Voters See A Choice Between "Leadership" And "Likability": Gallup

By Lidia Saad of Gallup.

Recent ratings of the 2024 presidential candidates’ personal qualities show Vice President Kamala Harris with a strong advantage over former President Donald Trump in U.S. voter perceptions of being likable, while holding smaller leads for having strong moral character and being honest and trustworthy. Trump outpaces Harris in perceptions of being a strong and decisive leader and being able to get things done.

Despite this clear image distinction -- Harris credited with character, Trump with leadership -- neither candidate has a perceptual edge in voters’ beliefs that each possesses five other presidential competencies: managing the government effectively, displaying good judgment in a crisis, having a vision for the country’s future, caring about the needs of people, and being someone people would be proud to have as president.

These findings are from a Sept. 16-28 Gallup survey, conducted after the Sept. 10 presidential debate that gave Americans their one opportunity of the campaign to see the candidates interact.

Perceptions of Trump are similar to what Gallup found at the same time in 2020, except voters are now slightly more likely to believe he would display good judgment in a crisis, up six percentage points to 52%.

Trump’s rating for being honest and trustworthy is higher now than his 38% rating in 2016 when he won the election. However, even at that lower level, Trump’s honesty rating exceeded Hillary Clinton’s, at 31%. This changed in 2020 when, despite seeing his “honest” score improve to 41%, Trump trailed Joe Biden by 11 points on this character dimension.

In fact, in the three presidential election cycles since 2012, when Gallup first measured presidential qualities this way, the candidate with the higher honest/trustworthy score has won. Other characteristics have not been asked frequently enough to observe their track record.

Summary Assessments Show Mixed Results

Harris leads Trump by 51% to 45% on a different question that asks, more broadly, whether each candidate has “the personality and leadership qualities a president should have.” Thus, although Trump separately does better on the “strong and decisive leader” item, Harris’ higher ratings for being likable and of strong moral character may count more in voters’ answers to this question.

At the same time, the two are tied in Americans’ views of each on the issues. About half (49%) say they agree with Trump “on the issues that matter most to you,” and 47% agree with Harris.

Democrats See Harris in Better Terms Than Republicans See Trump

Most partisans believe their own candidate possesses the positive characteristics tested in the poll, but Democrats are more convinced than Republicans about certain ones.

Between 89% and 95% of Democrats say each characteristic applies to Harris. And while Republicans show similarly high regard for Trump on most of the traits, fewer than nine in 10 agree he is honest and trustworthy (84%), has strong moral character (82%) or is likable (74%).

Independents’ views are similar to those of all voters nationally on most of the qualities. Still, they are slightly less positive than Americans as a whole about Harris being caring, honest and trustworthy, or a strong and decisive leader. Independents are also less likely than the national average to say Trump has strong moral character, but they show slightly above-average belief that he is a strong leader.

More Voters Credit Harris Than Trump With Running an Effective Campaign

While Trump is tied with Harris in perceptions of being able to manage the federal government, he trails his Democratic opponent by 10 points in ratings of how they are running their campaigns. Whereas 56% of registered voters say Harris is doing an excellent or good job at this, 46% rate Trump as highly. The timing of the poll, coming soon after the presidential debate, could have influenced this result.

Trump’s deficit on this measure is due mainly to political independents, whose 41% excellent/good rating of his campaign is much closer to the 15% he receives from Democrats than to his 86% from Republicans. At the same time, independents’ 53% rating of Harris’ campaign falls squarely between the two partisan groups (90% from Democrats and 21% from Republicans).

Neither Candidate Viewed as More Politically Extreme

Even as Trump attempts to define Harris by some of the more liberal aspects of her record while Harris links Trump to the conservative Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, the candidates appear to be at a draw in terms of painting each other as extremist. Close to half of voters, 48%, say Trump’s political views are “too conservative,” while a statistically equivalent 51% call Harris “too liberal.” Most others see each as about right.

Notably, Harris is less likely to be branded “too liberal” than Biden was before he exited the race in June, when 58% said this of him. However, slightly more voters view Harris as too liberal than recent Democratic nominees Barack Obama in both 2008 (45%) and 2012 (47%) and John Kerry in 2004 (47%). She is also more likely to be called too liberal than Al Gore was in 2000 (35%), as well as Bill Clinton in 1992 (33%) and 1996 (36%). The question wasn’t asked about Hillary Clinton in 2016.

At 48%, Trump is more likely to be rated “too conservative” than were the Republicans who ran for president before him, including Mitt Romney (43% in 2012), John McCain (35% in 2008) and George W. Bush (40% in 2004).

Democrats More Satisfied With Harris Than Republicans Are With Trump

More Democrats, including independents who lean Democratic, say they are generally pleased with Harris as their party’s presidential nominee than Republicans and Republican leaners say they are pleased with Trump as theirs, 85% vs. 73%.

Democrats’ enthusiasm for Harris is in stark contrast to how they felt about Biden when he was still their party's presumptive nominee in June. At that point, barely a third of Democrats (34%) were pleased with Biden, while 65% wished someone else were the nominee.

Today’s broad Democratic support for Harris being the nominee also contrasts with how Democrats felt in September 2016 after Hillary Clinton was nominated. Then, just over half (55%) said they were pleased, while 43% would rather have had someone else.

Republicans are about as pleased today to have Trump as their presidential nominee as they were in 2020 (74%), but they are happier now than when he first ran in 2016. In September of that year, barely half of Republicans (52%) were pleased with having Trump lead the GOP ticket.

Trump Hasn’t Inherited Biden’s Age Problem

The age of the candidates was a potential campaign liability for the Democrats earlier this year, when two-thirds of Americans in June thought the 81-year-old Biden was too old to be president. Far fewer, 37%, said the same about 78-year-old Trump.

Yet, despite Trump now being the older candidate by nearly 20 years, the percentage saying he’s too old hasn’t changed much since facing Harris, with 41% expressing that view today.

As the oldest Republican nominee, Trump is still more likely to be viewed as too old than John McCain was at age 72 in 2008 (20%) and Bob Dole was at age 73 in 1996 (32%).

Harris Compares Favorably With Biden

In addition to Democrats viewing her far more favorably as a candidate and ideologically than they did Biden, Harris is performing significantly better nationally on two other metrics than Biden was before he withdrew from the race.

• Voters are more likely to say they agree with her on the issues than did so for Biden in June (47% vs. 37%, respectively).
• Voters are more likely to say Harris has the leadership qualities needed in a president than thought Biden did (51% vs. 38%).

Biden’s readings are from a June 3-23 poll when his presidential approval rating was 38%. Following his withdrawal on July 21, the president’s job approval rating rose to 43% in an August Gallup poll. It dipped back to 39% in early September but is 45% in the latest poll. That’s his highest approval rating since August 2021, just before the United States’ troubled pullout of military forces from Afghanistan.

Bottom Line

Trump and Harris look evenly matched overall, with neither possessing knockout advantages in voters’ ratings of their images, perceptions of their ideology, agreement on issues, ratings for how they are conducting their campaigns, or perceptions that one or the other is too old. If the race comes down to which candidate can get better results in the Oval Office, Trump may have the upper hand. But if voters perceive leadership more holistically, factoring in their perceptions of each candidate’s personality and character, Harris may have the edge.

Tyler Durden Sun, 10/13/2024 - 18:40

Top Cushman & Wakefield Real Estate Broker Has Phone Seized By NY Prosecutors In Adams Probe

As if commercial real estate in New York didn't have enough problems...

It was reported at the end of last week that the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has seized the phone of a broker working for Cushman & Wakefield, one of the world's largest commercial real estate services firms, according to Bisnow.

Investigators from Bragg's office have seized electronic devices from a Cushman & Wakefield broker linked to the city's office leases and a close friend of Mayor Adams' top adviser, according to The New York Times.

On September 27, investigators confiscated the phones of Cushman & Wakefield Vice Chair Diana Boutross, Mayor's Chief Advisor Ingrid Lewis-Martin, and Jesse Hamilton, head of the city's real estate department, at JFK Airport after their trip to Japan. Lewis-Martin and Boutross have been longtime friends, her attorney, Arthur Aidala, told Bisnow.

Aidala commented: “There were eight friends who decided to go to one of the biggest tourist countries in the world to just explore on a long-planned friendship trip." 

A spokesperson for Cushman & Wakefield said: “We have a longstanding, 15-year relationship with the city that spans across multiple mayoral administrations and we are proud of the important work we’ve done for DCAS."

The Bisnow report says that Boutross oversees Cushman & Wakefield’s account with the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, the agency responsible for leasing government office space.

Her resume includes work with The Durst Organization and The Trump Organization. Cushman & Wakefield has held a $40M contract with the city since 2014, linked to a Bronx 911 facility, Crain’s reported.

The firm also handled major city office leases, including a 640K SF deal at 110 William St. last year. Investigators seized devices from Lewis-Martin and Hamilton and searched Lewis-Martin’s home, issuing her a subpoena related to Adams' recent indictment.

“These searches and any negative connotations associated with them or this preplanned vacation are baseless. In due time, all the facts will come out and will be supported by evidence and demonstrate everything was done properly,” Aidala concluded. 

 

 

Tyler Durden Sun, 10/13/2024 - 18:05

Why Silver Investors Should Pay Close Attention To Copper

Authored by Jesse Colombo via Substack

For most investors, gold and silver are inseparable, like peanut butter and jelly or two peas in a pod. This mindset leads them to look at gold for signals on silver’s future price movements, and vice versa. Although silver’s price is indeed strongly influenced by gold, few realize the significant role that copper also plays in shaping silver’s price movements. In this article, I’ll examine how copper prices impact silver and show how bullish trends in copper should help drive silver prices higher in the coming years.

To understand the price relationship between two assets, examining their correlations can be highly insightful. Not surprisingly, gold and silver exhibit a strong correlation—.771 over the past five years and an even higher .917 over the past year. What's particularly striking, however, is the strong correlation between copper and silver—.725 over the past five years and an impressive .878 over the past year. This strong correlation is a compelling reason for silver investors to monitor copper as closely as they do gold.

The strong price relationship between silver and copper is clearly reflected in long-term charts of the silver-to-copper ratio, which has remained remarkably consistent over time, despite periodic fluctuations around the average of 6:

The close relationship between silver and copper can be attributed to factors influencing both supply and demand. From a supply standpoint, silver is seldom mined on its own. Instead, it is typically a byproduct of copper and other metal mining, such as lead, zinc, and gold. On the demand side, both silver and copper have substantial industrial applications, driving significant industrial demand for both metals.

While silver is often grouped with gold, it differs significantly in its demand profile. The majority of silver demand (51%) comes from industrial use, compared to just 18% from investment. Furthermore, the rapid growth in industrial demand for silver likely explains the rising correlation between silver and copper in recent years. In contrast, gold demand is largely fueled by investment (44.57%) and jewelry (48.74%)—with much of that jewelry also serving as a form of investment, especially in developing countries like India and China.

Both copper and silver are far more sensitive to the economic cycle compared to gold. For instance, when a recession looms, both copper and silver prices tend to decline in anticipation of reduced industrial demand. Conversely, when the economic cycle is on an upswing, both copper and silver prices typically rise in anticipation of increased industrial demand. Gold, by contrast, is traditionally viewed as a safe-haven asset that investors turn to during times of crisis.

The strong price relationship between silver and copper is likely amplified by trading algorithms that predict movements in one metal based on the price of the other, often creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. For instance, when copper begins to rally, certain algorithms will buy silver, causing both metals to rise in tandem. Although anecdotal, I’ve often observed silver track copper even more closely than gold, both on intraday movements and over longer timeframes. For instance, I’ve often seen silver rise with copper while gold stayed flat or declined, and at other times, I’ve observed silver dropping along with copper even as gold rallied. I’ll highlight a recent noteworthy example of this phenomenon using the charts below.

As you are probably aware, gold has experienced a remarkable surge over the past year, climbing by $860 per ounce—a nearly 50% increase:

Like gold, copper experienced a strong rally in the spring, but it peaked on May 20th and quickly reversed, wiping out most of its gains—unlike gold, which continued to rise. Copper bottomed on August 8th and has rebounded quite a bit since then and is now in a confirmed uptrend once again:

Finally, we come to silver, which, like gold and copper, saw a sharp rally in the spring. Like copper, silver peaked on May 20th and experienced a sharp decline, though not as severe as copper's drop. While silver and copper suffered throughout the summer, gold steadily continued its ascent. Silver, like copper, bottomed on August 8th and has been staging an impressive recovery ever since.

Silver's price movements are essentially a hybrid of both gold and copper's market trends. To test this theory, I averaged the prices of gold and copper, adjusting copper’s price (by multiplying by 540) to prevent gold’s higher price from exerting undue influence. Then, I created a chart based on that adjusted average. Sure enough, the resulting chart bears a striking resemblance to silver's price chart:

Moreover, the five-year correlation with silver stands at a solid 0.842, while the one-year correlation is an even more impressive 0.956. This is higher than the correlation between gold and silver (0.771 over five years and 0.917 over the past year) and even stronger than the correlation between copper and silver (0.725 over five years and 0.878 over the past year). This analysis highlights the importance of monitoring both gold and copper to gain a clearer understanding of silver's price movements. In addition, performing technical analysis on the chart of the copper-gold average seems to be a useful tool for confirming and anticipating silver's price movements

Along with bullish technicals, copper's fundamentals also point to a positive outlook. As the world increasingly embraces AI and “green” technologies such as electric vehicles, solar energy, and wind farms, demand for copper is expected to surge due to its essential role in wiring and other electrical applications.

For example, copper demand in the transport sector is expected to rise 11.1 times by 2050 compared to 2022, thanks to electric vehicles that contain over a mile of copper wiring. Additionally, demand for copper to expand the global electricity grid is projected to increase 4.8 times by 2050. By 2030, a copper supply gap nearing 10 million tonnes is forecasted. French billionaire and commodities trader Pierre Andurand recently predicted that copper prices could soar to $40,000 per tonne in the coming years—a more than fourfold increase from the current price of $9,308 per tonne. All of these factors should be bullish for both silver and copper.

In conclusion, the overlooked relationship between copper and silver plays a critical role in understanding silver’s price movements, alongside the more commonly recognized influence of gold. As copper continues to rebound, both technical and fundamental factors suggest that silver is poised to benefit as well. With increasing industrial demand, especially in sectors like electric vehicles and renewable energy, copper’s expected boom is likely to drive silver prices higher as well. Investors would do well to monitor copper closely, as its future movements may signal the next major leg up in silver's bull market.

Also watch the video presentation about this concept:

If you enjoyed this article, please visit Jesse's Substack for more content like this

Tyler Durden Sun, 10/13/2024 - 17:30

Donald Trump Says He's Doing The Joe Rogan Podcast

During an interview on the Nelk Boys' Full Send Podcast, Donald Trump said he plans to appear on the Joe Rogan Experience, according to the Washington Examiner. 

When asked by host Kyle Forgeard if he would consider going on Rogan’s podcast, Trump responded last week: “Oh sure, I think I’m doing it actually." He later confirmed, "Yeah, I am."

Rogan has yet to confirm the booking, the Examiner noted. The discussion seemed to start last week after this article noting Rogan was running out of time to interview Trump. Elon Musk sent the discussion to the stratosphere when he said last week: "It will happen". 

Musk made the post responding to our article, "Joe Rogan Has 25 Days To Interview Donald Trump", submitted by Zero Hedge contributor Quoth the Raven, who wrote on Tuesday: "I can't listen to another 4 years of Rogan bitch about how bad things have gotten if he won't talk to Trump."

Rogan has been notoriously uninterested in the interview, which he has been asked about multiple times over the last half decade. Back in June 2023, when asked about the idea, Rogan said to Lex Fridman:

"I have had the opportunity to have him on my show, more than once, and I have said no every time. I don't want to help him, I'm not interested in helping him."

By August 2023, it looked like Rogan might be changing his tune, as he told Valuetainment's Patrick Bet-David:

"I don't know. Maybe. At a certain point in time. Just like, it would be interesting to hear his perspective on a lot of things.”

Since then, Rogan has stated his admiration for RFK, Jr., who is now supporting Trump. He has also given a platform to Tulsi Gabbard, who is campaigning with, and for, Trump. The idea that Rogan wouldn't interview Trump, who has recently done podcasts with Theo Von and Andrew Schultz, to name a few, seems bizarre. 

QTR wrote on his blog last Tuesday night that "If anything, an interview would give Rogan an opportunity to push Trump on the things that he disagrees with him on. Bring him on and give him hell if you want, Joe. Rogan could even extend an invitation to the Harris campaign and invite her on for a separate appearance if she wants."

"I don’t want to pretend to understand what the problem is that Rogan has with Trump, but all I know is that it’s not bigger than the potential consequences of this election," he wrote.

"After listening to Rogan’s podcast for nearly 2,000 episodes, I’m confident in my assessment that he’s a person of integrity and a man of character. The truth is, whether he likes it or not, putting his personal animus aside and getting Trump on the largest media platform in the world can only make an impact for the next month or so."

He concluded: "After the November election, especially if Trump loses, there will be no point — and it’ll be impossible to listen to Rogan crow about the lunatics on the left any further, knowing he didn’t talk to Trump when he had the chance. So let’s get real, Joe: what the hell are you waiting for?"

We may have our answer soon...

Tyler Durden Sun, 10/13/2024 - 16:55

Beware Of Kamala Harris Neo-Marxist Idea

Authored by Daniel Lacalle,

On numerous occasions, Kamala Harris has spoken in public about the difference between equality and equity. Equality of opportunity is not enough. Even socialist equality, where everyone begins at the same level, falls short. She has repeatedly defined equity as her policy of redistribution, which allows everyone to end up at the same place. When criticizing the often-debated idea of equality, she stated that “the problem with that is that not everybody’s starting in the same place.” Equity, for her, is the solution. She said, “Equitable treatment means we all end up in the same place.”

Anyone who understands the complexity of the economy knows that this is a ludicrous concept. However, it may sound appealing to the uninformed. Those that feel they suffer a disadvantage due to their humble origins may find that equality of opportunity is not enough, considering the social and economic hardships they have endured. Nevertheless, those who find this message appealing should think twice, because those policies hurt them the most.

Starting and ending in the same place makes everyone poorer, except for those in government who decide how everyone should start and end. Those politicians become obscenely rich.

Starting out from the same place is unfair. Ending in the same place is catastrophic. Political imposition causes parents and families who have saved for their children to lose all their hard-earned savings when they start over. You may think that the government will give each child what they need. However, when you grant a government sufficient power to provide for your needs, it also determines what your actual needs are. By destroying the incentives to save and prosper, you also destroy the wealth created to conduct social policies. However, when the government can impose equal starting points and outcome measures, it has all the incentives to keep as much wealth as possible among the political elite. As wealth and prosperity decline, all the government will redistribute is misery.

When Kamala Harris utters these words, she demonstrates her endorsement of the neo-Marxist ideology and disavows her status as a “capitalist,” a stance she has declared in recent weeks to counteract criticism of her socialist messages.

Capitalism and free markets cannot exist when the government decides the start and end points.

Through a classic oversimplification, Neo-Marxism promotes the concept of equity, which entails equal start and end points. If both start from the same point, both will be incentivised to arrive at the same place, which is more prosperous for both and therefore fair. If both people start at the same level and realize their actions will equalize them, how will they react? Give up. No athlete would ever attempt to win if they knew they would all end up in the same position. Eliminating the possibility of losing also destroys the chance of winning and cancels progress in the meantime. The neo-Marxist theory uses this example to argue that, at the very least, they begin at the same time and place. However, that is also a fallacy. The athletes who started the race arrived there through a process of elimination, which required enormous talent and effort and certainly no equality from the start.

The poor and the middle class get poorer. The government officials become rich. Kamala Harris’ dream of equity embodies exactly what has always happened in every socialist economy. A tyrannical government imposes its policies through repression, causing misery and impoverishment.

Equality is unfair. Equity is impossible. When you demand either, the outcome is always worse for you.

Imposing equity destroys all motivation to improve and progress, eliminates meritocracy, and imposes the worst inequality, which is the result of political privilege.

Allowing governments to decide the start and ending points for all citizens is tyranny. It is simply suicidal to think that politicians know exactly what you need, when you need to start, and where to finish. Politicians do not have more or better information about the needs of the entire economy and even less about everyone’s requirements. Therefore, when faced with the inevitable discontent, the government will always resort to violence and oppression… for your own good.

This social engineering fable of complete equality of outcome is, of course, impossible in a free society and therefore requires a tyrannical and repressive state that controls every aspect of citizens’ lives. Harris has often repeated in public these neo-Marxist ideas of social engineering, which invariably result in poverty for all. Even if she says she is a capitalist, the truth is that her entire economic program is based on price controls, government intervention, and imposition. In a recent interview at CNBC, she declined to elaborate if she would implement price controls, which have destroyed economies all over the world, only to resort to the fallacy of “a few companies profiting from the desperation of the American people.” More free markets, increased competition, and increased merit and reward for success are what America needs to foster prosperity. The American people’s true desperation will surface when they decide to experiment with neo-Marxist social engineering and socialism to see how it works. This foolish thought can only come from privilege, thinking that the wealth and opportunities that have been created in America will remain the same, eliminating all incentives to thrive.

Kamala Harris maintains her message of equality of outcome. Tim Waltz, Kamala Harris’ vice-presidential candidate, has also reiterated these principles in public. It would be erroneous to assume that she won’t implement these policies, given her recent ambiguous moderation of her remarks.

Tyler Durden Sun, 10/13/2024 - 16:20

Some 100 US Troops Will Deploy In Israel To Man Anti-Air Batteries

On Saturday we were among the first outlets to report that the United States is preparing to deploy THAAD anti-ballistic missile systems in Israel, a major development which will put American troops directly in harm's way (or... boots on the ground) amid the tense showdown with Iran. 

The Pentagon in follow-up statements to the NY Times has confirmed the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) systems will be sent to Israel, and that about 100 American troops will operate them.

US Army Europe

This means that at least 100 American soldiers will be placed in positions likely to be targeted by another potential barrage of ballistic missiles from Iran, at a moment Israel is preparing its own counterattack in the wake of the the Oct.1st strikes (which witnessed about 200 missiles sent) on Israeli territory from the Islamic Republic. Each full missile battery and associated systems cost American taxpayers some $800 million to $1 billion.

All of this follows the Pentagon having weeks ago deployed thousands more US troops to the broader region amid escalation in Lebanon. Some of those forces were sent to Cyprus, and others likely to Gulf countries or possibly Jordan.

The Pentagon has tried to deflect from language which portrays the obvious: that without Congressional authorization American troops are entering an escalating overseas war zone to defend a foreign country.

The NY Times acknowledged the following exchange:

When asked on Sunday, Mr. Biden said only that he had ordered the Pentagon to deploy the system “to defend Israel. General Ryder said in his statement that the battery would “augment Israel’s integrated air defense system.” It was not immediately clear how quickly the missile defense system and troops announced on Sunday would arrive in Israel.

“This action underscores the United States’ ironclad commitment to the defense of Israel, and to defend Americans in Israel, from any further ballistic missile attacks by Iran,” the statement said. “It is part of the broader adjustments the U.S. military has made in recent months to support the defense of Israel and protect Americans from attacks by Iran and Iranian-aligned militias.”

So interestingly this is the new talking point from the national security state: Americans are being deployed to defend Americans who happen to still be in Israel. This certainly marks a new and interesting rationale.

This big "gift" is being sent to Israel even after rising tensions between Netanyahu and Biden...

So by deploying THAAD to Israel, we're not really solving the problem, just incentizing Iran to build up more missiles. So what we are actually doing is tieing ourselves further into the Israel-Iran missile/BMD race for only short term benefits.

— Decker Eveleth (@dex_eve) October 13, 2024

One regional observers has observed that this is Netanyahu's longtime dream come true:

Journalist Séamus Malekafzali argued the U.S. deployment of troops and the THAAD system shows that "the Israelis are clearly planning something for Iran that is going to cause a retaliation they know their own systems are unable to take."

"U.S. troops being deployed to Israel in this matter is seismic," Malekafzali added. "The U.S. military is now inextricably involved in this war, directly, without any illusions of barriers. Netanyahu is as close as he has ever been to his ultimate wish: making the U.S. fight Iran on Israel's behalf."

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday had actually issued some soft criticism of Israel after two UN peacekeeping troops in south Lebanon were wounded by Israeli fire an a UNIFIL command post.

Austin "expressed his deep concern about reports that Israeli forces fired on U.N. peacekeeping positions in Lebanon as well as by the reported death of two Lebanese soldiers" in a phone call with his Israeli counterpart.

Netanyahu has spent a year treating Biden like a doormat, Biden is nonetheless sending American troops to protect Israel, and afterwards Biden will probably go back to pretending as if America has no meaningful leverage over Israel https://t.co/YNrHoxkb8y

— Gregg Carlstrom (@glcarlstrom) October 13, 2024

As for the missile battery contingent of 100 US troops being sent to Israel, likely there were already US special forces and commanders who have been in Tel Aviv and near Gaza in an "advisory" role. But this clearly marks a new much more direct role of US forces in the conflict, especially given the Iranians have already threatened that if hostilities escalate, anti-air batteries in Israel will come under attack.

Tyler Durden Sun, 10/13/2024 - 15:45

Playing With Fire: Money, Banking, & The Federal Reserve

The Fed has been the source of booms, busts, and the ongoing impoverishment of Americans since its founding.

This is why a new, critical look at the Federal Reserve is needed, and why the Mises Institute is now happy to bring you this new documentary on the Fed.

Playing with Fire provides a look at how the Fed uses its expanding power to damage our economy, increase inequality, and to impoverish ordinary Americans. The film also looks at how much the Fed has expanded its own power since the Financial Crisis of 2008.

Featuring interviews with Ron Paul, Tom DiLorenzo, Joseph Salerno, Mark Thornton, Jim Grant, Alex Pollock, and Jonathan Newman, Playing with Fire explains what the Fed is, where it came from, and why it is so dangerous.

Perhaps most importantly of all, Playing with Fire shows why we need to end the Fed altogether...

Tyler Durden Sun, 10/13/2024 - 14:00

Tracking Tropics: NHC Monitors New Disturbance In Atlantic Basin

The National Hurricane Center is tracking a disturbance in the far eastern part of the Atlantic Ocean basin. This area is known for developing tropical activity during the June-November timeframe. 

The latest update from NHC places 30% development odds over the next seven days for Invest 94, which is located a few hundred miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands. 

"While the system is currently embedded in an environment that is not favorable for development over the next couple of days, the system is forecast to move generally westward to west-southwestward across the tropical Atlantic, where environmental conditions could become more favorable for gradual development in the central Tropical Atlantic by the mid to latter part of this week," NHC wrote in its latest update. 

Several computer models show the potential trajectory of the disturbance. 

Tracking the tropics into the new week is important considering the two hurricanes that wreaked havoc across the US Southeast into the Carolinas last month and the most recent hurricane that hit central Florida. 

Tyler Durden Sun, 10/13/2024 - 11:40

Netanyahu's Finance Minister Calls For Israel's Borders To Extend To Damascus

Via Middle East Eye

Hardline Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich has drawn criticism for calling for Israel to expand its borders to Damascus in a recent documentary.

In an interview for the documentary, In Israel: Ministers of Chaos, produced by European public service channel, Arte, Smotrich claimed that Israel would expand “little by little” and eventually encompass all Palestinian territories as well as Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia.

Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, via AFP

"It is written that the future of Jerusalem is to expand to Damascus," he said, citing the “greater Israel” ideology, which envisions the expansion of the state across the Middle East.

Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the incendiary remarks saying that they highlighted Smotrich’s dangerous and "racist" ideology.

Smotrich previously cited the concept at a memorial service for a Likud activist in Paris. When speaking from a podium decorated with a map of Israel that included Jordan, he claimed that there was “no such thing” as the Palestinian people.

The French foreign ministry subsequently announced that government representatives in Paris did not intend to meet with Smotrich during his visit to the country.

Aside from being the finance minister, Smotrich now holds significant powers over the occupied West Bank.

Meanwhile, over at US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Saturday...

pic.twitter.com/EKvLIHWvjQ

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) October 11, 2024

In August, Smotrich expressed support for blocking aid to Gaza, saying that: “Nobody will let us cause two million civilians to die of hunger even though it might be justified and moral until our hostages are returned.”

Watch a portion of the interview...

In a documentary produced by Arte TV channel, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich advocates for a Jewish state and says it is written that "the future of Jerusalem is to expand to Damascus"#WARonHUMANITY pic.twitter.com/ADdeyokH8i

— TRT World (@trtworld) October 10, 2024

At the end of February, the minister said that the state of Israel should "wipe out" the Palestinian village of Huwwara, after it was subjected to a violent rampage by Israeli settlers. 

Tyler Durden Sun, 10/13/2024 - 11:05

The Tax Cut Tour: Trump Targets Voters With More Breaks

Authored by Philip Wegmann via RealClearPolitics,

In Michigan, during remarks before the Detroit Economic Club, former President Trump vowed to make interest on car loans fully tax deductible, a proposal that would be a boon to the automobile industry in Michigan and elsewhere – and which is merely the latest promise in what has become a pattern.  

Trump told voters in Nevada that he would eliminate taxes on tips earlier this summer. The Republican nominee followed that up this fall by promising to restore the state and local tax deduction, a key tax deduction that he and congressional Republicans eliminated while president and which, if restored, would be a benefit to suburban voters in states like New York, New Jersey, and California. Trump has also called for making Social Security benefits tax-free.

Seniors, who would benefit from that last proposal, live, well, everywhere. While Americans over 50 are the largest voting bloc, the beneficiaries of the latest tax slash are much smaller: Citizens living abroad.

“I support ending the double taxation of overseas Americans,” Trump told The Wall Street Journal Thursday, a reference to his plan to lower the tax burden of the small number of citizens who pay both federal taxes and taxes to the foreign government where they reside. As the Journal reported, it was a play to win support from an often-overlooked group of voters.

All the proposed tax slashing has left some heads reeling.

“Trump’s just throwing darts at the populist-pandering dart board. Economic coherence be damned,” said Brian Riedl, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a center-right think tank. The politics, meanwhile, are undeniable. Vice President Kamala Harris found herself playing catch up when she unveiled a similar “no tax on tips” proposal.

Republicans complain that Harris is playing “copy-cat.” Her proposal does differ from that of Trump, however, in that she supports eliminating taxes on tips only for those making under $75,000 and would pair that reform with legislation boosting the minimum wage for tipped workers from $2.13 an hour to $7.25. She has also slammed Trump’s tariff proposal as “a sales tax on the American people.”

From the call to make auto loans tax-deductible to the tipping proposals, Indiana Rep. Jim Banks sees a through line: a focus on blue-collar voters. “President Trump understands the importance of working-class voters to our party,” Banks, a Trump ally and candidate for Senate, told RealClearPolitics. He said Republicans on Capitol Hill ought to follow the former president’s lead “and give middle-class families a tax break by making the TCJA’s individual rate cut permanent before the end of next year.”

Promises come easy during election season. Actual strategies to get them into law are rare on the campaign trail. The question for all politicians: How will they deliver once in office?

Asked how the former president would replace revenue lost to tax cuts, Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt cited his track record rather than any specific legislative strategy. “President Trump delivered on his promise to cut taxes in his first term,” she said. “He can be trusted to deliver on these promises in his second term.”

Trump has already vowed that income from new tariffs would make up the federal revenue lost by tax cuts. Harris, meanwhile, has long argued, like most Democrats, that the rich ought to pay “their fair share.” Critics looking for technical specifics will find those broad answers unsatisfying, too.

“If you demand all your current federal spending – or more – but also believe all taxes are illegitimate, Trump is your guy,” Riedl said before noting how Trump once described himself as “the King of Debt.”

An estimate released by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget found that Trump’s plans could add as much as $15 trillion to the national debt over a decade, while Harris’ proposals would add nearly $8 trillion. No president from either party since Bill Clinton was in the Oval Office has taken the national debt and annual budget deficits seriously.

Paul Winfree, who served as Trump’s deputy director of the Domestic Policy Council, told RCP that the former president “understands something important that all the tax nerds do not.”

While wonks in the Washington beltway have often criticized Trump’s instinct to slash taxes left and right, Winfree, now the president and CEO of the Economic Policy Innovation Center, said the candidate realizes “that you will pay a price for taking away benefits that people currently have, but that you’re not rewarded for allowing people to keep what they have either.”

“So he’s looking to build on the Trump tax cuts,” Winfree said of his old boss, “which will be essential to maintaining a political coalition necessary to their success.”

The election, meanwhile, is in less than a month. Tax Day, more than six.

Tyler Durden Sun, 10/13/2024 - 10:30

Worsening Geopolitical Conditions Could Have "Far-Reaching Effects" On Human History: JPMorgan CEO

Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, warned Friday that “treacherous” geopolitical conditions might have a profound impact on the global economy and “the course of history.”

“There is significant human suffering, and the outcome of these situations could have far-reaching effects on both short-term economic outcomes and more importantly on the course of history,” Dimon said in the bank’s third-quarter results release.

He said his bank has been “closely monitoring the geopolitical situation for some time, and recent events show that conditions are treacherous and getting worse.”

Tensions in the Middle East have been on the rise in recent weeks, with Israel battling the Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist group as it continues its war with the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza.

The Epoch Times' Jack Phillips reports that in the bank’s news release, Dimon did not specifically make reference to the situation in the Middle East or anywhere else. But during an event last month, he appeared to express concern about the Israeli conflicts as well as the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war.

“Iran, North Korea and Russia, I think you can legitimately call them [an] evil axis,” he told reporters at the Financial Markets Quality Conference in Washington in September, referring to a term that was first used by former President George W. Bush to describe Iraq under then-leader Saddam Hussein, Iran, and North Korea.

Aside from geopolitical tensions, Dimon said Friday that U.S. inflation is slowing down and the economy has been resilient. But he cautioned that “several critical issues remain, including large fiscal deficits, infrastructure needs, restructuring of trade, and remilitarization of the world.”

“While we hope for the best, these events and the prevailing uncertainty demonstrate why we must be prepared for any environment,” the Chase Bank CEO said.

As the Nov. 5 presidential election nears, Dimon has been floated for senior positions on U.S. economic policy, such as Treasury secretary. He has been praised by former President Donald Trump and confirmed he spoke to Vice President Kamala Harris last month.

“I’ve always been an American patriot and my country is more important to me than my company,” said Dimon on a Friday call with analysts.

When asked if he would consider a government role, Dimon responded that “the chance of that is almost nil. And I probably am not going to do it. But I always reserve the right” to reconsider.

Dimon, who has run JPMorgan for 18 years, has emphasized that he and the rest of the board will “do the right thing” on succession when he eventually leaves, without specifying details.

The longtime banker has not publicly endorsed either Trump or Harris, and also did not make any reference to the forthcoming presidential election in November in the bank’s news release.

In the news release and analyst call, Dimon did not say whether he believes the United States will enter recession territory. For months, he has warned the U.S. economy will enter a down period or worse. In September, he told reporters at a conference that the “worst outcome is stagflation, and by the way, I wouldn’t take it off the table.”

The CEO on Friday made reference to hurricanes Milton and Helene and their impacts, noting that they will likely not have lasting consequences on global markets.

“First and foremost, our hearts go out to all those people affected and the families who lost lives. We’re also helping our employees and customers, to do everything we can to be prepared at the state level,” he told CNN Friday, adding that “hurricanes have never had a traumatic effect on the global economy.”

Hurricane Helene wrought widespread destruction across much of the southeastern United States, while Hurricane Milton hit Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday night and caused significant damage across the state.

Officials say that at least 10 died during Milton in Florida, and Helene has caused more than 200 deaths in several states.

