2017
Latest News Articles – March 16, 2017
From James Harkin (Webmaster & Editor of LindseyWilliams.net). Here is a summary of articles of interest from around the world for this week. Please LIKE the Lindsey Williams Online Facebook Page to see stories posted daily regarding the current state of the economy around the world.
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Latest News From March 10, 2017 to March 16, 2017:
- Eric Peters: “If China And The World Bank Are Right, We're Headed For A Depression”
“Some people blindly invested offshore and were in a rush to do so,” explained China’s central bank chief, justifying his recent capital controls. “Some of this outbound investment was not in line with our own policies and had no real gain for China.” No doubt he’s right. The tycoons fleeing Chinese capital markets have done so selfishly. “So to regulate capital flows, I think it is normal,” concluded the central banker. Chinese credit relative to GDP has doubled in the past decade to 300%. Which remains less than the US at 350%, but the rate of Chinese credit growth is as unsustainable as it is difficult to reverse — without tanking the economy. The tycoons are running from this dynamic. Because such loops almost always end badly. - US Government Revenues Suffer Biggest Drop Since The Financial Crisis
On the surface, today's monthly budget statement was disappointing: in February the US Treasury brought in total receipts of $172 billion, versus outlays of $364 billion, resulting in a decicit of $192 billion, more than tha $190 billion expected (if in line with last year's $192.6 billion deficit). For the fiscal year through Feb. 28, the total US budget deficit was $349 billion, virtually identical to the $351 billion deficit over the same period in 2016 and set to keep rising this year and for the foreseeable future. - Credit Reports to Exclude Certain Negative Information, Boosting FICO Scores
Many tax liens and civil judgments soon will be taken off people’s credit reports, the latest move to omit negative information from the powerful financial scorecards. The decision by the three major credit-reporting firms— Equifax Inc., Experian PLC and TransUnion—could help boost credit scores for millions of U.S. consumers, but could pose risks for lenders. The reports and scores often help decide how much consumers can borrow for a new house or car as well as determine their credit-card spending limit. - Former Congressman Dennis Kucinich Warns Congress that CIA Wiretaps Are Real and It Happened to Him
Restive cerements of the left have given pard-like support for the CIA — believing the motives of the heralded agency to be only just and honorable, in spite of all of the evidence suggesting otherwise. Hysterically, it was the left who've always been reticent about the motives of the CIA. According to a poll done by the WSJ/NBC, support for the CIA is soaring in recent months, alongside cognitive dissonance — due to ephemeral dreams of deep state coups being plotted against the Trump regime. - American Men Are Giving Up On Jobs
I’ve written about this before, but there are 10 million American males between the age of 24 and 64 who have literally dropped out of the workforce. It means that they have given up on finding a job or are simply not looking. But, focusing on just one subset among those who are 24–64, we see that white working-class males’ labor force participation rate has dropped to 59%. The Economist has created something called a Forgotten Men Index, which shows the gap between white working-class men in particular and all men in general. I bring this data up because white working-class men have become the focus of much current political discussion. The participation numbers are similar or worse for other racial categories except for Asians. - FBI Used Best Buy's Geek Squad To Increase Secret Public Surveillance
Recently unsealed records reveal a much more extensive secret relationship than previously known between the FBI and Best Buy's Geek Squad, including evidence the agency trained company technicians on law-enforcement operational tactics, shared lists of targeted citizens and, to covertly increase surveillance of the public, encouraged searches of computers even when unrelated to a customer's request for repairs. - Fed may have to accelerate rate rises to accommodate Trump policies: ECB's Visco
The economic policies of U.S. President Donald Trump could hurt global trade and could speed up an increase in U.S. interest rates, European Central Bank policy maker Ignazio Visco said on Monday. “Given the current situation of the U.S. economy, which is close to full employment, strong fiscal expansion risks having a pro-cyclical impact,” Visco said in a speech at the Italian foreign ministry. “In such a case, the process of normalizing monetary conditions undertaken by the Federal Reserve could be less gradual,” said Visco, who sits on the ECB Governing Council and is the governor of the Bank of Italy. - Huge Oil Find Could Save Alaska's Oil Sector
Spanish oil firm Repsol SA just announced the largest onshore oil discovery in the U.S. in three decades, a 1.2 billion barrel find on Alaska’s North Slope. Repsol has been actively exploring in Alaska since 2008 and finally hit a big one. The find came after drilling two wells with its partner, Armstrong Oil & Gas. Repsol says that it if it moves forward and develops the project, first oil could come by 2021. The field could produce 120,000 bpd, a significant volume given the predicament the state of Alaska finds itself in. - Gander Mountain files Ch. 11 bankruptcy, closing 32 stores
Outdoor and sporting goods retail chain Gander Mountain says it plans to shut down 32 stores as part of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. Gander Mountain announced on Friday that it plans to remain open, but is putting the business up for sale. Thirty-two under performing retail locations will begin a shutdown process in the next several weeks, according to the company. The list of stores slated for closing does not include the recently remodeled Gander Mountain at the Eastwood Mall Complex in Niles. - 2016 Debt Binge Produces (Surprise!) 2017 Inflation. Guess What That Means For 2018?
Just as everyone was finally accepting the idea of deflation and negative interest rates, inflation decides to pay a return visit. In the past day, articles with the following headlines appeared in major publications around the world: Swiss inflation rises at highest monthly rate in 5 years. China February producer inflation fastest in nearly nine years. Year-over-year import prices at highest level in five years. ECB keeps bond-buying, rates unchanged amid inflation flare-up. Food inflation doubles in a month as UK shoppers start to feel the pinch. What happened? Well, towards the end of 2015 most of the world’s major governments apparently got spooked by deflation and decided to ramp up their borrowing and money creation. - The Conflict within the Deep State Just Broke into Open Warfare
When do the unlimited powers of the Intelligence/Security agencies threaten America’s domestic and global national interests? The CIA and its political enablers claim the agency’s essentially unlimited powers, partially revealed by Wikileak’s Vault 7, pose no threat to America’s interests, since they are intended to “defend” American interests. This is the rationale presented by neocon CIA allies in both political parties: the CIA can’t possibly threaten America’s interests because the CIA defines America’s interests. This is the wormhole down which civil liberties and democracy have drained. It is an extraordinarily defining moment in American history when the director of the FBI publicly declares that there is no such thing as “absolute privacy” in the U.S. - U.S. Crude Stockpiles Soar, Gasoline Inventory Plunges
U.S. crude oil inventories surged last week to another record high, while gasoline stocks went the other direction, posting their largest one-week drop in nearly six years, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. Crude inventories rose 8.2 million barrels in the week to March 3, compared with analysts’ expectations for a 2 million-barrel build. Most of that – 4.6 million barrels – came from an unexpectedly large surge in stocks on the west coast. The ninth weekly crude build boosted total stockpiles, excluding the nation’s strategic petroleum reserves, to a fresh record of 528.4 million barrels. - Goldman Sachs: Zero Upside Left For Stocks This Year
After the inflation in P/E multiples has sent the S&P500 to to a level above the 90% percentile of all historical valuations, Goldman has called a time out. The venerable firm says that there will be no more multiple expansion this year. As a result only one thing will push stock prices higher “as equity valuations compress as interest rates rise” – higher profits. - OPEC Back In Focus Amid Oil’s Latest Collapse
OPEC and the U.S. continue to fight for dominance in the global oil market. The battle has been recently been defined by OPEC’s production cuts, but new U.S. shale production has been countering strongly as of late. Despite the current supply glut (especially in the United States), the price of oil has been kept in the lofty $50s for a while now, ever since OPEC and Russia agreed to restrict 1.8 million barrels of crude oil from the world market. The higher prices have led to higher profits, however, even in the U.S. These prices have incentivized increased U.S. production, allowing companies to be drilling at their highest rates in over a year, posed to reach record levels by year-end. - The American Media Hide From The Truth
The CIA created and accumulated from other sources a huge array of malware and cyber attack capability capable of stealing information from any individual, any government, any corporation, any intelligence agency and either leaving no trace or leaving a “fingerprint” of an innocent party. The CIA, being arrogant and incompetent, lost control over its monster which escaped and now is in the hands of we know not who. Floating around the Internet, it was sent to WikiLeaks. - The US government now has less cash than Google
In the year 1517, one of the most important innovations in financial history was invented in Amsterdam: the government bond. It was a pretty revolutionary concept. Governments had been borrowing money for thousands of years… quite often at the point of a sword. Italian city-states like Venice and Florence had been famously demanding “forced loans” from their wealthy citizens for centuries. - When will Brazil emerge from the worst ever recession?
Try as they may, Brazil’s legislators have been unable to carve a dent in what has now become the worst recession in the country’s history. Recent data from the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) – the country’s official statistics agency – shows that Brazil’s GDP growth contracted by 3.6 per cent in 2016. This puts immense pressure on President Michel Temer who is already fighting on multiple fronts. He faces a number of corruption charges, has a popularity rate around 10 per cent according to pollsters, and has been struggling to push through radical, if not controversial, reform measures in congress. - $21,714 For Every Man, Woman And Child In The World – This Global Debt Bomb Is Ready To Explode
According to the International Monetary Fund, global debt has grown to a staggering grand total of 152 trillion dollars. Other estimates put that figure closer to 200 trillion dollars, but for the purposes of this article let’s use the more conservative number. If you take 152 trillion dollars and divide it by the seven billion people living on the planet, you get $21,714, which would be the share of that debt for every man, woman and child in the world if it was divided up equally. So if you have a family of four, your family’s share of the global debt load would be $86,856. - Trump Needs a War Team
Former Assistant Secretary of Housing and financial advisor Catherine Austin Fitts says the Trump Administration is at the beginning of a long war against his deep state enemies. Fitts recommends, “I don’t think it’s an accident that WikiLeaks dumps out documents proving that the CIA has the capacity to do a hack and make it look like the Russians. So, what we are watching are war games. This is like chess. You try to take out the lieutenants before you take out the queen. . . . My guess is you have very significant capacity on the Democrat side, literally hundreds of people and law firms doing surveillance and intelligence, and figuring out how they can weaken the Trump team. Now, what we see coming back the other way, including the WikiLeaks dumps, there is clearly capacity on the other side. The Trump team is going to have to build two lines. The key to being successful in an operation like this is you need a team. In the story of Nehemiah, when the wall was broken, they needed a tool in one hand and a weapon in another. Trump is going to have to put together a war team that can handle and manage the warring back and forth between the factions. You do not want that war to interrupt or undermine your management team. You’ve got to have your Cabinet, and their job is to “Make America Great Again.” Ultimately, that’s how you are going to be judged, and the general population will support you if you keep doing that. You don’t want your team to be buried by war games.” - Noah’s Flood of Cash Coming
Mexican billionaire and retail magnate Hugo Salinas Price is a big proponent of using silver as money in Mexico. Salinas Price explains, “The idea is not to go back to a silver standard, but to create a parallel currency which would be a monetized silver coin. It would not bear a stamped value. It would be a plain silver coin with a quoted value given to it. This value would be adjusted upward with a fall in the value of the peso or a rise with the price of silver.” Salinas Price pushed ideas similar to this in the past. This idea is being talked about again in the Mexican legislature, but there is no guarantee it will become a reality. Why silver coins for the Mexican people? Salinas Price says, “All material progress comes from saving, not from spending. You have to save first, and from savings comes investment, and from investment comes jobs and income for a better way of life. Savings are the primary source of prosperity.” - Are Germans About to Be Made to Pay for Their Love of Cash?
Germany loves physical money. According to a Bundesbank study, approximately 80% of payments in Germany are made in cash. Even among millennials, two-thirds say they prefer paying in cash to electronic means, a much higher level than in almost any other advanced economy with the exception of Japan. This is a big problem for a European establishment that is desperate to consign physical money to the scrap heap. Some countries, including France and Spain, have already set maximum cash limits of €1,000. Greece has dropped its cap for cash transactions from €1,500 to €500. - FBI Director Gives Shocking News to Americans: Privacy Is ‘Dead’
Welcome to the information age, where everything you do or say can and will be monitored and used against you. Your constitutional right to privacy? Forget about it! At least according to FBI Director James Comey who delivered this chilling line at a recent cybersecurity conference “There is no such thing as absolute privacy in America; there is no place outside of judicial reach,” and with the information revealed by the WikiLeaks Vault 7 documents, we know that their capability extends far beyond ‘judicial reach’. - How Will Stocks Come Unglued? Wolf Richter on the Keiser Report
In the first and hilarious section of the Keiser Report, Stacy Herbert and Max Keiser discuss how artificial intelligence and machines are replacing lawyers and other creatures, and what in the end will come of humans. My interview with Max Keiser starts 11:50 minutes into the video. We discuss what caused the S&P 500 index to soar 87% since 2011, even as aggregate earnings of the companies in the index in 2016 were back where they’d been in 2011. In other words, what caused stocks to skyrocket over five years, even as earnings went nowhere? And how will the equation come unglued? - U.S. Health Care Ranked Worst in the Developed World
The U.S. health care system has been subject to heated debate over the past decade, but one thing that has remained consistent is the level of performance, which has been ranked as the worst among industrialized nations for the fifth time, according to the 2014 Commonwealth Fund survey 2014. The U.K. ranked best with Switzerland following a close second. The Commonwealth Fund report compares the U.S. with 10 other nations: France, Australia, Germany, Canada, Sweden, New Zealand, Norway, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the U.K. were all judged to be superior based on various factors. These include quality of care, access to doctors and equity throughout the country. Results of the study rely on data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Health Organization and interviews from physicians and patients. - 10 Things You Didn’t Know About The CIA Before Last Week
WikiLeaks’ Vault 7 release of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) documents yesterday opened eyes worldwide about an agency President John F. Kennedy once vowed to “splinter…into a thousand pieces and scatter it into the winds.” Here’s a comprehensive list of ten things we didn’t know about the CIA before last week leak: 1. The CIA has an illegal domestic spying apparatus similar to the NSA. 2. The CIA has a secret base in Germany. 3. The CIA has a cyber group dedicated to forging other countries digital fingerprints in false-flag attacks. 4. The CIA can spy on you through your smart TV and tap into the microphone. 5. The CIA can spy on you through any tablet or phone. 6. The CIA can transcribe your Skype conversations. 7. The CIA has exploits for every major Anti-virus software provider and major personal computer software programs, including Microsoft Word, VLC, and all operating systems. 8. The CIA can hack vehicle control modules including cars, trains, and planes. 9. The CIA has an air gap virus that can infect systems even if not connected to the internet. 10. The CIA has a Meme Warfare Center. The meme war – is real. - U.K. Parliament Gives Theresa May Approval To Start Brexit
Moments ago, UK Parliament passed legislation giving prime minister Theresa May approval to start the Brexit process and allowing the government to invoke Article 50, with the House of Commons overturning amendments from the unelected House of Lords that sought to limit May’s room for maneuver. While press reports earlier said May could trigger Article 50 as early as Thursday, subsequent reports from Bloomberg suggested that she will commence Brexit in the last week of March. The victory for May in Parliament, where she has a slim majority, allows her to negotiate Brexit with a free hand and consolidates her hold on power in the ruling Conservative Party. That said, according to Bloomberg she now faces the simultaneous challenge of pulling Britain out of the EU on good terms while navigating a second constitutional upheaval: Scotland’s renewed bid for independence. - New York City Rents Crash Again In February Under Weight Of “So Much Inventory”
After years of gouging the precious, Ivy League snowflakes that flood Manhattan every summer with nothing but their $10 million inheritance checks, a dream and the Faconnable shirts on their back, New York City landlords, courtesy of the flood of new apartment supply coming online, are being forced to offer record-high rent concessions to attract tenants. Per the latest February 2017 rental report from Douglas Elliman, the number of new leases signed on Manhattan apartments crashed 27.9% YoY as listing inventory surged 11.7% and median rental prices dropped 1.7%. Meanwhile, even a massive increase in the share of apartments carrying rent concessions, which averaged 1.2 months of free rent, wasn't enough to spark demand. - Trump budget expected to seek historic contraction of federal workforce
President Trump’s budget proposal this week would shake the federal government to its core if enacted, culling back numerous programs and expediting a historic contraction of the federal workforce. This would be the first time the government has executed cuts of this magnitude — and all at once — since the drawdown following World War II, economists and budget analysts said. The spending budget Trump is set to release Thursday will offer the clearest snapshot of his vision for the size and role of government. Aides say that the president sees a new Washington emerging from the budget process, one that prioritizes the military and homeland security while slashing many other areas, including housing, foreign assistance, environmental programs, public broadcasting and research. Simply put, government would be smaller and less involved in regulating life in America, with private companies and states playing a much bigger role. - Canada's New Blasphemy Laws
A resolution, M-103, seeking to condemn so-called “Islamophobia,” was introduced a few weeks ago in the peaceful country of Canada by Liberal Party MP Iqra Khalid in the House of Commons, sparking a controversy. A similar motion, labelled M-37, was later tabled in the Ontario provincial legislature by MPP Nathalie Des Rosiers on February 23, 2017, and was passed by the provincial parliament. M-37, like its predecessor, demanded that lawmakers condemn “all forms of Islamophobia” and reaffirm “support for government efforts, through the Anti-Racism Directorate, to address and prevent systemic racism across government policy, programs and services”. Although these motions are not legally binding, extremists have already started demanding them as laws. - Greece introduces cashpoint tax in desperate bid to raise revenue and stop run on banks as country teeters on brink of bankruptcy
Greece has revealed it is to introduce a surcharge for all cashpoint withdrawals and financial transactions in a desperate attempt to prevent citizens withdrawing their money from the country's beleaguered banks. Ministers hope the controversial move could raise as much as €180 million, which the Athens government hopes will help the country avoid defaulting on debts owed to international creditors. As the Greek economy teeters on the verge of bankruptcy, millions of panicking citizens have completely cleared their accounts – pulling more than €28 billion out of banks and pushing the total cash revenue held in the country's financial institutions to a 10-year low. - Widespread AT&T Outages Reported Across The U.S.
Two weeks after a massive Amazon cloud outage crippled numerous websites on the East Coast, this morning users of AT&T across the nation are reporting widespread outages in their cellphone service. This appears to be confirmed by the current downdetector.com data on reported problems with the cellphone carrier. Twitter users from around the country have confirmed the interruption in service. While some have joked that AT&T has activated the downtime to remove embedded CIA eavesdropping features, for now there has been no official statement from AT&T… or from the crack team of Kremlin-controlled spies for that matter. - California Is Exporting Its Poor To Texas
California exports more than commodities such as movies, new technologies and produce. As The Sacramento Bee reports, it also exports truck drivers, cooks and cashiers. The leading destination for those leaving California is Texas, with about 293,000 economically disadvantaged residents leaving and about 137,000 coming for a net loss of 156,000 from 2005 through 2015. Next up are states surrounding California; in order, Arizona, Nevada and Oregon. Losing impoverished residents to other states is better for the state’s economy than losing wealthy residents, some experts said. But they said the migration itself is a symptom of deeper social problems largely related to how expensive California has become. - Iceland to end capital controls from 2008 financial crisis
Iceland will lift all capital controls on its citizens, businesses and pension funds from Tuesday. Capital controls, such as those to restrict money flowing in and out of the country, were imposed in 2008 after the country's biggest banks collapsed. The government thinks the economy has recovered sufficiently to end controls. Controls were imposed after the collapse of the country's three biggest banks – Glitnir, Landsbanki and Kaupthing. At the same time Iceland's national currency, the krona, fell in value. The removal of the capital controls – which helped stabilise the currency and economy during the country's financial crash – represents the completion of Iceland's return to international financial markets. - “Who Hit The Brakes?” – Bank Loan Creation Suddenly Tumbles To Five Year Low
While the overall economy appears to be humming along, at least according to the Fed which on Wednesday is expected (with 100% certainty according to the market) to hike rates by 25bps for the second time in three months on concerns it has fallen behind the inflationary curve, with last week's payrolls report providing some validation despite prevailing weakness within “hard data” in recent months offset by soaring “soft” sentiment reports, one area of material concern has emerged: a sudden collapse in loan growth in general, and the all important Commercial and Industrial Loan segment in particular, a drop which the WSJ recently dubbed an “ominous economic signal” and blamed policy uncertainty under Trump for the collapse in growth. - Woman asks ALEXA “Are You Connected To The CIA?” ALEXA – Who supposedly can't lie – Refuses to Answer
So, this happened. Following Wikileaks Vault 7 release alerting Americans to the fact that the CIA is using tons of exploits to turn all sorts of internet-connected smart devices into surveillance microphones, granting the intelligence agency access to millions of people’s private homes, people started asking questions. Namely, this woman below asked her ever-listening Amazon Echo device if it is connected to the CIA. Well, first she asks Alexa if Alexa would lie, then makes sure Alexa knows what the CIA is. Twice she asks Alexa if she’s connected to the CIA… and twice Alexa refuses to answer. Must go against the “cannot tell a lie” protocol. After this video went viral, Amazon sent Alexa an updated way to answer the question… which still doesn’t really answer the question. Or does it? - Samsung Will Shift Manufacturing from Mexico to U.S., Invest $300 Million
Samsung announced an investment in expanding production in the United States this week, according to The Wall Street Journal. According to sources close to the company, the initial capital investment will total close to $300 million and will involve shifting some production from Mexico to the United States. The sources claim that the move could generate around 500 jobs. Samsung, which is based in Seoul, South Korea, may increase manufacturing of home appliances such as refrigerators, washer, and dryers in the United States. According to The Wall Street Journal, the decision to move production to the United States was influenced by President Trump after he campaigned to move manufacturing jobs for products bought in the United States from overseas into this country. - NASA-funded study: Over 32 advanced civilizations have collapsed before us, and we’re next in line.
As any long-time reader of this column knows, we routinely draw from historical lessons to highlight that this time is not different. Throughout the 18th century, for example, France was the greatest superpower in Europe, if not the world. But they became complacent, believing that they had some sort of ‘divine right’ to reign supreme, and that they could be as fiscally irresponsible as they liked. The French government spent money like drunken sailors; they had substantial welfare programs, free hospitals, and grand monuments. - Trump's first full month in office brings massive employment boom as U.S. companies added whopping 298,000 new jobs in February
U.S. companies added a whopping 298,000 new jobs in February, beating economists' expectations by more than 100,000. The report from ADP, a global human resources and payroll firm, provides the first hard economic numbers from Donald Trump's first full month as president. Trump tweeted a self-congratulatory note, calling the number ‘much more than expected!' He also wrote Wednesday on Twitter about another similar measure, citing numbers from a new LinkedIn workforce report that showed strong job-adding numbers from January and February. - Exclusive: Mexico cancels sugar export permits to U.S. in trade dispute
Mexico has canceled existing sugar export permits to the United States in a dispute over the pace of shipments, according to a letter seen by Reuters, in a flare-up industry sources said could temporarily disrupt supplies. The letter sent by Mexico's sugar chamber to mills on Monday partly blamed the situation on unfilled positions at the U.S. Department of Commerce, which it said has led to a “legalistic” interpretation of rules with no U.S. counterparts in place in Washington for Mexican officials to negotiate with. The cancellations are the latest dispute of a years-long trade row between Mexico – the United States' top foreign supplier of sugar – and its neighbor at a time when cane refiners are struggling with prices and tight supplies, U.S. industry sources said. - Urban Outfitters CEO Says the Retail Bubble Has Burst
Shares of Urban Outfitters Inc. and Express Inc. fell on Wednesday after the apparel chains gave a dour outlook for the industry, renewing concerns about America’s overabundance of retail stores. Urban Outfitters’ fourth-quarter earnings fell short of estimates, and same-store sales were flat. At Express, sales tumbled 13 percent on that basis last quarter. The company warned that it may post a loss this quarter, surprising analysts. Clothing sellers are struggling to cope with slow foot traffic at malls and a shift to e-commerce. The industry also has had to rely more heavily on discounts to attracts shoppers, weighing on margins. Urban Outfitters Chief Executive Officer Richard Hayne said the holiday season was disappointing, with higher markdowns than expected. - Burger-flipping robot replaces humans on first day at work
A burger-flipping robot has just completed its first day on the job at a restaurant in California, replacing humans at the grill. Flippy has mastered the art of cooking the perfect burger and has just started work at CaliBurger, a fast-food chain. The robotic kitchen assistant, which its makers say can be installed in just five minutes, is the brainchild of Miso Robotics. “Much like self-driving vehicles, our system continuously learns from its experiences to improve over time,” said David Zito, chief executive officer of Miso Robotics. - Global Leaders Rattle Their Sabers As The World Marches Toward War
Iran just conducted another provocative missile test, more U.S. troops are being sent to the Middle East, it was just announced that the U.S. military will be sending B-1 and B-52 bombers to South Korea in response to North Korea firing four missiles into the seas near Japan, and China is absolutely livid that a U.S. carrier group just sailed through contested waters in the South China Sea. We have entered a season where leaders all over the globe feel a need to rattle their sabers, and many fear that this could be leading us to war. In particular, Donald Trump is going to be under the microscope in the days ahead as other world leaders test his resolve. Will Trump be able to show that he is tough without going over the edge and starting an actual conflict? - 16 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Live In California
It has been said that “as California goes, so goes the nation”. That is why it is such a shame what is happening to that once great state. At one time, California seemed to be the epicenter of the American Dream. Featuring some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the entire world, the gorgeous weather and booming economy of the state inspired people from all over the world to move to the state. But now people are moving out of the state by the millions, because life in California has literally become a nightmare for so many people. I certainly don’t have anything against the state personally. My brother and sister were both born there, and I spent a number of my childhood years in stunning northern California. When I was younger I would sometimes dream of getting a place on the coast eventually, but for reasons I will discuss I no longer think that would be advisable. - The Dark Secrets Of The Catholic Church Are Starting To Come Out
We aren’t supposed to talk about what goes on behind closed doors when the cameras are off and the public can’t see what is happening. There is corruption in virtually every large organization, but those that hold themselves out as “spiritual leaders” need to understand that they are going to be held to a higher standard than everyone else. And when those “spiritual leaders” greatly violate the trust that the public has put in them, the fallout can be absolutely devastating. In this article you are going to read about some things that are deeply disturbing. An immense wave of evil has swept through major religious organizations, and the Catholic Church is certainly no exception. - Bitcoin crashes after SEC rejects Winklevoss ETF
The price of the digital currency bitcoin has been flying for the last few weeks, reaching an all-time high today of $1,350 per coin just this week. But on Friday afternoon it began plummeting. Here’s why: the SEC on Friday released a long-awaited ruling on an application for a bitcoin ETF (exchange-traded fund) submitted by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss of Facebook fame. The SEC denied the proposal—brutally. - Is The Left Trying To Start A Civil War?
An army of subversives is attempting to undermine the Trump administration from within the government, and at the same time a whole host of prominent leftist leaders are fueling the flames of hate against Trump and are promoting riots, civil uprisings and in some cases even violence. And of course the mainstream media is a more than willing accomplice, because pretty much everyone that works in the mainstream media absolutely hates Donald Trump. On a fundamental level, the United States is more divided today than it has been in any of our lifetimes, and the radical left is treating the presidency of Donald Trump as if it was the end of the world. We are seeing terms such as “Nazi”, “racist” and “dictator” thrown around very casually, but people need to understand that words really matter. When subversives on the left use such inflammatory language, there is a very real danger that they could actually spark a violent insurrection against the United States government. - This Region Of The World Is Being Hit By The Worst Economic Collapse It Has Ever Experienced
The ninth largest economy in the entire world is currently experiencing “its longest and deepest recession in recorded history”, and in a country right next door people are being encouraged to label their trash so that the thousands upon thousands of desperately hungry people that are digging through trash bins on the streets can find discarded food more easily. Of course the two nations that I am talking about are Brazil and Venezuela. The Brazilian economy was once the seventh largest on the globe, but after shrinking for eight consecutive quarters it has now fallen to ninth place. And in Venezuela the economic collapse has gotten so bad that more than 70 percent of the population lost weight last year due to a severe lack of food. Most of us living in the northern hemisphere don’t think that anything like this could happen to us any time soon, but the truth is that trouble signs are already starting to erupt all around us. It is just a matter of time before the things currently happening in Brazil and Venezuela start happening here, but unfortunately most people are not heeding the warnings. - Every ‘Conspiracy Theorist’ In America Has Just Been Vindicated…
Yes, the government can use your phone, your computer and even potentially your television to spy on what you are doing inside your own home. On Tuesday, Wikileaks released thousands of documents that prove what virtually every “conspiracy theorist” in America has been saying for years about government spying. And I don’t even like to use the term “conspiracy theorist” much, because the truth is that most “conspiracy theorists” are simply citizen journalists that are attempting to expose things that the mainstream media doesn’t want to talk about. And one of the things that the mainstream media has always been hesitant to address is the unconstitutional surveillance that U.S. intelligence agencies systematically conduct on their own citizens. - A Third Of All U.S. Shopping Malls Are Projected To Close As ‘Space Available’ Signs Go Up All Over America
If you didn’t know better, you might be tempted to think that “Space Available” was the hottest new retail chain in the entire country. As you will see below, it is being projected that about a third of all shopping malls in the United States will soon close, and we just recently learned that the number of “distressed retailers” is the highest that it has been since the last recession. Honestly, I don’t know how anyone can possibly believe that the U.S. economy is in “good shape” after looking at the retail industry. In my recent article about the ongoing “retail apocalypse“, I discussed the fact that Sears, J.C. Penney and Macy’s have all announced that they are closing dozens of stores in 2017, and you can find a pretty comprehensive list of 19 U.S. retailers that are “on the brink of bankruptcy” right here. Needless to say, quite a bloodbath is going on out there right now. - UN experts denounce ‘myth' pesticides are necessary to feed the world
The idea that pesticides are essential to feed a fast-growing global population is a myth, according to UN food and pollution experts. A new report, being presented to the UN human rights council on Wednesday, is severely critical of the global corporations that manufacture pesticides, accusing them of the “systematic denial of harms”, “aggressive, unethical marketing tactics” and heavy lobbying of governments which has “obstructed reforms and paralysed global pesticide restrictions”. The report says pesticides have “catastrophic impacts on the environment, human health and society as a whole”, including an estimated 200,000 deaths a year from acute poisoning. Its authors said: “It is time to create a global process to transition toward safer and healthier food and agricultural production.” - Is Janet Yellen Trying to Trigger a Recession For Political Purposes?
Trump might want to put a call in to Janet Yellen. The Fed is supposed to be a neutral, independent entity. However, that myth went out the window when Bernanke “gifted” QE 3 to Obama in 2012 to aid with the latter’s re-election bid. The Yellen Fed seems to be even more committed to defining the Fed as nothing more than a leftist establishment mechanism. Back in October when it still looked like Hillary Clinton would win the 2016 Presidential election, Yellen commented that she was considering letting the economy run “hot” meaning allowing inflation to rise without implementing additional rate hikes. One month later, Donald Trump won the Presidency and Yellen announced she wanted to hike rates in December with three more additional hikes in 2017. - Austria To Stop Giving Food, Shelter To Rejected Asylum Seekers
In a bill aimed at encouraging asylum seekers to leave voluntarily, Austrian lawmakers are considering halting the provision of food and accommodation to migrants who are denied asylum and refuse to leave the country. Austria took in roughly 90,000 asylum seekers in 2015, more than 1 percent of its population, as it was swept up in Europe's migration crisis when hundreds of thousands of people crossed its borders, most on their way to Germany. As Reuters notes, it has since tightened immigration restrictions and helped shut down the route through the Balkans by which almost all those people – many of them fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and elsewhere – arrived. Asylum applications fell by more than half last year. - BIS Admits TARGET2 Is A Stealth Bailout Of Europe's Periphery
While debates over the significance of the Eurosystem's TARGET2 imbalances may have faded into the background now that sovereign yields in the Eurozone remains broadly backstopped by the ECB's debt monetization generosity, and fears about an imminent European breakdown fall along the lines of populist votes more than concerns about lack of funding, the BIS has finally chimed in with the truth about what the TARGET2 number really showed. As a reminder, in mid 2012, financial pundits “discovered” the gaping imbalances building up within the Eurozone, as a result of a huge increase in TARGET2 claims at the Bundesbank, offset by a matched surge in liabilities across the European periphery, most notably Italy and Spain. - Eurozone Capital Flight Intensifies: Target2 Imbalances Widen Again
A quick perusal of Target2 Balances for January shows capital flight from Italy and Spain to Germany intensified again. German target2 imbalances exceed levels hit in the Eurozone crises in 2012. Things improved considerably after ECB president Mario Draghi made his famous statement “Within our mandate, the ECB is ready to do whatever it takes to preserve the euro. And believe me, it will be enough”. The ECB claims this action is due to its bond-buying program. I strongly disagree. - Albert Edwards: “Let Me Tell You How This All Ends”
The dollar's recent rapid slide has been accompanied by a constant backdrop of dovish cooing from the Fed. Until this week, SocGen's Albert Edwards notes that both equity and commodity markets had embraced the weak dollar as the elixir to solve all their ills. That relief, however, has now proved fleeting as fear of weak economic activity has reasserted its influence on investors. The weak dollar, Edwards warns, should be seen as merely a shuffling of deckchairs on the Titanic before the global economy sinks below the icy waves. Risk assets are once again refocusing on the increasingly dismal prospects for global growth rather than the short-term relief of dollar weakness, according to SocGen's inimitable Albert Edwards. The US remains the main concern, although the rapid unravelling of Abenomics in Japan and a likely imminent tightening of monetary policy in China to snuff out yet another housing bubble in the major cities also feature high on investors' worry list. - Pastor Lindsey Williams introduces Pastor David Bowen – March 9, 2017
Pastor Lindsey Williams introduces Pastor David Bowen with his regular short weekly video for readers of Pastor Williams' weekly newsletter.
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Latest News Articles – March 9, 2017
From James Harkin (Webmaster & Editor of LindseyWilliams.net). Here is a summary of articles of interest from around the world for this week. Please LIKE the Lindsey Williams Online Facebook Page to see stories posted daily regarding the current state of the economy around the world.
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Latest News From March 3, 2017 to March 9, 2017:
- Greyerz – Global Panic Is Now Only Days Away
With continued uncertainty around the globe, today the man who has become legendary for his predictions on QE, historic moves in currencies, told King World News that global panic is now only days away. Global Panic Is Now Only Days Away. Egon von Greyerz: “In the Roman calendar, the Ides of March was the same as March 15th in today’s calendar. This date was not significant until Julius Caesar was assassinated on 15 March 44BC. Shakespeare then coined the phrase “Beware of the Ides of March” in his Julius Caesar work… - “It's A Declaration Of War”: South Africa's President Calls For Confiscation Of White Land
After South Africa's embattled president Jacob Zuma pledged, in a surprising address to parliament one month ago, to break up white ownership of business and land to reduce inequality (in a State of the Nation address which was disrupted by a fistfight), it now appears that Zuma's intentions to convert what was until recently Africa's most prosperous economy into a new Zimbabwe were all too real, and as the Telegraph reports, the South African president officially called on parliament to change South Africa’s constitution to allow the expropriation of white owned land without compensation. Zuma, 74, who made the remarks in a speech on Friday morning, said he wanted to establish a “pre-colonial land audit of land use and occupation patterns” before changing the law. - Arizona Challenges The Fed's Money Monopoly
History shows that, if individuals have the freedom to choose what to use as money, they will likely opt for gold or silver. Of course, modern politicians and their Keynesian enablers despise the gold or silver standard. This is because linking a currency to a precious metal limits the ability of central banks to finance the growth of the welfare-warfare state via the inflation tax. This forces politicians to finance big government much more with direct means of taxation. Despite the hostility toward gold from modern politicians, gold played a role in US monetary policy for sixty years after the creation of the Federal Reserve. Then, in 1971, as concerns over the US government’s increasing deficits led many foreign governments to convert their holdings of US dollars to gold, President Nixon closed the gold window, creating America’s first purely fiat currency. - Germany's Jihad On Freedom Of Speech
Carnival in Germany is a time for some light-hearted fun, fancy costumes and political satire. This year, many German cities held traditional float parades on Rosenmontag, or Rose Monday, many of which depicted political themes. Images of U.S. President Donald Trump took centre stage in many float processions, in some instances with his decapitated head held up high by the Statue of Liberty, in the style of an ISIS beheading. Other floats went after nationalist European leaders and right-wing parties. In Düsseldorf, President Trump was shown standing next to a blond Hitler, joined by France's Marine Le Pen, and the Netherlands' Geert Wilders. Germany prides in its traditional Narrenfreiheit (“jesters' freedom”) to mock the high and mighty. This year, Germany's state-run Deutsche Welle news agency proudly proclaimed, “German jesters take on kings for 2017 Carnival.” - France's Death Spiral
A “no-go zone” in the eastern suburbs of Paris. Police on patrol hear screams. They decide to check. While there, a young man insults them. They decide to arrest him. He hits them. A fight starts. He accuses a policeman of having raped him with a police baton. A police investigation quickly establishes that the young man was not raped. But it is too late; a toxic process has begun. Without waiting for any further evidence, the French Interior Minister says that the police officers have “behaved badly.” He adds that “police misconduct must be condemned”. French President François Hollande goes to the hospital to give his support to the young man. The president says he has conducted himself in a “dignified and responsible manner.” The next day, a demonstration against the police is cobbled together. The demonstration turns into a riot. - Judicial Watch Sues CIA, DOJ For Intel Leak Records: “President Trump Is On To Something”
Given that the Obama White House was (self-described as) “the most transparent administration ever,” we hope that Judicial Watch's demands of the Trump administration will be met positively. Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the United States Department of Justice and the Department of the Treasury regarding records related to the investigation of retired United States Army Lieutenant General Michel Flynn’s communications with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak (Judicial Watch v. Central Intelligence Agency et al. (No.1:17-cv-00397)). (The National Security Agency refused to confirm or deny the existence of intelligence records about communications between Gen. Flynn and Amb Kislyak.) - Shock Video Exposes Tent City Crisis In Failing California
Citizen journalists have captured stunning video and images of homeless encampments that are spiraling out of control in the shadows of Disneyland and Anaheim Stadium in California. The tent city has recently sprung up along the Santa Ana riverbed, near a busy convergence of three major California highways known as the “Orange Crush,” at the border of Anaheim and Santa Ana, the latter a “sanctuary city.” Homeless activists estimate that as many as 1,000 people are camped in the region. - “The Reality Is, Half Of Americans Can’t Afford To Write A $500 Check”
The CEO of Assurant appeared on Bloomberg TV to explain why demand for his services is likely to increase: the chief executive of the mobile phone insurer said he expects a surge in demand as carriers charge customers more to replace their devices. “If you think back five years ago, you as a consumer didn’t know how much that phone cost, you thought it was free or close to free,” Assurant's Alan Colberg said Monday. “Now you’re paying $600, that’s a lot. So we’ve actually seen the attachment rate, or the number of people buying the product, going up a little bit in the last couple of years.” He then proceeded to give Bloomberg his traditional sales pitch: Assurant is counting on growth at its business covering phones and appliances to help counter a decline in the segment that insures foreclosed homes for lenders. While improvement in the real estate market has limited the number of vacant homes, Colberg said there are still many cash-strapped consumers. - How 90% of American Households Lost an Average of $17,000 in Wealth to the Plutocrats in 2016
America has always been great for the richest 1%, and it's rapidly becoming greater. Confirmation comes from recent work by Thomas Piketty, Emmanuel Saez, and Gabriel Zucman; and from the 2015-2016 Credit Suisse Global Wealth Databooks (GWD). The Richest 1% Extracted Wealth from Every Other Segment of Society. These multi-millionaires effectively shifted nearly $4 trillion in wealth away from the rest of the nation to themselves in 2016. While there's no need to offer condolences to the rest of the top 10%, who still have an average net worth of $1.3 million, nearly half of the wealth transfer ($1.94 trillion) came from the nation's poorest 90% — the middle and lower classes, according to Piketty and Saez and Zucman. That's over $17,000 in housing and savings per lower-to-middle-class household lost to the super-rich. - 40% of households in Philadelphia can't pay their water bill
America is in the midst of an “invisible water crisis” as the post-war water infrastructure reaches the end of its duty-cycle and cash-strapped public utilities struggle to find the money to rebuild it. In cities like Philadelphia, Atlanta, Seattle, and Detroit, families increasingly find themselves in water debt, and in Detroit, 50,000 households have had their running water cut off because of delinquency. The estimated bill for upgrading the end-of-lifed American urban water infrastructure is $1 trillion. Cities that have tried privatization as a means of pushing the bill onto investors have been shocked by the bills: in Atlanta, the private water provider charges $325.52 a month, which only qualifies as “affordable” if your household income tops $87K. - What’s Different This Time? Stocks – This market (“Dow 30,000”) assures Fed rate hikes
The two-year US Treasury yield just shot through 1.33%, the highest since June 2009, when it had briefly spiked from 1% to 1.42%. And that had been the highest since November 2008. It eventually hit a low of 0.16% in September 2011. This surge in yield is a sign that the bond market is adjusting to a rate hike in March, to more rate hikes later this year, and to more rate hikes next year. The 10-year yield has returned to the 2.5% neighborhood, on its way to take out the recent high set in mid-December of 2.6%. - CHINA'S WARNING: Beijing to take measures over US missile system in South Korea
CHINA has said it will take measures over the US missile system deployed in South Korea, saying the move destroys the security balance in the region. The US started to establish the first parts of its anti-missile defence system in South Korea on Tuesday after North Korea's test of four ballistic missiles. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had personally supervised Monday's missile launches by an army unit that is positioned to strike US bases in Japan, according to the country’s state media. The US is deploying its Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) anti-missile system but China has now reacted saying the move upsets the area’s security balance. - This is Worse than Before the Last Three Crashes – This chart shows “multiple compression” is coming
How long can this surge in stocks go on? That’s what everyone wants to know. Projections range from “forever” – these projections have become increasingly common – to “it’s already finished.” That’s a fairly wide range. Everyone has their own reasons for their boundless optimism or their doom-and-gloom outlooks. But there are some factors – boundless optimists should push them aside assiduously – that, from a historical point of view, would trigger tsunami sirens. Because in the end, it’s not different this time. And the cycle of “multiple expansion” and “multiple compression” is one of those factors. - Is Mexico Facing “Liquidity Problems?”
