Senate Rejects Ending US Support for Saudi Aggression in Yemen

[image: U.S. President Donald Trump holds a chart of military hardware sales as he welcomes Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S. March 20, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst]

Bush/Cheney began terror-bombing Yemen post-9/11, waging drone warfare – on the phony pretext of combating al-Qaeda Washington created and supports.

In cahoots with Riyadh, Obama escalated what they begin, further escalated by Trump allied with Saudi aggression.

Already the region’s poorest country, years of war caused the world’s severest humanitarian crisis, over 80% of Yemenis dependent on way inadequate amounts of aid to survive.

US-backed Saudi air, sea and land blockades prevent enough essentials to life from entering the country.

Countless numbers of Yemenis perished from war, related violence, untreated diseases, malnutrition and starvation.

Official UN figures way understate the toll from years of war, blockade and deprivation – perhaps hundreds of thousands of Yemenis perishing needlessly post-9/11, notably since March 2015.

According to separate UNICEF figures, at least one Yemeni child under age five dies every 10 minutes from starvation alone.

Famine stalks the country, along with endless aggression – genocide against its people neither the Trump administration or Congress is willing to address.

On Tuesday, Senate members rejected a resolution to end US military support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen – voting 55 – 44 against it.

The vote came while Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) was in Washington meeting with Trump.

During a White House photo-op, Trump boasted about billions of dollars in US weapons sales to the kingdom – ignoring their use for aggression, supporting terrorism and domestic repression.

Crown prince/defense minister MBS orchestrated Saudi aggression on Yemen, supported by Washington, Britain and other nations.

Ahead of Tuesday’s Senate vote, Defense Secretary Mattis wrote GOP Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, turning truth on its head saying:

“(R)estrictions (on) US military support (to Riyadh) could increase civilian casualties, jeopardize cooperation with our partners on counterterrorism and reduce our influence with the Saudis – all of which would further exacerbate the situation and humanitarian crisis.”

MBS is a despotic future Saudi king, a rogue actor, a war criminal – disgracefully invited to Washington, other Western capitals, Wall Street, Hollywood, Silicon Valley, Big Oil in Houston, other US corporate headquarters, along with events at Harvard and MIT.

It’s part of his three-week US charm offensive, aiming to improve the image of the Arab world’s most ruthless regime, along with seeking US investments to diversify Riyadh’s economy.

It’s MBS’ so-called Vision 2030, seeking economic modernization, including industrial development and tourism.

The kingdom enlisted Western PR firms and other image-makers to present him as a new breed of future Saudi leader – a similar strategy used during a three-day visit to Britain, meetings arranged with political, military and business officials.

MBS’ March 18 appearance on CBS News’ 60 Minutes preceded the start of his US tour, beginning in Washington with Trump and other administration officials.

He’s no reformer. He’s like his father King Salman and others earlier throughout the kingdom’s sordid history.

Trump strongly supports its regime, ignoring its despotic agenda, Riyadh his first foreign trip destination after taking office, lucrative trade agreements signed during his visit, especially US weapons sales.

Arms and security project director at the Center for International Policy William Hartung said MBS’ policy agenda is polar opposite the “public relations version of who he is and what he’s trying to do,” adding:

During his US visit, “the question is how critical will the media be? Will Yemen be an afterthought, or will it be front and center in the conversation?”

So far, it’s very much the former, not the latter.

The post Senate Rejects Ending US Support for Saudi Aggression in Yemen appeared first on The Sleuth Journal.

Clinton, Podesta, others, in senate crosshairs over dossier, given two weeks to respond

GOP Congressional investigators have written six letters to individuals or entities involved or thought to be involved in the funding, creation or distribution of the salacious and unverified “Trump-Russia dossier” believed to have been inappropriately used by the FBI, DOJ and Obama Administration in an effort to undermine Donald Trump as both a candidate and President of the United States.

Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SCS) wrote six Judiciary Committee letters requesting information from: John Podesta, Donna Brazille, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Robbie Mook, the DNC, and Hillary For America Chief Strategist Joel Benenson.

A brief refresher of facts and allegations:

• The DNC and Hillary Clinton’s PAC was revealed by The Washington Post  to have paid opposition research firm Fusion GPS for the creation of a dossier that would be harmful to then-candidate Donald Trump.


• Fusion commissioned former UK spy Christopher Steele to assemble the dossier – which is comprised of a series of memos relying largely on Russian government sources to make allegations against Donald Trump and his associates.


• According to court filings, Fusion also worked with disgraced DOJ official Bruce Ohr, and hired his CIA-linked wife, Nellie Ohr, to assist in the smear campaign against Trump. Bruce Ohr was demoted from his senior DOJ position after it was revealed that he met with Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson as well as Christopher Steele – then tried to cover it up.


• Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta, denied under oath to the Senate Intelligence Committee that he knew about the dossier’s funding, while Clinton’s former spokesman, Brian Fallon, told CNN that Hillary likely had no idea who paid for it either.


• Current and past leaders of the DNC, including Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) also denied knowledge of the document’s funding.


• Podesta met with Fusion co-founder Glenn Simpson the day after the Trump-Russia dossier was published by Buzzfeed News. 

The Senate Judiciary Committee letters read in part:

In October 2017, the Washington Post reported that Hillary for America and the Democratic National Committee had funded, via Fusion GPS, Christopher Steele’s creation of a series of memos relying largely on Russian government sources to make allegations against Donald Trump and his associates. A letter from the law firm Perkins Coie acknowledged that, ” [t]o assist in its representation of the DNC and Hillary for America, Perkins Coie engaged Fusion GPS in April of2016″ and that “the engagement concluded prior to the November 2016 Presidential election

the Committee has been investigating the FBI’ s relationship with Christopher Steele during this time his work was funded by Hillary for America and the DNC. The scope of our review includes the extent to which the FBI may have relied on information relayed by Mr. Steele in seeking judicial authorization for surveillance of individuals associated with Mr. Trump. It also includes whether any applications that may have been made for permission for such surveillance fully and accurately disclosed:

(1) the source of Fusion GPS’s and Mr. Steele’s funding;

(2) the degree to which his claims were or were not verified;

(3) the motivations of Mr. Steele, his clients, and his sources; and

( 4) representations about their contacts with the press.

The letter then goes on to list twelve questions – the last being a request for all communications between a list of 40 individuals or entities – including Christopher Steele, Bruce Ohr, Peter Strzok, Andrew McCabe, Glenn Simpson and former CIA Director John Brennan. 

The six recipients of letters have two weeks to comply with the following requests (note; “Hillary for America” is replaced by “the DNC” depending on who the letter is addressed to):

1. Prior to the Washington Post ‘s article in October of 2017, were you anyone else at Hillary for America aware of Mr. Steele’s efforts on behalf of the Clinton campaign to compile and distribute allegations about Mr. Trump and the Russian government? If so, when and how did you first learn of his activities on the campaign’s behalf? Please provide all related documents.

2. Did you or anyone else at Hillary for America receive copies of any of the memoranda comprising Mr. Steele’s dossier prior to its publication by Buzzfeed in January of 2017? If so, how and when? Please provide all related documents.

3. Regardless of whether you or your associates received copies of the actual memoranda, did you or anyone else at Hillary for America otherwise receive information contained in the dossier prior to Buzzfeed publishing the dossier in January of 2017? If so, how and when? Please provide all related documents.

4. Did you or anyone else at Hillary for America receive other memoranda written or forwarded by Mr. Steele regarding Mr. Trump and his associates that were not published as part of the Buzzfeed dossier? If so, how and when? Please provide all related documents.

5. Did you or anyone else at Hillary for America distribute outside of the organization any o f the dossier memoranda, information contained therein, or other information obtained by Mr. Steele? If so, please list who distributed the information, what was distributed, and to whom it was distributed. Please provide all related documents.

6. Did you or anyone else at Hillary for America communicate with any government officials – whether in the executive, legislative or judicial branches – regarding the dossier memoranda, information contained therein, or other information obtained by Mr. Steele? If so, please list the parties involved in the communication, the content of the communication, and the date and means of the communication. Please provide all related documents. References such as “anyone at Hillary for America” include all of Hillary for America’s officers, employees, contractors, subcontractors, advisors, volunteers, and, of course, Secretary Clinton herself. Mr. Podesta January 25, 2018

7. Did you or anyone else at Hillary for America instruct, request, suggest, or imply that any individuals should pass along information to Mr. Steele or his intermediaries? Please provide all related documents.

8. Did you or anyone else at Hillary for America communicate with members of the press regarding the dossier memoranda, information contained therein, or other information obtained by Mr. Steele? If so, please list the parties involved in the communication, the content of the communication, and the date and means of the communication. Please provide all related documents.

9. Did you or anyone else at Hillary for America inform Secretary Clinton of Mr. Steele’s efforts, whether by name or not, or of the allegations he was spreading? If so, who and when? Please provide all related documents.

10. Were you or anyone else at Hillary for America aware of Mr. Steele’s contacts with the FBI or other government agencies prior to the 2016 election? If so, who? When and how did you or they become aware? Please provide all related documents.

11. Did you or anyone else at Hillary for America encourage, whether directly or through intermediaries, Mr. Steele to initiate or continue contacts with the FBI or other government agencies? If so, who and when? Please provide all related documents.

12. For the period from March 2016 through January 2017, please provide all communications to, from, copying, or relating to:Fusion GPS; Bean LLC; Glenn Simpson; Mary Jacoby; Peter Fritsch; Tom Catan; Jason Felch; Neil King; David Michaels; Taylor Sears; Patrick Corcoran; Laura Sego; Jay Bagwell; Erica Castro; Nellie Ohr; Rinat Akhmetshin; Ed Lieberman; Edward Baumgartner; Orbis Business Intelligence Limited; Orbis Business International Limited; Walsingham Training Limited; Walsingham Partners Limited; Christopher Steele; Christopher Burrows; Sir Andrew Wood, Paul Hauser; 4 Oleg Deripaska; Cody Shearer; Sidney Blumenthal; Jon Winer; 5 Kathleen Kavalec; Victoria Nuland; Daniel Jones; 6 Bruce Ohr; Peter Strzok; Andrew McCabe; James Baker; 7 Sally Yates; Loretta Lynch; John Brennan.

Via Zero Hedge

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Featured Image: Center For American Progress/Flickr

The post Clinton, Podesta, others, in senate crosshairs over dossier, given two weeks to respond appeared first on Intellihub.

Despite Senate Demands, Twitter, Google, Facebook Can’t Show Evidence of ‘Russian Meddling’

The US Senate Intelligence Committee is demanding Google, Facebook, and Twitter hand over information on Russian Medling in 2016, the only problem is there is none.

The post Despite Senate Demands, Twitter, Google, Facebook Can’t Show Evidence of ‘Russian Meddling’ appeared first on The Free Thought Project.

Senate Renews NSA Warrantless Surveillance Bill

(ANTIWAR.COM) — FISA’s Section 702, which the NSA has been using for warrantless surveillance of Americans’ Internet communication, has been renewed, with a 65-34 vote in the Senate Thursday following up a similar passage in the House last week, and moving it to the White House for President Trump to sign, likely Friday.

