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It would be “close to criminal neglect” for Congress not to pass billions of dollars in additional military aid to Ukraine according to President Biden. Biden made the remark to reporters on Friday during an […]

The post It’s ‘Close To Criminal Neglect’ For Congress Not To Pass Ukraine Aid Bill Says Biden appeared first on The People’s Voice.

LGBT furious they can’t change “gender” on driver’s licenses.

Going to the DMV is already a pain in the neck. Imagine pulling into the parking lot and having it littered with transgender people holding a die-in.

That’s what scores of these folks did at DMVs across Florida, protesting a new state law regarding gender on driver’s licenses.

Trans folks will no longer be allowed to make those changes to their identification (via CBS News): 

Amid what one critic called “an ongoing campaign to make Florida uninhabitable and unsafe for transgender individuals,” Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration quietly reversed a policy that allowed Floridians to obtain driver’s licenses that reflected their gender identity. 

Robert Kynoch, deputy executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, on Friday sent a memo outlining the changes to county tax collectors, who process driver’s licenses and state identification cards. The memo said that allowing people to change their gender on licenses and ID cards runs afoul of state law because gender “has historically been understood as a synonym for ‘sex,’ which is determined by innate and immutable biological and genetic characteristics.”

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In addition, a driver’s license “is an identification document and, as such, serves a critical role in assisting public and private entities in correctly establishing the identity of a person presenting the license,” Kynoch wrote. 

LGBT advocates accused the Ron DeSantis administration of trying to erase trans people. Hence, these antics this week:  

But I doubt this will get much attention. Ron DeSantis is no longer a 2024 candidate, and the special counsel report on Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified materials dropped this week, which included details about how the president seemed aloof and aged during his deposition. It’s an issue for the president that’s not going away. 

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30 Years of Russia Seeking Peace with the West

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Known gangbanger with long rap sheet also wanted in Honduras to serve sentence for drug trafficking crimes

A Honduran gang member with a lengthy rap sheet and six prior deportations was caught illegally crossing the Canadian border into the United States this month, authorities say.

On February 1, a man identified only as a Honduran national was apprehended by border agents after he illegally reentered the U.S. near Newport, Vermont.

The man is a known member of the Sicarios New Yorkers-XV-18 branch of the 18th Street Gang, a highly-dangerous transnational criminal organization comprised primarily of Central Americans and Mexicans with a major presence in the U.S.

“The Honduran national was removed from the United States in January 2006, twice in June 2013, February 2015, July 2015 and February 2016. He has been convicted of DWI, assault and battery, unauthorized use of a vehicle, illegal entry, disorderly conduct and drug trafficking,” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) explained in a press release.

Investigators learned the Honduran is wanted in his home country after skipping town following a conviction for drug trafficking charges in October of 2022.

“This unlawfully present Honduran gang member represents a significant threat to the residents of our New England neighborhoods,” said Todd M. Lyons, field office director of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston.

“Not only is he a self-admitted member of a violent criminal enterprise, but he has also repeatedly defied U.S. immigration laws in order to flee some serious charges in his home country. ERO Boston will not allow New England to become a safe haven for the world’s criminals. We will aggressively pursue anyone attempting to use our community as a hideout from justice.”

Authorities continue to apprehend dangerous foreign criminals illegally present in the U.S.

Last week, ICE announced the arrest of a previously-deported child rapist in Massachusetts who had illegally returned to the U.S. around 10 years ago and was convicted of another sex crime in 2015.

Last month, Texas troopers arrested a human smuggler wanted for murder in Mexico.

Also in January, an illegal alien from Brazil who was released into the U.S. under Joe Biden was deported to face rape charges in his homeland.

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Alex Jones and David Icke discuss the future of AI technology with a caller on X’s Spaces named Adrian Dittman who sounds suspiciously like Elon Musk.

Dan Lyman on X | Gab

“Distress is spreading to other sectors” as globalist policies crush economic engine of Europe

Things are not great in Germany.

A confluence of economic stagnation, higher energy prices(due to anti-nuclear idiocy), and the highest corporate distress rates in Europe suggest Deutschland is in for a sharp contraction – a sentiment shared among fund managers, credit traders and crestfallen German executives moping around Davos last month, according to Bloomberg.

The bad news is continuing to pile up. After the economy shrank in the final quarter of last year, downbeat early surveys for 2024 signal there’s little respite ahead.

Demand from borrowers for investment in the likes of machinery, factories and technology has fallen, creating a risk that domestic growth is impeded in the longer term as companies focus on getting through the current struggle. And now there’s growing concern about some lenders’ exposure to the shaky US corporate real estate market. -Bloomberg

“Germany is really in trouble,” according to Barings fund manager Brian Mangwiro. “All the big manufacturing economies are slowing but, in Germany, this is compounded by higher energy costs. There are also challenges in the auto sector with competition coming from China.”

Meanwhile, German executives were decidedly in a bad mood at Davos last month – and were of the view that Europe’s largest economy could no longer be counted on for steady growth – and instead faces a period of chaos amid competition in everything from machinery to automobiles.

“The country’s economic outlook remains bleak,” reads the Weil European Distress Index, citing stagnant profitability on top of liquidity pressures.

Germany emerges as the most distressed market in Europe, influenced by several factors such as deteriorating investment metrics, liquidity pressures and stagnant profitability, which have persisted since the beginning of the year. The country’s economic outlook remains bleak, with both its government and the European Commission projecting a 0.4% contraction in its economy for 2024 due to high inflation, elevated energy prices and sluggish international trade. –European Distress Index

What’s more, rising interest rates over the past two years have compounded problems – particularly in the property market. On Wednesday, Morgan Stanley analysts told clients to sell senior bonds linked to Deutsche Pfandbriefbank AG due to the lender’s high exposure to the US Commercial Real-Estate market.

Shares of Pfandbriefbank have slid about 15% this month, while other German financial institutions have had significant declines in a Bloomberg index of euro-dominated bank bonds – including a €750 million AT1 by Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg and €300 million note by Aareal Bank AG on Tuesday.

According to Bloomberg, over $13.6 billion of loans and bonds issued by German companies were distressed last month – over 13x that of Italy.

“Distress is spreading to other sectors,” beyond real estate, construction and retail – according to Christian Ebner, managing director of Alvarez & Marsal’s financial restructuring advisory team. “Manufacturing is starting to be affected,” he continued – adding that automotive “will continue to be a problem child.”

Also a factor is Germany’s changing politics – with Deutsche Bank AG Chief Executive Officer Christian Sewing recently expressing concern that the conservative AfD party is contributing to declining investments.

Finance Minister Christian Lindner wasted no opportunity to agree.

“The AfD is a location risk,” he said Monday. “This is a party that’s calling into question the basic consensus of our country, namely European integration.”

Opportunities abound?

While German executives fret, other Davos attendees smelled blood in the water – as whispers among bankers and advisers have revealed a significant uptick in interest from private equity firms and direct lenders, according to the report.

Leading the charge, according to insights from a Bloomberg Television interview, is Victor Kholsa, founder and chief investment officer at Strategic Value Partners. Kholsa wants to secure high-rate loans, and/or acquire significantly leveraged companies, by injecting much-needed equity.

According to Kholsa, there’s an “opportunity to make those high rate loans or to buy companies that are pretty levered where you inject equity,” adding “That opportunity set we can really see.”

The trend is underscored by the arrival of heavy hitters like Ares Management Corp. and Blackstone Inc., which have set up shop in Frankfurt with the aim of lending to German businesses or financing private equity buyouts. This influx of foreign capital seeking to capitalize on domestic distress signals a troubling dynamic, as entities such as Techem GmbH become transaction targets amidst a backdrop of quality concerns and lender takeovers due to breached loan agreements.

The scenario unfolding is not just limited to equity and debt markets. Short sellers are also in play, with a staggering €5.7 billion wager placed against German companies. Groups such as Qube Research & Technologies Ltd. are betting against national stalwarts including Deutsche Bank AG, Volkswagen AG, and Vonovia AG, pointing to a broader skepticism about the resilience of Germany’s corporate sector amidst economic turbulence.

Real Estate is screwed…

Reeling under the weight of declining residential prices and the specter of significant value declines for office spaces, the real estate sector’s woes have only been exacerbated by rising interest rates – with fallout that could precipitate severe writedowns for both borrowers and lenders. Entities like the Adler Group SA and Rene Benko’s Signa in particular are teetering on the edge of financial abysses – a precarious situation compounded by a banking sector that, despite past resilience, faces looming concerns over commercial real estate exposures and economic stagnation.

The Bundesbank warned in November that at the start of 2023, the “present value of the banking book” was negative for 15 savings banks and 37 credit cooperatives,” adding they seem particularly vulnerable to an increase in interest rates. Since then, ECB rates have risen by 2 percentage points.

One-third of commercial real estate loans in Germany face higher borrowing costs over three years, which could cause credit defaults and impairments to rise more sharply, the watchdog said.

Fixed-income investors have become more reluctant to add exposure to lenders exposed to CRE, as seen in the issuance of covered bonds, the safest type of debt that banks can sell. Aareal Bank AG had to lean on its lead managers, who put €125 million in the order book, to get a €500m four-year offering over the line in January. Aareal declined to comment. -Bloomberg

The Bundesbank’s warnings about the vulnerabilities of savings banks and credit cooperatives to interest rate hikes underscore the fragility of the financial ecosystem. The potential for credit defaults and impairments looms large, with a significant portion of commercial real estate loans at risk. The reluctance of fixed-income investors to engage with lenders exposed to these risks highlights a growing crisis of confidence, even as companies and landlords cling to the hope of a rate reprieve under the mantra “Survive ‘Til 2025.”

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Alex Jones and David Icke discuss the future of AI technology with a caller on X’s Spaces named Adrian Dittman who sounds suspiciously like Elon Musk.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna has introduced a bill that would mandate members of Congress sign up for military service if they push for more aid to Ukraine

Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R) has introduced a bill that would mandate members of Congress sign up for military service if they push for more aid to Ukraine.

Specifically, the bill as leaked says members of Congress would have to serve in active duty for at least six months.

If a Member of Congress advocates for providing military support for Ukraine the Member:

1) shall enlist in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, or Coast Guard; and

2) shall be assigned for not fewer than 6 months to active duty in support of a contingency operation.

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Called the Senators Can Help Underpin Military Engagement and Readiness, or SCHUMER, Act, Luna said she introduced the bill in response to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) ultimatum that if Russia is allowed to take Ukraine, American troops may be used to fight Russia in Eastern Europe.

“If we don’t aid Ukraine, Putin will walk all over Ukraine, we will lose the war and we could be fighting in eastern Europe and a NATO ally in a few years. Americans won’t like that,” Schumer said earlier this month on American television.

The bill was leaked to a UK media outlet before it was meant to be viewed by the public, but Luna said that did not bother her. 

“I make no apologies,” she said. “My bill, the SCHUMER Act, would require Members of Congress to fight on the front lines in Ukraine if they support Schumer’s calls for American sons & daughters to fight.”

While Luna is a staunch conservative as indicated by her party membership among other things, the idea that politicians should have to fight in the wars they advance is one rooted in the anti-war movements of the past as well as the sentiments of veterans.

“Politicians who took us to war should have been given the guns and told to settle their differences themselves, instead of organizing nothing better than legalized mass murder,” Harry Patch, the last surviving World War One veteran who served in the trenches wrote in his book The Last Fighting Tommy before his death in 2009.

Luna served in the United States Air Force from 2009 to 2014.

While Schumer did not advocate for sending troops into Ukraine, only warned that war may come if Russia moves past Ukraine, an accusation he provided no proof for and Russia has repeatedly denied, the comment was perceived as a threat to the American people to some. And it was those comments that inspired Luna to draft her bill.

“In honor of Chuck Schumer, I’ll be introducing a bill that will require any politician who advocates for sending American troops to Ukraine to be required to fight on the front lines with them,” Luna said.

The Congresswoman said that other members of the House of Representatives will have until February 12 to sign on if they want to be counted as an original co-sponsor.

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Alex Jones and David Icke discuss the future of AI technology with a caller on X’s Spaces named Adrian Dittman who sounds suspiciously like Elon Musk.

Moscow saw the interview as an opportunity to be heard in the West, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s interview with conservative American journalist Tucker Carlson this week provided a great opportunity to make people in the West think, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the TASS news agency on Saturday.

Peskov suggested the two-hour interview, which largely revolved around relations between Moscow and Kiev, made it possible for Putin to be heard in the West.

Asked about the interest the interview has sparked, garnering over 100 million views in just one day on Carlson’s X account (formerly Twitter) alone, the spokesman replied that the numbers do not necessarily equate to universal support from viewers.

“We cannot expect that our point of view will receive support. The main thing for us is that our president is heard. And if he is heard, this means more people will think about whether he is right or not. They will think, at least,” Peskov stated.

The spokesman also referred to Putin’s remarks during the interview when he acknowledged that it is difficult to resist Western propaganda, claiming the US and Britain control the major media outlets.

“The Anglo-Saxons, one way or another, own all the largest broadcasters, all the largest newspapers, and so on. And against this background, the main thing is to give people the opportunity to become acquainted with our point of view. And in this regard, this is a very good opportunity.”

The interview, which was published on Thursday, was the first sit-down between a US media personality and the Russian president since the beginning of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev in early 2022. It covered a wide range of topics, while largely revolving around the ongoing hostilities. The Russian president also offered a lengthy review of the centuries of shared history between Russia and Ukraine, arguing that the latter has been long used by the Collective West to antagonize Moscow after the collapse of the USSR.

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Alex Jones and David Icke discuss the future of AI technology with a caller on X’s Spaces named Adrian Dittman who sounds suspiciously like Elon Musk.