Biden Directed Funds to Afghanistan over 9/11 Victims


Posted May 16, 2025 by Martin Armstrong 

Taliban

The Taliban has been promoting the Afghan currency by auctioning off dollars. How is a known terrorist group obtaining USD? The United Nations has sent billions to the Taliban in recent years to support its central bank, with much of those funds being approved and sent by the United States. Worse, the Biden Administration confiscated $3.5 billion in funding from a fund designated for 9/11 survivors to pay the Taliban.

The Taliban has also auctioned off the billions in weapons that the United States left behind after the former commander in chief ordered an immediate withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. It is estimated that $7 billion in equipment was left behind, yet Biden blames Afghan authorities for allowing the Taliban to take over.

As for the funds stolen from the 9/11 fund, it originated when families who lost loved ones to the 9/11 attacks sued Al Qaeda, Iran, and the Taliban. No one expected any party to pay, but since Afghanistan had $7 billion in assets within the US, the court permitted it to be seized. This money was initially intended to support the families of 9/11 victims.

911

The government was quick to seize and redistribute Russian assets, but the last administration was hesitant to seize assets from known enemies. The US government began freezing Russian assets in February 2022, which is also when Biden decided to unfreeze $7 billion in assets from Afghanistan. Biden signed an executive order that determined the $7 billion would be placed in a trust fund—half would be sent to families of victims, while the other half would be used for humanitarian aid for Afghans.

A day later, the Biden Administration decided that the 9/11 families did not deserve the payout and sent it back into the court system. He did, however, ensure that the other $3.5 billion was sent to Afghanistan. Former Secretary of State Blinken, a notorious neocon, feigned concern for the families while saying that the victims “should have a full opportunity to set forth their arguments in court.” He later announced that seizing funds from the central bank would harm US interests in the Middle East.

Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn ruled against the 9/11 families. Netburn ruled that the Afghanistan bank (Da Afghanistan Bank, DAB) had “sovereign immunity” as the nation was not sanctioned; only the Taliban, who happened to be ruling the nation, were sanctioned. Biden declined to declare Afghanistan a state sponsor of terrorism, providing them with immunity.

“Absent action by us, these funds were likely to be tied up in courts for years, while the action we have taken stands the best chance of more quickly freeing up a large portion for humanitarian support,” a White House official said after “activists” complained that it was unjust to seize funds. Former Treasury Secretary Yellen approved of sending aid to Afghanistan through the United Nations.

The investigation into USAID found billions funneled to terrorist organizations like the Taliban through the UN and NGOs. Biden was the only president to decline an invitation to the annual 9/11 memorial. Biden’s incompetence left 10,000 Americans behind. Few know that he authorized frozen funds to be redistributed back to Afghanistan while it was under the control of a terrorist organization.

I met with the Afghan government on neutral ground in Thailand many years ago. I was invited to give lectures there, but just never found the time to make that trip. As I have said before, most governments have heard of Socrates. After all, it has been putting out economic and geopolitical forecasts since 1977. From my discussions with them in Thailand, what I can say is that the Taliban are largely self-funded, yet have been warmly protected by Pakistan, which is the ONLY nuclear nation in that region. Pakistan has supported the Taliban, not for religious agreement, but because of their enemy, the Afghans, who were friends with Pakistan’s enemy, India. In that sense, there is a deep-seated religious conflict that goes back to the creation of Pakistan in 1947. China supports Pakistan and has announced it will continue to support Pakistan during its battle with India.

The peak in our model on the region took place in 2019 when any hope of some sort of peace treaty with the Taliban collapsed. Military operations between Afghan and US government forces and the Taliban then intensified in 2019, resulting in more than 8,000 civilian casualties. That was precisely on target, being 72 years from 1947, which was the real period of the rise in militant Islam. A standard 2-year reaction was in play, which has brought us to this point in 2021. But this is the start of a 13-year cycle of rising tensions, which will also peak in 2032.

