NCERT - Chapter on Corruption in Judiciary

 

Hon'ble CJI, Supreme Court of India

Before playing to the lobby advocates and issuing notice to CBSE / NCERT or Education Minister on some chapter dealing with corruption in Court, kindly refresh your memory with some remarks by Retired Supreme Court Judges on Corruption in Indian High Courts and Supreme Court reported widely in the Media:

Retired Supreme Court judges have occasionally spoken out about corruption and ethical lapses within the higher judiciary, often highlighting systemic issues like lack of transparency, political influence, and inadequate accountability mechanisms. Below is a compiled list of notable remarks, organized by judge, with key quotes and context.

1. Justice Ruma Pal (retired in 2006): In a 2011 lecture, she outlined what she termed the "seven sins" plaguing the higher judiciary, including both High Courts and the Supreme Court. These sins encompass turning a blind eye to colleagues' injudicious conduct, hypocrisy in upholding judicial independence while distorting it, secrecy in judicial appointments, plagiarism and verbose judgments, personal and professional arrogance to mask indiscipline, and nepotism where favors are exchanged for personal gain. She emphasized that these issues erode public confidence and called for greater transparency in judicial processes.

2. Justice Markandey Katju (retired in 2011): He has been vocal about corruption in the higher judiciary. In 2014, he alleged that three former Chief Justices of India made "improper compromises" to extend the term of a corrupt additional judge in the Madras High Court due to political pressure from a UPA ally. He also stated in a judgment that "something is rotten in the Allahabad High Court" and claimed that "50 percent of the higher judiciary is corrupt." Katju criticized Chief Justices for reluctance to expose corruption, fearing it would defame the judiciary, and revealed instances where phone tapping exposed High Court judges' corruption.  He argued that suppressing such disclosures causes more harm than the corruption itself.

3. Justice Jasti Chelameswar (retired in 2018): As one of four senior judges who held a historic 2018 press conference, he accused the then-Chief Justice of selectively assigning cases to influence outcomes, implying bias and potential corruption in the Supreme Court. He remarked that "higher courts are corrupted" and warned that if the judiciary weakens, "nobody in this country will be safe."  Chelameswar also described insensitivity to human misery as a form of corruption and highlighted how high-priced lawyers and fixers contribute to judicial corruption.  He himself had degraded the status of SC by holding a controversial press conference and later shaking hands with CPI Leader D Raja.

4. Justice Madan B. Lokur (retired in 2018): In 2025 statements, he said "judicial corruption erodes public faith in the legal system and poses a significant threat to the rule of law," pointing to politically motivated executive inaction against ideologically aligned judges as a form of corruption. He noted corruption exists at the High Court level based on reports but not at the Supreme Court, and advocated for independent mechanisms to address it. Lokur stressed compulsory asset declarations for judges as essential for transparency, criticizing low disclosure rates among High Court judges.  As part of the 2018 press conference quartet, he echoed concerns about institutional threats from bias and external pressures.

5. Justice A.P. Shah (retired Chief Justice of Delhi and Madras High Courts, elevated to SC discussions but primarily HC; context from broader remarks): While not directly a retired SC judge, his views align with peers; however, focusing on confirmed SC retirees.

6. Justice Deepak Gupta (retired in 2020): In group statements with other retirees, he has flagged external attempts to undermine judicial integrity amid corruption cases, though specifics focus more on political interference than internal corruption.

7. Former Chief Justice B.R. Gavai (retired by 2025): In 2025 remarks, he stated that "instances of corruption and misconduct within the judiciary have a negative impact on public confidence," emphasizing that rebuilding trust requires "swift, decisive and transparent action." He highlighted ethical concerns with judges accepting post-retirement government appointments, calling it a conflict that invites scrutiny and erodes impartiality.

8. Justice Kurian Joseph (retired in 2018): Part of the 2018 press conference, he warned that democracy's survival depends on preserving judicial equanimity, implying corruption and bias in case assignments threaten the institution. He has criticized post-retirement judicial appointments as raising ethical issues.

9. Justice Ranjan Gogoi (retired in 2019, former CJI): In collective remarks with peers, he has addressed broader institutional corruption, though his post-retirement Rajya Sabha nomination drew criticism for potential conflicts.

10. Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul (retired in 2023): In 2024 group letters with 20 other retired judges, he expressed concerns over attempts to undermine the judiciary through political pressure in corruption cases, stressing the need to protect judicial independence.

These remarks often stem from public lectures, interviews, or press conferences, reflecting concerns about internal corruption, political influence, and the need for reforms like asset disclosures and transparent inquiries. Not all retired judges agree on the extent; some, like Justice Lokur, limit it to "black sheep" in High Courts.

Advocates are also part of Justice Delivery System or the Court. Advocate Dr Abhishek Manu Singhavi is not free from any controversy, particularly a notorious sex CD doing rounds on YouTube. Advocate Kapil Sibal has dedicated clientele from terrorists, naxalites and corrupt politicians. He is known to have forced SC open at midnight in Teesta Setalvad bail case and Islamic Terrorist Yakub Memon death sentence. Some former CJIs have come down heavily on the unethical practices followed by the Lobby Advocates. This is also corruption of a different kind.

Not to speak of Cash rich Justice Yashwant Verma, who is still working as a Judge. Peoples' memory is not so weak as you assume and presume. 

Instead of crying hoarse against some chapter on corruption in judiciary, cleanse the rot in the system that is talked about by the Judges themselves.

You cannot claim 100% that there is no corruption in Judiciary.

Or CAN YOU?

Ignore the Chapter and concentrate on cleansing the system.

Will 2026 be the year dollar empire meets its demise?

 All indications are pointing in that direction.

Throughout history, empires have fallen when their economies have become dysfunctional and currencies have lost value.

Prime example of this, in recent history, is the British Empire that once boasted that the sun never sets upon Britain. World War II hollowed out Britain, its currency lost value and its empire disintegrated, thereby proving wrong the myth the sun never sets on the empire.

The loss of Britain’s empire and standing in the world, left a void into which US jumped eagerly by creating dollar-based empire and has ruled unchallenged for almost 80 years. Simply by printing dollars and denominating everything into dollars – especially oil, it created dependency on dollar. Everything was priced into dollars. This gave undue advantage to USA over global economy and the sovereignties of world’s nations.

By using dollar as a weapon, it could force any “wayward” nation to its knees, by imposing sanctions, punitive tariffs, asset freeze etc., forcing the recalcitrant nation to amend its behavior and follow USA’s diktats again. The European nations merrily went along as it also suited their interests – keeping western dominance, a neo-colonial aspect alive.

The threats of sanctions and tariffs were enthusiastically supported by European nations.

Prime examples of this are Russia and India.  By imposing sanctions on Russia –following in US’s footsteps the European nations forced others to support those sanctions even if it meant a hit to the economic well-being of other nation and its people.

India’s external affairs minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, once remarked that Europe’s problem are not India’s problems and Europe should abandon that “colonial” mindset. In his recent meeting with Polish Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Sikorski, Dr. Jaishankar made clear his displeasure of such selective, unjust and unjustified tactics.

Still the Nations went with dollar as the reserve currency, but unprecedented and unjust actions of deranged Donald Trump jolted many nations, including European nations, to their senses that they cannot allow sovereignty and well being of their people to be held hostage by Washington.

Trump’s threats of outright invasion and capture of Greenland, a sovereign territory under the Danish Kingdom and threats of imposing tariffs on EU nations if they do not agree to sell Greenland, only jolted EU out of stupor they had fallen into - blindly accepting US national interests as their own.

In response to Trump’s threats, the outraged EU nations have called for retaliatory measures.

France has opened the possibility of deploying “Anti-coercion Instrument” called trade “bazooka” – a mechanism that would extend not only to punitive tariffs amounting to several billion dollars (108 Billion), but also would extend to financial sector, intellectual property rights etc. The range of measures is staggering and capable of crippling US economy.

Danish pension fund has already started the process. 

