Random Thoughts While Waiting For The Storm Of The Century To Hit Texas -- January 21, 2026

Preparation: got out the deer / venison sausage, defrosting it now, for "venison-burgers" this weekend. A friend of the family supplies us with a bit of deer meat each season. 

Weather: it's a beautiful and balmy day here in north Texas, today. It's a slightly cloudy at 63°F right now; the forecast: 64°F and it stays like this until Friday afternoon (two days from now). By Monday we're back to 40. The daytime high is in the 20's and 30's on the weekend, though it could be slightly cooler for the high.  

Inflation: the high cost of eating out has made even "specialty" items from the local grocer look affordable now. I used to stay away from the deli -- too expensive. But now I can buy maybe 30 slices of salami for sandwiches that will make / last a dozen sandwiches, total about $8. I used to think $8 was way too expensive. Last week my wife and I had Japanese soup -- ramen -- $25 each -- the proprietor gave us the hot tea free. The bill was $50+ and then we gave a $20 tip.

Today, I had two salami sandwiches -- think "subway" -- probably cost all of $2.00 all in.

Davos: I see Jamie Dimon is speaking at Davos now. Does anyone care? Is anyone listening? Trump just spoke and the US tech sector surged. At least the three stocks I was looking at surged: Intel, AMD, MU.

Master negotiator: Trump won't impose tariffs on EU, Denmark. Says he has a framework for Greenland. truly amazing. Brilliant negotiator.  

Trans-Regional-United-Maritime-Plan: framework for Greenland, Iceland, Prince Edward Island (Nova Scotia), Svalbard to become part of NATO. NATO will now be called TRUMP-NATO and will be governed by a Danish Dance Team headed up by Marco Rubio. Norway is reconsidering that Nobel Peace Prize debacle. Norway has agreed to a re-count asked for by Ms Pam Bondi. Trump says he no longer cares that he already has a Nobel Peace Price (he donated the monetary piece of the award to that Venezuelan politico. 

Investing: I marvel at the number of folks who are concerned whether they are getting 4% or 5% on bonds, annual return.

And then I go to Micron, 250% appreciation in six months.

Likewise, Buffett is still considered the GOAT by many; BRK-B may have made 8% last year. In the past six months, BRK-B has "made" 2%; in the last full year, 3.3%. 

It was an open-book test: in that same period, one fully year, Micron has made 257% and paid a small dividend. Again, BRK made 3.3%. And paid no dividend. 

 SCCO: is having a bad day today. Down 2.5%. 

For the full year, SCCO is up 91%. And pays a dividend well above 2% for those who have been in the stock for awhile. A year ago, the share price we $95. SCCO was paying an annual dividend of $2.80 ($2.80 / $95 = 3%. 

Literary buffs: fascinating site -- link here. 

AMD: might as well check in, for the archives. Appreciated 60% in six months; for one full year, 105%. 

Intel: p/e today 5,082. Earnings tomorrow.  

Is this important? Link here. And this isn't even memory! But this drives memory demand. Is Larry Ellison looking brilliant just about now? I don't know.

Trump's administration: is it the best ever? Each of us has our favorites; each of us has our least favorites. But as a team, absolutely amazing.  

Off the net -- some recreational reading.  

The Prisoner's Dilemma -- Shay -- January 21, 2026

l

Link here. 

Ticker Of The Day -- Micron -- Hasn't Missed A Beat -- January 21, 2026

 l

Today:

Last six months, comparison with Wall Street's darling:

Hump Day -- The Market Pivots -- Again -- January 21, 2026

 l

WTI: $60.67.

New wells reporting:

• Thursday, January 22, 2026: 34 for the month, 34 for the quarter, 34 for the year, 
• None.
• Wednesday, January 21, 2026: 34 for the month, 34 for the quarter, 34 for the year,
• 41292, conf, Hess, GO-Morgan-156-97-1806H-3, 

RBN Energy: Mexico's planned gas-fired plants, LNG export capacity driving pipeline projects. Link here. Archived.

