- What If The Baby Jesus Had Been Born Into The American Police State?
What If The Baby Jesus Had Been Born Into The American Police State?
Authored by John & Nisha Whitehead via The Rutherford Institute,
“When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with their flocks, the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among the people, to make music in the heart.”
– Howard Thurman, theologian and civil rights activist
The Christmas story of a baby born in a manger is a familiar one.
The Roman Empire, a police state in its own right, had ordered that a census be conducted. Joseph and his pregnant wife Mary traveled to the little town of Bethlehem so that they could be counted. There being no room for the couple at any of the inns, they stayed in a stable (a barn), where Mary gave birth to a baby boy, Jesus. Warned that the government planned to kill the baby, Jesus’ family fled with him to Egypt until it was safe to return to their native land.
Yet what if Jesus had been born 2,000 years later?
What if, instead of being born into the Roman police state, Jesus had been born at this moment in time? What kind of reception would Jesus and his family be given? Would we recognize the Christ child’s humanity, let alone his divinity? Would we treat him any differently than he was treated by the Roman Empire? If his family were forced to flee violence in their native country and sought refuge and asylum within our borders, what sanctuary would we offer them?
A singular number of churches across the country have asked those very questions in recent years, and their conclusions were depicted with unnerving accuracy by nativity scenes in which Jesus and his family are separated, segregated and caged in individual chain-link pens, topped by barbed wire fencing.
Those nativity scenes were a pointed attempt to remind the modern world that the narrative about the birth of Jesus is one that speaks on multiple fronts to a world that has allowed the life, teachings and crucifixion of Jesus to be drowned out by partisan politics, secularism, materialism and war, all driven by a manipulative shadow government called the Deep State.
The modern-day church has largely shied away from applying Jesus’ teachings to modern problems such as war, poverty, immigration, etc., but thankfully there have been individuals throughout history who ask themselves and the world: what would Jesus do?
What would Jesus – the baby born in Bethlehem who grew into an itinerant preacher and revolutionary activist, who not only died challenging the police state of his day (namely, the Roman Empire) but spent his adult life speaking truth to power, challenging the status quo of his day, and pushing back against the abuses of the Roman Empire – do about the injustices of our modern age?
Dietrich Bonhoeffer asked himself what Jesus would have done about the horrors perpetrated by Hitler and his assassins. The answer: Bonhoeffer was executed by Hitler for attempting to undermine the tyranny at the heart of Nazi Germany.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn asked himself what Jesus would have done about the soul-destroying gulags and labor camps of the Soviet Union. The answer: Solzhenitsyn found his voice and used it to speak out about government oppression and brutality.
Martin Luther King Jr. asked himself what Jesus would have done about America’s warmongering. The answer: declaring “my conscience leaves me no other choice,” King risked widespread condemnation as well as his life when he publicly opposed the Vietnam War on moral and economic grounds.
Even now, despite the popularity of the phrase “What Would Jesus Do?” (WWJD) in Christian circles, there remains a disconnect in the modern church between the teachings of Christ and the suffering of what Jesus in Matthew 25 refers to as the “least of these.”
Yet this is not a theological gray area: Jesus was unequivocal about his views on many things, not the least of which was charity, compassion, war, tyranny and love.
After all, Jesus—the revered preacher, teacher, radical and prophet—was born into a police state not unlike the growing menace of the American police state. When he grew up, he had powerful, profound things to say, things that would change how we view people, alter government policies and change the world. “Blessed are the merciful,” “Blessed are the peacemakers,” and “Love your enemies” are just a few examples of his most profound and revolutionary teachings.
When confronted by those in authority, Jesus did not shy away from speaking truth to power. Indeed, his teachings undermined the political and religious establishment of his day. It cost him his life. He was eventually crucified as a warning to others not to challenge the powers-that-be.
Can you imagine what Jesus’ life would have been like if, instead of being born into the Roman police state, he had been born and raised in the American police state?
Consider the following if you will.
Had Jesus been born in the era of the America police state, rather than traveling to Bethlehem for a census, Jesus’ parents would have been mailed a 28-page American Community Survey, a mandatory government questionnaire documenting their habits, household inhabitants, work schedule, how many toilets are in your home, etc. The penalty for not responding to this invasive survey can go as high as $5,000.
Instead of being born in a manger, Jesus might have been born at home. Rather than wise men and shepherds bringing gifts, however, the baby’s parents might have been forced to ward off visits from state social workers intent on prosecuting them for the home birth. One couple in Washington had all three of their children removed after social services objected to the two youngest being birthed in an unassisted home delivery.
Had Jesus been born in a hospital, his blood and DNA would have been taken without his parents’ knowledge or consent and entered into a government biobank. While most states require newborn screening, a growing number are holding onto that genetic material long-term for research, analysis and purposes yet to be disclosed.
Then again, had Jesus’ parents been undocumented immigrants, they and the newborn baby might have been shuffled to a profit-driven, private prison for illegals where they first would have been separated from each other, the children detained in make-shift cages, and the parents eventually turned into cheap, forced laborers for corporations such as Starbucks, Microsoft, Walmart, and Victoria’s Secret. There’s quite a lot of money to be made from imprisoning immigrants, especially when taxpayers are footing the bill.
From the time he was old enough to attend school, Jesus would have been drilled in lessons of compliance and obedience to government authorities, while learning little about his own rights. Had he been daring enough to speak out against injustice while still in school, he might have found himself tasered or beaten by a school resource officer, or at the very least suspended under a school zero tolerance policy that punishes minor infractions as harshly as more serious offenses.
Had Jesus disappeared for a few hours let alone days as a 12-year-old, his parents would have been handcuffed, arrested and jailed for parental negligence. Parents across the country have been arrested for far less “offenses” such as allowing their children to walk to the park unaccompanied and play in their front yard alone.
Rather than disappearing from the history books from his early teenaged years to adulthood, Jesus’ movements and personal data—including his biometrics—would have been documented, tracked, monitored and filed by governmental agencies and corporations such as Google and Microsoft. Incredibly, 95 percent of school districts share their student records with outside companies that are contracted to manage data, which they then use to market products to us.
From the moment Jesus made contact with an “extremist” such as John the Baptist, he would have been flagged for surveillance because of his association with a prominent activist, peaceful or otherwise. Since 9/11, the FBI has actively carried out surveillance and intelligence-gathering operations on a broad range of activist groups, from animal rights groups to poverty relief, anti-war groups and other such “extremist” organizations.
Jesus’ anti-government views would certainly have resulted in him being labeled a domestic extremist. Law enforcement agencies are being trained to recognize signs of anti-government extremism during interactions with potential extremists who share a “belief in the approaching collapse of government and the economy.”
While traveling from community to community, Jesus might have been reported to government officials as “suspicious” under the Department of Homeland Security’s “See Something, Say Something” programs. Many states, including New York, are providing individuals with phone apps that allow them to take photos of suspicious activity and report them to their state Intelligence Center, where they are reviewed and forwarded to law-enforcement agencies.
Rather than being permitted to live as an itinerant preacher, Jesus might have found himself threatened with arrest for daring to live off the grid or sleeping outside. In fact, the number of cities that have resorted to criminalizing homelessness by enacting bans on camping, sleeping in vehicles, loitering and begging in public has doubled.
Viewed by the government as a dissident and a potential threat to its power, Jesus might have had government spies planted among his followers to monitor his activities, report on his movements, and entrap him into breaking the law. Such Judases today—called informants—often receive hefty paychecks from the government for their treachery.
Had Jesus used the internet to spread his radical message of peace and love, he might have found his blog posts infiltrated by government spies attempting to undermine his integrity, discredit him or plant incriminating information online about him. At the very least, he would have had his website hacked and his email monitored.
Had Jesus attempted to feed large crowds of people, he would have been threatened with arrest for violating various ordinances prohibiting the distribution of food without a permit. Florida officials arrested a 90-year-old man for feeding the homeless on a public beach.
Had Jesus spoken publicly about his 40 days in the desert and his conversations with the devil, he might have been labeled mentally ill and detained in a psych ward against his will for a mandatory involuntary psychiatric hold with no access to family or friends. One Virginia man was arrested, strip searched, handcuffed to a table, diagnosed as having “mental health issues,” and locked up for five days in a mental health facility against his will apparently because of his slurred speech and unsteady gait.
Without a doubt, had Jesus attempted to overturn tables in a Jewish temple and rage against the materialism of religious institutions, he would have been charged with a hate crime. More than 45 states and the federal government have hate crime laws on the books.
Had anyone reported Jesus to the police as being potentially dangerous, he might have found himself confronted—and killed—by police officers for whom any perceived act of non-compliance (a twitch, a question, a frown) can result in them shooting first and asking questions later.
Rather than having armed guards capture Jesus in a public place, government officials would have ordered that a SWAT team carry out a raid on Jesus and his followers, complete with flash-bang grenades and military equipment. There are upwards of 80,000 such SWAT team raids carried out every year, many on unsuspecting Americans who have no defense against such government invaders, even when such raids are done in error.
Instead of being detained by Roman guards, Jesus might have been made to “disappear” into a secret government detention center where he would have been interrogated, tortured and subjected to all manner of abuses. Chicago police have “disappeared” more than 7,000 people into a secret, off-the-books interrogation warehouse at Homan Square.
Charged with treason and labeled a domestic terrorist, Jesus might have been sentenced to a life-term in a private prison where he would have been forced to provide slave labor for corporations or put to death by way of the electric chair or a lethal mixture of drugs.
Indeed, as I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People and in its fictional counterpart The Erik Blair Diaries, given the nature of government then and now, it is painfully evident that whether Jesus had been born in our modern age or his own, he still would have died at the hands of a police state.
