Understanding the US - Again

Tanaji · Post by **Tanaji** » 15 Jan 2026 13:05

Vayutuvan wrote: ↑15 Jan 2026 05:32 The following is a red flag.

the amounts of cash being removed from the country via Minneapolis’ largest airport is much larger than other major US air
……
.
Minneapolis is not a large city by any means. It ranks 16th (as per Wikipedia) in terms of population. NYC, LA, and Chicago are the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd reslyx.

What I dont get is that the article says that it is legally declared at the airport. If it is legally declared then one must have provided proof of source or at least a withdrawal statement. If thats the case why not send it electronically in the first place.

Maybe the income is legal but the end receiver at the destination isnt…

uddu · Post by **uddu** » 15 Jan 2026 16:16

https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2011485172768632969
@EricLDaugh
HOLY CRAP. This actually just happened on Capitol Hill.

SEN. JOSH HAWLEY: "Can men get pregnant?"

LIBERAL DR. VERMA: "I'm not sure what the goal of the question is."

HAWLEY: "The goal is to establish a biological reality. Can men get pregnant?"

VERMA: "I take care of people with many identities."

HAWLEY: "Can men get pregnant?"

VERMA: "Again, as I'm saying-"

HAWLEY: "You said science and evidence should control. Can men get pregnant? You're a doctor, I think."

VERMA: "Science and evidence should guide medicine."

HAWLEY: "Do science and evidence tell us that men can get pregnant?"

VERMA: "I think yes-no questions like this are a political tool."

WOW.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 15 Jan 2026 18:59

Quote: Risk Aversion by Banks: U.S. banks, fearing penalties for facilitating illicit funds (even inadvertently), have closed accounts of Somali MTOs, disrupting the primary method for sending money.
AML/CFT Compliance: Strict U.S. regulations aim to prevent funds from reaching terrorist groups, but they disproportionately impact legitimate remittances, forcing transfers through less efficient or risky channels.

—-
MTO = money transfer operators

Not saying there is no fraud. Am saying the large amount of legal cash leaving through Minneapolis might be because the usual legal channels are more difficult.

nandakumar · Post by **nandakumar** » 15 Jan 2026 20:47

uddu wrote: ↑15 Jan 2026 16:16 https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2011485172768632969
@EricLDaugh
HOLY CRAP. This actually just happened on Capitol Hill.

SEN. JOSH HAWLEY: "Can men get pregnant?"

LIBERAL DR. VERMA: "I'm not sure what the goal of the question is."

HAWLEY: "The goal is to establish a biological reality. Can men get pregnant?"

VERMA: "I take care of people with many identities."

HAWLEY: "Can men get pregnant?"

VERMA: "Again, as I'm saying-"

HAWLEY: "You said science and evidence should control. Can men get pregnant? You're a doctor, I think."

VERMA: "Science and evidence should guide medicine."

HAWLEY: "Do science and evidence tell us that men can get pregnant?"

VERMA: "I think yes-no questions like this are a political tool."

WOW.

If this was a testimony by an expert witness to a Standing Committee of Members of Lok Sabha, an equivocal answer such as this which actually amounts to a 'No', the expert would be hauled up for 'Contempt' of the Parliament and imprisonment is a near certain consequence without recourse to the High/Supreme Court. I don't know how the US system operates. Can someone clarify?

williams · Post by **williams** » 15 Jan 2026 21:20

nandakumar wrote: ↑15 Jan 2026 20:47
uddu wrote: ↑15 Jan 2026 16:16 https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2011485172768632969
@EricLDaugh
HOLY CRAP. This actually just happened on Capitol Hill.

SEN. JOSH HAWLEY: "Can men get pregnant?"

LIBERAL DR. VERMA: "I'm not sure what the goal of the question is."

HAWLEY: "The goal is to establish a biological reality. Can men get pregnant?"

VERMA: "I take care of people with many identities."

HAWLEY: "Can men get pregnant?"

VERMA: "Again, as I'm saying-"

HAWLEY: "You said science and evidence should control. Can men get pregnant? You're a doctor, I think."

VERMA: "Science and evidence should guide medicine."

HAWLEY: "Do science and evidence tell us that men can get pregnant?"

VERMA: "I think yes-no questions like this are a political tool."

WOW.
If this was a testimony by an expert witness to a Standing Committee of Members of Lok Sabha, an equivocal answer such as this which actually amounts to a 'No', the expert would be hauled up for 'Contempt' of the Parliament and imprisonment is a near certain consequence without recourse to the High/Supreme Court. I don't know how the US system operates. Can someone clarify?

