Security and Medicare.
Meanwhile, covertly during 2034, Iranian and Pakistani military capability grew by utilizing bases and funding in Saudi Arabia. To divert attention from spying eyes of Israel, the Saudis secretly funded and encouraged the development of group of terrorists called The League in Palestine. This group started a series of attacks on Israel and Israeli-held settlements in the West Bank. American intelligence had not noticed this threat in Palestine or connected it to the Saudis. Nor had any intelligence agency noticed the nuclear activities, though the British began to be concerned about the increase in conventional weapon systems.
On December 29, 2034, the Army Corps of Engineers reported that the Powers Border Wall was now 99% complete at a cost of $15.2 billion. Memoirs by Powers’ son claimed that the TAP Infrastructure Corporation made $1.5 billion profit on their work for the wall. The Mexican government still refused to pay anything for the wall. Import duties for Mexican goods were now at 35%, with Mexico imposing similar trade tariffs. Trade between the two countries was nearly zero.
In early January 2035, the Powers Administration announced that several Cabinet Secretaries had chosen to leave office, led by the Attorney General, and including Agriculture, Interior, Treasury, and Energy, and about a dozen key deputies. Stephen Schmidt used this opportunity to propose to Powers and Mitchell that the Departments of Energy, Interior, and Commerce should be eliminated. Since Powers’ daughter was running Commerce, the President decided that only Energy and Interior would be axed. Schmidt provided the President with a listing of names to replace these positions, many of which Mitchell objected to as being unqualified for, but Powers approved these as nominees, and Mitchell submitted their names to the Senate for confirmation. The Senate quickly confirmed all but one nominee, who had been convicted in 2024 for hate crimes (and was part of the first pardon list made by Powers).
There was a 6.7 earthquake centered in Beverly Hills, California on February 19,, 2035, on President’s Day. There was $1.2 billion in immediate damage and 130 killed. President Powers immediately flew into the area, disrupting rescue and recovery efforts because of the size of his security detail. The Progressive governor of California got into a shouting match with Powers, accusing him of trying to generate his own press on the top of fallen buildings and buried lives, and delaying execution of a declaration of emergency for the affected area. The media cited this incident as the spark that started the presidential campaign of the Governor to unseat Powers. Powers refused to approve any Congressional legislation to provide disaster relief to California and never issued a federal disaster declaration, preventing any federal aid to California.
On the same day, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Pakistan launched 90 nuclear missiles at Israel from secret sites in Saudi Arabia. Israel’s Iron Dome III defense defeated about 50% of these attacks or caused high altitude nuclear explosions. The remaining missiles hit every Israeli city. Israel was able to shoot nuclear missiles at Saudi Arabia as well as sending jets to bomb that country. The United States Strategic Command could not get in touch with President Powers, who had flown to Scotland from California on the new hyper jet. Vice President Mitchell finally gave the authority to launch a counter-strike on Saudi Arabia. Unknown aircraft, missiles, and drones attacked United States Naval Forces in the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, and Persian Gulf, and the Americans identified Saudi, Pakistani, and Iranian involvement. Nuclear and then conventional strikes were then aimed at military and government targets in Iran and Pakistan, including airfields, armed forces headquarters, refineries and oil wells, shipping terminals, major naval ships, etc.
It is estimated that over 4 million Israelis, 25 million Saudis, 12 million Iranians, and 45 million Pakistanis were killed in the nuclear exchanges, with at least that many injured. Millions died of radiation-related diseases over the next five years. After the nuclear missile exchanges, China and Russia demanded an immediate cease fire by all participants. Israel, Palestine, and much of Saudi Arabia became completely uninhabitable due to the high levels of radiation, as were significant parts of Pakistan and Iran.
