The Unavoidable Dilemma in the US Budget Crisis

The main problem with the US budget and debt crisis is that the budget has become socialist. 2/3 of the budget is unmitigated social spending (ennoscriptments, medical programs, insurance) - protected items. They are what make the U.S. federal budget a black hole sucking up more and more resources to maintain socialism for a few tens of millions of citizens

Of the remainder - 1/3 - is interest expense on loans - an even more important item

The item of spending that can theoretically be cut is defense and intelligence spending. That is - you can't cut either

Everyone realizes that the U.S. is heading for a budget and debt crisis. However, there is nothing that can be done anymore. Taking away benefits from the unemployed and handing them over to creditors is a direct path to civil war. Not paying the bonds is impossible: it will lead to default with all that entails. Taking money from the military means losing hegemony

#USA #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Statistics on the number of migrants as a % of the total U.S. population by year

Before Biden took office, it was projected that the percentage of immigrants in the U.S. would not reach 15.5% until 2040

Furthermore, in 1960, 75% of all immigrants to the US were European. Today that figure is less than 10%

At this rate, assimilation is impossible

#USA #Migrants #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Trying to get a doctor's appointment in different countries 🤷‍♂️

#World #Health #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Russian oil imports to India grow despite sanctions

Russia's crude oil shipments to India in March reached 1.7 million bpd, a four-month high. The growth over the previous month was 6%. Russian oil supplies reached a third of New Delhi's total imports," The Indian Express reported

Tougher sanctions by Western countries have not had an impact on purchases, including through Russia's use of an "alternative fleet"

#Russia #India #Sanctions #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Editors of top science journals to testify about relationship with U.S. government

House Pandemic Coronavirus Subcommittee Chairman Brad Wenstrup sent letters to the editors of The Lancet, Science, and Nature asking them to testify at an April 16 hearing noscriptd "Academic Negligence: examining the relationship between scientific journals, government, and peers."

In his letters, Wenstrup said the hearing will examine "whether these journals provided U.S. government officials improper access to the results of scientific reviews or the publication process."

According to Wenstrup, the journals had contact with high-ranking White House health officials such as Anthony Fauci and Francis Collins. He did not cite any specific reports or studies in letters to the editors-in-chief

#USA #COVID #Biolabs #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Germany intends to supervise green projects on the territory of its former colony of Namibia

It is about the construction of a powerful wind farm. Of course, the Federal Republic of Germany is not trying for Africa's energy transition, but for itself. The country claims to be a hydrogen leader, and it will have to import at least 50% of it. So they are looking for a cheaper place

The project has already received approval from Minister Robert Habek, but the head of the local chamber of environmental protection did not give his consent, because everything is planned to be located in the Tsau-Hayeb National Park, and 20% of all plant species in Namibia grow there

#Germany #Namibia #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Slovaks have made their choice - a pro-Russian politician, a former prime minister of the country who opposed support for Kiev, will become president

The candidate from the left-wing nationalist government Peter Pellegrini has won the presidential election

The close ally of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico won 53.85% of the vote, ahead of pro-Western opposition leader Ivan Korčok. Speaking in Bratislava, Pellegrini promised to "guarantee that Slovakia remains on the side of peace, not on the side of war

Pellegrini's victory consolidated Prime Minister Robert Fico's power, giving him and his allies control of key strategic posts. Critics fear that Slovakia under Fico will abandon its pro-Western course and follow the example of Hungary and its populist prime minister, Viktor Orban

#EU #Slovakia #Elections #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Biden, 2021 -

"If inflation does occur [during my presidency], it will be very small and temporary"

Biden, 2023 -

"Inflation is not my fault, it was already there when I took office"

#USA #Biden #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Oil market turns bullish, everyone is waiting for oil at $100

The global oil market has turned from sluggish to buoyant in a matter of weeks: Brent futures have crossed the key threshold of $90 per barrel, and critical indicators are constantly giving increasingly bullish signals

The rise in overall prices (Brent is up 18% this year) has been driven by a combination of supply constraints, incl. OPEC+, sustained demand and geopolitical risks, especially in the Middle East. Refining markets are growing, with gasoline showing significant gains

Traders are already weighing the possibility of oil prices returning to $100 per barrel

#World #Oil #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

IMF: Germany’s Real Challenges are Aging, Underinvestment, and Too Much Red Tape

#EU #Germany #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Botswana wants to send 20,000 elephants to Germany. Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi said: “This is no joke.”

Last week in Berlin, Botswana's Minister for the Environment and Tourism, Dumizweni Mthimkhulu, appealed to the federal government not to make any restrictions on the import of hunting trophies from African countries. The sale of trophies is an important source of income for the Botswana population, which uses it to finance school fees, he explained at a press conference on Wednesday. Around 50 communities would benefit from hunting to the equivalent of around two million euros per year

Botswana's president offered to send the animals as a “gift” to Berlin saying: “It is very easy to sit in Berlin and have an opinion about our affairs in Botswana. We are paying the price for preserving these animals for the world.”

