Occupy Banksters & Crony Capitalism & GREED

Behind the Curtain: Media vs. reporting
Axios | Jim VandeHei,Mike Allen | 12/20/24

This week's epic fight over funding the government captures the power - and flaws - of the new information ecosystem.

Why it matters: Elon Musk and his followers on X proved they dominate the Republican media industrial complex - using a digital revolt to kill a spending bill, and open the door to a government shutdown. That revolt was powered by some false information, tweeted with total self-certainty.

"We aren't just the media here now. We are also the government," Donald Trump Jr. tweeted yesterday to his 13 million followers.

MAGA's online army now can assess "information rapidly & pressure our representatives to act in a manner that actually represents what we want," Don Jr. added. "They can't hide and do the bidding of swamp oligarchs anymore." ... Read more

Ray Dalio on The Changing World Order | Ray Dalio | 08/14/24 | 18:35

Where the shutdown fiasco stands and what it could mean for you
Axios | Avery Lotz | 12/19/24

After President-elect Trump and his DOGE co-directors bulldozed a funding bill to keep the government funded, lawmakers have scrambled back to the bargaining table.

Why it matters: Without a stopgap measure, the government would shut down at midnight on Saturday, suspending non-essential federal functions.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will likely turn to trying to pass a "clean" stopgap spending bill, a GOP lawmaker told Axios.

The deal is at a familiar standoff, with Johnson's right flank, along with Trump and Elon Musk, railing against the lengthy legislation to keep the government's lights on. ... Read more

Trump's demand to abolish debt ceiling hits a brick wall
Axios | Andrew Solender | 12/19/24

Donald Trump's idea of abolishing the debt limit is foundering on Capitol Hill as Democrats line up against it and Republicans uncomfortably try to shoot it down without angering the president-elect.

Why it matters: With Trump digging in on the likely unworkable stipulation as part of government spending negotiations, the once-faint prospect of a holiday government shutdown is seeming more and more realistic.

The demand comes after Trump torpedoed a bipartisan deal House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) negotiated to fund the government until March. ... Read more

Musk and DOGE add to uncertainty
Axios | Neil Irwin | 12/19/24

The past two days on Capitol Hill raise the prospect of a more unpredictable period for U.S. fiscal policy than seemed likely a few days ago.

Why it matters: Economists' hope has been that unified Republican control of the White House would create similar tax and spending outcomes as when they controlled those branches in 2017 — tax cuts paired with steady-as-she-goes spending.

But after this week, volatility is the only safe prediction.

Elon Musk appears to have remarkable power over Congressional Republicans and is dead-set on large spending cuts.

There are also doubts about the ability of House Speaker Mike Johnson (or anyone else who might take his place) to manage a fractious caucus with a narrow majority. ... Read more

Why I Published the Shooter Manifesto
Ken Klippenstein | 12/12/24

Today I joined Saagar Enjeti and Ryan Grim of Breaking Points to discuss my decision to publish suspected gunman Luigi Mangione's 262-word manifesto (minifesto?) During the interview, which you can watch above, I respond for the first time to the accusation that my decision risks inspiring copycat killers - a charge I take about as seriously as the discredited belief that violent video games inspire school shootings.

The notion that reading a shooter's statement will cause people to snap to attention and become homicidal maniacs, like some kind of Manchurian Agent trigger word, is media paternalism at its worst. (Somehow this phenomenon does not apply to members of the media, who happily circulated copies of the manifesto among themselves.) More importantly, the news media is not a public safety organization. The fact that it's increasingly behaving like one is alarming. The First Amendment doesn't have an exemption for speech that might inspire bad things, nor should it. ... Read more

Media CAUGHT Hiding Luigi Mangione Manifesto | Breaking Points | 12/13/24 | 13:02

MuMisinformation, OAN & Idaho: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | John Oliver | 12/16/24 | 29:28

Top U.S. & World Headlines - December 17, 2024 | 11/17/24 | 11:07

Alex Gibney on "The Bibi Files," Netanyahu's Corruption Case & How Endless War Keeps Him in Power | DN | 12/17/24 | 12:12

Stephen Colbert Is Surprised by Luigi Mangione's 'Minifesto'
NYT | Trish Bendix | 12/12/24

Luigi Mangione, Folk Hero? | Stephen Colbert | 12/13/24 | 11:52

UHC CEO Suspect's Manifesto Revealed | Daily Show | 12/13/24 | 10:19

Murder Suspect Luigi Mangione's New Lawyer | Jimmy Kimmel Live | 12/13/24 | 12:39

Businesses are using Luigi Mangione memes for marketing
Axios | Jason Lalljee | 12/16/24

Avoiding controversy is a basic marketing principle - but in the wake of Luigi Mangione's arrest in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, some small businesses are embracing it.

