Authored by Zena le Roux via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Eating enough protein is essential for preserving muscle. Yet experts say the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein does not reflect the amount required for optimal muscle health. This has important implications for healthy weight loss.

To thrive—not just survive—you may need much more.

Bare Minimum

“The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for protein is the minimum amount needed to prevent deficiency, not the optimal level for health,” Angel Planells, a registered dietitian, told The Epoch Times.

Dietary guidelines suggest that adults eat 0.8 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.

However, protein requirements in the United States have not been reassessed since 2005. Some studies suggest that protein recommendations should exceed the RDA for certain adults, including seniors, active people, and those with chronic conditions like obesity or Type 2 diabetes, Kristen Smith, a registered dietitian nutritionist and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, told The Epoch Times.

Research shows that consuming protein beyond the RDA can optimize health outcomes, particularly for older adults, by helping prevent muscle loss (sarcopenia), supporting muscle maintenance and weight management, and enhancing feelings of fullness (satiety).

Benefits of Eating Enough Protein

Adequate protein intake is crucial for maintaining and building muscle and supporting physical strength and metabolic health. Over time, consistent protein consumption improves body composition by promoting fat loss while preserving lean muscle mass.

Skeletal muscle mass is also a key marker of metabolic health. Increasing evidence shows that greater muscle mass and strength are associated with better health, a longer lifespan, and reduced disease risk.

Muscle reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular conditions, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, a family physician, muscle expert, and best-selling author, told The Epoch Times.

For those losing weight, protein intake is essential to prevent unintentional muscle loss. Ideally, weight loss should primarily come from fat stores since fat is a major contributor to metabolic disease. However, muscle mass—especially skeletal muscle—is often lost during weight loss. In fact, 20 percent to 40 percent of total body weight loss can come from muscle, which can negatively affect both short- and long-term health.

*  *  *

Flash Sale: 25% Off IQ Biologix Fortified Protein!

*  *  *

Besides maintaining muscle, protein also helps reduce appetite and supports weight loss. High-protein diets (HPD), consisting of 20 percent to 35 percent of calories from protein or 1.2 to 1.9 grams per kilogram of body weight per day—are effective in reducing appetite and preventing weight regain. A 100-kilogram (220-pound) man would need between 120 grams and 190 grams of protein a day. For reference, a single chicken breast contains about 50 grams of protein.

Protein increases hormones that promote feelings of fullness while lowering ghrelin, the hormone that triggers hunger. This leads to a greater feeling of fullness and reduced food intake. Additionally, protein has a higher thermic effect, meaning it requires more energy to digest and process compared to carbohydrates and fats—a key advantage for weight control.

How Much Do We Need?

A general guideline for protein intake is about 1 gram per pound of ideal body weight, or roughly 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram. This amount is sufficient for most people, but individual needs vary depending on factors like age, activity level, health status, and specific goals, according to Lyon.

In addition to athletes and older adults, pregnant women, those recovering from illness, and people managing chronic conditions also have increased protein needs to meet their metabolic demands. This underscores the importance of personalized dietary strategies rather than relying on blanket recommendations, Lyon added.

Long-term protein consumption of 2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day is safe for healthy adults. For highly active people, the tolerable upper limit increases to 3.5 grams per kilogram per day, Stacy Sims, an exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist with a doctorate in environmental exercise physiology and sports nutrition, told The Epoch Times.

As people age—particularly when women reach menopause and men approach their 60s—the body becomes less responsive to the effects of both exercise and protein intake on building muscle. To counteract this resistance, people in these age groups should aim for protein intake at the upper end of the recommended range, Sims added.

Debunking Protein Myths

One common concern is that high-protein diets may harm the kidneys. However, this myth has been debunked. Studies on HPD in obese adults and data from the Nurses’ Health Study have found no decline in renal function.

While some hypothesize that HPD increases fracture risk due to a higher acid load, a meta-analysis of 74 randomized controlled trials found no significant difference in bone mineral density between HPDs (16 percent to 45 percent of daily energy from protein) and low-protein diets (5 percent to 23 percent). However, the study didn’t directly assess fracture risk.

Moreover, low protein intake is linked to osteoporosis in older adults. Research, including the Framingham Osteoporosis Study, suggests that higher protein intake may prevent bone loss in this group.

Another misconception is that plant-based proteins are nutritionally equivalent to animal-based proteins. While plant proteins can be a part of a healthy diet, they often lack one or more essential amino acids and require higher quantities to match the effectiveness of animal proteins in building muscle, Lyon said.

Meet Your Protein Needs

Lyon shared the following meal plan example that includes balanced protein intake for a woman with an ideal weight of 120 to 150 pounds:

• Breakfast: 2 large eggs cooked with 3 ounces of lean ground turkey (33 grams of protein)
• Lunch: 5 ounces of grilled chicken breast, 1 cup steamed broccoli, and 1/2 cup cooked quinoa (40 grams of protein)
• Snack: 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt topped with 1 tablespoon of chia seeds and a handful of berries (22 grams of protein)
• Dinner: 6 ounces of baked salmon with 1 cup of sautéed spinach and 1 medium baked sweet potato (40 grams of protein)

Lyon explained that many people underestimate their daily protein needs and fail to prioritize protein-rich foods in their meals. Additionally, modern dietary patterns tend to favor carbohydrates and fats over protein, partly due to convenience and food availability.

The Trump administration is planning a significant increase in US egg imports to counter the Biden-Harris administration’s questionable handling of the avian flu crisis. The previous administration’s approach—mass culling of tens of millions of birds at commercial broilers with little consideration for the marketplace—has led to record-high egg prices. Ramping up egg imports temporarily should help alleviate sky-high prices.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump told top officials at a Cabinet meeting that “Eggs are a disaster,” adding, “We have to get the prices down, get the inflation down, the prices of eggs and various other things.”

To do this, the US Department of Agriculture will import between 70 million and 100 million eggs over the next two months in an effort to cap egg prices. This initiative is part of a five-part plan, backed by $1 billion in funding, aimed at addressing the bird flu crisis and fixing the Biden administration’s mass culling policies of these hens at commercial broilers that ignited prices at the supermarket. 

Millions of birds at commercial broilers have been mass-culled as the nation’s egg-laying laying hen population fell to its lowest level since 2016 last month.

One very questionable policy under the previous administration was the mass culling of egg-laying hens at commercial broilers without any countermeasure to offset plunging output. It almost seemed as if the administration intended for egg prices to skyrocket. Now, Trump is cleaning up the mess by boosting egg imports while implementing new domestic policies to contain the biosecurity threat. 

Monday’s print of the Urner Barry Egg Index EBP shows wholesale prices jumped to $7.59, a new record high. Since late Decemeber, wholesale prices have jumped to new record highs by the week, with reports of egg shortages nationwide.  

According to the USDA’s bird flu dashboard, 19 million birds across the Lower 48 have been infected by avian influenza over the last 30 days.

