Occupy Banksters & Crony Capitalism & GREED

White House Dusts Off Mueller Playbook As Pressure Mounts
HP | AP | 09/27/19

President Donald Trump and his team are scrambling to respond to a whistleblower's claims that have morphed into an impeachment inquiry.

The White House is dusting off its playbook from the special counsel's Russia investigation. Caught off guard by the speed at which a whistleblower's claims have morphed into an impeachment inquiry, President Donald Trump and his team are scrambling to respond.

They're turning, at least for now, to some of the same strategies they used to counter special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

The basic tactics deployed by the short-staffed White House: Attempt to discredit government officials at the heart of the story. Dispatch Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and other allies to muddy the picture. Lean on Republicans in Congress to provide cover. And, most of all, presidential counterattacks. ... Read more

Compounding Pharmacies: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | 09/29/19 | 19:14

The future of privacy starts in California
Axios | author | 09/30/19

A landmark privacy law in California, which kicks in Jan. 1, will give Golden State residents the right to find out what a company knows about them and get it deleted -- and to stop the company from selling it.

Why it matters: It could effectively become a national privacy law, since companies that are racing to comply with it may give these privileges to non-Californians, too.

The California Consumer Privacy Act will apply to companies with at least $25 million in revenue, personal information on at least 50,000 people, or earning at least half their money by selling consumers' personal information. ... Read more

Trump Lawyer Jay Sekulow: "We've Got to Get on Top of This Thing"
Axios | James Risen | 09/30/19

AT ABOUT 7:30 A.M. Friday morning, I arrived at Liveshots DC, a small television studio on Capitol Hill used by a number of different news programs. I had come to record an appearance on Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman, to talk about the Trump-Ukraine scandal.

White House Dusts Off Mueller Playbook As Pressure Mounts
HP | AP | 09/27/19

President Donald Trump and his team are scrambling to respond to a whistleblower's claims that have morphed into an impeachment inquiry.

Caught off guard by the speed at which a whistleblower's claims have morphed into an impeachment inquiry, President Donald Trump and his team are scrambling to respond.

"It's a disgrace to our country. It's another witch-hunt. Here we go again," an agitated Trump said Thursday as he returned to Washington after four days at the United Nations in New York. "They're frozen -- the Democrats. They're going to lose the election; they know it. That's why they're doing it. And it should never be allowed, what's happened to this president."

The velocity at which the whistleblower story enveloped Washington was remarkable. In just a few days' time, a whistleblower's complaint that Trump encouraged the president of Ukraine to help investigate political rival Joe Biden led to congressional hearings, allegations of a White House cover-up and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announcing the start of an impeachment inquiry. ... Read more
Whistleblower alleges Trump abused power to solicit foreign interference

The way to beat automation: upskill on what makes you human
Click on Image to Zoom in
The Global Learner Survey (12/2019)
The Global Learner Survey (12/2019).pdf

Sen. Bernie Sanders: The Impeachment Inquiry Needs To Move Quickly | Stephen Colbert | 09/27/19 | 9:47

Democrats, Please Don't Mess This Up. Impeach Trump for All His Crimes, Not Just for Ukraine.
TheIntercept | Mehdi Hasan | 09/26/19

ARE DEMOCRATS PREPARING to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory? Speaker Nancy Pelosi's announcement on Tuesday that the House of Representatives would hold an "official impeachment inquiry" over Trump's phone call with the president of Ukraine, and his request for dirt on Joe Biden and his son Hunter, was a welcome one. But on Wednesday, according to several reports, "Pelosi and senior House Democrats agreed in a private meeting … that they should narrow their impeachment investigation of President Trump to his dealings with the president of Ukraine."

To be clear: There is now a majority in the House for impeachment, especially with the publication of the whistleblower complaint on Thursday, which reveals how "the President of the United States is using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 U.S. election." House Democrats -- even in swing seats -- have united on this issue and see Trump as a clear threat to national security. It looks like a slam dunk.

So how then might this end up as a defeat, and not a victory? Think about it. For House Democrats to wait this long and then impeach a reckless, lawless, racist, tax-dodging president only over his interactions with the president of Ukraine would be to effectively give Trump a clean bill of health on everything else. Going into an election year, Democrats would be unilaterally disarming -- unable to offer further substantive criticisms of Trump's crimes and abuses of power across the board. "Why didn't you impeach him for it?" Republicans will ask. ... Read more

US Shale In A State Of "Deep Anxiety", Survey Signals Capex Collapse Imminent
ZeroHedge | staff | 09/26/19

The financial stress sweeping over the U.S. shale sector has led to a sharp contraction in activity. Oil and gas activity in Texas and parts of New Mexico declined in the third quarter, with the Dallas Fed's business activity index reporting a reading of -7.4, down from -0.6 in the second quarter.

When surveyed by the Dallas Fed, 42 percent of the executives from 142 oil and gas firms said that low prices was their most significant constraint on growth. Another 20 percent said the lack of access to capital, followed by 13 percent of which said investor pressure to generate free cash flow. Only a small percentage of respondents said that infrastructure bottlenecks and labor shortages were the top constraint on their growth.

The more intriguing part of the Dallas Fed survey comes in the comments section, which includes statements submitted anonymously by oil and gas executives. Since they are anonymous, the executives are very candid, offering an unvarnished window into sentiment in the sector. And the mood is decidedly grim. ... ... Read more

Whistleblower alleges Trump abused power to solicit foreign interference
Axios | Zachary Basu | 09/26/19

The whistleblower complaint at the heart of a controversy over President Trump and Ukraine alleges that Trump "is using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 election," and that Rudy Giuliani and Attorney General Bill Barr appeared to be involved in the effort as well.

Why it matters: The Trump administration's initial refusal to turn over the complaint is what led to Speaker Nancy Pelosi's watershed decision on Tuesday to finally support a formal impeachment inquiry. Likely as a result of pressure from that announcement, the administration released both the complaint and, earlier in the day, a summary of Trump's July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. ... Read more

Whistleblower alleges Trump abused power to solicit foreign interference

Watch live: Intelligence chief Joseph Maguire testifies following Democrats' impeachment inquiry | WP | 09/26/19 | LIVE

Permanent Record by Edward Snowden

Edward Snowden, the man who risked everything to expose the US government's system of mass surveillance, reveals for the first time the story of his life, including how he helped to build that system and what motivated him to try to bring it down.

In 2013, twenty-nine-year-old Edward Snowden shocked the world when he broke with the American intelligence establishment and revealed that the United States government was secretly pursuing the means to collect every single phone call, text message, and email. The result would be an unprecedented system of mass surveillance with the ability to pry into the private lives of every person on earth. Six years later, Snowden reveals for the very first time how he helped to build this system and why he was moved to expose it.

Spanning the bucolic Beltway suburbs of his childhood and the clandestine CIA and NSA postings of his adulthood, Permanent Record is the extraordinary account of a bright young man who grew up online?a man who became a spy, a whistleblower, and, in exile, the Internet's conscience. Written with wit, grace, passion, and an unflinching candor, Permanent Record is a crucial memoir of our digital age and destined to be a classic.

The UN climate summit highlighted a massive divide
Axios | Ben Geman, Amy Harder | date

Dueling plotlines dominated the UN climate summit: Newly revealed ambition from countries and companies, and palpable anguish -- distilled in teen activist Greta Thunberg's speech -- that it's not nearly enough.

The big picture: The summit brought a burst of new commitments and initiatives. These include dozens of nations pledging to strengthen their plans under the Paris deal, new commitments to the multilateral Green Climate Fund, and asset managers committing to carbon neutral portfolios by 2050.

But, but, but: Several of the world's largest nations either did not bring new pledges -- including China, by far the world's largest carbon emitter -- or didn't go as far as advocates hoped

Of note: At midnight, President Trump mocked Thunberg in a tweet that puts a highlighter pen over the split between the U.S. government -- which offered no pledges -- and advocates. ... Read more

Climate In Crisis Special (Full Episode) | All In | MSNBC | 09/24/19 | 47:25

Permanent Record by Edward Snowden

Edward Snowden, the man who risked everything to expose the US government’s system of mass surveillance, reveals for the first time the story of his life, including how he helped to build that system and what motivated him to try to bring it down.

In 2013, twenty-nine-year-old Edward Snowden shocked the world when he broke with the American intelligence establishment and revealed that the United States government was secretly pursuing the means to collect every single phone call, text message, and email. The result would be an unprecedented system of mass surveillance with the ability to pry into the private lives of every person on earth. Six years later, Snowden reveals for the very first time how he helped to build this system and why he was moved to expose it.

Spanning the bucolic Beltway suburbs of his childhood and the clandestine CIA and NSA postings of his adulthood, Permanent Record is the extraordinary account of a bright young man who grew up online?a man who became a spy, a whistleblower, and, in exile, the Internet’s conscience. Written with wit, grace, passion, and an unflinching candor, Permanent Record is a crucial memoir of our digital age and destined to be a classic.

In Trump's Ukraine Scandal, A Reprise Of Sketchy 2016 Characters | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC | 09/23/19 | 26:10

Trump Didn’t Bribe Ukraine. It’s Actually Worse Than That.
Politico | Renato Mariotti | 09/21/19

Reports that President Donald Trump pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate the son of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has prompted a flurry of speculation Trump, by withholding military aid, has committed bribery or extortion.

If what Trump is accused of doing is true, it is a kind of corrupt conduct that the criminal system is not equipped to handle. Labeling his behavior with criminal terms such as bribery and extortion not only misunderstands the statutory language, it gives Trump and his supporters ammunition with which to defend themselves, making impeachment -- the proper constitutional remedy for presidential corruption -- harder to achieve.

It’s easy to see why Trump’s alleged conduct has generated outrage and why lay people have rushed to describe it as categorically criminal. Using presidential power to withhold aid to a nation that was recently invaded by Russia unless its investigates your political rival sounds like the definition of a criminal quid pro quo. The possibility that Trump pressured another nation to interfere in the next presidential election on his behalf -- not long after the completion of a multiyear investigation into interference in the 2016 presidential election by Russia on his behalf -- is jaw-dropping. ... Read more

Interest Rate Derivatives Trading Explodes to $6.5 Trillion/Day
wolfstreet.com | Nick Corbishley | 09/19/19

The volume of over-the-counter (OTC) interest rate derivatives traded globally soared by 141% in three years to $6.5 trillion per day in April 2019, according to the Bank for International Settlements' new Triennial Survey of Global Derivatives Markets. In the prior survey period, April 2016, $2.7 trillion per day in trades were executed. Since 2001, the magnitude of trading volume has multiplied by a factor of 13, from $490 billion per day to $6.5 trillion per day, with a gigantic spike over the past three years:

OTC derivatives are securities that are generally traded through a dealer network rather than on a centralized exchange such as the London Stock Exchange or the New York Stock Exchange.

Some derivatives can be explosive, such as the credit default swaps (CDS) that brought Lehman Brothers and AIG to their knees in the last crisis, and which still remain a threat today, especially with the U.S. government this week bowing to Wall Street pressure to dilute regulation that had been designed after the crisis to reduce the risks of these instruments. ... Read more

Big banks score win as U.S. regulator proposes easing post-crisis derivatives rules
Reuters | Pete Schroeder | 09/17/19

A U.S. banking regulator on Tuesday proposed easing a rule requiring banks to set aside cash to safeguard derivatives trades between affiliates, marking one of the biggest wins for Wall Street lenders under the business-friendly Trump administration.

The proposal, by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, could potentially free $40 billion across the nation's largest banks, according to a 2018 survey by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA), the global trade group that has been lobbying for the rule change for years.

Countries across the globe introduced a slew of rules to rein in the global over-the-counter derivatives market after big bets on credit swaps brought firms including Lehman Brothers and AIG to their knees. These rules included requiring banks to secure trades with cash or margin upfront and additional margin to cover price moves. Tuesday's proposal would scrap the requirement for affiliates within the same bank group to post upfront margin when trading derivatives with one another.

