The National Gazette (Official Publication of the Game Engine)

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Two questions for the GM:

1. Is Common Core still in effect?
2. If so, do regions have the ability to opt out?

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Two questions for the GM:

1. Is Common Core still in effect?
2. If so, do regions have the ability to opt out?

Yes, and yes.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. VI | ISSUE 2
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
- BULLETINS -


President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela

VENEZUELA CRISIS
Protests Escalate as Maduro Vows to Restore Order

Demonstrations against the government of President Nicolás Maduro have intensified in the days since the presidential election on May 20, which saw Maduro returned to office with a majority of 74% in results published by the National Electoral Council. The international community and opposition figures in Venezuela have described the election as fradulent, and opposition parties had urged their supporters to boycott the vote; while official government figures reported slightly more than 40% of eligible citizens had voted in the election, independent observers estimate turnout may have been as low as 12%, and less than 10% in Caracass, where demonstrators blockaded polling stations and attacked officials attempting to conduct the election. In response to what he described as "lawless attacks on our people, bankrolled by the Atlasian imperialists," Maduro on Monday imposed harsh new measures to throttle the demonstrations, enacting curfews in the largest cities, ordering the arrest of opposition leaders and journalists, and calling for additional support from the military to restore law and order.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. VI | ISSUE 3
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
- BULLETINS -


Progress of the North Korean Civil War, May 16–23

NORTH KOREAN CIVIL WAR
Allies Repulsed in Maneuver at Anju, Take Singhung

Fighting continues south of the city of Anju after an Allied offensive against divisions of the 78th Group Army failed to turn the enemy flank, adding some 1,600 dead from both armies and wounded to the thousands previously perished in the fifty-three day engagement. The defeat of the Allied assault leaves the Beijing Pact in control of the city, preventing any movement of Allied land forces into the northern provinces of the Korean Peninsula. To the east, combined British, French, Japanese, and People's Republican forces acting as the Allied Second Army are victorious after a furious engagement in the Hamgyong Mountains over May 17–22, leaving the Allies in possession of Singhung County and well positioned to launch an assault into the heart of Loyalist Korea. Preliminary casualty reports estimate between 2,500 and 2,800 Allied soldiers to be killed, wounded, or missing, compared with 2,800 to 3,100 Chinese and Loyalist losses.

. . .

VENEZUELA CRISIS
Demonstrators Barricade Streets, Seize Civic Buildings as Troops Pour Into Caracas

Responding to threats by President Nicolás Maduro that the state would move quickly to subdue what he describes as lawless and foreign-inspired protest movement, demonstrators in Caracas on Tuesday seized various civic landmarks throughout the city, including the Plaza Bolivar, and barricaded streets against the advancing security forces. While protesters marching on the Federal Capitol were repulsed by security forces and regular army troops, Wednesday morning found the demonstrators in control of much of the city as protests elsewhere in the country left a startling 2,100 dead in the last forty-eight hours. Maduro has pledged to restore the rule of law and "purge these terrorists from the streets of Caracas;" no statement from the demonstrators has yet been received.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. VI | ISSUE 4
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
- BULLETINS -


The Atlasian Seventh Fleet off Dalian in the Sea of Bohai

NORTH KOREAN CIVIL WAR
Chinese Fleet Shattered in Sea of Bohai

A ferocious two-day engagement fought twenty-odd miles off the coast of Dalian has ended a decisive tactical victory for the Allied fleets of the Republic of Atlasia and the Republic of Korea, inflicting heavy losses on the Chinese North Sea Fleet and decimating their ability to counter Allied naval activities in the Yellow Sea. A preliminary report issued by the Allied Joint Command indicates the Chinese lost both their remaining destroyers, five frigates, and a number of smaller warships sunk or incapacitated in the span of forty-six hours before scuttling the rest to prevent their capture by the Allies. The victory of the Allied naval forces ends any possibility of an amphibious landing by the Beijing Pact at Nampo, freeing the garrison defending Pyongyang against such a potential to transfer troops to the active fronts at Anju and Singhung.

. . .

