Occupy Banksters & Crony Capitalism & GREED

Meatpacking: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | 02/22/21 | 18:41

Despite Its Pledges, Shell Funded Anti-Climate Lobbying Last Year
HP | Luke Barratt | 02/25/21

Royal Dutch Shell vowed last September to reach net-zero carbon pollution in its business by 2050. The goal was vague but notable, and seemed to become more realistic when the corporation announced earlier this month that its crude oil production had peaked in 2019 and would likely never increase again.

Yet while Shell abandons the outright climate obstructionism it once espoused, the oil giant has continued to fund a network of lobbying groups that fight policies to curb planet-heating emissions and rein in new drilling. ...

... The rule, finalized during President Donald Trump's last week in office, would require banks to be "objective" and "impartial" in choosing which companies they finance. The proposal was widely seen as a bid to undercut policies that major banks have instituted to end lending to companies drilling for oil in the Arctic or mining coal. ... Read more

What the arrests of Beverly Hills residents say about the US Capitol attack
TheGuardian | Lois Beckett | 02/25/21

Beverly Hills has seen more residents arrested for participating in the US Capitol insurrection than any other city in California.

Three of the 14 California residents charged in connection with the pro-Trump riot in Washington on 6 January so far are from the wealthy Los Angeles county enclave: Gina Bisignano, a salon owner, and Simone Gold and John Strand, two rightwing activists who have spread coronavirus misinformation through their roles in America's Frontline Doctors, an organization that Gold, an emergency room physician, founded. ... Read more

U.S. and Israel to convene strategic forum on Iran
Axios | Barak Ravid | 02/24/21

The United States and Israel have elected to reconvene a strategic working group on Iran, with the first round of talks on intelligence surrounding the Iranian nuclear program expected in the coming days, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have sharply contrasting views of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, but the resumption of the working group is a signal that their governments are starting with a serious and professional dialogue rather than a political fight. ... Read more

The rise and fall of Rudy Giuliani, explained | Vox | | 9:42

Trump's Biggest Failure | 10/16/20 | 1:09:22

Ruling on Trump tax records could be costliest defeat of his losing streak
TheGuardian | David Smith | 02/23/21

Donald Trump used to promise his supporters that they would be winning so much, they would get sick and tired of winning. But the former US president is now on a seemingly endless losing streak. He lost the presidential election, lost more than 60 legal challenges to the result, lost his bid to overturn the electoral college, lost control of the Senate and lost an impeachment trial 43-57, though he was spared conviction on a technicality. On Monday, Trump lost yet again -- with potentially far-reaching consequences.

The ruling did not mean the public will get to see Trump's tax returns, which have gained near mythical status due to him being the first recent president to conceal them, any time soon.

But it did remove an important obstacle from Vance's dogged investigation. The DA has said little about why he wants Trump's records but, in a court filing last year, prosecutors said they were justified in seeking them because of public reports of "possibly extensive and protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization" -- Trump's family business empire -- thought to include bank, tax and insurance fraud. ...

... The New York Times reported last year that Trump had paid only $750 in federal income taxes in both 2016 and 2017, and no income taxes in 10 of the previous 15 years. ... Read more

Millions Of Pages Of Trump Financial Documents Become Puzzle For Fraud Investigators | Rachel Maddow | 02/23/21 | 3:03

Living with climate catastrophe
Axios | Ben Geman | 02/19/21

From stronger storms to Arctic warming to California fires, rising atmospheric carbon levels mean there's no escaping the fallout from global warming. Now, we're plunged into a new world of managing the consequences.

Why it matters: Some regions will require power grids more prepared for extreme heat and cold. But the needs go far beyond power systems to building codes, workplace regulations and design and placement of infrastructure. ...

