BIDENOMICS

Data proves Trump 'inheriting an economy that is about as good as it ever gets': report

Maya Boddie, 

Alternet
January 5, 2025 


Two weeks ahead of the official start of his second presidency, Donald Trump is slamming the United States as a "disaster" on social media.

In a New York Times report published Sunday morning, White House correspondent Peter Baker lays out how current statistics defy the president-elect's claim.

"New data reported in the past few days indicate that murders are way down, illegal immigration at the southern border has fallen even below where it was when Mr. Trump left office and roaring stock markets finished their best two years in a quarter-century," Baker writes.

"Jobs are up, wages are rising and the economy is growing as fast as it did during Mr. Trump’s presidency," the Times correspondent continues. "Unemployment is as low as it was just before the Covid-19 pandemic and near its historic best. Domestic energy production is higher than it has ever been," Baker adds.

Furthermore, Baker reports "the America that Mr. Trump will inherit from President [Joe] Biden" beginning January 20 "is actually in better shape than that bequeathed to any newly elected president since George W. Bush came into office in 2001."

During his 2024 presidential campaign — and just weeks before his second term — Trump claimed "immigration, crime and inflation are out of control," Baker notes. However, he adds, the president-elect is moving back into the White House with an enviable hand to play, one that other presidents would have dearly loved on their opening day."

"President Ronald Reagan inherited double-digit inflation and an unemployment rate twice as high as today," the Times correspondent emphasizes. "President Barack Obama inherited two foreign wars and an epic financial crisis. Mr. Biden inherited a devastating pandemic and the resulting economic turmoil."

READ MORE: 'Feelings are not facts': Economists explain 'deeply partisan' nature of economic outlook

Moody's Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi told the Times that the MAGA leader "is inheriting an economy that is about as good as it ever gets."

Zandi emphasized, "The U.S. economy is the envy of the rest of the world, as it is the only significant economy that is growing more quickly post-pandemic than prepandemic."

Similarly, University of Virginia’s Miller Center's director William J. Antholis told Baker that regardless of Trump's claims, the incoming president is "stepping into an improving situation."


Bates adds, "After inheriting an economy in free-fall and skyrocketing violent crime, President Biden is proud to hand his successor the best-performing economy on earth, the lowest violent crime rates in over 50 years, and the lowest border crossings in over four years.

The Times' full report is available at this link (subscription required).

WAIT, WHAT?!

'Came through Canada': Trump official bizarrely defends lie about New Orleans killer

David Edwards
January 5, 2025 
RAW STORY



Fox News/screen grab

Trump 2024 campaign official Corey Lewandowski defended President-elect Donald Trump for falsely suggesting a man killed over a dozen people in New Orleans after crossing an open border into the United States.

During a Sunday interview on Fox News, host Howard Kurtz pressed Lewandowski on Trump's false claim.

"Why, the day after we all learned that the New Orleans mass murderer was an American citizen and had served in the Army, did Donald Trump put this up on Truth Social? 'This is what happens when you have open borders with weak, ineffective, and virtually non-existent leadership,'" Kurtz Wondered. "What has that got to do with the Bourbon Street killer?"

"Well, Howie, what we know or what we seem to have known about this individual was, yes, he served in the U.S. military, but he also went overseas, I think, to the Middle East, where many think he was radicalized over there and then came through Canada before he came back into the United States," Lewandowski replied deceptively.

"So, you know, we have to make sure that we are vigilant of checking everybody coming to this country and making sure we know where they're coming in from," he added. "Even American citizens, look, they have a right to travel. Of course, they do. But making sure that we understand that we're dealing with the mental health crisis that this person clearly had."

Also read: 'Bring it on': Defiant Raskin responds to GOP threats of retaliation for J6 investigation

While being deployed with the U.S. Army, Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar returned from Afghanistan in 2010 with an apparent layover in Canada.

Canada does not appear in the FBI's timeline of the New Orleans attack.

Kurtz did not challenge the Trump official on the suggestion that the killer had been radicalized while out of the country.

Watch the video below from Fox News or at the link..

'We are at war': Republicans said to be using New Orleans attack to boost Trump's agenda

David McAfee
January 5, 2025 

RAW STORY

Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump makes a campaign speech at the Johnny Mercer Theatre Civic Center in Savannah, Georgia, U.S. September 24, 2024. REUTERS/Megan Varner

Donald Trump is getting an unearned boost for his own political agenda based on a recent terror attack, according to a report.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar was an American citizen and a U.S. Army veteran who rented a pick-up and rammed it into a group of people in New Orleans, killing more than a dozen of them.