She is probably backed by powerful political and commercial lobby and knows that no one can touch her or She is simply crazy - I would say except of few loonies, she has lost all credibility as a medical professional.

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 15 Jan 2026 22:11

^^^ She is Dr. Nisha Verma, an obstetrician-gynecologist (OBGYN) [ board certified] who provides reproductive healthcare in Georgia and Massachusetts..Medical Degree at the University of North Carolina, and a Master of Public Health at Emory University. Her clinical training included residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a Complex Family Planning Fellowship at Emory. Dr. Born in Greensboro, North Carolina, USA, to Indian immigrant parents and raised in North Carolina and spent most of her life in the southeastern United States.. In caae you are curious..

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 15 Jan 2026 23:07

Tanaji wrote: ↑15 Jan 2026 13:05 What I dont get is that the article says that it is legally declared at the airport. If it is legally declared then one must have provided proof of source or at least a withdrawal statement. If thats the case why not send it electronically in the first place.

Maybe the income is legal but the end receiver at the destination isnt…

Red flag is why so many Somali couriers are taking so much cash out of the US. Dollar notes. Coupe that with the childcare centers with no students, snap and other benefits being used by Somalis even after 10 years in the country etc., Ilhan Omar’s stridency are something that doesn’t sit well with Americans and correctly so, imho.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 15 Jan 2026 23:23

If this was a testimony by an expert witness to a Standing Committee of Members of Lok Sabha, an equivocal answer such as this which actually amounts to a 'No', the expert would be hauled up for 'Contempt' of the Parliament and imprisonment is a near certain consequence without recourse to the High/Supreme Court. I don't know how the US system operates. Can someone clarify?

She doesn’t want to get into the argument that a man could be a transgender female and thus might be able to be pregnant.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 15 Jan 2026 23:26

Amber G. wrote: ↑14 Jan 2026 00:32 Meanwhile: After report of some 12,000 Iranian protesters killed - Live shot of massive protest at Harvard in solidarity with the people of Iran.

The purpose of US campus protests is not for human rights; it is to influence US policy. There is no change in US policy with respect to Iran that any substantial numbers want.

RCase · Post by **RCase** » 15 Jan 2026 23:35

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PGL1X6LcO4

Colorado University, Boulder - palak paneer incident. Seems a bit high-handed of the university to debar them from their PhD program.

Indian PhD students in the United States have secured a settlement of about Rs 1.66 crore, roughly $184,000, in a campus discrimination case that began with a controversy over “palak paneer.” The dispute arose after students alleged they were subjected to racist remarks and unfair treatment linked to Indian food during a university event. The case triggered widespread debate online about cultural bias and discrimination faced by international students on US campuses. The university denied wrongdoing but agreed to the settlement, which also includes policy changes and training measures. The outcome has been welcomed as a rare legal win for international students challenging campus discrimination.

RCase · Post by **RCase** » 15 Jan 2026 23:38

^^^
Should there be a ranking/ rating list published on an annual basis of universities in the US that are the most discriminatory when it comes to foreign students, similar to the 'religious freedom rating' by USCRIF?

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 16 Jan 2026 00:19

@RCase ji, Hard agree on creating such a list.

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 16 Jan 2026 00:27

A_Gupta wrote: ↑15 Jan 2026 23:23
If this was a testimony by an expert witness to a Standing Committee of Members of Lok Sabha, an equivocal answer such as this which actually amounts to a 'No', the expert would be hauled up for 'Contempt' of the Parliament and imprisonment is a near certain consequence without recourse to the High/Supreme Court. I don't know how the US system operates. Can someone clarify?
She doesn’t want to get into the argument that a man could be a transgender female and thus might be able to be pregnant.

(Against my good judgement)

She could have said a biological man could not get pregnant. She was punting. I suppose she is afraid that she will be cancelled by her students at Emory.

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 16 Jan 2026 00:32

Amber G. wrote: ↑15 Jan 2026 22:11 ^^^ She is Dr. Nisha Verma, an obstetrician-gynecologist (OBGYN) [ board certified] who provides reproductive healthcare in Georgia and Massachusetts..Medical Degree at the University of North Carolina, and a Master of Public Health at Emory University. Her clinical training included residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a Complex Family Planning Fellowship at Emory. Dr. Born in Greensboro, North Carolina, USA, to Indian immigrant parents and raised in North Carolina and spent most of her life in the southeastern United States.. In caae you are curious..

