Empire in Decline

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Apparently, the EU is working on a Sundaythis week (which is highly unusual) and they are looking at this document:

Protecting against coercion

The Anti-Coercion Instrument for protecting the EU and its Member States from third countries’ economic coercion entered into force on 27 December 2023.

policy.trade.ec.europa.eu

We will see what next week brings.

 

[Gödel]

Greenland of the Free

 

[Mercutio]

The EU owns around $8T of US Debt. Essentially no entity on the planet could buy all that, and no one other than a close ally would want that much exposure to liability. The value of a dollar would plummet in a re-valuation, absent the backing of those assets by European powers.
I had one semester of economics and one semester of accounting 30 years ago. Donald Trump supposedly has an MBA from a theoretically prestigious college and seems to have no idea about any of this.

By the same token, he wants to replace the chair of the Federal Reserve with his own lackey, with the aim of increasing the supply of dollars available to markets (ie, he wants to print more money). That WILL decrease short term interest rates, but also causes longer term currency devaluation and considerable grief for those who currently hold US Debt, which right now means mostly US and European banks and whatever financial institutions China uses.

It seems that the administration sees value in devaluation of the US dollar, which doesn't make any sense at all to me.

 

[jtr1962]

Right now with what's going one cryptocurrency is looking better and better. Buy bitcoin or ethereum if you have any spare cash. Or even gold. I think gold will skyrocket soon past it's already lofty current price.

The markets are tanking today, which seems to happen every single time Trump mentions more tariffs. You would think he would have learned by now to just keep his mouth shut.

 

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The markets are tanking today, which seems to happen every single time Trump mentions more tariffs. You would think he would have learned by now to just keep his mouth shut.

I would not have too high hopes regarding his cognitive functions though, given the letter to Norway for not giving him the Nobel Peace Price.

On the other hand, I am sure he find ways to make money for him and his friends with these market movements.

 

[Gödel]

Excerpts from this article – Trump Made Over $1.4 Billion Through Graft and Corruption:

One year ago, Donald Trump took an oath to serve the American people. Instead, he has focused on using the presidency to enrich himself.​

President Trump has never been a man to ask what he can do for his country. In his second term, as in his first, he is instead testing the limits of what his country can do for him.​

He has poured his energy and creativity into the exploitation of the presidency — into finding out just how much money people, corporations and other nations are willing to put into his pockets in hopes of bending the power of the government to the service of their interests.​

Numerous egregious examples are cited.

 

[Mercutio]

I think we all know that ain't nothin' gonna happen over this. We didn't do anything about it last time he was in office and now everything is worse and checks and balances are thrown out the window when one party controls all branches of government.

 

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Swedish pension fund Alecta exits U.S. treasuries. Total sale about $7bn.

Sounds reasonable given the speech or what we should call yesterdays performance at Davos.

 

[Gödel]

The Emperor's New Clothes:

 

[Gödel]

Another cowardly, criminal gang-related murder today in Minneapolis.

The victim: an ICU nurse at a Veterans' hospital, armed with a dangerous cell phone, possibly to record the evil gang's crimes.

 

[DrunkenBastard2]

Another cowardly, criminal gang-related murder today in Minneapolis.

The victim: an ICU nurse at a Veterans' hospital, armed with a dangerous cell phone, possibly to record the evil gang's crimes.

He was carrying concealed per his permit and Minnesota law. When you get into a scuffle with law enforcement and try and prevent someone being arrested and they see that concealed pistol you are now in grave danger of being shot, which is what seems to have happened.

https://www.startribune.com/not-a-cheap-piece-of-crap-gun-reportedly-carried-by-alex-pretti-is-widely-popular-among-enthusiasts/601570176

Man is shot and killed during Minneapolis immigration crackdown, National Guard activated

A federal immigration officer has shot and killed a man in Minneapolis, drawing hundreds of protesters onto the frigidly cold streets in a city already shaken by another fatal shooting weeks earlier.

apnews.com

"Video shows officers, man who was shot
In a bystander video of Saturday’s shooting obtained by The Associated Press, protesters can be heard blowing whistles and shouting profanities at federal officers on Nicollet Avenue.

The video shows an officer shoving a person who is wearing a brown jacket, skirt and black tights and carrying a water bottle. That person reaches out for a man and the two link up, embracing. The man, wearing a brown jacket and black hat, seems to be holding his phone up toward the officer.

The same officer shoves the man in his chest and the two, still embracing, fall back.

The video then shifts to a different part of the street and then comes back to the two individuals unlinking from each other. The video shifts focus again and then shows three officers surrounding the man.

Soon at least seven officers surround the man. One is on the man’s back and another who appears to have a canister in his hand strikes a blow to the man’s chest. Several officers try to bring the man’s arms behind his back as he appears to resist. As they pull his arms, his face is briefly visible on camera. The officer with the canister strikes the man near his head several times.

A shot rings out, but with officers surrounding the man, it’s not clear from where the shot came. Multiple officers back off the man after the shot. More shots are heard. Officers back away and the man lies motionless on the street."

 

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I know this is woke media, but they put together a timeline of what happened (free article).

Timeline: How the Shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti Unfolded

A moment-by-moment analysis of video from the scene shows that Mr. Pretti was already restrained when fatal shots were fired, which appears to contradict the federal government’s account of the event.

www.nytimes.com

Seems like the shots were fired after he was disarmed. But that does perhaps not matter.

Luckily there are plenty of videos online from different angles.

My prediction: No one will get convicted - and more people will get killed in more blue states.This is only the beginning.

 

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Another woke media report showing an agent leaving the scene with the weapon prior to the killing of Alex Pretti.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/24/us/invs-videos-show-federal-officer-recovered-gun

 

[sedrosken]

We're in a civil war already, we just don't know it yet.

 

[DrunkenBastard2]

 

[DrunkenBastard2]

I know this is woke media, but they put together a timeline of what happened (free article).

Timeline: How the Shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti Unfolded

A moment-by-moment analysis of video from the scene shows that Mr. Pretti was already restrained when fatal shots were fired, which appears to contradict the federal government’s account of the event.

www.nytimes.com

Seems like the shots were fired after he was disarmed. But that does perhaps not matter.

Luckily there are plenty of videos online from different angles.

My prediction: No one will get convicted - and more people will get killed in more blue states.This is only the beginning.

Maybe he went for one of the agents guns.

This shows potential differences in approaches between sanctuary cities and states and those that work in conjunction with the feds: