The United States’ dependence on manufacturing as a source of growth has waned over the years. Today, manufacturing accounts for about 10 percent of GDP, down from 13 percent 20 years ago—and as much as 25 percent of GDP in the 1950s, according to an analysis published in November 2024 by Coalition for a Prosperous America, a nonprofit representing domestic manufacturers, using World Bank data.

The administration might be striving to return to the times when industrial output contributed more to America’s growth prospects.

As the worldwide economy braces for these levies to go into effect next month, industry experts and economic observers are debating the efficacy of the president’s trade pursuits.

The White House, meanwhile, may be looking at recent data and broader market developments. […]

— Read More: www.theepochtimes.com

There is nothing a green energy company can do or be accused of that will prevent governments from throwing money at it.

Flashback from 2021.

Electric truck maker Nikola said Thursday it was approved for a $2 million grant from the Energy Department — news that comes despite the fact that the company’s founder and largest shareholder faces federal criminal charges for deceiving shareholders.

Nikola has yet to produce any trucks ready for sale. It has promised to build 25 and 50 trucks by the end of the year, but it is not certain it will have all the parts needed to complete the trucks as planned.

This is a company that had been founded in 2014 and at one point had a higher valuation than Ford which had yet to figure out how to get the parts to build… 25 trucks.

Or get a truck to actually drive down a highway. […]

— Read More: www.frontpagemag.com

Jake Sherman, the founder of Punchbowl News shared words that Trump had told reporters while on Air Force One, citing Tarini Parti, a White House reporter with the Wall Street Journal as a source.

“I think that we should govern the District of Columbia … I think that we should run it strong, run it with law and order, make it absolutely flawless,” Trump was reported as having said, according to the press pool. “And I think we should take over Washington, D.C. We could save people from getting killed. They have a great police department there. Somehow they’re not utilized properly. We should govern D.C. The federal government should take over the governance of D.C. And run it really, really properly.”

Trump says the federal government should run D.C., per pooler @tparti pic.twitter.com/LZuUdWhxDi

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) February 20, 2025

Trump also shared that while he liked Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser (D), gets “along great with the mayor,” the government of D.C. was “not doing the job,” according to the press pool.

“I like the mayor, I get along great with the mayor, they’re not doing the job — too much crime, too much graffiti, too many tents on the lawns, there’s magnificent lawns and there’s tents. It’s a sad thing, homeless people all over the place, we’ve gotta take care of the homeless,” Trump added, according to the press pool. “But we can’t have that in Washington, D.C.” […]

— Read More: www.breitbart.com

Senate Bill 21, introduced by Republican State Sen. Charles Schwertner, would establish the Texas Strategic Bitcoin Reserve to invest in cryptocurrency.

The bill’s language suggested that the state is seeking to protect its finances against future inflation and economic volatility.

While introducing the bill on Feb. 18 at the Senate Committee on Business and Commerce, Schwertner said it was getting attention from Washington and states concerned with federal spending.

Bitcoin and cryptocurrency have been steadily gaining acceptance in the United States. […]

— Read More: www.theepochtimes.com

None of the 80 passengers and crew died from the crash, but 21 people were injured, and only one of those is still hospitalized as of Wednesday. The plane flew out of Minneapolis, and the crash is being investigated by the Canadian Transportation Safety Board and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.

A spokesperson for Delta Airlines said the company’s Care Team is telling passengers that “this gesture has no strings attached and does not affect rights,” according to NBC News.

It is not clear how the passengers can claim their money, or how many have decided to take the funds so far. But if all 76 passengers accept the compensation the airline would need to pay nearly $2.3 million.

It is also not clear if the four crew members on the plane will be offered any compensation. […]

— Read More: justthenews.com

This move comes as the company struggles to find a suitable buyer for its remaining operations; without one, the entire chain of around 350 stores may face liquidation.

Notably, many of the stores slated for closure have been unprofitable for years.