I wonder what her views are on the laws in India re. same sex marriages. In anycase, her parents' Indian origin is of no consequence here. I would like to know how well educated she is on Hindu perspective on this issue. Mohini and Ardhanaareeshwara, for example.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 16 Jan 2026 03:37

If this is a repost on BRF, my apologies.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 16 Jan 2026 05:48

Jonathan V Last writes in The Bulwark:
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/how-trump- ... rubio-cuba

This week the U.S. government made its first sale of Venezuelan oil and pocketed $500 million. Would you like to know where that money is being held?

In accounts in Qatar.

Why Qatar?

For starters, because government accounts in Qatar are controlled by the executive branch and not Congress. Trump is continuing to create his own funding stream for the government that can operate independently of congressional approval or oversight. He is severing the linkage between the legislature and the purse and attempting to concentrate access to capital in the hands of the executive.

You know, like a king.

Another reason is that he’s trying to place these moneys beyond the reach of creditors. Venezuela owes tens of billions of dollars to various companies and countries. Trump’s position is that, since he has a navy, none of those creditors can make claims on the money he is now extracting from Venezuela. It belongs to him.

Trump said this explicitly last week when the CEO of ConocoPhillips, Ryan Lance, said that since his company was the largest non-sovereign credit holder in Venezuela, it hoped to recoup some of its claims.

Trump responded, “We’re not going to look at what people lost in the past because that was their fault.”

So Trump is putting his America’s money in Qatar, where courts can’t touch it. Kind of like a drug dealer stashing his funds in the Caymans.

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 16 Jan 2026 05:54

Good that folks here are quoting The Bulwark. There is still hope for those folks who have seen the dark side of the progressive left AKA California Progressive Liberals of Kamala Harris/Gavin Newsom ilk.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 16 Jan 2026 08:15

Minnesota MPR News reports (emphasis added)

Joe Thompson, Minnesota's top federal fraud prosecutor, quits over ICE shooting probe
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/01/1 ... rom-office

Joe Thompson, the career U.S. Justice Department attorney best known for prosecuting social services fraud in Minnesota, has resigned along with other experienced attorneys at the Minnesota U.S. Attorney's Office.

The move comes after top Justice Department officials pushed the Minnesota U.S. Attorney's Office to investigate the widow of Renee Macklin Good, the person shot and killed last week by ICE agent Jonathan Ross, MPR News has learned.

Thompson, 47, also objected to the DOJ's decision to exclude the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from the investigation into the shooting and the department's reluctance to investigate Ross, according to a person familiar with Thompson's decision.

Veteran assistant U.S. attorneys Melinda Williams, Harry Jacobs, and Thomas Calhoun-Lopez also resigned. The prosecutors were also concerned that immigration enforcement is diverting resources away from prosecuting major fraud cases in the state.

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 16 Jan 2026 08:26

Tim Walz is not contesting in the upcoming MN gubernatorial elections. In essence, he has delayed his resignation. There were calls for him to step down due to the lack of oversight from his administration of the Childcare, SNAP, etc., programs. There are accusations of wholesale fraud of billions of dollars that is supposed to have taken place under his administration. Investigations are ongoing.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 16 Jan 2026 08:48

ABC News reports:
Trump accepts Nobel Peace Prize medal from Venezuelan opposition leader Machado
Maria Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize last year.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-meet-ve ... =129234741

President Donald Trump met Thursday with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who presented him with her Nobel Peace Prize medal. The president called it a "wonderful gesture of mutual respect."

"María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done," Trump wrote on his social media platform. He also said that Machado was a "wonderful woman who has been through so much" and that it was a great honor to meet her.

Following the meeting, a White House official confirmed to ABC News that Trump did accept the medal.

The Norwegian Nobel Institute issued a statement last week saying that once the Nobel Peace Prize is announced, it "can neither be revoked, shared, nor transferred to others. Once the announcement has been made, the decision stands for all time."

"I told him this ... Listen to this -- 200 years ago, General Lafayette gave Simon Bolivar a medal with George Washington’s face on it. Bolivar, since then, kept that medal for the rest of his life," she told reporters.

"Actually, when you see his portraits, you can see the medal there. And it was given by General Lafayette as a sign of the brotherhood between the United States, people of United States, and the people of Venezuela in their fight for freedom against tyranny. And 200 years in history, the people of Bolivar are giving back to the heir of Washington, a medal, in this case a medal of a Nobel Peace Prize, and a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom," she added.

Simon Bolivar liberated Venezuela and several other Latin American countries from Spanish rule in the 1800s. The Marquis de Lafayette was a French national who volunteered to fight with American colonists during the Revolutionary War and eventually rose to be one of George Washington's most trusted generals.

vera_k · Post by **vera_k** » 17 Jan 2026 05:09

^ This is a lesson in ruthless prioritization

.

