Month: April 2016

“We Want Them Dead” – ISIS Releases “Hit List” Of 3,600 New Yorkers

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FYI.

– “We Want Them Dead” – ISIS Releases “Hit List” Of 3,600 New Yorkers:

In its latest attempt to instill fear far away from the battlefield in Syria, or the recently terrorism-plagued countries of France and Belgium, last week Islamic State supporters published the names and addresses of 3,600 New Yorkers in an apparent “hit list” designed to escalate the group’s campaign of sowing fear far from the battlefield in Syria.

twitter list

According to the CSM the names on the list were released last week by a group calling itself United Cyber Caliphate on the encrypted chat application Telegram, which IS supporters have used to recruit supporters and spread propaganda.  As Reuters adds, the group has urged followers of the militant group to target these 3,600 individuals and to facilitate that the hacker group has posted their personal information with the demand that “we want them #Dead.”

Read more“We Want Them Dead” – ISIS Releases “Hit List” Of 3,600 New Yorkers

Anti-Trump Protesters Breach Barricades, Clash With Riot Police – Live Feed

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FYI.

– Trump Protesters Breach Barricades, Clash With Riot Police – Live Feed:

Outside the California Republican Party ‘lunch banquet’ in Burlingame at which Donald Trump is set to speak this afternoon, Anti-Trump protesters have swelled in numbers and turned violent. Having breached barricades, riot police have begun to move in and are arresting some of the group…

This protest follows similar tensions at a Sothern California rally last night.

Live Feed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jxkw3M2He2w

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Read moreAnti-Trump Protesters Breach Barricades, Clash With Riot Police – Live Feed

The Full Story Behind Bloomberg’s Attempt To “Unmask” Zero Hedge

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Zero Hedge logo

Full article here:

– The Full Story Behind Bloomberg’s Attempt To “Unmask” Zero Hedge:

Over the years, Zero Hedge has proven to be a magnet for media attention.

It started years ago with a NY Magazine article published in September 2009 which first “unmasked” the people behind Zero Hedge with the “The Dow Zero Insurgency: The nothing-can-be-believed chaos of the financial crisis created a golden opportunity for a blog run by a mysterious ex-hedge-funder with a dodgy past and conspiracy theories to burn” in which we were presented as a bunch of “conspiracy theory” tin foil hat paranoid loons.

We are ok with being typecast as “conspiracy theorists” as these “theories” tend to become “conspiracy fact” months to years later.

Read moreThe Full Story Behind Bloomberg’s Attempt To “Unmask” Zero Hedge

“Why Our Children Should Hate Us” – Read the Lance Simmens Article Banned by the Huffington Post

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VAXXED-9

– “Why Our Children Should Hate Us” – Read the Lance Simmens Article Banned by the Huffington Post:

Although Lance Simmens has been intimately involved in public life for several decades, you’ve probably never heard of him. As such, a little introduction is needed.

As mentioned, Lance Simmens’ career was spent in public policy. Specifically, he worked for two U.S. Presidents as well as a couple of senators and governors. Since retirement, he’s been a prolific writer, publishing 180 articles at the Huffington Post over the past 8 years. As such, it came as a great shock to him to discover that one of his recent articles was removed by the Huffington Post shortly after publication. It was the first article ever rejected by the online publication, and the unacceptable subject matter was nothing more than a positive review of the banned everywhere documentary VAXXED.

Here’s Lance Simmens describing the ordeal in a recent interview:

He mentions being locked out of his account, but it seems to have been reinstated since I came across a new piece published April 22 titled, Can Berners Become Trumpeters?

