//The Wire//2100Z March 6, 2025//
//ROUTINE//
//BLUF: SOUTH KOREAN MILITARY BOMBS CIVILIAN TOWN IN TRAINING ACCIDENT. TENSIONS CONTINUE IN EUROPE REGARDING UKRAINE WAR.//

 -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

-International Events-

Korean Peninsula: A serious accident was reported in Pocheon as two ROK military aircraft accidentally dropped bombs on a civilian area. 8x Mk-82 bombs were dropped during a joint training exercise with the United States, with all of these munitions landing in a civilian village adjacent to the Seungjin Fire Training Field. All 8x bombs were live munitions and detonated on impact, resulting in the wounding of 6x civilians and 2x service members. Several residential structures and a Catholic Church were also damaged in the blast. AC: So far, various Korean media outlets have cited leaked statements from various anonymous military sources, claiming that the pilots had input the wrong coordinates for the bombs to be dropped at, which resulted in the training accident. Nevertheless, this training accident comes during a time of regional (and global) uncertainty, as the fallout from South Korea's previous coup attempts continues to be on the minds of those throughout the Peninsula.

Europe: Rhetoric and tensions continue throughout the continent as various nations solidify their positions concerning war in Ukraine. France has dug in, pledging to commit more support to Ukraine, and Europe at large in the form of reexamining strategic weapons reserves. The United Kingdom has similarly voiced support for Ukraine, with PM Starmer continuing to pledge British military forces for the defense of Ukraine if necessary. Russia has called this development unacceptable, with various Russian politicians stating that Russia will not tolerate the deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine. However, two weeks ago, President Trump stated that Russia was amiable to a peacekeeping force being stationed in Ukraine at some point, blurring the lines in the diplomatic space. Germany has floated the idea of reintroducing mandatory military service, along with reaffirming German support to Ukraine.

-HomeFront-

Washington D.C. - Immigration operations continue amid unimpressive numbers of detentions and deportations. Over the past few days, the data has suggested lackluster numbers of deportations, which has spurred complaints from even those within government who are not impressed with the pace of border security operations.

-----END TEARLINE-----

Analyst Comments: Creating a deportation counter metric to track daily deportation numbers was probably ill-advised, as it becomes more noticeable when that tracking metric stops (as it stopped only after a few days). A deportation campaign as large as this one is touted to be is no picnic, and will take some time to come into fruition. However, the statistics of monthly deportations are public record, and so far the deportation numbers have been far lower than even the Obama years (which could be more of an indicator of how seriously the situation has deteriorated). Nevertheless, the reality of complex logistical problems is not often captured or explained adequately in the political sphere (regardless of party affiliation). Anytime a large project fails to meet the expectations that politicians campaign on (even if those promises were overly-optimistic in the first place), pondering the age-old question of "incompetence or malice" begins to be the primary vector that citizens have for expressing their dissatisfaction with the pace of promises being made.

Analyst: S2A1
Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground
//END REPORT//

//The Wire//2300Z March 5, 2025//
//ROUTINE//
//BLUF: TRUMP ADDRESS TO CONGRESS CONCLUDES MOSTLY WITHOUT INCIDENT. USA WITHOLDS INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT FROM UKRAINE.//

 -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

-International Events-

Europe: Following Zelenskyy's disastrous visit to the White House, CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed that the United States has initiated a halt of all intelligence sharing agreements with Ukraine, in addition to the previously disclosed halting of military and financial aid. AC: As the intelligence support to Ukraine throughout the war has been staggering, it is almost certain that (if these reports are true) Ukraine will not have the intelligence capabilities to conduct most targeting efforts.