VENEZUELA CRISIS
Ordered to Fire on Demonstrators, Troops Mutiny

As many as two hundred soldiers of the Venezuelan Armed Forces may have defied their commanders' orders to fire on crowds of demonstrators at the Plaza Bolivar in perhaps the most serious threat to the rule of President Nicolás Maduro since he was proclaimed reelected one week ago. While the military, employing an arsenal of tear gas, rifle butts, and tanks, had regained control over most of the city by Saturday evening, the mass occupying the Plaza Bolivar resisted dispersal with stones, clubs, and homemade incendiaries, leading the army to call for additional reinforcements. When the demonstrators again refused to disperse on Sunday, the soldiers were allegedly ordered to fire into the crowd; according to reports by eyewitness observers in Caracas, the soldiers at first refused to execute this order, and when commanded to fire a second time, several units instead joined with the demonstrators and turned their guns on their commanders.

Exactly how many soldiers participated in the alleged mutiny is unknown. The Maduro government has denied soldiers were ordered to fire on the crowd and acknowledges that only a "handful of disloyal soldiers" may have taken up with the protesters. Opposition voices have meanwhile reported that as many as six hundred soldiers are now expressly fighting alongside the demonstrators, while independent journalists in Caracas place the number at between eighty and two hundred.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Economic Report for May 28, 2018
Unemployment numbers

Fremont	6.16%	▼0.70%
Lincoln	6.56%	▼0.50%
South	6.62%	▼0.65%
National	6.42%	▼0.64%

GDP
$18.340 Trillion

NB: This report was prepared using a provisional revised formula for calculating economic statistics, which takes into account legislation and policy in addition to gross national activity. The ultimate goal of these changes is to make national unemployment and GDP reflective of federal and regional efforts to promote economic growth, either by stimulus measures, deregulation, or a host of other measures. This initiative is still a work in progress and revisions will continue to be made as time goes on in order to more accurately reflect the effects of in-game actions on the state of the Atlasian economy.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL VI. | ISSUE 5
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
- BULLETINS -


Demonstrators take fire from security forces in Caracas

VENEZUELA CRISIS
Maduro Rumored in Custody With Nation at the Breaking Point

Unconfirmed reports that President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela has been taken into custody by leaders of a military coup d'état reached journalists in the capital city of Caracas on Friday, following the withdrawal of security forces from areas held by the opposition in apparent compliance with orders allegedly issued by the General Staff. Several of the president's closest allies have also allegedly been taken into custody or placed under house arrest in the last thirty-six hours. While video footage apparently showing soldiers entering the Miraflores Palace in Caracas has gained circulation online, neither the office of the president nor the General Staff have issued any statement confirming or denying the rumors of a coup.

. . .

NORTH KOREAN CIVIL WAR
Allied Fleet Victorious in Battle of Tong Island

A preemptive strike against naval forces of the People's Republic of China, fought over two days from May 31 to June 1, has ended an apparent tactical victory for the Allied navies of the Republic of Atlasia and the Commonwealth of Australia, who forced their enemy to withdraw north into Chinese territorial waters but failed to totally incapacitate the East Sea Fleet. The engagement marks the first expansion of open hostilities beyond the Korean Peninsula and adjacent waters. Believing an attack on the Allied fleet at the Senkaku Islands was imminent, the White House acting on the advice of the Combined Allied High Command authorized the fleet to engage the Chinese at Tong Island, one hundred miles off the coast of Shanghai. Both navies suffered moderate casualties before the Chinese withdrew, with the main force retreating to Shanghai while a smaller detachment sets out to meet the Japanese fleet sailing south from Sasebo. Should the Allies take or appear to threaten Shanghai, observers speculated the symbolic resonance of such an event could force the Chinese to sue for peace—or else provoke China to commit her full military might to victory in East Asia.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. VI | ISSUE 6
FOREIGN AFFAIRS

VENEZUELA CRISIS
Maduro Deposed in Coup d'État

In a statement televised from the Palacio de Miraflores early this morning, General-in-Chief Vladimir Padrino confirmed reports that the armed forces have seized control of the Venezuelan state, declaring an end to the rule of President Nicolás Maduro a mere fourteen days after it was formally renewed in what has been widely described as a sham election. In the statement, which Padrino claimed to deliver on behalf of the General Staff and the Operational Strategic Command, the man who was once Maduro's Minister of Defense announced that the now-former president has resigned his office and been taken into custody along with several of his most important allies, while military divisions move swiftly to restore order throughout the country. Meanwhile, Venezuela remains under martial law as precaution against "terrorists and saboteurs" who might seek to exploit the moment to ferment their own revolution.