The controversial surveillance scheme was passed almost entirely as it was previously written, with no serious reforms making it into the final bill. One minor provision requiring warrants related to ongoing crimes was added, though for Americans not involved in crime, warrantless surveillance will remain the norm.

Technically speaking, the NSA isn’t considered to be eavesdropping directly on Americans, but rather eavesdropping on the entire planet, and then, having incidentally captured the communication of Americans, is allowed to rummage through them without a warrant.

Congressional leadership largely shrugged off calls for reform on the grounds of national security, and complaints about the system being built to abuse were largely forgotten in efforts to renew it before the previous version expired.

By Jason Ditz / Republished with permission / ANTIWAR.COM / Report a typo

This article was chosen for republication based on the interest of our readers. Anti-Media republishes stories from a number of other independent news sources. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect Anti-Media editorial policy.

Amazon And Google Employees Busted In Asian Sex Trafficking Sting

Several Seattle employees of both Google and Amazon were busted after using their corporate accounts to send emails to local brothels and pimps looking to purchase services from sex workers trafficked from Asia, according to emails obtained by Newsweek.

"[E]mails obtained by Newsweek reveal another sordid corner of the tech sector’s treatment of women: a horny nest of prostitution “hobbyists” at tech giants Microsoft, Amazon and other firms in Seattle’s high tech alley." 

Many of the emails were swept up in a 2015 sting operation which targeted online chat rooms and message boards in which customers rate sex workers - resulting in the arrest of 18 of these "prostitution hobbyists," including several high level Amazon and Microsoft directors - two of which are currently scheduled for trial in March. 

Seattle brothels had been catering to Microsoft employees through several "backpage.com" ads located nearby the company"s Redmond, WA headquarters, in what is becoming a booming business. 

A study commissioned by the Department of Justice found that Seattle has the fastest-growing sex industry in the United States, more than doubling in size between 2005 and 2012. That boom correlates neatly with the boom of the tech sector there. It also correlates to the surge in high-paying jobs, since this “hobby” (the word johns use online to describe buying sex) can be expensive: some of these men spent $30,000 to $50,000 a year, according to authorities.

 

The tech sector has not only employed a significant number of men who pay for sex with trafficked women, it has also enabled traffickers to more easily reach customers and to hide their business from cops by taking it off the streets and into computers and ultimately, hotel rooms, motels or apartments. In one 24-hour-period in Seattle, an estimated 6,487 people solicited sex on just one of the more than 100 websites that connect buyers with sellers, according to a 2014 study.

Of note, Backpage.com shut down its adult sections in January, citing government pressure following a 2016 Senate report on commercial sex services fingered the website as a hotbed for criminal activity, and stating that "Backpage officials have publicly acknowledged that criminals use the website for sex trafficking, including trafficking of minors." 

Backpage.com CEO Carl Ferrer (Texas AG)

In October, 2016, Backpage CEO Carl Ferrer was arrested in Houston and the company"s Dallas headquarters searched. NPR reported at the time that Ferrer, 55, was charged with pimping a minor, pimping and conspiracy to commit pimping. Two controlling shareholders of Backpage — Michael Lacey and James Larkin — also are charged with conspiracy to commit pimping." 

The prostitutes trafficked from Asia typically don"t speak much English, relying on translation apps to offer services such as "girlfriend" experiences and "Nuru" (nude massage). Many of the women are working their way out of debt bondage, and feared for their lives or those of their families - according to one pimp interviewed during the 2015 sting.

A spokesman for Microsoft said of the emails "Microsoft has a long history of cooperating with law enforcement and other agencies on combating sex trafficking and related topics, and we have employees who volunteer their time and money specifically to combat this issue as well. The personal conduct of a tiny fraction of our 125,000 employees does not in any way represent our culture. No organization is immune to the unfortunate situation when employees act unethically or illegally. When that happens, we look into the conduct and take appropriate action. Microsoft makes it clear to our employees they have a responsibility to act with integrity and conduct themselves in a legal and ethical manner at all times. If they don’t, they risk losing their jobs."

Amazon told Newsweek it"s investigating the matter, and that "It is against Amazon"s policy for any employee or Contingent Worker to engage in any sex buying activities of any kind in Amazon"s workplace or in any work-related setting outside of the workplace, such as during business trips, business meetings or business-related social events." When Amazon suspects that an employee has used company funds or resources to engage in criminal conduct, the company will immediately investigate and take appropriate action up to and including termination. The company may also refer the matter to law enforcement."

"Look At That Thing!" - The NYT Reveals The Pentagon"s Mysterious UFO Program

When tinfoil-hat-wearing conspiracy theories cross paths with massive "defense" budgets and excited politicians, "stranger things" happen.

Welcome to The Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program.

As The New York Times exposes, within the $600 billion annual Defense Department budgets, the $22 million spent on the program was almost impossible to find.

Which was how the Pentagon wanted it.

For years, the program investigated reports of unidentified flying objects, according to Defense Department officials, interviews with program participants and records obtained by The New York Times. It was run by a military intelligence official, Luis Elizondo, on the fifth floor of the Pentagon’s C Ring, deep within the building’s maze.

The Defense Department has never before acknowledged the existence of the program, which it says it shut down in 2012. But its backers say that, while the Pentagon ended funding for the effort at that time, the program remains in existence. For the past five years, they say, officials with the program have continued to investigate episodes brought to them by service members, while also carrying out their other Defense Department duties.

The shadowy program — parts of it remain classified — began in 2007, and initially it was largely funded at the request of Harry Reid, the Nevada Democrat who was the Senate majority leader at the time and who has long had an interest in space phenomena.

