Month: November 2024

Authored by Mary Prenon via The Epoch Times,

The presidential election is over, and while half of America may be celebrating, the other half may be feeling a mixture of emotions from angst to anger. But when it comes to breaking bread with family for the Thanksgiving holiday, will the politicians hold the upper hand and wreak havoc at your dinner table?

New data from Prolific reveals that many Americans are bracing themselves for potentially uncomfortable Thanksgiving dinner conversations with family or relatives who share opposing political views.

In fact, 20 percent of respondents to a recent poll say they plan to skip the traditional holiday gathering to avoid family interactions. Some indicated they would take a vacation instead, while others intend to spend Thanksgiving alone or with a few like-minded friends.

Prolific, a technology and research company based in California, polled more than 2,000 U.S. residents of different ages, genders, and ethnicities. Of that number, 96 percent reported feeling confident in their voting decisions with no regrets.

While the poll indicated that 62 percent of those surveyed expressed disapproval of the current Biden administration, 58 percent had an unfavorable opinion of President-elect Donald Trump. Some 22 percent already reported increased polarization within families following the election. Among younger voters—ages 18 to 24—that number jumped to 36 percent.

Andrew Gordon, senior consultant at Prolific, told The Epoch Times that researchers were quite surprised by the survey responses.

“While the depth of potential political division within families was striking, it actually aligns well with the trends we’ve been observing in our ongoing polling—extreme polarization within the electorate on any number of key issues,” he said.

“The data underscore just how deeply woven into the fabric of everyday life politics has become, even extending into family dynamics during traditionally unifying occasions like Thanksgiving.”

More than 23 percent of people living in Northeast states such as Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island believe the election has stirred up political tensions within the family. California and Washington state were the only western states included at that level.

“This year has been marked by a perfect storm of political and societal factors: an extremely polarizing election, a big focus on leadership across party lines, and a worldwide economic slowdown that has led to general dissatisfaction with government performance,” Gordon said. “Add to this social platforms, and politics has become an unavoidable part of daily conversations.”

Tim Ives, a licensed New York psychoanalyst specializing in family therapy, told The Epoch Times it’s important that people decide what they want to do before getting into a potentially stressful situation.

“As much as many of us are family-oriented, holidays don’t necessarily look like Norman Rockwell paintings,” he said. “Families getting along together is not always the norm.”

Ives, who is also a minister serving the Scarborough Presbyterian Church in Briarcliff Manor, New York, said the key for those choosing to spend Thanksgiving and the holidays with family is to be non-reactive.

“Politics can be divisive and it’s difficult sometimes to ignore opinions that are different from yours. My advice is to just smile and nod,” he said.

Alcohol can also fuel the fires for controversial discussions, so Ives recommends keeping drinks to a minimum.

“If discussions do get heated, people can always quietly get up from the table and go to another part of the house or outside to avoid getting caught up in that turmoil,” he said. “A lot of families set a rule of no politics or religion discussions at gatherings.”

Political polarization is nothing new, noted Ives.

“I remember back during the 1964 election when everyone was scared to death of Barry Goldwater—they thought it was going to be the end of the world,” he recalled. Lyndon Johnson eventually defeated Goldwater in a landslide.

Ives has recently been involved with counseling couples who find themselves on opposite sides of the political fence.

“This year’s election has caused some angst among couples, but the bottom line is people have to consider how much this is really going to affect their personal lives,” he said.

Almost 50 percent of the survey respondents living in southern and western states reported that they were not surprised at the outcome of the election. These states included Alabama, Arizona, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, Texas, Tennessee, and the Carolinas.

Answering the question of whether democracy is alive and well in the United States, 52 percent of those aged 45 to 54 said yes, compared with 47.1 percent of those aged 55 to 64, and 45.2 percent of people in the 65-plus range. Fifty-five percent of those surveyed in Wyoming also provided an affirmative answer to the question, as did 52 percent of those polled in Montana, North and South Dakota, and Utah.

“While we have conducted numerous studies on political sentiment and its impact on societal interactions, this is the first time we have explicitly explored how these divisions might manifest during Thanksgiving,” Gordon said.

“This year’s findings take that dynamic a step further, demonstrating how political tensions are reshaping holiday traditions and prompting Americans to reconsider how they celebrate.”

Authored by Paul Joseph Watson via modernity.news,

MSNBC’s Joy Reid took all the joy out of Thanksgiving by going on a 10 minute meltdown rant about how Trump supporters won’t get a “cookie, trophy or hug” from her.

Oh no, how awful.

Still furious that Trump supporters refer to ‘undocumented immigrants’ as “illegal immigrants” (they are), Reid suggested “right-wingers” should have to suffer the consequences of voting for Trump.

“Make your own sandwiches, wipe your own tears, troll amongst yourselves with Elon, and leave us alone,” said the host, acting as if Trump supporters would want to socialize with her anyway.

