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How Athletic Brewing competes with Heineken and Coors with focus on non-alcoholic beer.

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DJT selects as Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, who was Chief Investment Officer for George Soros before starting his own hedge fund. Bessent was investment officer for George Soros when he made the bet against the British sterling currrency. His hedge fund manages $500 million in assets. He supported Mr. Trump in his first bid in 2016 and joined his campaign effort at a time when Nikki Haley was in the primaries. While campaigning he offered economic advice to DJT and said  Trump should strive for 3+3+3 for the economy cutting the deficit to 3% of GDP, 3% GDP growth to reduce the deficit with more tax revenues, and 3 million barrels a day of oil production in the US.

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Potential Treasury nominee Kevin Warsh is given the possible role at Treasury plus appointment as Fed chairman after 2026 when Jerome Powell retires. At 35 years Kevin Warsh was the youngest governor of the Federal Reserve, America's central bank, appointed in 2006 by George Bush. At the time his appointment was criticized for lack of experience- Warsh comes from upstate New York and went to school at Shaker School in Latham, then Stanford, in economics and a JD at Harvard, followed by 7 years at Morgan Stanley. He was executive secretary of the National Economic Council in 2002. During the bank financial crisis of 2009 the lack of macro regulation led to failure of investment banks. Warsh was able top save Morgan Stanley and he acted as an avenue of information from banks to the Fed.

Warsh left the Fed in 2011 and returned to public service in 2016 when Trump made his first run for president as an adviser to DJT. 

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The debt brake put into the German Constitution by Angela Merkel's government in 2009 to limit the structural budget deficit to 0.35% of GDP during the 2009 financial crisis caused by poor banking behaviour, and in the 2015 eurozone debt crisis with overborrowing by Greece and Spain, is no longer relevant in 2024. It can be said that Merkel made some mistakes- not investing in digitization, in infrastructure and making the German economy dependent on low cost oil and gas from Russia. Putting the debt brake in the German Constitution and setting it at 0.35% of GDP except in emergencies adds to these mistakes, because it deprives policymakers and government of the minimum needed flexibility to meet changing situations in the interests of the German people.    It means there is no money to invest in the country's future, no money for infrastructure even when it is old and crumbling for roads, bridges rail stations and airports, no money for digitization of the economy in which Germany has fallen behind, not enough for defense, and no money to fund needs in education, healthcare, childcare. And not enough money to invest in climate change action. Absent this investment the German economy falls behind, jobs become precarious and public dissatisfaction leads to volatile political situation. ...

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Was Merkel right in setting an amendment to the German Constitution to limit the structural budget deficit to 0.35% of GDP. It is called the Schuldenbremse Amendment. It means there is no money to invest in the country's future, no money for infrastructure even when it is old and crumbling for roads, bridges rail stations and airports, no money for digitization of the economy in which Germany has fallen behind, not enough for defense, and no money to fund needs in education, healthcare, childcare. And not enough money to invest in climate change action. Absent this investment the German economy falls behind, jobs become precarious and public dissatisfaction leads to volatile political situation. Like the Republican party in the US which calls for tax cuts and no walk the talk for infrastructure investment, the CDU/CSU and FDP, have a mindset opposing investing in Germany. Investment that the Greens and SPD promised but could not deliver with the FDP in the Scholz /Habeck /Lindner coalition over 4 years. ...

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Pam Bondi is nominee for Attorney General. Pam Bondi was elected Attorney General of Florida in 2010 after serving as prosecutor and assistant state attorney. She also assisted with the DJT campaigns. Todd Blanch, federal prosecutor in Manhattan is the nominee for deputy attorney general, who assisted in the DJT defense team.

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WSJ report on Robert Kennedy Jr's efforts to remove artificial dyes in cereals used by Kellogg, General Mills, that are harmful to health and wellbeing of children and adults. RFK Jr is the nominee for Secretary Health and Human Services. Cereal made in Canada for Fruit Loops uses natural ingredients juice from carrots, water melon and blueberries to get the same colors. In the US artificial dyes are still used. When General Mills stopped using artificial dyes in Trix it changed the color and tasted bland according to food scientists in the company, leading to consumers not supporting the change. Large cereal companies are not taking the action needed when it comes to educating the public about the need for the change and making changes for healthy cereals.

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Opposition of Republican Senators and the limited political capital of the newly elected president lead Matt Gaetz to withdraw his nomination for Attorney General. Gaetz 42 years, is Congressman from Florida. After a  report on Gaetz was about to be released by the House Ethics Committee looking into allegations, and Republican disapproval in Congress, it was clear that controversial choices would be rejected.

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The British Energy Institute shows how countries are doing in fighting climate change by reducing fossil fuel use. 

Poland is poor at 88% fossil fuels in energy mix. Algeria, Singapore, Bangladesh, Oman at 98%.

In Europe Norway leads at 72% for renewqble energy in the mix. Brazil at 50% keads SOuth America, Nw Zealand 43% and Vietnam at 23% in Asia Pacific. 

Of 6525 coal fired power plants China has 3168, India 845 plants and US 408. Older plants are being retired.

Planned construction of new coal power plants 707 in China, 165 in India, 2 in the US, 23 in eastern Europe, 0 in Northern Europe and 4 in Southern Europe, 0 in Western Europe, Latin America is 6.

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Iraq's population is estimated to be 44-46 million, double that of 1997 the last time a census was done in the country. A census is taking place across Iraq to get a better idea of the population. With one Mp for 100,000 people seats in parliament will increase to 450 from 329. Shias share power with Sunnis and Kurds under an arrangement set by the US in 2003.

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There is an acute need for foreign trained workers in European Union countries. Germany, Netherlands and Italy discourage migrant untrained workers illegally entering the country. Employers are asking the government to address labor shortages. Germany needs 400,000 trained foreign workers, Italy 280,000.  Germany will increase visas for Indian workers from 10,000 to 90,000 a year showing how quickly action is being taken first to stop illegal entry and second to increase legal visas. German Labor Minister Hubertus is shown here talking to students in Delhi during Scholz's visit to India recently.

Governments in Europe will now say they are getting trained foreign workers by legally bringing them into the country compared to the chaotic entry of less skilled migrants that caused deep discontent in the countries of Europe. Employers will guide this process in each country as they compete for the best talented educated workers.

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Linda McMahon was head of the Small Business Administration during the DJT first term. The president of the American Council of Education says she is a good pick as she has experience in workplace education programs. She aims to encourage apprenticeship training modeled on countries like Switzerland. More money will be funneled to appreniceship training, technical education, as a separate pathway from 4 year college degree to help the middle class. Linda McMahon says- “Our educational system must offer clear and viable pathways to the American Dream aside from four-year degrees.” Linda McMahon is chair of the America First Policy Institute which supports technical education. It also supports more transparency with parents knowing about their child's education in school, and teaching American history in a positive patriotic way. She is a graduate with degree in French from East Carolina State University and ran for the US Senate from Connecticut. She and her husband ran a small business Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment. ...

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The view that DJT's nominees should have been announced at a news conference instead of appearing on Truth Social social media. This would have been more convincing for the public and introduced each nominee to the people.