Putin: 'Theft' Of $300BN in Frozen Assets A 'Price Worth Paying' To Break West's Grip On Global Finance

In somewhat surprising statements and what can be viewed as a very frank 'concession', President Vladimir Putin has said  Russia is "ready" to part with its $300 billion in frozen assets, framing it as a another way which accelerates Russia's and its allies' shift away from Western-dominated financial systems.

"A significant amount of Russian gold and currency assets is frozen in Western banks. They keep telling us they intend to steal our money," Putin said before the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) summit in Minsk on Thursday.

If the West does simply take the funds in the end, it would create an "irreversible trend toward the regionalization of payment systems" - and this in the long run would benefit the global economy. "I think it is probably worth paying for," Putin mused, while further describing the Moscow aims to strengthen its own financial settlement systems with "friendly states."

The Central Bank of Russia, Moskva News Agency

For now, the some $300 billion in Russian Central Bank assets currently frozen (mostly in Europe) hasn't been fully or outright appropriated permanently, but instead the plan is to fund Ukraine's defense based on interest earned on the significant assets.

This plan is already in effect, with for example former President Biden at the tail-end of his administration having announced that it disbursed a $20 billion loan for Ukraine, to eventually be paid back using interest earned on frozen Russian Central Bank assets.

The US Treasury Secretary had said the following at the time:

"These funds — paid for by the windfall proceeds earned from Russia’s own immobilized assets — will provide Ukraine a critical infusion of support as it defends its country against an unprovoked war of aggression."

"The $50 billion collectively being provided by the G7 through this initiative will help ensure Ukraine has the resources it needs to sustain emergency services, hospitals, and other foundations of its brave resistance," the statement said.

The Kremlin has consistently decried this as "theft" and "simply robbery" while vowing that retaliation will soon come.

Meanwhile, some 'respect' still thrown Trump's way by Putin...

Putin: I deeply respect Trump. He's a courageous man who survived two assassination attempts

I believe he truly wants peace in Ukraine and the Middle East, though it may be harder than he expected pic.twitter.com/73qH4qio0t

— RT (@RT_com) June 27, 2025

President Putin fresh words suggest Moscow is resigning itself to a situation where it won't see the funds handed back for anytime in the foreseeable future, at a moment Russia continues strengthening economic ties with BRICS countries.

Tyler Durden Sat, 06/28/2025 - 08:45

German Police Raid 170 Homes Over 'Hate Speech', Insults To Politicians

Via Remix News,

On Wednesday morning at 6 a.m., a large-scale police operation was launched across Germany, targeting hundreds of individuals suspected of insulting politicians or spreading “hate and incitement” online.

The massive crackdown saw police launch morning raids against 170 individuals, which saw police seize computers, cell phones, and tablets, and conduct searches in multiple locations across the country.

The action, which was conducted by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), uses the new Criminal Code Paragraph 188 to target individuals accused of racism and hate speech.

North Rhine-Westphalia’s Interior Minister, Herbert Reul (CDU), who has overseen a massive increase in crime in his state in recent years — including violent crimes and knife crimes committed by foreigners — celebrated the police raids.

“Digital arsonists must not be able to hide behind their cell phones or computers,” he said.

His state conducted 14 of the approximately 130 nationwide cases in a “day of action” against so-called hate postings.

In fact, even as the number of such raids has exploded in recent years, violent crime has also reached record highs in Germany, in large part due to mass immigration, which is a statistical fact. However, police resources have shifted towards targeting hate speech violations, including those complaining about rising crime in relation to mass immigration, with even politicians, such as Alternative for Germany’s (AfD) Marie-Thérèse Kaiser, being targeted in such cases.

Germany now routinely has these “days of action” against citizens who commit “violations” against new and more draconian speech laws in Germany. In some cases, a national scandal has erupted when the details of the cases became public, such as the case of a pensioner, Stefan Niehoff, having his house raided over calling former Economic Minister Robert Habeck an “idiot.”

As the details of the case show, Niehoff became a major target for speaking out against the raid, with the state eventually dropping the “idiot” charge, the one they raided his house for, and pursuing other ones. He was eventually convicted for a variety of retweets despite these retweets being explicitly anti-Nazi posts that targeted left-wing politicians.

In another case, someone criticized CDU leader Friedrich Merz as “drunken.”

It is unclear who was targeted in the latest raids and what statements they made. Most cases allegedly involve right-wing extremist statements, but a small number of cases involve extremist religious or left-wing extremist content. It should also be noted that Alternative for Germany (AfD) co-leader Alice Weidel has also filed a number of such complaints, a point she has been criticized for. However, it is unclear if anyone’s house was raided over any of her complaints. So far, there have been no reports of such raids based on any complaints Weidel has filed.

CDU Interior Minister Reul said there needs to be a clear distinction between opinion and hate speech.

“What you don’t do in the real world isn’t appropriate digitally either. It’s time for more attitude, both offline and online,” he said.

However, the federal interior ministry made a similar argument last year while conducting raids against multiple homes of Compact Magazine journalists, as well as the magazine’s publisher. The raids were followed by a ban on Compact Magazine and its erasure from the internet. A top federal court has now ruled this week that the ban was not constitutional and constituted a violation of freedom of the press in a major blow to the federal interior ministry.

These house raids are conducted with the support of various reporting centers run by left-leaning organizations. Essentially, a center reports a post, which then forwards this to the federal police for action.

Last year, there were 10,732 such cases recorded, which is quadruple the number of 2021.

As an example of the type of raids going on, last year, a 14-year-old German boy had his house raided for posting a banned hashtag on TikTok, which translated to “Everything for Germany.”

Read more here...

Tyler Durden Sat, 06/28/2025 - 08:10

Kremlin Reacts To NATO Defense Spending Hike: 'No Significant Effect'

The Kremlin in a new Friday statement made clear that NATO's decision to significantly boost military spending, formalized this week at the annual NATO summit in The Hague, which Trump and other leaders attended, won’t have a meaningful impact on Russia’s security.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov responded to a reporter's question over what impact NATO's commitment to 5% of GDP on defense over the next decade for each member state will be by saying, "I don’t think it will have any significant effect."

"We know what goals we are pursuing; we don’t hide them, we state them openly, and they are absolutely legitimate in terms of any interpretation of the UN Charter and international law. We know by what means we will always ensure these goals," he said.

NATO has cited the necessity of a drastic increase in spending, which notably Spain has resisted, as necessary based on the "long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security."

Throughout over three-years of the grinding Ukraine war, Western officials have consistently sounded the alarm over an 'expansionist' Russia; however, it has become clear that the Kremlin does no even want to occupy Kiev or Western Ukraine - and that the top goal is solidifying hold over Russian-speaking territories of the east.

In response to this NATO assumption that Putin could breach the 'eastern flank' and amid expansionist aims, Russia's RT has the following:

Moscow has repeatedly said it has no intention of attacking any NATO member states, dismissing such claims as “nonsense” and attributing them to Western officials’ attempts to justify increased military spending. 

Meanwhile, this week the European Union planned to push forward and approve it's 18th package of anti-Moscow sanctions, but this has been postponed due to resistance from Hungary and Slovakia.

Also, President Trump has voiced his view that yet more fresh sanctions would likely not have any immediate effect and that the action would be detrimental to peace efforts.

The question of US-backed efforts to get the two warring sides to the negotiating table is very much an open one currently. Both have become even more entrenched in their unwillingness to compromise, with Zelensky having said he won't even give up Crimea. There is not even a date for a potential next round of Istanbul talks.

Tyler Durden Sat, 06/28/2025 - 07:35

The End Of Bank Branches: How Europe's Digital Euro And Stablecoins Are Reshaping Finance

Submitted by Thomas Kolbe

The digital age is dawning. Repetitive tasks are being automated, and technologies like artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles are reshaping our daily lives—just as the financial sector is undergoing a profound digital transformation. The slow disappearance of physical bank branches is one of the clearest signs of this upheaval.

The desertion of Germany’s town centers is a symptom of this new era. High rents, shrinking consumer power, and demographic decline—especially in rural areas—collide with the shockwaves of e-commerce and a rapidly digitalizing economy. More and more of our consumer habits are migrating online, and the banking industry, long anchored by its brick-and-mortar branches, is no exception.

A Long-Term Trend

The quiet death of Germany’s bank branch networks has been underway for years—a global phenomenon driven by customers embracing online banking, decentralized access to investment portfolios, and other digital financial services. The latest data presented by Barkow Consulting on behalf of the European Central Bank (ECB) confirms this trend: in 2023 alone, German banks closed approximately 560 branches, a 2.8 percent reduction.

That may sound like a moderate consolidation—but in context, it’s part of a decades-long structural shift. Ten years ago, German banks operated more than 35,000 branches. A quarter-century ago, that number was closer to 60,000. Today, only 18,933 remain.

Deutsche Bank Leads the Way

In March, industry giant Deutsche Bank announced major job cuts during its annual press conference, citing the need to boost cost efficiency in light of ongoing sectoral changes. “We are witnessing a fundamental transformation in the German banking sector,” stated Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing. His institution alone plans to eliminate roughly 2,000 jobs and close a “significant number” of branches this year.

Customer consultations, he explained, will increasingly take place via video and phone. This marks not only a cost-saving shift but also a paradigm change that threatens to erode the personal trust traditionally built in face-to-face banking relationships. The business becomes leaner and more efficient—but less personal, and perhaps less trustworthy.

Multifaceted Pressures

Commercial banks have for years operated in a complex web of pressures: technological change, the digitization of transaction processes, the rise of online banking, and above all, monetary policy. Margin pressure has forced cost-cutting across the board. One key reason for the shrinking sector is the ECB’s ultra-loose monetary policy. More than a decade of zero and negative interest rates has destroyed the traditional banking model of earning profits through interest spreads.

Savings banks, credit unions, and even large private banks found themselves unable to operate profitably under artificially distorted yield curves. Deposits no longer generated returns, while regulatory costs and penalty interest increased. The ECB's monetary policy not only eroded customer savings but also deprived the banking sector of its essential function. The closure of branches, layoffs, and digital pivots are direct consequences of a policy that primarily served one goal: stabilizing the over-indebted public finances of much of the Eurozone.

Countries like Spain, Italy, and France, with debt-to-GDP ratios exceeding 120 percent, can no longer service their debts at market interest rates. The ECB’s continued intervention—through rate suppression and asset purchases—buys these governments time but shifts the burden onto private banks and savers.

Digital Euro and Stablecoins

Now, the next tidal wave is approaching. The rise of “stablecoins”—digital currencies pegged to fiat currencies like the U.S. dollar—heralds the next level of direct banking. Stablecoins offer fast, low-cost, round-the-clock global transactions without intermediaries like traditional banks.

As decentralized finance (DeFi) grows, traditional banks are losing their roles as payment processors and credit intermediaries. The more people embrace digital wallets and smart contracts, the less need there is for checking accounts, physical branches, or personal banking advice. Stablecoins accelerate the disconnection from traditional banking—a creeping loss of control for institutions built on an analog infrastructure ill-suited for the digital era.

