Waiting For It,
Surplus Energy Economics, Building the Biggest Bang COULD AI MANIA CRASH THE WORLD FINANCIAL SYSTEM?
Most people presumably know by now that we’ve been building a gigantic bubble in AI, and that this bubble is destined to burst. The scale of risk involved is large, and some of the characteristics of that risk are extraordinary.
Its denouement – perhaps in conjunction with the bursting of the contemporaneous bubble in cryptocurrencies – might prove very much more value-destructive than the global financial crisis of 2008-09.
But what very few seem to have noticed, however, is the sequential character of these ‘bouts of irrational exuberance’.
As we shall see – and beyond its sheer size – the AI craze has some distinctive features all of its own.
But the dynamic at work here is one of successive attempts to delay and disguise the inflexion of the underlying economy of material products and services from growth into contraction.
The operative myth is that monetary innovation can reinvigorate a flagging material economy...
..The mechanism at work here is one by which the consequences of each bout of financial excess lead on to ever-greater exercises in recklessness.Most people presumably know by now that we’ve been building a gigantic bubble in AI, and that this bubble is destined to burst. The scale of risk involved is large, and some of the characteristics of that risk are extraordinary.
Its denouement – perhaps in conjunction with the bursting of the contemporaneous bubble in cryptocurrencies – might prove very much more value-destructive than the global financial crisis of 2008-09.
But what very few seem to have noticed, however, is the sequential character of these ‘bouts of irrational exuberance’.
As we shall see – and beyond its sheer size – the AI craze has some distinctive features all of its own.
But the dynamic at work here is one of successive attempts to delay and disguise the inflexion of the underlying economy of material products and services from growth into contraction.
The operative myth is that monetary innovation can reinvigorate a flagging material economy...
We can trace a sequence which began in the 1990s with attempts to reinvigorate a flagging economy with the super-rapid creation of credit. When this culminated in the GFC, the authorities were more or less compelled to respond with ultra-loose monetary policies.
These sequential processes have been described here as an arc of inevitability.
At the same time, 2008 was a massive exercise in moral hazard – investors who have once been rescued from the consequences of their follies or misfortunes naturally assume that they will be bailed out from any future excesses, even though a repeat of the rescue of 2008 has long since ceased to be a practical possibility.
Once these processes are understood – as a self-driving dynamic of excess in conflict with material economic contraction – it becomes self-evident that the creation of bubbles in a climate of recklessness cannot end until the global financial system collapses. https://surplusenergyeconomics.wordpress.com/2025/10/23/313-building-the-biggest-bang/#like-45307
This is how it is routinely done: America’s Sixth Default Is Coming—What It Means for Gold and Your Wealth https://internationalman.com/articles/americas-sixth-default-is-coming-what-it-means-for-gold-and-your-wealth/
During a conference call with investors last week, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon made a memorable response to a question from Wells Fargo analyst Mike Mayo about the collapse of a subprime auto lender called Tricolor that cost the bank $170 million. Tricolor went bankrupt due to allegations of fraud, including double-pledging of collateral, which led lenders to halt financing.
“Mike, you should assume that whenever something like that happens, we scour all process, all procedures, all underwriting, all everything, and we think we’re okay in other stuff,” said Dimon. “But I – my antenna goes up when things like that happen. And I probably shouldn’t say this, but when you see one cockroach, there are probably more.”
Dimon’s instinct about there being more big credit problems lurking beneath the surface of the US economy is correct, but even he may not fully appreciate the scale of the threat. The collapse of auto parts maker First Brands has revealed an enormous fraud at the center of the $2 trillion market for leveraged loans. Based on losses reported so far and the numerous acts of fraud emerging, half of the leverage loan market may end up being lost to investors. https://dailyreckoning.com/the-bezzel-is-it-1925-all-over-again/
“Mike, you should assume that whenever something like that happens, we scour all process, all procedures, all underwriting, all everything, and we think we’re okay in other stuff,” said Dimon. “But I – my antenna goes up when things like that happen. And I probably shouldn’t say this, but when you see one cockroach, there are probably more.”