Trump seized on an early false report, which was later retracted, that suggested Jabbar might have been an illegal immigrant. The president-elect made multiple posts about border security in the wake of the terrorist act, and never clarified those comments.

Now, Republicans are trying "to exploit New Orleans attack to push through Trump agenda," according to The Guardian, which added that Trump loyalists are making a "baseless link between attack and US border" in order to argue that "cabinet nominees must be urgently ratified."

"Republicans in the US Senate are attempting to exploit the New Year’s Day attack that killed 14 victims in New Orleans, while injuring dozens more, to push through Donald Trump’s most controversial cabinet nominations and rocket-charge the incoming president’s anti-immigration agenda – despite the fact that the attacker was a US citizen born and raised in east Texas," the article states. "Several Senate Republicans appeared on Sunday’s political shows to call for an urgent approval of the most contentious of Trump’s cabinet selections who are facing a tough confirmation process. They include Kash Patel, chosen by Trump for FBI director; Pete Hegseth for defense secretary; and Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence."

The report goes on to claim GOP lawmakers are arguing that "any delay in confirmation of the controversial cabinet picks would damage US national security."

"Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator from South Carolina who is a leading Trump loyalist, said he would vote for all the president-elect’s nominees," the article states, quoting Graham as saying, "Do them now, do them quick, get them all done... We are under attack here – we are at war."

Read the full piece here.

Digital accessibility: Building an Internet for all should become a business imperative


By Dr. Tim Sandle
January 4, 2025
DIGITAL JOURNAL

A bill making its way through the California state legislature would mandate that internet giants pay news agencies monthly 'journalism usage fees' based on viewing of stories via their platforms. — © AFP SEBASTIEN BOZON

An unwelcomed business trend in the U.S. during 2024 has been with the number of ADA lawsuits and increasing consumer demand for inclusivity. This has led some market commentators to remark that digital accessibility is no longer just good practice, it has transitioned into something that is now essential for business survival.

To capture this dynamic, the Contentsquare Foundation has released the 2024 Digital Accessibility Barometer,. This is described as a global benchmark for analysing the digital accessibility landscape across the 100 most-visited websites in six countries, including the U.S.

The report used the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2) to assess levels of compliance across 17 accessibility criteria. This enabled the barometer to evaluate a total of the 100 of the most visited websites across six countries – France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the US. The websites audited spanned various sectors, including public services, banking, media, and eCommerce.

Only 7 percent of websites scored 9/10 or higher, with 71 percent of those high scorers came from public sector organizations. Among 100 websites audited, only one banking site and one eCommerce site achieved top scores.

In terms of particular weaknesses, 56 percent of websites audited lack accessibility statements, highlighting a significant gap in transparency and accountability in digital accessibility. Notably, websites with accessibility statements achieve higher average scores (6.9/10) compared to those without (6.0/10).

It is estimated there is $13 trillion in global disposable income tied to individuals with disabilities. As a consequence, inaccessible websites risk alienating a significant customer base, losing revenue, and facing increasing legal scrutiny.

The report highlights challenges and areas for U.S. businesses to focus on in developing strategies.

Accessibility statements drive improvement

U.S. websites with accessibility statements outperformed those without them, scoring an average of 6.9/10 compared to 6.0/10, proving the importance of transparency and accountability.

The public vs. private sector gap

While U.S. public sector websites score only 11% higher than private ones, Europe’s public sector outpaces private sector performance by 44%, underscoring a need for stronger private sector accountability in the U.S.

Ecommerce and media challenges

These industries lag globally, with scores of 5.4/10 and 5.8/10, highlighting significant risks in customer experience and revenue retention.

Recommendations to address these challenges, taken from the report, include:

Media and moving content: Ensure videos and animations include captions and transcripts and provide controls to pause or stop autoplay content to support users with disabilities or sensitivities.

Colour and text adaptability: Improve colour contrast for better readability and offer options to adjust text size, spacing, and contrast to support users with visual impairments.

Images: Add descriptive alt-text to images so that screen reader users can access important visual information.

Keyboard navigation: Ensure all interactive elements, such as menus and forms, are fully operable using a keyboard to accommodate users without mouse control.

Ecuador presidential campaign opens amid drug war, internal power struggle


By AFP
January 5, 2025


Ecuadoran flags are draped from a railing at the government palace in the capital city of Quito on January 5, 2025

 - Copyright AFP Galo Paguay

Santiago PIEDRA SILVA

The monthlong campaign for general elections in Ecuador began Sunday as President Daniel Noboa faces a challenging war against drug gangs and a power struggle within his administration.

The campaign, with 16 presidential candidates including leftist Luisa Gonzalez and Indigenous leader Leonidas Iza, will end February 6, three days before the election.

The National Electoral Council (NEC) called on all candidates to conduct campaigns of “tolerance and mutual respect that promote reasoned debate (and) a culture of peace.”

Despite drug-related violence and a serious drought that led to prolonged blackouts, Noboa leads in early opinion polling, at 33 percent.

Gonzalez, a 47-year-old lawyer close to opposition leader and former president Rafael Correa, is not far behind, at 29 percent, according to a recent survey by the Comunicaliza firm.

“A united, brave and hopeful country is about to be reborn,” Gonzalez said on X before launching her campaign in capital Quito and the port city of Guayaquil, a city so hard-hit by drug-related crime that Noboa last year deployed army troops there.

Iza, who heads the country’s largest Indigenous organization — and who took part in uprisings that overthrew three presidents between 1997 and 2005 — placed a distant third in the polling at 3 percent.

– Political spat –

The pro-Noboa ADN political alliance is planning a caravan in Guayaquil, though it was unclear whether the president — locked in a spat with Vice President Veronica Abad — would take part.

The government accused her of being slow to take up a temporary foreign posting — which she said was designed to pressure her to resign.

In response, Noboa has designated Cynthia Gellibert as interim vice president.

If Noboa requests the traditional leave of absence to campaign ahead of the election, the vice president would normally fill in.

Abad has challenged the Gellibert appointment, saying on X: “I will assume the presidency… while President Daniel Noboa participates as a presidential candidate.”

The government, however, contends that Noboa is not required to take a leave of absence.

TURKISH IMPERIALISM MEETS RESISTANCE

Syria monitor: 101 killed in battles between pro-Turkey, Kurdish forces


By AFP
January 5, 2025


Children who fled ongoing battles between Turkish-backed groups and Syrian Kurdish forces in Syria's Aleppo province sit at a desk in the yard of a school in Hasakeh, where they and others took refuge - Copyright AFP Delil SOULEIMAN

More than 100 combatants were killed over the last two days in northern Syria in fighting between Turkish-backed groups and Syrian Kurdish forces, a war monitor said on Sunday.

Since Friday evening, clashes in several villages around the city of Manbij have left 101 dead, including 85 members of pro-Turkish groups and 16 from the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The SDF said it had repelled “all the attacks from Turkey’s mercenaries supported by Turkish drones and aviation”.

The Turkish defence ministry said it had “neutralised” 32 Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, without providing further details.

Turkish-backed factions in northern Syria resumed their fight with the SDF at the same time as Islamist-led rebels were launching an offensive on November 27 that overthrew Syrian president Bashar al-Assad just 11 days later.

The pro-Ankara groups succeeded in capturing Kurdish-held Manbij and Tal Rifaat in northern Aleppo province, despite US-led efforts to establish a truce in the Manbij area.

The fighting has continued since, with mounting casualties.

During a visit to Damascus on Friday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said security of the Kurds is “essential for a peaceful Syria.” She said this requires “an end to the fighting in the north and the integration of the Kurdish forces… in the Syrian security architecture.”

The SDF controls vast areas of Syria’s northeast, and parts of Deir Ezzor province in the east, where the Kurds created a semi-autonomous administration following the withdrawal of government forces during the civil war that began in 2011.

The group, which receives US backing, took control of additional territory after capturing it from the jihadists of the Islamic State group.

Ankara accuses the main component of the SDF, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), of affiliation with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought a decades-long insurgency in southeastern Turkey and is banned as a terrorist organisation by the government.

The Turkish military regularly launches strikes against Kurdish fighters in Syria and neighbouring Iraq, accusing them of being PKK-linked.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s new leader and the head of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), told Al Arabiya TV in late December that local Kurdish-led forces should be integrated into the national army.

HTS led the coalition of rebel groups that overthrew Assad last month.

