Some Correction In The Market Is Being Seen With Some Owners Offering Pasalo Sale

1. ‘Dear Born to Lose Apparently, There’s no home run that I can see. With some careful planning and smart marketing, you might be able to break even if you sell. The thing is, I’m leaning toward renting rather than selling at the moment. You and your spouse might move back to Washington, only to get fired anyway. Then, you’ll be sorry you didn’t keep your forever house, and will have doubled down on your losses by paying for double moves’

   Well it was still way cheaper than renting Born to Lose Apparently.

   1. “Then, you’ll be sorry you didn’t keep your forever house, and will have doubled down on your losses by paying for double moves.”

      What idiotic advice. How are they gonna hold it? With 10% down on their original purchase it’s a given they won’t be able to rent it and even come close to covering holding costs.

      1. The article has a lot more woe-driven context:

         FBs: “we can only hope to have the rent cover about 60 percent of our monthly mortgage and other costs… Our budget is already very stretched as it is due to the high interest rate of our loan and having to pay PMI.”

         Advice: “I have a hard time believing that you couldn’t at least come out even either renting or selling, given how many homes were destroyed in the California fires… if you have the right team behind you, and you’re careful about who you accept as a tenant, it should work out OK. Are you in an area where you can successfully run an Airbnb?”

         Wow. Rent is only 60% of the mortgage and these FBs still purchased? And is Slate actually advising them to exploit the LA fire victims to extract higher rent to bail them out?

   2. “We could both try to find local jobs and quit our federal jobs. However, this is also likely not a viable option for us since my partner is in his sixth year of working toward public service loan forgiveness (PSLF) for his student loans.”

      Debt donkeys can’t resist debt!

   3. “asking for advice about whether to purchase a house ahead of the election”

      Did they seriously think Biden/Harris was a slam dunk win?
      (they lost)
      Did they seriously think they would have remote work forever?
      (the trend is toward hybrid)

      I hope these idiot FBs leave government service. They are too dumb to be of any benefit to the American people.

      1. Maybe they thought buying a house would force the government to let them work remote forever.

         1. Some employees in my little corner of gov actually tried that. Workers can’t just pack up and remote work (depends on the agency). They need to justify why they need remote work, and apply for approval.

            During the pandemic, when everyone was remote, some co-workers moved far away. Then, when it was time to return to office, they applied to continue to remote work. The justification: “Well, I moved far away.” 😒 That isn’t enough of a justification on its own, but a lot of people were still approved for remote work anyway.

            1. “That isn’t enough of a justification on its own, but a lot of people were still approved for remote work anyway.”

               As long as you vote blue…

            2. So remote work is a red/blue thing now?

2. ‘Now, they likely can’t sell or rent it for anything close to pre-fire value, Pollak said. ‘Ideally, we’d keep it and enjoy it in five to 10 years when it blossoms again,’ Pollak said. ‘But the carrying costs are so high that we can’t pay the mortgage without living there and also pay for comparable accommodation elsewhere’

   It is going to blossom Julia. Yer sitting on a burned out gold mine! You haven’t been eating expensive food have you? You could get a tent like so many Californians enjoy day to day. Make one of those ‘will do a quick jig fer money’ signs and sit next to yer burned out shack for sympathy. People fall for that all the time. Be creative and you will be a winnah!

   1. “Flames licked the hills of the Los Angeles enclave as Kalvin drove away. She says she’s had nightmares ever since.”

      I can believe that. I find it difficult to imagine anyone who escaped the flames and clogged streets would want to rebuild there. How could someone sleep during the next Santa Ana wind event?

      Early-on in my military career we were trained in wildland firefighting. We were activated once, but never deployed into the fire area due to burning embers flying more than a mile ahead of the flames. Orange skies and black smoke are all we could see in every direction. I was never activated again, and I was off on other adventures.

      1. When the town I was living in got flooded (not in the flood zone) lots of people never went back to their houses. It wasn’t huge damage (1st floor and basement) but they simply couldn’t deal with it. I knew people that literally sold it “as is” with all their stuff in it and all, NEVER went back.

         Seemed odd to me, but I can see that side of it too
         and a huge wildfire like LA? yeah, that would leave memories.

3. [Some Tuesday morning humor from the Babylon Bee …]

   Historic: Man Wins Argument With Woman.

   https://babylonbee.com/news/historic-man-wins-argument-with-woman

   U.S. — In an unprecedented, history-making moment, a man has won an argument with a woman. The man, who is also the President of the United States, is reportedly celebrating his victory after miraculously winning an argument over trade with Prime Minister Trudeau, the second female Prime Minister of Canada.

   “We’ve never seen anything like this in recorded history,” said Dr. Ben Shmellings, a historian. “This kind of thing just doesn’t happen. A man getting in an argument with a female and prevailing? We’re as shocked as you are.”

   The Babylon Bee will keep you updated on the argument, as the woman is likely planning a cold, passive-aggressive response.

4. [From Canada …]

   Bronwyn Eyre: The Great Federal Stand-Down: How Chaos Theory (aka Donald Trump) is Changing Everything.

   https://pipelineonline.ca/bronwyn-eyre-the-great-federal-stand-down-how-chaos-theory-aka-donald-trump-is-changing-everything/#/?playlistId=0&videoId=0

   Saskatchewan should never have adhered to Harper’s mandate to phase out coal—with its devastating impact on at least 1,000 jobs in our southeast communities.

   “We may not go ahead with the consumer carbon price,” Steven Guilbeault suddenly announced last week, as he endorsed Mark Carney. He admitted that the federal carbon tax, which was set to rise on April 1 by another fifth (to 21 cents per gas litre) is “very unpopular.”

   Guilbeault’s comments went largely unreported. (Such an admission doesn’t suit the media narrative that the carbon tax is a Good Thing). Nevertheless, his announcement signalled—not with a bang, but a whimper—the beginning of the great federal stand-down.

   Net zero by 2030. 2035. 2050. The UN Paris Accord. The Glasgow Accord. UN “Conference of the Parties” in Dubai. In Baku. Who could ever keep track? Now, with Trump, the endless targets and doomsday scenarios seem to verge on irrelevant.

   Guilbeault blames Pierre Poilièvre for “lying to and manipulating Canadians” on the carbon tax. Talk about pot and kettle. Who will ever forget the un-ceasing, un-costed, bait-and-switch climate pitches from Guilbeault and his sidekick Jonathan Wilkinson about the “new green industrial revolution” and the “thousands of jobs” it would “create”?

   This destructive duo is now tacitly acknowledging what a sham it’s all been—and what their own departments, the Parliamentary Budget Officer, and millions of affordability-challenged Canadians have known for years: that the carbon tax and other irrational federal climate policies are harming our economy in real time.

   Why the sudden unravelling?

   “Axe the tax” Poilièvre and plummeting Liberal polls notwithstanding, the real zeitgeist shaker is Donald Trump, Mr. Chaos Theory personified. His Inauguration Day executive orders—signatured with his black Sharpie—changed dynamic after dynamic. Declare an energy emergency in the U.S. Unleash Alaska’s energy potential. Pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement. Pull out of the World Health Organization. Re-establish two genders. Deconstruct DEI. And on and on.

   In Canada, meanwhile, nothing shakes the zeitgeist quite like “51st state” mind games and the spectre of a 25 per cent US tariff. In response, and in just a few short weeks, the federal government has radically altered its immigration and border policy, signalled a massive uptake in NATO spending, and discovered the importance of energy security.

