Month: August 2024

NASA said it has selected Elon Musk’s SpaceX to bring home the US astronauts who were forced to extend their stay at the International Space Station because of the latest debacle plaguing the woke DEI disaster that is Boeing, whose space capsule suffered major technical issues.

Boeing’s spacecraft will return without people on board, the US space agency said during a Saturday news conference announcing its decision, in which it said that it was too risky to bring two astronauts back to Earth in Boeing’s troubled new capsule. What should have been a weeklong test flight for the pair will now last more than eight months.

LIVE: We’re discussing NASA’s @BoeingSpace Crew Flight Test following the completion of today’s Agency Test Flight Readiness Review. Listen in for the latest #Starliner updates. https://t.co/M2ODFmLuTj

— NASA (@NASA) August 24, 2024

The contingency plan means that NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams will hitch a ride home on SpaceX’s rival Crew Dragon capsule during a mission slated to launch in late September. That would put them back on US soil in February, when that capsule is slated to return and months later than originally planned. Their empty Starliner capsule will undock in a week or two and attempt to return on autopilot.

The seasoned pilots have been stuck at the International Space Station since the beginning of June. A cascade of vexing thruster failures and helium leaks in the new capsule marred their trip to the space station, and they ended up in a holding pattern as engineers conducted tests and debated what to do about the trip back.

As Starliner’s test pilots, the pair should have overseen this critical last leg of the journey, with touchdown in the U.S. desert.

It was a blow to Boeing, adding to the safety concerns plaguing the company on its airplane side. Boeing had counted on Starliner’s first crew trip to revive the troubled program after years of delays and ballooning costs. The company had insisted Starliner was safe based on all the recent thruster tests both in space and on the ground.

Retired Navy captains with previous long-duration spaceflight experience, Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, anticipated surprises when they accepted the shakedown cruise of a new spacecraft, although not quite to this extent.

Before their June 5 launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, they said their families bought into the uncertainty and stress of their professional careers decades ago. During their lone orbital news conference last month, they said they had trust in the thruster testing being conducted. They had no complaints, they added, and enjoyed pitching in with space station work.

Wilmore’s wife, Deanna, was equally stoic in an interview earlier this month with WVLT-TV in Knoxville, Tennessee, their home state. She was already bracing for a delay until next February: “You just sort of have to roll with it.”

There were no other options.

The SpaceX capsule currently parked at the space station is reserved for the four residents who have been there since March. They will return in late September, their stay extended a month by the Starliner dilemma. NASA said it would be unsafe to squeeze two more into the capsule, except in an emergency.

The docked Russian Soyuz capsule is even tighter, capable of flying only three — two of them Russians wrapping up a yearlong stint.

So Wilmore and Williams will wait for SpaceX’s next taxi flight. It’s due to launch in late September with two astronauts instead of the usual four for a routine six-month stay. NASA yanked two to make room for Wilmore and Williams on the return flight in late February.

NASA said no serious consideration was given to asking SpaceX for a quick stand-alone rescue. Last year, the Russian Space Agency had to rush up a replacement Soyuz capsule for three men whose original craft was damaged by space junk. The switch pushed their mission beyond a year, a U.S. space endurance record still held by Frank Rubio.

Starliner’s woes began long before its latest flight.

Bad software fouled the first test flight without a crew in 2019, prompting a do-over in 2022. Then parachute and other issues cropped up, including a helium leak in the capsule’s propellant system that nixed a launch attempt in May. The leak eventually was deemed to be isolated and small enough to pose no concern. But more leaks sprouted following liftoff, and five thrusters also failed.

All but one of those small thrusters restarted in flight. But engineers remain perplexed as to why some thruster seals appear to swell, obstructing the propellant lines, then revert to their normal size.

These 28 thrusters are vital. Besides needed for space station rendezvous, they keep the capsule pointed in the right direction at flight’s end as bigger engines steer the craft out of orbit. Coming in crooked could result in catastrophe.

With the Columbia disaster still fresh in many minds — the shuttle broke apart during reentry in 2003, killing all seven aboard — NASA embraced open debate over Starliner’s return capability. Dissenting views were stifled during Columbia’s doomed flight, just as they were during Challenger’s in 1986.

Despite Saturday’s decision, NASA isn’t giving up on Boeing.

NASA went into its commercial crew program a decade ago wanting two competing U.S. companies ferrying astronauts in the post-shuttle era. Boeing won the bigger contract: more than $4 billion, compared with SpaceX’s $2.6 billion.

With station supply runs already under its belt, SpaceX aced its first of now nine astronaut flights in 2020, while Boeing got bogged down in design flaws that set the company back more than $1 billion. NASA officials still hold out hope that Starliner’s problems can be corrected in time for another crew flight in another year or so.

The United States has introduced another new package of military aid to Ukraine, reported to be worth around $125 million, and this time it includes more munitions for HIMARS systems, at a moment Kiev has acknowledged using the missile system inside Russian territory.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described in press statement at the end of this week that this additional assistance is “provided under a drawdown from Department of Defense stocks, includes: counter-unmanned aerial systems equipment and munitions” as well as “additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).”

The statement also listed the following additional items: 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds, Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor missiles, Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles, small arms ammunition, ambulances, demolition equipment and munitions, and spare parts, medical equipment, ancillary equipment, services, training, and transportation.

The Presidential Drawdown Authority is a long-used, albeit controversial, mechanism in Ukraine, that allows the president to transfer weaponry to allies from current US stockpiles. Essentially it depletes America’s defense stores.

Moscow is sure to take this new package as a huge and intentional provocation from Washington, given it was only days ago that Ukraine’s military for the first time openly acknowledged it is using US-provided HIMARS rocket systems to attack Russia and destroy its major infrastructure, especially bridges, inside its own territory.

Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces made the admission in a Wednesday Telegram post to its official account, writing: “Where do Russian pontoon bridges ‘disappear’ in the Kursk region? Operators … accurately destroy them.”

“The statement said U.S.-manufactured HIMARS rocket systems were used,” Reuters described of the statement. What’s more is that Ukraine’s military published footage of US HIMARS being used to target several key bridges in Kursk in a new video montage.

In the summer of 2022, Ukraine reversed the momentum of the war with HIMARS strikes on large Russian ammo depots. Now it is using its increasingly more capable drone fleet to hit Russian weapons storage sites hundreds of miles away. Ukraine’s military intelligence says this… pic.twitter.com/pSSLOGsQaE

— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) August 24, 2024

Starting over a week ago, Russian officials began accusing Ukraine forces of using the American-supplied weapon, after at least two bridges were destroyed. By last weekend, a third strategic bridge was taken out as Ukraine forces tried to solidify their hold in Kursk.

Submitted by QTR’s Fringe Finance

In a recent hourlong audio interview with Fringe Finance, renowned economist Peter Schiff shared his perspective on the state of the global economy, the ongoing gold rally, and the policies of central banks. Schiff, known for his unflinching critiques of government policies and his bullish stance on gold, offered a comprehensive analysis that touched on a range of economic issues, from the performance of gold to the potential for a looming economic crisis.

In our full hour-long discussion, available via audio we talked about:

• the significance of gold surpassing $2,500, the building of a higher base, and the expectation that gold’s price will accelerate.

• the observation that Wall Street is not yet paying attention to the gold rally, with more focus on Bitcoin

• gold mining stocks are hitting new 52-week highs, but they are still far from their 2011 peaks.

• gold’s price trajectory from 2001, starting at $270 and rising to $1,900 in a decade.

• the dollar’s recent weakness, particularly against the Swiss franc, and its implications for gold prices.

• criticism of the Fed’s decision to stop raising interest rates and the potential mistakes associated with future rate cuts.

• the inefficiency and potential damage of price controls, specifically regarding Kamala Harris’s proposed policies.

• the potential effects of taxing unrealized capital gains, including constitutional concerns and the likelihood of increased capital flight from the U.S.

• whether government can ever be efficient, with the argument that efficiency is inherently a feature of the private sector, not government.

• Japan’s economic situation and the potential implications for global markets if similar issues arise elsewhere.

• how markets reacted to the Bank of Japan’s statements on interest rates and the anticipation of U.S. rate cuts.

• concerns about rising inflation, especially in the context of potential rate cuts by the Fed and global economic instability.

• warnings about the possible economic collapse if central banks continue on their current paths without addressing the underlying issues.

• how long-term inflation could escalate, especially with the current fiscal and monetary policies.

• advocacy for investing in gold and gold mining stocks as a hedge against expected economic turmoil and inflation.

The Gold Rally and Market Complacency

One of the primary topics Schiff addressed was the recent performance of gold, which he noted has surpassed the $2,500 mark. Schiff emphasized the significance of this milestone, pointing out that gold has been steadily climbing, with recent prices closing above $2,500 for several consecutive days. According to Schiff, this could be the beginning of a more significant move in gold prices, which he expects to accelerate further.

He expressed surprise that despite this rally, the broader investment community remains largely indifferent. “More people are focused on Bitcoin than gold at this point,” Schiff remarked, highlighting the lack of attention gold is receiving in the investment media. He attributed this to a general disbelief in the sustainability of gold’s rally, suggesting that many investors are still haunted by the metal’s decade-long stagnation. Schiff argued that this complacency is unfounded and that the fundamentals driving gold higher are stronger than ever.

Central Bank Policies and Their Implications

Schiff was particularly critical of the Federal Reserve’s recent monetary policies, including the anticipated rate cuts. He argued that the Fed’s decision to halt rate hikes was a mistake, motivated not by a victory over inflation but by the need to prevent further damage to the economy and financial markets. “They had to surrender the battle against inflation because they had to prevent the additional collateral damage of continuing to fight,” Schiff asserted.

He also pointed to the recent weakness of the U.S. dollar, particularly against currencies like the Swiss franc, as a sign that the market is losing confidence in the dollar’s value. Schiff suggested that this could signal a broader devaluation of the dollar, which would only serve to strengthen gold further. He predicted that as the dollar continues to weaken, gold will continue to rise, eventually catching the attention of Wall Street.

The Disconnect Between Gold Prices and Mining Stocks

Schiff also delved into the perplexing disconnect between gold prices and the performance of gold mining stocks. He recalled a period earlier in the year when major mining stocks like Newmont and Barrick Gold were downgraded, despite gold prices nearing all-time highs. Schiff saw this as a clear buying opportunity, and his instincts proved correct as these stocks have since surged.

“The reason for the downgrade was… we just don’t see much upside potential in gold,” Schiff recounted, expressing disbelief at the analysts’ lack of foresight. He criticized the investment community for being overly focused on short-term movements and failing to recognize the long-term potential of gold. Schiff also noted that foreign central banks have been quietly accumulating gold, suggesting that these institutions have a better understanding of gold’s value compared to retail investors.

Inflation, Recession, and the Looming Crisis

Schiff’s critique of current economic policies extended beyond the gold market to broader concerns about inflation and the potential for an economic crisis. He argued that the Federal Reserve’s rate cuts, coupled with the existing high levels of inflation, could lead to a situation where real interest rates turn negative, further driving money into gold.

Moreover, Schiff warned that the U.S. economy is heading toward a severe recession, exacerbated by the Fed’s inability to combat inflation effectively. He predicted that the next rate cut would trigger a reacceleration of inflation, which in turn would weaken an already fragile economy. “People are excited that, oh, we got a 2.9 CPI last month… we’ve been building a base around 3%, 3.1%, 3.2%… that’s basically where inflation has bottomed out, 50% above the Fed’s 2% target,” Schiff noted.

He also touched on the potential consequences of prolonged high inflation, suggesting that it could lead to a collapse in asset prices, particularly in the bond market. Schiff warned that if long-term interest rates begin to rise while the Fed is cutting short-term rates, it could create a scenario where inflation spirals out of control, leading to a significant economic downturn.

The Threat of Price Controls and Government Intervention

In a broader critique of government intervention, Schiff discussed the dangers of price controls, particularly in the context of inflation. He singled out Vice President Kamala Harris’s proposals for price controls and higher capital gains taxes as misguided attempts to combat inflation. “Price controls are a socialist concept,” Schiff stated bluntly, arguing that they would only lead to shortages and further economic inefficiency.

He drew parallels between these proposed policies and historical examples of government overreach, warning that such measures would only exacerbate the problems they are meant to solve. Schiff emphasized that the solution to rising prices and economic stagnation is less government intervention, not more. He argued that free market forces, rather than government mandates, are the best way to achieve long-term economic stability and prosperity.

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Schiff’s comments offer a sobering assessment of the current state of the global economy and the potential risks on the horizon. His unwavering belief in gold as a hedge against inflation and economic instability reflects his broader critique of government policies and central bank interventions. As Schiff sees it, the current economic environment is ripe for a significant shift in market dynamics, with gold poised to play a central role in the years ahead. For investors and policymakers alike, Schiff’s warnings serve as a reminder of the importance of sound economic principles and the dangers of ignoring them.

You can listen to the full audio interview here. 

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Western nations, led by the US and ones across Europe, with the most modern warship fleets, seem absolutely powerless to stop Iran-backed Houthi rebels from launching missile and drone strikes on merchant vessels in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Oman (maybe because it’s an election year in the US). 

The US and EU have launched numerous military operations committed to ensuring freedom of navigation and maritime security in the highly contested region but have failed repeatedly. 

