Headlines

Is Trump on track for an October vaccine surprise?

Mnuchin says plan for unemployment extension will be based on 70% wage replacement

New FBI notes re-debunk major NY Times story

Brexit talks: Trade deal ‘unlikely’ as British will not submit to EU demands

Portland mayor tear-gassed at protests by federal law enforcement

Mary Trump’s tell-all memoir sells1.5 million copies in blockbuster first week

El Chapo wants out of Supermax, citing coronavirus and poor conditions

Lawsuit: Former Cardinal McCarrick ran sex ring at New Jersey shore house

New unemployment gains rose last week to 1.4 million, ending months of declines

SEC Chair Clayton says he’s worried about short-term trading in stocks like Tesla

Tesla chooses Texas for location of new factory

John Cleese rips Cancel Culture: Emotionally unstable people setting the bar for what’s politically correct

Golden Goose

Our stock market is having large swings during the Wuhan virus panic. The question is why? Come on pilgrim! It gyrates wildly because computer-algorithm traders are making huge amounts of money on this volatility ... short selling into strength and buying into weakness.

Will the SEC step in to reduce this manic ride (there are numerous tools they have.) I doubt it seriously. Why would they want to kill this golden egg layer?

The Hammer

No, this blog post is not written to refer to Elizabeth Warren’s continual reference to “poor Americans being hammered.” It is meant to reinforce a point I have previously made about the economic competition between the United States and China. President Trump is making slow progress in his attempt to level the playing field in this economic arm-wrestling match between Xi Jinping and himself.

It appears the Phase 1 trade deal is done and now comes Phase 2, the harder one,. Trump has one tool for this phase besides tariffs, a huge hammer, he has yet to use in this competition ... and that is to force Chinese companies listed on American stock exchanges to comply with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAPs) and to undergo annual audits by a reputable accounting firms.

Why our SEC has allowed Chinese companies to slide on these restrictions is beyond me? This has permitted its companies access to American capital that they shouldn’t have had ... and given them an unfair advantage against those American companies who have had to comply. And this capital has also indirectly funded much of China’s worldwide mischief.

At the very least, Trump should make such compliance a requirement for Xi to get a Phase 2 trade deal ... a hammer that finally would make the Chinese economic competition a far fairer match.

Headlines

Virginia’s NCAA-winning basketball team declines White House invitation

Amid criticism Xi says Belt and Road project can be ‘shared by the world’

So far: 39 miles of fresh border barrier ...

Schiff: If we don’t impeach, it says Trump’s conduct isn’t impeachable

Buttigieg renounces lobbyist donations, refunding over $30,000

Biden reports $6.3 million 1-day haul, biggest in 2020 field

Winter storm to dump snow on millions this weekend ...

U.S. economy grew 3.2% in first quarter, beating expectations

Senate GOP lags Dems in battle for online cash

Elon Musk makes deal with SEC not to discuss Tesla’s finances without a lawyer’s approval

Rasmussen: Trump 44%, Mayor Pete 40% ...

Chamber of Commerce demands more immigration: ‘U.S. is out of people’

Headlines

Trump's dire climate report hands ammunition to Democrats

Trump's trade talks with China could snap markets out of their funk

Beijing to judge every resident based on behavior by the end of 2020 ...

Merkel: EU [nations] must give sovereignty to Brussels

European Union and China break ultimate trade taboo to hit back at Trump

Bitcoin tumbles again, loses a quarter of its value Thanksgiving week

WSJ: Trump expresses dissatisfaction with Treasury Secretary ...

Report: Kelly, Nielsen oppose broadening military powers at border

Why is the SEC looking to boost big bank profits?

New York state judge rejects Trump's claim he can't be sued because he's president

Mass riots turn Paris into warzone ...

Sports network ESPN loses 2 million subscribers in 2018

Headlines

GOP leaders all but guarantee Kavanaugh's confirmation

Kavanaugh admits he might have been 'too emotional' in testimony over misconduct allegations

Downtown LA hit with an outbreak of flea-borne typhus ...

