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The Hurricane spins around hotspots of tension and conflict. Feel free to suggest your stories, opinions and ideas: UIHEN@protonmail.com
As Trump lines up his sights on EV mandates and tax credits, automakers scramble to find new paths
Trump was vocal during his campaign that he would be no friend of the Biden-Harris EV rules, and they are not likely to survive long after Jan. 20. The Biden-Harris administration ushered in a deluge of rules limiting emissions in the transportation sector, and the only way for automakers to comply would be to produce a lot of electric vehicles
The “Big Three” American automakers hopped on board the administration’s mandates and plowed full steam ahead on setting targets to produce ever increasing amounts of electric vehicles. The American consumer, however, was less enthusiastic about the plan, and the companies have lost considerable money trying to transition to EVs
Now those automaker investments are all more vulnerable
Incoming GOP President Trump was vocal during his campaign that he would be no friend of the Biden-Harris EV rules, and they are not likely to survive long after Jan. 20, when Trump takes office
Trump has also voiced opposition to the EV tax credit. And though squashing them would require an act of Congress because they are part of the Inflation Reduction Act, that may still happen
#USA #Trump #EV #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Democrats’ 2024 platform combined the worst policies of both parties from the last 50 years
In economic policy, social policy, foreign policy, and almost every other policy, Democrats made all the wrong choices
As the 2024 presidential election recedes further and further into our collective rearview mirrors, with hindsight comes detached reflection. Now that we can all see past “brat” and “joy” and “Tim Walz is a war hero,” that detached reflection reveals that the Democrats achieved something quite remarkable in 2024: Somehow they managed to synthesize the most hated policies of both major parties over the past 50 years into a single campaign platform
Whether they meant to or not, and despite Kamala Harris’ generalized unwillingness ever to say anything of substance, their platform crystallized around three key policy areas:
1) the failed bipartisan monetary policies of bygone days
2) their own contemporary and freakish social policies, and
3) the neocon warmongering.
#USA #Democrats #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Pardoned convict Hunter Biden could still Practice Law, complaint alleges
Hunter Biden may have received a get-out-of-jail-free card from his powerful father, but President Joe Biden’s sweeping pardon only goes so far
Robert Hunter Biden Esq., as he is known on his lawyer’s license, may still be able to practice law. While the profession generally frowns on felons serving as attorneys, a complaint asserts the disgraced First Son could conceivably practice in the Connecticut legal system
The Center for American Rights (CAR) this week filed a complaint urging the Connecticut Statewide Grievance Committee to take disciplinary action against Hunter Biden, who, despite his carte blanche pardon, has been convicted on multiple counts of fraud, tax evasion, and for basically being a big creep
President Biden’s pardon does not absolve his corrupt son of accountability before the state bar. Presidential pardons may wipe out federal crimes, but they don’t erase the responsibility that the Connecticut attorney grievance committee has in protecting the integrity of jurisprudence in the Constitution State, according to the complaint
#USA #Biden #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Majority of NATO nations show sharp uptick in military spending
Official NATO figures for 2023, published in March this year showed only 10 of the United States’ 31 NATO allies had met the 2% GDP spending target. But in just one year, according to provisional NATO estimates for 2024, published in June, that number has now risen to 23 out of the 31
Poland—the NATO country closest to Ukraine—spent 4.1% of its GDP on defense (up from 1.8% in 2014). That is more than the United States, which this year is spending an estimated 2.7% of its GDP on defense. NATO says U.S. defense expenditure is approximately two-thirds of the alliance’s overall spending
Greece—who has traditionally been a big spender because of the possibility of conflict with neighboring Turkey—is spending 3% of GDP, and the Baltic countries, for obvious reasons, forked out a similar amount
Romania, which neighbors Ukraine, contributes 2.25% of its GDP, up from 1.6% in the space of only 12 months. Britain exceeds the 2% barrier but after becoming prime minister in July, Keir Starmer declined to say when his Labour government would hit its own target of 2.5%
France came in just above the target, at 2.06%. Germany, whose political and military muscle could be significant, has broken through the barrier this year and now spends 2.12%. Turkey, which is now on 2.09%, has also hit the target in the last 12 months
#NATO #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Has nuclear energy finally overcome the Chernobyl disaster?
