@ 9e69e420:d12360c2

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been confirmed as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services with a Senate vote of 52-48. Senator Mitch McConnell opposed the confirmation. Kennedy's nomination faced hurdles but gained support from the Senate Finance Committee. During the confirmation hearing, Senator Rand Paul criticized the oversimplification of vaccine discussions. He stated, "Discussion over vaccines is so oversimplified and dumbed down." Kennedy asserted his support for vaccines like measles and polio, promising not to discourage vaccinations as HHS Secretary. Previously, he switched from the Democratic Party to run as an independent and endorsed Trump

@ 85bdb587:7339d672

## Marty's Bent I must admit, I have been thoroughly impressed with the work the Trump administration has done since taking the reins from the Biden admin 23 days ago. Over the course of the first eight years of this newsletter there were multiple books-worth of words written about the rampant government corruption in the United States and the negative effects it was having on the economy, freedom and the psyche of the American people. The emergence of DOGE, its rag-tag team of autistic Gen Z'ers and the blatant fraud that has been surfaced is equally gratifying and infuriating. For the longest time any American taxpayer with the smallest shred of common sense has known that they've been getting screwed by the federal government. We've said it for many years; taxes are a humiliation ritual in which the Common Man works his ass off for a meager wage, the government takes one third of it, and then lines their own pockets. We were reaching levels of corruption that rivaled Soviet Russia. *“We know that they are lying, they know that they are lying, they even know that we know they are lying, we also know that they know we know they are lying too, they of course know that we certainly know they know we know they are lying too as well, but they are still lying. In our country, the lie has become not just moral category, but the pillar industry of this country.”* - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn The fact that all of the corruption that has been building up for decades in the United States is being brought to the light is extremely encouraging. We're not out of the woods yet, but it looks like we're actually making material progress to unveil the parasites in Washington DC. Hopefully DOGE's actions will lead to their eradication from American politics and a shrinking of the federal government to its smallest viable form. Nothing proves that DOGE is over the target more than the pearl clutching and screeching that is coming from the halls of Congress. FEED ME the crocodile tears of Elizabeth Warren, Maxine Waters and Mitch McConnell. These people are criminals and deserve nothing but the utmost contempt from the American people. The louder the screams coming from these individuals and others in similar positions should only be seen as confirmation that they are scared and are attempting to evade justice by screaming "CoNsTiTuTiOnAl CrIsIs" as many times as is humanly possible. With all of that being said, DOGE should be seen as a mechanism to identify corruption, root it out, and salvage what they can of the American taxpayers' money. It's an admirable endeavor that should be lauded, but it only goes so far. Unfortunately for the United States, you can't DOGE the debt. via TFTC  What you are looking at is a block of 10-year US Treasuries that need to be rolled over in a couple of days. Particularly, $66B 10Ys that were issued in February 2015 when interest rates were 2.00%. They'll be rolling over in a few days at 4.55%, representing an additional $1.67B in interest expense on the debt per year. While that may not seem a lot in a world where governments and central banks throw trillions around like their going out of style, it is important to realize that this is just one block of bonds that needs to be rolled over this year. If my memory serves me correctly, the Treasury needs to roll over ~$6 TRILLION in debt in the first half of this year. Using some back of the napkin Marty math skills, if all that debt rolled over at the same interest rate, that would add another ~$150B to the annual expense we pay on the interest on that debt. And in case you missed it, earlier this week the United States surpassed an incredible milestone; we are now paying $100B a MONTH in interest expense on the debt and $1.2T per year. If all of the debt that needs to be rolled over in the first half of the year is rolled over where interest rates stand today, it will increase the annual debt expense by more than 10%. Not great, Bob!  