DOJ considering investigation into Google's Android OS

Some see Christan First bias in Trump foreign policy

US markets have trade war edge over China: Commodities

#MeToo ends first year with more than 425 accused ...

China wary as Putin visits India over arms

Musk trolls the SEC with tweet mocking agency ["Shortseller Enrichment Agency"]

New York attorney general says Trump caused his charity to break the law

'HILLARY AND CLINTON' marraige drama coming to Broadway ...

... Planned Parenthood: 'We're coming for' Senators who vote to confirm

Headlines

'If they won the House he wins big': Trump loyalists see upside in impeachment

Sen. Elizaberh Warren: Trade deals help companies not workers

Aretha Franklin dead ... Queen of Soul

Report: SEC subpoenas Tesla

Senior Chinese governmeant delegation to visit U.S. for trade war talks

The way you ger TV and Internet at home is aboit to change dramatically --- for the better

[Andrew] Cuomo: America never that great ...

Fed's take custody on New Mexico Muslim cult leader

Trump pulls security clearance of ex-CIA director , John Brennan

Trump may get his slowdown in [Fed.] rate hikes, but foe rhe wrong reason

Twitter demands 'healthy' behavior ...

Poll: Donal Trump's BlackAapproval Rating almost double that of  last year

Star Strzok

That amorous FBI agent, Peter Strzok, was fired recently after brooming the Hillary Clinton investagation and leading a secret police cabal against Donald Trump. Why he lasted so long at this agency is beyond me ... but his supporters are concerned for his financial well-being so they have created a GoFundMe page to help pay for his NoTell motel trysts with Lisa Page (who earlier resigned from the FBI).

Now Strzok has a government pension and his ever-sufferting lawyer wife is pilling down big bucks at the SEC. Nevertheless, he needs your hard-earned money. So, if you are so inclined, here is the link for your donation: GoFundMe-Peter Strzok. So far it has amassed well over $300,000 (one NPR personality gave this sleezebag $1,000).

I wonder if you can give a negative donation?

Headlines

Cranky judge, flawed witness threaten Mieller's Manafort case

Chinese leadership is suffering rare backlash for its handling of US trade dispute

First Muslim woman headed to Congress ...

Welfare ban for immigrants could save each US taxpayer $1.6K ...

Bernie and is army are losing 2018

Tesla likely to face SEC investigation after Musk tweets and debate of market manipulation

Kamala Harris becomes Dem's betting favorite for 2020 ...

Facebook, Apple purge InfoWars over 'hate speech'

GOP Rep. Chris Collins charged with securities fraud

Chinese tariffs create headaches for US natural gas export projects

Israel pounds Hamas after 19 injured in rocket barrage ..

Senate Intelligence Committee calls on Julian Assange to testify

Headlines

Chinese leaders 'absolutely confused' by Trump's demands on trade

Nearly two-thirds of CEOs say US trade policies will hurt their companies over next 6 months

Xi says China must lead way in global governance ...

Trump Administration proposes merging Education and Labor Departments

Trump-Putin summit: Wing-it meets meticulous

GOP Congressional candidate, fresh from primary win vs. Mark Sanford, seriously injured in car crash

Election: Erdogan on brink ...

PA Democrat 'welcomes' VP Mike Pence with a middle finger salute

FBI hands House GOP thousands of documents on Russian probe

SEC investigates whether companies round up earnings

White House spokeswoman kicked out off restaurant by Trump hater!

Wash Post columnist: 'Southern Poverty law Center has lost all credibility'

Headlines

Trump treks to Capitol Hill as immigration firestorm rages

China has limited number of weapons to use in a trade war with the US

Strzok out ...Escorted from FBI, but still employed ...

