Posted originally on Apr 24, 2025 by Martin Armstrong
Donald Trump has come out to say that he had no plans to fire Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. “No, I have no intention of firing him,” Trump told reporters. “I would like to see him be a little more active in terms of his idea to lower interest rates,” the president added. “This is a perfect time to lower interest rates.”
Perhaps the president realized he did not have the power to fire the Fed Chair, as I have outlined. White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett declared less than a week ago that the administration was seeking loopholes to fire Powell. Around the same time, Trump declared that he did have the power to fire Powell, ““If I want him out of there, he’ll be out real fast.”
Powell, who was appointed under Trump’s first term, has face countless issues from presidents who refuse to align fiscal policies to meet monetary goals. Donald Trump has been pushing the Fed to lower interest rates dating back to his first term. Powell broke step with Washington and announced that former President Joe Biden’s reckless spending was endangering future generations. Now, Trump is once again pressuring Powell to drop rates despite the fact that QE policies have failed, and he is viewing the economy as a buyer rather than a lender.
Powell is likely eager for retirement, slated for May 2026. The president does not have the power to fire the chairman, but he does have the authority to appoint the next one. Fed governor Kevin Warsh, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, economist Art Laffer, and Larry Kudlow are all potential contenders for the job based on reports. Some believe Warsh is the frontrunner for the role, and Warsh himself advised Trump not to fire Powell before his term was due to expire.
Kevin Warch is an academic without real trading experience who has been part of the revolving door between Wall Street and Washington. Warsh, 55, has a hawkish stance on inflation, and although he backs Republican priorities such as reduced taxation and deregulation, he does not fully support Trump’s stance on how the Fed should operate.
Warsh served as a Federal Reserve governor from 2006 to 2011, and failed to see the underlying risks that would lead to the 2008 Great Recession. Warsh played a direct role in the negotiations that would later lead to the Lehman Brothers’ downfall, supporting the decision to allow Lehman to fail, spurring global financial panic. “The die was already cast” before bankruptcy, Warsh told CNBC. He failed to grasp the global nature of this decision, which was not a surprise but a deliberate choice to allow the firm to fail.
He was against the central bank’s QE policies in 2010 and warned that it would not aid in economy recovery. He resigned from the Fed’s Board of Governors in 2011 after opposing plans to purchase $600 billion in bonds to push more money into the US economy. Warsh blamed the central bank for enabling reckless government spending during the pandemic by excessively printing money. He sided with Trump in pointing blame at the Fed for permitting inflation to rise in the post-COVID economy. Warsh still believes in managing the economy through intervention, rather than letting the business cycle play out naturally. Tinkering with the system only causes the cycles to become more volatile.
May 7, 2026, is the next major target on the ECM–8.6 years from the August 2017 turning point, and two years from the critical May 2024 benchmark we just passed. Something historic is brewing for May 2026.
Posted originally on Apr 24, 2025 by Martin Armstrong
California’s homeless crisis presents the public sector with a valuable political opportunity to expand its resources. The state and cities continually increase spending to combat the homeless epidemic without producing any results. Funding vanishes into the coffers of the public sector, with the number of people on the streets continuing to rise. Continuing their path of greed, Los Angeles has announced it will raise its sales tax to 11.25% to assist the unhoused.
The California State Auditor released a report last year that revealed California’s programs to combat homelessness have been utterly ineffective. Nine agencies funded by the state have received billions from 2018 to 2023, but homelessness is rapidly rising, and California hosts the largest homeless population in the nation. What have these public agencies done with the $24 BILLION they were awarded to combat homelessness?
As for Los Angeles, the city voted in 2016 and 2017 to raise taxes, collecting $4.6 billion to support the unhoused. Measure HHH provided a $1.2 billion bond to build 10,000 low or no-income housing units. Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas championed this program, but was later arrested for bribery and corruption, found guilty, and sentenced to 42 months in prison. He continued to make public appearances with Mayor Karen Bass during the appeal process.
Va Lecia Adams Kellum, former chief executive of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), signed a $2.1 million contract for Upward Bound House to use taxpayer funds to house the homeless. She attempted to funnel those funds through her husband’s business but was caught in the process. LA Mayor Karen Bass, again, was in full support of Adams Kellum. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors forced Adams Kellum to resign earlier this month after millions of dollars went unaccounted.
Councilman Jose Huizar, again, promised to reduce the number of people living on the streets and was one of the architects of Measure HHH. Huizar was found guilty and sentenced to 13 years imprisonment for accepting $1.5 billion in bribes from developers, spending some of the funds in his possession on prostitutes as well. He paid a $600,000 bribe to a Chinese real estate developer to clear himself of a sexual harassment lawsuit using public funds.
