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Shutdown Looms As Johnson To Roll Out 'Very Similar' Spending Package For Friday Vote Here we go... After yesterday's disastrous failed vote on a pared down spending package, speaker Mike Johnson is set to roll out a revised plan for another bite at the apple before tonight's deadline for a federal government shutdown. Except... according to Rep. Anna Paula Luna (R-FL) who just came out of Johnson's office, the next revision - to be voted on at 10am ET - will be "something very similar to yesterday," and that Republicans will not negotiate with Democrats, according to Jake Sherman. Which

GOP To Split Bill, Hold Separate Votes; Still Working On Debt Limit Update (1444ET): House Republicans are now likely to split the bill in pieces and hold different votes. A longer-term debt limit deal is NOT part of it, per Jake Sherman - however it appears that they will attempt to kick the can to March. And now this... exactly how they had it all planned First CR died Second CR failed on the floor Third option lasted a few hours Now, just a clean CR. https://t.co/5KJQ9Ut2y0 — Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) December 20, 2024 🚨📷NEWS -- IN THE GOP MEETING

The View Quickly Walks Back Suggestion Elon Musk & JD Vance Are Plotting To Kill Trump Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, The level of batshittery on The View just got ratcheted up several more notches as the cackling witches suggested that Elon Musk is conspiring with JD Vance to get rid of Trump. Host Whoopi Goldberg ranted “Who is in charge? Because I’ve been saying it for a while. I’ve been saying that I think Elon Musk believes he’s President. I do.” “Well, you can call him Vice President,” Joy Behar interjected, prompting Goldberg to continue ranting “I’ve called him Vice

Fed's Favorite Inflation Indicator Holds At 7-Month High The Fed's favorite (until it starts rising) inflation indicator - Core PCE - printed cooler than expected for November (+0.1% MoM vs +0.2% MoM exp) which held it steady at +2.8% YoY (below the expected 2.9%) - tied for the highest since April... Source: Bloomberg However, Headline PCE rose to +2.4% from +2.3% - its highest since July... Durable (and non-durable) Goods Deflation has all but evaporated now... The so-called SuperCore - Core Services Ex-Shelter PCE - rose 0.16% MoM leaving the index up 3.51% YoY (steady at its highest since April)...

S&P Tumbles, Set For Biggest Weekly Drop Since September Ahead Of Massive $6.5 Trillion OpEx US equity futures and global markets are broadly risk-off to end a turbulent week after the US House rejected a temporary funding plan backed by Donald Trump (38 republicans voted against the bill) which would have avoided a gov’t shutdown that otherwise will start a midnight, with trade war concerns mounting (Trump said “I told the European Union that they must make up their tremendous deficit with the US by the large scale purchase of our oil and gas. Otherwise it is tariffs all the

Upscale San Francisco Shopping Center Is Total Ghost Town With Just Three Tenants Authored by Monica Showalter via American Thinker, San Francisco threw out its wokester mayor, London Breed, in favor of a more moderate alternative, and before that, its literally-Chavista district attorney, Chesa Boudin, raised by Bill Ayers, whose only interest was in prosecuting the police. But the damage remains, and not just in the city's abundant bums on the street doing drugs. This is what it's come to: Look at all of these beautiful Christmas decorations at the Crocker Galleria mall in San Francisco. It’s 4:47 PM and

'Tis The Season To Strike: Now Starbucks Baristas Hit Picket Lines In Multi-State Labor Action First Amazon, now Starbucks—'tis the season for strikes. Thousands of baristas at unionized Starbucks locations in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle are set to hit the picket lines on Friday after a failed bargaining session over a new labor contract between the union and the coffee chain giant. "TWAS THE STRIKE BEFORE CHRISTMAS!" Starbucks Workers United (SWU) wrote on X, informing Starbucks customers that strikes will persist through Christmas Eve.  SWU continued, "Starbucks baristas are going on five days of escalating ULP strikes in response to the company

Invasive 'Murder Hornets' Eradicated In US After 5 Years, Agriculture Officials Say Authored by Katabella Roberts via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), The northern giant hornet, dubbed the “murder hornet” for its aggressive nature and potentially deadly sting, has been eradicated from the United States five years after it was first identified in the country, officials announced on Dec. 18. A northern giant hornet is seen in this undated file photograph. Courtesy of Washington State Department of Agriculture Formerly known as Asian giant hornets, the invasive species was first detected in North America in British Columbia, Canada, in August 2019.

Novo Nordisk Crashes Most On Record After CagriSema GLP-1 Results Disappoint Novo Nordisk's top-line efficacy results for its experimental obesity drug, CagriSema, were just released, missing the pharma's estimate of 25% weight loss over 68 weeks, coming in at just 22.7%. This sent shares of Novo in Europe crashing the most on record.  The results:  When evaluating the effects of treatment if all people adhered to treatment1, people treated with CagriSema achieved a superior weight loss of 22.7% after 68 weeks compared to a reduction of 11.8% with cagrilintide 2.4 mg, 16.1% with semaglutide 2.4 mg and 2.3% with placebo alone. In addition

Chinese Agent Pleads Guilty To Operating Secret Police Station In New York Authored by Eva Fu via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), A New York man has admitted to acting as an illegal Chinese agent by operating a secret police station for Beijing in Manhattan. Chen Jinping, a 60-year-old U.S. citizen, pleaded guilty on Dec. 18 in front of U.S. District Judge Nina Morrison, a development that prosecutors lauded as the latest progress in countering the Chinese regime’s transnational repression scheme. People at a press conference and rally in front of the America ChangLe Association, a now-closed secret Chinese police

Which US Companies Receive The Most Government Subsidies? This chart, via Visual Capitalist's Pallavi Rao, ranks the companies which have received the most American taxpayer support (in the form of government subsidies) since the year 2000. Government subsidies take a variety of forms: tax credits, abatements, training reimbursements and direct grants . Data is sourced from D.C.-based non-profit Good Jobs First’s subsidy tracking database, accessed November 2024. Ranked: Companies Receiving the Most Government Subsidies Over the last quarter of a century Boeing has received nearly $16 billion in government subsidies, putting it at the top of this list. Rank Company Industry Subsidy Value (2000–2024)

Federal Agency Urges High-Level US Officials To 'Immediately' Switch To Encrypted Apps Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), A federal agency on Wednesday issued urgent written guidance to top government officials and politicians to immediately stop using standard phone calls and text messages after major U.S. telecommunications companies were targeted by Chinese hackers. A woman uses her iPhone, in a file photo. Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) [ZH: So this is probably total bullshit] said in guidance that “individuals who are in senior government or senior political positions” should

Canada Is The World's Best Country For Free Or Universal Healthcare; WHO Last week marked the UN's International Universal Health Coverage Day. Canada is the leading country worldwide for essential healthcare coverage, according to The World Health Organization’s (WHO) World Health Statistics 2024 report. The organization ranked 194 countries based on a selection of indicators of key health concerns such as reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, infectious diseases, noncommunicable diseases and service capacity and access. The WHO is monitoring universal health coverage by tracking two main indicators worldwide: the coverage of essential health services (SDG 3.8.1) and the lack of financial protection

British Defense Minister Says UK Forces Could Be Sent To Ukraine For Training Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com, British Defense Minister John Healey has suggested that the UK could send troops to Ukraine for a training mission. During a visit to Ukraine, Healey told The Times that the UK would work to improve its training of Ukrainian troops and wouldn’t rule out sending trainers to Ukraine. "We [need to] make it easier to the Ukrainians to access and we [need to] work with the Ukrainians to help them motivate and mobilize more recruits," Healey said. When asked if that could involve sending troops

How Was 2024? Not As Bad As The Last Few Years, But... Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic turned the world upside down in 2020, it seems like the world has been in constant crisis mode. In each of the past few years, Statista's Felix Richter points out that the overwhelming feeling towards the end of December has been: the next year can only get better. With the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East dragging on, the effects of the global cost of living crisis still lingering and political upheaval in countries like France, Germany and South Korea, 2024 offered enough reasons to be downbeat about

Austria Kickstarts Deportation Process As Syrians Receive Letters Questioning Their Right To Stay Authored by Thomas Brooke via Remix News, The Austrian government is understood to have initiated a process to review the asylum status of Syrians following the fall of the Assad regime, a move that could impact up to 40,000 people. As reported by the Exxpress news outlet, the Federal Office for Asylum and Immigration (BFA) has sent letters to Syrians who have been in Austria for less than five years, questioning their continued need for protection. The letters, citing the “changed circumstances” in Syria, state that recipients no longer

Would A Trump-Putin Agreement Bring Peace To Ukraine Or Just Set The Stage For More War? Authored by Jim Jatras via The Ron Paul Institute "I have not become the King’s First Minister in order to preside over the liquidation of the British Empire." – Winston Churchill, 1942 Many Americans, even a lot who never much cared for Donald Trump, voted for him in part because they believed – or at least hoped – that he would be, relatively speaking, a peace candidate compared to the hideous Biden-Harris record. To his credit, Trump’s first term was the only US presidency

It Never Ends: MTA Hiking Fares Yet Again, Despite Being Days From New Congestion Tolls Everybody's favorite financial black hole in New York City - the MTA - is said to plan another fare hike just days before it institutes its congestion toll, according to a new report from the New York Post. Spurring the hikes, the MTA approved a $1.27 billion order for 435 new subway cars, including 80 open-gangway models, and outlined plans to raise subway and bus fares to $3 per ride. Chairman Janno Lieber noted the fare increase, expected by late 2025, requires formal board approval next year.

A Very Different Transition Authored by Jeffrey Tucker via The Epoch Times, The transition from Barack Obama to Donald Trump in 2016 went like every other presidential transition in modern history. The old administration had extended meetings with the new, and old agency heads and their staff trained the new ones. It was managed by Chris Christie and then-Vice President-elect Mike Pence. It was funded by the General Services Administration and the incoming team received emergency drills, confidential documents, security briefings, and training sessions on emergency protocols. The FBI was brought on board to vet all new hires. That’s because

Three Dozen Luxury Condos In South Florida Are Sinking, New Study Finds They don't call it the swamp for nothing... Now a study recently published in Earth and Space Science confirms that about "three dozen" luxury high rise buildings in South Florida are "sinking", according to a new report from Fox News. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Miami, Florida Atlantic University, University of Houston, University of Hanover, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, and Caltech. It found that 35 luxury condos and hotels in Florida's Sunny Isles Beach, Surfside, Miami Beach, and Bal Harbour have experienced subsidence

After Hunter, How About Pardoning The Gun Owners Biden Criminalized? Authored by Bronson Winslow via American Greatness, President Joe Biden oversaw the most anti-Second Amendment administration in the history of the United States - effectively creating a police state that left every American open to prosecution. But when his son Hunter Biden ran into legal trouble and was convicted of three firearm felonies, Biden seemingly forgot about his own beliefs and granted clemency for all of Hunter’s crimes spanning the last ten years. To make matters worse, Biden continually assured the American people that he would not intervene. Now, millions of gun owners remain

Republicans Should Use Article 5 To Protect Our Institutions Authored by Ryan Silverstein via RealClearPolitics, In November, President Trump and Republicans won a broad mandate to govern. Consequently, Democrats are now seeking refuge in traditions and institutions they once sought to destroy – the Senate filibuster and courts of law. President Trump and Republicans should seize this opportunity to use Article 5 of the U.S. Constitution to protect these institutions for generations to come. Article 5 provides a two-step process for amending our Constitution. First, an amendment must be proposed. Under Article 5, there are two ways for proposing an

Virginia Will Be Home To The World's First Nuclear Fusion Power Plant Nuclear adoption continues accelerating, and now Virginia sure thinks it has found the way to "clean energy, billions in investment, and a solution to surging power demand". The state is going to host the world's first fusion power plant, according to the Virginia Mercury. Gov. Glenn Youngkin said this week: “Commonwealth Fusion Systems plans on building the world’s first grid scale commercial fusion power plant in the world, full stop, and it’s going to be right here in the commonwealth of Virginia.” Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), founded in 2018 in

Pandemic Coverup Intensifies: Scripps Institute's Kristian Andersen Cannot Tell The Truth Authored by former lead Senate investigator Paul D. Thacker via The Disinformation Chronicle, The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released their final report earlier this month, concluding that the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Tony Fauci funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where a lab accident likely started the initial outbreak. Multiple U.S. agencies aided by virologist sought to cover-up this evidence, the Select Subcommittee charged, and several people broke the law by misleading congressional staff including Peter Daszak of EcoHealth, who funded gain-of-function

Blinken Admits Past 20 Years Of US Regime Change Efforts Abroad Basically A Failure Now with just weeks to go before the Trump administration takes over the White House, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has issued some interesting and surprising admissions. He told an audience of the Council on Foreign Relations on Wednesday that Biden's policy on Iran hasn't been more muscular because Washington's regime change efforts in the region over the past two decades have basically been failures.  It's rare for a top official who is still in office to so bluntly describe that regime change efforts have been doomed.

A Year Of Chaos: Does A Shocking Magazine Cover Reveal What The Global Elite Have Planned For 2025 Authored by Michael Snyder via The Economic Collapse blog, Are we heading into a year that will be characterized by great turmoil?  Every year, a magazine known as “the Economist” publishes an issue that is dedicated to what is coming in the year ahead.  In the past, many of these issues have turned out to be eerily accurate.  For example, the cover of last year’s issue featured images of Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin with very large missiles standing next to each of

NOPE: Trump-Backed Funding Bill Fails House Vote As 38 Republicans Say 'No' Update (1752ET): The first vote to kick the can down the road until 2027 has failed the House, by a vote of 174-235-1, with 38 Republicans voting 'no'. The bill required 2/3 of the vote under a fast-track method, yet didn't even clear a simple majority. Polymarket odds of a shutdown have spiked to 76% as of this writing That’s 38 Republicans voting to express no confidence in Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House. A stunning rebuke for a guy who won unanimous support in conference just

More ATACMS, Storm Shadow Missiles Launched At Russia As Putin Threatens 'Missile Duel' With US The Kremlin on Thursday revealed that the day prior Ukraine's military launched six US-made long-range ATACMs missiles and four British-made Storm Shadow missiles against Russian territory. The projectiles targeted the southern Rostov region, with Russia's military saying its anti-air defense systems were able to intercept all four ATACMS missiles and three of the four Storm Shadows. Launch of an ATACMS, via Sky News The statement further vowed a harsh response to the attacks, given this is at least third of fourth major wave of long-range attacks.

At Least 100,000 Detention Beds Needed For Mass Deportation Plan; Trump's Border Czar Says Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times, Incoming border czar Tom Homan estimates that at least 100,000 beds for illegal immigrants in detention will be needed for the Trump administration to carry out its deportation plans. President-elect Donald Trump has promised mass deportations, and he tapped Homan, the former acting head of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to lead the operation. ICE is currently holding about 38,700 illegal immigrants, according to agency data. An additional nearly 185,000 are being monitored by cellphone or

Does California's Bird Flu Emergency Portend The Next Trump-Era Outbreak? This week California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) declared a state of emergency over avian influenza, aka Bird Flu. California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference in Los Angeles on Sept. 25, 2024. Eric Thayer/AP Photo And while Newsom says the order was simply a precaution after one person in Louisiana was hospitalized with the first severe illness caused by the bird flu in the United States, one has to wonder - WTF... "This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they

The Establishment's "Principles" Are Fake Authored by Connor O'Keefe via The Mises Institute, In the years leading up to the 2024 presidential election, the Democrats and establishment Republicans who wanted to see Joe Biden, and later Kamala Harris, remain in office went all in on one overarching narrative above all: that Donald Trump represented an existential threat to American democracy. Biden’s team and their allies in politics and media repeated this claim day after day, essentially trying to convince millions of Americans that elections would literally stop happening in this country if Trump won. Taking a step back, Trump was

TruGO: Liberal Canadian Lawmakers Revolt, Demand Regime Change In Ottawa Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing a mounting political crisis within his own Liberal Party, with an increasing number of party members voicing their desire for his resignation ahead of the scheduled 2025 election. This internal discontent has gained momentum after the shock resignation of Chrystia Freeland, Trudeau’s finance minister and a key ally. Jenica Atwin, a Liberal parliamentary secretary from New Brunswick, openly stated that Trudeau should step down, and says she won't run for reelection if Trudeau remains in leadership. Atwin's call was echoed by Chad Collins

The Twelve Days Of Schadenfreude Authored by Daniel Oliver via American Greatness, Democrats are stumbling all over each other to blame Biden for staying in the presidential race too long. Ha! Axios reported that “Vice President Harris’ loss raised a feeling among Democrats that Biden’s refusal to leave the race until July cost the party dearly—even as they got caught up in a global anti-incumbency wave.” Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL) blamed Biden: “I think there’s a widespread sense that he took too long to get out and that it made it very difficult for Vice President Harris to run the most

Putin Says 'Ready' To Meet Or Talk To Trump At Any Time Russian President Vladimir Putin in fresh Thursday remarks has emphasized that he is ready for a direct conversation with US President-elect Donald Trump at any time and agrees to meet with him when the US side is ready. "I am ready for this [conversation], of course, at any time. And I will also be ready for a meeting, if he wants it," Putin said at Russia's annual year-end Q&A press conference with the president. He gave this response to an American journalist when asked about a potential future

The Big Story Of 2024 That Nobody Is Talking About Authored by Kit Knightly via Off-Guardian.org, As the embers of 2024 spit out their dying sparks and tendrils of smoke corkscrew into 2025, I want to ask: what were the important news stories of this year? Most people will say something international. The war in Ukraine, the atrocities in Gaza, the fall of Assad. Maybe some will cite elections, it was a big year for voting after all. A global shift-change in the corridors of power saw a dozen governments swapped out for new faces, with 2 weeks of the

"There Is An Agreement": Johnson To Whip Out Latest Attempt To Avert Friday Shutdown Update (1350ET): Republican lawmakers have reportedly struck a new short-term deal to keep the lights on in Washington, according to Politico, citing two GOP lawmakers meeting in Speaker Mike Johnson's office Thursday afternoon. "There is an agreement," said Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK). "The plan is to put a bill on the floor that we think is a reasonable step forward." Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), who was also in Johnson's office, didn't say whether congressional Democrats or the White House had agreed to it. Late Wednesday afternoon

Intel Shortlists Suitors For Chip Division Altera Amid Turnaround Efforts About a month after Bloomberg reported that Lattice Semiconductor had offered to purchase Intel's Altera, the financial media outlet revealed that several private equity firms had also entered the bidding game for the company, which specializes in designing low-power programmable chips. Sources told Bloomberg that Francisco Partners and Silver Lake Management have joined Lattice in a second bidding round for Altera. Additionally, Apollo Global Management and Bain Capital are considered potential suitors. The people said Lattice and the PE firms have until the end of January to formalize their offers, adding other PE firms could

Ron Paul: Trump Is Right, What Are We Doing In Syria? Authored by Ron Paul via The Mises Institute, My first reaction to news earlier this month that the Syrian government had been overthrown was, how much did we have to do with it; how involved was the CIA; and how much is it going to cost. As with Saddam and Gaddafi before him, we know that Assad was no libertarian hero. But unleashing an army dedicated to establishing an Islamic state in once-secular Syria hardly seems like a good idea to me. As with President George W. Bush’s “Mission

Billionaire DOGE Insider Teases Musk's 'Really Bold' Plans To Drain Swamp: 'A Lot of Stuff Ready For Day One' Billionaire entrepreneur and investor Joe Lonsdale expressed strong optimism for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative during his appearance on the Shawn Ryan Show. The Palantir co-founder highlighted the "very bold" reforms being planned by co-heads Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, revealing that the DOGE team is already hard at work on strategic priorities. With over 100 people on board, the team is preparing to enact immediate changes, including staff removals and regulatory rollbacks. SHAWN RYAN: We're both pretty fired up about

San Francisco Hires Obese 'Body Positivity' Activist To Work For Health Department Authored by Paul Joseph Watson via Modernity.news, The San Francisco Department of Public Health has hired a self-described “unapologetically fat” body positivity activist to consult on “weight stigma and weight neutrality.” No, this isn’t a Babylon Bee story. “I’m unbelievably proud to serve the city I’ve called home for almost 20 years in this way!” Virgie Tovar posted on Instagram. “This consultancy is an absolute dream come true, and it’s my biggest hope and belief that weight neutrality will be the future of public health.” ‘Weight neutrality’ is

A Tsunami Of Executive Orders Authored by James Rickards via DailyReckoning.com, An important feature of Trump’s second term will be his actions on the first day. Trump will sign a flurry of executive orders (EOs) on the day he is sworn in (January 20, 2025) and the following day. The exact number is not known but it will easily be 50 orders or more. The official number of each Executive Order is also not known in advance because they will have to be processed under the Administrative Procedures Act and published in the Federal Register. The Office of the Federal

Striking Amazon Workers Hold Christmas Hostage To Demand Labor Contract From "Greedy Executives"  Workers at seven Amazon warehouses and other facilities went on strike Thursday morning in a nationwide labor action after the e-commerce giant refused to negotiate a labor contract with the union earlier this week. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters said Amazon workers went on strike this morning at three Southern California locations, one New York City location, one Atlanta, Georgia location, and one in Skokie, Illinois.  "Workers will join the picket line from DBK4 in New York City; DGT8 in Atlanta; DFX4, DAX5, and DAX8 in Southern

Dronomania Authored by Victor Davis Hanson via American Greatness, New Jersey is now subject to nonstop and often sensational civilian reports of swarms of nocturnal drones crossing city skies and violating the airspace of airports and military bases. Terrified thousands demand to know what these drones are doing and to whom they belong. In response, the Biden administration had initially kept mum. Then, under mounting public pressure, it assured the public to be calm, given that most of the drones were likely launched by hobbyists and private citizens. When that narrative failed to convince many, spokespeople pivoted to claims of

US Looking At 'Getting People On The Ground In Syria' To Engage HTS: Blinken That didn't take long at all... the Biden White House is already thinking about normalizing relations with al-Qaeda splinter faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, who still has a $10 million US bounty on his head for the fact that he fought with AQI and ISIS. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US is receiving positive signs from the hardline Islamist group now in control of Damascus and major Syrian cities, to the point that the White House is thinking of dispatching officials

China & US Shape 2025 Oil Predictions Authored by Irina Slav via OilPrice.com, Oil demand growth in 2025 is forecasted at 1–1.4 million bpd. China's petchem sector drives oil demand growth, but growth from its transportation sector is flatlining. U.S. shale production growth may slow due to higher breakeven costs, depletion of Tier 1 acreage, and subdued oil prices limiting drilling incentives. Doubts about oil demand growth will persist beyond 2024, and fears of a price slump will be there to keep them company. That’s according to some recent predictions about the state of the oil market in 2025, which

Swedish Police Board Chinese Bulk Carrier Suspected Of Undersea Cable Sabotage Swedish police have finally boarded the Yi Peng 3, a 225-meter bulk carrier suspected of sabotaging undersea fiber optic cables in the Baltic Sea last month. This was done at the invitation of Chinese authorities, according to Reuters.  The Chinese bulk carrier is at the center of the sabotage investigation and threatens to push the limits of maritime law after EU investigators believe the ship deliberately drug its anchor along the Baltic seabed for more than 100 miles, damaging the Cinia C-Lion1 submarine cable between Finland and Germany.  More from Reuters: Swedish

BlackRock's New Bitcoin Ad Is A Monumental Paradigm Shift Authored by Nikolaus Hoffman via BitcoinMagazine.com The overton window has officially shifted and Bitcoin is going mainstream... Yesterday, BlackRock released a new video aimed at educating people interested in Bitcoin on the asset class. The video is quite good, honestly. I think they took inspiration from Saifedean Ammous’ book “The Bitcoin Standard,” which discusses the history of money from the beginning of time and how it has changed and evolved throughout history. Launched in January, IBIT has now topped $50 Billion in assets as investors are increasingly using the ETP to

Stephanopoulos Repeatedly Told Not To Say 'Rape' In Interview That Cost Disney $16 Million In a revelation that may explain why ABC parent Disney folded so quickly in Donald Trump's defamation suit, the New York Post has reported that, in preparation for his March interview that lies at the center of the suit, an executive producer repeatedly warned George Stephanopoulos not to use the word "rape" in reference to Trump's loss of a civil suit filed by E. Jean Carroll -- only for Stephanopolous to plunge ahead and use it a dozen times. On Saturday, ABC announced it had reached a settlement

FAA Issues Temporary Flight Ban On Drones In Areas Across New Jersey Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times, The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a temporary ban on drone operations in multiple areas across New Jersey until next month unless operators are given special permission, amid heightened concerns over recent sightings of the unmanned vehicles. Over the past several weeks, drones - sometimes swarms of them - have been spotted in New Jersey by local residents and police, drawing alarm from elected officials in the state. Some, including Reps. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) and Chris Smith (R-N.J.), have

Terror Threat? NYC Now Deploys "Largest Military Presence In Subways Since 9/11 Aftermath" New York Gov. Kathy Hochul beefed up the number of New York National Guard members patrolling NYC subway stations, marking the largest military presence in the city's subway system since the aftermath of 9/11. This heightened security measure coincides with mounting public hysteria over unidentified drones in NJ-NY airspace and the rising threat of terrorism.    On Wednseday, Gov. Hochul told reporters that 250 additional Guard members will join the already deployed 750 Guard members to combat rapes, murders, and robberies that plague NYC's subway system. In March, when we heard about the initial

It's Christmas (Market Chaos), All Over, Again Submitted by QTR's Fringe Finance I just had a moment thinking about today’s action in the market that inspired me to pen a small note tonight, ahead of tomorrow’s regularly scheduled programming. The market sold off in sharp fashion today after the Federal Reserve did exactly what almost everybody on Wall Street thought they would do: cut by 25 basis points. Interestingly, the “whisper scenario” that started to bubble up to the surface over the last few days was whether the Fed might even wait on cutting, despite more than 95% of the Street