Thus, as we draw near to Christmas with its celebration of miracles and promise of salvation, we would do well to remember that what happened in that manger on that starry night in Bethlehem is only the beginning of the story. That baby born in a police state grew up to be a man who did not turn away from the evils of his age but rather spoke out against it.
We must do no less.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/24/2024 – 23:30 - Christmas Eve Asteroid Alert: 120-Foot Space Rock Racing Toward Earth
Christmas Eve Asteroid Alert: 120-Foot Space Rock Racing Toward Earth
As Christmas Eve approaches, the sky above promises more than twinkling stars and festive cheer. A massive celestial visitor, known as the “Christmas Eve asteroid,” is hurtling toward Earth at astonishing speeds.
While its approach is being closely monitored by NASA, the sheer size and velocity of this space rock have sparked fascination and a hint of unease. What makes this event so remarkable?
Could this asteroid pose a threat, or is it simply a fleeting guest in the cosmic dance of our solar system?
Asteroid 2024 XN1: Key Facts
Asteroid 2024 XN1, discovered on December 12, 2024, is set to make a close approach to Earth on Christmas Eve. Measuring between 95 and 230 feet in diameter—comparable to a 10-story building—this celestial object will pass at a distance of approximately 4.48 million miles from our planet, about 18 times the distance between Earth and the Moon.
Traveling at a velocity of 14,743 miles per hour, 2024 XN1 has been classified by NASA as a near-Earth object (NEO). Despite this classification, experts confirm there is no risk of collision. Astronomer Jess Lee from the Royal Greenwich Observatory notes, “It will be very far away, around 18 times further away from the Earth than the Moon is, and so with this predicted path won’t come close enough to hit the Earth.”
The significance of monitoring such asteroids is underscored by historical events like the Tunguska explosion in 1908, where a similarly sized object caused extensive damage over Siberia. This event flattened approximately 2,000 square kilometers of forest, highlighting the potential impact of near-Earth objects.
Potential Impact and Historical Comparisons
While asteroid 2024 XN1 is on a safe trajectory, understanding the potential impact of such celestial bodies is crucial. An asteroid of this size, measuring between 95 and 230 feet in diameter, could release energy equivalent to 12 million tons of TNT if it were to collide with Earth. This immense force could devastate an area of approximately 700 square miles, underscoring the importance of monitoring near-Earth objects.
Historical events provide sobering insights into the potential consequences of asteroid impacts. The Tunguska event of 1908, for instance, involved an object estimated to be about 120 feet in diameter—comparable to 2024 XN1. This explosion occurred above the ground and knocked down 80 million trees over a vast area in Siberia.
More recently, the Chelyabinsk meteor in 2013 demonstrated the destructive potential of smaller asteroids. A 66-foot-wide asteroid exploded in the atmosphere over Chelyabinsk, Russia, releasing energy equivalent to an estimated 150 kilotons of TNT. This event caused significant damage and resulted in numerous injuries, highlighting the need for vigilant monitoring of near-Earth objects.
How NASA Monitors These Asteroids
NASA employs a comprehensive approach to detect, track, and assess near-Earth objects (NEOs) like asteroid 2024 XN1, ensuring planetary safety through advanced monitoring systems and collaborative efforts.
One of NASA’s key tools is the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), a state-of-the-art detection system capable of scanning the entire dark sky every 24 hours for NEOs that could pose a future impact hazard to Earth. Operated by the University of Hawaiʻi’s Institute for Astronomy for NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO), ATLAS enhances the ability to detect potential threats well in advance.
In addition to ATLAS, NASA has developed Sentry, a highly automated collision monitoring system that continually scans the most current asteroid catalog for possibilities of future impact with Earth over the next 100 years. Sentry’s next-generation algorithm, Sentry-II, improves the evaluation of NEA impact probabilities, enabling more accurate risk assessments.
NASA is advancing its monitoring capabilities with the development of the Near-Earth Object Surveyor (NEO Surveyor), a space-based infrared telescope designed to discover and characterize most of the potentially hazardous asteroids larger than 140 meters in diameter. Scheduled for launch in 2027, NEO Surveyor will enhance the detection of asteroids that are difficult to observe with ground-based telescopes, filling a critical gap in humanity’s ability to detect potentially hazardous NEOs.
Beyond detection, NASA has tested methods to alter the trajectory of potentially hazardous asteroids. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, conducted in 2022, successfully demonstrated the ability to change an asteroid’s motion in space through kinetic impact. This mission marked a significant milestone in planetary defense, showcasing a viable method to protect Earth from future asteroid threats.
Through these sophisticated systems and missions, NASA continues to enhance its ability to monitor and mitigate potential asteroid threats, ensuring that objects like 2024 XN1 are detected and tracked well before they pose any risk to Earth.
Why This Matters: A Wake-Up Call
The close approach of asteroid 2024 XN1 serves as a compelling reminder of Earth’s vulnerability to near-Earth objects (NEOs). While this particular asteroid poses no immediate threat, its flyby underscores the critical importance of vigilant monitoring and preparedness.
Asteroids of significant size have the potential to cause catastrophic damage upon impact. Historical events, such as the Tunguska event in 1908, demonstrate the devastating effects of asteroid collisions. In that instance, an asteroid explosion flattened approximately 2,000 square kilometers of forest in Siberia. Similarly, the Chelyabinsk meteor in 2013 resulted in widespread damage and injuries. These incidents highlight the necessity of proactive measures to detect and mitigate potential threats.
NASA has been at the forefront of developing technologies to address the risks posed by NEOs. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, conducted in 2022, successfully demonstrated the ability to alter an asteroid’s trajectory through kinetic impact. This mission marked a significant milestone in planetary defense, showcasing a viable method to protect Earth from future asteroid threats.
As of December 2024, NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office reports the detection of nearly 28,000 near-Earth asteroids, with new discoveries occurring at a rate of about 3,000 per year. This ongoing surveillance is crucial for early detection and risk assessment, enabling timely implementation of mitigation strategies.
The flyby of asteroid 2024 XN1 should not be dismissed as a mere astronomical event. Instead, it should galvanize global efforts to enhance our planetary defense capabilities. Investing in advanced detection systems, conducting impact risk assessments, and developing deflection technologies are essential steps to safeguard our planet from potential future threats.
A Celestial Reminder for Earth’s Safety
The Christmas Eve asteroid, 2024 XN1, reminds us of the delicate balance Earth maintains within the vast and unpredictable cosmos. While its approach is a harmless spectacle this time, the potential devastation such objects can cause is a stark reminder of our planet’s vulnerabilities. Events like the Tunguska explosion and the Chelyabinsk meteor highlight why vigilant monitoring and investment in planetary defense strategies are non-negotiable for our future.
As we marvel at the wonders of the universe, it’s crucial to recognize the significance of efforts by NASA and other space agencies in safeguarding humanity. The success of missions like DART demonstrates that we have the tools to prepare for potential threats. However, this requires global cooperation, continued research, and enhanced detection systems.
Asteroid 2024 XN1 will pass without incident this Christmas Eve, but it leaves us with a valuable lesson: the cosmos is a dynamic, ever-changing arena, and staying prepared is essential. In the words of renowned astronomer Jess Lee, “The universe constantly reminds us of its vastness and unpredictability. It’s up to us to respect and adapt to it.”
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/24/2024 – 22:45 - American Families Find Joy In Simple, Traditional Christmas Celebrations
American Families Find Joy In Simple, Traditional Christmas Celebrations
Authored by Lawrence Wilson via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
Every year, it got more intense. The advertisements started earlier and earlier. The lawn decorations became bigger and brighter. And the consumerism—the craving, spending, and debt—got to be too much.
Family time seemed to be slipping away. It wasn’t what parents wanted for themselves and their children. Something had to change.
Illustration by The Epoch Times, Shutterstock, Courtesy Carla Gonyo, Courtesy Kathleen Birch, Courtesy Sherry Binversie, Courtesy Rebecca Teti That version of the Christmas story is familiar to many Americans who have grown weary of the many social and financial obligations attached to the holiday season.
The sentiment is humorously expressed in a social media meme: “The War on Christmas cannot end until Christmas stops its illegal occupation of November. I am calling on the Claus regime to return to the borders agreed upon in the Black Friday Agreement.”
Yet the ever-growing demands of the holiday season can exact a toll on financial and emotional well-being.
More than two in five U.S. adults report feeling stressed during the holidays, according to the American Psychological Association. More than a third say the holidays feel like a competition.
Some 28 percent of Americans who charged 2023’s holiday gifts on a credit card still owe some of the balance, according to a survey conducted by The Harris Poll for NerdWallet.
Amid the crush of holiday obligations, we found some families who have found ways to pare the expectations back and create meaningful, joy-filled Christmas celebrations.
While they were quick to point out that they’re not down on the Christmas season itself, they valued taking control of their calendar, setting financial boundaries, and focusing more on religious traditions.
Anticipation
The holiday season has been growing longer since 1939, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt set the date of Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November. Thanksgiving had been celebrated on the last Thursday of the month, which fell on Nov. 30 that year.
Concerned that the shortened shopping season would dampen the country’s recovery from the Great Depression, Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving up a week. Congress made the change permanent in 1941.
An estimated 3 million people turned out in inclement weather to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in New York City on Nov. 28, 2024. Richard Moore/The Epoch Times Thus began Black Friday and what would later be called “Christmas creep,” the gradual lengthening of the holiday season. Christmas advertising and store decorations are now seen routinely in October.
A common theme among families who have retooled their holiday practices is to delay celebrating Christmas until much closer to the day itself. For many, that involves Advent, the four weeks leading up to Christmas observed by Roman Catholics and many Protestants. The purpose is to cultivate one’s spiritual life in anticipation of the celebration of Jesus’s birth.
For Rebecca Teti, 56, of Hyattsville, Maryland, Advent is a way of pushing back against the ever-increasing social and financial expectations of the holiday season.