His VAXXED article; however, remains missing in action. As such, I bring you the banned Huffington Post article titled, Why Our Children Should Hate Us:

Read more“Why Our Children Should Hate Us” – Read the Lance Simmens Article Banned by the Huffington Post

In Latest US-China Escalation, Beijing Denies US Aircraft Carrier Access To Hong Kong Port

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– In Latest US-China Escalation, Beijing Denies US Aircraft Carrier Access To Hong Kong Port:

What until now was mostly effete jawboning over US complaints surrounding China’s territorial expansion ambitions in the South China Sea, including the occasional sailing of a US ship deep inside the disputed territorial waters (with zero impact especially now that China may soon start building maritime nuclear power plants in the area), changed dramatically earlier today when China officially denied a U.S. carrier strike group’s request for a port visit to Hong Kong next week.

stennis group
The Stennis strike group

As Stripes writes, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs notified the United States Thursday of its decision to deny the USS John C. Stennis and its escort ships access to the former British colony, Darragh Paradiso, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong, said by phone. The ministry provided no explanation for the move.

Read moreIn Latest US-China Escalation, Beijing Denies US Aircraft Carrier Access To Hong Kong Port

And Now The Weather …

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polar-bear

– April snow brings weather chaos to Austria

– Irish Airport covered in blanket of snow – Video

– Scottish ski resort extends season into May

– Advancing snow and cold in South America

– Snowing in Slovenia – Videos

– 1 to 2 feet of snow for Colorado Rockies

– Heavy snowfall in Argentina – Roads impassable

– Brazil – Historic cold wave on the way!

Read moreAnd Now The Weather …

Amid Rising Fears Of Nuclear Terrorism, Belgium Hands Out Iodine Pills To Entire Population

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iodine pills

– Amid Rising Fears Of Nuclear Terrorism, Belgium Hands Out Iodine Pills To Entire Population:

One month after we learned that the Brussels suicide bombers had planted hidden cameras at the home of the top Belgian nuclear official, we now learn that in a disturbing continuation of this story, the entire population of Belgium will be receiving iodine tablets, which helps to limit the effects of radiation on the body, as fears increase around the security of its nuclear power plants.

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Former McDonalds CEO Warns Minimum Wage “Will Wipe Out 1000s Of Jobs”

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mcd

– Former McDonalds CEO Warns Minimum Wage “Will Wipe Out 1000s Of Jobs”:

While this should be no surprise to any rational non-establishment-teet-suckling economist, former McDonalds’ CEO Ed Rensi exclaims, in a recent Forbes Op-Ed, that “a $15 minimum wage won’t spell the end of [fast-food brands]. However it will mean wiping out thousands of entry-level opportunities for people without many other options.” The $15 minimum wage demand, which translates to $30,000 a year for a full-time employee, is built upon a fundamental misunderstanding of a restaurant business (and we add simple supply and demand fundamentals) – just “do the math” Rensi rants…

Read moreFormer McDonalds CEO Warns Minimum Wage “Will Wipe Out 1000s Of Jobs”

Germany Moves To Ban Refugees From Welfare; Politician Calls For “Islam Law” To Limit Influence

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– Germany Moves To Ban Refugees From Welfare; Politician Calls For “Islam Law” To Limit Influence:

The initial refugee welcome in Germany is rapidly turning to rejection as the nation plan to ban EU migrants from most unemployment benefits for five years after arrival as a senior German politician has called for an “Islam law” that would limit the influence of foreign imams and prohibit the foreign financing of mosques in Germany.

As The FT reports, Germany is planning to ban EU migrants from most unemployment benefits for five years after their arrival in dramatic response to rightwing populist assaults on chancellor Angela Merkel’s liberal immigration policies.

Read moreGermany Moves To Ban Refugees From Welfare; Politician Calls For “Islam Law” To Limit Influence

China’s Most Innovative Capital Outflow Yet: Buying Legendary Italian Football Club AC Milan

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– China’s Most Innovative Capital Outflow Yet: Buying Legendary Italian Football Club AC Milan:

Today, we find the latest, and perhaps most innovative attempt to circumvent capital controls yet when a group of Chinese investors has offered to buy AC Milan football club, one of former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s most cherished assets. The offer values the club at around 700 million euros including debt, one of the sources said.

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“A 2015-like Market Crash In Chinese Commodities Is Inevitable”

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black_swan

– “A 2015-like Market Crash In Chinese Commodities Is Inevitable”:

Is Everyone Wrong On The “Causation” Of The Commodity Bubble? While it appeared ‘retail’ was responsible for the panic-buying chaotic volume surge in Chinese commodities, Axiom Capital Management’s Gordon L Johnson points out that in fact… China Bank Special Interest Vehicles’ “Bold” Commodity Speculation Is The Real Budding Black Swan

WMP Speculation Likely Cause for the ’16 Commodity Rally, Not Retail Investors (“Cab-Drivers”).

