Originally published at: https://peakprosperity.com/daily-digest/scotus-petitioned-to-protect-right-to-refuse-medical-treatment-oil-prices-drop-gold-targets-rise/
Health
A petition filed by the Health Freedom Defense Fund and others urges the US Supreme Court to review a Ninth Circuit ruling that applies rational basis review to public health mandates, potentially allowing governments broad authority without evidence or judicial scrutiny. The case challenges the interpretation of Jacobson v. Massachusetts, arguing it requires balancing individual liberty against demonstrated public health needs, as affirmed in later precedents like Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health. Dissenting Ninth Circuit judges reportedly warned the decision could enable unlimited medical interventions justified by public health claims. Related court perspectives emphasize deference to executive expertise in emergencies, consistent with Jacobson precedents.
Piers Morgan issued an apology to tennis player Novak Djokovic for his criticism during the COVID-19 scandal, when Djokovic was deported from Australia for refusing vaccination. Morgan acknowledged that vaccines did not prevent transmission, making it a personal choice, and noted Djokovic had recently recovered from the virus with natural immunity. Djokovic emphasized his stance on freedom of choice and bodily autonomy, stating he posed no transmission risk after multiple infections, while some reports frame the 2022 deportation as enforcement of entry requirements under strict pandemic rules.
Economy
Morgan Stanley raised its gold price forecast to $4,800 per ounce by the fourth quarter of 2026, citing anticipated Federal Reserve rate cuts, a weaker US dollar, central bank purchases, and heightened geopolitical risks. Spot gold reached $4,549.71 per ounce in late 2025, reflecting a 64 percent annual gain, the strongest since 1979. Silver prices rose 147 percent last year, amid reported supply deficits and industrial demand from sectors like solar panels and batteries. The bank listed gold as its top commodity pick, with positive outlooks for aluminum, copper, and nickel due to supply constraints, though the World Gold Council has suggested gold could remain rangebound around $4,000–$4,500 in 2026 under current macroeconomic consensus.
Rising bond yields have been observed in major markets. US 10-year Treasury yields reached 4.2 percent after a Federal Reserve rate cut, while 30-year yields approached 4.88 percent. Japan’s 30-year bonds hit 3.15 percent, the highest since 1999, and 10-year yields climbed to 2.15 percent, a 27-year high. German 30-year Bund yields stood at 3.52 percent, the highest in 15 years. These increases have coincided with reported disruptions in London’s gold and silver price-fixing mechanisms, where shortages of physical metals have reportedly challenged the issuance of unallocated notes, according to market analysts. However, mainstream reports from outlets like Bloomberg note recent pullbacks in silver prices, suggesting market stabilization amid volatility rather than outright collapse.
In Portland, prices for luxury condominiums at the Ritz-Carlton Residences have fallen by up to 50 percent amid low sales. Only 11 of 132 units have sold since the building’s 2024 opening, with one-bedroom units now starting at $600,000, down from $1.2 million to $1.7 million. Two-bedroom units list at $1 million, reduced from $2.1 million to $2.6 million, and three-bedroom units at $1.6 million, from up to $3.3 million. The 35-story tower, Portland’s tallest residential structure, entered foreclosure last summer, leading to price reductions by a new brokerage, with some analyses attributing the challenges to broader factors like high interest rates and post-COVID market shifts in addition to local conditions.
Energy
President Trump proposed US subsidies for American oil companies to rebuild Venezuela’s energy sector, estimating operations could resume in under 18 months at significant cost, reimbursed through revenue or government funds. He stated increased Venezuelan output would lower global oil prices, benefiting the US economy. Energy Secretary Chris Wright plans meetings with oil executives, amid criticisms of the military operation and uncertainties in political transition. House Speaker Mike Johnson noted seized oil exports provide leverage for governance changes, while acting president Delcy Rodriguez cooperates with the administration, alongside reported concerns over potential taxpayer costs for the reconstruction.
