Authored by Stuart Kaplow and Nancy Hudes of ESG Legal Solutions, LLC.,

Maryland consumes about 40% more electricity than it generates.

The extra supply of more than 200 Trillion Btu of electricity, annually, is delivered to the state over the PJM regional grid. And the amount imported is growing dramatically. 

While the percentage of imported electricity varies from day to day (depending upon weather conditions, costs of fuel sources, energy public policy, etc.), this is not a new situation, dating back approximately 40 years, and will increase in coming years.

That in 2022 the two reactor 1970s era Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant located on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay accounted for about 39% of the state’s total in state electricity generation, is what saves the State’s broken publicly mandated utility system. Natural gas generation (.. which has more than tripled since 2015, as nearly 2,600 megawatts of new natural gas generating capacity came online) accounted for about 36% of in state electricity generation.

Coal fired generating plants had historically supplied more than half the state’s generation, but coal’s share has been below 50% since 2012 and was at about 12% in 2022.

However, of the 40% of electricity imported into Maryland for use in the state, in 2022 more than 22% was coal generated (which is a generic U.S. Energy Information Administration statistic, but PJM actual operational data shows that in that year more than 36% was coal generated). Also significant, PJM’s real time market (of locational marginal prices calculated on 5 minute intervals based on actual grip operations) shows that at its peak Maryland’s imported electricity is more than 70% coal generated.

Not surprisingly, the use of electricity is not static.

But neither is in state generation, including Maryland’s three remaining coal power plants (with a combined generating capacity of nearly 1,800 megawatts), the two largest power plants intend to shut down by 2025 and the smallest plant has given notice it will shut down later this year. Solar energy, wind, and biomass are increasing but will not at any reasonable time replace that capacity or energy density; so, the state will import more electricity. The largest renewable electricity source available on the grid (.. not including hydroelectric dams) is landfill gas, which is an inelastic supply. Since 2022 there is arguably more solar power generated, but nearly two thirds of Maryland’s solar generation came from small scale, customer sited solar, such as residential rooftop solar panels (.. and not contributing in any meaningful way to the grid).

While it is popular to talk about the fact that Maryland had about 102,530 registered electric vehicles and about 1,667 electric charging stations, with both of those numbers increasing the amount of electricity used (i.e., replacing petroleum), such only exacerbates the already existing total energy imbalance.

That is Maryland consumes about five times more energy than it produces (.. including but not limited to electricity). Around 90% of Maryland’s petroleum is consumed by the transportation sector, which accounts for 33% of the state’s total energy consumption, followed closely by the residential sector at 31% and the commercial sector at 29%. But the state public policy to increase electric vehicle use and electrify buildings (that are today using natural gas) will of course increase electricity use and that electricity will be imported with a significant portion of it generated from coal.   

However, the real and dramatic increase in electricity use is elsewhere. Where businesses had in the recent past used electricity principally for lighting, heating and cooling, hot water, and office equipment including computers, ignoring for this discussion the power needs of data centers, many businesses will be utilizing computers with larger chip sets increasing electricity needs (.. think AI).

In the politicization of a consultant study commissioned by the State government to justify the implementation of the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022, which by its own admission only considers a subset of energy use that might be subject to that single state law, the spurious projection is that Maryland electric systems would see load growth rates in the range of 0.6 – 2.1% per year through 2031. The projection ignores the historical reality that Maryland’s total electricity load growth has been in excess of 4.9% per year. School buildings have been among the largest constants in increasing electricity use and are excluded from that law and State government spin. The study further underestimated growth by not including any of the public or private cogeneration plants in the plants which are growing all but exponentially in response to concerns about the future unreliability of Maryland’s electric grid.

The political spin around Maryland’s future electric load growth is silent on the gerrymandered parameters discussed by the Maryland Department of the Environment when it by design excludes the largest private sector electricity customer in the state, Johns Hopkins (which has and is constructing large cogeneration plants) and the largest public sector electric user in the state, Fort Meade (which having maxed out electricity capacity of the grid as BGE’s largest customer, now not only has its own fossil fuel generation on base but also has deployed a series of 1.6 megawatt of solid oxide fuel cells, apparently to reliably power NSA facilities, eliminating the need for electrical transmission from the grid and costly backup infrastructure). Despite those efforts, in response to future needs for increasing amounts of electricity, the U.S. Department of Defense has publicly discussed relocating equipment from the Maryland base to states with better electricity capacity.