The latest failure by the West comes earlier this week after a missile attack bombarded Greek-flagged oil tanker MV Sounion about 77 nautical miles west of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, forcing at least one EU warship to rescue the crew of the Suezmax tanker—the largest type of oil tanker capable of transiting the Suez Canal.

Here are our reports on the maritime incident: 

• Commercial Vessel “Not Under Command” After Red Sea Attack
• Suezmax Tanker Crew Forced To Abandon Ship After Missile Attack In Red Sea

On Thursday, EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, the European Union’s military operation committed to ensuring freedom of navigation and maritime security in the Red Sea, warned Sounion was set on fire and carrying 150,000 tons of crude and now “represents a navigational and environmental hazard.” 

Fast forward to Friday, when reports from the Financial Times and Reuters say Houthi rebels blew up the oil tanker.  

Dramatic video of the explosion was uploaded on x. 

Video allegedly showing the MT Sounion exploding and on fire in the Red Sea. The tanker is carrying 150,000 metric tons of oil. A full release of the cargo would make it one of the worst tanker oil spills in history pic.twitter.com/470pc3OQjj

— Mike Schuler (@MikeSchuler) August 23, 2024

Reuters quoted Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree in a televised speech, that said the tanker “belongs to a company that has ties to the Israeli enemy and violated the ban decision of entry to the ports of occupied Palestine.” 

“The blowing up of the ship marks a new tactic for the Houthis. Since the group began its campaign against international shipping last November, it has sunk two ships — the Rubymar, attacked in February, and the Tutor, attacked in June,” Financial Times noted. 

Maritime expert Noam Raydan, and author of The Chokepoint, provided a detailed update on the situation in the Red Sea:

As another crude oil tanker connected to Delta Tankers was attacked this week in the southern Red Sea, I was keeping my eye on some tankers linked to transporting Russian oil, previously attacked by the Houthis due to past links to a UK-based company, and which returned to sail in the Red Sea despite experiencing ASBM attacks in March and April. I selected two specific tankers for my piece, partly because they are not in the region now, including an EU-sanctioned tanker.

When the Houthis attacked the two tankers in the past months, the Yemeni group referred to them as “British” ships based on outdated information. Despite the attacks, the vessels sailed recently in the region. So, why do some Russia-linked tankers continue on their route (and some don’t even turn off AIS in a risky area) following a Houthi attack, while other tankers’ owners or operators avoid the Gulf of Aden/southern Red Sea route and instead sail around southern Africa?

Thread: My Red Sea Update (Beyond the Headlines)
Even After Houthi Attacks, Russia-Linked Tankers Return to Red Sea

1/3 As another crude oil tanker connected to Delta Tankers was attacked this week in the southern Red Sea, I was keeping my eye on some tankers linked to… pic.twitter.com/2mWR2bFzum

— Noam Raydan (@NoamRaydan) August 23, 2024

Raydan continued: 

There has been a focus this week on the aggressiveness of the Houthis and the nature of the attacks against two commercial vessels. But if you’ve been tracking how such attacks have been evolving over the past months, you’d know there’s nothing surprising here. The Houthi agenda is clear, and they’ve shown that they are willing to sink ships that fit their “list of targets” (even if the vessels are carrying cargoes from regional countries, like Iraq), and harm seafarers. “Phase 4” of their maritime campaign has been more lethal.

The journey of the recent tanker attacked in the Red Sea, Sounion (IMO 9312145), was very risky, and the owner/operator knows that (will leave it at that for X). The tanker, based on an image of the ship from 2023, and the one published by the French military, @FFEAU_ALINDIEN yesterday, showed that the Sounion had the name Delta Tankers even painted on the hull side- meaning the tanker/company was easily recognizable at sea. And the tanker was being approached by small crafts. This comes after two other Delta Tankers-connected vessels were attacked earlier this month in the Red Sea.

UKMTO reported today that “three fires have been observed” on the Sounion ( crew rescued already) and the vessel “appears” to be drifting. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the fires in a video published on Telegram today. The Sounion is carrying Iraqi oil cargo loaded in Basrah earlier this month.

Note that such attacks on oil tankers don’t halt supply. They affect the shorter route some tankers prefer to take to get to their destination. Meaning oil is flowing- if it cannot get through the Red Sea to Europe for instance, a vessel takes the Cape route. Iraq as an example: Oil shipments to Europe are being delivered via Suez and the Cape route, but more has been moving via the Cape this year. We are not seeing attacks on energy facilities that greatly affect output or exports.

