The Watches 12.18.25
Mar-a-Lago raid questioned, Obamacare vote and money on everyone's minds
“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.” ~ Isaiah 11
Greetings! A quick note to say I am not sure how Sentinel newsletters will shake out in December and January, with family commitments and all. I am currently working on an end-of-year epic compendium, and I’m looking forward to sending that out soon. To my super dooper supporters, I will pause payments while I take a break and kick it back off in the new year. God’s peace to you! Frisby
First Watch:
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino has announced his resignation. (USA Today)
Erika Kirk and Candace Owens have met privately to sort through some differences, with both women saying the meeting went well. (WNG)
Warner Bros Rejects Bid Warner Bros has rejected Paramount’s $108 billion takeover offer. The company’s board said Netflix’s $72 billion proposal posed less risk to shareholders. (Hollywood Reporter)
The Oscars Bidding War Goes To…. Youtube. Google’s video platform is set to stream the Academy Awards from 2029 to 2033 after wining the broadcasting right, a deal reportedly costing nine figures. (Variety)
Turtles Thaw Out A couple dozen sea turtles are being rehabilitated in Florida after being found “cold-stunned” near Cape Cod. Turtles migrating south for winter can become trapped in Massachusetts’ hooked peninsula. (NBC)
Early Digital Photos are quietly disappearing as outdated formats, abandoned platforms, and neglected storage take their toll. (BBC)
All They Want for Christmas is crypto. (CNBC)
Future Work LinkedIn reports that one in five jobs today did not exist at the turn of the millennium. (MSN)
Greece Pays Back Early Greece has made an early repayment on its bailout loans after trimming spending and cracking down on tax evasion, contributing to long-awaited financial stabilization in a country that has been in crisis for years. (EuroNews)
The Front Line Is Everywhere MI6 chief Blaise Metreweli warned in a speech that “the front line is everywhere…Online, on our streets, in our supply chains, in the minds and on the screens of our citizens.” As one newsletter summarized it: “Our world’s connectivity — technological, financial, logistical, social — is metastasizing from asset to liability.” (International Intrigue)
Second Watch:
Money Matters Tonight President Trump addressed the nation last night to outline his administration’s achievements amid polls showing weak approval ratings, particularly on the economy. The president promised cash payouts to soldiers and larger tax refunds for working Americans. | House Speaker Mike Johnson said earlier this week that he would not allow a vote on extending Covid-era Obamacare subsidies. However, four House Republicans have broken ranks to join Democrats in forcing a vote. The move comes after Republicans advanced an alternative healthcare agenda but failed to address the rising cost of insurance policies. (CNBC, Red State, AP)
Minnesota’s Money Pit Fox’s Will Cain says high-ranking Minnesota Democrats are deeply connected to the state’s massive welfare fraud scheme and have benefited financially. The U.S. Department of Education says Minnesota also has a serious “ghost student” problem — including students who do not exist and others who live overseas — amounting to more than $12 million in improper grants. (Not the Bee, The Federalist)
Raiding Mar-a-Lago Newly released documents show the FBI was not convinced the August 2022 Mar-a-Lago raid was merited, with bureau officials arguing there were other ways to recover classified materials. Fox News reports the documents indicate the Biden Justice Department pushed for the raid and authorized the use of deadly force. (The Hill, Fox)
Squeezed for Oil President Trump says he has ordered a “blockade” to prevent sanctioned oil tankers from entering or leaving Venezuela. Nicolás Maduro’s regime is barred from international oil markets due to US sanctions but continues to smuggle crude using unflagged tankers, largely feeding China’s black market. The move appears designed to ramp up pressure on Maduro, whom Trump has reportedly told to leave the country. (AP)
Third Watch:
🍪 Which Christmas cookie are you?
🪙 The last minted pennies have been sold for millions
🎄 Is it a mad professors workbench or a “steampunk Christmas tree”?
And another song rec this week, Stopford’s take on “Jesus Christ the Apple Tree”. I know this is a season of evergreens, but I love the image from Solomon’s poetry of a redeeming apple tree, the antidote to the Fall, Whose “fruit doth make my soul to thrive” and “keeps my dying faith alive”!
Let us pray. Merciful and everlasting God, You did not spare Your only Son but delivered Him up for us all to bear our sins on the cross. Grant that our hearts may be so fixed with steadfast faith in Him that we fear not the power of sin, death and the devil; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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