**State Department Fails To Comply With House GOP Subpoena To Turn Over Afghan Dissent Cable**

State Department Fails To Comply With House GOP Subpoena To Turn Over Afghan Dissent Cable

_Authored by Jackson Richman via The Epoch Times (https://www.theepochtimes.com/state-department-fails-to-comply-with-house-gop-subpoena-to-turn-over-afghan-dissent-cable_5207659.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=digitalsub) (emphasis ours),_

**Secretary of State Antony Blinken has failed to comply with a congressional subpoena**, which required the State Department to hand over by April 19 **a dissent cable from the time of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan**, the Epoch Times has learned.

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_U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a press conference at State Department in Washington on April 11, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)_ (?itok=qnN7vkqS)

Yimmi Fontenot, the press secretary for Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which issued the subpoena, told The Epoch Times that the State Department has not sent over the cable.

The committee subpoenaed Blinken in March for the cable, which, as The Wall Street Journal first reported (https://www.wsj.com/articles/confidential-state-department-cable-in-july-warned-of-afghanistans-collapse-11629406993), showed the U.S. Embassy in Kabul warning Foggy Bottom about the Taliban quickly gaining ground and the Afghan forces falling apart. They gave suggestions on how to expedite an evacuation and alleviate the situation.

“ **The cable, dated July 13, also called for the State Department to use tougher language in describing the atrocities being committed by the Taliban,**” reported WSJ, citing a person familiar with it. The withdrawal was completed at the end of the following month.

“This committee is empowered by the U.S. Constitution to conduct oversight of the State Department,” said committee chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) in announcing the subpoena (https://www.theepochtimes.com/house-gop-subpoenas-blinken-for-key-documents-on-afghanistan-withdrawal_5154612.html) on March 28.

“We have made multiple good faith attempts to find common ground so we could see this critical piece of information. Unfortunately, Secretary Blinken has refused to provide the Dissent Cable and his response to the cable, forcing me to issue my first subpoena as chairman of this committee.”

McCaul has requested the cable on multiple occasions.

In a statement to The Epoch Times, the State Department implied it has not turned over the document.

“Secretary Blinken has continued to make clear his and the State Department’s commitment to working with the House Foreign Affairs committee to provide relevant information, **while also upholding his responsibility to protect the integrity of the Department’s dissent channel**,” said Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel.

“Discussions with the committee about next steps are ongoing, but the Department has again offered a briefing about the concerns raised and the challenges identified by Embassy Kabul, proposed for next week, which we sincerely hope the Chairman will accept, in addition to offering other means to help inform the Committee in its investigation,” he continued.

Blinken told the committee during a March 23 hearing that he would not hand over the cable, citing security and privacy concerns with the State Department’s dissent channel system.

“We continue to believe that our offers can satisfactorily provide the committee with the information it needs to conduct its oversight function while still protecting the dissent channel.”

“It is vital to me that we preserve the integrity of that process and of that channel, that we not take any steps that could have a chilling effect on the willingness of others to come forward in the future, to express dissenting views on the policies that are being pursued,” he said.

However, **Blinken expressed a willingness to give the committee “relevant information” from it.**

“I hope we can find a way to do it that meets both of our needs,” he said.

McCaul, on the eve of the subpoena deadline, suggested that he would take Blinken to court if he didn’t comply with the subpoena.

“Honestly, I think they’re trying to stonewall this until the end of this Congress,” McCaul told Punchbowl News.

Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Fri, 04/21/2023 - 13:25

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/state-department-fails-comply-house-gop-subpoena-turn-over-afghan-dissent-cable

**Futures Slide In Risk-Off End To Volatile Week**

Futures Slide In Risk-Off End To Volatile Week

US equity futures extended their recent weakness and traded near the week's lows in early Friday trading as investors digested the latest corporate updates. Investors now await PMI data later today for further direction on the path for monetary policy. Contracts on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 drifted -0.2% lower as of 7:15 a.m. ET, as both indexes were set to end the week in negative territory, the Nasdaq underperforming slightly. Treasury yields edged higher, while the dollar advanced against other major currencies with a measure of its strength set for its first weekly gain in six weeks. Iron ore, gold and oil all decline, as the gains from the latest OPEC+ output cut are now all gone: so will OPEC cut again to reverse the slide in the one asset class that unlike stocks, everyone loves to short as a hedge for the coming recession?

?itok=eJVcB0wE (?itok=eJVcB0wE)

In premarket trading, Tesla edged higher after the electric-vehicle maker increased prices of its Model S and X vehicles in the United States just two days after cutting prices. Wish soared more than 20% in premarket trading after the company announced a buyback plan that represents 30% of its current market value, data compiled by Bloomberg show..

- Mullen Automotive surges as much as 53% before paring gains to 30%, set to rebound from three days of losses and joining in broader gains across electric vehicle stocks.

- Big Lots shares decline 5.4% after Piper Sandler downgrades the retailer to underweight from neutral, citing weakening demand for home furnishings and mattresses.

- Invitae rises 5% after Cathie Wood, whose Ark Investment funds are among leading holders in the genetic testing company, spoke to CNBC yesterday about holding the stock, which has been trading near a record low in recent weeks.

- Overstock.com drops as much as 3.4% after the online home goods retailer was downgraded to neutral from overweight at Piper Sandler, with the broker citing demand for home furnishings weakening further.

Despite growing recession fears - yesterday's Philadelphia Fed index confirming as much - Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Loretta Mester signaled support for another rate hike to quell inflation while flagging the need to watch recent bank stress that may crimp credit and damp the economy. Her Dallas counterpart Lorie Logan said inflation has been “much too high,” while outlining measures to watch.

“We are in the camp of US recession in the second half, and expect data to weaken going forward,” said Mohit Kumar, a strategist at Jefferies International Ltd.. “Once the last Fed hike is done in May, the market will start to focus on the weak economic data and bad data will become bad news; seasonality starts to turn in May, with May and June poor months for risky-asset performance.”

“Continuation of data disappointment and subsequent recessionary fears weigh on both stock prices and bond yields,” said James Athey, investment director at abdrn investments. “In the end, that’s where the trap for equity bulls lay — whichever way you look, it was hard to justify the lofty prices, EPS forecasts and valuations which have been prevailing.”

US stocks have traded in a very narrow range in April after recovering most losses induced by the regional banks turmoil, as the earnings season kicked off. Still, mixed economic data, sticky inflation and the path of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy continue to stay at the forefront of worries. Several Fed officials warned inflation was still too high and measures were needed to contain it, including more hikes.

Meanwhile, geopolitical tensions showed no sign of abating, with reports signalling senile figurehead **Joe Biden aims to sign an executive order in the coming weeks that will limit investment in key parts of China’s economy by US businesses.** _“It’s just the next step in a long line of such restrictions that adds to underlying tension between the US and China, raises the cost of trade, and moves the world further away from peak globalization,”_ said Sean Callow, a senior currency strategist at Westpac Banking Corp. in Sydney.

Resilient US earnings have helped equities to hold their year-to-date gains, but US positive surprises are still trending below average, Barclays strategists wrote in a note on Friday. “Okay early first quarter results and rangebound yields maintain the status quo for toppish equities,” Barclays’ Emmanuel Cau said in the note. “But while markets have pared rate cut expectations, history shows a quick Fed pivot from hikes to cuts can only be triggered by much weaker data.”

The Stoxx Europe 600 index edged lower after …

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/futures-slide-risk-end-volatile-week

**Russia's Wagner Group Tried To Get Weapons From China: Pentagon Leaks**

Russia's Wagner Group Tried To Get Weapons From China: Pentagon Leaks

Leaked US intelligence from the trove of classified Pentagon documents that recently appeared online show that Russia's mercenary firm **Wagner Group tried and failed to obtain weapons from China**.

Wagner **"sought munitions and equipment" from China in "early 2023"**, the leaked documents say; but China had not sent the weapons, "not even for testing, and had no contact with \[Wagner\] regarding weapons deliveries," according to analysis of the documents by _Financial Times_ (https://www.ft.com/content/755b7302-6f69-4790-a143-d75dd2ad8aef?emailId=4a089fdc-81d2-45e4-a99c-64af015b121b&segmentId=ce31c7f5-c2de-09db-abdc-f2fd624da608).

