In a virtue-signaling display of institutional Trump Derangement Syndrome, the city of Burlington, Vermont, passed a resolution to spend $3,000 to rename its main shopping corridor from Church Street to Canada Street. The silly effort is premised on the goal of attracting more shoppers to the progressive Gotham’s dying commercial sector in a spiteful swipe at President Trump. Burlington is cutting off its nose on its path to self-destruction. The Resolution recites its “shared values with Canadian neighbors” and data suggesting “Canadian visitors are vital to our local economy, particularly in the downtown where small businesses, restaurants, hotels, and retail shops rely on cross-border tourism.” Burlington has experienced a sharp drop-off in foot traffic to its downtown Church Street Marketplace following years of Seattle-like progressive policies. (RELATED: Vermont Pedophile Weekend Retreat Draws Parental Ire) Burlington’s street renaming solution to its economic woes blames Donald Trump for its decline: “WHEREAS, recent reporting indicates a noticeable decline in Canadian travel to Vermont, with travelers citing concern about the Trump administration’s political rhetoric and immigration policies that expose them to risk of detention as reasons for canceled or postponed visits “WHEREAS, these policies from the Trump administration do not reflect the views and values of city leaders and residents, and the City of Burlington wishes to make sure our Canadian neighbors know this loud and clear;”  The truth is obscured from Burlington’s Progressives by the self-immolating ideology that has steadily destroyed the once-vibrant Green Mountain metropolis. Illegal immigrants populate the sanctuary city; gang violence is reflected in street shootings and the ubiquitous graffiti staining once-beautiful architecture; free needle sites ensure dirty syringes litter the shopping sidewalks. Drastically defunding the Burlington police and repeatedly electing far-left prosecutor Sarah George to set “marginalized” criminals at large have led Vermonters to shun the city for recreation or shopping. A September 2024 article, bluntly titled “Burlington businesses sound the alarm over declining foot traffic, sales,” described the glaring reasons Canadians stayed home long before Donald Trump could be scapegoated: Many Burlington businesses report a decline in revenues this summer amid an array of struggles downtown. Store owners are often reluctant to say business is bad for fear it will make the situation worse. But many are frustrated over declining revenues caused by visitors’ concerns about public safety and an exodus of downtown workers. The situation is prompting businesses to hit the panic button and ask people to shop locally because they are worried about closing … Th[e] challenges include crime, open drug use and other bad behavior. Vermont’s Continued Decline A recent letter, signed by over 100 Burlington business owners, petitioned the city to relocate a longstanding food shelf away from the public parking garage, where posting police at taxpayer expense has failed to control crime. This created a backlash and capitulation by the progressive-coddling Burlington mayor elected for her gay virtues to implement a “renewed sense of community empowerment.” (RELATED: Vermont Free Food Fracas Exposes Progressive Folly) The city continues to sink in the quicksand of progressive folly while city councilors shift blame to Donald Trump and solicit rescue from Canadians chased away by crime, decline, and city taxes. Burlington can’t balance its books due to overspending, despite increasing property taxes and a sales surtax on businesses that is shrinking the city’s revenues.   Now the city is spending $3,000 on “bilingual signage, including street signs, Canadian flags and other marketing materials” to attract Canadians, it claims have been scared away by fears of arrest and deportation. A gaslighting Olympian has championed the street renaming ruse: “Symbolism is important. It shows that we care,’ said Councilor Becca Brown McKnight (D-Ward 6), the resolution’s primary sponsor, who wore a Canadian flag-themed T-shirt to commemorate the vote.  Councilor McKnight said the name change is a playful way of showing appreciation to Canadians. It’s also a dig at Trump’s own penchant for rebranding national landmarks, such as the Gulf of Mexico, which the president renamed the Gulf of America on the first day of his second term. Councilor Gene Bergman (P-Ward 2) said the gesture is also a rejection of the xenophobia perpetuated by recent unprecedented immigration raids. Burlington is a self-proclaimed refuge for illegals and indigents that rolls out the red carpet for fentanyl-dealing street gangs while treating police like criminals. Now it proposes to solve these visible failures by “encouraging Canadian tourism, and celebrating our shared values and borderless friendship.” (RELATED: Sanctuary Cities: The Dangerous Illusion of Virtue) The border between