US approves new multi-billion military sale to Israel

The decision comes as Israeli officials reportedly acknowledged that 70,000 Palestinians were killed in Gaza during the war with Hamas

The US has approved more than $6.5 billion in new potential military sales to Israel amid rising tensions with Iran, officials in Washington have announced.

According to two separate statements by the Pentagon and State Department on Friday, the package includes a $1.98 billion worth of light tactical vehicles, AH-64E Apache helicopters costing $3.8 billion, and a separate $740 million contract for armored personnel carriers power packs. AM General, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin are among the prime contractors.

”The proposed sale will enhance Israel’s capability to meet current and future threats by improving its ability to defend Israel’s borders,” the Pentagon said, adding that the move “will not alter the basic military balance in the region.”

The approval comes after Israeli media outlets reported on Friday that military officials broadly accepted the death toll numbers registered by authorities in Gaza, putting Palestinian deaths at about 70,000. After the start of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023, Israel has faced accusations of committing numerous war crimes in the Palestinian enclave as well as blocking humanitarian aid.

The arms sales approval followed escalating tensions between the US and Iran, with US President Donald Trump not ruling out a military option after he promised to help protesters in the Islamic Republic.

Trump has consistently portrayed himself as Israel’s staunchest supporter, in contrast to his predecessor, Joe Biden, who rebuked the Jewish State over what he described as collateral civilian casualties in Gaza. In May 2024, he paused shipments of heavy bombs to Israel while acknowledging that US-supplied weapons had been used to kill civilians. After Trump’s return to office, in March 2025, Washington repealed what it described as “baseless and politicized conditions on military assistance to Israel.”

In a separate foreign military sales decision, Washington also approved a potential $9 billion sale of 730 Patriot PAC-3 MSE interceptor missiles and related equipment to Saudi Arabia, with Lockheed Martin as principal contractor. US officials said that the move “will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a Major non-NATO Ally.”

https://www.rt.com/news/631805-us-approves-military-sales-israel/

Epstein Helped Fund Lavish Lifestyle For Former Obama WH Counsel

Jeffrey Epstein helped fund a lavish lifestyle for former Obama White House Counsel and current Goldman Sachs general counsel Kathryn Ruemmler, who he sometimes turned to for legal advice, newly released records show.

Epstein purchased a number of gifts for Ruemmler between 2014 and 2019, including designer bags worth thousands and electronics, while regularly putting down his credit card to cover experiences like facials, haircuts and spa days.

Among these gifts, Epstein purchased a $9,350 Hermes bag, a $6,790 Fendi coat and bag, as well as putting in requests for items like blue silk slippers, an Apple TV and an Apple watch. He had alerts set up on his email at times to send her flowers or purchase sushi, emails show.

A recently unsealed court filing in a civil lawsuit brought by Epstein victims suggested Ruemmler advised Epstein on legal matters, including relating to maintaining his 2008 non-prosecution agreement and public statements to the media, CNN reported Jan. 20. Ruemmler previously told CNN she “did not represent him and was not compensated by him.”

“I was one of a number of lawyers Epstein informally reached out to for advice,” Ruemmler told the outlet in December.

Previously released email correspondence revealed Ruemmler consulted Epstein when deciding whether to accept an offer to become Obama’s attorney general, as well as on smaller problems like whether she should travel first-class or business on a trip to Dubai.

Ruemmler and Goldman Sachs did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment.

“It’s well known that Epstein’s MO was to do unsolicited favors for and provide unsolicited gifts to his many business contacts,” Goldman Sachs said in a statement Friday to CNN.

‘Kathy Should Not Spend Money There’

“She won her case and needs some pampering,” Epstein wrote in an August 2016 email directing someone, whose name is redacted in the records, to organize a half-day at the Four Seasons Spa in Washington, D.C.

“Thank you again!!” Ruemmler replied to the individual who arranged the spa day at Epstein’s expense. “And thanks to Uncle Jeffrey!”

Booking confirmations and requests for credit card authorization show he covered other spa days in New York. One receipt shows Epstein paid $658 for Ruemmler’s hair appointment in March 2016.

In a March 2016 email, Epstein instructed an individual to pay for an entire year of facials, stating “kathy should not spend money there.”