From a conservation perspective, none of this makes much sense when Maryland ranks among the 10 states with both the lowest total per capita energy consumption and the lowest energy use to produce one dollar of GDP. MDE should take a win.

An interesting factoid, the Port of Baltimore is the second largest coal exporting port in the country, so the State’s economy benefits hugely from shipping the fossil fuel to India for electricity generation although exports were temporarily halted on March 26 with the main channel blocked by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

But MDE’s apocalyptic environmentalism, attempting to implement policies founded in the idea that unless humankind drastically reduces consumption the state’s population and appetite will overwhelm the ecosystems, were checked by the legislature this year when the Department’s plan to ration electricity (i.e., its proposed regulation of Energy Use Intensity in buildings) when the legislature cut off funding to implement EUI regulation.

The Maryland economy does not produce much of anything but rather relies heavily on government services and pendant professional services, those that support government and will be big users of energy demanding AI computing. Out of concern about the grid becoming less reliable, including the state government’s aim to ration electricity, the top question by many prospective commercial tenants in Maryland has become backup electricity sources.

Maryland, like many other similarly situated states, cannot import its way out of this predicament with ever increasing electricity demand, produced from coal or not. The State’s 20th century heavily government controlled utility model doesn’t encourage innovation, but the state needs to innovate in matters of energy. Maryland requires a techno optimism application of science and technology to resolve this dilemma of producing more electricity.

*   *   *

Maryland’s apocalyptic environmentalism pushed by progressives in Annapolis, who are quite honestly some of the worst managers this state has ever seen, have pushed disastrous green energy policies that prevent new fossil fuel power generators from being built. Hence, the state must increase power imports from surrounding states. 

In return, utilities have to build massive transmission lines, seizing private property, to import power from other states. If the state actually allowed new fossil fuel plants, NatGas generators could be built down the street from new AI data centers. 

Read more …

Dark Side Of ‘The Next AI Trade’: Seizing Private Property For Transmission Lines https://t.co/qL7QgNUg8u

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) July 9, 2024

Overall, the state is sliding into an energy crisis, with a critical need to boost in-state electricity generation as the ‘Next AI Trade’ theme gains momentum.

In a rare positive development, the heads of the US and Russian militaries have held a rare phone call in an effort to deescalate tensions. But Moscow is livid at certain recent developments and pledges from the West.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday spoke by phone Russian Minister of Defense Andrey Belousov for the second time in less than a month. The call was initiated by Moscow just after the close of the NATO summit hosted by Biden in Washington this week.

A Pentagon readout said Austin “emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication amid Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine,” deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told a briefing.

The two sides had been quiet since a call in March 2023, but communications have been picking up, after a June 25th call which reestablished communications.

But Russia likely registered its anger at the NATO summit committing to an “irreversible path” for Ukraine’s NATO membership. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg still admitted in will be a very long path, as much as ten years or more.

He said in a CBS News interview days ago: “Well, no one has said exactly 10 years but- but- but it’s obvious that it is a very serious issue to bring in Ukraine. Because Ukraine is now a country at war.”

“Ukraine has been attacked by- by Russia. So the most important thing we should do is to step up our support to Ukraine to ensure that Ukraine prevails,” he continued. “That’s a precondition for any future membership for Ukraine.”

According to The Hill, another recent issue which has roiled Russia and was likely conveyed by Belousov to Austin, is seen in the following:

What’s more, NATO has backed Ukraine’s push for more latitude in its use of Western-supplied weapons to strike inside Russia, with the United Kingdom announcing it would allow Kyiv to hit targets over Russian borders with British-provided long-range missiles.

