Following Mike Novogratz"s earlier comments about the launch of Bitcoin futures,
“The market trades like it wants to go up, not down...
We are in a speculative mania and my sense is we are still fairly early.”
Infamous "Black Swan" theorist and tail-risk-hedger, Nassim Nicholas Taleb has a warning for the "no brainer" traders hoping to use Bitcoin futures to bet against the "bubble"...
In his tweet, Taleb said,
“No, there is NO way to properly short the bitcoin “bubble”. Any strategy that doesn’t entail options is nonergodic (subjected to blow up). Just as one couldn’t rule out 5K, then 10K, one can’t rule out 100K.”
Taleb"s view was reinforced by Cybersecurity pioneer John McAfee in a tweet earlier saying:
“Those of you in the old school who believe this is a bubble simply have not understood the new mathematics of the blockchain, or you did not care enough to try.
Bubbles are mathematically impossible in this new paradigm. So are corrections and all else.”
In a recent interview with host Wilmer Leon at the Inside the Issues show, former presidential candidate and United States House of Representatives Member Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) discussed how what Kucinich terms the “permanent government” has worked to ensure the United States continues pursuing destructive foreign interventions and to keep America “at the precipice of a much wider war” irrespective of who is president.
“There’s an unbroken line going back over the last 30 years where American presidents have continued to proceed with an interventionism that has been counterproductive,” states Kucinich.
This “continued commitment to a failed foreign policy of interventionism, of unilateralism, of first strike,” Kucinich continues, “imperils America,” “does not make us safer,” “separates us from the world community,” “has people looking to extract vengeance on Americans,” and “has made the world a more dangerous place.”
Saying we need to look beyond the personalities of the succession of US presidents from George W. Bush to Barack Obama to Donald Trump, Kucinich recommends we “look at the foreign policy establishment of the United States of America” that, he explains, includes people in the State Department who have a neoconservative ideology, in the Pentagon who are dedicated to the military-industrial complex, and in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) who can “conjure conflicts” and “try to justify the further involvement of the military and the State Department.”
This, Kucinich says, “is the permanent government, which we see reflected through Democrat and Republican administrations, no matter whether they are so-called conservative or liberal or populist; it’s all the same.”
While this “permanent government” push for US intervention overseas has produced many harmful consequences, some of which Kucinich discusses in the interview, it also, he argues, produces the additional danger that it “keeps us at the precipice of a much wider war.”
In a new interview with host Jesse Ventura at RT, former presidential candidate and House of Representatives Member Ron Paul discusses the harm imposed on the American economy by the succession of US wars over the last few decades, from the Korean War onward, that drain money away from prosperity-building activities in America.
“Just think if all the money we have spent overseas since World War II ended, if that money had been left in this country to let wealth grow,” proposes Paul.
Had that happened, Paul says there would not be so many people using food stamps, the middle class would not be dwindling, and the jobs situation would be better in America.
While the American economy in general has been hurt by the wars, Paul notes that some Americans have benefited financially. Paul concludes,
“It’s insanity to think that war improves your economic condition; it improves the condition of the war manufacturers.”
Senator Schumer has helpfully chimed in on the "Second Failure of Trumpcare"
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer released the following statement regarding the second failure of Trumpcare:
"This second failure of Trumpcare is proof positive that the core of this bill is unworkable."
"Rather than repeating the same failed, partisan process yet again, Republicans should start from scratch and work with Democrats on a bill that lowers premiums, provides long term stability to the markets and improves our health care system."
* * *
With two Republican senators - Susan Collins of Maine, a moderate, and Rand Paul of Kentucky, a conservative - having said previously they would not support the Senator version of the GOP healthcare bill and would not be swayed - even on a procedural motion to take up the bill for debate - it meant Republicans in the Senate could afford to lose just one more vote (assuming John McCain does return in the near future). Moments ago they lost two, when first Sen. Mike Lee (Utah) and then Sen. Jerry Moran (Kansas) announced on Monday night they will not support taking up the current bill repealing and replacing ObamaCare, thereby blocking the legislation.
"This closed-door process has yielded the [bill], which fails to repeal the Affordable Care Act or address healthcare’s rising costs. For the same reasons I could not support the previous version of this bill, I cannot support this one," Moran said.
“After conferring with trusted experts regarding the latest version of the Consumer Freedom Amendment, I have decided I cannot support the current version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act,” Sen. Lee said. “In addition to not repealing all of the Obamacare taxes, it doesn’t go far enough in lowering premiums for middle class families; nor does it create enough free space from the most costly Obamacare regulations.”
On Twitter, both Moran and Less said that "my colleague @JerryMoran/@SenMike Lee and I will not support the MTP to this version of BCRA."
The two defections mean that Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell won"t have enough support to bring the bill to the floor, and that Obamacare "repeal and replace" is now - if only for the time being - officially dead. The good news: John McCain can come back to work now.
In what may be the most material development of the day, moments ago GOP Representative Justin Amash (R-Mich.) said the report that President Trump pressured ousted FBI Director James Comey to end an investigation would merit impeachment if true, becoming the first Republican lawmaker to break from the party and hint at impeachment.
Amash tells reporters that if Comey memo allegations are true, it"s grounds for impeachment. Says he trusts Comey more than Trump.
Subseqeuentlly, when asked by The Hill if the details in the memo would merit impeachment if they"re true, Amash reiterated "Yes.... But everybody gets a fair trial in this country," Amash added as he left a House GOP conference meeting.
When asked by another reporter whether he trusted Comey"s word or Trump"s, Amash said: "I think it"s pretty clear I have more confidence in Director Comey."
According to the Hill, Amash has been one of only two House Republicans to cosponsor a Democratic bill to establish an independent commission to investigate Russia"s role in the election. Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) has also endorsed the legislation.
Amash is a frequent conservative critic of the Trump administration, and in the past has broken with the White House on a variety of issues, including healthcare reform, NSA surveillance and the Justice Department"s new tougher sentencing guidelines.
And now all eyes on John McCain who many speculated would be the most vocal Republican opponents of Trump, and the first GOPer to recommend impeachment of his old nemesis.
Following the report, the USD tumbled to fresh intraday lows.
A CNN anchor was left speechless Wednesday during a televised interview when a congressman questioned the mainstream narrative that Bashar al-Assad attacked his own people with chemical weapons this week.
“It’s hard to know exactly what’s happening in Syria right now. I’d like to know specifically how that release of chemical gas, if it did occur — and it looks like it did — how that occurred,” Representative Thomas Massie toldCNN’s Kate Bolduan.
Continuing, the Kentucky congressman asked the question so many who doubt the established line have asked in the past: Why?
“Because frankly, I don’t think Assad would have done that. It does not serve his interests. It would tend to draw us into that civil war even further.”
Note that the corporate anchor’s expression snaps to attention the instant she realizes Massie is doubting the narrative.
Bolduan, visibly taken aback by what the man is saying — as though it were inconceivable a U.S. lawmaker might have an original opinion on matters — fumbled for words a few moments before managing a simple: “Who do you think is behind it?”
Massie began to answer, but Bolduan cut him off. Unsurprisingly, she asked him directly if he was saying he believes what the Russians are saying — that Assad had nothing to do with the attack that killed dozens in Syria on Tuesday. Reutersreported Wednesday that the attack has sparked renewed calls to oust the country’s president.
The Kentucky congressman stuck to his guns, however, reiterating his earlier position:
“I don’t think it would’ve served Assad’s purposes to do a chemical attack on his people…It’s hard for me to understand why he would do that — if he did.”
The CNN anchor, clearly at a loss for words, thanked Massie for his time.
"Putin derangement syndrome" may have finally jumped the shark.
Just minutes ago on the US Senate Floor, Sen. Rand Paul did the sensible thing and blocked NATO accession for tiny, corrupt Montenegro. The inconsequential Balkan country brings absolutely nothing to the NATO alliance, with its army of approximately 1,950 active duty military, a population the size of the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and a history political repression and corruption.
