The Erosion of the Evil Empire

Nothing to See Here...Move Along

“How did you go bankrupt?” Bill asked.
“Two ways,” Mike said. “Gradually and then suddenly.”
The dialogue above is from Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel, The Sun Also Rises.
Nations go bankrupt in the same way. Banking collapses occur in the same way. Currency crises strike in the same way. They all happen gradually... and then suddenly. Sometimes overnight.
There are so many signs of the degradation of the US empire. This week the Epstein Saga is indicative of the decline...hence the subtitle, 'nothing to see here...move along.' First, the idea of entrapping the elite on tape with underage girls in order to control them points to the sickness of our society. Then all the shenanigans and lies about his suicide...I mean come on. Many Trumpeteers were calling for the release of the files. Now they deny there are any files. Do they really think anyone believes that story? None the less that's what they're pushing.
Then there's the on again off again weapons for Ukraine from the US, and our continued support of the Gaza and West Bank genocide...literally starving people and using food to attract Palestinians in order to shoot them...including US mercenaries.

Let's start with the Epstein saga...
REAL REASON Everyone In Trump’s Admin Is Lying About Epstein Story! w/ Nick Bryant

(17 min) The cover-up of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes serves not to deceive the public—who largely recognize the lies—but to signal protection for those implicated within powerful political and intelligence networks.
Jimmy and Kurt Metzger talk to investigative journalist Nick Bryant about how the Trump administration’s refusal to pursue justice in the Epstein case reflects a broader systemic problem involving blackmail, child trafficking, and institutional corruption. They stress that millions of victims are left without justice, while only a tiny fraction of perpetrators are ever charged, highlighting the deep-rooted complicity of both government and media.

More from Jimmy, Kurt and Nick...
Tucker RIPS Trump Administration Cover Up Of Epstein Story! (13 min)
The ongoing cover-up of Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking operation highlights how intelligence agencies like the CIA, Mossad, and MI6 unquestionably used Epstein to blackmail powerful political figures. Despite public knowledge of Epstein's crimes and his connections to influential people, no significant prosecutions have taken place, pointing to systemic corruption and control by foreign and domestic intelligence interests.
Investigative journalist Nick Bryant tells Jimmy and Kurt that this cover-up has persisted across multiple U.S. administrations, shielding not only individuals but an entire political system reliant on blackmail. They argue that the blatant refusal to pursue justice undermines public trust and reveals the dangerous extent of elite protection and manipulation.

Trump Gives HUGE Middle Finger To MAGA Over Epstein Story! w/ Nick Bryant (24 min)
Donald Trump and his administration are now downplaying and dismissing the importance of the Jeffrey Epstein case, despite years of his own allies demanding transparency and justice over Epstein's ties to intelligence agencies and elite blackmail networks.
Jimmy and Kurt talk to investigative journalist Nick Bryant about how Epstein could not have operated alone and was likely backed by powerful intelligence interests from the U.S., Israel, and the U.K., with both political parties complicit in covering up the scandal. The discussion underscores how Epstein's connections, including to figures like Les Wexner and Peter Thiel, point to a broader system of blackmail and elite protection that remains untouched.

One more from Jimmy...
Epstein’s Dead So Why Is His Bank Account STILL Moving Millions!?! w/ Nick Bryant
So is Epstein dead or was it all faked?

Not a Jimmy fan? Consortium News did a 77 minute interview with Nick Bryant, who was the first to publish Epstein’s little black book, and who wrote The Franklin Scandal..
Watch here or here.

This sounds like a reasonable idea...

(78 sec clip)

Trump tries to bury Epstein, triggers backlash from base

(11 min) Max Blumenthal and Aaron Mate discuss the Trump DOJ's announcement that it has reached a dead end in the sordid saga of Jeffrey Epstein, and raise questions about Trump's own well-documented association with the notorious financier.

