Headline News

Is the US Headed for Double-Dip Recession?

Published

14 years ago

August 3, 2011

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The U.S. economy is showing signs of slipping back into a recession thanks in part to financial strain at the state and local levels, says Meredith Whitney, head of Meredith Whitney Advisory Group.

Whitney, who accurately called the financial crisis of a couple of years ago, said in late 2010 that widespread defaults were possible at the municipal levels.

That hasn’t happened yet, but state and local economies — as well as the national one — are in for tough times ahead, debt-ceiling impasse notwithstanding.

“I think you are getting increasing signs that we are really at risk for a double dip because our GDP number on Friday was an indication that states and local governments, 12 percent of GDP, are really pulling back,” Whitney tells CNBC.

Gross domestic product grew 1.3 percent in the second quarter of 2011, below private-sector forecasts for 1.8 percent, according to the Commerce Department.

While the debt-ceiling impasse was hard on everyone, states are in bad shape on their own regardless.

Federal stimulus money once pouring into local governments is drying up, and since 46 states are in the process of balancing their budgets, cuts to social programs and in contracts to private companies are going to rise.

“This affects the macro environment, this affects employment, this affects spending, this affects every corporation within the United States because so many corporations are reliant on contracts from state and local governments,” Whitney says.

“So this [debt crisis] situation in D.C. exacerbates it, but the states are in a bad situation even without the situation in D.C.”

Important: Can you afford to Retire? Shocking Poll Results

State and local governments will be forced to make the most draconian cuts are the ones that were most tied to the housing boom and will end up slashing social programs and raising taxes.

The states that have clean balance sheets and don’t have anything to worry about, in areas that we call the emerging markets of the United States, are going to attract more businesses, have higher tax surpluses and not have to cut programs and not have to raise taxes.

Others agree that the economy is risking dipping back into recession, especially after the debt-ceiling impasse and its effects on confidence. Many in the financial world markets are already buzzing about the S & P’s downgrading of American credit. In case you don’t know what that means to you. It means higher interest rates. Jimmy Carter style interest rates may be the result.

Congress has approved the government’s $14.3 trillion debt ceiling and thereby steered the government away from default by yesterday Aug 2,nd Tuesday’s deadline. Ratings agencies have said the U.S. could lose its AAA rating if it defaulted. FOr me the jury is still out on that prediction. Even if the government did avoid missing its obligations, it’s still unclear whether the damage the impasse has had on the country plus the enormous debt burden the government carries prompts some agencies to downgrade the country’s ratings anyway. In spite averting default yesterday the markets reacted negatively with a 200 plus loss in the stock market.

Growing uncertainty about the ultimate outcome inevitably has some negative effect on business capital investment and hiring as the Aug. 2 deadline came and went alluded to by David Crowe of the National Association of Home Builders, according to CNN.

Other economists were less worried. “If a deal appears imminent, there will not be any impact on GDP,” says Bill Watkins, executive director of the Center for Economic Research and Forecasting, CNN adds.

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Free Bible Program

200 King James Bibles To The Tomoka Correctional Institution In Daytona Beach And A Single Ruckman Reference Bible To An Inmate In Rikers Island

Published

3 days ago

January 15, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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Please pray for the inmates at the Tomoka Correctional Institution and the one inmate at Rikers Island who will be receiving God’s word through Bibles Behind Bars

Bibles Behind Bars, thanks to all y’all’s prayers and support, is off to a fast start with Bibles and books sent to the Delta Regional Unit in Arkansas, the Monroe Correctional Complex in Washington State, the Central Florida Reception Center in Orlando as well as Orange County Corrections also in Orlando. Today we received 2 requests, one for 200 Bibles to be sent to the Tomoka Correctional Institution in Daytona Beach, and an urgent request for a single Ruckman Reference Bible to be sent to an inmate housed at America’s most notorious jail, Rikers Island in New York. The belly of the Beast!

“Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die;” Psalms 79:11 (KJB)

The request for the single Ruckman Reference Bible came to us from an inmate advocacy group in New York City, on behalf of the inmate who was being given a very hard time when he asked to have a Bible. Rikers Island jail is predominately Muslim, with mostly Muslim chaplains along with one or two Catholic Chaplains, so getting a Bible is a lot harder than you think it might be. We sent that Bible out, and ask you to pray for this inmate (name withheld), as well as us being able to put many more Bibles into Rikers. What a blessing that would be! Also pray for the hundreds of souls at Tomoka who will soon be receiving King James Bibles as well. Come help us, Christian, we need you!

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

If God has prospered you, please take a moment to click on the donate button to help us in this monumental task of providing King James Bibles, New Testaments, scripture portions, gospel tracts as well as Spanish Bibles to inmates in jails and prisons from Florida to Alaska, and every state in between. We need your prayers, we need your generous financial support, and we need you to stand with us in the closing days of the Church Age. Thank you so very much, TO THE FIGHT!!!

NOTE: If you need a 501 C3 Letter of Donation for tax purposes, please send your donation to:

NTEB Ministries
1340 N Great Neck Rd.
Ste. 1272-129
Virginia Beach, VA 23454.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

European Union

WORLD WAR TRUMP: European Nations Like Germany, France And The United Kingdom Sending Troops To Defend Greenland From A United States Takeover

Published

3 days ago

January 15, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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European troops arrived in Greenland to back Denmark as talks with the United States exposed deep rifts over the Arctic island’s future and security

This article makes the 11,591st article that I have personally written over the past 17 years, and believe me when I tell you, the headline at the top of this page is the strangest one I have ever done. I know, I talk all the time about the coming world war, and give all sorts of facts, figures and scriptures to make my case, but when it actually begins to come to pass, it is a strange feeling. Only the Lord knows how far this will go, but at least for the moment, the wheels are in motion.

“Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.” Habakkuk 1:5 (KJB)

While the MAGA Movement may be salivating at the thought of Trump taking Greenland by military force, the majority of rationally-thinking Americans do not want to acquire the island in such a manner. Indeed moves like that are precisely where world wars come from. Someone earlier today suggested that they suspect that Donald Trump may have recently had a stroke by way of attempting to explain his ever-increasing irrational behavior. At his age, that could certainly be true, but I am still sticking to my original hypothesis that the warning shot to his right ear is what is driving him closer and closer to the brink of war. Keep your eyes on Germany and France, that’s where the last two world wars came from.

European troops arrive in Greenland to support Denmark amid dispute with the United States

FROM SCRIPPS NEWS: Troops from several European countries, including France, Germany, the UK, Norway and Sweden, are arriving in Greenland in a show of support for Denmark as talks between representatives of Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. on Wednesday highlighted “fundamental disagreement” between the Trump administration and European allies on the future of the Arctic island.

Denmark announced it would increase its military presence in Greenland on Wednesday and several European partners started sending symbolic numbers of troops on that day, just as the Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers were preparing to meet with White House representatives in Washington. The troop movements were intended to portray unity among Europeans and send a signal to U.S. President Donald Trump that an American takeover of Greenland is not necessary as NATO together can safeguard the security of the Arctic region amid rising Russian and Chinese interest.

Look at Emmanuel Macron with a darkened right eye, calling for a massive weapons buildup in Europe. “Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly… pic.twitter.com/c7s6VV2eOX

— Now The End Begins (@NowTheEndBegins) January 15, 2026

“The first French military elements are already en route” and “others will follow,” French President Emmanuel Macron announced Wednesday, as French authorities said about 15 soldiers from the mountain infantry unit were already in Nuuk for a military exercise.

Germany will deploy a reconnaissance team of 13 personnel to Greenland on Thursday, its Defense Ministry said.

On Thursday, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the intention was “to establish a more permanent military presence with a larger Danish contribution,” according to Danish broadcaster DR. He said soldiers from several NATO countries will be in Greenland on a rotation system.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, flanked by his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt, said Wednesday that a “fundamental disagreement” over Greenland remains with Trump after they held highly anticipated talks at the White House with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Rasmussen added that it remains “clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland” but that dialogue with the U.S. would continue at a high level over the following weeks. Inhabitants of Greenland and Denmark reacted with anxiety but also some relief that negotiations with the U.S. would go on and European support was becoming visible. READ MORE

Several European countries and NATO allies send troops to Greenland

Military personnel from several NATO countries including Germany, France, Sweden and Norway headed to Greenland on Thursday as Denmark and its allies prepared ⁠for exercises to try to assure US President Donald Trump over its security as he pushes to acquire the island.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

Headline News

Iran Closes Airspace In Move That Signals An Attack By Either Israel Or The United States May Be Imminent

Published

4 days ago

January 14, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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Many European nations as well as the United States have issued an ‘urgent warning’ for their citizens to leave Iran immediately as airspace is closed tight

The world is holding its collective breath right now, waiting for a strike on the imperiled Iranian regime that nearly all outlets say could happen at any moment. The Middle East has literally closed its doors, with as many foreign nations evacuated as possible. Donald Trump has promised the US would strike if they killed their citizens, and with the death toll now over 12,000, the moment of truth has arrived. Will he or won’t he?

“And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.” Daniel 5:25 (KJB)

Everywhere around the world you look right now, nearly all of it seems to be up for grabs and in motion, and one man is there in the middle of it as perhaps the greatest change agent that exists in politics right now. Steve Bannon calls Donald Trump ‘the Disrupter’, and very few could successfully argue against that. Everywhere he goes and everything he touches becomes hyper-polarized and infused with chaos and turmoil. While the world waits to see what he will do in Iran, Europe is already planning to withstand him in Greenland. The world is indeed realigning itself right now, with the pieces being moved around to prepare for the arrival of the soon-coming 7-year kingdom, and the man who will run it.

Iran closes airspace as Western military official says signals show US attack ‘imminent’

FROM THE JERUSALEM POST: Iran has issued a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) late on Wednesday night, closing its airspace to all flights, as Western military officials say US military action in the country is “imminent.” Flight tracker websites showed the airspace over Iran and Iraq emptying rapidly prior to the NOTAM’s issuing. The advisory is valid for a little more than two hours, Flightradar24 said.

“All the signals are that a US attack is imminent, but that is also how this administration behaves to keep everyone on their toes. Unpredictability is part of the strategy,” a Western military official told Reuters later on Wednesday.

Shortly before the NOTAM was issued, US President Trump held a press conference in which he said he was told that the killings in Iran had stopped. When asked if the US was still considering military action, Trump answered, “We’re going to watch and see what the process is.”

One of the main driving forces behind the protests of the Iranian people against the regime was the PROMISE of President Donald Trump to step in and help them obtain their freedom. Trump has now broken that promise and abandoned the Iranians who trusted him. @POTUS @WhiteHouse pic.twitter.com/jriuWnU2JV

— Now The End Begins (@NowTheEndBegins) January 15, 2026

Both Poland and Italy have urged their citizens to leave Iran immediately. The British embassy in Tehran has been temporarily closed. Less than 24 hours before, the US had urged its own citizens to leave. The US has also withdrawn military personnel from the US military’s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. READ MORE

Trump to STRIKE Iran ‘in next 24hrs’ and could launch Tomahawk missiles

A US military strike on Iran is imminent, officials have warned as the world is waiting with bated breath amid fears the first protester has already been executed. American troops and staff have started withdrawing from key military bases across the Middle East as tensions escalate in the region.