Montenegro would only be a drain on the NATO alliance, but those pushing for its membership don"t care much. They view Montenegro"s NATO membership as another black eye for the Russians, who have been historically close to the tiny Balkan state.
Chief among those who are obsessed with giving Russia a black eye -- and perhaps starting WWIII -- is the Senator from Arizona, John McCain. And Senator Paul"s move today nearly caused him an aneurism.
McCain asked for unanimous consent to move forward his bill to approve NATO membership for Montenegro. His jaw dropped as he witnessed Sen. Paul raise his objection and then exit the room. Done.
McCain exploded at Paul in what must really be a meltdown for the records:
I note the senator from Kentucky leaving the floor without justification or any rationale for the action he has just taken. That is really remarkable, that a senator blocking a treaty that is supported by the overwhelming number, perhaps 98—at least—of his colleagues would come to the floor and object and walk away.
The only conclusion you can draw when he walks away is he has no justification for his objection to having a small nation be part of NATO that is under assault from the Russians. So I repeat again, the senator from Kentucky is now working for Vladimir Putin.
According to a press release released Friday by the office of Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Sen. Rand Paul has introduced their bill, the Stop Arming Terrorists Act, in the U.S. Senate. The bipartisan legislation (H.R.608 and S.532) aims to prohibit any federal agency from using taxpayer dollars to provide weapons, cash, intelligence, or any support to al-Qaeda, ISIS, and other terrorist groups.
It would also prohibit the government from funneling money and weapons through other countries that are directly or indirectly supporting terrorists.
Gabbard said:
“For years, the U.S. government has been supporting armed militant groups working directly with and often under the command of terrorist groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda in their fight to overthrow the Syrian government. Rather than spending trillions of dollars on regime change wars in the Middle East, we should be focused on defeating terrorist groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda, and using our resources to invest in rebuilding our communities here at home.”
She continued:
“The fact that American taxpayer dollars are being used to strengthen the very terrorist groups we should be focused on defeating should alarm every Member of Congress and every American. We call on our colleagues and the Administration to join us in passing this legislation.
Rand Paul provided much-needed support for the bill, stating:
“One of the unintended consequences of nation-building and open-ended intervention is American funds and weapons benefiting those who hate us. This legislation will strengthen our foreign policy, enhance our national security, and safeguard our resources.”
The legislation is currently co-sponsored by Reps. John Conyers (D-MI); Scott Perry (R-PA); Peter Welch (D-VT; Tom Garrett (R-VA); Thomas Massie (R-KY); Barbara Lee (D-CA); Walter Jones (R-NC); Ted Yoho (R-FL); and Paul Gosar (R-AZ). It is endorsed by Progressive Democrats of America (PDA), Veterans for Peace, and the U.S. Peace Council.
One of Trump’s campaign narratives that resonated deeply with his voter base was an anti-radical Islam agenda, which separated him from Clinton’s campaign as he vowed to “bomb the shit” out of ISIS-controlled oil fields. However, his voter base may or may not be somewhat disillusioned now given that he just approved an arms sale to Saudi Arabia that was so controversial it was even blocked by Obama, a president who made a literal killing from arms sales to the oil-rich kingdom (ISIS adheres to Saudi Arabia’s twisted form of Wahhabist philosophy).
Remember when Nancy Pelosi famously declared, “We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what’s in it?” She was, of course, referring to the Affordable Care Act, AKA Obamacare, and was justly skewered by “conservatives” at the time for the outlandish statement. Fast forward seven years, and now it’s the Republicans doing the exact same thing.
The GOP has chosen to conceal the text of what may become the replacement for Obamacare. Not only can you – someone the bill will most definitely affect – not read it. Members of the U.S. Senate are not even allowed to see what is contained in the legislation.
Senator Rand Paul, who is advocating for a complete repeal of the ACA, has made repeated attempts to view what he refers to as “Obamacare Lite,” but has still been unable to get his hands on a copy of the bill. The Kentucky senator has even gone so far as to wheel a copy machine to where he was told the bill was being housed. Paul, a Republican, was denied access.
