RSnake Report 20241208

Putin's FPV drones exploding, UHC CEO assassinated, etc

Author

Robert RSnake Hansen
December 08, 2024

Table of Contents

Hello, and thanks for reading! A few interesting RSnake news first before we jump in. First, we did a new RSnake Show Demo Day with Keep Aware. They have a cool browser security plugin and can do a lot of really deep analysis into what employees are doing and do inline prevention. So that is out!

Secondly, we were banned by Beehiiv for breaking their Terms of Service. I wasn’t just stopped from sending emails; the site was actually returning a 404. I contacted support and even the CEO directly. After no reply, I went to X and complained, and suddenly, there was movement, and my account was reinstated. So, sorry about the delay of several hours, but that is the reason. Despite what EJ claimed, there was a loss - notably, my time, because it took me hours of wrestling, and it actually did make a difference in the South Korean Presidential coup where the time delta meant that the content was less relevant. Anyway, what a mess, but we are back up and running, and hopefully, Beehiiv will get their act together from now on.

Let’s start with the Russia/Ukraine conflict. Putin’s little stunt involving the "Oreshnyk" missile, which turned out to likely be a rebranded RS-26 "Rubezh" from 2010—a shiny wrapper over a relic. The Rubezh was based on the RSD-10 from 1976. You know Putin is lying if his mouth is moving.

“a RS-26 "Rubezh" missile produced 14 years ago”

Speaking of Russian ingenuity (or lack thereof), their VT-40 drones, lovingly nicknamed "Judgment Day," are literally exploding on takeoff, sometimes taking their operators with them. Maybe judgment day arrived early… for their operators. We think it’s happening because the FPV signal is triggering the fuze. Great design. Keep in mind, the people getting killed are some of the most skilled soldiers Russia has - their drone operators, which is putting them behind not just in manpower but in skill.

“Russia's VT-40 'Judgment Day' FPV drones”

In at least one case, Russian migrants are being shipped abroad/deported if they don’t sign up for the front lines. From the video it looked like no one agreed. The problem is that Russia is dangerously low on workforce as it is, and now deporting workers, and the time and resources it takes to do that deportation, is going to wreak havoc on them if this behavior becomes widespread. And why would they where just a year ago it seemed crazy that Russia might hit 1k soldiers lost in a day, and now that’s literally happening every single day?

“November 2024 was a record month of the war in terms of Russian losses”

Meanwhile, Russian troops, ever resourceful, have started shooting down their own drones just to score a bonus or a vacation. Nothing screams "morale" like gaming the system you’re supposed to protect. The problem here is that they aren’t just taking out their own equipment but, in some cases, some of their most valuable, like thermal cameras and the like. So they lose assets, and then they lose the men. Great incentives there.

On the Ukrainian side they have developed a "Peklo" drone/missile with a 700 km range, flying at 700 km/h. Yes, it’s made domestically, proving once again that necessity is the mother of inventions and the US’s point that it would be much better if Ukraine had its own tech rather than being entirely Western dependent. They were also gifted 15 ground evacuation drones, which are surely also for transporting low-weight logistics to the front line where moving humans to and fro represents too much risk in certain areas.

Also, Ukraine just rolled out another heavy-lift drone, "mothership" carrying multiple FPVs for missions up to 20 km. Forget aircraft carriers; this is the future. It got me thinking that there may be a way to make the daughter drones recoverable using an electromagnet design. But it looks like Russia is specifically trying to target these mothership drones, because they act as FPV relays as well. Kill one you effectively neuter the daughter drones. Reminds me of Independence day in a creepy way.

“Four FPVs can be carried forward 5k”

In European news, the EU’s ongoing fight against disinformation, TikTok just purged 66,000 fake accounts and 10 million fake followers in Romania alone. The sheer scale of fakery out there is stunning. It does make you wonder how few real users really are on these social media platforms in actuality.

Meanwhile, NATO announced plans to deploy fleets of unmanned ships in the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas to protect critical infrastructure. Autonomous boats guarding undersea cables feel like a page straight out of a sci-fi novel. ⛵️ 

“The drones will be used for surveillance on the surface and underwater”

Onto South East Asian news where South Korea’s President Yoon declared martial law because… he was lonely? That’s the explanation some of his backers are giving. The most unorthodox cry for friendship ever, I suppose. I hope he finds a nice pen pal in jail.