-HomeFront-

Washington D.C. - The Supreme Court has ruled against the federal government 5-4, in a case involving a lower federal judge ordering the government to pay out certain USAID contracts.
AC: As noted in the dissenting opinion, the details of this case matter. In short, the Supreme Court has ruled that it's okay for lower federal judges to just make up law as they see fit, regardless of what a contract states, and prevent any appeals of their decisions to a higher court (such as themselves). This is a serious blow to any judicial reform efforts, which has become a concern over the years via one low-ranking federal judge in a random district having the power to halt the entire executive branch of government. As a result of this SCOTUS ruling, many more rulings by rogue judges who make their own law (outside of their jurisdiction) are expected as federal actions continue on a variety of controversial policy changes (such as immigration). However, all of this hinges on whether or not the Supreme Court ruling is to be followed...the precedent of this over the past four years has been dubious at best. This situation unfolding, while largely unnoticed by many, is the first real "Constitutional crisis" that Trump has faced in his second term.

-----END TEARLINE-----

Analyst Comments: Last night's Presidential address before Congress occurred largely without much issue, with only one Representative being removed from the House floor due to disrupting President Trump's speech. Concerning the content of Trump's speech, no major revelation was revealed as previously announced (possibly due to the recent spat with Zelenskyy), though several policy decisions were re-affirmed as priorities. Oil drilling and energy generation, a national "Golden Dome" missile defense system, and aspirations for Greenland were all highlights of the speech. President Trump also announced that, during the speech, the mastermind for the Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul was apprehended in Pakistan and was inbound for the United States. Though Trump did not name the individual during his speech, the White House leaked the name of Mohammad Sharifullah, an ISIS-K commander colloquially known as "Jaffar". This name was confirmed this afternoon via a White House press conference.

Following this revelation, the years-long discrepancies with the official story of what happened during the Afghanistan withdrawal have reignited. Many are not even convinced of which terror network conducted the attack; some say it was ISIS-K as the official story states. Others state (rightfully so), that by that time in the war, ISIS-K didn't have enough influence or freedom of maneuver in Kabul (or the rest of the country) to bring such an attack to fruition, so another group (such as al Qaeda via the Haqqani Network) may have been to blame. Since the attack, various intelligence agencies have not really been able to agree on which insurgent group carried out the attack, much less a specific person. In short, though the pursuit of the truth regarding this disastrous situation is a worthy goal, the truth is never as simple as it seems.

Analyst: S2A1
Research: https://publish.obsidian.

//The Wire//2300Z March 4, 2025//
//ROUTINE//
//BLUF: EPSTEIN DOCS TO BE REDACTED BEFORE RELEASE, AS EXPECTED. TRADE DISPUTES CONTINUE BETWEEN USA/CAN/MEX. PRESIDENT TRUMP TO ADDRESS CONGRESS TONIGHT.//

 -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

-International Events-

Canada: The trade dispute with the United States has come into fruition, as Canada has imposed retaliatory tariffs on the United States. AC: Throughout the day both President Trump and outgoing PM Trudeau have traded increasingly hostile rhetoric in various speeches, with neither appearing willing to resolve the trade dispute. Nevertheless, Secretary of Commerce Lutnick has implied in various media interviews that the trade dispute will not last long, and that a trade deal is expected sometime tomorrow.

Panama: This afternoon an agreement was announced to sell a consortium of Panama Canal ports to BlackRock, which is planned to take a 90% shareholder stake in the conglomerate of business holdings surrounding Panama Canal operations.

-HomeFront-

Washington D.C. - This morning AG Pam Bondi confirmed that all national security information will be redacted from whatever Epstein documents get released. AC: This has not only reaffirmed the general sentiment that all "smoking gun" evidence will be scrubbed before release, but has caused questions pertaining to why national security information would be affiliated with a human trafficking network, and the implications of such considerations.

-----END TEARLINE-----

Analyst Comments: In Congress, President Trump is scheduled to make an address tonight, which is expected to result in various levels of political shenanigans. This morning, many Senators and Representatives released identical posts on social media, all criticizing Trump using the exact same talking points. Several Representatives are also allegedly planning to cause a scene during Trump's remarks and generally engage in various forms of disruption during his speech.

Regarding Ukraine, some reporting suggests that a deal regarding mineral rights is scheduled to be signed by President Zelenskyy tonight. It's not clear how the logistics of this deal will be brokered; as of this report Zelenskyy is still in Europe attempting to garner more support from NATO and the EU.

Analyst: S2A1
Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground
//END REPORT//

//The Wire//2300Z March 3, 2025//
//ROUTINE//
//BLUF: VEHICLE RAMMING ATTACK STRIKES MANNHEIM CARNIVAL. NOTHING NEW REGARDING EPSTEIN DOCS.//

 -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

-International Events-

Germany: A vehicle ramming attack was carried out in Mannheim this evening. The attacker was detained at the scene. So far, one fatality was reported, with many wounded in the attack. Mannheim police have requested witnesses to stop sharing video evidence on social media.

Austria: An unspecified threat at the Hauptbahnhof (central train station) in Vienna resulted in an evacuation of the station today, during the evening rush hour commute. AC: In keeping with tradition, very few details were released by authorities, however after a bomb squad sweep of the complex the alert was canceled. Though authorities have not specified the nature of the threat, most Austrian media has claimed the incident revolved around a bomb threat.

Norway: A brief diplomatic scandal was reported over the weekend following the Oval Office argument between the United States and Ukraine. After Zelenskyy was removed from the White House, various European nations have also transitioned to adopt a more hostile diplomatic position toward the United States. In Norway, these icy tensions came to fruition in the form of a maritime logistics company refusing to refuel American warships as part of a defense pact with Norway. Haltbakk Bunkers (a refueling company) issued a profanity-laced statement on social media culminating with the basic idea of "no fuel for Americans". This statement was rebuffed by Norway's Defense Minister, who stated that Norway would continue to provide the agreed upon support for American naval vessels who visit Norwegian ports. AC: Additionally, it must be noted that the CEO of Haltbakk confirmed that they don't actually have any established contracts to supply American vessels in the first place (other companies hold the larger defense logistical contracts), so this short-lived economic protest would not have had any impact anyway.

Ukraine: Two commercial cargo vessels were damaged in the port city of Odessa over the weekend. A Russian missile strike targeted the port and the vessels specifically due to allegedly being used for arms shipments to Ukraine. The M/V MSC LEVANTE F and the M/V SUPER SARKAS (a container ship and a bulk carrier respectively) were both struck in the attack, each suffering unknown damage.

-HomeFront-

Washington D.C. - All chatter surrounding the release of the Epstein client list has largely fallen away following last week's influencer binder scandal. Neither the DoJ, nor the FBI have provided a clear time window for when any new documents are scheduled to be released. As AG Bondi's original order to provide the documents has not been carried out by the FBI, she has given the FBI 14 days to explain why her order wasn't followed. AC: As this scandal has largely devolved into strongly-worded emails, finger pointing, and ultimatums that aren't acknowledged, the chances of any further disclosures of new information are becoming increasingly remote.

Also in Washington, this afternoon the White House has announced the cessation of arms sales to Ukraine, as well as an increase in tariffs on Chinese trade to 20%. Following the failure of diplomatic talks, the previous trade tariffs with Canada and Mexico are set to come into effect at midnight (pending any last-minute diplomatic moves).

Florida: Three separate civilian aircraft violated the closed airspace surrounding President Trump's residence at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday. These airspace violations resulted in F-16's scrambling from the 1st Air Force out of Tyndall Air Force Base to intercept the aircraft. During at least two of these interceptions flares were deployed by military aircraft to get the attention of the civilian pilots. AC: It is not clear as to why these airspace violati

TOC Dashboard: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/ebe374c40c1a4231a06075155b0e8cb9/ 

Research Notes/Bibliography can be found here: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground 

ArcGIS Online CIP/COP: https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=204a59b01f4443cd96718796fd102c00 

