#and that future includes donald trump as the president for the next four years

[lucky-clover-gazette]

non american mutuals, i don’t really know how to say this, but like. you’re a reminder that this isn’t everything. it’s not the whole world. comforting words and thoughts would be appreciated, even if you don’t think you have anything to offer. i’m guessing i’m not the only american tumblr user who feels that way right now

[mariacallous]

Americans are already looking ahead to a second Donald Trump term. Now, imagine it where no one knows what’s happening within the administration.

The incoming Trump administration is promising a mass layoff of federal workers come January — an agenda that appears plucked directly from Project 2025, the extreme-right policy blueprint that GOP operatives, including many former Trump administration officials, compiled to guide Trump in a second term. 

It’s part of a quest to dismantle the so-called “deep state” bureaucracy that right-wingers claim has long conspired against the MAGA agenda. To that end, right-wing organizations, many led by former Trump officials, have spent the last few years inundating federal agencies with Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, requests, fishing for internal documents that identify federal employees working a variety of “culture war” issues, including climate change action and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, or discussing the now President-elect Donald Trump. 

For a glimpse at how Trump and his allies are likely to use the documents, look no further than the right-wing American Accountability Foundation, which recently published a “watchlist” of 60 people at the Department of Homeland Security it identified as “subversive, leftist bureaucrats” who “cannot be trusted to enforce our immigration laws under a future administration intent on securing our border.”

At the same time that they are peppering FOIA offices with requests and demanding President Joe Biden’s officials promptly turn over documents, Trump loyalists are advising would-be appointees of the incoming administration on how to evade future FOIA requests, ones that might reveal the inner workings of the Trump agenda. 

In a Project 2025 training video obtained by ProPublica, Tom Jones, president of the American Accountability Foundation, encourages future government workers to avoid email and instead conduct government business in face-to-face meetings as much as possible, so as not to create a paper trail. 

The FOIA, the 1967 transparency law that allows the public to request records from federal agencies, has long been in shambles, with total requests, backlogs and lawsuits consistently surging amid chronic underfunding. The situation got worse during the first Trump administration and worse still under Biden. During Trump’s first term, federal agencies set a new record for censoring, blocking, and withholding FOIA requests. At least one department even proposed changing regulations to allow officials to deny “burdensome” requests and impose limits on how many requests could be made.

Combine Trump’s record of meddling with the FOIA during his first term and his current plans for “mass reductions in force” within federal agencies, and all signs point to the FOIA — along with government transparency — taking another huge hit over the next four years.

[thatstormygeek]

So for the next couple months, we are essentially Schrödinger’s Electorate. There is no uncertainty about Trump’s ambitions....But there is real uncertainty about his capacity to execute.

We won’t know until at least January just how dark things are about to get. There is a version of Trump’s second term where he talks a lot about mass deportation, but actually deports comparatively few people. He gestures at massive tariffs, but mostly as a negotiating tactic. The most dangerous parts of Project 2025 languish because they require more attention to detail than he cares to give. (Plus they would be unpopular. And Trump likes to feel popular.) This would be a Trump II that kind of resembles Trump I, when he talked a whole lot about “building the wall,” but lacked the will and skill to actually put the plan into practice. This is not a good future, mind you. But it’s the best possible of all the bad futures. Its one where we suffer through several years of mid-level corruption and a ceaseless barrage of Trump intrigue and incompetence. It’s a future that still yields a couple hundred more Trump judges with lifetime appointments to the federal bench, ensuring that no future administration can accomplish its goals. It’s also a future that sets us back at least four years on climate commitments, all while handing the plutocrats more money and power that they will ruthlessly work to defend. It’s, y’know, still really bad. But the other version of Trump II is the one where he deputizes and mobilizes a deportation force that removes tens of millions of people from their homes. Some will be sent back to their home countries. But most will be rounded up and sent to makeshift camps. And that’s a future where he also uses Schedule F to replace all federal workers with Trump ideologues, reducing the federal government to a cutout front for the Trump organization. It’s one where he shuts down all progressive organizations under the cover of fighting “extremism,” rendering the Democratic Party network incapable of competing in future in elections. One where his political opponents go into hiding, and the military is deployed against protestors, and press critics quickly learn that their constitutional protections are not self-enforcing. This would be much, much worse.

I’ve heard a cold-comfort, rally-the-troops message in some progressive circles: “we’ve been here before. We know how to mobilize against him!” I hate to be a downer, but… no. If your strategic plan for Trump II relies on a repeat of the conditions of Trump I, that is a very bad strategic plan. When Donald Trump assumed the Presidency in 2017, we had (1) a mainstream media that was eager to play a watchdog role, (2) a Republican Party that had not been entirely cleansed of Trump critics, (3) a judicial branch with zero Trump appointees, and (4) Trump and his team lacking even the vaguest sense of how to run the executive branch. We had, in other words, a huge attack surface. ... It’s also going to be harder to tie him up in the courts than it was in the first term. Trump appointed 234 federal judges, including three Supreme Court Justices. These Trump judges have shown no deference to precedent. Many are naked partisans, with no incentive to hide it. (Hell, a Trump judge just struck down Biden’s overtime pay Executive Order yesterday.) The Supreme Court has also gotten very comfortable using its shadow docket to speed up and slow down cases to Trump’s benefit. ... Here’s a rough outline of what I think might work. The basic assignment is simple: run out the clock. There are 102 weeks until the 2026 midterm election. There are 206 weeks until the 2028 Presidential. That’s a lot of time to be playing prevent defense against an opponent who controls all the structural power levers at the federal level. This will hardly be easy. But Donald Trump is not some strategic genius, enacting a meticulously-crafted long-term plan. He has grown older, but no wiser. He is as likely to focus on deporting 20 million people as he is to get into a weeklong Twitter spat with Mark Cuban. He is a ridiculous person, and tremendously vulnerable to ridicule. His administration will be staffed by devoted ideologues, not skilled operators. Rudy Giuliani was a devoted Trump supporter. So was John Eastman. Both were comically inept, and are now disbarred as a result. The benchwarmers suiting up now that they are off the playing field have no great excess of skill.

[houseofbrat]

When do you Think This war in gaza Will end? Do you believe This war can weak kamala Win The election? English is not my First language

This will be a long post.

One, I don't think the Gaza war will end this year. It's probably going to get worse given that Israel has invaded the West Bank. Netanyahu doesn't seem at all motivated to stop the war maneuvers in the near future. He's already attacked Lebanon. Now he's attacking the West Bank in addition to what is continuing to happen in Gaza.

Iran has shown a lot of restraint by not attacking back, so far. That's not going to last forever. It's hard to know when that will change, but I suspect it will. We start "eclipse season" next Tuesday, 03 September, and it'll last until 16 October. Big changes are coming in lots of different areas. Also, Mars moves into its (sidereal) debilitation sign, Cancer, on 20 October. What is most interesting about Mars' upcoming transit in Cancer is that a) it will be a long transit because Mars will go retrograde in early December and b) Mars will significantly aspect both Israel & Iran's charts.

Mars will transit Iran's 1st house and aspect its 4th house (home), 7th house (partnerships, allies, opposition), and 8th house (death, mortality, war).

Mars will transit Israel's 10th house (government, leadership, actions of the country), and aspect it's 1st house (national identity, collective personality), 4th house (home), and 5th house (national leader, education, youth/children, border disputes).

It's interesting that on 07 October 2023, Mars was transiting through (sidereal) Libra, which is Israel's 1st house, and hit the previous eclipse point when the attack by Hamas happened. I think given Mars' upcoming & long transit through Cancer that we're probably looking at more war happening in the Middle East, not less.

What is even more interesting is that Mars will retrograde out of (sidereal) Cancer and into (sidereal) Gemini on 20 January 2025, which is the inauguration of US President. I don't know if that portends a certain length to the any possible fighting between Israel & Iran, or if there's something about that particular person being inaugurated that might provoke a change. Won't know for sure until November.

It's not going to be Donald Trump or J.D. Vance being inaugurated. Neither of them have favorable charts for winning in November. They just don't. Kamala has a better chart for winning, but as I've said before, I don't think she's going to be the person being inaugurated on 20 January 2025 "because the person who does will die in office." I have not studied Kamala's chart thoroughly, but I do not have the impression that she will be dying in the next four years or less than that.

When it comes to Donald Trump, he has a ceiling of support in the polls. That is, no matter what has happened over the course of this year (including the assassination attempt on him), his level of support in the polls has never increased above a static level. The people who like him, support him, and are going to vote for him does not seem to have increased. It is his third time on the ballot in November, and all voters already have an opinion of him. He does not seem able to increase his base of support based on the events of this year, regardless of what has happened. That is a difficult position when it comes to the ballot box because the largest group of voters is not those registered to either the Democratic or Republican parties but independent voters, who generally do not have a professed preference for a political party. If Trump cannot appeal and win more independent voters, then it is literally impossible for him to win because there are not enough Republican voters to make up the difference.

Two, Kamala Harris is doing better in the polls, currently, than Joe Biden. However, she has some obvious weaknesses. She hasn't differentiated herself much from Joe Biden.

She also seems afraid of the press, given that she's only done one major interview (CNN) after becoming the nominee.

The problem with a bigger war in the Middle East (Israel & whomever else Israel is starting shit with) is that it will likely decrease enthusiasm and support for Kamala because she won't differentiate herself or her positions from Joe Biden. When a bigger war happens, and the US military is doing whatever it is that they are going to do with American tax dollars, for a boondoggle war that no one in Congress voted and approved. It's disheartening & angering for a lot of people.

One-third of the US navy is sitting in the Middle East. That's ONE-THIRD of the largest navy on earth. For a conflict that the vast majority of Americans want no part in and are not interested in seeing American servicemen (& servicewomen) being sacrificed.

So when the bullets start flying and the US military is involved in something so high profile, you bet that it will weaken Kamala as a candidate. Because what will be the future direction of US involvement in a Harris Administration? Doesn't seem like it would be that different from Joe Biden. Donald Trump isn't likely to change the US military involvement in the region, but his voters don't seem to care about that, based on what I've seen so far. Independent and Democratic voters are not interested in seeing the US participate in a wider war. When Kamala loses enthusiasm of her supporters, then her chances of winning in November will start to decrease.

Here are three videos from a tarot reader about Kamala.

This one is from 18 November 2020 on whether Kamala will ever be President.

This next one is from 09 December 2023.

And this one is from 19 November 2020.

