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Interesting Timing: Israel Is Reportedly Getting Ready To Launch A Massive Ground Operation In Rafah “In Mid-April Or Early May”

March 27, 2024 by Michael

An Israeli ground operation in Rafah is a “red line” for Hezbollah and Iran, and so once the IDF goes in the entire region could explode. Of course if Israel intends to destroy Hamas, an operation in Rafah is necessary, because that it where Hamas is hiding. Israeli officials have been telling us over and over again that there will be a ground operation in Rafah no matter what the Biden administration or anyone else thinks, and now we have a timeline. The following is from a Times of Israel article entitled “Report: Israel preparing for Rafah ground operation in mid April or early May”…

Following the failure of the latest round of negotiations in Qatar, Israel is not willing to make any further concessions to Hamas and is gearing up for an invasion of Rafah after Eid al-Fitr — the three-day holiday that follows Ramadan and ends around April 12 — or in early May at the latest, according to Egyptian sources who have been in contact with IDF officials, quoted by the pro-Hezbollah Al-Akhbar daily.

That is very interesting timing.

If this report is accurate, we are likely to see a ground operation in Rafah shortly after the Great American Eclipse of 2024 on April 8th.

According to that same Times of Israel article, the ground operation in Rafah “would last between four and eight weeks”…

The ground op inside the last bastion of Hamas in the Gaza Strip would last between four and eight weeks, the sources say, and would be accompanied by an evacuation of the civilian population sheltering in Rafah, which amounts to about 1.5 million people, toward the center of the Strip along specific routes and at specific times, announced to civilians in each area of Rafah in advance.

The mass evacuation would be monitored from the ground and the air to ensure that no Hamas fighters or Israeli hostages are hidden among the Gazan civilians, the Egyptian officials say.

Normally, in a military conflict you would never want to tell the enemy what you are going to do or when you are going to do it.

But in this case the Israelis are trying to keep events from spiraling out of control.

Unfortunately, it won’t work.

We are on the verge of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, and it certainly won’t take much to push things over the edge.

On Tuesday, the IDF conducted their deepest strike into Lebanese territory so far…

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Tuesday another rare strike conducted deep into Lebanese territory. The strikes targeted “a military compound used by Hezbollah’s aerial unit” in the Baalbek District which is in the northeast of the country.

This marks the deepest Israeli strike inside Lebanon since the war began in the wake of the Oct.7 Hamas terror attack, at more than 110km from Israel’s border.

In response, Hezbollah fired a bunch of rockets into northern Israel on Wednesday…

Hezbollah has fired a barrage of rockets into northern Israel, killing one person, in response to deadly Israeli strikes on a Lebanese village.

Lebanese sources said seven people were killed in the Israeli attack overnight on Habbariyeh, making it one of the deadliest in recent violence.

Israel said militants were killed, including one involved in attacks on Israel.

It won’t be too long before this conflict goes to the next level.

But it appears that it won’t happen until after the Great American Eclipse on April 8th.

Meanwhile, there continues to be a lot of talk about a coming Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

This isn’t new, but right now lots of people on social media are buzzing about a military training site in a very remote area of China that is “an exact replica of the road network near Taiwan’s Presidential Palace”…

The Chinese have been gearing up for an invasion of Taiwan for quite some time.

Let’s just hope that they do not decide to pull the trigger here in 2024.

Elsewhere, it appears that Russian intelligence has concluded that “the US, UK and Ukraine were behind the Moscow concert hall attack that killed at least 139 people”…

The director of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Alexander Bortnikov, said on Tuesday that the US, UK and Ukraine were behind the Moscow concert hall attack that killed at least 139 people on Friday – despite repeated claims of responsibility by Islamic State.

Russian officials persisted in saying Ukraine and the West had a role in last week’s deadly Moscow concert hall attack despite vehement denials of involvement by Kyiv and a claim of responsibility by an affiliate of the Islamic State group.

Since Friday’s terror attack, the Russians have been hammering major cities in Ukraine with hypersonic missiles.

This actually plays into the hands of the Ukrainians, because the more destruction that is rained down on Ukrainian cities the more likely it is going to be that western troops will eventually be sent into Ukraine.

And that is precisely what Ukraine wants.

The Ukrainians will not win this war the way that it is going.

Their only chance of winning is for NATO to intervene.

But Vladimir Putin has already warned that sending NATO troops into Ukraine could lead to nuclear war…

Putin noted that while accusing Russia of plans to attack NATO allies in Europe, Western allies were “selecting targets for striking our territory” and “talking about the possibility of sending a NATO contingent to Ukraine.”

“We remember the fate of those who sent their troop contingents to the territory of our country,” the Russian leader said in an apparent allusion to the failed invasions by Napoleon and Hitler. “Now the consequences for the potential invaders will be far more tragic.”

In a two-hour speech before an audience of lawmakers and top officials, Putin cast Western leaders as reckless and irresponsible and declared that the West should keep in mind that “we also have the weapons that can strike targets on their territory, and what they are now suggesting and scaring the world with, all that raises the real threat of a nuclear conflict that will mean the destruction of our civilization.”

On top of everything else, it looks like military conflict could soon erupt in the Balkans…

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti alleged that Serbia is planning an invasion and has deployed military units near the border.

Kurti shared footage showing Serbian army movements and accused Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic of making “open threats.”

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Serbia maintains it as part of its territory. The situation has raised tensions, and Kurti has called for increased troop presence from NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo (KFOR) to deter any potential aggression.

I truly believe that global war will be one of the dominant themes of 2024.

And it appears that things will escalate to an entirely different level following the Great American Eclipse on April 8th.

Many dominoes will start tumbling once the IDF launches a ground operation in Rafah, and the whole planet will be extremely shocked by what happens.

Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s extremely controversial new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com. He has also written seven other books that are available on Amazon.com including “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned) 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. You can connect with Michael on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and sharing his articles on your own social media accounts is definitely a great help. 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.

The Baltimore Bridge Collapse Is Going To Have An Enormous Impact On U.S. Supply Chains

March 26, 2024March 26, 2024 by Michael

When I awoke early on Tuesday morning, I was stunned to learn that the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore had collapsed. We are being told that it was a tragic “accident” and that there is no evidence that any foul play was involved. Hopefully that is true. But no matter how it was caused, this tragedy is going to have an enormous impact on U.S. supply chains. And of course this comes at a really bad time, because Houthi missile strikes in the Red Sea and low water levels in the Panama Canal have been putting a tremendous amount of strain on global supply chains recently.

According to Bloomberg, it appears that the Port of Baltimore will be “out of commission indefinitely”…

The Port of Baltimore — the biggest handler of US imports and exports of cars and light trucks — looks to be out of commission indefinitely. The resulting bottleneck could accelerate a shift of goods through West Coast ports. Another crucial question: Which other ports have spare capacity to handle the Ro-Ro vessels that carry automobiles if Baltimore is closed for an extended period.

This is a really big deal, because over 750,000 vehicles came through that port last year alone…

The port is the busiest in the U.S. for car shipments, handling more than 750,000 vehicles in 2023, according to data from the Maryland Port Administration. It is also the largest U.S. port by volume for handling farm and construction machinery, as well as agricultural products.

In addition, a whole host of prominent retailers are very dependent on the Port of Baltimore…

Retailers like Home Depot, Bob’s Furniture, IKEA, and Amazon are just some of the companies that use the port to import goods. Other top imports include sugar and gypsum.

“This will have an impact for trade all along the East Coast and it will continue until we know how quickly” the port can reopen, said Richard Meade, editor-in-chief of the shipping journal Lloyd’s List.

Vessels were already being diverted to New York and down to Virginia on Tuesday, said Meade. “There will be dozens of diversions in the next week and hundreds in the coming months as long as Baltimore is shut down.”

This isn’t the end of the world, and shipments can certainly be diverted to other ports.

But we are talking about the 11th largest port in the entire nation, and so this will definitely be a serious blow…

More than 52 million tons of foreign cargo, worth some $80 billion were transported out of the port last year, according to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. The 11th largest port in the nation, Baltimore served an average of 207 calls a month last year, according to the shipping journal Lloyd’s List.

In addition, it is going to take a very long time for the Francis Scott Key Bridge to be rebuilt.

As Lara Logan has pointed out, that section of I-695 was the “second busiest strategic roadway in the nation for hazardous material”…

Second busiest strategic roadway in the nation for hazardous material now down for 4-5 years – which is how long they say it will take to recover. Bridge was built specifically to move hazardous material – fuel, diesel, propane gas, nitrogen, highly flammable materials, chemicals and oversized cargo that cannot fit in the tunnels – that supply chain now crippled.

One expert is projecting that it will take more than two years to rebuild the bridge…

While trade is nimble and will reroute, over the long term the bridge will need to be fundamentally engineered and rebuilt, and that will take years.

“It will be in excess of two years,” said Meade, of Lloyd’s List. “There will be significant disruption and cost to this infrastructure project. In 1977, the bridge cost $60 million. Take in inflation and the rapid pace to redesign and build will increase procurement premiums. This will be a very expensive project.”

I would be shocked if it happens that quickly.

We shall see.

In any event, we are talking about a multi-faceted crisis that is going to be affecting U.S. supply chains for the foreseeable future.

At a press conference following the collapse of the bridge, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg openly admitted that we are looking at a “major and protracted impact on supply chains”…

“There is no question this will be a major and protracted impact on supply chains,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said during a Tuesday afternoon press conference in Baltimore.

I think that this is the first time I have ever agreed with Pete Buttigieg on anything.

Sadly, this is just the beginning.

In the months ahead, U.S. supply chains will be hit with additional challenges.

So if there are things that you are planning to purchase, I would do that now.

Before I end this article, there is one more thing that I wanted to mention.

Global supplies of cocoa just keep getting tighter and tighter, and on Tuesday the price of cocoa jumped above $10,000 per metric ton for the first time ever…

Cocoa prices hit a record Tuesday as supply constraints fuel prices higher.

Futures for May delivery were up 3.9% at $10,030 per metric ton, marking the first time the commodity breaks above the $10,000 mark. Cocoa has been on a tear this year, soaring nearly 138%.

Difficult weather conditions and disease have affected production in West Africa, which produces about 70% of the world’s cocoa. The two largest producers, Ivory Coast and Ghana, have been hit by a combination of heavy rain, dry heat and disease recently.

In January, it was less than half that price.

If you love chocolate, stock up on it while you still can.

Of course the same thing could be said about countless other things.

Do you remember the supply chain problems that we experienced a couple of years ago?

Well, what is eventually coming is going to absolutely dwarf that.

Many are using the term “black swan event” to describe the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, but the truth is that we are moving into a time when there will be one “black swan event” after another.

So get prepared while there is still an opportunity to do so, because the months and years ahead of us are going to be extremely chaotic.

Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

New York, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco And Baltimore Were Once Such Beautiful Cities…

March 25, 2024March 25, 2024 by Michael

If America is heading in the right direction, why have so many of our major cities become cesspools of violence, drugs, theft, trash and homelessness? Once upon a time, millions of young people from all over America flocked to our rapidly growing metropolitan areas. Today, there is a mass exodus out of our largest metropolitan areas due to the absolutely deplorable conditions. If you are not yet convinced that we are a nation in decline, spend some time wandering around our core urban areas. The shiny new cities that previous generations of Americans built for us are degenerating at a pace that is absolutely stunning.

Just look at what is happening to New York. A couple of decades ago, it was still in relatively good shape.

But now it is going down the tubes really fast.

A shopping mall in the Big Apple that cost a billion dollars to build just ten years ago is being permanently shut down because conditions in the city have become so intolerable…

A MAJOR city mall with dozen of stores is planning to shut up shop as America’s theft epidemic continues to batter businesses.

Retail operator Westfield announced that it intends to end its lease and sever all operations with the Fulton Center in Lower Manhattan.

Westfield put pen to paper on a two-decade long lease in 2014.

However, as levels of theft and homelessness continue to spiral, the company have decided to forego the contract 10 years early.

Westfield has cited soaring crime and quality of life concerns as their reason for terminating the lease.

Yes, things really are that bad.

Walking away from a billion dollar project is not an easy decision, but Westfield apparently has come to the conclusion that conditions are not going to improve any time soon.

Just because a city was great at one time does not mean that it will always be great.

Detroit was once one of the greatest cities on the entire planet, but now it has become a cautionary tale…

Detroit was once the symbol of the mighty industrial power of America. It was the home of the “Big Three” American car companies that dominated car production around the world. It was America’s success at developing a large industrial middle class.

Today one finds articles like the Guardian’s “The Death of a Great American City: why does anyone still live in Detroit?” So what has happened to what was once one of the greatest Rust Belt cities? The story of Detroit is a much larger tale of what has been happening in the city of Gary in Indiana – a ghost town in the making.

Other major cities should learn from what has happened to Detroit.

But instead, many of them are making the exact same mistakes.

Years of progressive policies have turned some of our most appealing cities into horror shows.

It wasn’t too long ago that the glamour of Hollywood drew in visitors from all over the globe, but now Hollywood is absolutely packed with homeless encampments…

A large Hollywood Boulevard homeless encampment that residents say is a hotspot for selling and buying drugs, a trash-strewn tent city they say took the city three months to clear, has sparked continued concern as unhoused residents are already returning to the location.

The encampments are a persistent problem plaguing neighborhoods not just in Hollywood but across greater Los Angeles.

Conditions are similar up north in San Francisco.

I have written extensively about the hordes of addicts that wander aimlessly through the streets. These addicts leave trash and human excrement wherever they go, and as a result San Francisco is an extremely filthy city today.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the city itself is “dumping raw sewage and trash directly into the Bay at a magnitude that’s almost incomprehensible”…

Sejal Choksi-Chugh, Baykeeper’s executive director, said, “There’s no excuse for polluting the Bay with sewage and trash, and those who pollute must be held accountable. Dumping millions of gallons of untreated sewage into Mission Creek and the Bay is unacceptable, avoidable, and illegal.”

Nearly all of SFPUC’s discharges flow into Mission Creek and Islais Creek, Baykeeper found. The nonprofit’s field investigators visited Mission Creek during sewer discharges and saw the presence of fecal matter, plastics, syringes, and condoms in the water.

“San Francisco is dumping raw sewage and trash directly into the Bay at a magnitude that’s almost incomprehensible,” said Baykeeper attorney Eric Buescher.

Yuck!

I thought that progressives were supposed to be in favor of protecting the environment.

On the east coast, the city of Baltimore is facing a different sort of crisis.

After years of disastrous policies, the police shortage in the city has reached an “apocalyptic” level…

Baltimore is now facing apocalyptic levels of policing shortages.

Last week, THREE police officers patrolled a whole district of 61,000 residents.

Police are now UNABLE to respond to calls, including for child assault.

The department is now postponing police training in an attempt to solve shortages.

At one time in my life, I would visit Baltimore pretty regularly.

And I was always thankful to get out of the city safely.

Of course things are much worse now, and at this point I don’t know why anyone would still want to live there.

Pittsburgh is also experiencing a very serious shortage of police officers.

In fact, things have gotten so bad that police in the city will no longer “respond to any calls that aren’t in progress emergencies”…

Beginning Monday, Pittsburgh police won’t respond to any calls that aren’t in progress emergencies.

Chief Larry Scirotto wants to cut their call volume from approximately 200,000 calls per year down to about 50,000.

That essentially means that calls for criminal mischief, theft, harassment and burglary alarms, just to name a few, will all be handled by the telephone reporting unit or online reporting.

This is what a nation in decline looks like.

We have turned our backs on the values that this nation was founded upon, and as a result we are now experiencing social decay on an epic scale.

Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

Pawn Shop Inventories Are Exploding As The Failing U.S. Economy Hammers Those At The Bottom Of The Economic Food Chain

March 24, 2024March 24, 2024 by Michael

How much longer will the Biden administration and the mainstream media continue to deny that we are in the midst of a very painful economic downturn? Debt levels have never been higher, delinquency rates are spiking, the commercial real estate market is crashing, the banking industry is mired in turmoil and large companies are conducting mass layoffs all over the nation. Anyone that attempts to claim that the U.S. economy is in good shape is just being delusional. Unfortunately, it is those that are at the bottom of the economic food chain that are being hurt the most.

If you want to know what is really going on with the economy, pawn shops are a great place to look.

When the economy is doing well, pawn shop inventories tend to go down because people aren’t pawning much stuff and there is lots of buying going on.

But when the economy is not doing well, pawn shop inventories tend to go up because people are pawning lots of stuff for fast cash and there aren’t as many buyers as there were during the good times.

So what are we seeing during the early stages of 2024?

One pawn shop owner that was recently interviewed by USA Today admitted that he has “a glut of inventory” right now…

Clay Baron has everything in his pawn shop from gold rings and pearl necklaces to vintage cowboy boots, silver belt buckles, stereos and ticking clocks.

The only thing he’s short on is space. “Right now we have a glut of inventory,” Baron said, “which tells me that our clientele doesn’t necessarily have money.”

Accumulating pawn shop inventory means fewer buyers than sellers – a sign that for the lowest-income Americans, times remain tough.

That same article pointed out that inventory levels have also grown rapidly at some of the largest pawn shop chains in the entire nation…

Two of the largest, publicly traded pawnshop corporations in the U.S. – which between them own roughly 1,700 pawnshops nationwide – are also reporting growing inventory and increased demand for short-term loans.

FirstCash Holdings Inc. operates nearly 1,200 pawnshops under the FirstCash and Cash America brands in 29 states and the District of Columbia. The company reported “record pawn receivables” in its most recent year-end earnings report and a 10% increase in inventory at its U.S. stores.

EZCORP Inc. also owns 530 pawnshops in the U.S. and reported an 8% increase in inventory at U.S. stores in the company’s latest earnings report. The “challenging macro-economic backdrop” continued to fuel demand for short-term cash loans, the company said.

If anyone comes to you and tries to convince you that the economy is doing well, just show them these numbers.

That will be the end of any debate.

One of the reasons why so many Americans need fast cash is because debt loads have risen to unprecedented levels. Here is just one example…

For Denise and Paul Nierzwicki, credit cards are the only way to make ends meet. The couple, ages 69 and 72, respectively, have about $20,000 in debt spread across multiple cards, all with interest rates above 20%.

The trouble started during the pandemic, when Denise lost her job and a business deal for a bar that they owned in their hometown of Lexington, Kentucky, went bad.

They applied for Social Security, which helped, and Denise now works 50 hours a week at a restaurant. Still, they’re barely scraping together the minimum payments for their credit card debt.

Can you imagine how much stress they must be feeling on a daily basis?

Sadly, there are millions of others that are in similar positions.

The combination of high debt levels and high interest rates has created a “perfect storm” of suffering for U.S. consumers, and so it should be no surprise that delinquency rates have been surging…

The signs are obvious. Last week we noted that banks’ charge-offs are accelerating, and are now above pre-pandemic levels.

…and leading this increase are credit card loans – with delinquencies that haven’t been this high since Q3 2011.

On top of that, while credit cards and nonfarm, nonresidential commercial real estate loans drove the quarterly increase in the noncurrent rate, residential mortgages drove the quarterly increase in the share of loans 30-89 days past due.

When large numbers of people start getting behind on their mortgages, it is only a matter of time before foreclosures start to spike.

And that is precisely what we are witnessing…

Home foreclosures rose again in February as Americans continue to grapple with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

That is according to a new report published by real estate data provider ATTOM, which found that there were 32,938 properties in February with foreclosure filings, which includes default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions.

Sadly, things are only going to get worse during the months ahead, because the labor market is starting to get very tight.

One 26-year-old woman that has multiple degrees hasn’t been able to find a job even though she has already applied for approximately 1,000 different positions…

Cheyenne Barton, 26, of Kissimmee, Florida, graduated in December with one degree in biomedical sciences and another in computing technology and software development – the kind of practical background employers have coveted.

She initially targeted software development jobs but is now looking for “really any job” where she can use her degrees.

Barton has applied for about 1,000 positions but hasn’t yet notched an interview.

Companies “say they want recent grads who are teachable and can learn quicker,” she says. “But then you apply for the job and it’s like, ‘Oh, we already have over 100 applications with people who are more qualified.’”

Wait a second.

Joe Biden told us that good jobs are easy to find these days.

So why can’t Cheyenne Barton even get an interview?

Something is not adding up.

Of course the truth is that we have seen a major shift in the labor market in recent months. According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, the number of layoffs in February was the highest that they have ever recorded for that particular month…

The pace of job cuts by U.S. employers accelerated in February, a sign the labor market is starting to deteriorate in the face of ongoing inflation and high interest rates.

That is according to a new report published Thursday by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, which found that companies planned 84,638 job cuts in February, a 3% increase from the previous month and a 9% jump from the same time last year.

It marked the highest layoff total for the month of February in data going back to 2009.

The outlook for the rest of the year is absolutely dismal.

So even more Americans will fall into poverty.

And even more Americans will fall into hunger.

And even more Americans will end up homeless.

Over the weekend, a story about a homeless man in Wasco, California that was apparently eating “a severed human leg” has been going viral…

Video footage shot in Wasco, California appears to show a crazed maniac waving around a severed human leg and taking bites out of it before police apprehended him Friday.

Reports have suggested that the man ‘stole’ the leg from the scene of a train accident, where a person was earlier hit and killed.

The footage shows the man, identified as 27-year-old Resendo Tellez, holding and examining the limb, with witnesses saying he was eating parts of it, before attempting to walk away waving it around as multiple police cars close in on him.

That is pretty shocking.

But it is also a preview of where this country is heading.

The economic suffering of the past couple of years has been very painful, but the truth is that it isn’t even worth comparing to what is in front of us.

Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

U.S. Troops Are One Mile From The Chinese Border

March 21, 2024March 21, 2024 by Michael

The U.S. cannot afford a war with China. The size of our military has been shrinking, and our resources are stretched way too thin. Today, the U.S. has military bases in 80 different countries, and we have troops stationed in 178 different countries. That is insane. No empire in the entire history of humanity has had forces spread all over the planet like this. Our ammunition levels are extremely low due to major conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, and every war game that our leaders have conducted has shown us losing a war to protect Taiwan. So we should be trying to avoid sparking a war with China, because we are holding a losing hand.

But our politicians seem determined to provoke one anyway. It is being reported that officials in Taiwan have confirmed that U.S. forces are now permanently stationed “on its islands in the Taiwan Strait”…

Taiwan has officially confirmed the presence of US troops stationed on its islands in the Taiwan Strait permanently, a development that could further escalate mounting tensions with China.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed in 2023 facilitated the deployment of these troops to conduct training programs for Taiwanese frontline forces.

This is going to make Chinese authorities extremely mad.

It would have been bad enough if we had just put troops on Taiwan’s main island.

But we didn’t stop there.

We are being told that U.S. troops have also been stationed on the Penghu islands and the Kinmen islands…

According to reports from Taiwan’s United Daily News (UDN), US Army Green Berets from the 1st Special Forces Group are now permanently stationed at bases of the 101st Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion, a Taiwanese army special operations force, located in outlying island counties of Penghu and Kinmen. Notably, Kinmen lies just over a mile from Chinese shores.

Additionally, reports suggest an American military presence in the northeast city of Taoyuan on Taiwan’s main island, with service members providing specialized training on drone equipment for Taiwan’s elite Airborne Special Service Company.

How would we feel if Chinese troops were one mile from the U.S. border?

Taiwan’s main island is approximately 100 miles from China, but in some places the Kinmen islands and China are “barely more than a mile apart”…

The island of Taiwan, governed by the Republic of China (ROC), lies about 100 miles (161 kilometers) east of mainland China, across the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan also administers a number of smaller islands known as the Kinmen archipelago, or Kinmen County. Great Kinmen Island and its neighbor islets are on the other side of the strait, in a harbor just east of the port city of Xiamen, practically surrounded by the People’s Republic of China (PRC)—in some places barely more than a mile apart.

What are our leaders thinking?

This doesn’t make war less likely.

It makes war more likely.

On Wednesday, China sent 32 warplanes toward Taiwan in a 24 hour period…

Thirty-two Chinese warplanes were detected over Taiwan in just 24 hours, the country’s defense ministry said.

In the 24 hours between Wednesday 6am and Thursday 6am local time, the second highest number of Chinese planes this year buzzed over the island nation accompanied by five naval vessels around Taiwan.

Twenty of the aircraft ‘crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait’, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement on Thursday. The aircraft were detected after nightfall and included fighter jets, unmanned drones and medium-range transport aircraft, according to the ministry.

The Chinese do this sort of thing when they are upset.

And right now they are very, very upset.

And China has been feverishly preparing for the coming war…

China is building its military and nuclear arsenal on a scale not seen since World War II and all signs suggest it’s sticking to ambitions to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027, a top US admiral testified.

Despite Beijing’s economic challenges, its official defense budget has increased by 16% over recent years to more than $223 billion, Admiral John Aquilino, the leader of the Indo-Pacific Command, told the US House Armed Services Committee in prepared testimony on Wednesday.

In the three years since he took command, he said the People’s Liberation Army, or PLA, has added more than 400 fighter aircraft, along with more than 20 major warships. It’s also doubled its inventory of ballistic and cruise missiles since 2020, he said.

When war with China finally erupts, will we be able to handle it?

Of course not.

Our forces are scattered all over the planet, and so many of our resources have already been poured into the war in Ukraine.

Even though there have been efforts to ramp up ammunition production in the U.S., it is being reported that “Russia is producing nearly three times as many artillery munitions as the United States and Europe combined”…

Russia’s defence minister said on Thursday that artillery shell production had risen by nearly 2.5 times in the past year, while artillery component production had soared by a factor of 22 as Moscow races to rearm faster than the West can supply Ukraine.

Russia’s current dominance in artillery production is a factor that could help decide the course of the Ukraine war – which is largely fought with artillery and drones – at a time when the West fears Russia is set for more battlefield wins.

CNN reported earlier this month that Russia is producing nearly three times as many artillery munitions as the United States and Europe combined, citing unidentified Western intelligence sources.

No matter how you feel about the war, that is just embarrassing.

One of the reasons why we won World War II was because the U.S. could simply outproduce everyone else by a wide margin.

But now we just look pathetic.

French President Emmanuel Macron and other western leaders have suggested that NATO troops should be sent into Ukraine if that is what is necessary to keep the Russians from winning.

If that actually happens, U.S. boys and girls will inevitably be sent to die in the trenches of eastern Ukraine too.

In anticipation of a wider war, the Russians are conducting another round of mobilization.

In fact, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has just announced “the creation of 2 new ground armies, with 16 new brigades & 14 new divisions”.

Meanwhile, Israeli officials continue to insist that a major ground operation will happen in Rafah no matter what the Biden administration thinks about such a move…

On Thursday Israel issued its most defiant response yet to Washington pressre that it abandon its plans for a ground invasion of Rafah, over fears of another mass civilian casualty humanitarian disaster, given the high number of refugees packed into the southern Gaza city.

A top Israeli official was quoted in Bloomberg as saying the military is going to invade Rafah and defeat Hamas “even if the entire world turns on Israel, including the United States.” Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, issued the words in a podcast interview.

“We are going to go in and finish this job, and anybody who doesn’t understand that doesn’t understand that the existential nerve of the Jews was touched” by the Oct. 7 terror attack, he said.

When the IDF goes into Rafah, that could cause the entire region to erupt.

And so U.S. forces may be called on to intervene in the Middle East as well.

Spreading your resources way too thin is a sure way to lose.

Unfortunately, our politicians don’t seem to understand this, and their very foolish decisions will soon lead to absolutely disastrous consequences.

Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

Why Is The National Guard Being Deployed During The Great American Eclipse On April 8th?

March 20, 2024 by Michael

The National Guard is only supposed to be deployed in emergency situations. But these days the National Guard is being used for all sorts of things. For example, hundreds of National Guard soldiers are being used to check the bags of those riding the subway system in New York City. That sets a very alarming precedent, and I don’t understand why more people aren’t upset about this. And now we have learned that National Guard troops will be deployed during the Great American Eclipse on April 8th. What in the world do they expect to happen during this eclipse?

Without a doubt, it will certainly be a historic event.

As I have discussed previously, it is being projected that it will be the most viewed astronomical event in the entire history of our country.

And virtually everyone in North America will be able to view at least a partial eclipse…

Almost everyone on the continent will see at least a bit of the eclipse. The further away you are from the path, the less of the eclipse you’ll see.

Even in places like Seattle and Portland, Oregon, which are far from the path, about one-third of the sun will be hidden.

On April 8th, millions of Americans will be traveling to locations where they will be in the path of the total solar eclipse. Oklahoma is being touted as one of the best states for that, and it is being reported that the Oklahoma National Guard “will provide first responders as well as units with hazmat response capabilities”…

Oklahoma’s National Guard is set to be deployed for the upcoming total solar eclipse, when as many as 100,000 people are expected to visit one county.

In a statement on Tuesday, the guard said it would assist emergency management to cope with “an unprecedented number of tourists” on April 8 in McCurtain County, in the southeast of the state.

The guard will provide first responders as well as units with hazmat response capabilities in case of an incident like an industrial fire.

I can understand that they feel the need to be prepared.

But bringing in the National Guard is overkill, don’t you think?

Residents of Oklahoma are being urged to “stock up on gas and groceries” prior to the eclipse, and they are also being instructed to have “multiple forms of communication besides cellular”…

To prepare for the eclipse, the state laid out some tips to plan ahead.

Oklahomans should schedule errands and appointments a few days in advance before the eclipse as well as stock up on gas and groceries. The state also recommends having multiple forms of communication besides cellular, being careful on the road and staying updated on weather conditions.

Seriously?

They want people to do all this for an eclipse that is only going to last for a few minutes?

Actually, Oklahoma is not the only state that is issuing such warnings. According to a Newsweek article entitled “Map Shows Warnings for People to Stock Up on Food Ahead of Solar Eclipse”, at least four states have now warned their citizens to stock up on food…

At least four states within the path of totality have urged residents to stock up on groceries before the eclipse. Some officials have already issued disaster declarations ahead of the event, and some schools have decided to close, citing student safety.

Texas officials have issued a slew of warnings, including that people living within the path of totality should stock up on groceries and gas and run any errands—such as filling prescriptions—in the days before the eclipse. One official also urged pet owners to stock up on supplies for their animals.

I realize that the areas that are in the direct path of the total eclipse are anticipating large numbers of visitors, but it feels like authorities are really going overboard.

Just look at what officials in Hays County, Texas are telling their residents to do…

Parking issues – lack of parking, fees for parking, having to park and walk to your destination (Please park only in designated areas and not on private property or in areas that cause safety issues)
Traffic delays and road closures
Longer wait times for restaurants (consider cooking at “home” instead or bring a small cooler with ready-to-eat food)
More congestion (pedestrian and vehicles)
Delayed emergency/911 response
Cell service interruptions/lack of service
Higher than normal stress levels and/or heated tempers
Credit card machines not working (bring cash)

Why would credit card machines not work?

And why would phone service be interrupted?

I don’t understand.

In Arkansas, they actually held a “live training exercise” that simulated emergencies that might happen during the eclipse…

With less than a month remaining before the Great American Solar Eclipse, the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management (ADEM) took a significant step by conducting a live training exercise. This exercise was designed to test ADEM’s response to issues that may arise as visitors flock to Arkansas to witness the event. ADEM responders and other state agencies looked at possible scenarios, such as severe weather, traffic, medical emergencies, and communication challenges.

Taking part in the exercise were county emergency managers and representatives of the National Weather Service, Arkansas National Guard, Corps of Engineers, Arkansas Hospital Association, Arkansas Wireless Information Network, and Arkansas Departments of Health, Transportation, Energy and Environment and Human Services.

Personally, I am not expecting a major disaster or emergency on the day of the eclipse.

But you never know, I could be wrong.

And it is certainly inevitable that there will be a lot more “surprises” as this year rolls along.

In fact, during his recent interview with Tucker Carlson, former U.S. Representative Ron Paul specifically warned about the potential for a black swan event…

Ron Paul, recognized for his consistent principles and foresight into economic and foreign policy, used the platform to express his concerns about unexpected, significant events that could catch the world by surprise.

“I think we’re reaching this point where some sudden thing is going to happen. I believe in that theory of the black swan. Yes, it’s going to pop up, and it’s not going to be controllable,” Paul said.

I don’t think that there will be a black swan event on April 8th.

But this eclipse will be a very big deal.

The giant “X” over America that the Great American Eclipse of 2017 started will be completed by the Great American Eclipse of 2024.

And as the Great American Eclipse of 2024 moves across our nation, the sun, the moon and the other seven planets in our solar system will all be lined up in the sky.

Our entire solar system is literally screaming that this day is important, and you would think that more people would be talking about the giant “X” that is about to be completed directly over the New Madrid fault zone.

Sadly, most of the population will quickly forget about this eclipse once it has passed, and that is extremely unfortunate.

Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

3 Things That Troubled U.S. Banks Are Doing As They Scramble To Survive

March 5, 2024March 5, 2024 by Michael

The balance sheets of America’s banks are packed with bad loans and bad investments, and that is really bad news for all of us because the banks are the beating heart of our economic system. Without the loans that they provide, we would not even have a functioning economy. So the health of our banks is of paramount importance. Today, there are more than 4,000 banks in the United States, and maybe a few hundred of them could be considered healthy. Most of our banks fully understand that they are in really deep trouble, and they are feverishly trying to avoid the same fate as Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic Bank. The following are 3 things that troubled U.S. banks are doing as they scramble to survive…

#1 Troubled U.S. Banks Are Dramatically Tightening Lending Standards

I warned my readers that a credit crunch would be coming, and that is precisely what we are witnessing.

According to one recent survey, Americans are being turned down for loans at staggering rates…

A new survey published by Bankrate found that 50% of loans or financial product applicants have been denied since the Fed started raising rates in March 2022.

Credit card applications have been rejected the most frequently, with 14% of Americans reporting that banks denied them a new credit card while another 6% were refused a balance transfer card. Others were denied a credit limit increase on their existing credit card (11%), a personal loan (10%), car loan or car lease (9%), insurance (8%) and a mortgage loan (5%).

Banks are tightening their lending standards in response to higher interest rates.

We haven’t seen anything like this since the Great Recession.

Unsurprisingly, those that have low credit scores are being denied loans most frequently…

The share of Americans who have been denied a loan or financial product is “substantially” higher for those with lower credit scores. For instance, about 73% of individuals with a “poor” credit score, ranging from 300 to 579, have been denied a loan or financial product, compared to 63% with “fair” credit, ranging from 580 to 669, and 55% with “good” credit, ranging from 670 to 739.

#2 Troubled U.S. Banks Are Closing Branches

This is a trend I have been tracking for a long time.

When banks get into trouble, they cut costs, and closing branches is one way to do that.

During the most recent week that we have data for, U.S. banks filed to close another 23 branches…

Banks filed to close 23 branches in a single week last month – with JPMorgan Chase alone announcing plans to shut 18 in California alone.

All but one of those branches were locations of First Republic Bank, the failed commercial bank and wealth manager it acquired last year.

#3 Troubled U.S. Banks Are Slashing Jobs

Conducting mass layoffs is another way that banks are cutting costs.

Last year, the biggest banks in the world collectively laid off more than 60,000 workers. That was the largest number that we have seen since the global financial crisis…

According to the FT’s calculations, 20 of the world’s largest lenders cut at least 61,905 jobs this year. It was one of the worst years for job cuts at banks since the 2007-2008 financial crisis, when banks eliminated 140,000 positions.

Aside from UBS, the second largest number of job cuts happened at Wells Fargo, which reduced its headcount by 12,000.

So far in 2024, the pace of banking layoffs far exceeds what we witnessed in 2023.

In fact, Citigroup alone has announced that it will be laying off 20,000 workers…

Citigroup will lay off 20,000 employees over the next two years, CFO Mark Mason said Friday. The reduction comes after the company reported a $1.8 billion net loss for the fourth quarter of 2023, its worst quarter in 15 years.

The bank expects the reduction in headcount to save $2.5 billion over the long-term.

A lot more banking layoffs are coming, and that is extremely unfortunate.

Shockingly, it is at this moment that the Federal Reserve has decided to terminate the program that has literally been keeping hundreds of U.S. banks from completely imploding…

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday said a funding lifeline created for banks last year after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank threatened to spark a wider financial crisis would close as scheduled in March.

The Fed also raised the interest rate on new loans from the Bank Term Funding Program (BTFP) for the remainder of its life, effectively ending what had become a popular and profitable arbitrage opportunity for U.S. lenders, which analysts said should deter fresh borrowing.

The sun-setting of the program on March 11 had been signaled by Fed officials as fear in the banking system abated.

Circle March 11th on your calendar, because that is going to be a very important turning point.

I have no idea what the “experts” at the Fed are thinking.

Do they not understand what is going to happen?

Without artificial life support, a lot of these banks are going to go belly up.

In a recent opinion piece, Kevin O’Leary expressed his opinion that literally thousands of U.S. banks will fail during the next three to five years…

Regional banks are doomed.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing… if you’re prepared for it.

It’s been almost a year since Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) collapsed in March – the victim of idiotic management. But the sobering reality is the small banking crisis is far from over.

In the next three to five years, thousands more regional institutions will fail. That’s why I don’t have a dime saved or invested in a single one.

Will he be right?

I don’t know.

But what I do know is that lots of small and mid-size banks will fail unless the Federal Reserve props them up.

And once even a few banks start failing, that will cause a wave of panic to ripple throughout the entire system.

The people that are running things must surely understand this.

So what is their plan?

In recent years, whenever things have gotten bad they have always gotten out their firehoses and have started spraying money all over the place.

Will they do the same thing again once many small and mid-size banks begin to implode?

Interestingly, right now the price of gold is spiking dramatically.

Are some investors starting to hoard gold in anticipation of a new financial crisis?

I wish that I had all the answers.

But what seems clear is that big trouble is on the horizon, and those that are wise will position themselves accordingly.

Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

Should Tennessee Be Ranked #1 For Survivability For Preppers That Want To Survive The Cataclysmic Times That Are Coming?

March 4, 2024March 4, 2024 by Michael

If you are planning to relocate in anticipation of the extremely chaotic times that are rapidly approaching, there are four primary factors that I think people should be focusing on. First of all, you will want to go some place where you will be surrounded by like-minded people. Secondly, you will want to avoid locations that have a high population density. Thirdly, you will want to avoid regions that are at high risk of experiencing natural disasters. Lastly, it is important to consider how the area you are considering will fare during a nuclear conflict. Of course these are not the only factors that need to be considered, because choosing to relocate to another part of the country is a complicated decision. Ultimately, you need to make whatever choice is right for you and your family at the time.

I have written quite a bit about these things over the years, and so my attention was immediately grabbed when I came across an article on StudyFinds.com entitled “The List: Best Places to Live Off-Grid, According to Experts”. The state of Tennessee is ranked number one on their list, and I found that to be quite interesting. Below, I will share some of their reasons for ranking Tennessee first, and following each reason I will give some of my thoughts…

-“abundance of natural resources”

This is very true. Tennessee is tremendously blessed with natural resources, and that is a huge advantage for those that want to live off-grid.

-“with an average rainfall of over 50 inches, homesteaders living off-grid have ample access to legally harvest rainwater”

A lot of states, particularly in the western half of the country, have made it illegal to harvest rain falling from the sky. Thankfully, Tennessee doesn’t have such a law, and plenty of rain falls throughout the year.

-“individuals can apply to live and work on government-owned land for a low cost or even for free”

If you are strapped for cash, this is a great opportunity. Most other states do not have this option.

-“fertile land found in this state provides a growing season of over eight months per year”

This is a really great point. Even most preppers do not have years of food stored up for themselves and their families. During the very difficult times that are ahead, growing your own food will be important, and Tennessee is a great state for doing that.

-“Tennessee stands out as a budget-friendly haven for off-grid enthusiasts”

The coast of living in the state is definitely lower than elsewhere, and that is a huge plus.

Overall, there is so much to like about Tennessee. In my new book, I ranked it number four out of all fifty states.

But of course no location is perfect.

There are definitely some negatives to consider as well. For example, it is being reported that Tennessee is the most stressed state in the entire nation…

At No. 1 for the overall list of the most stressed states in the U.S. is Tennessee, according to Komowa.

The Volunteer State scored very high for the most health stress, coming in third place for the highest level of depression prevalence (24.4%).

15.5% of residents also said “their physical health isn’t good for more than 14 days a month.”

Residents of Tennessee also work more than the average American. The state came in at No. 3 for most hours worked with an average of 42.3 hours a week.

In addition, in my opinion you will want to avoid the western half of the state entirely. It is way too close to the New Madrid fault zone, and Memphis is one of the most dangerous cities in the country.

But I very much like the eastern portion of the state. In particular, virtually anywhere east of Knoxville would be a very nice choice.

Just don’t expect perfection.

You won’t find that anywhere.

Needless to say, you will need to be prepared to expect the unexpected wherever you live.

For example, those living in Utah and Nevada probably never imagined that tumbleweeds would become a significant issue in our day and age, but that is precisely what is happening…

Tumbleweed is sprawling across sidewalks. It is blowing across freeways. It is stacked up — feet high — against homes in Utah and Nevada.

The masses upon masses of prickly tumbleweed are more fallout from severe weather sweeping the Western United States, in which wind gusts over 60 mph destroyed infrastructure, downed trees and power lines, and caused widespread outages and road closures.

Some called it the tumbleweed takeover. Others referred to it as tumblemageddon.

Life is always full of surprises, and that will especially be true during the tumultuous years that are in front of us.

We will never be able to prepare for every possible scenario, but right now millions of Americans are making preparations for what is ahead because they understand that things are about to make a dramatic turn in the wrong direction.

A gold dealer in Beverly Hills says that even the ultra-wealthy are preparing for the worst…

MILLIONAIRES and elites are hoarding gold as part of their doomsday preparations as they look to barter with it, an expert has revealed.

Multiple factors, from cell service outages to the election, have caused an “absolute surge” in gold sales, Jonathan Rose told The U.S. Sun.

Rose, the CEO of Genesis Gold Group in Beverly Hills, California, said he deals with people buying the precious metal for doomsday-prepping purposes every day.

Rose highlighted how doomsday prepping has become popular among millionaires such as Mark Zuckerberg and Sam Altman, along with pro athletes and other elites.

Speaking of Zuckerberg, there has been a tremendous amount of speculation about the massive survivalist compound that he is building in Hawaii.

Those that have been involved in building it have been required to sign very strict nondisclosure agreements…

Everyone who enters the property must sign a strict nondisclosure agreement, according to reports, and workers are sworn to secrecy.

Various media reports make mention of labourers being sacked after sharing selfies from the property on social media – posts that were quickly detected by Zuckerberg’s representatives.

“It’s fight club,” a former contractor told Wired. “We don’t talk about fight club.”

We have reached a stage where even people like Mark Zuckerberg realize that things are about to get really crazy.

The United States is in the process of committing financial suicide, but what we are facing goes far beyond economics.

We are literally facing a “perfect storm” that is being fueled by a whole host of different factors, and global events are on the verge of spiraling completely out of control.

So whether it is Tennessee or somewhere else, I would highly recommend figuring out where you want to be when everything finally hits the fan, because we are quickly running out of time.

Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

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