Red Cross says determining fate of Syria’s missing ‘huge challenge’


By AFP
January 5, 2025


Spoljaric said determining the fate of Syria's missing will likely take years

 - Copyright Palazzo Chigi press office/AFP Filippo ATTILI

Maher Al Mounes

Determining the fate of those who went missing during Syria’s civil war will be a massive task likely to take years, the president of the International Committee for the Red Cross said.

“Identifying the missing and informing the families about their fate is going to be a huge challenge,” ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric told AFP in an interview.

The fate of tens of thousands of detainees and missing people remains one of the most harrowing legacies of the conflict that started in 2011 when president Bashar al-Assad’s forces brutally repressed anti-government protests.

Many are believed to have been buried in mass graves after being tortured in Syria’s jails during a war that has killed more than half a million people.

Thousands have been released since Islamist-led rebels ousted Assad last month, but many Syrians are still looking for traces of relatives and friends who went missing.

Spoljaric said the ICRC was working with the caretaker authorities, non-governmental organisations and the Syrian Red Crescent to collect data to give families answers as soon as possible.

But “the task is enormous,” she said in the interview late Saturday.

“It will take years to get clarity and to be able to inform everybody concerned. And there will be cases we will never (be able) to identify,” she added.

“Until recently, we’ve been following up on 35,000 cases, and since we established a new hotline in December, we are adding another 8,000 requests,” Spoljaric said.

“But that is just potentially a portion of the numbers.”

Spoljaric said the ICRC was offering the new authorities to “work with us to build the necessary institution and institutional capacities to manage the available data and to protect and gather what… needs to be collected”.

Human Rights Watch last month urged the new Syrian authorities to “secure, collect and safeguard evidence, including from mass grave sites and government records… that will be vital in future criminal trials”.

The rights group also called for cooperation with the ICRC, which could “provide critical expertise” to help safeguard the records and clarify the fate of missing people.

Spoljaric said: “We cannot exclude that data is going to be lost. But we need to work quickly to preserve what exists and to store it centrally to be able to follow up on the individual cases.”

More than half a century of brutal rule by the Assad family came to a sudden end in early December after a rapid rebel offensive swept across Syria and took the capital Damascus.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, says more than 100,000 people have died in detention from torture or dire health conditions across Syria since 2011.

Report: Russian Ships Heading to Syria to Move Equipment to Libya

Landing ship Ivan Gren is among those reported heading to Syria (Russian Ministry of Defense file photo)

Published Jan 3, 2025 2:43 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

The Russian evacuation of troops and equipment from Syria after the fall of the government is continuing. The Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reports a flotilla of Russian ships will be arriving in the Syrian port of Tartus in the coming days with some destined for Africa.

“On January 5, 2025, the Russian large landing ships Ivan Gren and Alexander Otrakovsky, as well as the dry cargo ship Sparta, are scheduled to arrive in the Syrian port. They are currently on their way to Tartus in the Mediterranean Sea,” GUR wrote in a posting on Telegram.

Among the personnel they believe are heading to Syria to oversee the next phase of the evacuation is the Russian Chief of Staff of the landing ships fleet. GUR reports Russia has been massing at Tartus its long-time outpost after withdrawing from forward positions to continue the evacuation that began shortly after Bashar al-Assad fled the country turning up in Moscow.

According to the tracking data from GUR, two other Russian vessels, a second cargo ship Sparta II, and the tanker Ivan Skobelev are set to transit the Strait of Gibraltar toward Syria. It expects those vessels will reach Tartus on January 8. The Russian frigate Admiral Golovko also plans to refuel GUR reports.

The Ukrainians assert that Russia will load military equipment and weapons aboard the two cargo ships Sparta and Sparta II which will then transport the equipment to Libya. It is part of a report that Russia is strengthening its ties to Libya after the fall of Syria. The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Russia will also be shipping modern air defense systems to Libya.

The other vessels are being prepared to remove military personnel or equipment, although Bloomberg has also reported that Russia continues to negotiate with the emerging Syrian regime. The report says Russia is seeking to maintain a base in Syria.

It has also been reported that Russia has an ongoing airlift evacuating troops and equipment. It was suggested as many as 25 more military transports would be required to complete the transfers. GUR reports armored personnel carriers have been seen arriving in the Vladimir region probably taking material from Syria.

