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Fertilizer Prices Continue Rising, Increasing Fears of Global Grain Costs and Shortages

As CTH has noted since last October the rapid increases in fertilizer costs could potentially create a major issue for global food supplies later this summer.  As the farming costs continue escalating, including fertilizer and diesel fuel prices, this will eventually lead to major price increases on the harvests.   Field to fork inflation is looking increasingly severe later this year; what we have called the third wave of inflation.

Beyond prices, a primary impact in the U.S. market, concerns are now escalating about grain shortages {SEE HERE} and lower European crop yields which will lead to less food products on a global basis.   According to information shared by ZeroHedge, “We think it will take at least 2-3 years to replenish global grains stocks,” Illinois-based CF Industries Holdings Inc.’s president and chief executive officer Tony Will said in a statement in Wednesday’s earnings report.”

Axios is reporting on the continued escalation of fertilizer prices; however, they conveniently and purposefully avoid noting the origin of the problem in North America is directly the result of Joe Biden’s immediate energy policies that drove up the costs of natural gas (a critical component):

AXIOS – “Skyrocketing fertilizer costs — like those made from nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) — are driving up food prices and, worse, threatening food security around the globe.

State of play: Prices for NPK were up 125% in January from a year before, and rose another 17% from the beginning of the year to March, according to data compiled by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

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Fed Raises Interest Rates .50 Percent, The Purposeful Inflation is Expected to Continue

As expected, the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates .50%.  However, inflation is expected to remain high as prior spending debt bubble remains in place.

WASHINGTON, May 4 (Reuters) – The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised its benchmark overnight interest rate by half a percentage point, the biggest jump in 22 years, and the U.S. central bank’s chief made an appeal to Americans struggling with high inflation to be patient while officials take the hard measures to bring it under control. (read more)

Within hours of the announcement, major U.S. banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co, Wells Fargo Bank and Citibank raised their prime rate to 4%, effective Thursday.

The timing of the rate increase is what was expected.  Last year’s inflation spikes started appearing in June of 2021.  By delaying the 2022 FED response until right now, the political operatives in control of U.S. monetary policy create a scenario where the Fed impact will appear to surface in June of 2022. Exactly one year from the date of the first wave of inflation from the prior COVID spend.

Year-over-year inflation will statistically begin to give the appearance of moderation, once the June (’21) to June (’22) comparison cycle arrives.  The Fed and White House will use the intentionally timed statistical outcome to claim inflation is diminishing.  It’s a political trick we expected.

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Rand Paul Questions DHS Secretary About Disinformation, Mayorkas Accidentally Gives Game Away “Should I Sit Back and Take That?”

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul questioned DHS Secretary Mayorkas about what constitutes disinformation and what will the DHS Disinformation Bureau do about it?  {Direct Rumble Link}

After multiple back and forth dodges by the DHS Secretary, at 06:40 Mayorkas slips a little and gives an example using the COVID vaccination program. After giving the example of a hypothetical claim of the vaccine containing fentanyl, Mayorkas asks “should I sit back and accept that,” meaning do nothing about it.

Right there Mayorkas gives away the intent and purpose of the Ministry of Truth.  Identify disinformation, then communicate with the networked partnership of social media companies, and then target whoever made the claim.  The government then controls the speech.  The government then becomes the arbiter of what is true and/or false.  The problem as Rand Paul is drilling down, is that ultimately government will approve speech.  WATCH:

There is no such thing as “disinformation.”  There is information the government approves of, and information that is averse to the interest of government.  That’s the bottom line and the end of this regulatory slippery slope discussion.

Example: Ask the DHS Disinformation Governance Board if a fetus is a baby human?

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George W Bush Will Campaign for GA Republican Candidate Brian Kemp, The GOP Club Have Set The Stage

It’s not that hard to see the GOPe Club moves in Georgia, you just have to shake off the ‘battered conservative syndrome‘ to accept it.

Georgia is holding an open primary, where democrats can vote for republicans and republicans can vote for democrats.

