Occupy Banksters & Crony Capitalism & GREED

Who's winning the AI race
Axios | Scott Rosenberg | 11/27/24

Trump's plan to revamp the Justice Department coming into focus
Axios | Erin Doherty | 11/25/24

President-elect Trump's vow to overhaul the Justice Department is often cast in sweeping, ominous language: He'd seek retribution against his enemies, back deportations of millions of undocumented immigrants, and more.

Driving the news: But Republicans have been dropping hints - some conflicting - with more details about Trump's plans once he takes office Jan. 20. Beyond Trump's campaign rhetoric, those clues have come from:

How Reagan Ruined Everything | Leeja Miller | 2023 | 24:44

The Staggering Cost of the Never-Ending War on Terror | ENDEVR Documentary | 2023 | 48:10

Chaos reigns supreme in Trump's Washington
Axios | Zachary Basu | 11/22/24

For two weeks, President-elect Trump has enjoyed - and exploited - an aura of invincibility that few Republicans have been willing to challenge publicly. On Thursday, the bubble finally popped.

Why it matters: For an otherwise pliant group of Senate Republicans, former Rep. Matt Gaetz's nomination as attorney general was a bridge too far.

Zoom in: There are scores of MAGA loyalists who could have sailed through Senate confirmation, plenty of whom were on the shortlist compiled by Trump's transition team.

Instead, Trump chose a congressman not only despised by his GOP colleagues, but embroiled in a widely publicized House Ethics investigation into alleged sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.

The explanation is head-spinning but simple: Trump has achieved historic political success by following his instincts - and his instincts tend to favor maximum chaos. ... Read more

"Absolutely devastating": Climate change is pushing coral reefs to extinction, experts warn
Salon | Matthew Rozsa | 11/21/24

The Chagos Archipelago is one of the most remote places on Earth. Smack dab in the middle of the Indian Ocean, the collection of more than five dozen tiny islands are mostly uninhabited, due in no small part to the United States and United Kingdom expelling the Indigenous Chagossians in an ethnic cleansing from 1967 to 1973. For decades only a single atoll, Diego Garcia, has had any inhabitants. Yet as coral reef ecologist Alexandra Dempsey explored the atolls’ beautiful coral reefs in 2015, she nevertheless found signs of human pollution.

"While we were there, we witnessed the very first stages of a bleaching event,"" Dempsey said, referring to when coral becomes dead and white due to stress. Dempsey recalled "the scale at which these 100-year-old corals were just stressed. They were paling. The cotton candy colors paling is definitely an indicator of an ecosystem that is extremely stressed." ... Read more

"How Ivy League Admissions Broke America:" David Brooks Explains | Amanpour and Company | 11/19/24 | 18:14

Columbia Professor Jeffrey Sachs Reveals Shocking TRUTH About Ukraine | Cyrus Janssen | 11/17/24 | 18:45

Trump's messy coalition
Axios | Zachary Basu | 11/20/24

President-elect Trump's Cabinet increasingly resembles a European-style coalition government, staffed with a dizzying array of ideological rivals united - for now - by a grand MAGA vision.

Why it matters: The incoming administration has a little something for everyone: isolationists and hawks, populists and bankers - even a couple of lifelong Democrats who ran for president against Trump.

Some supporters have praised Trump for the eclectic mix of nominees, saying it reflects the broad range of Americans who voted decisively for a new Washington.

But if Trump's first term is any indication, his Cabinet of contradictions also could invite volatility and infighting that eventually spills into public view. ... Read more

New twist in Trump's Treasury race
Axios | Mike Allen | 11/20/24

President-elect Trump is looking more seriously at Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) for Treasury secretary - giving Trump three serious options for one of the few roles where he's taking his time, transition sources tell me.

Hagerty, a former private-equity investor who was Trump's ambassador to Japan, is one of three apparent finalists, along with former Fed governor Kevin Warsh and Apollo CEO Marc Rowan.

Hagerty, 65, has credibility with Wall Street leaders, the markets, foreign leaders and Congress. And he owes his political career to Trump.

"Respected, loyal and great on TV - the total Trump package," a top Republican source said. ... Read more

Trump's victory sparks consumer confidence surge
Axios | Emily Peck | 11/18/24

After years of wondering why there was a disconnect between how Americans feel about the economy (bad) and the actual state of the economy (pretty good), we may have the answer - it was politics all along.

Why it matters: If politics is the main driver of consumer sentiment, then it's no longer nearly as useful as an economic indicator.