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_Image: AFP_ (?itok=YeLXDsfV)

The time period corresponds to Wagner chief Prigozhin growing bolder and more public with his **denunciations of the official Russian military command for intentionally withholding arms and ammunition-sharing** with the private group.

Also during that time, US officials said that they had intelligence saying China had been discussing possibly sending weapons to Russia, but hadn't made the decision yet. These Pentagon leaked documents appear reveal the basis on which the officials were making the claims.

According to FT's description of the leaked intelligence (https://www.ft.com/content/755b7302-6f69-4790-a143-d75dd2ad8aef?emailId=4a089fdc-81d2-45e4-a99c-64af015b121b&segmentId=ce31c7f5-c2de-09db-abdc-f2fd624da608):

> _Wagner’s direct request to China indicates it had some confidence Beijing would be open to arming Moscow, going beyond other non-lethal forms of support for the military campaign provided by Chinese companies. **But as of early January, China "had not sent \[Wagner\] any weapons, not even for testing, and had no contact with \[Wagner\] regarding weapons deliveries"**, according to the report. The US has publicly claimed China is considering supplying Russia with lethal arms to replace crucial stocks of ammunition, artillery and missiles, but there is no evidence Beijing has provided such assistance._

In February, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told _Meet the Press_ that the US is "very concerned that China is considering providing lethal support to Russia in its aggression against Ukraine."

> #China (https://twitter.com/hashtag/China?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) refused to provide weapons to Wagner pic.twitter.com/bRNCxS4VAW (https://t.co/bRNCxS4VAW)

>

> — RoINTEL (@RoINTEL) April 20, 2023 (https://twitter.com/RoINTEL/status/1649122453006712849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

This also after clearly closer relations between Beijing and Moscow have been on display, particularly in President Xi's controversial recent trip to Moscow. Still, Chinese officials have consistently denied that they've supplied Russia with lethal aid, a stated policy which doesn't appear to have changed since the start of the Ukraine war.

Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Fri, 04/21/2023 - 07:45

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russias-wagner-group-tried-get-weapons-china-pentagon-leaks

**Money-Supply Growth Fell To A 50-Year Low In Feb. Will The Fed Panic?**

Money-Supply Growth Fell To A 50-Year Low In Feb. Will The Fed Panic?

_Authored by Ryan McMaken via The Mises Institute,_ (https://mises.org/wire/money-supply-growth-fell-50-year-low-february-will-fed-panic)

**Money supply growth fell again in February, falling even further into negative territory after turning negative in November 2022 for the first time in twenty-eight years.** February's drop continues a steep downward trend from the unprecedented highs experienced during much of the past two years.

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**Since April 2021, money supply growth has slowed quickly, and since November, we've been seeing the money supply contract for the first time since the 1990s.** The last time the year-over-year (YOY) change in the money supply slipped into negative territory was in November 1994. At that time, negative growth continued for fifteen months, finally turning positive again in January 1996.

During February 2023, the downturn became even bigger as YOY growth in the money supply was at –6.6 percent. That's down from January's rate of –5.0 percent, and down from February 2022's rate of 6.9 percent. With negative growth now dipping below –6 percent, money-supply contraction is approaching the biggest declines we've seen in decades. At no point _for at least sixty years_ has the money supply fallen by more than 5.6 percent in any month.

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The money supply metric used here—the "true," or Rothbard-Salerno, money supply measure (https://mises.org/library/austrian-definitions-supply-money) (TMS)—is the metric developed by Murray Rothbard and Joseph Salerno, and is designed to provide a better measure of money supply fluctuations than M2.

The Mises Institute now offers regular updates (https://mises.org/austrian-school/money-supply) on this metric and its growth. This measure of the money supply differs from M2 in that it includes Treasury deposits at the Fed (and excludes short-time deposits and retail money funds).

In recent months, M2 growth rates have followed a similar course to TMS growth rates, although TMS has fallen faster than M2. In February 2023, the M2 growth rate was –2.2 percent. That's down from January's growth rate of –1.7 percent. February's rate was also well down from February 2022's rate of 10.5 percent.

**Money supply growth can often be a helpful measure of economic activity and an indicator of coming recessions.** During periods of economic boom, money supply tends to grow quickly as commercial banks make more loans. Recessions, on the other hand, tend to be preceded by slowing rates of money supply growth.

Negative money supply growth is not in itself an especially meaningful metric. But the drop into negative territory we've seen in recent months does help illustrate just how far and how rapidly money supply growth has fallen. **That is generally a red flag for economic growth and employment.**

The fact that the money supply is shrinking at all is so remarkable because the money supply almost _never_ gets smaller. The money supply has now fallen by $1.7 trillion (or eight percent) since the peak in April 2022. In raw numbers, that's certainly the largest fall we've seen. But we can see in the next graph why, in percentage terms, the drop doesn't beat those of the late 80s and early 90s. Money creation since 2009—and especially since 2020—has been so large that even a drop of $1 trillion is relatively small in percentage terms. Rather, the money supply would have to drop another $5 trillion or so—or more than 25 percent—just to return to the pre-2009 trend.

?itok=HoW5oe6H (?itok=HoW5oe6H)

In fact, since 2009, the TMS money supply has grown by 200 percent. (M2 has grown by 149 percent in that period.) Out of the current money supply of $20 trillion, $5.8 trillion of that has been created since January 2020—or 28 percent. Since 2009, $13.4 trillion of the current money supply has been created. In other words, nearly two-thirds of the money supply have been created over the past thirteen years.

With these kinds of totals, an eight-percent drop puts a fairly small dent in the huge edifice of newly created money. The US economy still faces a very large monetary overhang from the past several years, and this is partly why after nine months of slowing money-supply growth, …

https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/money-supply-growth-fell-50-year-low-feb-will-fed-panic

**$100 Million Gold Heist At Canada's Biggest Airport - Goodfellas Meets Italian Job**

$100 Million Gold Heist At Canada's Biggest Airport - Goodfellas Meets Italian Job

The **Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed they are looking into a gold robbery** at Pearson International Airport, just outside Toronto.

At this point, it appears investigators have no idea who stole the gold and how it was removed. We have an idea...

**_“We are still trying to get accurate information on the heist,”_** an RCMP spokesperson said, declining to confirm how much gold is missing.

The Toronto Sun reported (https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/major-gold-heist-at-pearson-movie-plot-turns-reality-in-gta) earlier Thursday that **3,600 pounds of gold being moved through the airport had been stolen**.

That would be **worth around $105 million.**

Pearson is rated as one of the top 30 cargo airports in the world and **gold mined in Canada can travel through Pearson** on its way to customers around the world.

The newspaper said the theft was likely linked to organized crime, citing an unnamed police source.

The heist reminded The Sun reporters (https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/hunter-bombshell-100m-pearson-gold-heist-harkens-goodfellas) of Nick Pillegi’s iconic book Wiseguy (that Goodfellas was based on) in which his boss Paul Vario and underling James 'Jimmy the Gent' Burke "owned" JFK Airport because **several organized crime groups are known to have either people or allies placed at Pearson**. Monitoring their activities and controlling them is reportedly close to a full-time job.

> _“See, you gotta understand, we grew up near the airport. It belonged to Paulie.”_

>

> _\- Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), Goodfellas_

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_Gangster Henry Hill. FBI_

Burke and his hand-picked team hit JFK again on Dec. 11, 1978, with a $5.875 million robbery of cash and jails from Lufthansa. That caper was worth $24.4 million in 2021.

But, back to Pearson, right now, The Sun's Brad Hunter reports (https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/hunter-bombshell-100m-pearson-gold-heist-harkens-goodfellas)that **cops are being quiet**.

One thing appears clear - investigators don’t believe the gold was stolen in an attempt to fund terrorism.

If that was the case, protocols would have seen at least a partial shutdown of parts of the airport as soon as police or security officials became aware of the robbery and that didn’t happen.

Finally, The Sun notes (https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/major-gold-heist-at-pearson-movie-plot-turns-reality-in-gta)that **this isn’t the first major gold heist to happen out of Pearson.**

In 1952, ten boxes of gold were bound for Montreal but only four boxes showed up. That heist was valued at between $215,000 to $330,000 at the time or more than $3 million today.

Nevertheless, this is **one of the largest robberies in Canadian history**... from a supposedly secure facility... leaving nothing than a mystery behind.

Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Fri, 04/21/2023 - 06:55

https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/100-million-gold-heist-canadas-biggest-airport-goodfellas-meets-italian-job

**MIT Study: Nuclear Power Shutdown Could Lead To Increased Deaths**

MIT Study: Nuclear Power Shutdown Could Lead To Increased Deaths

_Authored by Brian Westenhaus via OilPrice.com,_ (https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/MIT-Study-Nuclear-Power-Shutdown-Could-Lead-To-Increased-Deaths.html)

- A new MIT study indicates that retiring U.S. nuclear power plants could lead to an increase in burning fossil fuels to fill the energy gap, resulting in over 5,000 premature deaths due to increased air pollution.

- Nearly 20 percent of current electricity in the U.S. comes from nuclear power, with a fleet of 92 reactors scattered around the country.

- If more renewable energy sources become available to supply the grid by 2030, air pollution could be curtailed, but there may still be a slight increase in pollution-related deaths.

A new study from Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows (https://news.mit.edu/2023/study-shutting-down-nuclear-power-could-increase-air-pollution-0410)that **if U.S. nuclear power plants are retired, the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas to fill the energy gap could cause more than 5,000 premature deaths**.

?itok=8OKQl-DC (?itok=8OKQl-DC)

The MIT team took on the questions in the text following in a new study appearing in Nature Energy.

**Nearly 20 percent of today’s electricity in the United States comes from nuclear power. (https://newenergyandfuel.com/http:/newenergyandfuel/com/category/fission/)** The U.S. has the largest nuclear fleet in the world, with 92 reactors scattered around the country. Many of these power plants have run for more than half a century and are approaching the end of their expected lifetimes.

Policymakers are debating whether to retire the aging reactors or reinforce their structures to continue producing nuclear energy, which many consider a low-carbon alternative to climate-warming coal, oil, and natural gas (https://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/Natural-Gas-A-Comprehensive-Guide-To-The-Worlds-Most-Crucial-Fuel.html).

Now, MIT researchers say there’s another factor to consider in weighing the future of nuclear power: air quality. In addition to being a low carbon-emitting source, nuclear power is relatively clean in terms of the air pollution it generates. Without nuclear power, how would the pattern of air pollution shift, and who would feel its effects?

**The team laid out a scenario in which every nuclear power plant in the country has shut down, and consider how other sources such as coal, natural gas, and renewable energy would fill the resulting energy needs throughout an entire year.**

Their analysis reveals that indeed, air pollution would increase, as coal, gas, and oil sources ramp up to compensate for nuclear power’s absence. This in itself may not be surprising, but the team has put numbers to the prediction, estimating that the increase in air pollution would have serious health effects, resulting in an additional 5,200 pollution-related deaths over a single year.

If, however, more renewable energy sources become available to supply the energy grid, as they are expected to by the year 2030, air pollution would be curtailed, though not entirely. The team found that even under this heartier renewable scenario, there is still a slight increase in air pollution in some parts of the country, resulting in a total of 260 pollution-related deaths over one year.

When they looked at the populations directly affected by the increased pollution, they found that **Black or African American communities – a disproportionate number of whom live near fossil-fuel plants – experienced the greatest exposure.**

Lead author Lyssa Freese, a graduate student in MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) said, _**“This adds one more layer to the environmental health and social impacts equation when you’re thinking about nuclear shutdowns, where the conversation often focuses on local risks due to accidents and mining or long-term climate impacts.”**_

Study author Noelle Selin, a professor in MIT’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS) and EAPS added, “In the debate over keeping nuclear power plants open, air quality has not been a focus of that discussion. What we found was that air pollution from fossil fuel plants is so damaging, that anything that increases it, such as a nuclear shutdown, is going to have substantial impacts, and for some people more than others.”

The study’s MIT-affiliated co-authors also include Principal Research Scientist Sebastian Eastham and Guillaume Chossière SM ’17, PhD ’20, along with Alan Jenn of the University of California at Davis.

Future phase-outs

When nuclear power plants have closed in the past, fossil fuel use increased in response. In 1985, the clo…

https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/mit-study-nuclear-power-shutdown-could-lead-increased-deaths

**Continental Shift: The World's Biggest Economies Over Time**

Continental Shift: The World's Biggest Economies Over Time

According to data from the IMF, (https://www.imf.org/en/publications/weo) **four out of the top 6 countries in the world by size of PPP GDP in 2028 will be in Asia**, relegating European economies to lower ranks.

As Statista's Katharina Buchholz notes (https://www.statista.com/chart/22256/biggest-economies-in-the-world-timeline/), China (https://www.statista.com/topics/753/china/)'s and India's economic growth has been steep since the 1990s (https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2019/02/weodata/weoselgr.aspx), while Indonesia has more recently entered the top 10 of the biggest economies in the world (https://www.statista.com/topics/1467/global-economy/)and is expected to reach ranks 6 by 2028. **Japan, an established economy, is expected to cling on to rank 4 in 2024, while Russia will fall to rank 7.**

(https://www.statista.com/chart/22256/biggest-economies-in-the-world-timeline/)

_You will find more infographics at Statista (https://www.statista.com/chartoftheday/)_

**Asia’s burgeoning middle class (https://www.statista.com/chart/8402/asian-middle-class-on-the-rise/) is one of the reasons for the continental shift in GDP.**

While China had been the posterchild of market growth for much of the 21st century, the country is now tackling an ageing population, which will put a damper on consumption. Indonesia, together with the Philippines and Malaysia, are expected to grow their labor forces significantly in the years to come, contributing to a rise in average disposable incomes, according to the World Economic Forum. (https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/12/asia-economic-growth/)

Asian multinationals, like China’s Huawei and India’s Tata, have already emerged in this century and more are expected to appear on the global scene.

But rapid growth in Asia also comes with its **own set of problems,** like **a quickly growing divide between rural and urban incomes, environmental degradation as well as the new challenge of population decline.**

Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Fri, 04/21/2023 - 05:45

https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/continental-shift-worlds-biggest-economies-over-time

**French Poll Finds Le Pen Now More Popular Than Macron**

French Poll Finds Le Pen Now More Popular Than Macron

A year after Emmanuel Macron won a second term as president of France, triumphing over Marine Le Pen, his far-right challenger, it appears **things are not going according to plan for the diminutive French leader.**

**In 2017, Macron beat Le Pen 66.1% vs 33.9%**

?itok=3jryPPws (?itok=3jryPPws)

**In 2022** (last April), Macron triumphed by a narrower margin **(58.6% vs 41.5%)**

?itok=bbUVEXLP (?itok=bbUVEXLP)

**And now**, according to an Ifop poll for Paris Match published on Wednesday (https://news.yahoo.com/french-poll-finds-far-le-080814247.html), **when asked which of the two politicians they prefer, 47% of those interviewed picked Le Pen, while 42% chose Macron**.

?itok=qMKIqe7U (?itok=qMKIqe7U)

**Le Pen was more popular among women**, with 52% picking the two-time presidential runner-up, compared with 41% opting for the French leader.

Within the left-wing Nupes grouping, **a majority of supporters of the Communist and France Unbowed parties prefer Le Pen**, while backers of the Greens and Socialists favor Macron.

Since a series of nationwide strikes and protests against Macron’s plan to raise the minimum retirement age began in mid-January, Le Pen has adopted a discreet stance and fell short of urging her supporters to join the movement, saying they were free to make their own choice.

More than two-thirds of the French polled 'disapprove' of Macron...

?itok=olLpthmx (?itok=olLpthmx)

_Source_ (https://www.politico.eu/europe-poll-of-polls/france/)

In a separate poll of 1,002 adults on March 28-29 by Ifop for Paris Match, (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-05/france-s-le-pen-leads-in-presidential-election-first-round-poll?sref=ZMFHsM5Z) **58% said Le Pen understands their concerns and 57% that she’s attached to democratic values**, while 52% consider her to be competent and 51% capable of reforming the country.

She has the stature of a president, according to 47% of those surveyed.

The next presidential election is in 2027, when Macron won’t be able to run because of term limits.

Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Fri, 04/21/2023 - 02:45

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/french-poll-finds-le-pen-now-more-popular-macron

**Speak Your Truth: Don't Let The Government Criminalize Free Speech**

Speak Your Truth: Don't Let The Government Criminalize Free Speech

_Authored by John & Nisha Whitehead via The Rutherford Institute,_ (https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/speak_your_truth_dont_let_the_government_criminalize_free_speech)

> _“If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”_

>

> _\- George Washington_

What the police state wants is a **silent, compliant, oblivious** citizenry.

?itok=XxYcxKm8 (?itok=XxYcxKm8)

What the First Amendment affirms is an engaged citizenry that speaks truth to power using whatever peaceful means are available to us.

**Speaking one’s truth doesn’t have to be the same for each person, and that truth doesn’t have to be palatable or pleasant or even factual.**

We can be loud.

We can be obnoxious.

We can be politically incorrect.

We can be conspiratorial or mean or offensive.

**We can be all these things because the First Amendment takes a broad, classically liberal approach to the free speech rights of the citizenry: in a nutshell, the government may not encroach or limit the citizenry’s right to freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly and protest.**

This is why the First Amendment is so critical.

It gives the citizenry the right to speak freely, protest peacefully, expose government wrongdoing, and criticize the government without fear of retaliation, arrest or incarceration.

**Nowhere in the First Amendment does it permit the government to limit speech in order to avoid causing offense, hurting someone’s feelings, safeguarding government secrets, protecting government officials, discouraging bullying, penalizing hateful ideas and actions, eliminating terrorism, combatting prejudice and intolerance, and the like.**

When expressive activity crosses the line into violence, free speech protections end.

However, barring actual violence or true threats of violence, there is a vast difference between speech that is socially unpopular and speech that is illegal, and it’s an important distinction that depends on our commitment to safeguarding a robust First Amendment.

**Increasingly, however, the courts and the government are doing away with that critical distinction, adopting the mindset that speech is only permissible if it does not offend, irritate, annoy, threaten someone’s peace of mind, or challenge the government’s stranglehold on power.**

Take the case of _Counterman v. Colorado_ (https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/on_the_front_lines/rutherford_institute_warns_against_giving_the_government_a_green_light_to_chill_political_speech_on_social_media) which is before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Under the pretext of clamping down on online stalking, Colorado wants the power to be able to treat expressive activities on social media as threats (https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/on_the_front_lines/rutherford_institute_warns_against_giving_the_government_a_green_light_to_chill_political_speech_on_social_media) without having to prove that the messages are both reasonably understood as threatening an illegal act and intended by the speaker as a threat.

While protecting people from stalking is certainly a valid concern and may be warranted in this particular case, the law does not require speech to be a “true threat” in order to be criminally punished. The Supreme Court has defined a “true threat” as “statements where the speaker means to communicate a serious expression of an intent to commit an act of unlawful violence to a particular individual or group of individuals.”

Indeed, Colorado’s stalking law is so broad that a person can be charged with stalking for repeatedly contacting, surveilling or communicating with an individual in such a way that a reasonable person would feel serious emotional distress.

In the absence of any substantive guidelines on what constitutes a true threat on social media, such laws could empower the government to misinterpret any speaker’s intent and meaning in order to criminalize legitimate political speech that is critical of government officials and representatives.

Case in point: in Oklahoma, a street preacher who expressed his moral outrage over public drag queen performances that occur in front of children and churches that endorse same-sex marriage was given a five-year restraining order and threatened with arrest after citing Bible verses on social media (https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/on_the_front_lines/oklahoma_court_threatens_street_preacher_with_arrest_for_using_bible_verses_to_criticize_same_sex_marriage) about God’s judgment of sin.

The Rutherford Institute has taken…

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/speak-your-truth-dont-let-government-criminalize-free-speech

**The Timeline Of Cannabis Legislation In The US**

The Timeline Of Cannabis Legislation In The US

On this 4/20, we take a moment to reflect on the fact that at the federal level, cannabis is still considered an illegal substance.

However, as Visual Capitalist's Avery Koop notes (https://www.visualcapitalist.com/us-cannabis-legislation-timeline-2023/), **individual states do have the right to determine their own laws around cannabis sales and usage.**

This visual from New Frontier Data (https://newfrontierdata.com/cannabis-analyst-reports/) looks at the status of cannabis in every state and the timeline of when medical and/or recreational use became legal.

?itok=YTFQtJ3e (?itok=YTFQtJ3e)

Cannabis Through the Years

In the U.S., the oldest legalese concerning cannabis (https://www.visualcapitalist.com/anatomy-cannabis-plant/) dates back to the 1600s—the colony of Virginia _required_ every farm to grow and produce hemp. Since then, cannabis use was fairly wide open until the 1930s when the Marihuana Tax Act was enforced (https://www.leafly.ca/learn/legalization/marijuana-illegal-history), prohibiting marijuana federally but still technically allowing medical use.

Jumping ahead, the Controlled Substances Act was passed in 1970, classifying cannabis as Schedule I drug—the same category as heroin. This prohibited any use of the substance.

However, the 1970s also saw a counter movement, wherein many states made the move towards decriminalization. Decriminalization means that although possessing cannabis remained illegal, a person would not be subject to jail time or prosecution for possessing certain amounts.

By the 1990s, some of the first states passed (https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/health/marijuana-laws-timeline/) laws to allow the medical usage of cannabis, and by 2012 two states in the U.S.—Washington and Colorado—legalized the recreational use of cannabis.

Cannabis Legislation Today and Beyond

The MORE Act (the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act) was passed (https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/3884) in the House early 2022, and if made law, it would decriminalize marijuana federally.

> “This bill decriminalizes marijuana. Specifically, it removes marijuana from the list of scheduled substances under the Controlled Substances Act and eliminates criminal penalties for an individual who manufactures, distributes, or possesses marijuana.”– U.S. CONGRESS

Cannabis still remains illegal at the federal level, but at the state levels, cannabis is now fully legal (both for medicinal and recreational purposes) in a total of 22 states.

Over **246 million Americans** have legal access to some form of marijuana products with high THC levels. Looking to the future, many new cannabis markets are expected to open up in the next few years:

?itok=LVgcWDEr (?itok=LVgcWDEr)

The earliest states expected to open up next for recreational cannabis sales are Minnesota and Oklahoma. There is always a lag between legalization and actual sales, wherein local regulatory bodies and governments set standards. States like Kentucky, on the other hand, aren’t likely to even legalize medicinal cannabis until 2028.

It’s estimated that by 2030, there will be 69 million cannabis consumers (https://www.investingdaily.com/98857/forecast-69-million-pot-users-in-u-s-by-2030/) in the country, up **33%** from 2022.

Overall, the U.S. cannabis market is likely an important one to watch as legal sales hit **$30 billion** in 2022. By the end of the decade, that number is expected to be anywhere from $58 billion to as much as $72 billion.

Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Thu, 04/20/2023 - 23:20

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/timeline-cannabis-legislation-us

**The Discord Leaks: Justification To Quash Encrypted Messaging?**

The Discord Leaks: Justification To Quash Encrypted Messaging?

_Authored by Marie Hawthorne via The Organic Prepper blog,_ (https://www.theorganicprepper.com/discord-leaks/)

On April 13, the FBI took 21-year-old Air National Guardsman Jake Teixiera into custody for posting top secret military documents on a private Discord chat group. A large amount of classified information has been exposed, and people want answers. Why is this young man getting arrested when other people leak to the press all the time? Who gives a 21-year-old top-secret clearance? Are there some other, less-obvious motives at work here?

?itok=T1Oeltke (?itok=T1Oeltke)

First, let’s look at the leaks.

Let’s look first at the leaks themselves. In early March, classified documents started popping up on a public Discord channel. They had originally been posted in a private, invitation-only chat group on Discord with a few dozen members in December 2022 or January 2023. At some point, one of the private group members started posting the classified documents to a public group. And once on the public group, the classified documents rapidly made their way around the internet. (source (https://www.bbc.com/news/65240603))

- This series of leaks provided evidence that American intelligence had been spying on allies in Israel and South Korea. (source (https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/south-korea-will-demand-appropriate-measures-pentagon-documents-leak-rcna78946))

- We had also been collecting intelligence on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (source (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65257957?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Byahoo.north.america%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D))

- There was a discussion of Egypt producing weapons for Russia, despite receiving over $1 billion per year from the Americans. (source (https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/11/africa/egypt-russia-weapons-leak-intl/index.html)) Egyptian and American officials both denied this vehemently.

