MIDDLE EAST - The inexorable direction of the US administration is towards less intervention, less engagement, and fewer “dumb wars in the Middle East.” Although Pompeo may trumpet steadfastness, the US president can pivot on a dime. The smart money is on disengagement from the region and anyone who thinks subsequent administrations will rush back in will probably be disappointed.

ISRAEL - The strategic reality facing the new chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi, will depend largely on one factor – the political situation in the United States. More precisely, it will depend on the vagaries of US President Donald Trump. At the outset of 2019, the Trump administration continues to convey uncertainty and instability. The amount of news generated by the president in one week, like this past one, is equivalent to several months’ worth with previous presidents.

USA - BuzzFeed News dropped a bombshell this week: On Thursday night, the site reported that President Trump personally ordered his then-attorney Michael Cohen to lie to congressional investigators about efforts to build a Trump Tower in Russia. He also reportedly instructed Cohen to organize a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the presidential campaign where the two men could begin negotiations on the tower, telling Cohen to "make it happen."

USA - Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office on Friday issued an extraordinary statement disputing a bombshell news report that claimed President Trump directed Michael Cohen to lie about the timing of discussions over a proposed Trump Tower project in Moscow. “BuzzFeed’s description of specific statements to the Special Counsel’s Office, and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohen’s Congressional testimony are not accurate,” Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller’s office, said. The statement is remarkable in that Mueller's team rarely issues statements in response to news stories. But BuzzFeed's story sparked immense interest from Democrats, who called for renewed investigations and even suggested the allegations could be a basis for impeachment proceedings.

VATICAN - Pope Francis has appealed to Christians across the world to pray and to work for full Christian unity, reminded the faithful that "Ecumenism is not something optional." Speaking during the weekly General Audience yesterday, the Pope looked ahead to the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity that takes place from 18 to 25 January.

UK - Britain voted to leave a “sinking ship” in the original 2016 referendum, as a former aide to Margaret Thatcher described the Brexit vote as a “lifeboat thrown off the EU Titanic”. Mr Gardiner said: “There is a clear solution to this impasse. Britain must leave the EU on a so-called managed no deal on March 29th.” Under this exit, Britain would leave without establishing free trade with the EU but would also revert to WTO rules and be able to strike global trade deals.

USA - Judge Andrew Napolitano says the Second Amendment protects gun rights so Americans can use those very guns to defend themselves from criminals and their own government. Writing on Fox News, Napolitano said, “The Second Amendment protects the natural right to keep and bear arms; the same type of arms that crooks and thugs might use against you; and the same type of arms that government agents might use against you.” He added, “We also know that the first thing tyrants do when they come to power is to disarm the population. Sometimes tyrants are jackbooted thugs. Sometimes tyrants are the majority in an elected government.” Napolitano noted, “To the framers of the Constitution, an armed population is the best defense against tyranny.”

USA - Gates has three children with his wife Melinda – Jennifer, Rory and Phoebe – born between 1996 and 2002, and according to his former doctor, they are all unvaccinated and healthy. The news that Bill Gates does not vaccinate his own children, despite being the world’s most active campaigner for mandatory vaccinations, should come as no surprise. Studies prove that the elite do not vaccinate their children. But at the same time they expect the masses to have their children vaccinated. In California, the children most likely to be unvaccinated are white and come from the wealthiest families in Los Angeles, according to a recent study. The percentage of kindergartners with state-issued personal belief exemptions doubled from 2007 to 2013, from 1.54% to 3.06%. That’s about 17,000 of the wealthiest children, out of more than half a million, opting out of receiving vaccinations.

USA - Anti-vaxxers have been named one of the top threats to global health in 2019 by the World Health Organization (WHO). The anti-vaccine movement joined air pollution and climate change, HIV, and a worldwide influenza pandemic on the list released on Monday. 'Vaccine hesitancy', as the WHO calls it, 'threatens to reverse progress made in tackling vaccine-preventable diseases.' The organization added in its statement: 'Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective ways of avoiding disease - it currently prevents [two to three] million deaths a year, and a further 1.5 million could be avoided if global coverage of vaccinations improved.'

USA - The first-ever, peer-review study has been published comparing total-health in vaccinated and unvaccinated children. Dr Anthony Mawson led a research team that investigated the relationship between vaccination exposures and acute or chronic illnesses in home-schooled children. The vaccinated children had a much higher rate of autism and ADHD, at a rate of 470% higher than those who received no shots. Vaccinated children were also more vulnerable to allergies and eczema. Unvaccinated children contract mild childhood diseases more frequently, but their vaccinated counterparts suffer pneumonia and ear infections more frequently. The finding that vaccination introduces a significant risk for autism is devastating to the vaccine industry and, therefore, will be vigorously attacked.

USA - A Google executive sparked a fierce backlash from employees by using the word “family” in a weekly, company-wide presentation, according to internal documents obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation. Many Google employees became angry that the term was used while discussing a product aimed at children, because it implied that families have children, the documents show. The backlash grew large enough that a Google vice president addressed the controversy and solicited feedback on how the company could become more inclusive. The DCNF received the documents from a source who insisted upon anonymity in order to share them. One employee stormed out of the March 2017 presentation after a presenter “continued to show (awesome) Unicorn product features which continually use the word ‘family’ as a synonym for ‘household with children,'” he explained in an internal thread.

USA - Best-selling author of “The Age of Anomaly,” economist Andrei Polgar, says the world is set up to be blindsided in the next financial disaster. Polgar points out, “Right now, after so many years after the ‘Great Recession,’ not only are people comfortably unaware, but even worse yet, the entire idea of financial preparedness has been discredited..."

USA - Global economic activity has been slowing down dramatically in recent months, and now the mainstream media is filled with dire warnings that a global recession is dead ahead in 2019.  And without a doubt, things do not look good right now as economic numbers from all over the globe just get bleaker and bleaker. 

USA - China’s military ambitions have given its leaders growing confidence about their capabilities, according to a new U.S. assessment that warns that Beijing may believe it can wage a regional conflict while maintaining its expanded global presence. “We now have to be able to look for a Chinese military that is active everywhere,” said a senior defense official who briefed reporters on the new report by the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency.

UK - Britain was on general election alert last night after Whitehall chiefs were ordered to draw up contingency plans for a snap poll. Amid the fragile situation in Westminster, Britain’s top civil servant told Government departmental heads to be ready in case an election is needed to break the Brexit deadlock. Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill met senior mandarins this week to discuss preparations in case Theresa May decides to go to the country. Today, it also emerged that official guidance has now been drawn up on the possible timeline for a second Brexit referendum. A document, apparently presented at cross-party Brexit talks, suggested that another referendum would take 15 months to arrange and hold. Downing Street has repeatedly insisted the next general election will not take place until 2022, as mandated by the Fixed Terms Parliament Act.