Category Decline and Fall of America

Jan 30 2024

The Broker – Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Schedule Meeting in Turkey Next Month


Posted originally on the CTH on January 29, 2024 | Sundance

While Turkey is a NATO ally, Recep Erdogan strategically refused to participate in the process to ostracize Russia.  True to Erdogan’s strategic political interests of being an influence broker, Turkey is the only NATO country that does not participate in the sanctions regime against Russia.  Next month Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to Turkey for diplomatic discussions.

Turkey represents the literal gateway for most Western travel into and out of Russia.  However, first things first.  Despite the position of Turkey, notice how Hungary receives all the EU admonitions for not supporting the Ukraine side of the conflict, while NATO/EU never criticize Turkey who never even joined the EU/Western sanctions regime.  Inside that hypocritical contrast there is a revealing story.

Turkey established themselves as the neutral entity for future brokering negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.  Turkey has multiple geopolitical ties to Russia, including the purchase of Russian military equipment.  Apparently, despite the severity of the original sanction demand, Western interests -specifically the U.S. government- had no issue with Turkey proactively taking their ‘neutral’ position.  Always remember this.

Given all of the domestic headlines in the USA, there is a very good reason for Americans to keep paying attention to all things that happen in the orbit of Russia right now. Many people ponder the issue of a dollar-based central bank digital currency; however, only a few people have paid attention to the self-fulfilling prophecy of the CBDC that was created by the Russian sanctions regime.

Those who ask about the possibility/probability of a dollar-based CBDC, and the possibility of the timeframe therein, should always be referenced back to the Western financial sanctions against Russia.  It was that triggering point that put the USA and Western alliance on the irreversible path to the U.S CBDC, and the process is no longer a matter of “if” because the determining issue is no longer (primarily) in U.S. control.

The de-dollarization of half the trade globe, the general cleaving of finance that followed the Russian sanctions (see the efforts of BRICS+), has essentially created a system where major economic nations are trading between themselves in non-dollar-based exchanges.  India trades with Russia in Rupes to Rubles. China trades with Russia on old fashioned ledgers of value (due to proximity somewhat of a quasi-bartering system); Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, South Africa and a host of non-Western nations are all in various stages of direct trade in national currency outside the dollar zone.

At the core of the issue behind the question of a U.S. or dollar-based Central Bank Digital Currency, you will find this global financial cleaving.   Intra-Western trade (USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the EU) is still done in dollars, and trade done into the Western system is still done in dollars.  Ex. if China wants to trade into the USA, they must complete transactions in dollars. However, trade from grey zone to grey zone nation is no longer contingent upon dollars.

Very few people are talking about these new financial trade alternatives. Yet ultimately, this cleaving is likely what will result in a dollar-based U.S CBDC.   Remember, the need for alternative trade currencies was triggered in time by the immediacy of the sanctions against Russia.  I do not believe the Western financial alliance thought the Russian allies could assemble the alternative so quickly.

If the DoS and CIA truly believed the sanctions would cripple Russia, it’s then likely our institutions vastly underestimated the prior diplomatic talks that preceded those sanctions.  As a big picture consequence, no geopolitical issue is as connected to your kitchen table as anything that connects with Russia.  So, pay close attention to how Russia is engaged by the rest of the non-Western world (grey zone), and you will get a good idea about the speed and timing of a pending U.S. CBDC.

As soon as the grey zone trade is predicted to take place in non-dollar terms, the U.S CBDC will be fast-tracked.  The only way for President Donald Trump to stop the CBDC process would be to immediately end the Russia-Ukraine conflict and subsequently remove the sanctions. [And that might not even work.]  As long as there are financial trade blocks based on dollars and who we like, there will be an easy justification for the financial cleaving to continue.

RUSSIA – Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Turkey next month in a rare foreign trip to a NATO nation, according to a Kremlin announcement on Monday.

Yuri Ushakov, a top adviser to Putin on foreign policy matters, told the Interfax news outlet that “a visit is being prepared.” As to the purpose of the visit, Ushakov added: “I can say that Ukrainian issues will probably be one of the main subjects of negotiations.”

Though a key NATO nation, Turkey and its president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, serve as a rare diplomatic bridge between the Kremlin and its Western rivals. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Ankara has supported Ukraine with military supplies while refusing to join Western sanctions on Moscow.

