Posted originally on May 2, 2025 by Martin Armstrong
Donald Trump signed a new Executive Order to overhaul federal workforce training to prepare Americans for skilled trade jobs. The US federal government funnels $700 billion per year to American universities, but most students exit the education system without any real job prospects in their field of study. This initiative aims to teach young Americans skilled trades that will lead to guaranteed employment and close the labor shortage gap.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the US workforce was short 447,000 construction workers and 94,000 durable goods workers. At the current trajectory, the agency believes the nation will be short half a million tradesman positions over the next decade. Over 20% of American manufacturing plants reported labor shortages in 2024, leading to a decline in productivity. Trump has been keenly focused on expanding America’s shrinking manufacturing sector and this initiative is a step in the right direction.
Shortage estimates vary. A Deloitte/Manufacturing Institute report warned of 1.9 million unfilled manufacturing jobs by 2033, as 3.8 million role will need to be filled. Manufacturing employment plummeted to its lowest level during the pandemic with nearly half (46.3%) of the sector out of work. Pandemic aside, manufacturers are struggling to find skilled laborers, with the same Deloitte poll noting that 65% of manufacturers found attracting and retaining talent was their primary business challenge. It was also revealed that 47% of companies would begin to offer work-study or apprenticeship programs.
Trump’s new plan would provide support for 1 million apprenticeships annually. No amount of academia can compensate for a lack of hands-on experience. The old notion that one must complete higher education to obtain a good-paying job is a relic of the past. In fact, many of these trade positions offer excellent first-year pay compared to entry-level corporate jobs. Additionally, these are jobs that likely cannot be replaced with AI. There will always be a need for plumbers, electricians, welders, etc. Higher education is unnecessary for most fields, and reframing education as an opportunity to learn directly from those in the field is an excellent way to educate the next generation of workers, albeit at the detriment of universities.
Posted originally on May 2, 2025 by Martin Armstrong
The minerals deal was enough to entice President Donald Trump to cave, siding with Kiev and permitting the first US sale of military equipment to Ukraine since taking office. Trump has been extremely critical of Zelensky since the war began, consistently warning Zelensky that he has blood on his hands and must end the war.
Congress approved a $50 million defense package to Ukraine through direct commercial sales (DCS). Trump is a businessman first and foremost—the mineral deal had to be approved before he would approve of any aid package. The United States now has preferential rights to extract minerals from Ukraine. This will provide the US with rare earth elements that are essential for technology and defense at a time when China is withholding sales.
Ukraine retains full ownership over its subsoil and natural resources. Any extraction must be approved by Kyiv. The deal will establish a joint Reconstruction Investment Fund—50% of revenue from licenses for Ukrainian minerals and oil will go into this fund that is intended to aid Ukraine. “Together with the United States, we will create a fund that will attract Western investments to our country,” Ukraine’s Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said. “We will manage this fund jointly with the United States. Neither party will have a majority vote, reflecting an equal partnership between Ukraine and the United States.”
Svyrydenko believes that the US will entice others to invest into the fund, which is supported by the US International Finance Cooperation (DFC). “DFC will help us attract investments and technologies from funds and companies in both the US and the EU and other countries that support our fight against the Russian enemy,” Svyrydenko said. She also noted that the first decade of profits and revenues will only be invested in Ukraine.
“In recognition of the significant financial and material support that the people of the United States have provided to the defense of Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion, this economic partnership positions our two countries to work collaboratively and invest together to ensure that our mutual assets, talents, and capabilities can accelerate Ukraine’s economic recovery,” the US Treasury Department stated.
While the Kremlin has not officially commented at the time of this writing, there are statements coming from Moscow condemning this deal. Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, believes Trump is taking advantage of Ukraine by strategically asking it to “pay for U.S. aid with mineral resources.” He declared that “Ukraine is a vanishing country” and believes the US is simply profiting off of a broken nation. Sergei Markov stated that prolonging military spending will only prolong the war and deter any diplomatic efforts.
China controls 75% of the world’s rare earth minerals, and the US has been desperate to secure new reserves in the wake of the trade war. Ukraine’s mineral deposits have been largely untouched up until now. There were strategic reasons for the US to sign this deal, but it remains to be seen whether this move will lead to further involvement in this perpetual proxy war.
Posted originally on May 2, 2025 by Martin Armstrong
COVID-19 has become a repressed memory to the majority. I have not forgotten the injustice caused by the hands of belligerent politicians who have never faced justice for their crimes against humanity. One of endless aspects of injustice occurred at the hands of Democratic governors who insisted that infected elderly patients be sent back to nursing home facilities, resulting 1 in 10 nursing home residents dying from the virus.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has certainly been vocal about Trump being authoritarian. Yet, no one has charged him for forcing COVID-infected patients into nursing homes. Over 80% of COVID deaths in Minnesota occurred in nursing home facilities, yet Walz takes no responsibility. “This was what everyone was doing. This was not a mistake,” the failed Democrat VP nominee stated. He issued fines up to $1,000 or 90 days in jail for anyone found guilty of violating his stay-at-home lockdown. Then, of course, there was his infamous COVID hotline for people to report on their neighbors for failing to adhere to Walz’s orders. Walz claimed, “[O]ne person’s socialism is another person’s neighborliness.” This man would have been the second-most powerful person in the nation had Kamala won the election.
Andrew Cuomo of New York was the only governor to face a public trial after his policies led to 15,000 nursing home deaths. The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic found Cuomo guilty of covering up his involvement in the matter and falsifying records, yet he faced no charges for his crimes.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy insisted that the elderly be sent back to nursing care facilities to alleviate hospital overcrowding. As a result, over 50% of COVID deaths in the state occurred in long-term care facilities, and 17% of residents in these facilities passed away, surpassing 15,000 people. He has not been charged.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer enforced policies that exposed the state’s most vulnerable population to the virus. As a result. 5% of nursing home resident died or around 2,000 people. She has not been charged.