2/3 On This Week’s Attacks, and Oil Flows:
There has been a focus this week on the aggressiveness of the Houthis and the nature of the attacks against two commercial vessels. But if you’ve been tracking how such attacks have been evolving over the past months, you’d know there’s… pic.twitter.com/4b8295chXl

— Noam Raydan (@NoamRaydan) August 23, 2024

She added:

“Some keep asking why the Houthis are attacking those commercial vessels. The Yemeni group has an agenda, and they have divided their maritime campaign into five phases so far, and they’ve been following it. I summarize below the phases based on statements from the group, and a televised speech by their leader.”

To put it in perspective, Sounion is hauling 150,000 tons of crude—a little more than four times the amount spilled by the Exxon Valdez in 1989. This raises the alarming possibility of a major environmental disaster in the Red Sea, as Western militaries struggle to ensure freedom of navigation and maritime security in this critical maritime chokepoint.

Authored by Andrew Moran via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

In a highly competitive environment, retailers cannot engage in the practice of price gouging, said Target CEO Brian Cornell.

Vice President Kamala Harris recently proposed the first-ever federal price gouging ban on the food and grocery industries. Harris and other White House officials have claimed that businesses are taking advantage of the economic climate and overcharging customers by sharply raising prices to pad their profits.

Cornell dismissed these assertions, telling CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that Target is “in a penny business.”

“It’s a very competitive space,” he said, explaining that the industry faces small profit margins.

The Target executive noted that retailers must be responsible to consumers because they possess the power to seek lower prices and other products by scanning their phones or visiting other stores.

The Minnesota-based company has joined the crowd of other retailers that have responded to shoppers’ concerns.

In May, Target announced it would cut prices on about 5,000 essential everyday items, such as diapers, paper towels, fresh fruit and vegetables, coffee, and pet food, in order to bolster sales and generate higher traffic.

Discounts have appeared successful, with in-store and web traffic rising 3 percent in the previous quarter. Target’s net profit margin—the percentage of profit a business produces from its total revenue—was up 2.4 percent year over year.

While many retail outfits attempting to bring prices down amid more cost-conscious shoppers and slowing consumer demand, Walmart says inflation remains “more stubborn,” particularly for dry groceries and processed foods.

“We have less upward pressure, but there are some that are still talking about cost increases, and we’re fighting back on that aggressively because we think prices need to come down,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said on a second-quarter earnings call last week.

Debate About Price Gouging

Earlier this year, the current administration launched a joint Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice task force to combat what officials say is illegal and unfair corporate pricing for food, rent, pharmaceuticals, and other goods and services.

The debate persists as to whether corporate price gouging has kept inflation sticky and stubborn—the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s sticky-price Consumer Price Index (CPI) is up 4.1 percent year over year.

Fed officials and economists have expressed doubt that corporate gouging has contributed to the rampant price inflation over the last few years.

This past spring, San Francisco Fed economists published a paper that concluded the alleged price gouging was not a main factor for the inflationary pressures that have been prevalent since 2021.

“An increase in pricing power would be reflected in price-cost markups, leading to higher inflation; likewise, a decline in pricing power and markups could alleviate inflation pressures,” they wrote.

“The aggregate markup across all sectors of the economy, which is more relevant for inflation, has stayed essentially flat during the post-pandemic recovery.”

Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee told CBS’s “Face the Nation” that various “dynamics at play” can impact prices and wages.

“If you look at any given moment, that markup sort of the difference between what’s happening to prices and what’s happening to costs that can vary a lot over the business cycle,” Goolsbee said.

“So, I just caution everybody over concluding from any one observation about markups.”

The Producer Price Index (PPI)—a metric that measures prices paid for goods and services by businesses—has outpaced the CPI by 25 percent to 20 percent since January 2021.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell, too, dismissed the idea that corporate price gouging is contributing to inflation.

“It’s been very hard to track a connection with earnings and things,” he said in July when he appeared before the House during his semiannual monetary policy report.

This year, lawmakers have stepped up efforts to fight what they deem is price gouging and shrinkflation—the act of raising prices by shrinking product sizes.

In February, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) introduced legislation to grapple with these issues, alleging that “corporations used supply shocks from the pandemic and war in Ukraine as an excuse to raise prices, and they keep raising them.”

In a letter to Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bob Casey (D-Penn.) accused the supermarket chain of price gouging and hurting consumers.

“It is outrageous that as families continue to struggle to pay to put food on the table, grocery giants like Kroger continue to roll out surge pricing and other corporate profiteering schemes,” the lawmakers wrote.