The coup de grâce for bank branches may come with the introduction of the digital euro. This programmable currency, developed by the ECB on a blockchain platform, would likely turbocharge the adoption of digital wallets and decentralized financial services. The detour through commercial banks would become obsolete.

As the banking sector loses its role as intermediary, especially small-scale retail clients will be the first to switch from traditional checking accounts to central bank-backed alternatives. Branches—once pillars of customer loyalty and cash access—will become redundant. The digital euro acts as an accelerant for the already fragile infrastructure of retail banking.

We’ll have to get used to it: the local bank branch, once a staple of every high street, may soon be a relic of the past.

* * * 

Thomas Kolbe, born in 1978 in Neuss/ Germany, is a graduate economist. For over 25 years, he has worked as a journalist and media producer for clients from various industries and business associations. As a publicist, he focuses on economic processes and observes geopolitical events from the perspective of the capital markets. His publications follow a philosophy that focuses on the individual and their right to self-determination.

Tyler Durden Sat, 06/28/2025 - 07:00

US Reluctant To Drop Its "Economic Bunker Buster" On China, India, & Russia

Authored by Andrew Korybko via Substack,

It’s unrealistic to expect the US to maintain 500% tariffs on China and India for their purchase of Russian oil, which would also ruin its trade talks with them and derail the Ukrainian peace process...

Senator Lindsey Graham recently said that his bill to impose 500% tariffs on every country that imports Russian resources is “an economic bunker buster against China, India, and Russia”, yet for all his tough talk, the US is still reluctant to drop it. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump Administration is “quietly pressuring” the Senate to water down the legislation by “turn[ing] the word ‘shall’ into ‘may’ wherever it appears in the bill’s text, removing the mandatory nature of the prescribed reprimands”.

Their report was lent credence by Graham himself proposing an exemption for countries that aid Ukraine, thus averting an unprecedented US-EU trade war in the event that his bill passes into law. Trump’s remark to Politico in mid-June about how “sanctions cost us a lot of money” suggests that he’s not interested in going this route, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio later telling them that sanctions could derail the Ukrainian peace process, though he also didn’t rule them out in the future.

These are sensible explanations for the US’ reluctance to drop its “economic bunker buster” on Russia but they don’t account for its reluctance to drop it on China and India, which have served as invaluable valves for Russia from the West’s sanctions pressure due to their large-scale import of its oil. Graham expects that they’ll cut off their purchases if the US threatens them with 500% tariffs but they’re unlikely to comply since they know that the US would also harm its own economy through these means.

Not only that, but the trade deal that US and China recently agreed to would be jeopardized, as would the ongoing talks with India over a similar such agreement. Trump is pleased with both and doesn’t want to rock the boat right now. While he might revert back to his previous tariff pressure if things don’t go his way, he could just unilaterally impose more tariffs against either in that scenario, and they probably wouldn’t be anywhere near the counterproductive level that Graham’s legislation demands.

Seeing as how “The US Is Once Again Trying To Subordinate India”, which is part of his administration’s efforts to reshape South Asian geopolitics, he’s more prone to imposing higher tariffs against it instead of China but it’s premature to predict that he ultimately will. In any case, the pretext probably wouldn’t be energy-related given that he just surprisingly posted that “China can continue to purchase Oil from Iran” in spite of early February’s Executive Order that explicitly aims to “drive Iran’s export of oil to zero”.

It would therefore be utterly bizarre for Trump to impose tariffs of any level on India or whoever else for purchasing Russian resources when he now no longer cares about the US’ systemic rival China purchasing oil from none other than Iran, which he just bombed, in defiance of his own decree. The aforementioned calculations make it very unlikely that Trump will drop Graham’s “bunker buster” on either of those two. If his bill enters into law, a loophole would likely be found to avoid complying with it.

This prediction brings the analysis back around to the future of Graham’s “economic bunker buster”. Quite clearly, the Trump Administration doesn’t want him to move it through Congress so he might respect their wishes, thus leading to his bill becoming nothing but bluster. This is especially so if his team signals that it’s already found a loophole to get around it unless he changes the language as reportedly requested. China, India, and Russia therefore almost certainly have nothing to worry about.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 23:25

These Are The World's Best Restaurants

This year’s edition of 'The World's 50 Best Restaurants' by publishing group William Reed Business Media was released on Thursday night. The ranking is one of the most highly anticipated events of the culinary calendar.

The so-called Oscars of gastronomy have named Maido in Lima, Peru as the top restaurant in the world. It combines Japanese techniques and Peruvian ingredients into Nikkei cuisine, in particular referencing ingredients and traditions from the Peruvian Amazon.

Maido is followed by Asador Etxebarri in Atxondo, in the Basque country (an autonomous region of Spain) and Quintonil in Mexico City. Four of the top ten restaurants this year were in Europe (two of which were in Spain, one in France and one in Denmark), Latin America also performed well with four, including the aforementioned Maido in Lima and Quintonil in Mexico City, as well as Kjolle in Lima and Don Julio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, placing in 9th and 10th rank, respectively. Asia’s top performer was Gaggan in rank 6, based in Bangkok.

You will find more infographics at Statista

The highest performing restaurant from the United States this year was Atomix in Manhattan's Koreatown, which serves modern Korean dishes. It came in rank 12, following Wing in Hong Kong. Other U.S. restaurants that featured on the list of 100 included Single Thread in Healdsburg, California (rank 80), Le Bernardin (90) and César (98) in Manhattan and Atelier Crenn in San Francisco (96).

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants was first launched 23 years ago by the British magazine Restaurant Magazine as an alternative to the Michelin stars system.

The ranking has faced criticism over the years for elitism and for featuring mostly restaurants in Europe and a couple of metropolises around the world.

For example, according to Eater, an online specialist food magazine, “nearly all of the restaurants that have been ranked first are located in Europe; those that aren’t in Europe serve European-style tasting menus; and all of the restaurants except Central are helmed exclusively by men.”

It has sought to address these issues, announcing in 2019 that it would have a 50/50 gender balance on its voting academy and introducing a rule that no restaurant that has earned the top title will be eligible for voting again.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 23:00

1900 Scientists Say 'Climate Change Not Caused By CO2' – The Real Environment Movement Was Hijacked

Authored by Mark Keenan via RealityBooks.com,

Millions of people worldwide are concerned about climate change and believe there is a climate emergency. For decades we have been told by the United Nations that Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from human activity are causing disastrous climate change. In 2018, a UN IPCC report even warned that ‘we have 12 years to save the Earth’, thus sending millions of people worldwide into a frenzy.

Thirty-five years ago, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the (World Meteorological Organization) WMO established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to provide scientific advice on the complex topic of climate change. The panel was asked to prepare, based on available scientific information, a report on all aspects relevant to climate change and its impacts and to formulate realistic response strategies. The first assessment report of the IPCC served as the basis for negotiating the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Governments worldwide have signed this convention, thereby, significantly impacting the lives of the people of the world.

However, many scientists dispute with the UN-promoted man-made climate change theory, and many people worldwide are confused by the subject, or are unaware of the full facts. Please allow me to provide some information you may not be aware of.

1. Very few people actually dig into the data, they simply accept the UN IPPC reports. Yet many highly respectable and distinguished scientists have done exactly that and found that the UN-promoted manmade climate change theory is seriously flawed. Are you aware that almost 2,000 of the world’s leading climate scientists and professionals in over 30 countries have signed a declaration that there is no climate emergency and have refuted the United Nations claims in relation to man-made climate change? See https://clintel.org/world-climate-declaration/

2. I have also signed this declaration. How can I make such an assertion? I have experience in the field as a former scientist at the Department of Energy and Climate Change, UK Government; and as former staff member at United Nations Environment, where I was responsible for servicing the Pollution Release and Transfer Register Protocol, a Multinational Environmental Agreement, involving the monitoring of pollutants to land, air, and water worldwide. Real pollution exists, but the problem is not CO2. Industrial globalisation has produced many substances that are registered as pollutants, including thousands of new man-made chemical compounds, toxins, nano-particles and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that are in violation of the scientific pre-cautionary principle.

A book I published also provides ample evidence and testimony from renowned scientists that there is no ‘CO2-induced’ Climate emergency. The book titled ‘Climate CO2 Hoax – How Bankers Hijacked the Environment Movement’ is available on Amazon here

Purchase here

3. Next, I will mention the Irish Climate Science Forum (ICSF) website, a valuable resource founded by Jim O’Brien. I am grateful to the ICSF for their excellent work in highlighting the scientific flaws in the UN climate narrative. The ICSF provides a comprehensive lecture series from renowned international scientists providing much evidence, analysis, and data that contradicts the UN assertions. The lectures are available at: https://www.icsf.ie/lecture-series

The ICSF scientific view coincides with those of the Climate Intelligence (CLINTEL) foundation that operates in the fields of climate change and climate policy. CLINTEL was founded in 2019 by emeritus professor of geophysics Guus Berkhout and science journalist Marcel Crok. Based on this common conviction, 20 Irish scientists and several ICSF members have co-signed the CLINTEL World Climate Declaration “There is No Climate Emergency” (see https://clintel.org/ireland/).

4. The reality is that the climate has always been changing, the climate changes naturally and slowly in its own cycle, and CO2 emissions (and methane from livestock, such as cows) are not dominant factors in climate change. In essence, therefore, the incessant UN, government, and corporate-media-produced climate hysteria in relation to CO2 emissions (and also methane from cows) has no scientific basis. It appears to me the UN narrative is yet another example of fake science being used to drive an ulterior agenda, see also the book Godless Fake Science.

In truth I am against ‘real’ pollution, and the reality is that the CO2 component is not a pollutant. Unfortunately, many misinformed environmentalists are driving around in electric cars, the battery production for which has caused vast amounts of ‘real’ pollution via the industrial mining and processing of rare earth metals, and the consequent pollution to land, air and water systems. See also this article. Note that the UN does not focus on the thousands of real pollutants that corporate industrial globalisation creates.

5. The conclusions of the Climate Intelligence foundation include the following

There is no climate emergency. Therefore, there is no cause for panic and alarm.

Natural as well as anthropogenic factors cause warming: The geological archive reveals that Earth’s climate has varied as long as the planet has existed, with natural cold and warm phases. The Little Ice Age ended as recently as 1850. Therefore, it is no surprise that we now are experiencing a period of warming.

Warming is far slower than predicted: The world has warmed significantly less than predicted by IPCC on the basis of modeled anthropogenic forcing. The gap between the real world and the modeled world tells us that we are far from understanding climate change.

Climate policy relies on inadequate models: Climate models have many shortcomings and are not remotely plausible as global policy tools. They blow up the effect of greenhouse gases such as CO2. In addition, they ignore the fact that enriching the atmosphere with CO2 is beneficial.

CO2 is plant food, the basis of all life on Earth: CO2 is not a pollutant. It is essential to all life on Earth. Photosynthesis is a blessing. More CO2 is beneficial for nature, greening the Earth: additional CO2 in the air has promoted growth in global plant biomass. It is also good for agriculture, increasing the yields of crops worldwide.

Global warming has not increased natural disasters: There is no statistical evidence that global warming is intensifying hurricanes, floods, droughts and suchlike natural disasters, or making them more frequent.

It also appears to me that various catastrophes attributed to “CO2-induced climate change” are nothing of the sort. I note the following articles:

Carbon Is Not the Enemy. End Chemtrails!

Problem. Reaction. Solution. Wildfires About More than CO2 Induced Climate Change?

They’re burning from the inside out.” Robert Brame on the Unusual Properties of the Pacific Palisades Fires

6. In the above book I reference the relevant work and scientific presentations of some of the world’s leading climate scientists. Let us examine some of the work and testimonies of these scientists:

“deeply flawed logic, obscured by shrewd and unrelenting propaganda, actually enabled a coalition of powerful special interests to convince nearly everyone in the world that Co2 from human industry was a dangerous plant destroying toxin. It will be remembered as the greatest mass delusion in the history of the world – that Co2 the life of plants was considered for a time to be a deadly poison.” – Professor Richard Lindzen, Professor Emeritus of Atmospheric Sciences at MIT.

Dr Nils-Axel Mörner was a former Committee Chairman at the UN International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He was an expert involved in reviewing the first IPPC documents. He says the UN IPPC is misleading humanity about climate change.  He tried to warn that the IPPC were publishing lies and false information that would inevitably be discredited. In an interview, he stated: “This is the most dangerous and frightening part of it. How a lobbyist group, such as the IPPC, has been able to fool the whole world. These organised and deceitful forces are dangerous” and expressed shock “that the UN and governments would parade children around the place at UN Climate summits as propaganda props”. He states:

“solar activity is the dominant factor in climate and not Co2… something is basically sick in the blame Co2 hypothesis…  It was launched more than 100 years ago and almost immediately excellent physicists demonstrated that the hypothesis did not work.

I was the chairman of the only international committee on sea levels changes and as such a person I was elected to be the expert reviewer on the (UN IPPC) sea levels chapter. It was written by 38 persons and not a single one was a sea level specialist… I was shocked by the low quality it was like a student paper… I went through it and showed them that it was wrong and wrong and wrong…The scientific truth is on the side of the sceptics… I have thousands of high ranked scientists all over the world who agree that NO, CO2 is not the driving mechanism and that everything is exaggerated.

In the field of physics 80 to 90% of physicists know that the Co2 hypothesis is wrong… Of course, metrologists they believe in this because that is their own profession - they live on it.… I suspect that behind-the-scenes promoters… have an ulterior motive… It’s a wonderful way of controlling taxation controlling people” - Dr Nils-Axel Mörner, a former Committee Chairman at the UN IPPC, and former head of the Paleo Geo-physics and Geo-dynamics department in Stockholm

Another climate scientist with impeccable credentials that has broken rank is Dr Mototaka Nakamura. He asserts:  “Our models are mickey-mouse mockeries of the real world”. Dr Nakamura received a Doctorate of Science from MIT, and for nearly 25 years specialized in abnormal weather and climate change at prestigious institutions that included MIT, Georgia Institute of Technology, NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, JAMSTEC and Duke University. Dr Nakamura explains why the data foundation underpinning global warming science is “untrustworthy” and cannot be relied on and that: “Global mean temperatures before 1980 are based on untrustworthy data”.

Professor John R. Christy, Director of Atmospheric and Earth Sciences, University of Alabama, has provided detailed analysis of climate data. I summarise the main points from his analysis below:

“The established global warming theory significantly misrepresents the impact of extra greenhouse gases; the weather that affects people the most is not becoming more extreme or more dangerous; temperatures were higher in the 1930s than today; between 1895 and 2015, 14 of the top 15 years with the highest heat records occurred before 1960; the temperatures we are experiencing now in 2021 were the same as 120 years ago…

the number of major tornadoes between 1954 and 1986 averaged 56/year, but between 1987 and 2020 the average was only 34/year; between 1895 and 2015 on average there has been no change in the number of very wet days per month, and no change in the number of very dry days per month, and the 20 driest months were before 1988. Between 1950 and 2019 the percentage of land area experiencing droughts has not increased globally – the trend is flat; the incidence of wildfires in North America between 1600 and 2000 has decreased substantially. Sea levels rose 12.5 cm per decade for 8,000 years and then it levelled off, now it rising only 2.5 cm per decade… worrying about 30 cm rise in sea level in a decade is ridiculous, in a hurricane the east coast of the U.S. gets a 20 foot rise in 6 hours, so a 30 cm rise will be easily handled!”

In a lecture titled The imaginary climate crisis – how can we change the message? Available on the Irish Climate Science Forum website, see Endnote [ii]. Richard L Lindzen, Professor Emeritus of Atmospheric Sciences at MIT summarises the battle against the climate hysteria as follows:

“in the long history of the earth there has been almost no correlation between climate and co2… the paleoclimate record shows unambiguously that Co2 is not a control knob… the narrative is absurd…  it gives governments the power to control the energy sector… for about 33 years, many of us have been battling against the climate hysteria… There were more important leading people who were objecting to it, they were unfortunately older and by now most of them dead…

Elites are always searching for ways to advertise their virtue and assert their authority. They believe they are entitled to view science as a source of authority rather than a process, and they try to appropriate science, suitably and incorrectly simplified, as the basis for their movement.”

“CO2…  it’s not a pollutant… it’s the product of all plant respiration, it is essential for plant life and photosynthesis…  if you ever wanted a leverage point to control everything from exhalation to driving, this would be a dream. So it has a kind of fundamental attractiveness to bureaucratic mentality.” - Prof. Richard Lindzen, Professor Emeritus of Atmospheric Sciences at MIT

Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace, and President of Greenpeace in Canada for seven years, states:

“the whole climate crisis is not only fake news its fake science… of course climate change is real it’s been happening since the beginning of time, but it’s not dangerous and it’s not caused by people… climate change is a perfectly natural phenomenon and this modern warming period actually began about 300 years ago when the little ice age began to come to an end. There is nothing to be afraid of and all they are doing is instilling fear. Most of the scientists who are saying it’s a crisis are on perpetual government grants.

I was one of the (Greenpeace) founders… by the mid-80s… we were hijacked by the extreme left who basically took Greenpeace from a science-based organisation to an organisation based on sensationalism, misinformation and fear… you don’t have a plan to feed 8 billion people without fossils fuels or get the food into the cities…” – Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace

Professor William Happer, Princeton University, Former Director of Science at the US Department of Energy, is also a strong voice against the myth of man-made global warming. He states: “More CO2 benefits the Earth”.

7. The UN IPCC cherry picks data, uses flawed modelling and scenarios not remotely related to the real world

The UN climate crisis predictions are not based on physical evidence, rather they are based on complex computer modelling. One has to decode and analyse the modelling process to ascertain whether or not the models are valid and accurate or whether they have obvious flaws. The vast majority of scientists, economists, politicians and the general public have simply assumed that the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) models are accurate. Very few people have the time or skills to analyse these models, not to mention actually dispute them. Nonetheless, there were many senior and highly distinguished scientists that did exactly that – they claimed the UN narrative was incorrect and that there was no climate emergency. Their voices have been drowned out by a vast money-driven political and media establishment of the globalised ‘system’. The vitally important work of some of these renowned scientists is referenced in the above book.

“The computer models are making systematic dramatic errors… they are all parametrised… fudged…  the models really don’t work” – Patrick J. Michaels, Director, Cato Institute Center for the Study of Science

Dr Roger Pielke Jr, University of Colorado, has conducted a detailed scientific review and analysis of the UN IPCC AR6 report, see Endnote [iii].  He describes that in relation to climate modelling, the IPCC detached the models from socio-economic plausibility. In creating the models, instead of first completing integrative assessment models (IAMs), the IPCC skipped this essential step and jumped straight to radiative forcing scenarios and thus these scenarios are not based on competed IAMs. This led much of climate modelling down the wrong track. I quote points from Dr Pielke’s analysis as follows:

“The four IPCC scenarios came from a large family of models so instead of splitting modelling from socio-economic assumptions the models already had the assumptions faked and baked in to them, because they had to have those assumptions to produce the required radiative forcing (to produce a desired climate ‘crisis scenario’ outcome).

In another fateful decision the 4 representative concentration pathways (RCPs) came from 4 different IAMs, which was a huge mistake.  These models are completely unrelated to each other, but the impression has been given that they are of a common set, only differing in their radiative forcing, this was a huge mistake. Furthermore, no-one has responsibility for determining whether these scenarios are plausible. The climate community decided which scenario to prioritise and they chose the two most implausible scenarios! There are thousands of climate assumptions, but only 8 to 12 of them are available currently for climate research. The IPCC report even states that “no likelihood is attached to the scenarios in this report”. The likelihood is considered low they admit - This is an incredible admission by the IPCC.

These extreme unlikely scenarios dominate the literature and the IPCC report; therefore, the IPCC report is biased. Bottom line is that there is massive confusion. The IPCCs’ Richard Moss warned that RCP 8.5 was not to be used as a reference for the other RCPs, but 5,800 scientific papers worldwide misuse it like that… The whole process is seriously flawed… Nothing close to the real world is represented by the IPCC scenarios. Climate science has a huge problem! The IPCC currently uses RCP 8.5 as the ‘business as usual’ scenario, but RCP 8.5 is wild fantasy land and not remotely related to current reality at all… climate science has a scientific integrity crisis.” - Dr Roger Pielke Jr, University of Colorado

8. Financialization of the entire world economy is now based on a life-killing ‘net-zero’ greenhouse gas emissions strategy.

The UN Agenda 2030 plan and the Paris Agreement goal to reduce CO2 emissions by 7% per annum until 2030 is in effect a plan that would seemingly disable the current fossil-fuel-based mechanisms of the industrial economy for the food, energy and goods that enable human life and survival. Yet the narrative is quite hypocritical as the production of green energy infrastructure, and mining of rare earth metals for batteries for electric vehicles, is, and will most likely continue to be, very fossil-fuel intensive. Globalisation resulted in much of humanity becoming largely dependent on the trans-national industrial economy rather than on traditional more self-sufficient local/regional economies. Therefore, one has to ask where is this all going to lead if the plug is truly pulled on fossil fuels? Almost all of us are seemingly locked into, and have become dependent upon, the current economic paradigm of globalisation. A system rigged by debt-money created from nothing; created and controlled by private mega-banks and behind the scenes money-masters; and which can induce boom, bust, bailout scenarios that detrimentally effect the populace.

It should be noted that for decades, these same political, government, and corporate powers have rampantly promoted corporate economic globalization and fossil fuel dependency. Whilst, at the same time actively hindering the funding, creation, or government support of, more self-sufficient local communities/regions, and local co-operatives. Most of the world population thus became reliant on the globalized fossil-fuel driven system. I explore this topic in the books Demonic Economics and the Tricks of the Bankers and Transcending the Climate Change Deception Toward Real Sustainability

Purchase here

Zero carbon emissions, in essence, means pulling the plug on current systems of industrial agriculture, transport, goods production, electricity production, etc. This could have terrible consequences, particularly in locations and countries, that are currently unable to produce much food. In Ireland, the deluded greens in government had planned to close the coal-fired power station Moneypoint, in the name of reducing CO2 emissions. However, as the price of electricity increased and the dawn of so-called ‘green energy’ began to evaporate like the Irish morning mist, the government scrapped this plan in 2022, instead deciding to convert the station to an oil-burning facility. The Irish Times newspaper reported:

“With growing concerns over security of the energy supply in the State, the Government is not in a position to decommission Moneypoint as a fuel-burning station in the near future. It was confirmed by the Irish Government in 2022 that Moneypoint will convert to oil generation from 2023.” 

