Authored by Emmanuel Rincon via the American Institute for Economic Research,

It took 20 years to defeat Evo Morales’s Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) in Bolivia through elections.

Two decades of political battle lines, along with a so-called “cultural war,” run deep in the region.

MAS rose to power thanks to the financing it received from Hugo Chávez, who, using the vast pockets of Venezuela’s oil rents, injected money into campaigns across almost every country in the continent. For a long stretch, he and his allies virtually took control of South America—except for Colombia.

The Venezuelan crisis left them exposed, however. Not only did the money used to fund political campaigns run out, but the tragic example of Chávez and Maduro’s socialism—driving more than nine million people to flee their country in search of better living conditions—became the starkest warning of the chaos caused by a system in which the State regulates and controls the economy at the same time.

On August 17, it wasn’t just that the left lost power in Bolivia. What was most shocking was the crushing manner in which it happened. Beyond local factors, an unexpected external influence also played a role: Javier Milei’s rise in Argentina.

The Electoral Collapse of the Socialist Option

The name of Bolivia’s next president is still unknown; Opposition figures Rodrigo Paz and Tuto Quiroga advanced to the runoff scheduled for Oct. 19. The ruling MAS, by contrast, suffered a historic defeat: its candidate failed to reach 4 percent of the vote, and in the legislature, socialists saw their representation slashed from 75 seats to just one. This collapse was also fueled by internal divisions.

Evo Morales, the party’s historic leader, had initially backed Luis Arce. Once in office, though, Arce began to distance himself from Morales, partly due to Morales’ interference in government decisions and partly because of ephebophilia allegations against him—charges for which he was ultimately convicted, though he remains free, protected by what he calls his “indigenous praetorian guard.”

But politics alone can’t explain MAS’s downfall. Bolivia was experiencing one of its worst economic crises in decades.

Many factors contributed, including:

• Collapse of the energy sector: Gas production, the country’s main revenue source, plummeted from 60 million cubic meters per day in 2014–2015 to just 28 million in 2025. Mismanagement and lack of maintenance slashed exports and so, foreign trade.

• Depleted reserves: In 2014, Bolivia held $15 billion in international reserves, but by 2025 that figure had dropped to under $2 billion. This left the government unable to maintain subsidies or import fuel normally.

• Shortages of diesel and gasoline: 66 percent of stations stopped selling diesel and 38 percent stopped selling gasoline. In many cities, lines stretched over 11 hours. The crisis hit agriculture and transportation so severely that the government authorized payments in cryptocurrency to import fuel.

• Food crisis and inflation: Prices of staples such as rice, meat, and fish rose as much as 58 percent in a single year. Annual inflation reached 23 percent in June 2025, with food inflation hovering between 17–24 percent.

• Widespread poverty: According to the World Bank, over 35 percent of Bolivians now live in poverty, with extreme poverty around 11 percent. Many households cut back from three meals a day to just one.

• Debt and fiscal deficit: Public debt hit 95 percent of GDP at the end of 2024, while the fiscal deficit surpassed seven percent of GDP, leaving no fiscal margin.

Ordinary Bolivians felt this collapse firsthand: endless gas station lines, skyrocketing food prices, and the impossibility of accessing dollars as their local currencies became worthless. That combination eroded whatever support MAS still had left.

The Milei Factor

Meanwhile, next door in Argentina—a country that had faced a similar crisis years earlier—a wild-haired libertarian was steering the nation onto a new course. He had campaigned with a chainsaw as his symbol, vowing to slash public spending, government payrolls, and state control of the economy, all while shouting, “Long live freedom, damn it!”

At first, few took him seriously. But within two years, he became an international phenomenon. Milei won the presidency against all odds and began implementing exactly what he promised by shrinking the state and freeing the economy.

Milei inherited Argentina with 211.4 percent annual inflation in December 2023. By May 2025, the consumer price index rose only 1.5 percent—the lowest in five years. Poverty fell from 52.9 percent to 38.1 percent. A country once seen as doomed to hyperinflation and misery began to rapidly recover.

Bolivians took notice. Both Rodrigo Paz and Tuto Quiroga—the candidates who made it to the runoff—have pledged to cut public spending and reduce the size of the state. This shift has already become a regional trend.

The Rightward Turn in Latin America

Before MAS’s defeat in Bolivia, Ecuador had elected Daniel Noboa, a president closer to the United States and more distant from the region’s socialist regimes. Around the same time, Argentina’s Javier Milei had secured his own victory. Now it’s Bolivia. Step by step, the political map of the region is shifting.

In the coming months, presidential elections will take place in Chile and Honduras—both governed by the left. Polls in both countries currently show center-right candidates with strong chances of victory. These candidates openly reject socialism, criticize excessive state intervention, denounce the brutality of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua, and advocate for strategic partnerships with the United States rather than China, Russia, or Iran.

Not all of them can be described as “libertarians” or as followers of Hayek’s economic thought, like Milei. But they are far removed from the region’s recent enmeshment in statism, repression, and narcotrafficking cartels. They also appear willing to cooperate with Washington on regional security, migration, and economic matters.

What’s remarkable is how the Argentine phenomenon has shifted the regional dynamic.

In a Latin America long accustomed to government handouts, presidential candidates no longer compete to offer more subsidies and social programs. They now compete to promise deeper cuts, less government, and greater individual freedoms.

The cry of “Long live freedom, damn it!” began in Buenos Aires, echoed in La Paz, and the rest of Latin America now awaits its turn at the ballot box, to join the libertarian wave that seems to be reshaping the continent’s political landscape.

Submitted by Ronan Manly of the Sound Money Report 

While Bitcoin’s fixed 21 million coin cap was designed to counteract fiat inflation and mirror gold’s scarcity, a massive pool of permanently lost coins further tightens supply.

Estimates from on-chain analyses suggest that between 2.3 million and an incredible 7.8 million BTC (roughly between 11—37% of total supply), may have vanished forever, trapped in lost wallets, forgotten keys, or in addresses abandoned due to unexpected deaths. These ‘zombie’ or ‘ghost’ coins then effectively reduce Bitcoin’s effective circulating supply from the current 19.9 million to as low as a range of 12.1—17.6 million BTC.

A Donation to Everyone

As well as intensifying Bitcoin’s existing inherent scarcity, coins that permanently vanish boost the true value of all remaining Bitcoins. As Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator/creators, stated in a foresightful observation in April 2010 in a post on the BitcoinTalk forum: “Lost coins only make everyone else’s coins worth slightly more. Think of it as a donation to everyone.”

The lost coin range estimate (2.3—7.8 million) also comfortably exceeds the combined total of Bitcoin ETF and corporate treasury holdings which together total approximately 2.2 million BTC, a point rarely highlighted by a mainstream financial media fixated on the latest Blackrock Bitcoin ETF inflows and [Micro]Strategy’s latest BTC purchases.

No Keys, No Coins

Bitcoin’s rarity is thus magnified by these permanent losses, as the lost coin supply shock increases the value of every remaining coin, in contrast to traditional centralised assets such as stocks or bonds, In Bitcoin, there is no safety net. Once access is gone, the coins are effectively removed from circulation.

With a self-custodial architecture of ‘be your own bank’ but on an immutable blockchain, any lost and inaccessible coins on the Bitcoin network remain visible but untouchable. There is no bank and no bailout – only the owner and their private keys.

The familiar warning about exchange-held BTC of “not your keys, not your coins” now becomes the even more dramatic “no keys, no coins” in the off-exchange world.

Bitcoin relies on private keys (unique 256-bit cryptographic strings) to control and transfer ownership between addresses. Forgotten passwords, lost seed phrases, overwritten files, corrupted drives, or discarded hardware all result in irreversible inaccessibility.

Real-World Losses

Real-world cases highlight the dramatic scale and drama of lost Bitcoin. In 2013, the now infamous Welsh IT engineer James Howells accidentally discarded a hard drive containing private keys to 8,000 BTC in a landfill, worth roughly USD 900mn at current prices. But local city council rulings about environmental regulations prevent the obsessed Howells from launching a search for the lost hard drive.

Stefan Thomas, former Ripple CTO, lost access to 7,002 BTC (circa USD 777mn today) after forgetting his IronKey hard drive password, which locks permanently after 10 failed guesses. In January 2021, with two attempts left, Thomas described to the New York Times his repeated, desperate, and unsuccessful efforts to regain access.

Deaths also contribute to Bitcoin inaccessibility when holders die without succession plans. Gerald Cotten, CEO of Canadian crypto exchange QuadrigaCX, allegedly died in 2018 without revealing how to access USD 190mn in client funds, which included substantial Bitcoin holdings.

Romanian early Bitcoin miner Mircea Popescu drowned off a Costa Rica beach in 2021, widely rumoured to have left up to 1 million BTC inaccessible. (potentially worth USD 111bn). While the size of Popescu’s BTC holdings is unproven, he was known to have had sizeable holdings.

And then there’s Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, who pulled his own vanishing act in April 2011, leaving behind an estimated 1 million BTC mined between 2009— 2010. This Satoshi stash is now possibly ‘lost’ forever, or has been left intentionally dormant as a ‘donation’ to the network.

Estimating the Extent of Loss

But just how many coins may be gone forever? Numerous studies have utilised blockchain analytics, wallet inactivity metrics, and even factor in human behaviour to try and pin down the extent of lost and inaccessible Bitcoins.

In a May 2025 report, Ledger cites analyst estimates of between 2.3—3.7 million lost Bitcoins, representing 11—18% of Bitcoin’s max 21 million coin supply. Cane Island Digital’s Timothy Peterson, in a June 2025 report, estimates over 6 million BTC irretrievably lost, potentially reaching 7 million by late 2025.

In 2023, Glassnode, the blockchain data and on-chain analytics platform, estimated approximately 7.8 million BTC or 39% of mined supply, were either “HODLed or lost coins”, although this may include dormant wallets held intentionally, which would overstate the estimate. This came from a Glassnode study in conjunction with ARK Invest, which used a metric of ‘Vaulted Supply’ aka “HODLed or lost coins,” which “multiplies outstanding supply times vaultedness to measure the number of coins that have not been moved. Either they are in strong hands, or they are lost.”

In June 2025, Fidelity Digital Assets estimated that Bitcoin’s ancient supply, defined as the amount of bitcoin that has not moved for 10 years or more, accounted for over 17% of total issued supply, which is terms of BTC is over 3.3 million coins. In late 2024, River Financial, a Bitcoin financial institution were citing 3-4 million BTC as lost.

Despite varying methodologies, these studies, as a group, converge on a range of 2.3—7.8 million BTC lost, with the higher estimates like Glassnode’s and Peterson’s potentially overstated due to combining dormant and truly lost coins. Whatever the exact number, this range highlights a substantial and growing loss of Bitcoin, which enhances the scarcity of the remaining supply.

Losses vs ETFs and Corporate Treasuries

Comparing this loss range to the high-profile holdings of Bitcoin ETFs and corporate treasuries is eye-opening. As of August 2025, spot Bitcoin ETFs collectively held about 1,036,000 BTC or 5–6% of the roughly 19.9 million BTC so far mined, with Blackrock’s IBIT holding approximately 555,000 BTC of that total.

Corporate and treasury holders add another layer, with the top 100 corporates holding a combined 988,000 BTC (5% of the mined total) according to the Bitcoin Treasuries website, chief among them MicroStrategy (rebranded as Strategy) with 632,457 BTC, and such well-known names as MARA Holdings (50,639 BTC), Riot Platforms (19,225 BTC), and Japan’s Metaplanet (18,113 BTC).

Combining ETF plus corporate BTC holdings yields approximately 2.2 million, which is even less than the lower bound for estimated lost BTC of 2.3 million, and is a vivid illustration of the sheer scale of inaccessible coins. In other words, there is a hidden supply shock that the market has not yet fully processed, one which dwarfs both the US Bitcoin ETF inflows and Michael Saylor’s buying sprees.

From a circulating supply of 19.9 million BTC, subtract 5 million lost coins (midpoint estimate) and 2.2 million institutional holdings to get 12.7 million BTC in individual hands. Assume 30% of this (~ 3.8 million) is HODLed by long-term investors, which tallies with Glassnode’s 70% ‘unmoved supply’, which includes institutional and some misclassified lost coins.

Shrinking Free Float

This allows us to calculate a Bitcoin “Free Float”, that may be available to trade in the public market:19.9 million BTC mined so far, minus 5 million (lost), minus 2.2 million (institutionally held), minus 3.8 million (HODLed by individuals) = a free float of just 8.9 million BTC, or 42% of the 21 million total supply, and 45% of circulating supply. That is far less than the free float of S&P 500 stocks, which have a free float of 70—90%, and where ‘lost’ shares don’t exist as the centralised system can reissue them, unlike Bitcoin’s unforgiving blockchain.

The reported Bitcoin market cap of over USD 2.1trn market cap (19.9 million * USD 109,000) then is also a mirage, and is overstated by ~USD 500bn due to counting lost ‘ghost’ coins. With 5 million coins lost, the true supply is ~14.9 million BTC, which results in a real market cap of ~USD 1.6trn.

Conclusion

Bitcoin is scarcer than the market realises. Lost Bitcoins of between 2.3—7.8 million (11—37%) reduce accessible supply from 19.9 million to between 12.1—17.6 million. Irrecoverable coins inflate the value of every remaining coin, and intensify Bitcoin’s narrative as a store of value even rarer than gold. The widely accepted market cap of USD 2.1trn is overstated by about USD 500bn, with the true market cap near USD 1.6trn.

This silent supply shock, which dwarfs institutional demand and is ignored and underestimated by the mainstream media, positions Bitcoin not just as digital gold but as an asset with unparalleled rarity. It also has the potential to trigger a seismic price surge as the market wakes up to the scarcer than realised reality, and a free float barely half its total supply.

*  *  *

Top sellers this week:

Steak Lover’s Bundle

Rancher’s Classics 

Rancher’s Seasoning Trio

Raw Organic Honey

Authored by Eva Fu & Frank Fang via The Epoch Times,

China’s state-owned broadcaster has rescinded international wire agency access to a hot mic video of Chinese and Russian leaders discussing longevity and organ transplants, an effort that shows the Chinese regime’s fear of attention on the topic, critics say.

The open mic exchange between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping took place in Beijing on Sept. 3, as the two leaders walked together ahead of a military parade commemorating World War II.

Xi at the parade told Putin that “these days at 70 you are still a child,” prompting Putin to remark that continued organ transplants could allow one to live younger and even reach immortality. Xi in response said that it is predicted that there’s a chance of humans living to 150 years old.

The conversation became global news and sparked discussions about the Chinese regime’s state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting, a taboo topic in China. CCTV has since taken down the livestream video that captured the exchange and removed the moment from replays.

CCTV also sent a letter through its lawyer to Reuters—which licensed the video through CCTV and edited it into a four-minute clip—requesting the news agency to remove the footage on the grounds that the clips Reuters published exceeded the agreed-upon scope.

CCTV lawyer He Danning claimed Reuters’ “editorial treatment applied to this material has resulted in a clear misrepresentation of the facts and statements contained within the licensed feed.”

Reuters withdrew the video and issued a “kill” notice to its clients on Sept. 5. The agency said it had earlier distributed the clip to more than 1,000 media clients around the world, including major international news broadcasters and TV stations.

In a statement, Reuters said it was removing the content because it no longer has the legal permission to publish this copyrighted material.

“We stand by the accuracy of what we published. We have carefully reviewed the published footage, and we have found no reason to believe Reuters longstanding commitment to accurate, unbiased journalism has been compromised,” Reuters stated.

According to the London-based China Tribunal, forced organ harvesting has taken place in China for years “on a significant scale,” and practitioners of the Falun Gong spiritual group are the primary victims. It said that persecuted religious minorities including Uyghurs are also potential targets. Since 1999, millions of Falun Gong practitioners have been incarcerated in prisons, labor camps, and other facilities, with hundreds of thousands tortured and untold numbers persecuted to death, according to the Falun Dafa Information Center.

The International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China (ETAC), an Australian advocacy group comprising lawyers, medical professionals, researchers, and human rights advocates, said it was not surprised by CCTV’s demand, considering that organ transplants in China “are linked to crimes against humanity.”

“The now-withdrawn ‘hot mic’ recording between Xi and Putin highlighted the possibility of using organ transplants to seek immortality, rather than to treat seriously ill patients,” ETAC said in a statement to The Epoch Times.

“Such a conversation in China immediately raises the spectre of forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience.”

The group said the incident should be “a reminder of the responsibility of media outlets to resist undue influence, the necessity for governments to respect press freedom, and the urgency of addressing credible allegations of forced organ harvesting and other human rights abuses in China.”

“Efforts to suppress or dilute media coverage risk silencing victims and obstructing informed public debate. Independent journalism is critical in holding governments accountable, especially when issues involve systemic human rights violations.”

Two pieces of U.S. legislation that aim to sanction perpetrators of forced organ harvesting—the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act and the Falun Gong Protection Act—have already been approved by the House. The Uyghur Genocide Accountability and Sanctions Act of 2025, introduced a month ago to both the Senate and the House, seeks to expand sanctions of the existing law, the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020, regarding the human rights abuses in the predominantly Muslim Uyghur Xinjiang region.

“Each addresses forced organ harvesting in distinct ways, and swift passage is critical to avoid U.S. complicity in these crimes,” ETAC stated. “The international community cannot afford selective silence when fundamental human rights are at stake.”

Authored by William Brooks via The Epoch Times,

Late last December, Canadian businessman Kevin O’Leary, affectionately known as Mr. Wonderful, re-opened a longstanding public debate over the idea of “continentalism” in North America.

Within weeks after the re-election of President Donald Trump, O’Leary pitched the merits of an EU-style economic union between Canada and USA.

“I like this idea and at least half of Canadians are interested” he said.

Unfortunate Timing

As it happened, the timing of O’Leary’s proposal could not have been worse.

The credibility of his idea was instantly undermined by the incoming U.S. President’s controversial insistence that Canada should become the 51st state.

After Trump’s inauguration, Washington pivoted to hardball positions on tariffs and trade and it was clear there would be no special concessions for Canada. Signals from D.C. warned of tough USMCA trade negotiations to come.

In March, a beleaguered Justin Trudeau left office and former Bank of England President Mark Carney took over the Liberal Party of Canada. In April, Mr. Carney was elected prime minister, but his party fell short of winning a clear majority in the House of Commons.

The new Liberal government immediately adopted an “elbows up” disposition in the brewing trade war with the USA. By the summer of 2025, any talk of a Can-Am economic union was crowded out by strong feelings of resentment and ill will on both sides of the border.

An Idea Worth Revisiting

The idea of an EU-style Can-Am union has a long and respectable history and it is well worth revisiting.

After the British North America Act of 1867, Canadian scholar Goldwin Smith led a vigorous philosophical movement that supported closer ties with the USA in the form of a continental economic order. Smith defended the concept in a 1891 book titled “Canada and the Canadian Question.” Opposing movements favoured closer ties with the British Empire or total Canadian economic independence. Neither of the latter positions stood the test of time.

Today, the arguments for the development of a Can-Am union are more compelling than ever. Economic integration, the elimination of trade barriers, and the removal of regulatory mismatches could boost cross-border investment well beyond current USMCA levels. A strong shared currency would eliminate exchange rate volatility, reduce transaction costs, and improve price transparency. EU-style citizen mobility could reduce labour shortages, provide enormous opportunities for young workers, increase productivity, and fill demographic gaps created by aging populations.

Infrastructure and environmental coordination would support integrated transportation systems, energy production, and transnational communications networks. Coordinated pollution policies could establish reasonable emissions standards and enhance environmental protection without obstructing sorely needed drilling, mining, and manufacturing initiatives.

A larger unified market with consistent rules would incentivize investors. Harmonized policies would secure critical materials and technologies within North America and reduce dependency on hostile suppliers. A Can-Am union would bring together a population of some 388.8 million on 19.82 million square kilometres of territory with and a combined GDP of close to $32 trillion.

In the realm of education, mutual credential recognition, research collaboration, and professional mobility would multiply opportunities in a North American cultural market that could stand up to the Chinese Communist Party and other global influencers.

All in all, a new continental order would increase the geopolitical influence and security of citizens in both Canada and the USA. A unified bloc dedicated to Western democratic principles and free enterprise could rival the economic, diplomatic, and military weight of China, Russia, and other totalitarian regimes.

With a southern border wall already in place, our security could be further improved by a joint force that could act against illegal migration and drug smuggling at the water’s edge. Shared intelligence, cybersecurity, and a coordinated military would bolster North America’s defence systems in what has become a dangerous multipolar world.

Modelled after EU governance mechanisms, a North American commission or council could allow for cooperative decision-making without sacrificing national sovereignty. If historical adversaries like Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal can coexist in an economic union, why not Canada and the United States?

Resistance to Change May be Overcome by Facts on the Ground

As it was in the days of Goldwin Smith, there is still plenty of cross-border resistance to Mr. O’Leary’s continentalist proposal.

All manner of entrenched interests regard an economic union as overreach and fear the loss of personal power and control. Big Labour warns of downward pressure on salaries and benefits in an open job market. Canadian politicians fear being overwhelmed in an unbalanced partnership, and American lawmakers are reluctant to support anything that might dilute congressional supremacy.

But facts on the ground are leading to a kinder disposition toward the continental alternative. Among young, ambitious North Americans trapped in a collapsing middle-class there is a powerful yen for greater mobility and the new opportunities that bold change can invoke.

This is especially true on the Canadian side of the border. In 2024 alone, approximately 106,000 Canadians permanently left the country. This figure marked one of the highest outflows in recent memory. Some of the most commonly cited reasons for leaving are the soaring cost of living, low salaries, high taxes, limited career opportunities, and loss of confidence in government institutions. In spite of the anti-American rhetoric constantly served up by Canada’s legacy media, the United States remains the primary destination for departing Canadians. Over a million now live there.

So perhaps it’s time for a second look at Kevin O’Leary’s proposal. As the late British Prime Minister Harold Wilson once asserted: “He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.”

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times or ZeroHedge.

Authored by Allen Stein via The Epoch Times,

In the shade of a tall fence along Central Avenue, a group of homeless people lingered in Albuquerque’s troubled International District as three squad cars and a medical vehicle swept onto the scene.

Police and first responders moved in quickly, scattering the group as a homeless woman began shouting epithets from the middle of the street.

Matthew, a resident of a nearby halfway house, stood at the edge of the turmoil and watched as the situation unfolded.

“They’re just making people leave, man,” he said, frowning.

“They give you a chance to leave. If you don’t leave, they give you another chance. If you don’t leave again, they just run your name.”

He said if the information shows there is an outstanding warrant, handcuffs come out.

Matthew, who did not want to share his last name, said police have been more visible in a neighborhood that has struggled with crime, homelessness, and drug use for a long time.

The display of force by law enforcement is anything but accidental.

On April 8, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham activated the New Mexico National Guard to assist Albuquerque police in addressing increased crime and safety concerns, particularly on busy Central Avenue.

This allowed officers to return to regular patrols and other duties.

The emergency request from the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) cited the fentanyl epidemic and rising violent juvenile crime as issues requiring immediate intervention.

“The safety of New Mexicans is my top priority,” Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, said in a statement.

“By deploying our National Guard to support APD with essential duties, we’re ensuring that trained police officers can focus on what they do best—keeping our communities safe.”

In May, 60 to 70 National Guard members were sent to the city for Operation Zia Shield. Their training was overseen by New Mexico’s Homeland Security, Public Safety, and local police agencies.

National Guard members have been assisting with tasks such as providing aid along Central Avenue, processing and transporting prisoners, maintaining security at Metro Court, and monitoring the city with police cameras and drones.

“The National Guard will serve as a visible, trusted presence supporting law enforcement duties, which will enhance officer presence in high-crime areas and reinforce community trust through visible engagement,” Lujan Grisham said.

Transit Police vehicles line Central Avenue within the International District in Albuquerque, N.M., on Sept. 3, 2025. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

Criticism

Lujan Grisham and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller criticized President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., after he declared a crime emergency in the nation’s capital on Aug. 11. The president also federalized the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.

“President Trump’s massive executive overreach in Washington sets a dangerous precedent and undermines safety in our nation’s capital,” Lujan Grisham and Keller said in a joint statement.

Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson during a press conference on Aug. 11, said, “it is disgraceful that we have allowed D.C., to become so incredibly dangerous.”

“I think there’s no more important job for this department than alongside federal law enforcement partners and local police in securing our nation’s capital,” Wilson said.

Meanwhile, Lujan Grisham received criticism for deploying National Guard personnel in her state, including from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico.

A mural depicts the historic Nob Hill section of Albuquerque, N.M., near Central Avenue on Sept. 3, 2025. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

In April, the ACLU expressed “serious concerns” that military deployment would lead to civil rights violations and further criminalize the homeless.

“All of us deserve to be safe at home, at work, and in our community. We, like so many in Albuquerque, know that that’s not always the case in our city,” Daniel Williams, ACLU of New Mexico policy advocate, said in a statement.

“However, Governor Lujan Grisham’s deployment of the National Guard to support Albuquerque police is a show of force, not a show of solutions.”

A group of people squats in the shade of a building off Central Avenue in the International District of Albuquerque, N.M., on Sept. 3, 2025. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

Despite this criticism, Lujan Grisham’s office said Operation Zia Shield, now in its third month, has been “highly successful.”

“Initial plans cited a minimum of six months in order to make a positive impact in the community,” a spokesman told The Epoch Times.

Officials will continue to review the situation to decide whether to proceed or end the mission, he said.

Field operations in Albuquerque began on June 5, with National Guard personnel monitoring city streets under the direction of police dispatch.

“Having National Guardsmen assisting with these calls reduces the number of sworn law enforcement officers needed at each call, freeing them up for more serious calls,” the spokesman said.

Jonathan Tafoya stands inside Fonzy’s Barbershop, in the Nob Hill section of Albuquerque, N.M., on Sept. 3, 2025. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

Since mid-May, Operation Zia Shield has devoted nearly 4,000 hours to responding to 1,216 incidents throughout the city.

These included 210 calls for patrolling neighborhoods, which took 282 hours; 35 calls for medical assistance; 117 calls to assist other officers; 107 special tasks; and 194 calls to patrol public transportation areas.

On July 28, a Zia Shield unit effort provided guard personnel with job training to assist with paperwork and expedite court case processing.

Guard members processed 549 criminal summons and prepared and sent 1,347 officer trial notices, according to the spokesman.

On Aug. 8, selected Guard personnel monitored traffic cameras and earned drone pilot licenses. They flew drones 180 times, totaling almost 39 hours.

One week into the mission, National Guard members monitoring traffic cameras noticed a person who appeared to be having a medical emergency in a bus shelter.

Their observation helped save the person’s life, the spokesman said.

Since Operation Zia Shield started, Guard members have processed 2,248 people under arrest. This allowed police officers to focus on other tasks.

Jonathan Tafoya, owner of Fonzy’s Barbershop along Monte Vista Boulevard near Central Avenue, opened his shop six months ago.

While he hasn’t seen much crime in his area, he thinks using the National Guard to support law enforcement is a good idea, “because there aren’t enough cops.”

‘More Police Needed’

As of Sept. 3, the city has reported 50 homicides so far this year. In 2024, there were 66 confirmed homicides, while in 2023, the number was 73.

The APD has 864 officers who serve a city that spans 189.5 square miles and is home to 558,874 people.

In 2023, 40 APD officers resigned, representing a 32.2 percent decrease from 2002—when 59 officers resigned—and a 36.5 percent decrease from 2021, when 63 officers left the force, according to Police1.

“They need to step up their police presence,” Tafoya told The Epoch Times. “Just hire more cops—but nobody wants to be a cop.”

A police substation in the Nob Hill area of Albuquerque, N.M., on Sept. 3, 2025. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

Robert, a local business owner on Central Avenue in the Nob Hill neighborhood, said homelessness is a major problem in the city.

“I know in our back alley, they‘ll be back there using drugs, and they’ll try and camp back there, and we’ll tell them to move,” said Robert, who didn’t want his last name used out of fear of retaliation.

The solution, he said, is hiring more police officers. The problem is, “Who wants to be a police officer?”

“It’s a very hard role to fill now because it comes with a lot of politics, a lot of baggage,” Robert said.

“There are no consequences anymore for a lot of things that people do, especially in Albuquerque. The juvenile crime is out of control. Our legislators won’t take action. They give them a slap on the hand.”

Christian works as a cook at a restaurant on Central Avenue. He said he feels sympathy for the homeless but sometimes sees them as part of the problem.

“A lot of homeless people do drugs and everything. We shouldn’t have to deal with that,” he said

A man waits for public transportation to arrive in Albuquerque’s Nob Hill East section on Sept. 3, 2025. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

Christian, like Robert, believes that using National Guard members to help local police is a “good thing.”

Better Days

Robert recalled that the International District was once known as the “War Zone” because crime was so prevalent.

“It used to be a nice part of town way back when,” he said. “But that’s where a lot of the homeless are now.”

Matthew said every day, people experiencing homelessness gather in the shaded areas along Central Avenue across from the casino.

It can still be a dangerous place, he said, even with police patrolling nearby.

“Everybody’s doing drugs out here, bro. They’re getting their pills and syringes everywhere. It’s disgusting,” he said.

After the police moved the group of homeless people away from the shaded fence, he offered some advice to someone walking by.

“Be safe, man,” Matthew said.

Undersea internet cables in the Red Sea have been cut, disrupting internet access to parts of Asia and the Middle East. The cause of the cuts weren’t immediately clear, though China does have a shiny new deep-sea cable cutter (which we’re sure a bunch of countries have too). 

Associated Press (via NBC) seems to think (‘there has been concern’) that Houthi rebels from Yemen have been targeting the cables, which sounds absurd – though parts of the red sea are only as deep at 100m (330 ft). 

While the Houthis might not have submarines, undersea robots, or the ability to hit the deepest parts of the Red Sea, it’s possible to inflict damage on subsea cables without the backing of a major navy.

In March 2013, three divers were arrested by the Egyptian Navy off the coast of Alexandria after cutting the SeaMeWe-4 cable by detonating underwater explosives. Internet speeds reportedly fell around 60 percent after the incident. A motive wasn’t revealed and it’s unclear if they were charged and/or sentenced for the damage.

In 2007, it was reported that police had seized more than 500km of telecom cable taken by fishing vessels to sell for scrap – including an 11km segment identified as belonging to the SeaMeWe-3 cable. –Data Center Dynamics

So, who knows – but AP (deep state) spends considerable ink on the Houthis 

Undersea cables are a major component of the internet, along with satellite connections and land-based cables, with internet providers having multiple access points through which to reroute traffic if necessary. 

According to Microsoft, the Mideast “may experience increased latency due to undersea fiber cuts in the Red Sea,” though it did not elaborate.

According to internet monitor NetKBlocks, a “series of subsea cable outages in the Red Sea has degraded internet connectivity in multiple countries,” which is says includes India and Pakistan. It blamed “failures affecting the SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.”

In August of 2022, the ‘Saudi Vision Cable’ was laid near Jeddah.The Vision Cable spans 1,160km connecting Jeddah, Yanbu, Dibba and Haql, the major subsea hubs in Red Sea cities of Saudi Arabia, according to Submarine Cable Networks.

Beyond that, the South East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 4 cable (say that three times fast) is operated by Tata Communications – part of the Indian conglomerate, while the India-Middle East-Western Europe cable is operated by another consortium overseen by Alcatel-Lucent. 

Pakistan Telecommunications Co. Ltd., a telecommunication giant in that country, noted that the cuts had taken place in a statement on Saturday.

Saudi Arabia did not immediately acknowledge the disruption and authorities there did not respond to a request for comment.

In the United Arab Emirates, home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, internet users on the country’s state-owned Du and Etisalat networks complained of slower internet speeds. The government did not immediately acknowledge the disruption. -AP

Subsea cables can be cut by anchors dropped from ships, on purpose or otherwise. Repairs can take weeks, as a ship and crew must be dispatched to locate and repair the damaged cable.

Meanwhile, huh? 

Gunther Eagleman… no posts in 12 hours
Hunter Eagleman….. no posts in 12 hours
LibTearCreator………. no posts in 12 hours
TrumpUpdateHq…… no posts in 12 hours
Chuck Callesto……… no posts in 12 hours https://t.co/7Dbl7UgsyQ pic.twitter.com/547q1JhHuh

— Aesthetica (@Anc_Aesthetics) September 7, 2025

Authored by Susan D. Harris via The Epoch Times,

Behind the scenes of breaking news, culture wars, and moral division, a significant battle is brewing: mass surveillance vs. the people.

One surveillance technology in particular is rising to the surface of the national conversation: automated license plate readers (ALPR).

Flock Safety, a leader in ALPR technology, is one of the companies in the eye of the storm. Last week, Flock’s CEO and co-founder Garrett Langley made headlines when he released a statement announcing the company was going to “pause” its pilot programs with the U.S. government.

The company said that while it has no current contracts with any U.S. Department of Homeland Security agencies, it did engage in “limited pilots with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), to assist those agencies in combatting human trafficking and fentanyl distribution.”

So why would a company decide not to aid their own government in the fight against human trafficking and fentanyl distribution? Who are the voices that swayed them?

The company’s statement likely stems from criticism (or demonization) of Flock Safety for developing technology that has been adapted for use by ICE agents.

In a July interview with 9News Denver, Flock Safety CEO Langley was asked about the Denver city council voting against extending the city’s Flock contract “out of concerns the system would be exploited for immigration matters.”

Langley straddled the fence:

“Every city needs to make a decision what’s right for them. Some cities work really closely with federal authorities … Now in the case of Denver, if there’s no desire to work with ICE, that’s great. We need to create a safer city while still upholding the values we have.”

Ultimately, however, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, a Democrat, extended the contract through October 2025 after the dollar amount was reset to a figure that didn’t need council approval.

A spokesman for the mayor said the cameras are “an important tool for fighting crime.”

Meanwhile, Denver city leaders formed a special task force to discuss the technology’s privacy concerns. The policy director for the ACLU of Colorado said he would like the cameras turned off entirely—”until there are policies in place to regulate the use of them …”

Reason magazine claims that that “Flock Safety’s 40,000 cameras present in over 5,000 communities across the U.S. are being used to detain undocumented immigrants, many of whom have no criminal history.”

To be clear, it’s not a matter of Homeland Security or ICE agents directly accessing the Denver system—or any ALPR system. It’s a complex issue of state and local law enforcement agencies sharing information or granting access to other agencies. As Denver7 reported, “Flock Safety’s cameras capture billions of photos of license plates each month. However, it doesn’t own that data. The local agencies in whose jurisdictions the cameras are located do, and they’re the ones who receive inquiries from other law enforcement agencies.”

The same issue has been unfolding in other parts of the country as well.

In 2019, the ACLU of Northern California complained of ICE “using driver location data from local police for deportations.” The company at the center of that controversy was Vigilant Solutions. Now a subsidiary of Motorola Solutions, Inc., it too provides license plate recognition technology and intelligence platforms for law enforcement and commercial applications.

As a matter of fact, there are tons of companies clamoring to be Number One in the ALPR industry. Genetec’s AutoVu, PlateSmart Technologies, and Rank One Computing are just a few.

Beyond the field of computer science known as computer vision that encompasses license plate recognition, there also lies the lucrative field of biometrics: the physical field of analyzing body traits and the behavioral field that analyzes patterns. In short, there’s a virtual feeding frenzy happening in the marketplace of digital panopticons. (For a great commentary on Bentham’s panopticon—the prison designed for total surveillance—and the modern era, see “The Age of the Digital Panopticon” on the Neuroscience ABS blog.)

But before we balk at having our license plates zapped into a searchable database, let’s consider the advantages.

Local TV station Denver7 reported that Flock Safety cameras “led to 353 arrests, 251 recovered stolen vehicles and 39 recovered firearms as of August 12.”

Cities like Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, began installing Flock Safety cameras years ago, and law enforcement reports the cameras have made a difference in fighting crime. Fort Worth authorities say the cameras have helped with gun detection, while Dallas police note their use in real-time crime fighting by sending license plate images to the Dallas Fusion Center. (For those not in the know, there are at least 79 fusion centers across the United States, run by state and local law enforcement in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. These centers act as hubs for collecting, evaluating, and sharing intelligence and public safety data.)

Additionally, Flock Safety markets its ALPR technology, as well as its gunfire locator systems, far beyond law enforcement and city management: Companies like Lowe’s and Home Depot use them.

They also sell to neighborhood associations (HOAs), schools, and private individuals. Think of their advantages in emergencies like school or church shootings or Amber alerts. ALPR technology seems to be making us all safer.

Yet as with most of the surveillance technology that we’ve reluctantly embraced “for our own good”—especially after the attacks of 9/11—Americans are having second thoughts about the privacy they’re being asked to forfeit in the name of safety.

The movement against license plate readers is making strange bedfellows: Some conservatives criticize it as government overreach, seeing it as a digital dragnet that tracks all vehicles without probable cause—directly infringing on fourth amendment protections against unreasonable searches. Simultaneously, some progressives are also focusing on it as a violation of civil liberties, alleging that it’s being used to target “undocumented migrants.”

Flock Safety’s recent announcement is the first sign that a company providing this kind of surveillance can be swayed by public opinion. It is a clear harbinger of a larger public debate that will likely drive new legislation at the local, state, and possibly even the federal level. It’s a conversation that is long overdue.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times or ZeroHedge.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott, both leaning left on the political spectrum, announced late last week that additional law enforcement resources will be deployed to support the crumbling Baltimore City Police force, which is suffering from a dangerous officer shortage after years of disastrous criminal justice reforms, including “defund the police” initiatives and other progressive programs that have backfired.

At a joint press conference on Friday, Mayor Scott declared, “We do not need an occupation. We do not need troops on our streets,” adding, “We can do this ourselves.” 

The state plans to deploy Maryland State Police and Transportation Authority officers into high-risk “no-go” zones controlled by violent gangs that have been allowed to flourish under City Hall’s progressive regime, leaving the city plagued by violent crime, which only sparked a population exodus. 

What’s alarming is that Gov. Moore and Mayor Scott only moved to bolster the city’s police force after President Trump’s recent threat to deploy federal law enforcement to restore law and order. 

Years of violent crime chaos, but no action? Why is that? 

• “500 Officers Short” – Baltimore City Faces Mass Cop Exodus

• Baltimore City Implodes: Police Force Collapses, Only Three Officers Patrolled Major District

“Chicago is a hellhole right now, Baltimore is a hellhole right now,” Trump said earlier this month, adding, “I have an obligation …. this is a political thing.”

Mayor Scott stated, “This announcement is about using government resources in a targeted, evidence-based way, in order to make our neighborhoods safer. We are grateful that Governor Moore has chosen to reinstate this partnership after it was eliminated by the previous administration. This is the kind of support we need for our violence intervention work, which has brought crime to record lows across the board. It takes all of us—state, city, and federal law enforcement, including the ATF, FBI, and DEA, community violence interrupters, and residents—to build on this progress and create the safer, healthier Baltimore we know is possible.”

The confusing part is why far-left politicians running the state and city into the ground didn’t act before Trump. Why did it take a strong leader in the White House to force state and city officials to respond finally? Shouldn’t these local leaders be serving the people of Baltimore and prioritizing their well-being?

Yet the optics certaintly show that Moore might serve someone else besides Marylanders.

Sigh Moore… 

Damning photos burn top Democrat Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s 2028 plans to the ground as he’s busted half-naked on kingmaker George Clooney’s luxury yacht in ITALY while his ‘hellhole’ state faces crime apocalypse https://t.co/lkQk7yhjo1 pic.twitter.com/kjYYZpVYVM

— Daily Mail US (@Daily_MailUS) September 2, 2025

And Mayor Scott.

The chart Democrats in the state don’t want the nation to see…

Baltimore is a crime-ridden hellhole. Everyone knows it. Democrats own it, yet there’s been zero accountability for years of failed criminal and social justice reforms that plunged the city into an era of violent crime and death.

Another massive failure is the school system, which enriches leftist unions that, in turn, fuel the Democratic Party’s machine while robbing youngsters of any chance at future success. Democrats preach diversity, yet once they seized power, they shun anyone with an opposing political view.

Authored by David Manney via PJMedia.com,

The Flak in the Sky

During World War II, bomber crews flying over Germany were experts in anti-aircraft ordnance. I’ve read accounts where pilots and crew were able to predict their location by the amount and variety of flak they were receiving. 

Accounts such as these gave rise to popular idioms we use today. In this case, if flak lit up the sky, you knew you were over the target. Nobody wasted shells on empty skies; the closer you were to hitting a high-value target, the heavier the fire.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s secretary of health and human services, is facing such intense anti-aircraft flak that he could walk from New York City to Washington, D.C. without his feet touching the ground. Regardless of the party, senators from both parties shredded him; the media turned his strained voice into a punchline, and worst of all for anybody, his own family publicly demanded he resign, immediately, all in unison.

Whenever we see such coordinated verbal assaults, we know Kennedy is circling something explosive, something Washington elites are desperate to keep buried.

A Hearing That Was Never About Questions

The Senate Finance Committee meeting, on paper, was supposed to cover topics that were nothing more than an ordinary meeting.

The reality, however, was (paraphrasing Hillary Clinton) a mass suspension of belief. Kennedy was grilled by senators who definitely felt as though they might be having their career-defining moment in front of the camera.

Kennedy was grilled hard for firing CDC Director Susan Monarez, tearing down the vaccine advisory board, canceling $500 million in mRNA contracts, and restricting shots for children and pregnant women.

Questions dripped with contempt.

Louisiana Republican Bill Cassidy, a doctor, accused Kennedy of denying people vaccines.

Democrats treated him like some outlaw scientist, living in his own castle, prone to lightning strikes, and being the center of suspicion by local police over grave robberies.

But listen closely: the …wait; no need to listen closely because of all the shouting in voices full of unmitigated hatred. Just turn the volume down instead, and turn the captions on. Makes it easier.

Let’s start that again.

But read the captions closely: The questions weren’t really about medicine; they were about power. Secretary Kennedy has been working to dismantle a system that thrives on crisis, contracts, and revolving door profits. His punishment wasn’t the result of his hard work, which put errors into the spotlight. Instead, he was punished for the simple act of touching the money tree.

That action alone explains the flak.

Flak From Both Parties

Have you ever seen Republicans and Democrats skate with such rhythm and emotion to make Torvill and Dean jealous? Usually, they can’t clap on the same beat, not once!

But against Secretary Kennedy, they moved as though they were gun batteries coordinating a firing solution all at the same bomber plane.

Why?

Because both sides know what happens if his ideas take root.

For instance, what happens when Americans start asking why experimental contracts were rammed through under emergency orders, if people begin demanding receipts for what was promised, and compare them to what was delivered? If people realize that their public health department has transformed into a political cartel, the implications would be yuuge.

Washington can, and has, survived angry voters: One thing that’s deadly for them is exposure.

Family Fire: The Dynasty’s Panic

Then, like something out of a Joan Collins novel, came the spectacle of family betrayal. Joe Kennedy III decided to call his uncle a danger to every American; Kerry Kennedy labeled him incompetent, and Caroline and Jack Schlossberg shouted their relevance with loud disavowals.

With a visual so frightening to those who give a damn, Camelot itself was melting down, while headlines screamed, “Kennedy Feud,” as if Camelot itself were melting down.

Have you ever seen a family feud before? They basically follow the same formula: bickering amongst themselves, which leads to bloodletting. When, however, that bloodletting ends up broadcast like something out of Jersey Shore, you have to wonder if the family is protecting something, right?

For decades, the Kennedy name has been nothing short of a protected brand for liberal orthodoxy. It’s a dynasty that absolutely cannot afford for one of its own to stand shoulder to shoulder with President Trump while dismantling the sacred institutions of the bureaucracy surrounding public health.

If RFK Jr. is indeed over the target, as I think he may be, then the dynasty is ensuring the flak will be loud and strong enough to drown out whatever is exposed.

Media Guns on Full Auto

What follows is just a smattering of the flotsam out “there.”

• Bill Maher mocked him on HBO, calling his Senate appearance a train wreck.

• The Daily Beast fired off the usual “nutjob” labels, like flares out of Tom Cruise’s F-14 Tomcat helping him evade a 5th-generation fighter jet.

• Over a thousand current and former HHS staff members signed a letter condemning him.

• Mainstream reporters gleefully picked apart his halting speech, ignoring his neurological condition, which he’s been battling for years.

We’re seeing in real time the media’s role changing from analysis to suppression.

The left isn’t worried about a single hearing, but of what comes next if Kennedy survives the barrage; will he open the filing cabinets, then drag decades of contacts into the daylight? What happens if the American people learn just how badly the swamp is addicted to fear-driven profits?

The intense flak isn’t just noise from a compliant media; it’s a warning shot from an industry that’s protected the orthodoxy surrounding public health for decades.

Speculation: What Are They Hiding?

It’s a question that practically asks itself: What is Kennedy circling that terrifies the swamp so badly? 

Could it be the financial ties between pharmaceutical firms and government health agencies, you know, the one with a revolving door, that push executives out to approve contracts one year and cash stock options the next? How about buried data within the CDC archives that show just how flimsy some of the COVID-era guidance really was? Is there evidence that “the science” was shaped not by discovery, but by the three “P’s”: Politics, Polls, and Paychecks?

Maybe, just maybe, it’s all the above.

Perhaps the flak is intended to prevent him from releasing the payload: evidence that America was deceived during the pandemic, and that deception was fiscally profitable.

My Thoughts: What I haven’t mentioned was just how confusing that period was; nobody knew nuthin’, and we all were scared. Well, I can’t say we ALL were frightened. I had moments of uncertainty until I learned more about COVID, and then I hoped I had a better understanding of what we were up against.

Unless it’s something you can’t afford to lose, you don’t shoot every shell in the battery at the man unless he’s flying directly overhead.

The Trump Variable

There’s another reason for the fury: Kennedy isn’t flying the bomber solo; he’s displaying Trump’s banner on the outside surface of the bomber. Instead of a drawing of a voluptuously beautiful woman named “Mabel,” Kennedy has a MAGA banner.

Each attack on Kennedy doubles as one on President Trump; when we see a headline about a Kennedy train wreck, we know it’s part of the goal of bruising Trump’s cabinet.

Washington understands that if Kennedy succeeds in this mission, Trump scores a direct hit on one of the swamp’s most protected fortresses.

That’s why the incoming fire on Kennedy is so bloody intense.

Final Thoughts

At times, silent European skies were mistaken for safety by bomber crews. They knew if the guns were quiet, they were probably way off target.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. isn’t rocketing through quiet skies; he’s flying through a storm of tracers, explosions, and whatever else gets pulled out of the behind of those worried about something. Senators, media elites, and his own bloodline are trying to shoot the man down, to silence him.

Our lesson couldn’t have had a clearer answer unless RFK Jr. is over the target.

What I want to know is this: Will RFK Jr. stay the course long enough to release what the swamp doesn’t want us to see? I checked and found that I’m not wearing a tinfoil hat to keep the signal out of my head. If I’m right about this, then the American political swamp is just as deep and corrupt as any government anywhere in time.

As frightening as this concept is, I pray we have the correct people in place to find the spot in the swamp marked by an X and start digging. It may take years, but answer this: Is our country worth it? Did that bullet miss Trump’s head because of divine planning that gave us the warriors needed to finally clean Washington up?

I guess we’ll know by the amount of screaming whenever a member of the Trump administration opens a locked door.