It can be difficult to keep up with everything going on in the world right now. But with the Substack Daily Dose, you will have easy access to important news and happenings from the day, as well as what was covered during our shows, all in one place.
The Daily Dose:
Morning Qoffee:
Visit our site to find all of our sponsors as well as other ways that you can help support the Redpill Project:
Rise in Gasoline and Food Costs Boost U.S. Producer Prices in September
U.S. producer prices experienced a higher-than-expected surge in September, primarily due to elevating energy and food costs. Despite this, underlying inflation pressures at the manufacturing level seemed to ease off.
This information was shared in the Labor Department’s recent report, presented just a day before the anticipated unveiling of September’s consumer price data. Financial analysts are keenly monitoring these numbers to speculate the Federal Reserve’s next move, especially considering the mounting U.S. Treasury yields and prevailing Middle East tensions.
Christopher Rupkey, FWDBONDS’ chief economist based in New York, commented on the scenario, stating, “The Fed has not finished the job and stamped inflation out completely yet.” He emphasized that the noticeable inflation in producer prices arises mainly from food and energy sectors, areas where monetary policy exerts minimal influence.
As per the Labor Department’s data, the producer price index for final demand increased by 0.5% in September, following a 0.7% rise in August. Experts from Reuters had previously predicted a 0.3% increment. Over the year leading up to September, the PPI has observed a 2.2% augmentation, a jump from August’s 2.0%.
In terms of core PPI, which removes volatile elements like food, energy, and trade services, a 0.2% growth was recorded, mirroring August’s trajectory. The annual rise for this category reached 2.8% in September, slightly diminishing from August’s 2.9%.
September witnessed a 0.9% escalation in wholesale goods prices. Notably, the 3.3% surge in energy products accounted for the majority of this hike. Last month’s gasoline prices leaped by 5.4%, forming a significant part of the overall cost increase. Other sectors like jet fuel, electric power, and diesel fuel also reported price increments. On the food front, prices grew by 0.9%, influenced by a rise in processed young chicken and meat costs. Contrarily, prices for certain commodities like fresh and dry vegetables fell by 13.9%. Similarly, wood pulp and utility natural gas saw a price dip.
Outside the unstable food and energy categories, core goods prices had a minor 0.1% increment for the consecutive month. This largely denotes the re-establishing of supply chains post their COVID-19 disruption.
Service costs advanced by 0.3% in September, significantly influenced by a 13.9% surge in deposit services. In the context of the broader economy, despite significant rate increments, 336,000 jobs were added in September. This number is the highest recorded in eight months and notably surpasses economists’ expectations based on a Reuters poll. Financial markets currently anticipate no rate changes in the U.S. central bank’s upcoming policy meeting scheduled for Oct. 31-Nov. 1.
Furthermore, top-tier Fed officials highlighted on Monday that the rising yields on long-term U.S. bonds might deter the central bank from additional rate hikes. Since March 2022, the Fed has elevated its primary overnight interest rate by 525 basis points, settling it in the 5.25%-5.50% bracket.
September also brought forth other significant changes in the economic landscape, with hikes in sectors like hotel and motel accommodation and healthcare. Conversely, airline ticket prices observed a 2.1% reduction. These components contribute to the computation of the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price indices, which the Fed uses to maintain its 2% target for inflation.
-[your]News
BREAKING: Washington Post to cut 240 positions as Americans turn away from corporate media
The Washington Post is reportedly cutting 240 employees in the 'hopes of averting more difficult actions such as layoffs — a situation we are united in trying to avoid."
An email obtained by New York Times reporter Ben Mullin states that employees will be attending a 10 am meeting on October 11 to discuss the action.
"Following this meeting, all eligible employees will be notified by email if their position is included in the program, and they are welcome to consider the package. Senior leaders will then share department specific information in meetings to follow throughout the day," the email reportedly read.
This program referenced by the media outlet is a "voluntary separation package" that will be offered to employees in an effort to reduce 240 positions "across all functions of The Post."
