Occupy Banksters & Crony Capitalism & GREED

Historic flooding swamps Oklahoma, Arkansas as storms prove relentless
Axios | Andrew Freedman | 05/29/19

A tense situation is unfolding in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where officials are hoping that 70-year-old levees will withstand an unprecedented, prolonged test to keep back the swollen Arkansas River, which has risen to an all-time record high after weeks of heavy rain.

Why it matters: The flooding that has gripped the nation's heartland will eventually affect the price of food, as farmers cope with fields that have turned into lakes at a time of year when staple crops such as corn and wheat should be planted already. In addition, the damage from the floods, which started in the Upper Midwest earlier this year and now stretch all the way down the Mississippi River, likely exceeds $1 billion in individual states alone, with a far higher aggregate cost. ... Read more

US-China trade: what are rare-earth metals, and what's the dispute?
theguardian.com | Kalyeena Makortoff | date

The metals are used to produce a raft of goods, including mobile phones and cameras

They include elements like gadolinium, lanthanum, cerium and promethium, and are vital in the production of cancer treatment drugs, smartphones and renewable energy technologies.

Where do they come from?
Rare earths are not actually very rare. They can be found across the Earth's crust. However, they are often in low concentrations and are difficult and expensive to mine.

The process can also damage the environment, with ecosystems put at risk by pit mining, the release of metal byproducts from refineries, and water contamination from particles being dumped during waste disposal. ... Read more

Trump's 2020 plan to target black, Hispanic and suburban female voters
Axios | Jonathan Swan | 05/29/19

Trump campaign officials have been discussing a digital campaign to boost President Trump's 2020 support among three key demographic groups: African Americans, Hispanics and suburban women, two sources familiar with the plan tell Axios.

Why it matters: These are the groups the president must make inroads with the most. Trump won in 2016 with less support from black and Hispanic voters than any president in at least 40 years, per Reuters. And in 2018, suburban women revolted against Republicans in the midterms, a shift that was widely seen as a direct rebuke of Trump. ... Read more

Siege: Trump Under Fire by Michael Wolff

With Fire and Fury, Michael Wolff defined the first phase of the Trump administration; now, in Siege, he has written an equally essential and explosive book about a presidency that is under fire from almost every side. A stunningly fresh narrative that begins just as Trump's second year as president is getting underway and ends with the delivery of the Mueller report, Siege reveals an administration that is perpetually beleaguered by investigations and a president who is increasingly volatile, erratic, and ...

Bannon described Trump Organization as 'criminal enterprise', Michael Wolff book claims
theguardian.com | Edward Helmore | 05/29/19

Former White House adviser says financial investigations will take down president in sequel to Fire and Fury

The former White House adviser Steve Bannon has described the Trump Organization as a criminal entity and predicted that investigations into the president's finances will lead to his political downfall, when he is revealed to be "not the billionaire he said he was, just another scumbag".

The startling remarks are contained in Siege: Trump Under Fire, the author Michael Wolff's forthcoming account of the second year of the Trump administration. The book, published on 4 June, is a sequel to Fire and Fury: Trump in the White House, which was a bestseller in 2018. The Guardian obtained a copy.

In a key passage, Bannon is reported as saying he believes investigations of Donald Trump's financial history will provide proof of the underlying criminality of his eponymous company. ... Read more