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Why has hunger in America absolutely exploded during the past 4 years?  And why are store closings in the United States on pace to set a brand new record high this year?  A lot of people out there don’t want to admit that the U.S. economy has been crumbling for a long time.  One recent survey discovered that 70 percent of Americans are the most financially stressed that they have ever been in their entire lives.  That figure alone tells us that we have a major economic crisis on our hands.  The cost of living has been rising much faster than paychecks have been, and most of the country is just barely scraping by from month to month.  Anyone that attempts to deny this is simply not living in reality.

According to Axios, 15.6 percent of Americans are now dealing with food insecurity.  Sadly, that figure has nearly doubled since 2021…

In May, 15.6% of adults were food insecure, almost double the rate in 2021. At that time Congress had beefed up SNAP benefits and expanded the Child Tax Credit driving down poverty rates, and giving people more money for food.

This is where we are at guys.

Millions upon millions of Americans are going hungry on a regular basis, and demand at food banks all over the nation has skyrocketed.

For example, demand at a food bank network in Philadelphia is up 120 percent over the past three years…

In Philadelphia, the Share Food Program, a major food bank network, has reported a 120% increase in demand over the past three years. “As soon as the government support pulled back in 2022, we started to see the numbers go up,” the outlet quoted Executive Director George Matysik as saying.

And the Atlanta Community Food Bank is reporting that demand is up 60 percent over the past three years…

New data shows food insecurity is worsening across Georgia, with the Atlanta Community Food Bank reporting a 60% increase in demand for meals over the past three years.

According to a study by Feeding America, one in five children and one in ten seniors in Georgia are facing hunger. The issue is particularly severe in the South, where nearly 90% of counties with high food insecurity rates are located.

Unfortunately, a large percentage of Georgians – over 57% — don’t meet the criteria for federal assistance like SNAP.

Those that are trying to convince us that everything is okay just need to stop.

Everything is most definitely not okay.

If things were okay, U.S. store closings would not be on pace to set a brand new all-time record high this year…

Store closures across the U.S. continue to rise, and remain on track to far significantly surpass both new openings and the figures seen in 2024.

According to a new report from research and advisory firm Coresight Research, cited by CoStar News, 5,822 store closures were recorded as of June 27, compared to 3,496 closures announced during the same period of 2024.

There is no way that you can spin those numbers.

Stores are either closing or they are not.

Meanwhile, large employers throughout the nation continue to conduct mass layoffs.

Today, we learned that Intel is giving the axe to hundreds of workers in Oregon…

Intel plans to lay off 529 Oregon employees by July 15, according to a notice newly filed with state workforce officials. These are the first of sweeping job cuts that will ultimately eliminate several thousand positions across the company.

The chipmaker will cut jobs at all its major Oregon campuses and across various business units. Engineers comprise nearly 300 of the Oregon workers losing their jobs in this round of layoffs, according to Intel’s filing.

And Levi Strauss has decided to eliminate hundreds of jobs in Kentucky…

Levi Strauss & Co. is axing hundreds of jobs by closing a distribution center in Hebron, Kentucky.

The company, known worldwide for its iconic denim, is axing 346 jobs as a result of the closure.

The layoffs are expected to begin on August 18 or during a 14-day period beginning on that date.

This reminds me so much of 2008 and 2009.

And just like 2008 and 2009, home sales have fallen to extremely depressing levels.

At this stage, condo sales are dropping particularly rapidly…

Sales are sliding just as fast. Markets like Dallas, Palm Bay, Port St. Lucie, and Orlando saw condo sales drop over 30 percent year-over-year, with Florida again dominating the list of hardest-hit areas. Condo prices are falling for a number of reasons. One major factor is that the market is flooded. There are 80 percent more condo sellers than buyers.

The condo bubble has officially burst, and prices are now absolutely plunging in markets that were once considered to be very hot…

The biggest condo price drops are hitting Florida and Texas. In May, Deltona, Florida saw prices fall over 32 percent year-over-year — the steepest decline nationwide. Crestview, Florida (down 32 percent), Houston, Texas (down 23 percent), Tampa, Florida (down 19 percent), and Oakland, California (down 20 percent) also faced sharp drops. Seven of the top ten metros with the largest price declines were in Florida, two in Texas. Sellers in parts of Florida have had to drop prices below $10,000.

Can anyone out there dispute the facts that I have just presented?

Of course not.

Economic conditions really have gotten worse than they once were.

The primary reason why the Democrats lost the last election is because the economy deteriorated substantially while Joe Biden was in the White House.

Today, most Americans can remember a time when they were doing much better than they are at this moment.

Unfortunately, decades of incredibly bad decisions really have brought us to the precipice of an economic catastrophe.

So let us hope that our leaders make much better decisions from this point forward.

And let us do what we can to support those that are working with the poor and hungry, because there are so many of our fellow Americans that are deeply suffering right now.

Michael’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written nine other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

Is there a possibility that a cataclysmic eruption of Mt. Rainier could occur in the not too distant future?  On Tuesday morning, Mt. Rainier was shaken by over 400 earthquakes.  It was the largest earthquake swarm that we have seen at Mt. Rainier since 2009.  Those that have been following my work for a long time already know why this earthquake swarm immediately got my attention.  One of these days, Mt. Rainier will suddenly erupt, and a lot of people living in the vicinity of the volcano will die.  Authorities have always known about the threat that Mt. Rainier poses, but they just kept building more homes in the shadow of the volcano.  The stage is set for a tragedy of unimaginable proportions, and the clock is ticking.