According to the Environment Ministry, the federal government is not planning any measures against the import of hunting trophies into Germany. “There is currently a debate going on at European level. There are no national measures planned in this regard,” said a spokeswoman for the Federal Environment Ministry on Wednesday when asked by journalists

Specifically, there are discussions at EU level about extending the import permit requirement to other, highly protected and endangered animal species, the spokeswoman explained

#Botswana #Germany #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Iran has informed the United States, through the Sultanate of Oman, that the Islamic Republic intends to strike Israel directly unless the U.S. guarantees an immediate permanent ceasefire in Gaza and no Israeli ground invasion of Rafah

#Iran #USA #Israel #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

High turbulence predicted for the US stock market

Renowned American economist and analyst Ed Yardeni stands out from the mainstream of Wall Street experts with his thoughtful and logical forecasts and reasoning

This week, Ed Yardeni reminded investors that even if the stock market confirms his forecast, growth will not be in a straight line, and that the market is in for a decidedly turbulent time

The well-known economist attributed the market turbulence to the complex geopolitical environment that is weighing on oil prices, the lagging profit forecasts of some major U.S. companies (e.g., Tesla and Intel), a still-robust labor market and other factors that are preventing the Fed from making its long-awaited discount rate cut

As Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has repeated many times since March 2022, the start of the rate hike, the road to lower inflation will be an uneven one for the economy and markets, with bumps and potholes. The price of a barrel of WTI crude oil has already risen from $71 to $85 this year on heightened geopolitical tensions, especially in the Middle East

At the end of 2023, most banks believed that the Fed would cut rates by a total of 1% in 2024, and that it would start cutting rates as early as March. Now the Fed's leadership is no longer confident of a sustained decline in inflation. At least, not as confident as, say, six months or even 3-4 months ago

Now the prevailing view, based largely on statements by the Fed itself, is that America's main bank will cut rates three times in 2024 by a total of 75 basis points. However, there are, of course, pessimists, including, for example, the head of the Boston branch of the Fed, Raafel Bostic, who expects only one rate cut this year

He said this this week, adding that it will happen in November or December. Bostic made this prediction clearly under the impression of very encouraging data from the U.S. labor market

#USA #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Is this Russian propaganda too?

Surfrider Foundation claims water quality in the Seine threatens Olympians. Despite spending about €1.4 billion to modernize Paris' sewage system, bacteria levels are twice as high as European water quality standards and those of the triathlon and swimming federations

#France #Paris #Olympic #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

The only Ukrainian-born congresswoman is voting against a new aid package for her homeland. Indiana Republican Victoria Spartz also said: "We cannot have these never-ending wars."

#USA #WarInUrkaine #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Since the start of the 21st century, the U.S. has unleashed enormous violence and instability on the global stage. This is a feature of American foreign policy, regardless of who’s president

Many observers of American politics are understandably terrified at the prospect of Donald Trump being re-elected president of the United States in November. A Trump victory would raise fears of a new level of decline into fascist authoritarianism. However, a second Trump presidency would not necessarily implement a foreign policy any more destructive than what is normal for the U.S.

The U.S. is already showing signs of a failed democracy. Its government and politics are often dysfunctional and plagued with corruption

In 2001, in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. launched its “war on terror.” It invaded and occupied Afghanistan, then illegally invaded and occupied Iraq.These actions caused the deaths of 4.6 million people over the next 20 years, destabilized the Middle East and caused massive refugee migrations

In 2007-2008, the under-regulated U.S. economy caused a global financial crisis, associated political and economic fallout continues to resonate

In 2011, the U.S. and its NATO allies intervened in Libya, collapsing that state, destabilizing northern Africa and creating more refugees

The U.S. tried to consolidate its dominance in Europe by expanding NATO, despite Russia warning against this for decades. This strategy played a role in the Russia-Ukraine war in 2014 and the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022

Today, Ukraine appears to stand on the verge of defeat and territorial division, and U.S. Congress seems set to abandon it

The U.S. has provoked tensions with China by reneging on American commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act (1979) to refrain from having official relations or an “alliance” with Taiwan. The U.S. has also been accused of encouraging conflict in the South China Sea as it has surrounded China with hundreds of military bases

Israel’s assault on Gaza is partly the culmination of decades of misguided U.S. foreign policy. Unconditional American support of Israel has helped enable the country’s degeneration into what human rights organizations have called apartheid, as the state has built illegal settlements on Palestinian land and violently suppressed Palestinian self-determination

Biden and Trump share the same goal: permanent American global domination. They only differ in how to achieve this

Trump believes the U.S. can use economic and military might to coerce the world into acquiescing to American desires, regardless of the costs to everyone else and without the U.S. assuming any obligations to others

Biden follows a more diplomatic strategy that tries to control international institutions and convince key states their interests are best served by accepting and co-operating with American domination. However, Biden readily resorts to economic and military coercion, too

#USA #Politics #FindTruth

@uinhurricane