The US currency is being diminished in ways that are both cumulative and new, and in a manner that should concern every American patriot. For decades, the world chose the dollar without thinking about it all that much, and that was not only because of unrivaled American economic strength. Most of the world’s major economic players also trusted the United States’ financial leadership—its rule of law, its institutions, its predictability.
Nothing will replace the greenback soon, but its erosion is an increasing topic of conversation among global investors. Read More:
The sharp fall in immigration this year threatens to slow down economic growth, particularly in the sectors and cities that relied on newcomers to the U.S. in recent years || READ MORE:
U.S. President Donald Trump indicated on Wednesday he will consider providing more of the Patriot missiles that Ukraine needs to defend against mounting Russian strikes, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin "really has to end that war" || Read More:
The US dollar is having its worst year in decades, and has broadly weakened this year as Trump’s tariffs — his back-and-forth decisions on implementing them, pausing them, raising them & lowering them, have injected uncertainty into markets & clouded the outlook for the US economy || Read More
Russian attacks on Kyiv involved hundreds of drones and missiles targeting residential districts across the city. Dozens of Ukrainian civilians were killed with many more injured. While this latest Kyiv blitz was by no means unprecedented in a war that has been marked by frequent Russian attacks on Ukraine’s civilian population. Like a mafia boss ordering elaborate killings to send coded messages, Putin has repeatedly scheduled major bombardments of Ukraine to coincide with international summits and gatherings of Western leaders || Read More:
Since utilities have been unable to meet the power needs of tech players like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon Web Services, some of these companies have begun directly contracting with renewables developers and striking deals with nuclear power plant operators. A trade group representing these companies recently asked the Senate to revise the pending legislation so it restores some of the clean energy provisions from the Inflation Reduction Act, saying the U.S. needs “affordable and reliable power” in order to “maintain its leadership in AI.” Analysts say such leadership is threatened if the Trump administration continues to try to tip the scales toward fossil fuel sources that are not competitive with newer sources of energy.
Orvis added that higher electricity costs raise the cost of doing business for manufacturers, including those at the leading edge of AI, making it more difficult to compete with China || Read More:
For months, Trump administration officials have been adamant about targeting all the millions of immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally, regardless of their work or taxpaying status.
Why it matters: He's bowing to pressure from businesses that have been warning of economic devastation — and is opening the door for potentially millions of workers who are here illegally to stay after all. Read More:
The deteriorating fiscal outlook of major countries, especially the United States, has made safe assets more difficult to find. Going forward, there will likely not be an effort to replace US Treasuries with other government bonds—there is simply no viable alternative. The global bond market is estimated to be about $140 trillion, dominated by the United States, which amounts to $55 trillion—or 39.3 percent of the total. Instead, a trend toward diversification to better manage heightened sovereign and credit risks on what used to be thought of as risk-free assets is probable || Read More:
Outrage as Trump eliminates 373 grants designed to help fight crime || Gun violence is among America’s most deadly public health crises, medical experts say. “Not only are these funds being pulled away from worthy investments that will save lives,” said Thomas Abt, founding director of the Violence Reduction Center at the University of Maryland, “but the way that this was done — by pulling authorized funding without warning — is going to create a lasting legacy of mistrust." READ MORE :
The memos presented by Ukraine and Russia at their direct talks in Istanbul on Monday make it absolutely clear that, absent a strong U.S. intervention based on a detailed U.S. peace plan, there will be no peace settlement in Ukraine.
It is not just that several of the positions on both sides are completely mutually incompatible; they suggest that at present neither side is in fact interested in an early peace. READ MORE:
Four months of chaotic shuttle diplomacy aimed at reaching a cease-fire in Ukraine, multiple phone calls between US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, repeated US attempts to pressure, browbeat, and bully Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into concessions, have all yielded exactly nothing.
Which is not in the least bit surprising. Because there is no deal to be had with Russia on Ukraine. There never has been ... Read More:
Putin's playing Trump like a Stradivarius and this past week Trump seemed to realize for the first time that Vladimir isn't the loyal best pal he thought he was. Trump has been wrong about this from the very start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as any sentient being could have told him. He was right that Putin was thrilled that he was back in the White House but only because he knew that Trump would divide the allies, favor him over Ukraine and essentially help him achieve his goal. After all, Trump had said he was a "genius" and very "savvy" for invading in the first place. Trump's also extremely naive and ignorant, even after having already been president once. This was a big win for Putin.