Mexico’s still-rising demand for U.S.-sourced natural gas — and new pipelines to deliver it — has been driven almost entirely by the buildout of new gas-fired power plants south of the border. Now, the state-owned Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) is planning another tranche of generating capacity and private-sector companies are developing LNG export capacity, spurring a new round of gas demand and pipeline needs. In today’s RBN blog, we conclude our look at the non-state midstreamers that own and operate gas pipelines in Mexico and discuss the incremental gas demand that may bring them new opportunities.

n Part 1, we noted that U.S. gas exports to Mexico have been rising steadily as new gas pipelines and gas-fired plants come online and that two successive presidential administrations in Mexico have seen the value of having the private sector play a major role in pipeline development — as long as state-owned Cenagas and CFE take the lead in pipeline planning. We also started a review of the leading private-sector companies involved in building new pipelines in Mexico with a look at TC Energy, which owns and operates eight large pipelines there. In Part 2, we reviewed the pipelines and projects of three other companies: Esentia Energy, Grupo Carso and Engie SA.

Today, we’ll look at Sempra Infrastructure and Grupo CLISA, and also discuss the drivers of what will likely be another round of gas pipeline development in Mexico.

Sempra Infrastructure

Sempra Infrastructure develops, owns and operates natural gas pipelines, LNG export terminals and other energy-related infrastructure in the U.S. and Mexico. Sempra Infrastructure is currently 70%-owned by Sempra Energy, the California-based utility giant, with KKR owning a 20% stake and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) owning the remaining 10%. In September 2025, Sempra reached an agreement to sell a 45% stake in the infrastructure company to KKR and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) for $10 billion in cash. That deal, which is expected to close in either Q2 or Q3 2026, will result in the KKR/CPPIB consortium owning 65% of Sempra Infrastructure, with Sempra holding 25% and ADIA holding 10%.

Sempra -- RBN Energy -- January 21, 2026

l

RBN Energy: Mexico's planned gas-fired plants, LNG export capacity driving pipeline projects. Link here. Archived.

Mexico’s still-rising demand for U.S.-sourced natural gas — and new pipelines to deliver it — has been driven almost entirely by the buildout of new gas-fired power plants south of the border. Now, the state-owned Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) is planning another tranche of generating capacity and private-sector companies are developing LNG export capacity, spurring a new round of gas demand and pipeline needs. In today’s RBN blog, we conclude our look at the non-state midstreamers that own and operate gas pipelines in Mexico and discuss the incremental gas demand that may bring them new opportunities.

n Part 1, we noted that U.S. gas exports to Mexico have been rising steadily as new gas pipelines and gas-fired plants come online and that two successive presidential administrations in Mexico have seen the value of having the private sector play a major role in pipeline development — as long as state-owned Cenagas and CFE take the lead in pipeline planning. We also started a review of the leading private-sector companies involved in building new pipelines in Mexico with a look at TC Energy, which owns and operates eight large pipelines there. In Part 2, we reviewed the pipelines and projects of three other companies: Esentia Energy, Grupo Carso and Engie SA.

Today, we’ll look at Sempra Infrastructure and Grupo CLISA, and also discuss the drivers of what will likely be another round of gas pipeline development in Mexico.

Sempra Infrastructure

Sempra Infrastructure develops, owns and operates natural gas pipelines, LNG export terminals and other energy-related infrastructure in the U.S. and Mexico. Sempra Infrastructure is currently 70%-owned by Sempra Energy, the California-based utility giant, with KKR owning a 20% stake and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) owning the remaining 10%. In September 2025, Sempra reached an agreement to sell a 45% stake in the infrastructure company to KKR and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) for $10 billion in cash. That deal, which is expected to close in either Q2 or Q3 2026, will result in the KKR/CPPIB consortium owning 65% of Sempra Infrastructure, with Sempra holding 25% and ADIA holding 10%.

 

Intel — January 21, 2026

Locator: 49772INTEL. 

Link here.

Link here.

Link here. Absolutely unable to sort this out.

