The Real Reason Behind the War on Cash and Why Banks Want to Go Digital

November 30, 2016

Writer

According to financial expert Chris Martenson with PeakProsperity.com, the war on cash is really rooted in central banks wanting to push customers into a negative interest rate, meaning they would lose money sitting in the bank over time.

"They feel constrained by the idea that you could take your cash out of the bank and no longer be subject to their policies," Martenson said.

While governments and bank executives advocate for negative interest rates and a cashless society by gallantly saying they want to protect consumers from theft and nefarious players, it's really about controlling people's money.

What does Martenson recommend the average person do?

"Well, the average person, I think, needs to get into two things . . . which are assets that are outside of this crazy system. So, listen, you know, if you're on a ship called the Titanic and you see your captain playing slalom with icebergs, get near the lifeboats. And in this story, real assets are the lifeboats," he said.

Read below or watch the clip for answers to these questions:

• What is nonproductive debt?

• What's the one thing a government or policy official dreams of?

• Why should we think of a bank as a company?

Below is a rush transcript of this segment, it might contain errors:

GLENN: A guy I believe I've been looking for, for at least ten years. Chris Martenson. I've been looking for a guy that sees the world in the way that I do, that doesn't buy into the, quite honestly, Harvard Business School or the Wharton School of Business lies that the bankers are telling themselves right now about what's coming in the economy and how do we get out of this mess.

He's from peakprosperity.com. We're proud to have him as a Glenn Beck contributor now. Last time we talked about the collapse of pensions and getting out of your pensions and taking that lump sum if you have that ability. Today, I want to talk to him a little bit about digitizing currency. Because this is not being heard in the media anywhere. They're not talking about it.

And, you know, two weeks ago, when India, all of a sudden, you can't into anything in cash over the equivalent of $7 in India, with cash. When Australia's Citibank, our Citibank says they're now going to be introducing branches completely cashless, something is coming our way. And we want to get Chris on the phone with us now. Hey, Chris, how are you?

CHRIS: Oh, I'm doing very well, Glenn. Good to be back with you and all your listeners.

GLENN: Okay. So, Chris, tell me -- first of all, for anybody who hasn't heard this, it sounds conspiratorial and it sounds crazy, that we're going to live in a cashless society.

Can you give us any evidence that is -- that shows, no, the world is changing rapidly?

CHRIS: Well, you know, this war on cash actually began a while ago with seeing somebody like Andrew Haldane, who is an official at the Bank of England or Larry Summers here in the United States. They started with this war, talking about how the high denomination bills are being used by criminals, terrorists, tax cheats.

GLENN: Right.

CHRIS: That's what it was wrapped in. But your listeners need to understand that the war on cash is really rooted in the idea that central banks would love to be able to push you into negative interest rate territory. They feel constrained by the idea that you could take your cash out of the bank and no longer be subject to their policies.

And they've been pretty open about it. They've been saying that, but they also use this criminal angle. So that's the same angle that was just used in India, by Prime Minister Modi to say, "Hey, we've got to get rid of these bills because criminals." Right? So that's the argument being used. But it's really to control the money of the people. That's really what it's about here.

GLENN: May I say, Chris, that it appears to me to be almost the angle of being able to steal our money as well.

They'll do it legally by a bail-in, as opposed to a bailout and negative interest rates. Can you explain negative interest rates and what that means to the average person that has any money in the bank at all?

CHRIS: Absolutely. I'd be glad to. It should be an easy concept, but it's hard to really understand. But a negative interest rate means, if I put a thousand dollars in the bank and there was a negative interest rate of 10 percent, in a year, I would have $900 left when we looked at it. So what happens with a negative interest rate is that you hand your money over to some institution or some entity, and you get less of it back in the future. That's the idea. And the reason they want to have a negative interest rate is if they put interest rates down at zero -- the idea is you want everybody spending. Borrowing and spending. But some people prefer to save. And those people aren't doing their job of cranking the economy up. So how do you force people to spend who don't want to spend?

Well, you punish them. And the way you punish them is with something called a negative interest rate.

GLENN: So you could -- because this is what I would do. I find out that the banks have changed their rules where they can have a bail-in, where we are now the -- the investor of last in line. Can you explain that? Do you understand what I'm talking about? If the banks go out instead of going to the federal government, they come to the people who put money in the deposits.

CHRIS: Well, sure. It's easy to understand if you think of a bank, not as a bank, but it's a company. And when a company goes into receivership, it's entered bankruptcy, it no longer -- its assets are vastly exceeded by its liabilities, well, you have to break that company up for whatever's left.