The Sparta was spotted in December going to the rescue of the Russian cargo ship Ursula Major when it began sinking off Gibraltar on December 23. After the Ursa Major's sinking, Sparta resumed her eastward journey declaring her destination as Port Said, Egypt.

Op-Ed: Collapsing health systems vs major flu outbreaks in US, UK and Europe


ByPaul Wallis
DIGITAL JOURNAL
January 5, 2025


A colorized transmission electron micrograph of avian influenza A H5N1 virus particles (blue), grown in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells - Copyright National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/AFP/File HANDOUT

Just at the time when the obscene total dysfunction of healthcare systems is an unavoidable topic, ooh look – A virtual whole new pandemic.

The numbers are huge, the situation is roughly similar to 2019 in terms of preparedness, and this time it’s more than one disease. It’s influenza, bird flu, and norovirus.

How chic. How opportune that the same mentality that managed COVID so well will soon return to manage this new plague.

Kook politics nostalgia and incompetent lunatics notwithstanding –

Bird flu and influenza could also swap genetic materials, according to the CDC. That could lead to a super-strain, or multiple strains, either option making immunization and containment more difficult.

Health systems are already under significant stress, especially in England. This may be a seasonal event or the beginning of another epic of epidemiology. Neither the US healthcare system nor the long-suffering battered UK NHS are in exactly tip top shape for a long siege.

The Chinese HMPV flu situation isn’t yet anything like clear. There is a “metapneumonic” virus which appears to be seasonal, but it’s occurring in context with avian flu and the dominant influenza A incidents.

Influenza is not one of humanity’s best friends. The 1918 “Spanish flu” pandemic killed between 18 to 50 million people and kept coming till about 1920. COVID has “only” killed 7 million but it’s still doing that.

Now the real problem.

It’s definitely not any particular disease, or even a pandemic.

It’s the deliberate total mismanagement of human health on a global scale for decades.

The US is undeniably the worst offender, in which claims are refuted on a routine basis. See the AI overview on this Google search. It ain’t pretty.

According to this information, 450 million healthcare claims are rejected each year. That’s more than 1 rejection per person and per day. It’s highly unlikely that all of these claims are erroneous or fraudulent.

Nor is the US healthcare system particularly interested in curing anyone. Goldman Sachs said it wasn’t “sustainable” for patients to be cured and the rest of the Mensa rejects in the sector agreed. Obviously not much has changed, The median price per year is around $14,570 for health care which will definitely be refused at some point for those paying.

In this ultra-neurotic environment, can the US healthcare system cope? Looks like we’re about to find out.

________________________________________________

Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.

2025 Predictions — The US exits from the world, and the rich are not included


ByPaul Wallis
DIGITAL JOURNAL
January 5, 2025


The New York Stock Exchange. — © AFP

The creaky old “predictions” time has come. A groveling impotent global media, castrated by its own business models and policy stupors, suddenly knows something.

Well, hollow-lu-jah.

Having failed miserably at its traditional role, the world’s highly branded buffoons have taken up crystal ball gazing. Presumably, no other balls were available.

The predictions range ingloriously from the mindlessly mediocre to the pointlessly predictable, as follows:

Nobody mentions anything getting better.

Human reality is as usual not a subject for discussion.

America’s impending departure from the world is definitely not a topic.

It’s ironic that the world’s “pundits” (there are other far more accurate and meaningful descriptions) can’t do much more with such a rich sewer full of materials. Having turned themselves into lackeys and reduced circulation with paywalls, they’re now spectators at best, and co-conspirators at worst.

Never mind that.

Given such pitiful and gutless competition, I thought I’d have a go at it. I could hardly do worse than that rubbish.

First Quarter 2025

The first rumbles of unworkable and downright obsolete economic policies spatter against global sensitivities. Europe and China start to react. The stated policies start their very predictable run to a surprisingly boring disaster.

This is just setting up for failure.

The world won’t follow.

If you want to be “isolated”, bingo.

Nobody will want anything to do with you.

The world has been here before and didn’t like it.

The first responses will be evasive rather than confrontational, but the trade issues have already been decided. This is just the start. With or without active hostility, the step off the cliff has been taken. You’ve gone from Rebel without a Cause to Ridiculous Gerbil-Like Meeting-Dwellers without Applause.

Second Quarter 2025

This is where the domestic fan starts to get hit. Infighting begins in earnest. American media is now so despised and ineffectual it will take a while to percolate through to the public.

It’s all about money, the lack of money, and the fact that Americans can no longer afford anything.

What a surprise.

Keep ‘em coming, bozoids.

“What, is all not quite peachy dandy keen neat-O in the great empty KFC bucket we for some reason call a country?”, they will ask in horror.

“Non cacas?”, respondeth America The Broke.

This level of communication isn’t likely to achieve much. It can’t and it won’t. These problems will persist

Third Quarter 2025

By about this time whatever chaos has hit the revenue cycle will be taking place. It could happen a lot sooner, but hey, even morons need some time to be morons. State and Federal revenue will be seeing movement in too many different directions.

The beauty of it is that this level of total out-of-depth ineptitude can affect the whole world, which America bravely continues to insist doesn’t exist. The world can’t and won’t trust that.

US debt will be front and center as usual. The world knows how some prominent “alleged Americans” handle their personal debt. It responds accordingly

Obviously, the world is persecuting America, which threatens to invade itself in retaliation.

The thing is, America the Still Somewhat Credibly Solvent, by now a total of nearly four people and a rather smug raccoon, won’t trust it either. Things will have to move on from the idiocy.

Interest rates rise. Markets fragment. Assets evaporate. Credit hangs itself. Idiots rejoice.

Fourth Quarter 2025

A few other neuroses could have happened or not in 2025. That depends largely on whether Congress or Americans with any real clout (note the distinction) can read. That means rich non-morons, and the place doesn’t seem oversupplied with those.

A “strategic” Bitcoin reserve may or may not have happened. The world’s most highly manipulated pothole-priced pseudo-currency may have taken over from the US dollar – Or not. Bitcoin has a finite number of coins. Hardly enough for unlimited greed and stupidity. It’s not all that likely, but not impossible.

The US housing market may finally have collapsed under all that fictional and totally irresponsible debt. It’s been permanently sucking as much money out of the economy as the parasitic health sector. Nobody can afford to prop it up anyway. The sheer inertia of this massive market disintegrating will rewrite every investment portfolio in the US and probably the world.

The corporate world, aka the most hated people in history, will be doing fine, according to them. You know how good their info is. They’re good at sending themselves broke, just better at sending everyone else broke.

The current situation is quite bad enough. At least you can pretend it works, though. That may not be the case at the end of 2025. This last gasp of stupidity will be the parting of ways for Feudal America and the 21st century

Trade, AI, reality, and a defensive world will move on without American psychoses.

______________________________________________________

Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.

Already stung by reduced crop estimate, Florida citrus industry now faces polar vortex

Jan. 3, 2025 


 Just weeks after Florida's 2024-25 orange crop production estimate was slashed by 20%, growers are facing a polar vortex cold snap coming next week that could pose new dangers for the industry.

 Photo courtesy of Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Jan. 3 (UPI) -- A polar vortex with the potential to damage Florida's seasonal citrus crop is expected to descend on the state next week -- just after industry analysts predicted the lowest yield in 100 years.

Due to the adverse effects of October's Hurricane Milton, as well as a now-familiar list of longer-term problems, such as disease caused by an invasive species of insect, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's latest citrus crop update issued last month delivered a fresh blow to industry. And now nature is continuing its assault.

The cold weather is set to come in two waves, including a first bout beginning this week. By Thursday, freeze and frost-related advisories had been put into effect for Florida's northern peninsula, with temps expected to drop into the low 30s and raising the potential for damage to "local vegetation."

But forecasters said the bigger threat is the second wave that will arrive next week, which could produce the coldest winter temperatures in Florida in 14 years.

Despite the multiple challenges triggered by Milton, Hurricane Ian two years ago and now a polar vortex, industry officials remain optimistic the cold weather is just latest problem they must face -- and overcome.

"We're hopeful that, with the right conditions, we can mitigate any significant impacts and continue recovery efforts following recent storms," Florida Citrus Mutual CEO Matt Joyner told UPI.

Latest forecast: Orange crop plunges to 12M boxes

The vortex is arriving only weeks after the prospects for Florida's 2024-2025 citrus crop were revised significantly downward.

The USDA Agricultural Statistics Board's latest forecast for this season's crop, issued on Dec. 10 presented even worse news than the previous forecast issued in October, which in itself was worrisome even before the impact of this fall's Hurricane Milton was assessed.

Now, with more information about Milton's effects filtering in, the overall orange production prediction was lowered by 20% and grapefruit production by 14%, showing the crop at its lowest levels since the 1920s at 12 million boxes, down 20% from the October forecast of 15 million.

If that turns out to be correct, it would be fully 33% less than last season's final production. The latest forecast is a disheartening turnaround from earlier in 2024, when the USDA was expecting production to jump 11% over the 2023-24 season.

Instead, the latest forecast calls for 5 million boxes of non-Valencia oranges (early, mid-season and Navel varieties) and 7 million boxes of Valencia oranges.

Grapefruit production, meanwhile, is envisioned at 1.2 million boxes, down 200,000 boxes from the October forecast, representing a 33% reduction from last season's final production.

Red grapefruit is shown at 1.05 million boxes -- down 150,000 boxes from the October forecast. White grapefruit is forecast down 50,000 boxes to 150,000 boxes.

The new forecast shows yet another step along the Florida citrus industry's long-term production decline, blamed on hurricanes, freezes, citrus greening disease, changing consumption patterns and real estate pressures on agricultural land exerted by the state's quickly growing population.

In fact, since 2005 orange production in Florida has dropped more than 90%, from 150 million boxes to the mere 12 million boxes now expected for the current season.




The number of Florida citrus growers plummeted between 2002 and 2017, dropping to 2,775 from 7,389, a 62% decline, while the number of juice processing facilities fell to 14 in 2017 from 41 in 2003, a 66% decline, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

As of December, there were 248,000 acres of orange groves in Florida, down from 665,000 in 2000, while grapefruit acreage stood at only 14,000 acres, down from 118,000 in 2000.

Arctic outbreaks plagued the industry in the '80s

Adding to the economic pressures and damage wrought by hurricanes such as Ian and Milton, the spells of cold weather brought to Florida by polar vortices have caused big problems at times. Previous episodes of cold waves decimated citrus crops in the state.

For instance, after a hard freeze in 1983, one of most destructive recent episodes came on Jan. 18 to 22, 1985, in what is still known as the "Freeze of the Century."

That year saw one of the most intense U.S. arctic outbreaks of the 20th century, with extremely cold temperatures affecting every state east of the Rockies, including Florida, where the mercury fell as low as 6 degrees F in Pensacola. That year, Florida's secretary of agriculture said the polar vortex hit the citrus industry with $2.5 billion in losses.

The disaster caused many growers to go out of business, according to headlines at the time. Contemporary reports stated the freeze "turned oranges rock-hard in groves as far south as Palm Beach."

Only four years later, another polar vortex known as the "Christmas Freeze" did more than $1 billion in damage to the state's citrus industry, wiping out 6% of its orchards and sparking a permanent exodus of the citrus industry in the northwestern part of the state around Tampa Bay.

The three close-together polar vortices in the 1980s served to forever change the character of Florida's citrus industry from one dominated by a tens of thousands of small, mom-and-pop producers to a much smaller number of corporate players with resources to better adapt to extreme weather conditions.

Much of the land formerly used by small orange growers was gobbled up by housing developers to accommodate the state's booming residential growth starting in the 1990s.

Polar vortex again taking aim at Florida

While it's not likely to reach the proportions of the 1985 Freeze of the Century, forecasters say this polar vortex will bring far-below-normal temperatures to the Sunshine State, perhaps the coldest in January since 2011.

As of Thursday, there remained considerable uncertainty about the magnitude of the cold and which areas would be hardest hit, but the most likely period of extreme cold throughout the eastern United States is generally expected from Monday through Jan. 14.

In a warning issued this week, the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center said the "coldest air of the season to date" and below-freezing temps are expected across many parts of the Southeast during the period, including the Gulf Coast and much of the Florida Peninsula.

"Impacts to to highly sensitive citrus crops are possible," the NWS cautioned.

AccuWeather meteorologist Alex DaSilva told the USA Today Network there is the potential for damage in Florida's northern citrus groves, perhaps even for those in some southern areas of the state, as temperatures near the "danger mark" for citrus at 28 degrees.

"I'm a little concerned more about the northern citrus groves from Orlando north, where temperatures could be in the upper or even mid 20s," DaSilva said, noting that south of Lake Okeechobee, temperatures may not sink below freezing.

Citrus industry leaders stay optimistic

The freeze is coming at a particularly vulnerable time for Florida's citrus industry as it struggles to recover from Hurricane Milton, as well as Hurricanes Ian (2022), Idalia (2023), Debby (2024) and Helene (2024) before it.


Milton on Oct. 9 plowed directly through Florida's Citrus Belt, including Polk, Highlands, Hardee, Polk, Desoto, and St. Lucie counties, damaging trees, blowing fruit off branches, producing downpours and spawning deadly tornadoes, including a twister in St. Lucie County that killed six people and significantly damaged an iconic family-owned citrus business.

An estimate issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services last month put the statewide citrus crop losses from Milton at between $23 million and $55 million due to "significant" fruit drop caused by high winds and physical damage to trees.

Fruit drop was especially prevalent on varieties that were ready for harvest, such as early oranges, tangerines, Hamlin oranges and tangelos. Some growers also reported broken branches and structural damage to trees. Some young citrus trees were split, compromising their health and future productivity, the analysts said.

Joyner, of industry group Florida Citrus Mutual, said that despite the challenges posed by hurricanes, citrus greening and now the upcoming polar vortex, Florida's citrus growers remain "resilient."

"Florida citrus growers are not strangers to adverse weather conditions, like freezing, which they've been battling for more than a hundred years," he told UPI in an emailed statement.

"While a freeze would undoubtedly compound the challenges growers are experiencing as a result of Hurricane Milton, we're cautiously optimistic that the temperatures may moderate and reduce potential damage."

The state's growers have dealt with many issues over the years, he said, calling them "resilient and well-prepared to protect their crops as best they can. We're hopeful that, with the right conditions, we can mitigate any significant impacts and continue recovery efforts following recent storms."

Toilet maker warns customers not to wipe the seats with toilet paper

Jan. 3, 2025 


Japanese toilet manufacturer Toto is warning customers not to wipe the seats with toilet paper, as it can cause scratches to the plastic resin.

Photo by jarmoluk/Pixabay.com

Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Complaints about scratches on toilet seats manufactured by Japanese company Toto led the firm to issue an unusual instruction to consumers: don't wipe the seats with toilet paper.

A series of posts recently went viral on social media complaining about recently-installed Washlet bidet toilets made by Toto quickly ending up with scratch marks and discoloration on the plastic resin seats.

A company spokesperson explained the Washlet seats are made from plastic resin for a reason.

"We use the current resin considering its resistance to detergents and its ability to be molded into complex shapes," the spokesperson told the Mainichi Shimbun.

The representative explained that repeatedly wiping the seats with toilet paper causes tiny scratches that can expand over time and trap dirt, leading to discoloration.

The company urged customers not to use toilet paper to wipe off the seats, recommending they instead use soft, damp clothes with diluted kitchen detergent.

The Toto representative said the company is researching alternatives to the plastic resin that might be more resistant to scratches, but "there are no plans to change the material at this time."

South Korea experiencing biggest flu outbreak since 2016 as cases surge 136%


Jan. 3, 2025 


The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Friday flu cases are rising sharply in South Korea causing the biggest flu outbreak since 2016. The agency urged all citizens to get flu vaccines, emphasizing it is not too late. 

Photo courtesy Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency

Jan. 3 (UPI) -- The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Friday that flu cases are rising sharply in South Korea, marking the biggest flu outbreak in that nation since 2016.

The number of suspected flu cases per 1,000 outpatient visits hit 73.9 from Dec. 22-28. That's a 136% increase from the week before.

The 2016 high point was 86.2. In 2023, the peak number of suspected flu cases per 1,000 outpatients reached 61.3.

The age group most affected by the upsurge in South Korean flu cases is 13- to 18-year-olds. The infection rate for them is 151.3 cases per 1,000 outpatients.

For children 7- to 12-years-old, the rate was 137.3.

The flu is rapidly spreading among all South Korean age groups, officials note, citing flu sample surveillance efforts at 300 medical institutions.

Reporting also indicates that of all the influenza strains cited, the H5N1 avian flu was most prevalent.

The Korea Disease and Control Agency is urging all citizens to follow respiratory infection prevention guidelines, especially people older than 65 and children.

Flu vaccinations also are recommended.

Agency Director Ji Yeong-mi said, "The rapidly spreading influenza is expected to continue into spring. Do not think it is too late; you must get vaccinated against influenza now."

The agency issued a flu outbreak advisory Dec. 20th.