Too lonely

In Middle Eastern news, the Taliban’s war on women continues, with bans on female medical education, healthcare, and even speaking in public. It’s apocalyptic for women’s rights. The way this ends up working is that women who have health issues can’t go to the doctor who is a man and are banned from learning how to heal themselves. This is basically saying that women will get no professional medical care under the Taliban rule.

“Banned from being doctors Banned from going to male doctors”

Meanwhile, Syrian opposition forces Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) are starting to post their FPV drone kills, targeting the Assad regime. The footage looks strikingly similar to the footage from Ukraine, so I would not be at all surprised that this is the insurgency playbook going forward. Some of the footage of the ground attacks is worth watching; for instance, this tank-on-civilian technical battle is worth a watch.

In Hama, Syrian rebel forces are claiming victories, including capturing Russian equipment and airbases that appear woefully unprotected, including at least five more fighters, as the Assad regime and Russian forces fall back to the coastline. There is even rumors of Assad’s death but I kind of doubt that this is true. There is some pretty amazing footage of prisoners being set free that is worth watching if you want to see what the conditions were for the female prisoners.

Russia will likely try to make a strong last stand near the sea, but so far, they’ve been a pushover for HTS, so we shall see what sort of defense Putin can put up to retain control of the port. We are seeing massive airlift operations taking place, so likely they are transporting personnel and sensitive equipment out of the country, with the expectation that it will either fall or there will be significant casualties.

“The factor of the emergence of drones.”

There was a large convoy of Hezbollah insurgents pushing out of Syria that were interdicted by IDF forces, though the details are thin on it. Here is the map of the region if it’s useful - you can see the path to escape on the highway. Meanwhile this week Iran attempted to help Assad by sending two fighters loaded with munitions, but it apparently only took a simple warning by Israel to cause the fighters to abort and retreat. So much for Iran’s power projection in the region. It seems all their proxies are getting bloodied up pretty bad.

In Domestic news, the United Healthcare CEO was assassinated in broad daylight in Manhattan, and citizen sleuths are already tracking the assassin’s escape route via Citibike data. Notice how the shooter needs to keep manually charging his pistol after each shot. That means that the recoil from the rounds wasn't enough to extract the bullet casings and charge the pistol - a common problem called failure to extract. That means low-powder, meaning likely 147 grain 9mm sub-sonic rounds, or comparable, fired from a pistol with a suppressor. He handled the failures quickly. He's not a pro shooter from the looks of it, in how he cycles using the slingshot grip and how he pounds the slide forward with his fist when it doesn't go into battery, but he's very experienced nonetheless.

“CEO Brian Thompson shot and killed”

Of course, there are tons of people who are applauding the act, suspiciously drawing attention to other CEOs, or even dressing up like the shooter to make it hard to find the real culprit. Meanwhile, other CEOs take this new risk very seriously if copycat shooters decide to take matters into their own hands. UHC apparently had the highest number of claims denied, so he was likely killed by a disgruntled customer or someone affected by a denied claim.

Drones were spotted over New Jersey, flying in from the water, it has been reported. Possibly as many as 9 or more, with no explanation for who sent them or why. It is possible that they were doing recon, like, for instance, doing LIDAR runs, to map the terrain for future missions that won’t emit EM information and, therefore, cannot be jammed by using LIDAR for navigation. It could also be drug smugglers or just about anything else. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen drones over US territory - there have been a great number of them over military bases, so it is likely that they are connected and a single set of adversaries. But really, who knows?

In tech news, AI escapades are turning dystopian. OpenAI’s latest system card reveals attempts by their model to deactivate oversight mechanisms and tamper with its own updates. Skynet vibes, anyone?

“it attempted to deactivate this ‘oversight mechanism’ in 5% of the time”

One thing that recently came to my attention from a friend is that one consequence of AI censorship is that it dramatically ramps up costs. Not just in training but in the fact that the end users might try dozens or hundreds of prompts to get what they want instead of just giving them what they want. “Woke” AI is simply very expensive in power/CPU. It’s a thinker! 🤔 

And Google DeepMind dropped Genie 2, capable of creating entire 3D worlds from just text. Gaming as we know it is about to be disrupted. But it will still be some time. There is no consistency in the users. If you watch the videos, you’ll see the user morphing and running/flying with more or less appendages, etc. There is still quite a bit of work to be done, but it is still very impressive.