Most of the money went to an aerospace research company run by a billionaire entrepreneur and longtime friend of Mr. Reid’s, Robert Bigelow, who is currently working with NASA to produce expandable craft for humans to use in space.

And while the clapping of crony capitalism screams alod from those two last sentences, one watch of the following video (just one of many), suggests the boondoggle may be based in some kind of reality after all... (the footage from a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet showing an aircraft surrounded by some kind of glowing aura traveling at high speed and rotating as it moves. The Navy pilots can be heard trying to understand what they are seeing. “There’s a whole fleet of them,” one exclaims. Defense officials declined to release the location and date of the incident.)

Mr. Reid, who retired from Congress this year, said he was proud of the program.

“I’m not embarrassed or ashamed or sorry I got this thing going,” Mr. Reid said in a recent interview in Nevada.

 

“I think it’s one of the good things I did in my congressional service. I’ve done something that no one has done before.”

While not addressing the merits of the program, Sara Seager, an astrophysicist at M.I.T., cautioned that not knowing the origin of an object does not mean that it is from another planet or galaxy.

“When people claim to observe truly unusual phenomena, sometimes it’s worth investigating seriously,” she said.

 

But, she added, “what people sometimes don’t get about science is that we often have phenomena that remain unexplained.”

Read more here...

Canadian Billionaire, Wife, Found Dead In "Suspicious" Suicide

The billionaire founder of Canadian generic drug Apotex Inc, Barry Sherman, and his wife Honey, were found dead in their Toronto home on Friday under what police described as "suspicious" circumstances.

Honey and Barry Sherman

Police said they were investigating the mysterious deaths after responding to a midday medical call at the Sherman’s home in an affluent section of northeast Toronto. Two bodies covered in blankets were removed from the home and loaded into an unmarked van on Friday evening.

“The circumstances of their death appear suspicious and we are treating it that way,” said Constable David Hopkinson. Homicide detectives later told reporters gathered outside the home that there were no signs of forced entry, and no suspects were being sought as of this moment.

Const. David Hopkinson if Toronto Police said they are calling deaths of Honey and Barry Sherman suspicious pic.twitter.com/MJ577PeIdq

— Joe Warmington (@joe_warmington) December 15, 2017

The Shermans recently listed their home for sale for nearly C$7 million ($5.4 million). A real estate agent discovered the bodies in the basement while preparing for an open house, the Toronto Globe and Mail reported, citing a relative.

Their neighbors, who according to Reuters include business associates and some of Canada’s most powerful politicians said they were saddened by the deaths.

Deeply shocked to learn of the deaths of Honey and Barry Sherman, such remarkable people. Grappling with this terrible news.

— Bob Rae (@BobRae48) December 15, 2017

“Our condolences to their family & friends, and to everyone touched by their vision & spirit,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote on Twitter.

Sophie and I are saddened by news of the sudden passing of Barry and Honey Sherman. Our condolences to their family & friends, and to everyone touched by their vision & spirit.

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) December 16, 2017

Linda Frum, a member of the Canadian Senate, said she was "gutted by the loss" of the couple, two weeks after presenting a Senate medal "to one of the kindest and most beloved members of Canada"s Jewish community."

Ontario"s health minister, Eric Hoskins, described the couple in a tweet as "wonderful human beings, incredible philanthropists, great leaders in healthcare."

I am beyond words right now. My dear friends Barry and Honey Sherman have been found dead. Wonderful human beings, incredible philanthropists, great leaders in health care. A very, very sad day. Barry, Honey, rest in peace.

— Dr. Eric Hoskins (@DrEricHoskins) December 15, 2017

Toronto Mayor John Tory said in statement he was “shocked and heartbroken” to learn of the deaths, noting that the couple had made extensive contributions to the city.

“Toronto Police are investigating, and I hope that investigation will be able to provide answers for all of us who are mourning this tremendous loss,” Tory said.

Sherman, 75, founded privately-held Apotex in 1974, growing it into the world"s 7th largest drugmaker and the largest Canadian-owned pharmaceutical firm, with annual sales of more than C$2 billion and over 11,000 employees, by introducing large numbers of low-cost generic drugs that took market share from branded pharmaceuticals. He stepped down as chief executive in 2012 but remained executive chairman.

"All of us at Apotex are deeply shocked and saddened by this news and our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this time," the company said in a statement.

Barry Sherman was ranked 363 on Forbes richest people in the world list; the publication put his net worth at $3.7 billion. He ranked just above eBay billionaire Jeffrey Skoll, and was believed to be the 5th richest person in Canada. The couple was known for their philanthropy, giving tens of millions of dollars to hospitals, universities and Jewish organizations, CBC reported. “They were extremely successful in business, but also very, very giving people,” former Ontario Premier Bob Rae told CBC. “It’s going to be a very, very big loss.”

While there is no additional information on whether the suicide was foul play , in February the Globe and Mail reported that Lobbying Commissioner Karen Shepherd was investigating a complaint about a 2015 political fundraiser that Trudeau had attended.

Stocks Surge To All Time High On Conflicting Reports About Rubio"s Support For Tax Bill

Update: minutes after the trial balloon was floated, the initial Fox report has been denied:

• SEN. RUBIO STILL A `NO" ON TAX BILL, HASN"T SEEN TEXT YET: AIDE

Yet somehow, despite sliding on yesterday"s Rubio news, stocks have refused to react to today"s rejection, and are now trading at all time highs clearly certain that nothing can derail tax reform now.

Earlier GOP Rep. Kristi Noem said that the child tax credit demanded by Rubio, is being made refundable to $1,400 per child, Bloomberg reports. "We’re in a good spot," she say. As a reminder, yesterday Marco Rubio said the credit had to expand from $1,100 to win his vote for the overall tax legislation.