The actions of DOGE are incredible to see, but you simply can't eliminate debt that has already been accrued by raiding the Treasury and ousting corrupt bureaucrats. The United States has an obligation to pay back those who hold our debt and the only way to do that is to produce a surplus that allows the government to pay down what has been accrued or issue new debt at wherever rates find themselves at the time of roll over to pay it back. While spending cuts are being made we, unfortunately do not find ourselves reaping the benefits of a government surplus at the moment, so we'll have to roll over the debt. With interest rates where they are, the increase on the debt expense may put the United States government in a position where it becomes impossible to take care of the debt issue without printing their way out of it or getting all of the world's leaders around the table for a Bretton Woods-like monetary reset. We'll see how it plays out. One thing I know for damn sure is that no matter how the US decides to deal with the debt issue, bitcoin is going to benefit massively. If they print their way out people are going to flee to scarce assets, and bitcoin is the scarcest asset on the planet outside of time. If they reset the monetary order people are going to flee to bitcoin due to the certainty of its monetary policy and its relative inability to be corrupted. Now for... ## An Incredibly Simple Yet Powerful Quote As discussed in my recent conversation with Porter Stansberry, the mounting U.S. government debt problem has created an intriguing dynamic for Bitcoin holders. Porter articulated a compelling perspective: government debt, which threatens most people's savings and financial security, actually becomes an asset for Bitcoin owners. The logic is straightforward – as debt levels become unsustainable, more people will be forced to flee the traditional financial system, driving demand for alternative stores of value like Bitcoin. *"Their debt is your problem until you own Bitcoin. And then the moment you own bitcoin their debt is your greatest asset."* - Porter Stansberry This thesis becomes even more relevant when considering the staggering numbers we discussed. The U.S. currently faces $37 trillion in on-balance-sheet debt, plus an additional $190 trillion in unfunded liabilities from Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. These obligations, as Porter and I agreed, are mathematically impossible to fulfill without significant monetary debasement. This reality creates a powerful tailwind for Bitcoin adoption, as it positions the asset as one of the few viable escape hatches from a system drowning in debt. [Check out the full podcast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f8LWO_RmtU&ab_channel=TFTC) here for more on Trump's economic strategy, the commercial real estate crisis, and the future of energy markets in America. ## Headlines of the Day Bitcoin's Realized Cap Reaches Record High - via [X](https://x.com/TFTC21/status/1889831485701833056) Texas Bill Removes $500M Cap on State Bitcoin Purchases - via [X](https://x.com/BitcoinPierre/status/1889821134021075012) ETF Demand Outpaces Mining Production - via [X](https://x.com/TFTC21/status/1889779939982840185) U.S. Interest Expense on the National Debt Hits $1.2T - via [X](https://x.com/TFTC21/status/1889764204208324764) ## Bitcoin Lesson of the Day Bitcoin transactions work by sending entire "outputs" (batches of bitcoin) rather than spending partial amounts. When spending bitcoin, the entire output must be used and split into new outputs. For example, if you have a 25 BTC output and want to spend 1 BTC, you'd create two new outputs: 1 BTC to the recipient and 24 BTC back to yourself as change. The original 25 BTC output becomes spent and unusable. When making a payment that exceeds any single output you own, multiple outputs can be combined as inputs in a transaction. For instance, to spend 4.2 BTC, you might combine outputs of 1 + 0.5 + 2 + 1 BTC as inputs, creating new outputs of 4.2 BTC (payment) and 0.3 BTC (change). Transaction fees are created by making the total output amount slightly less than the input amount. The difference becomes the fee, which miners collect when including the transaction in a block. The balance of a bitcoin address is the sum of all its unspent transaction outputs (UTXOs). [Outputs | What is a Transaction Output? A simple explanation of transaction outputs and how they work.](https://learnmeabitcoin.com/beginners/guide/outputs/) ICYMI Fold opened the waiting list for the new Bitcoin Rewards Credit Card. Fold cardholders will get unlimited 2% cash back in sats. [Get on the waiting list](https://foldapp.com/credit-card?r=BgwRS) now before it fills up! $200k worth of prizes are up for grabs. Ten31, the largest bitcoin-focused investor, has deployed $150M across 30+ companies through three funds. I am a Managing Partner at Ten31 and am very proud of the work we are doing. Learn more at [ten31.vc/funds](ten31.vc/funds).