Mayor Bass maintains that homelessness is a result of greedy residents. Measure A passed this month, which is a half-cent countywide sales tax that is expected to generate $1 billion annually. Approximately 33.75% of those funds will go to the corrupt LA County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency (LACAHSA). Measure H is also in effect, which is a quarter-cent countywide sales tax set to expire in 2027. Again, they expect this measure to generate $1 billion annually. Measure ULA is also in place to require those purchasing luxury real estate to contribute to addressing the homeless epidemic. This measure includes a 4% property tax on sales over $5 million and a 5.5% tax on sales over $10 million. This third program is also expected to generate $1 billion in annual revenue.
Los Angeles and the entire state of California are openly looting taxpayers. Read the state’s plan to cover its budget deficits – endless taxes. Even residents who choose or are forced to leave the state will incur taxes to cover government thievery. Los Angeles is one of countless examples of how the public sector will virtue signal to rob Peter, not to pay Paul, but to pay themselves, as they are not hiding the corruption. We saw it on a national level with USAID after the DOGE audit. Expanding the public sector only benefits the government, but the government slowly expands its power by proclaiming it can solve all problems and exploiting empathy. Give to us so we can give to others. If you vote against aiding your neighbor through taxation, you are greedy, as Chuck Schumer boldly proclaimed. Social justice policies teetering on socialism simply ensure that everyone is equal in poverty, aside from those at the very top.
Posted originally on Apr 24, 2025 by Martin Armstrong
The Food and Drug Administration and the US Department of Health and Human Services have announced aban on all petroleum-based synthetic food dyes beginning in 2026. Robert F. Kennedy has warned for years that America’s food supply has been compromised with chemicals that have aided in causing America to be the sickest nation in the developed world.
The FDA is taking the following actions:
Establishing a national standard and timeline for the food industry to transition from petrochemical-based dyes to natural alternatives.
Initiating the process to revoke authorization for two synthetic food colorings—Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B—within the coming months.
Working with industry to eliminate six remaining synthetic dyes—FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 5, FD&C Yellow No. 6, FD&C Blue No. 1, and FD&C Blue No. 2—from the food supply by the end of next year.
Authorizing four new natural color additives in the coming weeks, while also accelerating the review and approval of others.
Partnering with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct comprehensive research on how food additives impact children’s health and development.
Requesting food companies to remove FD&C Red No. 3 sooner than the 2027-2028 deadline previously required.
“For too long, some food producers have been feeding Americans petroleum-based chemicals without their knowledge or consent,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “These poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children’s health and development. That era is coming to an end. We’re restoring gold-standard science, applying common sense, and beginning to earn back the public’s trust. And we’re doing it by working with industry to get these toxic dyes out of the foods our families eat every day.”
Europe and Canada has already banned the majority of these ingredients. It is especially concerning that these food dyes are put into processed foods that are marketed toward children. Not only are these dyes prevalent in foods, but they are also laced in our medications. Again, the US has the highest rates of childhood obesity and preventable health issues in the developed world.
“Cancer and diabetes in young people is going up at an alarming rate and nobody seems to know why. We have to turn our attention to underlying causes such as chemicals and toxins that children are exposed to — not just more insulin and chemotherapy,” US FDS Commissioner Marty Makary stated.
Synthetic food dyes (e.g., Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1) can be found in candies, beverages, cereals, and candies. Canada has issued warning labels on these dyes, stating that they are linked to hyperactivity, behavioral issues, and allergies in children. Carmoisine and Allura Red have been completely banned. The European Union does not permit these dyes in its foods. Global corporations like McDonald’s use natural ingredients in their franchises abroad, for example, while feeding US consumers outright cheap poison because the government gave them permission to do so.
This is merely a first step in an extremely long list of ingredients that are banned throughout the world but permitted in America. Recombinant bovine growth hormones (rBGH/rBST) are fed to American dairy cows to promote milk production. Canada banned this hormone in 1999 after it was found to cause cancer and elevate insulin levels. The EU, New Zealand, and Australia, to name a few, have long banned this unnecessary carcinogen.
Olestra or Olean is an approved fat substitute. One may see a product marketed as “low fat” or “low calorie” on American shelves, but they are often using this as an alternative to reduce the calorie content. This ingredient has been found to cause severe digestive problems, nutrient absorption issues, and deficiencies in fat-soluble vitamins. Again, the EU, UK, and Canada do not permit manufacturers to add this ingredient to their food.
Potassium bromate is commonly found in baked goods in America as it acts as a dough conditioner to enhance the baking process. This chemical has been directly linked to cancer, kidney, nervous system, and thyroid issues. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) declared it to be a carcinogen. Still, the FDA has permitted Americans to consume this poison. California banned the chemical statewide in 2023 under the Food Safety Act.
Azodicarbonamide (ADA), Roxarsone (Arsenic-Based Additive), and Artificial Trans Fats (Partially Hydrogenated Oils) are a few other ingredients KNOWN to cause severe health issues, but American regulatory agencies permit manufacturers to lace it in America’s food supply. It is no conspiracy that known poisons have been added to countless products found in America’s food supply. The food manufacturers benefit because these ingredients are often cheap, addictive, and visually appealing. Big Pharma and the insurance companies benefit from a nation of sick people. The Make America Healthy Again campaign should be championed as common-sense legislation that will guarantee Americans a better quality of life.