From CBS.com… Danish pension fund to sell $100 million in U.S. Treasuries due to "poor U.S. government finances" …A Danish pension fund is planning to sell its entire holdings of U.S. Treasuries — about $100 million — over concerns about the U.S. government's financial stability. …"The decision is rooted in the poor U.S. government finances, which make us think that we need to make an effort to find an alternative way of conducting our liquidity and risk management," Anders Schelde, Chief Investment Officer of Akademiker Pension, told CBS News in a statement.

 And, now the floodgates have opened. Latest news is coming from Sweden.

 

From Reuters… Swedish pension fund Alecta cuts US Treasury holdings, citing policy uncertainty  …STOCKHOLM, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Swedish pension fund Alecta has sold most of its holdings in U.S. Treasuries over the last year because of the increased risk and unpredictability of U.S. politics, the fund's chief investment officer said on Wednesday. "Since the beginning of 2025, we have reduced our holdings in U.S. government bonds in several rounds, and together the reductions account for the majority of our holdings," Alecta's Chief Investment Officer Pablo Bernengo said in a statement to Reuters. …..

The US treasury guarantees that all its debt obligations will be fulfilled by the “full faith and credit of the United States government” - means that the U.S. Treasury guarantees the repayment of a debt, using its taxing and borrowing authority if necessary.

Given the exploding budget deficit along with rising interest costs and credit rating agencies knocking US credit rating a notch down from its perfect triple AAA credit, the investors have begun to lose faith in US assets and looking for some other greener pasture like BRICS.

European Union has started to look at other nations and blocs to sign a just and free trade agreement to shore up economic security in today’s chaotic world – handiwork of deranged Donald Trump.

It recently signed agreement with “Mercosur” bloc of Latin America, comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

But the mother of all deals – in the words of Ursula Von Der Leyen, President of EU – will be the mega free trade deal with India, a the fastest growing economy with stable and democratic institutions and adherence to international law.

The deal is estimated to represent around 25 to 30% of global GDP.

The cherry on the pie would be that the trade will not be dollar-based; it could be a mix of Indian Rupee and Euro. Germany has already opened a vostro account with Indian banks.

The already shaky US finances and US dollar are going to be severally hit when in July 2026, BRICS grouping will announce launching of CBDC - Central Bank Digital Currency. With 30 to 35% of the global GDP and transactions being settled in national currencies of BRICS member countries, there will not be any need for dollars.

With transactions getting settled bank-to-bank of members’ countries, this will simply bypass the choke point of SWIFT and take the trade out of control of US.

This nightmarish scenario is already dawning on the US that it is about to lose control of not just the currency but control over the global trade as well.

Ballooning deficits, shaky and chaotic political situations, unsound economic policies etc., US is soon going to find out that it is very hard to convince nations to buy its debt. The era of cheap, easy money will be over.

One does not have to be an economist to understand that what follows will be catastrophic for US – it will be an era of rising inflation, higher interest rates, crumbling social infrastructure, and depressed economic activity, leading to societal breakdown just like Iran.

This is going to fuel growing political turmoil, leading to violence.

The world is witnessing the utter lawlessness perpetrated by Trump administration – especially ICE, Trump’s Gestapo; complete disregard of the constitution and rule of law, whimsical nature of policy making etc., in all its glory and deciding to turn away from US.

The inability to finance the debt: The US soon could find itself in the company of countries like Argentina – a country with a long history of sovereign debt defaults.

That is a far-off scenario – whether it materializes or not, no one knows, but the stars are aligning to wreak havoc on the US economy.

The EU-Mercosur trade deal, India’s free trade deal with Australia, New Zealand, Oman, Israel, Britain and now with EU – the mother of all deals, all this will involve payment transactions based not on dollar. but either euro or national currencies.

With 30 to 35% percent of global GDP of BRICS conducted in national currencies and about 30% of India-EU deal conducted in currencies other than dollar, the prognosis of “King Dollar” is very bleak.

It might, finally, get dethroned, but rest of the world will joyfully sing in unison “Hallelujah” as it frees itself from the oppressive shackles of “King Dollar” and its ugly dollar-based empire.

It’s the Epstein files, nothing else!

