May 14

Today’s News 14th May 2023

  • Food Inflation Still Soaring In Latin America
    Food Inflation Still Soaring In Latin America

    Venezuela had the highest inflation rate for food of Latin America, according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

    Statista’s Anna Fleck reports that, as of September 2022 (the latest available data), the country saw an increase of 110.4 percent from the same month of 2021. Argentina had the second highest food inflation rate, at 86.6 percent.

    Infographic: Food Inflation in Latin America | Statista

    You will find more infographics at Statista

    The three countries with the lowest food inflation rates for the same period are Bolivia (2.2 percent), Panama (5 percent) and Ecuador (7.1 percent). According to the FAO, average annual food inflation in the region was 43.9 percent in September 2022, while globally it did not exceed 23 percent.

    In addition to socio-economic factors on a national basis, the region is also still experiencing the wake of global events. The United Nations Development Programme explains:

    “More than a year into the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and more than three years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the broad repercussions of these overlapping crises continue to affect societies in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

    Food inflation does not affect all citizens in the same way: according to the organization, the most vulnerable populations, including lower-income households, are affected “disproportionately due to their greater budget allocation towards spending on food.”

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 05/13/2023 – 23:00

  • Election Group With Ties To Soros, Zuckerberg Meets In Washington For Conference Closed To Public
    Election Group With Ties To Soros, Zuckerberg Meets In Washington For Conference Closed To Public

    Authored by Joseph Lord via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    An elections group with ties to Democrat mega-donor George Soros and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg gathered in Washington this week for a meeting that was closed to the public.

    The U.S. Capitol and the Washington, D.C., skyline in a file photo on May 16, 2005. (Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images)

    The Epoch Times was denied entry to the event, called a “Summit on American Democracy” and hosted by the Center for Election Integrity & Research (CEIR). Organizers said that the event was invite-only. Only preapproved press and other guests were permitted to attend the summit.

    Though the event was live-streamed, the closed nature of the event deprived independent media of access to the laundry list of high-ranking officials attending the summit, including a litany of Secretaries of State, who oversee elections, and other election officials. Among those attending the conference were Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Bill Gates, county supervisor for Maricopa County, Arizona.

    The group describes itself as “committed to a fiercely nonpartisan approach.” But partisan allegations against its founder, funding by Zuckerberg, and indirect ties to the left-wing Soros challenge that description.

    During the livestream of the event, the group’s founder, David Becker, set the tone for the conference in his opening remarks, repeating contested claims about the security of the 2020 election, and dismissing concerns about election fraud as unfounded.

    “The 2020 election was, simply put, the most secure, transparent, and verifiable election in American history and it’s not close,” Becker claimed.

    At least one journalist who challenged this narrative was allegedly removed from the conference.

    Laura Loomer, an outspoken ally of President Donald Trump and proponent of theories about widespread election fraud in 2020, reported that she was thrown out of the conference for confronting election officials from Arizona and Georgia. The organizers later called the police on Loomer.

    Becker founded CEIR in 2016. He has also been instrumental in several other electoral organizations and efforts across his career.

    Partisan Accusations

    During the summit, Becker sought to present himself as nonpartisan and unbiased.

    He claimed that he was one of the few election officials who was willing to acclaim Trump’s 2016 victory as legitimate, even as others considered claims that voter fraud and election tampering had deprived Hillary Clinton of a victory.

    However, Becker founded CEIR in response to concerns about “foreign interference” in elections, an oft-repeated claim that Trump won in 2016 due to widespread Russian interference. But later multimillion-dollar federal investigations into Trump’s victory turned up no evidence of these claims.

    And the founder’s track record is splotched with claims of political biases against conservatives.

    In 2005, Becker—who has worked in elections for decades—was the subject of a formal ethics complaint while working in the Civil Rights division of the Department of Justice (DOJ).

    During the Republican administration of President George W. Bush, Becker offered his expertise in election law to the city of Boston to defeat a lawsuit from the DOJ regarding election law violations.

    In the investigation into this matter, it was discovered that Becker had made a series of “nasty, disparaging remarks about Republicans,” Hans von Spakovsky said. Von Spakovsky, who now is employed by the Heritage Foundation, was a DOJ legal counsel at the time.

    “In his role with the DOJ, [Becker] was supposed to be nonpartisan,” von Spakovsky said.

    “Very unethical and unprofessional,” he added. “I would never hire or trust him.”

    Brad Schlozman, who directed the Civil Rights division at the time, was even more critical, suggesting that Becker deserved to be disbarred.

    “It was the most unethical thing I’ve ever seen,” Schlozman said. “Classic case of someone who should have been disbarred.”

    He added that Becker was “a hard-core leftist” and someone who “couldn’t stand conservatives.”

    As recently as last year, Becker portrayed Trump as a liar and a danger to democratic norms in comments to The Washington Post.

    “We have a significant percentage of the American electorate right now who have been lied to about the integrity of our elections, who believe that elections … are rigged unless their candidate wins,” Becker said. “Yet it’s nowhere close to 50 percent of America overall. But if Trump were to win a narrow victory again, I could see [election denial] ideas … infecting a larger percentage of the electorate. And if a large segment of a democracy’s electorate loses confidence in elections, that democracy probably is unsustainable.”

    CEIR did not respond to an Epoch Times request for comment about these allegations.

    However, in past comments to another media outlet, Becker addressed some of the allegations, but left others unanswered: “This complaint was made over 15 years ago, if memory serves, and was dismissed. There was no action taken against me by the Department of Justice as a result of this complaint. As you know, anyone can make a complaint for any reason, with or without basis.

    “I served faithfully at the DOJ for seven years, from 1998 to 2005, during which time I received a Special Commendation of Merit from the Attorney General in 2002, during the Bush administration,” he added.

    Almost $70 Million from Zuckerberg

    In August 2020, Becker’s organization received a staggering $69.5 million from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

    Under the appearance of COVID-19 safety precautions, this funding was used to furnish key swing states with more mail-in drop boxes.

    Zuckerberg’s donation to CEIR came as part of a series of purportedly nonpartisan donations by the Facebook creator.

    Read more here…

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 05/13/2023 – 22:30

  • Alarming Surge In Gun Shop Robberies As Democrats Fail To Enforce Law And Order 
    Alarming Surge In Gun Shop Robberies As Democrats Fail To Enforce Law And Order 

    Progressive district attorneys’ failure to enforce law and order has resulted in a surge of smash-and-grab thefts across American cities run by Democrats. The rise in thefts, particularly at retail stores, has become a significant problem for the retail industry, amounting to $100 billion in shrinkage in 2022. Even more concerning is that organized criminal gangs now target gun stores instead of clothing, jewelry, and pharmacy stores.

    Diving into Bloomberg data, the story count for “gun shop robbery” in all US news media stories soared to a record high in the fourth quarter of 2022, with data going back to 2013. The surge even surpassed levels during the early virus pandemic. 

    As of late, a series of gun store robberies in the Mid-Atlantic area have alarmed gun shop owners, local police, state police, and federal agencies. These shops are located in the Washington-Baltimore metro area, where Democrats have been in control for decades. 

    On April 30, two gun stores, one just outside the Capital Beltway in Fairfax County, Virginia, and another one in Rockville, Maryland, about an hour north, were targeted by what some in the firearm industry have described as criminal organized gangs. 

    One of the owners of Engage Armament in Rockville told FOX 5 that he believes the suspects that targeted his shop and Dominion Defense in Fairfax were part of the same gang. 

    Luckily, the thieves weren’t successful at breaking into the Engage Armament facility, but down in Fairfax, they stole 53 long rifles and handguns. 

    “Our biggest concern is that these guns don’t get into the wrong hands.

    “We try to do everything the right way – to do everything we can to keep them out of the wrong hands. Still, people have their rights, you know, to exercise their Second Amendment rights, but we do want to keep the guns out of the wrong hands,” said Engage Armament Co-owner Carlos Rabanales.

    One of the two suspects appearing in Dominion Defense’s security video was wearing a Nike mask. 

