Posted originally on Sep 3, 2025 by Martin Armstrong |
America cannot find its footing in manufacturing. The ISM Manufacturing PMI came in at 48.7 in August 2025, marking the sixth consecutive month of contraction. Although the figure has improved from July’s reading of 48, there is ongoing confirmation that capital is bleeding out of US manufacturing.
New orders did rise to 51.4, a stark uptick from July’s reading of 47.1, but production fell to 47.8 in August from 51.4 in July. “In August, U.S. manufacturing activity contracted at a slightly slower rate, with new orders growth the biggest factor in the 0.7-percentage point gain of the Manufacturing PMI,” said Susan Spence, chair of the ISM’s survey committee. “However, since production contracted at a rate nearly equal to the expansion in new orders, the Manufacturing PMI increase was nominal.”
The issue is far deeper than a capital fleeing uncertainty from tariffs, as this issue has been ongoing. In fact, one of Trump’s motives for implementing tariffs was to boost domestic manufacturing. Trump openly stated that he wanted companies to move manufacturing to the US to avoid tariffs. This was intended to promote domestic trade as companies will seek to avoid levies. We did see a temporary uptick in manufacturing demand when these tariffs were announced but it was not enough to sustain the sector. Although companies began to invest in the US, overall trade remained volatile. There were supply chain issues by May, and come September, the US is still at a standstill regarding tariffs. Nations have even halted postal shipments to the US entirely as they cannot process the ongoing tariff changes.
Again, US manufacturing was in a dire situation before Trump entered the office. The Inflation Reduction Act promised to fund the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was intended to expand American manufacturing, but regulation and an emphasis on clean energy initiatives drove business away. The Biden Administration had promised to add 1 million manufacturing jobs to the US but failed miserably.
This has nothing to do with America being uncompetitive. The American worker is among the most productive in the world. But if you add 30–40% in taxes and compliance costs on top of wages, while competitors in Asia operate under far leaner systems, capital naturally migrates to where it will be treated best.
Manufacturing in the United States has been in decline for decades due to systemic policy failures. The politicians will blame China and tariffs for the downturn. The contraction we see today is merely the continuation of a decades-long trend set in motion by shortsighted policies.
Posted originally on Aug 28, 2025 by Martin Armstrong
Twenty-five nations have declared a temporary suspension on all postal shipments to the United States amid tariff uncertainty. As of August 29, 2025, the United Stated will remove the de minimis exemption from law that allowed goods under $800 to enter tax-free. Tariffs range between 10% to 50% on the declared value, or $80 to $200 per parcel. Goods above $2,500 are subject to a Merchandise Processing Fee and additional formal customs checks. Processing delays and increased costs were incurred immediately, but now, a growing number of nations have decided to simply discontinue parcel service.
In Europe, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Czechia, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, Portugal, and Ireland suspended services. In the Asia-Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand have halted services as well. Canada has also curbed its mail exports. All of this has been implemented at the federal level, whereas previously, individual postal carriers determined whether or not they would service the US.
“Despite discussions with U.S. customs services, no time was provided to postal operators to reorganize and assure the necessary computer updates to conform to the new rules,” France’s La Poste said in a statement. The Australia Post said the temporary partial suspension has been necessary to allow us to develop and implement a workable solution for our customers.” Italy’s Post Italiane noted that “the absence of different instructions from U.S. authorities,” forced the suspension of services. The United States did not consider the logistics of suddenly transforming import regulations.
American consumers are watching their orders decline in real-time. Items in transit are being returned of delayed, especially if they arrive after August 29. This is a fatal blow to small businesses that rely on international orders. American consumerism composes two-thirds of all GDP and other nations eagerly line up to sell their goods. Any downturn in trade is a negative for all parties involved.
The situation is still developing, but any suspension in parcel delivery will hurt the global economy. The United States did not give the world sufficient time to prepare for this new regulation. The EU, Japan, Canada, and others have the experience and infrastructure to integrate compliance changes and digital customs data, but other nations with less developed postal infrastructure are unlikely to quickly adapt their systems. These nations have been forced to halt services due to logistics rather than a punishment to the US as all parties involved will face consequences.