'Nearly 60,000 illegal aliens with arrest records' have been allowed to stay in US through DACA

Foreign media spotlight U.S. family separations

SEC Chair scolds CEOs who sell their company's shares during buybacks they've authorized

Starbucks closing 150 stores ...

Mexico: US 'Zero Tolerance' policy violates human rights

Trump claims German officials do 'do not report' increase in crime

Dow turns negative for 2018 as Trump escalates trade conflict with China

Trump readies $200B in new China tariffs ... IPhone exempt?

'Unaccompanied minors' living in better conditions than 13M US kids

Headlines

White House blames Russia for massive Ukraine cyberattack

Another Trump campaign official[Rick Gates] is about to make a plea deal with Mueller

Senate defeats president's immigration plan ...

Taliban pens letter to American people urging peace talks after sit strikes

De Blasio details terror plot that started in a Harlem charter school

General Flynn should withdraw his guilty plea. His new judge is a government misconduct expert.

OPRAH: God hasn't told me to run ...

Limbaugh mocks FBI: Too busy with Trump, #MeToo investigations to stop FL shooter

Priebus on White House chaos: 'Take everything you've heard and multiply it by 50'

Hannity: If we can secure the Oscars, we can secure our schools

SEC blocks Chinese takeover of Chicago Stock Exchange ...

Report: 52% of non-disabled parents on food stamps do not work

Headlines

All from Internet news sites. Guess which from Breitbart?

Corporate penalities have plunged at SEC since Trump took over

Report: Mueller files first charges in Russian investigation

Catalonia declares independence [from Spain] ...

Houston Texans owner on anthem protesters: 'Can't have inmates running the prison' ...

Haley: 'I would not take' Secretary of State job

U.S. airstrikes absolutely decimate ISIS terrorists

Top 20% pay 95% of all [U.S.] income taxes ...

UK newspaper got anonymous tip just 25 minutes before JFK was assassinated

Jeff Bezos is now richest man in the world with $90 billion

An object passes through our solar system and NASA doesn't know what it is

Pentagon plans national blackout drill ...

Report: Kushner's role deminished in Trump's China trip

Headlines

These headlines are real ... they have all been discovered on Internet news sites. Guess which ones came from Politico?

CBO: USA highest corporate tax rate in G20 ...

Bolton: Trump WH must tear up Iran nuclear deal immediately

[Pakistani] Suspect in House IT security probe also had access to DNC e-mails

Court ousts South Korean leader for corruption

Bitcoin briefly plunges below $1,000 after SEC rejects application for ETF

Trump invites Palestinian president Abbas to White House ...

Trump team asks all Obama appointed US attorneys to offer resignations

Climber survives 2,000-foot fall off of mountain ...

Spicer claims jobs numbers may have been phony before but now are 'very real'

Woman kicked out of women's shelter to make room for 'transgender' man

Trump claims that Obamacare was meant to explode in 2017

3 Germany incidents in 24 hours ... Tear gas attack on train passengers

Putin's Portfolio

The strange fits and starts of Russian President Putin's invasion and take-over of the eastern and southern parts of the Ukraine clearly displays his territorial ambitions. However, there is another possible angle to Vladimir's chicanery ... and that might be personal financial gain. Yes, Putin is already purported to be a billionaire, but, as we know, greed has no logical limit.

And yes, I confess to rash speculation in this matter, but could not Putin buy high-beta depressed German and American stocks ... announce Ukrainian concessions ... then sell these stocks at a nice profit ... and then repeat this stock market wrenching behavior all over again. This weird merry-go-round has been repeated so many times over the last six months that I am forced to conclude that Putin may not be just expanding his borders but also his (and maybe others') bank accounts.

Moreover yes, this is a very cynical supposition on what is happening ... particularly since so many Russian and Ukrainian lives are being lost. However, Putin's icy demeanor suggests to me that he is perfectly capable of such an evil calculus.

Perhaps our SEC and the German government might dig into this possibility?