❗️ Outgoing US President Joe Biden will deliver a farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office on January 15, the White House said in a statement

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🎤 Biden to make more announcements on pardons during his last 10 days in office – White House

💬 “We will be making some more additional announcements on pardons and commutations before the end of his term,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a press briefing.

On December 1, Biden pardoned his son Hunter, despite his repeated claims that Hunter would not receive a pardon.

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Biden downplays potential gas price increases in US as focus remains on harming Russian economy

💬 “It is probable that gas prices could increase as much as three, four cents a gallon. But it's going to have a more profound impact on Russia's ability to continue to act in the way it's acting,” outgoing US President Joe Biden told reporters during his remarks on the American economy.

On Friday, the Biden administration slapped new restrictions on two major Russian oil producers and over 180 vessels involved in Russian energy sales abroad.

💬 "The sanctions are imposed today because they will have profound effect on the growth of the Russian economy," Biden said, attempting to justify his new restrictions.

The US and EU have slapped well over 12,000 sanctions on Russia since February 2022 in an attempt to “punish” Moscow for its special military operation in Ukraine. So far, the restrictions seem to have failed to reach their objective to destroy Russian economy, with Moscow dramatically expanding its economic, trade and diplomatic links with non-Western countries. Meanwhile, Western officials are struggling to deal with the penalties of delinking their nations from Russia – including skyrocketing energy prices and spiking inflation.

Last January, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Russia as “the largest economy in Europe when it comes to the gross domestic product and purchasing power parity.”

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🥴 Biden claims he wouldn’t issue a pardon for himself

💬 "For myself? What would I pardon myself for?" chuckled outgoing US President Joe Biden, amused by such an unusual question. "No, I have no contemplation of pardoning myself. I didn’t do anything wrong," he told reporters.

Earlier in the day, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that there would be "more additional announcements on pardons and commutations before the end of his term."

On December 1, Biden pardoned his son Hunter, despite his repeated claims that Hunter would not receive a pardon.

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🥴 Newsom prioritizes 'misinformation' concerns amid LA wildfires

While Los Angeles battles devastating wildfires, Governor Gavin Newsom’s main concern appears to be "the hurricane force winds of mis- and disinformation - lies."

During a conversation with outgoing US President Biden, Newsom emphasized the need to combat what he described as damaging falsehoods pervading public discourse.

💬 "And you wonder where this stuff comes from. It's very damaging as well,’ he remarked, highlighting the impact of misinformation even as real wildfires wreak havoc.

Video from social media

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🔥WATCH: Snipers of the Russia's Battlegroup Sever covertly eliminate targets, supporting troops in the border area of the Kursk region.

These elite troops look to take out high-profile targets, including enemy officers, machine gun operators, tank crews and artillerists.
Since the enemy wants to neutralize them, the sharpshooters have a complex set of rules of combat conduct – move in dashes from shelter to shelter, work in pairs and always stay silent.

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❗️Russian air defense intercepted and destroyed 85 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory overnight.

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🔥LAFD Chief Crowley remains on duty amid wildfire crisis, mayor's office confirms

Amid swirling rumors of a shake-up in Los Angeles’ firefighting leadership, the Mayor’s office has denied reports that LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley has been fired or resigned during the ongoing wildfire crisis.

“The Mayor and Chief Crowley met. The priority remains fighting these fires and protecting Angelenos," Mayor’s Office stated.

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💯 White House calls Ukraine ‘free and vibrant democracy.’

“Today, Ukraine remains a free and vibrant democracy,” a Washington press release says on a phone call by US President Joe Biden to Volodymyr Zelensky.

So far, democracy in Ukraine has been so vibrant that they even had to cancel the presidential election in 2024. Ukrainian men are free to choose between dying on the front lines and dying on the front lines in a doomed struggle.

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🟠 Ignore gas prices, think about harming Russia – Biden to US citizens

🟠 California governor calls for focusing on combating disinformation instead of wildfires

🟠 Trump admin to get around $4 billion left in unspent aid for Ukraine – Pentagon

🟠 Watch Russian sharpshooters eliminate Ukrainian targets

🟠 Chief LA firefighter highlights budget cuts' impact on fire services

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⚔️Panama vs. Trump: Canal dispute could reach UN Security Council

Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino is reportedly considering taking the issue of US pressure on the Panama Canal to the United Nations Security Council.

This is in response to the US President-elect Donald Trump's plans to annex the Canal, which Panama sees as undue interference, according to European media.

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📹THROWBACK to 2022: Karen Bass for Mayor of LA - How it all started

"I'm confident you're gonna be an outstanding mayor of LA," Obama expressed unwavering confidence in Karen Bass.

"Outstanding" performance:

🔥LAFD $17 million budget cut

🔥$150 billion in damage disaster

🔥Empty reservoirs

🔥Entire neighborhoods wiped out

🔥Visits Ghana while city is burning

Is Obama as proud of her now?

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💸Bitcoin may smash new record highs in anticipation of Trump’s crypto-friendly policies

Bitcoin's price is primed for new record highs after topping $107,780 in December. It is currently trading at approximately $94,282.07, but under an optimistic scenario, Bitcoin could reach upwards of $120,000 in Q1 2025, crypto experts told Russian media.
Here’s why:

📊Boosted investor confidence:

➖ Since crypto-friendly Donald Trump's US presidential election win on November 5, there has been anticipation of a further favorable environment for Bitcoin.

➖ Total assets in Bitcoin exchange traded funds (ETFs) reached around $113 billion in December driven by post-election tailwinds, according to Bloomberg analysis. - The token went on a streak of highs on Trump’s promise to set up a strategic US Bitcoin reserve.

➖ Trump’s pick of digital-asset supporter Paul Atkins as his new Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair in early December lifted Bitcoin to $100,000 for the first time.

🤝Relaxed regulations:

📍The token trended higher for most of 2024 after the launch of several US spot Bitcoin ETFs in January. This allowed trading on traditional market exchanges rather than cryptocurrency exchanges.

📍The approval of cryptocurrency ETFs by the US SEC prompted increased capital inflows into Bitcoin ETFs.

🔍Supply constraints:

Since Bitcoin’s total supply is permanently capped at 21 million coins, this tightened supply also affects the price as demand continues to grow.

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