A president can legally initiate military actions like a blockade without congressional approval by first designating the target regime as a 'Foreign Terrorist Organization.' This provides a separate legal playbook and set of executive powers, circumventing the formal declaration of war process.
When a politician suddenly makes a previously ignored issue intensely important, they are likely employing misdirection. The goal is to control the news cycle and public attention, either to distract from a more significant action happening elsewhere or to advance a hidden agenda unrelated to the stated crisis.
The conflict is not primarily about oil or drugs, but a strategic move to reassert U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere. As China solidifies its influence in the East, the U.S. is 'drawing a line' to counter China's partnerships (like with Venezuela) in its own sphere of influence.
Print interviews are uniquely susceptible to manipulation because journalists can strip away crucial context like tone, humor, and clarifying statements. By selectively publishing only the most extreme lines, they can paint a subject in a negative light while maintaining plausible deniability of misquoting.
Persecution of successful minority groups often arises during economic hardship. The majority stops seeing the group's success as a result of skill or community focus and instead frames it as a zero-sum game where the minority is 'taking from us,' fueling resentment and justifying aggression.
Most employees avoid giving leaders negative feedback for fear of repercussions. However, a leader's ability to improve is directly tied to their willingness to accept the 'emotional hit' of criticism. The team member who provides unvarnished truth is therefore the most critical for achieving long-term goals.
Governments with massive debt cannot afford to keep interest rates high, as refinancing becomes prohibitively expensive. This forces central banks to lower rates and print money, even when it fuels asset bubbles. The only exits are an unprecedented productivity boom (like from AI) or a devastating economic collapse.
The Shiller P/E ratio, a measure of long-term market valuation, has only crossed 40 three times: 1929, 1999, and today. The first two instances preceded major market crashes (The Great Depression, Dot-com Bust) and were followed by a decade or more of flat or negative real returns for investors.