Authored by Andrew Korybko via Substack,

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto warned in a Facebook post last month after talks with his Slovak and Serbian counterparts that Brussels is plotting regime change against them. This comes after Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) reported that the EU and Ukraine are backing the Hungarian opposition ahead of next spring’s parliamentary elections. The larger context is that they’ve all defied EU pressure to cut ties with Russia and are considering the creation of a new regional integration platform.

From the EU’s hegemonic perspective, those three’s current governments do indeed pose “an increasingly serious obstacle to a ‘united Europe’” as SVR described Hungary as being vis-à-vis Brussels, with that country being the main one followed by Slovakia and then Serbia to a much lesser extent. Long-serving Prime Minister Viktor Orban is a populist-nationalist icon on the continent, while his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico only recently returned to office but immediately followed in Orban’s footsteps.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is an altogether different story, however, since he presents himself as a populist-nationalist but in many ways behaves as a liberal-globalist. For instance, SVR recently accused his government of indirectly arming Ukraine, which followed its votes against Russia at the UNGA. He also claims that recurring protests against his rule are a Color Revolution, which Russia has thus far agreed with, yet there’s also no denying that some bonafide populist-nationalists fiercely oppose him.

That’s because of his aforesaid anti-Russian moves, his concessions to the NATO-occupied Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, and his obsequious attitude towards the EU. At the same time, he also hasn’t fully capitulated to all of the West’s demands either, ergo why some of its ruling liberal-globalists want to depose him. Therefore, while it’s dishonest to describe him as a populist-nationalist in the same vein as Orban or Fico, it’s still true that all three don’t fully tow the EU’s line on Russia.

Circling back to Szijjarto’s recent post after clarifying the situation with Vucic, the EU’s regime change plots against all three are being advanced through a combination of information warfare and support for anti-government (Brussels-organized) “NGOs” (BONGOs). The purpose is to turn voters against the ruling parties (or whichever presidential candidate they endorse like in Vucic’s case after he said that he won’t amend the constitution to run again) so that their leaders can later be “democratically” deposed.

Prior to the next elections as well as in the scenario that this plot fails, infowars and BONGO protests are weaponized to discredit these figures as the pretext for justifying more direct EU pressure against them and their countries. Regardless of whatever form this takes, the end goal of regime change remains the same. It’s simply unacceptable from the EU’s hegemonic perspective for them to oppose Brussels on such important issues as Russia even in non-member Serbia’s case since this undermines its authority.

Looking forward, all eyes will be on Hungary’s spring elections, which will be the first chance for the EU to “democratically depose” one of these three leaders unless Serbia holds early elections before then.

In Serbia’s case, whoever Vucic endorses might take his pro-Western pivot to its conclusion, so it might not matter whether they or the opposition win.

It’s more difficult to predict what’ll happen in Hungary’s case, however, but the ruling party’s loss would be a powerful blow to populist-nationalists in Europe.

For many European countries, housing costs are eating up a larger share of workers’ paychecks.

Given rising unaffordability, protests have erupted across Spain, Lisbon, and Berlin as the gap between wages and rent widens. In Hungary, for instance, home prices have soared 234% between 2010 and 2024 – far outpacing the EU average of 55.4%.

This graphic, via Visual Capitalist’s Dorothy Neufeld, shows the housing cost burden of European countries in 2024, based on data from Eurostat.

Which Countries Have the Highest Housing Cost Burden?

In the table below, we rank EU countries by the share of the population that pays more than 40% of household income, net of tax and pension contributions, on housing:

Data for Switzerland as of 2023.

With the third-lowest wages in the EU, paired with rising home prices, the share of overburdened residents in Greece is nearly triple the EU average.

In 2024, the home price-to-income ratio reached 12.7—its highest level since 2007. Not only has sustained inflation contributed to this trend, an influx of foreign buyers has further driven up prices.

Meanwhile, Denmark ranks in second, with 22.7% of the population overburdened. Since June 2024, the central bank has cut interest rates eight times, fueling higher housing demand. In Copenhagen, the Danish capital, home prices have doubled over the past decade.

By contrast, Germany’s higher wages cushion the impact of higher living costs, with 13.1% of the population facing home costs that exceed 40% of income. Overall, wages in Germany are about 35% higher than the EU average.

On the other hand, Croatia and Lithuania rank among the most affordable, driven by high home ownership rates that help insulate residents from fluctuating housing costs.

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the world’s most unaffordable housing markets.

Submitted by Thomas Kolbe,

The collapse of the German economy continues unabated. The German Engineering Federation (VDMA) now expects a dramatic decline in production this year and lashes out at the federal government.

A rebound in the German economy this autumn has failed to materialize. Just a week ago, the Federal Statistical Office revised the country’s GDP decline for Q2 2025 from –0.1% to –0.3%. Now, the German machinery association follows suit with its forecast for the full year, confirming the ongoing downward trend in production: “We had previously expected a decline of 2 percent, now we anticipate minus 5 percent for 2025,” says VDMA President Bertram Kawlath, who expects production to grow by just 1 percent in 2026. Was 2025 really the trough?

Kawlath Goes Political

Kawlath warns that the industry is facing a critical moment – both economically and socially. He describes the situation as a “tipping point,” where the economy is faltering and the political center continues to erode. “If action is not taken now, voters will be pushed into the arms of the political extremes,” he cautions.

Without explicitly naming them, the VDMA chief pointed to the AfD, which recently climbed to 27 percent nationwide in Sunday polls. Remarkably, even at this stage of the crisis, where the structural damage caused by ideology-driven policies is obvious, Kawlath speaks out politically for the first time yet still refrains from naming the culprit: the Green Deal’s ecological transformation is left untouched by his critique.

Meanwhile, the “silent cartel” of business elites continues to call for cosmetic deregulation and subsidies, rather than tackling the root of the problem.

Problems Are Now Impossible to Ignore

The issues are glaring: weak orders, crushing bureaucracy, lengthy approval processes, excessive taxes and labor costs, as well as severe location disadvantages in Germany. Add to that the massive burden of U.S. tariffs: roughly 40 percent of EU machinery exports to the United States are currently hit with a 50 percent duty on the metal content. Unstable, unpredictable rules, Kawlath says, force many companies to halt exports entirely.

He calls for lower taxes and levies, reduced bureaucracy, faster approvals – and above all, a stronger defense of German industry against Chinese competition. China, he points out, has not only caught up but also heavily subsidizes its industry, distorting global competition.

Industry Collapse

The situation continues to worsen. The VDMA’s optimistic forecast for next year is likely to be revised downward as no structural improvements are in sight. Meanwhile, policymakers remain in summit mode, with reforms nowhere in evidence.

If the predicted 5 percent decline in production for 2025 materializes, it would mark the peak of a catastrophic trend. Since 2018, machinery production – and roughly speaking, the entire German industrial sector – has fallen by about 20 percent. This has consequences for employment: over 200,000 industrial jobs have been lost since 2020, 68,000 of them just last year. And this may only be the beginning of a devastating employment crisis.

These figures no longer describe an ordinary recession but the onset of an economic depression. The core of the German economy, industry, has been severely damaged by the self-inflicted energy crisis and grotesque regulatory excesses under the Green Deal. It should not be forgotten that countless service sectors, supply chains, and value chains depend directly on industry. German prosperity fundamentally derives from this sector – the very source that supports social programs and helps maintain social stability amid a worsening environment.

Machinery accounts for roughly 3 percent of Germany’s GDP. With a 27 percent share of the global market, it ranks among the heavyweights of European industry. About one million highly skilled workers earn their livelihoods here – jobs once considered secure now caught in the storm.

Production fell by 7 percent in 2024, and a further steep decline looms for 2025. Orders dropped 8 percent year-on-year, and revenue forecasts continue their downward slide.

Germany’s Industrial Base Systematically Devalued

Under these conditions, industrial production in Germany is effectively impossible. Industrial electricity prices are roughly three times higher than in the U.S., a country actively promoting its manufacturing base, cutting red tape, and selectively supporting industry.

When Lower Saxony’s SPD economy minister Olaf Lies calls for subsidized industrial electricity amid the steel crisis and complains about cheap Chinese steel, it is little more than whistling in the wind. The exodus from Germany is already underway – and it is irreversible: once companies leave, they rarely return.

The steel sector is suffering particularly badly. It ranks among the most energy-intensive branches of German industry, and its subsidized dream of “green steel” has been buried after multiple bankruptcies. From machinery to chemicals, construction to steel, the same picture emerges: Germany’s industrial decline is accelerating unchecked.

What we are witnessing is an ideology-driven, systemic failure. Even U.S. tariffs cannot fix it: the problems have accumulated over years and are homegrown. Yet Brussels and Berlin stubbornly cling to climate fanaticism, dreaming their way through the crisis.

* * * 

About the author: Thomas Kolbe, a German graduate economist, has worked for over 25 years as a journalist and media producer for clients from various industries and business associations. As a publicist, he focuses on economic processes and observes geopolitical events from the perspective of the capital markets. His publications follow a philosophy that focuses on the individual and their right to self-determination

Authored by Jeremy Portnoy via RealClearInvestigations,

Topline: The Veterans Health Administration has lost an estimated 5% of its reusable medical equipment worth at least $211 million — including exam tables, computers and microscopes — and “will continue to do so if processes are not improved,” according to a new audit from the Veterans Affairs inspector general.

Key facts: VA hospitals own over 2 million pieces of nonexpendable equipment that is meant to be used for two years or more, valued at $12 billion. Federal auditors recently visited hospitals to see if the VA was properly tracking the equipment and found that thousands of items had disappeared.

The auditors estimated that a third of the equipment — 537,000 items — is in a different location than inventory records claim, and an additional 75,500 items are missing entirely.

It’s possible there is even more missing equipment, because the VA is only required to keep track of inventory worth more than $5,000.

Some of the nonexpendable equipment is tracked using electronic tags, but some of the tags have dead batteries or only show what building the item is in and not what room.

The VA also uses an “inventory by exception” system in which items that have their location recorded during routine maintenance do not need to be included in annual inventory reports for up to 24 months, even though most items are required to be logged every 12 months. Auditors wrote that “a lot can go wrong, including losing equipment,” because of the inventory-by-exception system.

There are also staffing issues contributing to the missing equipment. Some VA employees working on inventory could not search for items because they did not have the keys to all the rooms in the hospital. Some hospitals have staffing levels below 40%, which employees said made it harder to fill out inventory reports on time.

Search all federal, state and local salaries and vendor spending with the world’s largest government spending database at OpenTheBooks.com. 

Background: All 139 Veterans Health Administration facilities had staffing shortages in 2025, with 4,434 unfilled positions. In 2024, there were only 2,959 unfilled jobs, according to the inspector general.

The Health Administration is just one component of the VA, which plans to shed 30,000 employees in the coming months. VA Secretary Doug Collins announced in September he plans to eliminate “excess positions” throughout the department.

Summary: Missing inventory is nothing new for the federal government, but a hospital having supplies readily available could be a matter of life and death.

The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com

Via The Libertarian Institute

Private discussions between Israeli officials before launching the war against Iran in June indicate that Tehran’s development of nuclear weapons was not an immediate concern. At the time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran’s nuclear program was an immediate threat.

“We are at a historic moment with a crucial decision. If we don’t stop [them], within a few years, they will get tens of thousands of kilograms of [nuclear] explosives,” the Prime Minister said at a top-secret meeting the day before launching the war. “Iran has already enriched fissile material at a level that is enough for eight to nine bombs, and they are working on the weaponization.”

According to The Times of Israel, one unnamed senior military official said the attack would prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon in “the long term” and the war would “improve Israel’s strategic balance.”

Publicly, Netanyahu gave far more alarming warnings about Tehran’s breakout time to build a nuclear weapon. He said, “Iran’s nuclear teams were racing to build nuclear warheads.” The Israeli intelligence agency Mossad claimed Iran could assemble a nuclear weapon within 15 days.

Another rationale was simply the Islamic Republic’s expanding ballistic missile arsenal:

“They are getting close to being the second-biggest powerhouse on ballistic missiles. After we destroy some of their sites and scientists, negotiations for a deal will be held in a different reality. We have held marathon discussions over many months,” Netanyahu said.

The private discussions also reveal that Israeli officials believed that they would not be able to destroy Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium and were depending on Trump entering the conflict. “The basic assumption is that at the end of the operation, Iran will still possess enriched material,” one official said.

Tel Aviv needed the US to destroy the Fordo nuclear facility. One senior official admitted, “Fordo will be destroyed only if the US attacks it.”

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer was confident that Trump would decide to bomb Fordo and provide Israel with assistance in shooting down Iranian missiles.

The conversations additionally reveal that Tel Aviv was trying to overthrow the Iranian government, not just destroy its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Many Americans are simply not aware of how much of the global economy survives by siphoning cash and jobs from the US through immigration (legal and illegal).  If they knew, they would probably have demanded that the door on H-1B visas be slammed shut much sooner.  

Indian officials on Saturday said they are examining the implications of the United States’ decision to impose a $100,000 fee on H-1B visas, but stressed that the measure could have “humanitarian consequences by way of the disruption caused for families”.  

“The government has seen reports related to the proposed restrictions on the US H1B visa program. The full implications of the measure are being studied by all concerned, including by Indian industry, which has already put out an initial analysis clarifying some perceptions related to the H1B program,” a statement issued by the ministry of external affairs said.

Our statement regarding restrictions to the US H1B visa program⬇️
🔗 https://t.co/fkOjHIxEu9 pic.twitter.com/1rM9W3GYqC

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) September 20, 2025

To understand why India’s government is so rattled by Trump’s decision we have to look at the bigger picture, which includes remittances and the demand for US dollars overseas.  

First, the $100,000 fee imposed on H-1B visas will kill the program.  It is, effectively, an H-1B travel ban without going through the long process of officially rescinding the Immigration Act of 1990.  The fee is paid by the company hiring the foreign workers and a $100,000 markup would mean only the most valuable employees would be worth the cost.  Many critics of open border policies argue that this is a good thing.  The narrative has long been that American companies need foreign workers because:

1) Americans won’t work in jobs that foreigners are willing to do.

2) There aren’t enough American workers with the skills required to fill certain job sets.

These excuses are generally a distraction from the real reason – Third world immigrants are willing to work for up to 30% less than their American counterparts. Why? Because the US dollar’s buying power in a third world economy more than makes up for the 30% loss in wages.  For example, an income of $2000 US per month equates to an “upper class lifestyle” in India. 

In other words, it’s a win-win-lose scenario:  The corporations win on lower labor costs, the third world migrants win by wiring their wages back home where they will buy far more, and the average American worker loses out on job opportunities. 

India accounts for 71% of H-1B visa holders and is expected to be hit hardest by the new fees. Currently, around 300,000 “high-skilled” Indian workers, mostly in the technology industry, are on H-1B visas in the US.  The term “high skilled” is up for interpretation, many migrant workers lie about their skill sets before coming to the US and offer little in comparison to the average US worker in the same field.   

* * * Try this for the ultimate experience. Try this if you just want a taste * * *

Another indirect winner in this game is India’s economy.

India is the largest recipient of remittances from the US in the world (cash wired by migrants from the US back home).  Without feeding on remittances from America, India loses out on over $140 billion (around 30% of their annual tax revenues).  Without this cash, India’s economy would implode. 

Furthermore, India’s rupee has hit record lows against the dollar this month.  The country is highly dependent on oil imports and oil is primarily purchased with dollars.  The flow of dollars from migrants in the US into India’s economy is more important than ever.  The loss of dollars flowing from 300,000+ Indian workers living in the US could be devastating.

That said, it is not the responsibility of the US to sacrifice American jobs just to keep India’s economy afloat.  If companies actually attempted to train or hire American workers first at a fair wage and could not find enough people to fill necessary positions, then the story on foreign visas might be different.  However, until now, there has been no incentive for corporations to try.

The Sacramento Police Department announced on X early Saturday that 64-year-old Anibal Hernandez-Santana was arrested on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, shooting into an occupied building, and negligent discharge of a firearm. The incident targeted an ABC affiliate television station in Sacramento. It came just days after ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show over misinformation and disinformation about the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s assassination. 

🚨 BREAKING: Anibal Hernandez-Santana, ex-CA Teachers Union legislative director, arrested for firing 3 shots into ABC affiliate after Kimmel decision.

His X feed is full of left-wing mental illness and violence.

What should be done about left-wing radicalization?

H/T… pic.twitter.com/nPhUpPG2Mj

— Publius (@OcrazioCornPop) September 20, 2025

To recap, during Kimmel’s opening monologue on Monday, he suggested that Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old, furry-obsessed, in a relationship with a transgender, charged in the fatal shooting of Kirk at Utah University, was aligned with “MAGA Gang.” 

“The MAGA gang [is] desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,” Kimmel stated in the opening monologue. 

By Wednesday, Kimmel was fired, sparking outrage among leftists who accused the Trump administration of influencing the decision, shouting “fascists” in protest. Yet according to an insider report by the Wall Street Journal, the real driver had nothing to do with the White House. Instead, Kimmel’s ouster was driven by an immediate revolt from viewers, affiliate networks including Nexstar, and concerned advertisers.

NYC: “This is a hallmark of fascist regemes around the world” Jimmy Kimmel protesters gather outside ABC Studios in NYC After Kimmel show was canceled. pic.twitter.com/pJnI8S3OFD

— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) September 19, 2025

Which leaves us with Hernandez-Santana and what motivates, if political, drove the radicalized Baby Boomer to fire shots at the ABC10 television station, owned by KXTV, located in Sacramento. 

So I guess we’re just gonna start shooting people anytime we disagree with something huh? And this affiliate has zero to do with anything.

The same people who celebrated Luigi Mangione will probably start a GoFundMe page for this shooter too. https://t.co/LJW9lGvCSk

— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) September 20, 2025

An X account matching the Hernandez-Santana profile contains a series of anti-Trump posts.

More about Hernandez-Santana via Variety:

Hernandez-Santana is a former health policy analyst for the California Rural Indian Health Board. In 2019, he sued the non-profit group for discrimination and retaliation, alleging that he was terminated after being denied time off to care for his disabled son.

According to the complaint, Hernandez-Santana’s job involved tracking state legislation and assisting with Affordable Care Act implementation. When Hernandez-Santana was fired in 2018, he got into a verbal confrontation with his supervisors, who ultimately called the police, according to the complaint. The suit was withdrawn in 2020.

A LinkedIn account matching that name indicates he previously was a legislative director for the California Federation of Teachers, and is now retired and engaged in “full time parenting.” 

Sacramento Police wrote on X that the suspect fired shots at the ABC building from a vehicle. 

“The suspect, 64-year-old Anibal Hernandez-Santana of Sacramento, was arrested on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, shooting into an occupied building, and negligent discharge of a firearm,” the police department stated, adding, “He will be booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail. The motive remains under investigation, and we would like to thank the FBI for providing resources in support of this investigation.” 

Thanks to the prompt and diligent work of our responding officers and investigators, the suspect vehicle was identified, leading officers to a residence in the 5400 block of Carlson Drive. The suspect, 64-year-old Anibal Hernandezsantana of Sacramento, was arrested on charges of… https://t.co/49OSEEM95k

— Sacramento Police Department (@SacPolice) September 20, 2025

The problem with Kimmel is that he is part of the globalist/leftist informational war against Trump.

The problem with Jimmy Kimmel is that he very obviously hates the millions of Americans who don’t think like him.

He joked about them dying of COVID. He called them fascists and neo-nazis for attending CPAC. That’s not the kind of person who should be gifted a national TV show. pic.twitter.com/dGw6FplXCZ

— Bill D’Agostino (@Banned_Bill) September 18, 2025

And the other problem, Democrats normalized assassination culture by labeling their political enemies as “fascist” and “Nazis” and all of the above … Did we forget “Racists”?

Where did Charlie Kirk’s murderer learn to call conservatives “fascists”?

“Do you think Donald Trump is a fascist?”

Kamala Harris: “Yes, I do. YES, I DO!” pic.twitter.com/RxDjgOYjKY

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 12, 2025

And now, armed Marxist-aligned groups – or at least one in particular – that sympathize with Democrats have been “planning war against fascists.”

Yes. People are focusing a lot on the Socialist Rifle Association. Still, they should also know that the John Brown Gun Club, which is an even more extreme far-left militia, has been linked to several domestic terrorist attacks. That group is part of the Antifa network.

In 2019,… https://t.co/DrBMwAxR8c pic.twitter.com/yGlqWq8ZnC

— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) September 19, 2025

Last week, the Trump administration requested tens of millions of dollars to bolster security for the federal government: it’s that the White House has finally figured out that radical leftists have declared war. And the White House fired back with their plan – likely a task force – that will “dismantle and destroy” the Marxist NGO complex subverting the nation to accelerate into a collapse.

The combination of radicalized Democrats, their dark-money-funded NGOs, and leftist MSM labeling anyone who disagrees with them as “fascists” and “Nazis” has turned anyone with a different opinion into targets of the party’s armed wing (read the report). The Kirk assassination has become an urgent wake-up call, but even before that, we warned about this troubling path toward igniting nihilistic accelerationism.