• The Atlantic Council Has Big Plans For A War Between The US And Iran
  The Atlantic Council Has Big Plans For A War Between The US And Iran

  Authored by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.us,

  Globalists as an organized entity have a habit of shifting their efforts between various false-front institutions in order to avoid significant scrutiny. For example, in 2020 they ramped up the fear machine on the covid pandemic and the World Economic Forum took a lead role in that effort. Klaus Schwab was all over the media using covid as an excuse to promote every authoritarian measure imaginable.

  

  When that agenda failed (lockdowns blocked, mask mandates ignored, vaccine passports defeated and the CDC caught inflating vaccination numbers), the WEF and Klaus Schwab conveniently disappeared from the media radar.

  When globalists tried to permanently establish ESG as a way of life for corporations, they introduced the Council For Inclusive Capitalism, run by Lynn de Rothschild and partnered with the Vatican. When ESG was exposed for what it really is (a bridge to full bore communism in which corporations enforce far left social engineering), the CIC vanished from the limelight as quickly as they appeared.

  That said, there is one globalist group that has consistently been in the background during most of these operations – The Atlantic Council. Whenever there’s a propaganda push in play to misdirect the western public, whenever there’s a policy initiative to take away your freedoms, whenever there’s a regional war that might explode into a world war, I always end up finding the fingerprints of the Atlantic Council.

  The council was deeply involved in covid propaganda from 2020 onward and they also have their hands in climate change propaganda, but their bread and butter is regional proxy wars.

  In my recent article ‘Globalists Are Trying To Escalate The Ukraine War Into WWIII Before The US Election’, I outlined how the council is deeply interwoven into the escalation of the Ukraine war through their Eurasia Center and their Scowcroft Center. They have been stoking conflict in the region for at least a decade with the intention of drawing NATO forces into a direct confrontation with Russia.

  In a report published by the Atlantic Council in 2014 titled ‘A Roadmap for Ukraine: Delivering on the Promise of the Maidan’, the group notes:

  “Last fall, as Ukrainians massed on the Maidan to demand a better government and closer ties to Europe, the Atlantic Council began to mobilize on Ukraine. An Atlantic Council delegation visited Warsaw and Kyiv in March to map out our strategy, and during the visit of Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk to the Council that same month, we launched a one hundred- day campaign to galvanize the transatlantic community behind Ukraine’s democratic future in Europe.

  As the crisis worsened, we convened at the highest levels, making vital connections between Ukrainian, American, and European policymakers and thought leaders. We deployed our substantial expertise to launch “red team” exercises that anticipated Russia’s actions and outlined strategies to respond to likely scenarios. Our rapid response working groups (“tiger teams”) made recommendations on issues fundamental to Ukraine’s success. An Atlantic Council delegation delivered this report, which brings all of these findings together, to Prime Minister Yatsenyuk and other leaders in Kyiv the first week of July. The findings are also being shared with American and European policymakers…”

  On Ukraine’s security policy, the Council advised both NATO and Ukraine officials.  The document goes on to outline how NATO could covertly and overtly engage with Ukraine to strengthen their chances of joining with the EU over time; a move which Vladimir Putin claims was one of the very reasons for his invasion of the Donbas.  Finally, the paper described how NATO could foster a proxy war against Russia through Ukraine without directly declaring war on Russia.  As the Council states:

  “Russia’s aggression provides an opportunity of strategic clarity and urgency that should be used to expedite building a robust, modern, and capable Ukrainian defense and security establishment…”

  I believe the Atlantic Council is a root instigator behind every globalist scheme to trigger a larger war between the East and the West. Their ideal scenario seems to be the creation of a proxy conflict that acts as a first domino in a chain that leads to world war, a bit like DARPA’s “Linchpin Theory” which I have written about in the past.

  To be clear, the council is not only interested in Ukraine and Russia. They’re happy to embroil Americans in a larger war wherever they can.

  This past week, the Atlantic Council has published another war scenario report dealing with Iran titled ‘The Future of US Strategy Toward Iran: A Bipartisan Roadmap For The Next Administration’. The goal of the report is to influence a new defense doctrine with a mission to insert the US directly in the middle of the burgeoning war between Iran and Israel.

  As the report states:

  “In simple terms, the goal was to develop a US policy toward Iran, not a Democratic or Republican one. We termed the effort the Iran Strategy Project (ISP). And when we began recruiting experts to join our advisory committee and working group, we did so with two overriding principles in mind. First, ideological diversity and bipartisanship could not just be talking points—they were requirements. The wild swings of US policy toward Iran over the last decade created significant policy gaps that Iran exploited to more rapidly advance its regional malign influence and nuclear program…”

  The assumption in the notion of a “bipartisan” posture on Iran is that there is common ground to be harvested between conservatives and leftists when it comes to war in the region. To be sure, the Democrats and the Neo-Cons are in full agreement on most things.  But Neo-Cons are not conservatives and the political base on both sides of the aisle has little interest in another war in the Middle East.

  The wild card here is Trump. The establishment media reports that Iran hacked the Trump campaign’s election strategies and gave them to the Harris camp. There are also rumors spread by US intelligence agencies that Iran was working to have Trump assassinated.  Are these claims true? There’s little public evidence available to prove it.

  Maybe Iran really wants to take Trump down. Or, maybe this is part of a plot to ensure that Trump backs a full blown war with Iran should he win the election.  Trump has said repeatedly that he intends to end the war in Ukraine upon his return to the White House. This would ruin over a decade of planning by the Atlantic Council. But what if they can sink the US into a different conflict with the same potential for a world war? That’s what Iran is – Another linchpin.

  The council asserts that they will seek to tie the US inexorably to the fate of Israel by positioning a permanent American military force in the region:

  “Deterring the threat posed by Iran and its proxies requires a multifaceted approach that includes maintaining an adequate military presence in the region and a willingness to respond with appropriate force to attacks on US interests and those of US allies; working with allies to enhance cooperation on regional security; collaborating with partners on ways to reduce conflicts and instability that create openings for Iran to exploit; and expanding security cooperation beyond traditional realms.”

  They also want the US to create its own red line declaration; if Iran obtains nukes, then Iran must be destroyed (keep in mind, it is confirmed that Israel already has its own nuclear arsenal).

  “The United States needs to maintain a declaratory policy, explicitly enunciated by the president, that it will not tolerate Iran getting a nuclear weapon and will use military force to prevent this development if all other measures fail. To support this policy, the United States should refrain from stressing that it does not seek conflict with Iran; announce that it will conduct yearly joint exercises with Israel, such as Juniper Oak.”

  Juniper Oak was a joint live fire war exercise organized by US and Israeli defense forces in 2023 which is viewed as a theoretical trial run for an attack on Iran. War between Iran and the US has been a sought after outcome for globalists for a long time, but it seems to me that they are particularly interested in roping Trump into the agenda.  The following statement from the Atlantic Council report is highly suspicious:

  “Because assassination plots against current or former US officials are a direct threat to US sovereignty, and in order to enhance deterrence, the United States needs to consider a standing policy of a kinetic military response against Iran in retaliation for a successful—or even close to successful—plot…”

  This seems to be a direct reference or message to Trump concerning the rumors of Iran contracting his death. Given there have been at least two assassination attempts on Trump so far, I would not be surprised if after he wins the election new information is suddenly released linking Iran to at least one attack.  I would also expect a major terror attack in the US within the next year (real or false flag).

  This is not to say that Trump wants war; I can’t make that claim one way or the other yet.  To his credit he was one of the few presidents that avoided the expansion of US conflicts during his first term. But as I warned back in 2016, he had a LOT of ghouls in his cabinet whispering in his ear. Keeping the Atlantic Council (among others) away from the Oval Office and Trump should be a priority in 2025.

  The council appears to be positioning for a war under either administration – A war with Russia under Harris or a war with Iran under Trump.  I’m not a fan of Islamic fundamentalism, but a conflict between the US and Iran is exactly what the globalists want because it can easily metastasize like a cancer.

  The council notes that there are already 40,000 US troops spread across the Middle East, and that this force could be reorganized into a contingent for rapid response to Iran, along with new troops added over time. Of course, they acknowledge that Iran’s situation has changed over the years, with far closer strategic associations with China and Russia:

  “This requires recognition that Iran’s relationship with Russia and China has evolved in a manner that makes it difficult to convince either country to support new economic or military restrictions against Iran…”

  In other words, the council understands that a war with Iran could escalate into a larger conflict with Russia and perhaps China.

  The fight between Israel and multiple nations in the Middle East does not concern me. I have no stake in the success of either side. I’m an American and I care about America, but there are powerful people out there that WANT us to become invested in foreign wars. They want us to pick a side and they want us to cheer for American troops being sent to fight and die over these foreign conflagrations.

  The greater concern here is that one day these proxy wars and regional wars will explode into something that lands on our doorstep. In the past Americans have been lured into apathy when it comes to foreign entanglements because we never have to deal with them in our daily lives. They’ve always been out of sight and out of mind. In the next war, we may not have that luxury.

  *  *  *

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  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/26/2024 – 23:20

• US Intelligence Says China Leading 'Rapid Expansion' Of Nuclear Arsenal
  US Intelligence Says China Leading ‘Rapid Expansion’ Of Nuclear Arsenal

  On Wednesday the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) issued a new public intelligence estimate entitled “Nuclear Challenges 2024”. 

  The detailed 194-page document includes an overview of chief nuclear-armed powers and rivals of the United States, focusing especially on countries with “mature nuclear weapons programs” which are said to be “increasing stockpiles” or else “modernizing their legacy stockpiles by incorporating advanced technologies to penetrate or avoid missile defense systems” – such as North Korea.

  

  “Countries are also developing nuclear weapons with smaller yields, improved precision, and increased range for military or coercive use,” the DIA says.

  One nation’s program is gaining the most attention as a result of the DIA report, and that’s China. The intelligence agency assesses the country under President Xi is undergoing a huge and rapid expanse of its nuclear arsenal, which is the biggest in its history, assuming the projection is accurate. 

  The “Nuclear Challenges 2024” assesses that China is on track to possess more than 1,000 operational nuclear warheads by 2030.

  The report contextualizes that this accelerated growth is being drive primarily by China’s strategic competition with the Untied States.

  Below is a section providing the DIA’s bird’s eye view summary of China’s nuclear arsenal plans and expansion:

  China. Beijing has far surpassed earlier growth estimates assessed in 2018, and is currently exceeding 500 deliverable nuclear warheads in its stockpile. By 2030, we estimate that China will have more than 1,000 operational nuclear warheads— most of which will be fielded on systems capable of ranging the continental United States. China probably also seeks lower-yield nuclear warhead capabilities to provide proportional response options that its high-yield warheads cannot deliver. For example, China is increasing its stockpile of theater-range delivery systems, such as the DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM).

  Below is a current snapshot of the global nuclear stockpile situation, as it stood by middle of this year…

  

  You will find more infographics at Statista

  As Statista’s Anna Fleck reports, currently, there are estimated to be 9,585 nuclear warheads in military stockpiles for potential use across nine countries, with Russia and the U.S. accounting for 8,088 of these.

  There are also an estimated 2,536 retired warheads that are yet to be dismantled. China has added 90 nuclear warheads to its arsenal since January 2023, increasing from 410 warheads to 500.

  This is according to data from the peace research institute SIPRI. India and North Korea have also expanded their arsenals, bringing their total figures to an estimated 170 warheads and 50 warheads, respectively.

  The two European nuclear powers, France and the UK, together have 515 operational nuclear warheads. With the exception of North Korea, none of the nations in possession of nuclear warheads have tested them since the 1990s.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/26/2024 – 22:45

• The Green New Scam Is Dying
  The Green New Scam Is Dying

  Authored by James Rickards via DailyReckoning.com,

  It’s no secret that the vast majority of the so-called elites are advocates of climate alarmism and are taken in by the Green New Scam.

  Whether this preference is based on ignorance of the science, ideological zeal, a willful desire to hurt American growth or simple greed because of their investments in Green New Scam infrastructure varies case by case.

  The typical upper-income supporter of the climate cult including academics, media figures and celebrities is probably ignorant of the fact that there is no evidence that CO2 emissions cause climate change and that the real causes are solar cycles, volcanoes, ocean currents and atmospheric moisture not caused by humans.

  

  Climate Alarmists Have It Backward

  The historical record actually demonstrates that warming periods produce higher CO2 levels — not the other way around. CO2 doesn’t cause warming. It’s caused by natural warming.

  In other words, climate alarmists have causation completely backward.

  Climate alarmism is based almost entirely on computer models, which depend on the inputs the modelers themselves build into them. A model is only as good as the inputs and assumptions programmed into it.

  Virtually every one of these models has overestimated warming, sometimes by orders of magnitude, because it’s based on faulty assumptions that overestimate the impact of CO2 on climate.

  In other words, it’s junk science. But they keep relying on these models because their political agenda requires it.

  Climate: The New Communism

  There’s no doubt that a fair number of neo-Marxists embrace the climate scam because they know it damages U.S. industry, raises costs to U.S. consumers and helps to undermine the U.S. economy.

  Following the end of the Cold War and the collapse of communism, anti-capitalistic collectivists admitted that they needed to promote the climate agenda because the only way to combat global warming is through collective action. It requires a coordinated global effort that limits national sovereignty.

  The neo-Marxists are impervious to evidence; they just want to hurt America and wasting money on windmills instead of building new refineries is a good way to do it. That leaves the greed crowd.

  The Real “Green” in the Green Agenda

  They’re early investors in windmills, solar modules, lithium car batteries, EVs, charging stations, carbon credits and other infrastructure of the climate scam. They stand to make billions of dollars off the narrative with help from extravagant government subsidies.

  They don’t really care if it all collapses in the end (which it will) as long as they get rich at taxpayer expense in the meantime. All of this behavior is clear as far as it goes. What is not clear is the extent to which the Green New Scammers are doing this with your money.

  The best example is multibillionaire Larry Fink, who runs the giant BlackRock investment fund. Fink has been aggressive in promoting the climate scam along with racial quotas, DEI and defunding police.

  He’s entitled to his opinions. But is he entitled to pursue his radical agenda with pension fund money from conservative states and institutions? Fortunately, a backlash has begun against Fink and his fellow wokesters.

  More state pension fund managers are beginning to pull their funds from BlackRock and other investment managers that pursue far-left policies not in the best interests of their beneficiaries. This backlash may not change Larry Fink’s lifestyle. But over time, it might change the world for the better.

  The EV Sham

  A major part of the climate agenda includes electric vehicles (EVs). I’ve been warning for years that EVs aren’t feasible as a transportation solution for more than relatively few Americans and that they are little more than glorified golf carts despite the $70,000-and-up price tags.

  In the first place, EVs don’t cut carbon emissions. The car itself does not have emissions, but it’s charged with electricity from power plants that do.

  The batteries are made with poisonous chemicals and metals including lithium, cobalt, copper and nickel that come from mining operations that use enormous amounts of water and electricity to extract the needed materials.

  It takes thousands of tons of ore to extract enough critical minerals to make one battery. EVs don’t take a charge in extreme cold, and the batteries can’t hold a charge. Travel range is grossly overstated for many reasons, including the fact that EV car heaters drain the batteries (with internal-combustion engines, ICEs, the engine makes heat which can easily be directed into the car to keep passengers comfortable with no additional energy required).

  Resale values of EVs are close to zero because buyers of used EVs have to shell out $25,000 or more for new batteries after the vehicle is about seven years old. The list of drawbacks goes on.

  Most Americans have resisted EVs because they understand the disadvantages. But many Americans were drawn to the false promise of emission-free transportation and other ridiculous claims by the Green New Scammers. Now even the most committed EV buyers are waking up.

  I Want My ICE Car Back

  A fairly recent survey by consulting firm McKinsey and Co. shows that 29% of EV owners in nine major economies want to return to ICE vehicles. When the sample is narrowed to just the U.S., 46% of those surveyed want to return to ICEs.

  The McKinsey officials who conducted the survey claimed to be “surprised” by those results. That probably says something about the fact that McKinsey experts were just as deluded about EVs as the buyers surveyed.

  When breaking down the results, 45% say EVs are too expensive, 33% say they have charging concerns and 29% are concerned about the limited driving range.

  The truth is that the EV was invented in 1837 and reached the peak of its popularity in 1910 just before the mass production of internal-combustion cars by Henry Ford. The American public got it right when they flocked to the Model T.

  It sounds like they’re getting it right again after a brief infatuation with the false promise of the EV. The bottom line is that the Green New Scam is falling apart.

  It can’t happen soon enough.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/26/2024 – 22:10

• Zelensky Outraged Over UN Chief Getting Chummy With Putin At BRICS
  Zelensky Outraged Over UN Chief Getting Chummy With Putin At BRICS

  Ukraine is seething over the fact that United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was in Kazan, Russia this week for the major BRICS summit, where he was seen getting chummy with leaders like Presidents Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko.

  A smiling Guterres was photographed shaking hands with Putin during the ‘family photo’ ceremony, and actually at one point hugged Belarusian strongman Lukashenko.

  

  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has subsequently blasted the UN chief for the warm embrace of Ukraine’s ‘enemies’.

  An official close to Zelensky has described to Politico that Guterres “shook hands with him [Putin]. He smiled. He was asked to come to promote the BRICS summit even more. He was used by them, and he seemed happy to be used.”

  Ukraine has reportedly informed Guterres that he will no longer be hosted in Kiev on visits. “Even if some officials prefer the allure of Kazan over the substance of the U.N. Charter, our world is structured so that the rights of nations and international legal norms matter, and will continue to matter,” said Zelensky in a Thursday night address.

  And an official Ukrainian Foreign Ministry statement also slammed the UN chief: “The UN Secretary General declined Ukraine’s invitation to the first global peace summit in Switzerland. He did, however, accept the invitation to Kazan from war criminal Putin,” a message posted on X stated.

  “This is a wrong choice that does not advance the cause of peace. It only damages the UN’s reputation,” the statement added.

  Staunch supporters of Kiev also lashed out at Guterres, with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis in a statement strongly hinting he should step down from his post.

  “Guterres must admit that he was wrong and take responsibility, both when he decided not to go to the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland and now, when he went to see the wanted war criminal Putin and grovelled with both him and his accomplice Lukashenko,” the Lithuanian top diplomat said.

  “Guterres is no longer accepted as an honest broker, and if he decides to resign, we would certainly not be the ones to discourage him from doing so.”

  The below moment also greatly outraged supporters of Ukraine…

  It’s not over yet.
  The friend of the dictators and part-time UN Secretary General first bowed to putin, then hugged Lukashenka passionately and thanked him for the “gifts”.

  If this scum still has his job as Secretary General tomorrow – who will still believe in the UN? pic.twitter.com/RhDyvho60r

  — Jürgen Nauditt 🇩🇪🇺🇦 (@jurgen_nauditt) October 24, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  The whole controversy comes at a moment of increasing chatter among diplomats over the need to find a negotiated settlement to the Ukraine war. Kiev fears that this will result in Ukraine permanently losing a huge chunk of its territory in the east, which Russian forces have captured.

  The UN and Guterres’ office framed his whole visit to the BRICS meeting and interactions with Putin as an “operational necessity” and part of diplomacy and peace-keeping.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/26/2024 – 21:35

• History Rhymes: Freedom From Fear
  History Rhymes: Freedom From Fear

  Authored by Jim Bovard via The Browstone Institute,

  “Freedom from fear” was a prime justification for many of the most oppressive Covid pandemic policies. As Georgetown University Law professor Lawrence Gostin declared in late 2021, “COVID-19 vaccines are a remarkable scientific tool that enables society to live in greater freedom and with less fear. Using every tool—including mandates—to achieve high vaccination coverage enhances freedom.” 

  While many Covid vaccine skeptics were astounded to see the intellectual contortions of mandate advocates, “freedom from fear” has been a favorite invocation of political charlatans for almost a century. Providing “freedom from fear” has become one of the most frequent political promises in this century. 

  Politicians routinely portray freedom from fear as the apex of freedom, higher than the specific freedoms buttressed by the Bill of Rights. While presidents have defined “freedom from fear” differently, the common thread is that it requires unleashing government agents. Reviewing almost a century of bipartisan invocations on freedom from fear provides good cause to doubt the next bombast on the subject. 

  “Freedom from fear” first entered the American political pantheon thanks to a January 1941 speech by President Franklin Roosevelt. In that State of the Union address, he promised citizens freedom of speech and freedom of worship—two cornerstones of the First Amendment—and then added socialist-style “freedom from want” and “freedom from fear.” FDR’s revised freedoms did not include freedom to dissent, since he said the government would need to take care of the “few slackers or trouble makers in our midst.”

  Nor did FDR’s improved freedoms include the freedom not to be rounded up for concentration camps, as FDR ordered for Japanese-Americans after Pearl Harbor. Three years later, FDR amended his definition of freedom by championing a Universal Conscription Act to entitle government to the forced labor of any citizen.

  Richard Nixon, in his acceptance speech at the 1968 Republican National Convention, promised, “We shall re-establish freedom from fear in America so that America can take the lead in re-establishing freedom from fear in the world.” Nixon asserted: “The first civil right of every American is to be free from domestic violence, and that right must be guaranteed in this country.”

  But with the Nixon scorecard, government violence didn’t count. He perpetuated the war in Vietnam, resulting in another 20,000 American soldiers pointlessly dying.  On the home front, he created the Drug Enforcement Administration and appointed the nation’s first drug czar. The FBI perpetuated its COINTELPRO program, carrying out “a secret war against those citizens it considers threats to the established order,” as a 1976 Senate report noted.

  President George H.W. Bush told the National Baptist Convention on September 8, 1989: “Today freedom from fear…means freedom from drugs.” To boost public fear, a DEA informant arranged for a knucklehead to sell crack cocaine to an undercover narc in Lafayette Park across from the White House. Bush invoked the sale a few days later to justify a national crackdown. Bush informed the American Legion: “Today I want to focus on one of those freedoms: freedom from fear—the fear of war abroad, the fear of drugs and crime at home. To win that freedom, to build a better and safer life, will require the bravery and sacrifice that Americans have shown before and must again.”

  Foremost among the sacrifices that Bush demanded was that of traditional liberties. His administration vastly expanded federal power to arbitrarily confiscate Americans’ property and boosted the role of the US military in domestic law enforcement. In a 1992 speech dedicating a new DEA office building, Bush declared, “I am delighted to be here to salute the greatest freedom fighters any nation could have, people who provide freedom from violence and freedom from drugs and freedom from fear.” The DEA’s own crime sprees, corruption, and violence were not permitted to impede Bush’s victory lap. 

  On May 12, 1994, President Bill Clinton declared: “Freedom from violence and freedom from fear are essential to maintaining not only personal freedom but a sense of community in this country.” Clinton banned so-called assault weapons and sought to ban 35 million semi-automatic firearms. Gun bans in response to high crime rates mean closing the barn door after the horse has escaped. Citizens would presumably have nothing to fear after they were forced to abjectly depend on government officials for their own survival. 

  In February 1996, Clinton, seeking conservative support for his reelection campaign, endorsed forcing children to wear uniforms at public schools. Clinton justified the fashion dictate: “Every one of us has an obligation to work together, to give our children freedom from fear and the freedom to learn.” But, if mandatory uniforms were the key to ending violence, Postal Service employees would have a lower homicide rate. 

  George W. Bush, like his father, alternated promising “freedom from fear” with shameless fear-mongering. Prior to Election Day 2004, the Bush administration continually issued terror attack warnings based on flimsy or no evidence. The New York Times derided the Bush administration in late October for having “turned the business of keeping Americans informed about the threat of terrorism into a politically scripted series of color-coded scare sessions.”

  Yet each time a terror alert was issued, the president’s approval rating rose temporarily by roughly three percent, according to a Cornell University study. The Cornell study found a “halo effect:” the more terrorists wanted to attack America, the better job Bush was supposedly doing. People who saw terrorism as the biggest issue in the 2004 election voted for Bush by a 6-to-1 margin. 

  

  The most memorable Bush campaign ad, released just before the election, opened in a thick forest, with shadows and hazy shots complementing the foreboding music. After vilifying Democratic candidate John Kerry, the ad showed a pack of wolves reclining in a clearing. The voiceover concluded, “And weakness attracts those who are waiting to do America harm” as the wolves began jumping up and running toward the camera. At the end of the ad, the president appeared and announced: “I’m George W. Bush and I approve this message.”

  One liberal cynic suggested that the ad’s message was that voters would be eaten by wolves if Kerry won. Pat Wendland, the manager of Wolves Offered Life and Friendship, a Colorado wolf refuge in Colorado, complained: “The comparison to terrorists was insulting. We have worked for years, teaching people that Little Red Riding Hood lied.”

  Bush’s campaign to terrify voters into granting him four more years to rule America did not deter him from announcing in his 2005 State of the Union address: “We will pass along to our children all the freedoms we enjoy, and chief among them is freedom from fear.” 

  In the 2020 presidential race, Democratic candidate Joe Biden personally blamed President Donald Trump for every one of the 220,000 Covid deaths in the nation. Biden had a simple promise based on a simple message: “People want to be safe.”  And the only way to survive was to put Uncle Joe in the White House and unleash him. 

  Biden ran one of the most fear-based presidential campaigns in modern history. Biden talked as if every American family had lost a member or two from this pestilence. He routinely exaggerated Covid death tolls a hundredfold or a thousandfold, publicly asserting that millions of Americans had already been killed by Covid-19. Biden was helped mightily by fear-mongering media coverage. CNN ramped up the fear with a Covid Death Counter always on the screen. But the death count was statistical garbage. Individuals who died of gunshot wounds were counted as Covid deaths if a postmortem showed any Covid trace.

  A Brookings Institution analysis noted: “Democrats are much more likely than Republicans to overestimate [Covid] harm. Forty-one percent of Democrats…answered that half or more of those infected by COVID-19 need to be hospitalized.” At that time, the rate of hospitalization was between 1% and 5%, but Democratic voters overestimated the risk up to twentyfold. A CNN exit poll found that the “recent rise in coronavirus cases” was the most important factor for 61% of Biden voters. Biden won the presidency as a result of only 43,000 votes in three swing states.

  In June 2021, Biden proclaimed that everyone must get a Covid vaccine so that America could have “freedom from fear.” He said that people should “exercise your freedom” to get vaccinated with a drug approved on an emergency basis six months earlier. He declared: “We need everyone across the country to pull together [i.e., submit] to get us over the finish line.” The following month, Biden promised that anyone who got the injection would not get or transmit Covid. After the government coverup of failing vaccine efficacy collapsed, far more people balked at getting the shot. Biden responded by dictating a “get the jab or lose your job” mandate for 100 million American adults. (The Supreme Court later struck down most of that mandate.) 

  “Freedom from fear” apparently requires maximizing hatred of anyone who fails to submit. In an October 2021 CNN town hall, Biden derided vaccine skeptics as murderers who only wanted “the freedom to kill you” with Covid. Biden continued to proclaim that Covid was an “epidemic of the unvaccinated” long after government data revealed that most individuals who caught Covid were vaccinated. NIH posted a 2022 article that blamed “fearmongering and scare tactics” by anti-vaccine activists for the reported adverse side effects of Covid vaccines.

  A 2022 Rasmussen poll found that 59% of Democratic voters favored house arrest for the unvaccinated, and 45% favored locking the unvaxxed into government detention facilities. Almost half of Democrats favored empowering government to “fine or imprison individuals who publicly question the efficacy of the existing Covid-19 vaccines on social media, television, radio, or in online or digital publications.”  A massive covert federal censorship regime was also deployed to suppress criticism of Covid policies or even jokes about Covid vaccines.

  For his reelection campaign, Biden milked “freedom from fear” in a Pennsylvania speech on what he labeled “the third anniversary of the Insurrection at the United States Capitol.” Biden planned to turn the November 2024 election into a referendum on Adolf Hitler, accusing Donald Trump of “echoing the same exact language used in Nazi Germany.” CNN reported that Biden campaign aides planned to go “full Hitler” on Trump. Biden spent half an hour fear-mongering and then closed by promising “freedom from fear.” This was the famous Biden two-step—demagoguing to his heart’s content and then closing with schmaltzy uplift lines, entitling the media to rechristen him as an idealist.

  Biden did not survive the Democrats’ version of the “Night of the Long Knives” and Vice President Kamala Harris was designated the party’s presidential flag-bearer. Harris painted with an even broader brush than Biden. At a Juneteenth Concert this summer, she condemned Republicans for a “a full-on attack” on “the freedom from fear of bigotry and hate.”

  Harris implied that politicians could wave a psychological magic wand to banish any bias in perpetuity.  How can anyone have “freedom from fear of bigotry” unless politicians perpetually control everyone’s thoughts?

  In August, the Democratic National Convention whooped up freedom in ways that would qualify as “authentic frontier gibberish,” as the 1974 movie Blazing Saddles would say. A campaign video promised “freedom from control, freedom from extremism and fear.” So Americans won’t have true freedom until politicians forcibly suppress any idea they label as immoderate? The Democratic Party platform warned: “Reproductive freedom, freedom from hate, freedom from fear, the freedom to control our own destinies and more are all on the line in this election.”

  But the whole point of politics nowadays is to preempt individuals from controlling their own destinies. Hillary Clinton told the convention crowd that, thanks to the cracks in the glass ceiling, she could see “freedom from fear and intimidation.” Hillary also boasted of seeing “freedom to make our own decisions about our health”—after everybody shuts up and gets Covid Booster #37, presumably. 

  “Freedom from fear” is the ultimate political blank check. The more people government frightens, the more legitimate dictatorial policies become.  Pledging “freedom from fear” entitles politicians to seize power over anything that frightens anyone. Giving politicians more power based on people’s fears is like giving firemen pay raises based on how many false alarms they report.

  Politicians’ promises of “freedom from fear” imply that freedom properly understood is a risk-free, worry-free condition. It is the type of promise that a mother would make to a young child. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham epitomized that mindset when she proclaimed at the Democratic National Convention: “We need a president who can be Consoler-in-Chief. We need a president capable of holding us in a great big hug.” And continuing to hold us until we officially become psychological wards of the State?

  “Freedom from fear” offers freedom from everything except the government. Anyone who sounds the alarm about excessive government power will automatically be guilty of subverting freedom from fear. Presumably, the fewer inviolable rights the citizen has, the better government will treat him. But as John Locke warned more than 300 years ago, “I have no reason to suppose, that he, who would take away my Liberty, would not when he had me in his Power, take away everything else.”

  Why not simply offer voters “freedom from the Constitution?” “Freedom from fear” means security via mass delusions about the nature of political power. Painting the motto “freedom from fear” on shackles won’t make them easier to bear. Perhaps our ruling class should be honest and replace the Bill of Rights with a new motto: “Political buncombe will make you free.”

  An earlier version of this piece was published by the Libertarian Institute.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/26/2024 – 21:00

• Two Refineries That Produce 14% Of California's Gasoline Set To Close Due To "Regulatory Pressure"
  Two Refineries That Produce 14% Of California’s Gasoline Set To Close Due To “Regulatory Pressure”

  Today in how not to get gas prices down on the West Coast news, it was announced that California is on the precipice of losing two more major refineries that produce 14% of the state’s gasoline due to suffocating regulation.

  Valero may shut down its two California refineries, according to Just The News. 

  With existing closures already requiring California to import 8% of its supply, the state could soon face a greater dependence on refined imports, adding to its reliance on Middle Eastern and South American crude.

  Valero CEO Lane Riggs explained last week that profit margins are already low from its refinery business and says the company has already “minimized strategic [capital expenditures]”.

  

  He added that “California is increasing its regulatory pressure on the industry, so we’re really considering everything — all options are on the table.”

  The Just The News report says that although Riggs did not explicitly confirm plans to shut down refineries representing 14% of California’s capacity, state lawmakers raised alarms, linking potential closures to new regulatory powers granted during a special legislative session. 

  Phillips 66 recently announced the closure of its Los Angeles refinery, accounting for 8% of the state’s refining capacity, following the passage of the new legislation.

  California’s oil production has halved since 2008, dropping from 249 million barrels (38% of state needs) to 124 million barrels in 2023 (23.4% of needs). Imports have surged, with 61% now coming from countries like Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, and Colombia, compared to 48.5% in 2008. 

  State Assemblymember Joe Patterson, R-Rocklin added on X: “When California Governor Gavin Newsom said in 2021 he didn’t see a future for oil in CA, I didn’t know 2024 would be the year he ended it at lightning speed.”

  “Today, another refiner said “all options are on table” with refineries here. We can thank Newsom’s legislation,” he concluded. 

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/26/2024 – 20:25

• The Battle For Space Is On
  The Battle For Space Is On

  Authored by Autumn Spredemann via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  Space has been called the final frontier and experts say governments are becoming more focused on strengthening defense and exploring the military potential of low Earth orbit.

  Evan Ellis, an analyst and research professor for the U.S. Army War College, told The Epoch Times that expanding and protecting space infrastructure is becoming increasingly important from a national security perspective.

  

  “It’s a recognition that space is important as a war-fighting domain, but also how you protect and use your assets in times of war,” Ellis said.

  As a defense analyst, Ellis has participated in space war game scenarios. He says there are multiple kinds of weapons that can be used in Earth’s orbit. Some are kinetic such as missiles, but non-kinetic weapons such as electromagnetic pulses, micro-waves, and lasers are also possible.

  He noted some are more practical in a space-to-space or space-to-Earth combat scenario than others. For example, lasers are less practical to have in a space-based platform since they would have energy supply and stability problems.

  “If you want to penetrate someone’s [ground] bunker, then it makes more sense to use kinetic weapons than a laser from space,” Ellis said.

  He said that targeting ground objects from space isn’t impossible, but it’s not a likely scenario. Instead, Ellis said it would be more pragmatic to hit other celestial targets.

  “It makes sense to have things in space that can take out other things in space.”

  National security lawyer and Scarab Rising president, Irina Tsukerman, said weapons don’t need to be put into space to be a threat to orbiting objects.

  “Countries like China and Russia have developed various ASAT [anti-satellite weapon] capabilities, including kinetic kill vehicles and electronic warfare systems, aimed at disabling or destroying U.S. satellites,” Tsukerman told The Epoch Times via text.

  Earth-based weapons with the ability to cripple or destroy satellites have existed for years. Yet with more countries investing in counter-space assets, worry over the possible use of ASATs as a wartime weapon is growing.

  “While destructive ASATs have not yet been deployed in warfare, countries such as Russia, India, China, and the United States have demonstrated their ability to operate such weapons by destroying their own satellites,” a 2024 Atlantic Council analysis states.

  “As countries’ reliance on space increases, the ability to hold other countries’ satellites at risk is a significant and concerning capability.”

  Investment in space from a national security perspective also grew this year.

  The Space Foundation reported that total global military space budgets increased 18 percent, representing 46 percent of total government space spending. The United States represents the majority of this at 80 percent, but countries like Japan and Poland have also drastically increased their space defense spending.

  

  There’s widespread concern over the weaponization of space, especially given current geopolitical tensions between the United States, Russia, and China.

  The United Nations’ Outer Space Treaty is a guardrail that has prohibited nuclear arms or weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in orbit or on celestial bodies such as the moon since 1967. At the time of this report, the treaty has 115 parties and 89 signatories.

  However, groups such as the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation say increased militarization efforts in this domain already pose risks to national security.

  The center identifies three classifications of space weaponry, including Earth-to-space, space-to-space, and space-to-Earth. Currently, due to restrictions outlined in the Outer Space Treaty, only Earth-to-space weapons have been developed in military arsenals. However, some say growing interest in the latter two categories makes expansion into these areas inevitable.

  “Converging trends make the proliferation of space systems likely. The miniaturization of satellites combined with falling launch costs and the commercialization of the space industry means that more players are entering the space game—not all of whom will use space for peaceful purposes,” the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation stated in a 2023 fact sheet.

  The organization added that due to a lack of clear regulations and ambitious government regimes, militaries are already pushing the boundaries of acceptable space behavior.

  “This could mean greater chances of conflict in the future as outer space is increasingly congested with dangerous capabilities,” the group said.

  Within the three categories of space weaponry are four different types. The Center for Strategic and International Studies project Aerospace Security identifies these as kinetic physical, non-kinetic physical, electronic, and cyber.

  The 2024 Secure World Foundation report noted, “The growing use of, and reliance on, space for national security has also led more countries to look at developing their own counter-space capabilities that can be used to deceive, disrupt, deny, degrade, or destroy space systems.”

  This is underscored by a National Air and Space Intelligence Center report, which states, “Foreign competitors are integrating advanced space and counter-space technologies into warfighting strategies to challenge U.S. superiority and position themselves as space powers.”

  Pentagon officials maintain that a competitive edge in space weaponry is necessary for the United States because evidence suggests that Russia is looking to do the same.

  Read the rest here…

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/26/2024 – 19:50

• Nvidia-Backed Tech Company Looking To Buy Land Near Nuclear Power In Japan
  Nvidia-Backed Tech Company Looking To Buy Land Near Nuclear Power In Japan

  Another day, another data center cozying up to nuclear power.

  This time its an Nvidia-backed company called Ubitus K.K., based in Tokyo. The company is looking to “acquire land in Kyoto, Shimane or a prefecture in Japan’s southern island of Kyushu, primarily because of the availability of nuclear power in the region”, according to a new report from Bloomberg. 

  Chief Executive Officer Wesley Kuo announced the plans in an interview on Thursday last week. The company already has two data centers used for gaming and is planning a third for AI. 

  Kuo commented: “Unless we have other, better, efficient and cheap energy, nuclear is still the most competitive option in terms of cost and the scale of supply. For industrial use — especially AI — they need a constant, high-capacity supply.”

  The Bloomberg report says that in Japan, nuclear power remains controversial due to the 2011 Fukushima disaster and strict post-disaster regulations, with only 33 reactors available, many still inactive.

  

  Recall, following the news of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant restart near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and the Biden administration supplying a $1.5 billion loan to resurrect Holtec’s Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan, along with Amazon, Microsoft, and Google all jumping on the nuclear trade via the “next AI trade,” the atomic era continued gaining steam last week with news that another dormant nuclear plant, this time in Iowa, is slated for a possible restart.

  On a Wednesday earnings call, NextEra Energy CEO John Ketchum told investors that the company may restart the shuttered 600-megawatt Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC), Iowa’s only nuclear power plant. It’s located on the west bank of the Cedar River, about eight miles northwest of Cedar Rapids. 

  

  The company said on its earnings call:

  “As a top operator of all forms of power generation, we often get asked about nuclear and gas,” Ketchum told investors. 

  He explained, “Let me start with nuclear. Nuclear will play a role, but there are some practical limitations. Remember, on a national level, we expect we are going to need to add 900 gigawatts of new generation to the grid by 2040,” adding, “There are only a few nuclear plants that can be recommissioned in an economic way. We are currently evaluating the recommissioning of our Duane Arnold nuclear plant in Iowa as one example.” 

  The latest news from big tech firms diving into nuclear and reviving the industry provides a substantial tailwind for our “Next AI Trade” which we laid out in April as our long-term favorite trade, and where we outlined various investment opportunities for powering up America, playing out.

  

  Here’s our latest coverage of the big atomic revival:

  • NextEra Evaluating Restart Of Iowa’s Only Nuclear Plant

  • Nuclear Names Surge After Three Mile Island Planned Restart To Power Microsoft Data Centers

  • Sam Altman-Backed Nuclear Startup Oklo Signs Agreement With Dept. Of Energy For Next Phase Of Siting In Idaho

  • Nuclear Is Back: U.S. Closes On $1.5 Billion Loan To Resurrect Holtec’s Palisades Nuclear Plant

  • Google Turns To Nuclear To Power Its Data Centers

  • Google Agrees To Buy Nuclear Power From Small Modular Reactors To Be Built By Kairos Power

  And for a trip down memory lane: take a step back to December 2020, nearly four years ago, when we first introduced the nuclear theme to readers with the headline: “Buy Uranium: Is This The Beginning Of The Next ESG Craze.” 

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/26/2024 – 19:15

• Appeals Court Says Mississippi Law Allowing Ballots After Election Day Is Illegal
  Appeals Court Says Mississippi Law Allowing Ballots After Election Day Is Illegal

  Authored by Sam Dorman via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit released an opinion on Oct. 25 stating that federal law requires mail-in ballots be counted no later than election day.

  

  In doing so, it ruled against a Mississippi law allowing ballots to be counted if they arrived no more than five days after the election and if they were postmarked on or before the date of the election.

  The opinion, which came less than two weeks before the 2024 elections, redirected the case back to the lower court while refraining from issuing an injunction that would halt Mississippi’s law.

  The policy was adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the state kept it after the pandemic ended.

  “Because Mississippi’s statute allows ballot receipt up to five days after the federal election day, it is preempted by federal law,” Judge Andrew Oldham, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, wrote in his opinion for the court.

  RNC Chairman Michael Whatley called the decision on the social media platform X a “seismic win for fair, accurate, secure, and transparent elections.”

  Justifying the decision to throw the decision back to the lower court, rather than block Mississippi’s law, Oldham referenced a Supreme Court precedent that cautions against last-minute changes to election procedures.

  “Today’s decision says nothing about remedies,” he said. “We decline to grant plaintiffs’ initial request for a permanent injunction. … Instead, we remand to the district court for further proceedings to fashion appropriate relief, giving due consideration to ’the value of preserving the status quo in a voting case on the eve of an election.’”

  He was quoting another fifth circuit case but also referenced the Supreme Court’s 2006 decision in Purcell v. Gonzalez.

  Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson had told the Fifth Circuit that an election was voters’ “conclusive choice of an officeholder,” which took place on election day.

  “That is so even if election officials do not receive those ballots until after election day,” his brief to the court read. “An election does not itself require ballot receipt.”

  Oldham and two other Trump appointees, Judge James Ho and Judge Kyle Duncan, heard oral arguments over the issue in September. The Republican National Committee (RNC) had appealed the decision of a lower court that ruled in favor of Mississippi.

  Oldham reasoned that the Constitution granted Congress authority over elections through two provisions, including one that allows Congress to alter the timing of federal elections hosted by states.

  Oldham drew a distinction between the timing of ballot counting and ballot casting.

  “Even if the ballots have not been counted, the result is fixed when all of the ballots are received and the proverbial ballot box is closed,” he wrote. “The selections are done and final.”

  Mississippi’s “problem,” he said, “is that it thinks a ballot can be ‘cast’ before it is received.” He added that “[a] voter’s selection of a candidate differs from the public’s election of the candidate.”

  Mississippi is one of several states with laws allowing mailed ballots to be counted if they are postmarked by Election Day, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The list includes swing states such as Nevada and states such as Colorado, Oregon, and Utah that rely heavily on mail voting.

  In July, a federal judge dismissed a similar lawsuit in Nevada. The Republican National Committee is asking the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to revive that case.

  The RNC previously told The Epoch Times that it was involved in more than 130 lawsuits across 26 states. States have also pursued their own efforts while coming up against challenges from outside parties, including the Justice Department (DOJ).

  Oldham’s opinion came on the same day that a federal judge granted the DOJ’s request to halt Virginia’s program for purging non-citizens from voter rolls.

  Federal Judge Patricia Giles held that the program was within a prohibited 90-day timeframe set up by the National Voter Registration Act, a federal law passed by Congress in 1993. Another federal judge in Alabama similarly blocked the state’s program to purge non-citizens from its rolls.

  The Associated Press contributed to this report.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/26/2024 – 18:40

• Army Releases Redacted Report On Incident During Trump Visit To Arlington Cemetery
  Army Releases Redacted Report On Incident During Trump Visit To Arlington Cemetery

  Authored by Caden Pearson via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  The U.S. Army on Friday released a heavily redacted report related to an alleged altercation during former President Donald Trump’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery in August.

  According to multiple reports, on Aug. 26 a cemetery staffer attempted to block the Trump campaign from taking photos and videos in Section 60, where soldiers recently killed in Afghanistan and Iraq are buried. A U.S. Army statement at the time said the employee was “abruptly pushed aside.”

  

  Trump was there to mark the anniversary of the Kabul airport attack that killed 13 U.S. service members.

  Seven pages of redacted material were released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the Washington-based nonprofit group American Oversight as part of an ongoing lawsuit.

  The redacted incident report classifies the alleged offense as “simple assault.” It outlines an alleged physical altercation between a cemetery employee and Trump aides.

  A brief description says that an individual engaged “with both of [redacted] hands while attempting to move past [redacted] did not require medical attention on scene and later refused when offered. [Redacted] rendered a sworn statement on a DA Form 2823 and stated [redacted] did not want to press charges. Investigation continues by JBMHH PD Investigations Branch.”

  The sworn statement of the incident, made at 1:45 p.m. on Aug. 26, is fully redacted.

  In response to reports detailing the incident that cited anonymous sources, the Trump campaign issued a statement accusing the cemetery employee of experiencing a “mental health episode” and attempting to “physically block members of President Trump’s team during a very solemn ceremony.”

  The Army defended the employee, noting they acted “with professionalism” in enforcing regulations that prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds. Officials stated that while the incident was reported to law enforcement, the employee ultimately chose not to pursue charges.

  The Army confirmed that it “considers this matter closed,” concluding that the staff member’s actions were appropriate and consistent with cemetery decorum.

  U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia Senior Judge Paul Friedman signed an order on Oct. 22 for the report to be released. In September, American Oversight, arguing that there was a compelling public interest in sharing information with the public as soon as possible, requested that Arlington expedite the processing of its request, noting the presidential election is drawing closer.

  American Oversight was founded in 2017 in response to what it says were the “unprecedented challenges that the Trump administration posed to our nation’s democratic ideals and institutions.”

  Friedman ruled on Oct. 22 that the Army must release nonexempt portions of records about the requested incident on or before Oct. 25.

  “With the election just two weeks away, the American people have a clear and compelling interest in knowing how the government responded to an alleged incident involving a major presidential candidate who has a history of politicizing the military,” Chioma Chukwu, American Oversight’s interim executive director, said in a statement following Friedman’s order.

  After the initial incident, an Arlington National Cemetery spokesperson told The Epoch Times that a report had been filed but provided no further details, citing laws against political campaign or election-related activities in military cemeteries.

  The Trump campaign disputed reports of a “physical altercation,” asserting they were prepared to release footage to counter any “defamatory claims.” Spokesperson Steven Cheung stated that a private photographer was permitted on the grounds and that an individual, allegedly experiencing a mental health episode, tried to block Trump’s team during the ceremony.

  Family members of fallen soldiers in Afghanistan also denied claims of an assault, stating no altercation took place.

  The U.S. Army oversees the management of Arlington National Cemetery.

  Katabella Roberts contributed to this report.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/26/2024 – 17:30

• Russia Reportedly Supplied GEOINT Data For Houthi Assaults On Western Ships In Maritime Chokepoint
  Russia Reportedly Supplied GEOINT Data For Houthi Assaults On Western Ships In Maritime Chokepoint

  In the Middle East, Russian intelligence officials have allegedly provided Iran-backed Houthi rebels with geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) data for strategic planning and operational decision-making to attack Western vessels in the critical maritime chokepoint of the southern Red Sea. 

  According to The Wall Street Journal report: 

  The Houthis, which began their attacks late last year over the Gaza war, eventually began using Russian satellite data as they expanded their strikes, said a person familiar with the matter and two European defense officials. The data was passed through members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who were embedded with the Houthis in Yemen, one of the people said.

  There was no mention of specifics about the GEOINT data Russia provided IRGC/Houthis for attack and reconnaissance missions in southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Besides satellite imagery, there was no word if the Russians and/or IRGC used unmanned aerial vehicles to provide Houthis with high-resolution imagery and/or real-time data streams to track commercial vessels or western warships – or use the streams for weapon guidance. 

  Alleged Russian assistance may explain how the Houthis have expanded their threat coverage of missiles and drone attacks across the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Since November 2023, Houthis have hit more than 100 ships in the region, sinking two and hijacking another. 

  

  “In the Middle East, the Russian assistance underscores a tectonic shift in its strategy. Putin has strengthened ties with Iran, while turning a cold shoulder to his longstanding relationship with Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” WSJ noted. 

  Weak foreign policy emanating from the Biden-Harris administration has left the Middle East in flames. Not being tough on Houthis to ensure freedom of navigation in the critical maritime chokepoint has sparked major supply chain snarls in global shipping, as container ships diverted by the hundreds around the Cape of Good Hope, straining container supplies and thus boosting shipping costs. 

  It’s interesting seeing Democrats who once warned that former President Trump would bring the world to the brink of nuclear disaster, yet under Biden and Harris, the world is closer than ever to World War III: Wars spiraling out of control in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, while China could take Taiwan at any moment. The US needs a strong leader – not weak – not Marxist woke. 

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/26/2024 – 16:55

• Peter Schiff: Gold Is Exposing The Phony Economy
  Peter Schiff: Gold Is Exposing The Phony Economy

  Via SchiffGold.com,

  On this week’s episode, Peter covered a record setting week for gold and a stellar week for silver. With the metals nearly cresting $2800 and $35, respectively, Peter sees this price action as confirmation that the Fed’s recent rate cuts are a mistake. Politicians may love inflation, and the media is oblivious, but the metals markets know that America’s economic trajectory is unsustainable.

  As Peter predicted, long-term interest rates are rising. Even though rate cuts are traditionally considered bearish for gold, gold is consistently reaching new highs and perplexing the media class:

  “I said that when the Fed cuts short-term rates, that’s going to be the bottom for long-term rates, and they’re going to go up. And that’s exactly what’s happening. Long-term rates and gold prices are rising in tandem, which is the opposite of what most people think. They believe higher interest rates are bearish for gold, but gold is going up anyway. The mainstream financial media didn’t expect this. They thought when the Fed cut short-term rates, long-term rates would follow instead of going in the opposite direction.”

  Why is this? The dollar is condemned to a future of continuous devaluation, and gold is the best hedge against de-dollarization. 

  “We still have a weak economy. That’s not why rates are rising. Rates are rising for the same reason the gold price is rising. It’s because the Fed’s rate cuts are a mistake. The inflation genie is not back in the bottle. We’re going to have rising inflation. We’re going to have skyrocketing fiscal deficits, so bigger budget deficits. We’re going to have more supply of treasuries hitting the market, which, as I’ve said, are going to be monetized.”

  Peter likens gold’s moves to the pre-2008 era, when the media and financial pundits were unaware of future inflation:

  “They didn’t care about gold when it was $495 an ounce. And now that it’s $2,750 an ounce, they still don’t care about it because they have no idea what it means, or if they do, they certainly don’t want their audience to figure it out. … But when the Fed showed its hand and announced QE, gold took off. Initially, people— not just me— there was a chorus of people saying, ‘This is terrible, this is going to be massive inflation. You’ve got to buy gold.”

  He reminds us that inflation is an intentional policy choice that benefits the political class at the expense of consumers:

  “It’s a meltdown that’s being disguised by inflation. Again, that’s one of the reasons politicians like inflation because people feel like they’re richer. Their stock portfolios are going up. They’re getting a raise. And so they think things are good because the numbers are bigger, but it’s all an illusion. They’re actually getting poorer while they think they’re getting richer. That is what the politicians want.”

  The problem with inflationary policy is that it can’t last forever, and when it fails, the government will be forced to either default or fire up the money printers. So far, politicians are opting to print away their problems:

  “There’s two ways our creditors are going to lose. One is through an honest default where they get fewer dollars. The other is through inflation where they get all their dollars, but they have less purchasing power.”

  Turning to the approaching election, Peter is cautiously optimistic about a Trump presidency. At best, Trump will attempt to reign in government spending, and even at his worst, he’ll be better than Kamala Harris:

  “We’re going to have a crisis regardless of the outcome of this election. I would just rather have Trump’s team in office when it happens than the Harris team. Not that I’m 100% confident that the Trump team is going to do the right thing; I’m just 100% confident that the Harris team is going to do the wrong thing. So that’s basically where we are, right? And so we have to take the lesser of the evils and hope for the best with Trump.”

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/26/2024 – 16:20

• Will Democrats Accept the Results of the 2024 Presidential Election?
  Will Democrats Accept the Results of the 2024 Presidential Election?

  Authored by Richard Truesdell and Keith Lehmann via American Greatness,

  Picture this scenario on November 6: the American presidential election has taken place, and Donald Trump is the winner with well over 300 Electoral College votes, legitimately and decisively beating Kamala Harris. Democrats are in an uproar, making wild claims of election interference from foreign entities like Russia just like in 2016, and threatening to block certification of the election unless their candidate of choice is installed.

  

  By attempting to nullify the votes of over half of the country, Democrats have chosen to wage war against Americans who don’t agree with them. It is their last-ditch effort to cling to power and they don’t care what damage is done to the country in the process. The damage done, in fact, is part of the plan.

  An army of lawyers from both sides is being deployed across the nation in anticipation of massive voter fraud, similar to what went on during the 2020 election. While Republicans are out there to identify and prevent the fraud, Democrats are obfuscating and concealing their efforts to count ballots multiple times, stop the rejection of invalid ballots, and keep objective observers from reporting on the mishandling of ballots by those intent on committing election fraud. Democrats are actually working to allow non-citizens to vote.

  So-called fact-checkers point out that this only applies to local and state elections, not federal elections. Don’t fall for this misdirection. Why have Democrats, from Joe Biden on down, pushed so hard to allow non-citizens to vote? Once voting by non-citizens in local and state elections is legitimized, America as we have known it for more than 240 years will no longer exist.

  All this will be followed by escalating the lawfare against Trump with possible prison sentencing between the election and inauguration in one or more of the criminal cases he faces.

  It is especially true with the Jack Smith case in D.C., which is a blatant, partisan case of election interference. We are convinced that all of the cases against Trump will ultimately be dismissed on appeal as they have no legitimate basis; however, the Democrats will push forward anyway as they have no concern over what legal precedence they are setting, nor do they care about the damage they’re doing to the institution of Congress. It’s all about holding power.

  Democrats in Congress with stage-four Trump Derangement Syndrome, especially the clown-like Jamie Raskin (D-MD), have already said the quiet part out loud. Raskin says if Trump should win, combining an Electoral College win even with a potential popular vote victory (which current polls are showing), they will immediately challenge the results under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, tying up the election results beyond January 20, 2025. These Democrats will stop at nothing to destroy America by invoking a second Civil War (Raskin’s own words) if necessary.

  Can you imagine the chaos and damage a lame-duck Biden-Harris administration can inflict on the United States between Election Day and Trump’s second inauguration on January 20, 2025? With executive orders coming from an increasingly infirm and vengeful Joe Biden (with help from Dr. Jill and his puppet masters like Barack Obama and even Nancy Pelosi, who forced Biden to abandon his reelection bid under threat of invoking the 25th Amendment). These are people who will do anything to retain power, including preventing Trump from taking the oath of office.

  Democrats have become everything they have accused Trump of intending to do. In his first term, Trump took no action to lock up Hillary Clinton, who is now out promoting her third memoir, Something Lost, Something Gained (a title that lacks even a basic sense of self-awareness as it heads to the $5.95 remainder racks, hopefully by Christmas). Will she ever stop relitigating the results of the 2016 election?

  At some point, the Supreme Court will be forced to step in, possibly on an emergency basis, to save our democracy from Democrats and their Deep State political thugs who will refuse to participate in the peaceful transfer of power. It’s the ultimate example of projection.

  It’s a sad state of affairs but one that can be remedied in the future if we reinstate integrity in our election systems. That is, making sure that the people’s votes actually count and are not manipulated by loosening rules to satisfy those who would cheat in order to attain or keep power. Every illegitimate vote cancels out a legitimate vote.

  Election integrity starts with requiring photo identification. Thirty-six states require photo ID; 14 states and the District of Columbia don’t.

  If we can require photo ID to buy a pack of cigarettes or a beer in a bar, or a driver’s license to operate a motor vehicle, we can require it to exercise our most sacred right to vote. It doesn’t disenfranchise anyone except those not eligible to vote, like immigrants who entered the United States illegally and lack proper identification. Requiring proof of identity does not make it harder to vote; it makes it harder to cheat.

  With some degree of integrity restored to America’s election process, the people’s legitimate voices will be heard loud and clear. This will deliver the presidency back to Donald Trump with a clear mandate to “drain the swamp” that is Washington, D.C.

  Once Trump returns to the White House in 2025, with no worry about a reelection bid in 2028, he can complete the house cleaning he started when he took office in 2017. It will be the best lame duck presidency in American history.

  Trump can remove the unelected political appointees running the alphabet agencies (starting with the FBI, the CIA, and especially the NSA) as well as the leadership class in the military. Today we have 44 four-star generals—there are no current five-star generals or admirals since the passing of Omar Bradley in 1981—commanding 2.86 million members in the military as opposed to during World War Two when 16 million men were under arms being commanded by just four five-star generals and admirals. Including the military, those bureaucracies must be completely dismantled and rebuilt from the ground up by individuals who care about America, not an administrative state that cares only about amassing personal power.

  Now is the time to make Election Day a national holiday and to require day-of and in-person voting across the nation with the results known the following day. Reasonable exceptions can be made for members serving in the military and true hardship cases.

  Going forward for the next presidential election (it’s too late for this year’s presidential election), to ensure election integrity, absentee ballots will need to be submitted, along with proper identification, no later than November 1, 2028, so they can be counted in advance of Election Day in 2028.

  If we can politically pander to a small segment of the population by making Juneteenth a national holiday, we can certainly benefit all citizens by having Election Day nationalized. Our democracy deserves nothing less.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/26/2024 – 15:10

• Where's Tony? These Are All The Countries Visited The US Secretary Of State Since 2021
  Where’s Tony? These Are All The Countries Visited The US Secretary Of State Since 2021

  As the world’s largest economy, military power, and a major cultural force, the U.S. has been the dominant global hegemon since the Berlin Wall fell in 1990.

  Its foreign policy plays a key role in shaping geopolitics. Despite the complexity of international relations, we can see where the U.S. prioritizes its influence by analyzing the data.

