Tag Archives: Bill Gates

Jul 10 2023

Sunday Geopolitical Talks – Biden and Coons Admit Ukraine Almost Out of Artillery Shells, No Strategic NATO Consideration Until War With Russia Ends


Posted originally on the CTH on July 9, 2023 | Sundance 

Both Joe Biden [VIDEO HERE] and Senator Chris Coons [VIDEO HERE] were interviewed as part of the Sunday talk circuit just before the upcoming NATO summit.  The message from both voices were similar as part of the larger geopolitical discussion, so I’m blending them into one review.

On the subject of Ukraine seeking NATO membership the key democrats gave the same explanation and justification, although Biden mumbled a little more alarmingly.  Biden, speaking to the Dept of State narrative engineers on CNN, noted there can be no discussion of Ukraine entering NATO as long as the war with Russia is ongoing.  From Biden’s perspective if NATO accepted Ukraine now, then all of NATO would immediately need to enter the war with Russia.

What Biden and Coons did not say was that if NATO opened the door to Ukraine now, the interests of Russia would immediately change.  If NATO was to make immediate announcements of Ukraine membership, Russia would be stupid not to expand the war immediately and begin the process of taking all of Ukraine instead of the eastern Russian speaking section bordering the homeland.

On the subject of sending cluster bombs to Ukraine, both Biden and Coons admitted something that would not ordinarily be discussed in public circles.  Ukraine is almost out of 155mm artillery shells and the U.S. stockpile we have used to support them is now gone.   It will take more than several months to manufacture and resupply our own military stores, let alone support the needs of Ukraine.  As a consequence, 155mm cluster bombs are being supplied in lieu of our ability to provide less deadly munitions.

[COONS] – “First, we are running out of 155mm artillery munitions, and they are burning through them at a remarkable rate. Six to eight thousand a day. That’s a million a year. We have a plan to bring back online the manufacturing of 155mm shells at scale, but that won’t happen for months. They are at risk of losing this counter offensive if they run out of their shells. We have a large stockpile of 155mm shells that are cluster munitions. It’s the Ukrainians who are asking to be able to use these on their own soil. They’ve committed to monitoring their use to remediating them after the war. And frankly, they will be tactically helpful against dug-in Russian troops that are behind large minefields. So weighing all of those factors, the President made a tough call that I will support.” (more)

[BIDEN] – […] “we’re in a situation where Ukraine continues to be brutally attacked across the board by munitions — by these cluster munitions that are — have dud rates that are very, very low — I mean, very high, that are a danger to civilians, number one. 
 
Number two, the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition, the ammunition — they used to call them 155-millimeter weapons. This is a — this is a war relating to munitions. And they’re running out of those — that ammunition. And we’re low on it.” (read more) 

Ordinarily in a time of war one might not expect to see public discussion of ammo supplies; alas, in the era of World War Reddit, it seems not to be an issue.

On the subject of China, I think this is the first time when Joe Biden has said publicly, that after the Xi-Putin summit, Biden threatened Chairman Xi Jinping with unilateral action to remove U.S. corporations and investment from China if Xi was to openly assist Russian President Putin.   At least that is the Biden claim within the interview.

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Jul 10 2023

Elon Musk Signs Pledge to Support China’s Socialist Values


Posted originally on the CTH on July 9, 2023 | Sundance 

There’s a lot of background discussion about this latest issue created by Elon Musk signing a pledge to support the socialist (communist) economic enterprise systems under the control of the Chinese Communist Party.

Most of the current discussion is focused on the weak ideological ‘free-market and democratic’ commitment exhibited by Musk’s adherence to the rules and dictates of the Chinese state.  However, I’m staying far outside the esoteric and nuanced implication of this.  The reality is much simpler.

Elon Musk is in a dire financial situation; he cannot afford to be high-minded and ideologically connected to free-speech and free-enterprise right now (if he ever was).

The Musk empire is in a very weak financial position; these decisions made, while China is holding such financial leverage over him, are made without option.  Ironically, Twitter is banned in China. lolol

(Via Daily Mail) – […]  Elon Musk’s Tesla was the only foreign company in the lineup of 15 other automakers to sign the letter.  Part of Musk’s pledge was a promise to support China’s ‘core socialist values’ and bear ‘the heavy responsibility of maintaining steady growth.’ 

