The National Trust for Historic Preservation and allies argue the administration moved ahead without required reviews or congressional approval. A federal district judge ordered work paused until Congress authorizes completion. The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit later held that whether to build a “massive ballroom” is a choice for Congress, not the executive branch alone. An opinion in the case states the ballroom exceeds the executive residence’s statutory authority.

The national debt surpassed a record $40 trillion on Wednesday, a staggering milestone as defense costs, social programs like Social Security and Medicare and interest on the burgeoning deficit make up an enormous share of federal spending.

The US military has launched a daring logistical operation in the heart of the Middle East. As the Axios portal found out, the United States organized the secret transportation of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, ignoring Tehran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

According to the newspaper, from 15 to 20 oil tankers pass through the southern channel of the strait along the coast of Oman every day. The total volume of exported oil reaches about 10 million barrels per day, which is about half of the figures recorded before the outbreak of the conflict in the region.

“How did you go bankrupt?  Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.” This quote appears in Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises.

In the dialogue, the character Mike Campbell responds to Bill Gorton’s question with this line, highlighting how financial ruin often results from small, compounding compromises before a final, decisive collapse.

The following are my notes from and my reactions to a Chris Martenson video on the imminent collapse of all Western currencies.

Posted by Tyler Durden, Authored by Andrew Korybko,