  This map, via Visual Capitalist’s Pallavi Rao, shows the countries U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has visited most since his term started in January 2021. Data is sourced from the State Department, last updated on September 27th, 2024.

  

  All the Countries Secretary Blinken Has Visited At Least Five Times

  Secretary Blinken has visited Israel 18 times during his term—by far the most for any one country.

  Ten of those visits have taken place since October 2023, following Hamas attacks which killed nearly 1,000 Israeli civilians.

  

  In the year since the area has devolved into a major conflict zone. Israel has repeatedly bombed the Gaza strip, leading to the death of over 43,000 Palestinians, of which more than one-fourth are children.

  Retaliatory rocket launches from Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis have, in turn, led to Israeli airstrikes hitting Lebanon and Yemen.

  Meanwhile, Secretary Blinken has visited both Qatar and Egypt nine times so far—two other mediators in the war. He’s also been to Saudi Arabia: part of a longer-term plan to normalize relations between the House of Saud and Israel.

  Finally, Blinken has visited the West Bank four times—most recently to reiterate U.S. support for a Palestinian state.

  These visits to the Middle East stand in sharp contrast to Ukraine, where Secretary Blinken has made just five trips, also in a show of American support as the country battles a Russian invasion.

  The Middle East currently has a concentration of multiple rival military powers. Check out the Biggest Armies in the Middle East for a breakdown.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/26/2024 – 14:35

• Trump, Former White House Staffers Reject John Kelly's "Fascist" Claims
  Trump, Former White House Staffers Reject John Kelly’s “Fascist” Claims

  Authored by TJ Muscaro and Janice Hisle via The Epoch Times,

  Former President Donald Trump and previous members of his administration say that claims made by former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly are “patently false.”

  

  Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, worked for the Trump administration from 2017 to 2019. He has spoken out multiple times against Trump during the election—most recently in interviews with The New York Times and The Atlantic.

  In those interviews, Kelly said Trump fitted the general definition of a fascist and alleged that the former president said he wanted “German generals,” like Nazi leader Adolph Hitler had.

  Several members of the Trump administration, including former Vice President Mike Pence’s former chief of staff, Mike Ayers, have sharply disputed the claims.

  “I’ve avoided commenting on intra-staff leaks or rumors or even lies as it relates to my time at the White House but General Kelly’s comments regarding President Trump are too egregious to ignore,” Ayers said on X.

  “I was with each of them more than most, and his commentary is *patently false.*”

  Mark Paoletta, general counsel of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), also spoke out against Kelly, writing on X:

  “I don’t believe a word he says. He was a terrible chief of staff who dishonestly kept information from the President to pursue his own agenda.”

  Trump himself denounced the stories on Oct. 23, saying Kelly “made up a story out of pure Trump Derangement Syndrome Hatred.”

  “Even though I shouldn’t be wasting my time with him, I always feel it’s necessary to hit back in pursuit of THE TRUTH,” Trump said on Truth Social and X.

  Both of Kelly’s interviews came out less than two weeks before Election Day, at a time when early voting is underway across several states, and Trump is starting to take the lead in battleground state polls.

  Vice President Kamala Harris followed Kelly’s two stories by stating at a CNN town hall that she believed Trump to be a fascist.

  Robert F. Kennedy Jr. responded directly to these comments on X, saying, “This is the kind of inflammatory poison that divides our nation and inspires assassins.”

  The Atlantic also claimed Trump made disparaging remarks about a dead military servicemember and balked over her funeral expenses.

  At a news conference in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 25, the former president also strongly denied making those claims.

  “If they didn’t get the military funding, I was going to fund it myself,” Trump said about the funeral for Vanessa Guillen, 20, who was murdered in 2020 while stationed at an Army base in Texas that was then called Fort Hood.

  Guillen’s slaying and dismemberment led to an outcry over sexual harassment at U.S. military bases, resulting in changes to laws and discipline of 21 Army personnel; some were faulted for allowing the prime suspect in her killing to escape and commit suicide.

  On Friday, Trump thanked Guillen’s family for publicly denouncing The Atlantic’s allegations. The family came to show support for Trump as he addressed reporters at Million Air Austin, a private airplane service.

  “The beautiful thing is that these people [Guillen’s relatives] were willing to come out and say it didn’t happen… they didn’t have to do this,” Trump said.

  Guillen’s sister, Maya Guillen, and the family’s attorney, Natalie Khawam, made social media posts and TV appearances asserting that the article contained inaccuracies and misrepresentations.

  Trump pointed out that the Atlantic’s article was timed to appear just before the Nov. 5 election, increasing the likelihood that a certain percentage of readers would believe what the magazine reported and hold it against his candidacy.

  “So I talk about it because it was a terrible thing,” Trump said about the article after touching on multiple other topics, including illegal immigration and election integrity.

  The Epoch Times has sought comment from The Atlantic.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/26/2024 – 14:00

• These States Have The Biggest Beer-Drinkers
  These States Have The Biggest Beer-Drinkers

  From backyard barbecues to Sunday night football, beer is deeply woven in the fabric of American culture. It’s the choice alcoholic beverage for North and South Americans, according to WHO data.

  This map, via Visual Capitalist’s Kayla Zhu, visualizes the annual per capita ethanol consumption of beer in gallons in 2022 by U.S. state. The data comes from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), which measures alcohol consumption in ethanol volume.

  For reference, the average six-pack of beer has 0.025 gallons of ethanol.

  Consumption figures only include residents age 14 or older, and is based on alcoholic beverage sales data collected by the Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System (AEDS), the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association, and from various reports produced by beverage industry sources.

  

  Which States Consume The Most Beer?

  Below, we show each state’s annual per capita ethanol consumption of beer in gallons in 2022.

  Rank	State	Per capita ethanol consumption in gallons of beer
  1	New Hampshire	1.66
  2	Montana	1.58
  3	Vermont	1.54
  4	North Dakota	1.38
  5	Pennsylvania	1.33
  6	Nevada	1.30
  7	Maine	1.28
  8	South Dakota	1.26
  9	Louisiana	1.24
  10	Hawaii	1.23
  11	Oregon	1.21
  12	Wyoming	1.2.0
  13	Wisconsin	1.19
  14	Iowa	1.18
  15	New Mexico	1.17
  16	Texas	1.15
  17	Mississippi	1.14
  18	Colorado	1.13
  19	District of Columbia	1.13
  20	California	1.10
  21	West Virginia	1.10
  22	Nebraska	1.09
  23	Ohio	1.07
  24	Kansas	1.06
  25	Minnesota	1.06
  26	Delaware	1.05
  27	Florida	1.04
  28	Missouri	1.04
  29	Arizona	1.03
  30	North Carolina	1.03
  31	Tennessee	1.01
  32	Illinois	1.00
  33	South Carolina	1.00
  34	Alaska	0.99
  35	Alabama	0.95
  36	Indiana	0.95
  37	Oklahoma	0.94
  38	Michigan	0.93
  39	Arkansas	0.92
  40	Kentucky	0.92
  41	Georgia	0.89
  42	Virginia	0.89
  43	Washington	0.84
  44	New York	0.83
  45	Massachusetts	0.80
  46	Idaho	0.74
  47	New Jersey	0.74
  48	Rhode Island	0.74
  49	Connecticut	0.72
  50	Maryland	0.63
  51	Utah	0.50

  Northeastern states, particularly New Hampshire (1.66 gallons) and Vermont (1.58 gallons) have some of the highest beer consumption rates in the country.

  New Hampshire doesn’t have state sales tax, making alcohol prices considerably lower than neighboring states. This likely drives higher alcohol sales rather than necessarily higher consumption.

  More than half of sales at New Hampshire liquor states come from out-of-state customers, according to the New Hampshire Liquor Commission.

  Many of its state-owned liquor states are also strategically located near state borders.

  When comparing global per capita consumption, European countries far outdrink the U.S. when it comes to beer.

  As a whole, the beer industry in America is experiencing a decline. U.S. beer shipments reached their lowest level in 25 years, according to data from the Beer Marketer’s Insights.

  The small and independent brewers’ industry in the U.S. is also experiencing a decline, with overall beer production and imports down 5% in 2023, and craft brewer sales down 1%, according to the Brewers Association.

  To learn more about beer consumption worldwide, check out this graphic that shows which countries drink the most beer according to Kirin Holdings.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/26/2024 – 13:25

• Iran Says Four Soldiers Were Killed In Israeli Attack Involving 100 Warplanes
  Iran Says Four Soldiers Were Killed In Israeli Attack Involving 100 Warplanes

  Update(1320ET): Iranian sources are confirming some of the first known deaths from the overnight Israeli airstrikes on the Islamic Republic, which focused on missile and military sites, and not nuclear or oil facilities.

  Four members of the Iranian army have been reported killed. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has also issued a fresh statement Saturday, warning there are “no limits” when it comes to defending the country. Israel too is warning against a potential Iranian counterstrike, but for now the quite limited Israeli operation is over and the situation looks contained in terms of avoiding bigger regional war.

  United Nations chief Antonio Guterres says he’s “deeply alarmed” by the overnight strikes, and is urging “maximum efforts to prevent an all-out regional war and return to the path of diplomacy.” And President Biden has expressed hope that “this is the end” following the Israeli strikes on Iran in a Saturday statement.

  Reports emerging that the number of Army Air Defense Force troops killed by the Israeli attack has risen to four (No ranks given so far).

  Their names are:

  – Mohammad Mehdi Sharokhi

  – Hamzeh Jahandideh

  – Sajad Mansoori

  – Mehdi Naghvi https://t.co/Vs3QU27D0h

  — Farzan Sabet (@IranWonk) October 26, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  * * *

  The Israeli ‘retaliation’ attack against Iran, which occurred in the overnight and early morning hours, appears to be complete, with Israel’s military (IDF) having declared the response “concluded” after locations in three provinces of the Islamic Republic were hit.

  Some 100 Israeli warplanes were sent, primarily across Jordanian airspace, for the unprecedented attack which reportedly included strikes on key missile, drone, and other military sites – including air defense installations. However, Iranians are mocking it as if it didn’t even happen, and there’s an emerging consensus among Western pundits that this was remarkably limited in scale. The attack did not involve Iranian nuclear or oil sites, according to Israeli military officials.

  

  IDF Spokesman, Daniel Hagari, said overnight – following at least two or three waves of attacks – “I can now confirm that we have concluded the Israeli response to Iran’s attack against Israel. We conducted targeted and precise strikes on military targets in Iran, thwarting immediate threats to the State of Israel.”

  And Hagari’s words concluded with the threat of new major escalation if Iran decides to respond militarily, “If the regime in Iran were to make the mistake of beginning a new round of escalation, we will be obligated to respond. All those who threaten the State of Israel and seek to drag the region into wider escalation will pay a heavy price.”

  Local reports of explosions near Tehran emerged at around 2:15 local time, with strikes later being reported also in the Karaj, Isfahan and Shiraz areas. Israel’s military said it hit around 20 sites over the several hours across the three provinces.

  “If the regime in Iran were to make the mistake of beginning a new round of escalation, we will be obligated to respond,” the Israeli military said.

  Israeli media indicated that while the first wave of warplanes took out anti-air defense sites, follow-up waves targeted ballistic missile and drone manufacturing facilities, as well as launch sites. Israeli officials say the operation sought to degrade Iran’s capability to launch another attack such as occurred on April 14 and October 1.

  Footage shows Iran’s air defence systems intercepting projectiles in the early hours of Saturday in Tehran.

  Israel’s military announced that it had launched an attack on Iranian military targets as explosions were heard in the city. pic.twitter.com/KtUf0vsBZJ

  — Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) October 26, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  The operation was declared complete within a few hours of reports of initial explosions: 

  The Israeli military said at 6 a.m. that the assault had been completed, with “all goals achieved” and all aircraft returning safely home. It dubbed the campaign “Days of Repentance,” a reference to the recent Yom Kippur holiday. It said dozens of IAF aircraft, including fighter jets, refuelers and spy planes, participated in the “complex” operation some 1,600 kilometers from Israel.

  Iran has only confirmed that “limited damage” resulted at some bases and asserted that its air defenses countered many of the attacks, a narrative which has been rejected by Israel.

  Israel’s air force touted that it gave it pilots “wider freedom of aerial action in Iran” – and yet still the whole operation looked significantly less intense than Iran’s Oct. 1st attack on Israel.

  

  The reality is that air-to-surface missiles, which Israel focused on in its assault, don’t tend to be as destructive or as large in impact compared to ballistic missiles. It remains that Israel’s surface-to-surface ballistic missile capabilities are not as established as its air-launched capabilities.

  There are vague reports out of Syria that some locations inside the country were hit during the broader Iran assault, and possibly including sites in Iraq as well.

  Some pro-Iran and pro-Syria accounts mocked the quite limited attack, calling it a “nothingburger” as it unfolded, or else saying the Israelis merely started some brush fires 1,000 miles away in Iran.

  Iranian social media accounts are widely mocking the Israeli operation:

  Many people mocked Israel’s failed attack on Iran by making videos or memes. You can also make some contents and share them with us in the comments to this post. We will repost 2 of the best. pic.twitter.com/wYcaSMsggE

  — Iran Military (@IRIran_Military) October 26, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  Iranian state TV reported at one point that “The loud blasts heard around Tehran were related to the activation of the air defense system against the actions of Zionist regime which attacked three locations outside of Tehran city.”

  However, an Israeli official told Ynet news that the Iranian claim of interception was “a lie. It was a total failure, [there were] zero interceptions“—as reported in Times of Israel.

  While radar shows that airspace was totally cleared over the Islamic Republic, state media still tried to claim that the country’s main international airports, including in Tehran, were operating as normal.

  

  The Quincy Institute’s Trita Parsi comments as follows…

  The Israeli attack is over, but the outcome remains unclear. Tehran is downplaying it – even mocking it – which may be more reflective of their desire to de-escalate than a true assessment of the damage Israel inflicted on Iran. Just as Israel kept the damage of Iran’s Oct 1 strikes secret, Iran will likely not disclose the full picture of Israel’s strike. But if Iran chooses to exercise restraint, as it did after Israel’s limited strikes in April, then this chapter may be closed, yet the conflict will remain very much alive.

  A prominent pro-“resistance axis” account on X, Hadi Nasrallah, had this to say: “So, after Iran totally roasted Israel’s military bases and airports putting them on blast in front of the whole world, Israel thought it’d be badass to send some pops to Tehran, like that’s gonna distract us from their their crushing losses in Lebanon a day before.”

  On Saturday, Iranian state media is full of headlines outright mocking the somewhat muted Israeli attack…

  

  Indeed, it seems that after taking this long to telegraph its response well over three weeks since Oct.1st, Israel’s attack was more about theater than inflicting real and lasting damage on Iran. This was as many expected by design, appearing to really be all about sending a message while seeking to carefully avoid escalation. There are even reports saying that Israel notified Tehran ahead of time of the impending strikes, saying the Iranians must not hit back. The hawks are surely disappointed.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/26/2024 – 13:20

• Have We Ever Seen A Time When 4 Major Global Wars Are All Percolating Simultaneously?
  Have We Ever Seen A Time When 4 Major Global Wars Are All Percolating Simultaneously?

  Authored by Michael Snyder via The Economic Collapse blog,

  We have reached a moment in history that none of us will forget.  We are literally standing on the precipice of the unthinkable, and most people don’t even realize it.  Of course horrific wars have a way of erupting when most people are not expecting them.  Hardly anyone expected a global war to erupt in 1914, but then tens of millions of precious souls died over the next four years.  Hardly anyone expected a global war to erupt in 1939, but then tens of millions of precious souls died over the next six years.  This time around, what is happening should be glaringly obvious to everyone.  Personally, I have been specifically warning about what is taking place right now for more than a decade.  If we do not change course, billions of precious souls could die during the nightmarish global wars that are rapidly approaching.

  

  At this moment, most Americans have no idea that a war between the United States and China is coming.

  Just a few days ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping boldly talked about “preparation for war” as he was dressed in military fatigues…

  On Thursday Chinese Communist Dictator Xi Jinping commanded troops to strengthen their preparedness for war while visiting his People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force following last week’s drills of surrounding the sovereign country of Taiwan.

  “Xi said the military should ‘comprehensively strengthen training and preparation for war, (and) ensure troops have solid combat capabilities,’ CCTV reported,” according to the AFP and reported on Barrons Saturday.

  Why would China need to prepare for war?

  Needless to say, nobody is planning to attack China.

  The truth is that the only reason that China would need to prepare for war is if it was planning to invade Taiwan.

  Because the moment that China invades Taiwan, the U.S. and China will be at war.

  In recent days, the Chinese have been getting very aggressive with Taiwan…

  On Monday, Beijing had deployed fighter jets, drones, warships and coast guard vessels to encircle Taiwan — its fourth round of large-scale war games around the democratic island in just over two years.

  China’s communist leaders have insisted they will not rule out using force to bring Taiwan under Beijing’s control.

  Meanwhile, western leaders continue to publicly discuss sending NATO troops to Ukraine.

  The latest example of this came from the foreign minister of Lithuania…

  The Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said in a statement to Politico on Monday that European Union countries should return to the idea of putting boots-on-the-ground in Ukraine to fight Russia.

  The idea comes after French President Emmanuel Macron said in February that sending Western troops to Ukraine is not ‘ruled out’ for the future plans in war against Russia, according to the AP. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz shut down that plan for the time being however.

  “If information about Russia’s killing squads being equipped with North Korean ammunition and military personnel is confirmed, we have to get back to ‘boots on the ground’ and other ideas proposed by [French President] Emmanuel Macron,” he said in written comments, Politico reported on Monday.

  One of the reasons why this has came up again is because there are reports that soldiers from North Korea are being equipped and sent to fight for Russia on the front lines of eastern Ukraine…

  North Korean soldiers have been filmed receiving uniforms and equipment at a training ground in Russia’s far east, appearing to confirm reports from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) that 1,500 soldiers have been shipped over for military training to be deployed in Ukraine.

  The North Korean troops are thought to be receiving training before being sent to the front line in Ukraine, in what is thought to be a clear sign of the ever-warming relations between Moscow and Pyongyang.

  Both sides just continue to escalate matters.

  It appears to be just a matter of time before we find ourselves in a direct conflict with the Russians, and that is a really, really bad idea.

  North Korea has been making all sorts of noise lately.  In addition to sending troops to fight in Ukraine, the North Koreans are also threatening to invade South Korea…

  North Korea has said it had found the remnants of a South Korean military drone and that any further “violation” of its territory would result in a “declaration of war.”

  Tensions between the two sides of the peninsula have escalated since May when the North began flying balloons carrying garbage across the border to the South, prompting Seoul to respond by restarting loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts.

  This week, North Korea accused South Korea of flying drones over Pyongyang on three occasions this month and threatened to respond with force if it happened again.

  The North Korean military is vastly superior to the South Korean military.

  If North Korea invades, the only way that South Korea will survive is if we intervene.

  But right now the U.S. military is focused on the Middle East, because that conflict could spiral completely out of control at any moment.

  On Sunday night, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari warned that Israel would soon begin targeting any financial institutions that aid Hezbollah…

  “In the past 24 hours, dozens of projectiles have been fired at northern Israel,” he began. “In the next minutes, we will issue an advance evacuation warning to residents of Beirut and other areas in Lebanon to evacuate locations being used to finance Hezbollah’s terror activities. I emphasize here: Anyone located near sites used to fund Hezbollah’s terror activities must move away from these locations immediately.”

  “We will strike several targets in the coming hours and additional targets throughout the night.

  “In the coming days, we will reveal how Iran funds Hezbollah’s terror activities by using civilian institutions, associations, and NGOs that act as fronts for terrorism.”

  And it certainly did not take long for that to start happening.

  Last night, branches of Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association Bank were hit by Israeli airstrikes…

  Israeli fighter jets struck dozens of targets in Beirut and other areas of southern Lebanon overnight, including branches of a bank accused of holding funds used by Hezbollah.

  The military’s Arabic spokesman, Avichay Adraee, had earlier in the night issued several evacuation orders for buildings throughout southern Lebanon he said were in the vicinity of facilities belonging to the U.S.-sanctioned Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association Bank.

  Most people in the western world have absolutely no idea how chaotic things have become over there.

  It is being reported that there is “widespread panic” in Beirut at this moment…

  Jeanine Hennis, the United Nations’ special coordinator for Lebanon, said that after the IDF issued its evacuations, said there was “widespread panic” in Beirut.

  “A brief window to escape to safety. Intense blasts reverberate across the night sky. With each day, Lebanon suffers more. But even amid the escalating violence, solutions remain available. If only opportunities would be seized,” she said.

  Could the U.S. soon find itself involved in 4 major global wars?

  Let’s hope not, because we are not even prepared to fight one…

  The US Army’s outgoing top commander in the Pacific region has warned that the US can “ill afford” another war because its military is vastly overstretched.

  According to Defense One, Gen. Charles Flynn said that the US’ authoritarian rivals — Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea — had been placing increasing pressure on American military resources.

  Speaking at the AUSA conference in Washington DC last week, Flynn described the technology and military alliances between the authoritarian states as a “very dangerous combination.”

  The U.S. military is not the overwhelming global force that it once was.

  While other major powers have been feverishly preparing to fight World War III, our military has been rapidly becoming a politically correct joke.

  Now a day of reckoning is upon us, and we are not ready.

  *  *  *

  Michael’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/26/2024 – 12:50

• McDonald's Stock Hammered In Worst Week Since Pandemic Amid E. Coli Outbreak
  McDonald’s Stock Hammered In Worst Week Since Pandemic Amid E. Coli Outbreak

  McDonald’s announced Friday that it has “indefinitely” halted onion sourcing from Taylor Farms’ Colorado plant as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigate a severe E. coli outbreak. The outbreak has already sickened at least 75 people and resulted in one death.

  “While McDonald’s removed all slivered onions produced from this facility as of October 22, 2024, due to broad concern and our unwavering commitment to food safety we have made the decision to stop sourcing onions from Taylor Farms’ Colorado Springs facility indefinitely,” MCD wrote in a statement. 

  A spokesman for MCD told CBS News that about 1 million Quarter Pounders were sold nationwide during the E. coli outbreak. The majority of illnesses occurred in the western half of the country. 

  Here are states with cases:

  • Colorado
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Michigan
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • New Mexico
  • Oregon
  • Utah
  • Washington
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming

  Bloomberg published a visual showing the outbreak. 

  

  MCD spokesman noted that burgers are cooked at 175 degrees – the level needed to kill E. coli bacteria. However, he said the diced onions are raw, adding, “If that is the source, it will be the first time onions have been a carrier for this strain of E. coli.” 

  In markets, MCD shares in New York slid on the week, down 7.5%, the worst five-day stretch since March 2020. 

  

  In addition to MCD, food supplier US Foods issued a recall to thousands of restaurants that it supplied Taylor Farms’ onions. Yum! Brands restaurants—such as Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC—also removed fresh onions from their menus in response to the E. coli outbreak.

  No evidence has emerged identifying the source of the E. coli outbreak at Taylor Farms. However, there’s a huge need to scrutinize the influx of unvetted migrant workers employed by mega-farms and the processed foods industrial complex.

  Tyler Durden
  Sat, 10/26/2024 – 12:15

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• The US Was Inadvertently Responsible For The Sino-Indo Border De-Escalation Deal
  The US Was Inadvertently Responsible For The Sino-Indo Border De-Escalation Deal

  Authored by Andrew Korybko via Substack,

  India announced earlier this week that it and China agreed to patrol their disputed border area in the way that it was before June 2020’s lethal Galwan River Valley clashes. This was made possible by China finally complying with India’s long-standing request, which in turn paved the way for their leaders to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of this week’s BRICS Summit in Kazan. What many don’t realize, however, is that the US was inadvertently responsible for facilitating their deal.

  

  This analysis here from early May explains how summer 2023’s scandal about an alleged Indian assassination attempt against a Delhi-designated terrorist-separatist with dual American citizenship on US soil was a turning point in their ties. The US then continued with its good cop, bad cop game against India prior to pushing Canada to escalate its related dispute with India earlier this month. Even before the latest developments, however, Indo-US ties had already noticeably soured over this issue.  

  India and China held multiple rounds of talks on their disputed border since 2020, but no breakthrough had occurred until Indo-US ties became characterized by distrust as a result of summer 2023’s scandal and all that followed. China realized that those two’s previous level of trust will never return, which assuaged its concerns that India is playing a leading role in the US’ containment policy. It was this shift in perceptions that then led to China reconsidering its informal policy towards their border dispute.

  China had been reluctant to return to the status quo ante bellum since this was seen as a unilateral concession that could signal weakness and worsen its hand in the South China Sea. The drastic downturn in Indo-US ties, however, led to the aforesaid being perceived as a pragmatic means for managing the abovementioned concerns about India containing China in coordination with the US. The improvement of Sino-Indo ties could therefore place limits on the future improvement of Indo-US ones.

  Finally complying with India’s long-standing request for resolving their post-Galwan tensions and consequently placing their partnership back on track amidst the dramatic downturn in Indo-US ties could preclude the possibility of India participating in the US’ containment scheme. No improvement in Indo-US ties would occur at the expense of Sino-US ones if that happens after this sensitive problem is finally patched up by then and India thus no longer has the same threat perception of China as before.

  China and India have natural economic complementarities, and if the world’s two largest countries ever found a way to unleash their full mutual potential upon resolving their sensitive territorial issues and correspondingly restoring mutual trust, then global affairs would begin to revolve around them. That’s why the US has sought to divide-and-rule them through information warfare and its Kissingerian “triangulation” policy, but this failed after it went too far pressuring India over summer 2023’s scandal.

  About that, the US never respected India as an equal partner and instead sought to subjugate it as a vassal by demanding that India comply with the West’s unilateral sanctions against Russia, which was unacceptable for both economic and principled reasons. The US also feared India’s astronomical rise as a Great Power since the start of the special operation, fueled to a large degree by discounted Russian energy, since this accelerated multipolar processes to the detriment of its unipolar hegemony.

  That explains why it exploited summer 2023’s scandal to worsen their ties, meddled in this year’s earlier general elections, and even helped overthrow the Bangladeshi government a few months ago in order to pressure India into complying with these demands and then punishing it when this didn’t happen. Military and trade ties remain stable for now, but it can’t be taken for granted from India’s perspective that this will remain the case as their political ties continue to deteriorate over summer 2023’s scandal.

  They can quietly manage their competition in Bangladesh and try to find a modus vivendi there, while the US’ meddling wasn’t direct nor intense enough like in other elections to seriously worsen their ties, which is why summer 2023’s scandal remains the most troublesome of their disputes. Instead of letting it subside, the US continues exacerbating it at periodic intervals, both on its own and via its Canadian proxy. This informed India that the US has malicious intentions and can never be fully trusted again.

  Accordingly, India was therefore pleased that China finally decided to comply with its long-standing request for resolving their post-Galwan tensions and getting bilateral ties back on track, which showed the US that India will never become its vassal. Additionally, India also demonstrated that it’s influential enough to further accelerate multipolar processes to the detriment of the US’ unipolar hegemony as revenge for being mistreated, though its wayward partner still might not change its ways.

  Even on the off chance that it does, the mutual trust that used to characterize their ties before summer 2023’s scandal will never return, thus ruling out the possibility that India will contain China in coordination with the US in the future. This is especially so after China just removed the primary irritant in their relations over the past four years that was responsible for driving the military dimension of Indo-US ties that prompted the People’s Republic to speculate that India was trying to contain it with the US.

  In retrospect and provided that the incipient Sino-Indo rapprochement continues, the US’ pressure campaign against India might be seen as a game-changer due to how tremendously it’s poised to reshape the global systemic transition’s strategic dynamics. The meaningful improvement of Sino-Indo relations could lead them closer to unlocking their full mutual potential, which would revolutionize International Relations if successful and thus bring an even swifter end to the US’ unipolar hegemony.

  Tyler Durden
  Fri, 10/25/2024 – 23:25

• Watch: Trump And Rogan Have A Wild Interview
  Watch: Trump And Rogan Have A Wild Interview

  Former President Donald Trump appeared on the Joe Rogan podcast Friday, where they discussed a wide range of topics for three hours.

  Watch:

  Highlights:

  Getting rid of income taxes:

  JOE ROGAN: “Did you just float out the idea of getting rid of income taxes and replacing it with tariffs? — Were you serious about that?”

  DONALD TRUMP: “Sure, why not?” pic.twitter.com/VGLbUdk8j8

  — America (@america) October 26, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  Hoaxes perpetrated against Trump:

  Trump and Rogan GO OFF on the corrupt mainstream media spreading hoaxes such as the bloodbath hoax, the very fine people hoax, and the Russiagate hoax: pic.twitter.com/qZJcZsf8oM

  — The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) October 26, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  Why Democrats are in favor of illegal immigration:

  Donald Trump on the reason why Democrats are in favor of illegal immigration: “They hate our country, they’re stupid, or they want to buy votes. It’s one of those three.” pic.twitter.com/c0RDSLNkWW

  — America (@america) October 26, 2024

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  Trump on bad White House hires:

  🇺🇸 TRUMP: SOME OF MY ADVISORS TURNED OUT TO BE BULLIES AND IDIOTS

  “It always comes back to the same answer.

  The biggest mistake I made was I picked a few people I shouldn’t have picked.

  Neo-cons, or bad people, or disloyal people, a guy like Kelly who’s a bit of a bully.… https://t.co/OBZTQgWXEp pic.twitter.com/X7ZQGVsqXN

  — Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 26, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  Keeping Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas in check:

  Trump says he kept Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas in check by threatening China’s business interests in the US if they bought even one barrel of oil from Iran. pic.twitter.com/tlIl04yeMQ

  — The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) October 26, 2024

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  The two discussed the horrible condition California is in thanks to Gov. Gavin Newsom:

  “How about just keep your fucking house clean.”

  Joe Rogan and Donald Trump slam Gavin Newsom for “cleaning up” San Francisco for Xi Jinping. pic.twitter.com/Vne8bu4KLO

  — Mythinformed (@MythinformedMKE) October 26, 2024

  Trump on getting shot:

  Trump shows off his bullet scar to Joe Rogan: “It makes me a tougher guy.” 🤣 pic.twitter.com/7sglMnHdog

  — Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 26, 2024

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  Trump on Musk:

  Donald Trump on Elon Musk: “That guy is such a great guy… Starlink… He got it for them so fast, saved so many lives.” pic.twitter.com/N1bSbjoXPS

  — America (@america) October 26, 2024

  “Surreal” – On what it was like when Trump won the 1st time:

  Donald Trump is a legend and a hero.

  And if you don’t understand that, you are an idiot. pic.twitter.com/nHDrf2wUjY

  — Viva Frei (@thevivafrei) October 26, 2024

  “I want to be a whale psychiatrist” – Offshore windmills and how they affect whales:

  TRUMP: “I want to be a whale psychiatrist.”

  Trump discusses offshore wind mills with Joe Rogan. pic.twitter.com/8T4NpIDA3T

  — Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) October 26, 2024

  “You’ve said a lot of wild shit!” – Why Trump became so popular:

  .@joerogan explains to Trump why he started to get so much media attention: “People were tired of someone talking in this bullsh*t, preprepared politician lingo.” pic.twitter.com/0Yh0hkeGZi

  — Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) October 26, 2024

  Trump on Barron:

  Trump says that Barron is helping him with youth outreach.

  “So I have a son—he’s very smart and tall. Barron. He knows all about you. He knows about guys I’ve never heard of…and I’ve gone up 30 points…with young people.” pic.twitter.com/sl59wHiwfm

  — America 2100 (@America_2100) October 26, 2024

  “Big pharma wasn’t thrilled” – Trump on pressure not to work with RFK Jr.:

  Joe Rogan: “Do you have anyone that is pressuring you to not work with [RFK Jr]?”

  Trump: “Yes…Big Pharma wasn’t thrilled.” pic.twitter.com/C7OPP2nivg

  — America 2100 (@America_2100) October 26, 2024

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  Tyler Durden
  Fri, 10/25/2024 – 23:06

• These Are The World's Best Bars In 2024
  These Are The World’s Best Bars In 2024

  Mexico City has been named the world capital of cocktails, with the famed Handshake Speakeasy bar taking the top spot in ‘The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024‘ by William Reed.

  

  As Statista’s Anna Fleck reports, the annual roundup is based on the votes of more than 600 industry experts from around the world, from bartenders and cocktail connoisseurs to consultants, critics and drinks reviewers.

  The podium is completed by Bar Leone, in Hong Kong, and Sips in Barcelona, the latter of which took the top spot last year.

  

  You will find more infographics at Statista

  The highest ranked US bars are Double Chicken Please, in New York City (at 14th)…

  

  …and Overstory (also in NYC) at 15th on the list.

  Tyler Durden
  Fri, 10/25/2024 – 23:00

• Stepping On The Snake
  Stepping On The Snake

  Authored by T.L.Davis via Substack,

  One can roll all of the majority of grievances into one basic event, the government stepping on the snake. The famous Gadsden Flag of “Don’t Tread On Me,” a warning to the Brits to mind their own affairs, or they might get bitten, is a favorite of the patriots against the decades-long process of violating their rights. It’s a warning revived during the Tea Party days, now fifteen years hence. But they have been stepping on them.

  

  What the US Government loves to do, is step on the snake; to grind it into the ground and since 1787, they have not been bitten. It’s our responsibility to future generations to retaliate for the injustices of our time. Each generation has a duty, as I see it, to deliver the nation to the next generation with a full compliment of rights and freedoms.

  In that endeavor, we have thus far failed, but a new day dawns.

  It’s difficult to imagine the depth and width of patriotic zeal that has slowly been eroded over the past few centuries, but it is a great reservoir that the current regime continues to draw on to inflict mass casualties on the people without significant backlash. This is largely due to a misunderstanding of loyalty.

  The government likes to project symbols as the objects of loyalty, while eroding freedoms in darkness. So they shine a bright light on the flag “Old Glory,” as it’s sometimes called, that represents the past obedience of the government to its charter, the U.S. Constitution. In the meantime, they have hollowed out that document by ignoring it all along the way, from Executive Branch expansion as a means of doing a backward illegality that is the purview of congress, i.e., all spending bills have to originate in the House. But if the Executive Branch creates FEMA or the EPA, it becomes incumbent on congress to fund it with the excuse that they could simply defund it, should it get out of control. Well, that’s exactly what’s happened over and over again, except the House doesn’t have the political will to stand up for the people and defund anything. They have been terrorized by the bureaucrats that give example after example of bad things that they will be blamed for if they defund a single thing.

  They like to shine a bright light on the capitol building and the Washington Monument, even the White House to appeal to patriotism, while none of those things function as intended. During the whole of the Biden Administration, the Executive Branch has run itself. The DOJ doesn’t worry about committing crimes, because who is going to hold it accountable? FEMA and the border patrol fall under their purview as well as the FBI. No one can hold them accountable, but they can defund them. Our congress, who has oversight, has been unwilling to restrain its excesses.

  All of this is a challenge to patriots to do something about it, knowing that whatever they might do will be cast as an attack on the flag, the congress or the cynically termed “democracy.” We saw that on January 6th. It had a chilling effect on the right to assemble and petition for a redress of grievances as intended. The constitutional right violates the security of the corrupt government and is suddenly deemed unpatriotic, an insurrection, rather than what it was, a right to petition the government to correct an openly and arrogantly stolen election.

  The point is, the government will fight back with everything it has to keep the people enslaved to their bastardization of the constitution and the denial of rights of the people. It takes a brave population to shrug off those charges, repudiate the “unpatriotic” theme with action, but look at what’s been endured since January 6th, 2021 and you’ll understand the lengths to which they will go and the methods by which you can operate.

  First, don’t give them a timeline, or an opportunity to infiltrate. The very existence of opposition assembly arises from Obama and sending SEIU out to do his bidding against those who protested Obamacare. I know, I was there, I saw it, including the buses and the sign-in sheets by which these public servants were paid for their time to counter unpaid, patriotic, citizen-organized protests. This is a tactic that has been used over and over with Antifa and BLM in later-stage government’s attacks on freedom of speech and the right to assemble.

  Anytime the government sponsors or pays counter-protesters, it is a violation of the First Amendment. Simple as that. They are acting unlawfully. To counter all of this, the people must be much more aware of their rights and especially the law with the willingness to report such crimes to the Sheriff or DA of the jurisdiction. That, specifically, is in violation of 18 USC 41 Conspiracy against rights, where any two people gathered to deny any right, in this case, intimidate you from exercising one’s right to petition the government for a redress of grievances through fear for one’s safety, they have committed a crime. One can tell the difference by where the “counter protesters” are placed. If it is within sight and sound of original protesters, the right has been violated.

  This all points to one ultimate conclusion. If the government is invested in denying any right of the people, it actually serves as an injury for which consequences can be expected. That is the justification, the act in defense of the constitution that defeats their claims of “unpatriotic acts.” In order to be unpatriotic, one has to be defying the constitution, not the illegal actions of the government itself. Denying that criticism, through counter-protestors or censorship of social media is in violation of the law.

  While I admit this all sounds like official gobbledegook that has no weight or stamina in a corrupt court, it is. But I’m not arguing the law, but the justification for consequences for stepping on the snake. Getting one’s mind right for the upcoming festivities is as important as any other preparation. It will endure one during hard times knowing that despite what the captured media might say, they acted rightfully and legally in the eyes of compatriots. This was the preparatory work not done prior to January 6th.

  There will be another January 6th, they’re begging for it and will, like then, create it, if it won’t be brought to them wrapped in shiny paper and a ribbon. The response, unlike then, must be a full-throated denunciation and demand for the real criminals to be exposed.

  Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ZeroHedge.

  Tyler Durden
  Fri, 10/25/2024 – 22:35

• These Are The Most Common Origins Of Immigrants
  These Are The Most Common Origins Of Immigrants

  A world map showing the most common origins of immigrants by country reveals some prolific immigrant nations as well as the influence that conflict and economic collapse can have on migration patterns.

  As Statista’s Katharina Buchholz reports, the most common pattern around the world is neighbors providing the most immigrants to one another.

  This is for example the case in the U.S. and Mexico, which are the biggest source of immigrants to each other.

  It is the same between Albania and Greece or Honduras and El Salvador, for example.

  

  You will find more infographics at Statista

  This is based on data from the United Nations Population Division.

  This pattern is disrupted however, when many people leave their country at the same time due to conflict, war or poverty. Venezuelan immigrants are now the largest group in nine neighboring countries, while six neighbors of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have taken in large groups of their citizens.

  For Somalia, its five neighbors.

  Ukrainian immigrants as of 2020 already were the biggest group in four neighboring nations, equal to Syria and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

  Then there are also those nations which are known to send immigrants all over the world, not just in their direct neighborhood. Among them are India and China, with their citizens being the largest group of immigrants in neighboring nations as well as on the Arabian Gulf in the case of India and in Canada and Australia in the case of China.

  In Europe, Poland is the most prominent nation of emigration, with Poles being the largest group of immigrants in the United Kingdom, Germany and some Scandinavian nations.

  Only a handful of countries have a more unique major immigration partner that is not their neighbor. These instances are often tied to colonialism.

  The biggest immigrant group in Equatorial Guinea and Morocco are from France, while for the Netherlands it is Suriname, for Portugal Angola, for France Algeria, for Cuba Spain and for New Zealand the United Kingdom.

  Tyler Durden
  Fri, 10/25/2024 – 22:10

• The US Is Now More Dependent On Fossil Fuel Power Than China
  The US Is Now More Dependent On Fossil Fuel Power Than China

  By Tsvetana Paraskova of OilPrice.com

  Increased use of natural gas for power generation has made the United States more dependent on fossil fuels for its electricity supply this year than China, the world’s top carbon emitter.

  

  Since June 2024, high U.S. summer electricity demand has been mostly met by increased gas-fired power generation, while a rebound in hydropower in China has limited to some extent the share of coal in its electricity supply.

  As a result, fossil fuels – including natural gas and coal – have had an average share of 62.4% of total electricity output in the United States since June. This compares to a lower fossil fuel share in the coal-dominated power system in China, where fossil fuels accounted for 60.5% of generation between June and September, according to data from energy think tank Ember reported by Reuters columnist Gavin Maguire.

  The rise in natural gas power output could undermine the current U.S. goals of making the grid zero-carbon by 2035.

  U.S. power generation from natural gas surged by 20% in the first nine months of 2024, compared to the same period of 2019. The share of gas in power supply has jumped to 43% from 38% five years ago.

  In recent years, power demand in the United States, the single largest portion of which is delivered by gas-fired power plants, has soared and is expected to continue to surge with rising electrification and more electricity necessary to power and cool data centers.

  U.S. power-generating companies are announcing plans for the highest volume of new natural gas-fired capacity in years as the AI boom is driving demand for electricity.

  During the first half of 2024, electricity-generating firms unveiled plans for the new gas-powered capacity equal to all capacity announced in 2020, according to data from Sierra Club cited by Bloomberg last month.

  Natural gas-fired electricity generation in the United States has jumped year-to-date compared to the same period last year, as total power demand rose with warmer temperatures and demand from data centers.

  Tyler Durden
  Fri, 10/25/2024 – 21:45

• 39% Of US Couples Met Online
  39% Of US Couples Met Online

  Today’s daters are taking matters into their own hands. Seemingly no longer satisfied with the potential partners that life throws at them at work, in school and in their circle of friends, Statista’s Katharina Buchholz details below that an increasingly large number of heterosexual daters is opting to meet their partner online.

  Surveys carried out and analyzed by Stanford University show that between 1995 and 2017 the number of heterosexuals who met their partner on the internet rose sharply from 2 percent to 39 percent.

  

  You will find more infographics at Statista

  With the help of dating apps like Tinder and eHarmony, but also through social networking sites like Facebook, daters reconnected with old friends and acquaintances (8 percent of couples who met online), were introduced to someone (11 percent) or – in the majority of cases – met someone completely new on their own (81 percent).

  The authors of the survey concluded that the main draw of looking for a stranger online was a larger set of choices than when leveraging friends and family, which was especially useful when “searching for something unusual or hard‐to‐find.“

  In a similar vein, meeting your partner in a bar or restaurant was also on the rise between 1995 and 2017.

  Stanford researchers excluded homosexuals from their analysis because they constitute a minority sexual orientation, making meeting someone online a more obvious choice for them than for heterosexuals.

  These were usually in a “thick dating market” (quote from Stanford) and therefore normally also able to identify several potential mates in their offline lives, according to the research.

  Tyler Durden
  Fri, 10/25/2024 – 21:20

• American Horror Story: How We Create Our Own Worst Nightmare
  American Horror Story: How We Create Our Own Worst Nightmare

  Via SchiffGold.com,

  A simple internet search confirms the overwhelming buzz in the air: Americans across the board are more concerned with the economy than any other political issue.

  This concern is overwhelming across both aisles, seems to be growing, and has remained a large issue for years. Recent polling data shows that when combined, concern about inflation & prices, and jobs & the economy create a supergroup that more than doubles any other individual worry. While party lines are more rigid than we would like to believe, it seems as though a candidate who embraced this fear and found a solution could have absurdly high mass appeal.

  While both presidential candidates have seen the recent trends and more strongly espoused their economic plans, it seems almost impossible to focus on the economy too much. While the lack of overwhelming emphasis on economic issues might seem like a simple misunderstanding between politicians and citizens, the root of high inflation and economic uncertainty is much more linked to voter’s own desires than they would ever want to believe.

  

  Citizens, whose actively informed assent is supposed to be one the primary bases of government, have an odd habit of wanting the best for themselves. The declaration’s explicit promotion of our right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” has created a foundational belief that anything short of thriving is not fulfilling the promise of America.​​ While what it means to thrive is defined differently by person, most Americans believe that our access to material goods, pleasures, and freedom from worry should be constantly growing. While this desire is not unique to Americans, the state’s embrace of its role as a servant makes us less skeptical of politicians who promise to give national success in every area. We only apply strong scrutiny to the high-flying claims of the opposing sides’ candidates because we believe that the high-flying promises of our own candidates are merely necessary to the fulfillment of their duty. While in many countries all politicians are more obviously known to be self-seeking charlatans, our institutions’ relative freedom from corruption have allowed us to live under the illusion that we are always one president away from “getting it right.”

  This desire creates an endless loop where candidates who do not paint a rosy picture of the future lose favor with the public. While the American political and economic system has created unprecedented human thriving, our desire to select candidates who claim to “do it all” is the root cause of our economic woes. 

  It may seem fatalistic to claim that positive and multi-focused candidates are the problem. There is nothing inherently wrong with having a diverse policy agenda, but the short term cycle of elections necessitates that plans will skew towards the near future. It is possible to have less inflation, more economic growth, and less taxes, but not immediately. The best that a candidate can hope for is to time everything right so that all the key metrics of economic success are most appealing in the months leading up to their hopeful reelection. People cling to the idea that we can fix all of our problems without associated pain or adjustment periods. We must embrace willing restraint from indulgence if we are to secure the free and prosperous future we dream of. Candidates fuel our ignorant belief that we can be reckless in the present without sacrificing the future, because they know they will be able to escape blame for a collapse that comes many years after they leave office. This negative cycle is not a direct result of our electoral process, or even of the candidates themselves.

  This cycle is allowed to continue because of the economic ignorance and low impulse control of voters.

  We damn our children by choosing to maximize our own comfort, not fully understanding how it will affect them, or even ourselves in 15 years. 

  We will not be able to escape this cycle until basic economic principles are more rigorously taught in schools. When forced to choose between two big-spending candidates, choosing the candidate who creates freer market conditions will always be the better choice, because that type of unpredictable and rapid growth can sustain far more spending than the tepid stagnation of a wannabe command economy. While the choice is obvious, it is far from a safe choice. The candidates are not the problem, rather, they are a reflection of our desires. Our desires and understanding must be formed through our upbringing and education in a way that will allow us to cut through empty promises and simplistic hedonism. Wanting low prices, low taxation, a healthy military and a strong healthcare system is natural, but we must be wise enough to know that those things must come slowly.

  Fiscal responsibility is boring and painful, but it is the only way to simultaneously secure “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

  Tyler Durden
  Fri, 10/25/2024 – 20:55

• US Shale Nat Gas Production Declines For The First Time Since 2000
  US Shale Nat Gas Production Declines For The First Time Since 2000

  By Katy Fleury of the EIA.gov

  U.S. natural gas production from shale and tight formations, which accounts for 79% of dry natural gas production, decreased slightly in the first nine months of 2024 compared with the same period in 2023. If this trend holds for the remainder of 2024, it would mark the first annual decrease in U.S. shale gas production since we started collecting these data in 2000.

  

  Total U.S. shale gas production from January through September 2024 declined by about 1%, to 81.2 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), compared with the same period in 2023, while other U.S. dry natural gas production increased by about 6% to 22.1 Bcf/d. Total U.S. dry natural gas production from January through September 2024 averaged 103.3 Bcf/d, essentially flat compared with the same period in 2023.

  The decline in shale gas production so far this year has been driven primarily by declines in production in the Haynesville and Utica plays. From January through September 2024, shale gas production decreased by 12% (1.8 Bcf/d) in the Haynesville and by 10% (0.6 Bcf/d) in the Utica compared with the same period in 2023. At the same time, shale gas production in the Permian play grew by 10% (1.6 Bcf/d). Production in the Marcellus play, which leads U.S. shale gas production, remained flat.

  

  The Haynesville play in northeastern Texas and northwestern Louisiana is a dry natural gas formation. The Utica and Marcellus plays in the Appalachian Basin produce lease condensate in addition to dry natural gas. In all three plays, natural gas prices mostly drive drilling and developing wells. The U.S. benchmark Henry Hub daily natural gas price has generally declined since August 2022 and reached record lows in the first half of 2024, making drilling natural gas wells less profitable, particularly in the Haynesville. Several operators in the Haynesville and the Appalachian Basin shut in natural gas production in reaction to historically low prices and intend to continue curtailments in the second half of 2024.

  In contrast, natural gas produced in the Permian play in western Texas and southeastern New Mexico is primarily associated gas from oil wells where drilling and development is driven by the oil price. Natural gas production in the Permian has increased this year along with increasing oil production.

  Shale natural gas production in the Utica was 5.6 Bcf/d in September, 33% less than the monthly high of 8.3 Bcf/d in December 2019 and 10% less than the average of 6.2 Bcf/d in 2023. At depths of 5,000 feet to 11,000 feet, wells in the Utica, which lies beneath the Marcellus, are slightly more expensive to drill than Marcellus wells because of their depth.

  Drilling costs of Haynesville wells, at depths of 10,500 feet to 13,500 feet, are even higher. Shale natural gas production in the Haynesville was 13.0 Bcf/d in September 2024, 14% less than the peak in May 2023. The Haynesville is the third-largest shale gas-producing play in the United States, behind the Marcellus and the Permian plays. In 2023, shale natural gas production in the Haynesville averaged 14.6 Bcf/d, accounting for 14% of total U.S. dry natural gas production.

  

  The U.S. benchmark Henry Hub natural gas price fell 79% from the August 2022 inflation-adjusted high of $9.39 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) to an average of $1.99/MMBtu in August 2024. So far this year, the price has averaged $2.10/MMBtu compared with an inflation-adjusted average of $6.89/MMBtu in 2022 and $2.62/MMBtu in 2023. As natural gas prices declined, the economics of producing natural gas in the dry gas formations worsened, leading producers to shut in production and drop drilling rigs.

  Producers tend to increase or decrease the number of drilling rigs in operation as natural gas prices fluctuate. The number of natural gas-directed drilling rigs in the Haynesville, Utica, and Marcellus plays has decreased steadily since the end of 2022, according to data from Baker Hughes. In the Haynesville, an average of 33 rigs were in operation in September 2024, 53% fewer than in January 2023. The number of rigs operating in the Haynesville in September was the lowest it has been since July 2020.

  In the Utica, an average of seven rigs were operating in September 2024, fewer than half the number that were operating in January 2023, and in the Marcellus, an average of 25 rigs were in operation, about 36% fewer than in January 2023. Although the productivity of newer wells has improved in recent years, the decline in rig counts has contributed to an overall decrease in production.

  In our latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, we forecast total U.S. dry natural gas production to average 103.5 Bcf/d in 2024, down slightly from 103.8 Bcf/d in 2023, and to resume modest growth in 2025 at 104.6 Bcf/d.

   

   

  Tyler Durden
  Fri, 10/25/2024 – 20:30

• 2 Lawmakers Attempt The Impossible: Saving Social Security
  2 Lawmakers Attempt The Impossible: Saving Social Security

  Authored by Mark Tapscott via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  More members of Congress, 329, co-sponsored the Social Security Fairness Act (SSFA) than nearly any other legislative proposal in 2024, but that may not be evidence of lawmakers’ eagerness to fix what ails the retirement pension program—the bill doesn’t address the fundamental insolvency issue.

  

  The SSFA would end two provisions of current law that reduce benefits for millions of public employees at all levels of government with separate pension systems. Eliminating the provisions means more Social Security benefits for such workers.

  In other words, the SSFA would increase the total amount of Social Security benefits paid out without providing new revenues to fund them. Even so, the bipartisan proposal is likely to pass Congress and President Joe Biden—who promised in his 2020 campaign to eliminate the provision—is expected to sign it into law when lawmakers reconvene after the election.

  For decades, Social Security has been the untouchable “third rail” of American politics that virtually no Democrat or Republican dares to propose changing for fear of angering legions of elderly and disabled voters who depend on the program.

  Approximately 70 million Americans are beneficiaries, making Social Security the largest federal entitlement program.

  The Social Security Trustees’ latest report projects that the system will become insolvent in 2035 unless Congress approves major reforms soon.

  Meanwhile, the ratio of workers paying into the system to beneficiaries is heading downward. The ratio in 1950 was 16 workers to one beneficiary; today that ratio is 2.8 workers per beneficiary. Plus, retirees are living longer today, drawing more benefits over time.

  Politicians increase benefits, but are loathe to increase Social Security taxes or slash benefits.

  The seemingly impossible challenge for Congress and the White House is how to reform Social Security if increased taxes and reduced benefits are untouchable. The last president to propose a major reform was George W. Bush, who shortly after being re-elected in 2004, suggested privatizing the system.

  Under that proposal, Americans would have been allowed to divert some of their Social Security taxes into government-approved private investment funds. Bush hastily dropped the plan after opposition in both parties and in the mainstream media exploded.

  More recently, two lawmakers have ventured beyond the raise-taxes-reduce-benefits dilemma to explore other ways of saving Social Security before it becomes insolvent.

  Raising the Tax Cap

  Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) has introduced his Social Security 2100 Act repeatedly in recent years, and it has gained strong support (188 co-sponsors) among his Democratic colleagues. Larson is the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Social Security.

  During a floor speech earlier this year, Larson said that “more than five million of our fellow Americans have worked and paid into the system and get below poverty level checks from their government.”

  Larson noted, however, that it has been decades since Congress approved changes designed to shore up the Social Security system’s finances. He also rejected suggestions from House Republicans that a study commission be created to recommend reforms.

  “It’s long overdue that we not study this—how about we do what we’re elected to do by the public and actually vote,” he said.

  “I commend President Biden for saying, look, the way we’re going to pay for this is by lifting the cap … on people making more than $400,000 a year.”

  Larson’s bill would not hike the Social Security tax rate, but would apply Social Security taxes to all taxpayers making more than $400,000 annually. The present salary cap on Social Security taxes is set at $168,600.

  “Millionaires have already stopped paying into the Social Security program. Bill Gates stopped paying back in January. That is wrong, it’s not right, but to lift that cap will allow us to not only extend the solvency of Social Security, but increase benefits across the board,” he said.

  

  According to an analysis by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, an individual making $500,000 annually only pays Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) levies on the first $168,600 of income, which equals $10,453 a year. Under the Larson proposal, the same individual would pay $31,000 in FICA levies, nearly three times as much.

  Larson did not respond to requests for comment.

  The Big Idea

  Venturing even further into reform is Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana doctor and ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

  Cassidy calls his proposal the “Big Idea” and it is based on the creation by Congress of a new $1.5 trillion investment fund that is totally separate from the Social Security Trust Fund—which receives FICA revenues that pay for benefits.

  Asked by The Epoch Times how the new fund would be financed, Cassidy said “that is open to negotiation. You could sell government assets to fund it over time, you could borrow it and put it in there.

  “Folks say ‘But wait a minute, isn’t that going to increase your debt?’ It turns out you’re not spending it, you’re putting it into escrow. And according to the Congressional Budget Office, that’s going to be considered a wash.”

  The Big Idea escrow fund would be managed by an independent company that would bid for the job, assume a fiduciary responsibility for the results and invest the fund in a conservative portfolio of private sector entities to function like Sovereign Wealth funds.

  “[Wall Street executive John] Paulson and [former President Donald] Trump have talked about creating a Sovereign Wealth fund. Advisers to Joe Biden have talked about creating a Sovereign Wealth fund. Now what we’re talking about with our Big Idea is somewhat of a Sovereign Wealth fund,” Cassidy said. Paulson is often mentioned as a potential Secretary of the Treasury if Trump is re-elected.

  The same approach is already in use in the pension field, Cassidy said, with the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) for civil servants, the U.S. National Railroad Retirement Trust, Wisconsin’s public employee retirement system, and the Canadian government pension system.

  Cassidy said the fund is projected to generate sufficient profits to cover 75 percent of Social Security’s revenue shortfall and that he is open to alternative approaches to covering the remaining 25 percent.

  “Combined with some relatively minor tweaks to the program, at the end of 75 years, all the accumulated debt would be paid off, and the Social Security program would be able to cover its obligations in perpetuity,” he said in an earlier statement.

  Asked how misuse would be avoided, Cassidy said “we’ve got a couple of mechanisms, we had the Heritage Foundation help us draft the way by which to prevent political meddling.” He said former Comptroller General David Walker has also suggested several solutions.

  Cassidy said he supports a ban on investing in firms based in China, an issue that ensnared TSP managers in 2019 when Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) highlighted the risks of federal worker contributions investing in Chinese firms.

  Read the rest here…

  Tyler Durden
  Fri, 10/25/2024 – 20:05

• US Signals Defense Guarantees To Saudis As Iran's Crosshairs Could Be On Abqaiq Refinery
  US Signals Defense Guarantees To Saudis As Iran’s Crosshairs Could Be On Abqaiq Refinery

  Wall Street analysts have been on edge for weeks over the scope of Israel’s planned retaliation strike after Iran’s large-scale missile barrage on Oct. 1, which may include F-35 stealth fighter jets striking Iran’s nuclear facilities, missile sites and or oil infrastructure. The geopolitical risk premium for Brent crude has faded in recent weeks as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken runs around the Middle East to ensure that IDF jets hold off on any strikes against Iran until after the US presidential elections. 

  HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receives U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. pic.twitter.com/SrFnXoT9mI

  — Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) October 23, 2024

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  Israel has considered a slew of retaliatory options, reportedly including fighter jets striking Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ high-value military targets, as well as Iran’s leadership, financial networks, oil infrastructure, and nuclear program sites. 

  About a week ago, Axios reported the leak of a highly classified US intelligence report that revealed new details about Israel’s plans for retaliation against Iran. This leak delayed IDF’s strike.

  Leaked US Intelligence Documents Related To Israel’s Attack Preparations On Iran Appear Online https://t.co/LXp8X3CI4m

  — zerohedge (@zerohedge) October 19, 2024

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  IDF’s most strategic move would be to dismantle the IRGC’s command and control networks and centers by targeting key officials, missile sites, and then financial networks. Also, paralyze Tehran’s ability to export crude via dark tanker fleets to China (source of revenues). All while trying to avoid a humanitarian crisis. This will be very challenging for Israel. 