The so-called ‘green economy’ (for it is not environmentally friendly in reality) and UN Agenda 2030 are resulting in increased energy poverty and decreased energy independence for the masses, while also developing trillions of dollars for the behind-the-scenes mega-banks. “Stop burning coal and wood logs that causes climate change don’t ya know” my deluded neighbour informed me last year, having threw out her wood burning stove and installed solar panels. Then a typical winter storm in Ireland last month left many thousands of people without electricity or heating for almost a week, shivering and wishing for a wood burning stove, while their solar panels produced little electricity in winter.

9. Central bankers are entirely funding / controlling the advancement of the worldwide climate change ‘project’

The decision to drastically reduce CO2, one of the most essential compounds to sustain all life, is no co-incidence. It should be noted that it is the world’s central bankers that are behind this decision and are entirely funding and controlling the advancement of the worldwide project of ‘combatting man-made climate-change’.

This project involves an attempt to de-carbonise the activities of the entire world population. In December 2015, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) created the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD), which represents $118 trillion of assets globally. In essence this means that the financialization of the entire world economy is based on meeting nonsensical aims such as “net-zero greenhouse gas emissions”. The TCFD includes key people from the world’s mega-banks and asset management companies, including JP Morgan Chase; BlackRock; Barclays Bank; HSBC; China’s ICBC bank; Tata Steel, ENI oil, Dow Chemical, and more.

The fact that the world’s largest banks and asset management corporations, including BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, the UN, the World Bank, the Bank of England and other central banks of the BIS, have all linked to push a vague, mathematically nonsensical ‘green’ economy, is no coincidence. There is another agenda at play that has nothing to do with environmentalism. When the world largest banks, corporations, and institutions, all align to push a climate change agenda that has zero evidence, one can see there is another major agenda going on behind the scenes. This agenda tries to convince the common people of the world to make huge sacrifices under the emotive guise of “saving our planet.”. While all the time the corporations and banks make vast profits, and political institutions implement worldwide technocratic control systems under the banner of combatting, and adapting to, so-called man-made climate change.

“The links between the world’s largest financial groups, central banks and global corporations to the current push for a radical climate strategy to abandon the fossil fuel economy in favor of a vague, unexplained Green economy, it seems, is less about genuine concern to make our planet a clean and healthy environment to live. Rather it is an agenda, intimately tied to the UN Agenda 2030 for “sustainable” economy, and to developing literally trillions of dollars in new wealth for the global banks and financial giants who constitute the real powers that be… “ - F. William Engdahl, strategic risk consultant and lecturer

Back in 2010, the head of Working Group 3 of the UN IPCC, Dr Otmar Edenhofer, told an interviewer, “…one must say clearly that we redistribute de facto the world’s wealth by climate policy. One has to free oneself from the illusion that international climate policy is environmental policy. This has almost nothing to do with environmental policy anymore.”

To better perceive what is ‘behind the curtain’ of the climate hoax and the UN/WEF agenda it also helps to examine what has happened in the decades beforehand. It is important to perceive the implications of the worldwide fractional-reserve debt-money banking scam and the subtle system of debt-slavery that has existed for decades.  If you look at the World Bank website you will see that virtually every nation on Earth is in vast debt. In debt to who you may ask? The answer is to privately owned mega-banks. See also the book Demonic Economics and the Tricks of the Bankers.

Purchase here

For many decades the so-called banking and corporate elites have had full control of the source of money creation and its allocation, via the debt-money system, and have therefore, by default, been able to fund, and increasingly control and manipulate the entire world spectrum of industry, media, government, education, ideological supremacy and war to their own design, agenda and benefit. Mayer Amschel Rothschild (banker) is widely reported to have said:

 “Give me control of a nation’s money supply and I care not who makes its laws.”

10. Central bankers hijacked the real environmental movement in 1992 creating the fake climate change agenda

Psychopaths can utilise any ideology and, change it from within to something that may eventually be entirely different to its original purpose.  Meanwhile, the original followers and advocates continue to pursue what they believe is the original ideology, but gradually become mere pawns in the agenda of a self-serving elite. Unfortunately, over the past decades, this is exactly what has happened in the environmental movement.

Whistleblower George Hunt served as an official host at a key environmental meeting in Denver, Colorado in 1987, and states that David Rockefeller; Baron Edmund De Rothschild; US Secretary of State Baker; Maurice Strong, a UN official and an employee of the Rockefeller and Rothschild trusts; EPA administrator William Ruccleshaus; UN Secretary General in Geneva MacNeill, along with World Bank and IMF officials were at this meeting. Hunt was surprised to see all these rich elite bankers at the meeting and questioned what they were doing there at an environmental congress.

In a video recording available here Hunt later provided important evidence from the documents of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 3-14 June 1992. This conference was the well-known UN ’92 Earth Summit and was run by UNCED. According to Hunt, via the Earth summit, the UN was setting a net, an agenda, to place the power over the Earth and its peoples into their own hands. The world private banking cartel are the same ultra-rich banking families that had been instrumental in the setting up of the World Bank, the UN, and other international institutions, after WW2. Their political cohorts included Stalin (the leader of a brutal communist regime in the USSR that committed genocide of millions of people), UK Prime minister Churchill, and US President Roosevelt. Hunt refers to these banking families and their financial and international institutional networks as:

“The same world order that tricked third world countries to borrow funds and rack up enormous debts… and purposely creating war and debt to bring societies into their control. The world order crowd are not a nice group of people…”– George Hunt, Whistleblower speaking about the UN Earth summit of 1992

As a consequence of the UN Earth Summit, it appears the genuine environment movement that actually cared about real pollution to land, air and water, was politically hi-jacked by powerful political and financial interests with a different agenda. Maurice Strong, a UN official and an employee of the Rockefeller and Rothschild trusts, had convened the first UNCED congress in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1972. Then, 20 years later he was the convenor and secretary general of UNCED. Hunt also provided video evidence from the Fourth UNCED World Congress meeting in 1987 of an international investment banker, stating that:

“I suggest therefore that this be sold not through a democratic process that would take too long and require far too much funds to educate the cannon-fodder, unfortunately, which populates the Earth. We have to take almost an elitist program…”

Thus, the decrees leading to the 1992 UN Earth summit were dictated without debate or opportunity for dissent and would supersede national laws. According to Hunt, the decrees were dictated into existence by the banker Edmund de Rothschild, who got these major decrees into the ’92 UN resolutions without debate or challenge. Hunt asserts that he was denied the opportunity to openly challenge Rothschild’s remarks by the meeting Chairman; and that the Rothschild bank of Geneva is the nucleus of the World Conservation bank and the wealthy elite are integrated into the bank via the Rothschilds private offering of shares.

11. Despite the deceptive and fake environmental facade, it has adopted, the vast institutional entity of the UN has fully endorsed environmentally destructive industrial globalisation for the past 70 years.

The UN climate change, sustainable development and green economy policies over the past 30 years are little more than worldwide marketing tricks that have tragically brainwashed two generations of young people who do not understand what the UN actually is, and who is it is really designed to serve.

This current globalised system involves the promotion of beliefs and fake science that claim to be unchallengeable truths, but are, in fact, ideologies in which evidence is manipulated, twisted, and distorted to prove the ‘governing idea’, and thus promote its worldwide dissemination. They start with the conclusion they want and then wrench and manipulate what scant evidence they can to fit that conclusion. Man-made climate change due to anthropogenic carbon emission is a major example of this.

Institutions, including the UN, the World Economic Forum (WEF), and the World Health Organisation (WHO), are privately-motivated unelected unaccountable organisations controlled by the source of debt-money creation, i.e., the world private-banking cartel; and are just clever marketing tools and political mechanisms for implementing and maintaining a corrupt worldwide system, under the clever guise of ‘fixing the problems of the world’. 

These powerful special interests have been promoting certain ‘ideologies’ for decades to advance their corporate and political aims. The word “sustainable” was hijacked decades ago, and it is now deceptively used to advance the agendas of globalist mega-corporate interests who couldn’t care less about the environment. The aim is to catapult humanity into the arms of UN Agenda 2030 and the WEF ‘reset’ plan, which are clever marketing plans entirely designed by the so-called elite mega-corporate interests of the WEF Davos group.

12. Furthermore, the current green energy/renewable technologies being promoted by the UN and WEF, are not a viable solution for the world’s energy supply. Although these technologies have some limited viability in certain locations and scenarios, the fact remains that the Energy Returned on Energy Invested is much too low - in essence the entire process is mathematically flawed. This is evidenced by the work of scientists, including Professor David MacKay (1967 - 2016), former Regius Professor of Engineering at Cambridge University, and former Chief Scientific Advisor at the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Summary

In summary, CO2 reduction is the main focus of the UN-promoted climate-change-hysteria that has been rampant among the world’s population. However, the proclaimed climate crisis exists in computer models only.  The cult of ‘manmade climate change’ is a media and UN politically-promoted ‘ideology’, that is used for a wider political and corporate agenda. Manmade climate change is not based in fact, and has hijacked real environmental concerns.

Due to incessant UN, government, and corporate-promoted climate change propaganda, many people are, thus, in a media-induced state of confusion, and, thus, blindly assume their pre-determined role in society under this ‘dictatorship of words’ without even being aware of it. The unpalatable reality is that people’s access to energy and resources is being intentionally reduced via bogus climate change policies, inflation, ongoing geo-political theatre and intentionally instigated war.

We cannot understand how to create a truly resilient society unless we correctly perceive the current society we live in and how it came to exist. Unless we recognize the untruths of the current paradigm, even if it is not ‘politically correct’ to do so, then we will not be able to make the correct adjustments to our communities and local/regional networks, or create a truly resilient thriving society. In this spirit of truth, new networks are emerging worldwide.      

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 22:35

Prediction Consensus: 2025 Midyear Update

Each year, our editorial team at Visual Capitalist sifts through hundreds of reports and articles to put together our Prediction Consensus, an aggregation of everything that experts predict for the year ahead.

Almost halfway through 2025 now, it’s time to see how these predictions are holding up. From Trump’s friendships and feuds to geopolitical uncertainty and market volatility, many expert predictions have already come true.

Along with the update of our Prediction Consensus bingo card above, this article dives into the most notable developments with visuals breaking them down.

Presidential Predictions and D.O.G.E. Cuts

While Trump has been fairly unpredictable during the first six months of his presidential term, many experts read him right when it came to his relationship with Elon Musk and Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell.

Even without any significant economic problems in the U.S., the president has been relentless in his demands for Powell to cut rates, already giving him the nickname of “Too Late” Jerome Powell.

Rather than blaming Powell for an economic downturn which hasn’t manifested yet, the focus has been on the interest payments of U.S. short-term debt, which would indeed fall if rates were cut.

These cuts are even more needed for the budget considering D.O.G.E.’s inability to cut spending, along with the lack of spending restraint in Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill”, which is estimated to add $2.4 trillion to the federal deficit between 2025 and 2034.

Looking at Elon Musk’s goals for D.O.G.E.’s spending cuts, we can see just how little the organization managed to cut in comparison to the projected 2025 fiscal year spending of $7 trillion.

D.O.G.E.’s inability to make headway in cutting spending, along with Tesla suffering from Musk’s political involvement, led to Musk departing from the administration on May 30th.

Just a few days later, Musk posted on X his dissatisfaction with Trump’s bill, calling it a “disgusting abomination”, and following up with posts alleging Trump’s involvement with Jeffrey Epstein. Trump’s retaliation came in the form of threats of revoking federal contracts and calling Musk mentally unstable.

However, by the following week, Musk had apologized and expressed regret for his statements, with Trump ultimately saying he had “no hard feelings” about the matter.

Europe Shines Brighter Than the “Not so Magnificent Seven”

When it comes to the markets, while experts predicted European equities’ returns to improve, they probably didn’t expect to see them outperform quite this much as quickly as they did.

In the first two months of 2025 alone, Germany’s DAX 40 index rose 13.2%, Italy’s Milano Italia Borsa by 12.5%, and the UK’s FTSE 100 by 7.8%.

Europe’s equity indices have been among the best performing of 2025 so far, greatly outpacing both U.S. large cap and small cap indices.

Amidst U.S. equity underperformance has been the mixed returns of the Magnificent Seven stocks, with significant divergences across the seven tech companies.

Apple and Tesla have suffered the most in 2025 so far. Musk’s political involvement has only hurt Tesla’s brand with non-Republicans and those outside of America, meanwhile, tariffs along with a late and poorly executed AI rollout have dragged on Apple’s returns.

For Alphabet, Google’s large capital expenditures on AI infrastructure are being seen as a drag on free cash flow which may not pay off. This hit to margins is coupled with revenue concerns from declining search usage due to ChatGPT’s rising popularity and the lack of a clear monetization plan for Gemini and Google’s other AI features.

If we look at Nvidia’s yearly returns since 2019 in the chart below, we can see that keeping up with the stellar triple-digit returns of 2023 and 2024 was a near impossible task for 2025.

While Nvidia’s growth has normalized from the breakneck pace of prior years, the company retains dominant market share when it comes to chip design. Along with this, the emergence of AI reasoning models and the development of agents have only increased the forecasts of token throughput and compute required.

This article is an excerpt from the latest VC+ Special Dispatch. Join VC+ to access the full version, packed with more expert predictions and exclusive visuals. And for a limited time, get VC+ for life with a one-time payment. Hurry—offer ends in a few days.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 22:10

DOJ Probes University Of California Over Alleged Race And Sex Hiring Quotas

Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times,

The Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into the University of California (UC) system to determine whether its efforts to boost faculty diversity run afoul of federal anti-discrimination laws.

In a June 26 announcement, the Department of Justice (DOJ) stated that it is probing whether the university’s “UC 2030 Capacity Plan” and related campus-level programs constitute a pattern or practice of unlawful employment discrimination based on race and sex, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“Public employers are bound by federal laws that prohibit racial and other employment discrimination,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, who leads the department’s Civil Rights Division. “Institutional directives that use race- and sex-based hiring practices expose employers to legal risk under federal law.”

According to the Justice Department, the UC system’s strategic hiring plan explicitly encourages campuses to measure and increase the number of new hires by race and sex to meet internal diversity targets. Officials described the framework as potentially unlawful, citing provisions in the plan that direct campuses to recruit “diverse” faculty in line with demographic benchmarks.

The UC 2030 Capacity Plan outlines several such goals, including the recruitment of at least 40 percent of its graduate students from its own undergraduate programs and from other minority-serving institutions, including Hispanic-serving institutions, historically black colleges and universities, and tribal colleges and universities. The plan also outlines a goal to hire more than 1,100 new ladder-rank faculty members by 2030—an effort the university says will help diversify its academic workforce, noting that new hires tend to be more diverse than the existing faculty.

“Identity-based hiring is not only wrong—it is illegal,” Dhillon wrote in a post on social media. “Public employers ignore our civil rights laws at their peril.”

A request for comment sent to the University of California by The Epoch Times was not immediately returned.

A university spokesperson told The Hill that the university “is committed to fair and lawful processes in all of our programs and activities, consistent with federal and state anti-discrimination laws.”

“The University also aims to foster a campus environment where everyone is welcomed and supported. We will work in good faith with the Department of Justice as it conducts its investigation,” the spokesperson said.

The probe marks the latest in a series of moves by the federal government targeting higher education policies seen as promoting identity-based ideologies and practices. On the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump issued executive orders prohibiting federal funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, saying such programs violate anti-discrimination laws and undermine “national unity” and “traditional American values.”

“These illegal ... policies also threaten the safety of American men, women, and children across the Nation by diminishing the importance of individual merit, aptitude, hard work, and determination when selecting people for jobs and services in key sectors of American society,” Trump said in a Jan. 21 executive order titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.”

In recent years, a number of U.S. colleges have adopted DEI frameworks. A 2023 report by The Heritage Foundation found that 81 percent of surveyed community colleges had some form of DEI infrastructure, such as mission statements, staff, or task forces. At institutions with more than 10,000 students, that figure climbed to 96 percent. The larger the school, the more likely it was to institutionalize DEI.

Since Trump resumed office and began enforcing restrictions on race and identity-based funding, a number of colleges and universities have begun scaling back or dismantling their diversity programs to maintain eligibility for federal support.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 21:45

WEF Claims It Will Take 123 More Years To Achieve Full Gender-Parity Globally

It will take 123 years to reach full gender parity globally, according to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Gender Gap Report 2025.

While progress has been made since the report started in 2006, Statista's Anna Fleck reports that an analysis of the constant set of 100 economies included since that year shows that such change is moving slowly.

Over the years, the report’s scope has expanded, with a total of 148 countries analyzed in the 2025 edition. Analysts created an index scoring and ranking these countries on their respective levels of gender equality, where 100 percent is considered full parity. The latest report found that the world has now closed 68.8 percent of the gender gap, marking an improvement of +0.3 percentage points since the 2024 edition. This change was calculated based on a constant set of 145 economies in both years.

But this global figure hides the huge variation that exists in the different subindexes and even those subindexes’ own components.

You will find more infographics at Statista

While it would take 17 years for equal educational attainment to be reached, it would take 135 years to close the gap in regards to economic participation and as many as 162 years for political gender parity to be reached. This is based on the trend of the population-weighted averages for the 100 constant economies featured in all editions of the index (2006-2025).

Wide variation exists across countries too.

For example, the five lowest ranked countries under the economic subindex are Sudan (31.3 percent), Pakistan (34.7 percent), Islamic Republic of Iran (34.9 percent), Egypt (40.6 percent) and India (40.7 percent).

At the top end of this subindex are Botswana (87.3 percent), Liberia (86.5 percent), Eswatini (85.6 percent), the Republic of Moldova (85.3 percent) and Barbados (84.8 percent).

The political empowerment subindex shows the widest variation across economies, ranging from just 0.6 percent in Vanuatu to 95.4 percent in Iceland.

The report states that out of the 148 places covered, only nine had closed more than half of the political empowerment gap. These were: Iceland, Finland, Bangladesh, Norway, UK, Nicaragua, New Zealand and Germany.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 21:20

Three Big Projects Offer Hope That Our Energy Nightmare Is Ending

Authored by Gary Abernathy via The Empowerment Alliance,

A few short months ago, much of the world seemed doomed to a bleak energy future, with unreliable, taxpayer-subsidized “renewables” being foisted upon homes and businesses by governments kneeling at the altar of the climate cult. The result was nation after nation winning plaudits from the extreme environmental movement, but increasingly incapable of meeting the energy demands of the 21st Century.

Thanks to U.S. voters in the 2024 elections, the world’s leading superpower has reversed course – and where America leads, the world tends to follow. Today, there’s renewed optimism that our energy resources will meet future demands – particularly as it relates to natural gas, the most affordable, reliable and clean choice among traditional energy sources.

In some cases, the turnaround is in the form of projects producing more gas for domestic use. But even when U.S. projects transport gas to other countries, the new infrastructure, additional jobs and an expanded tax base combine to benefit states and local communities.

In addition to the new gas pipelines from Pennsylvania to New York previously highlighted in this space – along with a growing list of other projects – three recently announced developments highlight the resurgence of natural gas.

1. Alaska LNG project. Once considered a lost opportunity, there is renewed interest in a project on Alaska’s North Slope “that would deliver vast amounts of natural gas … in an 800-mile pipeline, super-chill it in Southcentral Alaska, and transport the liquefied natural gas overseas to countries like Japan, Korea and Taiwan,” according to the Anchorage Daily News.

Some reports have suggested that President Trump’s tariff threats played a part in getting Asia’s attention. Whatever the case, delegations from those countries trekked to Alaska in early June “expressing interest in the project and also seeking to learn more about it. A Taiwanese official even said Alaska LNG could one day become that country’s primary source of energy, if the project is built,” the Daily News reported.

While there remain skeptics due to the project’s cost, others are optimistic. State Rep. Chuck Kopp (R) said the interest from Asian representatives and other favorable developments “give him confidence that it will be built starting in the next two or three years.”

In addition to supplying foreign countries, the project would also provide more natural gas within Alaska’s borders, available to Fairbanks by 2028 or 2029, according to the report.

2. Louisiana LNG project. A $28 billion LNG export project recently broke ground in Louisiana, slated to bring jobs and an expanded local tax base.

“Upon completion, Venture Global expects to become the largest LNG exporter in the United States and the second largest in the world,” according to the trade news site Offshore Energy. “Recently, CP2 received final approval and notices to proceed from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).”

In addition to providing U.S. natural gas to customers around the world, the project is expected to mean more than $4 billion in local property taxes during its operation and support 3,000 jobs in the state, including 400 direct, permanent employees.

The project’s impact will reach far beyond Louisiana’s borders, with roughly 7,500 direct construction jobs and “tens of thousands of indirect subcontractor, part-time, and full-time jobs in over 30 states,” according to the report.

3. Texas data center gas power plants. Texas is ground zero for many of the crucial new AI data centers springing up to meet demand. Previously, it was assumed that these server farms would be powered by wind or solar, meaning long wait times before the centers could go online. But thanks to government policies friendlier to proven traditional resources, those plans are changing.

Across Texas “a frantic race to boot up energy-hungry data centers has led many developers to plan their own gas-fired power plants rather than wait for connection to the state’s public grid. Egged on by supportive government policies, this buildout promises to lock in strong gas demand for a generation to come,” according to The Texas Tribune.

“Operating alone, a wind or solar farm can’t run a data center,” the article noted. “Battery technologies still can’t store such large amounts of energy for the length of time required to provide steady, uninterrupted power for 24 hours per day as data centers require.”

Facing a “tidal wave” of new AI projects, companies are increasingly partnering with natural gas companies to “fuel the new era of demand.”