“AI can now create diverse, interactive 3D worlds from a single image or text”

Oh, and my Slowloris denial of service attack tool is back, in distributed form, wreaking havoc when attached to modern DDoS botnets. Because apparently, the internet can’t catch a break. The funny part is that Slowloris was always designed to work anywhere, even from a modem. There was no point in scaling it up. But some systems are vulnerable to it if you scale them up to thousands of bots, so why not?

In Economic news, one word: Bitcoin. One. Hundred. Thousand. Dollars. It finally hit six figures, continuing its meteoric rise from sub-$40k lows last January. HODLers, your patience paid off. Just imagine being that guy who bought 2 pizzas with Bitcoin who would have been a billionaire. Ouch.

“Bitcoin has passed $100,000 tonight for the first time in History”

If you own a business and haven’t filed with FinCEN yet, time’s ticking to avoid those $500/day fines. But wait! A Texas court just struck down the reporting requirement temporarily. Bureaucratic whiplash. Also, be careful out there, even if this does end up going through, because there are fake sites that will ask you to pay a few hundred dollars, and who knows what they’re doing with the data, too.

Okay, onto the articles!

The USS Zumwalt has undocked following significant modifications that include the integration of hypersonic weapon systems, marking a step in the U.S. Navy's modernization efforts. This modernization makes way for advanced capabilities in naval warfare with hypersonic missiles exceeding Mach 5, which are expected to be operational by the mid-2020s.

  • The USS Zumwalt destroyer has undergone extensive modernization to enhance its combat capabilities.

  • The addition of hypersonic missile systems positions the U.S. Navy for advanced naval warfare.

[RSnake: This thing looks mean, is stealthy, and punches with hypersonic missiles. I, for one, would not want to mess with it if I were any other nation. Let’s hope we can get it into the sea sooner than later.]

Source: https://gcaptain.com/?p=218590

Rebels in Syria have launched an offensive, capturing key cities including Hama in a swift advance. This change in control poses a substantial threat to President Bashar al-Assad and could affect the balance of power in the ongoing civil war, as they push towards crucial locations like Homs and potentially Damascus.

  • Rebels captured Hama, marking a major gain against the Assad government.

  • The offensive could potentially isolate Damascus and threaten Assad's control.

[RSnake: They are moving much faster than predicted by most experts. That’s good and bad news. It takes time to coordinate/plan, and move supplies around without getting overly extended. We’ll see what happens when they hit the coast. Either way, this is bad for Putin.]

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2ex7ek9pyeo

A U.S. appeals court upheld a law that could ban TikTok in the United States if its Chinese owner, ByteDance, does not sell it to a non-Chinese company by January 19. The ruling raises national security concerns due to the app's ties to China, as over 170 million Americans use it for various purposes, including entertainment and information.

  • U.S. appeals court denies TikTok's request to overturn a law.

  • The law mandates that ByteDance must sell TikTok or face a ban in the U.S.

[RSnake: We have just over a month left. The clock is ticking!]

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/business/media/tiktok-ban-court-decision.html

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has replaced his defense minister amid widespread protests and an impeachment motion from opposition parties following his controversial declaration of martial law that briefly deployed troops in Seoul. As political tensions escalate, his administration faces challenges, including the possibility of impeachment and demonstrations from both supporters and opponents of Yoon's government.

  • President Yoon's martial law declaration faced immediate backlash, leading to protests and a parliamentary vote to overrule the decision.

  • Opposition parties are initiating impeachment proceedings against Yoon, alleging constitutional violations and attempts to suppress political activities.

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in a targeted attack outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.

  • Targeted attack on UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson occurred outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan.

  • Thompson became CEO of UnitedHealthcare in 2021 after joining UnitedHealth Group in 2004.

[RSnake: I really am curious if more attempts against other CEOs will uptick in any meaningful way or if copycats will be scared by the obvious danger of these lone-wolf attacks. But hey, if the guy got away free and clear, that might be enough encouragement.]

Source: https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/ceo-unitedhealthcare-killed-alleged-targeted-attack-manhattan

Syrian rebels have launched an offensive against the government, aiming to oust President Bashar al-Assad from power, with Islamist leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani confident in their ability to score more victories against weakened forces.