Tyler Durden Sun, 10/13/2024 - 09:55

Indonesia Asks Apple, Google To Block Temu

Authored by Catherine Yang via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Indonesia’s communications minister said on Oct. 11 that the nation had asked Google and Apple to block Temu from their app stores in a bid to protect small businesses.

In this photo illustration, the Temu logo is displayed on a laptop. Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Temu, a China-based, ultra-low-price e-commerce app, currently operates in only a few Southeast Asian countries. Globally, it’s available in 79 countries. According to a Momentum Works report, its 2023 gross market value was just $100 million in Southeast Asia compared to $16.3 billion in the United States.

In the United States, it has come under fire for links to forced labor. The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) persecution of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, where about 90 percent of the country’s cotton comes from, is known to involve forced labor.

Google, Apple, and Temu did not respond to inquiries by publication time.

The minister said Temu’s business practices would introduce “unhealthy competition.”

“We’re not here to protect e-commerce, but we protect small and medium enterprises. There are millions we must protect,” he said.

Small businesses make up a large portion of Southeast Asian economies, contributing to 40 percent of GDP, according to consulting firm YCP.

Indonesia’s e-commerce industry is set to expand to about $160 billion by 2030 from $62 billion in 2023, according to a report by Google, Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings, and consultancy Bain & Co.

In Indonesia, 99 percent of businesses are small, and Indonesia is the biggest e-commerce market in the region. Thailand, the second largest, saw Temu launch in July.

Authorities say they have not yet seen transactions by Indonesians on the Temu app, and the move is a preemptive one.

The minister added that it would oppose any Temu plans to enter the Indonesian market through investment as well. When Indonesia last year forced China-based ByteDance and its app TikTok to close its e-commerce function in the country, TikTok instead agreed to buy a majority stake in Indonesian e-commerce company GoTo to stay in the market.

Indonesia formally asked to join the Trans-Pacific trade pact last month, which is made up of Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the UK, and Vietnam—a group of Pacific Rim countries that notably excludes China.

The members benefit from low-tariff trade between countries, and experts initially concluded that the pact lacked incentives to attract China. However, the situation has changed. In 2021, China applied to join the pact, and Australia said in 2023 that it would not happen.

Countries have increasingly put up trade barriers against China, citing the CCP’s “predatory“ pricing tactics meant to put global competitors out of business.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Tyler Durden Sun, 10/13/2024 - 09:20

British Man Sues Council For $647 Million Over Lost Bitcoin In Landfill

Authored by Josh O'Sullivan via CoinTelegraph.com,

James Howells, an IT engineer from Newport, is suing Newport City Council in the United Kingdom for 495 million British pounds (around $647 million) in damages after accidentally discarding a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoin.

According to WalesOnline, Howells has made numerous attempts to retrieve the drive from the local landfill but has met resistance from the council, which has repeatedly denied his requests to excavate the site.

He mistakenly threw out the hard drive containing Bitcoin in 2013 during a household clearout, now worth almost half a billion pounds.

A war of attrition

Howells has attempted to recover the lost hard drive for over a decade after mistakenly placing it in a bin liner, which ended up in a recycling center. 

In 2013, the value of his 8,000 BTC was around 1 million pounds (around $1.3 million).

Howells has assembled a team of legal experts to file the court claim, which is set to be heard in December. 

Council rejection to excavate 

Despite Howells’ offering to give the council 10% of the recovered BTC value if the hard drive is found, Newport City Council has consistently opposed the excavation request, citing environmental concerns.

The landfill in question has been flagged for breaches of its environmental permit, including elevated levels of asbestos, arsenic and methane. 

The council argues that digging up the site could harm the surrounding area and claims its operation follows strict monitoring protocols.

Robots, garbage, BTC…oh my

In 2022, Howells reportedly pitched an $11 million idea to locate and recover the lost hard drive, potentially surrounded by 110,000 tonnes of garbage. 

The plan is active and would involve no cost to the council. Still, Newport City Council remains firm in its decision to refuse, questioning the legality and feasibility of Howells’ claims.

To keep BTC safe, it’s important to store hardware wallets safely, keep private keys secure offline, and back up recovery phrases in multiple secure locations for extra security. 

Tyler Durden Sun, 10/13/2024 - 08:45

Trump Campaign Requests Military Aircraft With Antimissile Capabilities Amid Iran Threat

Donald Trump has survived two assassination attempts within a very short period of time, but now with less than a month to go till the November election, his campaign is reportedly requesting the use of military aircraft and vehicles to protect him.

Sources who spoke to the New York Times and Washington Post in Friday stories indicate the former president has requested much greater protections that US Secret Service agents currently provide him. There are also new reports saying he's unlikely to play golf again until new expanded protocols are in place, as the Secret Service would have trouble protecting him on a golf course.

The Washington Post reports based on emails it reviewed: "Donald Trump’s campaign requested military aircraft for Trump to fly in during the final weeks of the campaign, expanded flight restrictions over his residences and rallies, ballistic glass pre-positioned in seven battleground states for the campaign’s use and an array of military vehicles to transport Trump."

Illustrative file image of a military jet escort.

The report further calls the requests "extraordinary and unprecedented" given that "no nominee in recent history has been ferried around in military planes ahead of an election."

The campaign has reportedly cited the Iran threat directed against Trump. Late last month he was given a special briefing by top US intelligence officials about alleged efforts of Tehran to assassinate him.

A Sept. 24th statement from the campaign said, "President Trump was briefed earlier today by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence regarding real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him in an effort to destabilize and sow chaos in the United States."

These new efforts to get military-level protections, which are typically only afforded to the sitting Commander-in-Chief, are based precisely on the belief that Iran is still trying to kill him.

The WaPo report says "Trump advisers have grown concerned about drones and missiles, according to the people."

Republican congressional leaders have also urged the necessity of greatly heightened protocols to protect the former president, to include protective military assets, such as when his plane goes from state to state in these final days leading up to the election: 

She [Susie Wiles, co-campaign manager for Trump] also wrote that the U.S. government has not been able to provide what the campaign views as an extensive enough plan to protect Trump. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), a Trump ally who is on the House Intelligence Committee and the Butler assassination inquiry, wrote a letter to the Secret Service asking for military aircraft or additional protection for Trump’s private plane, according to a copy of the letter reviewed by The Post.

CNN late Friday provided some further details on what exactly the Trump campaign is requesting: 

Trump’s campaign wants to use these resources – including access to military aircraft with deterrent systems to protect against surface-to-air missiles – as the former president crisscrosses the US during the final weeks of the presidential campaign.

President Joe Biden, when asked about Trump’s requests on Friday, said they should be fulfilled – “as long as he doesn’t ask for F-15s.”

Reporter: “Will you approve Mr. Trump’s request to use military aircrafts in the final stages of the campaign?”

Joe Biden: “As long as he doesn’t ask for F-15s.” pic.twitter.com/ybHdhaQwlP

— Conservative War Machine (@WarMachineRR) October 11, 2024

While mainstream media is likely to scoff at these requests, calling them "unprecedented", it remains that it is also unprecedented that a former president who is running for the top office again should face two assassination attempts within just two months of each other, and with massive Secret Service failures to boot. Recently a foreign leader was ferried about the eastern US in a military plane: Zelensky. And Democrats didn't bat an eye over a foreign leader getting such protections at the taxpayers' dime, ironically enough.

Tyler Durden Sun, 10/13/2024 - 07:35

Avert your eyes! My Sunday morning look at incompetency, corruption and policy failures:

• Trump’s Speeches, Increasingly Angry and Rambling, Reignite the Question of Age: With the passage of time, the 78-year-old former president’s speeches have grown darker, harsher, longer, angrier, less focused, more profane and increasingly fixated on the past, according to a review of his public appearances over the years. (New York Times)

• Who died and left the US $7 billion? It was the biggest estate-tax payment in modern history, but no one knew who made it. Then an anonymous phone call pointed to one man. (Sherwood)

• Silicon Valley, the New Lobbying Monster: From crypto to A.I., the tech sector is pouring millions into super PACS that intimidate politicians into supporting its agenda. (New Yorker)

• An undulating thrill: Once lauded as a wonder of the age, cocaine soon became the object of profound anxieties. What happened? (Aeon)

• Whistleblowers claim insurance companies shortchanged some Florida homeowners after Hurricane Ian: It is standard procedure for field adjusters to collaborate with those back in the office to make minor edits. But Jordan Lee says, that is not what happened with the Rapkin’s report. Did you put a dollar amount on how much you thought they were owed? “$231,368.57.” What did the insurance carrier come up with? “$15,469.48.” Quite a difference. (CBS News)

• Truth Social Users Are Losing Ridiculous Sums of Money to Scams: Read the complaints submitted to the FTC by users of Donald Trump’s social media platform. (Gizmodo)

• Where Americans Have Been Moving Into Disaster-Prone Areas: These U.S. counties regularly get hit by hurricanes, face major wildfires and floods and swelter under punishing heat. For two decades, they’ve also been some of the most popular places to move as Americans have flocked to the South and West. (New York Times)

• How Two Billionaire Preachers Remade Texas Politics: They control Republican politics in the state. Now they’re poised to take their theocratic agenda nationwide. (New York Times)

• We should call the Republican justices “Republicans” and not “conservatives.” Supreme Court journalists should tell the truth about what’s going on at the Court. (Vox)

• Milton Is the Hurricane That Scientists Were Dreading: Climate change set up the Gulf of Mexico to birth a storm this strong, this fast. (The Atlantic) see also Hurricane Milton Is Terrifying, and It Is Just the Start: Many Americans refuse to believe that a major hurricane could hit them. Flood insurance remains optional for many coastal residents. Homes continue to be built — and rebuilt — in low-lying flood zones. But if we are going to withstand this new era of extreme weather, we need to be honest about what has become the most expensive and deadly kind of natural disaster in the country. (New York Times) see also Florida Republican Demands Hurricane Aid She Tried to Block: Representative Anna Paulina Luna has waded into the fray between Kamala Harris and Ron DeSantis. (TNR)

Be sure to check out our Masters in Business interview this weekend — Live from FutureProof in Huntington Beach, California! — with Joe Lonsdale of 8VC. He is a successful serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist,  co-founded Palantir Technologies, founded Adapar, a wealth management platform, and Opto, a private market investment platform.

 

Obesity Market Review: We’re #1!

Source: Stifel

 

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Election Interference? Dems Won't Certify Election If Trump Wins

Authored by Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov via Headline USA,

Despite their constant whining about the Jan. 6, 2021, “insurrection,” the Democrats recently admitted that they won’t certify the 2024 election results if Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is elected.

Axios reported that the Democrats would certify the election results only if Trump used “free, fair and honest means to secure a victory,” which, according to Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., is not what Trump would do. This statement implies that he would be declared a winner only if he cheats.

“[Trump] is doing whatever he can to try to interfere with the process, whether we’re talking about manipulating electoral college counts in Nebraska or manipulating the vote count in Georgia or imposing other kinds of impediments,” the politician told the news source.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., also questioned whether Trump would win the election fair and square, telling Axios that she doesn’t know “what kind of shenanigans he is planning.”

Conservatives on Twitter pointed out the hypocrisy after the article was published.

“I’ve been told this type of rhetoric is “dangerous to our democracy” or something,” @Patriot_Vibes wrote.

I've been told this type of rhetoric is "dangerous to our democracy" or something

— Patriot Vibes (@Patriot_Vibes) October 11, 2024

Co-owner of Trending Politics, Colin Rugg, also mocked the Democrats who have been talking non-stop about Republicans and Trump’s alleged attempt to overthrow the government at the beginning of 2021.

“The ‘democracy defenders’ won’t commit to certifying an election?” he wrote.

The 'democracy defenders' won't commit to certifying an election?

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 11, 2024

Others wrote that the recent news is a warning from Democrats about their own insurrection, this time it being real and violent.

Democrats warning of their own J6, except they will actually be violent.

— The Raymond G Stanley Jr (@raymondgstanley) October 11, 2024

Some conservatives noted that hearing about the recent news was not surprising after the Democrats replaced Joe Biden, who was elected by leftists during the primaries, with the current Democratic presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, who nobody cared about before the disastrous debate between Trump and Biden.

“No surprise there. They threw democracy out the window when they put Kamala in w/o a single vote. Why wouldn’t they pull some more shenanigans? We’ll get SCOTUS involved if we have to, but they need to do their job or GTFO,” an anonymous person wrote.

No surprise there. They threw democracy out the window when they put Kamala in w/o a single vote.

Why wouldn't they pull some more shenanigans?

We'll get SCOTUS involved if we have to, but they need to do their job or GTFO.

— - Josh - (@WEAPONFORTRUTH) October 11, 2024

The Democrats’ recent comments are also unsurprising because Raskin said he would never allow Trump to be in the White House again.

“I’ve been warning of this for months. Here is Rep Jamie Raskin confirming what I’ve been predicting. Even if President Trump wins the 2024 election, Democrats will not accept the results and refuse to leave the White House, creating a civil war scenario,” investigative reporter and commentator Drew Hernandez said.

I’ve been warning of this for months

Here is Rep Jamie Raskin confirming what I’ve been predicting

Even if President Trump wins the 2024 election

Democrats will not accept the results and refuse to leave the White House creating a civil war scenario

pic.twitter.com/iwz8fVckv4

— Drew Hernandez (@DrewHLive) August 6, 2024

Tyler Durden Sat, 10/12/2024 - 23:20

What You Do Now Can Affect Your Brain For 2 Weeks

Authored by Huey Freeman via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

New research shows that our daily exercise and sleep habits can affect brain function for up to two weeks.

Our brains do not react to things in quick, isolated surges; instead, brain activity evolves over more extended periods.

Rennyks/Shutterstock

“This suggests that even a workout or a restless night from last week could still affect your brain—and therefore your attention, cognition and memory—well into next week,” according to the study’s press release.

Physical activity, sleep patterns, heart rate changes, and even subtle mood shifts can imprint on our neural networks for up to two weeks. This revelation challenges conventional wisdom about brain function and opens new avenues for understanding cognition, memory, and mental health treatment.

Researcher Becomes the Study Subject

Ana Triana, a doctoral candidate at Aalto University in Espoo, Finland, performed double duty as the study subject, tracking her own activities while serving as the research team leader. Brain scans, smartphones, and wearable devices recorded her daily life and brain activities.

This experiment was designed to challenge the conventional wisdom that “just a few trials are sufficient for correctly sampling an individual’s brain activity and behavior,” the researchers wrote in their study, published Tuesday in the Public Library of Science (P

Triana emphasized the importance of continuous monitoring through wearable technology, noting that traditional brain scans, conducted while a person rests for 30 minutes twice weekly, offer limited insights.

“We wanted to go beyond isolated events,” Triana said in the press release.

“Our behaviour and mental states are constantly shaped by our environment and experiences. Yet, we know little about the response of brain ... on different timescales, from days to months.”

The researchers hope their unique study will help improve mental health treatment, focusing on individual information on the brain and a person’s daily life.

“Our approach gives context to neuroscience and delivers very fine detail to our understanding of the brain,” Dr. Nick Hayward, a physician, a neuroscientist, and study co-author, said in the press release. He added that information from daily life should be examined in a lab “to see the full picture of how our habits shape the brain.”

Read the rest here...

Tyler Durden Sat, 10/12/2024 - 22:45

China Overproducing Lithium To Eliminate Rivals: US Official

Authored by Catherine Yang via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Jose Fernandez, U.S. undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy, and the environment, told reporters in Portugal on Oct. 8 that the Chinese regime is using its oversupply of lithium to price out global rivals.

This photo taken on March 12, 2021 shows workers at a factory for Xinwangda Electric Vehicle Battery Co. Ltd, which makes lithium batteries for electric cars and other uses, in Nanjing in China's eastern Jiangsu province. - China OUT (Photo by AFP) / China OUT Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images

“They engage in predatory pricing,” Fernandez said. “[They] lower the price until competition disappears. That is what is happening.”

Fernandez said China was producing much more lithium “than the world needs today, by far” and dumping it on the market, resulting in a steep price drop of 80 percent over the past year. China is now responsible for two-thirds of the world’s refined, battery-grade lithium production.

Portugal has 270,000 metric tons of lithium reserves, according to the 2022 U.S. Geological Survey, and its government has set goals to increase mining to advance energy goals. Local communities have opposed some of these new projects, saying they damage livelihoods and the environment.

Western countries have, in recent months, put up barriers against the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) trade practices. Although China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, China is not a free-market economy, as its industries produce based on the state goals set by the authoritarian CCP.

For example, the European Union raised tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles only after determining via investigation that the regime had subsidized the industry to overproduce, subsequently dumping low-priced vehicles on the international market. This is a practice that can put global competitors out of business.

During a recent trip to Washington, Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said China had “killed“ India’s manufacturing sector decades ago with the same tactic.

Asian countries have similarly hiked tariffs on Chinese imports. Japan this year increased duties on Chinese electrolytic manganese dioxide, another battery material, and Korea, whose electric vehicle market is already dominated by Chinese products, is cutting subsidies for vehicles using Chinese batteries.

Trade officials have recognized that tariffs alone may not be enough. Chinese manufacturers may partner with international manufacturers or trade partners to bypass tariffs. For instance, China manufacturers supply a large number of parts to Mexican manufacturers, and Mexico is the largest auto-parts supplier to the United States.

The about-face of China’s global trade partners in key industries also comes at a time when the Chinese communist regime is struggling to prop up a faltering economy. Chinese industries facing overcapacity may soon see firms shutter, with a ripple effect of job loss, lost revenue for already-indebted local governments, and social unrest due to unemployment.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Tyler Durden Sat, 10/12/2024 - 22:10

Where Can You Order A Robotaxi?

Self-driving cars - in real-world applications as of now limited to robotaxis - are simultaneously existing and scary as technological and ethnical implications around the subject are plentiful and recent accidents - for example of a Cruise robotaxi in San Francisco - have caused some hesitation among lawmakers and the public.

As Statista's Katharina Buchholz details below, while aformentioned Cruise by GM has suspended operations in six U.S. cities after the October incident, competitor Waymo by Alphabet is still operating limited public operations of driverless taxis in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and new-addition Austin, Texas. 

A Las Vegas service by Motional was suspended in May.

In Chinese cities, it is already somewhat more normal to be able to board a robotaxi (or robobus) as several operators are vying for dominance and have expanded fleets.

Apollo Go by Chinese tech company Baidu, one of the larger operators, currently has as many as 400 robotaxis on the road in the city of Wuhan.

You will find more infographics at Statista

Several companies are operating public trials and services in the cities of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing.

Smaller cities are also being included by some companies and they are also often where companies launched their first trial services. While initial trials were often free and even on an application basis, new low fare structures for robotaxis in China have already ruffled feathers with taxi drivers.

While reassessing Cruise was supposed to service Dubai, Chinese provider WeRide has run a public trial in Abu Dhabi. Singapore has a robobus service by the same company.

Many current robotaxis are limited to specific areas, times of day or distances and might have a remote safety operator, who under Chinese law can look after as many as three taxis.

Some operations in China also include on-board safety drivers, which are present but are not needed for any specific maneuvers of the vehicle.

Tyler Durden Sat, 10/12/2024 - 21:35

'2nd Moon' Orbits Earth After Getting Stuck In Planet's Gravity - Here's Where It Came From

Authored by Michael Wang via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

It appears that planet Earth has assumed babysitting duties for a minor space object that came too close to our world and chose to stay for a few weeks. The traveling object fell into Earth’s orbit in September and will remain there until late November. Rocky in disposition and roughly the size of a school bus, the object is an asteroid, yet scientists are calling it a “second moon.”

An illustration by The Epoch Times shows an asteroid orbiting the Earth. Shutterstock/ buradaki/ Rawhi302/ Mikael Damkier How the Earth Came to Have Two Moons

Traveling along a horseshoe-shaped path through the solar system, this asteroid is classified as a near-Earth object, or NEO. There are many NEOs in outer space. While making a flyby close to Earth, this particular object’s gravitational energy temporarily fell to negative levels, according to a study published by the American Astronomical Society. This implied that it was in Earth’s orbit.

On Sept. 29, it became official. The NEO got caught in Earth’s orbit, technically making it a second moon. It was named 2024 PT5. However, it won’t last long; the rock won’t even revolve once around the Earth before hurtling off in a few weeks.

An illustration shows an asteroid orbiting the Earth. Shutterstock/ Mikael Damkier

Although technically a “moon,” the object measures only 33 feet long, roughly 345,000 times smaller than our permanent lunar satellite. Most people won’t see it, as it will be far too small for human eyes or amateur equipment to spot. Astronomers will be able to observe it using high-powered telescopes, Live Science writes.

“The object is too small and dim for typical amateur telescopes and binoculars,” study author Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, a professor at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, told Space.com. “However, the object is well within the brightness range of typical telescopes used by professional astronomers.”

So, for now, planet Earth is babysitting an asteroid, though it won’t overstay its welcome. On Nov. 25, it will depart from orbiting Earth and start its journey back into deep space, not to be seen again for decades.

Where Did It Come From?

Over the years, countless other space objects like 2024 PT5 have grazed by Earth. This NEO is said to originate from the Arjunas, a secondary asteroid belt in the solar system that aligns closely with Earth. Hoards of NEOs can be found within this cluster, and some have even visited Earth before. The latest flyby closely resembles a prior one called 2022 NX1, which orbited Earth in 1981 and 2022 before bidding farewell.

When 2024 PT5 says sayonara in November, it won’t return to greet us again until 2055.

Tyler Durden Sat, 10/12/2024 - 20:25