- Major developments in key states
By Newsmax TV
https://youtu.be/zMDtOtGFrYg
Lawyer Sidney Powell provides insight into election irregularities, potential illegal actions and more – via ‘Greg Kelly Reports.’
- Election Contest Claims 15,000 Voters in Nevada Also Voted Outside the State
By Mimi Nguyenly
Nevada’s Republican Party announced a new election contest on Tuesday to “throw out fraud and ensure election integrity,” citing a slew of alleged voting ...
- Third Georgia County Finds Memory Card With Uncounted Votes
By Ivan Pentchoukov
A third county in Georgia discovered a memory card with uncounted votes, a majority of which were cast for President Donald Trump, according to ...
- Report: More than 300,000 People Have Fled New York City Due to Coronavirus, Crime
By Katherine Rodriguez
More than 300,000 people have fled New York City over the past eight months because of rising crime rates and the coronavirus ...
- Election Voting Machine Secrets Revealed: Dominion Ties to Scytl, Smartmatic
By Beyond The Noise
In the wake of evidences suggesting that Dominion voting machines may run risks and potentially be involved in vote switching in ...
- 2 Charged With Voter Fraud, Allegedly Submitted 8,000 Fraudulent Registration Applications
By Jack Phillips
Two men were arrested and charged in Southern California on voter fraud charges after they allegedly submitted thousands of fraudulent voter registration applications on ...
- FEC Chairman: If Sidney Powell Says There Was Rampant Voter Fraud, ‘I Believe Her’
By Tom Ozimek
Trey Trainor, head of the Federal Election Commission (FEC), said in a tweet Tuesday that he believes Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell’s claim of widespread ...
- Dominion Part of Council That Disputed Election Integrity Concerns in DHS Statement
By Jeff Carlson
Dominion Voting Systems used statement, which obscured company’s council membership, to dispute concerns over voting systems.
After allegations emerged that called into questioned ...
- Dominion Confirms Clinton Foundation Donation, Pelosi Staffer Link
By Jack Phillips
Dominion Voting Systems has refuted claims about being biased toward Democratic officials during the Nov. 3 election, including allegations about a raid ...
- Whistleblower Alleges Software Manipulated Votes to Change Venezuelan Election Results
By Charlotte Cuthbertson
WASHINGTON—Trump campaign lawyer and former federal prosecutor Sidney Powell released an affidavit on Nov. 16, from an alleged whistleblower who claims to ...
- Pence to Campaign in Georgia With GOP Senators Facing Runoffs
By Zachary Stieber
Vice President Mike Pence will campaign in Georgia with Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) and David Perdue (R-Ga.) as they try to convince voters to choose them ...
- Nevada County Tosses Local Election Result Citing 139 Discrepancies
BY IVAN PENTCHOUKOV
Nevada’s Clark County on Monday tossed the results of a local election after a canvass unearthed 139 discrepancies in a district on a ...
![Small businesses in the United States encountered growing challenges accessing credit in June, according to Equifax’s latest small-business lending index. Lending volumes fell by 3.3 percent month over month, although they remained up by more than 2 percent from the same period in 2024, according to the report released on Aug. 18. The index’s three-month moving average jumped to 1 percent, fueled by robust lending activity volumes in April that have since eroded. Story continues below advertisement Regionally, 23 states experienced year-over-year declines in 12-month rolling lending volumes, with California (minus 10 percent), Nevada (minus 9 percent), and Georgia (minus 6 percent) leading the decline. Across industries, nominal (noninflation-adjusted) lending decreased in six of the 17 sectors tracked. Accommodation and food services experienced the sharpest decline, while construction, finance and insurance, and retail lending remained stable. Credit conditions showed signs of stabilization in the wake of President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda, the report reads. Related Stories Treasury Department Releases New Guidance Restricting Wind, Solar Tax Credits The Epoch Times Buy Now, Pay Later Is Just Credit, Not a Crisis The Epoch Times The small-business delinquency index (31 to 90 days past due) edged up by nearly 2 percent, or three basis points, from May. The index was little changed from June 2024. Additionally, the default index fell by more than 3 percent, down by seven basis points month over month. Despite national improvements, 34 states reported year-over-year increases in default rates. Maine stood out with a 35 percent spike, the highest in the country. Delinquency rates rose or held steady in five industries, with wholesale trade posting the largest monthly increase of 2 percent. In the coming months, a boost to small-business lending is expected to unfold in the third and fourth quarters. Wall Street overwhelmingly anticipates that the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates beginning in September. The Fed’s periodic Summary of Economic Projections—a survey of policymakers’ expectations for