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Another one bites the dust

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The intense media coverage that followed Ron DeSantis’s decision to suspend his presidential campaign dwarfed an otherwise slow weekend in New Hampshire, as voters prepared to choose among the three remaining GOP candidates – former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, former President Trump, and Ryan Binkley (R), a businessman and pastor.

Most Americans would be hard-pressed to name every candidate in the crowded GOP 2024 presidential field – fifteen said they wanted to seek the nomination. Twelve have since withdrawn, including Ron DeSantis.

DeSantis’s extraordinarily long video announcement disappointed millions of his fans and the curiously named Never Back Down campaign that he led. DeSantis chose this slogan to highlight how he took on the pandemic-control-activists and the woke police when, in truth, the slogan applies far better to Trump, who has never backed down from far greater attacks since his election in 2016.

Many on social media praised DeSantis for bowing out before a potential drubbing in New Hampshire and immediately, though reluctantly, supporting Trump. [Seven years ago, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, another rising star of the GOP establishment, had done the same after failing in the New Hampshire primaries following a disastrous debate performance]. The intense reaction to DeSantis’s statement was a far cry from the loud yawn that greeted others’ suspension announcements – including Tim Scott, Chris Christie, Asa Hutchison, and Mike Pence.

The star of the 2022 election cycle – DeSantis headlined our editorial on election night – had so much to offer a country unsure of conservative leadership. DeSantis gave his supporters a thunderous victory speech after crushing Democratic opponent Charlie Crist in the governor’s race by an astounding 20 points in the Sunshine State. Florida had become the laughing stock of the world in 2000 when the United States Supreme Court decided an entire presidential election after weeks of agony. George Bush 43 won over former Vice President Al Gore by just 538 votes.

Former President Trump, uncomfortably watching the klieg lights focused on the GOP’s newest star, let DeSantis scoop up all the media attention for a short while. Trump himself had been a victim of DOJ raids at Mar-a-Lago, and the negative press hadn’t stopped – so he was waiting to pounce.

The next day after DeSantis’s victory speech, President Biden gave Trump an enormous political boost. Celebrating the Democrats’ election performance in a White House press briefing and confident that Trump was weakened given how badly his picks had fared the previous night, Biden let slip what had been on his mind for years. “We just have to demonstrate that he (Trump) will not take power if he does run, making sure he — under legitimate efforts of our Constitution — does not become the next president again.”

About a week afterward, Trump announced he would run for the 2024 nomination, refocusing the media’s attention on him rather than DeSantis. Two days later, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the appointment of Jack Smith as Special Counsel to investigate Trump’s role in J6 and his handling of the classified documents. And with 91 charges filed against Trump since then, DeSantis could not compete with the powerful bond the GOP electorate has renewed with Trump, an electoral majority of which now says that Biden stole the 2020 election and the Democrats have gone too far to exploit all means to stop Trump. Emotions in politics, like love and war, can be decisive and easily win over administrative competence and efficiency.

On the latter score, DeSantis has himself to blame. The DeSantis who ran his presidential campaign was a distant cousin of the skilled DeSantis who governed Florida and won his two statewide elections. DeSantis made numerous unforced errors, from the botched announcement last May on X to his ever-changing attempts to define himself. He kept referring to his accomplishments in Florida – but governors, even of large states, do not have a magic formula for replicating their successes in deeply divided Washington. If resumes prevailed, Mike Pence – a six-term conservative Congressman, a former Indiana governor, and Trump’s Vice President – should have been at the top of the pack.

On policy, DeSantis’s positions were mainly similar to Trump’s – tightening the border, conducting a war against wokeism, and defunding Ukraine. DeSantis failed because he didn’t adequately communicate why he would be a better standard bearer of Trumpism when the real Trump is out there and well.

But not everything is down for DeSantis. Four years is a long time in politics. Trump could reward his fellow Floridian to be his Secretary of State and boost his promising future. Adding foreign policy credentials to an excellent domestic resume can never hurt DeSantis in 2028. Trump says he has officially retired the DeSanctimonious nickname, so hope for a fruitful partnership remains.

TIPP Takes

Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, And More

1. Hamas Says October 7 Attack On Israel Was ‘Necessary Step,’ Admits ‘Faults’ – AFP

In a report justifying the attack, Palestinian militant group Hamas admitted that “some faults happened … due to the rapid collapse of the Israeli security and military system, and the chaos caused along the border areas with Gaza.”

Another One Bites The Dust

“If there was any case of targeting civilians, it happened accidentally and in the course of the confrontation with the occupation forces,” Hamas said in the report.