The automakers also agreed not to ‘exaggerate or use false publicity and disrupt fair competition with abnormal pricing,’ according to Bloomberg. 

China accounts for one third of Tesla’s annual sales, reports the FT. The communist country is Tesla’s second-largest market after the U.S. and the Shanghai plant is the electric car maker’s largest production hub. 

Yaqiu Wang, senior China researcher with Human Rights Watch, criticized Musk’s moves, telling the FT: ‘Failing to comply with ‘core socialist values’ has been frequently used by authorities to punish speeches that are critical of the Chinese government.’  (read more)

Once you strap onto the ride with the dragon, you don’t get off until the ride’s over.

When the Turkish government told Musk to block the political opposition to the Turkish government, Musk complied.

When the French government told Musk to block and remove content adverse to their domestic interests, Musk complied.

When China says support Communism in our country, or else…. Musk adheres.

Elon Musk is no John Galt.

Jul 9 2023

Le Pen – What Have You Done to France?


Armstrong Economics Blog/France Re-Posted Jul 9, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Jul 9 2023

Zelensky Cancels All Elections Becomes Dictator for Life


Armstrong Economics Blog/Ukraine Re-Posted Jul 8, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Is it true that Zelensky is canceling elections?

HZ

ANSWER: On June 22, 2023, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a dictator installed by the West to create World War III against Russia. Zelensky told the BBC that Ukraine’s scheduled 2023 parliamentary and 2024 presidential elections would occur only if martial law had ended by that time, as reported by the New Voice of Ukraine. Hence, he has a personal reason not to seek any peace whatsoever.

There is NO WAY Zelensky is fighting for democracy – this is all propaganda. He hates Russians and refuses to allow them to separate as per the Mink Agreement and, at the same time, refuses them to vote in any Ukrainian election, no less for their independence. Zelensky is an outright war criminal, and over 8 million Ukrainians have now fled their own country because he refuses to end the war and is destroying his own country all for Blackrock’s investment scheme. His own people would remove him from office, so he cannot allow any election, and there is no way NATO or the USA will allow free elections in Ukraine.

There is no way this war will end without the Donbas’ destruction and Russia’s fall. It is a proxy war that the United States started. CIA chief John Brennan traveled to Kiev in 2014 and instructed them to begin the civil war. Kiev called the Russians of the Donbas “terrorist” because they sought independence from Kiev just as Kiev sought independence from Moscow.

Biden & Harris are clearly a no-brainer for the Neocons. There is way too much at stake. If the Neocons could, they would suspend elections in the USA as well. These people have wanted to destroy Russia for decades. They have waged endless wars, one after the other, and never won a single one. The Taliban are now major arms dealers selling billions of dollars of the weapons we left behind. They intend to escalate Ukraine and need to get the US directly involved because they cling to the idea that no president has ever lost an election during a time of war. They need to escalate this war and soon. The rumor is that Ukraine will detonate a dirty nuclear bomb and blame Russia, and then NATO and the USA invade.

Jul 9 2023

The Dutch Government Has Fallen – Prime Minister Mark Rutte Future Uncertain, New Elections Likely


Posted originally on the CTH on July 8, 2023 | Sundance 

The Netherlanders are a rather dramatic sort, organizing their system of governance on coalitions of various shades that agree to high-minded pleasantries as a way to remain above the fray of pesky conflict.  Alas, once a moment of core and consequential disagreement reaches an impasse, the entire Dutch government is said to “collapse.”

The Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte traveled to Tunisa earlier this year, together with EU leaders, pledging €1 billion in assistance if the North African gatekeepers could just stop the flow.  The effort didn’t work, and his small country of 18 million, already dealing with major internal conflict driven by farmers and climate change, could not cope with the toxic political challenge of increased unlawful migration.

Associated Press – The ruling Dutch coalition collapsed Friday after tense talks among the four parties in Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s ruling bloc failed to broker a deal over ways to rein in migration, a senior politician said. 

