Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge – Freedom First Network https://freedomfirstnetwork.com There's a thin line between ringing alarm bells and fearmongering. Mon, 25 Nov 2024 07:08:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/cropped-Square-32x32.jpg Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge – Freedom First Network https://freedomfirstnetwork.com 32 32 178281470 Major Cold Blast to Hit Helene-Ravaged North Carolina With Families Living in Tents and Cars Amid FEMA Disaster https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/major-cold-blast-to-hit-helene-ravaged-north-carolina-with-families-living-in-tents-and-cars-amid-fema-disaster/ https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/major-cold-blast-to-hit-helene-ravaged-north-carolina-with-families-living-in-tents-and-cars-amid-fema-disaster/#respond Mon, 25 Nov 2024 07:08:53 +0000 https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/major-cold-blast-to-hit-helene-ravaged-north-carolina-with-families-living-in-tents-and-cars-amid-fema-disaster/ (Zero Hedge)—Nearly two months after Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, the controversies surrounding FEMA’s botched response could have been avoided if the federal agency had apolitical managers overseeing operations and had not diverted funds for illegal aliens. With winter looming over the Appalachian region, at least a thousand people—some of them children—are still living in temporary housing, such as tents.

“Attention Joe Biden or whoever is running this country  its 24/7 all hands on deck this week for  Helene ravaged areas to make sure people are sheltered properly for the coming cold.  The blundering so far has been inexcusable, You have a chance to finish strong here,” Meteorologist Joe Bastardi wrote on X.

Bastardi’s weather models forecast that a cold blast will descend into the region next week.

The incoming cold weather coincides with a report from local media outlet WLOS stating that “hundreds of local families are left with nowhere to go” in Western North Carolina, adding, “Now some of these children are living in tents and cars…”

Bloomberg data shows temps across Asheville are expected to crash to sub-freezing levels through the end of the month into early December.

This is shocking, as WLOS provides new figures:

The Buncombe County Family Resource Center tells News 13 that they’ve identified 878 new homeless students since the storm. That is in addition to the 274 students identified in Buncombe County as homeless before Helene. It totals 1,152 kids without permanent homes, some living in tents, cars and campers.

Scenes on the ground show “tent cities” in Swannanoa, North Carolina…

Whole families live in tents with children. These people need help.

“Do you realize that it’s gonna be below freezing in Asheville, North Carolina tonight? And in some parts of North Carolina it’s already below freezing. Do you realize how many people are living in tents? . @fema workers (who aren’t doing anything) are hanging out in heated trailers. While at the same time, we’re housing illegal immigrants in luxury hotels,” one X user said.

Meanwhile, the controversies at FEMA are piling up for the American people to see:

FEMA ran out of money promoting “equity.”

Pushing free money to illegal aliens for luxury hotels and food.

Yet residents of storm-ravaged North Carolina received??

What a sh**show. And now a humanitarian crisis as winter approaches.

]]> https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/major-cold-blast-to-hit-helene-ravaged-north-carolina-with-families-living-in-tents-and-cars-amid-fema-disaster/feed/ 0 227783 Seattle EV Drivers Panic for Charging Stations After Bomb Cyclone https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/seattle-ev-drivers-panic-for-charging-stations-after-bomb-cyclone/ https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/seattle-ev-drivers-panic-for-charging-stations-after-bomb-cyclone/#respond Sat, 23 Nov 2024 11:00:50 +0000 https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/seattle-ev-drivers-panic-for-charging-stations-after-bomb-cyclone/ (Zero Hedge)—A “bombogenesis,” commonly known as a “bomb cyclone,” pounded the Pacific Northwest earlier this week with destructive winds and torrential rain. At higher altitudes, heavy snow and strong winds unleashed blizzards. This once-in-a-decade storm caused widespread power outages across the Seattle metropolitan area, leaving electric vehicle owners in a panic.

At the peak of widespread outages, more than 600,000 customers across Washington State lost power due to the powerful storm; most outages were in King County and Snohomish County.

GeekWire reports that in the last several days, EV drivers who lost power at their homes flooded public EV charging networks across the metro area.

“We’ve seen some chargers that are almost never used that are fully being used,” FlexCharging CEO Brian Grunkemeyer told the tech media outlet. The startup provides charging software services for EV charging operators, including Electrify America.