Dimon’s instinct about there being more big credit problems lurking beneath the surface of the US economy is correct, but even he may not fully appreciate the scale of the threat. The collapse of auto parts maker First Brands has revealed an enormous fraud at the center of the $2 trillion market for leveraged loans. Based on losses reported so far and the numerous acts of fraud emerging, half of the leverage loan market may end up being lost to investors. https://dailyreckoning.com/the-bezzel-is-it-1925-all-over-again/
Interesting move to stabilize some risky, and potentially useful, companies:
"As If Millions Of Shorts Suddenly Cried Out In Terror": Trump Admin To Take Equity Stakes In Quantum Computing Firms https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/if-millions-shorts-suddenly-cried-out-terror-trump-admin-take-equity-stakes-quantumCan't make cars without them? What do you mean? Nexperia-Linked Chip Shortages Ripple Through Global Auto Supply Chain, From Germany To Japan https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/nexperia-linked-chip-shortages-ripple-through-global-auto-supply-chain-germany-japan
Thanks Kultsommer: Mikey McCoy, Charlie Kirk's friend and Manager at Turning Point USA, rode with him to his last engagement, video-recorded him there until he was shot, then immediately, calmly walked away. Jimmy Dore presents the video sequence of this unusual behavior, as everybody else freaked out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jCy5KrxQqo
Simplicius, EU Declares War On Its Own Members
..Two near-simultaneous acts of sabotage saw explosions ripping through oil refineries in both Hungary and Romania. In Hungary it was the MOL in Százhalombatta, which reportedly receives Russian oil, while in Romania the Petrotel-Lukoil, a subsidiary of the Russian parent company. As one commentator writes, these attacks came literally hours after the European Council had just approved to ban Russian gas starting in 2026...
..The real attacks on Romania and Hungary came just days after Europe essentially gave carte blanche for terror attacks across the EU by way of several top European officials openly condoning not only the Nord Stream attacks, but even attacks against Hungarian oil pipelines...
A post from an X user summarizes the situation well:
It looks like the UK and the EU started a terrorist war against their own members, allais with the help of a non-EU country. Yep. That’s how far this madness has gone. And it is pure madness, make no mistake. Anyone who thinks this is a coincidence after a few days ago Polish PM Donald Tusk declared on X that all “Russian targets” in the EU are legitimate is retarded. Unfortunately, this madness and these words of a madman lead to the first victims among innocent civilians in the EU.
On the night of October 20-21, 2025, an explosion occurred at the MOL refinery in Százhalombatta, Hungary, followed by a significant fire. The company confirmed the fire was contained with no casualties, and the cause is under investigation. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has assured that the country’s fuel supply remains secure. The refinery mainly processes Russian oil, an exception in the EU, where most countries have reduced Russian energy imports since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
A few hours earlier, on October 20, another explosion occurred at the Lukoil refinery in Ploieşti, Romania. The incident resulted in at least one death. Lukoil is a Russian oil company, and Romania is a member of NATO and the EU.
Now these explosions, within the days of Putin and Trump’s meeting in Hungary to discuss the Ukrainian conflict, come after Trump’s refusal to sell Tomahawk missiles that would allow attacking the Russian Federation from a distance. Ukraine’s SBU waited no longer to act, at a stage when the Ukrainian issue approached an unfavourable epilogue to the Ukrainian dictatorship. With these terrorist attacks in “allied” countries, they pressure the Hungarian and Romanian entities to reject Russian fuels, critical to their economy, as a sort of “indirect attack on Putin”, a “power play” that only resulted in the death of innocent people. https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/eu-declares-war-on-its-own-members
A post from an X user summarizes the situation well:
It looks like the UK and the EU started a terrorist war against their own members, allais with the help of a non-EU country. Yep. That’s how far this madness has gone. And it is pure madness, make no mistake. Anyone who thinks this is a coincidence after a few days ago Polish PM Donald Tusk declared on X that all “Russian targets” in the EU are legitimate is retarded. Unfortunately, this madness and these words of a madman lead to the first victims among innocent civilians in the EU.
On the night of October 20-21, 2025, an explosion occurred at the MOL refinery in Százhalombatta, Hungary, followed by a significant fire. The company confirmed the fire was contained with no casualties, and the cause is under investigation. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has assured that the country’s fuel supply remains secure. The refinery mainly processes Russian oil, an exception in the EU, where most countries have reduced Russian energy imports since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
A few hours earlier, on October 20, another explosion occurred at the Lukoil refinery in Ploieşti, Romania. The incident resulted in at least one death. Lukoil is a Russian oil company, and Romania is a member of NATO and the EU.