The Tribune story includes standard-issue climate cult handwringing. But it drives home the reality that “the yearslong wait times for turbines has quickly become the (AI) industry’s largest constraint in an otherwise positive outlook,” and quotes one energy economy expert as saying, “If you’re looking at a five-year lead time, that’s not going to help Alexa or Siri today.”

Thanks to radical policies of the recent past, the U.S. and much of the world seemed hell-bent on phasing out natural gas and other reliable energy sources, racing instead toward endless cycles of brownouts, blackouts, and complete grid failures brought on by the inadequacies of “alternatives.”

In the nick of time, thanks to President Trump and other forward-thinking leaders, the turnaround has begun – and natural gas is leading the way.

Gary Abernathy is a longtime newspaper editor, reporter and columnist. He was a contributing columnist for the Washington Post from 2017-2023 and a frequent guest analyst across numerous media platforms. He is a contributing columnist for The Empowerment Alliance, which advocates for realistic approaches to energy consumption and environmental conservation. The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Empowerment Alliance.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 20:55

Far-Left Panic: Dark Money NGO Floods Baltimore Airwaves With Propaganda To Save Governor 

A local journalist at Fox Baltimore is starting to dive into the same rabbit hole we've explored for years—tracing the dark money networks funneling cash into left-wing nonprofits tied to the Democratic Party machine. Whether it's funding anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles or quietly backing political campaigns, the funding network is vast, coordinated, and often concealed behind leftist law firms that create a web of pop-up nonprofit organizations.

Gary Collins of Fox Baltimore and the Baltimore Sun recently flagged a mysterious multi-week propaganda blitz—radio ads flooding the airwaves across the Baltimore metro area with praise for far-left Gov. Wes Moore's supposedly 'stellar' economy. Collins noted that the campaign is now expanding to television.

The commercial, funded by America Works USA—a dark money-funded nonprofit affiliated with the Democratic Governors Association (DGA)—promotes Moore's potentially misleading claims of economic growth, job creation, and a budget surplus. 

Even Democrats in the state dispute these claims. Ed Hale, a Democrat and former banker who founded the defunct 1st Mariner Bank, called the entire ad misleading, citing Maryland's first credit downgrade in half a century and other economic setbacks.

Republican Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready labeled the ad a major economic distortion funded by a DGA-aligned group using dark money. 

"I think it's fear that they've touched the third rail, they passed and signed the largest tax increase in the history of the state of Maryland," Ready said, adding, "Whether you're a middle-class family, whether you're wealthy, or whether you're poor, you're paying more under Wes Moore." 

According to public records, America Works is just one spoke in the Democratic Party's massive network of affiliated NGOs waging an informational war on the American people. 

The timing of the ad is no coincidence—it comes as the governor faces growing backlash over his mismanagement of the state. From Maryland's deteriorating credit rating and ballooning budget deficit to sweeping tax hikes, a hiring freeze for state workers, violent crime, and a power bill crisis in the sanctuary state overwhelmed by illegal aliens, the headlines have been anything but flattering.

The ads may be part of the Democratic Party's effort to counter growing negative sentiment through propaganda warfare—or an information war targeting Marylanders' minds - think of it as an informational matrix. The goal is simple: flood the airwaves with narrative-shaping content to drown out dissent. That's how the political game is played.

Here's Gary Collins' full report: 

. . . 

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 20:30

Illinois' Disastrous Demographics: Fewer Youth, A Drop In Working-Age Residents And A Jump In Elderly

Submitted by Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner of WirePoints

A review of U.S. Census population data since 2020, including fresh 2024 data released this week, reveals a perfect demographic storm that’s likely to worsen Illinois’ downward spiral. 

Illinois has experienced from 2020 to 2024 the nation’s worst collapse in youth aged 18 and under; the 6th-worst drop in working age residents; and a jump in the elderly’s share of population. All three in combination foreshadow a vicious cycle of higher taxes and taxpayer flight, leading to even higher taxes and more population decline.

The demographic challenges above are piling up on top of a slew of other damaging population data released recently. 

Illinois’ population loss of nearly 110,000 since 2020 is the nation’s 3rd worst. Only a spike in illegal immigration the last two years has been able to temporarily slow the state’s population decline. And the state has been chasing out its wealthy residents in exchange for incomers who make far less.

The overall population results of the last four years show why Illinois needs an absolute flip of its politics and policy. 

Here’s what the latest demographic data shows for Illinois:

Nation’s worst drop in number of residents age 18 and under. Illinois had 184,000 fewer residents aged 18 and under in 2024 vs 2020. That’s a 6% drop, the biggest percentage loss in the country. 

To be sure, much of Illinois’ decline can be attributed to the national trend of declining births. In all, just 11 states increased their youth population over the same period. But having the worst decline shows Illinois is in special trouble. Every one of Illinois’ neighbors had a far smaller decline than we did.

Florida, in contrast, had its age 18 and under population grow by 5.5%, or nearly 250,000, over the same period.

Nation’s 6th-worst drop in working-age residents. Illinois needs a massive growth in its tax base to change its current trajectory from ever-higher taxes to actual tax relief. Not to mention it needs more productive workers to spread out the cost of its nation’s-highest pension debt.

Unfortunately, over the last four years Illinois lost 146,000 18-64 working age residents. That’s a decline of 2%, the 6th-worst change in the country.

Texas and Florida show the power of attracting workers from other states to drive their economies. In just four years Florida added 950,000 working-age residents and Texas, 1.3 million.

Seniors growing as a share of population. Compounding the demographic problems mentioned above is a significant 225,000 increase in Illinois’ number of senior citizens.  With the young and working-age brackets in decline, seniors now make up 18% of the population, up from 16% four years before. As a result, the tax base will be under even bigger pressure.

Count on the bad news to keep coming. There’s zero indication that the state’s current leadership plans to reverse course on the policies that have gotten Illinois into this mess.

Appendix.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 20:05

CDC Advisers Vote To Recommend Removal Of Mercury From Influenza Vaccines

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on June 26 advised the agency to stop recommending influenza vaccines containing a mercury-based preservative.

The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice meets in Atlanta on June 25, 2025. Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in a series of votes reaffirmed the existing recommendation that virtually all individuals aged at least 6 months of age receive an annual influenza shot. The panel further advised, though, that individuals only receive thimerosal-free vaccines.

About 95 percent of influenza vaccines administered in the United States in late 2024 and early 2025 were free of thimerosal, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Tracy Hoeg, an FDA official, told the committee that there appear to be enough influenza vaccine doses without thimerosal for the upcoming virus season, which runs from the fall into the winter.

A spokesperson for Sanofi told The Epoch Times in an email: “We acknowledge the recommendation of the new ACIP. We now await the decision by the CDC on the path forward.

“We will have sufficient supply of Sanofi flu vaccine to support customer preference for this season.”

Seqirus, which also produces influenza vaccines with thimerosal, has not responded to requests for comment.

ACIP provides advice to the CDC’s director, who typically adopts the recommendations.

The CDC has no acting director listed on its website. President Donald Trump’s nominee for the post, Susan Monarez, is being considered by the Senate. The CDC and its parent agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, did not respond to requests for comment.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. earlier in the year adopted some recommendations offered by ACIP.

Kennedy has long opposed vaccines with thimerosal, and the panel heard before the vote from Lyn Redwood, a past president of a nonprofit that Kennedy founded who is now listed as an employee of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Redwood said in her presentation that a number of studies have provided evidence against thimerosal, including a 2003 paper that found an association between thimerosal exposure and tics and a 2007 study that found links to several positive and several negative associations, including a lower measure of executive functioning.

“There have been studies that have found evidence of harm,” Redwood said.

Thimerosal is about 50 percent mercury by weight. It was used broadly in vaccines for decades before largely being phased out in the 2000s in what federal officials have described as a precautionary measure.

“We do have a risk of repeated exposure to this. So it’s not just a one administration, but potential chronic exposure on an annual basis,” Dr. Robert Malone, one of the CDC’s advisers, said after listening to Redwood’s presentation.

A number of CDC advisers said they supported lowering exposure to mercury, noting that mercury is a known toxin.

“We need to do whatever we can to control the controllable sources of exposure,” Retsef Levi, another panelist, said.

Dr. Cody Meissner, a pediatrician who was just reappointed to the committee, strongly opposed the move.

“ACIP makes recommendations based on scientific evidence as much as possible,” he said. “And there is no scientific evidence that thimerosal has caused a problem.”

Some representatives of health groups serving as liaisons to the committee, including Dr. Matthew Zahn with the National Association of County and City Health Officials, told the panel before the vote that they think thimerosal-containing vaccines are safe.

The CDC said in an unsigned document posted online on June 24 that “evidence does not support an association between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism spectrum disorder or other neurodevelopmental disorders.” Staffers said that the papers that have found an increased risk of neurodevelopment disorders and autism from thimerosal-containing vaccines ”have significant methodological limitations including unmeasured confounding, inaccurate assessment of exposures, differences in control and case groups, unverified diagnoses, and other potential biases that threaten the validity and reliability of the findings.”

The document was taken offline before the meeting.

“This document by the CDC vaccine safety office did not go through the appropriate process to be posted,” a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services told The Epoch Times in an email.

The spokesperson said the document was provided to all ACIP members, and members said they had reviewed it.

In the first vote, every adviser except for one voted in favor of keeping the existing recommendation that people aged 6 months and older receive an influenza vaccine on an annual basis unless they have a contraindication. The next three votes focused on whether to recommend thimerosal-free vaccines for various populations.

Vicky Pebsworth, one of the members, abstained from all four votes, saying she did not think there had been enough discussion about the topic. Meissner voted no on the thimerosal-free vaccine votes. All other advisers voted yes.

Members said in a joint statement after the meeting: “We came to this meeting with no predetermined ideas and will make judgments as if we are treating our own families. Unbiased scientific thinking is fundamental to the committee’s charge. Our votes are recommendations, but we know that some may perceive them as mandates, so we take this responsibility very seriously. We pledge to not hold a vote if there is not sufficient information to enable evaluation of the risks and benefits.”

Kennedy recently removed all 17 members of ACIP and replaced them with new members.

Kennedy wrote in a lengthy social media post on June 24 that “there are high bolus doses of mercury in flu shots” and that the cumulative impact of the doses in children who receive a shot every year could result in levels much higher than recommended. He also cited multiple papers, including a study that found higher brain-to-blood mercury concentration ratios in monkeys exposed to thimerosal versus a control group.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 19:15

Last Christian Town In West Bank Attacked And Besieged By Israeli Settlers

The last entirely-Christian town in the Israeli-controlled West Bank is enduring a wave of attacks by violent Jewish settlers, a local church leader says, prompting families to flee and leading clergy to declare the town is "no longer safe" for its inhabitants. Ominously, settlers have also set up an "outpost" on the fringe of that town -- Taybeh, Ramallah -- a 4,500-year-old community with huge significance in the story of Jesus Christ. 

Palestinian Christians have lived harmoniously in Taybeh, but are now besieged by violent Jewish settlers who've established an outpost on the 4,500-year-old town's agricultural land 

“The town, which the Gospel of John (11:54) refers to as ‘Ephraim’ — the place Jesus withdrew to before his passion — is no longer safe for its people today," Father Bashar Fawadleh, parish priest of Taybeh's Church of Christ the Redeemer, told the Catholic, Arabic-language ACI MENA news service. "We do not live in peace but in daily fear and siege...Since last October, more than 10 families have left Taybeh due to fear from ongoing violence and harassment."   