Mt. Rainier had been pretty quiet for a while, but that period of relative stability was shattered very early on Tuesday morning…

A swarm of small earthquakes was detected at Mount Rainier Tuesday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO) and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN).

The activity began on July 8, 2025, at 1:29 a.m. PDT, with hundreds of earthquakes recorded at depths ranging from 1.2 to 3.7 miles below the summit. The largest earthquake so far has been a magnitude 1.7.

This is really big news.

By the time the earthquake swarm was over, the U.S. Geological Survey had recorded over 400 earthquakes…

A swarm of small earthquakes began early Tuesday morning beneath Mount Rainier, with more than 400 minor tremors recorded as of midday, according to scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Washington.

The activity began at 1:29 a.m. on July 8 and was detected by the Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO) and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN).

I didn’t think that I was going to be writing about Mt. Rainier today.

But then this happened.

According to the USGS, this was the biggest earthquake swarm that we have seen at Mt. Rainier since 2009.

So why is this such a big deal?

The reason why it is such a big deal is because Mt. Rainier is located so close to major population centers that it is considered to be a “Very Hight Threat” volcano…

Mount Rainier, located about 45 miles southeast of Tacoma, is an active stratovolcano and the tallest peak in the Cascade Range. It is considered a “Very High Threat” volcano due to its potential hazards, including volcanic mudflows known as lahars, ash fall, and pyroclastic flows.

In the past, I have discussed the fact that Mt. Rainier is known as the most dangerous volcano in the United States.

Throughout history, there have been times when it has produced tsunamis of super-heated mud known as “lahars” that are hundreds of feet high.

In fact, lots of homes in the region have literally been built right on top of ancient lahar deposits.

Needless to say, that was an extremely foolish thing to do.  The next time there is a major eruption of Mt. Rainier, entire communities will be instantly wiped out. The following is an excerpt from my new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next”…

Many Americans remember the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980, but Mt. Rainier is about twice the size of Mount St. Helens, and millions of local residents live within easy viewing distance of the volcano.

When it finally blows, vast numbers of people will suddenly find themselves in imminent danger.

Seismologists tell us that Mt. Rainier is capable of producing colossal tsunamis of super-heated mud known as lahars. These lahars can be hundreds of feet high and they can travel at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour.

Thankfully, Mt. Rainier has not produced any lahars since the United States became a nation, but scientists assure us that it is just a matter of time before it happens again.

Unfortunately, this long period of inactivity has lulled us into a false sense of security, and large numbers of people now live in communities that have been constructed on top of the danger zone.

If a lahar were to hit your home, everyone and everything inside would be instantly cooked and permanently buried in blazing hot mud.

According to the USGS, approximately 150,000 people currently live on top of old lahar deposits from Mt. Rainier.

Just think about that for a moment.

Needless to say, that was not very smart planning at all.

Experts tell us that Mt. Rainier is capable of producing a gigantic lahar that would completely destroy Enumclaw, Buckley, Orting, Kent, Auburn, Puyallup, Sumner and Renton. Tacoma would be in great danger as well, and there is a possibility that a lahar from Mt. Rainier could even reach portions of downtown Seattle.

The death and destruction that such an event would cause would be unlike anything that we have ever seen before in the entire history of our country.

If you are currently living in a home that is located directly on top of an ancient lahar deposit, you might want to think about relocating while you still can.

For a moment, I would like for you to imagine what it would be like to have a giant wall of super-heated mud that is hundreds of feet high rushing at you at 50 miles per hour.

For those that are located in the direct path, there will be little hope of escape.

Mt. Rainier is going to erupt at some point.

It is just a matter of time.

Meanwhile, unusual earthquake activity is occurring on the other side of the globe as well.

Over the past two weeks, more than 1,300 earthquakes have shaken one area of Japan…

More than 1,300 earthquakes have hit Japan’s Tokara Islands in two weeks, prompting evacuations of dozens of residents from the remote archipelago on the country’s southern tip.

Although no major damage has been reported and no tsunami warnings have been issued, the Japan Meteorological Agency has cautioned that tremors as strong as a “lower 6” on Japan’s seven-stage seismic intensity scale — such as one that occurred Thursday — may continue.

Lower 6 indicates an intensity that may make it difficult for people to stand without holding on to stable support.

As I discussed earlier this month, local residents are literally afraid to go to sleep because the shaking never stops.

Can you imagine being crushed to death while you sleep because an earthquake just caused your home to collapse on top of you?

This is the reality of life in that part of Japan in 2025.

Unfortunately, we are going to see a lot more shaking all over the world in the months and years ahead.

Yes, that includes the United States too.

Earlier today, I came across an article that warned that scientists are concerned that the New Madrid Seismic Zone “is approaching a critical threshold”…

Since 1974, thousands of small to moderate earthquakes have been detected by seismometers across the New Madrid Seismic Zone, painting a picture of relentless geological activity. The U.S.

Geological Survey and Time Magazine have documented this steady drumbeat of seismic events, showing that the fault system never truly sleeps. These aren’t random occurrences—they represent the constant grinding and shifting of massive rock formations deep underground.

Each small quake is like a pressure valve releasing just enough steam to prevent an immediate explosion, but the underlying forces keep building. Scientists have been tracking this activity for half a century now, and the data reveals disturbing patterns that suggest the region is approaching a critical threshold.

A time is coming when the middle of the country will be absolutely devastated by an apocalyptic earthquake along the New Madrid Seismic Zone.