Raised in a mixed Jewish and evangelical Christian home that celebrated the cultural symbols of the season, Teti converted to Catholicism as an adult. She and her husband, Dennis, reached a turning point after celebrating their oldest child’s first Christmas with the extended family.
“We went over to the grandparents’ house, and here’s this poor little toddler who’d be perfectly happy playing with a tube of cardboard, and he had to keep opening presents. It was just way too much,” Teti said.
Teti and her husband began the practice of Advent with their children. Though the kids are now grown, the couple still spends the four weeks before Christmas in prayer and reflection rather than partying and decorating.
“We don’t do parties, we don’t do lights, we don’t do decorations until much closer to Christmas,” Teti said. “If I do let myself get caught up in preparation, preparation, preparation, it kind of spoils the celebration.”
Dennis (L) and Rebecca Teti with their children at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington on Jan. 1, 2018. Courtesy of Rebecca Teti Delayed gratification is difficult for our culture to accept, according to Tracy Hilts, pastor of Living Hope Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
“Advent requires an intentionality that does not come naturally to our Western mindset,” Hilts wrote in an article for the Evangelical Covenant Church website.
Yet the waiting is part of the joy for those with whom we spoke.
Sherry and Nathaniel Binversie of Fort Wayne, Indiana, heighten the anticipation of Christmas by placing an Advent wreath and candles on their dining room table.
An Advent wreath commonly contains four candles, lit one by one over the four weeks of the Advent season.
“We light the candles at every meal,” Sherry Binversie, 32, told The Epoch Times. “We’re marking the time as the light of Christ is coming.”
The Teti and Binversie families also wait until Epiphany to exchange gifts with their immediate families. That holiday, which falls on Jan. 6, marks the visit of the three wise men, or Magi, bringing gifts to Jesus. It is the day after the traditional 12 Days of Christmas, which symbolize the journey of the Magi.
“That has worked really well for us because it makes Christmas morning less about gifts and more about the joy of Christ’s coming and being able to be with family,” Teti said.
Part of the fun for the children was being able to eat whatever they chose from Christmas through New Year’s Day. Ice cream on a Monday? Sure, it’s Christmas!
Nathaniel and Sherry Binversie of Fort Wayne, Ind., with their children in 2004. Courtesy of Sherry Binversie Faith
The overwhelming majority of Americans, 91 percent, celebrate Christmas. That includes 82 percent of those with no religious affiliation and 74 percent of adherents to other religions. That’s according to Lifeway Research, an evangelical research firm associated with the Southern Baptist Convention.
While most are aware that Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, fewer than half attend a church service during the holiday season.
For the families we spoke with, Christmas becomes more meaningful and enjoyable when they focus on the spiritual meaning. That involves some traditional religious practices. While that typically includes attending a church service on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, most of their religious traditions take place at home and involve the entire family.
Kathleen and Vincent Birch of Fort Wayne, Indiana, use an Advent calendar to count down the days until Christmas with their oldest child. An Advent calendar features a set of numbered windows or drawers that conceal a treat or other object.
Read the rest here…
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/24/2024 – 22:00 - Another American Given Lengthy Prison Sentence By Russian Court For Espionage
Another American Given Lengthy Prison Sentence By Russian Court For Espionage
Another American has been slapped with a lengthy prison sentence in Russia. On Tuesday a Moscow court ruled that Gene Spector, a dual national, is guilty of espionage for which he was given a 15-year prison sentence.
The case stemmed from or at least was added onto a prior 2020 guilty plea involving Spector mediating bribes for a previous aide to former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, according to TASS.
Kommersant/Associated Press “Independent Russian outlet Media Zona, who had a journalist inside the courtroom, reported that Spector was sentenced to 13 years in a maximum security penal colony on espionage charges,” CNN reports.
“His previous charge for bribery was added to this term, meaning he was handed down a 15-year sentence, it reported, adding that Spector was also fined 14,116,805 rubles (around $140,500),” the report continues.
Spector is believed to have already been in jail for years amid the pending court proceedings. Little in the way of specific information on the alleged crimes have been made public, with the court citing national security secrecy.
TASS has described that he served as chairman of the board of directors of Medpolymerprom Group, which produces cancer drugs.
According to some of the details of Spector’s background via The Washington Post:
The trial was held behind closed doors “due to the secrecy of the case materials,” according to the country’s Interfax news agency. “Only the introductory and resolutive parts of the sentence were announced by the court.”
Spector was born in what was then the Soviet Union and later moved to the United States, where he obtained citizenship. He moved back to Russia as an adult and became an executive at a medical equipment company.
The Associated Press has recently listed the growing list of Americans behind bars in Russia, some of who have been set free in prisoner swaps with Washington.
In August of this year Russia and Washington conducted a historic prisoner swap which led to the freedom of former US Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
JUST IN: Three Americans are back on US soil following their release from Russian detention in a historic prisoner exchange with Moscow.
Follow live updates: https://t.co/pCsiV5uZ0Q pic.twitter.com/TPbFDGEE8b
— CNN (@CNN) August 2, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Eight detained Russians had been sent from the US back to Russia as a result of the swap. Earlier in the Ukraine war the Biden administration came under political fire for agreeing to release international arms trafficker Viktor Bout for WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was arrested and convicted in a Moscow court on a minor marijuana charge.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/24/2024 – 21:15 - 24 Things That You Will Desperately Need In A Post-Apocalyptic World
24 Things That You Will Desperately Need In A Post-Apocalyptic World
Authored by Michael Snyder via The Economic Collapse blog,
What would you do if a great cataclysm brought a sudden end to our society and you were forced to survive on what you currently have on hand? When I was growing up, very few people thought of such things. In fact, I never heard the words “prepper” or “prepping” until I became an adult. But now everything has changed.
Millions of Americans are spending enormous amounts of money to prepare for apocalyptic scenarios that they believe are quite likely to play out in our near future. According to Investopedia, approximately 20 million Americans now consider themselves to be preppers…
Doomsday prepping has become a bona fide area of investing, with experts putting the average annual growth of the survivalist sector at over 7% until 2030 and some 20 million Americans now identifying as “preppers”—about the size of entire states like New York.
That is a significant portion of our population.
And they are spending a ton of money.
One recent survey discovered that spending on prepping supplies reached about 11 billion dollars during one recent 12 month period…
The survey found that, collectively, preppers spent around $11 billion within a 12-month period. According to the survey, preppers tend to live in the Western part of the U.S. and spent the most money on basics like food, water and toilet paper.
As our society comes apart at the seams all around us, more Americans than ever are determined to achieve at least some level of self-sufficiency while they still can.
People from all across the political spectrum and that come from all walks of life are feverishly preparing for a very bleak future.
Of course there is not a general consensus about what that very bleak future will look like.
In this article, I am going to specifically address how to prepare for life in a post-apocalyptic world. Many preppers are preparing for scenarios that are far less extreme. The type of scenario that I am talking about in this piece is a situation where all of our major institutions are no longer functioning and society as we have known it has totally broken down.
What this means is that the items in the list that I am about to share with you will not be needed right now. But if an apocalyptic event or a series of apocalyptic events suddenly brings our society to an end, you will definitely need them.
I am imagining a time when there will be no functioning supply chains, and so there will be nothing to buy in the stores.
And since there will be no functioning supply chains, you will not have access to gasoline or propane.
So I have not included any items that are dependent on gasoline or propane in my list.
Also, please keep in mind that this list is not comprehensive and is only intended to represent the bare minimum that you will need.
There are countless other items that you could add to this list, but for this article I wanted to focus on the basics.
With all of that being said, the following is a list of 24 things that you will desperately need in a post-apocalyptic world…
#1 Emergency food to feed your family
#2 A water filtration system to clean your water
#3 A ferro rod for starting a fire
#4 An extensive first aid kit for health emergencies
#5 An emergency supply of antibiotics
#6 A multitool that has pliers, a knife, a saw and a screwdriver
#7 A solar-powered generator
#8 A solar flashlight
#9 An emergency shortwave radio so that you can stay informed
#10 Fishing gear
#11 Seeds for planting a garden
#12 A wood stove
#13 An axe for cutting wood
#14 A quality shovel
#15 Paracord
#16 Duct tape
#17 A hand-crank can opener
#18 A very warm winter jacket for every member of your family
#19 A durable backpack for every member of your family
#20 A compass
#21 A good pair of binoculars
#22 Wool blankets
#23 A Bible
#24 A way to protect everything that you have stockpiled from the marauding hordes that will be desperate to take all of it away from you
In a post-apocalyptic scenario, how long do you think that you would last?
In any survival situation, there are four big areas that always must be addressed: food, water, power and shelter.
Of course many would add security to that list.
In a world that has gone completely mad, there will be many that will be willing to do whatever it takes to stay alive.
If you live in an area that has a high population density, it may become nearly impossible to survive no matter how much preparation work you have done in advance. When things hit the fan, you will want to flee to a less densely populated area if at all possible.
Many people ask me for prepping advice, and so I have tried to cover some of the most essential basics in this article.
But of course what I have shared here is just the tip of the iceberg. Properly preparing for what is coming takes a tremendous amount of time, effort and energy, and the clock is ticking…
Use code THANKYOU10 for 10% off your purchase!
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/24/2024 – 20:30 - NORAD Santa Tracker Continues To Bring Magical Tradition To Kids Across The World
NORAD Santa Tracker Continues To Bring Magical Tradition To Kids Across The World
Authored by Elma Aksalic via The Epoch Times,
For children across the globe, one of the many joys of the Holiday season is anticipating the arrival of Santa Claus and his journey to deliver gifts waiting under the tree on Christmas morning.
With over 2 billion homes around the world and only so much time to complete the task, the “North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)” has given children the opportunity to not only track Santa’s progress in real-time but get involved in the action.
For 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, NORAD “defends the homeland through aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning for North America.” But on Dec. 24, the organization makes it their mission to track Santa’s location.
