THE NEWS
AOC slams Schumer for ‘tremendous mistake’ of caving to GOP to avoid government shutdown
Hochul and Trump have âproductive conversation,â talk congestion pricing and Penn Station during high-stakes White House meeting
Hochul had cast herself as leader of the anti-Trump âresistanceâ as recently as last week.
Man who fell through ice on Michigan lake dies after daring rescue
The man who was pulled from Lake Chemung in Howell by the U.S. Coast Guard and rescue workers in Livingston County has passed away.
Analysis: Trumpâs income tax agenda would make home-buying much easier
President Donald Trump talked about his goal of getting rid of Americaâs income tax structure when he was a candidate.
Heâs repeated that desire multiple times in the White House, including making suggestions that taxing foreign corporations that do business in America, such as shipping companies, could generate significant revenue.
Now an analyst has explained how Trumpâs goal would put the goal of many Americans, to buy and own a home, much closer.
It is Marc Guberti for GOBankingRates who has written at Nasdaq.com about Trumpâs idea, explaining, âHis objective of eliminating income taxes will have a significant impact on Americans and the global economy.â
âThe government will have to offset income taxes with another revenue source, and Trump seems committed to using tariffs. While tariffs increase the prices of products and services, consumers could have more flexibility with this tax. While necessities still have to be purchased, consumers can reduce their taxes by making fewer non-essential purchases. A tax system built on tariffs can offer more flexibility than income taxes and help savvy home buyers grow their savings,â he said.
He said one obvious result would be that Americans would have greater take-home pay.
âThe higher take-home pay will make it easier to save for a down payment and manage other expenses,â he explained. âIf you get to keep more of the money you earn, it becomes easier to pay off your current financial obligations.â
That, in turn, gives consumers a better result when mortgage lenders analyze debt, credit obligations, student loans and such.
A higher purchasing power, combined with the plan to keep inflation stable, would âmake home buyers feel more comfortable with embarking on the key milestone of homeownership,â he explained.
Another factor would be the impact on real estate deductions, likely making more homes available.
He explained, âThe elimination of income taxes can eliminate real estate deductions, and thatâs a huge deal for people who want to buy homes. Tax deductions have only been around since 1913 when income taxes were introduced at a large scale. While people can claim tax deductions through various expenses, none of them are as potent as real estate. The ability to generate high profits while reporting paper losses has made real estate â including single-family homes â very attractive investments. Ending income taxes can also end tax deductions, and that scenario can make real estate investing less desirable.â
He pointed out Trumpâs leader at the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk, has talked about eliminating tax credits, which likely would ârub off on tax deductionsâŠâ
âAs the current tax code stands, itâs possible for someone who nets $1 million per year to earn a tax refund with real estate. All it takes is to buy a $2 million short-term rental property and use a cost segregation study to immediately depreciate the property by 60%. Then, they report a $1.2 million paper loss on the property, which translates into a $200,000 income loss. Instead of paying taxes on $1 million, the investor in this scenario reports a $200,000 income loss and receives an âappropriateâ tax refund. This scenario highlights one of the reasons why real estate investing is so desirable. If deductions are eliminated, fewer investors may gobble up single-family homes,â he pointed out.
WND previously reported on the Trump ideas for income taxes.
NEW: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says the Trump Administration is working on abolishing income tax payments to the IRS.
âWouldnât it be amazing to stop paying taxes to the IRS and have the external revenue service replace our taxes?â
âThatâs the goal of Donald TrumpâŠâŠ pic.twitter.com/o2CrvW7Dks
â Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 5, 2025
<
‘Bourbon Street Hustler,’ arrested after Kansas City reporter death, needs resentencing for fraud history: AG
Will Putin Agree To A Ceasefire?
Will Putin Agree To A Ceasefire?
Authored by Andrew Korybko via substack,
There are five compelling arguments for either scenario.
Ukraine just agreed to a month-long ceasefire after talks with the US in Jeddah, but itâs conditional on Russia agreeing to the same, which remains uncertain. Trumpâs envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to pay his second trip to Moscow in just as many months later this week, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz plans to speak to Russian officials soon, while Trump said that he hopes to talk to Putin by Friday. All three will try to convince Putin to silence the guns.Â
Hereâs why he might not agree to do that:
1. Russia Wants To Liberate All The Occupied Territories
Putin declared last June that heâd only agree to a ceasefire if Ukraine withdrew from the entirety of the four regions that voted to join Russia in September 2022 and publicly abandoned its plans to join NATO. That was shortly before Ukraine invaded Russiaâs universally recognized Kursk Region. Agreeing to a ceasefire now with no guarantee that itâll lead to the liberation of those five regions could result in the indefinite occupation of at least some of them if the front lines harden into a Korean-DMZ.
2. The Front Lines Might Soon Collapse To Russiaâs Benefit
Itâs obvious that one of the primary reasons why Ukraine agreed to a month-long ceasefire conditional on Russia agreeing to the same, apart from resuming the USâ previously cut military and intelligence aid, is to prevent the front lines from soon collapsing to Russiaâs benefit. Aware of this, Russia might decide to carry on â perhaps advancing while negotiating additional terms to the proposed ceasefire â in order to take full advantage of this, thus raising the chances of speedily liberating all the occupied territories.