And there's a chain of -- a hierarchy of people who are in line to divvy up the spoils of what's left at this broken company. So what you're referring to is that most people have this wrong. They think that when they put money in a bank, they have money in a bank account. That's not true. What you've done is given an unsecured loan to the bank. And your asset is the bank's liability.

So in a bankruptcy or if a bank goes into what's called technically a receivership, you're actually at the -- almost at the very bottom of the list of people who are in line to receive the spoils of whatever is left of that company because you are an unsecured creditor of the bank.

GLENN: So it is a way for the bank to gamble, really, with your money, and make these crazy investments that we all know are dangerous. And they get away with it because they say, "Well, the government is going to pay -- the FDIC will pay everybody back." So they'll get their money through the government. And then we can take that money and pay off any of our debts or whatever. So when I heard about that, my first instinct is, "Well, I don't want my money in those risky banks. So I'm going to take my money out."

Well, if you do that, then the economy really collapses. So you have to trap the money in the bank. And how do you do that? Especially if they want to have negative interest rates and make sure that you're spending all of your cash.

CHRIS: Well, absolutely. For a government official or a policy official, the thing they dream about most is to have you completely trapped and contained so they can do whatever policies makes sense to them at the time. So cash gives you, as a private citizen, an outlet, a way of not being in the banking system.

But, Glenn, you've characterized it just right. So they're saying, "First of all, you have to be in the banking system. We're going to move to a cashless society. So you have to have all of your funds within this system. And then we're going to set the rules of the system," which basically comes down to, heads we win, tails you lose. Banks take big risks. The risks pay off. They pay themselves massive bonuses.

Risks don't work out. They don't get paid off. Then they come after your funds. And we've seen this happen already. That's what happened in Cyprus. That's what happened in some of the Greek banks. We're soon to see it in the Italian banks. It's spreading. It's a concept. It's coming here.

GLENN: All right. It's already happening in Australia. It's already happening in India. It is already happening in Sweden. They're talking about doing it now. Seriously moving in that direction.

Is this just a fluke that these things are happening, or is this wheel now in motion rolling down a hill and it's not going to stop?

CHRIS: Well, it really just started actually probably 15 or 20 years ago. So what's happened is that instead of allowing normal business cycles to happen -- under the Greenspan fed -- remember that name from way back -- decided, hey, we're going to defeat the business cycle. But what they really did was they blew bubbles. One bubble. Then another. Then another.

And the whole world kind of got addicted to it.

And I think the policymakers -- they feel trapped, Glenn. They're looking at this, saying, how do we possibly deal with all this money we've printed. What do we do? It's binary. It either expands, or it collapses at this point. That's, I think their fear.

And 2008 really scared them. Got a lot of people in very high places, very worried that they were looking at the proverbial light in the tunnel, coming at them.

So I think this is a reaction. I would also almost call it a normal reaction. But people need to be aware that at the same time these people, I think, were legitimately concerned, wouldn't you know it, by the time all the rules got written, they were really written in favor of the elites, the very powerful, the well-connected, and really at the disadvantage of everybody else. And that's just classic sausage-making in Washington, I think.

PAT: So, Chris -- we're speaking from Chris Martenson from peakprosperity.com. Chris, this is Pat Gray. You've said it's taken 15, 20 years to get to this point. Does that mean we still have time, or what would you consider the time line?

GLENN: May I suggest that we are one 2008 away from this happening.

PAT: Yeah. Is it something that can just start cascading now due to some -- we talk about it all the time. Some sort of event. Terrorism or whatever. Or will this draw out for a while longer?

CHRIS: Well, Pat, it's really hard to make that prediction. Because what we're talking about here is a complex system. And here's what we know about complex systems: You can't predict what's going to happen or when.

It's like a fault line is a complex system. Scientists study them like crazy. Because we'd love to know, when is the next earthquake? How big is it going to be?

We can't know that. But we can know is that the earthquake hasn't let go in a while, and it's supposed to. That the chance of the next earthquake happening sooner is higher. And it being larger is also higher. So what's happened since 2008 is we've just piled up the risks. We've just made them larger.

PAT: Because what you're saying, what the government counts on then is that, yeah, we can draw this out a lot longer. And that's what they're hoping for, right? They're just hoping to continue the policies that we've had which have led us here. But they're just going to keep going until we're --

GLENN: Right. We're already 18 months past a point where a natural recession should have happened.

PAT: Yeah.

