Happy Wednesday Everyone! Todayâs newsletter: 1,042 wordsâŠ3.9 mins
đ Todayâs Edition: Al Udeid Drawdown, Trump Trolls Denmark, Japan & S. Koreaâs Leadersâ Jam Session, Gaza Peace Plan Launches Phase 2, FBI Raids WaPo Reporterâs Home, Saks Files For Bankruptcy ⊠& much more!
đš Watch For:
Venezuelaâs Maria Corina Machado (Nobel Peace Prize winner) will visit the White House: Thursday, Jan 15th
đTHE HIGHLIGHT
One killer insight to stash in your back pocket
Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar
đ Al Udeid Drawdown â DĂ©jĂ Vu Before the Strikes
The U.S. is drawing down some personnel at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, advising a limited group to leave by Wednesday night. This is not a base shutdown or mass evacuation. It is a familiar moveâthe same force-protection playbook used ahead of the June strikes on Iran.
Why that matters
Al Udeid is the largest U.S. base in the Middle East, home to ~10,000 troops and CENTCOMâs forward HQ.
Before Juneâs U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Washington quietly thinned out non-essential staff to reduce casualties.
Iran later fired missiles at regional basesâwith U.S. permission (to save face)â and these advance posture changes limited the damage. This looks like a repeat.
Context heating the room
âïž Stratotankers are repositioning across the region.
đš At least 10 countries have issued emergency evacuation orders for their citizens in Iran.
𧟠Protest casualty estimates now range from 12,000â20,000 dead.
âïž Executions of arrested protesters reportedly begin today.
What this signals: Washington is raising force protection while keeping command, air, and logistics fully online.
đĄBottom line: This is pre-strike risk management, not panic. The odds of U.S.âIran escalation just moved higherâand the region is bracing accordingly.
âïžTHE CHESSBOARD
Geopolitics Decoded In 3 Moves
President Lee Jae Myung and PM Sanae Takaichi playing drums. Source: X.com/@Takaichi_Sanae
đ©đ° đ¶ đ· Trump Trolls Denmark
This morning Denmark deployed an advance military command unit and some equipment to Greenland, to show the U.S. they've got its security under control. To that, Trump responded:
NATO: Tell Denmark to get them out of here, NOW! Two dogsleds wonât do it! Only the USA can!!!
2 Dog Sled Context: Trumpâs mocking Denmarkâs 2024 â$1.5B boost in defense spending,â which included literally 2 dogsleds, 2 ships, and 2 long-range drones.
The President reiterated, Greenland is vital to the Golden Dome infrastructure, and that Russia and China would take Greenland, âif we donât.â
Meanwhile, European leaders have all issued panicked statements in the last 48 hrs.
đĄWhy it matters: Danish and Greenlandic officials are in D.C. this morning to meet with American officials. Russia and China are circling the Arctic like sharks and Denmark brought pool floaties to a cage match.
đ„ Takaichi and Myungâs Jam Sesh
After a formal summit in Nara, Japanâs PM Sanae Takaichi and South Koreaâs Lee Jae-Myung shocked aides by playing drums to K-pop hitsâincluding BTSâs âDynamiteââin matching track jackets. Yes, really.
Myung told Takaichi, playing drums had been his long held dream.
Takaichi said she was impressed by Myung's ability to learn in <10 mins.
The jam capped talks on security cooperation, supply chains, organized crime, and tighter U.S.âJapanâKorea trilateral ties.
đĄBottom line: Viral goodwill = domestic approval + alliance optics.
â Gaza Plan Enters Phase 2âPressure On, Triggers Blurred
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff says Phase 2 of the Gaza plan is officially liveâshifting from ceasefire babysitting to demilitarizing Hamas, installing technocratic governance, and rebuilding Gaza.
The pressure point: Hamas has returned 27 of 28 bodies; the last remains missing.
Hamas has shown no signs of demilitarizing despite past warnings.
Witkoff warns again: delays will bring âserious consequences.â
đĄBottom line: Post-war Gaza planning is moving before Hamas fully complies. High-stakes chess, no checkmate yet.
đœTHE EMPIRE FILES
Political Drama From DC To NYC
đ”ïžââïžFBI Raids WaPo Reporter's Home in Leak Probe
FBI searched Washington Post reporter, Hannah Natanson's Virginia home Wednesday, seizing phones, laptops, and watch as part of a Pentagon leak investigation into contractor Aurelio Perez-Lugones.
The target: Perez-Lugones (Navy vet with top-secret clearance) allegedly kept classified documents marked âSECRETâ in his lunchbox and basement. He's facing Espionage Act charges and is in custody.
Natanson's beat: She covers Trump's federal workforce overhaulâsourcing from 1,200+ officials amid mass layoffs.
Agents said she's "not a target," but AG Bondi claims her reporting involved "unlawfully leaked classified information."
âĄThe key question: Did she knowingly receive classified material, or just do her job? No charges filed yet.
đŠ Saks Files for BankruptcyâHereâs Why
Saks Global, owner of Saks Fifth Avenue, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to restructure $2.2 billion in debt. This is restructuring, not liquidationâstores are staying open.
What went wrong: In 2024, Saks bought Neiman Marcus for $2.7B, loading up on debt. Luxury sales then slowed, and Saks missed a $100M interest payment last month.
Vendors stopped shipping, cash got tight.
What happens now: $1.75B in emergency financing keeps operations running. Gift cards, returns, and loyalty points still work.
Bottom line: Saks didnât run out of customersâit ran out of cheap money.
đ€ CODES & POWER
Tech Wars, Crypto Chaos, and AIâs Black Mirror Moments
đ Musk Makes Full Self-Driving Subscription-Only
Elon Musk says Tesla will end one-time purchases of Full Self-Driving after Feb. 14, moving everyone to a $99â$199/month subscription. The old ~$8K buy-once option is out.
Why now: Too few people bought itâonly about 12% of owners.
Subscriptions lower the upfront cost, making it easier to try.
Monthly plans give Tesla steady income during a softer sales period.
âĄTesla is treating FSD like Netflix, not a car featureâbetting more users pay monthly rather than a few paying big once.
đTrump Tells Big TechâPay Your Own Power Bill
Trump announced that AI data centers must cover their full electricity costs, starting with Microsoft, to stop higher utility bills for consumers. Microsoft confirmed itâll pay for power, grid upgrades, and water useâand skip tax breaks.
Why it matters: AI data centers burn energy like small cities and in some states, rates jumped 200%+.
âĄThe AI arms race just got pricierâbuild faster if you want, but taxpayers arenât footing the bill anymore.
đș FUN FACTS & TRIVIA
Navy Lt. Jimmy Carter
A Presidentâs Radioactive Mission
Before becoming President, 28-year-old Navy Lt. Jimmy Carter took hair-raising 90-second shifts inside Canadaâs Chalk River reactor after its 1952 partial meltdownâthe worldâs first. He helped dismantle the blazing-hot core, with radiation so intense his urine glowed detectable for months. Nuclear bravery level: expert.