NEW: Joy Reid has a 10-minute meltdown about Thanksgiving, tells Trump “worshiping” Capitol storming MAGA they won’t get a “cookie, trophy or hug” from her.

For your own sanity, I am only sharing a minute of the meltdown.

“Make your own sandwiches, wipe your own tears, troll… pic.twitter.com/MV7Aqbu0nY

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 28, 2024

“You got your heart’s desire. The president you dreamed of and worshiped instead of Jesus. And this time, you didn’t even have to storm the Capitol, smash the windows or try to kill police officers or issue death threats to poll workers,” she added.

“But if you expect the 73 million who voted for the prosecutor, not the felon, and particularly the 92% of black women who voted for Kamala to give you a cookie for your vote, a trophy, a hug, a high five, you might be asking too much,” said Reid.

No one asked, Joy, no one asked.

“If we want to eat with you, we will. But if we just want some peace over the holidays, and we don’t want to put up with your trolling… get over it. Stop acting like we owe you,” added the host, pretending as though any Trump voter actually thinks like this.

“And for God’s sake, stop whining, it’s embarrassing, our Thanksgiving, our choice,” she concluded.

The only person whining is you, Joy, for 10 minutes straight.

Given that MSNBC is up for sale and Elon Musk has suggested he might buy it, this might be the last Thanksgiving that Reid will have to spew such vitriol on cable news.

As we previously highlighted, after spending the entire election campaign demonizing Trump supporters as Nazis and fascists, on the eve of the election she bragged that the media had “said all they can” to help Kamala win.

After she lost, Reid told what few viewers she has left to stay away from Trump-supporting family members because they might “turn you in” to the authorities.

One suspects it’s going to be a far from joyful Thanksgiving in the Reid household this year.

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

In the most heated ZeroHedge Debate yet, historians Scott Horton and Sir Niall Ferguson clashed vigorously in their tellings of what led to the war in Ukraine. We’ve compiled the most interesting and riveting moments below but encourage readers to listen to the entire debate because, at the end, Ferguson and Horton agreed on one thing: the war must end through peaceful settlement.

Ferguson, a world-renowned scholar and author, and Horton, founder of the Libertarian Institute with his newly published Provoked book, were joined by Hoover Institute fellow Peter Robinson.

Watch the full debate here (or listen on Spotify):

For those short on time, here were notable moments:

A Dwindling Empire

With 750 military bases worldwide, can the U.S. Empire sustain itself? Neither historian thinks so but Ferguson argues “primacy” is worth maintaining.

Ferguson: “America was not likely or able to run an empire, but… we must want American primacy to endure in Europe as well as in Asia. The United States has to prioritize. It faces a hostile axis of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. They threaten American interests in multiple locations.”

Dismissing this as little more than jargon, Horton called out Ferguson’s lack of candor compared to his 2003-self debating neocon Bob Kagan (Victoria Nuland’s husband) when Ferguson readily admitted “United States is an empire” and should “acknowledge the fact, and do the job properly.” Horton continued by blasting Ferguson’s Iraq War record as the latter was a leading proponent of it.

Horton [in response to Ferguson claiming Ukraine’s death count dwarfs that of Mid-East]: “There are 37 million people driven out of their homes by the terror wars. At least four million people killed according to the Costs of War Project at Brown University. You’re absolutely wrong about that. There’s still war going on in Somalia and all across the Middle East.”

pic.twitter.com/MDJ1IohER9

— ZeroHedge Debates (@zerohedgeDebate) November 28, 2024

2014: Coup or Revolution

The events of 2014 — Maidan Revolution and Putin’s annexation of Crimea — are often used (selectively) by both sides of this wider debate.

After Horton characterized Maidan as a U.S.-backed “street putsch” led by Nazi descendants, he went on to argue that Viktor Yanukovych — the former Ukrainian President often characterized as “pro-Putin” by the corporate press — was far from it.

Horton: “Yanukovych wanted to sign the association agreement with the European Union… Henry Kissinger said [the events that led to Maidan were] all Angela Merkel’s fault because she played too hardball.”

Applying positive attributions towards Yanukovych did not sit well with Sir Niall. “To hear Scott Horton defend the Yanukovych regime, one of the most corrupt regimes to have emerged since the collapse of communism, is a bit rich,” he said. Ferguson — citing his personal trips to Ukraine — also vehemently denied any Nazi involvement in the uprising of 2014.

“Did you meet with Andriy Parubiy?” Horton retorted, referencing a prominent Ukrainian neo-nazi and former member of parliament who was present at the revolt.

pic.twitter.com/wkbfTBNwfz

— ZeroHedge Debates (@zerohedgeDebate) November 28, 2024

What should Trump do?

