Why Roger Ver Deserves A Presidential Pardon
Why Roger Ver Deserves A Presidential Pardon
https://brownstone.org/articles/why-roger-ver-deserves-a-presidential-pardon/
The US government is attempting to imprison Roger Ver for 109 years for the crime of following his lawyers’ advice.
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His case represents an unprecedented attack on attorney-client privilege that threatens everyone who relies on professional counsel.
Today, Ver sits silenced in Spain, unable to defend himself publicly, while prosecutors use his own lawyers’ records against him—records that show his meticulous attempts to follow the law. This isn’t just about cryptocurrency; it’s about whether any American can safely consult legal counsel without fear of prosecution.
If this precedent stands, seeking professional advice could become evidence of criminality. Business owners, entrepreneurs, and ordinary citizens who rely on lawyers and accountants will all be at risk. The time to act is now, before this dangerous precedent becomes permanent.
Imagine for a moment that you’re an entrepreneur with an unwavering belief: state control over money isn’t just wrong—it’s a weapon. It fuels violence, breeds poverty, and crushes individual freedom. You’ve seen the wreckage it leaves behind and know that there has to be a better way.
You know this because you’ve experienced the state’s brutality firsthand.
At just 22, you were imprisoned for ten months in federal prison. Your supposed crime? Selling firecrackers on eBay’s then-legal Guns & Ammo section without a license. But the real reason, as Roger tells it, was speaking truth to power—declaring that taxation is theft and wars are mass murder.
In prison, you experienced psychological torture that haunts you to this day. A guard planted a weapon on you as a “joke,” threatening you with additional years in prison until you broke down in tears. You witnessed the theatrical deception when inspectors visited—seeing how the system maintains its façade of legitimacy while grinding down human dignity behind closed doors. In Roger’s own words from his https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ07sM5w_Dk
:
“That man just purely tortured me for his own amusement…when he sees that enough tears are coming down my face and that I’m crying enough, he pats me on the shoulder and says ‘Relax, I’m just kidding with you.'”
Then, in 2010, you discover Bitcoin—a revolutionary concept. A form of money that can’t be manipulated by any government, any central bank. Digital cash for the people. Your mind races with the possibilities. For the first time in history, money could flow freely across borders, free from the control of states that use it to fuel wars, or impoverish entire nations. You see what many do not: Bitcoin could be the key to spreading freedom and prosperity to every corner of the earth.
You dive in, headfirst. You’re not just a believer—you become the first merchant to accept Bitcoin, the first investor in Bitcoin-related companies. Your relentless advocacy earns you the title “Bitcoin Jesus.” You invest in decentralized companies with one mission: to free the world from the shackles of centralized control.
But the US—the land of the free—begins to look less and less like the place you want it to be. So, you make the difficult choice to legally expatriate. Despite the murky regulations surrounding this new currency, you hire the best attorneys and accountants to ensure every penny of tax is paid. Your conscience is clear.
A decade passes. Then, without warning, they come for you—not just for you, but for your lawyers too. You find yourself arrested and thrown in a Spanish prison—the same prison where fellow libertarian John McAfee mysteriously died. You don’t speak the language. You’re cut off from everything you know. After months of legal battles, you’re finally out on bond, but the situation is bleak. Six months pass, and you still have no clarity, no answers.
Now, in a cruel echo of his past persecution for speaking truth to power, Roger finds himself essentially gagged. He cannot speak out about his case or the broader implications of his prosecution for fear that his words might be used against him in court—or worse, lead to the revocation of his bail and his return to the same Spanish prison where McAfee met his end. The silencing of Bitcoin Jesus isn’t just about one man’s freedom—it’s about whether any of us will be free to challenge the financial status quo.
Roger Ver: Where Natural Law Meets Human Impact
When people ask me what I believe in, the answer is simple: natural law. Not the academic theory of natural rights, but the living, breathing reality that we can make the world better through right thought and right action. That by aligning our behavior with universal principles of non-aggression, voluntary cooperation, and genuine care for human flourishing, we can create the conditions for freedom to thrive.
In all my years studying and advocating for these principles, I’ve never encountered anyone who embodies them more completely than Roger Ver. While others talk about freedom in the abstract, Roger has dedicated his life to manifesting it in reality.
A Legacy of Impact
I first encountered Roger’s work in 2012 at a Free State Project event called Liberty Forum, where he introduced many of us—including several who are now prominent voices in the crypto industry—to Bitcoin for the first time. In the decade since, I’ve watched him consistently stay ahead of the curve, identifying and supporting technologies that offer real alternatives to centralized control.
But Roger’s impact extends far beyond cryptocurrency. He has invested his heart and resources into more than 40 companies that are transforming the world for the better. From groundbreaking medical technologies making diagnostics accessible to underserved communities, to biotech innovations advancing personalized medicine, to projects reimagining governance itself—Roger’s work touches on every aspect of human freedom and flourishing.
The Hidden Champion of Truth
This weekend, I had the honor of participating in Brownstone Institute’s annual conference in Pittsburgh. For two intense days, I witnessed something remarkable: a gathering of some of the world’s most courageous voices in the fight for human liberty and scientific truth.
The accomplishments of Brownstone over just three years are staggering. When voices of reason were being systematically silenced during the pandemic, Brownstone emerged as a sanctuary for truth-tellers. They’ve fought lockdowns and mandates not just in the public sphere but in the courts. They’ve exposed the machinery of censorship, revealing how government agencies collude with tech companies to suppress dissent. Their research team dismantled flawed pandemic risk assessments and exposed how organizations like the WHO and the G20 manipulated outbreak data to justify massive new funding through REPPARE. Most recently (with my addition as a Fellow), they’ve been at the forefront of warning about the dangers of CBDCs and the weaponization of the financial system against dissenters.
But Brownstone’s story begins with a profound act of moral courage. Jeffrey Tucker, witnessing the collapse of scientific discourse and basic human rights during the pandemic, created Brownstone from a place of deep caring—caring about truth, about humanity, and about protecting those who dare to speak out. He wanted to create a haven for dissidents like myself and many other Brownstone Fellows who faced cancellation, professional destruction, and worse simply for doing what was right: speaking the truth.
What few people know—what I didn’t even know until after becoming a Brownstone Fellow—is that none of this would have been possible without Roger Ver. As Brownstone’s founding donor and board member, Roger’s support was crucial in getting this beacon of truth off the ground. In typical Roger fashion, he never sought recognition for this role. While others might have used such support for publicity, Roger quietly helped build an institution that has become one of the most important voices for freedom and scientific integrity in our time.
This is characteristic of how Roger operates. Behind nearly every major initiative promoting human freedom and fighting against authoritarian control, you’ll often find Roger’s quiet support. From Bitcoin adoption in the developing world to fighting against CBDCs, from supporting victims of state persecution to funding research that challenges official narratives—Roger has been there, usually without acknowledgement or acclaim.
Now, in a cruel irony, while Brownstone continues its vital work exposing government overreach and defending individual liberty, one of its key founders sits silenced in Spain, facing persecution from the very systems of state control he helped others fight against. The same commitment to truth and freedom that led Roger to support Brownstone now has him fighting for his own liberty.
The parallel is stark and troubling: just as Brownstone fights to prevent the financial system from being weaponized against dissenters through CBDCs, its own founding donor faces the weaponization of tax law against him. Just as Brownstone works to expose the machinery of state persecution, Roger faces that machinery firsthand.
Natural Law in Action
What makes Roger unique is his understanding that natural law isn’t just a philosophy—it’s a blueprint for action. Rather than just describe Roger’s passion, I encourage you to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEEg747LZDg
him speak in his own words. In this powerful video, you’ll see Roger’s raw emotion and genuine care as he explains why decentralized money must be accessible to everyone, not just the elite.
When he declares that “Bitcoin is for everybody…regardless of how much money they have or where they were born,” it’s not just rhetoric—it’s backed by decades of concrete action. You can hear the urgency in his voice when he explains:
“More babies are dying in countries around the world because they have less economic freedom…people are literally dying because of this. I’m not exaggerating; this is a life and death matter around the world.”
Beyond Cryptocurrency to Human Freedom
Roger’s vision extends far beyond financial technology. His work in medical accessibility, internet decentralization, and biotech innovation shows his understanding that freedom requires a holistic approach. When he breaks down discussing government monetary control, we see someone who deeply understands the human cost of centralized power:
“I apologize for crying but it just disgusts me from my core when I see government people murdering people around the world…it’s not just theoretical; these are real people with real lives.”
The Price of Principles
Now Roger faces persecution precisely because he’s been so effective at putting these principles into practice. The charges against him aren’t just an attack on one man—they’re an attack on everyone who believes in building voluntary systems outside state control.