Trump wants you to FORGET ABOUT EPSTEIN: The sloppiest coverup of our generation
(28 min) Ian Carroll

Just this Friday night, Tucker Carlson named who he believes really FUNDED Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes. What he said is guaranteed to make many in Washington furious. And there’s no taking it back now. On Tuesday, Tucker Carlson delivered two theories on why Pam Bondi won’t release the Epstein Files. Theory #1 was “Trump is involved.” But Carlson thought this explanation was not very likely. Then came Theory #2, which was that Carlson believed “intel services are at the very center of this story—US and Israeli—and they’re being protected.” “I think that seems like the most plausible explanation,” Carlson said. “And we have every right to ask on whose behalf was he working? How does a guy go from being a math teacher at the Dalton School in the late 70s with no college degree to having multiple airplanes, a private island, and the largest residential house in Manhattan? Where did all the money come from?” Carlson asked.
Then came the big claim. “And no one has ever gotten to the bottom of that because no one has ever tried. And moreover, it’s extremely obvious to anyone who watches that this guy had direct connections to a foreign government. Now, no one’s allowed to say that that foreign government is ISRAEL because we have been somehow cowed into thinking that that’s naughty,” Carlson said. “There is nothing wrong with saying that,” Carlson continued. “There is nothing hateful about saying that. There’s nothing anti-Semitic about saying. There’s nothing even anti-Israel about saying that.” Someone who agrees with Carlson’s assessment is CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou. On Wednesday, he told the story of the recruitment of a copy machine repairman who earned his CIA operational officer a big promotion.
At first, Kiriakou laughed at the notion of a copy machine repairman being useful, but then he realized the brilliance of the plan when he learned that the repairman secretly sent every document from a prime minister’s office straight to the CIA. How did he do it? By planting a tiny device on the copy machine. This flow of information was pure leverage for the CIA: “You know what they’re thinking. You know their next move. You know who their enemies are and who their allies are. Maybe it’s their position on trade negotiations. Maybe the prime minister has a health problem you need to plan for. You never know what might come through,” Kiriakou explained. “That ONE critical nugget is all it takes.”
That, he says, is EXACTLY what Epstein was to Israeli intelligence: someone with access (like the copy machine repairman) who quietly delivered leverage on the world’s elite. Back to Carlson. He addressed the claims that he’s taking money from the Qatari government head-on. What was his reaction to this claim? He literally laughed out loud. “Maybe I was taking tons of money from some bad country. One of the bad countries you’re not allowed to talk about or like—Qatar!” Carlson said before bursting into laughter. “That’s the most hilarious [claim]. Qatar is kind of controlling our conversation. Qatar. Evil Qatar,” he mocked.

I thought this clip did an excellent job of recounting Epstein's life history...

(37 min) Candace Owens - The Truth About Jeffrey Epstein and His Past

While we're on Candace Owen, this week her hypothesis that Macron's wife, Brigette, is a trans man received support from the French court. The ruling elite seemingly lie to us all the time.

(18 min) After popular online commentator Candace Owens promoted the idea that French First Lady Brigitte Macron was born a man, citing journalistic investigations and personal research, TV host Piers Morgan challenged her assertions, offering to bet Owens $100,000 over the matter.
Now, as Jimmy and Kurt point out, a French appeals court has cleared two journalists of defamation who publicly made the inflammatory claims against Macron. So will Owens get her money? She says she won’t let Morgan off the hook and will demand payment.

Now I could care less about Bridgette's gender, but I hate it when things are covered up and then lied about. The Epstein cover up is worse because of the abused girls. People were harmed and probably blackmailed. At least the Macron's cover up only involves them.

Several of the commentators suggest he was laundering money for the five eyes, CIA, FBI, MI6, Mossad, and so on. That would explain his unearned wealth.

Others suggest Trump is using the client list to keep his enemies who are on the list at bay. One things for sure, it is one big cover-up and everybody knows...

Leonard Cohen cover

Let's move on to geopolitics and our wars...

Israel/Palestine/Iran

Larry Johnson with a righteous rant on US Israel and the Epstein debacle...
Trump, Netanyahu & the Nobel Peace Prize Who's Playing Who? w/Larry Johnson

(61 min) The discussion centers on the absurdity of Donald Trump being considered for the Nobel Peace Prize, especially in light of ongoing wars and his contradictory actions. Trump’s supposed peace efforts are contrasted with his record of escalating conflicts, such as restarting arms shipments to Ukraine and authorizing bombings in Iran. Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson criticizes both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, arguing that their rhetoric and policies contribute to, rather than resolve, conflicts—particularly in the Middle East.
Netanyahu, in a recent statement, dismissed the idea of a two-state solution, citing Hamas’s October 7th attack and claiming it proves Palestinians can't be trusted with statehood. Johnson pushes back, labeling Netanyahu’s narrative as propaganda, pointing to lopsided casualty figures that suggest a genocide against Palestinians rather than mutual violence. He argues that the West, including Trump, is complicit in this by enabling Israeli actions while falsely portraying them as peaceful or defensive.
The conversation concludes with outrage at the global silence over what is described as systemic, large-scale Palestinian suffering and a manipulated narrative that inverts victim and aggressor roles.

