The Lead
The Signs Are There for Those Willing To Listen
by Stewart Battle (EIRNS) — Nov. 18, 2025
Unlike your favorite Netflix series, or the casual banter with your neighbor, there is a lawfulness to the universe. Even if one tries to ignore it, or imagine that it can be overpowered with force, money, or endlessly repeated wrong ideas, this lawfulness exists, and will assert itself one way or another.
This is the case with the recent whirlwind of events around Donald Trump, MAGA, and the Jeffrey Epstein files. On Nov. 18, the U.S. House of Representatives made a near-unanimous vote to demand the release of all remaining files connected to the late sexual predator. The motion now appears set to fly through the Senate and on to President Trump’s desk—who only one week ago was demanding that his party fall into line and oppose the release of the files. Many are arguing that Trump’s about-face last week was made only in response to the growing resistance from within his own supporters and party—that lawful process that he realized he was unable to stop.
Similarly, how long can the lie hold that the U.S. has the “greatest economy on Earth”—an economy which is resting on an AI bubble and an imaginary mountain of cryptocurrencies? The collapse of Bitcoin by 25% over the recent days should give some indication of the foolishness of this, as should the growing numbers of Americans and Europeans struggling to afford everyday life. Without concrete measures to reorganize the bankrupt masses of speculative assets, which for years have taken over the Western financial system, it will be increasingly difficult to uphold pretenses of “greatness,” and sooner or later the entire house of cards will likely come crashing down. A Global Glass-Steagall is more urgent now than ever.
In the Caribbean, the drums of war are now being sounded as the U.S. threatens to unleash military strikes against Venezuela. If launched, such a move risks becoming yet another foolish gambit that will backfire in the long run. “Stopping drugs” is not grounds to tear up international law and violate the national sovereignty of neighboring nation-states—not unless you want to generate new and greater problems in the future. President Trump may have the power to bomb countries and kill people, but he doesn’t have the power to stop the lawful response that will result—neither in the Caribbean nor among his supporters.
This is being made viscerally clear in the case of Ukraine, where NATO’s use of this country as a bludgeon against Russia is coming to a gruesome end. More towns are falling by the day to Russian forces, while at the same time the debate around the current corruption scandal has become political quicksand for growing segments of the country. The party of former President Petro Poroshenko shut down Ukraine’s Rada on Nov. 18, calling for Zelenskyy’s government to be completely dissolved. Meanwhile, the comedian-president roams around Europe securing military deals that will never be delivered.
All these examples underscore the principle of natural law, which cannot be stopped. In fact, as President Trump is (hopefully) beginning to discover, if one attempts to ignore this, the problem becomes even worse. But the most significant historical trend of today is also that which most clearly points to the direction of a solution—namely the rejection by the nations of the Global South of 500 years of colonialism. If, instead of desperately clinging to the failing neocolonial system, the nations of the West would decide to collaborate with the Global Majority, to build modern economies using the best of Western capabilities, there is no problem that fundamentally couldn’t be solved.
EIR will be holding a special roundtable discussion on Nov. 20 titled “President Trump: Don’t Do It! An Alternative American Policy for the Caribbean.” The event will feature experts from across the region and the world, and will focus on the importance of de-escalating in the Caribbean, as well as on solving the region’s underlying issues for good. Share it widely and tune in Thursday.
Contents
Strategic War Danger
- Trump Says Again He's Willing To Talk To Maduro (↓)
- China and Japan Meet To Defuse Takaichi's Militarist Threat (↓)
- Key Backchannel Negotiator: Peace Plan Requires Large-Scale Development (↓)
U.S. and Canada
- Trump's Base Fractured, He Doesn't Believe It, Cui Bono? (↓)
- House Votes To Release All of the Jeffrey Epstein Files (↓)
Collapsing Imperial System
- France's Macron and Ukraine's Zelenskyy Prop Each Other Up? (↓)
- Demand for End to Zelenskyy's Government Shuts Down Ukraine's Parliament (↓)
New World Paradigm
Harley Schlanger Update
Watch The Daily Update with Harley Schlanger, a short video update available every weekday morning from The LaRouche Organization.
