In the latest round of statistics from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) the March inflation data has been released [DATA HERE]. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) climbed 0.1% in March after advancing 0.4% in February.  This puts the 12-month CPI outlook at 5% inflation. [See Modified Table A on Left]

A 4.6% decline in March gasoline prices was offset by higher rental and housing costs.  That was the primary driver of the lowered inflationary data as gasoline is weighted heavier in the impact.

However, that said, gasoline prices are already rising again after Saudi Arabia and other OPEC+ oil producers early this month announced further oil output cuts.  This puts the April CPI data (starting to be assembled this week) on track to increase over March.

Overall, in the big picture the data shows the plateau of sorts as we described for this spring.  This plateau will be followed by another bump as a result of current input costs and prior energy costs traveling through the supply chain.

Energy services, electricity and natural gas, are stable but higher than last year.  The crop cycles carry those increased costs from field to fork.  Consumers cannot avoid those food prices increasing.  The more processing involved in the food sector, the higher the price increase.

Housing increases are another unavoidable cost and generally cycle with a lag within them.  As leases expire, the new lease rates increase accordingly.  The same is true for insurance rates.  Both unavoidable sectors have a rolling lag that hits the consumer upon renewal.

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The downward spiral has reached critical mass. Following the Trump endorsement by Florida Congressman Byron Douglas [See Here], Team Meatball is triggered.  Ron DeSantis has begun calling Florida Republican congressional reps, begging them not to endorse President Trump.

You can almost see the cheese arriving to complement the whine.

(Via NBC) Gov. Ron DeSantis’ political operation has started calling Republican members of the Florida congressional delegation in an effort to consolidate support after four members publicly backed Donald Trump in his 2024 presidential bid.

Sources with four of the six members contacted by DeSantis’ team shared the outreach with NBC News; each requested anonymity to confirm the calls.

As Trump continues to lead in the polls for the GOP presidential nomination, the governor is trying to stop defections in his own backyard ahead of his expected run. DeSantis currently has no endorsements from the state delegation.

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The ever-donor-aligned Republican National Committee has announced the first 2024 GOP presidential debate will take place in Paul Ryan’s home state of Wisconsin. The debate will be organized by Rupert Murdoch (Fox News) and livestreamed in partnership and sponsorship with Rumble and the Young America’s Foundation, a group led by GOPe favorite and former Wisconsin Governor, Scott Walker.  [Ronna Announcement Here]

Yeah…. sketchy.  All of it.   Rupert Murdoch, Paul Ryan, Bret Baier, Martha McCallum and Scott Walker… Gee, what could go wrong?

(Via Fox News) – “I am excited to announce that our first debate in Milwaukee will be in partnership with Fox News, Young America’s Foundation, and Rumble,” RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement first shared with Fox News on Wednesday.

The chairwoman, asked during an interview on News’ “Fox and Friends” on Wednesday morning, if there will be one or two debate stages, said “we’ll put the criteria out soon. We don’t know how many candidates there’s going to be so that will dictate whether there’s one or two stages. Right now I don’t see there being two stages but I could be wrong on that. The field’s forming later than usual.”

[…] The debate will be televised exclusively on Fox News, and Rumble is the live-streaming partner.

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If you find yourself asking, ‘what the heck is Senator Tim Scott even exploring’, you are likely not alone.  But running for the GOPe nomination in 2024 isn’t really about winning the GOPe nomination in 2024; it’s more about fulfilling the requests of the Sea Island big club billionaires who guide and shape GOPe politics, nothing more.

I’m not going to spend a lot of time on this effort, because CTH already predicted the purpose, intent and timing of this moment {GO DEEP}.  Anyone with a generally solid understanding of GOPe nominations and the timing of South Carolina in the primary can see the big club play. [Tim Scott link]

Nikki Haley and Tim Scott intended to help the Sea Island billionaire confab to stop Donald Trump and create the path for Ron DeSantis.  It’s a tag-team splitter ploy, nothing more.  That’s why President Trump proactively moved to mitigate the big club move and embraced SC Senator Lindsey Graham and the organization Graham has in the Palmetto state.

Simultaneously, as the billionaire donor class construct their own blank line ballot spacing for the 2024 election [SEE HERE], both Scott and Haley can be considered options for the dark money group behind ‘No Labels’.  Essentially No Labels is a billionaire created financial vehicle to pay off a non-Trump candidate and influence 2024.

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In the BIG PICTURE a local New York City District Attorney has created a criminal case, structured on a federal crime, that the federal government has stated was not a crime.  This is the Rubicon that has been crossed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. In essence this is extreme Lawfare in action.

In response to the jurisdictional issue; in addition to the substantive political construct of the case; the largest mechanism within congress, the House Judiciary Committee has subpoenaed officials from the District Attorney’s office to answer questions about the construct of the case.  A return-fire lawfare response.

In reaction to the federal response and inquiry, DA Alvin Bragg filed a lawsuit against the House Judiciary Committee [Filing Review HERE].  District Attorney Bragg also asked for intervention against the subpoena, an injunction against the authority of the House oversight, that was immediately DENIED by the court.  Alvin Bragg really doesn’t want the House to investigate his case.