  There is no doubt that after IDF strikes Iran, IRGC will respond in a tit-for-tat effort… 

  “The Iranian Foreign Minister’s ongoing diplomatic flurry in the Gulf notwithstanding, Iran will have little choice but to follow up on its threats to strike Gulf energy infrastructure once Iran’s own energy facilities come under attack and it becomes clear – again – that Iran lacks the ability to cause commensurate damage in Israel…This is easy to envision before the end of the year,” Scott Modell, CEO at Rapidan Energy Advisors, wrote in a statement.

  Bloomberg noted Friday morning that people familiar with the matter indicate Biden admin officials have signaled to Saudi Arabia they’re on standby and ready to defend the Kingdom against an attack by Iran or its proxies.

  Here’s more from the report:

  The tacit offer, made in the past few weeks, has given Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other Gulf Arab leaders some comfort as they await Israel’s response to Iran’s Oct. 1 missile attack, said the people, asking not to be identified discussing sensitive issues. Gulf states fear any escalation of the conflict could severely hurt their economic and security interests, the people said.

  In all fairness to Bloomberg journalists, the US doesn’t really have any other option to signal otherwise. 

  The vulnerability we see is precisely what Iran demonstrated in its drone and missile attacks at Abqaiq (the largest crude oil stabilization plant in the world) and Khurais in Saudi Arabia in 2019.

  VIDEO: Aramco footage from security cameras at the #Abqaiq processing centre of the attack earlier this month — via @60Minutes | #OOTT #SaudiArabia #oil pic.twitter.com/IFng8g1sqF

  — Javier Blas (@JavierBlas) September 30, 2019

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  This Abqaiq refinery attack back then briefly shuttered 5% of the global oil supply. 

  

  There’s a very real risk that the next evolution of conflict could be IRGC striking oil assets in Saudi Arabia, or even causing trouble in the maritime chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz – all in an effort to weaponize crude oil markets against the West and spark a financial shock. We’ve highlighted this potential scenario since early March in a note titled “The Weaponization Of Crude Could Trigger The Next Financial Shock.” 

  Tyler Durden
  Fri, 10/25/2024 – 19:40

• Israeli Forces Attack Iran With "Precise Strikes On Military Targets" In Retaliatory Response
  Israeli Forces Attack Iran With “Precise Strikes On Military Targets” In Retaliatory Response

  Israel attacked Iran early Saturday morning local time with what it’s referred to as “precise strikes on Iranian military targets,” weeks after the Islamic Republic fired around 180 ballistic missiles towards Israel on Oct. 1. Blasts were reported near the headquarters of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

  

  In a rare announcement, the Israeli military said its strikes are underway, and that their “offensive and defensive capabilities are fully mobilized,” while the WSJ reports that Israel gave the US advance notice.

  “We were aware in advance,” said a US official.

  IDF DECLARES OFFENSIVE AGAINST IRAN pic.twitter.com/X6Na7X9uYu

  — The_Real_Fly (@The_Real_Fly) October 25, 2024

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  According to unconfirmed reports, several explosions have been heard in Tehran. According to journalist Reza Rashidpour, five large explosions were heard in the city within around 10 seconds, while Iranian Air Force jets have taken off in the western part of the country, the NY Times reports.

  Huge explosions in Tehran! pic.twitter.com/sMQoPdB7JI

  — Israel News Pulse (@israelnewspulse) October 25, 2024

  According to the Times: 

  Residents of Tehran reported hearing multiple explosions in and around the Iranian capital, and Iranian state media sites said the explosions were near or at Imam Khomeini international airport.

  Maryam Naraghi, an Iranian journalist, said she heard large explosions in the eastern part of Tehran, where she lives. “It was the sound of bombs and explosions,” she said. “It was very close to where I am in the eastern part of the city.” The area includes military bases and the secretive military site Parchin.

  Another Iranian journalist, Reza Rashidpour, said five massive explosions were heard in Tehran within about 10 seconds. He said Iranian air force jets had taken off in the western part of the country.

  Iranians have also reported hearing explosions in Isfahan, Mashhad, and Kurdistan province, while two senior Arab officials told NBC News that the initial strike on Tehran targeted barracks and a weapons depot.

  Israeli planes crossed the Syrian-Jordanian border towards Iraq pic.twitter.com/WWDiG9x1Lj

  — S p r i n t e r (@SprinterFamily) October 25, 2024

  

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jshttps://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  #BREAKING: Sirens are wailing in Tehran. pic.twitter.com/5T6JD1P4j7

  — Clash Report (@clashreport) October 25, 2024

  Tehran has threatened to target Gulf states and other US allies if their territories or airspace are used to attack Iran – while Israel assured the US that it wouldn’t strike Iran’s oil or nuclear facilities.

  As Axios reports, US and Israeli officials believe Iran will respond military – but hope it will be ‘constrained’ in order to put an end to the tit-for-tat (ok).

  Driving the news: The U.S. military boosted its forces in the region in the last few weeks ahead of Israel’s possible attack on Iran.

  • U.S. officials said the goal was to deter Iran from responding and help Israel defend itself from another Iranian missile barrage.
  • President Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin decided to deploy a THAAD missile defense system in Israel with a crew of U.S. military operators.
  • That means U.S. soldiers could actively engage in the fighting between Israel and Iran on Israeli soil.
  • On Friday, several hours before the Israeli strike, CENTCOM announced that U.S. Air Force F-16s from the 480th Fighter Squadron based at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany had arrived in U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility.

  Meanwhile, the FBI is investigating a leak of top secret US intelligence documents that revealed part of Israel’s upcoming strike on Iran.

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

   

  Tyler Durden
  Fri, 10/25/2024 – 19:35

• Quiet Before The Storm
  Quiet Before The Storm

  Authored by J. Peder Zane via RealClearPolitics,

  “I just can’t wait for this campaign to be over.”

         –The American people

  Enjoy these last nasty days of the presidential election – they are the quiet before the storm. As long as the race continues, each side’s anger is reined in by the hope of victory. Once a winner is declared, the loser’s rage will erupt. This political Vesuvius promises to inflame the land as events unfold in these final days to maximize furious disappointment

  

  Donald Trump’s side is becoming ever more confident of victory. In recent weeks, RealClearPolitics Polling Averages show Harris’ national lead evaporating while Trump has moved slightly ahead in all six battleground states. Betting markets are now giving Trump the edge.

  Still, the polls are very close, and Harris may win. If Trump could insist that he won the 2020 race when all the polls predicted his defeat, just imagine his response if he fails when he appeared to be succeeding. He will not go quietly into the good night.

  Kamala Harris, meanwhile, has settled on a closing argument that focuses on Trump’s alleged unsuitability for office. As the candidate herself describes her opponent as an unstable threat to the Constitution, her surrogates are once again comparing him to Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini. They honestly believe this rhetoric, which will make it impossible for them to bow to his ascension.

  We have seen this movie before. The Democrats refused to accept Trump’s victory in 2016; he still won’t concede that President Biden won in 2020. As before, neither side will blame themselves for defeat; they will lash out at their perceived enemies. Each will advance their favored conspiracy theory – Trump will rail against the press and deep state, Democrats against foreign influence and misinformation – but both will cast the result as illegitimate.

  This is what happens when you are controlled by tribal emotion, when your politics are governed by psychology rather than policy. People have too much invested in the outcome – literally, their sense of self – to engage in soul searching (at least in the short run).

  Because of the different structures of each party, a Harris loss would be far more destructive to the country.

  In its current incarnation, the GOP is a bottom-up party. None of its ranking eminences wanted Trump to be the nominee in 2016; almost all of them hoped he would go away after his 2020 defeat. The MAGA rank and file felt differently.

  If Trump loses, he will fume and smolder and inflame the body politic. Millions of his supporters will be outraged. But they are largely powerless to influence events. Jan. 6 may have been a dark day in American history, but it was a brief action by a small number of people that was never repeated. Most Republicans condemned the assault and resigned themselves to living peaceably during the Biden presidency. If Trump loses once more, party leaders will, as in 2020, admit defeat and denounce efforts to overturn the result. Frankly, they will be happy to turn the page on the Trump era.

  The Democrats, by contrast, are a top-down party. While no one should be surprised by a repeat of the contained violence their supporters unleashed around Trump’s inauguration, the real action will occur once more in the corridors of power.

  In a repetition of Trump’s first term, party leaders will refuse to accept his election. An army of Democratic Party lawyers is amassed, awaiting instructions on how, and where, to challenge the results. If, as the polls suggest, Democrats retake the House, they have already floated the idea of refusing to seat him, invoking the Civil War-era 14th Amendment to claim he is a Jan. 6 “insurrectionist.” Assuming that gambit fails, they will almost certainly launch multiple impeachment efforts against him while their stenographers in legacy media continuously cast him as an existential threat to the Republic. As during Trump’s first term, every day will be a nonviolent version of Jan. 6. You cannot, after all, find common ground with Hitler.

  It pains me to say that the next four years will be more bitter than the last eight. We, the people, have painted ourselves into a corner by turning to the unforgiving world of politics to find identity and meaning. Will we ever find the courage to say enough?

  J. Peder Zane is a RealClearInvestigations editor and columnist. He previously worked as a book review editor and book columnist for the News & Observer (Raleigh), where his writing won several national honors. Zane has also worked at the New York Times and taught writing at Duke University and Saint Augustine’s University.

  Tyler Durden
  Fri, 10/25/2024 – 19:15

• Owners Of Ship Involved In Baltimore Bridge Collapse Settle DOJ Lawsuit For $100 Million
  Owners Of Ship Involved In Baltimore Bridge Collapse Settle DOJ Lawsuit For $100 Million

  The owner and operator of the cargo ship that caused a Baltimore bridge collapse has agreed to pay nearly $102 million to settle a civil lawsuit with the Department of Justice, the DOJ announced Thursday.

  

  The Dali collided with one of the columns of the Francis Scott Key bridge in March, after the ship suffered mechanical issues, which caused the bridge to collapse and kill six workers. 

  The incident forced Baltimore to close its port and federal channel for months, which slowed commercial shipping traffic that flowed through Maryland’s largest city.

  

  As The Epoch Times’ Caden Pearson reports, the DOJ announced the settlement with Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine, the owners and operators of the Motor Vessel Dali, on Oct. 24.

  The deal resolves a portion of the legal dispute that began in September when the DOJ sued the companies for damages linked to the federal government’s response to the incident.

  The $101.9 million settlement will cover the federal government’s costs for cleaning up the wreckage and reopening the port. However, it does not address the cost of rebuilding the bridge itself, which the state of Maryland is pursuing in a separate claim.

  “Thanks to the hard work of the Justice Department attorneys since day one of this disaster, we were able to secure this early settlement of our claim, just over one month into litigation,” Benjamin Mizer, principal deputy associate attorney general, said in a statement.

  “This resolution ensures that the costs of the federal government’s cleanup efforts in the Fort McHenry Channel are borne by Grace Ocean and Synergy and not the American taxpayer.”

  In a separate move, Grace Ocean has already paid nearly $100,000 to the Coast Guard to address the oil spill threat caused by the wreck.

  “This is a tremendous outcome that fully compensates the United States for the costs it incurred in responding to this disaster and holds the owner and operator of the Dali accountable,” said Brian Boynton, principal deputy assistant attorney general at the DOJ.

  The disaster occurred on March 26 when the Motor Vessel Dali lost power while departing the Port of Baltimore for Sri Lanka.

  After regaining and then losing power again, the ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse into the water below.

  The collapse halted shipping traffic in and out of the port for weeks and severed a critical highway connection.

  Federal, state, and local agencies worked together to clear over 50,000 tons of debris from the water. Shipping resumed by June after temporary channels were created to ease the jam.

  The $100 million settlement does seem a little shy of the estimates of the costs involved in rebuilding the bridge.

  As Shailen Bhatt, administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, confirmed to lawmakers in May, a preliminary estimate to replace the bridge at $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion. It will take four years to construct, with completion estimated to come sometime in 2028, he said.

  So while they may claim the “American taxpayer” is off the hook,  we suspect that is another lie (because the optics would be bad).

  Tyler Durden
  Fri, 10/25/2024 – 18:50

• Election Battles For State Legislature Supermajorities Heat Up
  Election Battles For State Legislature Supermajorities Heat Up

  Authored by Austin Alonzo via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  While Congress stagnates, America’s state houses are drafting and passing policies affecting millions. Now, more than ever, those legislative bodies operate without input from an opposition party or dissenting governor.

  

  As of Oct. 21, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 17 Democratic trifectas, and 10 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control, according to Ballotpedia. A trifecta means one party holds the state governorship and a majority in the state house and senate.

  Heading into November’s general election, legislative supermajorities exist in 57 of the 99 legislative chambers in the union, according to data compiled by state and local government consultancy Stateside.

  Republicans hold 41 of those veto-proof advantages, while Democrats own 20. All told, there is a partisan supermajority in at least one house of the Legislature in 35 of the 50 states.

  However, in 14 of those states, the supermajority is held by an advantage of three seats or less. Michael Behm, Stateside’s co-CEO and principal, told The Epoch Times that organizations aligned with the Democratic and Republican parties are spending heavily on down-ballot races that could make or break a supermajority in the coming legislative term.

  Even though voter interest is low in statehouse races compared with high-profile campaigns for national offices, Behm and others who spoke with The Epoch Times said the stakes are high. Most of the legislative actions that affect the public, such as policy on abortions, education, energy, health care, taxes, and transportation, come from decisions made in statehouses.

  “With the federal government being so polarized and hamstrung these days, the action is at the state level,” Behm said.

  Supermajorities

  The definition of a supermajority varies from state to state. Generally, attaining a supermajority means a state legislative body has enough members from one party to pass laws without any votes from the minority party and enough votes to override the governor’s vetoes.

  Heading into the 2024 general election, Republicans hold a supermajority in both houses of the state Legislature in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.

  Additionally, Republicans hold a supermajority in one chamber of the Legislature in Iowa, Mississippi, and South Carolina.

  Democrats own a supermajority in both houses of the state Legislature in California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island. Democrats have a supermajority in one chamber of the state Legislatures of Colorado, Connecticut, and Nevada.

  

  Behm said that’s the largest number of supermajorities he has ever observed in state legislatures. Ideologically, the domination of the legislatures by a single party reflects intense political polarization in these states, he said.

  Chris Cooper, director of the Haire Institute for Public Policy at Western Carolina University, said a supermajority effectively limits the governor’s power to carry out policy priorities in a state with a divided government.

  Four governors—Kansas’s Laura Kelly, Kentucky’s Andy Beshear, North Carolina’s Roy Cooper, and Vermont’s Phil Scott—preside over divided state governments in which the opposition party holds a legislative supermajority.

  The four governors’ legislatures stripped them of much of their policymaking potency. In June, Scott, a Republican, told members of the news media, “I think the power has gotten to their head,” referring to the Democrat-controlled Vermont General Assembly’s overriding of six of his vetoes in a single override session.

  In North Carolina, a supermajority almost wholly nullifies the will of a governor who already commands limited influence under the state’s constitution, Chris Cooper said.

  With their supermajority, Republicans passed new abortion restrictions, drafted new election laws, and further throttled back Gov. Roy Cooper’s power during the most recent legislative session.

  “They have taken away appointment power from the North Carolina governor,” Chris Cooper said. “They have made a number of changes that make the already powerful state Legislature into something even more powerful.”

  National Efforts

  Behm said the rise of legislative supermajorities can be attributed to growing involvement from national partisan groups known as 527 organizations. These are tax-exempt entities that can receive and spend unlimited amounts of money to influence federal, state, and local politics and elections.

  Three decades ago, statehouse races were usually local contests directed and financed by city and state chambers of commerce, unions, and other parochial political organizations, Behm said. Now, national groups such as the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) and Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) invest vast national resources into the state’s legislative caucuses.

  Behm said both party committees use professionals to recruit candidates and organize the partisan campaigns designed to build majorities in statehouses.

  

  “These 527 groups have turned state legislative races into national races,” Behm said.

  Chris Cooper said Republicans began to take over the statehouses in 2010 when the Republican Party introduced an initiative known as Project REDMAP. The plan called for investing huge sums into state legislative races that were previously overlooked in Washington and flipping chambers to the GOP.

  “They did as advertised,” he said. “They turned maps red.”

  Read the rest here…

  Tyler Durden
  Fri, 10/25/2024 – 18:25

• Lebanon Expresses Outrage After Israeli Warplanes Strike Group Of Journalists: 'War Crime'
  Lebanon Expresses Outrage After Israeli Warplanes Strike Group Of Journalists: ‘War Crime’

  Lebanon has accused Israel of committing a war crime after a group of journalists in south Lebanon came under attack by Israeli warplanes. Three journalists were killed during an air raid on a hotel or guesthouse in Hasbaya, about 50km south of Beirut and near the Syrian border.

  BBC is reporting that “The attack was carried out on a guesthouse in a compound in Hasbaya being used by more than a dozen journalists from at least seven media organizations – with a courtyard containing cars clearly marked with ‘press’.

  

  The three slain journalists worked for regional broadcasters Al-Manar TV and Al Mayadeen TV, which confirmed the deaths in statements, identifying the deceased as Ghassan Najjar, Mohammad Reda, and Wissam Qassem.

  While Israel did not offer immediate comment, it might rationalize or seek to justify the killings given that Al-Manar is a Hezbollah-run news network, and Al Mayadeen is seen as pro-Iran.

  But Lebanon’s Information Minister Ziad Makary charged that this was an intentional assassination of journalists.

  “The Israeli enemy waited for the journalists’ nighttime break to betray them in their sleep… This is an assassination, after monitoring and tracking, with prior planning and design, as there were 18 journalists there representing seven media institutions. This is a war crime,” Makary wrote on X.

  Other reporters, including from MTV Lebanon were present during the attack but escaped unscathed. “All official parties were told that this house was being used as a stay-house for journalists. We coordinated with them all,” an Al-Jadeed journalist described during a subsequent live broadcast from the location.

  And an MTV Lebanon reporter, Youmna Fawwaz, detailed the following:

  She said ceilings had fallen in on them, and they were surrounded by rubble and dust, with the sound of fighter jets overhead.

  Each news organization had their own building in the compound, she said, and the building housing the Al Mayadeen reporters was “obliterated” while Al-Manar employees were inside.

  Images from the bombed-out scene indeed show cars with large English markings indicating ‘Press’…

  

  Fawwaz further accused Israel of conducting assassinations in order to prevent the Lebanese correspondents from covering the fighting in the south. “The airstrike was carried out on purpose. Everyone knew we were there. All the cars were labelled as press and TV. There wasn’t even a warning given to us,” she said.

  Since the start of the conflict after Oct.7, 2023 – dozens of journalists have died – mostly in Gaza. Israel has particularly cracked down on Al Jazeera, expelling the Qatar-based network from Israel and the West Bank.

  Tyler Durden
  Fri, 10/25/2024 – 18:00

• Is Kamala The Bigger Threat To The Constitutional Order?
  Is Kamala The Bigger Threat To The Constitutional Order?

  Authored by David Harsanyi via PJMedia.com,

  Vote. Don’t vote. I don’t care. Just stop telling me that Vice President Kamala Harris is going to save democracy.

  Do I wish Republicans had nominated a more coherent, principled, competent candidate for the presidency? Of course. But if anyone is under the impression Democrats tapped such a person, I have news. Spend some time trying to decipher Harris’ swirling, platitude-ridden, incoherent rhetoric and you will only be further convinced that we live in an idiocracy.

  Sure, there are many reasons why a movement conservative might feel uncomfortable voting for former President Donald Trump. I get it. I’m not a fan. But there are plenty of completely rational reasons to vote for him, as well. First and foremost, the existence of the contemporary Democratic Party.

  

  Liz Cheney, and other Never Trumpers, tell me that the former president poses a uniquely dangerous threat to the Constitution, and thus, I must set aside any policy disagreements with Democrats and put country over politics.

  No doubt, this kind of self-glorification feels great, but it doesn’t really comport with reality.

  For one thing, most of the Left’s scariest warnings about Trump are fiction. I don’t believe The Atlantic when it tells me that Trump is a would-be Hitler. I’m sorry, I don’t believe he’s going to throw all his political enemies in concentration camps. Save the story for the next Mueller investigation.

  Considering recent history, in fact, it’s clear to me that the Left is far more adept and willing to weaponize the state to punish their enemies. And I’m not just talking about the unprecedented lawfare launched at Trump. I’m talking about debarring lawyers. I’m talking about raiding the homes of pro-life activists. I’m talking about the spying on Catholic churches and the Justice Department’s chilling speech by smearing parents who stood up to authoritarian school boards as terrorists.

  Moreover, even if Trump acted on his worst instincts, the damage would likely be confined to his own presidency. Trump is about Trump. Harris and Democrats, though, have openly embraced a string of consequential, long-term attacks on the constitutional order. Ones that we can never come back from.

  Sorry, I don’t accept that a woman who once complained to CNN’s Jake Tapper that “millions and millions of people” were speaking “without any level of oversight or regulation, and that has to stop” is going to be my champion of the Constitution.

  Harris’ running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz recently argued that there is “no guarantee” for free speech when it came to “misinformation” or “hate speech,” “especially around our democracy.” If this were a properly functioning republic, Walz would be thrown to the curb.

  No honest person could possibly believe Democrats are better for free expression.

  Let’s not forget either that Harris once promised to bypass Congress and sign an executive order seizing rifles from millions of law-abiding Americans. Though Democrats like to pretend otherwise, the Second Amendment is still part of the Constitution.

  Indeed, Harris is in no position to lecture anyone about any governing norms.

  She frequently praises Biden for ignoring courts and “forgiving” student loans by forcing taxpayers to foot the bill. She supports trashing the legislative filibuster, empowering slim majorities to destroy any semblance of federalism. Harris has backed bills that would have overturned thousands of state laws, allowing national Democrats to strip state election security measures, make abortion legal until crowning, compel local religious hospitals to perform gender transition surgeries, shut down religious foster care organizations, and many other outrages.

  None of this is to even speak of her efforts to destroy the Supreme Court. Harris, who gleefully took part in the vile smearing of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, supports packing the court — the most serious attack on the judicial branch since President Franklin Roosevelt’s effort in the 1930s. Senate Democrats say it is “virtually certain” they will pass a “Supreme Court reform” bill that, among other assaults on the judicial branch, will empower legislators to strip individual justices of their power.

  This is all just blatantly authoritarian stuff. 

  Right now — in part, because of Trump — the court is the only institution in the United States that properly functions. There is no telling what kind of arsonist Harris and Democrats would install.

  At the very least, I know Trump has a track record of not only nominating decent jurists but sticking with them under massive pressure.

  It is odd, indeed, that Democrats, who support price controls, state mandates and a slew of other economic intrusions that force corporations to bend to their will, are constantly warning us about the specter of “fascism.”

  We have no clue if the Trump presidency plays out. Trumpism is whatever Trump says it is whenever he feels like it. It might well be a disaster. But Harris offers me nothing.

  Tyler Durden
  Fri, 10/25/2024 – 17:40

• At Least A Dozen Colorado Ballots Stolen And Mailed In, Officials Say
  At Least A Dozen Colorado Ballots Stolen And Mailed In, Officials Say

  Reinforcing concerns that many Americans have with voting that isn’t done in-person, at least 12 Colorado mail-in ballots were stolen, filled out with forged signatures, and submitted — and three of them are going to count anyway. Announced by state officials on Thursday, the thefts all affected voters in western Colorado’s Mesa County, but the discovery leaves people wondering how many other forged ballots may have gone undetected elsewhere in the state and across the country.

  “The Department of State learned that at least 12 ballots appear to have been intercepted before reaching voters,” said Secretary of State Jena Griswold’s office in a statement. “Those ballots were voted and then returned to the Mesa County Clerk and Recorder via USPS mailboxes. This issue was flagged during Colorado’s secure signature verification process.” 

  

  Rather than sending them upon request, Colorado mails ballots to every registered voter in the state — that’s about 4 million ballots making their way through the postal system and before being left in mailboxes, a great many of which are unsecured. In addition to returning ballots via the postal service, Coloradans can also use drop boxes. 

  Several of the victimized voters were surprised to receive notifications that their ballots — which they hadn’t submitted — required curing because their signatures didn’t match digital signatures in the state database. Griswold said the handwriting on multiple ballots seemed to indicate the same individual completed each of them. 

  While sharing some details about the theft, Griswold, a Democrat, was tight-lipped about the detail most people want to know: which candidate(s) were meant to benefit from this crime? If her name sounds familiar, it’s because Griswold attempted to exclude Donald Trump from Colorado’s 2024 ballots on the claim he’d incited an insurrection in 2021. In May, the US Supreme Court ruled against her. 

  Donald Trump must be held accountable for his actions. He incited an insurrection and tried to steal an election from the American people. I hope #SCOTUS affirms the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to bar him from the ballot. pic.twitter.com/LFfRPNNh51

  — Jena Griswold (@JenaGriswold) February 11, 2024

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  Perhaps the most troubling detail about the Mesa County situation is that three of the fraudulent ballots will not be removed from the count. They were flagged for review, but then a single election judge approved them all. After that action, there’s no mechanism for remedy or removal, officials say. The judge who approved the three forged ballots has been reassigned. “Everybody affected will be offered a new ballot,” Griswold told reporters.  

  “Colorado’s elections are safe and secure. This attempt at fraud was found and investigated quickly because of all the trailblazing processes and tools Colorado has in place like signature verification, ballot tracking, and the curing process,” said Griswold. “Every eligible Colorado voter will be able to make their voice heard this election.” Griswold’s boast seems excessive, given 25% of the known fraudulent ballots are being counted anyway. Uneasy Colorado voters can check the status of their ballots by visiting Go Vote Colorado.  

  Mesa County is in Colorado’s expansive 3rd congressional district. It’s currently represented by Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, but she’s now making a run to represent eastern Colorado’s 4th district instead. She only won reelection in 2022 by about 500 votes and would have faced long odds against the same better-funded opponent, Adam Frisch. The Economist projects Boebert will win the 4th-district in a landslide. Neither of Colorado’s Senate seats are up for election this year. Meanwhile, Polymarket gives Kamala Harris a 94.8% chance winning Colorado’s 10 electoral votes. 

  Tyler Durden
  Fri, 10/25/2024 – 17:20

• WaPo Editor Quits, Staff Has Total Meltdown After Non-Endorsement Of Kamala Harris
  WaPo Editor Quits, Staff Has Total Meltdown After Non-Endorsement Of Kamala Harris

  Update (1716ET): Time for another bag of popcorn!

  In response to Jeff Bezos’ decision not to endorse a presidential candidate this year, staff are having a total meltdown, liberals are canceling their subscriptions, and editor-at-large Robert Kagan (husband of Victoria Nuland) just quit.

  You know I think we should really lament the resignation of a man who cheered on a war that kept American men and women rotating overseas for 20 years because he said we all needed ‘the stomach’ for democracy building and that only the US could do it. And then it failed. https://t.co/DOMWvP3xyS pic.twitter.com/NflSFBD0as

  — Kelley B. Vlahos (@KelleyBVlahos) October 25, 2024

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  According to Semafor, “people are shocked, furious, surprised,” one WaPo editorial board member told the outlet, citing internal discussions involving resignation. “If you don’t have the balls to own a newspaper, don’t.”

  Meanwhile, the paper’s chief technical officer is having engineers block reader questions about the non-endorsement on their internal system.

  Mini update: The furor at the WaPo is such that its chief tech officer is getting engineers to block Qs about its decision to not make an endorsement pm the Post’s own AI site search,

  This according to internal WP correspondence I’ve reviewed

  — David Folkenflik (@davidfolkenflik) October 25, 2024

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  One editorial board member tells Brian Stelter that Bezos’ decision is “an outrageous abdication of responsibility. Democracy doesn’t die in darkness, it dies when people anticipatorily consent to a fascist’s whims.”

  you’ll need like size 4 font for all that to fit on the masthead https://t.co/n6OcHCVuG6

  — zerohedge (@zerohedge) October 25, 2024

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  Subscriptions are being canceled. Reeee!

  “I canceled my WaPo subscription because they betrayed a free press and free country by not endorsing a candidate for president.”

  We are so brain dead as a society; we have fully earned the downward spiral we find ourselves in. pic.twitter.com/ttkgWog9eB

  — Russell (@theramblingfool) October 25, 2024

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  *  *  *

  Update (1450ET): The Washington Post has shed light on their decision not to endorse a presidential candidate for the first time in more than 30 years, revealing that “The decision not to publish was made by The Post’s owner – Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.“

  The paper also admits that a Harris endorsement had been drafted by staffers but Jeff killed it.

  Post newsroom reports that a Harris endorsement had been drafted by editorial page staffers but that owner @JeffBezos made decision not to publish. @PostBaron: “History will mark a disturbing chapter of spinelessness at an institution famed for courage” https://t.co/l246YxZ3pz

  — Drew Harwell (@drewharwell) October 25, 2024

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  And employees are seething but not coping, according to Semafor’s Max Tani.

  Opinion staff at WaPo are furious about the paper’s endorsement decision. Several are contemplating what action to take, ranging from resigning, quitting the board, or a statement. “If you don’t have the balls to own a newspaper, don’t,” one Post opinion employee tells me.

  — Max Tani (@maxwelltani) October 25, 2024

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  Mini update: The furor at the WaPo is such that its chief tech officer is getting engineers to block Qs about its decision to not make an endorsement pm the Post’s own AI site search,

  This according to internal WP correspondence I’ve reviewed

  — David Folkenflik (@davidfolkenflik) October 25, 2024

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  What happened?

  Bezos has spent 5 years plowing TRT.

  He’s probably on Team Trump now https://t.co/1e8UC2riVd pic.twitter.com/kuKPOja0eJ

  — TastefulLindy (@LindyTasteful) October 25, 2024

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  Look out, Jeff!

  “Jeff Bezos groped me in 1992” pic.twitter.com/QSA5hlk069

  — zerohedge (@zerohedge) October 25, 2024

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  *  *  *

  Three weeks ago, the Teamsters Union became the second major union to announce that they would not endorse a presidential candidate after internal polling revealed 58% of its members back Trump vs. 31% for Harris.

  

  That was understandable – their own members overwhelmingly rejected Harris.

  This is different.

  On Friday, the Washington Post announced that it would not endorse a candidate for president either, for the first time in 36 years.

  “The Washington Post will not be making an endorsement of a presidential candidate in this election. Nor in any future presidential election. We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates,” the outlet said in a statement.

  new: Washington Post publisher Will Lewis explains why The Post won’t be endorsing for president: pic.twitter.com/Zn0o655UIz

  — Ben Mullin (@BenMullin) October 25, 2024

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  Colleagues are said to be ‘shocked’ at the decision, according to NPR.

  The editorial page editor, David Shipley, told colleagues that the Post’s publisher, Will Lewis, would publish a note to readers online early Friday afternoon.

  Shipley told colleagues the editorial board was told yesterday by management that there would not be an endorsement. He added that he “owns” this decision. The reason he cited was to create “independent space” where the newspaper does not tell people for whom to vote.

  Colleagues were said to be “shocked” and uniformly negative. Post corporate spokespeople have not responded to multiple messages left by NPR on the subject.

  As NPR‘s David Folkenflik notes on X, “It is not clear whether Post owner Jeff Bezos or Publisher/CEO Will Lewis made the call.“

  The decision was revealed in a tense meeting with people on the editorial staff

  And it arrives at a time of heightened concern over whether news outles are pulling their punches in order to appease Trump in final days of a neck and neck presidential race agst VP Harris MORE

  — David Folkenflik (@davidfolkenflik) October 25, 2024

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  WaPo resignation exodus in 5, 4, 3…

  … and ironically they will all have to pitch their Elon-hating substacks on X

  — zerohedge (@zerohedge) October 25, 2024

  As Mario Nawfal noted on X,

  The Post has primarily endorsed Democratic candidates for nearly a century, with only 3 Republicans since 1928.

  Here’s a complete list of presidential candidates endorsed by The Washington Post since 1928, which highlights the significance of their 2024 decision to skip endorsements:

  • 1932 to 1944: Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democrat)

  • 1948: Thomas Dewey (Republican)

  • 1952 & 1956: Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican)

  • 1960: John F. Kennedy (Democrat)

  • 1964: Lyndon B. Johnson (Democrat)

  • 1968: Hubert Humphrey (Democrat)

  • 1972: George McGovern (Democrat)

  • 1976 & 1980: Jimmy Carter (Democrat)

  • 1984: Walter Mondale (Democrat)

  • 1988: Michael Dukakis (Democrat)

  • 1992 & 1996: Bill Clinton (Democrat)

  • 2000: Al Gore (Democrat)

  • 2004: John Kerry (Democrat)

  • 2008: Barack Obama (Democrat)

  • 2012: Barack Obama (Democrat)

  • 2016: Hillary Clinton (Democrat)

  • 2020: Joe Biden (Democrat)

  The move comes after the Los Angeles Times similarly declined to endorse Harris – leading to the resignation of the paper’s opinion editor, Marzel Garza.

  Another liberal newspaper refuses to endorse Kamala over the man she compares to Hitler. She’s toast… https://t.co/Y53XQVWix0

  — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) October 25, 2024

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  Washington Post chose Hitler over Taylor Lorenz

  — Billionaire Chimp (@ChimpWithMoney) October 25, 2024

  Wow…

  Developing…

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  Tyler Durden
  Fri, 10/25/2024 – 17:17

Digest powered by RSS Digest

• Turkey Bombs US Proxies In Northeast Syria Following Ankara Terror Attack
  Turkey Bombs US Proxies In Northeast Syria Following Ankara Terror Attack

  Via The Cradle

  Turkey conducted several airstrikes and artillery shelling across US-controlled north and east Syria late on Wednesday, targeting positions held by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

  The attacks targeted several villages and sites in the Syrian provinces of Aleppo, Raqqa, and Hasakah. One of the attacks hit an SDF military outpost in the countryside of the city of Al-Malikiyah, at the Syrian–Turkish–Iraqi tri-border region. Turkish artillery also hit SDF sites in the village of Umm al-Kaif in the countryside of the town of Tal Tamr, northwest of Hasakah.

  

  According to field sources who spoke with Sputnik, Turkish artillery shelling hit the villages of Al-Sayyada, Aoun Al-Dadat, Al-Tukhar, and Al-Daraj.

  On Thursday, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the attacks killed at least “27 members of military formations operating in SDF-controlled areas,” three soldiers from the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), and at least four civilians. 

  For its part, Turkiye’s Ministry of National Defense said 32 targets in Syria and Iraq were “destroyed” in the aerial offensive without providing details on the locations that were hit. Officials added that “all kinds of precautions” were taken to prevent harm to civilians.

  The intense attacks were launched hours after armed assailants set off explosives and opened fire at the headquarters of the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) in Ankara, which designs, manufactures, and assembles civilian and military aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and other defense industry and space systems.

  Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya and Defense Minister Yasar Guler accused the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) of being behind the attack. 

  “We give these PKK scoundrels the punishment they deserve every time. But they never come to their senses,” Guler said. “We will pursue them until the last terrorist is eliminated.”

  At least five people were killed and 22 injured in the Ankara attack. Two attackers – a man and a woman – were also killed.

  Terrorist attack in Ankara Turkiye, numerous dead and injured.

  At least one female attacker, amongst several carrying automatic weapons, struck a military aerospace company. pic.twitter.com/ykAJgEpTrk

  — Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) October 23, 2024

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  Turkey regularly conducts air strikes against the PKK in Iraq and against the SDF in Syria. In 2014, the US military began partnering with the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), an offshoot of the PKK. The YPG later changed its name to the SDF.

  Together, the US and its Kurdish proxies occupy Syria’s northeast, including Hasakah, Raqqa, and parts of Deir Ezzor, denying Syria access to its oil resources and wheat-producing agricultural land.

  Wednesday’s attack in Ankara came as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in the Russian city of Kazan to attend the annual BRICS summit. He condemned the “hateful attack” alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin.

  Tyler Durden
  Fri, 10/25/2024 – 02:00

• Can BRICS Deliver On Its Promises?
  Can BRICS Deliver On Its Promises?

  Authored by RFE/RL Staff via OilPrice.com,

  • Putin is using the BRICS summit to project strength and counter Western isolation, while also pushing for initiatives like an alternative payment system and grain exchange.

  • BRICS members are divided on their approach to the West, with some seeking to reform the current international order and others aiming to dismantle it.

  • Despite its growing economic influence, BRICS faces internal challenges and a mixed track record in achieving its goals.

  As Russian President Vladimir Putin hosts leaders for the 16th annual BRICS summit, he’s determined to show the West that he still has important allies by his side after nearly three years of attempts to isolate Russia for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

  But while Putin is getting the optics he wants, what kind of an organization is BRICS actually growing into?

  

  Finding Perspective: 

  The summit in Kazan, which began on October 22 and will run until October 24, is the first meeting for the group since Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates joined past members Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

  Putin is looking to use BRICS, or BRICS+ as the expanded format is sometimes termed, to signal that Russia has plenty of influential friends, despite its pariah status in the West.

  The summit is intended to showcase the group’s collective economic might and also entice new countries into a coalition that Moscow and Beijing hope will help form a new world order not dominated by the West.

  In Kazan, Putin is expected to push negotiations to build an alternative platform for international payments that would be immune to Western sanctions.

  Russia, the world’s top wheat exporter, will also propose the creation of a BRICS grain-trading exchange as an alternative to Western markets where international prices for agricultural commodities are set.

  But not all BRICS members completely align with the anti-Western stance coming from Beijing and Moscow and this divide could come out in Kazan.

  The Balancing Act: 

  While all BRICS members may be united in the “belief that the current structures that govern the international order and the global economy are unfairly weighted toward the Western world,” Stewart Patrick, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told me, there is a division between China, Iran, and Russia, which want to unseat the current order, and others who want to reform it.

  Many BRICS members, like Brazil and India, still work closely with the United States and other countries in the West, even as they seek to gain more global leverage.

  For many of the new members, with the exception of Iran — and also for many that have applied to join recently — BRICS holds mostly economic appeal.

  Members and would-be members alike are also looking for alternative sources of financing than available from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), and are looking to gain better access to burgeoning markets that could better define the global economy in the coming decades.

  Why It Matters: 

  Beyond the financial appeal of the bloc, many countries also view BRICS as a form of geopolitical insurance.

  And that hedge is even more relevant given added unpredictability brought to the United States in recent years.

  Still, the divisions within BRICS — and the bloc’s so far thin track record in delivering on its initiatives — could continue to hold it back.

  China, Iran, and Russia represent a group within BRICS that are grappling to varying degrees with U.S. sanctions and fighting different types of proxy battles with the United States around the world.

  Others, like Egypt, are leading recipients of U.S. military aid or like the United Arab Emirates, host U.S. military bases.

  Adding to those difficulties in articulating what a shared vision for the BRICS would look like, China and India have difficult relations, while there is little warmth to be found between Arab states and Iran.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 10/24/2024 – 23:25

• Visualizing The Cost Of The American Dream In 2024
  Visualizing The Cost Of The American Dream In 2024

  Today, the rising cost of living is making the American dream increasingly difficult to achieve.

  While pandemic-led wage growth boosted real incomes, it followed five decades of stagnant wage increases. At the same time, housing prices have soared. Pushing up prices are a limited supply of homes, with home construction plummeting 55% compared to 2006. Together, these broad economic forces have made it harder to get ahead, even with a competitive salary.

  This graphic, via Visual Capitalist’s Dorothy Neufeld, shows the estimated cost of the American dream per household over the course of their lifetime, based on analysis from Investopedia.

  

  The American Dream Costs a Hefty $4.4 Million

  Below, we breakdown each aspect of the American dream by their lifetime cost as of 2024:

  

  The total cost of the American dream is no small sum—$4.4 million—exceeding the average lifetime salaries of both men ($3.3 million) and women ($2.4 million) with a Bachelor’s degree.

  Overall, the largest cost is paying for a comfortable retirement. Here, it takes $1.6 million in savings, assuming a 4% annual withdrawal rate and inflation averaging 2.5% per year to retire for 20 years. Notably, the decline in private pension schemes has played a large role in making financial security in later years harder to achieve compared to previous generations.

  Unsurprisingly, owning a home was the second-biggest expense, at $930,000 for an existing single-family home. Given the surging cost of home prices, 77% of U.S. households are unable to afford a median-priced home in 2024.

  As fertility rates in America hit historic lows, raising two children and sending them to college would cost $832,000 overall. Today, 36% of Americans under 50 who don’t have children cite affordability concerns as a major reason for not having kids. Moreover, average college tuition costs have climbed a remarkable 748% since 1963, after adjusting for inflation.

  Following a similar trend, wedding costs, too, have skyrocketed. Between 2019 and 2023, average costs increased by $4,000 alone amid inflationary pressures and pandemic backlogs. Today, it costs over $44,000, including the ceremony, reception, and engagement ring to say “I do”.

  To learn more about this topic from a home ownership perspective, check out this graphic on the salary needed to buy a home in 50 U.S. cities.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 10/24/2024 – 23:00

• The Navy Needs Advanced Guns And Cheaper Missiles To Defend Against Drone Swarms
  The Navy Needs Advanced Guns And Cheaper Missiles To Defend Against Drone Swarms

  Authored by Mike Fredenburg via The Epoch Times,

  In order to defend its ships and defeat its enemies, our Navy needs to employ inexpensive, highly effective missiles such as those Israel is now making standard on its ships. It also needs to take advantage of the great strides in gun technology to provide its ships with a big boost in air defense capabilities.

  

  As it stands, the Navy is paying far too much for missiles, but getting more value for our defense dollar has gained in urgency as we have seen the proliferation of cheap drones costing well under $20,000 that can severely damage a ship. While one of these cheap drones is highly unlikely to sink one of our destroyers, a single drone of this ilk is perfectly capable of damaging or destroying critical communications systems, radars, etc. And a large swarm of these drones is very much a threat to any ship in our fleet.

  The problem is that, currently, the main weapons we can deploy to defend against these cheap drones are expensive missiles that range in cost from more than $900,000 to more than $4 million each. Even if we can count on these missiles to be 100 percent effective, using them to defend against an opponent that can direct hundreds of drones at one of our ships, or even thousands over an extended period, makes relying on these expensive missiles unsustainable.

  Fortunately, there is a solution to the problem of our missiles costing many times what they should—and its name is Tamir. The Tamir missile is the toothy part of Israel’s C-Dome system, which itself is the marinized version of Israel’s famed Iron Dome air defense system. At only $50,000 each, Tamir missiles are more than a match for any drone and can also be used to destroy both cruise and ballistic missiles. And with 43 miles of range, they can destroy drones and missiles that our ships in the Red Sea have been forced to destroy using multi-million-dollar missiles because they have nothing less expensive they can use.

  But cheaper, far more cost-effective missiles are only one element of what our Navy needs to face the dangerous new world of cheap lethal drone swarms.

  Another key element is to take advantage of advanced guns that can easily destroy dozens of incoming drones for a fraction of the cost of a missile.

  A great example of such a gun is Oto Melara’s 76-mm Super Rapid. While the Super Rapid can fire unguided rounds, its real strength comes from its ability to fire both GPS-guided rounds and radar-guided rounds.

  In particular, its semi-active radar-guided round, the DART, was designed to kill both missiles and small boats, and is very capable of destroying much slower, more fragile drones. Indeed, the Italian Navy has already been using the Oto Melara 76 mm guns on its destroyers to shoot down Houthi drones threatening shipping in the Red Sea.

  While there is no formal figure published, with the cheap drones being quite slow, typically well under 200 miles per hour, as well as being more fragile than a typical cruise missile, it seems likely, given its reported capabilities, that a single Super Rapid could engage and destroy over a dozen at a time. Couple this with a full magazine of C-Dome Tamir missiles, and you have a ship capable of not only defending itself but also of defending other ships within at least a 30-mile radius and up to 40 miles in some cases.

  In terms of cost, the Super Rapid is a bargain, with the 17,000-pound system coming in at an estimated $3 million: less than it costs to buy one of the $4.3 million SM-6 missiles that have been used in the Red Sea. While there is no published price list for the DART ammo, purchasing them by the hundreds of thousands of rounds should enable volume pricing of less than a few thousand dollars per round, potentially allowing a ship equipped with these guns to destroy cheap drones for less than what it cost the enemy to acquire them.

  Of course, along with hard-kill solutions like guns and missiles, our military needs to be working to develop and deploy electronic warfare solutions that will jam, disable, or even gain control over enemy drones. However, such soft-kill systems do not negate the need for guns and missiles capable of killing drones; instead, they are complementary.

  Finally, while integrating C-Domes and Super Rapid gun systems into our warships will cost a lot of money, given the exorbitant cost of the missiles our ships are currently using to destroy $5,000 drones, the payback period of such an investment would be short, resulting in a Navy better able to defend itself and other ships for less money.

  Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times or ZeroHedge.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 10/24/2024 – 22:35

• North Korean Troops In Ukraine Are 'Fair Game' To Attack, White House Warns
  North Korean Troops In Ukraine Are ‘Fair Game’ To Attack, White House Warns

  The White House and Pentagon have put Russia and North Korea on notice, following several international reports alleging that North Korea has sent troops to fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.

  “If they are co-belligerents, if their intention is to participate in this war on Russia’s behalf, that is a very, very serious issue,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said while returning from his fourth visit to Kiev, where he announced the latest $400 million arms package.

  

  Starting last week, South Korean intelligence backed claims by President Zelensky which said at least 10,000 North Korean troops are mustering in Russia to deploy in Ukraine. Seoul also claimed that 1,500 DPRK are already in Ukraine’s east.

  White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Wednesday described that the US assesses that at least 3,000 North Korean soldiers arrived at Russia’s Pacific port of Vladivostok. They reportedly arrived by boat earlier this month.

  “These soldiers then travelled onward to multiple Russian military training sites in eastern Russia, where they are currently undergoing training,” Kirby said.

  “We do not yet know whether these soldiers will enter into combat alongside the Russian military, but this is certainly a highly concerning probability,” he continued. And that’s when he added the warning and threat:

  …should they deploy to fight against Ukraine, “they’re fair game”.

  Yonhap News Agency had previously reported that the country’s main intelligence agency, NIS, assessed that Pyongyang has made the decision to deploy four brigades to Ukraine, which amounts to an estimated 12,000 troops.

  In a Tuesday evening address, President Zelensky echoed this figure, saying: “We have information that two units of military personnel from North Korea are being trained – potentially even two brigades of 6,000 people each.”

  Zelensky has further commented that this is a sign of the war’s growing internationalization in Moscow’s favor. He has demanded that his Western backers respond.

  In an interview Alexander Lukashenko, leader of Belarus, tells me that North Korean troops fighting alongside Russia in Ukraine “would be a step towards an escalation of the conflict.” Producer @LizaShuvalova @BBCNews pic.twitter.com/dNYrUo1KSl

  — Steve Rosenberg (@BBCSteveR) October 24, 2024

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  Already, Pyongyang has long faced accusations that it is shipping weapons, and especially artillery shells, to Russian forces for use in Ukraine.

  Kiev has spoken of an ‘axis’ which is at war against Ukraine, including Russian, Iran, and now North Korea.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 10/24/2024 – 22:10

• Biohacking To Better Health
  Biohacking To Better Health

  Authored by Isabella Cooper via The Brownstone Institute,

  People have always been fascinated with immortality. While great gains in medical care have enabled lifespan extension, this has often come with the price of co-existing with chronic diseases associated with aging, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), hypertension, and dementias such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

  

  The true “aim of the game” is to have a long healthspan with negligible senescence. This means the absence of biological aging, such as reducing functional decline in organs and whole-body fitness, delaying loss of reproductive capabilities, and delaying death risk with age progression. What we really want is to extend youth, not aging. In achieving that, we may begin to push the envelope on increasing healthy lifespan. 

  Aging at the cellular level is determined by the cellular rate of damage versus rate of repair. Accumulation of aging-associated damage manifests as cells no longer “behaving correctly” as part of a collective that make up tissues of an organ, like cancer cells.

  In healthy individuals, damage accumulation is managed through apoptosis, which is controlled cell death, and refined cellular housekeeping including autophagy and mitophagy; the “eating up, breaking down, and recycling” of damaged inner-cell (intracellular) components (organelles). The nutrient glucose and the hormone insulin govern cellular quality control. Intracellular housekeeping enables the culling of inefficient and toxic cells from the herd. Over time a cell’s ability to trigger apoptosis becomes impaired, enabling gradual dysfunction to sneak by under the radar. Over time, the accumulation of these dysfunctional cells within an organ promotes development of disease. 

  Humans are multicellular organisms within which our healthy cells operate collectively. In order to have a long healthy lifespan, our cells must not only live longer, but they must also function correctly. Cancer cells are long-lived and capable of unlimited replication; however, they evade apoptosis, and become selfishly primordial, regressing back to single-cell organism behaviour. Our goal is to maintain optimal organ function, ensuring ourselves a long healthspan with negligible senescence and perhaps a touch of immortality.

  Mitochondria are intracellular organelles; these organelles are remnant symbiotic protobacteria, originating from proteobacterium that came to live within an archaeal-derived host cell which was most closely related to Asgard archaea (a recently identified group of ancient single-celled organisms). Put simply, a foreign single-celled ancient bacteria came to live inside the cells that eventually evolved into us. The Asgardian endocytosed proteobacteria evolved into mitochondria; through a process called endosymbiosis the two became interdependent. They now support us and we support them. Our cells, with mitochondria and other organelles within them, are called ‘eukaryotic’ cells. 

  Mitochondria have their own genome; polycistronic circular DNA, whilst their inner matrix membranes are rich in a phospholipid cardiolipin. Both of these features are common to bacteria and not to the eukaryotic nuclear DNA and other organelles of multicellular animals, other than those digesting mitochondria. Mitochondria produce the majority of our life-sustaining energy whilst also acting as a source of destruction for most of our cells. This occurs due to their use of oxygen to break down nutrients, in order to capture energy and store it in the energy carrier molecule ATP. Their (and so our) need and use of oxygen is both life-giving and corrosive; complete oxidation of glucose produces more oxidative damage than oxidising fatty acids, and in the process produces excess superoxide, a form of oxygen with an added electron which is termed a free radical.

  Mitochondria also produce hydrogen peroxide, the same found in your household drain cleaner, albeit at a much lower concentration. Chronic low-grade elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) harm our cells. Achieving balance between “burning” glucose or fatty acids requiring oxygen to provide energy for our body (good) and producing corrosive substances (bad), is hormesis, like the “Goldilocks zone.” ROS toxicity is a key player in aging, as too much of it will decrease healthspan and lifespan. 

  The majority of ROS in cells is produced by mitochondria. Some amount is necessary for health, while excess causes damage; again, this requires balance or hormesis. ROS are also mitochondrial-signalling molecules, communicating to the nucleus and altering gene expression. This begs the question; what drives cellular behaviour, genes in the nucleus, or mitochondrial signals? The right amount of ROS causes production of new healthier mitochondria, excessive ROS increases damage over repair, accumulating toxic wayward mitochondria. Cancer cells consistently have damaged mitochondria; the same is also found in cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease, and many of the diseases that we have just accepted as part of aging.

  As mentioned above, we can produce energy from fat or from glucose (a sugar) through our cooperative mitochondria. The amount of glucose exposure (predominantly from dietary sources and also made and secreted into the bloodstream by the liver) is critical in achieving this balance between our mitochondria helping or harming us. Insulin is produced in response to carbohydrate intake (sugars such as glucose, starch, and sucrose), increasing absorption (and use) of glucose by our cells and mitochondria and reducing fat-burning (beta-oxidation and subsequent ketosis).

  To simplify, we mostly use either glucose from carbohydrates to produce energy with our mitochondria, or fatty acids from food or our fat cells, or ketones from breakdown of fat, to produce energy through an alternative metabolic pathway, called ketosis.

  Calorie restriction (carbohydrate restriction) in yeast, nematode worms, and mice to primates increases lifespan with healthspan by inducing ketosis. It causes insulin to become low enough to allow ketogenesis (a product from beta-oxidation, the burning of fat) to occur. Upregulated fat-burning results in the production of molecules called ketone bodies, mainly by the liver (endogenous synthesis).

  One of these ketone bodies is beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), derived from fatty acids that come either from our fat cells or from a meal. The ketone BHB is a fuel and signalling molecule, causing mitochondria and nuclei to adapt to metabolic changes. Fasting-mimicking diets such as time-restricted feeding, and very low carbohydrate/healthy fat diets (also known as ketogenic diets) also induce ketosis without the conscious effort of calorie restriction. 

  These diets high in healthy fats (such as animal fats) and low in sugars/starchy carbohydrates lead to decreased insulin and glucose and increased ketones (BHB) in the bloodstream. Over time this induces intracellular machinery changes, shifting the body’s metabolism to fuelling itself mainly off fat and ketones instead of sugar (glucose). Ketosis increases intracellular housekeeping activity, enabling cells to remove and replace damaged organelles. It also allows more time for DNA to be checked by DNA housekeeping proteins that are able to prevent propagation of DNA duplication errors into daughter cells, thus reducing cancer and other age-related disease development. Ketosis has been shown to hold a hint of an elixir to a healthier if not longer life. 

  In contrast, high carbohydrate diets, providing glucose through starchy carbohydrates like bread, pasta, rice, corn, and sucrose found in cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, coconut sugar, fruit, and honey, all stimulate insulin secretion. Prolonged hyperinsulinaemia increases the risk of development of Alzheimer’s disease, malignancies, cardiovascular disease, and T2DM. While insulin is essential to life, excess insulin (due to these high carbohydrate diets) leads to hyperinsulinaemia, which is implicated in chronic diseases and aging. Decreased insulin demand is shown to increase healthspan and lifespan. Insulin also causes cells to replicate faster, decreasing the pauses to check DNA copy quality, telling cells that food is abundant and therefore “there is no need to keep a tight ship.” 

  Insulin is the aging hormone, and a dietary pattern that regularly triggers too much insulin secretion prevents our ability to produce ketones, including BHB. Insulin suppresses ketogenesis (ketone production), depriving us of BHB’s anti-aging properties. The endogenous production of BHB, a powerful antioxidant that directly neutralises free radicals and ROS, has been shown to improve and prevent chronic diseases associated with aging conditions. So, we can control much of our aging by our dietary choices. Ketones such as BHB are produced when we are not overstimulating insulin secretion and requirement through our dietary choices. 

  We are often advised to eat to keep up our energy and health. However, perhaps a little less results in a little more with regards to healthspan and lifespan, and instead of calorie restriction, we can bio-hack through either eating as much as we want once a day, or eating non-insulin-stimulating foods. Doing both will further enhance their effects. The results are the same as fasting and calorie restriction, less insulin, and more ketones, in turn translating into healthier cells, a healthy you, and a chance to realise your maximal lifespan potential.

  *  *  *

  Link to donate to support Isabella D. Cooper’s research in Ageing Biology, Age-Related Diseases, and Longevity at the University of Westminster, UK. This is one of few academic research groups in the diet and metabolism area free from food industry sponsorship. One hundred percent of donation funds go towards active laboratory-based research, with zero funds lost to administrative costs.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 10/24/2024 – 21:45

• NextEra "Evaluating" Restart Of Iowa's Only Nuclear Plant As 'Next AI Trade' Gains Steam
  NextEra “Evaluating” Restart Of Iowa’s Only Nuclear Plant As ‘Next AI Trade’ Gains Steam

  Following the news of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant restart near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and the Biden administration supplying a $1.5 billion loan to resurrect Holtec’s Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan, along with Amazon, Microsoft, and Google all jumping on the nuclear trade via the “next AI trade,” the atomic era continues blasting off with news that another dormant nuclear plant, this time in Iowa, is slated for a possible restart.

  On a Wednesday earnings call, NextEra Energy CEO John Ketchum told investors that the company may restart the shuttered 600-megawatt Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC), Iowa’s only nuclear power plant. It’s located on the west bank of the Cedar River, about eight miles northwest of Cedar Rapids. 

  

  Earnings call… 

  “As a top operator of all forms of power generation, we often get asked about nuclear and gas,” Ketchum told investors. 

  He explained, “Let me start with nuclear. Nuclear will play a role, but there are some practical limitations. Remember, on a national level, we expect we are going to need to add 900 gigawatts of new generation to the grid by 2040,” adding, “There are only a few nuclear plants that can be recommissioned in an economic way. We are currently evaluating the recommissioning of our Duane Arnold nuclear plant in Iowa as one example.” 

  DAEC began operations in early 1975 and operated for decades. In August 2020, the facility’s cooling towers were damaged in a weather-related event, and repairs were deemed uneconomical. NextEra owns about a 70% stake in DAEC.

  

  Jefferies analyst Dumoulin Smith told clients in a note that DAEC would be costly to restart…

  “We believe a Duane Arnold restart is challenging, given the plant damage and robust regional wind generation.”

  Bloomberg quoted NextEra Energy President Rebecca Kujawa as saying that DAEC’s potential customers could include two Fortune 50 customers: 

  “This is a robust sign of a significant, broad-based demand,” Kujawa said on the call. “They have big, important and urgent energy needs.” 

  The latest news from big tech firms diving into nuclear and reviving the industry provides a substantial tailwind for our “Next AI Trade” which we laid out in April as our long-term favorite trade, and where we outlined various investment opportunities for powering up America, playing out.

  

  Here’s our latest coverage of the big atomic revival:

  • Nuclear Names Surge After Three Mile Island Planned Restart To Power Microsoft Data Centers

  • Sam Altman-Backed Nuclear Startup Oklo Signs Agreement With Dept. Of Energy For Next Phase Of Siting In Idaho

  • Nuclear Is Back: U.S. Closes On $1.5 Billion Loan To Resurrect Holtec’s Palisades Nuclear Plant

  • Google Turns To Nuclear To Power Its Data Centers

  • Google Agrees To Buy Nuclear Power From Small Modular Reactors To Be Built By Kairos Power

  Let’s take a step back to December 2020, nearly four years ago, when we first introduced the nuclear theme to readers with the headline: “Buy Uranium: Is This The Beginning Of The Next ESG Craze.” 