In 1992, while devising election campaign strategies for Bill Clinton’s successful election campaign, James Carville, Clinton’s political strategist, coined this famous political catch- phrase, which is now applied to almost all core political issues like healthcare, budget deficits etc.

While much ink has been spent on Venezuela debacle and its wider ramifications, the “Why now” question of the Venezuela debacle has begun to get traction – both inside US and internationally.

It has become clear that the Venezuela strike has nothing to do about drugs but is all about oil, regime change, but mostly something else.

        

By attacking Venezuela without any legal authorization and trampling on all international laws and norms, the USA has become a bandit nation, invading sovereign states and grabbing their resources, just like Somali pirates.

The only difference is that Somali pirates are a loose group while the US pirates are a nation, trying to maintain its dying hegemony.

But the Venezuela strike has made few facts clear:

The USA can charge any leader who dares to cross its path, or does not do its bidding, on bogus charges, while at the same time can also pardon real drug traffickers – when it suits them - like ex-president of Honduras, who was sentenced to 45 years in prison for pushing tons of narcotics to US.

The Venezuela strike has also brought into clear focus that the United Nations is 21st century version of “League of Nations” and has become utterly useless. Time to stop asking for reforming this bloated and toothless organization, including expansion of security council.

The gun-boat diplomacy has demonstrated clearly to other nations that in order to protect themselves, they must arm themselves with nuclear weapons. (SIPRI is going to cry rivers of tears about such prospects, thanks to lawless nation, USA.)

Given the impotence of UN, new alliances and grouping are bound to come up, further fracturing the world order.

There will be many more ugly ramifications of this naked aggression impacting world order and the rule of law – both in the US and internationally. Threats, now being directed at Greenland, have prompted European countries to express support for Greenland.

In response to threats directed at Colombia, Colombian President, Gustavo Petro, has mobilized his army. Cuba, with its 50,000 men army has offered Venezuela, in defending itself from the US aggression.

These insane streams of threats of more chaos, bloodshed, trampling of international laws and norms etc, have prompted many to ask the question: “Why now”?

Several theories are being floated:

1. Could it be a desire to re-assert America’s diminishing dominance over world order – a unipolar world order that it has unjustly ascribed to itself and grown used to it? 
2. Could it be because of “genuine concern” for ‘democracy’ and ‘freedom’ and ‘human lives’? or 
3. Could it be because of the 800-pound Gorilla in the room - “The Epstein Files”?

Theory no. 1 is a fait accompli. Given the impotence of UN, new grouping like BRICS is becoming more attractive to nations around the world as it provides freedom from the shackles of dollar dominance. But that still does not shrike as the compelling reason for the insane threats directed at many countries.

We can safely strike out theory no. 2 as US applies terms like “Freedom” and “democracy” selectively when it suits its interests. So is the case with human rights. A mere tut-tut about the killings of the Hindus in Bangladesh but enthusiastic embrace of dictators like Asim Munir, is prime example.

That leaves us with theory no.3 as the only logical one.

Saturday, January 3rd was the day AG Pam Bondi was required to submit report to congress explaining about the redactions made to the Epstein files.

So far, less that 1% of the files have been released and all sorts of excuses have been made for the delay in releasing the entire files despite the unanimously passed law – “Epstein Files Transparency Act” – by both congress and senate, mandating so. Now, if AG Pam Bondi had submitted the report, the news cycles, surely, would have blasted the details of that report all over the world giving a strong boost to the feeling of a massive cover-up to protect rich pedophiles.

Given the dismal job market, rising health costs, and rising inflation, the report would have driven Trump’s ratings further down.

Many voices – politicians, legal luminaries etc. – have now begun to raise this rationale as the prime reason for the Venezuela strike.

               

Colombia’s President, Gustavo Petro, has openly voiced Epstein’s files as the reason for the strike on Venezuela.

AG Pam Bondi, who has vociferously shouted from the rooftops about bringing the full force of law against President Nicolas Maduro – indicted on false charges, is herself facing inherent contempt of congress charges which are being considered against her by Rep. Thomas Massie (R) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D). 

Both congress members have also hinted at the legal action against AG Pam Bondi and DoJ for the delay in release of the Epstein files.

