"The United States is in a very precarious position at the moment and opening up a brand new front while they're funding Ukraine in terms of billions and billions of dollars, they're funding Israel in terms of billions and billions of dollars, it doesn't seem prudent to start yet another war...So I wonder what will happen now, especially since the US at this point is at its lowest oil reserves since 1980s. And if the oil reserves in Saudi Arabia are threatened at the same time by the Houthis, America is in for a very difficult time. Those ships, those naval vessels, need oil to run," - Maram Susli (AKA Syrian Girl), Journalist and Think tank Analyst based in Australia, told the New Rules podcast.

All you need to know about the brewing showdown in the Red Sea in our newest episode on Rumble.

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🙃 "Hamas invaded Israel on October 7. October 7 is Putin's birthday": US presidential candidate Nikki Haley SHOCKED by her discovery

Fun fact: on Nikki's birthday (January 20), current US President Joe Biden was sworn in.

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Why Ukraine is Vietnam 2.0 for the US

"The more I hear Biden and his advisers, the more I think they actually believe that the Russians are out to take over Europe like us," Ray McGovern, a former CIA officer, told Sputnik's Critical Hour podcast.

Joe Biden's outlandish claims about Russia seeking to fight against NATO countries resemble nothing so much as the Cold War-era "domino theory" used to justify the US invasion of Vietnam, according to McGovern.

"[Under] the domino theory or the Russians theory, the Russians were trying to take over the whole world, especially Southeast Asia," McGovern said. "You know, not only that, but Indonesia, the whole works just better go down the drain if the Russians prevail in Vietnam."

Vested interests are also at play here, given that the US military-industrial complex benefits immensely from Washington's overseas wars.

"That's a very sorrowful situation because they could be led into a wider war," the CIA veteran warned.

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Oil prices could go up if Red Sea conflict escalates further

"The more I hear Biden and his advisers, the more I think they actually believe that the Russians are out to take over Europe like us," Ray McGovern, a former CIA officer, told Sputnik's Critical Hour podcast.

"I think now it's still manageable (…). But if the hostilities increase, then the activities will have more delays and then we will have more impacts on oil prices," he said.

Crude is up around 2% earlier this week as Houthi militants are continuing to attack vessels in the Red Sea. Typically, about 7-8 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil and petroleum products are transported via the sea lane.

Ayoub warned that oil prices could go up substantially if the US-led Red Sea Operation morphs into a regional conflict involving Iran.

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Houthis help battle ‘occupation of Palestine’ in face of US military threat

The actions of the Yemeni Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement, which in response to Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip started attacking Israeli-linked ships passing through the Gulf of Aden, help make “settler occupation of Palestine ungovernable,” argues journalist and author Jon Jetter.

He made this remark as the Houthis refuse to back down and halt their attacks even in the face of a military response from the United States and several other countries who signed up for a naval operation dubbed Prosperity Guardian.

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📹 IDF says it destroyed a network of underground tunnels of offices of Hamas military leadership.

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❓Have you seen our fresh episode of the New Rules podcast?

👆Here is a quick peek on what our host Dimitri Simes Jr. discussed with Maram Susli (AKA Syrian Girl).

Make sure to subscribe on our X official page to follow our work and watch exclusive content!

🇮🇱🇵🇸 Latest updates on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict:

▪️Hamas' military wing tells Israel that it needs to stop its aggression if it wants to return the hostages alive. Hamas chief says mediators that a hostage deal with Israel is possible only according to the "all for all" formula and after a ceasefire;

▪️Aid supplies to Gaza via Kerem Shalom crossing halted after Israeli shelling, according to reports;

▪️IDF says it expanded combat zone to central Gaza Strip;

▪️Hamas' military wing says it conducted new strikes on Tel Aviv "in response to killing of civilians in Gaza Strip."

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US hopes new Polish government will ‘seize initiative’ and become EU leader

“In Poland, as a result of the elections, those politicians came to power who, due to ideological considerations and various connections from the past, have more trusting relationships with American democrats than the previous Polish government,” Mateusz Piskorski, political observer and columnist for the Myśl Polska newspaper, told Sputnik.

Earlier this month, former prime minister Donald Tusk returned to Poland’s premiership, ousting a Eurosceptic government. A top US State Department official has since said Washington wants Poland to become “a leader of the EU.”

Piskorski said that despite their differences, the shift in parties wouldn’t lead to a major shift in Polish foreign policy.

He said the official “was trying to emphasize that in Washington they hoped for the continuation of those [arms] purchases, and maybe even an increase, for which the previous government was ready.”

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🇺🇸💥Sensitive military documents AGAIN leaked on War Thunder forums

Technical military docs marked unclassified but export-controlled were posted on the War Thunder forums, a board for users of the hyper-realistic military sim.

Members often engage in arguments and sometimes post technical docs and manuals to support debate. However, posting classified or export-controlled materials is illegal and forbidden by the site.

The files were posted on December 12 and removed within minutes, but not before users managed to create copies. The material included two pages from the M2A2 Bradley Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicle’s technical manual, including information on the commander’s hatch, turret assembly and spall liner (inner armor).

