USA - DEVELOPING STORY: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency across South Florida after a rare extreme flooding event. Nearly two feet of rain fell swamping many cities from Miami to Sarasota. Hundreds of motorists were stranded and a large swath of Interstate 95 was shut down.

USA - Our world is witnessing apocalyptic events so frequently that many of us are starting to become numb to it all. Major wars are raging all over the globe, children in Africa are literally dropping dead from starvation as hunger spreads like wildfire, and “billion dollar disasters” are hitting us more frequently than we have ever seen before. But as long as these tragedies are not affecting us directly, most people don’t really care too much. As the level of worldwide suffering rises, it seems as though hearts are getting colder at the same time. The traumatic events of the past several years have left deep scars, and there are many that prefer to ignore the apocalyptic things that are happening in the world because it is just too much for them to handle emotionally.

USA - An underwater fault line along the US West Coast could trigger a megaquake that would be more devastating than California's 'Big One,' a new study suggests. Using underwater mapping techniques, scientists have mapped the Cascadia Subduction Zone - a 600-mile fault line extending from southern Canada to northern California - in never before seen detail. It has revealed that the fault splits into four segments instead of being one continuous strip like most fault lines. The discovery could prove more catastrophic because the tectonic plates can slide under each other, creating more pressure and more severe earthquakes. The researchers concluded the Cascadia Subduction Zone has the potential to unleash a nine-plus magnitude quake.

USA - A Russian submarine and a Russian frigate that are each capable of nuking US cities were both spotted traveling approximately 25 miles from the coast of Florida, but most of the US population did not receive the message that the Russians were trying to send. By sending these warships along the coast of Florida, the Russians are warning that they will use nuclear weapons if they are pushed too far, but hardly anyone seems to care. The mainstream media insists that these vessels are “no threat” and that there is no risk that a full-blown nuclear conflict will erupt any time soon. If the Ukrainians decide to get really bold and start hitting Moscow with long-range weapons provided by western powers, there is no telling what the Russians might do.

MIDDLE EAST - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken gives a joint press conference with his Qatari counterpart in Doha on Wednesday. Hamas has sent back an “unworkable” counter-offer to a US-backed ceasefire proposal for Gaza, Antony Blinken warned on Wednesday. The US secretary of state said “the war will go on” because Hamas was unable to agree to the plans that would include a release of hostages in exchange for a ceasefire. He added that Hamas had “made a choice to continue the war that they started”.

ISRAEL - Hezbollah launched a massive missile attack on Israel, firing over 200 rockets into the north of the country. The unprecedented strike was in retaliation for the death of Taleb Sami Abdullah, a senior field commander who was killed in an attack by the Israel Defence Force (IDF) on Tuesday night. The funeral for the commander was held on Wednesday and attended by a top Hezbollah official, who promised to increase the intensity, force and quantity of its attacks. Sirens sounded across northern Israel as Hezbollah launched a deadly barrage of missiles at communities in the area. The Iran-backed group said it targeted IDF headquarters in Ein Zeitim and Ami'ad, an air surveillance station in Meron, and a "military factory" in Sasa. The missiles started fires in several places, which Israel’s Fire and Rescue Authority said had endangered "strategic sites and facilities".

UKRAINE - Historically linked to far-right extremism, the Azov Brigade has been striving to distance itself from its ultranationalist origins, especially since the onset of the current conflict. A controversial Ukrainian battalion associated with white supremacist and neo-Nazi ideologies will receive American weapons and training following a policy change by the Biden administration. The move aims to support the Azov Brigade, one of Ukraine’s most effective and well-regarded fighting units, as it seeks to transform its image and enhance its capabilities. Despite US laws prohibiting military aid to foreign units implicated in severe human rights abuses, the State Department reported finding “no evidence of Gross Violations of Human Rights committed” by the brigade. The unit has been integral in defending strategic locations such as Mariupol.

USA - Every night, huge groups of young people are literally taking over streets in large cities all over America. In many cases, major intersections are completely blocked off for stunts and dangerous competitions involving vehicles. These events are called “street takeovers”, and they are often accompanied by theft, violence and other acts of crime. You have probably heard of “street takeovers” happening in big metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles, Seattle, New York and Chicago, but at this point they are even happening in many rural areas. The scale of these events is often so large that police will just sit back and do nothing to stop them. Our politicians can’t reverse what is happening to our society. We are descending into chaos and they are powerless to stop it. All over America, our communities are being plagued by looting, violent crime, hordes of addicts, criminal gangs and wild throngs of restless youths.

MIDDLE EAST - Gaza-based Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar believes that “[W]e have the Israelis right where we want them,” despite massive losses to the terror organization, because of growing international pressure on Israel to stop short of victory. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Sinwar, who is likely hiding in a tunnel in southern Gaza, possibly surrounded by Israeli hostages as human shields, is happy with how the war is going — civilian casualties and all.

USA - If the economy is fine, why are so many signs of trouble erupting all around us? Those that keep insisting that the US economy is heading in the right direction conveniently ignore the very troubling facts and figures that I regularly share with my readers. When you take an honest look at the cold, hard numbers that the economy keeps producing, there is only one logical conclusion. Our entire system is crumbling, and it appears that conditions will soon get significantly worse.

NEW ZEALAND - New Zealand is scrapping a scheme to price gas emissions from livestock — squelching a so-called burp and fart tax initiated under the previous left-wing government led by now departed authoritarian Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. New legislation will be introduced to parliament this month by the ruling conservative coalition to remove the agriculture sector from a new emissions pricing plan, thus responding to farmer pressure that the plan would make their business unprofitable. “The government is committed to meeting our climate change obligations without shutting down Kiwi farms,” said Agriculture Minister Todd McClay.“It doesn’t make sense to send jobs and production overseas, while less carbon-efficient countries produce the food the world needs.”

CHINA - Venezuela makes bid to join China-Led BRICS – with support from Russia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov welcomed the interest of Venezuela’s socialist Maduro regime in joining the BRICS anti-Western bloc on Wednesday in remarks given on the sidelines of the group’s foreign ministers’ meeting. BRICS is a China-led trade and security group originally made up of Russia, China, Brazil, India, and South Africa. The bloc agreed to expand in 2023 and as of January 2024 includes Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran. Saudi Arabia is reportedly in the process of finalizing its membership.

USA - You can burn an American flag, but if you deface the gay flag, the regime will put you in prison… In America, you can spit on Vietnam veterans, defecate on the US flag, threaten the lives of US Supreme Court Justices, mock Christianity, and burn entire cities to the ground in the name of a career felon. But if you dare to trample on the rainbow flag, oh, there will be serious hell to pay, mister. That’s what three teenagers in Washington are finding out the unjust, immoral, and hard way, as they face felony charges for disrespecting the national homo religion.

USA - Storm trackers in the Texas Panhandle recovered a massive hail stone that researchers say is likely to be a new state record. Val and Amy Castor, veteran storm chasers with Oklahoma City television station KWTV, discovered a piece of hail more than 7 inches (17.78 centimeters) long Sunday along the side of the road near Vigo Park while they were chasing a major thunderstorm system. Val Castor said the stone was about the size of a pineapple. “That's the biggest hail I've ever seen, and I've been chasing storms for more than 30 years,” Castor said.

USA - Very few supporters of President Joe Biden believe prioritizing marriage and having children is beneficial for society, polling from the Pew Research Center found. Only 19 percent of Biden voters say that “society is better off if people make marriage and having children a priority,” compared to 59 percent of former President Donald Trump supporters and 39 percent of registered voters overall. The results come amid a singleness and loneliness epidemic among young people and as the United States continues to experience the lowest birth rate in a century.