Alternative Visions

 Consumer spending = 2/3s US economy but now hitting a wall. After tax wages down 50% in 2025 from 2024. Botton 1/3 households income gains lowest since 2016.  Top 10% households (>$250k/yr) now account for 49% of all consumer spending. Will worsen as unemployment surges, inflation resumes, and $1T in health ACA & Medicaid subsidies for 22.4m ends. Why Fed 0.25% token rate cut won't help. Show next discusses how US presidents become multimillionaires after they leave office. And why Trump & the Empire now shifting tariff and sanctions policies toward India and the BRICS. (Next week: what's the Empire's 'Clean Break' policy shift recommendations about?)

Today's show discusses several economic reports indicating US economy is entering a period of instability. Labor Dept. reports 911,000 fewer jobs were created March 24-March 25 (before summer jobs crash) than were reported by its monthly jobs reports; Consumer prices rising again since April (especially services); US Census Bureau reports household real incomes (averages and median) have not changed since 2019 except for the wealthiest 5% households; US poverty levels back up to 2019 levels; 27 million still without any health insurance (before Trump cuts to Medicaid and ACA take effect). The show also comments on the popular uprising occurring in France (as Europe starts cutting social benefits to pay for military expansions and Ukraine). And concludes with what's behind the media hype that Russia has attacked Poland with drones.

US Mainstream Media and politicians keep saying US 'defense' spending annual is about $850 billion. Why that's just an initial budget proposal and just for Pentagon spending. Today's show shows what US annual actual defense (e.g. war) spending is $2 trillion a year. The show then reviews the condition of the USA and EU economies and why GDPs are much lower than reported. A quick review of emerging global conflicts is also reported in Venezuela, Armenia-Iran, India, etc.

Why Trump is now stacking the Federal Reserve bank's ranks of 7 Governors and threatening Fed chair Powell to force lower Fed interest rates. Why rates will start lowering in September. Why US monetary policy has been broken since 2008 due to changes in 21st century capitalism. The second half of the show discusses Texas and California's pissing match to further gerrymander the US House of Representatives which is already 90% non-competitive. The show discusses why the latest bout of gerrymandering is only part of a bigger picture of decline of US democratic institutions and practices since 2000.  Concluding the show, what are the main takeaways of Trump's meetings last week with Putin in Alaska and with European leaders and Zelensky in Washington last Monday?

Today's show addresses key strategic questions in the Ukraine war post-Alaska Trump-Putin meeting: What are the strategic objectives of Trump, Putin, and Ukraine-Europe in the wake of the Putin-Trump meeting? Why are the US neocons+Europe+Zelensky opposed to any compromise settlement to the war? Who are the Neocons (Deep State) enabling the Europe-Zelensky opposition to ending the war? Why did Trump cancel his draconian sanctions (due Aug 8) and shift from 'ceasefire first' to a compromise settlement with Russia and a general 'peace deal'? What's the Europe strategy now? Putin's? Dr. Rasmus also revisits his early 2025 prediction that the Ukraine army will begin to collapse along several fronts by November 2025 due to insufficient reserves and multiple Russian tactical encirclements. 

Today's show discusses what's behind the announcement that Trump and Putin will meet next friday in Alaska. Will it mean the beginning of the end of the Ukraine War? Why not. Why Trump sent his envoy, Witkoff, to Moscow to meet with Putin for 3 hrs last week. What will Zelensky, the Europeans and US neocons—all who want war to continue—will now do. Also discussed: Trump's phony corporate & foreign govt announcements they'll invest trillions in US economy + Israel's announcement it will occupy all of GAZA + US raises bounty on head of Maduro, Venezuela'ls president Maduro to $50 million. (for print version analysis of the Trump-Putin meeting read my article of same title on my blog, http://jackrasmus.com) 

 Today's show dives into Trump's latest multi-country tariff war. What's the latest for August, a critical month. Latest Japan & EU deals as 'templates'.  Trump's phony announcement of both countries to invest $17 trillion in USA. Political tariffs attack on India, Brazil and BRICS. Russia 100%. Trump's retreat on China. What's up with Mexico & Canada? Key dates of August 8, 12.  Second half of show discusses latest US GDP numbers for April-June. Why US growth is NOT 3% but closer to 1% and the US economy is sliding toward stagnation or even recession. Why Trump's Big Bill on Taxes and Tariffs are a drag on US economic growth.

Today's show discusses recent 'flash points' of the past week in US and geopolitical developments. Trump's tariffs policy revenue and political objectives. Why DNI director Tulsi Gabbard resurrected the Russiagate affair and targeted Obama. Why German Chancellor Merz is now Europe's biggest war hawk. Why Israel and Turkey are facing off over who runs Damascus. How Zelensky is maneuvering with the west to stay in office and continue the war. Why Trump's foreign policy shifts are really about restoring the American military and the Empire. Why the 2020s are not the 1980s.

Today's show discusses Trump's just passed $5 trillion tax cut. The four big lies about the Trump cuts are debunked: why the cuts won't 'pay for themselves'; why the total is at least $5 trillion+ and not the official $3 trillion estimate reported by the media; why the cuts won't add 1-2% to GDP or raise wages and create jobs as the govt claims; and why they'll result in deficits and debt over the coming decade far more than the $3.3 trillion the Trump administration and mainstream media are telling us. The show summarizes the $22 trillion taxes cut from 2001 to 2025 by presidents Bush, Obama, Biden and Trump, and how that's resulted in US budget deficits now averaging $2 trillion a year, a $38 trillion US national debt, and interest payments of more than $1 trillion/yr paid to wealthy US and foreign bondholders of that debt. Why Trump's tax cuts represent a continuation of Neoliberal fiscal policy on steroids. (For a published article on this subject, go to Jack Rasmus's blog at http://jackrasmus.com or to Counterpunch, LA Progressive or Z blogs).