by Michael Snyder
The Economic Collapse Blog
We have reached such a pivotal moment in world history. During his time in the White House, Joe Biden brought us closer to nuclear war with Russia than ever before. If Kamala Harris had won the election, I am convinced that a nuclear war with Russia would have almost certainly happened during her term. But Donald Trump won the election instead, and now he has a historic opportunity. He can end the conflict in Ukraine and avoid a nuclear war with Russia. If he is able to do that, he will save countless lives. However, if he handles this situation with Russia badly and nuclear missiles start flying back and forth, it will be the end of America as we know it today.
It is not going to be easy to end the war in Ukraine. Anyone that suggests otherwise simply does not understand the dynamics that are at play.
When the Founding Fathers put the finishing touches on the Constitution in late September of 1787, they probably had no idea whether or not it would be formally adopted by the states.
The fires in Los Angeles have been the most devastating in the city’s history. A full account of the causes of the conflagration can’t be attempted here, but in this week’s column, I’d like to talk about the responsibility of environmentalism for what happened.
I have been warning that the NEOCONS have total control of Europe. They have convinced all of these heads of state that Russia is now weak, conventionally defeated, and the time is ripe to invade. The computer is still warning about the April/June time period, and to comprehend this insanity, you must understand that an inferiority complex has been present even since post-World War II. Macron of France wants to send troops into Ukraine, and he continues to cling to the glory days of France and the dream of strategic autonomy of a Europe no longer dependent on America. With Trump coming to office, they have no interest in PEACE – they want war. They seem to be rushing to war, fearing Trump could stop them.
Oil has rallied sharply in the new year as new US sanctions on the Russian oil industry could impact oil supplies over the next few months. This comes at a time when crude oil inventories were already at critically low levels. However, oil demand has been weakening meaningfully over the past months, indicating a weakening global economy. The recent spike in oil prices, coupled with a rising USD, could accelerate the economic slowdown. 
Keynes held that the economy can suffer extended periods of high unemployment because of deficient aggregate spending. A contraction in spending results in businesses having excess inventories and reduced revenues. Businesses respond by cutting back and decreasing their demand for labor. Due to “sticky wages,” this results in a large decrease in employment and incomes for workers. The problem comes full circle and self-aggravating because workers as a whole must restrict their spending due to their reduced incomes.
Most of the past five years in the retail bullion markets were a sellers’ market. Buyers faced hefty premiums and demand outstripped supply.
On Saturday morning, I awoke to very strange news.
Join us today for a special edition of The Signal Hour. From pre-emptive pardons to the inauguration… There is so much happening today that we need to talk about.
On Tuesday’s broadcast of Newsmax TV’s “The Record,” Harvard Law Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz stated that blanket birthright citizenship is “foolish” and “one of the least persuasive parts of our Constitution,” but is in the Constitution, so changing it would be difficult to do without amending the Constitution and trying to do so through executive order as President Donald Trump did is not constitutional.
President Donald Trump, fulfilling a promise made at the Libertarian Party’s National Convention in May, pardoned Ross Ulbricht today. Ulbricht had been serving a life sentence for his role in founding and operating the dark web marketplace Silk Road.
If you ask people who William McKinley was, most of them will just shrug.
As we continue to kickoff trading in 2025, one thing is clear – gold is already in the upside acceleration phase.