Occupy Banksters & Crony Capitalism & GREED

Amazon fires show world heading for point of no return, says UN
TheGuardian | Jonathan Watts | 08/30/19

Biodiversity chief calls for countries to unite to halt rapid degradation of nature

The fires in the Amazon are "extraordinarily concerning" for the planet's natural life support systems, the head of the UN's top biodiversity body has said in a call for countries, companies and consumers to build a new relationship with nature.

Cristiana Pasca Palmer, the executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, said the destruction of the world's biggest rainforest was a grim reminder that a fresh approach was needed to stabilise the climate and prevent ecosystems from declining to a point of no return, with dire consequences for humanity.

"The Amazon fires make the point that we face a very serious crisis," she told the Guardian. "But it is not just the Amazon. We're also concerned with what's happening in other forests and ecosystems, and with the broader and rapid degradation of nature. The risk is we are moving towards the tipping points that scientists talk about that could produce cascading collapses of natural systems." ... Read more

Tariff Man: Behind Trump Economic Advisor Peter Navarro's Long Quest to Ratchet Up the Trade War With China
Fortune | Bob Sellers | 08/27/19

As President Trump and China escalate their trade war, there is a tariff champion in the White House that strongly supports this kind of approach. It's not Larry Kudlow, who described himself on his Kudlow.com website as an "Influential supply-side economist, and unapologetic supporter or capitalism and the free markets." (His website was taken down when he joined the administration.) Instead, it is Peter Navarro, the Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, whose raison d'être in recent years appears to be holding China accountable for its economic sins, and prepare the U.S. strategically for the threat the communist country poses economically and militarily.

But while the Harvard educated economist has the president's ear, he is not universally admired, says Phillip Braun, Professor of Finance at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. "He has ideas that have no basis in reality. Such as trade wars are good. Or that tariffs are good. But they have severe consequences for the U.S., and we've seen this in the past when the U.S. has imposed tariffs."

Nonetheless, Navarro has been able to convince the president to take on China with trade tariffs. There are now plans to expand them to more products beginning September 1st, which compelled China last week to announce retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods and U.S. crude oil imports, which in turn prompted Mr. Trump to announce additional tariffs on more goods at higher levels as he "ordered" American companies to bring their operations back home. Most economic forecasters -- including the Congressional Budget Office -- have lowered their GDP forecasts in the coming months and years. And JP Morgan says the average American family will face $1,000 of additional costs per year. ... Read more

GOP Senators Worried About Economy Under President Donald Trump | The Last Word | MSNBC | 08/29/19 | 5:24

The Pentagon's New Missile Drive Is Bringing Armageddon Closer
TheNation | Michael Klare | 08/30/19

Washington is withdrawing from the INF treaty not because of Russian violations but because the Pentagon wants to deploy a dangerous new class of its own nukes.

On August 2, in a brazen attack on the arms control architecture forged by US and Soviet leaders during the Cold War era, the United States formally withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, a 1987 accord that bans the possession of ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with a range of between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,420 miles). Just two weeks later, on August 18, the Defense Department test-fired a cruise missile that would have violated the treaty, were the United States still in compliance. That test, involving a ground-based version of the sea-launched Tomahawk cruise missile, was intended less as a technology assessment than as a political statement--to demonstrate the Pentagon's determination to rapidly field an array of treaty-non-compliant weapons and put China and Russia on the defensive. Unless halted by Congress, this drive will almost certainly spark a dangerous new arms race and dramatically narrow the "firebreak" between conventional and nuclear war. ... Read more

Trump Aide And Oval Office 'Gatekeeper' Fired For 'Leaking'
ZeroHedge | staff | 08/30/19

Madeleine Westerhout, the now-former special assistant to the president and director of Oval Office operations, had worked for the president since the transition. But she shared details about Trump, his family and his time in the White House during an off-the-record chat with reporters.

Once her actions had been discovered, the administration decided that "immediate termination" was the only worthwhile punishment for leaking. She would not be returning to work on Friday. ... Read more

Tariffs threaten to reshape tech industry
Axios | Ina Fried | 08/29/19

Even as businesses continue to protest the growing U.S.-China trade war, the tariffs are already causing companies in both countries to rethink how and where they do business.

Why it matters: For all their differences, the U.S. and Chinese tech industries remain very interdependent -- each country contributes a great deal of business to the other's economy.

Where it stands: What tech companies want most is an end to hostilities, as evidenced by a letter issued Wednesday by more than 150 business groups calling for an end to the tariffs. However, the ongoing trade war has both sides eyeing how to lessen their dependence on the other. ...

1. Apple remains highly dependent on China for manufacturing and it is also a key market for iPhone sales. Nearly all iPhones are made there, with the exception of phones sold in Brazil and India, where laws impose huge tariffs on imported electronics.
2. Huawei, subject to a near-total ban on business with the U.S., finds itself not only shut out of a key market, but scrambling to find new options for chips and operating systems, among other components. The company faces the prospect of launching its first high-end smartphone without Google's apps and services.

When Ilhan Omar Is Accused of Anti-Semitism, It's News. When a Republican Smears Muslims, There's Silence.
TheIntercept | Mehdi Hasan | 08/28/19

"IT'S ALL ABOUT the Benjamins, baby." That is, of course, what Rep. Ilhan Omar famously tweeted on February 10, in response to a tweet from my colleague Glenn Greenwald decrying "how much time U.S. political leaders spend defending a foreign nation" -- namely, the state of Israel. Then, when a journalist followed up by asking Omar who she believed was "paying American politicians to be pro-Israel," the congresswoman tweeted: "AIPAC!"

The freshman Democrat from Minnesota "unequivocally" apologized the very next day, saying that she was grateful to Jewish allies and colleagues who were educating her "on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes" and insisting that she never intended to "offend my constituents or Jewish Americans as a whole."

But it was too late. With those two (since-deleted) tweets, Omar kicked off a political and media firestorm that lasted for weeks and saw her condemned and castigated by, among others, cable news pundits, newspaper op-ed columnists, Jewish community groups, Donald Trump, congressional Republicans, and even the leaders and members of her own party. ... Read more

A Top Financier of Trump and McConnell is a Driving Force Behind Amazon Deforestation
TheIntercept | Ryan Grim | 08/27/19

TWO BRAZILIAN FIRMS owned by a top donor to President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are significantly responsible for the ongoing destruction of the Amazon rainforest, carnage that has developed into raging fires that have captivated global attention.

