originally on Posted Dec 15, 2025 by Martin Armstrong
Democratic states are insisting on taxing tips to defy Donald Trump. That’s right—a popular piece of legislation that is seemingly bipartisan has been met with partisan defiance from blue states with representatives who favor rebelling against Trump over the well-being of their constituents.
The One Big Beautiful Bill includes a No Tax on Tips stipulation that prevents the IRS from grabbing cash tips under $25,000. Linemen and factory workers are not taxed on overtime under this bill as well. Illinois, Maine, New York, California, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia are deliberately preventing residents from enjoying this tax break without valid cause.
Illinois claims it needs to continue taxing tips at the state’s 4.95% flat income tax level because the state needs the revenue. Common sense shows us that governments ALWAYS spend more than they earn in taxation. Senator Craig Wilcox is attempting to introduce legislation to push back against Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Democrats. “This is effectively a tax hike on the people who can least afford it,” Wilcox stated. “Democrats cannot claim to support working men and women while blocking measures that would provide real, substantive relief.
Colorado maintains it is “decoupling” from federal tax provisions, formalizing taxes on tips and other forms of income. Governor Jared Polis of Colorado said that the change would cost the state $90 million annually, and the state should decide how it steals and redistributes money through social programs. Fields of Advance Colorado accused lawmakers of “balancing the budget on the backs of workers” as legislators passed bills such as HB 1296 that demand the state receive a portion of overtime pay.
New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli criticized the tax deduction as perhaps too democratic. Only 6% of New York workers receive taxable tips, after all, and they apparently deserve to be shaken down by Uncle Sam like the rest of us.
These governors are admitting that their budget deficits are too steep to benefit the people in any way. These are the same people who tout raising the minimum wage during campaigns to pretend they are for the working man. A majority of these unfunded state budgets are spent on social programs. There is simply no logic to this political theatre aside from “anything but Trump.”
Posted originally on Dec 15, 2025 by Martin Armstrong |
Your speech and social media usage could land you in jail in the United Kingdom, but now, authorities will be monitoring your emotions. Technology has enabled nations to become increasingly Draconian, with eerily detailed information available to government agencies at all times. Residents around the UK are well aware of the CCTV cameras monitoring their every move. The Home Office would now like to use that footage to monitor civilian behavior and facial expression to identify criminals.
The technology may be employed at known suicide hot spots to identify anyone who may seem distressed. Yet, the example was merely discussed as it is the most palatable. Facial recognition technology will be cross-referenced with mugshots in the national crime database. Everyone is a potential criminal—your face and likeness exist within a government database, and your file is ever-expanding.
Ministers would like police to have full access to citizens’ information, from passports to drivers’ licenses, that will be stored in a centralized database. There’s no need to ask for identification since the authorities will already know who you are before approaching you. These cameras will identify the clothes you wear, hats, bags, accessories, and of course, your vehicles.
Crime and Policing Minister Sarah Jones said, “Confident, safe, and consistent use of facial recognition and similar technologies at significantly greater scale requires a more specific legal framework. This will ensure law enforcement can properly harness the power of this technology whilst maintaining public confidence.” I highly doubt this move will “maintain public confidence,” instead, citizens will undoubtedly know that the government sees them as a potential threat and their guards must be up at all times.
The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners asked for access to doorbell cameras and body cameras when crime scenes are searched, even if that occurs in a private domicile. “’These technologies are increasingly invasive and sophisticated. If they are to gain the trust and support of the public… they require robust and independent assessment prior to deployment, meaningful oversight and accountability to the public when things go wrong,” the agency commented.
There has not been an instance in history when increased government surveillance led to a safer or happier nation. Governments are desperate and see control and confidence fading from their grip. The West will become increasingly Draconian as we move through this private wave because they believe the people are responsible for their crises.
Posted originally on Dec 15, 2025 by Martin Armstrong |
Porsche owners across Russia were unable to start their vehicles without warning. The German automaker claimed the sudden immobilization was due to an issue with the Vehicle Tracking System, a satellite security feature intended to protect against auto theft. In reality, Porsche admitted to the world that automakers have the ability to control modernized cars in real-time.
The loss of satellite connectivity signaled a potential auto theft and, therefore, an immediate deactivation. The engine immobilizer turned on simultaneously for hundreds of vehicles across Russia without warning. The blackout that affected every model post-2013 that contained the tracking satellite programming. Some owners reported success after disconnecting their car batteries for 10 hours, and others managed to reboot the VTS module, but the majority instantly lost access to transportation.
Porche denies any potential wrongdoing. No hacking organizations have come forward. The manufacturer insists it was a mere malfunction that just so happened to target vehicles in Russia.
Porche followed Germany in cutting ties with Russia at the start of the 2022 war in Ukraine. Could the company or government have been testing a digital war tactic? Politics aside, global citizens should be aware that their cars can be controlled by the manufacturer, governments, or bad actors. There have been countless isolated cases of this occurring throughout the years, but this incident proves that it could happen on a nationwide basis instantaneously. Perhaps we will see the day when older cars without digital features are prized and rise in value.
