Le Journal

White House Aims For Cuba Regime Change By Year-End Brimming with bravado after snatching Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a lightning raid on Caracas earlier this month, the Trump administration has now set a goal to end Communism in Cuba by the end of the year, according to sources who talked to the Wall Street Journal. Using the Venezuela operation as a blueprint, the White House is working to identify people inside the Cuban government who could be ripe for making a deal in which they use their position to help oust the current leadership, including President and First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel. Maduro's capture was reportedly enabled by an asset in his inner circle, who helped the CIA closely monitor Maduro's movements and daily habits ahead of the brazen snatch-and-grab mission. White House eyeing a one-two punch: Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel with then-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (Cubainformación TV) Following Maduro's ouster, Trump used his Truth Social account to warn that the Venezuela operation spelled doom for the communist government of Cuba, and that they should cut a "deal" soon: "Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of OIL and MONEY from Venezuela. In return, Cuba provided “Security Services” for the last two Venezuelan dictators, BUT NOT ANYMORE! Most of those Cubans are DEAD from last weeks U.S.A. attack...THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA - ZERO! I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE." According to the Journal's sources, the White House views the Cuban regime as teetering on the edge of collapse, and increasingly vulnerable with the loss of its Venezuelan trading partners. Assessments by the U.S. intelligence community paint a grim picture inside the communist nation, with Cuba’s tourism and agriculture industries significantly affected by shortages of medicine and basic necessities, routine blackouts, trade sanctions, and a host of other problems. Tourism has declined since the COVID-19 pandemic, and Cuba's economy has retracted alongside Venezuela’s over the past decade. China is delivering 30,000 tons of rice to Cuba, which is facing severe food and fuel shortages due to the U.S. blockade. The delivery is part of a new Chinese emergency aid program, and the first shipment arrived on Monday with the second shipment arriving at the Port of… pic.twitter.com/apHUokTk6Z — BreakThrough News (@BTnewsroom) January 20, 2026 Amid growing unease with Trump's interventionism -- including among a broad swath of conservatives -- Trump officials who spoke to the Journal sought to distinguish the administration's activism from the long line of regime-change efforts he railed against as a candidate: Some Trump officials said the president rejects regime-change strategies of the past. Instead, he looks to make deals where possible and to take advantage of opportunities as they come up, a senior Trump official said. As in Venezuela, this could look like escalating pressure while indicating the White House is open to negotiating an off-ramp, the official said. -- WSJ A "White House official" reiterated Trump's warning about making a deal while there's still time, saying, “Cuba’s rulers are incompetent Marxists who have destroyed their country, and they have had a major setback with the Maduro regime that they are responsible for propping up." While the rhetoric suggests a preference for an ouster facilitated solely through the use of enterprising insiders, it seems one can't rule out another military assault. Cuban blood has already been shed in Trump's push to establish a new level of US dominance over the Americas, as 32 soldiers and intel agents were killed in the Jan. 3 US assault on Caracas. Some observers worry that a collapse of the Cuban government could bring about a major humanitarian crisis that could usher in yet another costly US nation-building program, and waves of refugees seeking asylum. In contrast to Venezuela,…

House Speaker Endorses Impeachment Of Federal Judges Over Rulings Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on Jan. 21 that he would support articles of impeachment against some federal judges after congressional Republicans floated the prospect last year. During a press conference, a reporter asked Johnson about Senate Republicans suggesting that the House bring articles of impeachment against judges. Multiple Republicans have signaled they want to impeach two U.S. district judges, James Boasberg and Deborah Boardman. “I’m for it,” Johnson said during the Wednesday news conference alongside other Republican House members. “Judge Boasberg is one who’s been mentioned.” “Impeachment, as we have discussed all together many, many times, is an extreme measure. But extreme times call for extreme measures. And I think some of these judges have gotten so far outside the bounds of where they’re supposed to operate, it would not be, in my view, a bad thing for Congress to lay down the law, so to speak, and to make an example of some of these egregious abuses,” the House speaker said, without naming other judges. He did not offer a timeline on when impeachment articles could be introduced. “We’ll see where it goes,” he said. The House requires a simple majority to impeach an official such as a judge, but the bar is raised much higher in the Senate. A two-thirds majority in the upper chamber is needed to convict and remove an official if and after a House impeachment passes. Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) in March introduced articles of impeachment against Boasberg following court decisions that barred Trump from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan illegal immigrant gang members. The lawmaker also moved to introduce articles to impeach Boasberg in November over a separate decision related to the Arctic Frost investigation. In October, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) introduced an impeachment resolution targeting Boardman for a sentencing decision that she made for a man accused of plotting to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The man, Nicholas Roske, was sentenced to 8 years in prison, while prosecutors had sought upwards of 30 years of imprisonment. The text of the resolution states that Boardman should be impeached for handing down an “indefensibly light sentence” to Roske, who prosecutors had said had traveled to Kavanaugh’s home in June 2022 with a plan to kill the justice before he called the authorities on himself. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the chair of the Commerce Committee, said in a Senate hearing earlier this month that he wants impeachment proceedings against Boardman and Boasberg, saying that “both ... meet the standard for impeachment and for conviction and removal of office.” Democrats in Congress say, however, that the impeachment efforts are misguided and pointless. Among them is Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who this week said in a statement that a call to impeach Boardman over the Roske sentencing “contradicts basic law and history.” Whitehouse, who is the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Courts Subcommittee, said that in the case, “a notice of appeal has been filed regarding that sentencing, so it remains an active judicial proceeding, not a proper subject of partisan legislative pressure,” according to a Jan. 20 news release from his office. Whitehouse characterized impeachment suggestions against Boasberg as part of an unjust “barrage of threats by the MAGA movement and the Trump administration” that “appear intended to intimidate” the judge. Tyler Durden Thu, 01/22/2026 - 20:55

Intel Plunges On Another Quarter Of Dismal Guidance Intel is back to its old bag of post earnings rugpull tricks. The stock, which for some bizarre reason is up 50% in 2026 and almost 3x higher since August (it's actually not bizarre at all, with Trump pumping it at every opportunity but ultimately the fundamentals have to take over), tumbled after hours on an earnings release which was a tale of two parts. First, the historical data which was not terrible, but certainly not great. This is what the once glorious chipmaker reported for Q4: Revenue $13.67 billion, down -4.1% y/y, but beating sandbagged estimates of $13.43 billion Intel Products revenue $12.93 billion, -1.4% y/y, beating estimate $12.79 billion Client Computing revenue $8.19 billion, -6.6% y/y, missing estimate $8.3 billion Datacenter & AI revenue $4.74 billion, +8.9% y/y, beating estimate $4.42 billion Intel Foundry revenue $4.51 billion, +3.8% y/y, beating estimate $4.36 billion All Other revenue $574 million, -48% y/y, missing estimate $658.9 million Intersegment eliminations revenue -$4.34 billion, -0.6% y/y Adjusted gross margin 37.9% (down sharply from 42.1% y/y) but beating estimate 36.5% R&D expenses $3.22 billion, -17% y/y, berow estimate $3.31 billion Adjusted operating income $1.21 billion, -12% y/y, estimate $878.8 million Adjusted operating margin 8.8% vs. 9.6% y/y, estimate 6.29% Adjusted EPS 15c vs. 13c y/y, beating estimates of 8.7c But while beating on most income statement items may sound good, stepping back to look at the historical results the trends is, well, meh at best. But if the historical numbers were fine, it was the company's forecast that was once again the weakest link, and what sent the stock tumbling after hours. Here is what the company said to expect for Q1, a quarter in which everyone is - if one believes the rumors - buying any and every chip and tech component that isn't nailed down. Apparently every, except for Intel's that is: Sees revenue $11.7 billion to $12.7 billion, the midpoint missing estimates of $12.56 billion Sees adjusted EPS $0, missing estimates of 8c (and that's even with a projected tax rate of 11%, below the estimate 12%). Sees adjusted gross margin 34.5%, missing estimate 36.5% And the cherry on top: the company may be dragging on sales but at least it's overly generous in how it gets there: Sees adjusted operating expenses about $16 billion, estimate $15.93 billion So what happened and why was the guidance once again so piss poor? Apparently, it's not us, it's them, or some other excuse - according to Intel, supply shortages have made it harder to meet customer demand. But wait, what supply: doesn't Intel control its own supply chain. Why yes, yes it does. As Bloomberg notes, Intel is struggling with its manufacturing yields — the percentage of usable chips coming out of its factories — hampering a comeback bid, or rather making a mockery of the stock surge which took place in a vacuum, completely disconnected from the fundamentals which are the same old. Demand is “quite strong,” and the company is working hard to fix its manufacturing problems, CEO Lip-Bu Tan said in an interview. But Intel used up much of its inventory in the fourth quarter, he said. “Our yield and production manufacturing are not up to my standards,” Tan said. “We need to improve that.” Which is amazing because Intel has now been a ward of the US state for almost six months: how it couldn't have improved that until now is a mystery, but one thing is certain - if it hasn't improved by now, it won't. Unless Trump takes (without paying) another 10% of the company's equity. Remarkably, Intel stocks has unjustifiably soared in recent months, rising 3x since its decade lows in August, and riding a wave of Wall Street enthusiasm. Investors poured money into the stock in recent months, betting that new products would further bolster finances. That has not happened... and it probably never will: Intel's annual revenue of $53 billion last year…

2026 Looks Better For US Automakers Than Suppliers; Deutsche Bank Deutsche Bank is looking at U.S. autos heading into the new year with a growing sense of separation between winners and laggards. In a new 2026 outlook note, Edison Yu and his team argue that while global auto demand remains uneven and suppliers face a tougher volume backdrop, U.S. automakers are entering the year with clearer earnings momentum, helped by better mix, lower EV losses, and a renewed ability to lean into their most profitable internal-combustion vehicles. At a high level, the bank is cautious on global production growth despite more optimistic industry forecasts. Deutsche Bank sees downside risks tied mainly to China, where changes to government trade-in subsidies are expected to hit lower-priced vehicles hardest. While North America and Europe may improve modestly, the team does not believe those regions can fully offset a potential slowdown in China. As a result, suppliers are likely to guide conservatively for 2026, particularly in the first half of the year, even though fourth-quarter results should generally meet or exceed expectations. In contrast, the setup for U.S. automakers looks more favorable. Deutsche Bank expects both GM and Ford to deliver solid fourth-quarter results and to grow EBIT by roughly $1–2 billion year over year in 2026. The key driver is not higher unit volumes, but a shift in mix. With regulatory pressure easing, automakers no longer need to restrict production of high-margin trucks and SUVs to meet fleet-wide emissions targets. That flexibility allows them to stock dealerships with more profitable trims, improving margins even if overall sales volumes remain flat or modestly lower. The pullback from aggressive EV expansion is another important theme. Both Ford and GM have taken multi-billion-dollar write-downs tied to EV programs and battery investments. Deutsche Bank views these moves as painful but necessary resets that reduce future losses, depreciation, and overhead. By clearing out what the bank refers to as “stranded assets,” both companies enter 2026 with a cleaner cost base and a much easier earnings comparison year over year. For EV-focused companies, the conversation shifts away from near-term vehicle volumes and toward technology execution. Deutsche Bank expects muted underlying volume growth for Tesla and Rivian, with investor attention increasingly centered on autonomy, software, and what the team describes as “physical AI.” For Tesla, that means proving real-world progress in unsupervised full self-driving and robotaxi deployment before earning additional valuation credit. For Rivian, 2026 is framed as a critical year, with the R2 launch needing to demonstrate not just scale, but improving competitiveness in autonomy. Suppliers face a more complicated picture. China stands out as the biggest wildcard, as revised subsidy rules disproportionately impact lower-priced vehicles and are expected to drive a year-over-year decline in passenger vehicle wholesales. While many global suppliers skew toward higher-end vehicles, which may help mix, Deutsche Bank still expects a net negative volume impact. BorgWarner is singled out as particularly exposed given its historical reliance on China for growth. Another emerging risk is memory chips. The surge in AI data center demand has pulled wafer capacity away from automotive-grade DRAM, sending prices sharply higher. Deutsche Bank has not yet fully baked a DRAM-driven production hit into its forecasts, but flags it as a meaningful downside risk, especially for suppliers without strong inventory buffers or pricing protections. Some companies, like Aptiv, appear better insulated, while others may feel indirect pressure if vehicle production slows. Stepping back, Deutsche Bank’s overarching message is that 2026 is shaping up to be less about selling more cars and more about selling the right ones, at the right margins, with tighter cost control. Automakers, particularly in…