Tag Archives: Hong Kong

Apr 11 2025

“This Is A War Between Good And Evil” Forrest Zhou Praises President Trump Over Anti-CCP Moves


Posted originally on Rumble By Bannon’s War Room on: Apr 10, 2025, at 8:00 pm EST

Apr 11 2025

GERTZ: President Trump Won’t Be Able To Work His ‘Art Of The Deal’ Magic With Xi


Posted originally on Rumble By Bannon’s War Room on: Apr 10, 2025, at 1:00 pm EST

Apr 11 2025

ANTONI: Inflation Numbers Slow And Decline Under President Trump


Posted originally on Rumble By Bannon’s War Room on: Apr 10, 2025, at 1:00 pm EST

Apr 11 2025

The Netherlands Bans Free Journalism


Posted originally on Apr 11, 2025 by Martin Armstrong 

Free Speech in Europe

The Netherlands has changed its press directive to exclude non-accredited journalists from court hearings. Beginning on June 1, 2025, only members of ONE association, the Dutch Association of Journalists, will be able to create audiovisual reports of legal cases. This ensures that the government can control the media’s narrative as it spirals into the grips of war.

How does a journalist join the Dutch Association of Journalists? They must earn a specific amount of money from a predetermined list of media companies. Your livelihood must depend on reporting according to the government’s narrative if you want access to hearings. This is an all-out attack on free speech.

 Potkaars, who personally has interviewed me numerous times, was denied membership in 2021 as they were not beholden to a media mogul or corporation that has the government’s approval. They have filed numerous lawsuits against the government to no avail. If judges deviate from the press directive, the restriction had to be recorded in a register under the old press directive. Potkaars protested twice against the failure to register a decision and was proven right in both cases ( Court of Appeal in The Hague, Court of Appeal in Amsterdam ). Journalists may not appeal against a judge’s decision to deny them access. The updated terms will permit judges to restrict press access arbitrarily without reason.

The judiciary hired an association to carry out the accreditation process. They want journalists who abide by the Digital Services Act implemented by the European Union, which requires third-party media companies to censor “misinformation” on behalf of the government.

My source has told me that the Netherlands is training its military to recover body bags as part of an annual drill. This was not required training in previous annual exercises—the Dutch are preparing for war, and the government wants to silence free speech to prevent the public from knowing the truth.

Apr 11 2025

It’s Just Time – the Last Frontier


Posted originally on Apr 11, 2025 by Martin Armstrong 

student_answer_300_clr_705

COMMENT #1: Thank you for your private blog. I can see that the turning points laid out in Socrates are indeed pressure points that then cause people to react as Trump just did. You were right. The 7th held. These people get hysterical and blab out forecasts on emotions, as you said.

Thank you for the training.

WY

COMMENT #2: My Dear Mr. Armstrong much can be said and argue about these Tariffs you can write endless post about it but the bottom line is Trump and his advisors choose the WORST time in history ?to implement them -is like all hell broke loose !

Regular working class will pay the price already here in Ontario company are starting to fired people blaming guess who ? Unfortunately that how the game is play somebody has to be blame

You must be very busy ,but don’t neglect your well being please !

GR

ECM 2020 2028 R

REPLY: You are correct. We are all human and will respond to similar events in the same way and in the same amount of time, regardless of the country. The computer gave us the timing months in advance. The “fundamental” does not matter. My concern is that we are heading into a recession that started May 7th, 2024. I agree that the Democrats and media will blame Trump and his tariffs when this is part of the business cycle that will move into 2028. We are facing a sovereign debt crisis that will wipe out all debt by 2034.

Centralized Government

However, we are facing significant economic stress that pushes the Europeans to seek an external distraction, and that is Russia, to avoid dealing with the crumbling EU structure. They stripped Hungary of a right to vote and changed the rules that unanimous votes were necessary. Once you establish a centralized government,  they will always see more and more power. This is also why no government has ever survived long-term.

Thrasymachus Quote

Thrasymachus warned that JUSTICE is the same in every form of government – it is only the will of those in power. He said that more than 2000 years ago, and nothing has changed ever since. It is never a question of IF something will occur; it is merely a question of TIME – WHEN it will unfold. It is not a question of whether a society will rise against its oppressor; it is only a question of how much time it will require to move the majority of people to action. This is the same formula that governs when a market will crash. You may be able to raise your arm, but you cannot keep it up. You will run out of energy. So will markets or politics.

Rabbit Its Just Time

As I explained on the private blog, you can raise your arm but not keep it there. You will run out of energy, and it will become so heavy that you have to let it down. Markets are no different. As the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland kept saying, “I’m late. I’m late.”

TIME last Frontier

It is the last frontier – It’s Just Time.

As Margaret Thatcher said at our World Economic Conference

Martin Armstrong Margaret Thatcher

Apr 11 2025

President Trump Invites Media to Cabinet Meeting – Holds Press Availability


Posted originally on CTH on April 10, 2025 | Sundance 

President Trump holds a cabinet meeting and invites the press to attend and ask questions.

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Apr 11 2025

DNI Tulsi Gabbard Joins the Tick Tock Club – Repeating the “Just Wait, Trust Us” Nonsense


Posted originally on CTH on April 10, 2025 | Sundance

The absolute #1 tell highlighting this as a nonsense exercise, a delay tactic on behalf of the swamp, is the venue for Tulsi Gabbard’s “new task force” announcement, Sean Hannity.

In order to pass DC approvals for confirmation, Gabbard had to join the ‘FISA is awesome’ club.  Now, she aligns her DNI silo with the foolishness of the Sean Hannity ‘tick-tock’ club.  Sorry, but we’ve seen this performance so many times it is now blood boiling to watch them try and repeat it.

DNI Gabbard claims she is creating a new “transparency task force” to analyze information for potential declassification and public release.  However, the task force will now have to “dig” until they have every document discovered, before they can release it, because releasing information as it is discovered is against the operational mission of the people who control the silo process.  But she swears, if you wait for it, it will come. “Trust the plan.”

Oh, it’s so complicated.

Oh, it’s so big and hard to do.

Oh, the evidence is so hard to find.

This is the same nonsense story from Bill Barr, John Durham, Michael Horowitz and the other previous members of the Sean Hannity ‘tick-tock club,’ including John Solomon (controlled releases) and other “conservatively aligned” tradecraft media.  Barr is now Bondi, Wray is now Kash, Durham is now Bongino, the audience is the same.  It’s nonsense.

I’ve been on this trail for too long to keep buying this bullshit answer. It’s the same nonsense from Barr, Durham, Horowitz, now Kash, Bongino and Gabbard.

If they find a document, declassify it and release it. If they find another, do it again.

If someone refuses, call them out, call their office out, publicly and loudly. Shame them by name, title and position. It’s OUR STUFF.

They don’t have to wait until the people who run the silo machines have convinced them they have it all. Release it as it is revealed.

Sorry, I truly wanted to hold out hope in Gabbard Inc., but my trust account is empty. Release what you discover, as you discover it.

They won’t. They just won’t.  We will be sitting here in the lead up to the 2026 midterms, hoping… Yet again.

Apr 11 2025

President Trump Wallops China with Massive de minimis Tariff Increases – Mail Order Product Costs from China Will Skyrocket


Posted originally on CTH on April 10, 2025 | Sundance

Within the Executive Order modifying the April 2nd global reciprocal tariffs [SEE HERE] section #4, we note a massive increase in the duty fees for mailed products from China formerly shipped under ‘de minimis’ rules.

REMINDER: The de minimis loophole comes from back in the 1930s. The idea back then was, say you went on a vacation to Paris, you shouldn’t have to file customs paperwork or pay taxes if you decided to ship some little Eiffel Tower statues to your friends back home.

Congress in 2015 then raised the de minimis threshold from $200 to $800. However, the e-commerce world exploded, and Chinese companies began using the de minimis loophole to ship cheap goods (ex. Temu and Shein) into the USA direct to consumers without paying any customs duty.

On April 2nd, as part of the global trade reset and tariff structure, President Trump revoked authorization for Chinese goods to transfer to the USA using the de minimis rule. The de minimis exemption was cancelled for all products coming out of China. The rule change only targeted China and Chinese shippers. No one else. [XO HERE]

Yesterday, as part of the modification to Executive Order #14257, President Trump has increased the baseline tariff for product mailed from China [de minimis tariff] from 30 90 percent to 120%.

Mailed products from China now face a 120% tariff.  Additionally, minimum tariff amounts increased from $75 to $100 effective May 1st, and from $150 to $2oo effective June 1st.  [See Section #4]

Example: If you order a $20 shirt from China effective June 1st, you will pay $220.  $20 for the shirt, and $200 minimum tariff.

There is no way Chinese E-Commerce can survive this level of tariff/duty fees.

♦ SUBVERSION – The only way for the Chinese e-commerce to maneuver this, would be to extend the delivery times and transship through alternate mail and distribution centers, in other countries.  Example, mail your $20 shirt to (Vietnam or Mexico or Canada) and have a distribution center then repackage and mail it to the USA.  Or, far less likely, the Chinese e-commerce company can set up manufacturing centers in the 3rd party country (Vietnam, or Mexico or Canada) and make it there, not in China (not very likely at all).