On Christmas day in 2015, Epstein directed someone to arrange a “first class trip” to Geneva for Ruemmler.

“I adore him,” Ruemmler wrote to the individual organizing her trip on Epstein’s behalf, whose name is redacted. “It’s like having another older brother!”

Ruemmler wrote that she “never feel[s] as if I can return the kindness adequately.”

She appears to have missed the flight, according to a later Jan. 2, 2016 email.

Another email from October 2016 shows Epstein’s assistant asking a travel company to void a ticket purchased in her name to fly from New York to the U.S. Virgin Islands because “she can’t play hooky from work after all!”

https://dailycaller.com/2026/01/30/jeffrey-epstein-kathryn-ruemmler-legal-advice-goldman-sachs-obama/

32 Gazans said killed in wave of strikes as IDF responds to truce violation

Military says it targeted Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives, weapons sites after gunmen emerged from Rafah tunnel; strikes are among the deadliest since October ceasefire

At least 32 Palestinians, including women, children and Hamas police officers, were reported killed in a wave of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Saturday morning — one of the highest death tolls since the October ceasefire — as the Israeli military confirmed it targeted terror commanders and infrastructure in response to what it called a “violation of the ceasefire agreement.”

The Israel Defense Forces said its strikes targeted four commanders in the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups, as well as a weapons depot, an arms manufacturing site and two rocket launching positions.

“The terror organizations in the Strip systematically violate international law, while brutally exploiting civilian institutions and operating in the presence of the local population,” the military said in a statement.

Hamas’s civil defense agency said it had retrieved the bodies of 32 people killed in seven different locations since Saturday morning. Hamas authorities claimed that around a quarter of those killed were children, about a third were women, one was an elderly man and five were officers in the Hamas-run police force.

The Hamas-run health ministry reported another 30 people wounded, some in critical condition.

Among the reported strikes was an attack on the Sheikh Radwan police station in Gaza City, which Hamas’s interior ministry said was hit Saturday morning. Palestinian media put the death toll from the police station at 16, including officers and detainees.

Hamas’s interior ministry said the dead at the police station included several civilians and at least five officers, including one with a rank equivalent to colonel, two of a rank equivalent to major, and two of a rank equivalent to lieutenant. At least 15 police officers were also wounded, the ministry said.

Elsewhere, Palestinian media reported three people killed in an Israeli strike near an UNRWA school in the Nasser district of western Gaza City.

Hamas accused Israel of carrying out a “blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement,” claiming that 12 people killed in overnight strikes included six children, and that seven of the dead belonged to a single family sheltering in a displaced peoples’ camp in Khan Younis.

According to the military, the strikes were launched after eight gunmen emerged from a tunnel in southern Gaza’s Rafah on Friday. The IDF said at the time that three of the gunmen were killed in strikes and a fourth, described as a key Hamas commander, was captured.

The army said the incident in Rafah constituted a breach of the ceasefire.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/at-least-28-gazans-said-killed-in-wave-of-strikes-as-idf-responds-to-truce-violation/

2 blasts rock Iran, killing at least 5; Israeli officials deny any involvement

Local fire chief says explosion in Bandar Abbas was caused by gas leak, official says 4-year-old killed; IRGC denies its naval facilities were targeted after online rumors spread

At least one person was killed and 14 injured in an explosion in the southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas on Saturday, a local official told Iranian news agencies. Israeli officials denied any involvement.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency said that social media reports alleging that a Revolutionary Guard navy commander had been targeted in the explosion were “completely false.”

Iranian media said the blast was under investigation. According to the local fire chief, the blast was the result of a gas leak.

“The initial cause of the building accident in Bandar Abbas was a gas leak and buildup, leading to an explosion. This is the initial theory,” Mohammad Amin Lyaghat said, in comments broadcast on state television.

According to a local official, the only person killed in the blast was a child.

https://twitter.com/i/status/2017578107293589839

DOJ probing incident where climate group stormed Jewish synagogue event with Democrat congressman

Probe comes days after DOJ charged three activists — including former CNN anchor Don Lemon — for invading a Christian church service in Minnesota.