the economy and interest rates in the future—points to two rate cuts this year. The federal funds rate—a key policy rate that influences business, consumer, and government borrowing costs—has been unchanged in a target range of 4.25 percent to 4.5 percent since January. Story continues below advertisement However, although a rate cut is considered a boon for the credit industry, the report states that easing monetary policy could “exacerbate inflationary pressures.” Last week, the annual inflation rate for July came in at 2.7 percent for the second straight month, lower than the market’s estimate of 2.8 percent. However, key pipeline inflation indicators—the producer price index and import prices—topped economists’ expectations, signaling that the current administration’s trade agenda could be igniting renewed price pressures. The U.S. central bank will host its annual Jackson Hole Economic Symposium from Aug. 21 to Aug. 23, with Fed Chairman Jerome Powell delivering the keynote address on Aug. 22. Lenders Signal Optimism Despite the slowdown in small-business lending, a recent industry survey suggests that lenders remain optimistic, citing improved business conditions. The Federal Reserve in Washington on July 21, 2025. (Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times) The Federal Reserve in Washington on July 21, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times According to the American Financial Services Association’s latest consumer credit conditions index for the second quarter, shared with The Epoch Times, the business environment was positive on balance. In the April–June period, the net increasing index—a measure spotlighting the difference between the percentage of lenders who said loan performance conditions got better and those who said they got worse—reached the highest level in the survey’s six-quarter history. In addition, 26 percent more respondents reported that funding costs improved in the second quarter than those who said they worsened. Meanwhile, 18 percent reported an improvement in the performance of their outstanding loans, compared with those who said it worsened. Despite broad-based improvements, more auto lenders reported that business conditions weakened in the second quarter than those who reported improvements. Auto lenders also anticipate weaker overall conditions over the next six months. Caution Ahead Demand for loans from commercial and industrial companies has weakened, according to the New York Fed’s Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on bank lending. Banks, according to the report, also found weaker demand for credit and other loans from consumers. Despite slowing credit demand, the findings indicated that credit supply through banking lending standards had not tightened significantly. Bipan Rai, managing director at BMO, said that ultimately, the latest figures reveal both the good and the bad. “Empirically, we know that a deterioration in the credit cycle is consistent with a general slowing of the real economy,” Rai said in an Aug. 11 note. “A silver lining in the [Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey] release is that credit supply ... has not tightened materially. Typically, a slowing in the credit cycle would be more concerning if falling demand came as a result of tighter lending standards.” Although the trade situation has stabilized since the April peak of uncertainty, businesses and consumers are seeking greater policy clarity, a recent survey highlighted. The American Bankers Association’s latest credit conditions index—a quarterly outlook for credit markets—declined for the second consecutive quarter. The headline reading came in at 32.1—anything lower indicates expected deterioration—and the index fell to 35.7 for businesses and 28.6 for consumers. Trade negotiations and passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act have offered some reassurance, but tariff-related uncertainty is still a headwind for credit conditions and the broader economy, according to Sayee Srinivasan, the association’s chief economist. “'Hard data’ suggest the economy remains on solid footing, but consumer and business sentiment indicate that policy uncertainty remains elevated and is causing some firms and households to adopt a cautious approach to hiring, spending and investment,” Srinivasan said in the report. The White House recently imposed higher reciprocal tariffs, ranging from 10 percent to 50 percent, on almost 70 U.S. trading partners. The president is expected to announce tariffs on imports of chips, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals soon. Story continues below advertisement Still, small-business optimism has improved and is above the National Federation of Independent Business’s long-term average. Bill Dunkelberg, the group’s chief economist, said that uncertainty persists but business owners are “reporting more positive expectations on business conditions and expansion opportunities.”](https://www.usnn.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Small-Business-Lending-Faces-Mixed-Signals-Amid-Economic-Shifts-jpg.webp "Small-Business Lending Faces Mixed Signals Amid Economic Shifts 4")