Reactions to the coup within the opposition camp were mixed, as demonstrators cheered Maduro's removal while vowing to remain in the streets and hold accountable the new provisional government under Padrino. Others, fondly remembering Maduro's charismatic predecessor, Hugo Chavez, expressed relief that the government was once more in the hands of loyal Chavistas and confidence that Padrino (who opposed the 2002 coup attempt against Chavez' government) will be able to turn the country around. As of this writing, no action had been taken to disperse the demonstrators who remain in control of much of Caracas.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. VII | ISSUE 1
FOREIGN AFFAIRS

NORTH KOREAN CIVIL WAR
Allies Take Anju, Naval Stalemate off Shanghai

Soldiers of the Second and Third People's Republican Army Divisions claimed the city of Anju for the Allies early this afternoon, ending a vicious seventy-nine day campaign to capture the stronghold Allied commanders have described as the 'Gibraltar of Loyalist Korea.' The Allied victory came after a furious three-day offensive in which the bulk of the Allied First Army, including sixty thousand Atlasian servicemen and women, swung around the left flank of the Loyalist army and fell upon the city from the north, forcing the Beijing Pact to abandon the city at a cost of nearly a fifth of their total strength killed, wounded, or captured. While the full cost of the carnage may not be known for several days, provisional estimates place the total number killed or wounded in both armies at well into the tens and possibly hundreds of thousands.

The fall of Anju leaves the Allies free to press on to the Yalu River, opening what Allied commanders hope will be the final phase of the war, while Allied naval forces fought an inconclusive battle off the coast of Shanghai over June 11–18. While the Chinese fleet suffered heavy losses, the Allied navies of Atlasia, Australia, and Japan were unable to totally incapacitate their enemy, while for their part the Chinese failed to banish the threat to Shanghai, which now faces the likelihood of an Allied blockade. Combined with the decisive defeat of their land forces at Anju, this prospect may be enough to bring China to the negotiating table—or else harden the embattled nation to fight to the bitter end.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Mr. GM,

A budgetary analysis is requested for the Fremont Promise Act currently being considered by Parliament.

Thank you.

[thumb21]

Mr. GM,

A budgetary analysis is requested for the Fremont Promise Act currently being considered by Parliament.

Thank you.

On it.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. VII | ISSUE 2
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
- BULLETINS -


Armored divisions of the First Allied Army on the road north from Anju

NORTH KOREAN CIVIL WAR
Pakchon Surrenders as Loyalists Retreat to Kusong

The town of Pakchon made its formal surrender to the Allied forces late early yesterday morning after a brief resistance by Loyalist units, as the bleeding and badly disorganized armies of the Beijing Pact continued their retreat north to Kusong, following the decisive Allied victory in the Battle of Anju. Loyalist forces have likewise abandoned the nearby city of Chongju, where the Allies have yet to establish full authority. With Pakchon lost, the last point linking the Pact armies in the west with Chinese and Loyalist forces in the east has been removed, effectively splitting Loyalist Korea in two and rendering the transfer of troops and supplies by land over interior lines all but impossible.

. . .