Relatedly, oil prices declined in early Asian trading, with West Texas Intermediate at $56.32 per barrel, down 1.42 percent, and Brent crude above $60, down 1.07 percent, following President Trump’s statement that Venezuela would turn over 30 to 50 million barrels of stored oil. The claim aligns with expectations that increased Venezuelan supply could ease market oversupply and reduce shut-in risks, though production growth remains unlikely short-term. Sanctions relief could follow an agreement, potentially stabilizing exports, though some analyses note potential for long-term volatility if the arrangement encounters international opposition.
Italy’s Eni and Spain’s Repsol seek to recover approximately $6 billion in debt from Venezuela for gas and naphtha supplied to state oil firm PDVSA, used as diluents for heavy crude. The companies, joint owners of the Perla gas field, previously received crude payments, but US licenses ended in March 2025, barring operations. Unlike Chevron, which received exemptions, Eni and Repsol face indifference from the US administration. Maduro’s capture places billions of barrels in reserves under existing deals with firms including Chevron, China’s Sinopec and CNPC, and Russia’s Rosneft in doubt, per Morgan Stanley estimates totaling 10 billion barrels, with US policy reportedly favoring exemptions for domestic firms like Chevron.
Geopolitics
The US Department of Justice revised its indictment against Maduro, retreating from claims that he led an organized drug cartel called Cartel de los Soles. It is now described as a slang term for a culture of corruption fueled by drug money. Ron Paul pointed out this shift as evidence that the administration has admitted no such cartel exists, undermining a key justification for actions against Venezuela that may primarily benefit major donors like billionaire Paul Singer (who has donated millions to Trump allies). Previous designations by the Treasury and State Departments labeled it a terrorist organization linked to groups like Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, but the DEA’s drug threat assessments and UN reports make no mention of it as an actual entity. The superseding indictment references cocaine 67 times but omits fentanyl, despite earlier rhetoric tying Venezuela to its trafficking. This aligns with analyses from experts who describe it as informal 1990s slang rather than a structured group, though US statements maintain it reflects institutional corruption.
Russia’s UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia condemned the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, describing it as international banditry and warning it signals a return to chaos and neo-colonialism driven by Washington’s pursuit of Venezuelan resources. BRICS nations, including Russia, have called for Maduro’s release and expressed solidarity with Venezuela. US officials have justified the operation as a response to evidence of Maduro’s involvement in drug trafficking and related criminal activities.
In other geopolitical developments, North Korea conducted a hypersonic missile test on January 4, overseen by Kim Jong-un, who framed it as enhancing nuclear war deterrence amid recent geopolitical events, including the US Venezuela raid. Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry denounced the action as a violation of sovereignty and international law, labeling the US a rogue state. The test evaluated the missile system’s sustainability and operational readiness, following a series of late-2025 launches including a long-range cruise missile. However, officials from South Korea and the US have described the test as routine provocation without indicating immediate escalation risks.
European Politics
Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) party formed international ties in 2025, despite reported isolation efforts. AfD leader Alice Weidel spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Budapest, where she criticized EU overregulation, called for national sovereignty, and met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. AfD politician Petr Bystron addressed a demonstration in London organized by Tommy Robinson, emphasizing European defense alongside figures like Elon Musk and Éric Zemmour. Markus Frohnmaier received the Allen W. Dulles Award in New York from the Young Republican Club, where he highlighted anti-Marxist efforts and urged a US-Germany nationalist alliance. These engagements have reportedly positioned AfD within global conservative networks, including MAGA supporters, though reports from outlets like Politico note divisions within Europe’s far-right groups over such alignments.