The Pakistan and Iran governments collapsed and Chinese and Indian troops deployed peacekeepers there for humanitarian purposes, occupying these countries for the next ten years. The United States lost a dozen aircraft, one aircraft carrier, and two missile cruisers, with about 1,234 sailors and marines killed. Two days later, Powers demanded reparations from Pakistan and Iran, and confiscated all financial holdings ($2 trillion) in American banks. Federal land in Utah was donated to the surviving 500,000 Israel refugees to form the New State of Israel. The OAE relocated the remaining 400,000 Palestinian refugees to clean areas of the former Saudi Arabia kingdom, taking control of its non-radiated territory.
In mid-February 2035, a breakthrough occurred in the secret security talks with Japan and Korea because of the attack on Israel. Each country choose one of the three levels of security offered, and the talks were able to make headway with how much each would pay the United States per year. Concurrently, all three countries agreed on a free trade agreement that would eliminate import or export duties on products and services, equalize tax treatments of all businesses, and other economic items. On February 27th, President Powers flew to Tokyo and then Seoul to sign security and economic agreements. On March 29th, the United States received its first monthly payment from Japan, with Korea’s payment coming in on April 3rd.
In March, Stephen Schmidt was promoted to a position called Chief Presidential Advisor and was paid what the unfilled Chief of Staff position would have received. A secret presidential Executive Order modified #14105 had all White House staffers reporting to Schmidt, except for Mitchell’s assistants, with Mitchell and Schmidt reporting to the President. The Cabinet-level Secretaries would continue to report to Mitchell as a Chief Operating Officer. Schmidt would now assume Congressional liaison responsibilities, with Mitchell concentrating on operations of the federal government.
In April 2035, Congress passed legislation to close down the Departments of Interior and Energy by September 2035. The Bonneville, Southeastern, Southwestern, and Western Area Power Administrations would be sold off to public power entities by the end of 2036. The Energy Information Administration would be transferred to the Department of Commerce, while the Advance Energy Research Agency would go to Defense. Certain nuclear functions were transferred to the Department of Homeland Security or Defense. The Bureau of Indian Affairs would go to the Department of State. The National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Fish & Wildlife Service partly went to the Department of Homeland Security while states would be responsible for federal land management.
CALM BEFORE THE STORM (MAY - AUGUST 2035)
While it was mostly a quiet summer, attacks on synagogues, black churches, and mosques continued by suspected white nationalist groups. Occasionally, a group might be stopped for other reasons by local and state law enforcement. Efforts by the FBI to investigate hate crimes had ceased in 2034.
Congress opened some hearings regarding the American intelligence failure of identifying the secret activities of Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Pakistan in preparing to attack the former State of Israel. Unfortunately, few records survived the nuclear war as did few senior leaders of these four countries. The NSA determined and testified in classified hearings that the three countries use non-electronic means to communicate and perform much of their work, the old fashioned paper, typewriters, and person to person couriers. This evaded most American collection efforts.
Possibly one reason for this calm period was that President Powers sent more time on his TAP Infrastructure Corporation activities than being President. He traveled abroad to promote various infrastructure construction projects, while his company was receiving millions in fees from investors in these foreign countries to sponsor other projects. Powers expressed in his transmails the desire to have a construction project in every country throughout the world, and even build something
in Antarctica.
In concert with this foreign travel, Powers’ son was concurrently conducting trade negotiations with these same governments. Five years later, a Pulitzer Prize winning analysis revealed a strong correlation between these trade deals and TAP Infrastructure Corporation activities. There was also a Powers effort over the last two years to expand internationally the National Football League to thirty-two foreign cities, which was formerly announced in April to be implemented in September 2035. Powers owned the London team (so he could visit his wife), and had minority interests in five others.
FOOTBALL CURES ALL EVILS (SEPTEMBER 2035 - FEBRUARY 2036)
The National Football League doubled the number of teams that opened its season in September 2035. Half of the teams were in the United States. There were four teams in China, two in Russia, and one in the OAE. There was no teams in Mexico or the rest of the Middle East. Stadiums were filled to maximum capacity at every international venue, which according to presidential records, many built under TAP Infrastructure Corporation direction. TAP Infrastructure Corporation foreign