Turkey has positioned itself as a mediator between the two nations, hosting two rounds of peace talks in Antalya and Istanbul in 2022. Turkey was also key to the Black Sea Grain Initiative that temporarily facilitated the export of agricultural products from southern Ukrainian ports amid Russia’s naval blockade.

Following a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the beginning of this month, Erdoğan said Ankara remains ready to help “establish lasting peace, stability and prosperity in our region.”

“We have previously acted as a host country for direct talks between the parties to the conflict,” the president said. “We are, as before, ready to do our best in this matter and act as a mediator….Ukraine in order to take joint steps with Russia certainly needs to soften its position.”

Putin last visited a NATO nation in 2020 when he traveled to Germany to meet with then-Chancellor Angela Merkel. His Western travel options have been limited by his war on Ukraine and the arrest warrant issued for him in 2023 by the International Criminal Court over alleged related crimes. (read more)

I really do not like Turkish President Recep Erdogan.  His political policy is full of dangerous self-interest (Muslim Brotherhood) and thirst for power (recreation of the Ottoman empire).  However, on the issue of ending this Russia-Ukraine conflict, I will admit Erdogan has positioned himself very well.

If Trump wins in November, Erdogan will play a major role in the end of hostilities.

You might even say Erdogan holds the key to eliminating the self-fulfilling prophecy of a US CBDC that Obama/Biden created.

Sep 10 2023

9.9.23: Revelations dripping in, Obama, Biden, Illegals, DS, Hold on! PRAY!


And We Know Posed originally on Rumble on:Sep 9, 11:20 am EDT

Sep 4 2023

Sunday Talks – Stephanopoulos Crew Flummoxed at Strength of National Support for Donald Trump, Easily Leading Biden in Polls


Posted originally on the CTH on September 3, 2023 | Sundance 

The ABC panel is jaw agape at the latest Wall Street Journal polling showing that Donald Trump has not only widened his GOP primary lead, but is also polling ahead of Joe Biden with a diverse core of American voters.

Donna Brazile is very concerned, panicked even, that young Latino and black voters are now turning their back on the Democrat machine, and while they are not supporting Republicans, they are fully supporting Donald Trump.  She won’t admit it, but this is exactly the reason why the Republican and Democrat apparatus are working together to get rid of Trump.

President Donald Trump represents the first modern political opponent to the UniParty, the illusion of distinction between the RNC and DNC.  In essence, the policies and perspectives that Donald Trump represents, form a unique contrast to the almost identical Dem/Rep dynamic.  The MAGA coalition is built of Republicans, Independents and Democrats, which is always highlighted by the largest ever support network for Republican Trump amid Latinos and Blacks.

The panel struggles with the reality of Godzilla Trump destroying the professional political class, while simultaneously the panel tries to promote and defend the customary leftist narratives.  The pearl-clutching is exceeded only by the number of fainting couches provided by the ABC production crew. WATCH:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=aJzjkeWbxf4%3Ffeature%3Doembed

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Aug 3 2023

They See It Coming – Fitch Joins S&P to Downgrade USA Credit Rating


Posted originally on the CTH on August 2, 2023 | Sundance 

Collapse is never a sudden occurrence; it is an outcome of gradual erosion over time. A weakening that takes place almost invisible to those who pass through the construct, until eventually, at an uneventful time in the mechanics of history, the process gives way.

Fitch has joined with the prior position of Standard & Poors to downgrade the USA credit rating. The weight of debt, in combination with reverberations from the continued hammering deep inside the political fundamental change operation, has triggered another flare.

In the bigger picture, this is a self-fulfilling prophecy driven by the latest focus on unsustainable economic policy, aka The Green New Deal. The efforts of the fiscal, monetary and economic policy are all aligned to shrink the U.S. economy, thereby creating the era of “sustainable energy” a possibility. Unfortunately, this is akin to a household intentionally shrinking their income while at the same time taking on credit card debt. The process itself is not sustainable.

(Reuters) – Rating agency Fitch on Tuesday downgraded the U.S. government’s top credit rating, a move that drew an angry response from the White House and surprised investors, coming despite the resolution of the debt ceiling crisis two months ago.

Traders’ immediate response was to embark on a safe-haven push out of stocks and into government bonds and the dollar.

Fitch downgraded the United States to AA+ from AAA, citing fiscal deterioration over the next three years and repeated down-the-wire debt ceiling negotiations that threaten the government’s ability to pay its bills.

[…] “In Fitch’s view, there has been a steady deterioration in standards of governance over the last 20 years, including on fiscal and debt matters, notwithstanding the June bipartisan agreement to suspend the debt limit until January 2025,” the rating agency said in a statement.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen disagreed with Fitch’s downgrade, in a statement that called it “arbitrary and based on outdated data.”

[…] In a previous debt ceiling crisis in 2011, Standard & Poor’s cut the top “AAA” rating by one notch a few days after a debt ceiling deal, citing political polarization and insufficient steps to right the nation’s fiscal outlook. Its rating is still “AA-plus” – its second highest.

After that downgrade, U.S. stocks tumbled and the impact of the rating cut was felt across global stock markets, which were in the throes of the euro zone financial meltdown.

In May, Fitch had placed its “AAA” rating of U.S. sovereign debt on watch for a possible downgrade, citing downside risks, including political brinkmanship and a growing debt burden. (read More)

What do Barack Obama and Joe Biden have in common?  They were both in office, executing an identical economic, fiscal and monetary policy, when the USA credit was downgraded.

Jul 3 2023

$200 Billion in COVID-19 Funding Missing


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption Re-Posted Jul 3, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

What the hell is the US government doing with our tax dollars? We just heard that the Pentagon managed to misplace $600 billion in funds to Ukraine. They simply have no idea where $600 billion wandered off to and are not investigating. Now, a watchdog group revealed that over $200 billion in COVID-19 relief funds also went M.I.A.

We already knew paycheck protection funding was widely abused. But an inspector general from the US Small Business Administration now believes AT LEAST 17% of all COVID-EIDL and PPP funds were “disbursed to fraudulent actors.” Fraud estimates for COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans reached $136 billion, or 33% of the entire program. Then it is estimated that an additional $64 billion was stolen from Paycheck Protection Fraud.

Government agents deny mass fraud. They say that the recent report “contains serious flaws that significantly overestimate fraud and unintentionally mislead the public to believe that the work we did together had no significant impact in protecting against fraud.” The problem here is that this is the money of the American people. In less than two weeks, the US government just announced they lost nearly a trillion due to bad actors and/or accounting errors. We deserve a complete overhaul of government accounting and a thorough investigation into where these funds went. Chalking it up to an accounting error or being duped is not sufficient. They need to tell the people exactly how they are spending our money, especially since they continually ask for more each year while providing nothing in return.

Jun 29 2023

Stunning Bodycam Video Shows Brave Texas Cop Taking Down Mass Shooter at Outlet Mall


Posted originally on the CTH on June 28, 2023 | Sundance 

The bodycam video is intense and will make you hold your breath.  It shows the Allen PD police officer talking to kids about wearing seatbelts just as the mall shooter begins his rampage in the distance.

Without hesitation the cop assesses the scene, grabs his rifle and charges on foot toward the suspect.  The officer tracks and engages the shooter, shots are exchanged, and the suspect is neutralized.  The intensity of the video is quite dramatic, as you can hear and sense the situation as it unfolds.  WATCH: 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=rLeXpDnNQNI%3Ffeature%3Doembed

TEXAS – […] “This video shows how quickly a routine interaction with the public turned into a life-and-death situation,” Allen Police Chief Brian Harvey said in a statement. “The officer recognized the danger, ran toward the gunfire and neutralized the threat — and for his actions, the Allen community is forever grateful.”

The footage, released after a grand jury Tuesday cleared the officer of any wrongdoing, showed he was by his car in the mall parking lot chatting with children and a woman when gunshots suddenly rang out.

“Make sure you wear your seatbelts when mommy’s driving … you be good,” the officer said moments before gunshots could be heard.

He spotted customers fleeing before grabbing his rifle and sprinting toward the sound of shots. (read more)

Jun 25 2023

The Collapse in Confidence of US Government is Here


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted Jun 24, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Despite the cheering from the Washington Post, CNN, NY Times, the rest of the anti-Democracy press, and all the Democrats who were brainwashed into thinking Trump really won only because of Putin in the Hillary version of conspiracy theory (misinformation), what they have unleashed is the international collapse in confidence of the United States. Ever since Trump’s arrest, my phone has been in meltdown mode. People who were even on the fence about my case suddenly called and said gee, they use the criminal law for political purposes in the United States. Once upon a time, they trusted the United States. It seems that Trump’s arrest is now a sea-change in realization.

People are starting to wake up. The list of people they go after criminally who are whistleblowers in some capacity like Snowden and Julian Assange is just the tip of the iceberg. Criminally charging Trump was crossing the Rubicon. Then the Democrats stated that Biden will not debate anyone – Democrat or Republican. That is in itself a confirmation that he is not competent to be president. Yet he is the perfect patsy for the Neocons to run the show. When Lindsey Graham holds up a sheet and quotes Biden as authority for him and his fellow Neocons to declare war on Russia, it confirms what I have been saying. The United States is no longer a free nation. We are living in a coup, but the press is silent as was the press in every such incident from Communist Russia to Venezuela when the state turns against its people.

So, the Democrats who do not care about the Constitution or our future as a nation can cheer that this is your time to utterly destroy the other 50% of Americans who you despise so deeply. You will win the 2024 election if Biden can make it that far, and every investigation into him and Hunter will be blocked by the Department of Justice, FBI, and the NSA because this is now about the power resting in the hands of the Neocons who just want war. So pack your toothbrush, you will get to fight Russians in Ukraine and put your political dreams on the line.

These leftist zealots are cheering the end times like the Romans who they said were still laughing when the barbarians stormed the gates. For EVERY phone call I have had from Asia to Europe, they are all expressing complete shock that the United States is collapsing in the midst of political corruption. Suddenly, our forecast that the 2024 election might not even take place or certainly will not be real is starting to hit home. They are now all seeing that our forecast about the 2024 Presidential Election would be the most corrupt in history and mark the END of democracy in the United States is not so far-fetched.

These leftist people just do not get it. They crossed the Rubicon and now the view of the United States from the outside looking in, nobody seems to believe that America is still the beacon of liberty to the world. It is becoming so obvious that our computer will be right once again.

This year 2023 was a MAJOR turning point and an important Directional Change.  You can see that 2025 is the biggest target for a decade. Announcing that Biden will not debate anyone is on par. I am warning you that the Neocons need to create war with Russia BEFORE the November 2024 election for in their mind, no president has ever lost an election during war. It will also allow them to create the excuse to suspend the election during a national crisis.

Desantis – PLEASE stay here in Florida. They will never let anyone win that office anyway. The Neocons are in charge. Stalin was correct. It does not matter who you vote for. Those who count the votes decide the election. Anyone who thinks the CIA cannot rig the election is an absolute fool.

Jun 18 2023

World Events


Armstrong Economics Blog/World Events Re-Posted Jun 18, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

https://youtube.com/watch?v=QCvtH7sloow%3Ffeature%3Doembed
Jun 18 2023

GREAT POINT by Lee Smith – The FBI May Not Be Burying the Evidence Against Joe Biden, The FBI May be Using it as Leverage Against the White House


Posted originally on the CTH on June 17, 2023 | Sundance 

In this podcast interview between former HPSCI Chairman Devin Nunes and journalists Margot Cleveland and Lee Smith, the discussion begins with the recent revelations provided by Senator Chuck Grassley about audio tapes as evidence in the Biden bribery scandal. {Direct Rumble Link}

As the story has unfolded, the Confidential Human Source who tipped off the FBI to Joe Biden taking bribes from foreign governments, also claims to have audio tapes of himself talking to Joe Biden about the issues when Biden was vice-president.  The FBI has been sitting on this Biden bribery knowledge for multiple years.

The most common opinion of the FBI motive was their intent to burying or capture negative information about Biden.  However, with the institutional corruption of the domestic national security apparatus being very visible within DOJ and FBI, Lee Smith ponders whether the FBI/DOJ might be holding back the Biden bribery material as part of their leverage against the White House.  It is an interesting angle to consider. WATCH:

Lee Smith is very wise in the ways of the Deep State.