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    On Tuesday, the ATF working with Montgomery County police, announced a $15,000 reward for the arrest of suspects of a different Rockville gun shop burglary, Atlantic Guns.

    Last November, the ATF revealed at least five attempted and successful gun shop burglaries in Montgomery and Anne Arundel Counties of Maryland. These are areas where a majority of residents vote Democrat. 

    When accountability for bad behavior is removed from society, it emboldens criminals. And now these criminals are robbing gun stores and arming themselves with guns while the Biden administration is adamant about disarming law-abiding citizens. 

    Some say… We’re living in a clown world. 

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 05/13/2023 – 22:00

  • The Disinformation Governance Board Is Out; The "Foreign Malign Influence Center" Is In…
    The Disinformation Governance Board Is Out; The “Foreign Malign Influence Center” Is In…

    Authored by Didi Rankovic via ReclamTheNet.org,

    A rose by any other name…

    The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Disinformation Governance Board met an ignoble demise last year, when it was disbanded within months, amid public criticism and staff-related scandal.

    Despite being derisively referred to as “the Ministry of Truth” – i.e., a US government’s alleged attempt to create an Orwellian-like institution – it was a fairly safe bet that the strong backlash notwithstanding, the initiative would rear its head again at some point. Soon.

    Meet the Foreign Malign Influence Center (FMIC), located at the Office of the Director of US National Intelligence (ODNI). Some sentiment suggest that this might be a Disinformation Governance Board 2 – what with a similar declarative focus on foreign threat, which is then easy to transition, as a smokescreen, to turning the authorities’ sights onto “domestic dissenters.”

    And that would mean more censorship, in effect flying under the radar, critics fear.

    A deceptive tactic, they continue, which could easily use foreign threats simply as an excuse to influence politics at home.

    Speaking of interference – the FMIC could also “duplicate” other US efforts, such as that of a State Department’s unit that has taken it upon itself to suppress what’s seen as “populism” in other countries.

    Now, this is what the FMIC has to say for – and about itself – the threat from abroad is constant and “dynamic” – no doubt – but therefore, “informing efforts to counter it requires constant attention, a whole-of-government approach, support from the private sector, and engagement from the public.”

    However, the “soothing” mention of foreign threats is not the only thing the FMIC will be dealing with – there’s also “protection of US public opinion.” And this, opponents may suspect, might be a euphemism for “policing domestic narratives.”

    The existence of the Center seems to have been presented to the public in a rather low-key fashion. It was last Thursday that it came up during an address by ODNI chief Avril Haines, a full 45 minutes into the speech, during a hearing organized by the Senate Armed Services Committee.

    Matt Taibbi, who pored over Twitter’s internal documents to become one of those behind the explosive Twitter Files, doesn’t look at this kind of initiative very kindly.

    In fact, he seems to pretty much consider it a ruse whose real goal is to “slowly adjust aim to domestic targets.”

    But first – what Taibbi calls “the basic rhetorical trick of the censorship age” must “raise a fuss about a foreign threat, using it as a battering ram to get everyone from Congress to the tech companies to submit to increased regulation and surveillance.”

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 05/13/2023 – 21:30

  • Wagner Chief Clarifies That Only His Forces Making Gains In Bakhmut
    Wagner Chief Clarifies That Only His Forces Making Gains In Bakhmut

    Update(2130ET): Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin clarified late Saturday in an audio statement that despite regular Russian forces having “retreated” from parts of Bakhmut’s north (in his words), his own Wagner fighters are still advancing. So it seems his power struggle with the military chain of command and defense ministry continues, as he persists in his controversial narrative that it’s only his company that’s spearheading gains and engaged in heavy fighting (akin to the battle for Soledar). 

    Prigozhin stressed that Wagner advanced today, and that Ukraine controls only 1 square km in Bahmut and remains in control of just 29 or so tall buildings. 

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    Meanwhile TASS has cited the head of an elite Russian unit to say that intensified Ukrainian engagement has only happened along some parts of the frontlines: 

    Commander of the Akhmat commando unit and Deputy Commander of the 2nd Army Corps Apty Alaudinov said on Saturday that Ukrainian troops increased their activity only in some sectors of the line of engagement.

    Earlier, Yan Gagin, an advisor to Acting DPR Head Denis Pushilin, reported that Ukrainian units had become more active along the entire line of combat engagement.

    “The Ukrainian units became active not along the entire line of combat engagement, only in certain parts and still the situation has not significantly changed,” Alaudinov told TASS.

    “The situation is completely under control in our sector,” he added.

    The day prior, the defense ministry acknowledged some degree of a pullback in limited sectors in the north of the city. Prigozhin had described the regular forces as “fleeing” – a characterization which was denied by the Kremlin. 

    * * *

    Shortly after a Russian military helicopter crash was reported early Saturday in a region near the Ukrainian border, a second crash of an aircraft has been reported, at a moment of continuing general bad news for Moscow related to the Ukraine war. Possibly a third aircraft downing has also been reported – all within a matter of hours.

    “An Su-34 fighter jet crashed in Bryansk Region, Russia near the Ukrainian border, minutes after reports that an unidentified helicopter also went down in the area, TASS news agency reported on Saturday, citing sources,” state media is reporting.

    Details on casualties weren’t initially revealed, but images and video circulating on social media show what appears to be a crash site, including the jet’s tail and engine on fire. 

    The jet crash reportedly happened near the village of Istrovka north of the Ukrainian border, and unofficial military channels online are saying the pilot and navigator were killed. 

    Just hours before news of the jet crash emerged, a Russian Mi-8 helicopter separately caught fire and crashed. It may have been shot down. Newsweek is meanwhile suggesting that a total of two helicopters crashed within the same time frame, reporting that— 

    A Su-34 combat jet and a Mi-8 helicopter came down on Saturday, according to Russia’s state-owned Tass news agency.

    Russian online news channel Mash posted on Telegram that another Mi-8 helicopter and a Su-35 warplane crashed in the same area on Saturday.

    There’s also growing speculation that given multiple aircraft came down in the same region, it may have been from a Ukrainian attack on the aircraft, but this is unconfirmed: 

    This was also reported by Russian media outlet Readovka, who said: “Two helicopters and fighter-bombers were shot down by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Our pilots were ambushed and we are talking about a carefully planned operation.” Newsweek has been unable to independently verify reports of the additional crashes.

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    A Reuters national security correspondent is counting four total downed aircraft on Saturday, citing Russian state sources:

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    The day prior, on Friday, a Mi-28 military helicopter had crashed during a training flight in Crimea, after which the defense ministry confirmed that two pilots were killed. 

    TASS cited defense officials who described, “At 3:42 p.m. (Moscow time) on May 12, 2023, a Mi-28 helicopter crashed during its scheduled training flight in the Dzhankoi district of the Republic of Crimea. The helicopter performed its flight without an ammunition load. There is no destruction on the ground. Both pilots died.”

    The military statement said the crash in Crimea was due to a “technical failure” of the attack helicopter but said a further investigation is ongoing. 

    Overall this has been a bad past week and even month so far for Russia and its war efforts.

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    There’s not only been a spate of these deadly aerial incidents in the past 24 hours, but Russian territory is coming under increased drone attack from Ukraine, and oil facilities in particular have been targeted and significantly damaged. In addition the defense ministry acknowledged that Russian military positions have pulled back in some areas of northern Bakhmut, following prior months of steady gains.

    Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner forces, has called it a “rout” – as the open feud between himself and the top military command has also been a likely cause of ‘low morale’ and is somewhat embarrassing on an international stage.

    At this point it remains unconfirmed and uncertain whether these Saturday jet and helicopter crashes were the result of cross-border shootdowns. If so it would mark a huge escalation and leap in Ukraine’s capabilities, including the possibility of Western advanced offensive weapons being used:

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    Reuters summarized of the battlefield developments by Friday:

    Moscow acknowledged on Friday that its forces had fallen back north of Ukraine’s battlefield city of Bakhmut after a new Ukrainian offensive, in a retreat that the head of Russia’s Wagner private army called a rout.