Industry groups hailed the move, which came after years of lobbying by some of the nation's biggest banks, including JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs.

Wall Street is scared of Elizabeth Warren
Axios | Dan Primack | 09/20/19

Wall Street's fear of Elizabeth Warren puts its many never-Trumpers in an electoral pickle.

The big picture: Warren regularly aims her ire at professional financiers, whereas progressive rival Bernie Sanders is typically more generic in his "millionaires and billionaires" rhetoric.

Sources I spoke with are split on the depth of Warren's actual knowledge of financial markets. Some say she knows more than almost anyone else in D.C., while others say she knows just enough to be dangerous. ... Read more

Did The Banks Just Tell Us A Massive Crash is Coming? w/Richard Wolff | ThomHartmann | 09/17/19 | 10:45

Exxon Knew About Climate Change Long Ago | All In | MSNBC | 09/19/19 | 4:32

What's in a (Trump) Straw? | TheIntercept | 09/15/19 | 6:55

A Message From the Future With Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | TheIntercept | 04/17/19 | 7:35

Why You Should Care About Trump's War on Whistleblowers | TheIntercept | 05/21/19 | 10:00

Documentary "Blowout" Follows Climate Cost of Oil Boom from Fracking to Exports | TRNN | 09/20/19 | 10:47

The Real Reason General Motors Workers Are On Strike Nationwide
HP | Dave Jamieson | 09/19/19

essie Kelly knew there was an excellent chance she would end up on strike at General Motors. Long before her union, the United Auto Workers, declared a work stoppage this weekend, the 29-year-old mother of one began socking away savings to prepare for a long battle with the Detroit automaker.

No one knows how long the largest auto strike in more than a decade will last. But workers like Kelly have dug in and don't plan to bend. They look at how well GM has done in recent years ? the company pulled in roughly $11 billion in pre-tax profits in 2018, and about $35 billion over the last three years combined ? and wonder why they shouldn't have a larger piece of the pie.

"They shuffle us into a room every six months and praise these record-breaking profits, but they expect us to give back," Kelly said. "We just do not understand right now why the company is still acting like we're in bankruptcy when for the last four years they've been extremely profitable." ... Read more

Health care profits explode
Axios | Bob Herman | 09/19/19

The health care industry continued to rake in record-level profits in the second quarter, with its year-over-year earnings increasing by 23%, according to an Axios analysis of 160 companies.

The bottom line: Pharmaceutical firms and hospitals, in particular, are reaping some of the largest rewards even amid the sustained public furor over drug prices and surprise medical bills. ... Read more

American Exceptionalism and American Innocence: A People's History of Fake News - From the Revolutionary War to the War on Terror byRoberto Sirvent

According to Robert Sirvent and Danny Haiphong, Americans have been exposed to fake news throughout our history -- news that slavery is a thing of the past, that we don't live on stolen land, that wars are fought to spread freedom and democracy, that a rising tide lifts all boats, that prisons keep us safe, and that the police serve and protect.

Thus, the only "news" ever reported by various channels of U.S. empire is the news of American exceptionalism and American innocence. And, as this book will hopefully show, it's all fake.

Did the U.S. really "save the world" in World War II? Should black athletes stop protesting and show more gratitude for what America has done for them? Are wars fought to spread freedom and democracy? Or is this all fake news?

American Exceptionalism and American Innocence examines the stories we're told that lead us to think that the U.S. is a force for good in the world, regardless of slavery, the genocide of indigenous people, and the more than a century's worth of imperialist war that the U.S. has wrought on the planet.

Sirvent and Haiphong detail just what Captain America's shield tells us about the pretensions of U.S. foreign policy, how Angelina Jolie and Bill Gates engage in humanitarian imperialism, and why the Broadway musical Hamilton is a monument to white supremacy.

American Exceptionalism and American Innocence: The Propaganda That Upholds the Status Quo | TRNN | 09/19/19 | 18:22

Trump sues Manhattan DA to block release of tax returns
Axios | Zachary Basu | 09/19/19

President Trump on Thursday sued Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance in an effort to block New York prosecutors from obtaining 8 years of his personal and corporate tax returns from his longtime accounting firm, Mazars USA.

Context: The New York Times reported this week that Vance's office had subpoenaed Trump's tax returns as part of its investigation into hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election.

This will be at least the third time Trump has sued to block the release of his tax returns. Earlier this year, the president filed a lawsuit against House Democrats and the state of New York over a law that would permit tax officials to turn over Trump's state tax returns.

Trump, his family and his company also filed a lawsuit against Deutsche Bank to block the bank from complying with congressional subpoenas for their business records. A federal judge in Manhattan declined their request to block Deutsche Bank, which later confirmed that it is indeed in possession of Trump's tax returns. ... Read more

President Donald Trump FEMA Nominee Asks To Withdraw His Nomination | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC | 09/18/19 | 19:52

WaPo: Trump Call With Foreign Leader Prompted Intel Whistleblower | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC | 09/18/19 | 12:38

Fed Injects Liquidity Into Markets as Key Rate Busts Through Cap
Bloomberg | Alex Harris | 09/18/19

U.S. money markets showed some signs of calm as the Federal Reserve injected another $75 billion of liquidity and key rates pulled back from troubling levels.

Although the U.S. money-market interest rate remained elevated for a third straight day -- after spiking to a record 10% Tuesday -- it came back down to 2.8% early Wednesday even before the Fed accepted billions of dollars worth of Treasuries and other securities. ... Read more

Liquidity Shortage Getting Worse: Fed's Repo Oversubscribed As Funding Demand Soars 50% Overnight
ZeroHedge | staff | 09/18/19

20 minutes after today's repo operation began, it concluded and there was some bad news in it: as we feared, yesterday's take up of the Fed's repo operation which peaked at $53.2 billion has expanded substantially, and according to the Fed, today there was a whopping $80.05BN in bids submitted, an increase of $27 billion, or 50% more than yesterday.

It also meant that since the operation - which is capped at $75BN - was oversubscribed by over $5BN, that there was one or more participants who did not get up to $5 billion in the critical liquidity they needed, and that the Fed will see a chorus of demands by everyone (because like with the discount window, nobody will dare to be singled out) to either expand the size of its operations, implement a fixed operation and/or - most likely as per the ICAP note yesterday - transition to permanent open market operations, i.e. QE ... Read more

Naomi Klein on the Case for a Green New Deal, Greta Thunberg, & The Rise of Ecofascism | DN | 09/18/19 | 43:46

On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal by Naomi Klein

For more than twenty years, Naomi Klein has been the foremost chronicler of the economic war waged on both people and planet--and an unapologetic champion of a sweeping environmental agenda with justice at its center. In lucid, elegant dispatches from the frontlines of contemporary natural disaster, she pens surging, indispensable essays for a wide public: prescient advisories and dire warnings of what future awaits us if we refuse to act, as well as hopeful glimpses of a far better future. On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal gathers for the first time more than a decade of her impassioned writing, and pairs it with new material on the staggeringly high stakes of our immediate political and economic choices.

These long-form essays show Klein at her most prophetic and philosophical, investigating the climate crisis not only as a profound political challenge but as a spiritual and imaginative one, as well. Delving into topics ranging from the clash between ecological time and our culture of "perpetual now," to the soaring history of humans changing and evolving rapidly in the face of grave threats, to rising white supremacy and fortressed borders as a form of "climate barbarism," this is a rousing call to action for a planet on the brink.

With reports spanning from the ghostly Great Barrier Reef, to the annual smoke-choked skies of the Pacific Northwest, to post-hurricane Puerto Rico, to a Vatican attempting an unprecedented "ecological conversion," Klein makes the case that we will rise to the existential challenge of climate change only if we are willing to transform the systems that produced this crisis.

Trump vs. California
Axios | Mike Allen | 09/18/19

President Trump today plans to revoke California's landmark emissions standards, setting up another sweeping legal fight with the nation's largest state that may echo beyond his presidency.

Why it matters: Trump is at war with California over the environment, homelessness, tax returns, immigration and virtually every topic he touches. The courts are almost always center stage. ... Read more

Full Interview: Edward Snowden On Trump, Privacy, And Threats To Democracy | The 11th Hour | MSNBC | 09/17/19 |54:29

Saudi Oil Refinery Attack Raises Fears of "Wider Regional War" Involving U.S. & Iran | DN | 09/16/19 |15:20

Why a U.S. military response to attack on Saudi oil facilities would be "absolutely catastrophic" | DN | 09/16/19 |5:36

**John Bolton is out, but neocon agenda stays says Larry Wilkerson | TRNN | 09/16/19 | 18:00

Outing of CIA's Kremlin mole echoes Iraq WMD hoax | TRNN | 09/16/19 | 17:08

How reporters outsmart the internet trolls
Axios | Sara Fischer | 090/17/19

Some of the top journalists covering misinformation today look less like reporters and more like cyber investigators, combining new technologies with old-school journalism principles to outsmart the trolls working to undermine them ahead of the 2020 election.

Why it matters: The troll playbook has shifted since the last election, when fringe internet actors sought to sow discord by spreading divisive messages. Today, their main focus is to discredit the news media, often by uncovering potentially harmful information about journalists or by tricking them into reporting false information. ... Read more

NYT: Manhattan prosecutors subpoena Trump tax returns
Axios | Zachary Basu | 09/17/19

The office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance has subpoenaed 8 years of President Trump's "personal and corporate tax returns" as part of its investigation into hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election, the New York Times reports.

The big picture: A federal investigation into the payments resulted in Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen pleading guilty to campaign finance violations, and it "effectively concluded" in July with no further charges. Vance's office opened a new investigation last month into whether the Trump Organization falsely listed its reimbursement of Cohen for the $130,000 payment to Daniels as a legal expense, which would be illegal under New York law.

House Democrats have also subpoenaed Trump's tax returns and are currently engaged in a court battle with Mazars USA, the same accounting firm subpoenaed by Vance's office.

Their lawsuit, which was filed by the House Ways and Means Committee after Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin defied a subpoena for Trump's tax returns in May, is likely to end up in front of the Supreme Court. ... Read more

Saudi oil attacks: U.S. builds case against Iran
Click on Image to Zoom in
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 09/16/19

The Trump administration released satellite images Sunday night as evidence that drone attacks on major Saudi oil sites over the weekend came from Iraq or Iran, as it made its case that Tehran was to blame.

Why it matters: The resolute determination to blame Iran for the airstrikes denied by Tehran and claimed by Yemen's Houthi rebels is a marked escalation in months of tension between the U.S. and Iran.

It raises questions about how Washington might respond to the attacks that halved Saudi oil production and sent oil prices soaring, and why Iran would have risked such a confrontation, as the New York Times points out.

Driving the news: President Trump tweeted Sunday night, "There is reason to believe that we know the culprit, are locked and loaded depending on verification." ... Read more

Bernie Sanders: We Are Taking On The ENTIRE System | TYT | 09/16/19 | 25:13

Greta Thunberg - Inspiring Others to Take a Stand Against Climate Change | Trevor Noah | 09/14/19 | 8:52

Legal Immigration: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | John Oliver | 09/15/19 | 19:41

NFIB (National Federation of Independent Businesses) Survey Trips Economic Alarms
ZeroHedge | staffr | 09/16/19

I want to follow that report up with analysis from the latest National Federation of Independent Businesses monthly Small Business Survey. While the mainstream media overlooks this data, it really shouldn't be.

There are 28.8 million small businesses in the United States, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, and they have 56.8 million employees. Small businesses (defined as businesses with fewer than 500 employees) account for 99.7% of all business in the U.S. The chart below shows the breakdown of firms and employment from the 2016 Census Bureau Data.

