Uranium Mining Revival Portends Nuclear Renaissance In Texas & Beyond
Uranium Mining Revival Portends Nuclear Renaissance In Texas & Beyond
Authored by https://x.com/DylanBaddour
(emphasis ours),
In the old ranchlands of South Texas, dormant uranium mines are coming back online. A collection of new ones hope to start production soon, extracting radioactive fuel from the region's shallow aquifers. Many more may follow.
These mines are the leading edge of what government and industry leaders in Texas hope will be a nuclear renaissance, as America's latent nuclear sector begins to stir again.
Texas is currently developing a host of high-tech industries that require enormous amounts of electricity, from crypto-currency mines and artificial intelligence to hydrogen production and seawater desalination. Now, powerful interests in the state are pushing to power it with next-generation nuclear reactors.
"We can make Texas the nuclear capital of the world," said Reed Clay, president of the Texas Nuclear Alliance, former chief operating officer for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's office and former senior counsel to the Texas Office of Attorney General. "There's a huge opportunity."
Clay owns a lobbying firm with heavyweight clients that https://www.transparencyusa.org/tx/lobbying/lobbyist/john-r-clay-jr-83162?page=2
during the 2023 state legislative session to advance bills supportive of the nuclear industry.
The efforts come amid a national resurgence of interest in nuclear power, which can provide large amounts of energy without the carbon emissions that warm the planet. And it can do so with reliable consistency that wind and solar power generation lack. But it carries a small risk of catastrophic failure and requires uranium from mines that can threaten rural aquifers.
In South Texas, groundwater management officials have fought for almost 15 years against a planned uranium mine. Administrative law judges have ruled in their favor twice, finding potential for groundwater contamination. But in both cases those judges were overruled by the state's main environmental regulator, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Now local leaders fear mining at the site appears poised to begin soon as momentum gathers behind America's nuclear resurgence.
In October, Google https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/sustainability/google-kairos-power-nuclear-energy-agreement/
a goal to triple U.S. nuclear capacity by 2050. American companies are racing to license and manufacture new models of nuclear reactors.
"It's kind of an unprecedented time in nuclear," said James Walker, a nuclear physicist and co-founder of New York-based NANO Nuclear Energy Inc., a startup developing small-scale "microreactors" for commercial deployment around 2031.
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The industry's re-emergence stems from two main causes, he said: towering tech industry energy demands and the war in Ukraine.
Previously, the U.S. relied on enriched uranium from decommissioned Russian weapons to fuel its existing power plants and military vessels. When war interrupted that supply in 2022, American authorities urgently began to rekindle domestic uranium mining and enrichment.
"The Department of Energy at the moment is https://www.energy.gov/ne/funding-opportunities
a lot of the infrastructure that atrophied," Walker said. "A lot of those uranium deposits in Texas have become very economical, which means a lot of investment will go back into those sites."
In May, the White House https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/05/29/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-new-steps-to-bolster-domestic-nuclear-industry-and-advance-americas-clean-energy-future/
to restart a nuclear power plant in Michigan, which it called "a first of a kind effort."
"There's an urgent desire to find zero-carbon energy sources that aren't intermittent like renewables," said Colin Leyden, Texas state director of the Environmental Defense Fund. "There aren't a lot of options, and nuclear is one."
Wind and solar will remain the cheapest energy sources, Leyden said, and a buildout of nuclear power would likely accelerate the retirement of coal plants.
The U.S. hasn't built a nuclear reactor in 30 years, spooked by a handful of disasters. In contrast, China has grown its nuclear power generation capacity almost 900 percent in the last 20 years, according to the https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-a-f/china-nuclear-power
, and currently has 30 reactors under construction.
Last year, Abbott https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/Jackson,_Kathleen_08.16.23.pdf
, which was issued in November, new nuclear reactors would most likely be built in ports and industrial complexes to power large industrial operations and enable further expansion.
"The Ports and their associated industries, like Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), carbon capture facilities, hydrogen facilities and cruise terminals, need additional generation sources," the report said. Advanced nuclear reactors "offer Texas' Ports a unique opportunity to enable continued growth."
In the Permian Basin, the report said, reactors could power oil production as well as purification of oilfield wastewater "for useful purposes." Or they could power clusters of data centers in Central and North Texas.
Already, Dow Chemical has https://corporate.dow.com/en-us/news/press-releases/dow-x-energy-collaborate-on-smr-nuclear.html
to install four small reactors at its Seadrift plastics and chemical plant on a rural stretch of the middle Texas coast, which it calls the first grid-scale nuclear reactor for an industrial site in North America.
"I think the vast majority of these nuclear power plants are going to be for things like industrial use," said Cyrus Reed, a longtime environmental lobbyist in the Texas Capitol and conservation director for the state's Sierra Club chapter. "A lot of large industries have corporate goals of being low carbon or no carbon, so this could fill in a niche for them."
The PUC report made seven recommendations for the creation of public entities, programs and funds to support the development of a Texas nuclear industry. During next year's state legislative session, legislators in the Nuclear Caucus will seek to make them law.
"It's going to be a great opportunity for energy investment in Texas," said Stephen Perkins, Texas-based chief operating officer of the American Conservation Coalition, a conservative environmental policy group. "We're really going to be pushing hard for [state legislators] to take that seriously."
However, Texas won't likely see its first new commercial reactor come online for at least five years. Before a buildout of power plants, there will be a boom at the uranium mines, as the U.S. seeks to reestablish domestic production and enrichment of uranium for nuclear fuel.
Texas Uranium
Ted Long, a former commissioner of Goliad County, can see the power lines of an inactive uranium mine from his porch on an old family ranch in the rolling golden savannah of South Texas. For years the mine has been idle, waiting for depressed uranium markets to pick up.
There, an international mining company called https://www.uraniumenergy.com/projects/texas/#:~:text=In%202010%2C%20UEC%20activated%20wellfields,were%20produced%20by%20ISR%20methods.
. plans to mine 420 acres of the Evangeline Aquifer between depths of 45 and 404 feet, according to permitting documents. Long, a dealer of engine lubricants, gets his water from a well 120 feet deep that was drilled in 1993. He lives with his wife on property that's been in her family since her great-grandfather emigrated from Germany.
"I'm worried for groundwater on this whole Gulf Coast," Long said. "This isn't the only place they're wanting to do this."
As a public official, Long fought the neighboring mine for years. But he found the process of engaging with Texas' environmental regulator, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, to be time-consuming, expensive and ultimately fruitless. Eventually, he concluded there was no point.
"There's nothing I can do," he said. "I guess I'll have to look for some kind of system to clean the water up."
The Goliad mine is the smallest of https://www.uraniumenergy.com/projects/texas/#:~:text=In%202010%2C%20UEC%20activated%20wellfields,were%20produced%20by%20ISR%20methods.
, started uranium production at two South Texas sites in 2023 and 2024, and hopes to bring four more online by 2027.
Uranium mining goes back decades in South Texas, but lately it's been dormant. Between the 1970s and the 1990s, a cluster of open pit mines harvested shallow uranium deposits at the surface. Many of those sites left a legacy of aquifer pollution.
.
All known shallow deposits of uranium in Texas have been mined. The deeper deposits aren't accessed by traditional surface mining, but rather a process called in-situ mining, in which solvents are pumped underground into uranium-bearing aquifer formations. Adjacent wells suck back up the resulting slurry, from which uranium dust will be extracted.
Industry describes in-situ mining as safer and more environmentally friendly than surface mining. But some South Texas water managers and landowners are concerned.
"We're talking about mining at the same elevation as people get their groundwater," said Terrell Graham, a board member of the Goliad County Groundwater Conservation District, which has been fighting a proposed uranium mine for almost 15 years. "There isn't another source of water for these residents."
"It Was Rigged, a Setup"
On two occasions, the district has participated in lengthy hearings and won favorable rulings in Texas' administrative courts supporting concerns over the safety of the permits. But both times, political appointees at the TCEQ rejected judges' recommendations and issued the permits anyway.
"We've won two administrative proceedings," Graham said. "It's very expensive, and to have the TCEQ commissioners just overturn the decision seems nonsensical."
The first time was in 2010. UEC was seeking initial permits for the Goliad mine, and the groundwater conservation district filed a technical challenge claiming that permits risked contamination of nearby aquifers.
The district hired lawyers and geological experts for a three-day hearing on the permit in Austin. Afterwards, an administrative law judge agreed with some of the district's concerns. In a https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25419007-2010-aljs-proposed-decision-to-remand-class-iii-permit?responsive=1&title=1
issued September 2010, an administrative law judge recommended further geological testing to determine whether certain underground faults could transmit fluids from the mining site into nearby drinking water sources.
"If the Commission determines that such remand is not feasible or desirable then the ALJ recommends that the Mine Application and the PAA-1 Application be denied," the opinion said.
But the commissioners declined the judge's recommendation. In an order issued https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25419008-2011-uranium-mining-permit-and-aquifer-exemption?responsive=1&title=1
, they determined that the proposed permits "impose terms and conditions reasonably necessary to protect fresh water from pollution."
"The Commission determines that no remand is necessary," the order said.
The TCEQ issued UEC's permits, valid for 10 years. But by that time, a collapse in uranium prices had brought the sector to a standstill, so mining never commenced.
In 2021, the permits came up for renewal, and locals filed challenges again. But again, the same thing happened.
A nearby landowner named David Michaelsen organized a group of neighbors to hire a lawyer and challenge UEC's permit to inject the radioactive waste product from its mine more than half a mile underground for permanent disposal.
"It's not like I'm against industry or anything, but I don't think this is a very safe spot," said Michaelsen, former chief engineer at the Port of Corpus Christi, a heavy industrial hub on the South Texas Coast. He bought his 56 acres in Goliad County in 2018 to build an upscale ranch house and retire with his wife.
In hearings before an administrative law judge, he presented evidence showing that nearby faults and old oil well shafts posed a risk for the injected waste to travel into potable groundwater layers near the surface.
In a https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25419010-pfd-2024?responsive=1&title=1
issued April 2024, an administrative law judge agreed with many of Michaelsen's challenges, including that "site-specific evidence here shows the potential for fluid movement from the injection zone."
"The draft permit does not comply with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements," wrote the administrative law judge, Katerina DeAngelo, a former assistant attorney general of Texas in the environmental protection division. She recommended "closer inspection of the local geology, more precise calculations of the [cone of influence], and a better assessment of the faults."
Michaelsen thought he had won. But when the TCEQ commissioners took up the question several months later, again they rejected all of the judge's findings.
In a https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25419009-order-2022-1553-wdw-1-1?responsive=1&title=1
issued in September, the commission concluded that "faults within 2.5 miles of its proposed disposal wells are not sufficiently transmissive or vertically extensive to allow migration of hazardous constituents out of the injection zone." The old nearby oil wells, the commission found, "are likely adequately plugged and will not provide a pathway for fluid movement."
"UEC demonstrated the proposed disposal wells will prevent movement of fluids that would result in pollution" of an underground source of drinking water, said the order granting the injection disposal permits.
"I felt like it was rigged, a setup," said Michaelsen, holding his four-inch-thick binder of research and records from the case. "It was a canned decision."
Another set of permit renewals remains before the Goliad mine can begin operation, and local authorities are fighting it, too. In August, the Goliad County Commissioners Court passed a https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25419206-goliad-county-resolution?responsive=1&title=1
TCEQ in Travis County District Court seeking to reverse the agency's permit approvals.
Because of the lawsuit, a TCEQ spokesperson declined to answer questions about the Goliad County mine site, saying the agency doesn't comment on pending litigation.
A final set of permits remains to be renewed before the mine can begin production. However, after years of frustrations, district leaders aren't optimistic about their ability to influence the decision.
Only about 40 residences immediately surround the site of the Goliad mine, according to Art Dohmann, vice president of the Goliad County Groundwater Conservation District. Only they might be affected in the near term. But Dohmann, who has served on the groundwater district board for 23 years, worries that the uranium, radium and arsenic churned up in the mining process will drift from the site as years go by.
"The groundwater moves. It's a slow rate, but once that arsenic is liberated, it's there forever," Dohmann said. "In a generation, it's going to affect the downstream areas."
UEC did not respond to a request for comment.
Currently, the TCEQ is evaluating possibilities for expanding and incentivizing further uranium production in Texas. It's following instruction given last year, when lawmakers with the Nuclear Caucus added an item to TCEQ's bi-annual budget ordering https://www.tceq.texas.gov/downloads/permitting/radioactive-materials/publications/uranium-resources-in-the-state-of-texas.pdf
of uranium resources to be produced for state lawmakers by December 2024, ahead of next year's legislative session.
According to the budget item, "The report must include recommendations for legislative or regulatory changes and potential economic incentive programs to support the uranium mining industry in this state."
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Tue, 12/03/2024 - 21:45
South Korea Ends Shortest Martial Law In History
South Korea Ends Shortest Martial Law In History
Update (1115ET):
Well, that was exciting—some midnight political infighting in South Korea. As we noted earlier: "There is no actual emergency."
Well that was exciting! Martial law lifted.
South Korea Martial Law 03/12/2024 10pm - 04/12/2024 1am.
Some twisted midnight fuckery. https://t.co/eMLhQaLMMm
— 0xBeans (@0x_Beans) https://twitter.com/0x_Beans/status/1863977649024246152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Now, the shortest emergency martial law in history appears to be over:
S. KOREA LAWMAKERS TO VOTE ON MARTIAL LAW LIFT
Followed by:
S. KOREA PARLIAMENT PASSES REQUEST OF MARTIAL LAW LIFT
SOUTH KOREAN PARLIAMENT VOTES TO BLOCK PRESIDENT'S MARTIAL LAW DECLARATION
🇰🇷🚨 BREAKING: PARLIAMENT VOTES TO LIFT MARTIAL LAW!
The Speaker of South Korea's parliament announced that the vote to lift martial law passed without any obstacles.
The decision was met with applause from the parliamentarians, signaling widespread support for ending the… https://t.co/seuJz0DAaU
— TabZ (@TabZLIVE) https://twitter.com/TabZLIVE/status/1863978739010335073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
* * *
Moments ago, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law, accusing the opposition party of engaging in anti-state activities. This is not a headline you see every day.
South Korea President Declares Martial Law
윤대통령 종북세력 척결하겠다 비상계엄 선포 https://t.co/tPydUzKpDU
— wind (@windinwindow) https://twitter.com/windinwindow/status/1863940585926877537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Here are the headlines via AFP News:
SOUTH KOREA'S YOON SAYS GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN PARALYZED BECAUSE OF OPPOSITION PARTY CONDUCTS
SOUTH KOREA'S YOON SAYS THROUGH MARTIAL LAW HE WILL REBUILD FREE AND DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY
https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-yoon-martial-law-997c22ac93f6a9bece68454597e577c1
sheds more color on the situation:
President Yoon Suk Yeol made the announcement during a televised briefing, vowing to "eradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional democratic order." It wasn't immediately clear how the steps would affect the country's governance and democracy.
Yoon — whose approval rating has dipped in recent months — has struggled to push his agenda against an opposition-controlled parliament since taking office in 2022.
Yoon's conservative People Power Party had been locked in an impasse with the liberal opposition Democratic Party over next year's budget bill. He has also been dismissing calls for independent investigations into scandals involving his wife and top officials, drawing quick, strong rebukes from his political rivals.
All of this is unfolding as President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating continues to slide...
ROK, Realmeter poll:
President Yoon Suk-yeol (PPP, Conservative) Approval
Approve: 12% (-)
Somewhat approve: 14% (-)
Somewhat disapprove: 9% (+1)
Disapprove: 62% (-)
+/- vs. 18-22 November 2024
Fieldwork: 25-29 November 2024
Sample size: 2,509
— Asia Elects (@AsiaElects) https://twitter.com/AsiaElects/status/1863454252078862727?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
South Korean President Yoon's record-low approval ratings likely play a role here.
Previous polls also showed 66% of South Koreans support sending only non-military aid to Ukraine, while just 13% favor military aid. https://t.co/S531IGrXkc
— Hope (@Eurhopean) https://twitter.com/Eurhopean/status/1862212164087320846?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
More saber rattling from President Yoon Suk Yeol, as per the Philippines news outlet https://www.rappler.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korea-president-yoon-declares-martial-law/
:
"Yoon said he had no choice but to resort to such a measure in order to safeguard free and constitutional order, saying opposition parties have taken hostage of the parliamentary process to throw the country into a crisis.
"I declare martial law to protect the free Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces, to eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people, and to protect the free constitutional order," Yoon said.
South Korean news agency Yonhap News Agency said, "The [South Korean] defense minister has ordered a meeting of key commanders and called for tightened vigilance...after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law. The minister has also ordered the military to stay on emergency guard"
Police buses have blocked the National Assembly.
경찰이 국회를 봉쇄했습니다 https://t.co/RDMirR7fST
— 𝙆𝙞𝙢 𝙃𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙖𝙚 (@minjoo_hongtae) https://twitter.com/minjoo_hongtae/status/1863945958003966392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Another view.
https://twitter.com/hashtag/South?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
— Cyrus (@Cyrus_In_The_X) https://twitter.com/Cyrus_In_The_X/status/1863954325061382412?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
South Korean soldiers are stationed outside Parliament.
South Korean soldiers are stationed outside the Parliament. Unbelievable to see how a democracy descends into a chaos and tyranny so fasthttps://t.co/IZkRK6mxJe
— Guy Elster (@guyelster) https://twitter.com/guyelster/status/1863965753671639348?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Armored personnel carriers were apparently on the streets.
The south Korean army has been deployed on South Korea’s streets following the declaration of martial law. https://t.co/22ACgm1HDl
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) https://twitter.com/Osint613/status/1863965796323533112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
A KW2 30mm Anti-Aircraft Gun Wheeled Vehicle System and a K808 “White Tiger” Armored Personnel Carrier with the South Korean Army, claimed to have been spotted tonight on the Streets of Seoul, following the declaration of Martial Law by President Yoon Suk Yeol. https://t.co/LkctFA1tw5
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1863959993575227502?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Ruling People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon criticized President Yoon Suk Yeol's emergency martial law, calling the decision "wrong," adding that he plans to stop the president's emergency action "alongside the people."
Our take...
There is no actual emergency: this is one giant "wag the dog" moment where the government is trying to deflect attention from its incompetence. This is literally Korea's "Muh Russia" moment. https://t.co/hVOR6bviCd
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) https://twitter.com/zerohedge/status/1863944964264120330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Declaring "Martial law" in Korea is equivalent to the CIA paying ISIS to kill some folks to distract from what is going on domestically. https://t.co/hVOR6bviCd
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) https://twitter.com/zerohedge/status/1863946699892240882?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
For some context, the Korean newspaper Chosun Daily pointed out, "Martial law has been declared 16 times since the Republic of Korea’s establishment, including 12 instances of emergency martial law."
In a recent Korea Times op-ed, Chun In-bum, a retired ROK Lieutenant General, https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2024/11/137_381847.html
:
Recent comments and accusations suggesting that the Yoon Suk Yeol administration may be creating a situation to declare martial law have reignited interest in the topic within South Korea.
...
Martial law is divided into two types:
emergency martial law, and
security martial law.
Emergency martial law grants the government sweeping powers, such as suspending the warrant system, restricting freedom of the press, curbing publication rights and limiting assembly and association, as well as overriding the authority of civilian courts and government agencies. When martial law is declared, the president must notify the National Assembly immediately. If the National Assembly demands its termination by a majority vote, the president is legally obligated to comply. While the National Assembly retains legislative authority, there are exceptional circumstances under which a military regime can temporarily assume control, particularly in the event of a coup that disrupts the normal constitutional order.
Martial law has a troubled history in South Korea. It was first declared on Oct. 21, 1948, in response to the Yeosu-Suncheon Incident, a rebellion by South Korean soldiers who refused to suppress a left-wing uprising. Since then, it has been used by various regimes as a mechanism to maintain power, often at the expense of civil liberties. One of the most infamous instances occurred in 1979, following the assassination of President Park Chung-hee. Martial law was declared nationwide, leading to the suppression of pro-democracy movements and widespread human rights abuses.
These historical abuses of martial law have left a deep imprint on South Korean society, creating a strong public aversion to any suggestion of its reimplementation. The memories of authoritarian rule, censorship and political persecution are still fresh for many citizens, particularly for those who lived through the turbulent decades of the 1960s to 1980s. The last declaration of martial law, in 1979, marked a period of intense social and political repression and the eventual rise of a democratic movement that culminated in the democratic reforms of the late 1980s.
In markets, South Korea's won dropped 1% to a two-year low of 1419.28 versus the dollar.
?itok=45FWPjSb
Ishares Msci South Korea ETF (EWY) falls 2.5% in premarket trading.
?itok=6lhASu1v
Commenting on EWY trading, Goldman's Chris Lucas told clients that "block sellers were active in South Korea (EWY) – notable headlines regarding South Korea this morning."
Bloomberg's Sebastian Boyd said the turmoil in South Korea "should be limited as crisis is domestic..."
Here's more from Boyd:
None of this need impact US stocks or US risk appetite, except insofar as holders of South Korean assets seek safe havens amid the evident rise in political risk there. It's natural that bonds should gain as Korean traders buy Treasuries, but there's no apparent need for traders elsewhere to do so -- other than front-running that demand.
*Developing...
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Tue, 12/03/2024 - 11:15
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/south-korea-declares-emergency-martial-law
Chad & Senegal Are Teaming Up To Expel France From The Sahel
Chad & Senegal Are Teaming Up To Expel France From The Sahel
https://korybko.substack.com/p/chad-and-senegal-are-teaming-up-to
France and the US are expected to apply a three-pronged policy for pushing back against this...
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Thursday was an historic day for African geopolitics since Chad announced that it’s expelling French troops https://thearabweekly.com/new-setbacks-france-chad-ends-french-troop-presence-and-senegal-follow
into its top regional base.
These trends align with the larger one of Africa becoming a https://korybko.substack.com/p/africas-role-in-the-new-cold-war
) while the second takes the form of Russia helping its partners counteract these threats as China provides no-strings-attached economic aid.
The latest development confirms that the African Hinterland is the continent’s bastion of multipolarity while the coastal periphery serves as both the entry point and redoubt for unipolarity, which mirrors the dynamics in Eurasia. This in turn lends further credence to Professor Alexander Dugin’s theory about the historical rivalry between land powers and sea powers. In the African context, Eurasia’s land powers are helping their fellow Hinterland partners liberate themselves from the influence of Eurasia’s sea powers.
These same sea powers, in this case France (which historically has a dual sea-land identity) and the US, are now retreating to the sea-aligned Ivory Coast after being kicked out of the Sahel. This will place more pressure on Nigeria, which is an African land power that has a long history of close ties with Western sea powers like the UK and the US. The aforesaid were on full display during summer 2023’s Western-backed debacle after it unsuccessfully pressured Niger to reinstall its ousted leader and https://korybko.substack.com/p/none-of-nigerias-objective-national
.
The failure to reap any tangible dividends from this https://korybko.substack.com/p/nigeria-is-to-blame-for-the-sahelian
. This was a positive step, but nothing has yet been done to resolve the country’s infamous corruption nor its seemingly intractable spree of long-running ethno/religious-regional conflicts, both of which can be externally exacerbated by the West to manipulate its foreign policy or punish it if this approach fails.
It's one thing for the West to lose its geostrategic position in the Sahel, which includes some of the world’s poorest countries (Senegal is head and shoulders above the rest but still has lots of poverty), and another entirely to lose Nigeria, which has huge energy reserves and is Africa’s most populous country. France and the US’ post-Sahelian retrenchment in the Ivory Coast is only useful insofar as providing a base from which to destabilize the Sahelian Alliance/Confederation but is useless vis-à-vis Nigeria.
Observers can accordingly expect the West (led by the US and France) to apply a three-pronged policy for pushing back against the latest multipolar achievements: 1) more Hybrid War against the Sahelian Alliance/Confederation; 2) more outreaches to Nigeria; and 3) Hybrid War against it too if this fails. The Ivory Coast will play a central role in the first aspect; the second will take diplomatic and economic forms; while the third can manifest through covert support (including military) for existing armed groups.
No suggestion is being made about the success of this predicted policy, just that part or all of this sequence will likely unfold https://korybko.substack.com/p/the-us-vs-brics-in-africa
between Western/non-Western and unipolar/multipolar interests in Africa, which was worsened by France’s latest military blow in the Sahel. It and the US might still need time to cook up a plan for how to most effectively respond to everything, but nobody should doubt that they’ll do something, and whatever it is will be aimed at restoring their lost hegemony.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Mon, 12/02/2024 - 02:00
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/chad-senegal-are-teaming-expel-france-sahel
Three-Quarters Of Germans Believe Fear Of Repercussion Is Silencing Free Speech
Three-Quarters Of Germans Believe Fear Of Repercussion Is Silencing Free Speech
Freedom of expression in Germany is being increasingly constrained, with 74 percent of citizens believing people are holding back their opinions out of fear of repercussions, according to a new survey by Insa.
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This growing trend is illustrated by recent high-profile cases, such as individuals facing criminal convictions for insulting politicians on social media and even pensioners receiving police visits over internet memes.
The data suggests draconian enforcement measures are having a devastating effect on freedom of expression, particularly among young people and those with socially conservative values.
Among respondents aged 18 to 39, 53 percent reported having experienced situations where they felt unable to speak openly. By contrast, this figure drops to 24 percent for those over 70, indicating that younger generations are significantly more inhibited.
Political affiliation plays a crucial role in perceptions of free speech with 74 percent of right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) voters admitting to self-censoring at least once, followed by 57 percent of voters for the new Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW). In contrast, supporters of left-leaning parties feel much less constrained; only 27 percent of those supporting the Greens reported any hesitancy in expressing their views, while 31 percent of the governing Social Democrats (SPD) felt similarly.
When asked more broadly whether they believed some people avoid speaking their minds due to fear of consequences, an overwhelming 74 percent of all respondents said yes. Among AfD and BSW voters, the numbers were even higher at 91 percent and 90 percent respectively, suggesting that concerns over freedom of expression are a systemic issue in Germany.
Shocking story out of Germany. A Bavarian pensioner had his house raided for retweeting a meme describing a Green minister as an “idiot.” He is now facing charges for a hate crime. https://t.co/TrCTB0A7at
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) https://twitter.com/RMXnews/status/1857083621414203838?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The findings underscore the deepening divisions in Germany over the state of freedom of expression, with younger generations, right-leaning voters, and even moderates expressing fears of censorship or backlash.
While some parties and their supporters remain confident in their ability to voice opinions freely, the data paints a picture of a society increasingly wary of speaking out, particularly as legal actions and public rebukes continue to shape the discourse.
This month alone, Remix News has extensively covered several high-profile cases where ordinary citizens have received considerable fines for directing insults at politicians in the increasingly unpopular federal government.
A 64-year-old pensioner retweeted a meme of Green Economy Minister Robert Habeck, in which Habeck was described as an “idiot,” resulting in https://rmx.news/article/germany-police-raid-pensioners-house-and-drag-him-to-court-after-he-retweets-meme-calling-green-minister-an-idiot/
. The crime was even recorded as a “politically motivated right-wing crime.”
Another incident in Bavaria saw a woman finally acquitted after a nearly two-year-long ordeal; she had been initially fined €6,000 for calling German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock a “hollow brat” in a post on X that was viewed just 216 times.
BREAKING: A German man, Paul S., was hit with a €5,000 fine for calling a judge "obviously mentally disturbed."
The judge issued no jail time to a 30-year-old Syrian migrant who raped a 15-year-old German girl while she was walking home in Osnabrück. The migrant, who was drunk… https://t.co/82ADHKL4Ox
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) https://twitter.com/RMXnews/status/1861376239749009503?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The criminal charges aren’t just reserved for politicians. Just this week, a German man who described a judge as “obviously mentally disturbed” — after the judge issued a light sentence to a Syrian who raped a 15-year-old girl — was slapped with a €5,000 fine for “insulting” the judge. This fine was almost double the fine given to the Syrian rapist for the sexual assault.
These instances have been ongoing for years, with https://rmx.news/germany/over-100-peoples-homes-raided-across-germany-for-insulting-politicians/
how over 100 people had seen their homes raided across Germany for “insulting” politicians, as police had been instructed to conduct a nationwide crackdown on what they called “hate mail” targeting those in public office.
In an interview with https://www.nius.de/politik/news/140-000-nicht-vollstreckte-haftbefehle-und-die-politik-belastet-die-justiz-mit-ihren-schwachkopf-faellen/739a0680-ec11-4184-bf04-c4073dbc635a
earlier this week, defense lawyer Udo Vetter criticized the current system, revealing that Germany faces over 140,000 open arrest warrants for insults against politicians.
“Crime is getting out of hand and everything is going down the drain, and we have to spend so many, countless hours of work with such things — wasting our time,” he added.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Fri, 11/29/2024 - 03:30
Europe Sleepwalks Into Irrelevance As The US Ascends
Europe Sleepwalks Into Irrelevance As The US Ascends
https://brownstone.org/articles/europe-sleepwalks-into-irrelevance-as-the-u-s-ascends/
The Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant, one of the country’s leading publications, devoted its front page story on Saturday, November 9th claiming in large print and framed by an even larger menacing photo of Donald Trump that “This is the New World Order: It will be Lonely for European Democracies.” The piece went on to state that Trump’s election is a boon for autocrats worldwide while pointing out that the president-elect is apparently aiming for ‘a weak and divided Europe.’
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This is quite a mouthful of far-reaching claims for a major newspaper that pretends to offer objective journalism. In fact, since November 5th, thanks to the dignified statesmanship of President Joe Biden after his party resoundingly lost the democratic and peaceful election, we have witnessed a return to the important American tradition – ignored by Trump in November 2020 – of the outgoing president inviting the president-elect to chat in the Oval Office. A tradition put in place to publicly underscore the need for an orderly and democratic transfer of power into motion. Whether autocrats the world over are going to be happy about the Trump election remains to be seen.
Iran, in any case, is nervous enough to find it necessary to https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/15/iran-donald-trump-00189937
olive branches to the incoming team in Washington. The claim that the new president is hoping for a weak and divided Europe lacks evidence and illustrates something much more important that many seem to forget: Europe, and not the United States, is responsible for making Europe united and strong.
The article in De Volkskrant demonstrates how an out-of-touch political and media establishment, unable to grasp the disquiet that has been brewing on both sides of the Atlantic, is causing Europe to sleepwalk its way into further decline. Its authors also fail to correctly interpret and respond to the epochal changes that began taking place on the world stage already long before this US election cycle. Trump entering the White House is only supercharging this change. The new ‘leader of the free world’ and his team will be acting under the motto ‘Escalate to de-escalate,’ something that will cause plenty of disruption inside and outside of the United States.
Hundreds of executive orders have already been written and will be signed the moment the new president returns to the Oval Office after his inauguration on January 20th, 2025. In contrast to 2017, Trump seems to be well-prepared and focused on rapidly executing a comprehensive plan. Just how quickly things are changing since November 5th can be witnessed all around. For example, we suddenly find the German Chancellor https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-olaf-scholz-vladimir-putin-talk-on-phone-russia-ukraine-volodymyr-zelenskyy/
a desire to end the war in 2025 ‘by diplomatic means.’ Not long ago this would have been unimaginable, even forbidden, talk in European capitals.
Europe’s failure to be ready for another Trump presidency is to a large extent caused by the moralizing and blindly ideological stance that most of its media and political leaders have taken toward anyone, including very large parts of their own electorates, who does not adhere to the political orthodoxy of the day. Many refuse to entertain the idea that they might have gotten it wrong on important issues and that the insights, opinions, and concerns of those outside of their own bubble are deserving of attention, respect, and dialogue. We do this at our own peril, considering Europe’s already dangerously weak state marked by the risks of economic turmoil and a slide into a full-scale Third World War.
Moreover, the opinions that we Europeans hold on what has just transpired electorally in the United States are wholly irrelevant, as President Macron of France rightly pointed out in a https://x.com/emmanuelmacron/status/1854539926580211810?s=48
he gave at a recent meeting of political leaders in Budapest. Neither the current nor the future US administration is going to spend much time fretting about what any major European newspaper or political leader has to say about the election of Donald Trump or his cabinet appointments, however controversial some of them may be. Rather Europe and its leaders should be prioritizing with great urgency efforts to get their own house in order while building a constructive working relationship with the new leadership team that is taking shape in Washington.
This of course assumes that Europe does not want to continue its ongoing economic, military, and political decline in the context of a geopolitical realignment of the type not seen since the end of the Cold War. The United States under a second Trump administration will not hesitate to do whatever it deems necessary to retain its position as the world’s sole remaining superpower, while China, aided by a group of mostly rogue states, will do everything in its power to challenge Washington and weaken and divide the Western alliance. Without a clear new common strategy on three major fronts – energy independence, economic resilience, and military strength – the EU risks getting stuck in the middle; that is, being used as a playground whenever it is convenient for either or both of these two competing sides to do so. EU soft power is no longer a leading factor in the current situation.
If Europe wants to have a peaceful and prosperous future, it will need to live up to its enormous potential and untapped power by overcoming the manifold self-imposed obstacles in, among other realms, the energy, economic, and military sectors, while building robust communication pathways with the new American administration. If Europe treads wisely and discards its tendency to claim the moral high ground on the basis of false priorities demanded by loud ideologues, there is a real chance that at least the EU, if not the whole of the European continent, may even benefit from the new wind that will be blowing out of Washington.
Under Trump America will continue to see Europe as an important partner, providing the Europeans are willing to end their lethargy and take full responsibility for their decisions. No amount of economic enticements and easy money from the East can make any sober person believe that a communist and authoritarian China, with its fundamentally different culture and lack of freedom, can be the reliable political and economic partner that the EU needs for a stable future. Despite the US’s manifold problems and deficiencies, a partnership with the US is the only real option for a Europe that loves its freedom and democracy.
Energy Independence
The new sick man of Europe, Germany, once its undisputed economic engine, is a perfect example of ideologically inspired self-destruction, accomplished by cutting off the free flow of energy that is needed to maintain an industry-based economy. First came the permanent rejection of nuclear energy, then the economically unsustainable and rapid ‘green energy transition’ (‘Energiewende’), pushed to the extreme by the now defunct Traffic Light Coalition that curiously collapsed the day after the US elections. This was followed by the Ukraine war and the destruction of the Nord Stream pipeline.
Germany, dependent for far too long on Russian gas, was not able to quickly tap into alternative energy resources to protect its industrial base from the fallout. The recent announcement of layoffs at Volkswagen, unheard of in its highly successful history, is a perfect illustration of the short-sightedness of Europe’s intertwined energy and climate policies. As a result, Germany, and thus the EU, are in for major trouble.
In the meantime, according to The Economist, the United States has since 2019 become the world’s largest producer of crude oil and natural gas while maintaining a parallel and large-scale creation of ‘green’ energy production, achieving in this way, a high degree of national energy independence. This is especially important in the current volatile geo-political climate characterized by a Middle East in flames and the African continent marked by destabilizing wars in major countries such as Sudan, Congo, Kenya, and Nigeria. Most of Europe, meanwhile, having had to wean itself from dependence on Russian gas, is now fully highly dependent on energy from the United States (50% of the EU’s LNG), and undemocratic countries such as Qatar and Algeria, to meet its energy needs.
On 16 November, Austria, one of Gazprom’s remaining European customers, was reminded of how dependency on Russian gas continues to be a risk: its deliveries were https://www.politico.eu/article/austria-russia-cut-off-gas-supplies-omv-karl-nehammer/
cut off. Unless Europe rapidly develops its own green and fossil energy sources that are also economically sustainable (!), something that is unlikely to happen anytime soon, it will very much need the United States and its expensive energy deliveries for the foreseeable future. Thus, good relations are key. One wonders why droves of EU and member state delegations are not already showing up in Washington and Mar-a-Lago to meet with the Trump transition team for ongoing energy supply negotiations.
Economic Resilience
Due to many interrelated factors, including overregulation, high payroll taxes, and a lack of innovation, Europe is falling far behind the United States in economic terms. According to https://www.economist.com/
’s October 14th, 2024 edition, “America has outperformed its peers among the mature economies. In 1990 America accounted for about two-fifths of the overall GDP of the G7 group of advanced countries; today it is up to about half (..). On a per-person basis, American economic output is now about 40% higher than in Western Europe and Canada.” And: “America’s real growth has been 10%, three times the average for the rest of the G7 countries.”
The United States is still the world’s biggest economy by far, with China only making 65% of the US’s GDP, where this was still 75% in 2021. Productivity in America substantially outpaces that of other countries and regions, including Europe: economic output generated by an average American worker is $171,000 – compared to $120,000 – in Europe. The US has seen a 70% increase in labor productivity since 1990, whereas the Europeans have lagged with 29%. America is also by far the largest spender on R&D, with around 3,5% of GDP. These are hefty figures and should give Europeans pause for introspection and concerted action. Trump’s proposed 10-20% universal import tariffs (including on European goods) combined with looming trade wars and tensions with China are certain to affect Europe and will force the EU and other European nations to choose sides. Building a good working relationship with the new US administration should therefore be a priority, starting with negotiating an EU exemption on import tariffs.
Military Strength
Three recent developments should have every European political leader lying awake at night. They are: the presence of https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c14le0p4310o
. Whether or not this plan has any chance of success is beside the point. With this message, today’s America has just informed Europe that without massive increases in its military capabilities and a greater willingness to engage and share the burden with the Americans, Washington will not be ready to do more than it already does on the continent to defend it against Russia.
Instead of the immediate moral indignation that usually follows such statements from Trump or his aides, European leaders would do well to consider how they can take substantially more responsibility and pride in defending their own countries, cultures, and peoples.
As if to prove this point, Ukraine is, despite its truly heroic efforts, now increasingly losing momentum and https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/16/europe/ukraine-russia-war-frontlines-latest-intl/index.html
in the war. The EU, initially strong and united in its military support of Ukraine, has always lacked a comprehensive and long-term political and military strategy to deal with Russia’s aggression. And despite its continued large-scale delivery of weapons to the country, Ukraine’s full territorial integrity has never seemed to be a real priority for the Americans (e.g. the US also did not intervene when the Crimea was taken over by Russia’s “green men” in 2014).
Under the new US president, as the https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czxrwr078v7o
recently reported, this will probably be even less the case. Furthermore, Western governments are not going to send troops into Ukraine. An opponent the size of Russia that is willing to accept any number of casualties among its own soldiers while fighting a war of attrition without end and in constant violation of the Geneva Conventions is almost impossible to defeat through conventional warfare.
The perspective for Europe, therefore, is bleak. Although this still seems to be taboo in Brussels, the much-proclaimed mantra that the EU will stand by Ukraine until Russia is defeated now sounds hollow and even reckless. There is no actionable plan, neither seems there to have ever been one. Ukrainians are paying the price while the rest of Europe looks on.
The belated drive by most European governments to strengthen their armed forces in the face of Russian aggression and the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has been too little too late when it comes to enabling Europe to defend itself without robust American help any time soon.
Even if an end to the Ukraine war could be achieved, nobody should have the illusion that Putin will be done with his military pursuits and hybrid warfare. History is littered with examples of dictators of his caliber who will never stop in their lifetimes, not even with a peace deal in place. Just think of the Munich conference of 1938.
Furthermore, the current larger geopolitical reality puts Europe in a very weak spot. For example, should China decide to invade Taiwan, the US would have to expend substantial military resources in Asia. This would be even more the case should Pyongyang use the situation to cause conflict or war on the Korean peninsula. This would mean that US troop presence in Europe would likely be negatively affected, leaving Europe to have to fend even more for itself.
The perspectives for military escalation in the Middle East are no better. The Germans, as Europe’s leading nation, have been sloppy when it comes to keeping their military in order, while the Poles, knowing the harsh historical reality of invading armies coming from East and West, have been consistently investing in their defense capabilities for at least the past decade. Poland is thus showing the rest of Europe what is possible with the right priorities and political will. As a result, Poland now seems to be the preferred military partner of the United States in Europe, as evidenced by the recent installation of a NATO https://apnews.com/article/poland-missile-defense-us-d21671b55761c0cc6e92637c5f55f8cb
in that country. European nations and the EU must work for good relations and cooperation with the new US administration, lest they turn into passive bystanders in the fight for Europe’s political and military future.
Abandon the Moral High Ground
Not only mainstream media such as De Volkskrant, but even more so Europe’s government leaders, regardless of their political affiliation, need to realize that they are geopolitically in for a wild ride now that Donald Trump has been re-elected president of the United States with also comfortable majorities in both houses of Congress. All indicators are that he will be true to his word and that he will take swift action on the issues that concern a majority of American voters. This, whether Europe and its leaders like this or not. Domestically Trump will tackle illegal immigration in unorthodox ways and will, in economic policy, levy import tariffs and will probably engage in trade wars.
The geopolitical realignment that started long ago with the rise of China is now being fast-tracked with very serious consequences for Europe in terms of energy, economy, and military. The time for taking decisive action is long past due. European leaders would be well-advised to get their own house in order instead of lecturing Americans on democracy and the rule of law. Moreover, the EU and European nations should be working on establishing a solid relationship with the new leadership in the White House and on Capitol Hill so as to be able to influence the outcome of what will surely be the greatest geopolitical upheaval of our time, one that will result in the establishment of a new world order. Europe’s ability to be a major player in this transformation will depend on its willingness to once again take full responsibility for its own fate.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Mon, 11/25/2024 - 02:00
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/europe-sleepwalks-irrelevance-us-ascends
"Volvo, The Anti Jaguar"
"Volvo, The Anti Jaguar"
While pronoun-wielding Jaguar Managing Director Rawdon Glover went on https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/pronoun-wielding-jaguar-boss-goes-damage-control-after-cringeworthy-woke-ad
posted on X, Guillaume Huin, McDonald's senior marketing director, took to X to praise a "fucking fantastic" Volvo ad produced by Hoyte van Hoytema, the cinematographer behind Interstellar and Oppenheimer.
"Volvo posted a 3 min and 46-second ad on Instagram, shot by Hoyte Van Hoytema, the cinematographer of Interstellar and Oppenheimer. It goes against every single rule you can think about as a social lead. Length. Format. Over-produced. Every comment under the ad said it immediately put Volvo in their consideration set. It's fucking fantastic," Huin wrote on X.
Volvo posted a 3 min and 46 second ad on Instagram, shot by Hoyte Van Hoytema, the cinematographer of Interstellar and Oppenheimer.
It goes against every single rule you can think about as a social lead. Length. Format. Over-produced.
Every comment under the ad said it… https://t.co/wkmghuP4ye
— Guillaume Huin (@HuinGuillaume) https://twitter.com/HuinGuillaume/status/1859472963323510995?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Volvo's pro-parenting ad was featured on Instagram and YouTube. The video's subtext reads, "100 years of work, one split-second moment. The culmination of countless hours of development, research, engineering, testing, and data collection, the new fully electric EX90 is designed to be the safest Volvo car ever made."
Huin's X post with the Volvo ad embedded within received nearly 12 million views in a day and comes in the wake of Jaguar blowing up a century of its brand in a 30-second woke ad.
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"I hope Jaguar take notes... For real though, this is excellent," one X user wrote.
I hope Jaguar take notes...
For real though, this is excellent.
— ZUBY: (@ZubyMusic) https://twitter.com/ZubyMusic/status/1859610994386837867?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The ad brought many to tears:
A FATHER wrote this. Not a sperm donor. Not some workaholic provider disconnected from his family. A FATHER, true to the word in every detail.
This sells cars because Volvo has something true to sell, good for every customer, true to purpose, true to quality.
That's what this…
— Dan Gingerich (@dangitman50) https://twitter.com/dangitman50/status/1859625333370032472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
As a father of a daughter to be, I'm crying at 10:07 in the morning. Fantastic ad.
— FroggyThickLeg (@FWIF58) https://twitter.com/FWIF58/status/1859614868355027149?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
It's not often a car ad makes you teary eyed 😥 I imagine way more people will relate to this than the garbage put out by Jaguar.
— Race Fan Gamer (@RaceFanGamer) https://twitter.com/RaceFanGamer/status/1859597352199143480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Compare it with Jaguar’s pathetic new rebrand. Great storytelling, beautiful craft and treating the consumer like smart people. It also stays true to Volvo’s legacy built around security. Not a revolutionary ad, but somehow compared to the garbage out there it becomes one.
— Pixie of Mischief (@Truthforeversi) https://twitter.com/Truthforeversi/status/1859608034143613190?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Whoa! Did a car ad just bring me to tears? Yup!
— Believer in Truth, Justice and Freedom (@LagerthaMuadDib) https://twitter.com/LagerthaMuadDib/status/1859661898188554676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Volvo, The Anti Jaguar
Who would have thought
— Flaggpole (@LoganFlagg) https://twitter.com/LoganFlagg/status/1859597576280080553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Bro… why am I crying over a Volvo ad 😢
So well done, such a simple message of saving one life, and the ripple effect it could have through history and others’ lives.
Coca Cola and Jaguar are losing it right now 😂
— Nerd Dumb (@NerdDumb23) https://twitter.com/NerdDumb23/status/1859616098796306625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Jaguar should fire their entire brand & marketing teams along with their ad agency!
— Dot (@Dot2TrotBlog) https://twitter.com/Dot2TrotBlog/status/1859650468835901723?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
An awakening has already begun in the US, and perhaps across the West, focusing on the future, family, children, optimism, health, and wellness. The era of toxic wokeism is coming to an end.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Fri, 11/22/2024 - 21:20
Egg Prices Surge Again As Grocers Face Shortages Amid Bird Flu Outbreak
Egg Prices Surge Again As Grocers Face Shortages Amid Bird Flu Outbreak
Wholesale egg prices via the https://www.urnerbarry.com/history/4850
are nearing record highs (again) as the highly pathogenic avian Influenza, also known as bird flu, hits egg production at commercial farms.
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The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/11/20/egg-shortage-prices-bird-flu-holidays/
that consumers are growing increasingly frustrated with DC-area grocery stores, where signs read: "Temporarily out of eggs."
It was frustrating to shoppers at a Trader Joe's in the Union Market neighborhood of Washington, D.C., on Wednesday as they walked past an empty refrigerator case with a sign that read: "Temporarily out of eggs." One customer, Donella Brockington, worried she wouldn't have eggs to bake for Thanksgiving. "I hate going to grocery stores, so when I go and I can't get what I want, it's unpleasant," she said.
Not too far away, at a Whole Foods Market in Logan Circle, only duck eggs, quail eggs and organic pasture-raised eggs were available. A sign informed shoppers that the store was limiting egg purchases to three cartons per customer. "We are currently experiencing difficulty sourcing eggs that meet our strict animal welfare standards," it said.
The latest data from the US Department of Agriculture showed that US egg production in October dipped by 2.6% from one year ago and is forecasted to slide by 1% in 2024 compared to last year.
Bernt Nelson, an American Farm Bureau Federation economist, told WaPo, "Bird flu is by far the biggest factor involved with egg prices," adding, "As bird flu comes and goes, our egg prices ride the wave."
Internet searches on Google show "egg shortage" is steadily rising into the end of the year, reaching a one-year high.
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Bloomberg data shows that news stories featuring "egg shortage" jumped to 56 in October, the highest number since June when the story count was 137. Previous spikes in mid-2022 and early 2023 were during the last bird flu outbreak.
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The last major egg disruption occurred in the second half of 2022 and early 2023, sending retail prices of a dozen eggs to nearly $5.
"This is a virus that is very wily," said Emily Metz, the chief executive and president of the American Egg Board, adding, "It affects farms regardless of production, style, shape, size, and whether it's cage-free or conventional or pasture-raised."
The egg shortage is hitting grocery stores ahead of Thanksgiving, with bird flu being blamed for empty shelves. https://twitter.com/eschulze?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
— Good Morning America (@GMA) https://twitter.com/GMA/status/1859952782838538267?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Earlier this year, Dr. Robert Redfield, former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sounded the alarm about bird flu...
Former CDC Director Predicts Bird Flu Virus Will Cause Next Pandemic https://t.co/ouu7izT9h8
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) https://twitter.com/zerohedge/status/1802828602389459136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Here's more coverage...
https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/gain-function-may-explain-bird-flu-jump-cows-and-humans
Is the next big egg shortage just around the corner?
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Fri, 11/22/2024 - 14:20
MIT To Waive Tuition For New, Eligible Students
MIT To Waive Tuition For New, Eligible Students
A Cambridge-based university has made a big decision to provide tuition-free education to approximately 80 percent of its incoming undergraduate students.
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The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced on Wednesday that, beginning in the 2025–2026 academic year, undergraduates from families earning less than $200,000 annually with typical assets will be eligible to attend MIT tuition-free.
is part of MIT’s expanded financial aid program aimed at increasing accessibility for a broader range of students, according to the university, which says the new policy will increase current aid eligibility thresholds.
Additionally, families with total incomes below $100,000 with typical assets will not be expected to contribute toward their student’s MIT education, including tuition, housing, dining, fees, and an allowance for books and personal expenses.
Meanwhile, students are still expected to contribute toward their own expenses through summer savings and employment during the school year.
This $100,000 threshold is up from $75,000 this year, while next year’s $200,000 threshold for tuition-free attendance will increase from its current level of $140,000. School officials said these measures are designed to make an MIT education more affordable and accessible to a diverse student body.
“MIT’s distinctive model of education — intense, demanding, and rooted in science and engineering — has profound practical value to our students and to society,” MIT President Sally Kornbluth said in a https://news.mit.edu/2024/mit-tuition-undergraduates-family-income-1120
.
“The cost of college is a real concern for families across the board, and we’re determined to make this transformative educational experience available to the most talented students, whatever their financial circumstances. So, to every student out there who dreams of coming to MIT: Don’t let concerns about cost stand in your way.”
MIT does not require students who are on financial aid to take out loans and does not offer preferential treatment to children of alumni or donors.
“We believe MIT should be the preeminent destination for the most talented students in the country interested in an education centered on science and technology, and accessible to the best students regardless of their financial circumstances,” said Stu Schmill, MIT’s dean of admissions and student financial services.
“With the need-based financial aid we provide today, our education is much more affordable now than at any point in the past,” Schmill, who graduated from MIT in 1986, “even though the ‘sticker price’ of MIT is higher now than it was when I was an undergraduate.”
MIT’s endowment is funded by contributions from individual alumni and supporters, according to school officials.
“Today’s announcement is a powerful expression of how much our graduates value their MIT experience ... Our endowment is an inter-generational gift from past MIT students to the students of today and tomorrow.”
Several prestigious American universities have recently implemented initiatives to reduce or eliminate tuition costs for a substantial portion of their undergraduate students.
In 2024, Cooper Union announced that approximately 82 percent of undergraduate tuition costs would be covered by scholarships for the 2024–2025 academic year, with a goal of returning to full-tuition scholarships by the 2028–2029 academic year.
In July 2024, Johns Hopkins University received a $1 billion Bloomberg Philanthropies donation to provide free tuition for medical students from families earning under $300,000 and cover living expenses for those earning under $175,000.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Fri, 11/22/2024 - 14:00
https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/mit-waive-tuition-new-eligible-students
Russia Provided Missiles, Oil To North Korea In Exchange For Troops: Seoul
Russia Provided Missiles, Oil To North Korea In Exchange For Troops: Seoul
South Korea has said that in return for sending thousands of troops to assist Russia in fighting Ukraine, North Korea has received missiles from Moscow, along with other defense equipment.
South Korea’s national security adviser Shin Won-sik was asked by a reporter Friday what Pyongyang stands to gain from deploying an estimated 10,000 troops to Russia, to which he https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/11/22/south-korea-says-russia-sent-north-korea-missiles-in-exchange-for-troops
: "It is understood that North Korea has been provided with related equipment and anti-aircraft missiles to strengthen Pyongyang's weak air defense system."
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This appears based on the defense pact signed between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un this summer. It requires both nations to provide military assistance to the other "without delay" if their territory comes under attack.
North Korean troops are reported to already be dispatched to Kursk region to assist Russian forces in repelling the Ukrainian cross-border offensive which stretches back to early August.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service has briefed lawmakers this week, describing that DPRK troops in Russia were likely attached to an airborne brigade and marine unit. Intelligence officials have further alleged that the north has transferred 3,000 containers of artillery, missiles and other arms to Moscow throughout the Ukraine conflict. Russian oil has also been transferred.
A new, Friday BBC report says both countries are also colluding to break https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjr4pr0gyyzo
:
Russia is estimated to have supplied North Korea with more than a million barrels of oil since March this year, according to satellite imagery analysis from the Open Source Centre, a non-profit research group based in the UK.
The oil is payment for the weapons and troops Pyongyang has sent Moscow to fuel its war in Ukraine, leading experts and UK Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, have told the BBC.
North Korea is barred from UN and Western sanctions from buying oil on the open market. New satellite images purport to show sanctions-busting in progress with the help of Moscow:
The satellite images, shared exclusively with the BBC, show more than a dozen different North Korean oil tankers arriving at an oil terminal in Russia’s Far East a total of 43 times over the past eight months.
Further pictures, taken of the ships at sea, appear to show the tankers arriving empty, and leaving almost full.
BBC/Planet Labs images:
?itok=kpGsXuk9
The US and UK governments have meanwhile cited the North Korean troop presence in Russia and Ukraine as justification for authorizing Kiev's attacks on Russian territory using long-range missiles. Putin has in turn blamed the West and this policy in particular for turning the conflict into a "global" one.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Fri, 11/22/2024 - 13:00
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russia-provided-missiles-north-korea-exchange-troops-seoul
Pronoun-Wielding Jaguar Boss Goes On Damage Control After Cringeworthy Woke Ad
Pronoun-Wielding Jaguar Boss Goes On Damage Control After Cringeworthy Woke Ad
Jaguar Managing Director Rawdon Glover is on damage control to end the week, appearing in an interview with the https://www.ft.com/content/e164df19-54e2-48d8-b07c-50687813bf56#comments-anchor
after the iconic British sports car manufacturer decided to nuke its 90-year legacy with a cringe-worthy 30-second ad published on X.
Glover said the ad's "intended message" had been lost in "a https://www.zerohedge.com/political/jaguar-attempts-bud-light-itself-cringeworthy-woke-ad
" on social media platforms and rejected the notion that the video was a "woke" statement.
"If we play in the same way that everybody else does, we'll just get drowned out. So we shouldn't turn up like an auto brand," Glover said.
He continued, "We need to re-establish our brand and at a completely different price point so we need to act differently. We wanted to move away from traditional automotive stereotypes."
Glover railed against some social media users, saying he was disappointed by "the level of vile hatred and intolerance" in the comments that appeared on the video.
Apparently, Glover didn't get the memo from US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez about deleting pronouns off social media pages as the toxic wokeism tide goes out.
?itok=_L02NGfj
As for the "intended message" of the ad," it had little to do with selling cars and everything to do with pushing wokeism.
?itok=1iy8RZab
Perhaps whoever at Jaguar that crafted this disastrous media campaign, similar vibes with Bud Light's Dylan Mulvaney ad...
?itok=8UvGGpkE
... would have been better suited for the now-defunct far-left Kamala Harris 2024 campaign.
Copy nothing. https://twitter.com/hashtag/Jaguar?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
— Jaguar (@Jaguar) https://twitter.com/Jaguar/status/1858800846646948155?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Is this Jag's new target audience?
?itok=4rlKiLGh
One advertising executive expressed utter shock at Jag nuking nearly a century of heritage in a 30-second ad: "You can destroy a brand in 30 seconds that took a lifetime to build."
Watching Jaguar commit brand suicide is like watching a slow train derailment. I can’t look away. I do product planning in the automotive industry. It’s my job to know drivers (not “users”) and define product strategies based on their wants and needs. I know for a fact whatever… https://t.co/7RIPaWJRhU
— Storm (@stormrobinson) https://twitter.com/stormrobinson/status/1859613083800408251?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Meanwhile, over at Aston Martin (take my money!!)...
?itok=SNMWFXxQ
* * *
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Fri, 11/22/2024 - 12:20
Death Certificates Reveal FBI 'Revised' Murder Stats Still Bogus
Death Certificates Reveal FBI 'Revised' Murder Stats Still Bogus
,
Overview
As the DOJ’s https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/ntmh.pdf
explains, “The United States uses two national data collection systems to track detailed information on homicides.” These consist of:
death certificates collected by the states and compiled by the CDC.
reports by local law enforcement agencies compiled by the states and aggregated by the FBI, which also generates estimates for agencies that don’t report.
Death certificates have https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/ntmh.pdf#page=4
between them has grown sharply under the Biden administration. This may indicate that local law enforcement agencies, states, and/or the FBI are undercounting murders.
Furthermore, the Biden administration FBI inexplicably https://www.justfacts.com/reference/crime_united_states_murders_1995-2023_fbi.xls
so much as a footnote to inform the public.
As a result of those factors and others, the gap between murders reported by the FBI and the number of homicides recorded on death certificates has https://www.justfacts.com/reference/fbi_biden_era_murder_estimates.xls
from a low of 16 killings in 2003 to an average of 3,711 killings per year during Biden’s presidency:
?itok=14TF1pZ1
Again, all of the figures above are homicides recorded on death certificates that are not reported as murders by Biden’s FBI.
The FBI is part of the DOJ, which is https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/our-government/the-executive-branch/
are both appointed by the president.
Measuring Murder
In addition to being the worst crime, murder is also the most measurable one. Per the https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/VC.IHR.PSRC.P5
, “The intentional killing of a human being by another is the ultimate crime. Its indisputable physical consequences manifested in the form of a dead body also make it the most categorical and calculable.”
Still, there are challenges in measuring murder and significant differences between the two primary measures of homicide in the United States. In the words of the https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/ntmh.pdf
, death certificates provide “more accurate homicide trends at the national level than” FBI data because:
the reporting of death certificates is “mandatory,” while the FBI relies on “voluntary” reports “from individual law enforcement agencies” that are “compiled monthly by state-level agencies.”
death certificates include homicides that “occur in federal jurisdictions,” while the FBI rarely counts “homicides occurring in federal prisons, on military bases, and on Indian reservations.”
death certificates include homicides caused by the deliberate “crashing of a motor vehicle, but this category generally accounts for less than 100 deaths per year.”
