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The Hurricane spins around hotspots of tension and conflict. Feel free to suggest your stories, opinions and ideas: UIHEN@protonmail.com
Congressman Pfluger: Biden-Harris Spent $900 Million on Flawed COVID-19 Campaign
By Congressman August Pfluger, House of Representatives
The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce released a report unveiling the failings of a $900 million COVID-19 public relations campaign overseen by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This campaign, funded by taxpayer dollars, was used to amplify flawed messaging on the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Biden-Harris Administration's guidance on the COVID-19 pandemic led to prolonged closures of small businesses and schools. I am proud of the Committee for uncovering the truth behind the Administration's use of taxpayer dollars that led to public distrust in our public health institutions.
#USA #Biden #CDOVID #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Show goes on! Brigitte Macron tries to prove she’s a woman
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, will present photographic and scientific evidence to a US court to prove the French first lady is, in fact, a woman.
The two are submitting the documentation as part of a defamation lawsuit against conservative influencer Candace Owens, who claimed that Brigitte Macron was born a male and later secretly transitioned.
The Macrons’ attorney, Tom Clare, said that there will be “expert testimony that will come out that will be scientific in nature.”
The attorney did not elaborate on exactly what it would be, beyond that it would include pictures of Brigitte, now 72, when she was pregnant with their kids.
The French power couple is ready to demonstrate “both generically and specifically” that the allegations are false, Clare stated.
Owens has repeatedly claimed that Brigitte Macron, 72, was born male — going as far as to say on her podcast earlier this year that she “would stake my entire professional career on all of those points.”
#France #Macron #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
China to commercialize U.S.-pioneered fusion energy technologies
China has spent up to $13 billion developing fusion energy since 2023 and could commercially replicate star power to generate electricity by 2030, becoming the first nation to master what’s commonly dubbed “the holy grail of energy solutions.”
Doing so would give the Chinese Communist Party “the potential to reshape global geopolitics” and “dominate a new energy era,” Massachusetts Institute of Technology physicists warn.
This cannot happen, said Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas), who chairs the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee’s Energy Subcommittee.
“Fusion energy technologies must be developed and deployed by nations that uphold democratic values, transparency, and international cooperation—not by authoritarian regimes that might exploit energy dominance as a weapon,” he said in opening remarks of a Sept. 18 hearing on the nation’s fusion programs.
“The U.S. must prioritize fusion energy development to outpace the CCP’s aggressive timelines,” Weber added, or China will dominate “the most consequential breakthrough of the century.”
#USA #China #Enargy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
'I've missed you'. Trump–Musk feud over?
President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk reunited at Charlie Kirk's funeral on Sunday months after their messy public feud.
The billionaire Tesla founder shook hands with the commander-in-chief in his box inside the State Farm Arena in Glendale, Arizona, as more than 60,000 mourners said goodbye to the conservative influencer.
Trump and Musk spoke for a brief moment before Trump appeared to motion him away.
Lip reader Nicola Hickling revealed Trump said 'how are you doing' as he turned to Musk to greet him.
Musk then appeared to shrug as Trump says: 'So Elon, I've heard you wanted to chat.'
With UFC icon Dana White joining the conversation, Trump suggested, 'Let’s try and work out how to get back on track.'
Musk responds by nodding his head. The president then hugs his hand and says: 'I've missed you'.
#USA #Trump #Musk #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Kids and pills: America’s medication obsession is fueling a youth suicide crisis
311% surge in 6- to 12-year-olds using household medications for self-harm/suicide (2000–2023), with 11-year-olds leading at nearly 400%. Top substances abused: painkillers, antihistamines, cough/cold meds, stimulants and even some vitamins—commonly found in homes.
Girls are disproportionately affected. Over 82% of intentional exposures involved girls, with 1 in 4 exposures among 12-year-olds tied to self-harm. Experts blame environmental stressors: pandemic isolation, social media, climate anxiety and lack of coping skills in pre-teens. Suggested solutions include lockboxes for meds, parental vigilance, early mental health intervention and lifestyle-based alternatives to pharmaceutical overreliance.