Now these explosions, within the days of Putin and Trump’s meeting in Hungary to discuss the Ukrainian conflict, come after Trump’s refusal to sell Tomahawk missiles that would allow attacking the Russian Federation from a distance. Ukraine’s SBU waited no longer to act, at a stage when the Ukrainian issue approached an unfavourable epilogue to the Ukrainian dictatorship. With these terrorist attacks in “allied” countries, they pressure the Hungarian and Romanian entities to reject Russian fuels, critical to their economy, as a sort of “indirect attack on Putin”, a “power play” that only resulted in the death of innocent people. https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/eu-declares-war-on-its-own-members
Andrew Korybko, Hungary Has Good Reason To Be Enraged About Poland’s Ruling On The Nord Stream Suspect
He then wrote on X: “Scandalous: according to Poland, if you don’t like an infrastructure in Europe, you can blow it up. With this, they gave advance permission for terrorist attacks in Europe. Poland has not only released but is celebrating a terrorist—this is what European rule of law has come to.” https://korybko.substack.com/p/hungary-has-good-reason-to-be-enraged
Sundance, from Rusty: EU Is Going to Have Their NATO War Against Russia – With or Without President Trump – And It Gets Worse
On Monday and Tuesday, Russian oil refineries in NATO countries Hungary and Romania suddenly, and simultaneously, have mysterious explosions and catastrophic fires {citation}}. On Wednesday, NATO head Mark Rutte comes to visit President Trump in the White House, and at the end of the day, the same Russian company, Lukoil, whose refinery exploded in Romania, suddenly becomes sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury {citation}. These events are not disconnected. President Trump then disputes a Wall Street Journal report {citation}, further saying he did not give approval, nor does he know where NATO long-range missiles are coming from that were launched from Ukraine into Russia...
..Alarmingly, both the Wall Street Journal and President Trump are seemingly correct.
President Trump did not give authorization; however, he did cede authority to NATO to make independent decisions about long-range missiles. The U.K. provided the British storm shadow missiles, and Ukraine launched them with NATO support for targeting deep into Russia.
President Trump saying, “wherever they may come from,” is alarming in itself. We all know that British PM Starmer, French President Macron, German Chancellor Merz and NATO Secretary Mark Rutte are all in alignment to push NATO into a direct conflict with Russia using the non-NATO state of Ukraine to do it.
The frustrating part is not the obtuse deflection by President Trump – perhaps he really doesn’t know – but rather the alarming issue of questioning whether President Trump is getting accurate information from the U.S. intelligence apparatus to make sound decisions. President Trump has abdicated the conflict decision-making to the NATO “coalition of the willing”, while the USA remains in NATO as a sideline observer.
The European members of NATO want war with Russia. President Trump does not want war with Russia, yet remains tied to NATO as they push toward war with Russia. This is not going to end well. https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2025/10/22/eu-is-going-to-have-their-nato-war-against-russia-with-or-without-president-trump-and-it-gets-worse/
Andrew Korybko, Germany Stands To Lose & Poland To Gain From The EU’s Latest Energy Move
The European Council decreed that the import of Russian gas will be banned across the bloc next year, but with varying lengths of grace periods for countries with short- and long-term contracts, the longest of which will last till 1 January 2028. https://korybko.substack.com/p/germany-stands-to-lose-and-poland
Purely coincidental timing: Putin Oversees Major Russian Nuclear Drill, Launches ICBMs https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/putin-oversees-major-russian-nuclear-drill-launches-icbms
Mike Mihajlovic explains the usage of and defenses against a critical war-of-attrittion weapon: Gliding FABs - The True Menace [i] Renaissance of the Bomb - Gliding FABs Part II https://bmanalysis.substack.com/p/gliding-fabs-the-true-menace-i
This morning, for the first time; motor-assisted for extended range? Russian forces have attacked the Odessa region with guided bombs for the first time https://odessa-journal.com/russian-forces-have-attacked-the-odessa-region-with-guided-bombs-for-the-first-time
To whom should we send the bill? Zelensky Signs Letter Of Intent To Acquire Whopping 150 Swedish Fighter Jets Over Next 10-15 Years https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/zelensky-signs-letter-intent-acquire-whopping-150-swedish-fighter-jets-over-next-10-15
3 days ago: Lavrov and Rubio Expected to Meet Oct. 30 – FT https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/10/21/lavrov-and-rubio-discuss-putin-trump-summit-a90875
Helena Glass, The Billionaire Club Stalls Russia Peace Negotiations. “More Sanctions on Russia”
Marco Rubio’s talks with Lavrov hit a wall when Rubio demanded a freeze which Russia has denied as an option for two years. An obvious US blitzkrieg to deflect from the true intent.
Despite the non-action of a ‘freeze’ having been quite vocally renounced multiple times, Rubio was scripted to offer it again knowing it was a petty level of strategy. But then Rubio’s entire career has been a mottled version of political entanglements with little accomplishments to garner him the prestigious title he was bestowed by Trump – Secretary of State.
Given the fraught tactics, discussions between Trump and Putin fell apart and the pro-Russia stance was once again derailed. Why? Both Colombia and Venezuela have insinuated a desire to join BRICS. Trump is desperately attempting to coup both countries with western puppets in order to intervene in a BRICS alliance that could further disrupt America’s hegemony, and Russia is a central opponent to that end. Rubio was likely scripted to assure disruption of Russian Peace.
As long as Russia is at war with Ukraine, BRICS expansion is slowed. And undermining the stability of countries looking to join begs for time...
..Timing is everything. With the assault on Palestine fading, US military weapons can be diverted to destroying other countries in hopes of bullying submission similar to the acumen of Israeli assaults – kill civilians and blame the Government as justification. Yet, the value of US munitions and intel in Israel is minimal when compared to the hundreds of billions lost on Ukraine – a despot of illegal trafficking as a minion of The Greater Israel initiative.
The goal is to destroy Russia’s economy, bring Putin to his knees in defeat, and divvy up the spoils of war just as the west did subsequent to WWI and WWII. Which of course managed to ensure future conflicts and wars as a direct result.
Given France, the UK and Germany are losing their footholds in Africa, being literally kicked out of various colonized subsets and left floundering for resources to rape, Russia is their last bastion of thievery. IF they can take Russia, the South America enclaves will collapse easily. The idea being to divide the Russia into colonies based on equivalent resources. The end result would succeed in turning the current citizens into slave peasants in line with the globalization agenda stipulated in the 2030 deadline. The goal is to destroy Russia’s economy, bring Putin to his knees in defeat, and divvy up the spoils of war just as the west did subsequent to WWI and WWII. Which of course managed to ensure future conflicts and wars as a direct result.
Why did Trump succumb to these protocols? The Billionaire Club. The Club George Carlan loved to discuss in his comedy routines. The Club we will never be admitted to. The Club wherein every patron envisions themselves as one of the tribe of pagan gods of Earth. https://www.globalresearch.ca/billionaire-club-stalls-russia-peace/5903582
Moon of Alabama, Trump Fails To End His Proxy War With Russia
At the August summit in Anchorage with President Vladimir Putin of Russia Trump had aimed at a ceasefire along the frontline in Ukraine. But Putin made clear that the war required a long term solution of the underlying problem, NATO enlargement, and that a preliminary ceasefire would not be helpful in that regard. Russia also demanded full control of the Donbas and other regions. Trump did agree to that and announced it as the brilliant result of the talks. This was his first turn on the issue.
But Ukraine’s (former) President Zelenski rejected any retreat from the regions Russia intends to acquire. European politicians, who fear losing the war against Russia, chimed in. Republican war hawks in Congress likewise put pressure on Trump.
A month after the talks in Alaska Trump again changed his position. This was his second turn. He criticized Putin and threatened Russia with new sanctions. Talk about sending Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine crept up.
A day before Zelenski was supposed to visit the White House Putin preemptively intervened by holding a phone call with Donald Trump. There followed another, the third, change in mind. Trump announced that there would soon be another summit. The Kremlin was more cautious with that claim. It said that a summit would need extensive preparation.
The Europeans, Zelenski and Republican hawks immediately renewed their campaign against any agreement with Russia.
A phone call between the Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov followed. After the call any further preparations for another summit were called off.
Trump turned again – the fourth time – and again demanded a ceasefire in Ukraine. The Russians said that this constitutes a breach of the agreements reached during the Anchorage talks. https://www.moonofalabama.org/2025/10/trump-fails-to-find-a-way-out-of-his-war-with-russia.html
John Helmer, NOW THE NEW PHASE OF THE ELECTRIC WAR
The daily record of Russian drone and missile strikes across the Ukraine shows not only an escalation in the scale and firepower of the electric war but also a new strategy of targeting designed by the General Staff ...“The General Staff goal appears to be blackout east of the Dnieper and excess or lack of power generation in the west,” comments an expert source; he is an electrical engineer and veteran of NATO electric war campaigns. “If the Ukrainians can’t make up for the generation losses in the east via transfers from the west — which they won’t be able to do as the switch stations and transmission lines are being destroyed — then it’s black-out in Dniepropetrovsk, Chernigov, Poltava, Sumy, and Kharkov. West of the Dnieper River, this could create a situation where the Kiev government will be forced to shut down reactors. The reason is that generating too much electricity can be almost as bad as not generating enough in terms of the effect on frequency. ” https://johnhelmer.net/now-the-new-phase-of-the-electric-war/At least 44 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza on Sunday despite ceasefire https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israeli-premier-says-153-tons-of-bombs-dropped-on-gaza-admits-breach-of-ceasefire-deal/3722145
An illegal Israeli "settler"-operated armored bulldozer hit live ordnance: US knew fatal Rafah blast cause was not Hamas op. https://en.mehrnews.com/news/237904/US-knew-fatal-Rafah-blast-cause-was-not-Hamas-op
Security developments suggest Israel is preparing new forms of covert warfare … According to informed sources, Israel’s demands from Lebanon mirror those made to Damascus: a public and complete disarmament of Hezbollah, the establishment of a demilitarized zone south of the Awali River, and the exclusion of UN supervision, effectively turning Lebanon’s south into a security belt under Israeli control.
Israeli concern over Hezbollah’s resilience is mounting (Ibrahim Al-Amine, Al-Akhbar):
Washington is leading a campaign to choke off every possible flow of funds to Hezbollah by targeting money transfer networks and curbing expatriate remittances … a full-scale security operation extends into Beirut’s airport, port, and border crossings, where Western intelligence units have expanded their presence. The UAE, fully aligned with the US approach, has adopted parallel steps.
Israeli concern over Hezbollah’s resilience is mounting … Israeli media outlets describe the northern front as “highly sensitive”. Despite heavy losses, Hezbollah continues to rebuild its strength, recover weapons from damaged depots, and reinforce its offensive and defensive capacities. https://conflictsforum.substack.com/p/the-era-of-international-mediation
Israeli concern over Hezbollah’s resilience is mounting (Ibrahim Al-Amine, Al-Akhbar):
Washington is leading a campaign to choke off every possible flow of funds to Hezbollah by targeting money transfer networks and curbing expatriate remittances … a full-scale security operation extends into Beirut’s airport, port, and border crossings, where Western intelligence units have expanded their presence. The UAE, fully aligned with the US approach, has adopted parallel steps.
Israeli concern over Hezbollah’s resilience is mounting … Israeli media outlets describe the northern front as “highly sensitive”. Despite heavy losses, Hezbollah continues to rebuild its strength, recover weapons from damaged depots, and reinforce its offensive and defensive capacities. https://conflictsforum.substack.com/p/the-era-of-international-mediation
53 military seizure orders issued by Israel to expand control over West Bank since beginning of 2025, according to Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israel-seizes-70-000-square-meters-of-west-banks-land-report/3721699
Gaza’s olive groves have been bulldozed by the Israeli military, dried up from lack of water, or remain inaccessible, leaving Palestinian farmers with little to harvest. https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/gaza-olive-groves-oil-farmers-israel-war
Martin Jay, Gaza ceasefire is an illusion – starvation and killings still continuing
The ceasefire is really all about boosting Trump’s credibility as a statesman and giving Netanyahu breathing space to re-equip his army, ahead of an inevitable war with Iran. It is anything but a peace deal with the Palestinians but more of a bluff which was really about giving Netanyahu a shot in the arm amongst voters as he gets the credit for bringing back the hostages. But what is the real story? What is behind all this and reports of ISIS fighters being shipped in to take on Hamas? What we are witnessing is an illusion on a grand scale. Israel has not really stopped its military campaign against the Palestinians there and is still killing Gazans on a daily basis. It is also not feeding them as legacy media likes to assert but in reality the starvation policy is still in place. https://strategic-culture.su/news/2025/10/21/gaza-ceasefire-is-an-illusion-starvation-and-killings-still-continuing/
The topics have been sanguinary and cruel in their consistency: starvation, the restriction of humanitarian aid, policies of racial segregation and apartheid, population displacements masquerading as evacuation orders and the possibility (to be officially ruled upon) that Israel has committed genocide in the enclave.
The October 22 advisory opinion is the first to be handed down after the ceasefire centred on the straining 20-point peace plan of President Donald Trump. The view of the Court was sought by the United Nations General Assembly in December on Israel’s obligations as both a UN member and an occupying power, towards the body’s agencies and other relevant international entities operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The request was prompted by Israel’s passage of two laws on October 28, 2024 banning any activity by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on Israeli soil and areas of its control and prohibiting state agencies from having contact with UNRWA. These actions effectively excluded an aid body familiar with the vicissitudes and problems of supplying assistance to Palestinian civilians, leaving the way open for the murderous invigilating model of distribution run by the US-Israeli backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation...
..Of enormous irritation to the Israeli authorities is the continued insistence on cooperation with UNRWA. Israel’s obligations, along with other Member States, to cooperate with the UN “with respect to the question of Palestine is of paramount importance in addressing the critical situation on the ground since October 2023, in which the United Nations, together with other actors, plays a crucial role in delivering and co-ordinating humanitarian aid and development assistance to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in particular through UNRWA in the Gaza Strip”. The October 22 advisory opinion is the first to be handed down after the ceasefire centred on the straining 20-point peace plan of President Donald Trump. The view of the Court was sought by the United Nations General Assembly in December on Israel’s obligations as both a UN member and an occupying power, towards the body’s agencies and other relevant international entities operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The request was prompted by Israel’s passage of two laws on October 28, 2024 banning any activity by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on Israeli soil and areas of its control and prohibiting state agencies from having contact with UNRWA. These actions effectively excluded an aid body familiar with the vicissitudes and problems of supplying assistance to Palestinian civilians, leaving the way open for the murderous invigilating model of distribution run by the US-Israeli backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation...
While Israel was, as an occupying power, free to pick the humanitarian organisations of its own choosing, Article 59 of the Fourth Geneva Convention limited “an occupying Power’s discretion in so far as it requires that Power to allow and facilitate sufficient relief to ensure that the population is adequately supplied.” UNRWA, in that regard, has shown itself to be “an indispensable provider of humanitarian relief in the Gaza Strip” thereby obligating Israel to deal with it.
In brutal contrast, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, along with the private security firm Safe Reach Solutions, had overseen a constricted aid system characterised by “chaotic and militarized distribution centres unable to deliver aid at the scope and scale needed.” As of September 2025, over 2,100 Palestinians had been killed seeking humanitarian assistance at or in proximity to the distribution sites. https://www.globalresearch.ca/unrwa-icj-israel-humanitarian-aid-gaza/5903588
The president will meet with Xi on the sidelines of a summit in South Korea later this month https://news.antiwar.com/2025/10/20/trump-says-china-doesnt-want-to-invade-taiwan/
This will seriously hurt a LOT of Americans: What Are The Chances Of A Food Stamp Collapse In November? https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/what-are-chances-food-stamp-collapse-november
Escape Key says this is like "vaccine passports", Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism How carbon-backed CBDCs will come to be
When the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) levies begin on 1 January 2026, most people will see it as just another tariff — a border charge on imports based on their carbon footprint. What they won’t see is that CBAM is the first layer of a complete control architecture that, when fully deployed, will condition every transaction on carbon compliance — and eventually, any other parameter governments choose to encode. https://escapekey.substack.com/p/carbon-border-adjustment-mechanism
More from ESC: The Financialisation of Compliance
The infrastructure to make this work is being built right now by the world’s most powerful financial institutions, and they’re surprisingly explicit about it. What’s more: it’s no longer just pilots and prototypes. Parts of this system are already operational. https://escapekey.substack.com/p/the-financialisation-of-compliance
It's hard to get it to the floor. ‘We’re going to have a vote’ on member stock trading, key GOP hard-liner says
Rep. Chip Roy said there’s still bipartisan interest in forcing a floor vote on congressional trading. https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/10/20/congress/chip-roy-stock-trading-vote-00615272Mostly lithium they can pump water down into and extract as brine: New Generation Of Industries Emerges In Texas As Rare Earths Race Ignites https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/new-generation-industries-emerges-texas-rare-earths-race-ignites
Not so long ago "infection" was not known as a thing: How Germ Theory Sparked The Sanitary Revolution... And Life Expectancy Skyrocketed https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/how-germ-theory-sparked-sanitary-revolutionand-life-expectancy-skyrocketed
Really, exactly, to completely replace physicians ASAP: AI Is Coming For Your Doctor
IM Doc has been giving regular reports from the front, particularly on the accelerating crapification of medical care in the US. You may recall his horrorshow experience with AI, as in having it forced on him for the transcription of patient notes and having the output not simply have many important errors but even complete fabrications. He has a new report below about how his hospital plans to roll out sweeping changes implemented via the widely-used billing/records system Epic, that amount to turning diagnosis and care decisions over to AI. https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/10/ai-is-coming-for-your-doctor.html
Take good care of your health and keep your old Toyota well-maintained: A New Car vs. Health Insurance? Average Family Job-Based Coverage Hits $27K https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/10/a-new-car-vs-health-insurance-average-family-job-based-coverage-hits-27k.html
We don't want to offend our benefactors. A Midwestern Doctor, How Vaccine Brain Injuries Were Rebranded and Erased From Memory
Exposing the games they always play to hide vaccine injuries To dodge this massive liability, all research into vaccine injuries (and many other catastrophes like Agent Orange) was suppressed so that health authorities could claim there was “no evidence” of vaccine harm.
Another scheme was to redefine the brain injury as “autism” rather than encephalitis (which the US government was legally required to provide injury compensation for). https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/how-vaccine-brain-injuries-were-rebranded
If you do the tests... NEW STUDY: 91% of Moderna mRNA Shot Recipients Develop Cardiovascular Side Effects with Measurable Arterial Dysfunction
Spectral pulse-wave analysis revealed significant post-vaccine cardiovascular dysfunction consistent with increased arterial stiffness and impaired vascular function. https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/new-study-91-of-moderna-mrna-shotPeer-reviewed study found human DNA fragments in fetal cell–derived vaccines exceeding the FDA limit by up to 2,760% and mapped their potential integration sites to genes associated with autism. https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/study-childhood-vaccines-contain
Thinning the human herd: 2.23 Million-Person Study Finds Pneumococcal Vaccines Increase Risk of Pneumonia and Death
Sweat the Lead Out: Health Benefits of Sweating - Embarrassing perspiration has many redeeming properties. https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/health-benefits-of-sweating
A Midwestern Doctor advises fresh vegetables, exercising outdoors, squatting to poop, and relaxing: Why You’re Constipated—and How to Fix It Naturally
Tools for ending the silent epidemic of constipation https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/why-youre-constipatedand-how-to-fix Whither Food in the Twenty-First Century?
Our so-called “food system” is a complete mess, one that must be set to rights if the people are to have a chance of thriving in the coming years, which are likely to be stressful because of other messes. This dire situation has been described in Food Fight: From Plunder and Profit to People and Planet by Stuart Gillispie (September 2025)...
..The problem we face now is the simple fact that our global food system is an anachronism. In the last century it has performed miracles [1], but in this one it’s a source of jeopardy. We should not speak of reform and repair, because it’s not actually broken. The system we have is working just the way those who control it want it to work. For capitalism to sustain itself, it needs to generate (continually increasing) profit (through growth instead of development). And in 2025, after nearly fifty years of neoliberalism, the most profitable food system is the one that manufactures ultra-processed products which are marketed aggressively across the world. https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/10/whither-food-in-the-twenty-first-century.htmlAvoiding Industrial Foolike Products (pictured mowing a green spot recently)