California’s Governor Gavin Newsom initially followed New York’s policy of forcing the sick back into long-term care facilities, but quickly changed course as the death toll began to rise. Too little, too late as 2% of residents or around 2,000 people passed away. He has not been charged.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf forced COVID-positive elderly patients back into nursing homes. Half of the state’s COVID deaths occurred in these facilities, with reported outbreaks occurring at 407 state facilities. The total death toll has not been made public. He has not been charged.
There should be no COVID amnesty. The same politicians are now claiming that Trump is dismantling our society, yet they take no responsibility for what they did during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Posted originally on May 2, 2025 by Martin Armstrong
All my sources have been singing the same song. Carney won by creating hatred of Donald Trump, for this was a strategy carried out for the sole purpose of moving away from the USA and aligning with the EU. Even when Carney first became PM, he went to the EU, not to Washington. He is still part of the whole WEF agenda. They ditched Schwab, but it’s the same old car with a new paint job to change the appearance. So you won’t hear the slogan You will own nothing and be happy. They intend to promote this without the label.
Let’s get real. There is ABSOLUTELY no question that Canada will split West vs East. While the US did that with the Civil War over Slavery, this time we are staring into the eyes of economic decline, and we will see a worldwide recession into 2028. That is the economic trigger that sparks change. India had split between East and West, Hindu vs Islam; the Balkans are still divided, Ukraine has hated Russians and was into ethnic cleansing. Greece has had a long-standing hatred for Turkey since the days of Alexander the Great. In case you have not noticed, the world is deeply divided for varying reasons.
Thus, Canada is not alone in this separatist movement. The European Union will also not survive, and trouble is brewing in Asia; by no means will the United States be exempt. In Britain, you still have Scottish vs English. Ireland is still divided, North vs South.
The root cause of this rise in separatism is always an abusive centralized government. Once you hand power to a centralized government, it takes a revolution ever to get it back. As they say, you can vote your way into Socialism, but you have to shoot your way out. It always starts with the denial of free speech. Sometimes these splits end up in a civil war, and at other times it has been a bloodless revolution, as we saw in Russia in 1991, when the vast majority of the people did not support the leaders. This is what is unfolding in the EU, and you can expect to see the same in Canada. Carney is determined to keep the whole WOKE/CLIMATE Agenda in place and carry it out into 2030. Nothing has changed.
Canada will split between East and West due to economics. This is not just a personal opinion of mine. I don’t live there. This is the judgment of history, and this process has been going on for thousands of years. California has now become the 4th largest economy in the world, so even one state is now bigger than all of Canada, which is ranked 9th among nations, with the US #1, China #2, and Japan #3. Even India has recently overtaken the UK to become the 5th largest economy. So, Carney wants to abandon trade with the US and align with the EU? He is not a financial genius, but a devotee of the WEF. Western Canada will have NO CHOICE but to split from Carney’s centralized control, which will be more devoted to the WEF Agenda 2030 than Trudeau. Just the same old car with a new engine and paint job.
Communism collapsed because it resulted in stagnated economic growth that, over time, turned negative. Just compare Canada to the United States, and you see that highly socialistic economies also produce lower economic growth.
We see that the very same socialist policies in Europe have ensured that economic growth has been dismal. Carney wants to align Canada with the EU because this is the alignment of Marxism that destroyed Russia and China under Communism. Carney cares nothing about the Canadian people. This is all about a political philosophy that has failed every single time.
Posted originally on CTH on May 2, 2025 | Sundance
Think about it. We’ve already heard about the massive stoppages of April factory work in China, causing serious concern for Beijing and Chinese worker protests.
(Via CNBC) – Chinese bargain retailer Temu changed its business model in the U.S. as the Trump administration’s new rules on low-value shipments took effect Friday.
In recent days, Temu has abruptly shifted its website and app to only display listings for products shipped from U.S.-based warehouses. Items shipped directly from China, which previously blanketed the site, are now labeled as out of stock.
Temu made a name for itself in the U.S. as a destination for ultra-discounted items shipped direct from China, such as $5 sneakers and $1.50 garlic presses. It’s been able to keep prices low because of the so-called de minimis rule, which has allowed items worth $800 or less to enter the country duty-free since 2016.
The loophole expired Friday at 12:01 a.m. EDT as a result of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in April. (more)
The de minimis loophole comes from back in the 1930s. The idea back then was, say you went on a vacation to Paris, you shouldn’t have to file customs paperwork or pay taxes if you decided to ship some little Eiffel Tower statues to your friends back home.
Congress in 2015 then raised the de minimis threshold from $200 to $800. However, the e-commerce world exploded, and Chinese companies began using the de minimis loophole to ship cheap goods (ex. Temu and Shein) into the USA direct to consumers without paying any customs duty.
On April 2nd, as part of the global trade reset and tariff structure, President Trump revoked authorization for Chinese goods to transfer to the USA using the de minimis rule. The de minimis exemption was cancelled for all products coming out of China. The rule change only targeted China and Chinese shippers. No one else. [XO HERE]
As part of the modification to Executive Order #14257, President Trump has increased the baseline tariff for product mailed from China [de minimis tariff] from 30 90 percent to 120%.
Mailed products from China now face a 120% tariff. Additionally, minimum tariff amounts increased from $75 to $100 effective May 1st, and from $150 to $2oo effective June 1st. [See Section #4]
Example: If you order a $20 shirt from China effective June 1st, you will pay $220. $20 for the shirt, and $200 minimum tariff.
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