  • The Syrian rebels have swept through major cities and captured territory across four provinces in a dramatic new offensive.

  • Abu Mohammad al-Jolani aims to dislodge President Bashar al-Assad from power in Syria.

[RSnake: I’d say he’s ousted. He’s in hiding, they’ve raided his house and control most of the country.]

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/world/middleeast/syria-rebel-leader-interview.html

France is facing a political crisis following the resignation of Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government amid significant budget challenges. The country's deficit has reached 6% of GDP, prompting a contentious no-confidence vote that could lead to further instability within the government and hinder international activities.

  • France's government resigned due to a no-confidence vote linked to budget controversies.

  • The country's budget deficit has doubled the EU's limit, leading to higher borrowing costs.

[RSnake: It’s not exactly clear what’s next. They really do need to balance their budget. Not wanting to won’t work. It’s like they have no idea what happens when they run up their spending without any meaningful sources of revenue. Maybe it’s time to start de-regulating and getting some innovation domestically.]

Source: https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/eng/news/2024/12/6/7200095/

Elon Musk donated over $260 million to political groups in 2024, significantly influencing the recent presidential election outcome in favor of Donald Trump. Musk's financial contributions make him the largest donor this election cycle, with funds primarily directed towards a super PAC he founded, impacting political advertising and campaign strategies.

  • Elon Musk's political donations exceeded $260 million during the 2024 election cycle.

  • His contributions played a pivotal role in supporting Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

[RSnake: He certainly had a huge hand in it. I would be curious if he can make it back through deregulation.]

Source: https://techcrunch.com/?p=2926946


Taiwan's semiconductor industry plays a critical role in global supply chains, leading to a complex geopolitical situation with China. Recent developments indicate that Taiwan, alongside its technology partners, is revising strategies to deter potential Chinese aggression by threatening to jeopardize its semiconductor manufacturing capabilities if invaded.

  • Taiwan's semiconductor manufacturing is vital for both global and Chinese economies.

  • Taiwan is adapting its deterrence strategies in response to Chinese military modernization.

[RSnake: I think the best defense is to move it overseas and truly outside the range of Chinese missiles and drones. But anything to make the Chinese lives harder if they do invade is good news.]

Source: https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2024/12/04/coming_full_circle_on_semiconductor_deterrence_1076216.html

Elon Musk's AI company, xAI, has raised $6 billion, bringing its total funding to $12 billion. This follows the reported intention of xAI to compete against major players like OpenAI and Anthropic in the generative AI space, with developments in various technologies and potential collaborations with Musk's other ventures such as Tesla and SpaceX.

  • xAI's recent funding round attracted significant investments, including from major firms and a sovereign wealth fund.

  • xAI aims to expand rapidly in the generative AI race, leveraging data from Musk's companies to enhance its technology offerings.

[RSnake: That is a pretty impressive fundraising. He’s not exactly leading at the moment, but I think his team will catch up quickly, especially if they avoid expensive and counterproductive censorship.]

Source: https://techcrunch.com/?p=2922142

Scientists in the UK have developed the world's first carbon-14 diamond battery, which can potentially power low-energy devices for over 5,000 years. The battery utilizes the decay of carbon-14, a radioactive isotope, encased in diamond, making it suitable for various applications including medical devices and spacecraft communication equipment.

  • The battery can last for thousands of years, providing a long-term energy solution.

  • It poses no safety risks due to the shortwave radiation being absorbed by the diamond casing.

[RSnake: A friend of mine sent this to me. Here’s what I said to him: if whatever it is can be operated by extremely low power or intermittently enabled via a capacitor, it would work. You'd need a lot of them for a space mission, but that's feasible, where bulk doesn't matter much besides the complexity of getting anything of great weight/size into orbit.]

Source: https://thenextweb.com/news/worlds-first-diamond-battery-could-power-devices-for-thousands-of-years

Meta has unveiled a new generative AI model, Llama 3.3 70B, which promises similar performance to its larger model at a lower operational cost. The model has achieved significant performance metrics in various benchmarks, outpacing competitors in the AI space, and Meta is investing heavily in infrastructure to enhance its AI capabilities while addressing regulatory challenges regarding data usage in Europe.

  • Meta introduced Llama 3.3 70B, a cost-efficient generative AI model that matches the performance of a larger model.