@ e373ca41:b82abcc5

*This article has been written with the* ***[Pareto client](https://pareto.space/read).*** *(read it there for the full experience). It was first published in German by Milosz Matuschek on* ***["Freischwebende Intelligenz".](https://www.freischwebende-intelligenz.org/p/unterwanderter-journalismus-der-mediale)*** *** It is unmistakable. The hydra of the Deep State is losing a few heads - and this time it's the turn of the media heads. Anyone can look at [USASpending](https://www.usaspending.gov/) to see how much taxpayers' money has gone to whom in the USA. ### When the state pays its advocates The mainstream media were also among the beneficiaries: Politico (100% Axel Springer) received over [USD 7 million](https://www.usaspending.gov/recipient/fa0cefae-7cfb-881d-29c3-1bd39cc6a49e-C/latest); the New York Times received over USD 40 million. Thousands of (probably not always necessary) government subscriptions flowed to large media houses - paid for with taxpayers' money. A form of covert press financing by the state. At what point can or should we speak of state media?  However, this is only the tip of the iceberg. The CIA front organization USAID ([known for its funding of virus research in Wuhan and other questionable activities](https://pareto.space/a/naddr1qqxnzden8quryveexq6rywp3qgswxu72gyq7ykjdfl9j556887jpzwu3mw3v9ez36quas55whq4te3grqsqqqa28qyxhwumn8ghj7mn0wvhxcmmvqyf8wumn8ghj7mmxve3ksctfdch8qatzqythwumn8ghj7urpwfjhgmewdehhxarjxyhxxmmdqy28wumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyv9kh2uewd9hsz9nhwden5te0wfjkccte9ehx7um5wghxyctwvszsxfjh)) - [pumped USD 472.6 million directly into the media landscape via the “Internews Network”.](https://www.zerohedge.com/political/usaid-funded-massive-global-state-propaganda-news-matrix-nearly-billion-people-reach) FAZ journalist Udo Ulfkotte once called this “bought journalists” in a very clear and media-effective way, which was not good for his health. There is ample evidence of the CIA-USAID connections, for example [here](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/toi-plus/international/how-usaid-worked-alongside-cia-in-vietnam-a-whistleblowers-account/articleshow/118164225.cms), [here](https://foreignpolicy.com/2014/04/03/cuban-twitter-and-other-times-usaid-pretended-to-be-an-intelligence-agency/) and [here.](https://www.jstor.org/stable/4017728)  But this is now over for the time being: USD 268 million, which was to go to “independent media for the free flow of information” (according to the [Columbia Journalism Review](https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/usaid-and-the-media-in-a-time-of-monsters.php)) in 2025, has been frozen. The largest media influence machine in the Western world is bleeding a little. One has to admit: part of the media-deepstate swamp is actually being drained dry financially. The fact that the Columbia Journalism Review doesn't even seem to notice that “free international journalism”, which, as it writes, is largely funded by USAID, ceases to be “free journalism” speaks volumes about this “hotbed of journalism”. Matt Taibbi of Racket News rightly finds, “The legacy media system is dead. They just don't know it yet.” *** ADVERTISEMENT: *Looking for the easiest way to buy Bitcoin and store it yourself? The **[Relai app](https://relai.app/de/?af_xp=custom\&source_caller=ui\&pid=INFLUENCER\&is_retargeting=true\&af_click_lookback=7d\&shortlink=eo5zpzew\&af_channel=branded_url\&af_inactivity_window=30d\&c=Milosz%20Matuszek)** is the No. 1 crypto start-up and No. 2 of all fintech start-ups in Switzerland. **[Here you can buy Bitcoin](https://relai.app/de/?af_xp=custom\&source_caller=ui\&pid=INFLUENCER\&is_retargeting=true\&af_click_lookback=7d\&shortlink=eo5zpzew\&af_channel=branded_url\&af_inactivity_window=30d\&c=Milosz%20Matuszek)** in just a few steps and also set up savings plans. Nobody has access to your Bitcoin except you. With the referral code MILOSZ you save on fees (no financial advice). Disclaimer due to regulatory issues: The services of the Relai App are hereby only recommended to inhabitants of Switzerland or Italy.*  *Need more security? The **[Trezor wallets](https://trezor.io/trezor-safe-5-bitcoin-only?transaction_id=102e192a206d1585e56a2fddef6d83\&offer_id=238\&affiliate_id=35234)** are recommended and easy to use, others are available in the **[store](https://trezor.io/?transaction_id=102bc85bdca2733287749c7f879ebd\&offer_id=133\&affiliate_id=35234)**. Need more advice? Book an **[introductory meeting](https://trezor.io/trezor-expert-session?transaction_id=1020e18dad0aa4b1186289fd22e90f\&offer_id=241\&affiliate_id=35234)** with a wallet expert.* *** Large-scale media manipulation has become visible. The propaganda matrix, if you will. The disastrous thing about it: if the Overton window is infiltrated, so to speak, the entire institution of journalism cannot be trusted. Every day, readers must expect to be pulled through the nose ring of intelligence service narratives and public agendas by mainstream journalists who pretend to be objective (and are often simply clueless and unsuspecting). The panorama of what we are supposed to see and believe, so to speak. How many mainstream journalists today are basically mouthpieces for the services? Every mainstream reader must now ask themselves: Is my favorite journalist at NZZ, Welt, SZ, ZEIT or FAZ perhaps just a CIA-IM? There were no major dissenters among them: EU criticism? Vaccination criticism? Criticism of NATO? Criticism of Biden and America? Criticism of Nord Stream? There were brief moments on television when questions about journalists' ties to lobby organizations were still part of the German satire program. <https://x.com/Spitze_Zunge_/status/1887915509988876786> ### The cards in the media are being reshuffled The watchdog of the powerful has been infiltrated by the powerful. This means that the Fourth Power is not a power at all, but part of the executive branch, a mouthpiece of the