Despite heated disagreements, common ground appeared during the final and perhaps most important question: what now? Included in both historian’s answers: a negotiated settlement and Ukraine’s acceptance of the reality that Russia now controls part of its territory.

Ferguson: “An armistice is I think the most likely outcome. A ceasefire — and in that ceasefire — I think it’s highly likely that Russia will remain in control of somewhat less than 20% of Ukrainian territory.”

Horton agreed but added one caveat. Zelensky needs protection, but not from Russia…

Horton: “Nazis like Dmitry Yurash and Andrey Perubiy and Andrey Boletsky have threatened to murder Poroshenko and Zelensky repeatedly when they talk about trying to make peace. Zelensky tried to implement the Minsk 2 deal in 2019 and they threatened to murder him. And the New York Times said these are credible threats.”

pic.twitter.com/hb8H2cQ8ki

— ZeroHedge Debates (@zerohedgeDebate) November 28, 2024

If these two can agree… maybe there is hope for peace.

We hope you enjoyed and check in Saturday morning for our “Gold Standard” debate moderated by Real Vision’s Ash Bennington available exclusively to premium/pro subs.
 

Authored by Steven Sultanoff via The Epoch Times,

Each year, Thanksgiving is a fresh chance to embrace the spirit of gratitude that characterizes the holiday. As we enjoy turkey and stuffing and spending time with family and friends, it’s important to slow down and take stock of the bounty we enjoy, and give thanks because we recognize that all we have is a blessing.

No matter your standing or status in life, there is always much for which to be grateful. All too often, especially here in America, we get hyper focused on what we don’t have, instead of focusing on the many blessings we do have.

There are many advantages to practicing gratitude. When you appreciate what you have, you set yourself on the path to peace and serenity. Gratitude fortifies and inoculates you from negativity and the poison of a toxic attitude. It keeps you centered and helps you embrace contentment with what is before you.

However, gratitude is not merely being focused on the blessings in the external world. It also has an internal component. When you are grateful, you affirm what is good in life, both internal and external. You recognize the goodness before you, including food, shelter, family and friends, and material possessions, and you recognize the goodness within you, such as your health, your abilities, your attitudes, your intellect, and your emotional being. You are grateful for the goodness that abounds around you and within you.

While gratitude is related to your emotional life, it is also related to your will or choice. Sometimes, though we may not feel grateful, we have to choose to focus on the good rather than being stuck in negativity.

That may be even more true this Thanksgiving.

With the polarization of the United States population, Thanksgiving this year will be a challenge for many families as they gather with people on each side of the political divide. In these kinds of situations, we are faced with two choices. We can either disengage and abandon our annual Thanksgiving gathering to avoid potential conflict, or press in through the power of gratitude and choose to share Thanksgiving, focusing on what brings us together rather than what would seek to push us apart.

It is important to remember that while you may have polarized (and strong) points of view, you remain family and friends. We cannot pretend the differences don’t exist, but we can choose to recognize the differences and instead be grateful for the bonds that bring us together.

These intentional choices help weave a grateful disposition into the very fabric of your being so that it becomes more than a mere moment of thanksgiving. While feeling a moment of gratitude may bring pleasure, it has much greater emotional, cognitive, physical, and social impacts over time.

Being grateful reduces distressing emotions such as depression, anxiety, and anger. While you may want more than you have, being grateful for what you have brings peace, contentment, and tranquility. These serve as psychological antibodies that help the stressors of life become significantly less stressful.

Other benefits of gratitude include improving sleep, reducing overeating, strengthening the immune system, increasing pain tolerance, helping manage glucose levels, fighting heart disease, and even possibly increasing longevity. Put simply, practicing gratitude makes living far more pleasant and has a powerful impact on overall well-being.

Internally, gratitude increases self-confidence, improves patience, and makes you more resilient. Because gratitude and distressing emotions such as depression, anxiety, and anger cannot occupy the same psychological space, gratitude acts as a buffer against stress.

Practicing gratitude has many other benefits. It can sharpen clarity of thought, increasing cognitive flexibility. This enables creative, outside-the-box thinking, which helps generate new and original ideas.

While gratitude can seem like an abstract concept, there are tangible ways to practice it in your daily life.

You can enhance your gratitude by recording (in writing, audio, or video) the details of positive experiences in your day. You can set aside time each day or each week to count your blessings, focusing on the good that can often get lost in the busyness of life. You can openly express your gratitude to others through your words or by writing letters thanking those in your life who have helped you. You need not even send the letter. Simply feeling grateful and writing the letter will have a positive impact.

Personally, I am grateful for the hummingbirds that frequent our feeders, build nests, and hatch their young in our cozy garden. I am grateful for every Thanksgiving that brings my family together, even when we are celebrating from distant locations. I am grateful for my health and being able to remain physically active even during my senior years.

There really is no downside to gratitude. So, this Thanksgiving, let’s commit to focusing on what we have and giving thanks for the manifold blessings that surround us, both large and small.

*  *  *

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times or ZeroHedge.

Another day, another record-setting Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine at a moment the West is escalating its support to Kiev.

President Vladimir Putin announced to security officials at the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit in Kazakhstan  that 100 drones and 90 missiles were launched at Ukraine over the last 48 hours “in response to strikes deep” inside Russia.

These have included attacks with US and UK-supplied long-range missiles, which Russia has acknowledged killed and wounded some personnel, and damaged a radar site in Kursk.

“We carried out a comprehensive strike,” Putin said Thursday. “It was a response to ongoing attacks on our territory using [U.S.-supplied] ATACMS missiles.” 

He further warned that the Russian military is actively monitoring the locations of Ukraine’s long-range weapons to determine “where they are” and issued a fresh warning over the new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile.

He warned that more Oreshnik deployments would be necessary if Ukraine continues its attacks on Russian territory. Importantly he said that this advanced weapon, for which there is no defense, will target “decision-making centers” in Kiev.

The Russian leader boasted that the Oreshnik missile can turn targets “into dust” and that that multiple launches of the hypersonic weapon could be “comparable to a nuclear strike.” He described it can reach speeds of “around three kilometers per second” and unleashed temperatures and energy “like the surface of the Sun” upon impact.

As for these latest attacks on Ukraine, the country’s Energy Minister German Galushchenko acknowledged that the power infrastructure came “under massive enemy attack”. This means emergency blackouts and conservation efforts have been imposed amid freezing temperatures.

Polls say both Ukrainians AND Americans want the US proxy war in Ukraine to end, but instead of ending it Washington is pressuring Kyiv to throw teenagers into the threshing machine of an unwinnable conflict. https://t.co/YVP67dFxgM

— Caitlin Johnstone (@caitoz) November 27, 2024

President Zelensky denounced “despicable escalation” and said, “In several regions, strikes with cluster munitions were recorded, and they targeted civilian infrastructure,” according to his words on Telegram. “This is a very despicable escalation of Russian terrorist tactics.”

“This is especially important in winter when we have to protect our infrastructure from targeted Russian attacks,” Zelensky warned the population.

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

A prominent Democratic strategist has advised Kamala Harris to never run again for president following her landslide loss to president Trump.

Theryn Bond made the comments Wednesday in an interview with Newsmax, following the release of a video by Harris in which she appeared dishevelled and, some have speculated, drunk, telling supporters to keep fighting.

According to Politico, Harris has told advisors she is “staying in the fight” and may be considering another presidential run in 2028 or the launch of a gubernatorial campaign in California.

“[Her political ambitions should] not be to run for president again in 2028, please don’t,” Bond urged during the Newsmax National Report segment.

“I can’t really speak for governor of California. Californians seem to support her significantly, we haven’t yet be able to measure what that support looks like after this current run she just had. That may be the only thing that would make sense for her to consider, but another shot at the presidency, I hope she doesn’t,” Bond added.

“And if she is relying on those same advisers that advised her the first cycle, that is not who I would listen to,” the strategist further warned.

Republican strategist Luke Ball chimed in, declaring that Kamala couldn’t even get elected as a “dog catcher” now in anywhere except California, particularly given the news that her campaign burned through $1.5 billion and ended up $20 million in debt.

“I hope [Kamala Harris] doesn’t [run for president in ’28]. And if she is relying on those same advisers that advised her this cycle, that’s not who I would listen to.”

— Theryn Bond, Democratic strategist@WalkingMicDrop @LukeTBall @EmmaRechenberg @Glasgow_Jon pic.twitter.com/CdYm1qWr4B

— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) November 26, 2024

As we previously highlighted, a poll conducted among Democratic voters to gauge who the Party should consider running for the next election found that a staggering 41 percent want Harris to run again, despite her woeful loss.

There simply isn’t another Democratic candidate, unless they return to Hillary Clinton for a 2028 run.

BREAKING: Speculation is brewing about Hillary Clinton running for president in 2028. pic.twitter.com/Za56C9GqpG

— Dominic Michael Tripi (@DMichaelTripi) November 28, 2024

Hillary circa 2028… pic.twitter.com/NBMy7NrOsk

— Brandon Weichert (@WeTheBrandon) November 28, 2024

*  *  *

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

US equity index futures rose on Thursday, with cash markets closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. As of 9am ET, S&P 500 futures gained 0.1% after the key index snapped a seven-day rally on Wednesday; Nasdaq 100 advanced 0.2%.

US stocks have been been buoyed by enthusiasm over the return of Donald Trump to the White House, as well as the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates for the second-straight meeting. This has pushed the YTD performance of the S&P back to the highest of the 21st century, once again surpassing 2021’s record performance.