"This program will offer generous incentives to employees in specific roles where we believe we can reduce costs if work can be assigned more effectively, where positions do not need to be replaced or where we can otherwise achieve cost savings through a voluntary reduction in our workforce."
The package will be offered to employees in specific areas or with specific titles.
The email states that over the last eight weeks, its sender has "been working with the senior leadership team to review the current state of our business and financial results."
"We have determined that our prior projections for traffic, subscriptions, and advertising growth for the past two years — and into 2024 — have been overly optimistic and we are working to find ways to return our business to a healthier place in the coming year."
According to the New York Times, the Washington Post is set to lose around $100 million in 2023, and the outlet has struggled to increase paying subscribers since 2020, which peaked at 3 million. The outlet now has around 2.5 million.Earlier this year, the outlet announced that it had laid off 20 newsroom employees, and would keep an additional 30 vacant roles unfilled.
-Hannah Nightingale, The Post Millennial
Zimbabwe Turns Gold-Backed Digital Token Into Payment Method
On Oct. 5, the gold-backed digital token under the name Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) officially kicked off as a payment method. The launch was announced by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ).
The first time the RBZ introduced its new project was in April 2023.
The central bank specified that every issued digital token would be backed by a physical amount of gold held in the bank’s reserves. The RBZ started issuing physical gold tokens last year, claiming their successful adoption.
The mission behind both physical coins and freshly introduced ZiG is to persuade local investors to put their money into national assets and not American dollars, which is not an easy task in a country with a triple-digit inflation level. As the RBZ Governor, Dr. John Mangudya said earlier:
Digital tokens can be stored in either e-gold wallets or e-gold cards and are tradeable both for P2P and business transactions.
The RBZ reported several levels of prices, for which ZiG could be both, depending on the weight of its gold reserve.
Thus, one can buy 1 ounce of ZiG for $1,910 and 0.1 ounce for $191.
According to the Bank, on Sept. 28, investors bought the equivalent of 17.65 kg in ZiG, paying with both Zimbabwean and American dollars.
The total amount of ZiG, sold since the previous rounds of digital token sales, stands at around 350 kg of gold.
Zimbabwe has grappled with currency instability and rising inflation for more than a decade. In 2009, the nation adopted the U.S. dollar as its official currency in response to a period of hyperinflation that had rendered the local currency practically worthless.
In an attempt to revitalize the domestic economy, Zimbabwe reintroduced its own currency in 2019. However, this move was followed by a resurgence of currency volatility.
-David Attlee, SGT Report
Watch:
Cory Mills Evacuates Americans out of Israel
*** UPDATED
As Israel calls up 300,000 reservists to join the war effort against the terror group Hamas, Florida Congressman Cory Mills (R) has once again answered the call to service, and flew overnight to Israel to help rescue Americans stranded there.
In an exclusive phone call with The Floridian, Rep. Mills said that he was on the ground helping Israelis and evacuating Americans.
According to Mills, he was able to rescue 32 Americans, but there are still “hundreds trapped” in Israel.
*** UPDATED— Mills has evacuated 77 Americans out of Israel
Mills could not disclose his exact position for obvious security reasons but said that “helping and showing solidarity with our Israeli brethren and helping Americans evacuate” after the heinous Hamas attack was something he as an American felt compelled to do.
Rep. Brian Mast (R), who volunteered in the IDF after leaving the U.S. military, told The Floridian that Rep. Mills had told him and other members of Florida’s congressional delegation that he would be traveling to Israel.
Before being elected to the House of Representatives, Mills and a team of military contractors rescued an American family from Afghanistan during the Biden administration‘s botched 2021 withdrawal.
The Floridian has obtained this images from Mills' trip to Israel.
Courtesy of Rep. Cory Mills
Courtesy of Rep. Cory Mills
This is a developing story...
-Javier Manjarres, The Floridian
Watch:
Watch:
Watch:
Watch:
Watch:
Watch:
Watch:
Watch:
US updates death toll of citizens killed in Israel-Palestinian escalation
At least 22 US citizens have been killed in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, while another 17 are unaccounted for, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Wednesday.
