Air Force One turned back today due to a minor electrical fault, returning to Joint Base Andrews to switch aircraft. The presidential Boeing 747s have been in service since the mid-1980s, raising the quiet question of whether replacement is overdue. At an estimated $200,000 per flight hour, even short detours add to the broader maelstrom of spending.

That was once the sort of issue framed at Davos. The annual World Economic Forum used to set the agenda for the world’s economies. Now it feels more like a platform for the American president to outline where he believes the world’s energy—and attention—will be directed this year.

Beyond trans-Atlantic travel, little else dominates the global stage this morning. Snow does, however. The Polar Vortex may finally deliver the first major accumulation of this strange winter. Regional trouble spots remain poised on their perches. Iran and Venezuela are quiet this morning. Tensions continue to simmer in the Caribbean and the South China Sea.

The president remains in Switzerland, revisiting familiar ground: Greenland, NATO, and the well-worn catalog of first-year accomplishments of the second term. The list is now familiar.

What comes next may be closer to home. If a couple of feet of snow arrive this weekend, Monday could find parts of the country iced in—just as a government shutdown looms on the 31st. Two closures approaching: one natural, one entirely artificial. There could be little electronic things flashing on the instrument panel, you know?

© 2026 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com