The secrecy should be enough to alarm citizens across the U.S. and cause the public to demand to see what kind of health care reform may be about to be shoved down their throats. But what Senator Paul believes the bill contains is the most distressing part of this story.
“When we heard it was secret, we wanted to see it even more because if something is secret, you do worry that people are hiding things,” Paul said speaking to CNN.
He continued:
“What we think is being hidden from conservatives is that there’s a lot of Obamacare lite in their bill. There’s a new entitlement program that will increase at about 5 percent a year forever. There is also a Cadillac tax, or something similar to the Cadillac tax that was in ObamaCare. And there’s also an individual mandate, believe it or not. Instead of paying the mandate to the government, they’re going to tell you that you have to pay the mandate by law to an insurance company.”
So basically, If you like being fined by the government for not purchasing a service, you’re going to be able to keep your fine — except instead of paying a penalty to the government, you’ll pay a private corporation.
Sounds like more of the same from Washington, but worse.
Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, the politician who previously accused the U.S. of arming ISIS, is still calling on the U.S. government to stop its disastrous regime change policies in the Middle East.
According to a press release made public on Tuesday, Gabbard has again called for the U.S. to stop aiding terrorists like al-Qaeda and ISIS. Gabbard’s guest at the presidential address to Congress, a Kurdish refugee activist, also called for an end to the U.S. policy of “regime change in Syria.”
Gabbard said:
“In the face of unimaginable heartbreak, Tima has been a voice for the voiceless, a champion for refugees worldwide, and a strong advocate for ending the regime change war in Syria. Iam honored to welcome her to Washington tonight as we raise our voices to call on our nation’s leadersto end the counterproductive regime change war in Syriathat has caused great human suffering, refugees, loss of life, and devastation. We urge leaders in Congress to pass theStop Arming Terrorists Actand end our destructive policy of using American taxpayer dollars to provide direct and indirect support to armed militants allied with terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS in Syria, who are fighting to overthrow the Syrian government.”
Gabbard also reportedly told Russian state-owned news station RT:
“For years, our government has been providing both direct and indirect support to these armed militant groups, who are working directly with or under the command of terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS, all in their effort and fight to overthrow the Syrian government.”
The activist, Tima Kurdi, is more widely known as the aunt of a three-year-old boy who drowned on the shores of Turkey in September 2015. The image went viral on social media and was easily manipulated by the mainstream media to further the United States’ agenda in the region, never once laying blame to the U.S. military establishment for spending over $1 billion a year arming Syrian rebels.
According to the press release, Kurdi said the following:
“I am proud to stand with Tulsi and support her work to end regime change war in Syria. My people have suffered for more than six years—enough is enough. Tulsi understands that arming the so-called “rebels” in Syria has only led to more bloodshed, more suffering, and created more refugees. A military solution in Syria is not the answer.I hope that President Trump will stop arming terrorists and commit to a political solution in Syria—it is the only way to restore peace.”
Gabbard came under fire earlier this year when she took a secretive trip to Syria and met with President Assad, as well as a number of other people on the ground. The fact that her proposed policies have the backing of the relative of the drowned Syrian refugee — whose images the media exploited in 2015 to advance the western narrative against Assad — should speak volumes about the efficacy of Gabbard’s approach. Despite this, the media hardly pays heed to Gabbard’s ideas.
In 2014, PBS ran a report in which they interviewed Syrian rebels who had been trained by the CIA at a camp in Qatar. According to one of the fighters:
“They trained us to ambush regime or enemy vehicles and cut off the road…They also trained us on how to attack a vehicle, raid it, retrieve information or weapons and munitions, andhow to finish off soldiers still alive after an ambush.” [emphasis added]
The latter emboldened section is a blatant war crime and is also the standard operating procedure for ISIS. Regardless of the banner these rebels operate under, this is a terrorist tactic, and it is ultimately what American taxpayer dollars have been doing in Syria.