Through NORAD’s “North Warning” radar System across 47 installations, along with satellites and fighter aircraft, the organization makes a point of checking the radar closely for indications of Santa Claus leaving the North Pole.
Every year, over 100,000 children call into NORAD in Colorado Springs, with volunteer’s standing by on Christmas Eve to answer any Santa or holiday related questions and in a number of different languages.
Additionally, through its website, NORAD offers Santa’s virtual North Pole Village, as well as a holiday countdown, games, a movie theater, holiday music, and a web store.
Bob Sommers, a civilian contractor and NORAD volunteer, told The Associated Press he’s often met with overjoyed callers, and makes it a priority to tell children they must go to sleep before Santa arrives.
“There are screams and giggles and laughter,” Sommers said.
The tracker also offers fun facts about Santa’s journey, including the speed at which his sleigh is traveling, how many stops he made so far, and the amount of presents left, making the experience interactive for eager children.
In an interview, Chief Master Sergeant John G. Storms of NORAD and USNORTHCOM Command Senior Enlisted Leader said it is his first year tracking Santa, and he is eager to see the system, used to protect North America every single day, be put into use for joyful reasons.
“I’m really excited to have an opportunity to participate, and the thing I’m most looking forward to is the interaction with all of the citizens spreading cheer during the holidays.”
Origins of Santa Tracking
The tradition began back in 1955, during the Cold War era, after a department store advertisement mistakenly printed the wrong telephone number for children to call Santa Claus.
A young boy ended up reaching the “Continental Air Defense Command,” which is now NORAD, asking to speak with Saint Nick while reciting his wish list.
Colonel Harry Shoup, an officer on duty, decided to play into the mistaken phone call and reassured the child he would keep a look out for his whereabouts through their radar system.
From that moment on, 50 different callers followed a day, and a new tradition was born. Combining a little holiday magic and technology, NORAD continues to bring joy, Christmas spirit, and new excitement for children worldwide to look forward to.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/24/2024 – 19:45 - Is Trump Looking For A Grand Bargain With China?
Is Trump Looking For A Grand Bargain With China?
Authored by Gordon Chang via The Gatestone Institute,
“China and the United States can together solve all of the problems of the world, if you think about it,” President-Elect Donald Trump said on December 16, at a Mar-a-Lago press conference.
He also called China’s President Xi Jinping “amazing” and confirmed he had invited the Chinese leader to his inauguration.
Earlier in the month, Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris and stated this in connection with efforts to end the war in Eastern Europe: “China can help.”
The victorious Trump of December was noticeably more friendly to China than the Trump of the long, grueling campaign. During the campaign, the Republican candidate was often in trade-war mode, promising to impose an additional across-the-board tariff of more than 60% on all Chinese goods.
“Trump wants to keep them all guessing,” Gregory Copley, president of the International Strategic Studies Association, told Gatestone after the Mar-a-Lago press event.
So which Trump will we see starting at noon on January 20, 2025?
Only one individual truly knows, and Trump himself is not showing his hand. In any event, trying to reach a grand bargain with China — what he was hinting at — would be exactly the wrong approach at this or any other moment.
Trump, of course, likes to make deals — famously he is the co-author of Trump: The Art of the Deal — and he could very well be looking to strike one with the Chinese regime. As Michael Schuman, writing in The Atlantic, pointed out, “a ‘grand bargain’ with Beijing has obvious appeal.”
Solving all the world’s problems, something Trump believes Xi and he can do, would ideally be one of them.
There are, however, problems confronting the next American president as he looks to strike a deal with Beijing.
As an initial matter, Trump has already tried to reach an accommodation with China: his Phase One Trade pact of January 2020.
He calls it “the best trade deal” ever, but it is now widely viewed as a bust. The Chinese, during an election year in America, never honored its terms. It is unlikely that Trump can do better this time with a Xi Jinping who is even far more arrogant than he was four years ago.
Second, Trump, despite what he says, does not have a good relationship with Xi.
“What Mr. Trump does not recognize is that the Chinese cultural concept of ‘friendship’ is a transactional relationship,” Charles Burton of the Sinopsis think tank told Gatestone. “Xi will never be his buddy because he sees himself as making his mark in Chinese history by becoming the global hegemonic successor to emperors of China’s self-defined glory days and to whom all must abase themselves in affirmation.”
As Burton, who once served as a Canadian diplomat in Beijing, notes, “Xi wants to manipulate the U.S. president into becoming aligned with the Chinese Communist Party’s worldview and ambitions and fecklessly abandon U.S. global leadership.”
Burton has it right. For decades, American presidents believed they could cooperate with Chinese communists, and State Department diplomats thought they could make China a “responsible stakeholder” in the international system. Yet whenever American leaders after the Cold War worked with Beijing on the issues of the day, their diplomacy produced horrible results, something particularly evident during the Global War on Terrorism, the Six-Party Talks to “denuclearize” North Korea, and the war in Ukraine.
American hopes of cooperation with China were always unrealistic. As Burton suggests, the Chinese regime has from the beginning dreamed of replacing the Westphalian international order of sovereign states with the Chinese imperial-era system in which emperors believed they not only had the Mandate of Heaven to rule tianxia — “All Under Heaven” — but they also were compelled by Heaven to do so.
Worse, Xi apparently believes that the United States, because of its inspirational impact on the Chinese people, poses an existential threat to his Communist Party rule. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman can argue that China should “let in more Taylor Swifts,” but that is exactly what Xi Jinping, who has been relentlessly attacking foreign culture, does not want to do.
Third, Trump faces an additional hurdle in his hoped-for dealings with the Chinese leader: Xi probably no longer has the clout in Beijing he once possessed.
The new American president can make a deal with Xi, but the arrangement may not stick because of discord inside China’s increasingly turbulent ruling group.
“Trump knows that Xi Jinping has been brought back under control by the Communist Party of China and by his loss of a power base within the People’s Liberation Army,” Copley, also editor-in-chief of Defense & Foreign Affairs Strategic Policy, pointed out. The issue is whether the Chinese leader still has the power to act. Xi is embattled: There are signs and hints of instability across his regime.
Moreover, thanks to Xi, only the most hostile answers are considered politically acceptable in Beijing, so it would be hard for him to compromise and, more important, to honor promises. Xi has based his policies during the last decade on the premise that China is ascendant. His signature line, from a speech in December 2020, is “the East is rising and the West is declining.”
An arrogant Xi Jinping is clearly in no mood to come to terms with Trump — or anyone else for that matter.
Xi’s hostile conduct is not something he is prepared to bargain away. On the contrary, his actions are the inevitable result of China’s communist political system, which idealizes violence, struggle and domination. This system means there can be no accommodation with the Communist Party.
The Chinese regime believes the world is its enemy. No enduring understanding, pact, deal or agreement is possible.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/24/2024 – 19:00 - Church Vs Pub On Christmas Day
Church Vs Pub On Christmas Day
Roughly one in five adults in the United States say they plan to go to church on Christmas Day this year.
Some people, however, intend to worship at a very different altar come December 25; according to a survey by Statista Consumer Insights, six percent of U.S. adults will be heading to the pub.
As Statista’s Martin Armstrong shows in the following infographic, the battle between church and pub is also won by the more holy side in Germany.
You will find more infographics at Statista
While a lower share of people (12 percent) say they will attend church to celebrate the birth of Christ, only four percent admit to eyeing a trip to the pub.
Meanwhile in the UK, a solid 11 percent there said they plan to go to the pub, while 16 percent opted for the church.
Of course, with the survey allowing for multiple responses regarding their plans for the festive period, it is also possible that those choosing to go to their local drinking establishment also plan to go to church – the order of events could prove important, though.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/24/2024 – 18:15 - The End Of The Age Of Scientism
The End Of The Age Of Scientism
Authored by Jeffrey Tucker via The Epoch Times,
Communities throughout the United States are debating the pros and cons of fluoridated water.
It’s a bit of a shock because the issue has been present in the underground of American political life for many decades. Community water fluoridation was an early example of using public services for the purpose of mass medicalization. The science was never there, however, and there is a growing awareness that the critics were always correct.
If you want fluoride, you can get your own, without mass dosing of the population without consent.
It’s the strangest thing. This issue has suddenly become a hot topic, even though it has been debated since the 1950s. One could say it is an issue whose time has come.
And not only this one.
There is new skepticism in the public mind about a huge range of things, the critics of which were only recently considered crazy cranks. The frenzy over the capacity of government to control the climate is meeting with new resistance. Governments and companies that imposed vaccine mandates are facing serious fines at the hands of court judgments. Legions of regime scientists are under fire for blessing pandemic-era lockdowns despite how much they harmed the population.
Only two years ago, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., founder of Children’s Health Defense, was written off as a conspiracy theorist. There’s only one problem: His theories not only came true, but his explanations (contained in two books) are enormously compelling, so much so that his following has grown to a real turning point. People ask if he can be confirmed as the new secretary of health and human services. My own sense is that there is no doubt.
The new head of the National Institutes of Health is Jay Bhattacharya, who dissented from lockdowns since their earliest days, tirelessly writing and speaking against the misuse of science in the name of controlling infectious disease. Once, during the darkest times, he and I spoke on the phone. He said to me with genuine conviction that we had the moral obligation to speak out because so many people were suffering. He had the genuine sense that this craziness had to end, or else society itself would be irreparably damaged.
Nearly five years later, his outlook has become an emergent orthodoxy. It’s but another symbol of dramatically changed times. We find daily articles in the mainstream press sounding alarms that there is a new populist movement that distrusts all the claims of science. It’s a wild exaggeration, consistent with censorship and the dogma of supposed experts. Good science is characterized by doubts and demands for evidence.
Conventional historiography divides the past millennium and a half into two great epochs: the age of faith and the age of science. This division was always overwrought. It imagines the culture from 500 A.D. to 1500 A.D. as mostly enraptured with mystical religious dogma and lorded over by popes and priests. Then the Enlightenment dawned, with its focus on evidence and the scientific method, and thus did we experience the dawn of technology and better lives.
There are some obvious correctives to make to this simple outlook. The “age of faith” was the very one that gave birth to scientific concerns, driven as they were in the Middle Ages by a confidence that the universe as created by God could be discovered and understood with fearless investigation. This was the essence of the scholasticism that emerged in the 12th century, which combined Christian, Jewish, Islamic, and classical wisdom with a drive to find the final truth in God himself.
Meanwhile, the birth of widespread secularism led to excesses in the name of science, such as terrifying eugenics (the belief that the human population should be bred with attention to quality, as in animal husbandry) and totalitarianism (the belief that the whole of society should be treated as a laboratory for experiments). The No. 1 mystical belief of the age of science was that the methods of the natural sciences can and should pertain to social sciences.
This key error wrecked so many different fields, from politics and economics to psychology and sociology. The attempt to take methods for studying stable things and use them to study rational and volatile things never worked. To make it plausible required building fallacies into the model. We see this everywhere now. Look up common fallacies to see the very core of the junk science that overwhelms us today.
I’ve written about many fallacies—not only post hoc ergo propter hoc but also the subject bias. Then you have the absolute junk science of modeling: Assume pigs can fly and that you can prove it.
Looking back, the most powerful and prescient critique of this outlook was F.A. Hayek’s amazing “Counterrevolution of Science,” a book I revisited in the depths of lockdown to find insight into what had gone wrong.
This is the 50th anniversary of Hayek’s Nobel Prize speech of 1974. He had received the prize for his work on business cycles. He could have delivered a technical and relatively noncontroversial talk. Instead, he used the occasion to send out a grave warning not only to all economists but also to everyone in academia and the intellectual world. Provocatively, he called his paper “The Pretense of Knowledge.” Consider the following passage:
“What I mainly wanted to bring out by the topical illustration is that certainly in my field, but I believe also generally in the sciences of man, what looks superficially like the most scientific procedure is often the most unscientific, and, beyond this, that in these fields there are definite limits to what we can expect science to achieve. This means that to entrust to science—or to deliberate control according to scientific principles—more than scientific method can achieve may have deplorable effects.
“The progress of the natural sciences in modern times has of course so much exceeded all expectations that any suggestion that there may be some limits to it is bound to arouse suspicion. Especially all those will resist such an insight who have hoped that our increasing power of prediction and control, generally regarded as the characteristic result of scientific advance, applied to the processes of society, would soon enable us to mould society entirely to our liking.
“It is indeed true that, in contrast to the exhilaration which the discoveries of the physical sciences tend to produce, the insights which we gain from the study of society more often have a dampening effect on our aspirations; and it is perhaps not surprising that the more impetuous younger members of our profession are not always prepared to accept this.
“Yet the confidence in the unlimited power of science is only too often based on a false belief that the scientific method consists in the application of a ready-made technique, or in imitating the form rather than the substance of scientific procedure, as if one needed only to follow some cooking recipes to solve all social problems [my emphasis]. It sometimes almost seems as if the techniques of science were more easily learnt than the thinking that shows us what the problems are and how to approach them.
“The conflict between what in its present mood the public expects science to achieve in satisfaction of popular hopes and what is really in its power is a serious matter because, even if the true scientists should all recognize the limitations of what they can do in the field of human affairs, so long as the public expects more there will always be some who will pretend, and perhaps honestly believe, that they can do more to meet popular demands than is really in their power.
“It is often difficult enough for the expert, and certainly in many instances impossible for the layman, to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate claims advanced in the name of science.”
He concluded his talk as follows:
“If man is not to do more harm than good in his efforts to improve the social order, he will have to learn that in this, as in all other fields where essential complexity of an organized kind prevails, he cannot acquire the full knowledge which would make mastery of the events possible [my emphasis]. He will therefore have to use what knowledge he can achieve, not to shape the results as the craftsman shapes his handiwork, but rather to cultivate a growth by providing the appropriate environment, in the manner in which the gardener does this for his plants.
“There is danger in the exuberant feeling of ever growing power which the advance of the physical sciences has engendered and which tempts man to try, ‘dizzy with success,’ to use a characteristic phrase of early communism, to subject not only our natural but also our human environment to the control of a human will.
“The recognition of the insuperable limits to his knowledge ought indeed to teach the student of society a lesson of humility which should guard him against becoming an accomplice in men’s fatal striving to control society—a striving which makes him not only a tyrant over his fellows, but which may well make him the destroyer of a civilization which no brain has designed but which has grown from the free efforts of millions of individuals.”
There we go, words spoken half a century ago never more applicable than in our time. We seem to be learning. We seem to be applying the lesson. The only way to save science from itself is to apply it in proper ways while recognizing the limits of the ability to construct the world according to the imaginings of a handful of intellectuals. It’s tragic that we had to come to the point of nearly destroying the globe to discover this, but here we are. Let the rebuilding begin.
Keep the real science, but throw out the scientism.
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, 12/24/2024 – 17:30 - These Are The Most Desired Christmas Gifts In The US This Year
These Are The Most Desired Christmas Gifts In The US This Year
While it may not seem like the most romantic option, the useful gift of money is the most desired Christmas present in the United States this year.
As Statista’s Anna Fleck reports, according to the latest data from Statista’s Consumer Insights, when asked which gifts U.S. adults would personally most like to receive, 45 percent of women and 34 percent of men said cash or bank transfers. For both groups, clothing, textiles or shoes came in second position, followed by vouchers in third. Respondents could choose multiple options in the poll.
You will find more infographics at Statista
While there is a fair bit of overlap when looking at a breakdown of the data for men and women, some slight differences do emerge.
For example, cosmetics, perfume and body care ranked as the fourth most popular option among women (27 percent), while it came in 13th place out of the possible 20 options for men (12 percent).
Rounding off the top ten for men were board games/toys/dolls (15 percent) as well as event tickets (14 percent) and for women computers/computer accessories (17 percent) followed by board games/toys/dolls (15 percent).
Out of the polled options, “decoration articles” were among the lowest scoring gifts, only desired by 10 percent of female respondents and 6 percent of men.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/24/2024 – 16:45 - Wishing For A Christmas Truce In Ukraine
Wishing For A Christmas Truce In Ukraine
Authored by Ted Snider via AntiWar.com,
On December 11, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that, as one of the last things he would do at the end of his term as the European Union’s rotating president, he proposed a Christmas truce between Ukraine and Russia. “At the end of the Hungarian EU presidency, we made new efforts for peace. We proposed a Christmas ceasefire and a large-scale prisoner exchange,” he said. Sadly, he said, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “clearly rejected and ruled out” the idea.
There is a history of the Christmas truce, and there is a history of civilian and military leaders rejecting it.
On Christmas morning of 1914, a truce spread across multiple regions along the hundreds of miles western front. The truce broke out spontaneously and was not officially sanctioned. Pope Benedict XV had proposed a Christmas truce, pleading “that the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang.” But officials on both sides rejected his plea.
But individual soldiers did not, and an unofficial, spontaneous truce broke out in different ways in different places. In some, British soldiers could see lanterns on small Christmas trees along the German trench and could hear German soldiers singing “Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht.” Amazed British soldiers applauded the carol singing and responded with their own chorus of “The First Noel.”
Via BBC In other places along the front, British soldiers heard German soldiers inviting them to cross the no man’s land and “Come over here.” British soldiers answered, “You come half-way. I come half-way.” Sometimes the call included the invitation to bring a bottle and meet half way.
In yet another account, British soldiers decided to take advantage of the thick fog that blanketed the field that morning to repair their trenches. As the fog suddenly lifted, they saw German soldiers doing the same thing. The two sides were close enough to shout greetings back and forth. Some German soldiers said they wanted a truce for that day, and the British soldiers approached, meeting them in no man’s land where the enemies shook hands and exchanged cigarettes. They spoke, and for one brief moment, the war came to a stop.
There are remarkable reports in diaries of the effect the Christmas truce had. One British soldier recorded that “There was not an atom of hate on either side.” Another wrote in his diary, “Here we were laughing and chatting to men whom only a few hours before we were trying to kill!” British soldiers report Germans telling them in accented English that “they rather dislike[d]… the whole war in fact. They weren’t aggressive at all.” There are accounts of soldiers helping enemy soldiers collect their dead. There are even accounts of a soccer game breaking out. The Germans won 3-2.
Officials were not at all pleased by the peaceful actions of their armed forces. Military leaders feared that the camaraderie and conversation would allow the men to get to know each other and undermine their willingness to kill each other. Orders were given on both sides to cease all “fraternization with the enemy.” Officers were ordered to fire on enemy soldiers who approached across no man’s land. Soldiers who violated the order face court martials.
That would be the first and last Christmas truce in World War I. After that magical Christmas, High Command on both sides prevented it from ever happening again.
In December 2022, faith leaders’ call for a Christmas truce in the Russia-Ukraine war “in the spirit of the truce that occurred in 1914 during the First World War” was drowned out by the continued sound of artillery.
And, now three years into the war, Orban has repeated that call. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó says that Zelensky “forcefully but politely” refused a call from Orban to discuss a Christmas truce. Despite that initial rejection, Hungary is still pushing for the truce. Orban says that Moscow responded positively to the idea of a Christmas truce and prisoner exchange and that, though Kiev has so far rejected the idea, hope still remains. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also claims that “Putin has supported” the effort of Orban and that “Russian President Vladimir Putin backs Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s efforts to achieve a Christmas ceasefire in Ukraine.”
