Occupy Banksters & Crony Capitalism & GREED

77% of Americans are worried about inflation
Axios | Dion Rabouin | 03/25/21

A survey from data firm CivicScience provided first to Axios shows more than three-quarters of American consumers are concerned about inflation.

Between the lines: 42% of those respondents said they were "very concerned," which was more than double the share (17%) that said they were "not at all concerned."

Why it matters: As I've written before, inflation is a self-fulfilling prophecy and is driven largely by expectations.

Why you'll hear about this again: Perhaps the survey's most intriguing data point is that young people who have never before experienced runaway inflation are the most worried. ... Read more

Hear ex-Trump lawyer's stunning defense | CNN | 03/24/21 | 6:32

After Spreading False Election Fraud Claims, Powell Claims 'Reasonable People' Wouldn't Believe Her | MSNBC | 03/24/21 | 4:00

Charlie Sykes: Johnson Has Gone So Deep Down These Rabbit Holes, He’s Created His Own | Deadline | 03/22/21 | 6:43

Biden's New Deal: Re-engineering America, quickly
Axios | Mike Allen | 03/24/21

President Biden recently held an undisclosed East Room session with historians that included discussion of how big is too big -- and how fast is too fast -- to jam through once-in-a-lifetime historic changes to America.

Why it matters ... The historians' views were very much in sync with his own: It is time to go even bigger and faster than anyone expected. If that means chucking the filibuster and bipartisanship, so be it.

Four things are pushing Biden to jam through what could amount to a $5 trillion-plus overhaul of America, and vast changes to voting, immigration and inequality.

1. He has full party control of Congress, and a short window to go big.
2. He has party activists egging him on.
3. He has strong gathering economic winds at his back.
4. And he's popular in polls.

Motive In Boulder Shooting Still Remains Unknown | Morning Joe | MSNBC | 03/24/21 | 4:43

Police identify suspect and victims in Boulder grocery store shooting
Axios | Orion Rummler | 03/23/21

10 people were killed in a shooting at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, on Monday, including one police officer, the local police department confirmed.

The latest: The suspect has been identified and charged with 10 counts of murder in the first degree, police said in a Tuesday morning update.

The 21-year-old suspect, identified as Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, will be transferred to the Boulder County jail today after being hospitalized and treated for injuries on Monday night.

The slain officer was Eric Talley, 51, who was first on the scene and had been with the Boulder Police Department since 2010, said police Chief Maris Herold, who described him as "heroic."

The following victims were also identified: Denny Strong (20); Neven Stanisic (23); Rikki Olds (25); Tralona Bartkowiak (49); Suzanne Fountain (59); Teri Leiker (51); Kevin Mahoney (61); Lynn Murray (62); and Jody Waters (65). ... Read more

The fraught U.S.-China climate relationship
Axios | Ben Geman | 03/22/21

The last 72 hours highlighted hurdles and opportunities for U.S.-China cooperation on climate at a time of very deep divisions over human rights, cybersecurity and more.

Driving the news: Chinese state media, in a weekend readout of high-level U.S.-China talks in Alaska on Thursday and Friday, said one outcome of the multitopic meeting will be a "joint working group" on climate.

But yesterday a State Department spokesman told Axios' Fadel Allassan: "The two sides discussed the climate crisis but did not form a formal working group."

Why it matters: China is by far the world's largest carbon emitter and the U.S. is the second-largest. ... Read more

Where COVID-19 vaccines are coming from
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Axios | Dave Lawler | 03/19/21

The Biden administration on Thursday took a modest first step toward sharing coronavirus vaccines with the world, announcing that it intends to send 1.5 million AstraZeneca doses to Canada and 2.5 million to Mexico.

Why it matters: The vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University hasn't been approved in the U.S., and the White House has faced growing criticism for sitting on doses that could be used elsewhere ... Read more

NIH Director Weighs In On Ethical, Theological Concerns Around Genome Editing | Morning Joe | MSNBC | 03/19/21 | 6:37

The Fed's inflation conundrum
Axios | Dion Rabouin | 03/18/21

Fed chair Jerome Powell is attempting something of a high-wire circus act as the central bank pushes forward with its average inflation targeting regime.

The big picture: He's trying to simultaneously raise inflation while keeping short-term interest rates low and stimulate the economy through unprecedented and extraordinary measures while convincing Americans the economy is doing well.

Driving the news: The Fed kept its policy rate unchanged on Wednesday but sharply ramped up its expectations for economic growth -- while affirming that it does not plan to raise interest rates until after 2023.

Why it matters: U.S. inflation expectations have shot up in recent months while unemployment remains incredibly high, a potentially devastating combination for the economy. ... Read more

Georgia massage parlor shootings: What we know
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 03/17/21

A suspect is in custody after eight people were killed and one person was injured in three separate shooting incidents at different massage parlors in the Atlanta metropolitan area on Tuesday evening.

Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds said officers interviewed the suspect on Tuesday and that he "made indicators that he has some issues, potentially sexual addiction, and may have frequented some of these places in the past."

What we know: The Cherokee County Sheriff's office said Robert Aaron Long, a 21-year-old white man from Woodstock, Georgia, was arrested Tuesday night and charged with murder. The FBI is assisting Atlanta and Cherokee County authorities in the investigation. ... Read more

Inflation surpasses coronavirus as investors' biggest worry
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Axios | Dion Rabouin | 03/17/21

Inflation is the number one risk for the market, according to a monthly survey of global asset managers commissioned by Bank of America, displacing COVID-19 for the first time since February 2020.

Details: Both inflation (37% of respondents) and the risk of a market taper tantrum (35%) beat out the pandemic as the top risk for investors. ... Read more

Tucker Carlson: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | 03/15/21 | 24:52

The hoarding economy
Axios | Dion Rabouin | 03/15/21

Americans are locking away greater shares of their money -- especially big businesses and the wealthy -- a trend that has increased thanks to the coronavirus pandemic and is likely to stick around for some time.

Why it matters: The U.S. economy is built on our propensity to spend and the past decade's environment of stubbornly low interest rates, low growth and economic inequality all could be exacerbated in the future as the country leans further into the savings trend.

What's happening: Thanks to the pandemic, the tendency of the wealthy socking away their money appears to be getting worse. ... Read more

Machine Learning: Living in the Age of AI | A WIRED Film | 06/20/19 | 41:16

WH Chief Of Staff Ron Klain On Biden's Next Legislative Priorities | MSNBC | 03/15/21 | 13:27

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance will not run for re-election
Axios | Zachary Basu | 03/12/21

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance will not run for a fourth term and plans to leave office on Dec. 31, he told the New Yorker's Jane Mayer in a wide-ranging interview published Friday.

Why it matters: It leaves one of the country's most high-profile state prosecutors with just nine months to make a charging decision in the biggest case of his career -- a criminal investigation of former President Trump and his business empire. ... Read more

The 'Space Architects' of Mars | The Age of A.I. S1-E5 | 01/15/20 | 30:10

Will a robot take my job? | The Age of A.I. S1-E6 | 01/15/21 | 36:13

Capitol riot prosecutors ask for delay, citing "most complex" probe in U.S history
Axios | Zachary Basu | 03/12/21

Federal prosecutors submitted a filing Friday morning requesting a 60-day delay in a series of cases related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, describing the massive undertaking as "likely the most complex investigation ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice."

The big picture: More than 300 suspects have been charged in connection with the attack, which FBI Director Christopher Wray has described as "domestic terrorism."

In addition to individual crimes like assault, trespassing and destruction of government property, federal prosecutors are investigating "conspiratorial activity" that began before Jan. 6. The Justice Department expects that at least 100 more individuals will be charged, according to the filing. ... Read more

Fauci says COVID death toll would have "shocked" him a year ago
Axios | Fadel Allassan | 02/11/21

Speaking on the one-year anniversary of the pandemic declaration, White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci said Thursday he would have been "shocked" to hear a year ago that the U.S. coronavirus death toll would surpass 500,000.

Why it matters: It's a higher death toll than the number of U.S. soldiers killed in action in World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War combined. The White House projected on March 31 that the virus could kill 100,000--240,000 Americans -- even with strict social distancing guidelines in place.

"In fact that day, at a congressional hearing I made the statement, 'Things are going to get much worse before they get better.' ... But I did not in my mind think that 'much worse' was going to be 525,000 deaths." ... Read more

Meet The White Women Empowering QAnon Part 1 | Samantha Bee | 03/10/21 | 6:27

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Bank puts $10 billion behind fight to equalize "Black Womenomics"
Axios | Courtenay Brown | 03/10/21

Goldman Sachs is embarking on a decade-long quest to inject $10 billion into projects that it says will impact one million Black women.

Details: The money will be disbursed in equity or grants over the next 10 years. The bank also announced an advisory council -- including former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and actress/writer Issa Rae -- that will help make decisions on how to deploy the capital. Read more

Biden's Coronavirus Relief Has 75 Percent Support From Americans | Morning Joe | MSNBC | 03/10/21 | 5:25

Krystal Ball: Mitch McConnell May Not Finish Term According To New Report | The Hill | 03/05/21 | 5:39

Why the tech stock selloff matters
Axios | Dion Rabouin | 03/09/21

Why it matters: With the real economy still depressed, especially the labor market, continued weakness in Big Tech and a deflating housing market could undercut the expected economic recovery.

Both stocks and housing have been underpinned by historically low interest rates and inflation expectations, which now are jumping at the fastest pace in years.

The big picture: The exaggerated stock price moves in tech are amplifying overall market volatility, but that volatility bears watching because of the growing role tech plays in the U.S. economy.

All five of the largest U.S. companies by market cap are in tech -- Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet and Facebook, in that order -- and together they hold a market cap of more than $8.2 trillion. ... Read more

Taiwan: China's next target? | DW Analysis | 09/08/20 | 59:18