//The Wire//2300Z August 14, 2025// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: DC CLEANUP CONTINUES AS ACTIVISM INCREASES THROUGHOUT THE CITY. TOTAL POWER OUTAGE STRIKES LARGE REGIONAL HOSPITAL IN UTAH.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -HomeFront- Virginia: Multiple police officers were injured/wounded while attempting to serve warrants in Gretna last night, which led to a prolonged standoff. The suspect, who has been identified as James Andru Lehnerd [sic], was initially wanted for trespassing and brandishing a firearm, and as police arrived to serve the warrants Lehnerd engaged them. 3x officers were wounded and/or injured by flying debris, but none were hit with bullets. Lehnerd surrendered to police after a few hours. Utah: This morning the Intermountain Medical Center near Salt Lake City suffered a catastrophic power outage, with both the primary source of electricity failing along with backup generators. Patients needing critical life-support devices were immediately evacuated to other hospitals, and this afternoon local media reported that repairs were made to allow the hospital to operate in a limited capacity on backup generators. Analyst Comment: It is exceptionally rare for any Level 1 trauma center to lose power like this, but even more rare is the failure of backup generators designed from the ground up expressly for this type of emergency. This is also not a small clinic, but a VERY large hospital that provides emergency care for much of the entire region. Washington D.C. - Anti-crime initiatives continue as before, with several arrests being announced over the past few days. Yesterday evening, a man was arrested after assaulting ICE agents during a downtown immigration raid. This morning the DoJ identified this individual as Sean Dunn...a DoJ employee who was subsequently fired this morning. Analyst Comment: Regarding these policing efforts, mostly low-level criminals have been rounded up, or general miscreants who the feds could only grab on "illegal gun" charges or other dubious means. National Guard soldiers have been observed taking up positions around the city, and so far have mostly served as a target for activists to scream at. Cleanup operations continue around the city with little fanfare, and so far the general plan has been to dismantle homeless camps around the city, with the inhabitants housed in dedicated facilities or mental health/rehab clinics as needed. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comment: Throughout the international community, there is growing sentiment that tomorrows meeting between Russia and the United States may result in things falling into place very rapidly. What the outcome of this meeting will be is anyone's guess, but many European leaders have issued statements of concern, indicating that many world leaders seem to think that this meeting will hammer out the details of a peace agreement. Several European leaders have assured their populations that there will be no territory-swap terms discussed during this meeting, however the fervor by which statements have been made have undermined their efforts at narrative control. In other words, when a dozen European Heads of State make multiple statements that the US won't allow Ukraine to be carved up...and they make these statements over and over again, one might be inclined to think this is exactly what's going to happen. Either way, the ball is in Russia's court. American sanctions have done absolutely nothing but strengthen Russia's economy, simply because most of Europe itself relies on Russia in some form or other. So threatening to sanction Russia if the meeting doesn't go well is a farce. On Russia's end, the world is changing, and it is easy to surmise that the next large-scale conflict may take place in the Far East...Taiwan. Since this is mostly up to Putin, he himself is very clearly interested in solving this issue decisively; Russia does not want to have to fight this same war again in a decade. Similarly, the United States is looking to a war emerging in the Pacific sometime soon, and having to fight a war in Europe and in Asia at the same time is not possible at the current pace of armament. Throughout history, all wars have ended for one of two reasons: either because one side is defeated, or because all belligerents decide that it is no longer in their best interest to keep fighting. In Ukraine, the first reason is already off of the table; Russia will not be defeated in this specific conflict and Ukraine will be propped up by the United States for as long as the United States so desires. Friday's meeting may provide an answer on the alternative reason; we may find out tomorrow if both sides have made the decision that fighting is no longer worth it, or if this conflict will continue for some time. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

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//END REPORT//

//The Wire//2300Z August 13, 2025// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: ARRESTS MADE REGARDING LONG-TERM HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND SLAVERY NETWORK IN NEBRASKA. CANADIAN WILDFIRES THREATEN ST. JOHNS IN NEWFOUNDLAND.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----   -International Events- Canada: As wildfires continue to burn throughout the nation, more populated areas have begun to be placed on evacuation notice. Parts of the town of Paradise in Newfoundland were ordered to be evacuated yesterday, and the outskirts of St. Johns has been ordered to prepare for an evacuation if the Paddy's Pond Fire continues to threaten Highway 1, one of the main egress routes that would be taken if a larger scale evacuation were to be ordered at some point. Analyst Comment: The circumstances of this fire are suspicious, and local authorities are seeking information from anyone who may have details regarding a vehicle which was spotted near the origin of the fire, right before it broke out. -HomeFront- Washington D.C. - Diplomatic activities continue as President Trump's face-to-face meeting with President Putin draws near. Both leaders are scheduled to meet at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska on Friday. Analyst Comment: Though the White House specifically states that this is not a negotiation meeting with regards to the Ukraine War, the general consensus is that the war will be the main topic of discussion. Tennessee: Severe storms swept through the state overnight, resulting in the deaths of three people in Chattanooga. 6.5 inches of precipitation fell in just a few hours, causing flash floods which stopped traffic on I-24 and resulted in 6x people being rescued by swiftwater teams overnight. One person remains missing due to the flooding, and search and rescue operations continue. Nebraska: Yesterday the DoJ released details on a human trafficking network that was allegedly broken up in Omaha. 5x individuals were arrested for enslaving children to work at four different hotels, in addition to prostitution and drug trafficking. Money laundering, visa fraud, and drivers license fraud were all of the other crimes listed on the notice provided by the DoJ regarding these arrests. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comment: Most of the human traffickers arrested in Omaha were members of the Chaudhari family (a prominent immigrant family from India) which is well known for owning most of the cheap hotels in and around Omaha. It would be exceptionally foolish to conclude that this trafficking network has been shut down...these raids have only scratched the surface regarding this criminal enterprise. This is also not the first time this family has been directly implicated in human trafficking. Vishnubhai Chaudhari and Leelabahen Chaudhari (both illegal immigrants) were arrested in 2017 for the exact same human trafficking behavior in nearly the same manner in the exact same place, trafficking children to serve as slave labor for local hotels. In 2018, these people were convicted and sentenced to only a single year in prison....for enslaving children, and beating and abusing them regularly over a period of years. Now, the family tradition has continued with the arrest of 5x other direct family members. As such, whenever this new case involving this same family goes to trial in a year or so (and thus the media no longer cares about this), it is astronomically likely that everyone involved will get a slap on the wrist and continue these horrific actions once again. Of note, all of the hotels that were raided are still up on Tripadvisor and other travel websites, available for bookings. Similarly, the Super 8 motel where child slaves were rescued from in 2018 is still open for business and sports a rating of 3.7 stars. No protest activity or public outrage has been observed at these facilities so far. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