STU: So now we never really got out of the problem that we had in 2008. We made it much worse. And going into a natural recession is going to cause all -- wreak all kinds of havoc and will -- they will try to solve it with things that will just make this bubble even more dangerous down the road.

Chris, what do we do? What does the average person do?

Like, for instance, when I saw Australia and India both go within two weeks to basically a cashless society in India, my first thought was, "Okay. I want to get gold. And I also want to get crazy things like possibly bitcoin."

What do you recommend? What does the average person do?

CHRIS: Well, the average person I think needs to get into two things you've just identified, which are assets that are outside of this crazy system. So, listen, you know, if you're on a ship called the Titanic and you see your captain playing slalom with icebergs, get near the lifeboats.

And in this story, real assets are the lifeboats. So I'm counseling people, get out of debt, stay out of debt if it's nonproductive debt. Don't do it.

GLENN: Wait. Wait. What's nonproductive debt? Like your house?

CHRIS: You know, buying a $40,000 car if you can still get to work in a $20,000 car and be happy as you can be. But anything that you're going to take on what's basically for consumption. Right?

GLENN: Right. Okay.

CHRIS: So rack up the credit card and take that nice trip. That's not going to be helpful here.

For many people, unfortunately, Glenn, it includes student loans. If you're getting a degree that doesn't really have a job attached to it, that may also be nonproductive.

GLENN: Okay.

CHRIS: So lots of things to think about. Because what we've learned in the 1930s was that when -- not if, but when these bubbles blow up, debt is a stone-cold killer. Being out from under that, very helpful if people can get there.

GLENN: And what do you do? Like assets, that's gold, that's silver, is that land? Is that, what?

CHRIS: It is. It's land. I particularly love productive land. It's either got timber on it. It's farmland. It's good commercial properties that happen to have excellent rental histories. Things like that can make a lot of sense. And this is because, what's going to happen when these currencies finally give way is there's going to be a big scramble for the exits. There's trillions and trillions of dollars floating around that are going to go out and look for real things.

And we've been down this path before in history. We've seen it a bunch of times. And it's happening -- I've seen you mention it before. It's happening right now in Venezuela.

GLENN: Chris, I would love to have you on next time. I want to talk to you a little bit about -- because I'd like to build the case on the -- you know, Donald Trump is talking about saying to China that they are currency manipulators. Well, I don't know how we have the balls to say that to China. We're the biggest currency manipulator on the planet right now. And it always leads to the same kind of thing. Trade barriers. Trade wars. Currency wars. And if you could explain that a little bit. Because what I would like to do over the next few episodes with you is get to the point to where people can understand that this currency -- what -- at least what I'm feeling, Chris -- and I'd like you to think about this and then we could talk maybe off the air -- but what I think we're headed towards is what we went through in the 19 teens, '20s, '30s, and into the '40s, where currencies were devalued, destroyed, hyperinflation happened, the gold standard. Then that was manipulated. And the whole world shifted during a war, that nobody really understood, "Wait a minute. The real power shifted with the currencies." And I think that's happening again. Would you agree with that?

CHRIS: I absolutely agree with that. And it takes a little while to go through the parts.

GLENN: Explain. Yeah.

CHRIS: But people need to understand what those big pieces are so they can decide for themselves what to do about it.

GLENN: Right. Okay. So could you -- let's -- why don't you and I talk off the air here, and maybe next week, we could have you and do one other segment and start to lay those segments out so people really understand what you and I just said and how that's going to work.

CHRIS: Fantastic. I'd love to.

GLENN: Okay. Chris Martenson. He's with peakprosperity.com. Peakprosperity.com. Chris Martenson. He'll join us again, hopefully next week.

Featured Image: People walk past Bank of America branch in Washington, DC on October 19, 2016. (Photo Credit: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/Getty Images)

Here are the TOP 5 things you NEED to know about Trump's potential indictment

Brandon Bell / Staff, Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

Trump's potential indictment is one of the most historically significant events in our nation's history—and no, that is not a hyperbolic statement.

If Trump is federally prosecuted, by a state-level District Attorney no less, then America may be entering a new territory past which there is no return: the weaponization of our judicial system against the top political opponents to the ruling class. As Glenn has said, weaponizing our judiciary is something we see in banana republics. Is America about to become one?

With all of the news and hype around Trump's potential indictment, it is easy to lose sight of the core issues that truly give this story historical significance. Here are five core aspects of this story that have the potential to transform our nation going forward.

1. Trump committed a misdemeanor, NOT a felony.

The allegations against Trump pertain to "hush money" given to the porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 Presidential Campaign. Trump's advisor Michael Cohen gave Daniels $130,000 of his own money after Daniels threatened to publicize her alleged affair with Trump just days before the 2016 election. Cohen wrote off the money as "legal fees" under his campaign finance funds. Trump then reimbursed Cohen for the expenses once he was in the White House.

Trump has maintained that he never had an affair with Daniels and that he is the victim of an extortion scheme. But that is besides the point. New York DA Alvin Bragg is potentially indicting Trump based on mislabeling the "hush money" as "legal fees" under campaign finance laws.

Even NBC acknowledges that mislabeling campaign finances is a "misdemeanor," not a felony, yet Trump is being prosecuted as if it were. The only way the "crime" could be turned into a felony is if the mislabeling was done to cover up another crime. Yet, as NBC admits, it is unclear whether Bragg has evidence of another crime that Trump was trying to cover up.

If you are thinking, "Wait, this is old news, right?" you would be correct. There is a reason why no one has prosecuted Trump based on the Stormy Daniels hush money in the seven years since it occurred—because there simply is no federal case. So why has Alvin Bragg decided to prosecute Trump now? Well, for one thing, Trump announced he is running for President again in 2024, and the Left simply can't let that happen.

2. Hillary Clinton committed the SAME crime.

The double standard of Trump's potential indictment is made even more clear when compared with Hillary Clinton, who committed the same misdemeanor.

Hillary Clinton's 2016 Presidential campaign "misreported" funds received from the Democratic National Convention (DNC) that went towards the infamous Steele Dossier, which aimed at linking Trump to collusion with the Russian government (which was proven to be a complete farce). Clinton's campaign wrote off the Steele Dossier funds as "legal services"—sound familiar?

She and the DNC paid the Federal Election Commission $113,000 to the Federal Election Commission, and the issue was swept under the rug. Yet Trump is being accused of the SAME misdemeanor—mislabeling campaign finance funds—and he is being threatened with federal prosecution.

3. Trump's possible indictment is "very conveniently" timed to overshadow the Biden family's corruption.

On March 16, 2023, the House Oversight Committee released a scathing memorandum detailing the illicit business dealings between the Biden family and the Chinese state-owned energy company, State Energy HK Limited.

According to bank records subpoenaed by the committee, the Chinese energy company wired $3 million to Delaware-based Robinson Walker LLC two months after Biden left the White House in 2017. At the time of the wire transfer, the business account only had $159 thousand. Now it had over $3 million.

The very next day, Robinson Walker LLC wired over $1 million to a company associated with James Gillar, a business partner of Hunter Biden’s.

Over the next 3 months, Robinson Walker LLC would send incremental payments to multiple members of the Biden family and their companies, including Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's brother, James, and Beau Biden's ex-wife, Hallie. The transfers included another "mysterious" recipient titled simply, “Biden." Who could that possibly be?

Let's get this straight: Trump's potential misdemeanor-turned-felony is making front-page news while Biden's DOCUMENTED business dealings with a foreign entity and enemy to the United States are being swept under the rug. How "convenient" for Biden.

4. Weaponizing judiciary

This week, we published a poll to see what YOU think of Trump's potential indictment, and most of you overwhelmingly believe our judiciary is being weaponized against anyone on the right side of the aisle—and you are absolutely correct.

Glenn aptly pointed out that using the judiciary to attack political opponents is something we see in banana republics, but now we are witnessing it in the U.S. before our eyes. As Glenn said, the strategy in banana republics is, "Show me the man, and I will find you the crime." They want Trump GONE, and now they are trying to conjure up the crime to do it.

It is very telling that conservatives are fearful of protesting Trump's potential indictment. As Glenn said, we all want a peaceful response. However, conservatives are now taking pause before peaceful protest after seeing the DOJ ruthlessly prosecutethousands of individuals on January 6, even those who never reached the capitol grounds. Is protesting Trump's indictment worth the risk of arrest?

The fact that this question arises in people's minds is extremely indicative of our current political climate. Our judiciary has been weaponized against conservatives, and now we have to think twice before publicly standing up for our beliefs. Sounding more like a banana republic?

5. This is the FIRST time a U.S. President has been federally prosecuted.

If Trump is federally indicted, it would solidify the judiciary's ability to become a weapon against political opponents, even up to the position of a U.S. President. This should give all Americans grave concern. This issue is much bigger than Trump; it is about whether we want to live in a nation whose ruling power can use its judicial system to go after its opponents.

Consider, for a moment, if the tables were turned. What if a Trump-appointed DA federally indicted President Obama for a state-level misdemeanor that resulted in throwing him in prison? Is that the "America" you would want to live in? It would arguably cease to be "America" as we know it and devolve into an ungovernable shell of what it once was.

This harrowing possibility is materializing beneath our very noses. There were many events that led up to the fall of the Roman republic into an empire, but it was the singular event of Caesar crossing the Rubicon that tipped the republic past the point of no return. Could this be our Rubicon moment? Are we, like Cicero, witnessing our republic mutate into something unrecognizable before our very eyes?

Though prosecuting Trump may yield some political vengeance and satisfaction for one side of the aisle in the short term, it poses an insurmountable threat to both sides of the aisle in the long-term trajectory of our country.

Here's how YOU can get access to Glenn's show prep from March 23, 2023

On Thursday's radio program, Glenn mentioned how important this week's stories are concerning the trajectory of our nation. From growing fears of bank collapses to the possible indictment of a U.S. President, the way these events unfold will have a seismic shift in the future of our country.

Glenn wants YOU to be informed with all of the news stories that are unfolding so that YOU can prepare for the future. Glenn considered his show prep from Thursday so important, he wanted all of his listeners to have it. That's why we're making Glenn's Morning Brief newsletter from March 23, 2023 available to you now. Scroll down to view all of the stories.

Glenn's Morning Brief newsletter contains all of the stories he reviews every morning before his radio show, even the stories he isn't able to get to while on-air. As Glenn said, having access to these stories is vital for you to be able to prepare for what comes next. That's why he has encouraged his audience to sign up for this newsletter so you can get access to ALL the stories that matter. Enter your email below to get Glenn's Morning Brief delivered to your inbox every morning.

Below is a copy of the stories featured in Glenn's Morning Brief newsletter sent March 23, 2023.

Domestic News...

FBI Informant Was Embedded In Jan. 6 Defense Team, Lawyers Allege
At least one Proud Boys member on trial over the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol had a previously-concealed FBI informant set to appear as a witness in their case, a defense attorney said Wednesday.

Hunter Biden used FBI mole named ‘One-Eye’ to tip him off to China probes: tipster
The House Oversight Committee is investigating the claims by Dr. Gal Luft, a former Israel Defense Forces lieutenant colonel with deep intelligence ties in Washington and Beijing, who says he was arrested to stop him from revealing what he knows about the Biden family and FBI corruption.

Emails: VP Biden ‘Signed Off’ on Statement to Press About Hunter’s Burisma Position Despite Claims of No Involvement
Biden approved an official statement in December 2015 about Hunter Biden’s position on a Ukrainian energy company’s board despite claims he was not involved with the family’s business, emails obtained from the National Archives show.

Anarcho-tyranny in the USA
Law and order in the United States have now descended to a level of anarcho-tyranny in which the government funds rioters with the tax money of their victims.

The media desperately want to make maternity wards closing about abortion bans
It’s the perfect headline for the major media’s preferred narrative, and it’s mostly bogus. “So many doctors are being driven away by Idaho abortion ban that this hospital can’t deliver babies anymore,” one headline about Bonner General in Bonner County, Idaho, declared.

Democrat ran Milwaukee has a car theft epidemic
So their answer? To sue car makers for making their cars too easy to steal.

Lab-grown ‘GOOD Meat’ receives clearance from FDA
The lab-grown cultivated meat is made from animal cells that are provided nutrients, grown in steel vats, and then processed into various cuts of meat.

Virginia inmates use toothbrush to dig tunnel out of jail, head to IHOP
The prisoners were captured at the pancake joint’s location about seven miles away from the jail they escaped from hours earlier.

Politics...

Video: Joe Biden gets laughed at as he has another senior moment
"Jill, the First Lady...the first full-time lady...the First Lady who works full time in addition to being the First Lady."

Jean-Pierre refuses to comment on the Bidens receiving money from Chinese energy company
“And I don’t even know where to begin to even answer that question,” Jean-Pierre added. "Because, again, it’s been lies and lies and inaccuracy for the past couple of years and I’m just not going to get into it from here."

Babylon Bee: Democrats Vow To Arrest As Many Political Opponents As It Takes To Defeat Fascism
"Fascism is a clear and present danger in this country," began Senator Chuck Schumer, "and the only way to defeat it is with a corrupt, all-powerful police state that can imprison anyone who disagrees with us politically. If we don't do this, fascism will win."

Democrats’ Banana-Republic Persecution Of Donald Trump Must Meet A Republican Response
This is the equivalent of a nationally televised jaywalking arrest to humiliate a person due solely to personal hate.

Bill O'Reilly makes prediction that the Trump trial won't make it to a jury
O'Reilly said the reason he speculates this case won't go far is due to the statute of limitations in New York.

A Double Standard on Decorum in White House Briefing Room
The White House press corps is a microcosm of the national media. It is overwhelmingly liberal, stuffed with Joe Biden voters. So, it was downright weird when former press secretary Jen Psaki told the LA Times she sometimes thought, “I am an orderly in an insane asylum.”

Ted Cruz introduces bill blocking Fed from adopting central bank digital currency
Republicans cited privacy concerns as a reason for opposing a central bank digital currency for consumers.

Ted Cruz To Reintroduce Constitutional Amendment To Lock Supreme Court At Nine Justices
Cruz originally introduced the amendment in 2021.

Economy / ESG...

Fed hikes rates by a quarter percentage point, indicates increases are near an end
Along with its ninth hike since March 2022, the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee noted that future increases are not assured and will depend largely on incoming data.

Janet Yellen Says Government Won’t Offer ‘Blanket Insurance’ Of Bank Deposits
“I have not considered or discussed anything having to do with blanket insurance or guarantees of deposits,” Yellen responded.

Elizabeth Warren Calls for Fed Chair Powell’s Ouster – He Is ‘Trying to Drive’ U.S. into Recession
"Well, what he’s trying to do is get two million people laid off. And one of the things that we need to understand, he wants to raise the unemployment rate by more than a point within a single 12-month period."

Coinbase: We asked the SEC for reasonable crypto rules for Americans. We got legal threats instead.
Today’s Wells notice does not provide a lot of information for us to respond to. The SEC staff told us they have identified potential violations of securities law, but little more.

Coinbase warned by SEC of potential securities charges
The notice is the second warning from the SEC to a crypto entity after a February notice to stablecoin issuer Paxos.

The IRS plans to tax some NFTs as collectibles
Collectibles carry a top long-term capital gains rate of 28%. Other assets like stocks and cryptocurrency generally carry a maximum 20% federal rate.

Job-listing company Indeed to lay off 2,200 employees
The company anticipates that job listings, which are the company’s bread-and-butter, will continue to decline in fiscal years 2023 and 2024.

WAR News...

A nuclear war with the US is more likely than ever, Russia warns
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Wednesday that the risk of a nuclear clash was at its highest level in decades, warning that Moscow was in a "de-facto" open conflict with Washington over the war in Ukraine.

China, Russia turn up the heat on US after Xi, Putin meet in Moscow
US bio-military and nuclear activities raise ‘serious concerns’ about security of other nations, joint statement says.

Europe should detain Putin, give him to ICC if he visits, Blinken says
“Would you encourage our European allies to turn him over?” Republican Sen. Lindsey O. Graham of South Carolina asked Blinken during a budget hearing. “Anyone who is a party to the court and has obligations should fulfill their obligations,” Blinken said.

World Bank puts cost of rebuilding Ukraine at $411 billion
The report details some of the toll of Russia's war in Ukraine: at least 9,655 civilians confirmed dead, including 461 children; nearly 2 million homes damaged; more than one out of five public health institutions damaged; and 650 ambulances damaged or looted.

Chinese media: China supports UN-led Nord Stream investigation
Chinese experts stressed the importance of promoting the UN-led investigation into the Nord Stream sabotage while noting that launching such a probe under the existing UN mechanism could be very difficult because the US would obstruct or object to the investigation proposal.

Online Sleuths Untangle the Mystery of the Nord Stream Sabotage
Open source intelligence researchers are verifying and debunking opaque claims about who ruptured the gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea.

Russia is dusting off antique tanks from the 1940s, group says
It said that the images show T-54 tanks, which the Soviet Union started producing in 1947, moving west from the far east of Russia.

Ukrainian official accuses Putin of sending a body double to Mariupol
Conspiracy theories regarding Putin’s use of body doubles have persisted for years.

COVID-19...

Federal biosecurity board cut back meetings as US resumed gain-of-function research funding
A federal committee that advises the government on "biological research that has the potential for misuse" met only once between 2017, when a 3-year moratorium on federal funding of gain-of-function research was lifted, and 2022

Rand Paul confronts Moderna CEO about myocarditis risk from COVID vaccine
Then reveals what Moderna's president secretly told him.

Media...

For Five Straight Years, The Pulitzer Prizes Have Rewarded Misinformation
While the Pulitzer Prizes have always been little more than self-dealing masquerading as journalistic beauty pageant, it was a lot easier to believe in this manufactured prestige back when journalism was at least slightly more competent and concerned with the appearance of objectivity.

A huge new scandal rocks Fox News and Tucker Carlson
Part of a new lawsuit claims that Tucker Carlson's team plastered photos around the office of Nancy Pelosi in a bathing suit 'revealing her cleavage' because they thought it was funny because she looked bad.

DirecTV reaches deal to distribute Newsmax after dispute
Newsmax will again be available to DirecTV subscribers on Tuesday.

Canada...

Justin Trudeau: Online Disinformation Fuels ‘Flat-Earthers’ and ‘Anti-Vaxxers’
The internet also does things like allow people to easily find pictures of Trudeau in blackface.

Middle East...

Iran is preparing for the day after an Israeli strike, US should, too
Aware of Israel’s determination to stymie its nuclear ambitions, Iran has prepared for the day after such a strike. Just last month, details emerged that Tehran has been “mapping” Diaspora Jewish communities for future retaliatory assassination campaigns in case Israel were to execute such an attack.

Iran-Saudi deal shifts regional power - and the US emerges as a loser
The Iran-Saudi deal doesn’t necessarily signal a whole new ball game in the Middle East, however, there has been a shift in the balance of power among regional and global players, following the post-Ukraine era.

Environment...

Humanity has 'broken the water cycle,' UN chief warns
"We are draining humanity's lifeblood through vampiric overconsumption and unsustainable use, and evaporating it through global heating."

Climate protesters cut credit cards outside Chase, Citibank, Wells Fargo, Bank of America
Protesters gathered in DC, outside several major banks, where they cut up their credit cards and called for the institutions to stop spending money to promote the fossil fuel industry.

Chevy kills the gas powered Camaro
The Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro have soldiered on as what could possibly represent the last two vehicles of their kind.

Dodge resurrects 'controversial' Challenger SRT Demon for final year of V8 muscle cars
Dodge says the new car will deliver 1,025 total horsepower, 945 foot-pounds of torque and reach 60 mph from a rolling start in 1.66 seconds.

Electric cars are creating a new economy — and leaving some towns behind
Workers and small businesses in Belvidere, Ill., are dealing with the aftermath of mass layoffs, after Stellantis idled its Jeep factory.

Museum highlights climate change with tilted paintings
The powerful display will feature 15 paintings hung at an angle to bring attention to the earth warming 1.5 degrees Celsius...

LGBTQIA2S+...

Leftist pundit draws outrage for saying she doesn't want to be referred to as 'person who menstruates'
Ana Kasparian wrote, "I'm a woman. Please don't ever refer to me as a person with a uterus, birthing person, or person who menstruates. How do people not realize how degrading this is? You can support the transgender community without doing this s---."

Education...

Just three in 4 support schools having parents' consent before changing kids gender identity, poll
Nearly the same percentage of voters also support legislation requiring schools to tell parents whether their child wants to change their gender identity – with 71% in favor of this requirement.

Newsom silent on LA schools strike after 500,000 kids forced to stay home for second day
LA labor union demands 'pause in educator evaluations during this unprecedented time'.

Striking Los Angeles school support staff earn $25,000 on average
School support staffers, such as bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and teacher aides, earn about $25,000 a year in Los Angeles, one of the most expensive cities in America.

Health...

Rising Rate of Drug Shortages Is Framed as a National Security Threat
A Senate homeland security committee examined growing health care shortages amid reports of rationing within hospitals.

CDC: Artificial Tears Products Linked to Drug-Resistant Infection
The CDC wrote that the strain, called VIM-GES-CRPA, had not previously been seen in the US but has now been identified in 68 patients across 16 states.

Religion...

Russell Brand ‘I Need God or I Cannot Cope in this World’
“Like many desperate people, I need spirituality,” Brand said. “I need God, or I cannot cope in this world. I need to believe in the best in people.”

Technology...

Dems Fear TikTok Ban Could Makes The Kids Mad
Democratic New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a progressive member of “The Squad,” is leading the party’s fight against banning TikTok.

Bill to prevent spying by smart fridges advances to Senate floor
The bill would give the FTC the power to force the designers of internet-connected devices to disclose whether recording hardware is installed into smart devices.

Science...

US politicians 'shown top-secret videos of UFOs flying close to aircraft'
An investigative reporter working in the field of UFOs has claimed that there is now "incontrovertible evidence" key Congressmen and women in the US government are being given "top-secret" briefings.

The First 3-D Printed Rocket Fails Shortly After Launch
Relativity Space, a private company with ambitions for sending people to Mars, made it off the launchpad, but the vehicle experienced problems during the second stage of its flight.

Big asteroid impacts may be more damaging than we thought - study
Massive asteroids that have impacted the Earth in the past million years may have had a far more devastating effect on the planet than previously realized, according to a new study.

Travel...

TSA chief: Eventually, biometrics won’t be optional
This article flew under the radar last week as they buried the lead in an article titled, 'TSA chief says biometrics and tech could lower the stress of traveling'.

FAA: Lithium Battery Incidents On Planes Now Happening More Than Once Per Week
Spirit Airlines flight from Dallas to Orlando was diverted to Jacksonville earlier this week after a lithium battery in a personal device caught fire in an overhead bin.

Sports...

Multiple NHL teams have opted out of 'Pride Night' jerseys, as resistance grows despite media pressure
Behind the scenes, multiple teams have decided that ditching the controversial theme altogether was a smarter move, either because of player refusal or to avoid a public relations black eye.

Why Bulls’ Patrick Beverley won’t have sex before games
“I want to have fresh [legs,] you know what I’m saying?"

Animals...

There’s a new invasive mosquito species in Florida
An invasive mosquito with a curved mouth and a striped body is the latest addition to a growing list of nonnative mosquito species bridging the gap between the tropics and Florida.

Chinese scientists grow antlers on mice in hopes of one day regenerating human limbs
Can you imagine how cute a miniature Christmas display would be if you had mice with antlers pulling a little Santa's sleigh?

New species of ‘giant’ spider discovered hiding underground in Australia, experts say
Hiding underground and only emerging at night, a creepy crawly creature in the woodlands of Australia remained undetected. Not anymore.

THE DOCUMENTS for 'The Big Distraction' Glenn TV special

The big news item of the week is Trump's potential indictment from New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg. According to our recent poll, most of you think that Trump's potential indictment is NOT about holding Trump accountable for a crime—most of you think it's a weaponization of our judicial system against the Left's number one enemy.

On Wednesday's episode of Glenn TV, Glenn dove into the details behind Trump's potential indictment and suggested even more nefarious intentions behind the indictment—to distract from the House Oversight Committee's bombshell memorandum revealing Biden's illicit business dealings with China.

Do your own homework

Glenn's email subscribers get EXCLUSIVE access to the research documents that went into this episode, from the details behind Trump's potential indictment to the inside scoop behind Biden's illicit business dealings with China. Not a subscriber yet? Enter your email below to get INSTANT ACCESS to this resource.

Watch the full special below (or watch on BlazeTV here):

How PREPARED is Glenn's audience? The results are IN!

Last week, Glenn published his updated "Preparedness Quiz" to see how prepared his audience is for a big crisis—and the results are in! Thankfully, not very many of you are "Toast." In fact, most of you could survive a big disaster, and even some of you could survive a nuclear apocalypse—not very many could say that!

If you haven't taken the quiz already, you can take it HERE, and be sure to download Glenn's "Ultimate Preparedness Guide" filled with practical tips on how to keep you and your family safe for a future crisis.

1.7% of Glenn's audience is TOAST! Thankfully, that's very few of you.

There is little chance you'd survive repairing your kitchen table, not to mention enduring a massive economic crisis or natural disaster. With no money, food, or supplies stocked up, you will have to rely on the altruism of your more-prepared friends and family. But then again, if you can't even navigate to their house without your phone, you may still be TOAST.

13.8% of Glenn's audience could survive a little disaster.

Congrats on having some of your finances set aside for emergencies... and some useful tools and skills tucked away in case of an emergency. You could potentially endure a "little disaster" of financial hardship. However, if you want to survive a massive financial crisis or natural disaster, you're going to have to start stockpiling some more money and supplies.

68.9% of Glenn's audience could survive a big disaster.

Congrats on being more prepared than most! You have some investment in precious metals, an emergency fund, some food and supplies stockpiled, and maybe an extra generator. Even though you may not be a "prepper," you have taken steps to prepare for hard times, which will protect you and your loved ones for weeks... even months—which is way better than nothing!

14.7% of Glenn's audience could survive a nuclear apocalypse.

Congratulations on being one of the few people in this world who could actually survive a nuclear apocalypse! Seriously... there are very few of you. Your bunker is stocked with food, water, and supplies to last you MONTHS. Your silver, gold, and emergency fund will help you cruise in times of financial distress. You can secure more goods because you have learned a bunch of "barter" skills. Congrats on being able to keep yourself and your loved ones safe!

Glenn's Show Prep