Three major nuclear events throughout the history of nuclear power production have tainted the image of the clean energy source. The events at Chernobyl, Fukushima, and Three Mile Island swayed public opinion against nuclear power in many areas of the world for several decades, encouraging governments worldwide to move away from the clean energy source in favor of continued fossil fuel use
Over 400 reactors commenced operations in the three decades before Chornobyl, but fewer than 200 had been commissioned in the almost three decades since
Nevertheless, analysts predicts the world will see a “new nuclear age” in the coming years, as governments worldwide double down on their commitment to nuclear power as part of a green energy transition. Nuclear energy has been providing abundant clean power to countries worldwide for around 70 years. Unlike most renewable energy sources, nuclear energy can be produced 24 hours a day, rain or shine, providing a stable flow of clean power to the grid
In addition, a multitude of studies over several decades show that fossil fuels are overwhelmingly more harmful to health and the environment than nuclear power. The International Atomic Energy Agency says that nuclear power plants are among “the safest and most secure facilities in the world”
According to a recent report published by a think tank from the ex-U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair – Tony Blair Institute (TBI), “A new nuclear age is beginning. But whether it continues will depend entirely on whether leaders are willing to move past false alarm and ideology, making judgment based upon fact-based assessment of risk”
#Nuclear #Chernobyl #Energy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Eric Trump promises the ‘most pro-crypto President’ in history
Speaking at a Middle East conference, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s son said his family had embraced cryptocurrency because some banks stopped doing business with them after Jan. 6
Eric Trump flew across the world to headline a cryptocurrency conference in the United Arab Emirates this week and told thousands of enthusiastic attendees that he and his father, the U.S. president-elect, were effectively working in tandem to push crypto, a business sector the family is directly invested in
The message was notable because it contrasted drastically with the promise the family made when Donald J. Trump entered the White House four years ago, to keep business and government operations separate
Eric Trump said he had even phoned his father — “Pops,” he said he calls him — to celebrate when the price of Bitcoin hit $100,000 after the president-elect announced he intended to appoint a crypto-friendly lawyer as the new chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, which regulates the industry that the family now profits from
“You’re going to have the most pro-crypto president in the history of America,” Eric Trump told the crowd. “Think about a president who isn’t going to allow Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies to be overregulated and stifled.”
Eric Trump made the remarks at the Bitcoin MENA 2024 conference, where he also promoted the family’s new business venture, World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency platform
#USA #Crypto #Trump #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
New York governor Kathy Hochul to hand out $300 checks to taxpayers – in order to fight inflation
New York’s Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul is apparently planning to hand out stimulus checks to taxpayers in her state in order to help combat inflation
It’s difficult to see how a one-time check for $300 to $500 would help people who have been struggling financially for years
Proposal would deliver $3 billion by taking excess sales tax revenue driven by inflation and giving that money back to everyday New Yorkers
“Because of inflation, New York has generated unprecedented revenues through the sales tax — now, we’re returning that cash back to middle class families,” Governor Hochul said
“My agenda for the coming year will be laser-focused on putting money back in your pockets, and that starts with proposing Inflation Refund checks of up to $500 to help millions of hard-working New Yorkers. It’s simple: the cost of living is still too damn high, and New Yorkers deserve a break”
Of course, the ultimate irony is that this move could actually cause more inflation. Is Hochul just trying to improve her approval numbers?