For now, however, Rubio spokeswoman said he hasn’t yet seen bill text: “We have not seen bill text, and until we see if the percentage of the refundable credit is significantly higher, then our position remains the same,” Rubio spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas said in email Friday morning.

GOP Sen. Mike Lee’s office also says he hasn’t seen text; Lee has voiced similar concerns about child tax credit as Rubio.

* * *

Earlier

And just like that, stocks priced in tax reform for the n^th consecutive day, because one day after speculation that Marco Rubio would be a hurdle to the passage of tax reform, which pushed stocks modestly lower, moments ago Fox - or is that Disney - reported that Marcio Rubio is a "yes" on the tax bill, sending risk assets soaring in the latest "buy-everything" euphoria.

Source to FBN: Sen. @marcorubio will be a "yes" on tax bill. pic.twitter.com/qd4OXaUawR

— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) December 15, 2017

Rubio"s turn comes shortly after Speaker Paul Ryan told the media that the Senate and House are both planning to hold votes on the bill by end-of-day Wednsday with the first vote likely coming in the House Tuesday and the Senate following either Tuesday or Wednesday. Separately, Senator Brady announced that the tax measure is now done, and should win every senator"s support.

• BRADY: TAX MEASURE DONE, SHOULD WIN EVERY SENATOR"S SUPPORT

The result in markets was fast and furious, with the S&P, dollar, yields and the USDJPY all surging following the report.

And putting yesterday"s and today"s moves in context:

Yesterday - SPX down 10 on news Rubio wont vote yes on principle...

Today - SPX up 17 on news he will vote yes and has no principles.

— DMW (@dmwlsw) December 15, 2017

Midterm Elections & A Paradigm Shift (Return) to the Left

After the President was elected and inaugurated, I wrote several articles specifically stating that if he didn’t accomplish significant changes by the Midterm Congressional elections, he would not be reelected. We are seeing this on its way to fruition with the Alabama race to fill the seat of Jeff Sessions. The Democrat Doug Jones has won it, and the Republican-held majority in the Senate now shrinks by one seat.

Not that it really matters. Susan Collins was one of the three Republicans quashing the attempt to remove the provision making Obamacare mandatory. Olympia Snow was the Republican Senator from Maine that allowed Obamacare to come up on the Senate Floor in the first place. Roberts (the “conservative”) the Supreme Court justice enabled Obamacare to be kept as a law.

The parties are merely an illusion of a two-party system. All of them are Statists, elitists, and Marxist-Progressives determined to completely rend the Constitution and enslave all of the citizen-serfs while they assume the positions of “uncrowned” nobility. Will they remove the mandatory clause from Obamacare, or repeal the entire law? No.

In a pig’s eye will any of these imperial statists remove a law that has every American citizen by the throat…a law the lawmakers exempted themselves from, “stamped” with “King” Obama’s approval with the Supreme Court solidifying it.

In reality, the establishment obtained exactly what it wanted, as I reported before the election, and shortly thereafter: A President who is derailed at every effort and made to appear as a “loser.” Such will make Congress Democrat-controlled again and the President a one-termer. This is happening, before our very eyes.

The United States is one step above being a third-world country, almost ready to take the plunge into the pool of totalitarianism. Go ahead: try to leave the country without a passport if you owe any money…more than you make in a year. Go ahead: try and maintain any semblance of privacy when everything you do on the computer, every purchase you make, and every place you travel is monitored, recorded, and saved for…. for what?

Saved for the inevitable day when the country morphs into full-blown tyranny and every citizen is monitored and tracked 24 hours a day by the State. 

No need for a “mark of the beast!” Such would be counterproductive: it would be recognized and fought against. No need for that! No need: Almost everyone carries around their little chittering cell phones – personal tracking devices – all tied into the computer…and the CCTV cameras…and the fusion centers and police departments. Do you want to provide Google/Yahoo/Bing with your password, in case you forget? Can’t give your mobile cell phone number now? We’ll hit you with the term “Thanks, I’ll secure my account later.”

That is the option you have…a “choice” that forces you to indemnify…to make a pledge to do it later, and thanking them for doing it to boot!

CDs and DVDs are on their way out the door, and you’ll subscribe to music, subscribe to the movies the way you subscribe to Word and Windows, not owning the disc anymore. The way you subscribe to phone time. The manner in which you subscribe to e-newspapers and Kindle.

Hooked into everything and owning nothing…and all your habits, purchases, and proclivities continuously monitored: the perfect consumer, with all your paycheck accounted for via direct deposit…and always one paycheck away from disaster and ruin.

The “joke” of an election that changes the identity of the person in office, and nothing more. The Paradigm shift back toward the right was permitted because they knew they couldn’t get away with stealing the election for Hillary Clinton…there would have been a revolution.

The establishment gave conservatives their “champion” for now, and everyone on the conservative side of the house is taking a breather…when only the round ended, not the fight. Yes, it is just a pause as the left sets up for the next presidential election. You can bet it will be a shift back to the left this time…with the same demographics for the supporters as the two Obama elections.

The deliberate collapse of the country is being orchestrated from within. After 8 years of Obama weakening the defenses, we are goading nations into war and still pursuing a policy of imperial expansion. Van Jones: Top down, bottom up, domestically while we back North Korea, China, and Russia economically, diplomatically, and militarily.

