North America

Authored by Josh Harkinson, originally posted at MotherJones.com,

If the nationalists get their way, this November might be the last time Texans vote for a US president.

On Wednesday, the Platform Committee of the Texas Republican Party voted to put a Texas independence resolution up for a vote at this week's GOP convention, according to a press release from the pro-secession Texas Nationalist Movement. The resolution calls for allowing voters to decide whether the Lone Star State should become an independent nation.

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Back in November 2008, then Russian president Dmitry Medvedev made a stark warning to NATO: "Russia will deploy Iskander missile systems in its enclave in Kaliningrad to neutralize, if necessary, the anti-ballistic missile system in Europe."

Submitted by Mish Shedlock of Mish Talk

Class 8 Truck Orders Plunge 39%; Large Truck Sales vs. Recessions

Class 8, “heavy duty” truck orders are down 39% from a year ago.

First, let’s take a look at the reports, then we will take a look at what this may mean for the economy.

Class 8 Truck Orders Plunge 39%

The Wall Street Journal reports Truck Orders Fall in April.

For years, our biggest lament and recurring confirmation that
unorthodox monetary policies are simply not working, has been tracking
global trade - the lifeblood of any properly functioning global economy - which has not only failed to reach its pre-crisis growth rates, but especially over the past 2 years, has seen slowing dramatically. The latest evidence of this slowdown came earlier today when the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported that demand