Henk Kamp, a senior member of Rutte’s People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy told Dutch television: “It is a great shame that the government has now fallen.” The failure of months of talks on the thorny issue could now force a general election. 

Rutte’s Cabinet gathered late Friday in a hastily scheduled meeting. “We talked for a long time, we are coming here tonight because we did not succeed,” Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren told reporters as she walked into the Cabinet meeting.

Meanwhile, opposition lawmakers wasted no time in calling for fresh elections. 

Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-immigration Party for Freedom, tweeted, “Quick elections now.” Jesse Klaver, leader of the Green Left party also called for elections and told Dutch broadcaster NOS: “This country needs a change of direction.”

Rutte, the Netherlands’ longest serving premier, presided over late-night meetings Wednesday and Thursday that failed to result in a deal. More talks were held Friday evening, and he declined to answer questions about the issue at his weekly press conference before the discussions.

[…] There will likely be an election for the 150-seat lower house of the Dutch parliament later this year amid a polarized and splintered political landscape. Rutte’s Cabinet would likely remain in office as a caretaker administration until a new government was formed.

During provincial elections earlier this year, a populist pro-farmer party put Rutte’s party into second place. The defeat was seen as a possible incentive for Rutte to do his utmost to hold together his coalition until its term ends in 2025. (read more)

Jul 8 2023

Biden Administration Appeals Court Ruling That Blocks Govt from Censoring Free Speech on Social Media


Posted originally on the CTH on July 7, 2023 | Sundance | 79 Comments

In a previous ruling in the case of The State of Missouri v Joe Biden, Judge Terry Doughty agreed with the state position that evidence had clearly shown agencies of the U.S. government had infringed upon First Amendment free speech in targeting social media companies with demands for content removal. [Ruling and Injunction pdf]

The social media companies outlined in the state lawsuit include Facebook, Instagram, Meta Platforms Inc, Twitter, Google and YouTube.  Evidence provided by the states showed clear and convincing evidence the government was unlawfully monitoring social media and telling the platforms to remove content adverse to their interests.

The judge outlined an emergency injunction barring government agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services and the FBI from talking to social media companies for “the purpose of urging, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner the removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech” under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.  The ruling provided narrow exceptions.

Obviously, given the scale of government involved censorship of speech within social media, the injunction was a major loss to the Biden regime, who operate -in part- with the benefit of controlling public opinion and information.  The judicial ruling disrupts the ability of the Biden administration to censor the online speech of Americans.

As a result of the injunction, the DOJ is now asking Judge Doughty to stay or pause his injunction while the government files a full appeal to the 5th circuit court of appeals.

(Reuters) –  The Biden administration on Thursday asked a federal judge to put on hold his earlier order barring some government agencies and officials from meeting and communicating with social media companies about moderating their content.

 

In a filing before U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty in Monroe, Louisiana, the administration said the judge’s Tuesday ruling was “both sweeping in scope and vague in its terms,” and likely to be overturned on appeal.

The administration appealed the order to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday. If Doughty refuses to pause his own order, the administration will likely ask the 5th Circuit to do so instead while it considers the appeal.

Doughty’s order came in a lawsuit brought by Republican attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri and by several individuals. They alleged that U.S. government officials effectively coerced social media companies to censor posts over concerns they would fuel vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic or upend elections. (read more)

 

Jul 8 2023

Tucker Carlson Discusses President Trump, RFK Jr and American Politics with Russell Brand


Posted originally on the CTH on July 7, 2023 | Sundance 

Former popular Fox News host Tucker Carlson appears for a lengthy interview with British pundit Russell Brand about current events. {Full Video Rumble Link} The interview is well over an hour and covers a wide range of topics [full video below fold]; the segment below is specifically about Donald Trump, RFK Jr and the state of DC politics. WATCH:

“I think looking back on this ten years from now, assuming we’re still around, I think we’re going to see Trump’s emergence as the most significant thing that happened in American politics in 100 years, because he reoriented the Republican Party against the wishes of Republican leaders.”