There’s also the US decision to deploy long-range missiles to Europe in violation of the previously in place INF treaty, which the US pulled out of in 2019. The missiles are expected to be deployed to Germany soon.

this week, 32 nato members agreed to pledge support for an “irreversible path” for future ukraine membership

on everyone’s minds: another trump election will almost certainly reverse ithttps://t.co/Z4VXSBKgHZ

— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) July 12, 2024

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has warned this could make Germany or other places in Europe a target: “There has always been a paradoxical situation: the United States has deployed a variety of missiles of different ranges in Europe, which are traditionally aimed at our country,” he said, and warned: “Accordingly, our country designated European locations as targets for our missiles.”

Authored by Tom Luongo via Gold, Goats, ‘n Guns blog,

Having now done literally hundreds of interviews/livestreams/podcast over the past seven years, I’ve learned a few things about media. The first is that this is a lot harder than it looks.

I’ve done it the very hard way, limited success through repetitive failure.

It’s who I am. I’m neither a book nor ear learner. Learning is a kinetic process for me.

For those who aren’t natural public speakers it’s even harder than that. They have to take lessons and shit. And practice. Practice. Practice. I got a small amount of training back when I ran as a Libertarian in 2002. How to dress, reactively listening (Still no clue how to do that), etc.

So, while I’m no expert public speaker, I have become pretty aware of a few things about it: Long form is better than short. Not all media is good media. You have to be willing to ‘get into character.’

Just Be Yourself, Kinda.

Crafting a version of yourself to fit the format is the key to being both a good host and a good guest, both of which I’m still working on. That version/character you craft has a lifespan.

This isn’t to say that the character is artifice necessarily. It isn’t. It is the essence of the lines by T.S. Eliot from The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock:

There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;

It’s not artifice to be a gracious host or a respectful guest, in common parlance it’s called “manners.”

And mine, despite my best intentions, are just barely adequate on the best of days.

How well you prepare that face and greet the opportunities to meet new faces with humility, will ultimately determine how far you go. We all have that choice in front of us every day.

It’s why Prufrock is one of my favorite poems in the English language, it so thoroughly captures the embedded schizophrenia of post-modern society.

You can have your script, practice your character, and maintain the lie for a certain amount of time. But eventually, no matter what you say, there you are.

The bigger the deviation that character is from the real you, the more exhausting maintaining that character is, the shorter the lifespan.

And because anyone can fool another person if they only have to put on the corporatist/globalist feedbag for a 2-5 minute fawning media segment, short form media is itself nothing but a potential lie-generation engine.

It is the height of artifice.

Podcast Campaigning

Podcasting, on the other hand, is just conversation. And conversations have their own vibe.

You still, however, have to craft a version of yourself for any conversation, because manners. But ultimately the inverse time function of maintaining a facade rules.

I can hold it together for about an hour, after that fatigue sets in and the persona, however slight it may be, begins to slip.

So, pro tip, podcasters, if you want controlled, normie-friendly Luongo, keep it under an hour. If you want That Mr. Hyde guy, just keep the tape rolling an extra 20 to 30 minutes.

This is why podcasting has taken off the way it has. It’s why Joe Rogan found the magic by accident.

Eventually everyone lets their guard down. Everyone is laid bare for us to truly see. And since we are all desperately crying out for authenticity in a sea of smarm, we gravitate towards the format which gives us the highest probability of getting the truth and the people who bring that to the table consistently.

I keep going back to one of the first blogs I posted on this site, The Authenticity Gap, detailing why Hillary Clinton’s credibility gap was her Achilles’ heel against Donald Trump.

The Democrats have been lying to us about literally everything while the GOPe led by Yertle the Turtle ran cover for them to…

 … gin up World War III before Trump takes office to avoid being thrown in jail.  This is how sick these people are.

Because, all that matters in the end is their maintaining power, no matter who it hurts or what it costs.

I wrote those words in 2016, before Trump won. They are just as accurate today.

This is why we’ve only seen Joah Bii-DEN! in public here and there, in sound bites and short clips, creating the fiction that he was anything other than a mushroom sporifying in the White House, feeding him a steady diet of bullshit-flavored ice cream.

That piece is still relevant today, just replace The Hildabeast with Joe Biden. Trump and Putin are still ‘literally Hitler.” And the Democrats are self-immolating on the altar of their own tenuous relationship with common decency.

Watching Gabbard Gab

Having watched/listened to hundreds of hours of Tulsi Gabbard over the years, I’ve noticed a few things.