“Post-election market activity has been remarkable, with volumes surging and major indices reaching all-time highs,” said Jeff O’Connor, head of market structure at Liquidnet. “However, as we move closer to the year-end, we expect this momentum to subside, with a focus shifting to upcoming macroeconomic data releases.”

One looming gray cloud: inflation is once again picking up rapidly. As CMC Markets analyst Jochen Stanzl  said, the monetary policy outlook for the Federal Reserve has “dimmed in recent days,” as the central bank’s preferred indicator, core PCE, accelerated in October rising 2.8% YoY, the biggest increase since April.

“Should prices continue to rise, Jerome Powell would quickly find himself under double pressure,” Stanzl said. “From the growing accusations that he has made a monetary policy mistake, and from the pressure that he is already under from US President Trump, who would prefer to dismiss him altogether.”

Earlier, Bloomberg reported the Biden administration was weighing additional curbs on semiconductor equipment and AI memory chips to China that would escalate the crackdown on Beijing’s tech ambitions, but stop short of stricter measures that were previously considered.

Chip stocks in Asia and Europe jumped on the news, with ASML Holding NV, ASM International NV, and Nvidia Corp. suppliers ISC and TSE all rising. When stocks resume trading in New York, names such as Lam Research Corp., Applied Materials Inc. and KLA Corp. will be ones to watch.

While the US is closed, the rest of the world is open, if subdued, and European stocks bounced after a two-day decline, led by tech shares. The Stoxx 600 is up 0.5% while US equity futures also edge higher.

In open rates markets, French government bonds outperform, narrowing the spread with Germany after Finance Minister Armand said he is prepared to make concessions on the budget bill to avoid opposition parties toppling the government in the coming weeks. French 10-year yields fell 2 bps to 3.01%.

In Fx, the euro weakens 0.2% after showing little reaction to Spanish and German inflation data, and after ECB’s Villeroy went full dove, saying that not only should rates drop to Neutral, but wouldn’t exclude them dropping below neutral but that NIRP should remain in the ECB’s toolkit. The yen, which inexplicably soared in the past few days, was the weakest of the G-10 currencies, falling 0.6% against the greenback and pushing USD/JPY up toward 152. The Mexican peso rallied 1.7% after Trump said he had a productive conversation with Mexico’s president Sheinbaum.

In commodities, oil prices advance while in thin trading after OPEC+ confirmed it will delay Sunday’s online meeting on oil production curbs to Dec. 5. WTI rises 0.6% to $69.10 a barrel. Spot gold climbs $9 to $2645/oz. Bitcoin falls below $95,000.

With the US closed for Thanksgiving today, there is no macro calendar.

Authored by Michael Snyder via TheMostImportantNews.com,

If you live in a warm home and you have plenty of food to eat, you should consider yourself to be extremely blessed, because millions of others are deeply suffering right now.  

Most of the country is living paycheck to paycheck, the number of homeless Americans is higher than ever, demand at food banks is back to pandemic levels, and many victims of Hurricane Helene are living in very thin tents and are not getting the help that they need from the government.  Children in the mountains of western North Carolina are literally shivering in the freezing cold all night long because their parents have nowhere else to go…

Nearly two months since Helene hit, hundreds of local families are left with nowhere to go.

Now some of these children are living in tents and cars as their parents try desperately to find a new home.

One of those parents is Dana Wunsch.

She showed News 13 the camper where she and her partner, along with her two daughters, are now staying.

We are taxed extremely hard, and one of the things that our tax dollars are supposed to pay for is disaster relief.

But while FEMA personnel in North Carolina are sleeping in heated trailers, many victims of Hurricane Helene are sleeping in extremely flimsy tents that look like they could literally be blown away at any moment.

Could you imagine having your kids sleep in a flimsy tent night after night?

And now snow has arrived in the mountains of western North Carolina…

Some survivors in western North Carolina have had to navigate their recovery efforts around potentially hazardous conditions as snowfall ranging from a light dusting up to about 2 feet has blanketed the area.

In addition to snow, those living in tents have also been facing very high winds…

Additionally, Helene survivors in western North Carolina will also have to manage with powerful winds. Wind gusts are expected to reach 30-40 mph in Asheville, while other areas may feel gusts of 50 mph or greater.

Of course Hurricane Helene is just one of the historic natural disasters that have hit our country here in 2024.

Overall, there have been 24 “billion dollar disasters” in the U.S. so far this year…

During the first 10 months of this year alone, 24 disasters have occurred in the U.S. with losses exceeding $1 billion, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.

That’s roughly three times the average annual number since 1980.

Our nation just keeps getting pummeled over and over again.

Is there anyone out there that still believes that this is just a coincidence?