VENEZUELA CRISIS
Army Disperses Protestors With Bread and Bullets

A little more than two weeks after a military coup d'état toppled President Nicolàs Maduro and placed General Vladimir Padrino at the helm of the Bolivarian Republic, troops under the command of the governing military junta forcibly dispersed demonstrators who had occupied key points in the capital city of Caracas, deploying tanks and tear gas against those who defied the order to stand down. Independent observers estimate as many as 430 civilians to have died in the course of the demonstrations, which intensified following Mr. Maduro's reelection last month. By the time General Padrino's soldiers were clearing the streets in Caracas, however, many of the demonstrators had already gone home, lured from the barricades by news that the government will increase food and gasoline rations and relax some of the harshest measures imposed by the Maduro regime. Mere hours after the army cleared the Plaza Bolivar of protesters, a spokesperson for the Operational Strategic Command announced an extra issue of grain rations to every citizen, explaining "the terrorists and foreign agents have been hoarding this, steeling from the people of Venezuela: now that order has been restored, there is again bounty to be enjoyed by all." It was unclear Thursday evening whether the army was indeed in control of the entire country, or whether General Padrino in fact enjoys the united support of the General Staff.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. VII | ISSUE 3
FOREIGN AFFAIRS

NORTH KOREAN CIVIL WAR
Kusong Surrenders, Loyalists in Disarray

In the course of eight days, the Allies west of the Hamgyong Mountains seized the military-industrial center of Kusong on June 26, routed a desperate attempt by Chinese forces to stage a counterattack on the 28th, and took more than four thousand prisoners as the armies of the Beijing Pact fall into increasing disarray. Their supply lines disrupted by Allied air raids against caravans crossing the Yalu River, and having suffered a series of crippling defeats since the fall of Anju eleven days ago, the Pact forces are increasingly disordered and demoralized, according to intelligence gleaned from deserters and prisoners of war. Loyalist commanders, further, are increasingly at odds with their counterparts in the People's Liberation Army, tensions at the root of the bungled evacuation of Kusong—which Loyalist commanders allegedly vehemently opposed and refused to cooperate with until the last possible moment, contributing to the loss of several hundred soldiers as prisoners and valuable military supplies. In anticipation against a general attack against the Chinese mainland, the PLA have fortified key ports along China's Pacific coast, as troops pour into Shanghai to form a second wall of defense in the event the first wall—the battered East Sea Fleet—should crumble under a renewed Allied assault.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. VIII | ISSUE 1
FOREIGN AFFAIRS

NORTH KOREAN CIVIL WAR
Allies Thrown Back at Sinuiju

Apparently on the brink of total victory after their success at the Battle of Kusong one week previous, the armies of the Allied forces suffered a startling setback on Wednesday when a detachment of primarily French and Atlasian soldiers traveling west from Chongju was defeated by Chinese forces they had believed to be twenty miles to the north in the Kangnam Mountains. The Allied detachment had been dispatched to seize the border city of Sinuiju, believed to be lightly defended by a small Loyalist force of a few hundred soldiers, which would have enabled the Allies to prevent the main Loyalist Army from crossing the Yalu River into China. Instead, the unexpected arrival of most of the 78th Group Army (PLA) forces the Allies to withdraw after a six-hour engagement at Yongchon. Casualty estimates place Allied losses at anywhere near 600 killed, wounded, and captured in the course of the battle, compared to less than 100 of the enemy killed or wounded.

South Sea Fleet Sails North Too Late, as Allies Take Port of Shanghai

The East Sea Fleet of the People's Liberation Army Navy is no more, as warships of the Allied fleet trained their guns on the land fortifications guarding the Shanghai harbor after a furious three-day bombardment blasted apart the city's naval defenses and forced the surrender of the Chinese fleet. News of the loss of the Port of Shanghai reached Beijing just as the South Sea Fleet had at last thrown off the Japanese contingent harassing them and was sailing north to the relief of Shanghai. Reports that the South Sea Fleet had left port had reached the Allies ten days ago, and was the major factor in the decision to launch a renewed attack against the ESF at Shanghai, which since June 18 had guarded the port against the blockading Allied warships. Newly reinforced by destroyers of the Republic of Korea Second Fleet, while the PLAN remained badly bruised after their previous confrontation with the Allies, the joint Atlasian–Australian–Korean force maintained a ceaseless barrage for seventy-three hours before the outnumbered and outgunned commander of the ESF finally struck his colors in the early hours of the morning on Wednesday.

The attack might have ended in failure had it not been for the efforts of the Japanese forces sent to harass the SSF. Outnumbered three to two in ships and guns, the Japanese masterfully executed a strategy of hit-and-run attacks and delaying engagements which prevented the PLAN from making rapid progress toward Shanghai. By the time the PLAN had managed the successfully corner and defeat the Japanese fleet, it was too late to close the distance in time to save the ESF.

PRK, Allies Have Strong Words for President-elect After Statement

Spokespersons for the National Government of the People's Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, and Japan all vociferously denied their involvement in negotiations with the People's Republic of China or Loyalist Korea and sternly rebuked President-elect N.C. Yankee and the Atlasian government for what they termed "a troubling absence of transparency" in Atlasia's efforts to end the ongoing civil war. The remarks came after a statement issued early this morning by the Atlasian president-elect, who announced his commitment to "bring to a conclusion existing negotiations" with the People's Republic of China seeking a peace settlement with the Beijing Pact. While emissaries of the Allied Powers had discussed the terms of a potential peace agreement earlier this year, the most recent efforts by the State Department to engage China in negotiations were begun without informing the PRK or the other Allies, leading some to fear that Atlasia will seek a separate peace with China and leave the PRK and her East Asian allies to their own defenses. A spokesperson for Choe Ryong Hae, interim premier of the PRK, expressed disappointment at the president-elect's statement, saying that while the PRK greatly values her friendship with Atlasia, "this war is being fought for the independence of the People's Republic against a foreign invader," adding that peace may only come when the independence and sovereignty of the PRK is acknowledged and respected by all.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I never said anything anywhere about negotiating with China, it was a reference to other foreign policy interactions. The reason it was together with the "ongoing" situation in Korea was to lay the groundwork for why stability is important and why Mr. R was being retained.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I never said anything anywhere about negotiating with China, it was a reference to other foreign policy interactions. The reason it was together with the "ongoing" situation in Korea was to lay the groundwork for why stability is important and why Mr. R was being retained.

Ah. The way you originally phrased it, it sounded to me like "existing negotiations" was in reference to "the ongoing situation in Korea" mentioned earlier in the clause; thanks for clarifying. I'll note that your statement is not the main reason the PRK believes Atlasia may be seeking a separate peace with China, though I'm not at liberty to say more here.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. VIII | ISSUE 2
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
- BULLETINS -

NORTH KOREAN CIVIL WAR
Allies Make Slow Headway at Sinuiju

Forces of the Beijing Pact have withdrawn to a second defensive perimeter surrounding Sinuiju thirty miles outside the city as the full might of the Allied First Army struck their positions early this morning, pushing the People's Liberation Army back nearly ten miles from their original position. Though heavily outnumbered, the PLA gave ground slowly, allowing reserve divisions to prepare defensive positions along the second perimeter. Casualty estimates are anywhere from 800 to 1,200 killed, wounded, or missing among the Allies; the PLA are believed to have suffered similar losses.

. . .

VENEZUELA CRISIS
Violent Crackdown Targets Dissidents as Hundreds Flee the Country

The number of migrant refugees who daily flee the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has surged into the low hundreds in the wake of violent crackdown against dissidents and opposition leaders carried out in the name of General Vladimir Padrino, who seized power in a military coup d'état last month. Padrino's orders to root out "terrorists" and "subversive elements" hostile to the regime has led to the arrest or execution of more than 400 opposition members in the last three weeks, as the country remains in a state of martial law. Among those detained are former allies of ousted President Nicolas Maduro, who is reported to be being held at an undisclosed secure location. Venezuela's neighbors have expressed concerns about the flow of migrants, describing whaty may be the beginnings of a humanitarian crisis as hundreds of refugees arrive at the Columbian border seeking food, shelter, and medical attention, many showing the signs of malnutrition after months of shortages under the Maduro regime.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. VIII | ISSUE 2
FOREIGN AFFAIRS

NORTH KOREAN CIVIL WAR
Movement of the Armies: July 3–9

Allied Powers    Beijing Pact
(See enlarged)

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. VIII | ISSUE 3
DOMESTIC AFFAIRS