Link here.

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The Prisoner's Dilemma
 

**************************
Today

Ticker: 

 

North Texas: Lines Are Out-The-Door At HEB — Four Days Before The Storm — And It’s Going To Be A Doozy — January 20, 2026

Locator: 49771ICESLEETSNOW. 

Blogging on hold. Snow alert.

Intel -- January 20, 2026

Locator: 49770INTEL.

Not ready for prime time. Not meant for general readership. For my benefit only.  

Updates

January 21, 2026: link here.

Original Post

Intel is occasionally tracked here. 

I believe Intel (INTC) reports 4Q25 earnings later this week, January 22, 2026.

In anticipation I spent some time with AI.

Link here. Update.

Link here. Update on Intel's Gaudi 3.

Link here. Intel's product links.

Spreadsheet:

Three New Permits -- January 20, 2026

Locator: 49769B. 

WTI: $60.34.

Active rigs: 28. 

Three new permits, #42654 - #42656, inclusive:

• Operator: Enerplus (2); Spotted Hawk.
• Fields: Little Knife (Dunn County); Van Hook (McLean):
• Comments:
• Spotted Hawk has a permit for a Grace well, NENW 18-150-91, 
• to be sited 507 FNL and 1366 FWL;
• Enerplus has permits for two Esther Federal wells, SESW 33-146-97, 
• to be sited 474 / 571 FSL and 2164 / 2147 FWL.

Apple iPhone Sales In China -- An Update -- January 20, 2026

Locator: 49768AAPL. 

Link here. 

Take a look at those numbers; those changes. Note: this came during a time when the Chinese government actively discouraged their citizens from buying Apple iPhones -- in some cases coming close to banning iPhone sales in China.

All That Talk About AI Being All Hype -- An Update -- January 20, 2026

Locator: 49767AI. 

Link here. 

Jargon: Marvell, Broadcom, DPUs -- January 20, 2026

Locator: 49766DPUS. 

Google: Marvell, Broadcom, DPUs.

Chips are tracked here. 

DPUs:

**********************
From An Earlier Post 

Apple Supply Chain 

Locator: 49081CHIPS.

Lessons learned: 

• one can ask ChatGPT anything;
• if you are not using ChatGPT (or a similar chatbot), you are flying blind.

Apple Silicon is tracked here. Chips are tracked here.

Apple suppliers: this schematic has been posted many, many times.

The schematic for the iPhone 17 series is not yet available, but ChatGPT will send me that schematic as soon as it becomes available.

I asked ChatGPT what specific Broadcom chip will be replaced by the new Apple Silicon N1 chip.

The answer: the Broadcom Wi-Fi + Bluetooth chip. 

Unknown is what other Broadcom components are "at risk." ChatGPT provided a list of components that could be at risk but none seem(ed) particularly remarkable and unlikely to be a major issue one way or the other. I could be wrong. 

ChatGPT also provided:

• an estimate of what Apple pays for each Broadcom chip (wi-fi + Bluetooth): and,
• what Apple pays Broadcom "all in" each year.

Phasing out the Broadcom wi-fi + Bluetooth chip was NOT cost driven. Don't take that out of context. It was driven by:

• Apple culture;
• supply chain control;
• software integration, efficiency, and power savings.

In fact, one might argue, throw in "privacy" issues, and these might be the big four issues that guides Tim Cook's decisions day in and day out.

**********************************
Disclaimer
Brief Reminder 

Briefly:

• I am inappropriately exuberant about the Bakken and I am often well out front of my headlights. I am often appropriately accused of hyperbole when it comes to the Bakken.
  
• I am inappropriately exuberant about the US economy and the US market.
• I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Apple. 
• See disclaimer. This is not an investment site. 
• Disclaimer: this is not an investment site. Do not make any investment, financial, job, career, travel, or relationship decisions based on what you read here or think you may have read here. All my posts are done quickly: there will be content and typographical errors. If something appears wrong, it probably is. Feel free to fact check everything.
  
