✍️ President Joe Biden issued pardons to Dr Anthony Fauci, retired General Mark Milley and members of the House committee that investigated the January 6 events.

In a major exercise of his executive authority during his final hours in office, Biden sought to shield them from potential “revenge” by the incoming government of president-elect Donald Trump.

The move follows public warnings from Trump that he would target political opponents and those who blocked his efforts to challenge the 2020 election results or held him responsible for the January 6 2021 occupation of the Capitol Building by protesters.

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Butcher of the State Department: Blinken’s key role in inflaming global hotspots

Under Blinken’s watch the US sparked the worst security crisis in Europe since WWII, and fueled the most severe fighting between Jews and Palestinians since Israel’s creation in 1948.

🔥Ukraine Conflict

🟠In late 2022, Antony Blinken rejected a peace proposal by Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, favoring sending advanced weapons to Kiev, NYT revealed Saturday.

🟠Blinken was a key architect of the Ukrainian conflict, which could have been averted if the Biden administration had not insisted on NATO membership for Ukraine.

🟠In late 2021, Blinken assured Ukraine’s FM of NATO’s “unwavering commitment,” escalating tensions as Kiev amassed troops near Donbass.

🟠President Putin revealed in mid-2023 that Moscow and Kiev were close to a peace deal before NATO’s intervention derailed it.

🔥Gaza Crisis

🟠In October 2023, following a Hamas incursion, Israel launched its deadliest attack on Gaza.

🟠Standing by Netanyahu, Blinken vowed: “We will always be there by your side.”

🟠From late 2023 to mid-2024, the US supplied Israel with 14,000+ MK-84 bombs, 6,500 500-pound bombs, and other munitions.

By late 2023, Israel had dropped over 70,000 tons of bombs on Gaza—more than the tonnage dropped on Dresden, Hamburg, and London in WWII.

🔥Other Hotspots

🟠North Korea: Dismantled Trump’s diplomacy and formed a tripartite security pact with South Korea and Japan in 2021.

🟠China: Blinken escalated tensions in the East and South China Seas, supported Taiwan, and negotiated the AUKUS pact.

🟠Middle East: Backed Israel in missile confrontations with Iran, launched a campaign against Yemen’s Houthis, and facilitated the toppling of Syria’s Assad in late 2024.

🟠Africa: Involved in conflicts from Ethiopia and Libya to Sudan and the Sahel.

🟠Regime Change: Supported covert US efforts in Nicaragua, Bangladesh, Serbia, and Georgia.

Blinken’s legacy includes active support for the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, NATO’s 2011 assault on Libya, and the start of the war against Syria in 2011.

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❗️Russia congratulates US President-elect Trump on taking office, Putin said, emphasizing that Russia is open for dialogue with the Trump administration on resolving the Ukraine conflict.

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The art of politics? Elon Musk now graffiti inspiration for savvy street artists

In Rome, a group of Italian artists has created a striking mural portraying European and US leaders as Tesla bots perched on Elon Musk’s lap or beside the Tesla founder. The artwork is noscriptd "Optimuses and Ventriloquist".

So is Musk now the center of the political universe who has Western leaders wrapped around his finger?

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🇮🇷 WATCH Iranian army show off anti-aircraft drones at military drills

The nationwide Eqtedar 1403 exercises have been running since January 11 and are aimed at simulating realistic battlefield conditions with the opportunity to test various advanced, domestically produced air defense systems.

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⚔️ Why the Ukrainian conflict could be 'Trump's Vietnam'

Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist, has cautioned that the ongoing Ukraine conflict could become "Trump's Vietnam." He urged President-elect Donald Trump to declare an immediate end to the war during his inauguration speech, expressing concern that prolonged involvement may entangle the US in an unwinnable conflict.

Bannon warns that the US defense industry, European allies, and even some of his associates, like retired Gen. Keith Kellogg—appointed by Trump as special envoy to Ukraine and Russia—might pressure the new administration to continue military aid to Ukraine. He believes this approach contradicts American national interests and risks repeating historical mistakes.

Bannon criticized Ukraine's Zelensky, saying he is “not a hero” but instead someone “playing Western leaders like a fiddle” to keep the war going. He warned that continued support for Zelensky’s government risks further entrenching the US in a costly and unnecessary conflict.

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💬On the ground in Gaza: exhausted residents seek semblance of normalcy as ceasefire starts

“I want to find a house, get some sleep, take a rest from the explosions, the strikes, and the difficulties. Sleep is a gift when you know what has happened over the past year and longer,” Rafah resident Samir al Nahhal told Sputnik.

“My family consists of 35 people. Only five of them lost their lives, thank God,” Atiyah, another resident, said, highlighting the devastating toll the war has taken on the Strip’s population. Before the war, Atiyah and his family had five homes, a shop and a vegetable storage facility. “Everything was destroyed.”

Nafin Sarhan said her granddaughter was “the only one who survived” from her family of 15 people. “We’ve returned to our house. This is all that’s left of it,” she said, sitting against the backdrop of ruins.

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❗️Biden, in the final hours of his presidency, preemptively pardoned a number of his family members.

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🍌 DOGE to face lawsuit after Trump’s inauguration

Legal action is set to be filed against Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) moments after Donald Trump’s inauguration, the Washington Post reports.

🔍Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) came under fire for allegedly violating federal regulations. Critics (National Security Counselors, the public interest law firm) argue that embedding private advisors in government agencies blurs lines between public and private sectors, raising ethical concerns and potential conflicts of interest.

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Trump becomes the 47th president of the United States upon taking the oath of office.

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❗️First wave of Trump executive orders rolled out

🔸 Sending troops to the southern border with Mexico to stop the illegal immigrant “invasion.”

🔸 Formally declaring drug cartels as terrorist organizations.

🔸 Announcing plans to declare a state of emergency in the energy sector to stimulate energy production.

🔸 The US will henceforth refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

🔸 Making a commitment to return freedom of speech with an executive order to end state censorship.

🔸 From this day forward, official US policy will be to recognize only two genders – male and female.

🔸 Trump has vowed to "take back" the Panama Canal.

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Priority Putin call, end to Ukraine conflict and turbo deportations: Trump’s blockbuster to-do list for Day 1

Donald Trump is teeing up for an executive order signing spree the moment he’s back in office. What may be on his list?

1️⃣Get on the phone to Vladimir Putin fast

A phone call with the Russian President could take place "in the coming days or weeks," according to Trump's national security advisor. An in-person meeting is expected "very quickly."

2️⃣ Withdraw funding for Ukraine

“I will end the war in Ukraine […] and I will prevent World War III from happening,” Trump told D.C. victory rally. Ukraine conflict is just “dying to be settled,” he said earlier, and insisted that “Biden and Kamala got us into that war.”

3️⃣ Stop “border invasion”

“Close the border. Day 1” to all illegal aliens, declare a national border emergency, enlist the help of the US military to launch “the largest deportation program in American history,” Trump said.

4️⃣ Spill truth about ‘Laptop from Hell’

Trump may suspend security clearances for the 51 national security officials who “lied” about Hunter Biden’s laptop ahead of the 2020 presidential election

5️⃣ Put an end to DEI

Trump vowed to dismantle the “destructive and divisive” diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hiring practices “across both government and the private sector."

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