Out of Order at Biden’s Border

“Open Sesame!” and you’re across the mythical Biden’s Border into the Land of Milk and Honey. [The Rude Awakening] February 15, 2024 [WEBSITE]( | [UNSUBSCRIBE]( Out of Order at Biden’s Border [Patrol convoy] [Sean Ring] SEAN RING If you thought Biden Bucks were bad, try Biden’s Border. You don’t need tanks to overcome it, nor planes to fly over it. Not even a fake horse full of Greeks is required. Hell, you don’t even have to say, “Open Sesame!” Thanks to the cartels, there are thousands of miles of tunnels underground that illegal aliens can just walk through. And no, I’m not referring to Mexicans, who aren’t even the most prominent group invading the United States. No, this was planned long ago, with a certain former vice president, the then-director of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and the deputy homeland security secretary. Of course, they’ve both been promoted since this little video was taken in 2015. [Biden] Credit: [InqvisitorMagnvs]( via YouTube Here’s the transcript: Not only our Muslim communities but African communities, Asian communities, Hispanic communities. And the wave still continues. It's not going to stop nor should we want it to stop. As a matter of fact, it's one of the things I think we can be most proud of. There's a second thing in that black box. An unrelenting stream of immigration. Non-stop. Non-stop. Folks like me who are Caucasian of European descent for the first time in 2017 will be an absolute minority in the United States of America. Absolute minority. Fewer than 50 percent of the people in America from then on will be White European stock. That's not a bad thing. That's a source of our strength. Three months ago, I wrote a piece titled “[The Terrorist Attacks of 2025]( In it, I postulated that we’ve got massive problems with Biden’s Border. Still, terrorist attacks resulting from it won’t happen until 2025, you know, when the Once and Future President returns to the Oval Office. I’ve never felt stronger about that assertion than I do today. [Click here to learn more]( [The Biblical Reckoning has arrived Genesis 47:15]( In his 2011 book Currency Wars… Jim Rickards issued a warning that came from the book of Genesis… One that could spell an [economic reckoning]( of biblical proportions. Now it looks like that prediction is starting to come true. And you may not have long to prepare. That’s why Jim published a major update to that warning… To tell you exactly what he recommends you do next. [And you can view it by clicking here.]( [Click Here To Learn More]( The Axios Exclusive Alex Thompson and Stef W. Kight over at Axios published an exclusive titled “[How Biden botched the border]( I don’t agree with much of it. For instance, they stuck in this nugget: Reality check: Much of the current crisis is rooted in factors Biden's team has had little control over — including unprecedented global calamities that have pushed millions of migrants to the U.S., decades of congressional inaction, and the state of key agencies after the Trump administration. That’s complete bullshit. Biden could have done this if he intended to - or thought it’d hurt his re-election chances earlier. But let’s get to the meat. The President blew up at his team on Air Force One when they couldn’t recite obscure immigration data immediately. Journalist Bill Melugin has summarized the best parts via [Zero Hedge]( - Susan Rice called Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra a “bitch ass” and “idiot.” - VP Harris’s team made it clear her responsibilities “began and ended” with root causes in just the three Northern Triangle countries and Mexico. A former Biden administration official said Harris has been “at best, ineffective.” - Mayorkas disagreed with Biden’s 100-day halt on deportations. - Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall displayed inexperience. She asked for a memo explaining the difference between refugees and asylum seekers. - Biden admin has listened to “vocal immigration advocates outside the administration.” - “The White House generally didn't want to talk publicly about immigration or the border for much of Biden's first three years, feeling it would draw attention to a political vulnerability.” - “Publicly, the White House also initially downplayed jumps in illegal border crossings as normal "ebbs and flows" — even as some internally pushed to acknowledge that the problem was significant.” Extended Version As pork is “the other white meat,” Susan Rice is “the other black woman” who could’ve been Veep. But Biden chose Kamala, and Rice has been salty ever since. Kamala Harris and her team were only concerned about her narrow assignment of monitoring the Northern Triangle countries. There are three Central American nations: Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. These countries are often referred to collectively due to their geographical proximity, shared historical and cultural background, and similar challenges, such as poverty, gang violence, and political instability. These factors are also linked to significant migration flows from the Northern Triangle towards the United States, making the region a major point of focus in US immigration policy. In short, these countries are staging points for illegal immigrants journeying through Mexico to the United States. Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall should know that an asylum seeker is seeking status, while a refugee has been granted status. Asylum seekers are in a waiting period, while refugees have gone through the official recognition process. Not all asylum seekers will be granted refugee status. Their claim needs to meet specific criteria. Of course, the Biden White House knew the border was a much larger problem than they let on, and they are now scrambling to fix it. They won’t, partly because of incompetence and partly because they don’t want to stop all those new Democrat voters from entering the country. But a huge problem has emerged. The Mayorkas Impeachment On February 13, 2024, the House of Representatives impeached Alejandro Mayorkas, the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, on two charges: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The charges related to Mayorkas's handling of the ongoing border crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. The impeachment vote was mainly along party lines, with all but three Republicans voting in favor of impeachment and all Democrats voting against it. After weeks of debate and hearings in the House of Representatives, the House held the vote, in which Mayorkas defended his record and denied any wrongdoing. The articles of impeachment against Mayorkas allege that he abused his power by "willfully and systematically" failing to enforce federal immigration laws at the border. They also allege that he obstructed Congress by refusing to comply with subpoenas and making false statements to Congress about the border situation. Mayorkas has denied all of the charges against him, calling the impeachment a "partisan attack" and a "sham." He has argued that he follows the Biden administration's law and policies. The Senate now has the power to decide whether to hold a trial on Mayorkas's impeachment and, if so, whether to convict him and remove him from office. The trial is expected to begin in March 2024. The impeachment of Mayorkas is a highly partisan affair, with Republicans mainly in favor of it and Democrats largely opposed to it. The impeachment is likely to divide the country along political lines further. The impeachment of Mayorkas is also likely to impact the upcoming presidential election. Immigration is a major concern for many voters, and the impeachment could help energize voters on both sides of the issue. Wrap Up Whether it’s New York City Mayor Eric Adams whining about migrants or Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, even the left realizes what a colossal screw-up this problem is. America can’t afford these migrants, and the “sanctuary cities” are bailing out. We’ll be left with 10,000,000 potentially angry and unwelcome people inside our borders. Even if only 0.5% are pissed off, that’s 50,000 potential felons you’re dealing with. But don’t worry, like good Democrats, the attacks won’t start until 2025. In the meantime, the market rebounded yesterday, and all’s well. All the best, [Sean Ring] Sean Ring Editor, Rude Awakening X (formerly Twitter): [@seaniechaos]( In Case You Missed It… Sticky Inflation Backstabs Market [Sean Ring] SEAN RING Yesterday’s inflation numbers sucked. First, the headline number was 3.1% year-on-year, while the market expected 2.9%. What’s the difference, you ask? Nothing in the present. But 0.2% compounded, on top of all the other idiotically high numbers over the past few years, starts to add up. But really, the market has to pick a target. And when the USG misses, the market reacts - sometimes severely. What Happened? Yesterday’s market thumping was the first real sign that we’re getting toppy this year. I still think the SPX will hit 6,000, and gold will hit at least $2,500. But we may have to suffer a bit of turbulence first. And I’m not blaming Jay Powell for this one. This lies squarely on our barely conscious President, his feckless Congress, and his somewhat vacant Treasury Secretary. While the Fed has tightened rates - and left them there - the Executive and Legislative branches have been spending like drunken pirates just off the ship in Tortuga. But before we go further, let’s get [the details from the horse’s mouth]( (bolds mine): The all-items index rose 3.1 percent for the 12 months ending January, a smaller increase than the 3.4 percent increase for the 12 months ending December. The all items less food and energy index rose 3.9 percent over the last 12 months, the same increase as for the 12 months ending December. The energy index decreased by 4.6 percent for the 12 months ending January, while the food index increased 2.6 percent over the last year. The first bold is the aforementioned headline number. It missed. Sure, from December, the number came down from 3.4%, and that’s good. But it didn’t come in under 3.0%, which is what the market was looking for. The real gut punch was the second bold. Excluding the two most critical civilizational requirements, food and energy, the rest of the products rose nearly 4%. Inflation is gone? Like hell, it is! And this is where we must feel just a bit of sympathy for our weary Fed Chairman. Sure, he started hiking too late and then hiked too quickly. But he didn’t fold like a deckchair when the market requested cuts. His monetary policy has been tighter than Scrooge’s wallet. No, Jay Powell essentially said, “F*ck your cuts and shut the f*cking door!” But it’s to no avail. And that’s thanks to the government’s remarkably expansionary fiscal policy. The total government debt outstanding is now $34.2 trillion, which gives America a 122.8% debt-to-GDP ratio - positively Greek! The third bold is quite interesting, as the energy index decreased and the food index increased. The food index increase is no surprise. With all the supply chain difficulties, that was to be expected. But I’ll ask a question I asked in Friday’s Rude again. If you knew the Suez was cut off to any Israel-allied vessel, wars were raging in Ukraine and Israel, and Taiwan was getting ready to defend itself, what do you think oil would be trading at? $100? $125? $150? Well, oil finally got goosed today, but only to $77! Our economy isn’t in a technical recession only by the “grace” of an insane deficit. And now a word from our favorite Nobel Prize winner: [CPI] Credit: [@paulkrugman]( And he wonders why he didn’t get the Fed chair instead of his old Princeton buddy Bernanke! Jillian Michaels, whoever that is, explains it to Bill Maher much better: [Chief Nerd] Credit: [@TheChiefNerd]( Clearly, we’ve not slayed inflation, and that has knock-on effects. The Dollar Popped Jay Powell will keep the punch bowl away for longer. That means higher rates for longer, and the dollar acted accordingly: [USD] The dollar popped nearly a point in one session. The probability of the Fed cutting rates in March now stands at 8.5%. I can’t see it happening until midyear, myself. [PREDICTION: The Next Trillion-Dollar Stock]( In 2007, he predicted Facebook would become a $100 billion company. In 2010, he predicted Apple would reach a three-trillion-dollar valuation. In 2013, he called Bitcoin -- before it rose 50,000% and ultimately reached a trillion-dollar market cap. And now, this A.I. Genius is stepping into the spotlight to predict the next-trillion stock. [To see his shocking new reveal, go here now](. [Click Here To Learn More]( Bonds Puked It’s not so much that TLT fell. It’s that there’s a load of space between here and the next level. [TLT] Lower highs and now a lower low - not great. We're looking to close that gap at 84. Stocks Puked I’ve seen boxers look better after they’ve fought Tyson in his prime. [Market Overview] Credit: StockCharts.com Nothing looked good, especially the VIX, which popped up to 18 before calming down at 15.85. The VIX is a measure of the expected forward volatility of the SPX. The higher that number, the worse it is. But kudos to Nvidia (NVDA), which nearly recovered all its losses on the day: [Nvda] Everything else got carted out. Mr. Slammy Smashed Gold On the New York open, Mr. Slammy decided he had had enough. Gold was down $40, below $2,000 for the first time in a long time. [XAUSD] Credit: [Kitco]( If the inflation story is real, why is gold down? Because Mr. Slammy is a bastard, that’s why. Bitcoin Withstands The Biggest Coin of Them All is holding its own. [BTUSD] It's still just a bit below $50,000—nice one. I’d like to see that kind of grit in gold. Wrap Up Sell everything? Of course not. But now we know where the market is vulnerable. Equities and gold may recover tomorrow. You never know with this crazy market. But I can tell you one thing: Joke Biden won’t like this one bit, and he’ll be pulling every lever he can to get the markets back onside. Let’s see how it plays out before doing anything rash. All the best, [Sean Ring] Sean Ring Editor, Rude Awakening Twitter: [@seaniechaos]( [Paradigm]( ☰ ⊗ [ARCHIVE]( [ABOUT]( [Contact Us]( © 2024 Paradigm Press, LLC. 1001 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. By submitting your email address, you consent to Paradigm Press, LLC. delivering daily email issues and advertisements. To end your Rude Awakening e-mail subscription and associated external offers sent from Rude Awakening, feel free to [click here.]( Please note: the mailbox associated with this email address is not monitored, so do not reply to this message. We welcome comments or suggestions at feedback@rudeawakening.info. This address is for feedback only. For questions about your account or to speak with customer service, [contact us here]( or call (844)-731-0984. Although our employees may answer your general customer service questions, they are not licensed under securities laws to address your particular investment situation. No communication by our employees to you should be deemed as personalized financial advice. We allow the editors of our publications to recommend securities that they own themselves. However, our policy prohibits editors from exiting a personal trade while the recommendation to subscribers is open. In no circumstance may an editor sell a security before subscribers have a fair opportunity to exit. The length of time an editor must wait after subscribers have been advised to exit a play depends on the type of publication. All other employees and agents must wait 24 hours after on-line publication or 72 hours after the mailing of a printed-only publication prior to following an initial recommendation. Any investments recommended in this letter should be made only after consulting with your investment advisor and only after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company. Rude Awakening is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. We do not rent or share your email address. Please read our [Privacy Statement.]( If you are having trouble receiving your Rude Awakening subscription, you can ensure its arrival in your mailbox by [whitelisting Rude Awakening.](