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//END REPORT//

//The Wire//2300Z August 11, 2025// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: WHITE HOUSE ENACTS HOME RULE ACT TO FEDERALIZE CONTROL OF WASHINGTON D.C. POLICE FORCES//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -HomeFront- Pennsylvania: This morning a large explosion was reported at the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works facility near Pittsburgh. Multiple casualties were reported from the explosion, which resulted in catastrophic damage to the structure. Washington D.C. - Efforts to crack down on street crime became more solidified over the weekend, with the White House officially enacting Section 740 the Home Rule Act to federalize administrative control of the city's police forces. In response to a few shootings and "street takeovers" that took place in D.C. over the weekend, a "juvenile" curfew zone has been established by Metro PD near the Navy Yard and Capitol Riverfront (a notoriously high-crime area). The White House also stated that various National Guard units will be deployed throughout the city, though exactly how this will work out is unclear. Analyst Comment: This afternoon, various anti-Trump rallies/protests were held throughout the city, with locals using this move to form a level of opposition to Trump's policies on everything from illegal immigration, to diversity initiatives. Some scuffles broke out among demonstrators as groups who possessed slightly different beliefs started arguments which escalated into more direct confrontations. Texas: This afternoon a shooting was reported at a Target store in Austin. Two people were killed and several others were wounded during the engagement. The suspect carjacked a vehicle during the escape, but was apprehended some time later. No further details have been released as of this report. Colorado: District Attorney Amy Padden has officially dropped all charges against Solomon Galligan, an individual who was captured on video attempting to kidnap a child in broad daylight from an Elementary School back in April. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comment: These charges were dropped because of Galligan's alleged mental illnesses, which somehow dictate that someone with a criminal history a mile long (many of which are crimes against children) is somehow entitled to not be locked away for the rest of his life. This leaves little recourse for the general public and highlights a critical flaw within our justice system at large...if the government won't prosecute someone who commits a crime, there's nothing the people can do. The DA's and judges who let criminals out of detention for personal reasons are almost never held accountable for their actions in releasing violent criminals into society, and the vicious cycle continues. In this specific case, the concept of due process cannot be tested as this man is not even being charged for trying to snatch a child from a school playground, so he won't even see the inside of a courtroom for his actions this time, much less get a conviction of any kind. As such it is extraordinarily likely that Galligan is already in the process of being released to the public once again. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

S2 Underground GhostNotes

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//END REPORT//

This week's intel update is out 👍

//The Wire//2200Z August 8, 2025// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: MASSACHUSETTS SHERIFF ARRESTED ON EXTORTION CHARGES. CONFLICT ESCALATES IN MIDDLE EAST.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----   -International Events- Middle East: Conflict continues as before, escalating this week with the announcement of another Israeli ground invasion of Gaza. Israeli media has stated multiple times that the annexation of Gaza has been approved, and that mobilizations are ongoing among the IDF to prepare for such deployment. Central America: This morning, the New York Times published a story claiming that President Trump has authorized the use of military force to combat cartel operations throughout Central and South America. Analyst Comment: Right now, no official word has confirmed this, so until targets start exploding down south, there's not much to go on. Special operations targeting various cartels over the years have been a constant, so this is not entirely a new or surprising revelation. However, (if these specific claims are true) this may also be the first steps in widening the war on organized crime throughout the continent. If this is the desired goal, the general situation could become kinetic rather quickly. -HomeFront- Washington D.C. - Discussion surrounding the potential federalization of the city continues, with a few different initiatives in the works. The White House has floated the idea of deploying the National Guard throughout the city in an attempt to combat the rampant crime, though the details of how this might work out in practice are unclear. Massachusetts: Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins was arrested this morning on extortion charges after an investigation was conducted into his department's licensing process for a cannabis company that sought to develop a new dispensary in his jurisdiction. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comment: This is an interesting case as the scheme unraveled only at the end, not the beginning. Sheriff Tompkins had already engaged in corruption by levering his position in the approval process for the cannabis company. Due to the nature of the product they intended to sell, state-level requirements abound regarding working with local law enforcement groups for various approvals and licensing mandates. However, during his part in this process, Sheriff Tompkins decided to engaged in a little insider trading by purchasing $50,000 worth of stock in the company before he granted his approval to open a new dispensary (and before the company went public). However, after the company failed to financially profit as much as expected, he wanted his illegal investment back, thus the extortion charges. At the time, nobody knew that the approval authority for a cannabis company had purchased stock in that company while going through the approval process. Or if anyone knew, they didn't care. In the end, it was only the Sheriff's greed that got him caught...if he hadn't tried to extort the company for his money back, nobody would have ever known that the initial crime took place. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

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//END REPORT//

//The Wire//2000Z August 6, 2025// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: MASS SHOOTING REPORTED AT FORT STEWART IN GEORGIA. WHITE HOUSE PROPOSES PLAN TO FEDERALIZE ADMINISTRATION OF WASHINGTON D.C. FOLLOWING VIOLENT ATTACK ON DOGE DEPARTMENT STAFFER.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----   -International Events- Western Asia: India has responded to the latest tariff escalations by the White House, largely in the form of resistance to the re-negotiation of trade policy. The Ministry of External Affairs called the tariffs unfair, and has indicated that they will be fighting the implementation of these taxes in some form. Analyst Comment: India is not a particularly major trade partner with the United States, but is at the center of the immigration issue. However, this spat is probably not related to the H1B visa scandal, but is probably related to relations with Russia, which remain a persistent concern when it comes to BRICS nations becoming more economically dependent on each other. -HomeFront- Georgia: A mass shooting was reported on base at Fort Stewart this morning. 5x casualties were wounded by a gunman at headquarters of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team (BCT). Base personnel apprehended the shooter at the scene, and local media has identified the shooter as Quornelius Radford (an Army Sergeant), though this has not yet been confirmed through official channels. The status of the five casualties (how many fatalities vs wounded) is also not yet known, though some of the victims are being treated at a local hospital. Washington D.C. - An incident involving a senior DOGE staff member took place Tuesday evening. Edward Coristine, one of the key software engineers involved at the DOGE department, was assaulted by a group of black males after he attempted to intervene to stop a carjacking of a young woman. Coristine was beaten severely during the encounter, and only two of the attackers have been arrested so far, with the rest evading capture. The woman (who has not been identified) appears to have survived the encounter. Following this brutal attack, President Trump has vowed to federalize the city of Washington D.C. and begin the crackdown on crime. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: This has been theorized for a long time, and may now actually happen. Federalizing Washington would place the city's administration under the control of the US government, and it's not entirely clear how this might work out in practice. The most immediate impact this would have would probably be the mass firing of leadership of the dozens of law enforcement agencies that have overlapping jurisdictions throughout this special administrative region. Washington D.C. is infamous for street crime running rampant just a few streets over from the White House. There have been multiple instances of Secret Service agents experiencing attempted carjackings of official government vehicles (which came to light over the past year), and violent muggings, murders, and carjackings continue to be a regular observance throughout the Capitol region. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