Norway does not have an army what can withstand Trump, yet he is going after the bigger prize in Greenland.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 17 Jan 2026 05:30

Epstein Survivors Reveal to Judiciary Democrats that Epstein Used Relationships with New York University, Columbia University to Lure and Silence Victims By Promising Them Admission, Tuition

January 14, 2026
Press Release
In New Letters to NYU and Columbia, Ranking Member Raskin Requests Universities’ Assistance in Understanding How Epstein Used Their Institutions to Further His Sex Trafficking Operation

https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/m ... on-tuition

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 17 Jan 2026 05:42

Then there is this Larry Summers guy from Harvard. Summers was

8th Director of the National Economic Council
In office: January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2011
President: Barack Obama

Obama went to Harvard and picked this guy, a known misogynist, to head his NEC.

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 17 Jan 2026 07:33

In other news:

Tanaji · Post by **Tanaji** » 17 Jan 2026 21:06

I have been watching some videos of ICE in Minnesota and its wild what is happening there. Land of the free and all that… India has more rights than this.

What is even more amazing and infuriating is that the opposing party is in power and not a single member of Dems is out in street. Its all local citizens protesting.

Tim Walz is such a coward: talked big earlier and now literally turned tail and run.

drnayar · Post by **drnayar** » 17 Jan 2026 21:23

vera_k wrote: ↑17 Jan 2026 05:09 ^ This is a lesson in ruthless prioritization .

Norway does not have an army what can withstand Trump, yet he is going after the bigger prize in Greenland.

indeed.. but dont give him ideas., Norway is flush in oil and gas..and has a state fund in trillions.. literally the Saudi of the west.. and trump seems to like blond people !!

drnayar · Post by **drnayar** » 17 Jan 2026 21:26

A_Gupta wrote: ↑16 Jan 2026 03:37 If this is a repost on BRF, my apologies.

[img]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/G-eahm_XsAAT4-d.jpg[/img

there is something interesting about camp century., i had posted that bit earlier

drnayar · Post by **drnayar** » 17 Jan 2026 21:54

As predicted in BRF

US is bringing in private military contractors to Venezuela to "run" the country and siphon off oil

https://x.com/Megatron_ron/status/2012494901368234315

vera_k · Post by **vera_k** » 17 Jan 2026 22:18

drnayar wrote: ↑17 Jan 2026 21:23 indeed.. but dont give him ideas., Norway is flush in oil and gas..and has a state fund in trillions.. literally the Saudi of the west.. and trump seems to like blond people !!

All good ideas

.
Fears in Norway Trump or Putin could come for their frozen Arctic islands next

drnayar · Post by **drnayar** » 17 Jan 2026 23:11

vera_k wrote: ↑17 Jan 2026 22:18
drnayar wrote: ↑17 Jan 2026 21:23 indeed.. but dont give him ideas., Norway is flush in oil and gas..and has a state fund in trillions.. literally the Saudi of the west.. and trump seems to like blond people !!
All good ideas .
Fears in Norway Trump or Putin could come for their frozen Arctic islands next

here goes Greenland .. next shot from orangutan

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/bus ... 621456.cms

'World peace is at stake': Donald Trump ups Greenland charge; announces 10% tariff on Europe for opposing US control

President Trump announced a 10% tariff on goods from several European nations, escalating to 25% if Denmark does not agree to sell Greenland by June 1, 2026. He cited security concerns and inadequate "remuneration" from allies for decades of US protection, demanding Denmark "give back" for past subsidies.

Putin needs no oreshnik for Europe to cave in .. he must be laughing his head off

Why dont the Europeans collect the 500 billion or so collection for Ukraine and build themselves a decent military to protect themselves from ... America

maybe they should align themselves with Russia and seek Russian "nuclear umbrella"

SRajesh · Post by **SRajesh** » 17 Jan 2026 23:35

Instead of joking about Trump-Monroe Doctrine, I think we should (or our think tanks do) do some deeper analysis of why the revival of Monroe Doctrine.
The US correctly or wrongly or unilaterally called Western Hemisphere as their domain and no Eastner White/Black/Brown or any other combination is not welcome!!
What is that has spooked the US to call for this??
What is that they foresee in the next decade or so that we failed to envisage??
Is there a threat of Hemispherical Conflict( I am saying this as I feel that US wants to insulate itself from whatever is coming)??
If so what or why would it start??
Will it be a civilisation battle. i.e., Ethno-Religious battle??
If such a war starts can US keep itself insulated??
But before such a war starts can US keep itself going and maintain global dominance??
Will their Foreign Policy be turned completely Transactional henceforth??
Yes DJT is difficult to predict but such Doctrines and FP shifts are not based on one persons whims and fancies!!
So what has turned US insular and inwards so to speak??