The companies have wrested control of land, deforested it, and helped build a controversial highway to their new terminal in the one-time jungle, all to facilitate the cultivation and export of grain and soybeans. The shipping terminal at Miritituba, deep in the Amazon in the Brazilian state of Pará, allows growers to load soybeans on barges, which will then sail to a larger port before the cargo is shipped around the world.

The Amazon terminal is run by Hidrovias do Brasil, a company that is owned in large part by Blackstone, a major U.S. investment firm. Another Blackstone company, Pátria Investimentos, owns more than 50 percent of Hidrovias, while Blackstone itself directly owns an additional roughly 10 percent stake. Blackstone co-founder and CEO Stephen Schwarzman is a close ally of Trump and has donated millions of dollars to McConnell in recent years.

"Blackstone is committed to responsible environmental stewardship," the company said in a statement. "This focus and dedication is embedded in every investment decision we make and guides how we conduct ourselves as operators. In this instance, while we do not have operating control, we know the company has made a significant reduction in overall carbon emissions through lower congestion and allowed the more efficient flow of agricultural goods by Brazilian farmers." ... Read more

The Fantasy Of Central Bank "Growth" Is Finally Imploding
Zerohedge | | 08/28/19

It was such a wonderful fantasy: just give a handful of bankers, financiers and corporations trillions of dollars at near-zero rates of interest, and this flood of credit and cash into the apex of the wealth-power pyramid would magically generate a new round of investments in productivity-improving infrastructure and equipment, which would trickle down to the masses in the form of higher wages, enabling the masses to borrow and spend more on consumption, powering the Nirvana of modern economics: a self-sustaining, self-reinforcing expansion of growth.

But alas, there is no self-sustaining, self-reinforcing expansion of growth; there are only massive, increasingly fragile asset bubbles, stagnant wages and a New Gilded Age as the handful of bankers, financiers and corporations that were handed unlimited nearly free money enriched themselves at the expense of everyone else. ... Read more

Queen Elizabeth II approves U.K. government's request to suspend Parliament
Axios | staff | 08/28/19

Queen Elizabeth II has approved a request from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government to suspend Parliament when it returns from its summer recess until it can lay out its plans with a traditional Queen's Speech on Oct. 14, per the BBC.

Why it matters: While the request is largely standard process for a new administration -- the Queen's Speech is akin to an incoming State of the Union -- these are not standard times. The length of the suspension is longer than usual, and Johnson's opposition would have little time to use parliamentary procedure to stop a no-deal Brexit. Assuming that negotiations with the European Union remain stalled, it means that the U.K. will likely either crash out of the bloc on Oct. 31 -- or face a snap general election called by Johnson's opposition. ... Read more

Trump Pitch To Host G7 Seen As Ploy To Help Failing Business | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC | 08/27/19 | 8:42

David Koch's Most Significant Legacy is the Election of Donald Trump
TheIntercept | Lee Fang | 08/26/19

DAVID KOCH, the fossil fuel industry billionaire who passed away on August 23 at the age of 79, spent the second half of his life building a political power structure alongside his brother Charles that radically reshaped society and set the conditions for the rise of President Donald Trump.

Many obituaries published in recent days examine Koch's history of polluting the environment and political system, how the donor network he helped lead mobilized opposition to addressing climate change, transformed our election laws to allow unlimited secret spending by the very rich, and systematically fought any regulation, labor reform, or tax viewed as a threat to the corporate power elite.

Yet Koch's most visible accomplishment is the current occupant of the White House -- a legacy largely unrecognized, and one that goes well beyond any other single triumph in his life. ... Read more

Trump's net approval rating sinks in every battleground state
Axios | Alayna Treene | 08/27/19

President Trump's net approval rating has plunged in every key battleground state since taking office in January 2017, according to Morning Consult's tracking poll.

Why it matters: These are the states that Republicans and Democrats are vying for in 2020, and where, as of now, the campaigns think the presidential election will be decided, according to conversations with several Trump and Democratic campaign staffers.

In addition to the key purple states -- Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin -- that both sides recognize as targets, the Trump campaign has its sights set on Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire and New Mexico, all states Trump lost in 2016, several campaign officials said. ... Read more
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Anthony Scaramucci talks Trump's trade war | 08/27/19 | 10:15

Trump An Incoherent Spectacle At G7; W.H. Struggles To Clean Up | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC | 08/27/19 | 15:47

Trump's Flawed Record Attracts Challengers Aplenty For 2020 | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC | 08/24/19 | 10:31

Trump's China bind
Axios | Jonathan Swan | 08/23/19

Sources close to President Trump tell Axios that the White House is in a China bind: A trade deal with China is "tough to improbable" in this deteriorating environment, with escalating security tensions between Washington and Beijing.

Why it matters: The biggest tool Trump has to pump the economy and the markets is a trade deal with China. But if anything, senior administration officials have turned harder against China in recent weeks.

This has less to do with trade than it does with national security, according to senior administration officials and sources briefed on the president's thinking:

PROOF Right-Wing Movement Is A Scam | TYT | 08/23/19 | 13:18

US Steel announces layoffs days after Trump touts tariffs | CNN | 08/22/19 | 4:25

International Allies Bracing Themselves Ahead Of Trump's Arrival For G-7 Summit | Deadline | MSNBC | 08/22/19 | 10:29

Brazil's Bolsonaro Defiant As Global Worry Over Amazon Fires Escalates
HP | AP/Marcelo Silva de Sousa | 08/23/19

Amid global concern about raging fires in the Amazon, Brazil's government complained Thursday that it is being targeted in smear campaign by critics who contend President Jair Bolsonaro is not doing enough to curb widespread deforestation.

The threat to what some call "the lungs of the planet" has ignited a bitter dispute about who is to blame during the tenure of a leader who has described Brazil's rainforest protections as an obstacle to economic development and who traded Twitter jabs on Thursday with France's president over the fires.

French President Emmanuel Macron called the wildfires an international crisis and said the leaders of the Group of 7 nations should hold urgent discussions about them at their summit in France this weekend. "Our house is burning. Literally. The Amazon rain forest -- the lungs which produces 20% of our planet's oxygen -- is on fire," Macron tweeted. ... Read more

The Amazon rainforest is being ravaged by wildfires burning at record rates
Axios | Orion Rummler | 08/22/19

The largest swaths of the Amazon rainforest, located in Brazil and Peru, are burning at the highest rates since records began in 2013 -- an increase of 84% compared to the same period last year, according to INPE, Brazil's National Institute for Space Research.

