Beyond Trump’s Carriage Ride: Britain’s Cautionary Tale for the US

Sep 21, 2025 | Donald Trump’s visit to Britain this week came with royal pageantry, but the cautionary tale is what’s outside the palace gates. Britain’s post-Brexit reality is a warning for America. From Brexit to MAGA, both nations abandoned the larger stories that once bound their people together.

Wealth Tax Would Be Deadly for French Economy, Says Europe’s Richest Man

THE GUARDIAN: LVMH owner Bernard Arnault, who could take €1bn hit, says proposed 2% levy ‘aims to destroy liberal economy’

Europe’s richest man, the luxury goods magnate Bernard Arnault, has said that a wealth tax that could cost him more than €1bn (£817m) would be deadly for France’s economy.

The French founder of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton said in a statement to the Sunday Times that calls for a 2% wealth tax on all assets “aims to destroy the liberal economy, the only one that works for the good of all”.

The idea of a wealth tax has steadily gained ground in France because of a political crisis, with the government trying to push through unpopular budget cuts. The idea of a 2% wealth tax on fortunes worth more than €100m has been proposed by Gabriel Zucman, an economics professor who has become a household name in France.

The economist argues that the tax – named the Zucman tax by others – could help France with its squeezed budget. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, this month appointed a new prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, after the centrist François Bayrou failed to win support for an austerity budget. » | Jasper Jolly | Sunday, September 21, 2025

ISF, héritage, dividendes… Au-delà de l’impôt Zucman, les propositions socialistes pour «taxer les riches» : DÉCRYPTAGE - La taxe très polémique sur les plus grands patrimoines reste son cheval de bataille dans les négociations avec Matignon, mais le PS a d’autres mesures en tête pour créer des recettes. »

Bernard Arnault étrille Gabriel Zucman et sa taxe sur les riches : Le milliardaire français estime que l’économiste est un « militant d’extrême gauche » animé d’une « volonté clairement formulée de mettre à terre l’économie française ». »

DOSSIER : Taxe Zucman sur le patrimoine des grandes fortunes : notre dossier pour tout comprendre : Cet impôt plancher de 2 % sur le patrimoine des 0,01 % des Français les plus riches est préconisé par l’économiste Gabriel Zucman et défendu par la gauche. Serait-il adopté ? »

The End of the American Experiment. 1776 to 2025.

Sep 20, 2025 | The American experiment is coming to an unceremonious end on the eve of our 250th birthday. It was quite a run. Alas, the steady erosion of our liberal institutions over the past half century has laid the groundwork for our final act.

Strong language alert!

The Collapse of Everyday Life in America Has Begun

Sep 8, 2025 | Everyday life in America is unravelling before our eyes — and the signs are impossible to ignore. From skyrocketing living costs and housing market crashes to empty shelves, retail closures, and failing healthcare systems, the very foundation of American life is cracking. In this video, we expose the shocking truth behind why daily life in the U.S. is collapsing in 2025 — and what it means for millions of families already struggling to survive.

This must be the economy produced by “a very stable genius”! Trumponomics by any other name. — © Mark Alexander

Hamburger Helper Sales Rise as Americans Try to Stretch Their Food Dollars

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The price of beef and other grocery items are climbing, and consumers are turning to canned meats and a 1970s staple.

In the 1970s, Hamburger Helper became a staple on American dinner tables as families, strained by inflation and soaring beef prices, looked to turn a pound of ground beef into an entire meal.

These days, those same pressures are why the flavored pasta mix is coming to the rescue again.

While most food companies are seeing declines in consumer demand for their products, sales of Hamburger Helper are up 14.5 percent in the year through August, getting an extra bump from its appearance on an episode of “The Bear” in June, according to the company that owns the brand, Eagle Foods.

And it’s not just Hamburger Helper. Sales of foods commonly purchased by consumers when financial times get tough are on the rise, according to industry analysts. Purchases of rice are up 7.5 percent this year. Distressed shoppers are also buying more cans of tuna, salmon and sardines. Sales of beans and boxes of macaroni and cheese are also strong, based on data from the research firm Circana.