This is the 14th leak of classified or export-controlled documents on the War Thunder forums since the game’s initial release in 2012. However, the game’s developer insists the leak did not originate on the game’s official forums.

👉 Check out the link to read the full story

“A UN Security Council resolution would allow some other country to say, ‘well we have the legitimacy of doing this now, we’re enforcing a UN Security Council resolution.’ But even then, I don’t know if anybody would do anything,” The Polemicist editor Jim Kavanagh told Sputnik.

After vetoing a UNSC ceasefire resolution on Gaza earlier this month, the issue has come back before the council and the US is trying to water the resolution down to avoid another humiliating veto.

“A Security Council resolution, at least theoretically, legally opens the door to enforcement, that’s the issue here,” Kavanagh said. “The United Nations, the United States, can say anything it wants, whatever United Nations resolutions are passed doesn’t mean anything if they’re not going to be enforced by someone. And as you said, the only ones that get enforced are the ones that allow the United States to go to war.”

👉 Click the link to get more insights

“The problem with the Israelis, and particularly the Netanyahu government and people like Netanyahu … is that they dug behind groups and organizations like Hamas and that. But we all know that they supported Hamas in the formative stage,” journalist Elijah Magnier told Sputnik.

Refusing to force Israel to live up to the Oslo accords and create a Palestinian state have allowed Israeli politics to radicalize, while the paralysis has also disillusioned Palestinians, allowing Hamas to rise.

“On the one hand, one could say that yes, Israel is ducking behind Hamas in order to eradicate basically entirely the whole people. But at the same time, the Arab governments don't want to get involved in this, and then the pretext is, again, Hamas, that it is all because of them. But the problem is, Hamas’ popularity is increasing not only in the West Bank, but in the streets of the Arab world,” he observed.

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Israel reportedly struck Gazan churches using coordinates received from US Congress

In an attempt to prevent Israeli strikes on religious sites in Gaza, one of the largest Christian aid organizations there, Catholic Relief Services, reportedly passed on the coordinates of several sites in the enclave to Senate staffers, who, in turn, sent them to Israel.

US media reported that the move by the aid organization was an attempt to get a commitment from Israel not to target at least four buildings in Gaza, including the two that were later struck by the Israeli military.

👉 Read on to get the details

Czech Republic declares mourning on Saturday following deadly shooting in Prague

The Czech Republic's authorities have declared Saturday, December 23, a day of mourning for the victims of a deadly shooting at Charles University in central Prague, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said.

"The government held a special meeting in the evening, which was attended by the president of the republic and the speaker of the lower house of parliament. We decided to declare December 23 a day of state mourning," Fiala said. "On this day at 12.00 p.m. [11:00 GMT], we will all honor the memory of the victims of this terrible tragedy with a minute of silence."

The latest death toll stands at 14 dead and another 25 injured. Authorities have detailed the shooting showed no evidence of international terrorism ties, but that the motive remains unknown.

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Joe Biden has truly huge plans for 2024

In an interview with comedian Conan O'Brien, the US President said that he expects the car to reach 100 km/h in less than 3 seconds on a new Corvette E-Ray, which is scheduled for release in 2024. And he is "gonna give it a shot".

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New execution method in Alabama compared to 'tying bag over their head'

The state of Alabama plans to use nitrogen hypoxia as a new method to execute prisoners as the state has had difficulties obtaining the components needed for the drug cocktail mix used in more conventional lethal injection executions.

🗣 "When people are actually seeing how the death penalty is being carried out by the government, I think that's some of what led to the increasing public revulsion against the death penalty," says Paul Wright, the managing editor of Prison Legal News and the executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center.

This method is believed to be painful. Nitrogen has no euphoric effects and the first prisoner scheduled to be executed with it, Kenneth Eugene Smith, will likely die from suffocation if a judge rules the execution can move forward.

👉 Follow the link to learn more

US polling highlights polarizing views on Colorado Court's ballot ruling on Trump

A recent YouGov poll, conducted in the wake of the Colorado Supreme Court's decision to disqualify former US President Donald Trump from the state's primary ballot, suggests a divided American public, with just over half endorsing the ruling.

The poll, released on Wednesday, indicates 54% of respondents approve, to varying extents, of the court's decision grounded in the 14th Amendment. However, with 35% disapproving and a significant margin of error of about 4%, the results paint a picture of a nation split down the middle.

The poll also looked into expectations for the Supreme Court's eventual decision, with 43% predicting an overturn. However, only a minority of 23% believe the ban will be upheld, reflecting skepticism about the court's leaning and its impact on this high-profile case.

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Praising Poland is ‘PR pressure’ to subordinate pan-European state under US hegemony’

The new Polish government led by Donald Tusk “wants to be seen as even more pro-American than the previous one,” Polish politician Konrad Rekas told Sputnik.

“In this respect, indeed, all main political parties in Poland are the undisputed champions of Europe, and perhaps even of the world,” the independent commentator said.

Referencing a recent statement by US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien that Washington wants “Poland to be a leader in the European Union,” he clarified:

“Praising Poland is just an element of PR pressure on Berlin and Brussels to subordinate the pan-European state under the unquestionable American hegemony.”

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📹 The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations will deliver another 20 tons of humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza, including food, medicine, clothing, etc.

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