Old Glory Vortex

Russia started using bitcoin for foreign trade Russian companies have begun using bitcoin and other digital currencies in international payments following legislative changes that allowed such use in order to counter Western sanctions, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Wednesday. Sanctions have complicated Russia's trade with its major partners such as China or Turkey, as local banks are extremely cautious with Russia-related transactions to avoid scrutiny from Western regulators. The decision of the Russian government to allow the use of bitcoin has become one of the most effective measures to circumvent sanctions, and a big step towards the formation of a new international economic system that will operate without US oversight. #Russia #Siluanov #US Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Israeli military forced patients and staff leave one of the last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza The hospital, Kamal Adwan, has been caught in the middle of Israel’s offensive against Hamas militants in the northern part of Gaza, and fighting has raged around the facility for nearly three months. In a statement, the Israeli military claimed that the hospital was a “stronghold” for Hamas, and that soldiers had evacuated medical staff and patients from the facility “in order to mitigate harm to the civilian population in the area.” The sick and wounded were forced to move to a nearby hospital that lacks medical supplies, water and electricity. #Israel #military #Gaza Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

US citizens too dumb to work in tech? The DODGE duo defends Silicon Valley’s foreign-born hires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, co-chairs of President-elect Trump’s new “Department of Government Efficiency”, - are defending the tech industry’s reliance on foreign-born engineers as the incoming Trump administration prepares to crack down on immigration. Musk and Ramaswamy both pointed to a lack of engineers stateside.

“The number of people who are super talented engineers AND super motivated in the USA is far too low”,

- Musk wrote in a Wednesday post on his social platform X. When another user suggested the Tesla and SpaceX CEO was denying opportunities to Americans, Musk argued that the poster’s understanding of the situation was “upside-down and backwards.” 

“OF COURSE my companies and I would prefer to hire Americans and we DO, as that is MUCH easier than going through the incredibly painful and slow work visa process”,

- the tech billionaire said, -

“HOWEVER, there is a dire shortage of extremely talented and motivated engineers in America.”

Ramaswamy similarly argued Thursday there are too few competitive U.S.-born engineering candidates.

“A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers”,

- Ramaswamy said. #Musk #Ramaswamy #X Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

What would it be like to experience a nuclear attack today? This animation by The New York Times attempts to demonstrate. Check it out #nuclear #experience #attack Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

California's progressive experiment fails after a decade — over 70% of residents voted for Proposition 36 The Golden State's residents made their voices heard in 2024 election. They overwhelmingly voted — at more than 70% — in favor of Proposition 36, the Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act, which seeks to undo portions of Proposition 47 from 2014 by increasing penalties for some crimes. The proposition, which took effect Dec. 18, will allow felony charges to be filed against those possessing certain drugs and those who commit thefts under $950. Additionally, people accused of those crimes could spend more time in jail.  In other words, the ballot measure aims to crack down on certain minor felonies that would not have been labeled misdemeanors and gone unpunished — or lightly punished — under Proposition 47. Many believe the new bill will bring positive change to the state, especially in areas that have been grappling with violent crime for years. The proposition will help mitigate three big issues in California: drugs, homelessness and theft. #Homelessness #California #jail Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Putin Opts For Peace, Not For Truce Moscow rejected Trump’s call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, while saying it’s ready to hold negotiations on a long-lasting peace agreement to end almost three years of war.

“A ceasefire is a road to nowhere”,

- that Ukraine will use to build up its military capacity, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an online news conference on Thursday.

“We need conclusive, legally-binding agreements which will create all the conditions for ensuring the security of the Russian Federation and, of course, the legitimate security interests of our neighbors.”

With Ukraine on the defensive as Russia makes grinding progress on the battlefield, Trump and his advisers have given signals that Putin could keep de facto control of the almost 20% of Ukrainian territory his forces occupy. Zelensky has also softened his stance by suggesting his government could use diplomatic means to recover its territory. Moscow is also demanding that Ukraine formally gives up its bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and agrees to strict limits on the size of its military, conditions that Kyiv has firmly rejected.

