US News

• The great antiwar Congressman Walter Jones has died. Eric Garris discusses Jones’ dedication to being antiwar. [Lnk]
• Trump nominates David Bernhardt to be Interior Secretary. Bernhardt formerly worked as an oil lobbyist. [Link]
• Senator Ron Wyden introduces S. 420 to legalize marijuana on the federal level. [Link]
• Rep Ro Khanna calls for an end to civil asset forfeiture. [Link]  

The New Cold War

• Russia demands the US get rid of MK-41 missile launchers in Romania and strike drones to come into compliance with the INF Treaty. The MK-41 missile launchers are part of the US missile defense system. [Link]
• The Bloomberg Editorial Board condemns Trump’s decision to leave the INF Treaty. They argue the treaty benefits the US nuclear position. [Link]
• Lucy Steigerwald explains why the US needs to pass the No First Use Act. [Link]

War on Terror

• The US will increasingly model counterterror operations after the 127 Echo program. Under the 127 Echo, the Pentagon supports more local forces to fight terrorism. It is being implemented across Africa and will be spread to the Middle East. The Pentagon believes this will allow for US troops to be focused on Russia and China. [Link]
• Terror-linked group JNIM is becoming more active in West Africa. [Link]

Venezuela

• Before November, a Turkish company helped Venezuela export $900 million in gold. [Link]
• The US rejects talks with the Venezuelan government. [Link]
• Secretary of State Pompeo claims that Venezuela has ties to the Iranian aligned terror group Hezbollah. [Link]
• Justin Raimondo argues Trump set up the Neocon faction in the White House with a fake regime change effort in Venezuela. [Link]
• Jon Schwarz details Elliott Abrams’ history of violence. [Link]

The Khashoggi Murder

• US intelligence agencies are analyzing years of MbS’ recorded conversations. They have found MbS plotting to return Jamal Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia in 2017. MbS threatened to kill him if he could not be returned to Saudi Arabia alive. [Link]
• A UN investigator says evidence shows Saudi officials plotted the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. [Link]