Global Hot Spots vs America First

https://www.americaoutloud.news/global-hotspots-vs-america-first/

I join Malcolm and a great line up in discussing these critical topics.

The US strikes Venezuela and says Maduro has been captured and flown out of the country. Many questions remain, including who is to govern? On the other side of the world, protests are growing in Iran. Trump says if Iran “kills peaceful protesters,” the U.S. will “come to their rescue.”

In NYC, Zohran Mamdani, and in Seattle, Katie Wilson, take the oath as newly elected mayors, putting a face on Socialism in America. Trump’s economy grows 4.3%, dashing economists’ lower expectations. And the FBI stops terrorist attacks over the holidays.

Nate Cain, F. Andrew Wolf, Jr., Ed Haugland, and IQ al-Rassooli, in a round-table discussion.

The US strikes Venezuela and says Maduro has been captured and flown out of the country. Many questions remain, including who is to govern? On the other side of the world, protests are growing in Iran. Trump says if Iran “kills peaceful protesters,” the U.S. will “come to their rescue.”

In NYC, Zohran Mamdani, and in Seattle, Katie Wilson, take the oath as newly elected mayors, putting a face on Socialism in America. Trump’s economy grows 4.3%, dashing economists’ lower expectations. And the FBI stops terrorist attacks over the holidays.

Nate Cain, F. Andrew Wolf, Jr., Ed Haugland, and IQ al-Rassooli, in a round-table discussion.

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An operation in Venezuela

Just after 4 a.m., President Trump announced on Truth Social that the U.S. had carried out “a large scale strike against Venezuela,” and that Nicolás Maduro and his wife had been captured. In a brief phone call with The Times, Trump celebrated the success of the mission. “It was a brilliant operation, actually,” he said. (NYT)

US strikes Venezuela and says its leader has been captured and flown out of the country

The United States hit Venezuela with a “large-scale strike” early Saturday and said its president and first lady had been captured and flown out of the country after months of intense pressure on Nicolás Maduro’s government — an extraordinary nighttime operation announced by President Donald Trump on social media hours after the attack.
The legal authority for the strike — and whether Trump consulted Congress beforehand — was not immediately clear.

Who now controls Venezuela?: With Maduro’s whereabouts unknown, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez would take power under Venezuelan law. There was no confirmation that had happened, though she did issue a statement demanding the U.S. provide “proof of life” for Maduro and Flores. (AP)

Trump says US will decide on what’s next for Venezuela

President Donald Trump said in an interview Saturday morning that the United States will be making decisions on what is next for Venezuela after capturing the Latin American country’s president and flying him out of the country. “We’ll be involved in it very much,” as to who will govern the country, Trump said. “We can’t take a chance in letting somebody else run and just take over what he left, or left off,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News hours after the capture.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani unveils new orders to tackle NYC housing crisis on Day 1

“I was elected as a democratic socialist and I will govern as a democratic socialist,” he told a cheering crowd. “I will not abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical.”

The mayor marked the first day of his administration by building upon his campaign to freeze the rent with a series of orders that would revitalize the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants and create two new task forces designed to speed up housing construction and increase supply. “On the day when so many rent payments are due, we will not wait to deliver action,” Mamdani said Thursday evening. (NBC 4 New York)

After vilifying President Donald Trump on the stump over his immigration policies, Mamdani sat down with the president at the White House in November for a chummy meeting replete with promises of collaboration. On Thursday, the new mayor did not include a single direct attack against the commander-in-chief.

Katie Wilson is officially Seattle’s mayor. Her agenda: affordability, housing, and workers’ rights

Her campaign promises included more affordable and public housing, universal child care, summer care for elementary school students, and access to health care and healthy food. Some constituents also cheered her victory as a win for supporters of dense housing, dedicated bus lanes, and safe infrastructure for people on bikes. (KUOW – NPR Network)

Article: Trump’s economy grows 4.3%, dashing economists’ lower expectations – F. Andrew Wolf, Jr.

