Arrogant Demands Have Consequences – Mass Exodus as U.S. Trade Staff Hit Dead Ends and Unwilling Cooperation


Posted originally on the CTH on January 28, 2024 | Sundance

A story surfacing in Politico about the collapse of the office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and the inability of the entire trade policy group to find any willing trade partners was entirely predictable.

You might remember how the insufferable U.S. business media constantly said the Trump trade team was not going to be successful because the administration was disliked by global trade partners. Every Trump trade approach from tariffs to section 301 compliance, to U.S. demands around foreign policy tied to the economic Trump Doctrine was decried by U.S. multinational corporations as too divisive, too intransigent. However, Donald Trump and his trade wolverines racked up more trade wins and established more trade agreements than any administration in history.

From KORUS (Korea/US) to the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, India, Japan, European energy deals, massive changes with China, new Ag agreements, demanded technology sector investment back in the USA, and the successful renegotiation of NAFTA (Canada, Mexico, USA) into the USMCA – all of it was stunning in scale, scope and success. Trump’s global trade success was exactly the opposite of every predictive declaration by the professional media. All of the Trump strategic policy shift created the framework for the largest domestic expansion of the U.S. economy, evident in every 2019 economic metric prior to the pandemic.

Biden took office with the full support of the lying liars who lie in the media, and they said Biden’s team was a shoo-in for success. Again, exactly the opposite has happened.

The ideological leftists who came with the Obama/Biden plan forcibly tried to push their Green New Deal policies into every trade agreement. The result and response from all U.S. trade partners has been a massive failure of epic proportions.

Despite the international pontifications around support for the globalist energy policies, ie. the “Build Back Better” bulls**t pushed by western government, the World Economic Forum and the globalists, when it comes to where the rubber hits the road no nation is willing to attach themselves to the economically destructive millstone demands of U.S trade. In material fact, many of the BBB agenda priorities are now completely rejected by the same politicians who promoted them.

In part, we in the USA are suffering through some of the most horrific inflationary economic outcomes from this Biden ‘Green New Deal’ program. Any nation that aligned itself is feeling the same impact in direct proportion to how close they followed the program. The more ‘Green’ compliant the nation, the more the economic hardship upon the citizens within that nation. This is just the non-pretending reality of the thing.

So, it doesn’t come as any great surprise to see a thoroughly rejected and dejected career trade group now walking to the exits with zero accomplishments for their last three years of effort.

WASHINGTON – Frustration with a stalled trade agenda and unhappiness with the leadership of President Joe Biden’s trade chief is pushing more than a half-dozen senior trade officials out the door, according to four current and former administration officials with knowledge of the departures.

The exits include the White House’s point person on international economics and two of the three deputy U.S. trade representatives responsible for implementing the Biden administration’s “worker-centered” trade policy.

The exodus comes after Biden’s trade agenda ran aground on multiple fronts in 2023: failing to reach a green steel and aluminum deal with the European Union and pulling out of trade talks that were part of the U.S.-crafted Indo-Pacific Economic Framework in November. The administration, meanwhile, remains internally divided on other key trade policy decisions, like how to regulate digital information flowing across the globe.

Those headwinds — and the realization that little real progress is likely to be made in an election year during which former President Donald Trump will put a glaring spotlight on trade — have convinced some officials it’s time to move on. Adding to the frustration: simmering discontent with the management practices of U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai.

[…] Biden’s “worker-centered” trade agenda was designed to smooth over frayed relations with close trading partners and win back those blue-collar workers in battleground states. But his sweeping plans to reshape global trade rules haven’t assuaged concerns from Democrats who worry that Trump will again use trade issues as a cudgel against them in the industrial Midwest — a region that could determine control of Congress and the White House in November.

That disconnect has forced USTR to freeze, abandon, or dramatically scale back its signature initiatives and negotiations, leaving some top lawmakers and staffers frustrated. In particular, Wyden and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) are fuming that the administration hasn’t matched the Trump administration’s accomplishments on trade, like the binding labor and environmental standards that Democrats got inserted into the rewrite of NAFTA that Trump signed in 2020.