Truly a bizarre nation.

As the congressional and public’s clamor for the Epstein files grow louder, so will be the tantrums, threats directed at different nations by the lawless President in whose dictionary the word “Law” does not apply to him, but applies only to his opponents.

• Trump is hurling threats at Colombia, whose president is openly raging at Donald Trump. 
• European Union has strongly sided with Greenland over Trump’s threats. 
• Pentagon’s spy plane, Poseidon P-8, is circling Mexico. 
• Rubio is threatening Cuba and 
• Trump is also hurling insane threats at Iran.

The man, Donald Trump, seems hell-bent on setting the world on fire by creating more crises, just to keep the exploding Epstein files scandal out of new cycles and the desire to protect the rich and powerful pedophiles.

At some point, there is going to come a time when nations are going to say “enough” and retaliate against the lawless nation. It could mean diplomatic and economic breakup, or it could mean armies fighting against the rogue nation, as Colombian president has hinted and actively preparing his armed forces to fight against threats from the out of control Donald Trump.

And that would mean start of World War III.

Whatever happens – given the frenzied pace of threats, the menacing military maneuvers, etc. – it all comes down to one simple reason: “It’s the Epstein Files, nothing else!

Pirate and the Kidnapper-in-Chief

Kidnapper & Victim

USA's Federal Kagaroo Court in New York has charge-sheeted Maduro (along with his wife, son, and others): 

• Narco-terrorism conspiracy 
• Cocaine importation conspiracy 
• Possession of machine guns and destructive devices  
• Conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices

Looking at these charges, let us peep deep into the drugs/narcotics smuggling data of DEA, USA itself.

The basic question is "Which country in the American continent is the largest producer of narcotics and who exports to the USA?".

Colombia is the largest producer of cocaine in the Americas, with record-high cultivation and production estimated at over 3,708 tons globally in 2023, primarily driven by expanded coca bush areas and higher yields in the country. 

Cocaine remains one of the most significant illicit drugs produced in the region by volume. Mexico, however, is the leading producer of synthetic narcotics like fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin in the Americas, with Mexican transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) such as the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel operating large-scale clandestine labs using precursor chemicals sourced mainly from China. (Source: DEA, USA).

Peru and Bolivia are secondary producers of cocaine, but their output is significantly lower than Colombia's. Mexico is the primary exporter of illegal drugs to the USA, controlling the wholesale trafficking of fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine across the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Mexican TCOs source cocaine from South American producers like Colombia and handle its transit, while directly producing and exporting synthetics and heroin. Other countries, such as Colombia, Peru, and transit nations like Ecuador and Venezuela, play roles in production or routing, but Mexico dominates direct exports to the U.S. market.

Venezuela is not a significant direct exporter of narcotics to the United States, according to data from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. State Department, and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Key Narcotics and Venezuela's Role - 

Fentanyl and synthetic opioids (the primary drivers of U.S. overdose deaths): Venezuela plays no known role in production or trafficking. The DEA's 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment identifies Mexico as the overwhelming source, using precursors from China. No South American country, including Venezuela, is linked to fentanyl flows to the U.S.

Cocaine: Venezuela serves primarily as a transit country for cocaine produced in Colombia (the world's top producer), with some secondary processing. U.S. estimates indicate 200–250 metric tons of cocaine transited Venezuela annually in recent assessments (e.g., 2020–2023 levels persisted per State Department reports). However, most of this is destined for Europe or the Caribbean, not the U.S.

Direct Exports to the USA: 

Direct exports to the USA are minimal: No established maritime routes directly from Venezuela to the U.S. exist- as per UNODC seizure data.

The only documented direct pathway is limited air trafficking (e.g., couriers or private flights).

U.S. bound cocaine predominantly flows through the Eastern Pacific (74–80% via Central America/Mexico) or overland routes from Colombia, with only a small fraction (historically single-digit percentages) via Caribbean corridors that may touch Venezuela.

Experts and reports (e.g., UNODC World Drug Report 2025, WOLA analyses) describe Venezuela's contribution to U.S. cocaine supply as a "sliver" or minor secondary role, far below primary routes from Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Mexico-controlled distribution.