00:00 - Northeast Region 

01:39 - Southeast Region 

11:37 - Lincoln Heights 

14:28 - Western Region 

17:19 - GhostNet Reports Download the GhostNet plan here! https://github.com/s2underground/GhostNet 

The text version of the Wire can be found on Twitter: https://twitter.com/s2_underground And on our Wire Telegram page here: https://t.me/S2undergroundWire If you would like to support us, we're on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=30479515 Disclaimer: No company sponsored this video. In fact, we have ZERO sponsors. We are funded 100% by you, the viewer. All of our funding comes from direct support from platforms like Patreon, or from ad revenue on YouTube. Please note that even though it hurts our income, we still offer ad-free watching via alternative platforms like Odysee, Gab, and (for now) Rumble. Odysee: https://odysee.com/@S2Underground:7 Gab: https://gab.com/S2underground Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/S2Underground BitChute: https://www.bitchute.com/channel/P2NMGFdt3gf3/ Just a few reminders for everyone who's just become aware of us, in order to keep these briefings from being several hours long, I can't cover everything. I'm probably covering 1% of the world events when we conduct these briefings, so please remember that if I left it out, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's unimportant. Also, remember that I do these briefings quite often, so I might have covered an issue previously that you might not see if you are only watching our most recent videos. I'm also doing this in my spare time, so again I fully admit that these briefings aren't even close to being perfect; I'm going for a healthy blend of speed and quality. If I were to wait and only post a brief when it's "perfect" I would never post anything at all. So expect some minor errors here and there. If there is a major error or correction that needs to be made, I will post it here in the description, and verbally address it in the next briefing. Also, thanks for reading this far. It is always surprising the number of people that don't actually read the description box to find more information. This content is purely educational and does not advocate for violating any laws. Do not violate any laws or regulations. This is not legal advice. Consult with your attorney. Our Reading List! https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/133747963-s2-actual The War Kitchen Channel! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYmtpjXT22tAWGIlg_xDDPA 

//The Wire//2300Z February 28, 2025//
//ROUTINE//
//BLUF: TENSIONS FLARE BETWEEN TRUMP AND ZELENSKY IN OVAL OFFICE, FURTHER DIPLOMATIC EVENTS CANCELED. EPSTEIN FILE FIASCO CONTINUES.//

 -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

-HomeFront-

Washington D.C. - During PM Kier Starmer's state visit to the United States yesterday, various topics involving the future of Ukraine were discussed. President Trump, in response to various comments involving the in-progress rare-earth mineral deal, mentioned that the presence of American "workers" in Ukraine would be needed to assist in the mineral extraction process.

Today, Zelenskyy himself arrived at the White House for a state visit, which resulted in serious levels of diplomatic tension. Following a shouting match in the Oval Office between himself, President Trump and VP Vance, Zelenskyy departed from the White House with all further diplomatic events being canceled. Following the deterioration of diplomatic relations, President Trump stated that Zelenskyy disrespected the United States, and that he is not ready for peace.

-----END TEARLINE-----

Analyst Comments: So far the general sentiment is that Zelenskyy's visit could not possibly have gone any worse. As is sometimes common in the world of diplomacy, after approximately 8 minutes of dialog, the entire situation with regards to American involvement changed. At the moment, it's not entirely clear what is going to happen next, however as noted in the February 19th Wire Report, developments with regards to the Ukrainian war appear to have entered the phase of rapidly snowballing.

Throughout Washington, scandal regarding yesterday's influencer-based Epstein file release continues. AG Pam Bondi gave the FBI an ultimatum to get the missing files to her by 8:00am this morning, a deadline which came and went without much comment from the DoJ. Yesterday evening, a series of documents appeared on the AG's website, which appear to match what files were in the binders. Since we cannot know with 100% certainty what was in the binders given to influencers, it's not possible to verify much with a high confidence.

However, the files posted on the AG's website are available for the public to view. All of these files are duplicates of what the FBI themselves released on their own website in 2019, not a single new document has been released at this time. However, many of the documents falsely-labeled as "new" have been redacted even more than they were in the past, with some documents being 100% redacted.