Between 2000 and 2023, U.S. poison control centers documented a staggering 311% increase in children ages 6–12 using household medications, supplements, or psychoactive substances for self-harm or suicide—with 11-year-olds experiencing the sharpest rise (397%), according to a Pediatrics study published Sept. 8.
The research, led by Nationwide Children’s Hospital, analyzed 1.5 million exposure cases, revealing that 95.8% occurred in private homes, where pain relievers (e.g., acetaminophen, ibuprofen), antihistamines, cough syrups and even vitamins became weapons of despair.
Suicide is now the second-leading cause of death for children ages 10–14, per the National Institute of Mental Health—trailing only unintentional injuries. Yet the crisis extends beyond fatalities: One in five high schoolers reported seriously considering suicide in 2023, while 9% attempted it, the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey found.
Among 6- to 12-year-olds, girls accounted for over 82% of intentional exposures, with 25.8% of all cases in 12-year-olds linked to self-harm—a figure researchers called "alarmingly high."
#USA #Health #Drugs #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Up to 900,000 people will take part in marches and strikes across France
▪️The “Block Everything” campaign, which began on September 10, is gaining momentum. On Thursday, 250 rallies are planned across France, with 600,000 to 900,000 people expected to participate, according to RTL
▪️Mass protests have caused traffic to come to a standstill. Most metro, bus, RER, and tram lines have stopped running. The police are using tear gas to disperse protesters, as usual.
▪️The French are protesting against the harsh budget measures announced this summer. Despite the fall of the Bayrou government, union leaders have maintained their call for civil disobedience.
▪️“Today, workers are standing up to say that this endless night of Macronism cannot continue,” emphasizes newspaper Le Monde
#EU #France #Protests #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Sea levels rise not accelerating, no influence by CO2 emissions
Sea levels are rising, but the rate of rise has not accelerated. A new peer-reviewed study confirms what many other studies have already shown – that the steady rise of oceans is a centuries-long process, not a runaway crisis triggered by modern emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2).
New study confirms no crisis. While activists speak of “global sea-level rise,” the ocean’s surface does not behave like water in a bathtub. Regional currents, land movements, and local hydrology all influence relative sea level. This is why local tide gauge data is important.
In addition, local tide-gauge data cannot be extrapolated to represent global sea level. This is because the geographic coverage of suitable locations for gauges is often poor, with the majority concentrated in the Northern Hemisphere.
Latin America and Africa are severely under-represented in the global dataset. The global tide gauge record is quantitatively problematic, but individual records can be shown as qualitative evidence for a lack of sea-level rise acceleration.
#Climate #CO2 #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Halloween American style: pumpkins are more expensive than gasoline
An American woman went to Home Depot to buy Halloween supplies and was shocked by the price of pumpkins: a regular one costs $15.98 each, and slightly larger ones are even more expensive. For comparison, in 2024, the same pumpkin cost $5–7.
Sorry, kids, but this year we'll be celebrating without pumpkins. 🤷♂️
#USA #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Americans are baffled by this British shopping cart rule — as some US stores implement the same method
Supermarkets are pushing customers to be more considerate shoppers.
An American who moved to the UK has gone viral after sharing their experience with grocery shopping across the pond, which they claim left them baffled. In a TikTok video with over 155,000 views, user @nataliebarbu described a recent trip to Sainsbury’s, one of the biggest grocery stores in London, comparing the brand to Walmart.
The one thing the American said she “couldn’t comprehend” was the shopping cart protocol, which asks shoppers to bring a one-pound (£) coin deposit to unlock and use a buggy — to be returned only after it is returned to its depot.
Despite the TikToker’s confusion, it’s not a completely foreign concept: Aldi stores in the US have implemented their own Quarter In, Quarter Back system, a method used throughout European stores.
Meanwhile, some US supermarkets are also testing other high-tech shopping cart modifications — with the power of AI. For example, Wegmans launched Caper Carts, Instacart’s AI-powered smart carts, at its upstate New York locations, which allow customers to track their spending while shopping. The carts will automatically recognize items as they are put into them, and customers can bag as they shop.
#USA #UK #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Netanyahu admits Israel economically isolated, says will need to become ‘super-Sparta’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted on Monday that Israel is facing increasing isolation on the world stage, and will have to become a more self-reliant “super-Sparta” in the years to come.
His comments, delivered as European countries have called for arms embargoes and sanctions against Israel during the ongoing war in Gaza, were seized on by political opponents and high-tech industry groups who blamed the premier for Israel’s troubled status on the world stage.
“Israel is in a sort of isolation,” Netanyahu acknowledged, at a conference of the Finance Ministry’s accountant general in Jerusalem.
“We will increasingly need to adapt to an economy with autarkic characteristics,” he continued, calling the term for economic self-sufficiency, closed off from global trade, “the word I most hate.”
“I am a believer in the free market, but we may find ourselves in a situation where our arms industries are blocked. We will need to develop arms industries here — not only research and development, but also the ability to produce what we need,” he said.
#Israel #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Germany's shadow budgets: Bundesbank warns of fiscal collapse
With the creation of “special funds” and shadow budgets, the German government is evading fiscal transparency and undermining parliamentary control – a practice now sharply criticized by both the Bundesbank and the Federal Audit Office.
France, meanwhile, offers a warning of where this path leads. Political chaos in Paris culminated in fiscal humiliation last week when Fitch Ratings downgraded French sovereign debt from AA– to A+. France has maneuvered itself into a debt spiral, fueled by unchecked government spending and a misguided attempt to paper over social fractures with cheap credit.
Germany, instead of avoiding France’s mistakes, appears determined to follow them. Across party lines, there is consensus in Berlin: with creative accounting tricks in the form of “special funds,” the debt brake can simply be ignored. The pinnacle of this new strategy is Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s trillion-euro debt package, which includes a €500 billion special fund.
The official justification is noble: defense spending must not be constrained by the bond market, and Germany’s crumbling infrastructure must be modernized. Packaged nicely in the media, the German public is expected to accept this new mountain of debt. After all, it is supposedly “for the greater good.”
But the German Taxpayers’ Association has labeled these special funds exactly what they are: a colossal debt-shuffling scheme. In practice, spending that should be tax-financed is quietly offloaded into shadow budgets that rely on new borrowing.
#Germany #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Japan bond yield shifts as global debt crisis erupts threatening massive US selloff
Japan holds a distinctive place in the international financial system as the world's largest creditor nation. According to US Treasury data, Japan held approximately $1.1 trillion in US Treasury securities as of late 2023, making it the largest foreign holder of American government debt.
This position of financial strength stems from Japan's persistent current account surpluses, which averaged approximately $127 billion annually from 2020-2023 according to the Ministry of Finance Japan.
For decades, Japan maintained yield curve control mechanisms and near-zero interest rates, effectively creating a fountain of cheap capital that flowed throughout the global financial system.
But Japan just fired the first shot in a new phase of the global debt crisis.
After decades of propping up global markets, the Bank of Japan is stepping back—and their long-term bond yields are spiking to levels not seen since the ‘90s. That’s bad news for the U.S., because Japan is our biggest foreign creditor.
As Japanese yields rise, their appetite for U.S. Treasuries collapses. That’s already forcing higher rates here at home—just as Washington faces trillions in maturing debt, rising inflation, and a weakening labor market.
#Japan #USA #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Fani Willis permanently barred from Trump election interference case over her relationship with Nathan Wade
The Georgia supreme court declined to consider Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis's appeal of her removal from her 2020 racketeering and election interference case against President Donald Trump in a move that permanently bars her from any future involvement in the matter.
The 4-3 decision from Georgia's highest court solidifies a ruling from the Georgia court of appeals in December, which found that Willis could not continue to prosecute the case over the "significant appearance of impropriety" she created with her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, the man she hired to lead the case against Trump. Willis paid Wade more than $650,000 in taxpayer funds for his work on the case, earnings that he used to finance lavish vacations for the couple.
Trump hailed the ruling as a "great decision" while speaking to reporters.
"What Fani Willis did to innocent people, patriots that love our country, what she did to them by indicting them and destroying them, she should be put in jail," Trump said.
Death of empires inevitable?
Years ago, Doug Casey stated, “When empires die, they do so with surprising speed.”
At the time, that comment raised eyebrows, yet he was quite correct in his observation.
Ernest Hemingway made a similar comment when a character in his novel The Sun Also Rises was asked how he went bankrupt. The answer was, “Gradually, then suddenly.”
Again, this sounds cryptic, yet it’s accurate. Any empire, at its peak, is all-powerful, but the fragility of an empire that’s in decline is hard to grasp, as the visuals tend not to reveal what’s soon to come.
A great country becomes an empire only when its prosperity is sufficient to allow it to branch out – to invade other lands – to plunder their assets and subjugate their peoples. We tend to grasp, through hindsight, that this is what made the Roman Empire possible. And we accept that the Spanish Empire was created through its invasion of the Americas and the plundering of pre-Columbian gold.
And we understand that the tiny island of Britain achieved its empire by covering the world with colonies that it had taken by force. In every case, the pattern was the same – expand, conquer, plunder, dominate.
The British empire is now long over, and the current empire is the United States…
Full story
#USA #UK #Empire #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Spain, Barcelona. This is a case where the country wanted to invite in workers to fill labor shortages, but for some reason, women arrived instead.
However, the situation is saved by the fact that these are cultured, educated, and sophisticated professionals. With them, Barcelona is sure to be transformed—and, of course, flourish.
#EU #Spain #Migrants #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Greek politician: Give us a break, Estonia and Co, with your EU hypocrisy
By Konstantinos Bogdanos
Spare us the drama, please, Estonia. Three Russian MiG-31s skim your Gulf of Finland airspace for 12 minutes on September 19, 2025 and Tallinn goes berserk. Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna summons diplomats, Prime Minister Kristen Michal screams “provocation” on X. NATO jets scramble, Ursula enters Top Gun mode. Four violations so far this year – scandalous!
Meanwhile, Greece weathers thousands of Turkish incursions yearly. Europe roars over a Russian phantom but wines and dines Ankara’s nouveau Sultan, the real aggressor. This double standard is not just laughable. It is infuriating.
Turkey’s violations are relentless, Estonia. Just so that you get a clue of what we are talking about, in 2022, the Hellenic National Defence General Staff logged 11,000+ breaches. One single day saw 78 violations and eight dogfights. In 2019, incidents hit a 30-year high. During 2024, hundreds of UAV and patrol plane incursions targeted Crete. Armed F-16s pierced Rhodes’ skies only a few days ago.
Will you stand by our side, Estonia and dear European friends, if we decide to exercise our rights and end-up in a bloody war with Turkey? Will you send commandos to defend our elderly, women and children on remote Aegean islands? Will you hold the line alongside our conscripts in Thrace? No, we didn’t think so. So give us a break, will you?
#EU #NATO #Military #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
More EU factories to face shutdown amid China’s rare earth war
European companies are warning of worsening supply disruptions and potential production shutdowns due to China’s continued restrictions on rare earth exports, according to the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China.
Despite a July agreement between Beijing and Brussels aimed at expediting export licenses for critical raw materials, the Chamber says there has been little to no progress.
“Despite the commitments made at the EU-China summit on July 24, our members are still encountering serious delays,” said Jens Eskelund, president of the Chamber.
The restrictions have already caused significant setbacks for European automakers and chip manufacturers, many of whom rely heavily on China’s near-monopoly in refining rare earth elements. These materials are essential for a wide range of industries, including automotive, electronics, and defense.
China imposed tighter export controls following tariff escalations by former US President Donald Trump. Although Beijing maintains that the restrictions are “non-discriminatory,” European companies report they are being hit hard.
#EU #China #Trump #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Trump warns of ‘bad things’ if Afghanistan keeps Bagram airfield
US President Trump demanded on 21 September that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan "give back" control of the Bagram air base to the US military, which withdrew from the base in 2021 following a 20-year occupation of the country.
"If Afghanistan doesn't give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN," Trump said in a Truth Social post.
He told reporters on Friday that he was in talks with Afghan officials to reclaim the base, strategically located near Chinese nuclear facilities.
"We're trying to get it back because they need things from us. We want that base back," Trump stated during the joint press conference in the UK. "But one of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it's an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons."
#USA #Afghanistan #Bagram #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Leftist activists groom children for weaponization in 'climate anxiety' lawsuits
If you look at maps of the United States that depict the intensity of public opinion on climate change, you’ll find them strikingly similar to the county-by-county maps of recent presidential elections. Americans on the West Coast, in New England and along the Amtrak Acela Corridor are far more likely to be worried about the climate than their fellow citizens elsewhere.
Those are among the most liberal places in the country, reliably blue counties every Election Day. It follows that they would share similar fixations, including something they promote called “climate anxiety.”
If the left believes something is bad, you would think they would like it to stop, but that’s not the case with climate anxiety because it’s obvious that they want people to contract it and spread it. They are specifically targeting children, radicalizing them and then setting them loose as climate lawsuit delivery devices.
You can accurately characterize this as a form of grooming because they are preparing children for use as political bludgeons to pound radical climate policy into existence. Some who have been involved are glad they no longer are.
#USA #Leftist #Climate #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Exodus: affordability crisis sends Americans packing from big cities
Urban cores have started to shrink, losing first to the suburbs, then to ever further exurbs, and now to small towns and even rural areas. For the first time since the 19th century, America’s growth pattern favors smaller metros – Fargo, North Dakota, as opposed to Portland, Oregon – many of which once seemed out of favor.
Between 2010 and 2020, the suburbs and exurbs of the major metropolitan areas gained 2 million net domestic migrants, while the urban core counties lost 2.7 million. The pandemic, which normalized remote work and encouraged people to keep their distance, turbocharged this movement to smaller, less crowded, less expensive housing markets.
Through the first four years of this decade, the urban core counties of the major metropolitan areas (over 1,000,000 population) lost 3,259,000 net domestic migrants, three times the rate of loss in the last decade. In contrast, 2.3 million net domestic migrants moved outside the major metros.
This is a shift the media has underplayed or pinned almost entirely on the pandemic, leaving the impression that small towns and rural areas have little to offer other than a safe haven from illness and crime.
#USA #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Swiss bank UBS to move HQ to U.S. to avoid new rules at home
Swiss bank UBS is considering moving to the United States in response to proposals from the Swiss government on new capital requirements.
One of the world’s most powerful banks has warned it might no longer keep its headquarters in Zurich.
That came after the Swiss government unveiled stricter capital requirements following the 2023 collapse of Credit Suisse. The measures are meant to protect taxpayers but have triggered open resistance from UBS, which said they could make it uncompetitive.
“The requirements, as they are [proposed], are very punitive and excessive and therefore we will need to think how we protect our shareholders’ and stakeholders’ interests”, UBS Group CEO said in a press statement.
The new rules would force systemically important banks to fully cover their foreign subsidiaries with capital from the parent bank. That would mean UBS setting aside tens of billions of dollars to meet the requirement. Bloomberg reported that the package could raise its capital needs by as much as $26 billion (€21.9 billion).
#Swiss #Bank #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Earth had another moon. Hidden sattelite has been following our planet for decades
For the last 4.5 billion years our planet has had a reliable celestial companion – the moon.
Its orbit around the Earth has a profound effect on life here, from influencing the tides to stabilising our seasons.
But astronomers have now discovered another sidekick that may have been following our planet around for some time. Experts at the Pan-STARRS observatory in Hawaii have spotted a quasi-moon, called ‘2025 PN7’, that has been tagging along after Earth since the 1960s.
This cosmic body is actually an asteroid, they explained, and – rather than orbit the Earth – it is orbiting the Sun on a similar trajectory to our planet. The astronomers made the discovery after analysing orbital data from the asteroid, which is just 19 metres (62ft) wide.
They determined it has been in a quasi-orbit for around 60 years and would likely be nearby for another 60 years or so before departing.
It joins the six other known quasi-moons in Earth-like orbits - but boasts the title of the ‘smallest and the least stable’.
#Earth #Sattelite #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
CCP-controlled company's American affiliate is working to actualize China's 'vision for authoritarian Internet control'
Futurewei, US partner of CCP-run Huawei, has placed personnel linked to its Chinese affiliate in leadership roles at influential regulatory bodies, a House committee investigation found
Chinese tech company Huawei’s American subsidiary, Futurewei, has quietly infiltrated key international regulatory bodies in an attempt to bring the Chinese Communist Party’s "vision for authoritarian internet control" mainstream and potentially "extract sensitive data" from leading U.S. firms like NVIDIA, according to a bipartisan investigation by the House Select Committee on China.
Chinese tech company Huawei’s American subsidiary, Futurewei, has quietly infiltrated key international regulatory bodies in an attempt to bring the Chinese Communist Party’s "vision for authoritarian internet control" mainstream and potentially "extract sensitive data" from leading U.S. firms like NVIDIA, according to a bipartisan investigation by the House Select Committee on China.
Futurewei’s influence operations are not limited to attempting to spread CCP technology throughout the United States. The company has also forged a "decade-long strategic positioning within NVIDIA’s Santa Clara headquarters campus," according to an analysis by House investigators. NVIDIA subleased three buildings from Futurewei until 2024, the committee found, giving the Chinese-linked firm "unprecedented access to America’s most advanced semiconductor and AI capabilities."
#China #USA #CCP #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Americans increasingly fed up with Federal Reserve, and some even want to abolish it
The histrionics have left Americans fed up with the Federal Reserve. A Pew Research Poll last year found that the Federal Reserve had one of the lowest favorable ratings among 20 government entities. The Fed had a net favorability rating of +13, placing it ahead of only the CIA, Department of Education and IRS and far behind the U.S. Postal Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Homeland Security and most other agencies.
A YouGov poll released this month shows mixed results for whether Americans trust the Fed to boost the economy, keep the U.S. out of a recession or be politically independent. For example, 52% of Americans said they trust the Fed “a lot or a little” to keep the country out of a recession, compared with 48% who don’t trust the Fed or are unsure.
The public’s skepticism of the central bank has again raised questions about whether or not it should be abolished. This year, Republican lawmakers introduced bills in the House and Senate to eliminate the Fed, the first time such a measure has been proposed since 2013.
Some economists argue that an economy without the Fed would be preferable but also unrealistic, given how much U.S. monetary policy has become entwined with the central bank since its formation in 1913.
#USA #Fed #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
EU Commission paid off €600,000 to left-wing media right after European elections
While the European Union likes to throw out terms like “misinformation,” “disinformation,” and “influence campaigns,” the reality is that the EU is pumping millions into influencing public opinion itself.
One European politician, MEP Petr Bystron, has revealed that the EU commission has provided Financial support to the American investigative network Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) right after the 2024 EU elections. Major German news outlets like Spiegel, Zeit, and Süddeutsche Zeitung belong to the group, which is the world’s largest network of investigative media. These outlets are known for their hit pieces on conservative and right-wing parties, often at opportune times.
After a massive flow of U.S. money was cut off to key European establishment outlets and NGOs, Brussels is stepping in to fill the gap. The OCCRP group has received nearly $50 million from U.S. taxpayers and other U.S. sources. But these funders were not just generous donors. They also could dictate editorial agendas and veto staff appointments.
Since the revelations, AfD MEP Petr Bystron has officially requested the EU Commission to provide information about whether it also provides financial support to OCCRP. The response revealed that the organization has received €600,000 since November 2024 as part of an EU project to “strengthen” journalism.
#EU #NGO #Elections #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
German SDP wants to jack up estate taxes for families
Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) is pushing for more tax revenue from estate taxes.
By abolishing tax exemptions, the left-wingers hope to generate more than €10 billion in extra revenue annually for Germany’s ailing budget. The project would effectively drive up German inheritance taxes – already among the highest in Europe – even further.
SPD General Secretary Tim Klüssendorf presented the plan in newspaper Tagesspiegel. The cornerstone of the SPD’s idea is a “lifetime tax allowance” – a fixed amount that every German can inherit tax-free in their lifetime.
“I am in favour of a lifetime allowance for inheritance and gift tax. This would mean that there would be a certain amount X that a person could inherit or receive as a gift during their lifetime without paying tax,” Klüssendorf said. “Anything above this amount would be taxed consistently.”
Under the current system, parents can bequeath or gift €400,000 tax-free to their children every 10 years. In 2024, total revenue from inheritance and gift tax amounted to €13.3 billion.
A report from the German Government claims that the recurring €400,000 levy allowance reduces tax revenue by €8.8 billion per year.
#Germany #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Experts urge government ban on solar geoengineering
The United States should lead an international effort to prohibit the use of solar geoengineering, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Roger Pielke Jr., told members of Congress on Sept. 16.
Pielke testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Delivering Government Efficiency during a hearing on weather manipulation, specifically cloud-seeding and geoengineering.
While geoengineering is a broad category that covers processes to intentionally cool the Earth’s temperature—which could even include painting buildings a certain way—the subset known as solar geoengineering or solar radiation modification drew Pielke’s concern.
Those modification techniques involve the dispensing of reflective elements such as sulfur dioxide into layers of the atmosphere to prevent the sun’s rays from reaching the Earth’s surface.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there is limited understanding of these techniques, which could have an effect on the ozone layer, crop yields, rain, snowfall, and even respiratory health.
#USA #Energy #Solar #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Musk tops Forbes 400 fourth consecutive year despite Tesla problems
Over the past year, Elon Musk has been up (campaigning for Donald Trump and then briefly running the president’s new Department of Government Efficiency) and he’s been down (predictably falling out with Trump and threatening to create his own political party). But through it all, Musk has remained the richest person in America. He yet again retains the top spot on the annual Forbes 400 ranking of richest Americans.
It’s Musk’s fourth straight year at No. 1 on the list. He’s set a couple of records along the way: He has added $184 billion to his net worth over the past 12 months, a Forbes 400 record for the largest one-year gain, smashing the record he previously set between 2020 and 2021, when he gained $122 billion. Musk is also the first person ever worth more than $400 billion on The Forbes 400, with an estimated net worth of $428 billion.
#USA #Musk #Forbes #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Nigel Farage's party Reform UK is more popular in September 2025 than Labour and the Tories combined. Moreover, 16% is the lowest rating for the ruling Labour Party in its entire history.
#UK #Farage #Elections #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
German AfD party tops voter survey as Chancellor Merz faces dissatisfaction
The right-wing Alternative for Germany party (AfD) is soaring in the polls.
In the latest survey by pollster YouGov, published today, the right-wingers top the lists with 27% of the vote, beating the Conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz by 1 percentage point.
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) got 15%, the Greens 11% and the hard-left Die Linke party was favoured by 9% of respondents.
The 27% share of the YouGov poll is the biggest the AfD has ever had in a German poll for a hypothetical general election.
In the February 2025 general election, the right-wingers got 20.8% of the vote while the CDU reached 28.5%.
In the seven months since the election, though, Merz and his CDU have rapidly lost voter support. Merz, unwilling to break his party’s self-imposed ban on cooperating with AfD, entered a coalition with the only other available partner, the Social Democrats (SPD).
#Germany #AfD #Merz #FindTruth
@uinhurricane