The Roger Ver Timeline
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Constitutional Crisis: Robert Barnes Exposes the Ver Persecution
Constitutional lawyer Robert Barnes recently delivered a https://youtu.be/Ccj16qYlxVQ?si=URXCDCz7aJhXgx1f
that should terrify every American who relies on professional advice: The government isn’t just prosecuting Roger Ver—they’re attempting to criminalize the very act of following legal counsel.
The Unprecedented Attack on Attorney-Client Privilege
“This isn’t just about Bitcoin or taxes,” Barnes explains in his detailed analysis. “They’re establishing that they can put you in prison and create new tax policy through criminal law enforcement against individuals, even when you’ve followed expert advice to the letter.”
Consider the timeline that Barnes lays bare:
2014: Ver faces the challenge of valuing Bitcoin for his exit tax
The largest Bitcoin exchange (Mt. Gox) had just collapsed
No clear valuation guidelines existed
The IRS itself admitted they couldn’t determine how to classify Bitcoin
Even basic questions about cryptocurrency taxation remained unanswered
Ver’s Response: Exactly what any prudent person would do
Hired top-tier attorneys
Consulted leading accountants
Documented every step of compliance
Followed expert guidance meticulously
The Government’s Shocking Response
Then comes what Barnes calls “the most disturbing breach of attorney-client privilege I’ve seen:”
Raided Ver’s lawyers’ offices
Seized privileged communications
Found extensive evidence of Ver trying to follow the law
Is now using that evidence of compliance as proof of criminality
“You read the quotes from his lawyer,” Barnes reveals, “and this is the evidence of someone trying to comply with the law, not someone trying to not comply with the law.”
What This Means for Every American
Barnes outlines four immediate threats to anyone who relies on professional advice:
Small Business Owners
Your consultations with tax attorneys can be seized
Your compliance efforts become evidence against you
Even following advice perfectly offers no protection
International Business
Complex regulations require expert guidance
That guidance can later be used to prosecute you
No “safe harbor” even when following professional advice
Tech Entrepreneurs
Evolving regulations demand constant legal consultation
Today’s compliance could become tomorrow’s crime
No way to prove good faith without creating “evidence”
Individual Taxpayers
Cannot safely seek professional guidance
Cannot trust attorney-client privilege
Cannot document compliance efforts without risk
The Constitutional Crisis
Barnes identifies three fundamental rights under attack:
Attorney-Client Privilege
Once sacred, now routinely violated
Communications with counsel used as evidence
No safe way to seek legal advice
Due Process
Retroactive criminalization of legal conduct
No clear standards for compliance
Good faith efforts used as evidence of guilt
Right to Counsel
Following legal advice becomes criminal
Creating compliance records becomes dangerous
Professional guidance offers no protection
The Dangerous Precedent
“If this stands,” Barnes warns, “we’ve entered a world where:
Seeking legal advice becomes evidence of guilt
Following professional guidance provides no protection
Documenting compliance efforts creates prosecution evidence
Perfect compliance offers no safety from prosecution.”
Watch Barnes’s complete https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ccj16qYlxVQ
to understand why this case represents a Constitutional crisis that threatens every American and business that relies on professional advice. As he concludes: “When the government can breach attorney-client privilege, find evidence of compliance, and still pursue prosecution, we’ve moved beyond the realm of law enforcement into territory our Founders feared most: a system where no one is safe.”
The implications are clear: If they can do this to Roger Ver—a man who actively sought to comply with the law—they can do it to anyone. The time to act is now, before this precedent becomes permanent.
Two Dreams, One Persecution: Why Trump Must Resurrect Bitcoin Jesus
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There are moments in history when parallel lives intersect to reveal profound truths about power, persecution, and the price of challenging the status quo. Donald Trump and Roger Ver’s stories are such a moment.
The American Dream Under Siege
Both men exemplify the quintessential American success story. Trump transformed New York’s skyline through sheer force of will and vision. Ver saw the revolutionary potential of Bitcoin when it was merely computer code and helped build it into a global force for freedom. Both men didn’t just succeed—they dared to reimagine what success could mean.
But in today’s America, such audacious success comes with a target on your back.