One of my current thoughts is that the Democratic Party delegates voted/confirmed Kamala as the party's nominee virtually, as in they did it online/electronically instead of in person. The roll call vote that happened at Democratic National Convention (DNC) was purely ceremonial. If they can have one virtual vote, then another virtual vote can also happen.

Back in July, there was a lot of reporting in some news outlets about how many people privately within the Democratic Party did not think Kamala should be on the ticket. I think Gretchen Whitmer, the current governor of Michigan, was rumored to have told Kamala that she wasn't interested in being her VP. (Rumored, not publicly confirmed) Because those who aren't going to be affiliated with the Democratic ticket in 2024--if Kamala & Tim Walz lose--can have an easier time running for president in 2028 without being connected to an electoral loss.

This is the chart for the 2025 Presidential Inauguration:

There are two things I would point out of major relevance:

The Sun is conjunct Pluto within one degree and aspected by Mars.

Mars is debilitated and weak in Cancer.

The Sun is the indicator of the president. The aspect by Mars--even though it is retrograde and debilitated--indicates a likely act of violence, aggression, or some natural force against the life of the president. Given the recent failures of the Secret Service over the last ten years, this is very plausible. (Could also just be death by natural causes.) The close conjunction with Pluto--the god of death--likely confirms it. (Just my opinion at this point.) This is the only presidential chart that will have the Sun conjunct Pluto within one degree, probably ever.

The issue with Mars being debilitated is very different. It's the first time this has ever happened in a US Presidential administration chart since the inaugurations moved to January after 1932. Mars rules the 1st house in this chart, so it doesn't likely affect the administration as a whole. It's a unique feature. I'm not entirely sure what exactly it means, but what I've been thinking about lately is that this president may be seen by many as illegitimate. And if the Democrats end up switching Kamala for someone else, then, well, that may explain that debilitation of Mars in the 2025 inauguration chart and any perceived "illegitimacy."

Sounds crazy.

But it's been a crazy year.

And it's going to get even crazier sooner than later.

[rjzimmerman]

Environmentalists Have a Wish List for the Lame Duck Session. (Sierra Club)

Excerpt from this story from the Sierra Club:

Americans who care about public lands conservation, wildlife protection, and climate action are bracing for a grim future. President-elect Donald Trump has boasted about gutting key climate programs to appease fossil fuel interests. And right-wing lawmakers, who will control both houses of Congress, are sharpening their axes to cut funding for endangered species protections, aiming to rescind laws meant to curb greenhouse gas emissions, and even daydreaming about selling off public lands.

Environmental groups will be an essential check on the next administration. Leaders at groups like the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club, and Earthjustice are already preparing legal strategies to combat Trump’s policies, activating their grassroots networks and seeking legislators who will advocate for environmental protections. 

But there’s another antidote to the next administration’s antics—and that’s President Biden. Congress is in session for four more weeks, and the president has committed to working up until January 20. Environmental organizations have a list of suggestions that they’re urging the president to consider, and he and his team seem eager to continue at least some of their environmental work. The challenge for environmental groups and the White House now is to merge their ambitions. 

More national monuments

Conservation groups' biggest public lands priority is getting the president to designate more national monuments. These areas protect some of the country's most treasured public lands, and monuments often serve as a precursor to national park designation, one of the highest forms of preservation. Outdoor coalitions have prepared a list of outstanding areas they think are ripe for monument status. Establishing them should be an easy lift for the president—these lands are already public, there’s local support, and all that’s needed is his signature. 

Last month, at the United Nations biodiversity conference in Colombia, Native American tribes called on President Biden to create three national monuments in California. These areas include the Kw’tsán National Monument in Southern California, the Chuckwalla National Monument near Joshua Tree National Park, and the Sáttítla National Monument close to the Oregon border. While President Trump may threaten to downsize these areas if designated, just as he attempted with Bears Ears National Monument, it’ll likely be an uphill battle. 

Fill judicial vacancies 

Another significant step the president could take would be to nominate federal judges who have a strong grasp of environmental law. In recent years, federal judges have shaped American policy perhaps even more so than legislators. The most recent high-profile environmental decision ended the Chevron Doctrine, a 40-year-old legal theory that judges have cited when deferring to federal agencies to interpret ambiguous statutes. 

In the wake of the 2024 election, Senate leaders and the White House have hinted at ramping up nominations. Filling the 46 open judgeships, split between the US district courts and the courts of appeals, will likely mean the difference between protecting an endangered species and letting developers run roughshod over the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act.

New rules

At the administrative level, conservation groups hope two federal agencies will finalize long-overdue decisions before the next president takes office. The US Fish and Wildlife Department has been mulling over federal protections for grizzly bears for almost two years. The agency was supposed to release a decision back in the summer but punted to January at the last minute. Conservation groups want the agency to keep bears listed throughout their range, given that there are so few bears and limited connectivity between populations. Keeping the bears listed would make it harder for a future administration to delist them in the immediate future, said Bradley Williams, the deputy legislative director for the Sierra Club's Wildlife and Lands Protection campaign.  

Meanwhile, the Department of Energy is updating the studies it uses to assess pending and new LNG export applications. The agency announced a pause on new LNG exports in January while it conducted its analysis. Now climate advocates are hoping the administration will reject six pending requests to build new facilities, especially Venture Global's Calcasieu Pass 2 facility on the Gulf Coast. If completed, it would be the region’s largest LNG facility, pumping out the annual emissions of 51 coal-fired power plants. 

Action in Congress 

There is still work to be done by Congress. Lawmakers have until December 20 to pass a spending bill to fund the federal government. This package could be an opportunity to squeeze in funding for land-management agencies, like the National Park Service, or pass last-minute environmental legislative packages, such as the EXPLORE Act, which expands access to the outdoors. House lawmakers passed a version of the bill in the summer. Now it only needs to get through the Senate to reach the president's desk. 

Smaller lands packages, like the effort to preserve Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma, or the Owyhee Canyonlands in Oregon, could also be included in the yet-to-be-passed National Defense Authorization Act. That bill, which sets annual funding for the armed forces, has typically had broad support and has been reauthorized every year for the past six decades. 

[simply-ivanka]

The Reinvention of Kamala Harris

Democrats stuck with Biden because they thought she was even weaker. Has that changed?

By Gerard Baker Wall Street Journal

The only real question for the 90 days remaining in this presidential campaign: Can Operation Transfiguration succeed?

Can the Democrats and a collaborative media pull off their recasting of Vice President Kamala Harris from the verbally maladroit, politically inept, ruinous-policy-espousing electoral dud we have all seen over the past five years into the holy trinity of Joan of Arc, Harriet Tubman and Margaret Thatcher we have been presented with in the past two weeks?

Can, shall we say, the protective phalanx of Democratic aides, strategists, fundraisers, reporters, editors, influencers and Taylor Swift persuade enough voters to imagine a presidential future of what can be, unburdened by the reality of the vice president, presidential candidate, senator and state attorney general that has been?

Time—or the lack of it—is the key to the operation’s success. I say 90 days but in practice they will need to keep the hype show on the road for just two months after an August of jubilees.

This week the hosannas will ring anew when Ms. Harris announces her vice-presidential nominee. It’s a sure bet that when the man is unveiled we will be treated to a week of gauzy newspaper accounts of his genius and kindliness. Television pundits will explain how the pair on the ticket represent the perfect distillation of American diversity. They will take their campaign on the road, Ms. Harris never more than a few feet away from her truly indispensable companion, the teleprompter, and a much safer distance from any enterprising reporter who may ask a difficult question.

Then we will have a week of a Democratic convention like no other. It will open with Biden Night (only one), when the withered man the party has just knifed will be hoisted aloft before adoring delegates and media panegyrists and hailed as Mount Rushmore-ready. Then, three nights of tributes to the Pantsuit Pericles bidding to run the country for the next four years, culminating in a peroration that will leave White House correspondents weeping.

Operation Transfiguration may be the most audacious plan a political party has ever undertaken. It requires the effective deployment of the full toolkit of press and social media deception: selective editorial amnesia, gaslighting, memory-holing. The whole campaign is the political and media equivalent of answering every question voters may have about the pre-July 21 Ms. Harris with “404 Error Page Not Found.”

If you think I’m overstating the extent to which Ms. Harris is being reclothed, cast your mind back oh so many weeks ago, before President Biden self-immolated at the presidential debate, before a would-be assassin nearly took down Donald Trump, before Mr. Biden was bundled out of the race—to late June, a political epoch away, when polling, punditry and political logic all told us the same thing: Ms. Harris was a loser. Her approval rating had been hovering lower even than Mr. Biden’s for most of the past few years. Many Democrats were saying privately—and some publicly—that if Mr. Biden were jettisoned from the ticket, there should be an accelerated primary contest because they couldn’t risk letting the vice president simply ascend to the job.

We are all familiar with why that was: memories of Ms. Harris’s political identity as the most liberal member of a Senate that included Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren; a presidential campaign five years ago in which she pledged to eliminate private health insurance, ban fracking, give benefits to illegal immigrants, and force gun owners to sell certain firearms to the government; more recent recollections of her San Francisco-bred extremism such as when she helped raise money for the legal defense of rioters and looters in the summer of 2020; and her role in helping Mr. Biden deliver a long list of economic, social and national-security failures for the country—most obviously at the border.

All this is why so many Democrats were alarmed at the thought of a Harris nomination, the same nomination they now trumpet as triumphant.

Only two things can derail Operation Transfiguration: The first is a focused, disciplined and relentless Republican campaign that raises the debate above the vacuity of social-media memes and reminds voters that the Democratic candidate is the same person—and her party is the same party—that she was two weeks ago. If the election is decided on the issues, on voters’ perceptions of the state of the country, Ms. Harris is surely in as much trouble as Mr. Biden was. If the campaign is dominated by pointless assertions about Ms. Harris’s racial identity or her maternal status or all the other entertaining little diversions Mr. Trump likes to indulge, she may get away with skating past the realities of her past.

The other is the media. Are they really going to guide this campaign gently across the finish line? Is there anyone left beyond hostile outlets with a modicum of journalist dignity who is prepared to ask serious questions, do serious reporting, demand a press conference or two? Or are they all intent on doing what they nearly got away with doing for Mr. Biden the last few years and cover for someone evidently incapable of holding office?

Copyright ©2024 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

Appeared in the August 6, 2024, print edition as 'The Reinvention of Kamala Harris'.

[feministfocus]

The 2024 Presidential Election: The Candidates’ Policies and Their Impact on Marginalized Groups

by Sofia Bocchino

Today, Americans know Kamala Harris as the first female Vice President of the United States, but what will we know her as after November 5th? The 2024 presidential election will be historic regardless of who wins, as Kamala Harris will be the first female candidate of color to make it this far into the election, and now the second woman running against former president Donald Trump.

Sources such as The New York Times indicate that this election is going to be close, where either candidate could win by a narrow margin. When considering who to vote for on election day, it is important for voters to educate themselves on the policies each candidate holds in order to make an informed decision to determine what the future of our country will look like. This is especially impactful for voters in swing states, who have the power to sway the state towards either candidate. Swing states also serve as a “battleground” for the competing parties, and according to NPR, where 75% or more of campaign funds are spent. It is crucial that Americans understand which candidates will protect their rights and best serve the country for the next four years.

Since Joe Biden dropped out of the race, Harris has worked tirelessly to continue progressive policies and restore freedom to marginalized communities. Her policies include restoring and protecting reproductive freedom, providing affordable housing, strengthening and bringing down the cost of health care, ensuring safety against gun violence and crime, fixing the immigration system, tackling the opioid and fentanyl crisis, protecting civil rights and freedoms, and so many more liberating policies that can be found on Harris’ website. For citizens who are less privileged and experience disadvantages due to lack of resources for issues they may be affected by, Kamala Harris proves to be the better choice for rebuilding the rights that these marginalized groups have been stripped of. According to Cambridge University Press, a recent study concluded that over 40.3% of U.S. citizens are politically, socially, and economically marginalized groups.

Although the 40.3% of Americans in marginalized groups still make up a little under half the population, that will increase with racial, gender, ethnic, and religious minorities, regardless of their income and privilege. Unlike Harris, Donald Trump’s policies are more conservative and radicalized, not taking into account the large percentage of the population that could be negatively impacted by what he is calling for, essentially a new system of government. Some of Trump’s policies include carrying out “the largest deportation in American history,” protecting the right to bear arms, cutting outsourcing, strengthening the military, cutting federal funding to schools which educate students on anything related to race, sexual orientation, or politics, keepinging men out of women’s sports, and determing women’s reproductive rights by states. All of these policies can be found on Trump’s website and The Washington Post.

These policies are directly targeted towards deporting immigrants, who, according to the American Immigration Council, make up 17% of the U.S. labor workforce, denying trangender people of basic equality and rights, and radicalizing the education system, leaving students uneducated on critical socio-political issues. With these policies in mind, it is important to consider how the Democratic or Republican parties in the running could affect the future of the United States of America. Conservative policies present limitations for minorities and intersecting marginalized groups, which together make up over half the population of the U.S. according to research conducted in 2020 by Census. If you are eligible to vote this year, please take into account how both candidates’ policies will not only affect you, but your friends, family, and most importantly, the country as a whole.

Harris’ policies serve as a beacon of hope to marginalized communities, minorities, and liberal groups in preserving their rights and access to better education, healthcare, housing, jobs, safety, and civil liberties. As I mentioned in the beginning of the article, this election is predicted to be close, and it is likely either candidate will win within the margins. It is important that swing state voters, single issue voters, and those undecided vote on November 5th, as every vote counts in the race to that will either progress our government forward or radicalize it.

From my perspective, I believe Harris has the ability to make a positive change in the U.S. government, and enforce policies that will positively impact the future of the country, helping to establish a fair balance between the majority and minority. If you are not yet eligible to vote, please educate your peers on the importance of voting and the policies each candidate plans to enact if elected. The future of the country is at the hands of its people, and it is our job to ensure everyone is granted their basic freedoms and rights as a human being, so if you are 18 or older on Tuesday, November 5th, please head to the polls and exercise your civic duty as an American citizen and vote, not only for your personal benefit, but for the benefit of all individuals who deserve the same rights, freedoms, justice, and equality.

[newstfionline]

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Nerves frayed in Canada and Mexico over US trade relations (BBC) As Americans prepare to vote for their next president, Canadians and Mexicans are watching on nervously. The two-way trade of goods between the US and Mexico totalled $807bn (£621bn) last year, making Mexico the US’s biggest trading partner when it comes to physical items. Meanwhile, the US’s goods trade with Canada in 2023 was in second place on $782bn. By comparison the figure for the US and China was $576bn. Mexico and Canada’s future trade with the US could be impacted if Donald Trump wins the US election. This is because he is proposing to introduce substantial import tariffs. These would be 60% for goods from China, and 20% on products from all other countries, apparently including Mexico and Canada. By contrast, Kamala Harris is widely expected to maintain the current more open trade policies of President Biden. This is despite the fact she voted against the 2020 United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) free trade deal, saying it didn’t go far enough on tackling climate change. Trump and Harris have “starkly different visions for the future of US economic relations with the world”, said one study in September.

Inside the Last-Ditch Hunt by Harris and Trump for Undecided Voters (NYT) Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J. Trump are carrying out a virtual house-to-house hunt for the final few voters who are still up for grabs, guided by months of painstaking research about these elusive Americans. Inside the Delaware headquarters of Ms. Harris’s campaign, analysts have spent 18 months curating a list of which television shows and podcasts voters consume in the battleground states. Her team has assigned every voter in these states a “contactability score” from 0 to 100 to determine just how hard that person will be to reach—and who is best to deliver her closing message. The results are guiding Ms. Harris’s media and travel schedule, as well as campaign stops by brand-name supporters. For instance, the movie star Julia Roberts and the basketball great Magic Johnson earned high marks among certain voters, so they have been deployed to swing states. At Mr. Trump’s headquarters, in South Florida, his team recently refreshed its model of the battleground electorate and found that just 5 percent of voters were still undecided, half as many as in August. The Trump team calls them the “target persuadables”—younger, more racially diverse people with lower incomes who tend to use streaming services and social media. Mr. Trump has made appearance after appearance on those platforms, including on podcasts aimed at young men.

A Nationwide Blackout, Now a Hurricane. How Much Can Cuba Endure? (NYT) The lights came back on Sunday night in Lidia Núñez Gómez’s Havana neighborhood—the first time since Friday morning—so she rushed to use her electric cooker to save the frozen chicken legs and pork her son had sent her from the United States. Meat is scarce, the power was sure to go out again soon, and Ms. Núñez, 81, needed to keep food from rotting. Her daughter, Nilza Valdés Núñez, 61, fury in her voice and tears in her eyes, took stock of months of power outages, plus food and gas shortages. With a hurricane slamming the eastern coast of the country and a four-day blackout that plunged the entire country into darkness, she summed up the past few days like this: “super bad.” “The lack of electricity, of gas, and all the other problems we have here,” Ms. Valdés said, pausing to weep, “make you feel bad.” Cuba, a Communist country long accustomed to shortages of all kinds and spotty electrical service, is in the throes of a crisis so severe that experts say it threatens to explode into social unrest.

Peru’s ex-president Toledo gets more than 20 years in prison in case linked to corruption scandal (AP) Peru’s former President Alejandro Toledo on Monday was sentenced to 20 years and six months in prison in a case involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, which became synonymous with corruption across Latin America, where it paid millions of dollars in bribes to government officials and others. Authorities accused Toledo of accepting $35 million in bribes from Odebrecht in exchange for allowing the construction of a highway in the South American country. Odebrecht, which built some of Latin America’s most crucial infrastructure projects, admitted to U.S. authorities in 2016 to having bought government contracts throughout the region with generous bribes. The investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice spun probes in several countries, including Mexico, Guatemala and Ecuador.

Once You Try a Four-Day Workweek, It’s Hard to Go Back (Bloomberg) Germany’s brief experiment with a four-day workweek is over, but for many of the businesses that participated, there’s no going back. “I don’t want to work on Fridays anymore. I just don’t,” says Sören Fricke, co-founder of event planner Solidsense. “Friday has actually become the third day of the weekend. You only work if there is no other option.” Solidsense is one of 45 companies that participated in the six-month trial, during which employees worked fewer hours but still received their full paycheck. In the end, 73% of the participants said they’re prepared to make the change permanent or extend the experiment.

Putin Brings Together Economies He Hopes Will Eclipse the West (NYT) After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the West imposed sweeping economic sanctions, cut its access to the global banking system, and sought to isolate Russia diplomatically from the rest of the world. But President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia is determined to show the West that he has important allies on his side. This week Russia is hosting the so-called BRICS group—which stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa—in a gathering of emerging market countries. The meeting, which begins Tuesday, has expanded this year to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Its wonky name notwithstanding (it was coined by a Wall Street banker in 2001), BRICS now includes countries representing almost half the world’s population and more than 35 percent of global economic output, adjusted by purchasing power. The conference is intended to present a hefty showcase of economic might but also entice new countries into a coalition Russia hopes to build that would form a new world order not dominated by the West.

King Charles III ends first Australian visit by a reigning British monarch in 13 years (AP) King Charles III ends the first visit to Australia by a reigning British monarch in 13 years Tuesday as anti-monarchists hope the debate surrounding his journey is a step toward an Australian citizen becoming head of state. Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, watched dancers perform at a Sydney Indigenous community center. The couple used tongs to cook sausages at a community barbecue lunch at the central suburb of Parramatta and later shook the hands of well-wishers for the last time during their visit outside the Sydney Opera House. Their final engagement was an inspection of navy ships on Sydney Harbor in an event known as a fleet review. Charles’s trip to Australia was scaled down because he is undergoing cancer treatment. He arrives in Samoa on Wednesday.

Hug it out, but make it quick. New Zealand airport sets time limit on goodbyes (AP) Emotional farewells are a common sight at airports, but travelers leaving the New Zealand city of Dunedin will have to be quick. A new three-minute time limit on goodbye hugs in the airport’s drop-off area is intended to prevent lingering cuddles from causing traffic jams. “Max hug time three minutes,” warn signs outside the terminal, adding that those seeking “fonder farewells” should head to the airport’s parking lot instead. The cuddle cap was imposed in September to “keep things moving smoothly” in the redesigned passenger drop-off area outside the airport, CEO Dan De Bono told The Associated Press on Tuesday. It was the airport’s way of reminding people that the zone was for “quick farewells” only. But passengers need not worry unduly about enforcement. “We do not have hug police,” De Bono said. Visitors might, however, be asked to move their lingering embraces to the parking lot, where they can cuddle free of charge for up to 15 minutes.

Blinken heads to the Middle East for the 11th time since the Gaza war (AP) Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading again to the Middle East, making his 11th trip to the region since the war in Gaza erupted last year and as Israel steps up attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon. The State Department said Blinken would depart Monday for a weeklong trip to Israel. His other stops are likely to include Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, officials say. Since the Hamas attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the Israeli response, Blinken has traveled to the Middle East 10 other times seeking an end to the crisis. His previous trips have yielded little in the way of ending hostilities, but he has managed to increase aid deliveries to Gaza in the past.

Israel’s wars are expensive (AP) On top of the grievous toll in human life and misery, Israel’s war against the Hamas and Hezbollah militant groups has been expensive, and the painfully high financial costs are raising concerns about the long-term effect of the fighting on the country’s economy. The Israeli government is spending much more per month on the military, from $1.8 billion before Hamas started the fighting by attacking Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, to around $4.7 billion by the end of last year, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. In the three months after Hamas attacked, Israel’s economic output shrank 5.6%, the worst performance of any of the 38 countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a group of mostly rich nations. The war has inflicted an even heavier toll on Gaza’s already broken economy, where 90% of the population has been displaced and the vast majority of the workforce is unemployed. The West Bank economy has also been hit hard, where tens of thousands of Palestinian laborers lost their jobs in Israel after Oct. 7 and Israeli military raids and checkpoints have hindered movement. The World Bank says the West Bank economy contracted by 25% in the first quarter.

The fear, loathing and excitement surrounding AI in the workplace (AP) Artificial intelligence’s recent rise to the forefront of business has left most office workers wondering how often they should use the technology and whether a computer will eventually replace them. Those were among the highlights of a recent study conducted by the workplace communications platform Slack. After conducting in-depth interviews with 5,000 desktop workers, Slack concluded there are five types of AI personalities in the workplace: “The Maximalist” who regularly uses AI on their jobs; “The Underground” who covertly uses AI; “The Rebel,” who abhors AI; “The Superfan” who is excited about AI but still hasn’t used it; and “The Observer” who is taking a wait-and-see approach.

[mightyflamethrower]

One of the few people with a literal front-row seat to be able to judge how well Joe Biden is performing since his disastrous debate appearance is ABC News Anchor George Stephanopoulos. He was the person granted the first post-debate interview with Biden, where the President performed a bit better than he did during the debate, but really not all that much.

So what did Stephanopoulos personally think of the President's cognitive abilities and whether or not he should still be running for a second term? Apparently he wasn't impressed. He was caught on camera while walking in Manhattan this week when a random pedestrian asked him whether or not Biden should step down. He responded by saying that he doesn't think that Biden can serve four more years. We should note up front that he did not say this in his official capacity as an ABC News anchor. (NY Post)

ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos admitted Tuesday that he does not believe President Biden can serve out a second term — days after conducting a closely watched interview with the commander-in-chief following his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump last month. Stephanopoulos, 63, was recorded by TMZ answering a question from a passer-by about Biden’s political future in midtown Manhattan. “Do you think Biden should step down?” the anonymous interrogator asked the “Good Morning America” co-host and “This Week” moderator. “You’ve talked to him more than anybody else has lately.” “I don’t think he can serve four more years,” the soft-spoken Stephanopoulos responded after a pause.

Stephanopoulos almost immediately regretted answering the question, which is understandable. He said, “Earlier today I responded to a question from a passerby. I shouldn’t have." ABC News initially didn't have any comment on the exchange, but later came out to state that the anchor had "expressed his own point of view" and that it did not reflect the position of ABC. 

It would be easy enough to say that George Stephanopoulos simply screwed up by expressing such an opinion in public. After all, his professional occupation requires him to at least attempt to maintain the appearance of objectivity and a lack of bias. Also, he is a well-known television personality and he should clearly be aware that no matter where you go in public these days, somebody is going to be filming whatever is going on with their cell phones. Perhaps he was just distracted in the moment.

But at the same time, he's a thinking, breathing human being. He clearly must have opinions of his own. His previous history as an apparatchik of the Clintons suggests that he leans heavily toward the Democrats and liberals, most likely including Joe Biden. He had the chance to sit down for nearly half an hour with the President and question him directly while observing the responses he received. How would he not come away with the impression that Joe Biden is a cognitive mess who will be lucky to make it through the next four months, to say nothing of four more years beyond that? That's the impression being held by most people, including those in Biden's own party.

I tuned in to ABC News for a little while this morning to see how they are handling the situation. They don't seem to be talking about it very much. There almost seems to be a sense of resignation in the air. Most of their on-air staff would no doubt likely be cheering for Joe Biden, but he's still not capable of generating much enthusiasm among the normally loyal press pool. It appears increasingly likely that Biden will simply refuse to step aside and release his delegates. And if that's the case, the left is probably stuck with him for better or worse. And "worse" is looking more and more likely based on Donald Trump's most recent poll numbers. Here's to hoping those numbers hold all the way through to November.

[galerymod]

Should an American president engage in criminal activities while in office and then attempt to cover them up by presenting them as official business, he will remain unpunished.

It is a matter of concern that the more intelligent and criminal a future American president, regardless of party, may be, the greater the likelihood of them being able to avoid prosecution.

This represents a significant challenge to the integrity of the American justice system. It also raises concerns about the future of American democracy.

The highest court of the United States of America has once again demonstrated that it is not neutral in its decisions.

Any impartial jurist will question what the next step might be for those who have been granted such a favourable outcome. This could include acquittal for white collar crimes, bribery, and other forms of criminal activity.

Such a scenario would be beneficial for those who have been accused of such offences and who are seeking to become president.

mod

Update from July 1, 4:47 p.m.: The US Supreme Court has issued a ruling on the immunity of US presidents from criminal prosecution. The President enjoys partial, but not complete immunity. It is a partial victory for Donald Trump.

On the question of whether former presidents are protected from prosecution, the court in Washington ruled that immunity applies at least for official acts. This is likely to further delay the start of a possible trial against Trump for attempted election fraud. It is considered unlikely that the trial will start before the US election in November.

"The president does not enjoy immunity for his unofficial actions, and not everything the president does is official. The President is not above the law," the decision states. This leaves open which parts of the indictment against Trump still stand in Washington. The Supreme Court did not clarify this question. It is now up to the competent lower court to find out which actions Trump's immunity applies to. This is likely to be a lengthy process.

The ruling was made by six votes to three. The majority of judges, who are considered to be arch-conservative, agreed with the decision in principle. The three judges considered to be liberal dissented.

Supreme Court decides on immunity issue: Trump hopes for absolution

Initial report: Washington, D.C. - What is Donald Trump allowed to do? This question could be answered by the highest court on July 1. This is because the Supreme Court in the USA is ending its current session. The four outstanding rulings are due to be announced on Monday. This includes a decision on Trump, who wants to run again against incumbent Joe Biden in the 2024 US election in November. The 78-year-old had requested that he be granted "absolute presidential immunity" against criminal prosecution.

Trump is claiming immunity in criminal proceedings at federal level, among other things. The trial in the capital, Washington, is about his attempts to hold on to power after his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. The special prosecutor in charge of the case, Jack Smith, who brought charges against Trump in August 2023, rejects the former head of state's claim. The proceedings have been suspended until the Supreme Court has ruled on the issue of immunity.

Does Donald Trump have "absolute" immunity? Supreme Court issues ruling

According to lower court rulings, a former president does not enjoy "absolute" immunity from prosecution. US District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who presided over Trump's election fraud case, ruled that an incumbent president "cannot be given a lifelong carte blanche". A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals also later unanimously rejected Trump's claims and, according to ABC News, warned that "absolute presidential immunity" would ultimately "collapse our system of separation of powers".

At oral arguments before the Supreme Court in April, the court's conservative majority had indicated support for the notion that former presidents should enjoy some protection from prosecution in certain cases. However, the majority of the court was skeptical of Trump's demand for "absolute presidential immunity". After all, Trump's legal team had even argued that a president who orders the assassination of his political rival could also be protected from prosecution.

Supreme Court decision on Trump's "absolute" immunity: consequences for the US election

The decision on Trump's "absolute" immunity follows a potentially far-reaching ruling in favor of those who stormed the Capitol in Washington in 2021: After the attack on the parliament building, prosecutors had gone too far in some cases, the Supreme Court had ruled on Friday (June 28). The Court specifically overturned an indictment against former police officer Joseph Fischer, who had stormed the seat of Congress in Washington together with hundreds of other people.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Drew Sheneman, The Star-Ledger

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

September 22, 2023

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

Two major stories today seem to bring together both the past and the future of the country to chart a way forward.

The first involves a historic workers’ strike. A week ago, on Friday, September 15, after workers’ four-year contracts expired, the United Auto Workers union declared a limited and targeted work stoppage in which about 13,000 workers walked off the job at three Midwestern auto plants. For the first time in history, those walkouts included all three major automakers: workers left a General Motors plant in Missouri, a Stellantis (which includes Chrysler) plant in Ohio, and a Ford plant in Michigan. 

Workers accepted major concessions in 2007, when it appeared that auto manufacturers would go under. They agreed to accept a two-tier pay system in which workers hired after 2007 would have lower pay and worse benefits than those hired before 2007. But then the industry recovered, and automakers’ profits skyrocketed: Ford, for example, made more than $10 billion in profits in 2022.

Automakers’ chief executive officers’ pay has soared—GM CEO Mary Barra made almost $29 million in 2022—but workers’ wages and benefits have not. Barra, for example, makes 362 times the median GM employee’s paycheck, while autoworkers’ pay has fallen behind inflation by 19%. 

The new UAW president, Shawn Fain, ran on a promise to demand a rollback of the 2007 concessions in this summer’s contract negotiations. He wants a cap on temporary workers, pay increases of more than 40% to match the salary increases of the CEOs, a 32-hour workweek, cost of living adjustments, and an elimination of the tier system. 

But his position is not just about autoworkers; it is about all U.S. workers. “Our fight is not just for ourselves but for every worker who is being undervalued, for every retiree who’s given their all and feels forgotten, and for every future worker who deserves a fair chance at a prosperous life,” Fain said. ���[W]e are all fed up of living in a world that values profits over people. We’re all fed up with seeing the rich get richer while the rest of us continue to just scrape by. We’re all fed up with corporate greed. And together, we’re going to fight to change it.”