At 49% of GDP, Mexico’s public debt may seem pretty low by today’s inflated standards. It’s a mere fraction of the debt loads amassed by bigger, richer economies such as Japan (229% of GDP), Italy (133%) and the United States (104%). But when it comes to debt, everything is relative, especially if you don’t enjoy the benefits that come from having a reserve-currency-denominated printing press. In Mexico’s case it’s not so much the size of the debt that matters; it’s the rate of its growth. In the year 2000 the country had a perfectly manageable debt load of roughly 20% of GDP. Today, it is two and a half times that size. - The Deep State is Dying-Clif High
Internet data mining expert Clif High says the world is witnessing the unmasking of the so-called “Deep State” and revealing it’s long held control over humanity. High explains, “The level of complexity of humans has increased, and that was the factor that the Deep State did not take into account. They kept their rigid mindset, their rigid rules, their compartmentalization and kept everything so boxed in even they were unaware that humanity has evolved out and around their obstruction. So, the Deep State is dying simply because the knowledge of it is so prevalent. It can’t be stopped, and is growing exponentially, and, basically, the knowledge itself is going to crush the Deep State.” - Of Course Big Brother Was Spying On Trump’s Calls – The Shocking Truth Is That They Spy On All Of Our Calls
The mainstream media is all in an uproar over Donald Trump’s claim that Barack Obama personally ordered the phones in Trump Tower to be “wiretapped” just before the election. But nobody should really be surprised that the government was listening to Donald Trump’s phone calls. After all, the truth is that they systematically collect the content of all forms of digital communication, and this has been going on for many years. During Obama’s presidency, nobody really got too upset when it was revealed that the Obama administration was spying on friendly foreign leaders (including Angela Merkel), nobody got too upset when it was revealed that the Obama administration was spying on journalists, and nobody got too upset when it was revealed that the NSA was grabbing baby photos and nude selfies off of the Internet. But now that Trump has gotten extremely angry because the government was listening to his calls, maybe something will finally be done about all of this unconstitutional surveillance. - Government Spooks Can Use The Mic And Camera On Trump’s Phone Even When He Thinks It Is Turned Off
After reading this article you might not ever view your electronic devices the same way again. Last year, Hollywood released a biographical political thriller based on the life of Edward Snowden that had one particularly creepy scene. In that scene, a government spook used a program to remotely activate the microphone and camera on a laptop, and by doing so he was able to watch a woman as she got undressed. Sadly, as you will see below, this kind of thing is happening constantly. Any digital device can potentially be accessed and used to spy on you even if it appears to be turned off. And this is why Donald Trump needs to be so careful right now, because the intelligence community wants to take him down and they can literally use any digital device in his possession to try to gather dirt on him. We have a “deep state” that is absolutely obsessed with watching, tracking and monitoring the American people, and something desperately needs to be done about this unconstitutional surveillance. Now that Trump has become greatly upset about how the government was tapping into his phone calls, maybe something will finally get accomplished. - Pepsi Lays Off 20% Of Its Philadelphia Workers, Blames Soda Tax
Two weeks ago, we pointed out that when Philadelphia became the first US city to pass a soda tax last summer, city officials were eagerly looking forward to the surplus-tax funded windfall to plug gaping budget deficits (and, since this is Philadelphia, the occasional embezzlement scheme). Then, one month ago, after the tax went into effect on January 1st we showed the tax applied in practice: a receipt for a 10 pack of flavored water carried a 51% beverage tax. And since PA has a sales tax of 6% and Philly already charges another 2%, the total sales tax was 8%. In other words, a purchase which until last year came to $6.47 had overnight become $9.75. - John Podesta joins The Washington Post as a contributing columnist
The Washington Post today announced that John Podesta will join the Opinion section as a contributing columnist. Podesta, former chairman of the 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign, will provide commentary and analysis on the intersection of politics and policy, the Trump administration and the future of the Democratic Party. “No one knows more about how Washington works, how the White House operates, and how policy ideas are translated into reality than John Podesta,” said Editorial Page Editor Fred Hiatt. “His long experience in Congress, inside two Democratic White Houses and on the front lines of numerous presidential campaigns, will offer readers vital insight into Washington and politics at the start of a new era.” - Loretta Lynch: Need more marching, blood, death on streets
The Obama administration’s former Attorney General Loretta Lynch has made an impassioned video plea for more marching, blood and death on the streets – a video that was later posted on the Facebook page of Senate Democrats as “words of inspiration.” The video is less than a minute long and begins by stating that people are experiencing “great fear and uncertainty,” with the unstated implication it is due to Donald Trump’s takeover of the White House. - Thousands of ICE detainees claim they were forced into labor, a violation of anti-slavery laws
Tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were forced to work for $1 day, or for nothing at all — a violation of federal anti-slavery laws — a lawsuit claims. The lawsuit, filed in 2014 against one of the largest private prison companies in the country, reached class-action status this week after a federal judge’s ruling. That means the case could involve as many as 60,000 immigrants who have been detained. It’s the first time a class-action lawsuit accusing a private U.S. prison company of forced labor has been allowed to move forward. - Deutsche Bank’s turnaround plans are punishing its stock
Wall Street isn’t thrilled with Deutsche Bank’s turnaround plans. Shares of John Cryan’s bank dropped nearly 4 percent Monday following a weekend announcement that it would raise $8.5 billion through a stock-diluting equity offering. Shares fell 3.8 percent to $18.61 at the end of the trading day, the lowest since Jan. 17. - Deutsche Bank shares hit by cash call
Shares in Deutsche Bank closed 3.7% lower on news it plans to bolster its finances through selling new shares. Germany's biggest bank plans to raise about 8bn euros (£6.9bn, $8.5bn) through the sale, due later this month. The sale by the troubled bank is part of a wider shake-up. Deutsche will also partially float its asset management business and retain Postbank – the retail banking business that it had been expected to sell. The company will be reorganised around three divisions: private banking and wealth management; asset management; and corporate and investment banking. The bank is trying to reshape itself after grappling with huge losses and a 15bn euro legal bill imposed by regulators since 2012. - Soros-Tied Obama Lawyers Form Group to Battle Trump
Further evidence of Barack Obama’s close association with efforts to oppose President Trump has emerged: a group of former top lawyers for the Obama administration have formed an organization aimed at utilizing legal advocacy methods to oppose Trump’s policies. The organization is calling itself United to Protect Democracy, drawing on the theme of Obama’s farewell speech last month. The group is already partnered with an organization heavily financed by billionaire George Soros and is led by a former Obama lawyer who previously worked at a Soros-financed global activist outfit. Politico first reported on the formation of United to Protect Democracy, which has already raised $1.5 million and hired five staffers. - House Republicans release long-awaited plan to replace Obamacare
House Republicans on Monday released long-anticipated legislation to supplant the Affordable Care Act with a more conservative vision for the nation’s health-care system, replacing federal insurance subsidies with a new form of individual tax credits and grants to help states shape their own policies. Under two bills drafted by separate House committees, the government would no longer penalize Americans for failing to have health insurance but would try to encourage people to maintain coverage by allowing insurers to impose a surcharge of 30 percent for those who have a gap between health plans. - China overtakes eurozone as world’s biggest bank system
China’s banking system has surpassed that of the eurozone to become the world’s largest by assets, a sign both of the country’s increased influence in world finance and its reliance on debt to drive growth since the global financial crisis. While China’s gross domestic product surpassed the EU’s economic bloc in 2011 at market exchange rates, its banking system did not take over the top spot until the end of 2016, Financial Times analysis shows. The lag reflects Beijing’s increased “financial deepening” — the term for the growth of a country’s financial system relative to gross domestic product. This has been fuelled by an extraordinary increase in bank lending since 2008, when the government unleashed aggressive monetary and fiscal stimulus to buffer the impact of the global crisis. - ‘This is McCarthyism!’ Trump accuses Obama of wire tapping Trump Tower before election win
US President Donald Trump has accused his predecessor Barack Obama of “wire tapping” Trump Tower just before his election win in November, according to his latest tweet. Trump made the accusation in a tweet decrying the alleged surveillance as “McCarthyism.” Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis denied Trump’s allegation, according to Reuters, saying: “A cardinal rule of the Obama administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice.” - Snopes caught releasing fake “fact-check” in defence of Democrats
Snopes, the popular myth-busting website, pushed misleading facts to cover for Democrats Keith Ellison and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who didn’t leave their seats during the second standing ovation for Carryn Owens, widow of the deceased hero Navy SEAL Ryan Owens. During Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday, Carryn Owens received two standing ovations. The second ovation, which lasted two minutes, Keith Ellison and Debbie Wasserman Schultz chose to stay in their seat. - Juncker Has Meltdown While Debating Future Of EU: “Shit! What Do You Want Us To Do?”
There should be no doubt about the current status of the European Union. It’s crumbling before our very eyes. Between the sprawling unaccountable bureaucracy in Brussels, the unpayable debts, the unfettered immigration, and the unprecedented emergence of conservative, nationalistic groups, it’s obvious that the EU is not long for this world. No nation can survive those pressures; much less a loosely held, 24 year old political union consisting of a wide variety of languages and cultures. And this fact is beginning to show. Not just because nations like the UK have already voted to leave the EU, and talk of independence referendums is spreading like wildfire across the continent. This fact is beginning to show on the faces and lips of the EU’s leaders. - The NSA Wiretaps Every Future President
Trump's on the warpath. He just called out Obama for wiretapping Trump Tower in the months leading up to the election. We are seeing commentaries popping up around the internet claiming that this is a modern-day Watergate scandal. We respectfully disagree. It's far, far more serious. If Trump Tower was wiretapped, it was almost certainly done by the NSA. - Valerie Jarrett Has Moved Into Obama’s Anti-Trump Command Center To Aid In The Effort To Sabotage The President
Never before have we seen a previous president and his team openly attempt to sabotage the next president, but that is precisely what is happening. Traditionally, most ex-presidents have chosen to move far away from Washington, but Barack Obama decided to purchase a home less than two miles from the White House, and many of his former staff members are either working directly with him or are working for his political organization Organizing for Action. And of particular concern is the fact that Valerie Jarrett has actually moved into Obama’s five million dollar home, which many are referring to as Obama’s “anti-Trump command center”. For eight years the Obamas wouldn’t even sneeze without consulting Valerie Jarrett first, and needless to say Jarrett has not moved in to help them pick out wallpaper and drapes. Jarrett is a hardcore political operative, and she has reportedly convinced Obama that he needs to lead the fight against Trump. - President Oprah? Speculation Rises That The 2020 Election Will Feature An Epic Battle Between Donald Trump And Oprah Winfrey
When Donald Trump originally announced that he was going to run for president, he said that his ideal choice for a running mate was Oprah Winfrey, but now he may be actually running against her in the 2020 election. A recent episode of The David Rubenstein Show that featured an interview with Oprah Winfrey is creating a tremendous amount of buzz that Oprah Winfrey may throw her hat into the ring during the next election cycle. This particular episode was taped back on December 12th, but it didn’t actually get aired on Bloomberg TV until last Tuesday. You can see the portion of the interview in which Oprah is asked about her presidential aspirations on YouTube right here, and as you can see, she definitely sounds like someone that is very seriously thinking about running… - 11 Quotes From Trump’s Speech To Congress That Show That The U.S. Economy Is In A State Of Collapse
After Tuesday night, nobody should have any more doubt that the U.S. economy has been in the process of collapsing. Donald Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress is being hailed as his best speech ever. Even CNN’s Van Jones praised Trump, which shocked many observers. Jones said that when Trump honored the widow of slain Navy Seal Ryan Owens that it “was one of the most extraordinary moments you have ever seen in American politics”, and Jones believes that Trump “became President of the United States in that moment”. But Trump’s speech is not just being praised for that one moment. He detailed many of the most important problems that our nation is facing, and he explained his prescription for addressing those problems. - S&P 500 ETF saw historic inflows in Wednesday’s monster rally
Wednesday marked the largest one-day rise for the S&P 500 since November, but the biggest exchange-traded fund to track the benchmark index took down an even longer-standing record amid the broad advance. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY, -0.19% saw inflows of more than $8 billion on Wednesday, the biggest single-day move into the fund since December 2014, and one of the top 10 biggest flow days for the ETF in its history. The flow data includes the 34.2 million shares that were created in the fund, according to data provided by State Street Global Advisors, which runs the fund. - Euro Breakup Contagion Risk Is Exploding
With existential elections looming, Sentix Euro Break-up Contagion Index – a market measure of the contagion risk from one or more countries leaving the euro area within the next 12 months period – has hit its post-2012 record recently… As Sentix notes, the Eurocrisis is once again in the limelight. And this time the drama consists of three main actors: Greece, Italy and France. How dangerous this tendency for the cohesion of the eurozone could become is a look at the index to the spreading risk, which has almost climbed to the 50% mark – an all-time high! - Newly-Declassified Documents Show that CIA Worked Closely with Owners and Journalists with Many of the Largest Media Outlets
Newly-declassified documents show that a senior CIA agent and Deputy Director of the Directorate of Intelligence worked closely with the owners and journalists of many of the largest media outlets. The United States Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities found in 1975 that the CIA submitted stories to the American press. - This Chart Signals China's Housing Bubble May Burst Soon
The probability that a real estate bubble may burst in China is rising. The financial sector heavily depends on real estate, which in turn exposes the entire Chinese economy to systemic risk. This link means that a downturn in real estate could soon spread to other areas of the Chinese economy if banks face liquidity shortfalls. Also, falling housing prices could result in more non-performing loans (NPLs). While NPLs officially account for only 1.75 percent of all Chinese loans, the government is likely understating the figure. BMI Research, a financial consulting firm, estimated in a 2016 report that NPLs could be close to 20 percent of loans. - China Strikes A Path To Develop Its Own Digital Currency
The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) has reportedly been taking steps to develop a digital currency of its own. In 2014, China assembled a research team to study digital currencies and application scenarios by collaborating with experts from Citigroup Inc. and Deloitte LLP. Although the team did not specify what technology the PBOC would use to issue digital currency, or how it would work in relation to the yuan, a later 2016 research paper did outline ways that a national digital currency could work. - Trump Seeks “Historic” $54 Billion Increase To Defense Spending
As observed earlier in the day, as part of the leaked preliminary Trump budget, the president was set to unveil major spending increases for US defense offset by cuts to federal agencies, and other non-defense sectors. And on Monday morning, the first details emerged, including that the boost to defense spending is expected to be about 10%, or some $54 billion, and will be revenue neutral, offset by cuts in non-defense areas, and will not “add a dime to the deficit.” As Trump said, he is seeking a “historic increase” in military spending. “This budget will be a public safety and national security budget,” Trump told state governors at the White House. “It will include an historic increase in defense spending to rebuild the depleted military of the United States of America at a time we most need it,” he said. - The Greek “Bank Jog” Is Back: Bank Deposits Tumble To Lowest Since 2001
It didn't take much for the Greek bank run jog to return: with Greece once again stuck between an IMF rock and a Schauble hard case, and whispers that another bailout may be on the horizon, the local population took advantage of whatever capital controls loopholes they could find, and withdrew money from the local banking sector, which to this day remains on ECB life support, almost two years after the 3rd Greek bailout in the summer of 2015. According to Greece central bank data, Greek private sector bank deposits declined in January for the second month in a row, driven by renewed concerns over the country's neverending bailout. Business and household deposits fell by €1.63 billion, or 1.34% month-on-month to €119.75 billion ($126.8 billion), the lowest level since November 2001. The January outflow follows a “jog” of €3.4 billion in December, making the two-month drop the worst since the latest Greek bailout panic in July of 2015. - China Accounts For Half Of All Global Debt Created Since 2005: Here Are The Implications
Over three years ago, in November 2013, when the world's attention was still largely focused on what the “Big 4” central banks would do with QE and/or interest rates, we wrote an article showing in one simple chart “How In Five Short Years, China Humiliated The World's Central Banks”, and noted that in just the brief period since the financial crisis “Chinese bank assets (and by implication liabilities) have grown by an astounding $15 trillion, bringing the total to over $24 trillion. In other words, China has expanded its financial balance sheet by 50% more than the assets of all global central banks combined.” - The European Debt Bomb Fuse Is Lit! Target2 Imbalances Hit Crisis Levels
Eurozone Target2 imbalances have touched or exceeded the crisis levels hit in 2012 when Greece was on the verge of leaving the Eurozone. Others have noted the growing imbalances as well. I had a couple of questions for the ECB regarding Target2, which they have answered, I believe disingenuously. First, we will explain Target2, then we will take a look at various charts, viewpoints, and the email exchange with the ECB. - Trump’s border wall plan already working: Illegal immigration down 27%
According to number released by Customs and Border Protection on Monday, illegal immigration over the southern border diminished 27% in the first month of 2017 from the previous month of December. In January a total of 31,575 migrants were apprehended for entering the U.S. illegally and an additional 10,899 were inadmissible. Although chatter of Trump’s proposed construction of a wall has likely thwarted migrants, for now, the flow of human traffic into the U.S. is expected to pick back up in the spring months. - Poll: Majority of Americans fear US will become involved in another major war
A majority of Americans are concerned that the United States will become involved in another major war over the course of President Trump's term, according to an NBC News/Survey Monkey online poll released Wednesday. Sixty-six percent are worried that the U.S. will become engrossed in another major war, while 33 percent are not worried. The poll also found that 62 percent believe the U.S. should consider its allies’ interests even if doing so means making compromises, while 34 percent of Americans think the country should do what is best for its own national interest. - Under the Heel of the Rothschilds
That America is on “life support” has been clear for a long time—in fact, ever since the Swinging Sixties and the end of the Vietnam war. America’s rapidly deteriorating condition of the late seventies is what led to my search for what happened to the promise of “the American dream”. What I cannot comprehend is all this wringing of hands, rending of garments and gnashing of teeth. It’s like that old scorpion story. Didn’t America know what was going on before Trump was elected to ride on its back? Apparently not. Observe: the Rothschilds consolidated their European holdings of wealth and power by the late 1700s. By the turn of that century, they virtually owned, and most certainly controlled Britain, the sole superpower of the day, a global power on whose colonial holdings “the sun never set.” - Georgia high school punishes student for supporting President Trump
Paul Joseph Watson reports for InfoWars, Feb. 28, 2017, that Patrick Ragozzine, a student at Cherokee High School in Canton, Georgia (about 45 minutes from Atlanta), received an ISS (in school suspension) for supporting President Trump against students who called Trump a racist. Ragozzine writes: “I overheard some students bashing Donald Trump, making false claims that he’s a racist, sexist, xenophobic person. The teacher defended the other students and began lecturing me on Trump’s ‘hateful’ rhetoric and how the other students have the right to hold those feelings.” - How We Got Here In One Sentence
In every annual budget debate since the 1980s, one side figures out that the way to get what it wants – which is higher spending – is to frame the request in a particular, ingenious way: We have to borrow and spend way more now if we want to borrow and spend way less later. History has of course proven this argument to be idiotic, but because it moves the pain of living within our means into the indefinite future, it always manages to attract enough votes to win the day. - The Largest Debt Bomb In Human History is About to go BOOM!
The media doesn’t seem to be talking much about national debt these days, perhaps because under the Trump administration it actually reduced by $12B in January? Unfortunately, that’s nothing but a drop in the bucket because our debt levels are at the highest point in human history. And not just national debt but corporate and personal debt levels as well. And the United States is not alone in this… Right Wing News looks at how the American and global economy has largely been propped up by debt-fueled spending. This is what a hundred years of credit expansion will do, and the only question is when, not if, this house of cards will come crumbling down. Will you be prepared when the inevitable occurs? - Crack-up Boom Here Now-Rob Kirby
Macroeconomic researcher Rod Kirby thinks the world is well on its way to much higher inflation. Kirby explains, “Some people say there is a dollar shortage in the world. I do not believe there is a dollar shortage. I think we are seeing evidence that there are too many dollars in the world, not too few. Look at real estate prices around the world. In Canada, they are at record levels. In America, they are at record levels. Real estate prices are at record levels in Britain. There are record levels in Australia. They are at record levels in China. This is not what you’d expect in an environment where there are too few dollars. We are seeing the equity markets rally day after day and make new all-time highs. These are not the kinds of things you see when there are too few dollars. In my view, this might be the thin edge of the wedge of a crack-up boom. Money is getting to the street because money is being taken out of dark pools on the dark side of the U.S. Treasury and is being injected into the market place as bonds are being sold off and redeemed. The world is flush with money, extremely flush with money.” - Giant Fiscal Bloodbath Coming Soon-David Stockman
Former Reagan Administration White House Budget Director David Stockman says financial pain is a mathematical certainty. Stockman explains, “I think we are likely to have more of a fiscal bloodbath rather than fiscal stimulus. Unfortunately for Donald Trump, not only did the public vote the establishment out, they left on his doorstep the inheritance of 30 years of debt build-up and a fiscal policy that’s been really reckless in the extreme. People would like to think he’s the second coming of Ronald Reagan and we are going to have morning in America. Unfortunately, I don’t think it looks that promising because Trump is inheriting a mess that pales into insignificance what we had to deal with in January of 1981 when I joined the Reagan White House as Budget Director.” - Trump Has Treason in White House-Robert David Steele
Former CIA operative and military Intel officer, Robert David Steele, says there is no doubt President Trump is dealing with “treason in his own house.” Steele explains, “Donald Trump’s biggest worry right this minute is they are stripping away every single one of his loyal staff members and planting spies in the White House. Reince Priebus, in my judgment, is not loyal to Donald Trump. Reince Priebus’ highest mission in life is to keep Donald Trump from unrigging the system, while helping the neo-conservative and the extreme left two party establishment strip away all of Trump’s options to the point that they drive Trump out of office, and Mike Pence is the go along, get along President that keeps the two-party tyranny in place. . . . If he forces the NSA to provide support to the FBI, and if he scrutinizes every phone call that Reince Priebus has made and received, he will find the treason in his own house. I guarantee you there are 30 traitors at NSA, 30 traitors at FBI and over 500 traitors across the U.S. government, including the Departments of State and Defense. Counterintelligence has to be set in motion right now.” - Why Is NASA Using The Discovery Of 7 New Earth-Sized Planets To Promote The Idea That Alien Life May Exist?
NASA told us in advance that there would be a huge announcement on Wednesday, and it certainly was not a disappointment. NASA’s declaration that 7 new Earth-sized planets had been discovered approximately 40 light years away from our sun made headlines all over the globe, and the Internet immediately started buzzing with lots of discussions about the possibility that these newly discovered worlds may have life on them. This isn’t the kind of thing that I normally write about on The Economic Collapse Blog, but some of the things that were being said by the scientists involved in this discovery seemed quite odd. It is one thing to say that some new planets have been found, but it is another thing entirely to start speculating about life on those planets. With each new discovery that is made, why does it always seem like NASA is trying to promote the idea that alien life may exist somewhere out there? Could it be possible that they are trying to mentally prepare us for something? - How Angry Will You Be If The Republicans In Congress Do Not Repeal Obamacare?
Top Republicans are now publicly saying that Obamacare will never be fully repealed. In fact, many Republicans in Congress are already using the term “repair” instead of “repeal” to describe what is going to happen to Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law. Without a doubt, the Republicans in Congress are eventually going to do something, but strategists in both parties are now suggesting that most of the key elements of Obamacare are going to remain once everything is all said and done. It will be put into a more “conservative” package, but it will still be Obamacare. On Thursday, former House Speaker John Boehner made headlines all over the country when he said that a complete repeal of Obamacare is “not what’s going to happen”. Instead, Boehner said that Republicans are going to “fix Obamacare” and that they will “put a more conservative box around it” in order to keep their constituents happy. - As Wendy's Is Proving, Target Has Shown, Higher Minimum Wages Lead To Job Losses
We people who know our economics keep insisting that raising the minimum wage will lead to people employing less labour. That's just what people do when the price of something rises, they buy less of it. The other name for people using less labour is that we will lose jobs, there will be unemployment. A number of theories are put forward for why this won't happen but happen it still does. As the twin stories of Target and Wendy's show us. - Retail Apocalypse Gains Momentum As David Stockman Warns ‘Everything Will Grind To A Halt’ After March 15th
J.C. Penney and Family Christian Stores are the latest retail giants to announce widespread store closings. As you will see below, J.C. Penney plans to close between 130 and 140 stores, and Family Christian is closing all of their 240 stores. In recent months the stock market has been absolutely soaring, and so most people have simply assumed that the “real economy” must be doing well. But that is not the case at all. In fact, the retail apocalypse that I have been documenting for quite some time appears to be gaining momentum. J.C. Penney is not in as rough shape as Sears is just yet, but it is definitely on a similar trajectory. In the end, they are both headed for bankruptcy. That is why it wasn’t too much of a surprise when J.C. Penney announced that they are getting rid of about 6,000 workers and closing at least 130 stores… - Ford set to axe 1,160 UK jobs, Unite warns as it gears up for strike action
Unite has said up to 1,160 jobs will go by 2021 after Ford said it will cut investment in a new engine programme. The union has warned workers at Ford's Bridgend plant in Wales will be “one step closer to strike action” if the company doesn't commit to protecting jobs. At the moment, the headcount is 1,760. Unite general secretary Len McCluskey is visiting the site today with three mass meetings being held. He said: “Unite members are committed to Ford, the Welsh Assembley is committed to Ford, all we need now is for Ford to commit to its workforce. That means investment, new product lines and a clean plan for the plant's future.” - Is Something Strange Happening Inside The Earth?
Why are “giant fountains of lava” suddenly pouring out of some of the most dangerous volcanoes on the entire planet, and why are so many long dormant volcanoes suddenly roaring back to life? The spectacular eruption of Mt. Etna in Italy is making headlines all over the world, but it is far from alone. According to Volcano Discovery, 35 major volcanoes either are erupting right now or have just recently erupted, and dozens of others are stirring. So what is causing this upsurge in volcanic activity? Is something strange happening inside the Earth? According to the USGS, magma is “molten rock underground”, and lava is molten rock “that breaks through the Earth’s surface”. Right now, something is pushing magma up through the crust of the Earth at a number of key spots around the planet. On the island of Sicily, the “giant fountains of lava” that are coming out of Mt. Etna can be seen 30 kilometers away… - Venezuela is down to its last $10 billion
Caracas is running out of cash. Venezuela only has $10.5 billion in foreign reserves left, according to its most recent central bank data. For rest of the year, Venezuela owes roughly $7.2 billion in outstanding debt payments. In 2011, Venezuela had roughly $30 billion in reserves. In 2015, it had $20 billion. The trend can't persist much longer, but it's hard to know exactly when Venezuela will run completely out of cash. - If You Admit That You Are A Trump Supporter, It May Cost You Your Job
Many liberals that are still extremely bitter about the outcome of the election are taking out their frustrations on Trump supporters all over the country. And in some cases, employees are actually being “reassigned”, fired or asked to leave their jobs if they openly admit their support for President Trump. This kind of political discrimination is not supposed to be happening in our workplaces, but it is happening. Many leftists that are in positions of authority around the nation are using that authority to punish people that voted for Donald Trump. So if you voted for Trump and your boss didn’t, you might want to keep your political views to yourself at your workplace if you want to keep your job. - In Letter Sent Home To All Parents, Chicago Public Schools Promise To Obstruct ‘The Enforcement Of Federal Civil Immigration Law’
The Chicago public school system has decided to openly defy the president of the United States. More than 392,000 students attend public schools in Chicago, and on Tuesday a letter was sent home with each of those students telling their parents that Chicago schools will not “assist in the enforcement of federal civil immigration law”. In fact, the letter actually says that federal officials will not even be allowed “to access CPS facilities”. In essence, every Chicago public school has now officially been declared to be a “sanctuary” for illegal immigrants. This is just another example of how deeply divided we are as a nation. The entire public school system of one of our largest cities is now in open rebellion against the president, and that is a very dangerous sign. - Radical Leftists Are Warning That The Trump Years Will Be ‘Apocalyptic’ – And They Just Might Be Right
Is the United States about to plunge into an apocalyptic nightmare from which it may never recover? During the Obama era conservatives often warned of such scenarios, but now things have completely shifted. At the moment, conservatives are generally more optimistic than they have been in many years, but quite a few liberals are warning that the Trump years could have absolutely disastrous consequences for this country. They are concerned that Trump’s policies could burst the giant debt bubble that we have been living in and trigger economic collapse, they are concerned that widespread civil unrest could soon erupt in our cities, they are concerned that our rapidly deteriorating environment and major natural disasters could soon kill millions, and they are also concerned that faltering relationships with other nations could lead us into World War III. - Pastor Lindsey Williams introduces Pastor David Bowen – March 2, 2017
Pastor Lindsey Williams introduces Pastor David Bowen with his regular short weekly video for readers of Pastor Williams' weekly newsletter.
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Latest News Articles – March 2, 2017
From James Harkin (Webmaster & Editor of LindseyWilliams.net). Here is a summary of articles of interest from around the world for this week. Please LIKE the Lindsey Williams Online Facebook Page to see stories posted daily regarding the current state of the economy around the world.
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Latest News From February 24, 2017 to March 2, 2017:
- March 2017: The End Of A 100 Year Global Debt Super Cycle Is Way Overdue
For more than 100 years global debt levels have been rising, and now we are potentially facing the greatest debt crisis in all of human history. Never before have we seen such a level of debt saturation all over the planet, and pretty much everyone understands that this is going to end very, very badly at some point. The only real question is when it will happen. Many believe that the current global debt super cycle began when the Federal Reserve was established in 1913. Central banks are designed to create debt, and since 1913 the U.S. national debt has gotten more than 6800 times larger. But of course it is not just the United States that is in this sort of predicament. At this point more than 99 percent of the population of the entire planet lives in a nation that has a debt-creating central bank, and as a result the whole world is drowning in debt. - What This Woman Was Shown About The Future Of The United States Will Shake You To Your Core
Judgment is coming to America very soon. Recently, Julie Whedbee was shown what life will be like for believers in the United States during the Tribulation. She has been having dreams and visions for over 20 years, and she is someone that I have come to hold in high regard. What was revealed to her about the future of the United States is quite chilling to say the least. She was shown a time when Christians have to live in hiding in a post-apocalyptic America where millions of people have already been killed. - Virtually Everyone Agrees That Current Stock Market Valuations Are Not Sustainable And That A Great Crash Is Coming
Current stock market valuations are not sustainable. If there is one thing that I want you to remember from this article, it is that cold, hard fact. In 1929, 2000 and 2008, stock prices soared to absolutely absurd levels just before horrible stock market crashes. What goes up must eventually come down, and the stock market bubble of today will be no exception. In fact, virtually everyone in the financial community acknowledges that stock prices are irrationally high right now. Some are suggesting that there is still time to jump in and make money before the crash comes, while others are recommending a much more cautious approach. But what almost everyone agrees on is the fact that stocks cannot go up like this forever. - Video: Nancy Pelosi Refuses to Applaud American Job Creation
As President Donald Trump hailed the creation of private sector jobs by American companies since he was elected, many in Congress cheered tonight. Except Nancy Pelosi. During his Address to Congress, Trump ran down a list of companies that have announced investments and job additions in the last several weeks. “Since my election, Ford, Fiat Chrysler, Generall Motors, Spring, Sofbank, Lockheed, Intel, Walmart and many others have announced that they will invest billions and billions of dollars in the United States and create tens of thousands of new American jobs,” Trump said. As many stood to applaud, Pelosi remained seated with a sour look on her face. - California Governor Spends $25 Billion Per Year On Illegals, Officials Warned Dam Failing 12 Years Ago
According to a report from the Washington Times, California Governor Jerry Brown has been spending $25 billion a year supporting illegal immigrants while neglecting the failing Oroville dam. Despite California’s utter hatred for President Trump they sure do expect a lot from him. When President Trump said $1 trillion needed to be spent on the nation’s infrastructure Governor Brown responded by submitting a $100 billion wishlist for projects in California. In the $100 billion request submitted by Governor Brown there was not a single mention of the Oroville dam. Governor Brown had absolutely no plans to fix it despite warnings that the dam was in serious need of repair for nearly 12 years according to Mercury News. - Obamas To Make Over $60 Million From Book Deal
What took the Clintons years of confidential speeches before major investment banks and middle eastern clients of the Treasury Department, the Obama's plan to achieve with just two books. According to the FT, several publishers are participating in a blockbuster auction for the global rights to two books by Barack and Michelle Obama where the bid has reached more than $60 million. The Obamas, who are writing separate books but selling the rights jointly, stand to make a record amount for their presidential memoirs. - Russia and China veto UN vote on Syria
Russia and China veto UN Security Council resolution imposing sanctions on Syria, as in a blow to the Western powers a raft of non-aligned countries decide to vote against or abstain. As promised Russia voted against the latest attempt by the Western powers to use the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Syria, this time in connection with Syria’s alleged use of chemical weapons. This is the seventh occasion that Russia has wielded its veto on Syria’s behalf. China also voted against the resolution, the sixth time China has voted against a Western sponsored resolution concerning Syria. - What's So Bad About Globalism? (Spoiler Alert: Everything)
As far as I can tell, globalism is a scheme concocted by the rich to destroy the working and middle classes through worldwide financial imperialism. I have a strong hunch that globalism is also a plot hatched to obliterate indigenous cultures and real human differences under the deceptive ruses of “multiculturalism” and “diversity.” This is why I’m confused whenever I hear someone say they hate “the rich,” oppose “imperialism,” and support “the working class” while being an unquestioning cheerleader for open borders and global government. - Millionaire Migrants: Countries That Rich People Are Flocking To
Money may not buy happiness, but it does buy the ultimate flexibility for making financial and lifestyle decisions. For many of the world’s millionaires, money provides a highly effective means to escape their home country when times get tough. They can pack their bags, and move their family and capital to a location that will provide superior opportunities for prosperity. According to a new report by New World Wealth, this couldn’t have been truer for 2016, as the amount of millionaire migrants increased by 28% from the previous year. - The FTSE 100 broke its record closing high for a 13th time in 2017
Britain's FTSE 100 reached an all-time closing high on Wednesday buoyed by a weakening pound and a rise in sentiment following Donald Trump's more conciliatory than expected speech to Congress on Tuesday evening. Trump's speech, along with hints from members of the the US Federal Reserve's FOMC that the central bank could hike interest rates helped push the dollar higher and the pound lower, driving a more than 1.6% rally in the UK's benchmark share index. The FTSE closed at 7,384.6 points on the day, a gain of 1.67%, surpassing the previous record of 7,337 points, a milestone reached in January of this year. - NY Teamsters Pension Becomes First To Run Out Of Money As Expert Warns “Pension Tsunami” Is Coming
The New York Teamsters Road Carriers Local 707 Pension Fund has won the unfortunate award for “First Pension to Officially Run Out of Money.” According to the New York Daily News, and a host of angry former truck drivers who've had their pension benefits slashed, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. (PBGC) has officially been forced to step in and take over payments to retirees of the Local 707, albeit at a much lower rate. Of course, the Teamsters 707 and other Teamster pension boards attempted to submit plans that would have cut benefits in order to prolong payments to retirees but those plans were universally rejected by the Obama administration… better that the pensions just run out of cash completely. - FULL: President Trump Speech to Congress – 2/28/2017
President Donald J. Trump addresses Congress for the first time. - Trump declares it's ‘time to join forces' to fix US problems
Heralding a “new chapter of American greatness,” President Donald Trump stood before Congress for the first time Tuesday night and issued a broad call for overhauling the nation's health care system, significantly boosting military spending and plunging $1 trillion into upgrading crumbling infrastructure. Striking an optimistic tone, Trump declared: “The time for small thinking is over.” Trump's address came at a pivotal moment for a new president elected on pledges to swiftly shake up Washington and follow through on the failed promises of career politicians. His opening weeks in office have been consumed by distractions and self-inflicted wounds, including the bungled rollout of a sweeping immigration and refugee executive order that was blocked by the courts. - Trump Proposes Cutting State Department Budget By 37%
One month ago, a media frenzy broke out after the WaPo reported of mass voluntary resignations at the State Department, to protest the arrival of Rex Tillerson. Shortly after, it was revealed that not only was it not a “mass resignation” (there were only four high level resignation) but it was all procedural, meant to streamline the transition from one administration to the next. However, the bloodbath at the State Department – for years Hillary Clinton's kingdom, and populated with many pro-Clinton staffers – may have been merely deferred because as AP reports, the Trump administration is proposing deep cuts in spending for diplomacy and foreign aid programs to help pay for increased military spending. Officials familiar with the proposal say it calls for slashing more than a third, or 37%, of the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development budgets. Development assistance would take the biggest hit. - “There Must Not Be A Bail In”: Germany Vows “No Debt Relief For Greece”
The standoff over the Greek debt crisis was nowhere closer to an amicable resolution on Sunday, when Germany's deputy finance minister Jens Spahn said in an interview with German broadcaster Deutschlandfunk that Greece must not be granted a “bail in” that would involve creditors taking a loss on their loans, reiterating the German government's opposition to debt relief for Athens, and confirming that when it comes to Europe's recently adopted “bail-in” protocols, they “work” in theory, but certainly not in practice (see the latest taxpayer funded bailout of Monte Paschi for another recent example). “There must not be a bail-in,” Jens Spahn said quoted by Reuters, adding that “we think it is very, very likely that we will come to an agreement with the International Monetary Fund that does not require a haircut,” he said, referring to losses that Greece's creditors would have to take if debt was written off. - Barclays Server Crash Leaves Customers Unble To Withdraw Cash, Use Debit Cards
Having managed to stem its recent earnings rout, reporting a Q4 rebound in income from continuing operations which rose to £380 million after reporting a loss of £2.24 billion a year ago, UK's Barclays is facing a more traditional problem: on Saturday Barclays customers have reported problems using their cards in shops and withdrawing money from some cash machines according to the BBC. Barclays customers tweeted about problems using their cards when out shopping or trying to access online banking on Saturday afternoon. “Wondered why my card was declined when paying for lunch. Barclays servers have crashed. Brilliant,” said one customer, James. - Poland, Hungary Join Together To Challenge EU Bureaucracy
The rifts within the EU continue to widen as Poland and Hungary join together in opposition to the EU bureaucracy. Soon after Poland’s ultra-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party came to power in October 2015, the Polish parliament passed a law allowing the government to appoint the judges of its choosing to the highest court and not recognize those chosen by its predecessor, the liberal Civic Platform party. The crisis began in 2015 when Civic Platform, the party then in power, improperly nominated two judges to the constitutional court. When the PiS won October’s elections, it refused to recognize them and also blocked three other judges who had been properly selected by parliament. PiS also wants the court to hear cases in chronological order, rather than setting its own priorities for tackling its caseload. The Polish government believes it is unfair that a constitutional court with a majority of judges appointed under the previous parliament should be able to scupper flagship policies for which PiS secured a mandate in democratic elections in 2015. - Stockman: “After March 15 Everything Will Grind To A Halt”
Two weeks after David Stockman warned that “the market is apparently pricing in a huge Trump stimulus. But if you just look at the real world out there, the only thing that's going to happen is a fiscal bloodbath and a White House train wreck like never before in U.S. history” and exclaimed that, when looking at markets, “what's going on today is complete insanity” he is back with another interview, this time with Greg Hunter of USAWatchdog in which he, once again warns, that a giant fiscal bloodbatch is coming soon, and urges listeners to pay especially close attention to the March 15, 2017 debt ceiling deadling, at which point everything could “grind to a halt.” As Greg Hunter writes, former Reagan Administration White House Budget Director David Stockman says financial pain is a mathematical certainty. Stockman explains, “I think we are likely to have more of a fiscal bloodbath rather than fiscal stimulus. Unfortunately for Donald Trump, not only did the public vote the establishment out, they left on his doorstep the inheritance of 30 years of debt build-up and a fiscal policy that’s been really reckless in the extreme. People would like to think he’s the second coming of Ronald Reagan and we are going to have morning in America. Unfortunately, I don’t think it looks that promising because Trump is inheriting a mess that pales into insignificance what we had to deal with in January of 1981 when I joined the Reagan White House as Budget Director.” - Minimum Wage Massacre: Wendy's Unleashes 1,000 Robots To Counter Higher Labor Costs
In yet another awkwardly rational response to government intervention in deciding what's “fair”, the blowback from minimum wage demanding fast food workers has struck again. Wendy's plans to install self-ordering kiosks in 1,000 of its stores – 16% of its locations nationwide. Wendy's chief information officer, David Trimm, said the kiosks are intended to appeal to younger customers and reduce labor costs. Kiosks also allow customers of the fast food giant to circumvent long lines during peak dining hours while increasing kitchen production. - Trump's first budget proposal will call for $54 billion increase in defense spending
President Donald Trump's first budget will call for a $54 billion (£43bn) increase to defense spending and an equal cut in what his administration deems lower priority programs, an Office of Management and Budget official told reporters Monday. Under Trump's proposal, most federal agencies would face budget reductions, but the official did not say which would see the biggest cuts. Foreign aid spending would also drop. Speaking at a meeting with governors Monday, Trump said, “We're going to do more with less and make the government lean and accountable.” - Former IMF Chief Sent To Jail As Spain Prosecutes 65 Elite Bankers In Enormous Corruption Scandal
In many other countries, excluding the United States, corrupt bankers are often brought to task by their respective governments. The most recent example of a corrupt banker being held accountable comes out of Spain, in which the former head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Rodrigo Rato was sentenced to four years and six months behind bars. According to the AFP, Spain’s National Court, which deals with corruption and financial crime cases, said he had been found guilty of embezzlement when he headed up Caja Madrid and Bankia, at a time when both groups were having difficulties. - Arizona House Unanimously Passes Bill Taking on State, Federal Asset Forfeiture
Today, the Arizona House voted 60-0 to pass a bill reforming the state’s asset forfeiture laws. The bill also takes on federal forfeiture programs by banning prosecutors from circumventing state laws by passing cases off to the feds in most situations. Rep. Eddie Farnsworth (R-Gilbert) introduced House Bill 2477 (HB2477) on Feb. 7. The legislation would require prosecutors to establish a higher evidentiary standard for asset forfeiture. As it stands, the law only requires a preponderance of the evidence. HB2477 would raise that, requiring police and prosecutors to provide “clear and convincing evidence” the property was linked to a crime. While the proposed law would not require a criminal conviction before proceeding with asset forfeiture, it would take a step toward reforming Arizona’s forfeiture laws under that essential standard. - Former Trump trade adviser: The world's foremost authority on trade could be Trump's next target
The senior adviser who led President Donald Trump's trade transition team suggested to Business Insider that the next trade agreement that could come under fire from the White House was the US's participation in the World Trade Organization. Dan DiMicco, the former Nucor CEO and board member of the Coalition for a Prosperous America, said “right now” the global organization “does not work for us.” Formed in 1995, the organization consists of more than 160 members. It acts as an international body that, based on a set of agreements negotiated and signed by those members, supports free trade and opposes the sort of protectionist policies that were the hallmark of Trump's campaign promises. - New Studies Found Something That Really Causes Climate Change (And It Has Nothing To Do With Human Beings)
A new study produced by a University of Wisconsin-Madison geoscientist and Northwestern astrophysicist presents an explanation of the fluctuations of the earth's temperatures in the past that highlights the complexity of the forces at work on the earth's climate and how much we still have to learn about them. The study maintains that the cycle of changes in the climate over the millennia is largely a result of changes in the amount of solar radiation, in part caused by small changes in the orbits of Earth and Mars. While the notion that the impact on earth's orbital cycle on solar radiation levels is a significant factor determining global temperatures is anything but new, the team of scientists seem to have tied the phenomenon to planetary orbits in a more concrete manner than previous studies. - Trump cuts US debt by $12bn in his first month in office, accuses media of ‘not reporting’ it
The US President Donald Trump has tweeted that he managed to decrease the US total public debt by US$ 12 billion during his first month in office while the former President Barack Obama increased it by US$200 billion over the same period. Trump has also accused the media of turning the blind eye to this fact. “The media has not reported that the National Debt in my first month went down by $12 billion vs a $200 billion increase in Obama first mo,” he said in his Twitter post. - Dallas Police Pension Board Approves Benefit Cuts; Asks For More Taxpayer Money To Avoid Collapse
For the past several months we've warned that the taxpayers of the City of Dallas, despite all of the tough talk coming out of their elected city council members, would ultimately be forced to bail out the failing Dallas Police and Fire Pension (DPFP) system. And just last night the DPFP board voted 9-0 to approve a plan that would do just that. The plan to save the DPFP was proposed by Dan Flynn, chair of the pensions committee in the Texas House of Representatives, and calls for Dallas taxpayers to contribute 34.5% of police and firefighter salaries each year into the failing pension system, up from 27% in 2015, plus an incremental $11 million per year. In total, the adopted plan will cost Dallas taxpayers an extra $22 million per year. - Auto Loan Bubble Bursting, And Lenders Know Where Your Car Is At All Times
The story of the Car Loan subprime lending epidemic is nothing new (one of many, student loans etc). Zerohedge has been writing about it for years, with the financial MSM catching on not too long ago. Even John Oliver had a segment about it on his popular show, Last Week Tonight. The new subprime lending epidemic, in the $1.1 Trillion market, which the experts tell us is contianed and won't have the same effect as in the previous crisis, is where all it takes to buy a car at a dealership is the ability to fog a mirror. Cracks have been rearing their heads over the last few months, but nothing like we are seeing as of late. According to the latest data, auto loan delinquencies are now at levels not seen since the last financial crisis. - Is it Autumn 2007 All Over Again?
While the financial world continues to delight in Trump Mania, the US economy has rolled over into recession. I realize this sounds completely insane. After all, stocks are at new all time highs and a full 61% of Americans view the economy as “strong.” Unfortunately, this is perception, not reality. When it comes to the economy today, Americans are like the guy who hasn’t realized the party is over, and keeps dancing while others are already starting to leave. Consider Government tax receipts. This is perhaps the single most objective economic metric on the planet. If the economy is growing, business are being started, jobs are being created, and more people and entities area paying taxes. - How Many Euro Crises Will This Make? It’s Getting Hard To Keep Track
Every few years, it seems, one or another mismanaged eurozone country falls into one or another kind of crisis. This leads to speculation about the end of the common currency, which in turn spooks the global financial markets. Then the ECB conjures another trillion euros out of thin air, buys up and/or guarantees all the offending country’s bonds, and calm returns for a while. At least, that’s how it’s gone in the past. The latest crisis has more than the usual number of flash-points and could, therefore, be something new and different. - Reasons Are Mounting To Be Very Cautious About Stocks Right Now
This year, that outlook could be best described as cautious, which stands in sharp contrast to the bullishness on display in the stock market itself so far in 2017. It’s been said many times that bull markets climb a “wall of worry” but there seems to be a shortage of worry these days among professional investors. The CBOE SPX Volatility Index (VIX), the stock market’s favorite fear-gauge, has collapsed in recent months, hitting a low under 10 at the beginning of February. That’s the lowest level of market volatility recorded in two-and-a-half years … no worry here! And the percentage of Bullish Investment Advisors hit 62.7% last week, a 12-year high! No worry here, either. - The World Now Faces A Devastating Endgame And How “They All Sold At The Absolute Bottom”
With continued uncertainty around the globe, today the man who has become legendary for his predictions on QE, historic moves in currencies, spoke with King World News about a devastating endgame the world faces and how they all sold the absolute bottom. “They All Sold At The Absolute Bottom” Egon von Greyerz: “Western central banks have a real knack for timing the sale of their gold reserves. They are absolute experts when it comes to picking the bottom of the gold market. Central banks in the UK, Switzerland and Norway, to mention a few, timed their sales to perfection. The only problem is that they all sold at the absolute bottom between 1999 and 2004. That was of course the time to buy gold and not to sell. But the finance ministers in charge of Western economies have no understanding of economics. They don’t even understand that the absolute destruction of their paper money is always revealed by the gold price… - President of US Mint AP: Trump Tariff Could Divorce Physical Silver From Spot Prices!
Roy Friedman, President of US Mint Authorized Purchaser Manfra, Tordella, & Brookes Joined the Show This Week For A Fascinating Discussion On the Inner Workings of the US Physical Silver Bullion Market. Friedman Discusses The Coming Asset Reallocation, Physical Silver Bullion Shortages, & Trump: Could The Donald Be the Catalyst That Finally Separates the Paper and Physical Silver Markets? - Man Who Advises Top Sovereign Wealth Funds In The World Says Price Of Silver Will Skyrocket In 2017
On the heels of a wild start to the 2017 trading year where the Dow has repeatedly hit new all-time highs, today King World News spoke with the man who advises the most prominent sovereign wealth funds, hedge funds, and institutional funds in the world. Eric King: “Michael, what’s exciting today is you have a new outperform in the precious metals sector.” Michael Belkin: “Yes, Eric. We have a new 7 stock basket of silver stocks that our model forecast says will outperform the silver universe. We’ve just introduced it in this week’s forecast and I’m recommending these stocks for new purchases right now. I think there is a big opportunity right now in silver stocks. I have silver stocks moving into an outperformance mode in relative and absolute terms. - A New Monetary System Is Coming But We Are Being Threatened With A Crushing Blow To Our Way Of Life
With tensions heating up around the world, a new monetary system is coming but we are being threatened with a crushing blow to our way of life. A New Monetary System And A Threat To Our Way Of Life. Stephen Leeb: “I’m starting this interview with a depressing admission: today, for the first time in a pretty long life, geopolitical events are starting to really scare me to death. No, it’s not Trump, or any particular president, nor is it Korean missile tests or any other specific event in the news. Instead, I refer to America’s growing inability to see, think, or plan long term. Commodity shortages are coming, a new monetary system is coming, and a divided, short-sighted country has no response. We are threatened with a crushing blow to the U.S. and our way of life… - The Mother Of All Financial Bubbles
At PeakProsperity.com, we pride ourselves on providing fact-based context to breaking important events. Within 72 hours of the Japan tsunami in 2011, we had analyzed the situation and concluded with high probability that three core meltdowns had occurred at the Fukushima nuclear plant. While it took years for officials to finally admit to the full extent of the crisis, history has validated our initial analysis. How did we get it right? By using a science-based approach grounded in observation, deduction and a healthy skepticism of what the “experts” in charge claimed. We also went to great lengths to educate our readers about the science in play, explaining in detail how radioactivity and contamination differ, the health risks from such a nuclear accident, and what concerned folks could do to remain as safe as possible. - Russia Gold Buying Returns In January – Buys One Million Ounces
Russia gold buying returned in January with the Russian central bank buying a very large 1 million ounces or 37 metric tonnes of gold bullion. The increase in the gold reserves came after Russia did not buy a single ounce in December – a move seen as potentially a signal or an olive branch to the U.S. and the incoming Trump administration. It also came after Russia had accelerated its gold buying in the final months of the Obama Presidency. October 2016 saw an increase of 1.3 million ounces or 48 metric tonnes and this was the largest addition of gold to the Russian monetary reserves since 1998. Indeed, it was the biggest monthly gold purchase in this millennium for the Russian central bank. - The Billionaire-Owned, Corporate Media is as Worthless as Ever
Rather than focus its journalistic energy on chronicling the economic insecurity plaguing so many of our fellow Americans, the billionaire-owned corporate media appears entirely obsessed with chattering endlessly about Russia conspiracy theories and domestic coup plots. Instead of looking in the mirror and admitting how its countless errors and propaganda pushing led to multiple humanitarian disasters over the last couple of decades, the oligarch-owned mainstream media insists upon a narrative that Trump the individual is at the root of our problems, as opposed to an entrenched executive branch with excessive power. This is because the mainstream media isn’t actually concerned about our cancerous, systemic metastasizing statism, it merely doesn’t want Trump in charge of it. I, on the other hand, want to dismantle that unconstitutional state entirely and transfer power to the American people where it belongs — self-government. Does anyone actually think for a second the media would be this adversarial if Hillary won? - Iran Announces 2 Billion Barrel Shale Oil Find
The western province of Lorestan will be getting new attention from the Iranian oil ministry following the discovery of major shale oil reserves in the region, according to new reports emerging from the area. The resources, found in the Ghali Koh field, totaled two billion barrels, Bahman Soleimani, the National Iranian Oil Company’s Soleimani said on Monday, citing a recent study. “The oil is light,” he described. Other research on the area’s shale gas reserves will be completed by October 2017, the official added. - Biggest Gasoline Glut In 27 Years Could Crash Oil Markets
Oil prices are stuck in a holding pattern, waiting for more definitive data on what comes next. OPEC compliance is helping keep prices afloat, but rising U.S. oil production is acting as a counterweight. A new problem that has suddenly emerged is the record levels of gasoline sitting in storage. The market has already had to digest the fact that U.S. crude oil stocks were rising, and investors have done their best to explain away the trend. But now gasoline inventories are climbing to unexpected heights. It would be one thing if crude stocks were rising, perhaps because refiners were going offline for maintenance. But if that were the case, then gasoline stocks would draw down on lower refining runs. But if both crude and refined product inventories are going up at the same time, then there should be some reasons for worry. - The Stakes for Trump and All of Us — Paul Craig Roberts
We need to understand, and so does President Trump, that the hoax “war on terror” was used to transform intelligence agencies, such as the NSA and CIA, and criminal investigative agencies, such as the FBI, into Gestapo secret police agencies. Trump is now threatened by these agencies, because he rejects the neoconservative’s agenda of US world hegemony that supports the gigantic military/security annual budget. Our secret police agencies are busy at work planting “intelligence” among the presstitute media that Trump is compromised by “Russian connections” and is a security threat to the United States. The plan is to make a case in the media, as was done against President Nixon, and to force Trump from office. To openly take on a newly elected president is an act of extraordinary audacity that implies enormous confidence, or else desperation, on the part of the police state agencies. - China pushes for open world economy
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a G20 meeting in Bonn, Germany on Thursday that Beijing wants to see an open world economy system and said his country stresses multilateralism and globalization. He called on his German hosts to work with China to promote global rebalancing and safeguard trade and investment liberalization and facilitation. He said such efforts would ensure continued global economic growth. During his meeting with (EU) foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini that China and Europe should work together on global security and trade. He also called on the EU to fast track Article 15 of the protocol on China’s entry into the World Trade Organization. - A new arms race in the Middle East?
New data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute on global weapons sales indicates that there may be an arms race in full swing in the Middle East and Asia. According to a report on trends in international transfers of major weapons published by SIPRI, arms sales have reached their highest since the late 1980s, just before the end of the Cold War. “The flow of arms increased to Asia and Oceania and the Middle East between 2007–11 and 2012–16, while there was a decrease in the flow to Europe, the Americas and Africa,” SIPRI says. SIPRI examines arms imports in five-year increments. - The Russian Love Affair With Donald Trump Sours As The U.S. And Russia Move Toward War
In recent months Donald Trump has been severely criticized by both Democrats and Republicans for not being sufficiently “anti-Russia”, but the truth is that the Trump administration has not been working hard enough to repair a relationship that is now souring very rapidly. When Donald Trump won the election in November, the Russians celebrated tremendously, because they greatly preferred Trump over Hillary Clinton. But just because Trump was victorious does not mean that our relationship with Russia will automatically improve. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin both have huge egos, and it is quite easy to imagine a scenario in which things between them go very, very badly. - What Exactly is the “Deep State” People Are Talking About???
Prior to the 2016 presidential election, there were many topics that were deemed “off limits” by academia, the media, the establishment, the “Powers That Be,” or whatever other crafty names a person can think of to describe the invisible hand that guides society. Over the last several decades, by using agents within academia, the media, and Hollywood to assist them, those very same aforementioned powers have “conditioned” the masses (without many even realizing it), on how to respond to people who ask too many questions about complex or controversial topics. The “Deep State” is one of those topics. - Will We See an “American Spring” 2017? We Better…
In 2011, a revolutionary wave of both violent and non-violent demonstrations, protests, riots, coups and civil wars arose seemingly independently of one another, and spread across the Arab world. Today, we know U.S. intelligence agencies (aka the “deep state”) were involved many of the uprisings. In some instances entire regimes fell, and in other instances there were far less predictable outcomes. In light of how many career bureaucrats have been very vocal about their unhappiness with President Trump’s surprise victory, is it really all that shocking to see the same intelligence apparatus relentlessly launching assaults against the Trump Administration? In a word: Yes. Why? One of the hallmarks of what makes America such a unique and special country, has always been our peaceful transition of power with each new administration since our country’s inception… but all that was “pre-Obama.” - Fed Frets about Commercial Real Estate Bubble & its $2 Trillion in Loans Mostly at “Smaller Banks”
The fear of what Fed Chair Janet Yellen on Tuesday – and other Fed governors earlier – called “waiting too long” before raising interest rates is increasingly inserting itself into Fed pronouncements. One of the aspects – and this is getting articulated with increasing intensity – is commercial real estate (CRE) and its impact on banks whose nearly $2 trillion in CRE loans are backed by collateral whose boom-prices are known to crash periodically in phenomenal busts. Or is it the fear of “having already waited too long?” - “Seriously Delinquent” Auto Loans Surge – Bank regulators have been warning, now it’s happening.
The New York Fed, in its Household Debt and Credit Report for the fourth quarter 2016, put it this way today: “Household debt increases substantially, approaching previous peak.” It jumped by $226 billion in the quarter, or 1.8%, to the glorious level of $12.58 trillion, “only $99 billion shy of its 2008 third quarter peak.” Yes! Almost there! Keep at it! There’s nothing like loading up consumers with debt to make central bankers outright giddy. Auto loan balances in 2016 surged at the fastest pace in the 18-year history of the data series, the report said, driven by the highest originations of loans ever. Alas, what the auto industry has been dreading is now happening: Delinquencies have begun to surge. - S&P 500 Earnings Stuck at 2011 Levels, Stocks up 87% Since
The S&P 500 stock index edged up to an all-time high of 2,351 on Friday. Total market capitalization of the companies in the index exceeds $20 trillion. That’s 106% of US GDP, for just 500 companies! At the end of 2011, the S&P 500 index was at 1,257. Over the five-plus years since then, it has ballooned by 87%! These are superlative numbers, and you’d expect superlative earnings performance from these companies. Turns out, reality is not that cooperative. Instead, net income of the S&P 500 companies is now back where it first had been at the end of 2011. Hype, financial engineering, and central banks hell-bent on inflating asset prices make a powerful fuel for stock prices. - Trump Administration Toughens Asylum Rules, Speeds Deportation Process
Amid judicial blockages, and rogue border agents, it appears the Trump administration is still trying its best to follow through on its campaign promises to crackdown on illegal immigration. As Reuters reports, The Department of Homeland Security has prepared new guidance for immigration agents aimed at speeding up deportations by denying asylum claims earlier in the process. Following last week's apparent crackdown on DREAMers, Reuters reports new guidelines, contained in a draft memo dated February 17 but not yet sent to field offices, directs agents to only pass applicants who have a good chance of ultimately getting asylum, but does not give specific criteria for establishing credible fear of persecution if sent home. - North Korea's Regime In Jeopardy After China Bans All Coal Imports
North Korea just lost a very big ally. On Saturday, China said that it was suspending all imports of coal from North Korea as part of its effort to implement United Nations Security Council sanctions aimed at stopping the country’s nuclear weapons and ballistic-missile program. The ban, according to a statement posted on the website of the Chinese Commerce Ministry, takes effect on today and will last until the end of the year. While China will hardly suffer material adverse impacts, Chinese trade – and aid – have long been a vital economic crutch for North Korea, and the decision strips North Korea of one of its most important sources of foreign currency. - “There's Something Weird Going On”: Jeff Snider On The Global Dollar Shortage
The first time we explained that one of the biggest risks facing a world in which the dollar is the reserve currency is a global USD shortage, was in mid-2009, when we wrote “How The Federal Reserve Bailed Out The World.” At the time, the IMF calculated that just ahead of the financial crisis, “major European banks’ US dollar funding gap had reached $1.0–1.2 trillion by mid-2007. Until the onset of the crisis, European banks had met this need by tapping the interbank market ($432 billion) and by borrowing from central banks ($386 billion), and used FX swaps ($315 billion) to convert (primarily) domestic currency funding into dollars.” The IMF then extrapolated that “were all liabilities to non-banks treated as short-term funding, the upper-bound estimate would be $6.5 trillion.” - US Aircraft Carrier Group Begins “Routine” Patrols In Disputed South China Sea
Threatening to destabilize the tentative improvement in Sino-US relations achieved in recent days following Trump's recent concession over the “One China” policy, was the US deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) to the disputed waters of the South China Sea on Saturday as part of maritime “routine operations”, according to an announcement posted on the Vinson's Facebook page. Sailing with the 97,000-ton Vinson is the guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer, the Navy said in a statement. The Vinson carries a flight group of more than 60 aircraft, including F/A-18 jet fighters. - New Political Turmoil In Italy After Renzi Quits As Ruling Party Leader, Triggering Re-election Battle
Two months after an unexpected, landslide loss in the December 4 constitutional referendum which cost him his job as Italy's prime minister, on Sunday Matteo Renzi quit as leader of Italy’s ruling party, in the process triggering a re-election fight against minority dissidents that threatens the stability of the center-left government, Bloomberg reports. Renzi told a national assembly of the ruling PD that he had handed in his resignation acknowledging he was set back by defeat in last year's referendum, one day after critics from leftist factions threaten to abandon the Democratic Party. - The Unthinkable Just Happened In Spain
Untouchable. Inviolable. Immunity. Impunity. These are the sort of words and expressions that are often associated with senior central bankers, who are, by law, able to operate more or less above the law of the jurisdictions in which they operate. Rarely heard in association with senior central bankers are words or expressions like “accused”, “charged” or “under investigation.” But in Spain this week a court broke with that tradition, in emphatic style. As part of the epic, multi-year criminal investigation into the doomed IPO of Spain’s frankenbank Bankia – which had been assembled from the festering corpses of seven already defunct saving banks – Spain’s national court called to testify six current and former directors of the Bank of Spain, including its former governor, Miguel Ángel Fernández Ordóñez, and its former deputy governor (and current head of the Bank of International Settlements’ Financial Stability Institute), Fernando Restoy. It also summoned for questioning Julio Segura, the former president of Spain’s financial markets regulator, the CNMV (the Spanish equivalent of the SEC in the US). - ‘I will not submit!' Marine Le Pen REFUSES to grovel to Merkel and EU in swipe at elite
MARINE Le Pen delivered a rousing speech last night promising that as French President she will not take instructions from Angela Merkel nor beg for her approval. Marine Le Pen continued her fight for the French Presidency, as she laid her policies to put her country's sovereignty first and foremost. In a rallying cry to a crowd in Clairvaux-Les-Lacs, Ms Le Pen said she will not bow down to Angela Merkel and Jean-Claude Juncker. She said that for too long nationals leaders had to ask for permission from the German Chancellor before announcing any action. - Pastor Lindsey Williams introduces Pastor David Bowen – February 23, 2017
Pastor Lindsey Williams introduces Pastor David Bowen with his regular short weekly video for readers of Pastor Williams' weekly newsletter.
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Latest News Articles – February 9, 2017
From James Harkin (Webmaster & Editor of LindseyWilliams.net). Here is a summary of articles of interest from around the world for this week. Please LIKE the Lindsey Williams Online Facebook Page to see stories posted daily regarding the current state of the economy around the world.
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Latest News From February 3, 2017 to February 9, 2017:
- Debt Apocalypse Beckons As U.S. Consumer Bankruptcies Do Something They Haven’t Done In Almost 7 Years
When debt grows much faster than GDP for an extended period of time, it is inevitable that a good portion of that debt will start to go bad at some point. We witnessed a perfect example of this in 2008, and now it is starting to happen again. Commercial bankruptcies have been rising on a year-over-year basis since late 2015, and this is something that I have written about previously, but now consumer bankruptcies are also increasing. In fact, we have just witnessed U.S. consumer bankruptcies do something that they haven’t done in nearly 7 years. - Last year, Obama gave $27B to lawless ‘sanctuary’ cities
On January 25, 2017, his third full day on the job in the White House, President Trump fulfilled more of the promises he’d made — those concerning illegal “immigration” — by signing two executive orders: Executive Order: Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements, which authorizes the construction of a wall along the porous U.S.-Mexico border. Executive Order: Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of United States, which authorizes the denial of federal funds to “sanctuary” states and cities that willfully violate Federal immigration law in an attempt to shield aliens, including criminals, from removal from the United States and, in so doing, “have caused immeasurable harm to the American people and to the very fabric of our Republic.” As White House spokesman Sean Spicer put it, “The American people are no longer going to have to be forced to subsidize this disregard for our laws.” - How George Soros Singlehandedly Created The European Refugee Crisis – And Why
George Soros is trading again. The 85-year-old political activist and philanthropist hit the headlines post-Brexit saying the event had “unleashed” a financial-market crisis. Well, the crisis hasn’t hit Soros just yet. He was once again on the right side of the trade, taking a short position in troubled Deutsche Bank and betting against the S&P via a 2.1-million-share put option on the SPDR S&P 500 ETF. More interestingly, Soros recently took out a $264 million position in Barrick Gold, whose share price has jumped over 14% since Brexit. Along with this trade, Soros has sold his positions in many of his traditional holdings. Soros had recently announced he was coming out of retirement, again. First retiring in 2000, the only other time Soros has publicly re-entered the markets was in 2007, when he placed a number of bearish bets on US housing and ultimately made a profit of over $1 billion from the trades. - Prominent Republicans Pitch Carbon-Tax Plan to Top Trump Aides
A group of prominent Republicans and business leaders pitched a tax on carbon dioxide to top White House aides Wednesday, selling the plan as an economic win that could drive job growth and yield environmental dividends too. Former Secretary of State James Baker and other members of the new “Climate Leadership Council” pressed the case in a 45-minute meeting in the Roosevelt Room that included President Donald Trump’s top economic adviser Gary Cohn, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and senior aide Kellyanne Conway. “The signs were very encouraging,” Ted Halstead, who founded the council, said after the meeting. “Two weeks into this new administration, we have positioned our solution as the most promising climate solution — if they want to go there.” - Millennials are struggling at work because their parents ‘gave them medals for coming last'
Bosses the world over are struggling with their millennial employees – they say we confound leadership, are self-entitled, narcissistic, lazy and tough to manage. But according to motivational speaker and author Simon Sinek, this is the result of our parents’ “failed parenting strategies.” After the astounding success of his video on millennials in the workplace, which has had over 56 million views on Facebook alone, Sinek spoke to The Independent about how our parenting, combined with social media, working environments and our impatience have created a generation plagued by low self-esteem, and what we can do about it. - Which Assets Are Most Likely To Survive The “System Reset”?
Your skills, knowledge and and social capital will emerge unscathed on the other side of the re-set wormhole. Your financial assets held in centrally controlled institutions will not. Longtime correspondent C.A. recently asked a question every American household should be asking: which assets are most likely to survive the “system re-set” that is now inevitable? It's a question of great import because not all assets are equal in terms of survivability in crisis, when the rules change without advance notice. If you doubt the inevitability of a system implosion/re-set, please read Is America In A Bubble (And Can It Ever Return To “Normal”)? This brief essay presents charts that reveal a sobering economic reality: America is now dependent on multiple asset bubbles never popping–something history suggests is not possible. - Dirty Vaccines: Every Human Vaccine Tested Was Contaminated With Metals and Debris in New Study
Researchers examining 44 samples of 30 different vaccines found dangerous contaminants, including red blood cells in one vaccine and metal toxicants in every single sample tested – except in one animal vaccine. Using extremely sensitive new technologies not used in vaccine manufacturing, Italian scientists reported they were “baffled” by their discoveries which included single particles and aggregates of organic debris including red cells of human or possibly animal origin and metals including lead, tungsten, gold, and chromium, that have been linked to autoimmune disease and leukemia. - FDA finally admits chicken meat contains cancer-causing arsenic
After years of sweeping the issue under the rug and hoping no one would notice, the FDA has now finally admitted that chicken meat sold in the USA contains arsenic, a cancer-causing toxic chemical that’s fatal in high doses. But the real story is where this arsenic comes from: It’s added to the chicken feed on purpose! Even worse, the FDA says its own research shows that the arsenic added to the chicken feed ends up in the chicken meat where it is consumed by humans. So for the last sixty years, American consumers who eat conventional chicken have been swallowing arsenic, a known cancer-causing chemical. - Records: Soros Fund Execs Funded Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, John McCain, John Kasich, Lindsey Graham in 2016
Employees of a hedge fund founded by the king of the Institutional Left, billionaire and Democratic Party mega-donor George Soros, donated tens of thousands of dollars to top Republicans who fought against President Donald Trump in 2016, donation records compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics show. Soros Fund Management, a former hedge fund that serves now as an investment management firm, was founded by progressive billionaire George Soros in 1969. It has risen to become one of the most profitable hedge funds in the industry. Employees of the firm are heavily involved in backing political candidates giving millions upon millions to groups that were supporting failed 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton for the presidency. - White House Releases List Of Terror Attacks It Considers Underreported By The Media
The White House released a list Monday night of the terror attacks it believes were underreported by the media. CNN’s Jim Acosta said his producer was given the list of the 78 attacks outside of the White House. Though he did not read the list in full on air, Acosta said it included attacks like Paris, Brussels, Nice, Istanbul and San Bernardino. Dan Merica said a White House official told him that “most of these attacks did not receive adequate attention from Western media sources.” - President Trump is now speculating that the media is covering up terrorist attacks
Speaking to the U.S. Central Command on Monday, President Trump went off his prepared remarks to make a truly stunning claim: The media was intentionally covering up reports of terrorist attacks. “You’ve seen what happened in Paris, and Nice. All over Europe, it’s happening,” he said to the assembled military leaders. “It’s gotten to a point where it’s not even being reported. And in many cases the very, very dishonest press doesn’t want to report it. They have their reasons, and you understand that.” The comment immediately harked back to comments from senior adviser Kellyanne Conway on MSNBC last week. - The Leftwing Has Placed Itself In The Trash Can Of History
At a time when the Western world desperately needs alternative voices to the neoliberals, the neoconservatives, the presstitutes and the Trump de-regulationists, there are none. The Western leftwing has gone insane. The voices being raised against Trump, who does need voices raised against him, are so hypocritical as to reflect less on Trump than on those with raised voices. Sharon Kelly McBride, speaking for Human Rights First, sent me an email saying that Trump stands on the wrong side of “America’s ideals” by his prohibition of Muslim immigrants into the US. - Trump Is Right: Silicon Valley Is Using H-1B Visas To Pay Low Wages To Immigrants
On the heels on its controversial immigration ban targeting seven Muslim-majority countries, the Trump administration has drafted a new executive order that could actually mean higher wages for both foreign workers and Americans working in Silicon Valley. The Silicon Valley companies, of course, will not be happy if it goes into effect. The order aims to overhaul and limit work visas, notably the H-1B visa program. Tech companies rely on these to bring in foreign talent. Their lobbyists claim there is a “talent shortage” among Americans and thus that the industry needs more of such work visas. This is patently false. The truth is that they want an expansion of the H-1B work visa program because they want to hire cheap, immobile labor — i.e., foreign workers. - O'Reilly said Putin is a killer. Trump's reply: ‘You think our country is so innocent?'
President Donald Trump has long been effusive in his praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike. In an interview with Fox News' Bill O'Reilly, which will air ahead of the Super Bowl on Sunday, Trump doubled down on his “respect” for Putin – even in the face of accusations that Putin and his associates have murdered journalists and dissidents in Russia. “I do respect him. Well, I respect a lot of people, but that doesn't mean I'll get along with them,” Trump told O'Reilly. O'Reilly pressed on, declaring to the president that “Putin is a killer.” Unfazed, Trump didn't back away, but rather compared Putin's reputation for extrajudicial killings with the United States. “There are a lot of killers. We have a lot of killers,” Trump said. “Well, you think our country is so innocent?” - Bill O’Reilly, meet the real “KILLER”. Barack Obama’s massive kill list in charts
Former POTUS Barack Obama may have played the part of a dainty liberal, but don’t be fooled, deep down Barack was a killer. A killer of mass proportions. As the US liberal and neocon media freak out over Trump’s interview with Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly, where Trump (GASP) admitted that he “respects” Putin, and America “is not so innocent” when it comes to killing…we present to you the real stone cold killer. When it comes to racking up ‘kills’, no one was more deadly these last eight years than Barack Hussein Obama. No world leader even comes close to Obama’s kill stats. - A bill has already been introduced in Congress to remove the US from the United Nations
A bill introduced by Alabama Rep. Mike Rogers earlier this month calls on the US to “terminate” its membership in the United Nations and effectively sever all ties with the organization. The bill, titled the American Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2017, was proposed on January 3. It is cosponsored by a handful of Republican lawmakers, including North Carolina Rep. Walter Jones, Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, Missouri Rep. Jason Smith, Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, Tennessee Rep. John Duncan Jr., and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz. Biggs said in a statement on Monday that he cosponsored the bill because he believes that “our sovereignty as a country is harmed by our membership in this body.” - Trump to order regulatory rollback Friday for finance industry starting with Dodd-Frank
President Trump plans to order a rollback Friday of regulations governing the financial services industry and Wall Street under the Dodd-Frank law and beyond, a White House source confirmed. Gary Cohn, White House Economic Council director, told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published last night that the administration would also move against a regulation designed to force retirement advisers to work in the best interest of their clients. That “fiduciary rule” is set to take effect in April. Promulgated by the Department of Labor, it’s meant to eliminate conflicts-of-interest among professionals dealing with people enrolled in qualified retirement plans and IRAs. - Trump’s Enemies Within
How on earth is all this stuff getting in the newspapers? Bob Haldeman told Richard Nixon that he had uncovered the culprit: Mark Felt, a top official at the FBI. “Now why the hell would he do that?” asked Nixon, who was secretly recording the exchange. Cracking down on Felt directly was out of the question, the two men agreed. “If we move on him, then he’ll go out and unload everything,” Haldeman said, of the man later revealed as Deep Throat. “He knows everything that’s to be known in the FBI.” - President Trump Speaks: Here's Why They Hate Him
The political elites hate him on both sides of the Atlantic. Why? Because he's not on board with their precious New World Order. RTV takes a closer look at President Trump's inauguration speech and its ramifications. Trump is far from perfect, but so was Constantine…and look how God used him. Pray for President Donald J. Trump! - U.N. Official Admits Global Warming Agenda Is Really About Destroying Capitalism
A shocking statement was made by a United Nations official Christiana Figueres at a news conference in Brussels. Figueres admitted that the Global Warming conspiracy set by the U.N.’s Framework Convention on Climate Change, of which she is the executive secretary, has a goal not of environmental activists is not to save the world from ecological calamity, but to destroy capitalism. She said very casually: “This is the first time in the history of mankind that we are setting ourselves the task of intentionally, within a defined period of time, to change the economic development model that has been reigning for at least 150 years, since the Industrial Revolution.” - Scientists have a plan to replace fossil fuels with nuclear fusion by 2030
Nuclear fusion is premised on building technology that would replicate the reaction that naturally powers our Sun – two light atoms, in this case, hydrogen, are fused together under extreme temperatures to produce another element, helium. The process would release vast amounts of clean energy drawn from an almost limitless fuel source, with nearly zero carbon emissions. However, it has yet to be done on a scale that would make it usable. Canadian scientists are hoping to change that, announcing plans to harness and develop nuclear fusion technology so they can deliver a working nuclear fusion plant prototype by 2030. What they need, however, is for the government to invest in their vision. - FDA quietly bans powerful life-saving intravenous Vitamin C
It would be naive to think that the FDA endeavors to protect the public’s health as its primary focus. Indeed, that would be a conflict of interest, as it serves its master, the pharmaceutical industry. Has the Food and Drug Administration engineered a shortage of intravenous vitamin C as part of an overall attack on natural and non-toxic approaches to healing that compete with prescription drugs? An analysis by Natural Blaze would suggest that the answer is yes. - Halftime HELL: Satan speaks through Lady Gaga to declare dominion over the Earth (while Pope Francis blesses) (satire)
Before you get into this article, note that I’m marking it “satire.” Yet none of the themes unveiled here are actually funny. This is serious stuff… it’s just that 99.9% of humanity isn’t ready to cognitively grasp what I’m about to present here, so until people are more ready to face the reality of demonic evil in our world, I’m going to label all this a weekend joke. Funny, isn’t it? If it’s too much for you, don’t take it too seriously. The NFL is a joke anyway, right? The average Superbowl viewer is so totally clueless about reality that they have no idea what they’re even watching. Over the last several years, the NFL has slowly given way to the agenda of truly evil globalists, pushing quack science fraud (breast cancer “awareness” propaganda), anti-American hatred (Colin Kaepernick’s nauseating antics), cultural subversion agendas and vulgar halftime shows that frequently invoke Satanic imagery in ritualistic fashion (see the multitude of photos and videos below for proof). - Liberal lynch mob trolling Trump could bring down US democracy
The Left's non-stop temper tantrum since Trump's election win is revealing an ugly underbelly of the Democratic Party – think Rosie O'Donnell mud-wrestling with a pig – where a rogues’ gallery of provocateurs aims to delegitimize conservative rule. First, some necessary background: for 15 uninterrupted years of US military escapades abroad, eight of those years on Obama's watch, the Liberal Left could not be awakened from its somnambulist slumber, not even to hold a meaningful antiwar protest in the spirit of their Vietnam-era forebears. - Permaculture, Politics and Solutions Thinking
How we think colours everything we do, that is indisputable. Our biases definitely affect our objectivity and clarity as well as our judgement, factors critical to effective solutions thinking. Permaculture is a discipline which embodies systems thinking, the ability to think holistically, to clearly see what is before us in its entirety, and to understand the relationships between elements of a system. Equally important to Permaculture is solutions thinking, the ability to create optimal solutions to address specific problems. - New Warming On European Banks
The European Banking Authority (EBA) just called for urgent action to be taken in regards to European banks’ bad loans. Because Italy is not the only country having to grapple with this problem: EBA’s chairman, Andrea Enria, is worried that ten European countries have more than 10% in non-performing loans (NPLs), which shows the extreme fragility of their banking system. Those NPLs are loans for which the payments are late for 90 days or more. - The Other “Ban” That Was Quietly Announced Last Week
Most of the world is in an uproar right now over the travel ban that Donald Trump hastily imposed late last week on citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries. But there was another ban that was quietly proposed last week, and this one has far wider implications: a ban on cash. The European Union’s primary executive authority, known as the European Commission, issued a “Road Map” last week to initiate continent-wide legislation against cash. There are already a number of anti-cash legislative measures that have been passed in individual European member states. In France, for example, it’s illegal to make purchases of more than 1,000 euros in cash. - Pound, Dollar, Euro and Yen Will be Worthless Within Five Years
The new US Administration has taken over with the conviction that they will “make America great again”. I really wish they will succeed because a strong US would be good for the world. Sadly, the odds of achieving that admirable objective are totally stacked against them. At the end of the next 4 years, there is a risk that this Administration will be more hated than any government since Carter and possibly even more disliked than Hoover. - Is Italy’s Banking Problem Becoming Too Big to Solve?
Ever since the European Commission and ECB jointly decided that Italy’s government could bend EU banking rules out of all recognition in order to bail out the country’s third largest bank, Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Europe’s financial stocks have been on a tear. But the good times were brought to a grinding halt Monday after Italy’s largest bank, Unicredit, which employs 55,000 people in 17 countries, announced losses for 2016 of €11.8 billion. By the bank’s logic, it would have announced profits if it hadn’t had to write off €12.2 billion, including billions of euros of non-performing loans (NPLs) festering on its balance sheets. - Markets Smell a Rat as Central Banks Dither
Markets are suspecting that central banks are in the process of exiting this fabulous multi-year party quietly, and that on the way out they won’t refill the booze and dope, leaving the besotted revelers to their own devices. That thought isn’t sitting very well with these revelers. In markets where central banks have pushed government bond prices into the stratosphere and yields, even 10-year yields, below zero, there has been a sea change. - California in the red by $127.2 billion, state auditors say
A financial report issued by state auditors finds that the state of California is in the red by an unsustainable $127.2 billion. The report says that the state’s negative status increased that year, largely because it spent $1.7 billion more than it received in revenues and wound up with an accumulated deficit of just under $23 billion in fiscal year 2011-2012, the Sacramento Bee stated. Gov. Jerry Brown has referred to the deficit and other budget gaps, mostly money owed to schools, as a “wall of debt” totaling more than $30 billion, the Sacramento Bee reported. About half of the deficit came from the state issuing general obligation bonds and then giving the money to local governments and school districts for public works projects. The report listed California’s long-term obligations at $167.9 billion, nearly half of which ($79.9 billion) were in general obligation bonds, with another $30.8 billion in revenue bonds, the Sacramento Bee reported. - It’s Time We Talked About Our Owners – How vast asset managers impact “our increasingly cartelized economy.”
The world’s biggest asset manager, BlackRock, was splashed across the front pages of the Spanish financial news yesterday. The firm had just raised raised its stake in Spain’s telecoms giant Telefónica to 336 million shares — the equivalent of 6.7% of Telefónica’s total capital, with a market value of just under €3 billion. In the short space of five months BlackRock has almost doubled its holdings and is now the largest owner of Telefónica stock, ahead of Spain’s second biggest bank, BBVA, which holds 6% of the shares. The asset manager has also expanded its participation in Telefónica’s international subsidiaries, raising its holdings in Telefónica Deutschland to 0.76% and Telefónica Brasil to almost 2%, making it the firm’s biggest institutional shareholder. - We Are Moving Forward: The Future of Oil and Gas
Oil will hold a dominant position in the world energy demand at least next 20 years. Despite the small decline, oil will secure as many as 29 percent of world energy demand by 2035 vs 32 percent in 2015. The slight decline by 3 percent will occur because of gas, nuclear and renewables (including biofuels) sectors rise in the world energy demand share. ‘Global oil production becomes geographically more concentrated as low cost producers gain share. The Middle East, US, and Russia account for 63% of oil production in 2035, up from 56% in 2015.’ BP reports in its Energy Outlook-2017. BP publishes its energy outlooks on a regular basis. The Energy Outlooks allow to track in details the global energy trends. One of those energy trends is that BP expects 106 million barrels of oil per day as demand and 107 million barrels of oil per day as supply by 2035. North America will hold its dominant in gas production. BP considers North America will produce 1.33 billion t.o.e. of gas per year by 2035 what makes 31 percent share of the global gas production. North America has been keeping its dominant in gas production since 1995, by the way. Before 1995 episodically North America had been ‘overtaken’ in gas production by USSR. USSR collapsed in 1991 while the previous year – 1990 was the last year when Soviets could produce more gas than the entire North America. In 1990 USSR produced 672 million t.o.e of gas versus 584 million t.o.e produced in North America. In 1995 North America got 651.7 million t.o.e of gas while Soviets faced only 569.1 million t.o.e. North America leads in the global gas production ever since. - Whistle-Blower: ‘Global Warming’ Data Manipulated Before Paris Conference
A high-level whistleblower at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has revealed that the organization published manipulated data in a major 2015 report on climate change in order to maximize impact on world leaders at the UN climate conference in Paris in 2015. According to a report in The Mail on Sunday, NOAA scientist Dr. John Bates has produced “irrefutable evidence” that the NOAA study denying the “pause” in global warming in the period since 1998 was based on false and misleading data. The NOAA study was published in June 2015 by the journal Science under the title “Possible artifacts of data biases in the recent global surface warming hiatus.” - Shell To Sell Another $5B In Assets, Misses Profit Expectations
Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS.A) is making “significant progress” on selling another US$5 billion worth of assets, chief financial officer Simon Henry said on Thursday after the oil supermajor reported 2016 profits below analyst expectations. Shell’s current cost of supplies (CCS) – a key measure comparable with net income – came in at US$1.8 billion, excluding identified items, compared with US$1.6 billion for the fourth quarter 2015, the company said today. Full-year 2016 CCS earnings attributable to shareholders excluding identified items dropped to US$7.2 billion from US$11.4 billion in 2015. The fourth-quarter profit fell short of analyst estimates by around US$1 billion, according to Bloomberg. - Weatherford Slashes Another 3,000 Jobs
As part of its strategy to further cut costs and reduce debt, oilfield services company Weatherford International (NYSE:WFT) said on Thursday that it had launched another head count reduction plan totaling 3,000 employees. Weatherford’s Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President Christoph Bausch said at the company’s earnings call on Thursday for the fourth-quarter and full-2016 results: “At the time of this call, we have already reduced 2,000 employees out of the 3,000 mentioned before.” In its drive to cut more costs, Weatherford will also pull back its pumping operations in the U.S. and close additional uneconomical field locations, Bausch said, adding that all those actions are expected to generate additional annualized cost savings of about US$300 million. - Fukushima nuclear reactor radiation at highest level since 2011 meltdown
Extremely high radiation levels have been recorded inside a damaged reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, almost six years after the plant suffered a triple meltdown. The facility’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), said atmospheric readings as high as 530 sieverts an hour had been recorded inside the containment vessel of reactor No 2, one of three reactors that experienced a meltdown when the plant was crippled by a huge tsunami that struck the north-east coast of Japan in March 2011. The extraordinary radiation readings highlight the scale of the task confronting thousands of workers, as pressure builds on Tepco to begin decommissioning the plant – a process that is expected to take about four decades. - Russian economy to emerge from contraction
Russia’s economy ministry on Monday said that GDP growth fell by one per cent in December from the same time last year. In October, the economy contracted by 0.6 per cent but grew in November by a revised 0.9 per cent. For 2016 as a whole, GDP fell 0.6 per cent from 2015. According to forecasts by the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the UN, Russia’s economy has beaten the effects of US and European Union sanctions over the Ukraine crisis. In 2017, GDP growth is expected between one and 1.5 per cent. - Things Just Got Serious in Europe’s War on Cash
The central authorities in Europe just launched their most important offensive to date in their multiyear War on Cash. The new move comes directly from the European Union’s executive branch, the European Commission, which just announced its intention to “explore the relevance of potential upper limits to cash payments,” with a view to implementing cross-regional measures in 2018. Maximum limits on cash transactions already exist in most European countries, and the general trend is downward. Last year, Spain joined France in placing a €1,000 maximum on cash payments. Greece went one better, dropping its cap for cash transactions from €1,500 to €500. In simple terms, any legal purchase of a good or service over €500 will need to be done with plastic or mobile money. - Gerald Celente Issues Major Trend Alert On The Road For The Gold Market In 2017
With the price of gold surging above the critical $1,220 level, the top trends forecaster in the world, Gerald Celente, just issued a major trend alert on the road for the gold market in 2017. Here Is What To Look For In The Gold Market In 2017. Gerald Celente — Trends are born, they grow, mature, reach old age and die. The Donald Trump, President of the United States of America, Trend has just been born. Never in modern history has the nation stood so divided and nations across the globe so alarmed following the election of the leader of the world’s largest economy and most powerful military… - The Alternative Fact of the Cashless Society
Last week a new phrase was introduced into our lexicon by Trump Adviser Kellyanne Conway. When asked about why press secretary Sean Spicer had made statements that were (according to the press) unverifiable she said that he had used ‘alternative facts’. This prompted a raft of satire, journalists to flail their arms up at the audacity of Conway and Trump’s administration, and for people to rush out and buy George Orwell’s 1984. Penguin, the world’s largest publisher, ordered a 75,000 copy reprint last week. Apparently more than the ‘typical reprint’ for the 1949 Orwellian classic. The ‘alternative facts’ statement echoed of ‘Newspeak’ the language used by the totalitarian government in Orwell’s 1984 to influence and control its citizens of Airstrip One (previously Britain). - Cal Berkeley Fascists Violently Protest Free Speech
150 masked “protesters” at Cal Berkeley, precisely 0.0039 percent of the 38,000 student body was all it took to shut down free speech at the University of California, Berkeley. The protesters are so confused that they see the shutdown as a victory for free speech. Something is wrong here. The 150 violent protesters are masked, so we don’t know if they are students or a Deep State operation against President Trump. The protesters are behaving as fascists by shutting down free speech. By associating the exercise of free speech with fascism, the protesters appear to be too stupid to be Cal Berkeley students. When I was a graduate student at Cal Berkeley, there were high admission standards. Perhaps those standards have been declared to be racist and were thrown out with the bath water. - Leaked Draft of Trump’s Religious Freedom Order Reveals Sweeping Plans to Legalize Discrimination
A leaked copy of a draft executive order titled “Establishing a Government-Wide Initiative to Respect Religious Freedom,” obtained by The Investigative Fund and The Nation, reveals sweeping plans by the Trump administration to legalize discrimination. The four-page draft order, a copy of which is currently circulating among federal staff and advocacy organizations, construes religious organizations so broadly that it covers “any organization, including closely held for-profit corporations,” and protects “religious freedom” in every walk of life: “when providing social services, education, or healthcare; earning a living, seeking a job, or employing others; receiving government grants or contracts; or otherwise participating in the marketplace, the public square, or interfacing with Federal, State or local governments.” - Amazon sinks as revenue misses, guidance disappoints
The online retail technology company reported fourth-quarter earnings that beat analysts' expectations on Thursday, but revenue that fell short of estimates. It also gave future guidance that was below the average estimate. Shares dropped more than 4 percent after hours. The free-spending company has invested heavily in new projects and infrastructure to meet ballooning demand as more shopping moves online. Amazon keeps taking business from traditional retailers, which are closing stores by the hundreds. But it also offers promotions to have the lowest prices, a “cost of doing business,” chief financial officer Brian Olsavsky said. - Student Loan Reforms to Watch for in 2017
So far, the Trump administration continues to deliver on some key campaign promises. These promises include the travel ban, federal hiring freeze, and authorizing the construction of the US-Mexico border wall. Higher education is another issue Trump will likely be addressing in the coming months, as it continually ranks as the biggest source of consumer debt today. - America’s Problem with Student Loans Is Much Bigger Than Anybody Realized
The Department of Education recently released a memo admitting that repayment rates on student loans have been grossly exaggerated. Data from 99.8% of schools across the country has been manipulated to cover up growing problems with the $1.3 trillion in outstanding student loans. New calculations show that more than half of all borrowers from 1,000 different institutions have defaulted on or not paid back a single dollar of their loans over the last seven years. This comes in stark contrast to previous claims and should call into question any statistics provided by government agencies. The American people haven’t fully grasped the long-term implications of loaning a trillion dollars to young people who have no credit or assets. - US Productivity Growth Has Never Been This Low For This Long
Despite slowing US productivity growth QoQ in Q4 (from +3.5% in Q3 to +1.3% in Q4), overall productivity in 2016 grew at 1% – the best annual growth since 2013. However, that silver-lining is akin to being the tallest midget as over the longer-term, US productivity growth has never been this low for this long. - Fed Leaves Policy Rate Unchanged, Offers No Hint on When It Might Next Move
The Federal Reserve said Wednesday it remains on track to gradually raise short-term interest rates this year and gave no hint about when the next increase might come. Following a two-day policy meeting, officials voted unanimously to hold their benchmark rate steady in a range between 0.50% and 0.75%, while noting in a statement some recent improvements in the economy, including an uptick in consumer confidence. They lifted rates by a quarter percentage point in December and penciled in three quarter-point moves in 2017. Investors hadn’t expected the Fed to move Wednesday and were looking for a signal about its next meeting on March 14-15. Market reaction to the statement was muted. - Gold Gains as Trump Shocks Markets by Doing What He Said He’d Do
President Donald Trump’s policies have brought gold back to life. Gold futures rose for a second day, posting the biggest monthly gain since June, on investor concern over moves by Trump that included barring entry by citizens from seven predominantly Muslim nations and firing the acting U.S. attorney general for refusing to enforce the order. The dollar headed for a third straight decline against a basket of 10 currencies, and U.S. stocks slid. Confusion over U.S trade and immigration policies has helped rekindle haven demand for gold, which in December capped its biggest quarterly decline in more than three years. Money is also flowing back to precious metals as speculation mounts that the Federal Reserve may be more cautious in raising U.S. interest rates amid concerns Trump’s policies could stifle economic growth. Protests from New York to Atlanta to Detroit were held Sunday. - GOP Rebrands Obamacare Strategy From ‘Repeal’ to ‘Repair’
Some Republicans in Congress are starting to talk more about trying to “repair” Obamacare, rather than simply calling for “repeal and replace.” There’s good reason for that. The repair language was discussed by Republicans during their closed-door policy retreat in Philadelphia last week as a better way to brand their strategy. Some of that discussion flowed from views that Republicans may not be headed toward a total replacement, said one conservative House lawmaker who didn’t want to be identified. Using the word repair “captures exactly what the large majority of the American people want,” said Frank Luntz, a prominent Republican consultant and pollster who addressed GOP lawmakers at their retreat. - ALERT: Former Soros Associate Just Warned We Are About To Witness ‘Absolute F*cking Chaos’ Across The Globe
Today a former associate of George Soros told King World News that we are about to witness “absolute f*cking chaos” across the globe in a little over two months. Victor Sperandeo oversees over $3 billion, has been in the business 45 years, and has worked with famous individuals such as Leon Cooperman and George Soros. Below is what Sperandeo had to say. Victor Sperandeo: “What people are underestimating is the upcoming election in the Netherlands on March 15. A month later France is going to hold their election… - Mexican border wall could take just two years to build
The Mexican border wall could take just two years to build and parts could be “see through,” according to the new head of the Department of Homeland Security. “The wall will be built where it’s needed first, and then it will be filled in. That’s the way I look at it,” Secretary John Kelly told Fox News. “I really hope to have it done within the next two years,” the retired four-star Marine general added. Fox’s Catherine Herridge reported Thursday that Kelly told her that the wall won't all be solid and sections of it may be transparent. - U.S. appeals court revives JPMorgan silver futures rigging lawsuits
A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday revived three private antitrust lawsuits accusing JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) of rigging a market for silver futures contracts traded on COMEX. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said a lower court judge held hedge fund manager Daniel Shak and two other traders to an excessively high legal standard when deciding last June 29 to dismiss their complaints. Shak, Mark Grumet and Thomas Wacker accused the largest U.S. bank of having in late 2010 and early 2011 placed artificial bids on the trading floor, harangued staff at metals market COMEX to obtain prices it wanted, and made misrepresentations to a committee that set settlement prices. The traders said this forced them to post more capital to support their positions in silver futures spreads, and ultimately to liquidate them at heavy losses. - As Brazil Unemployment Hits Record High, Rio's Murder Rate Soars
With Brazil stuck in what may be its worst depression on record, it will surprise nobody that the homicide rate in Rio de Janeiro climbed by 20% in 2016 from the previous year, as violence soared in the Brazilian metropolis amid rising unemployment and sharp cuts in public security budgets. Worse even than Chicago, state security statistics released on Wednesday and cited by Reuters showed that 5,033 people were murdered in Rio during the year, up from 4,200 in 2015. - Researchers: Fake News Did Not Alter Election Results
As social media sites like Facebook and Snapchat move to eliminate “fake news” reports from their sites, researchers from Stanford and New York Universities say Americans can be sure of one thing: the phenomenon did not affect the results of the presidential election. The new study released last month investigated the influence that fake news may have had on President Trump’s victory. NYU economics professor Hunt Allcott and Stanford economics professor Matthew Gentzkow led the research. The pair ran a series of tests to determine which fake news articles were circulated, how much of it was circulated, and the amount of voters that believed the stories to be true. - The Central Banks Pull Back: Now It's Up To Fiscal Policy To “Save The World”
Another problem is the rise of social discord, for reasons that extend beyond the reach of tax reductions and increased infrastructure spending. Have you noticed that the breathless anticipation of the next central bank “save” has diminished? Remember when the financial media was in a tizzy of excitement, speculating on what new central bank expansion would send the global markets higher in paroxysms of risk-on joy? Those days are gone. Nowadays, central banks cautiously continue the bond buying programs they've had in place for years, but their policy initiatives are tepid at best: they talk about expanding asset-buying programs to include more stocks, or discuss notching interest rates higher in some cases; but the talk is subdued, as expectations are being consciously lowered. - State Minimum Wage Hikes Already Passed Into Law Expected To Cost 2.6 Million Jobs, New Study Finds
Even though we know that Bernie and his alt-left compatriots will never tire of their endless “Fight for $15” no matter how much data we throw at them, we thought we would go ahead and highlight yet another economic study detailing the devastating job losses that will result from minimum wages hikes that have already been passed in states all around the country. The latest study comes for the American Action Forum (AAF) and estimates that 2.6 million jobs will be lost around the country over the next several years as states phase-in minimum wage hikes that have already been passed. - BOOM! Companies That Openly Criticized Trump For “Making America Safe Again” Take Stock Market Hit
The Dow Jones industrial average fell around 120 points after sliding more than 223.39 points, dropping below 20,000, with Goldman Sachs contributing the most losses. Most of the companies who criticized Trump’s temporary travel ban on the 7 nations Obama’s DHS identified as terror hotbed nations lost money in the stock market today. Apparently keeping our country safe takes a back seat to these companies, unless of course, we see another major terror attack in America by an unvetted refugee, then they’ll all be lining up behind Trump and complaining he didn’t do enough… - Trump pledges to end political limits on churches
Declaring that religious freedom is “under threat,” President Donald Trump vowed Thursday to repeal a rarely enforced IRS rule that says pastors who endorse candidates from the pulpit risk losing their tax-exempt status. “I will get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment and allow our representatives of faith to speak freely and without fear of retribution,” Trump said at the National Prayer Breakfast, a high-profile event bringing together faith leaders, politicians and dignitaries. Trump's pledge was a nod to his evangelical Christian supporters, who helped power his White House win. So far he has not detailed his plans for doing away with the rule, which he has previously promised to rescind. Named after then-Sen. Lyndon Johnson, the regulation has been in place since 1954 for tax-exempt charities, including churches, though it is very rare for a church to actually be penalized. - Pastor Lindsey Williams introduces Pastor David Bowen – February 2, 2017
Pastor Lindsey Williams introduces Pastor David Bowen with his regular short weekly video for readers of Pastor Williams’ weekly newsletter.
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Latest News Articles – February 2, 2017
From James Harkin (Webmaster & Editor of LindseyWilliams.net). Here is a summary of articles of interest from around the world for this week. Please LIKE the Lindsey Williams Online Facebook Page to see stories posted daily regarding the current state of the economy around the world.
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Latest News From January 27, 2017 to February 2, 2017:
- Trump Fights to Takedown Bad Guys
According to precious metals and financial expert Bix Weir, what’s going on in Washington now is simply a struggle for control between good and evil. Weir explains, “The left is going nuts. They say they are not violent, but they are causing all these riots and protests everywhere. I am convinced that this takedown of the bad guys is going to get a lot uglier. It will get uglier because the left leaning Obama people have been given so many rights that are not in the Constitution and are not anywhere in a capitalistic society. It’s more towards socialism, and when you try to take away the rights given to socialists, they get armed. They go into the streets.” - Why One Trader Thinks “The Fed Is About To Take Out The Last Pillar Supporting The Dollar”
Fed Can’t Help Dollar Bulls in Denial. Expect the Fed to take out one of the last pillars of dollar support today. Dollar bulls are still not capitulating despite it being on target for a sixth consecutive week of losses. While some doubts are finally starting to creep in, the majority of analyst notes this week suggest the FOMC can put the dollar uptrend back on track. I’m surprised. It’s hard to see how the Fed can be hawkish given the economic policy turmoil of the last couple of weeks. All measures taken so far by Trump’s administration are negative for growth rather than reflationary. This is particularly pertinent when put in context of how optimistic expectations were only two months ago. - White House Blackballs CNN; Refuses To Send Surrogates On “Fake News” Network
Well, it's official…according to a note from Politico, the White House has confirmed that surrogates of the Trump administration will no longer appear on CNN and will instead go to “places where we think it makes sense to promote our agenda.” “We’re sending surrogates to places where we think it makes sense to promote our agenda,” said a White House official, acknowledging that CNN is not such a place, but adding that the ban is not permanent. A CNN reporter, speaking on background, was more blunt: The White House is trying to punish the network and force down its ratings. “They’re trying to cull CNN from the herd,” the reporter said. Of course, this development should come as little surprise to anyone who has been paying attention given that Trump has constantly blasted CNN as a “Fake News” outlet ever since his heated exchange with Jim Acosta at a press conference on January 11th. - Gorsuch Will Not Shift The Balance Of Power On The Supreme Court As Much As You May Think
On Tuesday, President Trump announced that he would nominate Neil Gorsuch to fill the open seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. Gorsuch currently serves on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, and he was confirmed unanimously by the Senate when he was appointed to that position by President George W. Bush in 2006. Gorsuch appears to have some strong similarities to Antonin Scalia, and many conservatives are hoping that when Gorsuch fills Scalia’s seat that it will represent a shift in the balance of power on the Supreme Court. Because for almost a year, the court has been operating with only eight justices. Four of them were nominated by Republican presidents and four of them were nominated by Democrats, and so many Republicans are anticipating that there will now be a Supreme Court majority for conservatives. - Trump Picks Anti-Choice Federal Judge Neil Gorsuch for Supreme Court
Within minutes of President Trump’s nomination of federal judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, several hundred demonstrators had converged on the steps of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. to protest his selection. Waving signs proclaiming, “Gorsuch: Extreme and Dangerous” and “#NoWall #NoBan,” the protesters and a stream of speakers linked the conservative nominee to the administration’s unconstitutional ban on immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries, and pledged to defy both. - Lindsey Williams – The Energy Non-Crisis – Call To Decision Presentation
Lindsey Williams talks about his first hand knowledge of Alaskan oil reserves larger than any on earth. And he talks about how the oil companies and U.S. government won’t send it through the pipeline for U.S. citizens to use. - Ron Paul Warns: “Second Financial Bubble Going To Burst Soon… Even Trump Can't Stop It”
By all appearances notes SHTFPlan.com's Mac Slavo, President Trump is doing his damnedest to turn around the economy, revitalize jobs and bring back prosperity. But the larger trends are already in place; the cycle is turning, and the bust cannot be put off forever. “Federal Reserve policy has literally set the country up for collapse, and though the central bank has been very creative in making the impossible work, and putting off disaster, nothing can hold back the flood forever. Unfortunately, it looks like Trump may be blamed for a financial crisis that he didn’t cause. Analysts, including notably Brandon Smith, may be correct in pinpointing the attempt to use the new and highly controversial president as a scapegoat for the dirty work of the bankers. The conditions are there, and the consequences were built in when the bubble was still being pumped up. Someday it will burst. When, how, and how bad remains to be seen.” - The other “ban” that was quietly announced last week
Most of the world is in an uproar right now over the travel ban that Donald Trump hastily imposed late last week on citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries. But there was another ban that was quietly proposed last week, and this one has far wider implications: a ban on cash. The European Union’s primary executive authority, known as the European Commission, issued a “Road Map” last week to initiate continent-wide legislation against cash. There are already a number of anti-cash legislative measures that have been passed in individual European member states. - Japan Thinks It Can Balance Its Budget
A recurring problem for most developed-world governments is explaining why last year’s plan didn’t work while convincing voters that this year’s new and improved plan will do the trick. This is especially tough when the new plan is pretty much the same as the old one and therefore just as likely to fail. Let’s take Japan as our first object lesson. Its government is the world’s most deeply indebted relative to GDP. Its population is the world’s oldest, with the number of retirees on public assistance soaring. Yet for some reason its leaders keep promising to balance the budget, only to be forced to push the date further into the future with each new report. - Adventures in Currency Debasement
The U.S. dollar, as measured by the dollar index, has generally gone up since mid-2014. The dollar index goes up when the U.S. dollar gains strength (value) against a basket of currencies, including the euro, yen, pound, and several others. Conversely, the dollar index goes down when the U.S. dollar loses value. Between July 30, 2014 and December 28, 2016, the dollar’s value, as measured by the dollar index, increased from 79.78 to 103.30 – or 29 percent. Since then, the dollar index has dropped to about 100. In addition, President Trump has said that the dollar is “too strong” and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has called the dollar “excessively strong.” - Senate confirms Rex Tillerson for secretary of State
The Senate confirmed former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as secretary of State on Wednesday, even as Democrats blocked progress on other Cabinet nominees chosen by President Trump. Three Democrats and one Independent who generally votes with the Democrats joined a solid rank of Republicans in approving Tillerson 56-43. The vote puts a man who has negotiated business deals with countries around the world, including some hostile to the United States, in position to negotiate on behalf of Trump in matters of war and peace, climate change and human rights. - BUCKLE UP: Available Physical Gold & Silver Supplies Drying Up In London’s LBMA As The Price Of Silver Surges
In what promises to be a wild 2017 we are already seeing physical gold and silver supplies drying up in London’s LBMA as the price of silver surges. James Turk: “There has been a lot of gold and silver moving to China recently, prior to the Chinese New Year, and that’s starting to show up in terms of the lack of liquidity over here in London. And even as prices were going down as the options were ready to expire, we were seeing backwardation in gold. The spot price of gold was a dollar or so above what February delivery prices were and it was only a few days until February delivery. So we are seeing the tightness in terms of the way the market is trading. We are also seeing the tightness in terms of the spreads and the backwardation in gold plus the metals flows themselves. Eric, I keep reminding myself of where we were several years ago, back in 2009-2010. We have those same kind of circumstances (where gold and silver skyrocketed) developing right now and nobody is paying attention. - Here Are The Technical Reasons Why Oil Is About To Plunge
There are basically two ways to analyze markets and make trading decisions, the fundamental and the technical. Logically speaking, fundamental factors and analysis always have the upper hand, particularly over a longer time period. In the case of crude oil, for example, if supply is outstripping demand the price is going down, no matter what your charts indicate. In the short term, though, as traders pay attention to technical factors they can be enormously powerful. Right now there is a battle going on between the fundamental and technical in the WTI market and, unusually, this looks like one that technical factors will win. Two weeks ago here I predicted higher oil and we did climb from around $51 to $54, but the likely outcome of this battle has caused me to expect another drop from here. - BlackRock: Inflation Is Surging, So Buy Some Gold
Russ Koesterich discusses the signs that inflation is rising faster than many expect, and what that means for your portfolio. Like the proverbial frog that does not notice the rise in water temperature until it’s too late, investors seem to be experiencing a similarly stealthy rise in inflation. Changes in headline inflation measures suggest a gentle firming in prices. However, underneath the surface there is evidence that inflation may continue to rise past the steady 2% nirvana that central banks prefer. - Barron’s Calls For Dow 30K Already
The financial magazine which has made an art out of calling for big, round numbers in the Dow Jones Financial Index (as a reminder over 20% of the Dow’s surge since the election is due entirely to Goldman Sachs), most recently with its “get ready for Dow 20,000” call from just over a month ago, has done it again. While there are still those – pretty much anyone who still cares about fundamentals – who are scratching their heads at Dow20K, according to Barrons “the Dow hitting 20,000 was no fluke. Today’s stock prices are well supported by solid prospects for corporate earnings and economic growth.” - China Sets the Stage to Replace the U.S. As Global Trade Leader
Saturday marked the Lunar New Year, the most important date in the Chinese calendar. It’s also the start of the longest holiday at two weeks, during which the largest mass migration of humans occurs every year as families reunite and go on vacations, both domestic and overseas. 2017 is the year of the 10th Chinese zodiac, the fire rooster, one of whose lucky colors is gold. Year-to-date, gold—the metal, not the color—is up 3.5 percent, which is below the 5.7 percent it had gained so far around this time last year. Unfortunately, gold prices won’t find support from Chinese traders this week, as markets will be closed in observance of the new year. If you remember, the yellow metal had one of its worst one-day slumps of 2016 back in October during China’s Golden Week, when markets were similarly closed. - THE NEW AGENDA – Knowing This Is Your Key To Survival – A New DVD From Pastor Lindsey Williams
THE NEW AGENDA – Knowing This Is Your Key To Survival! The Elite Agenda – Point by Point. Reserve Currency – Which One? How Long Do We Have? Why The Elite Changed Their Agenda. MONEY – Under The New Agenda. Gold and Silver. Suggested New Mindset. THE NEW AGENDA – Knowing This Is Your Key To Survival! The New DVD From Pastor Lindsey Williams. Order NOW Online For SHIPMENT NOW! - Embry – A Jaw-Dropping 8.6 Million Ounces Of Paper Gold Longs Just Blew Up At The Comex!
With the Dow tumbling back below the 20,000 level, one of the greats in the business told King World News that a jaw-dropping 8.6 million ounces of paper gold longs just blew up at the Comex! U.S. Economy Weakest Since 2008 Collapse. John Embry: “With all of the chaos regarding the immigration decrees, I think most observers have lost track of what is really happening with the U.S. economy. Instead they are focusing on the turmoil in the country and the record highs on the Dow… - The Media Is Now The Political Opposition
Bannon is correct that the US media—indeed, the entire Western print and TV media—is nothing but a propaganda machine for the ruling elite. The presstitutes are devoid of integrity, moral conscience, and respect for truth. https://www.rt.com/usa/375271-bannon-trump-media-cnn/ Read the comments in which morons define freedom of the press as the freedom to lie to the public. Who else but the despicable Western media justified the enormous war crimes committed against millions of peoples by the Clinton, Bush, and Obama regimes in nine countries—Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Yemen, Syria, Somalia, Palestine, and the Russian areas of Ukraine? - Dow 20K, US Debt $20 Trillion, Trump and Gold US: Dow 20K … US Debt $20 Trillion … Trump and $15,000 Go
In case you’ve been hiding under a rock, the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached 20,000 earlier this week for the first time in its 132 year history to much media fanfare. Since Trump’s election US market indicators, including the Dow have been ticking up – it has been labelled the Trump rally. This latest milestone is something that the new President is happy to take credit for. In fact, he tweeted ‘Great! #Dow20K’ in response. - Why 2017 Could See the Collapse of the Euro
2017 could be the year that the euro collapses according to Joseph Stiglitz writing in Fortune magazine and these concerns were echoed over the weekend by former Bundesbank vice-president and senior European Central Bank official, Jürgen Stark, when he said that the ‘destruction’ of the Eurozone may be necessary if countries are to thrive again. Stark and Stiglitz are too of many respected commentators, from both the so called right and the so called left, who are warning that the common currency and the Eurozone itself will not survive the financial and political turmoil already besetting the European monetary union and set to deepen in the coming months and years. - Why Our System Is Broken: Cheap Credit Is King
Cheap credit–newly issued money that can be borrowed at low rates of interest–is presented as the savior of our economic system, but in reality, it’s why our system is broken. The conventional economic pitch goes like this: cheap credit enables consumers to buy more goods and services (and since the system needs growth or it implodes, that’s good). Cheap credit also enables companies to invest in new productive assets (capital). Last but not least, low rates of interest enables the government at all levels to borrow money at relatively low cost. - Remember When Obama Supported A Border Wall?
There really is no limit to the mainstream media’s support for the far-left’s hypocrisy, or their use of a double standard when it comes to covering the Democrats… none. For months we’ve heard all about how the “integrity of our democracy” was under siege by “thugs” like Vladimir Putin, while no one has been talking how “thugs” like Barack Obama and Jey Johnson were using the Department of Homeland Security’s computer systems to try and hack into several states’ election systems AFTER the voting had taken place, but BEFORE results were certified. Yeah, good luck explaining that one. Thankfully, as of January 17th, the Inspector General of the DHS, John Roth, was cleared to being his investigation into the matter. - Fed Will Be Forced to Print & Kill Dollar
Economist John Williams warned last year the U.S. economy never really recovered, and it was going to turn down again. That downturn happened Friday when the latest GDP figures came in below 2% growth in the fourth quarter of 2016. Williams says the economy “contracted,” and he contends it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better. Williams explains, “I think there is reason for optimism in terms of the economy down the road. The problem is irrespective of who is president. When you introduce new policies, it takes about nine months to a year before we see the impact. So, the impact of all the happy things that are happening now won’t start to surface until 2018 barring other complications. I expect you to see a pickup in the economy then. Unfortunately, we are still in an economy that is turning down. You are going to see that in the reporting in the next several months. We never really recovered from the economic collapse going into 2009. There was a little bit of a rebound, and we started to see the economy turn down again in 2014. If you look at the underlying series such as industrial production, freight indices and petroleum consumption, there has been no recovery. We are turning down again. This is the longest and deepest economic contraction since the Great Depression.” - Trump’s Busy First Week, Voter Fraud is Real, Updates on War and Economy
Donald Trump had a very busy first week in office. He started work on the day he was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. First thing he did was sign an Executive Order to take away some tax burdens for people who have to pay a penalty for not having health insurance. He also pushed ahead on the long stalled XL Pipeline, clamped down on immigration and took the first steps to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Trump also made the claim that “three to five million” illegal votes were cast in the 2016 election, and that cost him the popular vote. The mainstream media (MSM) basically called him a sore winner and a liar and said there was no evidence of voter or election fraud. So, Trump ordered an investigation to get evidence of widespread fraud. - Now It Is The Elite That Are Feverishly ‘Prepping’ For The Collapse Of Society
Once upon a time, “prepping” was something that was considered to be on “the lunatic fringe” of society. But in 2017, wealthy elitists are actually the most hardcore preppers of all. This is particularly true in places such as Silicon Valley, where a whole host of young tech moguls are putting a tremendous amount of time, effort and money into preparing for apocalyptic scenarios. So while interest in prepping among the general population has fallen extremely low right now, the election of Donald Trump has given liberal wealthy elitists even more urgency to prepare for what they believe is a very uncertain future. - The United States Is On The Precipice Of Widespread Civil Unrest
It doesn’t take much of a trigger to push extremely large crowds of very angry protesters into committing acts of rioting and violence. And rioting and violence can ultimately lead to widespread civil unrest and calls for “revolution”. The election of Donald Trump was perhaps the single most galvanizing moment for the radical left in modern American history, and we have already seen that a single move by Trump can literally cause protests to erupt from coast to coast within 48 hours. On Friday, Trump signed an executive order that banned refugees from Syria indefinitely and that placed a 90 day ban on travel to the United States for citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Within hours, protesters began to storm major airports, and by Sunday very large crowds were taking to the streets all over the country… - Is It Just A Coincidence That The Dow Has Hit 20,000 At The Same Time The National Debt Is Reaching $20 Trillion?
The Dow Jones Industrial Average provides us with some pretty strong evidence that our “stock market boom” has been fueled by debt. On Wednesday, the Dow crossed the 20,000 mark for the first time ever, and this comes at a time when the U.S. national debt is right on the verge of hitting 20 trillion dollars. Is this just a coincidence? As you will see, there has been a very close correlation between the national debt and the Dow Jones Industrial Average for a very long time. For example, when Ronald Reagan took office in 1991, the U.S. national debt had just hit 994 billion dollars and the Dow was sitting at 951. - Eurozone ‘destruction' necessary if countries are to thrive again, warns former ECB hawk
The eurozone must break up if its members are to thrive again, according to a former European Central Bank official. Jürgen Stark, who served on the ECB’s executive board during the financial crisis, said it was time to “think the unthinkable” and work towards a “reset” of Europe that pulled power away from Brussels. The former vice-president of Germany’s Bundesbank said the creation of a two-speed eurozone, with France and Germany at its core, would help to ensure the smaller bloc’s survival. - Trump orders ISIS plan, talks with Putin and gives Bannon national security role
President Trump on Saturday ordered the Pentagon to devise a strategy to defeat the Islamic State and restructured the National Security Council to include his controversial top political adviser as he forged a partnership with Russian President Vladimir Putin in their first official phone call. Trump and Putin spoke for one hour and vowed to join forces to fight terrorism in Syria and elsewhere, according to the White House and the Kremlin, signaling a potential shift in U.S.-Russian relations that have been marked by high tension. - New World Order Pushing Cashless Agenda in India and Around the World
The cashless agenda has taken a giant leap forward worldwide in the last 2 months, mainly due to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi took the bold, detested and despised step of banning the 2 highest denomination notes in India (the 500 and 1000 rupee notes, worth around US$7.50 and $15 respectively). This wiped out around 80% of the value of circulating cash widely used by many segments of society for trade. His reason was to cut down on the black money circulating in India upon which tax is not paid. However, from the broader perspective of the worldwide New World Order (NWO) conspiracy, converting the entire world economy to solely digital transactions is not just about extracting more tax revenue from the ruled populations; it’s about knowledge and power. It’s about surveillance on an extraordinary scale. The cashless agenda is about acquiring the capacity to monitor literally every single financial transaction that takes place on the planet. Unsurprisingly, the new cash ban hurt many poor Indians who either don’t have a bank account or who rarely use one. Also unsurprisingly, the idea for the ban did not originate from Modi. The truth is that India is being used as the latest guinea pig to push forth the NWO cashless agenda, and a particular US Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) was instrumental in the rollout. - Trump’s education secretary pick plans to get rid of Common Core standards
Betsy DeVos, Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Education, will put the brakes on the contentious Common Core standards if she is confirmed by the Senate. “It’s time to make education great again in this country,” she said at a Trump rally in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Friday. “This means letting states set their own high standards and finally putting an end to the federalized Common Core.” DeVos, a prominent Republican donor and the former head of the Michigan GOP, is known as a charter-school advocate and a booster of school choice and education vouchers. DeVos’ five-minute speech echoed her new boss’s stance. - A Tariff with Mexico Will Ensure Americans Pay for Border Wall
The AP is reporting that Sean Spicer has informed reporters that President Trump is considering a 20% on Mexican goods as a way to fund his Mexican border wall. Though Trump has insisted throughout his presidential campaign that “Mexico will pay” for any such project, this move would ensure that it is Americans who will suffer the costs as they are forced to pay extra on Mexican goods coming into the country. - Trump Can't Avoid The Coming Financial Crisis
The Federal Reserve's policies of printing trillions of dollars back in '08-09 have locked into place a serious financial crisis at some point in our future. It's unavoidable, and even Donald Trump can't stop it. Trump will unfairly get the blame though. - Trump’s Executive Order on Refugees — Separating Fact from Hysteria
To read the online commentary, one would think that President Trump just fundamentally corrupted the American character. You would think that the executive order on refugees he signed yesterday betrayed America’s Founding ideals. You might even think he banned people from an entire faith from American shores. - Trump pick for Energy secretary sits on Dakota Access Pipeline company's board
Donald Trump's pick for Energy secretary, Rick Perry, sits on the board of directors of Energy Transfer Partners, the company whose Dakota Access Pipeline has been fiercely opposed by Native American tribes and their allies. Dallas-based Energy Transfer's top executive and other employees also contributed millions of dollars to support the former Texas governor's short-lived 2015 bid for the White House. - Dear Bernie, Meet the “Big Mac ATM” That Will Replace All Of Your $15 Per Hour Fast Food Workers
Dear Bernie, as you continue in your never-ending “Fight for $15”, we thought you might benefit from a simple example of how economics work in a real life, functioning, capitalistic society. You see, Bernie, labor, much like your daily serving of crunchy granola, is just another “good” that businesses can choose to consume more or less of, depending on price. And, just to be crystal clear, when the price of labor (i.e. wages) increases, businesses tend to consume less of it. Finally, our dearest Bernie, when misinformed politicians radically disrupt labor markets by setting artificially high base prices, like your proposed $15 federal minimum wage, then businesses simply stop consuming labor completely and instead replace that labor with this “Big Mac ATM Machine.” - Americans Pay More in Taxes than on Food, Clothing, and Housing Combined
Our annual Tax Freedom Day report finds that the nation’s Tax Freedom Day will come on April 21st this year, which is three days later than last year. The calendar measure represents how long Americans as a whole need to work in order to pay the nation’s tax burden. The report estimates that Americans will pay about $4.5 trillion dollars in taxes of all kinds in 2014, with $3 trillion going to the federal government and $1.5 trillion dollars going to state and local governments. This is approximately 30.2 percent of the nation’s income paid in taxes. In total, Americans will pay more in taxes in 2014 than on food, clothing, and shelter combined. - What They Tell You: Trump Is Restarting The Pipeline. What They Don't Tell You: It's 70 Miles From Standing Rock And Made With American Steel
If the United States is to become more energy independent, some say, then it is imperative that additional oil and gas pipeline infrastructure is built. And that includes the Keystone XL and the Dakota Access Pipelines, which is why President Donald Trump has signed executive orders to allow permitting to be streamlined. But the key question is whether presidential support can overcome the economics of the Keystone project, as well as the fierce environmental opposition to it and the Dakota line. While the president has the power the microphone, he does not have the power of a monarch. The lines still need the approval of the states they'll operate in. - MAINSTREAM MEDIA IS OVER! Look What Trump Just Installed in The Back of The Press Room!
The media’s WAR on Trump continues but he is fighting back! Trump’s Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, just announced the installation of their SECRET WEAPON that will take all the power away from the mainstream media! Spicer started by DESTROYING the media for their dishonest coverage of Trump. Spicer said: “I THINK THERE’S AN OVERALL FRUSTRATION WHEN YOU WHEN YOU TURN ON THE TELEVISION …YOU’RE CONTINUALLY TOLD IT’S NOT BIG ENOUGH, IT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH, YOU CAN’T WIN.” After these comments, Spicer announced their SECRET WEAPON that they installed in the press room to take away CNN’s and the FAKE NEWS media’s power! - Trump advances two energy infrastructure projects: Keystone XL and the Dakota Access pipelines… can he balance infrastructure with environmental protection, too?
On the official “Day 2” of the new administration, President Donald J. Trump continues to dismantle the legacy of his predecessor using all executive means at his disposal, fulfilling his promise to “Make America Great Again.” This morning, the president signed documents that will advance the eventual approval and construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipeline projects, both of which were stalled by President Barack Obama over the false notion of “climate change/global warming.” - A Horrific Ending As The World Moves One Day Closer To Armageddon
With the Dow surging above 20,000, while bonds and the dollar were weak once again, one of the greats in the business just warned that a horrific ending is coming as the world moves one day closer to Armageddon. John Embry: “Eric, I read Egon von Greyerz’s KWN interview over the weekend and it was such a tour de force that I’m not sure what I can add to what he already said. However, I agree with every word of his interview, and the fact that the vast majority of the population, including most of the rich and famous, seem oblivious to that reality and the resulting coming catastrophe, this virtually guarantees it can’t be avoided… - Halliburton reports $5.7 billion in losses
Halliburton, the world’s second largest oil field services company, reported dramatic losses Monday after a failed bid to take over rival Baker Hughes. Halliburton, based in Houston, said it lost $5.7 billion or $6.69 a share in 2016, compared to losses of $671 million in 2015, or 78 cents per share. It was the “sharpest and deepest industry decline in history”, said Dave Lesar, Halliburton Chairman and chief executive. In his 40 years in the business never had he seen such a rapid decline. A failed $28 billion merger with Houston-based oil field services firm Baker Hughes is to blame for such major losses. The event, which occurred back in May, cost Halliburton more than $4 billion dollars. - 11 bizarre home remedies our grandparents used that actually work!
To this day my grandparents are still giving me bizarre treatments for minor injuries. Just the other week I took a tumble down the stairs, and my Grandma piped up, telling me to boil an egg and rub the extremely hot breakfast item all over my extremely swollen ankle. And you now what? It worked! The swelling went down within an hour, and I felt almost as good as new by the next morning. Thanks, Gran! - New EU Energy Strategy To Create Up To 900,000 Jobs
On 30 November 2016, the European Commission officially released its “Clean Energy for All Europeans” package, also known as “Winter Package” i.e., moving the EU to meet its climate change target with numerous legislative proposals to reform the EU energy market. This legislation will have an important impact on the electricity market and the development of renewable-energy going forward. The European Commission wants the EU to be ahead on the global clean energy transition. For this reason the EU has committed to cut C02 emissions by at least 40 percent by 2030, while modernizing the EU’s economy, delivering jobs and growth for all European citizens. The legislative proposals include a new target for energy efficiency, achieving global leadership in renewable energies and proving a fair deal for consumers. - China calls for integrated Asia-Pacific
China has responded to US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) by reiterating its commitment to economic integration in the Asia-Pacific region. “China will forge ahead with the negotiation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the construction of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) so as to add new impetus to regional and global economic development,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters on Tuesday. On Monday, Trump followed through on a campaign promise he had been making for months and signed an executive order to withdraw from the TPP, which had been a cornerstone of Barack Obama’s policy to counter China’s growing global influence. - The 2017 “Davos Consensus” – More Welfare And More Warfare
“It’s a big club and you ain’t in it!” I often think of these words, spoken by the great comedian George Carlin, when I read about the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Every year, global elites descend on Davos to discuss the big issues of the day in a Bilderberg-like conclave. This year, George Soros was there. So was Bill Gates. The most important world leaders go. As do CEOs of the world’s largest companies, mainstream media bigwigs, and prominent academics. Central bankers attend, too. In short, it’s a bunch of out-of-touch, self-anointed elites meeting to hand down from above their uniformly bad “solutions” to the world’s problems. Then they pat each other on the back for all the good they’re doing. - These Are The Biggest Losers If Trade War Breaks Out Between The US And China
With China growing increasingly nervous about the prospect of a trade war with the US, the nation's official mouthpiece People's Daily warned that a trade war between China and the United States would harm both countries, reflecting concerns over Trump's stated protectionist, anti-China stance. “If a trade war developed between the two countries, both China and the U.S. would be negatively impacted,” the newspaper said in a commentary. “In the end neither side would win, it would bring harm to other countries and that harm would be brought to others without benefits to the U.S. or China.” As both China and the U.S. are major players in global supply chains and value chains, numerous countries would be gravely impacted from a trade war, the article added. - Trump To Launch “Major Investigation Into Voter Fraud”
Having stunned the media with his Monday night announcement before members of Congress during a private reception that Trump only lost the popular vote due to vote fraud, the president refused to back down the next day, when on Tuesday the White House said Trump stands by his belief that millions of people voted illegally in the U.S. election. “The president does believe that,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters. The press secretary said the president had said “3 to 5 million people could have voted illegally, based on the studies that he's seen” although he did not quote the studies. - The US dollar is now overvalued against almost every currency in the world
In September 1986, The Economist weekly newspaper published its first-ever “Big Mac Index”. It was a light-hearted way for the paper to gauge whether foreign currencies are over- or under-valued by comparing the prices of Big Macs around the world. In theory, the price of a Big Mac in Rio de Janeiro should be the same as a Big Mac in Cairo or Toronto. After all, no matter where in the world you buy one, a Big Mac generally consists of the same ingredients– two all beef patties, special sauce, etc. - How To Predict The Behavior Of Globalists: “You Have To Go To Some Ugly Places In Your Own Mind”
In my last article, ‘How Globalists Predict Your Behavior’, I outlined the primary method globalists use to measure public consent, or, public dissent. The use of macro-analytics and the hyper-monitoring of web traffic is a powerful tool at the disposal of the establishment for gauging shifts in public consciousness in real time. For example, in early 2016 the elites were entirely aware of the rise of conservative and sovereignty movements in the U.S. and Europe. In fact, the dangers of growing “populism” were all that elitists and their publications talked about for the first six months of the year. At first, this notion seemed a little odd to me. Generally, when globalists are attempting to manage public opinion, they are careful not to reveal the slightest hint that conservative movements exist beyond an “extremist fringe”. They certainly never suggest that there is a massive undercurrent of nationalism ready to topple the globalist structure. - If You Are Devastated At Trump Presidency “It Might Be A Sign That You Rely On Or Worship The State Just A Bit Too Much”
The inauguration is behind us now, but many – millions, it seems – are still immersed in fear, anguish, and grief over the reality of President Donald Trump. #NotMyPresident is still a very active hashtag on Twitter. People are already calling for impeachment, claiming Trump’s presidency is “illegitimate”. Celebrities (I refuse to mention them by name here and give them more attention) are still using their platforms to express anger, disappointment, and distress over the Trump presidency. Protests continue, and people are venting and ranting and arguing on social media. - The Demise of the Left
On several occasions I have asked in my columns the rhetorical question: What became of the left? Today I answer my question. The answer is that the European and American left, which traditionally stood for the working class and peace (bread and peace) no longer exists. The cause championed by those who pretend to be the “left” of today is identity politics. The “left” no longer champions the working class, which the “left” dismisses as “Trump deplorables,” consisting of “racist, misogynist, homophobic, gun nuts.” Instead,the “left” champions alleged victimized and marginalized groups—blacks, homosexuals, women and the transgendered. Tranny bathrooms, a cause unlikely to mobilize many Americans, are more important to the “left” than the working class - Theresa May: US and UK will no longer invade foreign countries ‘to remake the world in their own image’
Britain and the US will never again invade sovereign foreign countries “in an attempt to make the world in their own image,” Theresa May told Republican policymakers in Philadelphia. The Prime Minister vowed never to repeat the “failed policies of the past” in reference to Western military intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan, breaking from the “liberal intervention” principle established by Tony Blair. Referencing the “special relationship” between the UK and US, Ms May also stressed the importance of cooperation between the two countries to meet their “obligations of leadership” and “stand up for our interests”. - Elites Eying The Exits Signals America's Crisis
The Institute for New Economic Thinking's President Rob Johnson was interviewed by the New Yorker on hedge-fund managers and the market for air strips in New Zealand… Interviewed as part of an extraordinary New Yorker investigation into growing anxiety among America’s corporate elite over the potential for anarchic social collapse, Institute President Robert Johnson saw his peers’ talk of bolt-holes in New Zealand as reflecting a deeper crisis. Johnson told writer Evan Osnos of the mounting anxiety he had encountered among hedge-fund managers and other wealthy Americans he knew. - How Much Longer Can The Market Go Without A Correction
With the recent performance of the S&P, in which there has not been even a single 1% drawdown since the election, not only is complacency raging but some traders have forgotten what it even means to experience a modest 5% correction, let alone a 20% bear market. How much longer can this go on? For the answer, we turned to a recent report by InvesTech, according to which as the table below shows, a 5% correction has occurred about once every seven months in an ongoing bull market. Ignoring that the current bull market is already more than twice the average length of past bull markets with no 20% correction since the financial crisis, the frequency of corrections has been roughly in line with historical norms. - The peso is tumbling after Mexico's president said he wouldn't meet with Trump
The peso was tumbling Thursday after Mexico's president, Enrique Peña Nieto, announced he had canceled a meeting scheduled for next week with President Donald Trump. The peso was down by 1.2% at 21.3175 per dollar as of 11:57 a.m. ET. The currency had been up by as much as 0.8% at 20.9358 per dollar at about 8:50 a.m. ET. “This morning we have informed the White House that I will not attend the meeting scheduled for next Tuesday with the @POTUS,” Peña Nieto tweeted, according to an online translation. - Trump Orders Media Blackout At Government Agencies: Bans Use Of Social Media, Bars New EPA Contracts
It wasn't just the EPA. Earlier today, we reported that the Trump administration instituted a media blackout at the Environmental Protection Agency and barred staff from awarding any new contracts or grants. Emails sent to EPA staff since President Donald Trump's inauguration on Friday and reviewed by The Associated Press, detailed the specific prohibitions banning press releases, blog updates or posts to the agency's social media accounts. On Monday, the Huffington Post reported that EPA grants had been frozen, with agency employees barred from speaking of the matter. - US State department's entire senior management team quits as Secretary Rex Tillerson takes up post
The entire senior level of management officials at the US State department has resigned – rather than serve under President Donald Trump. In the latest display of disquiet among civil servants in Washington over the new commander-in-chief, the four top senior officials at the equivalent of America's foreign ministry, announced they were standing down. The new Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, was present in the department’s offices in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington DC, when the officials resigned on Wednesday, the Washington Post reported. - Draghi Admits EU May Breakup For First Time
For the first time, the head of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, has conceded the possibility that the EU may fall apart. Draghi came out and said that any member leaving the Eurozone would need to settle its claims or debts with the bloc’s payments system before severing ties. This statement reveals the heated discussion at Davos and the rift that is beginning to spread. This statement, released on Friday, was made in a letter to two Italian lawmakers in the European Parliament. Sentiment in Italy is turning very anti-euro and this view is beginning to emerge in other Eurozone states. While they are blaming Britain, the real issue is the insane management of austerity and negative interest rates. This has created a massive depression in Europe and the unending Quantitative Easing has destroyed the European bond market. Whenever the ECB has to give up, interest rates will soar, for private buyers will not be willing to risk it all when the EU is clearly doomed. - Alex Jones' InfoWars Offered White House Credentials
Things sure are changing in the White House press corps. According to a video posted on Wednesday, radio show host Alex Jones’s website Infowars, which has been accused of being “conspiracy theory and alt-right” by much of the established media, has been offered White House press credentials. In the clip Jones explains: “Here’s the deal, I know I get White House credentials, we’ve already been offered them, we’re going to get them, but I’ve just got to spend the money to send somebody there. I want to make sure it’s even worth it. I don’t want to just sit there up there like ‘m in the media, look our people are there.’ People don’t understand this paradigm, we’re devolving in a good way, power from the federal government back to the people, back from the centralized MSM to the people, just like Trump said in his speech.” On Monday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said that four “Skype seats” would be made available to some journalists who are outside of a 50-mile radius of Washington, D.C.. It is not known when the Skype seats will be deployed during daily press briefings. - Pastor Lindsey Williams introduces Pastor David Bowen – January 26, 2017
Pastor Lindsey Williams introduces Pastor David Bowen with his regular short weekly video for readers of Pastor Williams’ weekly newsletter.