The Democrat Governor candidate is Stacy Abrams, and she is running unopposed.

The AME Church Network (think prior Mississippi strategy for Thad Cochran by  Haley Barbour and Mitch McConnell) have been activated to vote in the republican primary, so democrats in Georgia will choose the republican candidate who will run against Stacy Abrams.

Georgia Democrats will vote for incumbent republican governor Brian Kemp this month because that’s who they want on the ticket in the November general election, facing their candidate, Stacy Abrams.  Georgia is the homebase of the AME church network and their political operations.  This is part of the reason why Georgia politics is: (a) racially divisive; and (b) fraught with corruption.

As a direct result of democrats selecting the opposition, Stacy Abrams will win in November.  Open primaries are club rules used to make red states turn blue.  Allowing your opposition to choose your candidate is never smart. [Note: Texas is soon to follow if they are not careful.]

Everything at this level of electoral games is controlled by the state political clubs.   The republican club in Georgia is ideologically against MAGA more than they are against Democrats.  The GA parties control the rules and thereby the political outcomes, the voters in GA operate under the illusion of choice.  This is not uncommon.

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Hungary Will Continue Purchases of Oil and Gas from Russia, Zelenskyy and European Union Furious

Defying threats from the European Union, Hungary has announced they will not stop purchasing oil and gas from Russia and join a blockade of energy products by the 27 member EU alliance.

BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Hungary will not support sanctions that would make Russian oil and gas shipments to Hungary impossible, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a statement on Tuesday.

Speaking in Kazakhstan, Szijjarto said Russian oil shipments via the Druzhba pipeline accounted for about 65% of the oil Hungary needed and there were no alternative supply routes that could replace that. (link)

Slovakia has also announced they will not participate, which makes any collective EU action problematic.  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is reported to be using his connection to the U.S. and Joe Biden in an effort to force the EU to deliver additional sanctions.   Essentially, if an EU country does not fall in line, Zelenskyy will instruct Biden not to support that EU country with the money congress is preparing to use as blackmail.

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Musk Goes Full Galt, Challenges Woke Activists Who Pressure Corporations with Sunlight

CTH has been watching carefully for several weeks; looking, reading and observing the expressed priorities of Elon Musk in an effort to evaluate his free speech intents and purposes.  After careful and cautious consideration, I can now say Elon Musk is the closest thing to John Galt in our lifetime.

Today, Mr. Musk drew attention to one of the central cancers. Musk is highlighting the strategy leftists use to target corporations, demand they withdraw advertising dollars, and force them into compliance against any unapproved platform designated by the woke mob.

[CNN Story Here – MMfA Letter Here – Elon Musk Tweet Link Here]

David Brock’s Media Matters for America (MMFA) has organized an activist campaign against companies who advertise on Twitter. [SEE LETTER HERE]  Their intent is to assemble all of the radical activist groups, directly target any company who would advertise on Twitter and by extension force woke compliance by the social media platform Musk is purchasing.

The letter urges advertisers to make their next ad deals with Twitter contingent on changes to platform policy under Mr Musk.  However, Musk is pushing back against the effort by asking, “who funds these organizations that want to control your access to information? Let’s investigate.” He then goes on to tweet, “Sunlight is the best disinfectant.”

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Beyond a Slush Fund, Biden $33 Billion Ukraine Package Includes $8.8 Billion to Establish State Dept Global Disinformation Bureau, and International Civil Asset Forfeiture

This is why Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff were in Kyiv yesterday…

The details of the Joe Biden $33 billion supplemental budget allocation have been released.  I would strongly urge everyone to read the proposal which now heads to congress for passage {SEE pdf here}.

The spending request outlines a massive amount of money for various ideological foreign policy initiatives under the guise of Ukraine relief (it isn’t).  The proposal outlines a kickback and bribery scheme.