On the other hand, death certificates tend to overcount murders because they include:
https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/ntmh.pdf#page=3
.
https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303074
as “legal intervention deaths,” not as homicides.
Despite those differences, a 2014 report by the https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/ntmh.pdf#page=3
found that “the two sources show similar trends for the rate of homicides over time at the national level,” although the count of death certificates “consistently shows a higher number and rate of homicides” at the national level than FBI data. This chart from the report illustrates the point:
?itok=alquhFRM
Biden-Era Revisions
Each year in the fall, the FBI typically publishes crime data from the prior year and revises its data from one year before that. In 2020, for example, the FBI https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2019/crime-in-the-u.s.-2019/tables/table-1
next to the year 2018 that says, “The crime figures have been adjusted.”
In 2023, however, the FBI https://www.justfacts.com/reference/crime_united_states_murders_1995-2023_fbi.xls
, an increase of 1,188, or 7%.
Illuminating the rarity of those changes, the highlighted figures in the table below show all of the FBI’s https://www.justfacts.com/reference/crime_united_states_murders_1995-2023_fbi.xls
most historical data from its 2022 publication of 2021 data, which is why there are only two figures in the 2021 column:
?itok=WoDWmZTZ
Furthermore, the scale of the changes that the FBI published in 2023 are https://www.justfacts.com/reference/crime_united_states_murders_1995-2023_fbi.xls
to alert people to the change for 2021 and none of the other 18 years.
In https://www.justfacts.com/document/crime_united_states_2023_fbi.pdf#page=99
, a decrease of 1,074, or 5%.
Prior Administrations
After discovering the Biden-era data revisions, https://www.justfacts.com/
dug deeper by calculating the gaps between FBI murders and death certificate homicides using FBI publications issued during other presidencies.
Just Facts’ analysis revealed that the vast bulk of gap increases materialized during the Biden administration, but there were notable trends under other presidents as well.
During the presidency of https://www.inaugural.senate.gov/past-inaugural-ceremonies/
the 9/11 terrorist attack killings in the count of murders. However, Biden’s FBI substantially increased murder counts in the earlier years of Bush’s term, making it seem like the gap between FBI murders and death certificate homicides increased from about 0% to 9% during his presidency:
?itok=anGqnA09
During the presidency of https://www.inaugural.senate.gov/past-inaugural-ceremonies/
from 10% to 13%. Other than two years, Obama’s FBI left the Bush-era murder counts unchanged. Biden’s FBI raised the murder counts in assorted years of Obamas’ term, thus reducing the gap in certain years, but the general trend remained intact:
?itok=FsvHeY87
Read the rest https://news.grabien.com/story/the-fbi-s-biden-era-murder-estimates-are-far-below-the-number-of-homic
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Fri, 11/22/2024 - 12:00
Miami Investor Secretly Trying To Buy Russia's Nord Stream 2 Pipeline
Miami Investor Secretly Trying To Buy Russia's Nord Stream 2 Pipeline
US investor Stephen P. Lynch, who has decades of business dealings in Moscow, has reportedly asked US officials for permission to bid on the sabotaged Nord Stream 2 pipeline if it is auctioned off in a Swiss bankruptcy court, according to a report by the https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/a-miami-financier-is-quietly-trying-to-buy-nord-stream-2-gas-pipeline-f43dd85d
.
Lynch has discussed with US senators, Treasury officials, and State officials the possibility of American ownership of the https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/lavrov-says-clear-us-ordered-nord-stream-attacks-demands-answers-germany
, which runs from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea.
?itok=MZigtAMh
"The bottom line is this: This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for American and European control over European energy supply for the rest of the fossil-fuel era," Lynch told the Journal.
Lynch, who lives in South Florida and supports President-elect Donald Trump, sounds like he understands that a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is highly probable in Trump's second term. This suggests that NatGas flows from Russia to Germany could restart once again.
Beware of sailboats operated by rogue Ukrainian special forces—Lynch is likely well aware of this risk.
New 'Official' Nord Stream Sabotage Narrative Says Zelensky's Top General Went Rogue https://t.co/UVg0tByhqA
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) https://twitter.com/zerohedge/status/1824120148740972570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
It is a good question why Lynch has decided to go public about the potential ownership transfer of the 765-mile-long pipeline.
WSJ provided more color on the situation:
Lynch sought a license from the US Treasury Department in February, according to a letter written by his lawyers at WilmerHale and viewed by The Wall Street Journal. The license would allow him to negotiate for the pipeline with entities currently subject to US sanctions.
The letter said there is a hard deadline in January in the Swiss bankruptcy proceeding for Nord Stream 2 to either restructure its debt—which the letter says is unlikely—or face liquidation. Lynch argues that once the war is over it will be tempting for both Russia and its former customers in Germany and Europe to turn on the pipeline, regardless of who owns it.
Lynch believes he can purchase the slightly used pipeline - with some wear and tear - for pennies on the dollar (the pipeline was once valued at around $11 billion)...
He has told people that he thinks he can buy Nord Stream 2, which has been valued at around $11 billion, for pennies on the dollar, according to people familiar with matter. He has said many investors won't bid because of the complex geopolitics tied to the conduit, and the other bidders are likely to include Russian proxies, Chinese entities or others at odds with US interests.
"The Biden administration and incoming Trump administration should be able to agree on this," Lee Wolosky, a former special counsel to President Biden and a friend of Lynch, said, adding, "His background as an American investor who has navigated Russia adeptly makes him well-suited to lead the effort."
Lynch's potential move to control NatGas transportation to Europe looks brilliant on paper, but what will stop Western adversaries from sabotaging it afterward?
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Fri, 11/22/2024 - 07:45
A Free-Market Guide To Trump's Immigration Crackdown
A Free-Market Guide To Trump's Immigration Crackdown
https://mises.org/mises-wire/free-market-guide-trumps-immigration-crackdown
President-elect Donald Trump based much of his campaign on promises to crack down on immigration and carry out mass deportations.
Politically, this was likely a winning issue for Trump after social media exposed millions of Americans to countless reports and videos of foreign nationals getting free cash, free housing, food allowances, and overall special treatment at taxpayer expense. Meanwhile, actual taxpaying Americans endured inflation-fueled price hikes and a worsening economy while being harangued by the smug upper classes about the need to be “welcoming.” Many voters chose to support the candidate who wasn’t in favor of importing a new taxpayer-subsidized underclass.
.jpg?itok=sTJQai8f
Because of this, Trump is likely to prioritize delivering at least some of his promised immigration crackdown.
However, one does not need to be an advocate of open borders to have concerns when one hears about a federal law enforcement agency engaging in a “crackdown.”
Federal officials don’t exactly have a stellar record when it comes to respecting the property rights of peaceful, law-abiding Americans, even when the purported target is foreigners.
The countless violations of the rights of Americans under the Patriot Act and the “war on terror” are examples of this.
On the other hand, many aspects of the proposed Trump crackdown are, one might say, “no-brainers” and have no apparent downside at all. These include cutting off all funding of any kind to migrants, and deporting all foreign nationals with a known criminal record.
Nonetheless, some aspects of Trump’s immigration policy have the potential for fueling further expansion of a federal police state. These include any deportation plan that involves a “drag net” and places peaceful residents under suspicion for no offense other than “looking like” a migrant.
The No-Brainer Solutions
Immigration has long been subsidized in the United States in the sense that there are low barriers to new migrants benefiting from a bevy of social benefit programs. Immigrants who achieve status as refugees or asylees can access welfare programs almost immediately. Even run-of-the-mill legal migrants need only wait five years to begin living off taxpayer-funded benefits.
These subsidization schemes have only grown more aggressive in recent years. It is now well known that many American cities and states—not to mention the federal government—offer “free” cash, housing, food, and more.
This has done much to attract the flood of migrants that has arrived in the US in recent years. Earlier this year, for example, The New York Post reported that the mayor of New York is giving away pre-paid cash cards—each carrying “https://nypost.com/2024/02/19/opinion/inside-mayor-adams-migrant-debit-card-boondoggle-no-bid-bank-gets-50-million-border-crossers-up-to-10000-each/
in 2023 alone.
Reversing this should be seen as “low-hanging fruit” by the Trump administration. Obviously, any and all access to federal dollars should be cut off immediately. This is true for both legal and illegal immigrants. Immigration needs to be a fully private-market process, not a taxpayer-subsidized activity.
Any state or local government that attempts to entice more migrants with social benefits programs should lose all access to federal grants. All federal dollars should be cut off from any government schools that cater to illegal immigrants. Any NGO that attempts to funnel taxpayer dollars to immigrants should be blacklisted from any and all federal grants. These NGOs are still free to offer services to anyone they want—just not with taxpayer dollars.
Many of these programs for putting immigrants on welfare are nowadays facilitated by smart-phone apps. These include the CBP One app which is designed to streamline migrants’ requests for asylum. This, of course, is an attempt to circumvent the normal immigration process and get migrants on social benefits even faster. Obviously, all of these apps should be immediately disabled.
Note that none of this requires any law-enforcement contact with migrants at all. These solutions simply cut off migrants’ access to the hard-earned dollars of taxpayers. The phone apps will no longer work. The free money will no longer materialize to provide free food and housing for migrants. Those migrants who actually have jobs and contribute to the community can continue to do so. Those who relied on stealing from taxpayers will self-deport when the free ride disappears.
The option of immigration—including legal immigration— to the United States must be fully privatized so it is only an option for those with the ability to support themselves economically.
Note that none of this violates anyone’s property rights. No one’s right to travel is limited by cutting off free money for migrants. No one is being prevented from contracting with another private party for employment or housing. People simply are being forced to do all this with their own private property.
Other Laissez-Faire Solutions: No Fast Path to Citizenship
Another key in the equation is limiting access to citizenship. Citizenship is not a property right of any kind, and there is no such thing as a natural right to citizenship in any particular place. Excluding the tiny number of migrants who are genuinely stateless, all foreign nationals arriving in the United States already enjoy the benefits of citizenship somewhere.
Moreover, gaining citizenship in the United States brings with it a variety of economic benefits. It provides permanent access to the welfare state. The granting of citizenship also provides foreign nationals—few of whom renounce their citizenship in their home countries—greater access to US government institutions.
The benefits of citizenship ought to be greatly limited for new immigrants, with a waiting period of at least a decade, or perhaps even twenty years. Again, this does not limit a migrant’s ability to fully exercise his or her property rights.
https://mises.org/mises-wire/why-birthright-citizenship-rare-europe
, a “right” invented by a federal judge, should also be abolished.
The Problem with Mass Deportations
Ultimately, when we consider options for limiting migration, while also respecting property rights, self-deportation needs to be the focus. The alternative is to empower the federal government to track down and round up countless US residents, demand “papers, please!” and then deport those without the proper government forms.
Many supporters of mass deportation plans seem to think that federal agents can, through some magical power, identify illegal immigrants on sight. The reality is that immigration status must be determined by an investigation into whether or not a resident has the proper paperwork.
Now, it is true that many illegal immigrants will essentially volunteer for deportation. Such people include criminals who are convicted of real crimes. Clearly, it does not require any sort of drag net to simply deport convicts who have already attracted the attention of authorities. Similarly, in a system that denies taxpayer funded benefits to foreign nationals, immigrants who attempt to collect social benefits would be guilty of fraud, and thus volunteer themselves for deportation. The same would be true of any non-citizen who attempts to vote.
But what about immigrants who remain peaceful, self-supporting, and keep to themselves? The way federal agents have generally identified these people is by harassing residents through internal checkpoints and harassment of people who “look like” immigrants.
For example, one of the great overreaches of federal power—one that is blatantly unconstitutional—is the 100-mile border zone. In 1946, Congress passed the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1946. The law granted immigration agents the authority “to interrogate any https://www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/uscode.php?width=840&height=800&iframe=true&def_id=8-USC-92903111-1485256781&term_occur=1708&term_src=title:8:chapter:12:subchapter:II:part:IX:section:1357
.” This power was limited to a “reasonable distance” from the US border. Originally, this “reasonable distance” was 25 miles. But it was unilaterally extended by the Department of Justice to 100 miles without any change to the statute. Given that “the border” includes both land and water borders, two-thirds of Americans live within this border zone. Entire states are included within the zone, including Florida, Michigan, and Maine.
Many peaceful Americans get caught up in this bureaucratic nightmare. Thanks to the hundred-mile zone American citizens who don’t carry their passports on them at all times https://mises.org/wire/us-immigration-enforcement-guilty-until-proven-innocent
, “Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are arresting US citizens by mistake and holding them at detention centers for months—sometimes even years.”
There is nothing shocking here. This is how government agencies work.
Yet, many Trump supporters are cheering the idea that an army of government agents be let loose on American cities and towns, as if this will not affect ordinary, law-abiding citizens in any way. This is the same attitude that gave us the Patriot Act, NSA spying programs, and everything else justified by the despotic slogan of “if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about.”
Indeed, there are countless ways that the federal government can harass ordinary citizens and violate their property rights. Consider, for example, how anti-immigration advocates promote despotism with programs like “https://mises.org/mises-wire/e-verify-threatens-us-all
.” The activists want federal bureaucrats to determine if you have a right to work. And then there are the calls for new laws designed to prosecute private citizens who are guilty of the “crime” of using their own private property to rent apartments to immigrants or pay immigrants for services rendered.
It’s one thing to build a wall, to deport convicted criminals, or end taxpayer-funded subsidies for migrants. It’s quite another thing when federal agents start asking us for our papers and telling us what we can do with our own property.
A related video:
Some parts of the Trump plan are no-brainers like ending all federal money for immigrants. Other stuff raises red flags, such as the prospect of mass investigations of non-violent people to determine if they have all the right gov't paperwork. I think the key here is to make… https://t.co/5aLGrqeA4S
— Ryan McMaken (@ryanmcmaken) https://twitter.com/ryanmcmaken/status/1859009427438698894?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Thu, 11/21/2024 - 18:25
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/free-market-guide-trumps-immigration-crackdown
Damning Report Highlights Growing Intolerance And Violence Against Christians In Europe
Damning Report Highlights Growing Intolerance And Violence Against Christians In Europe
A new report from the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe) has sounded the alarm about escalating violence and discrimination faced by Christians across the continent.
?itok=aCBgf8Vr
In 2023, 2,444 anti-Christian hate crimes were documented across 35 European countries. These crimes ranged from vandalism and arson to physical violence and restrictions on religious freedoms. The findings reveal a concerning trend that has left Christian communities feeling increasingly vulnerable.
The report published on Friday highlighted France, the U.K., and Germany as areas of particular concern. France recorded nearly 1,000 hate crimes last year, making it the most affected country. The incidents included the desecration of churches and cemeteries, with at least 84 direct attacks on individuals.
DISCRIMINATION:
OIDAC Europe’s report also found discrimination against Christians in the workplace and in public life in some European countries, leading to increasing self-censorship among Christians in Europe. https://t.co/W8nPfZIX3W
— Observatory on Intolerance against Christians EU (@OIDACEurope) https://twitter.com/OIDACEurope/status/1857336671756239348?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Meanwhile, the U.K. experienced over 700 incidents, a 15 percent increase compared to the previous year. One high-profile case involved the conviction of an individual for silently praying outside an abortion clinic, illustrating the growing tension around public expressions of faith.
In Germany, there was a concerning 105 percent increase in anti-Christian hate crimes, climbing from 135 in 2022 to 277 in 2023. Churches were frequent targets, with vandalism and property damage often unreported in official statistics, according to the report. Estimates suggest at least 2,000 cases of property damage against religious institutions went unnoticed due to the lack of a clear political motive.
The report outlines the various forms these attacks have taken. Vandalism accounts for the majority, making up 62 percent of incidents, followed by arson, threats, and physical violence. A small percentage of cases even involved attempted or completed murders.
‘I will rape Jesus!’ – Migrant shouts obscenities on video while smashing Swedish Catholic church windows with rocks. https://t.co/vbxw90EJG6
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) https://twitter.com/RMXnews/status/1694409499556057238?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The growing self-censorship among Christians in Europe was also highlighted as an equally concerning issue. For the first time since records began in 1953, more Christians report feeling they must be cautious when speaking about their faith than those who feel free to express it openly. This shift marks a dramatic change from 1981 when 83 percent of Christians said they felt no barriers to discussing their beliefs. Now, only 40 percent feel the same way.
Compounding the issue are restrictions on religious freedoms imposed by some European governments. Beyond high-profile legal cases like the U.K. prayer conviction, bans on religious processions and other policies have disproportionately affected Christians.
The mayor of Warsaw Rafał Trzaskowski has banned the display of religious symbols such as crosses in public buildings, making it the first city in Poland to do so. https://t.co/FpE9whq426
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) https://twitter.com/RMXnews/status/1791393999657284056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Moves to secularize traditional Christian holidays have also become more frequent, and despite falling under the threshold of a hate crime, it is indicative of a gradual move away from Christian values.
The move has sparked a backlash from parents and politicians who fear Austria’s customs are being sidelined for cultural sensitivity. https://t.co/8WeCan2Yqo
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) https://twitter.com/RMXnews/status/1850938116334379181?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Experts warn that the real scale of the problem is far greater than official statistics suggest. Regina Polak, OSCE’s special representative for combating racism, xenophobia, and discrimination, described anti-Christian hate crimes as a “message of exclusion” that impacts not only the victims but society as a whole.
OIDAC Managing Director Anja Hoffmann echoed this concern, emphasizing the significant number of unreported cases.
She urged governments to take more proactive measures to protect Christian communities and ensure that hate crimes are accurately documented and addressed.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Tue, 11/19/2024 - 02:00
These Are The Cheapest Passports In The World
These Are The Cheapest Passports In The World
Depending on where you live, it can cost a lot more, or a lot less, to travel the world.
While passports unlock global mobility, how much countries charge for this essential identification document differs significantly across nations.
This infographic,https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-the-cheapest-passports-in-the-world/#google_vignette
shows the 10 least expensive passports in the world in U.S. dollars and their validity periods.
?itok=tWsvaoCd
The data comes from https://www.comparethemarket.com.au/travel-insurance/features/cost-of-a-passport-2024/
and is updated as of April 2024.
The United Arab Emirates Has The World’s Cheapest Passport
While the world’s cheapest passports are fairly regionally diverse, European nations (Hungary, Spain, Poland, and Sweden) appear the most, followed by African countries (Kenya, South Africa).
Below is the table with the cheapest passports and the amount of years each one is valid for.
?itok=5qbR3S4S
The cheapest passport in the world belongs to the United Arab Emirates, which only charges $17.63 for a 5-year passport.
In terms of cost per year, India’s passport offers the best value, costing only $18.01 for a 10-year validity period.
Both of Spain’s passport options cost the same price ($32.17), but the passport for people 30 years and older has significantly better value with its 10-year validity.
Spain also offers one of the most powerful passports in the world, offering visa-free access to 194 countries. The country shares a https://www.visualcapitalist.com/worlds-most-powerful-passports-in-2024/
for the most versatile passport in the world.
To learn more about passports from around the world, check out this https://www.voronoiapp.com/maps/The-Worlds-Most-Powerful-Passports-in-2024-685
that maps out the most powerful passports in the world.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Mon, 11/18/2024 - 04:15
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/these-are-cheapest-passports-world
The End Of Democracy? Vote To Ban AfD Party Will Occur Before German Snap Elections
The End Of Democracy? Vote To Ban AfD Party Will Occur Before German Snap Elections
A motion to ban the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, signed by 112 MPs, has been handed to Bundestag President Bärbel Bas of the far-left Social Democrats (SPD), according to reports from German state media ARD and ZDF.
?itok=-_coAlgj
If the motion passes, the Bundestag will initial proceedings that will head to the top court of Germany, the Constitutional Court, to determine whether the AfD can be banned. There are 733 seats in the Bundestag. The motion only needs a simple majority to pass.
The AfD is the second most popular party in the country, and it is increasingly so popular that it is making it very difficult for the ruling parties to form coalitions without it. As it grows, the establishment parties are rallying together to remove this rival from the democratic process. Many of the top proponents of a ban, such as CDU https://rmx.news/article/more-afraid-of-democracy-than-for-democracy-afd-ban-moves-forward-in-german-parliament/
— who lost his local election to an AfD politician — operate under the motto that they are “saving democracy.”
Germany may move to ban the country’s second-largest party, the anti-immigration AfD, shortly before elections.https://t.co/kh4IzFWze6
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) https://twitter.com/RMXnews/status/1855943632739803576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The MPs who back the motion come from a variety of different party factions. Till Steffen, the parliamentary leader of the Greens group, said that 50 members of the Greens signed on to the motion to ban the party.
Most of the German establishment is working towards a ban, but there is disagreement about the pace and timing of such a ban. Some are also worried that the ban will backfire and make the AfD more popular than ever. For one, a ban could take years, and second, the country’s top court may reject the ban, which would be a catastrophic outcome for the German establishment. It should be noted that the country’s top court usually issues rulings friendly to the establishment.
Germany: AfD party hits record high in Bavaria as migrant crisis spirals
⚫️CSU: 43%
🔵 AfD: 18%
🔴 SPD: 8%
⚪️ BSW: 5%
🟢Greens: 10%
🟫BVB/FW: 11%
🔺Others: 5%
While the AfD dominates in the east, now Bavaria is the western German state with the party's highest rating.
Unlike… https://t.co/L4jzpIjTQP
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) https://twitter.com/RMXnews/status/1848795587090485388?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Some Green MPs are against a ban, at least for now.
Green MP Renate Künast submitted a counter motion that states that a ban must be thoroughly legally examined first, including commissioning experts to “assess the chances of success of a ban.”
Wanderwitz (CDU), however, wants an AfD ban now, stating, “It has to happen quickly” due to upcoming elections.
🇩🇪🔥AfD co-leader Alice Weidel SLAMS Angela Merkel and the CDU party, says she destroyed Germany in powerful 13-minute speech.
“And then came a CDU chancellor (Angela Merkel). Nine years ago, this chancellor wiped away this existing law with the stroke of a pen and established a… https://t.co/EQTXAphgyk
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) https://twitter.com/RMXnews/status/1835687116098920478?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
One key legal plank on any potential ban is the AfD’s designation from the Office of the Protection of the Constitution, which is currently led by Thomas Haldenwang. It was expected that the BfV would reclassify the AfD this year with the more damaging designation of a “confirmed threat” to the constitution. However, this designation will have to wait due to upcoming elections, as it would be a violation of the “equal opportunity” close so close to the election date.
The German BfV is somewhat comparable to the FBI in the United States, but is even more openly politicized. For example, Haldenwang is a member of the CDU party, which views the AfD as an intense electoral rival.
Compare how Haldenwang addresses the AfD and how he treats the… https://t.co/36Sj0Dj6W0
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) https://twitter.com/RMXnews/status/1806286955912552516?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The fiercely anti-AfD Haldenwang is stepping down from his position at the BfV to run for an MP position in upcoming elections.
Snap elections are now expected in January.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Mon, 11/18/2024 - 03:30
419 Million People Still $hit Outdoors
419 Million People Still $hit Outdoors
3.5 billion people still live without access to safe toilets, including 419 million who practice open defecation.