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//END REPORT//

//The Wire//2300Z August 5, 2025// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: DHS DELETES ISRAELI MANDATE FROM DISASTER AID CONDITIONS, NO EXPLANATION GIVEN. SECOND EARTHQUAKE STRIKES NEW YORK. CANADIAN WILDFIRES CONTINUE.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----   -International Events- Canada: Significant wildfires continue to burn throughout Saskatchewan and Manitoba, which has prompted air quality concerns for much of the American northeast and the Great Lakes regions, due to the smoke. -HomeFront- New York: Another earthquake struck New York City earlier this morning, which reached an estimated magnitude of 2.7. No major damage was reported. Missouri: Overnight an arson attack was reported in Clayton, with multiple vehicles set on fire outside of the residence of an Israeli soldier (who is a dual citizen living in the US). Various anti-Israeli graffiti was also observed spray painted in the street at the scene. Washington D.C. - Following the fallout of yesterday's scandal, the Department of Homeland Security has re-updated their Terms and Conditions to remove the inflammatory language. No explanation was given for why the language was ever included in the first place. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: Concerning yesterday's saga involving the DHS covertly changing their Terms and Conditions for disaster aid, the following general timeline may be helpful for understanding the sequence of events as they unfolded. This is important to document for the historical record, if nothing else, since the old version of this PDF has been deleted from public view. 1. On April 18th, 2025 the Department of Homeland Security updated their Terms and Conditions that all 50 States must abide by in order to get federal aid (specifically, purchases of equipment with federal grant money). 2. In these Terms and Conditions, a single line item was added, mandating that if states want FEMA grant money, they have to pledge allegiance to Israel and promise to not boycott Israeli companies. 3. Nobody notices this policy change for several months. 4. Yesterday morning (August 4th, 2025) Reuters finally notices this change, and pushes the news story out, as they do. 5. Immediately, the reaction on social media is that this story is fake, due to how incredulous it sounds and the already poor reputation of most media groups. 6. A few hours after the story went viral, the actual PDF file on the DHS website was altered and re-uploaded…with the sections pertaining to Israel missing. No outward changes were apparent on the website; the file name, version number, and upload date were all the same. However, the content was different. 7. As time elapsed (and as people heard about this story), anyone who checked the DHS website after exactly 4:30pm (when the file was changed) saw the updated PDF file, which had no mention of Israel. 8. This led many to think that the whole story was fake, not knowing that a change had occurred. 9. Subsequent analysis of the metadata of the NEW file, and archived copies of the OLD file confirm that shenanigans are afoot, and the file was changed, last being edited by a senior attorney who works for the DHS. 10. A few hours later, the DHS (speaking directly to journalists) confirmed that the policy change did occur. The DHS did not provide any explanation as to why this policy was ever in effect in the first place, or who made the decision to include this policy change. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

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//END REPORT//

//The Wire//2300Z August 4, 2025// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: MULTIPLE BOMB MAKERS ARRESTED AROUND THE USA. CHILEAN HEIST CREW MEMBER ARRESTED AFTER ATM ROBBERY INVOLVING EXPLOSIVES. MASS SHOOTING REPORTED IN MONTANA, SUSPECT AT LARGE. MIGRANT CRIME CONTINUES TO INFLAME TENSIONS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----   -International Events- United Kingdom: Immigration scandals have continued as another assault case has come to light over the past few days. A young child was assaulted by two Afghan "refugees" in Birmingham last week, who have been identified as Ahmad Mulakhil and Mohammad Kabir. Analyst Comment: This case has served as yet another catalyst for public anger to rise, as the British government continues to not just allow these horrific crimes to occur, but is actively working to protect the criminals and prosecute those expressing anger about these attacks. In this case, Warwickshire Police are under fire for deliberately requesting local officials to withhold the details of this crime from the public, to protect the criminals. -HomeFront- New York: Over the weekend a minor earthquake was observed throughout New York City and New Jersey, with an estimated magnitude of 3.0. No major damage was reported. Montana: A mass shooting was reported at the Owl Bar in Anaconda on Friday. Authorities have identified the shooter as Michael Paul Brown, who was seen fleeing the scene in a stolen pickup truck (which was found some time later Friday night). 4x people were killed during the engagement, and a local manhunt remains underway with authorities theorizing that he may still be in the local area. Tennessee: An IED Factory was discovered at the home of a local man in the unincorporated township of Old Fort on Friday. Kevin Wade O’Neal was arrested for making threats against public officials, and during the arrest officers allegedly smelled something burning in a back room. This resulted in the discovery of 14x explosive devices, at least one of which had been ignited (but failed to detonate). Analyst Comment: Much like other IED discoveries as of late, the photo evidence of the devices themselves confirm that these devices were exceptionally crude in their construction, indicating the user had little to no training in the construction of explosives. California: One of the members of an infamous Chilean heist crew was arrested in Newport Beach, after he attempted to use explosives to breach an ATM at a local Target store two weeks ago. Analyst Comment: The use of explosive breaching in robbery cases is rare, but becoming more common around the world following this being the robbery method of choice in South Africa. Regarding this specific case, the use of explosives in California is common enough that this did not get national news coverage until it was revealed that the man who was arrested, was a member of the Chilean heist crew which conducted several bank heists throughout the west coast last year. California: In a separate case, a bomb maker was arrested at his residence in Long Beach Friday afternoon, following an investigation by the FBI. Mark Lorenzo Villanueva was arrested after he sent money to what he thought was an affiliate group of ISIS. During the search of Villanueva's residence, an Improvised Explosive Device was found. Washington D.C. - Scandal has erupted following the discovery of a new addition to Department of Homeland Security doctrine. Back in April of this year, the Department of Homeland Security published their updated terms and conditions for receiving disaster aid for FY 2025. Though it was not observed by many at the time, this morning a few mainstream media outlets became aware of this doctrine change, which now includes specific language preventing disaster aid from flowing to states which have not signed a pledge to not-boycott Israel. This pledge of allegiance specifically applies to grants for search and rescue equipment, which will be withheld from states which do not agree to these terms. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: From time to time, the American people are granted the luxury of learning a lesson before a life or death emergency occurs, which provides a much needed reality check for things such as disaster preparedness. As with many government policies, it often takes a few months for the true scale of a scandal to become known, or for someone to find documents that are actually posted publicly. Now that the DHS policies regarding disaster aid have become more widely known, it is a good time to re-assess the impacts that this policy (and the other policies which no one has found yet) may have moving forward. In short, the Department of Homeland Security sets the Terms and Conditions for states that seek to receive disaster aid from FEMA...and the DHS just added support for Israel as a line item in those conditions. For context, (and for those saying that the states can just by their own gear) an understanding of how the logistics of most search and rescue operations function is necessary. In almost all states, local authorities would not be able to operate at all without federal funding or grants of some kind, specifically for equipment. If a fire department needs to buy a new radio, most of the time they are able to use a small amount of state funds to pay a portion of that cost, and various federal grants pick up the rest. Considering that the bulk of most disaster relief efforts in the United States are carried out on the ground by unpaid volunteers, this means that the vast majority of all public services in the United States are heavily subsidized by the Federal government. In a perfect world, all SAR, police, fire, and EMS services would be financed and equipped at the lowest levels, with various partnerships made along the way from the local levels, to the state, and to the federal agencies managing more resources. In reality, this isn't how it works out. If a rural volunteer fire department in the middle of nowhere needs a new fire engine that costs half-a-million dollars, there is almost never enough tax money at the local or state level to pay for it, or if the states were to fund it, it would require state-level taxes to be raised to extraordinarily high levels. And now that deliberate allegiance to a foreign power is entering into this culture as a requirement for logistical support during a disaster, this is concerning. What this means in practice, is hard to say. As concerning as this policy sounds, we must remember that (as of last year) 38x states already have anti-BDS laws in effect. Since it's already illegal to boycott Israel in 38 states it's hard to say how this will work out in practice, but it's possible friction will emerge between the states and the feds, not because the states are anti-Israel in any way, but because they aren't pro-Israel enough. For the very few states that may choose to take a stand on this and not sign these agreements, the risk is substantial. Many states who's political leadership is simply opposed to Trump will probably want to make a stand on this, which transfers that risk to individual taxpayers. Since this policy applies to Israeli companies, there's much more opportunity for risk as well. For instance, if a state agency solicits bids for a certain product that they need, and an Israeli company places a bid to fulfill that contract, not accepting that bid could in theory result in a loss of federal grants due to this situation falling within the "discrimination" definitions set in place by the US government. Financial impacts will also be felt directly by taxpayers (not just the state) by the implementation of this policy; just as California's mismanagement of wildfire risks resulted in insurance companies pulling out of Los Angeles before the major fire earlier this year, insurance companies are sure to take notice of this development. Those who live in states which will be pushing back on this, will probably see an increase in insurance rates. Training cycles for rescue teams is also very likely to be impacted as teams and departments, if forced to by the actions of their state, will be operating on a shoestring budget. Police departments may or may not be affected, it's too soon to tell. This directive comes from the Department of Homeland Security, and specifically applies to grants that are mostly used by local fire departments to purchase life-saving rescue equipment. All in all, this is the indication and warning for Americans to prepare for being their own responder to a crisis. The citizen-based response to Hurricane Helene most clearly illustrated the need for localized non-government-affiliated disaster recovery efforts...all while the federal government was trying their utmost to slow-roll their response. Now, the challenges have grown substantially and the need for a prepared citizenry which will not discriminate or withhold disaster relief due to political reasons, has become an even more desperate need. Thankfully, the success of the efforts during the Hurricane Helene response served as a proof-of-concept for many ideas, not just disaster recovery. More pressingly, Hurricane Season officially ends on November 30th, so this will be something to consider as the need for community disaster preparedness remains paramount. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