Netanyahu, Trump Plot Next ATTACK Against Iran: War Just Beginning –Patrick Henningsen

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is headed to Washington, DC, for his third meeting with President Trump in less than six months, and Trump is teasing everything from another ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza, to a “permanent deal with Iran.” But the two leaders have already shown they can’t be trusted…
Patrick Henningsen, Journalist and Host of the 21st Century Wire, noted that every time Trump and Netanyahu come together in person, it has been to “plot their next attack,” and the people across the region—from Palestine to Iran—have paid the price when every ceasefire deal and attempt at talks is betrayed by the U.S. and Israel.

Prof. John Mearsheimer : Ukraine/Gaza/Iran: Is Peace Possible? (35 min)
In this gripping conversation, world-renowned political scientist Professor John Mearsheimer joins us to dissect the escalating crises in Ukraine, Gaza, and Iran. Is peace still a realistic goal—or are we witnessing the unraveling of the global order?
Mearsheimer—co-creator of the realist theory of international relations—offers his unflinching perspective on:
NATO’s role in the Ukraine conflict
The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza
U.S.-Iran tensions and what’s fueling them
The possibility of diplomatic off-ramps—or permanent war
Are we headed toward a wider regional war?
What would real peace look like—and who is standing in the way?

Ukraine To Receive German-funded Long-range Weapons This Month
From a rain storm in Moscow, Alex suggest the missiles are already there.
German missiles to Ukraine, goal smash Russia. Kellogg in Kiev. Orban wants JUSTICE. Merz drops CAKE
0:00 - Introduction
1:19 - Update on German long-range missiles to Ukraine
6:43 - Discussion on Trump's upcoming announcement regarding Russia
10:05 - Trump's potential sanctions and military support for Ukraine
18:07 - Analysis of Trump's shift in attitude towards Zelensky
24:41 - Hungarian citizen's death and Orban's response
27:35 - Lula's reaction to 50% tariffs imposed by the U.S.
30:55 - Rumors about FBI Deputy Director Dan Bonino's resignation
34:50 - Ursula von der Leyen's comments on U.S.-EU relations
39:13 - Clown world segment on BlackRock Mertz and cake
40:45 - Zelensky's supposed agreement with Ghana for drone production

US War Against BRICS Kicks Into Overdrive - Alex Krainer Interview with Larry Johnson

(61 min) Discover the covert geopolitical moves behind the West's efforts to derail BRICS and multipolar integration. From Trump’s shifting stance to rising tensions with Azerbaijan and Serbia, this video reveals the forces shaping the global order and the high-stakes struggle for power. Alex Krainer, an economic analyst, brings invaluable insights into the forces at play and what’s really behind these maneuvers.

More on Azerbaijan from the Duran...
Azerbaijan's game against Russia (27 min)
Interview with Stanislav Krapivnik
Is this the next proxy war?

More on BRICS+ from Pepe Escobar...

(23 min) LIVE from Brazil : Pepe Escobar : Why Trump Fears BRICS.

As the western empire crashes, a new cooperative multi-nodal world is evolving. Sadly the US and EU are doing everything in their power to destroy the rise of a cooperative world order. Western economies thrive on war and destruction.

It's the Economy, Stupid

The big news on the economic front are Tariffs. I hear both sides and suspect all the tariffs are a mistake, but I honestly don't know. Evidently they have been used as a grift...Threaten tariffs, market falls, elites buy the dip, announce a pause, market rises, elite harvest profits.