Read more“A 2015-like Market Crash In Chinese Commodities Is Inevitable”

AND NOW: The Eurozone Economy Is Finally Back To The Size It Was Before The Global Financial Crisis

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H/t reader squodgy:

“Can you believe this shit?

Honestly, can anyone seriously take official Government Statistics as truthful and in-massaged any more?

It’s an insult to our intelligence.”

The Euro currency sign is seen in front of the European Central Bank (ECB) headquarters in Frankfurt

– Eurozone economy speeds up, reaches size it was back in 2008:

LONDON (AP) — It’s been a long and tortuous journey, but the eurozone economy is finally back to the size it was before the global financial crisis. Official figures released Friday show that the eurozone, which as a bloc is the world’s second-largest economy, accelerated unexpectedly at the start of the year to bring it back to the level it was before the recessions of the past eight years.

Eurostat, the European Union’s statistics agency, said the 19-country currency bloc expanded by a quarterly rate of 0.6 percent in the first three months of the year. The increase was double the previous quarter’s rate and ahead of market expectations for a more modest 0.4 percent.

Read moreAND NOW: The Eurozone Economy Is Finally Back To The Size It Was Before The Global Financial Crisis

Italy busts ISIS supporters cell mulling attacks on Vatican & Israeli embassy in Rome (VIDEO)

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– Italy busts ISIS supporters cell mulling attacks on Vatican & Israeli embassy in Rome (VIDEO):

Italian authorities have arrested four suspects, who have seemingly had an “accentuated willingness” to carry out terrorist attacks in Rome and the Vatican. At least two other members of the Islamic State cell are on the run.

While there was no indication of an imminent attack, the group was allegedly ordered by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) to carry out atrocities in Italy “with particular attention to the city of Rome” as well as the Vatican during the Jubilee Of Mercy year, Milan prosecutor Maurizio Romanelli told reporters.

Two of those detained included Abderrahim Moutaharrik, a kickboxing champion and his wife Salma Bencharki. The couple was arrested in the Lombardy province of Lecco as part of a joint investigation by Italy’s anti-terrorism agency, the General Investigations and Special Operations Division (DIGOS) and ROS, a special operations group that is part of Italy’s carabinieri police force.

Read moreItaly busts ISIS supporters cell mulling attacks on Vatican & Israeli embassy in Rome (VIDEO)

The U.S. Economy Officially Joins The Global Economic Slowdown – 1st Quarter GDP Comes In At 0.5%

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– The U.S. Economy Officially Joins The Global Economic Slowdown – 1st Quarter GDP Comes In At 0.5%:

Even the government is admitting that the U.S. economy is slowing down.  On Thursday, we learned that U.S. GDP grew at just a 0.5 percent annual rate during the first quarter of 2016.  This was lower than analysts were anticipating, and it marks the third time in a row that the GDP number has declined compared to the previous quarter.  In other words, GDP growth has been declining for close to a year now, and this lines up perfectly with what I have been saying about how the second half of last year was a turning point that plunged us into the early chapters of a brand new economic crisis.  And as you will see below, the official GDP number is highly manipulated, and the way that it is calculated has been changed numerous times over the years.  So the bad number that is being reported by the government is actually the best case scenario.

Read moreThe U.S. Economy Officially Joins The Global Economic Slowdown – 1st Quarter GDP Comes In At 0.5%

Joint Chiefs Chairman Admits What US Troops Are Really Doing In Iraq: Combat Operations

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iraq1

– Joint Chiefs Chairman Admits: US Troops in Iraq in Combat Operations:

Speaking yesterday at the Senate Armed Services Committee, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Joe Dunford confirmed that US troops in Iraq are “fighting and dying” in combat operations, confirming that the October 22 death of a Army sergeant was in combat.