The latest figures represent an increase from Tuesday, when US President Joe Biden announced that 14 Americans had lost their lives in the previous days’ fighting.
It is unclear whether any of those killed died in Palestinian territory.
In his remarks on Tuesday, Biden also revealed that an unknown number of Americans had been taken hostage by Hamas fighters. US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby later told CNN that the White House was having “active conversations” with Israel to try and secure the release of the captives.
Jean-Pierre did not say whether the White House believes the 17 missing Americans are being held as hostages.
According to a report by The Messenger on Tuesday, the US has sent hostage rescue experts to advise the Israel Defense Forces and placed special forces operatives on alert in “a nearby European country.” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed on Tuesday that American special forces were currently assisting the Israeli military with “planning and intelligence,” but did not say whether they were involved in hostage rescue operations.
Hamas militants began firing barrages of rockets into Israel from Gaza on Saturday, with fighters then pouring across the border and raiding Jewish settlements near the Palestinian enclave. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by declaring a state of war and launching airstrikes on Gaza, while Israeli forces imposed a siege on the Palestinian enclave.
More than 1,200 Israelis and 1,100 Palestinians have been killed since Saturday, according to the most recent figures from each side. At least 8,500 people have been wounded in what is the most intense outbreak of violence in Israel in decades.
-RT News
11 UN Staff, 30 Pupils At UN Schools, Killed In Gaza: Spokesman
At least 11 UN staff and personnel, as well as 30 students at UN schools, have been killed in the Gaza Strip since Hamas militants launched their attack on Israel, a spokesman said Wednesday.
“11 UNRWA staff and personnel have been killed since Saturday,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters, referring to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees which also runs schools in Gaza.
“30 UNRWA students have also been killed and another eight have been injured.”
The dead included five teachers, a gynecologist, an engineer, a counselor and three support staff, UNRWA’s deputy director Jennifer Austin said in a statement.
“UNRWA mourns this loss and is grieving with our colleagues and the families,” she said.
“UN staff and civilians must be protected at all times during conflict. We call for the fighting to come to an end to spare more civilian lives lost.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called for civilians to be protected, and international humanitarian law to be upheld, as Israel on Wednesday kept up its bombardment of Hamas targets in Gaza.
“About 220,000 Palestinians are now sheltering in 92 UNRWA facilities across Gaza,” he said, adding that UN premises, hospitals, clinics and schools must “never be targeted.”
“UN staff are working around the clock to support the people of Gaza and I deeply regret that some of my colleagues have already paid the ultimate price,” he said.
And he called for “crucial” aid — including fuel, food and water — to be allowed in to the Gaza Strip.
“We need rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access now.”
-Insider Paper
Watch:
Watch:
NATO Secretary General Threatens 'Response' If Finland Pipeline Was Sabotaged
Finland and other Baltic countries are on high alert as a natural gas undersea pipeline leak was detected on Sunday from Finland to Estonia. EU officials already suspect the leak was caused by a 'deliberate act of destruction,' which fuels concerns about 'Nordstream 2.0' and Europe's energy security ahead of the Northern Hemisphere winter.
On Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with EU officials about the damage sustained on the 77-kilometer (48-mile) Balticconnector pipeline, first detected by one of the two pipeline operators, Finland's Gasgrid, on Sunday morning.
Stoltenberg said he also plans to meet with defense ministers in Brussels and discuss more about the pipeline leak.
He said, "The important thing now is to establish what happened and how this could happen ... and if it is proven to be a deliberate attack on NATO critical infrastructure, then this will be serious but will also be met by a united and determined response from NATO."
On Tuesday, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said the leak was triggered by an "external source" but failed to speculate on who caused it.
Earlier today, Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for Russian President Putin, said the damaged pipeline is very "alarming news." According to the state media Tass News, Peskov said the Kremlin awaits further details. He added explosions that damaged the nearby Nord Stream pipeline one year ago have set "dangerous precedents" across the Baltic Sea.
Image Credit: Reuters
Meanwhile, Estonian Navy Commander Juri Saska told public broadcaster ERR Tuesday night, "Something has dragged this pipe from one side to the other."
"If I try to paint a picture of what I've seen without showing it to you, then the pipe itself is covered with a concrete shell," Saska said. "And it looks just as if someone has torn it from the side and the concrete has broken off or peeled off from the damaged area."
Bloomberg quoted seismologist Jari Kortstrom at the University of Helsinki, who said Finland detected a small seismic event around the time the pipeline sustained damage.
To note, the pipeline sits above a heavily trafficked shipping lane in the Baltic Sea.
"While the rupture of the pipeline is not significant for the wider European gas market, it raises questions about the security of supply just as Europe goes into winter," Bloomberg said.
This comes several weeks after the first anniversary of the Nord Stream pipeline bombing. Journalist Seymour Hersh has said the US blew up the Russia-to-Germany natural gas pipeline as part of a covert operation under the guise of the BALTOPS 22 NATO exercise.
-Tyler Durden, Zerohedge
Watch:
British special forces training Ukrainian saboteurs – Moscow
UK special forces have been training Ukrainian saboteurs to commit acts of terrorism and sabotage targets on Russian territory, including nuclear power plants, the director of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Aleksandr Bortnikov has claimed.
Speaking at a security meeting in Baku on Wednesday, the official stated that the FSB detained members of a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group in August who revealed that they had been trained by members of British special forces, who were also responsible for planning their operations.
“The group’s tasks included carrying out sabotage against military targets, oil, transport and critical infrastructure facilities, as well as nuclear energy, specifically the Smolensk and Kursk nuclear power plants," Bortnikov said.
The FSB chief noted that similar attacks had previously also been attempted on the Leningrad and Kalinin nuclear power plants when over 20 explosive devices installed on power lines leading to the stations were neutralized as the result of anti-sabotage work.
However, according to Bortnikov, one such attack by Ukrainian saboteurs did require that the second block of the Kursk Nuclear power plant perform an emergency stop, adding that “such actions by the Ukrainian military intelligence and its British mentors can’t be classified as anything but nuclear terrorism.”
“The question arises: does London realize the reckless nature of the actions of its intelligence services? And what, ultimately, do these madmen hope to achieve? After all, through their actions they are taking the terrorist threat to a higher level,” the FSB director said, suggesting that the international community must now develop a new approach to fighting terrorism, its ideological inspirers, sponsors and leaders.
During his speech, Bortnikov also noted that the West has turned Ukraine into a “platform for training terrorists and mercenaries.” He claimed that in the EU alone there are currently 17 military training camps that are operating under the patronage of NATO intelligence services and teaching fighters in the ways of modern warfare.
The FSB chief explained that this knowledge is subsequently utilized in post-Soviet nations and beyond. He pointed out that Western intelligence agencies and non-governmental organizations are actively enlisting “members of international terrorist organizations, Nazis and mercenaries trained in Afghanistan, the Middle East, Europe, and overseas” to aid Ukrainian armed groups in conducting acts of terrorism and sabotage within Russian territory.
-RT News
Ex-football superstar seeks re-election in African country's presidential election
Liberians went to the polls on Tuesday to decide on a second term for former prominent footballer and incumbent President George Weah. Security issues and the economy are widely seen as being the top concerns of voters.
Allegations of corruption and the ongoing economic hardship faced by Africa’s oldest independent republic tarnished Weah’s first term.
There are 20 candidates in the presidential race. The country’s election commission will begin releasing preliminary results on Wednesday. A candidate needs to secure over 50% of the votes to avoid a runoff, which would be held in early November.
Observers were sent by the European Union, African Union, ECOWAS West African Bloc, and the US to oversee the voting.
The main political parties promised peaceful elections, which are also being held for the country’s legislature. However, concerns about a return to bloodshed emerged after three people were killed in clashes between supporters of rival parties last month.
