QAnon - the party is over: 'No plan, no Q, nothing': QAnon followers reel as Biden inaugurated - by Joseph Menn, Elizabeth Culliford, Katie Paul, Carrie Monahan

For three years, adherents of the sprawling QAnon conspiracy theory awaited a so-called Great Awakening, scouring anonymous web postings from a shadowy “Q” figure and parsing statements by former U.S. President Donald Trump, whom they believed to be their champion.

In one Telegram channel with more than 18,400 members, QAnon believers were split between those still urging others to ‘trust the plan’ and those saying they felt betrayed. “It’s obvious now we’ve been had. No plan, no Q, nothing,” wrote one user.

In one of the most jarring apparent reversals on Wednesday, Watkins a QAnon leader, appeared to admit defeat, posting: “We have a new president sworn in and it is our responsibility as citizens to respect the Constitution regardless of whether or not we agree with the specifics.”

Read more at: 'No plan, no Q, nothing': QAnon followers reel as Biden inaugurated | Reuters

Development aid versus military spending - a lopsided disaster - by RM

There is something terribly wrong when you look at these charts, in particular when you compare that to what our political and corporate executive "leaders" want you to believe, about all the good they do in promoting health, peace and prosperity around the world.

If we look at the  5 largest economies in the world, and their latest official figures, re: their military budgets this is what we see. Mind you, these "official" figures are just the top of the iceberg, governments do have a history of hiding some military expenditures in other budgets.

China :  $ 146 billion
EU:           220
India           53
Russia        69
USA         639
Total    $ 1.1  trillion

Please note that the figures above do not include the overall global expenditures, as to military spending, which was $ 1.8 trillion in 2018

 In comparison the total amount of development aid provided to countries in need (OECD figures), to military expenditures  is quite alarming.

 One thing is certain, however, politicians, corporate executives and economists should keep in mind what Abraham Lincoln once said: "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time ".  

This EU-Digest report can only be copied or  republished if EU-Digest is quoted as the source

USA Trump Tariffs - EU threats against Trump tariffs work - Trump backs down, temporarily excludes EU, 6 other allies from aluminum/steel tarifs - by Lesley Wroughtons

Mommy Merkel will spank you Donald if you keep misbehaving

U.S. President Donald Trump has temporarily excluded six countries, including Canada and Mexico, and European Union states from higher U.S. import duties on steel and aluminum meant to come into effect on Friday.

In a presidential proclamation published late on Thursday, Trump said he would suspend tariffs for Argentina, Australia, Brazil, South Korea, Canada, Mexico and the European Union, the U.S.’s biggest trading partner, until May 1, 2018 as discussions continue.

After May 1, Trump would decide whether to permanently exempt the countries based on the status of talks, the White House said in a statement.

Earlier, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that the EU would respond firmly if the United States did not exempt European steel and aluminum.

The EU also has published a list of US products, services and corporations  which would immediately be targeted if Trump did not back down from his tariff threats..

Note EU-Digest: the response by the EU and Mrs. Merkel in reference to the Trump proposed tariffs was excellent, and an example of how the EU should continue to deal with Donald Trump's tantrums,wild threats, and fantasy, about making America great again.  

EU-Digest - from Reuters report