Simply, it is small businesses that drive the economy, employment, and wages. Therefore, what the NFIB says is extremely relevant to what is happening in the actual economy versus the headline economic data from Government sources. Note: a lotofgood information and intersting graphs ... Read more

Democratic Debate 2019: WATCH LIVE Third 2020 Democratic Presidential Debate from Houston | ABC News | 09/12/19 | 2:33:27

Analysis of the third Democratic presidential debate | WP | 09/12/19 | 42:32

Houston Democratic Debate: Biggest WINNERS and LOSERS | TYT | 09/12/19 | 12:05

Federal appeals court reinstates Trump emoluments case
Axios | staff | 09/13/19

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated Friday a lawsuit that accused President Trump of violating the Constitution's emoluments clause, per Bloomberg.

Why it matters: The decision dredges up one of the president's most persistent ongoing legal threats. It's a high-level ruling for such a case and could force the president to defend himself in court because only an expanded version of the Second Circuit or the Supreme Court could overturn the decision. ... Read more

Greta Thunberg on the Climate Fight: "If We Can Save the Banks, Then We Can Save the World" | TheIntercept | 09/13/19 | 9:26

Beto O'Rourke: 'Hell Yes, We're Going To Take Your AR-15'
HP | Andy Campbell | 09/12/19

Beto O'Rourke isn't shy about wanting to take your military-style guns.

The presidential candidate, speaking at the Democratic debates on Thursday, reiterated his desire to institute mandatory buybacks for semi-automatic weapons ? those "designed to kill people on a battlefield," in his words ? which have been used repeatedly to carry out America's worst mass shootings over the past few years. ... Read more

On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal by Naomi Klein

For more than twenty years, Naomi Klein has been the foremost chronicler of the economic war waged on both people and planet--and an unapologetic champion of a sweeping environmental agenda with justice at its center. In lucid, elegant dispatches from the frontlines of contemporary natural disaster, she pens surging, indispensable essays for a wide public: prescient advisories and dire warnings of what future awaits us if we refuse to act, as well as hopeful glimpses of a far better future. On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal gathers for the first time more than a decade of her impassioned writing, and pairs it with new material on the staggeringly high stakes of our immediate political and economic choices.

These long-form essays show Klein at her most prophetic and philosophical, investigating the climate crisis not only as a profound political challenge but as a spiritual and imaginative one, as well. Delving into topics ranging from the clash between ecological time and our culture of "perpetual now," to the soaring history of humans changing and evolving rapidly in the face of grave threats, to rising white supremacy and fortressed borders as a form of "climate barbarism," this is a rousing call to action for a planet on the brink.

With reports spanning from the ghostly Great Barrier Reef, to the annual smoke-choked skies of the Pacific Northwest, to post-hurricane Puerto Rico, to a Vatican attempting an unprecedented "ecological conversion," Klein makes the case that we will rise to the existential challenge of climate change only if we are willing to transform the systems that produced this crisis.

A Message From the Future With Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | TYT | 04/17/19 | 7:35

The Economic Hitmen by John Perkins (cartoon) | | 06/04/10 | 2:11

A Message From the Future With Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | TYT | 04/17/19 | 7:35

AOC Exposes Climate Deniers Stupidity | TYT | 08/31/19 | 9:57

The Economic Hitmen by John Perkins (cartoon) | | 06/04/10 | 2:11

145 CEOs urge Senate to pass gun control legislation
Axios | Rashaan Ayesh | 09/12/19

145 top CEOs signed a letter urging the Republican-controlled Senate to act on gun control by passing legislation already introduced by Democrats, reports the New York Times.

The big picture: Corporate America is taking the lead in tackling gun control. Multiple retail companies, including Walmart and CVS, are asking customers to not openly carry firearms in their stores. After a deadly shooting at an El Paso killed 22 people, Walmart stopped selling ammunition for handguns and assault rifles. ... Read more

European Central Bank launching stimulus program to shore up economy
Axios | Courtenay Brown | 09/12/19

The European Central Bank announced a series of measures Thursday in an effort to help worsening economic conditions and low inflation in the euro zone, including cutting interest rates by 10 basis points to negative 0.50% (signaling even lower rates may be coming) and re-starting its bond-buying program "as long as necessary."

Why it matters: This is one of the most contentious and important policy decisions for outgoing ECB president Mario Draghi, who is facing doubts from economists about the effects of moving rates further below zero. His successor is vowing to look at the "costs and benefits" of negative rates, while others are critical that re-starting quantitative easing is too aggressive. ... Read more

Draghi Shoots A Dud - Euro, Bunds Reverse All ECB Moves
Click on Image to Zoom in
ZeroHedge | staff | 09/12/19

For a few brief minutes it was all going Draghi's way. Unleashing lower rates and QE4EVA sparked buying of bunds and selling of the Euro - mission accomplished.

But then the market decided to steal the jam out of Mario's farewell performance and reverse those moves entirely... ... Read more

The Right to a Future -- With Naomi Klein and Greta Thunberg
TheIntercept | staff | date

THE INTERCEPT INVITES you to watch a special event in New York City hosted by Intercept senior correspondent Naomi Klein, author of the forthcoming book "On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal," and headlined by trailblazing climate activist Greta Thunberg, author of "No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference."

Together with youth leaders Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, Xiye Bastida, and Vic Barrett, as well as Indigenous Amazon leader Tuntiak Katan, Thunberg and Klein helped us envision a just and sustainable future, confront our climate emergency, and discuss the emerging cross-generational, transnational movement -- including people of all races, classes, and backgrounds -- that is our best hope for a sustainable planet.

Both a celebration of youth activism and a reflection on how to break through the political and economic barriers preventing meaningful climate action, "The Right to a Future" brought together a singular group of environmental leaders who are on the forefront of the battle to secure a thriving future for many generations to come. ... Read more

The Right to a Future, with Naomi Klein and Greta Thunberg | 09/10/19 | 1:50:06

Bolton's chaotic White House departure
Axios | Jonathan Swan, Alayna Treene | 09/11/19

The last time National Security Adviser John Bolton spoke with President Donald Trump was Monday afternoon around 2 p.m. in the Oval Office -- offering to resign -- about 22 hours before the president's Tuesday tweet suggesting that he had fired Bolton, according to a person familiar with the situation.