That admission is a big one, as US officials have danced around the question of “combat troops” by presenting the troops being deployed to Iraq, and elsewhere in the region, as “trainers” or “advisers” in official comments.

Read moreJoint Chiefs Chairman Admits What US Troops Are Really Doing In Iraq: Combat Operations

Why Real Reform Is Now Impossible

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H/t reader squodgy:

“Interesting adventure into why they won’t let it develop naturally.”

– Why Real Reform Is Now Impossible:

By Charles Hugh Smith

It’s difficult for well-meaning pundits to abandon the fantasy that meaningful reform is possible. Indeed, a critical function of the punditry and corporate media is to foster the fantasy that the status quo could be reformed if only we all got together and blah blah blah.

As I explain in my new book Why Our Status Quo Failed and Is Beyond Reform, real structural reform would trigger the collapse of the status quo. (As a reminder, the status quo benefits the few at the expense of the many.)

But there’s another dynamic that makes reform impossible. I’ve prepared a chart to explain this dynamic:

Read moreWhy Real Reform Is Now Impossible

Bill Gross Warns: “The System Could Suffer an Implosion” (Video)

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– Video of the Day – Bill Gross Warns: “The System Could Suffer an Implosion”:

What’s so remarkable about the following clip from a Bloomberg interview with iconic bond fund manager Bill Gross isn’t so much that he warned about a looming systemic implosion, but how much he struggled to actually say it out loud despite clearly wanting to.

Pretty telling.

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The Future Of America? – More Than Half Of All U.S. Adults Under Age 30 Now Reject Capitalism

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Society-Social-Engineering

– The Future Of America? – More Than Half Of All U.S. Adults Under Age 30 Now Reject Capitalism:

A shocking new survey has found that support for capitalism is dying in America.  In fact, more than half of all adults in the United States under the age of 30 say that they do not support capitalism at this point.  You might be tempted to dismiss them as “foolish young people”, but the truth is that they are the future of America.  As older generations die off, they will eventually become the leaders of this country.  And of course our nation has not resembled anything close to a capitalist society for quite some time now.  In a recent article, I listed 97 different taxes that Americans pay each year, and some Americans actually end up returning more than half of what they earn to the government by the time it is all said and done.  So at best it could be said that we are running some sort of hybrid system that isn’t as far down the road toward full-blown socialism as most European nations are.  But without a doubt we are moving in that direction, and our young people are going to be cheering every step of the way.

Read moreThe Future Of America? – More Than Half Of All U.S. Adults Under Age 30 Now Reject Capitalism

Economy In Decline: Apple Reports Massive Revenue Decline As iPhone Sales Plummet Dramatically

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Apple-iPhone-And-Apple-Computer

– Economy In Decline: Apple Reports Massive Revenue Decline As iPhone Sales Plummet Dramatically:

Corporate revenues in the United States have been falling for quite some time, but now some of the biggest companies in the entire nation are reporting extremely disappointing results.  On Tuesday, Apple shocked the financial world by reporting that revenue for the first quarter had fallen 7.4 billion dollars compared to the same quarter last year.  That is an astounding plunge, and it represents the very first year-over-year quarterly sales decline that Apple has experienced since 2003.  Analysts were anticipating some sort of drop, but nothing like this.  And of course last week we learned that Google and Microsoft also missed revenue and earnings projections for the first quarter of 2016.  The economic crisis that began during the second half of 2015 is really starting to take hold, and even our largest tech companies are now feeling the pain.

Read moreEconomy In Decline: Apple Reports Massive Revenue Decline As iPhone Sales Plummet Dramatically

Russian Fighter Jet Flies Within 50 Feet Of US Spy Plane Over Russian Naval Base

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Russian Mig-31 planes
Russian Mig-31 planes

– Russian Fighter Jet Flies Within 50 Feet Of US Spy Plane Over Russian Naval Base:

Tensions continue to escalate between the US and Russia. As a reminder, Russia conducted several close encounter fly-bys when first a Russian Su-24 “buzzed” the US missile destroyer USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea, and just days later flew within 50 feet of a US recon plane also flying over the Baltic Sea. The U.S. quickly responded and complained vocally to Russia, followed quickly by the first deployment of US F-22 stealth fighter to Romania, in close proximity to both the Black Sea and 400 km from the Russian military stronghold of Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula.