Fain has withheld an endorsement for President Biden out of concern that the transition to electric vehicles, which are easier to build than gas-powered vehicles, will hurt union jobs, and out of anger that the administration has offered incentives to non-union plants. That criticism created an opening for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to announce he would visit Detroit next week to show autoworkers that he has “always had their back,” in hopes of winning back the support of Rust Belt states.

But for all his talk of being pro-worker, Trump recently attacked Fain, saying “The autoworkers are being sold down the river by their leadership, and their leadership should endorse Trump.” Autoworkers note that Trump and the justices he put on the Supreme Court have been anti-union, and that he packed the National Labor Relations Board, which oversees labor laws and union elections, with officials who reduced the power of workers to organize. Before he left office, Trump tried to burrow ten anti-labor activists into the Federal Service Impasses Panel, the panel in charge of resolving disputes between unions and federal agencies when they cannot resolve issues in negotiations. 

Fain recently said: “Every fiber of our union is being poured into fighting the billionaire class and an economy that enriches people like Donald Trump at the expense of workers.” 

President Biden prides himself on his pro-union credentials, and as soon as he took office, he fired Trump’s burrowed employees, prompting the head of the union representing 700,000 federal employees to thank Biden for his attempt to “restore basic fairness for federal workers.” He said, “The outgoing panel, appointed by the previous administration and stacked with transparently biased union-busters, was notorious for ignoring the law to gut workplace rights and further an extreme political agenda.”

Today, in the absence of a deal, the UAW expanded the strike to dozens more plants, and in a Facebook live stream, Fain invited “everyone who supports our cause to join us on the picket line from our friends and families all the way up to the president of the United States.” Biden has generally expressed support for the UAW, saying that the automakers should share their record profits with their workers, but Fain rebuffed the president’s offer to send Labor Secretary Julie Su and White House senior advisor Gene Sperling to help with negotiations. 

Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and John Fetterman (D-PA) have both visited Michigan to meet with UAW workers, but it was nonetheless a surprise when the White House announced that the president will travel on Tuesday to Michigan, where he will, as he posted on X, “join the picket line and stand in solidarity with the men and women of UAW as they fight for a fair share of the value they helped create. It’s time for a win-win agreement that keeps American auto manufacturing thriving with well-paid UAW jobs."

If President Biden is showing his support for the strong unions of the past, Vice President Kamala Harris is in charge of the future. The White House today announced the establishment of a National Office of Gun Violence Prevention, to be overseen by the vice president. 

Lately, Harris has been taking the lead in embracing change and appealing to younger voters. On September 9 she hosted a celebration honoring the 50th anniversary of hip hop, and she is currently in the midst of a tour of college campuses to urge young people to vote. She has been the administration’s leading voice on issues of reproductive rights and equality before the law, issues at the top of concerns of young Americans. Now adding gun safety to that list, she is picking up yet another issue crucially important to young people. 

When 26-year-old Representative Maxwell Frost (D-FL) introduced the president today, he said that he got involved in politics because he "didn't want to get shot in school."

If the president and the vice president today seemed to represent the past and the future to carry the country forward, the present was also in the news today, and that story was about corruption and the parties’ different approaches to it.

ProPublica has published yet another piece about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s connections to wealthy donors. Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott, and Alex Mierjeski reported that Thomas attended at least two donor summits hosted by the Koch family, acting as a fundraising draw for the Koch network, but did not disclose the flights he accepted, which should have been considered gifts, or the hospitality associated with the trips. His appearances were coordinated with the help of Leonard Leo of the Federalist Society, who has been behind the court’s rightward swing.

The Koch family network funds a wide range of right-wing political causes. It has had interests in a number of cases before the Supreme Court during Thomas’s term, including an upcoming challenge to the government’s ability to regulate businesses—a principle the Koch enterprises oppose. 

Republicans have been defending Thomas’s behavior since these stories began to surface. 

Also in the corruption file today is Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who, along with his wife, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in New York on three counts of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion in connection with using his influence to advance the interests of Egypt. 

This is Menendez’s second legal go-round: in 2015 he was indicted on unrelated charges of bribery, trading political help for expensive plane flights and luxury vacations. Ten of the twelve members of the jury did not agree with the other two that he was guilty and after the hung jury meant a mistrial, the Department of Justice declined to retry the case. 

That the DOJ has indicted Menendez again on new charges undercuts Republicans’ insistence that the department has been weaponized to operate against them alone. And while Menendez insists he will fight the charges, he has lost his position at the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee under the rules of the Democratic Conference, and New Jersey Democratic leaders have already called on him to resign.

“So a Democratic Senator is indicted on serious charges, and no Democrats attacking the Justice Department, no Democrats attacking the prosecutors, no Democrats calling for an investigation of the prosecution, and no Democrats calling to defund the Justice Department,” wrote former Republican representative from Illinois and now anti-Trump activist Joe Walsh. 

“Weird, huh?”

—

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Matt Gertz for MSNBC:

The cycle of lies that drove the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection is again underway. Five months before the 2024 election, claims that only fraud could explain a future Donald Trump defeat are already commonplace in the right-wing media ecosystem. Fox News stars and Trumpist influencers are priming their audiences to listen if Trump once again claims an election was “rigged” against him — and to come to his aid.

Twice last week, Greg Gutfeld told viewers of “The Five,” Fox News’ most-watched broadcast, that the public will only believe the 2024 results are legitimate if President Joe Biden loses. “If they aren’t that worried that Joe’s going to lose, given his sorry state, what are they planning? What are they doing to save the day?” Gutfeld asked June 13. He added that if “by some weird, miraculous chance” Biden wins, “how do you convince anyone that’s real? Have they even thought of that?” He concluded, “Even the Dems behind the scenes better hope he doesn’t win because no one’s going to believe it.” Gutfeld reiterated the point the next day, saying that if Democrats “somehow pull this out” by using “shenanigans” to win, “you’re going to deal with a public that doesn’t buy the election.” That same week, Gutfeld’s colleague Jesse Watters used his prime-time show to call for banning ballot drop boxes on the grounds that they are “ripe for fraud” and to warn of millions of undocumented immigrants voting. “Biden let 10 million illegal immigrants into this country,” Watters claimed (falsely). “How are we ever going to accept the results of the election in this kind of landscape?”

This fear-mongering about the potential for election-changing fraud has been a consistent refrain all year on Fox News. “The Democrats are going to stop at nothing,” host Laura Ingraham declared in January. “If they can, they’re going to game the system or yeah, maybe even cheat.” 

While the network paid a heavy price for its election denial in 2020 — including a $787.5 million defamation settlement with Dominion Voting Systems — its hosts are under constant pressure from other Trumpist competitors who loudly claim that Democratic election-rigging is an indisputable fact. “There are no ‘issues’ with the 2020 election — they stole it,” former Trump adviser and right-wing podcast host Steve Bannon claimed in March. “The only way they defeat Trump is to steal it. The only way they defeat Trump is they steal it. The only way they defeat Trump is they steal it. He is unstoppable.” We saw four years ago that these disinformation campaigns can trigger horrific results. Trump’s plot to subvert the 2020 vote did not begin when he falsely declared victory in the hours after Election Day. By that point, the then-president and his right-wing media cronies had spent months preparing Republican voters not to accept a result that ended in his defeat. Outlets like Fox News relentlessly bombarded their audiences with misinformation about mail-in voting and election fraud. Trump in turn regularly promoted that bogus coverage, describing it as evidence that “Democrats are Rigging our 2020 Election!”

[...] All this suits Trump’s aims perfectly. Mimicking his right-wing propagandists, Trump told Time magazine in April that the only thing that can prevent him from winning “in record-setting fashion” is if Democrats rely on “the things that they did the last time.” He warned that if that happens, political violence from his supporters may be on the table. In other words, Trump is ready for another Jan. 6-style assault on democracy if one proves necessary. And propagandists in the right-wing media are laying the groundwork to ensure his plot’s success

Matt Gertz writes in a column on MSNBC’s site that Fox “News”, Newsmax, and Stephen Bannon, along with the rest of the right-wing media ecosystem, are planning a January 6th Insurrection: Part 2 if Joe Biden wins again in November with the same tired election denialist claims.

See Also:

MMFA: The right-wing media ecosystem is laying the groundwork for another January 6

[mariacallous]

More than 2.5 years into Russia’s full-scale invasion, as Moscow continued to make rapid advances in the east and launch relentless missile attacks across Ukraine, Kyiv seemed to be facing a stark choice: make territorial concessions for an unjust peace or prepare for a prolonged war, sacrificing more lives with no guarantee of success.

Then, President Volodymyr Zelensky made an unexpected announcement – he has a plan on how to end Russia’s war with Ukraine’s victory.

The so-called "victory plan" was designed to strengthen Ukraine’s future negotiating position and push Russia to make a just peace.

Kyiv remains secretive about the plan's details as Zelensky prepares to present it to U.S. President Joe Biden and American presidential candidates during his visit to the U.S. next week. The plan is expected to address military, political, diplomatic, and economic strategies.

A source close to Zelensky told the Kyiv Independent that the "victory plan" aims "to create such conditions and such an atmosphere that Russia will no longer be able to ignore the peace formula and the peace summit."

As Moscow has maintained initiative on the battlefield in the east of Ukraine for most of the year, it has repeatedly rejected Zelensky's 10-point peace formula, which calls for a complete Russian troop withdrawal from Ukrainian territory, among other steps.

"The problem is, to get to that point where we have any sort of peace negotiations, Russia must feel like they're going to lose, and we are not there yet," Rep. Jimmy Panetta, a Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee in Congress, told the Kyiv Independent.

"I hope part of this victory plan is how we can shape battlefield conditions to reach that point," said Panetta, who met Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials in Kyiv last weekend.

Zelensky announced his team was preparing the "victory plan" as Ukraine gained momentum following its incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast, which has widely been considered a successful operation that exposed Russia’s inability to defend its own territory and challenged its so-called "red lines."

Kyiv appears to be rushing to secure substantial backing behind its “victory plan” from Washington ahead of the November election that might bring former President Donald Trump back to the White House and jeopardize the U.S. support for Ukraine.

According to Zelensky, for the "victory plan" to work out, allies need to make “quick decisions” between October and December this year.

What is the plan?

In a few statements he has made about the “victory plan,” Zelensky mentioned it consists of four main points, with an additional fifth point to be implemented after hostilities end. The plan focuses on strengthening Ukraine's defense and creating the conditions to end the war.

Zelensky told CNN that the plan covers issues such as security, Ukraine's geopolitical position, "very strong" defense aid, and economic assistance. In a Sept. 16 address, Zelensky said that curators had been assigned to each area, emphasizing that "nothing is impossible" in the plan.

Ukraine's Presidential Office has not responded to the Kyiv Independent's request for more details on the plan's contents. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi declined to elaborate but said that the plan "will strengthen Ukraine, Ukrainian warriors, and Ukrainian people."

While Kyiv remains tight-lipped about the plan's specifics, Ukrainian officials have refuted media reports that it includes a partial ceasefire. "There is not and cannot be any alternative to peace, no freezing of the war or any other manipulations that will simply move Russian aggression to another stage," Zelensky said in his evening address on Sept. 18.

Danylo Lubkivskyi, the head of the Kyiv Security Forum, suggested that the victory plan would likely include ramping up sanctions against Russia and ensuring a safe sky over Ukraine, as well as the prospects of Ukraine's NATO membership and international security guarantees

"These elements clearly need to be addressed," Lubkivskyi told the Kyiv Independent.

One of the critical elements of the victory plan is likely the U.S. and other allies' approval for Ukraine to use long-range weapons to target military sites deep inside Russia, a capability experts see as essential for Ukraine to have chances at defeating Moscow.

Striking deep inside Russia will enable Ukraine to destroy the airfields from which Russian aircraft are taking off to attack Ukrainian civilian infrastructure as well as degrade Russian air defenses, thus allowing Ukrainian drones to hit key Russian oil and gas infrastructure, according to retired U.S. Lieutenant General Ben Hodges.

Oil and gas sales are the key sources for financing Russia's war machine, with 10.7 trillion rubles ($115 billion) expected in revenue in 2024, up 21% compared to 2023.

Long-range strikes will also allow Ukraine to destroy Russia’s transportation infrastructure, military headquarters, artillery and rocket positions, airfields, and logistics, "which will degrade Russia's only advantage — mass (numbers)," Hodges told the Kyiv Independent.

"Without those capabilities, it doesn't matter how many unlucky, untrained Russian soldiers there are," he added.

Although Western countries eased restrictions on the use of certain Western-provided weapons just across the border following Russia's May offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, limits on long-range strikes deep within Russia have remained in effect.

Hodges expects that during the upcoming U.S. trip, Zelensky will also continue to press for the rapid delivery of some long-promised equipment, munitions, and additional air defense capabilities needed to protect Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure ahead of winter.

According to Republican Rep. Don Bacon, who also attended the meeting with Zelensky last weekend, one of the victory plan's priorities seems to be improving cooperation between Ukrainian oblasts and American states. This could mean developing "more connections on the ground with the American public to garner more U.S. support of Ukraine," according to Panetta.

Why now?

Since November 2022, when various countries began promoting their strategies on how to end Russia's war against Ukraine, Kyiv has been advocating for its 10-point peace formula, which demands a full withdrawal of Russian forces and accountability for war crimes, among other things. However, this plan struggled to gain support among the nations of the so-called Global South such as Russia-friendly India and China.

The introduction of the smaller “victory plan” doesn't mean that Ukraine was forced to abandon any points of its peace formula and come up with a more modest strategy, according to Lubkivskyi. Instead, the “victory plan” likely builds on it, specifying some of its most relevant aspects, the expert believes.

Zelensky said that the “victory plan” could pave the way to a lasting peace, achievable through the full implementation of the peace formula.

Throughout the full-scale war, there have been reports of Western pressure on Kyiv to negotiate with Russia, which many Ukrainians fear could result in territorial concessions. These calls apparently intensified in the spring and summer of 2024 as Ukraine experienced a series of setbacks on the battlefield.

However, in early August, Ukraine made a move that might have turned the tide of the war.

On Aug. 6, Kyiv launched a surprise incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast — the first invasion of Russian territory by a foreign power since World War II — causing talk of peace negotiations to fade. In just several weeks, Ukraine seized around 100 Russian settlements and over 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles), according to Kyiv.

Zelensky soon began speaking of his “victory plan,” saying that the Kursk operation is an integral part, though the exact role it plays remains undisclosed.

"The victory plan clearly takes advantage of the so far successful Kursk operation," William Taylor, vice president for Europe and Russia at the U.S. Institute of Peace and former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, told the Kyiv Independent.

"There's a new momentum on the battlefield with the Ukrainians on the offensive and taking the initiative… I think the actions on the battlefield reinforce the potential of the ‘victory plan.’"

The “victory plan” also comes as the U.S. prepares for its presidential election, which could impact future aid to Ukraine. Ukraine is also reportedly planning a second global peace summit with Russia's potential participation ahead of the election in November.

However, the "victory plan" had to be prepared regardless of the U.S. elections, according to Lubkivskyi. Ukrainians and Kyiv's foreign partners have been long expecting from Kyiv a clear strategy on how Ukraine sees the victory over Russia, Lubkivskyi said, calling the plan's creation "a politically important step."

"The logic of constantly proposing new steps, offering tools (to ensure Ukraine's victory), must be followed regardless of political events in certain states," he added. "The pressure must continue. This is the main guarantee of our success. And the bar must be kept high."

Will the plan work?

Biden will be the first in the U.S. to see the full “victory plan” next week. After that, Zelensky aims to present it to presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, as well as members of Congress.

Zelensky explained that the plan is designed to end the war with the backing of international partners, without relying on Russia's cooperation, though he did not specify how it would achieve this.

"The ‘victory plan’ will focus on pushing the Russians back with military support, as well as strong backing from Europeans and Americans," said Taylor. He added that once Putin realizes, through this plan and international support, that victory is unattainable, he will seek a way out.

Some U.S. officials have already seen parts of Zelensky's plan and believe it is a strategy "that can work," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said during a press briefing on Sept. 17. Thomas-Greenfield added the U.S. plans to promote the plan among world leaders during the upcoming U.N. General Assembly in New York, which Zelensky will attend.

When asked if Trump, who has repeatedly claimed he could end the war "in 24 hours," is likely to support Zelensky's plan, Taylor said it's uncertain but emphasized that "we do know where the American people are."

"There are strong supporters of Ukraine in the Congress, House, and Senate, who will have an influence on former President Trump if he's reelected."

According to Panetta, the “victory plan" "serves as an answer" to the Republicans in Congress who voted against the $61 billion aid package for Ukraine in April, citing the absence of a clear strategy for Ukraine's victory.

Taylor also suggested Zelensky's U.S. visit could be pivotal in securing approval for Ukraine to use West-provided long-range weapons against targets deep inside Russia. He compared this potential shift to the U.S. secretly providing Ukraine with ATACMS missiles in March, revealed only after the first attack on Crimea.

"I think there's a very good chance that either quietly or publicly, the United States, Great Britain, France, and others will give the Ukrainians the green light to use these weapons against military targets in compliance with international law sometime over the next week or so," he said.

[palmoilnews]

GRAINS-Wheat climbs as Ukraine missile attacks spark fears of export disruption CANBERRA, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Chicago wheat rose on Thursday for a fifth consecutive session as Ukrainian long-range missile attacks on Russia raised the threat that escalating conflict could disrupt grain exports. Soybean futures were flat after two days of losses fuelled by uncertainty about demand for soy-based biodiesel and expectations that top exporter Brazil could produce a record crop. Corn futures lacked momentum. FUNDAMENTALS The most-active wheat contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) Wv1 was up 0.4% at $5.74-1/4 a bushel, as of 0126 GMT, with CBOT soybeans Sv1 and corn Cv1 flat at $9.90-1/4 a bushel and $4.30-1/4 a bushel, respectively. Ukraine fired a volley of British Storm Shadow cruise missiles into Russia on Wednesday, the latest new Western weapon it has been permitted to use on Russian targets a day after it fired U.S. ATACMS missiles. Traders fear Russia and Ukraine will intensify attacks to improve their bargaining positions ahead of U.S President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration in January and possible peace talks that could follow, StoneX analyst Arlan Suderman wrote in a note. "The market is building risk premium on the possibility that ships might become unwilling to move through the Black Sea," he said. CBOT wheat still remains near four-year lows due to huge Russian exports and improvements in growing conditions in regions including the United States, Black Sea and Europe. That said, exports from Russia are expected to slow sharply and Russian farmers say they are sowing less wheat for the 2025 harvest after heavy losses this year. In other crops, Chinese trade data showed its soybean imports from the United States more than doubled year-on-year in October as buyers fearful of Donald Trump's trade policies accelerated shipments. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday confirmed private sales of 202,000 metric tons of U.S. soybeans to China and another 226,200 tons to undisclosed destinations. However, with a huge U.S. harvest just wrapping up, the prospect of record production in Brazil early next year is maintaining pressure on prices. CBOT soyoil futures BOZ24 also slipped further amid worries about demand for U.S. biodiesel and declines in Malaysian palm oil futures. MARKETS NEWS Global shares edged lower on Wednesday as markets weighed tensions between Russia and the West, while bitcoin hit a record high and the dollar gained after three straight sessions of losses.

[biblenewsprophecy]

Donald Trump – Now What?

Donald Trump won the election again. Will he fix everything wrong in America and bring in a golden age as he claims? Why or why not? What are concerns from the international community? Will Russia end up with territory that was once part of Ukraine? Might we see a regional war involving Iran? What about the peace deal of Daniel 9:26-27? Can the Great Tribulation begin in the next US presidential term? What are some of the 20+ predictions Dr. Thiel made before Donald Trump's last presidential term that have been confirmed? Will US debt be a problem in the future per Habakkuk 2:6-9? What are some of the unintended consequences of a Donald Trump presidency? What about Europe? Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie go over these matters.

A written article of related interest is available titled 'Media declares Donald Trump won the election–now what?’

Youtube video link: Donald Trump – Now What?

Media declares Donald Trump won the election–now what? y Donald trump y eventos para observar

COGwriter

According to the major media, Donald Trump won re-election. The reason that the headline of this post says, “Media declares Donald Trump won the election,” is because the final ratification technically is not until January. Anyway, here are some media reports:

Trump wins the White House in political comeback rooted in appeals to frustrated voters

November 6, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, an extraordinary comeback for a former president …

“I want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honor of being elected your 47th president and your 45th president,” Trump told throngs of cheering supporters in Florida even before his victory was confirmed.

In state after state, Trump outperformed what he did in the 2020 election while Harris failed to do as well as Joe Biden did in winning the presidency four years ago. Upon taking office again, Trump also will work with a Senate that will now be in Republican hands, …

There will be far fewer checks on Trump when he returns to the White House. He has plans to swiftly enact a sweeping agenda that would transform nearly every aspect of American government. His GOP critics in Congress have largely been defeated or retired. Federal courts are now filled with judges he appointed. The U.S. Supreme Court, which includes three Trump-appointed justices, …

As he prepares to return to the White House, Trump has vowed to swiftly enact a radical agenda that would transform nearly every aspect of American government. That includes plans to launch the largest deportation effort in the nation’s history, …, to dramatically expand the use of tariffs and to again pursue a zero-sum approach to foreign policy that threatens to upend longstanding foreign alliances, including the NATO pact. https://apnews.com/article/election-day-trump-harris-white-house-83c8e246ab97f5b97be45cdc156af4e2

Trump vows to lead ‘golden age of America’ in victory speech: ‘Fix everything’

November 6, 2024

President-elect Donald Trump addressed his supporters in the nation early Wednesday morning after earning more than 270 electoral votes, vowing he will lead the “golden age of America” after launching the “greatest political movement of all time.”

“This was, I believe, the greatest political movement of all time. There’s never been anything like this in this country, and maybe beyond. And now it’s going to reach a new level of importance because we’re going to help our country heal,” Trump said just before 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

“We’re going to help our country here. We have a country that needs help, and it needs help very badly. We’re going to fix our borders. We’re going to fix everything about our country and we’ve made history for a reason tonight. And the reason is going to be just that. We overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible,” he added to cheers from the crowd.  …

Trump said that he will lead the “golden age of America” upon his inauguration.

“Every citizen, I will fight for you, for your family and your future. Every single day, I will be fighting for you. And with every breath in my body, I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that our children deserve and that you deserve. This will truly be the golden age of America. That’s what we have to have. This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to make America great again,” he said. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-vows-lead-golden-age-america-victory-speech-fix-everything

So will Donald Trump fix everything that is wrong in the US?

No.

Before going into more about what is next, let’s also see a report from CBS regarding international matters:

Foreign leaders react as Donald Trump wins 2024 U.S. presidential election

November 6, 2024

From enthusiasm voiced by Israel’s leader as he wages an expanding, multi-front war to anxiety from some of America’s closest, generations-old European allies, the reaction to Trump’s election performance started rolling in long before the final votes were counted across the U.S. …

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered his congratulations to Trump on Wednesday, calling his election performance “history’s greatest comeback!” …

Ukraine’s war-time President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated Trump Wednesday for what he called an “impressive election victory,” … Zelenskyy offered no comment on Trump’s repeated vows to “quickly” end the nearly three-year war that began with Russia … Zelenskyy has warned that if the resolve of Ukraine’s Western backers crumbles and Russia is allowed to seize Ukrainian territory, the war his country is fighting could spread, with direct implications for Americans. …

Leonid Slutsky, who heads the Committee on International Affairs in Russia’s State Duma, or parliament, was quoted Wednesday by the country’s state-run RIA Novosti news agency as saying a Trump victory offered “a chance for a more constructive approach to the Ukrainian conflict.”

“Can we expect changes in approaches to the role of the U.S. in the Ukrainian conflict, which has been fueled by the Democratic administration since 2014? Judging by the election rhetoric (if it can still be believed), the Republican team is not going to send more and more American taxpayers’ money into the furnace of a proxy war against Russia,” Slutsky was quoted as saying. “Perhaps there is a chance for a more constructive approach here.” …

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer did his best Wednesday, despite a clear delineation between his own policies and those expected of another Trump administration, to maintain the decorum of the storied “special friendship” between the two nations. …

“As the closest of allies, we stand shoulder to shoulder in defense of our shared values of freedom, democracy and enterprise,” said Starmer, who came to power only months ago as Britain’s left-leaning Labour Party won national elections in a landslide after a decade and a half of Conservative Party rule.

“I know that the US-UK special relationship will continue to prosper on both sides of the Atlantic for years to come,” added Starmer. …

“Congratulations, President @realDonaldTrump,” France’s President Emmanuel Macron said in a brief statement posted on social media Wednesday. He declared his administration “ready to work together” again as it did during Trump’s first term in office, “with your convictions and mine. With respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity.”

But an hour later, the French president issued another statement that hinted at the concerns he and many of his European colleagues are likely to share about Trump’s commitment to the transatlantic NATO alliance, America’s future backing of Ukraine in the war with Russia, and his stance on foreign import tariffs.

In his second tweet, Macron said he had just spoken with German Chancellor Olaf Sholz, and that the leaders of the EU’s two biggest economies had agreed to “work towards a more united, stronger, more sovereign Europe in this new context. By cooperating with the United States of America and defending our interests and our values.” …

Fatemeh Mohajerani, a spokesperson for Iran’s ruling Islamic regime, appeared on the country’s state-run TV network IRIB Wednesday and was quoted as dismissing the potential impact of Trump’s election victory amid her country’s standoff with the West over its support for armed proxy groups across the Middle East and its nuclear program.

“The election of the U.S. President is not relevant to us,” she said according to a translation of her remarks on state media. …

Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority that administers the Israeli-occupied West Bank, congratulated Trump on his reelection and wished him success. …

Basem Naim, a long-time senior figure in the Hamas regime that ruled over the Palestinian Gaza Strip for almost two decades before the group sparked the ongoing war with Israel with its unprecedented terrorist attack more than a year ago, called Trump’s reelection, “a private matter for the Americans,” but said in a statement Wednesday that “Palestinians look forward to an immediate cessation of the aggression against our people, especially in Gaza, and look for assistance in achieving their legitimate rights of freedom, independence, and the establishment of their independent self sovereign state with Jerusalem as its capital.” …

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated “my friend Donald Trump” Wednesday with a message posted on social media. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-us-election-2024-results-foreign-leaders-react-wars-ukraine-russia-israel/

As far as what is next, let’s first address some of the international matters the CBS report touched upon.

Donald Trump worked on a peace plan for the Middle East and likely will attempt to build upon it and/or change it. Based on Daniel 9:26-27, we know some type of a regional peace deal will be confirmed by a European “prince,” who will later be called the King of the North and later break that deal (Daniel 11:31-40). The timing of such a deal looks to be consistent with the next presidential term. If that deal is made and biblically confirmed by July of 2025, then the Great Tribulation could begin before the next presidential term ends. Otherwise, I do not expect the Great Tribulation to begin in the Trump-Vance Administration.

However, peace deals normally do not come until after war. While there are wars and rumors of wars in the Middle East, Israel has not be damaged to the point it looks to be ready for the deal of Daniel 9:27. Yet there is a prophecy in Isaiah 22:6-9 about an Iranian-led coalition that will cause great damage to Jerusalem. So, although Iran has stated the next US president is irrelevant, there are reports hinting that it is considering an attack consistent with Isaiah 22:6-9 relatively soon so as not to have to deal with Donald Trump, or perhaps to do so to spite him. Some in Iran have actually wanted Donald Trump to win as they have hope he might help overthrow the government in Iran (see Iran’s government wants to triple military spending, whereas many in Iran want Donald Trump to win election against Kamala Harris). Since the government of Iran does not wish to be overthrown, it may take military steps itself soon.

What about Ukraine?

In 2013 I posted that Russia would end up with at least some Ukrainian territory. That happened with the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014. In 2019, I posted that parts of eastern Ukraine would end up as part of Russia:

It remains my view that Crimea and at least parts of eastern Ukraine will ultimately align with Russia.

International sanctions will not stop biblical prophecies from being fulfilled.

(Thiel B. ‘Putin in Crimea as Russia Marks Five Years Since Annexation’ the ‘Kings of the Medes’ will arise. COGwriter 2019)

I also did a video a few days before Russia’s ‘Special Military Operation’ into Ukraine began where I again asserted that Russia would end up with Ukrainian territory (watch Russia, Ukraine, Babylonian Europe, and Prophecy). On September 30, 2022, Russia annexed Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia.

Under Donald Trump, I do NOT believe that Russia plans to give up Crimea or Eastern Ukraine. And while precise borders may change, the fact is that Russia has ended up with Ukrainian territories.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy knows this, and while he prefers a different outcome, there are biblical prophecies that peoples prophetically referred to as Medes will support Russia in the end times against the soon rising European Babylon (Isaiah 13:1, 17-19; Jeremiah 51:11). Since some in Russia and Ukraine are descended from the Medes, that is why I have asserted for over a decade that at least some in Ukraine would support Russia in the end and that at least parts of that land would support Russia.

What about Europe?

Notice that French President Macron said that he and the German Chancellor agreed to “work towards a more united, stronger, more sovereign Europe in this new context.” In other words, because Donald Trump won, they want Europe to be able to be separate from the US and be as strong militarily. Despite many European Union leaders despising Donald Trump, many privately wanted him to win in order to use his re-election as a catalyst for Europe’s military ambitions (see Landmark report states EU urgently needs to act on defense; With the possibility of a Donald Trump presidency, remember PESCO?). Europe was able to develop PESCO because of Donald Trump’s first term in office and Europe will 1) take more steps to develop PESCO 2) become more unified, and 3) take more steps to increase its military strength. Plus, Donald Trump will pressure Europe to spend more on its military.

This will NOT end well for the US per Isaiah 10:5-11 and Daniel 11:39. An “unintended consequence” of Donald Trump’s policies will be that one day the European Beast power will conquer the US, along with the UK, Canada, and at least indirectly Australia and New Zealand.

Furthermore, Donald Trump’s pointing to tariffs as the answer for US trade imbalances and manufacturing decline will incense the Europeans. Some type of trade war is coming. Europe will get more serious about trade deals with others internationally, such as being more motivated to approve the trade deal with the Mercosur block of South America.

Donald Trump previously pulled the US out of the Paris Climate Accords, but the Biden-Harris Administration rejoined that. Expect Donald Trump to pull the US out again. Unless he breaks that campaign promise. Pulling out makes the world in general, and the Europeans in particular, despise the US.

On what could be considered a related item, Donald Trump has promised more domestic oil and energy production. Unlike his tariff proposals, this would be anti-inflationary. But would also raise international concerns about pollution and the climate.

Now, what about Donald Trump’s assertion his administration will “fix everything about our country”?

That, of course, is nonsense.

Sin is the real cause of the problems facing the US and Donald Trump does not even know what sin is, hence how can he fix that?

He has never called for national repentance, nor according to him, has he ever actually repented.