Uncertainty about the economy and higher tariffs levied on goods from a variety of countries have led many consumers to refocus their spending on essentials or items that are good values, while cutting back on extras or unnecessary spending. » | Julie Creswell | Saturday, September 20, 2025

How can this be? I thought that the economics genius now in the driving seat in America was going to bring down the price of eggs for the beleaguered American consumer, and fix the US economy BIGLY! This must be another one of the president's failures. — © Mark Alexander

Post-Brexit UK Must Choose: America or Europe?

Sep 19, 2025 | Brendan Donnelly and John Stevens discuss the choice post-Brexit Britain must make between Europe and America. They predict that the UK will opt for Europe in the medium to long term, despite the short term attractions of the “special relationship.

SPEAKERS:
John Stevens is the Chairman of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.
Brendan Donnelly is the former Director of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.

ABOUT THE FEDERAL TRUST:
The Federal Trust is a research institute studying regional, national, European and global levels of government. It has always had a particular interest in the European Union and Britain’s place in it. The Federal Trust has no allegiance to any political party. It is registered as a charity for the purposes of education and research.


The FEDERAL TRUST can be supported on Patreon here.

Michael Lambert: UK Politics after Brexit

September 20, 2025

A truly excellent synopsis. I can't argue with any of these opinions. My biggest fear now is that the nation will become trumpified. Short of a miracle, the TRUMPIFICATION of the UK seems to be almost inevitable. What a depressing thought that is! — © Mark Alexander

Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 4% and Slows Scheme to Sell Stock of UK Bonds

THE GUARDIAN: Decision on government debt holdings could reduce market jitters and Treasury’s borrowing costs

The Bank of England has left interest rates on hold at 4% and will slow the pace of its “quantitative tightening” programme in the year ahead to avoid distorting jittery government bond markets.

The central bank’s nine-member monetary policy committee voted 7-2 to leave borrowing costs unchanged, after five cuts since summer 2024, including a reduction last month.

The MPC had been widely expected to pause rate cuts this month as annual inflation remained at 3.8% in August, nearly double the target level.

The Bank’s governor, Andrew Bailey, said: “Although we expect inflation to return to our 2% target, we’re not out of the woods yet so any future cuts will need to be made gradually and carefully.” » | Heather Stewart, Economics editor | Thursday, September 18, 2025

Navidi: Trump-Forderung "ist absolute Frechheit und Zumutung"

Sep 16, 2025 | US-Präsident Donald Trump fordert von der EU, drastische Zölle auf Produkte aus China und Indien zu verhängen - bis zu 100 Prozent. Die US-Wirtschaftsexpertin Sandra Navidi hält dies für willkürlich und gefährlich - und warnt vor einer Eskalationsspirale im globalen Handel.

Why Tariffs Won’t Bring Back Manufacturing Jobs, Krugman Explains

Sep 13, 2025 | Nobel laureate Paul Krugman argues that tariff “chaos” and Trump's immigration policies are the real drag on growth by raising costs, freezing investment, and ultimately hitting consumers. He says a 1950s-style manufacturing revival is illusory, tariff revenue won’t fix the deficit, and U.S. trade-rule credibility has suffered lasting damage. On New York City politics, he expects only marginal policy shifts if Democratic nominee for mayor Zohran Mamdani wins.

Europe in a Raw Materials Frenzy – How We Can Become Independent of Trump and China | Documentary...

Sep 12, 2025 | Crises such as the war in Ukraine, geopolitical tensions with China, and the trade dispute with Trump are changing Europe's view of raw materials. Access to critical materials is becoming a strategic challenge. The EU aims to become more independent with the Critical Raw Materials Act – by mining, processing, and recycling critical raw materials directly in Europe.

But the transformation is complex: While magnesite and graphite are being mined in Austria, resistance is forming in Serbia against a large-scale lithium project. Critics complain of environmental destruction and corruption, while supporters see it as an economic opportunity for Serbia and all of Europe.

The topic of recycling is also gaining importance: Researchers such as Marie Perrin from ETH Zurich are working on innovative processes for recovering rare earths from electronic waste.