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//END REPORT//

This week's intel update is out 👍

//The Wire//1800Z August 1, 2025// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: CHRISTIANS AMBUSHED AT CHURCH EVENT IN SEATTLE. MULTIPLE FEDERAL INVESTIGATIONS LAUNCHED INTO STUDENT ALTERCATION AT FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -HomeFront- Washington: An ambush was reported in Seattle at a Pursuit Northwest Church event last night. One person was killed after unknown attackers opened fire on them, while laying in wait inside a vehicle parked on the street. The attacker(s) fled the scene after the shooting in a white Hyundai Elantra, which has a broken window. The Seattle Police Department has confirmed that the shooting was a deliberate ambush targeting churchgoers. Analyst Comment: This is the same Church at the center of recent controversy in Seattle, and the same Church that was berated by Seattle police for having the audacity to express their faith in public. This Church was condemned by the Seattle police union a few months ago for holding an event at a park deep behind the lines into ANTIFA-held terrain, with the police complaining that they had to protect the churchgoers from violent criminals. Following this incident, it was made clear that the city itself not only approved the permit for this event, but specifically suggested that exact park. Now, the violence continues, not only by parishioners being beaten by the crowd, but now including murders of people trying to go to Church. From a risk management perspective, this is one of the most clear cases of violent religious persecution in the United States, and the city is very obviously not interested in combating the violent militants which are now shooting and murdering Christians in the streets. The federal Department of Justice has not commented on this incident, nor is there any indication of federal interest in Christians persistently being attacked (and now murdered) in Seattle. Florida: The Department of Justice has responded directly to an altercation between two students at Florida State University. The FSU Police Department has launched a full investigation in to the incident, and Attorney General Pam Bondi has ordered US Attorney Jack Heekin, the US Civil Rights Division, and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon to launch a full federal investigation into the incident as well. Florida Congressional Representatives have also gotten involved, and FSU has brought in third-party therapists to provide free trauma counseling services for students who may have indirectly heard about this incident. Analyst Comment: This event, which warranted the involvement of multiple federal law enforcement agencies, revolves around verbal anti-Israeli comments a woman made in the gym toward another student; this entire response stems around a woman saying mean things to a man in the gym. Of course, a response to this would normally be carried out by a university as harassing someone in the gym in this manner is counter to good social order. Normally this type of behavioral incident is handled in-house (usually with something like a brief suspension from classes, if even that). However, as a particular foreign nationstate was mentioned this incident is being responded to as if a murder took place. Consequently, as it's very clear that these types of statements are by far the most heavily-policed speech crimes in the United States, the woman who made the comments has already been doxxed, suspended from classes, and banned from campus, pending the multiple federal investigations that are now underway. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: In Washington D.C. politics continues as before, most of which isn't immediately pressing but worthy of note. Talk surrounding the potential pardon of both Diddy and Ghislaine Maxwell continues, with no indication of whether or not a decision has been made on either front yet. The Epstein scandal continues to develop by the hour, most of which has been concerning to the point of sheer incredulity. Most people are still trying to figure out what President Trump actually meant when he stated that Epstein was outcast from Trump's circle for poaching the workers at Trump's own resorts. The implications made by this direct statement don't leave much room for interpretation and the reality of that logic is rather sobering for many. The developments in this case alone have cast a shadow over what probably should be a much bigger scandal: the various developments regarding the targeting of President Trump by previous administrations. If the Epstein scandal had not been handled as poorly as it has, more attention would probably be given to the evidence of prior administrations' corruption. However at this point, trust has faltered to the point that even smoking-gun evidence of collusion by intelligence agencies to spread fake information is not met with the intended response...even just a year ago this would have been an earth-shattering story, but compared to everything else that is going on it's not as groundbreaking as one might expect, especially since most people already knew this information or at least assumed as much. Plus (to be brutally honest), when many people are broke, being replaced by H1B-hires, censored everywhere, and federally investigated for criticizing a specific foreign nation, they are not going to care about what happened to Trump. And the White House has burned through a lot of the goodwill that got them across the finish line (mostly from younger conservatives), which for many people has washed away a lot of the good things that have happened, rightly or wrongly. Everyone wants "their guy" to win. And everybody thinks that when "their guy" wins, everything will be vastly better than it was before. In reality, the situation is often only marginally better than the other paths that could have been taken, which is regardless of political party. This "grass is always greener" phenomenon has always been true, but it's still a hard pill to swallow for many, and it's important to remember when it comes to both expectation management and risk assessment. Most of Trump's supporters thought that the crackdown on speech would end when he got elected. But now (in many ways) it's just as dangerous to have certain opinions as before, just in a slightly different way. This is most heavily demonstrated by both the global crackdown on speech and privacy, and also the White House launching headfirst into the same data concerns. Red or blue, it doesn't matter: a future where nothing is private and every bit of personal data is monetized and analyzed...is not exactly a comforting thought for many. Nevertheless, the newly-declassified documents really are an important milestone in the political realm. But despite this importance this situation may fall victim to the age old lesson of politics: if someone alienates a good chunk of their supporter base once they reach power, their supporters may return the favor in kind one day. Whether or not this idea will truly come to fruition is anyone's guess, however this will be important in the context of the challenges faced by Americans over the next few years, especially as speech crimes and censorship efforts continue to be a very significant bi-partisan efforts Analyst: S2A1 Research:

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//END REPORT//

//The Wire//2300Z July 30, 2025// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: EARTHQUAKE STRIKES WESTERN PACIFIC, TRIGGERING TSUNAMI CONCERNS. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL OUTAGE CAUSES LONDON AIRPORTS TO GROUND FLIGHTS. WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCES NEW AI-DRIVEN HEALTHCARE INITIATIVE.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----   -International Events- Pacific: A major earthquake was reported yesterday afternoon off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, reaching an estimated 8.8M and becoming tied for the 5th strongest earthquake recorded since records began in the 1960's. Due to this earthquake's severity, Tsunami Advisories were issued for most of the Pacific Rim, to include Hawaii, Alaska, and most of the American west coast. These concerns prompted mass evacuations for millions of people seeking refuge on higher ground. As of this morning, tsunami waves did hit Russia and Japan, though minimal damage was reported. No tsunami materialized in Hawaii or the west coast. United Kingdom: This morning the airspace over most of England was closed due to a technical issue at an air traffic control center in Stanwick. Aircraft at Stansted, Gatwick, and Heathrow were grounded for about 4 hours while the issue was being resolved. Analyst Comment: Details on the outage are hard to verify, however this outage occurred at the same facility that was involved in the infamous outage at Heathrow Airport in 2023. This has caused much fingerpointing and consternation among airlines due to the lost revenue as a result of the outage. United Kingdom: Data security concerns remain paramount as the effects of the Online Safety Act become more clear. Most websites are now locked down and everything from Wikipedia to medical publications have been affected by the act. Analyst Comment: Though it's tough to verify (and possibly fake), at least one user reported that they had to show identification papers for using a food delivery app. While this testimony can't be independently verified, what is true is that the crackdown on the concept of privacy continues to grow. Several politicians have mentioned the possibility of targeting VPN users who try to evade scanning their identity documents and their face to access most of the internet. Meanwhile, children are using certain video games to bypass the face-scanning requirements. Most of the people who wrote the Online Safety Act are of the Atari generation, and do not understand how good the graphics are in most modern video games. Hyper-realistic video games which use motion-capture technology to put the faces of real actors in the game have been extremely effective at tricking apps and websites. Most of the games that rely on this technology also have modes or settings menus for customizing characters...which allow users to strike funny poses with the character on screen...this providing the realistic head and mouth movement that is used by most AI-driven websites requiring a face scan. -HomeFront- Virginia: This afternoon an arson attack was reported in Danville, at the offices of Showcase Magazine. Local authorities have identified the attacker as Shotsie Michael Buck Hayes, who was arrested a short time after the attack. Locals have stated he was targeting Lee Vogler, a local city councilman for the town of Danville. The attacker reportedly broke into the councilman's office, and doused him in gasoline before setting him on fire on the street outside. Vogler has so far survived the attack, and is currently hospitalized with severe burns. Analyst Comment: Locals state that the attack was not due to a political issue, but rather a personal dispute as the attacker and victim knew each other. Whether or not this is true is anyone's guess. Nevertheless, this kind of high-profile (and brutal) attack vector does not occur that often in a small town such as this, so the details that are hard to verify now may become more clear over time. Washington D.C. - This afternoon the Federal Reserve decided to keep interest rates the same as before, with markets not reacting much to this news (as this was the expected outcome). Separately, the White House announced a new initiative to increase the use of AI in healthcare. This effort will unite Google, Amazon, OpenAI, Apple, and other companies to more heavily integrate into the healthcare industry. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: Exactly what this AI initiative is designed to do is largely a mystery as no solid technical details have been provided as to exactly how the federal government is involved in Big Tech companies integrating into the HIPPA-protected world of patient data. Supporters of this plan have applauded the idea as advertised, however critics of this initiative point out that this is more or less a Social Credit system for healthcare as designed directly by the World Economic Forum in a policy letter just last year. In January of 2024, the WEF produced an article titled "How to harness the power of health data to improve patient outcomes". This article largely revolved around the monetization of data mining as "97% of health data goes unused". This article also highlighted the importance of total surveillance of the human body, using a person's smartphone to surveil their health habits, tracking a person's location at all times, and so on. The plan as announced by the White House today sounds nearly identical to the plan proposed by the WEF, based on the details as made public so far. This has drawn the exact same privacy concerns of the past few years as President Trump's policies become more clear six months into his Presidency. For additional context, Palantir also recently announced a partnership with TeleTracking, an AI-driven analytics company already integrated into many healthcare companies and medical facilities. Considering that a major part of the White House's plan is for all of these companies to share data with each other to build a digital profile of a person, concern is warranted. Reducing paper intake forms for convenience at the doctor's office is a lot different than a person's health insurance company handing over their entire medical record to Facebook for advertising purposes. For all of the touted benefits of this initiative, overcoming the data security and privacy concerns will be a hard sell when/if people start paying attention to what is going on. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

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//END REPORT//

//The Wire//2300Z July 29, 2025// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: CAMBODIA AND THAILAND IMPLEMENT CEASEFIRE. HIGH-PROFILE SHOOTING STRIKES MANHATTAN. MOB VIOLENCE IN OHIO HIGHLIGHTS CENSORSHIP CONCERNS.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----   -International Events- Southeast Asia: The war between Cambodia and Thailand has subsided as both sides have agreed to a ceasefire for the time being. The ceasefire went into effect yesterday after the leaders of both nations met in Malaysia to settle the border dispute. Analyst Comment: It is always best to wait a few days before calling the conflict as being over; conflicts in this region have a way of flaring up rapidly again. Nevertheless, both sides appear to be backing down after getting their licks in, though the broader issue of the disputed border remains unsolved. This conflict is most certainly not settled, however things may at least remain tepid for a while. -HomeFront- Georgia: A statewide recall of ice cream has been issued due to contamination concerns. Analyst Comment: This is worthy of note as this safety recall came out at the same time as another nationwide ice cream recall, and confusion between the two recalls can be very serious. The nationwide ice cream recall was issued not due to a health concern, but due to the labels on certain products not containing explicit guidance that dairy products contains milk. However, in Georgia, ice cream products form the Rich's Ice Cream Company were recalled due to listeria concerns, not a labeling error. As such, it's a good idea to double-check any frozen dairy products to ensure that they are safe for consumption. New York: A high-profile shooting was reported at the Blackstone building in Manhattan, which resulted in four fatalities. The shooter has been identified as Shane Tamura, who was recovered deceased at the scene. Analyst Comment: As one might expect due to the high-profile nature of a shooting at this location, the manipulation of information regarding this incident is staggering. At the moment, it appears as though the shooter was attempting to target the NFL headquarters, but accidentally exited the elevator on the wrong floor (or took the wrong elevator altogether, reports differ) and thus ended up actually targeting the Blackstone corporation. Authorities reportedly recovered a note from the scene, which indicates the shooter may have been suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain disease common to football players. Nebraska: This afternoon a large explosion was reported at the Horizons Biofuel facility in Fremont. Three workers remain missing following the explosion, and the cause of the blast is not yet known. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: Following a brutal attack over the weekend in Ohio which has gone viral on social media, the impact of this event is worthy of note due to this event serving as not just another reminder of the importance of situational awareness, but also risk management when it comes to everyday social occasions. Two event goers at the Cincinnati Jazz Festival were attacked by a mob in the downtown area, which resulted in both being beaten severely. Local authorities have confirmed that out of the 100+ people who were in the mob (or otherwise were bystanders), only one person called 911 to report the assaults. Yesterday afternoon the Cincinnati Police Chief berated those who expressed anger over this event online, along with those who point out the very obvious racial motivations for this gruesome attack. No arrests have been made, despite the dozens of cellphones that were present at the attack, and the assaults being well-documented on social media by those bragging about taking part in the attack. As concerns grow globally concerning censorship, the situation in Cincinnati is a reminder that the United States is host to significant censorship efforts as well. Police wanting citizens to stop posting evidence of the attackers on social media, to protect the attackers from people disliking them is not solely a British endeavor...plenty of American agencies and organizations view the protection of criminals as one of their primary jobs as well. This is an unfortunate reality that transcends politics, as many Americans are discovering now that the European trend of censoring the identities of actively-wanted criminals is becoming more common and the idea of the "WANTED" poster is gradually being removed from society in certain areas. All things considered, in 2025 it is always preferable to be socially stigmatized on the internet, than it is to ignore indications and warnings that result in one being beaten by a mob in the street. All politics, morality, and philosophical ideations of what a society should be go out the window during a street fight, and though these kinds of attacks should not be accepted in American society, for the moment they are. We should not have to live like this, but that does not change the reality of the situation. As such, no matter which politician is in office, from the local level all the way to the top, it is always the responsibility of the individual to conduct their own risk assessments and make decisions accordingly. And it is the responsibility of every American to set the conditions for holding not just criminals accountable for their actions, but also to change the culture to ensure that criminals fear what their potential victims might do to them, more than the slap-on-the-wrist that the formal justice system will give them. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

