Research Space / Consumer Trends

Indiscriminate Attack. The use of an explosive device whose exact location could not be reliably known would be unlawfully indiscriminate.

New Form of Terror. The Israeli government introduced the world to a new form of terror attacks after it exploded pagers across Lebanon in violation of international humanitarian law, according to Craig Mokhiber, a former UN lawyer.

Casualties in Lebanon. Thousands of pagers exploded in Lebanon, killing at least 12, including at least two children and two health workers, according to Human Rights Watch.

Western Media Response. The terror attack was embraced by the media establishment in the U.S.

Mokhiber's Remarks. Mokhiber called the attack a grave breach of international law and a gross violation of Human Rights law.

Escalation of Terrorism. This opens up a very dangerous new front on global terrorism… putting us all at risk.

Debt Creation Mechanism. New "money" is first created right out of thin air, (obviously this new money creation is inflationary).

Unannounced Rate Cut. The Fed has yet to make its highly anticipated rate cut announcement.

Quantitative Easing Cycle. Unannounced, the Fed, back in June, started a NEW AND EXPANSIVE quantitative easing cycle which has not only caused the benchmark U.S. 10-year yield to crater, but has also caused the ENTIRE YIELD CURVE TO UN-INVERT.

Dollar Devaluation. This unannounced QE cycle has also caused the U.S. dollar to freefall.

Read More.

Policy Contrast. The solution is simple. And it’s the POLAR OPPOSITE of what we are being sold, AGAIN, by both prospective U.S. Presidential selectees here in the U.S.

Lack of Discussion. Why not a single question about this mechanism during the Presidential debate?

Need for Solutions. There is a solution, but you WILL NOT HEAR ABOUT IT.

Dependency Creation. This mechanism creates MORE DEPENDENCY ON THEIRS SYSTEM.

Heavy Debt Loads. Individual citizens themselves are carrying their heaviest debt loads in history.

1 Trillion Debt Increase. National debt is skyrocketing at a rate of ONE TRILLION DOLLARS on average every 3 months here in the U.S.

Media Silence. However, the TRUTH is always hidden in plain sight despite the "look here do not look over there" propaganda and deception campaign against us.

Mortgage Rate Drop. Here in the United States, mortgage rates have now dropped to a near two-year low.

Escape Hybrid Sales Growth. Escape hybrid sales totaled 13,645 — up 8.4% compared to the same period last year.

Market Positioning. It is the hybrid lineup, in addition to gas and all-electric vehicles, that puts Ford in a unique market position now with so many consumer options.

Cautionary Tale. Hybrids are now 9% of the market and you look at how that evolution has taken us this long to get there.

Affordable Options. Consumers may purchase six versions of the 2025 Escape with four different powertrains.

Hybrid Powertrain Options. The Escape hybrid gets 42 mpg in the city and 39 mpg combined.

Hybrid Vehicles Growing. While electric cars generate a lot of buzz, hybrid vehicles are the fastest growing segment in the U.S. today.

Record Hybrid Sales. We have record hybrid sales this year, said Erich Merkle, U.S. sales analyst for Ford.

Hybrid Technology Collaboration. Tech writers viewed the Escape SUV as a miracle that brought together scientists and product engineers to work together in a way never done before.

20 Years of Escape. Twenty years have passed since the innovative Escape came to market in 2004.

Forty-nine Percent Sales Spike. Ford has seen its hybrid sales spike 49% from January through August from a year ago.

Eliminating Range Anxiety. Hybrids eliminate range anxiety — the fear of running out of battery life without a charging station close by.

Casualties Report. There are no reports of casualties.

Escalation Predictions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will continue to escalate before the U.S. election because he has no other option than to try and pull Washington into a direct war with Russia.

Nuclear Deterrent Claims. Putin stated that Moscow's nuclear weapons are 'more advanced and state-of-the-art' than any other nuclear-capable nation.

Putin's Warning. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that allowing Ukraine to fire long-range missiles would mean a direct war between Russia and NATO.

Long-range Missile Debate. Some on social media wondered how drones could be launched so deep inside Russia, amidst recent debates among NATO members about allowing Ukraine to fire long-range missiles deeper inside Russia.

Evacuations Ordered. Igor Rudenya, the Tver Region governor, told Russia's RT that he has ordered a partial evacuation of residents from the territory where the air defenses are active and responders are working to contain the fire.

Facility Under Fire. The facility, which houses thousands of tons of Russian ammunition, continues to burn into this morning.

Drone Attack Impact. Ukraine launched a major drone attack on a munitions site in Russia's Toropets, resulting in massive explosions and smoke visible from space.

Hybrid Warfare. He noted that Israel and Hezbollah are engaged in a hybrid war, and while things are active on the front, life is more normal in the rear.

Outcome Unchanged. Ritter mentioned that the attack does not change the 'battlefield outcome.'

Strategy vs. Revenge. Ritter stated, 'I think what happened with the pagers is more an act of revenge than part and parcel of the grand strategy of Israel towards Hezbollah.'

Ritter's Analysis. Scott Ritter said the 'pager' attack on Hezbollah fighters was likely an attempt at revenge after an earlier attack on the headquarters of the Israeli military’s intelligence agency Unit 8200.

Israeli Attack Toll. At least nine people were killed and 2,750 injured, 200 critically, in the Israeli attack, according to the Associated Press.

Response to Assassination. The late-August attack was in response to Israel's assassination of Fouad Shokor, a top Hezbollah commander, who was in Beirut.

Casualties Report. Al Mayadeen reported that Hezbollah's attack on Israel's Glilot Base resulted in 'significant casualties within the Israeli intelligence unit, with fatalities reaching 22 and 74 members reported injured.'

US Support for Israel. The TREND FORECAST predicts that Israel will continue to escalate the war with Hezbollah and the U.S. will be fully supportive because Washington is in Israel’s pocket.

Economic Crash Warning. Should Brent crude hit the $130 per barrel price, equity markets and the global economy will crash.

Energy Market Trends. As a result of the escalating war, oil prices and gold prices are on the cusp of a sharp escalation.

Market Outlook. As a result of flooding the world with cheap money, zero and negative interest rates, inflation skyrocketed.

Gold Price Predictions. How low will gold go? Possibly a drop of $100 per ounce, since it has not had a steep correction for months.

Geopolitical Turmoil. Despite interest cuts of only 25 basis points, gold prices may well spike much higher due to geopolitical turmoil.

Potential Rate Effects. If the Fed cuts interest rates by only 25 basis points tomorrow, it will not heavily ramp up the equity markets and may actually push equities lower.

Inflation Causes. As I have explained REPEATEDLY, inflation is a MONETARY POLICY ISSUE! And monetary policy is dictated by central banks.

Money Supply Growth. Global broad money supply increased from $26 trillion in 2000 to $129 trillion in 2023.

Inflation Rate Insights. The Global Broad Money Supply Reached $129 Trillion in December 2023.

Economic Impact. Should that be the number, it will do little to regenerate sagging economic and job growth.

Interest Rate Predictions. Every eye on Wall Street is on how much the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates after its meeting tomorrow.

Projected Rate Cut. The guess on The Street, according to a CNBC Fed survey, is a 25-basis-point reduction.

U.S. Involvement.

Cyber Attack Commentary.

FDD Background.

Deterrence Message.

Mockery in U.S..

Hezbollah Blames Israel.

Official Denial.

Pager Attack Insight.

Unemployment Rate Discrepancy. If we were to use the same metrics to measure unemployment today, as they did during the peak of the Great Depression, the U.S. unemployment rate would be FOUR TIMES HIGHER than the fake numbers that the mainstream media is putting out today.

Greatest Depression Warning. Today we stand on the threshold of THE GREATEST DEPRESSION on a global scale.

Federal Reserve Actions. On September 18, 2024, the Federal Reserve will officially announce that it is about to start cutting rates.

Debt Monetization. Monetizing the debt is defined as when a central bank, in this case the Federal Reserve, uses newly created currency to buy bonds/Treasury bills.

Impact of QE. The result of Quantitative Easing/QE directly affects bond yields, causing rates to drop.

Record Low Hiring. Just this past week, new jobs hiring here in the U.S. just hit A HISTORIC LOW.

Presidential Narrative. These Presidential Selectees will continue to promise you lower rates, which of course means an even weaker dollar.

Biden's Shift. This is a major shift from when Biden told reporters on 11 March 2022 that providing 'offensive' equipment to Ukraine was off-limits.

Putin's Bluff. Kim Darroch said the West should consider Putin's threat of a major escalation before allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russia.

UK Missile Support. The UK had already provided Ukraine with its Storm Shadow cruise missile with a range of nearly 200 miles.

Tank Commitments. On 25 January 2023, Biden announced that the U.S. would send Ukraine 31 M1 Abrams tanks, following similar commitments from the UK and Germany.

Zelensky's Plea. Zelensky used the announcement of Western tanks to push for more weapons from the West, stating, 'We have to unlock the supply of long-range missiles to Ukraine.'

IDF's Controversial Directive. The controversial directive essentially means the IDF will open fire with reckless abandon to prevent the capture of soldiers during an attack.

Finkelstein on IDF's Actions. Norman Finkelstein, the Middle East scholar, once described the directive: Just blow up everything in sight for a wide radius in order to kill the Israeli who is captured.

Link to More Details. For further reading, visit the article by Finkelstein calling out the New York Times.

Finkelstein's Critique. Norman Finkelstein, the Middle East scholar who has called Israel a "lunatic state" amid its genocide in Gaza, lashed out at two reporters at The New York Times over a recent report.

Gazans Reject Gunmen. The report said: Hamas had wanted to station police officers at the shelter where he was staying. The group said it would ensure security, but he said the residents had gathered to stop that.

Mainstream Media Bias. Mainstream news outlets in the U.S. have been faithful to Israel during the Gaza genocide and decided not to report on the IDF's decision to invoke the Hannibal Directive during the 7 October Hamas attack.

Documentary Insight. A 91-minute documentary film made in 2022 called 'Twenty Pearls' tells their story of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sisterhood and its social justice leadership.

Cultural Recognition. Now, women around the country have joined many of the 300,000 or so Alpha Kappa Alpha members wearing pearls with style and grace.

Pearl Traditions. In 2021, Town & Country magazine wrote about Kamala Harris wearing pearls to honor her sorority sisters when she was sworn into office.

Alpha Kappa Alpha History. Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) was the first Negro Greek letter sorority, founded in 1908 at Howard University.

Sorority Influence. The social and political influence of the sisterhood has always been well established but the Harris campaign for president shifted the spotlight again.

HBCU Legacy. These Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were created to provide opportunities to students who lacked access to higher education.

Election Day Commitment. A woman from Burtchville, Michigan has spent much of her life devoted to teaching Bible studies, and she won't remove her pearls until after Election Day.

Cultural Symbol. Others are wearing pink and white strings of pearls as quiet recognition of their loyalty.

Sorority Colors. Women explained to me that the pearls are a nod to Alpha Kappa Alpha, the historic college sorority that includes Kamala Harris as a member.

Choker Pearls. Felicia Wiseman, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, wore a triple set of choker pearls.

Labor Day March. I first noticed when attending the Labor Day march through Corktown.

Fashion Statement. Some women confess to wearing pearls for the first time in memory.

Pearls Comeback. All of a sudden, pearls seem to have made a comeback.

Israel's War Agenda. Israel wants the U.S. to go to war with Russia and Iran.

US Arms Debate. Confirmation from Washington that Iran is now arming Russia with sophisticated short-range ballistic missiles will likely increase pressure on the Biden administration to ease restrictions on how Ukraine can use weapons to strike at targets inside Russia.

Biden's War Strategy. The Biden administration is using allegations that Iran has sent ballistic missiles to Russia as its latest attempt to get Americans willing to go to war with Iran and Russia.

Axis of Threat. Lammy has pointed out a new axis of Russia, Iran, and North Korea in the context of escalating tensions.

Russia's Military Threat. Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's national security council, mocked Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy, suggesting that Britain's claims of support for Ukraine are false and that Russia will use hypersonic missiles if necessary.

US Funding Ukraine. The U.S. and UK pledged another $1.5 billion to Ukraine to support the war effort.

Long-range Missiles Usage. One of the key conversations was Ukraine's push to use long-range missiles provided by the West to strike deep inside Russia.

World War III Rhetoric. Israel Katz, the Israeli energy minister, said Israel's fight in Gaza is part of a 'World War III against radical Islam,' according to RT.

Call for Military Action. Amir Weitmann, the head of the libertarian caucus in Israel's Likud Party, appeared on Russia's RT months ago and called for military action against Moscow.

Criticism of US Policy. Seth Binder, director of advocacy at the Washington-based Middle East Democracy Center, told Al-Monitor: 'This decision completely abandons human rights in Egypt and violates U.S. law.'

Resignation over Policy. Sheline, in May, resigned from her post at the State Department over the administration’s policy towards Gaza.

US Aid to Egypt. The U.S. just bribed Egypt with $1.3 billion in military aid to get Cairo to 'continue to participate in U.S. policy towards Palestine, which equates to facilitating the ongoing genocide in Gaza,' Dr. Annelle Sheline posted.

Concerns on Human Rights. Human Rights Watch posted online: 'President al-Sisi's government has not eased its nationwide repression that caused one of Egypt's worst human rights crises in many decades.'

Evangelicals' Role. The Washington Post reported today that Ukrainians believe that they could get evangelicals to assist in their lobbying efforts for more aid.

Trump's Debate Stance. Trump was asked during his earlier debate with U.S. President Joe Biden if he would agree to those preconditions, and he said he would not.

Trump and Ukraine. Professor John Mearsheimer said in a recent interview that despite his bluster, Donald Trump would likely maintain the status quo in Washington and continue to support Ukraine's war effort against Russia.

Medvedev's Prediction. Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's national security council, downplayed the chances of improved relations between the U.S. and Moscow if Trump was elected.

Support from Johnson. Johnson said his first task as speaker was to support Israel and, even while he opposed Ukraine funding at first, he saw the light when Ukrainians played to his religious beliefs.

Ukrainians' Strategy. Ukraine is working overtime to appeal to evangelicals in Congress to make sure they support the war, even if Trump is elected.

Good Culture Growth. Good Culture took over social media by offering a versatile, high-protein alternative to anything.

Empower Consumers. How can we encourage other consumer brands in other sectors of health to think about how their consumers can feel empowered with their products?

BeatBox's Value Proposition. The Shark-Tank-backed company generated $100M in sales last year and is set to double that in 2024.

BuzzBalls Origins. This $20M company was founded by a high school teacher who thought of the idea when she put her cocktail drink in a plastic container instead of a glass cup.

Gen Z Alcohol Preferences. Gen Z seeks out flavor-forward drinks, ones that spark interest in a crowd.

Trendy Water Bottles. Brand turnover for water bottles has become increasingly quick.

Owala Water Bottle Benefits. The Owala water bottle features a dual mouthpiece to sip through a straw or drink from the bottle.

Pimple Patches Revolution. Hero Cosmetics and Starface are destigmatizing the shame people feel around acne.

Skincare Trends. According to Google trends, search for 'skincare' has tripled compared to five years ago.

Cottage Cheese Comeback. About a decade ago, cottage cheese was a dead market. Now it’s valued at $1.52B.

Control by Israel Lobby. There is only one political party in the United States and that is the party that takes direction from Israel.

Annexation Proposals. David Friedman explained that Israel needs financial assistance 'to assert and maintain its sovereignty over Judea and Samaria,' the biblical name for the illegally Israeli-occupied Palestinian West Bank.

Claims of U.S. Maleficence. Garland said, without presenting any evidence, that Hamas had been guilty of 'financing and directing a decades-long campaign to murder American citizens and endanger the security of the United States.'

Allegations Against Iran and Hezbollah. The document claims that Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah have been providing financial support, weapons, including rockets, as well as military supplies to Hamas for use in their attacks on Israel.

Political Agenda Behind Charges. Assuming that the criminal case against Hamas is a Joe Biden-Kamala Harris contrivance to bring in votes and money, what will Donald Trump do to match it?

Media Misinformation. The mainstream media continues to repeat the false narrative surrounding October 7th, that Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis.

Unemployment Benefits Spike. The number of people signing up for unemployment benefits in August hit the highest level since December 2021.

UK Job Market Decline. The U.K.'s job market keeps falling, ratcheting up a reading of 95.89, the lowest score since 2013, which has declined for the past 14 months.

Summer Tourism Debt. The economic growth that Europe did have was summer tourism, which meant businesses and consumers spent more freely and went deeper into debt.

JPMorgan Chase Warning. Today, JPMorgan Chase shares fell 5 percent as they warned of not-so-great times ahead, hitting a low of down 7 percent earlier in the day.

Concerning Trend Forecast. We maintain our trend forecast that equity markets will continue their slide for the rest of the month and into October.

Interest Rate Impact. What can change that trend is if the U.S. Federal Reserve announces it will lower interest rates 50 basis points next Wednesday.

Equity Market Reality. The facts and data on Main Street mean nothing to the equity market gamblers that the mainstream business media call 'investors.'

Long-Range Missiles. Zelensky has been appealing to the U.S. to provide long-range missiles to strike targets deep inside Russia.

Zelensky's Attack. Ukraine on Tuesday carried out a drone attack on Moscow, killing one in what CNN called its biggest attack yet on the capital.

Inevitable Outcome. Scott Ritter, the former UN weapons inspector, said in an interview published Sunday that despite Kyiv's bluster and push for more weapons, the war's outcome is inevitable.

Unconditional Surrender. Ritter stated, 'The only thing waiting for Ukraine is unconditional surrender.'

Emergency Conferences Useless. He said the West could have as many emergency conferences as it wants, but not a single one will change the circumstances on the battlefield.

Situation Deteriorating. Ritter noted, 'Every day the situation gets worse for Ukraine; every day the situation gets worse for Europe.'

JASSMs Potential. Three sources told the outlet that sending JASSMs to Ukraine 'could significantly alter the strategic landscape of the conflict by putting more of Russia in range of powerful, precision-guided munitions.'

Biblical Rhetoric. Netanyahu got Biblical on Sunday and said, 'We will wield the sword of David together and with God's help, we will win.'

Ceasefire Refusal. Netanyahu has refused to agree to a ceasefire deal with Hamas because his extremist government would dissolve and he would face corruption charges.

Biblical Annexation Argument. David Friedman argues in his new book that Washington should support Israel's annexation 'based first and foremost on biblical prophecies and values.'

Trump's Israel Support. Trump has billed himself as an even more rabid supporter of Israel.

Support from Biden. Netanyahu has benefited from the limitless support from the Biden administration.

Concern for Politics. Rabbi Elhanan Danino accused Netanyahu of being more concerned about his own political survival than returning the hostages.

Netanyahu's Isolation. Netanyahu explained that he is 'very alone,' against the whole world, against the president of the United States.

Medvedev's Telegram Comments. Medvedev took to Telegram to say Trump made the comments out of 'spite for the current administration.'

Trump on Sanctions. The former president said he wants to employ sanctions 'as little as possible.'

Medvedev on Trump. Dmitry Medvedev downplayed the chances of improved relations between the U.S. and Moscow if Donald Trump was elected and said despite the billionaire's bluster, he is nothing more than an 'establishment insider.'

Criticism for Inaction. Doctors Without Borders issued a swift rebuke to the U.S. for blocking a UN resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Ceasefire Advocacy. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for a Gaza ceasefire in the early hours after Hamas carried out a major offensive on multiple fronts across Israel.

Need for Accountability. Critics have called Biden's endorsement of a ceasefire in Gaza a cynical electoral move, emphasizing the lack of accountability for perpetrators.

Internal Disagreements. Netanyahu stated that he will not agree to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza until Hamas is completely eliminated, a task deemed impossible by even his military.

Biden's Evolving Stance. Biden presented a ceasefire deal that would come in phases, forcing Hamas to release the most vulnerable hostages as Israel begins its withdrawal from certain areas.

Hamas Hostage Negotiations. Hamas has said for months it will hand over the hostages if a permanent ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli forces from all of Gaza are achieved.

Strategic Messaging. The NAACP called on the Biden administration to cease all arms deliveries to Israel, reflecting an evolving perspective on U.S. military support.

Political Pressures. The New Republic noted that it was strange that the Biden State Department would allow Republican pressure to dictate its approach to the conflict.

Celebrity Influence. Artists4Ceasefire called on the U.S. government to push for a ceasefire in Gaza, with a celebrity list that included Cate Blanchett, America Ferrera, and Jon Stewart.

Humanitarian Concerns. The death toll in Gaza stood at 20,000 as Biden told reporters that he did not bring up the topic of a ceasefire during a call with Netanyahu.

Call for Ceasefire. Sen. Bernie Sanders called on Biden to vote in favor of a ceasefire in Gaza and described the ongoing U.S. military support as irresponsible amidst killings.

Biden's Response. The Biden administration's position was to provide unwavering U.S. support for Israel.

Children's Impact. Stories of children trading their lives to save another still make me physically ill.

Four Dead Again. The statistics are similar, with four dead and nine injured. The alleged shooter is 14 — a year younger than the Oxford gunman.

Recent Tragedy Reminder. This morning, a parent in Oxford told me that news of Apalachee High School on Sept. 4, 2024 triggered sobbing.

Lasting Trauma. The Oxford parent stated, 'This never goes away. You’re never OK. This is forever.'

Mental Health Needs. Many involved requested mental health care after the school shooting.

Collective Grief. You see all the parents lined up, looking for their kids. There is nothing you can do. Your world is changed. Everything is falling apart.

Changing Behavior. The boy moved from sleeping in his bed to sleeping in his closet.

Putin's Miscalculations. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the U.S. and allies miscalculated when they assumed they could deliver a 'strategic defeat' to Russia and convinced Ukraine not to agree to the Istanbul peace deal in 2022.

Strategic Landscape Shift. Sending JASSMs to Ukraine could significantly alter the strategic landscape of the conflict by putting more of Russia in range of powerful, precision-guided munitions.

U.S. Long-Range Missiles. Zelensky has been appealing to the U.S. to provide long-range missiles to strike targets deep inside Russia.

Zelensky's Desperation. John Mearsheimer stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is growing more desperate by the day and his only recourse is to try and spark a war between the U.S. and Russia.

Forecasting Outcome. The Trends Journal managed to accurately forecast that Ukraine would lose against Russia because its military is no match to Russia's world-class force.

Ukrainian Offensive Failure. Putin downplayed any significance of Ukraine's recent incursion on Kursk, indicating that Kyiv made a mistake.

Mearsheimer's Doubts. Mearsheimer said he does not believe Zelensky thinks that these missiles will make any real difference on the battlefield.

Call for Moral Courage. 'Show the world your moral courage,' he posted. 'Supporting the daily murder of children is not going forward.'

Clarification on Arms Embargo. The Harris aide clarified that Harris did not express any sort of willingness for an arms embargo, Reuters reported.

Support for Israel. Harris has voiced support for Israel but, for some, she seemed like a more moderate voice in the Biden administration.

Harris's Position. Harris said she would not impose an arms embargo against Israel no matter how many Palestinians it kills in Gaza.

Critique of Biden. Moore said Netanyahu played U.S. President Joe Biden 'like a sucker' and appealed to Vice President Kamala Harris to 'step out from this darkness.'

Moore's Accusation. Michael Moore, the movie director, wrote in his newsletter today that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, and the U.S. taxpayer is 'funding and arming the slaughter of children in Gaza.'

Source Link.

Escalation Warning. Yoav "human animals" Gallant, the Israeli military head, warned of a major escalation in the West Bank.

Mowing the Lawn. The IDF has been "mowing the lawn" in the occupied territory, but will eventually start ripping out "the roots."

Definition Explained. Mowing the lawn is a reference that Israeli officials use to describe conflicts in Gaza to kill off some percentage of the population and destroy infrastructure.

Geneva Convention Obligation. Israel, as the occupying power in Gaza, has an obligation to make sure that the population has access to food under the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Food Price Increase. In the United States, the price of food is up 21 percent in three years.

Intervene to Save Republic. The question is whether Americans will remain bystanders or intervene to save the Republic.

Warning Against War. Equally troubling is the Uniparty's enthusiasm for war.

Economic Concerns Ignored. How the Uniparty will pay for these things is a question no one answers.

Denationalization Goal. The goal is painfully obvious. It is the denationalization of the United States, the fundamental destruction of national identity.

Institutionalized Fraud. Thanks to this system of institutionalized fraud, Americans can expect the Uniparty's new crop of illegal foreign voters to show up on November 5.

Wealth of Billionaires. Since January 2021, America’s 750 billionaires have increased their wealth by $1.5 trillion.

Uniparty's Indifference. Frankly, the Uniparty does not care.

Loss of National Identity. Americans feel disconnected from their collective, national identity.

Distrust in Institutions. Is it really a surprise that Americans doubt their institutions, their courts, even the leadership of their own armed forces?

Moral Collapse Belief. Millions of Americans think that our society is experiencing a moral collapse.

Child Trafficking Emergency. Last year, there were at least 150,000 reports of American children going missing in what is becoming a child-trafficking emergency.

Rising Mortgages. Thirty-year mortgage rates were 3.7 percent; they are now 7 percent.

Media Relations. Axios noted that Netanyahu has already begun trying to shore up his personal relationship with Trump, underscoring strategic language usage.

Netanyahu's Strategy. Friedman wrote that he believes Netanyahu could escalate the war in Gaza 'between now and Election Day to make life difficult for the Democrats running for office.'

Political Manipulation. Friedman speculates that Netanyahu may escalate the conflict to support Trump's campaign, saying, 'Netanyahu wants Trump to win and he wants to be able to tell Trump that he helped him win.'

Outcome of the War. Friedman states, 'Netanyahu wins. Trump wins. Israel loses. Gaza will still be boiling, of course.'

Hostage Dilemma. Gideon Levy noted that the Israeli government had to choose between pursuing its war with Hamas or saving the hostages, and decided to abandon those taken captive.

Pressure Tactics. Netanyahu presented himself as dedicated to the war and declared, 'Pressure on me will not work.'

Ceasefire Possibility. Levy emphasized that he doesn't see any ceasefire deal coming in the coming days or weeks, stating, 'Israel is not interested.'

Negotiation Criticism. Yair Lapid criticized Netanyahu for prioritizing a trip to Washington over urgent negotiations for hostages, saying, 'Don't go give a speech in the air-conditioning in Washington while the hostages are dying of suffocation in Gaza's tunnels.'

Total Victory Claims. Friedman posits that Netanyahu's likely platform would be, 'I brought total victory in Gaza and, with Trump, forged a historic opening between Israel and Saudi Arabia.'

Settler Control Strategy. Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's finance minister, said Israel is carrying out a 'mega-dramatic' effort to prevent the West Bank from becoming a part of a Palestinian state.

AIPAC Resolution. In April, AIPAC's U.S. House of Representatives easily passed the resolution to condemn the phrase 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' because they said the phrase is anti-Semitic.

Western Coverage. Assal Rad stated it's wild that Netanyahu openly uses a map that erases the whole West Bank with little to no coverage or pushback from the West.

Historical Admission. This speech will go down in history as Netanyahu's open admission to that world that Israel will remain between the river and the sea indefinitely, as long as he rules.

Map Presentation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a map of Israel without the West Bank, drawing criticism from a top human rights expert.

ICJ Ruling. The International Court of Justice ruled that Israel's continued occupation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is a 'de facto annexation' enforced through 'systemic discrimination, segregation, and apartheid.'

Genocide Assertion. Israel is carrying out a U.S.-backed genocide in Gaza and violence in the West Bank is boiling over.

Tlaib's Reaction. Rep. Rashida Tlaib rejected the claim that the phrase 'from the river to the sea' is antisemitic and said the slogan is 'an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate.'

Public Statement. Netanyahu stated that the occupied West Bank is part of Israel's homeland and he intends to maintain a presence there despite public clashes about the policy with some allies.

Biblical Justification. Friedman argues in his new book, 'One Jewish State: The Last, Best Hope to Resolve the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,' that Washington should support Israel's annexation 'based first and foremost on biblical prophecies and values.'

Medal of Freedom. Trump has returned the favor and awarded Adelson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest honor.

Campaign Funding. Adelson's late husband gave Trump’s campaign $90 million in 2020 in exchange for a promise to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Harris Criticism. The Times of Israel reported that Adelson joined Trump at an event in Bedminster, and the former president criticized his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris for 'always demanding ceasefire.'

Trump's Statements. Trump said in an earlier interview that 'Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion. They hate everything about Israel, and they should be ashamed of themselves because Israel will be destroyed.'

Pro-Israel Assertion. Trump has billed himself as even more pro-Israel than Biden.

Adelson's Support. His major campaign backer, Miriam Adelson, the widowed wife of pro-Israel billionaire Sheldon Adelson, says she will do whatever it takes to see to it that Donald Trump is back in the White House.

Political Allegiance. Trump has tried to separate himself from Democrats by portraying himself as the only presidential candidate in 2024 who is fully loyal to Israel - and questioned how any Jewish American could ever vote for anyone else.

Plan to Trump. He told The Forward that he will share his annexation plan with Trump 'at the appropriate time,' according to The Middle East Eye.

Friedman's Appointment. David Friedman, the pro-Israel extremist who was tapped by Donald Trump as the U.S. ambassador, aims to persuade the former president if elected again to support Israel's annexation of the West Bank based on the U.S.'s 'biblical' duty.

Expectations of U.S. Involvement. The Israeli government thinks it could win if the U.S. joins the fight and 'go to war with the real backer of this so-called Axis of Resistance… with Iran… then we can win.'

Permanent Ownership Agenda. Sachs said the Israeli government is pushing the view that Israel should be the permanent owner of all the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.

Commitment to Security. Washington is so committed to Israel that the first message posted by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after the illegal assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran was that the U.S. has an 'unwavering commitment' to Israel's security.

Desperation for War. Israel cannot defeat Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, or Iran, so it is trying to pull the U.S. into an all-out war with Tehran out of desperation.

U.S. Support for Israel. The U.S. has been an unconditional supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu throughout the war.

No Accountability. 'Not a word about, ‘Ummm…maybe not so prudent to assassinate your negotiating counterpart on the occasion of the Iranian president’s inauguration.'

Risk of Nuclear War. The 'recipe' permeating the Israeli Knesset is WWIII, and Biden is so weak, it could achieve its objective - which could end in a nuclear war.

Lavrov's Comparison. Sergey Lavrov, Russia's top diplomat, said in an interview that Israel and Ukraine are similar because both countries are looking to expand their wars in hopes to pull Washington into the conflagrations.

New Axis of Evil. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News that there is a new 'Axis of Evil' that includes Russia, China, and Iran.

Aggressive Stance Warning. Weitmann warned that 'Israel will take a more aggressive stance against Russia' and its weapons will start to find their way into Ukraine.

NATO War Efforts. Ukraine has been trying to pull NATO into the war because its army cannot stand up to Russia's military.

Russian Involvement Claim. Amir Weitmann stated that Russia is 'heavily involved in what is happening in Israel,' because it supports Iran, Hezbollah, and Syria's President Bashir al-Assad.

Iran's Position. Amir Saeed Iravani, Iran's permanent representative to the UN, accused the U.S. and its allies of protecting the 'Zionist entity and justify its crimes, including targeting diplomatic missions and committing genocide against the Palestinian people.'

U.S. Approach Critique. Russia has called out the hypocrisy playing out for all to see with the U.S.'s approach to Israel.

Israel's Displacement Issue. About 60,000 Israelis have been displaced from the northern part of the country and want the IDF to take decisive action against Hezbollah, which is seen as a more formidable adversary than Hamas.

Hezbollah's Restraint. Lavrov has said Hezbollah has been very much 'restrained in its actions,' however, the sentiment is that there is an attempt to provoke them into a full-blown engagement.

Gaza Population Statement. Lavrov has questioned how Israel plans to eliminate Hamas, stating, 'Israeli generals and ministers say that everyone in Gaza is Hamas. [That] it is necessary to destroy all the inhabitants of Gaza.'

Internet Reaction. Fox News reported that "pandemonium broke out" across the internet while the post was up.

Encouragement for Türkiye. Blinken posted that he spoke with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, and "encouraged Türkiye’s advocacy for a cease-fire and the release of all hostages held by Hamas immediately."

Passive Voice Use. Harris relied on passive voice to say only that too many Palestinians 'have been killed.'

Arms Embargo Potential. Solomon noted that the U.S. government could force a ceasefire by implementing an arms embargo on Israel.

Harris's Interview Critique. Norman Solomon wrote that Harris hurt her chances by dodging the genocide question during the CNN interview.

DNC Discontent. Palestinians were banned at the DNC, and Rep. Ilhan Omar laid into the Biden administration about being humiliated by Israel.

Harris's Commitment. Harris stated, 'I’m unequivocal and unwavering in my commitment to Israel’s defense and its ability to defend itself.'

Stein's Message. Stein stated, 'If you vote for genocide, you are actively consenting to it and enabling it.'

CAIR Survey Results. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) released a new survey that found that 32 percent of Muslim Americans plan on voting for Harris compared to 29 percent who plan on voting for Dr. Jill Stein.

Muslim Support Decline. Polls are showing that Muslims in the U.S. have taken note and are abandoning Kamala Harris's campaign.

Design Transition. Kristen Ray Keenan transitioned from automotive design at Ford to creating basketball shoes at Nike before returning to Ford.

Kobe's Brave Request. Kobe Bryant requested that Nike recreate the stitches from his Achilles surgery on the Kobe IX shoe, wanting them to be in red for all colorways.

Color and Materials Layering. Keenan noted that layering different textures in design, like embossed prints in the Lobo interior, is not something typically seen in the automotive space.

Effective Color Usage. Keenan stated, 'In architecture, they call it 'way finding,' where they use graphics and color to help guide people through a building.'

Color as Mood Setter. Keenan emphasized that color and materials are used to create combinations that emotionally speak to the target product, whether in basketball shoes or performance vehicles.

Influence of Jack White. Keenan credits Jack White for her inspiration and creativity, identifying him as 'almost like a Willy Wonka of the record industry' for his innovative use of color.

Nike's Focus on Athletes. At Nike, Keenan had to ensure that materials protected athletes during performance, stating, 'It was really intense.'

Award-Winning Design. Keenan won an Industrial Designers Society of America award for her work on the Kobe IX shoe.

Passion for Design. Steve Gilmore noted that Keenan's blend of creativity and expertise elevates projects and 'her enthusiasm for her work is contagious.'

Bank of Montreal Decline. Gerald Celente warned that the Bank of Montreal’s recent 7 percent decline, due in part to a credit loss provisions surge, is just the tip of the iceberg for the sector.

Overexposure to Real Estate. The Trends Journal noted that the bank is overexposed to commercial real estate loans.

Recovery Timeline. The bank said it will start to see a recovery 'in 2025 as central banks cut interest rates and unemployment stabilizes which would ease some pressure for consumers and businesses falling behind on their loan repayments.'

Future of Banking Industry. The partial collapse and consolidation of the U.S. banking industry is underway, as we foresaw last year when we began to highlight the sector’s troubled future.

Gaza Health Crisis. A brief ceasefire in Gaza was announced Thursday only after health officials warned of the risks to Israelis if the disease spreads.

Polio Vaccine Campaign. Israel and Hamas agreed to separate, three-day pauses in fighting so medical personnel could administer polio vaccines after a Gazan child was left paralyzed.

UN Warning on Polio. Israel only agreed to the deal after a UN official noted that polio knows no borders and would put Israeli children at risk.

WHO's Statement. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, emphasized that the only way to fully protect all the children of Gaza is a ceasefire.

Widespread Untreated Diseases. In November, the BBC ran a headline 'Untreated Diseases Could Eventually Kill More People in Gaza Than Bombings.'

Chronic Illness Treatment. Patients with chronic illnesses like cancer are also receiving no treatment.

Military Benefit from Disease. Giora Eiland spoke about how rampant disease could benefit the military campaign, suggesting it could reduce casualties among IDF soldiers.

Hamas Accusations. Hamas accused the U.S. of 'buying more time' for Israel's genocide in Gaza with proposals while rejecting claims of an agreed deal.

Escalation Predictions. The Trend Forecast indicates that both Israel and Ukraine will dramatically escalate their wars before the U.S. presidential election.

Critique of Proposal. Craig Mokhiber noted that the proposal being pushed by Israel & the US abandons the Security Council resolution and includes no permanent ceasefire, no full withdrawal of Israeli troops, and no end to the genocide.

Casualties in Gaza. To date, Israel has bombed Gaza into ruins, killed over 40,000 Palestinians, and seriously wounded nearly 100,000.

Biden's Military Support. The Biden administration has increased its military support for Israel by sending them tens of billions of dollars of bombs and weapons and has done nothing to stop the slaughter.

Biden's Silence. Ralph Nader criticized U.S. President Joe Biden for being silent on the intensifying genocidal war crimes by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in Gaza and the West Bank.

Policy Critique. Biden's policy is not to prevent escalation but rather to allow Israel to kill and escalate with impunity.

Israeli War Expansion. Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense minister, says he wants to expand the war so Israelis displaced from the north can return home.

US Support for Israel. Israel wants to expand the war because the Biden-Harris administration has vowed to come to its defense against regional adversaries.

Human Rights Violations. In the past 11 months, Israeli forces have killed 637 Palestinians, including 151 children, amid military assaults, raids, and settler-led pogroms in the West Bank/east Jerusalem.

Ignoring Historical Patterns. The world's failure to protect Palestinians echoes its failures with Bosnians and Tutsis, despite promises made after the Holocaust to prevent such atrocities.

US Diplomatic Criticism. Rep. Ilhan Omar asked how it’s possible that Israel—a country that relies fully on U.S. support—can consistently humiliate Washington’s top diplomat, Antony Blinken.

Averting Attention. The task on the northern front is still ahead of us, the safe return of the residents.

Escalated Violence. Violence against all Palestinians under Israel's unlawful occupation is dangerously escalating.

International Relations. Israeli MFA's recent call to treat the West Bank as Gaza is deeply alarming.

Israeli Military Casualties. Around 22 Israeli soldiers and 24 civilians have been killed in northern Israel since the Hamas attack.

Hezbollah Dynamics. Kassem Kassir, an analyst close to Hezbollah, told The Guardian that 'there is currently no alternative' to the U.S. diplomat.

Clarification on Accounts. Richard Teng posted on X: 'Only a limited number of user accounts, linked to illicit funds, were blocked from transacting.'

Call for Accountability. Youssef challenged Binance's leadership to 'grow some balls' and be honest about the pressures they face, particularly referencing the influence of the Israeli government.

Funds Seized Allegation. Binance, the popular crypto exchange, was accused of seizing 'all funds from all Palestinians' after a request from Israel’s IDF over alleged links to 'illicit funds.'

Binance's Response. The company rejected the allegation in a message to Anadolu News and said, 'As a global crypto exchange, we comply with internationally accepted anti-money laundering legislation, just like any other financial institution.'

CEO's Statement. Ray Youssef, CEO of the Bitcoin marketplace Noonesapp, posted on X: 'Binance has seized all funds from all Palestinians as per the request of the IDF. They refuse to return the funds. All appeals denied.'

Inflationary Mechanism. This mechanism is deliberate, moreover, it is designed to INCREASE demand for more central bank issued notes.

Quantitative Easing Announcement. Just this past week the Federal Reserve announced that it is about to cut rates beginning in September, effectively instituting a quantitative easing monetary policy.

Historical Context of QE. It was this same monetary policy/QE, which was implemented during the stock market crash of 2008.

Nature of QE. Quantitative easing/QE is emergency monetary policy.

Economic Deception. Today, more than any other time in human history, NOTHING is what it appears to be.

Wealth Transfer Mechanism. A key component of their system, of which we are all FORCED to participate, LEGALLY REMOVES wealth/ownership/liberty and freedoms from the masses and pushes it right up to the elite class.

Fastest Economic Contraction. Despite the current propaganda campaign against us, the fact is this; the world economy is contracting at its fastest pace on record.

Penalties for Boycotts. Efforts to peacefully boycott Israel due to its war crimes and crimes against humanity have been punished and even criminalized in more than thirty states.

Ongoing Suppression. The treatment of the USS Liberty should surprise no one in a country whose governing class has been for decades doing the bidding of the powerful lobby of a tiny client state.

Medal of Honor for USS Liberty. The ship's commanding officer was awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic role in keeping the ship afloat.

Jewish Lobby Power. Anyone who has spent any time in Washington might agree that the most powerful foreign lobby is that of Israel.

Israel's Nuclear Arsenal. Israel escaped any censure for having stolen material and technology to develop its own secret nuclear arsenal.

USS Liberty Incident. Few Americans know about the most egregious killing of their fellow citizens by Israel during the attack on the USS Liberty on June 8, 1967.

Trump's Pledge. If Donald Trump wins in November, it will be even worse as he has pledged to further empower Jewish groups.

Support for Israeli Genocide. Kamala Harris pledges to continue the arming and funding of Israel’s genocide of the Palestinians.

Cover-Up of Incidents. The standard response in press conferences when an American has been murdered is to claim that Israel will no doubt carry out an appropriate investigation.

Israel's Disdain for Lives. In reality, Israel could care less about the lives or well-being of Americans, Brits and the others whom their sacred text the Talmud regards as subhumans.

U.S. Commitment to Israel. The U.S. has not helped matters by repeatedly pledging an 'ironclad' commitment to 'defend' Israel even if the Jewish state were to start a war.

Phony Alliances. In reality, Israel is no one’s actual ally, even though totally bought and paid for American politicians delight in repeating that fable.

Limited Rights for Palestinians. The Palestinians who did not flee found themselves within the new Israeli borders had only limited rights compared to their Jewish neighbors.

Displacement of Palestinians. It used massacres of entire villages and other assorted terrorism to drive three-quarters of a million indigenous Palestinians from their homes.

Israeli Democracy Claim. Israel is no democracy and never has been one since its foundation over seventy-five years ago.

Ignored Civilian Casualties. Who gives a shit that a few people died when a yacht sank while millions of Palestinians have been driven from their homes?

Commercial Real Estate Impact. Because of its over-exposure to commercial real estate loans, the Bank of Montreal's shares tanked some 7 percent as we go to press.

Bank Failures Prediction. The pending Office Building Bust will cause the Banks to Go Bust which will, in turn, crash the artificially propped up equity markets and the global economy.

Office Building Bust Forecast. We had forecast that as a result of the new work-at-home trend there would be an Office Building Bust.

Nuclear Incident Warning. Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said today that Ukraine's attack on Russia's Kursk nuclear power plant risks a 'nuclear incident.'

Ukraine War Context. Do they follow the details of the Ukraine War that has been raging since 24 February 2022?

Sinking Yacht Coverage. For over a week, the Presstitutes have been jerking off about some rich tech guy whose yacht sank off the coast of Sicily.

Ballistic Missile Test. Today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced 'positive' results from his country's first test fire of a homemade ballistic missile.

Message to Moscow. A ballistic missile in Ukraine's possession is meant to send a message to Moscow.

Western Support. Kyiv has been trying to get Western countries to agree on allowing it to use long-range missiles that have been provided to strike deep inside Russia.

WWIII Statement. TRENDPOST: Our readers know that we've long said that we are in WWIII, but it will not become official until there is a nuclear flash.

Dangerous Games. 'Playing with fire – and they are like children playing with matches – is a very dangerous thing to do for grown-ups who are entrusted with nuclear weapons in one or another Western country.'

Escalation Rhetoric. Sergey Lavrov said reports that the West wants to ban these weapons of use deep inside Russia are 'just a ruse' to pretend that NATO does not want the war to escalate.

FBI's Influence. Zuckerberg also admitted that his company killed information on Hunter Biden because the FBI warned the company of a 'potential Russian disinformation' campaign.

Censorship Concerns. Experts warn that this usual selection could be swamped by misinformation on social media with the proliferation of artificial intelligence and other tools.

Censorship Enforcement. Fahrettin Altun stated that Meta is enforcing censorship, 'pure and simple.'

Censorship Criticism. Anwar Ibrahim, the Malaysian prime minister, criticized Meta for displaying its 'cowardice' after the social media giant removed a post from his Facebook page offering condolences to a Hamas official.

Censoring Americans. The House Judiciary GOP posted that Zuckerberg admitted three things: 1) Biden-Harris Admin 'pressured' Facebook to censor Americans. 2) Facebook censored Americans. 3) Facebook throttled the Hunter Biden laptop story.

Government Pressure. Mark Zuckerberg, the head of Meta, said the Biden administration 'pressured' Facebook to 'censor certain COVID-19 content.'

Regret Over Decisions. Zuckerberg admitted that he regretted decisions the company made to keep the White House happy.

Content Censorship. Zuckerberg stated, 'I also think we made some choices that, with the benefit of hindsight and new information, we wouldn't make today.'

Credit Freezing Advice. Anyone planning to do any of these things, I was told, should freeze their credit.

Data Breach Awareness. What’s terrifying to me is the list of data breaches listed on the monitoring site that shows which companies with your information have been breached.

Multi-factor Authentication. Multi-factor authentication is really important for cases like logging into bank accounts.

Importance of Strong Passwords. Strong passwords are essential and too often dismissed, Zloto said.

Fraud Alerts. Putting a fraud alert on your account, which costs nothing, can prevent headaches.

Ongoing Monitoring. Credit monitoring should be done weekly, not yearly, he said.

Monitor Credit Reports. People should go to annualcreditreport.com and order for free their credit report, then review it carefully.

Criminal Access. It's nearly impossible to track down the criminal because so many people have access to personal information required to open credit card accounts.

Identity Theft Risk. Federal agents told me that people face the greatest risk of identity theft when they take out a car loan, take out a home loan or go into the hospital.

Iran's Foreign Minister Statement. Iran['s] reaction to Israeli terrorist attack in Tehran is definitive, and will be measured & well calculated.

Sabotage New Administration. Israel's decision to blow up Haniyeh right after attending the presidential inauguration of Masoud Pezeshkian was Tel Aviv's latest attempt to sabotage the new administration in Tehran.

Avoiding War Traps. Crooke advised, 'if they want war, why give it?' thus highlighting the strategy of not assisting Israel in escalating the conflict.

Measured Response. Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, said Tehran's response to Haniyeh's killing will be 'measured.'

Control Over Escalation. Crooke stated that attrition has been working well for Iran, and it would be foolish to be led into a trap by the U.S. and Israel that wants a major reaction.

Netanyahu Desires Conflict. It's clear that Netanyahu wants war, and some in the United States want war with Iran.

Iran's Retaliatory Strategy. Iran's decision to hold off on a retaliatory strike in response to Israel's high-profile assassination of Ismail Haniyeh could be Tehran's strategy to prevent giving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the war that he wants.

.

WWIII Not Official. The Trends Journal has long noted that WWIII has begun, but it will not be made official until there is a massive red flag attack and/or a military confrontation.

Misjudged Assumptions. Kyiv's assumption that Russia would be forced to divert troops from the frontlines was wrong.

EU Conflict Participation. Josep Borrell, the top EU diplomat, said in a press conference that the European Union is not part of the 'war' in Ukraine, but it is part of the 'conflict.'

Impact on World Security. Borrell stated, 'We have to think about Ukraine and see ourselves as participants in the game... the way this conflict is resolved will have an impact on the world and our security.'

Historical Human Rights Claims. Palestinians have been claiming oppressive conditions since the 1960s, and former President Jimmy Carter agreed with this in 2006.

Territorial Control History. Israel took control of the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 war and has since built massive settlements on seized land.

Documentation Debate. Marwan Bishara noted that the documentation from Israeli, American, and British sources will significantly impact Palestinian human rights.

Apartheid State Claim. Professor John Mearsheimer stated that Israel is an apartheid state carrying out a genocide in Gaza with the full support of the U.S. government.

Military Aid Amount. The U.S. provides Israel with nearly $4 billion in annual military aid.

Political Commitment. In 2022, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asserted that U.S. commitment to aid for Israel is fundamental to American identity.

Human Rights Reports. Amnesty International agreed in 2022 that Israel's treatment of Palestinians meets the internationally accepted definition of apartheid.

Critique of Administration. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Mich., laid into the Biden administration on Wednesday.

Omar's Question. Rep. Ilhan Omar asked a legitimate question: How many times can Israel humiliate the U.S.?

Blame on Israel. Iran blamed Israel for the attack, which it said infringed upon its national sovereignty.

Payback for Terrorism. Iran's response must punish the aggressor for its act of terrorism.

Bolstering Deterrence. The response must bolster Iran's deterrence capabilities to induce profound regret within the Israeli regime.

Retaliation Strategy. Iran must retaliate for the killing, but it will likely try to do so in a way that would not force Israel to escalate.

Advanced Military Support. Shortly after the Haniyeh assassination, Russia transported advanced surface-to-air missiles, electronic warfare equipment, and radars into Tehran to help it thwart an attack from Israel.

Israeli Attack Profile Changed. This changes everything about the Israeli attack profile, requiring significant modifications due to Iran's upgraded defensive capabilities.

US Position Clarified. The U.S. will defend Israel in the event of an Iranian attack but will not participate in Israeli offensive actions against either Hezbollah or Iran.

Sabotage Attempt Noted. Israel's decision to blow up Haniyeh right after attending the presidential inauguration of Pezeshkian was Tel Aviv's latest attempt to sabotage the new administration in Tehran.

Iran's Response Timing. The timing of Iran's response will be meticulously orchestrated to ensure that it occurs at a moment of maximum surprise.

Israel and U.S. Relations. Israel asserts that Iran is a threat to the U.S. as well as to Israel because it is developing a nuclear weapon, which is a complete fabrication.

Search for Enemies. Witness the frantic search for new enemies as needed by the lunatics in charge in Washington, even when reality does not support the narrative.

Common Enemies. It is always good to have an enemy that you can blame everything on but it comes at a price, which is that the 'enemies' will figure out what is going on and will band together and cooperate to resist U.S. aggression.

U.S. Sanctions. Currently one third of the nations in the world are under U.S. sanctions for one reason or another.

World Military Bases. Washington's 900 military bases around the world serve no conceivable defense purposes but the bullying-effect produced by their presence elicits an inevitable reaction.

Military Spending Impact. The U.S., trying to mask its decline and increase its relevance by boosting its military spending on costly obsolete weapon systems like aircraft carriers, has only made the matter worse by running up huge unsustainable deficits.

CIA Critique. John Stockwell claimed that the CIA was damaging national security, and that its 'secret wars' provided no benefit for the United States.

Iran Threat Perspective. Does anyone really think that Iran threatens the United States?

Democratic Silence. Number of mentions at the Democratic National Convention so far: Genocide in Palestine: 0, Apartheid in Palestine: 0, Arms Embargo: 0.

Harris's Support. Harris has voiced support for Israel but, for some, she seemed like a more moderate voice in the Biden administration.

Harris on Arms Embargo. Vice President Kamala Harris will not impose an arms embargo against Israel no matter how many Palestinians it kills in Gaza or how far the Netanyahu government aims to expand the war.

Walz's Meeting Refusal. Gov. Tim Walz refused a planned meeting after learning that part of the discussion would be to push for the state to divest from Israel.

Divestment Discussion. Wazwaz noted that Walz sits on the State Board of Investments, so it seemed reasonable to mention divestment from Israel during the meeting.

Possible Gold Increase. Should these geopolitical and socioeconomic trends continue their course, gold prices may well hit $3,000 per ounce by year-end.

Office Occupancy Rate. Kastle Systems reported yesterday that the office occupancy rate in the 10 largest U.S. cities is just 48.8 percent.

Manufacturing Sales Decline. Statistics Canada reported that manufacturing sales slumped 2.1 percent in June, the worst report in two and a half years and down some six percent from its May 2023 peak.

Commercial Real Estate Risks. This is not rocket science to figure out the economic damage being inflicted on building owners who will default on their debts that will bring down the banks holding a large number of loans.

Gold Price Surge. As Trends Journal subscribers well know, we were the only media publication in the world that had forecast on 2 January 2024 that this year would be a Golden Year for Gold.

Guidance on Nuclear Threats. Vipin Narang, an M.I.T. nuclear strategist who served in the Pentagon, said earlier this month that Biden 'issued updated nuclear-weapons employment guidance to account for multiple nuclear-armed adversaries, mainly China.'

WWIII Declaration. The Trends Journal informed our readers in February 2022, when the first Russian tank rolled into Ukraine, that WWIII had begun.

Continuous ICBM Alert. America's ICBM force has remained on continuous, around-the-clock alert since 1959.

Nuclear Triad Details. The U.S. Defense Department said up to 400 Minuteman III missiles make up the most responsive leg of the nuclear triad.

Putin's Comparison. Putin said the arrangement with North Korea could be carried out the same way the West provides weapons to Ukraine.

Strengthening Bonds. The more you sanction Russia, the stronger Russia gets. So Russia is beyond caring and so, too, is North Korea.

North Korea's Isolation Ends. “North Korea is no longer isolated,” said Scott Ritter.

Game-Changer Agreement. Scott Ritter, the former UN weapons inspector, said in an interview that Russian President Vladimir Putin's trip to North Korea was a 'game-changer' for Pyongyang and Moscow.

Mutual Defense Pact. North Korea published the text of the treaty that states both sides 'shall provide military and other assistance with all means in its possession without delay' if either one was attacked or went to war.

Emerging Partnerships. But the emerging partnership between Russia and China, and the conventional arms North Korea and Iran are providing to Russia for the war in Ukraine have fundamentally changed Washington's thinking.

US Nuclear Strategy Revision. The Biden administration has failed at every turn, so U.S. President Joe Biden has been forced to revise its nuclear strategy that includes a coordinated nuclear response from Russia, China, and North Korea.

Read More Link.

Mossad's Statement. The mother of an Israeli hostage in Gaza was informed by the head of Mossad in May that a ceasefire deal with Hamas is impossible because of politics in Israel.

Political Motives. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war effort in Gaza is seen by many as nothing more than a political effort to stay in power due to his corrupt practices.

Criticism from Relatives. Mati Dancyg, the son of one of the hostages, claimed that Netanyahu's government chose to 'abandon the hostages in order to survive.'

US Accusations. U.S. President Joe Biden accused Hamas of 'backing away' from a deal that he stated was agreed upon by Netanyahu.

Proposal Details. The proposal now includes no permanent ceasefire, no full withdrawal of Israeli troops, and fails to ensure accountability for the perpetrators.

Blinken's Proposal. Hamas rejected Blinken's claim that Netanyahu agreed to a deal, stating that it was 'not what was presented to us nor what we agreed on.'

Genocide Allegations. Craig Mokhiber indicated that the proposal being pushed by Israel and the U.S. is not a ceasefire but rather 'further cover for a genocide.'

U.S. Negotiators' Reputation. Both Hamas and Hezbollah have criticized top U.S. negotiators who they see as loyal to Israel.

Civilian Casualties. 50,000+ dead civilians later, and days after authorizing a new $20 billion shipment of arms to Israel, the Angel of Death is back in Tel Aviv again.

Blinken's Influence. Max Blumenthal stated that Blinken visited Israel to try and come up with a ceasefire, while noting that Israel continued its actions up to the visit.

Hamas's Position. Hamas wants a permanent end to the fighting before it agrees to hand over the remaining hostages from the 7 October attack.

Netanyahu's Power. Few Americans understand that Netanyahu faces corruption charges that could put him behind bars for the rest of his life.

War Continuation. Netanyahu has rejected ceasefire deals because he wants the war to continue.

Blinken's Statement. Blinken said at a press conference: 'The next important statement is for Hamas to say yes, and then, in the coming days, for all of the expert negotiators to get together to work on clear understandings on implementing the agreement.'

Proposal Ambiguities. Hamas said the new proposal 'raises many ambiguities.'

Hamas Rejection. Hamas rejected U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's decision to announce that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to a new ceasefire deal — stating that the deal is 'not what was presented to us nor what we agreed on.'

Key County Analysis. Given Biden now out of the race, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Lackawanna County as a key bellwether for the 2024 election.

Critical Swing State. Pennsylvania is shaping up to be the critical swing state in the 2024 election.

Trump's Close Lead. The current RealClearPolitics average in Pennsylvania gives Trump a +0.1 advantage.

Toby's Political Leaning. Toby is also for Harris, suggesting he and Pam could canvass together.

Stanley's Voting Preference. My best guess is that Stanley is voting Harris because he can’t deal with more Trump craziness.

Phyllis's Swing Potential. Phyllis is my other candidate for most key swing voter, evidenced by the wide array of guesses about her likely affiliation.

Michael's Voting Uncertainty. Others made a compelling case for Michael as a possible swing voter.

Darryl's Importance. Darryl is one of the two candidates for most critical Pennsylvania swing voter.

.

Community Impact. Johnson opened a dealership because he wanted to serve his community.

Building Role Models. Johnson aims to be a quality role model on and off the football field.

Facing Challenges. The death of his mother taught Johnson to maximize his moment.

Future Aspirations. Johnson dreams of owning a pro football team and sees this dealership as just the first of many.

Hope for Others. Johnson's journey gives hope to inner city kids that they can achieve not just sports success but also business success.

Strong Family Support. Shaniece Johnson is described as the backbone of the family, emphasizing trust and friendship.

Inclusive Leadership. State Sen. Troy Singleton noted that Johnson has never lost his common touch, treating everyone the same.

Authentic Connections. Customers feel at home at Johnson Ford, with Klotz noting it was the easiest car experience he’s ever had.

Legacy of Kindness. Johnson said the kindness and grace of a man considered industrial royalty helped define what might be possible for a kid from New Jersey.

Career Transformation. Kevin Johnson went on to build a $250 million empire not far from where he grew up.

Business Philosophy. Bill Ford advised Johnson, 'You just run it with good people.'

Ritter's Warning. Scott Ritter, the former UN weapons inspector, said in an interview published Thursday that Ukraine's decision to carry out an incursion into Kursk is a desperate move that will only result in Russia taking over more territory in the country.

Territorial Loss Forecast. Ukraine is going to lose another 30 percent or more of its territory when this is done because Russia has basic...

Plans Origin. The paper's main thesis was that the plans were "born out of a night of heavy boozing".

Nord Stream Pipeline Attack. The Wall Street Journal published on Thursday what it called the definitive account of who was behind the Nord Stream pipelines attack.

Impact of Poor Communications. The report shows the dangers of how poor communications could further drag the U.S. into war with Russia.

Targeting Critics. Scott Ritter's recent house search and confiscation of his passport appear to be a direct action against a vocal critic of U.S. foreign policy.

Government Action Critique. The United States is involved in sustaining and providing cover for the slaughter of thousands of innocents while pursuing its own citizens who are saying 'Thou shalt not!'

Call for Regulation. One might well suggest that the Biden Administration stop harassing ordinary Americans who are exercising their free speech and instead go after the Israel Lobby.

Israel Lobby Influence. Israel's lobbying efforts in the U.S. are seen as a factor contributing to the continuation of wars, as they allegedly manipulate the political system to their advantage.

FARA Investigations. The passport confiscation and now the house search appear to be connected with what is referred to as a Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) investigation.

U.S. Public Opinion. Opinion polls make clear that there is considerable popular opposition to the carnage taking place along both fronts in Ukraine and Gaza.

Foreign Intervention Claims. Biden claimed, "I’m the first president in this century to report to the American people that the United States is not at war anywhere in the world," despite ongoing military actions.

Biden's Departure. Joe Biden announced he would not be running for another term as president.

Potential WWIII Risk. The U.S. is supporting two countries — Ukraine and Israel — that are doing all they can to expand their wars so Washington officially joins the fight, which could lead to WWIII.

Russia and China Involvement. Russia and China may decide to support Iran in the Middle East.

Potential Nuclear Use. Amichai Eliyahu suggested that a nuclear strike is an option for Gaza, stating there are no innocent civilians in the area.

Nuclear Arms Debate. Morris stated that he could not confirm Israel's nuclear stockpile because Israel never admitted to it, despite its historical pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Allegations of Facilitation. Ben Bartee suggested that Mossad either knew the attack was looming or 'actively facilitated the attack' to divert attention from Netanyahu's corruption.

Public Protests. Netanyahu was facing massive protests each week before the Hamas invasion in opposition to the judicial overhaul.

Netanyahu's Leadership Style. Benny Morris described Netanyahu as 'an incompetent, I think cowardly, immoral leader' primarily interested in saving his own skin and avoiding jail.

Public Perception of Netanyahu. Morris claimed that 'Netanyahu doesn’t really represent the will of most Israelis—probably not even most Israelis at this stage.'

Legal Troubles. Netanyahu has been charged with fraud, bribery, and breach of trust in three cases filed in 2019, known as Case 1000, 2000 and 4000.

Coalition Challenges. Netanyahu has a fragile coalition of extremists who have threatened to dissolve the government if he eases military actions in Gaza.

International Resolution. The UN General Assembly voted in 2022 on a resolution demanding that Israel destroy its nuclear weapons arsenal, although Israel never officially confirmed its possession of such weapons.

Digital Currency Shift. Are both selectees pushing this THIRD ELEMENT as to assist the Federal Reserve to implement what is certainly coming? A Central Bank Digital Currency…

Market Manipulation. Whales have the power to cause the price action of an asset, in this case crypto, to move dramatically.

Crypto Adoption. Both Trump and NOW Kamala have 'Fallen in Love' with Crypto.

Impact of Low Rates. The lure of low rates sounds good on paper but is highly destructive to the middle class.

Need for Strong Currency. A strong currency would encourage, greatly, a re-emergence of U.S. small business and entrepreneurship.

Corporate Agenda. A weak currency only helps the one and two percenters and fulfills the corporate agenda.

Federal Reserve's Role. The Federal Reserve's ultimate goal is to be both The Lender and Buyer of Last Resort.

Presidential Vetting. Every single Presidential selectee goes to Wall Street FIRST, attending a series of closed door/non-public/private meetings with the real power brokers.

Market Recovery. Equities across much of the globe are getting back on their "high".

Economic Disparity. The plantation workers of Slavelandia are hitting new lows.

Subscription Opportunity. Readers are encouraged to subscribe to the Trends Journal to never miss an issue.

Decline of Middle Class. The middle class is in decline.

Peacock Engages Gen Z. Peacock had a couple of unique strategies to engage a young audience for the 2024 Olympics.

Complex Brand Strategy. For streaming, social media, and brands, there’s more nuance to brand strategy this year for the Olympics.

Luxury Brand Sponsorship. LVMH is the first luxury brand to be an Olympic sponsor, seamlessly integrating their portfolio of products throughout the Olympics.

Support for Competing Mothers. Allyson Felix partnered with Pampers to create an Olympic nursery for new moms who are competing in the Olympics.

Unsponsored Project Initiative. Bandit started the Unsponsored Project to provide unsponsored apparel for new Olympic athletes.

Personal Connections by Athletes. Individual Olympic athletes are using social media to connect with their fans on a more personal level.

Paralympics Social Media Strategy. The official Paralympics TikTok account hopes to change viewership by sharing clips with trending music or a touch of humor.

TikTok Surge. The Paris Olympics has racked up over 1.3 million posts on TikTok, a 1,828% increase from the Tokyo Olympics.

Social Media Marketing Shift. The traditional copy-paste format of marketing is out the door, and consumers instead want authentic, trendy, subtle marketing techniques.

Multi-View Feature's Appeal. This feature allows for viewers to switch between screens seamlessly to stay up-to-date with other sports in real time.

Escalating Conflict. Alastair Crooke, the former British diplomat, told Andrew Napolitano that Netanyahu's ultimate goal is an all-out war with Iran and he will do all he can to provoke Tehran.

Ceasefire Conditions. Israel submitted 'a list of new stipulations in late July to American, Egyptian and Qatari mediators that added less flexible conditions to a set of principles it had made in late May.'

New Border Control. One of the new conditions submitted late last month was the stipulation that Israel controls Gaza's southern border – which was a new position.

Permanent Ceasefire. Netanyahu has said he will not agree to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza until Hamas is eliminated, which even his military said is an impossibility.

Negotiation Stalemate. Hamas said it will not take part in ceasefire negotiations later this week until mediators 'present a plan to implement what was agreed upon by the movement on July 2, 2024.'

False Narrative. The Trends Journal noted for months that Israel has refused any ceasefire deal with Hamas that calls for a permanent end to the fighting - while the Western media and politicians acted like it was Hamas that was the obdurate party.

Hostages First. Benny Gantz, the National Unity chair who resigned from Netanyahu’s government, said in an interview in June that the return of the hostages should be the priority.

Repair Budget. $4 million has been earmarked to fix the boats.

Bumpy Transition. The transition to owning the second company known by locals as Star Line has been anything but smooth, first temporarily halting service and then pulling six summer boats and two winter boats from service for massive repair.

Ongoing Repairs. Currently, work is being done on six ferry boats used for summer transport and two winter boats that break through the ice with steel hulls.

Six Weeks of Challenges. The first six weeks of ownership of the Mackinac Island Ferry Co. has been bumpy.

Increased Capacity. Shepler's has basically doubled their departure schedules.

Operations Update. The bottom line is that our visitors are getting on and off the island in a timely fashion.

Time to Fix. This is the time to fix them. Not Band-Aid, fix the correct way.

Mechanical Issues. We have found a lot of the fleet to be unreliable.

Tourist Traffic. The ferry boats shuttle an estimated 1.2 million tourists annually to the island tucked between Michigan's Upper and Lower peninsulas.

US Support for Israel. He noted that Netanyahu recently visited Congress and got reassurances that Americans will fight for Israel.

Iran's Reaction Planned. Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in an open letter to the Iranian people that the 'Zionist regime' in Israel will pay for its decision to assassinate a top Hamas official.

Escalation Forecast. The Trends Journal has been forecasting extensively that Israel will keep expanding their war and in doing so, will get diplomatic, military, and financial support from Washington's politicians.

Netanyahu's War Goals. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ultimate goal is an all-out war with Iran and he will do all he can to provoke Tehran so it responds and the war escalates.

US Engagement Expected. Crooke said Israel will respond to an Iranian attack with its own escalation – possibly using tactical nuclear weapons – to get the U.S. fully engaged.

Inevitable Wider War. He said a wider war seems inevitable because there is only escalation and the whole of Western prosperity is based on 'owning the resources of the rest of the world.'

US Needs Reset. America's coming to a point that it needs to, if you'd like, rejuvenate that whole process… and it needs some sort of reset.

Chemical Exposure Warnings. Children are much more susceptible to lower doses of chemicals. We know it takes smaller doses to harm them.

Health Risks Identified. These chemicals are linked to infertility, pregnancy complications, and neurological problems, researchers said.

Outdated Standards. Under scrutiny is a 1971 vehicle flammability standard for cars and car seats that federal lawmakers criticize as outdated.

Chemical Risks Acknowledged. Arlene Blum, executive director of the Green Science Policy Institute, stated that these chemicals pose a serious health risk to drivers, passengers, workers, and especially to children.

Importance of Action. William Wallace emphasized that NHTSA must start working on this issue immediately, describing the regulation change as a 'no brainer.'

Link to PFAS Issue. The Green Science Policy Institute studies a variety of issues, including forever chemicals known as PFAS, which have contaminated land and water in Michigan throughout the country.

Resources for Parents. Here's the 2022 report where parents can learn which car seats have flame retardants and PFAS: https://www.ecocenter.org/our-work/healthy-stuff-lab/reports/toxic-inequities-2022-car-seat-report.

Flame Retardants Concerns. Sarah Syjud worries about the safety of their car seats and her car — joining firefighters, bipartisan lawmakers, and consumer watchdogs pleading with federal regulators to stop the use of flame retardants that slowly poison drivers and their passengers.

Suggestions for Parents. The scientist from the Green Science Policy Institute advised parents to open car doors and allow the vehicle to air out prior to putting children in the car, allowing gases inside to spill out of the vehicle.

Consumer Campaign. Consumer Reports has led a petition now with more than 34,000 signatures asking federal regulators to 'get cancer-causing chemicals out of cars.'

Call for Regulation Change. Lawmakers this month sent a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to change the vehicle flammability standard that results in car manufacturers adding flame retardant chemicals.

Netanyahu's Accusations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Yoav Gallant of making 'anti-Israel' comments.

Netanyahu's Political Maneuvers. Since Netanyahu returned to office as prime minister, he faced corruption charges that could bring a prison sentence and 39 weeks of historic weekly protests.

Growth of Protests. Massive protests have materialized in Israel and the Netanyahu government has called those calling for a hostage deal traitors.

Netanyahu's Ambiguity. Netanyahu has been intentionally vague on his idea of 'total victory' over Hamas.

Fallacy of Hamas Destruction. 'This business of destroying Hamas, making Hamas disappear—it's simply throwing sand in the eyes of the public. Hamas is an idea, Hamas is a party.'

IDF's Total Defeat Stance. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the IDF spokesman, admitted to an Israeli broadcaster that a total defeat of Hamas is not possible, angering Netanyahu.

Hezbollah Strategy. Gallant said he supported a preemptive strike on Hezbollah in the days after the Hamas attack in October, but his opinion changed as the Gaza conflict unfolded.

Gallant's Dissent. Gallant reportedly made the comments during a classified meeting with the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Civil War Warning. Benny Gantz warned that if Israelis 'do not come to our senses, there will be a civil war here... It is forbidden to hide the truth.'

Condemnation from GCC. Kuwait, Oman, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) all condemned the strike.

Targeted Schools. Josep Borrell... said he was 'horrified' after learning about Israel's latest bombing. He posted on X that Israel targeted at least 10 schools in the last few weeks.

Gaza School Bombing. Israel carried out its latest massacre in Gaza — killing over 100 Palestinians sheltering at a Gaza City school.

US Weapons Support. the Biden administration... promised to provide another $3.5 billion in weapons to keep the genocide going.

Unified Arab Response Needed. The genocide in Gaza will continue until there is a unified response in the Arab world because AIPAC owns the U.S. government.

UN Response. Philippe Lazzarini... called the deadly attack 'another day of horror' in the enclave.

Children Victims. Many of those wounded in the strike were children, who arrived at the hospital with severe burns covering much of their bodies.

School Used for Military. Israel accused Hamas of using the school for military operations.

Service Reliability. The Hoffmann and Shepler families decided it’s in the best interest and safety of all passengers and crew that they take the time and take the boats off the run to get them up to the standards of those operations that the Hoffmanns have.

Employee Job Security. In June 2024, when Hoffmann purchased the Mackinac Island Ferry Co., the jobs of all 200 employees remained secure.

Addressing Equipment Issues. Starline service has been disrupted by equipment problems, including loss of propulsion and steering failure, according to U.S. Coast Guard records.

Significant Investment. Since buying Shepler's in 2022, an estimated $1.3 million in updates have been completed on five ferry engines.

Service Suspension. The Mackinac Island Ferry Co., known by locals as Star Line, suspended service to St. Ignace, Michigan last week and halted service altogether this week.

Increased Capacity. Shepler's Ferry has stepped up to provide passenger service to islanders and visitors and has implemented changes including increasing the cadence of their departures to every 15 minutes during peak times.

Visitor Volume. The ferry services shuttle approximately 1.2 million visitors annually, based on Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau estimates.

National Recognition. With all the national recognition lately, including top summer destination honors from USA Today readers two years in a row, we’re seeing visitors coming from further and further away.

Protesters Denounced. The most exuberant ovation occurred when Netanyahu denounced the 50,000 or so demonstrators who surrounded the Capitol building to express their disgust at the Jewish mass murderer’s presence.

U.S. Complicity in Crimes. Recent developments suggest that the long-running United States government pander to Israel and its presumed interests have poisoned the chalice, making Americans absolutely complicit in the Israeli war crimes and other assorted crimes against humanity.

Israeli Actions in Gaza. Developments over the past 10 months in Gaza would suggest 'No,' that Israel's government, its legal system, and its constitution exist solely to empower the state to do whatever it wishes.

Human Rights Understanding. Does anyone in Israel in a position of power truly understand what the expressions 'human rights' and 'rule of law' really mean?

Congressional Reactions. Netanyahu, to put it succinctly, spoke for an hour in his address to the U.S. Congress, emitting lie after lie, with the Congress critters responding with an outburst of love combined with total subservience, delivering 53 standing ovations.

Global Support for Case. The other countries that joined the case included Nicaragua, Colombia, Mexico, Libya, and Spain.

Turkish Minister's Statement. Hakan Fidan, the Turkish foreign minister, posted on X: 'Emboldened by the impunity for its crimes, Israel is killing more and more innocent Palestinians every day.'

Court's Ruling. The court ruled that Israel needed to allow basic food supplies to reach the starving population and also called on Israel to 'immediately halt its military offensive' in Rafah.

Support for Genocide. Israel can get away with its genocide because it has the full support of Washington, no matter who is in office.

Wikipedia Alteration. Wikipedia editors have changed its entry 'Allegations of genocide in the 2023 Israeli attack on Gaza' to 'Gaza genocide' as Israel continues its massacre with the full support of the U.S.

International Court Jurisdiction. The International Court of Justice said in January it has jurisdiction to consider the genocide case brought by South Africa and was joined by Turkey.

Borrell's Call to Israel. Josep Borrell, the EU's top diplomat called on Israel to distance itself from recent comments from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich – making the case that it could be justified to starve Palestinians.

War Crime Advocacy. ‘Deliberate starvation of civilians is a war crime: Minister Smotrich advocating for it is beyond ignominious,’ he posted on X.

Finkelstein on Netanyahu. Norman Finkelstein said in an undated video that Netanyahu's government needs a violent Hamas to maintain its effort to steal more land from the Palestinians.

Hamas Financing Allegation. ‘Yes, Hamas has been financed by the Israeli government in an attempt to weaken the Palestinian Authority led by Fatah,’ he said, according to Euronews.

Borrell's Long-standing Concerns. Borrell said in a speech in January that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been opposed to a two-state solution for 30 years, and it was Israel that created Hamas.

Investigation Demand. Smotrich also called for an immediate investigation into the leaked video of the rape.

Aid Reality. ‘We [Israel] bring in aid because there is no choice… We can’t, in the current global reality, manage a war.’

Smotrich on Starvation. Smotrich said Monday that starving 2 million Palestinians to death may be justified, but would be frowned on by the international community.

Smotrich's Mainstream Shift. Bezalel Smotrich was once considered 'far-right' in Israel, but is now, in many ways the mainstream.

Accusation of War Crimes. He said Washington has abdicated its responsibility and members of the administration are 'war criminals, just like [Israeli Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu.'

Two-State Solution Barriers. He said Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris would also not be willing to push Israel to agree to a two-state solution.

Ongoing Violence. 'We have this tragedy playing out in front of us — right in front of our faces when we open a newspaper or turn on the news...the killing is not stopping and it's all being done by the Israelis.'

Provocation for Intervention. 'It is something that is contrived to get the United States to intervene directly and militarily on their behalf.'

Potential Consequences. He said Lebanon would be destroyed and he believes it would be the end of the state of Israel.

U.S. Support Assured. Lawrence Wilkerson said in an interview that U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin assured Israel that it can depend on Washington's support while it carries out genocide in Gaza.

Provocation Strategy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to provoke war with Iran because he has received assurances from the U.S. that no matter the aggression against its regional enemies, Washington will come to Israel's defense.

Hezbollah's Missile Strategy. Wilkerson said the 'nightmare scenario' for the U.S. and Israel would be Hezbollah deciding to release about 150 missiles a day toward Israel ad nauseam.

Republican Stance. Republicans, in the meantime, have expressed even more support of Israel and accused U.S. President Joe Biden of being weak on Israel. These Republicans want war with Iran.

Debt Destruction. The mechanism of low borrowing costs is highly destructive to the middle class, making it too easy to get in WAY over one’s head with debt.

Trickle Down Economics Failure. The theory of Trickle Down Economics is that by making the rich richer we all benefit. This is a LIE.

Decline of Small Business. GONE are the mom and pop shops of yesterday, in favor of the corporate structure.

Economic Growth Strategy. A strong currency ALONE would encourage a re-emergence of U.S. small business and entrepreneurship, providing NEW JOBS and opportunities for We The People to GROW THEIR OWN ECONOMY.

Promoting Growth at Home. Higher rates promote economic growth AT HOME by encouraging financial responsibility and streamlining business models.

Impact on Small Businesses. Trickle Down Economics is THE NUMBER ONE KILLER of small businesses AND National Economies.

Growing Wealth Disparity. The world is producing more millionaires and billionaires today than at any other time in history, while at the same time, we are seeing a virtual elimination of the middle-class.

Stronger Currency Needed. A STRONGER CURRENCY is key to flipping the 'trickle down' system into one that benefits the average person.

Weak Currency's Impact. A weak currency fulfills the corporate/multinational agenda in that it allows corporations to benefit via the exchange rate, killing small businesses that do not transact overseas.

Nikkei's Historical Drop. Japan suffered the worst, with the benchmark Nikkei falling over 12 percent, its worst day in its history.

Banking Crisis Forecast. The banking crisis to come as a result of the Office Building Bust is real and at some point it can no longer be covered up.

Rising Bank Defaults. The facts are there for all to see, but massive defaults on commercial office buildings that will cause the banks to go bust that have been forecast by The Trends Journal.

Oversight in Media. There was not a word about the Office Building Bust and Banks Go Bust trends in the WSJ article.

Gold Price Prediction. When the Banks Go Bust the equity market and the global economy will crash and gold prices will sharply spike to the $3000 per ounce level.

Economic Contradictions. How can the Nikkei spike on the same day it was revealed that housing data in the country fell 1.4 percent and real wages grew just 1.1 percent from last June?

Market Manipulation Claims. It’s the same story, different time; the markets were rigged by the Banksters’ plunge protection teams.

Record One-Day Jump. Today, the Nikkei spiked 10.23 percent, racking up a record one-day jump and its best day since October 2008.

Biden's Realization. Biden has come to the realization that Netanyahu has been lying to him and is trying to prolong the war in Gaza instead of securing a hostage deal.

Harris's Ceasefire Call. Harris called for a ceasefire but left out the keyword 'permanent.'

Netanyahu's Political Stance. Netanyahu stated that he does not interfere in American politics and expects Americans not to interfere in Israeli politics.

Biden's Aid Perception. There is a feeling in the White House that Netanyahu has been ungrateful for the support provided by the U.S. since the start of the war.

Ceasefire Negotiation Critique. Sources stated that Netanyahu's current positions on the ceasefire negotiations will not lead to real progress.

Biden's Support Diminished. Biden has provided Israel with billions in weapons, military protection, and diplomatic cover, only to be abandoned by Israeli extremists in favor of Trump.

Netanyahu Trump Favoritism. Netanyahu is openly interfering in the U.S. election to get Donald Trump back in office because the former president is seen as even more pro-Israel than Biden.

Military Presence. The U.S. is sending military assets to the Middle East to make sure genocide can continue.

Starving Justification. Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said starving 2 million Palestinians to death may be justified, but would be frowned on by the international community.

Aid Acknowledgment. Smotrich stated, 'We [Israel] bring in aid because there is no choice,' indicating the necessity of international legitimacy for the ongoing conflict.

Biden Administration Critique. Edward Ahmed Mitchell, head of CAIR, criticized the Biden administration for enabling the 'ongoing forced starvation of the Palestinian people in Gaza.'

Calls for Condemnation. Mitchell urged, 'If Biden administration officials cannot bring themselves to take actions to stop the genocide, they should at least be able to condemn the genocidal statements that Israeli officials have been making since last year.'

Elimination Strategy. Daniella Weiss stated, 'The Arabs will move… So, we don’t give them food, we don’t give the Arabs anything, and they will have to leave.'

Mainstream Views. The commentary notes, 'The mainstream media has tried to pretend that Netanyahu is the extremist, when, in fact, his views are mainstream in the country.'

Escalation Concerns. The visit looks doomed to fail given that Iran insisted on Sunday that there was no room for compromise.

Iran's Defiance. Tehran has reportedly rejected calls from the U.S. and regional countries to “temper” its response to Tel Aviv’s recent assassination campaign.

Assassination Fallout. Iran informed Arab diplomats that it did not care if its response triggered a war.

Khamenei's Warning. Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in an open letter to the Iranian people that the “Zionist regime” in Israel would pay for its decision to assassinate a top Hamas official.

Jordan's Diplomatic Effort. Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s foreign minister, visited Iran on Sunday in a “last-ditch effort to persuade it to hold back from attacking Israel.”

Houthi Support. Ali al-Qahoum, a top Houthi official, also said Iran will not be alone in its retaliatory response.

Trend Analysis. The Trends Journal has been reporting extensively on how Israel hopes to drag the U.S. into a war with Hezbollah and Iran.

F-16s Destruction Prediction. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said there is no 'magic pill' for Ukraine and these planes will be destroyed.

F-16s Arrival Impact. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the arrival a 'new phase of development' for the Ukrainian air force.

Zelensky's Ambition. We often heard the word 'impossible' in response, but we made possible what was our ambition, our defense need, and now - it is a reality in our sky.

Zelensky's Claim. Zelensky posted on X: 'We ensured this, F-16s in Ukraine.'

Video Evidence. A video emerged on social media claiming to show an American-made F-16 fighter flying over Ukraine's southern city of Odessa.

Western Support Shift. The West has gotten bolder in its support for Ukraine as the war drags on.

F-16 Capabilities. F-16 jets can be made to carry the B61 nuclear bomb.

Lavrov's Reaction. Sergey Lavrov said Moscow has expressed its deepest concerns that the West will be providing Ukraine with F-16s that can carry nuclear warheads.

Infrastructure Concerns. Dmitry Medvedev noted that Kyiv does not even have the infrastructure to launch these jets.

Nuclear War Warning. Dmitry Medvedev warned the West that providing Ukraine with F-16s can lead to nuclear war.

Jet Expectations. Ukraine is expecting 20 of these jets by the end of the year.

Need for Fighters. Zelensky has said that his country will need about 128 of these fighters to match Russia's air force.

Escalation Concerns. The reason shipping these jets to Ukraine were once called 'impossible' is because they were seen as a dramatic escalation.

Biden Campaign End. U.S. President Joe Biden announced he will end his campaign for president.

Presidential Honor. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection calm I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down...

Biden's Campaign Suspension. Biden announced that he will end his campaign for president.

Declining Campaign Perceptions. Maureen Dowd wrote that 'the race for the Oval today is between two delusional, selfish, stubborn old guys.'

Critique of Two-Party System. 'There’s no doubt in my mind that the two-party system now is a major impediment for the empowerment of poor and working people,' West told Amy Goodman.

West's Political Aspirations. West stated he's running as a presidential candidate for the People’s Party to 'reintroduce America to the best of itself.'

Endorsement of Harris. Biden offered his full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year.

Biden's Leadership Critique. Cornel West stated, 'he was not a great or excellent president.'

Media Alarm on Biden. The New York Times's editorial board called for the president to step aside in 2024.

Casualties in Gaza. West highlighted the claim of 'over 15,000 Palestinian children murdered!'

Attacks on Volunteers. A group of Israeli settlers attacked a group of foreign volunteers in the West Bank who had been helping Palestinian farmers, with some volunteers needing hospital treatment.

Future of Violence. A trend forecast suggests that these Israeli settlers will continue to run wild because of the looming Trump presidency.

UN Accountability Demand. Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, stated that "Violent settlers must be held accountable. As Israel has proven unwilling or unable to bring them to justice, other countries must do so."

ICJ Ruling on Sovereignty. The 15-judge panel on the International Court of Justice said in a non-binding agreement that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied territory and has violated international laws against acquiring territory by force.

Occupation Legal Implications. Kenneth Roth, the former head of Human Rights Watch, stated that the court's opinion demolished Israel's claim that the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip are not occupied, merely 'disputed.'

Geneva Convention Violations. Roth mentioned that the occupation brings into force the fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 on military occupation, which Israel has ratified, rendering it illegal for an occupying power to transfer its population to occupied territory.

Casualty Report. Since the 7 October Hamas attack, at least 579 Palestinians have been killed in violence involving settlers or Israeli troops.

Historical Parallels. [Netanyahu is] killing children… on the basis they… will grow up one day and [so] we have to kill them today. This is [the] exact same thinking of the Nazis during the Second World War with the Jews.

Biden's Position. Biden announced that he will end his presidential campaign on Sunday, but his Democratic replacement will almost certainly have a similar position on Israel.

Trump-Netanyahu Relationship. Netanyahu has already begun trying to sure up his personal relationship with Trump.

Negotiation Strategy. Netanyahu said Wednesday that the key to the negotiations is to keep the foot on Hamas's neck, so 'as long as we keep pressuring them, Hamas will give up more and more.'

US Support for Israel. The Americans are the only country in the world who are supplying an indefinite supply of weapons and ammunition to Israel.

Civilian Casualties. Israel killed at least 70 in Khan Younis on Monday alone as the massacre in Gaza continues.

Netanyahu's Stance. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no interest in a ceasefire with Hamas because the United States has given Israel a free hand to kill whoever it wants in the destroyed enclave.

Opportunity Awareness. Opportunity misses those who view the world through the eyes of their profession.

Increased Household Spending. The average American household is spending $925 more a month on the same goods and services compared to prices three years ago.

Rising Delinquency Rates. The delinquency rates for credit card accounts hit above 3 percent in the first quarter of this year, the highest level since 2011.

Economic Concerns. Nearly four in 10 (39 percent) of U.S. adults say they worry most or all of the time that their family's income won't be enough to meet expenses.

Interest Rate Predictions. The Federal Reserve will escalate its lowering of interest rates to help the party in power stay in power.

Biden's Debate Strategy. The Democratic Party purposely pushed for a debate between Biden and Trump in June to show Biden's incompetency so they could replace him with another candidate.

Forecasting Presidential Outcome. Minus a wild card, we forecast that Kamala Harris will defeat Donald Trump.

Future Expectations. If we understand that 'The Show Must Go On,' then We the People in the know who are sadly witnessing an economic suicide and are powerless to stop it NEED TO CONTINUE TO STAY ON THE RIGHT SIDE of it OR be destroyed by it.

Middle Class Strain. The real tragedy of this con-job state of affairs, is the ever-increasing strain which it has put, and will continue to put, directly onto the backs of the middle class.

Debt and Markets. OCEANS of debt and easy money policy for as far as the eye can see and beyond has created a Magic Trick, which has levitated the stock markets of the world to extraordinary heights.

Market Disconnect. Today more than any other time in the history of economics and finance, there has never been a greater disconnect between the eCONomy and the stock market.

Checklist of Changes. Below I have created a 'checklist' of what you can expect moving forward, including more easy money, a weaker dollar, and a much higher stock market.

Genocide Allegations.

Netanyahu's Defiance.

Protests Against Netanyahu.

Trump's Influence.

Biden's Pro-Israel Position.

Complacency on Hostages.

Pressure on Hostages.

Pressure from Extremists.

Congressional Support.

Nader's Accusation.

Frustration Expressed. Ben Gvir has expressed frustration that the U.S. has dragged its feet during the Gaza genocide.

Trump's Historical Ties. Trump has a history of pro-Israel statements as president and deep ties with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Pressure on Netanyahu. Netanyahu faces growing pressure from families of hostages who want their loved ones released while also contending with fellow extremists in the Knesset for continued military action.

Hostage Situation. Benny Gantz emphasized that he wants the hostages to return home and expressed a willingness to continue fighting in Gaza later.

Future Policy Direction. A second Trump administration would likely follow a threefold approach: provide unconditional support to Israel, cement Israel's legitimacy in the region, and force Palestinian resistance to capitulate.

Vance's Position. Sen. J.D. Vance stated that the U.S. needs to stop with little pinpricks against Iran and 'punch Iran hard.'

Latest Support. Itamar Ben Gvir officially endorsed Donald Trump for U.S. president because Trump will back Israel for war with Iran.

Joint Military Flight. It is the first occurrence of a joint Russian and Chinese flight in the Alaska ADIZ.

Escalation of Support. The approval was seen as a major escalation and, for critics, proved that the weapons being provided to Ukraine are not 'defensive, but rather offensive.'

NORAD Interception. NORAD intercepted four bombers near Alaska, identified as two Russian TU-95 and two PRC H-6 military aircraft.

Zelensky's Gratitude. Zelensky remains grateful for Biden’s steadfast support amidst challenging conditions in Ukraine and Europe.

Need for Peace Negotiations. The Biden administration has no viable plan for the Ukrainians to win this war. The sooner Americans confront this truth, the sooner we can fix this mess and broker for peace.

War Effort Critique. Ukraine does not have the forces it needs to defeat Russia and, even if it did, the U.S. cannot possibly provide the weapons it would need to fight back.

Support Evolving. As the war has evolved, our support has evolved. I can’t give a definitive answer to that question for the future.

Electoral Politics Strategy. When all else fails bring up abortion rights.

Harris' Path to Victory. Barring a wild-card event, Vice President Kamala Harris will defeat Donald Trump in 2024.

Harris Aspirations. Harris has aspirations to be President of the United States and she knows that her boss is an unpopular president who is 79 years old.

Public Opinion on Abortion. NBC News noted that the Public Policy Research Institute ran a national poll in February that found 64 percent of Americans think abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

Harris' Campaign Focus. Harris will make abortion a major campaign plank for the next 100 days.

Perception of Trump. According to a March ABC News/Ipsos poll, 54 percent said they have an unfavorable view of Trump.

Voter Discontent. A newly released CBS News/YouGov poll found that nearly eight in 10 voters say conditions in the U.S. are going 'somewhat' or 'very' badly and 56 percent disapprove of how Biden is handling his presidential duties.

Mike Johnson's Mission. House Speaker Mike Johnson said providing funds for Israel was his first important mission when named speaker.

International Law Violations. Netanyahu is committing numerous war crimes under international law, as stated by Ralph Nader.

Netanyahu Criticized. Netanyahu's speech was criticized at home for being short on details about 'the day after' in Gaza and how Israel will bring home the hostages.

Lapid's Video Statement. Yair Lapid, the opposition leader, said that Netanyahu had an opportunity to present a 'day-after' plan that has some sort of connection to reality. He didn’t do that.

Ongoing Hostages. The BBC noted that the announcement means 111 of the 251 people taken hostage are still being held in Gaza, including 39 who the military says are presumed dead.

Corruption and Pressure. Prior to the Hamas attack on 7 October, Netanyahu was facing mounting pressure due to his push for a sweeping judicial overhaul in Israel.

Public Division. Netanyahu has pushed Israel to the brink, gradually and then suddenly.

Polio Information Link.

Polio Traces Detected. The Israeli military said it detected traces of polio in sewage samples at two sites in Gaza last month raising concerns of a major outbreak.

Health Care Infrastructure Ruined. Dr. Mithqal Abutaha stated that an outbreak of the disease inside the war-torn enclave would be a disaster, noting that the health care infrastructure is ruined.

Risk of Polio Outbreak. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that without immediate action, it is just a matter of time before polio reaches the thousands of children who have been left unprotected.

Widespread Disease in Gaza. Dr. Ghebreyesus mentioned that diarrhoeal diseases, respiratory infections and hepatitis A are raging through Gaza, exacerbated by acute food insecurity and malnutrition.

WHO's Concerns. Dr. Ghebreyesus highlighted that most hospitals in Gaza are no longer able to function, making the situation particularly critical.

Middle East Coverage. A new issue will be out on Tuesday with in-depth coverage of the expanding war in the Middle East.

Erdogan's Threat. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, said Sunday that his armed forces may invade Israel on behalf of the Palestinians being butchered by the Israeli military in Gaza.

Katz's Warning. Israel Katz, the Israeli foreign minister, warned Erdogan that he could end up like Sadam Hussein.

Erdogan's Comparison. Erdogan stated, 'Just like we entered Karabakh, just like we entered Libya, we might do similar to them.'

Katz's Image Post. Israel Katz posted an image on X showing Erdogan and Sadam Hussein, stating, 'Erdogan is following Sadam Hussein's path and threatens to attack Israel.'

Support for Israel. Ritter acknowledged that some members of Congress are 'unabashed supporters' of Israel, but asserted that nobody is going to war with Hezbollah or Iran.

Extremist Base. Ritter stated that Netanyahu was merely playing for his extremist base at home.

Netanyahu's Bluster. Scott Ritter stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows that Israel could not win a war with Hezbollah and is not serious about it.

War with Iran. Ritter emphasized that Netanyahu cannot have a war with Iran because he will lose, describing it as 'not serious' and a 'fantasy on his part.'

Protest Incident. Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu and MK Otzma Yehudit joined the protesters, who clashed with police outside the facility, Haaretz reported.

Government Control. Bezalel Smotrich owns Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu because the extremist Knesset can dissolve the government any time it wants.

Human Rights Allegations. The Associated Press, citing human rights groups, reported that Israel has been accused of 'disappearing' Gaza Palestinians—detaining them without charge or trial and not disclosing to family or lawyers where they're held.

Extremist Views. Bezalel Smotrich, the extremist Israeli finance minister, described the soldiers accused of badly wounding the Palestinian detainee's rectum area 'heroic warriors,' according to Middle East Eye.

Dragflation Trend. Much of the world's economies have been and will continue to struggle for years as they sink into the Dragflation trend that only The Trends Journal has forecast: declining economic growth and rising inflation.

High Vacancy Rates. The office vacancy rate in the second quarter of this year is 20.1 percent, which Moody's said was the highest vacancy rate since they began tracking in 1979.

Commercial Property Distress. In the second quarter, portfolios of foreclosed and seized office buildings, apartments, and other commercial property reached $20.5 billion, according to data provider MSCI.

Global Economic Outlook. The global economy was expected to hit a 3.2 percent growth rate this year and 3.3 percent next year, "faced a sobering outlook," since the numbers are "well below the 3.8 percent average from the turn of the century until the pandemic."

Demand for Gold. The worse socio-economic and geopolitical conditions become, the greater the demand for the primary safe-haven asset… gold.

Inequality Increase. Periods of stagnation lasting four years or more tend to push up inequality within countries by almost 20 percent—considerably higher than the increase due to outright recession.

.

Gold Performance. Gold is up big.

Fed Rate Cuts. Fed will cut rates to help keep the crime syndicate in charge, in charge.

Harris Prediction. Harris will win on abortion.

EV Industry Decline. EVs go bust.

US Support for Ukraine. U.S. will fund Ukraine's losing war to the end.

Netanyahu's Government. Netanyahu’s extremist government will lead to major war.

Forecast Accuracy. We’re batting 1.000 in forecasts for the year.

New Iranian Leadership. Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran's new president, is seen as a centrist and a reform candidate who intends to initiate reforms in economic and cultural domains.

Axis of Enemies. Yoav Gallant, Israel's defense head, emphasized that Israel is not fighting a single enemy but an entire 'axis', indicating a broader scope of conflict.

Conflict With Hezbollah. Mearsheimer suggested that Israel has been trying to pick a fight with Hezbollah to not only punish them but also create opportunities for ethnic cleansing in the West Bank.

Media Framing. Iran's ambassador to the UN accused Israel of trying to sabotage the new president and getting him labeled a terrorist regime in the pro-Israel media in the U.S.

Israel's Military Actions. Professor John Mearsheimer stated that there is really no limits to what the Israelis will do, signaling a sense of Israel's unrestrained military actions.

Provocative Assassination. Alon Pinkas wrote that Israel deliberately chose to kill Hamas' political leader in Iran during the inauguration, which he termed provocative.

EU's Criticism of Israel. Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy head, said Netanyahu has been opposed to a two-state solution for 30 years, stating it was Israel that created Hamas.

Israeli Sabotage Claims. Israel's alleged decision to blow up Hamas's top political leader in Tehran is its latest attempt to sabotage the new administration in Tehran.

Escalation of Conflict. The Trends Journal predicts that Netanyahu will continue to escalate the war to maintain his position in office.

Potential for Seven-Front War. Netanyahu indicated that a full-scale war with Hezbollah could lead to a 'seven-front war'.

Hezbollah's Strength. Hezbollah is noted to have a standing army of over 100,000 and a deadly arsenal of advanced missiles.

US Military Support. The US has provided Israel with over 14,000 highly destructive MK-84 2,000-pound bombs since October 7.

Iran's Warning. Iran sent a clear message to Israel stating that a full-scale war with Lebanon would be an 'obliterating war.'

No Good Options. Mearsheimer emphasized that Israel finds itself with no good options and is 'bogged down in Gaza'.

High Stakes of Conflict. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah mentioned that Israel is considering a 'real, studied' response to previous attacks.

Military Disarray. Professor John Mearsheimer stated that Israel's military is in disarray and was unable to defeat Hamas in Gaza.

Encourage Sharing. In the meantime, tell your friends!

Call to Action. Sign up now so you don’t miss the first issue.

Sharing Recommendations. I’ll also recommend a few ‘consumer surplus’ items that I like and maybe drop in a couple of links to things I’ve read and enjoyed.

Content Focus. I probably won’t review restaurants, because most readers won’t live in London, but if there’s somewhere that’s blown my mind I might mention it.

Focus on Value. Life should be filled with things that are cheap or free but fill your life with happiness.

Optimistic Neoliberal. I am an optimistic ‘neoliberal’.

Understanding Consumer Surplus. The newsletter is called Consumer Surplus: that’s the term in economics that describes the difference between what you pay for something and what it’s actually worth to you.

Newsletter Purpose. In Consumer Surplus I’ll discuss ideas that I think are important to making people’s lives better.

Inalienable Rights Defined. A right is said to be inalienable if it cannot be taken away or given up.

Alienability vs. Value. Rights are much more valuable if they are alienable – if we can give them up.

Rights Review Proposal. There are things that are inalienable that should not be, particularly regarding people's data rights and rights over their bodies.

Life Rights and Legal Limits. You cannot alienate your right to your kidney – it is simply illegal to sell one no matter how much you’d like to.

Inefficiencies in Development. Inalienable rights lead to likely far less development than would be optimal from the perspective of everyone involved.

Street Votes Concept. 'Street votes', which allow residents to vote on local rule changes, are intended to narrow veto rights to smaller groups.

Missing Market Implications. Until alienability is possible, there will be a 'missing market' where people are willing to buy and sell but cannot.

Challenges in Monetizing Data. The inability to alienate rights over data makes it harder for people to be 'paid for their data'.

GDPR and Rights. The GDPR gives Europeans a strong inalienable right to choose how 'their data' is used.

Empty Properties Statistics. There are fewer properties being left empty in London today than at any point since the Second World War.

Ghost Towns Not Caused by Planning. Research by Trinity College Dublin's Ronan Lyons concludes that 'credit, and credit alone, was to blame for the severity of Ireland's housing market bubble'.

Land Banking Misunderstood. Land banking is a symptom of shortages. Not a cause.

Planning Applications Reality. If we applied for permission for everything we would like to build, we would get something like a 99% rejection rate, not 90% acceptance.

Elasticity of House Prices. A low price elasticity tells us that there is so much unmet demand, even if we built tens of thousands of new houses, people would still want them so much that prices would stay high.

Constrained Supply Problem. This is a sign of constrained supply (a fixed amount of supply being bid up and up as we get richer).

Rents in Specific Areas. If you look at those places, rents have been rising well above earnings.

Private Sector Building. If you actually let the private sector build, it will.

Interest Rates vs. Supply. Falling interest rates do not increase the price of other durable goods like airplanes or ships, or of housing in places where there is not a supply constraint.

Misconceptions about Housing Market. Many objections to this approach are based on misconceptions about how the housing market works.

UK Housing White Paper. This week the British government released a white paper on housing and the land-use planning system that could actually be pretty good, if it makes it into law.

Supply Works Differently. Building at the top of the market can relieve pressure on the bottom of the market.

Vaccination Effects. In states with weak legal enforcement of vaccination laws, smallpox incidence was ten times higher than in states with strong enforcement.

Currency and Debt. It’s a myth that countries that have their own currencies can’t default on their debt.

UK GDP Measurement. The UK's GDP figures overstate the size of the contraction a bit compared with other European countries, because of how we measure output in education and health.

Covid-19 Vaccine Timeline. Saloni Dattani on when the first Covid-19 vaccines will likely arrive: by the end of March next year.

Manufacturing Profits. Rising profits in US manufacturing are associated with rising productivity rather than rising prices.

Economic Impact of Migration. Puerto Ricans fleeing Hurricane Maria to Orlando led to a small increase in native employment and had no effect on native wages.

Zuckerberg's Intent. Our view: intent matters less than economics, and intent from 2012 tells us little about what we should do in 2020.

Innovation Balancing Act. If Apple would, in fact, start losing users if it stopped making as good a product, it seems likely to me that it has strong incentives to find the balance between closedness and openness that maximizes the value of its offering to consumers.

Importance of Platform Quality. The quality (and, ultimately, profitability) of iOS as a platform matters a great deal - it's one of the most important examples of 'competition for the market' around.

Platform Incentives. If that isn't a risk, then it looks more like the dispute is about who gets what share of the pie, rather than about the total amount of output or innovation that consumers get to access.

Apple vs Epic Lawsuit. The Epic Games lawsuit against Apple is probably doomed, as my colleague Dirk Auer lays out here.

Efforts to Eradicate Smallpox. What appeals to me about Zhdanov and this effort is that it didn't take a new technological discovery, it was a question of ambition and will.

Vaccine Hesitancy. On recent polls as many as one third of Americans claim that they will not avail of themselves of a vaccine for Covid-19.

Public Health Tradeoff. A stronger central government capable of mandating and enforcing national vaccination policies would have resulted in fewer deaths.

U-shaped Relationship. Across countries, Troesken finds an U-shaped relationship between GDP per capita and smallpox rates in the late 19th century.

Federalism and Vaccination. Studying smallpox, Troesken shows how America's Federalism permitted local variation in the nature and enforcement of mandatory vaccination policies.

Historical Smallpox Data. In 1900, the United States had a smallpox death rate 31 times greater than Denmark's or Canada's.

Theme of First Issue. This issue's theme is 'state capacity' - the measure of how easily a state can actually do the things it wants to do.

New Magazine Launch. This week I helped launch a new online magazine called Works In Progress.

Neoliberal Agenda. The three policies I propose to define the 'neoliberal agenda' for the 2020s are YIMBYism, support for more immigration, and support for a carbon tax.

Neoliberalism's Identity. I perceived libertarianism to be coming apart internally, as more and more libertarians seemed to be drifting towards nationalist, conspiratorial ways of thinking.

Political Division. The underlying difference between libertarians and neoliberals here reflects a key political division of the internet age: extreme, at times pathological, skepticism of authority information sources on the fringes of both the left and right.

Neoliberal Response. Most self-described 'neoliberals' have been fairly supportive of government measures to control the spread while being critical of measures imposed that seem to have little basis in what we know about the disease.

Libertarian Covid Denial. Many of the most prominent self-declared libertarians and classical liberals like James Delingpole and Toby Young are now full-time Covid deniers.

Support for Immigration. Support for immigration because migration is simultaneously the best tool we have for allowing talented people to make the most of their abilities and the best tool we have for reducing extreme poverty in the short- and medium-run.

YIMBYism Importance. YIMBYism is the belief that nearly all Western countries need much more housing supply in places where housing costs are high, and the main barriers to this are zoning and land-use planning laws.

Carbon Tax Benefits. A carbon tax is extremely desirable because it allows markets to figure out what the best ways of curbing carbon emissions are and can create a political constituency that stops it from being reversed.

Herd Immunity Theory. Sunetra Gupta has repeatedly claimed since the beginning of the year that we may have reached herd immunity.

Covid Immunity Claims. Ivor Cummins recorded a widely shared video in September that argued that we had reached herd immunity already.

Misguided Predictions. Toby Young wrote: 'I’m going to go out on a limb and predict there will be no "second spike" - not now, and not in the autumn either. The virus has melted into thin air.'

Second Lockdown Predictions. England is about to go into a second lockdown, along with lots of other European countries.

Initial Optimism. Many people over the summer believed that Covid was done with, and undoubtedly influenced the government into a more permissive position via backbench Conservative MPs.

Furlough Recommendations. Perma-furlough until a vaccine is available is recommended to keep businesses and their employees on life support.

Mask Enforcement. Proper enforcement of mask-wearing should be a much bigger priority, with fines for businesses that did not enforce mask-wearing on their staff and customers.

Public Information Campaign. The biggest public health push so far this year was over hand-washing, but it now seems likely that the virus is spread via respiratory droplets and aerosols.

Outdoor Dining Initiatives. We should turn over roads and parking spaces to pubs, cafes and restaurants by default.

Cost of Lockdowns. The costs of further lockdowns, and of further avoidable deaths, are vastly higher.

School Reopening Risks. It is likely that children spread the disease to a significant extent, according to multiple studies.

Public Health Missteps. The government allowed mass travel for summer holidays, and it seems very likely that travellers returning from Spain brought more Covid home with them.

Transaction Costs. I think the transaction costs of buying and selling houses are enormous, so if I ever do buy a house I will want to do it as few times as possible.

Rent vs Buy Analysis. I don’t think it’s any cheaper than renting, when you account for the opportunity cost of investing the money you would have spent on the house.

Pension vs ISA. If I was a basic rate taxpayer I would often prefer to contribute to my ISA than to my pension, because of the ability to access my ISA savings whenever I want.

Equity Share Importance. If I was in a normal pension, my first move would be to check the equity share of the investment and the pension fees, and compare them to alternatives.

SIPP Management. I self-manage my pension through a SIPP (Self-Invested Personal Pension), which is almost identical to the stocks and shares ISA I have above.

Vanguard's Fund Fees. In total, I pay 0.38% annually to invest, which compares well with similar offerings from high street banks.

Fee Importance. That fee is 0.23%, and is a charge on the total investment, not on the returns I make – so every year, I pay 0.23% of what I have invested, no matter how well or badly it performs.

Long-term Investment View. If you invest in equities, be prepared for some very unpleasant years, even though the average annual return may be positive.

Risk and Volatility. Because I’m far from retirement and my salary is my main source of income, I’m happy to take the added volatility and increased expected return that being fully invested in equities gives.

Investment Preference. Instead, I invest in Vanguard’s FTSE Global All Cap Index Fund (Accumulation), which means I am invested in 100% equities (stocks), spread across the world’s publicly traded companies in proportion to their valuation.

Inflation Impact. Consumer price inflation in the UK has averaged 1.9% since 2010, meaning that £1,000 kept in cash from 2010 would have lost about £180 in purchasing power by now.

Cash Savings Disadvantages. To me, keeping savings in cash is like setting fire to it. It earns so little interest that inflation means it is eaten away bit by bit every day.

Monthly Budgeting Method. This method means I am committing most of my money in advance, and replicates the "envelope method" to portion out spending across a month.

Monzo Pots Usage. Every month when I get paid, I use Monzo pots to divide my income between bills, savings, and normal spending for the month.

Pandemic Impact on Youth. After Covid, people might want to 'give back' to young people who've given up a year or more of the best part of their lives to help suppress a disease that poses only a very small danger to them.

Debunking Covid Myths. I've also written about the eight biggest Covid myths, based on that site, for the New Statesman.

Anti-Virus Initiative. I've put together a site that tries to respond to some misinformation and dodgy claims made about Covid.

Educational Value Proposition. No institution has the right to exist at the public's expense if it is not providing value to the people it serves.

Ending University Bias. Ending the university bias does not need to involve ending the subsidy for university education.

Broader Opportunities. Others will likely use the money to get set up in life: using it as a deposit on a home, buying a car, or moving somewhere with better job opportunities than their hometowns.

Financial Freedom for Youth. This would give a similar degree of freedom and subsidy to every young person that is currently only available to young people who are somewhat academically gifted.

Proposal for School Leavers. My proposal is to eliminate the bias in favour of university education by allowing any school leaver to access a loan on the same terms as the student loan scheme.

South Korea's Education Spending. South Korea, which has the highest share of private spending on education in the world, is an example of where this arms race can lead to.

Arms Race in Education. One negative externality may be the 'arms race' that occurs as more and more people get university degrees.

Loan Subsidy Implications. Under a less generous repayment scheme that was in place until recently, out of every £1 borrowed by students the long-run cost to the government was 43.3p.

Income-Contingent Loans. In England we give income-contingent loans to allow people to pay for university fees and living costs.

Alternative Solutions. Creating an optional, opt-in digital ID system that actually works could make this possible.

Data Breach Risks. This doesn’t solve any of the above problems because data breaches can and do occur.

Real Name Issues. Real name verification doesn’t appear to stop online abuse.

Support for Vulnerable Groups. Vulnerable people and groups can use anonymity to find others like them online without fear of reprisals from their family / communities.

Potential for Abuse. There is a lot of potential for abuse by future governments regarding anonymity and free speech.

Global Implications. The UK doing it sets a precedent that makes it harder for the world to object when, eg, Russia does it.

Political Expression. Anonymity allows people with politically unpopular views to express their opinions without fear of repercussions.

Learning from Anonymity. Anonymity allows us to learn from people who could not speak openly for mundane professional reasons, but still have useful things to say.

Free Press Importance. Anonymity is part of a free press - it allows people in sensitive positions to speak publicly, including about abuses of power to act as whistleblowers.

Government Consideration. Following the murder of Sir David Amess MP, the British government is considering banning anonymity online.

Listening Access. You should be able to listen to 'The End of Invention' worldwide, but if you have any trouble accessing it, let me know.

Competing Networks. It seems probable to me that a model that was more random, or based on more competing patronage networks like DARPA, might give us more interesting discoveries than the current one.

Accountability vs Discovery. I am very taken with the idea that there is a trade-off between accountability and discovery, because accountability breeds conformity and reduces variance.

Low Hanging Fruit. I suspect a few breakthroughs, in areas we don’t understand at all right now, could give us a flurry of follow on innovation.

Funding Philosophy. It’s possible that there is just some kind of hard limit to how much we can learn about the world, which would suggest that we should massively cut science funding.

Scientist Productivity Decline. I think it’s pretty clear that scientist productivity – that is, the rate of new discoveries per scientist – is slowing.

Innovation Debate. I think it’s inconclusive whether science and technology are slowing down on aggregate.

Production Praise. I was very happy with it overall – thanks largely to the excellent work of the producer, Jolyon Jenkins, as well as the team at the production company Novel.

Documentary Overview. Last night I presented a documentary on BBC Radio 4 that asked whether innovation has been slowing down since the late 20th Century.

Institutional Influence. Institutionally, the Doomster view seems very powerful at the Treasury, and the absence of a more optimistically Boosterish department may be behind some calls to break it up.

Brexit Consequences. Doomsters think that Brexit was a bad decision that is already visibly making us poorer, with very limited benefits.

Doomsters' View. Doomsters argue that, even if there are gains that might come from better policy, they probably aren't very large with perhaps one or two exceptions.

Demographics Impact. In this story, the UK is basically locked in to slower growth, because we have fewer young workers and more old people.

Growth Importance. Fundamentally, Boosters think growth is really, really important, because it's the only thing that allows us to overcome zero-sum problems and reduce human misery overall.

UK's Wealth Comparison. Doomsters point out that the UK is a lot poorer than many other developed countries, with Canada, Australia, Germany, South Korea, and even France being richer than the UK.

Housing Costs. Housing supply is both clearly severely constrained – the cost of purchasing a house in many parts of the country is 5-10 times the cost of building it – and clearly the root cause of high housing costs.

Economic Divide. The most important divide today in British economic policy is between people who think that the UK's dire economic position is largely a failure of domestic policy, and people who think it is mainly due to factors outside the country's control.

Charcoal for Hangovers. I’m fairly convinced that taking about a gram of activated charcoal after drinking is an effective hangover treatment.

Tea from Char Teas. A biggish order (£40 or so) tends to do me for about a year, and I think the quality is better than what I’d get at a supermarket.

Uniqlo Airism Underwear. I suggest getting one size larger than you normally would.

Vanguard for Investing. I can get both low fees and a broad-based investment by investing in Vanguard's VWRL All-World ETF inside a stocks and shares ISA.

Monzo Banking App. The instant spending notifications help me keep track of spending and alert me to any payments being made that I wouldn’t have otherwise been aware of.

Octopus Energy. Octopus is still by far the best energy company, though – it has innovative tariffs for people with smart meters.

Aquarium Destruction. The best cat litter is the kind that clumps around their excretions, so you can pick it up with a little shovel with holes in it that non-clumped litter slips through.

Nespresso Pods Cost. Amazon's 'Solimo' own brand are even cheaper at 10p a pop.

Instant Pot Benefits. The Instant Pot is extremely safe, unlike traditional pressure cookers which scare the shit out of me, and has an all-important saute function.

Packing Cubes Utility. These help you keep your clothes organised, particularly once you have dirty clothes you need to keep separate from the clean ones.

Melatonin Use. I find melatonin to be a lot better at keeping me asleep than sending me to sleep.

Traditional Mattresses. I decided to get a 'traditional' pocket spring mattress, which gives better weight support.

Mattress Research. I did quite a lot of research into mattresses when I was buying one.

Consumer Surplus. In this year’s edition of Things I Recommend You Buy and Use I list the items and services that give me consumer surplus – a lot of 'surplus' enjoyment above what I paid for the thing.

Nuclear Investment. Japan has just announced a plan to jointly spend $1.1 trillion, along with private sector investors, on a new nuclear fleet over the next ten years.

Future Cost Expectations. The third lever that I suggest we focus on more is to give people an expectation that (green) electricity will become a lot cheaper.

Electric Vehicle Transition. If we were all convinced it was going to stick to that, we’d all switch to electric cars between now and then.

Behavioral Forecasting. If people expect the government to ‘get tough’ in the future about the cost of gas and other fossil fuels, they will be more inclined to switch away from fossil fuels now.

Political Challenges. Raising the cost of energy is really unpopular and affects lots of people.

Carbon Tax Incentive. Making them bear the cost via a carbon tax will give them an incentive to move to lower emission forms of energy.

Policy Obstacles. The electricity supply policy is more a problem of political short-termism.

Energy Cost Dynamics. Policies that credibly make electricity cheaper in the future are underrated in getting people to change behaviour today.

Nuclear Costs Analysis. Jack Devanney argues that nuclear is much more expensive than it needs to be because we re-invest all cost reductions in reducing background radiation more and more.

Long-term Planning. Cheaper electricity in the future improves incentives to switch to lower carbon electric options today.

Tax Impact on Returns. Imposing a tax of 33.75% reduces expected returns significantly; a £296,000 investment can yield £502,504 instead of £1,026,452 over 30 years.

Investment Tax Burden. For higher and additional rate taxpayers, dividends are taxed at 33.75% and 39.35% respectively, and capital gains are taxed at 20%.

Low Investment Rates. The UK has a very low investment rate, spending less of its GDP on R&D than the OECD average.

Investment’s Role. A higher savings rate in the UK means a higher rate of investment, crucial for generating wealth and improving wages.

Capping ISAs. The Resolution Foundation wants to cap the size of ISAs at £100,000, above which any extra money would be taxed as normal.

Tax Rationale Flaw. It's backwards to propose capping tax-free savings while complaining about the country’s low existing savings rates.

Muddled Interest Rates. It seems muddled to treat higher nominal interest rates as a windfall when it’s in the context of double-digit inflation numbers.

Proposal Effects. Capping savings significantly curtails a safe harbor for savings, likely increasing reliance on housing as an investment and inflating housing costs.

Low UK Savings Rate. It’s hardly a surprise that the UK’s savings rate is low when this does not include house 'savings'.

Favorable Housing Taxes. Housing in the UK receives extremely favorable tax treatment compared to other investments, as capital gains tax does not apply to one’s own home.

Tax on Investments. The proposal could discourage investment as people may move their ISA savings into untaxed housing wealth or consumption.

Revenue Projections Doubt. Resolution Foundation’s revenue projections may be overly optimistic and could lead to minimal short-term gains from the proposed ISA cap.

Poor Policy Approach. Giving poorer people money is a very good way of addressing their financial issues, whereas conditioning it on saving is counterproductive.

Misdiagnosis of Poor Saving. The resolution that poor people don’t save because they need more incentives ignores the broader issue of low incomes.

Support for Redevelopment. With 91% turnout, 93% of voting residents voted in favour of the plan.

Political Challenges. The UK has become a vetocracy, where a few people can wield a veto on new supply.

Energy Supply Problems. Britain's climate change / Net Zero policy seems to be solely about reducing our access to cheap forms of energy.

Low Childcare Costs. Childcare is cheaper in France, about half the price per month, in part because they require half the staff.

Comparative Housing Supply. France's overall geographic extent has roughly tripled since 1945, whereas London's has grown only a few percent.

Coordination of Local Voting. Giving the power to small groups most directly affected by a new development to vote on the development could facilitate better outcomes.

Housing Density Voting. Housing estates across the country should be empowered to vote themselves into more density, and capture lots of the gains that would come from them.

Leverage of Local Control. The 'strategic planning committee' shouldn't get a say; the residents who’d be most directly affected by the project should.

Supply Constraints. Supply constraints are the biggest things to blame for the current economic difficulties in the UK.

UK Productivity Concerns. The chart of productivity – output per hour worked – just flatlining for the past fifteen years is incredibly bleak.

Divergent Perspectives. There is a stark divide between the people most directly affected, who overwhelmingly supported the scheme, and the much further removed people who have been able to block it on the basis of not very much.

Blockage of Development. The borough's 'strategic planning committee' objected, so the proposals have been put on ice.

Aberfeldy Village Redevelopment. A new proposal to densely redevelop more of the estate would have replaced 330 homes, of which 252 were for social (subsidised) rent, with 1,582 new ones, of which 368 would have been for social and 79 for 'intermediate' rent.

Democracy Solutions. I am fond of the idea of street votes, and think we could use this principle of 'Coasean democracy' in other areas to bypass opposition and get stuff built.

Policy Problem. In a way this is optimistic: the UK has a policy problem, not a fundamental scientific one.

Housing Solutions. When we talk about building more housing, which is probably the biggest single fix for the UK economy, elites rightly attack Nimbies a lot.

Elite's Priorities. The preoccupations of the ‘elite’... are with things like Net Zero, inequality, obesity... and other priorities that are either unrelated to, or diametrically opposed to, making the country richer.

Long-term Growth. If the UK continues with the same rate of growth it has enjoyed over the last decade, then Poland will be richer than Britain in about 12 years' time.

Energy Price Disparity. The median industrial price of energy even before the Ukraine war was 7 cents per kWh in the US and 19 cents per kWh in the UK.

Cost of Housing. A median square foot of housing in the US is about half the price of the median square foot of housing in the UK.

Inflation Projections. UK real disposable incomes are not forecast to return to 2021 levels until 2027.

Productivity Comparison. By productivity, or how much we produce per hour worked, the US was 38% more productive than the UK (UK $54.3/hour, USA $73.7/hour) in 2019.

GDP Per Capita. By GDP per capita, adjusted for purchasing power, the US ($76,399) is 39% richer than the UK ($54,603).

UK's Economic Outlook. My claim is that the UK is now a lot more like Poland than it is like the United States in terms of the kinds of growth it needs to do.

Frontier Growth Impact. A slowdown in 'frontier growth' and technological progress matters a lot for the United States.

Bureaucratic Science. I think one problem is that we’ve made science more bureaucratic and deferential to authority.

Great Stagnation. The 'Great Stagnation,' as Tyler Cowen dubbed it in his 2011 book, has been the focus of much interest and concern.

Regulatory Barriers. If you can only build the most profitable solar farm, because the costs of getting permission are so high, then returns will inevitably look really good.

Against Capping ISAs. Capping ISAs, as was proposed last year, would be a mistake.

Investment Misconception. Investment is low in Britain because opportunities for profit are scarce.

Low Investment Returns. If the government had done this ten years ago, British savers would be much poorer today.

Need for Diversification. The lesson is that being concentrated in a single country could have been fantastic, or it could have been – in this case, if that country was Britain – catastrophic.

Savings Resilience. Savings are good generally, since they make people more resilient when times are tough.

Future Financial Security. My ISA is a big part of my financial planning for my future.

Generous Limits. The contribution limit for an ISA is a generous £20,000 a year.

ISA Benefits. The UK's ISA (Individual Savings Account) has some claim to being the most powerful savings vehicle in the world.

Local Concerns and National Projects. Local concerns about developments can still be effective at the national level, exemplified by campaigns against the A303 Stonehenge Tunnel and the Aquind interconnector.

Existing Data Center Revenue. The UK's biggest existing data centre campus, Virtus, has four data centres with rateable values totaling approximately £7.4 million in annual business rates.

Local Authority Incentives. Under the proposed approach, local councils would have a much higher incentive to accept projects of these kinds, leading to doubled fiscal rewards.

Data Center Energy Demand. Large data centers can require 100 megawatts of power or more, roughly the power required by 75,000 homes.

Infrastructure Building Issues. Everyone knows the UK has a huge problem with building infrastructure of all kinds.

Business Rates Proposal. For the kinds of infrastructure projects deemed to be nationally important, let the local council retain 100% of the project’s business rates bill, permanently, instead of up to 50%.

Local Objections' Impact. The final decision on the £1.35 billion Aquind Interconnector in Portsmouth was made by the Business Secretary, but he ruled against it because local objections were so strong.

Ministerial-Level Decisions. Labour has pledged to make decisions on important infrastructure projects, like data centres and prisons, at the ministerial level, instead of letting the local council decide.

Labour's Growth Vision. Rachel Reeves used her debut speech as Chancellor to say that Britain's 'national mission' is getting economic growth, that building more housing and infrastructure is the best way to do that.

Capture Land Value. Developing a way to capture that uplift would be a sensible way to pay for more of them.

Upzone London. The only way to truly fix Britain's housing market is to repeal or completely overhaul the 1947 Town and Country Planning Act.

Business Rates Retention. Let local councils keep the full business rates bill from certain kinds of infrastructure projects in their area.

Permitted Development Rights. Labour can just preserve this wording, it could go a lot further by clarifying further that any terraced home that wants to a mansard roof is allowed to do so.

Need for Estate Regeneration. This would allow the residents of housing estates (mostly social tenants) to vote on developer proposals to redevelop their estate.

Permanent Housing Solutions. The three most important features of permanent fixes to Britain's housing problems are demand-led, scalable, and durable.

Labour's Political Costs. Both of the measures above - housing targets and approving projects at the national level - have low up-front political costs and high ongoing political costs.

Aquind Project. The Aquind Interconnector in Portsmouth was blocked by the last government because of local objections.

Infrastructure Approval Challenges. The plan to call in new infrastructure projects is fine in principle, but in practice will draw out political pain for as long as the government actually uses it to approve things.

Political Pain in Housing. Housing targets work through local plans, which have to be written up by local authorities and then approved centrally by the Planning Inspectorate.

Underbuilding in London. London's is 15.7% of England's population, but only 10.8% of housebuilding starts and 12.6% of completions in England since 2016 have been in London.

Misdirected Housing Targets. Housing targets in particular are a bad mechanism for getting houses built.

High Housing Targets. Bringing back housing targets, and setting them at a high level, signals the government's commitment to addressing the housing shortage problem.

Leadership Capacity. Hiring more planning officers will rebuild state capacity that the last government left to decay.

Positive Labour Housing Policies. I'm impressed with what Labour has said on housing so far.

Housing Needs. 1.5 million homes is really not that many compared to what we need.

Flight Fuel Coffee. Chris Olsen's new brand, Flight Fuel Coffee, takes a creative spin on selling coffee.

Viral Engagement. Chris Olsen saw that his videos of him hand-delivering coffee to famous celebrities went viral.

Content Consistency. Influencers typically have a consistent thread throughout their content, and for many, it's coffee!

Subscription Benefits. The annual subscription comes with a complimentary reusable mug, reducing the need to use a single-use cup.

Influencer Advantage. Influencers have the advantage of launching their own brand because they have the ability to cater to their audience's preferences directly.

Cost-Effective Marketing. Influencers can keep their marketing costs significantly low but maintain higher engagement according to Forbes.

Collaborative Branding. Flight Fuel Coffee is partnered with Collab Coffee, a company that helps people launch their own coffee brands.

Eco-Friendly Shipping. Flight Fuel Coffee ensures that the company is sustainable from start to finish with 100% carbon neutral shipping partners.

Sustainability Mission. Flight Fuel Coffee is tied to Ecologi, a climate-focused organization that plants trees.

Pricing Information. A slice sells for $4 and a full-sized cake ranges from $25-30.

Market Strategy. Whole Foods quickly noticed the popularity of the Berry Chantilly flavor and didn’t let the trend die out that quickly.

Customer Reactions. Several customers said it was 'like a hug' and 'the perfect berry-to-cream ratio'.

Gen Z Engagement. Gen Z consumers thrive in a place of experimentation and discovery, so it will be no surprise to see the next viral product or snack come from Whole Foods.

Future Product Strategy. A recent TikTok posted by Whole Foods advertised the 'cousin to Berry Chantilly cake', which is their Mango Yuzu cake.

Target Audience Shift. The premium grocery store has originally targeted millennials but gen Z audiences are now lured by the high-end grocery adventure.

Viral Food Trend. The infamous berry chantilly cake has made its way to becoming a viral food trend on Tiktok.

New Product Launch. They immediately launched their berry chantilly dairy-free ice cream, sparking the craze all over again.

Consumer Openness. Data shows that 77% of consumers are open to trying AI-generated recipes.

AI's Transformative Potential. AI is rapidly changing the food industry and has the potential to transform the way we eat and the QSR industry overall.

Long Research Timeline. The research to back AI solutions for meal scores is very limited and it will take several years before these applications can be used by the public.

Personal Meal Scores. DayTwo creates personalized 'meal scores' based on an individual's microbiome analysis to control their blood sugar levels.

AI in Nutrition Tracking. Companies like Bite.ai, CalorieMama, and LogMeal are developing solutions to track calories using AI with photos as input.

Impact of Food Photos. Food items with an image have 70% more orders than food items that do not.

Photo Generation Success. LunchBox's AI-powered food photo generator produced 175 million photos within four weeks of launching.

Generative AI Market Growth. The 'Generative AI' industry was valued at $8.2B in 2021 and is expected to grow to $126.5B by 2031.

Potential Investments. Excited to see that three of these companies are moving forward with diligence, so there could be a potential investment!

Sustainable Business Models. Having a legitimate business model is essential to generating sustainable cash flows.

Experience Matters. One founder had previous experience in the field that she was building a solution for, catching the attention of the investors.

Revenue Concerns. Some companies had unrealistic revenue projections based on a misunderstanding of their competitor landscape or lack of traction.

SaaS for Landlords. Company E is a SaaS platform for landlords to conduct a variety of administrative tasks all on one dashboard, offering a free plan and a paid subscription model.

Illuminating Medical Devices. Company D's latest product is a scalpel-based illuminating device that allows for better illumination on anatomical areas in settings that do not have adequate lighting.

Sustainable Upcycling. Company C leverages patented extraction technology to upcycle food and ag waste into high-value oils and essences typically used in cosmetics and the pharmaceuticals industry.

Support for Educators. Company B provides on-demand support through a chat service, a time management platform, and instructional strategies to empower special educators in managing their tasks more efficiently.

Intubation Innovation. Company A has developed a product that eases the intubation process by using a flexible material that allows for better navigation in the airway, reducing the time it takes to intubate even the most difficult airways.

Investor Honesty. Investors are brutally honest about the companies and can sense the false “groundbreaking” sensation that most companies give off in their presentations.

Scalability Issues. Many investors understand the industries enough to detect discrepancies in their scalability plans.

#ChipotleHacks Trend. #ChipotleHacks has 191 million views, where customers share their $4 Chipotle hack to cheap cuts.

Influencer Engagement. Chipotle partnered with large influencers such as David Dobrik and Loren Gray to launch fun campaigns to spread deals to consumers.

TikTok Popularity. The hashtag #chipotle has 4.9 Billion views on TikTok.

Trend Responsiveness. Chipotle jumps on trends immediately and even has its workers do fun 'Day in the Life' Videos.

Community Building. Millions of videos are posted of customers simply eating Chipotle in front of the camera, often referred to as 'Mukbang'.

Runners Increasing. Strava recorded that the number of runners who ran a marathon doubled in 2022.

Fashion Rental Popularity. Nuuly has seen success with an 86% increase in sales and a 68% increase in subscribers in the clothing rental market.

Meal Prepping Trend. Younger demographics are bringing back the nostalgia of cooking meals regularly with the convenience of frozen ingredients.

Frozen Foods Popularity. Statista reported that in 2022, 89% of millennials cooked meals at home, and 73% for Gen Z respondents, indicating a shift toward cooking at home rather than eating out.

Increase in DIY Renovations. A 2022 US Houzz and Home study found that median spending on renovations increased from $15,000 in 2020 to $18,000 in 2021.

Renovation Market Growth. According to Yahoo Finance, the housing market has slowed down due to high mortgage rates and home prices, leading millennials to renovate their homes—a market expected to reach $667B in 2025.

Subscription Economy Growth. The subscription economy has grown by 435% over the last decade, and it's not done growing.

Packaging Influencing Choices. According to Drizly's Consumer Insights Report, 55% of Gen Z respondents said interesting and unique packaging drives their decisions towards what type of alcohol to buy.

Sober Curious Movement. Mintel reports that a 'sober curious movement' exists, and 40% of survey respondents follow a sober curious lifestyle for physical health or mental health reasons.

Interest in Restaurants. Yelp reported that food and arts & entertainment had the highest consumer interest growth rate between this year and last.

Fitness Reservations Rising. ClassPass has seen 329% growth in fitness reservations since 2020 and 10% higher booking rates since pre-pandemic times.

Experiential Spending. Eventbrite shares that more than 75% of millennials spend money on a desirable experience rather than products.

Strava User Growth. Strava, a social platform where individuals can track and share their workouts, has doubled the number of users on its platform since 2020.

User-Generated Content. User-generated content is 10 times more influential in the purchase decision than influencer or branded content.

Lack of Brand Promotion. There is no mention of promoting male skincare or makeup products in annual reports of large beauty retailers like Sephora and Ulta.

Celebrity Influence. Beauty spending among UK men grew 77% due to active efforts by celebrities and brands to promote men's cosmetics and skincare.

Social Media Influence. Social media and male influencers have shared beliefs that men should embrace self-care.

Men's Grooming Market. The men's grooming market is expected to be worth $115B by 2028.

Shift in Men's Products. There are limited cosmetic products tailored toward men, but emerging beauty brands are creating products specific to men.

Female Spending. Average spending in the US across multiple beauty categories is about 50% higher for women than men.

Growing Interest on TikTok. There has been a 389% increase in TikTok video views around male skincare search terms.

Consumer Trend Event. The author plans to host an event on consumer insights and trends, highlighting MN's robust consumer brand ecosystem.

TikTok's Brand Advantage. TikTok's search ads toggle feature allows brands to utilize existing in-feed content for ads, leading to a 441% increase in conversion rates for brands like Clinique UK.

Gen Z Search Preference. A 2024 Adobe survey found that 10% of Gen Z relies more on TikTok than Google for search queries.

Return Rate Challenges. Only 75% of returned items are resold, exacerbated by consumers purchasing multiple sizes and colors.

Return Process Solution. Sway is focused on creating a 'gentler and faster' returns experience, securing $19.5M in Series A funding and expanding to 20 cities.

Upcoming Startup Events. Key startup events happening in MN from 2/19 to 2/24 include One Million Cups on 2/21 and Entrepreneurs on Tap on the same day.

Blog Structure Change. The blog aims to create a strong connection to the startup community in MN by highlighting local events and personal reflections.

Founder-Investor Initiative. The author aims to create a platform for local founders to connect with non-local investors, addressing the capital access challenge in MN.

Rove's Mission. Rove is a credit card to democratize travel reward points for young adults.

Rewarding Rent Payments. Bilt Rewards offers rewards for renters to build up their credit scores and redeem points through rent, travel, and other purchases.

AI Fashion Recommendations. Glaze is an AI-powered mood board where shoppers can text their fashion inspiration and receive recommendations on which products and brands to purchase from.

Emerging Travel Apps. Reverie is an app that helps you plan trips by recommending trending spots aggregated from social media.

Fenty Beauty Positioning. This acquisition positions Rihanna's $2B celebrity brand, Fenty Beauty, in a positive light, as it's clear that the Ambani family is expanding into beauty.

CPG Podcasts Growth. The largest companies in the CPG sector using podcasts for advertising include BetterHelp, Amazon, and Shopify.

Influencer Trust. 76% of Gen Z podcast listeners say they trust the podcast hosts they listen to.

Growth in Podcast Ads. A 2022 report found that US podcast revenues are growing 26% year-over-year to $1.8B.

Newsletter Niche. Starting a newsletter is challenging, especially when defining what your niche is.

Legacy Motivation. My 'why' has changed; I want to leave a legacy wherever I go, knowing I left a lasting mark.

Consumer Engagement Request. I am constantly scouring the internet to learn about how people discover consumer trends.

Consumerism Moderation. As Gen Z shoppers become more conscious of how they spend their money, they recognize they don’t need to purchase every new brand hitting the market.

Influence of Tradition. A TikTok highlighted that popularized product brands don't have to be part of your everyday routine.

Visual Branding Strategy. Crumbl’s classic pink box paired with a simple logo makes this brand immediately 'Instagrammable'.

Innovative Flavor Range. Crumbl has 200+ rotating flavors that take inspiration from other desserts and familiar foods.

Hype Cycle Strategy. Crumbl Cookie’s business model is built on creating a 'hype cycle' through its weekly rotating menu.

Crumbl's Success. Crumbl Cookie has exceeded over $1B in sales with 980 locations nationwide.

Natural Sweeteners Demand. A 2023 Food and Healthy survey found that 72% of consumers are looking to limit or avoid sugar.

Mushroom Growth. Lion Mane mushrooms experienced a near 600% growth in order share from 2022 to 2023.

Functional Foods Trend. The event is a pivotal time for retailers and investors to source new trends and seek their next investment.

Expo West Importance. Expo West, one of the largest CPG trade shows in the US, just happened a couple of weeks ago.

Viewership Boom. The Iowa vs. LSU game was watched by more than 12 million viewers on ESPN, becoming the most-watched college basketball game ever.

Solitary Marathoners. Only 0.05% of the US population have actually run a marathon, leading to a discrepancy between perception and reality.

Successful Campaign. Poppi's campaign with Alix Earle resulted in a 200% increase in sales.

Iscicle's Mission. Iscicle is an online social platform for international students to seek community and share resources.

Entrepreneurial Journey. Ariana Davarpanah quit her job at Robinhood in November 2023 to focus on Iscicle full-time.

Consumer Trends Focus. I plan to schedule more consumer founder interviews to build out the interview section of my newsletter.

Marathon Trend. There is a perceived popularity of marathons among 20-year-olds, but the largest demographic is actually the 30-39 year old range.

Sponsorship Growth. Golf and tennis are the first two women’s sports to receive more than 1,000 sponsorships.

Founder Transition. Janice Tam transitioned from a potential career in VC to focus on her startup full-time after positive feedback from industry professionals.

Supportive Ecosystem. Tam received support from her parents and professors, which boosted her confidence in her decision to pursue TrueToForm.

AI in Property Management. AI helps facilitate fast responses and lower the workload necessary for property managers.

Shift in Advertising Strategy. Brands are investing less in advertisements and more towards influencers, driven by word-of-mouth advertising.

E-commerce Demand. There continues to be a demand for a personalized e-commerce experience, especially regarding clothing fit.

Investor Challenges. Tam faced difficulties attracting investors for TrueToForm, as most investors 'don't touch fashion tech'.

Emerging Search Startups. New startups like Perplexity are challenging incumbents by offering unique query responses and AI summaries.

Consumer Preference Shift. 60% of consumers prefer generative AI content over traditional creator content.

Content Creation Trend. Content creation tools appear to be the most attractive products to invest in right now, applicable to a range of personas.

AI Component Dominance. Almost 70% of the companies in Y Combinator's W24 batch have an AI component.

Challenges for BiteSight. BiteSight could be an attractive acquisition opportunity if it is able to gather sufficient video content from local restaurants.

Cannes Lions Festival. Cannes Lions was created to provide a festival dedicated to advertising and communications, distributing awards in several categories.

CMO Importance. CMOs are becoming an increasingly important role across industries, serving as leaders in AI and investing in strategic business growth.

Gen Z Loyalty Programs. Bullish's latest Cultural Tension report stated that 60% of Gen Z travelers aren't part of any travel loyalty program.

Travel Planning Apps. Travel apps and products have an incredible opportunity to capitalize on this 'solo traveling' lifestyle.

Solo Travel Trend. Pinterest's Predict 2024 Report found that the keyword 'solo traveling' grew 145% in the past two years.

Debt for Travel. 42% of Gen Z and 47% of Millennials are willing to go into debt to fund their summer trips.

Travel Addiction. This year in particular, international travel has become a money pit for Gen Z.

Cannes Lions Winners. Some previous Cannes Lions winners include Dove's Real Beauty and Proctor & Gamble's 'Like a Girl.'

Product Gap. Sonja Kleven recognized a need in the queer community, identifying that women did not have sufficient intimacy products in the market to experience pleasure with their partners.

Market Size. The sexual wellness market is set to hit $80B in revenue over the next five years.

Resource Utilization. Avery and Sonja are grateful for the University of Minnesota's incredible resources and mentors that have enabled the successes they've experienced as early-stage founders.

Community Focus. The team is initially targeting individuals in the women-loving-women community (WLW).

Business Operations. Avery spends most of her time making sure Rora runs smoothly on the backend, including negotiating insurance rates and exploring manufacturing options.

Team Structure. Sonja and Avery meet with the team every week for an hour to check in, embedding tasks for Rora throughout their schedules to ensure progress.

Prototype Development. Sonja spent her entire Thanksgiving weekend using Gravity Sketch to create a digital mockup of the prototype.

Funding Competition. Right now, Rora is a Minnesota Cup semifinalist, competing in September for the grand prize of $50,000.

Gen Z Spending. Selling nostalgia, Gen Z has disposable income now and wants to spend money on products that spark nostalgia.

Public Infrastructure. Investing in physical infrastructure that can also be used by the public during the off-season highlights an intentional approach by the Chicago Bears.

Nostalgia and Marketing. An easy way to understand this is Barbie, which grew up watching Barbie cartoon movies leading to Mattel releasing a Barbie movie in 2023, earning a total of $1.5B.

Stadium Socialization. Justin Stahl, VP of IT at Chicago Bears, shares the post-COVID demand for live experiences, explaining how the stadium will cater to the niche characteristics of Chicago.

Market Expansion. Julia Giese, President of Chicago Street Races, talks about how she’s bringing NASCAR to new audiences, proving the potential of bringing a race to a city.

Josephine Collective Support. One way Chicago is supporting this movement is through the Josephine Collective, a women-led group of angel investors co-investing small checks in early-stage startups.

Dawn Batts Initiative. Dawn Batts started this program a few years ago to educate diverse angels on the steps of becoming a successful angel investor.

Catalyst Angels Program. Catalyst Angels is a six-week program dedicated to Black, Latinx, and/or female Minnesota-based investors learn more about angel investing.

Attending TechWeek. I was in Chicago during TechWeek Chicago, a busy week of events dedicated to founders, investors, and ecosystem partners across the country discussing a range of topics from AI to consumer to quantum computing.

COVID Data Reliability. You have to wonder if case data is valuable at all at this point.

Swing State Polls. The latest few Emerson polls out of swing states show Trump up despite notable controversies.

2022 Election Landscape. If Republicans only need to net five seats, and there are 32 seats listed as 'toss-ups', even a fifty-fifty split of the tossups gives Republicans the House.

Pollster Challenges. The problem of 'the polls might be wrong' is that you cannot know ahead of time if they will be.

Polling Needs Repair. What if instead of distrusting the polls we just fixed them?

Economic Job Approval. Economic job approval: 38.4% approve.

Job Approval Trends. The current Real Clear Politics averages for the President's job approval are: Overall job approval: 43.1% approve.

Republicans' Rising Concerns. Suddenly there are a million Republican strategists giving not-for-attribution freak out quotes to eager political reporters.

Poll Accuracy Incentives. I believe this not just because I am a pollster but because I believe in capitalism, markets, and incentives.

Pollster Skepticism. A healthy skepticism of the polls is good.

Gas Price Update. AAA's National Average Price of a Gallon of Gas: $3.72.

Consumer Sentiment Decline. People feel better today than they did in July, but worse than they did a year ago.

Take with Caution. Honestly, just take everything with a grain of salt.

Question Wording Importance. Pay attention to question wording.

Outlier Poll Results. Remember that even good pollsters generate outliers.

Trends Over Individual Data. Don't look for individual data points. Look for trends.

Market for Polling Data. I'm very glad that there is a robust market for polling data.

Polling Cadence. We are less than fifty days from the 2022 midterm elections, and this means the cadence of public polling releases is about to pick up - big time.

Thoughtful Consumption. Consume polls, but do so thoughtfully, carefully, and without letting any one data point drive your entire view of what is going on in the midterms.

No Clear Patterns. In 2020, some polls were right and some were wrong. There wasn't a clear pattern to which states were off.

Episode Recommendation. Do yourself a favor, especially if you are a mom, and give Baby Race a watch.

Emotional Storytelling. Baby Race packs more heart into seven minutes than you can possibly believe.

Bluey Reception. Many people regard Bluey as one of the best original scripted TV programs of our current age.

Heaping Responses. People tend to pick numbers like 0, 50, and 100 a lot on those sorts of questions.

Extreme Response Style. Extreme response style is where some people pick a more extreme answer than is probably really the case.

Survey Bias. Acquiescence bias means people like picking the positive answer over the negative answer in general.

Local Races Importance. Republicans have been much smarter about understanding the power of these local races and you see it pop up in GOP victories in school board elections all over this year.

Young Voters' Engagement. Younger Americans are much less apathetic than they were two decades ago, so I would expect young voter turnout to be reasonably high.

Voter Turnout Expectations. I do expect a drop-off in turnout relative to a presidential year BUT I expect turnout to be high relative to other midterms of the last decade or two.

Music in Bluey. The New York Freaking Times did a whole article about the music from Bluey and yes, it is all intentional.

Political Dynamics. Local government is where lots of stuff happens that has a huge impact on people's daily lives.

Economic Approval. Economic job approval: 37.7% approve (down 0.6 from last week).

Polling Consistency. Both RCP and 538 have Biden's job approval exactly the same, to the tenths place: 42.1%.

Job Approval Context. It is hard to look at a 42 percent job approval against that backdrop and see anything but total disaster staring Democrats in the face.

Economic Drivers. The cost of living and the economy are huge drivers in this election.

Gas Prices Rising. AAA's National Average Price of a Gallon of Gas: $3.80 (up seven cents from last week).

2024 Polling. The Hill/Emerson polling shows Trump would win Pennsylvania by +1 versus Biden in a 2024 rematch.

Generic Ballot Variation. RCP: Republicans + 1.0; 538: Democrats + 1.2.

Presidential Approval. Overall job approval: 42.1% approve (down 0.1 points from last week, exactly the same as September 3).

Election Risk. Converging opinions and groupthink make me concerned we are headed into a scenario like we did in 2016 where everyone got convinced a certain outcome was coming and brushed off incoming signs that things could break a different way.

Institutional Insecurity. This is where 'threats to democracy' crops up in the polling.

Physical Insecurity. Crime falls into this basket, and Republicans are trusted more on this issue by double digits.

Economic Insecurity. Inflation, yes, gas prices, yes, but also the stock market (the S&P 500 is down 20% year-to-date).

Voter Anxiety Drivers. Voters are feeling three categories of instability and anxiety: economic insecurity, physical insecurity, and institutional insecurity.

Red Wave Expectation. A 'red wave' was to have been expected purely because it is a midterm and the party out of power always benefits.

Voter Satisfaction. The earliest exit polls show only one quarter of voters saying they are satisfied with the way things are going these days.

Negative Direction. Some seven in ten Americans say that things in our country are headed off on the wrong track.

Mission Continuation. That’s been my mission in my career, and that’s what I’m hoping to continue doing here with Codebook.

Frustration in Politics. Lots of Americans feel unheard, leading to so much frustration and exhaustion at our politics.

Need for Listening. We’re in a moment where it feels like there’s a real dearth of listening going on.

Importance of Listening. What I love about the opinion research field is the ability to get really good at listening - to hear what people are thinking and feeling at a deep level.

Codebook on Substack. Codebook is officially moving over to Substack.

Community Growth. As this community of subscribers grows, I’m hopeful there can be more features added down the road.

Subscriber Engagement. I’ll only pop up in your inbox if there’s something really fascinating that is worth your time.

Favorability Ratings. Among Democrats, only one in ten had an unfavorable view of their own party. Among Republicans, it was nearly double that (19%).

Republican Identity. 'Democrats in Disarray' is a meme and there are plenty of examples of it over the decades, but it has been Republicans who, for quite some time, seem to view it as important to their identity as a party that they not be the ones in disarray.

Dissatisfaction with Leadership. Republicans are just consistently more likely to say they don’t like their own party’s leadership, and it has been like this for over a decade.

Party Leadership Approval. In October 2021, on the cusp of what some thought might be a 'red wave', Nancy Pelosi still garnered 73% job approval from Democrats.

Perception of Party Leadership. Republicans often say they view their party as being one that is supposed to be about strength and toughness and order.

Republicans vs. Democrats. When Democrats talk about the problems they have with their own side, it is usually done with a sense of resignation, like this is just the natural way of things.

Support on Substack. I re-launched Codebook over here at Substack last week, and since then the outpouring of support from subscribers has astonished and humbled me.

Historical Party Ratings. In 2013, then-Speaker Boehner received a 55.7 among Republicans, while then-Majority Leader Pelosi got 64.2 among Democrats.

Importance of Screenings. A cure for cancer might be elusive. But a moonshot for cancer screenings and tests might be the most important front in the future war on cancer.

Volunteer Aspirations. When Mom was going through treatment, one of the places where she found kindness was the organization Angel Wigs of Hope.

Cancer Mortality Decline. Much of the decline in cancer mortality since the 1990s comes from upstream factors, such as behavioral changes and improved screening.

Community Support. I feel better knowing that there’s a whole street of people who are going to be checking in on Dad and inviting him to dinner or game night or golf in the weeks and months to come.

Nostalgic Groceries. I always find myself trying to explain to non-Floridians why Publix is so great.

Sudden Loss. I know most people don’t think of losing someone to cancer as a sudden thing, but this was sudden and shocking.

Mother's Death. My beloved mother Linda, having been diagnosed with cancer last year, passed away at home at the age of 64.

Grief and Learning. I’ve learned a lot over the last few weeks - about hospice care, about the weird world of online obituaries, about saying goodbye when you’re not ready to.

Need for Relevant Questions. There will of course be some questions about Donald Trump that are very relevant and of course worth asking, particularly of those who served in Trump’s administration.

Subdued Campaign Concerns. Some of the voters who were favorable toward Donald Trump nevertheless worried he was running a more subdued or underwhelming campaign this go round so far.

Media Coverage of Trump. By February of 2016...Donald Trump had received $2 billion in free media.

Haley's Presidential Bid. Nikki Haley will very likely jump into the race for President.

Comparison with Fiorina. It occurred to me, however, that those conversations about Haley's standing up to Iran or her approach to governance in South Carolina...are extremely likely to be subsumed by the never-ending tornado of drama surrounding the former President.

Challenges Ahead. Haley will be running directly into the wood-chipper of nicknames and insults awaiting her at the hands of former President Donald Trump.

Experience as Leverage. Haley is running on her record from her time as Ambassador to the U.N. and as Governor of South Carolina.

Campaign Themes. Haley has signaled that she will be running on themes such as strength in foreign policy, fighting socialism, and being tough on crime.

The Bechdel Test for Politics. I propose a sort of 'Bechdel Test' for the 2024 campaign: is this conversation with a candidate for the Presidency primarily about something other than Donald Trump?

Pandemic Amnesty Thought. Emily Oster wrote that we should declare a 'pandemic amnesty', forgiving one another for choices made in the early days of the pandemic that have turned out to be misguided.

Mask Efficacy. There’s still a lot we don’t know about the effect of masks on curbing transmission.

Learning from Experiences. We’ve learned that moving students to remote learning for extended periods results in catastrophic learning loss in children.

Future Projections. When voters were asked if they believed the U.S. would get the spread of the coronavirus under control within three months, 41% said yes.

Public Opinion Snapshot. As hard as it is to imagine now, our data from March 2020 found 86% of Republicans along with 92% of Democrats agreeing that 'Staying home is essential to slowing the spread of the coronavirus in my community.'

Views on Hardships. Respondents across party lines identified the same challenges during the first week of lockdown, including feeling down about the situation and not being able to see friends and family.

Changing Pandemic Attitudes. As of now, there are still ‘please stand six feet apart’ decals on the floors of stores and office buildings that nobody has taken the time to remove because nobody even notices them anymore.

COVID-19 Statistics. There have been over a hundred million cases of COVID-19 reported in the United States, and over a million deaths attributed to the disease by WHO.

Rudy Gobert's Case. The day Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus, the NBA cancelled the season and the WHO declared a global pandemic.

Focus on Data Sources. Echelon Insights aims to conduct polling that benefits from all available data sources.

Successful Predictions. Echelon Insights accurately predicted the Virginia governor's race margin within a point in 2021.

Recognition for Team. The author expressed gratitude towards their team for the honor of being recognized for their polling accuracy.

Recent Rating Improvement. Echelon Insights has been upgraded from a B/C to an A/B rating, which is the best rating achievable given their number of public polls.

Polling Trends. "Overall, the polls were basically right. It was the vibes that were wrong," is a summary conveyed by Derek Thompson.

Preparation for Future Elections. The author acknowledges that despite their successes, there will be elections where the numbers may not align as expected.

Polling Misconceptions. "I completely reject the idea that this was a polling miss," stated Kristen Soltis Anderson.

Polling Accuracy. Echelon Insights is ranked top five for the cycle in terms of average error according to FiveThirtyEight.

Engagement with Polling Discourse. The constant engagement in discussions around polling accuracy highlights the evolving landscape of political forecasting.

Unanimous Support Lacking. This view is far from unanimous, and there may actually still be space to rally older Republicans behind a more traditional fight-the-Soviets Republican foreign policy after all.

Concerns Over Defense Spending. Younger Republicans are open to cutting defense spending as a way to reduce government spending.

Trump vs. DeSantis Voters. Donald Trump's coalition, by a 20-point margin, views the conflict as not really pertaining to U.S. vital interest.

Republican Views on Foreign Policy. A generational shift is underway in the Republican Party on approach to foreign policy issues.

Generational Divide. Younger generations, in both parties, are trending away from a more muscular U.S. foreign policy worldview.

Voter Views on Ukraine. Men, white voters, seniors… they are the ones most likely to say, you know what, Ukraine's war is our war.

Polling Shift. A 15-point increase in the percent of Republicans saying they lean more toward the view that "vital U.S. interests" is a sizable shift over the course of a year.

Republican Sentiment Shift. There is a slowly increasing view among Republicans that perhaps the war in Ukraine, while a tragedy, is not vital to American interests.

Haley's Contrast. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley offered an opposing view of the conflict: "America is far better off with a Ukrainian victory than a Russian victory... If Russia wins, then its closest allies, China and Iran, will become more aggressive."

DeSantis' Position. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis indicated: "while the US has many vital national interests … becoming further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is not one of them."

Older Republicans' Perspective. While 52 percent of Republicans under age 50 believe "vital U.S. interests and values are not really at stake", it is also 48 percent of Republicans aged 50+.

Seeking Stability. Republicans have months to consider their options, but the reality is that voters want someone to stabilize the situation, not create more chaos.

Exhaustion Over Chaos. While many Republican voters may still favor chaos, there are significant portions who feel exhausted and are asking, "Do we have to do all of this again?"

Nostalgia Weaponization. Trump is eager to weaponize nostalgia to evoke a longing for pre-Biden times, suggesting that chaos under his reign was preferable to the current situation.

Equivocal Responsibility. When Trump states "our country is being destroyed by stupid people," it reflects sentiments echoing those from focus group participants.

Eroding Faith in Leadership. American voters feel like the wheels have come off in many facets of society and believe we are headed for a storm.

Trump's Strategic Messaging. Donald Trump aims to portray himself as the steadier choice in both primary and general elections.

Voter Discontent. In focus groups, the prospect of a Trump-Biden rematch evokes visceral reactions of disgust and despair from participants.

Nostalgia for 90s. Gen Z's affection for all things 1990s is evident, with shows like Friends being aired on Nickelodeon.

Trump's Challenges Ahead. It's hard to conclude that Donald Trump is the one to convince voters he will be the steady hand to set things right.

Cultural Reflections. American traditions and common cultural experiences are increasingly mired in culture war drama.

Alternative Debate Options. James Fishback has launched a competing debate league of his own, indicating a shift in the landscape of high school debate.

NSDA's DEI Focus. NSDA’s checklist for how to have an inclusive tournament suggests various measures to ensure equity, but may indicate a bias in underlying materials.

Debate's Purpose. High school debate is literally a space for debate, supposed to produce a wide range of viewpoints for civil discussion.

Judging Bias. Many judges make plain that they have already decided what they think, leading to a disadvantage for mainstream centrist or conservative viewpoints.

Concerns of Division. I’m worried we might end up with the opposite: different high school debate leagues for red states and blue states altogether.

Need for Change. The NSDA needs to get out there right now and address the criticism that they’re no longer living up to their values of free and open debate.

Limited Perspectives. If students feel like the institution running the tournament has picked a side, that’s a problem.

Polarization in Youth. The data do show young people picking up the polarization they hear from their parents.

Debate's Cultural Impact. Creating a culture where people listen to a wider range of perspectives could strengthen our republic.

Generational Definitions Critique. Pew argues that existing generational definitions may be too broad and arbitrary to capture differences that exist among narrower cohorts.

Need for Historical Data. Pew will only do generational analysis when they have historical data that allows us to compare generations at similar stages of life.

Methodology Concerns. Pew stated they won’t use generational analysis to compare young people today to old people today.

Critical View on Labels. Even Millennials themselves didn’t warm to the term 'Millennial'.

Generational Analysis Shift. Pew Research Center has decided to largely dispense with generational analysis moving forward.

Caution Against Overgeneralization. Using a term like 'Millennial' is basically no different than using other broad categories to explain data.

Generational Diversity. It is absolutely the case that younger Americans are more racially and ethnically diverse, more comfortable with technology, less religious, more highly-educated, and on and on relative to older Americans.

Challenges in Polling. Changes in polling methods can significantly affect findings, complicating direct comparisons across generations.

Data Analysis Type. Researchers who refer to demographic breaks in their data are not trying to claim that all individuals in those categories are alike.

Misunderstanding Oversamples. Oversamples are great, they are not a sign a poll is done badly, and you should always read the full methodology statement before you try to throw a poll in the trash bin on methodological grounds.

Primary Participation. In 2016, for instance, Pew Research Center estimated that around 15% of eligible voters participated in the Republican primary.

Oversampling Practices. When a pollster does a survey, they often pick an overall target universe they want to study, such as 'registered voters' or 'likely voters'.

Polling Limitations. Polls conducted today, in September of 2023, are not highly predictive of how a presidential election in November of 2024 might turn out.

Context Importance. It is important to have a little more context for why highly regarded pollsters, particularly media pollsters, do some of the things that they do that may seem perplexing to the untrained eye.

Value of Candidate Polls. The benefit of using pollsters who are in the arena, doing polls for active candidates on a live political battlefield, is real: it means you get a peek into what those pollsters, whose work is normally tightly under wraps, might be showing.

Polling Methodology Transparency. CNN makes each of those Republican interviews 'count' in the overall result for the correct proportion through the process of weighting.

Impact of Events. The horrible events of the last two weeks have likely made many primary voters more tuned into world events.

Perception of Risk. For 'Trump And...' voters, Trump is not seen as a risky bet but rather as a known quantity and a source of safety.

Awareness of Flaws. Primary voters are not unaware of Trump's flaws; in a friendly room, they openly acknowledge his baggage and immaturity.

Voter Engagement. Despite two debates and a season filled with news, many primary voters have still not tuned in very much and are waiting for the field to narrow.

Focus Group Findings. In a focus group with eleven 'Trump And...' voters, they expressed leaning toward Trump while still keeping their options open for other candidates.

Trump's Floor. I usually peg Trump's floor in the Republican primary somewhere between 30 and 35%.

Potential Candidate Dynamics. If candidates can get past the temptation to merely run for second place, there’s a small chance the race could become interesting.

Trump's Voter Base. Donald Trump is the meatloaf, and there are a lot of Trump primary voters who are ordering the meatloaf despite considering other options.

Election Environment Update. My company Echelon Insights has been growing, and we are excited to spend the year advising our clients on how to navigate a turbulent political environment.

Long Election Season. No, I am not predicting who will win in November (yet?). We have a long road to go.

Voters of Color Trend. I’m not as skeptical of polls showing voters-of-color breaking toward the GOP; the realignment has been in the works for a while.

Gen Z Political Views. I’m moderately skeptical of polls showing Gen Z breaking toward the GOP; lots of evidence shows they are disappointed with the Democratic Party.

GOP Nomination Outlook. Donald Trump is extremely likely to be the Republican nominee, but there is a non-zero chance that someone like Nikki Haley pulls off a miracle run.

2024 Election Dynamics. The 2024 election will be about chaos vs. stability - and how based on the data I’ve seen, Trump will likely try to position himself on the side of stability this time around.

Media Appearances. I have filled the space of my weekly SiriusXM Saturday morning show with The Chris Wallace Show on CNN, where I am now a regular panelist.

New Baby Arrival. I will welcome a new baby daughter! After a very long journey to motherhood, I am completely overwhelmed with gratitude.

Election Indicators. With Tuesday's dual Trump-Biden victory in New Hampshire, we are now effectively entering the general election phase of this campaign.

Polling Nonresponse Risks. The threat of general election polls being affected by The Unpollable is still very real.

Pennsylvania's Importance. Pennsylvania will be very important, both for the electoral college and the U.S. Senate.

Gen Z Gender Gap. Young women are generally more alarmed about everything than young men are, while young men are experiencing challenges like social isolation.

Trump's Legal Issues. More voters said they'd heard about Trump than Biden during the last week, and of those who had heard something, more reported having heard something about his legal issues than had heard about him winning the Iowa Caucuses.

Young Voter Apathy. Over a quarter of Black and Hispanic voters, and nearly one-third of voters under age 30 believe 'whether Trump or Biden wins really would not make a difference to me personally.'

Mad Voters Turnout. Mad people vote. They turn out to send a message.

Voter Trust Stability. Only 27% of Americans think Biden will usher in more stability, while 49% say things would be less stable.

New Billy Joel Single. Billy Joel is going to release his first new song in nearly two decades.

Continued Writing Plans. This Substack isn’t going anywhere; when I want to write up thoughts that are maybe a bit too loosely-formed or personal or rambling to fit in the pages of our nation’s newspaper of record, you’ll find them here.

Premature Consensus. The growing consensus that we’re all just waiting for the inevitable Trump victory is perhaps a tiny bit premature.

Biden's Condition Concern. I am worried for him and for our country.

Doomsday Sentiment. I think the doomsday thinking of Democrats today is eerily similar to the resignation felt by many Republican elites in the wake of Mr. Trump’s nomination in 2016.

Groupthink Warning. I’ve become increasingly wary of being swept up in DC-bubble groupthink.

Polarization's Impact. He may also be inoculated from a sudden polling decline of more than a few points because of the way our current deep polarization has frozen our politics.

Biden's Debate Perception. I sat in front of the TV aghast, completely convinced that Democrats needed to change the top of their ticket, and do it fast.

Election Prediction Caution. I grow suspicious that there’s some massive blind spot that everyone is missing.

Polling Analysis Engagement. I’ll be writing up a weekly polling analysis digest over at the Opinion Daily newsletter on Tuesdays.

Target Audience. It’s written for people who are NOT gearheads. But gearheads will like it.

Tips for Stories. The best stories come from tips.

Original Reporting. I do all original reporting.

Fun Approach. Let’s plan to have a little fun.

Range Anxiety Mitigated. But range anxiety isn’t rational. I could drive from Sarnia, Canada, over the Blue Water Bridge, to Detroit and back — twice — with the standard battery.

Reliable Charging. The screen in the Mach-E calculates how many miles remain until charging is needed.

Storage Advantage. I now put groceries in their own separate spot: the front trunk, known as the 'frunk.'

Tire Protection Investment. I added the tire protection, where Ford guarantees repair or replacement and rescue in case anything happens to the tires.

Firsthand Experience. I first drove the Mach-E nearly three years ago. I had an early model for 10 days and loved it.

Customer Loyalty Shift. Not only did Ford steal a loyal Jeep customer, but I also sold my pretty little 2004 convertible BMW 330ci with 157,000 miles.

Electric Vehicle Adoption. Ford reported its best first half of the year in Mach-E sales this year with 22,234 sales, up 58% from the first six months of 2023.

Home Charging Setup. My husband...went to Amazon.com and ordered for $550 a Level 2 home charger.

Winning Time. The 80-foot Maverick finished in 22 hours, 24 minutes, 23 seconds, breaking a record set 22 years ago.

Sailor Anxiety. Family members are known to sleep with their phones under their pillows, call and text each other every hour through the night until the race is finished.

Fast Tango's Achievement. Fast Tango won its class and placed second overall in the Chicago to Mackinac race last year.

Tracking Device Issue. The tracking device that each boat is required to carry hasn't been returned by Usual Suspects yet.

Survival Mode Description. We were just in survival mode, cutting away for about 30 minutes.

Safety Protocol Importance. Part of your safety equipment is having cutting devices that get the mast away from the boat.

Significant Sound. When the mast broke, it sounded like a 'crack of thunder' immediately overhead.

Crew Preparedness. Despite being on high alert to take down sails, the de-masting events were intense.

Mast Breakage Instances. In addition to Usual Suspects, owned by Eric Wynsma, masts broke on the 65-foot Sagamore and the 45-foot Sapphire.

Man Overboard Incident. Disaster was averted after Madcap, a Santa Cruz 52 owned and skippered by John Hoskins, responded to a man overboard report from Callisto.

Max Wind Speeds. The wind picked up from about 18 knots to over 30 knots and shifted 80 degrees.

Storm Damage Overview. A fast-moving summer storm on Lake Michigan left carnage in its path after three huge sailboats snapped masts and a fourth boat had to rescue a man after he fell overboard.

Record-Breaking Performance. As a result of the strong winds, this race broke the speed record.

.

Mayor's Support. Mackinac Island Mayor Margaret Doud stated, 'The Mackinac crew and the entire fleet were in my prayers at Mass today.'

Island's First Crewed Boat. St. Onge noted, 'This is the first all-island crew. This way the island finally has a boat to cheer for.'

Bucket List Motivation. Jason St. Onge emphasized the importance of seizing opportunities, saying, 'You can't wait forever. This is bucket list for me.'

Community Support. Veronica Dobrowolski, co-owner and CEO of Arnold Freight and sponsor of Rascal, expressed her concern and involvement by tracking the race closely.

Crew Composition. The crew of Rascal includes St. Onge, who is also the Mackinac Island fire chief, and Andrew Doud, owner of the only grocery store on the island.

Generational Ties. All crew have multi-generational ties to Mackinac Island, showcasing the deep community connections.

Racer's Weather Challenges. Racers dealt with storms last week, and light air delayed the start of the race this week.

Mast Failure Incident. Maverick, the carbon fiber Andrews 80, suffered a mast failure after breaking the record in the 115th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac just a week prior.

Record Participation. The Bayview Mackinac Race set a record with 334 boats registered for the 100th event, surpassing the previous record of 316 boats in 1985.

Racing Goals. Jason St. Onge just wants to cross the finish line, stating, "We don't have delusions of grandeur. We just don't want to be the pickle boat, dead last."

Early Withdrawals. By Sunday afternoon, four boats had pulled out of the competition, including Miami Vice and Maverick, which suffered a mast failure after breaking the record in the Chicago Yacht Club Race.

Record Competition. Until now, the Bayview Mackinac Race record was 316 boats in 1985, contrasting significantly with the 200 boats that raced last year.

Island Community Support. 'This is the first all-island crew. This way the island finally has a boat to cheer for,' St. Onge said.

Tracking Innovation. The race tracker doesn't look anything like years past because all the little boats are clumped together, indicating a change in racing behavior.

Personal Commitment. Jason St. Onge emphasized the significance of the race, stating, 'You can't wait forever. This is bucket list for me.'

Large Participation. A record-setting 334 boats registered for the 100th Port Huron to Mackinac race on Saturday, July 20.

Race Experience. Mackinac Island Fire Chief Jason St. Onge just wants to cross the finish line, saying, 'We don't have delusions of grandeur. We just don't want to be the pickle boat, dead last.'

Rescue Operation. The crew dropped out to respond to a distress call and then re-entered the competition.

Second Place Finish. Just a few days earlier, they placed second in class on their Santa Cruz 52 in the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac.

Madcap Race Success. John and Marian Hoskins, co-owners of Madcap, won their class in the 100th Bayview Mackinac race on Sunday.

Karma Effect. Marian Hoskins expressed gratitude, stating, 'We’re so grateful the wind didn’t die before we finished. This is what we’ve been praying for. Karma was on our side, for sure.'

Awards Ceremony. John Hoskins stated that he and other sailors will accept their awards during an island ceremony Tuesday.

Celebration After Victory. John and Marian Hoskins celebrated by taking their crew to dinner at 'The Woods,' delivered by horse and carriage.

Local Support. Charlie Trost, race chairman, described the Madcap crew as 'the hometown hero,' emphasizing their honorable actions during the rescue.

Record Participation. John Hoskins remarked, 'It was a huge fleet with stiff, stiff competition,' referencing the record 334 boats registered.

Bizarre Wind Conditions. 'The forecasted wind was fighting with the sea breeze' resulting in boats sailing in every direction, according to Marian Hoskins.

Man Overboard Drill. Marian Hoskins noted, 'We had done the man-overboard drills. We worked the safety gear. We made our own luck.'

Heavy Preparation. Race chairman Trost stated that Fast Tango 'does a lot of prep and they go into any event knowing they could win it.'

Continuous Improvement. Prophit remarked that they executed eight or nine sail changes in the last hour, highlighting the need to do whatever it takes to win.

Combatting Mental Fatigue. Radtke noted that less experienced sailors tend to 'mentally check out' in tough conditions, while their team thrives on it.

Adaptability to Conditions. Radtke expressed that their crew excels in all race conditions, stating, 'We love light and flukey and shifty and crazy (air).'

Winning Streak Achieved. Fast Tango's skipper Prophit highlighted their historic winning streak, stating it's a streak no other boat has ever done.

Mental Preparedness. Radtke emphasized that their approach is '100% mental' and involves keeping the crew fresh, caffeinated, and rested.

Sail Adjustment Strategy. Prophit explained that in light air, different wind below may require adjusting the sail to capture the light air despite an 'ugly' appearance.

Wind Direction Tool. Radtke noted that when the wind dies, the crew asks Prophit to light up one of his homemade cigarettes to see the wind direction.

Divine Intervention. Tim Prophit described their early disqualification as 'divine intervention' that led them to a favorable breeze others missed.

Winning Strategy. Crew members on Fast Tango revealed that cigarette smoke played a key role in winning their class on Monday morning.

Driving Record. My driving record was clean, noting that she was not cited for an accident that left her passenger side door smashed.

Infrastructure Shortcomings. In this country, we do not have the infrastructure and support to take care of people who can no longer drive.

Deteriorating Conditions. Symptoms of dementia had begun for the father, prompting a change in driving privileges.

Medical Guidance. Adult children seeking to avoid conflict may ask the family doctor for guidance regarding driving ability.

Alternative Solutions. Some have disabled the engine of the car as a way to preserve family dynamics and avoid confrontation.

Navigating Difficult Discussions. Families have to deal with driving issues as it is a major source of disagreement, especially when public safety is at stake.

Crash Rates. Crash rates per miles driven increase around age 70; older drivers are involved in more multi-vehicle crashes at intersections.

Aging Drivers. The number of licensed drivers aged 70 and up jumped 92% from 1997 to 2022.

Emotional Impact. It’s a very heavy, emotional situation with families when people lose their ability to drive.

Independence Loss. When you’ve lost your independence, it’s everything. You live in a completely different world.

Impact of Cat Videos. Watching silly cat videos is good for you.

Health Benefits of Cats. Owning a cat could reduce your risk of a heart attack by nearly one third.

Swag Inspired by Comments. You can now buy 'Proud Childless Cat Lady' swag from online shops that offer T-shirts, hoodies, ball caps, nightshirts, stickers, posters, pins, tote bags and candles.

Cat Comments Controversy. Vance has sparked bipartisan anger by dismissing Vice President Harris as one of a group of unhappy 'childless cat ladies' in political leadership.

Swing Voter Behavior. My friend is a swing voter who elects candidates based on ideas vs. party affiliation.

Cat Video Fest Donations. More than $200,000 has been donated to local shelters to date.

National Cat Video Festival. The festival has had a show in every state and sells out in 48 states or so.

Emotional Effects of Cat Videos. Participants in the study reported they felt more energetic and positive after watching cat-related videos.

Novel Stress Relief Strategy. Acquisition of cats as domestic pets may represent a novel strategy for reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases in high-risk individuals.

Hybrid Powertrain. The Maverick is available as a gasoline-powered truck with all-wheel drive but it comes standard, for no extra cost, as a hybrid.

Affordable Starting Price. Price starts at $26,295 for a basic 2025 model, plus $1,595 in delivery fees. Insanely affordable. Among the lowest-priced vehicles on the market.

Maverick Evolution. Ford Motor Company has just revealed details of the 2025 Maverick, a hot little four-door pickup that evolved from a nerdy two-door compact car into a bestseller since its unveiling in 2021.

Towing Capacity. The standard 2025 Maverick can tow 2,000 pounds while the all-wheel-drive hybrid version with a special tow package can handle 4,000 pounds.

Fuel Economy Estimate. The all-wheel drive hybrid is targeting 40 miles per gallon in the city, Ford said.

All-Wheel Drive Feature. Now there's an all-wheel drive version of the hybrid pickup. Yep - for off-roading, snow, climbing curbs, life's challenges.

Hybrid Transition. The vehicle's hybrid technology is helping consumers transition from traditional internal combustion engines to electrification, which have lower fuel and maintenance costs.

Market Demand. From January through June 2024, 81% of Maverick trucks were built to order. Erich Merkle, Ford U.S. sales analyst, told Shifting Gears on Wednesday, July 31.

Sales Performance. Ford sold 40,420 Maverick hybrid trucks from January through June this year, more than half the 77,113 Mavericks total sold.

Targeted Demographic. The truck initially designed for younger and older drivers — consumers on a budget who don't need pricier full-size pickups — is getting snapped up by all ages now in all parts of the country.

Cupholder Count. The new Maverick has twelve cupholders, which nearly moved me to tears.

Fuel Efficiency. Getting up to 42 miles per gallon sways skeptics in a nanosecond.

Strong Sales Trend. Ford sold 94,058 Mavericks in 2023 and is on track to crush that sales figure.

Lasting Memories. The crew scattered the ashes of past commodore William Barton Huthwaite Sr. during the race.

Celebration Plans. St. Onge is throwing a pickle party at his Cannonball Oasis ice cream and hot dog stand on Saturday, August 3.

Last Place Acceptance. They realized that finishing last is not as bad as quitting.

Finish Line Timing. The crew of Rascal sailed over the finish line at 7:09:11 on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, after 66 hours of racing.

GPS Tracking. At points during the race, when they felt the most alone and hopeless, fans made clear they were following the race online through GPS technology.

Crew Challenges. The crew of Rascal voted four times on whether to quit, describing the experience as simply miserable.

Race Delays. Organizers delayed the start of the Bayview Mackinac Race because there was too little wind.

Perseverance Praise. Winning sailors heaped praise on Rascal for their patience and perseverance during the race.

Community Support. Fans were tracking them at 3 a.m., waking up in the middle of the night to follow the race.