Trump has spent most of his time in these first months pretending that he never said that he'd end the war in 24 hours and instead tried to muscle Zelenskyy into surrendering to Putin. Trump apparently believed that Vladimir Putin was his true friend, and I think he also truly believed that he could just pick up the phone once he was elected and his buddy (Vladimir Putin) would congratulate him and tell him that he couldn't wait to do a deal to end the war || READ MORE:
As the class of 2025 enters the workforce, the Trump administration has dismantled career pathways for graduates interested in climate and sustainability work, international aid, public service and research across the natural, behavioral and social sciences. Federal jobs are disappearing, and the administration is eliminating grants and agency divisions that sustain university research programs and nonprofits that are crucial to launching careers ||
What Trump doesn’t understand is that “Putin doesn’t want a ceasefire”. “Putin wants a neutered Ukraine, not one that is able to withstand military pressure. Everybody sees this, apart from Trump,” she said. Read More:
Speaking with Brian Kilmeade on "Fox & Friends" Wednesday, Dalio warned China won’t give up its competition anytime soon. "They're also making technology and improving at a fast rate. So you cannot take China and think that they are not going to be a force for the foreseeable future. They're not folding, okay?" Dalio said. "We both have our challenges and there's going to be a big conflict. That's the nature of the beast." ||
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This Atlantic Council Strategy Paper explores the relationship between the status of the United States as a geopolitical superpower and the role of the US dollar as the world’s dominant currency. It examines how these two facets of US power have reinforced each other and how a decline in either of them could trigger a downward cycle in US influence around the world. The report discusses options for how the United States could counteract such trends, relying on its traditional strengths and strategic alliances ||
New York, New York - Billionaire Michael Bloomberg announced Thursday that his foundation will step in to fund the UN climate change body after President Donald Trump declared the US would withdraw from the Paris Agreement for the second time. Read more
Los Angeles, CA – November 18, 2024 –Eco Wave Power Global AB (Nasdaq: WAVE) (“Eco Wave Power” or the “Company”), a leading provider of onshore wave energy technology, is pleased to announce it has received the final Nationwide Permit (NWP) from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for its groundbreaking wave energy project at AltaSea’s premises at the Port of Los Angeles.
This milestone marks a significant step forward in the development of Eco Wave Power’s pioneering wave energy project, which is set to become the first onshore wave energy installation in the United States.
How electricity is produced and when it is used has a huge impact on how clean it is. As such, marginal emissions, which result from a power plant turning on or increasing its production to meet increased demand, represent substantial potential carbon reductions. A newly expanded dataset from the tech solution nonprofit WattTime suggests as much as 9 gigatons could be avoided per year.
The nonprofit works with major corporations like Microsoft, Toyota and Salesforce to shift when electricity is used and where it is purchased while optimizing grid decarbonization.
Climate change strengthened the maximum wind speeds of Atlantic hurricanes by an average of 18 mph during the past five years, a new study published Wednesday shows.
Why it matters: The study is among the first to show a link between hotter ocean temperatures and stronger hurricane wind speeds. It ties climate change to a hurricane's destructive potential.
In sub-Saharan Africa, high levels of particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution from vehicle tailpipe emissions cause poor health, developmental stunting, and even death. Vehicle emissions also contribute to global warming.
Fossil fuels are the leading driver of climate change, yet they are still heavily subsidized by governments around the world.
Although many countries have explicitly promised to reduce fossil fuel subsidies to combat climate change, this has proven difficult to accomplish. As a result, fossil fuels remain relatively inexpensive, and their use and greenhouse gas emissions continue to grow.
Climate change is challenging cities' financial resilience, and the impact is often overlooked. Sustainable Capital Advisors created a three-step framework to help them manage climate-related financial risks and seize opportunities for sustainable growth during a historic moment in climate funding.
The draft plans for the world’s first artificial energy island have been presented by Belgium's electricity system operator Elia. The island would be the first building block of a European hub for offshore wind energy and will be located in the Belgian part of the North Sea.
To make carbon accounting easier, Bentley Systems' new tool allows engineers to see a digital representation of the embodied carbon in their future projects. That also helps them compare building materials and design choices to mitigate those emissions.
Producing materials such as steel, plastics and cement in the United States alone inflicts $79 billion a year in climate-related damage around the world, according to a new study by engineers and economists at the University of California, Davis. Accounting for these costs in market prices could encourage progress toward climate-friendly alternatives.
Emissions associated with energy use are on track to increase 1 percent this year because of a boom in wind and solar power ||