- Some of the leaked documents included information about a spring offensive in Ukraine. They also indicated that American leaders are not confident in Ukraine’s ability to successfully launch an offensive this spring, due to a lack of trained personnel. (source (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11959809/Leaked-documents-reveal-Pentagon-fears-Ukraines-spring-offensive-fall-flat.html))

- Nonetheless, despite a grim outlook for a Ukrainian spring offensive, no one is anticipating peace talks between Kyiv and the Kremlin in 2023. (source (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ukraine-live-briefing-two-americans-killed-in-ukraine-war-likely-to-spill-into-2024-leaked-documents-say/ar-AA19NvGM)) The powers that be are prepared for 2023 to consist of a long, slow grind for Ukrainian and Russian troops.

- Leaked information also includes the fact that American Special Forces groups have been in Ukraine for some time. (source (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65245065)) contrary to repeated statements about how no American boots were ever going to be on the ground. (source (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7YYLfq9Aqc))

- Information about a spring offensive could, in theory, jeopardize troops on the ground, though the Russians don’t seem to be taking the leaked information particularly seriously. Speculation within the pro-Russian channels seems to be that this is some kind of decoy. (source (https://nypost.com/2023/04/07/pentagon-probes-docs-that-reveal-ukraine-military-offensive/))

The rest of the leaked information provides a window into how the government actually works. Spying on allies and a fantastic disregard for taxpayer dollars—it sounds bad, but is it really surprising? And lying about American troops being on the ground? It’s less shocking, and more evidence of things many of us had suspected anyway.

What will happen to Jake Teixeira?

Either way, it looks like young Jake Teixeira is headed to jail (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/04/14/classified-documents-leak-jack-teixeira-live-coverage/11663753002/), probably for at least ten years

If you grew up in a family full of soldiers and government employees, you might think, “Good, he’s a traitor.” But keep in mind information from the government gets leaked to the press all the time. New York Times reporter David Philipps admitted on Twitter that “The NYT worked feverishly to find the identity of the guy leaking TS docs on Discord. Ironically, if the same guy had leaked to the NYT, we’d be working feverishly to conceal it.”

Mr. Philipps removed his tweet after a short time, but independent journalist Glenn Greenwald took a screenshot of it and you can still see it on his Twit…

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/discord-leaks-justification-quash-encrypted-messaging

**ATF Director Unable To Define "Assault Weapon" Despite Biden's Call For Ban**

ATF Director Unable To Define "Assault Weapon" Despite Biden's Call For Ban

At a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing, Rep. Jake Ellzey (R-Texas) asked Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) Director Steve Dettelbach a simple question: _"In 15 seconds, would you define an 'assault weapon' for me?"_

Dettelbach, who is supposed to be an expert in all things firearms and explosives, appeared before the subcommittee hearing on Tuesday. He responded to Ellzey by admitting he could not answer the question because he isn't a "firearms expert."

> _"I'll go shorter than that, because honestly, if Congress wishes to take that up, I think Congress would have to do the work, but we would be there to provide technical assistance. I, unlike you, am not a firearms expert to the same extent as you maybe, but we have people at ATF who can talk about velocity of firearms, what damage different kinds of firearms cause, so that whatever determination you chose to make would be an informed one." Dettelbach answered._

> Biden says he wants to ban assault weapons, but his own ATF Director Steve Dettelbach can't even define what they are: "I'm not a firearms expert" pic.twitter.com/v50ElLnBG3 (https://t.co/v50ElLnBG3)

>

> — RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 18, 2023 (https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1648353395424608259?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Despite years of advocating for assault weapon bans (https://www.zerohedge.com/political/biden-reportedly-nominating-another-gun-grabber-head-atf), the head of the ATF has never provided a clear definition of what qualifies as an assault weapon.

Firearms blog Bearing Arms (https://bearingarms.com/camedwards/2023/04/18/atf-director-cant-say-what-an-assault-weapon-is-but-he-still-wants-to-ban-them-n69609) had this to say about Dettelbach's response:

> _We're supposed to believe that the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives has no earthly idea how to define "assault weapons", despite the fact that his boss calls for them to be banned on a weekly basis and Democrats in states like Michigan, Colorado, and Washington are currently trying to prohibit their sale or possession? Gimme a break._

>

> _Dettelbach's response wasn't ignorant, it was political. The truth is that "assault weapon" has no real definition other than "gun someone wants to ban." What's considered an "assault weapon" in New York may not be an "assault weapon" in Ilinois, while California lawmakers have gone back and redefined "assault weapon" on multiple occasions since enacting its first ban back in 1989._

>

> _But Dettelbach can't go on the record as admitting that, especially with Biden making his own vague and vacuous demands for an "assault weapons" ban any time a shooting generates national headlines (even when the killer used a handgun). Instead he tried to punt the issue back to Congress, but in doing so he implicitly acknowledged what he couldn't say out loud; an "assault weapon" is whatever anti-gun lawmakers say it is, and whatever convoluted definition they do come up with will most certainly impact millions of law-abiding Americans and some of the most popular and commonly-owned firearms sold today._

... and Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) tweeted:

> _"Joe Biden's ATF Director just testified in a Congressional hearing that he's not a firearms expert. Wow. Maybe the ATF shouldn't be regulating your firearms then."_

Supporters of the Second Amendment can appreciate the ATF head's honesty, at the very least.

Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Thu, 04/20/2023 - 22:40

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/atf-director-unable-define-assault-weapon-despite-bidens-call-ban

**House China Committee To War-Game A Chinese Invasion Of Taiwan**

House China Committee To War-Game A Chinese Invasion Of Taiwan

_Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,_ (https://news.antiwar.com/2023/04/19/house-china-committee-to-war-game-a-chinese-invasion-of-taiwan/)

The House’s new panel on China will be **war gaming a Chinese invasion of Taiwan** **to explore ways the US can respond** in the latest example of the US government preparing for a future conflict with Beijing.

_Axios_reported (https://www.axios.com/2023/04/19/house-china-committee-taiwan-war-game) that on Wednesday evening, members of the China committee, which is led by Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), will take the role of US officials in the war game that will be conducted by a Center for a New American Security (CNAS).

?itok=rGAs04rj\

_Image: Google Earth/CNN_ (?itok=rGAs04rj)

**CNAS is a hawkish think-tank thatreceives funding (https://www.cnas.org/support-cnas/cnas-supporters) from US arms makers and the Taiwanese government** through the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, Taiwan’s de facto embassy.

Several members of the Biden administration came from CNAS, including Kurt Campbell, a co-founder of the think tank who now serves as President Biden’s top Asia official on the National Security Council.

China hawks in Congress argue that the US must continue ramping up support for Taiwan to deter a Chinese invasion.

> _**"We need to be moving heaven and earth to enhance our deterrence and denial posture so that Xi Jinping concludes that he just can’t do it,"** Gallagher told AP._

But China’s recent rhetoric and actions have demonstrated that more US support for Taiwan puts the island under greater Chinese military pressure.

> Lots of US naval assets near China rn.

>

> ALL of them (except subs) within range of Chinese DF-21D carrier killer missiles. They’ll be gone in 1st 15 min of war. pic.twitter.com/0Uu3t7Wwat (https://t.co/0Uu3t7Wwat)

>

> — Carl Zha (@CarlZha) April 20, 2023 (https://twitter.com/CarlZha/status/1648995140357468160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Beijing just concluded massive live-fire drills (https://news.antiwar.com/2023/04/10/chinese-military-declares-end-to-three-day-taiwan-drills/) around Taiwan that were launched in response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in California.

Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Thu, 04/20/2023 - 22:20

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/house-china-committee-war-game-chinese-invasion-taiwan

**US Prepping Military-Led Evacuation Of Embassy Staff From Sudan**

US Prepping Military-Led Evacuation Of Embassy Staff From Sudan

The recent breakout of civil war for control of the Sudanese capital city of Khartoum led by rival generals has prompted the US government to ready contingency plans **to evacuate American embassy personnel who are currently sheltering in place**.

US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said in a Thursday statement that it "is monitoring the situation in Sudan and conducting prudent planning for various contingencies" - after a midweek ceasefire attempt failed (https://apnews.com/article/sudan-fighting-ceasefire-trapped-civilians-evacuations-foreigners-983cb600ea3f878c5f4907965b4d5d3d) to hold on.

?itok=iMEeL24_\

_Image: AFP/Getty_ (?itok=iMEeL24_)

"As part of this, we are deploying additional capabilities nearby in the region for contingency purposes related to securing and potentially facilitating the departure of U.S. Embassy personnel from Sudan, if circumstances require it," according to Pentagon spokesperson Lt. Col. Phil Ventura.

Additionally, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed Thursday that the US knows the whereabouts of all diplomats still hunkered-down and that the State Department is **trying to get "them all co-located together for their own safety."**

According to Politico, the Pentagon is moving troops into place ahead of a potential evacuation (https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/20/us-troops-sudan-embassy-evacuation-00093038):

> _Wendy Sherman, the deputy secretary of State, privately told lawmakers Wednesday that troops would be moving to Djibouti, home to Camp Lemmonier, to provide the administration an option to launch an evacuation operation, according to one of the people familiar with the situation. The person, along with others POLITICO spoke to for this story, was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive military planning and internal deliberations. **Sherman stressed that the mission would whisk only embassy staff to safety and that there won’t be a military-led general evacuation of American citizens**, the lawmaker added._

Streets in the city have been transformed into war zones, and the UN estimates at least 185 people have been killed and more than 1,800 wounded. The fighting broke out Saturday, and the battles pit **the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)** led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against **the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)** of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo - who's also known as Hemedti and has served as Burhan's deputy head of state.

What began as a peaceful protests and limited clashes over Sudan's political future is now a war for control of Africa's third-largest (https://www.statista.com/statistics/1207844/largest-countries-in-africa-by-area/) country. There remains significant dangers for Americans and foreign embassy staff, given it was only on Tuesday that US diplomatic convoy came under intense gunfire in the capital.

The State Department called (https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-embassy-convoy-comes-under-attack-sudan-ceasefire-crumbling) the attack, which included **at least 100 rounds fired on the US embassy convoy** according to international reports, a "reckless" and "irresponsible" attack and called on both sides of the raging conflict to uphold the safety and security of American diplomatic personnel.

All Americans and embassy staff were then ordered to shelter in place until help arrives, or calm returns. The Biden administration now is preparing for a worst case emergency evacuation scenario, given **Sudan's embattled government is not expected to help**.

Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Thu, 04/20/2023 - 22:00

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/pentagon-prepping-military-led-evacuation-us-embassy-staff-sudan

**Bringing Dead US Uranium Enrichment Industry Back To Life Will Be 'A Heavy Lift' But Needed: Industry Leader**

Bringing Dead US Uranium Enrichment Industry Back To Life Will Be 'A Heavy Lift' But Needed: Industry Leader

_Authored by Jon Haughey via The Epoch Times (https://www.theepochtimes.com/bringing-dead-uranium-enrichment-industry-back-to-life-in-us-will-be-a-heavy-lift-but-necessary-industry-leader_5202331.html?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=ZeroHedge&src_src=partner&src_cmp=ZeroHedge) (emphasis ours),_

**Uranium mining in the United States hasn’t been profitable since the Russians flooded the global market with predatorily priced ore and processed fuel a decade ago.**

?itok=1F7BchYp\

_The Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, in Avila Beach, Calif., is among the nation's 55 operating nuclear power plants. (Joe Johnston/The Tribune (of San Luis Obispo) via AP)_ (?itok=1F7BchYp)

Long before, the nation’s atrophied uranium enrichment industry, episodically idled by market paralyses and perpetually frozen in costly multi-jurisdictional regulatory entanglements, had ossified into obsolesce.

In 1980, the United States produced and processed 90 percent of the uranium used by 251 nuclear power plants that generated 11 percent of the country’s electricity.

**In 2021, only 5 percent of the uranium used by the 55 nuclear power plants operating in the United States—which now generate 20 percent of the nation’s electricity—was produced domestically.**

After years of Russian market manipulation stymied profitable domestic production, Congress has responded since 2020 with a series of bills that could, if approved, collectively spend up to $5 billion by 2035 in an attempt to seed a domestic commercial uranium market back to life.

Despite slow-rolling allocations and delays in launching programs, which some attribute to resistance within the Biden administration to nuclear power, mines across five states—mostly in Texas and Wyoming currently permitted to excavate uranium—will soon begin doing so.

Others elsewhere are also expected to participate in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) uranium consortium and subsidized market incubator.

Texas has the most uranium mining operations, but Wyoming has the most uranium, Wyoming Mining Association Executive (WMA) Director Travis Deti said.

**“For all purposes,” he declared, “the state of Wyoming is the American uranium industry.”**

There are four permitted uranium mines in the Cowboy State and at least three other prospective operations in regulatory review, Deti told The Epoch Times.

They’re ready to start digging this spring. “We can mine all the uranium we need in the U.S. right here in Wyoming,” he said.

?itok=vZy4mua4\

_Taillights trace the path of a motor vehicle at the Naughton Power Plant in Kemmerer, Wyo., where Bill Gates’ company, TerraPower, will build a sodium-cooled nuclear reactor in the former coal-fired power plant. (AP Photo/Natalie Behring, File)_ (?itok=vZy4mua4)US Enrichment Capacity: One Mine

But unfortunately, there’s nowhere in the United States for Wyoming mines to send ore for enrichment. Nationwide, only one plant in New Mexico has the capacity to enrich uranium for use in commercial nuclear reactors.

“ **Even if we were mining it now, we’re shipping it somewhere else \[overseas\] to get it enriched and refined**,” Deti said. “ **When it comes to conversion and enrichment, we have no capacity to do that**” in the United States.

Deti told The Epoch Times he has a solution for private industry: build enrichment plants in Wyoming near the mines, where there is a knowledgeable workforce and “friendly” state regulatory policies geared to spearhead the mine-to-market uranium recovery.

Deti also offers a solution for the Biden administration: to decarbonize energy and ensure a secure domestic energy supply, stop “paying lip service” to nuclear power as pivotal and de-zombify the nation’s uranium production industry by accelerating and streamlining permitting for ore excavation and processing.

“Right now, Russia has a hold on conversion,” or processing uranium for commercial use, he said. Russia produces more than 50 percent of fuel used for nuclear power across the world and nearly a quarter used in the United States.

“ **Getting everybody to recognize the problem**” is a significant achievement, Deti said. But he’s concerned addressing the supply-chain gap won’t get the funding and regulatory relief it needs from the Biden administration, despite mounting bipartisan Congressional support for accelerating long-term remedies.

…

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/bringing-dead-us-uranium-enrichment-industry-back-life-will-be-heavy-lift-needed-industry

**De-Dollarization: Countries Seeking Alternatives To The US Dollar**

De-Dollarization: Countries Seeking Alternatives To The US Dollar

The U.S. dollar has dominated global trade and capital flows over many decades.

However, as Visual Capitalist's Bruo Venditti details below (https://www.visualcapitalist.com/de-dollarization-countries-seeking-alternatives-to-the-u-s-dollar/), **many nations are looking for alternatives to the greenback to reduce their dependence on the United States.**

This graphic catalogs the rise of the U.S. dollar as the dominant international reserve currency, and the recent efforts by various nations to de-dollarize and reduce their dependence on the U.S. financial system.

?itok=x0QoizlE (?itok=x0QoizlE)

The Dollar Dominance

The United States became, almost overnight, the leading financial power after World War I. The country entered the war only in 1917 and emerged far stronger than its European counterparts.

As a result, the dollar began to displace the pound sterling as the international reserve currency and the U.S. also became a significant recipient of wartime gold inflows.

The dollar then gained a greater role in 1944, when 44 countries signed the Bretton Woods Agreement (https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/brettonwoodsagreement.asp#:~:text=The%20Bretton%20Woods%20System%20required,the%20IMF%20and%20World%20Bank.), creating a collective international currency exchange regime pegged to the U.S. dollar which was, in turn, pegged to the price of gold.

By the late 1960s, European and Japanese exports became more competitive with U.S. exports. There was a large supply of dollars around the world, making it difficult to back dollars with gold. President Nixon ceased the direct convertibility of U.S. dollars to gold (https://www.visualcapitalist.com/golden-bulls-the-price-of-gold/) in 1971. This ended both the gold standard and the limit on the amount of currency that could be printed.