It now appears there was a third incident involving an extremely close encounter. According to the Free Beacon, a Russian MiG-31 jet flew within 50 feet of a U.S. surveillance aircraft in Northeast Asia last week, in what was dubbed “Moscow’s latest aerial saber-rattling” against American ships and planes by US defense officials.

Read moreRussian Fighter Jet Flies Within 50 Feet Of US Spy Plane Over Russian Naval Base

This Is The End: Venezuela Runs Out Of Money To Print New Money

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– This Is The End: Venezuela Runs Out Of Money To Print New Money:

Back in February, when we commented on the unprecedented hyperinflation about the be unleashed in the Latin American country whose president just announced that he would expand the “weekend” for public workers to 5 days…

venezuela inflation_0

… we joked that it is unclear just where the country will find all the paper banknotes it needs for all its new physical currency. After all, central-bank data shows Venezuela more than doubled the supply of 100-, 50- and 2-bolivar notes in 2015 as it doubled monetary liquidity including bank deposits. Supply has grown even as Venezuela has fewer U.S. dollars to support new bolivars, a result of falling oil prices. 

Read moreThis Is The End: Venezuela Runs Out Of Money To Print New Money

“It’s Hard To Believe” – Establishment Stunned As Donald Trump Gains ‘Wealthy, Well-Educated’ Voters

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– “It’s Hard To Believe” – Establishment Stunned As Trump Gains ‘Wealthy, Well-Educated’ Voters:

Not only is Donald Trump likely to gather the most votes of any GOP Presidential nominee ever, having swept the East Coast and crushed the anti-Trump alliance between Kasich and Cruz even before it made the news cycle; but now, as Reuters reports, the GOP establishment faces an ever bigger problem. Wealthy, well-educated voters helped carry the Republican front-runner to victory this week – a demographic the famously blunt-spoken billionaire had struggled to attract in the past.

As we noted previously, with a number of states remaining including California, Trump is set to surpass current record holder George W. Bush, who received 10.8 million votes in 2000.

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Obama Admits Couldn’t “Convince Americans Of Recovery”, Bashes ‘The Big Short’

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obama-super

– Obama Admits Couldn’t “Convince Americans Of Recovery”, Bashes ‘The Big Short’:

Despite his proclamation that he “saved the world from a Great Depression,” the fact is that Obama will be the first President ever to not see a single year of 3% GDP growth – but only cynical fiction-peddlers would mention facts at a time like this. In yet more legacy-defending narrative, Obama told The NYTimes today that his biggest failure was being unable to sell his success in putting the American economy back on track to the American people (no matter the actual realities) careful to blame Republicans for slowing growth “by a percentage point or two.” And then in a final affront to fact, Obama dismisses the conclusion of “The Big Short” proclaiming that he reined in Wall Street, overhauled the banking system, and made water from wine “the financial system substantially more stable.”

With regard his presidential legacy, Obama recently said he was proud of the healthcare reforms, and added that:

Read moreObama Admits Couldn’t “Convince Americans Of Recovery”, Bashes ‘The Big Short’

John Boehner Calls Ted Cruz “A Miserable Son Of A Bitch, Lucifer In The Flesh”

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… just like these other candidates …

Trump-Satanic-Hand-SignHillary-Clinton-Satanic-Hang-Sign

Good luck America!

– John Boehner Calls Ted Cruz “A Miserable Son Of A Bitch, Lucifer In The Flesh”:

Is the establishment’s fervent hatred of Donald Trump starting a U-turn? It’s still too early to know, however at least one core Republican, former house speaker John Boehner, has made it very clear he is not a fan of Ted Cruz. At all. So much so that according to NBC the former Republican House Speaker told an audience at Stanford University Wednesday that the Texas senator is “Lucifer in the flesh” and a “miserable son of a bitch.“

Read moreJohn Boehner Calls Ted Cruz “A Miserable Son Of A Bitch, Lucifer In The Flesh”