A growing number of companies have embraced electronic shelving labels as part of broader dynamic pricing strategies.

Proponents say electronic shelving labels can lower customers’ prices over time because retailers can automate pricing updates and exploit the most recent data on a centralized pricing platform. Critics claim they will increase prices for consumers because dynamic pricing could help companies charge more for a product during times of the day when it is in higher demand.

Meanwhile, the public seems to support the flood of price-gouging claims.

A February Navigator Research study highlighted that 85 percent of Americans say “corporations being greedy and raising prices to make record profits” is a cause of inflation. A June 2023 YouGov survey showcased similar results, with most Americans blaming “large corporations seeking maximum profits” for high inflation.

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times,

The U.S. fertility rate dropped to its lowest level in U.S. history, according to new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics said in a new report that the final data from 2023 showed the fertility rate declining by 3 percent from the year prior, to 54.5 births per 1,000 females aged 15 to 44.

That’s the lowest rate on record.

The rate was 56 births per 1,000 females in 2022 and 56.3 births per 1,000 females in 2021.

When asked by The Epoch Times why its experts believe the fertility rate has dropped so low, the CDC declined to answer.

The number of births also dropped from 3.66 million in 2022 to 3.59 million in 2023, according to the report. That’s the lowest number since 1979.

The peak was in 2007, when 4.3 million births were recorded.

A recent survey from the Pew Research Center found that many adults who are childless say they will not ever have children, with reasons including just not wanting to, desiring to focus on other parts of life such as careers, and inability to afford the cost of raising children.

The CDC report utilized data from a national system that includes birth certificates.

Researchers found that the birth rates for teenagers declined, continuing a pattern seen in recent years. The birth rate for teenagers aged 15 to 17 dropped slightly, from 5.6 births per 1,000 girls to 5.5 births per 1,000 girls, and the birth rate for teenagers aged 18 to 19 dropped to 24.6 births per 1,000 girls, down from 25.8 births per 1,000 girls.

The researchers also found that the percentage of infants born preterm, or before the 37th week of pregnancy, was 10.4 percent in 2023, which was about the same as in 2022.

The numbers are largely the same as provisional data the CDC published in April but are now finalized.

Preliminary numbers for 2024 are expected in the spring.

More Women Forgoing Prenatal Care

CDC researchers combing through the data also found that more women are choosing not to see doctors after they become pregnant, particularly in the early weeks.

The percentage of women declining prenatal care in the first semester grew from 1 percent to 34 percent, according to the data.

The percentage of mothers who received no prenatal care also increased to 2.3 percent, up from 2.2 percent in 2022 and 2.1 percent in 2021.

Still, researchers did see that more pregnant women started prenatal care in the second trimester, with 16.9 percent of women doing so in 2023 compared to 16.3 percent in 2022. Additionally, more pregnant women began prenatal care in the third trimester, with 4.7 percent of women doing so after 4.6 percent of women did so in 2022.

A major manhunt is underway after a Friday night mass stabbing attack killed three people and wounded eight more at a “Festival of Diversity” in Germany. Living up to the event’s billing, witnesses to the bloodshed in the western German city of Solingen say the attacker was Arab in appearance — a detail every major US news outlet is omitting from its coverage as our report is written. 

“This evening we are all in shock, horror and great sadness in Solingen. We all wanted to celebrate our city’s anniversary together and now we have dead and injured people to mourn,” said Solingen Mayor Tim-Oliver Kurzbach. “I pray for all those who are still fighting for their lives.” While the festival was indeed being held on the occasion of the city’s 650th anniversary, rather than emphasizing German heritage and history, the organizers were apparently determined to put “diversity” front and center.  

Their goal was accomplished in way they didn’t intend, with the attacker himself reportedly infusing his own strain of “diversity.” According to the German newspaper Bild, witnesses say the knife-wielding murderer looked like a young Arab man. At around 9:45 pm, he lashed out at an apparently random assortment of victims at the Fronhof, a market square that was being used as a venue for live musical performances. Local news outlet Solinger Tageblatt provided spectator Lars Breitzke’s account of what he saw: 

Suprafon was playing on stage. Suddenly [Breitzke] realized from the expression on the singer Suzan Köcher’s face that something was wrong. “And then a person fell over just a meter away from me,” says Breitzke. At first he thought it was a drunk. But when he turned around, he saw other people lying on the floor. And several pools of blood. 

After fatally slashing three people and wounding eight more — five seriously — the attacker was said to have fled toward a main street and is still at large. The evening’s events were called off shortly after 10 pm as sirens wailed throughout the city of about 160,000 residents and a police helicopter circled above, Solinger Tageblatt reported. Special forces units from across the North Rhine-Westphalia state were deployed to Solingen as part of a large search operation, according to The Times of London.