This and other videos embedded below are circulating on social media, purportedly capturing the settlers' latest attacks on Taybeh this week (BBC confirms an attack took place on Wednesday): 

More horrific footage from the Israeli settler pogrom against the Christian village of Taybeh, Ramallah, in the West Bank, where settlers set houses and vehicles on fire. pic.twitter.com/97xW3epLEf

— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) June 25, 2025

This is only the latest in an ongoing pattern of aggression directed toward Taybeh's inhabitants, a pattern that has also included stealing farm equipment, and destroying crops with fire or by releasing settlers' cattle to devour them, Catholic News Agency reports.  

Settlers have established an outpost on the town's eastern edge, on the remains of a farmhouse abandoned by Christians who'd fled about a year ago under the growing settler campaign of violence and intimidation. An "outpost" is a Jewish settlement on Palestinian land that's not authorized by the Israeli government. Outposts typically begin with something as small as a tent or a van, and are frequently situated on hilltops or agricultural land. In the case of "herding outposts," settlers will bring livestock that they allow to graze over a wide area with the goal of establishing a larger claim. Despite outposts' lack of government permission at the outset, the Israeli government often legalizes them retroactively, cementing the Palestinians' loss of the land. (Note, there are both Christian and Muslim Palestinians, and both varieties experience the iniquities associated with being non-Jewish in the West Bank.)

Israeli settlers attack the Christian Palestinian village of Taybeh. Meanwhile, if Christians or Muslims defend themselves, the Israeli military will kill them.

pic.twitter.com/OHITkNqobp

— Khalil Sayegh (@KhalilJeries) June 25, 2025

The settler outpost on Taybeh's periphery sits in an economically-essential agricultural zone that comprises 4,200 acres out of the town's total 5,900 acres. The land is used for olive groves and seasonal crops, along with raising poultry and sheep. In the usual sequence of events, Jews in the outposts begin harassing the Palestinians whose families have long lived off that land, preventing them from accessing it. Such behavior is often carried out as Israeli security forces stand by and watch -- often intervening only when Palestinians fight back.  

Local Christians say this agricultural-deprivation tactic is exactly what's playing out in Taybeh: 

During the latest olive harvest season, for the second year in a row, farmers were barred from accessing their land near the Rimmonim settlement — which was built on confiscated Taybeh land — resulting in either theft or complete spoilage of the olive crop. Approximately 20 families were physically assaulted while trying to reach their land.... 

“These days, settlers are grazing their cows on a hill planted with olive and barley fields right next to people’s homes. Locals see this as part of a systematic effort to strangle them economically and push them out,” [said Father Fawadleh] -- ACI MENA / Catholic News Agency

Horrific night in the West Bank: Israeli settlers are currently attacking the Christian village of Taybeh, near Ramallah—setting homes on fire and shooting at residents. pic.twitter.com/Ug8UzVg94b

— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) June 25, 2025

Here, a Palestinian Christian explains how he, his family and fellow Taybeh residents are preyed upon by West Bank settlers seeking to take over the land: 

"Jesus Christ came here a week before he was crucified," a Palestinian in Taybeh told me.

Taybeh is the largest Palestinian Christian community in the West Bank. Since October 7th, armed Jewish settlers and the Israeli army, emboldened by the war in Gaza, have been terrorizing… pic.twitter.com/0h1c4UPpuh

— Jeremy Loffredo (@loffredojeremy) March 31, 2024

The terrible treatment of Taybeh's Christians helps explain why Israel-catering Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was booed of a stage in 2014 as he delivered a tin-eared keynote address at a gala hosted by In Defense of Christians (IDC), a nonprofit that seeks to counter persecution and mistreatment of Christians throughout the Middle East -- including Israel. Video of the incident went viral again last week in the wake of Cruz's disastrous interview with Tucker Carlson -- in which Cruz insisted the Bible commands Christians to support the modern political entity that is the State of Israel.

At that 2014 IDC event, things quickly went south when Cruz dished out the Israel-pandering rhetoric that reliably draws applause when he's addressing crowds with no knowledge of the plight of Christian Palestinians in Israel-controlled territory, in Taybeh and elsewhere. "In 1948, Jews throughout the Middle East faced murder and extermination and fled to the nation of Israel," said Cruze. "And today, Christians have no better ally than the Jewish state," he added -- triggering murmurs and boos. Cruz attempted to plow on, saying, “Let me say this: those who hate Israel hate America. And those who hate Jews hate Christians.” The booing and heckling endured, forcing Cruz to abandon the event, saying, "If you will not stand with Israel and Jews, then I will not stand with you." 

"If you don't stand with Israel and the Jews, then I will not stand with you."

Remember when Ted Cruz was booed off stage at a fundraiser for persecuted Christians in the Middle East because he demanded allegiance to Israel? https://t.co/RbO4ekW73n pic.twitter.com/dQwgRHFa05

— Lucky Teter (@TheMagaHulk) June 18, 2025

Fifteen kilometers northeast of Jerusalem and 12 km northeast of Ramallah, Taybeh was established by the Canaanites between 2500 and 2900 BC. Three Christian communities live there harmoniously: Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Melkite Greek Catholic. With beautiful whitewashed homes, the original Church of St. George built by the Byzantines in the 4th century, the ruins of a Crusader castle, and described in the Bible (using the name "Ephraim") as the place where Jesus sought refuge before being crucified, it has been an attractive destination for Christian tourists -- though it's unclear how much longer that will be the case.   

One thing is certain: Ted Cruz and groups like Christians United For Israel won't be speaking out on behalf of Taybeh's besieged residents anytime soon.  

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 18:50

Asking Rent Prices In Montreal Have Jumped More Than 70 Percent Since 2019: StatCan

Authored by Olivia Gomm via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The average asking price for rental units in Montreal increased by nearly 71 percent between 2019 and the first quarter of this year, according to Statistics Canada.

A sign shows an apartment for rent in the Montreal borough of Lasalle on April 23, 2024. The Canadian Press/Christinne Muschi

The average asking rent for a two-bedroom unit in Montreal was $1,130 in 2019, which increased by 70.8 percent to $1,930 by the first quarter of 2025, according to a quarterly report released by StatCan on June 25 in collaboration with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

Montreal ranked 17th highest for average asking prices of two-bedroom apartments among 40 census metropolitan areas (CMAs) in Canada.

“Because prospective renters typically face higher rents compared with long-term tenants—whose rents reflect past leases and can also be subject to rent control regulations—asking rents offer a picture of current market trends,” StatCan said in the report.

Meanwhile, smaller CMAs in Quebec, such as Drummondville and Sherbrooke, recorded the lowest average asking rent prices in the first quarter of 2025. However, these two CMAs also had the largest growth in rental asking price from the first quarter of 2019 to the first quarter of this year.

Asking rent in Drummondville averaged $600 per month in 2019, which jumped to $1,200 per month in 2025, while the asking rent for Sherbrooke in 2019 was $660 and jumped to $1,250 this year.

Toronto, Vancouver

CMAs with the highest average asking rent experienced slower growth in prices between 2019 and 2025.

Toronto, for example, ranks second for highest asking prices. Average asking rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Toronto was $2,560 in the first quarter of 2019, and grew 5.1 percent to $2,690 in the first quarter of 2025.

Average asking rents declined during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto, StatCan said, adding that the decrease was followed by an increase in the second half of 2023, reaching a peak of $2,920 for a two-bedroom unit. Year over year, asking rent decreased by 5.6 percent in Toronto from 2024 to this year’s first quarter.

Vancouver, which has the highest average asking rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Canada, experienced stronger growth than Toronto over the six-year period. Average asking rent in Vancouver increased 27.3 percent from $2,490 in the first quarter of 2019, to $3,170 in the first quarter of this year.

Asking rent in Vancouver began to increase in 2021 and reached its peak of $3,580 by the third quarter of 2023. Prices then decreased by 7.8 percent from the first quarter of 2024 to that of this year.

‘Significant Pressures’

Canada’s housing department released a report on April 30 that indicated rent increases have reached a “record high” average of 8 percent annually, which exceeds both inflation and wage growth.

Canadian renters have been facing “significant pressures” due to high demand for rental housing with rental vacancy rates reaching a historical low in 2023, says Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada’s 2024 Transition Binder. The department added that the demand for rental housing has outpaced the supply in most city centres across Canada.

Canada’s increasing population, primarily driven by immigration, coupled with labour shortages in the construction industry and the rising cost of housing, are trends that have influenced the supply-and-demand dynamics in the housing market, the document says.

“Lack of growth in purpose-built affordable rental housing combined with the diminishing non-market housing stock is impacting social areas beyond housing (e.g., health) and disproportionately affecting newcomers, vulnerable and lower-income groups,” the Transition Binder says.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 18:25

Eggs Strengthen Muscles And Help Prevent Sarcopenia - How Many Should You Eat?

Authored by Zena le Roux via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

“Eating too many eggs will raise your cholesterol.”

For many years, we were warned to limit eggs in our diet. However, in 2015, the United States Department of Agriculture removed any upper limit on dietary cholesterol from its Dietary Guidelines, marking a big shift in how we view foods like eggs.

Illustration by The Epoch Times, Shutterstock

Once considered villains of heart health, eggs are being re-evaluated as harmless when it comes to our hearts and as a nutrient-dense food that strengthens our muscles.

Eggs stand out as one of the most complete and bioavailable protein sources, making them an excellent choice for supporting muscle growth and maintenance, Jodi Duval, a naturopathic physician and owner of Revital Health, told The Epoch Times.

“They’re a staple in my clinical recommendations for anyone working on muscle mass, strength, or recovery,” she added.

Eggs Support Muscle

Egg protein is an excellent source of all the essential amino acids your body needs and is easy to digest. Thus, eggs are effective for building muscle and preventing loss, especially as we age.

In fact, eggs are likely the most digestible protein source—measured at 97 percent, compared with many plant proteins, which are digested at 45 to 80 percent.

Eggs are also very high in leucine, an amino acid considered to be the strongest stimulator of muscle growth and repair. For optimal muscle benefits, you need 700 to 3,000 milligrams of leucine daily. One egg contains about 500 milligrams, packed in just 72 calories, thus making it a great choice for muscle health.  

Eggs also contain other nutrients important for muscles, according to Duval. These include:

• Choline, which helps with muscle coordination
• Vitamin D, important for muscle strength
• Vitamins B12 and B2 support energy use in muscles
• Selenium, an antioxidant that helps with recovery
• Healthy fats, especially found in pasture-raised eggs, which contain omega-3s that reduce muscle inflammation

Omega-3 fats improve how muscles use amino acids and help reduce inflammation, which is important because inflammation can cause muscle loss.

Eggs are effective in helping to prevent muscle loss, or sarcopenia. Starting as early as age 30, adults begin to lose around 8 percent of their muscle mass each decade, a rate that accelerates after age 70.