First, she’s not a natural public speaker, nor is she really comfortable in front of the camera. So, she has worked very hard on crafting a public persona which is not easy for her to slip into but which is also authentically her.

Because she is uncomfortable, that face begins to slip after a while…. about an hour. I always get the sense that there is a ‘macho military’ version of Gabbard lurking just below the surface, that swears like a mafia don and prays like a priest. And every once in a while it leaks out.

But it will never do so in a six-minute segment on Fox News.

You’ve got to get past that fatigue barrier.

The reason I bring all of this up is because Gabbard was recently on the Keep Hammering Collective podcast with Cameron Hanes for nearly two hours.

She did that podcast after spending the day with him doing his triathalon he calls Lift, Run, Shoot which I suggest you watch the video of, especially if your name is Donald Trump.

Why? You know why. I’ve already made my case for why I thought Gabbard is the ‘box-ticking’ favorite to be Trump’s running mate this fall.

I think, however, in retrospect, that was a little unfair to Tulsi Gabbard.

I, like the Davosians who tried to groom her into their perfect barista of globalism, made the mistake of not really getting past the character she plays, the boxes she ticks. There’s a fiery person underneath that calm face she wears in front of the camera. Her book, which I’ve read, makes this point ad infinitum.

And the rounds she’s making supporting the book are showing us a Tulsi Gabbard hinted at, but she hasn’t really shown us before.

What’s, uh, the VP deal?

Dexter White’s recent post reminded us about why Joe Biden was selected to be Barack Obama’s VP, “the life insurance policy for the first black president…”

Obama thought “…I sure don’t want to get shot, who could I pick for VP that would make even an assassin think twice?  Oh, I know, Joe Biden.  No one wants that dumbass in charge!”

Over the years, we’ve gotten so caught up in the political game that is choosing a Vice-President we forgot what the actual job description is… to be the person to step into the role should the President not be there, physically, mentally, or otherwise.

I say this to remind the ghost of Al Haig that we still don’t want him in charge.

It is precisely because Kamala Harris was picked to be Biden’s veep for every other reason than the job description that the Democrats and Davos are in the bind they are in as I write this.

It was never about Harris’ competence, capability, or commitment that landed her in the Naval Observatory. It was the boxes she ticked, the perception of her moral fluidity, and her solidification of the black female vote at a time when black men were drifting into Der Trumpenfuhrer’s orbit that made her the center of their Venn Diagram.

Notice how she was never a person to them… just a series of attributes.

For Trump, who has held back his choice for vice-president for months, the big question has been, if he wins the election will the blob/Deep State/Davos/etc. just kill him off before the inauguration?

It’s a real conundrum.

So, I say, turn about is fair play. Biden was Obama’s insurance policy, make Gabbard Trump’s. Because, if there is one person of all the people on the short list to be Trump’s VP that Davos et.al. do not want to see on the ticket it is Tulsi Gabbard.

Because she really is that person who walked away from power, has a strong moral center, and is authentically motivated by service. And that motivation, coupled with their previous shots against her, like they’ve done with Trump, should scare them maybe more than he does.

Remember, Trump’s ultimately a deal-maker. Is Gabbard? Open question.

This is why every trial balloon imaginable has gone up in the past three months for the usual suspects like Skeletor Scott, his separated at birth brotha Tim, Little Marco, Tom Cotton Pickin’ Neocon, etc… They are trying to move Trump to tick boxes rather than choose the whole person.

The only person other than Gabbard that gets their globalist goat more is Gen. Mike Flynn.

But, really, go watch the real Gabbard emerge in the 2nd half of the Cameron Hanes podcast. She knows who they are. She told them to “GFY,” but has too many manners to say it publicly.

Beneath that calm demeanor is someone deeply angry.

Even if she tries to hide the real fire in her belly while she’s auditioning for the role.

And, lastly, she understands the threats and dangers to civilization itself these people represent.

Because Gabbard is the real deal, folks.

I thought it before. I know it now.

You can’t fake what she has. And that’s an insurance policy whose payout is more than even the ghouls at Globalist Central can afford.

*  *  *

Join my Patreon if you like character.