the U.S. and Canada remains intact, as does the border between economic reality and Marxist Utopia. Burlington is no friend to the businesses it is slowly strangling in its empty quest to fault Trump for its pernicious fatuity. (RELATED: The Scandinavian Lesson: What Malmö Warns Us About America’s Sanctuary Cities) Burlington businesses are suffering the wokester ills that have infested progressive cities nationwide. Burlington is banking on Canadians risking their lives and treading where Vermonters eschew walking. French-language signs won’t conceal the stench. READ MORE from John Klar: Vermont Free Food Fracas Exposes Progressive Folly A Legal Analysis of Climate ‘Science’ Vermont Pedophile Weekend Retreat Draws Parental Ire The post Burlington Vermont Renames Church Street to Canada Street in Anti-Trump Snub appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and the White House have announced that blue-collar workers saw almost 2 percent real wage growth during the first five months of President Donald Trump’s second term. The occasion represents the first time that any president — with the exception of Trump’s first term — has recorded positive growth in the first five months since President Richard Nixon in 1969. The 1.7 percent real wage increase outperformed the first administration’s 1.3 percent real wage growth for blue-collar jobs in 2017. The start of both of Trump’s terms has provided a stark contrast to the negative 1.7 real wage growth in the first months of the Biden administration. Bessent told the New York Post in an interview that “the only other time it has been this high … was during President Trump’s first term.” He added, “[W]e’ve seen real wages for hourly workers, non-supervisory workers, rise almost 2 percent in the first five months. No president has done that before.” Trump’s Blue-Collar Agenda Bessent speculated that real wages have increased because of Trump’s pro-manufacturing agenda and immigration and deportation policies. He contrasted Trump’s policies with previous years under the Biden administration, which saw floods of illegal immigration that proved to be a “disaster” for working Americans. The 12 to 20 million illegal immigrants in the country have put pressure on Americans’ wages, whereas Trump’s new policies have halted and begun to reverse that trend. U.S. Customs and Border Protection released May’s operational statistics on Tuesday, announcing that “Border Patrol released zero illegal aliens into the interior of the U.S.” this May. In contrast, the Biden administration released 62,0000 illegal aliens into the country during May 2024. Further, the Border Patrol encountered 8,725 illegal aliens crossing the southwest border between ports of entry last month. This figure represents a 93 percent decrease from May 2024, when Border Patrol encountered 117,905 aliens. The other integral component to real wages for blue-collar workers is falling inflation. Despite the expectations of those who feared that tariffs would bring higher prices, the U.S. experienced muted May inflation as consumer prices rose only 0.1 percent in May over the previous month. Year-over-year inflation was 2.4 percent, representing nearly a four-year low. The result of lower inflation tends to be increased take-home pay, leading to higher real wages and living standards. Trump celebrated the historic increase in real wages for blue-collar workers in a post on Truth Social, writing, “Wow!!! U.S. Wage Growth BEST IN 60 YEARS!” READ MORE from Jonah Apel: A Tale of Two Father’s Days: This Year, Media Outlets Denigrated Fatherhood Liberals Pounce on RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Committee Appointments Three More States Join MAHA by Banning Candy and Soda From SNAP The post Blue-Collar Real Wages Experience Monumental Growth Under Trump Administration appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Africa’s history is a tapestry of innovation, resilience, and grandeur, yet so often, the continent’s ancient kingdoms are overshadowed by more familiar global narratives. From the golden savannas to lush river valleys, powerful civilizations flourished—setting standards in culture, trade, and governance that still echo today. These kingdoms shaped not only Africa but the world, contributing ...

by Ron Paul, Ron Paul Institute: Israel’s airstrikes on Iran and US involvement shatter the illusion that America First guides President Trump’s Middle East policy. The hijacking of “America First” for hawkish goals is clear as Trump treads the same failed interventionist path in the Middle East. Beyond policy, these attempts to co-opt the legacy of America […]

by Matt Agorist, The Free Thought Project: (Common Dreams) For nearly 30 years, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has driven the Middle East into war and destruction. The man is a powder keg of violence. Throughout all the wars that he has championed, Netanyahu has always dreamed of the big one: to defeat and overthrow the […]