Wikipedia has been hijacked by left-wing activists

 Read: https://www.zerohedge.com/political/musk-unveils-grokipedia-plans-counter-wikipedias-manipulation-truth-controlled-leftists

Wikipedia, launched in 2001, has grown into the seventh most-visited website globally, boasting over 64 million pages (7 million articles) across 329 languages and attracting more than 4 billion visits each month. Officially, Wikipedia operates under the policies of "verifiability" and "neutrality," but in practice, the world's largest online encyclopedia has been hijacked by left-wing activists who manipulate narratives and silence dissenting viewpoints. The danger is no longer confined to everyday readers seeking truth, as today's leading AI models are being trained on biased garbage.  Given this backdrop and Musk's stated pursuit of truth to advance civilization, he revealed Tuesday morning that his team at xAI will soon roll out a rival online encyclopedia, integrated with the Grok chatbot, called "Grokipedia."

To counteract this, I encourage everyone to read the news from sources which are banned from Wikipedia.  (This is not a complete list, as I am not including sources I am not familiar with).

Breitbart News

The Daily Caller

Daily Mail (UK)

Daily Signal

Daily Star (UK)

Daily Wire

The Epoch Times

The Federalist

FrontPage

The Gateway Pundit

The Grayzone

The Heritage Foundation

Infowars

Jihad Watch

LifeSiteNews

Natural News

Newsmax

Okeefe Media Group

OneAmerica News Network

Project Veritas

RT (formerly Russia Today)

The Sun (UK)

Takimag

The Unz Review

VDare

WorldNetDaily

ZeroHedge

Radar Dimax All Weather

Radar Dimax All Weather

The Radar Dimax All Weather is a much lower cost alternative for All Weather tires.  Here is their ad:

The Dimax All Weather is Radar's Grand Touring All-Season tire developed for the drivers of sedans, coupes, station wagons, crossovers and SUVs looking for daily driving comfort combined with confident performance in dry, wet and light snow conditions. The Dimax All Weather is designed as an all-weather tire to meet industry severe snow service requirements qualifying for the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol alongside its all-season performance and is intended to function as a one-tire solution for drivers that experience all four seasons but don't receive sufficient snowfall to require a dedicated winter tire.

The Dimax All Weather utilizes a silica-enriched all-season tread compound molded into a V-Formation directional tread design engineered to deliver long-life and dry, wet and wintertime performance. Longitudinal dry grip is buoyed by alternating the center tread blocks for uninterrupted contact when accelerating or decelerating. The blocks are connected shoulder-to-shoulder with embedded support in the tread for ideal stiffness and cohesion to support precision steering. Aqueduct Grooves channel water away from the contact patch, to fight hydroplaning with the aid of circumferential grooves designed into the pattern. The sawtooth design of the central grooves, alongside the stepped design of the shoulder blocks, create traps for ideal snow-to-snow traction in winter weather while enabling stiffer tread blocks for excellent dry and wet performance.

These can be purchased from TireRack.com (or tires-easy.com) for about $80 per tire. They may work as good as the Laufenn G Fit 4S tires I previously mentioned, but the Laufenn tires have a 60k mile warranty whereas these have a 50K mile warranty. 

Arroyo Grand Sport A/S

 Here is a Tesla owner reviewing his good experience with the Arroyo Grand Sport A/S:

The product sheet is here: https://arroyotires.com/product/grand-sport-a-s/

Arroyo Grand Sport A/S. All Season performance, Asymetrical design for more contact and, cornering capability, Urgent steering response and grip, Design to work for all seasons. The 4 wide longitudinal grooves provide good drainage performance, keep excellent handling performance in wet road. The Anti eccentric wear belts on outer shoulder can increase the tread contact area at braking to obtain uniform contract pressure, which can avoid the eccentric wear.

These are also All-Season but not All-Weather.  They have a 40K warranty.  These get very good reviews.  They will not last as long as some other tires, but the price is around $65/tire, which is about half the price of the Salun Erange EV tires.

Sailun Erange EV

 

This is the promo video for it.

The product sheet is here: https://gosailun.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Erange-EVu.pdf

ERANGE EV tires are designed and dedicated to help get the best performance out of your electric vehicle to help increase overall range on a single charge. ERANGE tires use proprietary Sailun Ecopoint3 liquid phase mixing technology to not only improve the EV driving experience, but also last longer, perform better, filter out road noise and reduce rolling resistance to avoid ‘range anxiety’– with ERANGE, you’re in charge. With over 37 sizes in 15-22”, the ERANGE provides a wide range of market coverage in the electric vehicle segment.