“Sen. Brown and I have consistently said that you need the kind of proposal that you saw in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement where you open up markets for business and you have tough enforcement,” said Wyden, “and a lot of what’s been put up doesn’t meet that test.” (read more)

Go figure!….

Want success?…

Want trade deals that lift the USA economy?…

Want USA “deflation,” yes, the actual lowering of prices for goods and services?…

Want lower costs of goods, and lower prices for consumers by leveraging the size of the USA market?…

…..Get Donald Trump Back in Office!

The Student Loan Boycott


Posted originally on Jan 25, 2024 By Martin Armstrong 

Student Loans

President Joe Biden promised student loan cancelation during his initial presidential campaign. This became a big selling point for one-issue voters strapped with debt, but Biden likely knew this was a promise he could not carry out. The Biden Administration made a dent in the student debt crisis by forgiving around $127 billion, which means that tax payers at large will foot the bill. Three years have passed since student loan payments were paused due to COVID, and now, millions are refusing to resume payments.

Around 43 million borrowers now owe $1.63 trillion in student loans. Intelligent.com found that around 25% of student loan borrowers have not made a single payment since October 2023 when the grace period ended, and 60% have missed at least one payment since then. Why? Well, 69% state that they simply can no longer afford to pay off their debt. Around 9% said they are entitled to debt cancelation and will not pay a single penny as an act of resistance.

Boycotting student loans is asinine. Should people boycott their mortgages, car loans, or other debt that they deliberately agreed to take on? Lenders will not cave as this is simply business.

The on-ramp period will end in September 2024 and 18% have said they are waiting nine more months to resume payments. Do they realize their loans are still accumulating interest? They still need to pay the accrued interest before any of their payments go toward the principal. This period was merely meant to give borrowers a cushion from October 2023 to September 2024 to sort out their finances. The Education Department will begin reporting missed and late payments to credit bureaus in September.

Millions may see their credit scores ruined. Loans become delinquent after 90 days, and after 270 days, loans will go into default. The government will prevent anyone found delinquent from receiving future aid. Forget receiving any tax refunds. They will garnish wages, taking what they feel is necessary without factoring in your other monthly expenses. Still holding out on the student loan boycott? The government can take legal action against borrowers’ assets. You could lose absolutely everything.

Hillary Students

To the 69% who say they can no longer afford their loan, bankruptcy is no longer an option, thanks to politicians in the same party offering loan forgiveness without a plan. Former President Bill Clinton repealed the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 in November 1999. This handed students to the banks on a silver platter as they could no longer discharge debt through the traditional bankruptcy process.

September 2024 also happens to be when our models predict a massive rise in civil unrest and a potential DRAFT at the end of the month. People wanting to boycott will lose absolutely everything if they abandon their loan payment responsibility. There are serious consequences for failing to repay your debts.

Glenn Rips Apart Biden’s “Save Democracy” Speech


Posted originally on Rumble By Glen Greenwald on: Jan 7, 2024

Biden Admin Announces Release of Additional $250 Million in Ukraine Funding – Plus Some Other Less Noticed Stuff


Posted originally on the CTH on December 27, 2023 | Sundance

An interesting set of details amid a few reports on Ukraine, with one very interesting White House announcement under section 621 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA).

First, as previously discussed within the year-end National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) there was a supplemental addition of $300 million more for Ukraine.

(VIA CBS) – The Biden administration Wednesday announced a $250 million military assistance package for Ukraine.

The aid package — the final of 2023 — will include arms and equipment, including air defense munitions, anti-armor munitions, ammunition for high mobility artillery rocket systems, and more than 15 million rounds of small arms ammunition, a State Department spokesperson said to CBS News.

“Our assistance has been critical to supporting our Ukrainian partners as they defend their country and their freedom against Russia’s aggression,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement, urging Congress to “swiftly” approve further aid to Ukraine. (read more)

Then, there’s something rather interesting….