The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into an incident this week in which climate protesters stormed a Jewish synagogue where a Democrat congressman was speaking, signaling an aggressive effort to protect houses of worship from vile intrusions from leftist activists.

Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the probe in a statement Saturday to Just the News.

“We are investigating this case and will continue to actively investigate any house of worship that is disrupted,” Bondi said.

The decision to probe the intrusion by the group Climate Defiance at a Long Island synagogue in Roslyn, N.Y., comes days after DOJ charged three activists — including former CNN anchor Don Lemon — for invading a Christian church service in Minnesota.

Both incidents involved increasingly aggressive leftist activists who are protesting the Trump administration’s arrests of illegal aliens nationwide.

The most recent episode targeted Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi over his initial vote to back a GOP-led spending bill that directed more federal funding to ICE’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

Video footage showed Suozzi was speaking Wednesday night when activists from Climate Defiance stormed the synagogue with diapers and kneepads while cursing and making vile comments.

Climate Defiance called Suozzi a “hideous, grotesque, fascist-loving coward” with “blood on his hands” in a social post.

The New York probe will be slightly different than the Minnesota case, where a worship service was underway. Wednesday's event involved a speech by a politician hosted by a house of worship.

https://justthenews.com/government/security/doj-probing-incident-where-climate-group-stormed-jewish-synagogue-event

A nationwide raid on the Latin Kings gang has resulted in about 50 arrests, FBI Director Kash Patel announced Friday.

A nationwide raid on the Latin Kings gang has resulted in about 50 arrests, FBI Director Kash Patel announced Friday.

The three-month multi-state operation was named “Operation Broken Crown,” according to Fox News.

More than a dozen FBI field offices partnered with federal, state, local, and tribal agencies, the FBI said.

The FBI added that more than $200,000 and more than 10 kilograms of illegal drugs were seized.

The operation, which began in October, has also seized more than a dozen guns.

“Under President Trump’s and Attorney General Bondi’s leadership, this FBI is dismantling violent gang networks in America at a record clip — breaking their operations and saving lives in the process,” Patel said.

“In 2025 we saw a 210 percent increase in gang takedowns from MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, and now just weeks into 2026, we’re announcing another three-month takedown operation,” he continued.

Patel said the FBI “will continue working 24/7 to crush violent crime and eliminate networks facilitating harm on the American people.”

Noting that members of the gang were “publicly threatening law enforcement officers,” Patel posted on X that “we’re breaking the violent gang network in America.”

Earlier this month, a Latin Kings gang member was arrested in connection with the theft of federal government property in Minneapolis.

Raul Gutierrez, 33, was arrested by the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to Fox News.

White House border czar Tom Homan said Thursday that the suspect “is now wearing a set of handcuffs in custody,” and said more arrests will take place.

“Others are coming,” he said. “They’re gonna be held accountable.”

https://www.stationgossip.com/2026/01/fbi-nails-dozens-of-latin-kings.html

Microsoft confirms it will give the FBI your Windows PC data encryption key if asked — you can thank Windows 11's forced online accounts for that

Windows 11's online Microsoft Account requirement means your PC is automatically backing up its data encryption key to the cloud, and Microsoft says it will hand those over to the FBI if requested via legal order.

Microsoft has confirmed in a statement to Forbes that the company will provide the FBI access to BitLocker encryption keys if a valid legal order is requested. These keys enable the ability to decrypt and access the data on a computer running Windows, giving law enforcement the means to break into a device and access its data.

The news comes as Forbes reports that Microsoft gave the FBI the BitLocker encryption keys to access a device in Guam that law enforcement believed to have "evidence that would help prove individuals handling the island’s Covid unemployment assistance program were part of a plot to steal funds" in early 2025.

This was possible because the device in question had its BitLocker encryption key saved in the cloud. By default, Windows 11 forces the use of a Microsoft Account, and the OS will automatically tie your BitLocker encryption key to your online account so that users can easily recover their data in scenarios where they might get locked out. This can be disabled, letting you choose where to save them locally, but the default behavior is to store the key in Microsoft's cloud when setting up a PC with a Microsoft Account.

https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/windows-11/microsoft-bitlocker-encryption-keys-give-fbi-legal-order-privacy-nightmare

Amazon Found ‘High Volume’ Of Child Sex Abuse Material in AI Training Data

The tech giant reported hundreds of thousands of cases of suspected child sexual abuse material, but won’t say where it came from

Amazon reported hundreds of thousands of pieces of content last year that it believed included child sexual abuse, which it found in data gathered to improve its artificial intelligence models. Though Amazon removed the content before training its models, child safety officials said the company has not provided information about its source, potentially hindering law enforcement from finding perpetrators and protecting victims.