I am one of a handful of prominent voices that has been relentlessly warning about this.

Our planet is becoming more unstable, our weather is becoming more unstable, and very strange things have been happening in the heavens.

It is time for everyone to wake up.

So many of the things that we have been warned about are starting to happen, and the pace of events is only going to accelerate from here.

Michael’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written nine other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

I literally feel sick right now.  After waiting for years for the truth about Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking operation to come out, and after months of being promised that stunning new information would be released soon, now we are being told to forget the entire thing.  The people that were brought in to run the Justice Department and the FBI were supposed to restore faith in the system, but instead they are destroying it.  Nobody that can think rationally is buying the lies that we are being fed.  Apparently we are supposed to believe that Jeffrey Epstein didn’t have a client list, he never blackmailed anyone, and he was solely responsible for his own death…

A Justice Department and FBI review of the investigation related to disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein found that there was no “client list” or evidence that he blackmailed prominent figures, according to a memo detailing the findings.

The review also concluded that Epstein died by suicide while in custody at a Manhattan correctional facility in August 2019. Epstein was facing federal sex trafficking charges, and his death was subsequently investigated by the Justice Department’s internal watchdog and the FBI.

The Justice Department and FBI said in their memo that video footage reviewed by bureau investigators — and made available to the public — confirmed that Epstein was locked in his cell and nobody entered tiers of the unit where he was housed at the time of his death.

The Justice Department and the FBI are now facing an unprecedented credibility problem, because millions of us simply do not believe them.

After everything that has happened, the American people deserve some answers.  The following are 12 important questions that all Americans should be asking about the shameful attempt to cover up the truth about Jeffrey Epstein.

#1 Why were Jeffery Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell arrested and charged with operating an enormous sex trafficking ring that supposedly involved thousands of clients if no such clients ever existed?  As Robby Starbuck has pointed out, apparently we are supposed to believe that all of the powerful men that visited Epstein’s island were “just there to catch some waves and relax”…

#2 Why did U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi tell Fox News in February that Epstein’s client list was “sitting on my desk right now to review” if no such client list ever existed?…

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday said the Jeffrey Epstein client list is “sitting on my desk right now” and she is reviewing the JFK and MLK files as well after President Donald Trump’s earlier directives.

“It’s sitting on my desk right now to review,” Bondi told ‘America Reports’ host John Roberts on Friday. “That’s been a directive by President Trump.”

#3 What was in the “thousands of documents” related to the Epstein case that were suddenly discovered in February?…

Attorney General Pam Bondi has been made aware of “thousands of documents” related to the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein that were previously not disclosed to her office, she said in a letter on Thursday.

#4 When Bondi claimed that the Epstein flight logs would “make you sick” in March, what did she mean by that?…

Attorney general Pam Bondi released hundreds of pages of information connected to Epstein in March, promising it would disclose “a lot of names” and flight logs that would “make you sick”.

#5 In May, Bondi confessed that there were “tens of thousands of videos” related to the Epstein investigation.  What was in those videos?…

She said in May that the FBI was reviewing “tens of thousands of videos” of Epstein “with children or child porn.” Bondi’s comments and the delay in releasing the next batch of documents have tapped into suspicions that damaging details about Epstein or other prominent figures remain hidden.

#6 Other than Jeffery Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, why hasn’t anyone else that was involved in the sex trafficking operation ever been arrested?…

#7 The memo that was released on Sunday night says that there will be “no further disclosure” in this case.  Does this mean that the Trump administration’s search for the truth ends here?…

In a memo published by Axios Sunday night, the DOJ and FBI jointly stated that the Epstein files did not include a client list, or evidence of additional perpetrators — and that there will be “no further disclosure” of information on the case.

“This systematic review revealed no incriminating ‘client list,’” The memo said. “There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.”

#8 The memo also states that there is no “evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties”.  Does this mean that none of the men that were having sex with underage girls will ever be brought to justice?…

Investigators found “no incriminating ‘client list’ ” of Epstein’s, “no credible evidence … that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals,” and no “evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties,” the memo adds.

#9 On the night that Epstein died, why were there so many strange “coincidences”?…

The jail had been told Epstein should have a cellmate, and that a guard must check on him every 30 minutes.

But on the night he died, his cellmate was transferred and not replaced and he was not checked on as often as required.

Two guards fell asleep at their desks – and later falsified their records.

Meanwhile, two cameras in front of Epstein’s cell malfunctioned that night – while another’s footage was “unusable”.

#10 Hours of video footage from outside Epstein’s cell on the night that he died has been released.  Did they think that we wouldn’t notice that a full minute has been cut out of that video footage?…

But now we can confirm that an entire minute was cut from the DOJ video that was released last night. Why? What are they hiding?

If you follow the full video you can see for yourself that the video is cut off at 11:59:00.

The video feed then restarts exactly at 12:00:00.

Where is the missing video?

#11 During the time that Elon Musk had unprecedented access to the government’s computer systems, did he learn some startling truths about the Epstein investigation?  If so, will he reveal what he knows now that he has started his own political party?

#12 Why was this memo about the Epstein case released to the public late on Sunday night on the 4th of July weekend?  Were they hoping that it would make as little news as possible?

I am so upset.

The victims of Epstein’s sex trafficking operation are never going to get any justice.

And all of the very sick men that committed unspeakable crimes are never going to be held accountable.

A line has been crossed that will never be able to be uncrossed.

How are we supposed to have faith in our federal law enforcement agencies after this?

They are lying to our faces and they are convinced that they are totally getting away with it.

There are some moments in history that are so horrifying that they will never be forgotten.

This is one of those moments.

Michael’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written nine other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

Why does the U.S. just continue to get pummeled by historic storm after historic storm?  We keep being told that what we are witnessing is “normal”, but there is definitely nothing “normal” about any of this.  A couple of decades ago, it was extremely rare for the U.S. to be hit by a “billion dollar disaster”, but over the past couple of years we have been averaging a “billion dollar disaster” about every two weeks.  The American people deserve the truth, because people are dying.

Most of the people that just died in Texas were caught totally by surprise by the floods.

The National Weather Service had warned that rain was coming, but a top Texas official is admitting that the actual amount of rain that ultimately fell “was never in any of those forecasts”…

“The original forecast that we received Wednesday from the National Weather Service predicted 3-6 inches of rain in the Concho Valley and 4-8 inches in the Hill Country,” said Texas Emergency Management Chief W. Nim Kidd at a press conference Friday. “The amount of rain that fell at this specific location was never in any of those forecasts.”

Sudden thunderstorms dumped more than 10 inches of rain on the area, causing heavy flooding from the Guadalupe River.

Dalton Rice, the city manager for Kerrville, Texas—who also spoke at the press conference—said that the catastrophic flash flooding happened because the skies “dumped more rain than what was forecasted” on two of the river’s forks.

At one point, 7 inches of rain fell in a three hour period.

As USA Today has noted, 7 inches of rain is “nearly 122 million gallons of water per square mile”…

On July 4, rain was falling at 3-4 inches per hour, with some locations recording a deluge of up to 7 inches of rain in just three hours, the National Weather Service said. Seven inches of rain is nearly 122 million gallons of water per square mile. Over 7 square miles that’s enough water to fill the AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.

I have a hard time even imagining that much water.

As water relentlessly poured from the sky, the Guadalupe River “rose from about one foot to more than 36 feet” in just 3 hours…

Reports from the U.S. Geological Survey show the waters of the Guadalupe rose from about one foot to more than 36 feet between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. Friday morning. The wall of water sharply increased at 5:15 a.m. when it spiked from 1.82 feet to 36 feet an hour and a half later.

In my entire lifetime, I have never seen anything like this.

In the middle of the night, rushing waters suddenly arrived without any warning, and many victims never even had a chance.

According to the Daily Mail, the final death toll is expected to be above 100…

Texas’s Division of Emergency Management predicted the number of dead as a result of catastrophic flooding in Kerrville on July 4 would top 100, Daily Mail can exclusively reveal.

In an email sent out Saturday, the state disaster office told partners the number of dead would surpass 100, two different sources confirmed to Daily Mail.

The estimate of the dead is vastly different than the message state officials are projecting publicly, insisting that they are still searching for people who are alive, and refusing to say rescue efforts have shifted to recovery of remains.

In the midst of this great tragedy, there were heroes that were willing to give everything in order to save others.

27-year-old Julian Ryan and his family were sleeping when the floodwaters hit their trailer.

As the waters rose to waist height, Ryan’s two young children were put on a mattress that was floating, but the waters just continued to rise.

That was when Julian decided that the only way that he could save his family would be to break the window…

With no escape route, Julian looked to the only option: the window.

He punched through the glass, but the broken edges almost cut his arm clean off, Christinia told KHOU, and severed an artery.

As blood poured from Julian’s limb, the other two adults tried calling 911 – but nobody came.

Julian knew that he wasn’t going to make it, and with his dying words he expressed his love for his family.

Thankfully, Julian’s sacrifice was not in vain because his family was able to miraculously escape…

Julian was losing consciousness from blood loss and the water had risen up to their chins.

With his dying words, Julian told his family: “I’m sorry, I’m not going to make it. I love y’all.”

Christinia said the trailer was eventually broken in half by the force of the currents – allowing the rest of the family to escape.

70-year-old Richard Eastland is another hero that gave his life during this great tragedy.

His family has been running Camp Mystic since 1974, and he did all that he could to save campers from the floodwaters…

The director of Camp Mystic was killed while trying to save girls from the horrific flooding that swept through the Texas summer camp.

Richard ‘Dick’ Eastland, 70, died while trying to rescue campers from the biblical rushing waters that struck the state on July 4.

At least 11 girls and one counselor are missing from Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, and five of their fellow campers have died after the rushing waters destroyed the all-girls private Christian summer camp.

Richard Eastland will be remembered as a hero.

According to one former camper, it wasn’t a surprise “that his last act of kindness and sacrifice was working to save the lives of campers”…

The Eastlands have owned and operated Camp Mystic since 1974, and many viewed him as a father figure at the camp.

‘It doesn’t surprise me at all that his last act of kindness and sacrifice was working to save the lives of campers,’ The Kerrville Daily Times guest columnist Paige Sumner said in a tribute to Eastland.

‘Dick was the father figure to all of us while we were away from home at Camp Mystic for six weeks.

‘He was the father of four amazing boys, but he had hundreds of girls each term who looked up to him like a dad. I would never have taken a fishing class if it wasn’t taught by my new friend Dick.’

There is no greater love than laying down your life for others.

But could this great tragedy have been avoided in the first place?

Many on social media are pointing out that “rain enhancement projects” have recently been conducted in Texas.  Needless to say, we need answers from those that were involved in those projects.

Humanity should never mess with the weather.

Hopefully some new laws will get passed as a result of everything that we just witnessed.

Unfortunately, the disasters aren’t going to stop any time soon.

In fact, a tropical storm could soon bring “severe weather” to Washington D.C., New York City and Boston…

With deadly Texas flooding dominating headlines this weekend, we now shift focus to Tropical Storm Chantal, which made landfall near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, early Sunday. This marks the first tropical storm to make landfall in the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season—and the earliest to do so since 2022.

Chantal is the third tropical storm of this year’s hurricane season, following Andrea and Barry, both of which formed in June. The new storm appeared on our radar Friday, with spaghetti models showing a potential path up the U.S. East Coast, through parts of the Mid-Atlantic, and possibly over southern New Jersey and New York City.

Updated spaghetti models posted by meteorologist Ben Noll on X show a strong level of confidence in Chantal’s track into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, where severe weather could be seen next from D.C. to New York and Boston.

We just keep getting hit by one major disaster after another.

You would think that most of the population would have figured out that something has gone terribly wrong after everything that we have been through over the past few years.

What we are experiencing is not even close to “normal”, and it is time to start demanding some answers.

Michael’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written nine other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

Americans still love hamburgers and French fries, but they sure are a lot more expensive than they once were.  In fact, as you will see below, the price of ground beef in the U.S. has risen 16.2 percent during the last 12 months.  No matter how you look at that number, it is terrible.  Of course just about everything else at the grocery store has been getting more expensive too.  These days, a shopping cart full of food is a major expense for most American families.  Meanwhile, the global food crisis just continues to intensify.  According to a recent report from the UN’s World Food Program, global hunger is “skyrocketing”…

Today, global hunger is skyrocketing as 343 million people face severe food insecurity, driven by an unrelenting wave of global crises including conflict, economic instability, and climate-related emergencies. In 2025, WFP’s operations are focused on supporting just over one-third of those in need – roughly 123 million of the world’s hungriest people – nearly half of whom (58 million) are at imminent risk of losing access to food assistance.

Last year, WFP teams helped feed more than 120 million people in 80 countries, delivering urgent food aid to hunger hot spots and frontline crises around the world.

In 2023, CNN told us that we were in the midst of “the worst food crisis in modern history”.

If global hunger has been “skyrocketing” since that time, what are we facing now?

For those of us that live in the United States, the good news is that there is still plenty of food in the stores.

But it sure does cost a lot more than it once did.

According to the New York Times, the price of ground beef in the U.S. has risen 16.2 percent over the past 12 months…

Ground beef was at its highest average price on record in May at $5.98 a pound, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That cost was 16.2 percent higher than 12 months earlier. Other cuts of beef, including sirloin steaks and chuck roast, also reached record highs in the first half of 2025.

The primary reason why the price of ground beef has been soaring is because the number of cattle has been steadily declining.

At this point, the number of cattle in the United States is “the lowest it has been since 1952”…

Prices are up because the number of cattle available for beef is at its lowest level since the 1950s.

The number of beef cattle in the United States is down to 27.9 million, a 13 percent decline since 2019, and the overall cattle inventory is the lowest it has been since 1952, according to the Agriculture Department. Consumer demand has remained steady in recent years.

This is very serious.

In 1952, 157 million people were living in the United States.

Today, 340 million people are living in the United States.

So we have a major crisis on our hands.

Sadly, just about everything is going up in price at the grocery store at this stage.

When I go through my local grocery store, I see many things that have doubled in price and some things that have actually tripled in price.

The “experts” that continue to insist that inflation is “low” are totally gaslighting us.

Of course those that are ultra-wealthy don’t really care about rising food prices because they can easily afford them.  Earlier today, I came across an article that discussed the sky high food prices in the Hamptons this time of the year…

It wasn’t even 8:30 on a recent morning when a shopper emptied his basket of dinner ingredients onto the counter of the Farm & Forage Market in Southampton: two king crab legs, two bags of frozen dumplings, two packages of ramen noodles and a bag of dried sea kelp.

The cash register rang up an already eye-popping tally before the customer realized he had forgotten the caviar. He tossed a jar of it onto the counter. The grand total was $1,860.

“I’ll put that on your tab, right?” asked Jonathan Bernard, owner of the tiny, tidy store. The shopper, a private chef who works in a home nearby, nodded and noted he would be back later for truffles.

Are you kidding me?

It must be nice to be able to shell out that kind of cash.

But for the vast majority of Americans, life is a real struggle in this economic environment.

In fact, nearly two-thirds of the country is living paycheck to paycheck…

The latest PYMNTS Intelligence reveals that 65% of consumers are living paycheck to paycheck, with 24% struggling to pay their bills. That’s nearly a quarter of Americans playing an exhausting game of financial whack-a-mole, deciding which bills to pay in full, which to pay partially and which to outright ignore until the next paycheck arrives.

This financial strain has led many to prioritize immediate survival over long-term financial planning, with a significant portion of American consumers adopting short-term, reactive strategies to manage their financial obligations.

It’s not just groceries and gas — essential bills are creeping up, too. The study shows that 78% of consumers have seen at least one essential bill increase in the past year. Electricity (56%), insurance (52%) and gas (51%) have all gotten pricier, leaving consumers with even less breathing room. Renters are especially feeling the squeeze, with nearly half (49%) reporting rent hikes.

The middle class is being absolutely eviscerated, and now mass layoffs are being conducted all over the nation.

Earlier today, we got yet another example.  We are being told that UPS has decided to eliminate approximately 20,000 jobs…

UPS is offering voluntary buyouts to its full-time US drivers following its decision to slash 20,000 jobs and close 73 facilities.

The Atlanta-based company will be providing its laid off employees with various benefits, including pensions and healthcare.

The layoffs are part of UPS’s network configuration plan, which also confirms the upcoming closures of over 90 more facilities in the future.

If the economy is in good shape, why are so many large businesses laying off thousands upon thousands of workers right now?

It doesn’t take a genius to see what is happening.

The U.S. economy has been crumbling for years, and now it appears that our problems are poised to go to an entirely new level.

Michael’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written nine other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

Why can’t we just be objective about the economic numbers?  When Joe Biden was in the White House, many Republicans (including Donald Trump) used the word “fake” to describe the economic numbers that the federal government was putting out.  And as I documented extensively throughout the Biden administration, the rosy economic numbers that we were getting from the federal government certainly diverged greatly from reality.  But now that Biden is out of the White House, we are suddenly supposed to believe that the federal economic numbers that are being calculated by the exact same people as before are somehow legit?  Come on.  If the government was giving us “fake” economic numbers six months ago, they are still giving us “fake” economic numbers today. As I will discuss below, the same absurd “adjustments” that were being made during the Biden administration are still being made now.

Just yesterday, I wrote about how non-government numbers are showing that the labor market in the U.S. is dramatically shifting.

But then the BLS released their employment report for last month, and we are being told to just forget what all of the other numbers are telling us…

Job growth proved better than expected in June, boosted by government hiring, as the labor market showed surprising resilience and likely took a July interest rate cut off the table.

Nonfarm payrolls increased a seasonally adjusted 147,000 for the month, higher than the estimate for 110,000 and just above the upwardly revised 144,000 in May, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday.

The people that are running around proclaiming that this is “great news” don’t even understand what they are talking about.

First of all, we need to create approximately 150,000 jobs a month just to keep up with population growth.

So even if this report was accurate, which it is not, it would indicate that we are simply treading water.

That is not exactly something to celebrate.

Secondly, it is important to understand that the “147,000 new jobs” figure was only arrived at after a number of assumptions and adjustments were applied to the raw data.

I asked Google AI to tell me about how government economic numbers are manipulated, and this is what I was told…

I am particularly critical of the birth/death adjustments.

Each month, the BLS simply estimates the number of jobs that are being created by new businesses and adds that to the total.

Many have pointed out that the number that they come up with out of thin air is often way too high.

That is just one of the reasons why it has become so difficult to get a negative number.

Conditions have to be really, really bad in order for the BLS to report that the U.S. is actually losing jobs.

In fact, the last time we had a negative number was in 2020 during the early days of the COVID pandemic.

It is a rigged game, and even the Washington Post is openly admitting that government statisticians are starting “to rely more on statistical estimates than hard data”…

U.S. policymakers are increasingly anxious about the integrity of certain government benchmarks, the crucial data points that help the Federal Reserve assess the economy’s health and guide interest rate decisions.

The problems have led staff at certain agencies to rely more on statistical estimates than hard data, potentially fueling volatility in benchmarks, particularly for inflation readings from the Labor Department. Falling response rates to government surveys, coupled with pandemic-driven seasonal quirks and long-standing budget strains, have made it harder to collect and analyze reliable data — including for an employment report due Thursday. Agencies have also shed staff through early retirements, deferred resignations and normal attrition.

And the chief economist at Moody’s Analytics is warning that the numbers that we are being given by our own government are becoming increasingly shaky…

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, said the quality of U.S. economic data is becoming increasingly shaky just as the country faces major shifts from trade, immigration and other policy changes — a time when better investment in data is needed.

Among multiple worrying trends, he pointed to the combined 95,000 downward revisions, announced last month, to job gains in April and March, an outsize number of revisions that could be at least partly driven by ongoing strains at the Labor Department.

“There’s no smoking gun, yet, but there is smoke,” he said.

Personally, I lost faith in government economic numbers long ago.

As I discussed yesterday, I am convinced that the economic numbers that we are getting from private sources are far more reliable.

And those numbers clearly paint a picture of an economy that is crumbling.

We are a nation that is absolutely drowning in debt.  Meanwhile, the housing market is in a depressed state due to high interest rates, employers are conducting mass layoffs all over the nation, our cost of living crisis never seems to end, and the global trade war is causing all sorts of chaos for U.S. businesses.

The rest of the world can see what is happening, and they are losing confidence in our currency.

The value of our currency has now fallen for six consecutive months, and it is being reported that the U.S. dollar is “suffering its worst start to a year in more than five decades”…

The United States dollar is suffering its worst start to a year in more than five decades, likely triggering a price hike for some everyday items and a jump in expenses faced by travelers abroad, some analysts told ABC News.

The greenback has fallen more than 10% in value this year relative to a group of foreign currencies that belong to top U.S. trading partners.

Investors have fled U.S. dollars out of fear inflation could devalue the currency, especially as Congress has moved forward with a large spending bill set to worsen a decades-long trend of ballooning U.S. debt, analysts said.

This is something that government statisticians cannot spin.

Our currency is steadily getting weaker, and that means that we are steadily losing purchasing power…

At home, a bigger concern is inflation, and lost purchasing power for U.S. consumers and businesses, who still remain heavily reliant on imports. Until America is able to sustainably produce more goods on its own at higher volumes, purchasing power will decline as it becomes relatively more expensive to import goods from abroad.

In the meantime, analysts say, a more alarming trend may be taking root: Foreigners are no longer buying U.S. financial assets, like stocks and bonds, at the levels that have allowed the U.S. to finance its trade deficit in the first place.

Don’t be fooled.

The U.S. economy is definitely not in good shape.

If it was, the value of the U.S. dollar would not be dropping like a rock.

Michael’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written nine other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

What in the world just happened to the job market?  The unexpectedly bad numbers that have just come in have truly been a shock to many of us.  Yes, we knew that conditions were getting worse during the early stages of this year.  In fact, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has publicly admitted that the labor market “deteriorated noticeably” during the first quarter of 2025.  But now it is becoming clear that our economic slide is threatening to become an economic avalanche.

The U.S. economy needs to add approximately 150,000 jobs a month just to keep up with population growth.  Unfortunately, the latest monthly report from ADP shows that the U.S. economy actually lost jobs last month.  Private sector employment dropped by 33,000 in June, and that was the very first decline that we have witnessed since 2023…

Private sector hiring shrunk dramatically last month in a worrying sign for the the US economy.

Private payrolls shed 33,000 jobs in June, but analysts had expected them to add 100,000, the latest ADP figures revealed.

The worrying data – the first decrease since 2023 – suggests the US economy could be a lot less resilient than investors have been hoping.

There is no way to spin this to make it look good.

The labor market has gotten much tighter, and large companies all over the nation are trimming their payrolls right now.

In particular, service jobs are being axed at a very alarming rate…

The bulk of job losses came in service roles tied to professional and business services and health and education, according to ADP. Professional/business services notched a decline of 56,000, while health/education saw a net loss of 52,000.

Financial activity roles also contributed to the month’s decline with a drop of 14,000 on balance.

Personally, I believe that the numbers that we get from ADP are far more accurate than the highly manipulated numbers that we get from the federal government.

But I also believe that the most accurate picture of the labor market comes from the monthly report that is released by Challenger, Gray & Christmas.  According to the latest report, U.S. employers announced a total of 744,308 job cuts during the first half of this year.  The last time that we saw a larger figure was during the early days of the pandemic in 2020…

Layoffs across the U.S. this year have climbed to their highest level since the pandemic slammed the economy in 2020, new labor data shows.

In the first half of 2025, companies announced 744,308 job cuts nationwide, the highest tally since the first six months of 2020, when employers cut nearly 1.6 million jobs in response to COVID-related disruptions, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

In 2020, we could blame the lockdowns for the layoffs.

But this time around, there are no lockdowns.

Retailers are being hit particularly hard.  According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, retail job cuts during the first half of 2025 were 255 percent higher than they were during the first half of 2024…

Retailers have eliminated nearly 80,000 jobs this year, up 255% from the first half of 2024.

“Retailers are one of the hardest hit business sectors by tariffs, inflation and uncertainty,” Andrew Challenger, senior vice president of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, said in a statement. “If consumer spending continues to fall, it could mean more job losses in this industry.”

When I first started using the term “retail apocalypse”, a lot of people thought that I was exaggerating.

Does anyone out there want to tell me that I am exaggerating now?

Day after day, more big names go bankrupt.

In fact, we just learned that Del Monte Foods has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy…

Del Monte Foods kicked off efforts to pursue a sale as it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in the US on Tuesday under an agreement with certain key lenders, the company said in a statement.

The company has secured $912.5 million in financing to support itself through the proceedings, it said, adding that it intends to remain open and continue operations throughout the bankruptcy.

The 139-year old company hosts names like canned fruits and vegetables brand Del Monte, College Inn, under which it sells broth and stocks, and tea brands like Joyba.

I had no idea that they were in trouble.

Of course even companies that are thriving are making cutbacks right now.

On Wednesday, Microsoft confirmed that it will be laying off approximately 9,000 more workers…

Microsoft is kicking off its fiscal year by laying off thousands of employees in the largest round of layoffs since 2023, the company confirmed Wednesday.

In an ongoing effort to streamline its workforce, Microsoft said as much as 4%, or roughly 9,000, of the company’s employees could be affected by Wednesday’s layoffs.

This latest round of layoffs comes in the aftermath of a round of layoffs in May and a round of layoffs in June…

Wednesday’s move follows two waves of layoffs in May and June, which saw Microsoft fire more than 6,000 employees, almost 2,300 of whom were based in Washington.

During May’s round of layoffs, Microsoft emphasized that it wanted to flatten management layers. But data from Washington state showed only about 17% of the cuts in Redmond were designated as managers.

Why is Microsoft doing this?

They are supposed to be one of our most successful companies.

Speaking of successful tech companies, it is being reported that Amazon will be conducting “brutal workforce cuts”…

Amazon’s CEO has announced brutal workforce cuts as the company increases its use of Artificial Intelligence.

Amazon boss Andy Jassy said he plans to reduce the company’s corporate workforce over the next few years as AI will make certain roles redundant.

Jassy told employees in a note seen by the Wall Street Journal that AI was a once-in-a-lifetime technological advancement and it has already transformed how Amazon operates.

If our largest and most valuable companies are ruthlessly slashing workers, what does this say about our economy as a whole?

Other corporate giants such as Google, UnitedHealthcare and Nissan are reducing workforce levels by offering buyouts to their employees…

In the private sector, Google, UnitedHealthcare and Nissan, among others, have offered buyouts to U.S. workers this year.

Buyouts can sound tempting. A five-figure severance package might be the most money a worker has ever seen in one paycheck. But it’s also the last paycheck your employer will give you.

“It’s like lottery winners. Some people think the money lasts longer than it does,” said Donna Walton, wealth strategist at TD Wealth.

A couple of years ago, corporate America was engaged in a hiring frenzy.

But now the environment has completely changed.

We all need to brace ourselves for what is ahead, because it appears that things will get even more challenging during the months to come.

Michael’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written nine other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

Why are thousands of Walmart workers suddenly “vanishing” all over the nation? And why are vast numbers of agricultural workers suddenly no longer showing up for work? What I am about to share with you is extremely alarming. During the “open border years”, our economy became extremely dependent on very cheap migrant labor. Now that the border has been secured and mass deportations are occurring, major employers throughout the country are experiencing a case of severe whiplash.

The open border policies of Joe Biden caused a tremendous amount of chaos from coast to coast.  Violent criminals came pouring in, and we definitely need to get those violent criminals out.  For example, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem just revealed that a cannibal that was being deported literally started “to eat himself” on the plane ride out of the United States…

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made the eyebrow-raising revelation during an appearance alongside Trump while visiting a makeshift immigrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades that has been dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” by Sunshine State officials and the president’s supporters.

“They said that they had detained a cannibal and put him on a plane to take him home, and while they had him in his seat, he started to eat himself, and they had to get him off and get him medical attention,” Noem said.

The revelation came as Noem detailed the Trump administration’s efforts to find and deport millions of migrants who have been living and working in the country, often with official work authorizations, over the last few years.

Keeping people like that from entering the country illegally is a matter of national security.

So we should be thankful that the federal government is finally taking action.

But the mass deportations are also causing enormous problems for major U.S. employers.

Walmart is the largest private employer in the United States, and they are “losing coworkers overnight” due to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision…

Walmart employees are saying they’re losing coworkers overnight.

The retailer, America’s largest private employer, is complying with a sweeping Supreme Court decision that allowed the Trump administration to revoke work protections for half a million migrant employees.

Walmart staffers are saying the company is responding with quick staffing cuts in stores. They’re worried there aren’t enough workers.

So many Walmart workers are suddenly vanishing that it is creating a tremendous amount of strain on the workers that remain…

One Reddit user claimed their location lost 10 employees with work visas. Another reported 40 departures at a 400-person store, forcing older workers and managers to stretch themselves thin just to keep shelves stocked.

“Most of our older floor associates are constantly asking for help,” one employee wrote. “It’s not really ideal.”

Farms all over the nation are also being hit really hard by the mass deportations.

Fear of being rounded up has caused vast numbers of migrants to go into hiding, and as a result 70 percent of farm workers have stopped reporting to work in some areas of the country…

Immigration enforcement operations on farms have left crops rotting and farm operations disrupted in major agricultural states including California, Texas, and Pennsylvania.

Farm owners and industry representatives report that up to 70 percent of workers stopped reporting to work following Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions, resulting in significant crop losses and financial strain.

If healthy crops are allowed to rot, that won’t be good for any of us, because it will mean higher prices at the grocery store.

This crisis is particularly severe in Southern California…

In the vast agricultural lands north of Los Angeles, stretching from Ventura County into the state’s central valley, two farmers, two field supervisors and four immigrant farmworkers told Reuters this month that the ICE raids have led a majority of workers to stop showing up.

That means crops are not being picked and fruit and vegetables are rotting at peak harvest time, they said.

One Mexican farm supervisor, who asked not to be named, was overseeing a field being prepared for planting strawberries last week. Usually he would have 300 workers, he said. On this day he had just 80. Another supervisor at a different farm said he usually has 80 workers in a field, but today just 17.

We should have never allowed ourselves to become so dependent on cheap migrant labor.

Now we are facing significant labor shortages throughout our agricultural supply chains…

“We do not have enough workforce in the United States to do manual work, to do those jobs that other people are not qualified to do and do not want to do it,” Alexandra Sossa, CEO of Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project, told Newsweek. “For example, we are running into a problem where we do not have enough farm workers to grow the food we eat every day.

“Now we do not have enough workers to go to the meatpacking processing industries and factories to produce, to pack the food that we are eating.”

Ultimately, U.S. citizens are going to have to start taking over the jobs that are being vacated.

And there should be plenty of workers available, because economic conditions have been deteriorating and the labor market has been very weak lately…

The frozen labor market adds another layer of concern for consumer spending. Private sector wage growth continues slowing as unemployment duration rises and job seekers give up. This creates a feedback loop: weaker labor market conditions reduce workers’ bargaining power, which slows wage growth and ultimately constrains spending.

One way or another, we are just going to have to adjust.

Because we can’t ever go back to the days when our borders were completely wide open.

The violence that happens on the other side of our southern border is absolutely horrifying, and we definitely don’t want to see similar violence in communities all over America…

Sinaloa Cartel gunmen killed close to two dozen rivals, hanging four from a bridge, dismembering some, stuffing them in bags, and stacking the rest inside a van. The gory crime scenes sparked terror as two main factions, the Chapitos and Mayiza factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, continue to wage a fierce turf war that killed hundreds and rages on, for almost a year, despite the many assurances by Mexico’s government about cracking down on cartel violence. The Sinaloa Cartel is designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. Department of State.

Some of the most violent areas on the entire planet are located in northern Mexico.

It is the duty of the federal government to protect us from that violence.

Unfortunately, disrupting the economy has been a side effect of securing the border.

Hopefully U.S. citizens will be willing to step up and fill the gaps that have been created in our supply chains.

If that doesn’t happen, we could experience some big problems in the months ahead.

Michael’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written nine other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.