Precise quantities of narcotics successfully exported directly from Venezuela to the U.S. are not publicly quantified in official reports due to the clandestine nature of trafficking and focus on seizures/origins. Available evidence indicates the amount reaching the U.S. market is low relative to total inflows, with Mexican transnational criminal organizations dominating wholesale distribution into the United States.

However, President Trump and the USA Government does not take any action against the major players and makes an arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on the charges of narcotics smuggling.

World is not naive as to not to understand the real motive of takeover of the 303 billion oil reserves of Venezuela. Narcotics and Arms smuggling is a frivolous excuse that no one except Donald Trump will believe.

Attack on Venezuela is a crystal International Thuggery committed by the President of the USA. In fact, President Donald Trump has outperformed the Nigerians, Somalian pirates by attacking the oil fields and not the oil tankers on high seas.

The arrest and whisking of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the USA army Commander-in-Chief President Donald Trump is no less than cheap kidnapping like that of an ordinary gangster on the streets of Chicago or Bronx. Both indulge in kidnapping the victim for a ransom. It is only the scale of monetary stake that differentiate these two kidnappers.

A new Kidnapper and Pirate has risen on the horizon. 

Will the King Dollar be a casualty of, among others, “The EPSTEIN FILES”?

 

Will the King Dollar finally lose its status as the world’s reserve currency and what would be the catalyst for such a scenario to happen? This is the question that is being considered with dread in the financial markets around the world as the financial markets would simply go into turmoil creating all sorts of consequences for the world.

Getting the dollar knocked off its perch as the world’s reserve currency would also bring ruination to the US economy. Future successive administrations would be faced with a herculean task to pull the economy out of its trouble and recover its number one position. A loss of something - like credibility – is very difficult to recover.

By using the dollar and the threats of sanctions, the US has managed to somehow to weather the challenges to dollar’s status as a reserve currency, but as the law of nature dictates, nothing lasts forever.  The dollar’s run as world reserve currency was bound to come to an end someday.

Even though there is a growing anger among the world community about the use of the dollar as a soft weapon by the US, the dollar has survived due to lack of alternatives. But unfolding global chaos might have just put the dollar on the fast track to its loss of status.

Growing numbers of countries are tired of constant bullying and threats of sanctions, are on the lookout for some other mechanism that would free them not only from the shackle of the US dollar but also maintain their sovereignty.

Here the new political block BRICS comes into focus which has the ability to take transact nearly 40% trade not in dollars but in the national currencies of the respective countries.

Donald Trump is becoming aware of this fact and if the dollar loses its status as the reserve currency; he will go down as the “worst president” in US history.

Hence, his crazed rants on that pathetic social platform threatening BRICS countries with tariffs.

There are four factors that would hasten the demise of dollar as the reserve currency – The BRICS Group, Big Beautiful Bill, Growing anxiety about Trade Wars, and finally, the elephant in the room – The Epstein Files.

Consider the first factor: The BRICS group and what it offers

The recent summit in Brazil was a kind of momentous gathering as 10 new countries have been granted partner status bringing the total to 20.

At this summit, the group adopted the following points:

ü   Commitment to strength internal cooperation under the expanded BRICS framework

ü   Commitment to strengthen multilateralism – e.g. multi-polarity.

ü   Strengthening UN charter, and the international law

ü   Increased participation of developing countries in global decision making

ü Strengthening the Global governance of artificial intelligence (AI for the benefit of humanity), called upon the UN to take a lead position in devising rules for AI.

ü   Expanded the BRICS grouping by accepting 10 new countries as partner states

ü   And, committed to boost trade in global south

With BRICS PAY, New development Bank and the desire to settle trade among member countries in their own national currencies, are a threat to dollar’s dominance as it reduces the need for dollar in trade among themselves – in effect, de-dollarization.

The second factor as a threat to the dollar’s dominance is the recently passed Big Beautiful Bill which Donald Trump has signed into law.

The bill not only makes the life of US citizens miserable – cuts to Medicaid, SNAP benefits, education etc., it also explodes the budget deficit by 4 trillion, which means that the US will be paying more than 1 trillion just as the interest payment – a red flag for the foreign investors.