Murder suspects tend to be persona non grata, but Mangione occupies a unique position, having become an avatar for challenging corporate greed following his arrest this week.

He's become enough of a folk hero that some businesses are comfortable associating with him - or at least, with the memes about him. ... Read more

"Do the Rich Pay Taxes" | Trever Noah | | 1:00

The right believes the healthcare CEO shooting suspect is a ‘liberal wacko’. The truth is complicated
The Guardian | Adam Gabbatt | 12/16/24

Fox News and rightwing pundits are railing against 'Marxist brutality', but the suspect's beliefs were far from leftist

In the telling of Fox News pundits and key media figures, Mangione and the tens of thousands of people who have come forward with their own criticisms of the healthcare insurance industry are all Democrats: "liberal wackos" and "violent revolutionaries" who are committed to "Marxist brutality".

The truth is less straightforward. Mangione, who was charged last week with the murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, had political beliefs that spanned the left and right, criticizing America's healthcare system in one breath, railing against "wokeism" in another. ... Read more

Marjorie Taylor Greene: "People pay taxes in the Ice Age" | MSNBC | |14 sec

Meet Marjorie Taylor Greene | Daily Show | 2023 | 16:19

Trauma and Terror in the North of Gaza
TheIntercept | Ahmed Dremly, Ahmed Alsammak | 12/11/24

ehya Qasem was having dinner with his family one evening in early October when the unmistakable sound of Israeli airstrikes pierced the air. The series of so-called firebelts were so deafening that his mom and siblings froze in fear, forsaking their meal of canned chickpeas.

Qasem peered out the window to see what was going on. His family worried that Israeli troops would enter their town of Jabalia that night. Trying to calm them down, he countered, "There's nothing left for them to enter."

Since Israel had launched its assault on Gaza a year earlier, the army had twice invaded Jabalia. "What's left for them to destroy?" he recounted in a recent interview, an Israeli quadcopter's strikes audible in the background. ... Read more

Behind the Curtain: The Great Upheaval
Axios | Jim VandeHei,Mike Allen | 12/12/24

Governance, media, business and global geopolitics are all being reordered at breakneck speed — all simultaneously.

It's the Great Upheaval.

Why it matters: We're witnessing more change ... across more parts of life ... at more speed ... than ever before.

This means opportunity - and new threats or surprising shifts - pop up faster and faster. Anticipating change is tougher than ever, CEOs tell us.

There are several causes: a global populist surge, an AI arms race, shifting political alliances globally and domestically, and radical changes in how people worldwide get and share information. ... Read more

Why did China hack the world's phone networks?
The Guardian | Blake Montgomery | 12/12/24

Chinese hackers have breached dozens of telecommunications companies around the world. The breach, christened Salt Typhoon by Microsoft cybersecurity researchers, has afforded the cybercriminals unprecedented access not only to information on who has been texting or calling whom and when, but also on the contents of some messages, a much higher technical bar to clear in a cyber-attack.

The cyber-attack hit three of the largest telecommunications networks in the US. The communications of government officials in Washington DC have been intercepted, as have internet browsing records kept by the same telecommunications companies. The hackers attempted and may have succeeded to crack the phones of Donald Trump and JD Vance as well as Kamala Harris's campaign staff. Even the US's wiretapping program was breached; call records stored there were stolen. A US senator called it the "worst telecom hack in our nation's history". The same week, UK telecom giant BT announced it had endured "an attempt to compromise" its conferencing service and circumvented it.

The group of hackers, sometimes known as FamousSparrow, has been active since 2020 and has gone after government organizations in Israel, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Canada, Guatemala and Burkina Faso in the past, according to cybersecurity firm Eset. It has another favorite target, one it has targeted even more aggressively than governments in the past: hotels. In all of those countries as well as the UK, France, Lithuania and Taiwan, the group has hounded the digital systems of hotels and stolen their data. ... Read more

The Silicon swamp
Axios | Mike Allen,Jim VandeHei | 12/10/24

The incoming Trump administration will give Silicon Valley moguls unprecedented federal power, with tech-friendly officials and policies intertwined throughout government.

Why it matters: The tech economy's most aggressive disrupters want to apply their ethos and thinking to government. AI, crypto and move-fast, break-things thinking will be at the center of the new Washington agenda — with America's technological lead over China in the balance, and vast fortunes at stake.

A stunning alignment of people, power and momentum are all suddenly enlarging tech's tentacles: ... Read more

CEO sentiment Trump bump
Axios | Courtenay Brown | 12/11/24

Why it matters: Mainstream economists warn the economy will take a hit from some of Trump's proposals, but business leaders see a brighter outlook for their industries in the months ahead.

The Business Roundtable's latest economic outlook index - first seen by Axios - jumped 12 points from last quarter to the highest level in more than two years.

What they're saying: Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins, who chairs the Business Roundtable, said in a statement that top executives feel "energized" by Washington set to "consider measures that can protect and strengthen tax reform, enable a sensible regulatory environment, and drive investment and job creation."

By the numbers: Nearly 80% of the lobbying group's CEO members expect higher sales in the next six months, up from 71% who expected the same last quarter. ... Read more

Most Americans distrust Trump, RFK Jr. on health: Axios-Ipsos poll
Axios | Adriel Bettelheim | 12/22/24

The public trusts Anthony Fauci more than President-elect Trump and his incoming health team as a source of medical information, according to the latest Axios-Ipsos American Health Index.

But Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s focus on safe food and nutrition clearly resonates with many Americans, who see chemicals and unsafe additives as a bigger health risk than climate change or infectious diseases.

84% of the public report their own emotional well-being is very or somewhat good.

Only about a third think the government puts the public's health and well-being first, or that America is adequately prepared to deal with another pandemic. ... Read more

Tech titans scramble to be inside Trump's tent
Axios | Ivana Saric | 12/05/24

Tech titans with billions at stake are scrambling for access and influence with President-elect Trump in the wake of his reelection.

Why it matters: Trump's victory will have enormous consequences for the tech industry - particularly the nascent AI boom - as it grapples with federal regulations and antitrust efforts.

The Big Tech CEOs who rushed to congratulate Trump after his victory have steadily worked to insinuate themselves into his orbit since then.

Most recently, Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos told the New York Times DealBook Summit Wednesday that he's "very optimistic" about Trump's second term and his deregulatory agenda.

Trump "seems to have a lot of energy around reducing regulation," Bezos said. "And my point of view is, if I can help him do that, I'm going to help him." ... Read more

Israel gave Hamas updated proposal for Gaza deal as Trump pushes for resolution
Click to enlarge
Axios | Barak Ravid | 12/05/24

Israel gave Hamas an updated proposal for a deal to release some of the remaining 100 hostages held by Hamas and begin a ceasefire in Gaza, two Israeli officials said.

Why it matters: Israel hopes the killing of Hamas' leader Yahya Sinwar, a ceasefire in Lebanon and pressure from President-elect Trump could provide an opening to resume negotiations that have been deadlocked for three months, Israeli officials said.

The updated framework for a deal is not significantly different from the proposal that was negotiated in August and didn't materialize. But the focus now is to try to implement mainly the first phase of that deal with some changes, Israeli officials said. ... Read more

The Intercept | Jonah Valdez | 11/26/24

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his support for a ceasefire deal to halt Israel's fighting in Lebanon in a televised address Tuesday evening, projecting a message of victory to his Israeli audience. He spoke of a Hezbollah diminished by the Israeli campaign.

"This is not the same Hezbollah - we pushed them back decades," Netanyahu said during his speech. "Lebanon is not the same."

U.S. President Joe Biden spoke in support of the ceasefire later the same day, adding that his administration would use the momentum from Tuesday's deal between Israel and Hezbollah to push toward a ceasefire deal in Gaza. Biden also blamed Hamas for the failure to secure peace in Gaza to date, alleging that the group has failed to negotiate in good faith, despite reporting to the contrary. ... Read more

Hunter Biden pardon deepens Dems' identity crisis
Axios | Zachary Basu | 12/03/24

President Biden's extraordinary decision to pardon his son Hunter has exposed deep Democratic fissures that are spilling into public view, complicating the party's efforts to rebuild after a disastrous election.

Why it matters: For years, Democrats have responded to Donald Trump's brazen lying, shattering of norms and alleged corruption by emphasizing their own respect for the truth, institutions and the rule of law.

By pardoning Hunter on gun and tax convictions - or any other crimes he "may have committed" between Jan. 1, 2014, and Dec. 1, 2024 - some Democrats believe Biden has sacrificed a moral high ground that's been foundational to the party's identity in the Trump era.

Other Democrats see that framing as hopelessly naive, and have posed the blunt question: What's the point of holding the moral high ground when America just elected a convicted felon? ... Read more

Trump makes BOMBSHELL weekend announcement | btc | 12/03/24 | 11:05

Senate Republicans giving Kash Patel a chance
Axion | Stef W. Kight | 12/03/24

Republican senators are prepared to hear out Kash Patel, President-elect Trump's controversial pick to lead the FBI.

Why it matters: The FBI has become enemy No. 1 among Trump allies because of its role in investigating Trump himself. Patel does not have the typical experience for FBI director and has harshly criticized the agency.

"I do know Kash, and that's why I think he's going to be great," Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said Monday. "We really do need people that will go in and shake up some of these organizations."

Between the lines: Ordinarily, the current FBI director Christopher Wray would remain in his role despite the change in administration.

But Trump has made clear he wants one of his loyalists in the position - and would fire Wray to do so. ... Read more

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