Remember how we’ve talked about Ukraine being somewhat of a money laundering operation; and the entire series of events being akin to “world war Reddit” without any visible ‘boots on the ground’ war correspondent reporting; and the highly visible structure of the CIA running the operation from Foggy Bottom with the Dept of State controlling the outcomes… Remember all that?

Now, check out this little slush fund:

WHITE HOUSE – “By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 621 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the authority under section 614(a)(1) of the FAA to determine whether it is important to the security interests of the United States to furnish up to $20 million in assistance to Ukraine without regard to any provision of law within the purview of section 614(a)(1) of the FAA.” (link)

Who/what is that $20 million for?

Curiousor and curiousor….

POLITICO – “With U.S. and European aid to Ukraine now in serious jeopardy, the Biden administration and European officials are quietly shifting their focus from supporting Ukraine’s goal of total victory over Russia to improving its position in an eventual negotiation to end the war, according to a Biden administration official and a European diplomat based in Washington. Such a negotiation would likely mean giving up parts of Ukraine to Russia.

The White House and Pentagon publicly insist there is no official change in administration policy — that they still support Ukraine’s aim of forcing Russia’s military completely out of the country. But along with the Ukrainians themselves, U.S. and European officials are now discussing the redeployment of Kyiv’s forces away from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s mostly failed counteroffensive into a stronger defensive position against Russian forces in the east, according to the administration official and the European diplomat, and confirmed by a senior administration official.

This effort has also involved bolstering air defense systems and building fortifications, razor wire obstructions and anti-tank obstacles and ditches along Ukraine’s northern border with Belarus, these officials say. (MORE)

So, the official narrative has shifted from ‘winning‘ to ‘stalemate‘ to the more recent, ‘lose less’ and prepare for “giving up parts of Ukraine to Russia.”

Hmmm… What’s the DoS/CIA extra $20 million for, again?

Comrade Suspicious Cat remains, well, suspicious….

White House Insists Media Praises Bidenomics


Posted originally on Dec 27, 2023 By Martin Armstrong 

gaslight.bidenomics

News outlets are circulating that the White House is “deeply frustrated” that the media is not glorifying the unseen success of Bidenomics. A source told the Hill that meetings are taking place to discuss how they can gaslight the public into believing that the Biden Administration has improved Americans’ financial situation.

“The meetings are intended to discuss messaging on his age and his accomplishments. There has been concern among his inner circle that the messaging has not been strong or consistent enough to break through with the public,” the anonymous source told the Hill. The majority of Democrats even do not want Biden in office, but the establishment will ensure he remains in power so that they can pull the strings.

01:41

We had Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen claim most Americans are happy with their financial situation. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, America’s full-time gas lighter, continues to defend Bidenomics and celebrates imaginary victories. “Coming out of the pandemic, when the president walked into this administration, the economy was in a tailspin, it was, and so the president did everything that he can to make sure that we get this economy back on track,” she recently stated. This is on track with the Build Back Better agenda that Biden originally campaigned on. Burn the nation to the ground and celebrate as it is rebuilt into something unrecognizable. The economy was in a tailspin due to the pandemic and lockdowns. Biden kept COVID restrictions in place for as long as possible and then celebrated once lifted. So now he believes he created a robust workforce when more people than ever before are working numerous jobs to make ends meet.

Then they claim that the rallies in the markets are due to Biden’s policies, which is simply untrue. Capital has been fleeing to the USD amid war. We recently saw the Dow make new highs, which is indicative of the big money, indicating that foreign investments are reaching the US. Biden’s policies have cause the public to lose confidence in the public sector completely. Hence, money is pouring into equities instead of treasuries as they are no longer safe.

You cannot pull the wool over our eyes. We will not fall for the gaslighting BS as Biden desperately attempts to find ANYTHING to campaign on. Bidenomics is a failure.