• If anything on any of my posts is important to you, go to the source. If/when I find typographical / content errors, I will correct them. 
• Reminder: I am inappropriately exuberant about the Bakken, US economy, and the US market.
• I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Apple. 
• And now, Nvidia, also. I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Nvidia. Nvidia is a metonym for AI and/or the sixth industrial revolution.
• I've now added Broadcom to the disclaimer. I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Broadcom.
• Longer version here.   

 

Netflix -- 4Q25 Earnings -- Posted January 20, 2026

 Locator: 49765NETFLIX. 

Themes: 2027

Locator: 49764THEMES. 

First posted January 20, 2026.

Annual themes are tracked here, though sporadically updated.  

Fabs:

• Intel

AI:

• the year of the chatbots

Energy

• nuclear
• China 
• LNG 

Geopolitcal  

• Greenland
• Venezuela
• Russia-Ukraine
• US-NATO 

US vaccinations

• fallout / repercussions from reducing childhood vaccinations from 17 to 11 in starting in 2026  

USAF:

• no longer, air superiority;
• now, AIR DOMINANCE.

US economy:

• Texas,
• Florida;
• California.

Connections:

• chatbots
• blogs
• Facebook
• x

China Fossil Fuel -- January 20, 2026

Locator: 49763CHINA. 

Link here. 

Foreign Exchange Reserves -- Russia, Saudi Arabia, China -- Posted January 20, 2026

Locator: 49762SAUDI 

Locator: 49862CHINA.

Locator: 49862RUSSIA.  

Foreign exchange reserves: Russia, Saudi Arabia, China.

Russia, link here: posted January 20, 2026, no update since then: 

Saudi, link here: posted January 8, 2026:

China, link here, posted January 8, 2026: 

Gas Mileage -- Personal Vehicles -- January 20, 2026

Locator: 49761MILEAGE. 

Apple Will Ship Millions Of $2,000-Foldable iPhones This Year -- But That's Just A Start -- These Numbers Are Icredible -- January 20, 2026

Locator: 49760APPLE. 

Apple is tracked here. 

Link here.

But look at the overall numbers: 

If you aren't emotionally ready for a foldable iPhone from tech giant Apple (AAPL), at least get ready for it as an investor, says Citi analyst Atif Malik.

Malik sees a fast ramp of the foldable iPhone beginning later this year and going into 2027. He expects the device to debut at Apple's annual fall launch together with iPhone 18 Pro/Pro Max models.

"With the premium pricing of around $2,000 and timing of the launch, we expect limited foldable iPhone shipment of around 8 million units in 2026, or ~3% of total iPhone shipment, which will likely grow to 20 million units in 2027," Malik wrote in a note on Tuesday.

The analyst reiterated a Buy rating on Apple — about 50% of Wall Street analysts rate Apple a Buy, Yahoo Finance data shows. He did cut his price target to $315 from $330, citing margin risk from the surge in memory chip prices.

Apple's stock has been dead money for more than a year as investors have rotated into more AI-centric names from the "Magnificent Seven," such as Nvidia (NVDA) and Microsoft (MSFT). Not helping matters is renewed trade tensions between the Trump administration and key Apple markets in Europe and China.

This Is Where Chatbots Shine -- "First Take" With Stephen A -- January 20, 2026

Locator: 49759SPORTS. 

The morning after Indiana University football makes history and at the height of the NFL playoffs leading up to the Super Bowl, the moderator for First Take is absent again. Without Molly, the show has taken a different "flavor," and not for the better.  Even with Cornette, the show does not seem to be as enjoyable to watch as when Molly was there. 

AI prompt: On Stephen A Smith's First Take, the new moderator seems to have been "absent" more than she has been on the show since Molly departed. Today, Tuesday, January 20, 2026, after a three-day weekend, she's absent again, during the height of the NFL run-up to the Super Bowl? Is my perception accurate?