Note that these are All-Season, but not All-Weather.  They do not have the 3PMSF rating.  These have a 50K mile warranty.

These are available at tires-easy.com 

Laufenn G Fit 4S

 

The product data sheet is here: https://www.laufenn.com/en/front/pdf/laufenn_catalog_us_g_fit_4s.pdf

Here is a custom commercial for it courtesy of ChatGPT:

The Laufenn G Fit 4S is the smart choice for drivers who want confidence in every season without breaking the bank. Featuring the coveted 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) rating, this all-weather tire is built to deliver reliable traction even in challenging winter conditions, so you can drive with peace of mind when the snow starts falling. Backed by an impressive 60,000-mile treadwear warranty, the G Fit 4S combines long-lasting durability with exceptional value, making it an ideal match for your 2025 Nissan Leaf S. And with its very reasonable price point, you’ll enjoy excellent performance, year-round safety, and outstanding savings all in one tire.

These are available at Discount Tire.

These seem very similar to the Michelin CrossClimate2 tires, in appearance at least, but are much cheaper.

Tiers 1, 2 and 3

 Tier 1 Tires are the top of line and have a stellar reputation.  They are also way more expensive and probably not worth the extra cost.  So avoid them unless you are rich or are convinced that you need the extra quality.

Continental

Michelin

Pirelli (This may be Tier 2, but I think it is Tier 1)

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Tier 2 Tires are brands that think they are Tier 1, and charge like it but they are a step behind.  So avoid them.  If you really want the quality, go with Tier 1.  If you are trying to save money, go with Tier 3.  So these are all overpriced for the quality (my subjective opinion).  Some of these really belong in Tier 1, and some belong in Tier 3.  But some are really excellent and just slightly more expensive than the Tier 3 tires.

BF Goodrich

Bridgestone  (Some people think this is Tier 1 but I personally disagree).

Carlisle/Carlstar

Continental sub-brands (Barum, Mabor, Matador, Semperit, Viking, Sportiva)

Cooper

Dunlop

Firestone (owned by Bridgestone)

General (Continental sub-brand)

Goodyear (This may be Tier 1)

Hankook

Kumho

Nitto

Nokian

Sailun (Hankook sub-brand)

Sumitomo (may be Tier 3)

Toyo

Uniroyal (Continental sub-brand)

Vogue (way overpriced, may be Tier 3)

Vredestein

Yokohama

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Tier 3 Tires are the sweet spot in my subjective opinion.  They are less expensive but are almost the same quality as the higher tiers.  In order to make this tier, they must have a warranty of at least 40,000 miles on their tires.  I would say to take a chance on these.  For the price you almost can't go wrong.

Armstrong

Arroyo

GT Radial

Falken

Goodyear Reliant (only at Walmart)

Hercules

Hoosier

Kelly

Kenda

Laufenn

Milestar

Nexen

Radar

Trelleborg

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I have probably misclassified some, and some of these are my subjective rankings.

Tier 4 Tires - unknown quality

 Tier 4 tires are mostly unknown.  Probably most of them should be put in Tier 5, but these need more research.  The best you can say about them is that they don't have the reputation of being among the worst - because no one has ever heard of them.  Some of these are underrated and deserve being rated higher.  So I would avoid them unless you have heard something good about them.

Advance, Advanta, Airloc, Alliance, American Farmer, American Road Star, Americus, AMP, Apollo, Ardent, Arisun, Ascenso, ATF Tires, Atlas

BKT, Blackhawk

Cambridge, Castle Rock, Celimo, Centennial, Cosmo, Crop Max, Crossmax, Crosswind

Deestone, Delinte, Delta, Doral, Double Coin, Duramas, Duro, Durun, Dynatrac

Eurogrip, Evoluxx

Federal, Forceland, Forceum, Freedom Hauler, Freestar, Fullrun, Fullway, Fury, Fuzion

Galaxy, GBC, Giovanna, Gladiator, Goodtrip, Grand Spirit, Green Max, Greenball,Gremax, Grit Master, Groundspeed

Haida, Harvest King, Heritage, Hi-Run, HiFly

Iris, Ironhead, Ironman, ITP

JK Tyre

K9, Kanati, Kontio

Lancaster, Landgolden, Landsail, Landspider, Leao, Lexani, Lionhart

Master, Mastercraft, Matrax, Maxxis, Mesa, Mickey Thompson, Momo, Montreal, Mud Claw, Multi-Mile

NAMA, Nanco, National, NeoTerra, Nika

Ohtsu, Otani, OTR

Pantera, Paragon, Patriot, Performer, Petlas, Power King, Predator, PrimeX, Prometer

