USA - Poor consumers are running out of money. Dollar General suffered a record one-day drop as the company’s stock tanked amid a warning about the struggling US consumer. The Thursday trading day marked a slaughter for Dollar General, seeing the stock crater by an eye-watering 32.01 percent, according to Barron’s. It was the company’s worst one-day decline in history, smashing the previous record drop of 19.5 percent set on June 1, 2023. Dollar General has been publicly traded since 2009. Dollar General is no small player. According to the Financial Times, the Tennessee-based company has over 20,000 locations across all but two states. The retailer’s painful decline hints at larger troubles with consumers and the American economy. Dollar General’s core customers are typically from households that bring in less than $35,000. Compounding the problems for Dollar General are societal issues all stores are now facing: chiefly, shoplifting and other forms of theft.

POLAND - Poland’s budget for 2025 includes record military spending of $48.7 billion, officials said Wednesday, as the Ukraine war continues to ramp security concerns across Europe. Poland is already NATO’s biggest defence spender, with plans to outlay 4.1 percent of GDP in 2024. However, the Polish government is considering increasing the defence budget again by 0.6 percentage points further next year, AP reports. Finance Minister Andrzej Domanski said the unprecedented defence spending proposal would constitute 4.7 percent of gross domestic product, compared to 4.1 percent this year, and follows calls made by former President Donald Trump for NATO members to spend more on defense and rely less on the US to come to their aid.

RUSSIA - Russia’s warning this week of “World War III” as it grapples with Ukrainian attacks deep into the country has survivalists and preppers on high alert for nuclear war spreading to the United States. “It is a realistic threat, especially with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s reputation, rule, and predicament,” a just-issued warning to members of the national network of Fortitude Ranch members said. On its “Collapse Survivor” app, it added, “THIS IS A REAL THREAT Likelihood of Battlefield Nuclear Weapons use by Russia in Europe is High, Escalation to Strategic Nuclear Exchange unlikely but possible.” Fortitude Ranch founder Drew Miller told Secrets that the alert followed a report on Tuesday from Reuters quoting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warning about Western nations and the United States helping Ukrainian attacks on Russia.

USA - While the mainstream media focuses our attention on the upcoming election, the stage is being set for the unthinkable. If everyone truly understood where current events were taking us, there would be massive protests in every major city right now. The comfortable lifestyles that so many of us take for granted are about to be shattered. The US could soon find itself involved in several major wars simultaneously, and we are definitely not prepared for such a scenario.

CHINA - Washington must stop its collaboration with the Taiwanese military and respect China’s core interests, Chinese Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia has said, calling the Taiwan issue vital for Beijing. During a meeting with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in Beijing on Thursday, Zhang demanded that the US “stop its military collusion with Taiwan, stop arming it, and stop spreading false rumors related to it,” according to a transcript published by the Chinese Defense Ministry. Zhang added that the issue of Taiwan, which is seen by Beijing as an inalienable part of China, is “the political foundation of China-US relations” and the “number one red line that must not be crossed.”

UK - Sir Keir Starmer today denied he is 'reversing Brexit' as he used a visit to Berlin to push his promised 'reset' of Britain's relations with the European Union. The PM, speaking at a press conference alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, outlined his ambition for a new UK-Germany treaty. He said the 'wide-ranging pact', which Downing Street hopes will be signed by the end of this year, was part of a 'wider reset' of the UK's links with European capitals. But the Labour premier, who once backed a second EU referendum, added that 'does not mean reversing Brexit' or rejoining the EU's single market or customs union. Sir Keir was holding talks with senior German politicians and business leaders today before travelling to Paris for a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron tomorrow. Sir Keir added that a new defence agreement would be 'at the heart' of the UK's relationship with Germany, as he hailed the two countries' 'unyielding' support for Ukraine.

UK - Record numbers of migrants living in Britain are not working, costing taxpayers an estimated £8 billion, a report warns today. Official figures show that 1,689,000 non-UK nationals are either unemployed or classed as economically inactive because they are not looking for a job. It covers people aged between 16 and 64 who were born overseas and have the right to live in the UK, but excludes students and asylum-seekers. Researchers at the Centre for Migration Control think-tank put the cost to taxpayers of record levels of migrant worklessness at as much as £8.5 billion a year. They calculate that the total amount of public money attributed to workless migrants – including health, education, transport and housing costs, as well as welfare – could be as high as £20.3 billion. Robert Bates, research director at the Centre for Migration Control, said last night: "For all the talk of a fiscal 'black hole', the Government seem to be missing the glaringly obvious fact that mass migration is causing economic pandemonium."