Although it has remained the international reserve currency, the U.S. dollar has increasingly lost its purchasing power (https://www.visualcapitalist.com/purchasing-power-of-the-u-s-dollar-over-time/) since then.

Russia and China’s Steps Towards De-Dollarization

Concerned about America’s dominance over the global financial system and the country’s ability to ‘weaponize’ (https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/sanctions-weaponize-us-dollar-some-treasury-buyers-could-fall-back-2022-03-29/) it, other nations have been testing alternatives to reduce the dollar’s hegemony.

As the United States and other Western nations imposed economic sanctions against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine (https://elements.visualcapitalist.com/the-countries-buying-russian-fossil-fuels-since-the-invasion/), Moscow and the Chinese government have been teaming up (https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/russia-and-china-have-been-teaming-up-to-reduce-reliance-on-the-dollar-heres-how-its-going/) to reduce reliance on the dollar and to establish cooperation between their financial systems.

Since the invasion in 2022, the ruble-yuan trade has increased eighty-fold. Russia and Iran are also working together to launch a cryptocurrency backed by gold, according (https://www.forbes.com/sites/dominicdudley/2023/01/18/russia-and-iran-eye-up-trade-using-cryptocurrencies-to-avoid-dollars-and-sanctions/?sh=5643d2dd1a10) to Russian news agency Vedmosti.

In addition, central banks (especially Russia’s and China’s) have bought gold (https://elements.visualcapitalist.com/charted-30-years-of-central-bank-gold-demand/) at the fastest pace since 1967 as countries move to diversify their reserves away from the dollar.

How Other Countries are Reducing Dollar Dependence

De-dollarization it’s a theme in other parts of the world:

- In recent months, Brazil and Argentina have discussed the creation of a common currency for the two largest economies in South America.

- In a conference in Singapore in January, multiple former Southeast Asian officials spoke (https://mercury.bloomberg.com/news/ROAS4BT1UM0W) about de-dollarization efforts underway.

- The UAE and India are in talks to use rupees to trade (https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/davos-2023-uae-india-discussing-settling-non-oil-trade-rupees-2023-01-19/) non-oil commodities in a shift away from the dollar, according to Reuters.

- For the first time in 48 years, Saudi Arabia said that the oil-rich nation is open (https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/saudi-arabia-open-to-talks-on-trade-in-currencies-besides-dollar-1.1871057) to trading in currencies besides the U.S. dollar.

Despite these movements, few expect to see the end of the dollar’s global sovereign status anytime soon. Currently, central banks still hold about 60% (https…

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/de-dollarization-countries-seeking-alternatives-us-dollar

**Doug Casey On Rising Crime, Legalized Shoplifting, And Other Disturbing Trends In US Cities**

Doug Casey On Rising Crime, Legalized Shoplifting, And Other Disturbing Trends In US Cities

_Authored by Doug Casey via InternationalMan.com,_ (https://internationalman.com/articles/doug-casey-on-rising-crime-legalized-shoplifting-and-other-disturbing-trends-in-us-cities/)

**International Man**: In parts of California and other states, shoplifting under $950 has been de-facto decriminalized.

**The practical reality is that thieves can now walk into a store and steal whatever they can without fear of police intervening—as long as it’s under $950.**

The trend of de-facto legalization of shoplifting is spreading across the country.

What is your take?

?itok=5BF2FE_0 (?itok=5BF2FE_0)

**Doug Casey**: The rise in crime in general and the veritable legalization of shoplifting, in particular, are really just symptoms.

**The real problem is that the moral fabric of the US and many other Western countries are torn.** There’s not much of a moral compass left. It’s no longer clear to the average American what is right and what is wrong. **Right and wrong is now viewed as arbitrary social constructs.** Property rights are barely even seen as rights, which is perverse since the very concept of rights is based on property—starting with your own body, which is the most basic form of property.

**This degeneration is understandable in a world where black is white and wrong is right.** It’s become unclear in many people’s minds what a man is, what a woman is, and what the difference is. If there’s no recognition of something as basic and obvious as that, the meaning of words, and any logic in thought, becomes meaningless. So, of course, they have trouble understanding concepts like right and wrong. But it goes beyond that.

For instance, many people think that reparations are due to black people simply because they’re black, and many blacks were slaves over 160 years ago. Incidentally, I don’t capitalize that word, something which has become a widespread affectation. It only serves to draw attention to race, which is part of the problem.

Let’s pursue the absurd matter of racial reparations for a moment since some miscreants have said all blacks in California are due $5 million. But are reparations due to American blacks, by any stretch of fact or logic? The average income of blacks in the US is many, many times that of blacks who are still in Africa. Should blacks in the US, therefore, pay whites something out of gratitude? The answer, just in case anybody is wondering: Of course not.

When people think they’re due reparations, the next step is for them to think—or rather feel, since there’s no logical thought involved—that they have a moral right to steal to take the reparations they imagine they’re owed. Does that have any relation to the fact that, although blacks are only 13% of the population, they commit 50% of the crime?

**Anyway, the nonobservance of shoplifting laws is just one more symptom of a corrupt culture and a collapsing civilization.**

**International Man**: Videos of “smash and grab” robberies—where large groups rush into a large store like Walmart or a very expensive one like Louis Vuitton and grab as much merchandise as they can carry—are circulating online.

In places like Portland, Walmart has decided to permanently close all of its stores because of the rise in theft.

For similar reasons, Target has closed stores in downtown Chicago, Minneapolis, and Washington, DC.

How is rising crime affecting businesses, and what are the implications?

**Doug Casey**: From a criminal’s point of view, in the kind of societal environment we’re in right now, flash mobs make a lot of sense.

**If you call together your posse to raid a store, and a hundred people overwhelm it to steal all they can, there’s nothing the employees can do about it. In fact, there’s likely nothing that the police can do about it, if only because it happens so quickly.**

It’s a clever tactic. But this type of thing happens not because they’re poor, black, or there aren’t enough police but because people no longer have a sense of right or wrong. The police are loath to stop them for fear of being called racists.

**Increasingly, business itself makes no sense, with the amount of taxes and regulations an entrepreneur has to deal with added to the lack of defense from common criminals.**

I expect this trend to continue. If it does, not just ghettos but central business districts will be devoid of retail stores. Many large office buildings will be empty. Others will opt to become self-contained fortresses.

**International Man**: Many cities which have decided to “defund the police” have seen a …

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/doug-casey-rising-crime-legalized-shoplifting-and-other-disturbing-trends-us-cities

**Email Reveals Woke "Day Of Dialogue" At Elite Private School In Baltimore**

Email Reveals Woke "Day Of Dialogue" At Elite Private School In Baltimore

An elite K-12 private school in Baltimore, Maryland, has adopted a radical " **Day of Dialogue**" where **teachers will devote** part of their class "to **share a connection between the LGBTQ community and their particular subject**," according to an email sent to parents.

Gilman School, an all-boys private school, is ranked among the top 100 K-12 schools in the US and is recognized as one of the leading schools in Maryland. Parents spend more than $35,000 per year to have their children educated were shocked on Wednesday when Armond T. Lawson, head of the middle school, sent this email about the upcoming "Day of Dialogue":

> **_Dear Gilman Middle School Families,_**

>

> _I am writing to inform you that Friday, April 21, the Middle School will conduct its first_ **_Day of Dialogue_** _. Throughout the day, space will be created to_ **_learn about LGBTQ connections in our curriculum_** _. Each_ **_teacher is prepared to devote 5-10 minutes of class time to share a connection between the LGBTQ community and their particular subject area._** **_Examples include discussions related to the role gender plays in learning a new language, sharing information about the impact of LGBTQ figures in various disciplines, and informing students of some of the societal challenges encountered by LGBTQ people._**

>

> **_Day of Dialogue in the Middle School_** _was inspired by a similar initiative in the Upper School. Week of Dialogue - conceived of in 2018 at Gilman by two students - was created in response to the Day of Silence, which is a nationally honored day where LGBTQ students and allies take a vow of silence to protest the harmful effects of harassment and discrimination of LGBTQ people in schools. Previous presidents of Gilman's Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA), Grey Johnson '18 and Ben Levinson '18 decided that instead of staying silent, Gilman should facilitate an open and educational conversation about LGBTQ topics within our community._

>

> **_We know this will be an enriching experience for our students_** _and help to promote an increased understanding of and appreciation for all of the people in our school community and the world around us. Please feel free to reach out if you have any additional questions._

> _?itok=HDtGrptc (?itok=HDtGrptc)_

The woke administration and teachers at Gilman seem oblivious to the fact that the parents ultimately fund their salaries. We obtained the email from one parent who requested anonymity and wanted to sound the alarm on the direction of education. A former student told us, "Why can't the school just teach critical subjects instead of all this confusing gender nonsense."