Fani Flushed: Court Rules Fulton DA Disqualified From Trump 'Election Interference' Case Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been disqualified from prosecuting President-elect Trump in his election interference case by a Georgia court of appeals. While the court didn't throw out Trump's indictment, Willis and the assistant DAs working in her office were found to have "no authority to proceed" with the case. 🚨JUST IN🚨 Fulton County DA Fani Willis is disqualified from the so-called election interference case against President Donald J Trump. This ruling coming from the GA Court of Appeals. pic.twitter.com/82jvjYOfXQ — Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) December 19

Trump Effect? US Leading Economic Indicators Positive For First Time Since Feb 2022 For the first time since February 2022, US Leading Economic Indicators was positive in November (post-election)... Source: Bloomberg Building Permits and Stock prices were the biggest positive contributors to the main index while ISM New Orders and the Yield Curve were still notable drags... Source: Bloomberg With November’s gain, the LEI no longer signals an impending recession... "Overall, the rise in LEI is a positive sign for future economic activity in the US," said Justyna Zabinska-La Monica, Senior Manager, Business Cycle Indicators, at The Conference Board, adding

US Existing Home Sales Surged In November, But... After a collapse in new home sales in October (and modest rise in pending and existing home sales), analysts expected a further (small) acceleration in existing home sales in November and they were right as sales rose 4.8% MoM (vs +3.0% exp) - the biggest MoM jump since Feb 2024. That lifted sales up 6.14% YoY - the highest since June 2021... Source: Bloomberg That beat lifted the Total Existing Home Sales SAAR to 4.15mm - six month highs, but in context, still languishing near the lowest since the trough in 2010...

Kamala Lands $20 Million Book Deal And People Have Questions... Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, All time worst presidential loser Kamala Harris is set to make $20 million from a book deal, and may sign an exclusive contract with Netflix, according to a report citing a Harris insider.   The book is set to recount her side of the story regarding what went down in the White House, when Harris replaced Biden as the nominee. The Daily Mail notes that the source told them “Virtually the moment Kamala lost to Trump, the offers began pouring in from the publishing

Peter Schiff: World's Central Banks Are Starting Inflation Again Via SchiffGold.com, On the latest episode of the Peter Schiff Show, Peter dives into a week of new inflation data. He calls out the shaky foundations of the so-called “strong” economy, criticizes foreign central bank policy, and explains how inflation masks the benefits of economic growth. To start, Peter reports alarming deficit numbers for the 2025 fiscal year: During the first two fiscal months of 2025, because we’re already in that fiscal year, the budget deficit in those two months alone was six hundred and twenty four billion dollars. That’s a 65% increase

Where Syria's Six Million Refugees Live The lightning offensive by various Syrian rebel groups that led to the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime on Sunday, December 8, 2024, has sparked a wave of hope among Syrians who have sought refuge outside their borders since the start of the civil war in 2011. In Turkey, a country currently hosting more than three million Syrian refugees according to data from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there were scenes of joy after the end of five decades of a bloody dictatorship established by Hafez al-Assad and perpetuated by his son Bashar.

Sperm Count Has Declined Almost 50% In Men Across The Globe In Recent Decades Via The Mind Unleashed, Imagine if humanity’s future were slipping through our fingers—literally. For decades, the world has been fixated on the threats we can see: climate change, pandemics, economic upheaval. Yet, quietly, an invisible crisis has been brewing inside our bodies. Sperm counts in men have plummeted by nearly 50% worldwide in just a few decades. This isn’t science fiction; it’s happening right now. The implications are staggering. Fertility rates are dropping, and with them, questions about the long-term health of the human race loom larger than

Illegal Fishing Is A Global Problem The state of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing has worsened globally since 2021, according to the 2023 IUU Fishing Risk Index. In 2023, the global IUU score was 2.28 out of 5 (where 5=worst and 0=best), up from 2.24 in 2021. While only a small change, this highlights how there has been no notable progress in overall global IUU fishing risk in recent years. As Statista's Anna Fleck shows in the following chart, China was the worst performing country of 2023 with a high 3.69 out of 5. While China also held this unenviable position in 2021

So, What Country Wants To Be Like Germany Now? Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com, The collapse of Germany shocks many. But I have been discussing why this was inevitable for over a decade... Germany Is Unraveling Just When Europe Needs It Most Bloomberg reports Germany Is Unraveling Just When Europe Needs It Most Germany is reaching a point of no return. Business leaders know it, the people in the country feel it, but politicians haven’t come up with answers. That has set Europe’s largest economy on a path of decline that threatens to become irreversible. Following five years of stagnation, Germany’s

Leftist Officials Move To Delay British Elections As Their Approval Ratings Collapse One of the most revealing narratives that surfaced during the 2024 US election campaign was the argument from establishment journalists that the Constitution and the voting system might be allowing "too much freedom" for the general public.  How can this be true?  Progressive activists claim that voter choice can be manipulated by abuses of free speech (disinformation) and that without controls on that speech the Constitution essentially has a built in self destruct mechanism. Outlets like the New York Times made these arguments specifically in reference to the

With Formation Of New 'Axis', China Has Critical Choice To Make, Says White House's Sullivan Authored by Catherine Yang via The Epoch Times, National security adviser Jake Sullivan has said that with the emerging “alignment of autocracies” as the world takes sides in the Russian–Ukraine war, China faces a defining moment in cementing how the world will view it. If it takes the “darker path,” he said, it will no longer have a way forward as the world’s second-largest economy. “China has a choice to make,” Sullivan said on Dec. 17 in a conversation with Eurasia Group and GZERO Media

Smarter, Faster, & Focused Authored by JP Errico via RealClearHealth, In March of 2016, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) initiated a program to see whether it was possible to literally enhance cognitive function, i.e., become inherently smarter, through technological intervention.  The quest for greater intelligence may sound like the stuff of ancient mythology or dystopian science fiction, complete with tragic moral teachings about hubris.  This tale, however, is less Greek tragedy and more Gene Roddenberry! DARPA’s mission was launched after a decade or so of provocative case reports and small uncontrolled studies that revealed improved mental capacities among

California's Regulations Causing Truck Shortages, Rising Costs, Industry Says Authored by Kimberly Hayek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), California’s zero emission regulations are causing truck shortages and rising costs, according to the trucking and heavy-duty vehicle industry. State officials plan to end traditional combustion truck sales by 2036. A tow truck removes destroyed cars from an Amazon Fulfillment Center in Edwardsville, IL on Dec. 11, 2021, after it was hit by a tornado. Tim Vizer/AFP via Getty Images California’s Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) regulation requires manufacturing companies to gradually increase the percentage of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) they sell on

