Occupy Banksters & Crony Capitalism & GREED

Hurricane Florence to cause "catastrophic" damage in Carolinas
Axios | Andrew Freedman | 09/12/18

Hurricane Florence continues to churn menacingly toward the Carolina coastline -- about two days away from coming very close to landfall in North Carolina. The storm will be capable of causing extreme damage, and will deliver a deadly one-two punch of coastal impacts from storm surge flooding and high winds, along with an inland deluge that will turn farms and communities into a virtual extension of the Atlantic.

The big picture: The odds that Florence will hit the brakes as it nears the coast have increased, and while this could lower the storm's peak winds at landfall, it will only mean a different set of deadly impacts. The storm surge flooding from a massive storm with an unusually large wind field and slow forward speed, along with freshwater inland flooding from a staggering amount of rain -- up to 3 feet in some areas, are the leading threats to pay attention to. ...

... The official forecast from the National Hurricane Center now calls for Hurricane Florence to make landfall as a Category 3 storm near Wilmington, North Carolina on Friday, walloping the coast with a record high storm surge. Its approach will be agonizingly slow due to the temporary buildup of a high pressure area to the storm's northwest, and this will allow the storm surge flooding to build over multiple high tide cycles. ... Read more

*The ties between Hurricane Florence and climate change
Axios | Andrew Freedman | 09/12/18

Hurricane Florence is a unique Atlantic hurricane, projected to stall out after hitting land and forecast to dump upwards of 2 feet of rain on several states, much like Hurricane Harvey did in Texas last year.

The big picture: There are several characteristics of the changing climate that are helping to increase the risks of damage from Hurricane Florence, even though global warming is not directly causing such a storm to spin up. ... Read more

New video of Hurricane Florence's massive eyewall | CNN | 09/11/18 | 10:05

Why a storm surge can be the deadliest part of a hurricane | Vox | 09/09/17 | 4:00

*The Great Recession's great hangover
WashingtonPost | Kate Rabinowitz and Youjin Shin | 09/12/18

The financial crisis and Great Recession had their roots in American homeownership. Successive presidents from both parties had encouraged more people to attain the American Dream of owning a home.

As housing prices rose -- and Wall Street found ways to enable riskier loans -- Americans' wealth climbed too, hitting a peak in 2007. But then the financial crisis and Great Recession hit, devastating Wall Street and causing financial upheaval for tens of millions of Americans. Even as the worst days waned, the crisis and recession profoundly shaped the decade that followed. ... GOOD Graphics, Read more

Trump's assault on Woodward riddled with contradictions
Politico | Annie Karni | 09/10/18

The president has slammed Woodward's book as 'fiction' -- even as he rails against former aides for leaking.

President Donald Trump has called journalist Bob Woodward's book on his administration a work of "fiction" and a "scam," claiming that quotes in the book are "made up" and that the author is a "liar."

At the same time, sources familiar with his thinking said he is livid at his former economic adviser, Gary Cohn, and his former staff secretary, Rob Porter, for "leaking" to Woodward.

It's difficult to rationally argue that the book could be both: fiction dreamed up by Woodward, and a betrayal by former top stewards of the administration, who shared with the famed journalist alarming details about how the White House functions. But it's not hard for Trump, who often spouts two opposing views intended for different audiences. And his supporters often soak up the contradictory claims just as readily as he spits them out, taking it all in stride. ... Read more