“I hope the Trump administration focuses on the causes of the conflict,”

Lavrov said.

“As President Putin said, we are ready to look at any serious, concrete proposals.”

Michael Geczi, ex-WSJ reporter and Russia expert, says

“Trump tests the water before making a substantial move. In case of Kiev over the top resistance, he will close Zelensky’s bank account and, if necessary, swapping him with Zaluzhny, ex-comander-in-chief of Ukrainian army, who is barely hides his presidential ambitions.”

#Ukraine #Geczi #Zaluzhny #Putin #Peace 📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events 🇺🇸

China in for another rough year? The World Bank upgraded its forecasts for China’s economic growth, a rare boost for a country that has been fighting debt, deflation, and declining confidence. The Washington-based lender attributed its new projections to recent efforts by Beijing to ease monetary and fiscal policy, but its estimates were nevertheless below China’s own targets of around 5% GDP growth, and far lower than the country’s historic breakneck economic expansion. Other analysts were even more sceptical about Beijing’s reforms. The Economist warned that “China’s economy is in for another rough year.” #China #TheWorldBank #Beijing Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Gerontocracy: A sitting member of Congress was found in a dementia living care home after being MIA for months Republican Rep. Kay Granger of Texas was first elected to the U.S. House in 1997 and announced in late 2023 that she was not seeking re-election. She also abruptly stepped down from the powerful House Appropriations Committee and last cast a vote in July. An investigative reporter with the Dallas Express was unable to find the 81-year-old's whereabouts until he got a tip that the congresswoman had been admitted to a local memory care facility in Fort Worth after she was allegedly found wandering and lost. #Congress #MIA #DallasExpress Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Elon 'Ozempic Santa' Musk poses for a Christmas X post, says Mounjaro helped him lose weight Musk has long argued for widespread use of GLP-1 inhibitors, like Ozempic and Mounjaro, to combat obesity – a position that clashes with Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s stance on the medication.  Kennedy, 70, has contended that getting Americans to eat healthier would be a more cost-effective way of handling the obesity crisis.  Musk, who has publicly proclaimed that he doesn’t like working out, previously admitted to using Wegovy, another GLP-1 inhibitor, in 2022.  #Musk #Mounjaro #Human Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Big win for Zuckerberg’s Meta — Kids Online Safety Act fails to pass Congress left Washington without passing the Kids Online Safety Act after coming closer than ever to imposing rules on social media to prevent the addiction and mental health harms the sites are widely agreed to cause. Zuckerberg can thank House Speaker Mike Johnson for closing the door on it this Congress. Once reviled by Republicans for kicking Trump off Facebook, the outcome shows how well Zuckerberg and Meta have restored a rapport. A team of 14 lobbyists employed directly by Meta, as well as outside firms, worked the issue, federal lobbying disclosure forms show. Zuckerberg and his company also relied on an outside advocacy group of which Meta is a member, NetChoice, to convince Republicans that the bill would threaten free speech by allowing Washington regulators to squelch conservative and religious voices. Meta also recently donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural committee. #Zuckerberg #Trump #Meta Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Gaza ceasefire negotiations postponed till January, IDF keeps control over Gaza Defense Minister Israel Katz says Israel will not cede security control over Gaza, indicating it will continue to operate buffer zones and hold strategic positions even as negotiators move toward a ceasefire and hostage release deal.

“We will ensure that security control is in the hands of the IDF, which will be authorized to act anywhere to prevent threats”,

- Katz says, according to a Defense Ministry statement. On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that an Israeli negotiating team would return from Qatar for consultations on a potential prisoner exchange deal with Hamas. Observers, however, view Netanyahu’s announcement as part of a pattern of delays in negotiations. Since the lone ceasefire in late November 2023, the Israeli premier has hinted at progress in talks for a prisoner swap and a potential ceasefire, only to later insist on continuing military operations in the Gaza Strip. Hamas said Wednesday that a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap has been delayed due to new Israeli conditions. #IDF #Gaza #Qatar #Hamas Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