Via SchiffGold.com,

An inverted Treasury yield curve has historically been associated with economic downturns, preceding every recession since the late 1960s.

Earlier this year, it set a new record for remaining inverted for more than 527 days, which was the 1980 record.

The curve has inched slightly back up but remains stubbornly inverted, and now even the Wizards of Global Finance themselves like European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde are warning against assuming a “soft landing” is anything but assured for the global economy.

10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Minus 2-Year Treasury Constant Maturity

In fact, a crash is feeling more likely by the day.

The yield curve hasn’t remained this inverted overall since the Great Depression. Recessions reliably follow this trend, but pundits are saying that this time it’s different, because it doesn’t signal a contraction in credit as it has in the past, and stocks have rallied since the inversion began. They also say that markets have become more aware of the yield curve and priced it in, reacting with cutbacks before the “real” recession sets in and forces more pain.

With a massive wave of commercial mortgage loans set to mature between 2024-2025, and record numbers of empty office buildings in American cities with little hope of finding occupants, there are at least $1.2 trillion dollars worth of reasons to be concerned.

It’s not just the US, either. The yield curve on Canadian bonds has been inverted as well, with persistent inflationary pressures remaining despite Canada’s central bank recently making the decision to cut rates. In the UK, the yield curve just recently flattened out after being inverted for over a year.

Historic inversion of the yield curve is not just a US phenomena.

Canada Yield Curve also at historic levels. No, 25 bps does not fix this 👇 pic.twitter.com/WRpabxfiuP

— James E. Thorne (@DrJStrategy) July 10, 2024

Unsurprisingly, Jerome Powell just ruled out a summer rate cut, citing “modest progress” on inflation. “Higher for longer” monetary policy won’t be enough to bring prices back down, but the Fed will defy expectations if it still doesn’t cut at its FOMC meeting in the fall since industries like commercial real estate and, by extension, banking itself, can’t handle elevated interest rates without imploding under the pressure of even a slightly elevated cost of borrowing. Rate cuts will then make inflation worse as the dollar tanks.

The yield curve ticked up after Trump debated with Biden, which shook up the 2024 race and fueled expectations that a Trump win was possible, leading to higher demand for yield on long-term bonds. That’s because investors expect larger fiscal deficits from a theoretical Trump administration, with anticipated tax cuts and spending increases.

Meanwhile, central banks and governments do everything they can to paint a rosy economic picture, hoping their words can override reality. 

As Peter Schiff recently said about cooked economic reports like CPI and the recent jobs numbers:

“The real statistics— if we measured the economy the way we did prior to 1994— you can see why so many people are so miserable.”

Still, the spin masters of finance always have a fresh set of mental gymnastics to explain away the horrors and hubris of central planning.

The inverted yield curve, and still no official recession? It must be that central planners and markets have become so wise that the yield curve no longer means anything.

But just wait a little bit longer, and then we’ll see if the pattern ultimately holds.

Finland has upped its efforts at blocking migrants seeking to enter the European Union country from Russia. The neighboring countries share a lengthy 1,340 km north-south border which has been source of heightened tensions ever since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

On Friday Finland’s parliament passed a controversial bill which fully empowers border guards to turn away asylum seekers at the border. The new law was narrowly passed – approved by 167 Finnish lawmakers – which was the minimum needed for the 200-seat Finnish parliament.

Proponents have described the measure as a necessary reaction against Russia’s ‘hybrid warfare’. Officials have long accused Moscow of intentionally trying to flood the border with Middle East migrants.

“This is a strong message to Russia, a strong message to our allies, that Finland takes care of its own security, we take care of the security of the EU border,” Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said Friday, describing further that it will stop as well as prevent future arrivals.

A regional Mideast news outlet has tallied that “More than 1,300 asylum seekers crossed from Russia since the middle of last year, but there had been no new arrivals since March until Thursday” and that they are largely from Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Egypt, and Somalia.

There have been some instances of young Russian men desiring to avoid military service seeking entry into Finland. Finland had shut the border last year as a result of the uptick in arrivals, and bolstered physical barriers. Many officials believe Russia ‘weaponized’ migrants as retaliation for Finland abandoning its historic neutrality in order to join NATO.