Using tariffs for political bullying is certainly a mistake (as is the case in Brazil). Much like sanctions I think they will unite most of the world against the US.
Trump To Impose 30% Tariffs On Mexico, European Union
• 30% tariff will apply to all Mexican imports unless action is taken.
• Tariff waivers will be granted for companies that build or manufacture in the U.S.
• If Mexico raises tariffs in retaliation, the U.S. will match them on top of the 30%.
• Adjust tariffs if Mexico successfully confronts the cartels and halts fentanyl trafficking
The EU is facing them too...
• The U.S. market is open and fair, but EU practices have created an unsustainable trade deficit.
• The 30% tariff applies separately from any sectoral tariffs and will be higher for goods transshipped to avoid it.
• No tariffs will be applied if EU companies manufacture within the U.S.
• The EU must allow full market access to the U.S. or face higher tariffs.
• Retaliatory EU tariffs will be met with additional levies.
Trump warned that this trade deficit with the EU is a “major threat to our Economy and, indeed, our National Security!”

Let's hear the case against, and the case for tariffs...

(11 min) 50% Tariff Bombshell - Trump Weaponizes Trade, Issues Ultimatums as Economic Stakes Escalate.

One more from Lena...

(10 min) America FIRST or America ALONE? Trump’s Escalatory Trade Threats Explained

So what is the argument for tariffs?
Jim Rickards: Why Tariffs Work and the Lie They’ve Told for 50 Years (19 min)

In his most candid interview yet, Rickards reveals why Trump’s tariff strategy isn’t chaos — it’s a calculated economic war plan. With historical precedent on his side, he argues that tariffs aren’t inflationary — they’re a catalyst for domestic manufacturing, job growth, and a stronger U.S. economy.
Rickards explains how today’s dollar decline is no accident, but a Treasury-engineered repeat of the Nixon and Plaza Accords playbook — all part of the "Mar-a-Lago Accord" now quietly reshaping the global monetary order. He predicts $4,000 gold by year-end, with $10,000+ on the horizon, as America’s financial reset unfolds.
Don’t miss this explosive conversation that challenges everything you’ve been told about globalization, deficits, and the future of money.

Tariff Windfall Drives Surprise $27 Billion US Budget Surplus in June
New data from the Treasury Department show that surging tariff revenues in June helped the U.S. government post an unexpected budget surplus of $27 billion, offering a rare fiscal bright spot amid persistently high federal deficits and suggesting that President Donald Trump’s tariff policies are becoming a significant source of government revenue. After running a $316 billion deficit in May, the government recorded a surplus of just over $27 billion last month, according to data released on July 11 by the Treasury Department. The tariff windfall helped narrow the fiscal year-to-date deficit to $1.34 trillion—a slight 1 percent improvement from the same period last year. By contrast, June 2024 saw a $71 billion deficit. A key driver of the improved balance was a record-breaking surge in customs duties.

It is not correct to state that the US fiscal surplus in June was only due to tariffs.
The surplus comes from reducing spending by $100 billion in one month.
Spending drops to $499.4 billion in June from $686.9 billion in May.
Spending and federal jobs have declined since the administration took control in March.
Tariff revenues increase, but they were not paid by US companies, but by exporters, who pay them to the Customs Agency via Customs and Border Protection.
Furthermore, inflation is not rising, and prices have not increased. At 1, 3, and 6 months, price inflation trends are downward.

So I don't know if tariffs will be helpful or harmful...I suspect the later, but really don't know. I do know were headed into an economic crisis because of run away debt...nationally and personally.
'No Escape' From Debt Collapse - 'We're in the End Game': Alasdair Macleod
Alasdair Macleod believes that many countries around the world are caught in a brutal debt trap from which there is no escape, and the only way out is through a total collapse of the fiat currency system, something he sees on the horizon right now. Alasdair points out that the price of gold going up is more reflective of the continued debasement of the US dollar and other paper currencies, and he sees gold's long term trajectory in an extraordinarily bullish light, as our debt-based system reaches its end game and sound money is needed more than ever.

Excellent 2 minute clip...

We are in a debt spiral....round and round and down we go.

Well friends, there's lots on news I didn't cover. I hope you'll help me out in the comments below with any stories I neglected. One of the most insightful things I heard this week came from Larry Johnson. Larry said, Trump plays golf, Putin plays chess. You don't think about the next hole all you do is hit the ball. That kind of explains Trump's shoot from the hip, one thing one day the opposite tomorrow approach.

Have a great Sunday, and thanks for coming by and reading! The thread is open...