The big picture: A real-time measure of consumer sentiment abruptly turned positive last week for the first time since June 2021, as Republican optimism surged on Donald Trump's victory. (See the chart below.)

Biden on Amazon visit says "nobody can reverse" clean energy progress
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 11/18/24

President Biden, as he became the first sitting president to visit the Amazon rainforest on Sunday, touted leaving President-elect Trump the "most significant climate change law."

Why it matters: Biden appeared to acknowledge Trump's pledge to roll back some of his climate initiatives, saying: "I will leave my successor and my country with a strong foundation to build on if they choose to do so. It's true, some may seek to deny or delay the clean energy revolution that's underway in America, but nobody, nobody can reverse it."

Mike Johnson wants Ethics panel to keep potentially damaging Gaetz report secret
Axios | Juliegrace Brufke,Andrew Solender | 11/15/24

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he'll ask the House Ethics Committee not to release a potentially damaging report on the conduct of former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), President-elect Trump's attorney general nominee.

Why it matters: Johnson said making the report public would set a "terrible precedent," demonstrating how far he's willing to go to help Trump's nominees.

Gaetz resigned from the House Wednesday - a move that would typically disband the Ethics Committee's investigation - but senators of both parties have said they want to see the panel's findings as they prepare to consider whether to confirm Gaetz.

"I'm going to strongly request that the Ethics Committee not issue the report because that is not the way we do things in the House, and I think that would be a terrible precedent to set," Johnson said, as first reported by Politico. ... Read more

'We all have our eyes wide open': Trump critics brace for dark time of retribution
The Guardian | Andrew Gumbel | 11/15/14

Members of Congress and other US public officials targeted for "retribution" by Donald Trump say they are taking extraordinary security precautions for themselves and their families and are now bracing for scenarios as extreme as the possibility of being rounded up and arrested, after Trump returns to the White House.

Two Democratic House members who have been vocal in their criticisms of Trump and his policy agenda told the Guardian they and their colleagues are preparing for "some pretty surreal and dystopic scenarios". They range from bogus investigations or tax audits of present and former members of the federal government to out-and-out violence inspired by Trump's rhetoric of revenge. ... Read more

The Tipping Points of Climate Change - and Where We Stand | Johan Rockström | TED | 08/14/24 | 18:35

Earth currently experiencing a sixth mass extinction, according to scientists | 60 Minutes | 01/01/23| 13:16

See what three degrees of global warming looks like | The Economist | 2022 | 16:23

Trump's Reelection: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | 12/14/24 | 36:13

Russian defectors, Putin critics suffer mysterious, violent deaths | 60 Minutes | 11/11/24| 22:00

Trump announces Musk will lead new Department of Government Efficiency
Axios | Dave Lawler | 11/14/24

President-elect Trump announced on Tuesday that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut government spending and streamline bureaucracy.

Why it matters: The Musk-Trump political alliance is moving from the campaign into the White House. However, it's unclear what exactly Musk's role will entail - or whether he and Ramaswamy will actually be able to make the kinds of sweeping changes they have proposed.

Trump described the new "department" as "potentially, 'The Manhattan Project' of our time," but he also said it would be advising from "outside of government."

That suggests Musk and Ramaswamy, a wealthy investor and biotech entrepreneur, won't have any power to implement changes, only to advise the White House and executive branch departments on cuts. ... Read more

Donald Trump Has 'Obligations' to Those Who Brought Him to Power-Putin Ally
Newsweek | Jordan King | 11/12/24

AVladimir Putin aide has warned Donald Trump that he is "obliged" to fulfill promises he made during his presidential campaign to bring peace to Ukraine.

The President-elect said repeatedly during his campaign to secure his return to the White House that he would put a stop to the more than two and a half years of war in Ukraine "within 24 hours."

And Nikolai Patrushev, part of the Russian president's inner circle and former Secretary of the Security Council, told the Russian newspaper Kommersant that Trump was duty-bound to act on his words.

Patrushev said: "To achieve success in the elections, Donald Trump relied on certain forces to which he has corresponding obligations. And as a responsible person, he will be obliged to fulfill them. ... Read more

What Trump's mass deportation plan might look like if he wins the election | 60 Minutes | 10/28/24 | 13:05

Trump picks Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary
Axios | Sareen Habeshian | 11/13/24

President-elect Trump nominated Pete Hegseth to serve as Secretary of Defense on Tuesday.

Why it matters: A surprise choice, the TV personality and military vet is a proponent of a non-interventionist "America First" foreign policy, in contrast with Trump's picks for other top national security roles.