    The setback for Russia, which follows similar reports of Ukrainian advances south of the city, suggests a coordinated push by Kyiv to encircle Russian forces in Bakhmut, Moscow’s main objective for months during the war’s bloodiest fighting.

    “In three days of counter-offensive activity, the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Bakhmut sector have liberated 17.3 sq. km (6.6 sq. miles) of territory,” Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesman for the “east” group of Ukrainian forces, said on the Telegram messaging app.

    Both sides are now reporting the biggest Ukrainian gains in six months, although Ukraine has given few details and played down suggestions a huge, long-planned counteroffensive has officially begun.

    Additionally days ago Moscow’s big Victory Day parade was widely reported as “muted” and lacking in tanks and other military hardware that is typically on display.

    Ukrainian officials have mocked all of this as showing weakness, also while Kiev’s spring counteroffensive may be imminent, or is perhaps already begun. All the while, Ukraine’s cross-border attacks are only growing bolder, and it doesn’t seem the Kremlin can do anything about it.

    Yet, despite what appear to be significant Russian military setbacks, Ukraine frontlines in many places are still getting pounded. For example, the below video is purportedly of a recent Russian strike in Western Ukraine, possibly on Friday or Saturday (with footage just emerging):

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    And here:

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    As for the much-touted spring counteroffensive by Ukraine forces, it’s as yet unclear whether this is in full swing or not. While there have been moves on the ground, Zelensky has so far denied that it’s begun, saying his forces must “wait”. 

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 05/13/2023 – 21:29

  • American Fast-Food Chains Use Seaweed, Soy, And Even Wood To Beef Up Menu Items, Study Reveals 
    American Fast-Food Chains Use Seaweed, Soy, And Even Wood To Beef Up Menu Items, Study Reveals 

    An exclusive investigation by Daily Mail might make you reconsider your next order of fried chicken at American fast-food chains. The investigation reveals these restaurants infuse their chicken with additives, preservatives, and other proteins to keep costs low. Some of these menu items are described as “premium” or “all-white-meat,” but far from it, instead include ingredients such as seaweed and even wood pulp.

    The report said there are more than 120 ingredients hidden within chicken burgers or nuggets at fast food restaurants. Those ingredients are listed below on a restaurant-by-restaurant basis:

    McDonald’s 

    The enduringly popular McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets have been the center of controversy in the past – after a now-debunked video emerged in 2010 of ‘pink slime’ supposedly going into the nuggets at a factory. 

    The brand worked hard to dispel this myth, but the treats are still not made from 100 percent chicken meat. 

    The nuggets do contain white boneless chicken, but they are also full of several types of flour, flavorings, spices, acid, yeast extract, dextrose and lemon juice solids.

    Wendy’s 

    In the patty of the Wendy’s classic chicken sandwich, only 56 percent of the meat is chicken breast.

     The other 44 percent is a mixture of water, wheat flour, starch, acids, spices and flavor powders. It also includes fully refined soybean oil, raising agent and more unusual ingredients such a dehydrated chicken powder and smoke flavoring. 

    The patty, bun and mayonnaise include over five allergens, so it’s worth checking the recipe before you tuck in if you have any allergies.

    Carl’s Jr. 

    Carl’s Jr nuggets are set apart from the other offerings on the market with their distinctive star shape. 

    They also include some more unusual ingredients – namely ‘chicken type flavor’ – according to The Daily Meal. 

    The outlet reports that the nuggets include beef flavor, which has three different types of protein in it (from hydrolyzed soy, wheat, and corn protein) and beef fat. 

    As for the spicy chicken sandwich, it reportedly contains ‘isolated oat product’ in its patty, and microcrystalline cellulose in its bun – which is a refined wood pulp.

    Subway 

    The chain has faced criticism in the past, with claims that some of its chicken products were made from non-chicken material. Subway responded to the claims, saying its ‘Oven Roasted Chicken and chicken strips are made from 100 percent all white meat chicken.’ 

    However its products certainly aren’t made from chicken alone. Its oven-roasted chicken also contains flavorings, potato starch and carrageenan. 

    This is a chemical compound which is safe to eat, but is made from parts of various red seaweeds. It is used to thicken foods, and does not have any nutritional value.

    Jack in the Box 

    Jack in the Box has various poultry-based offerings on its menu, including chicken tenders and nuggets.

     These products often contain wheat and milk, so those with allergens should check the ingredient list. 

    The meat in the popcorn chicken also contains ‘isolated oat product’ among its other ingredients of chicken breast strips with rib meat, water and potato starch.

    Whataburger 

    According to The Daily Meal, a significant proportion of the chain’s Southern-style chicken strips are not pure chicken meat, with up to 12 percent of each tender containing ingredients like water, sodium phosphate, and isolated soy protein.

     Isolated soy protein, which is derived from soy beans, is a common ingredient in processed foods as a way to bulk them out. 

    This last ingredient is a common fixture in processed foods, the outlet reports. A protein derived from soybeans, isolated soy protein is a cost-effective way to bulk out foods. 

    But those with potentially dangerous soy allergies should stay away from anything containing soy protein.

    Burger King 

    According to The Daily Meal, Burger King chicken nuggets also contain a whole host of flavorings alongside chicken breast and rib meat. 

    These include autolyzed yeast extract, a substance derived from yeast, and other flavor enhancers including disodium guanylate, a form of salt that is sometimes used in tandem with MSG, and which is also found under the name E627. 

    They are also unsuitable for anyone who can’t eat eggs, milk, wheat, gluten or celery.

    Domino’s 

    Although known for its pizza rather than the traditional chicken tender or nugget, there are also extra ingredients in the fast food giant’s poultry offerings. 

    Its grilled chicken contains tens of ingredients including modified corn starch, modified food starch and lipolyzed butter oil. 

    Modified starch is typically used as a thickening agent, stabilizer or emulsifier, and to make foods last longer.

    Dairy Queen

     Dairy Queen’s chicken strips contain a substantial percentage of ingredients other than pure meat. The uncooked tenderloin chicken fritters contain up to 18 percent of a solution of water, hydrolyzed soy protein, salt, and sodium phosphates. 

    Sodium phosphate is used to improve the chicken’s texture, and help keep it fresher for longer. 

    A Dairy Queen representative said: ‘Our chicken strips are 100% seasoned, white meat chicken. Each chicken strip is a single tenderloin that is marinated and breaded for maximum flavor. While we provide our ingredient lists to the public on DairyQueen.com, we refrain from providing the exact recipe or ingredient percentage for competitive reasons.’

    Arby’s 

    According to The Daily Meal, the Buttermilk Chicken Fillet contains a surprising ingredient to help enhance its flavor – protein concentrate. 

    Commonly consumed by athletes and bodybuilders, whey protein is frequently added to other foods to give them a textural and tasty boost and help them last longer on the shelf, it reports.

    White Castle 

    The shape of the chicken offering at this chain may be a clue that it is not 100 percent meat. 

    These rings contain an extensive list of ingredients, including preservative carrageenan – which is derived from seaweed – and powdered cooked chicken.

    This explanation may clarify things.

    And a recent study from Imperial’s School of Public Health found higher consumption of ultra-processed foods (like the ones above) might be linked to an increased risk of developing and dying from cancer. 

    One might wonder why BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager overseeing trillions of dollars, hasn’t shaken up the fast food industry that appears to be serving consumers unhealthy food, which, according to Imperial, could potentially contribute to cancer. Isn’t the ‘S’ in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) supposed to promote the health and safety of society and enhance the quality of life? Maybe Larry Fink is preoccupied with more important concerns, like climate change and gender identity. 

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 05/13/2023 – 21:00

  • The 2024 Presidential Election Could Make Or Break Bitcoin In The US
    The 2024 Presidential Election Could Make Or Break Bitcoin In The US

    Authored by Robert Hall via BitcoinMagazine.com,

    2024 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for Bitcoin and the U.S. That’s why it’s time for a generational change in leadership…

    The race for the 2024 U.S. presidential election is starting to kick into gear, featuring some of the same cast of characters from the last few elections. On the Democratic side, you have Joe Biden, Robert F. Kennedy and Marianne Williamson suggesting they will run. Then, Former President Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy are on the other side of the aisle.