Bidenomics FAILED


Posted originally on Dec 14, 2023 By Martin Armstrong 

BidenSchoolofEconomicsStudentDebt

Government officials do not understand why Americans are disappointed with Bidenomics. Biden’s own team did not realize the term “Bidenomics” was intended to mock the president’s policies and they have adopted it as their own. “Bidenomics is about growing the economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down,” Joe Biden posted on X, formerly Twitter, in July 2023. Americans’ personal financial situation has only deteriorated under Bidenomics and no one seems to understand why.

A November poll published by the Financial Times found that only 14% of Americans believe they are better off financially under Biden. Those people are likely on welfare. Around 70% of American voters feel Bidenomics hurt the economy or had no impact, with 33% saying they “hurt the economy a lot.” These numbers are staggering, as no president in recent history has managed to derail a stable economy so rapidly.

Biden Strategis Oil Reserves 1

When asked why Bidenomics was not landing with Americans, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said she believes COVID is to blame. COVID has provided Biden with the only optimistic data figure in that unemployment naturally decreased once the economy reopened, but of course he is chalking it up to his policies. Sacrificing America’s energy independence for the Build Back Better agenda was Biden’s priority on day one in office. We have seen inflation rise every month of his presidency and experienced record-high inflation in June of last year. INFLATION WAS AT 1.4% WHEN JOE BIDEN TOOK OFFICE IN JANUARY 2021.

Now, I obviously do not blame the government for the issues at the Fed and their QE failures. However, the Fed has been attempting to tame inflation by raising rates and it simply is ineffective. Biden prided himself on implementing countless multi-trillion-dollar spending packages at a time when America is operating at its steepest deficit. Then Biden’s Administration managed to insert itself in numerous overseas conflicts. They also allowed million of illegals to invade America and paid them to do so. Inflation cannot decline amid war.

Biden Republican will bring chaos2022_11_03_20_32_25_Biden_says_Republicans_would_cause_chaos_in_U.S._economy_Reuters

The majority of Americans have a drastically lower standard of living thanks to Bidenomics. Some estimates believe 63% of Americans now live paycheck to paycheck. Real disposable income has decreased 7.5% since January 2021, and credit card debt is up 36.2%. Monthly savings have plummeted 81.4% since Biden took office, and home affordability is down 37.3%.

It is an insult at this point for the current administration to gaslight Americans into thinking our situation is anything but dire.

DOJ Protecting President Biden – Equal Protection of the Law?


Posted originally on Dec 11, 2023 By Martin Armstrong 

Biden son Hunter 1

COMMENT: Marty: You are very good at law. It looks to me that the DOJ is protecting Biden. When you look at the nine-count tax fraud indictment against Hunter, there is no mention of unpaid taxes from his million-dollar salary at Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company. Even the whistleblower emails suggested that Hunter got that deal with no experience because of a helping hand from then-Vice President Biden in what is influence peddling. While Hunter faces up to 17 years in prison for evading $1.4 million in taxes because of all the counts, we all know that will never happen. Biden or any Democrat in that office would pardon Hunter in a split-second.

The Indictment boldly states: “Between 2016 and October 15, 2020, the Defendant​ spent this money on drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and​ rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other items of a​ personal nature, in short, everything but his taxes.” However, omitting anything about Burisma and Ukraine altogether is a cover-up.

REPLY: I am VERY familiar with Ukraine from the inside out. It is the MOST corrupt country on the planet. Biden has supported their war since it was American that began the civil war in 2014, sending countless amounts of money over there, which is unaccountable. In part, it is a payoff. Here you had Biden telling Ukraine not to ask for any more money because it might make Trump suspicious, and he might then investigate.

Biden has been lying about the Ukraine connection from the outset. Here we are sending billions to Ukraine, and the DOJ refuses to investigate that perhaps this has been bribing Ukraine not to spill the beans.

Not only has Biden been sending billions to support the civil war, but he is paying the salaries and the pensions of the government workers of Ukraine. WHY? Then instruct Zelensky there can be no peace agreement with Russia and keep throwing Ukrainians onto the frontlines to be killed.

This was the smoking gun. Biden demanded the firing of the prosecutor investigating the very company Burisma that hired his son with no experience. For the DOJ to omit all transactions with Ukraine tells us that they are protecting Biden at all costs while desperately trying to charge Trump for anything they can find.