Google Gemini:  

The Daring Invention of Logarithm Tables: How Jost Bürgi, John Napier, and Henry Briggs Simplified Arithmetic and Started the Computing Revolution, color edition, Klaus Truemper, c. 2020 -- Re-Posted January 20, 2026

Locator: 49758NVIDIA. 

From a post from another Million Dollar Way blog April 29, 2025. 

Logarithms lead directly to slide rules. From the book below, p. 60:

The production of slide rules, circular slide rules, and slide cylinders came to a halt in 1976, when the first low-cost electronic pocket calculator entered the market.

1976.

Wow. 

I graduated from high school, 1969, and college, 1973. Three years later, the end of the slide rule. I doubt Sophia even knows what a slide rule is. To what extent her older sisters know, I have no idea.

The book this week: The Daring Invention of Logarithm Tables: How Jost Bürgi, John Napier, and Henry Briggs Simplified Arithmetic and Started the Computing Revolution, color edition, Klaus Truemper, c. 2020, updates, 2023, 2024, and 2025. 

Klaus Truemper is Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at the University of Texas at Dallas. He is author of several books in Brain Science, Mathematics, and Computer science.

University of Texas as Dallas? UTD. Just a few miles up the road from where we live. Could be huge beneficiary of Nvidia's announcement to build a supercomputer in Dallas. UTD has transformed in the past five years. New kid on the block. Connection with Nvidia? 

Six links. This is not an investment site and no recommendations are being made or implied.

• April 27, 2025, Motley Fool: link here. 
• April 27, 2025, SeekingAlpha: link here.
• April 27, 2025, TweakTown: link here.
• April 25, 2025, IBD: link here.
• April 24, 2025, TheStreet: link here.
• April 14, 2025, NvidiaBlog: link here.

Nvidia is working with its manufacturing partners to design and build factories that, for the first time, will produce Nvidia AI supercomputers entirely in the U.S.

Together with leading manufacturing partners, the company has commissioned more than a million square feet of manufacturing space to build and test Nvidia Blackwell chips in Arizona and AI supercomputers in Texas. Nvidia Blackwell chips have started production at TSMC’s chip plants in Phoenix, Arizona. 

Nvidia is building supercomputer manufacturing plants in Texas, with Foxconn in Houston and with Wistron in Dallas.

Mass production at both plants is expected to ramp up in the next 12-15 months.

The AI chip and supercomputer supply chain is complex and demands the most advanced manufacturing, packaging, assembly and test technologies. 

Nvidia is partnering with Amkor and SPIL for packaging and testing operations in Arizona.

Within the next four years, Nvidia plans to produce up to half a trillion dollars of AI infrastructure in the United States through partnerships with TSMC, Foxconn, Wistron, Amkor and SPIL.

These world-leading companies are deepening their partnership with Nvidia, growing their businesses while expanding their global footprint and hardening supply chain resilience. 

Nvidia AI supercomputers are the engines of a new type of data center created for the sole purpose of processing artificial intelligence — AI factories that are the infrastructure powering a new AI industry.

Tens of “gigawatt AI factories” are expected to be built in the coming years.

Manufacturing Nvidia AI chips and supercomputers for American AI factories is expected to create hundreds of thousands of jobs and drive trillions of dollars in economic security over the coming decades.

“The engines of the world’s AI infrastructure are being built in the United States for the first time,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia . “Adding American manufacturing helps us better meet the incredible and growing demand for AI chips and supercomputers, strengthens our supply chain and boosts our resiliency.”

As We Head To Davos, Some Thoughts -- January 20, 2026

Locator: 49757COLLAPSE. 

Breaking: "Walzing Minnesotan" -- link here -- 

Also: Cubans in Florida are being deported in record numbers. 

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Collapse Of An Empire 

This was from another "Million Dollar Way" blog on April 10, 2025, link here. 

Collapse of an empire -- some of these have not held up well; most have:

Some thoughts based on recent readings and current events.

