Good morning. Here’s your Daily Situational Awareness for Friday, 04 February 2022. You can receive this daily briefing by signing up at https://forwardobserver.com/daily-sa
TODAY’S BRIEFING:
- Terrorism hearing focuses on right wing extremism
- U.S. asks Japan for help with LNG to Europe
- BLM audit could reveal overseas influence
- U.S. truckers to protest in March
- Hazards Warning
UPGRADE TO EARLY WARNING AND GET THESE BRIEFINGS:
- Russia-NATO SITREP: U.S. TROOPS TO EUROPE, NEGOTIATIONS LEAKED, RUSSIA’S FALSE-FLAG PRECEDENT
- Indo-Pacific SITREP: CHINA JOINS RUSSIA IN OPPOSING NATO EXPANSION IN EUROPE.
- LIC Summary/ INTSUM
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
TERRORISM HEARING FOCUSES ON RIGHT WING EXTREMISM: A recent Congressional hearing on domestic terrorism focused on leadership extremism concerns. Members stated that both political sides have extremist ends; however, most lawmakers agreed that right wing extremism is the greatest threat to the nation. Witnesses advocated for accountability on social media for enabling extremist voices. (Analyst Comment: Domestic extremism is the primary focus for the Department of Homeland Security. Key examples used in hearing highlighted right wing extremists over the left. Crackdowns on perceived extremist content gaming platforms and social media will continue as threats from right wing extremism is seen as the primary threat to the nation. The clear bias in information gathering indicates the extremist hunt is more about political score settling than stopping political violence. – D.F.)
U.S. ASKS JAPAN FOR HELP WITH LNG TO EUROPE: The U.S. asked Japan this week to divert some of its reserves of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) to Europe in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Koichi Hagiuda responded by saying Japan is a key importer of LNG and would first need to be sure of sufficient domestic supplies before offering international help. Last week the U.S., the world’s leading exporter of LNG, asked Qatar, also a major exporter of LNG, to explore whether it could help supply European LNG needs in the event of war in Europe. (AC: The U.S. is at a loss on how to pry European nations from the grip of Russian influence. That influence is derived from the fact that Russia supplies Europe with 40% of its LNG during winter. Washington seems to be floundering in the face of a looming Russian invasion of Ukraine and a divided NATO, which may lead to a reordering of the geopolitical status quo in Europe. – M.M.)
BLM AUDIT COULD REVEAL OVERSEAS INFLUENCE: California and Washington state ordered the BLM Global Network Foundation to cease fundraising operations for lack of financial transparency. The states ordered the organization to preserve all fundraising documents. The order raises new questions over BLM’s coordination with the Black Futures Lab, an offshoot of the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA). Since the 1970s, the CPA has maintained close ties to China’s government and influence efforts inside the U.S. (AC: Many federal investigations begin with financial impropriety. While the U.S. may refuse to reveal sources and methods linking the BLM organization to overseas influence efforts, cutting off funding streams is an effective method at minimizing an organization’s reach. The interstate nature of the fundraising notices indicates there could be a concurrent federal investigation. Overseas financial support of race-based activist organizations is well documented in Volume II of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s Russian Active Measures investigation. – D.M.)
U.S. TRUCKERS TO PROTEST IN MARCH: Online support is increasing for a U.S. version of the trucking protests in Canada. The “Convoy to D.C. 2022” is set for early March to protest vaccine mandates and lockdown policies in states, such as California, then intends to move into Washington D.C. Protest effectiveness on the U.S.-Canadian border and Ottawa is fueling the movement as government options are limited to stop the disruption. (AC: Watching the government response to protest tactics shows policing options to be minimal without military support. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated military deployments are “not in the cards right now”; however, we can expect lessons to be learned by the U.S. government if trucking protest disruptions occur in the U.S. – D.F.)
HAZARDS/WX:
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