Throughout last year, Amazon detected the material in its AI training data and reported it to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, or NCMEC. The organization, which was established by Congress to field tips about child sexual abuse and share them with law enforcement, recently started tracking the number of reports specifically tied to AI products and their development. In 2025, NCMEC saw at least a fifteen-fold increase in these AI-related reports, with “the vast majority” coming from Amazon. The findings haven’t been previously reported.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-01-29/amazon-found-child-sex-abuse-in-ai-training-data

Starmer shakes hands with Xi and AstraZeneca suddenly announces a massive $15 billion China investment

Landmark investment will expand AstraZeneca’s capabilities to discover, develop, and manufacture transformative new treatments in China

Investment will support delivery of AstraZeneca’s 2030 ambition

AstraZeneca today announced $15 billion investment in China through 2030 to expand medicines manufacturing and R&D. This investment will leverage the country’s scientific excellence, advanced manufacturing, and China-UK healthcare ecosystem collaborations to deliver cutting-edge treatments to patients across China and globally.

Keir Starmer, UK Prime Minister, said: “Unlocking opportunities for British businesses across the globe and delivering for working people back home is always the driving force behind my international engagements. AstraZeneca’s expansion and leadership in China will help the British manufacturer continue to grow – supporting thousands of UK jobs. The multi-billion pound investment announced today from AstraZeneca, alongside partnerships from some of our country’s leading universities, furthers research and development in the UK which is helping to power our world class life sciences sector.”

Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer, AstraZeneca, said: “Today’s landmark investment of $15 billion begins an exciting next chapter for AstraZeneca in China, which has become a critical contributor to scientific innovation, advanced manufacturing, and global public health. By expanding our capabilities in breakthrough treatments like cell therapy and radioconjugates, we will strengthen our contribution to China’s high-quality development and, most importantly, bring next-generation modalities to patients.”

https://www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/press-releases/2026/astrazeneca-invests-15bn-in-china-through-2030.html

Trump Epstein rape claim from 2016 keeps resurfacing, yet every official review ends the same way, no charges, no proof, just noise.

The allegation stems from a 2016 lawsuit by “Katie Johnson” claiming Trump and Epstein raped her at 13 in 1994. The suit was filed multiple times but withdrawn amid threats, with no charges filed. It’s linked to a producer known for disputed claims. Recent Epstein files include an unverified 2020 tip, but the DOJ calls it “untrue” with no evidence. Sources: Wikipedia, Snopes (2024), LA Times (Dec 2025).

https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01660651.pdf

Israel 3rd-worst jailer of journalists worldwide, press freedom group says

‘Israel, the only country on the worst jailers’ list that is traditionally considered democracy, began imprisoning Palestinian journalists rapidly following the start of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023,’ according to CPJ’s 2025 Prison Census

Over 300 journalists remain imprisoned globally for the fifth consecutive year, with Israel ranking as the third-worst jailer of media workers, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists' annual census.

“For the fifth year in a row, more than 300 journalists were imprisoned worldwide as of the end of 2025, according to CPJ’s annual prison census. These record-setting numbers reflect growing authoritarianism and escalating numbers of armed conflicts worldwide. Often, journalists are held under cruel and life-threatening conditions – a 'cemetery of the living,' as one freed Palestinian prisoner described it,” according to CPJ’s 2025 Prison Census.

Israel put 29 journalists behind bars as of Dec. 1, accounting for 9% of the world's imprisoned journalists.

“Israel, the only country on the worst jailers’ list that is traditionally considered a democracy, began imprisoning Palestinian journalists rapidly following the start of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023.

“Often, journalists are imprisoned on undisclosed charges or held without charge in arbitrary detention – in contravention of international law. While Israeli citizens enjoy some civil rights and freedoms, legal experts identify a radically different standard of justice for Palestinians in its occupied territory. Israel arrested more than 90 journalists during the course of the war,” it added.