government. The claim that the mainstream is quality journalism, the gold standard for trustworthy information, is therefore the real fake news. It is the last, now crumbling dogma of an infiltrated press sect that has formed a cartel and is subjecting citizens to a permanent psy-op with intelligence-controlled taxpayers' money. A troupe of spokespeople at the work of mental synchronization. <https://x.com/TopherField/status/1887962959072149989> ### The fight against independent media But they not only give to one, they also take from the other. While government agencies use taxpayers' money to promote a certain type of journalism, the juice is actively being cut off from the critical part. All it takes is to be classified as a “PEP” (politically exposed person) and the bank account is gone. This is what has just happened to swiss Radio Kontrafunk. The critical Swiss author Stefan Millius was canceled by his publisher. Others have had their monetization via YouTube cut off (Snicklink). Others are harassed by the state media authority (Multipolar, Alexander Wallasch). The next one has a house search. It has been known since the Twitter files that the government and services also intervened massively in social media communication. This is no longer the Cold War. But it is the cold information war. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmgWAGDFCZI> Is this all so outrageous and new? During the Cold War, the CIA systematically infiltrated media outlets in the US. Thousands of agents were deployed as journalists - and wrote what they were told. This “Operation Mockingbird”, which the Church Committee also investigated, never ended, so to speak. It lives on as Operation Mockingbird 2.0. Intelligence payments to media outlets continue to exist. USAID distributes millions for “pro-democratic” reporting. Government subscriptions keep uncritical media alive. Media control of public opinion is the most important tool of power in a modern “democracy”. The difference to back then? Today, the manipulation is global. However, these revelations come at a time when trust in the media is already at an all-time low. [The fear of being lied to by the powerful is currently the majority opinion at 70%.](https://www.edelman.com/trust/2025/trust-barometer) They are currently in the process of convincing the remaining 30% of their own incompetence.  ### Update on the [Pareto project](https://pareto.space/en)  “Half the victory”, says Sun Tsu, ‘lies in the impregnable defense’. Free media now have the opportunity to build their own impregnable bastion and the [Pareto Project](https://pareto.space/read) invites them to do just that: [become uncensorable, be able to scale infinitely and not depend on third parties for all processes of journalistic work](https://pareto.space/a/naddr1qqxnzdenxuerxdpkxycngvpcqgsvlutjpemmkp50p6aa8zwu65yz9hg6erf2czc0tuyqpt57zhr79vsrqsqqqa28qyxhwumn8ghj7mn0wvhxcmmvqy28wumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyv9kh2uewd9hs33ee7d). It's all possible now. Everyone has to realize that: With other platforms, you build your house on someone else's property. With Nostr/Pareto, there is nothing and no one between author and reader, both in terms of communication and payment (via Bitcoin/Lightning). **A brief update on the project, January was very busy.** * We have about 35 journalists, publications, substackers, bloggers, memers onboarded who publish texts via the Pareto client, and the number is growing all the time. * The first Telepolis authors, such as Mathias Bröckers and Alexander Unzicker, will soon be able to re-publish their deleted texts with us in a censorship-proof manner, and we are helping with the migration of content. * We recently successfully tested the newsletter function! We will soon be able to offer all authors and readers the functions of Substack, Steady, Ghost etc. without having to entrust their readers' sensitive data to a platform or expose them to platform tracking. * We are delighted to have more high-caliber additions to our development team, which now comprises around ten wonderful people, almost all of whom come from this group of readers. * Our [open source code is now also public.](https://github.com/twenty-eighty/pareto-client) * We have opened a [crowdfunding on Geyser!](https://geyser.fund/project/pareto) - Our editor will soon be available to everyone free of charge (atm you have to drop us your npub: <team@pareto.space>) ### What's next? This opens up a new window of unimagined possibilities: On a strong basis such as that offered by decentralized technology, many critical authors can now publish securely or new publications can be created - worldwide and uncensorable. What kind of publications would you like to see? Where do you see gaps (also in the critical spectrum) that need to be filled, both in terms of formats and topics? What does the journalism of the future look like to you? Feel free to write to me: **<milosz@pareto.space>** ## One last thing Our funds are coming to an end. If you would like to support us: We have started a [crowdfunding on Geyser](https://geyser.fund/project/pareto), where you can help us with Bitcoin/Lightning donations.&#x20;  For traditional donations, you can find our bank account on our **[landingpage.](https://pareto.space/en)** *** ***Join the marketplace of ideas!** We are building a publishing ecosystem on Nostr for citizen-journalism, starting with a client for blogging and newsletter distribution. Sound money and sound information should finally be in the hands of the people, right? Want to learn more about the [Pareto Project](https://pareto.space/en)? Zap me, if you want to contribute (all Zaps go to the project).* *Are you a publication or journalist and want to be part of it, test us, migrate your content to Nostr? Write to **<team@pareto.space>*** **Not yet on** **[Nostr](https://nostr.com/)** **and want the full experience?** Easy onboarding via **[Start.](https://start.njump.me/)**