Dr. Robert Malone questioned Biden’s bird flu approach, noting earlier this week:

Culling Chickens To Stop Bird Flu Isn’t Working, Dr. Robert Malone Says https://t.co/puRhgDM7qD

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) February 27, 2025

The key question everyone must ask is: Why was the Biden-Harris administration laser-focused on culling and decimating the egg-laying hen population nationwide, with no countermeasures to prevent egg price inflation? A war on food? Most likely…

This is deeply concerning—another reason readers should take control of their own food supply chains rather than relying on globalist mega-corporations.

*  *  *

Pick up a bucket of HEIRLOOM SEEDS (4,500 seeds spanning 39 varieties) from ZH Store! Use code THANKYOU10 for 10% off.

Completing the triumvirate of turmoil in the US housing market, pending home sales joined new- and existing-home sales prints with a big decline in January.

Pending home sales tumbled 4.6% MoM in January (after dropping 4.2% MoM in December), dramatically worse than the 0.9% MoM decline expected and dragging YoY sales down 5.2%…

Source: Bloomberg

This drop pushed pending home sales index to its all-time lows…

Source: Bloomberg

Contract signings tumbled 9.2% in the South – the biggest home-selling region in the country – parts of which experienced historic snowfall. That marked the biggest drop since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Worse still, home prices continue to rise and squeeze would-be buyers. 

National home prices rose 3.9% in December from a year earlier, up from the 3.7% annual gain seen a month earlier, according to data from S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller.

The median sale price of a previously owned home in the US was $396,900 last month, according to NAR data, up 49% from five years earlier.

Of course, there is always an excuse:

“It is unclear if the coldest January in 25 years contributed to fewer buyers in the market, and if so, expect greater sales activity in upcoming months,” NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said in a statement. 

“However, it’s evident that elevated home prices and higher mortgage rates strained affordability.”

what!? No!? Cold weather in winter!!!! No one told the analysts who forecast just a small decline?

Finally, bear in mind that pending-homes sales tend to be a leading indicator for previously owned homes, as houses typically go under contract a month or two before they’re sold.

Yesterday, during his first cabeinet meeting, President Trump discussed various aspects of his reciprocal/non-reciprocal tariff plans… prompting the stock market to decline and general chaos in FX markets. His words were interpreted as pushing back the start of tariffs on Mexico and Canada by a month (but that ‘dovishness’ was offset by comments on EU tariffs).

This morning, the president has issued a ‘clarifying’ statement on Truth Social.

Drugs are still pouring into our Country from Mexico and Canada at very high and unacceptable levels. 

A large percentage of these Drugs, much of them in the form of Fentanyl, are made in, and supplied by, China. 

More than 100,000 people died last year due to the distribution of these dangerous and highly addictive POISONS. 

Millions of people have died over the last two decades. The families of the victims are devastated and, in many instances, virtually destroyed. 

We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA, and therefore, until it stops, or is seriously limited, the proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled.

China will likewise be charged an additional 10% Tariff on that date. 

The April Second Reciprocal Tariff date will remain in full force and effect. 

Thank you for your attention to this matter. 

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Tl;dr: We are going full tariff-tard!

Trump mistook the start date on canada, mexico tariffs with the reciprocal tariff launch date and algos immediately took it as a dovish signal that he is pushing back on tariffs.

Instead Trump was just confused https://t.co/E7Q3AFTXtU

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) February 27, 2025

The result is the dollar is spiking…

as CAD, MXN, EUR, and CNH all tumble.

Traders anxiously await the next post from the president.

In what was the most boring number of today’s data barrage, the BEA reported the first revision of Q4 GDP (initially reported last month) and found no changes at the headline level, meaning Q4 GDP still rose at a 2.3% pace, same as calculated previously and the same as estimated.

According to the BEA, the increase in real GDP in Q4 reflected increases in consumer spending and government spending that were partly offset by a decrease in investment. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, decreased.

Real GDP was revised up by less than 0.1 percentage point from the advance estimate released last month, primarily reflecting upward revisions to government spending and exports that were partly offset by downward revisions to consumer spending and investment.

Compared to the third quarter, the deceleration in real GDP in the fourth quarter primarily reflected downturns in investment and exports that were partly offset by an acceleration in consumer spending. Imports turned down.

While the GDP numbers are meaningless – and stale – what traders paid a bit more attention to what the deflator, the price index and core PCE all of which were revised hotter than initially reported, to wit:

The GDP price index increased 2.3% in the fourth quarter, revised up 0.1% from the previous estimate. The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index increased 2.4%, also revised up 0.1%. And excluding food and energy prices, the core PCE price index increased 2.7%, revised up 0.2%.

But aside for the modest upward revision in core prices, don’t expect anyone to focus much on this data which is not only stale but irrelevant (it reflects the last quarter of Biden’s political regime) and now that Trump is president all that matters is i) tariffs and ii) whether they will be inflationary and boost growth, or deflationary and spark a recession.

The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits for the first time jumped from 220k to 242k last week – the highest since October 2024…

Source: Bloomberg

…the impact of DOGE punches DC workers in the face…

Source: Bloomberg

Continuing jobless claims continue to tread water around three year highs (around 1.9 million Americans…

Source: Bloomberg

Given the number of lawsuits desperately trying to slow/delay the firing of government workers (we use that term loosely), we would expect to se the number of initial claims in DC (and therefore the nation) accelerate further in coming weeks as ‘judges’ are forced to allow Trump and Musk to do what ‘we, the people’ asked them to do…

All hail DOGE!

Washington DC rocked by historic layoff wave as Musk fires deep state apparatchiks at a record pace pic.twitter.com/iKLtGogr3m

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) February 27, 2025

US equity futures are higher post-NVDA, though the stock’s reaction was a bit muted with the stock rising ~2% pre-market, a far cry from the 10% swing that was priced in by straddles ahead of earnings (and why both puts and calls will expire worthless). As of 8:00am ET, S&P futures are up 0.6%, and Nasdaq futures rise 0.8%, with all Mag7 stocks higher, and Semis and Fins also stronger. Bond yields are up 5bps from 2s to 30s with USD poised to have its strongest day in 5 sessions as yen drops sharply after stops are triggered around 149.40. Commodites are weaker ex-Energy although WTI remains below $70/bbl. Today’s macro data focus is on Durable/Cap Goods and Jobless data. Notably, both Asian and European stocks are weaker today, prompting JPM to ask if “this the beginning of a rotation back to US TMT?”