The Commerce Department reported Tuesday that the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) — the government’s official economic scorecard — rose at a seasonally and inflation-adjusted 4.3 percent annual rate in the third quarter. The report on the July through September period was delayed due to the government shutdown.

“Today’s blockbuster, expectation-smashing GDP report is the latest proof that President Trump’s America First trade and economic agenda continues to turn the page on the Biden economic disaster: American consumers are spending, and American exports are surging,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said.

“If the economy keeps producing at this level, then there isn’t as much need to worry about a slowing economy,” said Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer for Northlight Asset Management, adding that inflation (although currently subdued) could return as the greatest concern about the economy.

Consumer spending, which accounts for about 70% of U.S. economic activity, grew much faster than expected, expanding at a seasonally and inflation-adjusted annual rate of 3.5 percent. That’s up from 2.5 percent in the second quarter and above the 2.7 percent expected. (America Out Loud)

FBI disrupts alleged ISIS-inspired New Year’s Eve attack plot targeting NC grocery store, fast food restaurant

“The FBI and our partners continued working 24/7 over the holidays protecting the American people, and this case out of Charlotte foiling another alleged New Years Eve attacker is the latest example of their tremendous work,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Our teams quickly identified the threat and acted decisively — no doubt saving American lives in the process. Thanks to our Joint Terrorism Task Force and regional partners both in New York and Western North Carolina for their efforts.” (Fox News)

Alleged L.A. bomb plot: What we know about the Turtle Island Liberation Front

The “violent, homegrown, antigovernment group,” according to the FBI, planned to bomb several Southern California businesses. If true, and successful, the plan could have been deadly and undoubtedly would have left residents and the region stunned on the cusp of a new year. But an FBI sting foiled the plot — four people with ties to the Turtle Island group were arrested as they were starting to construct improvised explosive devices in the Mojave Desert earlier this month, according to officials. (LA Times)

Article: Influencing terror and violence in the US – A radical Leftist strategy revealed – Ed Haugland

It is my assessment that Democrats are purposefully fostering violence throughout the United States using these proxies. Despite numerous calls to tone down such rhetoric, Democrats only increase it. Understanding this strategy, it is obvious why they do not.

They are purposefully influencing the cognitive domain, the human mind, of fringe elements, to act on their behalf, then feign ignorance. This is all part of an ongoing Cognitive War. It is not politics! It is part of the Democrats’ Blood Revolution to seize absolute power. (America Out Loud)

Trump says if Iran “kills peaceful protesters,” the U.S. will “come to their rescue”

President Trump warned Friday in a social media post that if Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue.”

It came hours after reports that at least eight people have been killed amid nearly a week of escalating protests in Iran. The unrest began last weekend as business owners voiced frustration at the dire economic conditions in the Islamic Republic.

Iran has been plagued for years by staggering hyperinflation, fueled by Western sanctions imposed over the hardline clerical government’s nuclear program and backing for militant groups across the region.

Protests continued Friday in various cities in the country, Tehran. Demonstrations have reached over 100 locations in 22 of Iran’s 31 provinces, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. (CBS News)

Edward Haugland is a retired federal Senior Executive and US Air Force veteran. Worked in the Intelligence Community and the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy, and State. Ed’s book is a must-read to understand the cognitive war: The Cognitive War: Why We Are Losing and How We can Win.

FBI Whistleblower Nate Cain is a military veteran and cybersecurity expert with over 26 years of experience. Nate has worked extensively on election integrity, having been called on as an expert witness and cyber forensic investigator by the Trump White House. Nate is the Tuesday host of Unleashed! The Political News Hour on America Out Loud Talk Radio.

F. Andrew Wolf, Jr. – After service in the USAF(Lt.Col.-Intel), Dr. Wolf obtained a PhD-philosophy(Wales), MA-philosophy(Univ. S. Africa), MTh-philosophical theology(TCU-Brite Div.). He taught philosophy and humanities in the US and South Africa before retiring from the university.

IQ al-Rassooli is an Iraqi exile, Arabic speaker, scholar, author, and political analyst. Find IQ’s books in the America Out Loud Bookstore.