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Western Economic Inflation is a Feature, Not a Flaw, Currently Hidden Behind the Purposefully Useful Sanctions Against Russia

Joe Biden’s repeated use of the phrase “Putin’s price hikes” is intended to shift responsibility for inflation away from his own policy and assign blame to Russia. Biden is essentially pretending that Vladimir Putin has control over White House energy policy, in order to protect his administration from the American people realizing all of the economic pain they feel is being done purposefully.

Putin didn’t price hike anything. The cause of the current spike in global oil prices was created, in the largest part, by the western sanctions against Russia; not the action of Russia itself.

Factually, massive global inflation began in early 2021 as an outcome of Western government spending and monetary policy. The U.S. Federal Reserve, EU and western alliance central bankers created the issue and were always going to face inflation as an outcome of their agreed direction. As the inflation started to become a serious political problem for them, the Ukraine conflict became the excuse, the blanket to hide the real origin of the problem.

Almost every western government leader now deflects responsibility for their inflation by pointing fingers at Vladimir Putin, this is not coincidental.  Just like their agreement to follow each other into the unsustainable spending spiral via “Build Back Better,” the same Western alliance -united members of the World Economic Forum- must now collectively deflect attention away from the consequences of their catastrophic agenda.

The global inflation crisis is, in essence, a direct and immediate outcome from the designs of the ‘The Great Reset.’  It is within this reset where the global cleaving is underway.

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May Inflation Higher Than all Expectations at 8.6 Percent, Energy, Gasoline, Food Prices Continue Climbing

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics has released the May inflation report [DATA HERE] showing a 1.0% increase in the month of May, bringing the rate of inflation to 8.6 percent.  The highest rate of inflation in over 40 years.

This month of inflation data is particularly important because it cycles through the May 2021 calendar comparison from last year when the first wave of massive inflation first triggered.  The current year-over-year 8.6% rate of inflation now lands atop twelve months of massive increases in prices.

The data clearly shows how energy costs are the dominant factor hitting every aspect of consumer purchasing.  Gasoline increased 4.1% for the month, 48.7% year-over-year.  Fuel Oil increased 16.9% in May, 106.7% year over year.

The energy sector is crushing the ability of consumers to spend on anything else.   Real wages declined in May 0.6% as paychecks are being eaten up by massive inflation.  On an annual basis wages have declined by 4% year-over-year [BLS DATA].

Unfortunately, there is no forward optimism for any change in energy policy from the Joe Biden White House, that means energy costs will continue skyrocketing as the ideologues in control of the administration push their climate change Green New Deal policies.

Additionally, we still have the third wave of massive food price increases to look forward to later in the summer as the big increases in field costs start to reach the supermarket.  Those food store increases will average around 20 to 30% more than current.

Table-2 gives you a great breakdown of the price increases in specific sectors within each of the larger categories.  [SEE HERE] Eggs increased 5% in May, that’s a 60% annualized rate of inflation for eggs, which are already 32% more than last year.  Chicken is exceeding 30% inflation and growing.

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More Pretending, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen Pretends She Got It Wrong on Inflation, She Did Not

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has more financial and analytical resources at her fingertips than thousand hedge funds combined. When Secretary Yellen claims today that she “got it wrong” about inflation, what she is doing is continuing the game of pretending; she’s positioning the administration as incompetent, not deliberate.

The illusion of incompetence plays into the scheme of hiding the fact the administration is working through a purposeful strategy. In the game of pretending; and under the current circumstances; it is better to be seen as incompetent than recognized as working with malicious intent.  This is the illusion behind Joe Biden’s usefulness.

This is also the organized pretending game within DC that too few people will accept or admit. The Treasury Secretary and Federal Reserve Chairman are not making mistakes, they are working on a specific agenda and economic plan. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell was not late to raise interest rates, he waited on purpose. He waited for the political reason of waiting until the triggered 2021 inflation spike cycled through the full calendar year.

These are not monetary policy leaders making monetary policy mistakes. These are monetary policy political ideologues, carrying out a political agenda within the U.S. economy. This is part of what National Economic Council Chairman Brian Deese would call the “economic transition.” WATCH this through the correct prism:

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Joe Biden Says He Welcomes Advice from New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on How to Structure Firearm Restrictions and Force Climate Change Energy Policy

Joe Biden sought counsel today from New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern about how best to remove firearms from Americans and force the U.S. economy to a dependency on renewable energy.   Prime Minister Ardern took the top spot in the global progressive movement after the retirement of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

PM Ardern, a remarkable smiley-faced fascist, now represents the face of modern global leftism and boned-up her progressive bona fides with the totalitarian New Zealand COVID policy.  The corporate fascists within the World Economic Forum love the government compliance model represented by Ardern to the collective global society they are creating.