The Forever 21 brand is currently owned by Authentic Brands Group (ABG), which licenses it to the operating company F21 OpCo.

F21 OpCo was recently acquired by Catalyst Brands, a conglomerate that also oversees retail names like Aéropostale and Eddie Bauer. […]

— Read More: endtimeheadlines.org

Musk posted on the X platform on Tuesday, saying he would “check with the president” about a proposal to send $5,000 checks to every American using money saved by DOGE’s cost-cutting operations.

The idea was initially proposed by James Fishback, a partner at the investment firm Azoria.

He explained the idea as follows:

Few in America knew precisely what to expect from DOGE. The early perceived turbulence around leadership, the uncertainty around legal structure, and the lack of precedent for such a bold initiative created a sense of “show me” with DOGE. Just a month into President Trump’s second term, DOGE is delivering. Full stop.

With DOGE reportedly achieving $1 billion in savings per day, President Trump has an opportunity to work with Congress to take DOGE one step further and deliver what we at Azoria call the “DOGE Dividend,” a tax refund check to be sent after the expiration of DOGE in July 2026 funded exclusively with a portion of the total savings delivered by DOGE. […]

— Read More: www.thegatewaypundit.com

But not beyond my imagination.

Mohammed Ali once said, “It ain’t bragging if you can back it up.” Well, I can back it up.

I’ve spent the past decade on my TV and radio shows reporting, warning and screaming from the highest mountaintops that…

• Politicians and government employees are robbing and raping taxpayers.
• Politicians and government employees are crooked and corrupt.
• Politicians and government employees live by the credo, “We make $170,000 a year, PLUS all we can steal.”
• Politicians and government employees are lazy and incompetent, don’t know how to do an honest day’s work, and live by stealing from taxpayers.
• There are way too many government employees. We could operate government just fine by firing half of the government employees.
• Politicians and government employees have stolen and looted TRILLIONS of dollars from taxpayers. That’s why people making $170,000 a year are retiring as multi-millionaires. That’s not possible.

After paying taxes, and paying for kids, and college educations, and mortgages, and property taxes, and often alimony too- no one can become a multi-millionaire on $170,000 a year. Something is wrong. […]

— Read More: rootforamerica.com

Over the last few weeks, the department under Elon Musk has had its sights set on nearly a dozen government agencies, most notably USAID. On Monday this week, the talk shifted when the DOGE revealed that the U.S. Treasury spent up to $4.7 trillion in untraceable payments.

The Trump administration is doing exactly what it said it would do and exactly what the people elected it do — expose and eliminate wasteful government spending.

Democrats, however, calling the DOGE’s actions unconstitutional, have launched “a flurry of lawsuits,” says Jill Savage of “Blaze News Tonight.”

Recent polling indicates that the bureaucracy, as it struggles to survive, is unabashedly bucking the will of the people. […]

— Read More: www.theblaze.com

This significant drug seizure occurred shortly after Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed to enhance border security following tariff threats by U.S. President Donald J. Trump. These tariffs were set to affect all goods exported to the U.S., Mexico’s largest trading partner. As part of an agreement reached on February 3, Sheinbaum pledged to deploy 10,000 national guard soldiers to Mexico’s border with the U.S., focusing efforts on blocking fentanyl trafficking. President Trump, in return, agreed to delay the imposition of tariffs for a month while monitoring progress.

The issue of drug trafficking has been a focal point for Trump, who moved to designate Mexican drug cartels, including the Sinaloa Cartel, as foreign terrorist organizations. This designation was one of Trump’s first executive actions as he returned to office.

The battle against drug trafficking is further supported by initiatives such as a covert American drone program to identify fentanyl laboratories in Mexico. The National Pulse has previously reported the Mexican Senate approved a measure allowing U.S. military personnel to train Mexican counterparts, extending their presence until the end of March. […]

— Read More: thenationalpulse.com