‘Critical Intelligence’ is a new section in the daily Early Warning. I’ll be posting the top indicators of war and instability every morning here, so you can have an at-a-glance guide to the major stories about domestic instability and the risk of war from around the world.
Good morning. Here’s your Early Warning for Thursday, 07 December 2017.
In an ongoing feud which is spilling over from the diplomatic corps to now the media industry, Russia declared nine U.S. media outlets operating in and around Russia as foreign agents. Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice officially registered Russian-backed media outlets RT (Russia Today) and Sputnik under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA), and now Russia is responding in kind. In fact, the Russian parliament passed a new law specifically in response to the DOJ’s decision last month. Under the new Russian law, U.S. media outlets will have to disclose their funding sources. Those media outlets include U.S.-funded Voice of America and Radio Liberty.
Bitcoin hit $15,000 overnight, topping all-time highs made in previous days. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and several other global financial exchanges plan on introducing futures and options trading for Bitcoin as soon as 10 December. The move is expected to widen interest in Bitcoin, however, and while these financial instruments will provide liquidity for Bitcoin positions, they’re not expected to greatly increase demand. The news of Bitcoin moving into the mainstream financial realm in the U.S. and elsewhere is driving parabolic price increases, which are concerning.
Critical Intelligence:
- China staging military drills in warning to U.S., South Korea
- U.S. running out of time to win in space
- Millions in Tokyo take part in nuclear attack exercise
- NATO, EU agree that mobilizing troops faster is a needed requirement
Join me on Forward Observer Radio today at 2pm Central as we talk about current and future events, national and community security, and more. You can listen live on Spreaker or catch the podcast edition on iTunes or Spotify.
Recent Episodes:
- 04 DEC – Punching Nazis: A discussion of antifascist tactics
- 30 NOV – Solving limitations in intelligence operations and community security
- 29 NOV – Bitcoin outlook, DPRK threat, red/blue state jobs, and more
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