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//END REPORT//

This week's intel update is out!

//The Wire//2300Z July 23, 2025// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: NATIONAL NUCLEAR SECURITY ADMINISTRATION IMPACTED BY SHAREPOINT BREACH. PEACE TALKS RESUME BETWEEN UKRAINE AND RUSSIA AS US STATE DEPARTMENT AUTHORIZES SALE OF AMERICAN MILITARY EQUIPMENT TO UKRAINE.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Turkey: This morning another round of indirect peace talks between Russia and Ukraine began, with no real headway being made by this afternoon. This marks a return to negotiations after the intensification of the war almost two months ago. Analyst Comment: So far all sides have stated that expectations are low for any sort of diplomatic progress. However, various teams of negotiators are at the table anyway, which is progress. -HomeFront- Washington D.C. - This afternoon the State Department approved the sale of roughly $172 million worth of military hardware to Ukraine. This order mostly comprises of missile defense systems, repair tools and parts, trucks, and various other logistical support equipment. Analyst Comment: The White House has not commented on this development, however remarks from President Trump a few weeks ago indicate the general mood is to continue aid to Ukraine, but instead of outright gifting military hardware, the Pentagon will make Ukraine pay for it using the American tax dollars that were sent to Ukraine over the past few years. While this is slightly more fiscally advantageous, the elephant in the room is that regardless of who's paying for it, the war continues as before. USA: Fallout from the recent Microsoft SharePoint breach has continued as the scale of this scandal became more clear this morning. The National Nuclear Security Administration was impacted by the breach, with unknown effects. This little-known agency nested within the Department of Energy is responsible for the construction and disposal of nuclear weapons. So far, Microsoft has stated that roughly 8,000 SharePoint servers have been impacted by the zero-day exploit that was discovered a few weeks ago, many of which are servers used by various governmental and defense agencies. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: The deterioration of complex (but boring) systems and processes is one of the most catastrophic problems of our modern era that largely goes ignored until something happens. Due to the entire world of nuclear weapons being a highly-sensationalized topic on any given day, this is a good reminder of how civilization decline is a rather serious concern in our modern times. When someone thinks of the administrative management of nuclear weapons, one is likely to be assaulted with a plethora of content regarding the extreme security of our nuclear triad. Consequently, when some sort of problem occurs, the first knee-jerk reaction to a vulnerability is to assume that "surely someone has taken care of this, or mitigated that". And in most cases one would be correct...but not always. Many people have grow accustomed to "zero-fail" systems actually being zero-fail due to the assumption that nothing bad will happen, because nothing bad has happened yet. Over time, this has resulted in a level of trust being placed on systems that today are not nearly as reliable as they are believed to be. In the case of a highly-dramatized topic such as nuclear weapons, it's quite clear that the actual implementation of nuclear warheads is rather well planned and managed....but Microsoft's SharePoint scandal has proven that maybe the companies that actually build the weapons are not as hardened as we all thought they were. From the mass-firings at the 5th Mission Support Group in 2023 due to failed nuclear readiness inspections, to the NNSA being impacted in undisclosed ways by a SharePoint breach (of all things), the American people are perfectly justified in adopting a "don't trust, always verify" mentality regarding systems that *were* zero-fail decades ago, but might not be so fail-proof anymore. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