FTC Bans Hidden 'Junk' Fees For Hotels, Concerts, Sports... But Spares Other Industries The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Tuesday unveiled a new set of rules outlawing the practice of hiding so-called "junk fees" from consumers until the end of the purchase process. However, the long-awaited rules have a relatively narrow scope: They only encompass live event tickets, hotels and vacation rentals -- sparing airlines, auto dealers and many other prominent generators of consumer grievances.   "Consumers searching for hotels or vacation rentals or seats at a show or sporting event will no longer be surprised by a pile of 'resort,'

Resident Of China Sentenced For Stealing Trade Secrets From Tesla Authored by Catherine Yang via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Klaus Pflugbeil, a Canadian man currently residing in China, was sentenced on Dec. 16 to 24 months in prison for selling trade secrets stolen from an American company. The Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington on Aug. 12, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times Pflugbeil was charged in March and pleaded guilty in a New York federal court in June. He and co-conspirator Yilong Shao, who remains at large, had worked for a Canadian manufacturer that sold precision equipment to battery

Kratos Conducts First Test Of Mysterious Stealth Drone  Aviation Week revealed that US-based Kratos Defense successfully tested its Thanatos stealth Uncrewed Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) prototype within the last few months. Steve Fendley, president of Kratos' Unmanned Systems Division, told the aviation news website that the company's Thanatos stealth UCAV was successfully tested in recent months. However, he declined to provide specifics about the test or its location. "Kratos unveiled the Thanatos design in November 2023 when company CEO Eric Demarco said in an earnings report that the company hoped to have a contract within a year. The design shows what

NASA Delays Return Of Stranded Astronauts Until March Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Two astronauts who have been stranded in space for months won’t be able to return to earth until March, NASA said on Dec. 17 as it announced the latest in a string of delays sparked by problems with their Boeing-designed Starliner spacecraft. Boeing Crew Flight Test Astronauts Butch Wilmore (L) and Suni Williams pose for a portrait inside the vestibule between the forward port on the International Space Station's Harmony module and Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 13, 2024. NASA via AP NASA

Deputy Mayor In Washington Has Car Stolen While In The Middle Of City Council Meeting How bad has crime gotten in the U.S.? Here's one for you. In Auburn, Washington, last week a group of kids stole the city’s deputy mayor's car while she was in the middle of a City Council Meeting, where they were voting her into a new role.  On Tuesday, the City Council elected Cheryl Rakes as deputy mayor. Meanwhile, police reported four kids stealing her Kia Soul outside city hall, according to Fox 13 Seattle. "She went into the meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday and came

Nancy Pelosi Profited As Luxury Napa Resort Won COVID-19 Bailout Authored by Leighton Woodhouse via RealClearInvestigations, The Auberge du Soleil, a five-star hillside hotel and spa with a panoramic view overlooking the vineyards of Napa Valley, appears to be first-rate in all ways but one. While the glamorous resort, an hour’s drive from San Francisco, fills rooms that routinely go for $2,000 a night with A-list celebrities and tech titans, financial records suggest it did not provide much of a return to at least two of its investors – Rep. Nancy Pelosi and her husband, Paul. That changed when it received

George Soros Funneled $50 Million Into Shadowy Iran-Sympathizing Nonprofit Among the many nonprofits funded by far-left billionaire George Soros and his even more radical son, Alex, are progressive super PACs, as well as, according to reporting by The New York Post, tens of millions of dollars funneled into a network of groups sympathetic to Iran whose members held top positions within the Biden-Harris administration.  NYPost reviewed records from Soros' Open Society Foundations, revealing that the progressive billionaire has funneled $46.7 million since 2016 into the International Crisis Group, a far-left think tank allegedly connected to an Iranian plot to influence US lawmakers and policies.  Robert

Al-Qaeda Linked Julani Meets With British Diplomats, Discusses Removal From Terror List Authored by Kyle Anzalone via The Libertarian Institute,  The leader of the al-Qaeda-linked Syria rebel group that removed President Bashar al-Assad from power met with British officials to request the removal of sanctions and the terror designation on his group.  Abu Mohammed al-Julani met with Stephen Hickey, director of the Middle East department at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and Ann Snow, the UK’s envoy to Syria in Damascus on Monday.  According to statements given to Middle East Eye, officials from Julani’s Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) said the

Tanker Ships Are Now Being Fitted With Sails To Cut Carbon Footprints Ever seen a massive tanker ship...with wind sails? You might soon. That's because the Sohar Max, a 400,000-deadweight-ton vessel, was just retrofitted with five 35-meter rotor sails at China's COSCO Zhoushan shipyard, according to Bloomberg. The purpose is to reduce fuel use by 6% and cut annual carbon emissions by 3,000 tons.  Bloomberg reported that the shipping industry already faces regulatory pressure to reduce emissions. Rotor sails remain uncommon, and the adoption of wind technologies hinges on cost savings. Their appeal may grow as shippers transition from oil to pricier

Mystery Drones Have Stalked US For Years Authored by Andrew Thornebrooke via The Epoch Times, A sudden spike in unidentified drone sightings in the northeastern United States is unnerving residents and lawmakers alike. Similar incidents have occurred for years, however, with little apparent action from the government. Drone sighting reports in California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Virginia over the past month have raised questions about the possibility that drones are being used to surveil or attack U.S. infrastructure. The sightings follow several high-profile incidents in recent months, including at U.S. military facilities throughout the

Philly Tow Company Owner Sentenced For $8.2 Million Catalytic Converter Theft Ring A family at the center of a catalytic converter theft ring has been sentenced for "operating a multi-million-dollar catalytic converter theft ring throughout the Philadelphia region", according to authorities and a new report from Patch. A Philadelphia towing company owner was exposed as the ringleader of a catalytic converter theft ring, busted in June 2023 after a yearlong investigation, according to Bucks County prosecutors. Six family members, including some from Montgomery County, were sentenced Monday. Authorities revealed TDI Towing was "likely involved in the buying and reselling of over

Michelob Ultra Surpasses Bud Light As Top Draft Beer, Data Shows Authored by Rudy Blalock via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Bud Light, once the reigning champion of American draft beers, continues to experience a decline in its market position. According to a statement from Anheuser-Busch InBev, Bud Light has been surpassed by Michelob Ultra, also owned by the company, as the top draft beer in the United States. Anheuser-Busch also owns Corona, Budweiser, and Stella Artois, among other popular beer brands. Six packs of Michelob Ultra and Bud Light are displayed at a grocery store in San Anselmo, Calif.