    If you have been following the race so far, you might know that Trump seems to be walking away with the nomination before the process even starts next year. If he ends up being the nominee, we will likely get a re-run of 2020, where we have two men over 70 years old who both think that they know what is right for the country. Who else is tired of having baby boomers running the show? I am, to be honest.

    BOOMER PRESIDENTS DON’T UNDERSTAND BITCOIN

    Baby boomers, you’ve had their time in the sun. It’s time to leave the stage and let the younger generations of leaders have a chance to lead the country. We need leaders who understand the emerging challenges facing America as we speak.

    We need leaders who thoroughly understand economic policy and the value of innovation in the financial space. For instance, the baby boomers at the top of the ticket don’t have the depth or the capacity to understand the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that Bitcoin presents to America and the American people.

    Biden and Trump have been openly hostile towards Bitcoin because they believe in the supremacy of the fiat dollar system. The time is now to elect someone with a bold vision for the future, who understands that the way that the entitlement systems are set up and the dollar’s role in the world isn’t sustainable over the long term.

    If America stays on its current path, it will only lead to chaos, lawlessness, and a lower standard of living for everyone. Is this the future that you want for your children and grandchildren? 2024 is our chance to start a new journey toward freedom, the rule of law and the opportunity to make something of yourself, regardless of your station in life.

    WHY WE NEED A BITCOINER AS PRESIDENT

    It has been reported recently that the mayor of Miami, Francis Suarez, is close to a decision on whether to run for president next year. For those who don’t know him, he is one of the most pro-Bitcoin politicians in the country. He has actively courted Bitcoiners to come to Miami and help make it the Bitcoin capital of the world. So far, he has largely succeeded in doing that.

    But in addition to making the U.S. an epicenter for Bitcoin innovation, having a Bitcoiner like Suarez as president will, critically, stop the emergence of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in America dead in its tracks. If Biden or Trump is elected, it is almost certain that some form of CBDC will be activated in America. With the deployment of a CBDC, you can kiss your financial freedom goodbye. You can kiss your privacy goodbye.

    You will no longer have autonomy over what you can eat or how far you can travel. You will have a social credit score, as has been implemented in China. Is this the type of life that you want? We have to strive for a better life.

    Just recently, the rails for a CBDC were introduced to the public. FedNow, as it is called, will be operational by July 2023. It is said that it will be used to speed up payments between customers and businesses, which may be accurate at the moment. However, as with any system, it will likely evolve into something vastly different than what it was intended to be.

    Can we really trust a government that has given us the Patriot Act, PRISM and now the proposed RESTRICT Act to resist total control over what you spend your money on?

    The RESTRICT Act, for instance, put forth by none other than Bitcoin-hating Senator Elizabeth Warren, has the potential to harm Bitcoiners in the United States with its overly-broad language about digital communication tools being a threat to national security. While the overt target may be TikTok, nothing is stopping regulators from using this law against Bitcoin in the future.

    Looking past this smokescreen, you can see that they are building their case to the public: Hilary Clinton, international regulators and the U.S. Treasury have all warned about the dangers of cryptocurrency.

    Now, put this in the context of $31 trillion in U.S. national debt, unsustainable entitlement spending, a world slowly moving away from the dollar, high gas prices and uncontrollable inflation. Then it becomes clear that they will close off the exits to Bitcoin before most people learn about how to use them. They want to herd the masses into a CBDC for a “great reset” of the monetary system. This is coming if we don’t start electing people who understand that Bitcoin is our last chance to escape a sinking ship.

    Mayor Saurez gets it, and if any other politicians in America understand Bitcoin, it is time that we support them and get more Bitcoiners in office. The dollar is the Titanic, and Bitcoin is the lifeboat. Will enough people get on to be saved? Time will tell and the upcoming presidential election could be a final chance.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 05/13/2023 – 20:30

  • Johnstone: This Civilization Is Mentally Ill
    Johnstone: This Civilization Is Mentally Ill

    Authored by Caitlin Johnstone via Substack,

    It’s time for another US presidential race where populist factions on both sides spend a few months angrily decrying the establishment before voting for candidates in the general election who will fully serve that same establishment.

    I think this is just the norm now. Public discontent with the US political status quo is now so great that there’s going to be a new “Hey kids, you can vote your way into revolutionary change!” feature built into every presidential election. 2012 was the end of a political era.

    ❖

    The biggest misconception about politics is that political differences have any meaningful existence at all. Everyone’s herded into two mainstream factions who both serve the interests of the powerful, while those few who can’t be herded are marginalized into political impotence.

    And I am of course mainly talking about the English-speaking world here. The global south has real political diversity of real consequence, and has real differences from the status quo politics of the US-centralized empire. But within that empire, political differences are effectively illusory.

    ❖

    I feel like maybe we didn’t make a big enough deal about that revelation the other day that the US government now has so many institutions dedicated to “perception management” and regulating “disinformation” that it created a new agency within the ODNI to oversee all of them. 

    I mean everyone made a lot of noise about the DHS’s “disinformation governance board” last year, and rightly so, but as a whole this seems way more egregious in terms of government interference in human communication.

    ❖

    The problem with opposition to dissent-crushing measures is that it mostly only comes from those at whom such measures are directed. Mainstream journalists know they won’t be imprisoned like Assange, because they won’t do work like Assange did. Mainstream liberals know they won’t be censored online, so they’re happy to cheer for online censorship.

    Measures designed to control the narrative and suppress dissent are directed at the fringes, not the mainstream, because that’s where dissent of real consequence always first emerges. It won’t be those with mainstream political leanings seeing their speech increasingly marginalized and hidden away by algorithms and AI, it will be those who oppose the political status quo. In the future it won’t be those with a mainstream worldview being oppressed by things like tech surveillance, police robots and CBDCs, it will be those well outside the Overton window of permissible debate. The average person will be unaffected by such measures, because in our current mind-controlled dystopia the average person is compliant and innocuous.

    This is why attempts to get a large movement of opposition to these totalitarian measures typically fail to gather significant public traction: because only people on the fringes have reason to fear them. By controlling the mainstream consensus, our rulers eliminate any meaningful opposition to their tyranny toward the real dissidents whose politics generally lie well outside that consensus. And since it’s only widespread mainstream opposition that would ever give them reason to fear public backlash, they can keep ratcheting up these dissent-crushing measures.

    I don’t really have any solution to this problem; I’ve been staring at it for years and don’t see any easy answers. I’m just putting it out there in the hive mind so that awareness of the problem can grow and we can start collectively looking for solutions.

    ❖

    This civilization is so mentally ill that you’ll get treated like a gibbering lunatic for expressing the most sane and rational opinions anyone can possibly express.

    Something as basic as “The world’s most powerful government should stop ramping up nuclear brinkmanship on multiple fronts” will get you treated like a kook, when really it’s so obvious and common sense it shouldn’t even need to be said.

    That’s how crazy mass-scale brainwashing has made everyone.

    ❖

    I will never support any form of capitalism, because no form of capitalism — real or hypothetical — will ever have an answer to the problems of ecocide and the need to care for the needful.

    Every capitalism-based solution that has ever been proposed for these problems is self-evidently ridiculous; the notion that privatizing the natural world can preserve oceans and rainforests is infantile nonsense that’s refuted by all of human history, as is the notion that the needful can be cared for solely by voluntary charity. No intellectually honest person believes this is true. No ancap who’s thought hard enough about ecocide and caring for the needful sincerely believes that capitalism can address these problems. At their most honest, they’ll say that ecocide and starvation are necessary sacrifices that must be made for the freedoms and conveniences they want to have for themselves.

    I appreciate a right-libertarian who straight up admits that they’re fine with environmental destruction and the weakest members of society dying off rather than pretending the “free market” can address these issues, because at least they’re being honest about where they stand.

    And of course the current western status quo model of capitalism with a little state welfare and a few superficial environmental restrictions isn’t working either, because here we are. Every possible capitalist school of thought has failed to find a solution to these problems. You can yell “but communism bad” at me all you want, but that doesn’t address the fact that people are struggling to survive and our biosphere is hurtling toward collapse, and that literally nothing anywhere in capitalist thought has anything resembling a viable answer for this.

    We won’t ultimately have a solution to ecocide and exploitation until mass-scale human behavior ceases to be driven by the pursuit of profit altogether, because ecocide and exploitation are profitable. We’re going to have to find another organizing principle if we’re to survive on this planet.

    ❖

    Never let yourself lose sight of the reality that as bad as things are, the fact that there are things at all is vastly more significant than any of our puny human problems.

    It’s not something you can talk about all the time because people will think you’re being callous about human suffering and all the problems that we do have, but the truth of the matter is that even if things were ten times worse than they are now, it would still be vastly less significant than the fact that we get to live in a world and perceive it and think about it and share ideas about it instead of nothing existing at all.

    Yes, pay attention to our problems and do what you can to fix them, but never, ever let yourself lose sight of the fact that we are living in the middle of a continuous miracle of unfathomable beauty, and that we ourselves are inseparably unified with that vast miracle. If you only fixate on thoughts about our problems you will become bitter and ineffective in the fight against injustice, and more importantly, you will have wasted your time here failing to appreciate the wondrousness of a human life on this amazing planet.

    *  *  *

    Caitlin’s Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscribe.

    My work is entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, throwing some money into my tip jar on Patreon, Paypal, or Substack, buying an issue of my monthly zine, and following me on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud or YouTube. If you want to read more you can buy my books. The best way to make sure you see the stuff I publish is to subscribe to the mailing list for at my website or on Substack, which will get you an email notification for everything I publish. Everyone, racist platforms excluded, has my permission to republish, use or translate any part of this work (or anything else I’ve written) in any way they like free of charge. For more info on who I am, where I stand, and what I’m trying to do with this platform, click here. All works co-authored with my husband Tim Foley.

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    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 05/13/2023 – 19:30

  • After-School Satan Clubs Are Hot, Hot, Hot!
    After-School Satan Clubs Are Hot, Hot, Hot!

    Following a major legal victory in the free speech department, after school Satan Clubs are picking up steam.

    Launched in 2020 and promptly opposed by most parents, the clubs, associated with the Satanic Temple, are being pitched as an alternative to Christian after-school groups for those who identify as agnostics, atheists and religious minorities, such as pagans.

    Last Monday, the Satanic Temple and the ACLU scored a legal victory after the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled against the Northampton County school district, which banned the club from meeting on its grounds.

    “In a victory for free speech and religious freedom, a federal court has ruled that the Saucon Valley School District must allow the After School Satan Club to meet in district facilities,” the ACLU said in a statement.

    Totally not Satanic?

    The PR campaign behind the Satanic Temple is a sight to behold. Founded in 2014, the organization claims to “encourage benevolence and empathy, reject tyrannical authority,” and says that members should use “practical common sense” and stand up for justice.

    Kid-friendly!

    Congregations tell those interested that if they’re trying to “sell my soul, get rich, join the Illuminati, etc.,” that they should look elsewhere.

    “We’re definitely not interested in having children identify as satanists,” said satanist Rose Bastet, who has been involved in the Satanic Temple for four years, and is one of the After School Satan Club volunteers at B.M. Williams Primary in Chesapeake, VA. Bastet spearheaded the effort to get the club into the school in October 2020 – a process which took a long time because the school was “giving us the runaround,” she said, adding that “they were in the background looking for any way that they could prevent us from meeting.”

    Ya think?

    The Baphomet statue is seen at the Satanic Temple in Salem, Mass., on Oct. 8, 2019. Photo by Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

    Just nature stuff!

    According to Bastet, Satan Club is just teaching kids about nature and whatnot.

    “One of our meetings a couple of months ago, we learned about Virginia native bats,” she said, adding “This last meeting, we had one of the parents in the club volunteer to bring in a bunch of bones and fossils that she and her husband have found in Virginia.”

    Neat!

    That said, the ‘curriculum’ could change this fall as the club seeks to integrate the seven tenets of the Satanic Temple, which include “compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason,” and that “beliefs should conform to one’s best scientific understanding of the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one’s beliefs.”

    “We just came out with a book that is like the children’s version — or I should say a very sweet way to interpret — the tenets in a very understanding way that children could understand. So we might start actually using this book to talk to the kids about our seven tenets,” said Everett, adding “We have a lot of big plans for next school year.“

    We bet they do…

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 05/13/2023 – 19:00

  • California Reparations Committee Calls for Ending Cash Bail
    California Reparations Committee Calls for Ending Cash Bail

    Authored by Elizabeth Dowell via The Epoch Times,

    California’s reparations committee is calling for state officials to end cash bail and the prosecution of low-level crimes after approving a reparations payment plan to make amends for slavery and anti-black racism earlier this week.

    The nine-member committee, which was created by state legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2020, approved its final recommendations to the California Legislature, which will decide whether to enact the measures and send them to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.

    A final report is due to the Legislature by July 1, where recommendations include several proposals related to criminal justice, including the elimination of cash bail.

    “The cash bail system is at the core of many of the class and race-based inequities in the criminal legal system,” the committee wrote in its proposal.

    “The task force accordingly recommends that the legislature take all steps necessary to definitively end cash bail.”

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs into law a bill that establishes a task force to come up with recommendations on how to give reparations in Sacramento, Calif., on Sept. 30, 2020. (Office of the Governor via AP)

    Government officials and prosecutors have argued that it’s unfair to low-income people who can’t afford it to pay cash for bail and have fought to end this requirement.

    “Pretrial detention can last months and even years, during which incarcerated individuals suffer countless harms, including deteriorating mental and physical health, risk of sexual violence and lasting trauma,” the committee wrote.

    “These harms exert significant pressure on defendants to accept plea bargains in order to be released from custody rather than fighting the charges at trial.”

    Newsom called the recommendations “a milestone in our bipartisan effort to advance justice and promote healing.”

    “Dealing with the legacy of slavery is about much more than cash payments,” Newsom said in his statement.

    “We are waiting for the process to be completed.”

    The recommendations approved by the committee outline restitution that, if approved by state lawmakers, could cost billions of dollars to address historical disparities in health care, housing, and policing.

    “Many of the recommendations put forward by the Task Force are critical action items we’ve already been hard at work addressing: breaking down barriers to vote, bolstering resources to address hate, enacting sweeping law enforcement and justice reforms to build trust and safety, strengthening economic mobility—all while investing billions in rooting out disparities and improve equity in housing, education, healthcare, and beyond. This work must continue,” Newsom said.

    Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, a Los Angeles-area Democrat on the committee, said in an interview that it’s too early to know whether payments could get passed in the Legislature, as the committee’s report deadline looms.

    “We have absolutely no idea right now what will or will not be approved,” he said.

    Republican Lauren Boebert criticized the reparations payments calling it “a joke.”

    “The fact that supposedly serious people in San Francisco are considering a plan that would give $5,000,000 in reparations to every black resident in their city in a state that never had slavery is a joke,” Boebert wrote on Twitter.

    California’s black population includes more than 2.5 million people.

    The committee outlines what it describes as “over-policing” of black Americans before calling for California to stop prosecuting low-level crimes.

    “Given the devastating impacts of this kind of over-policing, the task force recommends that the legislature prohibit law enforcement from criminally enforcing public disorder infractions and other low-level crimes,” the committee wrote.

    “Instead, a public health and safety institution, without criminal arrest or prosecution powers, would enforce prohibitions such as sleeping on the sidewalk, fare evasion, spitting on the train, and similar transit-related or other public disorder violations that criminalize poverty,” the committee added.