Driving the news: Trump in an emailed statement called the Fox News host "a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country."

The president-elect added, "With Pete at the helm, America's enemies are on notice - Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down." ... Read more

Banking System Gives Trump the Middle Finger As His Reckless Plans Emerge | Rebel HQ/TYT | 11/10/14 | 10:24

Behind the Curtain: The Trump, Musk fusion
Axios | Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei | 11/12/24

President-elect Trump and Elon Musk, two billionaires with strikingly similar DNAs, are fusing into a new, powerful governing-media paradigm.

Why it matters: This Trump-Musk fusion seems to grow stronger by the day. The two are working together to shape the new White House, the new Senate and the new Cabinet, plus future foreign relations and governing blueprints.

The pair plots and plans at Trump's Mar-a-Lago, where Musk is often camped out. He's one of only a couple of confidants who attends Cabinet-selection sessions in Trump's makeshift Situation Room. The two amplify their thinking and desires on Musk's X. ...

Robot that watched surgery videos performs with skill of human doctor, researchers report
Science Daily | Johns Hopkins University | 11/11/24

A robot, trained for the first time by watching videos of seasoned surgeons, executed the same surgical procedures as skillfully as the human doctors.

The successful use of imitation learning to train surgical robots eliminates the need to program robots with each individual move required during a medical procedure and brings the field of robotic surgery closer to true autonomy, where robots could perform complex surgeries without human help.

"It's really magical to have this model and all we do is feed it camera input and it can predict the robotic movements needed for surgery," said senior author Axel Krieger. "We believe this marks a significant step forward toward a new frontier in medical robotics." ... Read more

Report: Extreme weather cost world $2 trillion in 10 years, U.S. worst hit
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 11/11/24

Climate-related extreme weather events cost the global economy more than $2 trillion over the past decade and the U.S. was the worst-affected nation, per a report published as leaders gather for the COP29 summit in Azerbaijan Monday.

Why it matters: The damage estimates in the Oxera report for the International Chamber of Commerce for 2014-2023 roughly equate to those of the 2008 global financial crisis and ICC secretary-general John Denton said "the economic impact of climate change" needs a "response of similar speed and decisiveness," per CNN.

What they did: The report's researchers examined nearly 4,000 events that occurred over the 10-year period which impacted 1.6 billion people.

What they found: In the last two full years of the report alone, global economic damages reached $451 billion. That's a 19% rise compared to the previous eight years of the decade, according to the researchers.

The U.S. had the greatest economic losses over the period from 2014-2023 ($934.7 billion), followed by China at $267.9 billion and India ($112 billion). ... Read more

Trump's incoming "Border Czar": Deportation plan is "worst first"
Axios | Mike Allen | 11/11/24

Tom Homan, named Sunday to be President-elect Trump's "Border Czar," said on Fox News this weekend that the new administration's planned deportation operation will target "the worst first" - prioritizing what he called criminal threats and national-security threats.

Homan will be the director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He was acting director in the Trump administration.

Why it matters: ICE agents will take a pivotal operational role in delivering on Trump's promise to "seal the border" and conduct the "largest deportation operation in American history." ... Read more

Trump's Businesses: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | | 11/07/24 | 22:22

Behind the Curtain: America rejected soft liberalism
Axios | Jim VandeHei,Mike Allen | 11/11/24

The deeper they dig into federal and state election results, some Democrats are coming to a harsh, humbling conclusion: America rejected soft liberalism.

Why it matters: You see it in Hispanic men turning against Democrats... L.A. and San Francisco dumping Democrats seen as soft on crime and homelessness... white men taking to podcasts to lament word-policing and strict DEI policies... California voting to undo social justice reforms... a growing number of Democrats scolding their party for condescending political correctness.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn). tweeted Sunday that the left is "out of touch with the crisis of meaning/purpose fueling MAGA. We refuse to pick big fights. Our tent is too small." ... Read more

The REAL Reason MEN VOTED for TRUMP... | Scott Galloway | The Diary Of A CEO Clips | 11/06/24 | 8:46

What Trump's MAGA allies have planned for immigration in Project 2025
magazine | author | date

President-elect Trump has vowed to crack down on immigration and start mass deportations on day one of his presidency, and Project 2025 offers a wider look into what could come next.

The big picture: The 900-page wishlist is a roadmap for the next Republican administration to zero in on initiatives the GOP has long targeted - including a to-do list on immigration.