Meanwhile, the homelessness crisis in the U.S. just keeps getting worse, and there are millions more Americans that could soon be joining the ranks of the homeless.

If you can believe it, one recent survey discovered that 22 percent of all U.S. renters say that “all their regular income goes toward rent payments”…

22% of U.S. renters say all their regular income goes toward rent payments, according to a recent Redfin-commissioned survey. 19% of renters report they have worked a job they hated to afford rent.

Just over one in five (22%) U.S. renters say all of their regular income goes directly to paying their rent, according to a recent Redfin-commissioned survey.

Working a second job is also a fairly common way for renters to pay housing costs, with 20% of renters citing that method. Nearly the same share (19%) say they have worked a job they hated to afford rent.

If all of your income is going to paying rent, you are just one step away from being homeless.

Sadly, most of the country is just barely scraping by from month to month at this point.

According to Bank of America, from 2019 to 2024 there was a 10 percent jump in those that are living paycheck to paycheck…

The share of U.S. households living paycheck to paycheck has grown across all income brackets over the past five years, according to a new study from the Bank of America Institute.

A new analysis released by the think tank on Tuesday found that more than a quarter of Americans, 26%, have necessary expenses that chew up more than 95% of their takehome pay, and nearly a third, 30%, of households spend upwards of 90% of their income on critical bills like groceries, housing, utilities, gas, insurance and child care.

The data showed a 10% increase in those living paycheck to paycheck in 2024 compared to 2019.

Economic pain is all around us, and the cost of living just continues to go even higher.

Once upon a time, if you were making $50,000 a year you were doing well.

But now the average American believes that it takes an income of $270,000 a year in order to be “financially successful”…

The average American thinks a salary of just over $270,000 a year qualifies them as “financially successful,” but there are huge disparities between generations, according to a new study.

Needless to say, the vast majority of the population does not make that sort of money.

Instead, the vast majority of us are just trying to survive.

Unfortunately, the outlook for the year ahead is not good because our economic momentum is heading in the wrong direction very rapidly.

In fact, it is being reported that the Conference Board’s index of leading economic indicators has fallen for eight months in a row…

Weakness in the housing market and manufacturing, as well as higher jobless claims, pulled the leading indicators for the U.S. economy down for the eighth consecutive month in October.

The Conference Board said its index of leading indicators dropped 0.3 percent last month. The Conference Board pointed out that over the six-month period between April and October 2024, the index declined by 2.2 percent, slightly more than its two percent decline over the previous six-month period, suggesting that drags on the U.S. economy picked up.

If we are seeing such tremendous economic suffering now, what will conditions be like if the U.S. economy continues to deteriorate?

For decades, we have been living a debt-fueled standard of living that is way beyond what we have actually earned.

Now that bubble is starting to burst, and our society is not going to be able to handle it.

We are in far more trouble than most people realize, and an immense amount of pain is ahead of us.

*  *  *

Michael’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

Extending a prolonged trend of alleged misuse of funds by social justice warriors running leftist charities, an anti-police-brutality activist has been accused of spending $75,000 in charitable donations on himself, blowing the money on vacations, designer clothing and more. 

On Tuesday, Washington DC attorney general Brian L. Schwalb filed suit against Brandon Anderson and his nonprofit organization “Raheem AI,” which was launched in 2017 to provide “black, brown, and indigenous community crisis responders with the tools, training, connections, and funding they need to provide care.”

“Brandon Anderson misused charitable donations to fund lavish vacations and shopping sprees, and the Raheem AI board of directors let him get away with it,” said Schwalb in a statement. “Not only did their financial abuses violate fundamental principles of nonprofit governance, but Anderson and Raheem AI failed to pay their employee the wages they had earned.”

Schwalb’s statement provided spelled out the nature of Anderson’s alleged self-indulgent spending:

Since 2021, Anderson repeatedly used Raheem AI’s funds for personal use: spending over $40,000 on a luxury vacation rental service that allows members to stay in high-end mansions and penthouse apartments, $10,000 on hotels and Airbnb’s for personal travel – including to a Cancun resort, $10,000 on designer clothing brands, and $5,000 on emergency veterinary services. None of these expenses furthered Raheem AI’s stated nonprofit purpose.

Anderson’s alleged failure to pay an employee apparently lit the fuse that led to Tuesday’s move by the DC attorney general. The employee, Jasmine Banks, told the New York Times she contacted Schwalb’s office after her salary screeched to a halt. She says she was put on leave after she found credit card records of Anderson’s wild spending and raised her concerns. One of the firm’s board members told the Times that mansion rentals were associated with business travel. 

Raheem AI initially worked to create an app to facilitate police misconduct complaints. The vision evolved to creating a police alternative, one that would let people dealing with nonviolent situations contact a network of aid workers. The group racked up more than $4.3 million in donations from leftist organizations, with much of that money pouring in after police killed George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020.  

Before his fall, Anderson’s press coverage frequently included his claim that his work was inspired by the death of his gay “life partner” Raheem, whom he said was shot to death by police during a traffic stop in Oklahoma City. Now, it appears Anderson may not only guilty of financial misconduct, but also of concocting that whole story. Per the Times:  

As the group foundered, former employees discovered something else that was troubling: They could not find proof that Raheem ever existed. Mr. Anderson did not previously respond to questions about the man whose purported life and death inspired the nonprofit. 

Schwalb said there were no checks and balances at Raheem AI, as the entity hasn’t had a treasurer since 2020, leaving Anderson with full control over the assets. His suit seeks a court order to dissolve the nonprofit, recover misused money, and bar Anderson from serving in the leadership of any other DC nonprofits. 

“My office will not allow people to masquerade behind noble causes while violating the law, cheating taxpayers, or stealing from their workers,” said Schwalb. 

Jasmine Banks, a former staffer, says she is owed tens of thousands in unpaid wages since April, when she flagged Anderson’s actions to the board. She also alleges she was forced to sign an illegal noncompete clause.

“It hurts my heart to say it, but I think it was a con from the beginning,” she said of the organization. 

To rattle off just two previous episodes, we’ve seen an Atlanta Black Lives Matter founder arrested for using $200,000 in BLM donations on food, dining, entertainment, clothing, furniture, a home security system, tailored suits and accessories, and the Stacey Abrams-founded voting group the New Georgia Project accused of financial mismanagement and misuse of donated funds. 

We’re guessing there’s more where all these came from. 

Authored by Susan Crabtree via RealClearPolitics,

While most political strategists and campaign operatives are finally enjoying a post-election repose, making their favorite Thanksgiving fixings and preparing to deck the halls, California’s election officials and party leaders are still on the job.

Once again this year, California is the last state to finish its vote-counting, thanks to a set of vote-by-mail election laws the Democratic Party’s supermajority in the state legislature passed beginning last decade – purportedly to encourage more voter participation.

But making it easier to vote has come with a cost: The state is now a national punchline for election inefficiency, and critics assail it as rife for fraud. As of Tuesday night, two fiercely contested congressional races are hanging in the balance, and three state Assembly races remain too close to call.

“We’re still working,” lamented Jessica Millan Patterson, who chairs the California Republican Party. “Not just as Republicans, but as Californians, it’s embarrassing that we’re the last state in the nation. We’re the home of Silicon Valley, and we can do better. Florida has their elections tabulated in three hours.”

Yet three weeks after the election, there are still 109,485 votes to count across 58 counties, according to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber. And even when all the votes are counted, they won’t be certified until mid-December.

The main reason behind the delays? The state sends a ballot to every registered voter and counts all that are turned in within a week after polls close on Election Day – even if the ballots don’t carry a postmark. All that’s required is that a voter “has dated the vote-by-mail ballot identification envelope or the envelope otherwise indicates that the ballot was executed on or before Election Day,” according to California regulations.

County election officials must complete final counts of all 15.3 million votes cast by Dec. 5, and Weber has until Dec. 13 to certify the results. The vast majority of California voters use vote-by-mail, which slows down the vote-counting process.

“We have to open envelopes, we have to verify the signature, and all of those things before we can actually accept that ballot,” Weber said during a press conference the week after the election. “We have to make sure that that’s the person who actually sent the ballot in.”

But that’s not the whole story. The later deadlines have led to slower counts, as counties with strained election resources have no incentive to pay workers overtime to count votes around the clock.

And each year, the state legislature passes more laws lengthening the process. Under state law, counties must notify voters if their ballot isn’t accepted because of a missing or questionable signature so they can “cure” their ballot by signing a form verifying its authenticity. This year, the California legislature extended the time voters must respond to the notice and return the signed form. They now have until Dec. 1.

Republicans, on a national basis, have ridiculed the process, arguing that the system is vulnerable to cheating. They also point to the state’s “ballot harvesting” law, which went into effect in 2016 and allows any individual to return stacks of ballots to an unattended drop box or county elections office. Before that law, only a member of the same household could return a voter’s ballot.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis used the late vote-counting last week to take a shot at California, continuing the heated rivalry between the two states – and between DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

“California is still ‘counting’ votes — and there are two congressional races where the leads enjoyed by GOP incumbents have been either eliminated or dramatically reduced long after Election Day,” DeSantis posted on X.com. “It is possible that Republicans lose one or both of these seats — making the House majority razor thin. California’s election system is a disgrace, and the state should follow Arizona’s lead, recognize the need for an overhaul, and enact transparent reforms.”

But any efforts to speed up the process are unlikely as long as Democrats maintain a supermajority in both state legislature chambers. The U.S. Constitution gives states the power to set up and run elections as they see fit, frustrating Republican officials who have to play by the Democratic-set rules even if they strongly disagree with them.