    Assemblymember Lori Wilson, who chairs the state Legislative Black Caucus, said that the caucus would champion policy proposals included in the task force’s report.

    “We look forward to working collaboratively with our Legislative colleagues and Gov. Newsom’s administration as we continue to fight for equity in our communities,” Wilson said in a statement.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 05/13/2023 – 18:30

  • Oregon GOP Walkout Targets Bills On Abortions For Children, Gun Control
    Oregon GOP Walkout Targets Bills On Abortions For Children, Gun Control

    By not showing up for duty, Oregon’s Republican state senators are thwarting Democrats’ attempts to pass bills on gun control, abortion and so-called “gender-affirming care.” Oregon Senate rules require that two-thirds of members be present for before votes on legislation can be held. Senators joining the no-show campaign are playing with fire, as they could find themselves disqualified from serving additional terms. 

    Outwardly, Republicans claim their boycott is aimed at forcing Democrats to comply with a long-obscure 1979 law requiring bill summaries to be written at an 8th- or 9th-grade reading level. However, that position is widely understood to be a creative pretext for blocking bills that Republicans consider extreme. Credit a GOP senate staffer who dug up the 44-year-old law that’s seemingly been ignored ever since enacted. 

    Plenty of empty desks in the Oregon Senate on May 11, as only two Republicans showed up (Dirk VanderHart/OPB)

    Hundreds of bills are now stuck, but the blockage is primarily motivated by Republican opposition to two particular Democrat proposals. The first of them is House Bill 2002, which would:

    • Let minors of any age get an abortion without parental notice, much less permission
    • Order private insurers and Medicaid to pay for more services under an umbrella of “gender-affirming care” 
    • Require student health centers to dispense abortion and emergency contraception drugs 
    • Deploy mobile “health clinics” to carry out abortions and gender transitions in rural areas

    Republicans are incensed by the package. “Oregonians do not want more of their taxpayer dollars going to something they fundamentally disagree with,” said Rep. Christine Goodwin told Oregon Public Broadcasting. “Ask them how they feel about a mobile abortion truck parked in their neighborhoods.”

    Of course, it’s not just taxpayer dollars at stake: The mandates for private insurers would mean higher premiums for all Oregonians covered by private policies, compelling them to indirectly fund gender swaps for fellow citizens. 

    Gun control advocates protest the GOP’s Oregon Senate walkout (AP via New York Post)

    Republicans are also trying to derail House Bill 2005, a gun control bill that would: 

    • Increase the minimum age for buying certain semiautomatic firearms from 18 to 21
    • Criminalize possession of untraceable firearms, which gun control advocates label “ghost guns”
    • Require background checks for private firearm sales

    Democrats and Republican leaders have been holding closed-door meetings, but the Democratic Senate leader says his side won’t budge on the abortion and gender-switch bill.

    The longer the boycott lasts, the closer various Republicans put themselves in jeopardy of disqualification from additional terms in office. Last year, by a resounding 68% to 32% tally, the state’s voters approved a constitutional amendment that imposes that penalty on legislators who rack up 10 unexcused absences. The measure was motivated by repeated walkouts.  

    When Democrats in Texas and Wisconsin carried out similar walkouts to block legislatures from achieving a quorum, they were celebrated as heroes. However, Republicans are being condemned for using the same tactic in Oregon. 

    “It is abundantly clear that there is a concerted effort to undermine the will of the people and bring the legislature to a halt in violation of the constitution of the state of Oregon,” said Democratic Senate President Rob Wagner.  

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    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 05/13/2023 – 18:00

  • Pentagon To Expand Air Defenses In Guam, Eyeing China & N.Korea Threats
    Pentagon To Expand Air Defenses In Guam, Eyeing China & N.Korea Threats

    Authored by Kyle Anzalone via The Libertarian Institute,

    A Defense Department official told Congress that the Pentagon is acting on plans to build a multi-layered air defense system in Guam, where Washington keeps several military bases. The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is requesting $1.5 billion to begin stationing new radars and interceptors on the island next year.

    Missile Defense Agency director Vice Adm. Jon Hill told a Senate panel on Tuesday that the Pentagon is currently conducting environmental impact studies at multiple sites where it hopes to deploy new systems. Local officials in Guam now have less than 30 days to review the reports and offer a response.

    Hill stressed that the US must defend all of its territories as if they were the American homeland, including Guam, adding that the Pentagon would install a “360-degree layered defense capability” on the island to secure it against “simultaneous cruise, ballistic, maneuvering and hypersonic” missile attacks.

    The Missile Defense Agency plans to deploy AEGIS, SM-3, SM-6 and THAAD interceptors at various points on Guam. The Pentagon previously awarded Lockheed Martin a $527 million contract to develop an upgraded AEGIS system for the island, while the MDA is hoping to receive another $1.5 billion to spend on Guam’s air defenses during FY 2024.

    The Defense Department is additionally working on new radar systems to deploy to Guam. “We are in the early stages of developing the Homeland Defense Radar-Guam (now designated as the AN/TPY-6 radar) and the Aegis Guam System to provide persistent long-range midcourse discrimination, precision tracking, missile engagements, and hit assessment to protect Guam,” Hill said in his written testimony.

    The vice admiral told the Senate panel that the systems were needed to contend with alleged threats posed by China and North Korea.

    The Joe Biden administration has adopted confrontational policies toward Beijing and Pyongyang, issuing a steady stream of threats and ultimatums to both countries. China and North Korea say the US military buildup in the region is driving a major spike in tensions, citing a flurry of live-fire drills and other operations in the Asia-Pacific in recent years.

    The AEGIS system in particular could further fuel the cycle of escalation, as it is capable of being converted to fire offensive missiles, including those carrying nuclear warheads, in addition to defensive interceptors

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 05/13/2023 – 17:30

  • San Francisco Democrat Pushes To Restrict Gun Use By Security Guards 
    San Francisco Democrat Pushes To Restrict Gun Use By Security Guards 

    San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston introduced new draft legislation earlier this week that would prevent security officers in the crime-ridden progressive metro area from using their firearms to protect property. 

    “We must amend local law to prohibit guards from drawing weapons just to protect property,” Preston tweeted on Tuesday. 

    The Democratic Socialist’s proposal follows an incident last month when a Walgreens security guard shot and killed suspected burglar Banko Brown. 

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    Preston’s ridiculous push to limit the ability of security guards to use firearms while on the job attracted criticism from the world’s second-richest person, Elon Musk: 

    “It’s bad enough already. If security guards can’t protect stores, offices, homes or themselves from violent criminals, who would remain in San Francisco?”

    Another tech entrepreneur Joe Lonsdale said, “SF leaders are basically openly inciting robbery. A security guard damn well can defend you and your property with a gun, in a free country.” 

    Lonsdale said he’s concerned about his “friends and colleagues” in this increasingly “lawless” city, adding, “I hope they succeed at voting out people like Preston.” 

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    And lawlessness is right. Just look at the chaos in Oakland the other night as the progressive district attorney fails to enforce law and order. 

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    Meanwhile, retailers like Whole Foods, Nordstrom, T-Mobile, Office Depot, and many others are closing up shops as thefts are surging out of control. 

    Similar occurrences have recently been observed in cities like Baltimore and Chicago, where groups of young people wreak havoc on city streets. This is a failure of progressive leadership nationwide to enforce law and order. The American people are infuriated by the failure of progressives, as there is no accountability for implementing failed policies. 

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 05/13/2023 – 17:00

  • Recession Odds Rise To Highest In 40 Years: Fed
    Recession Odds Rise To Highest In 40 Years: Fed

    Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times,

    The odds that the United States will fall into a recession at some point over the next 12 months have risen to a 40-year high, according to a probability model from the New York Federal Reserve.

    The probability that the country will enter a recession within the next year has risen to 68.2 percent, according to the New York Fed, which is the highest level since 1982.

    The Fed’s recession risk indicator is now greater than it was in November 2007, not long before the subprime crisis, when it stood at 40 percent.

