Podcasts about states

Watch The X22 Report On Video No videos found (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:17532056201798502,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-9437-3289"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");pt> Click On Picture To See Larger PictureTrump placed tariffs on many nations, the Asian nation exports are surging, even with the tariffs. More money for the people. Fuel prices are below $2 in many states. Trump has cut 646 regulations.Trump is using the Jacksonian Pivot to bring down the [CB] and go back to the constitution. The [DS] is losing it money laundering system. They are having a difficult time funding their operations. Trump is continually putting the squeeze on the [DS] and each nation run by dictators is going to fall one by one. Trump gave the [DS] 8 months to comply with his EO. He brought the NG into their states, they forced them out. He gave them a chance but they decided to escalate the situation. Next move is POTUS. Economy (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:18510697282300316,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-8599-9832"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs"); https://twitter.com/KobeissiLetter/status/2008258196322856968?s=20   all-time high. This is despite US tariffs which were initially set at to 49%, but later negotiated down to ~20%. At the same time, Chinese exports to the US plunged -40% YoY in Q3 2025. This comes as the region has a massive cost advantage over US and European manufacturing, which ranges from 20% to 100%, even after tariffs. Companies use Southeast Asian economies as alternative export bases to avoid China’s 37% reciprocal tariff. As a result, the amount of trade rerouting from China hit a record $23.7 billion in September. US trade flows are shifting sharply amid tariffs. https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/2008327708200104042?s=20 https://twitter.com/profstonge/status/2008516399564509382?s=20  https://twitter.com/DrJStrategy/status/2008306299235189133?s=20   and a decisive shift of policy emphasis toward productive capital and economic sovereignty rather than financial engineering, Trump has reoriented the engines of growth toward productive capital, investment, industry, and national capacity. Anchored by the Trump Corollary, asserting a sovereign, American‑led Western Hemisphere and demonstrated in both the flawless military operation in Venezuela and the broader regime‑pressure strategy, this doctrine is not theater but an integrated fusion of economic, security, and hemispheric power. These changes are as profound in their structural implications as the original Jacksonian pivot, and those who assume Trump is a merely performative politician and strategist are therefore sorely mistaken, confusing a disruptive style with a coherent focused project to realign America's coalition, its economic model, and its role in the world. Political/Rights https://twitter.com/KatieMiller/status/2008286018722562351?s=20 https://twitter.com/seanmdav/status/2008263492030349618?s=20 Hilton Axes Hotel From Their Systems After Video Shows Them Continuing to Ban DHS and ICE Agents  https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/2008497245826556404?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2008497245826556404%7Ctwgr%5E65c50b3797a2e502ba8c026a05c290955554706a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fredstate.com%2Frusty-weiss%2F2026%2F01%2F06%2Fhilton-axes-hotel-from-their-systems-after-video-shows-them-continuing-to-ban-dhs-and-ice-agents-n2197811 Less than two hours after the video had been uploaded to X, Hilton issued another statement saying they were dropping that particular hotel from their list of franchisees and accusing ownership of lying to them about making corrections to their policy. https://twitter.com/HiltonNewsroom/status/2008522493171298503?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2008522493171298503%7Ctwgr%5E65c50b3797a2e502ba8c026a05c290955554706a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fredstate.com%2Frusty-weiss%2F2026%2F01%2F06%2Fhilton-axes-hotel-from-their-systems-after-video-shows-them-continuing-to-ban-dhs-and-ice-agents-n2197811 Source: redstate.com https://twitter.com/amuse/status/2008256013162410201?s=20   mandatory detention without bond hearings. Judges opposing the move admitted the goal is to promote self-deportation rather than extended courtroom battles. Conservatives say the numbers reveal a coordinated judicial campaign to override Trump’s immigration policy. SCOTUS has yet to rule on the matter. DOGE Corporation for Public Broadcasting Board Votes to Dissolve Organization in Act of Responsible Stewardship to Protect the Future of Public Media   The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress to steward the federal government's investment in public broadcasting, announced today that its Board of Directors has voted to dissolve the organization after 58 years of service to the American public. The decision follows Congress's rescission of all of CPB's federal funding and comes after sustained political attacks that made it impossible for CPB to continue operating as the Public Broadcasting Act intended. Source:  cpb.org Geopolitical https://twitter.com/Object_Zero_/status/2008524560891588691?s=20   flight path (ballistic or powered) from Kola to anywhere on the lower 48, then everything goes over Greenland. Greenland is the theatre where any strategic exchange between Washington and Moscow is contested. If you want to intercept a ballistic missile, the best point to do so is at the apogee, at the top of the flight path. The shortest route for an interceptor to get to an apogee is from directly below the apogee. That's where Greenland is. So, without stating what should happen here, this is **why** the Trump administration says they **need** Greenland for national security. The other thing that is happening is that the Northern Passage through the Arctic is opening up, and soon there will be Chinese cargo ships sailing through the Arctic to Rotterdam. It's faster than the Suez and the ships aren't limited to Suezmax size so China and EU trade is going to accelerate a lot. This means Chinese submarines will also be venturing under the Arctic into the Northern Atlantic, IF THEY AREN'T ALREADY DOING SO. Hence, the North East coast of Greenland serves not 1 but 2 critical strategic security objectives of US national security. If this wasn't clear to you, please understand that the Mercator global map projection is for children and journalists only. It is not a useful guide to where any countries or territories actually are in the real world that we live in. No self respecting adult should be using Mercator for their worldview. Anyone saying “there must be some other secret reason for Trump being interested in Greenland” is a certified ignoramus. https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/2008414070425206927?s=20  permission from the Ministry of Defense. “We want to clarify that what happened in downtown Caracas was because some drones flew over without permission and the police fired dissuasive shots. No confrontation took place. The whole country is in total tranquility,” said a Spokesman for the Information Ministry. https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/2008420269480694261?s=20  Miraflores Presidential Palace.   Seems like a failed coup attempt https://twitter.com/jackprandelli/status/2008298246675021881?s=20   offshore oil, creating a massive geopolitical risk. The most immediate outcome in capture of Maduro is to neutralize this threat and secure the operating companies stakes in Guyana, as well as Western Hemisphere’s energy security. By stabilizing Guyana’s production, which is set to hit 1.7 million barrels per day, the intervention guarantees way more oil flow in near term than reviving Venezuela’s aged infrastructure and heavy sour oil. This move protects billions in U.S. investment and positions Guyana producers as the ultimate winners. https://twitter.com/Rasmussen_Poll/status/2008448254095012088?s=20 https://twitter.com/profstonge/status/2008591197728813564?s=20  Mass Protests Enter 9th Straight Day in Iran — Regime Accused of Killing Young Woman and Multiple Peaceful Protesters as Officials Deny Responsibility — Brave 11-Year-Old Iranian Boy Calls on Nation: “Take to the Streets! We Have Nothing to Lose!” (VIDEO)  Protests against Iran's murderous Islamic regime continued across the country for a ninth straight day over the weekend, as nationwide unrest intensifies and the government struggles to maintain control. Demonstrations have now spread to multiple cities throughout Iran, with citizens openly defying the Islamic Republic and targeting its symbols of power. The latest wave of protests was initially sparked by the collapse of Iran's currency, further devastating an already-crippled economy and pushing ordinary Iranians to the brink. Source: thegatewaypundit.com https://twitter.com/ElectionWiz/status/2008537318035173629?s=20 https://twitter.com/ElectionWiz/status/2008532051331526713?s=20 https://twitter.com/infantrydort/status/2008501122902774238?s=20   when reminded that teeth still exist. They insist the world runs on rules now and that borders are sacred. Also that true power has been replaced by paperwork. This belief is not moral in the least. It's f*****g archaeological. They live inside institutions built by violence, defended by men they no longer understand, and guaranteed by forces they refuse to acknowledge. Like tourists wandering a fortress, they admire the stonework while mocking the idea of a siege. They confuse order with nature. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Then blame the person that reminds them of this. Civilization is not the default state of humanity. It is an achievement that is temporary, fragile, and expensive. It exists only where force once cleared the ground and still quietly patrols the perimeter. A lion does not debate the ethics of hunger. Neither does a starving empire. History is not a morality play, it is a pressure test. When pressure rises, abstractions collapse first. Laws follow power; they do NOT precede it. Property exists only where someone can prevent it from being taken. Sovereignty is not declared, it is enforced. The modern West outsourced this enforcement, then forgot the invoice existed. So when someone points out uncomfortable realities (whether about Greenland, Venezuela, or the broader balance of power) they respond with ritual incantations: “You can't do that.” “That's wrong.” “That's against the rules.” As if the rules themselves are armed. As if history paused because we asked nicely. This is how empires fall. Not from invasion alone, but from conceptual rot. From mistaking a long season of safety for a permanent condition. From believing lethality is immoral instead of foundational. Every civilization that forgot how violence works eventually relearned it the hard way. The conquerors did not arrive because they were monsters; they arrived because their victims could no longer imagine them. The tragedy is not that power still exists. The tragedy is that so many have forgotten it does. Idk who needs to hear this but civilization is a garden grown atop a graveyard. Ignore the soil, and someone else will plant something far less gentle. Hate me for being the messenger and asking the hard questions about conquest if you want. You're just wasting your time. War/Peace Zelenskyy Announces the Appointment of Former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland as Economic Advisor  Chrystia Freeland was the former lead of the Canadian trade delegation when Trudeau realized he needed to try and offset the economic damage within the renegotiated NAFTA agreement known as the USMCA. Freeland was also the lead attack agent behind the debanking effort against Canadian truckers who opposed the vaccine mandate. In addition to holding Ukraine roots, the ideology of Chrystia Freeland as a multinational globalist and promoter for the World Economic Forum's ‘new world order' is well documented.    given the recent revelations about billions of laundered aid funds being skimmed by corrupt members of the Ukraine government, we can only imagine how much of the recovery funds would be apportioned to maintaining the life of indulgence the political leaders expect. In response to the lucrative “voluntary” appointment, Chrystia Freeland has announced her resignation from Canadian government in order to avoid any conflict of interest as the skimming is organized. Source: theconservativetreehouse.com https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/2008618653500273072?s=20 https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/2008610869924757613?s=20 this aligns with Trump’s stated approach, where Europe takes a leading role in postwar security but with American support to ensure durability—such as the proposed 15-year (or potentially longer) guarantees discussed in recent talks. The “Coalition of the Willing” (including the UK, France, Germany, and others) is coordinating these pledges to reassure Kyiv, but the framework explicitly ties into U.S.-backed elements like ceasefire verification and long-term armaments.  Russia has not yet shown willingness to compromise on core demands, so the deal’s success remains uncertain, but this step advances the security pillar of the overall plan. Medical/False Flags https://twitter.com/DerrickEvans4WV/status/2008435766742179996?s=20    dangerous diseases. Parents can still choose to give their children all of the Vaccinations, if they wish, and they will still be covered by insurance. However, this updated Schedule finally aligns the United States with other Developed Nations around the World. Congratulations to HHS Secretary Bobby Kennedy, CDC Acting Director Jim O'Neil, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, CMS Administrator Dr. Oz, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, and all of the Medical Experts and Professionals who worked very hard to make this happen. Many Americans, especially the “MAHA Moms,” have been praying for these COMMON SENSE reforms for many years. Thank you for your attention to this matter! DONALD J. TRUMP PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA [DS] Agenda https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/2008416829404746084?s=20  https://twitter.com/WeTheMedia17/status/2008558203077095579?s=20 President Trump's Plan https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/2008278499153637883?s=20   who tried to kill Justice Kavanaugh at his family home in Maryland. Read: https://twitter.com/mirandadevine/status/2008312587197497804?s=20 https://twitter.com/PubliusDefectus/status/2008542355838955625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2008542355838955625%7Ctwgr%5E08a8ea4b3726984aaeb1e460fafe90ec5a25b84f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2026%2F01%2Fhillary-clinton-launches-attack-trump-january-6%2F Developing: Lt. Michael Byrd Who Shot Ashli Babbitt Dead on Jan. 6, 2021 in Cold Blood, Runs an ‘Unaccredited' Day-Care Center in Maryland at His Home and Has Pocketed $190 Million in HHS Funds   Captain Michael Byrd and his home daycare in Maryland. In one of his autopen's last acts before Joe Biden left office was to pardon Capt. Mike Byrd, the DC officer who shot and killed January 6 protester Ashli Babbitt in cold blood during the protests on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021.  Paul Sperry discovered recently and posted on Tuesday that Former Lt., now Captain Mike Byrd, has been running an unaccredited day-care center with his wife in their Maryland home since 2008. That is nearly 17 years! The Byrds have received $190 million in this HHS day-care scheme. Via Paul Sperry. Via Karli Bonne at Midnight Rider: https://twitter.com/PattieRose20/status/2008547480431218991?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2008547480431218991%7Ctwgr%5Ec607b3d9ed0b3fbdb6e390fdfadc416d9a45a379%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F%3Fp%3D1506321 Source: thegatewaypundit.com The White House has published a page revealing the full TRUE story of January 6 — before, during, and after. It includes: – Video and evidence showing Nancy Pelosi's involvement – A complete, detailed timeline of events – A tribute to those who died on or because of J6 A full investigation into Nancy Pelosi and everyone involved is now essential. You can view the page here: https://whitehouse.gov/j6/  https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/2008569594550895005?s=20 EKO Put This Out April 28, 2025. President Trump signs Executive Order 14287 in the Oval Office. The title reads like standard bureaucracy: “Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens.” But in the third paragraph, a single phrase changes everything: Sanctuary jurisdictions are engaging in “a lawless insurrection against the supremacy of Federal law.” Insurrection. The exact statutory term from 10 U.S.C. §§ 332-333 . The language that unlocks the Insurrection Act of 1807. Georgetown Law professor Martin Lederman publishes analysis within days. The executive order mirrors Section 334 requirements. The formal proclamation to disperse before military deployment. It designates unlawful actors, issues formal warning, establishes consequences. Governors dismiss it as political theater. Constitutional attorneys recognize something else. The proclamation was already issued. Trump just didn't announce it as such. THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK January 20, 2025. Inauguration Day. Hours after taking the oath, Trump issues Proclamation 10886 declaring a national emergency at the southern border. Section 6(b) requires a joint report within 90 days on whether to invoke the Insurrection Act. The deadline falls April 20, 2025. Eight days later comes Executive Order 14287 . National emergency declaration establishes crisis conditions. The 90-day clock forces formal evaluation. The executive order provides the legal predicate. Section 334 of the Insurrection Act mandates the president issue a proclamation ordering insurgents to disperse before deploying military force. April 28 order satisfies every requirement. It names the actors. Describes their unlawful conduct. Warns of consequences. Grants opportunity to comply. Governors treated it as negotiation leverage. It was legal notification. The trap locked in April 2025. Everything since has been documentation. THE TESTING PHASE Throughout 2025, the administration attempts standard enforcement. National Guard deployments under existing authority. October 4, 2025 . Trump federalizes 300 Illinois National Guard members to protect ICE personnel in Chicago. Governor J.B. Pritzker files immediate legal challenge. Federal courts block the deployment. Posse Comitatus restricts military involvement in domestic law enforcement. November 2025 . Portland judge issues permanent injunction against Guard deployment in Oregon. December 23, 2025 . The Supreme Court denies emergency relief in Trump v. Illinois. Justice Kavanaugh files a brief concurrence with a consequential footnote: “One apparent ramification of the Court's opinion is that it could cause the President to use the U.S. military more than the National Guard.” Northwestern Law professor Paul Gowder decodes the signal : “This is basically an invitation for Trump to go straight to the Insurrection Act next time.” The courts established ordinary measures cannot succeed when states organize systematic resistance. They certified that regular law enforcement has become impracticable. They documented the exact threshold Section 332 requires. The founders designed a system that assumed conflict between federal and state authority. For decades, that friction was suppressed. Emergency powers normalized after 9/11, federal agencies expanded into state domains, courts deferred to administrative expertise. The Guard deployment battles weren't system failure. They were constitutional gravity reasserting itself. Courts blocking deployments under Posse Comitatus didn't weaken Trump's position. They certified that ordinary measures had become impracticable, crossing Section 332's threshold. December 31, 2025 . Trump announces Guard withdrawal from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland via Truth Social. Governor Newsom celebrates: “President Trump has finally admitted defeat.” But the machine's interpretation misreads strategic repositioning as retreat. You cannot claim ordinary measures have been exhausted if contested forces remain deployed. Pull back. Let obstruction resume unchecked. Document the refusal. Then demonstrate what unilateral executive action looks like when constitutional authority aligns. THE DEMONSTRATION Trump v. United States . THE HIDDEN NETWORKS Intelligence sources describe what the roundups since fall 2025 actually target. Embedded cartel operatives running fentanyl distribution chains under state-level protection. The riots following military arrests aren't organic resistance. They're funded backlash from criminal enterprises losing billions. Pre-staged materials appear at protest sites. Simultaneous actions coordinate across jurisdictions. The coordination runs deeper. Federal employee networks across multiple agencies held Zoom training sessions in early 2025. Officials with verified government IDs discussed “non-cooperation as non-violent direct action,” the 3.5% rule for governmental collapse, and infrastructure sabotage through coordinated sick calls. They planned to make federal law enforcement impracticable. The exact language Section 332 requires. Sanctuary policies exist because cartel operations generate billions flowing through state systems. Governors sit on nonprofit boards receiving federal grants. Those nonprofits contract back to state agencies, cycling federal dollars through “charitable” organizations. Cartel cash launders through these same construction and real estate networks. When Trump's operations extract high-value targets, they disrupt the business model. The Machine defends itself through coordinated obstruction designed to make federal enforcement impracticable. This transcends immigration policy. This tests whether states can capture governance for criminal enterprises and nullify federal supremacy. THE LINCOLN PARALLEL Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation confounded supporters and critics alike. Abolitionists expected moral thunder. Instead they received dry legalese about “military necessity” and “war powers.” The document deliberately avoided the word “freedom.” It specified which states, parishes, counties. It exempted border states still in the Union. Constitutional historians recognize the genius. Lincoln wasn't making a moral proclamation. He was establishing irreversible legal predicate under war powers. Once issued, even Northern defeat couldn't fully restore slavery. The proclamation made restoration of the old order structurally impossible. Trump's April 28 order follows identical construction. Critics expected immigration rhetoric. Instead: technical language about “unlawful insurrection” and “federal supremacy.” Specified sanctuary jurisdictions, formal notification procedures, funding suspensions. Avoided inflammatory language. Constitutional attorneys recognize the structure. Irreversible legal predicate under insurrection powers. Even political defeat cannot fully restore sanctuary authority. States would have to prove they're not in systematic insurrection. Both presidents disguised constitutional warfare as administrative procedure. THE COMPLETE RECORD When you review the eight-month timeline you recognize what most ‘experts' miss. The April 28 EO satisfied every Section 334 requirement. It designated sanctuary conduct as insurrection. It provided formal notification. It established consequences. It granted eight months to comply. Compliance never arrived. California and New York passed laws shielding criminal networks. Illinois officials threatened to prosecute ICE agents. Multiple states coordinated legal defenses against federal authority. Courts blocked every standard enforcement attempt. They certified that ordinary measures have become impracticable. Every statutory requirement checks complete: Formal proclamation warning insurgents to disperse: April 28, 2025 Executive Order 14287 Extended opportunity to comply: Eight months from April to December 2025 Documented systematic multi-state obstruction: Sanctuary laws, prosecution threats, coordinated resistance Exhausted ordinary enforcement measures: Guard deployments blocked by federal courts Judicial certification of impracticability: Supreme Court ruling with Kavanaugh footnote The legal architecture stands finished. The predicate has been established. Only the final triggering event remains. Thomas Jefferson signed the Insurrection Act into law on March 3, 1807 . He understood executive authority: forge the instrument ahead of the storm, then await the conditions that justify its use. Abraham Lincoln used it to preserve the Union when eleven states organized systematic resistance. Ulysses S. Grant invoked it to shatter the Ku Klux Klan when Southern governments refused to protect Black citizens. Dwight Eisenhower deployed federal troops to enforce Brown v. Board when Arkansas chose defiance. Each invocation followed the same pattern. Local authorities refuse to enforce federal law. The president issues formal proclamation. Forces deploy when resistance continues. The current situation exceeds every historical precedent in scale and coordination. Multiple state governments coordinating systematic obstruction. Sanctuary jurisdictions spanning dozens of cities. Criminal enterprises funding the resistance through captured state institutions. The April proclamation gave them eight months to stand down. They chose escalation. THE COUNTDOWN The January 4 statement confirms what the legal timeline already established. Prerequisites met. Constitutional threshold crossed and judicially certified. The operational timeline is active. The next escalation triggers the formal dispersal order. Section 334 requires the president issue proclamation ordering insurgents to “disperse and retire peaceably to their abodes” before deploying military force. That's the legal tripwire. Once issued, if obstruction persists after the compliance window closes, federal troops can enforce federal law. Active duty forces under the Insurrection Act. Constitutional. Unreviewable. The forces won't conduct door-to-door immigration raids. They'll provide security perimeters while federal law enforcement executes targeted operations against high-value assets. Operatives. Trafficking nodes. Criminal infrastructure. Targeting oath-bound officials elected and appointed, as well as federal employees who swore to uphold federal law and chose insurrection instead. THE RESTORATION Sanctuary jurisdictions received explicit insurrection warnings last spring. More than half a year to comply. Every olive branch rejected. Courts blocked ordinary enforcement repeatedly, certifying impracticability. The Venezuela op demonstrated unilateral resolve. Yesterday's statement activated the operational sequence. Pattern recognized. Machine is exposed. Evidence is complete. What remains is execution. They're just waiting to hear it tick. The most powerful weapon restrains until every prerequisite aligns. Until mercy extends fully and meets systematic rejection. Until the constitutional framework demands its use. Every prerequisite has aligned. Mercy has been extended and rejected. The framework demands its use. Revolution destroys. Reversion restores. The Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves. The Insurrection Proclamation frees a republic.  https://twitter.com/EkoLovesYou/status/2008304655156342936?s=20 https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2008597603412308341?s=20 (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:13499335648425062,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-7164-1323"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="//cdn2.customads.co/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");

A recent poll stated that 62 percent of residents disapproved of the job Mike Braun is doing in his home county. Why are Dubois County residents so unhappy with the governor? Jason McCoy of the Property Rights Alliance believes it is because of Braun's long-standing support for the Mid-States Corridor, a stretch of road to help connect I-64 to I-69. The multi-billion dollar project would potentially displace many residents, disrupt land usage, destroy character of the area and cause environmental concerns. What's more? McCoy believes Braun's support centers around how the Mid-States Corridor could help his business and make him a fortune. McCoy sat down with Rob Kendall to discuss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Love to hear from you; “Send us a Text Message”What if the biggest leak in our public safety net isn't a lack of funding, but a lack of scrutiny? We sit down with investigator and journalist Tom Hampson to unpack the alleged Minnesota welfare fraud and use it as a lens for a deeper look at how bloated programs, weak oversight, and political incentives can turn help for the vulnerable into a marketplace for grift.At its core this is a battle of good versus evil. Listen, share with a friend , Send us a note, you comments often shape what we investigate next.Visit Our Website: jp2renew.orgFollow Tom on Substack: Follow us:  X https://x.com/JP2RenewalCheck out the Podcast on YouTubeContact us: info@jp2renew.orgSupport the show

AP correspondent Ed Donahue reports 5 states are losing some federal funding that subsidizes daycare and job training programs.

For the second year in a row, tornado reports were above average in 2025, but regional shifts meant some states got more than others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

*Notice* Podcasting will be on Monday And Tuesday From now on. I have to do what works for me. Thank you for understanding.Thank you for all for the blessings

Photo: An aerial view of the Verde River. (Gabriel Pietrorazio / KJZZ) Monday is the deadline for the public to weigh in on a potential rule change by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that could impact which water bodies may be protected from pollution. As KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, tribes are among those asking for a 30-day extension to comment. The Waters of the United States (WOTUS) guides which resources fall under the federal Clean Water Act, but as written, the EPA rule would narrow the law's enforcement with estimates suggesting that 80% of the nation's wetlands could be at risk. Daniel Cordalis (Diné) runs the nonprofit Tribal Water Institute. “I think it's a big picture concern for everyone really. I think most tribes who want clean water – or the ability to make sure that water is usable, are probably going to write in opposition to kind of what the rule stands for.” While tribes can regulate waters on their reservations, they lack jurisdiction elsewhere. “Tribes can't look to the EPA anymore. And arguably, there's a duty on the federal government to protect these tribal resources, but who's going to do that?” Some states are stepping up, like Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. Trevor Baggiore is the water quality division director at the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. “We're coordinating with our neighbors, tribes or states or country on our southern border, to make sure that we each know what each other is doing. Hopefully, this new rule will add some clarity, as long as they are able to provide scientific tools to help us determine what's regulated and what's not.” Groups including the National Tribal Water Council, Association of Clean Water Administrators, and Environmental Council of the States are all asking for a 30-day extension to reply. Principal Brian Brown leads morning announcements as a part of his daily routine on December 17, 2025, at Norris Elementary School in Norris, S.D. (Photo: Meghan O'Brien / South Dakota Searchlight) Attendance at a school near the Pine Ridge and Rosebud reservations has nearly doubled in the past three years. School leaders say they are engaging one-on-one with students and families. They also are implementing Lakota language and cultural programming. South Dakota Searchlight's Meghan O'Brien reports. “I've been waiting all morning for you…” This is a typical morning at Norris Elementary, where most of the students are Native American. Principal Brian Brown walks the halls on December 17, 2025, and discusses a sign that celebrates Norris Elementary's attendance rate. (Photo: Meghan O'Brien / South Dakota Searchlight) Principal Brian Brown greets students and staff at the cafeteria tables as breakfast is served. Brown also asks teachers who is missing. It's a way of getting ahead of the problem, he says. When students are not at school, he makes phone calls and home visits. Just three years ago, barely half the students came to school regularly. Now, the school's attendance rate is above 90%. That is higher than the state average. It's a source of pride for Brown, who took over as principal in 2022. “I was very happy. I was very pleased, but more proud of the kids and the parents for their support and believing in Norris.” The leader of South Dakota's Education Department sees the success at Norris. The leadership and cultural engagement are important parts of that, says Joseph Graves. “So, now we want to see what kind of results this produces. We have the attendance. We have the drops in chronic absenteeism. Now we want to see what’s gonna happen with those proficiency rates and the graduation rates.” The school is on a gravel road about a half-hour from other schools in the White River School District. Its isolation makes it difficult to hire and recruit teachers. In a small community, it takes everyone to keep students involved, Brown says. Some teachers have multiple grade levels in one classroom. The school's head custodian and office administrator are also bus drivers. Brown steps in at lunchtime to help serve food. He also finds ways to make Lakota culture and language an important part of every student's day. Students sing every morning. Brown teaches Lakota studies to each grade once a week, and started the school's first drum group: the Black Pipe Singers. Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts.

Episode Summary:In this episode of Explaining History, Nick explores one of the most debated questions in modern history: Was the Russian Revolution inevitable?Moving beyond the simple narrative of "peace, land, and bread," we delve into the competing schools of historiography that have shaped our understanding of 1917. From the Soviet orthodoxy of historical determinism to the Western liberal view of a Bolshevik coup d'état, and finally to the revisionist and post-revisionist syntheses of scholars like Sheila Fitzpatrick and Orlando Figes.We also examine the structural argument: that revolutions only happen when states cease to function. Was the Tsarist regime doomed by its own incompetence, or could it have survived without the catalyst of World War I? Nick unpacks how the "Great Man" theory fails to explain the collapse of empires and why understanding historiography is the key to unlocking top grades in history exams.Plus: A major announcement for students! Booking is now open for our live masterclass on the Russian Revolution and Stalinism, taking place on Sunday, January 25th. Listen to the end for details on how to secure your spot.Key Topics:The Soviet View: Historical inevitability and Marxist-Leninist dogma.The Liberal View: The revolution as a coup by a fanatical minority.The Revisionist View: The role of genuine mass movements and social history.State Collapse: Why you can't overthrow a functioning state.Books Mentioned:A People's Tragedy by Orlando FigesThe Russian Revolution by Sheila FitzpatrickThe Anxious Triumph by Donald SassoonExplaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.▸ Support the Show & Get Exclusive ContentBecome a Patron: patreon.com/explaininghistory▸ Join the Community & Continue the ConversationFacebook Group: facebook.com/groups/ExplainingHistoryPodcastSubstack: theexplaininghistorypodcast.substack.com▸ Read Articles & Go DeeperWebsite: explaininghistory.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we kick off a new year, state legislatures across the country are gearing up for their 2026 sessions. What lawmakers decide in the next few months will shape the economic health, competitiveness, and long-term prosperity of their states. With Americans continuing to vote with their feet—seeking opportunity, affordability, and freedom—states have every incentive to get their policies right.From sustainable budgeting and tax relief to school choice to debanking regulations to the future of AI innovation, these are the reforms that can strengthen economies, expand competition, and help states attract new people and new investment. If policymakers want prosperity, this is where to start.In this episode of This Week's Economy, I'll break down the key priorities that should be at the top of every state's agenda. Catch the show notes on my Substack newsletter, and visit my website for more information.

*Notice* Podcasting will be on Monday And Tuesday From now on. I have to do what works for me. Thank you for understanding.Thank you for all for the blessings

The Constitution Study with Host Paul Engel – Most Americans focus on Washington while overlooking how much power rests with the states. Recent developments in Minnesota, Tennessee, and Illinois show how state actions can enable fraud, challenge constitutional principles, and infringe on individual rights, raising serious questions about legality, accountability, and whether similar abuses are happening closer to home...

Was the use of violence on January 6th Capitol attacks legitimate? Is the use of violence morally justified by members of Extinction Rebellion or Just Stop Oil campaigners? Justifying Violent Protest: Law and Morality in Democratic States (Routledge, 2023) addresses these issues head on, to make a radical, but compelling argument in favour of the legitimate use of violence in protest in liberal democracies. Grounded in theories of constitutional morality, the book makes the case that when states make illogical or unjust laws, citizens have morally justifiable reasons to disobey. Violence can act as moral dialogue - both expressively and directly - to denounce unjust laws, particularly in cases where civil disobedience does not go far enough. This book considers recent protest movements, of which the use of violent protest has been central to citizens demands. It examines the activism of the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, Extinction Rebellion, Black Lives Matter movement, and other contemporary international movements.  This book could not be more timely. In a world where citizens' rights to protest are being increasingly curtailed, and climate destruction is becoming an increasing matter of urgency, Greenwood-Reeves addresses the legitimacy of violent protest and ultimate importance in upholding liberal democracy.  Dr James Greenwood-Reeves is a Lecturer in Law at The University of Leeds. One of his current projects @lawsadrag Jane Richards is a doctoral student at the University of Hong Kong. You can find her on twitter where she follows all things related to human rights and Hong Kong politics @JaneRichardsHK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Was the use of violence on January 6th Capitol attacks legitimate? Is the use of violence morally justified by members of Extinction Rebellion or Just Stop Oil campaigners? Justifying Violent Protest: Law and Morality in Democratic States (Routledge, 2023) addresses these issues head on, to make a radical, but compelling argument in favour of the legitimate use of violence in protest in liberal democracies. Grounded in theories of constitutional morality, the book makes the case that when states make illogical or unjust laws, citizens have morally justifiable reasons to disobey. Violence can act as moral dialogue - both expressively and directly - to denounce unjust laws, particularly in cases where civil disobedience does not go far enough. This book considers recent protest movements, of which the use of violent protest has been central to citizens demands. It examines the activism of the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, Extinction Rebellion, Black Lives Matter movement, and other contemporary international movements.  This book could not be more timely. In a world where citizens' rights to protest are being increasingly curtailed, and climate destruction is becoming an increasing matter of urgency, Greenwood-Reeves addresses the legitimacy of violent protest and ultimate importance in upholding liberal democracy.  Dr James Greenwood-Reeves is a Lecturer in Law at The University of Leeds. One of his current projects @lawsadrag Jane Richards is a doctoral student at the University of Hong Kong. You can find her on twitter where she follows all things related to human rights and Hong Kong politics @JaneRichardsHK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

Masterpiece Audiobooks: Collection of Chinese Classic Novels

The Constitution Study with Host Paul Engel – Most Americans focus on Washington while overlooking how much power rests with the states. Recent developments in Minnesota, Tennessee, and Illinois show how state actions can enable fraud, challenge constitutional principles, and infringe on individual rights, raising serious questions about legality, accountability, and whether similar abuses are happening closer to home...

Morgan & Morgan: If you're ever injured in an accident, you can check out Morgan & Morgan. You can submit a claim in 8 clicks or less without having to leave your couch. To start your claim, visit: https://forthepeople.com/ICED Gusto: Try Gusto for FREE for 3 months at https://gusto.com/ICED ZipRecruiter: Try ZipRecruiter for FREE at https://ziprecruiter.com/ICH Shopify: Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at https://shopify.com/ich Follow  @NickShirley  On YouTube Nick Shriley On Twitter: https://x.com/nickshirleyy Add us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jlsselby https://www.instagram.com/gpstephan Official Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeBQ24VfikOriqSdKtomh0w Apply for The Index Membership: https://entertheindex.com/ For sponsorships or business inquiries reach out to: tmatsradio@gmail.com For Podcast Inquiries, please DM @icedcoffeehour on Instagram! Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:01:14 - Elon Musk tweets 00:03:39 - Who is David + how they met 00:06:56 - Who is “they” committing fraud 00:11:28 - Most shameless thing he saw 00:13:49 - How much money they were making 00:16:56 - Why DOGE didn't discover this 00:17:37 - Sponsor - Morgan & Morgan 00:18:51 - How to prevent fraud? 00:22:50 - Responding to debunk videos 00:28:34 - Is there a secret organization behind the scam? 00:35:21 - Sponsor - Gusto 00:36:54 - Worried about radicalizing viewers? 00:38:02 - California Fraud 00:40:30 - Thoughts on X.com 00:43:50 - How he stays safe 00:48:26 - Proposed tax strike 00:50:45 - Is fraud partisan? 00:56:16 - Will mainstream media survive? 01:01:28 - Sponsor - ZipRecruiter 01:02:50 - Sponsor - Shopify 01:04:20 - If Nick Shirley were governor for a day 01:08:30 - States with the most fraud 01:14:00 - Future content plans 01:18:23 - Dream video to make 01:23:38 - Labeled a “right-wing influencer” 01:27:25 - Video production strategy 01:32:26 - His mission *Some of the links and other products that appear on this video are from companies which Graham Stephan will earn an affiliate commission or referral bonus. Graham Stephan is part of an affiliate network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites. The content in this video is accurate as of the posting date. Some of the offers mentioned may no longer be available. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

* On the 150th Anniversary of the Proclamation, the Surprising Truth: With yesterday (January 1st, 2023) being the 160th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, we are going back to a broadcast classic where Bob Enyart and guest Jamie Schofield analyze the meaning and actual intent of that sad document. For this was no abolitionist policy (as a contemporaneous report in the Rocky Mountain News makes clear), but an example of moral compromise that ended in failure. Today's Resource: The Plot | Second Edition!The Bible Gets Easier to Understand: Apparent contradictions plague many Bible students. The Plot demonstrates how hundreds of such contradictions disappear when the reader applies the big picture of the Bible to its details. Tunnel vision focuses so narrowly on a problem that the solution often lies just out of view. As the pastor of Denver Bible Church, Bob Enyart teaches Christians how to use the whole counsel of God to understand the plot of the Bible and solve biblical mysteries. (Missionaries in Costa Rica effectively use the Spanish translation, La Trama.) Available as either book or PDF download. The Plot: 2nd Edition Just before his passing, Bob finished the second edition of his manuscript, The Plot. While sadly he didn't live long enough to see the work published, He did get it out just in time. His second edition includes ten years worth of updates, revisions, additional sections and updated graphics. Now, a year after his passing, it has been made available to the public! Get your copy now... The Proclamation was actually comprised of two announcements, not just one.  The first half – the preliminary proclamation – set the policy and gave a deadline of 100 days.  It was addressed not to the common citizens of the nation or to the Union military, but rather to the states in rebellion at that time.  What was Lincoln's declared policy on slavery at that time?  He made that very clear in a letter to Horace Greeley on Aug. 22, 1862, just days before the issuance of the preliminary proclamation: If there be those who would not save the Union, unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do not agree with them. If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the same time destroy slavery, I do not agree with them. My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union. . . . I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free. Lincoln's goal was not the abolition of slavery but rather the preservation of the Union, and if that meant keeping slaves in bondage everywhere, he would support and practice exactly that.  And this non-abolitionist stance is reflected in the text of the Emancipation Proclamation.The Preliminary Proclamation, September, 1862 In short, the stated intent and purpose of this policy was to offer the Confederate states the opportunity to keep their slaves if they would choose to stop rebelling within a 100-day deadline.  Essentially, it said that if your state ceases its rebellion against the union, you may keep your slaves. I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America, and Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy thereof, do hereby proclaim and declare that hereafter, as heretofore, the war will be prosecuted for the object of practically restoring the constitutional relation between the United States... That on the first day of January in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State, or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; Any state still in rebellion against the Union on Jan. 1 would be subject to the Proclamation, which would declare any current slaves in those areas to be free.  The stated goal was not to free any slaves, but rather to preserve the Union.  Was it a success?  Before hearing the answer, Bob predicted that such a policy would bear no fruit, and he was right.  In fact, not a single state took Lincoln up on his offer.  By its own standard, the Proclamation was an abject failure!  In fact, all the proclamation did in that regard was to infuriate the Confederate states more than ever, deepening their resolve to reject the Union. Perhaps even worse, the preliminary proclamation also explicitly ordered slaves to be returned to their slave owners in specific circumstances, thus actually ordering the enforcement of keeping such men in bondage: Sec.10. And be it further enacted, That no slave escaping into any State, Territory, or the District of Columbia, from any other State, shall be delivered up, or in any way impeded or hindered of his liberty, except for crime, or some offence against the laws, unless the person claiming said fugitive shall first make oath that the person to whom the labor or service of such fugitive is alleged to be due is his lawful owner, and has not borne arms against the United States in the present rebellion, nor in any way given aid and comfort thereto; In other words, if a slave escaped to an area controlled by the Union, all a Southern slave owner had to do was show up, give an oath (no evidence required) that he was the lawful owner of that slave, and swear that he had never taken up arms against the Union, and then “here's your slave back.” The Emancipation Proclamation, January 1, 1863 This document was the culmination of the policy already given 100 days earlier.  Not a single Confederate state had taken Lincoln's offer to cease rebellion and keep their slaves.  Therefore, this document declared (largely symbolically) the slaves in those non-Union-controlled areas to be free.  But, at the same time, and as one should expect in such a compromised and non-abolitionist policy, it also explicitly listed all of the areas in the U.S. where slaves would be kept in bondage.  Thus, this policy actually authorized the continuing wicked enslavement of innocent men, women and children, for example in many counties in Louisiana, especially around New Orleans, as well as in the newly-forming West Virginia. Many abolitionists of the day decried the Emancipation Proclamation, rightly pointing out its moral compromise.  Lincoln's own secretary of state, William Seward, commented that "We show our sympathy with slavery by emancipating slaves where we cannot reach them and holding them in bondage where we can set them free."  Unlike Lincoln, Seward knew the atrocities of slavery firsthand, having been raised by a slave-owning family.  "I early came to the conclusion that something was wrong... and [that] determined me to be an abolitionist." On the other hand, in their coverage of the Proclamation, the now-defunct Rocky Mountain News here in Colorado celebrated on their front page the fact that this policy was not abolitionist, and mocked abolitionists who disagreed with it, praising Lincoln for going against the “radical” abolitionists.  The newspaper wrote: “The last mail... brought scores of Eastern and Western papers with similar recommendations.  The voice of the press is almost unanimous in its approval.  That is a pretty correct index of popular opinion, and we may therefore set down that almost the entire loyal States endorse the action of the President.  It must be expected that the ultra Abolitionists will kick against it, as too conservative [not going far enough] for their radical views.  Let them squirm!  ‘Honest Abe' has shown that he will be no tool of theirs.” How were slaves freed and slavery abolished, then? It's important to note that the Emancipation Proclamation didn't outlaw slavery anywhere.  It declared current slaves in those areas to be free, in areas where the Union had no control.  It essentially “freed” them in word only, and was largely a symbolic gesture.  As the Union military moved through the Confederate states in rebellion, they did free slaves they encountered.  In truth, they could have done this with or without the Proclamation.  The Proclamation was simply used as an excuse to do it, but they would have been right to do it, regardless.  Lincoln gave orders to the Union Army to free those slaves, apart from the Proclamation, which wasn't addressed to the Union Army, but to the Confederate States themselves.  He could have ordered the Union Army to do this without such a proclamation.  And even if Lincoln hadn't issued that order, it would have still been right for Union forces moving through the South to free those slaves, anyway.  If you are a military unit and have taken over an area from the enemy, and you find men who have been kidnapped and brutalized by the people there, the right thing to do would be to free those victims.  The Proclamation didn't free anyone, although it did serve as a political excuse to do so. What of the abolition of slavery, then?  That was accomplished later, in some areas at the state level, and in the rest of the nation through federal action.  Unlike in the Emancipation Proclamation, in all of these cases it was a principled, no-compromise, abolitionist policy that required the complete abolition of slavery in each state.  For example, West Virginia (which had ironically seceded from Virginia while the latter was seceding from the Union) wasn't allowed to join the Union as a new state unless their constitution abolished slavery without exception.  In Maryland, Arkansas and Louisiana in 1864, they abolished slavery at the state level as their citizens ratified new state constitutions.  In Missouri in January of 1865, that governor abolished slavery via executive order.  In all other Southern states, slavery was ultimately abolished through the ratification of the 13th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, in December of 1865. In all of these cases, it was a no-compromise policy that we would describe today as “pro-personhood.”  Slavery was ultimately abolished despite the pro-slavery policy of the Emancipation Proclamation, not because of it.

659. John C. Rodrigue joins us to discuss his research on the Civil War and Reconstruction. John is a prominent historian specializing in the U.S. Civil War and Reconstruction, known for his deep focus on slavery, emancipation, and the Lower Mississippi Valley, with key books like Reconstruction in the Cane Fields and Freedom's Crescent, exploring how the war transformed Southern society and Lincoln's evolving views on Reconstruction. He's recognized for meticulous research and contributions to understanding the complex transition from slavery to free labor, earning awards like the 2024 John Nau Book Prize for his 2023 work. Now available: Liberty in Louisiana: A Comedy. The oldest play about Louisiana, author James Workman wrote it as a celebration of the Louisiana Purchase. Now it is back in print for the first time in 222 years. Order your copy today! This week in the Louisiana Anthology. Richard Emmons wrote an "Epick Poem" about the Battle of New Orleans: "Now when the States with soul-abhorrence saw Britain's design to wage a Vandal war — That spoils and rapine fill'd her heart with joy — That all her thoughts were loosen'd to destroy, — One voice from Florida to Maine was heard, To rise in panoply and draw the sword — Grace, Hampton, Norfolk, Baltimore — of late, Urg'd their uniting with unbroken weight, To guard their cities smiling on the sea, From the rude grasp of spoiling Royalty. This week in Louisiana history. January 2, 1860 Seminary of Learning of the State of Louisiana near Pineville, Louisiana opened with Col. William Tecumseh Sherman as superintendent, would later become LSU, Seminary opens with five professors and 19 cadets This week in New Orleans history. Troy Andrews (born January 2, 1986), also known by the stage name Trombone Shorty has worked in jazz, funk and rap music. Andrews is the younger brother of trumpeter and bandleader James Andrews as well as the grandson of singer and songwriter Jessie Hill. Andrews began playing trombone at age six, and since 2009 has toured with his own band, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. This week in Louisiana. Carnival season begins in Louisiana on 12th Night of Christmas, January 6, 2025 Joan of Arc Parade French Quarter New Orleans Floats will focus on Joan of Arc's life. The 2026 Route & Key Stops The parade follows a specific path through the French Quarter with three traditional “stops” for pageantry: Start: Corner of Bienville and Front Streets. Stop 1 (The Toast): A toast to the royalty from the balcony of the Historic New Orleans Collection (416 Chartres St). Stop 2 (The Blessing): The blessing of Joan's sword. Due to ongoing construction, this may take place at St. Mary's Church at the Old Ursuline Convent rather than the Cathedral. Stop 3 (The Birthday Song): A pause at the golden Joan of Arc statue (Place de France) on Decatur Street to sing “Happy Birthday.” End: The crowning of the King and a public King Cake ceremony at Oscar Dunn Park. Website: joanofarcparade.org Email: joanofarcparade@gmail.com Phone: (504) 251-5046 The Joan of Arc Project 7330 Sycamore St. New Orleans, LA 70118 This event is family friendly. Postcard from Louisiana. Delfeayo Marsalis & Doreen at Snug Harbor.  Listen on Apple Podcasts. Listen on audible. Listen on Spotify. Listen on TuneIn. Listen on iHeartRadio. The Louisiana Anthology Home Page. Like us on Facebook. 

* On the 150th Anniversary of the Proclamation, the Surprising Truth: With yesterday (January 1st, 2023) being the 160th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, we are going back to a broadcast classic where Bob Enyart and guest Jamie Schofield analyze the meaning and actual intent of that sad document. For this was no abolitionist policy (as a contemporaneous report in the Rocky Mountain News makes clear), but an example of moral compromise that ended in failure. Today's Resource: The Plot | Second Edition!The Bible Gets Easier to Understand: Apparent contradictions plague many Bible students. The Plot demonstrates how hundreds of such contradictions disappear when the reader applies the big picture of the Bible to its details. Tunnel vision focuses so narrowly on a problem that the solution often lies just out of view. As the pastor of Denver Bible Church, Bob Enyart teaches Christians how to use the whole counsel of God to understand the plot of the Bible and solve biblical mysteries. (Missionaries in Costa Rica effectively use the Spanish translation, La Trama.) Available as either book or PDF download. The Plot: 2nd Edition Just before his passing, Bob finished the second edition of his manuscript, The Plot. While sadly he didn't live long enough to see the work published, He did get it out just in time. His second edition includes ten years worth of updates, revisions, additional sections and updated graphics. Now, a year after his passing, it has been made available to the public! Get your copy now... The Proclamation was actually comprised of two announcements, not just one.  The first half – the preliminary proclamation – set the policy and gave a deadline of 100 days.  It was addressed not to the common citizens of the nation or to the Union military, but rather to the states in rebellion at that time.  What was Lincoln's declared policy on slavery at that time?  He made that very clear in a letter to Horace Greeley on Aug. 22, 1862, just days before the issuance of the preliminary proclamation: If there be those who would not save the Union, unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do not agree with them. If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the same time destroy slavery, I do not agree with them. My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union. . . . I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free. Lincoln's goal was not the abolition of slavery but rather the preservation of the Union, and if that meant keeping slaves in bondage everywhere, he would support and practice exactly that.  And this non-abolitionist stance is reflected in the text of the Emancipation Proclamation.The Preliminary Proclamation, September, 1862 In short, the stated intent and purpose of this policy was to offer the Confederate states the opportunity to keep their slaves if they would choose to stop rebelling within a 100-day deadline.  Essentially, it said that if your state ceases its rebellion against the union, you may keep your slaves. I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America, and Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy thereof, do hereby proclaim and declare that hereafter, as heretofore, the war will be prosecuted for the object of practically restoring the constitutional relation between the United States... That on the first day of January in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State, or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; Any state still in rebellion against the Union on Jan. 1 would be subject to the Proclamation, which would declare any current slaves in those areas to be free.  The stated goal was not to free any slaves, but rather to preserve the Union.  Was it a success?  Before hearing the answer, Bob predicted that such a policy would bear no fruit, and he was right.  In fact, not a single state took Lincoln up on his offer.  By its own standard, the Proclamation was an abject failure!  In fact, all the proclamation did in that regard was to infuriate the Confederate states more than ever, deepening their resolve to reject the Union. Perhaps even worse, the preliminary proclamation also explicitly ordered slaves to be returned to their slave owners in specific circumstances, thus actually ordering the enforcement of keeping such men in bondage: Sec.10. And be it further enacted, That no slave escaping into any State, Territory, or the District of Columbia, from any other State, shall be delivered up, or in any way impeded or hindered of his liberty, except for crime, or some offence against the laws, unless the person claiming said fugitive shall first make oath that the person to whom the labor or service of such fugitive is alleged to be due is his lawful owner, and has not borne arms against the United States in the present rebellion, nor in any way given aid and comfort thereto; In other words, if a slave escaped to an area controlled by the Union, all a Southern slave owner had to do was show up, give an oath (no evidence required) that he was the lawful owner of that slave, and swear that he had never taken up arms against the Union, and then “here's your slave back.” The Emancipation Proclamation, January 1, 1863 This document was the culmination of the policy already given 100 days earlier.  Not a single Confederate state had taken Lincoln's offer to cease rebellion and keep their slaves.  Therefore, this document declared (largely symbolically) the slaves in those non-Union-controlled areas to be free.  But, at the same time, and as one should expect in such a compromised and non-abolitionist policy, it also explicitly listed all of the areas in the U.S. where slaves would be kept in bondage.  Thus, this policy actually authorized the continuing wicked enslavement of innocent men, women and children, for example in many counties in Louisiana, especially around New Orleans, as well as in the newly-forming West Virginia. Many abolitionists of the day decried the Emancipation Proclamation, rightly pointing out its moral compromise.  Lincoln's own secretary of state, William Seward, commented that "We show our sympathy with slavery by emancipating slaves where we cannot reach them and holding them in bondage where we can set them free."  Unlike Lincoln, Seward knew the atrocities of slavery firsthand, having been raised by a slave-owning family.  "I early came to the conclusion that something was wrong... and [that] determined me to be an abolitionist." On the other hand, in their coverage of the Proclamation, the now-defunct Rocky Mountain News here in Colorado celebrated on their front page the fact that this policy was not abolitionist, and mocked abolitionists who disagreed with it, praising Lincoln for going against the “radical” abolitionists.  The newspaper wrote: “The last mail... brought scores of Eastern and Western papers with similar recommendations.  The voice of the press is almost unanimous in its approval.  That is a pretty correct index of popular opinion, and we may therefore set down that almost the entire loyal States endorse the action of the President.  It must be expected that the ultra Abolitionists will kick against it, as too conservative [not going far enough] for their radical views.  Let them squirm!  ‘Honest Abe' has shown that he will be no tool of theirs.” How were slaves freed and slavery abolished, then? It's important to note that the Emancipation Proclamation didn't outlaw slavery anywhere.  It declared current slaves in those areas to be free, in areas where the Union had no control.  It essentially “freed” them in word only, and was largely a symbolic gesture.  As the Union military moved through the Confederate states in rebellion, they did free slaves they encountered.  In truth, they could have done this with or without the Proclamation.  The Proclamation was simply used as an excuse to do it, but they would have been right to do it, regardless.  Lincoln gave orders to the Union Army to free those slaves, apart from the Proclamation, which wasn't addressed to the Union Army, but to the Confederate States themselves.  He could have ordered the Union Army to do this without such a proclamation.  And even if Lincoln hadn't issued that order, it would have still been right for Union forces moving through the South to free those slaves, anyway.  If you are a military unit and have taken over an area from the enemy, and you find men who have been kidnapped and brutalized by the people there, the right thing to do would be to free those victims.  The Proclamation didn't free anyone, although it did serve as a political excuse to do so. What of the abolition of slavery, then?  That was accomplished later, in some areas at the state level, and in the rest of the nation through federal action.  Unlike in the Emancipation Proclamation, in all of these cases it was a principled, no-compromise, abolitionist policy that required the complete abolition of slavery in each state.  For example, West Virginia (which had ironically seceded from Virginia while the latter was seceding from the Union) wasn't allowed to join the Union as a new state unless their constitution abolished slavery without exception.  In Maryland, Arkansas and Louisiana in 1864, they abolished slavery at the state level as their citizens ratified new state constitutions.  In Missouri in January of 1865, that governor abolished slavery via executive order.  In all other Southern states, slavery was ultimately abolished through the ratification of the 13th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, in December of 1865. In all of these cases, it was a no-compromise policy that we would describe today as “pro-personhood.”  Slavery was ultimately abolished despite the pro-slavery policy of the Emancipation Proclamation, not because of it.

As the U.S. government reverses course on renewable energy projects and other policies related to climate change, environmental solutions may seem out of reach. But they're happening all over the country.Cara Buckley and Catrin Einhorn, who cover climate for The New York Times, discuss their project to document small but significant efforts to solve climate and environmental problems in every U.S. state.Guest:Cara Buckley, a reporter at The New York Times who writes about people working toward climate solutions.Catrin Einhorn, a reporter covering biodiversity, climate and the environment for The New York Times.Background reading: The Times set out to document one climate success story in each state. Here's a full list.Readers submitted more than 3,200 ideas for our 50 States, 50 Fixes series. We're highlighting just a few more of the ideas that stood out but that did not make it into the series.For more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

By the end of the year, at least 18 states will restrict the use of SNAP benefits to purchase “non-nutritious” food and drinks. But the definition of non-nutritious is up to each state. In this episode, the knock-on effects of benefit restrictions, for shoppers and retailers. Plus: Gigantic driverless trucks are poised to transform Minnesota iron mining and a deportation deal between the U.S. and Ghana could deter future emigration from the region.Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Donate (no account necessary) | Subscribe (account required) Join Bryan Dean Wright, former CIA Operations Officer, as he dives into today's top stories shaping America and the world. In this Friday Headline Brief of The Wright Report, Bryan covers new laws taking effect in 2026, easing mortgage rates, major tariff changes, mounting concerns about President Trump's health, the radical transformation of New York City under its new socialist mayor, and fast-moving global developments from China, Ukraine, Venezuela, Iran, Spain, and the medical world. Good News for Homebuyers and New Laws for 2026: Mortgage rates opened the year at 6.15 percent, down sharply from last year. Trump's Triple B bill now allows a tax deduction of up to ten thousand dollars in interest for Made in the USA vehicles. States also rolled out new laws, including social media limits for children in Virginia and Nebraska, expanded unemployment benefits for mental health claims in Illinois, and sharply different approaches to gender dysphoria in Colorado and New Hampshire. White House Adjusts Tariffs and Deployments: The administration delayed steep tariffs on furniture and cabinetry and rolled back anti-dumping duties on Italian pasta following talks with Italy's prime minister. Trump is also withdrawing National Guard troops from Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland after a Supreme Court ruling narrowed his authority unless he invokes the Insurrection Act. Questions About Trump's Health: The Wall Street Journal reports modest concern among Trump's family and advisors as he enters the second year of his term at age seventy-nine. Trump dismissed the worries, joking about his hearing and explaining his long-standing use of aspirin despite doctors recommending a lower dose. New York City's Radical Shift: Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as mayor of New York City, placing his hand on the Quran and naming a former al-Qaeda defense attorney as chief counsel. He was sworn in by Senator Bernie Sanders, while socialist outlet Jacobin declared the moment a chance to dismantle capitalism nationwide. Bryan argues the development represents a profound ideological takeover of America's largest city and financial center. China Escalates the Mineral Wars: Beijing is restricting silver exports through a new licensing system, tightening global supply just as it has done with rare earth minerals. China is stockpiling silver for industrial use and currency support, raising prices worldwide and intensifying competition over strategic resources. Ukraine, Venezuela, and Iran Edge Closer to Conflict: President Zelenskyy claims discussions are underway for U.S. troops to deploy to Ukraine after a peace deal, a claim the White House has not confirmed. In Venezuela, U.S. forces killed additional narco traffickers and surged elite aviation and ground units into the region as oil tankers flee sanctions. In Iran, nationwide protests entered their sixth day, with crowds chanting against the Ayatollah as economic conditions deteriorate. Europe's Populist Surge Continues: Spain's Vox Party doubled its representation in regional elections, pulling votes from Socialists while traditional conservatives resist coalition talks. Bryan notes the same elite-versus-populist split now defines politics across much of Europe. Medical Warning on Microplastics: Researchers at UC Riverside found evidence that microplastic exposure in men may increase metabolic disease risk in their children. The findings add to growing concerns about plastics, particularly when heating food in plastic containers.     "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:32     Keywords: January 2 2026 Wright Report, mortgage rates 6.15 percent, Triple B bill tax deduction cars, new state laws 2026 social media limits, Trump tariff rollback Italian pasta, National Guard withdrawal Supreme Court, Trump health Wall Street Journal, Zohran Mamdani socialist mayor NYC, China silver export restrictions, Ukraine U.S. troops claim, Venezuela narco strikes, Iran protests Day Six, Spain Vox Party surge, microplastics metabolic disease study

By the end of the year, at least 18 states will restrict the use of SNAP benefits to purchase “non-nutritious” food and drinks. But the definition of non-nutritious is up to each state. In this episode, the knock-on effects of benefit restrictions, for shoppers and retailers. Plus: Gigantic driverless trucks are poised to transform Minnesota iron mining and a deportation deal between the U.S. and Ghana could deter future emigration from the region.Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Healthcare costs are climbing for many Americans as enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits roll back, raising premiums for middle-income households unless Congress intervenes. In this vacuum, we look at a major new federal investment aimed at expanding healthcare access in rural communities. Plus, U.S. travel is sending mixed signals this year — domestic travel is booming, but fewer international visitors are visiting the States, and that shift is being felt by America's museums.

Healthcare costs are climbing for many Americans as enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits roll back, raising premiums for middle-income households unless Congress intervenes. In this vacuum, we look at a major new federal investment aimed at expanding healthcare access in rural communities. Plus, U.S. travel is sending mixed signals this year — domestic travel is booming, but fewer international visitors are visiting the States, and that shift is being felt by America's museums.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, catch diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe. This week, while Berman was in Florida to cover the summit between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan invited senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur to sit in the hot seat and prepare five scenarios for Israel for 2026. Rettig Gur came prepared -- plus one -- and the two spend the first half discussing the three main fronts of the war, Lebanon, Gaza and Iran. In the second half, we learn about more domestic/political issues, including Rettig Gur's projection that Israel will begin to wean itself from US aid as the political winds shift in the States. Lazar Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht. IMAGE: A man walks down to the Western Wall as the Dome of the Rock at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound appears in the background in the Old City of Jerusalem on December 4, 2025. (JOHN WESSELS / AFP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. DebWhat if I told you that the stomach acid medication you’re taking for heartburn is actually causing the problem it’s supposed to solve that your doctor learned virtually nothing about nutrition, despite spending 8 years in medical school. That the very system claiming to heal you was deliberately designed over a hundred years ago by an oil tycoon, John D. Rockefeller, to create lifelong customers, not healthy people. Last week a patient spent thousands of dollars on tests and treatments for acid reflux, only to discover she needed more stomach acid, not less. The medication keeping her sick was designed to do exactly that. Today we’re exposing the greatest medical deception in modern history, how a petroleum empire systematically destroyed natural healing wisdom turned medicine into a profit machine. And why the treatments, keeping millions sick were engineered that way from the beginning. This isn’t about conspiracy theories. This is a documented history that explains why you feel so lost about your own body’s needs welcome back to let’s talk wellness. Now the show where we uncover the root causes of chronic illness, explore cutting edge regenerative medicine, and empower you with the tools to heal. I’m Dr. Deb. And today we’re diving into how the Rockefeller Medical Empire systematically destroyed natural healing wisdom and replaced it with profit driven systems that keeps you dependent on treatments instead of achieving true health. If you or someone you love has been running to the doctor for every minor ailment, taking acid blockers that seem to make digestive problems worse, or feeling confused about basic body functions that our ancestors understood instinctively. This episode is for you. So, as usual, grab a cup of coffee, tea, or whatever helps you unwind. Settle in and let’s get started on your journey to reclaiming your health sovereignty all right. So here we are talking about the Rockefeller Medical Revolution. Now, what if your symptoms aren’t true diagnosis, but rather the predictable result of a medical system designed over a hundred years ago to create lifelong customers instead of healthy people. Now I learned this when I was in naturopathic school over 20 years ago. And it hasn’t been talked about a lot until recently. Recently. People are exposing the truth about what actually happened in our medical system. And today I want to take you back to the early 19 hundreds to understand how we lost the basic health wisdom that sustained humanity for thousands of years. Yes, I said that thousands of years. This isn’t conspiracy theory. This is documented history. That explains why you feel so lost when it comes to your own body’s needs. You know by the turn of the 20th century. According to meridian health Clinic’s documentation. Rockefeller controlled 90% of all petroleum refineries in America and through ownership of the Standard Oil Corporation. But Rockefeller saw an opportunity that went far beyond oil. He recognized that petrochemicals could be the foundation for a completely new medical system. And here’s what most people don’t know. Natural and herbal medicines were very popular in America during the early 19 hundreds. According to Staywell, Copper’s historical analysis, almost one half of medical colleges and doctors in America were practicing holistic medicine, using extensive knowledge from Europe and native American traditions. People understood that food was medicine, that the body had natural healing mechanisms, and that supporting these mechanisms was the key to health. But there was a problem with the Rockefeller’s business plan. Natural medicines couldn’t be patented. They couldn’t make a lot of money off of them, because they couldn’t hold a patent. Petrochemicals, however, could be patented, could be owned, and could be sold for high profits. So Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie devised a systematic plan to eliminate natural medicine and replace it with petrochemical based pharmaceuticals and according to E. Richard Brown’s comprehensive academic documentation in Rockefeller, medicine men. Medicine, and capitalism in America. They employed the services of Abraham Flexner, who proceeded to visit and assess every single medical school in us and in Canada. Within a very short time of this development, medical schools all around the us began to collapse or consolidate. The numbers are staggering. By 1910 30 schools had merged, and 21 had closed their doors of the 166 medical colleges operating in 19 0, 4, a hundred 33 had survived by 1910 and a hundred 4 by 1915, 15 years later, only 76 schools of medicine existed in the Us. And they all followed the same curriculum. This wasn’t just about changing medical education. According to Staywell’s copper historical analysis. Rockefeller and Carnegie influenced insurance companies to stop covering holistic treatments. Medical professionals were trained in the new pharmaceutical model and natural solutions became outdated or forgotten. Not only that alternative healthcare practitioners who wanted to stay practicing in alternative medicine were imprisoned for doing so as documented by the potency number 710. The goal was clear, create a system where scientists would study how plants cure disease, identify which chemicals in the plants were effective and then recreate a similar but not identical chemical in the laboratory that would be patented. E. Richard Brown’s documents. The story of how a powerful professional elite gained virtual homogeny in the western theater of healing by effectively taking control of the ethos and practice of Western medicine. The result, according to the healthcare spending data, the United States now spends 17.6% of its Gdp on health care 4.9 trillion dollars in 2023, or 14,570 per person nearly twice as much as the average Oecd country. But it doesn’t focus on cure. But on symptoms, and thus creating recurring clients. This systematic destruction of natural medicine explains why today’s healthcare providers often seem baffled by simple questions about nutrition why they immediately reach for a prescription medication for minor ailments, and why so many people feel disconnected from their own body’s wisdom. We’ve been trained over 4 generations to believe that our bodies are broken, and that symptoms are diseases rather than messages, and that external interventions are always superior to supporting natural healing processes. But here’s what they couldn’t eliminate your body’s innate wisdom. Your digestive system still functions the same way it did a hundred years ago. Your immune system still follows the same patterns. The principles of nutrition, movement and stress management haven’t changed. We’ve just forgotten how to listen and respond. We’re gonna take a small break here and hear from our sponsor. When we come back. We’re gonna talk about the acid reflux deception, and why your cure is making you sicker, so don’t go away all right, welcome back. So I want to give you a perfect example of how Rockefeller medicine has turned natural body wisdom upside down, the treatment of acid, reflux, and heartburn. Every single day in my practice I see patients who’ve been taking acid blocker medications, proton pump inhibitors like prilosec nexium or prevacid for years, not for weeks, years, and sometimes even decades. They come to me because their digestive problems are getting worse, not better. They have bloating and gas and nutrition deficiencies. And we’re seeing many more increased food sensitivities. And here’s what’s happening in the Us. Most people often attribute their digestive problems to too much stomach acid. And they use medications to suppress the stomach acid, but, in fact symptoms of chronic acid, reflux, heartburn, or gerd, can also be caused by too little stomach acid, a condition called hyper. Sorry hypochlorhydria normal stomach acid has a Ph level of one to 2, which is highly acidic. Hydrochloric acid plays an important role in your digestion and your immunity. It helps to break down proteins and absorb essential nutrients, and it helps control viruses and bacteria that might otherwise infect your stomach. But here’s the crucial part that most people don’t understand, and, according to Cleveland clinic, your stomach secretes lower amounts of hydrochloric acid. As you age. Hypochlorhydria is more common in people over the age of 40, and even more common over the age of 65. Webmd states that the stomach acid can produce less acid as a result of aging and being 65 or older is a risk factor for developing hypochlorhydria. We’ve been treating this in my practice for a long time. It’s 1 of the main foundations that we learn as naturopathic practitioners and as naturopathic doctors, and there are times where people need these medications, but they were designed to be used short term not long term in a 2,013 review published in Medical News today, they found that hypochlorhydria is the main change in the stomach acid of older adults. and when you have hypochlorydria, poor digestion from the lack of stomach, acid can create gas bubbles that rise into your esophagus or throat, carrying stomach acid with them. You experience heartburn and assume that you have too much acid. So you take acid blockers which makes the underlying problem worse. Now, here’s something that will shock you. PPI’s protein pump inhibitors were originally studied and approved by the FDA for short-term use only according to research published in us pharmacists, most cases of peptic ulcers resolve in 6 to 8 weeks with PPI therapy, which is what these medications were created for. Originally the American family physician reports that for erosive esophagitis. Omeprazole is indicated for short term 4 to 8 weeks. That’s it. Treatment and healing and done if needed. An additional 4 to 8 weeks of therapy may be considered and the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, States. Guidelines recommended a treatment duration of 8 weeks with standard once a day dosing for a PPI for Gerd. The Canadian family physician, published guidelines where a team of healthcare professionals recommended prescribing Ppis in adults who suffer from heartburn and who have completed a minimum treatment of 4 weeks in which symptoms were relieved. Yet people are taking these medications for years, even decades far beyond their intended duration of use and a study published in Pmc. Found that the threshold for defining long-term PPI use varied from 2 weeks to 7 years of PPI use. But the most common definition was greater than one year or 6 months, according to the research in clinical context, use of Ppis for more than 8 weeks could be reasonably defined as long-term use. Now let’s talk about what these acid blocker medications are actually doing to your body when used. Long term. The research on long term PPI use is absolutely alarming. According to the comprehensive review published in pubmed central Pmc. Long-term use of ppis have been associated with serious adverse effects, including kidney disease, cardiovascular disease fractures because you’re not absorbing your nutrients, and you’re being depleted. Infections, including C. Diff pneumonia, micronutrient deficiencies and hypomagnesium a low level of magnesium anemia, vitamin, b, deficiency, hypocalcemia, low calcium, low potassium. and even cancers, including gastric cancer, pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer. And hepatic cancer and we are seeing all of these cancers on a rise, and we are now linking them back to some of these medications. Mayo clinic proceedings published research showing that recent studies regarding long-term use of PPI medication have noted potential adverse effects, including risks of fracture, pneumonia, C diff, which is a diarrhea. It’s a bacteria, low magnesium, low b 12 chronic kidney disease and even dementia. And a 2024 study published in nature communications, analyzing over 2 million participants from 5 cohorts found that PPI use correlated with increased risk of 15 leading global diseases, such as ischemic heart disease. Diabetes, respiratory infections, chronic kidney disease. And these associations showed dose response relationships and consistency across different PPI types. Now think about this. You take a medication for heartburn that was designed for 4 to 8 weeks of use, and when used long term, it actually increases your risk of life, threatening infections, kidney disease, and dementia. This is the predictable result of suppressing a natural body function that exists for important reasons. Hci plays a key role in many physiological processes. It triggers, intestinal hormones, prepares folate and B 12 for absorption, and it’s essential for absorption of minerals, including calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, and iron. And when you block acid production, you create a cascade of nutritional deficiencies and immune system problems that often manifest as seemingly unrelated health issues. So what’s the natural approach? Instead of suppressing stomach acid, we need to support healthy acid production and address the root cause of reflux healthcare. Providers may prescribe hcl supplements like betaine, hydrochloric acid. Bhcl is what it’s called. Sometimes it’s called betaine it’s often combined with enzymes like pepsin or amylase or lipase, and it’s used to treat hydrochloric acid deficiency, hypochlorhydria. These supplements can help your digestion and sometimes help your stomach acid gradually return back to normal levels where you may not need to use them all the time. Simple strategies include consuming protein at the beginning of the meal to stimulate Hcl production, consume fluids separately at least 30 min away from meals, if you can, and address the underlying cause like chronic stress and H. Pylori infections. This is such a sore subject for me. So many people walk around with an H. Pylori infection. It’s a bacterial infection in the stomach that can cause stomach ulcers, causes a lot of stomach pain and burning. and nobody is treating the infection. It’s a bacterial infection. We don’t treat this anymore with antibiotics or antimicrobials. We treat it with Ppis. But, Ppis don’t fix the problem. You have to get rid of the bacteria once the bacteria is gone, the gut lining can heal. Now it is a common bacteria. It can reoccur quite frequently. It’s highly contagious, so you can pick it up from other people, and it may need multiple courses of treatment over a person’s lifetime. But you’re actually treating the problem. You’re getting rid of the bacteria that’s creating the issue instead of suppressing the acid. That’s not fixing the bacteria which then leads to a whole host of other problems that we just talked about. There are natural approaches to increase stomach acid, including addressing zinc deficiency. And since the stomach uses zinc to produce Hcl. Taking probiotics to help support healthy gut bacteria and using digestive bitters before meals can be really helpful. This is exactly what I mean about reclaiming the body’s wisdom. Instead of suppressing natural functions, we support them instead of creating drug dependency, we restore normal physiology. Instead of treating symptoms indefinitely, we address the root cause and help the body heal itself. In many cultures. Bitters is a common thing to use before or after a meal. But yet in the American culture we don’t do that anymore. We’ve not passed on that tradition. So very few people understand how to use bitters, or what bitters are, or why they’re important. And these basic things that can be used in your food and cooking and taking could replace thousands of dollars of medication that you don’t really need. That can create many more problems along the way. Now, why does your doctor know nothing about nutrition. Well, I want to address something that might shock you all. The reason your doctor seems baffled when you ask about nutrition isn’t because they’re not intelligent. It’s because they literally never learned this in medical school statistics on nutritional education in medical schools are staggering and help explain why we have such a health literacy crisis in America. According to recent research published in multiple academic journals, only 27% of Us. Medical schools actually offer students. The recommended 25 h of nutritional training across 4 years of medical school. That means 73% of the medical schools don’t even meet the minimum standards set in 1985. But wait, it gets worse. A 2021 survey of medical schools in the Us. And the Uk. Found that most students receive an average of only 11 h of nutritional training throughout their entire medical program. and another recent study showed that in 2023 a survey of more than a thousand Us. Medical students. About 58% of these respondents said they received no formal nutritional education while in medical school. For 4 years those who did averaged only 3 h. I’m going to say this again because it’s it’s huge 3 h of nutritional education per year. So let me put this in perspective during 4 years of medical school most students spend fewer than 20 h on nutrition that’s completely disproportionate to its health benefits for patients to compare. They’ll spend hundreds of hours learning about pharmaceutical interventions, but virtually no time learning how food affects health and disease. Now, could this be? Why, when we talk about nutrition to lower cholesterol levels or control your diabetes, they blow you off, and they don’t answer you. It’s because they don’t understand. But yet what they’ll say is, people won’t change their diet. That’s why you have to take medication. That’s not true. I will tell you. I work with people every single day who are willing to change their diet. They’re just confused by all the information that’s out there today about nutrition. And what diet is the right diet to follow? Do I do, Paleo? Do I do? Aip? Do I do carnivore? Do I do, Keto? Do I do? Low carb? There’s so many diets out there today? It’s confusing people. So I digress. But let’s go back. So here’s the kicker. The limited time medical students do spend on nutrition office often focuses on nutrients think proteins and carbohydrates rather than training in topics such as motivational interviewing or meal planning, and as one Stanford researcher noted, we physicians often sound like chemists rather than counselors who can speak with patients about diet. Isn’t that true? We can speak super high level up here, but we can’t talk basics about nutrition. And this explains why only 14% of the physicians believe they were adequately trained in nutritional counseling. Once they entered practice and without foundational concepts of nutrition in undergrad work. Graduate medical education unsurprisingly falls short of meeting patients, needs for nutritional guidance in clinical practice, and meanwhile diet, sensitive chronic diseases continue to escalate. Although they are largely preventable and treatable by nutritional therapies and dietary. Lifestyle changes. Now think about this. Diet. Related diseases are the number one cause of death in the Us. The number one cause. Yet many doctors receive little to no nutritional education in medical school, and according to current health statistics from 2017 to march of 2020. Obesity prevalence was 19.7% among us children and adolescents affecting approximately 14.7 million young people. About 352,000 Americans, under the age of 20, have been diagnosed with diabetes. Let me say this again, because these numbers are astounding to me. 352,000 Americans, under the age of 20, have been diagnosed with diabetes with 5,300 youth diagnosed with type, 2 diabetes annually. Yet the very professionals we turn to for health. Guidance were never taught how food affects these conditions and what drug has come to the rescue Glp. One S. Ozempic wegovy. They’re great for weight loss. They’re great for treating diabetes. But why are they here? Well, these numbers are. Why, they’re here. This is staggering to put 352,000 Americans under the age of 20 on a glp, one that they’re going to be on for the rest of their lives at a minimum of $1,200 per month. All we have to do is do the math, you guys, and we can see exactly what’s happening to our country, and who is getting rich, and who is getting the short end of the stick. You’ve become a moneymaker to the pharmaceutical industry because nobody has taught you how to eat properly, how to live, how to have a healthy lifestyle, and how to prevent disease, or how to actually reverse type 2 diabetes, because it’s reversible in many cases, especially young people. And we do none of that. All we do is prescribe medications. Metformin. Glp, one for the rest of your life from 20 years old to 75, or 80, you’re going to be taking medications that are making the pharmaceutical companies more wealth and creating a disease on top of a disease on top of a disease. These deficiencies in nutritional education happen at all levels of medical training, and there’s been little improvement, despite decades of calls for reform. In 1985, the National Academy of Sciences report that they recommended at least 25 h of nutritional education in medical school. But a 2015 study showed only 29% of medical schools met this goal, and a 2023 study suggests the problem has become even worse. Only 7.8% of medical students reported 20 or more hours of nutritional education across all 4 years of medical school. This systemic lack of nutrition, nutritional education has been attributed to several factors a dearth of qualified instructors for nutritional courses, since most physicians do not understand nutrition well enough to teach it competition for curriculum time, with schools focusing on pharmaceutical interventions rather than lifestyle medicine and a lack of external incentives that support schools, teaching nutrition. And ironically, many medical schools are part of universities that have nutrition departments with Phd. Trained professors who could fill this gap by teaching nutrition in medical schools but those classes are often taught by physicians who may not have adequate nutritional training themselves. This explains so much about what I see in my practice. Patients come to me confused and frustrated because their primary care doctors can’t answer basic questions about how food affects their health conditions. And these doctors aren’t incompetent. They simply were never taught this information. And the result is that these physicians graduate, knowing how to prescribe medications for diabetes, but not how dietary changes can prevent or reverse it. They can treat high blood pressure with pharmaceuticals, but they may not know that specific nutritional approaches can be equally or more effective. This isn’t the doctor’s fault. It’s the predictable result of medical education systems that was deliberately designed to focus on patentable treatments rather than natural healing approaches. And remember this traces back to the Rockefeller influence on medical education. You can’t patent an apple or a vegetable. But you can patent a drug now. Why can’t we trust most medical studies? Well this just gets even better. I need to address something that’s crucial for you to understand as you navigate health information. Why so much of the medical research you hear about in the news is biased, and why peer Review isn’t the gold standard of truth you’ve been told it is. The corruption in medical research by pharmaceutical companies is not a conspiracy theory. It’s well documented scientific fact, according to research, published in frontiers, in research, metrics and analytics. When pharmaceutical and other companies sponsor research, there is a bias. A systematic tendency towards results serving their interests. But the bias is not seen in the formal factors routinely associated with low quality science. A Cochrane Review analyzed 75 studies of the association between industry, funding, and trial results, and these authors concluded that trials funded by a drug or device company were more likely to have positive conclusions and statistically significant results, and that this association could not be explained by differences in risk of bias between industry and non-industry funded trials. So think about that. According to the Cochrane collaboration, industry funding itself should be considered a standard risk of bias, a factor in clinical trials. Studies published in science and engineering ethics show that industry supported research is much more likely to yield positive outcomes than research with any other sponsorship. And here’s how the bias gets introduced through choice of compartor agents, multiple publications of positive trials and non-publication of negative trials reinterpreting data submitted to regulatory agencies, discordance between results and conclusions, conflict of interest leading to more positive conclusions, ghostwriting and the use of seating trials. Research, published in the American Journal of Medicine. Found that a result favorable to drug study was reported by all industry, supported studies compared with two-thirds of studies, not industry, supported all industry, supported studies showed favorable results. That’s not science that’s marketing, masquerading as research. And according to research, published in sciencedirect the peer review system which we’re told ensures quality. Science has a major limitation. It has proved to be unable to deal with conflicts of interest, especially in big science contexts where prestigious scientists may have similar biases and conflicts of interest are widely shared among peer reviewers. Even government funded research can have conflicts of interest. Research published in pubmed States that there are significant benefits to authors and investigators in participating in government funded research and to journals in publishing it, which creates potentially biased information that are rarely acknowledged. And, according to research, published in frontiers in research, metrics, and analytics, the pharmaceutical industry has essentially co-opted medical knowledge systems for their particular interests. Using its very substantial resources. Pharmaceutical companies take their own research and smoothly integrate it into medical science. Taking advantage of the legitimacy of medical institutions. And this corruption means that much of what passes for medical science is actually influenced by commercial interests rather than pursuant of truth. Research published in Pmc. Shows that industry funding affects the results of clinical trials in predictable directions, serving the interests of the funders rather than the patients. So where can we get this reliable, unbiased Health information, because this is critically important, because your health decisions should be based on the best available evidence, not marketing disguised as science. And so here are some sources that I recommend for trustworthy health and nutritional information. They’re independent academic sources. According to Harvard Chan School of public health their nutritional, sourced, implicitly states their content is free from industry, influence, or support. The Linus Pauling Institute, Micronutrient Information Center at Oregon State University, which, according to the Glendale Community college Research Guide provides scientifically accurate information about vitamins, minerals, and other dietary factors. This Institute has been around for decades. I’ve used it a lot. I’ve gotten a lot of great information from them. Very, very trustworthy. According to the Glendale Community College of Nutrition Resource guide Tufts, University of Human Nutritional Research Center on aging is one of 6 human nutrition research centers supported by the United States Department of Agriculture, the Usda. Their peer reviewed journals with strong editorial independence though you must still check funding resources. And how do you evaluate this information? Online? Well, according to medlineplus and various health literacy guides when evaluating health information medical schools and large professional or nonprofit organizations are generally reliable sources, but remember, it is tainted by the Rockefeller method. So, for example, the American College of cardiology. Excuse me. Professional organization and the American Heart Institute a nonprofit are both reliable sources. Sorry about that of information on heart health and watch out for ads designed to look like neutral health information. If the site is funded by ads they should be clearly marked as advertisements. Excuse me, I guess I’m talking just a little too much now. So when the fear of medicine becomes deadly. Now, I want to address something critically important that often gets lost in conversations about health, sovereignty, and questioning the medical establishment. And while I’ve spent most of this episode explaining how the Rockefeller medical system has created dependency and suppressed natural healing wisdom. There’s a dangerous pendulum swing happening that I see in my practice. People becoming so fearful of pharmaceutical interventions that they refuse lifesaving treatments when they’re genuinely needed. This is where balance and clinical judgment become absolutely essential. Yes, we need to reclaim our basic health literacy and reduce our dependency on unnecessary medical interventions. But there are serious bacterial infections that require immediate antibiotic treatment, and the consequences of avoiding treatment can be devastating or even fatal. So let me share some examples from research that illustrate when antibiotic fear becomes dangerous. Let’s talk about Lyme disease, and when natural approaches might not be enough. The International Lyme Disease Association ilads has conducted extensive research on chronic lyme disease, and their findings are sobering. Ileds defines chronic lyme disease as a multi-system illness that results from an active and ongoing infection of pathogenic members of the Borrelia Brdorferi complex. And, according to ilads research published in their treatment guidelines, the consequences of untreated persistent lyme infection far outweigh the potential consequences of long-term antibiotic therapy in well-designed trials of antibiotic retreatment in patients with severe fatigue, 64% in the treatment arm obtained clinically significant and sustained benefit from additional antibiotic therapy. Ilas emphasizes that cases of chronic borrelia require individualized treatment plans, and when necessary antibiotic therapy should be extended their research demonstrates that 20 days of prophylactic antibiotic treatment may be highly effective for preventing the onset of lyme disease. After known tick bites and patients with early Lyme disease may be best served by receiving 4 to 6 weeks of antibiotic therapy. Research published in Pmc. Shows that patients with untreated infections may go on to develop chronic, debilitating, multisystem illnesses that is difficult to manage, and numerous studies have documented persistent Borrelia, burgdorferi infection in patients with persistent symptoms of neurological lyme disease following short course. Antibiotic treatment and animal models have demonstrated that short course. Antibiotic therapy may fail to eradicate lyme spirochetes short course is a 1 day. One pill treatment of doxycycline. Or less than 20 days of antibiotics, is considered a short course. It’s not long enough to kill the bacteria. The bacteria’s life cycle is about 21 days, so if you don’t treat the infection long enough, the likelihood of that infection returning is significant. They’ve also done studies in the petri dish, where they show doxycycline being put into a petri dish with active lyme and doxycycline does not kill the infection, it just slows the replication of it. Therefore, using only doxycycline, which is common practice in lyme disease may not completely eradicate that infection for you. So let’s talk about another life threatening emergency. C. Diff clostridia difficile infection, which represents another example where antibiotic treatment is absolutely essential, despite the fact that C diff itself is often triggered by antibiotic use. According to Cleveland clinic C. Diff is estimated to cause almost half a million infections in the United States each year, with 500,000 infections, causing 15,000 deaths each year. Studies reported by Pmc. Found thirty-day Cdi. Mortality rates ranging from 6 to 11% and hospitalized Cdi patients have significantly increased the risk of mortality and complications. Research published in Pmc shows that 16.5% of Cdi patients experience sepsis and that this increases with reoccurrences 27.3% of patients with their 1st reoccurrence experience sepsis. While 33.1% with 2 reoccurrences and 43.2% with 3 or more reoccurrences. Mortality associated with sepsis is very high within hospital 30 days and 12 month mortality rates of 24%, 30% and 58% respectively. According to the Cdc treatment for C diff infection usually involves taking a specific antibiotic, such as vancomycin for at least 10 days, and while this seems counterintuitive, treating an antibiotic associated infection with more antibiotics. It’s often lifesaving. Now let’s talk about preventing devastating complications. Strep throat infections. Provide perhaps the clearest example of when antibiotic treatment prevents serious long-term consequences, and, according to Mayo clinic, if untreated strep throat can cause complications such as kidney inflammation and rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever can lead to painful and inflamed joints, and a specific type of rash of heart valve damage. We also know that strep can cause pans pandas, which is a systemic infection, often causing problems with severe Ocd. And anxiety and affecting mostly young people. The research is unambiguous. According to the Cleveland clinic. Rheumatic fever is a rare complication of untreated strep, throat, or scarlet fever that most commonly affects children and teens, and in severe cases it can lead to serious health problems that can affect your child’s heart. Joints and organs. And research also shows that the rate of development of rheumatic fever in individuals with untreated strep infections is estimated to be 3%. The incidence of reoccurrence with a subsequent untreated infection is substantially greater. About 50% the rate of development is far lower in individuals who have received antibiotic treatment. And according to the World health organization, rheumatic heart disease results from the inflammation and scarring of the heart valves caused by rheumatic fever, and if rheumatic fever is not treated promptly, rheumatic heart disease may occur, and rheumatic heart disease weakens the valves between the chambers of the heart, and severe rheumatic heart disease can require heart surgery and result in death. The who states that rheumatic heart disease remains the leading cause of maternal cardiac complications during pregnancy. And additionally, according to the National Kidney foundation. After your child has either had throat or skin strep infection, they can develop post strep glomerial nephritis. The Strep bacteria travels to the kidneys and makes the filtering units of the kidneys inflamed, causing the kidneys to be able to unable or less able to fill and filter urine. This can develop one to 2 weeks after an untreated throat infection, or 3 to 4 weeks after an untreated skin infection. We need to find balance. And here’s what I want you to understand. Questioning the medical establishment and developing health literacy doesn’t mean rejecting all medical interventions. It means developing the wisdom to know when they’re necessary and lifesaving versus when they’re unnecessary and potentially harmful. When I see patients with confirmed lyme disease, serious strep infections or life. Threatening conditions like C diff. I don’t hesitate to recommend appropriate therapy but I also work to support their overall health address, root causes, protect and restore their gut microbiome and help them recover their natural resilience. The goal isn’t to avoid all medical interventions. It’s to use them wisely when truly needed, while simultaneously supporting your body’s inherent healing capacity and addressing the lifestyle factors that created the vulnerability. In the 1st place. All of this can be extremely overwhelming, and it can be frightening to understand or learn. But remember, the power that you have is knowledge. The more you learn about what’s actually happening in your health, in understanding nutrition. in learning what your body wants to be fed, and how it feels, and working with practitioners who are holistic in nature, natural, integrative, functional, whatever we want to call that these days. The more you can learn from them, the more control you have over your own health and what I would urge you to do is to teach your children what you’re learning. Teach them how to live a healthy lifestyle, teach them how to keep a clean environment. This is how we take back our own health. So thank you for joining me today on, let’s talk wellness. Now, if this episode resonated with you. Please share it with someone who could benefit from understanding how the Rockefeller medical system has shaped our approach to health, and how to reclaim your body’s wisdom while using medical care appropriately when truly needed. Remember, wellness isn’t just about feeling good. It’s about understanding your body, trusting its wisdom, supporting its natural healing capacity, and knowing when to seek appropriate medical intervention. If you’re ready to explore how functional medicine can help you develop this deeper health knowledge while addressing root causes rather than just managing symptoms. You can get more information from serenityhealthcarecenter.com, or reach out directly to us through our social media channels until next time. I’m Dr. Dab, reminding you that your body is your wisest teacher. Learn to listen, trust the process, use medical care wisely when needed, and take care of your body, mind, and spirit. Be well, and we’ll see you on the next episode.The post Episode 250 -The Great Medical Deception first appeared on Let's Talk Wellness Now.

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In this episode of Main Street Matters, Elaine Parker and Jonathan Williams discuss the latest Rich States, Poor States report, highlighting the economic successes of states like Utah and the challenges faced by states at the bottom of the rankings. They delve into the importance of fiscal responsibility, the need for pension reform, and the impact of government spending on state economies. The conversation emphasizes the necessity for states to compete for businesses and jobs while addressing the criticisms of their rankings and the broader implications of federal spending policies. Check and see how your state performed HERE: https://www.richstatespoorstates.org/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Minimum wages are rising in 19 states today, giving millions of workers a pay bump as the new year begins. We break down where wages are increasing and what's driving those changes. Plus, only about 20% of recyclable household waste actually gets recycled. We explore how AI may be changing the economics of recycling.

Minimum wages are rising in 19 states today, giving millions of workers a pay bump as the new year begins. We break down where wages are increasing and what's driving those changes. Plus, only about 20% of recyclable household waste actually gets recycled. We explore how AI may be changing the economics of recycling.

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Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. Today we're talking with Tim MacLeod, a former nurse who escaped the financial treadmill by flipping couches—and now teaches others how to do the same. Are you a church leader feeling the financial squeeze? Looking for a side hustle that doesn't require debt, special skills, or hours you don't have? Tim's story offers a practical roadmap—and encouragement—for anyone needing to close that income gap. Burnout and financial pressure. // Tim became a nurse at 21, newly married, supporting his wife through teacher's college, and quickly thrown into adult responsibilities. The only way to stay financially afloat was by working overtime once or twice a week. When their second child was on the way, he realized the path he was on was unsustainable. Finding financial freedom. // Options like upgrading his nursing degree, relocating, or working in dangerous psychiatric facilities were unappealing. Tim needed something flexible, part-time, and profitable enough to replace overtime. He discovered flipping phones and iPads first, but competition was fierce. Then, after borrowing a trailer and responding to a free couch listing, everything changed. He cleaned it up, sold it the next day for $280, and instantly covered more than an entire nursing shift. Why flipping couches works. // The opportunity exists because of a gap in the marketplace. Most people don't own trucks, can't move heavy furniture, and face tight deadlines when moving. Sellers value reliable pickup over price; buyers value affordable furniture delivered to their door. Tim steps into this gap. With polite communication and kindness, he creates a “win-win-win”: sellers get rid of furniture quickly, buyers get affordable delivered couches, and Tim earns a consistent profit. He estimates most beginners can make $1,000/month by flipping just five couches—buying each for around $50 and selling for $250 with delivery included. A side hustle with time freedom. // One of the most surprising parts of Tim's business is the flexibility. He built the early stages of his flipping business in the evenings with his wife and baby riding along—road dinners, cheap pizza, and trips to pick up inventory. Now he schedules pickups during school hours, stacks deliveries based on availability, and can pause or accelerate the business as needed. It's ideal for ministry families with unpredictable schedules. Why you can succeed at this. // Many of Tim's students are pastors or church employees, and he says ministry workers have unique advantages: access to storage at the church, a heart for helping people, strong communication skills, and the ability to bring calm to awkward interactions. Many pastors live outside their ministry communities—creating the perfect “import/export” opportunity where they can buy in one market and sell in another. And unlike many side hustles, flipping couches doesn't conflict with ministry—it simply provides supplemental income with minimal stress. A free resource to get started. // Tim created a free Google Doc of scripts—his exact messages for starting conversations, vetting couches, and negotiating with integrity. To get it, simply comment scripts on any of his Instagram videos and he’ll email it your way. He also offers an affordable course walking through his full system, including storage setup, videos, delivery strategies, and scaling beyond $1,000/month. To learn more or access Tim's free scripts, visit him on Instagram @thefulltimeflipper or explore his full course at tim-macleod.com. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey, friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. So glad that you have decided to tune in. We’re definitely having a very un-unSeminary episode today. You know recently I heard some statistics that I was like, man, we gotta do something about this. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics—you’re like, it’s a little early in the year for the Bureau of Labor and Statistics—but there’s a 13% gap between what religious workers—people who are clergy actually, is the title—and the average income in the country makes – a 13% gap. In fact, it even gets worse when you look at people, there’s a category called “religious workers, other”, which these would be like not the senior pastor types. This is like everybody else that works in a church. There’s a 40% gap between those people and the the average salary in the country. Rich Birch — And so why am I bringing this up? Because I know that there are people that are listening in today that are feeling that gap. Here we are in January and they’re feeling the pressure of that. And I want to help you with that. And so I’ve got a friend, like a friend from real life, friends. This is like we’re in the same small group. We know each other, incredible leader, and I want to expose you to him. But more importantly, I think he can help you with that gap.Rich Birch — It’s my friend, Tim MacLeod. Tim was a nurse with the dreams of fatherhood and home ownership, but after a few years was faced with reality and no time, no amount of overtime was really going to fill the gap that he needed to make things work. And after being stuck on that kind of financial treadmill, he found a way out. He found the niche of, wait for it, friends, flipping couches. What? Flipping couches and was able to quit his nursing job and now does this full time. And I’ve asked him to come on. Uh, because I think what he did at the beginning, even part-time, I think could help some of us today that are, that are listening in. Tim, welcome to the show. So glad you’re here.Tim MacLeod — Thanks so much for having me, man. I’m excited.Rich Birch — This is going to be a good conversation. Kind of fill in the story. Tell us a little bit, uh, tell us about your background, and how did you get in? How did you go from nursing to flipping couches?Tim MacLeod — So I wanted to be obedient and I got married maybe a little bit too young at 21. My wife was still in teacher’s college. And so very, very quickly I was thrown into adulthood of two cars, rents and all the things that come with that.Tim MacLeod — And nursing was good. I was a registered practical nurse, so not a university educated RN making bank, but doing okay with a college diploma. And I got the comfy gig at a long-term care home because I preferred eight-hour shifts and not the, I didn’t want nights.Rich Birch — Midnight and all that.Tim MacLeod — I just wanted, yeah, exactly.Rich Birch — Yeah, yeah, yeah.Tim MacLeod — I wanted the free parking and the the reliable six to two shifts. That was just the lifestyle that I liked. And the only way that I could stay afloat financially was with doubles. I had to do my six to two and then at least once a week, usually twice, if I wanted to have any money to play with, um I would work the two to ten.Rich Birch — Wow.Tim MacLeod — And that was cool while my wife was in college or while she was finishing up teacher’s college, that was fine. And then, we had a newborn baby and that was fine. Because anytime that I would have to do those doubles, she’d go to sleep, go for a sleepover at her parents’ place. And, uh, and I would just drudge up the shifts.Tim MacLeod — And, but then when we were pregnant with number two, I knew that there was difficulties coming. And the road ahead did not look very good. And so I needed something different and all my options for replacing the income suck. Like I could go back to school and upgrade to RN, but I scraped through the first time. So that was nuts.Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — I didn’t have much hope in myself in that avenue. And I could go, I could relocate, I could move or I could commute about an hour and 20 away to the mental health hospital and make like danger pay in like an asylum, basically with my current qualifications.Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — And everything just looked terrible. I hated all of that. And all I needed was something better than overtime. I just needed to replace that portion of the income. And I needed something better in my evenings that hopefully I could do with my wife or from home. And so I was looking at side hustles.Tim MacLeod — And I had a little bit of success flipping phones and iPads because that’s all that I really understood…Rich Birch — Okay. Yeah, yeah.Tim MacLeod — …all I understood at the time. And I live about an hour north of where my in-laws live, which is a pretty dense population. I’m in the sticks and the supply was really light there. So I could reliably go for a free meal at my in-laws place, pick up an iPhone or three and for like 300 bucks and then bring them home and sell them for 450 bucks. And so that took that took the pressure off and that was like grocery money.Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — And it was really consistent, really reliable. And and it was fun too. I really liked it. I liked the negotiations. I liked, I liked not trading time. Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — Like I liked making making a profit instead of a wage. And that I was hooked on that, but there was competition. Like I wasn’t that clever doing that.Tim MacLeod — There was there was kids that were closer to the inventory ripping around in little Hyundai Elantras and uh i remember meeting this this Indian kid named Lucky, at least his Canadian name was Lucky, and he was beating me to all the goods. And and I met him one time to buy a phone for myself and I actually got to meet him and ask him some questions and he was making four grand a month flipping phones.Rich Birch — Wow.Tim MacLeod — And I thought that is so sick, and it’s just a pure cash hustle. And he was making more doing that than whatever his office or IT job was at the time. And I was super inspired by that, but I didn’t want to compete with him. So that kind of that kind of festered with me a little bit.Tim MacLeod — And um I just got an awesome idea. Well, was gifted to me by the Holy Spirit, I think, based on how fast and how fierce it came, that I need to get skills and tools to sell in a different category, something with a higher barrier to entry. And I wanted something where I didn’t have to compete with the Honda Civics and the Hyundai Elantra’s that were closer to the action.Rich Birch — With Lucky. Yes.Tim MacLeod — Yeah, exactly. He was smoking me. And and it also, it was a little bit of that and then also a little bit of me coveting. I wanted to get like, um I wanted an excuse to buy a Ford Ranger. I wanted a truck at the time.Rich Birch — Love it.Tim MacLeod — And so this combination, this combination of like wants and needs at the time, had me pitching an idea to my brother, Ross. I’m just like, Hey, what do you think about instead of phones and iPads? What if I got a truck and I started doing like washers and dryers or appliances or something like that? And he said, that’s a cool idea.Tim MacLeod — You’re good at the phones and iPads thing. And I definitely like, you’re good at the negotiations, all that. But don’t start eight grand in debt. That’s so stupid. Why don’t you just borrow my trailer and just try it? And I said, well, I don’t have a, I don’t have a hitch on my car. He said, get a hitch on your car, buddy. Okay. So, put that on the Visa, did not have the money for it. Rich Birch — Wow. Tim MacLeod — Put that on the Visa, put a two inch two inch hitch and four prong wiring on Mazda 5 like the little four cylinder, little mini minivan.Rich Birch — Oh, I wish I would have saw this at that. I wish I would have s seen this at this phase. Cause that, that, that would have been amazing to see him getting pulled around.Tim MacLeod — It was it was pretty cute and it was a big trailer too 12 by 6 aluminum being pulled by this little aaaaahhh. And it was stick shift and and…Rich Birch — Nice.Tim MacLeod — …and the first day I got the trailer, the only thing I could find, because I was just itching to use it, was a free couch. And it was one of those beige microfiber, like gets dirty if you look at it wrong.Rich Birch — All right. Yes.Tim MacLeod — Like they hold on to every water stain.Rich Birch — Yes. Yes.Tim MacLeod — And it was that and it was free and it needed a little bit of TLC. And I went and I got it for free. Brought it home and with a damp cloth, scrubbed out all the little marks and had it looking good. Took a picture of it, listed it with an offer of delivery and it sold the next day for 280 bucks.Rich Birch — Wow. That’s amazing.Tim MacLeod — It was awesome. Because a nursing shift net was like 180.Rich Birch — Wow, OK.Tim MacLeod — I think I was, I think I was 28 bucks an hour for an eight hour shift after taxes. Yeah. Probably like 180 hit the account.Rich Birch — Wow.Tim MacLeod — And so 280 for that. And it was one of those trips of free meal at, at the in-laws and then a free couch and then bring it home and then solve somebody’s problem of, I just got an apartment. I don’t have a car or my car’s too small and I need a couch.Rich Birch — Yes, yes.Tim MacLeod — And their option was, rent a U-Haul or go to Leon’s and finance something that comes delivered. Both are not very good options for most people. And then lo and behold was this guy who said, I got a couch, I can bring it by. And it was just the easiest yes for them. It was a win for everybody. Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — The person who needed the couch picked up, didn’t care about the money. They needed reliable pickup more than they needed cost recovery of the item because they had a deadline. I needed a way to make some cash and the person on the receiving end needed a couch that was affordable that came delivered. So it was just a win-win-win for everybody. I was like, okay, forget about appliances. Couches – I love this. And it was easy, it was it was easy enough to lift by myself. Rich Birch — Did you ever do appliances? Did you ever do appliances in there? Tim MacLeod — Yeah. I did a washer and dryer and ate a loss on that because it needed repair and I didn’t… Rich Birch — Love it. Tim MacLeod — …I paid for someone to assess and they were like, yeah, this thing’s broken. Was like, sweet. Okay. So a hundred bucks to you for, for, to tell me that it’s hopeless, and then pay for junk removal too.Rich Birch — Yes.Tim MacLeod — Like it was just such a loss. But couches, I could reliably sit on it and be like, well, that’s not broken. And I can handle that little stain or I can, my wife could stitch that up.Rich Birch — Right. Right.Tim MacLeod — And, uh, it was just so safe. And I loved it. If, if I were handier, I’m sure I could, flip snowblowers or lawnmowers or cars or something like that, but I’m not handy. I’m just, I have the ability to relocate stuff. Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — And so couches were just so perfect where I could just accurately be like, that’s 300 bucks to me. Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — And they only want 60 for it. Perfect. Let’s do that.Rich Birch — So and let’s double click on that. A part of what, so friends, like with the reason why, I think you’ve seen why I’ve got Tim on the the line today. I want to inspire you to think like, hey, you you could in part-time make a little extra a month. And I’m going to get to that with Tim. I’m going We’re going hammer down on, okay, what exactly would be some of the first steps that you take? But let’s unpack a little bit more. You’ve talked about once this insight, which I think is just a stellar insight that’s obviously at the core of your business. It’s this whole timing thing. Like people, you know they think a couch is worth certain certain amount, but they’re moving on X date, and the value of that couch goes down. But then it’s literally the reverse. Someone on the other side, they have an empty living room and they’re like, I need something here.Rich Birch — Unpack that a little more, kind of double click on… that value exchange and how you’re in the middle of that. What’s it talk us through what that looks like.Tim MacLeod — Yeah, there’s there’s a gap. There’s a gap in the marketplace. On the one end, we’ve got people who need it picked up and their options are hope that someone will pay the price that they want. And then if they hit a deadline, then their option is junk removal or put it to the curb. And so there’s a gap to fill there. Tim MacLeod — And then on the other side, there’s a gap of people who need a couch dropped off but can’t do it themselves. Like how many, what’s the population of people that own a truck that can actually do it is probably less than 10%. Most people have cars and hatchbacks and SUVs and stuff like that.Rich Birch — Right. Tim MacLeod — And then there’s also the how many people can lift a couch. I would say easily less than half the population. And so there’s just this huge gap that can be filled. And so by just committing to being the dude, you can help a lot of people solve a lot of problems. And there’s a little slice in it for you too.Rich Birch — So one of the things I’ve heard you say is that you have found this process of buying couches and then, you know, sitting on them for a while, maybe cleaning them a little bit and then turning around selling them is really flexible. Talk us through that. You know, it feels like you’re, you know, you’re, you have some time control. Talk us through what that looks like for you in your current world.Tim MacLeod — Yeah, the time freedom is crazy. And that was the appeal in the beginning was [inaudible] I didn’t want to be strapped to a location, a building to to make money. I had to be away from my wife and kids. But when it, couches just took off so fast that the first time I flipped a couch, I immediately called the scheduling office and reneged on all of my overtime. I said cancel all my two shifts.Rich Birch — Oh, wow.Tim MacLeod — I’m done. I’m I’m I’m just doing my 10 shifts. And, and then it didn’t take too long before i wanted to quit so fast, man. I wanted to be out of there. My, my my passion for the, like, I was so replaceable. Like as soon as if if I’m gone, someone’s going to fill the shift.Rich Birch — Right. Right.Tim MacLeod — Like, ah but there was a, there was a huge, there was a need that, and it was fun for me too. It was a game. I forget the question.Rich Birch — Yeah, I was just talking about the time flexibility, like how you feel like it’s, you know, you have a fair amount of time freedom. Part of what I’m trying to get to is pastors are busy people. Church workers are busy people. Is this even the kind of thing that they could fit into, you know, an existing as like a side hustle kind of thing?Tim MacLeod — Yes. Yeah. The time freedom is crazy. And so on the buying side, I’m just letting people know when I’m available. And sometimes I’ll tie it up with ah with a $50 deposit so that they can market it sold with confidence and they know that I’m not going to ghost on them. And that I have the peace of mind of nice, that’s mine for when I need it. And I’ll squeeze them for a deadline so that I make sure that I’m providing the service of reliable pickup in a manner that works for them. Tim MacLeod — But yeah, I’m just stacking pickups when it’s convenient for me. And in this current season, it’s during school hours. Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — So I’ll drop the kids off at school and then rip south and grab some stuff. But in that season, it was I’m available in the evening. And so I would come home from school, I’m sorry, work from my nursing job. And my wife would pack up, we pack up a little cooler bag of like a road picnic of dinner.Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — We had a one-year-old baby at the time and, uh, oh, that summer there was a lot of 50% off pizzas. Pizza Hut had a, the, the apps, we had all, all the apps, lots of road dinners. Rich Birch — Yes. Yes. Tim MacLeod — And Costco was clutch too.Rich Birch — Yeah.Tim MacLeod — But, um, yeah, just when I had an availability, I would acquire inventory and then they’d sell when they sell. And and again, full flexibility of, okay, I’m available at this time. I can squeeze in a delivery or someone could come pick it up. But yeah, the the time freedom is crazy and it’s sweet to to to just dabble in profits instead of relying on a wage. Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — Yeah, time freedom is awesome.Rich Birch — Well, you talked about the fact that your you know your brother was telling you you’re good at negotiations. I know there are people that are listening in today that are feeling like, oh, there’s no way that I would be good at negotiations. Obviously, you’ve got to buy the thing for considerably lower than what you’re selling it for. Talk us through even just a couple, help us get over that hurdle in our brains. Man, I just don’t know that I could do that.Tim MacLeod — Yeah. So the first thing is I’m scrolling a lot. And not not frequently. I’m not glued to my phone. But when I do it, I lock in. Like today was the shopping session and it was headphones in with some instrumental music, just kind of vibing. And I’m probably scrolling, looking at probably 400, 500 couches. Rich Birch — Okay.Tim MacLeod — And I’ll message probably 20 to 30 of them. Because a lot of them are crap. A lot of them are actually new. There’s no opportunity with new coaches. like There’s lots of warehouse stuff that’s still on first Facebook Marketplace and stuff like that. But what I’m looking for is very specific. I’m looking for private sales from real people. You got to be able to spot the scammers and weed them out. Tim MacLeod — And I’m looking for couches that I would want in my lockers. I’m not worried about the price whatsoever. Because the price is super subjective and it’s just kind of like what they’re hoping for. It’s not actually what they’re necessarily going to get. So the price is irrelevant. I’m just looking at pictures and I’m compiling lists of couches that I would want. And I’m starting conversations so that it’s kind of like I’m, I’m, it’s it’s like I’m offering my service. I’m starting the conversation to see why they’re selling it, if there’s a deadline, and if they would be someone who would be receptive to my service. And it’s kind of like they’re paying me for my reliable pickup service with a smoking and deal on a couch.Tim MacLeod — And so I have to get them there. And it’s not just, I can’t just go around lowballing everybody because you burn the bridge and you hurt feelings. Rich Birch — Right. Tim MacLeod — So I’m starting conversations and I’m filling in the gaps on the item. So I’ll read the description and see what’s missing. Like, did they specify that there’s pets in the house? I want to know, is there pets? Are there smokers in the house? Does it need any repairs? Does it need any stain removal or restoration if it’s leather? And I’m filling in all the gaps. So I have a complete picture of what it is that I’m actually buying. And that’s all kind of like a trauma response from my many, many drives of shame of I didn’t ask the right questions.Tim MacLeod — And so it’s it’s definitely preventing the drive of shame. And I’m just running through these scripts that I have. And it would sound like it’s a lot of typing, but I’ve actually made keyboard shortcuts for all of it. So my opening question is, I’ll never say, hi, is this still available? Because everybody hates being asked, hi, is this still available? On Facebook Marketplace, right? Because they’ve made it ah they’ve made it a button… Rich Birch — Yes. That’s why it’s up. Tim MacLeod — …where it’s just like, hi, is this still available? But that upsets people, which is fair, because it’s annoying. But at the same time, most people don’t have empathy for the fact that, how else are they going to start the conversation? Why would you ask questions if you’ve got someone lined up for it? So I’ll ask the exact same question, but in a way that annoys nobody. And I’ll say, is anyone scheduled to pick this up? It’s the same question, but upsets nobody.Rich Birch — Same question, just in a different way.Tim MacLeod — So that’s, that’s my first shortcut is, good morning, good good afternoon, good evening, whatever. And then any, and so on my keyboard, any with two wise expands into anyone’s schedule to pick this up. And then the next one is, does it need any repairs or stain removal? That’s if it’s fabric. And that’s does D or D O E S S and then D O E s S S S or with three S’s is, does it need any repairs or restoration? That’s if it’s leather. And so it’s just these quick little, my thumbs are just, and just… Rich Birch — So cool. Tim MacLeod — …I’m, I’m drafting up this quick little paragraph that fills in all the gaps, firing that over. And then, And then they’ll reply and fill in the gaps. And then I park it. I pause the conversation by saying, okay, awesome. Thanks so much. Just starting to have a peek at options, might get back to you.Tim MacLeod — And that one line separates me from everybody on Facebook. Because most people ask a question and then they just leave it on read. They got that little picture, that little tiny profile picture of yourself that says that, hey, he read it, but he’s gone and it’s crickets.Rich Birch — Yes.Tim MacLeod — And it’s a very, very infuriating experience. And that’s kind of like part of my service is that I am very, very different on Facebook Marketplace. Like an experience selling to me is better than anybody…Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — …because of how I talk. Like I’ll receive offers every day from people that don’t use words. They just send a number. Rich Birch — Just money. Tim MacLeod — Like I’ve got a couch listed for 1150 and someone just sends 700 – no dollar sign, no question mark, no good morning, nothing like that. And, and that’s a fair offer. Like he’s… Rich Birch — Yeah. Tim MacLeod — …I paid, I paid a fifth of that, like 700 is a fair offer, but I automatically hate this guy. I don’t, I don’t hate, I don’t hate him. Rich Birch — Yes. No, I get what you mean.Tim MacLeod — But, but it’s immediately just like, dude! Rich Birch — Yes. Tim MacLeod — You like say, say hi, say please. Rich Birch — Yes. Yes. Tim MacLeod — Even a, even a question mark would be, you know, so that’s the kind of people that I’m dealing with. And I’ve got thick skin and I always operate on the mindset of, I do want to sell this guy and I, and I do want to see him later today. So I’m not going to match his energy. Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — I’m never, I’m never a thermometer. I’m always a thermostat. I always set, set the temperature in the room, you know?Rich Birch — Right. Love it. Yep.Tim MacLeod — And so that’s ah that’s a big factor. But yeah, running through those scripts and and just getting people to their best price. And so after pausing it of, thanks so much, just starting to have a peek at options, I’ll reconnect with them.Tim MacLeod — Now, this is this is if their price is optimistic and it’s not a price that I’m willing to pay. I’ll slow play it a little bit by pausing the conversation. And then I’ll come back and then I’ll hit them with my my secret weapon is my polite lowball offer. And the number they might hate the number, but it comes gift wrapped in this like apologetic, like, Hey, I’m…Rich Birch — Oh, you got to tell me more that you’re, you’re setting that up. Well, you’re like, what is the polite low ball offer?Tim MacLeod — For me, I’m shopping in Toronto, which is like 90 minutes, two hours away.Tim MacLeod — And so my apologetic offer is: It’s so far, is there any chance you’d consider this much, any chance you’d consider for an out of towner? And then I just plug in the number. And, and it’s always received well. And even if it’s even if it’s even if they’re firm, that’s fine. Now I know. Rich Birch — Right. It’s data. Tim MacLeod — But and ah honestly, if somebody accepts my offer, then I didn’t offer low enough. Like I’m i’m really pushing the limit.Rich Birch — Oh, interesting.Tim MacLeod — I’m flirting with the line between an optimistic offer and a rude offer, but because I’m so nice about it. And it’s, it’s kind of like, it’s my secret weapon to get them to their best price. Because the the worst way to get someone to their best price is what’s your best price?Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — Like whenever someone asks me that, it’s again, it’s just like, that’s annoying. I don’t like you.Rich Birch — Yes. Yes. Right, right, right, right, right.Tim MacLeod — But to politely lowball and then their counter is their best price. So I just want to squeeze them for their counter offer. And now I know what their best price is.Rich Birch — Right. Okay. That’s cool. There’s a lot there. And I know you’re want to stay tuned because Tim’s got an offer of some free help that he wants to give you that we’re going to, we’re going to get to here in a minute. So I know some of you were like, go back and ask questions on that. But I know that the free offer to help is going to help with some, some of those things. Rich Birch — What about negotiation on the other side? So I get a sense of what you’re talking about to try to get them, you know, there’s a time thing there and we’re going to wait and all that. But now on the other end, you’re trying to obviously maximize or get the biggest money for that couch you just bought, bought. What are some things we should be thinking about on that? How are you offering the couches in a way that, you know, captures people’s imagination and says like, oh, okay, that’s this, I want to do business with this guy.Tim MacLeod — So a big thing is where I’m selling it. It’s almost like I have an import business. It’s that I’m I’m ripping down the city and I’m shopping in the Tesla BMW neighborhoods where nobody has trucks and they sell really slowly. Rich Birch — Yeah.Tim MacLeod — And I’m loading a trailer and then bringing it home to the sticks where there’s not as much supply. And I’m selling to people who do have pickup trucks. Like where I live, there’s lots of people with trucks and trailers, but they weren’t doing that drive to the city like I did.Rich Birch — Right. Right.Tim MacLeod — So I’m destroying a Toyota Highlander in kilometers, which is really hard to do. It’s at 400,040 and she ain’t quitting anytime soon. It’s been a great car.Rich Birch — Love it.Tim MacLeod — So that is definitely like the fact that it feels like an import business feels like cheating.Rich Birch — Well, and can I just, I just want to interrupt you for a second here. This, because that dynamic, this is a part of why I wanted to have you on the show. Because one of the things that I’ve seen is like, it’s super common, like super common for church leaders to not live in the community that they serve. Because frankly, they can’t afford to live there because of that gap that I just told you about.Rich Birch — There is a wage gap between what people make and the communities they serve in. And so they typically live you know, 45 minutes, an hour away. I actually think that that, the fact that they’re just driving into the office could be, and then going back to wherever they live, could actually set them up for running this kind of business just because they’re in and out of where they’re at.Tim MacLeod — Oh, yeah. Yeah, that’d be cheating. If you could, if you could grab a couch on your way home from on your way home from work to bring it back to the sticks, that’d be awesome.Rich Birch — Yeah. Yeah. I see that all the time.Tim MacLeod — For sure. And at a lot of…Rich Birch — So the distance is one way. So there’s like an import out, out, port anything else that you get, it’s kind of an interesting part of how you negotiate on to try to increase the, the, the price.Tim MacLeod — Knowing what it’s worth and how quickly it would sell is definitely a factor. And just patience wins on both sides.Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — Being the dude who um can pick it up and someone is now, they had their optimistic kick at the can and now it needs to go and their patience has run out. Patience wins there. And then on the selling side to where I don’t, it’s not in my foyer. It’s not in my living room. The new couch hasn’t arrived. It’s in a storage locker ready to be picked up anytime. And my lockers are fairly affordable being in a rural spot.Tim MacLeod — And so it’s kind of like if if we were playing poker, I’m holding aces. I can deliver it. I can sell to anybody. I’m not relying on people on the small demographic who can pick it up. I can sell to the Honda Civic crowd. I can sell to seniors who can’t lift a couch themselves. I can finesse it into a patio door by myself. And so there’s the there’s the skill gap there as well. And all of the all of the hindrances that make selling a couch difficult are not a factor for me. I can lift them by myself. I can I have the best trailer. I have storage lockers. They can take as long as they need to sell. And I live in a market where there’s not as much supply. So it’s just, it feels like cheating. Like I’m just really, really set up for it. And it’s super easy to be patient.Rich Birch — Now, I don’t know if I’m going to force you to give away one of your secret weapons here, but talk about the videos that you shoot ah of the, you know, of the products. Because i to me, I think this is one of the things you do that I think is super unique. What is what’s unique about the videos that you might shoot? Say got this nice leather couch. It’s like, you know, it sells for $5,000 somewhere else. You’re selling it for whatever, $1,500, $2,000. What’s actually in that video that might set your your listings apart?Tim MacLeod — Yeah, so that was something that I feel like I pioneered. And since then, Facebook has now added a feature where you can add a video to a listing. But it’s so nice to have. So I’m I’m posting flattering photos. So it’s it’s a scroll stopper when they’re on Marketplace.Tim MacLeod — And they’ll inquire. And then my video is super, super honest. And the goal is for it to be so detailed that they could confidently say, okay, he just showed me all the reasons not to buy the couch because all my stuff is used. I’m not selling anything new. It’s all pre-owned. They all have some blemishes or some quirks or worn spots or something like that. But to include ah a video that shows all of the reason not to buy it really, really greases the wheels because no one’s coming to see a couch and then being disappointed when they get there. Everything was already shown.Rich Birch — Right. Right.Tim MacLeod — So they’re coming to just give, basically just come sit and sniff and make sure that it’s something that they would want in their house, or something they’d want to sit on for two hours a day. And, um, and so those videos really, really saved me so much time and gasoline. And since then they’ve added that where you can add a feature. So, or where you can add a video into the listing. And so as long as the video is less than a minute, so I’m aiming for 59 seconds, I’ll fill the whole thing and I’m showing every inch of it and I’m packing it with dialogue on the neighborhood that it came from, the people, the house. And a lot of times that’s a selling feature of this this couch came from North York. The house was ridiculous. Rich Birch — Right.Tim MacLeod — It’s one of those houses with three living rooms. And this is the one that had the Christmas tree for a month a year. Like this was barely used. And I’m just packing it with dialogue and really, really selling it.Rich Birch — Yeah.Tim MacLeod — And my goal is that I could deliver it with them like sight unseen that they could firm up. And that when that couch arrives, there are absolutely no surprises. It’s everything they ask for [inaudible]…Rich Birch — Which from from your point of view, like this isn’t the only couch you’re hoping to sell this week. And and a part of the way that you have to protect your time and protect your business, frankly, is not having a bunch of people come and check out couches and then decide against it. Whether they’re coming to your locker or you’re driving it to their place. That’s like the worst case scenario is they show up and they’re like, oh, I don’t want this. So you might as well be fully upfront and be like, hey, here’s some stuff that’s not great about it.Rich Birch — And you do it in a really clever way. I love those videos. You helped me sell a car, which was fantastic. And I love the video you did for, you know, for that, because it was the same thing. It was this kind of like fun, um you know, here’s five reasons why you shouldn’t buy this, which which is just endearing. People, you know, lean in and want to hear more about that.Rich Birch — Well, what about the lifting piece? So, you know, if you’re not seeing one of these clips, Tim is a man of a certain size. He’s got some girth to him. He can pick stuff up. But what if I can’t? What if I’m not that guy? What if it more like me? You know, you’re like, hey, I’m not sure that guy can pick up 20 pounds. Like, is that like, I know that’s a part of what your you offer. Obviously, it’s a part of your advantage. But, you know, not everybody can do that. Talk us through that hesitation.Tim MacLeod — Yeah, I don’t think that it’s a deal breaker for having success. I think that if you can carry in a stubborn load of groceries in from the house that you could make a lot of money flipping couches.Rich Birch — That’s good.Tim MacLeod — And it it feels like a very unique form of laziness. Like I’m the kind of guy that if I need to go start start the barbecue or go run and grab my wallet from the car, I’m going to walk across the whole house and look for my flip flops instead of bending over and lacing up my boots that are right there. Like it’s a very unique form of laziness where I could jackknife park the trailer up to the storage locker. I have the dolly, but I’d way rather just, hey-yep-hey-yep-pep-pep just, just he-man lift it myself. And I’ve got a lot of really good mechanics lifting it. Tim MacLeod — Lifting a couch solo actually is not very heroic. And, and I’ve taught a lot of people how to do it. And there is, there are some heroic angles where, where the couch is on the ground and all four feet are on the ground to like clean and jerk it up overhead is that would definitely take some mass and some explosive power, but you can always also lift the couch up from the side until it’s vertical and then kind of like let it teeter and, fall on you in ah in a safe manner. And the lift itself, like once it’s up, it’s it’s as easy as like portaging a canoe. It’s not it’s not as heroic as it seems.Tim MacLeod — And I’m still reliant on other people. I am a one man show and it’s not, the money’s not good enough to pay an employee to sit in the car with me for four hours for 30 seconds of actual work. And so that’s one of my, one of my questions that I’m asking people, lift with two T’s on my phone expands into is anyone available to help me lift it? I’ll be alone. So I do need muscle.Tim MacLeod — And, um, if it’s in the garage, I can do it solo, like dragging a couch onto my trailer is easy enough. They slide very well. And I do have the dolly if there’s anything overly technical, like the pullouts, it’s nice to have a dolly. But yeah, a lot of the times there’s people, there’s someone there to help me lift it. And very, very rarely is it, sorry, I had back surgery or sorry, I’m a single senior lady or something like that. There’s usually, and even even when they say that, sometimes I’ll press a little further. Like, do you have a helpful neighbor? Rich Birch — Right. Meet us.Tim MacLeod — Do you have a son-in-law who can who could that I could coordinate with? Yep. And a lot of times I’m just handing it, or I’m squeezing them for a cell phone number of whoever the the muscle is. And now I’m on their schedule.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s cool.Tim MacLeod — So solo lifts are not required, but they are, they are helpful sometimes, especially at the locker when I’m by myself.Rich Birch — So this is how many years you’ve been doing this full time? Like you, so you left nursing, you know, I know this goes way back to the beginning the story. You left nursing and then how many times, how many years you’ve been doing this?Tim MacLeod — July, 2019, I borrowed the trailer from my brother. And I did full-time nursing plus evening couches for about a year, pulled back from full-time to part-time, part-time to casual. And I think it was May, 2021. Like I did a year of COVID nursing and hated every second of it. Like as soon as COVID was announced, I wanted to be out of there, but I had mortgage approval on the brain and T4 income, or W2 income for the Americans, is much more preferred for lenders than self-employed income. So I held on for that reason. And eventually left just because I hated nursing. I was getting like ulcers on my ears from wearing masks all day. Just the the charades of COVID were really, really ruining it for me.Rich Birch — So we’re going I want to get to that, that help that you’re, you know, you’re offering, which is fantastic. But I want to think about like a person that, you know, they, we want people to stay in their jobs. We don’t want them necessarily to leave. And so ah somebody that wants to make maybe like an extra thousand bucks a month, maybe that’s like, which is, you know, to lots of people, that is like a, that’s a game changer. Like that’s like, that makes all the difference in the world.Rich Birch — Give me a sense of what you think that would take to actually get to that point where, okay, yes, I could, you know, how much time do you think they would need to invest? You know, what would, what is that going to look like? How many couches do you think I’d have to move? You know, I know that’s hard to say. It’s like all North America wide, but give us a sense of kind of the framework of for an extra thousand bucks a month, what would that look like for somebody? Maybe it’s like a youth pastor that’s that’s listening in or an executive pastor. Or and they’re like, Hey, if I just had an extra 1000 bucks that’d make a huge difference in my life. What what would that look like?Tim MacLeod — Sounds like five couches to me.Rich Birch — Five couches. Okay.Tim MacLeod — Buy them for 50, sell them for 250. Delivered. Yep. And that’s that’s a great way to start is just three-seaters. Just rinse and repeat. Three-seater, three-seater, three-seater. But the money is sets and sectionals. That’s where my focus is now.Rich Birch — Okay, okay.Tim MacLeod — Now that does require trailer privilege. But with a with a minivan, you can pick up a three seater. Most three seaters will fit inside a Dodge Caravan or an Odyssey or a Toyota Sienna. And that’s a really good way to start lean and mean with a U-Haul, enclosed trailer, you just need a V6 all wheel drive. So obviously preferred, especially if you have the kind of weather we do, but, um, yeah, for 45 bucks for a U-Haul enclosed, that’s, that’s insured so that you could get in an accident and you’re not paying for it. Always take the insurance. Always. It’s only like five bucks. Tim MacLeod — But um yeah, 45 bucks for 12 by 6. And then you can pick up couch, love seat twice. But yeah, just fill in those trailers. But yeah, starting lean with what you have available and scaling up when it’s smart. And once you’ve proven that it’s possible in your market as well. But everyone’s using couches, so I think it’s good alright.Rich Birch — Yeah, so five, so five couches. How many conversations do you think I’d have to get into take to buy five couches, maybe on that side first?Tim MacLeod — I think, yeah, with the numbers, I think that if you were to start 30 conversations a month, that there would be, there would be five people that hit deadlines and they’d be like, sure. 50 bucks. If you can actually show up, it’s yours.Rich Birch — Right. Right. That’s that feels very doable. That doesn’t feel like crazy out of reach. Like there’s no way that feels like a good, you know, a great starting point for sure.Tim MacLeod — And nobody wants to do it. The barrier for entry is, is ah high enough that it’s it’s basically a private little fishing pond. A lot of people to help.Rich Birch — Right. So let’s talk about, I want to, you’re going to help people, which is amazing. And so you’ve put together some resources to help them kind of get the the ball rolling on this front. And how do, first of all, tell us what it is and then talk to us about how we can get that contact information. We’ll put links and all that in the show notes, but talk us through this.Tim MacLeod — Yeah. So those scripts that I was talking about, um, I’ve made a Google doc that is available. All you got to do is comment scripts on any of my videos and, uh, my little robot Tim will fire over, um, just squeeze you for an email and then I’ll fire that over. And, uh, it’s a good little list and you can plug those in just copy and paste and plug them into keyboard shortcuts in your phone. And then you can use those. Tim MacLeod — And it doesn’t have to be for couches. Like a lot of them are pretty couch specific, but just using those as inspiration for starting conversations and getting people to their best price and making sure that you have all the information so you’re making an informed purchase and there’s not any surprises. And and you’ll see with the with the flow of the conversation, I really am just gifting the blueprint on getting people to their best price. Tim MacLeod — And yeah, and then in my in my bio on instagram I’ve also got the couch course and I’ve run that before as a high ticket offer um and I had help from an agency to, to get leads and all that stuff. And I didn’t like it cause I didn’t like how much people were having to pay in order for me to afford that team. And I just want it to be an impulse buy price range. Tim MacLeod — So for a one hundred bucks, you can come along on a three month ride along with me while I’m pulling like $15,000 months. And, uh, the summer that I recorded that, was 2023 and I did 180k in sales with a gross profit so just sales minus cost of goods was north of a 100k, I think, after tax. I think it was like an 80k a year income. Rich Birch — That’s amazing. Tim MacLeod — And I had a three-year-old with me the entire time. My wife had gone back to work and was using her teaching license and I had a little three-year-old tow. And I also got 75 rounds golf in that year. So it’s, it’s…Rich Birch — That just got some people’s attention. Yeah, that’s amazing.Tim MacLeod — Yeah. The time freedom is stupid. The money is incredible. And, uh, it was, yeah, that was a really, really fun year.Rich Birch — Love it. So what we want to do is send people to your Instagram. Would that be the best? So @thefulltimeflipper, @thefulltimeflipper. And again, you can just comment on any one of his videos.Rich Birch — Well, first of all, Tim’s a great follow on social media. I’ve said this to lots of folks. It’s just such a fun follow. You know, it makes something like flipping just like I was like, man, I think I could do that. And, but just comment scripts on any of those and we’ll get access to those scripts.Rich Birch — And then if you’ll find the link to tim-macleod.com on there as well, which takes you to the course, it’s only a hundred dollars friends. That’s worth your investment. It’ll, it’ll really literally outline. There’s a bunch we could have talked about today and there’s a bunch of details to get into. It will drive into all of those. Literally just take his approach and just do it. Like just, take his scripts, take the what he’s done and apply it. And you’ll for sure be able to find that extra thousand dollars a month or more, you know, down the road. So, yeah, I would love that. and Anywhere else we want to send them. So Instagram, @thefulltimeflipper, anything else about that?Tim MacLeod — Oh, that’s lots. That’s good. And I was feeling pretty pretty silly that I never asked to come on your podcast earlier because a lot of my students are in church ministry in the States. And I think it’s such a sweet side hustle.Tim MacLeod — For me, it was an escape from a job that I didn’t like. But the fact of that most people need supplementary income is pretty across the board and especially in ministry. And a lot of my students have um have had that background and are still in it. And a lot of the time, the people that are in church ministry have an advantage of storage where the church, like they’re like, oh, I got free storage at my church. Pastor said the back room is available. And he said, as long as I just keep a rotation of couches for the student ministry…Rich Birch — Oh, that’s a good call.Tim MacLeod — Yeah, there was a lot of advantage there for church leaders. But yeah, it’s awesome, reliable, supplementary income. And it’s nice to not rely on your ministry for income. Like people aren’t in ministry for the big bucks. They’re there because they that is their purpose. That’s their calling. But the pressure of having to rely on that for income isn’t always the best.Rich Birch — Well, and I do think, um you know, I think folks who are in church ministry, a part of what I why why I think this is great that we’re talking about this is you might underestimate that even like a part of your core, it’s like literally core to your business is like, be kind to people and like be helpful. Tim MacLeod — Yeah.Rich Birch — And, you know, you don’t need to be sleazy. You don’t need to be, ah you know, some sort of like, oh, you’re like a used car salesman of couches. No, that’s not what it is at all. You’re just being kind and helpful and you want to try to close this gap in the market. And and I think there’s a lot of people in ministry who are like, my I could totally do that. I can make that happen for sure. So, Tim, I really appreciate this.Tim MacLeod — It really does feel like stewarding my gifts, you know?Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s great. So again, that is, if you just go to Instagram, @thefulltimeflipper, you should follow them there and then comment scripts for any of those. Appreciate you being on the show today, sir. Thanks so much.Tim MacLeod — Thanks, man.

What spirits (holy and otherwise) haunt churches? Women in white, ghostly clergymen, fairies, angels, organist twins, naughty nuns, and giant maggots. Simon and Chris bicker, in this ecclesiastical outing, about consecrated ground, wimples, the recording properties of stones, the mental health of vicars' families and double dipping. Chris tells of infernal churches in the States, while Simon pontificates about church porches where the dead foretell the coming year. In just forty-five minutes expect to learn: how to get to hell via a church; why churches are like muzzled dogs; and where to get a glimpse of Jimmy Garlick (bring a shilling).

Roti, kapda aur makaan (roti, clothes, and housing) has been a political promise for generations. Now, with housing becoming increasingly expensive, makaan has been taken out of the equation in urban India. In Patna, for instance, buying a 2 BHK (bedroom, hall, kitchen) costs over ₹1 crore. This is the case in other rapidly urbanising cities as well. In metropolises, it is twice the amount, making owning a house out of reach for most Indians. According to the World Bank, per capita income is ₹2,42,487.70 (2024). This does not reflect income inequality among individuals and across States, which is extremely wide in India. Has housing become prohibitively expensive in Indian cities? Guests: Ashok B. Lall and Tikender Singh Panwar Host: Serish Nanisetti.  Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode I was pleased to be joined by Ffion Tynan who has just turned professional after gaining Ladies European Tour Category 19 status as well as a full status on LET Access Series for 2026. Ffion is from Llanharry in Wales and would pick up the game by chance at 8 years old during a holiday in Orlando where she would get spotted and asked to play more after. From age 11 Ffion has represented Wales in all forms something she is extremely proud of and would eventually go to the States at both University of Arkansas & University of Missouri. Ffion has had some great junior success with taking part in 2x Vagliano Trophy's as well as being the English U14 Champion, IMG World Challenge Champion, Scottish U18 Champion, Welsh Ladies Strokeplay Champion, Sir Henry Cooper Invitional Champion, Welsh Girls' Champion, Welsh Amateur Champion as well as this year's European Club Trophy Individual Champion in Slovakia.  At Q School on LET Ffion would navigate through to final stage where after R1 she would be near the top of the leaderboard before admittedly struggling but all learning experience as she gains status for next year!  Thanks Ffion, a bubbly, fun person with immense talent!     Download via Podbean, Apple & Spotify

Affordable Care Act subsidies are set to expire as the new year begins, and some states are trying to take action. In Georgia, Democrats are pushing for the state to cover the subsidies, but many Republicans there are opposed. Georgia Democratic State Representative Sam Park and Georgia Republican State Senator Ben Watson join us to discuss the state of the debate.And, counting down the last few seconds before the clock strikes midnight is a New Year's Eve tradition. But did you know it's a modern phenomenon? Historian Alexis McCrossen explains how it came to be.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

En este episodio te comparto algunas ideas para arrancar bien el año y que sea un año genial para ti, tu empresa y tu familia. Conecta conmigo: https://linktr.ee/miguelgomezSígueme en redes sociales:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dineroenespanol Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miguelgomezconsejero TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/miguelgomezconsejero____________________________Dinero en Español es una producción de Dinero Coaching, LLC_____________________________Sophronia Wealth Advisors (“Sophronia”) is a registered investment advisor offering advisory services in the States of Texas, California and in other jurisdictions where exempted. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.  This communication is for informational purposes only and is not intended as tax, accounting or legal advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or as an endorsement of any company, security, fund, or other securities or non-securities offering.This communication should not be relied upon as the sole factor in an investment making decision. The information herein is provided “AS IS” and without warranties of any kind either express or implied. To the fullest extent permissible pursuant to applicable laws, Sophronia Wealth Advisors (referred to as “Sophronia”) disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability, non-infringement, and suitability for a particular purpose.All opinions and estimates constitute Sophronia's judgement as of the date of this communication and are subject to change without notice. Sophronia does not warrant that the information will be free from error. The information should not be relied upon for purposes of transacting securities or other invest

The Trump administration has cut off federal child care funding to Minnesota, citing alleged daycare fraud. Gov. Tim Walz calls the move political, warning that families and providers could feel the impact quickly. Plus, several states are restricting SNAP purchases of soda and candy to encourage healthier choices. Critics argue the changes could complicate shopping and stigmatize recipients. And Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of former President John F. Kennedy, has died at 35 after battling leukemia. The environmental journalist is being remembered for her work and powerful final essay. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Wednesday, December 31, 2025.

Watch The X22 Report On Video No videos found (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:17532056201798502,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-9437-3289"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");pt> Click On Picture To See Larger PictureThe WSJ is predicting higher electricity costs in 2026. Trump is bringing down the cost of energy and implementing new energy sources. Electricity increased because of the the green new scam. Trump is now going after the Federal Reserve for gross incompetence, this will lead to exposing the Fed’s criminal activity. The [DS] infiltrated Congress going all the way back to 1929, the continued to present day. They made it so they have the ability to control those people they install. There are no term limits, this allows these people to stay in their positions for a very longtime. Trump is now setting the stage to return the power back to the people. This is much bigger than a few arrests. Economy Average Electricity Rates by State, What Do You Pay?  Hawaii and California have the highest rates. Idaho the lowest. Average Residential Electricity Rates by State   Electricity Cost 10 Lowest States Be Prepared to Keep Paying More for Electricity The Wall Street Journal says Be Prepared to Keep Paying More for Electricity Source:  mishtalk.com  (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:18510697282300316,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-8599-9832"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs"); https://twitter.com/ElectionWiz/status/2005964583727780156?s=20 https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2005751158149615698?s=20  Trump claims the project has overrun by $4 billion (he mentions $4.1 billion total for “a few small buildings”), calling it the “highest price in the history of construction.” He contrasts this with his own White House ballroom project, which he says is under budget and ahead of schedule despite its cost doubling to $400 million from an earlier $200 million estimate.  Yes, discovery could occur—if the case advances past initial hurdles. This would allow Trump’s side to subpoena Fed documents, emails, financial records, and testimony related to the renovations. This could effectively let them “look into” specific aspects of what the Fed has been doing, such as budgeting, contracting, and project management for the HQ overhaul. Discovery rules under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are broad, potentially uncovering internal Fed communications or decisions tied to the alleged incompetence.    Trump could request a GAO investigation into the HQ project overruns. Political/Rights Longtime Democrat George Clooney and His Family Ditch America, Move to France, and Secure French Citizenship Hollywood elitist and longtime Democrat activist George Clooney has officially joined the growing list of wealthy, left-wing celebrities who preach “American values” while quietly distancing themselves from the United States. Clooney, along with his wife, Amal Alamuddin Clooney, and their two children, has reportedly obtained French citizenship through a naturalization decree. The couple's 8-year-old twins, Ella and Alexander, were included in the process.  Clooney went on to explain that he feared raising his children in Los Angeles. “I was worried about raising our kids in L. A., in the culture of Hollywood. I felt like they were never going to get a fair shake at life. France—they kind of don't give a shit about fame. I don't want them to be walking around worried about paparazzi. I don't want them being compared to somebody else's famous kids.” Source: thegatewaypundit.com https://twitter.com/RichardGrenell/status/2005844962769064196?s=20 beliefs. Boycotting the Arts to show you support the Arts is a form of derangement syndrome. The arts are for everyone and the left is mad about it. https://twitter.com/Oilfield_Rando/status/2005834821503705445?s=20 DOGE Geopolitical New Report Appears to Confirm Covenant School Shooter Audrey Hale Bought Guns With Student Loan Money The FBI has just released more pages from the manifesto of Covenant School shooter Audrey Hale, which suggest that she bought the guns used in the 2023 shooting with money she had from a Pell Grant. Hale's parents suggested this two years ago and this report appears to confirm that. The Tennessee Star reports: Latest FBI Release of Covenant School Manifesto Files Appears to Confirm Trans-Identified Killer Bought Guns with Pell Grant Money The FBI on Monday released another 230 manifesto pages written by Audrey Elizabeth Hale, the biological female who identified as a transgender man on March 27, 2023, when the 28-year-old killed six at the Covenant School in Nashville, the Christian elementary school she once attended. This latest journal appears to have been written sometime in late 2021, and includes lengthy sections about the weapons the killer planned to use to commit a mass shooting at a school sometime that year. Following multiple pages full of weapons to purchase, the journal includes a page labeled “Account Savings Record,” which appears to reference the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It also records multiple payments received from Nossi during the period when Hale attended the Nossi College of Art and Design in Nashville. “FASFA [sic] grant checks started at $2,050.86,” wrote Hale at the top of the entry. The page then lists a series of apparent ledger entries, starting with, “$2,656.87 (x3 checks from Nossi).” The next ledger entry states, “+$530.00 (x1 check Nossi) ($3,186.87).” This reference to Hale's federal student aid, located in the writings next to her entries about guns she considered buying, appears to corroborate the claims made by her parents to Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) detectives in 2023, when they told law enforcement their child purchased the firearms using federal Pell Grant money.  Source: thegatewaypundit.com https://twitter.com/Noahpinion/status/2005425950306263265?s=20 War/Peace https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/2005747398614847766?s=20 https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/2005757621278761205?s=20 Trump clarifies that if Hamas do not disarm like they promised, that any number of the 59 countries who signed onto the peace deal, will completely wipe out Hamas.  Protests Erupt Across Iran As Angry People Flood Streets  The mullahs have ruled in Iran since 1979. So you had millions that went to helping to prop up the terrorist state. But the Iranians are a persistent people, it would appear, especially when you hurt them in their wallets and make it challenging to survive. We’re at another one of those moments in history where hope has sparked again in the country, and people are in the streets, calling for change. Nationwide strikes and protests by merchants continued across Iran, with shops shuttered in major commercial hubs including Tehran's Grand Bazaar, Lalehzar Street, Naser Khosrow and Istanbul Square. Demonstrators chanted anti-government slogans calling for the downfall of the ruling clerics and demanding the leadership step aside. Video circulating online showed protesters inside a major shopping complex in Tehran's Grand Bazaar chanting, “Have no fear, we are all together,” while hurling insults at security forces and calling them shameless. Source: redstate.com Crushed by inflation, soaring living costs, and a future stolen by the regime, Iranians are back in the streets to protest. In a chilling echo of Tiananmen's Tank Man, one man defiantly sits down before the riot police. Desperation has met courage. Funds have been cutoff to the Mullahs/DS. They will lose control in the end and the people will rise up and take back their country. Cyber attacks ‘tipping point' warning issued after Harrods and M&S targeted Cyber attacks surged into prominence in 2025, inflicting significant financial damage on major British businesses and exposing widespread vulnerabilities across the economy. High-profile targets included automotive giant Jaguar Land Rover, retail stalwart Marks & Spencer, and luxury department store Harrods, underscoring how firms of all sizes are susceptible to sophisticated digital threats. Andrew Bailey, governor of the Bank of England, articulated his belief that cyber attacks represent one of the most substantial threats to UK financial stability, stressing the “critically important” need for collaborative defence. He stated: “Cyber attacks are far from new, but 2025 has shown just how deeply cyber risk is intertwined with economic stability and business continuity.” Source:  uk.news.yahoo.com  President Trump Responds to the 91-Drone Attack on Putin's Residence in Novgorod region During an impromptu press availability beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump responded to a question about a drone attack against the personal residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin. President Trump noted that he was informed of the attack by President Putin during an early Monday phone call between the two leaders. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has denied the accusation that Ukraine carried out this particular attack.  The attack took place while Zelenskyy was in Florida meeting with President Trump. U.S. media have said the attack on Putin may be a lie; however, with physical evidence from the defense operation, it is less likely Russia just made up the attack.  At this moment in the conflict, Putin doesn't need domestic propaganda. CONTEXT: British intelligence previously confirmed their participation in the successful Ukraine drone attack against long-range Russian bombers.  That operation, highly controversial at the time, was previously confirmed by President Trump saying the U.S. was not informed in advance. The “coalition of the willing” has also expanded.  Outside the Ukraine regime, the current group making up the “coalition of the willing” includes: the U.K, France, Germany, Canada and Australia.  It is worth noting the additions are all part of the British commonwealth (U.K, Canada, Australia).   I suspect the British did it Source: theconservativetreehouse.com https://twitter.com/KobeissiLetter/status/2005810672672624746?s=20   and utilities have materially underperformed the broader market over the last few years. This has been fueled by the outsized gains in the US technology sector. A similar pattern occurred during the 1990s, while the opposite took place during the 2008 Financial Crisis, when global defensive stocks outperformed. Defensive sectors are lagging. Medical/False Flags [DS] Agenda Soros family reportedly donated more than $71,000 to Letitia James campaigns Leftist billionaire George Soros and members of his family have donated more than $71,000 to political campaigns supporting New York Democratic Attorney General Letitia James since 2019, according to a report published Sunday by the New York Post. The report, citing campaign finance records, said the total includes $31,000 contributed toward James' 2026 reelection bid. Soros personally donated $18,000 in July 2024, while his daughter-in-law, Jennifer Soros, contributed $13,000 in May. With earlier donations included, Soros and his family have provided James with roughly $40,000 more since 2019, the Post reported. The figure does not include the indirect support James has received through left-leaning organizations backed by Soros. The report said Soros' Open Society Foundations have given more than $865,000 to the New York branch of the Working Families Party since 2018. Source:  rsbnetwork.com  https://twitter.com/SteveRob/status/2005683753432351171?s=20 https://twitter.com/mazemoore/status/2005361462580011272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2005361462580011272%7Ctwgr%5E084f3c4b7bd7fa1059f91dab99d5e9dce1ab3cec%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fredstate.com%2Fnick-arama%2F2025%2F12%2F29%2Fthis-didnt-age-well-what-tim-walz-said-about-child-care-providers-during-2024-debate-n2197568 in Minnesota.” Yes Tim, you sure did make it easy for people to open childcare businesses. They don’t even need to provide childcare to get paid. https://twitter.com/amuse/status/2005702559239946273?s=20  admitted to the scheme and was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the underlying fraud, with nearly $48 million ordered in restitution. Separate sentencing remains pending for the bribery conviction. https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/2005794263091798284?s=20   in there until today. That parking lot is empty all the time, and I was under the impression that place is permanently closed,” a local said. About 20 kids were seen “streaming in and out” of the center, according to the Post. “You do realize there's supposed to be 99 children here in this building, and there's no one here?” Shirley said in his viral video. The owner’s son, Ali Ibrahim, claims Shirley came before they opened and is blaming their graphic designer for messing up the sign. “What I understand is [the owners] dealt with a graphic designer. He did it incorrectly. I guess they didn't think it was a big issue,” Ibrahim said https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/2005812805786607882?s=20   children for the cameras. https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/2005766571487289395?s=20   citizens.” – MN AG Keith Ellison https://twitter.com/amuse/status/2005871452562555304?s=20  shootings the morning of Saturday June 13th at approximately 2:30am and 3:30am, in around [unclear] that I will probably be dead by the time you read this letter. I wanted to share some info with you that you might find interesting. I was trained by U.S. Military people off the books starting in college. I have been on projects since that time in Eastern Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Africa. All in the line of duty what I thought was right and in the best interest of the United States. Recently I was approached about a project that Tim Walz wanted done, and Keith [unclear] was also aware of the project. Tim wanted me to kill Amy Klobuchar and Tina [unclear]. Tim wants to be a senator and he doesn't trust [unclear] to retire as planned and this is meant to stay in the last mile with Amy & [unclear] gone. Tim would get one of the open senate seats, and [unclear] was to be VP, and Keith Ellison would be rewarded with a lucrative governing position. I told Tim I wanted nothing to do with it and that I didn't call off that plan I would go public. He said he would call it off himself if I didn't play ball. Then he set up a meeting with me and [unclear] and [unclear] to take care of me when I refused. They had some people waiting to kill me. I was able to get away by God's mercy. So I went back a short time later and shot back at [unclear]. You should notice how I didn't fire me rounds at any police officers and by God I have plenty of opportunity. Ask for the report on how many weapons and ammunition I had with me. Cops were pulling up right next to me in unmarked vehicles and I had an AK pistol across my lap. And I could have left a pile of cops dead but I did not. Short burst towards law enforcement. You can ask them. Because I snapped the police and chose not to see them hurt. But it may end up my wife and kids next time. I won't give them a pass. If you think I'm making this up just get on the phone and tell Tim you have a few questions for him. Then ask Tim Walz if he knows me and see what he says? If he says he doesn't know me, or never met me, look in the files and you will see that Tim personally approved me to be on his Governor's workforce. Bridges are the business representatives. He is probably trying to destroy that note but it is public record. Then ask Tim Walz why they kept the shots silent from the media when they first happened. Not a word in the press and I. Why? They needed to get their stories figured out. So everyone was on the same page about what happened. Tim is probably crapping bricks right now because I'm still at large and he knows what I can disclose and that I know about all the buried skeletons are. So I will be shot on sight you can bet on that. If you want me to turn myself in it need to be directly to you and then I need to be held at a military prison or in the Middle East, or at least on a ship. These guys have military backgrounds and can get to anybody. I am willing to spill all the beans. I just want my family safe. They had nothing to do with this and are totally innocent. This was a lone person https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005811252409344411?s=20 Tim Walz is trying to bury the evidence of Somalian money laundering. His government website showing all the daycare licenses is having a mysterious “outage”. They are freaking out. https://twitter.com/feelsdesperate/status/2005736682100777121?s=20 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/2005699538808697062?s=20 Trump fires 17 government watchdogs at various federal agencies President Donald Trump fired 17 independent watchdogs at various federal agencies late Friday, a Trump administration official confirmed to Fox News, as he continues to reshape the government at a blistering pace. Trump dismissed inspectors general at agencies within the Defense Department, State Department, Energy Department, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Department of Veterans Affairs and more, notifying them by email from the White House Presidential Personnel Office, the Washington Post first reported. “It's a widespread massacre,” one of the terminated inspectors general told the Post. “Whoever Trump puts in now will be viewed as loyalists, and that undermines the entire system.” Source: foxnews.com Trump has been in office for 11 months. The Trump US Attorney has been in control of the Minneapolis Office less than that. These are programs the Biden DOJ did not investigate — they investigated “Feeding our Future” only. So the investigations of 13 other federally funded welfare programs started from scratch.   https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi/status/2005764911427731459?s=20 THREAD https://twitter.com/Geiger_Capital/status/2005688449026908544?s=20 https://twitter.com/politico/status/2005765912167911931?s=20 https://twitter.com/StephenM/status/2005851479425310785?s=20  https://twitter.com/C_3C_3/status/2005864187575128397?s=20 President Trump's Plan https://twitter.com/WarClandestine/status/2005816218226233847?s=20 The National Guard is building a “quick reaction force” (QRF) of some 23,500 troops trained in crowd control and civil disturbance that can be ready to deploy to U.S. cities by early next year, according to a leaked memo reported by multiple outlets Wednesday.  The Oct. 8 memo, signed by National Guard Bureau Director of Operations Maj. Gen. Ronald Burkett, orders the Guard from nearly every U.S. state, Puerto Rico and Guam to train 500 service members. States with smaller populations such as Delaware will have 250 troops in its force, while Alaska will have 350 and Guam will have 100, Task & Purpose reported. Attorney General Pam Bondi Directs DOJ to Investigate Obama-Biden Era ‘Lawfare' as Ongoing Criminal Conspiracy Attorney General Pam Bondi has confirmed that the Department of Justice is actively probing what she describes as a decade-long pattern of government weaponization and “lawfare” under the Obama and Biden administrations. Bondi has directed U.S. Attorneys and federal agents to treat these actions as an “ongoing criminal conspiracy,” potentially allowing prosecutors to bypass statutes of limitations and hold high-ranking officials accountable for alleged election interference and civil rights violations. Source: thegatewaypundit.com  child-like illogic. And if you want to jump in and comment on whatever your particular axe to grind is and how disappointed you are that axe did not get ground in 11 months, please refer to the preposterous, child-like illogic mentioned above. https://twitter.com/TonySeruga/status/2005766903579701465?s=20 Look at the structure itself. 435 representatives for more than 300 million citizens. One voice per 700,000 people. The founders envisioned one per 30,000. That ratio was frozen in 1929, locked by the Permanent Apportionment Act, ensuring the number would remain manageable. Manageable for whom? One hundred senators. 535 total legislators controlling the direction of the largest economy in human history. You do not need to purchase a nation. You purchase 535 people. Or fewer. Buy the committee chairs. Fewer still. Buy the leadership. A few dozen individuals, properly leveraged through money or blackmail (it's actually both), steer everything. The bottleneck is artificial. Engineered for efficient capture. The Federal Reserve arrived in 1913, transferring monetary sovereignty from the people to a private banking cartel. That same year, the 17th Amendment removed state legislatures from Senate appointments, severing the balance between federal and state power. The intelligence apparatus emerged after World War II as a parallel government operating beyond electoral accountability. The administrative state metastasized into an unelected fourth branch writing rules with the force of law. Layer upon layer. Each generation inherits chains from contracts they never signed, bound by compromises made long before their birth. Yes, the Founding Fathers intended for the House of Representatives to expand as the population grew. The U.S. Constitution’s Article I, Section 2 established an initial apportionment ratio of no more than one representative per 30,000 inhabitants (with each state guaranteed at least one), implying that the total number would increase based on census results every ten years. the framers expected regular adjustments to maintain proportional representation as the nation expanded.  James Madison, in Federalist No. 58, directly addressed concerns that the House might not grow, arguing that the Constitution’s mechanisms—such as decennial reapportionments—would “augment the number of representatives” over time, and that political incentives (e.g., larger states pushing for increases) would ensure it happened.  This intent is further supported by the proposed (but unratified) Congressional Apportionment Amendment from the original Bill of Rights, which aimed to set a formula preventing the House from becoming too small relative to the population.  However, the House was permanently capped at 435 members by the Apportionment Act of 1929, diverging from this original vision. https://twitter.com/CynicalPublius/status/2005740095979069669?s=20   attempt instead chase smaller game, run interference, attack each other, send you down rabbit holes, and offer limited hangouts that lead nowhere. The silence is bipartisan. The silence is the tell. If your enemy acts and your ally does nothing despite holding every lever of power, you do not have two sides. WAIT… THERE'S MORE… https://twitter.com/WarClandestine/status/2005729994782466232?s=20   our walls, with Antifa and radical Islamic terrorist groups still at large, without Trump's people in position, without the public being informed of the treasonous conspiracy, without the wars around the globe being settled, without rogue Deep State elements like Iran's nuclear capabilities being shut down, all while the public are extremely emotionally charged after the election cycle and have been repeatedly brainwashed to believe that Trump is Hitler about to unleash a military dictatorship… There's levels to this shit. Many variables must be accounted for and many pieces must be in place before we can do something of this magnitude. But if you've been paying attention, you'd see that much of these things have already been taken care of over Trump's first year. I'm more optimistic than I've ever been, and frankly I don't understand how people don't see what Trump is doing. The price to pay for striking early, could result in mass civilian casualties, the entire operation will be ruined, the Republic will fall to the Deep State, and all of us will be tax/labor slaves forever. We can't afford to miss. Everything must be perfect, and Trump is putting the pieces into place to make it happen. (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:13499335648425062,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-7164-1323"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="//cdn2.customads.co/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");

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New York  City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announces new members of his incoming administration, including Deputy Mayor for Health & Human Services; States receive the first allotments from a $50 billion federal rural health care fund; Federal investigation into alleged multi-billion-dollar fraud of Minnesota state services expands, with some Republicans calling on Democratic Gov. Tim Walz to resign. We will talk about it with Axios breaking news reporter Herb Scribner (16); U.S. pledges $2 billion in for United Nations humanitarian aid, down sharply from previous years; China's Foreign Minister criticizes a record $11 billion in U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan as China conducts military drills simulating a blockade of Taiwan; more performers cancel scheduled dates at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC after President Trump's name was added to the institution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Thomas is joined once again by his dear friends, longtime students, and meditation instructors Susanne Ahlendorf and Martin Bruders, for a conversation that unpacks both elemental and complex elements of the practice of meditation.They break down the most essential spiritual components of meditation and how we can apply them to our own practice, at any experience level. Thomas shares insight on how to cultivate the “beginner's mind” and harness our attention by releasing unhelpful expectations of what a “good” practice should be.They also discuss the crucial role of the body in meditation, and how we can learn to embrace life's deepest and most difficult questions as our path to revelation.✨ Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube:

On this episode:   Ghost activity https://www.tiktok.com/@confessions_of_ghost_boy/video/7585921645886311702?_r=1&_t=ZN-92ZXChWjRSg The etymology of the word ghost The introduction gateway book for us all. Osbourne book of ghosts Standish Church in Maine being researched by paranormal investigators Somerset named as most haunted in UK Top ten most haunted regions of the UK Bolton's all female ghost busters James has his own JOTT Meet the Basingstoke ghost hunters Has someone caught the photo of a ghost monk at Conisbrough Castle? https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/people/paranormal-investigator-claims-to-have-spotted-ghost-of-monk-at-conisbrough-castle-5382702 Nurses and the paranormal The Ghost Club, the worlds oldest paranormal society The majority of Americans believe in the paranormal What is ghost hunters Steve Gonsalves most scary moment? Nearly half of Canadians believe in the paranormal Jedward can see ghosts The scariest paranormal roads in Europe are over in Ireland A third of the English believe in the paranormal What is behind the #HauntedAppalachia trend and is the real haunted Appalachia folklore scarier? The Greenbrier Ghost: Zona Shue The Screaming Skull of Burton Agnes Hall Man marries a rice cooker Haunted English Heritage sights at the sites Adults share the creepiest things children have said to them Country Living's top ten signs your house is haunted The real origin of the MIB Frogs rain down in Brazil A peer-reviewed study finds aliens may have been observing us blowing up nuclear bombs A Dr. States ghost hunting isn't actually about hunting for ghosts The Ghosts of Bluebell Hill Ghost Adventures' Aaron Goodwin won't watch the moment his wife tried to have him killed Does the paranormal affect house sales Did Steve Jobs have a deathbed vision Quantum computer passes the lie detector test Polish pipeline digs up ancient warriors, merging the pagan with Christianity Car picks up ghosts on its sensors? Was Jesus the ultimate pagan sorcerer? Area 51 road trip Nurse sees 7ft shadow figure standing by dying patient's bed Do aliens only “virtually” abduct you? UFOs are shutting down nuclear bunkers and flying off   Thank you so much for listening.  If you would like to buy James a coffee to show your support please go to  https://ko-fi.com/forteannewspodcast   

*Notice* Podcasting will be on Monday And Tuesday From now on. I have to do what works for me. Thank you for understanding.Thank you for all for the blessings

Original Release Date: November 13, 2025Live from Morgan Stanley's European Tech, Media and Telecom Conference in Barcelona, our roundtable of analysts discusses tech disruptions and datacenter growth, and how Europe factors in.Read more insights from Morgan Stanley.----- Transcript -----Paul Walsh: Welcome to Thoughts on the Market. I'm Paul Walsh, Morgan Stanley's European Head of Research Product. Today we return to my conversation with Adam Wood. Head of European Technology and Payments, Emmet Kelly, Head of European Telco and Data Centers, and Lee Simpson, Head of European Technology. We were live on stage at Morgan Stanley's 25th TMT Europe conference. We had so much to discuss around the themes of AI enablers, semiconductors, and telcos. So, we are back with a concluding episode on tech disruption and data center investments. It's Thursday the 13th of November at 8am in Barcelona. After speaking with the panel about the U.S. being overweight AI enablers, and the pockets of opportunity in Europe, I wanted to ask them about AI disruption, which has been a key theme here in Europe. I started by asking Adam how he was thinking about this theme. Adam Wood: It's fascinating to see this year how we've gone in most of those sectors to how positive can GenAI be for these companies? How well are they going to monetize the opportunities? How much are they going to take advantage internally to take their own margins up? To flipping in the second half of the year, mainly to, how disruptive are they going to be? And how on earth are they going to fend off these challenges? Paul Walsh: And I think that speaks to the extent to which, as a theme, this has really, you know, built momentum. Adam Wood: Absolutely. And I mean, look, I think the first point, you know, that you made is absolutely correct – that it's very difficult to disprove this. It's going to take time for that to happen. It's impossible to do in the short term. I think the other issue is that what we've seen is – if we look at the revenues of some of the companies, you know, and huge investments going in there. And investors can clearly see the benefit of GenAI. And so investors are right to ask the question, well, where's the revenue for these businesses? You know, where are we seeing it in info services or in IT services, or in enterprise software. And the reality is today, you know, we're not seeing it. And it's hard for analysts to point to evidence that – well, no, here's the revenue base, here's the benefit that's coming through. And so, investors naturally flip to, well, if there's no benefit, then surely, we should focus on the risk. So, I think we totally understand, you know, why people are focused on the negative side of things today. I think there are differences between the sub-sectors. I mean, I think if we look, you know, at IT services, first of all, from an investor point of view, I think that's been pretty well placed in the losers' buckets and people are most concerned about that sub-sector… Paul Walsh: Something you and the global team have written a lot about. Adam Wood: Yeah, we've written about, you know, the risk of disruption in that space, the need for those companies to invest, and then the challenges they face. But I mean, if we just keep it very, very simplistic. If Gen AI is a technology that, you know, displaces labor to any extent – companies that have played labor arbitrage and provide labor for the last 20 - 25 years, you know, they're going to have to make changes to their business model. So, I think that's understandable. And they're going to have to demonstrate how they can change and invest and produce a business model that addresses those concerns. I'd probably put info services in the middle. But the challenge in that space is you have real identifiable companies that have emerged, that have a revenue base and that are challenging a subset of the products of those businesses. So again, it's perfectly understandable that investors would worry. In that context, it's not a potential threat on the horizon. It's a real threat that exists today against certainly their businesses. I think software is probably the most interesting. I'd put it in the kind of final bucket where I actually believe… Well, I think first of all, we certainly wouldn't take the view that there's no risk of disruption and things aren't going to change. Clearly that is going to be the case. I think what we'd want to do though is we'd want to continue to use frameworks that we've used historically to think about how software companies differentiate themselves, what the barriers to entry are. We don't think we need to throw all of those things away just because we have GenAI, this new set of capabilities. And I think investors will come back most easily to that space. Paul Walsh: Emmet, you talked a little bit there before about the fact that you haven't seen a huge amount of progress or additional insight from the telco space around AI; how AI is diffusing across the space. Do you get any discussions around disruption as it relates to telco space? Emmet Kelly: Very, very little. I think the biggest threat that telcos do see is – it is from the hyperscalers. So, if I look at and separate the B2C market out from the B2B, the telcos are still extremely dominant in the B2C space, clearly. But on the B2B space, the hyperscalers have come in on the cloud side, and if you look at their market share, they're very, very dominant in cloud – certainly from a wholesale perspective. So, if you look at the cloud market shares of the big three hyperscalers in Europe, this number is courtesy of my colleague George Webb. He said it's roughly 85 percent; that's how much they have of the cloud space today. The telcos, what they're doing is they're actually reselling the hyperscale service under the telco brand name. But we don't see much really in terms of the pure kind of AI disruption, but there are concerns definitely within the telco space that the hyperscalers might try and move from the B2B space into the B2C space at some stage. And whether it's through virtual networks, cloudified networks, to try and get into the B2C space that way. Paul Walsh: Understood. And Lee maybe less about disruption, but certainly adoption, some insights from your side around adoption across the tech hardware space? Lee Simpson: Sure. I think, you know, it's always seen that are enabling the AI move, but, but there is adoption inside semis companies as well, and I think I'd point to design flow. So, if you look at the design guys, they're embracing the agentic system thing really quickly and they're putting forward this capability of an agent engineer, so like a digital engineer. And it – I guess we've got to get this right. It is going to enable a faster time to market for the design flow on a chip. So, if you have that design flow time, that time to market. So, you're creating double the value there for the client. Do you share that 50-50 with them? So, the challenge is going to be exactly as Adam was saying, how do you monetize this stuff? So, this is kind of the struggle that we're seeing in adoption. Paul Walsh: And Emmet, let's move to you on data centers. I mean, there are just some incredible numbers that we've seen emerging, as it relates to the hyperscaler investment that we're seeing in building out the infrastructure. I know data centers is something that you have focused tremendously on in your research, bringing our global perspectives together. Obviously, Europe sits within that. And there is a market here in Europe that might be more challenged. But I'm interested to understand how you're thinking about framing the whole data center story? Implications for Europe. Do European companies feed off some of that U.S. hyperscaler CapEx? How should we be thinking about that through the European lens? Emmet Kelly: Yeah, absolutely. So, big question, Paul. What… Paul Walsh: We've got a few minutes! Emmet Kelly: We've got a few minutes. What I would say is there was a great paper that came out from Harvard just two weeks ago, and they were looking at the scale of data center investments in the United States. And clearly the U.S. economy is ticking along very, very nicely at the moment. But this Harvard paper concluded that if you take out data center investments, U.S. economic growth today is actually zero. Paul Walsh: Wow. Emmet Kelly: That is how big the data center investments are. And what we've said in our research very clearly is if you want to build a megawatt of data center capacity that's going to cost you roughly $35 million today. Let's put that number out there. 35 million. Roughly, I'd say 25… Well, 20 to 25 million of that goes into the chips. But what's really interesting is the other remaining $10 million per megawatt, and I like to call that the picks and shovels of data centers; and I'm very convinced there is no bubble in that area whatsoever.So, what's in that area? Firstly, the first building block of a data center is finding a powered land bank. And this is a big thing that private equity is doing at the moment. So, find some real estate that's close to a mass population that's got a good fiber connection. Probably needs a little bit of water, but most importantly needs some power. And the demand for that is still infinite at the moment. Then beyond that, you've got the construction angle and there's a very big shortage of labor today to build the shells of these data centers. Then the third layer is the likes of capital goods, and there are serious supply bottlenecks there as well.And I could go on and on, but roughly that first $10 million, there's no bubble there. I'm very, very sure of that. Paul Walsh: And we conducted some extensive survey work recently as part of your analysis into the global data center market. You've sort of touched on a few of the gating factors that the industry has to contend with. That survey work was done on the operators and the supply chain, as it relates to data center build out. What were the key conclusions from that? Emmet Kelly: Well, the key conclusion was there is a shortage of power for these data centers, and… Paul Walsh: Which I think… Which is a sort of known-known, to some extent. Emmet Kelly: it is a known-known, but it's not just about the availability of power, it's the availability of green power. And it's also the price of power is a very big factor as well because energy is roughly 40 to 45 percent of the operating cost of running a data center. So, it's very, very important. And of course, that's another area where Europe doesn't screen very well.I was looking at statistics just last week on the countries that have got the highest power prices in the world. And unsurprisingly, it came out as UK, Ireland, Germany, and that's three of our big five data center markets. But when I looked at our data center stats at the beginning of the year, to put a bit of context into where we are…Paul Walsh: In Europe… Emmet Kelly: In Europe versus the rest. So, at the end of [20]24, the U.S. data center market had 35 gigawatts of data center capacity. But that grew last year at a clip of 30 percent. China had a data center bank of roughly 22 gigawatts, but that had grown at a rate of just 10 percent. And that was because of the chip issue. And then Europe has capacity, or had capacity at the end of last year, roughly 7 to 8 gigawatts, and that had grown at a rate of 10 percent. Now, the reason for that is because the three big data center markets in Europe are called FLAP-D. So, it's Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris, and Dublin. We had to put an acronym on it. So, Flap-D. Good news. I'm sitting with the tech guys. They've got even more acronyms than I do, in their sector, so well done them. Lee Simpson: Nothing beats FLAP-D. Paul Walsh: Yes. Emmet Kelly: It's quite an achievement. But what is interesting is three of the big five markets in Europe are constrained. So, Frankfurt, post the Ukraine conflict. Ireland, because in Ireland, an incredible statistic is data centers are using 25 percent of the Irish power grid. Compared to a global average of 3 percent.Now I'm from Dublin, and data centers are running into conflict with industry, with housing estates. Data centers are using 45 percent of the Dublin grid, 45. So, there's a moratorium in building data centers there. And then Amsterdam has the classic semi moratorium space because it's a small country with a very high population. So, three of our five markets are constrained in Europe. What is interesting is it started with the former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The UK has made great strides at attracting data center money and AI capital into the UK and the current Prime Minister continues to do that. So, the UK has definitely gone; moved from the middle lane into the fast lane. And then Macron in France. He hosted an AI summit back in February and he attracted over a 100 billion euros of AI and data center commitments. Paul Walsh: And I think if we added up, as per the research that we published a few months ago, Europe's announced over 350 billion euros, in proposed investments around AI. Emmet Kelly: Yeah, absolutely. It's a good stat. Now where people can get a little bit cynical is they can say a couple of things. Firstly, it's now over a year since the Mario Draghi report came out. And what's changed since? Absolutely nothing, unfortunately. And secondly, when I look at powering AI, I like to compare Europe to what's happening in the United States. I mean, the U.S. is giving access to nuclear power to AI. It started with the three Mile Island… Paul Walsh: Yeah. The nuclear renaissance is… Emmet Kelly: Nuclear Renaissance is absolutely huge. Now, what's underappreciated is actually Europe has got a massive nuclear power bank. It's right up there. But unfortunately, we're decommissioning some of our nuclear power around Europe, so we're going the wrong way from that perspective. Whereas President Trump is opening up the nuclear power to AI tech companies and data centers. Then over in the States we also have gas and turbines. That's a very, very big growth area and we're not quite on top of that here in Europe. So, looking at this year, I have a feeling that the Americans will probably increase their data center capacity somewhere between – it's incredible – somewhere between 35 and 50 percent. And I think in Europe we're probably looking at something like 10 percent again. Paul Walsh: Okay. Understood. Emmet Kelly: So, we're growing in Europe, but we're way, way behind as a starting point. And it feels like the others are pulling away. The other big change I'd highlight is the Chinese are really going to accelerate their data center growth this year as well. They've got their act together and you'll see them heading probably towards 30 gigs of capacity by the end of next year. Paul Walsh: Alright, we're out of time. The TMT Edge is alive and kicking in Europe. I want to thank Emmett, Lee and Adam for their time and I just want to wish everybody a great day today. Thank you.(Applause) That was my conversation with Adam, Emmett and Lee. Many thanks again to them. Many thanks again to them for telling us about the latest in their areas of research and to the live audience for hearing us out. And a thanks to you as well for listening. Let us know what you think about this and other episodes by living us a review wherever you get your podcasts. And if you enjoy listening to Thoughts on the Market, please tell a friend or colleague about the podcast today.

It's time to build your family's future on a foundation of true health and freedom. Join us at Future Foundations—because your future generations deserve the best start to the mission that will outlive us… Check it out here. Use code FREEDOM25 for 25% off!    Whether you're looking for tinctures, topicals or teas or a deeper connection to your INNATE healing capacity, Noble Task Homestead is here to serve you. Join the movement. Visit NobleTaskHomestead.com/noblestan today and enjoy a 10% discount on your order.   San Diego area residents, take advantage of our special New Patient offer exclusively for podcast listeners here. We can't wait to experience miracles with you!   Welcome to a new episode of the Future Generations Podcast! Join us with Dr. Bob Sears, a pediatrician of nearly 30 years from Dana Point, CA and author of The Vaccine Book. Once a conventional, CDC‑trusting doctor, Dr. Sears shares how his perspective shifted as he encountered vaccine injuries and dug into the actual data behind risks and benefits. They explore what truly makes a "good pediatrician" today—one who honors informed consent, partners with parents regardless of their vaccine choices, and understands natural and holistic options for children's health. The discussion dives into the recent ACIP move on the hepatitis B shot at birth, how states like California may resist those changes, and the growing legal and constitutional battles around mandates and religious exemptions. Highlights: "My mission is to ensure that parents all over the world have access to objective, truthful, undoctored advice and informed consent on vaccines."   "A good pediatrician is one that listens to the parents… I'm here to serve you and help you in your journey, not to tell you what to do."    "We're vaccinating everyone for a disease that might infect one in 7 million kids."    "Doctors normalize reactions like encephalitis because they're happening so often. It's become expected, and that's terrifying."    Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:29 Dr. Sears' Mission & Background 03:41 What Is a "Good" Pediatrician? 06:14 ACIP & Removing Hep B at Birth 07:43 States vs. CDC – Two-Tier Vaccine Policies 11:34 Religious Exemptions & the Courts 15:29 Actual Hep B Risk Numbers 26:50 Bob's Own Parenting & Vaccine Wake‑Up 33:05 Vaccine Injury, Encephalitis & Normalization 57:12 The Future: Pharma‑Free Families & Independent Docs Resources:   Remember to Rate, Review, and Subscribe on iTunes and Follow us on Spotify!   Learn more about Dr. Stanton Hom on:   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drstantonhom  Website: https://futuregenerationssd.com/    Podcast Website: https://thefuturegen.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/drstantonhom  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanhomdc  Stay Connected with the Future Generations Podcast:   Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/futuregenpodcast  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/futuregenpodcast/    Links:    https://www.thehivemethod.co/ https://www.instagram.com/thehivemethod.co   About Dr. Bob Sears Dr. Bob Sears is a pediatrician, father of three, grandfather of two, author of The Vaccine Book (newly revised 2019 plus an added Covid chapter) and seven other books, and creator of The Vaccine Consult Video at DrBobSears.com. His latest book is One Doctor vs The Medical Board. Dr. Bob earned his medical degree at Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1995 and did his pediatric internship and residency at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. He continues to practice pediatrics at his office in Dana Point, CA, where he provides a combination of alternative and traditional medical care. With the new threat of mandatory vaccination laws, Dr. Bob's new mission is to insure that all families worldwide receive complete, objective, and un-doctored informed consent before they choose vaccination and that people everywhere retain the freedom to make healthcare decisions for themselves and their children.   Stay Connected with Dr. Bob: https://www.instagram.com/drbobsears/?hl=en  The desire to go off grid and have the ability to grow your own food has never been stronger than before. 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In collaboration with this incredible team, we are proud to offer you 10% off of your first purchase by shopping here.   Are you concerned about food supply insecurity? Our family has rigorously sourced our foods for over a decade and one of our favorite sources is Farm Match and specifically for San Diego locals, "Real Food Club PMA". My kids are literally made from their maple breakfast sausage and the amazing carnitas we make from their pasture raised pork. We are thrilled to share 10% off your first order when you shop at this link.   Another important way to bolster food security is by supporting local ranchers. Our favorite local regenerative ranch is Perennial Pastures. They have the best nutrient-dense meats that are 100% grass-fed and pasture-raised. You can get $10 off of your first purchase when you use the code: "FUTUREGENERATIONS" at checkout. Start shopping here.  

 As a high school teacher in Santa Maria, CA, Taylor Mihelic understands the power of a field trip. Whether it's plant identification hikes through the forests, or habitat restoration projects on the coast, Taylor gets the best out of her students when there's adventure in the air. During her summer break this year, Taylor took her own field trip on the tour divide bike race, exploring the edge of her limits and teaching herself a lesson in optimism along the way. Support comes from Kuat Racks  Oboz Ka'Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIES for 15% off your next order. Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today. Our book, States of Adventure, 30 stories adapted from The Diaries, is out in the wild. See if it's available on your local shelves or order it here: geni.us/StatesofAdventure