The Playbook of Persecution
The parallels between their persecutions are not just striking—they’re identical:
The Weaponization of Attorney-Client Privilege
Trump watched in horror as federal agents raided his lawyer Michael Cohen’s office, seizing privileged communications
Ver’s attorneys faced the same violation, with prosecutors seizing private legal consultations showing his meticulous efforts to follow the law
The Tax Weapon
Trump endures endless audits and investigations, with rules twisted to create crimes from normal business practices
Ver faces prosecution for following expert advice on Bitcoin taxation during a time when even the IRS admitted they didn’t know how to classify cryptocurrency
The Criminalization of Success
Trump’s business empire became evidence of alleged criminality
Ver’s pioneering work in cryptocurrency transformed into supposed proof of wrongdoing
The Breach of Sacred Rights
Both men have watched as fundamental legal protections crumbled:
Their attorneys raided
Their private communications seized
Their attempts to follow the law transformed into evidence against them
Why Trump Must Act
Mr. President, you alone understand the machinery of state persecution that’s been unleashed against Roger Ver. You alone have the power to end it. Here’s why pardoning Ver would be a masterpiece of justice:
It Breaks the Deep State’s Weapon
Shows that weaponizing justice against innovators will no longer be tolerated
Demonstrates that following legal advice won’t be criminalized
It Restores American Innovation
Declares America open for blockchain business
Signals that challenging financial orthodoxy isn’t a crime
It Reaffirms Sacred Rights
Restores the sanctity of attorney-client privilege
Proves that seeking legal counsel is a right, not evidence of guilt
It Sends a Global Message
America still rewards dreamers
Innovation will be protected, not persecuted
The Power of Parallel Justice
Mr. President, you’ve felt the sting of politically motivated prosecution. You’ve watched as attorney-client privilege was shredded. You’ve seen how success can be twisted into evidence of criminality. You alone can turn this moment of parallel persecution into parallel justice.
By pardoning Roger Ver, you won’t just be freeing one man—you’ll be declaring that America still stands for the dreamers, the builders, the innovators who dare to imagine a freer world. You’ll be showing that when the deep state tries to crucify a visionary, America’s highest office still stands for justice.
The symmetry is perfect: The man persecuted for challenging real estate orthodoxy can save the man persecuted for challenging financial orthodoxy. The businessman who became president can restore justice to the entrepreneur who became Bitcoin Jesus.
Mr. President, on Day One, write your name in the history books. Show that America still believes in dreams, in innovation, and in the sacred right to challenge power without fear of persecution.
Pardon Roger Ver. Resurrect Bitcoin Jesus. Let freedom ring.
Defend Freedom: Why Every American Must Stand With Roger Ver
The President holds the power to take a decisive stand, but ultimately, this fight calls on all of us. Roger’s battle isn’t just his own—it’s a rallying cry for anyone who values the right to question authority, seek counsel, and live free from unjust persecution.
This moment demands a response from each of us. Here’s how you can join the movement to defend freedom and stand up for Roger Ver’s rights, along with our own.
The Open Letter
We, the undersigned, call on the US government to end the unjust prosecution of Roger Ver, a pioneer in cryptocurrency and advocate for economic freedom. This isn’t just about Roger—it’s about protecting innovation, defending liberty, and ensuring that following legal advice doesn’t become a crime.
Take Action Now
Sign the Open Letter
Visit Freerogernow.org to join supporters who have already taken a stand. Your signature helps show the strength of our movement to:
End this retaliatory action
Allow Roger to continue contributing to a free and open financial future
Protect the right to legal counsel
Share Your Story
Tell the President why you support pardoning Roger Ver:
How has Roger’s work impacted you?
Why does attorney-client privilege matter to you?
What does this case mean for American innovation?
Spread the Word
Share across your networks using #FreeRoger:
Telegram
Stay Informed
Sign up for “Freedom for Roger: Updates & Actions” at Freerogernow.org to:
Get the latest case developments
Learn about new ways to help
Join coordinated actions
The Stakes Are Clear
As https://www.amazon.com/Hijacking-Bitcoin-Hidden-History-BTC/dp/B0CXWBCWDR
reveals, this case emerged just as Roger exposed how powerful groups undermined Bitcoin’s original vision. The timing is no coincidence—this prosecution represents an alarming misuse of power aimed at suppressing innovation and dissent.
Together, we can make our voices heard and help secure justice for Roger Ver. But we must act now, before this dangerous precedent becomes permanent.