Soon after formally entering NATO in April 2023, fears grew that both sides would militarize the border, and that increased troop movements could result; however, these predictions have largely failed to materialize and the situation has remained mostly peaceful.

The new law does contain some exceptions – for example guards are not to turn away children and disabled asylum seekers. Amnesty International has meanwhile condemned the new bill…

Amnesty: The Finnish Emergency law should never have been passed. It calls into question Finland’s commitment to the rule of law. It also goes beyond all powers granted under EU law.
We expect the Commission to rigorously scrutinize its legality.https://t.co/KoXbTspNrO

— Frank Johansson (frankdj.bsky.social) (@FrankAmnesty) July 12, 2024

Belarus and Poland have been in the midst of a parallel controversy and crisis. Warsaw has for at least two years been bolstering its border while charging Minsk with facilitating the arrival of migrants from the Middle East. President Lukashenko has been accused of waging a hybrid war to bog down Polish troops and border guards at key crossings. Warsaw has also had to pour huge amounts of money into solving the crisis, while also building up a long border fence.

There’s been another major plot twist in the 2024 election saga, as Elon Musk has made a “sizable donation” to a super PAC working to return Donald Trump to the White House.

Completing something of a Black Friday for Democrats, the story broke just hours after the New York Times reported that major donors had frozen $90 million pledged donations commitments to Biden’s top super PAC, having concluded that Biden is a dead man walking — politically if not otherwise. The news comes four months after Musk said he was staying on the sidelines: 

Just to be super clear, I am not donating money to either candidate for US President

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 6, 2024

The world’s richest man clearly had a change of heart: Citing anonymous sources “close to the matter,” Bloomberg on Friday evening broke the potentially game-changing news that Musk had given money to America PAC, which is largely focused on “ground-game” initiatives, such as voter-canvassing and get-out-the-vote efforts. Among the constellation of Trump-backing groups, America PAC is spending the most money of any of them on direct voter outreach.  

The amount of Musk’s donation wasn’t disclosed, but Bloomberg said sources “characterized the figure as a sizable amount.” Per Federal Election Commission rules, the PAC will provide its updated list of donors on Monday. While super PACs aren’t allowed to contribute directly to candidates or parties, or “coordinate” their efforts, they can collect unlimited contributions. 

Elon Musk just donated to Donald Trump.

LET. THAT. SINK. IN. pic.twitter.com/IWJpdbrkSe

— Liberacrat Media™️ (@Liberacrat) July 12, 2024

With a Forbes-estimated net worth of $250 billion, Musk has obvious potential to fundamentally alter a fundraising war in which Democrats were already reeling from the mushrooming effects of President Biden’s disastrous performance in his June 27 debate with Trump, his poor interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos and gaffe-filled NATO summit press events on Thursday. 

The donation seemingly completes a political metamorphosis: Musk has said he voted for Barack Obama, gave money to and voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and voted for Joe Biden in 2020. 

However, Musk has displayed growing discontent with Democrats’ approach to a variety of issues. One of them is border control: Earlier this year, Musk told an audience that “unvetted immigration at large scale is a recipe for disaster.” He’s also called out Democrats’ opposition to photo-ID requirements for voting, saying the “far left” wants to make it “impossible to prove voter fraud.”  Over the weekend, he expressed dismay at Biden’s commitment to veto a bill that would require proof of citizenship to vote. 

I strongly supported Obama for President, but today’s Democratic Party has been hijacked by extremists

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 29, 2022

In 2022, Musk tweeted that he voted for a Republican for the first time, backing Texas Republican Mayra Flores in a special US House election. Last month, Musk told Tesla shareholders that he’s “had some conversations with [Trump], and he does call me, out of the blue, for no reason… I don’t know why, but he does.”

In what may be a more potent motivator than policy issues, Musk repeatedly finds himself in the crosshairs of Democrats’ weaponized government, with a federal target on his back since buying Twitter in 2022 with a goal of ridding it of its leftist, government-serving censorship regime.

Within two weeks of Musk closing on the purchase, Biden told reporters that “Elon Musk’s cooperation and/or technical relationships with other countries is worthy of being looked at. Whether he is doing anything inappropriate, I’m not suggesting that. I’m suggesting they’re worth being looked at.” With an ominously whimsical tone, he concluded, “there’s a lot of ways…” 

Many people were surprised when I said Biden wanted to charge Elon Musk criminally. Let me give a refresher.