High Altitude Unmanned Balloon Passes Near DC, New Jersey A high-altitude unmanned balloon once operated by Loon, formerly an Alphabet subsidiary and now registered to Raven Aerostar as "N254TH," traveled just north of the Baltimore-Washington, DC, airspace at 64,500 feet, moving east at 34 mph towards New Jersey.  Data from FlightAware indicates that N254TH launched from Dangel Airport in South Dakota on Monday and has since traversed the eastern half of the US, now making its way into Delaware and soon New Jersey Zooming in... Balloon website Stratocat provided more details about the balloon under Loon's prior ownership:  Project Loon

Russia Airlifting Air Defense Systems From Syria To Libya Recent satellite imaging has shown that for the past several days Russia is rapidly packing up heavy equipment at its Khmeimim airbase in Latakia and evacuating it in the wake of the collapse of the Assad government on December 8. This is happening even as Moscow is in contact with new governing HTS rulers in Damascus concerning the future fate of the bases, which also includes the strategic naval base at Tartous. Concerning the packed up equipment, including anti-air missile systems, the only question is what's the next destination? Western officials

Trump's Attorneys Allege Juror Misconduct In New York Case Authored by Sam Dorman via The Epoch Times, President-Elect Donald Trump’s attorneys have alleged evidence of “grave juror misconduct” in his falsified business records case that has been playing out in New York. A heavily redacted letter from Dec. 3 and published by the court on Dec. 17 showed Trump’s attorneys stating that the misconduct “violated President Trump’s rights under the federal Constitution and New York law.” The specific allegations are unclear, and recently released correspondence showed Trump’s attorneys disagreeing with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office over how much information

Russia Detains Suspect In Assassination Of Chemical Weapons Top Military Chief Russia on Wednesday has detained a suspect in the killing of a senior Russian general and his assistant in Moscow, which happened when a scooter bomb detonated outside the general's apartment on Tuesday. Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, who headed Russia’s radiological, biological and chemical protection forces, is the highest ranking Russian official to have been assassinated since the Ukraine war began. A man from Uzbekistan has been arrested and is being questioned, the Russia’s Investigative Committee has announced. via Bloomberg Authorities further allege the 29-year-old Uzbek suspect was acting at

Trump's Border Czar Anticipates 'Collateral Arrests' In Mass Deportation Plan Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming border czar said that the forthcoming administration’s deportation efforts will lead to “collateral arrests.” Then-acting ICE Director Tom Homan speaks at an event hosted by the Center for Immigration Studies, on June 5, 2018. Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times Tom Homan, former acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said in a new interview that illegal immigrants who are not accused or charged with other crimes should expect to be detained and deported. “In

Supreme Court Agrees To Hear TikTok Appeal By Catherine Yang of Epoch Times The U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 18 agreed to hear TikTok’s case challenging a law requiring its China-based parent company to divest of the app by Jan. 19, 2025. The court will hear oral arguments on Jan. 10, 2025. TikTok had challenged the divestment law as unconstitutional under the First Amendment, and a three-judge panel in federal court had upheld the law earlier this month. TikTok then appealed to the high court asking for a pause of the Jan. 19 deadline and asking it to treat its

Watch Live: Fed Chair Powell Explains Why He Cut Rates Again As Inflation Data Surges This should be good... How is Fed Chair Powell going to explain why The Fed just cut rates AGAIN, despite inflation and growth (hard data) surprising dramatically to the upside? (with one dissent seeing sense and urging no cuts). ...and if they claim that "rates are still restrictive" - show them this... financial conditions are at their loosest since before The Fed started hiking rates... Still we are sure that Powell will find a way to navigate the 'tough' questions from various economics reporters, leveraging

Hawkish Fed Cut Rates As Expected; Signals Dramatically Less Aggressive Rate-Cut Cycle Tl;dr: The Fed has clearly decided that Trump's policies will be inflationary - ignoring for a moment the forced-hand of a rate-cut today, they hiked their inflation and interest rate forecasts dramatically, with the latter catching up to the hawkish market's perception. But despite the hawkish shift, they see the unemployment rate basically unchanged from where it is now... We'll see which of those is wrong soon... Countdown to 2025 recession has begun (yes, Trump will be blamed). Next debt step function: 15 trillion in debt to current

Extending Olive Branch? Houthis Reportedly Plan Security Maritime Seminar With Shipping Insiders In a surprising move, Iran-backed Houthi rebels—responsible for dozens of attacks on Western-linked commercial vessels and warships in the critical maritime chokepoint of the Southern Red Sea—are reportedly planning to host a seminar and webinar on "security of navigation in the Red Sea." The shipping news website gCaptain, citing a report from the maritime publication TradeWinds, indicated that the Houthis are extending an olive branch to industry insiders by seeking input on the agenda for an upcoming conference on security and shipping, aimed at providing insights to "enrich the discussion." 

"They Hate Trump" - Steve Quayle Fears 'Nuke False Flag' To Keep Him Out Of Office Via Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com, Renowned radio host, filmmaker, book author and archeological dig expert Steve Quayle is telling the public to brace themselves for the evil deeds that will be done to try to keep President Elect Donald Trump from taking office.  This includes a false flag nuke that will be blamed on Russia.  One side of government is trying to nuke America, and another side of government is trying to stop it.  This is what some say all the drone traffic is about.  Quayle

Almost 8 Million Illegal Aliens Live In American 'Sanctuary Cities'; Report Authored by Eric Lendrum via American Greatness, A new study from a hardline immigration think tank claims that nearly 8 million illegal aliens are currently residing in the United States due to “sanctuary” cities and states run by Democrats. As reported by Breitbart, the study from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) determined that there are at least 7.9 million illegals being protected from immigration authorities by these rogue jurisdictions, presenting possible complications for the incoming second Trump Administration. The vast majority of these illegals, 6.3 million, are found in

Trump Effect: Canada Bends The Knee, Puts $1.3 Billion Into Border Security After Tariff Threat While Canada's government continues to implode, America's apologetic neighbors have committed to spend $1.3 billion (US$913 million) over six years to beef up their border security, after President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian imports for allowing migrants and fentanyl to flow into America. The funds will go towards Public Safety Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency, the Communications Security Establishment, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police," according to a statement. While not much is known about how the funds