Trump repeatedly claimed during his campaign that he knew nothing about the right-wing policy map, despite the fact that the Heritage Foundation-backed plan was written by his close allies and supported by his top advisers.

The other side: "The American public, even amidst the election results, opposes the Trump agenda of mass deportation, separation of families, and his promises to 'un-document' and deport some with current legal status," Vanessa Cardenas, executive director of America's Voice, told Axios. ... Read more

Zelensky confirms deadly clashes between North Korean and Ukrainian forces
Axios | Ivana Saric | 11/08/24

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Thursday that North Korean troops have engaged in combat with Ukrainian forces on the battlefield.

Why it matters: The clashes represent a stark escalation in the war as President-elect Trump, who has repeatedly criticized U.S. aid to Ukraine and suggested the country instead make a deal with Russia, prepares to reshape U.S. policy in the region.

The big picture: Zelensky said at a European Political Community Summit press conference Thursday that 11,000 North Korean troops are present in Russia's Kursk region, near the Ukrainian border. ... Read more

House election results: Where the fight for control stands
Axios | Andrew Solender | 11/08/24

They're still counting votes in 25 uncalled House races, but even Democrats admit that Republicans are on track to keep their majority in 2025.

Why it matters: House Democrats are the last shot to prevent a GOP trifecta in D.C. next year. Republicans have retaken the Senate majority, and President-elect Trump will be inaugurated on Jan. 20. ... Read more

Global temperatures likely to exceed key limit for first time
Axios | Andrew Freedman | 11/07/24

With October's initial temperature data in, 2024 will rank as the first calendar year in modern record-keeping in which global average surface temperatures exceed the Paris Agreement's aspirational 1.5°C guardrail.

Why it matters: Holding long-term warming to the 1.5-degree target compared to the preindustrial era is crucial for lowering the risk of triggering climate change tipping points, beyond which potentially catastrophic impacts have a higher likelihood of occurring, studies show.

Holding warming to that target is viewed as necessary for small island states and other extremely vulnerable nations to avoid being wiped out by sea level rise, drought and other threats. ... Read more

Behind the Curtain: The most powerful Republican president of the modern era
Axios | Jim VandeHei,Mike Allen | 11/07/24

Donald J. Trump has vanquished the Bushes, the Clintons, the Bidens, the Obamas - and the entire establishment of both parties.

Why it matters: Trump is stronger than ever, backed by a party wholly remade in his image and opposed by demoralized and defeated Democrats.

Make no mistake: Trump will come to power better organized, better staffed, and exponentially better positioned to dominate his party and the nation than he was last time.

Trump promises to stretch the immense powers of the presidency, with historically wide latitude from a pliant, conservative Supreme Court.

A new conservative media ecosystem - centered on Elon Musk's X - will amplify Trump's power and reshape America's information wars. ... Read more

U.S. ramps up pressure on Israel to address Gaza crisis ahead of deadline
Axios | Barak Ravid | 11/01/24

The Biden administration is ratcheting up pressure on the Israeli government to meet a set of demands from the U.S. to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Why it matters: If Israel fails to fully implement the U.S. demands by Nov. 13, the U.S. could suspend its military assistance to Israel - a step the Biden administration has avoided so far but is gaining more support inside the State Department, according to a U.S. official.

Determining if Israel has met its commitments to the U.S. and whether it has violated U.S. law during the war in Gaza could be the first major decision the Biden administration has to to make during the transition period after the presidential election.

Catch up quick: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin sent a letter on Oct. 13 to their Israeli counterparts with an ultimatum: Israel must take steps within 30 days to improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza or risk the supply of U.S. weapons to Israel being affected. ... Read more

Iran preparing major retaliatory strike from Iraq within days, Israeli intel suggests
Axios | Barak Ravid | 11/01/24

Israeli intelligence suggests Iran is preparing to attack Israel from Iraqi territory in the coming days, possibly before the U.S. presidential election, two Israeli sources tell Axios.

Why it matters: Israel and Iran have been engaged in an escalating tit-for-tat for weeks. Carrying the attack out through pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and not directly from Iranian territory could be an attempt by Iran to avoid another Israeli attack against strategic targets in Iran.

Driving the news: The sources said Israeli intelligence suggests the attack is expected to be carried out from Iraq using a large number of drones and ballistic missiles. ... Read more

Inequality Causing Social Fabric to Unravel, Rebellion in Military Possible - Wilkerson and Jay | theAnalysis-news | 10/31/24 | 39:05