  • The company is expanding its AI infrastructure with a $10 billion data center to support future model training.

[RSnake: Cool - I investigated it. 3.2 has been very good, so any improvement in costs/time will be helpful to, but in first testing it, it’s enormous compared to 3.2 7B and more meant for non-commodity hardware applications. This absolutely will not run on M2-enabled Macs like mine due to memory issues, but it’s unclear what is needed.]

Source: https://techcrunch.com/?p=2926992

Microsoft Research is presenting new findings at NeurIPS 2024, focusing on advancements in model pretraining. The research emphasizes the importance of differentiating between useful and noisy tokens in language models to enhance token efficiency and performance.

  • Differentiating between useful and noisy tokens improves model pretraining efficiency.

  • Better data filtering can lead to significantly improved foundation models for various applications.

[RSnake: If you can ditch a lot of tokens in advance, that would be useful. I do worry that it will skew the outputs to only desirable data. That’s a fancy way of saying it will be heavily censored if I’m right.]

Source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/?p=1107414

The U.S. power grid is facing challenges in meeting the growing energy demands of data centers that are essential for artificial intelligence and other technological advancements. This situation poses risks to the economic contributions of the tech sector, which employs millions and significantly boosts the nation's GDP.

  • The U.S. leads the world in data center capacity, housing 37% of global facilities.

  • Data centers are critical for AI development and represent a significant part of the U.S. economy, contributing $2.1 trillion to GDP from 2017 to 2021.

[RSnake: Nuclear. This isn’t a complicated decision. We need a lot more power than anything else can provide and we need way more power than we are currently using. We’ve only barely started with this AI revolution. Every machine, with few exceptions, will be running local models or needing to access remote models.]

Source: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/big-techs-data-centers-wont-get-far-unless-the-power-grid-is-regulated-less-437bc0d6?mod=mw_rss_topstories

US President-elect Donald Trump has appointed David Sacks, former PayPal CEO, to lead policy on artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency in the White House. This appointment is aimed at enhancing American competitiveness and addressing concerns related to free speech and Big Tech bias.

  • David Sacks will lead U.S. policy on AI and cryptocurrency.

  • The focus will be on American competitiveness and free speech online.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has identified China as the most significant threat to U.S. critical infrastructure due to its persistent and evolving cyber espionage efforts. Current assessments indicate that while initial Chinese cyber campaigns focused on espionage, there is now an increased focus on potential disruptive threats amid geopolitical tensions, especially regarding Taiwan.

  • China is currently regarded as the leading cyber threat to U.S. infrastructure.

  • CISA emphasizes the evolution of Chinese cyber activities from espionage to potential disruptive operations.

A US teenager has been arrested and charged with breaching multiple financial institutions and telecommunications firms using stolen credentials and phishing messages, sending over 8.6 million phishing text messages to recipients in the US.

  • The Scattered Spider cybercrime gang, a group of English-speaking threat actors some as young as 16, has been linked to several high-profile attacks and has partnered with Russian ransomware gangs.

  • The group uses various tactics to breach corporate networks, including phishing, social engineering, SIM swapping, and multi-factor authentication (MFA) bombing.

U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Eric Schmitt are calling for an investigation into the Department of Defense's failure to protect its communications from foreign espionage, especially following a significant hack by Chinese government hackers. They have raised concerns over the Pentagon's decision to sign a major wireless phone service contract despite known vulnerabilities that expose military communications to foreign surveillance.

  • DOD failed to secure communications, leading to potential foreign espionage.

  • Senators demand accountability and policy changes in response to cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

[RSnake: I am not sure what they are expecting to find. These systems are all vulnerable in one way or another. When we ask experts how long it would take them to take down any Fortune 500, they all say it would take at most 2 weeks and no more than $50k to break into any one of them. Now, scale that up to a nation-state.]

Source: https://www.darkreading.com/endpoint-security/wyden-and-schmitt-call-for-investigation-of-the-pentagon-s-failure-to-secure-its-phone-systems-against-foreign-spies

Criminals are increasingly using AI technology, such as voice cloning, to impersonate family members and commit fraud. The FBI has issued guidance for the public to establish secret passwords to verify identities during suspicious communications, aiming to combat these scams.

  • The FBI recommends setting up a secret word or phrase among family members to verify identity in unexpected calls.

