Le Journal

PCR: The EU Elite Have Banned European Democracy Authored by Paul Craig Roberts, In a democracy, the government in office cannot ban an opposing candidate from running on the grounds that the candidate would win and take the place of the current government. But that is what President Macron has done to Marine Le Pen. Le Pen heads the largest political party in France. She has been banned by a French court from holding office for five years. This prevents her from competing in the 2027 presidential election, where she has long been considered to be the leading candidate. The excuse used by the French government to frustrate the popular will is that Le Pen was convicted of “misappropriating EU funds.” She was convicted of using money intended for her European Union staff for her French staff. Money, of course, is fungible, and the orchestrated charge succeeded only because the establishment presstitutes hyped it over and over. Marine Le Pen is a controversial figure with the French establishment because she represents ethnic French nationalism, not the globalism of open borders and multiculturalism, that is, she stands for France, not for a Tower of Babel. All over Europe the left-wing ideologues have succeeded in associating ethnic nationalism with Nazism. An effort has been underway for decades to destroy the sovereignty of national states, and to merge them into the European Union. Le Pen has fought the effort to abolish France, and for her efforts she has been branded a Nazi. Despite the French establishment’s attempt to demonize her, her party has the largest public support. Over the years, the European left succeeded in branding national sovereignty “right-wing.” Even the Russian news site RT unthinkingly uses the propaganda term of the European left, thus demonstrating how unaware the Russian media is of the character of their European enemies. When Le Pen appealed the ruling at the European court of human rights the court side-stepped the issue by ruling that she had not shown an “imminent risk of irreparable harm” to herself. Of course, the harm was done to French democracy and to the French electorate, an issue that the court avoided. Clearly “European democracy” stands unified in opposing democracy and has prevented the French people from exercising their will in a presidential election by banning the opposing candidate from running for the presidency. Le Pen has again appealed and declared “I hope I will be able to convince the judges of my innocence.” But for the establishment, the question is not one of innocence or guilt. The the issue is that the European elite intend to prevent any revival of national sovereignty. The people’s will is no longer tolerated in Western Europe. Tyler Durden Mon, 01/19/2026 - 05:10

China Tech Boom Leaves Economic Malaise Behind By Jeanny Yu, Bloomberg Markets Live strategist and reporter Nearly a year after DeepSeek’s AI breakthrough rattled global markets, China is entering 2026 with a fresh wave of technological advances that are powering a stock rally, even as its economy remains fragile. Thanks to fresh progress in sectors from commercial rockets to robotics and flying cars, Chinese tech shares have begun the new year with a bang. An onshore Nasdaq-like tech gauge has shot up almost 13% so far this month, while a measure of Hong Kong-listed Chinese tech firms has climbed nearly 6%. Both have outperformed the Nasdaq 100. Enthusiasm about homegrown technologies has been the single biggest driver of China’s equities bull run since April, even as the world’s second-largest economy remained mired in a housing slump and anemic consumption. The momentum may gain further support in the coming months as DeepSeek rolls out a new AI model and China unveils a five-year economic blueprint prioritizing technological self-reliance. “The stock market is telling us that what China is doing in technology sector is going to be very exciting going forward,” Mark Mobius, managing director of Mobius Emerging Opportunities Fund, told Bloomberg TV on Friday. “You must remember China’s goal now is to overtake the US in technology, in high-level chips, in all kinds of AI. So the money is going in that direction.” Since DeepSeek shocked global markets with its cheap and equally well-performing AI models on Jan. 27 last year, fellow Chinese firms have accelerated efforts to develop their own versions. Adoption of generative AI has also surged among the country’s Internet giants from Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. to Tencent Holdings Ltd. Elsewhere, Chinese robots have competed in marathons, sparred in boxing matches and performed folk dance routines. In manufacturing, large language models are being embedded into advanced equipment, such as flying taxis and precision machine tools. The developments are recasting China in investors’ eyes from a low-cost manufacturing base into a credible challenger to US tech leadership, just as global capital hunts for the next growth engine. In a basket of 33 Chinese AI stocks tracked by Jefferies Financial Group Inc., the rally in the past year expanded their combined market value by about $732 billion, the brokerage said in a Jan. 13 report. Jefferies said it sees further upside because China’s AI’s market capitalization represents only 6.5% of the US’s. The exuberance is spilling beyond the secondary market. A flurry of recent listing debuts of Chinese AI-related companies posted blockbuster gains, emboldening their peers to tap public markets. Among those in the pipeline are Xpeng’s flying-car unit, rocket maker LandSpace Technology and BrainCo, a potential rival to Neuralink Corp. “Looking ahead, we anticipate that the next major breakthrough in AI will occur at the application layer,” said Joanna Shen, JPMorgan Asset Management’s emerging market and Asia Pacific equities investment specialist. “China, in particular, is well-positioned to lead this evolution, given its vast array of user cases across wearables, edge devices, and internet platforms.” To be sure, the stellar rally has triggered concerns about stretched valuations. Cambricon Technologies Corp., an AI chipmaker that competes with Nvidia Corp., is trading about 120 times to forward earnings. A gauge tracking Chinese robots is trading at more than 40 times forward earnings, higher than the Nasdaq 100’s 25 times. Beijing’s latest decision to tighten margin financing was also a sign of authorities’ growing unease with speculative excess, especially in pockets of the technology sector. That said, some investors remain optimistic about the industry’s prospects due to advantages such as a low-cost base and strong state backing and planning. “China’s low-cost model for AI may well pay off faster” than its US peers, Gavekal Research’s…