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 10/24/2024 – 21:20

• Rural Landowner Sues After State Searches Property Without Warrant Or Consent
  Rural Landowner Sues After State Searches Property Without Warrant Or Consent

  By Chris Bennett of AgWeb

  Twice accused, twice vindicated, and twice insistent on the sanctity of the Fourth Amendment. After Tim Thomas’ property was entered and searched on multiple occasions by state officials without warrant or consent in 2023, he filed a federal lawsuit challenging the power of water conservation officers to access private property.

  “All other law enforcement officials at every level must have a warrant to do what a water conservation officer did around my house,” says 62-year-old Thomas. “I’m suing to get a law changed because this should never happen to anyone else. I want people to know what’s gone on at my property, and to my family, and how our rights were trampled.”

  

  Wherever and Whenever?

  On May 13, 2023, Thomas’ wife, Stephanie, was alone inside the couple’s single-story lakeside cottage at the end of a gravel road on the shoreline of 80-acre Butler Lake in Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna County. Their property encompassed less than 1 acre of ground, including a dock and 300’ of shoreline.

  Together, the couple owned Thomas’ Chimneys & Stoves in nearby Kingsley. “We had the business for 42 years,” Thomas says. “I’ve always respected the law and done my best to serve the community as a deacon and citizen. People are blown away when they hear what happened on our quiet property.”

  

  Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022, Stephanie was non-ambulatory during a period of recovery following a round of stage 4 treatment. According to the complaint filed in Thomas’ subsequent lawsuit via representation by Institute for Justice (IJ), Stephanie heard someone loudly knocking on the front door of the cottage. The individual then went around the side of the house, past no-trespassing signs, entered the back yard, walked onto the back porch, and began “pounding” on the back door. Stephanie did not know the individual at her doorstep was Water Conservation Officer (WCO) Ty Moon of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC).

  Alarmed, Stephanie used a walker to retreat to a bedroom. Per the complaint: “While pounding on the front and back doors of the cabin, WCO Moon yelled, ‘I know you’re in there,’ and ‘I’m going to call the police.’”

  (Citing open litigation, PFBC declined comment related to Tim Thomas’ lawsuit.)

  “She peeked through the drapes and saw a man she didn’t know in dark clothes yelling, and she managed to get into our room,” Thomas describes.

  While Stephanie hid, Moon peered in the windows and then moved about the property, according to Thomas, taking pictures of the home, motor vehicle, and pontoon boat.

  The ball began rolling on a steady chain of glaring constitutional violations, contends IJ attorney Kirby West: “The government cannot go wherever and whenever it wants—that’s the very reason for the Fourth Amendment in the first place. We see a lot of cases where government goes overboard, but this statute is the plainest example I’ve seen that contradicts the Fourth Amendment on its face.”

  Search, Seizure, Citation

  On Mother’s Day, May 14, a day after WCO Moon entered their property, the Thomas duo stopped roadside, roughly 1 mile from home. “We were on our way back from church and I pulled over to pick Stephanie her favorite flowers—lilacs,” Thomas recalls.

  

  “As I was picking, a white truck pulled in front of us, and a tall man I didn’t know came angrily towards me, shouting that he’d seen me fishing the day before and claiming I had refused to talk to him. He got up close and started yelling in my face that he’d ‘get to the bottom of things,’ but I had done nothing wrong and had no idea what he was talking about. Other than the knocks on the door the day prior, this was the first time either Stephanie or myself had met or even heard of Ty Moon.”

  Four days later, a PFBC citation arrived in the mail, accusing Thomas of fishing without a license and fleeing on May 13: Def. did willfully refuse to bring boat to a stop, flee after given an audible signal. Thereafter, attempted to elude a WCO.

  “We were accused of trying to get away from Ty Moon while fishing. It was preposterous,” Thomas says. “My wife with stage 4 cancer fleeing from the law on the water? Supposedly Moon was onshore, and we fled by boat. We never saw him, don’t know where he was standing, and certainly didn’t run away. Bottom line, the charges were bogus, but that’s why he came knocking later at our house.”

  Since age 12, Thomas had obtained Pennsylvania hunting and fishing licenses. He had never been ticketed for a wildlife violation in his life—until May 2023.

  In response to the citation and a fine nearing $462, Thomas telephoned Moon’s superiors and sent a letter of complaint to Captain Tom Edwards, manager of PFBC’s northwest region. Edwards personally called Thomas; all charges were dropped.

  “I considered it over,” Thomas says. “My wife didn’t. She told me, ‘Whatever is going on, I don’t think he (Moon) is through with you.’”

  Several months later, Moon was back on Thomas’ property for another search, seizure, and citation.

  Vendetta?

  At roughly 9 a.m., on Aug. 12, 2023, Thomas piloted his pontoon boat home after fishing on Lake Butler.

  As Thomas pulled to his dock, WCO Moon approached Thomas’ property on foot, walked along the driveway to the side of the cabin, entered the back yard via a gap between bushes and structure, and passed by a bathroom window—ignoring a total of four no-trespassing signs, according to the complaint.

  

  Arriving at the dock, Moon accused Thomas of exceeding regulation by fishing with eight rods/lines. “Untrue charges,” Thomas says. “But in that moment, Ty Moon’s charges weren’t my main concern. I was worried about Stephanie.”

  In accessing the back yard, Moon had walked by a window where Thomas’ wife was bathing. “The house was our sanctuary after Stephanie was diagnosed, and because of the way we set up the bushes and landscaping, the bathroom provided her with a place to soak and look out at the scenery in total privacy with the curtains open, just inside the window in a clawfoot tub—the same window where a state water officer had just come within an arm’s length.”

  “I wanted him off our property and away from the window where my wife—a cancer patient—was exposed.”

  Thomas informed Moon he was trespassing, and insisted on continuing the conversation on the public road. Once the men were out of the back yard and on the edge of the driveway, Moon asked for Thomas’ fishing license and boat registration. Thomas provided the license. However, the registration was inside the boat.

  Thomas offered to get the registration. Moon declined, announcing his intention to reenter the back yard to obtain the paperwork and perform a safety inspection on the boat. Despite Thomas’ protests, Moon walked back to the dock and boat. Moon returned—and then announced he need to return to the dock a third time to confiscate Thomas’ fishing rods.

  “Three times,” Thomas says, “with me telling him no, over and over. Three violations of our private space while my wife was dying. Officer Moon knew my wife was a cancer patient because I told him. It’s hard to describe the frustration and needless abuse of power.”

  After confiscating Thomas’ rods, Moon ended the encounter with a $354 citation for fishing with eight rods/lines: Def. did fish with more than the maximum amount of devices while in Commonwealth waters.

  Thomas says the charges are false. “Officer Moon said he’d been watching me with binoculars since around 8 a.m. from a boat ramp several hundred yards away and could see eight lines in the water. No way, period. I had three lines in the water and no more. And who believes he just happened to be on the shore, just passing by the area, on tiny Butler Lake? I suspect he had a vendetta against me; that’s my opinion.”

  29 Hours

  In November 2023, several months after the second citation, Thomas appeared in Magisterial court. The PFBC citation stated Thomas had eight lines in the water—therefore Thomas owed $354. Case closed.

  “The evidence didn’t matter,” Thomas says. “I was supposed to accept the fine and shut up. No. I place the highest value on individual liberty and there are tremendous repercussion effects when the government abuses power.”

  Beyond his main vocation as a chimney business owner, Thomas often drove for Lyft and Uber. After the criminal citation was filed, he automatically lost both driving jobs—banned by both companies due to the legal violation.

  Thomas appealed the PFBC citation to a Commonwealth court. On June 5, 2024, Thomas’ case was heard. “The judge actually was interested to know all the evidence, and when he heard what Moon claimed to have seen and what Moon did, he knew things weren’t adding up. We won—for the second time.”

  However, Thomas’ court victory was bookended by the heaviest blow of his life: 29 hours after the judge’s decision, Stephanie lost her cancer battle and passed away.

  “In memory of my wife, and to ensure no other families are dealt with by the state like this, I’m making a stand,” Thomas says. “In open court, out loud, Officer Moon said he wasn’t bound by no-trespassing signs, and said he had a mandate to go anywhere. He is wrong because private property is sacred. The Fourth Amendment and its protection from search and seizure is the only thing standing between us and tyranny.”

  No Monetary Gain

  According to 12 words of Pennsylvania state code, PFBC officials have authority to “enter upon any land or water in the performance of their duties.” The statue provides wide latitude for PFBC to enter onto any property without consent, probable cause, or warrant—with no limits on duration, frequency, or scope.

  Represented by Institute for Justice (IJ), Thomas sued PFBC in September 2024.

  The PFBC statute provides water conservation officers with more latitude than all other types of law enforcement, says IJ attorney West. Even the wide-ranging Open Fields doctrine (currently under legal challenge in multiple states) denies government representatives the power to enter curtilage—the greater yard area surrounding a home. Yet, PFBC asserts power beyond Open Fields.

  “The Commission believes these types of invasions, such as happened at Tim Thomas’, are within their law enforcement powers,” West adds, “but when people first hear about Tim’s case, it doesn’t make sense to them because they know it’s an obvious violation of the Fourth Amendment.”

  Thomas and Institute for Justice await an answer from PFBC to the initial lawsuit filing.

  “There is no monetary gain for me to fight this, I only want this statute declared unconstitutional, so the next landowner or homeowner is protected,” Thomas concludes. “Our framers would roll in their graves to see this case, and I’m willing to invest whatever time it takes so nobody else has to go through the loss of basic constitutional rights.”

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 10/24/2024 – 20:55

• "Artificial Gut Intelligence" Comes To Your Toilet 
  “Artificial Gut Intelligence” Comes To Your Toilet 

  A new Austin, Texas-based health startup sells a camera with artificial intelligence software that monitors gut health by snapping pictures of feces.

  

  “Throne is a first-of-its-kind health solution that allows you to track your gut health and hydration from the comfort and privacy of your own home,” Throne wrote on its website, calling its camera that clips on the side of a toilet bowl “artificial gut intelligence.”

  Throne redefines health tracking with a smart toilet camera.

  It offers real-time hydration tracking and gut health monitoring through daily waste analysis.@ThroneScience provides personalized feedback on your diet and digestive health to help you make proactive choices for… pic.twitter.com/f5KBh2lG3l

  — Ritwik Pavan (@ritwikpavan) October 24, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jshttps://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  The website continued, explaining the device uses a “downward-facing camera that sits elegantly on the edge of your toilet bowl, capturing essential health insights and nothing else.” 

  The device collects poop data, using AI to analyze each image, aiming to determine if the user is hydrated, how well expensive vitamins and probiotics are absorbed, and whether there are any unique food sensitivities or intolerances based on the composition of the stool. 

  Throne is building this for colon cancer.

  14 million Americans alive today will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

  1 in 3 will die of it — despite the fact that colon cancer is cured with a 1-hr procedure if you catch it early.

  Most don’t.

  Fixing that is our North Star. https://t.co/vpgiqpDpIH

  — scott hickle 🚽 (@ScottHickle) October 9, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  The focus is mainly on an aging population and those with chronic digestive conditions, such as inflammatory bowel diseases, that are surging in the population, likely because of processed foods. 

  So does ‘AGI’ really mean ‘artificial gut intelligence’ or ‘artificial general intelligence’ ?.. 

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 10/24/2024 – 20:30

• A Much-Needed Bonfire Of Regulations
  A Much-Needed Bonfire Of Regulations

  Authored by Jeffrey Tucker via The Epoch Times,

  The word deregulation is back, thanks mostly to Elon Musk’s strong emphasis on this as essential to restoring America’s prosperity. There are too many regulations, too many laws, too many rules. Of that there is surely universal agreement. No one approves of the unfathomable, convoluted, expensive, and internally contradictory thicket that has emerged over the decades.

  In fact, Justice Neil Gorsuch has a new book with the title “Over Ruled.” It is outstanding with a focus on all the ways in which government imposition hobbles the freedom we are supposed to be guaranteed in the United States.

  “The truth is, something’s happening in our country,” he writes.

  “Law is multiplying, and its demands are growing increasingly complex. So much so that ordinary people are often caught by surprise, and even seasoned lawyers, lawmakers, and (yes) judges sometimes struggle to make sense of it all.”

  “At the most basic level, law in our country has simply exploded. Think Congress is wracked by an inability to pass legislation? Less than a hundred years ago, all of the federal government’s statutes fit into a single volume. By 2018, the U.S. Code encompassed 54 volumes and approximately 60,000 pages. Over the last decade, Congress has adopted an average of 344 new pieces of legislation each session. That amounts to about 2 to 3 million words of new federal law each year. Even the length of bills has grown—from an average of around 2 pages in the 1950s to 18 today.”

  “Still, these figures from Congress only begin to tell the story. Federal agencies have been busy, too. They write new rules and regulations implementing or interpreting Congress’s laws. Many bear the force of law.”

  

  Years ago, I began to notice how household items were not working anymore. The showerheads are federally regulated to restrict flow, as are the toilets and garbage disposals. The mandated designs and blueprints make all the products worse.

  The new gas cans are awful, while the old ones sell for a premium. I was mowing the lawn and found that it kept getting clogged because of a lack of airflow. Sure enough, the functioning was hobbled by safety regulations that forced the cage ever lower to the grass surface, to the point that the machine does not do what it is supposed to do.

  Indeed, it is hard to think of a single product you use that is not trapped in some kind of forced design emanating from a federal bureaucracy. This pertains to everything in your house but also to every business, all the way down to the fabric of the aprons in every restaurant. These are just federal laws but state and local ones also add to the burden.

  Ask any real estate developer and he will tell you the reason for the housing shortage.

  It comes down to extreme controls on every single step in hiring and building. The customer ends up paying in two ways: higher prices and less choice.

  Gorsuch notes: “If you’re a budding pasta entrepreneur, take note: by federal decree, macaroni must have a diameter between 1.1 and .27 inches, while vermicelli must not be more than .06 inches in diameter. Both may contain egg whites—but those egg whites cannot constitute more than two percent of the weight of the finished product.”

  Every product in the grocery store is regulated this way. Ever wondered why the meat stock you buy at the store is mostly water with not much stock? That is heavily regulated. As I’ve pointed out before, the United States is one of the few countries in the world that requires eggs to be washed before being sold, which means that they have to be refrigerated. First-time visitors to the United States are amazed at this.

  It’s true with meat: it is simply not possible to raise a cow and sell the meat without jumping through many regulatory hoops and using independent processors. This has benefitted agri-business but has been very harmful for small farmers. Small farmers suffer daily because of this.

  Elon himself has told stories about how his Starship launches are routinely delayed by crazy mandates. His recent launch-and-catch had to be delayed for studies on how the landing would impact the sharks, the whales, and the hearing of the seals. And that’s just the start of it. All of Elon’s companies are facing an astonishing blizzard of attacks from agencies.

  

  Truly, there are no words to describe the reach and scope of the regulatory state. It’s a minefield with no map and danger with every step. If you have ever attempted to start a business, you know. Every industry faces huge compliance costs. It’s not just capital you have to spend. You need lawyers. You need consultants. You need, above all, time, and lots of it.

  People imagine they will go into business only to discover that the vast amount of their focus is not on serving the customer but on compliance and administrative red tape. Just try hiring one employee from New York, for example.

  The array of bureaucracies who want a piece of you will amaze you. They all charge for everything they do. They will send letters demanding more with no end in sight. And this is just for one employee. Once the staff grows so do the mandates and the legal risks.

  You no doubt have stories of friends who attempted to start a business and gave up. I know of many.

  The bureaucracies simply cannot sit still. They make new rules and regulations daily if only to foil industry, with not a care about what it costs or the impact on economic growth and job creation. The United States has created whole industries entirely devoted to smoothing compliance.

  The word “deregulation” doesn’t quite describe the fullness of what we need. The United States needs a raging bonfire of regulatory codes, one that should last for months. What is the path to achieving that? As Gorsuch says, it is not up to the judiciary to make a fundamental difference. That is the job of the legislatures.

  In the late 1970s, there was a bipartisan consensus to deregulate three industries: trucking, energy, and telecommunications. All three initiatives were a huge success and the prosperity of the 1980s is owed to these emancipations.

  The reason the word “deregulation” fell into disrepute is due to the financial deregulation of 1983, which freed up the banking sector which caught blame for every crisis that followed from the S&L debacle to the 2008 financial crisis. There is a strong reason to believe the assignment of blame here is correct. The problem traces to the doctrine of too-big-to-fail made possible by the Federal Reserve.

  There will always be problems with deregulation so long as the government’s printing presses are still in operation. Sadly, these issues added some discredit to the whole idea of deregulation.

  Another point to remember: you can still have the good kind of regulation in absence of government intervention. Every professional field has an oversight organization that certifies credentials even apart from any government mandate. And consider the role of Underwriters Laboratory (UI), founded in 1894 and still in wide operation with more credibility on safety than any government agency.

  Even if dozens of agencies were abolished, there would be private associations still around to regulate but they will do so with a market-based focus, the way UI does today.

  Another market-based form of regulation is reputation. When you buy online, do you look at reviews? Of course you do. This is a method by which quality is assured in our times. User ratings have a much larger role in our buying decisions than any administrative edict.

  In other words, deregulation does not mean anything goes. It means that society itself is in the position to provide market standards of quality. If the federal Food and Drug Administration were abolished, for example, we might well end up with safer food and more effective drugs. For one thing, all the indemnifications for vaccines would disappear, making companies legally liable for damages.

  There is an ongoing controversy to figure out what to do about agency capture wherein the largest private companies operate a revolving door with the regulators and game the system against startups. The best and most effective answer to agency capture is simple: eliminate the agency and the laws and legislation that sustain them.

  We should all be thrilled about the new push for another round of genuine deregulation. Agency compliance is too expensive, too arduous, and too ubiquitously threatening for free enterprise to thrive. In an ideal world, the government would only do what is mentioned in the Constitution and nothing more. That would mean cutting back the regulatory state by 90 percent or more.

  This is not possible in four years but something has to give. We need a dramatic turn against force and toward freedom in the management of our economic lives.

  Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times or ZeroHedge.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 10/24/2024 – 20:05

• US & Israeli Spy Chiefs Head To Doha To Restart Gaza Ceasefire Talks
  US & Israeli Spy Chiefs Head To Doha To Restart Gaza Ceasefire Talks

  Is the expected Israeli attack on Iran on hold until at least after the weekend? It sure looks that way…

  “Mossad chief David Barnea will travel to Doha on Sunday to try to restart discussions on a deal to release Israeli hostages held in Gaza and halt the war between Israel and Palestinian terror group Hamas,” Israeli media reports Thursday.

  CIA chief Bill Burns is also headed to the Gulf, where Secretary of State Antony Blinken is already holding meetings with allied Gulf officials in Doha.

  

  Netanyahu’s office has confirmed that the Mossad chief will meet with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, alongside the CIA’s Burns.

  “At the meeting, the parties will discuss the various options for advancing the negotiations for the release of the hostages held by Hamas, against the backdrop of recent developments,” the Israeli prime minister’s office said.

  On and off negotiations of the past several months made zero progress, which each side blaming the other for thwarting the potential for ceasefire in Gaza.

  These new expected weekend efforts seem doomed to the same fate – the only difference being that Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar is dead.

  This raises a crucial question: who is calling the shots on the Hamas side? Speculation has landed on the man who has been the main political spokesman in the wake of Sinwar’s death in Rafah earlier this month:

  The officials said that Khalil al-Hayya, Sinwar’s deputy and the group’s most senior official outside Gaza, is considered a strong candidate.

  Al-Hayya, who is based in Qatar, currently leads the Hamas delegation in ceasefire talks between the group and Israel, and possesses a deep knowledge, connection and understanding of the situation in Gaza.

  After Yahya Sinwar’s assassination, three terrorists are seen as potential contenders for the new leadership of Hamas:

  1.Khaled Meshaal – The former leader who preceded Haniyeh. He supported the anti-Assad uprising, making it unlikely for Tehran to back him.
  2.Khalil al-Hayya –… pic.twitter.com/ruCcToKoaa

  — Huang (@YHWHpuren) October 18, 2024

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  Kickstarting these new high level negotiations again could just be a political tactic by Netanyahu and Mossad, given the ongoing pressure from the hostage victims’ families to get the captives freed.

  There’s also the US election, less than two weeks away, and the Biden-Harris administration perhaps needs to show some level of a diplomatic ‘win’ or at least ‘progress’ that they can put before the voting public. But amid very heavy fighting in northern Gaza, and reports of famine spreading in the south, all of this seems too little too late.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 10/24/2024 – 19:40

• UN Report: Women Have Lost 900 Medals To 'Transgender' Athletes
  UN Report: Women Have Lost 900 Medals To ‘Transgender’ Athletes

  Authored by Eric Lendrum via American Greatness,

  A new report from the United Nations reveals that almost 900 medals that should have gone to female athletes have instead been awarded to biological men who believe themselves to be “transgender.”

  

  As reported by Fox News, the report was carried out by Reem Alsalem, the UN Rapporteur on Violence Against Women.

  The findings were titled “Violence against women and girls in sports.”

  Alsalem reveals that over 600 athletes failed to receive medals in over 400 competitions across 29 different sports, with the total amount of lost medals being just over 890.

  “The replacement of the female sports category with a mixed-sex category has resulted in an increasing number of female athletes losing opportunities, including medals, when competing against males,” his report states.

  The information collected for the study goes up to March 30th of this year.

  

  In the most recent example, the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) approved the participation of a male golfer in the most recent tournament, despite 275 female golfers signing onto an open letter denouncing the decision as unfair to women.

  Elsewhere, San Jose State University’s volleyball team has faced four different forfeitures by rival teams due to the team’s decision to allow a male to compete on the women’s team.

  The male player, who goes by the name Blaire Fleming, recently spiked a volleyball right into a rival team member’s face with extremely violent force, drawing attention to the disparity between the strength of women and the strength of biological men.

  As a result of Fleming’s participation, San Jose State player Brooke Slusser has joined a lawsuit against the NCAA, claiming that she was forced to share a locker room and a bedroom with Fleming without being told that Fleming is a male.

  “This is huge, especially coming from the UN…” Riley Gaines told “Fox and Friends” on Wednesday.

  “One girl being exploited in locker rooms, one girl being injured in their sport is one too many.”

  Amid growing backlash, there have been numerous efforts to crack down on so-called “transgender” participation in sports, across several international sports bodies as well as over two dozen American states.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 10/24/2024 – 19:15

• San Francisco Hit With Credit Downgrade Over CRE Apocalypse
  San Francisco Hit With Credit Downgrade Over CRE Apocalypse

  Moody’s Investors Service downgraded San Francisco’s credit rating, indicating the city’s sluggish recovery from the virus pandemic and the ongoing tech exodus, wreaking havoc on the commercial real estate market. Not mentioned in the report is the crime and chaos sparked by disastrous policies pushed forward by radical leftists in City Hall, which have only transformed some parts of the city into third-world conditions.

  

  Bloomberg reports that Moody’s downgraded San Fran’s credit rating to Aa1 from Aaa. This might trigger an avalanche of other downgrades from credit rating agencies in the weeks and or months ahead. Both S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings maintain AAA grades as of Wednseday. 

  Analysts at Moody’s explained their decision for the downgrade:

  “The sea change in office employment to a hybrid work model and reduction in commuting to the city’s office core have led to reduced economic activity, very high vacancy rates, and depressed rents.” 

  The credit rating downgrade is just the latest challenge facing Mayor London Breed, who recently had to close a $789 million deficit in a new two-year budget cycle. This downgrade will only make it more expensive for the city, plagued with violent crime and chaos because of failed progressive policies, to borrow in the municipal bond market.

  This is the fentanyl bazaar in San Francisco where addicts get it cheap and the city does nothing to stop it, they actually encourage it by handing out paraphernalia to make it easier for addicts to use their newly acquired narcoticspic.twitter.com/z5U68FSfX1

  — Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) September 12, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  A 2022 report from the city’s top economist forecasted that persistently low office occupancy could cause the city to lose $200 million in property tax revenue by 2028. 

  The San Francisco Report Card has been updated and so far between five (Including Fisherman’s Wharf) neighborhoods:
  – 1,050 Drug Addicts
  – 973 Closed Businesses
  – 149 For Rent signs
  – 85 Tents
  – 28 Prostitutes

  We have more maps coming soon! pic.twitter.com/CZZO2Xz6lq

  — JConr 傑·康納 (@TeamJConr) October 17, 2024

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  In June, Barclays analysts told clients, “While we are not overly concerned about San Francisco’s credit quality, it will likely experience credit pressure for the foreseeable future, which could negatively affect the city’s ratings, as well as the ratings of some of its related credits.” 

  Those analysts said real estate property taxes represent about 60% of the city’s local tax revenue, and they warn that revenues won’t move much higher through the end of the decade. This might suggest that the deficit explodes from here = higher taxes = more exodus. 

  Here’s our latest reporting on the CRE mess in the metro area: 

  • San Fran Office Market Has Not Bottomed

  • Huge San Fran Apartment Building Reportedly Loses 50% Of Value As CRE Market Tanks

  • Downtown San Fran Office Tower Sells At 66% Off As CRE Crisis Claims Another Victim

  • CRE Doom Loop Accelerates As Westfield Abandons Largest San Fran Mall, Stops Paying $558 Million Loan

  As long as Democrats are in charge of San Francisco, the metro area is locked in a doom loop that should only worsen. 

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 10/24/2024 – 18:50

• Victor Davis Hanson: Kamala's Inane Talking Points
  Victor Davis Hanson: Kamala’s Inane Talking Points

  Authored by Victor Davis Hanson via American Greatness,

  As Vice President Kamala Harris slips in the polls, the Democratic National Committee/Harris Campaign/mainstream media fusion talking points become even more absurd.

  

  Claiming that J.D. Vance and Donald Trump were “weird” did not work—especially given the genuinely odd behavior of vice presidential candidate Tim Walz and would-be First Gentleman Doug Emhoff.

  Nor was the next Harris meme convincing that the frenetic and non-stop Trump was somehow “exhausted,” “senile,” and “confused.”

  Voters know the workdays of the younger Harris are usually far shorter—or sometimes not workdays at all.

  But Harris also falsely claimed the physically and mentally challenged Biden was, in her words, “absolutely authoritative” and “very bold and vibrant.”

  Now Harris asserts that Trump is a “fascist,” a “dictator,” and “unfit” for office. But this new talking point will also not stop the Harris campaign’s hemorrhaging—and for a variety of reasons.

  First, voters see the election as a conflict of two absolutely antithetical visions.

  On the one hand, is the prior Trump 2017-20 concrete record: border security, no major wars abroad, calm in the Middle East, a deterred Russia, Iran, and China, low inflation, low interest rates, lower crime, lower taxes, strong deterrent military—and opposition to mandatory electric vehicle mandates, biological males competing in women’s sports, and the woke/DEI agenda.

  On the other hand, is the Biden-Harris 2021-2024 record: the unchecked entry of 12-20 million illegal aliens and a destroyed border. People still struggle under Biden-Harris’s earlier hyperinflation and high interest rates. The horrific regional wars in Ukraine and the Middle East continue. Biden-Harris embraces the unpopular DEI/Woke agenda.

  Harris herself knows that the Biden-Harris years were a failure. That is why she has shed almost all of their hard left-wing agendas—policies she has embraced for much of her adult life.

  So suddenly, in the last 90 or so days, Harris has completely flipped and flopped.

  Now she is for more of, not defunding, the police. She pivots for a secure border, not 20 million illegal aliens pouring across it. Harris brags about fossil fuel energy, not banning fracking, and for increasing, not cutting, defense.

  In fact, several endangered incumbent Democrat senators in swing states are claiming more allegiance to Trump’s issues than identifying with Harris and her unpopular record as vice president.

  Voters likely conclude that if Trump doubles down on his record, while even Harris and many senators temporarily piggyback on it, then it must be more effective and popular than Harris’s own.

  Second, Harris now claims Trump is a fascist and insurrectionist.

  But mouthing ad nausaem “January 6th” no longer persuades voters that Trump is a danger to anyone. They recall that Harris bragged of the far more violent demonstrations of 2020—35 killed, $2 billion in damage, 1,500 law enforcement officers injured, 14,000 arrested—that the unrest would not and “should not” stop, while drumming up support to bail out jailed violent protestors.

  Nor does the slur that Trump is a fascist resonate. The Obama and Biden-Harris administrations weaponized the CIA and FBI to interfere in the 2016 and 2020 elections by peddling the fake Steele dossier and suppressing all the embarrassing news about Hunter Biden’s incriminating laptop.

  Trump certainly did not coordinate, as Biden did, with local, state, and federal prosecutors to wage lawfare prosecutions to destroy his political opponents. He did not use the FBI to partner with social media to suppress the news.

  Neither Trump nor his supporters tried to remove Biden from state ballots.

  The Republican House majority did not impeach Biden twice despite the Biden family’s corruption and Joe Biden’s unlawful, decades-long removal of classified papers to several insecure private residences.

  Trump and the Republicans never coercively removed the party’s primary-winning nominee. They did not nullify the will of 14 million primary voters. And in backroom fashion, they did not anoint a candidate who had never entered a single primary in her life.

  Nor did Trump support packing the Supreme Court. He does not seek unconstitutional means of destroying the Electoral College. He is not demanding an end to the Senate filibuster or the creation of two new states to obtain four partisan senate seats.

  Third, as for Trump being “unfit” and lacking “decorum,” it depends on what were the Biden-Harris standards?

  Having a trans activist reveal his breasts on camera at a White House “pride party?”

  Biden’s reportedly calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a f—ing idiot” and “son of a b—ch?” Bragging about locking Trump up, while waging lawfare against him?

  Unleashing son Hunter Biden with impunity to shake down foreign governments?

  The election will not be decided on these empty talking points or fake media-generated narratives.

  Instead, only two criteria matter: Which candidate’s past record and current agenda best appeal to voters? And which candidate seems the most authentic and genuine?

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 10/24/2024 – 18:25

• People Are Back And "Demanding Beach Front Houses" Days After Florida Ravaged By Hurricanes
  People Are Back And “Demanding Beach Front Houses” Days After Florida Ravaged By Hurricanes

  Everybody said no one would want to wind up back in Florida after it was ravaged by two hurricanes this month…and once again, it looks like “everyone” is wrong.

  Such was the conclusion of a recent Bloomberg article which detailed “one of the largest real estate brokerages in Boca Grande, a village on Florida’s Gasparilla Island” which has seen immediate demand following the storms. 

  “We’re already having people calling, investors, some bottom fishers, saying, ‘I will buy anything in cash and close in two weeks,’” brokerage founder Michael Saunders told Bloomberg. 

  He added: “People’s memories are short when it comes to the disastrous things that come with a storm. They forget and are right back demanding beach front houses.”

  Milton was the third hurricane to hit the island in two years, the report notes. In 2022, Ian flooded streets and damaged roofs. Helene followed this September, surging through dunes and mangroves, leaving two feet of water in Boca Grande’s shops.

  Just ten days later, Milton struck again, flooding luxury homes, condos, and downtown businesses still recovering from Helene. It knocked out power and water, tore up banyan-lined roads, and left sand drifts around the Gasparilla Inn, a favorite of the Bush presidential family.

  

  The Bloomberg article says that Boca Grande, long associated with old money, saw property values soar during the pandemic, with median home prices more than doubling to $4 million since 2019, per Redfin. However, home sales have recently dropped to a quarter of their 2021 peak, mirroring a 30% decline statewide.

  After Hurricane Milton, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno flew in by helicopter, offering what he called a “concierge-level” response. Crews quickly cleared five-foot sand drifts, allowing workers to restore power, repair roads, and dig out luxury homes.

  Marceno said: “People needed to know we are here. Our mission was to get this place open, so people could come back to check their property.”

  Glenn Scarpa, owner of restaurant Scarpa’s Coastal, said he’s tired of rebuilding. Milton flooded his restaurant with over three feet of water, hitting before it even dried out from Helene.

  He said: “The boo-hoo period is over, and now I just have to focus on rebuilding my life — again. What more can I do?”

  Down the beach, Milton ended the short-lived revival of South Beach Bar & Grille, which had reopened only weeks after being destroyed by Hurricane Ian. The storm shattered windows, eroded sand, and cracked the foundation. Co-owner Marco Meola fought back tears as he surveyed the damage.

  Meola said: “Hurricane Ian was really devastating, an emotional roller coaster that took a lot of toll on us, and now this. We feel like if we can survive that, we can come back from this.”

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 10/24/2024 – 18:00

• McDonalds Where Trump 'Worked' Hires Private Security After Deranged Leftist Threats
  McDonalds Where Trump ‘Worked’ Hires Private Security After Deranged Leftist Threats

  Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

  The McDonald’s franchise in Pennsylvania where president Trump visited and worked a shift, sending leftists into one of the all time seethiest of meltdowns, has been forced to hire private security because of a barrage of threats.

  

  Trump worked the fry station and served customers at the drive-thru in Bucks County this past weekend, in one of the greatest election stunts ever.

  Now franchise owner, Derek Giacomantonio has had to retain the private security personnel he hired for Trump’s visit to protect his store and staff in the wake of threatening messages and phone calls from TDS sufferers.

  The Daily Caller reports that Trump Jim Worthington, who organised Trump’s visit and led Pennsylvania’s delegation at the Republican National Convention, has revealed “There was chatter…There’s been messaging and phone calling and social media where people have made threats and said they are going to do this or that.”

  One Bucks County resident told the outlet that she visited the McDonalds with her four sons, noting “We walked in. It seemed fine. We ordered and we sat down, but then we looked to our left, and there were several armed guards just sitting there.”

  The resident added, “One of [the guards] stepped outside, and I saw him walking around our car. I thought he was checking if we have our insurance or something…Then [my husband and I] are like, ‘these guys are security;’ ‘these guys are really watching and seeing what’s going on.’ It was then I made the connection [to Trump].” 

  Worthington noted that Mr Giacomantonio, who wisely doesn’t want to do any media appearances, “has maintained the security there at his expense,” adding “I asked him, ‘can we help you defray those costs?’ He said ‘absolutely not. This is, sadly, a cost of doing business, but I value my employees and my customers so I’m willing to bear that cost.’”

  Worthington also stressed that despite the threats, business is booming at the branch, noting “the community is really embracing it, and a lot of people have come in here since Sunday just to patronize the restaurant.”

  He added, “a lot of people anticipated [a boycott] would happen, because that is typical for some Democratic supporters to do, but [the business] hasn’t been hurt.”

  Trump’s visit to the store was so successful that the leftist media is still complaining about it, almost a full week later, as documented in the thread below.

  Click through to see every butthurt story they published.

  On October 22nd at 6:54AM, Benjamin Glutton claimed it was Republicans making the Trump McDonald’s appearance a three-day story. Let’s see what’s happened *just* since his claim yesterday. 🧵 https://t.co/XhSrvBvTnA

  — John Ekdahl (@JohnEkdahl) October 23, 2024

  *  *  *

  Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 10/24/2024 – 17:40

• Putin Warns Against 'Illusory' Attempts To Defeat Russia & America's 'Big Mistake' Of Weaponizing Dollar
  Putin Warns Against ‘Illusory’ Attempts To Defeat Russia & America’s ‘Big Mistake’ Of Weaponizing Dollar

  On the final day of the BRICS summit hosted in the Russian city of Kazan, President Vladimir Putin warned that efforts to defeat Russia on the battlefield are “illusory”.

  Moscow’s adversaries “do not conceal their aim to deal our country a strategic defeat,” Putin told the summit. “I will say directly that these are illusory calculations, that can be made only by those who do not know Russia’s history.”

  

  He described that the Ukraine conflict has essentially become a proxy war, as “Ukraine is being exploited to create critical threats to Russia’s security at the expense of its vital interests.”

  He also said the West is “ignoring… legitimate concerns and violating the rights of Russian-speaking individuals” – in reference especially to the Russian-speaking Donbass region in the East, which Moscow forces have been solidifying control over.

  He also addressed the creation of a stable and fair Eurasian security order, through alliances like BRICS. “The idea is that by joining efforts, we can reliably guarantee genuine stability and create conditions for the peaceful development of all states and peoples on the continent,” Putin stated.

  Turning to the Gaza crisis, he stressed that though Russia stands against terrorism, the region is “on the brink of full-scale war.” He argued that the establishment of an independent Palestine in some form is vital. “Addressing the historical injustice towards the Palestinian people could guarantee peace in the Middle East,” Putin said.

  The BRICS family photo has expanded from year to year, reflecting the admission of new members:

  BRICS+ participants take family photo at summit in Kazan pic.twitter.com/1kbs4o4Jeo

  — RT (@RT_com) October 24, 2024

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  He hit upon the familiar them of multipolarity in world affairs, and condemned forces that seek to “dominate everything and everyone.” Of the Western drive to control the world, he described in the Thursday address that “As a result, regional and global strategic stability is eroded, violating the principles of equal and indivisible security and triggering transnational and internal conflicts.”

  And on Washington’s “big mistake” of ‘weaponizing’ the dollar, he said: “The dollar remains the most important instrument of world finance and using it as a means of achieving political goals undermines confidence in this currency and reduces its capabilities.” He explained that Russia is not trying to drop the dollar, but is actually “prevented from working with it” – and so “Then we are forced to look for other alternatives, which is what is happening.”

  Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro had some fiery words related to wars in the Middle East, and called out Israel…

  🇻🇪 President Maduro at BRICS: “Every time a high-precision missile falls on an apartment building in Gaza, Beirut, or the South of Lebanon, killing men, women and children, it sets fire and destruction to the United Nations system… A new world is possible.” pic.twitter.com/0eRipWTdLP

  — COMBATE |🇵🇷 (@upholdreality) October 24, 2024

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  China’s President Xi Jinping in addressing the forum said BRICS could be a “stabilizing force for peace.” On the Middle East, he said “We need to continue to push for a ceasefire in Gaza, relaunch the two-state solution and stop the spread of war in Lebanon.”

  Xi added: “There should be no more suffering and destruction in Palestine and Lebanon.”

  Xi and Putin shared a very lively private chat, and have been frequently seen together at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia:

  Mystery sealed with a handshake: Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping engage in a lively private chat at the BRICS summit

  What were they talking about? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/JciMrWgFnl

  — RT (@RT_com) October 24, 2024

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  During the summit, the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine didn’t got without criticism. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is later expected to meet one-on-one with President Putin, described that the full-scale invasion sets a “dangerous precedent” for the world.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 10/24/2024 – 17:20

• Inflation & Social Decay – Doug Casey On Rising Prices And Falling Values
  Inflation & Social Decay – Doug Casey On Rising Prices And Falling Values

  Authored by Doug Casey via InternationalMan.com,

  

  International Man: Whether it’s at the grocery store, the mall, restaurants, or airports—anywhere you turn—people are finding inferior goods and services at higher prices.

  Living standards have taken a big step backward recently and are trending even worse.

  What is really going on?

  Doug Casey: There’s an inclination on the part of people to blame the producers of products—the butcher, the baker, and the gasoline maker—but that’s actually very silly, insofar as these people create real wealth.

  They’re fighting the effects of government inflation, which doesn’t create anything but fiat currency and fiat credit, which is what actually takes the prices higher. In fact, inflation of the currency, which is to say an increase in the amount of purchasing media above the increase in real wealth. It’s what inflation is all about; it’s the State subtly stealing capital and wealth from individuals.

  The big problem with the depreciation of the dollar is that producers are blamed as being the problem. They’re the solution to the problem in that they create real wealth. The real enemy here is the State and its central bank, the Fed.

  International Man: How does inflation erode ethical standards, leading people to cut corners, lie, cheat, or even steal as they try to maintain their living standards?

  Doug Casey: The prime directive of life is to survive, and entities, whether they be governments, corporations, or individuals. They will basically do whatever they have to do to survive.

  Unfortunately, inflation is all about theft, subtle and hard to diagnose as it is, but theft breeds more theft.

  Leaders of any organization, whether it be governments or corporations, set the moral tone. The average person may not understand much about economics, which is the study of how men produce and consume in order to survive, but they have an intuitive, even if not a technical, understanding of it.

  Inflation, the theft of people’s wealth, eventually leads to revolution and overturning of society itself.

  International Man: How does inflation contribute to a more litigious society, with people increasingly looking to take money from others through the legal system?

  Doug Casey: Once again, the average person doesn’t understand economics very well, but he does understand that some people in modern society are getting rich without producing anything. And, they’re benefiting from the subtle fiat currency creation.

  In any event, they diagnosed that there’s a theft going on. In a society based less and less on production and more and more on the theft of pre-existing wealth, it’s natural enough that it becomes a Hobbesian war of all against all where counter-theft takes place through the legal system as opposed to actual physical violence.

  It’s very much like Al Capone said. “One thug can rob a gas station of $100, and if he’s caught, he’ll go to jail for years. But a lawyer with a pen can rob a country of a million and never get caught.” That’s what’s going on.

  The system has become entirely corrupt, and the government, which is supposed to protect the individual man, is actually the main culprit in stealing money from him. The fact that the US has over a million practicing lawyers is a symptom of corruption where people are using the legal system to steal.

  International Man: What are some historical examples of inflation leading to significant social and cultural degradation, and what lessons can we learn from them?

  Doug Casey: The destruction of the currency usually leads to a social upset because people who’ve produced in their lives and saved the difference do so with the national currency. But if the national currency is destroyed, everything they’ve worked for throughout their lives is also destroyed.

  Inflation upsets the entire basis of civilized society. It was a major reason why Chiang Kai-shek’s regime collapsed in China after World War II and a major reason why the Communists, whatever else they’ve done to their society in China, have been reasonably competent managers of their own currency.

  The Weimar Republic in Germany after World War I completely destroyed the mark, and the social upset that it caused led to rioting in the streets between the Nazis and the Communists, and of course, the Nazis won.

  Some countries suffer from perennial inflation, which results in a constant attempt to take over the government.

  People find that when real wealth becomes hard to produce, there’s an inclination to go into politics to gain wealth and power as opposed to producing things. It’s why countries with unstable currencies become unstable socially, economically, and politically as well.

  International Man: You have frequently discussed how to protect yourself from inflation’s financial and economic effects with gold and other hard assets.

  However, aside from the financial effects, how do people protect themselves from inflation’s negative social, cultural, and political effects we’ve discussed today?

  Doug Casey: The most important thing that you can do is gain skills, lots of skills, both in breadth and in depth so that no matter how things are sorted out, you’ll always be in a position to produce things that people want.

  I’d like to share Robert Heinlein’s quote about what somebody should be able to do.

  “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”

  I suggest that there’s a practical path to doing that, to qualifying yourself to thrive no matter which way the economy evolves. And for 90% of the people, it’s not sitting at a college desk for four years listening to a woke professor drone on about politically correct topics.

  I suggest you subscribe to Matt Smith’s son Maxim’s blog, where he describes, on an ongoing basis, exactly what he’s doing to educate himself instead of going to college.

  For many years, I’ve considered college to be a complete misallocation, even worse, a waste of four of the best years of your life and a lot of money to have your head filled with incorrect ideas, which are hard to wash away.

  So, the answer to the question is to prepare yourself intellectually, psychologically, and skill-wise.

  It’ll put you in a position to produce more than you consume. And what we usually talk about in this newsletter is what you do with the wealth that you save so it’s not inflated away by your government.

  *  *  *

  The truth is, we’re on the cusp of an economic crisis that could eclipse anything we’ve seen before. And most people won’t be prepared for what’s coming. That’s exactly why bestselling author Doug Casey and his team just released a free report with all the details on how to survive an economic collapse. Click here to download the PDF now.

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 10/24/2024 – 17:00

• The Enemy Within Is Throwing A Hissy Fit
  The Enemy Within Is Throwing A Hissy Fit

  Authored by Jenna McCarthy via Jennaside Rocks substack,

  Trump is in trouble again – shocker! – and as one might imagine, it’s breaking the internet. This time, McDonald’s most famous fry guy had the nerve to refer to liberals allied against him as “the enemy within.” (In other news, water is wet, the entire cancer industry is a scam, and those aren’t clouds.) At the sound of this verbal napalm dropping, delicate democratic snowflakes began melting in petulant public puddles.

  

  “Donald Trump is suggesting that his fellow Americans are worse ‘enemies’ than foreign adversaries,” a Harris campaign spokesperson sniveled in a statement. “Until recently, this kind of language was not a normal part of American presidential politics,” The Atlantic sulked in a piece comparing Trump to Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Mao Zedong, and Pol Pot. “CNN Anchor Left Lost for Words By Trump’s Chilling Enemy Within Comments,” a Daily Beast headline roared before popping a Xanax and wrapping itself in a weighted blanket.

  Chilling? Sinister? Dangerous? Can so-called reporters even get a grip? “Trump unplugs his grandmother’s CPAP machine to charge his phone,” is chilling. “McDONALD found guilty of handing out fentanyl laced fries,” is sinister. “Federer calls Nadal a butthead,” is not a headline or a news story.

  I tried to get ChatGPT to weigh in on whether or not the Donald was way off base in his accusations, but the poor bot simply couldn’t cough up any intel. On moral grounds, apparently.

  

  So I tried a different, hypothetical question.

  

  Did you hear the GULP, too?

  ChatGPT hates having to expose democrats.

  On MSNBC’s Morning Joe show, host Joe Scarborough nearly lost his mind over Trump’s vitriolic verbiage. “I really don’t know where this puts us as a country,” a dramatically somber Scarborough moaned. “I’ve never heard a politician call his opponent ‘the enemy within’ and say he’s going after them.”

  Really? Hahahahahahaha. Could somebody help Scarborough out from under that rock?

  

  Note that Bill Clinton was never indicted for hush money payments made to Paula Jones.

  Nancy Pelosi literally called Trump a “domestic enemy” (which is obviously not the same thing as the enemy within, how dare you), not to mention immoral, unethical, corrupt, unpatriotic hahahahahaha and “stupid.” Hillary Clinton funded an investigation into Trump’s possible ties to Russia during the 2016 election. (That backfired spectacularly on her, BTW.)

  Joe Biden, who has described Trump as a dangerous liar, said just yesterday “we gotta lock him up.” Kamala Harris has deemed him a racist threat to democracy and suggested he belongs in prison.

  Elizabeth Warren insisted that if elected, she would investigate Trump for corruption. Jerry Nadler accused Trump of abuse of power and actively pursued his removal from office. Teflon Don has been impeached twice; notably, both trials resulted in acquittals.

  I guess the qualifications for political talk show host don’t include a shred of knowledge of political history. Makes sense.

  (Oh, and I didn’t mention the infamous basket of deplorables—a description Killary later doubled down on and added was “too kind” for some of us—because technically she was referring to Trump supporters, not the man himself, and I like to be fair.)

  Things got even more sullen for Scarborough when the Wall Street Journal called his party a bunch of socialist scum [my words] and refused to engage in liberals’ favorite game, Whack-a-MAGA.

  “I woke up expecting, because there are times that the Wall Street Journal editorial page checks Mr. Trump at his worst instincts,” the host said glumly, foreshadowing the fact that this is not in fact what had happened. “Instead, they’re talking about the democrats’ ‘fascism meme’ and say that basically democrats are the real national socialists and that what they’ve done is far worse than anything Donald Trump has done. Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness—stop me if you’ve heard this before—was more law-breaking than anything that Donald Trump has ever done.”

  Spoiler: Scarborough may never recover.

  “Again, very rarely am I left without adequate words to explain what’s going on here,” the host lamented, “but… I was shocked enough that yesterday that Donald Trump continued calling democrats “the enemy within,” which of course is a precursor to him getting elected. Calling them enemy combatants and being able to lock them up and have military tribunals. And they will dismiss this perhaps, but they’ve never heard language like this before. Tell me if you’ve heard this before by a major party candidate.”

  Well, Joe, since military tribunals are generally reserved for treasonous traitors who betray their country or government, I’d imagine lots of progressive players are shaking in their rainbow boots at the thought of a Trump redux. No wonder the melancholy monologue.

  Is America’s most dangerous enemy within or without?

  Tyler Durden
  Thu, 10/24/2024 – 16:20

Digest powered by RSS Digest

• FEMA's Real Purpose: Suppressing Americans And Preventing Civilian Organization
  FEMA’s Real Purpose: Suppressing Americans And Preventing Civilian Organization

  Authored by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.us,

  The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was founded on April 1st, 1979 under the Jimmy Carter Administration during the height of a nearly decade long stagflationary crisis and the Iranian oil crisis. Under Executive Order 12127, its stated goal was to centralize all disaster related efforts under a single top-down entity. Specifically, FEMA ended the more localized Civil Defense Agency, which was focused on community based emergency response, and it federalized all disaster coordination under a single top-down system controlled by the Oval Office.

  

  FEMA was eventually placed under the purview of the Department of Homeland Security, creating even more centralization. The reason for FEMA according to the government is to aid Americans during and after a national level disaster event; anything from earthquakes to hurricanes to terrorist attacks.

  That said, it should also be noted that FEMA was officially created on April Fool’s Day.

  The true purpose of FEMA has long been obscured but some disturbing truths have been exposed in the past. The declassification of a program called Rex 84 (tied to Operation Garden Plot) revealed that FEMA was working directly with the Department of Defense on a hypothetical strategy to round up and detain large numbers of civilians considered a “threat to national security.” In other words, FEMA was to act as a tool for helping suppress civil disturbances, it was not necessarily designed to help Americans in times of need.

  This was likely always the intent behind the founding of FEMA, but George H.W. Bush and Oliver North are cited as the men that truly militarized FEMA in the early 1980s. The goal to establish a mechanism for controlling domestic political dissent and suspending constitutional freedoms was exposed not long after FEMA’s founding. Oliver North was visibly enraged when the subject was broached in a congressional hearing during the Iran/Contra scandal.

  It should be mentioned that the REX 84 documents do not list FEMA as a primary agency in control of civil disturbance response. This is where the accusations of “conspiracy theory” usually come from – FEMA is not the end-all-be-all agency in charge of locking down American rebellion. In fact, FEMA’s role is strangely ambiguous and is not clearly defined. All that is known is that they are indeed an element of Operation Garden Plot and have participated in REX exercises.

  There’s no denying that the secrecy around civil disturbance programs is pernicious and suggests that there is far more going on than our own government cares to admit. To uncover FEMA’s real intent all we have to do is examine how they behave.

  The recent Hurricane Helene disaster and FEMA’s handling of the response across the East Coast echos the agency’s crimes after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005. Their emergency “aid” is used as a cloak to hide efforts to actually STOP communities from helping each other and preventing outside civilian funded supplies from reaching affected residents in need.

  Desperate residents during Katrina were treated like prisoners rather than citizens, gun confiscation took place in many areas and some people were shot for trying to leave locked down neighborhoods. (As a side note – this is why you should NEVER let anyone confiscate your firearms, especially if those people are sent by the government)

  CNN reported in 2008 that FEMA confiscated at least $85 million in donated goods and prevented them from reaching Katrina disaster victims. This included clothing, bedding, food and medical supplies. They stored these materials for years and then GAVE AWAY the supplies long after Katrina was over. FEMA claimed the supplies were “in excess to their needs.” This report and all related articles now seem to be missing from CNN’s archives.

  We just witnessed a repeat of this behavior from FEMA and the affiliated agencies within their oversight. We saw local EMS being advised to prevent civilians from helping their communities. Supplies were once agaun being blocked, people with drones were being told not to help find survivors, people with helicopters are were threatened for helping save survivors and little aid reached Helene victims for weeks. Elon Musk’s Starlink was even been prevented from providing satellite internet services to affected regions until the story went national and the Department of Transportation was forced to address the problem.

  It’s Katrina all over again, and FEMA always seems to have excuses.

  But why? You would think that with an election only weeks away Biden and Harris would be jumping at the chance to look competent and useful. Instead, they did nothing other that offer a $750 relief check to survivors (which might help people survive for a week) and then referred people to federal programs which take many months to benefit from.

  I argue that this is all deliberate. FEMA and the federal government at large are still using Operation Garden Plot-like protocols with two goals in mind…

  First, they are trying to acclimate the populace to the idea that civilians can’t help themselves and that they should do nothing. They do this by constantly interfering with civilian efforts and disrupting donations. If civilians are working on their own to save US communities from calamity then they might one day realize they don’t need the Federal Government for anything. The establishment NEEDS people to believe that they can’t survive without government aid and protection. Luckily, at least in the aftermath of Helene, it seems that many communities are working on their own to fix the situation.

  If civilians start doing things for themselves, the establishment machine becomes obsolete.

  Second, I suspect FEMA is testing the waters to see how much they can get away with. Katrina was a clear beta-test for martial law disguised as an emergency response. Katrina was Garden Plot and Rex-84 realized. They want to see what Americans will put up with.  Helene is yet another opportunity for these agencies to apply overt control and see if Americans will conform or rebel.

  If FEMA is truly sincere in their efforts to help Americans they certainly don’t act like it. The criticism surrounding Helene is ramping up and FEMA’s indignant attitude towards their own failures in unacceptable. They should be punished for failing in their duties. That is assuming they are actually failing.

  Maybe they consider the tragedy of government inaction surrounding Helene a success?  The underlying point is, when disaster comes your way, it’s not enough to merely count FEMA out as a source of aid.  That’s obvious. But you will also have to consider the possibility that the agency will work directly against you and your neighbors should you try to help yourselves.

  *  *  *

  If you would like to support the work that Alt-Market does while also receiving content on advanced tactics for defeating the globalist agenda, subscribe to our exclusive newsletter The Wild Bunch Dispatch.  Learn more about it HERE.

  Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ZeroHedge.

  Tyler Durden
  Wed, 10/23/2024 – 23:25

• China's Xi & India's Modi Cement Border Peace Deal After Years Of Friction
  China’s Xi & India’s Modi Cement Border Peace Deal After Years Of Friction

  The India-China troop clash of 2020 along the largely unmarked frontier of Ladakh in a disputed border area in the Western Himalayas resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers. It was the deadliest border incident between the two nuclear-armed nations in memory.

  Since then, other more minor skirmishes and tense incidents have followed, leading to several military-to-military talks and efforts at dialogue trying to diffuse the situation. Both countries have feared there could be another deadly blow-up, as the rival armies jockey to claim territory in the high altitude no man’s land.

  But it appears the lengthy dispute may have permanently come to an end, and without further bloodshed. The two countries have reportedly struck a major peace deal in connection with the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan this week.

  The last time President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral summit was all the way back in October 2019, in southern India. Since then, the relationship has been marred by the border tensions.

  China has since developed a high-altitude air force base and infantry encampments in the Ladakh border region.

  But the two leaders met and shook hands on the sidelines of the BRICS summit on Wednesday…

  

  “Over the last several weeks, Indian and Chinese diplomatic and military negotiators have been in close contact with each other in a variety of forums, and as a result of these discussions, [an] agreement has been arrived at on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control,” Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told reporters in New Delhi just as the BRICS summit kicked off in Russia.

  The agreement has led to “disengagement and a resolution of the issues that had arisen in these areas in 2020,” the top Indian diplomat added.

  China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed Tuesday that “China and India, through diplomatic and military channels, maintained close communication recently over border-related issues. The two sides have now reached a solution.”

  It was soon after the agreement was made public that Xi and Modi met in Kazan. President Xi said the two countries  “should carefully handle differences and disagreements and facilitate each other’s pursuit of development aspirations.”

  “It’s important for both sides to shoulder our international responsibilities, set an example for boosting the strength and unity of the developing countries, and contribute to promoting multi-polarization and democracy in international relations,” Xi continued.

  And India’s Foreign Ministry said in follow-up: “The two leaders affirmed that stable, predictable, and amicable bilateral relations between India and China, as two neighbors and the two largest nations on earth, will have a positive impact on regional and global peace and prosperity.”

  Without doubt, Russian and Asian regional media will hold up this historic moment as displaying the benefits of the BRICS alliance, and of Putin as the peacemaking host.

  Putin is the geopolitical glue between Xi Jinping and Modi for the two Asian giants to manage their strategic rivalry with pragmatism while avoiding big escalation. #RIC #BRICS2024 #geopolitics pic.twitter.com/iVjCyWPbmM

  — Velina Tchakarova (@vtchakarova) October 22, 2024

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  Tyler Durden
  Wed, 10/23/2024 – 23:00

• 'Silent Phase' Of Alzheimer's Begins Decades Before Symptoms, NIH Study Suggests
  ‘Silent Phase’ Of Alzheimer’s Begins Decades Before Symptoms, NIH Study Suggests

  Authored by George Citroner via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  Recent advancements in Alzheimer’s disease research show a promising shift in the understanding of the memory-robbing disorder, suggesting that crucial brain changes can occur decades before symptoms manifest.

  

  ​A recent study has identified a two-phase progression of Alzheimer’s, highlighting a silent phase marked by subtle brain changes long before cognitive decline becomes apparent.​

  Alzheimer’s disease has a long pre-symptomatic period, with related changes taking place in the brain “10, 15, even 20 years before the onset of memory and thinking symptoms,” Igor Camargo Fontana, Alzheimer’s Association director of scientific conference programming, told The Epoch Times.

  This research could also open new avenues for earlier detection and targeted treatments.

  “One of the challenges to diagnosing and treating Alzheimer’s is that much of the damage to the brain happens well before symptoms occur,” Dr. Richard J. Hodes, director of the NIH National Institute on Aging, said in a statement. “The ability to detect these early changes means that, for the first time, we can see what is happening to a person’s brain during the earliest periods of the disease.”

  The Early Phase: Silent and Gradual Damage

  A recent National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study provided new insights into the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, potentially paving the way for earlier detection and treatment options.

  The findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, say that Alzheimer’s affects the brain in two distinct phases: an early, silent phase characterized by subtle changes, and a later, symptomatic phase marked by widespread damage and the accumulation of amyloid plaques, long associated with the disorder.

  Researchers have found that the initial phase of Alzheimer’s is insidious, unfolding slowly over time and occurring well before noticeable memory problems arise. During this phase, a gradual buildup of beta-amyloid plaques and tangles—hallmarks of Alzheimer’s—can be observed.