Categories:CorruptionWar

One in Four Americans Financially Illiterate


Posted originally on May 16, 2025 by Martin Armstrong 

Student Loans

Financial literacy is steadily declining in America. The percentage of US adults demonstrating a very low level of financial literacy increased from 20% in 2017 to 25% in 2023.

Around 58% of Americans know about debt and borrowing. Over half (55%) understand saving, and 50% understand consumption. About 42% understand insurance, 44% know about investing, and only 35% know about risk comprehension.

Financial literacy is declining with every generation. Around 53% of the Silent Generation understood finance, followed by 52% of Boomers, 50% of Gen, 45% of Millennials, and 38% of Gen Z. Around 74% of teens admitted that they do not feel confident in their personal finance knowledge, but the good news is that that 73% would like to learn.

There is a drastic difference in knowledge across socio-economic classes, as 75% of American teens are learning about personal finance through their family, with 52% learning a bit at school. An alarming 88% of Americans reported that high school public education did not prepare them for managing their finances. Interestingly, 48% said that they learned about personal finance through social media, which may not be the best reference.

Around 62% of teens said that they learned about savings, 50% were taught about earning, and 44% had some prior information on banking. Only 23% of teens in the US know how to make a budget, but 42% said they were taught how to do so.

This is why we see such a significant difference in financial literacy across socio-economic classes. Only 28% of people earning under $25,000 understand personal finance. That figure rises to 38% for those earning between $25,000 and $49,000, rising once more to 47% for those earning between $50,000 and $99,000. Over 58% of those earning six figures understand personal finance.

The National Financial Educators Council believes that financial illiteracy cost the American public $388 billion in 2023. Americans are facing a private debt crisis. Credit card and household debt have reached record highs and continue to rise. The majority of American households have insufficient emergency savings. The same survey found that 74% of Americans believe they would have made fewer money mistakes if they were properly educated on the subject matter in high school, and 80% believe they would have been more successful if they had that knowledge earlier in life. Politicians believe we should implement countless social programs and simply pay people to exist. America should focus on educating future generations on personal finance as it is perhaps one of the most essential life skills.

Rouge Judge & Her Audacity


Posted originally on May 16, 2025 by Martin Armstrong 

Dugan Hannah Judge

QUESTION: Regarding Judge Hannah Dugan’s indictment, some are saying her defence is similar to that of Donald Trump, and this is all political since she says she has absolute immunity. You are the unbiased legal source. One lawyer friend said, “Ask Armstrong, and you will hear the legal truth.” So what’s up with this?

GP

ANSWER: This county state judge of Wisconsin was properly indicted for allegedly obstructing the arrest of a Mexican immigrant by federal US authorities. She has claimed that the charges should be dismissed because she’s immune from prosecution for official acts. Her definition of a “legal act” is that she could kill her spouse and claim immunity.

Supremacy Clause U.S Constitution

This is not even remotely related to the allegations of Trump commenting on the election as president. That is within the scope of his position. What he is alleged to have done was not an official act by any stretch of the imagination. She is an activist judge who disagrees with federal law but has no judicial power to circumvent that law. She had no jurisdiction over the ICE issue, which is in a federal court, not a local county court. If I were in the grand jury, I would have indicted her without question. There is no justification whatsoever for her actions, and there is no claim that this is an official act for which she has immunity.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard Says James Comey Should be “Arrested and Put Behind Bars” for Threatening the Life of President Trump


Posted originally on CTH on May 15, 2025 | Sundance

Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, is pulling no punches in her view of the direct threat against President Donald Trump that has been made and promoted by former FBI Director James Comey.

Speaking to Fox News, Director Gabbard outlines that there is “no way” James Comey did not know what his threat post was about.  Gabbard notes the “86 47” phrase has been circulating the far-left for several months and Mr Comey is well aware what it means.  Director Gabbard says in her view the former FBI director should be arrested and put behind bars.  WATCH:

.

Posted

Secretary Rubio Begins the Process for a President Trump and President Putin Summit – President Trump’s Direct Engagement is the Lynchpin for a Ceasefire


Posted originally on CTH on May 15, 2025 | Sundance

A meeting between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin brings with it the focus of the entire world.  For a myriad of geopolitical reasons both domestically and abroad, there are ‘trillion-dollar’ interests who want to keep them apart.

Earlier today, fearing that President Trump might actually travel to Turkey, NATO Secretary Mark Rutte and Senator Lindsey Graham quickly arranged dispatch to intercept and participate.  The global intelligence apparatus wants to keep Trump and Putin apart, so too does the NATO alliance, the CIA, the U.K and every other influence agent in partial control of the USA proxy war against Russia using Ukraine.

A decade of carefully scripted narratives against President Trump and any forward leaning Russian foreign policy sits in the background, with an almost incalculable number of opposition elements aligned against President Trump forming any positive USA-Russia relationship.  There’s quite literally almost no place on the planet where President Trump and Vladimir Putin could meet without hearing the drumbeat of opposition against their assembly.  Almost….

For President Trump and Vladimir Putin to join in strategic interest is to disrupt the global order of things, and I do mean everything.  The military industrial complex, the global banking system, the World Economic Forum assembly, the multinational stock markets, the world trade system, the entire European continent, Asian continent, Australian continent, African continent and North American continent, as well as every conflict therein, could be impacted by joint decisions between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.  To say the stakes are high, would be to understate the scale of the dynamic.

In this interview, Secretary of State Marco Rubio seems to nurture the seeds placed by President Trump in his earlier remarks about sitting down with Vladimir Putin to hammer out the details of a ceasefire agreement between Ukraine and Russia.  The entire world pretends not to know that all of the military engagement within Ukraine and around Ukraine, is essentially a proxy war between the USA and Russia. A potential meeting between President Trump and Vladimir Putin destroys that framework.  This is heavy stuff.  WATCH:

Keep in mind that President Trump has been speaking to Vladimir Putin directly via phone, and consequentially through his emissary Steven Witkoff.  Vladimir Putin has been speaking to President Trump through the same channel.

A face-to-face meeting was always going to happen, the only part of the dynamic we were awaiting was how the two presidents were going to coordinate the meeting of consequence, and how would President Trump ditch the U.S. control elements.

Former FBI Director James Comey Posts Threatening Message About President Trump, Deletes Instagram When Called Out


Posted originally on CTH on May 15, 2025 | Sundance

Earlier today James Comey posted a popular threatening message against President Donald Trump, noting “86 47.”  The terminology “86” is to remove or eliminate in popular jargon, as in “eighty-six the ___ ” or eliminate the ___.   President Trump is the 47th President.  So “86 47” is popular leftist speak for ‘eliminate Donald Trump.’

After being called out for the no-so-veiled threat, which included current FBI Director Kash Patel announcing publicly the Secret Service were aware of the issue, the former FBI Director claimed not to know what “eighty-six” signified.  A considerably implausible justification.

This is the general demeanor of James Comey that we have all witnessed for several years.  His too-cute-by-half schtick is part of his insufferable character and speaks to the type of leadership he provided the FBI.

James Comey is a manipulative liar and symbolizes the corrupt nature of the Washington DC infection.

I have two words for James Comey and his Lawfare tribe, and they aren’t “Merry Christmas.”

President Trump Arrival Ceremony in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates


Posted originally on CTH on May 15, 2025 | Sundance

The honors and grand receptions for U.S. President Donald J Trump continued today with an Arrival Ceremony at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.  The UAE is the third stop on President Trump’s tour of the region.  WATCH:

.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio Press Conference from Turkey about Ukraine-Russia Conflict


Posted originally on CTH on May 15, 2025 | Sundance

Emphasizing the need for President Trump and President Putin to come together and cut the gordian knot, Secretary of State Marco Rubio holds a press conference from Turkey explaining the background situation.  WATCH: 

.