Some of the spending includes an allocation of funds to the State Dept including funds to USAID to “provide $8.8 billion to the Department of State for economic support and assistance to the people of Ukraine and other affected countries, including direct budgetary support, as well as support for food security, democracy, anticorruption, cybersecurity, counter-disinformation, human rights, atrocity documentation, energy, and emergency infrastructure needs.” {pdf page 41}  The request specifically authorizes the transfer of these funds globally, outside of Ukraine.

{READ SOURCE DOCUMENT}

Apparently, the State Dept is going to set up an international version of DHS “disinformation governance board.”  But wait, it gets worse…

U.S. taxpayers are also going to subsidize farming in Europe and fund the climate change initiatives by paying for the development of alternate energy sources. “This would include [$500 million] support for small- and medium- sized agrobusinesses during the fall harvest and for natural gas purchases by the Ukrainian state energy company.” {page 44}

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The 2022 Election, Here’s Everything You Need to Know About DC Republicans in 30 Seconds

I don’t need to add anything to this.  Page 14 of my unpublished wisdom book says: the space between words is the most important sound you will ever hear when listening to people positioning for influence or affluence.  Learn how to hear what they don’t say, and others will think you are wise beyond imagining.

Hit play and just watch for 30 seconds. Prompted:

NOTE:  James Comer from the state of Kentucky (think Mitch McConnell) was specifically installed by the GOPe as the ranking member of the House Oversight and Govt Affairs Committee (replacing Jim Jordan, June 2020), as a proactive move by the DeceptiCons, for exactly this insurance policy.

If Republicans get the House in the mid-terms, Comer becomes Chairman of the House Oversight Committee.   Do you remember the concept of “Chaff and Countermeasures”?   Fast-n-Furious, IRS targeting, etc.  James Comer is specifically installed to block and wreck any House oversight effort into FBI, DOJ and Biden corruption.  It’s likely Comer has a zipper problem that the Fourth Branch know about.

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Senator Tim Kaine Indicates Biden $33 Billion Ukraine Spend Likely to be Packaged with Another $22 Billion COVID Money

Joe Biden has asked congress for two supplemental spending packages, $33 billion for the Ukraine/NATO money laundering operation (supported by both wings of the DC UniParty), and an additional $22 billion to deal with COVID, ie the money DC will use to send to states for another round of mail-in ballots for the November mid-terms.

Hillary Clinton’s former Vice-Presidential running mate, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, appeared on CBS Face the Nation to discuss.  As noted by Senator Kaine, the Senate will happily authorize the $33 billion for Ukraine; however, the COVID spending bill will more likely run into resistance from the Republicans in the Senate who want to extract some of their own Wall Street priorities.

The forward-looking solution, as it appears from the Kaine perspective, is for Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer to work out a deal where both spending packages are bundled. This approach gives cover to the DeceptiCon wing of the republicans to support the COVID mail-in ballot funding scheme, in order to keep their UniParty proxy war in Ukraine fully funded.  WATCH:

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Sunday Talks, Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas Says DHS Prepared to Facilitate Import of 500,000 Illegal Aliens Per Month

Skipping past the discussion of the DHS “disinformation board,”….. While appearing on an ironically named CNN broadcast “The State of Our Union”, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tells John King’s ex-wife, that for several months (“since Sept 2021″) DHS has been preparing to start handling and processing 18,000 illegal aliens per day (540,000/mo) as soon as CDC Title 42 is lifted.

If DHS estimates are accurate, between now and the November mid-term election, DHS will import an additional 3,000,000 illegal aliens from various nations around the world, through the U.S-Mexico border.

Cumulatively, this arrival estimate will put the number of illegal aliens arriving in the United States during Joe Biden’s first two years in office somewhere north of 10 million people. For scale, that’s an imported group of illegal aliens three times the size of the population of Mississippi.  WATCH:

If his own estimates are correct, in combination with prior arrivals, the aggregate number of illegal aliens will easily exceed 50 million by the end of the year; more than twice the population of Pennsylvania and Ohio combined.  Illegal aliens living in the U.S. will exceed 15% of the total population.

Approximately one-third of the United States workforce will be illegal aliens.

What do you think that scale of illegal labor does to wages?

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