval/tanker campaign while pretending they are not directly at war.

Behind the USDA’s Regenerative Rhetoric Lurks Business as Usual

More on a part of the MAHA con, that of regenerative farming, which is simply a rebrand of factory farming.

Merry Christmas and Holiday Schedule

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday, however you celebrate it!

Coffee Break: Armed Madhouse – The Unfortunate Philippines

For more than a century, the Philippines has been afflicted by recurring internal conflict—colonial rebellion, communist insurgency, separatist war, Islamist militancy. This article argues that these episodes are not discrete failures but manifestations of a persistent condition of managed instability, structurally conditioned by the country’s incorporation into U.S. grand strategy beginning in 1898. From counterinsurgency as governance to modern access agreements, the Philippines has been treated less as a sovereign project to be completed than as a strategic position to be held—an approach whose risks are now sharpening under renewed great-power competition.

Trillions for War, Pennies for People: How Soaring Military Spending Fails Americans

Unpacking why the US military is so expensive and even if it were less pork-driven, would still be unduly costly for society at large.