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//END REPORT//

//The Wire//2300Z July 22, 2025// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: VIOLENCE CONTINUES IN SYRIA. MICROSOFT SOFTWARE VULNERABILITY RESULTS IN CYBERATTACKS ON SHAREPOINT USERS. AIRMAN KILLED DUE TO MALFUNCTIONING SERVICE PISTOL, INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY TO DETERMINE CAUSATION.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Middle East: The civil war in Syria continues as before, with various tribes continuing to consolidate gains in their respective areas. The Jolani government remains largely centered in Damascus, and most of the violence continues in Suwayda. Analyst Comment: Most western nations are still pretending that a ceasefire exists and is in effect, when in practice there is no such cessation of hostilities as tribal violence and random executions of civilians are becoming more common on all sides. An American citizen aligned with the Druze was executed a few days ago, drawing concerns of what the international response will be to the escalating violence throughout the region. So far, there hasn't been much interest from the international community to get involved in Syria again, with the exception of Israel and Turkey (who are the biggest external nationstates involved in the conflict so far). However, this is Syria and things happen quickly here. -HomeFront- USA: Microsoft has faced scrutiny for their response to a recent software vulnerability that was recently announced. Over the weekend Microsoft revealed the discovery of a critical vulnerability within the Sharepoint ecosystem, which was discovered after thousands of government and enterprise-level customers experienced significant cyberattacks (mostly from well-known Chinese hacking groups). Analyst Comment: This morning, it became known that this vulnerability was actually already known, and was identified by Trend Micro (a cybersecurity firm) which found the exploit back on July 8th during a hacking competition. Microsoft allegedly issued software fixes to patch the vulnerability, however a few days ago malign actors were observed utilizing the exploit anyway, confirming that Microsoft's efforts to patch this Sharepoint bug were ineffective. Washington D.C. - The Department of the Air Force has launched an investigation into the M18 service pistol following the death of a service member due to safety concerns. The US Air Force will cease all issuance of the M18 platform while the investigation is ongoing, following several other government agencies which have already halted the use of this weapon system due to safety concerns. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: For those who are not aware of the implications of the M18 scandal, this scandal has been building for some time and opinions are sharply divided. Sig Sauer has been the center of much controversy surrounding the P320 (the civilian designation of the M18 service pistol) after multiple reports emerged from owners regarding the pistol not being drop-safe. Most modern handguns incorporate some sort of "drop safety" into their design, which prevents the pistol from firing if the gun is dropped. After admitting there was a problem regarding the drop safety on early P320's, Sig issued a recall and allegedly fixed the issue. However, after some time, an entirely separate series of issues began to be reported, namely that in some cases, the pistol would discharge on it's own at random while holstered. When these reports came out, Sig Sauer did everything in their power to silence these concerns, and several Public Relations efforts were undertaken to shame and gaslight P320 owners into thinking that the problems were entirely the result of the end user and not a design flaw. However, despite the months of denial, problems remained. Several law enforcement agencies halted the use of the M18 a few months ago after very-well-documented cases confirmed that sometimes the M18 will fire a chambered round while holstered, in some cases without even being jostled or otherwise manipulated (thus removing the potential for user error from the equation). Ten days ago, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stated that they will be transitioning back to the Glock 19 service pistol due to the concerns with the P320 platform. Five days ago, the FBI released a report at the behest of the Michigan State Police, who requested a forensic evaluation of the P320 handgun involved in a completely unprovoked discharge that occurred last month. This forensic analysis did not indicate much, as the FBI was not able to figure out what happened in this specific case. However, their testing did indicate that Sig's claims regarding some of the internal safeties could be overridden under certain conditions. But by and large, this report was mostly inconclusive in determining exactly what is causing these pistols to fire unintentionally. Immediately after this report was released, the US Army stated that they will take no action regarding their adoption of this handgun. A few days later, a USAF Airman at the 90th Security Forces Squadron took his pistol off his belt (while still holstered), and placed the firearm on his desk. The holstered pistol then fired the round that was in the chamber, striking the service member in the chest, killing him. As most people outside the gun world may not grasp the gravity of this situation (understandably so), this incident has the potential to be the "Ford Pinto" of the gun world. Thus, once more details come to light, this may end up being one of the biggest defense procurement scandals of all time. In short, everyone knows there's a problem with the P320/M18 platform, but right now Sig Sauer is the only entity that seems to know what's going on with their pistols, and they aren't talking. The FBI doesn't have the technical know-how to engineer a test to re-create what is going on, but pistols keep going off regardless. And this time, a service member is dead because of the hesitation and lack of aggressiveness to investigate these incidents. Sig Sauer has been sued well over a dozen times regarding this handgun's safety concerns, but once again this has been a tough problem to solve and not many people are willing to put in the work to find the flaw....or to fight VERY well funded legal efforts to stifle the identification of a problem with the P320 platform. Most people are treating this situation with kid-gloves because the firearms community is big-business, and throwing around allegations of a design flaw that can kill someone is a dangerous game. In the civilian world, most firearms enthusiasts have been aware of the problems for some time, but once again haven't been able to nail down exactly what the problem is. Since there are other alternatives to the P320 platform on the market, often times the juice wasn't worth the squeeze when it came to figuring out what is going on here. Most people didn't feel particularly strongly about the issue either way; if someone was concerned about it then they would select a different firearm and move on, no big deal. The issues couldn't be reproduced reliably, and there was enough grey area in the civilian world to allow for some people to keep using the P320 with no issues, but others deciding that it just wasn't worth the risk after years of scandal, especially with a wealth of other firearms on the market at a similar price point that didn't have the headache of scandal surrounding them. In the professional defense procurement world, however, it's a much different game. Regarding the M18's in the US Army alone, the contract that was awarded for this pistol was over $580 million, which means that Sig's company is on the line. And (to speculate slightly) if it eventually becomes known that Sig had prior knowledge of a design flaw that could have prevented deaths...but did nothing about it except to deny the claims and shame those voicing concerns, this has the potential to become a rather serious issue. As a reminder, Sig Sauer has the primary contract to provide not just handguns to the Army, but rifles as well. The M7 rifle was adopted to replace the M4 platform a couple of years ago, and these new rifles are just now starting to enter military use. While the M7 platform has no similar safety concerns, the M18 scandal is still not a good look for the company that is now responsible for providing the bulk of small arms to the US military. In any case, this entire affair is emblematic of much bigger concerns within the defense industry at large. Right now, the United States is operating a peacetime military force. This will not always remain so forever. If the United States cannot reliably trust one of the cheapest individual weapons systems issued to the solider, then not much else can be trusted either...if we cannot do the little things right, there's not much hope in doing the big things right. Of course, these challenges are not out of our grasp, nor are these issues particularly unique. However, sometimes a re-examination of what we're doing - from the top of the military industrial complex, all the way down to the individual - is helpful for staying on track for the challenges ahead. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

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//END REPORT//

//The Wire//2100Z July 21, 2025// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: CHINA BEGINS MAJOR HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT IN TIBET. ALASKA AIRLINES SUFFERS IT OUTAGE, GROUNDING ALL FLIGHTS SUNDAY EVENING.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Central Asia: Over the weekend, Chinese authorities began construction on a major hydroelectric power plant in a remote region of Tibet. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held at a site adjacent to the future Yarlung Tsangpo Hydroelectric Power Plant in Nyingchi. This project is scheduled to be completed by 2033, and for comparison will allegedly be roughly three times the size of the Three Gorges Dam project. -HomeFront- Washington: Sunday evening an IT outage resulted in all Alaska Airlines aircraft being grounded for several hours. Roughly 150 flights were canceled as a result of the outage, and airline representatives have warned of future disruptions due to malfunctioning equipment. So far no cause for the outage has been disclosed, beyond general comments of unspecified equipment failure. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: As with most Chinese industrial projects, the scale of the hydroelectric project in Tibet is impressive. However in this case, they are attempting to build the largest hydroelectric power plant in human history...directly in the middle of a region legendary for extreme seismic activity. More broadly however, there are mitigating factors which complicate this seemingly glaring mistake. As the dam will also be built over a river that flows into India, various concerns are present regarding restricting the flow of water into India. Conversely, since India will be the primary customer of the electricity, these concerns will likely waver over time due to India's extremely poor infrastructure. In short, China knows that India is desperate for electricity, so China is going to dam up a river on the Indian border and use what would have been India's own river to produce electricity to sell back to them. Consequently, since this power plant will be used to provide electricity for export, CCP officials probably don't care as much about the national security risks when/if the plant gets destroyed due to an earthquake or due to combat action. Considering that this dam can also be used to halt the flow of water into India, this dam highlights the often forgotten detail that the People's Republic of China rarely does anything that does not also have military value. The Yarlung Tsangpo River (which is known as the Brahmaputra River in India) accounts for roughly 7% of all of the freshwater supply in India (at least, according to the Indian government). This means that China can quite literally turn the screws on India, and apply pressure to their BRICS partner as necessary. Indian leadership, only interested in short-term gains (and cheap electricity), have either forgotten that there's no such thing as a free lunch and/or are so desperate to keep their failing electrical grid from outright collapse that they don't care about the potential military impacts that will occur in a decade when the plant comes online. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

S2 Underground GhostNotes

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//END REPORT//

//The Wire//2000Z July 16, 2025// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: ISRAELI FORCES STRIKE DAMASCUS. ATTEMPTED FIREBOMBER ARRESTED IN MICHIGAN. CONCERNS MOUNT REGARDING SECRET BRITISH PLAN TO HOUSE AFGHAN MIGRANTS.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- United Kingdom: Social backlash has resulted from a court order issued yesterday, which unsealed many details pertaining to a secret government plan to relocate Afghans to the United Kingdom following the fall of Kabul in 2021. In 2022, a plan was created by the Ministry of Defense to covertly extricate roughly 4,500 people from Afghanistan and relocate them to the United Kingdom, after a data breach allegedly revealed that they were working for the British government during the war. On Tuesday, the British citizenry discovered that the true number of Afghans imported under this secret plan was actually over 16,000. Syria: This morning Israeli forces conducted a large-scale airstrike at the Ministry of Defense building in Damascus, with initial damage assessments indicating the complex was nearly completely destroyed. The bombing of Damascus continued throughout the day. Analyst Comment: At the moment it is uncertain as to how far Israel will go (for this specific engagement), however it's possible these are the next steps of their much larger campaign. For additional context, PM Netanyahu's criminal trial was scheduled to begin today, however court was adjourned due to the strikes. Before the cancellation, U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee was in attendance at the court. -HomeFront- Michigan: One assailant has been arrested in conjunction with a firebombing attempt that was carried out at the GOP headquarters in Dickinson County on Saturday. Local authorities state that Zayn Edward Arcand attempted to throw an incendiary device at the facility, however the device failed to ignite during the attack. Arcand was arrested shortly after the attack. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: The Afghan scandal in the United Kingdom comes as concerns grow regarding the censorship of the citizenry. One of the more important aspects of this case is that everyone knew this was happening at the time in 2022, however a court order banned speech from media groups referencing this scandal. Now that this order has been rescinded, more details pertaining to immigration issues are likely to come to light over the next few weeks. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

