Elon Musk, on paper the world’s wealthiest human, threatens to go supernova under the pressure of his appearances in the Epstein Files, his suit against OpenAI and Microsoft, the merger of SpaceX and xAI (formerly Twitter), and Tesla’s ever-changing business model.
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Turmoil at FEMA Adds to the Revolt Against Kristi Noem
Is Kristi Noem incompetent, evil, or just doing exactly what Trump wants her to do? Her misrule at FEMA provides more to consider.
Collective West Press Starting to Acknowledge Ukraine’s Untenable Position and Inevitable Loss
More truth nuggets about Ukraine’s desperate position are appearing in the Western press, but the level of denial is still high.
Türkiye Plays Peacemaker But Has Central Role in Iran Encirclement
While Trump’s “armada” gets the attention, Türkiye plays major role in bringing hostile actors to Iran’s borders.
Why American Life Expectancy is Falling Behind Globally, Falling Apart by State
The features of American life, policy, and economics are stalling out and even shortening life expectancy and what we can do to change it.
Coffee Break: Armed Madhouse – The Folly of Bombing Iran
Escalation advocates argue that bombing Iran could extract concessions, collapse the regime, or permanently secure Israel. History suggests otherwise. Strategic bombing has repeatedly failed to produce regime collapse, even under extreme destruction. More importantly, even the most maximal hypothetical “success” against Iran would not resolve Israel’s deeper strategic dilemma. The Middle East is not a two-player system, and force cannot substitute for a political end state. Without defined limits and durable arrangements, military action merely resets the cycle of conflict—accumulating risk over time rather than producing security.
US Military Helping DHS Build Massive Network of ‘Concentration Camps,’ Navy Contract Reveals
DHS is using a repurposed $55 billion Navy contract to turn warehouses into makeshift jails and plan sprawling tent cities in the boonies.
Mexico Warns of “Far-Reaching Humanitarian Crisis” in Cuba, As US Seeks to Starve Island Nation Into Final Submission
Donald Trump’s vision of low-cost colonialism bears echoes of the fiscal receivership model pioneered by Theodore Roosevelt, which did not end well for most concerned.
Modi Appears to Cave to Trump, Agrees to Buy Venezuela Oil in Place of Russia’s, End Tariffs on US Agriculture
What was Modi thinking? Even though Trump is surely exaggerating what his deal amounts to, it looks like a big climbdown for India.
It’s 2026 and You’re Uninsured. Now What?
Congressional inaction and rampaging heath premium increases mean even more Americans will go uninsured. Some suggestions about what to do.
Coffee Break: The Mask of Unreality Slipping?
Trump’s mask of unreality is slipping as the narrative collides with inconvenient realities like the Epstein files and election results.
Michael Hudson and Vijay Prashad: How Hyper-Imperialism Shapes Global Conflict
A rich discussion of how industrial capitalism evolved into imperialism and how its impulses and contradictions are creating more fractures.
