COLD OPEN: The Left MELTS DOWN Over RFK Jr.’s mRNA Vaccine Research Defunding


Posted originally on Rumble By Bannon’s War Room on: August 7, 2025

Bank of England Cuts Interest Rates


Posted originally on Aug 8, 2025 by Martin Armstrong |  

Bank of England Royal Exchange

The Bank of England has cut its base interest rate to 4%, even as it warns of rising inflation. “We’ve cut interest rates today, but it was a finely balanced decision. Interest rates are still on a downward path, but any future cuts will need to be made gradually and carefully,” Governor Andrew Bailey stated.

The nine-member panel of the Monetary Policy Committee voted to lower rates by 0.25 percentage points, but failed to reach a unanimous vote with four members wishing to pause and another voting for a cut. The committee initially began with a 0.5 percentage point vote before reducing it to 0.25, marking the first time the MPC has needed a second vote—no one knows what they are doing.

The bank lowered rates but admitted that headline inflation is expected to hit 4% in September, up from the initial 3.75% estimate. Households are already spending one-tenth of their income on food, yet the bank expects food inflation to spike to 5.5% this year.

The central bank attempted to blame grocery store employee wages for price increases. “Furthermore, overall labour costs of supermarkets are likely to have been disproportionately affected by the lower threshold at which employers start paying NICs… these material increases in labour costs are likely to have pushed up food prices.” Every nation is facing a sharp upturn in food prices and store employees are not the culprit. The bank also acknowledged that unemployment has risen for five consecutive months, with unemployment reaching a four-year high in May 2025 at 4.7%.

The central bank cannot fight inflation as consumer demand is not driving price increases. Russian sanctions, net zero insanity, regulation, taxes, and an overall decline in public confidence have led Britain to decline. Let us not forget the looming sovereign debt crisis that every central bank is attempting to ignore publicly. Starmer is steering the nation directly into war, which never benefits the people and will become the primary culprit of inflation in time. The central bank cannot control fiscal policy; it cannot control inflation—all it can do is pretend to have a grasp on the situation to quell panic.

60% of Germans Refuse to Play War Games


Posted originally on Aug 8, 2025 by Martin Armstrong |  

GermanyUkraineWarPropogandaRecruitment

The people do not wish to play the neocons’ war games. Germany has been discussing reintroducing mandatory military service since the war began—a war that was never Germany’s battle but always the obligation and responsibility of the German people. I reported in May that over half of Brits would not fight for their country in the event of an attack. A new survey by German broadcaster RND revealed that nearly 60% of Germans would refuse to go into battle.

Only 16% of respondents said they would “definitely fight,” and another 22% reported they “probably” would. This is precisely why Germany has been considering a mandatory conscription for all adults over the age of 18. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said he is “convinced” that Germany “needs a form of military conscription.” Since the West has effectively eliminated genders or the need for a family structure, they plan to draft both men and women. Anyone fit to fight will be sent off to die.

Russia Threaten Germany

Pistorius has been urging Germany to amass 260,000 active-duty troops, whom he believes should begin training immediately. Germany has a goal of gathering an army of 203,000 troops at a minimum, but the current force is a bit over 180,000. The military also plans to increase its reserve forces from 60,000 to 200,000, citing the need for immediate mobilization if the conflict escalates. Mandatory conscription may be introduced in 2026, which would align with our models precisely.

German politicians speaking out against the war are being silenced. The government has been preparing the European public for the inevitable. Everyone currently living in Europe knows how intensely the media has been discussing Europe’s alleged duty to prevent Russian aggression. “Will you fight for Germany? None of us wants war, but we already have to prepare for it. How ready are we really?” German magazine Stern states on its March 2025 cover.

The people always lose in times of war. Those on the ground firing missiles at one another are on the same side—the people—while the neocons sit in their safe high towers, unaffected by the destruction they unleashed.

William Barr Involved in Illegal Visa Scheme


Posted originally on Aug 8, 2025 by Martin Armstrong |  

Former Attorney General Bill Barr shouted from his high horse that NO ONE WAS ABOVE THE LAW after the events of January 6, thereafter attempting to prosecute Trump for RICO charges. Barr himself failed to realize that he was not above the law–Project Veritas has revealed he was operating an illegal visa scheme for foreign billionaires.

Patrícia Lelis, a former journalist at Howard Stirk Holdings (HSH), admitted she was involved in the scheme orchestrated by political commentator Armstrong Williams and Barr. Intelligence agencies attempted to pin the crime on Lelis, who later revealed to Project Veritas the true nature of the scheme.

Wealthy foreigners wishing to secure visas and bypass the immigration process would reach out to Williams or Barr, offering hundreds of thousands if not millions in exchange for E-2 visas. These visas were created under the premise that the foreigners were creating businesses in the US. Not only did these people never work for the companies on record, but the companies never existed in the first place.

Lelis claims she reported directly to Democratic New York assembly member Clyde Vanel. Williams and Barr demanded that Lelis use her personal bank accounts to launder the money. While Armstrong may have been the mastermind, Barr’s reputation and connections helped them to expedite the visa process.

Barr William Attorney General

Project Veritas attempted to visit the headquarters of Reis Cosmetics, a company created through this scheme, only to find a vacant building. Lelis grew weary of the increasing amount of money she was expected to launder, and reported the crime to the FBI. Instead of investigating, the FBI attempted to pin the entire operation on Lelis.

Text messages sent on burner phones confirm Lelis’s claims. “It is far more easy to defraud the immigration system and the government more than the people think,” she stated. “And I have proof of that because that’s what Armstrong and Bill Barr does.” The US government does not check if people are truly operating or working for companies once the visa process is approved. A leak in the system has been revealed.

The government will need to independently verify the claims that were brought to the public sphere on August 7. These are substantial crimes—visa fraud, conspiracy to commit visa fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, money laundering, and false statements or obstruction of justice. Lelis may also bring civil charges against the men who began to threaten her when she refused to participate.

Barr has committed blatant RICO violations through his criminal activity. Barr accused Trump of violating RICO laws, all while he was running an underground visa scheme to help wealthy foreigners gain illegal entry into the United States.

Reciprocal Tariffs Begin, Switzerland Leaves DC Empty Handed, German and China Trade Surplus with USA Declines


Posted originally on CTH on August 7, 2025 | Sundance

The financial pundits are putting their customary spin on it, but overall as the reciprocal tariffs begin, things are going well.

China’s trade surplus with the US declined to USD 23.74 billion in July, down from USD 26.57 billion in June, as both exports and imports with the US declined, falling 21.7% and 18.9%, respectively. {LINK}

For Germany, exports to the U.S. slid 2.1% to 11.8 billion euros, the third consecutive monthly decrease and the lowest value since February 2022, Destatis said. They were 8.4% lower than the same month last year. {LINK} However, since imports from the U.S. increased at the same time, this narrowed Germany’s trade surplus in goods with the U.S.

Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter left Washington empty-handed on Wednesday after a hastily arranged trip to avert a crippling 39% tariff on the country’s exports to the United States, its biggest market, three sources familiar with the matter said. {LINK}

Reciprocal tariffs begin today. “Before Thursday, virtually every country’s goods were subject to a minimum 10% tariff. Now rates vary substantially from country to country.”

The highest rates imposed are on goods from Brazil (50%), Laos (40%), Myanmar (40%), Switzerland (39%), Iraq (35%) and Serbia (35%).

An additional 21 countries also face levies greater than 15%. That includes several countries the US relies heavily on for a variety of goods, such as Vietnam (20%), India (25%), Taiwan (20%) and Thailand (19%).

Goods from India could also be subject to an additional 25% tariff stacked on top of that because of an executive order Trump signed Wednesday that seeks to penalize India for purchasing oil from Russia. That second tariff is slated to take effect on August 27.

Thirty-nine countries’ goods, as well as members of the European Union, are subject to 15% tariffs, according to a list the White House published last week.

Besides Canada and Mexico, all other countries the US imports goods from will continue to face a minimum 10% tariff, albeit with a few exemptions.

Goods from Mexico and Canada are exempt from tariffs if they’re compliant with the US-Mexico-Canada free-trade agreement. If not, goods from Mexico are subject to 25% tariffs, while goods from Canada are subject to 35% tariffs, up from 25% previously. (more)

Finally – FBI Terminates Employment of Brian Driscoll, Walter Giardina and Steven Jensen


Posted originally on CTH on August 7, 2025 | Sundance 

The lack of firings amid the top-tier of FBI leadership has been a nagging concern.

Today, Fox News is reporting on the firing of three very consequential and corrupt FBI officials, former FBI acting director, Brian Driscoll; acting director of the Washington Field Office who targeted the J6 attendees, Steven Jensen, and Walter Giardina, the special agent who played a role in the investigation of Trump trade advisor, Peter Navarro.

Steven Jensen was a particular thorn in the side of those who understood his role in continuing the FBI corrupt activity and targeting the J6 attendees.

WASHINGTON – […] Driscoll, for his part, served as acting director of the FBI prior to the confirmation of FBI Director Kash Patel, and Jensen played a key role in the January 6 investigations.

Senior FBI officials told the agents in question that they needed to leave by Friday, with no specific reason given to them individually. 

One individual with knowledge of the removals described it as “retribution.”  

Individuals familiar with the matter told Fox News that more ousters are expected at the bureau by the end of the week, though the exact number of personnel included, or their roles at the bureau, are unclear. (read more)

President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin Will Meet in Coming Days


Posted originally on CTH on August 7, 2025 | Sundance 

August 7, 2025 | Sundance | 123 Comments

The Kremlin is announcing that President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to meet in person and have agreed to the venue.  The meeting will take place “in coming days,” which indicates soon.

LONDON — The Kremlin on Thursday said Russia President Vladimir Putin agreed to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, though a specific date or location has yet to be announced.

Putin adviser Yuri Ushakov said that a “meeting between Putin and Trump (will take place) in the coming days,” adding that “work on the summit has now begun,” the Kremlin says.

Ushakov said that White House special envoy Steve Witkoff had raised the idea of a trilateral meeting between Putin, Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy but that the upcoming meeting would only be between Trump and Putin, the Kremlin said.

“The venue of the meeting between the presidents of the Russian Federation and the United States, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, has been agreed, and the Kremlin will inform about it later,” Ushakov said.

Though no specific location was disclosed, Ushakov suggested that Russia was “many friends who are ready to help us organize such events.”

“One of them is the President of the United Arab Emirates. I think we will decide, but it would be one of the most suitable, quite suitable places,” Ushakov said.

No date or location has been confirmed by either Russia or the United States. (read more)

HERE is the direct question response from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Question: Given the recent news about your upcoming meeting with President Trump, who initiated it?

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Both sides expressed interest. At this point, who reached out first is no longer relevant.

Question: Could you clarify please? Your Aide Yury Ushakov mentioned that the meeting will likely happen next week. Do you have any details on the location – even just a hint?

Vladimir Putin: We have many friends willing to help organize such events. One of them is the President of the United Arab Emirates. The exact venue is still being decided, but the UAE would be one of the suitable options.

Question: What about Zelensky? Will you be meeting with him?

Vladimir Putin: I have said repeatedly that I have no objection to meeting with him in principle – it is possible. But certain conditions must be in place first. Unfortunately, we are still far from that point.

[SOURCE]

Outline #1 – Criminal Conduct by DOJ/FBI During Russiagate


Posted originally on CTH on August 7, 2025 | Sundance 

I have been asked to recap some of my research into cited formats of what I believe to be criminal conduct, with specific statutes against them. This is the first of my outlines.

DNI Tulsi Gabbard is not a lawyer. While I may be wrong, I find Tulsi Gabbard to be a patriot. Mrs. Gabbard is focused on providing evidence to the DOJ that essentially forces action. I support Tulsi Gabbard’s efforts.

Amid a series of documents released by the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2020 [SEE HERE] there was a rather alarming letter from the DOJ to the FISA Court in July 2018 that points toward an institutional cover-up.   [Link to Letter]

Before getting to the substance of the letter, it’s important to put the release in context.  After the FISA Court reviewed the DOJ inspector general report about the Carter Page FISA application, the FISC ordered the DOJ-NSD to declassify and release certain communication related to the Carter Page FISA application.

In the cover letter for this specific release to the Senate Judiciary and Senate Intelligence committees, the DOJ (then headed by DAG Rod Rosenstein for all things Russiagate during the Trump administration and Mueller investigation therein) cites the January 7, 2020, FISA court order:

The FISA Court was ordering the DOJ to tell the legislative branch about a letter the DOJ had sent to the FISA Court in 2018.

Prior to this forced release only the FISA court had seen this letter from the DOJ-National Security Division (DOJ-NSD). The DOJ never sent a copy to any relevant legislative committee.  The DOJ was only talking to the FISA court about this matter (FISA predicate).

As we walk through the alarming content of this letter, I think you’ll identify the motive behind the FISC order to release it.

First, the letter in question was sent by the DOJ-NSD to the FISA Court on July 12, 2018.  It is critical to keep the date of the letter in mind as we re-review the content.

Aside from the date the important part of the first page is the motive for sending it. The DOJ is telling the court in July 2018: based on what they know the FISA application still contains “sufficient predication for the Court to have found probable cause” to approve the application.   The DOJ is defending the Carter Page FISA application as still valid.

However, it is within the justification of the application that alarm bells are found. The FISA Court noticed them after they reviewed the Horowitz report.  On page six the letter identifies the primary participants behind the FISA redactions:

As you can see: Christopher Steele is noted as “Source #1”.  Glenn Simpson of Fusion-GPS is noted as “identified U.S. person” or “business associate”; and Perkins Coie is the “U.S-based law firm.”

Now things get very interesting.

On page #8 when discussing Christopher Steele’s sub-source, Igor Danchenko, the DOJ notes the FBI found him to be truthful and cooperative.

This is an incredibly misleading statement to the FISA court because what the letter doesn’t say is that 18-months earlier Igor Danchenko, also known in the IG report as the “primary sub-source”, informed the FBI that the material attributed to him in the dossier was essentially junk.

Let’s look at how the IG report frames the primary sub-source, and specifically notice the FBI contact and questioning took place in January 2017 (we now know that date to be January 12, 2017):

Those interviews with Steele’s primary sub-source, Danchenko, took place in January, March and May of 2017; and clearly the sub-source debunked the content of the dossier itself.  The FBI then hired Danchenko as a Confidential Human Source and paid him $200,000 to keep his mouth shut during duration of the Robert Mueller investigation.

Those interviews with Danchenko were 18-months, 16-months and 14-months ahead of the July 2018 DOJ letter to the FISC.   The DOJ-NSD says the sub-source was “truthful and cooperative” but the DOJ doesn’t tell the court the content of the truthfulness and cooperation.  Why?

CONTEXT FOR THIS LETTER IN JULY, 2018 – Keep in mind, according to the recently declassified annex to the Durham report we know FBI leadership, Comey and McCabe, refused to allow FBI agents to interview Carter Page until the FISA was renewed (January) and the operation against Trump gained specific enough speed (March) to warrant a special counsel demand.

The FBI eventually interviewed Carter Page on March 9, 10, 16, 30 and 31, 2017.  [The FISA was leaked by James Wolfe and Senator Mark Warner on March 17th.  FBI Director James Comey then testified to congress admitting for the first time that President Trump was under investigation for Russiagate on March 20th.]

Despite the five interviews, the FBI renewed the FISA application against Carter Page on April 2nd, 2017. Despite the FISA application accusing Carter Page of being “an agent of a foreign government,” Carter Page was never charged with any criminal conduct, including FARA violations.

Also, keep in mind this letter to the court was written by AAG John Demers in July 2018.  Jeff Sessions was Attorney General, Rod Rosenstein was Deputy AG; Christopher Wray was FBI Director, David Bowditch is Deputy, and Dana Boente is FBI chief-legal-counsel.

Why would the DOJ-NSD not be forthcoming with the FISA court about the primary sub-source, Igor Danchenko and his admitted statements?  This level of disingenuous withholding of information speaks to an institutional motive to frame Donald Trump.  This institutional effort was ongoing in July 2018!

By July 2018 the DOJ clearly knew the dossier was full of fabrications, yet they withheld that information from the FISA court, instead saying predicate was still valid.  Why?

It doesn’t take a deep-weeds-walker to identify the DOJ motive.

In July 2018 Robert Mueller’s investigation was at its apex.

This letter justifying the application and claiming the current information would still be a valid predicate therein, speaks to the 2018 DOJ needing to retain the validity of the FISA warrant…. My researched suspicion around motive was the DOJ needed to protect evidence Mueller had already extracted from fraudulent FISA authority.  That was the motive.

In July 2018 if the DOJ-NSD admitted the FISA application and all renewals where fatally flawed Robert Mueller would have needed to withdraw any evidence gathered as a result of its exploitation.  The DOJ in 2018, under the leadership of Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein for all things Russiagate, was protecting Mueller’s poisoned fruit.

If the DOJ had been honest with the court, there’s a strong possibility some, perhaps much, of Mueller evidence gathering would have been invalidated… and cases were pending.  The solution: mislead the court and claim the predication was still valid.

This is not simply a hunch, because that motive also speaks to why the FISC would order the current DOJ to release the letter.

Remember, in December the FISC received the IG Horowitz report; and they would have immediately noted the disparity between what IG Horowitz outlined about the FBI investigating Steele’s sub-source, as contrast against what the DOJ told them in July 2018.

The DOJ letter is a transparent misrepresentation when compared to the information in the Horowitz report. Hence, the court orders the DOJ to release the July letter so that everyone, including congressional oversight and the public can see the misrepresentation.

The court was misled; now everyone can see it.

The content of that DOJ-NSD letter, and the subsequent disparity, points to an institutional cover-up; and as a consequence the FISC also ordered the DOJ to begin an immediate sequestration effort to find all the evidence from the fraudulent FISA application.  The proverbial fruit from the poisonous tree…. And yes, that forced review fell into the lap of AG Bill Barr.

Moving on…

Two more big misstatements within the July letter appear on page #9.  The first is the DOJ claiming that only after the application was filed did they become aware of Christopher Steele working for Fusion-GPS and knowing his intent was to create opposition research for the Hillary Clinton campaign.  See the top of the page.

According to the DOJ-NSD claim the number four ranking official in the DOJ, Bruce Ohr, never told them he was acting as a conduit for Christopher Steele to the FBI.   While that claim is hard to believe, in essence what the DOJ-NSD is saying in that paragraph is that the FBI hoodwinked the DOJ-NSD by not telling them where the information for the FISA application was coming from.  The DOJ, via John Demers, is blaming the FBI.

The second statement, equally as incredulous, is at the bottom of page nine where the DOJ claims they had no idea Bruce Ohr was talking to the FBI throughout the entire time any of the FISA applications were being submitted.  October 2016 through June 29, 2017.

In essence the claim there is that Bruce Ohr was working with the FBI and never told anyone in the DOJ throughout 2016 and all the way past June 29th of 2017.  That denial is a lie. Once again, the DOJ-NSD is putting the FBI in the crosshairs and claiming they knew nothing about the information pipeline.

Bruce Ohr, whose wife Nellie Ohr was working for Fusion-GPS and assisting Christopher Steele with information, was interviewed by the FBI over a dozen times as he communicated with Steele and fed his information to the FBI.  Yet the DOJ claims they knew nothing about it.

Again, just keep in mind this claim by the DOJ-NSD is being made in July 2018, six months after Bruce Ohr was demoted twice (December 2017 and January 2018) by the DOJ.   The lie within the letter is clear by the action taken by the DOJ.   If what the DOJ was saying is true, well, then the FBI was completely rogue and running an investigation outside the knowledge of the DOJ, while the source of the knowledge, Bruce Ohr, was the #4 ranking official within the DOJ.

Neither option speaks well about the integrity of either institution; and quite frankly I don’t buy the DOJ-NSD spin.

Why?  The reason is simple, the DOJ is claiming in the letter the predication was still valid… if the DOJ-NSD genuinely didn’t know about the FBI manipulation, they would be informing the court in 2018 the DOJ no longer supported the FISA application due to new information.  They did not do that.  Instead, in July 2018, they specifically told the court the predicate was valid, yet the DOJ-NSD knew it was not.

The last point about the July 2018 letter is perhaps the most jarring.  Again, keep in mind when it was written Chris Wray is FBI Director, David Bowditch is Deputy and Dana Boente is FBI chief legal counsel.

Their own FBI reports, by three different INSD and IG investigations; had turned up seriously alarming evidence going back to the early 2017 time-frame; the results of which ultimately led to the DC FBI office losing all of their top officials; and knowing the letter itself was full of misleading and false information about FBI knowledge in/around Christopher Steele; this particular sentence is alarming:

“The FBI has reviewed this letter and confirmed its factual accuracy?”

Really?

As we have just shared, the July 2018 letter itself is filled with factual inaccuracies, misstatements and intentional omissions.  So who exactly did the “reviewing”?

This 2020 declassification release raised more questions than any other at the time.  That is why the judicial branch sent it to the legislative branch for review.  Unfortunately, the legislative branch never grasped the importance of why the FISA Court sent them a copy of the letter.  More silo dilution.

Here’s the Full Letter.  I strongly suggest everyone read the 14-pages slowly.  If you know the background, this letter is not only infuriating, but also the purposeful misrepresentations to the court are completely illegal.

Reciprocal Tariffs Begin, Switzerland Leaves DC Empty Handed, German and China Trade Surplus with USA Declines


Posted originally on CTH on August 7, 2025 | Sundance

The financial pundits are putting their customary spin on it, but overall as the reciprocal tariffs begin, things are going well.

China’s trade surplus with the US declined to USD 23.74 billion in July, down from USD 26.57 billion in June, as both exports and imports with the US declined, falling 21.7% and 18.9%, respectively. {LINK}

For Germany, exports to the U.S. sli

d 2.1% to 11.8 billion euros, the third consecutive monthly decrease and the lowest value since February 2022, Destatis said. They were 8.4% lower than the same month last year. {LINK} However, since imports from the U.S. increased at the same time, this narrowed Germany’s trade surplus in goods with the U.S.

Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter left Washington empty-handed on Wednesday after a hastily arranged trip to avert a crippling 39% tariff on the country’s exports to the United States, its biggest market, three sources familiar with the matter said. {LINK}

Reciprocal tariffs begin today. “Before Thursday, virtually every country’s goods were subject to a minimum 10% tariff. Now rates vary substantially from country to country.”

The highest rates imposed are on goods from Brazil (50%), Laos (40%), Myanmar (40%), Switzerland (39%), Iraq (35%) and Serbia (35%).

An additional 21 countries also face levies greater than 15%. That includes several countries the US relies heavily on for a variety of goods, such as Vietnam (20%), India (25%), Taiwan (20%) and Thailand (19%).

Goods from India could also be subject to an additional 25% tariff stacked on top of that because of an executive order Trump signed Wednesday that seeks to penalize India for purchasing oil from Russia. That second tariff is slated to take effect on August 27.

Thirty-nine countries’ goods, as well as members of the European Union, are subject to 15% tariffs, according to a list the White House published last week.

Besides Canada and Mexico, all other countries the US imports goods from will continue to face a minimum 10% tariff, albeit with a few exemptions.

Goods from Mexico and Canada are exempt from tariffs if they’re compliant with the US-Mexico-Canada free-trade agreement. If not, goods from Mexico are subject to 25% tariffs, while goods from Canada are subject to 35% tariffs, up from 25% previously. (more)

Finally – FBI Terminates Employment of Brian Driscoll, Walter Giardina and Steven Jensen


Posted originally on CTH on August 7, 2025 | Sundance

The lack of firings amid the top-tier of FBI leadership has been a nagging concern.

Today, Fox News is reporting on the firing of three very consequential and corrupt FBI officials, former FBI acting director, Brian Driscoll; acting director of the Washington Field Office who targeted the J6 attendees, Steven Jensen, and Walter Giardina, the special agent who played a role in the investigation of Trump trade advisor, Peter Navarro.

Steven Jensen was a particular thorn in the side of those who understood his role in continuing the FBI corrupt activity and targeting the J6 attendees.

WASHINGTON – […] Driscoll, for his part, served as acting director of the FBI prior to the confirmation of FBI Director Kash Patel, and Jensen played a key role in the January 6 investigations.

Senior FBI officials told the agents in question that they needed to leave by Friday, with no specific reason given to them individually. 

One individual with knowledge of the removals described it as “retribution.”  

Individuals familiar with the matter told Fox News that more ousters are expected at the bureau by the end of the week, though the exact number of personnel included, or their roles at the bureau, are unclear. (read more)