In premarket trading, Nvidia ticks 2.4% higher after the chipmaker delivered good-but-not-great quarterly numbers. As for the other Magnificent Seven stocks, Tesla and Meta Platforms are top gainers (Alphabet +0.8%, Amazon +1.7%, Apple -0.1%, Microsoft +0.4%, Meta Platforms +1.5% and Tesla +2%). EBay tumbled 7% after projecting sales for the current quarter that missed analysts’ estimates, guidance that Chief Executive Officer Jamie Iannone attributed to soft demand in Germany and the UK. Snowflake (SNOW) jumps 12% after the cloud-computing company gave an outlook for product revenue that is above the analyst consensus. Salesforce (CRM) shares fall 3% after the software company gave an outlook that is weaker than expected. Here are some other notable premarket movers:

• Ambarella (AMBA) climbs 12% after the semiconductor device company  gave an outlook that is seen as strong.
• Ferrari (RACE) drops 3% after the Agnelli family sold a $3.14 billion stake in Ferrari NV to fund what it calls a “sizeable new acquisition” and stock buyback.
• Ibotta (IBTA) tumbles 41% after the digital marketing software firm issued forecasts for the current quarter that fell short of Wall Street expectations.
• Mara Holdings (MARA) rises 13% after the crypto mining firm reported total revenue for the fourth quarter that beat the average analyst estimate.
• Nutanix (NTNX) jumps 15% after the infrastructure software company boosted its full-year revenue guidance and reported second-quarter adjusted earnings per share that beat estimates.
• Papa John’s (PZZA) gains 6% after fourth quarter profit and revenue beat estimates.
• Paramount Global (PARA) slips 2% after the parent of CBS and MTV reported fourth-quarter sales and profit that fell short of analysts’ expectations, as gains in streaming failed to offset declines in traditional TV.
• Pure Storage (PSTG) declines 8% after the cloud storage provider’s provided disappointing guidance for operating income. Also, the company’s fourth-quarter subscription services revenue failed to meet estimates.
• Root (ROOT) rises 18% after the insurance company’s fourth quarter net premiums written beat estimates
• Tandem Diabetes (TNDM) falls 17% after as competition hurt US sales. Leerink called the fourth quarter “a challenging quarter to digest.”
• Teleflex (TFX) slips 5% after announcing plans to separate into two publicly traded companies.
• Warby Parker (WRBY) rises 6% after the eyeglass retailer provided a rosy sales outlook. The company also announced a partnership with Target Corp. for five Warby Parker at Target shop-in-shops in 2025.

Nvidia’s largely positive, if hardly blowout. results come only a month after Chinese startup DeepSeek challenged US Big Tech’s artificial intelligence spending with its cheaper AI model. The picture for tech investors is made even more complex by US President Donald Trump’s administration pressuring allies to escalate curbs on China’s semiconductor industry. “While we continue to highlight volatility in the near term amid macro uncertainty, US-China tensions, tariffs, and geopolitical developments, we believe the broader AI trend remains intact,” said Mark Haefele, chief investment officer at UBS Global Wealth Management.

Investors are also confronting a murky outlook for US trade tariffs, after Trump threatened to impose 25% levies on European Union imports sending stocks lower by 0.4%, and off its record high, with the auto sector the biggest laggard. Trump gave contradictory statements Wednesday on the implementation of tariffs, keeping investors guessing. A White House official said the European levies could affect all exports from the block, or only specific sectors. The US remains on track to put levies on Mexico and Canada, however it is unclear if they are going to be enacted in March. 

“The market wants to see the implementation to price in the worst,” said Michael Nizard of Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management. “Up until now, it was negotiations and the market doesn’t want to correct more.”

Commenting on the outlook for US stocks, JPMorgan’s Ilan Benhamou said they will struggle early March amid weaker economic data before they rally again later in spring. “In the immediate future, things are too messy for stocks to break out, and I think the market is stuck,” Benhamou, who works in equity derivatives sales, wrote in a note to clients.

Elsewhere, Initial jobless claims and revised fourth-quarter gross domestic product numbers feature in a flurry of readings due later that investors will parse for any further evidence of slowing growth. Money markets have boosted Federal Reserve easing bets to fully price two quarter-point cuts this year compared to just one reduction two weeks ago.

European stocks were left behind in today bounce, after US President Trump said he would impose 25% tariffs on imports from the European Union. The Stoxx 600 is off the lows but still down 0.5%, led lower by automakers as European stocka trim yesterday’s record high in early Thursday trading, with declines led by automakers on renewed tariff uncertainty from the US. The region’s most significant movers are driven by company earnings in another busy report day in Europe, with Rolls-Royce and Technip surging, and Ocado and WPP sinking on their respective reports. Here are the biggest movers Thursday:

• Rolls-Royce soars as much as 16% to a fresh record as the jet-engine maker’s results beat estimates and the outlook is upgraded. Analysts also welcomed the launch of a £1b buyback starting immediately
• Technip Energies shares rise as much as 11% to a record high after the company reported results that topped expectations. Analysts highlighted the strong order intake and favorable outlook
• Engie shares gain as much as 6.5% to the highest level since 2015 after the French utility raised its profit guidance for 2025, a move that will imply consensus upgrades, according to analysts
• Eiffage shares rise as much as 6.7%, the most since March 2022, after results from the French infrastructure company were accompanied by what CIC analysts described as “a good surprise”
• Man Group shares rise as much as 5.7%, their best one-day gain in nearly a year, after the investment management firm reported better-than-expected results and announced a $100 million share buyback
• Swiss Re shares climb as much as 2.8% after the insurer reported an earnings beat and lower-than-expected costs for the recent Californian wildfires. Analysts said the report was “reassuring”
• Beiersdorf gains as much as 2.4%, most in a month, after the German personal and healthcare group reported earnings. Analysts say the relatively solid report and outlook should support shares
• Ocado shares decline as much as 16% after the company’s growth forecast for the technology solutions business missed analyst estimates. The segment’s weakness dampen hopes of a growth acceleration
• WPP shares sink as much as 16%, the steepest drop since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, after the advertising firm forecast another year of revenue decline in 2025, which undershot analysts’ estimates
• Sopra Steria shares fall as much as 15%, the most since October 2020, after the French software company set what CIC analysts described as “cautious targets for 2025” alongside in-line results
• Syensqo shares plunge as much as 12%, the most on record, after the chemical manufacturer issued disappointing guidance that will weigh on investor expectations, according to Citi
• EDP falls after announcingwill reduce its gross investment per year to €4.4b on average in 2025-2026, according to a presentation posted on the Portuguese securities regulator’s website late on Wednesday

Earlier in the session, Asian stocks fell as equities in Hong Kong pulled back after a strong rally spurred by a slew of positive developments. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index declined as much as 0.5%, weighed by tech firms including Xiaomi and Alibaba. Shares dropped in Taiwan and South Korea, while those in Japan rose. Investor sentiment remained cautious amid mixed messages from Donald Trump and uncertainty over US tariffs on Chinese imports. Trump expressed interest in having China invest in the US just days after he ordered restrictions to Chinese spending in some sectors. “The key uncertainty remains on how much of these tariff threats will eventually materialize, though broad resilience in market sentiments suggests that market participants are still expecting somewhat of a negotiated outcome with minimal tariff implementation,” Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at IG Asia Pte in Singapore, wrote in a note. Earnings from Nvidia also failed to impress investors, with the company’s shares falling in after-hours trading after the chipmaker delivered results.

In rates, Treasuries fallwith the curve cheaper by 3bp to 5bp across maturities, after a curve-steepening selloff picked up steam during London morning. 10-year yield rises 5bps around 4.3% is near session high and cheaper vs bunds and gilts in the sector by ~3bp; 2s10s curve is ~1bp steeper on the day.  The US session includes 4Q GDP revision, weekly jobless claims data and six scheduled Fed speakers. Bunds and gilts pared opening gains to trade slightly lower on the day. German and UK 10-year borrowing costs rise 2 bps each. Spanish headline inflation matched expectations and prompted little reaction in European Central Bank interest-rate cut bets.

In FX, the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rises 0.2%. The yen is the weakest of the G-10 currencies, falling 0.6% against the dollar and pushing USD/JPY up toward 150. The Swiss franc is a close second, falling 0.4%.

In commodities, spot gold drops $25 to around $2,891/oz. Bitcoin rises 2% and above $86,000. 

The US economic data calendar includes first revision of 4Q GDP estimate, January durable goods orders and weekly jobless claims (8:30am), January pending home sales (10am) and February Kansas City Fed manufacturing activity (11am). Fed speaker slate also includes Barkin (8:15am), Schmid (9:15am), Barr (10am), Bowman (11:45am), Hammack (1:15pm) and Harker (3:15pm)

Market Snapshot

• S&P 500 futures up 0.5% to 6,003.00
• STOXX Europe 600 down 0.4% to 557.37
• MXAP down 0.3% to 188.35
• MXAPJ down 0.7% to 592.16
• Nikkei up 0.3% to 38,256.17
• Topix up 0.7% to 2,736.25
• Hang Seng Index down 0.3% to 23,718.29
• Shanghai Composite up 0.2% to 3,388.06
• Sensex up 0.1% to 74,682.30
• Australia S&P/ASX 200 up 0.3% to 8,268.22
• Kospi down 0.7% to 2,621.75
• German 10Y yield little changed at 2.44%
• Euro little changed at $1.0477
• Brent Futures up 0.7% to $73.02/bbl
• Gold spot down 0.9% to $2,889.19
• US Dollar Index up 0.20% to 106.63

Top Overnight News

• US President Trump issued an executive order to implement DOGE’s government efficiency initiative which deals with federal spending on contracts, grants, and loans: White House.
• House Republicans spent weeks in painstaking negotiations before delivering a budget blueprint for “one big, beautiful bill.” Despite a razor-thin 217-215 House vote Tuesday, GOP senators indicated Wednesday they would not accept Speaker Mike Johnson’s fiscal framework as-is. Politico
• US President Trump has assured House and Senate Republicans he intends to open up his stockpile of campaign reserves to defend the party’s slim majorities in both chambers next year: CNN.
• US Senate Majority Leader Thune told Punchbowl “I’m not exactly sure where the 8% number or argument is coming from”, in relation to Pentagon spending cuts.
• Canadian officials are undertaking a “full court press” in Washington this week to avert 25% tariffs on most of the nation’s goods, a minister said. BBG
• Microsoft is pushing the Trump administration to loosen and simplify a new system that would restrict the sales of cutting-edge U.S. artificial-intelligence chips to much of the world. WSJ
• China’s securities regulator has clamped down on small companies’ listings on New York stock exchanges after many of them became vehicles for price-rigging, causing heavy losses for US investors. The rate of China-approved applications for US IPOs has slowed noticeably in the past year, falling from 22 in the 1H24 to 11 since June. FT
• Japan births tumble to the lowest level since records began 125 years ago as the country’s demographic crisis deepens and government efforts to reverse the decline continue to fail (births fell 5% in ’24 to 720,988). FT
• China’s No. 4 official unveiled tougher language on Taiwan, urging efforts to “shape the inevitable reunification.” BBG
• Indian officials are exploring ways to lower tariffs on a wide range of imports, including cars and chemicals, in a bid to evade US President Donald Trump’s threatened reciprocal levies, according to people familiar with the matter. BBG
• UK PM Starmer will warn Trump on Thursday at the White House that any Ukraine peace agreement will require some type of a security guarantee from the US in order to be credible. FT
• Israel and Hamas began an exchange of the bodies of four hostages for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, the final swap in a six-week ceasefire due to end this weekend. BBG

A more detailed look at global markets courtesy of Newsquawk

APAC stocks followed suit to the mixed performance stateside for most of the session after tariff-related confusion and NVIDIA’s earnings. ASX 200 edged mild gains amid outperformance in Consumer Staples following earnings from supermarket heavyweight Coles but with the upside limited amid losses in tech and after disappointing capex data. Nikkei 225 swung between gains and losses amid a quiet calendar and choppy currency, while Seven & I Holdings was the worst performer after the founding family’s management buyout fell through. Hang Seng and Shanghai Comp were initially pressured as trade frictions remain in the spotlight with US Commerce Secretary Lutnick recently commenting that China is his biggest concern and that they will prevent Chinese vehicles from entering the US market, while it was also reported that China is putting the breaks on US stock listings for domestic companies.

Top Asian News

• Chinese Commerce Ministry, on possible US trade deal, says China’s MOFCOM has been maintaining communication with US counterparts.
• Thai government engages in preliminary talks with automakers regarding potential car trade-in and scrappage initiative, according to Reuters sources.
• China set to boost financial support for EV charging facilities, according to Bloomberg.
• Chinas Financial Regulator encourages banks and insurers to enhance medium-to-long term lending support to tech innovation and equipment upgrades in sectors including steel, nonferrous metals, and petrochemicals.
• MediaTek (2454 TT) FY24 (TWD): Net profit 106.4bln (exp. 115.05bln), Co. is to pay cash dividend of TWD 40bln or TWD 25/shr.

European bourses (STOXX 600 -0.3%) are in the red (ex-FTSE 100 +0.2%), with sentiment hit amid the latest Trump tariff related commentary on the EU. On the former, the US President said that he will be announcing tariffs on the EU very soon and that the EU can try to retaliate on tariffs, as well as noted that EU tariffs are to be 25% on autos and other things. European sectors hold a strong negative bias, and with those in the green only modestly so. Telecoms remains afloat, joined closely by Travel & Leisure and then Energy. Autos is by far the clear underperformer, as the sector reacts to US President Trump’s commentary that EU tariffs are to be 25% on autos and other things.

Top European News

• French President Macron and incoming German Chancellor Merz agree to “open a new chapter in Franco-German relations”, according to Reuters sources.
• French Armed Forces Minister, regarding US tariffs, says EU needs to react in the firmest manner possible as soon as possible.
• Austrian Coalition Government programme says we seek to avoid an EU excessive deficit procedure by achieving savings of more than EUR 6.3bln this year and EUR 8.7bln next year.

Nvidia

• Q4 revenue topped estimates, as Data Centre revenue surged, driven by AI chip demand, though the rate of expansion is slowing. And while Q1 sales guidance was above expectations, gross margins are seen easing in Q1, leading to shares slipping about 1.5% by the end of the extended trading session, with investors left slightly underwhelmed, according to Bloomberg.
• Q4 adj. EPS 0.89 (exp. 0.83), Q4 revenue USD 39.33bln (exp. 37.61bln). Q4 Data Centre revenue +93% Y/Y at USD 35.6bln (exp. 34.09bln); Q4 Gaming revenue -14% Y/Y to USD 2.5bln (exp. 3.02bln); Q4 Professional Visualization revenue +10% Y/Y at USD 511mln (exp. 507.6mln); Q4 Automotive revenue USD 570mln (exp. 460.7mln). Q4 R&D expenses +51% y/y to USD 3.71bln (exp. 3.75bln); Q4 adj. operating expenses +53% Y/Y at USD 3.38bln (exp. 3.4bln), Q4 FCF +38% Y/Y at USD 15.52bln.
• Exec noted that it successfully ramped up Blackwell production massively, and it has been the fastest product ramp in the company’s history; it delivered USD 11bln of Blackwell architecture revenue in Q4. Sees Q1 revenue around USD 43bln +/-2% (exp. 41.56bln), sees Q1 adj. GM at 71% +/- 50bps. Sees Q1 adj. gross margin of 73.5% (exp. 73.5%); gross margins are expected to rebound into the mid-70 later in the FY, being weighed at present by the ramp in Blackwell production.
• CFO said that it expects China shipments to maintain current levels as a percentage of data centre revenue, while Stargate data centres will use Spectrum X ethernet networking; anticipates that its networking unit will resume growth in Q1.
• CEO Huang said that next-gen AI requires 100 times more compute due to advanced reasoning processes, and also noted Nvidia’s China revenue halved due to export controls and competition

FX

• DXY is a touch higher and attempting to continue its recovery after printing a YTD low on Monday at 106.12 following a recent run of soft economic releases, which have weighed on US yields. On the trade front, US Commerce Secretary Lutnick clarified that if President Trump is satisfied by the March 4th deadline; but global tariffs will still come into effect on April 2nd. Today’s docket sees the 2nd release of US GDP, quarterly PCE metrics, durable goods and a busy Fed speaker slate.
• EUR is marginally softer vs. the USD after failing to hold above the 1.05 mark. On Wednesday, EUR/USD was able to match the recent YTD peak at 1.0528 before being dragged lower amid tariff headwinds after US President Trump said he will be announcing tariffs on the EU very soon and noted that EU tariffs are to be 25% on autos and other things. On the ECB, today’s account of the January meeting will likely pass with little in the way of fanfare given how stale the release will be viewed by the market. Flash CPI data for Spain leaned marginally hawkish.
• USD/JPY is currently staging somewhat of a bounce after a recent run of losses that have been triggered by softness in US yields; the relatively higher yield environment today is likely playing a factor for today’s upside. USD/JPY has ventured as high as 149.96 ahead of 150.00.
• GBP is flat vs. USD and EUR in a week that has been lacking in fresh macro drivers for the UK aside from a pledge to ramp up UK defence spending. Today’s docket has UK PM Starmer holding a press conference with US President Trump at 14:00EST/19:00GMT. However, this is not expected to be much of a market mover. Cable currently sits towards the bottom of yesterday’s 1.2634-1.2715 range.
• Antipodeans are both gradually declined during APAC hours to their weakest level in almost two weeks amid the flimsy risk environment, while there were muted reactions to the mixed New Zealand business survey and mostly weaker Australian capex data.
• PBoC set USD/CNY mid-point at 7.1740 vs exp. 7.2561 (prev. 7.1732).

Fixed Income

• USTs are softer, given the constructive US risk tone as NVIDIA results weren’t the near 10% move that options had been implying, though of course it remains to be seen how they will open in today’s session; with tariffs and energy strength also influencing. As it stands, USTs are at the bottom of a 110-14 to 110-26 band. While softer, the benchmark remains comfortably clear of yesterday’s 110-08 base. Ahead, a slew of Fed speak and Q4 GDP & PCE second readings and weekly claims are due.
• Bunds initially held just in the green but has seemingly succumbed to intensifying energy upside in the European morning. Action at the start of the session was, once again, driven by the tariff updates from Trump and remarks from EU officials/member nations on retaliatory measures; which sparked conflicting leads for EGBs given the potential growth headwinds and inflation tailwinds from such measures. As such, Bunds find themselves at the lower-end of a 132.54-132.96 band and now in the red by a handful of ticks. ECB Minutes due later.
• Gilts opened essentially unchanged but have also succumbed to intensifying energy action; currently trade at the low-end of a modest 92.99-93.33 band. Traders await the meeting between Trump and UK PM Starmer (19:00 GMT) today for any signs of a deal or exemptions from some or all of the touted measures. Supply from the UK was robust enough, though the sub-3x cover may have disappointed some, in the first conventional auction for the 2040 line after two well-received syndications.
• UK sells GBP 3.25bln 4.375% 2040 Gilt: b/c 2.89x, tail 0.6bps, average yield 4.836%.
• Italy sells EUR 6.75bln vs exp. EUR 5.75-6.75bln 2.95% 2030, 3.65% 2035 BTP & EUR 2.75bln vs exp. 2.5-2.75bln 2033 CCTeu.

Commodities

• Crude is on a firmer footing, paring back some of the pressure seen in the prior session after mixed inventories data. Newsflow in the European morning has been light with attention on tariff rhetoric after US President Trump’s commentary on Wednesday in which he noted they will be announcing tariffs on the EU very soon. Brent May in a USD 72.10-72.80/bbl range at the time of writing.
• Subdued sentiment was seen in precious metals and as spot gold trickled lower amid a firmer dollar and eventually dipped under yesterday’s trough beneath the USD 2,900/oz level. Spot gold resides in a current USD 2,877.17-2,920.81/oz range after dipping under support at 2,890.86/oz.
• Base metals trade mixed amid the tentative mood across markets and with upside capped by tariff rhetoric. Overnight action saw copper futures subdued after wiping out this week’s gains. 3M LME copper resides in a USD 9,410.00-9,461.00/t range thus far after dipping sub-9,500/t yesterday.
• US Secretary of State Rubio said he is providing foreign policy guidance to revoke all Biden-era oil and gas licenses that have funded Venezuela’s Maduro regime.
• Indian Mines Minister says they decided to explore lithium in Jammu and Kashmir, with clarity expected by May; looking at Congo and Tanzania for critical minerals.

Geopolitics: Middle East

• “Negotiations for the passage of the second phase will take place next week in Cairo or Doha”, according to Al Jazeera
• The bodies of four Israeli hostages have been transferred to Israel and a Hamas source stated that 97 Palestinian prisoners have been transferred to Egypt. Hamas also said it adheres to the Gaza ceasefire agreement and is ready for discussions on the second phase, while it added suggested the release of the remaining hostages depends on commitment to the ceasefire terms.

Geopolitics: Ukraine

• Russia’s Kremlin says they think the process with the US can move forward with political will, welcome the fact that US President Trump is “willing to listen”, no one expects quick and easy solutions with the US. No substantiative discussion yet on cooperation between Russian and US companies. Don’t want to see global trade wars. Everything needs to be resolved in stages. Focused on trade with the BRICS.
• European Council President Costa says member states must be prepared for a potential European contribution to the security guarantees for Ukraine and President Zelensky has been invited to the March 6th leaders summit.

US Event Calendar

• 08:30: Feb. Initial Jobless Claims, est. 221,000, prior 219,000
  • Feb. Continuing Claims, est. 1.87m, prior 1.87m
• 08:30: Jan. Durable Goods Orders, est. 2.0%, prior -2.2%
  • Jan. Durables-Less Transportation, est. 0.3%, prior 0.3%
  • Jan. Cap Goods Ship Nondef Ex Air, est. 0.3%, prior 0.5%
  • Jan. Cap Goods Orders Nondef Ex Air, est. 0.3%, prior 0.4%
• 08:30: 4Q GDP Annualized QoQ, est. 2.3%, prior 2.3%
  • 4Q Personal Consumption, est. 4.1%, prior 4.2%
  • 4Q GDP Price Index, est. 2.2%, prior 2.2%
  • 4Q Core PCE Price Index QoQ, est. 2.5%, prior 2.5%
• 10:00: Jan. Pending Home Sales (MoM), est. -0.9%, prior -5.5%
  • Jan. Pending Home Sales YoY, est. -1.1%, prior -2.9%
• 11:00: Feb. Kansas City Fed Manf. Activity, est. -4, prior -5

DB’s Jim Reid concludes the overnight wrap

As I rush off after this is published to get an emergency passport in deepest East London (see Tuesday’s EMR for why), this morning I’ve published a report on capex booms and busts through history, which you can read here. We’re currently in the midst of a once-in-a-generation private sector capex boom as AI mania sweeps the world, but these booms have recurred throughout economic history, often driven by transformative technologies or speculative fever. Our report looks into several historic case studies, from 18th century canal building and 19th century gold rushes and railway mania, to late 20th century real estate and tech bubbles – and compares their dynamics to the ongoing 2020s boom in AI. We then look at each boom’s characteristics, and why they saw a bust even though the underlying technology would prove transformative to the economy (as AI will likely be today). Interestingly, there are also capex booms that didn’t experience a bust phase, but these tended to be driven by public money. It was really interesting researching this piece, so I hope you will find it a fascinating context to the current AI boom.

With the capex boom in full force, Nvidia produced another impressive headline earnings report after the bell last night. But a modest beat, and nothing spectacular in terms of guidance, meant the report failed to live to the hype that has accompanied the chip giant’s earnings over the past two years. Indeed, it was the smallest revenue beat in two years ($39.3bn vs $38.25bn expected), so that was underwhelming for investors used to much bigger upside surprises. Looking forward, sales guidance for the current quarter ($43bn vs $42.3bn expected) was a little above the average estimate, and Nvidia were upbeat on the ramp up of new products, with its new Blackwell chip delivering $11bn of revenue last quarter and CEO Jensen Huang saying that “Demand for Blackwell is amazing”. However, their shares were down -1.5% by the end of after-market trading, and futures on the NASDAQ 100 are only pointing to a modest recovery, up just +0.18%. So this isn’t a release that’s created huge excitement.

Ahead of Nvidia’s results, markets had already witnessed a pretty mixed session. In Europe, the STOXX 600 (+0.99%) hit a fresh all-time high, but in the US session, more tariff comments from Trump meant the S&P 500 (+0.01%) pared back its initial gains, having been up as much as +0.92% at the intraday high. So that ended a run of 4 consecutive declines for the S&P, but it marked a 5th consecutive session where US equities had underperformed Europe. In turn, the risk-off tone supported a fresh rally for Treasuries, with the 10yr yield (-3.8bps) falling for a 6th consecutive session to 4.26%, the lowest since December 10.

Those tariff comments from Trump added to the uncertainty, as he proposed a potential 25% tariff against the EU. But it wasn’t clear if this meant a broad-based tariff or sector-specific ones, as Trump referred to “cars and all of the things”. There was also uncertainty about the date of Canadian and Mexican tariffs, which had been delayed by a month until March 4. Trump said “I’m not stopping the tariffs”, but then suggested they’d come into force on April 2, later than previously thought. However, a White House official subsequently said that March 4 remained the deadline for these tariffs and Trump hadn’t yet decided whether to grant another extension. So huge uncertainty.

Trump’s comments came shortly after the European close, which saw the S&P 500 pare back its early gains of nearly 1% to close flat on the day (+0.01%). The Magnificent 7 (-0.07%) did see a marginal decline, its fifth in a row, taking the index deeper into correction territory, having now shed -10.86% since its December peak. There were also some rather varied moves among them, with Nvidia up +3.67% before its results, whereas Tesla fell -3.96%, meaning it’s now down -39% from its December highs. Otherwise, there were some steadier gains elsewhere, with the NASDAQ (+0.26%) and the Russell 2000 (+0.19%) both moving slightly higher.

Earlier on, Europe had led a broad-based advance on both sides of the Atlantic. In particular, German equities continued their outperformance, with the DAX surging +1.71% to close just shy of its all-time high last week, whilst German mid-caps in the MDAX (+1.90%) hit an 18-month high. Meanwhile in Spain, the IBEX 35 (+1.64%) took its YTD gains to +14.98%, cementing this as its strongest start to a year since 1998. And over in Italy, the FTSE MIB (+1.32%) closed at a post-2007 high as well. However, Trump’s tariff comments have dented that momentum, with futures on the DAX down -0.74% this morning, while those on the Euro STOXX 50 are down -0.58%.

The risk-off tone meant rates rallied in response to Trump’s comments, with investors continuing to dial up their expectations for Fed cuts this year. The amount of rate cuts priced by the December rose +1.7bps on the day to 59bps, the most dovish path so far this year. In turn, that saw 2yr Treasury yields fall -2.3bps to a 4-month low of 4.07%, whilst the 10yr yield (-3.8bps) fell to 4.26%. Bear in mind it was only on Monday that 10yr Treasuries were trading at 4.45%, and over the last six sessions, the -29bps move has marked the sharpest decline since the turmoil last August. The outperformance at the longer-end was helped by a solid 7yr auction, with $44bn of bonds issued -0.9bps below the pre-sale yield. And overnight, 10yr yields have only come back a small amount, up +2.2bps to 4.28%.

Meanwhile on Ukraine, US President Trump confirmed that Ukrainian President Zelenskiy would be visiting the US tomorrow. That comes as the US and Ukraine have a draft agreement over Ukraine’s minerals, although Zelenskiy said yesterday that he needed more time to look at the deal. Nevertheless, Ukraine’s dollar bonds saw a strong rally against this backdrop, with the 10yr yield down -30.bps on the day. And that sovereign bond rally happened right across Europe, with yields on 10yr bunds (-2.4bps), OATs (-4.6bps) and BTPs (-4.3bps) all moving lower.

Overnight in Asia, most equity markets are drifting lower this morning after the weakness into the US close last night. Currently, the KOSPI (-0.97%) has seen the largest declines, followed by the Hang Seng (-0.82%), the Shanghai Comp (-0.50%) and the CSI 300 (-0.40%). However, there have been some gains, with Japan’s Nikkei posting a modest +0.14% advance, whilst Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 is also up +0.33%. And looking forward, futures on the S&P 500 (+0.22%) are pointing to further gains as well.

To the day ahead now, and US data releases include the weekly initial jobless claims, pending home sales for January, preliminary durable goods orders for January, and the second estimate of Q4 GDP. From central banks, we’ll get the ECB’s account of their January meeting, and hear from the Fed’s Barkin, Schmid, Barr, Bowman, Hammack and Harker.

Authored by Nathan Worcester via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

In a discussion with American Thought Leaders host Jan Jekielek, Dr. Robert Malone questioned the current approach to limiting bird flu outbreaks—the culling of tens of millions of domesticated birds.

Twenty million egg-laying chickens died last quarter in connection with bird flu, including through the mass culling of flocks whenever avian influenza was spotted. The strategy is motivated in part by concern over the transmission of bird flu to humans.

Bird flu—and the public health paradigm for preventing its spread—have contributed to fast-rising egg prices.

Malone, known for his skepticism of the U.S. public health establishment’s approach to COVID-19, voiced concerns about the culling strategy in his interview with Jekielek.

“It’s not working. That is the old-school way to control outbreaks,” the medical doctor said.

The conversation between Malone and Jekielek took place on Feb. 22 at the Conservative Political Action Conference, located at a resort just outside Washington.

Malone pointed out that there are reasons to be skeptical of the greatest bird flu fears.

Avian influenza viruses are common in waterfowl. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, human-to-human transmission of H1N5, the strain now spreading, has not been observed.

Malone also advised against mass poultry vaccinations, saying that they would “drive the evolution of more vaccine-resistant bird flu strains.”

“Personally, I like the idea that we let loose the chicken industry to breed flu-resistant chickens and turkeys and ducks,” he said, noting that it could serve the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda advanced by new Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Tackling Fentanyl

Malone had another MAHA-related suggestion for Kennedy, related to President Donald Trump’s new FBI director, Kash Patel.

Kennedy chairs the new MAHA Commission, which Trump established via a Feb. 13 executive order.

The order calls for the commission to submit an assessment of American children’s health within 100 days of its issuance. The requested report would compare the United States to other countries and outline validated approaches for improving children’s health, “including through proper nutrition and the promotion of healthy lifestyles.”

Malone drew a connection between Kennedy’s program and the work of Patel, with whom Jekielek previously co-hosted an EpochTV program, “Kash’s Corner.”

Malone, known for his work on mRNA vaccine technology and his concerns about COVID-19 vaccine injuries, pointed out that Patel has been vocal about the harmful effects of fentanyl on Americans.

During the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on his FBI director nomination, Patel testified that the FBI should concentrate on fentanyl brought to the United States by foreign cartels rather than alleged links between ideological extremism and traditional Catholic groups in the United States—the subject of a controversial memo during the Biden administration that has since been retracted.

Out of the United States’s 107,941 overdose deaths in 2022, more than 68 percent stemmed from synthetic opioids, mostly fentanyl, according to statistics from the National Institute on Drug Abuse within the National Institutes of Health.

Malone suggested that HHS could work with the FBI and other agencies to tackle fentanyl, saying the effort could yield positive, measurable results for the American people within a year to a year and a half.

Jekielek also discussed the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) clampdown on the meditation and spiritual practice of Falun Gong in China.

“They decided to crush this health and spiritual movement,” the American Thought Leaders host said.

He identified a pattern, saying that “totalitarians do not like healthy people.”

In addition to persecuting Falun Gong, the CCP has been widely linked to the production of fentanyl that makes its way to the United States.

Today, fewer than one in five young American adults reported smoking cigarettes in the past year—with smoking having declined more than 50% from its peak.

While occasional and social smoking among young adults persists, the overall trend from 1988 to 2023 across casual and heavy smoking reveals a remarkable and sustained decline.

This graphic, via Visual Capitalist’s Dorothy Neufeld, shows the percentage of U.S. young adults aged 19-30 who have smoked cigarettes over 12 months since 1988, based on data from the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research.

Trends in Cigarette Smoking in Young Americans (1988-2023)

More than one-third (37.5%) of young adults in the U.S. smoked cigarettes in 1988, when the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research first started measuring data.

This figure has declined by almost half in 2023, with less than one-fifth (18.8%) of young adults smoking cigarettes in the last 12 months.

Cigarette smoking among 19 to 30 year-olds peaked in 1998 at 39.7%, and has declined steadily since then. For the 14 year period from 2004 to 2017, cigarette smoking rates declined every single year, only bumping up slightly in 2018 and now most recently in 2023 to 18.8%.

Despite the one percentage point uptick in past 12-month smoking in 2023, every measure—whether past 12-month, past 30-day, daily, or heavy use—has experienced significant decreases over both the past five and 10 years.

Daily cigarette smoking in young adults has continued to fall in 2023 to 3.6%, and only 2% of young adults reported smoking half a pack or more a day.

While cigarette smoking has declined, vaping has surged among young adults in the United States. This graphic shows the surge in cannabis and nicotine vaping since 2017.

Authored by Michael Snyder via TheMostImportantNews.com,

A lot of people out there just want to stick their heads in the sand and pretend that everything is just great.  Meanwhile, rampant lawlessness is raging all around us and our society is literally coming apart at the seams.  I just don’t get it.  How can people insist that things are fine when just about every form of evil that you can possibly imagine is on the rise?  

Nobody can deny that the moral decay of America is accelerating, and unless we reverse course and choose another direction conditions will continue to get even worse.  

The following are 11 shocking examples of how completely and utterly lawless our society has become…

#1 We are in the midst of the worst wave of cargo theft in our history.  Earlier today, I came across a Los Angeles Times article about a very alarming series of train heists that have been taking place in the Mojave Desert…

The thieves stealthily board eastbound freight trains, hiding out until they reach lonely stretches of the Mojave Desert or high plains far from towns. They slash an air brake hose, causing the mile-long line of railcars to screech to an emergency stop.

Then, they go shopping.

That’s the modus operandi described by investigators in a string of at least 10 heists targeting BNSF trains in California and Arizona since last March. All but one resulted in the theft of Nike sneakers, their combined value approaching $2 million, according to investigators.

Thankfully, authorities have been able to catch some of those that have been involved in these thefts.

Of the eleven suspects that were charged in relation to a heist on January 13th, nine of them were in the U.S. illegally.

Sadly, these sneaker thefts are just the tip of the iceberg.

We are being told that there were “at least 65,000 railroad cargo thefts last year”, and that represented a whopping 40 percent jump from the year before…

There were at least 65,000 railroad cargo thefts last year, a 40% increase from 2023, according to industry estimates compiled by the Assn. of American Railroads. The thefts — which are typically classified as burglaries because they don’t involve directly confronting victims, as with robberies — are believed to have cost the nation’s largest rail companies more than $100 million, according to the trade group.

Those figures may be an undercount, because railroads don’t publicize all thefts, Lewis said. Details typically emerge publicly only when arrests are made and criminal complaints are filed.

#2 A McDonald’s location in Brooklyn has completely banned everyone under the age of 20 from entering because of all the crime kids have been committing there…

A crime-ridden Brooklyn McDonald’s is carding customers at the door and forbidding anyone under 20 to enter without a parent or proper ID — in what might be a first for the fast food goliath.

The restaurant, at Nostrand and Flatbush avenues took the drastic step last week, after a group of kids wearing ski masks swirled in after school and attacked a security guard, breaking a glass door, according to manager Amber Hussain.

Over the past year, large groups of teens have regularly been causing all sorts of chaos at that particular McDonald’s…

Every day after school for the year she’s worked there, somewhere between 15 to 20 teenagers come in and “trash the store” — throwing ice at customers, snatching bags of foods from Uber drivers and smoking weed inside the restaurant, Hussain told The Post.

The McDonald’s — in the area nicknamed “the junction” — is infamous in the neighborhood. It’s been the scene of multiple shootings and stabbings over the years.

#3 Speaking of Brooklyn, a 23-year-old man has just been charged with repeatedly raping a 7-year-old boy and posting videos of the abuse on the dark web…

A Brooklyn man allegedly raped a young boy he was babysitting, filmed the vile abuse and posted it on the dark web — and authorities fear there may be other victims.

Ramel “Menah” Warner lived with the victim’s family in Brooklyn for two years and frequently babysat the 7-year-old victim, federal prosecutors said in court papers. Warner, 23, allegedly made six different videos of the abuse, investigators said.

He was charged Jan. 29 in federal court with acting in a manner injurious to a child, forcible touching, and sexual abuse of an individual under the age of 11.

#4 Apparently someone that does not like Elon Musk very much just shot up a Tesla dealership in Salem, Oregon…

A Tesla dealership in Salem was vandalized Wednesday morning, about a month after a vehicle at the dealership was lit on fire.

Police officers responded just before 5 a.m. to a report of windows damaged at the dealership on Mission Street Northwest. The officers found the windows damaged from gunshots.

#5 Romance scams have become extremely popular in recent years.  But one woman with dual citizenship took things to an entirely new level by killing several of her victims…

A Las Vegas woman with dual U.S.-Mexican citizenship ran a “romance scam on steroids” that caused the deaths of three people, FBI Special Agent in Charge Spencer Evans said during a news conference where, with the Nevada U.S. attorney’s office, he announced the unsealing of a 21-count superseding indictment against her.

Apparently Aurora Phelps was targeting men in their 70s and 80s, and she would use drugs to incapacitate them…

“We believe Phelps connected with each of them through an online dating application, so she could lure them into her confidence under false pretenses and then drug them with dangerous doses of prescription sedatives or other controlled substances,” Evans said. “Once she incapacitated her victims, Phelps stole their cars, accessed their bank and brokerage accounts to withdraw cash and used their credit cards to make a variety of purchases — including luxury retail goods and gold.”

Three of the four victims in the indictment were found dead shortly after their encounters with Phelps, Evans said. One died in Southern Nevada, according to a graphic of a timeline presented by Evans.

Thankfully, law enforcement was able to catch up with Aurora Phelps, but there are countless other romance scammers out there these days.

#6 Some of the most evil criminals of all often occupy some of the highest positions in our society.  After all this time, the Washington Post has finally been forced to admit that Dr. Anthony Fauci really was funding horrific beagle abuse and that he worked really hard to cover it up…

• In a shocking turn of events, the Washington Post has admitted it published disinformation fed to it by NIH to discredit White Coat Waste Project and defend Fauci from our evidence that he funded beagle abuse in Tunisia.
• The move came days after Congress confronted him about the beagle testing we exposed and Fauci admitted to Congress that he personally signed off the dog labs
• Internal NIH records obtained by WCW prove that Fauci funded the Tunisian dog lab and that he was involved in a cover-up to mislead the media and public.
• Within hours of Fauci complaining to colleagues he was being “bombarded by protests” over Beaglegate, the NIH fabricated a story that they were mistakenly cited as the funder, had the journal issue a correction, fed the fake news to WaPo, and worked to scrub the project from its website.

Of course now that Joe Biden has pardoned Fauci, it is highly unlikely that he will ever be charged for his numerous crimes.

#7 The New York Post recently ran a story with this very alarming headline: “Trans migrant charged with raping 14-year-old boy in NYC bathroom”…

A migrant transgender woman wanted by federal immigration officials allegedly stalked and raped a boy in Manhattan this week, The Post has learned.

Nicol Suarez allegedly followed the 14-year-old into the bathroom of a bodega across the street from Thomas Jefferson Park in East Harlem Tuesday and attacked him, police and sources said.

The boy then left the bathroom and flagged down witnesses, who alerted police, the sources said.

#8 In North Carolina, a 44-year-old woman that is married and that is the mother of two children has been charged with 80 counts of child rape.  The two boys that she repeatedly had sexual encounters with were 12 years old at the time…

A married mother-of-two was arrested in North Carolina on 80 counts of child rape.

Sara Jean Sellers, of Shallotte, was arrested on Friday on multiple charges related to sexual crimes against children, according to the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office.

The 44-year-old mother engaged in these alleged acts from 2018-2019, and two boys who were 12-years-old at the time are said to be involved, prosecutors said.

#9 This next example is even worse.  A teacher in Houston, Texas was actually pimping out students at her school.  One victim was allegedly being forced to have sex with five to ten men a night…

Student sues Houston, TX school district for IGNORING her pleas for help after being trafficked by a teacher for sex.

Texas teacher Kedria Grigsby allegedly recruited, groomed and trafficked several teen girls for sex.

One victim says she was forced to sleep with 5-10 men a night and make $1,000 a day for the teacher. When she showed up to school with bruises, the school allegedly ignored her.

#10 For hackers looking for a huge score, crypto heists have become a really big thing.  Unfortunately, Bybit was just the victim of the largest crypto heist of all time…

As reported by the BBC, Dubai-based crypto firm Bybit is down $1.5 billion in Ethereum after hackers compromised its digital wallet. If the hackers successfully make off with the dough, that would make this the largest single crypto heist ever, more than doubling the previous record holder’s ill-gotten gains.

#11 Even when vicious criminals are caught, in most cases it is just a matter of time before they are released.  In Connecticut, a cannibal that literally ate the eyeball and part of the brain of a man after killing him with an axe is back on the streets…

A cannibal in Connecticut has been granted conditional release from a psychiatric hospital after brutally killing a man with an axe, eating one of his eyeballs, and part of his brain.

Benjamin Franklin once said that “only a virtuous people are capable of freedom”.

In the early days of this country, our society was not plagued by theft, rape, scams and violence.

That is because Americans were much more virtuous in those days.  If we also want to be virtuous, we need to return to what they believed.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what has happened to us.

Any society that embraces evil will be plagued by evil.

Being lawless is a choice.  At this point our moral decline is so advanced that it really would be a major miracle to get this country turned around again.

*  *  *

Michael’s new  book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.