Another elite private school in Baltimore called Oldfields School is shutting its doors after 150 years. Even though the school has had financial issues for more than a decade, the school went super woke.

?itok=6ZgFrtf0 (?itok=6ZgFrtf0)

... and you guessed it. Now broke.

?itok=sl_43hp5 (?itok=sl_43hp5)

Nationwide, parents are yanking their kids from left-wing public schools at an increasing rate. At elite private schools, it's a very dangerous game for administration and teachers to push unpopular, confusing woke curricula to young children because parents can easily cause a run on the school by withdrawing their kids and sparking a cash crunch.

Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Thu, 04/20/2023 - 19:20

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/email-reveals-woke-day-dialogue-elite-private-school-baltimore

**ICE Deputy Director Proposes 'Virtual' Arrests As Immigration Backlog Balloons**

ICE Deputy Director Proposes 'Virtual' Arrests As Immigration Backlog Balloons

_Authored by Joseph Lord via The Epoch Times (https://www.theepochtimes.com/ice-deputy-director-proposes-virtual-arrests-as-immigration-backlog-balloons_5204148.html?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=ZeroHedge&src_src=partner&src_cmp=ZeroHedge) (emphasis ours),_

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_An exterior view of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency headquarters is seen July 6, 2018 in Washington. ( Alex Wong/Getty Images)_ (?itok=i-CVeyUH)

**U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is considering “virtual” arrests to address a growing backlog of unprocessed illegal immigrants.**

Deputy Director of ICE Tae Johnson told the House Appropriations Committee on April 18 that his agency has been overloaded with work due to the unprecedented influx of illegal immigrants along the U.S. border with Mexico over the past two years.

One result of this has been that many illegal aliens captured by ICE and Border Patrol have been released into the interior without legal papers ordering them to appear in court.

It’s standard procedure to issue “Notices to Appear” (NTAs) to illegal aliens being released from flooded ICE detention facilities along the border. NTAs constitute the first step in beginning the legal deportation process.

But **ICE and Border Patrol have been so inundated by illegal aliens that many have been released without being issued an NTA.**

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_Tae Johnson, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, at a press conference in Washington, on Oct. 26, 2021. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)_ (?itok=Dr4j6uCQ)

Johnson asked Congress to authorize ICE to make “virtual” arrests by issuing NTAs online in order to begin the process of deporting the millions of illegal aliens currently in the country.

Backlogs Until 2033

Johnson made the request during an exchange with Ranking Member Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), one of the most conservative Democrats in the House.

During the exchange, Cuellar expressed “concerns” about the immigration backlog built up in some American cities. In New York City and San Antonio, it is projected to take until 2033 for illegal immigrants to even appear before ICE. After that, it can take another two to three years before they get a day in court.

“ **It’s a little concerning that some of them have to wait until 2033 just to appear before you, then they get another 2-3 years before they even go to an immigration judge**,” Cuellar said.

_Read more **here...** (https://www.theepochtimes.com/ice-deputy-director-proposes-virtual-arrests-as-immigration-backlog-balloons_5204148.html?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=ZeroHedge&src_src=partner&src_cmp=ZeroHedge)_

Tyler Durden (https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)Thu, 04/20/2023 - 19:00

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/ice-deputy-director-proposes-virtual-arrests-immigration-backlog-balloons

**Illinois Lawmaker Calls Weekend Chaos A 'Mass Protest'**

Illinois Lawmaker Calls Weekend Chaos A 'Mass Protest'

After a flash mob of more than 500 youths **trashed downtown Chicago** last weekend, smashing and setting fire to cars, terrorizing tourists, smashing windows and fighting in a riot that left two teenage boys hospitalized with gunshot wounds (albeit a common occurrence), **one** **Democratic leader is making excuses.**

?itok=qolo1E03\

_Via the Daily Mail_ (?itok=qolo1E03)

> It's not just Philadelphia.

>

> This is the scene in Chicago where hundred of teens flooded the downtown Saturday Night smashing car windows, attacking cars and firing shots.

>

> Biden's America in Democratic run cities. pic.twitter.com/38AZQNg5sg (https://t.co/38AZQNg5sg)

>

> — Dawn Stensland Mendte (@DawnStensland) April 16, 2023 (https://twitter.com/DawnStensland/status/1647660789120081921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

"Since I’m a glutton for punishment and I’m sure I’m gonna get the most unhinged, crime weirdo replies but: **I would look at the behavior of young people as a political act and statement**," said state Senator Robert Peters.

> Since I’m a glutton for punishment and I’m sure I’m gonna get the most unhinged, crime weirdo replies but:

>

> I would look at the behavior of young people as a political act and statement. It’s a mass protest against poverty and segregation.

>

> Rest in peace to my mentions.

>

> — Robert Peters (@RobertJPeters) April 16, 2023 (https://twitter.com/RobertJPeters/status/1647716399928754185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

In total, **just 15 people were arrested**.

Others expressed concern, carefully - so as not to offend anyone.

"We’ve had more than our share of downtown mass arrest incidents going back over a decade. **This is not new,**" said 2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins, _PJ Media_ (https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/rick-moran/2023/04/19/illinois-state-senator-says-flash-mob-in-chicago-last-weekend-was-a-mass-protest-and-a-political-act-n1688458?utm_medium=email_hf&utm_source=et_277_na&utm_campaign=20230420_newsletter-what-tuckers-reading-56_tuckercarlsoncom_tc&utm_content=watch_cpyrs_202127) reports. " **What is new is to have it happen three days in a row**."

"There should be all sorts of contingency plans in place for when these incidents occur," Hopkins continued. "Instead, **we had an absolute meltdown of command and control.** Nobody knew who was in charge."

According to Hopkins, **interim police SUpt. Eric Carter and Chief of Patrol Brian McDermott got into a shouting match Saturday night**, and a disagreement ensued between "Chicago police leadership and CTA management about who was in charge."

_Chicago Sun-Times:_ (https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2023/4/17/23686938/alderman-blasts-chicago-police-leadership-for-response-to-violent-weekend)

> _On Monday afternoon, the police department issued a statement saying more security measures would be in place going forward, such as checking bags at beach entry points. The curfew for Millennium Park will also be in place._

>

> _Police officials are working closely with youth and outreach workers for when the gatherings occur, according to the statement. Parents were encouraged to accompany their kids or have them remain under adult supervision._

>

> _It’s unclear why the police department was caught off guard, as it closely tracks social media for postings about these types of events._

More via _PJ Media'_ s Rick Moran;

Maybe because no cop wants to end up in a viral video protecting himself or trying to restore order. The first order of business in any riot today is not to disrupt the destruction of the city. Laying hands on a rioter is a sure path to lawsuits and court appearances.

In case you were wondering, the kids are planning another outing this coming weekend.

> Some are speculating that since the weather is supposed to be colder weather and potentially rainy, it may not happen or won’t be as severe as before pic.twitter.com/M3IHbjujRY (https://t.co/M3IHbjujRY)

>

> — DC\_Draino (@DC\_Draino) April 18, 2023 (https://twitter.com/DC_Draino/status/1648375585943572480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

> Here is a tweet from an elected Chicago Alderman with the same flyer that was sent to me https://t.co/uOS490x7Oc (https://t.co/uOS490x7Oc)

>

> — DC\_Draino (@DC\_Draino) April 18, 2023 (https://twitter.com/DC_Draino/status/1648383139893354516?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

The kids who are going to show up at these riots know that no one will touch them. No one wants to touch them because no one wants to deal with what they represent: the failure of city leaders to accept the responsibility to maintain a civil society.

What’s truly amazing is that you could draw a direct line from the 2020 George Floyd protests to last weekend’s mayhem and not deviate an inch. …

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/illinois-lawmaker-calls-riotous-mob-last-weekend-mass-protest