Asked about the Christmas truce proposal that “Orban seems to floating,” Mike Waltz, Trump’s pick for national security advisor, answered that “if that is some type of ceasefire as a first step, again, we’ll – we’ll take a hard look at what that means.”
Russia and Ukraine have agreed on nothing during this war. There has even been a cultural battle in Ukraine between Russian and Ukrainian linked Orthodox churches. But, perhaps, the two churches can agree that Jesus’ message was not one of war.
It is unlikely that the two sides will officially agree to a Christmas truce. It is, perhaps, even unlikely that small, spontaneous truces will pop up along the Donbas front. But, perhaps, in some small pocket of the front, a small number of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers will approach each other half way across the field that separates them and shake hands and exchange Christmas greetings and remind their leaders that the people who are suffering and dying are not just enemy soldiers but, more essentially, humans and brothers who just want to go home and stop this dreadful war.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/24/2024 – 16:00 - Trump Vows To Expand Death Penalty After Biden Commutes 37 Federal Death Row Sentences
Trump Vows To Expand Death Penalty After Biden Commutes 37 Federal Death Row Sentences
Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times,
President-elect Donald Trump said on Dec. 24 that he plans to direct the Department of Justice (DOJ) to pursue the death penalty against the worst violent offenders.
His remarks came a day after outgoing President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 death row prisoners to life in prison, including several mass murderers and child killers.
Trump first criticized Biden’s decision to grant the commutations—in all cases to murder convicts—writing in a post on Truth Social that relatives and friends of the victims are “further devastated” by the move. The president-elect then declared in a separate post his intention to prioritize justice for victims of violent crime and broaden the use of capital punishment.
“As soon as I am inaugurated, I will direct the Justice Department to vigorously pursue the death penalty to protect American families and children from violent rapists, murderers, and monsters,” Trump wrote in the post.
“We will be a Nation of Law and Order again!”
Besides generally signaling a tough-on-crime approach for his administration, Trump’s message suggests he intends to pursue legal reform that would restore the use of the death penalty as a punishment in cases of rape.
A 1977 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in Coker v. Georgia, however, rendered the death penalty for rape unconstitutional in cases where adult victims survived the assault, further narrowed to include surviving child victims by a ruling in Kennedy v. Louisiana in 2008.
This is not the first time Trump has signaled his intention to expand the use of capital punishment and reverse the moratorium on federal executions imposed by Biden. Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump signaled he would undo the moratorium and make more categories of criminals eligible for capital punishment, including child rapists and drug and human traffickers.
During Trump’s first term in office, the federal government carried out 13 executions after resuming federal executions in 2020, following a 17-year hiatus. This marked the highest number of federal executions carried out under a single president since the 1950s and reflected Trump’s long-standing pledge to get tough on crime.
The Biden administration, by contrast, has prioritized a shift away from the death penalty in favor of life sentences without parole for nearly all crimes.
Biden, in a Monday statement explaining his actions, said his commutation decision was driven by a commitment to ending the federal death penalty, which he believes is inconsistent with a just and effective legal system.
“These commutations are consistent with the moratorium my Administration has imposed on federal executions, in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder,” Biden said.
“Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss. But guided by my conscience and my experience as a public defender, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Vice President, and now President, I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.
“In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.”
Biden’s decision to commute the sentences of convicted killers sparked outrage among many conservatives, while the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) celebrated the move, pointing out that it aligned with calls from more than 130 civil and human rights organizations, faith leaders, exonerees, victims’ family members, and law enforcement officials urging Biden to act on federal death row cases.
“President Biden has reaffirmed the power of redemption over retribution and reminds us that state-sanctioned killing does not make us safer,“ Anthony Romero, executive director of the ACLU, said in a statement.
”The ACLU has long advocated against the death penalty and shed light on its fundamental flaws: it is error prone, racially biased, and a drain on public resources.”
Critics of the death penalty, including the ACLU, argue that the punishment does not serve as a significant deterrent to violent crime and that the high costs associated with capital trials and prolonged appeals could be better spent on crime prevention and victim support.
Supporters of capital punishment argue that it serves as ultimate justice for heinous crimes, provides closure to victims’ families, and that the financial burden of executions is a necessary cost to uphold justice and deter would-be offenders.
In his Dec. 23 decision, Biden commuted the sentences of 37 out of 40 death row inmates. The three federal inmates who continue to face execution are 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev; Dylann Roof, who fatally shot nine people at a church in South Carolina in 2015; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/24/2024 – 15:30 - The US Minimum Wage By State
The US Minimum Wage By State
California voters last month rejected a ballot measure to increase the state’s minimum wage from $16 to $18 an hour.
The question was posed during the U.S. election on November 5, but the results were only finalized two weeks later due to the narrow margin of the measure’s defeat.
The result was an unexpected one in a blue state like California, but also fell in line with other election results from this year, like Californians voting to reverse parts of criminal justice reform and deciding not to ban forced prison labor.
As Statista’s Katharina Buchholz details below, the United States is made up of a patchwork of minimum wage laws with 30 states and D.C. having a rate higher than the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour.
You will find more infographics at Statista
This is according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. California’s current rate of $16 ranks towards the top of the country and is only surpassed by the minimum wages of Washington and Washington D.C., while matched by those in New York City and the Portland metro area.
The federal minimum wage was first introduced under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 which also established overtime and child labor standards for full-time and part-time workers.
Across the country, five U.S. states have not adopted a minimum wage – Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Another two, Georgia and Wyoming, have a minimum wage below the $7.25 federal minimum. In all seven of those states, the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour applies in accordance to the Fair Labor Standards Act, even though there are exceptions to its coverage.
A handful of other states, among them New Jersey, New York and Ohio, also carve out exceptions for smaller employers and there are several more exceptions from minimum wage depending on the state.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/24/2024 – 15:00 - Operation Choke Point 2.0: How The Feds Are Seeking To 'Debank' Targeted Industries
Operation Choke Point 2.0: How The Feds Are Seeking To ‘Debank’ Targeted Industries
A federal initiative that began during the Obama administration with the goal of debanking certain industries disfavored by federal officials has apparently been resurrected and is taking aim at cryptocurrencies.
Operation Choke Point was started by the U.S. Dept. of Justice in 2013 as a way to put pressure on banks to sever their ties, without due process, with legal businesses like gun dealers, cannabis dispensaries and payday lenders which the administration found objectionable.
That initiative was ended by President Trump in 2017 but under the Biden administration, it appears that Operation Choke Point 2.0 has begun with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) sending letters to U.S. banks in 2022, urging them to “pause all crypto-related activity.”
Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) told Fox Business that the regulatory abuse is real and that President-elect Trump will put an end to this type of regulatory abuse.
Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen recently described the practice of debanking as “a privatized sanctions regime” on The Joe Rogan Experience, saying, “There’s no rules, there’s no court, there’s no decision process, there’s no appeal. Who do you go to to get your bank account back?”
And if the tune of Operation Choke Point 2.0 sounds familiar, there are also familiar faces as well.
Palmetto State News reports that Michael Eakes is the founder of the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) and Self-Help Credit Union, which operates five credit unions in South Carolina and was also an inaugural member of the FDIC’s Advisory Committee on Economic Inclusion when it was started in 2006.
Another member of the advisory committee is Michael Calhoun who is president of the Center for Responsible Lending and a former employee of Self-Help Credit Union.
According to the Washington Free Beacon:
“The FDIC’s efforts are part of a larger initiative involving the Department of Justice and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau called Operation Choke Point. The effort seeks to eliminate the ability of businesses that federal regulators deem distasteful, exploitative, or dangerous to obtain financing from major American banks.”
Former FDIC Chairman William Isaac told The Hill that Operation Choke Point, “is one of the most dangerous programs I have experienced in my 45 years of service as a bank regulator, bank attorney and consultant, and bank board member.”
A lawsuit filed by Coinbase uncovered letters sent by the FDIC in 2022 and 2023 urging financial institutions to “pause” crypto-related activities has revealed that Operation Choke Point 2.0 is being used to sidestep constitutional limits on the government’s power to exert direct political control over the crypto sector.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/24/2024 – 14:30 - Top DNC Fundraiser Lindy Li Leaves "Cult" Democratic Party
Top DNC Fundraiser Lindy Li Leaves “Cult” Democratic Party
Democrats just can’t stop losing…
In the latest blow to the party, Lindy Li, a prominent Democratic National Committee (DNC) fundraiser and surrogate for Vice President Kamala Harris, announced her departure from the Democratic Party – labeling it a “cult” after facing a barrage of internal attacks for her recent criticisms of Harris.
From Party Powerhouse to Outcast
Li, who raised “tens of millions of dollars” for Democratic candidates and frequently appeared on national television as a Harris campaign advocate, became the target of relentless criticism after voicing concerns about the party’s trajectory and Harris’s political future.
During an appearance on “Fox & Friends”, Li argued that Harris was “indulging in delusions” of making a political comeback and criticized the Democratic Party for carrying what she called the “stench of loser” following their defeat in November’s elections. The fallout was swift: within four days, Li lost 40,000 social media followers and was met with a wave of hostility from fellow Democrats.
Speaking on “Piers Morgan Uncensored”, Li described the backlash:
“People have called me a whore, the ‘C-word.’ They asked for me to be deported,” she said, adding that critics have accused her of being a “communist spy” – a particularly offensive accusation considering her family history, Fox News reports.
“They’re calling me a spy for the regime that killed my great-grandfather,” she told Morgan. “They’re going headfirst into racism anytime someone dares to disagree with them. I want to be a part of the team that says men are men and women are women and men shouldn’t play in women’s sports.”
“Leaving the Democratic Party is like leaving a cult!”
Lindy Li tells Piers Morgan she’s lost 40,000 followers and been called a “wh*re” and a “C-word” in the past four days.
