Originally published at: https://peakprosperity.com/daily-digest/trouble-in-the-auto-industry-pneumococcal-vaccine-linked-to-higher-risk-of-hospitalization/
Economy
Auto loan delinquencies increased, with subprime loans 60 days past due at 6.43 percent in August, as average new vehicle prices reached $50,000. More than 100 million auto loans, totaling $1.66 trillion, are held by U.S. consumers, with many carrying monthly payments of at least $1,000 at 9 percent APR. Repossessions have risen, according to data from the Recovery Database Network, which reported 7.5 million repossession assignments this year, on track to exceed 10.5 million by year-end and result in more than three million actual repossessionsâthe highest since 2009. A survey indicated that 40 percent of Americans under boomer age live paycheck to paycheck, with excessive monthly expenses cited as the main reason. However, industry analysts note that the majority of auto loans continue to be paid on time, with the rise largely confined to the subprime segment, and some manufacturers are offering incentives to mitigate affordability issues.
Relatedly, subprime auto lender PrimaLend Capital Partners filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after missing debt payments, listing assets and liabilities each under $500 million. The firm, which finances âbuy here, pay hereâ dealerships for low-income borrowers, plans to sell the business while maintaining loan operations using creditor financing. Company officials have expressed optimism about continuing loan servicing during the process, and experts suggest the broader financial systemâs regulatory measures may contain any systemic risks.
Additionally, the automotive sector is experiencing supply chain issues, including Volkswagenâs halt of Golf production in Wolfsburg starting Wednesday due to a chip shortage from Nexperia. The shortage reportedly stems from U.S.-China tensions, which led Beijing to block exports from its facilities. The stoppage affects models such as the Tiguan, Touran, and Tayron and could extend to other German plants in Emden, Hannover, and Zwickau, potentially impacting tens of thousands of workers. Volkswagen faces an $11 billion funding shortfall for planned investments, amid reported declines in demand in the U.S. and China. Nexperia has indicated it is working with governments to resolve export issues, and some analysts suggest alternative suppliers may soon alleviate the shortage for other automakers like BMW and Mercedes.
In other news, Tetherâs USDT stablecoin has reached 500 million users, representing 6.25 percent of the global population and offering financial access to 1.4 billion unbanked adults worldwide, including in high-inflation or unstable economies such as Kenya. There, small businesses reportedly use it to import goods amid currency devaluation. USDT has a market cap of $182.4 billion and holds 58.4 percent dominance among stablecoins. The company is reportedly in talks for up to $20 billion in funding at a potential $500 billion valuation. Regulatory scrutiny persists, with U.S. authorities alleging past misstatements about reserves, though Tether maintains its backing is sufficient.
Lastly, the Trump administration is pursuing public-private partnerships to bolster U.S. technological and military superiority, particularly in the face of competition from China. In the defense sector, the administration has engaged private equity firms, including Cerberus Capital led by Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, to fund expansions of military infrastructure, with White House officials meeting Wall Street investors to tap into the $13 trillion industry; these arrangements reportedly prioritize shareholder returns over 7-10 year cycles, diverging from traditional public funding models, where supporters tout efficiency gains while opponents caution that profit motives could skew military priorities and heighten conflicts. Complementing these efforts, the Commerce Department is negotiating equity stakesâpotentially including warrants or royaltiesâin leading quantum computing firms such as IonQ, Rigetti Computing, D-Wave Quantum, Quantum Computing, and Atom Computing, in exchange for at least $10 million in federal funding per company under the Chips Act, building on prior investments in Intel and rare earth producer MP Materials to accelerate critical technologies; however, critics contend that such interventions risk distorting markets, favoring select players, and inflating a potential sector bubble.
US Politics
The ACLU filed a lawsuit against the Trump administrationâs September directive from the Board of Immigration Appeals, which bars immigration judges from granting bond to undocumented immigrants who entered without authorization and requires detention until deportation. The policy, which affects over 1,800 arrests in the Chicago area since July, reportedly overturns decades of precedent and limits civil proceedings under the executive branch. Advocates are seeking federal court intervention for bond hearings. Administration officials defend the measure as necessary to enforce immigration laws and secure borders.