   On the climate side:

   Compliance deadlines for the blatantly unconstitutional Clean Electricity Regulations have been extended by over a decade.
   The Clean Fuel Standard (“Carbon Tax #2”) is now “in jeopardy.” (After years of head-in-the-sand denial over the dubious economics of the CFS, Federated Co-op finally cited “regulatory and political uncertainty, potential shifts in low-carbon public policy, and escalating costs” for the cancellation of its Regina canola-crushing facility).
   $100 billion electric vehicle projects, along with federal EV regulations, are now “in doubt”—after Trump announced a re-write of EV mandates to protect America’s auto workers.

   New enslavement?

   As provinces blink into the light and throw off some of these federal shackles, they must nevertheless remain vigilant about new enslavement in other areas—particularly under the guise of “cooperation” and “Team Canada” boosterism.

   Take the feds’ recent intimation that, to improve federal border security, they want to use already strained provincial jail spaces to hold violent criminals entering Canada. At the same time, they’re proposing a new “incentive:” asking provinces to “shoulder the burden” and accept more asylum seekers, in exchange for cutting in half the number of skilled immigrants whom the provinces actually want. Uhm…so, where’s the incentive?

   On the border, Trump’s key bargaining chip, we’ve been assured for months that Canada-produced fentanyl is not a significant security threat—despite the feds’ disastrous decriminalization of “small quantities” of drugs, including fentanyl and cocaine. We’re now learning that the RCMP recently broke up 44 fentanyl labs across the country—including one in B.C., which alone produced 93 million doses. And that’s just one bust!

   No wonder we have trust issues.

   Similarly, on climate policies, we’re far from out of the woods. Both Guilbeault and Carney have hinted that they would replace the carbon tax with “something else…that’s equally effective.” Heaven forbid, the Liberals could also be re-elected.

   In other words, we don’t have much time. Provinces should take advantage of the current federal power vacuum, demand the feds stay in their constitutional lane, and try to make up for a decade of destruction.

   Coal is a great place to start—and once again, Trump is poised to be a catalyst.

   Beamed into Davos, Switzerland last week, the President said: “Nothing can destroy coal: not the weather, not a bomb. It’s a great back-up.”

   His comments came amid increased talk of the U.S.’ “tapped-out” power grid and need for a lot more juice—especially for future, power-gobbling AI data centres. Here in Canada, of course, the feds’ hamstringing of provincial power generation has set back Canada’s grid growth by at least a decade.

   Saskatchewan should never have adhered to then-Prime Minister Harper’s 2015 mandate to phase out coal—with its devastating impact on at least 1,000 jobs in our southeast communities. Under section 92(a) of the Constitution, provinces have exclusive jurisdiction over natural resources and power generation. Consequently, we should have told Harper and PM Trudeau, who further tightened compliance deadlines, that if they wanted to shut down coal, they’d have to come to Saskatchewan and fire every coal worker personally.

   It is significant that, last spring, Premier Scott Moe announced that Saskatchewan reserved the right to run coal fleets beyond federal targets to the end of their operational lives. Now, the province has signalled that it will “closely consider” renovating or rejuvenating existing plants.

   The community of Estevan, where the Shand and Boundary Dam power stations are located, is said to be “delighted.” That was according to a recent CBC story, which paraphrased their delight, but failed to interview a single member of the community—focusing instead on two anti-coal University of Regina economy professors who didn’t once reference the economy.

   I’d like to ask them about the economic impact of the coal phase-out in the southeast, the looming power demands of AI data centers—or the lessons of Germany, which turned off nuclear power after Fukushima, hedged 40 per cent of its natural gas imports on Putin’s Russia, relied largely on wind (despite long, documented “uniquely windless” periods), and had to re-fire up coal.

   Such power vulnerability (see also Texas 2021 and Alberta’s grid-strained black-outs) is simply not an option, particularly in our frigid winter climate. As we bridge to potential nuclear power with natural gas (along with some wind and solar), of course we can’t abandon coal, which provides stable, safe, affordable power.

   So let’s give ’er.

   If the last few chaotic weeks of Trump tariff talk have taught us anything, surely it’s that we must move beyond mere jingoism (“Team Canada”) and silly hats (“Canada’s not for sale”) and start to actually analyze the issues facing us—from drugs and the border to the reality of energy dependence and existential importance of our exports.

   If we don’t, the “art of the deal” will continue to elude us.

   There’s method in Trump’s perceived madness. As the Globe and Mail’s Konrad Yakabuski recently wrote: “[US Treasury Secretary Scott] Bessent and [tariff czar, Stephen] Miran have dismissed widespread suggestions that tariffs would raise prices for U.S. consumers. They argue that the U.S. dollar would appreciate after the application of tariffs. That would partly offset their cost by lowering the price of foreign goods in U.S dollars. Further, they suggest foreign trading partners would lower the price of their exports to preserve U.S. market share, leaving U.S consumers no worse off than before.”

   So folks, we’re in for a hell of a ride—much of it of our own, ill-prepared making.

   —Bronwyn Eyre was Saskatchewan’s former Minister of Energy and of Justice and Attorney General

5. R u gonna buy the Chinese tariff angst dip?

   1. Stock Market Today: Dow, Nasdaq and S&P 500 futures dip after China tariff retaliation; Palantir shares pop, traders eye Alphabet earnings, jobs data
      Follow all the latest U.S. market action for Tuesday to see if stocks can recover amid lingering tariff angst; Alphabet earnings on tap.
      Last Updated:
      Feb. 4, 2025 at 9:21 AM EST

      Tuesday’s Top Reads

      Here are the top stories to read ahead of Tuesday’s trading:

      Stock market’s wild ride on Monday could be a microcosm of what to expect in 2025.

      Markets leave ‘no room for mistakes’ in Trump’s trade war, says famed investor Tudor Jones.

      Apple escaped tariffs last time. This time, it may have to raise prices.
      …
      https://www.marketwatch.com/livecoverage/stock-market-today-dow-s-p-and-nasdaq-futures-steady-as-tariff-angst-cools-jobs-dat-looms

6. The insurrection continues.

   1. KTLA — ‘Day Without Immigrants’ protests in downtown Los Angeles last into night (2/3/2025):

      “As demonstrations in the “Day Without Immigrants” protests in downtown Los Angeles continued into the evening, tensions between protesters and police appeared to surge as authorities issued an unlawful assembly and dispersal order Monday evening.

      Demonstrators protesting the Trump Administration’s immigration policies and mass deportations gathered at City Hall in downtown Los Angeles before starting their march, which grew to thousands of people and blocked city streets for much of the day.

      Just after 5 p.m. Monday, an order was issued by LAPD for demonstrators on Los Angeles Street between Aliso and Arcadia streets to disperse, with authorities saying that the route of travel was northbound on Los Angeles to Cesar Chavez Avenue.

      “All persons who remain at Arcadia, Main, Spring and Los Angeles are subject to arrest,” LAPD added.

      Dressed in riot gear and carrying less-than-lethal weapons, officers were seen in skirmish lines as fireworks were going off and bottles were being thrown at them, though so far it appears that only a few people have been detained in the area of Union Station.”

      https://ktla.com/news/local-news/l-a-police-moving-demonstrators-out-of-downtown/

      They’re not “protests”.

      If you’re blocking traffic waiving a foreign flag, that’s TREASON, and you’re getting deported.

7. ‘I believe in property rights. What about my property rights?’ Kelley said. ‘You’re worrying about the 20% and ignoring the 80%. I have the right to live in a neighborhood with friends and community, and you’ve taken that away.’

   Restrictive covenants.

   1. Which government entities can easily take a vote and bypass.

      1. Wrong, they are private agreements, protected by the constitutional prohibition against impairing the obligation of contracts (Article 1, Section 10).

         1. Yeah sure. You mean like all the abrogated contracts during the Obama days! How about all the rental agreements that were impaired by multiple city, state, and Federal entities simply passing edicts that allowed people to not pay the rent.
            How about house mortgages being temporarily (unknown time) suspended from collecting payments.
            Emergency! Crisis! Emergency! Forget that pesky Constitution!

            1. Not defending any of that, obviously. But what’s your point? Nobody should ever sign a lease or any other contract now?

               My point is, restrictive covenants are superior to zoning laws, which can indeed be changed by a simple vote of a town council. If governments unconstitutionally try to abrogate them, the solution is to appoint judges who will put a stop to that..

8. “And while the schadenfreude for Toronto homeowners going through it is delicious to many, there are some cases where it’s actually just kinda sad”

   Sorry…..just can’t get myself to feel sad.

9. Bill Kristol:

   “The deep state is far preferable to the Trump state.”

   https://x.com/Anc_Aesthetics/status/1886176995433763188/photo/1

   Kiss your Big Government welfare check goodbye, Billy Boy.

   1. Great find! Wonder how many “sinecure parasites” like William Kristol are attached to the U.S. federal government’s financial arteries?

10. Mortgage lender executive allegedly kills 88-year-old with Range Rover while drunk: police

    https://nypost.com/2025/02/04/us-news/mortgage-lender-executive-allegedly-kills-88-year-old-with-range-rover-while-drunk-police/

    1. “The department also revealed that she had “three prior convictions” before she allegedly drove drunk and killed the 88-year-old van passenger.”

       With the volume of mortgage originations in the toilet due to higher interest rates she likely turned to, “the bottle.”

11. Did you know that USAID, using YOUR tax dollars, funded bioweapon research, including COVID-19, that killed millions of people?

    https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1886129005759262964

    1. When is Fauci going to prison?

    2. For decades, USAID has been flagged as a con job.

       In a sense, a foreign aid version of the USA Homeless Industrial Complex.

       Food and medical aid, which is *supposed* to be distributed to local needy populations without charge or delay is actually intercepted by local gangsters / drug loads who then steal / resell / profit.

       So the local population still starves and is need of medical help, while the gangsters have their villas / Mercedes / BeefEater Gin.

       Helps explain why Elon Musk called USAID, “beyond repair”

12. ‘They’re forcing the foreclosure. They’re forcing the short sales. Those people who still remain in the building have to suddenly pay more to keep the building afloat. Services get cut, and it turns into a doom loop’

    Puddle watcher: there’s real distress.

    1. Do You Have ‘Confirmation Bias’? A Psychologist Breaks Down How To Overcome It

       Debates are no longer limited to politicians, high school clubs and awkward Thanksgiving conversations. You probably know we just stated the very obvious unless you’ve gone sans social media for the last decade (props to you, honestly). While it’s challenging to consider other people’s opinions—who doesn’t love to be right?—it’s crucial. However, confirmation bias might be getting in your way, and the kicker is that you may not even know it.

       “With confirmation bias, we basically see what we want to see,” says Dr. Craig Kain, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist.

       Making an effort to recognize confirmation bias is especially important, albeit more complicated, because of algorithms.

       “We live in a world where most if not all of our information comes to us in the form of a feed—Instagram, Facebook, Linked In [and] news aggregators,” Dr. Kain explains. “Each of these platforms has its own proprietary algorithm that exists to show us more posts and stories based on what we’ve already seen or what the algorithm determines we will agree with and like. The more we watch what the algorithm suggests, the more it suggests more of the same.”

       https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/do-you-have-confirmation-bias-a-psychologist-breaks-down-how-to-overcome-it/ar-AA1ymlTr

       ‘You probably know we just stated the very obvious unless you’ve gone sans social media for the last decade (props to you, honestly)’

13. US deports Indian migrants using military plane amid Trump crackdown, embassy says message clear: ‘Not worth the risk’

    A United States military plane began deporting Indian migrants, implementing President Donald Trump’s position against an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the country.

    Reuters reported that the C-17 aircraft carrying 205 Indian nationals departed from San Antonio, Texas, around 3 am IST.

    When contacted, a US embassy spokesperson in Delhi said, “The United States is vigorously enforcing its border, tightening immigration laws, and removing illegal migrants. These actions send a clear message: illegal migration is not worth the risk.”

    This is the first batch of illegal immigrants from India to be deported since Trump’s return to office.

    Last year, about 1,100 illegal immigrants were deported to India through special planes.

    There are about 20,000 illegal immigrants from India who are ready to be deported by the US immigration authorities and an estimated 725,000 illegal Indian immigrants in the US.

    India’s position is that it is ready to accept illegal immigrants from the US after verification. This message was conveyed by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar last month when he met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

    “Illegal immigration is often linked to other unlawful activities. It is neither desirable nor beneficial for our reputation. If any of our citizens are found to be in the US illegally, and we verify their citizenship, we are open to their lawful return to India,” Jaishankar said.

    Trump, who spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had also said that Modi told him that he will do what is right — indicating that India is ready to take back the illegal immigrants from the US.

    https://indianexpress.com/article/india/united-states-deports-indian-immigrants-trump-crackdown-embassy-message-9816609/

    Indians deported by Trump: Stop trading dignity for comfort

    Reportedly, there is only one toilet, a porta potty at that, for over 200 deportees on a C-130 bringing Indians without status back home today. I want to highlight the way they are being treated. This is to understand the dehumanisation human beings without legal status — specifically those who are not part of the Caucasian fold — are facing under President Donald Trump’s policies. Would the deportation of 200 plus Caucasians, from India, in a similar manner, ever happen without an outcry for human rights? Before I get into the strategic implications, we need to sear that image into our mind, an outrage we must never forget, an insult that is likely to be repeated till the 18,000 Indians without status are deported.

    With this image in mind, I want to put forth a few demands that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his team must make of Trump when they meet him. First, if the deportations are going to happen, they must be carried out with honour, following due process. They cannot be treated like criminals.

    While the Indian establishment has acquiesced to the deportations for now, the public image of multiple flights of Indians being brought back on military flights, is sure to trigger colonial-era feelings of “Dogs and Indians not wanted”, and may also affect PM Modi’s standing and India’s bilateral relations with the United States. Further, it may affect the Indian-Americans who may face higher scrutiny by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials and ill-treatment by their peers on racial grounds.

    In a broader sense, so many people’s hope is being shattered. The American Dream — even if it is, in reality, hard to reach or unreachable even for most Americans — meant something for people around the world. Now, it seems to be on its deathbed. What about the asylum seekers that may be among the deportees? How will the various political factions and governments back home treat those who escaped in hopes of a safer life in the US?

    In an era when India and Indians have endless global aspirations, let this deportation also be a clarion call for both good governance and jobs creation by the Modi government so that the incentive to take the “Dunki” route diminishes. Let this also be a call for Indians to consider the “apne ghar me bhi hai roti” idea: Lentils and bread, with dignity, at home, may be better than risking being disgraced and deported by a nation that no longer welcomes the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. It’s time to let the Chandrayaan-3 dreams of a resurgent India take flight even as chana dal and roti keep Indians grounded in their beloved homeland.

    As A P J Kalam said, “strength respects strength”; let India and Indians aim daily to build incredible strength such that nations would shudder before treating another Indian abroad poorly, no matter their status. Until then, let us stop trading dignity for comfort.

    https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/indians-deported-by-trump-dignity-comfort-9817427/

    1. I had to read the second article twice to realize that the columnist is actually on the right track. He is shaming America for no longer welcoming foreigners. But at the same time, he is also saying that it’s time to create a stronger and more prosperous India so that Indians are not tempted to sneak into America to find the American Dream. Good idea.

       1. Great idea,,, buy a pungi and charm cobras.

       2. He is shaming America for no longer welcoming foreigners.

          Why should we? Do we have some sort of obligation to do so? How many is too many?

          1. Other countries think we have an obligation.

             1. Who cares what they think?

    2. “Reportedly, there is only one toilet, a porta potty at that, for over 200 deportees on a C-130 bringing Indians without status back home today.”

       The jokes write themselves.

       1. Probably not your standard Port-a-Potty.

          It’s a very popular transport plane. I’m sure they have the logistics figured out.

          1. That is a long haul. India is literally on the other side of the world, 12 time zones away.

             1. Great-circle navigation from San Francisco to New Delhi is likely over the Arctic Ocean, Russia and Kazakhstan. Hopefully no Buk missile launchers along the way.

             2. The same distance it was when they came to the US.

          2. The lockheed C-130 has one urinal and one real toilet. It probably isn’t difficult to strap in a couple more porta-potties.

             1. Is that what they are using to send them back to India? It has something like a 2500 mile range. That would require a few refueling stops.

             2. Plus it’s kind of slow. Would make sense to charter an old 747.

             3. One article said C-17, one said C-130. But I agree, it would be easier to fly a few 747s.

             4. easier to fly a few 747s.

                A C-130 is a more dramatic effect for the opening optics, but it would be more cost effective to use ships.

14. Kennedy won the Committee vote 14 to 13. Now he moves on to the entire Senate vote confirmation.
    The chatter is he has enough votes to be confirmed, but who knows.

    1. The Dems don’t like RFK and Tulsi because they illuminate the fact that the Dem party has moved left.

15. Mexican subject to a deportation order charged after OPP bust cocaine trafficking network

    Four suspects — including a Mexican national subject to a deportation order — face drug charges and another is on the lam after nearly 300 kilograms of suspected cocaine — worth about $29 million on the street — was seized by police officers in the GTA and Gravenhurst, according to the OPP.

    Javier Luis Martinez Hernandez, 29, of London, has been charged with possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime under $5,000 and possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine.

    Jason Tsang, 40, of Markham, Sajjad Wadiwalla, 42, of Ajax, and Philippe Payeur, 48, Toronto, face drug trafficking charges.

    An arrest warrant has been issued for the fifth man, Brian Nelson, 38 of Toronto, who is wanted for conspiracy to commit an indictable offence — trafficking cocaine.

    https://www.msn.com/en-ca/crime/general/mexican-subject-to-a-deportation-order-charged-after-opp-bust-cocaine-trafficking-network/ar-AA1ylKk6

16. ICE Houston deports accused child rapist to Mexico

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Houston, with assistance from ERO Mexico and the Security Alliance for Fugitive Enforcement Task Force, deported Nestor Flores Encarnacion, a 58-year-old undocumented alien, to his home country of Mexico on Jan. 23.

    Officials say Flores has illegally entered the U.S. four times and is wanted in Veracruz, Mexico, for the rape of a child.

    According to ICE officials, Flores illegally entered the U.S. on Feb. 16, 2002, near Roma, Texas. The U.S. Border Patrol arrested Flores and voluntarily returned him to Mexico on Feb. 17, 2002. Flores illegally re-entered the U.S. on Feb. 20, 2002, and Feb. 22, 2002. On both occasions, he was arrested by Border Patrol officers and voluntarily returned to Mexico the same day.

    Flores illegally entered the U.S. for a fourth time on an unknown date and at an unknown location. Houston deportation officers arrested Flores on Aug. 23, 2024, at a house in Houston after receiving an alert that he was potentially illegally living in the Houston area and wanted in Mexico for the rape of a child.

    “This foreign fugitive brazenly entered the U.S. in violation of our nation’s laws on four separate occasions to evade prosecution in Mexico for allegedly raping a child,” said ERO Houston Field Office Director Bret A. Bradford. “Dangerous foreign fugitives and criminal aliens who are accused of, or have committed, heinous crimes like sexually assaulting a child will find no safe haven in Southeast Texas. Our immigration officers work tirelessly to successfully locate and apprehend undocumented aliens in the Houston area who threaten public safety, national security, and border security, and will not rest until they’re repatriated to their country of origin and no longer a threat to the community.”

    https://www.fox4news.com/news/ice-houston-deports-accused-child-rapist-mexico

    1. This is who Selena Gomez is crying for.

       1. Nestor Flores Encarnacion, not the child.

    2. Our US government needs to finish the southern border wall and make the US border (north and south) as difficult to enter illegally as possible.

17. Massachusetts migrant staying at shelter arrested for allegedly raping his daughter

    A migrant who was staying at a state-run shelter has been arrested for allegedly raping his 14-year-old daughter, according to officials.

    The 42-year-old man has been charged with aggravated rape of a child for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor female victim who’s known to him, the Middlesex DA’s Office said on Monday.

    The Herald is not naming the suspect to protect the girl’s identity.

    The Herald has known about this alleged sexual assault incident for several months. The alleged sexual abuse at the Marlboro Holiday Inn was recorded as a “Serious Incident Report” by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities last May.

    The shelter site run by Eliot Community Human Services had been investigating the pregnancy of the 14-year-old girl.

    The father had reportedly impregnated his daughter in the past, according to the serious incident report.

    “Her father has had sex with her multiple times, both on the journey to the U.S. and in the U.S.,” reads the report.

    When the shelter removed the daughter from her father’s custody on an emergency basis, the man reportedly “got very agitated and started yelling at Eliot Staff.”

    “The yelling and threatening gestures got so intense that (redacted) requested the police be called,” the report reads. “Police reported to the scene and calmed (the man) down.”

    The shelter staff ended up kicking the man out of the shelter, and sent him to a Quincy shelter.

    “The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities takes the safety and well-being of families in Emergency Assistance shelters and the surrounding communities very seriously,” an EOHLC spokesperson said in a statement.

    “In this case, EOHLC staff and providers followed protocol and procedures, terminated the individual from the Emergency Assistance program, and made appropriate referral to law enforcement,” the spokesperson added.

    The man was arraigned on Monday in Marlboro District Court. The judge ordered him held, pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for this Friday.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/massachusetts-migrant-staying-at-shelter-arrested-for-allegedly-raping-his-daughter/ar-AA1ylRCJ

    1. You may have #Noticed the article doesn’t state what country this illegal is from.

       Why is that, Real Journalists?

       1. The Herald is not naming the suspect to protect the girl’s identity.

18. ‘It’s a hard time to be a pastor,’ refugee advocate says

    Leading churches with ministries to internationals or with multi-ethnic congregations is becoming more challenging under a federal government hostile toward immigrants and refugees, faith leaders said during a recent webinar hosted by World Relief.

    “It’s a hard time to be a pastor,” said Eric Costanzo, lead pastor of South Tulsa Baptist Church, a Southern Baptist congregation with a refugee resource center that provides economic and transportation support, job training, English-language and citizenship classes for local refugees and immigrants.

    “We’ve had lots of no-shows for appointments, which are open to immigrants of all different statuses and even American-born folks. We are beginning to recognize the no-shows are probably related to fear of detention and deportation.”

    Newly arrived refugees have been further affected by a State Department notice prohibiting resettlement agencies like World Relief from using federal dollars to provide housing, food and other necessities typically granted during the first 90 days of U.S. residency, Soerens said.

    “That was very discouraging to hear and has been very disruptive. So, we are doing the very best we can with private resources, with support from our church partners and our donors, our volunteers to continue to meet these basic needs and to ensure we can help refugees who have already been resettled to our communities at the invitation of our government.”

    Churches with ministries to immigrants or refugees have experienced deep emotional pain since Trump returned to office, said Tish Harrison Warren, an Anglican priest and author of several books including Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life.

    “My former church in Pittsburgh has a refugee ministry, and many people in the congregation have become close with refugees, have become dear friends with them and care for them. And some of those who recently arrived are gone.”

    Many of those congregations are currently scrambling to meet the needs of adopted families since the freeze in federal funds formerly available to cover rent and other expenses for refugees, she added. “So, they’re doing the best they can. They’re loving their refugee neighbors, but these families are suffering and it’s leaving churches sort of high and dry.”

    https://baptistnews.com/article/its-a-hard-time-to-be-a-pastor-refugee-advocate-says/

    1. Sounds like the refugee industrial complex is worried about losing free money

       1. Indeed. LOL

19. “Rank Insubordination”: Rubio Says USAID Full Of Rogue Employees.

    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/rank-insubordination-rubio-says-usaid-full-rogue-employees

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio slammed the US Agency for International Development (USAID) for what he called “rank insubordination,” and is full of rogue employees who do whatever the hell they want.

    “Well, that was always the goal was to reform it, but now we have rank insubordination,” Rubio told Fox News, in comments just one day after President Trump announced that Rubio would serve as the acting head of USAID – which itself came after Elon Musk’s DOGE team descended upon the agency and revealed that “USAID is a ball of worms. There is no apple. And when there is no apple you just need to get rid of the whole thing. That’s why it’s got to go. It’s beyond repair.”

    According to Rubio, “Now we have basically an active effort — their basic attitude is, ‘We don’t work for anyone, we work for ourselves, no agency of government can tell us what to do.”

    “So the president made me the acting administrator,” he added. “I’ve delegated that power to someone who is there full-time, and we’re going to go through the same process at USAID as we’re going through now at the State Department.”

    According to Rubio, USAID has lost its focus and abandoned the “national interest” – telling Fox: “They have basically evolved into an agency that believes that they’re not even a U.S. government agency, that they are out — they’re a global charity, that they take the taxpayer money, and they spend it as a global charity irrespective of whether it is in the national interest or not in the national interest.”

    “One of the most common complaints you will get if you go to embassies around the world from State Department officials and ambassadors and the like is USAID is not only not cooperative — they undermine the work that we’re doing in that country, they are supporting programs that upset the host government for whom we’re trying to work with on a broader scale, and so forth,” Rubio added.

    On Monday, deep state crusaders Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD) staged a dramatic protest outside the USAID headquarters, with Omar suggesting that Trump’s move to fold the agency into the State Department was “what the beginning of dictatorship looks like!” – and Raskin suggesting that Elon Musk had “illegally seized power over the financial payment systems of the United States Department of Treasury,” adding “Elon Musk, you didn’t create USAID,” and that Musk “doesn’t have the power to destroy it.”

    1. “staged a dramatic protest outside the USAID headquarters”

       It’s funny how everyone wants to work from home and protest in person.

       1. Maybe they just sent money to hire local talent.

20. Posthaste: Worst ‘trade shock in nearly 100 years’ could wipe out growth in Canada

    If sustained, the tariffs could wipe out growth for up to three years, said RBC chief economist Frances Donald and assistant chief economist Nathan Janzen. Their estimates, like the Bank of Canada’ s, predict that a 25 per cent increase in tariffs across the board in the U.S. and globally would cut Canadian GDP by between 3.4 and 4.2 percentage points.

    “Trump’s tariff hammer will come down hard on Canada’s economy,” said Douglas Porter, chief economist at BMO Capital Markets.

    The trouble is the tariffs will hit an economy that was already struggling, said the RBC economists. Canada is still recovering from higher interest rates and the economy is operating below capacity. GDP per capita has declined for eight of the past nine quarters and business investment has been stagnant.

    “Canada’s economy is not well positioned to absorb a shock of this scale,” they said.

    However, the impact of Trump’s tariff thrust Saturday goes beyond Mexico, Canada and China.

    The tariffs are “just the first strike in what could become a very destructive global trade war,” said Paul Ashworth of Capital Economics.

    “Trump’s determination to force through substantial tariffs on supposed allies less than two weeks after taking office, and despite the opposition of some moderates within his administration, is a clear indication that the gloves are off this time.”

    Trump said Sunday the European Union would be the next target, calling the block an “atrocity” on trade.

    https://www.msn.com/en-ca/money/topstories/posthaste-worst-trade-shock-in-nearly-100-years-could-wipe-out-growth-in-canada/ar-AA1ykbDj

21. Trump may upend politics, but he cannot defy the laws of economics

    Donald Trump rose to power – first in 2016, and again in 2024 – by disparaging the U.S. political establishment. He denigrated the establishment’s polite and self-serving conventions, incestuousness and dismissiveness of impolitic outsiders like him. He depicted establishment politicians as morally corrupt members of a cozy global cabal.

    The Bushes, Clintons, Obamas and Bidens were, in Mr. Trump’s book, all interchangeable, sharing a worldview that saw the United States as the indispensable nation, an enlightened hegemon with a responsibility for spreading democratic values abroad, even if that meant granting privileges and protection to countries that did not always show their appreciation.

    Mr. Trump repudiated this way of thinking and, in the process, remade American politics and the Republican Party. He shattered the decades-old bipartisan consensus that favoured free trade and globalization; most of the protectionist measures against China enacted during his first term were maintained and strengthened by his Democratic successor.

    Just don’t try telling Mr. Trump that he has it backwards. The Economics 101 lessons being proffered by a who’s who of academics and commentators, such as former Clinton-era Treasury secretary Lawrence Summers and the Wall Street Journal editorial board, are unlikely to sway the President.

    That is because Mr. Summers and the Journal, as proponents of the original 1994 North American free trade agreement and China’s 2001 entry into the World Trade Organization, represent the very thinking that Mr. Trump and his closest economic advisers reject. They view NAFTA and the granting of “permanent normal trading status” to China as the cause of job losses in U.S. manufacturing and China’s rise as an economic superpower.

    They are not entirely wrong about that. By eliminating tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, NAFTA provided long-term assurance to manufacturers that they could access the vast U.S. market from anywhere in North America. Many located plants in Mexico, where labour standards and costs were much lower, while others invested in Canada, where a cheap loonie provided them with a hedge against a seemingly unsinkable U.S. dollar.

    Meanwhile, the promise that China’s entry into the WTO would lead to market-oriented and democratic reforms there went unfulfilled.

    https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-trump-may-upend-politics-but-he-cannot-defy-the-laws-of-economics/

    1. “Meanwhile, the promise that China’s entry into the WTO would lead to market-oriented and democratic reforms there went unfulfilled.”

       To put it mildly. LOL

22. For Canada, Donald Trump is the end of the world as we know it

    The 1964 movie Goldfinger finds James Bond tied to a table, about to be sliced in half by a laser beam.

    “Do you expect me to talk?” our hero asks the eponymous villain.

    “No, Mr. Bond,” Goldfinger replies. “I expect you to die!”

    Canada, welcome to the new world. Our best friend, trusted neighbour and closest ally is now led by a man who means us ill and fantasizes about our demise. No exaggeration, no lie.

    And all things equal, U.S. President Donald Trump would prefer not to talk to us about anything other than our glorious future as the 51st state. Mar-a-Lago Goldfinger has repeatedly claimed that his tariff threats are somehow related to stopping fentanyl and illegal immigration, but come on. It’s clearer than ever that this is and always was a pretext – part legal fiction, part political smokescreen.

    The legal fiction that there’s a national emergency on the northern border is necessary for the U.S. President to invoke an emergency powers law; absent the “emergency,” he would need to go to Congress. And Congress did not start the year with “declare war on Canada” on its dance card.

    Nor are most American voters filled with animus toward Canada. China, sure. Mexico, maybe. Canada? Claiming that a trade war with us is about stopping drug overdoses in the U.S. makes about as much sense as invading Iceland to stop Iran from getting the bomb.

    Mr. Trump’s pretext for a trade war is absurd, but the flimsiness of the excuse has an upside: It provides an easy out. He can use it, any time, to save face and even claim victory.

    And on Monday, he did just that. Instead of putting pedal to the metal on the tariff freeway, he swerved onto the off-ramp.

    After a “very friendly” conversation with the President of Mexico, Mr. Trump announced that tariffs on that country would be paused for a month for “negotiations,” and to implement improved border security. A few hours later, after his second conversation of the day with Mr. Trudeau, a similar result was achieved.

    But don’t get too comfortable. This is a one-month reprieve. It’s not the end of trade threats. It could be just the beginning.

    Mr. Trump has been clear that, as far as he’s concerned, no deal is ever settled, and agreements exist to be ripped up whenever it suits him. The trade war could restart in a few weeks. Or not. It all depends on Mr. Trump’s whims and needs.

    There will be many more opportunities to threaten war. On Sunday, Mr. Trump suddenly started going on about the unfairness of Canada having its own banking system; we may yet hear more of this. There’s also a report on establishing an “America First trade policy” that will land on his desk on April 1, and which will itemize new complaints against trading partners, including Canada. And the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement is up for renegotiation in 2026, or sooner.

    For at least the next four years, Canada-U.S. free trade is on probation. The President alone can revoke the day pass at any time.

    America has gone from e pluribus unum to l’état, c’est moi.

    Mr. Trump is trying to remake the world in his image – suspicious of friends, disdainful of allies, hostile to rules and congenitally against free trade. He may yet succeed. That his first major foreign-policy move was an attack on his best friend, ally and trading partner is not an accident. It is the point.

    https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-donald-trump-is-the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it/

    1. The panic is strong with them

       1. The globalist gravy train is over. In 1980 the US was a creditor nation and owned the 10 largest banks in the world. By 2000 we were a debtor nation and none of the 10 biggest banks were in the US.

23. Despite tariff pause, North America’s integrated economy remains in jeopardy

    Donald Trump put his threat to implement sweeping tariffs against Canada and Mexico on hold Monday, but the future of North America’s integrated economy remains uncertain given the U.S. President’s willingness to hold it hostage to achieve political ends.

    Mr. Trump’s tariff threat – which will continue to hang over Canada and Mexico – cuts directly against decades of North American integration that started with the Canada-U.S. Auto Pact in the 1960s and accelerated with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in the 1990s.

    It also calls into question the United States’ acceptance of the rules-based global trading order carefully constructed since the Second World War.

    Mr. Trump has threatened tariffs against European and Asian allies and adversaries alike, raising the prospect of spiralling tariffs and countertariffs last seen in the 1930s. And he has tasked his administration to come up with a range of protectionist measures by April 1, including tariffs, aimed at shrinking the size of America’s trade deficit with other countries.

    Perrin Beatty, the former chief executive officer of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said the Canada-U.S. relationship has been predicated on the principle that what’s good for one country is good for the other. Over the span of two weeks, Mr. Beatty said, the U.S. President has upended that guiding principle.

    “We simply can’t count on the goodwill of the U.S. administration,” he said. “What he’s indicated to us is that his obligations under [the USMCA], his obligations under the [World Trade Organization] are meaningless to him if he wants to use tariffs or other instruments as a means of forcing Canada to bend to its will.”

    Beyond the immediate impact a trade war would have on exports, jobs and prices, Mr. Trump’s erratic approach to trade could be a major impediment for investment in Canada, said John Weekes, a former trade negotiator who led Canada’s NAFTA negotiating team in the 1990s.

    “We now have a situation where investors are faced with this enormous uncertainty,” Mr. Weekes said in an interview. “And this is not just foreign investors. Canadian investors are going to think, ‘Well, why would I build my plant in Chatham if I can do it in upper New York State and have access to a much larger market guaranteed and probably still be able to sell it in Canada?’ … I think long-term this could tend to force Canada into sort of backwater status.”

    Moreover, a protectionist turn by the U.S. will make its companies less competitive, said Daniel Trefler, an economics professor at the University of Toronto whose research focuses on trade. Tariffs make inputs to manufacturing more expensive, and an effort to shift factories from Canada and Mexico to the U.S. would push up labour costs.

    “If I were an American auto company, I’d close. I’d just sell it,” Prof. Trefler said in an interview. “This is the death knell for the American automotive industry. There is no other jurisdiction on the planet where there’s a major automotive sector without access to cheap labour: None, zero.”

    https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/economy/article-despite-tariff-pause-north-americas-integrated-economy-remains-in/

    1. forcing Canada to bend to its will

       The concept of helping us with drug and terrorist problems seem impossible to grasp, old friends.

24. Jerry Shenk: Left vs. Right: Who is ‘extreme?’

    Liberals dismiss conservative Americans as monolithic, ignorant and extreme, but, nowhere is there greater uniformity of thought than inside the American left’s insular, ideological bubble.

    Liberals, or “progressives,” tend to hold common political and social assumptions seldom challenged by their peers or much of the media.

    Liberals, generally, imagine that they alone are intelligent, compassionate and moral. Accordingly, they have difficulty assimilating and debating unfamiliar views expressed by articulate conservatives.

    Theoretically, at least, everyone deserves to be heard, to receive courtesy and respect from those who dispute their policy preferences, but, when challenged, liberals commonly accuse reasonable conservatives of stupidity, incivility, dishonesty – or worse.

    The result is a highly polarized society, politically, socially and culturally.

    But, what is it about conservative principles that evokes such harsh judgment? Are conservatives genuinely “stupid,” “uncivil,” “dishonest,” “racist” or even “evil?”

    Conservatives believe in the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of speech, including speech with which they disagree, and in open, civil debate about any political, social or cultural matter.

    Conservatives believe that a nation without secure borders sacrifices national sovereignty and public health and safety. Furthermore, the financial, health care, housing and educational costs of accommodating massive numbers of illegal aliens far exceed the alleged benefits of admitting them. America’s borders should be secured and illegal aliens expelled.

    Conservatives want America’s cities to be clean and safe. That means that law enforcement should be robust, that the law and legal penalties be consistently applied, and the personal safety and property rights of law-abiding citizens protected. Incarcerating criminals is the best way to reduce crime.

    Conservatives believe there to be two, unchangeable sexes, male and female. Accordingly, life-changing “gender-affirming” procedures or sterilization should be banned for children below the age of consent, and psychiatric counseling required prior to any procedures on adults.

    Conservatives think public schools should focus on teaching reading, writing, math, science, and history. Parents should have input into what their kids are taught, and, if multiple options are available, have the right to choose which schools receive their tax dollars and teach their children. School choice will improve the quality of American education.

    Conservatives believe that, if you took out a student loan, you must pay it back.

    The greatest long-term threat to America is profligate government spending. If we don’t adopt fiscal responsibility – and soon – we will see the end of Social Security and Medicare in their current form, the loss of the American dollar as the world’s reserve currency, out-of-control inflation, and, eventually, an economic collapse that will destroy the nation as we know it.

    Conservatives recognize that, for decades, Americans have been fed hundreds of dishonest studies, dozens of flawed climate “models,” and never-ending predictions of environmental catastrophes that never materialized. No rational scientific case has been or, perhaps, can be made for changing our lifestyles to fight alleged “global warming.” In fact, genuine science appears to favor “skeptics” who have made persuasive arguments against any impending man-made apocalypse.

    Conservatives believe that secure elections are essential to a functioning society; only citizens should vote; anyone who is required to provide identification for employment, receiving public benefits, buying alcohol or plane tickets, cashing a check, or driving is equally capable of securing identification for voting; and that voter fraud, past and present, should be ruthlessly prosecuted.

    What, precisely, is “extreme” or even controversial about those principles? After all, it isn’t that many years since most/all of them were held by every president and the mainstreams of both national parties. Most still are.

    In that context, today, who is “extreme?”

    https://www.pottsmerc.com/2025/02/02/jerry-shenk-left-vs-right-who-is-extreme/

    1. “Liberals, or “progressives,” tend to hold common political and social assumptions seldom challenged by their peers or much of the media.

       Liberals, generally, imagine that they alone are intelligent, compassionate and moral.”

       They’re called your Betters because they’re better than everyone else.

25. In Congress, 60 is considered young. So in my 30s, I’m basically a preteen! My age gives me a relatively unique perspective among my Congressional peers – and not just in my understanding of social media.

    I know where the Democratic Party is missing the mark with young people – and what we need to do to fix it.

    Here’s the deal. People in my generation (and younger) don’t really trust those in power or our institutions. And we have good reason for that. I was in 7th grade when the September 11th attacks happened, and then I watched the U.S. spend billions of dollars – and deploy millions of servicemembers – to fight endless wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

    I was getting ready to graduate college during the Great Recession, when it was nearly impossible for so many young people to find jobs, or even places to live. And then came the COVID-19 pandemic, when our country’s young people missed out on so many parts of growing up, big and small – getting first jobs, learning in their classrooms, attending school dances.

    Put simply, young people don’t trust that our leaders know how to get us out of the messes they got us into.

    And all the while, we’re told that our opinions don’t matter as young people – to wait our turn; that we’re lazy, entitled, and ungrateful.

    Here’s a hard truth for some: Democrats aren’t entitled to young people’s votes.

    Despite the incredible strides we made under the recent Democratic trifecta – capping prescription drug costs, investing more than a trillion dollars in infrastructure, major action on climate, the first gun safety law in 30 years – we didn’t meaningfully improve young people’s ability to make ends meet.

    Why? We failed to address the two biggest costs for young people, costs that are still outpacing inflation and making it harder for young people to get by: housing and child care.

    I wrote an op-ed in Teen Vogue on this exact topic – where Democrats have fallen short when it comes to young people, and how we can fix this problem – and I hope you’ll take a couple minutes to read it.

    Young people don’t just want change, they need it. Because the problem isn’t that millennials and Gen Z’ers can’t budget, or don’t work hard enough, or that we’re eating too much avocado toast. The problem is that the status quo simply isn’t working for millions of people. And when I talk to my friends and peers, they see the Democratic Party as the party of the status quo — as the institutionalists who are fighting to protect systems that don’t work to begin with.

    I want to be really clear about something – it’s not a bad thing that there are baby boomers and Gen X’ers in Congress. We need their experience and institutional knowledge!

    But we also need to listen to the young people of this country who are begging for their concerns to finally be respected and addressed. Unless and until we do that, we won’t win back the support – or the votes – of young people in America.

    https://www.sdjewishworld.com/2025/02/03/oped-why-young-people-distrust-the-democratic-party/

    1. investing more than a trillion dollars in infrastructure, major action on climate, the first gun safety law in 30 years – we didn’t meaningfully improve young people’s ability to make ends meet

       She has trouble making the connection. But she is a Dem, and they love to spend, spend and spend. And as far as she is concerned inflation is caused by “price gouging”

       1. Republicans love to spend spend spend too. It’s been a drunken party for decades for both parties.

       2. “But she is a Dem, and they love to spend, spend and spend. And as far as she is concerned inflation is caused by “price gouging”

          I think it is caused by borrowing currency into existence. Either that, or a surplus of paper,,,,too many trees.

          1. “I think it is caused by borrowing currency into existence.”

             Yes, inflation is the desired result of easy lending policy. This makes it easier to spend $trillions in the middle-east.

26. ‘When Kelley bought her home, she says it was located in a residential zone that prohibited homeowners from renting out their property for fewer than 30 days. ‘Now I live in a timeshare’

    I see yer point Ann. But you can get out of a timeshare. So it doesn’t exactly apply.

27. Clutch those pearls harder.

    Vaccine stocks fall as Senate panel advances RFK Jr.’s nomination for HHS secretary (2/4/2025):

    “Shares of vaccine companies fell on Tuesday after a Senate panel voted to advance Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services to the full chamber.

    The committee voted 14 to 13 to advance Kennedy in a party-line vote around 10:30 a.m. ET.

    Moderna’s stock fell more than 4%, shares of BioNTech dropped 3% and shares of Novavax and GSK both fell around 1%. Pfizer’s stock fell almost 2%, even after the company reported fourth-quarter results that topped expectations.”

    https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/04/vaccine-stocks-fall-as-senate-advances-rfk-jr-hhs-nomination.html

28. Trump/Musk Attack CIA Fronts USAID & NED: With Mike Benz

    Glenn Greenwald

    1 hour ago

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtgT_u2rWs0

    20 minutes.

29. [I ran across this and though I would share …]

    If you haven’t read “Amusing Ourselves to Death” by the author Neil Postman, you’re missing out.

    It has one of the best introductions to a book I’ve ever read, as follows:

    “We were keeping our eye on 1984. When the year came and the prophecy didn’t, thoughtful Americans sang softly in praise of themselves. The roots of liberal democracy had held. Wherever else the terror had happened, we, at least, had not been visited by Orwellian nightmares.

    But we had forgotten that alongside Orwell’s dark vision, there was another – slightly older, slightly less well known, equally chilling: Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Contrary to common belief even among the educated, Huxley and Orwell did not prophesy the same thing. Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley’s vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.

    What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley eared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny “failed to take into account man’s almost infinite appetite for distractions.” In 1984, Orwell added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we fear will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we desire will ruin us.

    This book is about the possibility that Huxley, not Orwell, was right.”

    1. There’s plenty of ruin left in this place.

    2. Amusing Ourselves to Death is a great read.

       Also worth checking out is Huxley’s sequel, A Brave New World Revisited.

30. More Than 20,000 Federal Workers Have Taken Buyout Offer, Surge Expected Before Friday Deadline, Says Official

    More than 20,000 federal workers have accepted President Donald Trump’s buyout proposal since last week, and officials expect many more before Friday’s deadline, according to a knowledgeable administration official.

    “On background, I can tell you that the 20,000 number isn’t current. The number of deferred resignations is rapidly growing, and we’re expecting the largest spike to come 24-48 hours before the deadline,” the official told The Epoch Times.

    The official was responding to a report by Axios.

    There are 2.3 million civilian federal workers, the vast majority of whom are in the career service, which enjoys multiple regulatory protections. Under the current system, more than 18 months on average are required to terminate such a worker, but the actual time involved can easily stretch significantly longer.

    The average federal employee salary is $106,382, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, as analyzed by Pew Research Center. The median average household income for all Americans is $75,149, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

    If 10 percent of the civilian workforce accepted the buyout offer, it would cut spending by more than $24 billion. According to OPM data, the government’s turnover rate is 6 to 8 percent in a typical year due mainly to retirements.

    The buyout offer allows federal workers who accept it to receive full pay and benefits coverage for eight months, exempts them from newly issued orders to return to work at their official duty stations on a daily basis, and protects them against Reductions-in-Force (RIF) processes that are expected to begin in the near future in many federal departments and agencies.

    Officials with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest such union with 800,000 members, are encouraging civil servants to reject Trump’s offer.

    “There is not yet any evidence the administration can or will uphold its end of the bargain, that Congress will go along with this unilateral massive restructuring, or that appropriated funds can be used this way, among other issues that have been raised,” AFGE told its members in a Feb. 3 email.

    OPM officials said the union is misrepresenting the facts about the buyout offer.

    “Union leaders and politicians telling federal workers to reject this offer are doing them a serious disservice,” OPM’s Director of Communications McLaurine Pinover told The Epoch Times. “This is a rare, generous opportunity, one that was thoroughly vetted and intentionally designed to support employees through restructuring.”

    “Instead of spreading misinformation and using workers as political pawns, they should be making sure federal employees have the facts and freedom to make the best decision for themselves and their families,” Pinover added.

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/more-than-20000-federal-workers-have-taken-buyout-offer-surge-expected-before-friday-deadline-says-official-5804094

    1. “The average federal employee salary is $106,382, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, as analyzed by Pew Research Center.”

       Gotta be the college degree cohort.

31. My teacher relative tells me that a family at her school decided to self deport, and that others are considering it.

    1. The wife and I self deported quite a few years ago, from California to Texas. Me look like geneus now.

       1. “Me look like geneus now.”

          Better than being another boiled frog!

32. DOJ Seeks Information on FBI Employees Who Investigated Jan. 6

    The Department of Justice (DOJ) has asked for the names of thousands of FBI employees who worked on investigations into the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.

    Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove in a Jan. 31 missive to Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll directed the FBI to provide the names of all bureau personnel who investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, breach and an unrelated terrorism case, a group of Senate Democrats wrote in a Feb. 3 letter.

    Driscoll told FBI workers in a separate message to the FBI workforce that the request encompasses thousands of employees across the country, including himself, “who have supported these investigative efforts.”

    Bove warned that “additional personnel actions” could follow, Senate Judiciary Committee ranking Democrat member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said.

    DOJ officials did not respond to requests for comment.

    An FBI spokesperson confirmed that Bove has requested information about FBI personnel.

    “The FBI is currently working to respond to a request for information from the Acting Deputy Attorney General about current and former FBI personnel assigned to certain investigations or prosecutions, including the events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021,” the spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email.

    “The FBI will work within the law and policy to respond to official requests for information from the Department of Justice. To be clear, the FBI does not view anyone’s identification on one of these lists as an indicator of misconduct.”

    Ed Martin, interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, previously launched an investigation into why federal prosecutors brought a felony obstruction charge against hundreds of Jan. 6 defendants. Trump, after taking office, pardoned many people who had been charged over the Jan. 6, 2021, breach.

    The new request for information comes after acting DOJ leadership terminated officials, including prosecutors involved in prosecuting Trump before he was elected, and six FBI executive assistant directors.

    “I do not believe the current leadership of the Justice Department can trust these FBI employees to assist in implementing the President’s agenda faithfully,” Bove wrote in his letter to Driscoll, the Senate Democrats wrote.

    Durbin and the other senators told Acting Attorney General James McHenry and Driscoll that the terminations, and reassignments that have also taken place, “deprive DOJ and the FBI of experienced, senior leadership and decades of experience fighting violent crime, espionage, and terrorism.” They asked for details about the actions.

    Leaders of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Agents Association told members of Congress on Feb. 3 that the DOJ’s actions are threatening the jobs of thousands of FBI agents and “risk disrupting the bureau’s essential work.”

    “Any review of Special Agents should follow established disciplinary procedures that provide the necessary due process and transparency to our nation’s law enforcement officers,” the group stated.

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/doj-seeks-information-on-fbi-employees-who-investigated-jan-6-post-5803895

    1. disrupting the bureau’s essential work.

       Maybe you should have stuck to your essential work?

    2. “The FBI will work within the law and policy to respond to official requests for information from the Department of Justice. To be clear, the FBI does not view anyone’s identification on one of these lists as an indicator of misconduct.”

       An easy task to match employees to cost authorities!

33. ‘Their insurance will pay for rebuilding the home, though likely only half the cost. That means all the equity they’d built up is gone. Their limited insurance means they’d have to take out another large loan, while still paying the mortgage on their destroyed home, plus years of rent in temporary places. ‘I’m trying to be really optimistic about it, but there’s so much of me that’s like, this is going to bankrupt us,’ she said. ‘And I don’t want that to happen’

    Insurance doesn’t work if they have to pay out Sogol.

    1. ‘I’m trying to be really optimistic about it, but there’s so much of me that’s like, this is going to bankrupt us,’ she said. ‘And I don’t want that to happen’

       So California!

34. ‘One of New York City’s largest multifamily owners, months after defaulting on a CMBS loan backed by dozens of apartment buildings, is now in jeopardy of losing the properties’

    How do you like those 5% cap rates now boys?

35. ‘It’s not just Shannon St., though; the entire Trinity Bellwoods neighbourhood seems to be on the decline, as house prices dropped 40 percent from 2023 to 2024’

    Puddle watcher: there is real distress.

36. ‘We had a lot more stimulus in the Covid years and we have had a lot more restriction that followed both from monetary policy and fiscal policy. The government injected as hell of a lot of money through the Covid years then there has been a really big pull back. [Covid spending] was massive. It was free money going into business accounts, business profits spiked during the Covid years. We have never had more profitable businesses than we did during the lockdowns. As a result, we didn’t have the same kind of job losses and that kind of thing, it was a lot of money. Interest rates fell very sharply and the loosening of the lending rules was quite significant’

    That’s some sound lending right there Shamubeel.

37. ‘For his part, Colliers Philippines director for research Joey Roi Bondoc said some correction in the secondary market is being seen with some unit owners offering pasalo (sacrifice) sale. ‘To reignite demand, developers are offering attractive move-in promos’

    That’s the spirit Joey, pasalo those previous buyers. Damn em to hell!

38. Losing Control Of Toronto Real Estate (Toronto Real Estate Market Update)

    Team Sessa Real Estate

    51 minutes ago

    In this episode, we look at the current Toronto Real Estate Market specifically the detached home prices and market trends for the week ending Jan 29, 2025. We also discuss how buyers have completely changed their mentality to try and time the market regardless of their own personal circumstances.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq75nquES2o

    12 minutes.

39. A reminder:

    The 2020 election was stolen.

    I’m in Southern Colorado and some of the DJT flags I’ve seen around town are ridiculously hilarious. DJT 2024 — Daddy’s Home, Superman, etc.

    1. Ice Ice Baby

       https://youtu.be/jewmMjnbfzE?si=ROWK0yWQud0XQ4xt

40. Do you worry a government-sponsored crypto bubble may collapse, dropping your HODLings into a ginormous CR8R?

    1. Financial Times
       Elliott Management Corp
       Hedge fund Elliott warns White House is inflating a crypto bubble that ‘could wreak havoc’
       Supporting digital assets that could marginalise the dollar is ‘dangerous’, investor letter says
       A sign featuring US President Donald Trump on a Moonshot booth during the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville, Tennessee
       Donald Trump has promised he would make the US ‘the bitcoin superpower of the world’
       Costas Mourselas in Miami Beach January 30 2025

       The Trump administration’s embrace of cryptocurrencies is helping fuel a speculative mania that could cause “havoc” when prices collapse, the hedge fund Elliott Management has warned.

       The $70bn-in-assets firm took aim at the US government’s apparent enthusiasm for assets that have soared in price but have “no substance”, and also at politicians who are supportive of cryptocurrencies that could eventually become a rival to the US dollar, according to an investor letter seen by the Financial Times.

       The fund “has never seen a market like this”, wrote Elliott, referring to the speculative investor frenzy it believes is gripping financial markets. It pointed to the artificial intelligence boom and high equity market valuations as signs of investors “acting like a crowd of sports bettors”.
       …

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