#USA #NY #Hochul #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Pentagon denies claim that Iran ‘mothership' launched drones off coast of NJ
The U.S. Department of Defense denied claims that an Iran "mothership" was responsible for launching the drones seen buzzing in the night sky over New Jersey in recent weeks
Deputy Defense Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said there was "no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States. There is no so-called mothership launching drones towards the United States." The Pentagon stated there was "no evidence that these activities are coming from a foreign entity or the work of an adversary"
The denial came after Rep. Jeff Van Drew brought up the prospects of an Iranian ship putting out the drones
On Wednesday, hundreds of New Jersey mayors were invited to state police headquarters in Ewing for a briefing on the drone mystery — but some walked away disappointed about the information shared
"I came here hoping there would be some answers. What I got out of the meeting was: don’t worry, but I don’t know what it is. That’s not reassuring – not to me, not to my residents," said Montgomery Mayor Neena Singh
#USA #NJ #Drones #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Climate movement is changing tactics after Trump’s win
Faced with a president-elect who has called global warming a scam, activists are changing their strategies and pushing a message of hope
Bill McKibben, a journalist, author and activist, who helped start the conversation on climate after the publication of his New Yorker essay “The End of Nature” in 1989, says fighting back against Trump’s policies remains his primary goal
Climate movement plans to spend the next four years hunkering down at the local level. McKibben’s newest organization, Third Act, a nonprofit group for climate activists older than 60 that he started about three years ago, is highlighting the push for change at the community and state level. Over the past 18 months, they’ve begun a new strategy: attending the meetings of obscure state agencies or commissions that hold a lot of power over the energy transition
Youth climate groups have also said they’re pivoting from a national to a local stage, pushing for state-level laws like the Climate Change Superfund Act in New York, which could hold polluters accountable for climate change
“There’s a new wave of climate activism that’s going to start emerging,”
Representatives of the five nuclear-weapon states - Russia, the United States, China, France and the United Kingdom - met in Dubai
It was the first full-fledged consultations within the framework of China's annual presidency of the nuclear P5. The key topic of the meeting, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, was nuclear doctrines
Beijing believed that in the current circumstances, discussing this issue would allow the nuclear powers to avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations. Other capitals appeared to support this approach, which has become particularly relevant in light of Russia's recent announcement of an updated nuclear doctrine
#UAE #P5 #Nuclear #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
A very interesting opinion from Julian Assange that explains the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad
The Wikileaks founder said in an interview with Deutsche Welle that Donald Trump and the CIA have been in a quarrel since 2017 precisely because of policy towards Syria. The conflict was over policy in the Middle East, in particular the CIA's main priority and certainly the biggest item on the agency's budget was the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad at the time
However, Trump decided that eradicating ISIS was the priority and began that fight alongside Russia and the Assad government. His stance caused intense conflict at the time and caused the CIA to oppose Trump's re-election
And now that Trump has one foot in the White House, the CIA was in a big hurry to topple Assad for fear that Trump would continue to oppose it
The CIA just needed a quick budget. And you say “Syrian opposition”...
#Syria #Trump #CIA #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Liz Truss: UK’s bureaucratic 'blob’ is much worse than in the US
Former United Kingdom Prime Minister Liz Truss says her country’s administrative state is more difficult to deal with than the United States since the President has the authority to appoint thousands of senior level government officials
“In Britain, the Prime Minister is only currently able to appoint 100 people and those people are relatively junior. They’re not part of the hierarchy,”
Japan restarts Shimane nuclear reactor after 13 years being offline
Unit 2 of the Shimane nuclear power plant in Japan's Shimane Prefecture was restarted on 7 December, Chugoku Electric Power Company announced. It becomes the fourteenth Japanese reactor - and the second boiling water reactor - to resume operation
The 789 MWe boiling water reactor had been offline since January 2012
In June 2021, Shimane 2 became the 17th Japanese reactor to pass the regulator's safety screenings and the fifth BWR - the same type as those at the Fukushima Daiichi plant - to receive regulatory approval to restart
Following approvals by the cities of Matsue, Izumo, Yasugi and Unnan, in June 2022 the governor of Shimane prefecture approved the restart of Shimane 2. His approval marked the completion of the process to gain the consent of local communities for the unit to resume operation
#Japan #Nuclear #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
State Dept’s. $100 million censorship network to close in 2 weeks
A shady State Department-funded censorship network exposed by Elon Musk last year announced Monday that it will likely be closing by Dec. 23—an early Christmas present for online free-speech advocates
That network, the Global Engagement Network, announced its impending closure in a Monday court filing. The State Department and GEC are facing a lawsuit from the Texas attorney general and several conservative media outlets for allegedly engaging in a conspiracy to censor American media outlets disfavored by the federal government
