Geopolitical Economy Report

Elon Musk has become the world's first trillionaire, with the IPO of his company SpaceX. He is a symbol of how the United States has become an oligarchy, where elections are bought by rich elites and large corporations, and extreme wealth is concentrated in a few hands. Ben Norton explains.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj-hd3l4dSo

Topics
0:00 Elon Musk, world's first trillionaire
0:50 Oligarchy
1:54 SpaceX IPO
3:06 SpaceX is losing lots of money
4:13 Wall Street changes the rules
5:39 Trump coin pump and dump
6:14 Reasons to avoid SpaceX
7:04 Musk: symbol of US oligarchy
8:45 Wealth concentration
9:55 Gilded Age & robber barons
11:13 Money wins US elections
13:06 Elon Musk funded Trump
14:52 Larry Ellison buys up media
17:14 Capitalist class
18:19 Progressive Era
19:27 Great Depression & New Deal
20:08 Golden Age of capitalism
20:59 Tax rates
22:08 Tax burden shifts onto workers
23:24 Billionaires avoid taxes
24:34 Neoliberalism
25:18 Financial crisis & QE
26:54 Neofeudalism / technofeudalism
28:27 Artificial intelligence (AI)
29:24 Universal basic income (UBI)
30:50 Nationalize Big Tech
33:04 China's alternative
33:58 Outro

Gold has officially overtaken Treasury securities (US government debt) as the top asset held by global central banks, according to a report by the European Central Bank (ECB). Ben Norton explains how dedollarization is continuing, gradually and steadily.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmyWn2lrXBM

Topics
0:00 Decline of US dollar dominance
0:55 Debasement trade
1:42 Central banks buy gold
3:59 Gold overtakes US Treasuries
5:36 Top countries buying gold
7:00 West's seizure of Russian assets
8:54 Alleged unofficial gold holdings
10:16 Falling dollar share of reserves
12:14 Reasons for fall in gold price
14:58 EU hypocrisy
16:26 China keeps buying gold
18:05 China calls for multipolar system
19:13 De-dollarization is continuing
20:32 Outro

The AI bubble has caused the most concentrated and overvalued stock market in US history. The billionaire CEOs of Big Tech corporations fear it may pop soon, so they changed the rules on Wall Street so that, mere days after their IPOs, SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic will be given "fast track" inclusion in major index funds, despite the fact that they are losing tons of money.

These corporate oligarchs want to use average retail investors as exit liquidity, looting pensions, 401(k)s, and other retirement funds, all so Elon Musk can become the world's first trillionaire. Ben Norton explains the scandal.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh3d8xO9NHg

Topics
0:00 US stock market bubble
1:08 (CLIP) Ray Dalio on AI bubble
1:37 Comparisons to past bubbles
3:38 Market cap to GDP
4:50 Concentration of stock market
6:52 Magnificent 7 stocks
7:28 Monopolies eat the economy
8:37 Corporate profits break records
9:35 USA slashes corporate taxes
10:40 Plan to loot retirement funds
11:38 SpaceX is absurdly overvalued
12:32 SpaceX is losing money
13:51 SpaceX IPO is a trap
17:00 Elon Musk, first trillionaire
18:08 OpenAI's shady IPO scheme
19:32 Many IPOs at peaks of bubbles
21:51 Bogus Big Tech earnings reports
24:09 AI circular financing scheme
25:09 Animal spirits
25:49 Unregulated financial looting
26:54 Outro

A comprehensive global survey found that people in most countries see the United States as the biggest threat to the world, and they prefer China over the US. Ben Norton analyzes the results of the Democracy Perception Index.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UhHqPGFGos

Topics
0:00 Shifting global political order
1:35 Democracy Perception Index
3:08 USA is biggest threat to world
4:25 US military bases unpopular
5:36 Negative perception of USA
6:25 China more popular than US
8:07 US war against Iran
9:06 Israel-Palestine
9:40 Ukraine war
10:14 Taiwan
11:14 Greenland
11:54 Countries progressing
13:15 Democracy
17:33 USA is an oligarchy
20:20 End of end of history
21:15 Outro

The US government is desperate to create a new supply chain that cuts out China, through its Pax Silica initiative. To do so, the Trump administration plans to colonize the territory of the Philippines, a supposed "ally" run by corrupt leader Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, with a 99-year colonial concession. Ben Norton explains the controversy.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=302uQhql3kY

Topics
0:00 Intro
0:35 Cold War Two
1:50 US-India critical minerals deal
2:55 Pax Silica
3:41 US meddling in Philippines
4:55 Corrupt Marcos dynasty
6:36 US military bases & missiles
8:38 US colonial plan
10:37 Colonial 99-year leases
12:11 US colonialism
13:31 China "threat" narrative
14:34 Exploiting natural resources
15:39 US official Jacob Helberg
16:16 Silicon Valley oligarchs
17:39 US official freaks out
19:57 Neocolonialism
23:58 Comprador leaders
25:21 Poverty & development
28:31 Outro