Conservative activist Robby Starbuck filed a lawsuit against Google seeking over $15 million in damages, alleging that its AI toolsâBard, Gemini, and Gemmaâdefamed him since 2023 by generating fabricated claims of crimes including murder, sexual assault, child rape, fraud, stalking, and inclusion on the Epstein list. The suit claims more than 1,000 false outputs with fake news links were produced. Despite cease-and-desist notices and Googleâs reported admissions of bias in training data, the practice allegedly continued. Starbuck contends it endangers conservatives by shaping perceptions in searches, hiring, and elections. Google has stated it takes such allegations seriously and is reviewing the claims, noting AI misinformation challenges affect users across the political spectrum.
Geopolitics
An open letter signed by 450 Jewish figures, including former Israeli Knesset speaker Avraham Burg, author Naomi Klein, and filmmaker Jonathan Glazer, called on the United Nations to sanction Israel for alleged violations of international law in Gaza. The signatories cited Holocaust-inspired conventions that they claim have been breached. The letter follows the International Court of Justiceâs ruling that Israel must allow UN humanitarian aid and prohibit starvation as a method of warfare, amid reported blocks on food shipments. The International Criminal Court has issued warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over aid restrictions and civilian targeting. Reports describe chaotic aid distributions involving crowd control with live ammunition, stun grenades, and pepper spray. Israeli officials reject the accusations, stating actions are responses to security threats from Hamas and that aid facilitation efforts are ongoing.
Health
A population-based study of 2.23 million adults aged 50 and older in Catalonia, Spain, linked the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine PCV13 to a 1.83 times higher risk of hospitalization for pneumococcal pneumonia, 1.55 times for all-cause pneumonia, and 1.91 times for pneumonia-related mortality, after adjustments for age, sex, comorbidities, and influenza vaccination. The polysaccharide vaccine PPSV23 was associated with a 1.21 times higher risk for pneumococcal pneumonia and 1.24 times for all-cause pneumonia, with no reduction in mortality. These findings held across high-risk groups, including the elderly and immunocompromised, and raise questions about adult vaccination programs using similar formulations like PCV15, PCV20, and PCV21. Health authorities, including the CDC, maintain that broader evidence supports the vaccinesâ role in preventing serious illness, pending further review of the study.
In Canada, disabled individuals have reported weekly suggestions of euthanasia during routine medical visits since the 2021 expansion of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) to non-terminal cases. Poverty and loneliness have been cited as forms of âintolerable sufferingâ that qualify. Over three-quarters of Ontarioâs 116 non-terminal MAiD deaths in 2023 involved people needing disability support, with nearly 29 percent from impoverished areasâhigher than the provincial averageâamid 27.7-week wait times for care. The program ranked as the sixth leading cause of death, with 13,241 cases in 2022. Program supporters describe it as a voluntary option providing autonomy for those in severe distress, with safeguards to ensure informed consent.
Efforts to reform the American food system seek to move from industrial corn-soybean monocultures, which receive subsidies and check-off program support, toward regenerative agriculture focused on fruits and vegetables for local consumption, including school lunches. Advocates point to policy biases favoring large farms, such as higher relief payments for those deriving 75 percent or more of income from operations. They propose restoring $1 billion in local food infrastructure funding, strengthening conservation programs, and offering transition support like crop insurance to cut chemical use and address the $47 billion agricultural trade deficit. Collaboration with the Make America Healthy Again initiative aims to increase public demand for organic options amid imports of processed produce. Large agribusiness representatives counter that scale is essential for food security and that subsidies help maintain low prices for consumers.
A 2023 study by Daniel Kahneman, Angus Deaton, and Matthew Killingsworth, alongside 2021 Australian census data, reconciled earlier findings that emotional well-being plateaus at an annual income of $75,000 (about $113,000 in current dollars) by showing that higher earnings, even beyond $100,000 or an adjusted $146,000, continue to enhance life satisfaction and reduce diagnosed mental health conditions for most people, likely due to reduced stress from financial stability in areas like housing and energy costs. However, critics and researchers emphasize that non-financial factors, such as relationships, purpose, and community engagement, play a significant role in long-term happiness and mental health, often outweighing the benefits of income alone.