European mining is at a turning point – caught between geopolitical pressure, technological progress, and social resistance.

Schulden in Europa: Wie groß ist die Gefahr? | ARTE Europa - Die Woche

Sep 12, 2025 | In Frankreich bringt die Schuldenkrise Premierminister Bayrou zu Sturz. Die Abgeordneten stellten sich gegen seinen Sparkurs und auch weite Teile der Bevölkerung sind dagegen. Doch nicht nur in Paris sorgt die Finanzpolitik für Streit: Mehrere Mitgliedsländer haben Geldprobleme und kürzen im Bildungs-, und Gesundheitswesen. Die EU-Kriterien zur Neuverschuldung können nur die wenigsten Länder einhalten.

Global Capitalism: Evidence and Symptoms: U.S. Capitalism’s Decline Accelerates

Sep 11, 2025 | Trump endlessly boasts about “the great economy” he has delivered. At the same time, increasing masses of Americans experience sharply deteriorating economic conditions. In response to numerous requests, Professor Wolff systematically presents the evidence and symptoms of the accelerating decline of capitalism in the U.S.

Larry Ellison Dislodges Elon Musk as World’s Richest Person

THE GUARDIAN: Oracle co-founder’s shares rose by 40% in early trading, valuing his fortune at $393bn, just ahead of Musk’s $384bn

US tech billionaire Larry Ellison has overtaken Elon Musk as the world’s richest person after shares in Oracle, the business he co-founded, rocketed in early trading on Wednesday.

Ellison’s wealth has surged after the company, in which he owns a stake of 41%, reported better than expected financial results.

Oracle shares rose by more than 40% in early trading to $340 a share, valuing the business software company at $958bn (£707bn) and Ellison’s stake at $393bn, just ahead of Musk’s fortune of $384bn, according to Bloomberg’s billionaires index.

The jump in the shares is the company’s largest single-day increase ever and the biggest ever one-day wealth increase on the Bloomberg index. The pair sit comfortably ahead of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. » | Dan Milmo | Global technology editor | Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Democracy Now! Jeffrey Epstein & JPMorgan: How the Largest US Bank Enabled the Sexual Predator's Crimes

Sep 9, 2025 | Amid growing pressure for the Trump administration to release the full Jeffrey Epstein files, a New York Times investigation reveals how the country's largest bank, JPMorgan Chase, enabled Epstein's sex-trafficking operation and profited from its ties to him. The exposé is based on more than 13,000 pages of legal and financial records. The Times reports JPMorgan processed more than 4,700 transactions for Epstein totaling more than $1.1 billion, including payments to some of the women who were sexually trafficked. The bank "arranged for Epstein to be able to pay those victims, both in the U.S. and in Eastern European countries and in Russia," says David Enrich, deputy investigations editor for The New York Times. Epstein "operated in large part because he had unfettered access to the global financial system. And for many years, it was JPMorgan that was providing him with that access."

Is every bastard at the top corrupt these days? It sure seems like it. — © Mark Alexander

How JP Morgan Enabled Epstein’s Crimes

How disgusting!

Javier Milei's Demise Is Coming

Sep 10, 2025 | The Grayzone's Oscar Leon and Venezuelan analyst Diego Sequera join Max Blumenthal to discuss local Argentinian elections which the party of right-wing President Javier Milei lost in a landslide, and what it means for his political future.

I should like to point out to my followers and visitors that I said from the very start that Javier Milei’s experiment with anarcho-capitalism will fail. It appears that my words are coming true even sooner than I thought possible. Milei’s experiment is ridiculous. Milei's way is no way to run a country! — © Mark Alexander

Lachlan Murdoch, the Media Prince Who Would Be King

THE NEW YORK TIMES: A new deal gives him control of his family’s media empire, including Fox News, for probably decades to come.

The question of succession has hung over Lachlan Murdoch his entire life. It has finally, definitively been answered.

The family’s empire, built over more than 70 years by his father, Rupert, is his to control for probably decades to come. Thanks to a $3.3 billion deal he reached with his three oldest siblings, Mr. Murdoch will be able to oversee the family’s media business until at least 2050.

The agreement immediately cements Mr. Murdoch, 54, as one of the world’s most powerful men. And it means that his companies — which own Fox News, The New York Post and The Wall Street Journal, among other properties — are likely to maintain their firm conservative tilt. Keeping that ideological bent has been a top priority for his father, who has preferred his elder son as his permanent successor over the three less politically conservative siblings.

Now the global Murdoch kingdom will fall under the control of an intensely private former philosophy student, a New Yorker turned proud Australian who transplanted his family to Sydney, and a digital enthusiast who has pushed his father’s analog media business into the realms of podcasts and streaming platforms. » | Katie Robertson and Michael M. Grynbaum | Tuesday, September 9, 2025

US-Venezuela Standoff Intensifies after US Attack on Boat Trump Says Carried Drugs | DW News

Sep 5, 2025 | There is a deepening standoff between the United States and Venezuela, an oil rich country, backed by America's biggest economic rival: China.

After this week's deadly US strike in the Caribbean -- an attack that killed 11 people on a boat US President Trump says was carrying illicit drugs from Venezuela -- his Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned the US is going to wage war on what he called narco-terrorists organizations.

In Caracas, the Venezualan President Nicolas Maduro says 'imperialism is launching a new attack' aimed at regime change. He insists his country will stand firm -- but to do that, will China have to step in?

Canadian PM Carney Delivers Stunning Remarks About US & President Trump

Sep 5, 2025 | Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks in Mississauga, Ontario, on U.S. trade tensions and Canada’s economic strategy. Joined by local leaders, he outlines plans for infrastructure and growth.

Putin’s Situation Is ‘Extremely Grave’ | Sir Bill Browder

Sep 5, 2025 | Sir Bill Browder joins Times Radio’s Maddie Hale to analyse reports Russia’s economy has slipped into “technical stagnation”, how Vladimir Putin forces state companies to pay for his war and Donald Trump continues to choose a diplomatic path towards peace in Ukraine but warns “something is going to happen”.

Here Are the 10 Biggest U.S. Lottery Jackpots Ever

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Two winning tickets will split the $1.787 billion Powerball jackpot drawn on Saturday. Changes to Powerball and Mega Millions have led to increasingly large jackpots in recent years.

Two tickets sold in Missouri and Texas won the Powerball jackpot drawing on Saturday night. The owners of the tickets will split $1.787 billion, the second-largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history, according to Powerball.

Huge jackpots have become increasingly common in the multistate Mega Millions and Powerball lottery drawings because of changes to the games over the years and higher ticket prices.

Between the two lotteries, more than a dozen jackpots in the United States have surpassed $1 billion since 2016.

In 2024, there were three jackpots over $1 billion: an estimated $1.13 billion Mega Millions prize claimed by a winning ticket in New Jersey in March, and a $1.33 billion Powerball jackpot won on April 7 by a ticket sold in Oregon. In December, a Mega Millions ticket sold in California won a $1.22 billion jackpot.

Here’s a look at the 10 biggest U.S. jackpots ever. » | By The New York Times | Sunday, September 7, 2025

The Six Warning Signs as Crypto Is Welcomed into the US Mainstream

A screenshot taken from this article. | Eric and Don Trump Jr outside the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York
THE OBSERVER: In a week, the Trump family’s wealth has increased by more than $6.5bn after their crypto company debuted on the Nasdaq

It is official: the path to future prosperity will be built on an exciting new platform of digital finance. That was the message of a series of recommendations published in July by a White House working group that, if implemented, “will ensure crypto becomes a hallmark of the new American Golden Age”. And with the strong backing of the president and bipartisan support on Capitol Hill, it is more likely than not that these proposals will be pushed through.

The crypto markets were already surging ahead. The price of a bitcoin, by far the most popular crypto asset, has risen to about $110,000 (£83,000), nearly seven times where it stood at its low point at the end of 2022. Then there are the stablecoins, digital tokens that are supposed to be protected against wild fluctuations in their purchasing power because they are backed by conventional assets such as treasury bills. Tether, the market leader, said it was holding $127bn in US treasuries at the end of June as backing for the stablecoins it had sold. This makes it one of the world’s largest investors in US government debt.