The type and quality of protein in a meal are especially important as we age. Animal proteins, including eggs, are very effective at stimulating muscle maintenance in older adults. However, getting enough high-quality protein can be challenging for many seniors due to reduced appetite, difficulty chewing or swallowing, limited mobility, or tight budgets.

“Eggs really shine when it comes to preventing muscle loss in older adults,” Duval said.

They are affordable, easy to prepare, and rich in nutrients. Their high-quality protein, especially in the yolk, can improve the body’s ability to use protein effectively with age. Regularly including eggs in meals, particularly breakfast, can support muscle maintenance and improve strength and function in older adults, Duval explained.

Egg Whites Versus Yolks

Many people zero in on egg whites, assuming they’re the healthiest option. However, when it comes to muscle building, tossing the yolk means missing out on some of the egg’s most powerful benefits.

While the egg white provides a high-quality source of protein, the yolk contributes approximately 40 percent of the egg’s total protein content. More importantly, the yolk is rich in nutrients such as lipids, vitamins, minerals, and phosphatidic acid, a type of fat molecule that stimulates muscle growth.

Studies have shown that whole eggs offer greater muscle-building benefits than egg whites alone. In one study, healthy young men ate either whole eggs after a resistance training session, with 18 grams of protein and 17 grams of fat, or an equivalent amount of protein from egg whites, with 18 grams of protein and 0 grams of fat. The study found that whole eggs led to greater muscle building and repair, suggesting that the combination of nutrients in the yolk enhances the body’s ability to build muscle, even when total protein intake is the same.

How Many Eggs?

Around 20 grams of egg protein is enough to stimulate muscle growth after resistance training. Since one egg contains roughly 6 grams of protein, three eggs will get you close to the target.

How much you need also depends on your goals.

For athletes or those aiming to build muscle, Duval often recommends two to four eggs after a workout, along with a carbohydrate source to help replenish glycogen and support recovery.

For older adults, she suggests one to two eggs earlier in the day, like at breakfast, when protein timing is especially important to reduce muscle breakdown, regardless of activity level.

“For both athletes and older adults, consistency and spreading protein intake across the day are more important than loading it all at once,” she added.

Duval also emphasized the importance of egg quality. She always recommends pasture-raised, organic eggs when possible.

“They contain more omega-3s, antioxidants, and offer a better overall nutrient profile,” she said.

Easy and Creative Ways to Enjoy Eggs

Eggs are anything but boring, especially when you get a little creative in the kitchen.

Here are some of Duval’s favorite go-to recipes:

• Shakshuka: Eggs poached in a spiced tomato and capsicum sauce with cumin, paprika, and fresh herbs.
• Frittatas: A great way to use up greens, leftover vegetables, and flavor boosters like goat cheese or fresh herbs.
• Soft-boiled eggs with dukkah: A mixture of nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices, dukkah pairs well with eggs.
• Scrambled eggs with turmeric and black pepper: Serve with kimchi for a gut-friendly, anti-inflammatory meal.
• Avocado and egg toast: Top with microgreens and chili flakes for a quick, protein-rich breakfast or lunch.

Duval also recommends prepping ahead: “Egg muffins, boiled eggs for snacks, or nourishing bowls topped with poached eggs are all great make-ahead options.”

Lena Beal, cardiovascular dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, shared a few more fresh ideas with The Epoch Times:

• Stirred into oatmeal for a surprisingly tasty protein boost
• Japanese-style tamago or soy-marinated soft-boiled eggs
• Egg curry flavored with Indian spices

For those who don’t or can’t eat eggs, some egg substitutes—like tofu scramble or chickpea flour omelets—can offer some benefits when combined with other protein-rich foods, though they lack certain nutrients unique to eggs, such as vitamin B12 and choline.

Remember, eggs offer more than protein.

“They are one of the most complete, whole-food tools we have for strength and longevity at every life stage,” Duval said.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 17:40

Trump Urges Swift Action Oon Tax Bill As Republicans Reach Tentative SALT Deal

President Donald Trump intensified his push Friday for Congress to pass his sweeping tax and spending package before the July 4 holiday, as Senate Republicans announced a tentative deal on one of the legislation’s most contentious issues: the state and local tax deduction.

“The House of Representatives must be ready to send it to my desk before July 4th — We can get it done,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social, setting a firmer deadline after earlier signaling that slipping past Independence Day “wouldn’t be the end-all.”

The agreement on the so-called SALT cap would raise the current $10,000 deduction limit to $40,000 annually for five years, Senator John Hoeven told reporters Friday afternoon. The development marked a potential breakthrough in negotiations that have divided Republican lawmakers, particularly those from high-tax states like New York, New Jersey and California.

The Senate plans to begin voting on the bill as early as midday Saturday. Still, it remained uncertain whether the compromise would be enough to win over a bloc of House Republicans who had threatened to oppose the package unless the SALT deduction was expanded for a full decade.

This latest revision on includes a phaseout of the enhanced deduction for taxpayers earning $500,000 or more, according to a person familiar with the discussions who requested anonymity to describe private talks. In a further concession, negotiators also agreed to abandon a proposal that would have placed new restrictions on the ability of pass-through businesses - like partnerships and LLCs - to deduct state and local taxes.

That proposal had targeted workaround structures approved by legislatures in states like New York, Connecticut and California, which allowed business owners to sidestep the $10,000 cap that applies to most individual taxpayers. The House version of Mr. Trump’s plan had sought to curtail those arrangements.

Speaking to reporters at the Capitol, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said negotiators were “very, very close” to finalizing the SALT provision. He declined to offer details but emphasized the importance of meeting the president’s July 4 deadline, calling it a source of “certainty.”

The SALT issue is just one of several obstacles that have slowed the bill’s progress in the Senate. Republican leaders are also working to reconcile divisions over proposed cuts to social programs and the elimination of clean energy tax credits—priorities for conservative members that have raised concerns among moderates.

Senator John Thune, the Republican leader, faces the challenge of uniting the party behind a bill that represents the cornerstone of Mr. Trump’s second-term economic agenda. The legislation would make permanent the individual and corporate tax cuts enacted in 2017, while introducing temporary tax breaks for hourly workers, seniors, and new car buyers.

In addition to its tax provisions, the bill authorizes hundreds of billions in new spending for defense, border enforcement, and immigration operations. To offset some of the projected revenue loss, the measure scales back funding for Medicaid, food assistance programs, and federal college aid.

Crucially, the package also includes a $5 trillion increase in the debt ceiling, a move intended to prevent a federal default projected as early as August.

As Republican lawmakers prepare for a weekend of high-stakes votes, the fate of the bill—and its sweeping economic implications—now rests on whether internal party divisions can be resolved in time.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 17:20

Pentagon Creates New 250-Mile Military Buffer Zone At Texas–Mexico Border

Authored by Bill Pan via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The Department of Defense is establishing a new military buffer zone—known as a national defense area—along the southwestern border to curb illegal immigration.

Texas National Guard soldiers uncoil concertina wire near the U.S.–Mexico border fence in El Paso, Texas. John Moore/Getty Images

On June 25, the U.S. Air Force announced that a 250-mile stretch of the border along the Rio Grande in Texas’s Cameron and Hidalgo counties will be designated an extension of Joint Base San Antonio.

The land was previously managed by the International Boundary and Water Commission, an agency overseeing water-sharing between the United States and Mexico.

The move is part of President Donald Trump’s broader strategy to allocate military resources for border enforcement. In an April presidential memo, Trump outlined plans to establish national defense areas, calling it a military mission “for sealing the southern border of the United States and repelling invaders.”

While the U.S. military generally does not perform civilian law enforcement, the national defense area designation grants limited legal authority for specific actions. Within these zones, servicemembers may help with setting up barriers and signs, conduct patrols—much like on any military base—and temporarily detain trespassers until they are transferred to the appropriate law enforcement authorities.

The first national defense area was designated in April, a 170-mile zone in New Mexico, attached to Fort Huachuca in neighboring Arizona. The following month, a 63-mile section was set up in West Texas under Fort Bliss.

Combined with the new Texas stretch, the total area under national defense area designation now exceeds 480 miles. The Texas–Mexico border extends 1,254 miles.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the Departments of Defense and the U.S. Navy for confirmation regarding any other national defense areas in the works.

In May, a federal judge dismissed trespassing charges against 98 illegal immigrants who had been arrested inside the New Mexico national defense area.

In his ruling, U.S. magistrate judge Gregory Wormuth said the federal government had failed to prove that the accused individuals knew they were entering a restricted military zone, despite posted signs in both English and Spanish warning that unauthorized entry was prohibited.

“As the United States concedes, the NMNDA [New Mexico National Defense Area] spans over 180 miles of ‘often difficult and mountainous terrain,’” the judge said. “The mere fact that some ’signs’ were posted in the NMNDA provides no basis on which to conclude that the defendant could have seen, let alone did see, the signs.”

The judge’s decision dismissed two misdemeanor charges faced by the 98 migrants arrested: violating a security regulation and entering military property for an unlawful purpose. A third misdemeanor charge of illegal border crossing still stands.

According to the Department of Justice, as of mid-May, at least 60 individuals have pleaded guilty to illegally entering a national defense area in a separate case related to West Texas.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 17:00

Israel Pummels South Lebanon In Biggest Airstrikes Since November Hezbollah Ceasefire

In an dangerous sign that hostilities involving Iran and Israel could quickly ratchet again, Israel on Friday is pounding southern Lebanon, where Iran-backed Hezbollah is entrenched, in the biggest escalation there since a November ceasefire was agreed to.

Massive plumes of smoke have been observed over the region, with Lebanon’s official National News Agency reporting that a residential building in Nabatieh was directly struck, resulting in the death of at least one person and the wounding of 21 more.

Israeli airstrikes on the Nabatieh area in south Lebanon on Friday, via X

Local media further says there over twenty strikes in only under 15-minutes, making it the most intense attack in well over six months.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed what it said were airstrikes targeting a "significant underground project" used by Hezbollah. The statement touted that the site was "completely taken out of use" following the strikes,

But questions remain as the IDF said that it targeted a Hezbollah site identified as Beaufort Ridge, which actually lies some five miles from Nabatieh.

"In recent days, the IDF identified attempts by the Hezbollah terror organization to restore the site, and therefore the terror infrastructure in the area was struck," the Israeli military said.

Huge blast images circulating on social media, via X

The IDF further claimed the "presence of this site and the attempts to reestablish it constitute a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon."

This statement suggests the Israel-Hezbollah truce could be on the brink of failure.

This could also be the result of Israeli frustration at President Trump having enforced an Iran ceasefire - given that Israeli leaders were telling the public to expect 'weeks' more of air attacks on the Islamic Republic.

As for current allegations of attacks on Lebanese residential buildings, Israel's military claims "The IDF did not target any civilian building," according to the IDF's Arabic-language spokesman.

BREAKING | An Israeli drone bombs a house in Nabatieh al-Fawqa, southern Lebanon.

The warplanes also bombed between the southern Lebanese villages of Zrarieh and Ansar. pic.twitter.com/4lBrScKORU

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) June 27, 2025

"According to the information we have, the building was hit by a rocket projectile that was stored at the site, and was launched and exploded as a result of the airstrike," he said.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 16:40