Grunkemeyer provided a screenshot showing that Electrify America stations on Wednesday were all full, and long lines continued into Thursday.

A video shared on X showed the panic…

The lesson for EV drivers in an apocalyptic situation is very clear: have a full-house natural gas or diesel-powered generator system or a lightweight 8kW portable generator with 220V capability.

]]> https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/seattle-ev-drivers-panic-for-charging-stations-after-bomb-cyclone/feed/ 0 227762 Jaguar Attempts to “Bud Light” Itself With Cringeworthy Woke Ad https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/jaguar-attempts-to-bud-light-itself-with-cringeworthy-woke-ad/ https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/jaguar-attempts-to-bud-light-itself-with-cringeworthy-woke-ad/#respond Wed, 20 Nov 2024 11:09:36 +0000 https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/jaguar-attempts-to-bud-light-itself-with-cringeworthy-woke-ad/ (ZeroHedge)—British sports car manufacturer Jaguar, one of the most celebrated motorsport brands, first gained prominence in the 1950s with its iconic C-Type and D-Type sports cars, securing seven victories at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans. Jag launched the iconic E-Type at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show and has since produced stylish vehicles for the general public and racing teams.

Given Jaguar’s legacy of racing excellence, their marketing team has just nuked the brand in a manner reminiscent of Bud Light’s controversial ad featuring Dylan Mulvaney, a man who identifies as a woman.

Jag’s new ad, published on X on Tuesday morning, is titled “Copy nothing.”

Yet it looks like their marketing team copied a scene from the movie Zoolander.

The X post was heavily ratio’d, and many people were utterly baffled by how tone-deaf Jaguar’s marketing team has become in an era increasingly shifting away from toxic woke ideology.

“Umm where are the cars in this ad? Is this for fashion?” X user Pixel Prett asked.

Jag’s social media team responded: “Think of this as a declaration of intent.”

Someone else asked Jag: “To go bankrupt? Got it.”

Not one vehicle was shown in the ad. Yet wokeism culture was pushed into overdrive.

Bring back the 1990s, please.

We all have the same question. Maybe Jag is trying to boost its DEI score for year-end purposes…

Jag’s inability to read the room as the wokeism tide in corporate America goes out is troubling for the brand…

Earlier this year, Subha Barry, former head of diversity at Merrill Lynch, told Bloomberg, “We are past the peak” of wokeism.

To sum up, this isn’t the first time Jag has had tranny issues.

Good luck.

]]> https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/jaguar-attempts-to-bud-light-itself-with-cringeworthy-woke-ad/feed/ 0 227710 WWIII Alert: Ukraine Launches First US-Made ATACMS Strike on Russia https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/wwiii-alert-ukraine-launches-first-us-made-atacms-strike-on-russia/ https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/wwiii-alert-ukraine-launches-first-us-made-atacms-strike-on-russia/#respond Tue, 19 Nov 2024 13:34:25 +0000 https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/wwiii-alert-ukraine-launches-first-us-made-atacms-strike-on-russia/ (Zero Hedge)—About a day after President Biden authorized Ukraine to use the long-range US-made MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System to strike deeper into Russian territory, a new report suggests that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have hit a military installation in the western Bryansk region. This comes after Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia’s nuclear weapons doctrine was changed and signed by President Vladimir Putin, indicating “the use of Western non-nuclear rockets by the Armed Forces of Ukraine against Russia can prompt a nuclear response.”

“For the first time, Ukraine’s Defense Forces struck Russian territory with ATACMS ballistic missiles,” RBC Ukraine news agency reported Tuesday.

RBC Ukraine said the military facility near the city of Karachev in the Bryansk region was successfully hit with ATACMS. This location was about 115 kilometers (71 miles) from the border with Ukraine.

“Indeed, for the first time, we used ATACMS to strike Russian territory. The strike was carried out against a facility in the Bryansk region, and it was successfully hit,” one source told the local media outlet.

Separately, media outlet Kyiv Post stated the 67th arsenal of the Main Directorate of the Missile and Artillery Directorate of Russia was hit. The facility reportedly had large stockpiles of anti-aircraft missiles, munitions for multiple launch rocket systems, artillery ammunition, and guided bombs, much of which was supplied by North Korea.

Kyiv Post noted:

Russian media sources, including residents on social networks, reported explosions coming from within the Karachev district, and suggesting that a “military base” was being attacked. The Russian Astra Telegram channel shared videos of the incident, while local reports said that there had been strikes on this arsenal in late 2023 and again in June and October this year.