... Scientists are still analyzing the nexus between polar vortex events and climate change. But Princeton energy expert Jesse Jenkins wrote in a New York Times op-ed: "[W]e do know that climate change increases the frequency of extreme heat waves, droughts, wildfires, rain and coastal flooding." ... Read more

Unbreaking America: Drowning in Student Debt | 02/02/21 | 8:55

What to make of the Biden administration's first overseas calls
Axios | Dave Lawler | 02/19/21

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had to wait a month for a call from President Biden, and while Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman got a call Thursday, it came not from Biden but from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

The big picture: Biden, Austin, Secretary of State Tony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and national security adviser Jake Sullivan have together called officials from at least 43 countries, with Blinken alone calling 39 (there's considerable overlap between their call lists). ... Read more

Global debt soars to 356% of GDP
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Axios | Dion Rabouin | 02/18/21

The world's debt-to-GDP ratio rose to 356% in 2020, a new report from the Institute of International Finance finds, up 35 percentage points from where it stood in 2019, as countries saw their economies shrink and issued an ocean of debt to stay afloat.

Why it matters: The increase brings numerous countries, including the U.S., to extreme debt levels, well beyond what economists have called untenable in the past.

What they're saying: "The upswing was well beyond the rise seen during the 2008 global financial crisis," IIF economists said in the report. ...

... Why the debt matters: While worries about significantly pushing up inflation and borrowing costs have not come to pass, slow growth and diminishing returns have, and the world's already high debt levels look to be inhibiting economic growth and threaten to hold back a full recovery from the pandemic in the long run. ... Read more

The Texans facing blackouts and burst pipes: 'Do I wait for the ceiling to cave in?'
TheGuardian | Alexandra Villarreal | 02/18/21

After millions lost power in a winter storm, residents condemn leadership: 'They don't want to do anything for anyone'

Krystal Foreman's ceiling started to crack and sag on Tuesday while inches of water, presumably from a burst pipe, cascaded down her walls and covered her floor. As Foreman's home flooded, her heating broke, causing the indoor temperature to drop to match the frigid conditions outside. ... Read more

The Next Pandemic: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | 02/15/21 | 20:28

White House memo: Obstruction will cost GOP
Axios | Mike Allen | 02/17/21

Mike Donilon, senior adviser to President Biden, argues in a memo to White House senior staff that GOP opposition to the COVID rescue package would shrink the party's already declining national support.

What they're saying: "There seems to be a growing conventional wisdom that it is either politically smart -- or, at worst, cost-free -- for the GOP to adopt an obstructionist, partisan, base-politics posture," Donilon writes in the two-page memo, obtained by Axios. "However, there is lots of evidence that the opposite is true: ... this approach has been quite damaging to them."

Between the lines: The memo cites a Morning Consult poll showing a Biden approval rating of 62% with registered voters. Just 23% of registered voters think the Republican Party is going in the right direction, while 63% say the party is on the wrong track. ... Read more

Record-setting cold snap turns deadly
Axios | staff | 02/17/21

More than 5 million people remained without power on Tuesday as a series of deadly winter storms brought snow to Houston and historically low temperatures across the plains states.

The latest: At least 20 people are reported dead, per AP, and snow, sleet and freezing rain pounded the Northeast, leaving icy damage in its wake. Temperatures throughout the middle portion of the U.S. fell to century-lows.

The big picture: "More than 50 million people could see temperatures dip below zero during the next several days as the record-setting deep freeze envelops the country," the Washington Post reports. ... Read more

Meet Your Local Republican
HP | Christopher Mathias | 02/16/21

At least 21 state and local Republican officials attended the Jan. 6 rally in Washington, D.C., that turned into a violent riot, according to a new HuffPost tally, many of whom are now under pressure to resign.

They traveled from 16 different states, arriving for the "Stop the Steal" demonstration on the White House Ellipse, where they watched President Donald Trump tell incendiary lies about having been robbed of reelection. He then told the crowd of thousands to march on the Capitol.