Violence also erupted on Sunday, when several people were injured during an election rally for Weah.
Weah, 57, entered politics following a career as an international footballer. He became the only African to win the Ballon d’Or, the most prestigious individual award in the game, in 1995, and played for top clubs such as Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and AC Milan.
In 2017, Weah was elected during Liberia’s first democratic change of government in 70 years.
These are the first elections since the UN ended its peacekeeping mission in Liberia in 2018 “This is also the first time that elections will be conducted without external security being provided by the UN mission that was present in Liberia. So security will be on the shoulders of Liberia’s security agencies,” Oscar Bloh, head of ECC, Liberia’s largest election observation group, told CNN. Bloh also expressed worry that the training of poll officials only began days before the elections.
Many observers see this as a pivotal moment for Liberia, which endured two devastating civil wars that took the lives of 25,000 people between 1989 and 2003 and a deadly Ebola epidemic between 2013 and 2016.
-RT News
Looming disaster for German government? Majority of Germans want early elections, cite mass migration as single biggest issue
Image Credit: John MacDougall/Pool via AP
A majority of Germans want early elections to the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, according to a poll published on Tuesday. The poll also shows the radically pro-migration government is facing serious pushback on the issue of migration, with Germans naming it the most important issue driving their dissatisfaction with the government.
According to figures published in Bild newspaper, 57 percent of German voters support the idea of early elections, and just under a third, 31 percent, believe that the coalition government of the Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and Liberals (FDP) should remain in office until the planned end of the legislative term in autumn 2025.
A breakdown of the data by party shows that all opposition parties and the FDP are in favor of early elections, with 53 percent of liberal voters saying that it would be best to end the history of the first SPD-Greens-FDP government and hold new elections.
The polling institute INSA looked at five areas of government policy. It showed that voters are most dissatisfied with the work on migration and asylum, with 59 percent calling for a change of direction. In the run-up to the election, Remix News reported the results of a landmark poll showing that the vast majority of Germans wanted fewer migrants and saw more disadvantages to mass immigration than advantages.
Dissatisfaction is also widespread regarding housing policy, with 52 percent saying the government is not doing enough. The poll additionally shows that 49 percent are dissatisfied with government efforts in the areas of energy, pensions, and social policy, and 41 percent want a different policy on climate change.
The poll was conducted on Monday, a day after the legislative elections in Bavaria and Hesse, where all three governing parties performed worse than in the previous elections in 2018. The FDP was eliminated from the Landtag in Bavaria and finished just below the threshold of 5 percent in Hesse. The election outcome has been seen as a disaster by the ruling left-wing coalition and a boost for the Alternative for Germany (AfD), which saw its vote totals soar higher in both states.
-Denes Albert and John Cody, Remix News
Zelensky Warns of ‘Consequences’ of Israel War Diverting Attention from Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned “[i]f international attention turns away from Ukraine, it will have consequences” in light of the global outrage at the barbaric surprise attack against Israel by the Hamas terrorist group. Zelensky made the remarks during an interview with France 2.
Zelensky told the French television network Russia is in desperate need for a pause in order to reorganize and move more equipment, soldiers, and weapons to the front in Ukraine. He said he feared the shift in focus among world powers form the conflict in Eastern Europe to the new conflict in the Middle East risks giving the Russian military the “break” they need. The Ukrainian leader added speculation a pause in aid to Ukraine would allow Russia to expand its war and attack Eastern European NATO neighbors.
In an effort to tie Russia to the horrific attacks by Hamas – which governs the Gaza territory – against Israel, Zelensky accused the Russian military of providing support for the Islamist terror group. The Ukrainian leader said he believes it was in Russia’s interests to start World War III. Just two days ago, the Biden White House floated a $100bn aid package for Ukraine, in an effort to fund the war until the 2024 presidential election and avoid any potential impasse with Republican congressmen.
The Israeli military has mobilized for a full scale war against Hamas in Gaza. Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense minister, has ordered a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip, vowing: “There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed.”
-William Upton, The National Pulse
Watch:
Watch: