INTRO:

• Commercial real estate in America’s largest cities has fallen to depression level rates of occupancy.
• When it comes to companies churning out children’s entertainment, it’s not just Disney that parents need to be concerned about. We’ll show you one example of just how bad it’s gotten.
• The radical net zero policies being advocated by Western governments will carry a cost that is “unmanageable” for the average citizen, a new study shows.
• China decides to quit buying corn from America. We’ll show you where they are buying it from.
• And Target rolls out a new line of transgender clothing – for babies and toddlers.

All these stories and more when the Worldview Financial Report begins, right now!

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Good evening and welcome to the Worldview Financial Report.

Zero Hedge reports that things are so bad in the commercial real estate market that 26 Empire State Buildings could fit into New York City's empty office space, as occupancy in the city is hovering around 50% of pre-pandemic levels, according to the chair of Harvard Economics Department, Edward Glaeser and MIT's Carlo Ratti.

The cause? Thanks to the pandemic, working from home has become the norm in many industries - a phenomenon which has also heavily impacted mass transit systems in America's largest cities.

In Los Angeles, the vacant office space is equivalent to 30.7 U.S. Bank Towers.

Glaeser and Ratti note that in 1980, futurist Alvin Toffler argued that information technology would render urban office environments more or less obsolete, as workers would instead use residential “electronic cottages.”

“This sudden shift was a body blow to New York. Many offices remain empty, and the city lost more than 300,000 inhabitants from 2020 to 2021. No other American city experienced such a large numerical decline. Over the same period, Houston lost only 12,000 people, although the global commercial real estate services company JLL reports that Houston’s office vacancy rates are now even higher than New York’s.” -NYT

In San Francisco, the downtown area is experiencing its worst office vacancy crisis on record - with 31% of space available for lease or sublease, the SF Chronicle reports.

“In the heart of the city, an astounding 18.4 million square feet of real estate is available — enough space to house 92,000 employees and the equivalent of 13 Salesforce Towers. The Chronicle mapped and charted every major downtown office building’s vacancy, using data provided by real estate brokerage Lee & Associates.”

According to the report, some of the emptiest buildings are those vacated amid layoffs by tech giants Salesforce and Meta - the former of which embraced remote work, and has listed offices for lease at 50 Fremont, where 90% of the space is vacant.

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Out of the ‘woke’ indoctrination ovens from studios in Hollywood is a children's computer-animated television show called “Transformers: EarthSpark” that first aired on Paramount+ in November 2022 and has embraced the woke movement. 

Paramount+ might be digging its grave after the show for young kids appears to have recently promoted the insane gender-bending ideology of the cultural Marxists. 

A character named Sam says to Transformer Nightshade:

“I know I'm safe when I'm with my friends or other non-binary people.” Sam also says her pronouns are “she/they.”

The 1-minute clip tweeted by Libs of TikTok was recently viewed 8 million times within a 24-hour period. Commenting on the clip is Mostly Peaceful Memes, who said, “Really putting the trans in transformers am I right?”

WATCH VIDEO

https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1656722750201901056?s=20

As noted by Zero Hedge, the cringeworthy cartoon isn't the first of its kind. Much to the chagrin of many parents, Disney has been pumping demonic cartoons into young minds for a while. The proliferation of woke cartoons should be a wake-up call for parents and the need to vet kids’ shows as Hollywood and the left wages a culture war on the youngest generation. Twitter users were appalled by the woke cartoon. 

As I’ve stated before on this show, the old capitalist America is gone. Companies do not deliver goods and services based on the popular demand of their customers. In the new system, they deliver products that please the government, and right now the Biden administration is all about kowtowing to the LGBTQI+ mafia. So don’t be surprised as more companies come out with products that have little or no demand among the buying public but rather seem geared toward pandering to the worst elements of society.

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As global de-dollarization trends pick up steam, the prices of gold could be driven into a sustained period of growth, an executive with Bridgewater Associates, Karen Karniol-Tambour, said in an article featured in the Swiss America news blog.

Gold has historically been attractive when interest rates are falling, but she thinks there's now more to the precious metal, setting it up for a bullish outlook.

She told Kitco News while at the Sohn Conference last Tuesday, “Gold is underrated. It's got a long way to run.”

This comes as some countries look to reduce their reliance on the U.S. dollar, which is dominant in international trade and traditionally is seen as a reserve asset for central banks during times of economic uncertainty.

But Western sanctions on Russia that froze its foreign currency reserves highlighted the risks in using dollars. And since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, more countries have turned to China's yuan or other non-dollar currencies for trade deals.

Meanwhile, central bank purchases of gold have soared in the past few quarters as they rush to stockpile it in their reserves.

Karniol-Tambour said this also has the potential to change investor sentiment around gold, namely its perceived opportunity cost as a non-yielding asset.

“This geopolitical turmoil is not going away,” she said. “This is a slow-moving secular support for gold.”

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The phrase “X-Date” may remind Americans of the TV drama The X-Files or the superhero X-Men. It actually refers to the date when the U.S. Treasury goes broke, writes investment guru James Rickards for The Daily Reckoning.

Rickards says the problem arises from the fact that issuing U.S. Treasury debt beyond a certain ceiling requires approval from Congress. The amount of outstanding debt today is at the current debt ceiling.

Treasury has already hit the debt ceiling but has been able to scrape by with some positive cash flow, due to tax payments flowing into Treasury coffers at the end of April, and some other revenue sources including excise taxes and tariffs.

Richards writes:

“The Treasury also has a slush fund called the Exchange Stabilization Fund (created with the profits made in 1933–34 when FDR confiscated gold and raised the price from $20.67 per ounce to $35.00 per ounce – one of the great insider trades of all time). Still, the Exchange Stabilization Fund has been used lately to prop up the FDIC insurance fund that has been depleted by the bailout of Silicon Valley Bank. You get the picture.”

He goes on to say that the government can “shuck and jive and scrape the bottom of the barrel, but the bottom line is there comes a time when the Treasury is actually broke. That’s the X-Date. And the X-Date could be June 1st.”

Even if there’s a deal made and June 1 comes and goes without incident, Rickards reminds us that there is an X-Date out there somewhere. 

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The UK’s radical net zero policies carry a cost that is “unmanageable” for the average homeowner, a charity has claimed.

Citizens Advice, an NGO operating in the United Kingdom, has claimed that the government’s net zero policies as currently laid out are simply “unmanageable” economically for the average homeowner.

Numerous countries across Western Europe are pushing for their populations to adopt more so-called green technology in service of their government’s climate agenda, with many administrations also being motivated by a lack of Russian oil and natural gas on the open market due to the war in Ukraine.

According to a report by The Telegraph, Citizens Advice believes that many of the measures the UK government wants its citizens to adopt are not realistic economically speaking, as they simply cost too much.

The supposedly right-wing Conservative Party in charge of the government is pushing for Britons to install the likes of heat pumps and extra cladding in their homes, both of which can cost the purchaser sizable amounts of money.

A survey commissioned by the NGO has reportedly found that few in the country have the resources to make such changes, with half of UK households having less than $12,450 in cumulative savings, and one in ten said to have no savings at all. Meanwhile, a new heat pump will cost the average household more than $17,000, according to the charity.

As such, implementing improvements to energy efficiency is simply unmanageable financially for many households in Britain, the charity argues, regardless of how much the government wants such measures to be implemented.

On the bright side for Britons though, the government is not — currently — forcing those residing in the country to make expensive changes to their homes in order to meet requirements set out in arbitrary green policies.

The same cannot be said for those living in Germany though, with the country’s Federal left-wing government currently forcing through measures aimed at requiring members of the public to stop using gas-powered boilers in their homes and to start using heat pumps. Overall, polling indicates that 78 percent of Germans oppose the change.

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China is cancelling major imports of corn from the U.S. and choosing to instead source it from South Africa. The shift is being seen as part of a strategy to align its trade ties with its political alliances.

Take a look at this report from SABC News.

WATCH VIDEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgxUY8NzE8

China is realigning its sourcing supply chain, especially its food supply chain. A decoupling of U.S.-China trade relations appears to be well underway, with China preparing for the inevitable separation. The question is, what is Joe Biden doing to prepare America for the day when shipments of Chinese goods no longer arrive in California harbors?

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Target has begun promoting its new line of LGBTQ+ clothes – for babies.

According to a report from PJMedia, “Retail giant Target has a new line of pro-LGBTQ clothing for children – even for infants. In case, you know, your 6-month-old makes the mature decision to become transgender.”

PJMedia cited reports from Consumers' Research that alert people to moves in the corporate world.

It notified readers of the “new LGBTQ ‘pride’ clothing collection” at Target, which has long been a proud member of the cultural Marxist elite in corporate America.

The alert explained:

“This follows longstanding efforts by Target to indoctrinate kids via books titled ‘Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl?,’ ‘The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish,’ and ‘I’m Not a Girl,’ and more.”

On its website, Target brags about its wokeness, stating, “Being true to yourself and your community is something to celebrate, all year long.”

To which PJMedia pointed out, “Unless your community is Christian or conservative, one presumes.”

The report said the company is promoting its “Pride Kids’ & Baby Clothing,” including a “Pride Baby Bien Proud Bodysuit” a “Pride Baby ‘Be Kind’ Jumper Romper” and a “Pride Baby ‘It Takes All Kinds’ Bodysuit.”

PJMedia mocked the company, stating: “It’s never too early to start grooming your kids to think their bodies are defective and to confuse them about their ‘gender’ and sexuality, according to Target!”

The company promotes similar products for toddlers.

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Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted, for a third time, to advance the dangerous EARN IT bill, also known as Senate Bill 1207, a proposed law that could lead to suspicion-less scans of every online message, photo and hosted file.

In the name of fighting crime, the EARN IT Act treats all internet users like they’re in a permanent criminal lineup, under suspicion for child abuse. If enacted, EARN IT would put massive legal pressure on internet companies both large and small to stop using true end-to-end encryption and instead scan all user messages, photos and files.

The bill could now be voted on by the full Senate at any time, or worse, included as part of a different “must-pass” legislative package. Please contact your representatives in Congress to tell them to voice their opposition to this bill, along with the STOP CSAM Act – another piece of legislation before the Senate Judiciary Committee that would treat all encrypted messages as possible evidence of a crime.

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Elon Musk has hired the ultra-woke Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of Twitter. This decision flies in the face of what so many conservatives hoped about Musk’s intentions for the platform.

Yaccarino has served as head of NBC Universal Advertising and Partnerships and is the tip of the spear in the creation of the diversity, equity and inclusion agenda, or the so-called DEI indexing program. This is a form of social-credit scoring for corporations. 

Following the DEI index is what led Bud Light to promote beer for transgenders. 

Linda Yaccarino is also chairwoman of the World Economic Forum’s Taskforce on Future of Work. Hitting on the diversity, equity and inclusion theme, I found an article by Yaccarino on the WEF website in which she references “long-term benefits for the unemployed, women, and communities of color.” 

Spoken like a true disciple of DEI.

SHOW SCREENSHOT

https://together.nbcuni.com/the-future-of-work-is-the-future-of-people/

According to the Epoch Times, Yaccarino also serves as a WEF executive chair.

Why would Elon Musk bring in a woke NBC advertising exec to become the CEO of Twitter? Clearly, Musk is focused on generating revenue, and Yaccarino can bring woke credentials to the platform luring corporate advertisers. But in order to achieve that objective, the platform content will have to change, and conservative voices will have to be canceled. In other words, revert back to the old Twitter or watch your revenue evaporate. 

The Conservative Treehouse notes in an article on Musk’s controversial hire:

“The content on Twitter must fit an approved standard for advertising. Leading this effort to control platform content through the control of the monetization, is literally what Yaccarino has done in her work at NBC Universal. Thus, her efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion take on a new level of importance.”

The article concluded that, “for Elon Musk, it appears Ms. Yaccarino brings a greater financial value to the table, offsetting any contradictions in his belief system about wokeism as a danger to speech and culture.  Obviously, this hire says Musk is more concerned about revenue generation than actual free speech.”

Yaccarino’s credentials on diversity, equity and inclusion make her a “subject matter expert on the weaponization of advertising to advance a cultural objective,” the article said.

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Corporate execs are rushing to replace staff with artificial intelligence, and the latest to announce such plans is the popular fast-food chain, Wendy’s. 

The corporation is testing an AI chatbot powered by Google’s natural-language software in a bid to phase out real workers with AI and further automate their restaurants.

The company’s AI chatbot is called “Wendy’s FreshAI,” according to a press release.

Wendy’s CEO and President Todd Penegor told the Wall Street Journal in a statement that the chatbot will be unveiled sometime in June at a company-owned location in Columbus, Ohio.

Penegor said the chatbot will be “very conversational,” and “you won’t know you’re talking to anybody but an employee.”

In the press release Penegor makes his pitch for replacing people with AI by insinuating that, if you can believe it, AI will better serve the customers:

“Google Cloud’s generative AI technology creates a huge opportunity for us to deliver a truly differentiated, faster and frictionless experience for our customers, and allows our employees to continue focusing on making great food and building relationships with fans that keep them coming back time and again.”

The WSJ further noted: “Wendy’s customized language model includes unique terms, phrases and acronyms customers have come to use when ordering its burgers, fries and other items—such as ‘JBC’ for junior bacon cheeseburger, or ‘biggie bags’ for various combinations of burgers, chicken nuggets and soft drinks. Adding to the complexity, Wendy’s milkshakes are called Frosties, though customers may not always use the branded term.”

The AI is also designed to upsell the customers by offering larger sizes or adding a Frosty to the order. The WSJ added, “Once the chatbot takes an order, it appears on a screen for line cooks. From there, prepared meals are relayed to the pickup window and handed off to drivers by a worker.”

Carl’s Jr. and Hardees recently announced they would be implementing AI at their locations, and just like Wendy’s, they will be using their AI to upsell their customers, The WinePress reported.

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A new study finds that, when dealing with artificial intelligence as a customer, consumer or clientele of various corporations, you might be better off demanding to talk to a human being. 

Researchers from MIT found that AI tends to make stricter and harsher judgments than humans when it comes to people who violate rules. Simply put, AI isn’t willing to let people off the hook easy when they break the law.

Researchers have expressed concerns that AI might impose overly severe punishments, depending on the information scientists program it with. When AI is programmed strictly based on rules, devoid of any human nuances, it tends to respond harshly compared to when it is programmed based on human responses.

In the study, the team gathered images of dogs that could potentially violate an apartment rule banning aggressive breeds from the building. Groups were then asked to provide normative and descriptive responses.

Participants were 20 percent more likely to identify a code violation using the descriptive method compared to the normative one. If the descriptive data on dog behavior had been used to program an AI model, it would be more likely to issue severe penalties.

Technocracy expert Patrick Wood commented on this study, stating that:

“AI is emerging as the judge, jury and executioner. If you break the rules, there will be no mercy or human understanding. AI is incapable of human understanding or emotions. Punishment will be swift and there will be no appeal or other recourse to clear your name. Science fiction has dealt with this on several occasions, such as RoboCop, Judge Dredd and the Minority Report.”

That does it for this edition of the Worldview Financial Report. Thanks for tuning in, and for supporting this viewer-supported broadcast.

Until next time, I’m Brannon Howse. Take care.

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