While the Festival of Diversity was slated to extend all through the weekend, organizers opted to cancel it altogether shortly after midnight. Video circulating on social media purportedly shows the attack’s bloody aftermath: 

These are the Germans who were stabbed to death by an Islamic terrorist in Solingen, Germany.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! pic.twitter.com/ZdDbBDOpV2

— Europe Invasion (@EuropeInvasionn) August 23, 2024

As if it weren’t ironic enough for a “diversity” festival in Germany to be terrorized by someone apparently of foreign heritage, Solingen is also known as the “City of Blades,” owing to its long history as a center of scissor- and knife-making that stretches back to the Middle Ages.    

Friday night’s horror show in the small city close to Dusseldorf and Cologne is the just the latest episode of bloodshed visited upon Germany by knife-wielding killers of non-German heritage. In May, a 25-year-old immigrant from Afghanistan slaughtered a police officer and wounded six more people in Mannheim. 

An immigration crackdown doesn’t appear to be on the table. Instead, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser recently urged a different remedy: “Knives are used to commit brutal acts of violence that can cause serious injury or death. We need tougher weapons laws and stricter controls,” she told German public broadcaster ARD. She has urged the legislature to only allow the carrying of blades 6cm or smaller; the current limit is 12. She is also pushing for an outright ban on switchblades.

Serious knife attacks in Germany are up 9.7% year-over-year. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party thinks blades per se aren’t the problem:  “We have exploding foreign crime, youth crime, migrant violence, because we have open borders,” said party co-leader Alice Weidel in July. 

Many hours after Bild first cited multiple witnesses who said the Festival of Diversity killer is a young “arab looking” man, no US media outlets are choosing to include that detail. While The Times of London did, it pushed it to the final paragraph of 20 in its coverage.

The sole source that the perpetrator in the Solingen attack was “Arab-looking” was a witness account reported in @BILD. They reported that this morning and now have said the police haven’t confirmed this, but are talking about a “southern-looking” perpetrator. Very irresponsible pic.twitter.com/BGH6uPEd8c

— Marc Owen Jones (@marcowenjones) August 24, 2024

Similarly, at this writing, German police have not shared a description of their suspect, but have asked the public to send them videos and photos that could be helpful.  

Presented without comment. pic.twitter.com/G3gqW9Ioeq

— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) August 24, 2024

Meanwhile, North Rhine-Westphalia interior minister told reporters, “None of us knows why” the attack happened.

We’ve got a hunch it has something to do with another diversifier with an intense distaste for diversity.   

A pro-life activist who was arrested for quietly praying outside of an abortion clinic has been paid approximately $17,000 USD from the West Midlands Police in Birmingham, England, according to Fox News.

After the arrest she filed a claim accusing the police of false imprisonment, assault and wrongful arrest. She was detained for allegedly violating a Public Space Protection Order, the police said at the time. 

The women, UK March for Life Director Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, said: “Clearly, I’m delighted to have this, but there’s almost a bit of déjà vu. While I’m saying I’m delighted, I feel vindicated.”

“I remember saying something similar when I came out of court, after having to go to court over being arrested and yet, two weeks later [after being acquitted], I was arrested again for my silent prayers. So, I do hope that the police have finally learned a lesson that silent prayer is not and can never be a criminal activity,” she continued.

“I think the bigger point is that I shouldn’t have had to go to these lengths to be getting some kind of an apology or payout from the police. That wasn’t what I wanted to do. I just want fair treatment, and I think that would be the case with all Christians, with all pro-lifers. We just want some fairness and some justice to happen. We shouldn’t have to be threatening to go to court,” she said. 

The legal entity representing her said: “The fact that they have settled this, in addition to apologizing in an earlier part of these proceedings, is an indication, frankly, that this should never have happened and that it was completely wrong that it happened, and the behavior towards Isabel was outrageous.”

They continued: “I think the video of her arrest and detention went viral with millions of views across the world and really brought a significant degree of embarrassment to the police in this country that they behaved in such a manner to begin with, so we’re very happy, to see at least an acknowledgment in the form of the settlement of the wrongful behavior, but it’s, again, very disappointing and troubling that this was allowed to happen in the first place.”

Videos show police questioning Vaughan-Spruce about her presence near the abortion clinic. With the new Labour government, concerns about increased crackdowns on free expression have grown, according to the report. 