Posted originally on Aug 28, 2025 by Martin Armstrong |
The United Kingdom’s Labour Party is experiencing the lowest approval rating since the last general election, with only 20% approving of Keir Starmer’s administration. What we are seeing in Britain is part of a broader global cycle of political discontent. Politicians are losing credibility because they are offering nothing but recycled policies that fail to address the economic storm at hand.
Starmer, like so many others in power today, has no real solutions. He inherited a fragile economy already crippled by decades of mismanagement, and instead of reversing course, he doubled down on the very same failed ideas. The endless promises of “green jobs” and “renewable energy revolutions” have failed. Energy costs remain high, industry continues to flee, and average households are struggling with the global cost of living crisis. The public feels betrayed because they were sold the illusion of prosperity under the Labour Party.
A Reform UK spokesperson accused Starmer of “cosying up to the EU and leaving [Britain] entangled in reams of retained EU law which Kemi Badenoch failed to scrap will not resuscitate Britain’s struggling economy.” Brexit may have occurred but the current administration has not broken ranks with Brussels. Starmer is forcibly pushing the UK into a war and compromising domestic policies for globalist ambitions.
If you come to the UK illegally, you will be detained and deported. End of story. pic.twitter.com/D7sgHcS4cG
The Reform UK Party is now leading the polls with 28% of the vote. Nigel Farage is offering the people a new opportunity under an administration that would prioritize domestic issues. Farage has called Starmer’s economic approach a “mad experiment” and has criticized government spending and excessive taxation. He has promised to save Britain’s energy sector and repeal all net-zero policies that cost over £40 billion annually. Farage published a piece on The Telegraph explaining the severity of the nation’s migrant crisis. He believes that the UK has spent £10 billion over five years on the migrant crisis and described the rise in crime and expenses as a “national emergency.” Farage has also expressed caution regarding sending UK troops to Ukraine.
The model suggests that as we approach the next critical political/economic wave, confidence in political leaders worldwide will erode. The people are turning to candidates whom the mainstream media paints as extreme because the world has awakened to the failed globalist policies that are destroying their nations. The people want national sovereignty that cannot be achieved through the establishment.
Posted originally on Aug 25, 2025 by Martin Armstrong |
Viktor Orbán has been a thorn in the paw of the European dictatorship masquerading as a democracy when the people have no right to vote for any leader, and the Parliament, which they do vote for, has no complete democratic control over other EU institutions, especially the European Commission. It can hold hearings, ask questions, and set up committees of inquiry. Most dramatically, it has the power to pass a motion of censure and force the entire European Commission to resign. It cannot pass laws alone. It can reject proposed legislation entirely, killing the bill. It has done this on numerous occasions, forcing the Commission to go back to the drawing board. However, it has the power to reject the entire annual EU budget. It has no power to alter laws or the budget. It is always an all-or-nothing role.
The European Union has not stripped Hungary of its voting rights over issues related to migrants or Ukraine, but is dying to do so and is now behind closed doors telling Zelensky to create a confrontation with Orban to force Hungary to exit the EU and enter war with Ukraine. On Ukraine’s Independence Day, Zelensky gave Hungary an ultimatum:“You must make a choice.” Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó fired back with sharp words:
“We firmly reject the Ukrainian President’s intimidation. In recent days Ukraine has carried out serious attacks against our energy supply. An attack on energy security is an attack on sovereignty.”
Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha then mocked Hungary, stating:
“Hungary’s energy security is in your own hands. Diversify and become independent from Russia, like the rest of Europe.”
Zelensky is deliberately attacking the national security of Hungary, I believe, at orders from London, the EU, and NATO, who want Hungary out of the EU. The EU has debated stripping Hungary’s voting rights, but no such action has been finalized due to the complex and politically sensitive nature of the Article 7 process. Hungary’s positions on migration and Ukraine remain significant points of tension. For now, Hungary retains its full voting rights. The EU is desperate to get it to leave to the point of instructing Zelensky to cut off Hungary’s energy supply from Russia to cripple the economy, and they hope that will overthrow Orbán.
This dangerous new phase of the war, targeting highly sensitive infrastructure, comes amid defiant speeches in Kiev. There will NEVER be any peace until Zelensky is dragged out of Ukraine in chains. He takes his order against his own people, who want peace.
There have been ongoing discussions and proposals to deal with Hungary under Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union, which allows for the suspension of a member state’s voting rights in cases of severe and persistent breaches of EU values, such as the rule of law, democracy, and human rights. These discussions have been fueled by Hungary’s actions under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, particularly its vetoes or obstructions of EU decisions on Ukraine aid, sanctions against Russia, and migration policies.
Hungary has repeatedly blocked or delayed EU funding for Ukraine, such as the €50 billion Ukraine Facility package, and opposed Ukraine’s EU accession talks, often citing issues like minority rights or corruption in Ukraine. For instance, Orbán left the room during a key vote in December 2023 to allow EU leaders to reach a consensus on starting accession talks with Ukraine, avoiding a direct veto but still signaling resistance.
Hungary’s vetoes on Ukraine aid and its perceived alignment with Moscow have led to growing frustration. The EU has considered workarounds, like alternative plans to bypass Hungary’s veto on Ukraine’s accession, and some MEPs have pushed for legal action against the European Commission for unfreezing €10 billion in funds for Hungary, seen by critics as a concession to Orbán’s tactics. This is why, covertly, Ukraine has been given the green light to undermine Hungary in hopes of forcing regime change.
Article 7 Proceedings:
The European Parliament triggered Article 7 procedures against Hungary in 2018 due to hyped-up allegations of judicial independence, media freedom, and civil society restrictions. Multiple hearings have been held to discuss potential sanctions, including suspending Hungary’s voting rights. However, no final decision has been made, as Article 7 requires unanimous consent from all other member states, which has been challenging to achieve.
Hungary’s strict anti-migration stance, including the “Stop Soros” law criminalizing assistance to illegal migrants and its 2016 referendum rejecting EU migration quotas, has been a point of contention. Some EU members see these policies as violating EU principles on human rights and solidarity.
The EU has instructed Romania to take in 100,000 migrants from Africa and the Middle East. They really do believe that they can draft all of these migrants to wage war against Russia. That is the backdrop to this crisis, they will NEVER tell the media about because it makes them the aggressor for war.
Our model on the EU, taken from the 1957 Treay of Rome, shows a major crash by 2030. This is where we should expect that the odds of the EU remaining intact post-2030 come into serious question. The EU has been drunk with power and has done precisely the opposite of its promises, from Climate Change to the migrant crisis, all culminating in war.
The shift in trend that the computer was forecasting lined up with the ECM from the start of the Euro, which began on October 20th, 2024 (2024.802). Maia Sandu, the Prime Minister of Moldavia, had the first round of election on October 20th, 2024.
This is also when Kaja Kallas was selected to be the Vice-President of the European Commission as well as High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. She is about as unbiased as Zelensky, and the two of them belong in the same cell. It was the first time I ever saw him put on a shirt and tie to impress her. I guess he didn’t need to wear his army getup to show he is at war while sending off $50 million per month to a secret account in the UAE.
As I have warned, even Washington, the EU has ZERO intention of allowing any peace deal whatsoever. There was war, and it is either war to destroy Russia and seize its $75 trillion of natural resources to keep the EU alive, or else, it is going to collapse by 2030, and they know that. They will NOT reform the EU even economically. They are married to the goals of Karl Marx – equality and suppressing individualism, just as the USSR did. The right to freedom of speech does not exist in Europe, unlike in the USSR. They are as paranoid as Stalin was who lived in fear of a revolution to overthrow him.
We see October as a turning point for Hungary. Perhaps all the back-stabbing from the EU will come to a head. With Zelensky’s ultimatum, choose sides or else it will come from Kallas and the rest of the Neocons.
I have created this site to help people have fun in the kitchen. I write about enjoying life both in and out of my kitchen. Life is short! Make the most of it and enjoy!
This is a library of News Events not reported by the Main Stream Media documenting & connecting the dots on How the Obama Marxist Liberal agenda is destroying America
Centinel2012 