“I’m struck by his foreign policy views. You know Trump is the only person with stature in the Republican Party really who is saying wait a second why are we sending an endless war in Ukraine. Leaving aside whether Trump is going to get the nomination or get elected President or would be a good President, I can’t even assess that, all I can at this point is I’m so grateful he has that position. He’s right and everyone in Washington is wrong, everyone. And Trump is right on that question and it’s a big question. That war is reshaping the world. It’s reshaping the economy of the world. It’s reshaping populations.”

“Europe will never be the same because of this war and it really matters, and Trump alone among popular figures in both parties understands that and I’m grateful for that.”

“Whether he gets the nomination or gets elected, words really matter. Saying something true out loud matters, and he is saying true things about Ukraine and God bless him. That’s how I feel.”

Full Video Below:

Tucker Carlson and Russell Brand – Streaming Live

https://rumble.com/embed/v2w4cp4/?pub=as0d9
Jul 7 2023

US Housing Prices Push Higher


Armstrong Economics Blog/Real Estate Re-Posted Jul 7, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Fannie Mae admitted their forecast of declining home prices was incorrect. They initially projected that housing would fall by 1.2% in 2023, followed by 2.2% in 2024. Housing prices remain strong because this in an inventory crisis. There are 47% less available single-family houses on the market compared to the start of the COVID crisis. Homebuilders cannot keep up with demand, and the demand for investment-bought rentals is outpacing single-family sales.

Our Residential Index elected a Yearly Bullish Reversal at the end of 2012. That confirmed the long-term trend had changed. However, urban condos and commercial properties were forming a divergence. I assumed that was being caused by the debt and rising taxes in cities. In that regard, I suppose I was only partially correct, for the rest had been the braindead response to COVID and failed QE policies. The failure of QE caused a collapse in confidence in the future. When people fear the future, they save. Increasing the money supply does nothing until the people decide to spend it.

Socrates also selected the precise target for the January 2021 directional change in US real estate. Our index began declining in January 2022, anticipating the first rate hike on March 17, 2022, by a quarter point. The claim that interest rate hikes imply that real estate will decline is very old school, and once more, it presumes everyone is buying on leverage. In 2021, cash sales represented 25% of existing home sales in the key markets, which were a level unmatched since 2016. Nationally, buyers paid cash for almost 15% of the homes in 2021 in markets that were booming from migration from other states.

Real estate is undergoing three separate trends. First, there has been mass evacuation from cities and high-taxed states thanks also to draconian COVID laws. Secondly, we have the flight of capital to flee banks, etc, which is part of just getting capital off the grid. Then thirdly, there has been a flight of international capital fleeing to the United States because of geopolitical instability in Europe.

This market has been LESS impacted by interest rate hikes than any previous booming market, all because of the migration from interstate within the US and the flood of European buyers looking for assets outside of Europe as the prospect of a global war increases. I have warned that real estate will decline in those states where people are fleeing. It has boomed in places they have been migrating to, such as Texas and Florida. Obviously, you can no longer make a blanket forecast in real estate.

Jul 7 2023

Federal Top Men Say Finding Source of West Wing Cocaine Will Be Too Difficult


Posted originally on the CTH on July 6, 2023 | Sundance | 195 Comments

According to federal investigators familiar with the matter and talking to Politico, the person who brought cocaine into the White House is likely never to be discovered.  It’s just too difficult to track down.  There are too many people who walk around the West Wing of the White House willy nilly.  That’s their story and the Top Men are sticking to it.

WASHINGTON DC – Law enforcement officials confirmed on Wednesday that cocaine was found at the White House over the weekend. But one official familiar with the investigation cautioned that the source of the drug was unlikely to be determined given that it was discovered in a highly trafficked area of the West Wing.

The small amount of cocaine was found in a cubby area for storing electronics within the West Exec basement entryway into the West Wing, where many people have authorized access, including staff or visitors coming in for West Wing tours.

Asked what the chances were of finding the culprit, the official said that “it’s gonna be very difficult for us to do that because of where it was.”

“Even if there were surveillance cameras, unless you were waving it around, it may not have been caught” by the cameras, added the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity given that it’s an ongoing investigation. “It’s a bit of a thoroughfare. People walk by there all the time.” (read more)

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