Posted originally on Dec 15, 2025 by Martin Armstrong |
A lot of question have come in about the fall of the Eurozone. One thing that they are already discussing is to allow the member states with a debt crisis like Italy that is unsustainable to exist the Eurozone. They are already discussing that Northern Europe will reconfigure itself into a smaller Eurozone to try to say the system and the currency. This is in part why NATO, including American Neocons, are actively pushing for war with Russia for they fear when the Eurozone collapses, NATO will no longer be in a position to wage war.
The stupidity of the EU leaders has been accelerated by their hatred of Donald Trump. The Neocons and NATO are egging them on using their hatred of Trump to ensure that they will choose war rather than peace. Then with just one member state like Italy being pushed to the brink, we will see what too place in 2010 with Greece which was just 2% compared to the Eurozone. Italy is about 15%. There is no possible way for the ECM to bail out Italy or France. They already hold €5 trillion in sovereign debt on their balance sheet.
European Court of Justice (ECJ) did not rule that the ECB cannot increase its balance sheet unlimitedly. In fact, the ECJ has consistently upheld the ECB’s broad discretion in conducting monetary policy, including large-scale asset purchases. However, a major and highly controversial ruling by the German Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht) in May 2020, challenged the ECJ and the ECB on this very issue.
In May 2020, the German court issued a landmark ruling that directly contradicted the ECJ. It stated that the German government and the Bundesbank (Germany’s central bank) had violated German constitutional law by participating in the PSPP without properly ensuring the ECB had conducted a “proportionality assessment.” The German court argued the ECB had not sufficiently analyzed the economic and fiscal policy effects (like impacts on pensions, real estate bubbles, and savings) of its multi-trillion-euro program.
The core of the ruling was that the ECB had potentially overstepped its monetary policy mandate and veered into economic policy, which is reserved for member states. It gave the ECB three months to provide a proportionality assessment, or the Bundesbank would have to withdraw from the program. This was an unprecedented challenge: A national court effectively declaring an ECJ judgment “ultra vires” (beyond its authority) and threatening to break the unity of the Eurosystem.
This colors the possibility that the ECB can just monetize the debt of any country in default. The ECB, while strongly defending its actions, provided additional documentation and analysis to demonstrate it had considered the proportionality of its measures. The German government and parliament engaged in a review process to satisfy the court.
In April 2021, the German Constitutional Court closed the case, accepting the provided documents as sufficient, thus ending the immediate crisis. The Bundesbank continued its participation.
The Ruling Was About Mandate and Procedure, Not a Hard Limit. Hence, there is no official cap. Neither court established a specific limit (e.g., €5 trillion, 50% of GDP) on the ECB’s balance. This was a Political Warning Shot! It served as a powerful political warning from Germany to the ECB that its policies were being watched closely for overreach, especially as it moved into newer programs like the Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP).
The European Court of Justice ruled the ECB can use large balance sheet expansions. The challenge came from a national court (Germany’s), which argued such expansions must be rigorously justified and remain within the ECB’s monetary policy mandate. The ultimate result affirmed the ECB’s actions but under heightened scrutiny, not with a fixed balance sheet ceiling.
This hangs over the head of the ECB in the event of a member default. This is why my sources are talking about preparing for the DISSOLUTION of the Eurozone by jettisoning troubled states in a desperate effort to retain the EU Parliament and power.
Posted originally on CTH on December 15, 2025 | Sundance
Previously, overnight Saturday/Sunday police arrested a man named Benjamin Erickson (24) as the suspect {link} in the Brown University attack that left two people killed and nine injured. At the time of the detainment Providence’s police chief, Col. Oscar Perez, told media, “Police are confident the man in custody is the suspected gunman.” {link] He added he wanted to ensure that all legal requirements are met before charges are brought.
According to media reports, “the man had a unique characteristic on his firearm, the officials said, and that firearm was found when he was taken into custody.” {link}
“We’re going to work with the attorney general’s office to make sure that we have the right legal requirements for the charges,” Perez said. “And this is, it’s just complex. There’s a lot of evidence, there’s a lot of witnesses, and so we have to make sure that we have it all tight. And to make sure we have a good case.” Perez said police cannot hold the person of interest beyond tomorrow (Sunday) if charges are not filed. He said he is hoping an arraignment will take place “sooner rather than later.” {link w/ video}
Shortly before midnight local authorities announced they were releasing the “person of interest”, aka Benjamin Jackson, but told the community not to worry as there is no alternative threat to the community. WATCH:
RHODE ISLAND – PROVIDENCE: A person of interest detained after a Brown University shooting that killed two students and injured nine will be released after an investigation took law enforcement authorities in a “different direction,” officials said Sunday night.
The disclosure, made at a hastily convened late night news conference, represents a stunning turn of events in an investigation into killings that rattled the Ivy League campus and came more than 12 hours after officials had announced that they had taken a person into custody in connection with the attack.
[…] The gunman opened fire inside a classroom in the engineering building, firing more than 40 rounds from a 9 mm handgun, a law enforcement official told AP. Two handguns were recovered when the person of interest was taken into custody and authorities also found two loaded 30-round magazines, the official said. One of the firearms was equipped with a laser sight that projects a dot to aid in targeting, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity.
One student of the nine wounded students had been released from the hospital, said Paxson. Seven others were in critical but stable condition, and one was in critical condition. (READ MORE)
Occam’s Razor. The suspect, Benjamin Jackson, could only be held for 24 hours without charges. [Detained overnight Sat, clock ticks to overnight Sun] The attorney general would have needed to file charges on Sunday evening to avoid detainment issue. The AG office doesn’t work full staff on Sunday, and the police detainment was too fast for them. RESULT: Benjamin Jackson is released.
This is Providence, Rhode Island. One of the most Moonbat communities in a sea of Moonbat politics. DEI, not competency, is their operational language. It’s just how the far-left rolls in combination with a police arrest of an individual who holds the same ideological alignment as the local officials in charge.
Ultimately, as suspected and rumored within the discussion of this story, the shooter (leftist) and the victims (conservatives) are on opposite sides of the political dynamic. A college republican group on this campus would be a very small segment of the overall student/faculty population.
“The shooting happened during a final exam review session in a Principles of Economics class, according to the class’s professor, Rachel Friedberg. She did not immediately respond to a message seeking more information.” (Source)
As the mayor said, there is no “risk” to the larger Providence community in releasing the suspect, because the motives of the shooting indicate only a very narrow segment of the Providence population would be targeted.
Posted originally on CTH on December 15, 2025 | Sundance
The Los Angeles authorities hold a press conference to announce they are awaiting search warrants to be able to send detectives into the home of Rob Reiner whose body is reportedly laying inside.
Apparently, the appearance of dead people inside tends to give LAPD a strong indicator that a crime may have taken place. However, they are not sure and need a search warrant to investigate what specifically caused the dead people. WATCH:
According to breaking news, Hollywood actor and director Rob Reiner (78) and his wife Michelle Singer Reiner (70) were murdered in their Los Angeles home by their son, Nick Reiner.
Rob Reiner was very politically involved and extremely anti-Trump. His son is reported to have a long history of problems with drug issues and mental instability.
Hollywood Reporter – […] Reiner and his wife, 70, were found dead in their home on Chadbourne Avenue, with the couple “suffering lacerations consistent with a knife,” law enforcement sources told TMZ. The Los Angeles Fire Department had been called to their house at about 3:30 p.m., and LAPD Robbery Homicide Division detectives were investigating. (source)
People Magazine – Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were killed by their son, Nick, multiple sources confirm to PEOPLE.
On Sunday, Dec. 14, at about 3:30 p.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) was called to a home to provide medical aid, the LAFD told PEOPLE. Upon arrival, they found a man, 78, and a woman, 68, dead. Sources confirm the victims were Rob and Michele.
Rob is a director, producer and actor whose career includes some of Hollywood’s most beloved films — from his 1984 directorial debut, This Is Spinal Tap, to Stand by Me (1986), The Princess Bride (1987), When Harry Met Sally… (1989), Misery (1990) and A Few Good Men (1992). (read more)
Posted originally on CTH on December 14, 2025 | Sundance
As with all information during high-stakes negotiations, particularly ones covered in geopolitics, trillions at stake and power dynamics on this scale, it is prudent to ignore most media reporting and focus on the public statements from the negotiators.
German Chancellor Fredrich Merz seated right next to Zelenskyy, highlighting the oppositional nature of the U.S. vs EU position during negotiations.
STEVE WITKOFF – Official Readout: “The meeting in Berlin between President Zelenskyy, Special Envoy Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and delegations from the United States and Ukraine lasted over five hours. Representatives held in-depth discussions regarding the 20-point plan for peace, economic agendas, and more. A lot of progress was made, and they will meet again tomorrow morning.”
Official Readouts are the statements that all parties agree to. The “readout” is not a shaping statement giving insight into the deal itself, but rather a status statement of the discussions surrounding the deal.
Team Zelenskyy have been waging a public relations campaign to retain support from echo-chambered EU politicians. The focus is continuation of funding, essentially money. Team Trump have been less public and approaching the negotiations with prudent pragmatism; less PR more substance; their focus is an end to the killing. These are two distinctly different priority sets.
DW NEWS – Sunday’s discussions in Berlin between Ukrainianand US officials on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine have concluded for the night, with the talks set to continue on Monday.
In a message sent to reporters over WhatsApp, Ukrainian presidential adviser Dmytro Lytvyn, said the talks “went on for more than five hours and ended for today with an agreement to resume tomorrow morning.”
Lytvyn added Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would comment on the discussions on Monday once they were completed. (source)
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