Analyst: S2A1
Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground
//END REPORT//

//The Wire//2200Z February 27, 2025//
//ROUTINE//
//BLUF: EPSTEIN DOCUMENTS RELEASED TO SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS, NOT THE PUBLIC AS PROMISED FOR WEEKS.//

 -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

-HomeFront-

Washington D.C. - Much anticipation has resulted from earlier promises made by the White House to expedite the release of various documents. The JFK and MLK Jr. assassination files, and the Jeffrey Epstein client list have all been claimed to be released soon. However, AG Pam Bondi stated that some of the files would be released today. This afternoon, it was revealed that the release of the Jeffrey Epstein Files would take place in stages, with only pre-approved journalists and influencers being given access to these documents. This afternoon select pro-Trump influencers were invited to the White House to receive the Phase 1 documents in the form of physical binders.

Also this afternoon, AG Bondi released a letter that was sent to new FBI Director Kash Patel, in which she accused the FBI of withholding critical documents from her regarding this case.

As of this report, not a single page of new Epstein documentation has been released to the American public directly, or uploaded to the FBI's portal (as the older documents were released years ago).

-----END TEARLINE-----

Analyst Comments: Over the past few weeks of hype surrounding the declassification and publishing of Jeffrey Epstein's clients, patience is wearing thin as little has been done to release the files for public consumption. Congress has gotten involved to create various committees to add more bureaucracy between the declassification of documents and the public. Just as a reminder, Congress has nothing to do with the declassification of documents. Declassification is purely a task completed by various intelligence agencies and Original Classification Authorities (OCAs). Once the OCA decides what is cleared for release (guidance which in this case comes from the POTUS), there is absolutely nothing preventing the release of declassified documents. No document requires Congressional approval to declassify, so the involvement of Congress at all is being perceived as a move intended to intentionally delay the release of these documents.

Since the dawn of these highly-controversial incidents, many people with political power have been strong advocates of releasing the details pertaining to everything from JFK to Jeffrey Epstein...until they get access to the truth. Every single time the buck stops at a particular person, they start dragging their feet, and bringing the process of what is colloquially known as "the runaround". These delays have been so serious and obvious that various other groups and Congressional committees have formally filed complaints with the DoJ to pressure the executive branch to not go back on their promise. Attorney General Pam Bondi has by her own admission had the files "on her desk" for several days now but as of this afternoon, she claims that the FBI didn't send her all of the documents. Now, it is revealed that the release will take place in stages through influencers who will act as intermediaries. What has been released to these influencers is anyone's guess at this moment, though most of them are extremely unlikely to be trustworthy considering that many of the people seen at the closed-door disclosure even have direct ties to the same circle of friends that Jeffrey Epstein himself also had very close contact with.

In a broader sense, this is also exceptionally dangerous. Remembering the scale of this international blackmail and human trafficking network, it is already very publicly known that former Presidents, royalty, bankers, and the very top of the global elite were involved with Jeffrey Epstein in some form or another....and it would be very foolish to approach this topic with the naivety already displayed by the influencers at the core of this scandal.

//The Wire//2300Z February 26, 2025//
//ROUTINE//
//BLUF: UKRAINE MINERAL DEAL PROGRESSES WITH THE UNITED STATES. WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCES NEW FINANCIALLY-BASED PATH TO CITIZENSHIP.//

 -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

-International Events-

Europe: Talks between the United States and Ukraine have continued with regards to a trade deal involving rare earth minerals. This deal, which has been the source of controversy, will enable the export of Ukrainian minerals in exchange for continued American aid. AC: So far, nothing has been signed, however both Kiev and Washington have signaled that terms have been agreed upon. At the moment, it's not certain how much this mineral deal will actually come to fruition; most of the mineral wealth of Ukraine currently is located either in active combat zones or in areas that have long been under Russian control.