Bloomberg revealed more details about the attack:

Russian Defense Ministry confirmed Ukrainian armed forces launched a strike with US-made ATACMS ballistic missiles at a military object in Bryansk region on the border with Ukraine, Interfax reports. 

  • 5 missiles were shot down, 1 damaged; no casualties reported
  • Missile debris caused fire in a military installation

Here’s alleged footage of the strike:

Earlier, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that President Vladimir Putin signed new changes to Russia’s nuclear weapons doctrine.

Peskov said the new modifications signify “the use of Western non-nuclear rockets by the Armed Forces of Ukraine against Russia can prompt a nuclear response.”

Peskov’s comments were made shortly after President Biden approved Ukraine’s use of ATACMS against military targets deep inside Russia.

In markets, US equity futures and European equities fell on the news.

Global bonds climbed on World War III threats. The yield on the US 10-year slid about seven basis points to 4.34% & dollar surged.

“The market reaction is logical, one could feel already yesterday that the tension, was rising,” said Andrea Tueni, head of sales trading at Saxo Banque France, who was quoted by Bloomberg, adding, “For the moment the market reaction is contained, some are still in a wait-and see- mode.”

Even though the Russian leader warned the US and its European allies against using ATACMS against Russian military facilities within its borders, which could spark a direct conflict, the Biden-Harris team of warmongers and the Europeans continued pushing the world closer to World War III.

One of Harris’ biggest supporters…

Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr. views this ultra-dangerous ploy by the lame-duck Biden administration as a move by radical far-left Democrats in the White House to push the world dangerously closer to WW3 before his father takes office.

“The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives,” he said on X Sunday.

God help us all. 

]]> https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/wwiii-alert-ukraine-launches-first-us-made-atacms-strike-on-russia/feed/ 0 227700 “Massive Breach”: T-Mobile Network Hacked by Chinese State Sponsored Intelligence https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/massive-breach-t-mobile-network-hacked-by-chinese-state-sponsored-intelligence/ https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/massive-breach-t-mobile-network-hacked-by-chinese-state-sponsored-intelligence/#respond Tue, 19 Nov 2024 10:09:29 +0000 https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/massive-breach-t-mobile-network-hacked-by-chinese-state-sponsored-intelligence/ (Zero Hedge)—Where’s John Legere in a pink t-shirt when you need him?

Among the multiple stories over the last few weeks about Chinese intelligence and hackers either attempting to, or outright gaining access, to U.S. cell phone networks (with reports stating President Trump and his team were targeted), comes news of a hack of T-Mobile’s network.

T-Mobile’s network was reportedly breached in a Chinese cyber-espionage campaign targeting multiple U.S. and international telecom companies, according to the NY Post, citing the Wall Street Journal.

Hackers tied to a Chinese intelligence agency accessed the network to spy on high-value intelligence targets, though the timing of the attack was not disclosed.

The NY Post, citing WSJ, wrote that the extent of data taken from T-Mobile customers remains unclear.

The FBI and CISA recently revealed that China-linked hackers intercepted surveillance data meant for U.S. law enforcement after breaching several telecom firms.

Earlier reports indicated that Chinese hackers accessed networks of broadband providers, including Verizon, AT&T, and Lumen, extracting data from systems used for court-approved wiretapping.

“T-Mobile is closely monitoring this industry-wide attack,” a spokesperson for the company said. “At this time, T-Mobile systems and data have not been impacted in any significant way, and we have no evidence of impacts to customer information.”

Sure.

]]> https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/massive-breach-t-mobile-network-hacked-by-chinese-state-sponsored-intelligence/feed/ 0 227692 Trump to Declare a National Emergency to Conduct Mass Deportations https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/trump-to-declare-a-national-emergency-to-conduct-mass-deportations/ https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/trump-to-declare-a-national-emergency-to-conduct-mass-deportations/#respond Tue, 19 Nov 2024 09:15:26 +0000 https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/trump-to-declare-a-national-emergency-to-conduct-mass-deportations/ (ZeroHedge)—President-elect Donald Trump confirmed Monday that he will declare a national emergency to carry out mass deportations.

In response to Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton’s post on Truth Social that Trump was “prepared to declare a national emergency and will use military assets to reverse the Biden invasion through a mass deportation program,” Trump replied “TRUE!!”

“On day one, I will launch the largest deportation program … in the history of our country,” Trump said at one of his final campaign events in Pittsburgh on Nov. 4, a day before the election. “I will rescue every city and town that has been invaded … and we will put the vicious and bloodthirsty criminals in jail.”

Officially, there are an estimated 11 million illegal migrants living in the US (and some say upwards of 20 million) who entered the country during the Biden administration. Trump has tapped Tom Homan, former acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to serve as his “border czar,” as well as South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as his secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to secure the border and expel those living in the country illegally.

Homan said last weekend that he will prioritize “the worst first” in targeted deportations.

Immigration advocates, meanwhile, are preparing to counter Trump in court, Axios reports.

“We’re ready to fight” mass raids and deportations “both at the legal level, at the advocacy level, and (by) going to the streets,” according to Maribel Hernández Rivera, director of policy and government affairs for border and immigration at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

“One of the things that we strongly believe is that when the American people realize what this threat means, they’re not going to go for it.”

That said, Trump’s team is looking to craft executive orders that can withstand legal challenges in order to avoid a similar defeat to his first-term Muslim ban, Politico reports. The incoming administration also plans to end the parole program for undocumented immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Trump’s 2017 executive order on border security, signed on Jan. 25, 2017, directed the Department of Homeland Security to close the border and to take several other immediate steps, including building more sections of the U.S.–Mexico border wall and adding 5,000 Border Patrol agents.

That initial order also called for revamping the way that the government handled illegal immigrants’ asylum claims, detentions, and deportations.

]]> https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/trump-to-declare-a-national-emergency-to-conduct-mass-deportations/feed/ 0 227686 Five Reasons Why the Election Has Been Devastating for Leftists https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/five-reasons-why-the-election-has-been-devastating-for-leftists/ https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/five-reasons-why-the-election-has-been-devastating-for-leftists/#respond Tue, 19 Nov 2024 01:55:09 +0000 https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/five-reasons-why-the-election-has-been-devastating-for-leftists/ (ZeroHedge)—The political left’s whole world has been turned upside down and just like 2016, millions of people are sitting back and enjoying the show on social media with a big tub of popcorn. However, some may have noticed that the behavior of the woke mob is even more unhinged than eight years ago. The defeat of Hillary Clinton hit Democrats hard because polling had been so drastically weighted in Clinton’s favor. Trump’s win in 2016 shook their faith in the mainstream media, election statistics and their belief that progressive ideology was the dominant force in American society.

Their response to the loss was tears and rage. They acted as if they had been betrayed by the system; that ever present cradle rocking them to sleep with a sense of false security. Nanny government was no longer there to protect them from scary words and contrary ideas. Unfortunately this led to years of false Russian collusion conspiracies and race riots.

This year’s election, though, seems to have broken progressive brains. They aren’t just lashing out, they’ve gone completely insane. Liberal women have been shaving their heads in protest of men (as if men care), Kamala Harris supporters have taken to social media to scream incoherent gibberish about misogyny and racism, and many are threatening to divorce their spouses, cut off ties to their families and even kill Trump voters using poisons, guns, knives, etc.

The corporate media has been actively endorsing and encouraging this behavior. It’s a good thing their ratings are plunging and their influence continues to wane.

The amped up media rhetoric might explain the hysterical fears of fascism, but there’s more to it than the forked tongues of CNN and MSNBC. Why does it seem like leftists have gone far more insane during the latest election cycle? What’s different this time?

Losing The Popular Vote

Democrats often fall back on the argument that “something is wrong” with American voting methodology when they lose an election. They blame the electoral college because they don’t understand how it works or why it’s important. Needless to say, the Founding Fathers were highly suspicious of pure Democracy and sought to prevent tyranny by the majority. The EC helps to stop the major population centers of the nation (people that lean towards exploitation of rural producers) from ruling over all the people in the “flyover states”.

Because the protections of the 10th Amendment and state’s rights have been diluted over the past century, the Electoral College is usually the only thing standing in the way of fully centralized government under the control of blue population centers holding a few million more votes more than the rest of the country.

In 2024, though, Trump won the popular vote on top of the EC. The Democrats have no excuses to hide behind and they can no longer claim they’re the majority. They realize the popular vote, which they hold in reverence, is against them. The “democracy” they claim to protect did not work in their favor and now they’re confused.

Desperation For A Token Female President

The establishment media initially argued that Kamala Harris lost because of her race. But when it became clear that more black men and a large percentage of Hispanics voted against her compared to Barack Obama, the MSM shifted their narrative and blamed “misogyny” instead.

The same people who refuse to accept the scientific definition of a woman are mad that we still don’t have a woman president. Trump has defeated Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris, and this has driven third-wave feminists into a spiraling breakdown. The problem is not that Democrats ran two women against Trump, the problem is that they ran two corrupt and reprehensible women against Trump. The character of the individual matters far more than identity politics.

Kamala Harris’ massive loss heralds the death of the social justice crusade and feminism in general, and this is very difficult for leftists to handle.

Get Woke, Go Broke Confirmed

When asked why they voted for Trump Americans often mention the economy, but in the same breath they cite woke ideology as the reason why they no longer support the Democrats. For years the political left built up their power using woke taboos as a basis for social control. People don’t forget. Even when Dems tried to go more centrist towards the end of the election cycle the public wasn’t buying it.

The last straw was undoubtedly the targeting of children with trans propaganda. Voters will only tolerate drag queen story hour, sexualized dances in front of kids (or involving kids), men in women’s bathrooms or tampons in boys bathrooms for so long. The public finally snapped and sent leftists a clear message: Your ideology is cancer and we’re cutting it out.

For a long time progressives have denied that “Get Woke, Go Broke” is a reality. Now it’s undeniable. Kamala Harris, the ultimate DEI candidate who once argued that all of America needs to “go more woke” has been rejected by the masses.

The Fall Of The Mainstream Media

If it wasn’t obvious before it’s clear now; the mainstream media is done. Their viewership is dwindling to nothing. Certain outlets (like MSNBC) are about to be parceled out in a fire sale. Only a tiny percentage of the population watches or listens to corporate journalists anymore. They’re about to be jobless.

The era of the Fourth Estate is over and the alternative media has won. The political left clings to the false legitimacy of the academic elite, the end of the establishment controlled media leaves them in a whirlwind of doubt. The “experts” have been exposed as impotent but the left refuses to move on with the rest of Americans. Their beloved gatekeepers have been crushed.

Brainwashing And Irrational Fears Of “Fascism”

For the past four years Democrats have been drowning in a sea of anti-conservative propaganda telling them that anyone who disagrees with them is a fascist, an insurrectionist and an enemy of democracy. The corporate media has been conjuring endless images of Nazi marches, genocidal purges and book burnings. Even though Trump was already President for four years and none of these things happened under his direction, leftists are convinced that he intends to resurrect the Third Reich in his final term.

Nationalism by itself is not a precursor to fascism and the system has nothing to do with conservative principles. In fact, fascism is a creation of the far-left. Both Hitler and Mussolini held up Karl Marx as the inspiration for the development of National Socialism. Hitler’s efforts to expand control over the means of production was rooted in Marxist ideology and most industries were run behind the scenes by the fascist leadership. They also instituted price controls, wage controls and inflated the money supply to expand their power, just as Marxists do.

Leftists have spent decades trying to plant the association of conservatives as fascists into the collective consciousness, but as Adolph Hitler noted in 1934:

“National Socialism derives from each of the two camps the pure idea that characterizes it, national resolution from bourgeois tradition; vital, creative socialism from the teaching of Marxism.”

Socialists and communists go to war with each other all the time. Leftists turn on each other all the time. It’s not surprising that they turned against each other during WWII, and it’s not surprising that leftists today have no understanding that they have more in common with Nazis than conservatives do. The defeat of the progressives in 2024 is forcing them to question if they’re on the right side of history. Some of them are starting to wonder if they might be the baddies, and that revelation is devastating.

]]> https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/five-reasons-why-the-election-has-been-devastating-for-leftists/feed/ 0 227676 Bessent vs. Lutnick: Musk and RFK Push for Pro-Crypto Treasury Secretary While Bass Backs Rumored Favorite https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/bessent-vs-lutnick-musk-and-rfk-push-for-pro-crypto-treasury-secretary-while-bass-backs-rumored-favorite/ https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/bessent-vs-lutnick-musk-and-rfk-push-for-pro-crypto-treasury-secretary-while-bass-backs-rumored-favorite/#respond Sun, 17 Nov 2024 08:36:37 +0000 https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/bessent-vs-lutnick-musk-and-rfk-push-for-pro-crypto-treasury-secretary-while-bass-backs-rumored-favorite/ (Zero Hedge)—On one side, Elon Musk and RFK Jr. are pushing for Howard Lutnick, with Musk praising the Cantor FItzgerald CEO as a disruptor compared to Key Square Group (and George Soros protégé) Scott Bessent – the latter of whom met with Trump on Friday, and has the backing of many including noted investor Kyle Bass.

“Scott Bessent is eminently more qualified than Howard Lutnick to run the U.S. Treasury,” said Bass in a Wednesday post on X. “Scott understands markets, economics, people, and geopolitics better than anyone I’ve ever interacted with. Markets have already anticipated a Bessent choice. Lutnick is not Trump’s answer.”

In response, RFK Jr. suggested that Lutnick – who is currently working as co-chair of Trump’s transition team, would be a strong advocate for Bitcoin – which he described as “a hedge against inflation for middle class Americans,a remedy against the dollar’s downgrade from the world’s reserve currency, and the offramp from a ruinous national debt.”

Musk suggested more people weigh in on the decision, but said he views Bessent as “a business-as-usual choice,” while Lutnick “will actually enact change.”

According to Bloomberg, the choice is ‘creating tension and increasing the chance that another candidate rises up,’ citing anonymous people familiar with the decision making.

Trump himself has appeared frustrated with the infighting and staff are looking for alternatives, with Robert Lighthizer, Senator William Hagerty and Apollo Global Management Inc. Chief Executive Officer Marc Rowan among the names in the mix.

Lutnick was a key support to Trump’s fundraising in the final months of the campaign and he has helped lead the team’s transition to the presidency. Because of that, some key advisers are looking at what else Lutnick might take — if not Treasury — such as a plum ambassadorship, according to people familiar with the decision. –Bloomberg

That said, Lutnick previously donated to both Hillary Clinton in 2015 and Kamala Harris’ Senate campaign in 2016, among others.

Ultimately, the choice is up to Trump – who hasn’t shared his opinion in public.

]]> https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/bessent-vs-lutnick-musk-and-rfk-push-for-pro-crypto-treasury-secretary-while-bass-backs-rumored-favorite/feed/ 0 227659 In Most U.S. Cities, Social Security Payments Last Married Couples Just 19 Days or Less https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/in-most-u-s-cities-social-security-payments-last-married-couples-just-19-days-or-less/ https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/in-most-u-s-cities-social-security-payments-last-married-couples-just-19-days-or-less/#respond Sun, 17 Nov 2024 03:35:19 +0000 https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/in-most-u-s-cities-social-security-payments-last-married-couples-just-19-days-or-less/ (Zero Hedge)—Relying solely on Social Security for retirement, especially as a married couple, may need a serious second look. New findings from GOBankingRates reveal that in 50 major U.S. cities, Social Security income won’t even cover a full month’s expenses. At best, these benefits might last up to 19 days, but in six of these cities, they fall short in under 10 days.

GOBankingRates conducted an analysis of the 100 largest U.S. cities by population, using the average Social Security benefits for married couples to assess how far this income stretches when set against living costs.

The recent study reveals that in many U.S. cities, Social Security benefits fall far short of covering even half a month’s living expenses for married retirees. In particular, six major cities—including Irvine, Fremont, San Jose, San Francisco, Honolulu, and San Diego—offer the briefest financial coverage from Social Security, with benefits lasting between just 6.73 and 9.59 days, according to GoBankingRates.com.

Irvine, California, stands out as the city where benefits stretch the least, covering under a week’s worth of expenses, with a monthly cost of living that exceeds $9,700 for a couple.

The findings show that California is a challenging state for retirees relying on Social Security alone, with 15 of its cities appearing in the top 50 cities where benefits last the shortest.

Within the top 10 cities with the shortest Social Security coverage, California holds seven spots, underscoring the high cost of living in the state. While Irvine ranks as the most expensive, Stockton, California, provides the most days of coverage in the state at nearly 18 days—though even this is well below a full month.

At the other end of the spectrum, Saint Petersburg, Florida, ranks as the city where Social Security lasts the longest among the 50 cities analyzed, stretching to 19.38 days for married couples. This reflects the lower cost of living in Saint Petersburg, where expenses amount to $1,584 monthly.

Florida’s comparatively affordable living costs mean that, while Social Security coverage still falls short of a full month, retirees may face less financial strain.

The GoBankingRates.com study showed that beyond California and Florida, cities like Arlington, Virginia, and Seattle also show limited Social Security coverage, lasting only around 10 to 11 days. Arlington, with a monthly cost of $5,307, and Seattle, at $4,733, both represent high-cost areas where retirees might struggle to maintain financial stability on Social Security alone.

Honolulu is the sole representative from Hawaii in the top six, where the high cost of living cuts Social Security coverage to just over 8 days.

The study’s detailed breakdown shows a significant disparity between cities, where monthly costs range from $9,794 in Irvine to $1,584 in Saint Petersburg. Even cities with more affordable housing and expenses, such as Gilbert, Arizona, and Austin, Texas, provide just around 16 days of coverage, demonstrating that even in lower-cost cities, retirees would need supplementary income to cover basic living expenses each month.

Ultimately, the findings illustrate the pressing financial challenge facing retirees in urban areas across the United States. With the cost of living continually rising, retirees must consider alternative income sources or substantial savings to bridge the gap left by Social Security benefits, especially in cities where expenses drastically outpace what Social Security provides.

You can view the study’s methodology and full results here.

]]> https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/in-most-u-s-cities-social-security-payments-last-married-couples-just-19-days-or-less/feed/ 0 227643 Pentagon Admits It’s “Shocked” by the Houthi Arsenal, Says the Sophistication Is “Getting Scary” https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/pentagon-admits-its-shocked-by-the-houthi-arsenal-says-the-sophistication-is-getting-scary/ https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/pentagon-admits-its-shocked-by-the-houthi-arsenal-says-the-sophistication-is-getting-scary/#respond Sat, 16 Nov 2024 12:05:20 +0000 https://freedomfirstnetwork.com/pentagon-admits-its-shocked-by-the-houthi-arsenal-says-the-sophistication-is-getting-scary/ (ZeroHedge)—A top Pentagon official responsible for purchasing arms for America’s defense stockpile has expressed ‘shock’ at the increasingly sophisticated arsenal possessed by Yemen’s Houthis.

Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Bill LaPlante spoke at an event hosted by Axios on Wednesday, where he said that Houthis are displaying and deploying advanced weaponry, especially missiles that “can do things that are just amazing.”

He described that Houthis “are getting scary” in terms of their capability on display for more than a year in the Red Sea, where they’ve gone to war against Israeli and international shipping.

“I’m an engineer and a physicist, and I’ve been around missiles my whole career,” LaPlante said before the summit, called the “Future of Defense” in Washington, DC.

“What I’ve seen of what the Houthis have done in the last six months is something that — I’m just shocked.”

Among the surprisingly advanced capabilities include anti-ship ballistic missiles. Analysts have widely asserted that without doubt Iran is directly supplying these and other capabilities.

The Houthis have also routinely scored direct hits on commercial shipping vessels with both aerial and drone boats.

The Shia group has also claimed many times to have scored hits on US, UK, and other allied warships; however, the US has kept a tight lid on the extent of this, or actual damage, perhaps wishing to not give the Houthis a propaganda win.

According to the latest attacks on US warships via an announcement this week from the Pentagon:

Houthi forces attacked two American destroyers with drones and missiles as the ships transited the Bab el-Mandeb Strait entering the Gulf of Aden on Monday, a Pentagon spokesman said today.

The Houthis launched at least eight one-way uncrewed aerial systems, five anti-ship ballistic missiles and three anti-ship cruise missiles at USS Spruance (DDG-111) and USS Stockdale (DDG-106), which engaged all the projectiles, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters on Tuesday. U.S. Central Command has not yet issued a statement.

The Pentagon says that the warships were not damaged in the attack, which contradicts the account of Houthi spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Sare’e, who quickly claimed the attack on the pair of destroyers was successful.

The past year has seen a number of videos like the below showing destruction of large tankers off Yemen’s coast:

The enduring conflict in the Red Sea has been widely acknowledged as the biggest naval battle that US forces have been engaged in since World War II. Several US and Israeli airstrikes have hit Houthi positions hard over the last months, but this appears to have done little to erode Houthi capabilities.

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