📺 https://t.co/vzCu2MdkzC@piersmorgan | @lindyli pic.twitter.com/tiJO3M9IyH
— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) December 18, 2024
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A Shifting Allegiance
Li’s departure represents more than personal frustration—it signals a significant defection from the Democratic fundraising machine. Li, once integral to the party’s financial success, is now exploring her political options.
Speaking candidly, she said:
- On the Democratic Party: “They’re shrinking their tent. They’re basically pushing me to bring my tens of millions of dollars that I’ve raised and can continue to raise to a different team that treats me better, that treats me with common decency.”
- On Party Leadership: “All these so-called Democrats, the party of inclusion, the party of diversity, masks off. And it’s even worse because they pretend to occupy the moral high ground,” she said, adding “They pretend to be so loving and caring and embracing of diversity but all of a sudden, when I dare to utter any criticisms of the goddess Kamala Harris, I get ostracized. Me, after having raised tens of millions of dollars for the party.”
Li also accused the party of hypocrisy, claiming that questioning its leadership feels like leaving a cult.
“My donors are pissed…it’s my responsibility to ask what the hell happened with their money…these are legitimate questions, but no, in the cult, you can’t ask questions. And leaving the Democratic Party or even questioning the Democratic Party is like leaving a cult. It’s terrifying. I don’t want to be a part of this craziness anymore. They’re accelerating my rightward shift,” she said.
Li’s departure comes weeks after she revealed that former President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opposed Harris becoming the 2024 presidential nominee.
Li told NewsNation indubitably that both top Democrats would have rather held a primary than coronate Harris to fill Biden’s sudden vacancy atop the ticket.
“I know they didn’t,” Li said when asked about Obama and Pelosi.
“I have a lot of friends in Obama world and, actually, I’m friends with Speaker Pelosi. And I spoke with her before I actually, I actually went on air to encourage President Biden to step aside.”
Li told NewsNation that many Democrats were hoping for a “lightning round” primary, which never came.
Recruitment by Trump Allies
Li revealed that members of Donald Trump’s team have already reached out to her, exploring whether she would consider switching parties.
“People on Trump’s team have already reached out to me to see if I’d be willing to switch.”
“I’m not an orphan,” she continued. “People are actively trying to recruit me.”
Her departure follows a similar move in September, when an ex-Obama fundraiser who raised millions for his campaigns announced they were “divorcing” the Democratic Party and planned to vote for Trump.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/24/2024 – 14:00 - A Debt Jubilee Of Biblical Proportions Is Coming… Are You Ready?
A Debt Jubilee Of Biblical Proportions Is Coming… Are You Ready?
Authored by Nick Giambruno via InternationalMan.com,
Four thousand years ago, the rulers of ancient Babylon discovered a technique to stave off violent revolts.
In ancient times, people often became hopelessly indebted to their creditors. As debts mounted, social unrest would boil over, threatening the stability of the entire ruling system.
The rulers of the ancient world understood this dangerous dynamic.
Their solution was radical yet effective: enact widespread debt cancellation—a debt jubilee.
Debt jubilees acted as societal pressure release valves when no other options remained.
The practice spread throughout the ancient world and became codified in various civilizations.
For instance, the Book of Leviticus formalizes debt jubilees as the conclusion of a 49-year biblical cycle—seven cycles of seven years.
I believe this ancient practice is poised for a major comeback as government, corporate, and personal debt levels today have reached unsustainable heights.
The social, political, and investment implications will be profound.
Debt Jubilees: Redistribution, Not Wealth Creation
It’s important to note that debt jubilees do not create new wealth—they simply redistribute it.
Debt jubilees are government decrees that trigger massive wealth transfers, creating big winners and losers.
President Biden’s plan for student loan forgiveness marks the beginning of modern debt jubilees.
His student loan forgiveness plan is unprecedented. Unilateral executive action of this scale has never occurred during peacetime. Moreover, Congress, not the president, is supposed to make spending decisions of this magnitude.
Even Obama’s former chief economic advisor, Jason Furman, criticized Biden’s move, calling it:
“Pouring roughly half a trillion dollars of gasoline on the inflationary fire that is already burning—reckless.”
Beyond the inflationary impact—which I’ll address shortly—Biden’s student loan jubilee will set a precedent that will be hard to undo.
Consider how those who acted prudently feel.
Many avoided student debt by choosing less expensive career paths, cutting back on spending to pay for college without borrowing, or paying off their student loans entirely.
These people are probably feeling like suckers now.
Not only do they receive no relief, but they also face the burden of footing the bill for those whose loans will be forgiven.
I imagine these people will be angry and probably have considerable car, mortgage, and credit card debt, as many Americans do. So they will want debt relief, too… and I bet they will get it.
Amid rising prices, consumer debt is skyrocketing. It is at an all-time high of nearly $18 trillion, as seen in the chart below.
With interest rates rising recently, the cost of servicing this record debt is becoming unbearable for many.
As Americans hit their financial breaking points, I believe debt forgiveness demands will only grow louder—extending far beyond student loans.
All it takes is a President’s pen stroke to wipe out hundreds of billions in debt.
The student loan jubilee will set a powerful precedent.
I don’t think it will be long before we see a credit card jubilee, a car loan jubilee, or even a mortgage jubilee.
How will the government pay for all these jubilees?
Raising taxes enough to cover them seems improbable.
Issuing more debt to cancel other debts would be contradictory.
That leaves money printing as the only viable option.
This is why future debt jubilees will pour “gasoline on the inflationary fire that is already burning.”
But it’s not just consumer debt that’s unsustainable. The biggest problem is the US government’s federal debt—a much larger issue looming on the horizon.
The Federal Debt Endgame: A Coming Crisis
The US federal government has the largest debt in the history of the world—and it’s growing at a rapid, unstoppable pace.
In short, the US government is fast approaching its financial endgame.
Here’s why…
Today, the US federal debt has gone parabolic, amounting to over $36 trillion.
To put it in perspective, if you earned $1 per second 24/7/365—about $31 million per year—it would take over 1,148,531 years to pay off the US federal debt.
And that assumes the debt stops growing, which it won’t.
The growth rate is not even going to slow down. It’s going to increase exponentially.
The truth is, the debt will keep piling up unless Congress makes some politically impossible decisions to cut spending.
For example, tens of millions of Baby Boomers—about 22% of the population—will enter retirement in the coming years. Cutting Social Security and Medicare is a sure way to lose an election.
With the most precarious geopolitical situation since World War 2, defense spending is unlikely to be cut. Instead, defense spending is all but certain to increase.
Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recently said: “Barely staying even with inflation or worse is wholly inadequate. Significant additional resources for defense are necessary and urgent.”
In short, efforts to reduce expenditures will be meaningless unless it becomes politically acceptable to make chainsaw-like cuts to entitlements, national defense, and welfare while reducing the national debt to lower the interest cost.
In other words, the US would need a leader who—at a minimum—returns the federal government to a limited Constitutional Republic, closes the 128 military bases abroad, ends entitlements, kills the welfare state, and repays a large portion of the national debt.
However, that’s a completely unrealistic fantasy. It would be foolish to bet on that happening.
In short, the US government is trapped. It’s game over.
They have no choice but to “reset” the system—that’s what governments do when they are trapped.
How Will the US Reset the System?
Nobody knows for sure. But I’d bet a debt jubilee of biblical proportions will be a major part of it.
So then, how will the US government repudiate its impossible federal debt burden?
My guess is that they won’t be explicit. That would look too much like a default. It would destroy the role of the US as the center of the world’s financial system.
Given a choice, I don’t think the US government would choose immediate self-destruction. Since power does not relinquish itself voluntarily, we should presume they’ll decide to stealthily implement their federal debt jubilee through inflation.
Inflation benefits debtors, allowing them to borrow in dollars and repay in dimes.
And since the US government is the biggest debtor in the history of the world, it stands to gain the most from inflation.
Inflation: The Ultimate Debt Jubilee
That’s why I believe the federal debt jubilee will come in the form of a massive wave of inflation.
The coming debt jubilees could wipe out trillions in liabilities while unleashing previously unimaginable inflation.
That could trigger the largest wealth transfer in history.
Remember, debt doesn’t exist within a vacuum. It’s a liability for the borrower and an asset for the lender.
Those storing wealth in government currencies, bonds, and other paper assets will be the biggest losers.
Debtors and owners of scarce, unencumbered, hard assets will be the big winners.
It’s certainly not a just outcome.
Prudent savers shouldn’t have to pay for the excesses of debtors.
But notions of what is just or not didn’t stop Biden’s student loan jubilee—and they won’t stop the coming jubilees.
Prepare Now for the Coming Reset
Although it will be an unfortunate outcome for many people, there is simply nothing anyone can do now.
The debt levels have already reached a critical point, and the government may soon see jubilees as a politically expedient option.
That’s why it’s crucial to recognize the reality of this Big Picture and position yourself accordingly.
That means owning scarce and valuable assets that are not simultaneously someone else’s liability.
Crucially, this excludes fiat currency in bank accounts.
Remember, fiat currency is the unbacked liability of a bankrupt government.
Further, once you deposit currency into a bank, it is no longer yours. Technically and legally, it is the bank’s property, and what you own instead is an unsecured liability of the bank.
In an era of jubilees in which debts are wiped clean, you won’t want to be on the other end of unsecured liabilities or IOUs of any kind.
I believe this “reset” could happen soon—and it won’t be pretty for many.
Most people have no idea how bad things could get—or how to prepare.
That’s why I’ve published a detailed guide called The Most Dangerous Economic Crisis in 100 Years: The Top 3 Strategies You Need Right Now. Click here to download the free PDF.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/24/2024 – 13:30 - Speaker Johnson Shielded Dishonest J6 Committee 'Star Witness' From GOP Subpoena; Report
Speaker Johnson Shielded Dishonest J6 Committee ‘Star Witness’ From GOP Subpoena; Report
Authored by Ken Silva via Headline USA,
Over the last two years, the Republican-controlled House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight found numerous inconsistencies and outright lies in the testimony of Cassidy Hutchinson, who was the Democrat-controlled January 6th Commission’s “star witness” in the wake of Jan. 6, 2021.