Collapse of an empire:

• highly bureaucratic; highly regulated;
• European Unionization of the kingdom
  
• disruption of trading patterns
• failure to address imbalance of trade
• loss of border integrity
• breakdown of social order; social disorder
• petty crime; illicit drug use
• failure of immigrants to assimilate one's new country
  
• multilingual
• dress
• religion
  
• severe maldistribution of wealth;
• egomaniacal leaders; grandiose delusional leaders;
• mega-projects with little social benefit or likelihood of success
• manned voyages to Mars; manned voyages beyond the earth's moon
• bullet trains
• loss of a vibrant two-party political system
• the Californication of US politics (extreme gerrymandering resulting in 100% Democratic-controlled counties)
• bad strategic decisions; losing strategic advantages for no gain
  
• selling the Panama Canal to to Panama for one dollar -- perhaps my favorite
• government leaders unable to think strategically -- added since original post 
• misguided military spending
• $5-million missiles to take out $5,000 drones

The biggest oversight: widespread fraud that federal and state government officials no longer care about or actually encourage. 

Maps Of The Caribbean -- January 20, 2026

Locator: 49756CARIBBEAN. 

Maps of the Caribbean. 

From today, Venezuela, link here:

From 2023: Guyana, Antilles, and West Indies, link here: 

Link here.

So, this is what we have:

• Trinidad and Tobago: Shell.
• Surinam: Apache and TTE.
• Guyana: XOM.
• Venezuela: CVX.

A reader alerted me to a Charles Kennedy article on Guyana, dated March 6, 2023. 

Weekend Forecast For Texas -- Could Be Coldest Day In 30 Years -- January 20, 2026

Locator: 49755WEATHER. 

Our daughter will be racing -- stand-up paddleboarding -- on the Colorado River down in Bastrop, thirty miles east of Austin, this Saturday when the cold weather will be at its worse, or approaching its worse. This is not the Colorado River flowing throught the Grand Canyon -- two different river systems; not related to each other at all.

Forecast (for reference see "the Great Freeze, February, 2021, link here):

She paddle-boarded for a week in the Bergen, Norway, fiords this summer, highs were generally at 60°F, lows at 50°F.

Well -- This Has Been A Short Week -- It's Already Tuesday -- January 20, 2026

Locator: 49754B. 

Texas: way too cold to be up today. Clear, calm, but 40°F, feels like 50. Whoo-hoo. Below freezing tonight and then this weekend forecast for coldest day on record in 30 years. With precip. We'll see. 

Natural gas prices surge: link here.

**********************************
Back to the Bakken 

WTI: $60.28. Despite that shares prices of CVX, COP are down.

New wells reporting:

• Tuesday, January 20, 2026: 33 for the month, 33 for the quarter, 33 for the year,
• 41255, conf, Oasis, Erickson 5203 14-25 5BX, 
• 41254, conf, Oasis, Erickson 5203 14-25 4B, 
• 41253, conf, Oasis, Erickson 5203 14-25 3B, 
• 41061, conf, Oasis, Erickson 5203 14-25 2B, 
• Monday, January 19, 2026: 29 for the month, 29 for the quarter, 29 for the year,
• 41856, conf, CLR, Schilke 3-19H, 
• Sunday, January 18, 2026: 28 for the month, 28 for the quarter, 28 for the year, 
• 40247, conf, Hunt Oil, Palermo MCNIC 156-90-22-34H 4, 
• 40077, conf, Devon Energy, Cuda 15-27F 3H, 
• Saturday, January 17, 2026: 26 for the month, 26 for the quarter, 26 for the year, 
• 41350, conf, Iron Oil Operating, Patten 2-27-22H, 
• 36614, conf, BR, Sandi 2B UTFH, 

RBN Energy: AltaGas upsizes midstream infrastructure as western Canadian NGL production hits record high. Link here. Archived.

NGL production in Western Canada hit an all-time high in 2025 and looks to be headed even higher in the years ahead. Major midstream players have been undertaking infrastructure expansions to deal with all the additional gas processing, Y-grade fractionation and exports of valuable products such as propane and butane. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll take a closer look at the expansion plans of AltaGas Ltd., one of Western Canada’s leading midstream operators.

Western Canada set a record for natural gas production in 2025 at 19.1 Bcf/d. With that mark, it stands to reason that the region will also see record output of NGLs, such as ethane, propane, butane, condensate and pentanes-plus (known as field condensate and natural gasoline in the U.S.), the vast majority of which are derived through the processing of NGLs at fractionation plants. Production of mixed NGLs (aka Y-grade) through the first 11 months of 2025 averaged 1.29 MMb/d (dashed red box in Figure 1 below), a gain of 0.06 Mb/d versus the same period in 2024, with the biggest growth coming in the pentanes-plus category (teal bar segments). It is that portion of the NGLs suite that has nearly insatiable demand for use as a diluent in Alberta’s oil sands. As discussed in Yes We Can, we expect that Y-grade output will experience additional volume growth in the range of 300 Mb/d by 2030, which would put total output at around 1.6 MMb/d that year.

Trump's Approval Rating -- January 19, 2026

Locator: 49753POLITICS. 

Link here. 

Military Might Of The US -- Trump's First Year -- Compass Call -- January 19, 2026

Locator: 49752USAF. 

US Compass Call: the EA-37B will replace the  EC-130. 

Link here. 

JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. --

Air Combat Command received its first EA-37B Compass Call, aircraft 19-5591, for pilot training Aug. 23, at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.

The EA-37B, a wide-area airborne electromagnetic attack weapon system using a heavily modified version of the Gulfstream G550 airframe, was delivered by Gen. Ken Wilsbach, Air Combat Command commander, along with Lt. Gen. Thomas Hensley, 16th Air Force commander, and Col. Mark Howard, 55th Wing commander.

“For a pilot, there is nothing better than picking up a brand new aircraft from the factory and delivering it to the warfighters. For those of you who are going to get to fly it, it’s going to be amazing,” said Wilsbach. “We are on the cusp of delivering advanced capability, especially in electronic combat, and today is an exciting day for Air Combat Command.”

Aircraft 19-5591, now assigned to the 55th Electronic Combat Group, will be flown by the 43rd Electronic Combat Squadron and maintained by the Contractor Logistics Support Aircraft Maintenance team at Davis-Monthan AFB. The aircraft will give ACC aircrews their first opportunity to begin pilot mission planning and training.

Although located at Davis-Monthan AFB, the 55th ECG reports to the 55th Wing at Offutt AFB, Nebraska. The group is the sole operator of Compass Call aircraft in worldwide contingency operations.

“The EC-130 has served its purpose for years, but this new airframe and its delivery mean that we have a combat-credible threat,” said Howard. “The EA-37B, with its increased range, speed and agility, will allow Airmen onboard the aircraft to make real-time, adaptive, agile decisions for airpower.”

AI prompt: Did The EA-37B take part in recent Venezuela operation ?

Google Gemini reply: 

The US Navy EA-18G Growler, link here. Multiple videos with regard to the Venezuela raid are available on YouTube.

And to think the EA-37B will replace the EC-130 and will supplement the US Navy's Growler. Wow!

Venezuela Oil -- January 19, 2026

Locator: 49751HEAVYOIL. 

Link here. 

Anas is not my favorite analyst, but is is worth paying attention to him.  

A lot of folks who should be very knowledgeable about the "oil issue" with regard to Venezuela seem not to understand what's going on here. Trump is playing chess when most of us are playing checkers when it comes to geopolitics. On top of that, he is incredibly transactional. I would assume most successful businessmen are transactional but Trump makes it so incredibly obvious -- obvious that he is transactional; not that his actions or objectives are obvious.

One needs to remember, "transactional" is generally used in a "business / buying / selling / trading" setting. For the most part, the US has not been known to have businessmen as presidents (or any leaders at the national level for that matter), and so, perhaps, Trump only looks more transactional than past presidents. 

The definition of transactional:

Anas' post: 

But again, the purpose of this post is to remind folks that ... well, I'm not sure what the purpose of this post is. LOL.