New Zealand has a population of 5 million people, and a GDP of $205 billion (about the same as Nevada).  By comparison the U.S. has a population exceeding 350 million and a GDP exceeding $21 trillion. That said, during their White House meeting today, Joe Biden emphasized that he welcomes the assistance of PM Ardern in helping to guide U.S. efforts for firearm regulation and a comprehensive climate change driven renewable energy economy.

[Transcript] – […]  You understand that your leadership has taken on a critical role in this global stage — and it really has — galvanizing action on climate change; the global effort to curb violence, extremism, and online, like happened in Christchurch.

And — you know, we want to be — I want to work with you on that effort.  And I want to talk to you about what those conversations were like, if you’re willing.

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American Confidence in the Economy Drops to Lowest Level Since 2009, Oil Prices Climb, Gas Prices Break Records, Main Street in Serious Trouble

…..Quit Pretending

Joe Biden is not running this economy.  Joe Biden’s economic advisors are not running this economy.  Joe Biden’s cabinet members are not running the economy. The people running this economy are the climate change activists behind the scenes who have been elevated into positions in all economic cabinet offices throughout the administration.  This was the deal in 2020 that led to Biden’s installation.

Professional political activists, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders types, within the Interior Dept., Energy Dept., EPA and other regulatory agencies related to the energy economy are in control. Not a single operator within the system looks to the White House or executive office for guidance.  They knew they had a short window to carry out the unilateral agenda regardless of damage it does.

This is a full-throated assault on the energy industry under the auspices of the climate change agenda. And that is what is collapsing Main Street and pushing massive costs onto consumers via inflation.  That’s it. That’s the background. No one in/around the White House has any control over the consequences. That was the 2020 deal made, and the reason why Biden was selected as the nameplate.

Oil prices have shot up to $120/barrel.  Russia and Ukraine are being used as a smokescreen for the ‘Build Back Better’, or domestically, the “Green New Deal’, agenda.  The same climate agenda supported by the entire Western government alliance who bow to the altar of the World Economic Forum.

Damn the consequences, full speed ahead. Main Street citizens are collateral damage.  They don’t care. In the view of the operators, their urgent goals are bigger than our needs; and their high-minded, filled with superiority justification is, they are trying to save us from ourselves.

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USDA Raises Food Price Forecast to Highest Level in 42 Years, Third Wave of U.S. Food Inflation Will Dwarf Prior Price Increases

Have you ever seen egg prices at $1 per egg range, or $12/doz?  Hold on a few months and perhaps you will.  That is the context for the scale of food price increases the USDA is now starting to predict.  The highest predicted change in food costs in well over 40 years, that’s the USDA warning in their revised May “Food Price Outlook”. [DATA HERE]

This month the USDA just re-re-revised the forward price outlook, and things are grim.  It likely doesn’t come as a surprise to many CTH readers because we have been discussing the convergence of events since October of 2021, when we first were able to predict Wave-1 (Dec/Jan), and Wave-2 (March/Apr) inflation.  However, the underlying data for Wave-3 is double the prior two phases.

Keep in mind the data is national & skewed toward low estimations as represented by (+).

When the USDA predicts egg prices increasing by 19.5 to 20.5% (from where those prices are now), there will be regions with much higher retail increases than estimated.

Just two months ago, USDA had egg inflation at 2.5%-3.5% range, year over year.  Again, that’s the scale of change; from a 3.5% forward outlook to a 20.5% forward outlook effective right now.

Food at home (grocery store) prices: up 7% to 8% in this monthly review, versus the April outlook of a rise of 5% to 6%. That means the USDA is predicting the highest grocery store price rise since 1980 when prices rose 8.1% (prices rose 7.2% in 1981).  There is no reason to think the USDA forecast will not rise again in June.

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India Reverses Prior Position and Will Now Block Further Wheat Exports, Triggering G7 Concerns

In April India said it was hoping to expand its wheat exports from 7 million tons to 10 million.  However, as precarious winter wheat harvests reflect lower outputs, they are reversing position and will now block any wheat exports in order to ensure their own supply.