The Oversight Subcommittee apparently wanted to subpoena Hutchinson about her testimony. But according to a Tuesday report from Breitbart, House Speaker Mike Johnson blocked that from moving forward.
Breitbart noted that the Oversight Subcommittee’s recent final report on Jan. 6 mentions Hutchinson by name 268 times, but didn’t reference bringing her in for questioning.
“Johnson (R-LA) personally intervened to block the subcommittee from issuing a subpoena to Hutchinson,” Breitbart reported, citing an unnamed source. “Johnson, in a statement to Breitbart News, called that claim ‘clearly false.’”
The House Administration Subcommittee’s findings against Hutchinson are related to her June 28, 2022, testimony, when she said that she personally wrote a proposed Tweet on Jan. 6, 2021, for President Donald Trump to send advising rioters to leave the Capitol. The text of that proposed Tweet said, “ANYONE WHO ENTERED THE CAPITOL ILLEGALLY WITHOUT PROPER AUTHORITY SHOULD LEAVE IMMEDIATELY”—with the word ILLEGALLY scratched out.
This report confirms what my own Congressional sources have said: Johnson blocked a subpoena for Cassidy Hutchinson, who appears to have committed perjury and perhaps at the direction of Liz Cheney.
Johnson denied this is true. So the best way to come clean is to publicly demand…
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) December 24, 2024
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At the time, Hutchinson testified that she wrote the note as dictated by then-Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows and Eric Herschmann, one of the President’s attorneys. However, Herschmann alleged that Hutchinson was lying, and that he was the one who wrote the note.
The House Administration Subcommittee said in October that it hired a handwriting analyst to review the note and determine who wrote it.
“After a thorough analysis, their certified handwriting analyst stated in the report that ‘the evidence supports my opinion that the handwriting that appears on the Questioned Document was written in the same hand as the exemplars [Herschmann],’” the House Administration Subcommittee said at the time.
“This new evidence provided by an independent, Certified Questioned Document Examiner, not only contradicts Ms. Hutchinson’s numerous claims that she penned the note, but also exposes the Select Committee’s willingness to accept all her testimonies without corroboration or further investigation,” Subcommittee on Oversight Chair Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., said in a press release.
The subcommittee also found that then-January 6th Commission Vice Chair Liz Cheney secretly communicated with Hutchinson, and may have pressured her to fire her attorney.
Additionally, Hutchinson was caught changing her testimony during the course of the Jan. 6 Committee hearings, as has been widely documented.
Specifically, Hutchinson testified on June 28, 2022, that Trump tried to control the steering wheel while being driven to the White House following his Jan. 6 speech. Additionally, she claimed that the former president lunged at another agent.
However, in her previous three transcribed interviews on February 23, 2022, March 7, 2022, and May 17, 2022, she did not mention that interaction, according to a later investigation from Loudermilk’s committee.
The Oversight Subcommittee has recommended that the FBI investigate Cheney for potential witness-tampering charges.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/24/2024 – 12:40 - China To Issue Record 3 Trillion Yuan In Special Treasury Bonds To Boost Economy
China To Issue Record 3 Trillion Yuan In Special Treasury Bonds To Boost Economy
It may not be the bazooka, but it’s a start.
Less than a week after we showed the historic collapse in Chinese interest rates, which sent China’s 1Y yield below 1% for the first time since the Global Financial Crisis, in a move that signaled the bond market is convinced Beijing will unleash the mother of all stimulus…
the last time China 1Y bond traded below 1%, Lehman had just filed for bankruptcy.
Bond market convinced Beijing about to unleash mother of all monetary stimulus and/or QE. Commodities so far unaware. pic.twitter.com/NJnbvdQdoE
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) December 20, 2024
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… overnight, Reuters reported that Chinese authorities have agreed to issue 3 trillion yuan ($411 billion) worth of special treasury bonds next year, which would be the highest on record, as Beijing ramps up fiscal stimulus to revive its faltering economy.
The plan for 2025 sovereign debt issuance would be a 200% increase from this year’s 1 trillion yuan and comes as Beijing moves to soften the blow from an expected increase in U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports when Donald Trump takes office in January.
The proceeds will be targeted at boosting consumption via subsidy programs, equipment upgrades by businesses and funding investments in innovation-driven advanced sectors, among other initiatives.
Showing just how much capacity China – which has been gripped in a deflationary vortex for the past year – has for new debt, the country’s 10-year and 30-year treasury yields rose 1 basis point (bp) and 2 bps, respectively, after the news but remained near record lows.
The planned special treasury bond issuance next year would be the largest on record and underscores Beijing’s willingness to go even deeper into debt to counter deflationary forces in the world’s second-largest economy.
The issuance “exceeded market expectations,” said Tommy Xie, head of Asia Macro research at OCBC Bank. “Furthermore, as the central government is the only entity with meaningful capacity for additional leverage, any bond issuance at the central level is perceived as a positive development, likely providing incremental support for growth.”
The “new” initiatives consist of a subsidy program for durable goods, allowing consumers to trade in old cars or appliances and buy new ones at a discount, and a separate one that subsidizes large-scale equipment upgrades for businesses. The “major” programmes refer to projects that implement national strategies such as construction of railways, airports and farmland and build security capacity in key areas, according to official documents.
China does not generally include ultra-long special bonds in annual budget plans, as it sees the instruments as an extraordinary measure to raise proceeds for specific projects or policy goals as needed. As part of next year’s plan, about 1.3 trillion yuan to be raised through long-term special treasury bonds would fund “two major” and “two new” programs.
The state planner NDRC said on Dec. 13 Beijing had fully allocated all proceeds from this year’s 1 trillion yuan in ultra-long special treasury bonds, with about 70% of proceeds financing the “two major” projects and the remainder going towards the “two new” schemes.
Another big portion of the planned proceeds for next year would be for investments in “new productive forces”, Beijing’s shorthand for advanced manufacturing, such as electric vehicles, robotics, semiconductors and green energy. More than 1 trillion yuan would be earmarked for that initiative.
The rest would go to recapitalize large state banks, said the sources, as top lenders struggle with shrinking margins, faltering profits and rising bad loans.
The issuance of new special treasury debt next year would equate to 2.4% of 2023 China’s GDP. By comparison, Beijing raised 1.55 trillion yuan via such bonds in 2007, or 5.7% of economic output at that time.
President Xi Jinping gathered with top officials for the annual Central Economic Work Conference (CEWC) on Dec. 11 and 12 to chart the economic course for 2025. A state media summary of the meeting said it was “necessary to maintain steady economic growth”, raise the fiscal deficit ratio and issue more government debt next year, but did not give specifics.
Last week Reuters reported that China plans to raise the budget deficit to a record 4% of GDP next year and maintain an economic growth target of bout 5%.
At the CEWC, Beijing sets targets for economic growth, the budget deficit, debt issuance and other areas in the year ahead. Though usually agreed by top officials, such targets are not officially unveiled until an annual parliament meet in March and could still change before then.
China’s economy has struggled this year due to a severe property crisis, high local government debt and weak consumer demand. Exports, one of the few bright spots, could soon face U.S. tariffs in excess of 60% if Trump delivers on campaign pledges.
While the risks to exports mean China will need to rely on domestic sources of growth, consumers are feeling less wealthy due to falling property prices and minimal social welfare. Weak household demand also poses a key risk. Last week, officials said Beijing plans to expand the consumer goods and industrial equipment trade-in programs.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/24/2024 – 12:25 - Saudi Arabia Becomes Top Buyer Of Russian Fuel Oil
Saudi Arabia Becomes Top Buyer Of Russian Fuel Oil
Authored by Alex Kimani via OilPrice.com,
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Saudi Arabia was the leading buyer of Russian seaborne fuel oil in November.
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Asian countries have become top buyers of Russia’s fuel oil and VGO ever since the European Union imposed a full embargo on Russian oil products in February 2023.
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India is no longer the biggest buyer of Russian crude.
Saudi Arabia was the leading buyer of Russian seaborne fuel oil and vacuum gasoil (VGO) exports in November, LSEG data has revealed. According to Reuters calculations based on LSEG data, Russian fuel oil and VGO exports grew 6% month-on-month in November to about 4.26 million metric tons. Asian countries have become top buyers of Russia’s fuel oil and VGO ever since the European Union imposed a full embargo on Russian oil products in February 2023.
India is no longer the biggest buyer of Russian crude. According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), India’s imports of Russian crude fell a massive 55% in November–the lowest figure since June 2022–despite Russia continuing to sell its oil at a discount.
India has lately been trying to diversify its oil supplies: Last month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during a visit to Guyana that his government views the South American country as key to India’s energy security.
Modi told a special sitting of Parliament that he views Guyana as an important energy source and that he will encourage large Indian businesses to invest in the country.
Guyana did not immediately grant Modi’s wish, with India’s External Affairs Minister Jaideep Mazumdar saying talks will continue and that such a deal would ensure “greater predictability.”
Guyanese Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat told reporters that Guyana is willing to supply India with a large amount of crude, if Exxon Mobil, the main operator in Guyana’s offshore oil production, agrees to such an arrangement.
“We know Exxon has to do some amount of changes to their lifting schedule and logistics because their preference is for the very large vessels that can accommodate two million barrels mainly because of distance and cost,” Bharrat said.
Meanwhile, CREA estimates that there was a 17% month-on-month increase in the discount on Urals grade crude oil to an average of $6.01 per barrel compared to Brent crude oil. Russia has lost an estimated EUR 14.6 bn in revenues from Urals grade crude exports due to sanctions.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 12/24/2024 – 12:00 -
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