3. Russia Wants To Scare Away Western Peacekeepers
European peacekeepers might enter Ukraine during the month-long ceasefire, or some of their âmercenariesâ who are already there might simply switch uniforms to then take on this role instead, which Russia already said would be absolutely unacceptable and make them legitimate targets. Keeping the conflict going might therefore scare them away from this and thus ensure that de facto NATO forces are kept as far away from Russiaâs western border as possible.
4. Some Of The Russian Public Donât Want A Ceasefire
A significant share of the Russian public, including veterans of the special operation, are thought to be against any ceasefire since theyâd consider it to be stopping halfway instead of finishing the job after all the sacrifices that were paid to get this far. The authorities are sensitive to public opinion on the conflict, especially from veterans, so their opposition to this might be taken into consideration more than outside observers expect and could thus push Putin a lot closer to rejecting a ceasefire than most other factors.
5. Putin Might Really Believe That Trump Is Bluffing
And finally, the most decisive factor might be that Putin truly believes that Trump is bluffing about âescalating to de-escalateâ, whether economically-financially through the strict enforcement of secondary sanctions against India, China, etc., and/or militarily by going all-in backing Ukraine. If thatâs the case, then it follows that Putin only entertained negotiations to see whether he could achieve his maximum goals through diplomatic means, absent which heâd continue pursuing them militarily.
Thereâs also the chance that Putin agrees to a ceasefire, which could be explained in the following ways:
1. Russia Wants To Avert Disproportionate Dependence On China
Trumpâs tweet last Friday suggested that he plans strict secondary sanctions enforcement against India and China if Putin rejects a ceasefire, which could lead to the first complying and thus placing Russia in the position where it would become much more dependent on the second. Russia has thus far relied on India as its friendly counterbalance vis-a-vis China, but if Putin is informed that this might no longer be the case if Russia keeps fighting, then he might opt for peace to avoid becoming Chinaâs junior partner.
2. It Also Wants To Beat China To The Chase With The âNew DĂ©tenteâ
Putin wouldnât just be rejecting a ceasefire, but also a âNew DĂ©tenteâ with the US, which could lead to China replacing Russia in this arrangement if Trump travels to China next month like the latest reports claim and then negotiates a deal for ending their trade war. The recalibrated triangulation that might follow wouldnât be in Russiaâs interests, especially if the US gets China to comply with sanctions in order to coerce Russia into peace, so Putin might agree to a ceasefire in order to avert this scenario as well.
3. The âNew DĂ©tenteâ Could Geopolitically Revolutionize The World
Putin might calculate that beating China to the chase with the âNew DĂ©tenteâ and becoming more of a strategic partner to the US than the EU are worth pragmatic compromises on Ukraine since these two outcomes could geopolitically revolutionize the world to Russiaâs grand strategic advantage. If thatâs what heâs thinking, then he might defy popular expectations to boldly agree to a ceasefire, after which publicly financed media would explain the rationale to Russiaâs supporters at home and abroad.
4. Additional (& Even Secret) Terms Might Be Attached To The Ceasefire
Building upon the above, additional (and even secret) terms might be attached to the ceasefire for guaranteeing that Western peacekeepers wonât enter Ukraine and that the US wonât maximally rearm it during that period, which Russia could get the US to agree to via creative resource diplomacy. Giving the US privileged access to Russian energy and minerals, especially the rare earth ones that it needs for competing with China, might be all that it takes for Trump to put the kibosh on those two aforesaid fears.
5. Putin Might Really Believe That Trump Is Serious
And finally, the most decisive factor might be that Putin truly believes that Trump is serious about âescalating to de-escalateâ, in which case he might prefer not to risk a Cuban-like brinksmanship crisis that could hypothetically end with Russia compromising on much more than if it agreed to a ceasefire. Putin is a pragmatist who prefers managing tensions instead of exacerbating them, with the only recent exception being the decision to use the Oreshniks as explained here, so he might take Trump up on this.
Everyone will soon find out whether or not Putin agrees to a ceasefire, but whichever decision he makes, the five reasons that were shared for each scenario would compellingly explain his choice. Itâs anyoneâs guess what heâll do since each scenarioâs arguments are persuasive and he knows that this is his most fateful decision since the special operation. Putin might therefore ask their respective Kremlin proponents to debate amongst themselves in front of him one last time before making up his mind.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 03/14/2025 – 13:00
âAdolescenceâ Episode 1 Recap: My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?
Itâs the tedium that makes the gut punches hit home.
One of Londonâs skinniest homes has listed for $1.62M â see just how wee it is
Hopefully the sky-high asking price has a little more wiggle room than this seven-foot Kensington flat.
American Airlines plane catches fire on tarmac
An American Airlines plane carrying 178 people caught fire on the tarmac after making an emergency landing at Denver International Airport Thursday evening, forcing many passengers to evacuate by climbing out onto a wing and with emergency slides. Airport officials said 12 passengers were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
The fire started just before 6 p.m. Mountain Time after the plane, a Boeing 737-800, diverted to the airport due to what appeared to be an engine issue.
The Federal Aviation Administration told CBS News in a statement that American Airlines Flight 1006 had departed from Colorado Springs Airport and was bound for Dallas Fort Worth International Airport when the âcrew reported engine vibrations.â