INDIA – […] The announcement drew sharp criticism from the Group of Seven industrialized nations’ agriculture ministers meeting in Germany, who said that such measures “would worsen the crisis” of rising commodity prices.

“If everyone starts to impose export restrictions or to close markets, that would worsen the crisis,” German Agriculture Minister Cem Ozdemir said at a press conference in Stuttgart.

Global wheat prices have soared on supply fears following Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine, which previously accounted for 12% of global exports.

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The Pentagon Testified Assessing Ukraine and No One Noticed

As we contemplate the massive $40 billion transfer of U.S. taxpayer funds to Ukraine, a few things need to be emphasized.

First, congress has decided to pay the salaries, benefits and pensions of Ukraine political officials and citizens.  As U.S. citizens try and figure out how to afford housing, gasoline, food and basic goods, congress has decided to subsidize another country.  That’s the first point.

Second, as to the pragmatic question of “to what end?” There was a critical point made last week by Defense Intel Agency (DIA) Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, that not a single media outlet or politician discussed.  During his briefing to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Berrier was asked “can Ukraine win” the conflict against Russia?

Lt. General Berrier replied: “That is a difficult predication to make. I think where the assessment is at, is a prolonged stalemate should no factor change on either side. In other words, the Russians continue to do what they’re doing, and we continue to do what we are doing for the Ukranians.”  WATCH:

The Pentagon assessment is the best that can be achieved is a stalemate.  Billions of billions of dollars being poured into Ukraine, and the most likely outcome is a stalemate.  More people killed, an endless need for continued money to be poured into the ‘war’, and the best possible outcome is a stalemate.

So, riddle me this, why isn’t the U.S. policy position advocating for Zelenskyy and Putin to enter negotiations for a resolution?

What possible U.S. interest can be advanced, knowing the only outcome is a stalemate, where people are killed on either side and money spent on a proxy conflict that ends in loggerheads at some distant point months from now?

Also, why has no U.S. media outlet or pundit played the remarks and assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency, so that the American people can understand the intent of U.S. policy?

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Republican Senate Leadership Travel to Kyiv, Ukraine to Inspect the Treasury

Comrade taxpayers, as the glorious and esteemed senate move through the procedural hurdles to pass a massive $40 billion spending bill for the U.S. altruistic Ukraine money laundering operation, a fabulous diplomatic envoy consisting of Mitch McConnell, John Barrasso, John Cornyn and Susan Collins travel to Kyiv to meet the magnanimous defender of the international treasury and wealth transfer operation, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The magnificent republican leaders went to visit the nicest war zone their bipartisan efforts have created in the past four decades.  As the angels of abundance parted the clouds, many congratulations were shared from the delegation toward their generous host and the expressions of appreciation and respect for the generosity were reciprocated.  WATCH:

No U.S. border security, no gas money, no grocery money, no infant formula, no voting integrity…. Meh, no problem comrades.  We’ve got Ukrainians to support.  We are paying the pensions and benefits of Ukraine government officials and Ukraine citizens.

Keep in mind, the politicians are not tone deaf, out of touch or disconnected; they simply do not care.  We The People are irrelevant to them.

We are in an abusive relationship with our own government.

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BLS Data 8.3 Percent, Inflation Not Falling Despite Demand Side Moderation, Boosted by Continued Production Inflation

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the inflation data from April today [DATA HERE] showing 0.3% increased inflation in April and a continued 8.3% ‘sticky’ inflation year-over-year.

CTH is going to say something slightly unusual, this data is actually worse than expected.   The hidden canary in the mine is within this BLS sentence which shows in the statistics, “the index for gasoline fell 6.1 percent over the month, offsetting increases in the indexes for natural gas and electricity.”  Remember, these are backwards reflections of price captured in early/mid-April.

The actual price of gasoline dropped 1% in April during the timeframe captured.  Yes, there was an actual 18 days in April when gasoline prices moderated and slightly ticked down; however, those prices immediately jumped again late April through today.

Because the BLS puts a 5x weight on the importance of gas [Table A], the 1% temporary drop in gasoline led to 6.1% downward “seasonally adjusted” price pressure.

All of that said, and with the heavy weighting of the gasoline prices considered, the net inflation results barely moved from March (8.5%) to April (8.3%). I modified Table-A to take out the noise.  You can see the downward pressure from gasoline and simultaneously the upward price pressure from food, specifically food at home.

This outcome is a reflection of what we have been seeing in the supermarkets and grocery stores.

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