Overall, the value of the global crypto market has risen to more than $4tn, a rise of roughly three-fifths since the start of Donald Trump’s second term.

But for anyone with an interest in financial history, parts of this story sound familiar. Red lights have been flashing in the crypto market for some time, and they are not getting any dimmer. Here are six warning signals. » | Sir Richard Lambert | Sunday, September 7, 2025

Giorgio Armani Dies at 91—and Leaves Behind a Spectacular International Property Portfolio

REALTOR.COM: Famed fashion designer Giorgio Armani has died at the age of 91, less than three months after he was reported to have been suffering from an unspecified health condition that prevented him from attending his Milan Men's Fashion Week show for the very first time.

Armani's passing in his hometown of Milan, Italy, was announced in a statement shared by his eponymous company, which revealed that the style icon was "surrounded by his loved ones" when he died.

"Il Signor Armani, as he was always respectfully and admiringly called by employees and collaborators, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones," a translation of the statement, which was written in Italian, reads.

It went on to note that the brand founder worked "tirelessly" until his "last days," while praising his "vision that expanded from fashion to every aspect of life."

The statement also paid tribute to Armani's enduring love of Milan, where his brand was headquartered and where he himself had spent much of his life, having moved there after serving in the military after studying at university for two years. » | Charlie Lankston | Thursday, September 4, 2025

Tesla Offers Elon Musk a Trillion-dollar Pay Package

THE GUARDIAN: CEO will have to increase the value of his electric car company from just over $1tn to $8.5tn over 10 years

Elon Musk could become the world’s first trillionaire if he hits targets set by Tesla, under a scheme disclosed by the electric car company he runs and in which he is the largest shareholder.

Tesla outlined the terms of the incentive package, unprecedented in corporate history, in a section of its latest stock market update that began: “Yes, you read that correctly.”

Musk, the company said, will have to increase the value of the company from just over $1tn today to $8.5tn over 10 years.

If he presides over growth on that scale, the 54-year-old would receive new shares that would push his stake in the company from nearly 16% to well beyond 25%, increasing the fortunes of the world’s richest man to more than $2tn. » | Rob Davies | Friday, September 5, 2025

Former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen Weighs In on Trump’s Battle with the Federal Reserve

Janet Yellen explains.

Massive Labor Day Protests as Americans Stand Up for Their 'Workers over Billionaires' Rights

Sep 1, 2025 | Hundreds of protests were organized across the country as part of the national “Workers Over Billionaires” effort, a mass action calling for the protection of social safety nets such as Social Security; the funding of public schools, healthcare, and housing; amid the fascist takeover by Trump and his billionaire friends.

ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here.

Trump Is an ‘Economic Moron’ | Scott Lucas Analyses Trump’s ‘Decisions

Aug 27, 2025 | Professor Scott Lucas joins Times Radio’s Maddie Hale to discuss Donald Trump’s decision to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, whether he is acting as a dictator in his efforts to crack down on the “crime emergency” in Washington DC and reports American citizens have been conducting a “covert influence operation” in Greenland.

Trump’s Plan to Pack the Fed With Loyalists

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Overhauling the central bank’s Board of Governors would grant the president greater sway over the Federal Reserve, an institution that is supposed to be independent from the White House.

A watershed legal battle over the White House’s attempt to oust a sitting Federal Reserve governor has only just begun, but if President Trump gets his way, it could leave him with much more latitude to steer the central bank’s decisions on interest rates and its oversight of Wall Street.

Mr. Trump is already relishing the idea.

“We’ll have a majority very shortly,” Mr. Trump said at his latest marathon cabinet meeting about the Fed’s powerful seven-person Board of Governors. “So that’ll be great.”

Mr. Trump plans to appoint loyal individuals to that board, and he would need to fill just one more seat for the balance of power to tip further in his favor. If that happens, it would give the president immense sway over an institution that is supposed to operate independently from the White House. » | Colby Smith | Colby Smith covers the Federal Reserve.| Sunday, August 31, 2025