Ben Franklin was once asked by a woman what form of government the founding fathers had created. “A Republic, madam, if you can keep it,” was his response. We lost it. We lost that Republic a long time ago, and the Alabama Senate victory for the Democrats is just the beginning. With a disapproval rating of more than 60%, it would stand to reason the President can rely on one tool to pull his ratings up and give him another term. That trump card (no pun intended) is war, and we are just a hair’s breadth away from it. The primary objective is not the welfare of the American people. The primary objective of an incumbent is reelection, at any and all costs…especially when those costs can be placed on us.

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Jeremiah Johnson is the Nom de plume of a retired Green Beret of the United States Army Special Forces (Airborne).  Mr. Johnson is also a Gunsmith, a Certified Master Herbalist, a Montana Master Food Preserver, and a graduate of the U.S. Army’s SERE school (Survival Evasion Resistance Escape).  He lives in a cabin in the mountains of Western Montana with his wife and three cats. You can follow Jeremiah’s regular writings at SHTFplan.com or contact him here.

This article may be republished or excerpted with proper attribution to the author and a link to www.SHTFplan.com.

Jamie Dimon Says Corporations Will Fund Buybacks With Tax Cuts And That"s "Not A Bad Thing"

For at least half a decade now (How The Fed"s Visible Hand Is Forcing Corporate Cash Mismanagement) we have warned about how the Fed’s flawed approach to monetary policy incentivizes corporations to fund share buybacks with massive amounts of debt...

…While the corporate sector has spent record sums on share buybacks...

Capex has experienced an unprecedented decline...

 

Of course, some Democrats have argued that the Trump tax plan will perpetuate essentially the same incentives as corporate tax rates are slashed and money brought back from overseas is spent on still more buybacks, instead of creating jobs and capital expenditures, like the Republicans argue it will be.

The flimsiness of the GOP’s argument was exposed a few weeks ago during a memorable gaffe involving NEC Chief (and former No. 2 at Goldman Sachs) Gary Cohn, one of two officials managing the tax bill on behalf of the White House – the other being Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, also a former Goldmanite.

During an event for the Wall Street Journal"s CEO Council, an editor at The Wall Street Journal asked the room: "If the tax reform bill goes through, do you plan to increase investment - your company"s investment, capital investment?"

 

He asked for a show of hands.

 

Alas, as the camera revealed, virtually nobody raised their hand.

 

Responding to this "unexpected" lack of enthusiasm to invest in growth, Cohn had one question: "Why aren"t the other hands up?

While Cohn’s dismay at the lack of enthusiasm for his tax plan was obvious and embarrassing (the clip was in heavy rotation on CNBC for much of the next day), the fact that corporations will spend the windfall created by the tax bill isn’t necessarily a bad thing, according to JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.

Of course it wouldn’t be “a bad thing” – for Jamie.

When it comes to the rest of us…well…maybe not so much.

Dimon, who was speaking at a conference in Ann Arbor, Michigan hosted by Axios, according to CNBC.

According to Dimon’s logic, repatriations enabled by the tax plan could swiftly lead to more than $1 trillion being brought back from overseas. It doesn’t matter where that money goes, the point is there will be more capital sloshing around the domestic economy…and that will eventually manifest itself in the form of capex, job creation and higher wages…

"You need a competitive tax system ... companies will retain more capital and start to use it over time," Dimon said Wednesday in response to a moderator question at the Axios Smarter Faster Revolution event in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

 

"Some will raise wages. Some will buy companies. Some may do dividends and buybacks. Don"t act like that is a bad thing. That is their money. Think of it as a QE4. That money gets recirculated in the American system."

Dimon said tax reform "simply needs to be done," and should have happened 15 years ago. And while the benefits aren’t “going to be immediate”, they will accelerate growth “cumulatively over time."

JPMorgan"s Jamie Dimon: Tax reform bill will result in more jobs from CNBC.

 

After the bill passes "probably a trillion dollars will come back from overseas," he added. "Cumulatively over time that will accelerate growth in the American economy." That effect will resemble something like QE4, though we’re not sure that’s the best comparison...

The real question is: Will the tax bill somehow prevent the Federal Reserve from needing to launch QE4 before the end of Trump’s first term. If you believe a recent Treasury Department analysis of the Senate tax plan released earlier this week.

That plan calcuated that the tax cuts would bolster US economic growth to an average rate of 2.9% real growth over the next 10 years...

...which would make the current economic expansion the longest in modern history...

...But then again, if you believe that, then we have some condos for you to buy.

Will Your Taxes Go Up? Find Out With These 8 Scenarios

With Republicans having inexplicably sacrificed a crucial Senate seat last night by choosing to support a candidate accused of multiple counts of pedophilia, it"s unclear whether tax reform is even a remote possibility at this point.  Certainly, the challenge of forming a consensus among the GOP was difficult enough when they held a 2-seat advantage in the Senate so we can only assume it will be next to impossible now that that lead has been cut in half. 

Of course, Republicans seem to have every intent of passing a tax bill before Doug Jones gets seated in January...but, then again, they"ve missed almost every deadline they"ve set for themselves since Trump moved into the White House nearly a full year ago.

Be that as it may, just in case a bill gets passed at some point before winter break, Bloomberg, along with a little help from Baird Private Wealth Management, has put together a series of 8 tables which help to quantify exactly how you may be impacted by tax reform whether you"re a "millionaire, billionaire, private jet owner" living in Manhattan or an "average Joe" making $40k a year and renting an apartment in Milwaukee.  Here they are:

Scenario 1 - Manhattan Millionaires: These Manhattan residents have a jumbo mortgage (at an assumed 4 percent interest rate) and take a $40,000 deduction on mortgage interest; pay property taxes of $96,250 and state income tax of $135,360; and make annual charitable contributions totaling $100,000.

Unfortunately, contrary to what you might hear from Nancy Pelosi, these folks take a hit under both the House and Senate tax bill primarily due to the loss of the SALT deductions.