In order to attract foreign investors, the Federal Reserve would have to offer higher interest on US treasuries. The increase in the interest rates would affect everything – from mortgage rates to, corporate profits etc..

Here are the lowlights of the bill:

Ø   Major cuts to social safety net that includes Medicaid. As congressional budget office estimates, approximately 1.8 million people will lose access to health benefit, a major crisis.

Ø   Cutting SNAP (supplemental assistance food program), a critical food program that helped nearly 41 million people with food assistance. Inability to feed the family is bound to increase crime and domestic violence.

Ø   Removed tax subsidies for clean energy project that jeopardized thousands of jobs and endangered billions of dollars of investment

Ø   Higher energy costs for families

Ø   Endangered environment by weakening fuel efficiency standards.

Ø   Increased funding for ICE.

Ø   AND, the biggest one – blow up the budget deficit by 4 trillion, increasing the debt to an unmanageable level.

The third factor that poses the risk to the dollar’s dominance is the chaotic Trade Wars.

The on-again, off-again tariffs are causing anxiety among the businesspeople, the result being a reduction in economic activity. The tariff is nothing but a tax which is ultimately paid by consumers by way of higher prices. This is going to make many people frugal, making them put-off purchases.

The depressing demand would result in job losses and, consequently, affect the GDP as well.

The lackluster GDP is, then, a signal to investors that it is time to look for some other greener pastures and that pasture is being provided by BRICS grouping.

With a population base of approx. 34.45 billion people, highly skilled workforce, technological powerhouses and richness of natural resources, the growth potential for BRICS grouping of countries is tremendous.

Consider these statistics: With GDP higher than that of G7 Counters – 44 % and 4.45 billion population, the outlook is tempting.

Even though the factor of BRICS grouping and continued de-dollarization is a fait accompli, the hard landing can still be turned into a soft one, but only if cooler, rational and saner heads prevail, but there is a dearth of these virtues in Washington, DC.

All these three factors combined have put the king dollar on the slide to its eventual dethroning as the world reserve currency,

But there is one factor that can give it a hypersonic boost.

And, that factor – fourth factor - is “Epstein files”.

It all started off with Elon Musk tweeting about Donald Trump being in the Epstein files.  With the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ cutting out subsidies for EV vehicles, a furious Musk, who was already out of government, fought tooth and nail to prevent its passage.

Having failed in the fight, an enraged Musk fired the tweet which set the course of events on an uncontrollable path.

The matter would have simply faded from the public consciousness when Elon Musk backtracked on his tweet and made good with Donald trump. The issue was slowly fading from public consciousness as other events occupied the news cycle.

But it was AG Pam Bondi, who, out of nowhere, decided to bring the issue of Epstein files to the forefront when she announced that there is no Epstein list.

Why she dredged up the Epstein files, is a mystery. Just speculating – Might it have to do something with Nobel Prize as a clean character is needed.

This assertion not only threw up lot of questions regarding Epstein’s suicide in jail and Ghislaine Maxwell’s conviction in a sex trafficking trial, but it also enraged the MAGA crowd, who for years were fed the notion of there being Epstein’s black book which has the list of all the rich and powerful pedophiles.

Trump’s election had given MAGA crowd high hopes of the Epstein list finally being made public, but those hopes were dashed with Pam Bondi’s assertion of there being no Epstein list.

Pam Bondi’s assertion was seen as an attempt to coverup the scandal – a way to protect the rich and powerful, a deep state tactic that they had decried for years.

With MAGA crowd openly quitting the movement, burning their hats and people like Alex Jones, Nick Fuentes, Tucker Carlson etc., criticizing Donald and asking for the release of Epstein files, the pressure has begun to get to Donald Trump.

Trump cannot afford to lose his base, but he also cannot make all the Epstein evidence public as demanded by everyone including congress members, as making the evidence public would simply be the end of Trump’s political career.

With the bombshell revelation in the Wall Street Journal of a bawdy letter from Trump to Epstein on Epstein’s 50th birthday, the fire lit by Pam Bondi has now become a raging inferno about to consume the Trump presidency and along with that the republican party, who cannot afford to lose the MAGA base which is their ticket to power.