President Trump is setting up bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) with each of the nations that China might attempt to use as a transshipping hub.  Within those pending FTAs, there will certainly be no transshipping allowed, and trade sanctions in the FTAs as punitive punishment if they did it.

Keep watching this mail-order pressure point, because it’s likely to be more substantive -albeit less visible- than the manufacturing tariffs applied toward China directly.

Apr 11 2025

Inflation Drops to Lowest Level in Four Years 2.4%


Posted originally on CTH on April 10, 2025 | Sundance | 226 Comments

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) releases the Consumer Price Index for February [DATA HERE], reflecting a drop in the year-over-year inflation rate to the lowest level in four years.

The rate of inflation dropped significantly due to lower gasoline (-6.3%) and fuel prices, which directly impacts every middle-class worker.  The ripple effects (transportation, warehousing, etc.) from lowered gasoline prices is not yet embedded in the cost of goods, that should start to surface next month.

[BLS Table A]

[…] Consumer prices were up 2.4% in March from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Thursday, cooler than February’s gain of 2.8% and well below the 2.6% rise that economists expected.  

Prices excluding food and energy categories—the so-called core measure economists watch in an effort to better capture inflation’s underlying trend—rose 2.8%, below forecasts for a 3% increase. That was the smallest increase in the core measure since March 2021. (read more)

For those who have travelled the MAGAnomic weeds with us, you will note this is the way overall lower inflation starts to surface under Trump policy.  This is exactly what happened in 2017 and continued throughout late 2019 until COVID-19 hit.  President Trump’s economic policies drop the rate of inflation, and eventually lower prices.

The downward price pressure from lower energy costs will eventually surface in lower food costs.

The same media who said Joe Biden was not responsible for massive inflation, will also say President Trump is not responsible for dropping inflation.  However, the average American can see that under Joe Biden stuff cost more, and under Donald Trump stuff starts costing less.  Policy does change prices.

Wall Street will hate these results, Main Street will love them.

Apr 11 2025

Komrade von der Leyen Orders Pause on EU Retaliation Tariffs Pending Engagement with Trump Administration


Posted originally on CTH on April 10, 2025 | Sundance

Komrade Ursula von der Leyen represents the European Commission command and control authority, regardless of whether the individual members within the containment zone agree with the HQ in Brussels.

Komisar von der Leyen informs the union members that she has decided to pause the retaliation tariffs against the USA, based on the 90-day pause announced by President Trump.  However, in actuality there’s not much difference even within the pause as the German/EU autos are still tariffed (25%) and the steel and Aluminum tariffs’ (25%) still apply.

The only gain from yesterday’s modification in the global tariff regime for the EU was a switch from 20% EU tariff to a baseline 10% tariff during the pause.

The total EU relief is 10% for 90-days; but that was enough for Komrade Ursula to mount her high-horse and claim magnanimity status.

According to von der Leyen, “if negotiations are not satisfactory, our countermeasures will kick in.”[SOURCE]

“I welcome President Trump’s announcement to pause reciprocal tariffs. It’s an important step towards stabilizing the global economy.

Clear, predictable conditions are essential for trade and supply chains to function.

Tariffs are taxes that only hurt businesses and consumers. That’s why I’ve consistently advocated for a zero-for-zero tariff agreement between the European Union and the United States.

The European Union remains committed to constructive negotiations with the United States, with the goal of achieving frictionless and mutually beneficial trade.

At the same time, Europe continues to focus on diversifying its trade partnerships, engaging with countries that account for 87% of global trade and share our commitment to a free and open exchange of goods, services, and ideas.

Finally, we are stepping up our work to lift barriers in our own single market. This crisis has made one thing clear: in times of uncertainty, the single market is our anchor of stability and resilience.

My team and I will continue to work day and night to protect European consumers, workers and businesses. Together, Europeans will emerge stronger from this crisis.

We took note of the announcement by President Trump.

We want to give negotiations a chance.

While finalising the adoption of the EU countermeasures that saw strong support from our Member States, we will put them on hold for 90 days.

If negotiations are not satisfactory, our countermeasures will kick in.

Preparatory work on further countermeasures continues.

As I have said before, all options remain on the table.” (source)

Before President Trump’s announcement on Wednesday, EU member countries voted to approve retaliatory tariffs on $23 billion in goods in response to the 25% tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.  Those steel and aluminum tariffs are still in place, but the EU cancelled their retaliation.