Tanaji · Post by **Tanaji** » 17 Jan 2026 23:39

This tariff thing is getting old and over used. He has just this hammer and all problems look like nails… I still hope he actually invades Greenland.

Repeating ad-infinitum: no point in signing a trade treaty with US as there is no guarantee of more tariffs when Orange man feels like it…

If China invades Taiwan I am pretty sure Orange Man will ask for money first before he agrees to defend Taiwan, better still he will take the money and yet not do anything.

drnayar · Post by **drnayar** » 17 Jan 2026 23:53

Tanaji wrote: ↑17 Jan 2026 23:39 This tariff thing is getting old and over used. He has just this hammer and all problems look like nails… I still hope he actually invades Greenland.

Repeating ad-infinitum: no point in signing a trade treaty with US as there is no guarantee of more tariffs when Orange man feels like it…

If China invades Taiwan I am pretty sure Orange Man will ask for money first before he agrees to defend Taiwan, better still he will take the money and yet not do anything.

absolutely., India can make all sort of deals., only to find orange man waking up one morning saying Tariff India !

i would say the best way is to give a nice shiny thing .. a medal or something to keep him happy once in a while.. as long as he is in office !.. as weird as it looks

drnayar · Post by **drnayar** » 17 Jan 2026 23:56

SRajesh wrote: ↑17 Jan 2026 23:35 Instead of joking about Trump-Monroe Doctrine, I think we should (or our think tanks do) do some deeper analysis of why the revival of Monroe Doctrine.
The US correctly or wrongly or unilaterally called Western Hemisphere as their domain and no Eastner White/Black/Brown or any other combination is not welcome!!
What is that has spooked the US to call for this??

So what has turned US insular and inwards so to speak??

the "petro dollar" and the impossibility of sustaining the american debt mountain

drnayar · Post by **drnayar** » 18 Jan 2026 00:16

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 18 Jan 2026 00:22

From NNN Network:

drnayar · Post by **drnayar** » 18 Jan 2026 00:24

What If Putin Is Killed? Nuclear Threat Looms

Germany, would be should be the first

Carlson asks the blunt question: what happens to Russia if Putin is assassinated? Sergey Karaganov, a top Russian foreign policy advisor and Kremlin-linked political analyst, weighs in on the risks — and why nuclear weapons are back in the spotlight.

https://x.com/ivan_8848/status/2012575382118019256

drnayar · Post by **drnayar** » 18 Jan 2026 00:35

drnayar · Post by **drnayar** » 18 Jan 2026 00:38

another good video !!

drnayar · Post by **drnayar** » 18 Jan 2026 00:45

On Saturday, January 17, 2026, thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Copenhagen and other Danish and Greenlandic cities to denounce renewed attempts by the United States to acquire Greenland.
The massive demonstrations, organized under the slogan "Hands Off Greenland," were triggered by President Donald Trump’s intensified threats to annex the territory, including his Saturday announcement of a 10% tariff on Denmark and seven other European allies that oppose the takeover.

Key Developments from January 17, 2026
Copenhagen Protests: Thousands of demonstrators gathered at City Hall Square, waving Danish and Greenlandic flags and chanting slogans such as "Greenland is NOT for sale!" and "Kalaallit Nunaat!". Organizers estimated the Copenhagen crowd at over 20,000.

March on the U.S. Embassy: After rallying at City Hall, the crowd marched to the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen to deliver a unified message of respect for Greenland's right to self-determination.

Nationwide and Global Scale: Simultaneous rallies took place in the Greenlandic capital of Nuuk, as well as the Danish cities of Aarhus, Aalborg, and Odense.

U.S. Congressional Reassurance: The protests coincided with a visit to Copenhagen by a bipartisan U.S. delegation led by Senators Chris Coons and Lisa Murkowski, who sought to reassure Danish leaders that the vast majority of Americans do not support the annexation plan.

Military Escalation: Tensions are high as several European nations, including France, Germany, and the UK, recently dispatched military personnel to Greenland at Denmark's request to assist in defensive preparations.

Background on the Conflict
The 2026 crisis erupted after the Trump administration designated Greenland as "essential" to U.S. national security and suggested the use of military force or economic coercion to secure the island. Current polling indicates that 85% of Greenlanders oppose joining the United States