Rule of Law Crushed

The Rule of Law no longer means anything. They prosecute what they want, claiming discretion, and they claim complete discretion. What Lord Coke feared is now overwhelmingly the standard exercise of law in this country – legal persecution. Hunter’s indictment is just a dog & pony show omitting Ukraine because it would open a whole new can or worms and justify impeaching Biden.

Coke discretion

Stunning Gaslighting – Joe Biden Says Food Inflation Nonexistent, Claim: “Thanksgiving Prices Fourth Lowest in History”


Posted originally on the CTH on November 27, 2023 | Sundance

Joe Biden took gaslighting to an entirely new dimension today during remarks to brag about the recovery of U.S. supply chains during his administration tenure.

As incredible as it sounds, Joe Biden actually claimed Thanksgiving food prices were the fourth lowest in history despite the astronomical prices we pay at the grocery store.  This is economic gaslighting in the extreme as the inflationary data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics proves.

First, here is the claim by Joe Biden:

See below for a chart of food and energy price increases since Biden took office. 

SOURCES: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Employment, Hours, and Earnings from the Current Employment Statistics Survey (National).” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Consumer Price Index.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “PPI Commodity Data.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Consumer Price Index News Release.”

Since President Joe Biden took office:

  • Inflation surged to the highest level in over 40 years. Despite slowing their rise lately, consumer prices are up nearly 17.1% overall. Gasoline is up 50.3%.
  • Average weekly earnings haven’t kept pace with prices. After adjusting for inflation, “real” weekly earnings dropped 3.9%.

.

The claim by Joe Biden is so over-the-top incredible, it was noted by Senator Rick Scott of Florida.

86% of Americans Admit They’re Worse Off Under Biden Re-Posted Nov 15, 2023 By Martin Armstrong 


It took a few years for people to admit the truth – life in America has drastically downgraded under Biden. Inflation has surged to 40-year highs under Biden. The US trade deficit has increased by 24.6%. Public debt has increased 22.5% as most Americans rely on credit for basic necessities. Home prices have increased well over 30%, gas prices have doubled, and the CPI in general spiked 17.1% in Biden’s first 32 months in office. I do not believe the inflation statistics produced by government agencies for a moment. Simply look around and you can see that we pay more for absolutely everything.

A recent poll published by the Financial Times found that only 14% of Americans believe they are better off financially under Biden. Those people are likely on welfare. The poll also found that 70% of American voters feel Bidenomics have hurt the economy or had no impact, with 33% saying they “hurt the economy a lot.” These numbers are staggering, as no president in recent history has managed to catapult the country into such a dire situation.

Over half (52%) of respondents to the poll said they had no idea what the president even had planned to revive the economy. Now Biden, who is not campaigning, is touting he needs to “Finish the job!” All Americans are begging him not to finish the job, as that would include completely destroying America and passing it over to the globalists to Build Back Better.

White House Asks Congress for $106 Billion – $61 Billion for Ukraine, $14 Billion for Israel, $9 Billion for Gaza and Humanitarian Relief


Posted originally on the CTH on October 20, 2023 | Sundance


The people behind Joe Biden have put together a single $106 billion request of financial support intended to force Congress to fund the priorities of the Obama/Biden U.S. foreign policy.

The supplemental appropriations request [SEE HERE] also includes funds to support the continued flow of illegal aliens at the southern border.

WASHINGTON – […] All told, the request includes $61.4 billion for Ukraine, including $44.4 billion to provide Department of Defense equipment for the country, to replenish weapons stocks and to continue providing other military support. The administration is also asking for $14.3 billion for Israel and $9.15 billion for the State Department to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Gaza.

[…] In addition to the funds for the two wars, the White House is also asking Congress for $13.6 billion to address migration at the southern border. That includes $6.4 billion for border operations, such as holding facilities, $3.1 billion for additional border agents, $1.4 billion for migrant shelters and services and $1.2 billion to counter fentanyl. (read more)