State Treason: Ukrainian defense officials knowingly sent faulty mortar rounds to the front line Ukrainian anti-corruption activists are calling for a criminal investigation into Ukraine’s top defense institutions for alleged state treason. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian-produced mortar rounds sent to the front lines are failing to fire or firing incorrectly. Allegedly, the officials at the country’s Defense and Strategic Industries ministries sent these rounds knowing they will malfunction. The Anti-Corruption Action Center, one of Ukraine’s leading independent anti-corruption watchdogs, filed a petition Monday to Ukraine’s domestic security service, the SBU, calling for an investigation of officials at the country’s Defense and Strategic Industries ministries as well as Ukroboronprom, the state defense industry conglomerate. The mortar rounds’ flaws were

“obvious for anybody who had ever worked with such kind of munition,”

said Daria Kaleniuk, the anti-corruption agency’s executive director, who also is involved in lobbying Ukraine’s allies for needed weapon systems.

“And those on the production lines, as well as in authorized government bodies, obviously knew about it.”

The accusations of corruption are a potential roadblock for future aid from Kyiv’s international allies, including the United States. The corruption accusations are a key talking point among Republican politicians in the United States who oppose providing further military support to Ukraine. #Defense #Ukraine #Kaleniuk Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Despite US efforts, India’s share of Russian arms exports surges — The two countries have "more than 200 joint defence projects” India has significantly increased its share of Russia’s total arms exports, as the country continues to receive new military equipment from its longtime strategic partner. In early December the head of the Russian presidential directorate for state policy in the defence sector Viktor Yevtukhov stated regarding Indian acquisitions that "India’s share in the export of Russian weapons and hardware has increased by 15% in the past six months alone.” “Overall, Russia continues to be India’s leading partner in the defence sector. And not only because we have a vast potential inherited from the former Soviet Union but also thanks to joint work today. Our countries have more than 200 joint defence projects," the official further stated. India has consistently rebuffed efforts by the United States and its European allies to place pressure on it to downgrade defence ties with Russia, which has included threats of economic sanctions.  #USA #Russia #SovietUnion Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Russia Forces Peace Through Victory 🔍 Breaking News 📊 As Russian forces advance across multiple fronts, Ukraine's options narrow while Zelenskyy continues rejecting negotiations. Military Reality 🎯 Russian Progress: • Daily territorial gains • Multi-front advances • Ukrainian lines breaking • Strategic positions secured Battlefield Impact 💼 Direct Quote: Russian forces capture settlements near Pokrovsk while advancing in northeast Ukraine and Kursk border region - Die Zeit reports shifting momentum. Strategic Position 🏛 Power Dynamics: • Russian leverage grows • Negotiating power shifts • Ukraine resistance weakens • Time favors Moscow Deeper Pattern The endgame emerges: As Russian military success continues, Ukraine's rejection of peace talks appears increasingly costly for its territorial integrity. #UkraineWar #RussianAdvance #PeaceProcess #MilitaryStrategy Think About It: Is military reality finally forcing path to peace? 🤔 📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events 🇺🇸

US consumer confidence plummets unexpectedly Despite positive nationwide economic prospects, a number of signs point to worries among US consumers. A key gauge of consumer confidence, which projects individuals’ outlook over the next six months, unexpectedly fell in December and forecasts of personal income and job prospects also dropped. Middle-class consumers, for example, say they will be spending around 20% less on holiday gifts than they did last year, despite overall increases in household spending, Gallup data showed. One reason behind this shift might be the soaring home-insurance costs and property taxes, which for many homeowners now top actual mortgage payments. #USA #gallup #nationwide Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