It all started when Musk bought Twitter. Biden responded by saying that Musk was “worth being looked” at “whether or not he’s doing anything inappropriate”.

When asked… pic.twitter.com/TizCxnWQLr

— Whole Mars Catalog (@WholeMarsBlog) July 13, 2024

Summarizing the breadth of the attacks at The Hill in December, Liz Peek said Musk and his companies were under investigation by the Department of Justice, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Trade Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

Not surprising if true, as the Biden administration wants to arrest and charge Musk as a criminal.

As much as people hate Trump, Musk has a right to self-defense by supporting the Republican ticket. https://t.co/Z3IXRn2Yz7

— Whole Mars Catalog (@WholeMarsBlog) July 12, 2024

Musk has expressed concern over Trump’s own victimization via politically-motivated lawfare, as he did in May when the former president was convicted in New York on mindbendingly-contrived charges relating to his 2016 funding of hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels, who’d claimed the two had a one-night intimate encounter in 2006. 

Indeed, great damage was done today to the public’s faith in the American legal system.

If a former President can be criminally convicted over such a trivial matter – motivated by politics, rather than justice – then anyone is at risk of a similar fate. https://t.co/zrHCyIZazh

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 31, 2024

The Trump campaign’s financial fortunes changed dramatically after that conviction, as irate sympathizers expressed their outrage with dollars, vaulting him into the lead. Musk’s entry into the game exacerbates Democrats’ dire situation, and is certain to accelerate efforts to jettison Biden from the top of the ticket…while exponentially increasing the anguish of leftists who thought things couldn’t possibly get any worse.  

Incoming Liberal Meltdown 🤣😂pic.twitter.com/CXE4WLRpwH

— Donna Marie (@sabback) July 13, 2024

Via The Cradle

US and UK warplanes launched several airstrikes on Hodeidah International Airport in western Yemen in the overnight and early Friday hours. “US–British aircraft targeted Hodeidah International Airport with three raids,” a security source told Yemen’s SABA news agency. 

The renewed attacks came after several prior US–UK attacks on Yemen Thursday. “American and British fighter jets launched five raids on various Ansarallah sites in the Ras Issa area, which includes an oil berth affiliated with the port of Al-Salif, north of Hodeidah,” a local source in the western Hodeidah province told Sputnik Thursday. 

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said shortly after midnight on Thursday that it destroyed five uncrewed vessels and three drones belonging to the Houthis in the Red Sea and in “a Houthi controlled area of Yemen.”

Yemen has imposed a naval blockade on all ships delivering goods to Israeli ports in the Red Sea, Arab Sea, Gulf of Aden, the Indian Ocean, and the Mediterranean – in support of Palestinians in Gaza. It also recently expanded its campaign to include joint operations with the Iraqi resistance.

Ansarallah and the Armed Forces of Yemen’s Sanaa government, which are merged with one another, have also been striking US and British warships in response to a violent and acampaign of airstrikes launched by Washington and London against Yemen in January.

Ansarallah leader Abdel al-Malik al-Houthi said in a speech on Thursday that 57 people have been killed and 87 wounded in 570 airstrikes carried out by the US and UK against Yemen since the start of the western campaign.

The Yemeni army has vowed not to stop its operations until the war in Gaza comes to an end. US and UK warplanes had also carried out intense airstrikes targeting several Yemeni provinces on May 30, destroying civilian infrastructure, killing 16 people, and injuring 41 more.

Yemen responded by targeting Washington’s USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier in the Red Sea. The renowned aircraft carrier was allegedly struck by Yemeni forces two more times in the days that followed. 

July 11 USCENTCOM Update

In the past 24 hours, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed five Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed surface vessels (USV) in the Red Sea.

USCENTCOM forces also successfully destroyed two Houthi uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) over the… pic.twitter.com/aXKmxXS3fm

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 11, 2024

The western campaign has done nothing to deter the Yemenis. US and EU maritime task forces have failed to progress in preventing attacks on ships, which have strained both the Israeli economy and international shipping as a whole.

Visual Capitalist’s Pallavi Rao breaks down which countries host the most top 100 universities in the world, as per the World University Rankings 2024, sourced from Times Higher Education.

The ranking measures 1,906 universities across 108 countries on 18 performance indicators across broad pillars like teaching, research environment, research quality, industry, and international outlook.

The U.S. Dominates in Higher Education

Not only does the U.S. have the most top 100 universities (36), it is also the most represented country (169 universities) in the entire ranking catalog of nearly 2,000 schools.

Adding the U.S. number to that of Canada’s (3) gives a regional total for North America (39) that compares similarly to Europe’s (36) regional total.

When looking at the top 10 specifically, the U.S. (7), and UK (3) split the pot for the very top of the ranking, which contains the world’s best universities.

Oxford University ranks first overall while Stanford University (#2) is first for teaching, and MIT (#3) is first in research quality.

Looking at top-ranking schools on a per capita basis, Singapore boasts two top 100 universities while having just over 5.5 million people. Switzerland, with nearly 9 million people, has three of the world’s best.

Notably South America and Africa do not host a single top 100 university, at least according to this ranking framework and the criteria within.

If you liked this article check out How Hard Is It to Get Into an Ivy League School which details the admission rates and median SAT scores required to be accepted.

Submitted by Russian Market,

Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary, stands out for his audacity and persistence in the realm of contemporary politics. His tireless efforts in diplomacy and steadfast commitment to national and global stability merit serious consideration for the Nobel Peace Prize. His relentless pursuit of peace, even amidst widespread criticism, underscores the kind of leadership the world desperately needs today.

The Nobel Peace Prize, despite its controversies, remains one of the highest accolades for contributions to global peace and reconciliation. Historical recipients, from the European Union in 2012 for turning Europe from a continent of war to a continent of peace, to Henry Kissinger and Barack Obama for their diplomatic endeavors, have set a precedent for recognizing transformative efforts in international relations. While some decisions have sparked debate, the prize continues to honor those who genuinely strive for global harmony.

For over two decades Viktor Orbán has been a central figure in Hungarian politics. His tenure has seen Hungary navigate through the 2008 financial crisis and emerge with strengthened national sovereignty and economic stability. Orbán’s policies have focused on reducing national debt, increasing employment, and supporting families, thereby fostering a social cohesion that is essential for lasting peace. Economic stability, after all, is a cornerstone of societal tranquility.

Recently, Orbán’s diplomatic missions have further highlighted his unwavering commitment to peace. As the head of the rotating EU presidency, he has been at the forefront of international diplomacy, particularly concerning the Ukraine conflict. His proactive visits to key leaders—including Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev, Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Xi Jinping in Beijing, and next, Donald Trump in Florida—demonstrate his dedication to engaging with global leaders and promoting dialogue. These are not mere photo opportunities but substantive efforts to foster real change.

Orbán’s vigorous diplomatic activities have undoubtedly stirred the waters in Brussels. Critics argue that Orbán’s methods sometimes breach diplomatic protocols, but his engagement with pivotal figures in the Ukraine conflict illustrates the kind of bravery and initiative that many modern politicians lack. Orbán’s actions transcend superficial diplomacy; he is actively striving to move continents towards real solutions during a time of great division.

Orbán’s peace efforts have drawn significant criticism, especially from European and German political leaders. However, his bold and relentless pursuit of peace positions him as a modern-day Robin Hood, fighting for stability and harmony in Europe. While many leaders prefer the comfort of their offices, Orbán is on the global stage, engaging with world leaders and taking decisive steps to bring about peace.

Many politicians focus on short-term gains and superficial gestures, but Orbán stands out as a leader willing to take bold actions for the greater good. His approach to diplomacy—meeting with adversaries, challenging the status quo, and prioritizing long-term stability over fleeting popularity—lays the groundwork for meaningful peace talks and steps toward the de-escalation of the Ukraine conflict. These substantial contributions to peace warrant recognition.

Viktor Orbán embodies the spirit of a modern-day Robin Hood, daring to undertake actions that many politicians shy away from. For his relentless pursuit of peace and stability, Orbán deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.