Appearing on Fox News to outline the House response, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan explains the issues at hand {Direct Rumble Link} – WATCH:

Jim Jordan is correct in the unprecedented action from Bragg, that preceded the unprecedented action from congress. This is a battle of Lawfare operations with significant long-term consequences for the entire justice system.  The political motives for the New York, Atlanta (GA) and Washington DC cases are transparent.

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Messenger RNA or mRNA technology in vaccines is increasingly a cause for concern in the aftermath of the COVID-19 (SARS-COV-2) vaccination protocol.  Recently the concern has escalated as Big Rx and Big Ag have begun lobbying against any labeling requirement for animal products which contain mRNA as part of the vaccine protocol.

Recent studies have shown in mice that mRNA can transfer to the bloodstream from food ingestion (milk).  The potential to use the food supply as a vaccine pathway into humans is raising alarm bells as the long-term consequences are unknown.  Against this backdrop Dr Peter McCullough appears with Emerald Robinson to share his concern and strong support that mRNA vaccines should not be used in any animal within the food supply. {Direct Rumble Link}.

There are many concerns about mRNA technology in the food supply that extend well beyond just the animal vaccine protocol.  The part of the interview concerning the food supply begins at 07:00 of the video.  WATCH:

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A few days after the terror attack of 9-11-01, someone in media asked George W. Bush what Americans can do to help.  Dubya’s response drew instant criticism, because he asked people to go shopping… but in the big picture, President Bush knew what could happen if the economic freeze continued.

When it comes to politics and economic outlooks, trust your instincts.  The economics of the ‘thing’ is always the reason the ‘thing’ exists or does not exist.

When you are looking at economic news, always remind yourself… the people producing the news have a vested interest in maintaining a very specific outlook.  The motive behind what Dubya said in September of 2001, pertains every bit as much today.  Economic outcomes can topple entire governments.

Remember, this current ‘supply-side energy policy driven inflation‘, a purposeful effort to shrink the economy and yet tenuously maintain control, has never happened before.  The people behind the Build Back Better agenda are, in reality, experimenting with a theory. DATA…

(ISM) – The Institute for Supply Management’s PMI contracted for the fifth straight month in March registering 46.3, the lowest level since May 2020. Any reading below 50.0 indicates contraction.  The employment index declined by 2.2 percent to a level of 46.9.

Most of the impediments to manufacturing growth — such as shortages and lockdowns — have subsided, said Tim Fiore, chair of the ISM’s manufacturing survey committee, with the exception of pricing. ISM’s pricing index fell below 50 in March but at 49.2 remains higher than pre-pandemic levels.

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French President Emmanuel Macron was in the Netherlands today speaking to an audience in the Hague about his vision for the future of Europe.  A remarkably disassociated speech was the outcome.

Speaking of the importance of innovation to maintain economic competitiveness, on his right-hand Macron cheers for capitalism as an outcome of competition from the only venue it exists, the nation state.  Yet on his left hand, Macron proclaims the importance of ‘globalism’ and economic socialism, which is the anthesis of creating innovation.

Economic nationalism is the only way competition between nation states succeeds. Innovation is born from competition, and without the nation state there is no baseline to maintain capitalism.  Globalism creates socialism, equity as the baseline for distribution of innovative outcomes.  Capitalism and socialism cannot coexist if innovation and competition is the goal.  The pillars which form the baseline for Macron’s view of a new Europe, collapse in his contradictory worldview.  Prompted to 10:55, WATCH:

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Macron’s solution to the problem of innovation lacking in ‘globalist‘ economic models, is to force citizens to produce and innovate.  This is what he means by “reforms” in the competitive agenda.  Forced innovation, is the worldview of totalitarians.   Capitalism relies on freedom, not coercion.

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The Democrat National Committee (DNC) has selected Chicago, Illinois, as the location for the 2024 convention. Joe Biden called Governor JB Pritzker earlier this morning and informed him of the selection.

It’s an interesting development as most of the betting money would have predicted the Democrat convention toward Atlanta, Georgia.  However, if you factor in the unspoken influence and importance of Chicago Jesus, et al,… well, then things take a more fulsome background.

According to the Chicago Sun Times the United Center will be the primary venue for nomination events and daytime business will be conducted at the McCormick Place Convention Center.  The DNC convention is scheduled for August 19-22, 2024.

CHICAGO – The Democratic National Committee selected Chicago to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention, the Sun-Times has learned, with the city beating bids from Atlanta and New York.

The convention will take place Aug. 19-22 next year. It is expected to draw between 5,000 and 7,000 delegates and alternates and attract up to 50,000 visitors to Chicago.

Evening events will be at the United Center — the main site of the 1996 Democratic convention in Chicago — with daytime business to be conducted at the McCormick Place Convention Center, the location of the 2012 NATO Summit.  Delegates will be housed in about 30 hotels in Chicago.

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Effective today, the U.S. National COVID-19 Emergency is officially over!   [Details on House Resolution 7 Here]

Led by Republicans in the House and supported by a veto-proof majority in the overall legislative branch, Joe Biden was forced today to officially end the national COVID-19 emergency.  [White House Link]

It passed the House by a vote of 229 – 197, February 1, 2023. It passed the Senate by a vote of 68 – 23, March 29, 2023. And was presented to the White House on April 5th for signature. Biden had no options.  Federal emergency power is stripped, this will help states counter mail-in ballots.

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