@ dbb19ae0:c3f22d5a

Installation: ``` bash python3 -venv nostr-sdk source nostr-sdk/bin/activate pip install nostr_sdk requests ``` Python program: ``` python # Usage example: python ns_read_metadata.py nostr:npub1mwce4c8qa2zn9zw9f372syrc9dsnqmyy3jkcmpqkzaze0slj94dqu6nmwy # Compatible with version 0.39 # ns_read_metadata.py # version 3 import asyncio, argparse, json from nostr_sdk import Metadata, Client, NostrSigner, Keys, Filter, PublicKey, Kind from datetime import timedelta async def main(npub): client = Client() await client.add_relay("wss://relay.damus.io") await client.connect() pk = PublicKey.parse(npub) print(f"\nGetting profile metadata for {npub}:") metadata = await client.fetch_metadata(pk, timedelta(seconds=15)) print(metadata) if __name__ == '__main__': parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='Fetch all metadata for a given npub') parser.add_argument('npub', type=str, help='The npub of the user') args = parser.parse_args() asyncio.run(main(args.npub)) ```

@ 19220736:7578e0e9

The U.S. economy is facing a double whammy of challenges as housing prices skyrocket and trade tensions escalate, creating a perfect storm of economic strain for everyday Americans. First-time homebuyers are bearing the brunt of the housing crisis, with median home prices rising by nearly 15% in major cities over the past year [1]. While wages have remained stagnant, the cost of living continues to climb. This has left many young families and individuals struggling to afford homes, forcing some to delay homeownership or take on risky levels of debt. Meanwhile, trade tensions between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico have added another layer of uncertainty for businesses and workers. The Trump administration's tariffs [2] on goods imported from these countries will lead to higher costs for industries ranging from agriculture to manufacturing. Companies reliant on imports will see profit margins shrink, with some forced to lay off workers or pass the added costs onto consumers. The interplay between these two experts warn that they could feed into each other. Rising housing costs can limit the availability of skilled labor, as workers may need to take on more demanding jobs to afford rising rents or home prices. This, in turn, could impact industries already struggling with reduced productivity due to trade disruptions. The long-term effects of trade tensions remain unclear, but the uncertainty caused by the threat of tariffs has already led to reduced investment in Mexico, with businesses hesitant to expand operations for fear of retaliatory measures from other countries [3]. While some argue that stronger trade agreements could benefit all parties involved, others fear that continued tension could lead to reciprocal measures that harm global markets. The cumulative effect of these challenges is leaving many Americans feeling vulnerable. From the first-time homebuyer struggling to save for a down payment to the worker worried about job security, the combination of rising housing costs and trade tariffs creates a perfect storm of economic instability. In cities across the U.S., local leaders are calling for more affordable housing [4] options and better wage protections as immediate solutions. Advocates argue that without addressing these issues, the economic strain on families will only worsen, potentially leading to long-term social and economic consequences. While both issues are complex and multifaceted, the need for a coordinated response has never been more urgent. Policymakers at all levels of government must work together to mitigate the negative impacts of rising housing costs and trade tariffs, ensuring that no one is left behind in this challenging economic landscape. Reference links: [1] [Past year ]( https://apnews.com/article/first-time-home-buyer-housing-prices-8ede22e18fd11a40f45e2e0ba6c055c1) [2] [Tariffs ]( https://apnews.com/article/america-canada-mexico-tariffs-trump-trade-4568dababcf524945333bb518232ec4b) [3] [4] [Housing ]( https://apnews.com/article/first-time-home-buyer-housing-prices-8ede22e18fd11a40f45e2e0ba6c055c1)