Secretary Rubio and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte Deliver Remarks in Turkey as Ukraine Delays Discussions


Posted originally on CTH on May 15, 2025 | Sundance

The talks between Ukraine and Russia on the neutral turf of Turkey turned into a geopolitical game of theatrics and narrative competition following the announcement that Vladimir Putin would not attend.

NATO Secretary Mark Rutte traveling to Turkey (a posturing participant) is yet another indication of the stupidity of it all.  Ukraine is not a NATO country and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, while it may be grounded in the origin of NATO encroachment, does not involve NATO unless you inject the ancillary issues into the equation.   All of this extraneous party posturing shows the reason why Russian President Putin did not attend.

After a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara, Zelenskyy chose to leave for home announcing he would send a delegation as the Russian group sat waiting for their peers to arrive.  The back-and-forth between the two nations played out all day without any substantive negotiations or discussions.   Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg sat around in a holding pattern waiting to see if the two sides would eventually have representatives in place to talk to each other.

Making a statement from Air Force One, President Trump seemed to encapsulate the dynamic saying he did not think any progress was likely until he personally met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Look, nothing is gonna happen until Putin and I get together,” Trump told reporters on board Air Force One en route to the United Arab Emirates. “And he wasn’t gonna go … He wasn’t going if I wasn’t there. And I don’t believe anything will happen, whether you like it or not, until he and I get together. But we are gonna have to get it solved because too many people are dying.”

Later this afternoon Secretary of State Marco Rubio seemed to confirm that a Putin/Trump meeting was going to be needed to break the stalemate.

May 15, 2025 | Sundance

President Trump Delivers Remarks to USA Troops at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar


Posted originally on CTH on May 15, 2025 | Sundance

It is absolutely not accidental that President Trump delivers a speech at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the USA’s largest military base in the middle east, with a backdrop of an MQ-9B Reaper Drone on stage.

Hours earlier President Trump signed a deal for Qatar to purchase new MQ-9B drones. The U.S. gave initial approval for that purchase in March. However, not a single pundit or military expert can explain exactly why the nation state of Qatar would need Reaper Drones.  The USA operates the base providing support and protection for Qatar and the region (Qatar pays for it).  Qatar is not in conflict with any other nation state; they are not at war, and they do not conduct military engagements.  So, why does Qatar need the drones?

The unfortunate Occam’s Razor answer is that Qatar doesn’t technically use the drones, instead what the drone delivery represents is a carveout to supply the CIA with military-grade hardware for use in alternate engagements; likely engagements that are never technically ‘on the record.’  President Trump is ¹equipping the CIA.

¹There is factual and documented evidence of how these transactions take place. Indeed, the entire Benghazi, Libya, boondoggle around the unofficial “consulate” office of former Ambassador Chris Stephens, the CIA Annext located nearby and all of the activity therein, was directly and specifically an effort by the CIA under the guise of the State Dept., to retrieve surface to air missiles given to al-Qaeda (AQIM) in Libya that were being used to shoot at U.S. military helicopters in the region.  The Benghazi ‘coverup’ was all about hiding this reality from the American people.

The State Dept (CIA) used Qatar as a carveout to purchase shoulder-fired missiles, that were then distributed by the CIA to “the Libyan rebels” (Leon Panetta and Hillary Clinton operation).  However, those same CIA missiles were later used against American troops.  The CIA was repurchasing those weapons to get them out of the hands of al-Qaeda, that’s what the Annex was for.  AQIM didn’t like it, so they attacked both the consulate and the annex. That was the reason for the Benghazi coverup operation {GO DEEP}.

The drones will not be used by the nation of Qatar, nor do they have the support systems, targeting, satellite communications etc. to use them.  No, these drones will be launched and operated by USA elements, specifically the CIA – not the Qataris.

So, when the question is asked, who exactly is the Qatar purchase of MQ-9B Reaper Drones intended to benefit, the unfortunate answer is our superseding fourth branch of government; in whatever capacity they alone deem worthy.