China topped the list as the world's worst jailer for the third straight year with 50 journalists imprisoned, representing 15% of the global total. Myanmar rose to second place with 30 journalists held, up from third in 2024.

CPJ found that the 10 worst jailers account for nearly 75% of the 330 journalists imprisoned around the world. Azerbaijan entered the top 10 countries for the first time since 2018, with 24 journalists imprisoned, nearly doubling the number from the previous year during a months-long crackdown on independent media.

The number of journalists imprisoned in Russia, Myanmar, Belarus, Egypt, and Eritrea has remained consistent with the previous five-year levels, the report found.

“While 2025 has seen a slight reduction in jailed journalists, down from a record 384 in 2024, the numbers remain stubbornly high. It has been more than a decade since fewer than 200 journalists were jailed.”

According to the census, which was taken annually at 12.01 am on December 1, more than one-third of those imprisoned are serving sentences of more than five years. Nearly half have never been sentenced, and 26% have remained in jail without being sentenced for five years or more – detentions that the CPJ says violate international law, which requires fair trials without undue delay.

“Global deterioration of democracy and erosion of human rights protections have paved the way for both new and old authoritarian leaders to suppress press freedom in recent years,” it underlined.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israel-3rd-worst-jailer-of-journalists-worldwide-press-freedom-group-says/3814045

🚨 Tucker Carlson reveals the Offer the Trump Administration made to Minnesota Officials that hasn’t been made public yet — MN Officials said no

1. Local Police have to answer 911 calls from federal agents

—— as of now, if an agent is in danger and requests assistance, they don’t get it.

1. Local Police has to work to protect Federal law enforcement from being killed when they’re off duty

1. The jails have to tell the federal government where the pedophiles and rapist are, and hand them over

1. If officials do that, the vast majority of Federal law enforcement will be pulled from Minnesota, but remain to protect Federal assets

The response from Minnesota officials was “NO, we’re not doing that.”

This is proof that what you’re witnessing in Minnesota is the beginning of a Color Revolution.

https://x.com/i/status/2016585412039369063

Donald Trump:

“I don’t want to drive housing prices down. I want to drive housing prices up.”

https://twitter.com/i/status/2016952161737887809

IDF Proposes Limiting Aid Deliveries to Gaza to 200 Trucks Per Day

The restriction would be a violation of President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace agreement

The Israeli military wants to limit aid deliveries to Gaza to a third of what Israel is required to allow to enter the Strip.

The Jerusalem Post reported on Thursday that the IDF has recommended restricting aid deliveries to Gaza to 200 trucks per day. The Israeli military claims that this is the amount of aid required to sustain the Palestinians, and additional aid is given to Hamas.

Under the deal between Hamas and Israel brokered by President Donald Trump in October, Tel Aviv agreed to allow 600 aid trucks to enter Gaza each day. Throughout most of the ceasefire period, Israel has kept aid deliveries to a minimum. Over the past week, 600 trucks per day have entered Gaza.

While the Israeli military claims the Palestinians are “flooded” with supplies, aid agencies say the people of Gaza are still struggling to survive. Most people in Gaza are displaced and living in tents. Israel is refusing to allow temporary housing to enter Gaza, leading to several children freezing to death.

The UN’s humanitarian affairs spokesperson, Olga Cherevko, said aid organizations were still facing “severe limitations.”

The assertion that Hamas is stealing a large portion of the aid that enters Gaza has also been debunked by multiple investigations.

In addition to restricting the number of aid deliveries into Gaza, the IDF wants to maintain that all aid going to Gaza enters through Israel. Gaza’s border crossing with Egypt is scheduled to be reopened within the coming week. The IDF wants to prevent cargo from entering the Strip via Egypt.

“In the months leading up to Oct. 7, some 11,000 trucks entered Gaza unchecked via Rafah, four times higher than in previous years. Aid to Gaza must go through Israeli crossings under supervision.” The IDF official continued, “At most, Kerem Shalom could one day serve as a border triangle or resemble the cargo terminals at the Allenby crossing with Jordan.”

https://news.antiwar.com/2026/01/29/idf-proposes-limiting-aid-deliveries-to-gaza-to-200-trucks-per-day/

Seven Reasons Not To Bomb Iran

1) It has never gone well.