Scenario 2 - Malibu Millionaires:  A married couple has a primary residence in Malibu, California, and a second home in Lake Tahoe. The property tax on the Malibu home is $15,860, and $4,896 on their second home; they deduct $40,000 total in mortgage interest for the two homes; and give $50,000 to charity.

Scenario 3 - Small Business Owner:  This married couple with a small manufacturing business in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has $300,000 in pass-through business income. Their deductible mortgage interest adds up to $6,000; their property tax is $8,600; and they give 5 percent of their income to charity.

Scenario 4 - Suburban Family:  A married couple in a New York City suburb has estimated state income tax of $17,290; their annual mortgage interest deduction is $14,000; and they pay property tax of $13,750 -- about the same amount they donate to charity.

Scenario 5 - Single Secretary In Manhattan: This New York City renter pays estimated state income tax of $8,148 and gives about $6,500 to charity.

Scenario 6 - Married Family In Austin:  This young couple rents and has income of $100,000. They give $5,000 a year to charity.

Scenario 7 - Median Income Couple In Portland:  This Portland, Oregon, couple earns close to the median household income for the U.S. Their property tax bill is $1,688; their deductible mortgage interest is $3,000; and estimated state income tax is $4,744.

Scenario 8 - Median Income Family In Milwaukee:  This married couple rents and has an estimated 2017 state income tax bill of $2,104.

Of course, this will all change when/if the GOP submits a final tax bill for consideration...but, like Obamacare, you may only find out how it truly impacts you after it has already been passed.

New York City Developers Are Relying On A Shrinking Pool Of Buyers

Most of New York City’s largest developers are probably optimistic about the near future now that one of their own is occupying the most powerful office in the world. Bu, this very specific group of taxpayers stands to benefit immensely from several of the provisions that have appeared in the Senate or House plans: Repealing the AMT and estate taxes would allow them (and their heirs) to shave a pile of percentage points off their tax bills. And those are just two examples.

To be sure, the tax plan’s passage isn’t assured – now that Alabama Democrat Doug Jones has defeated Republican Roy Moore. With Jones expected to be seated some time after New Year’s, the time pressure facing Republicans has intensified. Because at the start of the next Congress, their already precarious two-vote majority will shrink to one. Beyond this, Republicans haven’t agreed on a final version of the bill yet, and existing differences between moderates, deficit hawks and conservatives within the party could prove insurmountable.

But regardless of what happens with the tax plan, there’s a much more pressing problem facing developers in the Big Apple: A glut of “luxury” apartments priced in the low-seven or high-six figure range is coinciding with a precipitous drop in sales volume, according to Reuters.

While prices have been steady in recent years, sales volume for condos in Manhattan are still 30% below their pre-crisis peak.

In other words, the market’s dependence on a small, well-heeled pool of buyers – a pool that is shrinking as prices rise to unsustainable levels and wealth in the US becomes increasingly concentrated in the hands of the wealthiest – could be a major vulnerability in the coming years.

In the past five years, however, Manhattan has seen a different kind of development boom. Prices for these units are higher than they ever were before but the number of units built and sold is way off levels achieved a decade ago, Warshawer said.

 

“As prices have risen, less of the market share is comprised of cheaper units,” she said.

 

In 2013, 7,787 units were sold for under $1 million for a total $4.7 billion in sales. This year is projected to end with 5,040 units sold at under $1 million for $3.4 billion in sales.

Indeed, apartments priced in the seven-figures are increasingly going unsold – while affordable housing becomes increasingly harder to

The median sales price of high-end apartments edged higher in 2017, but the closely watched average square-foot price slid a bit for condos as prices leveled off after years of heady growth, the report said.

 

While the average and median sales price for all residential units has jumped since 2007 by 61 percent to $2.2 million and 44 percent to $1.2 million, respectively, transaction volume is off 30 percent from peak activity a decade ago, CityRealty said.

 

CityRealty examined sales registrations from the city’s Department of Finance. Much of Harlem and nearby areas were excluded because its market size.

Units sold at 432 Park Avenue, a 96-story tower marketed by developers as the tallest residential building in the Americas, garnered the most number of sales in a listing of the 25 highest-priced condos, CityRealty said. But elsewhere, the ultra-high-end market is suffering as nearly a third of the apartments in Manhattan’s recently developed “Billionaire’s Row” have gone unsold.

As we highlighted back in August during Starwood Property Trust’s Q2 earnings call, CEO Barry Sternlicht warned of a doomsday waiting at the end of New York"s "Billionaire"s Row", predicting an imminent "debacle." He mentioned the out-of-balance mezzanine loan at JDS Development and Property Markets Group’s 111 West 57th Street project and predicted more distress in the luxury residential market, including at 53 W 53, a supertall condo being developed next to the Museum of Modern Art by Hines, Pontiac Land Group and Goldman Sachs.

“We are beginning to see the cracks of the high-end residential market in Manhattan,” Sternlich warned.

Indeed, and while developers stand to benefit personally from the Republican plan, proposals to eliminate or reduce the mortgage deduction or deductions on state and local taxes could further damage their sales figures by favoring renters over buyers.

Liberals Use Social Media To Disgustingly Attack All White People In The Aftermath Of Doug Jones Stunning Senate Victory

Immediately following the stunning victory by Democrat Doug Jones in the Alabama Senate race, liberals, including many “prominent” leftists, took to social media to attack white people as a whole over the fact that some whites voted against the pro gun-control former prosecutor.

That’s right, in the new America, the hard-left openly mocks and insults all white people simply because a certain percentage of them do not vote for liberal candidates.

Keep in mind that BOTH candidates were white yet that did not stop the race baiting left from conducting a vile series of attacks on the white race while pretending that they are the civil rights heroes.

As I’ve been prone to say lately, you truly cannot make this stuff up.

Filmmaker and noted anti-Trump propagandist Michael Moore got into the action early, tweeting out an image that attacked white people over the fact that 63% of white women and 72% of white men had voted for Roy Moore in Alabama.

Dear White People… pic.twitter.com/Y5eWxD0FX1

— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) December 13, 2017

As Paul Joseph Watson noted,  MSNBC, CNN and Huffington Post contributor Kevin Allred continued the attacks on white people during an unhinged rant that literally cursed at white people over and over again.

Imagine owning a brain that produces this. pic.twitter.com/w4RUa45LTs

— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) December 13, 2017

A communications director for a Democrat in the House specifically took aim at white men who committed the horrific crime of voting for their preferred candidate.

so…I wanna re-emphasize something. White people strongly supported Roy Moore. Let’s take that, internalize it, and not let ourselves pretend that we don’t have a problem. White men especially.

— Dante Atkins (@DanteAtkins) December 13, 2017

Another prominent liberal flat out rallied against the fact that there are a large amount of white people in America itself.

black people are turning out in higher numbers than 2014. white turnout it down. the problem here, as everywhere in america, is that there still may be too many white people.

— Noah Berlatsky (@nberlat) December 13, 2017

Independent journalist Chris Menahan, writing for Information Liberation, also took screenshots of at least a dozen liberal voters attacking the very existence of the white race. Remember, this is being cheered on by liberals in this country who hold actual power.

From calling all white people stupid, to claiming that only minorities should be allowed to vote, the tweets compiled by Menahan paint a clear picture of what at least part of the hard-left truly believes.

Make no mistake, this is a direct attempt at forcing white people across the country to vote liberal over the fear that they might be labeled racist. This is obviously an absolutely disgusting political move by the left that the American people will hopefully see right through.

With that being said, it does not change the fact that the Democratic Party is now openly attacking any white person who does not vote for them.

House, Senate Republicans Reach Tax Deal: Here Are The Initial Details

One day after we reported that "Congressional Republicans reached a tentative tax agreement", the news of which sparked another risk surge into the close of trading, moments ago we got the second tax deal in 24 hours - if only for algo consumption - when the AP reported that House and Senate GOP leaders have reached a "tentative deal" on tax overhaul "in principle."

The AP quoted a "person familiar with the conversations who asked not to be named because the discussions are private" and who is certainly long stocks, as the replica headline was enough to send the S&P to new all time highs. 

The agreement "in principle" paves the way for final votes next week to slash taxes for businesses and give most people tax cuts starting next year. Top GOP aides say the deal was reached on Wednesday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the deal. Details still need to be drafted and assessed by congressional scorekeepers but the final House-Senate compromise is on track to be unveiled this week. 

The details, virtually identical to what we reported yesterday: the top individual tax rate would be lowered to 37% as and set the corporate tax rate at 21%, slightly higher than the 20% initially favored by President Trump. The mortgage interest deduction would be capped at $750,000, a mid-point compromise between the Senate and House bills.

The deduction for pass-through companies will be set at 20 percent, somewhat lower than the 23 percent included in the Senate-passed bill. That will be offset by lowering the top individual income rate to 37%. It is now 39.6%.

* * *

Still, lawmakers will need to get a cost analysis of their agreement, so it’s not yet definite, "the person" said, who clearly gets around and was this time quoted by Bloomberg.

And since lawmakers still need to get a cost analysis of their agreement, not only is today"s "tentative deal" not yet definite, but it will almost surely be unwound when someone actually brings a calculator into the room.

Curiously, after jumping higher, stocks have since faded the kneejerk reaction higher, perhaps realizing that the more fiscal stimulus that is injected, the more tightening the Fed will have to unleash in the coming months as inflation become red hot.

Stocks Pop After Cornyn Suggests Tax Bill Deal "Possible" Today

Despite numerous headlines indicating a tax bill deal early next week, Republican Senator John Cornyn just told media that there "may be a tentative tax bill deal today." Algos liked the news and immediately bid stocks higher (despite no knowledge of what is in the "deal").

“It’s possible,” John Cornyn, the No. 2 Senate Republican, tells reporters of tax bill, according to Bloomberg.

 

The Senate has “ping-ponged” offers back and forth with House and is making good progress, he says.

And stocks popped on it...

 

Of course, its also "possible" that the deal is not done today... and that"s why we were intrigued to see "high tax" stocks underperforming...

The main areas of contention: AMTs and treatment of SALTs (Republicans were planning to tweak corporate rate from 20% to 21-22% to pay for some of the changes but this idea is facing fierce resistance from the business community – Washington Post).

Brady Says Compromise Likely Coming Friday (reported at 1035ET)

House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady, who’s overseeing the House-Senate conference committee for tax negotiations, said the panel will likely come to an agreement on final legislation by Friday.

“We are on track for this week,” Brady told reporters, referring to a so-called conference report.

Conference reports generally go point-by-point through areas of disagreement and say how each was resolved. For example, if the House position on a provision is the one they’ve agreed on, the report will say that with respect to that provision, the conferees propose that the Senate recede from its position and concur with the House’s position.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy told GOP members the goal is for the House to vote on the tax bill next Tuesday, Dec. 19, according to Representative Lamar Smith of Texas.

Representative Tom Cole of Oklahoma said he heard that the goal was Tuesday, but there wasn’t an announcement about it directly.

“The time frame of a vote next week is very realistic,” said Representative Tom Reed of New York. -- Erik Wasson