What's happening: On Tuesday, "Inpe registered a new fire roughly every minute" across Brazil, the Wall Street Journal reports. 2019's sharp increase is largely due to illegal loggers "burning newly cleared land for cattle ranching and agricultural use," according to environmental experts. ... Read more

Why the Democratic National Committee Must Change the Rules and Hold a Climate Debate
A girl holds a sign that reads "pull the emergency brake" at a ceremony to commemorate the Okjökull glacier in Iceland, on Aug. 18, 2019
TheIntercept | Naomi Klein | 08/21/19

More immediately, climate breakdown is already pouring fuel on every evil that humans are capable of conjuring, from deadly wars to femicide to unmasked white supremacy and colonialism. Indeed, President Donald Trump is currently throwing a tantrum because he is being denied what he perceives as the United States's manifest destiny to purchase the Indigenous-governed territory of Greenland, which has become increasingly valuable because of the wealth made accessible by melting ice. In short, there is nothing singular about planetary breakdown -- it encompasses, quite literally, everything. ... Read more

The Realities Of Trump's Trade War | VICE | older 01/14/19 | 27:25

Trump, QAnon and an impending judgment day: Behind the Facebook-fueled rise of The Epoch Times
ABC News | Brandy Zadrozny and Ben Collins | 08/20/19

By the numbers, there is no bigger advocate of President Donald Trump on Facebook than The Epoch Times.

The small New York-based nonprofit news outlet has spent more than $1.5 million on about 11,000 pro-Trump advertisements in the last six months, according to data from Facebook's advertising archive -- more than any organization outside of the Trump campaign itself, and more than most Democratic presidential candidates have spent on their own campaigns.

Those video ads -- in which unidentified spokespeople thumb through a newspaper to praise Trump, peddle conspiracy theories about the "Deep State," and criticize "fake news" media -- strike a familiar tone in the online conservative news ecosystem. The Epoch Times looks like many of the conservative outlets that have gained followings in recent years. But it isn't.

Behind the scenes, the media outlet's ownership and operation is closely tied to Falun Gong, a Chinese spiritual community with the stated goal of taking down China's government. ... Read more

Scientists find troubling signs under Greenland glacier | CNN | 08/19/19 | 6:35

Danish PM 'surprised and disappointed' over cancelled Trump visit
TheGuardian | Shaun Walker | 08/21/19

US president attacks comments as 'nasty' after calling off trip because Greenland not for sale

The Danish prime minister has said she is surprised and disappointed that Donald Trump has called off his planned visit to the country over Copenhagen's refusal to sell Greenland to the US.

At a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Mette Frederiksen reaffirmed that Greenland was not for sale.

"A discussion about a potential sale of Greenland has been put forward. It has been rejected by Greenland premier Kim Kielsen, and I fully stand behind that rejection," she said. ... Read more

Anderson Cooper and Stephen Colbert CNN Interview | CNN | 08/16/19 | 38:44

Watch Trump's Chief Defender Rank Hypocrisy Exposed | The Beat With Ari Melber | MSNBC | 08/20/19 | 8:27

The Coming War On China | John Pilger | older 03/08/18 | 1:49:48

Trump Trade War on China | PBS/Frontline | 03/08/19 | 54:47

US China Trade War Explained -Who Needs Who? | Patrick Bet-David | 05/28/19 | 17:49

China's Geography Problem | Wendover Productions | older 10/10/17 | 10:49

Many Canadians may not realize that the United States isn't the only country that Canada shares a border with. Saint-Pierre et Miquelon is part ofFrance | W5 | 09/29/18 | 21:01

Mike Pompeo Has Extreme Views on Muslims -- and Liberals Don't Seem to Care
TheIntercept | Mehdi Hasan | 08/20/19

ON JUNE 11, 2013, not long after the Boston Marathon bombings, a Republican congressman from Kansas took to the floor of the House of Representatives. "It's been just under two months since the attacks in Boston, and in those intervening weeks, the silence of Muslim leaders has been deafening," began Mike Pompeo, before going on to claim that "silence has made these Islamic leaders across America potentially complicit in these acts and, more importantly still, those that may well follow."

Pompeo's remarks were "false and irresponsible," as the Council on American Islamic Relations demonstrated at the time. Every major Muslim organization in the United States had put out a statement condemning the horrific terror attacks in Boston within hours of the blasts. Democrat Keith Ellison, one of only two Muslims members of Congress back in 2013, complained to Pompeo on the House floor -- but the Republican refused to apologize and doubled down on his smear. ... Read more

Anthony Scaramucci Says He Was 'Wrong' About Trump In Blistering Washington Post Op-Ed
HP | Nick Visser | 08/20/19

The Mooch said he isn't "seeking absolution," but felt it was time to warn voters that Trump shouldn't be re-elected.

"I'm not seeking absolution. I just want to be part of the solution," Scaramucci, who was fired in July 2017 after just 11 days on the job, wrote in The Washington Post. "The negatives of Trump's demagoguery now clearly outweigh the positives of his leadership, and it is imperative that Americans unite to prevent him from serving another four years in office."

Trump and Scaramucci have been exchanging barbs for weeks as the former aide went on a sweeping media blitz. Scaramucci compared the president to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster on Axios, called him a "jackass" and a "paper tiger" in Vanity Fair and told MSNBC that Trump's recent efforts to address a spate of mass shootings were a "catastrophe." He also predicted that Trump would drop out of the 2020 presidential race by March as he realized the tide of discontent had grown against him. ... Read more

Donsplaining | Trevor Noah | 08/19/19 | 21:12

The new threat to capitalism
Axios | Steve LeVine | 08/20/19

In what would have been widely dismissed as absurd even a year ago, a mainstream consensus has suddenly swept the world that the core of the global economic system has gone terribly awry, requiring a basic shakeup of capitalism.

The big picture: But the problem may be far more fundamental than an excess of human ruthlessness, as many believe. Instead, experts say, capitalism is under another, more intractable assault -- by inexorable long-term population trends that may kill the ability of economies to grow.

As we have reported, a reckoning has emerged for capitalism as practiced -- people across the U.S., Europe and elsewhere say something is fundamentally wrong with their living standards and the size of companies, and CEOs and politicians suddenly believe that they must act.

In an announcement yesterday, 181 of the top U.S. CEOs said they are changing their business objective -- rather than solely seeking to satisfy shareholders, they will consider the desires of other constituencies such as communities and employees.

And in a report, the WSJ writes that U.S. state attorneys general plan to proceed with a probe of big tech companies for alleged anti-competitive behavior. ... Read more

Why climate change is so hard to tackle: The global problem
Axios | Amy Harder | 08/19/19

Democratic presidential hopefuls are calling for aggressive action to reduce heat-trapping emissions, while nations are facing pressure to ramp up commitments ahead of a major United Nations summit next month.

The big picture: Despite that fervor, progress on climate change remains elusive. We have cultivated a deep dependence on fossil fuels that have been driving Earth's temperature up for more than a century, creating a problem whose mostly negative impacts are unfolding over more centuries.

Global (In)action | It's rational for an individual country not to drastically reduce greenhouse gases, given most economies are heavily based on energy resources that emit them. Yet, if all nations act that way -- indeed, that's what's happening -- most countries would eventually be worse off due to the cumulative impacts of all our emissions.

Put another way, what's better for each individual country in isolation is actually worse for the planet as a whole. Conversely, what is worse for each individual country, over time would be better for the planet. ... Read more

"United States" to Imperial America | TRNN | 08/19/19 | 39:55

How to Hide an Empire by Daniel Immerwahr

How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

Antiracism is a transformative concept that reorients and reenergizes the conversation about racism -- and, even more fundamentally, points us toward liberating new ways of thinking about ourselves and each other. At it's core, racism is a powerful system that creates false hierarchies of human value; its warped logic extends beyond race, from the way we regard people of different ethnicities or skin colors to the way we treat people of different sexes, gender identities, and body types. Racism intersects with class and culture and geography and even changes the way we see and value ourselves. In How to Be an Antiracist, Kendi takes readers through a widening circle of antiracist ideas--from the most basic concepts to visionary possibilites -- that will help readers see all forms of racism clearly, understand their posionous consequences, and work to oppose them in our systems and in ourselves.

Kendi weaves an electrifying combination of ethics, history, law, and science with his own personal story of awakening to antiracism. This is an essential work for anyone who wants to go beyond the awareness of racism to the next step: contributing to the formation of a just and equitable society.

Advance praise for How to Be an Antiracist

"A combination of memoir and extension of [Kendi's] towering Stamped from the Beginning . . . Never wavering . . . Kendi methodically examines racism through numerous lenses: power, biology, ethnicity, body, culture, and so forth. . . . This unsparing honesty helps readers, both white and people of color, navigate this difficult intellectual territory... Essential."-- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"In this sharp blend of social commentary and memoir . . . Kendi is ready to spread his message, his stories serving as a springboard for potent explorations of race, gender, colorism, and more. . . . With Stamped From the Beginning, Kendi proved himself a first-rate historian. Here, his willingness to turn the lens on himself marks him as a courageous activist, leading the way to a more equitable society." -- Library Journal (starred review)

Greenland Responds To Trump: "We're Not For Sale"
ZeroHedge | staff | 08/16/19

Greenland's government told President Donald Trump on Friday that the island was "not for sale" following reports the president has entertained the idea of trying to buy the autonomously government Danish territory.

Notably, the US had reportedly proposed to buy Greenland from Denmark in 1946 for $100 million, but Denmark balked.

Buying Greenland would make some strategic sense from a military perspective, according to some sources quoted in the press. For example, the US currently maintains a large military base, the Thule Air Base, in Greenland. It is the US military's northernmost base, situated 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle. And Beijing has also been eyeing the island as a key strategic asset in the battle for dominance in the Arctic. ... Read more

Hong Kong standoff threatens its status as a global financial gateway
Axios | Dan Primack | 08/16/19

The deteriorating political situation in Hong Kong threatens to severely muddy the financial gateway between East and West.

The state of play: If the protesters succeed in maintaining, or even furthering, "one country, two systems" governance, then it likely would keep global capital flowing through Hong Kong. But it's unclear how China can possibly allow that to happen without eroding its authoritarian bonafides on the mainland, and almost any crackdown would be viewed as ripping down the legal fabric that made Hong Kong a financial powerhouse in the first place. ... Read more

Central banking's brave new world
Axios | Dion Rabouin | 08/16/19

The European Central Bank is leading the charge in the next wave of central bank stimulus measures, but experts and former central bankers argue it will be insufficient to deal with the looming global downturn.

Why it matters: Central banks see that the global economy is in trouble and they are stepping in to act, but are responding to new problems with old solutions. The eurozone already has negative interest rates and the ECB already has spent trillions buying bonds in an attempt to stimulate the economy. In spite of these efforts, major European economies have been unable to generate inflation or growth that's even close to their targets for years.

What's happening: ECB governing board member Olli Rehn said the central bank will announce a fresh package of "impactful and significant" stimulus at its September meeting that's expected to include "substantial" bond purchases as well as cuts to the ECB's already-negative interest rate, WSJ reported. ... Read more

Powell Issues Gag Order To Fed Presidents: Report
ZeroHedge | staff | 08/16/19

Following the recent dismal communication failures first by NY Fed president John Williams, and following that, Powell's own notorious July 31 "mid-cycle adjustment" press conference, a recurring laments among the investment community has been for the Fed to just keep its mouth shut, instead of continuing to yap and confirming that it is absolutely clueless about the economy and the future.

In a surprising twist, the Fed may actually be listening. According to the Spectator, chair Powell has banned any public appearances by any Fed Board member, noting that "appearances at conferences have been canceled, all scheduled interviews have been abandoned and any comments on or off the record are outlawed."

This unprecedented action, the Spectator reports, is a reflection of two pressures. ... Read more
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Robert Reich Issues Dire Warning About 'Sugar High' Of Donald Trump's Economic Policies
HP | Lee Moran | 08/15/19

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich on Wednesday broke down why he believes two of President Donald Trump's policies could ultimately contribute to tipping the U.S. economy into a recession. Reich, who served under President Bill Clinton, noted on MSNBC's "The Beat with Ari Melber" how the Trump administration's 2017 tax cut for the rich had given the stock markets a "kind of sugar high."

"The second thing is China. This trade war with China, not only is there no strategy, but it also is extremely dangerous," said Reich. "This is the largest and second-largest economies in the entire world. And to have them going at each other is dangerous for the whole world economy."

"This is a president who not only doesn't know details, but he lies about the details he does know," Reich said. "No, there's not going to be any focus. There's no economic strategy. There's nobody around him capable of even advising him and having him listen to on economic strategy." ... Read more
Donald Trump Battles Self-Made Crises As Markets Tumble | The Beat With Ari Melber | MSNBC | 08/14/19 | 14:41

'No Blame?' ABC News finds 36 cases invoking 'Trump' in connection with violence, threats, alleged assaults.
ABC News | Mike Levine | 08/14/19

President Donald Trump has repeatedly refused to accept any responsibility for inciting violence in American communities, dismissing critics who have pointed to his rhetoric as a potential source of inspiration for some citizens acting on even long-held beliefs of bigotry and hate.

"I think my rhetoric brings people together," he said last week, four days after a 21-year-old allegedly posted an anti-immigrant screed online and then allegedly opened fire at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, killing 22 and injuring dozens of others.

But a nationwide review conducted by ABC News has identified at least 36 criminal cases where Trump was invoked in direct connection with violent acts, threats of violence or allegations of assault.

In nine cases, perpetrators hailed Trump in the midst or immediate aftermath of physically attacking innocent victims. In another 10 cases, perpetrators cheered or defended Trump while taunting or threatening others. And in another 10 cases, Trump and his rhetoric were cited in court to explain a defendant's violent or threatening behavior. ... Read more
PROOF of Trump's Dark Secret | TYT | 08/14/19 | 16:19

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | John Oliver | 08/11/19 | 20:40

**Mitch McConnell At Nexus Of Increased Russian Leverage On U.S. | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC | 08/14/19 | 29:50

Stocks Plunge -- Global Recession Fears
HP | Stan Choe | 08/14/19

Recession Warnings Grow As Stocks Slide Following Weak Economic Data From China, Germany

NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks sank Wednesday after the bond market threw up one of its last remaining warning flags on the economy. The yield on the 10-year Treasury briefly dropped below the two-year Treasury's yield Wednesday morning. It's rare for short-term yields to rise above longer-term ones, and when it happens, market watchers call it "an inverted yield curve" and brace for the possibility of a recession hitting in a year or two.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped as much as 475 points in the first few minutes of trading before recouping some of its losses. Weak economic data around the world also unnerved investors, who flipped back into selling mode after driving a rally Tuesday on hopeful signals that the U.S.-China trade war may not be worsening so much.

Germany, Europe's largest economy, shrank 0.1% in the spring from the first three months of the year due to the global trade war and troubles in the auto industry. Data from China also showed that factory output, retail spending and investment weakened in July for the world's second-largest economy. ... Read more

The glaciers of Iceland seemed eternal. Now a country mourns their loss
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magazine | author | date

How do you write a eulogy for a glacier? Think about it. How would you go about that, having grown up with glaciers as a geological given, a symbol of eternity? How do you say goodbye?

We humans have done for the glaciers. Almost every glacier on the planet has stopped growing and most are shrinking at an alarming rate. Ok Glacier is the first in Iceland to be formally declared dead ice. In the Himalayas, Greenland, the Alps and Iceland, the glaciers are all melting. In the spirit of Vonnegut, you could say that the Texan professors had asked me to write a pro-glacier text. ... Read more

Pres. Trump delivers remarks on energy at Shell Pennsylvania Petrochemicals Complex in Monaca, Penn. | ABC News | 08/13/19 | 1:05:13

Watch live: Trump delivers remarks on American energy and manufacturing in Pittsburgh | NBC News | 08/13/19 | 1:22:13

Note: starts at 15:15 on the Progressbar

Trump delivers speech on US energy and manufacturing | Fox Business | 08/13/19 | 1:10:53

China's Hong Kong checkmate
Axios | Dave Lawler | 08/14/17

Images of Chinese troops massing near Hong Kong have led to fears of an impending crackdown on pro-democracy protesters -- but China's next move will be dangerous, no matter what it is.

The big picture: Allowing Hong Kong's dramatic displays of dissent to rage on is intolerable for the Communist Party. But if China attempts another crackdown on the scale of Tiananmen Square 30 years ago, it would prompt a global backlash and risk steep economic repercussions. ... Read more

WeWork files for long-awaited IPO
Axios | Dan Primack | 08/14/19

WeWork on Wednesday filed to raise $1 billion in an initial public offering, although the ultimate offering amount is expected to be at least three times larger.

My thought bubble: There is a ton of investor skepticism over WeWork's business model, with expectations that it could receive Tesla-like treatment from public shorts. That's one reason why the company plans to increase its cash cushion by securing a $6 billion credit facility in conjunction with the IPO. ... Read more

The great global decoupling
Axios | Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen | 08/13/19

All signs point to a decades-long cold war with China, one reshaping global alliances, politics and economies.

Why it matters: The trade war is but a very small skirmish in a much bigger and wider battle for global dominance. It's easier to see this cold war turn hot than turn off. And, for the first time, you can see the possibility of China and America decoupling -- creating two distinct, rival global systems and power structures.

The big picture: Beyond trade, the two superpowers are competing on intellectual property and technological mastery, political influence across the developing world via economic assistance (China's Belt and Road Initiative), diplomatic agreements, multinational institutions (Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank) and military sales (missiles, subs, drones, training). ... Read more

Trump officials weaken protections for animals near extinction
TheGuardian | Emily Holdenr | 08/12/19

The Trump administration is scaling back the US government's latitude to protect species nearing extinction, as world scientists warn that a biodiversity crisis will soon put humanity at risk.

The changes to how the government implements the Endangered Species Act, lauded by industry, will make it harder to protect the most vulnerable creatures.

More than 1,600 species are considered officially at risk in the US. A United Nations report this spring found humans are disrupting the natural world and putting a million species at risk of extinction worldwide. At least 680 vertebrate species have gone extinct in the last 400 years. ... Read more

The cost of the "strong" U.S. economy
Click on Image to Zoom in
Axios | Dion Rabouin | 08/13/19

Despite massive amounts of money being pumped into the economy by both fiscal and monetary policy, U.S. growth is slowing, not accelerating.