Energy
Scientific theories and experiments suggest that oil may form abiotically in Earthâs mantle under extreme pressure and temperature from inorganic sources such as water, carbon dioxide, and iron oxides, in addition to ancient biological matter. Soviet-era research, including lab syntheses by Vladimir Kutcherov and V.I. Krayushkin, reportedly produced hydrocarbons at 900â1,200°C and 50 kbar. Evidence cited includes methane plumes on ocean ridges, Precambrian reserves in regions like Uganda and Siberia, and hydrocarbon deposits in meteor impact craters such as Mexicoâs Chicxulub. Proponents of this view argue it implies potentially unlimited supplies, which could challenge models based on scarcity and affect geopolitical and economic strategies. The scientific consensus, however, largely supports the biogenic origin of oil, with abiotic claims viewed as lacking sufficient empirical backing to alter established models.
Sources
Auto Loan Crisis Deepens: Repossessions Poised to Hit Record Highs
Auto finance is at a breaking point, as Americans owe over $1.66 trillion in auto debt.
Source | Submitted by Rodster
Beyond the $75,000 Myth: Moneyâs Real Role in Happiness
In short: money helps, but itâs not a magic cure
Source | Submitted by Barbara
The Great Fossil Fuel Hoax: Oilâs Abiotic Origins and Infinite Supply
The real story isnât about fossils at all. Oil isnât some ancient tomb of decayed organic matter. Itâs something darker, deeperâa primordial secretion rising from the Earthâs molten veins.
Source | Submitted by rkruse3825
Private Equityâs Foray into Defense: Wall Street Bets on Americaâs War Machine
if the investment is weapons, the only guaranteed outcome is more war.
Source | Submitted by westcoastjan
From Soy Fields to School Lunches: Pushing for a Healthier American Food System
now is the time to start having the conversation and thatâs what weâre doing.
Source | Submitted by lauren808
Volkswagen Halts Production: Chip Crisis Escalates, Golf Line Stops in Wolfsburg
VW stops Golf production in Wolfsburg (translated from German)
Source | Submitted by Jaap
Tetherâs USDT Hits 500 Million Users, Reaching 6% of World Population
âLikely the biggest financial inclusion achievement in history,â
Trumpâs Quantum Gambit: Admin Poised to Squeeze Shorts with Stakes in IonQ, Rigetti, and Beyond
the Trumpâs Commerce Department was in talks with several quantum-computing companies to buy equity stakes in exchange for federal funding
Another âCockroachâ Crumbles: Subprime Auto Lender PrimaLend Files for Bankruptcy
Another âCockroachâ: Subprime Auto-Lender PrimaLend Enters Bankruptcy
Israelâs Starvation Tactics in Gaza Draw Jewish Calls for UN Sanctions
âThe court recalls Israelâs obligation not to use starvation of the civilian population as a method of warfare,â said Iwasawa.
Disabled Canadians Pressured into Euthanasia During Routine Doctor Visits
Inclusion Canada CEO Krista Carr revealed that many disabled Canadians are being pressured to end their lives with euthanasia during routine medical appointments.
Trump Administrationâs Bond Ban for Undocumented Immigrants Faces ACLU Lawsuit
Immigration judges can no longer grant bond for undocumented immigrants who enter the U.S. without authorization
Breaking: Landmark Study of 2.23 Million Finds Pneumococcal Vaccines Heighten Pneumonia and Mortality Risks
Pneumococcal vaccination was linked to a measurable increase in pneumonia hospitalizations and deaths.
Robby Starbuck Sues Google for $15M+ Over AIâs Fabricated Crimes Against Him
It is a deliberate, engineered bias designed to damage the reputation of individuals with whom Google executives disagree politically.
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: Bloomberg, National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Nexperia Official Statement, The Happiness Project, Angus Deaton, The Guardian, The Minimalist Blog, Forbes, The Intercept, Zero Hedge, Climate Watch, The New York Times, The Nation, War on the Rocks Blog, Agribusiness Today, Global Food Watch Blog, DHS Official Statement, Google Communications, The Washington Post, The Jerusalem Post, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Times of Israel, CBC News, Dying With Dignity Canada Blog, The Globe and Mail, and CDC.
time to walk my dog 