USA - How many times have you heard the mainstream media tell you that the economy is doing just great in recent months? Personally, I have seen the word “booming” used over and over again to describe the economy, and it makes me sick. The level of gaslighting that we are witnessing right now is off the charts. Millions of Americans are sleeping in their vehicles, thousands of businesses are failing all over the nation, and most of the country now believes that the American Dream is no longer attainable. If this is what a “booming” economy feels like, I would hate to see what would happen during a “recession”.

MIDDLE EAST - The multi-faceted nature of what started as an Israel-Gaza conflict makes it chaotic, unpredictable, and likely to spread. With each passing day, the Middle East inches closer to a full-scale, devastating war. Multiple regional powers are involved, each being pushed by its own internal and external pressures further away from peace. The situation intensified following the events of October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, prompting a fierce response from the Israeli military. Palestinians continue to insist on a return to the 1967 borders and the establishment of their own state with East Jerusalem as its capital, while Israel refuses to make these concessions. Tensions remain high, severely complicating any attempts at a diplomatic resolution.

USA - It’s surprising how little attention we pay to the fact that the United States is still heavily involved in conflicts in Syria and Iraq. Even though the headlines have mostly moved on, there are still about 900 US troops stationed in Syria and another 2,500 in Iraq, carrying out a mission that seems increasingly unending. These soldiers are spread across vast swathes of the region from the Al-Tanf garrison in southeastern Syria to Al-Asad airbase in Iraq’s Anbar province. They regularly face attacks from Iran-backed militias, and these incidents have become almost routine. These forces remain integral to Operation Inherent Resolve, the mission launched in 2014 aimed at dismantling ISIS. Although the operation has largely succeeded in stripping ISIS of its territorial holdings, the broader region remains a tinderbox.

UK - A series of bizarre developments that have unfolded in Great Britain over the last few weeks suggest that its financial system came to the verge of collapse, probably as a consequence of Ukraine’s debt default. The last thing the people in power will tell us is the truth, but if we dig in dark places and connect the dots, I believe the conclusion practically makes itself. The consequences for Britain, and probably for “his majesty’s” other dominions will be extreme.

GERMANY - Germany has been dismissed as “crazy” by businesses. The country is pushing the use of solar power and other forms of renewable energy, and as part of that has said people should pay more for electricity usage on days with no sun – a concept companies say will harm their competitiveness. The economy ministry outlined its energy plans earlier this month in a project called “electricity market of the future”. A key area involves varying electricity charges to discourage usage in dull weather. The proposal, which has yet to be agreed upon by Olaf Scholz’s cabinet, would see transmission charges hiked at times when wind parks and solar panels are producing too little electricity. The plan is “an admission that a volatile system based on solar and wind can’t always match supply to demand”, the council claimed in a letter to the economy ministry reported on by Die Welt newspaper.

UK - A project to develop lab-grown meat and insect products will receive £15 million of taxpayers' money as ministers seek 'alternative proteins' for Britain's meals of the future. The National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC) is being set up in the hope of finding net zero alternatives to the likes of steak and chicken. Scientists will research insects, cultured meats – produced in a lab using animal cells – and even edible algae, hoping to find tasty, affordable and healthy proteins which help to reduce emissions as the global population continues to rise. The centre will receive the funding from the UK Research and Innovation Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, and Innovate UK. Dr Rob Hancock, of the Advanced Plant Growth Centre at the James Hutton Institute, said: 'We import over £15 billion worth of protein products...'

USA - The home improvement retailer Lowe's has become the latest brand to scrap its support for Pride events and other diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) schemes in the face of consumer boycotts. Lowe's will stop cooperating with the Human Rights Campaign, a major LGBTQ group, and will no longer separate employees into so-called 'resource groups' based on race, religion or sexual identities, according to an internal memo. The company will also stop sponsoring parades, festivals, or fairs, and will instead focus on events related to its business, such as affordable housing and skilled trades education, says the memo. In recent weeks, Jack Daniel's, Harley-Davidson, Tractor Supply, and John Deere, have all reversed course on DEI in the face of anger from conservative consumers who eschew the progressive policies.

JAPAN - Japan’s strongest typhoon of the year has made landfall in the country’s south-west, bringing torrential rain and winds of up to 252 km/h (157 mph), strong enough to destroy homes. The meteorological agency said Typhoon Shanshan, referred to in Japan as Typhoon No 10, made landfall on the island of Kyushu at around 8 am. The power company said 254,610 houses were already without electricity. The meteorological agency predicted 1,100 mm (43 in) of precipitation in southern Kyushu in the 48 hours to Friday morning, around half the annual average for the area, which comprises Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures. Authorities issued a rare special typhoon warning for most parts of Kagoshima, a prefecture in southern Kyushu. Residents in at-risk areas have been urged to remain on high alert, with transport operators and airlines cancelling trains and flights.