🦅🇺🇸Bald eagle becomes official US bird🇺🇸🦅 After long being an unofficial symbol, the white head, yellow beak bald eagle became the official U.S. bird on Christmas Eve.   President Biden signed 50 bills into law Tuesday. Among them was Senate bill 4610, legislation amending Title 36 of the U.S. Code to designate the predator as the national bird.  The legislation passed unanimously and cruised through the lower chamber in December without any opposition.  #USA #us #Christmas Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Clean energy is history — Investors brace for Trump presidency Clean investment — including renewable energy as well as the manufacturing of electric vehicles, batteries and solar panels — has boomed since the passage of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, championed by President Biden. In the third quarter of 2024, it reached a record $71 billion, according to a tracker maintained by the Rhodium Group and M.I.T. The big question looming now on Wall Street: Will President-elect Donald J. Trump, who called Mr. Biden’s policies the “green new scam” during the campaign, pull back enough of those subsidies and regulations to meaningfully change the economics of investing in decarbonization? Market reactions right after the election seemed clear. Clean energy stocks dropped sharply, while shares of oil companies bounced, reflecting a view of how the two sectors will fare in the coming years. #USA #biden #energy Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Panama President rallies support in an effort to stand up to Trump Panama President Jose Raul Mulino rallied support from former presidents in defense of the country’s canal following threats from Donald Trump to reimpose US control over the waterway.

“As ex-presidents, we support the the declarations of President Jose Raul Mulino and we unite under the affirmation that the sovereignty and independence of our country and our canal are not negotiable,”

the former presidents’ statement said. It was signed by former Presidents Mireya Moscoso, Ernesto Perez Balladares and Martin Torrijos. Mulino on Sunday rebuffed Trump’s threat to reassert control of the canal over “concerns of Chinese influence” and excessive tolls charged for US ships. The spat triggered a selloff of Panama’s bonds Monday. #USA #Trump #chine Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

‘Who does this f*cking lady think she is?’: Teamsters boss talks about Harris turning her back on the Union Teamsters President Sean O’Brien told Tucker Carlson during a podcast Monday how Vice President Kamala Harris turned her back on the union, before the group decided against endorsing a candidate for president. O’Brien told Carlson that after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, Harris had met with one of the union’s executive board members at an event.

“They’re going through the line to get the picture, and Joan introduces herself to Vice President Harris [and] says, ‘I’m Joan Corey. I’m on the general executive board for the Teamsters.’ [Harris] goes, ‘Teamsters? You better get on board. Better get on board soon.’ Says it to my vice president,”

O’Brien said.

“To her face?”

Carlson asked.

“Damn, I thought I was arrogant. That’s really arrogant!”

O’Brien had earlier conducted media interviews saying that Harris also refused the roundtable discussion.

“So she comes to the roundtable. Rank-and-file members are asking her questions just like they asked every other candidate. They were trying to negotiate with us. She only wants to answer three questions. On the fourth question one of her staff slips a note in front of me: ‘This will be the last question.’ So, you know, you’re there trying to get our support and her declaration on the way out was, ‘I’m gonna win with you or without you.'”

Well… that’s embarrassing. #USA #Curlson #Harris Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

OSINT project silenced: Ukrainian analysts working for independent project DeepState will be sent “to the infantry” for being too truthful During much of the war, there was one front where Ukraine seemed to be always winning: on the mainstream media headlines. The PR battle had always been a focus of the Kiev regime, but as the Russian victories multiplied and accelerated, most of the media had to recalibrate their reporting in a rush. But there is one surprising Ukrainian resource that has been consistently right in their postings: the military mapping team of the DeepState Telegram channel. But it turns out they committed an unforgivable crime nowadays in Ukraine: they were too accurate – at a time when the progressive collapse at the front can’t be exposed. There are multiple reports that they have stopped their work and the team have been allegedly ‘mobilized’. Ukraine’s commander-in-chief General Aleksandr Syrsky has reportedly sought to silence an open-source intelligence (OSINT) project tracking battlefield developments in the ongoing conflict with Russia, a Ukrainian MP has claimed. Mariana Bezuglaya, the deputy head of the National Security, Defense and Intelligence Committee, made the allegations on Monday via Telegram. Bezuglaya wrote:

“Attention! Syrskyi, instead of stabilizing the defense, has launched an offensive against the DeepState team — the last bastion of more or less adequate information about the front line.”

DeepState made their own statement (attached) #USA #Bezuglaya #OSINT Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