    The recession model is based on the spread between the three-month and 10-year yields on U.S. Treasurys.

    For months, the U.S. economy had been projected to show slowing real GDP growth and labor market softening.

    Amid the banking sector turmoil sparked by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, economists at the Federal Reserve have projected a shallow recession.

    “Given their assessment of the potential economic effects of the recent banking-sector developments, the staff’s projection at the time of the March meeting included a mild recession starting later this year, with a recovery over the subsequent two years,” stated the minutes from a March meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC).

    There has been a growing chorus of experts who believe that the odds of a recession are high.

    Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers said he thinks the chances are “probably about 70 percent.”

    “The chance that a recession will have begun this year in the U.S. over the next 12 months is probably about 70 percent,” Summers said in a recent interview with Foreign Policy.

    “As I put together the lags associated with monetary policy, the credit crunch risks, the need for continuing action around inflation, the risk of geopolitical or other shocks affecting commodities, 70 percent would be the range that I would be in.”

    Economists at Capital Economics published their latest quarterly U.S. economic outlook report, warning that the “acute bank stress” will result in “further tightening” of credit conditions, leaving them “even more convinced that the economy will fall into recession this year.”

    ING economists are also “more convinced than ever” with their prediction of a recession, citing in a research note the financial turmoil and the Fed’s monetary policy tightening.

    A recent poll showed that most Americans believe that the country is headed for a recession—or has already fallen into an economic downturn.

    Pessimism about the economy hit a record high amid rampant price inflation, rising interest rates, and growing recession concerns, according to the latest CNBC All-America Economic Survey.

    The survey showed that 69 percent of U.S. adults have negative views about the current economic landscape, which is the highest figure since the survey began 17 years ago.

    The elevated recession risk comes amid a debt ceiling standoff in Washington.

    Debt Ceiling Deadlock

    The Treasury Department has warned that the United States could default as soon as June 1 if no deal is reached.

    The White House has put out an analysis that said even a “short” default could eliminate half a million jobs and that a “protracted” one could cost 8.3 million jobs.

    When the United States reached the $31.4 trillion debt cap in January, the Treasury Department started resorting to “extraordinary measures” to keep making payments on outstanding federal debt obligations and keep the government from defaulting.

    At some point, however, the scope to continue with those accounting maneuvers will run out and the government will face the prospect of being unable to meet its financial obligations—a moment known as the X-date.

    When the X-date is reached and there’s no agreement in Congress to lift the cap, the Treasury Department will be unable to issue any more bills, bonds, or notes and can only make payments on the government’s debt obligations from incoming tax revenues.

    After a three-month hiatus, negotiations on raising the debt cap resumed on May 9 between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), but they ended with no breakthrough.

    Biden has insisted on a clean bill to raise the borrowing limit, while McCarthy and House Republicans have put forward a proposal that would pair lifting the cap by $1.5 trillion with $4.5 trillion in spending cuts over a decade. The president has rejected the GOP proposal and vowed to veto it if it reaches his desk.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 05/13/2023 – 16:30

  • Egypt Rejects US Requests To Block Russian Military Flights
    Egypt Rejects US Requests To Block Russian Military Flights

    Washington is trying to pressure Egypt into closing its airspace for all Russian military flights, but the regional US ally isn’t having it, which also awkwardly comes following a recent Pentagon leak showing Cairo planned to supply Moscow with rockets.

    “Egypt has ignored U.S. requests to close its airspace to Russian military flights, American and Egyptian officials said, testing the limits of Washington’s ability to choke off Moscow’s supplies ahead of an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive,” The Wall Street Journal reports Friday.

    “The U.S. and Ukraine persuaded countries including Turkey, Jordan and Iraq to cut access for at least some Russian military planes last year after the invasion of Ukraine, forcing Moscow’s aircraft to fly 2,000 extra miles and up to five hours further to reach strategic bases in Syria,” the report continues.

    Washington’s concern is that Russia has likely been using Egyptian airspace to transport weapons from its arms depots elsewhere in the Middle East – for example in Syria where since 2015 it’s had a significant military build-up, particularly focused along the coast. 

    Flight records cited in the WSJ report showed that at least seven such military flights which utilized this Syria route, before heading to Russia’s Black Sea region. 

    Egypt over the past multiple decades has been just behind Israel as a top recipient of US foreign aid, to the tune of about $1.3 billion annually. In recent years Congress has made moves to withhold some of this if it doesn’t better servce US interests. Washington has long propped up Egypt’s military largely in order to keep the peace with Israel. 

    For example a State Department fact sheet has reviewed that “Since 1978, the United States has provided Egypt with over $50 billion in military and $30 billion in economic assistance.”

    Last month the Washington Post reported on a leaked slide which was part of the “Discord leaks” of Pentagon documents. The slide said that Sisi recently ordered production of up to 40,000 rockets to be covertly shipped to Russia.

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    The top secret document, dated to Feb. 17 of this year, included a summary of conversations between the Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and his senior military officials. “In the document, Sisi instructs the officials to keep the production and shipment of the rockets secret ‘to avoid problems with the West,'” the Washington Post wrote. Artillery rounds and gunpowder were also mentioned.

    Countries like Egypt (viewed as close American allies) caught shipping weapons into Russia would not only prove highly embarrassing for the Biden administration, but could possibly trigger US sanctions, or at least the freezing of defense aid to the country.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 05/13/2023 – 16:00

  • Our Two Deep States: One Public, One Private
    Our Two Deep States: One Public, One Private

    Authored by Charles Hugh Smith via OfTwoMinds blog,

    One Deep State is bad enough, but a renegade, predatory private-sector Deep State is intolerable.

    In 2007, well before the term Deep State entered the common lexicon, I sketched the interconnected public-private pieces of the Deep State, which I termed the elite maintaining and extending global dominance. This diagram doesn’t make all the connections or list all the consequential nodes of influence of course, but you get the idea: elected officials, i.e. “democracy,” play a modest role in the entire structure, which displays remarkable continuity regardless of which politicians and parties are currently in power.

    That’s the whole idea, of course: continuity that can’t be disrupted by an election.

    What’s changed is the emergence of a private-sector Deep State–a.k.a. Big Tech–that has established unprecedented power outside the control of elected officials even as it continues to play ball with the traditional public-sector dominated Deep State of the alphabet federal agencies and informal public-private sector ties.

    This private-sector Deep State is free to pursue its own agenda of information-gathering and selling, surveillance, influence and profit-maximizing monopolies while seeming to serve the traditional Deep State as information-collecting and censorship services.

    What makes Big Tech a private-sector Deep State is that nobody outside the corporations knows precisely what’s in their databases and algorithms or the extent of their capabilities. Sure, they share information with the traditional Deep State players, and censor whomever it’s “suggested” they censor / shadow-ban, but that transfer isn’t 100% of what Big Tech has in hand. All that transfer is just enough to appear to be playing ball so Big Tech can “suggest” OK, we’ve done our part, now leave us alone.

    The problem with both Deep States is there is no recourse within the system for those censored / shadow-banned, those being tracked, those whose data is being siphoned off and sold to whomever offers a hefty sum of cash, and so on. The basic idea of the US Constitution is that every citizen has some recourse via the judicial or political systems should the state (government) or private entities overstep the boundaries established by the Constitution.

    Citizens have no recourse against the predations of Big Tech or the traditional Deep State. Um, hello there, Big Tech, could you please share precisely how and when I’ve been shadow-banned, who else has copies of the data you’ve collected about me and how much you “earned” selling my data to third parties? What’s actually in your AI tools? Does any public agency have any real oversight power over all the looting, pillaging and predation you’re pursuing?

    So sorry (heh), you agreed to our terms of service which grant us all the rights and our algorithms and databases are protected proprietary corporate property. So blow chow, pal, you have no recourse. We’re a corporation, we have rights; you’re only a citizen, you have none. You currently have permission to post photos of puppies and kittens, so just enjoy the photos of puppies and kittens and be happy you haven’t yet been digitally erased entirely.