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//END REPORT//

//The Wire//2000Z July 15, 2025// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: FLOODING CONTINUES THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. CONCERNS GROWING REGARDING SHIFTING PRIORITIES IN WASHINGTON.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Syria: Conflict has erupted once again, as fighting has flared up between Druze militias and the collection of Bedouin and pro-government forces loosely aligned under al-Jolani's new regime. A few hundred casualties have been reported in the town of Suwayda over the weekend, and a very hesitant "ceasefire" has been declared after this latest round of fighting. -HomeFront- Colorado: Following a high-profile kidnapping attempt that occurred in Aurora last year, a District Attorney has faced backlash for her efforts to free the perpetrator of the attack. Solomon Galligan was arrested for attempting to kidnap a child on the street in Aurora last year, and on Monday reports emerged that DA Amy Padden was attempting to drop all charges against him because he was found mentally incompetent to stand trial. USA: Flooding incidents continue as before, with heavy rainfall causing flooding throughout New York and New Jersey overnight. In Texas, recovery efforts continue amid constant heavy rainfall, with roughly 160x persons still being reported missing from the initial flooding crisis that struck the Guadalupe River basin two weeks ago. The casualty count for the floods in Texas so far remains at 132x reported fatalities. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: At the moment, the White House appears to be radically shifting priorities on many different issues. The shift to cover up the Epstein client list, and to hush-up all aspects of the case is without question a bridge too far for most people to accept. Claiming that the largest known human trafficking network in the world simply had no clients is an incredulous turning point in history that President Trump will not be able to walk away from hoping that everyone forgets. Likewise, relations between the United States and Russia have deteriorated further following the events of the past few days. The war in Ukraine has sharply veered away from any sort of peace agreement, with the United States ramping up arms shipments to Ukraine once again. Though nothing is confirmed at this point, the usual leaks have indicated that the White House is considering the next wave of aid to Ukraine, and what weapons systems it will entail. Some whispers suggest the US will allow Ukraine to increase direct attacks on Moscow with American arms, and other rumors suggest that the US is looking to send more capable arms and missiles with which to continue the war. Time will tell what is decided, but the bottom line is that the flow chart is pointing toward an increase in the war's activity, and all parties are trending away from peace talks. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

S2 Underground GhostNotes

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Hello everyone, welcome to GhostNotes, a project to convert a lot of the S2 Underground

//END REPORT//

//The Wire//2100Z July 14, 2025// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: WHITE HOUSE LOOKS TO TARIFF RUSSIA AS PEACE TALKS STAGNATE. FLOODING CONTINUES IN TEXAS AS MORE RAINFALL ARRIVES.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -HomeFront- Kentucky: On Sunday, a shooting was reported in Lexington at the Richmond Road Baptist Church after a brief police pursuit. Local authorities state that Guy House briefly engaged a police officer near the Blue Grass Airport during a traffic stop, wounding the officer in the initial incident. House then fled the scene, entering the Church that was located adjacent to the airport. Upon entry, House murdered two people, and wounded several others. House was engaged by pursuing officers, and was killed at the scene. Texas: Following last week's devastating floods, heavy rainfall returned over the weekend to the same area. Roughly 6-10 inches of rain fell throughout central Texas, and more precipitation is expected throughout the week. Search and Rescue operations have been halted a few times due to flooding risks re-emerging throughout the region. Washington D.C. - Relations with Russia have deteriorated following efforts by the White House to end the war in Ukraine falling flat. This morning President Trump stated that the United States is looking to implement a tariff of 100% on Russian goods if a peace deal is not reached in 50 days. This afternoon, the Pentagon awarded xAI's Grok a $200 million contract to integrate the LLM throughout the defense community. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: Russia is already the most heavily-sanctioned nation on Earth, with very little trade being undertaken between the United States and Russia. American imports of Russian goods amount to roughly $3.5 billion per year, which (for context) is roughly 10 times less than the GDP of Vermont. Consequently, engaging in a trade spat with Russia is unlikely to yield the intended effect. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

S2 Underground GhostNotes

GhostNotes - S2 Underground GhostNotes - Obsidian Publish

Hello everyone, welcome to GhostNotes, a project to convert a lot of the S2 Underground

//END REPORT//

//The Wire//2300Z July 10, 2025// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: MERCHANT VESSELS SUNK IN RED SEA. FLOODING CONTINUES AROUND THE UNITED STATES.//  -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events- Red Sea/HOA: Two commercial vessels have been sunk off the coast of Yemen by Houthi forces over the past few days. On July 6th, the M/V MAGIC SEAS was struck by cruise missiles and Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs), which was rapidly followed up with small arms and RPG attacks via militants in small boats. The next day, the M/V ETERNITY C was attacked in a similar manner. Both vessels suffered severe flooding, finally sinking overnight. -HomeFront- Washington D.C. - This morning the FDA granted approval for Moderna's new "Spikevax" COVID-19 vaccine for children 6 months old to 11 years old. Following concerns expressed by the agricultural community, the USDA has reversed their stance on allowing cattle to be imported from Mexico. The decision to re-close livestock imports was made following a new infestation of New World Screwworm (NWS) being reported at a higher latitude than previously disclosed by Mexican officials, and that NWS was present in herds of livestock much closer to the US/Mexico border than previously known. As of right now, all ports of entry are closed to Mexican cattle, while the parasite continues to spread throughout Mexico. Southern USA: Flooding incidents remain constant as severe weather systems continue to develop throughout the region. More severe flooding was reported throughout North Carolina, with water rescues continuing in Durham and many downed trees causing power outages. The Graham–Mebane Water Treatment Plant went offline due to flooding damage, causing a brief water shortage throughout the city of Mebane. The flooding recovery in Texas continues as the total casualty count climbs to 120x fatalities and around 173x people still being unaccounted for. In New Mexico, 3x fatalities were reported as a result of the floods over the past few days, as flash floods struck the town of Ruidoso. -----END TEARLINE----- Analyst Comments: Heavy rain is still being forecast for many areas throughout the American South and along the east coast for the next few days. Considering the rain that has already fallen, in many areas the ground is already saturated, making flooding and landslides much more of a risk. Now is the time to prepare, and consider the impact of weather events becoming much more severe than originally forecast. Analyst: S2A1 Research:

S2 Underground GhostNotes

GhostNotes - S2 Underground GhostNotes - Obsidian Publish

Hello everyone, welcome to GhostNotes, a project to convert a lot of the S2 Underground

//END REPORT//