2) Iran is not a military threat to America.

3) Iran’s relationship to Israel is not our problem.

4) The Iranian struggle for freedom is not a concern of the American government.

5) Tax money spent on bombing Iran would be more useful here at home.

6) Intervention backfires. Wars for human rights and far-flung geostrategic “interests” are always boondoggles.

7) The American government should adopt the golden rule out of self-interest.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/seven-reasons-not-bomb-iran

Here's Ronald Lauder, Ex-President of the World Jewish Congress, demanding every nation adopt "severe laws" to jail their citizens for speech he deems anti-Semitic.

https://www.chabad.org/therebbe/livingtorah/player_cdo/aid/247481/jewish/To-Benefit-a-Third-Jew.htm

New Epstein documents confirm what many have been telling you over the years. They weren't just sexually abusing and trafficking children. They were literally torturing them to death as well. The truth is darker than you could ever imagine.

It's always been about the children.

https://x.com/TheSCIF/status/2017352503092813924

>>24199802

Everything is notable

FFS nasa spam in notes

Putin Envoy Dmitriev Back In Miami For Talks, Which Seem To Be Going Nowhere

President Putin's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev has arrived in Miami this weekend where he held another round of talks with an American delegation. The discussions started early Saturday morning, after Dmitriev confirmed his arrival, writing on social media simply, "Back in Miami".

The talks follow a round of meetings held on January 23-24 in Abu Dhabi involving the United States, Ukraine, and Russia. Media reports said those discussions produced "progress" on military-related issues, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky describing them as constructive. But were they really?

Apart from such expressions of limited optimism, there's been no serious advancement of peace in any tangible or measurable way, and on issues which matter as 'red lines' to either side.

Meanwhile, according to some recent analysis in The Washington Post which furthers the theme that Trump has actually seeking to wash his hands of the Ukraine conflict and its mediation:

President Donald Trump “sometimes talks as if he agrees with Vladimir Putin that Russian victory in this bloodbath [in Ukraine] is inevitable,” according to David Ignatius’s column in The Washington Post. However, Ignatius’ conversations in Kyiv with Ukraine’s senior officials convinced him that “this bleak picture is misleading.”

“Ukraine will soon deploy a new generation of domestically produced air-defense interceptors, powered by artificial intelligence, that could allow the country to fight on indefinitely,” Ignatius writes. “Putin doesn’t want to make concessions because he still thinks he can win. But Ukraine’s new network of AI-driven air defenses will make that less likely. If Ukraine can protect the civilians on Kyiv’s frozen streets—and reassure them that they won’t face another winter in the deep freeze, even if the war continues—perhaps Putin will reconsider his bet,” according to Ignatius.

And so the grinding war of attrition looks to endure for the time being, and by close of 2026 we could still be seeing the exact same headlines, and empty statements of 'progress' at the negotiating table.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/putin-envoy-dmitriev-back-miami-talks-which-seem-be-going-nowhere

The US Economy In A Nutshell: A Few Winners, Everyone Else Loses Ground

Here's the US economy in a nutshell: corporate/state concentrations of financial, market and political power are the winners, and everyone outside these fortresses is losing ground. The Wall Street Journal is generally viewed as pro-business, and so it's particularly striking when the WSJ published this:

The growing divide between the fortunes of small and large businesses mirrors the divide that has emerged over the past year between low-income Americans and their high-income counterparts.

–Large, publicly traded companies in the S&P 500 saw net income increase by 12.9% in the third quarter, contrasting with faltering small-business profits.

–Small businesses are facing economic headwinds, including high inflation and cautious consumers, leading to job cuts; 120,000 jobs were shed in November.

In other words, the small circle of winners and the larger circle of those losing ground describes both households and enterprises: small businesseslacking the concentrated financial / political power to exercise monopoly-cartel control of their market and protect their fiefdom by buying political influenceare in steep decline–and this is in "good times," i.e. the economy is expanding, not contracting in a recession.

https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/us-economy-nutshell-few-winners-