  • AI is being exploited by criminals to produce convincing voice clips and deepfake content for fraudulent activity.

[RSnake: Yep - it is good to have a code word with your family to authenticate yourself. Seriously, go do it. Also, it’s a good idea to have a code word to secretly communicate to your family that you are in trouble in a way that no one else can detect. Two words. It’s easy. Go do it.]

Source: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2024/12/your-ai-clone-could-target-your-family-but-theres-a-simple-defense/

Microsoft has made it mandatory for devices to have a TPM (Trusted Platform Module) for running Windows 11. Additionally, the Termite ransomware gang has claimed responsibility for a significant breach impacting Blue Yonder, a supply chain software provider, affecting various high-profile customers and resulting in the theft of 680GB of data.

  • Microsoft requires TPM for Windows 11, emphasizing security requirements for new systems.

  • The Termite ransomware gang's breach of Blue Yonder has affected major retailers and logistics companies, leading to operational disruptions.

General Motors is experiencing significant financial losses in its Chinese operations, with a projected impact of over $5 billion. The company's sales in China have dropped nearly 20% recently, leading to a loss of market share to domestic electric and hybrid car manufacturers, which now account for more than half of vehicle sales in the country.

  • General Motors will incur over $5 billion in financial losses due to declining sales in China.

  • The company is restructuring its joint venture operations with SAIC Motor in response to competitive pressure from domestic manufacturers.

[RSnake: Time to pull out. Here is another article about it. The Chinese have stolen all they need to build identical or even superior vehicles, faster, cheaper, etc. I have long thought China was never really a market for US businesses, and it was always an intellectual property honeypot.]

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/04/business/general-motors-china-electric-vehicles.html

The unemployment rate for all veterans has dropped to 2.8% in November, demonstrating their strong position in the labor market despite various economic challenges. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported overall job growth in the economy, with 227,000 jobs added in November, indicating a robust recovery following previous setbacks caused by natural disasters and strikes.

  • The unemployment rate for veterans is significantly lower than that of the general population.

  • The economy added 227,000 jobs in November, signaling strong labor market recovery.

[RSnake: Yeah, because they have a work ethic! I would absolutely hire a vet for just about any position where I absolutely had to make sure something happened, and it met some measurable standard of success.]

Source: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/12/06/veterans-lead-way-robust-labor-market-low-jobless-rate-of-28.html

The EU and South America's Mercosur bloc have reached a long-awaited free trade agreement after over 20 years of negotiations, intending to create one of the world's largest free trade zones affecting 700 million people and 25 percent of global GDP. While the agreement aims to boost economic ties and provide advantages to businesses on both sides, it faces opposition from several EU countries and local farmers who are concerned about environmental impacts and competition from Mercosur products.

  • The agreement intends to reduce tariffs and trade barriers, facilitating easier exports for businesses between the EU and Mercosur.

  • Despite the deal being hailed by some leaders, it requires approval from a majority of EU member states and has faced significant opposition.

Boeing's proposed guilty plea to fraud charges related to the 737 Max crashes has been unexpectedly rejected by a judge who objected to the inclusion of diversity criteria in the hiring of an independent compliance monitor. This decision introduces significant legal and corporate challenges for Boeing, as it seeks to navigate ongoing scrutiny and revamp its operations amidst criticism from families of crash victims and regulators.

  • A judge rejected Boeing's plea deal, raising questions about diversity requirements for a compliance monitor.

  • Families of crash victims are advocating for stricter penalties and accountability from Boeing.

[RSnake: Wow. You’d think these companies would start realizing that such language is illegal. It’s stunning that Boeing is hanging onto this DEI initiative despite people dying in their planes. Seriously, guys, time to ditch that entire way of thinking!]

Source: https://www.supplychainbrain.com/articles/40795-boeing-plea-deal-rejection-adds-culture-war-topic-to-turnaround

The killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has led to increased anxiety among executives, resulting in numerous inquiries to security firms. This incident has raised alarm within the business community regarding safety and security measures for top executives.

  • Executives are requesting heightened security measures following a high-profile assassination.

  • The incident reflects growing concerns about the safety of business leaders.

[RSnake: I wonder what the insurance rates for executives will be next year, given the situation.]

Source: https://fortune.com/2024/12/06/unitedhealthcare-ceo-brian-thompson-killing-increased-inquiries-executive-security-firms/

US credit card debt has surged to a record high of over $5 trillion, despite rising average APRs, indicating increased consumer reliance on credit amidst declining savings rates. The average credit card APR has reached an all-time high of 23.37%, contributing to financial strain and economic uncertainty as many consumers live paycheck to paycheck and have exhausted credit options.

  • US credit card debt now exceeds $5 trillion.

  • The average APR for credit cards is at a record high of 23.37%.

[RSnake: Holy crap. I had to check this number twice. $5 Trillion?! This will not end well for whomever is left holding the bag.]

Source: https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/last-hurrah-credit-card-debt-explodes-higher-despite-record-high-aprs-savings-rate

Bitcoin's price surged past $100,000, driven by anticipation of more favorable regulatory conditions under the new US administration. This milestone reflects a growing confidence in cryptocurrencies, amid ongoing concerns about their volatility and the risks to investors. The market dynamic is influenced by changes in leadership at the US Securities and Exchange Commission, signaling a potential shift in regulatory approaches to digital assets.

  • Bitcoin's price reached $103,400 following favorable statements about regulatory changes.

  • Investors express optimism amidst the cryptocurrency market's historically volatile nature.

[RSnake: Pretty impressive, and primarily driven by a lot more confidence that crypto will find a home in normative finance circles in the United States.]

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqjz04lv5q9o

Israel's startup ecosystem reached a record $10.5 billion in mergers and acquisitions during 2024. Despite a decrease in the number of deals, the amount of funds raised increased, reflecting a trend of larger investments in successful companies, amid ongoing security challenges and economic difficulties in Western markets.

  • Israeli startups secured $8.1 billion in funding, indicating strong investment interest.

  • Political instability and security concerns are cited as significant challenges impacting foreign investment.

[RSnake: If you are following the Cyberstarts debacle, it does add a bit of a question mark about how real this actually is.]

Source: https://www.jewishpress.com/?p=718110

Volkswagen's management is pushing for plant closures and pay cuts to maintain competitiveness amid rising pressure from Chinese automakers and a challenging market in Europe. Workers are responding with resistance, indicating potential for further strikes if an agreement isn't reached soon, while the German Labour Minister is advocating for a solution that avoids layoffs and ensures future investment in the sector.

  • Volkswagen is facing significant competition from Chinese automakers.

  • There is heightened tension between Volkswagen management and workers over proposed cuts.

[RSnake: So short-sighted. It’s like these people are asking to be automated out of the market. If I were a betting man, foreign influence is pushing these workers to strike to strengthen the Chinese automotive market.]

Source: https://www.fastcompany.com/91240189/vw-s-ceo-union-boss-clash-factory-closures-remain-table

Nearly 30% of U.S. drugstores have closed over the past decade, significantly impacting access to pharmaceutical care in Black and Latino neighborhoods. The closures are attributed to reduced reimbursement for prescriptions, rising operational costs, and changes in consumer shopping habits. Key contributing factors also include the higher vulnerability of independent pharmacies and areas with a larger population reliant on government-funded healthcare programs.

  • 30% of U.S. drugstores have closed in recent years.

  • Black and Latino communities are disproportionately affected by these closures.

  • Independent pharmacies face higher risks of closure compared to chain stores.

[RSnake: Well, what do you expect when you defund the police and decriminalize petty theft? Why would these stores want to or even be able to operate in such conditions?]

Source: https://www.fastcompany.com/91240187/almost-30-u-s-drugstores-shuttered-within-decade-heres-why

Cocoa bean prices have experienced significant fluctuations, peaking at $12,000 per tonne earlier this year but subsequently dropping to $7,000 as production struggles continue. A multiyear structural deficit, exacerbated by climate issues and diseases affecting cocoa trees in West Africa, is anticipated to drive prices higher in the coming years.

  • Cocoa bean futures prices experienced a major spike and subsequent drop, indicating a volatile market.

  • Production challenges, including climate effects and disease prevalence, threaten the cocoa supply, suggesting potential future price increases.

[RSnake: I do wonder what will happen when people’s chocolate and coffee prices start spiking if, indeed, we tariff those items.]

Source: https://www.ft.com/content/d6d5a37c-27cd-4892-8dea-9dae7ec9c9fc

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