Meanwhile, Germany’s middle class is facing reported pressures in 2026 from rising CO2 taxes, now at €65 per ton on fossil fuels, alongside deindustrialization and high energy costs. The EEG renewable energy subsidy program exceeds €16 billion annually, contributing to electricity price hikes and a seven-year industrial decline that has eliminated nearly 300,000 jobs since 2018. Corporate tax revenues are falling, leading to potential cuts in public services and over 24,000 business bankruptcies last year. Net direct investment outflow reached €64.5 billion in 2024, with small and medium enterprises reporting declining real revenues across sectors like trade and construction.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz reportedly warned coalition members of severe job losses and an economic crisis, advocating reforms like reduced bureaucracy and subsidized industrial electricity, while maintaining commitments to green policies, military buildup, and EU initiatives. His proposed Germany Fund aims to direct private capital into key sectors through state guidance, amid ongoing net new debt exceeding 5.5 percent of GDP. However, critics say this a doubling-down of the same central planning that got the country into trouble in the first place. In the mainstream media, some sources anticipate declining electricity prices in 2026 due to increased LNG supply and government interventions on network charges.
Sources
Rising Bond Yields Signal End of London’s Gold and Silver Price Fixing Era
The cat is out of the bag on London’s monetary metal price fixing scheme.
Source | Submitted by jhughes1973
AfD Shatters International Isolation: Forging Ties with MAGA, Orbán, and Global Patriots
the AfD is building strong and friendly relations with patriotic forces around the world.
Russia Brands US Maduro Capture as ‘Banditry’ Foretelling Global Chaos
US ‘banditry’ in Venezuela is harbinger of chaos – Moscow
Source | Submitted by Rodster
Germany’s Middle Class: Besieged by Green Taxes and Deindustrialization in 2026
The new year begins as the old one ended: a fiscal raid on the wallets of the middle class.
Piers Morgan Apologizes to Novak Djokovic for Harsh COVID Criticism
I was never a proponent of anti-vax or pro-vax. I was always freedom of choice.
Source | Submitted by Karl Klein
Oil Prices Slide on Trump’s Claim of Venezuelan Oil Handover
Oil prices extended losses in early Asian trade on Wednesday as President Trump claimed that Venezuela would be “turning over” between 30 and 50 million barrels of oil.
Source | Submitted by jhughes1973
European Energy Giants Eni and Repsol Pursue $6 Billion Debt from Venezuela
Eni and Repsol are now looking to recoup $6 billion worth of the gas they had supplied to Venezuela.
Source | Submitted by jhughes1973
Trump DOJ Retreats: ‘Cartel de los Soles’ No Real Gang, Just a Corruption Label
The DOJ now says the term “Cartel de los Soles” is merely descriptive of a “culture of corruption” fueled by the illegal drug trade.
Source | Submitted by Shplad
Germany’s Chancellor Warns of Economic Collapse, Then Doubles Down on Central Planning
The fatal belief in the omniscience of the central planner is dragging the country downward like lead.
Morgan Stanley Raises Gold Forecast to $4,800 on Fed Cuts and Escalating Global Risks
Morgan Stanley Lifts Gold Forecast To $4,800, Citing Fed Cuts And Global Risk
Kim Jong-un Tests Hypersonic Missile, Brands US a ‘Rogue’ State Over Venezuela Raid
The incident is another example that clearly confirms once again the rogue and brutal nature of the US which the international community has so frequently witnessed for a long time.
Portland’s Ritz-Carlton Condos Plunge 50% in Price Amid Liberal City Woes
Luxury Ritz-Carlton Condos Aren’t Selling In “Liberal Cesspool” Portland
Trump Proposes US Subsidies for Oil Giants to Revive Venezuela’s Energy Sector
“The US may subsidize American oil companies to help rebuild Venezuela’s energy sector.”
Petition Challenges Ninth Circuit’s Expansive Public Health Powers, Invoking Bodily Autonomy Rights at Supreme Court
Do Americans possess the fundamental right to refuse unwanted medical treatment, even during a public health crisis?
Maduro’s Fall: Phantom Cartel Exposed, Billionaire Bonanza Revealed
The Administration has now admitted there is no such cartel.
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, Eulerpool, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, Oilprice.com, Politico Europe, Reuters, The New York Times, World Gold Council.