Vaughan-Spruce fears similar incidents could recur and urges for clearer recognition of prayer as a “basic human right” to prevent police from imposing their “own ideological beliefs.”

By Jan Nieuwenhuijs of Gainesville Coins

In June the UK received a gold shipment worth $150 million dollars from Argentina. Most likely, the gold was sent by the central bank of Argentina (BCRA) to be used as collateral in the London Bullion Market.

Newspaper El País reported on July 28, 2024, that part of the official gold reserves of Argentina were transferred abroad. After rumors spread regarding the whereabouts of the Argentinian gold, Minister of Economy Luis Caputo acknowledged that gold was indeed shipped overseas. “If you have [the gold] outside the country, you can get returns,” he shared in an interview with an Argentine TV channel. According to El País President Milei hinted that the gold can be used as collateral to take out a bridge loan, which is essentially a swap.

Normally, “monetary gold” (gold owned by a central bank) is exempt from being disclosed in customs data. However, as I have pointed out in the case of the Chinese central bank buying gold in London, if bullion banks take care of shipping and insurance, the metal does show up in cross-border trade statistics.

The UK most likely imported 3 tonnes (worth $150 million dollars) from BCRA’s stock, because as far back as data from Britain’s customs department is available, the country never traded an amount of gold of any substance with Argentina prior to June. As officials have confessed that part of the Argentinian monetary gold was sent abroad in June, and for the first time ever the UK—home of the largest gold market globally—imported 3 tonnes from Argentina that month, I am confident this batch can be assigned to BCRA. Which doesn’t exclude the possibility gold was shipped to Switzerland too.

At the end of June, the Argentinian central bank reported to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to hold the same amount of gold as the previous month. Apparently, BCRA has kept the gold swapped out on their books, which is tolerated by the IMF. The weight of gold reserves of a central bank, according to the IMF, may include, “gold deposits, and if appropriate, gold swapped.”

The 3 tonnes collateral in London is 5% of BCRA’s total reserves of 62 tonnes. There is always a risk gold abroad can be frozen, as happened most recently with 30 tonnes of Venezuela at the Bank of England. Let’s assume BCRA’s lawyers have carefully weighed all pros and cons before approving the gold to be surrendered to a bullion bank in London.

Several years ago, Texas had a brilliant idea: take the millions of illegal immigrant that were flooding its territory as a result of policies adopted in faraway places like DC, and bus them to places like New York and DC, other so-called sanctuary cities and, best of all, Martha’s Vineyard where those who run New York and DC tend to go on vacation. The result was an immediate revulsion by the false virtue-signaling NIMBY crowd, which cried foul at having to suffer the consequences of its actions.

Turns out Texas’ idea was so good it is now being adopted across the Atlantic, where another illegal alien invasion has been taking place for the past decade, slowly replacing the indigenous population with millions of immigrants from northern Africa and the middle east.

Now, one European country has decided it also has had enough: Hungary suggested that it might – like Texas – start transporting migrants who show up at its border straight to Brussels, unless it can resolve a dispute with the European Union on penalties for its asylum policies, Bloomberg reported.

The European Court of Justice has slapped a €200 million ($223 million) penalty, plus an extra €1 million daily fine, on the country for Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s non-compliance with the court’s earlier judgment on the protection of asylum seekers. Orban already promised retaliation in June for the ruling, one of several issues clouding the start of his stint in the rotating presidency of the EU in the second half of 2024.

Negotiations with the European Commission will start in September, Gergely Gulyas, the minister in charge of the prime minister’s office, told reporters in Budapest Thursday. Should those talks fail, Hungary will start handing migrants “one-way tickets to Brussels,” Gulyas said.

“We should find an agreement as soon as possible because we wouldn’t like to pay large amounts on a daily basis,” Gulyas said. “But if Brussels wants to take in migrants, we can help.”

Though Gulyas provided no details on how such a scheme would work, the idea echoes disputes not only among US states over migrants – like those being bused to New York from the Texas border – but also elsewhere in Europe. In the UK, socialist Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed his new Labour government would scrap predecessor Rishi Sunak’s plan to deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda.

Separately, Hungary was criticized by human rights groups this week for withdrawing state-funded shelter from Ukrainian refugees arriving from regions not directly affected by the fighting on the frontlines with Russia. A group of Hungarians from Ukraine’s western Transcarpathia region temporarily became homeless after the move, though Gulyas said aid groups helped provide accommodations for them.

The EU’s executive arm is looking into the decree, according to a spokesperson but said the EU is united in providing protections, including accommodation, for those fleeing the conflict.