November 19 is the UN’s World Toilet Day and this year the theme is ‘Toilets: A Place for Peace’, highlighting how for billions of people, sanitation is under threat from conflict, climate change, disasters and neglect.
https://www.statista.com/chart/18419/progress-against-open-defecation/
, children who live in extremely fragile contexts are three times more likely to practice open defecation, four times more likely to lack basic sanitation services and eight times more likely to lack basic drinking water services.
https://www.statista.com/chart/18419/progress-against-open-defecation/
You will find more infographics at https://www.statista.com/chartoftheday/
In 2022, https://washdata.org/monitoring/sanitation/open-defecation
, meaning that their sewage was not treated properly, posing severe health risks to them as it enables pathogens to re-enter water supplies.
As recently as the year 2000, 1.3 billion people were still defecating outdoors, with grave https://www.statista.com/topics/799/health/
consequences. The UN has been working to eradicate the practice and has made some progress. In 2017, the number of those without access to any bathroom had sunk to 673 million and finally to 419 million in 2022.
Gains remain to be made in Sub-Saharan Africa, where steady population growth continues to put pressure on sanitation services. Cambodia, Ethiopia, Nepal and India saw the largest fall in outdoor defecation since the year 2000, reducing it from affecting around 70 to 85 percent of the population to seven to 20 percent.
The latter country has been particularly ambitious in installing proper toilets. Before Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, more than 60 percent of India's population didn't have access to a household toilet. Since then, billions of dollars have been invested under the https://www.statista.com/chart/14924/indias-toilet-building-revolution/
. According to UN numbers, open defecation was reduced to affecting 11 percent of the Indian population in 2022.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Mon, 11/18/2024 - 02:45
https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/419-million-people-still-hit-outdoors
Everyone Missed The Most Important Part Of The First Putin-Scholz Call In Two Years
Everyone Missed The Most Important Part Of The First Putin-Scholz Call In Two Years
https://korybko.substack.com/p/everyone-missed-the-most-important
Putin made a pass at Schulz by suggesting that the last undamaged part of the Nord Stream pipelines could be swiftly put back to use if Germany helps Russia in Ukraine by rejecting Trump’s reported plans to “escalate to de-escalate”.
?itok=AG6aArwu
The first Putin-Scholz call in two years diplomatically “https://www.rt.com/russia/607711-zelensky-opposes-putin-scholz-call/
” in the New York Times’ (NYT) words, both of which are accurate assessments, but they and almost everyone else missed the most important part.
Putin told Scholz that “Russia had always honoured its commitments under various treaties and contracts in the energy sector and was still willing to promote mutually beneficial cooperation, if the German side showed interest in it.”
This follows the Russian leader saying during a news conference after https://thealtworld.com/andrew_korybko/did-the-latest-brics-summit-achieve-anything-of-tangible-significance-at-all
that “there is still a functional pipeline in the Baltic Sea – it is part of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. All the German authorities have to do is just press a button to resume supplies. But they are not doing this for political reasons.” By telling Scholz what he did, Putin is very strongly implying that this last undamaged part of that energy megaproject could swiftly be put back to use if Germany helps Russia in Ukraine.
, which in turn raises costs across the board, thus hamstringing its economic competitiveness that was responsible for prior eras of growth.
Germany is also Ukraine’s https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-en/news/military-support-ukraine-2054992
argue that Germany now has more influence over Ukraine than Poland and anyone else but the US and possibly also the UK, hence its importance to Russia in this context.
Seeing as how Trump is expected to “escalate to de-escalate” in order to end the proxy war on better terms for the US, which was explained https://thealtworld.com/andrew_korybko/heres-what-trumps-peace-plan-might-look-like-why-russia-might-agree-to-it
instead. To that end, he made a pass at him during their latest call by strongly implying that the last undamaged part of the Nord Stream pipelines could help Germany avert its impending recession if he agrees to these terms.
The US would lose part of the lucrative LNG market that it poached from Russia after https://korybko.substack.com/p/the-anglo-american-axis-benefits
against that energy megaproject, but Germany could still go behind its back since “All the German authorities have to do is just press a button to resume supplies” like Putin said. If Germany unilaterally scaled back its promised military and financial aid for Ukraine as the quid pro quo, other European countries would likely follow, thus leading to a chain reaction of strategic consequences.
Trump would be much less likely to “escalate to de-escalate”, and the chances of him successfully doing so would plummet if Western Europe followed Germany’s lead and signaled before mid-January that they wouldn’t be on board with this, which could lead to ending the conflict on better terms for Russia. As a consolation to the US, they might still go through with the “https://korybko.substack.com/p/the-baltic-defense-line-is-meant
” plan for facilitating the movement of troops and equipment eastward, but that’s an trade-off that Russia could accept.
“https://korybko.substack.com/p/the-clock-is-ticking-for-russia-to
” before Trump might “escalate to de-escalate”, hence the urgency with which Putin made his pass at Scholz, which could either delay Trump’s plans till Russia achieves more of its goals or outright derail his plans in toto. Zelensky and the NYT were right in respectively assessing that their call diplomatically “opens Pandora’s Box” and “breaks ice with the West”, but even they underestimated just how pivotal it might possibly be.
To be sure, Scholz might ultimately reject Putin’s pass, whether because he’s too afraid to go behind the US’ back or because Trump threatens him in ways that force him to reconsider this scenario. Nevertheless, the very fact that the first Putin-Scholz call in two years happened and the Russian leader pitched his implied quid pro quo are extremely important since they show that he’s actively employing creative diplomacy with top Western leaders, which was unthinkable prior to https://korybko.substack.com/p/heres-how-america-became-unburdened
.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Mon, 11/18/2024 - 02:00
'Left Is A Vicious Wounded Tiger' - Larry Klayman Warns "They Want Us Dead"
'Left Is A Vicious Wounded Tiger' - Larry Klayman Warns "They Want Us Dead"
ViaGreg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com,
Renowned Attorney Larry Klayman, founder of Judicial Watch and later Freedom Watch, has been fighting government corruption and winning for decades.
?itok=F91JiFQt
Today, the fight has turned into an all-out war and fight to the death. Klayman explains, “Bottom line is we have been in a war, but now we are at red alert..."
" The fact that Donald Trump has been reelected the 47th President of the United States with the popular vote and an overwhelming landslide in the Electoral College, the Left is on the run, but it’s stung. It’s like a wounded tiger. It’s vicious. It will fight back...
You are going to see the Left in the streets, ultimately. It will probably be in days, if not weeks. You are going to see a repeat of what we saw with Black Lives Matter, ANTIFA, radical Palestinians and others. They are going to be coming for us.
Frankly, and this sounds extreme, we saw the assassination attempts... and Kamala Harris and Biden calling Trump Hitler, calling them garbage and calling us garbage, they want us dead. Let me repeat that. They want us dead...They are like rats leaving the ship.
The time to peacefully and legally crush them is now.”
Klayman also sees that things may not stay peaceful.
Klayman points out, “It’s only a matter of time because they are whipping up the hatred right now against all of us garbage men..."
" It’s only a matter of time that he (President Trump) may have to declare martial law to reestablish order here. I hope it doesn’t get to that. But he (the President) has that authority as well.
So, I want people to realize that there may be a calm in the storm right now, but the communists, the atheists, the radicals and the Left are coalescing. They are plotting, and they are planning.
This is like the ‘Force’ in ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Darth Vader.’ They intend to come back anyway they can.
If they can’t do it peacefully and legally, which they can’t, they are going to get violent, and we better be prepared for that.”
Klayman also points out that President Trump cannot turn America around without the help of millions of patriots. Klayman says,
“He needs us to back him. We need to fight for him if necessary. Here’s the scary thing. God forbid, but I don’t think this is the last assassination attempt. I think there will be more. . . . This kid that took a crack at Trump in Butler, we don’t know what his motive was today. . . . We’ve never gotten the truth about anything.
We don’t know who killed John F. Kennedy. Even Bobby Kennedy Jr. does not believe that Sirhan Sirhan killed his father.
Martin Luther King’s family does not believe that James Earl Ray was the assassin of Martin Luther King. It was probably Edgar Hoover the FBI Director. . . .
We don’t know anything about the two people that tried to assassinate Donald Trump because our government is corrupt to the core, and that is why the Left is going to resist. Our government needs to be reconstituted. Embedded in government is the Deep State, and it is more powerful than the President.”
Klayman is appealing to the incoming Trump Administration to make him the Czar in charge of picking judicial appointments.
Klayman says too many RINO judges were put on the bench during Trump’s first Administration.
Klayman is also representing Laura Loomer in a $150 million defamation lawsuit against HBO and Bill Maher. Klayman is also the lawyer of record on many other groundbreaking cases. Klayman also talks about the need for donations as the 2024 Election cycle took donations away from FreedomWatchUSA.org. Klayman makes an appeal for badly needed funds so he can continue his work for “We the People” against government corruption.
There is much more in the one-hour in-depth interview.
Join Greg Hunter as he goes One-on-One with renowned lawyer and government corruption fighter, Larry Klayman, founder of https://www.freedomwatchusa.org/
as he lays out the evil that criminals on the Left and RINO’s are planning for America.
* * *
https://www.freedomwatchusa.org/donate/
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Sun, 11/17/2024 - 23:20
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/left-vicious-wounded-tiger-larry-klayman-warns-they-want-us-dead
Cruise Ship Offers Democrats Multi-Year "Escape From Reality" Package After Trump Victory
Cruise Ship Offers Democrats Multi-Year "Escape From Reality" Package After Trump Victory
Florida-based cruise line Villa Vie Residences unveiled a new four-year cruise package called "Skip Forward," offered to anyone suffering from Trump derangement syndrome.
The Skip Forward package is part of the Tour La Vie program, starting at $40,000 per year, and is a "continuous global adventure for up to 4 years," the company stated in a https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/villa-vie-residences-releases-tour-la-vie--the-4-year-world-cruise-302298810.html
. In other words, the multi-year excursion spans Trump's upcoming second term.
In an interview, Villa Vie Residences CEO Mikael Petterson told AP News the cruise liner is offering voters who were not pleased with the election results four exclusive deals:
1-Year Escape from Reality
2-Year Mid-Term Selection
3-Year Everywhere but Home
4-Year Skip Forward
Petterson said the excursion to 425 ports across 140 countries allows voters to escape chaotic American politics.
He noted, "It just happened that Trump won. And more Democrats are unhappy with their current living situations in the US than Republicans."
A Florida cruise company is offering a 4-year escape to Americans upset by the results of the Nov. 5 presidential election https://t.co/FUy5OTqDhA
— The Associated Press (@AP) https://twitter.com/AP/status/1857979471548092748?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Petterson is right about the TDS explosion after the election.
I fixed it for you https://t.co/Dmoxdj02DI
— stephen hilton (@stephenhilton23) https://twitter.com/stephenhilton23/status/1854320812272034154?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
I still think about this video every now and then.
Can't wait what TikTok brings starting Jan. 20th. https://t.co/qNO2a5eBXx
— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) https://twitter.com/DefiantLs/status/1858228042356629552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Google searches for "Move to Canada" surged immediately after Trump won. Far-left liberals https://www.zerohedge.com/political/trump-wins-move-canada-searches-spike-liberals-meltdown-online
across all social media.
?itok=Htb-nD1V
We can only imagine a Villa Vie Residences cruise ship packed with a thousand yelling liberal women and Harry Sisson. At least their screams on the high seas won't be heard.
?itok=q81QCpn7
Meanwhile, Australian https://www.zerohedge.com/political/billionaire-pratt-will-move-america-after-trump-win-liberals-flee-canada
his migration to the US following the Trump victory.
What happens when Republicans win again in 2028? Extend the cruise trip?
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Sun, 11/17/2024 - 15:45