That said, while Donald Trump did keep his promise and nominate anti-abortion leaning judges to the US Supreme Court, they were not as anti-abortion as they should have been. The sin of abortion will continue across much of the US.

Donald Trump vowed to be a friend of the LGBTQ+ crowd. And while his views on this were not as extreme as those held by the Biden-Harris Administration, remember that the Bible says that even condoning that behavior is “deserving of death” (Romans 1:18-32).

Donald Trump has supported the sin of pornography.

He is also covetous. The Bible teaches:

19 Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. 20 And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. 21 Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. (Exodus 18:19-21)

Donald Trump is not a leader who could be called a man ��of truth,” nor does he endorse God’s laws and statutes nor does the covetous Donald Trump hate covetousness.

Donald Trump lies a lot. He will lie more.

Donald Trump is a leader with a history of basically violating most, if not all, of the Ten Commandments.

But, he will oversee rises in US debt.

Donald Trump once stated:

I’m the king of debt. I love debt. (Egan M. Donald Trump: ‘I’m the king of debt.’ CNN, May 7, 2016)

The Bible warns that debt, and having to borrow from foreigners, is a curse that would hit those who received various biblical blessings as they became more disobedient (Deuteronomy 28:15,43-46).

According to the US Treasury, the date before Donald Trump took office, the debt of the USA as of 01/19/2017 was 19,944,429,217,106.77 (https://treasurydirect.gov/NP/debt/current).

On January 19, 2021, the debt had risen $27,752,835,868,445.35, the end of Donald Trump’s term. https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/datasets/debt-to-the-penny/debt-to-the-penny

Donald Trump’s Administration will raise debt and this will one day end in disaster for the US consistent with prophecies such as Habakkuk 2:6-8.

The price of gold will hit record highs against the US dollar. But it may first go down. While gold will have ups and downs, the Bible shows that one day it will have value when the US dollar is gone (cf. Daniel 11:39-43; Revelation 18).

There may be protests and violence in the US. This could get quite violent if he keeps his promise about deporting lots of illegal and other aliens.

At risk of repeat, the following (which is like what I posted here yesterday) shows warnings and predictions I made related to Donald Trump, mainly before he took office on January 20, 2017, that were at least partially fulfilled:

WARNING ONE: Donald Trump will offend the Europeans. FULFILLED.

WARNING TWO: Donald Trump’s election will be used to further push European unity. FULFILLED.

WARNING THREE: Increased civil unrest will come to the USA. FULFILLED.

WARNING FOUR: The fourth warning was that Donald Trump’s rise would encourage the Europeans to arm: FULFILLED–THOUGH MORE STEPS WILL TAKE PLACE.

WARNING FIVE: There is a fifth warning related to the fourth: Germany will want a stronger military. FULFILLED. FILLED–THOUGH MORE STEPS WILL TAKE PLACE.

WARNING SIX: Donald Trump’s views on climate change will cause problems with Europe. FULFILLED.

WARNING SEVEN: Donald Trump will be one that is involved in fulfilling 2 Timothy 3:1-5. FULFILLED.

WARNING EIGHT: Debt will increase under Donald Trump. FULFILLED.

WARNING NINE: Donald Trump may propose a peace deal consistent with Daniel 9:27. FULFILLED–THOUGH MORE STEPS WILL TAKE PLACE.

WARNING TEN: Donald Trump would support aspects of ecumenical unity. FULFILLED.

WARNING ELEVEN: People will call for Donald Trump’s impeachment. FULFILLED.

WARNING TWELVE: Donald Trump would encourage the rise of the final King of the South of biblical prophecy–a power involving peoples in the Middle East and North Africa. FULFILLED–THOUGH MORE STEPS WILL TAKE PLACE.

WARNING THIRTEEN: The rise of Donald Trump will confirm to various ones that the USA is in decline. FULFILLED.

WARNING FOURTEEN: Daily sacrifices will one day resume in Jerusalem (cf. Daniel 9:27; 11:31). PARTIALLY FULFILLED–STEPS IN PROCESS (Note: I did NOT post that the daily sacrifices would start during a Donald Trump Administration, only that they one day would need to start. The Trump Administration took steps that at least indirectly helped set the stage).

WARNING FIFTEEN: Donald Trump will support increased government surveillance. FULFILLED.

WARNING SIXTEEN: Donald Trump’s Administration would focus too much on China and not consider the military threat that Europe poses. FULFILLED.

WARNING SEVENTEEN: Donald Trump’s position on the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP) will assist China. FULFILLED.

WARNING EIGHTEEN: Mexico will look more towards Europe and less towards the USA on trade matters. AT LEAST PARTIALLY FULFILLED–THOUGH MORE STEPS WILL TAKE PLACE.

WARNING NINETEEN: His attitudes toward GMOs.

FULFILLED.WARNING TWENTY: The price of gold will hit record highs against the USA dollar. FULFILLED in July/August 2020–THOUGH OTHER RECORDS WILL TAKE PLACE.

Details related to the fulfillment of the above are in the article: Donald Trump in Prophecy.

For a 21st and 22nd item (as well as to show there were at least 20 items related to Donald Trump as number 14 and 20 are not directly related), it should be noted that I correctly wrote years ago that 1) The Great Tribulation would NOT begin in the first term of a Donald Trump Administration and 2) Armageddon would not start under the first term of a Donald Trump Administration (watch: Armageddon Will it come on Trump’s watch). There is also another to mention which happened while he was in office, that there would be negative consequences for the US dollar because of Donald Trump’s sanctions policies (watch from 2018: US Sanctions and Tariffs leading to New World Order?; watch from 2024: SWIFT end to the US dollar?).

Donald Trump will again do many of the things listed as warnings, etc. above.

Biblical prophecies will be fulfilled, and some will be the unintended (as well as intended) consequences of Donald Trump being in office (presuming he takes office and survives).

Update 11/10/24: We now have a related video in the English language:

14:48

Donald Trump – Now What?

Donald Trump won the election again. Will he fix everything wrong in America and bring in a golden age as he claims? Why or why not? What are concerns from the international community? Will Russia end up with territory that was once part of Ukraine? Might we see a regional war involving Iran? What about the peace deal of Daniel 9:26-27? Can the Great Tribulation begin in the next US presidential term? What are some of the 20+ predictions Dr. Thiel made before Donald Trump’s last presidential term that have been confirmed? Will US debt be a problem in the future per Habakkuk 2:6-9? What are some of the unintended consequences of a Donald Trump presidency? What about Europe? Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie go over these matters.

Here is a link to our video: Donald Trump – Now What?

Update 11/09/24: We now have a related video in the Spanish language:

Here is a link to a Spanish language version of this message: Donald trump y eventos para observar.

Related Items:

Donald Trump in Prophecy Prophecy, Donald Trump? Are there prophecies that Donald Trump may fulfill?  Are there any prophecies that he has already helped fulfill?  Is a Donald Trump presidency proving to be apocalyptic?  Two related videos are available: Donald: ‘Trump of God’ or Apocalyptic? and Donald Trump’s Prophetic Presidency.

Trump Presidency Magic 8 Ball or Bible Prophecy? BBC reported that one might as well use a ‘Magic Eight-Ball’ to try to predict what will happen in the remaining time of Donald Trump’s presidency. What is a ‘Magic Eight-Ball’? Dr. Thiel not only explains that, but also briefly goes over 10 biblically-based warnings he wrote would happen if Donald Trump were elected that have already began to come to pass. He also goes over something he wrote back in 2008 that the Trump presidency is also helping lead to fulfillment. Should you trust Bible prophecy or not? Dr. Thiel says that Bible prophecy can be trusted, despite the view of skeptics and others that either overlook or despise the Bible. This is a video.

Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse This 188 page book is for people truly interested in prophecies related to Donald Trump and the United States, including learning about several that have already been fulfilled and those that will be fulfilled in the future. The physical book can be purchased at Amazon for $12.99 from the following link: Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse.

Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse-Kindle Edition This electronic version of the 188 page print edition is available for only US$3.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse-Kindle Edition.

Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about the peoples of Africa, Asia, South America, and the islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

LASTEST BIBLE PROPHECY INTERVIEWS

LATEST NEWS REPORTS

[coineagle]

Bitcoin Skyrockets to $76K after FOMC Rate Cut: What’s Next?

Key Points

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting resulted in a 25-basis-point cut to the benchmark federal funds rate.

Bitcoin reached a record-breaking all-time high of over $76,000 following the rate cut.

The November 7th meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) concluded with a 25-basis-point decrease in the benchmark federal funds rate.

This was a move anticipated by many in the financial sector.

Bitcoin’s Record-Breaking Surge

Following this decision, the cryptocurrency market experienced a surge, with Bitcoin hitting a record-breaking all-time high of over $76,000.

This reinforces the notion that Bitcoin’s performance is often linked to the Fed’s actions.

The FOMC meeting also resulted in the federal funds rate target range being adjusted to between 4.5% and 4.75%.

This set the stage for comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell following Donald Trump’s presidential election victory.

Powell’s Response to Resignation Queries

When asked if he would resign if Trump requested it, Powell responded with a firm “No.”

He emphasized that the election results would not influence the Fed’s near-term policy decisions.

Powell’s comments came amidst ongoing tension with Trump, who frequently criticized the Fed chair for not loosening monetary policy at a desired pace.

Powell also addressed the question of a president’s authority to remove or demote the Fed chair, stating such actions are not legal.

Trump’s economic strategy, which includes aggressive tariffs, stricter immigration policies, and extended tax cuts, could potentially increase inflation and elevate long-term interest rates.

These potential outcomes may prompt the Fed to reconsider its approach to future rate adjustments.

Market Reaction to Rate Cut

The recent 25-basis-point rate cut marks the second consecutive reduction by the Fed.

The first rate cut in four years led to a positive reaction in the crypto market, triggering a rally across major digital assets.

This pattern was repeated following the latest rate cut, with Bitcoin’s surge being accompanied by gains in other cryptocurrencies.

Notably, Ethereum appreciated by 8%, followed by Solana with a 6.5% increase.

Cardano also saw significant gains, rallying by 11.1%.

Despite the political spotlight, the Fed remains committed to its economic goals.

In September, the inflation rate reached 2.1%, edging closer to the Fed’s 2% target.

The Fed’s latest statement highlighted ongoing solid economic growth and easing labor market conditions.

Despite a rise in the unemployment rate, it remains at a low level.

The next FOMC meeting, scheduled for 40 days from now, may consider further policy adjustments based on evolving economic conditions.