Why it matters: The timeline contradicts the president's account and speaks volumes about how Trump runs his administration.

1. It underscores Trump's pattern of adjusting facts to fit his narrative, a week after the "Sharpie" controversy involving the path of Hurricane Dorian.
2. It also serves to warn Bolton's successor -- whom Trump says he'll name next week -- what they're signing up for. ...

How Pence's Camp Persuaded Trump to Pick Their Guy as VP
Politico | Tom Lobianco | 09/11/19

It was July 14, 2016, just four days before the Republican National Convention, and Donald Trump was still waffling on who to pick as his running mate. He had just told Indiana Gov. Mike Pence he was his pick, but then, a day later, here he was calling up New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

"Are you ready?" he asked, as Christie recalled. "I want to know that you're ready and that Mary Pat is ready." "If you want me to do this, we're going to be ready," Christie told him. "Stay by the phone tomorrow, because I'm making this call tomorrow," Trump said.

And what about former House Speaker Newt Gingrich? Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump liked Gingrich because he meshed well with Trump, performed well on TV and was a big thinker in a way Trump wasn't. But Trump had told an adviser that Gingrich's vetting packet was terrifying. The dirt Trump's people had dug up on Gingrich "makes mine look tame," Trump told the adviser.

The previous Saturday, Trump had told a roomful of donors he liked Christie for vice president. That Tuesday, he told Pence's good friend and Indiana Republican Party Chairman Jeff Cardwell that the choice was down to Pence and Gingrich. And just the previous day, July 13, he'd called Pence and told him he was it. ... Read more

Dorian's death toll climbs in Bahamas as 3,500 flee worst-hit islands
Note: there are a lot of devastating pictures
Axios | Rebecca Falconer | 09/10/19

Former Hurricane Dorian's death toll in the Bahamas has risen to 50, Health Minister Duane Sands told NBC News Monday.

The latest: 3,500 people have been evacuated from Abaco and Grand Bahama to New Providence, the Nassau Guardian reports. Many people are still missing and thousands are now homeless.

The big picture: Passenger planes, cruise liners and government boats and ships have been transporting evacuees to Nassau, the Bahamas' capital, and Florida, per the BBC.

USAID director Mark Green told reporters Sunday after surveying the areas hit hardest by former Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas that the aftermath was comparable to that of a nuclear explosion, Reuters footage shows.

How the U.S. is helping: The United States Coast Guard has been assisting with recovery operations and conducting medical evacuations and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been processing evacuees in Florida. ... Read more
Click on Image to Zoom in
Click on Image to Zoom in

Wilbur Ross threatened NOAA firings after Trump hurricane contradiction
Axios | Ursula Perano | 09/10/19

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross threatened to fire top National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officials following a tweet from the agency's Birmingham office that rebutted President Trump's claim that Hurricane Dorian would hit Alabama, the New York Times reports.

Context: Trump's incorrect tweet last week that Hurricane Dorian was projected to hit Alabama prompted NOAA's Birmingham office to tweet shortly after that "no impacts from Hurricane Dorian [would] be felt across Alabama." The rebuttal set off days of defensive tweets from Trump arguing that he was correct. ... Read more

Trump Claims Those Fleeing Bahamas Could Be 'Very Bad People'
HP | Amy Russo | 09/10/19

President Donald Trump on Monday urged caution in admitting people into the U.S. from the Bahamas, claiming ? with no apparent basis in fact ? that "very bad people" could be hidden among the hordes of Hurricane Dorian survivors attempting to flee the devastated archipelago.

"We have to be very careful," he told reporters outside the White House before heading to a North Carolina campaign rally. "Everyone needs totally proper documentation because the Bahamas had some tremendous problems with people going to the Bahamas who weren't supposed to be there." ... Read more

President Trump campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina | ABC News | 09/09/19 | 1:29:55

The Plight Of Florida's Turtles Tells A Troubling Story About Climate Destruction
HP | Jennifer Adler | 09/06/19

...A gray pickup with a University of Miami vanity plate pulls in, black Rubbermaid bins piled high in the bed. Jerry Johnston steps out. He is a turtle biologist and the leader of this group, made up of community members and his students at Santa Fe College in nearby Gainesville.

The woods of north Florida are not the first place you'd expect to find people suiting up to do turtle research. We're six hours north of Miami's famous sandy beaches and sea turtles, but the Sante Fe River basin is within a globally significant turtle diversity hotspot, home to 14 native species of freshwater turtles. That's almost as many as the entire Amazon River system, which is more than 2,000 times its size.

Part of what makes this region a great home for turtles is its karst geology --limestone that was once the floor of a shallow sea underlies almost the entire state. Freshwater from this limestone aquifer flows to the surface at almost 50 freshwater springs along 23 miles of the lower Santa Fe River. These springs are direct links between the river and the underlying aquifer, which provides drinking water to more than 90% of Floridians. The springs have historically supported lush underwater meadows of native grasses on which many of the turtles subsist. ... Read more

Sen. Bernie Sanders on Fighting Climate Change and Eliminating Private Insurance | Seth Meyers | 09/09/19 | 5:11

Exclusive: Mayors pressure White House on background checks
Axios | Kim Hart | 09/09/19

A bipartisan group of mayors will meet with White House officials and senators Monday -- the first day lawmakers are back in Washington after August recess -- to demand action on background check legislation to help curb gun violence.

The big picture: There have been 115 mass shootings since 1999 that left 941 people dead and 1,431 more injured. In February, the House passed 2 bills aimed at strengthening the background check system to bar people who shouldn't have access to firearms from purchasing them. But the Senate hasn't acted. ... Read more

Filibuster: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | John Oliver | 09/09/19 | 19:06

CNN Climate Town Hall with Democrats Joe Biden 9/4/19 | Climate Crisis | CNN | 09/05/19 | 36:00

CNN Climate Town Hall with Democrats Bernie Sanders 9/4/19 | Climate Crisis | CNN | 09/05/19 | 26:21

CNN Climate Town Hall with Democrats Elizabeth Warren | Climate Crisis | CNN | 09/05/19 | 35:09

CNN Climate Town Hall with Democrats Kamala Harris | Climate Crisis | CNN | 09/05/19 | 32:48

CNN Climate Town Hall with Democrats PeteButtigieg | Climate Crisis | CNN | 09/05/19 | 34:30

CNN Climate Town Hall with Democrats Beto O'Rouke | Climate Crisis | CNN | 09/05/19 | 31:57

The flying blind economy
Axios | Courtenay Brown | 09/06/19

CEOs, central bankers and money managers say they're operating in a world where they have no idea what's coming next, leaving them with few options but to prepare for the worst.

Why it matters: Uncertainty about a handful of unprecedented phenomena -- like the grinding trade war with China, the peripatetic Brexit debate, and President Trump's government-by-tweet -- is inflicting pain on the global economy.

The uncertainty is showing up in hard data: The lack of corporate dollars being spent on factories, software or new equipment dragged down economic growth in the 2nd quarter. Business investment fell 0.6% -- the first drop in 3 years.

Driving the news: Everyone is stymied over how to make financial or investment plans for the future, because the rules keep changing by the day. Corporate America is still raking in eye-popping profits, but it is also in a decision-making tailspin. ... Read more

Farmageddon Is Real And Farmers Are Suffering
ZeroHedge | | 09/06/19

Farmageddon is real and very painful for a small segment of America. According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Bible, Armageddon is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies for a battle during the end times. Today many farmers living in America's farm belt are facing tough times with no end in sight. The trade war with China has taken a toll by bringing grain exports to a near halt. This has caused grain prices to tumble adding to the list of blows hitting farmers. While the number of people employed on farms has declined over the decades farming remains a big business and has a huge impact on many communities. In these areas, the money flowing into local businesses as farmers sell their crops is evident in everything from truck sales to the little things common in everyday life such as dining out or getting a haircut. ... Read more

Conservative Revolt Against Boris Johnson Exposes Republicans' Complicity in the Cult of Trump
TheIntercept | Mehdi Hasan | 09/04/19

"BORIS JOHNSON AND Donald Trump, brothers in chaos," read a headline in the Los Angeles Times over the weekend.

Chaos, indeed. The two right-wing soul mates seem to be competing with one another to see who can do more damage to the political, economic, and social fabric of their respective countries. The American president and British prime minister have chaos in common, which, as I pointed out a year ago, is not a bug of their rule; it is a feature.

And so it continues. "On Tuesday, Parliament voted, 328 to 301, to seize control so it could debate a bill that would attempt to prevent the United Kingdom from leaving the European Union without a plan in place on October 31," Vox explained. "The vote was greeted with cheers, and cries of 'not a good start, Boris!'" In the space of a few hours, the new British prime minister lost his first-ever vote in the House of Commons and his parliamentary majority too.

Like Trump, Johnson likes to make grandiose and populist pledges -- but then fails to deliver on them. His demagoguery is perhaps matched only by his incompetence. Is it any wonder then that the comparisons between the U.K. premier and the U.S. president have come thick and fast -- including, on occasion, from the two leaders themselves? ... Read more

What happened during CNN's climate town hall and what it means for 2020
CNN | Stephen Collinson | 09/05/19

Ten Democratic candidates took to the stage as Hurricane Dorian menaced the East Coast and at a time when the impact of a warming Earth is no longer just a vision of a catastrophic future but is increasingly visible.

At times, candidates waged a bidding war to show liberal activists their plan was the most audacious -- and even expensive. But with an eye on November 2020, others warned against throwing the economy out of the window. ... Read more
What happened during CNN's climate town hall and what it means for 2020 | CNN | 09/04/19 | 3:28

The takeaways from 2020 Democrats' marathon CNN climate town hall
Axios | Ben Geman | 09/05/19

2020 Democratic White House hopefuls talked about climate change for roughly 7 hours last night in a CNN town hall -- where it became clear that the whole landscape has shifted on the topic.

Why it matters: The network was past asking if candidates believe in human-induced warming. The first question to Joe Biden was about whether his plan for achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 is too weak, highlighting just how much the center of gravity on the left has moved in recent years.

The contenders, who all embrace the science of climate change, offered voters an alternative to a President who views climate change as a "hoax" and slams their "dreams and windmills." ... Read more

Foreign aid for the Bahamas could spark a new China threat
Axios | Margaret Talev | 09/05/19

The Bahamas soon will seek billions in foreign aid after Hurricane Dorian, and the Trump administration is considering the national security implications if China rushes to help.

Why it matters: China has projected power around the globe through its infrastructure spending, and this will create an opening for massive investments just off U.S. waters.

Sources tell Axios that the U.S. is working with Bahamian officials to help them navigate the bureaucracy to pursue avenues of assistance. ... Read more

Blain: "Central Banks Are No Longer A Solution -- They Have Become The Risk"
ZeroHedge| staff | 09/05/19

We really should focus on the signals emanating from bond markets. Forget the current political madness -- yesterday saw a number of key moments for bond markets: UK Chancellor Sajid Javid hitting the spend button in the UK (whether it actually happens is a moot point), another $30 bln new issuance day in the US, BAWAG launching a 10-year negative yield Covered Bond, Spain about to launch a 50 year issue at a smidge over nothing, and Christine Lagarde lecturing the European Parliament about the need for Fiscal Policy initiatives.

It really feels like we are at something of a nexus for bonds and fiscal spending. Central Bankers and politicians are tinkering with new ideas (ie: old ones rehashed) about Monetary policy -- because nothing they tried re QE and zero rates really worked the last 10-years. I can't help but feel it's like something out of The Walking Dead -- the Neo-Keynesians have suddenly risen and now stalk the Earth. (Queue Thriller on the turntable...) ... Read more

Aerial footage reveals extent of storm devastation in Bahamas -- as it happened
The Guardian | Kari Paul | 09/03/19

Mitch McConnell Rails Against 'Moscow Mitch' Nickname: It's 'Over The Top'
HP | Amy Russo | 09/03/19

"Moscow Mitch" has gained traction as a nickname for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and the powerful Kentucky Republican is none too happy about that. In an interview Tuesday with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, McConnell decried the alliterative sobriquet given him by critics after he stymied Senate consideration of two election security bills. The label, he complained, is a political smear.