"Free Speech Is A Human Right!" Professors Jonathan Turley & Dave Karpf Clash In a divide that says a lot about where Americans stand, depending on whom you ask “The Twitter Files” were a revolutionary exposé of government censorship or a “nothingburger”. George Washington law professor and favorite among ZeroHedge readers Jonathan Turley debated his left-leaning GW colleague, David Karpf, on the preeminent speech question of our age: how to secure free online discourse. Moderated by Gene Epstein of The SoHo Forum, they discussed Musk’s acquisition of Twitter and whether its new form — X — has been a net

The Tone Regarding Ukraine's Future Has Shifted Significantly And Fast By Teeuwe Mevissen, Senior Macro Strategist at Rabobank While Trump still has to be officially inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States of America, it almost seems he already entered the White House. This has already been demonstrated by Trumps attendance of the formal reopening of one of the pinnacles  of French gothic architecture. Indeed, the Notre Dame. In the limelight of this event, Trump, Macron and Zelensky had a meeting where they discussed the future of Ukraine. While no clear deal(s) seem to have been made yet

Textron Halts ATV, UTV, Snowmobile Production Amid Imploding Consumer Demand Defense contractor and industrial conglomerate Textron has halted production of its entire powersports product line within its Specialized Vehicles unit, which includes golf carts, utility vehicles, side-by-sides, ATVs, and snowmobiles. Textron cited "soft" consumer end-market powersports demand, a warning that overlaps with Polaris' concerns about "challenging retail demand" for its ATVs, UTVs, and jet skis. Textron's powersports line includes ATVs, UTVs, and snowmobiles by Arctic Cat, golf carts by E-Z-GO, and utility offroad/ turf vehicles by Cushman and Jacobsen.  "The consumer end market demand for powersports products continues to remain soft," Textron wrote in

Bluesky 'Trust And Safety' Head Embraces Canadian-Style Speech Limits For Liberal Site Authored by Jonathan Turley, After the election, liberal pundits and media have attempted to rally the public in a shift from X to Bluesky, a smaller site that is viewed as a safe space for the left. I have been critical of the move as a retreat deeper into the liberal echo chamber after an election that showed how out-of-touch many of these writers were with the majority of voters. They would be better served engaging with a broader swath of public opinion.  Today, one of the top Bluesky officials

WTI Holds Gains As 'Tank Bottoms' Loom At Cushing Hub; Crude Stocks Drop For 4th Straight Week  Oil prices are higher this morning after API's overnight report signaled a sizable drawdown in US commercial crude inventories and Kazakhstan pledged to comply with OPEC+ production quotas. The cartel member had earlier unsettled markets by signaling that it would adhere to its original plan of raising oil output by 190,000 barrels a day, according to Rebecca Babin, senior energy trader at CIBC Private Wealth Group, despite OPEC’s decision to delay production hikes. Still,“the rally remains fragile, with broader macroeconomic factors continuing to dominate

OKLO Pumps'n'Dumps After Signing 'Historic' Agreement With Data Center Company To Provide Power Through 2044 Update (1030ET): It's one of those days. OKLO has given back all its gains from the pre-market ramp and is now unchanged... *  *  * As we detailed earlier, Sam Altman-backed nuclear startup Oklo is the latest name to benefit from the growing consensus shift to nuclear power. On Wednesday the company announced a framework agreement with data center operator Switch where both companies have signed a non-binding Master Power Agreement to deploy 12 gigawatts of Oklo Aurora powerhouse projects through 2044, according to an Oklo

Young Americans Start Laughing At Kamala As She Spews Word Salad Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, America was reminded once again Tuesday that not only did President Trump literally dodge a bullet, but that the country dodged one too in the form of Kamala Harris. Speaking at… something or other for students, recent graduates, volunteers and apprentices at Prince George’s Community College in Maryland, Harris pulled another word salad out of her arsenal, prompting the young people in the crowd to start laughing at her. She spewed a load of nonsense and then asked them to remember “the context

Teamsters Threaten Pre-Christmas Amazon Warehouse Strikes, Warn Of "Serious Impact On Customers" Amazon Teamsters have warned of potential labor actions at several warehouses nationwide, citing the e-commerce giant's "continued refusal to recognize their union and negotiate contracts." The potential strikes, coming just days before Christmas, could disrupt logistical supply chains as consumers ramp up their holiday shopping.  Amazon warehouses in Southern California, New York, and Illinois are at risk of strikes, according to the union. Amazon Teamsters at four Southern-California facilities — DFX4, DAX5, KSBD, and DAX8 — have overwhelmingly authorized strikes after the corporation's continued refusal to recognize their union and negotiate

Trump Formally Wins Electoral College Vote Authored by Rachel Acenas via The Epoch Times, President-elect Donald Trump has formally won the Electoral College, officially securing the presidency on Tuesday. Trump reached the milestone when electors in Texas awarded him the state’s 40 electoral votes and sealed his victory. Texas officials joined other presidential electors across the country as they convened at their respective state capitols to cast their electoral ballots and formalize Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election held on November 5. Electoral votes for the election were allocated to states based on the 2020

Renter Nation Returns? Multi-Family Building Permits Soared In November A mixed picture of the housing market this morning with Housing Starts declining for the third straight month (-1.8% MoM vs +2.6% MoM exp) but Building Permits soaring 6.1% MoM (massively outperforming the +1.0% exp) - the biggest MoM jump since Feb 2023... Source: Bloomberg That lifted the Permits SAAR to 1.505mm - the highest since Feb 2024 - while Starts SAAR fell to near COVID lockdown lows... Source: Bloomberg The surge in Permits was all thanks to multi-family units (which rose 22.1% MoM - the most since Feb 2023) while

S&P On Pace For 58th Record High Of The Year With Fed Set To Cut Rates US equity futures and global stocks rebounded on Wednesday as investors awaited the Fed's final policy decision of the year, where the US central bank is widely expected to cut 25bps. As of 8:00am, futures for the S&P 500 advanced 0.3%, on pace for their 58th record high of the year, while Nasdaq 100 futs rose 0.2% after both indexes fell on Tuesday. We are seeing some momentum reversions early with TSLA (-2.5% pre mkt after closing at a new ATH yday) and NVDA (+2.7%)

Final Countdown: Slovakia Warns Of "Economic Damage" As Ukraine NatGas Transit Nears End Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has warned of financial turmoil and emphasized the urgent need to maintain Russian NatGas flows through Ukraine, as a NatGas transit agreement with Moscow is set to expire in the coming weeks. Fico was quoted by Bloomberg on Wednseday, warning about the end of $525 million in transit fees per year it earns if Russian NatGas through Ukraine stops flowing. He said these fees are critical for state coffers.  "Are we just going to let that pipeline dry up?" Fico said, adding, "In the name of what? Because you