  This early “quiet” phase is marked by subtle changes in brain cells, particularly inhibitory neurons, which may be among the first to become vulnerable, disrupting communication between brain cells, according to Fontana. These cells are mostly located in a brain region that is associated with memory, vision, and language.

  The research specifically identified the death of somatostatin inhibitory neurons, a group previously underestimated in their role within Alzheimer’s pathology. This finding challenges the prevailing notion that the disease primarily harms excitatory neurons responsible for facilitating brain cell communication.

  The Late Phase: Rapid Deterioration and Symptoms

  The second phase of Alzheimer’s disease is starkly different. It’s characterized by rapid accumulation of amyloid plaques and tangles, significant neural damage, and cognitive decline symptoms such as memory loss and confusion, alongside increased levels of inflammation and cell death. Researchers have found that this deterioration occurs as part of a complex interplay of changes within neural circuitry.

  Using advanced genetic analysis tools, researchers created a comprehensive map of the changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s. They specifically targeted the middle temporal gyrus, a region in the brain vital for language, memory, and visual processing, to illustrate its susceptibility to Alzheimer’s-induced damage.

  The study suggests that in this later phase of the disease, other cells associated with inflammation—microglia and astrocytes—begin counteracting initial changes by releasing molecules or altering their structures, according to Fontana.

  “Alterations in inflammatory cells and inhibitory neurons slowly evolve to demonstrate the well-known biological changes of Alzheimer’s,” he said, “including the accumulation of amyloid plaques and formation of tau tangle pathology, culminating in a terminal state.”

  Implications for Diagnostics and Treatment

  The study can have significant implications for early diagnosis and targeted treatments.

  The results fundamentally alter scientists’ understanding of how Alzheimer’s harms the brain and will guide the development of new treatments for this devastating disorder, Hodes noted in a statement.

  By recognizing distinct phases of the disease, researchers can better tailor diagnostics and therapeutics to the specific cellular changes taking place at various stages. This discovery may also facilitate earlier interventions and improve patient outcomes.

  The “bigger picture” is that Alzheimer’s long pre-symptomatic period presents opportunities for early detection and intervention to prevent the onset of dementia symptoms, Fontana said. “If the findings in this new paper are confirmed by other labs,” he added, “it raises the question of whether effectively addressing the brain changes that happen in what the authors call the first ‘quiet’ phase can slow, delay or prevent the second, more destructive phase.”

  Fontana stressed the importance of evaluating this “quiet” phase using a combination of diagnostic tools and investigating its associations with Alzheimer’s biomarkers, such as amyloid and tau.

  ​Looking ahead, the study establishes a foundation for future research on Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.​ By examining the relationships between different cell types and their roles in disease progression, scientists aim to identify protective factors and resilience mechanisms for potential therapies. Fontana noted that the Alzheimer’s Association is funding related research studies.

  Tyler Durden
  Wed, 10/23/2024 – 22:35

• These Are All The US States Paying More Than The Federal Minimum-Wage
  These Are All The US States Paying More Than The Federal Minimum-Wage

  The real value of the federal minimum wage ($7.25/hour) has declined steadily since it was last raised 15 years ago.

  As discussions around increasing it continue, several states have taken matters into their own hands – by implementing and raising state minimum wages.

  Visual Capitalist’s Pallavi Rao maps out the U.S. states that pay more than the federal minimum wage and list their minimums.

  

  Data for this graphic is sourced from the Federal Reserve, as of 2024.

  Ranked: State Minimum Wages

  Thirty states have a minimum wage that’s higher than the federal minimum of $7.25/hour.

  

  Of them, Washington ($16.28/hr) and California ($16.00/hr ) are the highest. Both states are expensive to live in, as evidenced by how far $100 will take you (not very) in each.

  However, the country-wide crown goes to Washington D.C., ($17.50/hr) where the minimum is tied to inflation.

  Eighteen states either match the federal benchmark, or don’t have a state minimum at all (which makes the federal minimum applicable).

  Two states—Wyoming and Georgia—have a state minimum wage that’s below $7.25/hour but in this case the federal wage takes effect.

  What is the Minimum Wage Discourse?

  The minimum wage debate in the U.S. involves two main opposing viewpoints. Proponents argue that raising the minimum wage is necessary to boost living standards for low-wage workers, reduce poverty, and narrow income inequality. They say that moderate increases have minimal impact on employment and can stimulate consumer spending.

  Key to their argument is that this is also the longest time the federal minimum has not seen an increase, since its inception in 1938.

  Year	Nominal value ($/hour)
  1940	0.30
  1945	0.40
  1950	0.75
  1955	0.75
  1960	1.00
  1965	1.25
  1970	1.60
  1975	2.10
  1980	3.10
  1985	3.35
  1990	3.80
  1995	4.25
  2000	5.15
  2005	5.15
  2010	7.25
  2015	7.25
  2018	7.25
  2019	7.25
  2020	7.25
  2021	7.25
  2022	7.25
  2023	7.25

  On the other hand, opponents claim that significant minimum wage hikes could lead to job losses, particularly for low-skilled and young workers. This could potentially increasing poverty rates for some groups.

  They argue that it may price low-skilled workers out of the job market and harm small businesses with slim profit margins. Both sides cite economic studies to support their positions, but the debate ultimately reflects deeper societal values about fairness, opportunity, and the role of government in the economy.

  Since 2017, the Raise the Wage Act has been introduced to Congress every year in an effort to increase the federal minimum. All the bills have not passed the legislature so far.

  Current “Raise the Wage” proposals look to increase the minimum to $17/hour. In the Share of Workers Earning Less Than $17/Hour we map out which states would see the most changes.

  Tyler Durden
  Wed, 10/23/2024 – 22:10

• Hey Pilots, FAA Issues Final Rule For "Powered-Lift" Rating, Paves Way For Air Taxis Over US Cities 
  Hey Pilots, FAA Issues Final Rule For “Powered-Lift” Rating, Paves Way For Air Taxis Over US Cities 

  The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) introduced a new rule establishing a “powered-lift” aircraft category for pilot training, marking the first new category for pilot certification since helicopters were introduced in the 1940s. This new category paves the way for aircraft that take off and land vertically like helicopters but fly like fixed-wing planes, commonly known as electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, to fly in controlled airspace across America.

  

  Here’s more from the FAA:

  The agency today issued a final rule for the qualifications and training that instructors and pilots must have to fly aircraft in this “powered-lift” category, which have characteristics of both airplanes and helicopters. The rule also addresses their operational requirements, including minimum safe altitudes and required visibility. The rule is the final piece in the puzzle for safely introducing these aircraft in the near term.

  On X, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker wrote, “An extraordinary moment for aviation! Our rule for training and certificating pilots to fly powered lift is the final piece of the puzzle to get these revolutionary aircraft flying safely in our skies” 

  An extraordinary moment for aviation! Our rule for training and certificating pilots to fly powered lift is the final piece of the puzzle to get these revolutionary aircraft flying safely in our skies. https://t.co/96Q7TQZfkM pic.twitter.com/7RvSqbdGT8

  — FAA Mike Whitaker (@FAA_Mike) October 22, 2024

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  According to the FAA’s powered-lift rule: 

  • Makes changes to numerous existing regulations and establishes a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) with new requirements to facilitate instructor and pilot certification and training.

  • Applies helicopter operating requirements to some phases of flight and adopts a performance-based approach to certain operating rules.

  • Allows pilots to train in powered-lift with a single set of flight controls; legacy rules require two flight controls – one for the student and one for the instructor.

  “The regulation published today will ensure the U.S. continues to play a global leadership role in the development and adoption of clean flight,” JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of air taxi company Joby Aviation, told Fast Company, adding, “Delivering the rules ahead of schedule is a testament to the dedication, coordination, and hard work of the rulemaking team.”

  $JOBY eVTOL getting ready to fly in NYC on a chilly, clear Monday pic.twitter.com/rtruRX1epu

  — Allen Root (@DowJonesAl) November 13, 2023

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  We have followed several eVTOL startups over the years, including Alef Aeronautics, a company backed by Space-X… 

  • Forget Musk’s Tunnels, Early Tesla Investor Seeds First-Ever eVTOL Car
  • SpaceX-Backed Flying Car Startup Gets FAA Nod

  

  It’s not hard to figure out that flying cars must be done under the FAA’s Visual Flight Rules (VRF) or Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). In other words, the pilot in control will need a pilot license and be rated in the powered lift category.

  Tyler Durden
  Wed, 10/23/2024 – 21:20

• How Schools Across America Are Struggling With AI Deepfakes
  How Schools Across America Are Struggling With AI Deepfakes

  Authored by Aaron Gifford via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  Gone are the days where the biggest concern is students drawing alien ears on their science teacher or printing images of a friend’s face connected to a four-legged body with scales and a tail.

  That was 30-something years ago. Now, schools are being forced to develop emergency response plans in case sexually explicit images of students or teachers generated by artificial intelligence (AI) pop up on social media.

  

  In two separate cases, school principals were seen or heard spewing racist, violent language against black students. Both were AI-generated deepfakes—one was produced by students and the other was made by a disgruntled athletic director who later was arrested.

  Deepfakes are defined as “non-consensually AI-generated voices, images, or videos that are created to produce sexual imagery, commit fraud, or spread misinformation,” according to a nonprofit group focused on AI regulation.

  As education leaders scramble to set policy to mitigate the damage of deepfakes—and as state legislators work to criminalize such malicious acts specific to schools or children—the technology to combat AI tools that can replicate a person’s image and voice doesn’t yet exist, says Andrew Buher, founder and managing director of the Opportunity Labs nonprofit research organization.

  “There is a lot of work to do, both with prevention and incident response,” he said during a virtual panel discussion held by Education Week last month on teaching digital and media literacy in the age of AI. “This is about social norming [because] the technical mitigation is quite a ways away.”

  Legislation Targets Deepfakes

  On Sept. 29, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill criminalizing AI-generated child porn. It’s now a felony in the Golden State to possess, publish, or pass along images of individuals under the age of 18 simulating sexual conduct.

  There are similar new laws in New York, Illinois, and Washington State.

  At the national level, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has proposed the Take It Down Act, which would criminalize the “intentional disclosure of nonconsensual intimate visual depictions.”

  The federal bill defines a deepfake as “a video or image that is generated or substantially modified using machine-learning techniques or any other computer-generated or machine-generated means to falsely depict an individual’s appearance or conduct within an intimate visual depiction.”

  

  School districts, meanwhile, seek guidance on an emerging problem that threatens not just students, but also staff.

  At Maryland’s Pikesville High School in January, a fake audio recording was made of the principal. School officials enlisted the help of local police agencies and the FBI.

  The suspect, Dazhon Darien, 31, an athletic director, was charged with theft, stalking, disruption of school operations, and retaliation against a witness.

  He allegedly made the recording to retaliate against the principal, who was investigating Darien’s alleged mishandling of school funds, according to an April 25 news release on the Baltimore County Government website.

  Jim Siegl, a senior technologist with the Future of Privacy Forum, said during the Education Week panel discussion that investigators in the Baltimore case were able to link the suspect to the crime by reviewing “old school computer access logs.”

  But as AI technology continues to evolve, he said, it may be necessary to develop a watermarking system for generated audio or video to replace outdated systems for monitoring and safeguarding school computer use.

  In February 2023, high school students in Carmel, New York, used AI to impersonate a middle school principal. The deepfakes were posted on TikTok. Investigators were able to link the students’ activities to their accounts. They were disciplined under school code of conduct guidelines but not charged criminally, according to a statement released on the district’s Facebook page.

  “As an organization committed to diversity and inclusion,” the statement said, “the Carmel Central School District Board of Education is appalled at, and condemns, these recent videos, along with the blatant racism, hatred, and disregard for humanity displayed in some of them.”

  A parent, Abigail Lyons, said a co-worker who also has children in the district showed her a text containing seven different videos.

  “I basically fell to the floor,” said Lyons, who is biracial. “It was horrific. It looked so real.”

  They re-watched the videos and noticed that the lip movement and body language were a bit off from the sound. Lyons said most parents in the district had already seen or heard about the videos and probably knew they were deepfakes before Carmel school officials publicly acknowledged the incident and declared there “was no threat.”

  

  Lyons said the event scared her daughter, and that events like school lockdowns or emergency drills still trigger anxiety and fear stemming from the 2023 deepfake.

  “Seventh graders should not have to worry about these things,” she told The Epoch Times.

  Lyons said she is unaware of any deepfake incidents so far this semester, but students have threatened each other on social media, including one threat that led to a two-hour building lockdown.

  “We still don’t know what it [lockdown] was for,” she said. “The transparency still isn’t there.”

  The Epoch Times reached out to the district offices in Carmel, New York, and Baltimore County, Maryland, but didn’t receive a response.

  California’s new law was prompted by several deepfake incidents that victimized students.

  Read more here…

  Tyler Durden
  Wed, 10/23/2024 – 20:55

• Tesla Soars After Unexpected Jump In Profit Margin Suggests Price War Is Over
  Tesla Soars After Unexpected Jump In Profit Margin Suggests Price War Is Over

  Ahead of today’s Tesla earnings report, UBS analyst Joe Spak asked whether Tesla numbers even matter this quarter after the Robotaxi reveal, which disappointed markets. His response is that while they should matter more, Tesla is really about the future/multiple, not the current EV biz (which drives numbers). Of the number that will be report, auto gross margins ex credits remains “the” metric investors follow, and feedback indicates buyside expectations are for flat-to-slightly-higher quarter over quarter (consensus +30bp q/q to 14.9%).

  Joe is also looking for an update on Model 2.5 for next year (doesn’t seem to be a focus) and any more Robotaxi details. Additionally, Bloomberg notes that Tesla could give an update on its more affordable vehicle platform today. Earlier this year, Musk said a low-cost model could start production in the first half of 2025.

  Analysts were hoping for an update during the company’s robotaxi event earlier this month, but there was no mention of the platform. Tesla hasn’t shared key details about the vehicle, including price and what it would look like. At the same time, Musk has repeatedly said that Tesla is becoming more than just a car company, as it increasingly focuses on artificial intelligence.

  As a reminder, Tesla’s third-quarter deliveries rose for the first time this year, but the automaker has an uphill climb to break even for 2024. In 2023, Tesla sold around 1.8 million units; as of the third quarter, 2024 sales stood at just under 1.3 million units. So Tesla will have to sell 514,000 units in 4Q to break even – which is 30,000 EVs more than were sold in 4Q 2023, the company’s all-time peak quarter.

  So with that in mind, this is what Tesla just reported for Q3:

  • Revenue $25.18 billion, missing estimate $25.43 billion
  • Adjusted EPS 72c, beating estimate 60c (Bloomberg Consensus)
  • Gross margin 19.8%, beating estimate 16.8%
    • The all-important automotive gross margin ex-credits, jumped to 17.1%, beating estimates of 14.9%, and up from 14.6% in Q2
  • Operating income $2.72 billion, beating estimate $1.96 billion
  • Free cash flow $2.74 billion, beating estimate $1.61 billion
  • Capital expenditure $3.51 billion, beating estimate $2.56 billion

  And visually:

  

  

  It is notable that while revenues rose 8%, if came in just shy of expectations, Tesla recognized $739 million, in regulatory credit revenues, the second highest quarter in history “as other OEMs are still behind on meeting emissions requirements.”

  

  But the biggest highlight by far is Tesla’s ability to boost margins – both gross and automotive ex-credits – substantially higher YoY and also higher than expected, signaling that Tesla’s “race to the bottom” to steal market share is once again over, and the company is once more focusing on harvesting the benefits of its recent market share gains.

  Commenting on the margin line item, Bloomberg notes that if you strip out the reg credits, “Tesla’s saying that profit is being boosted by lower cost per vehicle in terms of production and materials. Energy generation and energy storage is now also starting to perform better.”

  One more thing to point out is that the company also commented on “higher FSD revenue recognition YoY for releases related to Cybertruck” and a new feature – Actually Smart Summon (basically you hit a button in the app while your car is on other side of a parking lot and it’s supposed to drive to you). In other words, Tesla is telling is saying that people are paying for this software, and they are listing it as a positive contributor to profit.

  Some more good news: Tesla said its Cybertruck has reached profitability for the first time, thanks in part to increases in production for the futuristic pick-up truck.

  Turning to Tesla’s outlook, the highlight was the company’s discussion of Volume, where it said the following:

  Our company is currently between two major growth waves: the first one began with the global expansion of the Model 3/Y platform and we believe the next one will be initiated by advances in autonomy and introduction of new products, including those built on our next generation vehicle platform.

   Just as important, turning to Tesla’s product outlook, the company said that its “plans for new vehicles, including more affordable models, remain on track for start of production in the first half of 2025. These vehicles will utilize aspects of the next generation platform as well as aspects of our current platforms and will be able to be produced on the same manufacturing lines as our current vehicle line-up.”

  This approach, the company says, “will result in achieving less cost reduction than previously expected but enables us to prudently grow our vehicle volumes in a more capex efficient manner during uncertain times. This should help us fully utilize our current expected maximum capacity of close to three million vehicles, enabling more than 50% growth over 2023 production before investing in new manufacturing lines.“

  Speaking of auto production, we already said that while Q3 was a solid quarter with 6% growth in total deliveries, it will be up to Q4, when Tesla must sell over 510,000 units to break even vs 2024, which is 30,000 EVs more than were sold in 4Q 2023.

  

  And “despite ongoing macroeconomic conditions,” Tesla expects to achieve slight growth in vehicle deliveries in 2024. This is bullish and indicates that 2024 may be yet another record delivery year for the carmaker.

  Elsewhere, the energy business is still going strong, reaping in “a record gross margin” during the quarter. Powerwall deployments set a record for the second straight quarter while the ramp up of Powerwall 3 continues.

  

  Looking at Tesla’s investor deck, we find that the next-generation platform will have a powertrain with an efficiency of 5.5 miles per kWh. Lucid, one of Tesla’s competitors, proclaims that it has the world’s most efficient car – the Lucid Air Pure – that can achieve about 5.0 miles per kWh. Of course, the Lucid vehicle is available now, and Tesla’s next-generation platform may be years away.

  Those looking for some more details on what may be the company’s biggest value proposition, there was just a single, indirect reference to the future ride-hailing business in the deck. Tesla says:

  “At our ‘We, Robot’ event on October 10, we detailed our long-term goal of offering autonomous transport with a cost per mile below rideshare, personal car ownership and even public transit.”

  So anyone hoping for more details here, will be disappointed for at least a few more months although we are confident Elon will tease much more in the interim.

  Finally, there was this blurb documenting the company’s transition into an AI giant:

  “We deployed and are training ahead of schedule on a 29k H100 cluster at Gigafactory Texas – where we expect to have 50k H100 capacity by the end of October.”

  Putting it all together, and the company stock is surging after hours, rising almost 9%, to a huge of $234.89 after closing at $213.65. If this sustains, Tesla is will gain about than $60 billion in market value, which would be the biggest gain since July 2.

  

  Here is the full investor presentation (pdf link)

  Tyler Durden
  Wed, 10/23/2024 – 20:44

• Open Border Backlash As NYC 'Deports' Thousands Of Migrants To Texas, Illinois, And Florida
  Open Border Backlash As NYC ‘Deports’ Thousands Of Migrants To Texas, Illinois, And Florida

  After Texas bussed over 45,000 migrants to New York City amid an influx of more than 200,000, the Big Apple is sending some of them back.

  

  According to a new report from Bloomberg, NYC has issued over 47,000 one-way tickets – 4,500 of them to Texas – through a voluntary program that transfers asylum seekers out of the city.

  Top destinations also include Illinois, Florida, other parts of New York and Colorado.

  The ticketing program has helped slash the number of asylum seekers reliant on the city, as have application assistance for work authorization and a policy limiting shelter stays, Adams said earlier this month. The top destinations for migrants asking to leave the Big Apple also include Illinois, Florida and Colorado, as well as other parts of New York. Most travel on planes.

  According to city official Fabien Levy, “These are not chartered buses,” but are instead “individual tickets we are purchasing after sitting down with migrants and hearing what they want to do.”

  

  Since April 2022, Texas has bused around 120,000 migrants to cities around the country, according to a statement from Gov. Greg Abbott’s office.

  •    Over 12,500 migrants to Washington, D.C. since April 2022
  •    Over 45,900 migrants to New York City since August 2022
  •    Over 36,900 migrants to Chicago since August 2022
  •    Over 3,400 migrants to Philadelphia since November 2022
  •    Over 19,200 migrants to Denver since May 2023
  •    Over 1,500 migrants to Los Angeles since June 2023

  “Our latest battle has been against Tren de Aragua. They’re notorious for brutal violence, kidnapping, extortion, and bribery,” said Abbott, adding “Texas law enforcement has already begun making arrests of known and suspected Tren de Aragua members. Together, we will secure our border, defend our communities, and keep Texas safe.”

  Tyler Durden
  Wed, 10/23/2024 – 20:30

• Stock Up For Survival: Essential Food Storage Tips For Emergencies
  Stock Up For Survival: Essential Food Storage Tips For Emergencies

  Authored by Emma Suttie, D. Ac, AP via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  Imagine this scenario: You have just arrived home from work. You sit down to watch the news and see that a massive storm with torrential rains is heading your way. The authorities advise everyone to stay indoors and off the roads for the next 72 hours because of high winds and the risk of flooding.

  

  Situations like these occur more frequently than most people realize. While no one likes pondering worst-case scenarios, advance preparation can save your life—and significantly ease your stress during emergencies.

  Whether facing natural disasters like flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, fires, or chemical spills—or personal emergencies—such as illnesses, accidents, or losing your job, having food, cash, and other necessities tucked away can mean the difference between thriving and surviving.

  Considerations When Preparing for Emergencies

  Most of us have become accustomed to conveniences like running water and grocery stores for our basic needs. However, in an emergency, these conveniences may disappear. Planning ahead can significantly increase your resilience and may be vital to your survival if things go sideways.

  While everyone’s needs during an emergency differ, food and water are universal necessities. Most experts advise having at least three days’ worth of food and water for everyone in your household, including pets. This should be enough for you to survive until the emergency has passed and help can get to you. Be prepared for extended emergencies by gathering enough food and water to last up to two weeks or even a month if your budget and storage allow.

  The American Red Cross recommends maintaining a three-day emergency supply for evacuation and a two-week supply at home.

  When preparing, consider the following:

  • The number of people and pets in your household who need food and water.
  • Dietary restrictions (allergies, diabetics), preferences, and whether certain foods require cooking or water.
  • The shelf life of the food you choose, ensuring you rotate supplies every few months for freshness.
  • Your ability to cook without power, such as having a camp stove or gas barbeque.
  • Make sure you have the necessary utensils and storage options, such as cool, dry areas for keeping food and water. Disposable plates and cutlery don’t require water for washing.
  • Because you may not have electricity, plan meals in single portions as you may be unable to refrigerate leftovers.
  • Make sure you have lighters, matches, candles, flashlights, batteries, knives, zip lock bags, bleach (to disinfect and purify water), and other essentials that you keep in sealed plastic bags.

  Water Needs

  Conventional wisdom suggests people can live for about three weeks without food. However, they can only survive for three days without water—making it essential to have plenty in your emergency stores.

  The Prepared, a highly regarded resource focused on practical prepping, recommends at least one gallon of water per day for each person. Remember to consider additional water for cooking, cleaning, and your pets.

  They also suggest including a way to treat dirty water, like a portable water filter or countertop filter.

  One way to keep the water aside for emergencies is in a deep freezer, Nellie Oehler, a food safety specialist and coordinator with Oregon State University Extension Service, a statewide outreach program, told The Epoch Times.

  “I keep my deep freezes full,” she said. “Number one, if it’s not full of food, it’s full of bottled water. Then I’ve got an emergency water supply, plus it keeps my freezer cold. It cuts down on the cost of running your freezer, and I’ve got water,” she added.

  Food Selection

  A key rule of storing food for emergencies is to “store what you eat” and “eat what you store.” One of the easiest ways to build up your survival food supply is to buy extra non-perishable, shelf-stable items every time you buy groceries. This practice will also ensure that you have food you enjoy.

  You can also buy pre-packaged emergency foods like MREs (Meals-Ready-to-Eat), which need little to no preparation and last extended periods. Survival food tends to be more compact and lasts longer than the food you buy at the supermarket, but it is typically more expensive. A combination of both works well for a robust emergency food pantry.

  Preserving your food at home through canning, pickling, curing, fermenting, or dehydrating is also an option.

  You still have options if you don’t know how to preserve your own food, Oehler said. Inexpensive options are plentiful at supermarkets. Waiting until items go on sale to stock up can help you save money and collect the food you need to be prepared when the time comes.

  Be aware of expiration dates on foods you buy, and choose foods that have a long shelf life and come in sturdy packaging. Look for nutrient-dense, shelf-stable foods like dried beans, canned meat and fish, peanut butter, and grains, as they take up the least amount of space. Also, when buying food, consider if it needs cooking, reheating, or can be eaten right out of the package.

  Recommended Emergency Food Items

  While not exhaustive, the list below will give you an idea of foods that store well and make an excellent addition to your emergency food pantry.

  Protein Sources

  • Peanut butter and other nut butters
  • Canned meat and fish (spam, chicken, tuna, salmon, sardines)
  • Beef jerky and dried meats
  • Canned beans and legumes (including refried beans)

  Ready-to-Eat Meals

  • Canned soups, stews, and chili
  • Instant meals (macaroni and cheese, ramen)
  • Instant mashed potatoes

  Grains and Staples

  • Rice and pasta
  • Oatmeal and breakfast cereals
  • Crackers and chips
  • Dried beans, lentils, and chickpeas

  Fruits and Vegetables

  • Canned fruits and vegetables
  • Dried fruits
  • Canned tomatoes and tomato sauce

  Beverages and Condiments

  • Powdered milk
  • Fruit juice (bottled, canned, or powdered)
  • Coffee, tea, hot chocolate
  • Salt, pepper, spices, hot sauce

  Comfort Foods

  • Honey and jam
  • Trail mix and granola bars
  • Chocolate, candies, and other favorite snacks (to improve morale)

  Some foods are not ideal for storing in an emergency, Tracey Brigman, associate director of the National Center for Home Food Preservation, told The Epoch Times via email.

  “Foods that should be avoided are foods that are overly salty (they can make you more thirsty and can thus deplete your water supply), caffeinated sodas (they offer little nutrients and can contribute to dehydration), and fresh items like fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy and leftovers since they spoil rapidly without proper refrigeration,” she said.

  Storage Strategies

  Oehler suggests diversifying for effective food storage.

  “Don’t put all your stuff in freeze-dried foods or dry foods because then you have to have a ton of water—so have a variety of foods on hand,” she said.

  For convenience and minimal effort, commercially canned foods from the grocery store are a great option. Make sure your emergency food is well-packaged, sealed, and has a date to prevent spoilage. If you have the budget, consider storing dry goods like beans, rice, and flour in food-grade buckets with oxygen absorbers to make them last longer. This can extend their shelf life for up to 25 years, Oehler said.

  “Home-preserved foods only last in proper storage for up to 1 year, so they need to be inspected and replaced in a timely manner,” she said. “Additionally, a home-canned food that is damaged, shows signs of swelling, rust, dents, or leaks, or has been exposed to floodwater should not be consumed. If there are any doubts about your home canned foods after a disaster, throw them out,” Oehler added.

  Improperly preserved food, especially if it has moisture, can lead to foodborne illness. Learn proper food preservation techniques from reputable sources like the National Center for Home Food Preservation, which has resources on preserving foods safely.

  Where to Store It

  Store food in a cool, dry place, ideally between 32 and 70 degrees F, as food will last longer in colder temperatures. Ideally, the space should be well-ventilated, clean, isolated from other items such as cleaning products or chemicals, and kept off the floor.

  If you live in a city with limited space, consider using under-the-bed storage, as it’s dark, and the bedroom is usually one of the coldest rooms in the house, according to Oehler.

  Don’t keep all supplies in one location—diversifying storage places can protect your food from emergencies. If a fire destroys your house, having some food in a shed or barn can be life-saving, Oehler said. She also recommends having containers with wheels on hand, like coolers or garbage cans, so you can take some supplies with you if you have to leave.

  Keeping food, water, and other emergency supplies in your car is advisable, as you never know where you will be when trouble strikes (being mindful that cars get very hot in summer months), she added.

  Cooking Without Electricity

  If you’re facing a power outage, you’ll need to think about how to cook or warm up your food without electricity. Keep this in mind when choosing foods, especially if you don’t have an alternative cooking source.

  Alternative Cooking Sources

  If you have a camping stove or barbeque, make sure you have the right fuel and extra water. Always cook outside for safety. A butane stove is a great, portable option for cooking and boiling water, especially indoors during severe weather, according to Oehler. It’s efficient, safe, and affordable.

  

  If you don’t have an alternative cooking source, stock up on ready-to-eat foods. Don’t forget a can opener!

  For warming up food indoors, candles, fondue pots, or chafing dishes can be used. Try to use a well-ventilated area if possible.

  Food Spoilage

  Stored food can deteriorate over time, losing its color, texture, taste, and smell. Some nutrients, like vitamin C, are also lost over time. If not stored correctly, insects and rodents can get into stored food, making it inedible. Use food-grade buckets, glass jars, or other airtight containers to keep food fresh and safe.

  

  Don’t get too caught up in expiration dates. Commercial foods’ “use by” and “sell by” dates should be taken with a grain of salt, Oehler said, adding that the dates have nothing to do with food safety. “You know, if you have a can of green beans that’s two years old that you bought in the store—if it’s not bulging, if it’s not leaking on the seams, it’s perfectly safe to eat. If it’s five years old, it’s safe to eat,” she said.

  A lot of the quality of your food will depend on how you store it, Oehler said. Keeping the temperature from fluctuating, preventing light and moisture from getting to food so cans don’t rust, and ensuring things don’t freeze are ways to ensure your emergency stores last, she noted.

  Before eating, check for any signs of damage, like cracks, holes, or broken seals. Throw away anything that looks suspicious.

  Common Mistakes

  Mistakes made when preparing for an emergency can be costly when the emergency arrives. Brigman shares some common pitfalls:

  • Storing foods that are difficult to prepare or are not well-liked
  • Not closing foods tightly after each use
  • Not placing them in airtight food containers to protect them from spoilage
  • Not checking the dates and having expired/bad food in your emergency kit
  • Storing too many comfort foods and not enough nutrient-dense foods

  “Your body’s nutritional needs don’t change during an emergency so you still need to plan for nutritional adequacy,” Brigman said.

  Resources

  Extension services are an excellent resource for emergency preparedness and are available in every state. Extension services were established in 1914 to provide research-based education to the public. They offer a wide range of programs on topics that include farming, livestock management, gardening, and food production.

  Many universities also have extension programs, which “extend” the university and its resources to members of the community through educational programs.

  Resources from the University of Georgia and the Extension Disaster Education Network can provide vital information and assistance.

  Final Thoughts

  Emergency preparedness can feel daunting, but taking small steps can make a difference. By adding extra groceries and assessing your current supplies, you’ll be better equipped for any situation. Planning calmly for potential emergencies safeguards you and your loved ones. While preparation requires time and effort, it could be key to navigating future challenges.

  Tyler Durden
  Wed, 10/23/2024 – 20:05

• "Once You Know, You Cannot Unknow": Whistleblower Reveals Fed-Funded Industrial-Sized Staffing Firm Shipping Migrant Kids Around US
  “Once You Know, You Cannot Unknow”: Whistleblower Reveals Fed-Funded Industrial-Sized Staffing Firm Shipping Migrant Kids Around US

  A contract specialist from the General Services Administration (GSA) spoke with investigative reporter James O’Keefe about the federal government awarding a massive contract to an industrial-sized staffing agency to transport unaccompanied migrant kids across the country.

  “My line in the sand moment was when I found out that GSA had awarded a contract to a company to transport unaccompanied minors,” GSA Senior Contract Specialist Clarissa Rippee told O’Keefe in a sitdown interview shared on X.

  

  Rippee explained GSA, on behalf of the federal government, awarded MVM, a private security contractor with ties to the CIA, NSA, FBI, and Homeland Security, with a massive $347 million contract for the transportation services of unaccompanied minors across the United States. 

  

  She said the contract made her feel “like someone kicked me in the gut.” 

  Rippee described the federal gov’t treated unaccompanied migrant children like “commodities… like potato chips on a truck.” She noted this MVM contract highlights the “big money business” in the migrant crisis. 

  “Once you know, you cannot unknow,” Rippee stated, warning that the horrifying conditions she witnessed inspired her to speak out: “It’s about the children, and it’s my duty now to speak up.”

  BREAKING: Federal Government Whistleblower Exposes $347M Contract for Transporting Unaccompanied Minors – “What You Know, You Cannot Unknow,”

  “My line in the sand moment was when I found out that GSA had awarded a contract to a company to transport unaccompanied minors,” shared… pic.twitter.com/FVvMJg7kmK

  — James O’Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) October 22, 2024

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  At the core of this taxpayer-funded invasion machine of new future Democratic voters are staffing agencies, the same ones that profited off the endless wars in the Middle East, retooled their business models from assisting the federal gov’t in foreign wars to providing domestic services to support the migrant invasion.

  

  Areas where migrants were dumped in 2023. 

  

  These staffing firms have been awarded big contracts to provide private security, transportation, and many other services to ensure the smooth operation of the invasion domestically.

  Earlier this month, Real America’s Voice host Ben Bergquam posted on X, “More breaking footage of the Democrats harboring illegals in Chicago. Now using unmarked brand new hotels like this Holiday Inn at [XXXXXXX] to disguise Kamala and Biden’s illegal invasion operations.” 

  Bergquam’s video of the Holiday Inn filled-migrant hotel in the Chicago metro area is very intriguing. First, the security guards appear to be sourced from staffing firm GardaWorld. 

  More breaking footage of the Democrats harboring illegals in Chicago. Now using unmarked brand new hotels like this Holiday Inn at 7353 South Cicero to disguise Kamala and Biden’s illegal invasion operations.

  Law & Border – Real America’s Voice News @RealAmVoice… pic.twitter.com/za2WBO1k9R

  — Ben Bergquam – Real America’s Voice (RAV-TV) News (@BenBergquam) October 2, 2024

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  Last month, Muckraker’s Anthony Rubin dropped a bombshell in a report titled “Finding The Feds’ Missing Children | CHILD TRAFFICKING IN AMERICA.”

  He provided intel that MVM was caught moving unaccompanied migrant children around the country.

  We Found the Biden-Harris Administration’s Missing Children | FIRST-HAND TESTIMONIES FROM CHILDREN WHO WERE TRAFFICKED IN AMERICA

  We tracked down some of the 320,000 illegal alien children lost by the Biden-Harris administration.

  During the course of our investigation, we… pic.twitter.com/VO3XaOIe0o

  — Muckraker.com (@realmuckraker) September 25, 2024

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  In 2012, the head of GardaWorld told Reuters that Middle East conflicts had kept the staffing firm “busier than ever and has never been greater,” adding, “I don’t want to say it’s a gold rush, but business is very good.”

  The American people need to understand the same industrial-sized staffing firms that profited off the Deep State’s endless wars in the Middle East are profiting off the Biden-Harris migrant invasion – a government-created crisis.

  Taxpayers funded the migrant invasion chaos. 

  Tyler Durden
  Wed, 10/23/2024 – 19:40

• 20% Of Households Making Over $150,000 Live Paycheck-To-Paycheck
  20% Of Households Making Over $150,000 Live Paycheck-To-Paycheck

  Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com,

  Bank of America has an interesting report on who’s living paycheck to paycheck (PTP). It’s not just the poor. Blame the Fed.

  

  Please consider Paycheck to Paycheck: What, Who, Where, Why?

  What Does It Mean?

  The term ‘living paycheck to paycheck’ is a fairly frequently heard expression but can be somewhat nebulous and is not always clearly defined. Broadly, one can imagine it refers to individuals or households that regularly spend nearly all of their income, leaving little to nothing left over for savings.

  By that widely used definition, over 40 percent of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed to living PTP.

  

  BofA restricted that definition as shown in the lead chart.

  BofA refines PTP as “households where necessity spending is more than 95% of their household income, leaving them relatively little left over for ‘nice to have’ discretionary spending or saving.”

  Even by that definition, which I endorse, the percentage of PTP households is staggering.

  More surprising is that the proportion of households appearing to live paycheck to paycheck falls only slowly as incomes rise. Around 20% of households with incomes above $150K also appear to be living paycheck to paycheck. How can this be? One reason is that higher-income households may have bought larger, more expensive, homes and consequently have bigger mortgages. And often along with bigger homes come bigger insurance costs, property taxes and utility bills. It is also possible that as household incomes rise, some households may have more varied sources of income that are hard to capture – such as cash from sales of equities paid into brokerage accounts.

  Generational Paycheck to Paycheck

  

  That chart struck me as odd. But perhaps not. Zoomers and Younger millennials are priced out of a home and forced to rent.

  Then again, anyone with a mortgage should have been able to refinance at 3 percent or lower, putting extra money in their pockets every month.

  How Old Are the Youngest Boomers?

  AI Response: As of June 2024, the youngest baby boomers are 60–69 years old. The baby boomer generation is defined as people born between 1946 and 1964.

  Some experts have given the youngest baby boomers, born between 1954 and 1964, a new name, “Generation Jones”, because they are so different from older boomers.

  Has anyone heard the name “Generation Jones?”

  Regardless, boomers are at retirement age. The kids are gone. So why are boomers living PTP?

  One possible answer that BofA did not explore is Boomers have many assets and are prepared for the future. Besides, you can’t take it with you.

  Other possible answers, such as being totally unprepared for retirement, are much more troubling.

  Which is it? I suspect both reasons are in play, and that leads to the high PTP percentage shown.

  The Housing Factor

  Note the Hidden Costs of Homeownership.

  • Bank of America aggregated deposit data suggests that fewer households are moving between cities. In the second quarter of 2024, moves across cities fell 4% year-over-year (YoY) after a 15% YoY decrease this time last year. Those that are moving, however, are skewing towards Gen Z and lower-income households, likely as more households move out of necessity as opposed to choice.

  • Some households are likely deferring moves due to increased “hidden” costs of homeownership (e.g., insurance, property taxes). Bank of America aggregated payments data suggests these costs are up significantly YoY, especially in the Sun Belt. And a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco suggests that this area is affected by another “hidden” cost: climate change.

  • Gen Z and lower-income movers are likely searching for affordability, particularly in the rental market. We find those metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) with relatively more affordable rents are seeing the fastest population growth in Q2 2024.

  • The fewer overall movers and the skew to younger/lower income movers is depressing consumer spending on moving-centric categories such as furniture. But if moving rebounds, we could see a tailwind to these areas of spending.

  Housing is a big factor in PTP. Insurance has soared and so have property taxes except where capped.

  The home ownership rate is only 35 percent for 25–30-year-olds, compared to 66 percent across all ages according to the Census Bureau.

  New Record Highs on Home Prices

  On September 28, I commented Yet Another Record High for Case-Shiller Home Prices

  And a quick check on Mortgage News Daily shows that 30-year mortgage rates have surged back up to 6.85 percent from 6.11 percent on September 11.

  I have been talking about housing since the start of this blog in March of 2003. The Fed keeps making the same mistake over and over.

  Fed Hubris

  Flashback March 4, 2021: Fed Hubris: Housing Prices Show the Fed is Making the Same Inflation Mistake

  Prior to 2000, home prices, Owners’ Equivalent Rent (OER), and the Case Shiller national home price index all moved in sync.

  This is important because home prices directly used to be in the CPI. Now they aren’t. Only rent is. Yet, OER is the single largest CPI component with a hefty weight of 24.05% of the entire index. 

  The BLS explains this away by calling homes a capital expense not a consumer expense. 

  However, that explanation ignores easily observed and measurable inflation. And it’s inflation, not alleged consumer inflation, that is important. 

  BIS Study on CPI Deflation

  Note that a BIS Study finds that routine consumer price deflation is not damaging in the least.

  Specifically, the BIS concludes “Deflation may actually boost output. Lower prices increase real incomes and wealth. And they may also make export goods more competitive!”

  Worst of all, in their attempts to fight routine consumer price deflation, central bankers, led by the Fed, create very destructive asset bubbles that eventually collapse, setting off what they should fear – asset bubble deflations.

  A $150,000 House in 1988 Now Costs $707,500 Thank You Fed

  Using Case-Shiller data of repeat sales, on August 10, 2024, I noted A $150,000 House in 1988 Now Costs $707,500 Thank You Fed

  Mess Entirely of Fed’s Making

  This is a mess entirely of the Fed’s making. And it’s what happens when the Fed, and economists in general do not count home prices as inflation.

  Home prices are not directly in the CPI or PCE. The latter is the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation.

  Economists consider home prices a capital expense not a consumer expense. The problem is simple: Inflation is not just a consumer price concern!

  The Fed ignored obvious inflation in the Great Recession and did so again in the Covid recession.

  Dual-State Economy

  And so here we are. The Fed is directly responsible for a dual-state economy of the haves vs the have-nots.

  The haves are the asset holders. They have largely benefitted from massive asset bubble inflation. The have-nots are those who want to buy a home but are priced out due to inflation.

  The Fed created this setup via QE and mortgage security purchases driving interest rates to zero and mortgage rates below 3 percent.

  Existing homeowners refinanced putting extra money in their pocket every month.

  The have-nots are trapped renting, while most of the haves are trapped in their homes unwilling to trade their 3 percent mortgage for a 6.85 percent mortgage.

  Meanwhile, the cost of insurance, maintenance, and property taxes on that home have jumped so much that 20 percent of people making over $150,000 a year are living paycheck to paycheck.

  End the Fed

  I believe I have made the case to end the Fed. Rather, the Fed made the case against itself.

  This idea was a discussion focus on this blog and the Mises Institute in a series of recent posts.

  Please see Fed “Playing With Fire” Take Two, Who Starts the Business Cycle? for a discussion of ideas and alternatives on ending or reigning in the Fed.

  Tyler Durden
  Wed, 10/23/2024 – 19:15

• 'Startling': GOP Early-Voting Turnout In Nevada Amazes Veteran Observer, Alarms Dems
  ‘Startling’: GOP Early-Voting Turnout In Nevada Amazes Veteran Observer, Alarms Dems

  Warning lights have been flashing all over the Democrats’ 2024 dashboard, and now a new one is pointing to big trouble for Kamala Harris in the battleground state of Nevada, where early voting results show that GOP voters are actually outnumbering Democrats. 

  Across the country, Democrats typically account for a majority of early votes, and Nevada has been no exception — until now. “The numbers look pretty GOP so far, and that never happens in a presidential year,” wrote veteran Nevada political reporter Jon Ralston in a Tuesday afternoon blog post at the Nevada Independent. 

  🚨 BREAKING: Nevada experiences a dramatic +25 point swing towards Republicans on the first day of Early Voting! 🇺🇸 #ElectionUpdate

  In Clark County, NV, a whopping 22,000 in-person voters cast their ballots on day one of early voting.

  Early Voting Stats:
  2020:
  🔵 44% (+7)
  🔴… pic.twitter.com/ooJb2YVBio

  — Tony Lane 🇺🇸 (@TonyLaneNV) October 20, 2024

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  Democrats lead statewide mail-in voting by 17,298, but Republicans lead in-person voting by a whopping 25,173 — even beating Dems in Clark County and Washoe County, homes of Las Vegas and Reno, respectively. Statewide, Republicans account for 52% of in-person early voting, Democrats are just 28%, and “other” is 20%. “Those in-person numbers are startling,” wrote Ralston, who’s been covering Silver State politics for three decades. “A few more days like this…and the Democratic bedwetting will reach epic proportions.”

  Another dynamic of Americans politics is the big distinction between urban and rural voting patterns, with cities reliably delivering large volumes of Democratic votes. In Nevada, the dynamic is perhaps even more pronounced, with Democrats’ statewide fortunes largely tied to the so-called “Clark firewall.” However, so far in 2024, that barrier is looking mighty short. “The Clark firewall is only 6,500, about a seventh of what it was in 2020,” wrote Ralston.

  The bigger picture is even worse for the Democrats: “The [Republican voter-turnout] lead in rural Nevada is more than double the [Democrat] lead in urban Nevada,” he wrote. The sea change prompted Ralston to declare that we’re witnessing a new dynamic in the 2024 cycle: “The [GOP] rural firewall. It’s a thing.”

  The early voting blog is updated!

  Out: Clark D firewall

  In: Rural R firewall.

  It’s real: 16,500 votes because of massive landslides so far and higher than urban turnout percentage.

  Dems need more mail, lots of indies, or big trouble in NV.https://t.co/Pl43XBMcPA

  — Jon Ralston (@RalstonReports) October 23, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  The departure from norms could also have implications for what we see on Election Day: “It’s clear there are more Republicans voting early and by mail, which raises the possibility that Election Day may not be as robust for the GOP.” 

  Extrapolating the results, Ralston concludes that “it means Kamala Harris has to win indies by close to double digits if this turnout scenario holds.” He cautioned that we’ve only three days into 14 days of early voting, and that results could shift. However, he continued, “If this becomes a trend and not an anomaly, it will be over.” 

  I’m at Galleria Mall in Henderson Nevada. The voting line is 2000 people deep. So far all the folks in front of & behind are voting TRUMP! We are at record early voting in Nevada! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/7Ikwlnff04

  — David Benjamin (@thetoyman1) October 21, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  There’s also a Senate race in Nevada this year, pitting Republican challenger Sam Brown against incumbent Democrat Jacky Rosen. The Cook Political Report rates the race as “Lean D,” while Polymarket bettors collectively have Democrat Rosen at an 80% chance of winning. That’s a big variance from the presidential race, where Polymarket gives Trump a 65% chance of taking the state’s six electoral votes.

  No Republican presidential candidate has won the state since George W. Bush beat John Kerry by a 50.5% to 47.9% margin in 2004… but it looks like the table is being set for an end to that decades-long losing streak. 

  Tyler Durden
  Wed, 10/23/2024 – 18:50

• Denny's Plots 150 Closings As Part Of Its Growth Strategy
  Denny’s Plots 150 Closings As Part Of Its Growth Strategy

  By Peter Romeo of Restaurant Business Online

  Denny’s needs to close about a tenth of its stores before it can fully harness a comprehensive comeback plan that’s yielded encouraging early results, management informed Wall Street during the 71-year-old chain’s investor’s conference Tuesday. 

  

  Executives said they’ve tagged about 150 stores whose weak financial performance is sapping the whole system’s vitality. About half those units will be shut by the end of this year, with the rest slated to fire down their grills for good in 2025. 

  “We believe this is absolutely the right thing to do to make our system stronger,” company CEO Kelli Valade said in opening the daylong meeting with investors. 

  She spoke after the franchisor reported a 0.1% decrease in same-store sales for the Denny’s brand in the third quarter. Included in the results was an indication that Denny’s franchisees shut 18 units during the period, leaving the 1,590-unit system 53 restaurants smaller than it was at the end of the year-ago quarter.

  Valade said the closings were necessary to realize headquarters’ goals of raising Denny’s average annual unit volume to $2.2 million and putting a fresh face on the brand. 

  She did not reveal how pricing or traffic levels figured into the quarterly results, though she acknowledged that guest counts were down. “Everyone has lost traffic. Everyone,” Valade commented.

  She cited research showing sales for all of family dining are down about 20%, the steepest decline for any major industry segment. 

  The presentation from management also touched on how many of the chains in family dining, one of the restaurant business’ oldest sectors, are similarly shutting stores. 

  “We’ve contracted most since Covid, that’s a fact,” Valade said.

  Steve Dunn, Denny’s chief development officer, said the home office had reviewed every domestic unit of the chain to assess its financial strength. It found that the fifth of the system with the weakest performance was hurting the rest of the system because the stores were often old and located in markets whose consumer dynamics had changed. The decision was made, he said, to prune those stores for the benefit of the survivors.

  Valade said the systemwide evaluation also revealed the brand’s “Achilles heel,” a significant variation in the look of units from market to market. 

  Dunn indicated the inconsistency and aged look of some stores will be addressed in a comprehensive renovation program called Diner 2.0. It includes several financial incentives for franchisees to make the needed investments, including a grant of $100,000 to operators who opt to update. In exchange for the cash, participants agree to pay what management characterized as a slightly higher royalty fee, though it did not specify how much of an increase there would be.

  In addition, management has worked with a third party to create a $25 million loan pool to fund the updates.

  Restaurants given a facelift tend to see a $400,000 uplift in sales, according to Dunn. Experience has shown that the rejuvenated stores can expect a sales boost of 6.4% and a traffic upswing of 6.5%.

  A signature Denny’s feature that could be dropped from those stores is a requirement that they remain open around the clock. Valade revealed that about 25% of the system has opted not to operate through the night and suggested the chain will not aim for its pre-pandemic goal of every unit being open 24/7.

  Executives of the company reviewed their previously disclosed plan for reinvigorating Denny’s operations and sharpening the brand’s appeal to new and lapsed customers. That strategy pivots on value.

  Valade revealed that some customers are bringing down their tabs in part by ordering Denny’s kids meals more regularly.

  Other executives stressed that virtual concepts will remain a key part of the strategy. Denny’s currently boasts three digital brands: Burger Den, the Meltdown and its newest venture, Banda Burritos, which is now available featured in 1,000 Denny’s units. The three have generated $77 million in sales to date, according to Patty Trevino, the diner chain’s new chief brand officer.

  She revealed that Banda Burritos intends to steal a trick from its parent company’s playbook. The venture is currently eying the rollout of a product called the Grand Slam Burrito, a clear reference to Denny’s signature breakfast platter.

  Trevino stressed that Denny’s will continue to evolve its menu, not only through additions but by upgrading what’s already on the bill of fare. She noted, for instance, that the company has spent $8 million to improve its bacon.

  Keke’s gets some attention

  Management focused more on Denny’s young sister brand, Keke’s Breakfast Café, than executives typically have during their quarterly calls with financial analysts.

  Same-store sales for the still-regional operation slid 1% during the third quarter, said concept President Dave Schmidt.

  He revealed that the concept has been and will continue to be tweaked in preparation for rapid expansion. Development agreements have been signed for 140 stores, off the current base of 61 units. Much of that commitment has come from Denny’s franchisees, Schmidt indicated.

  Tyler Durden
  Wed, 10/23/2024 – 18:25

• Apple "Might Wind Down" Vision Pro Production Next Month Due To "Weak Demand" 
  Apple “Might Wind Down” Vision Pro Production Next Month Due To “Weak Demand” 

  A new report from The Information suggests Apple might suspend production of its Vision Pro mixed-reality headset as early as next month due to very weak demand. Some Asian suppliers have already reduced or stopped producing headset components since the summer. Additionally, the development of the next Vision Pro model has been delayed, while a more affordable headset is slated for the retail market by the end of 2025. 

  The first version has met weak demand, a result of its high price and the lack of apps available on it. Employees at three Vision Pro suppliers that supply a range of electrical and mechanical components told The Information they have so far built enough components for between 500,000 and 600,000 headsets.

  One of the employees said their factory suspended production of Vision Pro components in May based on Apple’s weak forecasts, and their warehouse remains filled with tens of thousands of undelivered parts.

  . . . 

  In recent weeks, Apple has told Luxshare, which is responsible for the Vision Pro’s final assembly, that it might need to wind down its manufacturing in November, according to an employee at the Chinese manufacturer. Luxshare is making around 1,000 Vision Pro units a day, down from a peak of around 2,000 units a day, the employee said. It has assembled a total of between 500,000 and 600,000 headsets since production began last year ahead of its February release in the U.S., the employee said.

  Apple’s move into the mixed-reality headset market with its $3,500 Vision Pro seems poorly timed, given the financial strain on many low- to mid-tier consumers. High inflation and elevated interest rates, primarily attributed to failed Bidenomics, have left millions of cash-strapped Americans in financial misery as they struggle to cover basic expenses like rent, groceries, car payments, insurance, and phone bills.

  

  The Vision Pro flop is nothing new to readers. We commented on a WSJ note earlier this month that showed the dismal demand for the headset means no ‘killer app’ anytime soon:

  There has been a significant slowdown in new apps coming to the Vision Pro every month. Only 10 apps were introduced to the Vision App Store in September, down from the hundreds released in the first two months of the device’s launch, according to analytics firm Appfigures.

  It has counted around 1,770 apps available for the Vision Pro in the App Store as of September. Only 34% of those apps are built specifically for the Vision Pro, while the rest are versions of existing Apple apps that have additional Vision Pro functionality, Appfigures said.

  Apple said in August that there are more than 2,500 apps built for the Vision Pro. Appfigures said the discrepancy between these two figures could be, in part, because some apps aren’t used enough to register on usage charts, making them difficult for the analytics firm to detect.

  A visualization from WSJ shows a considerable decline in the number of new apps released for Vision Pro every month since its launch.

  

  We’ve previously noted…

  Vision Pro’s Success Hinges On Cheaper Version As Consumers Balk At $3,500 Price Tag https://t.co/DlTGIIKHNB

  — zerohedge (@zerohedge) July 11, 2024

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  Even from the start. 

  Audible groans when the price for Apple’s Vision Pro is announced.

  $3500 to disconnect from reality. No thanks. pic.twitter.com/nFLSlCtWZ7

  — Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) June 6, 2023

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  Just like the AI-enabled iPhone 16, another bust for Apple. 

  Tyler Durden
  Wed, 10/23/2024 – 18:00

• NASA Finally Comes To Grips With Telework Tumbleweeds
  NASA Finally Comes To Grips With Telework Tumbleweeds

  Authored by Pete McGinnis via RealClearPolicy,

  Two years on from COVID, the agency noticed sparse HQ attendance. 

  Someday, it may end up being one of those hoary old philosophical saws: “If the lease on a government agency’s headquarters expires, but nobody actually works there, do the taxpayers’ sighs of relief make a sound?” 

  

  The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) may have the honor of being the first federal agency to find out. Heavily redacted communications obtained by the Functional Government Initiative (FGI) show that the lease on NASA’s headquarters expires in 2028. An email from an official at the General Services Administration, which manages offices and properties for the federal government, said, “The agency is starting the process of evaluating options including leasing, buying a different building, or construction of a new headquarters building, all within the Washington area and close to public transportation.” There was one big problem: knowing how many workers a new HQ will have to house, because nobody at the agency seems to know how many workers show up at the office now.  

  NASA email chains reflect the confusion. One staffer involved in the discussion asked, “Are enterprise organizations on remote work agreements counted in their analysis of under 50% work being performed on-site?” Another had to explain that “100% telework … that is not a thing!” Apparently “Telework Coordinators” are doing a review of each pay period to determine who coded to 100% telework, the reason why, and conducting education and counseling when needed. The last alternative is the employee is not reporting onsite on a regular basis without approval and in contradiction to the regulation.  

  (Ironically, we know of two NASA employees who would dearly love to work from home but can’t. Rest assured, NASA’s doing everything that can be done while in PJs and bunny slippers to get its astronauts home. In the meantime, it’s good to know the SpaceX offices are rocking.) 

  Of course, it’s not only NASA. In spring 2023, the House Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce asked 25 agencies to report on the status of their telework arrangements. On November 29, 2023, Subcommittee Chairman Pete Sessions told a hearing, “I want to be clear, of the 25 agencies we wrote last spring, many responses were not, in fact, responsive. Eleven of the 25 did not include any figures at all regarding how many of their employees were currently teleworking—either in the Washington, D.C. area or agency-wide.” On the other side of the Capitol, Senator Joni Ernst (Iowa) has been aggressive in her push for transparency in telework and waste from mostly empty federal buildings.  

  Federal workers don’t much seem to miss the watercooler banter of yesteryear. They haven’t exactly been sprinting back to their offices in the two-plus years since the COVID-19 pandemic ended, and getting them back in hasn’t been a priority for the Biden-Harris administration. Despite demands from Congress and an order from President Biden, the trickle of returning workers hasn’t become a flood. 

  At NASA, with its “analysis of under 50% work being performed on-site,” it apparently took until February of 2024 to finally notice the tumbleweeds rolling through HQ and announce to staff it would significantly condense its space: “With daily occupancy in the building so low, people are spread out, which is a waste of space, can be tough on employees and is not the best use of taxpayer dollars.”  

  It’s nice that somebody’s thinking of the taxpayers. But while HQ was being rehabbed, NASA was going to 100% telework until “perhaps May.” And if the agency does move to a new building, the goal seems to be to have people in the office 90% of the time. So that “close to public transportation” feature will be handy. Some day. 

  To recap: the agency is considering a shiny new HQ building but can’t confidently say how many workers it will need to house, and managers don’t seem to know where everyone is. And their only answer is more telework. Meanwhile, the agency is conspicuously failing in the “Aeronautics and Space” mission it was created for and being bailed out by private enterprise. This is classic government dysfunction. 

  But it’s worse. It’s more proof – as though more were needed – that in the federal bureaucracy there’s little accountability and even less concern about what the people who pay the bills think about it. 

  Pete McGinnis is director of communications at the Functional Government Initiative.

  Tyler Durden
  Wed, 10/23/2024 – 17:40

• DOJ Warns Musk Over $1M Voter Giveaway: Report
  DOJ Warns Musk Over $1M Voter Giveaway: Report

  While the Biden-Harris DOJ has been silent over allegations that Democrat fundraising platform ActBlue is using illegal straw donors, they sure seem to have a problem with Elon Musk’s super PAC – and has issued a warning in an alleged letter that its $1 million daily giveaway in battleground states may violate federal law, NBC News reports (based on an anonymous source, so who knows).

  

  According to the report, the letter follows mounting pressure to stop the program.

  The letter, which was earlier reported by CNN, follows mounting pressure on state and federal authorities to investigate Musk’s lottery as a potential violation of election laws, including a ban on paying people to register to vote. On Monday, a group of ex-prosecutors and other former government officials sent a letter to the Justice Department requesting an investigation. 

  News of the letter come on the same day that left-wing public advocacy group Public Citizen filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission alleging that the contest violates campaign finance law because “the purpose of the $1 million reward for signing the petition appears to be to motivate voter registration and voting at the polls by those sympathetic with the candidacy of Donald Trump in the key swing states for the 2024 presidential election.”

  According to the complaint, because the contest is only available to registered voters, it may constitute an illegal financial incentive to get people to register to vote.

  On the other hand, Musk’s PAC, the America PAC, is asking people to sign a petition for the chance to win $1 million – not explicitly rewarding them for registering to vote.

  

  On Sunday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) told Meet the Press that the contest was “concerning,” and “something that law enforcement could take a look at.”

  Gov. Josh Shapiro calls Musk’s million-dollar giveaways ‘deeply concerning’ pic.twitter.com/4l5A9wTJO3

  — New York Post (@nypost) October 20, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsWhile we don’t know the contents of the alleged DOJ letter – or if it exists, it’s likely to be a cease-and-desist letter, similar to what Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream received in 2008 when they offered everyone with an “I Voted” sticker a free ice cream cone on election day.

  According to NBC News legal experts, the giveaway falls into a legal gray area that may or may not violate election law.

  “I can see what people are saying when they argue this violates the law, but I don’t think it does,” said election law expert Matthew Sanderson.

  Musk announced the giveaway last Saturday at a town hall event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

  Tyler Durden
  Wed, 10/23/2024 – 17:20

• Waste Of The Day: States Are $811 Billion In Debt
  Waste Of The Day: States Are $811 Billion In Debt

  Authored by Jeremy Portnoy via RealClearInvestigations,

  Topline: America’s 50 state governments will need an extra $811 billion to pay off their current debt, according to the annual “State of the States” report from Truth in Accounting.

  

  Key facts: State governments had $2.9 billion in debt and only $2.1 trillion in assets at the end of fiscal year 2023, Truth in Accounting, a nonpartisan organization that promotes fiscal transparency and accountability, found. The gap will need to be covered by taxpayers sometime in the future.

  Twenty-seven states have “taxpayer burdens,” meaning their budget is not balanced and they would need to collect at least $900 from every person in the state to eliminate their debt. Massachusetts, Illinois, New Jersey and Connecticut received a letter grade of “F” because they would need over $25,000 from every resident to pay their bills.

  Only 23 states had what Truth in Accounting calls a “taxpayer surplus,” meaning they could pay off all of their debt and still have money to return to taxpayers. Four states received a letter grade of “A” because they have a taxpayer surplus above $10,000: North Dakota, Alaska, Wyoming and Utah.

  Unfunded pension liabilities contributed $840 billion to the debt. States have promised to eventually pay pensions to teachers, firefighters, cops and more, but have only saved up 70% of the necessary cash.

  Other post-retirement benefits are underfunded by $493 billion. They mostly consist of lifetime healthcare plans, for which states have saved up only 14% of the money they’ve promised to current employees.

  Researchers wrote that “Unfortunately, some elected officials have used portions of the money owed to pension and OPEB funds to keep taxes low and pay for politically popular programs. This is similar to charging earned benefits to a credit card without having the money to pay off the debt.”

  Underreporting pension liabilities is just one “accounting trick” politicians use to falsely claim their budgets are balanced, according to Truth in Accounting. Some states also overstate their revenue, count borrowed money as income, and more.

  Every state has a law requiring their budget to be balanced, except for Vermont.

  Search all federal, state and local government salaries and vendor spending with the AI search bot, Benjamin, at OpenTheBooks.com.

  Summary: The national debt makes headlines constantly, but the fiscal problems at the state level can’t be ignored.

  The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com

  Tyler Durden
  Wed, 10/23/2024 – 17:00

• 'The Atlantic' Immediately Debunked After Attempting Yet Another Trump Military Hit Piece
  ‘The Atlantic’ Immediately Debunked After Attempting Yet Another Trump Military Hit Piece

  Authored by Luis Cornelio via Headline USA,

  The sister of slain soldier Vanessa Guillén slammed The Atlantic after it used anonymous sources to allege that President Donald Trump disparaged her after discovering the funeral expenses. 

  

  Guillén’s death at the hands of a fellow soldier and his girlfriend became national news in 2020, with Trump comforting the grief-stricken family and extending death benefits. He also offered to cover the costs personally if the Army did not pay for the funeral expenses. 

  The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, however, attempted to rewrite history on Tuesday, claiming that Trump was outraged when he learned that Guillén’s funeral, which included heightened security and closed streets, cost $60,000. 

  According to the magazine—relying on an anonymous source—Trump allegedly said, “It doesn’t cost 60,000 bucks to bury a fucking Mexican!” and ordered then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to deny payment. 

  Guillén’s sister, Mayra, issued a viral statement on X, condemning The Atlantic’s distorted portrayal of her experience with Trump. 

  “I don’t appreciate how you are exploiting my sister’s death for politics- hurtful & disrespectful to the important changes she made for service members,” Mayra wrote on X, garnering over 3 million views. 

  “President Donald Trump did nothing but show respect to my family & Vanessa. In fact, I voted for President Trump today,” Mayra added.

  Wow.
  I don’t appreciate how you are exploiting my sister’s death for politics- hurtful & disrespectful to the important changes she made for service members. President Donald Trump did nothing but show respect to my family & Vanessa. In fact, I voted for President Trump today. https://t.co/o8cDrKOKBV

  — Mayra Guillen (@mguilen_) October 22, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  FOREVER 20
  Happy heavenly birthday sister. You’d be 25 years old today. Time has passed by so unexpectedly, it feels like it was just yesterday that we were having breakfast….you now have a legacy that we have to fulfill in your honor. I love you & miss you very much sister. ❤️‍🩹 pic.twitter.com/sbVgIWvQXh

  — Mayra Guillen (@mguilen_) September 30, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  In another post, Mayra emphasized that her sister’s death should never be politicized. 

  “Unbelievable,” she continued. 

  The denials did not stop there as Meadows took to X, refuting the allegations. 

  “Any suggestion that President Trump disparaged Ms. Guillen or refused to pay for her funeral expenses is absolutely false,” Meadows wrote.

  “He was nothing but kind, gracious, and wanted to make sure that the military and the U.S. government did right by Vanessa Guillen and her family.”

  I was in the discussions featured in the Atlantic’s latest hit piece against President Trump. Let me say this.

  Any suggestion that President Trump disparaged Ms. Guillen or refused to pay for her funeral expenses is absolutely false.

  He was nothing but kind, gracious, and…

  — Mark Meadows (@MarkMeadows) October 22, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  Meadows’s spokesperson, Ben Williamson, explicitly denied that Trump ever made the remarks in comments provided before publication.

  The Atlantic omitted these comments, claiming that Williamson denied ever hearing such remarks.

  On the left: I sent Atlantic a comment saying President Trump “absolutely did not say that,” referring to the alleged comments about Ms. Guillen they printed.

  On the right: Atlantic translated that comment to “didn’t hear Trump say it.”

  Treat this dishonest piece accordingly. pic.twitter.com/pM1o1c9fEm

  — Ben Williamson (@_WilliamsonBen) October 22, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  This marked the second instance of The Atlantic publishing demonstrably false claims against Trump.

  The magazine previously claimed that Trump refused to visit a veteran cemetery because he allegedly called fallen soldiers “suckers” and “losers.” 

  It was later revealed that the cemetery trip was canceled due to poor weather, which required Trump to travel by helicopter. 

  Tyler Durden
  Wed, 10/23/2024 – 16:20

• Traders Sell Everything As Dollar & Yields Soar To 3-Month Highs
  Traders Sell Everything As Dollar & Yields Soar To 3-Month Highs

  Stocks dropped for the third day in a row today (longest streak since early Sept) with the S&P’s worst loss in seven weeks, as with a big h/t to Goldman, it seems equity market bulls finally noticed the recent explosion in rates.

  Treasury yields rose across the curve again today (with the long-end outperforming – 2Y +5bps, 30Y +2bps)…

  

  Source: Bloomberg

  But, the recent 2-sigma move in rates (as we have seen) implies serious drawdowns for stocks…

  

  …and the surge in rates (10Y +55bps in the last three weeks) suddenly hit stocks…

  

  Source: Bloomberg

  …and ‘Trumpflation’ has prompted a market-wide rethink of rate-cut expectations (lower/hawkish), especially for next year…

  

  Source: Bloomberg

  …and that all weighed on stocks bigly today. There was a small comeback after The Beige Book signaled some dovishness, but Nasdaq was the day’s biggest loser (down over 2% at one point)…

  

  A big down-day for mega-cap tech today…

  

  Source: Bloomberg

  All seven of the Mag7 stocks were down today – that is the first time that’s happened since Sept 6th…

  

  Source: Bloomberg

  ‘Most Shorted’ stocks were monkeyhammered lower…

  

  Source: Bloomberg

  Even the so-called ‘Trump Trade’ saw selling pressure today (though the “Democratic Victory’ basket was hit even harder, so don’t get all excited Kamala)…

  

  Source: Bloomberg

  Goldman’s trading desk noted that overall activity levels are up +5% vs. the trailing 2 weeks with market volumes up +5% vs the 10dma, with their floor basically paired Buy vs. Sell with HFs net to buy and LOs net for sale

  • HFs are +7% better to buy with Demand in Macro Products, Industrials & Tech offsetting supply in Fins, Utes & Comms Svcs

  • LOs are -2% better for sale.  Tech supply from them outweighs supply in Staples and Cons Svcs by 3:1.  Demand is led by Cons Disc, Mats & HCare.

  Meanwhile, the dollar refuses to stop, rallying up to its strongest since early July against its fiat peers…

  

  Source: Bloomberg

  Treasury yields are rising as fast as the dollar – also up to three month highs (all above 4.00%)…

  

  Source: Bloomberg

  The dollar strength finally smacked gold lower today… but not before the precious metal hit a new intraday record high…

  

  Source: Bloomberg

  Silver underperformed gold on the day after a decent run against the barbarous relic…

  

  Source: Bloomberg

  Crypto was clubbed like a baby seal also, with Bitcoin fading back towards $65,000….

  

  Source: Bloomberg

  After two strong days, oil prices slipped lower on an inventory build, higher crude production, and no extreme headlines out of the MidEast (yet)…

  

  Source: Bloomberg

  Finally, prediction markets continue to trend in Trump’s direction…

  

  Source: Bloomberg

  …and even the polls are starting to move in his favor (because there’s only so much ‘cheat’ margin to play with).

  Tyler Durden
  Wed, 10/23/2024 – 16:00

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• Poles Are Getting Fed Up With Ukrainian Refugees & The Proxy War; Latest Survey Shows
  Poles Are Getting Fed Up With Ukrainian Refugees & The Proxy War; Latest Survey Shows

  Authored by Andrew Korybko via Substack,

  The state-run Polish Press Agency recently reported on the publication of the latest survey by the publicly financed Center for Public Opinion Research about Poles’ attitudes towards Ukrainian refugees and the proxy war.

  

  The results might surprise casual observers who hitherto assumed that this population is still gung-ho about both due to their supposedly innate and irredeemable Russophobia. Before diving into the details, the reader should review these three prior analyses on this subject:

  * 21 February: “A Top EU Think Tank’s Poll Proved That Polish Views Towards Ukraine Are Noticeably Shifting”

  * 27 March: “What Do The Latest Surveys Say About Poles’ Attitudes Towards Ukraine & The Farmers’ Protests?”

  * 8 July: “Interpreting A Top EU Think Tank’s Latest Survey On Polish Attitudes Towards Ukraine”

  Having shared the evolving statistical context for those who are interested, it’s now time to highlight what the latest survey showed.

  Only a little more than half of Poles (53%) support accepting more Ukrainian refugees, while two-thirds (67%) want to deport conscription-aged Ukrainian males (25-60 years old).

  Less than half (46%) support Ukraine continuing to fight Russia, slightly less (39%) want it to give up territory for peace, and a little bit more (44%) believe that this will ultimately happen in any case.

  The military-strategic context within which these results were obtained is that Poland confirmed in late August, several weeks before the survey was conducted between 12-22 September, that it had already maxed out its military support for Ukraine.

  Mainstream Media outlets like CNN also began sharing glimpses of just how bad everything had become for Ukraine too.

  The Volhynia Genocide dispute, which deeply enrages most Poles, returned to the fore of bilateral relations in early September as well.

  This confluence of factors served to catalyze the preexisting trends that were discovered by the previously cited surveys and led to the surprising situation where two-thirds of Poles want to deport conscription-aged Ukrainian males even though less than half support Ukraine continuing to fight Russia.

  In other words, they want to send them to their deaths for a cause that they themselves no longer support, which hints at a vindictiveness towards them that’s only now being discussed by top officials.

  Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told an interviewer last week that:

  “The fact is that our society is very shocked by the sight of young men from Ukraine driving the best cars, spending weekends in five-star hotels. And this is unfair to Poles, who contribute to healthcare, benefits, education, not to mention weapons supplies and other assistance.”

  He himself also expressed resentment towards his state-level Ukrainian peers by accusing them of taking Polish aid for granted.

  In his words, “We gave Ukraine military equipment worth over 15 billion złoty and we were the first to do so when others were wondering whether they could send anything. If we, as Poland, had not given them all those tanks, planes and other weapons, there would be no one to help today. And I have the feeling that the Ukrainian side does not remember this, is not aware that if it were not for this Polish help, they would not have reached the stage they are at today. This is not right.”

  It therefore naturally follows that a growing number of Poles have become fed up with Ukrainian refugees and the proxy war after feeling that their country has been taken advantage of. Poles are a generous people, but they also have enough self-respect to not tolerate ingratitude from those who they help. Ukrainians and their state have spit in Poles’ faces for far too long, which is why most of the latter now want to throw those that have leeched off of them into the Russian meatgrinder as revenge. 

  Tyler Durden
  Wed, 10/23/2024 – 02:00

• The Danger Is Real: The Deep State's Plot To Destabilize The Nation Is Working
  The Danger Is Real: The Deep State’s Plot To Destabilize The Nation Is Working

  Authored by John & Nisha Whitehead via The Rutherford Institute,

  “The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out … without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.”

  – H. L. Mencken

  If the three-ring circus that is the looming presidential election proves anything, it is that the Deep State’s plot to destabilize the nation is working.

  The danger is real.

  

  Caught up in the heavily dramatized electoral showdown between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, Americans have become oblivious to the multitude of ways in which the government is goosestepping all over our freedoms on a daily basis.

  Especially alarming is the extent to which those on both sides are allowing themselves to be gaslighted by both Trump and Harris about critical issues of the day, selectively choosing to hear only what they want to hear when it casts the opposition in a negative light.

  This is true whether you’re talking about immigration and border control, health care, national security, the nation’s endless wars, protections for free speech, or the militarization of the U.S. government.

  For starters, there’s the free speech double standard, what my good friend Nat Hentoff used to refer to as the “free speech for me but not for thee” phenomenon in which the First Amendment’s protections only apply to those with whom we might agree.

  Despite her claims to being a champion for the rule of law, which in our case is the U.S. Constitution, Harris isn’t averse to policing so-called “hate” speech. In this, Harris is not unlike those on both the Right and the Left who continue to express a distaste for unregulated, free speech online, especially when it comes to speech with which they might disagree.

  Then there’s Trump, never a fan of free speech protections for his critics, who has been particularly vocal about his desire to see the military vanquish “radical left lunatics,” which he has dubbed “the enemy from within.”

  If it were only about muzzling free speech activities, that would be concerning enough.

  But Trump’s enthusiasm for using the military to target domestic enemies of the state should send off warning bells, especially coinciding as it does with the Department of Defense’s recent re-issuance of Directive 5240.01, which empowers the military to assist law enforcement “in situations where a confrontation between civilian law enforcement and civilian individuals or groups is reasonably anticipated.”

  This is what martial law looks like—a government of force that relies on the military to enforce its authority—and it’s exactly what America’s founders feared, which is why they opted for a republic bound by the rule of law: the U.S. Constitution.

  Responding to concerns that the military would be used for domestic policing, Congress passed the Posse Comitatus Act in 1878, which makes it a crime for the government to use the military to carry out arrests, searches, seizure of evidence and other activities normally handled by a civilian police force.

  The increasing militarization of the police, the use of sophisticated weaponry against Americans and the government’s increasing tendency to employ military personnel domestically have all but eviscerated historic prohibitions such as the Posse Comitatus Act.

  Yet sometime over the course of the past 240-plus years that constitutional republic has been transformed into a military dictatorship disguised as a democracy.

  Unfortunately, most Americans seem relatively untroubled by the fact that our constitutional republic is being transformed into a military dictatorship disguised as a democracy.

  The seeds of chaos that have been sown in recent years are all part of the Deep State’s plans to usher in martial law.

  Observe for yourself what has been happening right before our eyes.

  Domestic terrorism fueled by government entrapment schemes. Civil unrest stoked to dangerous levels by polarizing political rhetoric. A growing intolerance for dissent that challenges the government’s power grabs. Police brutality tacitly encouraged by the executive branch, conveniently overlooked by the legislatures, and granted qualified immunity by the courts. A weakening economy exacerbated by government schemes that favor none but a select few. Heightened foreign tensions and blowback due to the military industrial complex’s profit-driven quest to police and occupy the globe.

  This is no conspiracy theory.

  There’s trouble brewing, and the government is masterminding a response using the military.

  Just take a look at “Megacities: Urban Future, the Emerging Complexity,” a Pentagon training video created by the Army for U.S. Special Operations Command.

  The training video is only five minutes long, but it says a lot about the government’s mindset, the way its views the citizenry, and the so-called “problems” that the government must be prepared to address in the near future through the use of martial law.

  Even more troubling, however, is what this military video doesn’t say about the Constitution, about the rights of the citizenry, and about the dangers of locking down the nation and using the military to address political and social problems.

  The training video anticipates that all hell will break loose by 2030, but the future is here ahead of schedule.

  We’re already witnessing a breakdown of society on virtually every front.

  By waging endless wars abroad, by bringing the instruments of war home, by transforming police into extensions of the military, by turning a free society into a suspect society, by treating American citizens like enemy combatants, by discouraging and criminalizing a free exchange of ideas, by making violence its calling card through SWAT team raids and militarized police, by fomenting division and strife among the citizenry, by acclimating the citizenry to the sights and sounds of war, and by generally making peaceful revolution all but impossible, the government has engineered an environment in which domestic violence is becoming almost inevitable.

  The danger signs are screaming out a message

  The government is anticipating trouble (read: civil unrest), which is code for anything that challenges the government’s authority, wealth and power.

  According to the Pentagon training video created by the Army for U.S. Special Operations Command, the U.S. government is grooming its armed forces to solve future domestic political and social problems.

  What they’re really talking about is martial law, packaged as a well-meaning and overriding concern for the nation’s security.

  The chilling five-minute training video, obtained by The Intercept through a FOIA request and made available online, paints an ominous picture of the future—a future the military is preparing for—bedeviled by “criminal networks,” “substandard infrastructure,” “religious and ethnic tensions,” “impoverishment, slums,” “open landfills, over-burdened sewers,” a “growing mass of unemployed,” and an urban landscape in which the prosperous economic elite must be protected from the impoverishment of the have nots.

  And then comes the kicker.

  Three-and-a-half minutes into the Pentagon’s dystopian vision of “a world of Robert Kaplan-esque urban hellscapes — brutal and anarchic supercities filled with gangs of youth-gone-wild, a restive underclass, criminal syndicates, and bands of malicious hackers,” the ominous voice of the narrator speaks of a need to “drain the swamps.”

  Drain the swamps.

  Surely, we’ve heard that phrase before?

  Ah yes.

  Emblazoned on t-shirts and signs, shouted at rallies, and used as a rallying cry among Trump supporters, “drain the swamp” became one of Donald Trump’s most-used campaign slogans.

  Now the government has adopted its own plans for swamp-draining, only it wants to use the military to drain the swamps of futuristic urban American cities of “noncombatants and engage the remaining adversaries in high intensity conflict within.”

  And who are these noncombatants, a military term that refers to civilians who are not engaged in fighting?

  They are, according to the Pentagon, “adversaries.”

  They are “threats.”

  They are the “enemy.”

  They are people who don’t support the government, people who live in fast-growing urban communities, people who may be less well-off economically than the government and corporate elite, people who engage in protests, people who are unemployed, people who engage in crime (in keeping with the government’s fast-growing, overly broad definition of what constitutes a crime).

  In other words, in the eyes of the U.S. military, noncombatants are American citizens a.k.a. domestic extremists a.k.a. enemy combatants who must be identified, targeted, detained, contained and, if necessary, eliminated.

  In the future imagined by the Pentagon, any walls and prisons that are built will be used to protect the societal elite—the haves—from the have-nots.

  If you haven’t figured it out already, we the people are the have-nots.

  Suddenly it all begins to make sense.

  The events of recent years: the invasive surveillance, the extremism reports, the civil unrest, the protests, the shootings, the bombings, the military exercises and active shooter drills, the color-coded alerts and threat assessments, the fusion centers, the transformation of local police into extensions of the military, the distribution of military equipment and weapons to local police forces, the government databases containing the names of dissidents and potential troublemakers.

  The government is systematically locking down the nation and shifting us into martial law.

  This is how you prepare a populace to accept a police state willingly, even gratefully.

  You don’t scare them by making dramatic changes. Rather, you acclimate them slowly to their prison walls.

  Persuade the citizenry that their prison walls are merely intended to keep them safe and danger out. Desensitize them to violence, acclimate them to a military presence in their communities, and persuade them that there is nothing they can do to alter the seemingly hopeless trajectory of the nation.

  Before long, no one will even notice the floundering economy, the blowback arising from military occupations abroad, the police shootings, the nation’s deteriorating infrastructure and all of the other mounting concerns.

  It’s happening already.

  The sight of police clad in body armor and gas masks, wielding semiautomatic rifles and escorting an armored vehicle through a crowded street, a scene likened to “a military patrol through a hostile city,” no longer causes alarm among the general populace.

  Few seem to care about the government’s endless wars abroad that leave communities shattered, families devastated and our national security at greater risk of blowback.

  The Deep State’s tactics are working.

  We’ve allowed ourselves to be acclimated to the occasional lockdown of government buildings, Jade Helm military drills in small towns so that special operations forces can get “realistic military training” in “hostile” territory, and  Live Active Shooter Drill training exercises, carried out at schools, in shopping malls, and on public transit, which can and do fool law enforcement officials, students, teachers and bystanders into thinking it’s a real crisis.

  Still, you can’t say we weren’t warned about the government’s nefarious schemes to lock down the nation.

  Back in 2008, an Army War College report revealed that “widespread civil violence inside the United States would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order and human security.” The 44-page report went on to warn that potential causes for such civil unrest could include another terrorist attack, “unforeseen economic collapse, loss of functioning political and legal order, purposeful domestic resistance or insurgency, pervasive public health emergencies, and catastrophic natural and human disasters.”

  In 2009, reports by the Department of Homeland Security surfaced that labelled right-wing and left-wing activists and military veterans as extremists (a.k.a. terrorists) and called on the government to subject such targeted individuals to full-fledged pre-crime surveillance. Almost a decade later, after spending billions to fight terrorism, the DHS concluded that the greater threat is not ISIS but domestic right-wing extremism.

  Meanwhile, the government has been amassing an arsenal of military weapons for use domestically and equipping and training their “troops” for war. Even government agencies with largely administrative functions such as the Food and Drug Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Smithsonian have been acquiring body armor, riot helmets and shields, cannon launchers and police firearms and ammunition. In fact, there are now at least 120,000 armed federal agents carrying such weapons who possess the power to arrest.

  Rounding out this profit-driven campaign to turn American citizens into enemy combatants (and America into a battlefield) is a technology sector that has been colluding with the government to create a Big Brother that is all-knowing, all-seeing and inescapable. It’s not just the drones, fusion centers, license plate readers, stingray devices and the NSA that you have to worry about. You’re also being tracked by the black boxes in your cars, your cell phone, smart devices in your home, grocery loyalty cards, social media accounts, credit cards, streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon, and e-book reader accounts.

  All of this has taken place right under our noses, funded with our taxpayer dollars and carried out in broad daylight without so much as a general outcry from the citizenry.

  And then you have the government’s Machiavellian schemes for unleashing all manner of dangers on an unsuspecting populace, then demanding additional powers in order to protect “we the people” from the threats.

  Are you getting the picture yet?

  The U.S. government isn’t protecting us from terrorism.

  The U.S. government is creating the terror. It is, in fact, the source of the terror.

  Just think about it for a minute: Cyberwarfare. Terrorism. Bio-chemical attacks. The nuclear arms race. Surveillance. The drug wars.

  Almost every national security threat that the government has claimed greater powers in order to fight—all the while undermining the liberties of the American citizenry—has been manufactured in one way or another by the government.

  Did I say Machiavellian? This is downright evil.

  We’re not dealing with a government that exists to serve its people, protect their liberties and ensure their happiness. Rather, these are the diabolical machinations of a make-works program carried out on an epic scale whose only purpose is to keep the powers-that-be permanently (and profitably) employed.

  Mind you, by “government,” I’m not referring to the highly partisan, two-party bureaucracy of the Republicans and Democrats.

  I’m referring to “government” with a capital “G,” the entrenched Deep State that is unaffected by elections, unaltered by populist movements, and has set itself beyond the reach of the law.

  I’m referring to the corporatized, militarized, entrenched bureaucracy that is fully operational and staffed by unelected officials who are, in essence, running the country and calling the shots in Washington DC, no matter who sits in the White House.

  Be warned: in the future envisioned by the government, we will not be viewed as Republicans or Democrats. Rather, “we the people” will be enemies of the state.

  For years, the government has been warning against the dangers of domestic terrorism, erecting surveillance systems to monitor its own citizens, creating classification systems to label any viewpoints that challenge the status quo as extremist, and training law enforcement agencies to equate anyone possessing anti-government views as a domestic terrorist.

  What the government failed to explain was that the domestic terrorists would be of the government’s own making, and that “we the people” would become enemy #1.

  As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People and in its fictional counterpart The Erik Blair Diaries, we’re already enemies of the state.

  It’s time to wake up and stop being deceived by Deep State propaganda.

  Tyler Durden
  Tue, 10/22/2024 – 23:25

• Reporter Injured By Bullet Fragment During Kinzinger-Democrat Campaign Stunt
  Reporter Injured By Bullet Fragment During Kinzinger-Democrat Campaign Stunt

  A local TV reporter was struck in the arm with a bullet fragment while covering a campaign event for a Democratic Senate candidate featuring former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R).

  

  Missouri Democratic candidate Lucas Kunce – who’s trying to unseat Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) – was shooting an AR-15 at the time, and was the only person shooting when KSHB-TV’s Ryan Gamboa was struck.

  

  Kunce, a former Marine, wrapped gauze around Gamboa’s arm and applied a tourniquet using his belt, according to the Kansas City Star, which notes that ‘Kunce has his military background in campaign ads, some of which show him firing a gun.‘

  After he was treated, Gamboa soldiered on covering the event.

  

  Maybe ‘hunters’ Kamala Harris and Tim Walz should have stopped by to offer some tips – like how to load a shotgun with your crotch?

  🚨 NEW: Disgraced former Congressman Adam Kinzinger and Democrat MO Senate nominee Lucas Kunce went shooting today for a photo-op, and a reporter ended up being SH0T

  Absolutely incredible.

  These idiots decided it’d be a good idea to shoot metal plates with an AR-15 from just… pic.twitter.com/NcIh4QimNC

  — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 23, 2024

  Tyler Durden
  Tue, 10/22/2024 – 23:00

• Israeli Ministers Call For Expulsion Of Palestinians At 'Resettle Gaza' Conference
  Israeli Ministers Call For Expulsion Of Palestinians At ‘Resettle Gaza’ Conference

  Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,

  On Monday, Israeli Knesset members and senior government ministers attended a conference on re-establishing Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip that was held in southern Israel near the Gaza border.

  The conference, titled “Preparing to Resettle Gaza,” was organized by the Israeli settler organization Nachala and members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party.

  

  At least ten out of the 32 Likud party members in the Israeli Knesset were set to attend the conference, including May Golan, who is in Netanyahu’s government as the minister for Social Equality and the Advancement of the Status of Women.

  In a speech at the rally, which drew hundreds of attendees, Golan vowed Palestinians in Gaza would face another “Nakba,” referring to the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian Arabs when the modern state of Israel was formed in 1948.

  “We will hit them where it hurts – their land,” Golan said, according to Haaretz. “Anyone who uses their plot of land to plan another Holocaust will receive from us, with God’s help, another Nakba that they will tell their children and their grandchildren about for the next 50 years.”

  National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of the Jewish Power party, also delivered a speech at the conference, and he received a very warm welcome. Haaretz reported that attendees broke out in chants of “Look over here, it’s our next Prime Minister” and “Death penalty for terrorists,” referring to Ben Gvir’s calls to execute Palestinian prisoners to make room in Israeli prisons.

  In his speech, Ben Gvir said, “We will encourage the voluntary transfer of all Gazan citizens. We will offer them the opportunity to move to other countries because that land belongs to us.”

  Far-Right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir leads the crowd in song at the “Preparing to Resettle Gaza” Conference, which took place over two days on Israel’s southern border with Gaza.

  Ben-Gvir was greeted by eager applause from the crowd. “We are the owners of the… pic.twitter.com/hbVP7XdTSK

  — Rachel Fink (@RachelSFink) October 21, 2024

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  Ben Gvir and other proponents of conquering Gaza have framed their idea as “voluntary” for the Palestinians, but the Israeli military campaign has made most of Gaza uninhabitable. Palestinians in northern Gaza are currently facing Israeli evacuation orders to move to the south under the threat of death by military action or starvation.

  Other Israeli ministers who attended the conference include Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Yitzhak Wasserlauf, the minister for the development of the Negev and Galilee.

  Daniella Weiss, a leader of Nachala, vowed that Jewish settlements would begin popping up in Gaza within a year. “In less than a year, each one of you can call me and ask me if I succeeded in fulfilling my dream,” she told reporters at the conference. “Actually, you don’t even have to call me. You will witness how Jews go to Gaza and Arabs disappear from Gaza.”

  Daniella Weiss, one of the leaders of the settlement movement, was a featured speaker at the “Preparing to Resettle Gaza” Conference which took place over two days on Israel’s border with Gaza. Speaking to foreign journalists, she vowed to renew the Jewish presence in Gaza within… pic.twitter.com/SFmNA8SZce

  — Rachel Fink (@RachelSFink) October 21, 2024

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  Weiss also made it clear that her ambitions for Israeli expansion did not stop in Gaza or the West Bank. “The real borders of greater Israel are between the Euphrates River and the Nile.”

  Haaretz recently reported that the Israeli government is not seeking to revive ceasefire talks with Hamas and is now pushing for the gradual annexation of large portions of the Gaza Strip.

  Tyler Durden
  Tue, 10/22/2024 – 22:35

• Escape Biden-flation Storm With A Walmart Tiny Home
  Escape Biden-flation Storm With A Walmart Tiny Home

  Housing affordability in the United States under the Biden-Harris administration has hit a generational low. After all, WEF’s slogan of ‘owning nothing and being happy’ has become an alarming reality for millions of Americans in the last 3.5 years.

  

  To counter this hellscape that Democrats have created through the worst inflation storm since the 1970s, folks stuck in the doom loop of renting in dangerous big cities should find a plot of land in rural America. Next, find a tiny home. 

  We’ve discussed this for years: as the standard of living implodes in the US, the size of homes will shrink. Television shows have popularized tiny homes in recent years, and big-box retailers have been selling them (Home Depot).

  

  Walmart is the latest retailer selling tiny homes. It now offers a 19-by-20-foot “expandable prefab house” delivered by flatbed truck for $15,900.

  

  It looks almost like a double-wide mobile home from the Canadian mockumentary television sitcom ‘Trailer Park Boys.’ 

  

  For $21,888, Walmart is offering a towable tiny home. 

  

  Next, browse Zillow for land lots in rural America. A simple search in Terra Alta, West Virginia, shows numerous lots with multiple acres for dirt cheap.

  

  Why go this route? Well, it’s cheaper than trying to afford the most basic home. Also, grow your own food and source locally, breaking away from the processed food industrial complex.

  Fast Food is a part of American culture. But that doesn’t mean it has to be unhealthy, and that we can’t make better choices. Did you know that McDonald’s used to use beef tallow to make their fries from 1940 until phasing it out in favor of seed oils in 1990? This switch was… pic.twitter.com/ygijMtsSQt

  — Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) October 21, 2024

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  According to data compiled by the National Association of Realtors, the average household income to buy a home now requires over $100k. 

  

  Housing affordability has collapsed to record lows under Biden-Harris…

  

  Power hookups and wells are extra costs. Plus, for remote workers, connecting to the internet is as easy as using a Starlink terminal.

  Tyler Durden
  Tue, 10/22/2024 – 22:10

• Health Care Is Complicated
  Health Care Is Complicated

  Authored by Jerry Rogers via RealClearHealth,

  The American healthcare system is not really one system. No, health care in the U.S. is comprised of several systems – Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, private insurance as well as myriad state and local healthcare programs. What’s more, patients have access to charity care programs and patient assistant programs. For instance, pharmaceutical manufacturers sponsor patient assistance programs (PAPs) that provide financial assistance or free product (through in-kind product donations) to low-income individuals to augment any existing prescription drug coverage.

  

  So, when you hear a politician talking about quick fixes to lower the cost of medicine, usher in a single-payer system like ‘Medicare-for-All’, or bring about an immediate free-market revolution to health care, it’s not true. There are no easy reforms or singular solutions that will impact all the layers and complications of providing greater access to health care at lower costs.

  Healthcare reform requires numerous transformations that will take time, and the willingness of both the public and private sectors to evolve. The one truth about American health care is that it’s a complete mess.

  The current health care environment demands an ‘all-of-the-above’ approach – more private-sector competition, health insurance flexibility, greater price transparency, and myriad other reforms. For instance, what are Alternative Funding Programs (AFPs) and how do they deliver medical coverage to patients?

  Businesses are desperate to remain competitive – our economy has been shattered by historic inflation, unprecedented supply-chain shortages, high interest rates, and low-cost foreign competition. AFPs could help small businesses in their efforts to stay open – and thrive. AFPs help companies reduce their health care costs by ‘offloading’ the health expenses of certain specialty medications. AFPs can do this by exploiting the pharmaceutical industry’s charitable giving – the patient assistant programs. Very simply put, AFPs help employers lower their pharmacy benefit costs. Alternative Payment Programs advocate for patients by navigating the complicated healthcare landscape of PAPS to find solutions where employer-sponsored health plans fall short.

  Millions of Americans are underinsured – they might have some form of group health plan coverage, but that coverage doesn’t adequately address their medical costs – the specialty medicines they need. Specialty drugs are high-cost prescription medications used by patients with serious, complex illnesses – for instance, patients with cancer, arthritis or MS. AFPs fill the insurance gap for the underinsured patient – an insurance gap that if not addressed leaves patients vulnerable to both serious illnesses and financial ruin.

  AFPs can help patients lacking traditional insurance; specifically, patients who are in self-funded plans that do not provide coverage for high-cost prescription medications needed to treat chronic conditions – i.e., specialty medicines. AFPs serve patients who can’t afford treatment, and patients who lack the financial means to pay for the medication out-of-pocket.

  AFPs are a growing presence impacting our healthcare systems, and their business model is provocative. The pharmaceutical industry points to how AFPs are designed to take advantage of manufacturer-sponsored PAPs, primarily for high-cost specialty medications. AFPs work by carving out specialty medicines and then using patients’ insurance status to enroll them in a manufacturer PAP. The results are health plans and employers benefit from these services by saving money on prescriptions.

  In a recent conversation with Paydhealth’s David A. Galardi (Chief Commercial Office), he described his company’s vocation with an actual client’s circumstance:

  ‘In a large school district, an employee under a group health plan needed three costly specialty medications. Without intervention, the district would have faced nearly $650,000 in annual costs. PaydHealth stepped in, reviewed the case, identified forms of assistance the individual was eligible for, and helped secure free assistance for the employee within 72 hours. This not only preserved access to the prescribed therapy but also saved the public sector employer from bearing the high costs while ensuring the patient received the necessary treatment.’

  AFPs are a part of the healthcare ether. Paydhealth’s website puts it this way: We are ‘changing the funding of specialty healthcare to re-imagine the possibilities of bringing real savings to the purchaser of health care’ – the patient

  Specialty medications account for 51% of total pharmacy spending though they are used by less than 2% of the population. Policymakers should be looking at solutions to get the right medicine to the right patient at the right time – and at the right cost. Let’s have that public discussion so patients see greater access to the medicines and treatments they need.

  AFPs, like Paydhealth, could be part of the health care fix patients deserve – addressing real problems in the healthcare space.

  Jerry Rogers is editor at RealClearPolicy and RealClearHealth. He hosts ‘The Jerry Rogers Show’ on WBAL NewsRadio 1090/FM 101.5 and the Federal Newswire’s ‘The Business of America’. Follow him on Twitter @JerryRogersShow.

  Tyler Durden
  Tue, 10/22/2024 – 21:45

• India's Modi Urges Quick 'Peaceful' End To Ukraine War In Meeting With Putin
  India’s Modi Urges Quick ‘Peaceful’ End To Ukraine War In Meeting With Putin

  On the first day of the annual BRICS summit held in Kazan, Russia – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a call for the war in Ukraine to be resolved peacefully and “quickly”.

  This is the message he conveyed directly Russian President Vladimir Putin upon the start of the three-day gathering. Putin hopes to present the BRICS alliance as the main alternative to Western hegemony.

  “We have been in constant touch over the conflict between Russia and Ukraine,” Modi told Putin, just after the two once again shared a warm embrace. “We believe that disputes should only be resolved peacefully. We totally support efforts to quickly restore peace and stability,” Modi emphasized. Russia looks anything but “isolated” during this week of hosting major heads of state.

  

  “All our efforts give priority to humanity. India is ready to provide all possible cooperation in the times to come,” the prime minister added.

  Modi had recounted upon arriving in Kazan the night prior – and as a way to highlight steady relations with Moscow despite the more than two-year long Ukraine war – that this is his second visit to Russia in just three months.

  “My two visits to Russia in the last three months reflect our close coordination and deep friendship. Our Annual Summit in Moscow in July has strengthened our cooperation in every field…In 15 years, the BRICS has created its special identity and now many countries of the world want to join it. I am looking forward to participating in the BRICS Summit tomorrow,” Modi said.

  Putin responded positively by describing that “Russian-Indian relations have the character of a particularly privileged strategic partnership and continue to actively develop.”

  Modi and Putin laugh at a joke by the Russian president…

  🇷🇺🇮🇳 “Our Relations are So Good, You Understand Without a Translator” – Putin Jokes with Modi

  A friendship between nations not lost in translation?#BRICS2024 pic.twitter.com/bQ92M1yZHB

  — RT_India (@RT_India_news) October 22, 2024

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  Other BRICS partners are likely to repeat this call for peace and de-escalation in Ukraine. Around two dozen global leaders in the Russian city, notably including Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

  Russian state sources are hailing Russia playing host to the summit:

  By hosting BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia “shows the West that it’s not isolated” and President Vladimir Putin “is no pariah,” Time Magazine reported on Tuesday.

  According to Alicia Garcia-Herrero, a senior research fellow at the Bruegel think tank who spoke to the outlet, BRICS “expansion is a clear sign that the global balance of power is shifting.”

  Top of the agenda toward this end will be discussion of and the further advancing of a BRICS-led payment system to rival the SWIFT international payment system, which President Putin has long talked about.

  Looks who’s arriving in “Isolated Russia” for the huge BRICS summit 2024

  The leaders of the biggest economies and democracies on Earth.

  Russian President Putin to hold meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian PM Modi at BRICS Summit tomorrow in Russia. pic.twitter.com/rs1OiJuD0J

  — sumit (@sumityou40) October 22, 2024

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  The conflicts breaking out in the Middle East will also be a prime topic, given Israel is still vowing to strike back at Iran for the Oct.1st ballistic missile attack, and as Lebanon comes under increasing bombardment by Israeli jets.

  Tyler Durden
  Tue, 10/22/2024 – 21:20

• The Rise Of The Humble
  The Rise Of The Humble

  Authored by Jeffrey A. Tucker via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  I’m part of a supper club that meets monthly. It was founded at the height of the lockdowns when everyone was being forced into masks and being muscled into getting the shot. This group resisted both, despite the imposing certainty of the mandates.

  

  All these years later, the community is still bonded. Friendships formed and lasted. The culture is one of deep questioning. Each meeting is replete with incredulity toward official pronouncement, a shared perception that elite opinion and elite institutions were simply wrong. And not just about COVID but about everything.

  It’s not a political group at all. Its central theme concerns the failure of conventional wisdom and all the ways in which legacy institutions preached error over several years. These days, as all polls have revealed, this view is widely held. Many of the most pressing trends of our time are about dislodging an old elite (in media, corporate life, government) and replacing them with people interested in new ways.

  I’ve noticed a common feature among many of the rising stars that are displacing the falling stars of the old elites. They are much more humble about what they know and what they do not know. They are happy to admit it. The days of “I am the science” and “We are your source of truth” seem to be ending. The guru scientist and soothsaying academic have fallen from their perches of influence.

  Replacing them is a new generation of thinkers who are happy to admit what they do not know. The other day, for example, Tucker Carlson said he often feels what is called imposter syndrome. This is the belief that every achievement is really just a lucky break, a sneaky feeling that we have temporarily pulled the wool over people’s eyes.

  It’s a humble admission, one we should all appreciate. It’s a common feeling among anyone commonly described as a genius. Even Elon Musk must feel this. Ironically, the person who believes that the moniker of genius is unjust is the person most likely to deserve it.

  The problem of constantly deciding whether we are great or terrible at what we do, toying with the belief that we are geniuses just before worrying that we will be exposed as frauds, is just part of life and a real sign of humility.

  A good example comes from an account of a man who competed as a pianist in the amateur Van Cliburn contest in the 1990s:

  “I haven’t felt this nervous before any recital and tell myself that I should be confident, having already made it through the previous rounds. But I can’t shake the fear that I’m a fraud who lucked into the finals while all the other finalists are pros, even if they’re called amateurs. An extra degree of scrutiny directed at me is attributable to the conspicuous nature of my profession [journalist], which is no consolation at the moment. Reverse psychology—I’m not a fraud, I’m a star—doesn’t help, either. Star, fraud—the only thing I conclude is that I should be focusing on the music.”

  That article appeared in 1999, and the passage above is the one that stood out to me. It signifies that search that all of us make to define a sense of precisely who we are based on our skill level and, in turn, what to expect from others in their treatment of us. Mostly, however, it works in the opposite direction. We extract information from what others around us say about us and infuse that sense into our self-perceptions.

  From little league baseball through one’s school years and all the way to professional life, the following happens to everyone. You do something amazing, and everyone sings your praises. But now you have a new problem: expectations are newly high for your performance. This is especially true if you have won or received a promotion or raise: Now you have to get out there and kill it every time, else you will be seen as undeserving.

  There’s an added problem to being perceived as a genius. Others will want to tear you down and revel in your fall. Envy is the most hidden, but most deeply dangerous of the deadly sins. Those who envy victims are almost always surprised because they were expecting their achievement to be followed by accolades and promotion, not resentment and nefarious plots. But the only way to avoid envy is intolerable: never be excellent.

  Elon faces this daily of course. But so do insurgent political candidates and newly popular media figures. The forces trying to tear them down are everywhere.

  In poor societies, this is the common and tragic response. It’s also a feature of declining societies in which ever more people have money, power, and influence who have done nothing to merit either. They owe their status to legacy and inertia, and cling to it against all winds of change.

  Today such entrenched elites exist in all sectors: the corporate world, government, academia, media, politics, nonprofits, and more. Everyone has encountered them. They are everywhere. There is a word to describe them: fakers.

  The number one fear of a faker is being found out, so every day is spent in scheming and plotting to prevent that. This is why fakers surround themselves with people who are willing to be complicit in the coverup of incompetence, i.e., “Yes men” whose main skill is nodding in agreement. For this reason, fakers breed other fakers and promote them to flood the zone of fakes in hopes of hiding for longer.

  They all develop what today is being called “testy” personalities which they deploy as tactics of intimidation, always with this habit of resenting anyone who questions their words and judgment. They are prickly because they have a grim truth to hide always: namely that they have not merited their status, title, power, or income, and possess a fraction of the abilities of the people over whom they rule.

  In the corporate world, they love calling staff meetings because fakers have learned the art of time-killing blather to cover up for their fundamental incompetence. They have nothing better to do so they call many and make them last as long as possible.

  Fakers loathe competence and punish it. They drip poison in people’s ears to stop the social and professional advancement of their betters. They drive out those with skill in an effort to avoid being shown up. In doing so, they are a source of quiet chaos all around them.

  There is really no cure for this problem. Once a professional is promoted beyond his or her competence—due to family connections, personal relationships, identity visuals, indulging and exploiting undeserved credit and praise, or whatever—there is no going back. The only possible solution, and it is ultimately a compassionate one, is full professional termination. This is because they cannot be dialed back lest they seethe with resentment and plot retribution.

  Of course that solution requires competent leadership in a position to make hard decisions, which is precisely what the fakers are working to prevent.

  In the credit-soaked, bloated, and credential-obsessed economic structures of the 21st century, fakers are everywhere. They demoralize competent employees, demotivate hard work and improvement, foment distrust within and without, and ultimately wreck and discredit whole institutions.

  The imposter syndrome, in contrast, is something felt by every truly competent person. To some extent, all reputations of geniuses are exaggerated. Despite the high reputations of the Wright Brothers, Alexander Graham Bell, and Eli Whitney, there is in fact an ongoing dispute about who was first in flight, who invented the telephone, and whether the cotton gin was actually improved much at all by Whitney’s machine.

  Historians of invention have yet to discover any innovations that were genuinely the product of a single mind. What we find again and again is the phenomenon of Multiple Discovery, with many people competing for the title of the first. It is for this reason that Nobel Prizes are increasingly given to teams of researchers. It seems more accurate to say that genius is in the air and perceived by many different people in different places, even if they have never had contact with each other.

  F.A. Hayek showed that the highest forms of intelligence do not live so much in individuals’ minds but in social processes and institutions that no single human mind can fully conceptualize. The result is an order that no man can accurately comprehend or describe, much less design. This is precisely the core of his defense of freedom in speech and action: we need this process to be adaptable to become ever smarter and more reflective of a multitude of intelligences that emerge from human action.

  Where does that leave us as individuals? All we can hope to do is precisely what the pianist quoted above says: “I should be focusing on the music.” That is to say, do the best we can on the task in which we are engaged. You will have moments of genius and moments of failure, sometimes home runs and sometimes strikeouts, good performances and bad. Knowing this is neither a complex nor a syndrome; it is the stuff of life.

  It is perfectly normal to worry that the plaudits one receives are not truly merited. The most successful musicians I’ve known are not the best; it’s just that they work harder to become successful. It’s the same with writers, scientists, engineers, or entrepreneurs. They are great because they focus on constant improvement.

  The “natural talents” among us rarely blossom because they don’t have to work at it. At the same time, seeming disabilities become abilities because they motivate us to overcome them.

  History will surely record that elite arrogance over the last four years has proven to be their undoing. In contrast, we might be watching the rise of a new generation of leaders in many fields who approach their craft with a different ethos: the humility to recognize one’s limits, a dedication to authenticity, and a passion for genuine excellence in the service of others. We can hope.

  Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times or ZeroHedge.

  Tyler Durden
  Tue, 10/22/2024 – 20:55

• IRS Unveils New Federal Income Tax Brackets For 2025
  IRS Unveils New Federal Income Tax Brackets For 2025

  The IRS on Oct. 22 unveiled the new federal income tax brackets for 2025.

  

  As The Epoch Times’ Zachary Stieber reports, each bracket was changed, including the top one.

  Single taxpayers making more than $636,350, or couples making more than $751,600, will be subject to a 37 percent tax rate.

  That’s up from $609,350, and $731,200, respectively.

  Here are the other new brackets, with the old income threshold in parentheses:

  • 35 percent tax for singles making more than $250,525 ($243,725) and married couples making more than $501,050 ($487,450)

  • 32 percent tax for singles making more than $197,300 ($191,950) and married couples making more than $394,600 ($383,900)

  • 24 percent tax for singles making more than $103,350 ($100,525) and married couples making more than $206,700 $201,050()

  • 22 percent tax for singles with incomes over $48,475 ($47,150) and married couples making more than $96,950 ($94,300)

  • 12 percent tax for singles with incomes over $11,925 ($11,600) and married couples making more than $23,850 ($23,200)

  • 10 percent tax for singles with incomes of $11,925 or less ($11,600 or less) and married couples making $23,850 or less ($23,200 or less)

  The IRS also said it is increasing the standard deduction for individuals by $400 to $15,000, and for married couples by $800 to $30,000.

  Tyler Durden
  Tue, 10/22/2024 – 20:30

• Prostate Cancer: Over-Testing And Over-Treatment
  Prostate Cancer: Over-Testing And Over-Treatment

  Authored by Bruce Davidson via The Brownstone Institute,

  The excessive medical response to the Covid pandemic made one thing abundantly clear: Medical consumers really ought to do their own research into the health issues that impact them. Furthermore, it is no longer enough simply to seek out a “second opinion” or even a “third opinion” from doctors. They may well all be misinformed or biased. Furthermore, this problem appears to predate the Covid phenomenon.

  

  A striking example of that can be found in the recent history of prostate cancer testing and treatment, which, for personal reasons, has become a subject of interest to me. In many ways, it strongly resembles the Covid calamity, where misuse of the PCR test resulted in harming the supposedly Covid-infected with destructive treatments.

  Two excellent books on the subject illuminate the issues involved in prostate cancer. One is Invasion of the Prostate Snatchers by Dr. Mark Scholz and Ralph Blum. Dr. Scholtz is executive director of the Prostate Cancer Research Institute in California. The other is The Great Prostate Hoax by Richard Ablin and Ronald Piana. Richard Ablin is a pathologist who invented the PSA test but has become a vociferous critic of its widespread use as a diagnostic tool for prostate cancer.

  Mandatory yearly PSA testing at many institutions opened up a gold mine for urologists, who were able to perform lucrative biopsies and prostatectomies on patients who had PSA test numbers above a certain level. However, Ablin has insisted that “routine PSA screening does far more harm to men than good.” Moreover, he maintains that the medical people involved in prostate screening and treatment represent “a self-perpetuating industry that has maimed millions of American men.”

  Even during approval hearings for the PSA test, the FDA was well aware of the problems and dangers. For one thing, the test has a 78% false positive rate. An elevated PSA level can be caused by various factors besides cancer, so it is not really a test for prostate cancer. Moreover, a PSA test score can spur frightened men into getting unnecessary biopsies and harmful surgical procedures.

  One person who understood the potential dangers of the test well was the chairman of the FDA’s committee, Dr. Harold Markovitz, who decided whether to approve it. He declared, “I’m afraid of this test. If it is approved, it comes out with the imprimatur of the committee…as pointed out, you can’t wash your hands of guilt. . .all this does is threaten a whole lot of men with prostate biopsy…it’s dangerous.”

  In the end, the committee did not give unqualified approval to the PSA test but only approved it “with conditions.”

  However, subsequently, the conditions were ignored.

  Nevertheless, the PSA test became celebrated as the route to salvation from prostate cancer. The Postal Service even circulated a stamp promoting yearly PSA tests in 1999. Quite a few people became wealthy and well-known at the Hybritech company, thanks to the Tandem-R PSA test, their most lucrative product.

  In those days, the corrupting influence of the pharmaceutical companies on the medical device and drug approval process was already apparent. In an editorial for the Journal of the American Medical Association (quoted in Albin and Piana’s book), Dr. Marcia Angell wrote, “The pharmaceutical industry has gained unprecedented control over the evaluation of its products…there’s mounting evidence that they skew the research they sponsor to make their drugs look better and safer.” She also authored the book The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to Do About It.

  A cancer diagnosis often causes great anxiety, but in actuality, prostate cancer develops very slowly compared to other cancers and does not often pose an imminent threat to life. A chart featured in Scholz and Blum’s book compares the average length of life of people whose cancer returns after surgery. In the case of colon cancer, they live on average two more years, but prostate cancer patients live another 18.5 years.

  In the overwhelming majority of cases, prostate cancer patients do not die from it but rather from something else, whether they are treated for it or not. In a 2023 article about this issue titled “To Treat or Not to Treat,” the author reports the results of a 15-year study of prostate cancer patients in the New England Journal of Medicine. Only 3% of the men in the study died of prostate cancer, and getting radiation or surgery for it did not seem to offer much statistical benefit over “active surveillance.”

  Dr. Scholz confirms this, writing that “studies indicate that these treatments [radiation and surgery] reduce mortality in men with Low and Intermediate-Risk disease by only 1% to 2% and by less than 10% in men with High-Risk disease.”

  Nowadays prostate surgery is a dangerous treatment choice, but it is still widely recommended by doctors, especially in Japan. Sadly, it also seems to be unnecessary. One study cited in Ablin and Piana’s book concluded that “PSA mass screening resulted in a huge increase in the number of radical prostatectomies. There is little evidence for improved survival outcomes in the recent years…”

  However, a number of urologists urge their patients not to wait to get prostate surgery, threatening them with imminent death if they do not. Ralph Blum, a prostate cancer patient, was told by one urologist, “Without surgery you’ll be dead in two years.” Many will recall that similar death threats were also a common feature of Covid mRNA-injection promotion.

  Weighing against prostate surgery are various risks, including death and long-term impairment, since it is a very difficult procedure, even with newer robotic technology. According to Dr. Scholz, about 1 in 600 prostate surgeries result in the death of the patient. Much higher percentages suffer from incontinence (15% to 20%) and impotence after surgery. The psychological impact of these side effects is not a minor problem for many men.

  In light of the significant risks and little proven benefit of treatment, Dr. Scholz censures “the urology world’s persistent overtreatment mindset.” Clearly, excessive PSA screening led to inflicting unnecessary suffering on many men. More recently, the Covid phenomenon has been an even more dramatic case of medical overkill.

  Ablin and Piana’s book makes an observation that also sheds a harsh light on the Covid medical response: “Isn’t cutting edge innovation that brings new medical technology to the market a good thing for health-care consumers? The answer is yes, but only if new technologies entering the market have proven benefit over the ones they replace.”

  That last point especially applies to Japan right now, where people are being urged to receive the next-generation mRNA innovation–the self-amplifying mRNA Covid vaccine. Thankfully, a number seem to be resisting this time.

  Tyler Durden
  Tue, 10/22/2024 – 20:05

• US Insider Selling Soars To 3 Year High As China Buybacks Surge To Record
  US Insider Selling Soars To 3 Year High As China Buybacks Surge To Record

  China may have failed once again to stabilize its moribund housing market and flagging economy, with its latest superficial attempt to stimulate consumer demand by releasing another modest trickle of overdue but insufficient monetary and fiscal stimulus measures, but it is certainly not giving up on hopes to prop up the market at almost any cost.

  Following relentless prodding from the central government, share buybacks on mainland China’s biggest exchanges have soared to a record high this year as Beijing pushes for companies to return cash to shareholders as part of its efforts to revive a flagging stock market.

  According to the FT, there have been Rmb235bn ($33bn) in buybacks across mainland-listed shares so far in 2024, more than double last year’s total and far surpassing the previous record of Rmb133bn in 2022, according to financial data provider Wind.

  

  The scramble to repurchase shares comes as China’s government unleashes its biggest round of economic stimulus since the Covid-19 pandemic, which however has again been seen as insufficient by the market. Beijing is keen to boost investor sentiment, underscoring growing urgency to restore confidence in an economy hit hard by a property sector crisis and weak consumer demand. The government is stepping up efforts to hit its year-end GDP growth target of 5%.

  While the benchmark CSI 300 index had risen as much as 20% over the past month amid Beijing’s bid to breathe new life into its equity market after years of dismal performance, it has since given up much of the gains as expectations of even more stimulus measures did not materialize.

  Goldman’s China strategist Kinger Lau argued that buybacks made “economic sense” for companies with cash to spare given how far Chinese share prices had fallen, and added that such a move could also bolster the government’s coffers when it held big stakes in companies.

  The surge in buybacks began even before the Chinese authorities announced Rmb300bn in central bank loans to fund share repurchases last week; that news however will surely supercharge the buybacks even more.

  More than 20 Chinese companies, including state oil group Sinopec, have announced share buyback plans exceeding Rmb10bn since the announcement of the central bank scheme on Friday, according to a Financial Times calculation based on exchange filings.

  Jason Bedford, a China banking analyst formerly at UBS and asset manager Bridgewater, said Beijing was seeking an equity rally by encouraging buybacks. “Clearly, the government has been pushing this throughout the year,” he said.

  Kin Chan, chief investment officer at Argyle Street Management in Hong Kong, said that China was following “a Japanese approach, which is telling companies to do share buybacks”.

  “As a stock market player, this is wonderful, but does this solve the economic problem? I have no idea,” he said.

  Meanwhile, as China is coming up with feat of financial engineering to prop up its flagging stocks in hopes of creating a virtuous wealth effect cycle, in the US insiders are doing just the opposite.

  At a time when stocks have had no shortage of buyers, as even formerly bearish hedge funds capitulate and unleash the biggest buying spree of stocks since 2021, joining retail investors and record US buybacks, all helping propel US stocks to a sixth straight up week, US company insiders are dumping in near record amounts.

  As Bloomberg notes, while business leaders were busy last week offering reassuring earnings guidance, underneath the rosy outlook was a different trend: They were selling stock… which has traditionally been a major red flag as these are the people who best know the inner workings of the companies they run.

  As shown below, a gauge of insider sentiment, one that tallies the number of sellers versus buyers, is poised to hit the highest monthly reading in more than three years, data compiled by the Washington Service show.

  

  The figures chime with various high-profile sales that have made headlines recently, including Warren Buffett’s unloading of Apple and Bank of America stock, as well as sales by Nvidia insiders, including CEO Jensen Huang.

  

  Granted, some of the exits no doubt have nothing to do with the business outlook, driven instead by the need for cash to buy a house or pay for kids’ tuition. And the stock rally has been mostly invulnerable for months amid Federal Reserve interest rate cuts and generally good tidings on the economy and earnings.

  Still, the last time the insider indicator shot up, in July, it was a precursor to market pain, with the S&P 500 subsequently falling 8%.

  Tyler Durden
  Tue, 10/22/2024 – 19:40

• Michigan Voter Rolls Claim 8.4M Voters, When There Are Less Than 8M Eligible Residents
  Michigan Voter Rolls Claim 8.4M Voters, When There Are Less Than 8M Eligible Residents

  Authored by Eric Lendrum via American Greatness,

  The voter rolls in Michigan claim that there are 8.4 million people registered to vote in the crucial swing state, even though the state’s total population is almost half a million less than that.

  

  According to the Daily Wire, the state of Michigan had previously been sued by the Republican National Committee (RNC) over the extremely inflated voter rolls, and other concerns regarding election integrity.

  But Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D-Mich.) dismissed such concerns in a statement on Wednesday, claiming with no evidence that these lawsuits “lay the groundwork to overturn the results of the election if they don’t like them.”

  “The RNC and its members are concerned that Defendants’ failure to comply with the NVRA’s voter-list maintenance obligations undermines the integrity of elections by increasing the opportunity for ineligible voters or voters intent on fraud to cast ballots,” the RNC’s lawsuit states.

  A spokeswoman for Benson’s office, Angela Benander, even admitted that there are at least 606,800 inactive voters currently on the rolls, but they will not be purged until 2027. Voters who become ineligible include those who have moved to another state, those who have mail returned from their address as “undeliverable,” and voters who do not vote in two or more consecutive federal elections.

  “The RNC relies on registration lists to estimate voter turnout, which informs the number of staff the RNC needs in a given jurisdiction, the number of volunteers needed to contact voters, and how much the RNC will spend on paid voter contacts,” the RNC’s lawsuit continued.

  “If voter registration lists include names of voters who should no longer be on the list, the RNC may spend more resources on mailers, knocking on doors, and otherwise trying to contact voters, or it may misallocate its scarce resources among different jurisdictions.”

  In total, 78 of Michigan’s 83 counties appear to have more registered voters than residents of voting age.

  The largest county in the state, Wayne County – where the city of Detroit is located – has only 1.3 million residents of voting age, but 1.4 million registered voters, according to data from the U.S. Census.

  Another example is Genessee County, with 351,000 registered voters but less than 300,000 residents.

  Tyler Durden
  Tue, 10/22/2024 – 19:15

• Polaris Warns "Challenging Retail Demand" For ATVs & Jetskis
  Polaris Warns “Challenging Retail Demand” For ATVs & Jetskis

  Polaris shares fell in premarket trading after the company, known for selling ATVs, UTVs, jet skis, and snowmobiles, posted disappointing third-quarter earnings. The company also cut its full-year earnings per share and sales forecast, citing sagging demand for outdoor vehicles due to elevated interest rates. 

  “As consumer confidence and retail demand remain challenging, we have maintained our focus on managing dealer inventory and delivering better operational efficiency,” Polaris CEO Mike Speetzen wrote in a press release. 

  

  Polaris reported sales of $1.72 billion, down 23% YoY, missing the Bloomberg estimate of $1.77 billion. Sales were down modestly in off-road vehicles, motorcycles, and pontoons. 

  Here’s a snapshot of third-quarter earnings (courtesy of Bloomberg):  

  • Sales $1.72 billion, -23% y/y, estimate $1.77 billion (Bloomberg Consensus)

  • Off Road sales $1.40 billion, -24% y/y, estimate $1.41 billion

  • On Road sales $236.5 million, -13% y/y, estimate $241.6 million

  • Marine sales $85.9 million, -36% y/y, estimate $133.7 million

  • Gross profit margin 20.6% vs. 22.6% y/y, estimate 21%

  • Cash and cash equivalents $291.3 million, -1.4% y/y, estimate $337.8 millio

  • Adjusted EPS from continuing operations 73c, estimate 89c

  Visualizing Polaris’ quarterly revenues… The cheap money era of Covid, plus folks moving out of cities to resort towns and or just rural America, sparked a massive demand for outdoor vehicles. As the Federal Reserve tightened monetary policy, which sent interest rates to the moon, affordability for these outdoor grown-up toys worsened, thus curbing demand.

  

  As a result of a challenging market, one in which high interest rates have curbed consumer spending on jetskis, RZRs, and snowmobiles, Polaris had to lower its full-year earnings per share and sales guidance:

  • Sees adjusted EPS -65%, saw -56% to -62%

  • Sees sales -20%, saw -17% to -20%

  Polaris explained more about its reasoning behind lowering its 2024 business outlook:

  The company updated its 2024 sales outlook to be down approximately 20 percent relative to 2023 versus its previous outlook of down 17 to 20 percent relative to 2023. The company now expects adjusted diluted EPS attributed to Polaris Inc. common shareholders to be down approximately 65 percent relative to 2023 versus the prior outlook of down 56 to 62 percent.

  In markets, Polaris shares in New York are down 7%. On the year, shares are down 15% (as of Monday’s close). Shares are hovering at levels last seen since right before the Covid crash. 

  

  Also, watch MasterCraft Boat, MarineMax, Camping World, Brunswick, and Malibu Boats. 

  Polaris is a proxy of consumer health. Certainly, high interest rates and elevated inflation have crimped demand for ATVs, UTVs, and jet skis. The broad theme here is that a consumer slowdown continues to worsen. 

  Tyler Durden
  Tue, 10/22/2024 – 18:50

• 'Central Park Five' Sue Trump Over Debate Remarks
  ‘Central Park Five’ Sue Trump Over Debate Remarks

  Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times,

  Five men cleared of rape charges sued former President Donald Trump on Oct. 21, arguing he defamed them with comments he made at a recent presidential debate.

  

  Trump said during the September debate with Vice President Kamala Harris that the so-called Central Park Five “pled guilty” and that they “badly hurt a person” and “killed a person, ultimately.”

  The new suit, filed in federal court in Pennsylvania, states that those remarks are defamatory because the five men were never accused of nor convicted of killing anyone.

  The plaintiffs say Trump made the comments negligently, either with the knowledge that they were false or with reckless disregard as to their falsity.

  “Defendant Trump’s conduct at the September 10 debate was extreme and outrageous, and it was intended to cause severe emotional distress to Plaintiffs,” the suit states.

  Juries in 1990 convicted Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown, and Korey Wise of rape and other charges. They had pleaded not guilty, after they admitted to participating in a night of criminal activity, including assault and robbery, in Central Park on April 19, 1989.

  Some of the then-teenagers said they had assaulted or sexually touched a jogger Trisha Meili and implicated others in raping her.

  The five, two weeks after their confessions, had recanted their statements, saying that they were allegedly coerced by police into giving false confessions in the case.

  Matias Reyes, a convicted rapist, a decade later confessed to raping Meili on the evening of April 19.

  Investigators confirmed the details offered by Reyes.

  Prosecutors told a state court the convictions against the five males should be vacated, because their confessions linking the five to related crimes were obtained under duress after hours of questioning and without the presence of their guardians or legal counsel.

  A judge in 2002 vacated the five men’s convictions based on the newly discovered evidence.

  A New York Police Department report later concluded that while DNA and other evidence supported Reyes’s story, there was “nothing but his uncorroborated word that he did so alone.” It said that the men “more likely than not” took part in Reyes’s assault of Meili.

  “The new DNA evidence … does not assist in determining whether the defendants were present during the attack on the jogger,” it said.

  Trump, who paid for an advertisement in 1989 calling for the five to be put to death, was responding during the debate after Harris highlighted his involvement with the case.

  “This is the same individual who took out a full-page ad in The New York Times calling for the execution of five young Black and Latino boys who were innocent, the Central Park Five,” she said.

  Trump then offered his response and said that Harris “has to stretch back years, 40, 50 years ago because there’s nothing now.”

  In 2019, when asked if he would apologize to the five men, Trump told reporters that “They admitted their guilt.”

  Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Trump’s campaign, told news outlets that the filing “is just another frivolous election interference lawsuit filed by desperate left-wing activists in an attempt to distract the American people from Kamala Harris’s dangerously liberal agenda and failing campaign.”

  Tyler Durden
  Tue, 10/22/2024 – 18:25

• McWeaponized: CDC Unveils E.coli Outbreak In Quarter-Pounders, Day After Trump Photo-Op
  McWeaponized: CDC Unveils E.coli Outbreak In Quarter-Pounders, Day After Trump Photo-Op

  There’s no such thing as coincidence in Washington…

  A day after former President Trump ventured into a McDonalds during a campaign stop, cooked some fries, and handed out some food to more-than-happy customers in a photo-op that went very viral (in a good way), the CDC issued a statement announcing an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders has left one person dead and caused 10 hospitalizations.

  There are 49 cases across 10 states, with most illneses in Colorado and Nebraska (not where president Trump was)…

  E. COLI OUTBREAK: CDC is investigating 49 illnesses in 10 states linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers. If you ate a Quarter Pounder hamburger from McDonald’s and have severe symptoms of E. coli, contact your healthcare provider. https://t.co/g87itkupCQ pic.twitter.com/gHzUKCnTi9

  — CDC (@CDCgov) October 22, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  “This is a fast-moving outbreak investigation. Most sick people are reporting eating Quarter Pounder hamburgers from McDonald’s and investigators are working quickly to confirm which food ingredient is contaminated,” the CDC’s alert said.

  “McDonald’s has pulled ingredients for these burgers, and they won’t be available for sale in some states,” the CDC said.

  “McDonald’s reported to CDC that it has stopped using fresh slivered onions and quarter pound beef patties in several states,” the CDC said.

  The announcement of the outbreak sent MCD shares down 10% in the after-market (before bouncing back a little)…

  

  The timing of the sudden share-price-crushing contagion comes after McDonald’s corporate office dared to actually accept and welcome ‘hitler, stalin, and mussolini’ into their fast-food joint.

  In an email to employees that was seen by The Epoch Times, the company said that its “brand has been a fixture of conversation this election cycle” and that “we’ve not sought this” but is a “testament to how much McDonald’s resonates with so many Americans.”

  “McDonald’s does not endorse candidates for elected office and that remains true in this race for the next President,” McDonald’s said in the statement, dated Oct. 21. “We are not red or blue—we are golden.”

  The company said that Trump’s visit to a Pennsylvania McDonald’s location was handled locally by a franchise operator.

  “Upon learning of the former President’s request, we approached it through the lens of one of our core values: we open our doors to everyone,” the company said.

  And, in case you thought we over-reached here, this is how the New York Times decide to cover this Trump photo-op…

  

  Yes, that is right – they allegedly asked MCD employees if Trump did a good job!?

  When it was time to bag the order, he asked a woman at the drive-through what they did when a customer wanted more salt.

  “I love salt,” he said, as he shook some onto golden potatoes.

  Then, after spilling some, he paused to throw some over his shoulder in a nod to superstition, a seconds-long gesture that would have most likely been unappreciated by efficiency-loving managers had Mr. Trump been any other employee.

  And remember, Kamala worked there too… according to a friend…

  

  Finally, nothing would shock us more than if Jack Smith stepped in to probe Trump’s cleanliness…

  Trump about to be arrested for the 5th time? https://t.co/kDLynBNafz

  — zerohedge (@zerohedge) October 22, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  McWeaponized!!

  Tyler Durden
  Tue, 10/22/2024 – 18:00

• Mexico Escalates Its War On Obesity By Declaring National Ban On Junk Food Sales In Schools
  Mexico Escalates Its War On Obesity By Declaring National Ban On Junk Food Sales In Schools

  Authored by Nick Corbishley via Naked Capitalism,

  Mexico is the leading consumer of soft drinks in the world with an average consumption of 163 litres per person per year – 40% more than the US in second place. Child and adult obesity are off the charts. 

  

  Yesterday (Oct. 21), while Donald Trump was causing a stir by donning a McDonald’s uniform for the cameras and frying some fries, Mexico’s new Secretary of Public Education, Mario Delgado, announced the launch of a new nationwide program that is unlikely to be replicated north of the border any time soon. The goal of the program, titled “Vida Saludable” (Healthy Life), is to improve the nutrition and overall health of Mexican school children amid an epidemic of child obesity and diabetes.

  The program, enacted by the now-former AMLO administration on September 29, has four main pillars: prevent the sale of ultra-processed food and sugary drinks in school settings; promote the consumption of natural drinking water through the provision of water fountains; train educators in healthy nutrition; and promote sports and physical activity. The Claudia Sheinbaum government, still in its maiden month in office, has said it will also train the heads of school cooperatives to sell fruits, vegetables and seasonal foods.

  A Six-Month Deadline

  “Vida Saludable” will become mandatory for all state schools at all levels of the national education system on March 29. Schools will have just six months to end all sales of foods and drinks that have at least one health warning label from their snack stands, or their administrators could face steep fines.

  Of course, many children bring food from home, but the government says it has no intention of sanctioning parents who put junk food in their children’s lunchboxes. Instead, it will focus on explaining the harmful effects of these foods and the importance of eating a balanced diet.

  Implementing “Vida Saludable” is likely to be difficult, however. At most of Mexico’s 255,000 public schools, free drinking water is not available to students. Since 2020, only 4% of them have managed to install drinking fountains. There are also doubts about how the government will enforce the ban on the pavements outside schools, where vendors set up stalls of goods to sell to kids at breaktime. This being Mexico, one can expect a lively black market in comida chattara to spring up in many schools. Enterprising students will no doubt get rich.

  Nonetheless, drastic steps are necessary to combat Mexico’s soaring levels of child obesity and diabetes. An estimated 5.7 Mexican million children between the ages of 5 and 11 and 10.4 million adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19 are overweight or obese. In addition, an estimated 7 out of 10 schoolchildren and 5 out of 10 adolescents are physically inactive, which further aggravates the country’s public health crisis.

  Mexico’s secretary of education blames these trends on the “high consumption of sugars”, the lack of physical activity and the food policies of previous governments, driven primarily by the profit-maximising needs of the food industry:

  “In the neoliberal era they were not concerned about this situation — on the contrary, the sale of these products was promoted and there were even campaigns against hunger promoted by the companies that produce these junk foods. The neoliberal model turned rights such as education, health and food into merchandise.”

  The Role of NAFTA

  In Mexico, obesity reached epidemic proportions after it joined NAFTA with the United States and Canada in the early 1990s, making processed food more easily available. As the New York Times reported in a 2017 investigation, the commercial opening of North America turbocharged the growth of convenience stores and US-owned fast food restaurants on Mexican soil. In addition, trade liberalisation allowed “cheap corn, meat, high-fructose corn syrup, and processed foods” from the United States to flood into Mexico.

  Diets quickly changed as many people, particularly those on lower incomes, replaced largely healthy traditional staples (corn tortilla, frijoles, Jamaica Water…) with highly processed alternatives (hotdogs, nuggets, sodas…). Granted, prior to NAFTA Mexico was already home to a burgeoning junk food industry, but what came after was on a whole different scale.

  Mexico is now the leading consumer of soft drinks in the world with an average consumption of 163 litres per person per year — 40% more than the US in second place, with 118 litres, according to a 2022 study from the University of Yale. Incredibly, there is one state in the country that consumes Coca Cola in per-capita volumes five times higher than the national average and 32 times higher than the global average: Chiapas, Mexico’s poorest state.

  “It is the epicentre of the epidemic of soft drink consumption,” Dr. Marcos Arana, a researcher at the Salvador Zubirán National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition, told BBC Mundo:

  Soft drinks are already an essential part of daily life in this state, especially in the Los Altos region of Chiapas, where the majority of its population is indigenous and rural…

  “The availability and advertising of something so cheap is so great and omnipresent in Chiapas in the face of vulnerable populations that they have created an addiction that is seen as a necessity,” Arana says.

  “Residents told me that before the road to Tenejapa arrived, there was no diabetes or cardiovascular problems there. That all began when the road arrived in town and the soft drinks, the chips…”, says Jaime Page Pliego, anthropologist and co-author of the study.

  Local organizations such as the Centre for Training in Ecology and Health for Peasants (CCESC), which Arana directs, point to the “aggressive” commercial practices of soft drink companies and the easy accessibility of their products in the area as the main drivers of this excessive consumption.

  “Coca-Cola is the most available product in Los Altos, you have to walk the farther to buy tortillas or anything else. The number of points of sale is excessive, without any control, and with prices reduced by up to 30%,” says Arana.

  As sugar consumption in Mexico has soared, waistlines have exploded. In the past 20 years the number of obese and overweight people has tripled, with a staggering 75% of the population and 35% of the child population now overweight. In addition to obesity, the change in diet has contributed to diabetes becoming the second leading cause of death, after heart disease and ahead of cancer. In 2016, a state of epidemiological emergency was declared in the country due to the high rates of obesity and diabetes.

  Food Labelling, Bans on Cartoon Food Packaging…

  “Vida Saludable” is not the first step Mexico’s government has taken to try to improve Mexicans’ food habits. In October 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMLO government passed one of the strictest food labelling laws on the planet. From that date, all soft drinks cans and bottles, bags of chips and other processed food packages must bear black octagonal labels warning of “EXCESS SUGAR”, “EXCESS CALORIES”, “EXCESS SODIUM”  or “EXCESS TRANS FATS” — all in big bold letters that are impossible to miss.

  Today, more than half of Mexican food and beverage products have a nutritional warning label — more than any other country in Latin America. The government also banned cartoon food packaging aimed at children.

  Mexico has prohibited cartoon mascots on unhealthy food aimed at kids. See the difference? pic.twitter.com/JYgmDh9fLu

  — El Susto (@ElSustoMovie) June 23, 2021

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  Big Food lobbies tried to block both of these measures, of course — just as they will no doubt try to block “Vida Saludable”. The Interamerican Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property and the Mexican Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property complained that food labelling was unconstitutional and violated the provisions that Mexico had signed at the international level such as the North American Free Trade Agreement — a tactic that has apparently been used in other jurisdictions where food labelling laws have been passed.

  For almost four years the lawsuits dragged on. Of the more than 100 injunctions filed by companies like Coca-Cola Femsa, PepsiCo, Group Bimbo, Hershey’s, Santa Clara, Herdez, Alimentos del Fuerte, Nutrisa and McCormick, three reached the second chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN), which, to its credit, ruled – by unanimous vote – that front-of-pack labelling for food and non-alcoholic beverages is a valid measure that protects people’s health and consumers’ right to information.

  The first country in Latin America to really begin tackling the public’s addiction to junk food, sugary drinks and ultra processed foods was Chile. In 2016, it passed a strict food labelling law. Like Mexico, it has also also limited cartoon food packaging, prevented schools from selling unhealthy foods, restricted TV adverts, and banned promotional toys. Over the next two years, sugary drink sales in Chile fell by 23%. According to one study, the labels reduced the likelihood of people choosing sugary breakfast cereals by 11% and sugary juices by almost 24%.

  As I wrote in 2020 for WOLF STREET, it was one of the worst possible nightmares for the junk food industry. The fact that Chile, with its population of around 20 million people, was doing it was bad enough. The prospect of something similar transpiring in Mexico, a country with a population almost seven times larger than Chile and that consumes more processed food than any other country in Latin America and more soda on a per-capita basis than any country on the planet, unnerved global food and beverage companies:

  The United States, EU, Canada and Switzerland, home to some of the world’s biggest food companies, tried to pause or derail the new legislation. But to no avail. The arrival of Covid-19, which has proven to be particularly lethal to people with three comorbidities — obesity, diabetes, and hypertension — has strengthened the government’s case and resolve.

  The [government’s labelling laws] have raised concerns that [it] is overstepping its bounds. The business lobby group Coparmex said that banning the sale of junk food and sugary drinks to minors represents a frontal attack on commercial freedom and freedom of choice. It will also have serious economic consequences for businesses in the retail sector. But those consequences are dwarfed by the economic and health impact of widespread obesity.

  Since 2020, many other countries in Latin America have introduced strict front-of-package food labelling laws, including Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Colombia. According to the Mexican online news website Sin Embargo, the labelling legislation in Mexico has had two main visible effects: the first is the reformulation of products by companies such as Bimbo, Nestlé and Kellogg’s, in an attempt to lower the concentration of ingredients that have excess sugar, fat or sodium. The second is the testimonials of consumers who claim to have reduced their consumption of products that bear health warnings on their packaging.

  A study published in June in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity suggests that the policy appears to be bearing fruit (pun intended). The study’s authors asked people aged 14 or over to self-report any perceived changes in their shopping habits a year after the food labelling law came into effect. More than a third of young people and almost half of adults said the labelling system had led them to reduce their purchase of various unhealthy foods. In addition, adults who reported higher water intake and lower consumption of sugary drinks said the main reason for this decision was food labelling.

  Is it any surprise that the junk food industry spent years furiously lobbying in Mexico’s Congress to block the introduction of strict and clear front-of-package food labels, and once they were finally introduced spent another four years trying to get them overturned? The lobbies will no doubt try to do the same with Mexico’s “Vida Saludable” program, just as the US’ corn and GMO lobbies are using ISDS to try to prevent Mexico from banning the use of GMO corn for direct human consumption. It is no easy task for a country to mend its eating ways these days, especially if its direct neighbour is the US of A.

  Tyler Durden
  Tue, 10/22/2024 – 17:40

• WTI Holds Gains After API Reports Crude Build, Product Draws
  WTI Holds Gains After API Reports Crude Build, Product Draws

  Oil prices rallied for a second straight day, erasing some of last week’s ugly losses, with prices supported by some upbeat prospects for Chinese demand and ongoing concerns that the Middle Eastern conflict will threaten crude flows from the region.

  “We’re seeing a constant push-pull between expectations of a cease-fire — which would unwind the geopolitical risk premium — and concerns over potential escalation,” said Rebecca Babin, senior energy trader at CIBC Private Wealth Group.

  “This environment remains highly volatile, with traders operating under low risk thresholds, contributing to significant price swings.”

  While hurricane-related effects are likely still impacting the overall data, traders are looking for any signs of real demand picking up…

  API

  • Crude +1.64mm (+800k exp)

  • Cushing -216k

  • Gasoline -2.02mm (-1.3mm exp)

  • Distillates -1.48mm (-1.6mm exp)

  While crude stocks rose (more than expected), products saw sizable drawdowns and the Cushing hub saw a return to drawdowns…

  

  Source: Bloomberg

  WTI was trading around $71.50 ahead of the API print and limped lower after…

  

  Crude has been buffeted this month – with Brent fluctuating in a range of more than $11 – as the war in the Middle East raises the potential for disruptions to supplies.

  “Assuming no supply disruptions in the Middle East, the oil balance looks increasingly comfortable through 2025,” ING analysts Ewa Manthey and Warren Patterson wrote in a note.

  “With the market returning to a sizable surplus, we should at least see the front end of the curve moving into contango,” they said, referring to the market structure which indicates oversupply.

  At the same time, top importer China has moved to support growth with stimulus, but investors remain wary that the global oil market may swing to a surplus in the coming quarters.

  Tyler Durden
  Tue, 10/22/2024 – 17:20

• Record High Gold Price Signals "Fragmenting Global System"; El-Erian Warns
  Record High Gold Price Signals “Fragmenting Global System”; El-Erian Warns

  Authored by Mohammed El-Erian

  Something strange has happened to the price of gold over the past year.

  

  In setting one record level after the other, it seems to have decoupled from its traditional historical influencers, such as interest rates, inflation and the dollar. Moreover, the consistency of its rise stands in contrast to fluctuations in pivotal geopolitical situations.

  Gold’s “all-weather” characteristic signals something that goes beyond economics, politics and higher-frequency geopolitical developments. It captures an increasingly persistent behavioural trend among China and “middle power” countries, as well as others. And it is a trend that the west should be paying greater attention to.

  Over the past 12 months, the price of an ounce of gold on international markets has increased from $1,947 to $2,715, a gain of almost 40 per cent.

  Interestingly, this march up in price has been relatively linear, with any pullback attracting more buyers.

  It has occurred despite some wild swings in expected policy rates, a wide fluctuation band for benchmark US yields, falling inflation and currency volatility.

  

  Some may be tempted to dismiss gold’s performance as part of a more general increase in asset prices that, for example, has seen the US S&P index gain about 35 per cent in the past 12 months.

  Yet that correlation itself is unusual. Others will attribute it to the risk of military conflicts that have seen so many innocent civilians lose their lives and livelihoods, together with massive destruction of infrastructure. Yet the price journey suggests that there may well be a lot more going on.

  Consistent foreign central bank purchases have been an important driver of gold’s strength. Such buying seems not just related to the desire of many to gradually diversify their reserve holdings away from significant dollar dominance despite America’s “economic exceptionalism”. There is also interest in exploring possible alternatives to the dollar-based payments system that has been at the core of the international architecture for some 80 years.

  Ask why this is happening and you will normally get an answer that mentions a general loss in confidence in America’s management of the global order and two specific developments.

  You will hear about America’s weaponisation of trade tariffs and investment sanctions, together with its reduced interest in the rule-based, co-operative multilateral system that it played a pivotal role in designing 80 years ago.

  You will also hear about Russia’s ability to continue to trade and grow its economy despite some of the country’s banks being ejected in 2022 from Swift, the international system that governs the vast majority of cross-border payments. It has done this by creating a clunky trade and payments alternative system that involves a handful of other countries. While inefficient and costly, this allowed Russia to bypass the dollar and maintain a core set of international economic and financial relations.

  Then there is the aspect related to the conflict in the Middle East where the US is viewed by many as an inconsistent backer of both fundamental human rights and the application of international law.

  This perception has been amplified by how the US has shielded its main ally from a response to actions widely condemned in the international community.

  

  What is at stake here is not just the erosion of the dollar’s dominant role but also a gradual change in the operation of the global system.

  No other currency or payment system is able and willing to displace the dollar at the core of the system and there is a practical limit to reserve diversification. But an increasing number of little pipes are being built to go around this core; and a growing number of countries are interested and increasingly involved.

  What has been happening to the gold price is not just unusual in terms of traditional economic and financial influences.

  It also goes beyond strict geopolitical influences to capture a broader phenomenon which is building secular momentum.

  As it develops deeper roots, this risks materially fragmenting the global system and eroding the international influence of the dollar and the US financial system. That would have an impact on the US’s ability to inform and influence outcomes, and undermine its national security.

  It is a phenomenon that western governments should pay more attention to. And it is one where there is still time to course-correct, though not as much as some would hope.

  Tyler Durden
  Tue, 10/22/2024 – 17:00

• Xi, Putin Hail Ties As Advancing 'Fair World Order' Amid 'Chaos' Sown By Western Hegemony
  Xi, Putin Hail Ties As Advancing ‘Fair World Order’ Amid ‘Chaos’ Sown By Western Hegemony

  Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have discussed the Ukraine war and other global issues at a meeting on the sidelines of the 16th annual BRICS Summit being held in the Russian city of Kaza, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has confirmed. Peskov hailed the bilateral meeting as “very open” and “constructive”.

  Tuesday marked the third time Putin and Xi have met face-to-face this year. But this is perhaps the most symbolic, as the BRICS forum is the biggest which presents an alternative to a Western-led world order. This was precisely a theme of Putin’s opening remarks in the Xi meeting: “Russian-Chinese cooperation in global affairs is one of the main stabilizing factors on the world stage,” he said.

  He then presented that close Moscow-Beijing ties represents the ideal of “a fair world order”—which has been a theme of Beijing’s as well of late when commenting on the imbalance of ‘Western hegemony’.

  

  “We intend to further increase coordination at all multilateral platforms in order to ensure global security and a fair world order,” Putin said.

  Xi introduced his own statements to Putin by describing that “in the context of a tectonic transformation unprecedented in centuries, the international situation is undergoing serious changes and upheavals.” He hailed positive Russia ties in a “chaotic” world.

  “But this cannot shake my conviction… in the inviolability of the deep centuries-old friendship between our countries and the inviolability of the sense of duty of China and Russia as great powers,” Xi added, based on the Kremlin transcript.

  The Chinese president said the two “explored a correct way for neighboring major powers to coexist without forming alliances, engaging in confrontation or targeting third parties” – Xinhua later added of the exchange, in what seemed an indirect swipe at NATO.

  Various Western officials and media reports have sought to downplay or even mock BRICS, but journalist Glenn Greenwald explained the following Tuesday, writing on X: “There’s Western skepticism and even mockery that this huge confederation of countries — united over perceived abuses of US/EU sanctions — could create a non-dollar system.” He continued…

  While many people in the West believe that Russia/Putin are “isolated” – because their media tells them that — two dozen world leaders are in Russia now for a 3-day BRICS conference. BRICS itself includes the two most-populous countries and 4 of the top 10 most populous.

  Beyond the founding 5 (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), it expanded to 5 more (including key US “partners” Egypt, UAE and maybe Saudi). They “account for 45% of the global population” and 28% of global economy. Key goal: a financial system independent of US dollar.

  There’s Western skepticism and even mockery that this huge confederation of countries — united over perceived abuses of US/EU sanctions — could create a non-dollar system. @TheEconomist takes it seriously.

  Either way, this is not “isolation” of Putin:https://t.co/I1poHWH27R

  — Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) October 22, 2024

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  Greenwald also noted that “these countries aren’t sending emissaries or diplomats. They’re sending their top leaders. Brazil’s President Lula was long scheduled to attend, but the 78-year-old fell in the bathroom and sustained a serious head injury this week, so he couldn’t go.”

  Tyler Durden
  Tue, 10/22/2024 – 16:40

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• NATO's Response To Russian Attack On The Baltics Could Take Days And Devastate Lithuania, War Simulation Shows
  NATO’s Response To Russian Attack On The Baltics Could Take Days And Devastate Lithuania, War Simulation Shows

  Authored by Thomas Brooke via Remix News,

  A recent war simulation reported by the German newspaper Bild has modeled the potential fallout from a Russian attack on NATO’s eastern flank, specifically targeting the Baltic states.

  

  The simulation, which explores the implications of such a conflict, highlights a worst-case scenario where NATO’s response could be delayed, leaving Lithuania and its neighbors vulnerable to a Russian advance.

  The computer-simulated wargame, developed with input from former U.S. Army Europe commander Ben Hodges and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Philip Breedlove, envisions an attack taking place in 2027, with Russian forces launching assaults from Belarus and the Kaliningrad region, swiftly moving to occupy parts of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

  The focus of the attack would be the strategically significant Suwałki Corridor, a 100-kilometer stretch of land connecting Kaliningrad to Belarus.

  Often dubbed “the most dangerous place on the planet,” this corridor could be used to cut off the Baltic states from the rest of NATO.

  The simulation suggests that NATO’s Article 5 – the alliance’s collective defense clause – could take several days to activate, causing delays in mobilizing support.

  As a result, Lithuania and the other Baltic states would need to face Russian forces alone for up to 10 days before NATO could deliver significant reinforcements to the region.

  During this period, NATO’s German brigade stationed in Lithuania, expected to number 5,000 troops and 44 Leopard 2 tanks by 2027, would play a crucial role.

  In the simulation, German tanks eventually halted the Russian advance within three days of deployment.

  “We need to buy as much time as possible,” explained General Breedlove.

  “First there will be air support, then the fleet, and then heavy ground troops. It would be necessary to hold positions until the arrival of large NATO forces,” he noted.

  Despite successful resistance, the damage to Lithuania would be severe, with the country left partially occupied and devastated by the end of the conflict.

  Thousands of fatalities on both sides would also be recorded in a ferocious few days of fighting.

  Read more here…

  Tyler Durden
  Tue, 10/22/2024 – 02:00

• The Left Falsely Portrays Disinformation As The Right's Monopoly
  The Left Falsely Portrays Disinformation As The Right’s Monopoly

  Authored by Peter Berkowitz via RealClearPolitics,

  On an Oct. 13 MSNBC broadcast with anchor Jen Psaki, Democratic strategist – and former political advisor to President Bill Clinton – James Carville denounced Donald Trump for putting “the entire Constitution in jeopardy.” Carville offered a concrete example of the right’s subversion of American freedom and democracy: “The Supreme Court and Clarence Thomas have totally greenlighted the idea that you could round up, use the military to round up your political enemies.” A former political advisor to Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Psaki replied with a smile, “We love the truth telling.”

  

  Carville and Psaki are typical. The left often portrays itself as the rigorous defender of truth against relentless right-wing disinformation while resolutely promoting progressive disinformation, including the falsehood that disinformation is a distinctively right-wing phenomenon.

  Small wonder that Carville did not elaborate on his extraordinary accusation, and that Psaki did not ask why he singled out Justice Thomas or how the Supreme Court authorized the rounding up of political enemies. Perhaps Carville had in mind the court’s holding last July in Trump v. United States “that the President is absolutely immune from criminal prosecution for conduct within his exclusive sphere of constitutional authority.” But the Constitution does not give the president authority to round up political enemies.

  Did Carville glibly attack Trump and did Psaki politely play along? Did partisan rage distort Carville’s judgment as well as Psaki’s? Did Carville resolve to assert – and Psaki to endorse – whatever it takes, including nightmare scenarios, to protect democracy from Trump?

  It is hard to read hearts and minds. But one can confidently affirm that deceiving about politics is as old as politics.

  Circumstances change. Regimes come and go. Empires rise and fall. Parties win and lose. Yet even as modernization and technology revolutionize human affairs by generating material abundance, destabilizing settled expectations, and eroding inherited understandings, human beings remain social and political animals. Individuals need one another’s company and cooperation while – given diverse backgrounds, disposition, abilities, and interests – differing over what is useful, just, and good. Some strive to exercise power over others while most try to minimize the power that others exercise over them. Through it all, passion and prejudice constantly buffet everyone’s reasoning, and auspicious opportunities and dire predicaments tempt even the virtuous to portray the facts as other than they are.

  No doubt novel opportunities abound today for promulgating lies and disseminating the family of departures from the truth that human beings routinely produce, distribute, consume, and rail against. In particular, the Internet, digital communications, and social media have facilitated the acquisition and transmission of immense amounts of information. This has greatly increased the quantity and accelerated the velocity of casual errors, self-deceptions, well-meaning half-truths, fraudulently marketed opinions and ideas, and outright lies that swirl through political culture.

  Both right and left in America partake of the free-for-all of duplicity – often crude, occasionally artful – that plagues American politics. There is, however, an asymmetry.

  Both sides insist that the other is exclusively at fault for the decay of public discourse. But the left controls the commanding heights of education, mainstream and social media, and government bureaucracy.

  The left’s false contention that the right exercises a monopoly on manipulation, deceit, and falsehood is particularly damaging because the left amplifies its accusation through domination of the nation’s communication, elite opinion formation, and rule-making and law-enforcement institutions. This substantial advantage in the struggle to shape public opinion encourages the left’s sense of superiority while blinding progressives to their own intellectual subterfuges and ideological swindles. It also foments outrage on the right. Conservatives justify their extreme statements and outrageous claims as playing by progressives’ rules.

  Atlantic staff writer Charlie Warzel recently illustrated the left’s propensity to wrongly present disinformation as a specifically right-wing pathology. Author of “Galaxy Brain,” The Atlantic’s newsletter “about technology, media, and big ideas,” Warzel argues in “I’m Running Out of Ways to Explain How Bad This Is” that an unprecedented assault on truth has “been building for more than a decade.” The crisis stems, he maintains, from a calamitous combination of right-wing extremism and digital technology that breaks reality into two – a world of truth inhabited by the left and a world of “dark” falsehoods that the right creates, outfits, and calls home.

  “This reality-fracturing is the result of an information ecosystem that is dominated by platforms that offer financial and attentional incentives to lie and enrage, and to turn every tragedy and large event into a shameless content-creation opportunity,” writes Warzel. “This collides with a swath of people who would rather live in an alternate reality built on distrust and grievance than change their fundamental beliefs about the world.”

  Warzel would have placed his analysis of just how badly political discourse in America has deteriorated on much sounder footing if he had recognized that the left also employs digital technology to fabricate and maintain a separate world. In the left’s alternative reality, the remorseless siege of systemic racism, sexism, and other sinister forms of oppression obliges progressives to abandon basic requirements of evidence and argument to rally the faithful and save the nation and the world.

  Responses to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, maintains Warzel, have set a new low. “Even in a decade marred by online grifters, shameless politicians, and an alternative right-wing-media complex pushing anti-science fringe theories,” he writes, “the events of the past few weeks stand out for their depravity and nihilism.” He gives chilling examples careening around the Internet of harebrained conspiracy theories about government malfeasance and implausible stories of official neglect, or deliberate disregard, of storm victims that have delayed the delivery of essential government services. These remind that people can easily dupe others and be duped, especially when hurricane season coincides with election season, and individuals are armed with smart phones and social media accounts, and distrust elite institutions.

  Warzel is rightly alarmed that “Americans are divided not just by political beliefs but by whether they believe in a shared reality – or desire one at all.” But his one-sided analysis inadvertently underscores that fault for the splintering of America does not lie solely with Trump and his backers.

  Or even primarily.

  Yes, Jan. 6, 2021, was a disgrace. Yes, right-wing rhetoric can be ridiculous, ominous, and vile. And yes, right-wing activists also exploit the Internet to stoke grievance and stir up resentment and rage.

  Still, progressives tend to neglect that Trump and his voters have reasons, accumulating for decades, for distrusting institutions fundamental to the nation’s security, prosperity, and freedom and dominated by progressives: universities, the mainstream media and social media, and the federal bureaucracy.

  Contrary to the common view on the left that Trump inaugurated a war on truth, our universities have for at least two generations sought to emancipate students from the traditional understanding that higher education’s purpose is to pursue knowledge and cultivate independent minds. Instead, through a succession of intellectual fashions and fads – including positivism, relativism, postmodernism, deconstruction, multiculturalism, identity politics, and intersectionality – universities have fostered the incoherent and partisan belief that since moral values are socially constructed, progressive policies must prevail.

  Meanwhile, our progressive media – mainstream and social – and our progressive federal bureaucracy have collaborated to promote progressive national narratives by censoring opinions that challenge the progressive perspective and weaponizing the law against those who oppose progressivism’s hegemony.

  The most egregious such collaboration revolved around the charge – widely presented as established fact by the press, defeated candidate Hillary Clinton, and elected Democratic officials and progressive intellectuals – that Donald Trump conspired with Russia to steal the 2016 election. This weighed down President Trump and hampered his administration. Yet after a two-year investigation, Special Counsel Robert Mueller, whose team contained several experienced and high-powered Democratic lawyers, issued a lengthy report stating that the investigation “did not establish that the Trump campaign coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.”

  Another disreputable collaboration to advance progressive ends sought to push Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden over the finish line in November 2020. A few weeks before the election, the New York Post accurately reported that a laptop containing incriminating evidence belonged to Joe Biden’s son Hunter. The mainstream media, social media, and the FBI censored the Post’s reporting while disseminating the falsehood that the computer was a product of Russian disinformation.

  A third major collaboration occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. The New York Times and the Washington Post derided the notion that the virus leaked from a Chinese lab, which it likely did, and government officials, led by Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Francis Collins, suppressed the lab-leak hypothesis. In addition, the mainstream media, social media, and federal government teamed up to discredit and silence those who raised questions about the efficacy of masks, lockdowns, and vaccines.

  To do their share to arrest the splintering of America, progressives must do more than profess their love of the truth. They must act like they mean it.

  Peter Berkowitz is the Tad and Dianne Taube senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. From 2019 to 2021, he served as director of the Policy Planning Staff at the U.S. State Department. His writings are posted at PeterBerkowitz.com and he can be followed on X @BerkowitzPeter.

  Tyler Durden
  Mon, 10/21/2024 – 23:25

• Hurricane Helene's Political Disaster
  Hurricane Helene’s Political Disaster

  Authored by Ryan Bonifay via RealClearPolitics,

  Hurricane Helene devastated large swaths of western North Carolina, with entire towns wiped away or forever altered. The human disaster will be felt for decades. But there’s another impending disaster no one is talking about – a political one.

  

  North Carolina is a perennial swing state with a penchant for split-ticket voting. In 2020, Donald Trump won the state by less than 1.5 percentage points. In 2008, Barack Obama clinched the state for the Democrats by a mere 14,000 votes out of 4.3 million votes. This year, North Carolina is once again a battleground state, with both political parties spending hundreds of millions of dollars, and both presidential nominees are spending significant time here. In the Tar Heel State, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are literally fighting for every single vote.

  But Hurricane Helene didn’t just wipe out towns. It may also wipe out people’s right to vote. Tens of thousands of voters are homeless or temporarily camped out far from their homes. While the North Carolina Board of Elections is tweaking rules to make it easier to vote, residents in the most severely damaged areas probably have other, bigger problems on their minds – like missing relatives, lost livelihoods, children who can’t go to school, filing insurance claims, just to name a few. The last thing on their to-do lists is remembering to reregister to vote at their new address before Oct. 6, which has since come and gone. 

  There is an unspoken question that needs to be voiced: What happens if hundreds of thousands of voters in western North Carolina can’t vote in the 2024 election?

  The disaster declaration in western North Carolina encompasses 25 counties, comprising 1.3 million registered voters, of which 974,514 voted for president in 2020.

  Currently, registered Republicans make up 37.9% of western North Carolina voters compared to 28.2% in the rest of the state. Registered Democrats make up only 22.8% of western North Carolina voters compared to 33.2% in the rest of the state. In 2020, Trump won 604,119 votes to Joe Biden’s 356,902 votes in those 25 counties. 

  In other words, western North Carolina is Republican country, even with deep blue Asheville sitting in the heart of the mountains. In the closest election in recent history, Republicans don’t have 600,000 votes to spare.

  In order for a Republican candidate to have a fighting chance of winning statewide in North Carolina, they have to drive up their margin of victory in the western part of the state. Since 2016, Republican presidential and Senate candidates have won by a margin of 23.4% to 27.9% in western North Carolina. In those same elections, all Republicans (Trump, Tillis, Budd), except former Sen. Richard Burr, also lost the rest of the state.

  Compare those margins to losing Republican candidates. In 2016, the incumbent governor, Pat McCrory, won western North Carolina by 19.3%. Four years later, Republican Dan Forest only eked out an 18.7% margin in the west. McCrory lost the rest of the state by 4.4%, and Forest lost it by 9.5%.

  In other words, statewide Republicans can’t win North Carolina without soaking up every red vote to the west.

  As of Oct. 7, absentee ballot requests in western North Carolina totaled 46,094, accounting for 15.7% of statewide requests. Some of those ballots will never reach their intended recipients. That is concerning, but the bigger impact will come from in-person early voting, slated to begin October 17. In 2020, 70% of Trump’s vote in western North Carolina came from in-person early voting sites. It is not yet clear how many early voting sites are damaged, but the wide expanse of Helene’s damage suggests it will be significant. According to Axios, “infrastructure, accessibility to voting sites, and postal services remain severely disrupted” in 13 counties, accounting for 552,514 registered voters.

  With North Carolina growing increasingly close, hundreds of thousands of Tar Heel voters who are unable to vote could doom Republicans chances here – and nationwide – over the next 27 days. While it is possible for Trump to win 270 electoral votes while losing North Carolina, it makes a narrow path to the White House that much narrower.

  Playing around with the electoral map produces a number of scenarios in which Trump comes short of 270 electoral votes without North Carolina. One scenario gives Trump Arizona, Georgia, and Pennsylvania while losing Wisconsin, Michigan, and North Carolina. He loses that election 265 to 273.

  Getting western North Carolina back on its feet has to be the priority for the federal and state governments. However, with such an important election at our doorstep, it would be irresponsible to ignore the political implications of this historic disaster. It’s not just about disenfranchising voters – which is important enough.

  Imagine for a moment that this election comes down to a razor-thin margin in storm-torn North Carolina. Allegations start flying – about lost ballots, late ballots, ballots sent to the wrong precincts, etc. It will be Florida circa 2000 on steroids, and nobody wants to go through that again. Our country is already fraying at the seams with little trust in our democratic institutions. Talk about throwing a match into a powder keg.

  To prevent this election outcome from being dictated by a 100-year storm, it is incumbent on the Board of Elections to do absolutely everything in its power to make sure western North Carolinians, especially those in rural and most isolated parts of the impacted area, have every opportunity to cast their ballots. It’s also incumbent on Republicans to start tackling this problem now. Don’t wait until Nov. 6 to sound the alarm.

  No one wants to politicize a storm that has destroyed so many lives, but that’s exactly what will happen if we don’t get this right.

  Ryan Bonifay is the director of data & analytics at ColdSpark and lives in Lexington, North Carolina. Bonifay has worked and served as data director for several campaigns and organizations across the southeast, including the Republican National Committee, Engage Texas, Texans for Greg Abbott, and former U.S. Senator David Perdue.

  Tyler Durden
  Mon, 10/21/2024 – 23:00

• FBI Believes US Intel Leak On Israel Was Likely A Government Insider, Not Hacking
  FBI Believes US Intel Leak On Israel Was Likely A Government Insider, Not Hacking

  The FBI and the Department of Defense are scrambling to uncover how it was that two highly classified intelligence documents related to Israel’s preparation for a potential retaliatory attack on Iran appeared on a Middle East news-related Telegram channel days ago.

  The White House has described President Biden as “deeply concerned” over the serious breach, and has confirmed there is an intense investigation ongoing to ascertain how it happened and who had access.

  

  At this point it’s not even confirmed whether the documents were made public via a hack or a leak by an individual who had access to them.

  The documents were produced by the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, and were marked “Top Secret” and restricted from distribution from most foreign allies, with the exception of countries belonging to the “Five Eyes”.

  The White House also said Monday that at this point officials do not believe that more documents were breached beyond the two which were made public.

  CNN meanwhile reports that investigators currently believe the intel docs were leaked by someone within the US intelligence community:

  The FBI is leading the investigation, working with Pentagon investigators and the intelligence community, according to US officials briefed on the matter.

  In recent days, investigators have worked to authenticate the documents and determine who could have had access to them, the officials said.

  That focus is one indication that, for now, the FBI and other investigators are working off the theory that the breach most likely came from a government insider and not from a cyber intrusion.

  Statements attributed to the FBI further suggest authorities are getting close to tracking down the culprit. While both documents were available among a relatively large pool of US intelligence analysts and officials, CNN has noted that one of them appears to have been scanned from a printed briefing book.

  “That could provide investigators with a critical jumping-off point: The Defense Department, like other federal agencies, tracks when employees print classified documents. The pool of people who printed these pages would be relatively small, these sources said,” CNN details.

  Another statement by the Telegram channel rejects claims made by Axios and Jerusalem Post that the group is “Iran-affiliated”. And more info on how the leak originated: pic.twitter.com/EJdiLBGyx7

  — Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) October 20, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  This is precisely how US Air Force veteran and former NSA translator Reality Winner got caught. She printed a single classified document from her work computer, and then anonymously mailed it to The Intercept. It was an NSA document related to alleged ‘Russian interference’ in the 2016 United States elections, which involved some phishing scams and efforts at breaching voting software. The document itself was relatively vague. Government investigators were able to very quickly determine which printer was used, and which NSA employee viewed it.

  Tyler Durden
  Mon, 10/21/2024 – 22:35

• US House Task Force Finds 1st Trump Assassination Attempt Was 'Preventable'
  US House Task Force Finds 1st Trump Assassination Attempt Was ‘Preventable’

  Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  The House task force investigating the July 13 assassination attempt targeting former President Donald Trump concluded that the incident was “preventable,” releasing new testimony from local law enforcement officials who provided accounts of communications and operational failures at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

  

  Released on Monday, the report concluded that there was a “lack of planning and coordination” between the U.S. Secret Service and its local law enforcement partners during the Trump rally.

  The Secret Service, it found, “did not give clear guidance to the relevant state and local agencies about managing areas outside the secure event perimeter, and there was no joint meeting on the day of the rally between [the Secret Service] and all state and local law enforcement agencies assisting” the federal agency.

  Monday’s House task force report mostly echoes findings made by the Senate Homeland Security panel report and an internal Secret Service report, both of which were released in September.

  The report included findings that were already publicly released. But the report contained new interviews with local law enforcement officials in Butler County on how the Secret Service failed to perform on July 13.

  Unnamed officials in Butler provided more details on how the gunman was first spotted by law enforcement and that nothing was done until he opened fire upon the rally, clipping Trump’s right ear with a bullet while killing a rally-goer and severely injuring two others.

  As one example, one emergency services official told the panel that he sent a text message to his colleague that the shooter was seen with a rangefinder at around 5:17 p.m. However, the colleague did not see the message until more than 20 minutes later, at around 5:40 p.m.

  The report also included new testimony from the officer who attempted to climb on the roof of the building where the gunman had perched before he opened fire. Days after the shooting, local officials confirmed that an officer tried to get on the roof but that the shooter pointed his weapon at him, forcing the officer to back down.

  Police body-camera footage was also released of the incident, showing the officer getting a boost from another law enforcement official in a bid to climb on the roof. The shooter could not be seen in that clip.

  That unnamed official told the panel that as he attempted to move his way onto the roof, the gunman “slowly turned on his waist” and “slowly turned around.”

  “And as I came up, that’s when he pointed his firearm in my face,” the official said. “And at that time, I could see, you know, he had a bookbag with him, I could see mags (gun magazines).

  “I knew he had a long gun, like an AR-platform. And as I’m coming up and he’s got the gun pointed at me, I don’t know if I reach for my gun, if I slip, but all I know from that point is I’m looking at him, and all my weight is on my, like, arms, my hands, and I don’t have a grip.”

  The officer added, “The next thing I know, I smack against the ground and fall.”

  “I just start yelling out to the guys that are there, I yell on the radio right away,” the official added. “I start saying, you know, South end, He’s got a long gun. Male on the roof. I just kept repeating, He’s got a gun. He’s got a long gun. I’m telling the guys that are around, like, he’s right up there, guns up, eyes up, still screaming on the radio.”

  Overall, local and state law enforcement officials who spoke to the House panel were largely critical of the lack of a unified command and communications post to oversee security at the Trump event.

  They also said that there was no unified briefing between the federal and local partners that could “have led to gaps in awareness among state and local law enforcement partners as to who was stationed where, spheres of responsibility, and expectations regarding communications during the day,” according to the report.

  The Secret Service has not issued a comment on the House panel’s report. The Epoch Times contacted the agency but received no response by publication time.

  The acting director of the Secret Service in August conceded that the agency failed in its mission to protect Trump during the rally, did not properly secure the rally site, and that several agency staffers would face punishment over the incident.

  Two months later, federal law enforcement officials said that Trump was the target of a second assassination attempt, this time at his Florida golf course while he was golfing. The Secret Service said that an agent who was protecting Trump saw the barrel of a rifle sticking out of a perimeter fence on Sept. 15 before he engaged with the suspect and opened fire, prompting him to flee.

  Ryan Wesley Routh was later arrested and charged with multiple felony counts in connection to the incident and has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors say that Routh had authored a note that indicated he wanted to assassinate the former president.

  Tyler Durden
  Mon, 10/21/2024 – 21:45

• Girl Scout Dues Could Rise As Much As 240% Next Year
  Girl Scout Dues Could Rise As Much As 240% Next Year

  So much for 2% inflation…

  The Girl Scouts could be forced to raise yearly membership from $25 to $85, according to a new report from Fox News. That marks a rise of 240%, for those of you keeping inflation score at home. 

  Girl Scouts of the USA President Noorain Khan and CEO Bonnie Barczykowski said this week: “We have collectively acknowledged that a membership dues increase is needed which is greater than the 25 percent (or $6.25) the National Board has authority to approve in a single triennium.”

  “Over the past few years, costs have increased everywhere, and neither GSUSA nor our councils have been immune to this pressure,” it continued. “Operating at a deficit — spending more than we bring in — as we have been doing, is not sustainable.”

  The statement continues: “We can no longer afford to use our financial reserves, and we cannot pass through all escalating costs to our councils.”

  

  It says: “The additional revenue generated by national annual membership dues of $85 for girls and $45 for adults will enable all of us, together, to deliver our Movement strategy.”

  The Fox News report says that Girl Scouts membership has declined in recent years, partly due to the pandemic. Meanwhile, the Boy Scouts, now Scouting America, began accepting girls in 2018.

  The Girl Scouts ended the 2023 fiscal year with a $4.4 million deficit, which is projected to grow to $5.6 million by the end of 2024.

  Girl Scout troop leader Sally Bertram commented: “I just feel like a triple jump in numbers is going to dissolve the Girl Scouts in southeast Indiana. People out here do not pay that kind of money.”

  “I think that these girls could lose a lifetime of experiences,” she continued. 

  In a statement to Fox, Girl Scouts said: “Ensuring that Girl Scouts can be here for girls (now and in the future) requires financial resources. Girl Scouts has not raised membership dues in over 8 years.”

  “This is not a decision we take lightly, which is why 900 delegates representing Girl Scouts’ membership are coming together to weigh options and vote to ensure that Girl Scouts thrive and that, most importantly, every girl has access to the Girl Scout experience so desperately needed today.”

  Tyler Durden
  Mon, 10/21/2024 – 21:20

• Ron Paul: Why Should We Fight Wars For Ukraine And Israel?
  Ron Paul: Why Should We Fight Wars For Ukraine And Israel?

  Authored by Ron Paul via The Ron Paul Institute,

  When you take on the role of the world’s policeman, don’t be surprised when countries who cannot fight their own wars call “911.”

  That is exactly what is happening to the United States on two fronts and it is bankrupting our country, depleting the military that should serve our own national interest, and threatening to drag the US into World War III.

  

  Last week, Ukraine’s “president” Vladimir Zelensky publicly presented his “Victory Plan.”

  It was delusional: immediate NATO Membership for Ukraine, NATO strikes against incoming Russian missiles, and permission to use Western long-range missiles for strikes deep into Russia including Moscow and St. Petersburg.

  The real intent was not hard to understand.

  Ukraine is on the verge of losing its war with Russia and is desperate to draw the United States military into the fight. There were numerous opportunities to avoid this bloody war but at every step the Ukrainian leadership listened to western neocons (like Boris Johnson) and decided to keep fighting Russia down to the last Ukrainian.

  But now that they are nearly down to the last Ukrainian, they are calling on us to step in and fight the country with the most nuclear weapons on earth -Russia – in a battle that could not be more unrelated to our actual interests.

  Washington’s answer should be simple but firm:

  “No more weapons, no more money. You’re on your own. Make peace.”

  Would the US be mortally wounded if the people in Eastern Ukraine were allowed to secede from Kiev and join Russia?

  Would anyone except the Russia-obsessed neocons in DC think tanks even notice?

  Likewise with Israel.

  Tel Aviv has, in response to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, launched a war to annihilate Palestinians from Gaza, invade and occupy southern Lebanon, degrade the military of Iraq and Syria, and take on Iran. But the Israeli military has nowhere near the capacity to fight so many wars on so many fronts, so it has increasingly demanded US involvement in the conflicts. Already the US has provided some $23 billion in additional military aid to Israel and has employed US military assets in the region to shoot down missiles and provide increased weapons and intelligence.

  But it’s still not enough for Israel. To fight Iran, with its significant military capabilities, Israel appears desperate to drag the US military into the battle. The stationing of one or perhaps two THAAD air defense systems, each with 100 US troops to operate them, is part of that effort. These 100-200 US troops are illegally engaged in combat, but what’s worse is that they are being used as a tripwire. US and Israeli leaders understand that they will be considered legitimate targets for any additional Iranian missile attack, but as soon as American troops start getting killed in Israel there will be a massive push for further US involvement. Imagine the mainstream media war propaganda if such a terrible thing happens.

  That is no way to use members of the US armed services. It is the opposite of supporting our troops.

  Washington’s response to Israel trying to drag us into its war with Iran should be just like with Ukraine:

  “No more weapons, no more money. You’re on your own. Make peace.”

  That is what a pro-America foreign policy looks like. Our Founders understood it very well and wrote about it often.

  It’s called “non-intervention.”

  Tyler Durden
  Mon, 10/21/2024 – 20:55

• Visualizing The Rise Of Antibiotic Resistance
  Visualizing The Rise Of Antibiotic Resistance

  Bacterial infections are becoming more dangerous.

  When you’re fighting a bacterial infection, a doctor will typically prescribe you an antibiotic to help you recover. Unfortunately, rising antibiotic resistance means these drugs are becoming less effective.

  In part one of this series on antimicrobial resistance, Visual Capitalist’s Jenna Ross partnered with the MSCI Sustainability Institute to highlight the increase in bacteria’s resistance to antibiotics.

  

  What is Antibiotic Resistance?

  Antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria evolve and become resistant to the drugs used to treat them. To some extent, this occurs naturally due to genetic changes in pathogens. 

  However, people have misused and overused drugs to prevent, control, and treat infections in humans, animals, and plants. This is the primary cause of more resistant bacteria.

  Resistance Rates Over Time

  Based on the latest available data, the resistance rates of key antibiotics increased from about 16% in 2001 to 44% in 2020. In other words, nearly half of infections are not responsive to the antibiotics typically used to treat them. 

  Unfortunately, the majority of experts believe that some of these key antibiotics—including amoxicillin and cephalexin, some of the most prescribed drugs in the U.S.—will very likely be lost to resistance within the next 15 years.

  The Impact of Antibiotic Resistance

  With treatments no longer working for illnesses like pneumonia or urinary tract infections in some cases, the risk of disease and death increases. Every year, antibiotic resistance directly leads to nearly 1.3 million deaths.

