Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com,

Wouldn’t it make as much sense as Colorado’s ban of Trump?

I am not seriously proposing that, but apparently it is under discussion in Texas following a ridiculous decision by the Colorado Supreme Court to ban Trump from the Colorado ballot on grounds of insurrection.

Trump Disqualified From 2024 Colorado Ballot

I wrote about the ban on December 19, in Trump Disqualified From 2024 Colorado Ballot, Supreme Court Challenge Coming

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Trump is guilty of insurrection and blocked him from the primary ballot. This is headed to the US Supreme Court.

The court issued a stay until January 4 allowing for appeal. I expect this ruling is headed for the ashcan.

This is disgraceful politics by the Colorado Supreme Court. Trump has not been convicted of anything, at least yet.

Not Even Charged With Insurrection

More accurately, Trump has not even been charged with insurrection, to which he would be entitled to a trial by jury.

Nonetheless, the court ruled that Donald Trump is guilty of insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. That link is the court ruling.

I strongly accuse the Colorado court of extreme politics. So does anyone with an ounce of common sense.

Sandbagging the Supreme Court

The left’s legal assault on Trump is a threat to the institution—and that’s by design, says WSJ writer Kimberley Strassel in Sandbagging the Supreme Court

Take the Colorado Supreme Court majority, and its laughable claim in its decision this week that it didn’t “lightly” reach its finding of Trump-as-insurrectionist and was “mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions” and “solemn” about it. The opinion was in fact so wild—glossing over basic questions of due process, federalism and the Constitution—that three liberal justices strongly rejected it. The majority knew it would be left to the U.S. Supreme Court to clean up their mess.

There was a day when the professional class—in particular prosecutors and lower-court judges—cared about institutions at least as much as about winning. Not this crew. What makes their actions more deplorable is the cynical view that harming the high court is an added benefit, not a cost. They come amid a vicious campaign to vilify the court as partisan and corrupt. If the justices rule against Mr. Trump in these suits, the left accomplishes an immediate political goal. If they rule in Mr. Trump’s favor, the left smears the justices and ramps up its campaign to pack the court.

The Supreme Court may have no choice but to hear and decide these cases. But there are better and worse outcomes. The biggest question now is whether the three liberal justices understand the grave risks of this lawfaring agenda—not just to the immediate moment, but to the future health of the nation. Do they sign up for the campaign with opinions that justify novel legal theories and the judicial usurpation of elections—in the process inviting more special counsels, more rogue court decisions, more litigation? Or do they recognize this game for what it is, acknowledge the sound legal reasons for why no one has attempted such reckless prosecutions and lawsuits before, and send a message it needs to stop?

The best outcome would be a string of 9-0 Supreme Court decisions that put a decisive end to the current upheaval and discourage a repeat. There’s a much easier way—for all involved—to settle the nation’s political disputes. It’s called an election. Let’s have one, and live with the results.

Novel Legal Theories

Here’s the question at hand: Should Texas Ban Biden from the Ballot?

Peggy Noonan discusses that question in National Unity and the Colorado Supreme Court

Mr. Trump hasn’t been convicted of insurrection by a jury or judge. It seems to me that when and if he is, a state court might feel free to remove his name from a ballot. Until he is, they shouldn’t. Because without conviction, whether Trump committed insurrection is a matter of opinion and argument. With conviction it can be asserted as proven fact.

The southern border of the state of Texas is in functional collapse, with an unprecedented wave of illegal immigrants entering the U.S. The Washington Post this week likened the border area to a “Mad Max” world of cut-through barriers and debris. Fox News on Wednesday showed an order instructing a recently crossed migrant to report to U.S. immigration officials to make her case to stay in America. Fox showed the date on the order: January 2031. An immigration lawyer said it is proof of what illegal immigrants already sense: The administration is in effect granting back-door amnesty to all who come. And so they’re coming. Among them are—again the number is unprecedented—natives of China, India, Africa, Turkey. This is a challenge to our national security that most won’t begin to worry about until something bad happens. The Department of Homeland Security reported this week that 35,000 illegal immigrants with criminal convictions were encountered in fiscal 2023. That’s only the number caught. In October alone, Customs and Border Protection reported apprehending 13 people on the terrorist watchlist. Again, that’s only the number caught. What a disaster.

If Colorado is able to ban Mr. Trump from the ballot over charges of insurrection, can Texas ban Joe Biden from the ballot on grounds he has defied his constitutional responsibility to defend the country by securing its borders? There are politicians in Texas already promising to do just that.

Spirit of the Decision

Noonan says “I sympathize with the decision’s spirit, but it was a dangerous move in a deeply divided country.”

I don’t have sympathy with the “spirt” because who gets to decide that?

Under guise of spirit, Texas banning Biden from the ballot make about as much sense as Colorado’s ban of Trump.

Biden’s Spirit

This country is in one hell of a mess because of Biden’s spirt. He has repeatedly rebuffed Supreme Court rulings on student loans, eviction moratoriums, and the EPA.

Literally everything this president does begs for more inflation (tariffs, regulations, EPA rulings, declaring war on fossil fuels, child tax credits, student loan forgiveness, etc. etc. etc.)

I am sick of people thumbing their noses at the Supreme Court and wanting to pack the Court to get what they want.

Trump’s Spirit

Trump defenders will have you believe it’s acceptable to call Chris Christie a pig, Nikki Haley a birdbrain, and DeSantis “DeSanctimonious”.

In the spirt of things, his supporters overlook his extreme arrogance, narcissism, belittling everyone, and his preposterous lies like “Mexico will pay for the wall”, “tariffs will shrink national debt”.

Like Biden, Trump also supports tariffs. Right now they are engaged in a competition as to who can do the most tariff damage.

A Bipartisan Zeal for Nonsensical Tariffs

In case you missed it, please see A Bipartisan Zeal for Nonsensical Tariffs that Raise Prices and Slow EV Progress

Tariffs are one thing that Republicans and Democrats, agree on. It’s economic madness.

In How Many Ways are President Biden and Trump Alike?

On December 16, I asked (and answered) In How Many Ways are President Biden and Trump Alike?

I came up with 18 things.

As a result of all of this “spirit” (on both sides of the aisle), we will have to make a decision between Trump and Biden.

Biden promised to be a healer. In reality he is just as divisive as Trump with his extreme Left policies. The big difference is Biden far more polite about things.

They both deserve to lose. Unfortunately, one of them will win.

Forced Choice

Forced at gunpoint to choose, I would vote tor Trump. In practice, I will not vote for either of them. I will again vote Libertarian.

I would especially appreciate someone who favored free trade, was willing to tackle the deficit (military spending and entitlements), and was genuinely anti-war. Socially, I want someone to mind their own business.

Such a candidate would win this election in a landside. Unfortunately, opposing spirits will not let either party nominate that person.

The Devil We Had Is Better Than the Devil We Got

Independents will decide this election once again. The polls favor Trump.

The spirit of the moment seems to be The Devil We Had Is Better Than the Devil We Got

I concur for economic reasons, but I sure would prefer a different set of choices.

One of The Fed’s favorite inflation indicators – Core PCE Deflator – tumbled to +3.2% YoY (below the 3.3% exp and down from a downwardly revised 3.4% in October) – the lowest since April 2021.

Headline CPI also slowed more than expected, to +2.6% YoY in November (from +2.9% in Oct)

Source: Bloomberg

The headline PCE Deflator FELL 0.1% MoM – the first monthly decline since April 2020. The drop was all driven by Goods (durable and Non-durable)…

Source: Bloomberg

On a six-month annualized basis, ‘mission accomplished‘…

Even more focused, is the Fed’s view on Services inflation ex-Shelter, and the PCE-equivalent shows that it has broken down from its ‘sticky’ levels to its lowest since March 2021…

Source: Bloomberg

Year-over-Year Goods deflation continued for the 6th month in a row…

Source: Bloomberg

Both income and spending rose MoM in November, +0.4% and +0.2% respectively.

Source: Bloomberg

Which pushed the YoY spending and income growth even faster...

Source: Bloomberg

The savings rate ticked up from 4.0% to 4.1% in November…

On the income side, it’s all government-driven gains…

• Private wages up 5.0% YoY after 4.1% in October, which was the lowest in three years

• Government wages up 9.0% YoY, matching all time high

Finally, while the markets are exuberant at the disinflation – and the coming Fed rate-cut avalanche – we do note that it’s not all sunshine and unicorns. The vast majority of the reduction in inflation has been ‘cyclical’…

Source: Bloomberg

Acyclical Core PCE inflation remains extremely high, although it has fallen from its highs.

Is The (apolitical) Fed really going to cut rates by 160bps next year with this background?

Video game and software stocks in China plummeted on Friday following the Communist Party’s unexpected announcement of new gaming restrictions, reigniting fears that Beijing is resuming its crackdown on the internet sector. 

Bloomberg reports the country’s top gaming regulator published draft rules designed to curb gaming addiction among users by limiting total money spent and online time. These so-called ‘caps’ on each player restrict the amount of time, ban rewards for frequent usage, and even prohibit content that violates national security. 

An intense selloff swept across China’s largest gaming companies as concerns mount that the new rules would dent earnings. 

Tencent shares in Hong Kong plunged 12%, the most since October 2008, while NetEase crashed 25%. Bloomberg data showed 37 Interactive Entertainment and Perfect World slid by the daily 10% limit. Gaming stocks in Europe, South Africa, South Korea, and Japan also fell. 

“The government gaming curb measures will hurt gaming companies’ earnings,” said Yang Junxuan, a fund manager at Shanghai Junniu Private Fund Management Co.

Junxuan said, “But the more important concern is people are worrying that more measures targeting the sector will come, just like what Beijing did to the education sector in the past.”

Chinese authorities have aimed to tackle gaming addiction, attributing rising levels of near-sightedness in children to online entertainment. 

The crackdown, with little warning, reminds us of the days when the Communist Party waged war against the country’s tech sector several years ago for amassing too much power and expanding recklessly.

For more color on how the rules will impact gaming stocks, Bloomberg has compiled comments from top Wall Street analysts: 

Daisy Li, fund manager at EFG Asset Management HK

• “With the rules, gaming players behavior could change and the companies daily active users could take a hit”

• Its hard to quantify the impact at this stage but the draft rules raise concerns over the gaming companies’ monetization prospects 

• The big share price drop in NetEase and Tencent may also reflect that the two names are consensus long

Xin-Yao Ng, an investment director for Asian equities at abrdn

• “Previous clampdowns were more on minors, which didn’t matter as much for monetization, but this new clause seems broad-based across all users”

• The draft includes an especially concerning clause that would limit monetization of hard core games, suggest things like removing common rewards like daily login, first purchase, and tiered rewards for the amount of spending, etc. There also seems to a suggestion of capping per-person spending

• The rules, if implemented, will reduce significantly monetization flexibility for the developers

Yang Junxuan, a fund manager at Shanghai Junniu Private Fund Management Co.

• The gaming curb measures, including a ban on rewards for frequent log-ins, are likely to hurt gaming companies’ earnings

• More importantly, investors have concerns that there will be additional measures targeting the sector, as happened when Beijing cracked down on the education sector

Willer Chen, senior analyst at Forsyth Barr Asia Ltd.

• The comprehensive and stringent draft rules would have a sizable impact on the gaming companies’ earnings outlook.

• “It caught people off guard, right before the holiday and hitting sentiment hard”

•  “It feels disheartening as well for this to happen after a year that is already so difficult for the market”

Steven Leung, an executive director at UOB Kay Hian

• This reminds investors of the nightmare a few years ago, when the government tried to regulate mobile games’ play times

• “Tencent is the very few names in which people still have some interest, and with these new rules, investors may just leave the market totally, because the policy risk is too high”

Rajeev De Mello, a global macro fund manager at GAMA Asset Management

• “In a way it is a fitting end for a year that has severely disappointed China bulls like me”

• “The first thought that crossed my mind when I saw the gaming headlines was that regulatory changes can still hit us anytime. I did think that we had reached a pause in tightening regulations”

Mike Leung, investment manager at Wocom Securities

• “Strict regulation will inevitably hinder the long-term development of the online gaming industry, raising doubts about whether the government is contemplating a new round of regulatory direction.”

And Lightstream Research analyst Mio Kato warned: “This is the beginning of the end for the current mobile gaming business model.”

Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com,

In an effort to get Republicans to commit hundreds of billions of dollars for Ukraine and Israel, Biden trots out the Domino Theory. Anyone remember that?

“Don’t Let Putin Win”

Reuters reports Biden Pleads for More Money

President Joe Biden pleaded with Republicans on Wednesday for a fresh infusion of military aid for Ukraine, warning that a victory for Russia over Ukraine would leave Moscow in position to attack NATO allies and could draw U.S. troops into a war.

Biden spoke as the United States planned to announce $175 million in additional Ukraine aid from its dwindling supply of money for Kyiv. He signaled a willingness to make significant changes to U.S. migration policy along the border with Mexico to try to draw Republican support.

“If Putin takes Ukraine, he won’t stop there,” Biden said. Putin will attack a NATO ally, he predicted, and then “we’ll have something that we don’t seek and that we don’t have today: American troops fighting Russian troops,” Biden said.

“We can’t let Putin win,” he said.

Overestimating Putin

Eurointelligence notes we have gone From Complacency to Panic About Putin

Western analysts went straight from complacency to panic in their assessment of Vladimir Putin. When Ukraine pushed back, western commentators went as far as to fantasise about regime change in Russia; now the same commentators are warning that Putin is about to occupy Kiev, and then go on to attack Nato.

This is utter nonsense. We have warned against under-estimating him. Now we warn against over-estimating him. It takes more than a ban on sales of iPhones and Mercedes cars to deprive him of the technology needed to wage war. At the same time, Putin does not have the means, nor is he unlikely to acquire them, to wage war against Nato – not even a Nato with Donald Trump as US leader.

Nato has rightly started to take the defence of its eastern borders more seriously. Finland has just concluded a military deal with the US. So did Sweden. Germany is planning to dispatch an entire brigade to Lithuania. The west is not helpless.

Putin has troops he can burn, but the rate at which he is burning them now is unsustainable for him, both militarily and politically. The unsustainable can be sustained for a period, sometimes a long period, but it ends eventually. We heard of a three-year battle plan into 2026. In the end, he will go along with a truce that would secure him some territory in eastern Ukraine and expose the west’s grandstanding rhetoric. Such an outcome would be perceived in Russia as a political victory for him.

After the war, we would expect his priority to shift towards infrastructure. Russia has a lot to offer given its geographical location at the centre of the Eurasian continent. The most important strategic project for Russia would be the development of the Northern sea route, from the Baring Sea in the east to the North Sea in the west. The melting of the Arctic ice is making this route viable for large transport. But it would require huge investment into port infrastructure along the way. Post-war Eurasia will be a different place.

The Domino Theory Revisited

Younger readers may not even be aware of the Domino Theory. The theory stated we need to fight them “over there” or we would be fighting them here.

The result was US involvement in Vietnam, initially in a limited fashion, but ultimately in a major war, with overall involvement lasting nearly 20 years.

About 8.7 million served during the Vietnam era between 1964-1973, about 3.1 million in Vietnam. 2.2 million people were drafted. 58,279 US military died for nothing and total deaths in North and South Vietnam were about 1.4 million.

The US lost the war, dominos did not fall, and Vietnam is now a trading partner.

The Veterans Breakfast Club has an excellent refresher course on The Domino Theory in Retrospect

The Domino Theory stated simply that Communist victory in one country or region would spark neighboring regions to rise up against pro-American governments, which would lead to more victories and further insurgencies. By keeping the first domino upright—in this case Vietnam—the US could prevent Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and even India from succumbing to Communist takeovers.

It’s striking that the biggest proponent of the Domino Theory during the war, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, later confessed, “I think we were wrong. I do not believe that Vietnam was that important to the communists. I don’t believe that its loss would have lead – it didn’t lead – to Communist control of Asia.”

In retrospect, said McNamara, “we should have begun our withdrawal from South Vietnam [in 1965]. There was a high probability we could have done so on terms no less advantageous than those accepted nearly six years later–without any greater danger to U.S. national security and at much less human, political, and social cost to America and Vietnam.”

In Retrospect

In retrospect, we had no business in Vietnam first place.

In retrospect, I would have spit on McNamara then and would spit in his face now if he was still alive.

In retrospect, US meddling in Ukraine led by John McCain fomented the mess we see today. I strongly advised against US meddling at the time.

In retrospect, US support for Israel, no matter what Israel did, contributed to the setup we have today.

In retrospect, the war in Iraq and the killing of Hussein led to the formation of ISIS. I vehemently opposed US actions at the time.

In retrospect, the US killing of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi led to ISIS taking over the country.

In retrospect, the US wasted trillions of dollars in Afghanistan, also leaving in defeat. Once again, I said so ahead of time.

Please don’t make a fool of yourself comparing Putin to Hitler, or Mideast events to WWII. Israel has proven it can defend itself. And US support for Israel for decades, no matter what, has at a minimum, increased tensions. This post does not support Hamas which Israel has a right to destroy.

No Change

I was against US meddling in 1966 and have been against meddling ever since. And I have been on the right side of history.

The US cannot afford to be the world’s policeman and the results of trying have backfired every time (assuming perpetual war is not the desired goal).

Via Consortium News

Imprisoned publisher Julian Assange will face two High Court judges over two days on Feb. 20-21, 2024 in London in what will likely be his last appeal against being extradited to the United States to face charges of violating the Espionage Act.

Assange’s wife Stella Assange confirmed that the hearing will take place at the Royal Courts of Justice. Assange had had an earlier request to appeal rejected by High Court Judge Jonathan Swift on June 6. 

Assange then filed an application to appeal that decision and the dates have now been set.  Assange is seeking to challenge both the home secretary’s decision to extradite him as well as to cross appeal the decision by the lower court judge, Vanessa Baraitser.

Baraitser had ruled in January 2021 to release Assange from Belmarsh Prison and deny the U.S. request for extradition based on Assange’s mental health, his propensity to commit suicide and conditions of U.S. prisons. On every point of law, however, Baraitser sided with the United States. 

The US appealed her decision, issuing “diplomatic assurances” that Assange would not be mistreated in prison.  The High Court, after a two-day hearing in March 2022, accepted those “assurances” and rejected Assange’s appeal.

His application to the UK Supreme Court to hear the case was then denied. Assange then applied for a new appeal of Baraitser’s legal decisions and the home secretary’s extradition order. 

Swift rejected Assange’s 150-page argument in a three-page ruling. The appeal of that decision will now take place in February. [WATCH: Assange Appeal — The US-UK Deception]

If convicted under the World War I-era Espionage Act, the WikiLeaks publisher and journalist is facing up to 175 years in a US dungeon for publishing classified material revealing crimes by the US state, including war crimes. 

Day X is here.

The public hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice will be on 20-21 February.

It may be the final chance for the UK to stop Julian’s extradition. Gather outside the court at 8:30am on both days. It’s now or never. #DayX #FreeAssangeNOW #JournalismIsNotACrime pic.twitter.com/RL3e8FMxoJ

— Stella Assange #FreeAssangeNOW (@Stella_Assange) December 19, 2023

Assange was also charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, though the indictment against him does not accuse him of stealing U.S. documents or even of helping his source, Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, to do so. 

The national shortage of Adderall and other ADHD medications has led to a steep rise in prices, a trend we’re calling ‘Ritalinflation.’ The demand for ADHD drugs soared during Covid due to increased telehealth use. This high demand, coupled with low supply, is causing an affordability crisis for some who rely heavily on the medication to focus.

USA Today spoke with one family who said their monthly ADHD medication went from under $20 to $300. The surge in costs has forced the husband in the family to stop taking the medication while prioritizing their daughter, who is in school. 

“With medication and accommodations at school, my daughter is a straight-A student. Without the medication, she’s failing,” the mother said, who wished not to be named because her husband’s employer does not know about his diagnosis. 

Some families are scrambling to afford the medication and find pharmacies near them carrying name-brand and generic ADHD drugs.  

Data from the National Average Drug Acquisition Cost, a database that shows the average price pharmacies pay for prescription drugs, shows average prices for a 30-mg capsule of methylphenidate, sold under the brand names Ritalin and Concerta, has skyrocketed from $1.27 on Dec. 2021 to nearly $3 this month.

The demand-driven shortage comes as Bloomberg data from 2021 shows more than 41 million Adderall prescriptions were filled nationally, up 10% from a year ago. 

In late 2022, Bloomberg spoke with dozens of patients across California, Indiana, and Michigan who were told by local pharmacists at CVS Health Corp. and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. about the worsening shortage and how wait times for the medication could be up to a week or more. 

According to Antonio Ciaccia, CEO of 46brooklyn Research, an Ohio-based nonprofit focused on drug pricing research, the shortage of brand-name ADHD drugs led doctors to prescribe generic medicines. This led to a domino effect that even generic brands face dwindling supplies.

The widespread diagnosis of ADHD in children and adults has transformed this country into an ‘ADHD Nation.’ Maybe excessive use of smartphones and electric devices is to blame for higher disorder rates over the years. Also, a new study revealed long-term ADHD medication use may increase cardiovascular disease. 

Another demand-driven drug shortage, entirely separate from ADHD, has been Ozempic and other weight loss drugs. These shortages might reflect a broader issue: folks are becoming over-reliant on the pharmaceutical-industrial complex for maintaining health. 

Authored by Grzegorz Adamczyk via ReMix News,

Poland’s public television news stations went off the air yesterday as police conducted massive raids to seize public news station TVP, with fears becoming realized that Prime Minister Donald Tusk would move quickly to crack down on press freedoms once he assumed power.

A group of senior Law and Justice (PiS) politicians, including party leader Jarosław Kaczyński and former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, arrived at the headquarters of state-run TV broadcaster TVP on Wednesday afternoon as the new pro-EU government moved to seize control of state-run press in dramatic authoritarian fashion.

WATCH: Poland’s new pro-EU government under Donald Tusk has seized control of public broadcasters in the country, firing the management boards of TVP and Polskie Radio, and taking the channels off-air.

The move sparked a sit-in protest by the conservative Law and Justice party… pic.twitter.com/dCnywLTxLx

— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) December 20, 2023

Both Morawiecki and Kaczyński said the government’s decision to replace public media chiefs resembled a “coup d’état” and an illegal “takeover by force.”

Kaczyński told reporters that the Law and Justice (PiS) party stood in defense of democracy and a “pluralistic media.”

NEW: “We are experiencing a situation where independent media is deprived of its independence. Democracy today in Poland is very much in danger.”

Former PM @MorawieckiM speaks out on pro-EU Donald Tusk’s takeover of Poland’s public broadcaster. pic.twitter.com/YawQwT4Bwl

— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) December 20, 2023

PiS politicians compared the action to the introduction of martial law in Poland in 1981 in the sense that the government then also shut down TV programs and dismissed scores of journalists. 

There was outrage too at an incident in which a female MP from PiS was assaulted by one of the bodyguards who assisted the new chairman of the TVP Board in taking over an office at TVP.

Tak Jaruzele od Tuska traktują posłów RP. pic.twitter.com/R13bsRrtcz

— Przemysław Czarnek (@CzarnekP) December 20, 2023

Former Education Minister Przemysław Czarnek said that “this is the most brutal taking of power ever in the EU, with the government using force, assaulting MPs and shutting down media they do not like.”

Meanwhile, Culture Minister Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz told the left-liberal Gazeta Wyborcza paper that the protest “will achieve nothing.”

Earlier in the day, the government informed that the culture minister had relieved the CEOs of TVP, Polish Radio and the Polish Press Agency (PAP) of their duties, and also dismissed the boards of directors of these outlets. Sienkiewicz has appointed new boards of directors for TVP, Polish Radio and PAP, which in turn have appointed new executive boards, the Ministry of Culture added in its statement.

It also said that the “necessity and justification” for the move flowed from Tuesday’s resolution by the Polish parliament, which called on the government to “restore the impartiality and credibility of public media.”

Protests continued outside TVP’s headquarters in Warsaw throughout Wednesday.

Tłumy na Woronicza.
W obronie polskich mediów!@tvp_info pic.twitter.com/OuqyCPZjzq

— Tomasz Sakiewicz (@TomaszSakiewicz) December 20, 2023

The journalists stopped from having their programs broadcast have been hosted by the independent channel TV Republika, and they are planning to start broadcasting from there starting Thursday. 

Read more here….

A 30-year-old Danish healthcare trainee is seeking $1.6 million in compensation through Denmark’s workers’ compensation program, after sustaining major injuries from a single dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, Berlingske reports.

Jasmin Jenson took the jab on February 27, 2021 – just 12 days before the Danish Health Authority paused the use of the vaccine. Jenson, who was interning at a residence for autistic individuals, experienced a reaction to the vaccine just hours after being injected. She subsequently became so ill that she had to give up her education.

Jenson is now on disability pension due to constant headaches, concentration difficulties, and nearly chronic fatigue. Her loss of working capacity has been assessed at 90 percent, leading to a compensation of approximately 11 million DKK (US$1.6 million), according to the report.

This amount takes into account that she was only 30 years old when the injury occurred. The compensation would be paid out gradually, offset against her disability pension, and corresponds to the salary she could have earned as a healthcare assistant until she turns 73 in 2064, the age for public pension eligibility in Denmark.

Jensen’s employer, Fredericia Municipality, initially refused to report her case as a work-related injury, arguing that vaccination was voluntary. However, the case was reported only because Jensen herself did so with assistance from Danish trade union magazine, Fagbladet FOA.

The Danish Workers’ Compensation Board (AES) later overruled the municipality, determining that the employer had a special interest in Jensen being vaccinated. “We have considered that the health authorities recommend COVID-19 vaccination for specific employee groups and specific tasks, which includes your role as a social and healthcare assistant trainee,” states the decision, which Jensen acknowledges: “Our leader was very clear in urging us to get vaccinated. I didn’t want to oppose it. It also played a role that I was to intern at a hospital later in the year, so getting vaccinated was the most sensible thing to do,” she told the outlet.

Voices from the Ground: Jensen and the Municipality’s Director Weigh In

Jensen’s own recount of the events echoes the desperation of millions who were forced into vaccination to protect their livelihood: “Our leader was very clear in urging us to get vaccinated. I didn’t want to oppose it.”

Conversely, Mette Heidemann, the Director of Employment and Welfare at Fredericia Municipality, paints a picture of adherence to national recommendations and a hands-off approach to employee health decisions: “An employer cannot force employees to get vaccinated. An employer can only make recommendations.”

But they did…

Meanwhile, with 240 similar cases reported to the Danish Workers’ Compensation Board, each involving loss of working capacity post-COVID vaccination, the story of Jasmin Jensen is not an isolated incident but part of a larger, ongoing wave of lawsuits and claims that are piling up around the world.

Authored by EurasiaNet via OilPrice.com,

• The modernization, costing $65 million, will be carried out by Rustatom Service JSC, a Rosatom subsidiary.

• Metsamor NPP, contributing 31% of Armenia’s electricity, will be upgraded to operate until 2036 before decommissioning.

• Amid political efforts to diversify alliances, Armenia remains heavily reliant on Russia for energy, with Russia supplying most of its gas and all uranium for the nuclear plant.

On December 15, Armenia and Russia signed a contract on modernizing and extending the lifespan of Armenia’s Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) until 2036. 

The renovations will be carried out by Rustatom Service JSC, a subsidiary of Russia’s state nuclear energy company Rosatom, and will cost the Armenian government $65 million.

The deal is another reminder of the vast extent of Russia’s influence over Armenia’s infrastructure and economy amid Yerevan’s efforts to politically distance itself from Moscow. 

Metsamor plays a significant role in Armenia’s energy landscape, contributing an average of 31 percent of the country’s yearly electricity output.

It is the only nuclear power plant in the South Caucasus, located about 30 kilometers west of Yerevan. It consists of two units, Metsamor-1 and Metsamor-2, activated in 1976 and 1980, respectively. In 1989, the plant was shut down due to safety concerns after the devastating earthquake in Spitak in December 1988. In 1995, Unit 2 was reactivated due to energy shortages in Armenia, and since then has been the only nuclear unit in operation.

In 2021, Rosatom repaired and upgraded the NPP to operate until 2026. The modernization was implemented under a loan agreement signed between Armenia and Russia in 2015. 

Under the new agreement, Rosatom will help to extend the lifespan of Unit-2 until 2036, after which it will be decommissioned. 

The upgrading operations will be financed in the form of a “budgetary loan” provided by the Armenian government to the state-owned plant’s management, which will subsequently enter into a contract with Rosatom. In 2023-2026, Rosatom will modernize Metsamor NPP in close cooperation with Armenian specialists.

As the reactor will be decommissioned in 2036, the Armenian government intends to build a new nuclear unit at Metsamor. Different estimates assert that the construction of a new nuclear power plant or unit will take 6-10 years, which means that construction works must be started in the next couple years.

It appears those construction works will be implemented by Rosatom, judging by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk’s remark on December 15 that negotiations were underway regarding new nuclear power units. 

Overwhelming energy dependence on Russia 

The new Metsamor deal comes at a complicated time in Armenian-Russian relations. Resentment against Russia is high in Armenia Azerbaijan’s military takeover – apparently with Moscow’s blessing – of Nagorno-Karabakh in September.

Despite persistent efforts to diversify its political alliances and build closer ties with the West, Armenia’s economy remains overwhelmingly dependent on Russia. Russia is Armenia’s largest trade partner, and Armenia is a member of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). 

And then there’s energy dependence.

Russia supplies 87.5 percent of Armenia’s gas (the rest comes from Iran), and Gazprom Armenia, the local subsidiary of the Russian state gas company, owns all of the country’s gas distribution infrastructure. 

Armenia says it generates 98 percent of the electricity it needs but that claim hides even more dependence. 

That electricity is generated by hydropower and thermal plants and by the Metsamor NPP. Metsamor is entirely fueled by uranium imported from Russia while thermal power plants depend on (largely Russian) natural gas. 

“Our self-sufficiency depends on the countries from which we import the gas and the uranium that operate our thermal and nuclear power plants. And when our government officials speak about our self-sufficiency, why do they forget to say how we maintain it?” energy expert Armen Manvelyan told the Institute of War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), stressing that over 70 percent of Armenia’s electricity depends on Russia.

And Armenia’s energy demands keep growing. In 2022, Armenia’s imports of Russian natural gas increased by 6.1 percent from the previous year, reaching 2.6 billion cubic meters. 

Iran’s ambassador to Armenia, Mehdi Sobhani, recently mused about the possibility of tripling or quadrupling Tehran’s gas exports to Armenia. But such a move would require Russia’s consent and facilitation, as Gazprom controls the gas pipeline to Iran.

Armenia is exploring the possibility of obtaining small modular nuclear reactors from the United States, France, and South Korea as part of its efforts to diversify its energy sector. But so far concrete progress on this front remains elusive.

In many ways, the engine of global economic growth is hidden in plain sight.

Family-owned businesses, which make up 90% of global enterprises, have driven job creation and entrepreneurship over history. While the majority of these are mom-and-pop shops, some of the world’s largest companies, from Walmart to Ford, are family-run.

This graphic, via Visual Capitalist’s Dorothy Neufeld, shows the economic influence of family businesses in select countries, with analysis from Tharawat.

Family Businesses and the World Economy

Below, we show the economic contribution of family businesses around the world:

As the above table shows, 79% of India’s economic output is fueled by family-owned businesses, the highest across the dataset.

Reliance Industries is the largest family enterprise in the country, and the 10th-largest globally. Founded in 1973, it is run by the Ambani family and has a $204 billion market capitalization as of December 2023.

Following India are Spain and Mexico, with family businesses making up 70% of GDP and contributing over $1 trillion to these economies each year.

In the U.S., an estimated 32.4 million businesses are family-owned that collectively generate $14.5 trillion in GDP. The largest of these enterprises are Walmart, Berkshire Hathaway, and Cargill.

Family Offices in Private Capital Markets

Just as family businesses have significant influence over global GDP, family offices also own a large portion of global assets.

In fact, they make 27% of private capital markets globally, with $6.1 trillion in assets under management—more than doubling over the last decade.

While the majority of family office assets are invested in funds, there is a growing trend of investing directly in target companies, such as tech start-ups.

By 2027, Ernst & Young projects that private markets will expand considerably, facing a similar trend seen over the last decade—with family offices playing a key role in driving this growth.