    Um, hello there, Alphabet-Soup Agency, could I please have all the files you’ve assembled on me? Yes, there is a protocol for requesting information (the Freedom of Information Act FOIA), but there are exemptions and delays, so don’t hold your breath.

    Meanwhile, the nation careens into an era of Polycrisis, defined as a cluster of related global risks with compounding effects, such that the overall impact exceeds the sum of each part. This is of course a classic description of emergent systems, which display characteristics that differ from those generated by each individual component.

    I’ve sketched out a few of these dynamics in the chart below of overlapping crises.

    At the same time, the global status quo, regardless of political flavor, is sliding down the backside of the S-Curve (see graph below). Everything that was considered a dependable solution is now the problem. There are no solutions within the existing status quo, and so everyone has no choice but to do more of what’s failed spectacularly.

    There are no perfect, sacrifice-free fixes to the demise of the debt-funded, waste is growth / Landfill Global Economy, but a good start would be bringing the private-sector Deep State of Big Tech to heel, stripping it of its opacity and powers, relegating everything Big Tech does or attempts to a tightly regulated utility with transparent public oversight.

    One Deep State is bad enough, but a renegade, predatory private-sector Deep State is intolerable. It goes almost without saying that I’ve been shadow-banned for the past 7 years (revealed by the bogus PropOrNot hit list), if not longer, but the mechanisms of this censorship are opaque, not just to me but to the elected branches of government and the shadow-realm of the traditional Deep State.

    *  *  *

    My new book is now available at a 10% discount ($8.95 ebook, $18 print): Self-Reliance in the 21st Century.

    Read the first chapter for free (PDF)

    Become a $1/month patron of my work via patreon.com.

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 05/13/2023 – 15:30

  • Non-Binary Character In New Transformer Cartoon Goes Viral As People Call For "Another Brand Boycott"
    Non-Binary Character In New Transformer Cartoon Goes Viral As People Call For “Another Brand Boycott”

    Out of the ‘woke’ indoctrination ovens from studios in Hollywood is a children’s computer-animated television show called “Transformers: EarthSpark” that first aired on Paramount+ in November 2022 and has embraced the woke movement. 

    Paramount+ might be digging its grave after the show for young kids appears to have recently promoted gender ideology. 

    “I know I’m safe when I’m with my friends or other non-binary people,” a character named Sam said to Transformer Nightshade. Sam also said her pronouns are “she/they.”

    The 1-minute clip tweeted by Libs of TikTok has been viewed 8 million times within 24 hours. Commenting on the clip is Mostly Peaceful Memes, who said, “Really putting the trans in transformers ammiright?”

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    The cringe-woke cartoon isn’t the first. Disney has been pumping woke cartoons for a while, enraging parents. The proliferation of woke cartoons should be a wake-up call for parents and the need to vet kids shows as Hollywood and the left wages a culture war on the youngest generation. Twitter users were appalled by the woke cartoon. 

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    Paramount+ might be walking a fine line as some Americans have been on a roll, boycotting products from corporate America, such as woke Bud Light. 

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    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 05/13/2023 – 15:00

  • Non-Profit Hospitals Made Huge Profits During Pandemic While Receiving $23 Billion In Federal COVID-19 Aid: Report
    Non-Profit Hospitals Made Huge Profits During Pandemic While Receiving $23 Billion In Federal COVID-19 Aid: Report

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

    Federal officials gave more than $23 billion COVID-19 aid to the nation’s top 20 nonprofit hospitals even as a 62 percent increase in their collective net assets led parallel surges in the institutions’ total profits and revenues during the 2018-2021 time period spanning the Coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report.

    The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., on Sept. 29, 2020. (Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images)

    Only two of the 20 institutions have repaid the government for the COVID-19 aid they received.  

    “The 20 largest nonprofit hospitals in the country continued making massive profits while their cumulative net assets soared to $324.3 billion in 2021, up from $200.6 billion in 2018. The year 2021 is the latest year available for cross-comparison purposes.

    “Those hospital systems received congressional COVID bailouts of $23 billion and only two providers partially paid their COVID bailout back,” said the report compiled by Open The Books, an Illinois-based research nonprofit that compiles and posts spending by all levels of government in America. The two institutions that have partially repaid the government were not identified.

    The biggest jump among the top 20 was 92 percent by the Mayo Clinic, based in Rochester, Minnesota, whose assets went from $9.2 billion in 2018 to $17.7 billion in 2021. The Mayo Clinic received $350,000 in federal COVID-19 aid, the lowest amount received among the top 20 institutions.

    The Cleveland Clinic Health System, based in Independence, Ohio, saw its assets go up 60 percent, from $9.8 billion to $15.7 billion, while receiving $118 million in federal COVID-19 aid. Intermountain Healthcare, based in Salt Lake City,  Utah, the 12th largest of the top 20, enjoyed a 63 percent growth in net assets from $7.1 billion to $11.6 billion. Intermountain received $518 million in aid.

    The Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. (Courtesy of Cleveland Clinic)

    Seeing a 43 percent jump in net assets between 2018 and 2021 was the Northwestern Medicine system, moving from $8.3 billion to $11.9 billion, and receiving $419 million in COVID-19 aid from federal officials. The Indiana University Health System went from $7 billion in 2018 to $10.3 billion in 2021, a 47 percent increase. The Indiana facility received $726 million in COVID-19 assistance from the government.

    And as the revenues poured in for the 20 hospitals, compensation for their top executives soared, often beyond $10 million annually, according to the report.

    For example, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Ascension Healthcare, which is based in St. Louis and is the nation’s second-largest such system, received $13 million in 2021 and a total in excess of $22 million for the period covered by the study.

    The recipient among the top 20 of the most COVID-19 aid was San Francisco-based CommonSpirit Health with $3.6 billion, followed by Providence St. Joseph Center with $3 billion, Ascension Healthcare with $2.7 billion, Livonia, Michigan-based Livonia Health with $2.3 billion and Sutter Health, based in Sacramento, California, with $1.7 billion.

    But the overall health of Americans headed downward between 2018 and 2021.

    “American life expectancy during this period sharply declined by a staggering 2.5 years from 2019 through 2022. While ‘comparable country averages’ rebounded from a COVID-related drop in 2021, the United States continued declining in life expectancy,” the report found.

    “Yet, the cost of health care is still astronomically high, as the average family paid $22,463 in health insurance premiums in 2022. That does not include out-of-pocket costs like co-pays and deductibles, which can be thousands more. This has led to medical debt for about 100 million Americans,” the report continued.

    Read more here…

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 05/13/2023 – 14:30

  • Watch: Texas Governor Buses More Illegal Migrants To Kamala Harris' House
    Watch: Texas Governor Buses More Illegal Migrants To Kamala Harris’ House

    For decades, Democrats have ignored or applauded the mass movements of illegal immigrants across the US southern border as a grand signal of cosmopolitan virtue.  However, as soon as border states began to fight back against open border policies and started sending those same migrants to leftist cities, suddenly their tone changed and their enthusiasm disappeared. 

    The moment blue sanctuary cities were forced to deal with the direct repercussions of an invasion of low skill, welfare seeking illegal migrants, leftists became enraged. Instead of blaming their own failed ideals, they started blaming the conservative governors that are bussing the illegals to their doorstep.  Unphased by the indignant whining of Democrats, the governors of Florida and Texas have continued their effort to make a point – If leftist controlled cities can’t even handle a few thousand migrants, why should border towns be expected to handle millions?  

    With the continuance of Title 42 now in question, the ability of border patrol agents to ship migrants directly back to Mexico is about to disappear.  And, if red states aren’t allowed by the Biden Administration to send them back, they might as well send them to Biden. 

    Texas Governor Greg Abbot has sent another group of buses carrying illegals to already overwhelmed Washington DC, straight to the residence of Vice President Kamala Harris: 

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    As the saying goes, the beatings will continue until morale improves.  Perhaps Democrat constituents will finally start questioning the immigration policies of their leadership? 

    Tyler Durden
    Sat, 05/13/2023 – 14:00

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