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Thursday, January 15, 2026

Yesterday, Donald Trump again said that the U.S. must own Greenland for national security reasons. The White House also posted this cartoon on eX-Twitter:


Wednesday, January 14, 2026

We really did not expect this to be a series, but you roll with the punches. That will happen when it's big news AND you have 4 days to think about it while you're in recovery.


Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Yesterday, we wrote roughly 5,000 words on the shooting in Minneapolis, and didn't even get to half of the things we intended to discuss. That's the price of admission around here, we suppose; everyone knows that if you're someone who needs 10,000-20,000 words to say what you want to say, the punishment is that you either have to: (1) go to grad school in history or (2) go to law school.


The Minneapolis shooting is still a big story, and we've been collecting material for this item for 4 days. So, we're going to break it into sections. Buckle up, because it's going to be a bumpy ride.


Over the weekend, boot polish companies across the United States reported record sales.


Comments

snip ...

What about Congress? Is it enthusiastic about annexing Greenland? Well, a bipartisan team of Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) has written a bill that would ban using U.S. funds to annex the territory of a NATO member state without the consent of that member. It is too soon to see how much support it has, but probably all Democrats will support it and likely some Republicans as well. Murkowski said "The mere notion that America would use our vast resources against our allies is deeply troubling and must be wholly rejected by Congress in statute."

What about the American people? Quinnipiac University ran a poll on the subject. It turns out Project Greenland is just as unpopular with Americans as it is with Greenlanders, with 86% of Americans opposed to taking the island by force and only 9% approving of the idea. When was the last time you saw 86% of Americans agreeing on anything? We bet if QU asked: "Do you approve of the American flag" they wouldn't get 86% approval.

So, Greenlanders don't like the idea of being annexed, Denmark doesn't like it, members of Congress don't like it, and the American people don't like it. We are pretty sure no other country approves So who does? Donald Trump. He is the only one, against essentially the entire world. Will he do it? At this point it is unclear, but the QU poll might actually deter Trump since doing something 86% of Americans don't want is not going to help the Republicans in November.

Ironically, Trump's approach is making it even less likely that he will be able to take Greenland without military force, which would destroy NATO and put the entire E.U. against him.

While Putin laughs and laughs and laughs and laughs.

Without lifting a finger (or losing a single Russian soldier), Pedodent Vladimir Netanyahu Trumpf will deliver Europe on a silver platter to Putin.

snip ...

Who is the intended audience? Americans? Greenlanders? Danes? If Greenlanders, it will likely backfire. They don't want to join America in any way, shape or form. In a poll from a year ago, 85% of Greenlanders said they do not want to become a part of the U.S., with only 6% saying they WOULD like that to happen. It is likely even worse now that Donald Trump is talking about annexing the island by military force. On Tuesday, Greenland's prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said that if Greenland has to choose between America and Denmark, it will choose Denmark.

What about Denmark? Yesterday, the Danish foreign minister, Lars Rasmussen. and Greenland's foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, had a meeting with J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Afterwards, Rasmussen and Motzfeldt held a press conference outside the Danish embassy in D.C. Rasmussen and Motzfeldt said the parties had a fundamental disagreement over the future of Greenland. In easy-to-understand terms, Trump wants to buy Greenland but Denmark doesn't want to sell it. At the presser, Rasmussen added: "We didn't manage to change the American position. It's clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland. We made it very, very clear that this is not in the interest of the Kingdom."

Yesterday, Denmark began moving defense forces to Greenland and said other European NATO members would soon do so as well. The ministry said the move was to train the troops in Arctic fighting, but didn't specify who the potential enemy might be. There is no way the European troops could stave off an American attack, but having them there trying to at least slow an American advance would be a major PR hit to Trump. If American troops have to force their way in, against even nominal resistance, it would be impossible for Trump to say to the American people: "The Greenlanders welcomed us with open arms. It is also worth noting that, even if you have a force of superior size, it can be very, very hard to gain control of an enormous, largely empty, very cold piece of land. Ask Napoleon, if you have any questions.

On the positive side, the parties agreed to set up a working group to address security issues and whether they could be addressed without changing Greenland's ownership. It is possible they will come up with something, but that is unlikely to satisfy Trump. At heart, he is a real estate developer, and he likes to buy ground and develop it. He sees Greenland as a large chunk of undeveloped land he could buy and develop in case his deal to buy Gaza doesn't work out. The two have different problems. Greenland is cold and has no people. Gaza is hot and has a lot of people. However they are similar in that neither of the current owners are interested in selling the place to him. How long will it be before he gets the idea of moving all the people in Gaza to Greenland, so he can build hotels and condos in Gaza? That would violate international law, of course, but so what?

So, now you expect me to call the 60 Minutes staff? First off, I doubt they'd even take my call. Secondly, if they did, they probably wouldn't answer my question. You are the one making the allegation that they did reach out (you have ZERO proof of that) and are being ghosted. You call them, lazy-ass.

#68 | Posted by BellRinger at 2026-01-14 09:06 PM

Does bell boi even read?

The lead reporter on the CECOT piece is Sharyn Alfonsi, who sent out a memo to the 60 Minutes staff yesterday:

News Team,

Thank you for the notes and texts. I apologize for not reaching out earlier.

I learned on Saturday that Bari Weiss spiked our story, INSIDE CECOT, which was supposed to air tonight. We (Ori and I) asked for a call to discuss her decision. She did not afford us that courtesy/opportunity.

Our story was screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices. It is factually correct. In my view, pulling it now"after every rigorous internal check has been met is not an editorial decision, it is a political one.

We requested responses to questions and/or interviews with DHS, the White House, and the State Department. Government silence is a statement, not a VETO. Their refusal to be interviewed is a tactical maneuver designed to kill the story.

If the administration's refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a "kill switch" for any reporting they find inconvenient.

If the standard for airing a story becomes "the government must agree to be interviewed," then the government effectively gains control over the 60 Minutes broadcast. We go from an investigative powerhouse to a stenographer for the state.

These men risked their lives to speak with us. We have a moral and professional obligation to the sources who entrusted us with their stories. Abandoning them now is a betrayal of the most basic tenet of journalism: giving voice to the voiceless.

CBS spiked the Jeffrey Wigand interview due to legal concerns, nearly destroying the credibility of this broadcast. It took years to recover from that "low point." By pulling this story to shield an administration, we are repeating that history, but for political optics rather than legal ones.

We have been promoting this story on social media for days. Our viewers are expecting it. When it fails to air without a credible explanation, the public will correctly identify this as corporate censorship. We are trading 50 years of "Gold Standard" reputation for a single week of political quiet.

I care too much about this broadcast to watch it be dismantled without a fight.

See, bell boi liar?

No telephone call necessary.

Just eyes to read and a brain to think.

You, apparently, are missing both eyes to read and a brain to think.

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