Hey, by the way, I'm glad to have come across this truism:  two opposite things can both be correct.

With regard to Trump, Venezuela, and Maduro:

• it was all about oil;
• it had nothing to do with oil.

So, both CNN and Scott Jennings can be correct. 

It's called dialectics.

Yes, two opposite things can both be correct through concepts like dialectics (two truths coexisting), paradox (self-contradictory but true statements), oxymorons (contradictory words side-by-side), or juxtaposition (contrasting ideas revealing deeper truth), often depending on perspective or context, like feeling both strong and weak, or needing to "save" money by spending it on necessities.

The Military Might Of The US -- Trump's First Year -- Portland, OR, ANG And The F-15EX Is A Big, Big Deal -- January 19, 2026

Locator: 49750DEFENSE. 

Quickly:

• Hamas, Hezbollah, Gaza
• Iran defenses fully neutralized
• Iranian nuclear facilities attacked
• Venezuela - Maduro extradition

Out of that litany of firsts, "things I have learned" and need to explore more, follows.

Compass Call: link here. 

F-15EX: see below.

The 142nd Wing (142WG) is a huge, huge, huge deal. I doubt anyone outside the ANG really understand what this means, not even the regular Air Force. 

• 142nd Wing, Oregon ANG, Portland, co-located with PDX
• F-15EX, wiki;

 

AI prompt: With the arrival of the F-15EX at the Oregon ANG, Portland, Oregon, this makes this military unit a premier unit on the west coast. How did Portland, a most liberal city in a most liberal state get this recognition and the F-15EX ahead of California, but more importantly, before Alaska, closer to Russia and China, and the state much more aligned with military history?

Google Gemini: 

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142ndWG

 

AI prompt: having received the F-15EX, is the 142WG now the largest, most important AGN base?

 

Google Gemini reply: much more but this was the bottom line -- 

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Is The F-15XE The Best Fighter Ever?

Top speed: classified, but public information suggests the F-15EX trends toward Mach 4, if needed. 

Link here: apparently posted in 2025. 


By the way, because Trump was unable to launch simultaneous operations over two theaters on opposite sides of the earth, one can pretty much bet Trump will get all the funds he requests for the Department of War in this year's appropriations process.

It's Cold And It's A Slow News Day -- And Thus, News Out Of Norway -- January 19, 2026

Locator: 49749NORWAY. 

Link here. 

Reports indicate that Norway's sovereign wealth fund (the "Oil Fund") has faced criticism and pushed for changes that critics argue

"water down" net-zero commitments, balancing its climate goals with protecting financial returns, especially given Norway's large oil and gas industry, leading to debates about the fund's role in climate transition versus fiduciary duty. 
 

Dallas -- The Sixth (Fourth) Industrial Revolution -- January 18, 2026

Locator: 49748DALLAS. 

Updates

January 19, 2026: a reader sent this in response to this post. I have no plans to invest in TEXN but that decision. -- not to invest in TEXN -- has nothing to do with politics, or concerns with BlackRock's involvement. Even if Trump himself was behind TEXN I wouldn't invest in such a "narrowly contrived" ETF. But I would certainly look at the top 20 holdings in TEXN something I do with any mutual fund or ETF that might catch my attention.

Original Post  

Link here. 

Ticker TEXN:

Compare with BRK-B: 

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Texas Economy 

One of the more fascinating stories: all the companies moving to Texas. Relocations tracked here.

This past week, another story, link here. A Kansas drone company establishes a manufacturing and consolidating operations in Texas, in a suburb of Dallas. 

Last year, link here:

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Fourth (Sixth?) Industrial Revolution

One of the best histories / summaries of the 19th century British industrial revolution is chapter 7 in Pathogenesis: A History of the World in Eight Plagues, Jonathan Kennedy, c. 2023. When you read about that industrial revolution, it sounds just like what is currently going on in the states. More on this later, perhaps. 

The world's plagues in Britain during the 19th century industrial revolution: tuberculosis and cholera. And, of the two, cholera is the much bigger (and more interesting) story.