In the crowd that day were 13 members of state Houses or Assemblies; three state senators; a county commissioner; a city council member; a GOP congressional district chair; a district director; and a co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party. The group also includes a QAnon conspiracy theorist; a self-described member of a fascist militia; and a man who once declared that "the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat." ... Read more

WHO scientists traced 13 COVID-19 strains to Wuhan from late 2019
Axios | Orion Rummler | 02/16/21

There were 13 different strains of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China in December 2019, World Health Organization scientist Peter Ben Embarek told CNN in an exclusive interview.

Why it matters: Data gathered during the WHO scientists' first trip to investigate the origins of COVID-19 could point to an outbreak that was more widespread than previously understood.

Some virologists believe that multiple strains in Wuhan as early as December could suggest that the virus had previously spread undetected. ... Read more

The Movie Great Pyramid K 2019 - Director Fehmi Krasniqi | 3:37:20

Fauci: Americans shouldn't let down their guard about virus variants
Axios | Margaret Talev | 02/15/21

President Biden's chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, tells "Axios on HBO" that despite the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines, emerging variants could pose a "stumbling block" and Americans shouldn't become complacent.

Driving the news: The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases also shared his thoughts on contemplating his own mortality, working with Biden, and talking to teachers about returning to school before everyone's been vaccinated. ... Read more

WHO scientists traced 13 COVID-19 strains to Wuhan from late 2019
Axios | Orion Rummler | 02/15/21

There were 13 different strains of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China in December 2019, World Health Organization scientist Peter Ben Embarek told CNN in an exclusive interview.

Why it matters: Data gathered during the WHO scientists' first trip to investigate the origins of COVID-19 could point to an outbreak that was more widespread than previously understood. ... Read more

Winter storm brings snow and ice across southern US as temperatures plunge
TheGuardian | staff | 02/15/21

A winter storm dropping snow and ice also sent temperatures plunging across the southern US plains states, prompting a power emergency in Texas a day after conditions canceled flights and affected traffic across large swaths of the US.

Rotating power outages were initiated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), early on Monday, meaning thousands went without electricity for short periods as temperatures fell into the teens near Dallas and 20sF (about -5C) around Houston. ... Read more

The daily highlights from Trump's 2nd Senate impeachment trial
Axios | staff | 02/12/21

Donald Trump's legal team will focus entirely on process on day four of the former president's impeachment trial, seeking to wrap up the proceedings as soon as possible given the beating they're taking from the media and the strength of the Democrats' presentation.

The big picture: Trump is unlikely to be convicted on the House's single charge of "incitement of insurrection," as only a handful of Republicans have signaled their intention to vote against the party's most popular figure. But the House managers' presentation of chilling, never-before-seen security footage from the Jan. 6 Capitol assault may make that vote more difficult.

Inside Trump's impeachment defense
Axios | Alayna Treene | 02/12/21

Donald Trump's legal defense will focus entirely on process, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The attorneys representing the former president know it's fruitless to continue defending his actions preceding the Capitol attack. Instead, they'll say none of that matters because the trial itself is unconstitutional -- an argument many Republican senators are ready to embrace. ...

What we're hearing: Trump's lawyers will focus on four key points about the impeachment:

Coronavirus infections are plummeting
Axios | author | date

New coronavirus cases continued their sharp decline over the past week -- progress that could help the U.S. find its way out of the pandemic faster and more safely, if it keeps up.

The big picture: Getting the virus' spread under control is the key to saving lives and reopening schools and businesses. And the tools to achieve that -- masks, social distancing and vaccines -- are also the most effective weapons against the more contagious variants that could threaten the U.S.' progress. ... Read more

Historian Heather Cox Richardson Says Trump Could Be Convicted | Amanpour and Company | 02/09/21 | 17:41

Ronan Farrow: Who Were the Rioters on Jan. 6th? | Amanpour and Company | 02/10/21 | 18:30

Pentagon launches new task force to examine China threat
Politico | Lara Seligman | 02/10/21

President Joe Biden announced the establishment of a China task force during his first presidential visit to the Pentagon on Wednesday, signaling his intent to make countering Beijing's rise a top priority for the military.

Biden made the announcement at the Pentagon alongside Vice President Kamala Harris and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. The move underscored the message that the administration is prepared to counter China on the military front, after some former officials expressed concern that Beijing is taking advantage of the White House's deliberate approach to Asia policy. ... Read more

Democratic impeachment managers' video | Bloomberg | 02/10/21 | 13:21

Impeachment managers pressure Republicans with new evidence
Axios | Glen Johnson | 02/10/21

House impeachment managers Wednesday used previously unseen security video, unheard police radio calls and undisclosed facts to try to shock Senate jurors into a conviction in Donald Trump's second impeachment trial.

Why it matters: We were on the ground with senators throughout the Jan. 6 insurrection. Everyone was was isolated from the activity on that day. On Wednesday, the senators sat in their own chamber, audio booming like a movie theater, seeing the danger that nearly engulfed them. A nation of constituents watched along at home. ... Read more

Schumer, McConnell near deal on rules for Trump impeachment trial
Axios | Kadia Goba | 02/08/21

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) are closing in on an agreement for a resolution setting the schedule and rules for former President Trump's impeachment trial, according to a person familiar with talks.

Details: Starting Wednesday at noon, impeachment managers and Trump's lawyers will have up to 16 hours per side for presentations.

At the request of the former president's counsel, no trial proceedings during the Jewish Sabbath (between Friday after 5 p.m. or on Saturday). The trial would reconvene the afternoon of Sunday February 14.

Driving the news: Trump's attorneys submitted a brief on Monday attacking the impeachment as "political theater" and unconstitutional, calling for the trial to be dismissed for the following arguments: ... Read more

I Spent 11 Hours Inside the MAGA Bubble
Politico | author | date

One America News is making a play for the pro-Trump audience, but it's missing its star player. Here's what I saw during a day-long binge.

Last Monday in Washington, the news was President Joe Biden's attempt to pass a massive $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package through Congress, the agita over Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's old Facebook posts calling for the assassination of Democratic leaders, the coup in Myanmar.

In my living room, the news was Hunter Biden's lawyer's supposed connection to a DOJ official, CNN's Brian Stelter Biden toadyism, the "pedo money" flowing out of the Lincoln Project, and a pro-Trump beauty vlogger claiming Sephora had "canceled" her.

...Since the election, conservative networks have been locked in a three-way wrestling match for who gets the MAGA television audience. Fox News has been deemed traitorous by Trump's fans for reporting that Joe Biden fairly won the presidential election, and is seeing its worst ratings in decades. Newsmax initially ate into Fox's pro-Trump audience post-election, but more recently the network has alienated many of its fans for the same reason. ... Read more

America Unearthed: The New World Order (S2, E2) | History | 10/04/21 | 42:11

The Stock Market: 2008 All Over Again? | Full Frontal on TBS | 02/03/21 | 7:07

Vaccinating America: Biden Cleans Up Trump's Mess | Full Frontal on TBS | 01/27/21 | 6:58

US Deploys B-1 Bombers To Norway For First Time Amid Russia's Arctic Ambitions
ZeroHedge | staff | 02/04/21

In recent years there's been a noticeable uptick in large-scale NATO exercises in the Barents region in response to what's perceived as Russia's own arctic ambitions to militarize the far north.

And now the US Air Force has announced that for the first time ever it will deploy B-1 Lancer bombers along with 200 airmen to Norway, no doubt in order to "confront Russia".

"More than 200 Air Force personnel from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, were expected to arrive at Orland Air Base with an expeditionary B-1 Lancer bomber squadron to support missions in the region, U.S. European Command said in a statement Tuesday," according to Stars and Stripes. ... Read more

Big Tech's banner 2020
Axios | Courtenay Brown | 02/03/21

Four of the country's biggest technology companies -- Apple, Alphabet, Facebook and Amazon -- had the most profitable year on record.

Why it matters: Turns out the only thing better for Big Tech than the normal economy is the pandemic economy. The stay-at-home economy helped Big Tech continue to grow profits, while its stocks drove the stock market higher.

Apple reported last week that it hit this milestone in the last three months of the year. The only others in this club are Walmart and Exxon Mobil, which hit the mark for the first time in the early 2000s. ... Read more

From the Pandemic to Politics, How to Debate Someone With Opposing Views | Amanpour and Company | 02/02/21 | 17:57

The GameStop Rebels Vs. "Too Big To Fail"
ZeroHedge | staff | 02/03/21

Last week, a large number of small-time investors drove up the price of GameStop's (GME) stock a historic 1,784 percent. But this was no mere spike in some obscure stock. The stock's price spiked in part as a result of efforts by "an army of smaller investors who have been rallying on Reddit and elsewhere online to support GameStop's stock and beat back the professionals." These professionals were hedge fund managers who had shorted GameStop's stock. In other words, hedge funders were betting billions that GameStop's stock would go down. But the price went up instead, meaning hedge funds like Melvin Capital (and Citron Research) took "a significant loss," possibly totaling $70 billion.

There surely were plenty of insiders on both sides of this deal. Given the complexity of various schemes employed by seasoned investors, it seems it is very unlikely that this is just a simple matter of little Davids taking on Wall Street Goliaths. ... Read more

He used to win elections in a Never-Trump stronghold. Now he's leading Trump's legal team.
Politico | Holly Otterbein | 02/01/21

The news that Bruce Castor, a former Montgomery County commissioner and district attorney, is representing Trump set ablaze Pennsylvania's political world -- and nowhere more than in the suburban giant that delivered a landslide margin against Trump in 2020. As a result, Trump's campaign sued the county afterward, claiming it improperly counted mail-in ballots.

"I was shocked. Bruce has been in private practice," said Ken Lawrence, a Democratic Montgomery County commissioner. "Bruce was a law-and-order, middle-of-the-road conservative Republican." ... Read more

Bonus episode: Inside the craziest meeting of the 'T' presidency
Axios | Jonathan Swan | 02/02/21

In this bonus edition, we take you back into those final weeks -- to one long, unhinged night a week before Christmas, when an epic, profanity-soaked standoff played out with profound implications for the nation.

Four conspiracy theorists marched into the Oval Office. It was early evening on Friday, Dec. 18 -- more than a month after the election had been declared for Joe Biden, and four days after the Electoral College met in every state to make it official.

"How the hell did Sidney get in the building?" White House senior adviser Eric Herschmann grumbled from the outer Oval Office as Sidney Powell and her entourage strutted by to visit the president. ... Read more

NBC Nightly News Broadcast (Full) - February 1st, 2021 | NBC Nightly News | 02/01/21 | 19:35

Chilling trend: A longer, deadlier pandemic
Axios | Sam Baker | 02/01/21

Mutated versions of the coronavirus threaten to prolong the pandemic, perhaps for years -- killing more people and deepening the global economic crisis in the process.

The big picture: The U.S. and the world are in a race to control the virus before these variants can gain a bigger foothold. But many experts say they already expect things to get worse before they get better. And that also means an end to the pandemic may be getting further away.

"It may take four to five years before we finally see the end of the pandemic and the start of a post-COVID normal," Singapore's education minister said last week, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Where it stands: "There are essentially two separate COVID-19 epidemics," Dutch officials said recently, referring to the original strain of COVID-19 and the burgeoning threat from mutated versions of the virus.

There's light at the end of the tunnel for the first epidemic. Although the virus is still spreading uncontrolled across the U.S. and much of the world ... Read more

Meet The Press Broadcast (Full) - January 31st, 2021 | Meet The Press | NBC News | 01/31/21 | 47:34