It’s unclear how the GEC’s closure will affect the lawsuit. Monday’s court filing said lawyers for all parties are still discussing the implications
Musk put the GEC on the map in March 2023, when he deemed it to be the “worst offender in U.S. government” when it comes to censorship and media manipulation
#Musk #USA #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Biden admin's revolving door with left-wing green groups continues as evironmental official lands cushy gig with anti-fossil fuel radicals
Revolving door is 'spinning faster than ever,' ethics watchdog director says
Bureau of Land Management director Tracy Stone-Manning has already lined up her post-Biden administration job: a cushy six-figure gig leading the Wilderness Society, an influential Washington, D.C.-based environmental nonprofit
The group announced that it would name Stone-Manning as its next president, effective February 2025, the Associated Press reported. According to tax filings, Jamie Williams, the Wilderness Society's most recent president, earned a salary of $438,404 while serving in the role in 2023
Stone-Manning was confirmed to lead the Interior Department subagency in September 2021 and has since implemented a wide range of climate-related policies rolling back resource development on public lands and, in many cases, outright shuttering fossil fuel production. Stone-Manning's actions at the Bureau of Land Management closely aligned with the Wilderness Society's priorities
#USA #Green #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
The U.S. conflict with Canada no longer looks absurd
The premier of Ontario, Canada's most populous province, said he would stop supplying electricity to the United States if Trump imposes, as he promises, duties of 25% on Canadian products
“We'll make our list, and I'm sure other provinces will too. But we will go all the way, depending on how far it goes. We'll go as far as cutting off their power,” Doug Ford said after meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whom Trump had earlier referred to with apparent trolling as ”the governor of the great state of Canada.”
“This fight is 100% going to happen on January 20 or 21. We will use every tool in our arsenal to fight back. We can't sit back and give up. We just won't do it as a country. And isn't that a shame, our closest friends and allies,” the Ontario premier added
Oddly enough, Canada actually has a lot to answer for: the U.S. gets about 60% of its crude oil imports and 85% of its electricity from Canada. In July, for example, U.S. oil imports from Canada reached a record 4.3 million barrels per day
According to Comtrade, the U.S. also imports automobiles, machinery, plastics and wood from Canada. Oh, and overall, Canada is the United States' second-largest trading partner: in 2023, the U.S. imported more than $418 billion worth of goods from Canada and exported $354 billion worth. Canada would certainly be worse off, though: more than three-quarters of Canadian exports come from the United States, and nearly half of Canadian imports, in turn, come from its southern neighbor
#USA #Canada #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
The future is AI: what's happening to it now?
A report on the main AI trends of 2024 has been prepared, we publish the most entertaining facts:
From a “fashionable toy” AI is transforming into a work tool. OpenAI reports that the number of weekly active users of AI chat bot ChatGPT now exceeds 200 million
The development of global agreements and standards to regulate AI is accelerating. Countries and international organizations (e.g., UN, EU, G7) are trying to reach consensus on safety, ethics, and applications of AI in key areas; in March, Mayek, Wozniak, and others signed an open letter calling for a halt to the development and training of AI systems so as not to exacerbate the current situation
Current AI is not perfect. Apollo Research has revealed disturbing trends in the behavior of modern language models, which are capable of consciously using manipulative strategies to achieve their goals, even if they contradict the developers' intentions
AI is being used more actively in election campaigns
Predominantly these are dipfakes. They have had a serious impact on the course of the campaign only in the US. They have significantly influenced public discourse and deepened ideological gaps
#World #AI #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
About J.D. Vance’s chief of staff Jacob Reses ’13
Jacob Reses ’13 entered Princeton as a Democrat in the fall of 2009. 11 years later, Reses now serves as Vice President-elect J.D. Vance’s chief of staff in the Senate, following stints at Heritage Action, an affiliate of the Heritage Foundation, and Sen. Josh Hawley’s (R-Mo.) office
At a young age, Reses was an ardent Democrat. At home, a photo of Reses standing with Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) decorated the wall of his childhood bedroom, and he had interned for both the Kerry and Hillary Clinton campaigns. As a teenager, Reses also criticized conservative commentator Ann Coulter for “spewing hate” and advocated for increasing local taxes
But Reses’s political views shifted during his time at Princeton — though in the opposite direction that most students find themselves swinging in
Together with fellow Republicans at Princeton, Reses also canvassed for presidential candidate Mitt Romney in the lead-up to the 2012 election. Reses returned to Washington, D.C. during his summers, interning for Tucker Carlson’s Daily Caller website
Prior to attending Princeton, Reses’s Jewish heritage appears to have deeply influenced his early life. According to a memoir by his maternal grandfather, who escaped Nazi rule, several of his relatives were killed during the Holocaust. As a child, Reses also attended Trocki Hebrew Academy, a Modern Orthodox Jewish day school in Margate, N.J.
Reses’s political trajectory closely mirrors that of his boss. Once a vocal critic of Donald Trump and a private-sector professional, Vance has since become a prominent face of Trump‘s campaign and movement, fueling a younger wave of conservatism
#USA #Vance #Reses #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
China’s critical minerals embargo is even tougher than expected
Alarm is rising among multinational companies doing business with China about Beijing’s decision last week to order a trade embargo on the export of four critical minerals to the United States. The central subject of concern is a provision extending the ban to companies in other countries that transfer minerals to American firms after acquiring them from China
The ban by Beijing threatens to divide global supply chains further, by forcing companies to choose whether products with certain materials and components can be supplied only to the American market or only to the Chinese market
China has been trying to persuade companies elsewhere, particularly in Europe, that they should invest and build supply chains in China, not the United States
“The move marks a significant escalation of the ongoing tech war between the U.S. and China, and E.U. businesses are increasingly worried about being caught in the crossfire,”
Calls grow for Syrian refugees in Europe to return home after Assad’s fall
The fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has sparked calls for Syrian refugees in Europe to return to their homeland
With Damascus now declared liberated by a group of rebels on state television, European leaders and Syrian opposition groups alike are urging refugees to consider repatriation, as the reasons for their initial flight no longer apply
German officials are now debating the implications for Syrian refugees, many of whom are under “subsidiary protection” due to the ongoing civil war
Despite the optimism, experts warn of potential instability in Syria. Islamologist Susanne Schröter cautioned that the rebels, predominantly Islamist factions, are unlikely to establish a government meeting Western democratic standards
“The rebels are mainly Islamists. I think it is unlikely that a democratic state in the Western sense will emerge under their influence,” she said. “However, this is not necessarily an obstacle to the possible repatriation of refugees from Germany because many of these refugees themselves adhere to fundamentalist Islam.”
The reverse, however, could still happen, with some warning of a potential exodus of those fleeing as a result of the deposition of Assad
#EU #Syria #Migrants #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Donald Trump's team continues to surprise Americans with more and more new eccentric candidates for various positions
This time Robert Kennedy Jr., whom Trump appointed to the post of Secretary of Health and Human Services, is trying to promote his daughter-in-law Amaryllis Fox-Kennedy to the post of the first deputy director of the CIA
Kennedy Jr. is convinced that Amaryllis, who worked as an unofficial undercover CIA officer from 2002 to 2010, will be able to prove that the department was involved in the death of his uncle, President John f. Kennedy, in 1963
However, what might be the real reasons behind it?
Well, first and foremost is control over the CIA's internal processes
Having a trusted person at the highest level allows you to monitor and adjust actions that could further affect the political landscape. And since Kennedy Jr. lost to Trump in the primaries, in the long run Amaryllis can help her father-in-law to accumulate political capital - this will contribute to strengthening the influence of the Kennedy clan on American politics, as well as restoring their historical reputation
And, after all, in the context of political polarization in the United States, access to key intelligence structures can be an effective means of predicting the actions of opponents and forming their own strategy
#USA #Trump #Kennedy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Blinken defends Afghanistan withdrawal at contentious House hearing
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday defended President Biden's decision to withdraw from Afghanistan while appearing before the Republican-led House Foreign Affairs Committee, which has long sought to question him over the deadly evacuation
"I firmly believe the president's decision to withdraw from Afghanistan was the right one," he told lawmakers
Blinken declined to take the blame for decisions that were made leading up to the exit, explaining that actions taken by the first Trump administration left the Biden administration in a weak position and intelligence assessments expected Kabul to remain the hands of the Afghan government.