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Latest News Articles – January 26, 2017
From James Harkin (Webmaster & Editor of LindseyWilliams.net). Here is a summary of articles of interest from around the world for this week. Please LIKE the Lindsey Williams Online Facebook Page to see stories posted daily regarding the current state of the economy around the world.
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Latest News From January 20, 2017 to January 26, 2017:
- Michael Snyder: 25 Things I Think That I Think About The Future Of America
Is there hope for the future of America? Following the election of Donald Trump, such a question often evokes some extremely strong emotions from people. And even more surprising, it can turn people that are supposedly on the same side viciously against one another. Because of what I do, I spend an enormous amount of time on the Internet, and it greatly saddens me when I see people that should be working together attacking each other instead. No matter what your perspective may be, and no matter how right you think you are, the truth is that this nation is not going to have any hope for the future unless we start to learn how to love one another. - Brexit ruling: Supreme Court judges defy Government and empower Parliament
The Government will bring a Bill to Parliament to start the legal Brexit process “within days”, after the Supreme Court ruled against Theresa May's plans and decreed that MPs were entitled to vote on whether to trigger Article 50. Sources within the Conservative Party told The Independent legislation could be published by Friday and the initial stages potentially put to a vote by Tuesday or Wednesday next week. Brexit Secretary Mr Davis told the Commons: “I can announce today that we will shortly introduce legislation allowing the Government to move ahead with invoking Article 50, which starts the formal process of withdrawing the European Union.” - Employment Boom: 10 Companies That Have Promised To Add Jobs In The United States Since Trump Was Elected
One of the primary things that Trump’s presidency will be judged upon is his ability to encourage the creation of good paying jobs for American workers, and so far the results have been quite promising. Since Trump’s surprise election victory in November, a whole bunch of companies have either promised to bring jobs back into the country or have pledged to create new ones. Ultimately time will tell if those jobs actually materialize, but for the moment there is a tremendous amount of optimism in the air. In fact, I don’t know if we have ever seen anything quite like this at the beginning of a new presidency. The following are 10 companies that have promised to add jobs in the United States since the election of Donald Trump… - CDC cancels upcoming climate conference, won't say why
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has canceled a conference on climate change that was scheduled to be held next month in Atlanta, Ga. The government's top public health agency gave no official reason for the cancellation, but some involved with the conference have suggested that the cancellation may be an attempt to avoid political friction with President Trump's new administration. While there is a consensus among most scientists that humans have a leading role in climate change, Mr. Trump has called the phenomenon a hoax on more than one occasion. - Foreigners Are Dumping U.S. Debt At A Record Pace And Our $20 Trillion National Debt Is Poised To Become A Major Crisis
While most of the country has been focused on the inauguration of Donald Trump, a very real crisis has been brewing behind the scenes. Foreigners are dumping U.S. debt at a faster rate than we have ever seen before, and U.S. Treasury yields have been rising. This is potentially a massive problem, because our entire debt-fueled standard of living is dependent on foreigners lending us gigantic mountains of money at ultra-low interest rates. If the average rate of interest on U.S. government debt just got back to 5 percent, which would still be below the long-term average, we would be paying out about a trillion dollars a year just in interest on the national debt. If foreigners keep dumping our debt and if Treasury yields keep climbing, a major financial implosion of historic proportions is absolutely guaranteed within the next four years. - RIP TPP: ‘Obama kept Americans in dark on major trade deal'
We don’t know a lot about it, but Obama pushed it as “the most progressive trade deal in US history,” publisher of Trends Journal Gerald Celente told RT. RT America's Ed Shultz, and Jack Rasmus, Professor of Political Economy, also provided comments. US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. TPP is a free trade agreement between America and the Asia Pacific region. It was due to cover 800 million people and encompass 40 percent of the global economy. However, the proposed agreement, much of which was negotiated in secret behind closed doors, was met with tremendous public resistance in several countries. - Clinton Charity is Massive Global Swamp
Wall Street financial analyst Charles Ortel has applied the same research skills he does to see if a company has sound solvent accounting to the Clinton charity machine. Ortel has called the Clintons the “Bonnie and Clyde” of charity fraud. What does Ortel say now that the Clintons are shutting down there so-called global charity? Ortel contends, “The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) was a fraud from the very beginning. It started in September of 2005 as an interesting idea that you would convene around the time of the U.N. General Assembly in New York. You would convene world leaders, former government officials, investors, corporate officers and members of the media in closed sessions where you would talk about high sounding topics, and noble people would stand up on stage and say how much good they were going to do under the guise of charity. The trouble with that is . . . the CGI was an activity so distinct and so different than the main authorized activity of being a library and being a presidential archive based in Little Rock that it should have sought approval from the IRS . . . and it never did that.” - Keystone XL Still Faces Obstacles Even With Trump’s Approval
President Donald Trump moved to fulfill one of his campaign promises on Tuesday, signing an executive order to revive the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines. The former had been rejected outright by the Obama administration while the latter had been given an indefinite delay. The industry hailed the executive order, but just because President Trump wants to see the pipeline built does not mean TransCanada will move to break ground anytime soon. There are a number of uncertainties that could prevent construction from progressing. - Why Trump Will Be Blamed For Coming Economic Collapse!
Long before Wikileaks let the cat out of the bag about the level of corruption and the amount of collusion between the highest levels of the mainstream media and the Democrat party, earlier in the year a poll revealed that only six percent of Americans said they had “a great deal of confidence” in the mainstream media. What percentage have confidence now? Zero? After the election, the mainstream media had a choice to make. They could either recognize that the American people were tired of being lied to by both a dishonest media and corrupt Washington politicians, or they could double down on their lies and deceit. Sadly, they chose the latter. - Henry Kissinger advice to President Trump – Davos 2017 – A Conversation with Henry Kissinger on the World in 2017.
Henry Kissinger advice to President Trump – Davos 2017 – A Conversation with Henry Kissinger on the World in 2017. - Trump Signs Executive Orders To “Begin Immediate Construction Of Border Wall”, Immigration Enforcement
President Trump on Wednesday signed directives to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico and crack down on U.S. cities that shield illegal immigrants, proceeding quickly on sweeping and divisive plans to curb immigration and boost national security. As Reuters summarized, the Republican president is also expected to take steps in the coming days to limit legal immigration, including executive orders restricting refugees and blocking the issuing of visas to people from several Muslim-majority Middle Eastern and North African countries including Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran, Libya and Yemen. - Bill introduced to remove US from United Nations
A proposed House Resolution would set the stage for the United States to remove itself from the United Nations. The proposed “American Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2017” is sponsored by Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL). It was introduced in the House on Jan. 3 and referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, according to the Congress website. The bill proposes that the United States terminate its membership in the UN, that the UN removes its headquarters from the US, and that the US stops participating in the World Health Organization. Should it pass, the act would take effect two years after it is signed. - China’s Newest Problem With Fakes Threatens Bond Market Pain
Forged seals, fake letters, and counterfeit documents. They’re all part of China’s recent spate of fraud coming to light in the country’s $3 trillion corporate debt market amid a rout that has analysts predicting a record number of defaults in 2017. As it becomes harder for Chinese companies to issue new notes to repay maturing debt, expect more scandals to come — and to worsen the bond market’s already-precipitous downturn. - Trump Formally Invokes U.S. WITHDRAWAL from the Trans-Pacific Partnership – Then Declares Re-Negotiation of NAFTA!
Less than one day after being sworn-in as President, Donald Trump has formally invoked the withdrawal by the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and has also formally invoked Renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a trade pact championed by former President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. - Hours After The Inauguration, The Surprising Truth About Mike Pence Is Exposed
It’s fair to say that until recently, most Americans had never heard of “Mike Pence.” But ironically, this relatively unknown man will soon take the second-highest office in the country. Today he’s mostly known for being President-Elect Donald Trump’s sidekick, but truth be told, there’s a side of Mike Pence that many haven’t seen. When I learned more about Mike Pence, my respect and admiration for America’s Vice President-Elect only grew all the more. - Dow Jones finishes above 20,000 milestone for first time
Wall Street stock markets hit a fresh record on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average ending above 20,000 points for the first time. The S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq also achieved new highs, fuelled by hopes that President Donald Trump's policies will boost the US economy. The Dow, which has nudged the 20,000 milestone during January, rose 0.8% to 20,068.51. Investors' cash has poured into shares on hopes of tax cuts and higher growth. - Donald Trump's entire CIA speech
President Donald Trump gave remarks at CIA headquarters a day after being sworn-in as the 45th president. - As Its Housing Bubble Pops, Chinese Real Estate Firms Halt Monthly Pricing Data
That didn't take long. Earlier this week we reported that after 19 straight months of continued acceleration in home prices, China's latest housing bubble may have finally burst (again) after December prices in the 70 cities tracked by the NBS, rose by 12.7%, below the 12.9% annual growth rate in the previous month – the first annual decline in nearly 2 years. - Asian Media Warns Of Conflict, Economic Turmoil Under “Trump World Order”
Following German media's outcry that “the demons have been unchained”, Asian media decried President Trump's isolationist policies, fearing they will chill the global economy and sow widespread international discord, as “the reality show has become reality,” warning the world was now in “unpredictable territory… spreading unease, division, and conflict throughout the world.” While perhaps not as entirely hysterical as German media's ‘opinion'… - Billionaire George Soros has ties to more than 50 ‘partners’ of the Women’s March on Washington
In the pre-dawn darkness of today’s presidential inauguration day, I faced a choice, as a lifelong liberal feminist who voted for Donald Trump for president: lace up my pink Nike sneakers to step forward and take the DC Metro into the nation’s capital for the inauguration of America’s new president, or wait and go tomorrow to the after-party, dubbed the “Women’s March on Washington”? The Guardian has touted the “Women’s March on Washington” as a “spontaneous” action for women’s rights. Another liberal media outlet, Vox, talks about the “huge, spontaneous groundswell” behind the march. On its website, organizers of the march are promoting their work as “a grassroots effort” with “independent” organizers. Even my local yoga studio, Beloved Yoga, is renting a bus and offering seats for $35. The march’s manifesto says magnificently, “The Rise of the Woman = The Rise of the Nation.” - Trump Fires Up Europe's Anti-Establishment Movement
Inspired by the inauguration of U.S. President Donald J. Trump, the leaders of Europe's main anti-establishment parties have held a pan-European rally aimed at coordinating a political strategy to mobilize potentially millions of disillusioned voters in upcoming elections in Germany, the Netherlands and France. Appearing together in public for the first time, Marine Le Pen, leader of the French National Front, Frauke Petry, leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch Party for Freedom (PVV), Matteo Salvini, leader of Italy's Northern League and Harald Vilimsky of Austria's Freedom Party gathered on January 21 at a rally in Koblenz, Germany, where they called on European voters to participate in a “patriotic spring” to topple the European Union, reassert national sovereignty and secure national borders. - Trump may not enforce individual health insurance mandate: aide
The Trump administration may no longer enforce a rule requiring individual Americans to carry health insurance or pay a penalty if they do not, a senior White House official said on Sunday Speaking on ABC's “This Week” program, Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, said President Donald Trump “may stop enforcing the individual mandate.” Separately, on CBS' “Face the Nation” show, she reiterated Republican promises that no one would lose their health insurance under Obamacare while a replacement is being developed. “For the 20 million who rely upon the Affordable Care Act in some form, they will not be without coverage during this transition time,” she said. - The Collapse Of The Left's Great Con
The Left is not just in disarray- – it is in complete collapse because the working class has awakened to the Left's betrayal and abandonment of the working class in favor of building personal wealth and power. The source of the angry angst rippling through the Democratic Party's progressive camp is not President Trump–it's the complete collapse of the Left globally. To understand this collapse, we turn (once again) to Marx's profound understanding of the state and capitalism. We turn not to the cultural Marxism that is passingly familiar to Americans, but to Marx's core economic analysis, which as Sartre noted, is only taught to discredit it. - Hawaiians call Mark Zuckerberg ‘the face of neocolonialism' over land lawsuits
A few days after Christmas, Mark Zuckerberg shared a series of photographs of his family at their $100m, 700-acre property in Kauai. The Facebook CEO and his wife “fell in love with the community and the cloudy green mountains”, he wrote, and decided to “plant roots and join the community ourselves”. Two days later, Zuckerberg’s lawyers filed lawsuits against hundreds of Hawaiians who may own an interest in small parcels within the boundaries of Zuckerberg’s estate. The “quiet title” suits, first reported by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, are used to clarify the often complicated history of land ownership in Hawaii and can result in owners being forced to sell their land at auction. In some cases, defendants are even required to pay the legal fees of the plaintiff – in this case, the world’s fifth richest man. - Anti-Vaxxer Biologist Stefan Lanka Bets Over $100K Measles Isn’t A Virus; He Wins In German Federal Supreme Court
By prophylactic vaccination of adults and especially children against measles, the pharmaceutical industry has earned Billions over a 40-year period. The judges at the German Federal Supreme Court (BGH) confirmed in a recent ruling that measles virus do not exist though. Furthermore: There is not a single scientific study in the world which could prove the existence of such virus so far. This raises the question of what was actually injected into millions of German citizens over the past decades. According to the judgment by the Supreme Court, it may not have been a vaccine against measles. - It's Official: Clinton's Popular Vote Win Came Entirely From California
Democrats who are having trouble getting out of the first stage of grief — denial — aren't being helped by the fact that, now that all the votes are counted, Hillary Clinton's lead in the popular vote has topped 2.8 million, giving her a 48% share of the vote compared with Trumps 46%. To those unschooled in how the United States selects presidents, this seems totally unfair. But look more closely at the numbers and you see that Clinton's advantage all but disappears. As we noted in this space earlier, while Clinton's overall margin looks large and impressive, it is due to Clinton's huge margin of victory in one state — California — where she got a whopping 4.3 million more votes than Trump. - Is the EU's TTIP now under threat? Donald Trump scraps controversial TPP trade deal
DONALD Trump has withdrawn the USA from the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement just days after coming into power – leaving Eurocrats fearing TTIP could be next. In an Oval Office ceremony, Mr Trump called the order a “great thing for the American worker.” The move will now raise fears in Brussels the TTIP deal, promoting cross-Atlantic trade with the EU, could also be under threat. The TPP agreement was a huge part of former president Barack Obama’s eight-year term, with the long-negotiated deal covering 40 per cent of the world economy. - Trump withdraws from Trans-Pacific Partnership amid flurry of orders
Donald Trump has begun his effort to dismantle Barack Obama’s legacy, formally scrapping a flagship trade deal with 11 countries in the Pacific rim. The new president also signed executive orders to ban funding for international groups that provide abortions, and placing a hiring freeze on non-military federal workers. Trump’s decision not to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) came as little surprise. During his election campaign he railed against international trade deals, blaming them for job losses and focusing anger in the industrial heartland. Obama had argued that this deal would provide an effective counterweight to China in the region. - Trump plan calls for nationwide concealed carry and an end to gun bans
Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump — who said he has a concealed carry permit — called for the expansion of gun rights Friday, including making those permits applicable nationwide. In a position paper published on his website Friday afternoon, Trump called for the elimination of gun and magazine bans, labeling them a “total failure.” “Law-abiding people should be allowed to own the firearm of their choice. The government has no business dictating what types of firearms good, honest people are allowed to own,” Trump wrote. - Trump And A New Gold-Backed Dollar
On August 15, 1971, President Nixon killed the last remnants of the gold standard. Since then, the dollar has been a pure fiat currency, allowing the Fed to print as many dollars as it pleases. Removing the US dollar’s last link to gold eliminated the main motivation for foreign countries to store large dollar reserves and to use the dollar for international trade. At this point, demand for dollars was set to fall… along with the dollar’s purchasing power. So the US government concocted a new arrangement to give foreign countries another compelling reason to hold and use the dollar. - Pope warns against Hitler-like leaders coming to power on wave of populism
Pope Francis warned against populist leaders, saying that Germany came to elect one in 1933, and ended up with Adolf Hitler as its dictator. “Crises provoke fear, alarm. In my opinion, the most common example of European populism is Germany in 1933… A people that was immersed in a crisis, that looked for its identity until this charismatic leader came and promised to give their identity back, and he gave them a distorted identity, and we all know what happened,” he said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Pais. “Hitler did not steal power,” the Pope said. “He was elected by his people and then he destroyed his people.” - Minimum Wage Hikes Will Help Amazon Kill Millions Of Traditional Sales Jobs Sooner Than Later
In a few years, local communities in America will be totally different places. There will be very few iconic retail chain stores, or sales people behind counters and on the shopping floor. Automated Amazon Go stores and remote warehouses will replace most local retail stores, killing millions of sales jobs, and bring further losses to investors in these icons. And making this transformation happen sooner rather than later? Minimum wage hikes. For years, American retail icons like Macy’s, JCP, and Wal-Mart colored the lives of local communities, providing sales jobs for millions of people. Then came on-line retailer Amazon to crush these icons, as evidenced by their sluggish sales, falling margins, and equity price performance. - Canadian Urban Farmer Grows 50,000 Lbs Of Food On Less Than 1 Acre Of Land
“What if I told you that there was a way you could live off the land, farm commercially, be a direct solution to food security, economic inequality, and environmental degradation, build community ties and social capital, and make a living out of it?”, says urban farmer Curtis Stone, CEO of Green City Acres. Green City Acres grows vegetables on donated plots of land throughout Kelowna, B.C., and transports them to consumers using only bicycles and custom-built trailers. In 2012, they grew over 50,000 lbs of food on less than 1 acre of land, using organic methods and only 80 litres of gasoline (used to run a rototiller). - A Major Prophetic Sign Appeared The Moment Donald Trump Stepped To The Inauguration Platform
It was one of those magical moments that you will never forget. The inauguration of Donald Trump was being watched live by tens of millions of people all over the world, and it was at that precise moment that God gave all of us another little reminder that He is in control. It had not been raining prior to the time that Trump stepped up to the Inauguration platform, but when he did, the rain began to fall. Considering everything else that was going on at the time, it would have been really easy to miss that little detail, but fortunately there was someone there that perfectly understood what was happening. - The Rise Of Satanism
Interest in Satan and Satanism has experienced a tremendous resurgence in recent years. At one time, Satanists were generally feared and shunned by society, but now Satanism is steadily being accepted into mainstream culture. Up until recently, the Church of Satan that was founded by Anton LaVey in 1966 was the most prominent Satanic organization in the world, but now it is rapidly being overtaken by a relatively new group known as the Satanic Temple. It is headquartered in Salem, Massachusetts and was founded in 2013 to combat the influence of evangelical Christianity in politics. It has grown explosively over the past several years, and at this point the organization’s leadership claims that it has a global membership of somewhere around 100,000. - It’s Finally Morning Again In America, And A New Day For Our Country Starts NOW
For the first time in decades, it feels like morning in America again. I was quite young when Ronald Reagan was president, and I only have vague memories from those days. But I do remember the extraordinary optimism that his leadership inspired, and my hope is that Donald Trump’s leadership will be just as inspirational. For such a very long time, it has seemed as though a giant dark cloud has been hanging over America, but now a new day is starting. If Donald Trump can be president of the United States, it seems like just about anything can be possible. And even though our nation is facing incredibly serious challenges, could it be possible that we can find a way to turn things around if we all work together? - The End Of The Obama World Order
For the past eight years, Barack Obama has been using the power of the U.S. presidency to impose his vision of a progressive world order on the entire globe. As a result, much of the planet will greatly celebrate once the Obama era officially ends on Friday. The Obama years brought us the Arab Spring, Benghazi, ISIS, civil war in Syria, civil war in Ukraine and the Iran nuclear deal. On the home front, we have had to deal with Obamacare, “Fast and Furious”, IRS targeting of conservative groups, Solyndra, the VA scandal, NSA spying and the worst “economic recovery” since the end of World War II. And right at the end of his presidency, Barack Obama has committed the greatest betrayal of Israel in U.S. history and has brought us dangerously close to war with Russia. So is the end of the Obama world order worth celebrating? You better believe it is. - The changes Donald Trump has already made since he was sworn in as President
President Donald Trump promised a lot would happen on “day one” during his election campaign – although he later clarified he meant on his first Monday in office, rather than today. Apparently keen to get down to business, the billionaire tycoon went to the Oval Office immediately after yesterday’s swearing-in ceremony but before the inauguration ball. The first order he signed related to Obamacare – which he has pledged to repeal. The President signed an order to federal departments to “minimise the economic impact” of the Affordable Care Act, which grants health insurance to all Americans. - What Trump Could Do
Today Donald Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States. American voters rejected the devil they know so well — Hillary Clinton — for the devil they don’t. Why they did so, and how Trump prevailed, is the biggest political story of our age. But the rejection of progressive hubris, what Friedrich Hayek called the “fatal conceit” of those who would presume to plan our lives, is at the heart of that story. The Left views Trump’s election as an absolute calamity, despite his support for unions and protectionist trade policies, despite his identity as a New York elite rather than some despised red state politician, and despite his ambivalence toward the social issues that animate Christian conservatives. One would think Democrats would be relieved not to suffer an ideologue like Santorum or Cruz in the White House. Yet their hysteria and lack of self-awareness prompt them to attack the Electoral College, of all things. - How Deutsche Bank Made a $462 Million Loss Disappear
On Dec. 1, 2008, most of the world’s banks were still panicking through the financial crisis. Lehman Brothers had collapsed. Merrill Lynch had been sold. Citigroup and others had required multibillion-dollar bailouts to survive. But not every institution appeared to be in free fall. That afternoon, at the London outpost of Deutsche Bank, the stolid-seeming, €2 trillion German powerhouse, a group of financiers met to consider a proposal from a team led by a trim, 40-year-old banker named Michele Faissola. The scion of an Italian banking family, Faissola was the head of Deutsche’s global rates unit, a division that created and sold financial instruments tied to interest rates. He’d been studying the problems of one of Deutsche’s clients, Italy’s Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, which, as the crisis raged, was down €367 million ($462 million at the time) on a single investment. Losing that much money was bad; having to include it in the bank’s yearend report to the public, as required by Italian law, was arguably much worse. Monte dei Paschi was the world’s oldest bank. It had been operating since 1472, not long after the invention of the printing press, when the Black Death was still a living memory. If investors were to find out the extent of its losses in the 2008 credit crisis, the consequences would be unpredictable and grave: a run on the bank, a government takeover, or worse. At the Deutsche meeting, Faissola’s team said it had come up with a miraculous solution: a new trade that would make Paschi’s loss disappear. - Biden Announces 2020 Presidential Run: “We Have No Freakin' Idea What Trump's Gonna Do”
In the sappiest of sappy interviews, outgoing vice president Joe Biden looks back, and forward. ‘I Wish to Hell I’d Just Kept Saying the Exact Same Thing’ says Biden in a New York Times interview. The title is cryptic but it pertains to a speech Biden gave in July that he wishes he repeated more often instead of attacking Trump. - China Housing Bubble Finally Pops: First Slowdown After 19 Months Of Acceleration
After several months of slowing price growth across China's housing market, if mostly in the lower-tiered cities, China's National Bureau of Statistics reported that average mothly property prices growth in December continued to slow from November across the 70 cities tracked by the NBS, and this time impacted even the formerly untouchable, “Tier 1” cities. Housing prices in the primary market increased 0.4% month-over-month after seasonal adjustment (weighted by population) in December, lower than the growth rate in November. Out of 70 cities monitored, 61 saw housing prices increase in December from the previous month, the same number as November. - China Central Bank Injects A Record 1.035 Trillion In Bank Liquidity This Week
Heading into the Chinese Lunar New Year, local banks are suddenly starved for liquidity like never before. On Tuesday China’s benchmark money-market rate jumped the most in two years, with unprecedented cash injections by the central bank being overwhelmed by demand before the Lunar New Year holidays. Demand for cash in China tends to increase before the Lunar New Year holidays, when households withdraw money to pay for gifts and get-togethers. Month-end corporate tax payments are adding to the pressure this time, with the break running from Jan. 27 through Feb. 2. At that point the PBOC usually steps in with liquidity “injections” in the form of reverse repos. However, what it has done this year is literally off the charts. - Chinese Province Admits It Fabricated Economic Data For Three Years
While it will hardly come as a surprise to China watchers who have for years mocked China's cooked “data”, overnight the state-run People's Daily reported that the severely impacted by the commodity crunch of the past 2 years rust-belt province of Liaoning fabricated fiscal numbers from 2011 to 2014, raising fresh doubts about the accuracy of China’s economic data just two days ahead of the release of China's GDP report. City and county governments in the northwestern region committed fiscal data fraud in the period, Governor Chen Qiufa said at a meeting with provincial lawmakers Tuesday, Bloomberg adds. Not surprisingly, the fabricated economic data was meant to show a state of economic strenght with fiscal revenues inflated by at least 20%, and some other economic data were also false, the paper said, without specifying categories. - Oxfam's Hypocrisy on Private Wealth
Earlier this week, the Oxfam organization published a “report” about global inequality. It’s not really a report, since most of it consists of babble-economics with little empirical foundation, and the hard data that it includes comes from an external source: the Credit Suisse Report. In any case, this data indicates that there is a lot of poverty in the world, whereas in some other places there is relatively much more wealth. This has led to loudly shouted statements in the media of how 8 people in the world have more wealth than half of the world population combined. - Inequality Doesn't Create Poverty
Oxfam, the leftwing NGO devoted to poverty relief has released a new report blaming poverty in wealth inequality. In other words, its central claim is that the existence of very wealthy people creates poverty. The report is largely just an extended op-ed that asserts that the existence of some very wealthy people is the cause of poverty in the world. Notable buzzwords and phrases include “trickle down,” “obscene levels of inequality,” and “neoliberalism.” The “solution” to the alleged problem, which should surprise no one, is a list of taxes that should be either introduced or raised significantly, including higher income taxes, “a tax on financial transactions,” a “global wealth tax,” and a so-called “anonymous wealth tax.” - Chinese foreign investments hit record high in 2016
China’s foreign direct investments last year hit a record $189 billion dollars, a report released this week showed. According to the study done by the German Mercatur Institute for China Studies (MERICS) and Rhodium Group, China’s investments abroad rose an overall 40 per cent, with money going to the European Union amounting to $37.1 billion – 77 per cent more than in 2015. Chinese investors looked to pour funds towards acquiring advanced manufacturing equipment and technology. - Trump Deficits Will Be Huge
There is much we don't know about how the Trump presidency will play out. Will the Wall get built? Who will pay for it? Will it have at least some fencing? Will repeal and replace happen at exactly the same time? Will Trump throw a ceremonial switch? Will there be a Trump National Golf Course in Sochi? It's anyone's guess. But of one thing we can be fairly certain. President Trump is very likely to preside over the largest expansion of Federal budget deficits in our history. Trump has built his companies with debt and I'm sure he thinks he can do the same with the country. His annual budget deficits are likely going to be huge. This development will make a greater impact on the investment landscape than most on Wall Street can imagine. In the past half-century, Republican presidents have been the going away winners at the deficit derby, a fact that should make any true conservative blush. The sad truth is that annual deficits exploded under Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, and generally contracted under Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Some of the explanation is just luck of the draw, some walked into office in the midst of recessions they didn't create. But the better part of the explanation is baked into the political dynamics. - Pension Funds Need Gold before It’s Too Late
Tens of millions of Americans and their employers pour money into pension plans each month, counting on those funds to grow and to be there when needed at retirement. But a time bomb awaits. The bulk of U.S. pension funds are dangerously underfunded, and the assets are often invested in securities that have bleak prospects for providing income that keeps up with a general decline in purchasing power. A pension plan requires an employer to make contributions into a pool of funds set aside for a worker’s future benefit. In 1875, when the American Express Company established the first private pension plan in the United States, the face of retirement was fundamentally changed. Before that time, private-sector pension plans did not exist, as most employers were small “mom-and-pop” businesses. - US Financial Markets – Alarm Bells are Ringing
When discussing the outlook for so-called “risk assets”, i.e., mainly stocks and corporate bonds (particularly low-grade bonds) and their counterparts on the “safe haven” end of the spectrum (such as gold and government bonds with strong ratings), one has to consider different time frames and the indicators applicable to these time frames. Since Donald Trump’s election victory, there have been sizable moves in stocks, gold and treasury bonds, as the election result has strongly boosted certain market expectations. - Red Flags Over Goldman Sachs
Just to prove that I am an even-handed insulter, here is a rant about my former employer, Goldman Sachs. The scandal at 1MDB, the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund from which it appears that billions were stolen by politicians all the way up to the Prime Minister, continues to unfold. - Xi: Global growth requires cooperation, joint governance
Don’t pursue your own interests at the expense of others, Chinese President Xi Jinping told world leaders and delegates at the Davos World Economic Forum on Tuesday in staunch support of multilateralism and globalization. Xi’s participation at Davos is the first such visit by a Chinese head of state. The Chinese president emphasized that globalization should not be blamed for the lackluster performance of the global economy. - Hope That Trump Will Be the Peace President That Obama Was Not
With Donald Trump set to become president tomorrow, many proponents of the US government refraining from intervening in other countries have their fingers crossed, hoping that a Trump administration will bring an improved US foreign policy. In particular, there is hope that Trump’s statements that he wants the US and Russia to have friendlier relations will mean the Trump administration will work to reverse the much increased tensions of the last few years between the nations — tensions characterized by harsh words, sanctions, and military deployments. - Gerald Celente – Even Trump Said This Grand Experiment Will End Badly
Today the top trends forecaster in the world spoke with King World News about 2017 and why even Trump said the Grand Experiment will end badly. Eric King: “Gerald, you are keenly aware of the massive debt levels and the market bubbles, how do you square that with a positive future for the United States going forward when we are in the midst of the greatest monetary experiment in history that you and I both know is destined to end badly?” Gerald Celente: “Even Trump said it would end badly. He kept saying that during his campaign. And there may be a sharp downturn in the stock market. There’s no question about it. However, when you look at what’s going on in the rest of the world, the United States is in much better shape. But we are talking about a global slowdown. So just because the United States may do better, that doesn’t mean the rest of the world will. - Obama's Wasted, Deadly, and Destructive Presidency
Eight years ago, President Obama’s administration started with hope and change. Eight years later, we end up with a legacy of nothing but waste, death, and destruction. Libertarians never had any hope, of course, that Barack Obama would dismantle any aspect of the welfare state. As a died-in-the-wool liberal, his commitment to socialism, regulation, and economic interventionism is unwavering. When, for example, he addressed the healthcare crisis brought on my Medicare, Medicaid, regulation, and interventionism by foisting Obamacare onto the American people, we libertarians were not surprised. Where libertarians (and lots of liberals) had hope was that Obama would change the direction that the George W. Bush administration had set for America with respect to foreign policy and civil liberties. - Dimon Says Euro Zone May Not Survive If Concerns Are Ignored
The euro region could break up if political leaders don’t get to grips with the discontent that’s spurring support for populist leaders across the continent, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon said. Dimon said he had hoped European Union leaders would examine what caused the U.K. to vote to leave and then make changes. That hasn’t happened, and if nationalist politicians including France’s Marine Le Pen rise to power in elections across the region “the euro zone may not survive,” Dimon, 60, said in a Bloomberg Television interview with John Micklethwait. - Physical Will Trump Paper Gold
Gold rose 8.5% for the year while gold-mining stocks (XAU – Philadelphia Gold and Silver Index stocks) rose 75%. On an annual basis, results were highly satisfactory. However, there was considerable drama beneath the surface that left precious metals investors in a state of anxiety by year-end. Precious metals and mining shares rose sharply through August, and then spent the rest of the year giving back much of the first-half gains. The second half downtrend accelerated into early December, following the unexpected victory by Trump and a hawkish statement after the December Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting. - Keiser Report: Health Care Plan for Trump Voters
We discuss the health care plan that Trump voters really want… and it’s not the one the Republicans in Congress plan on delivering. In the second half, Max interviews Obi Egbuna, the first US Correspondent to the Herald – Zimbabwe’s National Newspaper – and Co- Executive Producer of the BattleCry For Cuba and Zimbabwe. They discuss the embargo on Cuba and the sanctions on Zimbabwe and why he’s calling for a complete end to them. - Here's how much debt the US government added under President Obama
As part of the broader economic legacy of President Barack Obama, from jobs to the stock market, one of the most notable changes has been the increase in the national debt. Based on quarterly data released by the US Treasury, the debt at the end of 2008 — just before Obama took office — stood at roughly $10,699,805,000,000. As of the third quarter of 2016, the most recent data available, the debt as Obama is set to leave office stood at $19,573,445,000,000. Based on the website USdebtclock.com, which extrapolates the US national debt in real time based on committed government spending, the debt will be roughly $19.97 trillion when President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Friday. - Will Our Grandchildren Wonder Why We Didn’t Build a Renewable Power Grid When It Was Still Affordable?
Anyone seeking clarity on the energy picture a decade or two out is to be forgiven for finding a thoroughly confusing divide. On the one hand, we have reassuring projections from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) that assume current production of fossil fuels will remain steady for decades to come. Coal will continue to decline as a share of total energy consumption, and renewables will rise modestly. In other words, everything’s hunky-dory, there’s nothing to worry about. - Donald Trump’s full inauguration speech transcript, annotated
The president of the United States is now Donald Trump, who just took the oath of office and, shortly thereafter, delivered his inaugural address. - Donald Trump’s inaugural address: Full text as prepared for delivery
Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, fellow Americans, and people of the world: thank you. We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and to restore its promise for all of our people. Together, we will determine the course of America and the world for years to come. We will face challenges. We will confront hardships. But we will get the job done. Every four years, we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer of power, and we are grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid throughout this transition. They have been magnificent. - Donald Trump Inauguration: A Day of Ceremony, Protests and Celebration
President Trump’s era on the government web began almost immediately with the wiping out of Obama-era initiatives and a new brand of policy pronouncement. But two sides can play that game. As Mr. Trump dined with dignitaries and members of Congress in the Capitol, the police skirmished with protesters, hurling flash-bang grenades to drive them from the inauguration parade route. Hillary Clinton, who won the popular vote by nearly three million but lost the presidency, was on hand for her former rival’s swearing-in at the Capitol. - Stock Market Genius Gives Market Predictions For 2017
How should people know they cannot trust the U.S. mainstream media when it comes to giving accurate information about the dire state of the U.S. economy? For starters, look at how dishonest the media was while covering the U.S. presidential election, and everything having to do with politics since. Next, consider the fact that one of nation’s highest end retailers, Nordstrom’s, sold out nationally this past Christmas on one of their red hot new items: An $85 Pet Rock that came with matching leather pants. Americans were so clueless about the actual state of the economy, they caused a national retailer to sell out of “pet rocks.” Is there any better way to demonstrate a total lack of valuable information? - End of 2017 Gold Up & Dollar Down
Best-selling author Nomi Prins says two of the big wild cards are Donald Trump and Europe. Prins explains, “The biggest wild card is a combination. Trump is a wild card, but so is Europe. Right now, the political lens goes over to Europe. It’s caught between its old and potentially new structure and potential new political leadership. I think that is a major wild card now. That snakes through Russia, and that snakes through Eurasia relationships, and that relates back to Trump. The wild card is the linkages among those things.” Prins, who is a former top Wall Street banker, also thinks it’s hard to define the bad guys and the good guys. Prins contends, “From an economic standpoint, everyone has side deals. So, there is no positive or negative economy. . . . All countries do good things, and all countries do bad things. What is happening right now is all of the alignments between countries have been changing. . . . The reality is there are going to be a lot of things renegotiated, and it’s not just Trump and the U.S. doing the renegotiating. All the other countries are negotiating as well. If there is enough antagonism with how Trump is going to renegotiate those agreements . . . that could limit trade into the U.S., and that could limit our bargaining power. . . . That is all in flux this year.” - Theresa May To Call For “Clean And Hard Brexit” As UK Warns Of “Market Correction”
While the track record of the Sunday Times over the past 24 hours is somewhat spotty, following a report that as his foreign trip abroad once officially president, Trump is planning a summit with Putin in Reykjavik, which in turn was promptly denied by Trump staffers who called the story “fantasy”, overnight the paper also reported that UK Prime Minister Theresa May will announce that Britain is “seeking a clean and hard Brexit” in a speech this week that will promise to create a “strong new partnership” with the European Union. The paper further notes that in the speech, scheduled for Tuesday, the PM will “finally lay her cards on the table”, making clear that the UK is set to pull out of the single market and the European customs union in return for the ability to curb immigration, strike commercial deals with other countries, and escape the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, the Sunday Times said without saying how it obtained the information. - GEORGE SOROS: Trump is a con man and he will fail
Billionaire hedge fund manager George Soros on Thursday reiterated his belief that President-elect Donald Trump is “an imposter and con man and a would-be dictator.” Soros, 86, said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that he is convinced the president-elect will fail. “He stands for that other form of government, which is the opposite of an open society,” said Soros, who is a Holocaust survivor and Hungarian immigrant. “It's really better described as a dictatorship or a mafia state.” Soros said Trump “would be a dictator if he could get away with it,” but that US institutions are strong enough to prevent that scenario. He also said the ideas that guide Trump are “inherently self-contradictory” and that those contradictions are “embodied by his advisers.” - Why Is Obama Moving Troops Into Poland And Provoking A War With Russia Right Before The Inauguration?
January 20th cannot come soon enough. Instead of stepping back and trying to ensure a smooth transition for Donald Trump, Barack Obama has decided to go hog wild and use every ounce of presidential power still available to him. He has been establishing a bunch of new national monuments, he just stabbed Israel in the back at the United Nations, and on Thursday he even took time to give Joe Biden a Presidential Medal of Freedom. But one of the things that has people the most concerned is his endless provoking of Russia. Every few days it seems like Obama is doing something else to aggravate Russia, and if he wasn’t leaving office in about a week I am sure that the mainstream media would be full of speculation about a possible war. Lame duck presidents are not supposed to make risky moves like this once a new president has been elected. On Thursday, we learned that U.S. troops have been permanently deployed to Poland for the very first time… - Alibaba'a Jack Ma Drops a Redpill in Davos: The U.S. Wasted $14 Trillion on Wars Over the Past 30 Years
And there it is, the unvarnished, raw, truth about how everything went wrong for middle class America. Since the Vietnam war, more than 45 years ago, the US has embarked on a neocon strategy of war in an effort to build a global empire. The result of that strategy has left American infrastructure second rate, its school system in shambles, and its healthcare system a complete and utter joke. Just imagine what America could've done with $14t of investable dollars, instead of waging wars. Aside from the wars, America spends more than 50% of its discretionary budget on the military, per annum, 16% of its overall budget. - Why Has The White House Suddenly Released A Strategy For Dealing With The Threat Of A Catastrophic Meteor Impact?
Does the White House know something that the rest of us do not? As the Obama administration draws to a close, the White House has suddenly released a major document that details a multi-pronged strategy for dealing with the threat of a catastrophic meteor impact. Most of us remember movies such as “Deep Impact” and “Armageddon” that attempted to depict what such a crisis would look like, but up until fairly recently the U.S. government has never seemed to take this kind of threat very seriously. So what has changed? Of all the things that the White House could be focusing on, why this? - Pastor Lindsey Williams introduces Pastor David Bowen – January 19, 2017
Pastor Lindsey Williams introduces Pastor David Bowen with his regular short weekly video for readers of Pastor Williams’ weekly newsletter.
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Latest News Articles – January 19, 2017
From James Harkin (Webmaster & Editor of LindseyWilliams.net). Here is a summary of articles of interest from around the world for this week. Please LIKE the Lindsey Williams Online Facebook Page to see stories posted daily regarding the current state of the economy around the world.
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Latest News From January 13, 2017 to January 19, 2017:
- America Became A Lot Less Christian During The Presidency Of Barack Obama
In 2006, Barack Obama famously said that “we are no longer just a Christian nation“, and after the last eight years that is now more true than ever. The Pew Research Center has just released a major report entitled “How America Changed During Barack Obama’s Presidency“, and what struck me the most about the report was the fact that it showed that the United States became a lot less Christian while Obama was in the White House. Of course this trend did not begin under Obama, but it seems to have accelerated during his presidency. In particular, the percentage of Americans that have no religion at all is really growing rapidly. According to the report, “nones” now make up nearly a fourth of our entire population… - Davos Elite Seeks Fixes to Defend the System From Populists
The great and the good of Davos agree they have a problem with populism. Finding a solution is the hard part. On the second day of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in the Swiss Alps, delegates disagreed on how best to address the upending of the western political order, a debate made doubly urgent by the string of elections in Europe this year where anti-establishment parties could gain more ground. While International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde urged a list of policies from programs to retrain workers to more social spending, others fretted that the turbulence is only starting. Hedge Fund billionaire Ray Dalio warned on a panel chaired by Bloomberg Television’s Francine Lacqua that “we may be at a point where globalization is ending, and provincialization and nationalization is taking hold.” - 2017 Prediction-Global War Cycle Coming into Danger Zone
Renowned financial and geopolitical analyst Charles Nenner correctly predicted there would be no market crash in 2016. 2017 is going to be a very different story. Nenner explains, “There are going to be some serious corrections and some bounces. I don’t thing we are going anywhere until the fall of 2017 when the whole bottom is going to fall out. If you are a very good stock picker, you’ll be okay, but I am talking about the indices (overall financial markets). It continues to be dangerous, and most of the good news is already in this rally. The hope that Trump will do the right thing is still there, but it will take too long. People will realize it is not going to happen tomorrow, and they will get disappointed. So, I am still not very much into the stock market. I don’t think there is much to gain over there. I have been saying that for the next couple of years, try not to lose your money. That’s the major thing you should be doing.” - More Davos Elites Suggest Banning Cash…
A central theme for the Davos World Economic Forum is a push to ban cash. Yesterday we outlined how Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz was urging the US to do away with physical cash. Today, Paypal CEO Dan Schulman is doing much the same thing although in this case he claims that getting rid of cash will end “leakage” (Stiglitz and most elites usually suggest a cash ban will end money laundering or crime). - Why Are Wal-Mart And Boeing Laying Off Workers If The U.S. Economy Is In Good Shape?
The stock market has been on quite a roll in recent weeks, but signs of trouble continue to plague the real economy. Earlier this week, I talked about the “retail apocalypse” that is sweeping America. Major retail chains such as Sears and Macy’s are closing stores and laying off workers, but I didn’t think that Wal-Mart would be feeling the pain as well. Unfortunately, that is precisely what is happening. USA Today is reporting that approximately 1,000 jobs will be cut at Wal-Mart’s corporate headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas by the end of this month… - US Marines Land In Norway For The First Time Since World War II, Angering Russia
Just one week after thousands of US troops arrived in Poland to “support NATO's Anti-Russian buildup” across Eastern Europe, 300 U.S. Marines from Camp Lejeune landed in Norway on Monday for a six-month deployment, marking the first time since World War II that foreign troops have been allowed to be stationed there, in a deployment breaking with decades of tradition by Norway not to host foreign forces, and angering Norway's Arctic neighbor Russia, according to Reuters. - Can Trump Take Back The Presidency From The CIA?
If Trump intends to survive, he must break the CIA into a thousand pieces as President John F. Kennedy intended before the CIA assassinated him. Trump must arrest for treason the neoconservatives and put them on trial. Trump must curtail NSA’s spying, which is in complete violation of the US Constitution, on all communications of all Americans. Trump’s oath of office is to the Constitution, not to war on the American public. Trump must ban all presstitute print and TV media from White House press conferences and only give credentials to the alternative Internet media. The print and TV media are operatives of the CIA and are totally devoid of integrity. Indeed, perhaps the presstitutes should be arrested for treason and put on trial along with the neoconservatives and the CIA. - EPA says it can’t pay economic damages from massive mine spill that sent tainted water into Utah
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday it will not repay claims totaling more than $1.2 billion for economic damages from a mine waste spill the agency accidentally triggered in Colorado, saying the law prohibits it. The EPA said the claims could be refiled in federal court, or Congress could authorize payments. But attorneys for the EPA and the Justice Department concluded the EPA is barred from paying the claims because of sovereign immunity, which prohibits most lawsuits against the government. “The agency worked hard to find a way in which it could pay individuals for damages due to the incident, but unfortunately, our hands are tied,” EPA spokeswoman Nancy Grantham said. - Boeing: Three More Waves of Layoffs in 2017, as Orders Collapse to 7-Year Low. Shares Near All-Time High
This is not the way to start your workday… to find this email from your boss in your inbox: “As we enter 2017, our plan calls for us to reduce our Engineering staff. I realize some of this news is unpleasant. But I wanted to respect your right to know what is occurring this year.” But that’s what happened on Tuesday at Boeing. Hammered by slowing aircraft sales and a declining order book, Boeing warned on Tuesday in an internal memo that it would conduct involuntary and voluntary layoffs of engineers in Washington state, southern California, and South Carolina, according to The Seattle Times. The memo did not mention the size of the staff cuts. - Anarchists Plan To Target Balls, Events And Trump Supporters All Over D.C. During Inauguration Week
The radical left is promising to make this the most chaotic inauguration in U.S. history. As I have written about previously, anarchists plan to do whatever they can to disrupt the inauguration of Donald Trump, but their plans are not just limited to the main event. As far as the protesters are concerned, any event that has anything to do with the inauguration of Trump is fair game, and so if you plan to attend a lunch, a ball or even a prayer meeting you will need to take precautions. Every single officially sanctioned event is on their radar, and those that do not have heavy security will be easier for them to hit. The anarchist leaders know that their people aren’t likely to be able to get anywhere near Trump, and so they are focusing on how they can make headlines in as many other ways as possible. According to the Daily Caller, this includes disrupting “several of the balls on inauguration night”… - Will There Be War On The Streets Of Washington D.C. During The Inauguration On Friday?
The stage is set for a potentially very ugly confrontation between radical leftist protesters on one side and law enforcement authorities and Trump supporters on the other side. It is being estimated that hundreds of thousands of supporters will be arriving in D.C. to celebrate the inauguration of Donald Trump, but it is also being estimated that hundreds of thousands of people will be coming to D.C. to specifically protest the inauguration of Trump. These protesters plan to set up blockades, disrupt inaugural balls and generally cause as much chaos as they possibly can. In fact, a spokesperson for #DisruptJ20 says that the goal of his organization is for Trump to be inaugurated “amid complete chaos”… - Davos elites struggle for answers as Trump era dawns
The global economy is in better shape than it's been in years. Stock markets are booming, oil prices are on the rise again and the risks of a rapid economic slowdown in China, a major source of concern a year ago, have eased. And yet, as political leaders, CEOs and top bankers make their annual trek up the Swiss Alps to the World Economic Forum in Davos, the mood is anything but celebratory. Beneath the veneer of optimism over the economic outlook lurks acute anxiety about an increasingly toxic political climate and a deep sense of uncertainty surrounding the U.S. presidency of Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated on the final day of the forum. Last year, the consensus here was that Trump had no chance of being elected. His victory, less than half a year after Britain voted to leave the European Union, was a slap at the principles that elites in Davos have long held dear, from globalization and free trade to multilateralism. - This Pension Thing Is About To Get Real
Though it may not be instantly clear, in the above quote Michael Lewis is talking about public sector pensions and how over the course of several decades, mayors and governors across the US have colluded with police, firefighter and teachers unions to promise outrageously-generous benefits and then failed to put aside enough money to pay for them. As a consequence two things are happening. In dozens if not hundreds of cities and towns, services are being cut to the bone to pay for ballooning pension benefits, and – when even these cuts prove inadequate – pensions are being drastically reduced. Which in turn means two other things. First, life isn’t nearly as easy or pleasant as it used to be in a lot of places, as library hours are cut, trash piles up and police response times lengthen. And second, hundreds of thousands of public sector workers who expected to retire comfortably are staring at major lifestyle shrinkage. - IMF Downplays Trump Stimulus Effect; Slashes Saudi, Mexico Growth In Latest World Economic Outlook
As the world's elite gather in Davos to decide for the minions what the world should look like, The IMF has taken a far dimmer view of global (and by that we mean Trumpian) economic growth than markets appear to be. In addition to slashing Brazilian, Mexican, and Saudi Arabian economic growth forecasts, Lagarde's lackeys are taking a cautious stance toward the policies of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office this week, assuming only a modest boost to the U.S. economy from his promise of fiscal stimulus. As Bloomberg reports, The IMF maintained its forecast for global growth in 2017 of 3.4 percent, the Washington-based organization said Monday in a quarterly update to its World Economic Outlook. Expansion for 2018 is forecast at 3.6 percent, also unchanged from the fund’s previous forecast in October. - Examining RFK Jr.'s claim that the CDC “Owns over 20 vaccine patents.”
Mr. Kennedy is in very safe territory by reporting that the CDC has over 20 patents that create vast, undisclosed conflicts of interests in vaccine safety. This past week, President-Elect Trump invited Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to discuss Mr. Kennedy leading a vaccine safety commission. The mainstream media coverage of the meeting was widespread and furious. The vaccine industry and its media lap dogs do not want their corruption exposed in any official forum, and they have pointed their fury at Mr. Trump and Mr. Kennedy. We have seen a great deal of media on Kennedy and his vaccine safety and corruption claims in the last week. The nice thing about that is this – because he has been in the mercury fight for so long, and started investigating the claims of moms of vaccine injured children more than a decade ago, his coverage has returned the spotlight to the corruption that was uncovered in the early days of the realization that the vaccine program was hurting our kids. - Ushering In a Totalitarian Police State in Cashless “Smart Cities”
From Scandinavia to Amsterdam to India and elsewhere, the trend of going “cashless” is gaining traction. We have been covering the shortcomings of what is rightly called the War On Cash here at TDV for a while now and have shown just how negative the effects can be on an unsuspecting nation’s people. Chandigarh, India, which is the capital of the northern Indian states of Punjab and Haryana, is like one of India’s labrats. Indian officials are working hard toward making it into India’s first cashless city. This initiative is part of the Prime Minister of India’s call for state governments to begin developing what he’s calling “smart” cities. That means cities attached to the latest internet technology. However there is nothing intelligent about his plan. - Foreign Central Banks Liquidate Record $405 Billion In US Treasuries As China Sells Most US Paper Since 2011
The wholesale liquidation of US Treasuries continued in November, when according to the just released TIC data, foreign central banks sold another $936 million in US paper in November 2016, which due to an offset of $892 million in buying one year ago, means that for the 12 month period ended November, foreign central banks have now sold a new all time high of $405 million in the past 12 months, up from a record $403 million in LTM sales as of one month ago. Where did the selling come from? While Japan sold about $23 billion in November, its fourth month of consecutive selling, it was China which drove the selloff, dumping a whopping $66.4 billion in US Treasuries in its 6th consecutive monthly sale of US paper, and the biggest monthly selloff since December 2011. The monthly sale also brings China's total Treasury holdings to the lowest level since early 2010. - THE FUTURE OF SPYING Earth’s atmosphere can be turned into massive surveillance system using LASERS, scientists discover
EARTH’S atmosphere can now be turned into a massive spy lens using cutting edge technology. BAE Systems are designing a directed energy laser system that could allow military commanders to spy on enemy activities from space. BAE believe that within 50 years, one of their aircraft could use an “atmospheric lens” to observe people from very long distances using the Earth’s atmosphere as a tool. The lasers temporarily change the Earth’s atmosphere into magnifying glass structures which can alter light and radio signals. This means users can listen into radio signals for thousands of miles. - Obama transferred $500 million to a climate fund days before Trump is scheduled to take office
With just days left in his final term as president of the United States, Barack Obama is taking steps to safeguard the historic Paris climate agreement he helped secure — to the tune of $500 million. On Tuesday, Obama transferred the sum to the Green Climate Fund, a trust created in 2010 to allow wealthy countries to financially assist developing nations in reducing emissions. The United States has pledged a total of $3 billion to the fund. Combined with an earlier $500 million payment made in March, Tuesday's payment leaves the country with a balance of $2 billion — a debt of which President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to pay none. Obama's decision to transfer the funds as the clock runs out on his presidency is a major victory for a group of petitioners who had pressured him to make the payment ahead of Trump's inauguration. - Former President Bush moved to intensive care as wife Barbara also hospitalized
Both President George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush are now in a Houston hospital and will not attend Friday's inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. The 92-year-old former president on Wednesday was moved to intensive care at Houston Methodist Hospital after being admitted on Saturday, his office said in a statement. “Shortly after our previous report on President Bush’s condition, he was admitted to the ICU at Houston Methodist Hospital to address an acute respiratory problem stemming from pneumonia,” the statement read. “Doctors performed a procedure to protect and clear his airway that required sedation. President Bush is stable and resting comfortably in the ICU, where he will remain for observation.” - What ‘border adjusted’ tax means — and why it could be coming to America
Talk of a “border adjusted” tax has gone from the sidelines to center stage in Washington, which has a lot of people asking: What is it exactly? House Speaker Paul Ryan and members of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team met Monday night for 2 1/2 hours to discuss the House GOP's corporate tax reform plan — including a controversial provision that would essentially subsidize exports and tax imports. Emerging from the meeting, Trump's Chief Strategist Stephen Bannon told Reuters that they discussed “border adjustability,” which is one of the key provisions of Paul Ryan's tax blueprint. Currently, U.S. corporations are taxed on their worldwide profits at 35 percent. The House GOP plan would change that radically. - U.S. import prices rise at fastest pace since 2012
The cost of imported goods rose at the fastest pace in four years at the end of 2016, largely because of higher oil prices that have added to some upward pressure on inflation as they rose. The import-price index increased 0.4% in December, the second sizable move in three months, the government reported Thursday. For the full year, import prices advanced 1.8%. That is the largest 12-month increase since the spring of 2012 and ends almost 2½ years of basically negative import inflation. Most of the weakness, and now the uptrend, in import prices is tied to large swings in the global cost of oil. Oil prices have ended a two-year slide and are now somewhat higher compared to a year ago. - US religion is worth $1.2T/year, topping the 10 biggest tech companies, combined
Big religion makes up $1.2 trillion of income, yearly, in the United States. The organizations make their money, tax free, from religious “healthcare facilities, schools, daycare and charities; media; businesses with faith backgrounds; the kosher and halal food markets; social and philanthropic programmes; and staff and overheads for congregations.” The authors of the program have noted that, even though religion has been on the decline in recent years, spending on religious “social programs” has tripled since 2001, to $9T. - Walmart layoffs just the latest cuts in retail industry
Walmart’s plan to lay off of hundreds of employees is the latest ripple in a wave of job cuts and store closures that are roiling the retail industry. The world’s largest retailer is cutting roughly 1,000 jobs at its corporate headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., later this month, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to speak about it. In a statement, Walmart spokesman Greg Hitt did not confirm the job cuts. “We are always looking for ways to operate more efficiently and effectively,” he said. “While we continually look at our corporate structure, we have not made any announcements. Like any organization, we make decisions based upon what’s best for our business and the customers we serve.” - How To Fund A Universal Basic Income Fairly
A universal basic income (UBI) – an idea in which the government replaces all other forms of monetary assistance (welfare, social security, etc.) with yearly stipend – has enormous potential to radically transform our current unsustainable consumer economy based on individual ownership into a much more sustainable economy based on access if it is designed and funded carefully. Implementing a UBI would require a cultural shift in our attitudes towards work and money but in a world where money is access, the idea of granting everyone enough money to meet their basic needs has sound philosophical logic behind it. However, all of this potential is highly dependent on the way a UBI is funded. A poorly conceived plan may wind up doing far more harm to a society already ravaged by class divisions and extreme inequality. - 10 Medicinal Plants For Your Survival Garden
A lot of the medicine that is currently distributed by the United States health system is extremely expensive and filled with unnatural chemicals that have horrible side effects. Adding medicinal plants to your garden can not only save your pocketbooks, it can also save your life! These 10 medicinal plants can be grown in your garden: 1. Aloe Vera, 2. Stinging Nettle, 3. Marsh Mallow, 4. Fenugreek, 5. Great Burdock, 6. Arnica, 7. Sea Buckthorn, 8. Tea Tree, 9. Chamomile, 10. Sage. - The Ancient Tibetan practice for Health and Vitality
The Five Tibetans or the Five Rites of Rejuvenation, is a system of five, believed to be Tibetan, Yogic exercises said to be over 2500 years old. You flow through the five exercises almost in a meditative dance. Each exercise stimulates a particular chakra or hormonal system and revitalises certain organs, so that the five rites together form a complete workout for the body as a whole. This series of movements also known as “The fountain of youth” are credited with the ability to heal the body, balance the chakras and reverse the ageing process in just ten minutes a day. - Why has NATO chosen Russia as its enemy instead of ISIS?
According to statements made at last weekend’s summit in Warsaw, NATO regards Russia as a bigger threat than ISIS. Of course, that's ludicrous but when you scratch beneath the surface, the use of these falsehoods makes perverted sense. Gleb is a Russian student in Dublin. Recently, at the request of a mutual friend, I’ve been helping him with his university thesis which focuses on the reasons Ireland is one of the few Western European countries that has resisted NATO membership. A distinction that most Irish people are extremely proud of. As an Irishman myself, I’ve always been baffled by why so many members of the British and continental European elite see NATO as a good thing. After all, where’s the glory in being dictated to by an external power whose interests are often at marked variance with your own? - This Interview With Robert Kennedy Jr A Is A MUST Read
Do you know why RFK Jr is the best person to lead the new Trump Commission? Because he’s not a “vaccine activist.” He tumbled into learning about vaccines through his research on the impact of mercury on the environment. The interview conducted by Autism File executive editor Rita Shreffler who spoke with Kennedy about CDC corruption, pharmaceutical industry greed, media malpractice and his vision for the World Mercury Project. Now that Kennedy has agreed to take over such a role within the Trump Administration, his background on the subject becomes even more important. - Obama Opens NSA’s Vast Trove of Warrantless Data to Entire Intelligence Community, Just in Time for Trump
WITH ONLY DAYS until Donald Trump takes office, the Obama administration on Thursday announced new rules that will let the NSA share vast amounts of private data gathered without warrant, court orders or congressional authorization with 16 other agencies, including the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Department of Homeland Security. The new rules allow employees doing intelligence work for those agencies to sift through raw data collected under a broad, Reagan-era executive order that gives the NSA virtually unlimited authority to intercept communications abroad. Previously, NSA analysts would filter out information they deemed irrelevant and mask the names of innocent Americans before passing it along. - Chinese Companies to Build $1 Billion Solar Panels at Chernobyl Site
Solar energy will be harnessed from the nuclear contaminated Chernobyl reactor site in Ukraine, after two Chinese companies formalised plans to erect a 1GW solar power plant. A 2600km exclusion zone surrounding the reactor has been in place since the nuclear disaster occurred in 1986, but following the construction of a steel-clad arch enveloping the site, interest in the area has developed. The race to renovate the deserted site has been won by GCL System Integration Technology (GCL-SI), a subsidiary of Golden Concord Holdings (GLC), one of China’s biggest renewable energy companies and China National Complete Engineering Corp (CCEC). The former company will supply and install solar panels on the site, while the latter will construct and run the plant upon completion. - North Dakota Bill Would Protect Drivers Who ‘Accidentally’ Hit And Kill Protesters
Republican lawmakers in North Dakota are taking aim at protesters with a handful of bills that would make another pipeline protest far more dangerous. The oil-friendly legislature argues that its constituents are frustrated over the protests, which led federal authorities to halt construction of the $3.8-billion Dakota Access Pipeline as thousands of protesters braved cold weather and violence for months. A bill that state GOP Rep. Keith Kempenich introduced would exempt drivers from liability if they accidentally hit a pedestrian, according to the Bismarck Tribune. House Bill 1203 was written up in direct response to groups of protesters blocking roadways, Kempenich told the paper. He claims protesters were seen jumping out in front of vehicles. - Aid in reverse: how poor countries develop rich countries
We have long been told a compelling story about the relationship between rich countries and poor countries. The story holds that the rich nations of the OECD give generously of their wealth to the poorer nations of the global south, to help them eradicate poverty and push them up the development ladder. Yes, during colonialism western powers may have enriched themselves by extracting resources and slave labour from their colonies – but that’s all in the past. These days, they give more than $125bn (£102bn) in aid each year – solid evidence of their benevolent goodwill. This story is so widely propagated by the aid industry and the governments of the rich world that we have come to take it for granted. But it may not be as simple as it appears. - Senior DARPA Scientist Warns of Widespread LETHAL ATTACKS Upon the Public Coming From Microwave Towers
It is an old issue, but with a new revelation by the most credible insider source to date. Recently, I was contacted by Dr. Paul Batcho. Batcho is a former DARPA senior scientist who worked at Los Alamos and held a top secret security clearance. In short, Batcho asserts that clandestine forces are purposely engaging in “acts of terrorism” against the general public through emission of dangerous frequencies from cell phone and microwave towers in the St. Petersburg/Orlando/ Tampa, Florida area. - The Clinton Foundation Shuts Down Clinton Global Initiative
The Clinton Foundation’s long list of wealthy donors and foreign government contributors during the 2016 elections provoked critics to allege conflicts of interests. Clinton partisans defended the organization’s charitable work, and dismissed claims that it served as a means for the Clintons to sell off access, market themselves on the paid speech circuit, and elevate their brand as Hillary Clinton campaigned for the presidency. But as soon as Clinton lost the election, many of the criticisms directed toward the Clinton Foundation were reaffirmed. Foreign governments began pulling out of annual donations, signaling the organization’s clout was predicated on donor access to the Clintons, rather than its philanthropic work. In November, the Australian government confirmed it “has not renewed any of its partnerships with the scandal-plagued Clinton Foundation, effectively ending 10 years of taxpayer-funded contributions worth more than $88 million.” The government of Norway also drastically reduced their annual donations, which reached $20 million a year in 2015. - The True Reason behind The 40-Hour Work Week And Why We Are Economic Slaves
What is the true reason behind the 40-hour work week? Economic slavery, or wage slavery, refers to one’s total and immediate dependence on wages to survive. Although people throughout history have had to work to get by, we now live in a culture where we are led to believe we have economic freedom, when unbeknownst to most citizens, we are in fact bound in servitude. We automatically accept a 40-hour workweek with meager hourly pay as normal, even though many work overtime and still struggle to survive. There are also those who make enough to live comfortably but are unable to request less hours—you either work 40 hours a week, or you don’t get to work at all. We submit when told what to wear, when we have to arrive and depart, when we’re allowed to eat, and even when we’re allowed to use the restroom. How is it we have come to allow this? - American Force of 4,000 Arrives in Poland at Taxpayer Expense
It took a year, and now it’s a fact: American troops are in Poland in rather large numbers. The rotating deployment of 4,000 American soldiers and forces in Poland was budgeted at $3.4 billion. It costs roughly $1 million a year to keep a single soldier overseas in a place like Poland. (In Afghanistan, the cost is well over $2 million a year for a single soldier.) This is said to deter Russia, but it’s totally unrealistic to think that Russia intends to attack Poland. Materially, the military-industrial complex benefits from keeping Russian-American tensions alive. Peace and disarmament are not in its interest; they mean much lower power and profits. Philosophically, the guiding concept that vivifies the military-industrial complex is to show the Russians and the world that the U.S. is a superpower and that it intends to spread its ways worldwide, with Russia included as a target for coming under American influence and domination. - The Soft Coup Collapses – CIA Bluffing, Russia Did Not Hack, Blackmail Revealed – What Next?
CIA was bluffing, produced no evidence – Russians did not “hack” the election. Is this the beginning of the end of the Deep State in the USA? Can Trump clean house & wage peace? Aided by enormous restraint on the part of Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, the soft coup in the USA has collapsed. Not only has the US Intelligence Community (US IC) lost all semblance of credibility with incoming President Donald Trump, but the blackmail by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham has been revealed by investigative journalist Wayne Madsen. - Trump calls CIA chief ‘fake news leaker’ after Brennan warns him about ‘talking & tweeting’
Donald Trump branded outgoing CIA chief Brennan “the leaker of fake news” after he told Trump to grasp the “Russia threat” instead of “talking and tweeting,” stirring up another feud between the incoming administration and the intelligence community. Tensions between US President-elect Donald Trump and the intelligence community escalated once again this weekend as outgoing CIA Director John Brennan fiercely attacked Trump’s views on US-Russia rapprochement. “I don’t think he has a full understanding of Russian capabilities and the actions they are taking on the world,” Brennan said on Fox News Sunday. With just several days to go until his inauguration, Trump “has to recognize that his words do have impact,” the CIA chief said. - Trump vows ‘insurance for everybody’ in Obamacare replacement plan
President-elect Donald Trump said in a weekend interview that he is nearing completion of a plan to replace President Obama’s signature health-care law with the goal of “insurance for everybody,” while also vowing to force drug companies to negotiate directly with the government on prices in Medicare and Medicaid. Trump declined to reveal specifics in the telephone interview late Saturday with The Washington Post, but any proposals from the incoming president would almost certainly dominate the Republican effort to overhaul federal health policy as he prepares to work with his party’s congressional majorities. Trump’s plan is likely to face questions from the right, after years of GOP opposition to further expansion of government involvement in the health-care system, and from those on the left, who see his ideas as disruptive to changes brought by the Affordable Care Act that have extended coverage to tens of millions of Americans. - 70 Nations Gathered In Paris Unanimously Call For The Creation Of A Palestinian State
On Sunday, the 70 nations that gathered in Paris for a conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict unanimously agreed to call for the creation of a Palestinian state. The joint declaration that was issued at the conclusion of the conference also endorsed UN Security Council Resolution 2334 which was adopted on December 23rd and the six principles that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry laid out in his 71 minute speech on December 28th. If you would like to read the final draft of the joint declaration, you can do so right here. The good news is that this conference did not immediately recognize a Palestinian state, nor does it appear that additional action will be taken at the UN Security Council before Donald Trump is inaugurated on Friday. It had been feared that this conference may attempt to impose some sort of a solution on the Israelis and the Palestinians, but that didn’t come to pass. Instead, the conference participants agreed to work toward “a negotiated solution with two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security“. - Mid-East Prophecy Update – January 15th, 2017
Pastor J.D. focuses in on the significance of all that's happened in just the first fifteen days of the year, namely, that of the unprecedented UN Resolution and Paris Peace Summit, taking place at the time of today’s prophecy update. By way of a clarification and an apology concerning Obama chairing the UN Security Council, I misspoke and should have said that he “was” (in 2009) and not “will become” (in 2017) the first president in history to do so. - Welcome To One of The Most Pivotal Weeks In Modern American History
Many are anticipating that a wonderful new era of peace and prosperity is just a few days away, but others are using terms such as “civil unrest” and “civil war” for what they believe is about to happen in America. Without a doubt, Donald Trump is one of the most electrifying politicians in modern American history, but he is also one of the most polarizing. So will the next four years bring us together as a nation, or will anger, frustration, strife and discord tear us much farther apart? It is being projected that extremely large crowds of supporters will attend Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20th, but the mainstream media is also reporting that “hundreds of thousands of protesters” are on their way to Washington. Many on the far left are hoping to turn Trump’s inauguration into one of the biggest riots in U.S. history, but thousands of law enforcement personnel are going to do their very best to prevent that from happening. - Rex Tillerson Says Oil Companies Don’t Take Handouts. Exxon Mobil Gets $1 Billion A Year.
Rex Tillerson, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, denied that tax breaks to fossil fuel companies amount to subsidies during his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday. Yet Exxon Mobil Corp., the oil giant Tillerson worked at for 41 years and led for 10, receives between $700 million and $1 billion per year in government giveaways, according to a new analysis by Oil Change International, a nonprofit research firm that tracks the fossil fuel industry. During the hearing, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) asked Tillerson if he would pursue a 2009 pledge ― led by the United States and backed by Russia, China, India and 16 other nations ― to scale back subsidies for oil and other carbon dioxide-spewing fuels. Tillerson argued that he would have little influence over incentives baked into the tax code, and said he was “not aware of anything that the fossil fuel industry gets that I would characterize as a subsidy.” - California Gets a Trillion Gallons in Fresh Rainwater and Tosses it in the Ocean
California just received enough fresh rainwater to entirely end the drought and still set some aside for later, but they still continue to dump water in the ocean for a bait fish. Liberals have a tendency to do more harm than good, especially when it comes to micromanaging the environment. Every year, California sends full amounts of rainwater out into the ocean. A giant swath of what used to be called, “the breadbasket of the world” is a desert because Sacramento with the help of Washington refuses to divert water to the farmland. - Trump blasts ‘sleazebag operatives’ for ‘Russian dossier’ release, pledges hacking report in 90 days
The US president-elect has accused unnamed ‘sleazebag political operatives’ in both parties for publishing a dubious dossier alleging that he has ties to Russia, while pledging a full report on the alleged ‘Russian hacking’ of the US election in 90 days. In a series of tweets, Donald Trump reiterated his denial of the uncorroborated allegations published by Buzzfeed that claimed he had ties with the Russian government and was the target of potential Kremlin blackmail. “Totally made up facts by sleazebag political operatives, both Democrats and Republicans – FAKE NEWS! Russia says nothing exists. Probably released by ‘Intelligence’ even knowing there is no proof, and never will be. My people will have a full report on hacking within 90 days!” Trump said. - Morgan Stanley to pay $13 million for overbilling clients: SEC
Morgan Stanley (MS.N) will pay $13 million (£10.6 million) to settle civil charges, after it overbilled some of its wealth management clients because of coding and other billing system errors, U.S. regulators said Friday. The Securities and Exchange Commission said the bank was also charged with violating custody rules designed to safeguard investor assets. The bank agreed to settle the case without admitting or denying the charges. A spokeswoman for Morgan Stanley's wealth management unit said the company was pleased to have the matter resolved. “All affected clients have been reimbursed and the firm has enhanced its policies and procedures, including discontinuing the use of certain legacy systems,” company spokeswoman Christine Jockle said in a statement. - The Privacyless, Freedomless Smart City of 2030 the Elite Are Engineering
Well here's a fat bag of crazy for you, courtesy of the elites over at Davos ahead of their 2017 meeting. Add cashless in there of course, we would have but there are only so many words that will fit into a YouTube video title. If you look around at the way things are being manipulated on nearly every level right now, you can clearly see how society is being engineered for this future, as insane as it sounds… - Trump’s Decision to Study Vaccine Safety with Controversial Activist Backed by Undeniable Evidence
Already President Elect Donald Trump has made a series of decisions that have caused holistic health advocates to raise their eyebrows in disbelief — including the appointment of an agricultural community packed with Big Ag executives that are closely allied with the chemical giants and big environmental polluters. However, there is one decision just announced that could benefit the lives, and health, of many children in the long run. The issue at hand is the safety of vaccinations, particularly children’s vaccinations. Trump, who has previously met with safe vaccine activists such as Vaxxed director Dr. Andrew Wakefield during his campaign, and gave money to support Jenny McCarthy’s fight for safer vaccines, has now asked Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine researcher and the nephew of former president John F. Kennedy, to lead a study on vaccine safety. - New Report Exposes Rockefeller Dynasty's Role in “Climate” Scam
An unfathomably wealthy banking and oil dynasty has been hijacking governments, media organs, universities, non-profits, and other power centers to expand its control over the economy and the energy sector in particular, according to a recently released investigation by a watchdog group. That dynasty, of course, is the Rockefeller family. In essence, they have largely created, bankrolled, and weaponized what is known as the “green” movement “as a means to expand their empire over the past three decades,” the report found. Under the guise of fighting alleged “man-made global-warming,” the Rockefeller family and its billions have been bankrolling everything from “climate” journalism (propaganda) efforts, politicians, and “academia” to politically motivated “investigations” of energy companies and non-profit organizations by government officials. Billionaire extremist George Soros also helped fund the efforts, according to the report by the Washington, D.C.-based watchdog Energy and Environment Legal Institute (E&E Legal) entitled The Rockefeller Way: The Family’s Covert “Climate Change” Plan. - Cabinet of Donald Trump
The cabinet of Donald Trump will replace Barack Obama's cabinet when each nominee is confirmed by the United States Senate and administered the oath of office, on or after January 20, 2017. Before confirmation, a high level career member of an executive department heads this pre-confirmed cabinet on an acting basis. The cabinet's creation is part of the transition of power following the 2016 United States presidential election. - What Does The Future Hold For ‘Average Joes'? (Spoiler Alert: Feudalism)
What does the future hold for average people? Feudalism. And they’ll welcome it with open arms, convinced that they are embracing a smart, fair system that eliminates poverty. The greed, entitlement, and lack of ambition that seems inherent in many people today will have them slipping on the yoke of servitude willingly. - What’s Going on with the Banks? Citi Cuts Goldman to “Sell,” after Goldman Cut Citi to “Neutral”
Citigroup hit back at Goldman Sachs, after Goldman Sachs had slammed Citigroup in September. Citi analyst Keith Horowitz, in a note to clients, downgraded Goldman from the already dismal “hold” to a rare “sell” rating, citing Goldman’s valuation. He said Goldman would need an additional $4 billion in full-year revenues above current estimates – which, according to Reuters, are pegged at $32.3 billion – to get to a return on equity (ROE) that would justify the valuation. “While we expect Goldman will see improved trading revenues going forward, the path is relatively uncertain and the bar is relatively high,” he wrote. Goldman is scheduled to report earnings on January 18. So time to take profits and move on, according to Citi. - Man Who Advises Top Sovereign Wealth Funds In The World Says 2017 Will Be ‘The Year Of Reckoning’
On the heels of the Dow hitting a new all-time high, today King World News spoke with the man who advises the most prominent sovereign wealth funds, hedge funds, and institutional funds in the world. Expect Major Market Turmoil In 2017. Michael Belkin: “Eric, 2017 is going to be the year of reckoning. Many global markets are at a major turning point. For example, the FT just reported that speculators have an all-time record 816,000 short positions in Treasuries. There has never been a number that high. I had my global clients short bonds and we took out 15 points on the short side. But recently I recommended they go long bonds because I think there is going to be a huge short squeeze in U.S. Treasury bonds. - The False Economic Recovery Narrative Will Die In 2017
Yes, the narrative of the “new normal” has been around for so long now that many people have simply grown used to it. The assumption is that the fiscal “new normal” has become the fiscal “normal,” and though the fundamentals continue to strain under the weight of poor global demand and historic debt levitated by extraneous fiat stimulus, the masses feel far less fear than is warranted. Hey, why should they? We’ve managed around eight years skating on thin ice, why shouldn’t we expect eight more years of the same? The banking elites have done the job they set out to do, which was to drive the economy to the very edge of the financial cliff, and then keep it suspended there until the general public became comfortable living next door to the abyss. - The “Curse” of Labor-Saving Machinery Is Nothing New
At the end of last year, Amazon unveiled, “Amazon Go,” a futuristic, fully-automated convenience store set to open its doors in Seattle, Washington, within the next few months. While this exciting new venture promises to make quick-stop shopping trips easier for busy consumers, critics are wary of this type of advanced automation, and fear its widespread use could jeopardize a vast amount of jobs. Amazon Go is a truly unique shopping experience free of lines, registers, and checkouts of any kind. Instead, the store utilizes its customers’ smartphones and “grab and go technology,” which allows the consumer to simply walk in, grab desired items, and then get on with the rest of their day. - Will Automation Make us Poor?
Automation has become a huge concern in recent years. With computer algorithms getting more and more sophisticated, machines are becoming increasingly able to do jobs that are many people’s bread and butter. Driverless cars have been tested on our roads for years. Although they aren’t commercially available yet, they eventually will be. Once that happens, they’ll replace cab drivers, as well as people currently contracted by rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft. After all, if employers can remove the expense of paying drivers, they can provide their services for much cheaper while still retaining a greater net profit. Automated vehicles will also replace commercial freight drivers. - D.C. National Guard Chief Fired Days Before Trump Inauguration: “The Timing Is Extremely Unusual”
“It doesn’t make sense to can the general in the middle of an active deployment,” rages D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) after Maj. Gen. Errol R. Schwartz, who heads the D.C. National Guard and is an integral part of overseeing the inauguration, has been ordered removed from command effective Jan. 20, 12:01 p.m., just as Donald Trump is sworn in as president. As The Washington Post reports, Maj. Gen. Errol R. Schwartz’s departure will come in the midst of the presidential ceremony, classified as a national special security event — and while thousands of his troops are deployed to help protect the nation’s capital during an inauguration he has spent months helping to plan. - What Puerto Rico Can Teach Us About the Minimum Wage
This week, twenty states began implementing minimum wage increases that were passed during 2016. As the country waits to see how these increased wages this will affect the economy, the U.S. territories have already provided us with a grim example. After the 2007 Fair Minimum Wage Act was passed, each of the fifty states was required to raise the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour in 2006, to $7.25 by 2009. Few Americans realize that this legislation was also applied to the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands, who were also forced to raise wages. - Venezuelan president hikes minimum wage by 50 per cent, 5th raise in a year
Venezuela‘s socialist President Nicolas Maduro announced on Sunday a 50 percent hike in the minimum wage and pensions, the fifth increase over the last year, to help shield workers from the world’s highest inflation rate. The measure puts the minimum monthly salary at 40,683 bolivars – about $60 at the weakest exchange level under the state’s currency controls, or $12 at the black market rate. “To start the year, I have decided to raise salaries and pensions,” he said on his weekly TV and radio program. - China's $3 Trillion In Reserves Questioned After PBOC Reports $41 BIllion In December Outflows
In late December, ignoring the official Chinese monthly reserve data and instead using a dataset provided by China's FX regulator SAFE on cross-border RMB flows and on onshore FX settlements, Goldman calculated the true amount of Chinese FX outflows and found that Beijing has continued to mask the full extent of its capital flight, which in November spiked to $69 billion (well above the reported, currency adjusted number of $34 billion). Furthermore, it found that “since June, this data has continued to suggest significantly larger FX sales by the PBOC than is implied by FX reserve data.” Even more troubling, Goldman calculated that cumulatively since August 2015 through November 2016, FX outflow totaled roughly US$1.1 trillion, while implied FX sales suggested by PBOC’s FX position (headline reserves after adjusted for currency valuation effect) were approximately US$630bn (US$540bn), indicating that the real rate of reserve depletion was nearly double that represented by PBOC reserve data. - China Launches Bitcoin Crackdown: PBOC Will Probe Abnormal Investor Behavior “And Rectify Misbheavior”
Having long been advocates of Bitcoin (ever since Sept. 2015 when it traded at $230) for the simple reason that we were confident the digital currency would eventually become China's favorite means of circumventing capital controls – precisely as has transpired – two months ago we warned that the unprecedented surge which made bitcoin the best performing asset in the past year with a 5x return, may be ending as “China Prepares To Impose Curbs, “Capital Controls” On Bitcoin.” Since then, and especially over the past week, China has launched a series of incremental steps designed to do just that, which culminated on Friday when China's central bank issued a statement calling the changes in the virtual currency “abnormal”, and said authorities have required the trading platform to operate in compliance. They urged the platform to “probe investors' behavior and to “rectify misbehavior.” - Hungary Plans to Crack Down on All Soros-Funded NGOs
Hungary plans to crack down on non-governmental organizations linked to billionaire George Soros now that Donald Trump will occupy the White House, according to the deputy head of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s party. The European Union member will use “all the tools at its disposal” to “sweep out” NGOs funded by the Hungarian-born financier, which “serve global capitalists and back political correctness over national governments,” Szilard Nemeth, a vice president of the ruling Fidesz party, told reporters on Tuesday. No one answered the phone at the Open Society Institute in Budapest when Bloomberg News called outside business hours. - Ron Paul Sums Up Nobel-Peace-Prize-Winning President Obama In One Short Sentence
Following our discussion of the unprecedented bombing-fest that has been undertaken during President Obama's reign… Seven years after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” despite having been in office for less than one year and having pretty much no actual, tangible foreign diplomacy accomplishments at the time, President Obama will depart the White House having dropped 26,171 bombs on foreign countries around the world in 2016, 3,027 more than 2015. According to an analysis of Defense Department data from the Council on Foreign Relations, a non-partisan think tank, the majority of Obama's 2016 bombs were dropped on Syria and Iraq. Meanwhile, Afghanistan, a country President Obama vowed U.S. troops would evacuate completely by the end of his Presidency, was also bombed over 1,300 times, a 40% increase over 2015. - The ‘party of Davos' wakes up to the new, new world order
Influential business leaders and lawmakers once again descend on the Swiss Alpine resort of Davos next week against a backdrop of rising populism, and early indications suggest they will at least acknowledge the dramatic political shifts of the last twelve months. Election wins for Donald Trump and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, as well as the U.K.'s vote to leave the EU, were widely seen as a rejection of current socio-economic models. Populism became a key story of 2016 and will be front and center in Davos ahead of elections this year in France, Germany, the Netherlands and most likely Italy. In a nod to this current mood, this year's World Economic Forum (WEF) is titled “Responsive and Responsible Leadership” and its official agenda describes a “weakening of multiple systems” that has eroded confidence and speaks of a possible “downward spiral” fuelled by protectionism, populism and nativism. - Wal-Mart To Cut “Hundreds” More Jobs Before End-January
Despite the proclamations from The White House and its lackeys that this is the best jobs recovery ever and we are at full employment, it appears all is not well at the world's third largest employer. We've discussed many times the fact that Walmart had been overly eager to boost everyone's wage in order to appease the living wage crowd, and as a result the company had to move forward with massive layoffs and store closings to try and mitigate the impact on profits. Earlier last year we also noted that Walmart is testing out drones that when operational, will be able to carry out what once were human tasks in its large distribution centers. This effort will further position the company to be able to shed more labor and benefit expense in the future. That said, Walmart isn't waiting for the drone initiative to come online. After firing 7,000 in September, The Wall Street Journal reports, Wal-Mart is preparing another round of job cuts at its headquarters before the end of the month, according to people familiar with the situation. - Healthcare Chaos Emerges After Trump Backtracks, Demands Immediate Repeal Of “Catastrophic” Obamacare
Perhaps as a result an angry backlash to last night's report by the WSJ that President-elect Donald Trump had allegedly sided with Rand Paul in pushing to delay the repeal of Obamacare until such time as there is a suitable replacement option, which as we explained are two entirely distinct processes, and that an ACA replacement could take years as it would require bipartisan support, moments ago the the NYT reported that Trump appears to have backtracked on his position as recently as yesterday, and has pressed Republicans to move forward with the “immediate repeal” of the Affordable Care Act and to replace it very quickly thereafter, saying, “We have to get to business. Obamacare has been a catastrophic event.” - The Dakota Access Pipeline is the Best Way to Move Bakken Crude Oil to Market.
The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) is the safest and most environmentally sensitive way to transport crude oil from domestic wells to American consumers. It is the result of an extensive process that involved review and approval by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and regulators in North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois. It will be among the safest, most technologically advanced pipelines in the world. - Trump’s Approval Rating Is Supposedly Only 37 Percent, But Small Business Optimism Just Hit The Highest Level In 12 Years
A Quinnipiac University Poll that was released on Tuesday says that Donald Trump only has an approval rating of 37 percent. Meanwhile, that same survey found that Barack Obama currently has an approval rating of 55 percent. Of course considering the fact that Quinnipiac polls showed Hillary Clinton winning the election in November easily, perhaps we should not put too much stock in these results. But other polling organizations have come up with similar results. In fact, an average of nine recent polls indicates that Trump’s approval rating is somewhere around 42 percent. So without a doubt there are a whole lot of people out there that do not like Donald Trump. - Pastor Lindsey Williams introduces Pastor David Bowen – January 12, 2017
Pastor Lindsey Williams introduces Pastor David Bowen with his regular short weekly video for readers of Pastor Williams’ weekly newsletter.
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Latest News Articles – January 12, 2017
From James Harkin (Webmaster & Editor of LindseyWilliams.net). Here is a summary of articles of interest from around the world for this week. Please LIKE the Lindsey Williams Online Facebook Page to see stories posted daily regarding the current state of the economy around the world.
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Latest News From January 6, 2017 to January 12, 2017:
- The 70 Nations That Will Meet In Paris On January 15th Are Going To Publicly Commit To Dividing The Land Of Israel
A draft of the summary statement that will be released at the conclusion of the 70 nation conference in Paris on Sunday has been leaked. As you will see below, this communique is going to call for the division of the land of Israel, for the establishment of a Palestinian state, for the 1967 borders to serve as the basis for final negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and for the condemnation of any officials that refuse to support a two state solution. Of course this comes on the heels of UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which many believe represented America’s greatest betrayal of Israel. Israeli government officials are publicly warning that there is a possibility that the principles agreed upon at this conference may form the basis for another Security Council resolution before January 20th, and this is something that we should all be watching for very closely. - Activists Are Hoping To Turn Donald Trump’s Inauguration On January 20th Into One Of The Biggest Riots In U.S. History
Radical leftists are planning to make January 20th the most chaotic Inauguration Day in American history. Their stated goal is to “disrupt” the Inauguration festivities as much as possible, and they are planning a wide range of “actions” to achieve that stated goal. Some of the more moderate groups are using terms such as “civil resistance” and “civil disobedience”, but others are openly talking about “blockades”, jumping barricades, throwing projectiles and “citywide paralysis”. My hope is that all of their efforts will turn out to be a big flop, but it is important to understand that these groups are well funded, highly organized and extremely motivated. The election of Donald Trump has been perhaps the single most galvanizing moment for the radical left in modern American history, and they are working very hard to turn January 20th into a major political statement. - U.S. Trade Deficit Widened in November to a Nine-Month High
The U.S. trade deficit widened to a nine-month high in November as exports fell and companies and governments imported the most since August 2015. The gap grew by 6.8 percent to $45.2 billion from a revised $42.4 billion in the prior month, Commerce Department figures showed Friday. The November shortfall was in line with the Bloomberg survey median for a $45.4 billion gap. Weaker overseas sales of U.S.-made goods and stronger domestic demand for imported merchandise indicate trade weighed on economic growth in last year’s fourth quarter. America’s net export position has also been made even more tenuous given the dollar’s rally in late 2016. - Vaccine skeptic Robert Kennedy Jr. says Trump asked him to lead commission on ‘vaccine safety’
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a proponent of a widely discredited theory that vaccines cause autism, said Tuesday that President-elect Donald Trump asked him to chair a new commission on vaccines. Hours later, however, a spokeswoman for Trump’s transition said that while Trump would like to create a commission on autism, no final decision had been made. If Trump follows through, the stunning move would push up against established science, medicine and the government’s position on the issue. It comes after Trump — who has long been critical of vaccines — met at Trump Tower with Kennedy, who has spearheaded efforts to roll back child vaccination laws. - Factory orders tumble 2.4% in November
Factory orders retreated in November, snapping a four-month winning streak, the Commerce Department said Friday. The 2.4% decline was a bit stronger than the 2.3% forecast by economists surveyed by MarketWatch, but it followed an upward revision to October’s gain, taking that to 2.8%. Compared to a year ago, orders were down 1.8%. Orders for durable goods slid 4.5%, while orders for nondurable goods were down 0.2%. Shipments declined 0.1% in November, as did unfilled orders. Inventories increased 0.2%. Economists are hoping that the long slump in manufacturing will reverse as the shock to oil LCOH7, +0.34% recedes. - Report: Walmart Workers Cost Taxpayers $6.2 Billion In Public Assistance
Walmart's low-wage workers cost U.S. taxpayers an estimated $6.2 billion in public assistance including food stamps, Medicaid and subsidized housing, according to a report published to coincide with Tax Day, April 15. Americans for Tax Fairness, a coalition of 400 national and state-level progressive groups, made this estimate using data from a 2013 study by Democratic Staff of the U.S. Committee on Education and the Workforce. “The study estimated the cost to Wisconsin’s taxpayers of Walmart’s low wages and benefits, which often force workers to rely on various public assistance programs,” - Trump Bump: Small Business Optimism Soars To 12-Year High
Small business owners' optimism soared in December to the highest level since 2004, the National Federation of Independent Business said Tuesday, as President-elect Trump unleashes “animal spirits” on Main Street, even as corporate titans such as General Motors (GM) and Ford (F) tread carefully with the president-elect. NFIB's small business optimism index shot up 7.4 points to 105.8, the best reading since December 2004. It was the biggest monthly gain in decades. A net 50% of smaller firms see business conditions improving vs. 12% in November and -7% in October. “We haven't seen numbers like this in a long time,” said NFIB President and CEO Juanita Duggan. “Small business is ready for a breakout, and that can only mean very good things for the U.S. economy.” - Rep. Dave Brat: ‘We Have Five or Six Plans’ to Replace Obamacare; GOP Leadership Needs to ‘Pick One’
Rep. Dave Brat (R-VA) discussed repealing Obamacare with Breitbart News Daily SiriusXM host Raheem Kassam on Monday, as well as alternate plans, including one he recently introduced in the House. The Daily Signal reports, “Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va., has introduced a bill in the House that, if passed, will allow individuals to decide how they want their health care funds to be spent, without the influence of the government or health insurance providers.” Brat said that the health savings account legislation is a way for lawmakers to prove to the American people that they have a plan to replace Obamacare after repealing it. Brat discussed several domestic alternatives, as well as systems other nations use. “We’re waiting for leadership to coalesce around a plan,” said Brat. - Pope Francis Now International Monetary Guru
As the new year dawns, it seems the current occupant of St. Peter’s Chair will take on a new function which is outside the purview of the office that the Divine Founder of his institution had clearly mandated. Neo-Papist transmogrification. We highly recommend the economic thought of one of Francis’ storied predecessors, John Paul II, which we have written about on previous occasions. In “A Tale of Two Popes” and “Papal Eco-Hysteria”, we have contrasted Francis and John Paul II and quoted from the latter’s seminal encyclical “Centesimus Annus”, which probably contains the most clear-headed thinking on human liberty and economics that has ever emerged from the Vatican. Francis strikes us as a throwback to a completely discredited and dangerous ideology by comparison. Lately he is even calling for the establishment of a global central bank! - Banks Not Going Broke, They Are Broke-Rick Rule
Rick Rule is an expert on investing in all sorts of natural resources, and that includes gold and silver. He thinks it won’t take a “catastrophic event” to move prices higher in precious metals. Rule explains, “You remember the decade of the 1970’s? The shocks to the financial system were severe but survivable. The gold price went from $35 per ounce to $850 per ounce.. . . As you can see, I am not a young guy. I was a finance major, and the way I learned accounting, it’s not like the banks are going to go broke, the banks are broke. . . . It isn’t a question of ongoing bank solvency. It’s a question of real bank solvency and how long people will believe in the system. . . . If the major players had to face a liquidity squeeze, even the level of magnitude they faced in 2008, I suspect the fiscal tools available are constrained enough now that they would be unsuccessful in containing a broad liquidity base contagion.” - ALERT: One Shock After Another Will Create The Biggest Collapse Ever In World Financial Markets In 2017
As we kickoff the second week of trading in the new year, today the man who has become legendary for his predictions on QE, historic moves in currencies, warned King World News that one shock after another will create the biggest collapse ever in world financial markets in 2017. Terrifying Worldwide Panic In 2017. Egon von Greyerz: “We are only a week into 2017 but some longer-term trend changes are developing. It is interesting how a new year, combined with a new U.S. president act as a catalyst for what will be the start of monumental events in the world economy. Not that many of these will come as a surprise to the well-informed KWN audience, but for the rest of the world there will be one shock after the next that will create terrifying panic… - Wholesale Sales Disappoint Sending Inventories-Ratio Back Into Recession Territory
November saw inventories rise more than expected (+1.0% MoM vs +0.9% exp) and sales disappoint (+0.4% vs +0.5% exp) and were notably revised lower. This sent the inventories-to-sales ratio back up again – stubbornly stuck in recessionary territory. Both Inventories and sales grew year-over-year… But the gap between inventories and sales grew in absolute terms for the first time since July… Sending the inventories-to-sales ratio back up again… Automotive inventories-to-sales jumped higher once again – back near cycle highs. - The World Has Never Been In A Mega-Crisis Like This In All Of Human History
Today one of the greats in the business told King World News that the world has never been in a maga-crisis like this in all of human history. Storm Clouds Are Gathering Everywhere. John Embry: “Eric, I must begin by wishing you and your readers and listeners a belated happy new year. However, I question how happy a new year it is going to be as storm clouds have been steadily gathering everywhere… - China’s plan to dominate the global gold market
Status as one of the world’s biggest bullion importers, participation in the gold fix at the London exchange and a plan to establish a jewelry gold investment center in Shanghai has turned China into one of the leading players in the global gold market in 2016. Gold entered the New Year in a downward trend. In 2016, prices of the yellow metal have continued to drop, for the fourth year in a row. The last time such a trend was registered was between 1988 and 1992. A drop in global gold prices was advantageous for China, the world’ biggest importer of gold bars, gold investment coins and refined gold. - Is The S&P 500 Developing Into A “Bull Trap”?
Monday morning may have marked the beginning of a “bull trap,” should the S&P 500 price remain under the breakout high. Will it? Our bullish V-Spike Reversal off 2,228 set the stage for a continuation of the uptrend and bull market. After two pullbacks (retracements), price surged to new all-time highs Friday. However, Friday afternoon into Monday morning gave us a pullback under 2,270 which is a make-or-break point. Should price remain beneath 2,270, expect a swing back toward 2,255 (failure to break out). Any move back above 2,270 could trigger a powerful short-squeezed breakout but we’re not quite there yet. - 10 ways the mainstream media creates fake news
The basic purpose of these ten forms is the presentation of a false picture of reality. You could find more forms, or divide these ten into sub-categories. The ten basic forms are: Direct lying about matters of fact. Leaving out vital information. Limited hangout. Shutting down the truth after publishing it. Not connecting dots between important pieces of data. Censoring the truth, wherever it is found. Using biased “experts” to present slanted or false “facts.” Repeating a false story many times. Claiming a reasonable and true consensus exists, when it doesn’t. Employing a panoply of effects. These are all traditional forms and methods. - Top Five Monetary Policy Issues To Watch In 2017
With a new year come new opportunities as well as new issues to take into consideration. Here are the five most important issues to keep an eye on in 2017. 1. Trump Presidency. 2. Ongoing Weakness in Europe. 3. China Is Still a Wild Card. 4. The Relentless War on Cash. 5. A Coming Financial Crisis. As the reality sets in that massive amounts of resources have been malinvested in unproductive sectors of the economy, the bubbles that were blown will inevitably burst. - The Globalists’ Russia Game
Thanks to Barak Obama’s most recent expression of his low character and a foreign policy weirdly akin to fantasy-baseball gone bad, thirty-five U.S.-resident Russian diplomats and their families targeted for rapid deportation feared a frantic search in the holiday crunch for open seats on flights to Moscow. On Friday, Russia sent an Ilyushin 11-96 to collect everyone and the families’ panic that they might not make their deportation deadlines receded. The embassy’s two retreats, one in New York and another in Maryland, were closed on schedule. Thus was the Obama administration’s maximally-inconvenient timing accommodated. - Boeing: Three More Waves of Layoffs in 2017, as Orders Collapse to 7-Year Low. Shares Near All-Time High
This is not the way to start your workday… to find this email from your boss in your inbox: “As we enter 2017, our plan calls for us to reduce our Engineering staff. I realize some of this news is unpleasant. But I wanted to respect your right to know what is occurring this year.” But that’s what happened on Tuesday at Boeing. Hammered by slowing aircraft sales and a declining order book, Boeing warned on Tuesday in an internal memo that it would conduct involuntary and voluntary layoffs of engineers in Washington state, southern California, and South Carolina, according to The Seattle Times. The memo did not mention the size of the staff cuts. - 2016 Past is 2017 Prologue
With us being just over a week into the New Year, we feel it worthwhile to look back just one last time at 2016. We believe that many of the themes and risks of 2016 continue in 2017 and that they are likely to impact markets in the coming months – especially the precious metal markets. We always enjoy new perspectives and every year we enjoy the witty, comprehensive and insightful analysis review of the year past by David Collum. His‘2016 Year In Review’ is in the same vein and was missed by many when it was released over the Christmas period. - Don’t Count On Trump Being Inaugurated — Paul Craig Roberts
The Ruling Establishment Does Not Intend For Trump To Become President. The latest “explosive” fake news is that “multiple US officials with direct knowledge” told CNN that they have “classified documents” that Russia has compromising documents on Trump that would allow them to blackmail the US President. The documents consist of memos compiled by a former British intelligence operative “whose past work US intelligence officials consider credible.” According to antiwar.com “the dossier claimed several figures in the Trump campaign were in league with the Russian government during the campaign, and that Russia had been conspiring with them to groom Trump as an ally for ‘at least five years.’ It also claims exchanges of information between Trump and the Kremlin for ‘at least eight years,’ . . . The dossier names former Trump adviser Carter Page, his personal lawyer Michael Cohen, as well as incoming National Security Adviser Michael Flynn as having personally and repeatedly met with Kremlin officials on anti-Clinton leaks.” - Hideous Constellation of Threats and Challenges Facing Mexico
Things are rapidly going from bad to worse in Mexico. Hundreds of people were arrested and a handful of people killed over the past week as peaceful protests against the government’s hike of gasoline prices (by as much as 20% in some states) descended into widespread looting and rioting. The mood on the street was hardly helped when Mexico’s deeply unpopular president, Enrique Peña Nieto, tried to defend his actions by asking the public, “What would you have done?” For a lot of people, the answer’s clear: a lot of things, very differently. Right at the top of the list would be launching an all-out war against the endemic culture of corruption plaguing virtually all levels of government. But now, time is fast running out as Mexico now faces a hideous constellation of threats and challenges, all at the same time. - Get Ready to Pay $500 More in Taxes
It’s tax time again, and President-elect Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans in Congress have promised to slash them—especially for corporations and the rich. For millions of Americans, however, a tax increase will be the first thing they see. About 12 million workers will pay more this year because of an automatic adjustment in their payroll taxes. Unlike previous years, this rise in the Social Security “taxable minimum”—the amount of income subject to tax—is a whopper: 7.3 percent, the most in 34 years. That could cost each affected worker as much as $539, and much more if they’re self-employed. Why is 2017’s increase so huge? And where does this taxable minimum come from, anyway? - The Oil Supply Glut is Here to Stay in 2017
It has become painfully obvious that the much-hyped OPEC agreement to reduce global oil production by close to 2 million bpd won’t have the effect that its initiators had hoped for. True, crude has jumped above US$50 but failed to pass the US$55 barrier and move closer to US$60, which would have solved a lot of problems for some of the world’s biggest producers. This price increase, however, has spurred optimism among some producers and motivated them to plan output ramp-ups, which will in turn dampen the upward potential of crude more effectively than growing doubts about top producers’ willingness to stick to their commitments under the historical agreement. - Obama Regime Moves To Federalize Elections — Paul Craig Roberts
The ruling establishment has responded to Donald Trump’s election by laying the groundwork to federalize, and thus control, future elections. The federal government does not have the constitutional authority to administer elections, only to set the date. The Obama regime’s designation of elections as “critical infrastructure” seems to have no function other than to put in place a way to prevent voters from overthrowing an entrenched establishment, as the establishment fears the voters did when they elected Trump president. The distrubing question is: Why do it now after Trump’s election? Could there be a plot to rescind Trump’s election on the basis of the ongoing lies that Trump was elected not by the voters but by Russian interference? Federalization can be used to remove the states from the picture and prevent the states from challenging an establishment coup against the voters. - US Currency Crisis Coming in 2017
When the cost of importing goes up, it’s not like Americans are just going to switch from buying goods made in China to goods make in America. No, they’re just going to have to pay more to buy the goods made in China. If they don’t have the extra money, they just won’t buy as much. So, what’s going to happen as a result of increasing the cost of importing is that consumers will spend less and the bubble economy will deflate. There will be less consumer spending because consumers won’t have as much money or won’t be able to afford the higher prices. It’s going to have a negative effect on GDP. - Nobel Peace Prize Winner Obama Has 14 Days To Start World War III
Barack O’Bomber was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize before he even became President. And he hasn’t had one day of peace in his eight years. And, he now has 14 days left and appears to be trying to foment World War III with his remaining opportunity. Long ago O’Bomber accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, but didn’t do anything to either justify or deserve it. More recently he’s actually done a lot to repudiate it. In fact, according to an analysis done by the Council on Foreign Relations of Defense Department data, the U.S. dropped over 26,000 bombs in 2016 during Obama’s final year in office, that’s over 3,000 more than in 2015! - In 2017 Trump will be Presiding Over a Bankruptcy-Bill Holter
Financial writer Bill Holter says 2017 will be “the year of the Truth Bomb.” Holter explains, “I have been talking about ‘Truth Bombs’ for about a year and a half. I think what is going to happen in 2017 is that this hologram we’ve been living in, the curtain is going to be pulled back. . . . I want to see the truth come out, and that’s why we do what we do.” One of the big truths that will explode is about the economy, and this will be one of Trump’s biggest problems. Holter goes on to say, “Trump is a smart guy, and he understands that really what he’s going to be doing is presiding over a bankruptcy. That’s what his main job is going to be, and that’s reorganizing this country.” - Debt Surge Producing Fake Recovery
What do the following headlines have in common? US wages grow at fastest pace since 2009. Euro area economy ended year with strongest growth since 2011. Surge in home prices is beating the one in mortgage rates. Manufacturing in U.S. Expands at Fastest Pace in Two Years. German Inflation welcomed back. Obviously they’re all favorable, with the possible exception of German inflation – though even that is “welcome”. Taken together they paint a picture of a global economy that’s finally returning to the kind of solid growth and steady, positive inflation that most people consider both normal and good. Unfortunately, the reason for the improvement is emphatically not good: In 2016 the world borrowed a huge amount of money and spent the proceeds. The result is “growth,” but not sustainable growth. - 11 Numbers That Connect The Year 2017, Israel And Donald Trump
Is 2017 going to be the most important year that we have seen in a very, very long time? Because of the work that I do, I am constantly immersed in research, and lately I keep coming across very strange “coincidences” regarding the year 2017. The numbers that I am about to share with you certainly appear to be quite remarkable, but there will be many out there that will question their significance. To the naysayers, I would suggest that God has always put a lot of emphasis on numbers from the very beginning. For example, He created the world in precisely seven days, and on the seventh day He rested. All throughout Scripture, we see certain numbers showing up over and over again, and God has a purpose in that. So please keep that in mind as you consider the following 11 numbers that connect the year 2017, Israel and Donald Trump… - Elitists Hope That Injecting The Blood Of Younger People Into Their Bodies Will Radically Extend Their Lifespans
Is the blood of young people a “fountain of youth” that will enable those that can afford the treatments to be able to live much longer lives? No matter how much money someone has, life inevitably ends at some point, but there are some extremely wealthy individuals that want to change all that. Billionaire technology investor Peter Thiel, among others, is very excited about advances that have been made in the field of parabiosis. According to Google, parabiosis is “the anatomical joining of two individuals, especially artificially in physiological research.” Based on research that has been done on mice, it is believed that blood transfusions could potentially slow or even reverse aging in humans. The Bible tells us that “the life of the flesh is in the blood”, but now these elitists want to greedily use the blood of younger people to greatly extend their own lifespans. If it turns out that this method is highly successful, will the blood of young people become a greatly valued commodity? When I first started hearing about this, I thought that it all sounded very strange. After all, if people were to drink the blood of young people we would call them vampires, but somehow it is okay to inject it directly into your veins? - It’s A Retail Apocalypse: Sears, Macy’s And The Limited Are All Closing Stores
It has only been two weeks since Christmas, and already we are witnessing a stunning bloodbath of store closings. Macy’s shocked the retail industry by announcing that they will be closing about 100 stores. The downward spiral of Sears hit another landmark when it was announced that another 150 Sears and Kmart stores would be shutting down. And we have just learned that The Limited is immediately closing all stores nationwide. If the U.S. economy is doing just fine, then why are we experiencing such a retail apocalypse? All over America, vast shopping malls that were once buzzing with eager consumers now resemble mausoleums. We have never seen anything quite like this in our entire history, and nobody is quite sure what is going to happen next. Not too long ago I walked into a Macy’s, and it was eerily quiet. I stumbled around the men’s department looking for something to buy, but I was deeply disappointed in what was being offered. After some time had passed, an employee finally noticed me and came over to help, but they didn’t have anything that I was looking for. - New Legislation Establishes Orwellian Propaganda Agency
Our elected officials in Washington have a habit of passing the laws that the American people would probably most like to know about at times when very few are likely to see it. On December 23rd of last year, while we the people were busy making preparations for the holidays, President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 into law. Deep within this vast jungle of ink, paper, and legalese, lies a brand new federal agency created to combat what Hillary Clinton has called an “epidemic of fake news and malicious false propaganda.” - Donald Trump's big week
Donald Trump is embarking on the most crucial week of his transition into the presidency — and, as usual, he's at the epicenter of multiple controversies. Several of the President-elect's most prominent Cabinet picks will appear on Capitol Hill this week for confirmation hearings that could be brutal. Trump will also hold his first formal news conference since the summer on Wednesday to address potential conflicts of interest that could surround his presidency. President Barack Obama will move closer to exiting the stage when he delivers a farewell address Tuesday night from Chicago. Though the inauguration is less than two weeks away, the swirl of events means Trump's presidency effectively begins this week. - The True History of Chemotherapy & The Pharmaceutical Monopoly
In 2016, approximately 1,685,210 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States alone, and approximately 600,000 people will die from the disease. The number of new cancer cases is 454.8 per 100,000 men and women per year, based on cases from 2008-2010. Men have almost a 50 percent chance of contracting the disease at some point in their lifetime, and women have a 1/3 chance. Pretty crazy isn’t it? In a time where so much information is coming to light, challenging the belief systems of so many, it’s important to keep an open mind to new information to help us see through what’s really been happening on our planet. It’s no secret that a small group of corporations dominates almost every aspect of our lives, from energy to education, all the way to modern day healthcare. - A Nobel Peace Prize Winner Dropped 26,000 Bombs in 2016
According to an estimate conducted by Micah Zenko, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), and national security expert Jennifer Wilson, a CFR research associate, President Obama dropped over 26,000 bombs in 2016. Syria was hit with 12,192 bombs, the highest number of any country on Obama’s hit list. Iraq came in a close second, receiving 12,095 bombs. Altogether, the peace prize laureate dropped at least 26,171 bombs in seven countries last year. - The Chinese Chart That Keeps The IMF Up At Night
As the IIF reported yesterday, in the first 9 months of 2016 global debt rose by $11 trillion, hitting an all time high of $217 trillion, ro 325% of world GDP. Of this increase, the IIF said that China accounted for the “lion's share” and while China's relentless debt-funded stimulus continues to be ignored by markets, one other organization that begins with I and ends with F has also noticed that China has a big problem. As the IMF recently wrote in its IMFDirect blog, China urgently needs to tackle its corporate-debt problem before it becomes a major drag on growth in the world’s No. 2 economy. Corporate debt has reached very high levels and continues to grow. - Venezuela's March Toward Default
It is only a matter of time until Venezuela will default on its foreign debt. After a short peak in 2009, when the country’s foreign exchange reserves stood at over $40 billion, Venezuela has been steadily hemorrhaging its reserves down to $10 billion. In 2016, Venezuela started to sell gold in order to compensate for the loss of its monetary reserves. As a consequence, Venezuela’s gold reserves plunged from over 360 tons down to less than 190 tons. Other than in the case that some foreign power, such as China, for example, would jump in as a lender, Venezuela’s default seems unavoidable. - US drops more bombs in Obama’s final year of office than in 2015
President Obama's shifting approach to the conflict is a lens through which to judge his legacy as a wartime leader. New York Times. The U.S. dropped 26,171 bombs last year, 3,027 more than 2015. According to an analysis of Defense Department data from the Council on Foreign Relations, a non-partisan think tank, the majority of the bombs were dropped in Iraq and Syria. The U.S. leads an international coalition fighting the Islamic State group in both countries and has carried out air operations in attempt to reduce the area controlled by the terrorist organization. Nearly the same amount of bombs were dropped in Syria (12,192) and Iraq (12,095) last year. - Obama Seized Enough Land and Water in 8 Years to Cover Texas Three Times
Last week, in one of his final moves out of the Oval Office, Obama executively designated more than 1.5 million acres of land as national monuments, preserving their untouched façade while closing them to human expansion, development, energy use, ranching or state or local jurisdiction. In a move ignored by the liberal media last week, Obama unilaterally seized more than 1.3 million acres from Utah to establish the Bears Ears Monument, preserving it at the behest of conservationist groups and Native American tribes who claimed the land was sacred. Utah’s state legislature, however, opposed the unilateral land grab across party lines, with many speculating that Obama’s move is the latest in an attempt to limit efforts from incoming President Donald Trump to expand domestic energy production. - The War On Cash Ratchets Up In Greece With “Soft Cash” Ban
It wasn’t long ago that it came out that the IMF intentionally wanted to create a “credit event” in Greece – part of a larger plan to destabilize Europe. The country has already fallen victim to the repercussions of the war on cash, but now the grip of capital control is growing tighter. The Greek Finance Ministry in their infinite wisdom has decided that its nation’s taxpayers will only be granted deductions or tax-allowances if payments are made using a debit or credit card. This comes after numerous efforts intended to restructure debt. The Greek crisis started in late 2009, as the great recession revealed problems with the Greek economy. These involved difficulties with deficits, especially those that had not been properly accounted for by the Greek government. - Gold: Getting There A Little At A Time
One of life’s hardest-to-learn but most necessary lessons is that things usually take a lot longer to work out than you’d like them to. That’s where the sayings “Being too early is the same as being wrong” and “The market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent” come from. A current case in point is gold. After the metal’s decade-long bull market, a correction was inevitable. But when it finally came, rather than being short and cathartic it was long and grinding, stretching from 2012 through 2015 and causing many who got back in prematurely to eventually walk away in disgust. Then, after a nice pop in the first half of 2016, came the current long, slow-mo correction that’s fraying the nerves of remaining gold-bugs. - In Obama's Final Jobs report, A Record 95.1 Million People Were Not In The Labor Force
As it began so it will finish. Putting the exclamation point on a trend that has marked Obama's entire presidency, in the final Obama jobs report, the BLS announced that the total number of people not in the labor force grew once more, rising by 18,000 in December, and a whopping 841,000 in the past three months, to a new all time high of 95.102 million Americans no longer in the workforce. This meant that the perennial bogeyman of the Trump administration, the collapsing labor force participation rate, remained flat near 35 year lows, risint fractionally from last month to 62.7% as a result of 152.111 million people employed in a civilian non-institutional population of 254.742 million. - Trump Is Working On A Plan To Restructure, Pare Back The CIA And America's Top Spy Agency
Just in case the accusations that president-elect Donald Trump is a puppet of the Kremlin, intent on destabilizing and weakening the US weren't loud enough, moments ago the WSJ assured these would hit an unprecedented level with a report that Trump, a harsh critic of U.S. intelligence agencies, is working with top advisers on a plan that would restructure and pare back the nation’s top spy agency, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, prompted by a belief that it has “become bloated and politicized.” The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, or ODNI, was established in 2004 in large part to boost coordination between intelligence agencies following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. - Looting, Riots In Mexico Spiral Out Of Control Over 20% Gas Hike; Hundreds Arrested
Four days after the first sporadic protests emerged in Mexico City, following the infamous “gasolinazo”, or mandatory 15%-20% increase in Mexican gas prices which went into effect on January 1, the mood across the country has significantly deteriorated, with hundreds of demonstrators blocking highways, snarling traffic, raiding gas stations, jeopardizing critical supplies, and looting stores as angry but impotent motorists lashed out at the price surge, which is only going to get worse as inflation spikes even more following the record plunge in the Mexican Peso. As a reminder, the price of oil rose Sunday by as high as 20.1% to 88 cents per liter, with diesel at 83 cents — the equivalent of 12 days of a minimum wage to fill a tank of gas – compared to the U.S.’s seven hours — and the price ceiling will be adjusted daily starting Feb. 18, before letting supply and demand determine them in March. - US national debt soars by $100 billion. . . in just 8 hours
According to the latest statement issued yesterday afternoon by the Department of Treasury, the US national debt has reached $19,976,826,951,047.80. That’s $19.976 trillion, as of the close of business on Friday December 30, 2016. That number itself is obviously remarkable, just shy of $20 trillion. But what’s even more astounding is that, according to the Treasury Department’s own figures, they STARTED the day with a debt level of ‘just’ $19.879 trillion. So literally in the span of a single 8-hour workday, the US government amassed an astonishing $97 billion in debt. That’s simply incredible– $97 billion is larger than the entire GDP of New Mexico or Luxembourg. In 8 hours. - What does Donald Trump expect to happen to the price of gold?
Q: What does Donald Trump expect to happen to the price of gold? A: The public record is clear that on a personal, company and image basis, he loves gold. He does not have the fiat money religion prejudice of the central banker politicians. He will be favourable for gold. Q: Please connect this back to the five dimension analysis. A: You want to be able to go into the fifth dimension and bring back useful information and apply it physically. All successful geniuses have done this. Nikola Tesla comes to mend. He explicitly referenced this in his autobiography. If you wish to join a study group exploring this then you can apply by filling out the registration form at the link below and submitting it. - Graceland Updates: “Gold: The Cost Of Production Is Near”
1. Gold is no longer vulnerable. It has entered a nice buying area. 2. The $1225 – $1200 price zone is both technically and fundamentally important. Here’s why: 3. The average cost of producing gold is now approximately $1210. Fundamentally oriented money managers of size are almost always buyers when gold dips into the cost of production zone. 4. For a look at the technical action, please click here now. Double-click to enlarge. 5. The $1225 – $1200 zone is decent support. It’s not huge support, but it’s decent. I was a modest buyer in the $1220 area this week, after being a seller at $1305 – $1320 last week. - Bank of England admits ‘Michael Fish' moment with dire Brexit predictions
The Bank of England has admitted its dire warnings of a downturn in the wake of the Brexit vote were a “Michael Fish” moment and said that the economics profession was now in “crisis”. Andy Haldane, the Bank of England’s chief economist, said there was a “disconnect” between political warnings about Brexit and the “remarkably placid” state of the markets, adding that the worst predictions may turn out to be “just scare stories”. He made the concession as new figures suggested Britain was the fastest growing of all advanced economies last year after the services sector defied gloomy forecasts to hit a 17-month high. - World’s Largest Democratic Country to Endorse Universal Basic Income
With Finland implementing a universal basic income (UBI) experiment that will run for the next two years, it seems that UBI is getting more attention as a viable system. Now, a leading advocate of UBI has said that the government of the world’s largest democratic country, India, is going to release a report endorsing UBI as “basically the way forward.” The report, which will be part of the Ministry of Finance’s annual Economic Survey, is expected to be released this month. India has had considerable experience with UBI pilot programs in the country. Behind these programs is Guy Standing, a founding member of the Basic Income Earth Network, and he is the UBI advocate who says that India’s report will endorse the system. - Central Banks Have Robbed Us Of the Benefits of Free Trade
The term “globalization” — in the sphere of economics — describes an increase in trade, and greater movement of capital and labor across national and regional boundaries. Free trade has long been among the driving factors behind economic globalization, and for centuries, economists have generally agreed that free trade is an important force in building wealth and economic growth. Even economists who disagree on almost everything else, can often agree that lowering barriers to trade is a good thing. - In Stunning Last Minute Power Grab, Obama Designates Election Systems As “Critical Infrastructure”
In a stunning last minute power grab by the Obama administration with just 14 days left in his Presidency, the Department of Homeland Security released a statement this evening officially declaring state election systems to be “critical infrastructure.” The statement from DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson defines “election infrastructure” as “storage facilities, polling places, centralized vote tabulations locations, voter registration databases, voting machines” and all “other systems” to manage the election process…so pretty much everything. Of course, it's likely not a coincidence that the DHS made this announcement just hours after the “intelligence community” declassified their “Russian Hacking” propaganda which basically noted that RT has a very effective social media distribution platform while once again providing absolutely no actual evidence. - Every Asset Class Will Collapse: ‘You Need To Be Looking At Your Wealth In Terms Of How Many Chickens And How Much Gas You Can Buy’
There’s no other way to put it. The system as we know it will collapse. This, argues Karl Denninger of the Market Ticker, is a mathematical certainty. In a recent interview with Future Money Trends Denninger touches on the various dire challenges facing America. From the Presidential election to the rampant corruption in our financial, political and healthcare systems, he pulls no punches and warns that the worst is yet to come unless real action is taken immediately. Failure to do so, says Denninger, will lead to a collapse of everything we consider to be a part of our current way of life. - 5 Tricks Gun-Control Advocates Play
There’s been little talk of gun control this presidential election cycle, although state-level proposals continue to make it onto state ballots. Gun control positions have come down along the usual partisan lines. It was clear from Clinton’s comments in the final presidential debate, for example, that she desires greater restrictions on access to firearms for private citizens. She expressed no such caution about weaponry carried by government employees, of course. While the candidates have declined to make gun control a central issue in the campaign, mainstream media outlets, academics, and pundits continue to press for greater government restrictions and prohibitions on firearms access for private citizens. Meanwhile, of course, government agencies continue to purchase more powerful and more deadly weaponry. - UK military to begin work on high-energy laser weapons for British armed forces
The UK military has kick-started work on the development of high-power laser weapons after being awarded a £30m contract to build a prototype system. The UK Dragonfire consortium will build a laser weapon “demonstrator” designed to track targets across long distances at land and sea, and under variety of weather conditions. The UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) is exploring the potential of Laser Directed Energy Weapons (LDEWs) as a means of defending British forces against emerging threats from drones and ballistic missiles. If the prototype is deemed successful, service-ready laser weapons will be considered for distribution across the UK military. - Grave Danger Elite Bankers Might Make Trump Fail-Lior Gantz
Financial expert Lior Gantz says there is good news and bad news for the economy with the election of Donald Trump. Gantz explains, “If he changes the equation, it could cause a lot of inflation in the U.S. U.S. banks are so liquid and have so much excess cash because of TARP programs and QE programs that this could prompt them to start lending, and lend to the wrong people. It could prompt the government to start issuing increased food stamps, universal unemployment checks and all kinds of stuff that can create large inflation in the U.S. So, that is one side that is problematic. The other side is very spectacular for the U.S. economy because Trump is doing a lot of things that should have been done years ago: deregulation, cutting back on taxes, cutting the red tape and making sure that businesses are more comfortable with opening new branches in the U.S. The best indicator of this is the Russell 2000 index that is up much more than the Dow because the small cap companies are mostly based in the U.S., and the large cap companies are international.” - Corporations Control Our Lives
In our nation, finance has a hold on almost every single part of our lives – from the day we’re born, until we take our last breath. Capitalism and the quest for larger profits have taken hold of our healthcare, our education, our homes, our communication, and even our government. Today, most babies are born in for-profit hospitals, and their medical claims are paid by for-profit insurance. As children grow, many go to for-profit charter schools or private schools, and our public education system continues to crumble. Young adults are forced to deal with for-profit lenders to go to college at for-profit universities, and everything from their backpack to their first home will generate a profit for someone on Wall Street. - Race to replace Ecuador’s Correa begins amid corruption scandal, uncertainty
Ecuador kicked off its presidential campaign Tuesday amid a looming economic crisis, a lingering corruption scandal and a thirst for change that analysts say may hamper President Rafael Correa’s hopes of putting a successor into power to continue his “Citizens Revolution.” Lenín Moreno, Correa’s handpicked candidate and one-time vice president, is leading polls ahead of the Feb. 19 race against a divided opposition. However, if he doesn’t win in the first round with at least 40 percent of the vote and a 10-point lead over his nearest rival, he’ll be forced into an April 2 runoff that could be tough. “The government has to put all its meat on the grill for this first round,” said Sebastian Hurtado with the Quito-based political analysis group Profitas. If the opposition rallies behind a single candidate in the second round, “ it will be much more difficult,” he said. - 2017: a Volatile Year from All Angles – Where to now… after what 2016 dished out?
First, there was the surprise upset of the presidential election of dear old Donald. Then came the surprise shift in sentiment about the election. Before, he was a wrecking ball. After, he’s suddenly Jesus walking on water. Never mind that he’s already pissed off China… twice! Or that many are worried about his overly cozy relationship with “Darth” Putin, as with his new Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, who is also cozy with Putin. And let’s not forget the markets that were already overvalued suddenly breaking up irrationally on promises that Trump can deliver sustainable growth rates of 3% to 4% again. So, we’ll just grow our way out of this big fat bubble, shall we? Ha! That has never happened – not once in history – and there’s NO CHANCE this will be the first time… not given our aging populations, low productivity and unprecedented debt burdens! - Power & Profit Fuel War on Cash in Europe
In the wake of the attack on the Christmas market in Berlin in December, the European Commission granted customs and police authorities sweeping new powers to seize cash or precious metals carried by “suspect individuals” entering the EU. People carrying more than €10,000 euros in cash already have to declare this at customs when entering the EU. The new rules would allow authorities to seize money (or precious metals or bitcoin) below that threshold “where there are suspicions of criminal activity.” It was the latest step in the War on Cash. The powers that want to kill off cash include private and central banks, fintech firms, Silicon Valley magnates like Tim Cook and Bill Gates, telecom behemoths, credit card giants, assorted NGOs, a bewildering alphabet soup of UN agencies and many national governments. They all have their own disparate motives for taking out physical money. - How Bad Will the “Bond Massacre” Get? Worse “than the 1994 ‘Bond Massacre,'” with “sustained double-digit losses on bonds, subpar growth in developed markets, and balance sheet risks for banking systems….”
The backdrop: after 36 years of bond bull market, the amount of US bonds has ballooned to $47 trillion, up 24% from just ten years ago: US Treasurys ($19.8 trillion), Municipal bonds ($3.8 trillion), Mortgage related bonds ($8.9 trillion), Corporate bonds ($8.6 trillion), Federal Agency bonds ($2 trillion), Money Markets ($2.6 trillion), Asset backed Securities ($1.3 trillion), Bonds dwarfs the US stock market capitalization ($27 trillion). Bonds are a global phenomenon with even bigger bubbles elsewhere, particularly in NIRP countries, such as those in Europe, and in Japan. That’s why bonds matter. They’re enormous. And the damage they can do to investors is huge. - Masses Shocked By Philly Beverage Tax Impact
Philadelphia rang in the new year with a controversial new beverage tax on soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks. The tax, which went into effect on Sunday, is the first one of its kind in a major city in the United States. While the tax is technically 1.5 cents per ounce, which doesn’t sound too terrible, when buying a 10-pack of 20 oz bottles those numbers climb pretty quickly. In this case, a 10-pack of Propel flavored water that originally retailed for $5.99 had an additional three dollars tacked on to it in taxes. Chuck Andrews picked up a $1.77 gallon jug of tea, got home and looked at his receipt. “When I read the receipt I’m like, ‘Wait a minute. I paid more in tax than I did for the product,'” Andrews said. - Dow 20K Is Just The Beginning Of A Massive Rally In 2017
Interest rates have rocketed since the election. In the past month, the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note – a bellwether debt security for long-term interest rates – is up 60 basis points to post the largest monthly spike in three years. Interest rates rose into the Federal Reserve’s most recent FOMC meeting, on Dec. 13 and 14. Fed officials did the expected at the meeting and raised the range on the federal funds rate 25 basis points to 0.75%-to-1%. After the meeting, Fed Chair Janet Yellen hinted that three more increases could be in store for 2017. - Doug Kass Explains Why He Is Aggressively Buying Gold
The broad consensus is to own stocks and to sell gold. But, as I have discussed since 2003 in my annual Surprise Lists, the broad consensus of investors is often wrong. Indeed, it is often the case that the very coalescing of popular opinion behind an investment tends to eliminate its profit potential. While the animal spirits may have taken over the equity markets and have ignored the gold market, we should recall that there is a reason why Keynes called them animal and not human spirits. That's because animals are a lot dumber than humans! As excited as investors are about stocks, they are now uninterested in gold. - Pastor Lindsey Williams introduces Pastor David Bowen – January 5, 2017
Pastor Lindsey Williams introduces Pastor David Bowen with his regular short weekly video for readers of Pastor Williams’ weekly newsletter.
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Latest News Articles – January 5, 2017
From James Harkin (Webmaster & Editor of LindseyWilliams.net). Here is a summary of articles of interest from around the world for this week. Please LIKE the Lindsey Williams Online Facebook Page to see stories posted daily regarding the current state of the economy around the world.
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Latest News From December 30, 2016 to January 5, 2017:
- 10 Ways That Donald Trump Could Try To Reverse The Curse That Obama Has Put On America
When Barack Obama betrayed Israel at the United Nations, that put a curse on our nation. But that doesn’t mean that we have to stay cursed. In the coming days, the new Trump administration should immediately start taking steps to reverse the curse that we are under as a result of what Obama has done. Perhaps if Donald Trump takes strong enough steps to try to undo what Obama has done, instead of being cursed we can once again return to being blessed. One thing that Trump will not be able to undo is UN Security Council Resolution 2334. It would take another UN Security Council resolution to undo it, and the votes simply wouldn’t be there. UN Security Council Resolution 2334 passed by a vote of 14 to zero with the U.S. abstaining. And even if Trump could miraculously pull together enough votes, one of the other permanent members of the Security Council (Russia, China, the UK or France) could just veto it. So it looks like we are stuck with UN Security Council Resolution 2334, but that doesn’t mean that Trump can’t do anything to try to address this matter. - House Passes Bill To Undo Months Of Obama Regulations With Just One Vote
The House of Representatives passed legislation on Wednesday giving Congress the power to kill so-called “midnight rules”, months of recently enacted Obama administration regulations with just one vote, as Republicans charged ahead on their campaign to strip down federal regulations. If passed by the Senate and signed by President-elect Donald Trump, the legislation would amend the Congressional Review Act to allow lawmakers to bundle together multiple rules and overturn them en masse with a joint resolution of disapproval. The White House has already threatened to veto the bill if it were to make it to President Obama's desk before he leaves office. “Because outgoing administrations are no longer accountable to the voters, they are much more prone to issue midnight regulations that fly in the face of the electoral mandate the voters just gave the new, incoming administration,” said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte before the vote. “Waves of midnight rules can also be very hard for Congress or a new administration to check adequately.” - Global Debt Hits 325% Of World GDP, Rises To Record $217 Trillion
While we eagerly await the next installment of the McKinsey study on global releveraging, we noticed that in the latest report from the Institute for International Finance released on Wednesday, total debt as of Q3 2016 once again rose sharply, increasing by $11 trillion in the first 9 months of the year, hitting a new all time high of $217 trillion. As a result, late in 2016, global debt levels are now roughly 325% of the world's gross domestic product. In terms of composition, emerging market debt rose substantially, as government bond and syndicated loan issuance in 2016 grew to almost three times its 2015 level. And, as has traditionally been the case, China accounted for the lion's share of the new debt, providing $710 million of the total $855 billion in new issuance during the year, the IIF reported. Joining other prominent warnings, the IIF warned that higher borrowing costs in the wake of the U.S. presidential election and other stresses, including “an environment of subdued growth and still-weak corporate profitability, a stronger (U.S. dollar), rising sovereign bond yields, higher hedging costs, and deterioration in corporate creditworthiness” presented challenges for borrowers. - Donald Trump Was Born Exactly 700 Days Before Israel Became A Nation
Do you want to see something amazing? If you go to any of the major search engines and ask when Donald Trump was born, you will be told that it happened on June 14th, 1946. And then if you go to any of the major search engines and ask when Israel became a nation, you will be told that it happened on May 14th, 1948. If you take both of those dates and plug them into the handy calculator provided by timeanddate.com, you will discover that Donald Trump was born exactly 700 days before Israel became a nation. I was first alerted to this incredible fact by Daily Crow. Here are some other incredible numbers that link Trump and Israel from that same source… -Israel was 77 days old exactly 777 days after Donald Trump was born. -Israel’s 70th birthday will come exactly 700 days after Trump’s 70th birthday. -Donald Trump won the election on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s 7th year, 7th month and 7th day in office. On top of everything else, Donald Trump will be 70 years, 7 months and 7 days old on his first full day in the White House. - Three ridiculous ways Congress plans to Keep America Safe Again
It’s amazing that this is what passes as Defense policy… THIS is how they plan on spending hundreds of billions of dollars to keep you safe– sending useless reports to their central bureaucracy. Then, of course, there’s section 1287, my personal favorite. Section 1287 requires that, within 180 days of the bill being signed to law, a new agency called the Global Engagement Center will be created under the State Department. The Global Engagement Center’s job is to combat FAKE NEWS around the world, with sweeping powers to train and fund legions of journalists and bloggers to inundate the world with US propaganda. Politicians have been praising the idea for the Global Engagement Center as a landmark new tool to keep Americans safe. This is totally bogus; the US government has had propaganda and psychological warfare resources for decades. - Ford to scrap Mexico plant, invest in Michigan; CEO cites Trump policies
Before he's even taken office, President-elect Donald Trump has proven to be quite the job creator. Ford Motor Company announced Tuesday it will cancel a $1.6 billion plant planned for Mexico and will instead invest $700 million in a Michigan assembly plant, directly tying the decision to “pro-growth policies” championed by President-elect Donald Trump. Trump had previously been critical of Ford’s plans to build in Mexico. After the announcement, Trump tweeted a link to a story about the Ford decision and then added in a subsequent message: “Instead of driving jobs and wealth away, AMERICA will become the world's great magnet for INNOVATION & JOB CREATION.” - Scotland set to pilot universal basic income scheme in Fife and Glasgow
A councillor has backed the introduction of a universal basic income in Scotland because he says it is the best way to tackle poverty. A radical scheme to give every citizen a universal basic income (UBI), regardless of whether or not they work, is set to be piloted by two Scottish councils this year. Labour-run Glasgow and Fife councils are designing trial schemes following meetings held late last year. It has not yet been announced what level the basic income will be set at, but the councils are to proceed with the pilots, subject to sufficient funding being secured. - 47% of Jobs Will Disappear in the next 25 Years, According to Oxford University
The Trump campaign ran on bringing jobs back to American shores, although mechanization has been the biggest reason for manufacturing jobs’ disappearance. Similar losses have led to populist movements in several other countries. But instead of a pro-job growth future, economists across the board predict further losses as AI, robotics, and other technologies continue to be ushered in. What is up for debate is how quickly this is likely to occur. Now, an expert at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania is ringing the alarm bells. According to Art Bilger, venture capitalist and board member at the business school, all the developed nations on earth will see job loss rates of up to 47% within the next 25 years, according to a recent Oxford study. “No government is prepared,” The Economist reports. These include blue and white collar jobs. So far, the loss has been restricted to the blue collar variety, particularly in manufacturing. - Is the 2nd Half of 2017 when Sears Finally Kicks the Bucket?
Sears Holding Corp., which owns the Sears and Kmart stores and is run by hedge-fund manager Eddie Lampert, who is also its largest shareholder, pulled off another little trick when it announced today that it had lined up $200 million “to fund its operations,” but not cash, which is what Sears needs more than anything, given the rate at which it is burning it, but a Secured Standby Letter of Credit, which may be expanded to $500 million, “with the consent of the lenders.” This announcement gives some clues that after many years of disappointment, Sears doom-and-gloomers might finally approach the end of their long wait. - The Death Of The U.S. Petrodollar, and What Comes After
In the following interview, Turd Ferguson of TF Metals Report interviews the one and only Dr. Jim Willie, in what is undoubtedly one of the best Dr. Willie interviews I’ve ever heard. The article that follows the interview is also from TF Metals Report, and it’s written by Grant Williams, who is a Singapore-based hedge fund manager. First, the interview covers three main areas of discussion. First, Ferguson and Dr. Willie review the generally accepted narrative that has been coming from the mainstream media more or less since Donald Trump won the election. We keep hearing how bonds are selling off, which is sending interest rates higher, and making the stronger Dollar. There’s nothing to worry about, and the Dow will be at 25,000 in no time, right? - America’s Economy Before Versus After Obama
Something that is happening with increasing regularity across today's mainstream media, is that regardless of what subject matter is being discussed, and despite the need today more than ever before for Americans to have access to accurate information that could prove vital for the safety and well-being of their families, almost without exception the information the mainstream media is providing as “real news,” is almost always woefully incomplete, or lacking any information that resembles news with an ounce of journalistic integrity. He who controls information, controls absolutely, and “The Powers That Be” have made sure that we the people do not have access to real information. Instead, what the mainstream media calls “real news,” is little more than sound bites and propaganda intended to keep the masses distracted and pacified. - A great story from when America was still the Land of Opportunity
Last week during a long overdue vacation, a close friend of mine recommended reading the autobiography of Rich DeVos called Simply Rich. DeVos is a billionaire entrepreneur who started countless ventures during his nine decades on this earth. Back in the 1946, for example, DeVos started an airline… virtually overnight. He just bought an airplane and started flying people around. No rules. No regulations. They didn’t even have an airport. The local airfield north of Grand Rapids, Michigan, where they were based, hadn’t been completed yet. As DeVos recounts in his book, “We put pontoon floats on our plane and took off and landed on the Grand River, which ran along the airfield.” His first office at the airfield was an old chicken coop that he found, washed in the river, and re-painted. The following year he and his partner opened up one of Michigan’s first “Drive Through” restaurants at the airfield, catering to passengers, workers, flight students, and spectators who came by in the evenings just to marvel at the planes. - A Terrifying Warning That The West Is Now Approaching The ‘Brick Wall’
As we kickoff the first week of trading in January, today the man who has become legendary for his predictions on QE, historic moves in currencies, warned King World News that the West is now approaching the “brick wall.” West Rapidly Approaching The “Brick Wall” Egon von Greyerz: “On the first day of the new year it would be totally natural to forecast what the likely events and trends will be for the coming year. A lot of experts around the world will predict a number of ‘new’ events as if a lot of things will change just because we are entering a new year… - 2017 SHOCKER – Banks Near All-Time Record Long Positions In Major Market, Plus A Look At Gold
As we get ready to head into 2017, banks now have near all-time record long positions in a major market, plus a look at gold. The following charts are from SentimenTrader. Commercial Long Positions Near All-Time Record! The commercials have continued to dramatically increase their long positions in the U.S. 10-Year Treasury market to near all-time record levels. - The Almighty Dollar and the Currencies that Crushed it in 2016
Much of the strength of the dollar in 2016 has been ascribed to rising interest rates in the US and minuscule tightening by the Fed – or rather “removing accommodation,” as it likes to say – even as other central banks still engage in QE and negative interest rate absurdities. So the US became a destination for the hot money. By December 20, the dollar reached the highest point since December 2002 against the basket of currencies in the Dollar Index, though it has since eased off somewhat since then. But the Dollar Index contains only six currencies: euro, yen, pound sterling, Canadian dollar, Swedish krona, and Swiss franc. It doesn’t even include the currencies of two of the four largest US trading partners, Mexico and China. So how has a broader range of currencies fared against the dollar? Turns out, some soared, others plunged. - US Government Attacks Drudge Report? Conservative Website Down Because Of Distributed Denial Of Service Attack, Matt Drudge Tweets
A tweet from conservative media icon Matt Drudge's verified Twitter account Thursday night appeared to accuse the government of interfering with his website, DrudgeReport.com, just hours after the Barack Obama administration announced new sanctions against Russia over election hacking. “Is the US government attacking DRUDGE REPORT? Biggest DDoS since site's inception. VERY suspicious routing [and timing],” the tweet to Drudge's 457,000 followers read. There were no other tweets from the account at the time. A large-scale distributed denial of service attack, or DDoS, can cause major Internet disruptions. In the past, such attacks have shut down major websites such as Twitter, Spotify, Netflix, Amazon, Tumblr, and Reddit. The attack sends a server many illegitimate requests to make it hard for real requests to get through, effectively shutting down the site. - Bitcoin Surges Above $1,000 As China Unveils New Capital Controls
As noted yesterday, for the first time in three years, and only the second time in history, bitcoin rose above $1,000 in Yuan-denominated Chinese trading, however it was limited to the lower side of this “round number” psychological barrier in US trading, as BTC flirted with $999.99 for most of the day on the popular Coinbase exchange, without crossing it. Overnight, however, Chinese demand proved too great and US markets had no choice but to arb the difference. So with Bitcoin trading in China at an implied price of over $1,050 at this moment, bitcoin finally soared above $1,000 in the US as well, trading just around $1,024 on Coinbase as of this moment. - China tightens control of personal forex purchases
China has tightened checks on citizens exchanging foreign currency in anticipation of renewed downward pressure on the renminbi in the new year. Banks have been asked to improve standards for verifying customers’ identities and to report “large or questionable transactions”, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (Safe) said in a public statement at the weekend. “There have been leaks in China’s system of personal foreign exchange purchases,” the statement said, giving as an example the way individuals and companies avoid capital controls on overseas investments by disguising their transactions as goods purchases. - China’s Credit Engine Is Running Out of Gas
The People’s Bank of China faces a reckoning after revving its credit engine for years. Three conditions suggest traditional financing and shadow banking are due to cool: Restrictions on property markets are poised to start weighing on mortgage issuance; bond market turbulence has spurred widespread cancellation of new corporate issues; and banks face more curbs on selling wealth-management products amid a regulatory tightening. With economic expansion on pace to meet the government’s objective and inflation pressure rising, leaders are signaling tighter monetary policy as they seek to reduce risks. The PBOC also cut language from its last quarterly statement saying it would reduce lending costs. - Deutsche Bank chairman rules out European merger – Frankfurter Allgemeine
Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) Chairman Paul Achleitner has ruled out a European merger or a state bailout after the lender's mortgage settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung reported. The bank, Germany's biggest, last week announced a $7.2 billion (5.83 billion pound) settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over its sale and pooling of mortgage securities in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis. “The management board in principle looks at everything that could help the business,” Achleitner said in an interview with the weekly newspaper published on Sunday. - The New World Order Has Collapsed – Predictions for 2017
The beauty of our current situation lies in the sheer unpredictability of it all. A lot of long-term plots and schemes got derailed this past year, and even one of the great architects of the project, Zbigniew Brzezinski, has declared the New World Order agenda obsolete. The Globalists went for too much, too soon, and inadvertently triggered a worldwide populist uprising. Heading into 2017, there are very few safe bets. Certain trends are evident, and a few projections can be made. Barring a wave of suicides and single-car accidents, a tsunami of tell-all books about the Hillary Clinton campaign should hit the shelves by spring. Every excruciating detail of working for a brain-damaged alcoholic closet lesbian psychopath will be revealed. Her vicious temper and open contempt for her staff will become the stuff of political legend. By November, it’ll be hard to find anyone willing to admit that they voted for her. I doubt that we’ll ever get to the bottom of the Podesta Pizzagate emails. Whatever he’s referring to, it sure as hell isn’t pizza. Maybe drugs, but it doesn’t sound like it. I wouldn’t want to be in close proximity to John Podesta. He looks unlucky to me. - U.S. Special Operations Numbers Surge In Africa's Shadow Wars
AFRICA HAS SEEN the most dramatic growth in the deployment of America’s elite troops of any region of the globe over the past decade, according to newly released numbers. In 2006, just 1% of commandos sent overseas were deployed in the U.S. Africa Command area of operations. In 2016, 17.26% of all U.S. Special Operations forces — Navy SEALs and Green Berets among them — deployed abroad were sent to Africa, according to data supplied to The Intercept by U.S. Special Operations Command. That total ranks second only to the Greater Middle East where the U.S. is waging war against enemies in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. “In Africa, we are not the kinetic solution,” Brigadier General Donald Bolduc, the chief of U.S. Special Operations Command Africa, told African Defense, a U.S. trade publication, early this fall. “We are not at war in Africa — but our African partners certainly are.” - Get Ready for Passport “Globalization”
“The bottom line is that anyone can be ISIS. We therefore need an approach to securing civilized societies that doesn't allow individuals to hide behind the cloak of Western passports… The time has come for a “global passport,” a parallel digital certification of a person's identity, background, criminal record, travel history, and other details. The digital record would be regularly updated based on databases from airlines, customs agencies, banks and other sources, and could be managed by an independent international authority.” The quotation above comes from CNN, an American news network that has done such an exemplary job in recent years in serving as a mouthpiece for the US Government. The argument for global passports is a familiar one: “You are in danger of being killed by terrorists. We will save you by removing yet another of your freedoms.” Or, as Hermann Goering said, “The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.” - What Is The Obama Regime Up To? — Paul Craig Roberts
Obama has announced new sanctions on Russia based on unsubstantiated charges by the CIA that the Russian government influenced the outcome of the US presidential election with “malicious cyber-enabled activities.” The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a report “related to the declaration of 35 Russian officials persona non grata for malicious cyber activity and harassment.” The report is a description of “tools and infrastructure used by Russian intelligence services to compromise and exploit networks and infrastructure associated with the recent U.S. election, as well as a range of U.S. government, political and private sector entities.” The report does not provide any evidence that the tools and infrastructure were used to influence the outcome of the US presidential election. The report is simply a description of what is said to be Russian capabilities. - What is Henry Kissinger Up To? — Paul Craig Roberts
The English language Russian news agency, Sputnik, reports that former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is advising US president-elect Donald Trump how to “bring the United States and Russia closer together to offset China’s military buildup.” If we take this report at face value, it tells us that Kissinger, an old cold warrior, is working to use Trump’s commitment to better relations with Russia in order to separate Russia from its strategic alliance with China. China’s military buildup is a response to US provocations against China and US claims to the South China Sea as an area of US national interests. China does not intend to attack the US and certainly not Russia. - Keiser Report: Outlook for 2017
We discuss the outlook for 2017: from Trump’s first 100 hours, not days to fake news and a market crash following the biggest rally since Hoover. In the second half Max is joined by Gerald Celente of trendsresearch.com to discuss the big trends of 2017: Rustbelt 2.0, economic disorder and ‘Sell, Buy China’. - “Trumpflation” Will Have Big Ramifications For Gold In 2017
Something is brewing in the economy. Since the election of Donald Trump, interest rates have spiked, copper prices have surged, and various sectors of the stock market have swung bigly on speculation of what “Trumponomics” will bring. Scores of triumphant Republican commentators are already painting a bullish picture of the Trump economy. The GOP – which will control the White House, Congress, and most state governments – has a rare opportunity to implement a pro-growth agenda. Republicans squandered their last great window of opportunity. George W. Bush and his Congressional allies grew government spending at a faster clip than the economy and saddled the country with trillions of dollars in new debt. - Will Gold & Silver Finally Bottom In 2017?
There has indeed been an ongoing cleansing in the precious metals market since the spike highs five years ago. Remember, there have been calls for a massive turnaround in prices for both gold and silver since 2013…2014…again, even more so in 2015. 2016 has just freshly passed, and both metals continue to flirt with their lows from a year ago. A few years ago, all the rage was for the man and woman on the street to be buying gold and silver coins, long lines, especially in China, forming for blocks to make purchases for the inevitable rally “sure” to soon follow. During that time, we mentioned that individuals, small traders, et al, rarely, if ever, get in at the bottom or get out at the top of market turns. Both gold and silver were much higher, a few years ago, but the moneychangers continue to prevail as the “cleansing process” is still ongoing, tiring out the masses who had been certain that gold and silver would soar to $5,000+ in gold, $200-$300 in silver. - Barack Obama’s Legacy: War, Debt and Poverty
As 2016 winds down, so does Barack O’Bomber’s $80 million in paid vacations and his legacy of war, debt and poverty. It’s quite amazing how much one man can ruin a country while playing so much golf. WAR Just 12 days after being elected, Barack Obama was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. He accepted the prize in Oslo on December 10, 2009. It was assumed that he would shut down Guantanamo Bay and end the military occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. - Finland to pay unemployed basic income of $587 per month
Finland has become the first country in Europe to pay its unemployed citizens a basic monthly income, amounting to 560 euros ($587), in a social experiment hoped to cut government red tape, reduce poverty and boost employment. Olli Kangas from the Finnish government agency KELA said Monday that the two-year trial with the 2,000 randomly picked citizens who receive unemployment benefits kicked off Jan. 1. Those 2,000 unemployed chosen will receive 560 euros every month, with no reporting requirements on how they spend it. The amount will be deducted from any benefits they already receive. The unemployment rate of Finland, a nation of 5.5 million, stood at 8.1 percent in November with some 213,000 people without a job — unchanged from the previous year. - European Commission Threatens Widespread Asset Confiscation
The “war on terror” continues… The US and the North Atlantic Terrorist Organization (NATO) attacked Libya and Syria and began transporting Muslims to Europe as a means of destabilization. They have also conducted numerous other false flag attacks, such as Charlie Hebdo, by which to further confuse and imprison the local population. The most recent was the so called “terror attack” which occurred several days before Christmas in Berlin, Germany. A truck was deliberately driven into a crowded market killing 12 people and leaving 48 injured. Now it reaches a logical conclusion with cash and gold being confiscated in the name of making people “safe”. There is always an ulterior motive which becomes clearly apparent after such “terror” events. It is no coincidence that in Europe, the European Commission just made a new capital control proposition. - Obama Chaos Before Leaving Office, Obama Punishes Russia Hacking & Economic Warning
The Obama Administration basically stabbed Israel, its top U.S. Middle East ally, in the back by not stopping a UN resolution that makes the Western Wall occupied Palestinian territory. It also makes building Israeli settlements in the West Bank an international crime. This is all taking place less than thirty days before Trump’s inauguration. Is Obama creating as much chaos as possible before he leaves office? I say YES!!! On another front, President Obama has expelled 35 Russian officials from the U.S. because of allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The Russians say Obama is “paranoid” and denies the charge. Now, the Kremlin is vowing retaliation for expelling its diplomats and seizing Russian property in the U.S. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has negotiated a ceasefire in Syria without any involvement from the Obama Administration. - 2017 Predictions on Trump, Gold, Silver, Housing, Stocks, Bonds & Antarctica-Clif High
Internet data mining expert Clif High says forget about the rumors and predictions of Donald Trump being blocked from taking office. High says Trump will be sworn in as the 45th President and explains, “I don’t have any data that says, hard stop, Trump is assassinated. I don’t have that . . . . I am willing to back my data with real money, an ounce of silver, and I have an ounce of silver, and I would be willing to bet the inauguration part goes through smoothly given the emotional data sets we have now.” High, who calls what he does “Predictive Linguistics,” mines the internet and collects billions of data points to produce forecasts of the future. On the financial markets, High simply says, “We’re screwed. . . . The equity markets in our data sets are highly manipulated. So, if you ask will there be a crash? I say there already is a crash. Everybody that is not part of the financial system at the top end is currently living in a depression, and the media does not acknowledge this.” - Army’s brain: Russia’s ‘colossal’ supercomputer helps predict wars, defense minister says
A “colossally powerful” supercomputer installed at Russia’s military headquarters helps the country’s armed forces tackle emerging threats by analyzing previous conflicts, such as the Yugoslavian war and the like, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said. The supercomputer is a key part of the headquarters’ IT infrastructure and is so powerful that the military uses less than half of its capacity, Shoigu told Rossiya 24 TV channel, which filmed a documentary about Russia’s National Defense Management Center (NDMC). “It has open architecture – you can add or remove specific elements, build up, increase and expand its capacities, it has plenty of them,” the minister said. The center’s supercomputer was designed to predict the development of current or future wars by analyzing the current security environment and drawing conclusions from past conflicts. It not only stores data on all major wars and conflicts, but also helps predict upcoming ones, Shoigu explained. - Germany Unveils “Cash Controls” Push: Ban Transactions Over €5,000, €500 Euro Note
It was just two days ago that Bloomberg implored officials to “bring on a cashless future” in an Op-Ed that calls notes and coins “dirty, dangerous, unwieldy, and expensive.” You probably never thought of your cash that way, but increasingly, authorities and the powers that be seem determined to lay the groundwork for the abolition of what Bloomberg calls “antiquated” physical money. We’ve documented the cash ban calls on a number of occasions including, most recently, those that emanated from DNB, Norway’s largest bank where executive Trond Bentestuen said that although “there is approximately 50 billion kroner in circulation, the Norges Bank can only account for 40 percent of its use.” That, Bentestuen figures, “means that 60 percent of money usage is outside of any control.” “We believe,” he continues, “that is due to under-the-table money and laundering.” DNB goes on to say that after identifying “many dangers and disadvantages” associated with cash, the bank has “concluded that it should be phased out.” - Three Mini-Bubbles Are Bursting
The world has gotten so used to ultra-low interest rates that even economists and money managers seem to be shocked by what happens when rates start creeping back towards normal levels. Some of the mini-bubbles that formed in an essentially free-money environment are now starting to leak. Notably: US Housing – While the action in this sector is nothing like the raging mania of the 2000s, prices in many hot US markets are at all-time highs, while affordability is at or near an all-time low. And now rising mortgage rates are beginning to bite. US Auto Sales – Cars and trucks have been one of the economy’s bright spots for several years — which seems to have gotten everyone just a little too excited. Auto financing practices have lately begun to resemble those of the subprime mortgage bubble: Today’s average loan is for more money, lasts much longer, and is held by a much weaker credit than ever before. Now, with interest rates rising and pretty much every potential buyer already locked into a car mortgage, the bubble optimism is evaporating. China – That the world’s second largest economy — with a debt load that has quintupled in the past seven years — can be called a “mini-bubble” illustrates the size of the meta-bubble in which it has emerged. - Trump’s Border Wall, Deportation Plans Face Pushback From GOP
Donald Trump’s pledges to deport undocumented immigrants and build a U.S.-Mexico border wall helped fuel Republicans’ surprising election victories, but they now face growing challenges from fellow party members. Three Republican senators are working with Democrats to shield about 750,000 young undocumented immigrants from deportation if Trump cancels a 2012 order from President Barack Obama that let them stay in the U.S. - Brits Are Hoarding Cash Amid “Economic Uncertainties” As FTSE Hits Record High
Despite the FTSE 100 soaring to new record highs, Britons are holding onto their cash in a sign that they may be hunkering down in the face of economic uncertainties, according to the British Bankers Association. As Bloomberg reports, personal deposits grew an annual 4.8 percent in November, data compiled by the BBA show. They increased by 32.4 billion pounds ($39.7 billion) in the first 11 months of the year, outstripping the 19.8 billion-pound growth in the same period of 2015. But while the economy has held up well so far, most economists foresee a slowdown in 2017 as businesses seek more clarity on the nation’s future relationship with the world’s largest trading bloc. - Mining 24 Hours a Day with Robots
Mining companies are rolling out autonomous trucks, drills, and trains, which will boost efficiency but also reduce the need for human employees. Each of these trucks is the size of a small two-story house. None has a driver or anyone else on board. Mining company Rio Tinto has 73 of these titans hauling iron ore 24 hours a day at four mines in Australia’s Mars-red northwest corner. At this one, known as West Angelas, the vehicles work alongside robotic rock drilling rigs. The company is also upgrading the locomotives that haul ore hundreds of miles to port—the upgrades will allow the trains to drive themselves, and be loaded and unloaded automatically. Rio Tinto intends its automated operations in Australia to preview a more efficient future for all of its mines—one that will also reduce the need for human miners. The rising capabilities and falling costs of robotics technology are allowing mining and oil companies to reimagine the dirty, dangerous business of getting resources out of the ground. - Italy's Insolvent Monte Paschi To Issue €15 Billion In Debt
For a glimpse into just how insane modern finance and capital markets are, look no further than Italy's thrice insolvent (in three years) bank Monte Paschi, which after failing to finalize a private, is finalizing the terms of its nationalization with the Italian government: a rescue which will cost Italian taxpayers at least €6.6 billion, and likely more. The bailout, however, is not the punchline. What is, is that according to Reuters, Monte dei Paschi di Siena – which has yet to be bailed out, plans to issue no less than €15 billion of debt next year “to restore liquidity and boost investor confidence.” According to daily La Repubblica, Monte dei Paschi would issue the debt in the form of bonds and commercial paper. A third of that debt would have a short-term maturity date, while the rest would mature in three years, it added. The bank could not immediately be reached for comment. - John McAfee on Russian hacking allegations: “If it looks like the Russians did it, then I can guarantee you it was not the Russians”
Following the release of an FBI report outlining Russia's alleged role in hacking the 2016 election, Larry King sat down to talk with tech pioneer John McAfee to discuss the current state of cybersecurity. McAfee is no stranger to cybersecurity. As the developer of the first commercial antivirus program, he has been a major player in the industry for the past 50 years. He is also the CEO of MGT Capital Investments, and an outspoken former presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party. Based on all of his experience, McAfee does not believe that Russians were behind the hacks on the Democratic National Committee (DNC), John Podesta's emails, and the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. As he told RT, “if it looks like the Russians did it, then I can guarantee you it was not the Russians.” - Republicans Consider Obamacare Repeal Without A Replacement Strategy
Republicans have spent a lot of time in recent weeks vowing to repeal Obamacare. But, it is quickly becoming apparent that, since precisely zero people expected the 2016 election cycle to end with Republican control of all three branches of government in Washington D.C., no viable alternative has been fully vetted and stands ready to replace the failed legislation. According to Bloomberg, the lack of a fully negotiated replacement option could result in Republicans repealing the bill on a piecemeal basis with a replacement to be implemented at a later date. While Trump has repeatedly called for expanding the use of Health Savings Accounts and allowing insurance companies to sale policies across state lines, none of those policies have been officially written into a bill at this point. And while dozens of Obamacare alternatives have been introduced in Congress over the years none of them have actually received enough support to get off the ground. - Walking your children home from school and driving while caffeinated are now felony crimes in police state America
In Magnolia, Texas, it is now a felony crime to walk your own children home from school. Er, I mean the “government indoctrination center.” Seriously, parents can now be charged with serious crimes for merely meeting their children at the school and walking them home. “The principal has decided that no matter how close the student lives to the school, the student must either take the bus, or the parent must wait in a long car pickup line,” reports Fox 26 in Houston. “Try to walk your student off the campus and you could face criminal charges… Fox26 knows of 2 other parents who were just threatened with arrest.” This is yet more evidence that even in Texas, the government thinks it owns your children. Parental rights are being obliterated across the country at a breathtaking pace, including in California where the state can now mandate government injections of your children with aluminum, mercury and other toxic substances that cause autism and neurological disorders. - 5 Pieces of News That Show Global Warming Still Isn't Happening The Way Leftists Say
As 2016 comes to a close, it's important to realize that the left's continuing hysteria over global warming still does not match reality. The current facts show that there are not rising temperatures at alarming levels and, if anything, the planet seems to be experiencing more of a cooling phase than a warming phase. Here are five pieces of news that show that global warming is not causing armageddon. 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) graphs showing accelerated increases in temperature appear to be fabricated. 2. The evidence points to record amounts of cold weather. 3. The polar bear population seems to be thriving. 4. There were 50 peer-reviewed scientific papers in 2016 that concluded there was not wide-scale global warming. 5. The weather trends don't indicate that anything severe is occurring. - Europe Proposes Confiscating Gold In Crackdown On “Terrorist Financing”
Hot on the heels of China gold import restrictions, and India's demonetization and gold confiscations, The European Commission proposed tightening controls on cash and precious metals transfers from outside the EU under the guise of shutting down one route for funding of militant attacks on the continent, following the Berlin Christmas attack. China has already begun de facto gold import restrictions, and as Jayant Bhandari detailed previously, India is experiencing a continuation of new social engineering notifications, each sabotaging wealth-creation, confiscating people’s wealth, and tyrannizing those who refuse to be a part of the herd, in the process destroying the very backbone of the economy and civilization. There are clear signs that in a very convoluted way, possession of gold for investment purposes will be made illegal. Expect capital controls to follow. - JP Morgan Gobbles up a Minimum of Over 31 Tons (Possibly up to 186 Tons!) of Physical Gold!
Back in August 2015, I noted that Goldman Sachs and HSBC had taken delivery of a huge tonnage of physical gold, probably purchased near the lows. Physical bars of gold are, by definition, a very long term investment in the yellow metal. At the time, the two banks were telling clients and others not to buy gold, even as they were loading up on it, themselves. Let’s fast forward… Starting in December 2015, JP Morgan began buying tremendous quantities of physical gold, as opposed to paper/electronic gold futures, forwards, ETF certificates etc. From December 1, 2015 to December 29, 2016, the big bank purchased and took physical delivery of over 31 metric tonnes worth of bars of the yellow metal for its house account at COMEX alone. - Italy Urges Europe To Begin Censoring Free Speech On The Internet
First it was the US, then Germany blamed much of what is wrong in society on “fake news”, and not, say, a series of terrible decisions made by politicians. Now it is Italy's turn to call for an end to “fake news”, which in itself would not be troubling, however, the way Giovanni Pitruzzella, head of the Italian competition body, demands the European Union “cracks down” on what it would dub “fake news” is nothing short of a total crackdown on all free speech, and would give local governments free reign to silence any outlet that did not comply with the establishment propaganda. In an interview with the FT, Pitruzzella said the regulation of false information on the internet was best done by the state rather than by social media companies such as Facebook, an approach taken previously by Germany, which has demanded that Facebook end “hate speech” and has threatened to find the social network as much as €500K per “fake” post. Pitruzzella, head of the Italian competition body since 2011, said “EU countries should set up independent bodies — co-ordinated by Brussels and modeled on the system of antitrust agencies — which could quickly label fake news, remove it from circulation and impose fines if necessary.” - Geoengineered Winter Weather Whiplash With Patented Climate Engineering Processes
Patented processes for artificially ice nucleating winter storms are owned by our government and have existed for many decades (the Chinese have openly stated they are “engineering snowstorms”). Weather warfare has been waged against populations all over the globe for decades, this includes the US population. Engineered winter weather events are now the norm. Though US media has done their best to sweep the subject of weather warfare under the rug in recent decades, there is a great deal of historical coverage. The US military has made clear the fact that they have long since considered climate change to be the greatest national security threat of all, are we to believe they would ask our permission before they would modify the weather and climate to suit their own agenda? Global geoengineering programs are not about the common good, they are not about saving the planet or humanity. The ongoing climate engineering insanity is about power, control, and attempting to mask the damage already done to our climate system while inflicting unimaginably more destruction to the climate and biosphere in the process. - Putin mic drops Obama: Russia retaliates against US retaliations… by inviting families of US diplomats to New Year's party at Kremlin, wishes Obama and family all the best
The Russian president has rejected a suggestion of the foreign ministry to expel 35 American diplomats in response to a similar move by the US. He said Obama's act was designed to provoke a reaction, but Russia would not take the bait. “We reserve the right to retaliate, but we will not sink to the level of this irresponsible ‘kitchen' diplomacy. We will take further moves on restoring Russian-American relations based on the policies that the administration of President-elect Donald Trump adopts,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a statement published by the Kremlin website. Putin said that, unlike the Obama administration, Russia will not target foreign diplomats and their families days before New Year's celebrations. “We will not forbid families and children from spending the New Year's holidays at the places they are used to. Moreover, I invite the children of all American diplomats with accreditation in Russia to New Year's and Christmas festivities in the Kremlin,” the Russian president said. - Trump praises Putin for holding back in U.S.-Russia spy dispute
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Friday praised Russian President Vladimir Putin for refraining from retaliation in a dispute over spying and cyber attacks, in another sign that the Republican plans to patch up badly frayed relations with Moscow. Putin earlier on Friday said he would not hit back for the U.S. expulsion of 35 suspected Russian spies by President Barack Obama, at least until Trump takes office on Jan. 20. “Great move on delay (by V. Putin) – I always knew he was very smart!” Trump wrote on Twitter from Florida, where he is on vacation. - Why Lew Rockwell is Optimistic the Drug War Will End
Look to the war on drugs to understand why the United States has become “a prison state,” says Lew Rockwell in a new video interview with Future of Freedom Foundation President Jacob Hornberger. And, says Rockwell, look to educational efforts and state governments’ “nullification” of US drug laws for indications why drug prohibition will end. While Rockwell notes there are powerful interests fighting to perpetuate the war on drugs, Rockwell also declares in the interview his optimism that educational efforts will help increase public support for ending drug prohibition. Pointing to states “nullifying” US government anti-drug laws through actions including medical and recreational marijuana legalization, Rockwell says “we have every reason to be optimistic” that the drug war “will eventually come to an end.” - Two of the world’s most evil people – Bill Gates and George Soros – behind Facebook’s news censorship agenda
If there’s one thing the political Left hates more than anything else it’s an honest, open debate over ideals. Authoritarian to the core, Leftists shun debate and discussion because deep down, they know they cannot defend their positions—more and bigger centralized government, top-down government-imposed “solutions,” big expensive bureaucracy, limited freedom and individualism. So what does the Left seek to do instead? It seeks to shut down debate, shout down opponents, wall off competing ideas and censor anyone who doesn’t toe the liberal line. That’s what this business of rooting out so-called “fake news” by Facebook, Google, and other social media giants is really all about. After GOP presidential nominee Donald J. Trump mopped the floor with the Left’s anointed candidate, four-time loser Hillary Clinton, the insane Left began blaming “fake news” from alternative media sources (like ours) who dared to publish the truth about what Clinton stood for and how she, not Trump, was the one “unfit” for the Oval Office. - Bank Bailout Balloons, Tab for Italian Banking Crisis Soars
Over the Christmas holidays, when no one was supposed to pay attention, and when the markets were closed, the bailout costs of Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the third largest bank in Italy, and the center of the Italian banking crisis, suddenly jumped by 75% to €8.8 billion ($9.2 billion)! Just how immense the black hole inside of a bank really is remains unknown until the bank collapses entirely and the pieces are sorted out. No one wants to know, especially not bank regulators. But when banks are teetering, and a bank bailout, or rather a bondholder bailout is being discussed, the aspects of that hole begin to emerge, and the hole keeps getting bigger the longer someone looks at it. Earlier this year, the ECB’s stress tests of 51 large European banks determined that Monte dei Paschi was the shakiest among them. The ECB gave the bank until the end of 2016 to raise enough capital or contemplate the prospect of being wound down. - Trump Inherits Political and Economic Titanic-Warren Pollock
Analyst and financial expert Warren Pollock says Donald Trump has been dealt a horrendous hand when it comes to the political environment and the economy. Pollock explains, “Trump inherited the Titanic or a nuclear reactor that is about to explode. As he tries to fix this giant mess, he’s bound to upset the apple cart. The economy is fragile. The society is fragile. If he touches anything, something is liable to break somewhere. People want Obama Care removed immediately. They want to see the swamp drained immediately. I think these are things he believes in, and he is certainly a pragmatic manager compared to Hillary Clinton, who would have been an utter disaster for everyone in this country. . . . The problem for Trump, besides the piranhas that are circling him, both the Democrats and Republicans, is that he has inherited the Titanic, which means he can cause us to sink faster simply by touching something. That’s why Obama Care can’t be turned off overnight. That’s why he can’t impose massive tariffs on China overnight. Whatever he does will cause tremendous dislocations. Any corrective action that he takes will have unintended consequences, and he understands that. He’s a pragmatist, and I think he is prepared to deal with this. All the people he has chosen, all have differing opinions, but they are all excellent in one way or another.” - Those That Bless Israel Will Be Blessed And Those That Curse Israel Will Be Cursed – So Now America Is Greatly Cursed
There are consequences for our actions, and on a national level we are going to experience tremendous consequences for the very foolish decisions of our national leaders. When Barack Obama decided to betray Israel at the United Nations, he made the most fateful decision of his entire presidency. Because the Scriptures tell us that those that curse Israel will be cursed, and so America is now under a great curse due to what Barack Obama has done. All throughout the Scriptures there are equations. What I mean by that is there are many passages that tell us that if we do things God’s way we will get one result, and if we do things another way we will get another result. One of my favorite examples of this is Matthew 5:19. I have been on both sides of that particular equation, and being on God’s side of the equation is much better by far. As far as Israel is concerned, all throughout the Bible we see the principle that those that bless Israel are blessed and those that curse Israel are cursed. The very first place where we find this is in Genesis chapter 12 where God makes his famous promise to Abraham. - John Kerry Unveils His Plan For A Palestinian State Based Upon 1967 Borders With East Jerusalem As The Capital
Barack Obama stabbed Israel in the back on Friday, and now John Kerry has slapped Israel in the face just five days later. In a shameful speech that lasted for 71 dreadful minutes, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry laid out his plan for peace in the Middle East on Wednesday. His six-part plan is being welcomed warmly by the Palestinians, but it has further infuriated the Israelis. Kerry claims that his plan reflects the emerging global consensus as to what a “final solution” will look like, and now we will wait to see what the 70 nations that will be gathering in France to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on January 15th will do. There is a great deal of concern that the principles agreed upon at that conference will form the basis for a UN Security Council resolution that will be rushed to a vote before President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated on January 20th. The core of Kerry’s plan is the division of the land of Israel into two states. The borders between Israel and “Palestine” would be based upon the 1967 ceasefire lines with mutually agreed upon land swaps. - 100% Of US Warming Is Due To NOAA Data Tampering
Climate Central just ran this piece, which the Washington Post picked up on. They claimed the US was “overwhelmingly hot” in 2016, and temperatures have risen 1,5°F since the 19th century. The first problem with their analysis is that the US had very little hot weather in 2016. The percentage of hot days was below average, and ranked 80th since 1895. Only 4.4% of days were over 95°F, compared with the long term average of 4.9%. Climate Central is conflating mild temperatures with hot ones. They also claim US temperatures rose 1.5°F since the 19th century, which is what NOAA shows. The problem with the NOAA graph is that it is fake data. NOAA creates the warming trend by altering the data. The NOAA raw data shows no warming over the past century. The adjustments being made are almost exactly 1.5°F, which is the claimed warming in the article. - Circle January 15th: 70 Nations Will Gather In Paris To Discuss The Creation Of A Palestinian State
On January 15th, representatives from 70 different countries will gather in Paris, France for an unprecedented global conference. The stated goal of this conference is to promote a “two-state solution” as the way that lasting peace will be brought to the Middle East. In Israel, there is a tremendous amount of concern that whatever is agreed upon at this conference will immediately be used as the basis for a UN Security Council resolution that would permanently divide the land of Israel and create a Palestinian state. But things would have to move very rapidly in order for that to happen, because Barack Obama’s time in the White House comes to an end on January 20th, and Donald Trump has already made it exceedingly clear that he would never support such a resolution. The UN Security Council resolution that was passed on Friday was one of the most significant events that we have witnessed in decades. Resolution 2334 made all Israeli settlements in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem illegal, it set the 1967 ceasefire lines as the border between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and it granted every single inch of East Jerusalem to the Palestinians. But it stopped short of giving official UN Security Council recognition to a Palestinian state, and that is why this conference on January 15th is so important. - Pastor Lindsey Williams introduces Pastor David Bowen – December 29, 2016
Pastor Lindsey Williams introduces Pastor David Bowen with his regular short weekly video for readers of Pastor Williams’ weekly newsletter.
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