"It's modern-day McCarthyism," he said. "Unbelievable for a Cold Warrior like me who spent a career standing up to the Russians to be given a moniker like that. It's an effort to smear me." Referring to a previous tag he had earned for thwarting other bills, he said, "You know, I can laugh about things like the Grim Reaper, but calling me Moscow Mitch is over the top." ... Read more

The Wheels Are Coming Off Britain
TheNation | Rachel Shabi | 09/03/19

With Brexit, Britain is facing down a regressive, authoritarian, oligarch-backed far-right political project.

The BBC's flagship current affairs program Newsnight described the challenge facing the British Parliament this week using footage from the Avengers: Endgame. Over the film's rousing soundtrack, presenter Mark Urban proclaimed, "Whichever side you're on, one thing's clear: The final battle for Brexit begins when Parliament gathers its forces on Tuesday."

Leaving aside the cheesy melodrama, or the questions this analogy raises -- does that mean Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the UK Labour party, is Captain America in this scenario, with Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson as the evil Thanos?--it is undeniably true that Brexit, the issue that has paralyzed British politics for three years, is now hurtling towards an all-out showdown. On Tuesday Parliament returned from its summer break with only a week left to halt the Conservative government's reckless drive towards a no-deal Brexit -- which will happen by default if Britain and the EU don't agree to an exit deal by October 31.

The full explanation of how Britain came up against this critical deadline is complicated, including both a badly led Conservative Party with no majority in Parliament, and a bitterly divisive referendum that ended with a narrow majority in favor of leaving the EU--but with no specific instruction as to how that would happen, leaving parliamentarians battling to define what Brexit should look like. Throw into the mix the fact that, according to grudgingly published government reports, every version of exiting the EU--from the hard "no deal" to the softest possible departure -- will leave Britain worse off. Yet it's also undeniable that 17.4 million people voted for Brexit on the understanding that the referendum result would be upheld. ... Read more

Hurricane Dorian weakens to category 2 intensity but expands in size -- live news
TheGuardian | Joanna Walters | 09/03/19

Florida waits. This morning in Daytona Beach, palm trees swayed in the wind, with sheets of rain sweeping by in the parking lot at the Hampton Inn, where our contributor Maria Bakkalapulo is based today.

She writes: the mood in the hotel lobby was solemn as people ate their continental breakfast - almost everyone here is a local, displaced by evacuation orders from the coast. Tonight the hotel is fully booked, and so are all hotels for miles west towards Orlando.

If you haven't made a booking, you're out of luck. ... Read more

U.K. government loses majority as Boris Johnson speaks in Parliament
Axios | Zachary Basu | 09/03/19

The Conservative Party lost its working majority of 1 on Tuesday as Prime Minister Boris Johnson was giving an address in Parliament, with lawmaker Phillip Lee crossing the floor of the House of Commons to defect to the Liberal Democrats in dramatic fashion.

Why it matters: Parliament will vote this week on whether to block the government from carrying out a no-deal Brexit on Oct. 31, assuming Johnson isn't able to strike a last-minute agreement with the European Union. Johnson has threatened to expel Conservative lawmakers who vote against the government, and has signaled that he will call a general election if the legislation to block no-deal succeeds.

Between the lines: In the context of Brexit, it doesn't necessarily matter that Johnson has lost his majority, as a number of Conservative lawmakers are planning to vote against the government this week anyway. However, Lee's defection adds to the chaos of Johnson's still-short tenure as prime minister and underscores the intra-party divisions in Parliament that have hamstrung the Brexit process. ... Read more

Despite promises, Trump's trade deficits are only growing
Axios | Neal Rothschild | 09/03/19

President Trump's trade war has led to even bigger trade deficits with China, even though it was intended to improve the trade balance. But it's not just China -- the deficit has increased with most of our other major trade partners, too.

Why it matters: While economists agree that trade deficits aren't a good way to measure a trade relationship, they are the metric Trump fixates on, made campaign promises about and uses to evaluate relationships with other countries.

Throughout his campaign, Trump vowed that he would wipe away the U.S.'s trade deficits: "You will see a drop [in the trade deficit] like you've never seen before."

Reality check: Among the U.S.'s 15 biggest trading partners, the trade balance has moved in the wrong direction for Trump in 10 of those countries between 2016 and 2018, while the aggregate trade deficit has jumped from $503 billion to $628B. ... Read more

"Catastrophic" Hurricane Dorian lashes the Bahamas: What you need to know
Axios | staff | 09/02/19

Hurricane Dorian effectively stalled overnight to relentlessly pummel the Bahamas, as the second-strongest Atlantic storm on record crawled westward toward the U.S. mainland -- tearing off roofs, overturning cars and downing power lines in its wake, AP reports.

The latest: The National Hurricane Center said at 6 a.m. ET Monday that the eye of Dorian was "wobbling over Grand Bahama," packing winds of 165 mph and gusts of 200 mph as it slowed to 1 mph. The core of the "extremely dangerous" storm was set to continue pounding the island for hours before moving "dangerously close" to the Florida east coast by late Monday or Tuesday. Mandatory evacuations have begun in the state. ... Read more

These Are The Victims Of The Mass Shooting In Odessa, Texas
HP | Nina Golgowski | 09/02/19

A postal worker, a 15-year-old girl, a U.S. Army veteran and a father of two are among the seven people identified as victims in a mass shooting in West Texas on Saturday ? the second such shooting in the state in less than a month.

A man armed with an "AR-type weapon” fled a traffic stop before opening fire on state troopers and random people in Odessa and Midland before being fatally shot by responding officers, authorities said. ... Read more

The Trick To Tracking Trump's Lies And Corruption | All-In | MSNBC | 08/31/19 | 12:08