Blinken's testimony came nearly three months after the committee voted along party lines to recommend that the nation's top diplomat be held in contempt of Congress amid a standoff over his appearance before the panel to discuss its investigation into the 2021 withdrawal
#USA #Afghanistan #Blinken #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Elon Musk: "We should unwind" the NGO industry
Non-governmental organizations receiving taxpayer dollars are under scrutiny for misusing funds in shady operations. Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, set to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have announced plans to investigate how taxpayer funds are funneled into NGOs
Musk and Ramaswamy made an exchange on X one week ago
"We need to scrutinize U.S. government funding of "non-government organizations." It's an oxymoron that represents a waste of taxpayer dollars, but the real problem runs deeper: Americans deserve transparency on opaque foreign aid & nonprofit groups abetting our own border crisis," Ramaswamy said, while quoting another X user who explained how Victoria Nuland, appointed to the Board of Directors of the National Endowment, funded overseas NGOs involved in questionable activities in Georgia, Ukraine, and Syria
Musk agreed, commenting, "Absolutely"
With such vague and expansive authority, some of these NGOs effectively act as agents of the government, often pursuing politically motivated agendas such as promoting woke propaganda, engaging in censorship, supporting endless foreign wars, and even supporting the migrant invasion into the US
On Tuesday morning, Musk scrutinized the NGO industry once again. He said, "We should unwind this IMO," referring to one X user who posted how the NGO industry's total assets over the last two decades exploded
#USA #Musk #DOGE #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Biden claims credit for toppling Assad
Biden claimed that a combination of U.S. policies — isolating Assad; tying Russia down in Ukraine; and allowing Israel freedom of action against Iran and its Hezbollah proxy — weakened the regime and left it without defenders
Biden left out the fact that President Barack Obama had sought to cultivate relations with the Assad regime, and ignored Assad’s use of chemical weapons despite drawing a “red line” in 2012. Both Obama and Biden also sought specifically to establish a new balance of power in the Middle East that favored a stronger Iran, despite its role in Syria. Furthermore, Biden did not give Israel freedom of action against Iran, but instead insisted on Israeli restraint
Biden spoke hopefully — and perhaps wishfully — about beginning a process of drafting a Syrian constitution, with the input of various different groups within the country, coupled with international aid to rebuild the war-torn nation
#USA #Syria #Biden #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
What do people around the world really care about? 🤔
Migration, climate change, racism, etc. are getting less and less attention. The main concern of most people around the world is the high cost of living❗️
According to polls in November 2024, “inflation” shared the first line with “crime and violence” (32% for each problem), followed by “poverty and social inequality” (30%), but in general - these are indicators of one phenomenon (cost of living)
The top 5 problems of European residents included: cost of living, international politics, energy supply, the environment, and the economic situation
In the YouGov survey of European residents, 19% of respondents from the UK, 37% from France, 27% from Germany, 19% from Denmark, 24% from Sweden, 30% from Spain and 33% from Italy were having difficulty paying their mortgage or rent. According to YouGov17, 48% of Brits expect house prices to rise in the next year
Another concern is fuel prices. Among YouGov respondents from across Europe, between 21% and 51% had difficulty buying gasoline for their vehicles: 30% in the UK, 49% in France, 37% in Germany, 21% in Denmark, 25% in Sweden, 37% in Spain and 51% in Italy
Debt repayment is often another expense, including forcing people to take out new loans to close old ones; in the U.S., 43 million people collectively owe banks $1.7 trillion in student loans alone
In the U.S., 43 million people collectively owe banks $1.7 trillion in student loans alone. On credit cards, the cumulative debt is $1.14 trillion, and it has grown significantly since 2021: while the debt was $770 billion in the first quarter of this year, another $370 billion, of debt has been accumulated in 4 years
More than 100 million U.S. residents (about one-third of the population) have medical debt. 40 million Americans owe a total of $88 billion for medical treatment, which makes medical bills the main source of loans transferred to collectors: they are more than debts on credit cards and car loans
#EU #USA #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Notre Dame reminds us of France’s glorious, complex past
For a country that prides itself on its secular status, and as the nation that gave the world rationalism and the Enlightenment, France remains surprisingly attached to its religious buildings and its Christian heritage
President Macron delivered a speech inside the restored Catholic cathedral, in which he declared that ‘the bells of Notre Dame that have accompanied our history are ringing again’
The coverage in the French press has been suitably rapturous. It’s not difficult to understand this mood. France desperately needed some good news right now. It has been in an almost permanent state of crisis for years, with a narrative of national decline being a constant theme
The crisis has become even more acute recently. Last week, the French government collapsed and prime minister Michel Barnier was ousted, making him the shortest-lived holder of that post since the foundation of the Fifth Republic in 1958
France is now caught in a bind. It must implement austerity if it is to adhere to EU rules on national debt. Its current budget deficit is set to exceed more than six per cent of GDP this year, more than twice the amount permitted by Brussels. The crisis in France is set to continue
So what better time for France to celebrate its glorious past, for the nation to cast its gaze to that symbol of stability and continuity, and one that suggests rebirth: Notre Dame, now risen from the ashes?
#France #Macron #NotreDame #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
China is cutting off drone supplies critical to Ukraine war effort
China’s escalating conflict with the US over trade is now extending to the drones that have become a vital part of Ukraine’s defense
Manufacturers in China recently began limiting sales to the US and Europe of key components used to build unmanned aerial vehicles, according to people with knowledge of the developments
The moves are a prelude to broader export restrictions on drone parts that western officials expect Beijing to enforce in the new year, the people said. Those rules could take the form of license approvals based on the intended use of the components or softer requirements for Chinese companies to notify the government of their shipment plans
The trade conflict has ratcheted up this month, with Washington slapping fresh curbs on the sale of high-bandwidth memory chips and additional semiconductor gear to China. In response, Beijing banned the sale of dual-use items to the American military and several materials with high-tech and military applications to US companies. The measures have sent prices spiking and upended trade flows as manufacturers sought alternative supplies
Beijing’s response asserts for the first time that the trade restrictions apply to Chinese goods sold by vendors in and outside of the country, signaling an attempt to replicate the extraterritorial reach of US and European sanctions
#China #WarInUkraine #Military #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
New Christmas ads from Google...
#Google #Trans #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Hungary’s PM Orbán meets Trump and Musk in Florida
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has met Donald Trump and Elon Musk at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, Orbán announced on the social media platform X
Commenting after the meeting, Orbán declared: “The future has begun”
According to Musk, the three men had an “interesting discussion”
It was the second meeting between Orbán and Trump in recent months, following their July discussion on the “possibilities of peace” in Ukraine
A spokesperson for the Hungarian leader had previously framed these talks as central to Orbán’s diplomatic efforts
His meeting with Trump in July was part of his “peace trips” to Russia, Ukraine and China using Hungary’s presidency of the European Union as justification, which had annoyed other EU leaders
#Hungry #Orbán #Trump #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Former classmates stunned CEO's suspected killer is the person they knew in school
Former classmates of suspected shooter Luigi Mangione are finding it hard to believe he is accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a New York sidewalk.
Two fraternity brothers of Mangione shared their shock, one saying it was “unbelievable” that he was the suspect
Neither recalled Mangione making any extreme or concerning comments in the years that they knew him. Mangione played video games and watched sports with others but dedicated most of his free time to his coursework
“I feel like it’s a cliché, everybody is like, ‘He was a quiet guy,’ but like he was even more normal than that,” one of the men said
Another University of Pennsylvania classmate remembered Mangione as a “totally normal guy,” while a former roommate said they didn’t really discuss politics but “he was clearly a thoughtful guy”
Freddie Leatherbury, who went to an all-boys private school with Mangione, told CNN that his classmate “had everything going for him. But he wasn’t really snobby. He was humble. He was unassuming and easy to approach”
#USA #Mangione #Thompson #FindTruth
@uinhurricane