Earlier this year, voters in Huntington Beach, a conservative-leaning city in Orange County, approved a law requiring voter identification in city elections starting in 2026. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democrats in the legislature reacted to it by passing a law prohibiting local governments from adopting voter ID laws. California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Weber also sued the city, arguing that Huntington Beach’s requirement unlawfully conflicts with state law and impedes citizens’ “right to freely cast” their votes without imposing what he called a “hardship” burden on low-income voters, minorities, young and elderly voters, and people with disabilities.

On Nov. 16, an Orange County judge rejected the attorney general’s lawsuit, and the ruling could help clear the way for Huntington Beach and other cities across the state to implement ID requirements for voting. Bonta vowed to appeal the decision, arguing that it didn’t address “the merits of the case.”

“We disagree with the court’s decision that it is too early to bring our lawsuit and remain confident in the strength of our case,” Bonta said.

Still, the court ruling is encouraging Republicans in conservative strongholds where votes have little trust in the current election system.

“I would be a lot more confident in the process if we actually had voter ID,” Sen. Brian Dahle, who represents a largely rural district just south of Oregon, told RealClearPolitics. “You can’t buy a pack of cigarettes in the state without having an ID. It’s ludicrous to think we’re going to let people vote without one. There’s just a lot of opportunity for people to take advantage of the system.”

For now, California Republican officials say they have little choice but to play by the Democrats’ rules, trying to use them to their advantage when possible. During Millan Patterson’s tenure, the state party developed a far more robust ground game, developing a ballot harvesting operation, scrutinizing vote-counting, and curing ballots after Election Day.

Over the last three election cycles, the GOP efforts to scrutinize vote-counting and cure ballots paid off, but its effectiveness this year is still up in the air.

In 2020, Millan Patterson said the party had poll watchers to monitor 60% of all ballots. That year, Rep. Mike Garcia, a Republican locked in a tight race for a seat previously held by a Democrat, beat his challenger, Christy Smith, by 333 votes. But this year Garcia lost 51%-49% to George Whitesides, with 95% of the votes counted.

In 2022, the state party had volunteers and lawyers scrutinizing 93% of all vote-counting. That year, Republican John Duarte won against Assemblyman Adam Grey by 560 votes. In a rematch this year, Gray leads Duarte by 182 votes, with 95% counted, as of Tuesday night. In the other closely contested race in Orange County, Democrat Derek Tran leads GOP Rep. Michelle Steel by 613 votes, as of Tuesday night.

Also, in 2022, Greg Wallis, a GOP candidate, was locked in one of the closest Assembly races in history. After nearly all votes were counted, Republican officials worked to cure an undisclosed number of ballots, and Wallis won by 87 votes.

“In those types of incredibly close races, you have a lot of scrutiny over those and protesting ballots,” said Dahle, who is term-limited out of his seat. His wife, Megan, ran a successful race to replace him, winning 76% of the vote.

Still, there’s little doubt that the Golden State shifted decidedly toward Republicans this year. Millan Patterson credited Trump with moving nearly every county across California to the right, with several counties flipping from voting for Joe Biden in 2020 to voting for Trump in 2024. Every county also voted to approve Proposition 36, a tough-on-crime measure aimed at strengthening sentencing after a decade of lenient prosecutions across the state.

The California Republican Party coordinated with the Republican National Committee and county committees to deploy what she called “the largest election integrity infrastructure” the party has had. Republicans enlisted thousands of trained volunteers and more attorneys to help monitor vote-counting and cure ballots in the most targeted districts. In total, this team helped cure roughly 3,500 ballots after Election Day, with most taking place in the two most highly contested elections, the Duarte and Steel races.

“We can’t change the rules until we get more Republicans elected,” she said. “While it’s frustrating, we’re going to continue to do the work necessary to cure every legal ballot and make sure that they are counted so that we can have confidence in these elections.”

First elected in 2019, Millan Patterson has worked to help Republicans develop their own ballot harvesting ground game, coordinating with churches and recruiting thousands of volunteers to hold barbecues and other events where ballots are collected en masse and later dropped off at county election offices. Before Election Day, Patterson said the GOP collected 33,000 ballots through the effort. It’s hard to compare that with the Democrats’ efforts because they are more tight-lipped about their ballot-harvesting results.

During Millan Patterson’s tenure, the party has added at least 775,000 new Republicans to the voter rolls, gaining in every county and flipping two targeted districts red, after losing voter registrations over several years prior. Ric Grenell, Trump’s former U.S. ambassador to Germany who is under consideration to serve as his envoy on Ukraine, led a significant registration drive through his “Fix California” group over the last few years.

Susan Crabtree is RealClearPolitics’ national political correspondent.