Chile: This morning a transformer outage resulted in a nearly-nationwide electrical blackout. This outage affected not only residential areas, but large commercial centers and mining operations.

-HomeFront-

Washington D.C. - President Trump announced a new financial-based greencard program yesterday. This new "Gold Card" program will allow foreign nationals to purchase legal American residency (and an expedited path to citizenship) for a one-time lump-sum payment of $5 million. This program is reported to replace the EB-5 visa program.

-----END TEARLINE-----

Analyst Comments: Trump's Gold Card program (as announced) has been perceived as highly controversial as it echoes the recent sentiments which resulted in the quiet dismissal of would-be DOGE co-director Vivek Ramaswamy (who, despite the recent scandal, is now running for Governor of Ohio). Ramaswamy's continual comments on social media equating the American experience as one of interchangeable economic units was perceived by many as being purely extractive and exploitive in nature, resulting in his quiet departure from federal government. For clarity, this "Gold Card" program has existed before in the form of various levels of investment visas/greencards. However, the White House floating the idea of revamping and streamlining the program to allow foreign nationals to purchase citizenship is being perceived to be just as exploitive of the American people as Vivek's prior comments which got him in trouble. Many citizens do not believe that America is Dubai, (a place which only exists to serve foreign investment opportunities), but these recent policy decisions don't do very much to dissuade that line of thinking.

At a certain point (and regardless of political beliefs), a series of words and actions is no longer a mistake or improper phrasing...it is a policy decision that reignites the questions of what it means to be American in the first place. This is very likely to be the reason that Ramaswamy's comments could not be "clarified" into being something more palatable...once the American population knows what a person's core values are, it's hard to walk-back those comments. Consequently, this "gold card" announcement has also reignited the prior discrepancies between Trump's supporter base, and his personal doctrine regarding issues that his own supporter base perceives as being a weak point, such as legal immigration. As such, it's possible that previously-dismissed (and seemingly minor) issues with Trump's proposed policies during the campaign really aren't minor nit-picking differences of opinion, but rather deep-seated differences of core values that will have to be acknowledged at some point. How much these details matter will be up for personal interpretation, but right now the general sentiment expressed in the global west is that giving a person an American passport does not magically make them compatible with American culture or heritage. Whether that is true or not will be debated for years to come. However, in the meantime, streamlining t

//The Wire//2300Z February 25, 2025//
//ROUTINE//
//BLUF: CARTEL VIOLENCE CONTINUES SOUTH OF U.S. BORDER. GERMAN CDU REVERSES STANCE ON IMMIGRATION POLICIES AFTER ELECTION.//

 -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

-International Events-

Germany: Following the weekend election cycle, discontent has been a common observation as various politicians have backtracked on campaign promises. CDU leadership, for instance, has deliberately flipped on their main campaign issue regarding immigration. During the campaign, the CDU's primary initiative was to limit immigration into Germany. After the election, CDU leadership (presumptive Chancellor Friedrich Merz) reneged on this promise, stating that the border will not be closed. AC: Though unsurprising to most who had the foresight to perceive this European tradition of complete policy reversals after elections, many others are rather upset as this sharp reversal affects a policy issue pertinent to most Germans.

-HomeFront-

Washington D.C. - Controversy continues in Congress regarding Rep. Dan Crenshaw's threat to murder Tucker Carlson. Crenshaw was caught making the comment during a hot-mic incident as part of a media interview a few days ago.

Southern Border Region: Following the IED incident in Tamaulipas earlier this month, Texas authorities have issued more warnings pertaining to the use of Improvised Anti-Vehicle Land Mines (IAVMs) in the vicinity of the border.

-----END TEARLINE----- 

Analyst Comments: For clarification, this afternoon the Texas Department of Agriculture issued a warning to ranchers in the border region, warning them about the IED incident that occurred earlier this month. This warning statement was poorly worded, and did not provide the context that the event occurred nearly a month ago, and took place in Mexico almost a hundred miles south of the US border. The notice also referred to an American citizen being killed in the IED blast, however the wording of this announcement is slightly misleading since there is zero mention of the IED blast actually occurring inside Mexico. This missing context (and the contradictory details originating from sources with unknown veracity), is important to understand in terms of assessing the risk as accurately as possible.

Over the past few months, clashes of increasing severity have been reported between the Gulf Cartel (CDG) and the Northeast Cartel (CDN) as both groups (but more importantly, various splinter groups from these two main organizations) continue the turf war south of Brownsville. Increased use of IEDs and weaponized drones has been reported semi-randomly throughout this increased period of conflict, with many innocent victims frequently being caught in the crossfire. So far the IED threat has not transitioned north across the border yet, however local authorities continue to issue the warnings nonetheless. Far more concerning are the increasingly significant small arms attacks and skirmishes that have taken place at the border itself over the past few weeks, between adversarial cartel groups.

Analyst: S2A1
Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground
//END REPORT//

//The Wire//2300Z February 24, 2025//
//ROUTINE//
//BLUF: GERMAN ELECTION RESULTS IN GAINS FOR THE AFD, THOUGH CDU/CSU TAKES LEAD. POPE FRANCIS REMAINS IN CRITICAL CONDITION. AMERICAN GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY INITIATIVES DRAW IRE OF FEDERAL WORKERS.//

 -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

-International Events-

Vatican City: Over the weekend the Vatican confirmed that Pope Francis remains in critical condition regarding his previous illness.

Germany: Sunday's election resulted in Friedrich Merz becoming the new Chancellor, as the CDU/CSU took 33% of the vote. While falling short of any sort of majority, the AfD party surprised many by coming in second place, winning 24% of the vote. AC: The key takeaway from this election is that the AfD now has more bargaining power than in previous years, albeit falling short of their own goals. Though by American standards the AfD is a rather lukewarm center-right party (at best), throughout Germany the AfD party has been vilified as extreme-far-right (which may be technically true for Germany's perspective, by comparison with other political parties). As such, this signals a significant shift in atmospherics throughout the nation, even if radical changes in the grand scheme of national politics will be challenging to arrive at..

-HomeFront-

New York: Sunday evening American Airlines Flight 292 bound for Delhi was diverted to Rome due to a bomb threat. After a security inspection in Rome detected no threat to the aircraft, the flight was cleared for departure to Delhi. AC: These types of bomb threats are relatively common. Though American Airlines has not specified the exact details of what resulted in the brief diversion, it is very likely that a threat was received (probably on social media) that referenced this specific flight, which caused the security concerns.

Georgia: This morning Delta Flight 876 (bound for Columbia, SC from Atlanta) experienced an in-flight emergency via smoke filling the passenger cabin. The aircraft promptly returned to Atlanta due to the smoke.

California: Saturday night, Delta Flight 43 (bound for Sydney from Los Angeles) also experienced an in-flight emergency with smoke filling the passenger cabin.

AC: Of note, though two separate emergencies of similar characteristics (and via the same airline) occurring within 24 hours of each other is rare, it must be noted that both smoke incidents involved separate airframes. The Los Angeles emergency involved an Airbus A350, and the Atlanta incident involved a smaller regional jet, a Boeing 717-200.

Washington D.C. - Controversy has erupted over the past few days regarding various initiatives to improve the efficiency of government agencies. Over the weekend an email was sent out from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to every single federal employee, requesting them to provide a short list of 5 bullets regarding what they had completed last week.

-----END TEARLINE-----

Analyst Comments: As the OPM email was sent out to everyone, from every single military service member to the highest-paid directors of various federal agencies, mass pandemonium has largely been the result. The initial knee-jerk reaction for many department directors of various levels of bureaucracy has been to order their subordinates to not reply to the email. The Department of Defense also issued guidance to prevent all service members from responding to the email as well.

Analyst: S2A1
Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground
//END REPORT//