POSTAL REFORM
Postal Workers March on Nyman to Protest Reform Bill
by 1184AZ

More than 11,000 postal workers, union activists, and concerned citizens from around the country joined forced to rally against proposed HB:1262, the Postal Reform bill, on Wednesday, stating the bill would hobble the Atlasian Postal Service's ability to serve communities and cause "massively inferior service" as a result of budget cuts and the proposed abolition of Saturday mail service. One protestor, a union worker named Harry Davies, told correspondents the demonstrators were "tired of the anti-union, anti-worker agenda pushed by this government, and it stops today." While the protests were largely peaceful, five demonstrators were arrested in an altercation with police officers. Travis Neal Fraser, the president of the Atlasian Postal Workers' Union, said the union would opt out of their current contract with the government and call an immediate strike in the event the Postal Reform bill becomes law.

[Pragmatic Conservative]

Unemployment Numbers
Fremont 4.56% (-1.60%)
Lincoln 6.16%(-0.40%)
South 6.22% (-0.40%)
Atlasia 5.65% (-0.77%)

GDP: 18.340 Trillion

Currency
$1 ATL = $1.25 CDN
$1 ATL=$0.89 Euro
$1 ATL=$0.80 Pound

I can provide additional economic stats upon request.

[Pericles]

Great job Fremont! Also good to see we're having an economic recovery in Atlasia(though primarily driven by Fremont it seems).

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Great job Fremont! Also good to see we're having an economic recovery in Atlasia(though primarily driven by Fremont it seems).

I would caveat these numbers are substantially better than previous ones simply because they quit using the activity metric, but this is certainly good news.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

VOL. VIII | ISSUE 4
FOREIGN AFFAIRS

NORTH KOREAN CIVIL WAR
Victory On Land, Stalemate in the Air

Even as the Allied forces besieging Sinuiju increased their chances of taking the city within the month, as the outnumbered and undersupplied army defending the city continued to give ground, Allied efforts to expand the war to the Chinese mainland were initially repulsed, while a Chinese counter-attack similarly failed to dislodge the Seventh Fleet from the coast of Manchuria. Loyalist guerrillas in the Hamgyong Mountains, meanwhile, continued to offer tough resistance to the large armies imposing on their flanks, halting for a time the Allied campaign to conquer the last province of Loyalist military control.

Allied airstrikes against supply convoys crossing the Yalu River to resupply the Beijing Pact forces at Sinuiju have succeeded in isolating the defenders, denying them much-needed arms and field rations as they attempt to forestall the capture of the city by the Allies. Estimates place the Pact army at Sinuiju in deficit of more than 100,000 men compared to the Allied First Army, who have steadily gained ground over the last week and pushed the defenders to a third perimeter twenty miles outside the city. Aerial observation indicates the Pact forces are preparing thick fortifications five and ten miles within this perimeter, under frequent disruption by Allied bombing from the air.

Allied efforts to carry the war to the Chinese mainland were met with initial repulse, as strategic air raids against military centers and rural infrastructure in Manchuria failed to eliminate a majority of targets, with moderate damage to the air forces of Atlasia and the Republic of Korea. While Allied bombing was able to successfully disrupt resupply convoys bound for Korea and obliterate road and rail infrastructure in the counties opposite Sinuiju, elsewhere Chinese defenses proved more than a match for Allied air strength, crucially saving the air field at Anshan. Yet a counterattack by the People's Liberation Army Air Force against the Atlasian Seventh Fleet off Dalian failed to seriously diminish the Allied naval presence on their coast, and the first stage of the air campaign in Manchuria ended a draw.

[Wells]

WxTransit among 12 others killed in Conservative action pact event 

At around 9:44 pm cst in a Houston area hotel a gunman identified as John Richards stormed into a Conservative action pact event (a major conservative fundraiser  which  was attended by over 100 people). The gunman opened fire beginning to shoot towards the Fremont delegation killing Senator WxTransit  and 12 others while injuring upwards of 15 others (7 critically). John Richards had previously uttered threats last year against then president dfwlibertylover on social media. Further information will be updated as it comes available.

(Please note I have WxTransit permission to run this story)

Oof

[Adam Griffin]

BREAKING NEWS: