Cryptocurrency, Investing, Money, Economy, Business, and Debt:
Fudge the numbers. So much easier than growing the economy: Trump Administration May Revise GDP Calculation
The Trump administration may exclude government spending from GDP, obscuring the impact of DOGE cuts.
Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the U.S. economy’s health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because changes in taxes, spending, deficits and regulations by the government can impact the path of overall growth. GDP reports already include extensive details on government spending, offering a level of transparency for economists.
Manufacturers Report Steep Fall in Orders
U.S. manufacturers reported steep declines in new orders and employment in February, fueling fears that the economy is losing momentum as growth expectations also fell sharply.
IMF deal to ban public sector ‘Bitcoin accumulation’ in El Salvador
Coronavirus News, Analysis, and Opinion:
'I was one of the Wuhan Covid bus drivers - and I'd do it again'
Politics:
U.S. Downgraded to ‘Non-Democracy’
According to the Polity Project, an organization that ranks and categorizes governments worldwide, the U.S. government is classified as a “non-democracy” as of February 2025, a downgrade from its previous status as a democracy.
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Trump Orders Swathes of National Forests Cut Down
Donald Trump has ordered that swathes of America’s forests be felled for timber, evading rules to protect endangered species while doing so and raising the prospect of chainsaws razing some of the most ecologically important trees in the US…
Trump has instructed the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to increase logging targets and for officials to circumvent the US’s Endangered Species Act by using unspecified emergency powers to ignore protections placed upon vulnerable creatures’ habitats.
Trump Pauses All Military Aid to Ukraine
Donald Trump ordered a pause to all military aid to Ukraine, turning up the heat on Volodymyr Zelenskiy just days after an Oval Office blowup with the Ukrainian president left the support of his country’s most important ally in doubt.
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Christie: Trump ‘looks and sounds like an ally of Putin’
Trump Says Tariffs Are On for Mexico and Canada
President Donald Trump said Monday that 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada will start Tuesday, sparking renewed fears of a North American trade war.
Said Trump: “Tomorrow — tariffs 25% on Canada and 25% on Mexico. And that’ll start.”
Trump said he would also add on another 10% tariff on goods from China, on top of the initial 10% he put in place last month.
What an asshole. Ass. Hole: Kristi Noem Taunts Canadians at the Border
On a trip to Vermont following the fatal shooting of a US Border Patrol agent, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem… parroted Trump’s taunts while standing on the Canadian side of the line.
Said a bystander: “She stood on the American side and said, ‘USA No. 1.’ Then she crossed the line and said, ‘The 51st state.’ She did it at least three times and was very clear in saying, ‘USA No. 1,’ and didn’t even say ‘Canada.’ Just, ‘The 51st state.’”
Ontario To Cut Off U.S. Electricity Exports?
As Canada prepares for President Donald Trump to unleash his trade war against Canada on Tuesday, Ontario’s ready to pull the plug.
Speaking Monday at a mining convention in downtown Toronto, Ontario Premier Doug Ford doubled down on threats to cut electricity exports to U.S. border states if the tariffs go through.
Said Ford: “If they want to try to annihilate Ontario, I will do everything — including cut off their energy with a smile on my face.”
Well, Ford has a history of being shall we say mercurial, but I for one would love to see him follow through on this.
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Water supply sabotaged on Swedish island key to warding off Russian navy
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has deleted hundreds more claims from its mistake-plagued ‘wall of receipts,’ erasing $4 billion in additional savings that the group said it had made for U.S. taxpayers.
Late Sunday night, the group erased or altered more than 1,000 contracts it had claimed to cancel, representing more than 40 percent of all the contracts listed on its site last week. The deleted items included five of the seven largest savings that it had claimed credit for just last week.
The Trump Administration Said These Aid Programs Saved Lives. It Canceled Them Anyway.
The head of the FBI’s New York Field Office was forced out of the bureau on Monday, a month after he urged his employees to ‘dig in’ after the Trump administration removed senior FBI leaders and requested the names of all agents who worked on Jan. 6 cases.
Serendipity:
Booze or Weed: What’s Worse for Your Health?
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I take neither booze nor weed for recreation. What I learned a long time ago, is that weed addresses medical issues that otherwise would be addressed by hardcore pharmaceuticals. It's a great remedy for muscle spasms. Phamaceutical muscle relaxants have serious side effects. Same is true for pain. Sleep. You need a good guide in choosing the right weed. You can avoid the 'high', mostly with the right mixture. Of course there are side effects, but these pale in comparison to what is experienced with heavy duty pharmaceuticals.