2. Netanyahu Rejects Hamas Deal To End War, Release Captives – Al Jazeera

Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who is under growing domestic pressure to bring the captives home, said that accepting Hamas’s conditions would mean leaving the armed group “intact” and that Israel’s soldiers had “fallen in vain.”

Another One Bites The Dust

Hamas is still holding 136 people in captivity, according to Israeli officials. At least 25,105 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel declared its intention to eliminate Hamas in response to the group’s October 7 attacks.


3. Israel Approves Plan For Palestinian Tax Funds To Be Held By Norway – Al Arabiya

Israel’s cabinet approved a plan for frozen tax funds earmarked for the Hamas-run Gaza Strip to be held by Norway instead of transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA), officials said.

Another One Bites The Dust

Under interim peace accords reached in the 1990s, Israel’s finance ministry collects tax on behalf of the Palestinians. It makes monthly transfers to the Western-backed PA, which exercises limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.


4. Russian Communists Mark 100 Years Since Lenin’s Death – D.W.

A few dozen communists gathered at Red Square in Moscow on Sunday to mark the 100th anniversary of the death of Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the 1917 Russian Revolution and creator of the Soviet Union.

Another One Bites The Dust
Vladimir Lenin

Lenin remains a part of Russian collective memory, especially for older citizens.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has routinely exhibited a harsh public disdain for Lenin but deferred from removing the revolutionary leader’s body from the mausoleum to be buried, did not attend the gathering, nor did he comment upon the occasion.


5. U.S. Sanctions UAE Shipping Company For Violating Russia Oil Price Cap – UPI

The Biden administration has sanctioned a United Arab Emirates-based shipping company, Hennesea Holdings, for violating an oil price cap placed on Russia over its war in Ukraine.

Another One Bites The Dust

This makes it the first such enforcement of the year, the U.S. Treasury said. The sanctions on the firm block all property and interests in property under its name in the United States, as well as barring any U.S. person from doing business with it.


6. EV Powerhouse China To Set Own Standards For Automotive Semiconductors – Nikkei Asia

China has moved to set its own standards for semiconductors used in electric vehicles and self-driving cars as it seeks to replace imports of these vital components with domestic production.

Another One Bites The Dust

According to guidelines issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the government has called on industry to create technological standards for more than 30 important automotive semiconductors by 2025 and more than 70 types by 2030.


7. China Calls Massive Lithium Discovery In Eastern Tibet A ‘Major Breakthrough’ – Tibetan Review

China has announced the discovery of a massive deposit of lithium, a key material in the country’s flourishing new energy sector that has emerged as a pillar of economic growth.

Another One Bites The Dust

The deposits have been discovered in an area previously part of eastern Tibet’s province of Kham (or Dotoe).

The news report cited China’s Ministry of Natural Resources as saying the huge reserve is about 1 million tonnes of the silvery-white alkali metal, often called “the new oil” or “white gold.”


8. U.S. Raids Chinese Auto Parts Maker In Ohio – UPI

U.S. Department of Homeland Security officers have searched a Chinese auto parts maker that a congressional committee has accused of trade fraud.

Another One Bites The Dust

According to the Dayton Daily News, DHS officers executed the search warrant at Harco Manufacturing Group in Moraine, Ohio, on Thursday. Harco is a subsidiary of Sunsong, the Chinese parts manufacturer.

There is growing concern among U.S. lawmakers that some Chinese companies are evading U.S. tariffs, the news portals Axios and Bloomberg have reported.


9. India Querying Whether China May Be Behind Rising Himalayan Natural Disasters Hitting It? – Tibetan Review

India’s Defense Minister, Mr. Rajnath Singh, has wondered whether a marked increase in natural disasters, especially in specific areas of the Indian Himalayas in recent years, was a result of the manipulation of the weather and weather events from across a hostile occupied Tibet border without naming China.

Another One Bites The Dust
India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh

Climate change was not just a phenomenon related to weather but also linked with national security, wionews.com cited the minister as saying. He has suggested that China might be “weaponizing” weather for strategic gain.


10. U.S. Navy Declares Two SEALs Missing In Gulf Of Aden As Deceased – Reuters

Two U.S. Navy SEALs who went missing in the Gulf of Aden earlier this month during a raid on a boat carrying Iranian weapons have not been located following an exhaustive search, and their status has been changed to deceased, military officials said.

Another One Bites The Dust

The SEALs were reported missing after boarding an Iranian vessel in a Jan. 11 operation near the coast of Somalia, the U.S. Central Command said.


11. U.S. Says Will Respond To ‘Serious’ Attack By Pro-Iran Militants On U.S. Troops In Iraq – Al Arabiya

The United States is taking the attack by Iran-backed militants on a base hosting U.S. forces in Iraq over the weekend “extremely seriously,” the White House said.

Another One Bites The Dust

“We are going to respond … to establish deterrence in these situations, and to hold these groups accountable that continue to attack us,” White House Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer said.

Most incidents, including Saturday’s attack, have been claimed by “Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” a loose alliance of Iran-linked armed groups that oppose U.S. support for Israel in the Gaza conflict.


12. UK To Spend Millions For Upgradation Of Missile System Used In Red Sea Amid Rising Tensions – WION

UK’s Ministry of Defense announced its expenditure to upgrade a projectile system that the Royal Navy uses to shoot down drones over the Red Sea.

Another One Bites The Dust

Britain’s Ministry of Defense said it would spend $514 million (405 million pounds) on the Sea Viper Air Defense system.


13. Red Sea Attacks Cause Freight Rates To Soar – Infographics – tippinsights

Attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militia on merchant ships in the Red Sea have forced hundreds of vessels to reroute around the southern tip of Africa, adding 10-14 days of extra travel.

Another One Bites The Dust

14. Germany: Protests Against Far-Right Draw Tens Of Thousands – WION

Protests against the far-right AfD party in Germany drew more than 100,000 protesters nationwide.

Another One Bites The Dust

The people were furious that the party members met extremists and discussed mass deportation plans. AfD party has faced widespread criticism, with politicians, religious leaders, and even some Bundesliga coaches appealing to people to protest against it.


15. South Korea Sees N.K.’s Claimed Test Of Underwater Nuclear Attack Drone As ‘Exaggerated, Fabricated’ – Yonhap

“Taking into account comprehensive analysis so far, we are weighing the possibility that North Korea’s claim is exaggerated and fabricated,” South Korea’s presidential office said in a press release.

Another One Bites The Dust

North Korea said Friday it had conducted an important test of an underwater nuclear attack drone, named the Haeil-5-23, in the East Sea in response to the latest joint naval drills involving South Korea, the United States, and Japan.


16. South Korea To End Anti-Dumping Tariff On Japanese Stainless Steel Bars – Yonhap

South Korea’s trade commission said it has decided to lift the anti-dumping tariff imposed since 2004 on Japanese stainless steel bars.

Another One Bites The Dust

The decision came as domestic producers of stainless steel bars, including Seah Changwon Integrated Special Steel Corp., did not request the extension of the 15.39 percent tariff, according to the Korea Trade Commission.

The anti-dumping tariffs on Indian and Spanish stainless steel bars will also be lifted this week, it added.


17. Egypt’s El-Sisi Says Cairo Will Not Allow Any Threat To Somalia – Al Jazeera

“Egypt will not allow anyone to threaten Somalia or affect its security,” Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said, speaking at a news conference with visiting Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Another One Bites The Dust
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi

He slammed Ethiopia’s agreement with Somaliland to obtain access to the sea and establish a marine force base.

Somaliland, a region strategically located by the Gulf of Aden, broke away from Somalia in 1991 as the country collapsed into a civil conflict. The region has maintained its government despite a lack of international recognition.


18. Libya Resumes Crude Production At Major Oilfield After Two-Week Halt – AFP

Libya’s state-owned energy firm said production had resumed at the Al-Sharara oilfield, which provides a quarter of the country’s daily oil output, two weeks after protests led to a shutdown.

Another One Bites The Dust

Social and political protests have caused repeated interruptions in crude production in the war-torn North African country amid clashes between rival factions.


19. India: Modi Set To Inaugurate Contentious Ram Temple – D.W.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate a grand temple to the Hindu god Lord Ram in Ayodhya on Monday, considered Ram’s birthplace.

Another One Bites The Dust

Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is hailing the move and has set up lavish celebrations across much of the country, not just in Ayodhya.

The temple is being built on land where a mosque had stood for centuries before being torn down by Hindu nationalists in the 1990s, sparking violent protests. The prime minister has tried to argue that the event is a bid for reconciliation.


20. New Gut-Brain Circuits Found For Sugar And Fat Cravings Reveal A “One-Two Punch” To The Brain’s Reward System, Possibly Impeding Dieting Efforts – Monell Center

A new study unravels the internal neural wiring, revealing separate fat and sugar-craving pathways and a concerning result: Combining these pathways overly triggers our desire to eat more than usual.

Another One Bites The Dust
Fat, sugar, and the combination of both (chocolate) navigate a gut-brain maze. The blue path represents the sugar route, the green path signifies the fat route, and the yellow path represents the combined impact of fats and sugars. Each path leads to the brain, but the combined route has a greater impact, triggering heightened dopamine release in the reward circuits, emphasizing the synergistic effect of fat-sugar combinations on neural responses. Image credit: Isadora Barga, de Lartigue lab

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Republished with permission from TIPP Insights

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