Donald has thrown the kitchen sink to distract the American people from the Epstein scandal.

He has:

• ·                Threatened BRICs with 100% tariff if they move away from dollars.
• ·                Threatened 500% tariff on India and China if they continue to buy oil and gas from Russia.
• ·                In a silly tweet, he crowed that he has demanded that Coca-Cola use cane sugar in its drinks
• ·                He has imposed 25% tariff on Japan – America’s closest ally in the pacific.
• ·                Sent idiotic letters to countries informing them about imposing tariffs if they don’t negotiate a trade deal within the unilateral deadline set by him.
• ·                Imposed 50% tariff on Brazil and demanded that Brazil drop the prosecution of its former president, Jair Bolsonaro, who has been accused of plotting a coup to reverse his election loss – a lot like January 6 storming of the Capitol Hill by Trump supporters.
• ·       Revoked visa of Brazilian Supreme Court judge for daring to preside over Bolsonaro’s trial.
• ·                Posted crazy video on his pathetic “Truth Social” platform about putting Obama in prison.
• ·                And, has mulled about replacing the Fed Chair Jerome Powell with a pliant one who will reduce the interest rates, which Jerome Powell has refused to do in the face of rising inflation.

The list of daily outrages just keeps on growing as Donald needs something to distract from the raging Epstein files scandal – not that anything is working. On the contrary, the focus on Epstein scandal is becoming stronger as American public demands to know who exactly is featured in the list, so that they can be prosecuted for crimes against children.

Rumor on the internet is that the bombshell revelation by Wall Street Journal is just the tip of the iceberg – there is more yet to come.

With August 1 deadline fast approaching, it is difficult to imagine that the 90-day pause will be extended further as it would not only take the issue of tariffs off the table but would also reinforce Trump’s reputation as “President TACO”.

And, Donald Trump simply cannot afford that.

With Trump imposing tariffs on countries, the other countries are also bound to react and impose reciprocal tariffs on US products making them more expensive to import.

The global community will also strike deals with other countries side-stepping the US completely. This will have massive effect on the US economy, driving it into recession by the end of year.

Under such circumstances, The BRICS grouping will begin to look more and more attractive to foreign investors. That will be a death-knell for dollar-based US assets.

The US treasury guarantees that all its debt obligations will be fulfilled by the “full faith and credit of the United States government” - means that the U.S. Treasury guarantees the repayment of a debt, using its taxing and borrowing authority if necessary.

Given the exploding budget deficit along with rising interest costs and credit rating agencies knocking US credit rating a notch down from its perfect triple AAA credit, the investors have begun to lose faith in the US assets and are looking for some other greener pasture like BRICS.

If the US defaults on its debt obligations, that would be nothing short of a catastrophic bankruptcy with dollar losing its role as reserve currency.

No wonder Donald is hyper-ventilating about BRICS and tariffs but seems unwilling to tackle these issues as the Epstein scandal continues to grow bigger and bigger.

With Epstein’s ghost breathing down his neck, Donald would rather let the three factors blow up into raging controversies just to distract the news cycles from the Epstein scandal as the revelations would be akin to a nuke going off.

All the three factors mentioned above – The BRICS, reversing some of the disastrous provisions of the Big Beautiful Bill and the Trade Wars – can be handled skillfully, but skills are awfully missing in the Trump administration.

An oft-cited quote of Sun-Tzu, a Chinese military strategist, comes to mind: “A vain man will burn down the country to rule over the ashes”.

The quote fits Donald to a tee.

Unfortunately, it seems, the King Dollar is going be a casualty – a collateral damage of “The Epstein Files”.

(PS: At the time of writing this article, Wall Street Journal now has dropped the biggest story that Department of Justice told Trump in May about his name being all over the Epstein files.

This is an atomic level story. How this plays out – whether Trump resigns or forced out – is going to be quite interesting. If he resigns, he faces criminal prosecution. And if he stays, the country will be paralyzed.

Interesting turn of events, indeed.)