Happy Sunday Red Staters 🇺🇸,

Our Trusted Partner:

Here we are again — more senseless violence, more reckless anti-law enforcement rhetoric, and another tragic death that was 1000% avoidable. We’re not getting into the details this week while everything continues to unfold. But America — we have to do better. No matter who you are, red, white, blue, black, latino, asian, male, female, young or old, we need to step back and confront the reality of the current social climate — because right now, it is deeply disturbed.

Karen strikes again—this time with a lesson in modern priorities. A retired cop in Maine reportedly tried to interfere with police investigating a serious threat against local schools, not because the threat wasn’t real, but because she believed the officers might be ICE. Protect the ideology first, ask questions later. Welcome to liberal logic in 2026.

Politics & Policy

It was another week where the headlines felt less like fiction and more like a stress test for reality. Donald Trump made it clear the U.S. is done playing small on the world stage, declaring America will have “total access” to Greenland under a new arrangement with NATO, complete with plans to station part of the Golden Dome missile defense system there. No expiration date. No sunset clause. Just strategic leverage—something Washington hasn’t flexed in a while.

Back home, voters appear to be catching on. A new Wall Street Journal poll shows Americans trust Congressional Republicans far more than Democrats on the issues that actually affect daily life—like immigration, border security, and the economy. On border security alone, the GOP holds a jaw-dropping 28-point advantage. Translation: voters are done with slogans and want results.

Meanwhile, allies are wobbling. The U.S. publicly accused United Kingdom of “letting us down” after pushing forward with a deal to hand Diego Garcia to Mauritius—despite it hosting one of America’s most critical military bases. Trust is easy to lose, hard to rebuild.

Markets & Money

Trump also took aim at Wall Street’s quiet migration south, blasting the New York Stock Exchange expansion into Texas as “unbelievably bad” for New York—though the numbers tell a different story. More than 100 companies have already dual-listed on NYSE Texas, signaling where capital prefers lower taxes and fewer lectures.

Gold bulls are back in charge, with analysts now floating $5,000 an ounce targets after fresh record highs. At the same time, Trump filed a $5B lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase and CEO Jamie Dimon, alleging politically motivated “debanking.” Whether that sticks or not, the message to Big Finance is clear: politics and money are colliding—and the gloves are coming off.

While we’re on the subject of markets and capital flows, it’s worth seeing what Weiss Ratings just released. Their analysts uncovered a little-known signal tied to a major market shift—along with a list of stocks they believe investors should dump now and a few names positioned to benefit when the shift hits. You can review the full breakdown for free.

Business & Culture

Corporate America didn’t escape the turbulence. Roughly 130 Popeyes locations face bankruptcy as debt finally catches up. WestJet reversed its seat-squeezing experiment after viral backlash, while Spirit Airlines eyes a possible rescue via Castlelake.

Retail? Still bleeding. GameStop is closing 20% of its stores this month. But not all is bleak: Buc-ee's is opening a monster new location in Fort Pierce, Florida—120 pumps, EV chargers, and enough snacks to survive a hurricane.

And America’s liquor cabinet is officially overstocked. Brands like Stoli and Kentucky Owl are shutting down as Gen Z drinks less and foreign markets sour on U.S. booze. Turns out, cultural shifts hit balance sheets faster than press releases.

Winners:

DonaldTrump (AGAIN)
Greenland. Secured. Trump managed to get essentially everything he wanted—strategic access, military positioning, and long-term leverage—without firing a shot or cracking open the U.S. checkbook. Diplomacy with teeth beats endless negotiations with excuses. File this one under: Art of the Deal, Arctic Edition.

The U.S. Economy
Turns out America still knows how to grow when it’s not being strangled by bad policy. The Bureau of Economic Analysis confirmed Q3 GDP surged at a 4.4% annualized rate, blowing past economist expectations of 3.3% and marking the fastest growth in two years. Stronger than forecast, stronger than excuses, and stronger than the narrative Americans have been fed.

Losers:

Mark Carney
Nothing says “global leadership” like getting uninvited. Canada’s prime minister reportedly received a polite-but-painful letter informing him that his invitation to the so-called Board of Peace had been withdrawn. Translation: thanks, but no thanks. Diplomatic demotions rarely come with this much paper trail.

Drive Planning LLC’s Founder
The champagne lifestyle finally ran into reality. The founder of Drive Planning LLC pleaded guilty to orchestrating what prosecutors describe as Georgia’s largest Ponzi scheme—an eye-watering $380 million swindled from more than 2,000 investors. Private jets, yachts, luxury condos, designer wardrobes—it was all funded by other people’s retirement dreams. The extravagance is over. The consequences are just beginning.

America Decides:

Last Week

Last week, we asked whether Trump was right to pursue Greenland—and 47% of you said you were fully on board. No hemming, no hawing. Full support.

Fast forward a few days and, well… looks like the issue handled itself. Strategic access secured, zero force used, zero taxpayer check written, and minimal drama. Sometimes the loudest critics predict chaos—and end up watching competence quietly do the job.

This Week

When politicians normalize hostility toward law enforcement, chaos isn’t a bug — it’s the outcome. The question now is whether the left has gone too far to turn back.

State Of The Union:

This isn’t happening here — yet. But it’s close enough to matter.
Tucker Carlson’s latest documentary is a blunt look at what happens when leaders stop protecting their own countries and start apologizing for them instead. It’s not shock-for-clicks. It’s a warning. And it makes painfully clear why Trump is fighting so hard to keep America from following the same path. Worth every minute when you have a few to spare.

@tuckercarlson

The West isn’t just tolerating mass migration. Our governments are funding it. In our new documentary, our cameras uncover what no one wan... See more

Your Weekly Dose of Reality:

When Gratitude Still Means Something

An Ohio restaurant just reminded everyone what appreciation actually looks like. Instead of lecturing customers about tips or blaming diners for “not doing enough,” the owners of a Toledo restaurant shut the doors and took their entire staff on a paid Bahamas cruise. Flights covered. Cabins booked. No guilt campaigns. No social media theatrics. Just owners choosing to reward loyalty with something real. In an industry where gratitude is often demanded instead of earned, this was refreshingly old-school.

Translation: Appreciation isn’t a surcharge. It’s a choice.

Another American Icon, Foreign-Owned

Nathan’s Famous — the hot dog stand that became a Fourth of July ritual — has been sold for $450 million to Chinese-owned Smithfield Foods. The brand started in 1916 as a five-cent stand on Coney Island, built by an immigrant with a $300 loan and a good idea. A century later, the name still screams America. The ownership doesn’t. This isn’t about nostalgia — it’s about a quiet pattern where iconic U.S. brands keep their flags out front while control moves overseas.

Translation: You can keep the logo. Ownership is what actually matters.

The Degree Bubble Meets Reality

Palantir CEO Alex Karp didn’t mince words at the World Economic Forum. Sitting alongside Larry Fink, Karp said artificial intelligence “will destroy humanities jobs,” while creating plenty of opportunity for people with real, vocational skills. The comment landed like a brick in a room long accustomed to celebrating abstract thinking as a career path. While academics argue creativity and “critical thinking” will thrive, AI is already doing much of the reading, writing, and synthesizing that humanities grads were trained to do — faster and cheaper.

Translation: Ideas are nice. Skills still pay the bills.

Our Trusted Partner Briefing:

Something BIG is about to hit the market

You won’t hear this in the mainstream media…

But according to a strange investment secret — discovered just before the Great Depression …

It's likely to catch most Americans by surprise.

This investment secret accurately called every major financial event in recent history …

And it's now signaling something is about to happen very soon.

** Red State Finance may receive compensation from our partners. We only feature companies we believe bring value to our readers.

The Green Spending Spree Gets the Axe

The Trump administration is canceling nearly $30 billion in Biden-era green energy loans after a full review found money was rushed out the door with minimal oversight. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said more funding was approved in the final months of the Biden administration than had been disbursed over the prior fifteen years combined. Billions earmarked for wind and solar projects are now being scrapped or reworked, with capital redirected toward natural gas and nuclear upgrades — energy sources that actually keep the lights on.

Translation: When ideology spends fast, taxpayers pay slow.

When “Just Tap” Becomes “Just Stolen”

A 19-year-old McDonald's employee in Texas was arrested after allegedly double-charging customers and funneling nearly $700 into his personal account. According to police, legitimate payments were processed at the register — then customers’ cards were quietly tapped again on a personal device for an extra $10–$20 per transaction. Authorities are now urging customers to comb through their statements for suspicious charges. What looked like frictionless convenience turned out to be frictionless fraud.

Translation: Convenience is great — until trust disappears.

What Else You Might’ve Missed:

Equal Time Finally Means Equal Time

A decades-old FCC rule just woke up — and daytime TV might not like it. The Federal Communications Commissionannounced changes to its “equal time” requirement, a rule dating back to 1934 that guarantees balanced political access on broadcast television. For years, shows like The View enjoyed exemptions by being classified as news programming. Those exemptions are now gone. Programs can petition to keep special treatment — but absent approval, balance may no longer be optional.

Translation: If you’re going to talk politics all day, you might have to let the other side talk too.

Character Shows When Cameras Aren’t On

Barron Trump reportedly did what mattered most when it mattered most. After witnessing a female friend being assaulted over FaceTime, Barron called emergency services from the U.S. to report the attack in London, according to the Daily Mail. The accused attacker is now on trial facing rape and assault charges. The woman later said the call helped save her life — a decisive act made quietly, without a press release or a photo op.

Translation: Real character doesn’t trend. It acts.

Small Capital, Big Housing Heat

Hartford, Connecticut just leapfrogged Buffalo to become Zillow’s hottest housing market for 2026. Yes — that Hartford. The state capital now tops the list thanks to an inventory crunch that’s 63% below pre-pandemic levels, the worst shortage among major U.S. metros. Two-thirds of homes sold above asking price last year, and price cuts were almost nonexistent. It’s not flashy. It’s not booming with new towers. It’s simply supply-starved — and buyers are paying the price.

Translation: Housing markets don’t need hype. They need scarcity.

America’s Favorite Gas Station Keeps Invading

For most drivers, gas stations are a pit stop. For Buc-ee's fans, they’re the whole trip. The beaver-branded empire is planning to open 19 new locations by the end of 2026, pushing far beyond its Texas roots and deeper into the Midwest and Southwest. States like Florida, Tennessee, and Arkansas are getting the biggest haul as Buc-ee’s turns clean bathrooms, absurd snack aisles, and road-trip excess into a national business model. It’s not just expansion — it’s cultural domination at 120 pumps wide.

Translation: When you do the basics better than everyone else, people will drive out of their way for it.

Apple Blinks on AI

Apple just made its most consequential AI move yet — and it didn’t come from Cupertino. Under a new multi-year deal, Apple will base its next generation of Apple Intelligence models on infrastructure from Google, tapping Gemini-powered cloud systems to finally modernize Siri and roll out long-promised features across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The partnership signals urgency more than strategy. After years of preaching privacy-first restraint, Apple is now borrowing speed from a rival that’s been sprinting ahead.

Translation: When you’re behind, principles bend fast.

3 Events That Impact America Next Week: 🗓️

Event Name: Federal Reserve Interest Rate Decision
Event Date: January 28, 2026
Event Info: The Federal Reserve delivers its first policy decision of the year, with markets watching closely for confirmation that rate cuts remain off the table amid stubborn inflation and strong GDP growth.
Why You Should Care: Mortgage rates, markets, gold, and your cost of capital all hinge on this statement—one sentence can move trillions.

Event Name: U.S. GDP Outlook Revision
Event Date: January 29, 2026
Event Info: The Bureau of Economic Analysis releases updated forward-looking GDP projections following Q3’s surprise surge.
Why You Should Care: Strong growth limits rate cuts and fuels dollar strength—bad news for debt, good news for real assets.

Event Name: Border Security Funding Vote
Event Date: January 30, 2026
Event Info: House Republicans push a standalone border security funding bill, forcing Democrats to go on record ahead of the election cycle.
Why You Should Care: Immigration remains a top voter issue—and this vote draws a bright line between rhetoric and action.

Closing Thoughts:

The American Education System Is Failing the Test—and Everyone Knows It

For decades, Americans were told the fix for failing schools was simple: spend more, standardize harder, and stop asking questions. Trust the experts. Trust the unions. Trust the administrators—especially the ones who don’t send their own kids to public schools.

The results? Record spending. Worse outcomes.

After twelve years in school, too many students can’t explain compounding interest, file a tax return, understand a mortgage, or start a business. They don’t know how money works, how incentives work, or how to debate without melting down.

But they are fluent in politically approved narratives.

That didn’t happen by accident.

Modern schooling looks less like education and more like compliance training. Sit still. Follow rules. Memorize approved answers. Independent thinking is allowed—until it isn’t. Debate is encouraged—until it gets uncomfortable.

That’s not education. That’s conditioning.

Then AI arrived and exposed the problem. When a machine can write the essay, solve the math, and pass the test, memorization-heavy schooling collapses overnight. If AI can ace the system, maybe the system was never designed for real intelligence in the first place.

What actually matters—judgment, reasoning, communication, adaptability—are the skills the system teaches least.

Why? Because it isn’t built for outcomes. It’s built to preserve itself. Administrators multiply. Budgets grow. Results stagnate. Failure gets rewarded with more funding. Parents who question it get labeled the problem.

Real education should teach kids how to think, not what to chant. How money works, not why it’s unfair. How to argue, build, and create—not how to comply.

AI didn’t break American education.
It just removed the last excuse for pretending it works.

If this system were a private business, it would’ve been shut down years ago. Why do we keep letting it raise our kids?

Your Turn.

Hit reply and tell us what you think. Not talking points. Not party lines. Your honest take.

America doesn’t fix hard problems by staying quiet — it fixes them by arguing, debating, and thinking out loud again.

We read every reply. And we want this conversation back where it belongs: with real Americans.

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