RBP, Road One, Roadmaster, RoadX, Rovelo, RubberMaster

Samson, Sceptor, Solar, Sotera, Starfire, Starmaxx, Sumitomo, Summit, Supercargo, Supermax, Suretrac

TBB, Tesche, Titan, Tornel, Tourador, Towstar,Trac Gard, Trail Guide, Trailer King, Trailer Master, TransEagle, Transmax, Transporter

Vantage, Vee Rubber, Velozza, Venezia, Venom Power, Vercelli, Versatyre, Vitour, Vizzoni

WDT, Wild Spirit, Wild Trail

Zeemax, Zeetex, Zenna, Zeta

Tier 5 Tires - brands to avoid

 These have the reputation of being the worst. These are the Tier 5, the bottom of the barrel.  Don't ever buy these.  Most of these are from China.

Accelera

Achilles Radial

AKS Tires 

Atturo

Autogreen

Blackhawk

Chaoyang

Compass

Dextero

Douglas (subbrand of Goodyear)

El Dorado

Evergreen

Fortune

Geostar (subbrand of Nexen)

Goodride

Prinx

Solar

Sunny

Supermax

Thunderer

Travelstar

Triangle

Unicorn (Sunfull, Travelstar, Mastertrack)

Waterfall

West Lake (U.S. company)

$360 billion deficit in August 2025

 The federal budget deficit totaled $2.0 trillion [actually $1.989 trillion] in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2025, the Congressional Budget Office estimates. That amount is $92 billion more than the deficit recorded during the same period last fiscal year.

The deficit in August 2025 was $360 billion, CBO estimates—$20 billion (or 5 percent) less than the amount recorded in August 2024.

Net interest for August was $95 billion (942 - 847).

Spending for Social Security benefits rose by $111 billion (or 8 percent) (compared to the same 11 month period last fiscal year).

The Federal Reserve had a deficit of $2.5 billion for the month (as of 8/27/25) for a cumulative deficit of $240.6 billion.

The debt to the public was $29.969 trillion as of 8/29/25, compared to $28.168 trillion as of 8/30/24, so it increased 6.4% over the last 12 months.

French government collapses; Prime Minister Bayrou to resign

 https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/french-investors-should-brace-further-tempests

Bayrou is reportedly going to submit his resignation to Macron early Tuesday, according to a government course. Macron has limited options to steer France out of this crisis, according to PoliticoEU. He is reportedly leaning toward appointing another prime minister — the fifth since January 2024 — but a new premier would face the same intractable parliament. So too would a technical government made up of civil servants. Another snap election looks unappetizing, though, as it could easily deliver another hung parliament. In an extreme scenario, Macron could even resign, but that’s highly unlikely given his past statements.

I don't really understand any of this.  It doesn't stop me from having an opinion though!  Macron should resign and call for elections, Marine Le Pen should become president, and France should leave the EU (Frexit) and Eurozone, default on all their debt and reintroduce the French franc.  Then they could experiment with the Magical Money Tree, which they can't do while they are in the EU.  

This is so interesting, because France is previewing that will happen in the United States, but they are 20 years further into collapse than we are.

=============================

ChatGPT, are you familiar with the political situation in France? I am reading at article at https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/french-investors-should-brace-further-tempests . It says that Macron has several options, none of which seem appealing. If you were an advisor to President Macron, which option would you advise him to take?

ChatGPT said:

You’re absolutely right that President Emmanuel Macron faces an unenviable predicament—and the recent political developments confirm just how precarious the situation has become.

Current snapshot (as of September 8, 2025)

• Prime Minister François Bayrou was ousted in a confidence vote, with 364 deputies voting against his budget and only 194 in support, forcing his resignation ReutersFinancial Times.

• This marks yet another unstable chapter—Bayrou is Macron’s third prime minister to fall in just over a year and his fifth PM since 2022 The GuardianWikipedia.

• France grapples with soaring public debt (around 114 % of GDP) and a lingering deficit far above EU thresholds ReutersFinancial Times.

• The political landscape remains deeply fragmented, with no clear majority and rising unrest, including planned strikes and protests Financial TimesThe Guardian.

• Financial markets are on edge: bond yields are spiking, investor confidence is shaky, and credit ratings hang in the balance Financial TimesReuters.

Within this context, Macron’s choices are limited—and none are ideal:

---

The Options on the Table

1. Appoint a new Prime Minister (e.g., a centrist or a center-left figure such as Finance Minister Lombard or someone who can court Socialist support).
   ‣ May help push through fiscal measures—but success is far from guaranteed in this divided National Assembly zerohedge.comThe Guardian.