  On top of this, rising resistance creates investment threats. For instance, companies failing to address antimicrobial resistance might face reputational damage. However, there are also opportunities for investors when it comes to the development of new antibiotics and alternative treatments.

  In the second part of this series, we highlight the gap between infection-related deaths and research efforts. 

  Tyler Durden
  Mon, 10/21/2024 – 20:30

• The Neo-Liberal Consensus Is Coming Apart
  The Neo-Liberal Consensus Is Coming Apart

  Authored by Jeffrey Tucker via The Brownstone Institute,

  The global Covid response was the turning point in public trust, economic vitality, citizen health, free speech, literacy, religious and travel freedom, elite credibility, demographic longevity, and so much more. Now five years following the initial spread of the virus that provoked the largest-scale despotisms of our lives, something else seems to be biting the dust: the postwar neo-liberal consensus itself. 

  

  The world as we knew it only a decade ago is on fire, precisely as Henry Kissinger warned in one of his last published articles. Nations are erecting new trade barriers and dealing with citizen uprisings like we’ve never seen before, some peaceful, some violent, and most that could go either way. On the other side of this upheaval lies the answer to the great question: what does political revolution look like in advanced industrial economies with democratic institutions? We are in the process of finding out. 

  Let’s take a quick march through modern history through the lens of US-China relations.

  From the time of China’s opening in the 1980s to the election of Donald Trump in 2016, the volume of trade imports from China only grew, decade after decade. It was the most conspicuous sign of a general trajectory toward globalism that began following the Second World War and accelerated with the end of the Cold War. Tariffs and trade barriers fell ever more, as dollars as the world reserve currency filled the coffers of world central banks. The US was the global source of liquidity that made it all possible. 

  It came at a huge cost, however, as the US through the decades lost its manufacturing advantages in dozens of industries that once defined the American commercial experience. Watches and clocks, pianos, furniture, textiles, clothing, steel, tools, shipbuilding, toys, household appliances, home electronics, and semiconductors all left US shores while other industries are on the rocks, most especially cars. Today, the much-celebrated “green energy” industries seem fated to be outcompeted as well. 

  These industries came to be largely replaced by debt-financed financial products, the explosion of the government-backed medical sector, information systems, entertainment, and government-funded education, while the primary exports of the US became debt and petroleum products. 

  Many forces combined to sweep Donald Trump into office in 2016 but resentment against the internationalization of manufacturing was high among them. As financialization replaced domestic manufacturing, and class mobility stagnated, a political alignment took shape in the US that stunned the elites. Trump got busy on his pet issue, namely erecting trade barriers against countries with whom the US was running trade deficits, primarily China. 

  By 2018, and in response to new tariffs, the volume of trade with China took its first huge hit, reversing not only a 40-year trajectory of growth but also dealing the first the biggest blow against the 70-year postwar consensus of the neo-liberal world. Trump was doing it largely on his own initiative and against the wishes of many generations of statesmen, diplomats, academics, and corporate elites. 

  Then something happened to reverse the reversal. That something was the Covid response. In Jared Kushner’s telling (Breaking History), he went to his father-in-law following the lockdowns and said:

   We’re scrambling to find supplies all over the world. Right now, we have enough to get through the next week—maybe two—but after that it could get really ugly really fast. The only way to solve the immediate problem is to get the supplies from China. Would you be willing to speak to President Xi to de-escalate the situation?

  “Now is not a time to be proud,” said Trump. “I hate that we are in this position, but let’s set it up.”

  It’s impossible to imagine the pain that decision must have caused Trump because this move meant a repudiation of all that he believed in foundationally and all that he set out to accomplish as president. 

  Kushner writes:

  I reached out to Chinese ambassador Cui Tiankai and proposed that the two leaders talk. Cui was keen on the idea, and we made it happen. When they spoke, Xi was quick to describe the steps China had taken to mitigate the virus. Then he expressed concern over Trump referring to COVID-19 as the ‘China Virus.’ Trump agreed to refrain from calling it that for the time being if Xi would give the United States priority over others to ship supplies out of China. Xi promised to cooperate. From that point forward, whenever I called Ambassador Cui with a problem, he sorted it out immediately.

  What was the result? Trade with China soared. Within a matter of weeks, Americans were wearing Chinese-made synthetic coverings on their faces, having their noses stuck with Chinese-made swabs, and being tended to by nurses and doctors wearing Chinese-made scrubs. 

  The chart on China’s trade volume looks like this. You can observe the long rise, the dramatic fall from 2018, and the reversal in the volume of PPE purchases following the lockdowns and Kushner’s interventions. The reversal did not last long as trade relations broke down and new trade blocs were born. 

  

  The irony, then, is a salient one: the aborted attempt to restart the neo-liberal order, if that is what it was, occurred in the midst of a global bout of totalitarian controls and restrictions. To what extent were the Covid lockdowns deployed in service of resisting Trump’s decoupling agenda? We have no answers to that question but observing the pattern does leave room for speculation. 

  Regardless, the trends of 70 years came to be reversed, landing the US in new times, described by the Wall Street Journal in the event of a Trump victory in 2024: 

  If it turns out that the tariff on China is 60% and the rest of the world is 10%, the U.S.’ average tariff, weighted by the value of imports, would leap to 17% from 2.3% in 2023, and 1.5% in 2016, according to Evercore ISI, an investment bank. That would be the highest since the Great Depression, after Congress passed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act (1932), which triggered a global surge in trade barriers. U.S. tariffs would go from among the lowest to highest among major economies. If other countries retaliated, the rise in global trade barriers would have no modern precedent.

  Talk of the Smoot-Hawley tariff really does plunge us into the wayback machine. Back in those days, trade policy in the US followed the US Constitution (Article I, Section 8). The original system granted Congress the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations, among other powers. This was intended to keep trade policy within the legislative branch to ensure democratic accountability. As a result, Congress responded to the economic/financial crisis by imposing huge barriers against imports. The Depression worsened. 

  It was a widely accepted belief among many in elite circles that the 1932 tariffs were a factor in the deepening of the economic downturn. Two years later, efforts began to transfer trade authority to the executive so that the legislature would never do something so stupid again. The theory was that the president would be more likely to pursue a free-trade, low-tariff policy. That generation never imagined that the US would elect a president who would use his power to do the opposite. 

  In the waning days of the Second World War, a group of extremely smart and well-intended diplomats, statesmen, and intellectuals worked to secure the peace in the aftermath of the wreckage in Europe and around the world. They all agreed that a priority in the postwar world was to institutionalize economic cooperation as broadly as possible, under the theory that nations that are dependent on each other for their material well-being were less likely to go to war against each other. 

  Thus was born what came to be called the neo-liberal order. It consisted of democratic nations with limited welfare states cooperating in trading relationships with ever-lower barriers between states. In particular, the tariff was deprecated as a means of fiscal support and industrial protection. New agreements and institutions were founded to be the administrators of the new system: GATT, IMF, World Bank, and the UN. 

  The neo-liberal order was never liberal in the traditional sense. It was managed from the outset by states under US dominance. The architecture was always more fragile than it appeared to be. The Bretton Woods agreement of 1944, tightened through the decades, involved nascent institutions of global banking and included a US-managed monetary system that broke down in 1971 and was replaced by a fiat-dollar system. The flaw in both systems had a similar root. They established global money but retained national fiscal and regulatory systems, which thereby disabled the specie-flow mechanisms that smoothed and balanced trade in the 19th century. 

  One of the consequences was the manufacturing losses mentioned above, which coincided with a growing public perception that the institutions of government and finance were operating without transparency and citizen participation. The ballooning of the security state after 9-11 and the stunning bailouts of Wall Street after 2008 reinforced the point and set the stage for a populist revolt. The lockdowns – disproportionately benefitting elites – plus the burning of cities with the riots of the summer of 2020, the vaccine mandates, and combined with the onset of a migrant crisis, reinforced the point. 

  In the US, the panic and frenzy all surround Trump but that leaves unexplained why almost every Western country is dealing with the same dynamic. Today the core political fight in the world today concerns nation-states and the populist movements driving them versus the kind of globalism that brought a worldwide response to the virus as well as the worldwide migrant crisis. Both efforts failed spectacularly, most especially the attempt to vaccinate the entire population with a shot that is only defended today by manufacturers and those in their pay. 

  The problem of migration plus pandemic planning are only two of the latest data points but they both suggest an ominous reality of which many people in the world are newly aware. The nation-states that have dominated the political landscape since the Renaissance, and even back in some cases to the ancient world, had given way to a form of government we can call globalism. It doesn’t refer only to trade across borders. It is about political control, away from citizens in countries toward something else that citizens cannot control or influence.

  From the time of the Treaty of Westphalia, signed in 1648, the idea of state sovereignty prevailed in politics. Not every nation needed the same policies. They would respect differences toward the goal of peace. This involved permitting religious diversity among nation-states, a concession that led to an unfolding of freedom in other ways. All governance came to be organized around geographically restricted zones of control. 

  The juridical boundaries restrained power. The idea of consent gradually came to dominate political affairs from the 18th through the 19th century until after the Great War which dismantled the last of the multinational empires. That left us with one model: the nation-state in which citizens exercised ultimate sovereignty over the regimes under which they live. The system worked but not everyone has been happy with it.

  Some of the most high-status intellectuals for centuries have dreamed of global government as a solution to the diversity of policies of nation-states. It’s the go-to idea for scientists and ethicists who are so convinced of the correctness of their ideas that they dream up some worldwide imposition of their favored solution. Humanity has by and large been wise enough not to attempt such a thing beyond military alliances and mechanisms to improve trade flows.

  Despite the failure of global management last century, in the 21st century, we’ve seen the intensification of the power of globalist institutions. The World Health Organization (WHO) effectively scripted the pandemic response for the world. Globalist foundations and NGOs seem to be heavily involved in the migrant crisis. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, created as nascent institutions for a global system of money and finance, are exercising outsized influence on monetary and financial policy. The World Trade Organization (WTO) is working to diminish the power of the nation-state over trade policies.

  Then there is the United Nations. I happened to be in New York City a few weeks ago when the United Nations met. No question that it was the biggest show on planet Earth. Vast swaths of the city were shut down to cars and buses, with diplomats and heavy-hitting financiers arriving via helicopter on the roofs of luxury hotels, all of which were full for the week of meetings. The prices of everything were jacked up in response since no one was spending his own money in any case.

  The attendees were not only statesmen from all over the world but also the biggest financial firms and media outfits, along with representatives of the largest universities and nonprofits. All of these forces seem to be coalescing at once, as if they all want to be part of the future. And that future is one of global governance wherein the nation-state is eventually reduced to pure cosmetics with no operational power.

  The impression I had while there was that the experience of everyone in town that day, all swarming around the big United Nations meeting, was one of deep separation of their world from the world of the rest of us. They are “bubble people.” Their friends, source of financing, social groupings, career aspirations, and major influence are detached not only from normal people but from the nation-state itself. The fashionable attitude among them all is to regard the nation-state and its history of meaning as passe, fictional, and rather embarrassing.

  Entrenched globalism of the sort that operates in the 21st century represents a shift against and repudiation of half a millennium of the way governance has worked in practice. The United States was initially established as a country of localized democracies that only came together under a loose confederation. The Articles of Confederation created no central government but rather deferred to the former colonies to set up (or continue) their own structures of governance. When the Constitution came along, it created a careful equilibrium of checks and balances to restrain the national state while preserving the rights of the states. The idea here was not to overthrow citizen control over the nation-state but institutionalize it.

  All these years later, most people in most nations, the United States especially, believe that they should have final say over the structure of the regime. This is the essence of the democratic ideal, and not as an end in itself but as a guarantor of freedom, which is the principle that drives the rest. Freedom is inseparable from citizen control of government. When that link and that relationship are shattered, freedom itself is gravely damaged.

  The world today is packed with wealthy institutions and individuals that stand in revolt against the ideas of freedom and democracy. They do not like the idea of geographically constrained states with zones of juridical power. They believe they have a global mission and want to empower global institutions against the sovereignty of people living in nation-states.

  They say that there are existential problems that require the overthrow of the nation-state model of governance. They have a list: infectious disease, pandemic threats, climate change, peacekeeping, cybercrime, financial stability, and the threat of instability, and I’m sure there are others on the list that we’ve yet to see. The idea is that these are necessarily worldwide and evade the capacity of the nation-state to deal with them.

  We are all being acculturated to believe that the nation-state is nothing but an anachronism that needs to be supplanted. Keep in mind that this necessarily means treating democracy and freedom as anachronisms too. In practice, the only means by which average people can restrain tyranny and despotism is through voting at the national level. None of us have any influence over the policies of the WHO, World Bank, or IMF, much less over the Gates or Soros Foundations. The way politics is structured in the world today, we are all necessarily disenfranchised in a world governed by global institutions.

  And that is precisely the point: to achieve universal disenfranchisement of average people so that the elites can have a free hand in regulating the planet as they see fit. This is why it becomes supremely urgent for every person who aspires to live in peace and freedom to regain national sovereignty and say no to the transfer of authority to institutions over which citizens have no control.

  Devolving power from the center is the only path by which we can restore the ideals of the great visionaries of the past like Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and the entire generation of Enlightenment thinkers. In the end, governing institutions must be in citizen control, and pertain to the borders of particular states, or it necessarily becomes tyrannical over time. As Murray Rothbard put it, we need a world of nations by consent. 

  There are plenty of reasons to regret the collapse of the neo-liberal consensus and a strong rationale to be concerned about the rise of protectionism and high tariffs. And yet what they called “free trade” (not the simple freedom to buy and sell across borders but rather a state-managed industrial plan) also came at a cost: the transference of sovereignty away from the people in their communities and nations to supranational institutions over which citizens have no control. It did not have to be this way but that is how it was constructed to be. 

  For that reason, the neo-liberal consensus built in the postwar period contained the seeds of its own destruction. It was too dependent on the creation of institutions beyond people’s control and too reliant on elite mastery of events. It was already crumbling before the pandemic response but it was the Covid controls, nearly simultaneously imposed all over the world to underscore elite hegemony, that exposed the fist under the velvet glove. 

  The populist revolt of today might someday appear as the inevitable unfolding of events when people become newly aware of their own disenfranchisement. Human beings are not content to live in cages. 

  Many of us have long predicted a backlash to the lockdowns and all that was associated with them. The full scale of it none of us could have imagined. The drama of our times is as intense as any of history’s great epochs: the fall of Rome, the Great Schism, the Reformation, the Enlightenment, and the fall of the multinational empires. The only question now is whether this ends like America 1776 or France 1790. 

  Tyler Durden
  Mon, 10/21/2024 – 20:05

• Pentagon Chief Visits Ukraine, Unveils New Aid Package, Ahead Of US Election
  Pentagon Chief Visits Ukraine, Unveils New Aid Package, Ahead Of US Election

  Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Ukraine’s capital by train on an unannounced visit Monday, at a moment Ukraine’s forces are getting steadily pushed back in the east, and as President Zelensky expresses frustration at the lack of large-scale new military aid.

  “It’s been absolutely remarkable that Ukraine has been able to do what it’s done,” Austin told reporters as he went into Ukraine Sunday night. “It’s been able to do that, of course, because of the fact that we have supported them from the very beginning, and we’ve rallied some 50 countries to be a part of that support.”

  In Kiev, Austin announced $400 million in new arms for Ukraine but did not acquiesce to the Ukrainians’ main ask – the greenlight to strike Russia with US-supplied weapons.

  

  The Wall Street Journal also emphasized of the package, “It was one of the smaller aid packages the Biden administration has announced and included no new types of weapons systems.”

  This trip to Ukraine is likely to be Austin’s last one there as Pentagon chief. CNN noted that it came amid a dark and pessimistic backdrop: 

  The secretary’s visit was also meant to serve as a moment for him to “step back” and look at the “arc” of the US-Ukraine relationship over the last two and a half years of war, a senior defense official said.

  It was not a victory lap, however. The Ukrainians are in a “very tough” situation against the Russians heading into winter, the official noted.

  There was one moment in Austin’s remarks clearly aimed at Trump and Republican lawmakers back home. Amid ongoing GOP criticisms, including calls to take care of Americans first amid natural disasters instead of handing billions over to Ukraine, the defense secretary tried to brush back these arguments…

  “For anyone who thinks that American leadership is expensive, well, consider the price of American retreat,” Austin said.

  “Not since World War II has America systematically rallied so many countries to provide such a range of industrial and military assistance for a partner in need.”

  Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin has arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit. He will meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Defense Minister Rustem Umierov to discuss Ukraine’s arms needs. pic.twitter.com/TPWU3CMRdc

  — NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 21, 2024

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  Zelensky last month lashed out at Trump running-mate J.D. Vance, calling him “too radical” for his stance on the war. The Ukrainian leader expressed that “the idea that the world should end this war at Ukraine’s expense is unacceptable.”

  Clearly Austin’s Monday words were framed in response to that controversy, and some GOP operatives are not going to be happy that the Pentagon chief used an official visit abroad to weigh in. But one question that remains is: How much for North Carolina?

  Tyler Durden
  Mon, 10/21/2024 – 19:40

• Elon Musk Says He's "Upgrading Security" After Being Named "Enemy Number Two" By Media
  Elon Musk Says He’s “Upgrading Security” After Being Named “Enemy Number Two” By Media

  Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

  X owner Elon Musk says he is increasing his security after receiving “vitriolic” threats for endorsing president Trump.

  

  Appearing at a town hall event in Pittsburgh Sunday, Musk told the crowd about being pictured on the cover of Der Spiegel magazine, which labeled him ‘Public Enemy No. 2’ – behind Trump.

  German SPIEGEL hates freedom.

  Mainstream journalism is a complete joke – citizen journalism is the future. Thank god, Elon Musk bought Twitter and made it X. pic.twitter.com/NE3nZcMJSd

  — Miró (@unblogd) October 20, 2024

  “I’m like, enemy number 2 of what? Uh, democracy?” Musk told the crowd, adding “I mean I’m pro-democracy. I’m literally trying to uphold the Constitution and ensure we have a free and fair election.”

  Musk added, “I’m definitely upgrading my security,” quipping “Guess I better cancel that open-car parade.”

  The Tesla CEO admitted that he is a “little shook” by the “level of vitriolic hatred on the left.”

  🚨ELON MUSK: “I hope I don’t get shot. I was just on a German magazine saying I was ‘enemy number two.’ Enemy number two of what? I’m definitely upgrading my security. Maybe I should put an inflatable dummy of me in a motorcade. Just troll them.” 😂🔥 pic.twitter.com/bxocA7K5Mt

  — Autism Capital 🧩 (@AutismCapital) October 20, 2024

  “They claim they’re tolerant. And yet, they’re incredibly intolerant and spewing hate,”Musk said, adding “Whereas on the right I see people who tend to regard people on the left as, well, misguided. But they don’t hate them.”

  “But the amount of hate coming from the left is like, wow, next level,” he continued.

  Here’s the full event:

  Musk is no stranger to threats since taking over Twitter in an effort to preserve free speech.

  Musk has come under sustained attack since coming out for Trump.

  Deranged leftists, such as Mark Cuban, are openly advocating sanctioning Musk’s companies because of his political opinions.

  This is insane. Joe Scarborough and Mark Cuban are openly arguing that Elon Musk deserves to have his businesses punished because of his political opinions.

  It really is Donald Trump or communism. pic.twitter.com/ezTRIBJVFF

  — 🇺🇸Travis🇺🇸 (@Travis_4_Trump) October 19, 2024

  Musk has repeatedly warned that if Trump doesn’t win the election, it could be the last and that civilisation is on the line.

  *  *  *

  Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

  Tyler Durden
  Mon, 10/21/2024 – 19:15

• "Democratic Party Big Gov't Machine" Explained In Flow Charts 
  “Democratic Party Big Gov’t Machine” Explained In Flow Charts 

  Tyler O’Neil, managing editor of The Daily Signal, has done a deep dive on the radical left’s complex, dark money networks – what Elon Musk calls the “Democratic Party big government machine“ – which heavily influence the administrative state on issues like education, borders, climate change, transgender ideology, elections, foreign policy, and the weaponization of federal agencies against political enemies, like former President Trump and Musk.

  In a series of posts on X, O’Neil provides a 10,000 ft. view of this vast network which he details in his upcoming book, “The Woketopus: The Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government.” 

  

  O’Neil begins with the question: 

  “Why is the Biden-Harris administration so woke? Didn’t Biden campaign as a moderate?” 

  🚨Why is the Biden-Harris administration so woke? Didn’t Biden campaign as a moderate?🤔

  This chart explains what happened. Bear with me: I know it looks like a conspiracy theory, but I have the receipts.

  In short: The Left’s dark money network funds a system of woke… pic.twitter.com/FR4KWQ7CYE

  — Tyler O’Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) October 21, 2024

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  Continued from X:

  “This chart explains what happened. Bear with me: I know it looks like a conspiracy theory, but I have the receipts.

  In short: The Left’s dark money network funds a system of woke nonprofits that staff and advise the administrative state, getting their far-left policy agenda implemented in the federal government.” 

  

  One primary concern O’Neil has is the weaponization of federal law enforcement against conservatives, driven in part by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

  Here’s how that works: 

  One of the biggest issues for me has been the weaponization of federal law enforcement against conservatives.

  At the center of this is the Southern Poverty Law Center, a far-left smear factory that puts mainstream conservative and Christian groups on a “hate map” with the Ku Klux Klan. The SPLC targets organizations that oppose its far-left agenda on critical race theory, immigration, transgender issues, and more.

  SPLC President Margaret Huang has bragged that federal law enforcement reached out to the SPLC for advice on combatting the “domestic terror threat,” and FOIA documents reveal the extent of the SPLC’s influence in government. SPLC leaders and staff have visited the White House at least 18 times, according to visitor logs.

  The SPLC has also received funding from the Foundation to Promote Open Society, the Proteus Fund, the New Venture Fund, and the Tides Foundation.

  

  O’Neil shows the complex web of how Democrats and their billionaire funders, like Soros, and their leftist groups are trying a takeover of federal elections: 

  The vast influence campaign I call the Woketopus has also monkeyed with election rules. The leftist group Demos has extensive ties to the Biden-Harris administration.

  When the Senate failed to advance the Democrats’ H.R. 1 bill that would have amounted to a federal takeover of elections, Biden instead signed an executive order that echoed a Demos paper nearly word-for-word.

  This executive order enlisted federal agencies in registering voters, and early in the administration’s implementation of the order, the government convened a host of Woketopus groups — including SPLC, the Tides Foundation, and many others — to a “listening session.” Conspicuously absent was any conservative group or any group warning about election integrity.

  

  Here’s the influence network of how Democrats and their billionaire donors, such as Soros and Rockefeller Family Fund, push climate change policies via nonprofits that then influence federal agencies: 

  President Biden and VP Harris have repeatedly bragged about the “Inflation Reduction Act” as an historic investment in climate initiatives.

  The Biden-Harris administration has seen green activist groups infiltrate the federal government, using the bureaucracy as a revolving door and getting bureaucrats to implement their pet policies.

  One of the most notorious strategies they use is called “sue and settle.” An environmentalist group will sue a federal agency, claiming the agency failed to enforce the law by not regulating oil and gas enough. The agency, which is supposed to represent the American people, actually wants to regulate oil and gas more, so it denies the people a seat at the table. The agency admits fault, implements the green group’s preferred policy, and — to top it all off — often pays the green group money in a settlement.

  The Trump administration tried to crack down on this scheme, but the Biden-Harris administration reversed his efforts.

  

  And, of course, how billionaire donors use nonprofits to push foreign policy – including Israel, which is a horseshoe issue that both the progressive left and the libertarian-right agree on for somewhat overlapping reasons.

  While the Biden-Harris administration often favors the Woketopus’ agenda, some Woketopus groups have attacked Biden, and he has faced a deep state effort to undermine his policy supporting Israel.

  Of course, Biden’s record on Israel is far from perfect — he enriched Iran by loosening sanctions and trying to resurrect the Iran Nuclear Deal — but many bureaucrats rose in revolt when he publicly took Israel’s side after Oct. 7.

  Anti-Israel groups that tie in with the Woketopus network have pressured Biden to oppose Israel and to issue sanctions on Israelis. Many of the same dark money groups that funded organizations supporting the anti-Israel protests on college campuses have also bankrolled the Woketopus, and I detail their connections in my chapter on this effort. 

  

  But there’s more. Wonder where all the woke gender stuff came from?? 

  Why did the administration go all-in on transgender pronouns (even for illegal aliens), experimental “gender-affirming care,” and transgender rules for foster care?

  Well, the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index helps explain why Corporate America went woke, and HRC had a blueprint for federal policy, as well.

  Biden, Harris, and many others in the administration not only spoke at HRC event, but also met with HRC staff at the White House. How’s Biden’s equality score? I’ve got the answers in my book.

  

  O’Neil unravels the tangled web of far-left Democrats who exert influence the federal government via nonprofits to drive all sorts of policies nobody voted for – from green to woke to gender to foreign policy – the list goes on and on.

  More:

  Remember that fancy Constitution you learned about in school, with its nice checks and balances empowering the popular majority while protecting the rights of the minority? That’s not how it works today. Instead, a fourth branch of government writes reams and reams of regulations that dictate how you live your life. This system allows the woke elites to shove their ideology down our throats in the name of scientific progress.

  🚨Who’s really in control of Washington? Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the presidential race revealed that he’s essentially a figurehead, but a figurehead for what?🤔 My new book📕 “The Woketopus: The Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government” reveals how the… pic.twitter.com/MrsmwifJoo

  — Tyler O’Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) September 19, 2024

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  Tyler Durden
  Mon, 10/21/2024 – 18:50

• These Homeschooling Parents Are Raising Their 6 Kids Without Devices
  These Homeschooling Parents Are Raising Their 6 Kids Without Devices

  Authored by Anna Mason and Daksha Devani via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

  Instead of slurping from their cereal bowls and scrolling through their phones, Glade and Bethel Smith’s children start their day by eating breakfast as a family followed by a reading of the Bible.

  

  The Smith kids—Madeline,13, Everett, 11, Annabeth, 10, Vivian, 7, Penelope, 6, and Henry, 3—are eager to read the verses but wait for their turn, after which they clean up the kitchen and get ready to start their day.

  “We homeschool our kids,” 41-year-old Glade, from Nebraska, told The Epoch Times. “None of our kids have a phone or any electric devices. None of our kids play video games. [Instead] our kids love to read and love to use their imagination.”

  

  Homeschooling and Helping Out at the Farm

  The kids begin their homeschooling day at 8.30 a.m. with their stay-at-home mom reading novels aloud that align with what they are learning at school, followed by a fun session of singing together.

  The Smith children, who read at least 25 to 30 books per year, are always begging for one more chapter to be read, said Glade, who owns Family Beef Farm Box—their family business that ships dry-aged, hand-cut beef across the country.

  

  If they complete their school work by lunchtime, the kids are encouraged to help their dad on the farm—with 3-year-old Henry, who isn’t in school yet, spending most of his time doing just that.

  “He’s probably our most animal lover of any of the kids,” Glade said, adding that the little boy loves milking cows and is not afraid of getting in there.

  

  On Mondays, the older kids join Glade to pack beef boxes.

  In the last couple of years, the parents have instituted the idea of paid jobs, with each child getting paid some money for completing their daily chores.

  “My oldest daughter is in charge of some calves that need to be fed,” said Glade, who is also a multi-generational cattle producer and bred cattle marketing specialist with Wright Livestock. “My son is in charge of caring for 60 chickens. One of my younger daughters is in charge of gathering and washing eggs.”

  

  The Smith kids—who were introduced to farm life at birth— have shown a strong work ethic despite being young.

  Their proud father recalled a work trip to Oklahoma with his son, Everett, who won a fellow cattleman’s heart with his diligence.

  “We’re gathering several hundred head of cattle, sorting and loading trucks. One of these hard-working, blue-collar cattlemen was blown away watching my [son] running cattle around doing a good job and gave him a $20 bill,“ he said. ”A year later, my boy still has that $20 bill. That meant so much to him.”

  

  

  Over the last year, Everett has worked laboriously in the muddy fields laying out heavy 30-foot-long tubes for irrigating crops in the scorching heat. His tireless efforts have won neighbors’ hearts with many asking Glade for his son’s assistance in irrigating their fields.

  “I was amused because I found myself being my son’s secretary, as neighbors were calling, [asking] ‘Can your son come help me today?’” Glade said, adding that he believes his hardworking son will become a “hot commodity” to farmers in the near future.

  Read the rest here…

  Tyler Durden
  Mon, 10/21/2024 – 18:25

• SCOTUS Ends Michael Cohen's Latest Attempt To Take Down Trump
  SCOTUS Ends Michael Cohen’s Latest Attempt To Take Down Trump

  This morning, the Supreme Court rejected former Donald Trump attorney Michael Cohen’s appeal to bring back his civil rights claim against the former president.

  

  Cohen alleged former President Donald Trump, former Attorney General William Barr and other federal officials put him back in prison as retaliation for promoting a book critical of Trump.

  “[A]s it stands, this case represents the principle that presidents and their subordinates can lock away critics of the executive without consequence,” Cohen’s petition states.

  As Sam Dorman reports for The Epoch Times, Cohen had argued that two lower courts wrongly dismissed a claim that former President Donald Trump violated his rights by ending his prison furlough during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  According to Cohen’s petition, he had objected to a federal form that probation officers asked him to sign, which prohibited him from engaging with the media, including posting on social media.

  At the time, he was writing a book critical of the former president.

  Cohen’s attorney, Jon-Michael Dougherty, said the ruling “signals a dangerous moment in American democracy,” and raises questions about free-speech rights.

  

  Both Trump and the Justice Department filed briefs opposing Cohen’s petition.

  Cohen had attempted to claim a private right of action under the Supreme Court’s 1971 precedent in Bivens v. Six Unknown Federal Narcotics Agents.

  While that case upheld a cause of action related to unlawful search and seizures, Cohen asked the Supreme Court to consider whether it should apply to his circumstances.

  He alleged that he faced “retaliation for his refusal to waive his right to free speech.”

  U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar similarly raised concerns about separation of powers and argued that Cohen could have pursued alternative remedies such as the Bureau of Prisons’ Administrative Remedy Program.

  Trump told the court that Cohen’s attempt to expand the precedent under Bivens would disrupt the constitution’s separation of powers. He added that the doctrine of presidential immunity presented an “insurmountable obstacle” to Cohen’s claim.

  Trump attorney Alina Habba said the Supreme Court had correctly denied Cohen’s petition, and “he must finally abandon his frivolous and desperate claims.”

  Tyler Durden
  Mon, 10/21/2024 – 18:00

• Left McTriggered After Trump Does Fun Publicity Stunt
  Left McTriggered After Trump Does Fun Publicity Stunt

  On Sunday, Donald Trump poked fun at Kamala Harris’ dubious claim that she ‘worked at McDonald’s and made fries,’ by going to a McDonald’s and making fries, plus working the drive-thru.

  

  President Trump serves fries to a Fox 29 Philly crew in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. pic.twitter.com/hUnVM4b9OR

  — Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 20, 2024

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  Ding, fries are done!

  HAPPENING NOW: President Trump is killing it on his first day on the job at McDonalds. Perfectly salted hot crispy fries. pic.twitter.com/DTH2cdGkEI

  — Bad Hombre (@joma_gc) October 20, 2024

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  Memes have been made.

  🚨BREAKING: New McDonalds ad featuring Trump just dropped! pic.twitter.com/frJN5yQz3s

  — Jason Rink (@TheJasonRink) October 20, 2024

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  pic.twitter.com/MWEUVcY6YG

  — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2024

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  McTriggered!

  

  While most on the right thought it was a fun pre-election publicity stunt, it really triggered the left – which didn’t know what to do.

  If @McDonalds will hire adjudicated rapists and 34x convicted felons, I’m never eating there again. https://t.co/YR0uvZdHxQ

  — Eccentrical Foodie☮️🇺🇸🏳️‍🌈🇺🇦💙🫏 #TeamHarris (@FoodieEccentric) October 21, 2024

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  The sourpusses even posted a gotcha! Suggesting that because the McDonald’s closed for Trump’s event, the whole thing was staged. Well, duh. The guy was only almost assassinated twice (or thrice) and this is for fun.

  Reeeee!!!

  Perhaps no stunt in the history of U.S. politics deserves more ridicule than the grotesquely embarrassing mummery Trump put on at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s today

  The whole country got sh*ttier because of this

  The McDonald’s was closed, the customers were fake, Trump did nothing pic.twitter.com/qseSiRf2Hp

  — Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) October 21, 2024

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  So awesome! @realDonaldTrump working at McDonald’s today (something Kommiela never did) has triggered the worst people on the left! The meltdown is WILD. https://t.co/dgnrJLBplM

  — Jase (@JaseSTL) October 20, 2024

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  Cope and seethe https://t.co/hG9Tee3gW5

  — Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) October 20, 2024

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  Tim Walz had jazz hands of fury – and despite all the lies, insisting that Kamala Harris actually worked there. We’re sure he’s not lying this time too.

  This guy spent decades stiffing workers pay, cut overtime benefits for millions of people, and opposed any effort to raise the minimum wage.

  You know who has actually worked at McDonald’s, joined workers on picket lines, and fights for working people? @KamalaHarris. https://t.co/QzFMVLiuaj

  — Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) October 20, 2024

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  Even Matt Drudge opined (2016 Matt, blink twice if you need help).

  pic.twitter.com/0sXg5izMmN

  — Matt Drudge (@DRUDGE) October 20, 2024

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  Hilariously, The Atlantic‘s David Frum revealed he doesn’t know the difference between grilling and frying (and earned a nice ratio).

  “Frying” pic.twitter.com/By5VmOCjqC

  — Gummi (@gummibear737) October 20, 2024

  Exactly. https://t.co/eqZ3ojEDxy

  — Catturd ™ (@catturd2) October 21, 2024

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  This is how you know the publicity stunt worked…

  https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

  Tyler Durden
  Mon, 10/21/2024 – 17:45

• Quantum Computer 'Threat' To Crypto Is Exaggerated… For Now
  Quantum Computer ‘Threat’ To Crypto Is Exaggerated… For Now

  Authored by Andrew Singer via CoinTelegraph.com,

  A report that Chinese researchers have employed a D-Wave quantum computer to breach encryption algorithms used to secure bank accounts, top-secret military data and crypto wallets is at first glance a matter for deep concern. 

  “This is the first time that a real quantum computer has posed a real and substantial threat to multiple full-scale SPN [Substitution-Permutation Network] structured algorithms in use today,” wrote Shanghai University scientists in a peer-reviewed paper, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on Oct. 11.

  The paper talks about breaking RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) encryption, one of the oldest and widely used public-key cryptosystems.  

  

  Details about the latest research have been slow to emerge so it’s difficult to say for sure how dire the threat is to cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. The paper had yet to be released in English as of Oct. 11, and researchers weren’t taking any interviews, supposedly “due to the sensitivity of the topic,” according to SCMP.

  But if the researchers’ results hold up, and can be duplicated by others, “it is a step forward” in the evolution of quantum computing, Marek Narozniak, a physicist with a background in quantum computing, and founder at sqrtxx.com, told Cointelegraph.

  Would it mean that the password-protection mechanisms used in many industries, including banking and cryptocurrencies, might soon be vulnerable, as many fear, however?

  “From the paper many details are missing, so it is difficult to provide a definite answer” with regard to its possible significance, Massimiliano Sala, Full professor and head of the Laboratory of Cryptography at the University of Trento, told Cointelegraph.

  Much depends on whether the scientists were able to break RSA keys of a certain size — i.e., keys as large as those used by banks to secure customer’s savings and checking accounts today. “There is no evidence of that,” said Sala.

  But if they had, it would be “huge,” he said.

  Quantum computing, (QC), which uses atomic “spin” instead of an electrical charge to represent its binary 1’s and 0’s, is evolving at an exponential rate, many believe. But full purpose QC devices have yet to emerge at scale.

  The D-Wave machines used in Shanghai, sometimes called quantum annealers, are really proto-quantum computers, or forerunners, capable of conducting specialized tasks only. 

  

  D-Wave 2X 1000 Qubit quantum annealing processor chip mounted and wire-bonded in its sample holder. Source: Mwjohnson0

  However, if and when universal quantum computers do emerge, they could threaten the elliptic curve cryptographic structure which has served Bitcoin and other cryptos very well until now, some worry.

  It could be only a matter of time before quantum computers will be able to identify the enormous prime numbers that are key constituents of a BTC private key — assuming no countermeasures are developed.  

  “However, we must keep in mind that D-Wave quantum computers are not general-purpose quantum computers,” added Sala. Moreover, D-Wave’s “ability to factor RSA keys was already established by one of my colleagues a few months ago,” he said.

  Takaya Miyano, professor of mechanical engineering at Japan’s Ritsumeikan University, also questioned the significance of the scientists’ results — and along similar lines as Sala. 

  The length of the integer that the Shanghai researchers factorized, 22 bits, “is much shorter than that of actual RSA integers, which is usually equal to or greater than 1024 bits, e.g, 1024, 2048, and maximally 4096 bits,” he told Cointelegraph.

  Moreover, “the D-wave machine is a kind of quantum simulator for solving optimization problems, not a universal computer,” Miyano added. It isn’t clear that it would be able to conduct rapid factorization of large RSA integers in the real world.

  Why prime factorization is important

  Factorization is a mathematical process where a number can be written as the product of smaller whole numbers. For instance, 12 can be factorized, or written, as 3 x 2 x 2. Efficient prime number factorization has been called “the holy grail” of breaking a RSA public-key cryptosystem.

  RSA is more than encryption, after all. It is also a ‘key’ generation scheme that typically involves multiplying large prime numbers. Two parties — a bank and its customer, for example — typically receive a set of prime numbers that are used to compute their private and public keys, Narozniak explained.

  The process of actually generating private and public keys is complex, but if ‘p’ and ‘q’ are prime numbers, and ‘n’ is the product of those two prime numbers (i.e., n = p x q), then one can say that p and q are related to the private keys and n is related to the public key. 

  The basic mathematical principle behind RSA encryption is that while it is easy to multiply two prime numbers, it is very difficult to do the reverse, i.e., find the two prime numbers that are factors of a product — and this becomes harder as the numbers get larger. 

  Sala’s University of Trento colleagues earlier this year used a quantum annealer to uncover the two prime factors of the number 8,219,999 (i.e., 32,749 and 251) “which, to the best of our knowledge is the largest number which was ever factorized by means of a quantum device,” wrote the researchers.

  In Sala’s view the recent Shanghai University paper is significant “only if they have found a way to factorize huge numbers.” 

  The University of Trento researchers also cited the great potential of quantum computing to solve complex problems that have long remained “intractable” for classical computers. 

  Prime factorization — i.e., the problem of breaking down a number into its prime factors — in particular, “is a good candidate to be effectively solved by quantum computing, in particular by quantum annealing.” 

  Crypto keys are safe — For now

  Let’s assume, however, that the Shanghai scientists really did find a way to use a quantum annealer to successfully breach cryptographic algorithms, including those like SPN which are foundational for the advanced encryption standard (AES) widely used in the military and finance. What would that do to the crypto industry?

  “Symmetric ciphers such as AES-128 used for data encryption are not vulnerable to this kind of attack as they do not rely on number factorization,” said Narozniak.

  There might be exceptions, of course, like if the cipher is a shared secret derived via RSA-based key exchange protocol, he continued. But “properly encrypted passwords and other data in general will remain encrypted even if the approach presented in that research scales up and becomes widely available — and if true,” he said. 

  A history of unproven RSA claims

  Narozniak cautioned against rushing to conclusions. “Before we re-evaluate our level of optimism, let us wait for someone to repeat and confirm this result,” he said. “Claims of breaking RSA are not so uncommon.” 

  In early 2023, for instance, Chinese researchers said they had factorized a 48-bit key on a 10-qubit quantum computer, a claim “which still has not been peer reviewed,” commented Narozniak. 

  “And two years before that Claus Schnorr, who is an authority in the community, made an honest mistake and claimed RSA to be broken. I personally take such big claims with a grain of salt.”

  According to Sala: “Breaking RSA would mean that a lot of software should be updated, but not drastically changed,” because there are already-implemented standards that provide alternatives including elliptic curve cryptography (ECC), used to secure Bitcoin. He added:  

  “More drastic would be the impact on credit cards and the like, which would have to be withdrawn massively, to radically change their software.” 

  One might wonder why cryptocurrencies are not using RSA widely — as banks do. The crypto industry favors elliptic-curve cryptography because ECC makes it possible to achieve the same level of security with much smaller keys using fewer bytes, said Narozniak. This opens up digital space which enables chains to grow faster. 

  Is Buterin’s ‘hard fork’ solution viable?

  Elsewhere, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin suggested in March that a “hard fork” could subvert a quantum attack on Ethereum were it to arise. “We are already well-positioned to make a pretty simple recovery fork to deal with such a situation,” he posted on Oct. 17. Users might have to download new wallet software, but few would lose funds.

  Is it really so easy, though? “I disagree that such a hard fork would be ‘simple,’” said Narozniak. And looking ahead, quantum-safe signatures, such ML-DSA, would need to have significantly larger keys and signatures compared with those used today. This could slow on-chain performance and raise gas fees, he suggested.

  Executing a hard fork would “be complex, require broad community consensus, and may not restore all lost assets or fully repair trust in the network,” Samuel Mugel, chief technology officer at Multiverse Computing, told Cointelegraph. “Therefore, it’s crucial to implement quantum-resistant cryptography before such an attack happens to avoid this situation.”

  Safeguards are needed

  “We most certainly need to revisit our current cybersecurity defenses,” Christos Makridis, associate research professor at Arizona State University and CEO/Founder of Dainamic, told Cointelegraph. 

  More attention needs to be paid to network capacity loads (i.e., defending against distributed denial of service attacks) and to passwords (e.g., to protect data from hackers) in a world with quantum computing. He further observed:

  “One of the emerging views is that the expansion of quantum computing and generative AI has enabled offensive cyber more than defensive.”

  The industry can’t become complacent. “Dangerous quantum computers will come, it’s just a matter of time,” Sala warned. 

  “The blockchain world must get ready as soon as possible, by planning a roadmap towards a transition to post-quantum cryptography,” he added, developing safeguards able to resist attack even by a “fully-fledged quantum adversary.”

  Tyler Durden
  Mon, 10/21/2024 – 17:40

• New Israeli Air Raids Unleash Giant Fireballs, Chaos In Beirut
  New Israeli Air Raids Unleash Giant Fireballs, Chaos In Beirut

  (1736ET): Before and after midnight (local time), huge Israeli strikes are once again rocking southern Beirut suburbs, with reports of large strikes hitting very near hospitals. 

  Early videos of some of tonight’s airstrikes show absolutely massive fireballs expanding high over the city, amid another night of panic on the ground, and as hospitals are filling up.

  That’s massive. #Beirut pic.twitter.com/LSs42OroQn

  — FJ (@Natsecjeff) October 21, 2024

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  Local media has indicated at least 13 raids in the last hours, and Lebanon’s health ministry said that at least four have been killed in the fresh attacks:

  Lebanon’s Health Ministry says one of those killed was a child.

  Twenty-four people also were wounded in an initial toll following the Israeli attack near Rafik Hariri Hospital in southern Beirut, the ministry said.

  Sahel Hospital in the southern suburbs of Beirut is also being threatened, with Israel’s military claiming that Hezbollah uses the facility to store cash and gold.

  

  Al Jazeera has listed the following late-breaking updates as follows:

  • Israeli forces have bombed the vicinity of Rafik Hariri Hospital in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Lebanon’s National News Agency is reporting.
  • According to local media reports, Israeli air strikes have targeted three locations: Ozai, Jinah and Haret Hreik.
  • Lebanon’s Sahel General Hospital in Beirut’s southern suburbs is being evacuated after Israel claimed that Hezbollah has a bunker filled with cash under it, the hospital director says.
  • Hezbollah has released a statement saying it launched rockets at an Israeli army intelligence base near Tel Aviv.
  • The director of field hospitals at Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israel is targeting the three remaining medical facilities in northern Gaza.
  • The Israeli army spokesperson claims that a strike in Syria’s capital killed the commander of a Hezbollah unit who was responsible for the transfer of weapons from Iran.

  * * * 

  Israel on Sunday night began fresh, heavy airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs as well as in the Bekka Valley in the east of Lebanon, for the first time declaring it would target banks suspected of financing Hezbollah.

  “The air force will launch extensive strikes on targets in the southern suburb of Beirut, targeting Hezbollah-linked economic assets,” IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said as strikes were underway. Buildings that belong to al-Qard al-Hassan Association are at the top of the list, identified by the Israelis as long associated with the Shia paramilitary group backed by Iran.

  

  With at least 30 branches across Lebanon, and 15 Beirut locations in bustling neighborhood, al-Qard al-Hassan Association is also used by many Lebanese civilians.

  The US-sanctioned bank has been around since the 1980’s and is focused on providing services to Lebanon’s Shiite community, which is mostly concentrated in the south.

  “The purpose of the strike is to target the ability of Hezbollah to function both during the war but also afterwards to rebuild and to rearm the organization on the day after,” an Israeli military statement continued.

  Some dozen large airstrikes rocked Beirut’s southern suburbs last night, including one or more which were very near Beirut International Airport, reportedly targeting the bank branches.

  The bank has sought to assure its customers it has taken “all of the necessary procedures since the beginning of the war to safeguard your deposits and valuables and can confirm that you should not worry they are safe.”

  A regional analyst was quoted in The Wall Street Journal as follows:

  “The main loss for the people using its services will be the destruction of family gold they pawned in exchange for loans,” said Lina Khatib, director of the SOAS Middle East Institute and author of a study of Hezbollah’s influence networks.

  “But for as long as Hezbollah’s external financial operations remain active, including its involvement in illicit finance internationally, and as long as Iran continues to fund it, Al-Qard Al-Hassan’s clients will expect Hezbollah to be able to compensate them for their losses,” she said.

  The Lebanese Health Ministry said over the weekend that at least 2,464 Lebanese have been killed since hostilities began in Oct.2023; however, it remains unclear how many of that figure are combatants vs. civilians.

  BEIRUT: Surreal video after Israeli bombardment near Beirut international airport without air, tarmac traffic being halted. 20 days into #Lebanon war and unclear how this ends: pic.twitter.com/QxPXIRFady

  — Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) October 21, 2024

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  The whole region remains on edge awaiting Israel’s retaliation against Iran, which US intelligence has said is “almost certainly” going to happen. A Bloomberg note indicates:

  Oil prices bounce back from last week’s steep fall with Brent crude futures climbing 1.3% to around $74 a barrel. Traders are likely monitoring tensions in the Middle East after Israeli PM Netanyahu held a series of meetings with top security aides to discuss the next attack on Iran. Israel is discussing its attack on Iran after a Hezbollah drone exploded near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private home at the weekend.

  Below are more regional developments via Newsquawk…

  • Israeli PM Netanyahu said a drone attack which targeted his home in northern Israel was a “grave mistake”, while he and his family were not at their house when the drone attack struck on Saturday and there were no casualties.
  • Israeli PM Netanyahu spoke with former US President Trump and told him that Israel considers the issues the US administration raises but will make decisions based on its national interests.
  • Israel’s military said it attacked Hezbollah’s intelligence HQ and weapons storage facilities in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Saturday. It was also reported that Israel conducted a fresh raid on the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sunday, as well as targeted the city of Tyre and the towns of Bir al-Salasil and Homine al-Fawqa in southern Lebanon.
  • Israeli military spokesperson had warned on Sunday that they would conduct targeted strikes on sites belonging to Hezbollah’s financial arm across Lebanon and urged Lebanese residents to evacuate areas near those facilities, while it was later reported that Israeli strikes hit branches of Hezbollah-linked bank in Beirut and Beqaa Valley, according to Times of Israel.
  • Hezbollah announced it conducted a rocket barrage at Beit Hillel base, while it was separately reported that Iraqi armed factions announced the targeting of an Israeli military site in the Golan with drones.
  • Israel gave the White House its demands for ending the war in Lebanon, while US President Biden’s envoy Amos Hochstein will visit Beirut on Monday to discuss a possible diplomatic solution with Lebanese officials, according to Axios. The report noted one Israeli demand is that IDF be allowed to engage in “active enforcement” to ensure Hezbollah doesn’t rearm and Israel also demands its air force have freedom of operation in Lebanese airspace, although a US official said it is highly unlikely Lebanon and the international community would agree to Israel’s conditions.
  • Iran’s Supreme Leader said Hamas leader Sinwar’s death will not halt the axis of resistance and Hamas will live on.
  • Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi alluded to the US and warned that anyone who knows how and when Israel will attack Iran will be held accountable, according to Reuters.
  • US House Speaker Johnson said on Sunday that there would be a classified briefing related to leaked US intelligence on Israel-Iran, according to Reuters.
  • US Defence Secretary Austin said he would like to see Israel scale back on some of its strikes in and around Beirut, while he raised the issue about UNIFIL security with Israel’s Defence Minister Gallant. Furthermore, Austin reviewed the US defence posture and said he is relieved that PM Netanyahu is safe, while he said he couldn’t confirm reports that North Korean troops are in Russia and readying for combat in the Ukraine war, according to Reuters.
  • UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL said an Israeli army bulldozer demolished a watchtower and fence surrounding the UN site in southern Lebanon on Sunday, according to Reuters.
  • G7 defence ministers reaffirmed the importance of supporting UNIFIL and the Lebanese armed forces in their role of ensuring the stability and security of Lebanon, while they called on Iran to refrain from providing support to Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis and other non-state actors. Furthermore, they called on Houthis to immediately cease their escalatory measures that increase regional instability and immediately release the vessel Galaxy Leader and its crew.

  Tyler Durden
  Mon, 10/21/2024 – 17:36

• A Media Beyond Caricature
  A Media Beyond Caricature

  Authored by Victor Davis Hanson,

  CBS’s iconic 60 Minutes has had plenty of scandals and embarrassments in its long 57-year history, most notably the fake-but-accurate Dan Rather mess. Yet never has it found itself in greater disrepute than in 2024.

  

  Donald Trump, for good reason, recently declined to join 60 Minutes for its traditional election-year in-depth interviews of the two presidential candidates. Why?

  Last time he consented in 2020, anchor and interviewer Leslie Stahl attacked Trump’s accurate assertion that the Hunter Biden laptop (then in the possession of the FBI) was authentic—and authentically damning to Joe Biden’s presidential candidacy.

  Stahl falsely claimed the laptop “can’t be verified.” She further incorrectly asserted, “So this story about Hunter and his laptop, some repair shop found it; the source is Steve Bannon and Rudy Giuliani.” The New York Post, in fact, reported the story. The FBI did not deny it.

  Yet old Twitter and Facebook, under collaborating FBI tutelage and pressure, suppressed dissemination of the truth. Joe Biden’s then-advisor and now Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in conjunction with former interim CIA Director Michael Morrel, helped round up “51 former intelligence authorities” (among them Leon Panetta and both John Brennan and James Clapper, who had admitted previously of lying under oath to Congress) to claim falsely that the laptop had all the hallmarks of a Russian information gambit to warp the election.

  Joe Biden used the “expert” consensus to further lie in the last Biden-Trump debate that the laptop was cooked up by the Russians. And neither CBS, the “intelligence authorities,” nor any of the Bidens have ever since apologized.

  More recently, CBS got caught selectively editing the 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, cutting and pasting an incoherent Harris response to lessen her embarrassing word salad. And in a subsequent interview with House Speaker Mike Johnson, the network once again edited and pruned his answers, but in contrast, on this occasion, to make him seem far less persuasive.

  In yet another current CBS interview with author Ta-Nehisi Coates, network host Tony Dokoupil honestly questioned Coates about his new, one-sided, anti-Israeli book The Message. The result was that the left-wing icon Coates was almost immediately revealed to be abjectly ignorant of the Middle East, unapologetically biased, and completely uninterested in any viewpoint other than his own partisan prejudices.

  Yet what followed proved yet another network embarrassment. An internal CBS division with the eerie Orwellian title of “CBS News Race and Culture Unit” attacked Dokoupil for not providing “context” for Coates’s self-condemnatory and embarrassing interview. The subtext was that CBS, under pressure from woke zealots, simply disowned Dokoupil and sought to subject him to correct thought training. His apparent crime was not insisting on different—softball—journalistic standards for woke black authors like Coates. In other words, CBS blamed Dokoupil for revealing Coates to be a fool on the air.

  The network further diminished its eroding reputation yet again through the unprofessional conduct of recent moderators Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan during the J.D. Vance/Tim Walz vice presidential debate.

  After the earlier ABC-sponsored debate between presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, in which the moderators became partisan fact-checkers (and often wrongly so) of Trump alone and drilled him on follow-up questions in a way not accorded Harris, CBS promised not to repeat such a network embarrassment. So, it pledged not to fact-check the two vice presidential candidates and instead to present a “fair” moderation of the event.

  Instead, the CBS moderators were even more patently one-sided than the prior disastrous ABC performance. The two broke their own pre-debate rules by indeed fact-checking. But, even worse, they fact-checked Vance alone. And, once again, did so erroneously in a way that only exposed their unprofessional partiality.

  Given the prior ABC debate sham, CBS was supposedly determined not to turn off the public with more moderator partisan distortions. Instead, the network proved that if it was a question of further eroding its professional brand or helping elect the Harris/Walz progressive ticket, then CBS would predictably choose to jettison its reputation to further the progressive cause.

  Just as CBS is no longer the network television standard, so too has the current generation of partisans done their best to sully the New York Times. Within just a few days, the Times embarrassed itself in ways similar to the partisanship so toxic at CBS.

  The Times just published an op-ed, “65 Doctors, Nurses and Paramedics: What We Saw in Gaza.” What followed were testimonials from medical officials and doctors in Gaza with truly harrowing stories of Israel’s collateral damage and the shooting of civilians, accompanied by X-ray photos of small children with IDF bullets allegedly lodged in their bodies and heads.

  But even if one was not aware of the fables promulgated by Hamas and the history of propagandistic attacks on Israel, and even if there was no corroboration of how the victims died and under what conditions, a novice might have sensed that something was not quite right with the evidentiary X-rays.

  Experts pointed out that the embedded bullets in the scans appeared pristine, without any fragmentation after entering skulls or midriff sections. There were no apparent entry and exit wounds on the images—suggesting either that it was unlikely the bullets came from IDF-issued high-velocity weapons or that the X-rays might simply have been rephotographed with IDF bullets placed beneath them. In any case, the New York Times did not cite any expert outside reviewer to authenticate the scans.

  Recently, the New York Times again rushed to partisan judgment to persuade the public that current charges of abject plagiarism by presidential candidate Vice President Harris were baseless. Accusations arose that Harris and her coauthor in a past book on crime had plagiarized a number of sources multiple times.

  Yet the Times claimed the copying was minor and did not rise to the level of actionable plagiarism. It “proved” this by quoting a plagiarism “expert,” Jonathan Bailey, who, it implied, had consulted all the alleged plagiarism passages.

  But once the public saw just a few of the passages in question, almost immediately it concluded otherwise: that Harris and her co-author were indeed plagiarists. That forced Bailey, the original Times expert, to reconsider his initial opinion: “At the time, I was unaware of a full dossier with additional allegations, which led some to accuse the New York Times of withholding that information from me. However, the article clearly stated that it was my ‘initial reaction’ to those allegations, not a complete analysis.”

  Bailey then concluded that Harris had indeed committed plagiarism but not “maliciously” so. Once again, the Times had not verified its assertions before publication, and once again it had erred on the side of its known partisanship.

  The Times and CBS are just a small example of current once-prestige outlets—such as ABC (cf. its moderators during the Harris-Trump presidential debate) and NPR (that just retracted its scurrilous charges against journalist Rich Lowry)—who have consistently abused the public’s trust for the partisan benefit of progressives or their causes.

  In sum, the trust and prestige that took prior generations of journalists decades to earn have been thrown away in just a few years by incompetents and partisans—on the ancient, flawed principle that the supposedly superior moral ends justify any means necessary to achieve them.

  Tyler Durden
  Mon, 10/21/2024 – 17:00

• Democrat Atlantic City Mayor Charged With Beating His Daughter
  Democrat Atlantic City Mayor Charged With Beating His Daughter

  Democrat Atlantic City mayor Mayor Marty Small Sr. and his wife, La’Quetta Small have been charged with physically harming their daughter on “multiple occasions” last winter, according to a new report from Philly Voice. 

  The pair are facing charges of child endangerment, assault and terroristic threats, the report says. 

  Attorneys for the mayor and his wife call the charges “headline-grabbing” due to his “high profile status”, though to be fair, prior to this report…we’d never heard of him. 

  Attorney Ed Jacobs said: “We are confident that fair-minded jurors will quickly see that parenting struggles are not criminal events, and will agree on the innocence of both Marty and La’Quetta.”

  Atlantic County prosecutors accused Small of beating his 16-year-old daughter with a broomstick, slamming her down stairs, and punching her during family disputes in December and January. His wife is accused of punching their daughter, dragging her by the hair, hitting her with a belt, and striking her face.

  The incidents allegedly arose from conflicts over the girl’s boyfriend, who provided prosecutors with photos, videos, and evidence of the abuse and resulting bruises.

  

  Gov. Phil Murphy said through a spokesperson that Small should “consider whether he can continue effectively serving the people of Atlantic City as Mayor.”

  The Philly Voice report says that after prosecutors searched the Smalls’ home in March, Mayor Marty Small held a press conference – of course suggesting the investigation might have “political and racial motivations”.

  Constance Days-Chapman, Small’s former campaign manager and principal of Atlantic City High School, is charged with failing to report child abuse and obstructing justice.

  She allegedly did not notify child protection authorities after the Smalls’ daughter disclosed the abuse to her. Days-Chapman pleaded not guilty at her arraignment last week.

  If only Smalls had the same commitment to discipline with cleaning up Atlantic City…

  Tyler Durden
  Mon, 10/21/2024 – 16:40