Americans Report Surging Spirituality: 43% Say Faith Has Grown Amid National Revival Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, Fresh data shows that 43 percent of U.S. adults have grown more spiritual over their lives, compared to just 11 percent who say they’ve become less so. This shift highlights a broader rejection of the moral vacuum left by ‘progressive’ policies, with Americans of all ages leaning into deeper faith as society grapples with division and decay. Large majorities cling to core beliefs: 86 percent affirm the existence of a soul, 83 percent believe in God or a universal spirit, 79 percent sense something spiritual beyond the natural world, and 70 percent expect an afterlife. These numbers, drawn from a Pew Research Center survey, underscore a resilient spiritual foundation that defies the left’s attempts to dismantle traditional values. You will find more infographics at Statista “The long-term decline in Christian affiliation in the United States appears to be leveling off, at least for now,” according to the analysis, with Christian identification stabilizing around 63 percent after years of erosion. The religiously unaffiliated—atheists, agnostics, and “nones”—have plateaued at about 28 percent, halting their expansion. This stabilization mirrors a massive resurgence in Christianity, with recent data revealing Bible sales skyrocketing by 41.6 percent since 2022, reaching 14.2 million copies in 2023 and 13.7 million in the first ten months of 2024—far outpacing the stagnant overall book market. Religion and spirituality app downloads exploded by 79.5 percent since 2019, with tools like YouVersion Bible and Hallow drawing users for Scripture, prayer, and meditation. Contemporary Christian music streams on Spotify jumped 50 percent in the same period, boosted by artists like Forrest Frank, Brandon Lake, and Elevation Worship. This momentum is fueled by young people, especially Gen Z, showing heightened curiosity about Jesus and the Bible per the American Bible Society’s 2024 “State of the Bible” survey. Young men, in particular, are seeking the structure and community faith provides amid uncertainty. The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk amplified this trend last year, sparking reports of overflowing churches and mass baptisms. Religious leaders point to a spiritual awakening, where Americans turn to faith for answers amid political upheaval and social chaos. This spiritual uptick also echoes President Trump’s vision to restore faith. Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast last year, Trump declared, “We have to bring religion back.” He elaborated: “From the earliest days of our republic, faith in God has been the ultimate source of strength that beats in the hearts of our nation.” Urging a stronger return, he added, “We have to bring [religion] back much stronger. It’s one of the biggest problems that we’ve had over the last fairly long period of time. We have to bring it back.” Trump’s own renewed faith, post-assassination attempt, resonates deeply: “It changed something in me. I feel even stronger. I believed in God, but I feel much more strongly about it.” He credited divine intervention for his survival. Emphasizing faith’s role in happiness, Trump stated, “I really believe you can’t be happy without religion, without that belief, I really believe that. I just don’t see how you can be.” Trump’s message aligns with the data: younger adults report decreased religiousness over time (more so than increased), but older ones see growth—yet spirituality overall trends upward across ages. As excessive woke ideology crumbles, Americans are reclaiming their spiritual heritage, turning to faith, the ultimate safeguard for liberty and moral clarity. Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews. Tyler Durden Sun, 01/18/2026 - 21:00

Trump To Unveil Plan Allowing Homebuyers To Use 401(k) Funds For Down Payments Authored by Emel Akan via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), President Donald Trump will unveil a plan next week that would allow Americans to withdraw funds from their 401(k) accounts to use for a home down payment. A for-sale sign is posted in front of a home in Las Vegas, Nev., on Aug. 8, 2025. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett announced the plan during an interview with Fox Business on Jan. 16, adding that the details of the proposal are still being finalized. He said Trump will announce the final plan in Davos next week. “The Fed lifted interest rates so much that mortgage rates went through the roof,” Hassett said. He pointed out that the average monthly payment for a typical family buying a home has nearly doubled, and the down payment required had risen from about $15,000 to around $32,000 during the Biden administration. Hassett stated that significant progress is needed to address the housing affordability problem, and the latest plan is one of many policies introduced by the president to help achieve this goal. “We’re still talking about the mechanics of it,” he said. Hassett explained that homeowners could put 10 percent of their home’s equity into a 401(k) plan, and as the home’s value goes up, the 401(k) would grow too. This approach, he said, could provide more funds for retirement, solve liquidity constraints, and make it easier to buy a house earlier in life. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has introduced a range of proposals to help more Americans achieve homeownership, including bringing down mortgage rates and banning large institutional investors from buying additional residential homes. In a Jan. 8 Truth Social post, Trump directed the purchase of $200 billion in mortgage bonds to help reduce interest rates. “This will drive Mortgage Rates down, monthly payments down, and make the cost of owning a home more affordable,” Trump wrote. On Jan. 7, Trump also announced that he’s taking steps to bar large investors from purchasing more single-family homes, and said he would urge Congress to codify it. Institutional investors are defined as companies owning 1,000 or more properties. Blackstone is considered the largest private-equity owner of U.S. apartments, with more than 230,000 units, according to data from the Private Equity Stakeholder Project as of April 2025. Affordability of homeownership has become a growing concern, especially for first-time buyers. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, housing costs rocketed, with median home prices rising 55 percent and rents surging more than 35 percent nationwide. Borrowing costs also shot up in 2022 after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates to combat inflation. The American Dream is out of reach, especially for many young people. The typical age of first-time buyers climbed to 40 in 2025, the highest on record and up from 31 in 2014, according to a report by The Center for American Progress. Andrew Moran and Jack Phillips contributed to this report. Tyler Durden Sun, 01/18/2026 - 17:30