2. Form a technical government of technocrats or civil servants.
   ‣ This could temporarily stabilize decision-making—but lacks political legitimacy and risks igniting public backlash zerohedge.com.

3. Dissolve Parliament and call early legislative elections.
   ‣ Could reset the political equation—but polls show Macron’s Ensemble bloc is weak (~15 %), while the National Rally sits above ~32–33 % zerohedge.comReuters. The risk: a hung Parliament or even an RN-led government—potentially disastrous.

4. Resign himself.
   ‣ Virtually off the table (Macron has stated he will not resign before his term ends in April 2027), though this option remains theoretically possible zerohedge.com.

---

If I were advising President Macron…

Given the gravity and complexity of the situation, my recommendation would be:

Appoint a new Prime Minister who is credible to both centrist and left-wing parties and bring the Socialist Party (PS) into a fragile but necessary coalition.

This option offers the best route to maintain state functionality, restore some investor confidence, and allow France to move forward—albeit imperfectly.

Why this might work:

• It avoids the chaos and unpredictability of snap elections, which could empower the National Rally or produce another hung Parliament—fueling even more instability.

• A technocratic government, while potentially efficient, would lack democratic legitimacy and could provoke further unrest from unions and voters.

• Even though the Socialist Party is not enthusiastic about austerity—or Macron’s economic agenda—forming a coalition could facilitate incremental compromise, enabling a smaller, more palatable version of fiscal reform to pass.

• Having a PM with cross-spectrum credibility might calm markets by offering a tangible path forward—even if minor—rather than kicking the can further down the road.

Key steps would include:

1. Identify a PM candidate respected across the political divide (someone like Lombard or another moderate with statutory, technocratic—and perhaps Socialist—credibility).

2. Negotiate a pragmatic budget path that trims spending enough to placate EU and investor concerns, but with adjustments to reduce social impact—e.g., preserving public holidays or cushioning the most vulnerable.

3. Stagger reforms, starting with less controversial measures while building trust with partner parties and unions before tackling tougher austerity.

4. Contain social unrest by announcing dialogue with unions and civic groups, even as fiscal discipline is emphasized.

This approach is far from a panacea—but amidst the current deep institutional gridlock, it offers a path that preserves democratic legitimacy, avoids empowering extremists, and keeps France operational while slowly addressing fiscal challenges.

---

In summary

As an advisor, I’d counsel Macron to appoint a broadly acceptable, moderate prime minister who can command a fragile coalition, preferably involving the Socialist Party. It’s the least destabilizing option, offering a chance to balance fiscal responsibility with political viability—while postponing, though not eliminating, the risk of future upheaval.

Martin Armstrong: the economist imprisoned for predicting the future

 

This is a very interesting video about Martin Armstrong, who was held in jail for 6 years, from 2000 to 2006 on contempt charges.  The judge believed that he had gold bars and gold coins and art worth about $15 million that he was hiding and he wanted Martin to turn it over.  Martin claimed that his enemies wanted access to his computer models.  Martin sure isn't perfect, but it is horrible what happened to him.  Shame on Judge Richard Owen.

 

Debt to the Public hits $30 trillion

 On 9/2/25, the debt to the public stood at $30,105,889,987,086.45.  This was only 2 months after it first hit $29 trillion.  But things are not as bad as they seem since some of this was the Treasury refilling its general account.

I have a theory that the balances follow a 2 year pattern (see also) where they increase by $4 trillion, so lets look at the history.  The debt to the public first hit $26 trillion on 8/31/2023, which is almost exactly 2 years ago.  Then it hit $22 trillion on 4/30/21, (which is a bit more than 2 years), and $17 trillion on 11/7/2019 (which is less than 2 years before that).  

So the parallel dates, as I called them before, are 11/7/19, 4/30/21, 8/31/23, and 9/2/25.

So the theory is that even though the debt is rapidly increasing, it is increasing only in a linear fashion and not exponentially. 

=====================

When was the debt to the public at $15 trillion? On 2/15/2018, which was only about 7.5 years ago.  At the time, I noticed that the debt to the public first hit $7.5 trillion on 9/15/2009, which was about 8.5 years prior.  Also at that time, I made a prediction: 

 If it takes 8.5 years to double, we should be at $30 trillion held by the public on 8/15/2026.

So we beat that by almost an entire year.  If the debt to the public is doubling every 8 years, then it should hit $60 trillion about 9/1/2033.  (This contradicts the 2 year pattern theory).

====================

The debt to the public should hit $31 trillion about 3/1/26, 6 months from now.