Why it matters: Last year Congress signed a 2-year agreement to increase spending $300 billion, in part to pull the economy out of its slow-growth malaise following the financial crisis and put the U.S. back on track for 3% annual growth or higher.

But 2019's slowdown in GDP growth has shown that even hundreds of billions in deficit spending combined with trillions in tax cuts and bond buying aren't enough. ... Read more

Attorney General William Barr Says 'Serious Irregularities' Found At Jeffrey Epstein Jail
HP | AP | 08/12/19

Epstein died in what prison officials said was an apparent suicide.

Attorney General William Barr says the Justice Department has already found "serious irregularities" at the federal jail where Jeffrey Epstein took his own life over the weekend.

Barr said Monday he was angry to learn that staffers at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York had "failed to adequately secure this prisoner."...

House Judiciary launches bipartisan investigation into Epstein death
Axios | Zachary Basu | 08/13/19

The House Judiciary Committee on Monday launched a bipartisan investigation into the death of Jeffrey Epstein by apparent suicide in a Manhattan jail.

The big picture: In a letter to the acting director of the Bureau of Prisons, Hugh Hurwitz, House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Ranking Member Doug Collins (R-Ga.) demanded answers to 23 questions -- most of which concern the conditions of the facility Epstein was kept in and the circumstances of his death. Attorney General Bill Barr, who earlier announced that the FBI and the Justice Department's inspector general will also be investigating Epstein's death, said Monday that he was "appalled" by "serious irregularities" at the facility. ... Read more

Mitch: Senate to Consider Gun Bills... LATER
HP | AP/Lisa Mascaro | 08/09/19

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Shifting the gun violence debate, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday he now wants to consider background checks and other bills, setting up a potentially pivotal moment when lawmakers return in the fall.

The Republican leader won't be calling senators back to work early, as some are demanding. But he told a Kentucky radio station that President Donald Trump called him Thursday morning and they talked about several ideas. The president, he said, is "anxious to get an outcome and so am I." ... Read more

The countries most at risk of a water crisis
Axios | Dave Lawler | 08/09/19

17 countries use more than 80% of their available water supplies every year, meaning droughts or increased water demand for agriculture and growing cities could leave them at risk of crisis, according to the World Resources Institute.

Zoom in, and more pockets of concern emerge. States like New Mexico in the U.S. and cities such as Cape Town, South Africa -- which nearly ran out of drinking water last year -- have "extremely high" stress levels. ... Read more
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Business Group Spending on Lobbying in Washington is at Least Double What's Publicly Reported
TheIntercept | Andrew Perez, Abigail Luke, Tim Zelina | 08/06/19

INFLUENTIAL CORPORATE TRADE organizations and nonprofits spent $535 million on lobbying in 2017 and as much as another $675 million on unregulated efforts to influence public policy, according to a two-month investigation.

The figures, taken together, highlight how business interests can exploit loopholes in lobbying rules, which don't cover many staples of modern influence campaigns, such as strategic consulting, broadcast advertising, media relations, social media posts, and polling -- or even the financing of astroturf campaigns.

MapLight reviewed tax returns from almost 100 trade organizations and nonprofits to identify unregulated spending on items described as "advocacy," "consulting," "contributions," "coalitions," "consortiums," "government affairs," "communications," "programs," "special projects," "dues," "memberships," and "subscriptions."

The $1.2 billion in combined spending demonstrates the increasing power of tax-exempt trade groups known as 501(c)(6) organizations. The Internal Revenue Service has approved thousands of applications for nonprofit status for such organizations, ranging from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which spends more on lobbying than any other trade organization, to the Washington State Society of Anesthesiologists. Their influence has grown substantially since the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision allowed them to spend directly on politics. ... Read more

Just Another Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week of Gun Violence | Full Frontal by Samantha Bee | 08/07/19 | 6:46

A Reminder to Our Government That White Supremacist Violence is Terrorism | Full Frontal by Samantha Bee | 08/07/19 | 8:00

Trump's vision meets growing global chaosTrump's vision meets growing global chaos
Politico | Eliana Johnson | 08/08/19

President Donald Trump had hoped to head into the 2020 campaign season as the world's consummate deal-maker. He may instead enter his reelection campaign not just empty-handed, but vulnerable to the charge that his policies have helped sow chaos across the globe.

His trade war with China keeps escalating, with mounting costs to the U.S. economy. Diplomatic overtures to Iran and North Korea have so far failed to yield the president's desired outcome. Jared Kushner's Middle East peace plan, two years in the making, is nowhere to be seen. And America's retreat from Syria, where the president once boasted he had defeated ISIS, has allowed the terrorist group to regenerate, according to a new Pentagon inspector general's report. ... Read more

Trump names Joseph Maguire acting director of national intelligence
Axios | staff | 08/08/19

Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon will leave her position on Aug. 15 along with outgoing director Dan Coats, President Trump confirmed in a tweet Thursday evening.

The latest: Trump announced on Thursday that National Counterterrorism Center Director Joseph Maguire will serve as the next acting DNI director starting Aug. 15.

The big picture: Trump's initial pick to replace Coats -- Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Tex.) -- withdrew after it became clear that Democrats and some Senate Republicans had concerns about his partisan record and lack of experience. The media also discovered that Ratcliffe "had exaggerated his role in terrorism and immigration enforcement cases when he served as a federal prosecutor in Texas," per the Washington Post. ... Read more

Anger as grinning Trump gives thumbs-up while Melania holds El Paso orphan
TheGuardian | author | date

Backlash over picture posted on first lady's Twitter account Two-month-old's parents shot dead in attack that killed 22

A backlash is building over a picture posted by Melania Trump on Twitter that showed her and Donald Trump smiling broadly while holding a baby who was orphaned in the mass shooting in El Paso.

On a visit to El Paso this week, the president flashed a thumbs-up when posing with the two-month-old, whose parents Andre and Jordan Anchondo were shot dead last Saturday. When the picture was posted on the first lady's Twitter account on Thursday, it prompted outrage. ... Read more

Axios-NewsWhip 2020 attention tracker: Guns surge to top of national conversation
Axios | Neal Rothschild | 08/07/19

After the mass shootings last weekend, gun violence has displaced immigration as the most-talked about news topic on social media for the first time since May, according to data from NewsWhip provided exclusively to Axios.

Why it matters: The emotional intensity of gun violence makes it a topic that generates ferocious debate and calls for action on social media after a high-profile event. Yet the activism is cyclical, and the issue has yet to be a defining issue in elections. ... Read more
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Grieving Cities Brace for Hate Prez
magazine | author | date

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump is bringing a message aimed at national unity and healing to the sites of the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton. But the words he offers for a divided America will be complicated by his own incendiary, anti-immigrant rhetoric that mirrors language linked to one of the shooters.

It is a highly unusual predicament for an American president to at once try to console a community and a nation at the same time he is being criticized as contributing to a combustible climate that can spawn violence. ... Read more

There's an old word for Trump's brand of nationalism: 'hatriotism'
TheGuardian | Samuel G Freedman | 08/07/19

Several weeks ago, as President Trump used the pretext of patriotism to unleash a nativist assault on four Democratic women of color in Congress, I was inspecting a sewer. By which I mean that I was doing historical research into Gerald LK Smith.

For the mercifully uninitiated, Smith was a kind of proto-Trump in the 1930s and 1940s. An all-purpose racist, antisemite, and Red-baiter, Smith founded the America First political party and espoused a "Christian Nationalist Crusade". One biographer described his speeches as "a combination of high school pep rally and a Klan cross burning". ... Read more

Mother Jones -Mass Shooting Database1982-2019

El Paso Gunman's Fear of a Migrant "Invasion" Echoes Donald Trump and Fox News
TheIntercept | Robert Mackey | 08/05/19

THE WHITE SUPREMACIST who killed at least 22 people in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday appears to have been driven by a racist conspiracy theory -- that the United States is under "invasion" by migrants and asylum-seekers from Central America -- which has been repeated again and again on Fox News broadcasts, and amplified by that network's most powerful viewer, President Donald Trump.

As Brandon Friedman, a former Obama administration official, pointed out, it is hard to read even the first page of the suspected gunman's manifesto, about the supposed "Hispanic invasion" he aimed to repel, without hearing echoes of the toxic rhetoric Trump absorbs from Fox News hosts like Tucker Carlson and then passes on at rallies and in tweets. ... Read more

Trump Signs Bill Revoking Obama-Era Gun Checks for People With Mental Illnesses
NBCNews & USNews | Ali Vitali | older 02/28/17

The new law nullifies an Obama-backed rule that added people with mental illnesses to the national background check database.

President Donald Trump quietly signed a bill into law Tuesday rolling back an Obama-era regulation that made it harder for people with mental illnesses to purchase a gun.

The rule, which was finalized in December, added people receiving Social Security checks for mental illnesses and people deemed unfit to handle their own financial affairs to the national background check database.

Had the rule fully taken effect, the Obama administration predicted it would have added about 75,000 names to that database.

President Barack Obama recommended the now-nullified regulation in a 2013 memo following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which left 20 first graders and six others dead. The measure sought to block some people with severe mental health problems from buying guns. ... Read more

The era of white nationalism
Axios | Jim VandeHei, Sara Fischer | 08/06/19

White nationalism -- a racist extremism that was confined to the ugly fringes for most of our lives -- is a growing major danger in America:
The big picture: Racial resentment and anxiety have been a central appeal for Donald Trump and his rhetoric among the working-class, forgotten Americans who put him over the top, and who are at the core of his re-election strategy. ... Toggle more

Mother Jones -Mass Shooting Database1982-2019

America's hate problem
Axios | Mike Allen | 08/05/19

America has the world's worst gun problem. And now it's being forced to confront its hate problem.

The state of play: "I don't care about the politics right now," texted a friend who's in politics at the highest level. "I'm scared that we could look back on this as the beginning of a true catastrophe for America."

The gun problem: In the 20 years since the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, the U.S. has had 88 mass shootings (each with 4 or more victims), with 736 killed.

The hate problem: In the past 18 months, white-extremist active shooters in the U.S. have been responsible for 63 deaths in 7 episodes, including attacks on a Texas Walmart, a Florida high school, a Texas high school and a Pennsylvania synagogue, a N.Y. Times graphic shows. ... Read more

Hate's Haven: How 8Chan Became a Hotbed for Killers
HP | Jesselyn Cook | 08/04/19

On Saturday morning, a gunman opened fire on shoppers in an El Paso, Texas, Walmart. Twenty-two people were killed, including a mother who was gunned down while cradling her infant son, shielding him from harm. Dozens more were injured, with many still fighting for their lives. It was one of the country's deadliest mass shootings and the deadliest massacre of Latinos in modern American history.

Shortly before the carnage unfolded, the suspect, a 21-year-old white man, is believed to have posted on 8chan -- the notorious online message board where bigotry is encouraged and celebrated en masse. There, like other violent extremists before him, he allegedly announced his plans, broadcasted his deeply hateful motivations, and urged others to follow his lead.

The 8chan post included a three-page manifesto that described Hispanic immigrants as "invaders" that need to be removed or annihilated. It also praised the Australian man who live-streamed himself fatally shooting 51 worshippers at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, as a source of inspiration. Shortly before that attack in March, the alleged Christchurch shooter posted a white nationalist manifesto on 8chan, too.

"[8chan] is a completely anonymous place, and that's exactly why it's used to stir hatred, and to tell people to commit mass murder," noted Ben Collins, an NBC extremism reporter covering the El Paso tragedy. "There is a body count associated with this website now." ... Toggle more

Factbook on Hate & Extremism in the U.S. & Internationally

Greenland's ice sheet shrank more in past month than in average year, experts warn
TheGuardian | Jonathan Watts | 08/02/19

Unusually high temperatures are eating into ice sheets that used to be solid throughout the year, according to glaciologists, who warn this is both an amplifying cause and effect of man-made climate disruption across the globe.

Greenland -- which is home to the world's second biggest ice sheet -- is likely to have shrunk more in the past month than the average for a whole year between 2002 and now, according to provisional estimates from satellite data. Surface ice declined in July by 197 gigatonnes, equivalent to about 80m Olympic swimming pools, according to Ruth Mottram of the Danish Meteorological Institute. An additional third of that amount is likely to have been lost from glaciers and icebergs. ... Read more

Senate passes $2.7 trillion budget deal
Axios | Ursula Perano | 08/01/19

The Senate voted 67-28 to pass a $2.7 trillion budget deal Thursday that would suspend the debt ceiling through 2021, sending the package to President Trump's desk after the House passed it last week.

Why it matters: The Congressional Budget Office projected that the national debt would reach "unprecedented levels" in the next 30 years should laws remain the same. It exceeded $22 trillion in February, and the federal deficit has grown 23% this fiscal year. ... Read more

Charming but dishonest and duplicitous: Europe's verdict on Boris Johnson
TheGuardian | Jon Henley | 08/02/19

He is clever, cultivated, charming; witty, self-deprecating, wildly entertaining and oh so terribly British. Also dissembling, dishonest, dark, duplicitous, and a danger to his country and to Europe -- a poker player whose bluff is about to be called.

As Boris Johnson settles into his new role, vowing, do or die, to take the UK out of the EU without a deal in 90 days unless the 27 nations ditch an accord that took two years to negotiate, European politicians and commentators are both fascinated and appalled.

Ten Broeke has since revised his opinion. "The charm, the intellect, the confidence -- it all now looks a lot like over-confidence," he said. "A promise of simple solutions to complex problems. And it could have disastrous consequences."

The EU27 will give little, if any, ground on the withdrawal agreement, he said, and the costs of no deal are many times greater for the UK than for the EU. "So I can see only one reason Johnson might pursue it. A cynical, dark reason: new elections, to win a new mandate - putting party before country, at a truly existential moment." ... Read more

The Apprentice: Trump, Russia and the Subversion of American Democracy by Greg Miller

It has been called the political crime of the century: a foreign government, led by a brutal authoritarian leader, secretly interfering with the American presidential election to help elect the candidate of its choice. Now two-time Pulitzer Prize--winning Washington Post national security reporter Greg Miller investigates the truth about the Kremlin's covert attempt to destroy Hillary Clinton and help Donald Trump win the presidency, Trump's steadfast allegiance to Vladimir Putin, and Robert Mueller's ensuing investigation of the president and those close to him.

Based on interviews with hundreds of people in Trump's inner circle, current and former government officials, individuals with close ties to the White House, members of the law enforcement and intelligence communities, foreign officials, and confidential documents, The Apprentice offers striking new information about:

1. the hacking of the Democrats by Russian intelligence;
2. Russian hijacking of Facebook and Twitter;
3. National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's hidden communications with the Russians;
4. the attempt by Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, to create a secret back channel to Moscow using Russian diplomatic facilities;
5. Trump's disclosure to Russian officials of highly classified information about Israeli intelligence operations;
6. Trump's battles with the CIA and the FBI and fierce clashes within the West Wing;
7. Trump's efforts to enlist the director of national intelligence and the director of the National Security Agency to push back against the FBI's investigation of his campaign;
8. the mysterious Trump Tower meeting;
9. the firing of FBI Director James Comey;
10. the appointment of Mueller and the investigation that has followed;
11. the tumultuous skirmishing within Trump's legal camp;
12. and Trump's jaw-dropping behavior in Helsinki.

Deeply reported and masterfully told, The Apprentice is essential reading for anyone trying to understand Vladimir Putin's secret operation, its catastrophic impact, and the nature of betrayal.

Greenland Is Melting Away Before Our Eyes
RollingStone | EricHolthaus | 07/31/19

Amid an ongoing heat wave, new data show the Greenland ice sheet is in the middle of its biggest melt season in recorded history. It's the latest worrying signal climate change is accelerating far beyond the worst fears of even climate scientists.

The record-setting heat wave that sweltered northern Europe last week has moved north over the critically vulnerable Greenland ice sheet, triggering temperatures this week that are as much as 25 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal.

Weather models indicate Tuesday's temperature may have surpassed 75 degrees Fahrenheit in some regions of Greenland, and a weather balloon launched near the capital Nuuk measured all-time record warmth just above the surface. That heat wave is still intensifying, and is expected to peak on Thursday with the biggest single-day melt ever recorded in Greenland. On August 1 alone, more than 12 billion tons of water will permanently melt away from the ice sheet and find its way down to the ocean, irreversibly raising sea levels globally. ... Read more

**Michael Moore On How To Defeat Trump (Hint: It's Not Being Moderate) | MSNBC | 07/31/19 | 7:05

**To Crush President Donald Trump, Michelle Obama Needs To Run | MSNBC | 08/01/19 | 7:08

Boris & Trump's Deadliest Trick | Pindex | 07/19/19 | 11:39

QAnon: An Invitation to The Great Awakening by WWG1WGA (Author)

This book is a field guide to an important chunk of reality that's been carefully hidden and wrongly discredited by the media. It reveals an extraordinary movement underway, a battle of epic proportions. Whether you know it or not, you're involved because the result of this battle will determine the fate of your children and future generations both in America and around the world. However, you may only be vaguely aware of QAnon or "Q," if at all.

If you value the truth, you will want to learn about the QAnon movement and the battle that is being waged on your behalf to protect you and your children from abuse and enslavement. The war between Good and Evil is no longer merely symbolic. Evil is being, tried and brought to justice in federal courts and military tribunals today. Criminally corrupt government leaders, celebrities, religious leaders, media figures, and corporate heads will be tried and punished for crimes involving treason, human trafficking, ritual sacrifice and unspeakable perversions.

QAnon: An Invitation to The Great Awakening tells the history of an anonymous poster on the free-speech websites 4Chan and then 8Chan and how he (or perhaps they) built a following of millions of viewers worldwide. With an insider's knowledge of the battle plan (see "The Plan to Save the World"), and "Q" level military intelligence clearance, QAnon's communications are often cryptic and coded. QAnon is a master of the Socratic method, asking questions and imploring followers to do their own research, to be logical and to think for themselves.

This book was written by twelve "Anons," anonymous Q followers, decoders and citizen journalists known collectively as Where We Go One We Go All (WWG1WGA). They each know a great deal about QAnon, each bringing their own unique perspective and experience. Together they give you an overview that may encourage you to learn more. The one thing they are all convinced of: QAnon is not only real, but an insider with White House connections and this book offers many proofs to substantiate this claim. Book That Pushes Conspiracy Qanon Climbs To Top 20 On Amazon Bestsellers. How? | MSNBC | 03/05/19 | 4:04

How the false, fringe 'QAnon' conspiracy theory aims to protect Trump | PBS | 08/01/18 | 5:05

#QAnon: the secret Trump conspiracy theory | TheTelegraph | 08/02/18 | 1:55