Posted originally on Apr 24, 2025 by Martin Armstrong
Donald Trump berated Zelenskyy on April 23, after he said Ukraine would not legally recognize Russian control over Crimea. He said he will not accept ceding any territory, even though this is against the Minsk Agreement that was supposed to allow the Donbas to vote on separation, since they are Russians who have lived there for hundreds of years.
These people have a human right to separate from Ukraine, which hates Russians, and they were killing Russians on the street in Odessa during the 2014 Revolution, which prompted this entire separatist movement. Trump recently presented a proposal to end the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war. Vice President JD Vance has indicated that the plan would freeze the fighting along the current territorial lines. Zelensky refuses to cede anything and would start immediately, wholesale discrimination and attacks on ethnic Russians in the entire region.
This entire region is laced with ethnic hatreds that extend back centuries and sometimes millennia, like Greeks vs Turks. When Yugoslavia broke up, it did so along ethnic lines. The Kosovo War was a bloodshed, and NATO got involved when there was no legal basis to do so. This is what should have been done with Ukraine.
Ukraine joined the Nazis and engaged in ethnic cleansing of Russians, Jews, Polish, and Hungarians. This has been part of the culture. Bandara was their leader and is considered to be a National Hero. He wanted to create Ukraine, which was never a country, by slaughtering all those who were of non-Ukrainian blood.
During the 2014 Revolution, they were displaying Bandera’s image everywhere. This was their time to reignite their ethnic cleansing, and only because they were killing Russians were they tolerated and their inhuman activity ignored by the West.
The CIA protected the Ukrainian Nazis because they hated Russians. Zelensky was a Neonazi pretending to be a Christian before becoming president like George Soros. The Ukrainian people I speak to want peace. They question if they are allowed to have peace without the permission of London and NATO, who want more bloodshed. Zelensky does NOT represent the Ukrainians.
They are sick and tired of being used as expendable pawns in the geopolitical chess game. Beware of mid-May. I fear that the EU wants war so badly as a distraction from the crumbling EU structure, so they push war with Russia. Be on guard for mid-May.
Posted originally on CTH on April 24, 2025 | Sundance
Wednesday, President Trump held an executive order signing ceremony in the oval office and took questions from the media on current topics. Video Prompted:
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President Trump notes the economic team have been in contact with 90 countries from around the world who have called to renegotiate trade agreements. Additionally, Trump notes that 11 new automotive assembly plants have been announced by car companies in order to avoid U.S. tariffs. That’s a lot of American jobs.
Posted originally on CTH on April 23, 2025 | Sundance
President Trump’s patience with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is obviously wearing thin. However, the key for President Trump to change the dynamic; the thing he is inarguably trying to avoid; is a full U.S withdrawal and subsequent isolation for Zelenskyy.
“Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is boasting on the front page of The Wall Street Journal that, “Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea. There’s nothing to talk about here.”
This statement is very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia in that Crimea was lost years ago under the auspices of President Barack Hussein Obama, and is not even a point of discussion. Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory but, if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired? The area also houses, for many years before “the Obama handover,” major Russian submarine bases.
It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that makes it so difficult to settle this War. He has nothing to boast about! The situation for Ukraine is dire — He can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country.
I have nothing to do with Russia, but have much to do with wanting to save, on average, five thousand Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week, who are dying for no reason whatsoever. The statement made by Zelenskyy today will do nothing but prolong the “killing field,” and nobody wants that! We are very close to a Deal, but the man with “no cards to play” should now, finally, GET IT DONE.
I look forward to being able to help Ukraine, and Russia, get out of this Complete and Total MESS, that would have never started if I were President!” [SOURCE]Perhaps one of the unspoken challenges here, is the reality of the CIA relationship with Zelenskyy and Ukraine.
Zelenskyy purposefully timed this Wall Street Journal commentary , and an interview with Ben Shapiro, to antagonize the U.S. delegation in London for discussions on a ceasefire. Zelenskyy is an antagonist in this dynamic.
“Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea,” Zelensky said at a press conference here on Tuesday. “There’s nothing to talk about here. This is against our constitution.”
Regardless of whether President Trump officially removes support, it is highly likely the U.S. Intelligence Community, specifically the CIA, will disregard the administration policy and continue supporting the Ukraine war.
The EU, Great Britain, U.K intelligence agencies, CIA, NATO allies, Israel and the U.S. Senate all want to keep the perpetual war machine in motion. All of them have financial stakes in the conflict. The only western entity that wants to stop the bloodshed and carnage is President Trump.
President Trump is ultimately going to have to cut this gordian knot and shut down all U.S support for Ukraine. However, he will need CIA Director John Ratcliffe to bring the rogue silo to heel, while he directly confronts the other Five Eyes.
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