Join the Movement
Visit FreeRoger.org today to:
Sign the open letter
Share your story
Stay updated on the campaign
Stand with Roger
Because tomorrow, the person facing persecution for following legal advice could be you.
#FreeRoger
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Wed, 11/13/2024 - 19:15
https://www.zerohedge.com/crypto/why-roger-ver-deserves-presidential-pardon
The CDC Planned Quarantine Camps Nationwide
The CDC Planned Quarantine Camps Nationwide
https://brownstone.org/articles/the-cdc-planned-quarantine-camps-nationwide/
No matter how bad you think Covid policies were, they were intended to be worse.
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Consider the vaccine passports alone. Six cities were locked down to include only the vaccinated in public indoor places. They were New York City, Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., and Seattle. The plan was to enforce this with a vaccine passport. It broke. Once the news leaked that the shot didn’t stop infection or transmission, the planners lost public support and the scheme collapsed.
It was undoubtedly planned to be permanent and nationwide if not worldwide. Instead, the scheme had to be dialed back.
Features of the CDC’s edicts did incredible damage. It imposed the rent moratorium. It decreed the ridiculous “six feet of distance” and mask mandates. It forced Plexiglas as the interface for commercial transactions. It implied that https://brownstone.org/articles/the-cdc-intervened-in-voting-protocols/
must be the norm, which probably flipped the election. It delayed the reopening as long as possible. It was sadistic.
Even with all that, worse was planned. On July 26, 2020, with the George Floyd riots having finally settled down, the https://web.archive.org/web/20200728203549/https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/global-covid-19/shielding-approach-humanitarian.html
. People were to be isolated, given only food and some cleaning supplies. They would be banned from participating in any religious services. The plan included contingencies for preventing suicide. There were no provisions made for any legal appeals or even the right to legal counsel.
The plan’s authors were unnamed but included 26 footnotes. It was completely official. The document was only removed on about March 26, 2023. During the entire intervening time, the plan survived on the CDC’s public site with little to no public notice or controversy.
It was called “Interim Operational Considerations for Implementing the Shielding Approach to Prevent COVID-19 Infections in Humanitarian Settings.”
“This document presents considerations from the perspective of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) for implementing the shielding approach in humanitarian settings as outlined in guidance documents focused on camps, displaced populations and low-resource settings. This approach has never been documented and has raised questions and concerns among humanitarian partners who support response activities in these settings. The purpose of this document is to highlight potential implementation challenges of the shielding approach from CDC’s perspective and guide thinking around implementation in the absence of empirical data. Considerations are based on current evidence known about the transmission and severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and may need to be revised as more information becomes available.”
By absence of empirical data, the meaning is: nothing like this has ever been tried. The point of the document was to map out how it could be possible and alert authorities to possible pitfalls to be avoided.
The meaning of “shielding” is “to reduce the number of severe Covid-19 cases by limiting contact between individuals at higher risk of developing severe disease (‘high-risk’) and the general population (‘low-risk’). High-risk individuals would be temporarily relocated to safe or ‘green zones’ established at the household, neighborhood, camp/sector, or community level depending on the context and setting. They would have minimal contact with family members and other low-risk residents.”
In other words, this is what used to be concentration camps.
Who are these people who would be rounded up? They are “older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions.” Who determines this? Public health authorities. The purpose? The CDC explains: “physically separating high-risk individuals from the general population” allows authorities “to prioritize the use of the limited available resources.”
This sounds a lot like condemning people to death in the name of protecting them.
The model establishes three levels.
First is the household level.
Here high-risk people are“physically isolated from other household members.” That alone is objectionable. Elders need people to take care of them. They need love and to be surrounded by family. The CDC should never imagine that it would intervene in households to force old people into separate places.
The model jumps from households to the “neighborhood level.”
Here we have the same approach: forced separation of those deemed vulnerable.
From there, the model jumps again to the “camp/sector level.”
Here it is different. “A group of shelters such as schools, community buildings within a camp/sector (max 50 high-risk individuals per single green zone) where high-risk individuals are physically isolated together. One entry point is used for exchange of food, supplies, etc. A meeting area is used for residents and visitors to interact while practicing physical distancing (2 meters). No movement into or outside the green zone.”
Yes, you read that correctly. The CDC is here proposing concentration camps for the sick or anyone they deem to be in danger of medically significant consequences of infection.
Further: “to minimize external contact, each green zone should include able-bodied high-risk individuals capable of caring for residents who have disabilities or are less mobile. Otherwise, designate low-risk individuals for these tasks, preferably who have recovered from confirmed COVID-19 and are assumed to be immune.”
The plan says in passing, contradicting thousands of years of experience, “Currently, we do not know if prior infection confers immunity.” Therefore the only solution is to minimize all exposure throughout the whole population. Getting sick is criminalized.
These camps require a “dedicated staff” to “monitor each green zone. Monitoring includes both adherence to protocols and potential adverse effects or outcomes due to isolation and stigma. It may be necessary to assign someone within the green zone, if feasible, to minimize movement in/out of green zones.”
The people housed in these camps need to have good explanations of why they are denied even basic religious freedom. The report explains:
“Proactive planning ahead of time, including strong community engagement and risk communication is needed to better understand the issues and concerns of restricting individuals from participating in communal practices because they are being shielded. Failure to do so could lead to both interpersonal and communal violence.”
Further, there must be some mechanisms to prohibit suicide:
Additional stress and worry are common during any epidemic and may be more pronounced with COVID-19 due to the novelty of the disease and increased fear of infection, increased childcare responsibilities due to school closures, and loss of livelihoods. Thus, in addition to the risk of stigmatization and feeling of isolation, this shielding approach may have an important psychological impact and may lead to significant emotional distress, exacerbate existing mental illness or contribute to anxiety, depression, helplessness, grief, substance abuse, or thoughts of suicide among those who are separated or have been left behind. Shielded individuals with concurrent severe mental health conditions should not be left alone. There must be a caregiver allocated to them to prevent further protection risks such as neglect and abuse.
The biggest risk, the document explains, is as follows: “While the shielding approach is not meant to be coercive, it may appear forced or be misunderstood in humanitarian settings.”
(It should go without saying but this “shielding” approach suggested here has nothing to do with focused protection of the https://gbdeclaration.org/
. Focused protection specifically says: “schools and universities should be open for in-person teaching. Extracurricular activities, such as sports, should be resumed. Young low-risk adults should work normally, rather than from home. Restaurants and other businesses should open. Arts, music, sport and other cultural activities should resume. People who are more at risk may participate if they wish, while society as a whole enjoys the protection conferred upon the vulnerable by those who have built up herd immunity.”)
In four years of research, and encountering truly shocking documents and evidence of what happened in the Covid years, this one certainly ranks up at the top of the list of totalitarian schemes for pathogenic control prior to vaccination. It is quite simply mind-blowing that such a scheme could ever be contemplated.
Who wrote it? What kind of deep institutional pathology exists that enabled this to be contemplated? The CDC has 10,600 full-time employees and contractors and a budget of $11.5 billion. In light of this report, and everything else that has gone on there for four years, both numbers should be zero.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Wed, 11/13/2024 - 13:15
https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/cdc-planned-quarantine-camps-nationwide
Iran Strongly Denies US Claims It Was Involved In Plot To Kill Trump
Iran Strongly Denies US Claims It Was Involved In Plot To Kill Trump
Iran’s Foreign Ministry https://archive.vn/lpRgZ
US claims that Iran was involved in an alleged plot to kill President-elect Donald Trump, dismissing the charge as a way to "complicate matters" between the US and Iran.
On Friday, the US Justice Department https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/08/politics/doj-charges-three-iranian-plot-to-kill-donald-trump/index.html
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Araghci said that Iran respects the choice the American people made in the presidential election. "The American people have made their decision. And Iran respects their right to elect the President of their choice. The path forward is also a choice. It begins with respect," he said.
Araghchi also reiterated that Iran doesn’t seek nuclear weapons and signaled Iran is willing to talk with the US about its nuclear program.
"Iran is NOT after nuclear weapons, period. This is a policy based on Islamic teachings and our security calculations. Confidence-building is needed from both sides. It is not a one-way street," he said.
Also on Saturday, Javad Zarif, Iran’s vice president for strategic affairs, https://www.voanews.com/a/iran-urges-trump-to-change-maximum-pressure-policy/7858161.html
not to continue the "maximum pressure" policy against Iran. "Trump must show that he is not following the wrong policies of the past," said Zarif, a veteran diplomat who served as Iran’s foreign minister during Trump’s previous time in office.
The previous Trump administration’s "maximum pressure" policy against Iran involved withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal, imposing crippling economic sanctions, and assassinating Iranian Quds Force Commander Gen. Qasem Soleimani.
Republicans have accused President Biden of being soft on Iran, but he has essentially followed the same policies. The problem for the US is that Iran found oil markets in Asia that aren’t afraid of US sanctions, a result of the US sanctioning so many different countries.
This is a quote from one of the Iranian agents that the DOJ claims was recruited to lead an assassination plot against Trump https://t.co/icaKZ5hkVO
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) https://twitter.com/mtracey/status/1855682527756697724?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The Wall Street Journal https://archive.vn/iNBc0
that the next Trump administration is expected to "renew" the maximum pressure on Iran. Brian Hook, who oversaw Iran policy in the first Trump administration, is reportedly in charge of the transition for the State Department.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Tue, 11/12/2024 - 02:00
Trump's Election Victory Proves That The Hollywood Elite No Longer Matter
Trump's Election Victory Proves That The Hollywood Elite No Longer Matter
Kamala Harris is toast. The political spin has been crushed underfoot. The polls were wrong (again) and the presidential race wasn't even close. But Harris' defeat is only a symbol of something much bigger; the national repudiation of an elitist system that has long thrived on the public worship of false idols.
The narrative throughout the Joe Biden campaign was that the old ghoul was "sharp as a tack". That fantasy was quickly exposed to the masses in a single election debate. The Harris campaign narrative was that Democrats are the "party of joy", and they tried real hard to sell this illusion using a horde of celebrities and legacy media talking heads as a foil.
It's difficult to artificially generate joy. But beyond that, the era of the celebrity endorsement is long gone. Americans don't care anymore and this seems to be confounding the progressive media. According to them Harris ran a "flawless campaign". Joy Reid argued that with the number of celebrity endorsements Harris received her victory should have been assured.
JOY REID: Kamala Harris was a "historic, flawlessly run" campaign https://t.co/sJMhcfVYxO
— HOT SPOT (@HotSpotHotSpot) https://twitter.com/HotSpotHotSpot/status/1854052749916176891?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Kamala even had the cast of The Avengers on her side. The problem is that The Avengers and Harris never presented a valid economic policy plan, which is what the public really cares about.
THESE PEOPLE ARE OUT OF TOUCH WITH REALITY
The Avengers cast held a group call to encourage everyone to vote for Kamala Harris. https://t.co/l33Ij1R50k
— 🇺🇸Land Of ILLUSION🇺🇸 (@Landofillusion1) https://twitter.com/Landofillusion1/status/1852175533523513705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Though one could argue that the Trump campaign also highlighted their celebrity endorsements (or that Trump's TV stardom years ago is an example of celebrity power), the difference is that actors and pop stars were central to Kamala's presidential run while they were a side note for Trump. He didn't need Hollywood to rally for him.
There is an assumption by media pundits that movie star endorsements are somehow organic; but actors and singers can be bought. Rumors abound that both Biden and Harris were paying big money to https://apnews.com/article/biden-tiktok-influencers-white-house-6faa12d3e466124991f72fb547f4844c
in the early days of the election cycle and it's a fair bet that they were doing the same thing with celebrity mascots.
How much Harris campaign money was flowing into the pockets of these people? Recent reports indicate that the Biden/Harris camp generated double the amount of donations that Trump received, yet she spent so much bread her campaign is https://www.newsweek.com/kamala-harris-campaign-20m-debt-what-we-know-1981936
. If this is true then it highlights the incredible expense involved in creating fake joy, as well as the pointlessness of the Hollywood cult.
In other words, they can't buy hype anymore.
Cash might have been a big motivator for celebrities to jump on the Kamala bandwagon, but there's also the issue of impending investigations into Hollywood's degeneracy and pedophilia. With Trump in office there will be increasing public demands for the release of the Esptein client lists as well as the exposure of the alleged Sean 'Diddy' Combs tapes. Trump is likely to oblige.
Finally, the residents of Tinsel Town are notorious for living within a bubble of ideological delusion. It's true that decades ago celebrities had far more influence on the opinions of the general public, and perhaps they think they're still living in that "golden" era. It's simply not the case, as the latest election proves. The realization is hitting them like a ton of bricks.
TRUMP IS NOT A LEGITIMATE PRESIDENT. https://t.co/Vbwg1xKEeh
— jc ★ (@buttaflyku) https://twitter.com/buttaflyku/status/1854258473560641607?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Narcissists cannot handle the revelation that they are irrelevant, and so they quickly become unhinged.
Kathy Griffin isn’t coping well https://t.co/uICbCMWQ0k
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1854662293386039322?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The political left roots itself in the idea that they are the core of culture and they pride themselves on being the gatekeepers for what the public sees and hears. They have long sought to dominate popular media through subversion and they'll often brag about their success in infiltrating every corner of the entertainment industry. But does any of this matter anymore? Ricky Gervais answers this question in brilliant parody.
“Hey guys, I’m a celebrity, I know everything about stuff like Science & Politics - so trust me when I tell you who to vote for”
“If you don’t vote my way it’s like a hate crime, it makes me sad”
The ever Brilliant Ricky Gervais mocking the corrupt Hollywood Diddy Party… https://t.co/uXjJrTjw7G
— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) https://twitter.com/BGatesIsaPyscho/status/1852443333185913292?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The alternative media today is dominating the establishment media. Celebrities, once living behind a carefully crafted marketing image, are now exposed on social media as the dunces they really are. Trump's latest victory in the face of the La La Land army might just herald the total destruction of old Hollywood regime.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Sat, 11/09/2024 - 12:15
Visualizing The Cost Of 1 GB Of Mobile Data Worldwide
Visualizing The Cost Of 1 GB Of Mobile Data Worldwide
More than 66% of the global population now uses the internet, with the latest data putting the total number of users at 5.35 billion.
Meanwhile, the number of mobile phone users reached 5.6 billion at the start of 2024, representing 69.4% of the world’s population.
This graphic,https://www.visualcapitalist.com/the-cost-of-1-gb-of-mobile-data-worldwide
shows the average price of 1 gigabyte (GB) of mobile data (in USD) as of January 2024 across 52 countries.
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The data was compiled by https://wearesocial.com/ca-en/blog/2024/01/digital-2024/
.
Key Takeaways
Switzerland has the highest average price for 1 GB of mobile data at $7.29, followed by the United States at $6.00.
Country
Average Price for 1GB (USD)
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$7.29
🇺🇸 United States
$6.00
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$5.89
🇨🇦 Canada
$5.37
🇰🇷 South Korea
$5.01
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
$4.60
🇳🇴 Norway
$4.07
🇯🇵 Japan
$3.48
🇨🇿 Czechia
$3.12
🇬🇷 Greece
$2.79
🌍 Worldwide
$2.59
🇸🇪 Sweden
$2.33
🇧🇪 Belgium
$2.23
🇩🇪 Germany
$2.14
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1.80
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1.77
🇵🇹 Portugal
$1.71
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1.61
🇳🇱 Netherlands
$1.61
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1.49
🇭🇷 Croatia
$1.19
🇦🇷 Argentina
$0.98
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
$0.92
🇹🇼 Taiwan
$0.82
🇩🇰 Denmark
$0.69
🇪🇬 Egypt
$0.66
🇨🇱 Chile
$0.63
🇲🇦 Morocco
$0.63
🇸🇬 Singapore
$0.63
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$0.62
🇰🇪 Kenya
$0.59
🇵🇭 Philippines
$0.59
🇷🇴 Romania
$0.54
🇦🇹 Austria
$0.51
🇪🇸 Spain
$0.48
🇦🇺 Australia
$0.44
🇹🇷 Turkey
$0.41
🇹🇭 Thailand
$0.40
🇬🇭 Ghana
$0.40
🇧🇷 Brazil
$0.38
🇳🇬 Nigeria
$0.38
🇨🇳 China
$0.37
🇵🇱 Poland
$0.28
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$0.28
🇲🇾 Malaysia
$0.28
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$0.28
🇷🇺 Russia
$0.25
🇨🇴 Colombia
$0.20
🇫🇷 France
$0.16
🇮🇳 India
$0.09
🇮🇹 Italy
$0.09
🇮🇱 Israel
$0.02
India and Israel offer the most affordable mobile data, at $0.09 and $0.02 per GB, respectively. In Israel, where https://www.cable.co.uk/mobiles/worldwide-data-pricing/
of the population owns a smartphone, intense competition among providers has driven prices down. The country also has a smartphone market penetration rate higher than that of the United States. Similarly, in India, fierce competition is the primary factor keeping costs low.
The global average price for 1GB of mobile data is $2.59, with many countries in Europe and Africa offering prices below this average.
If you enjoyed this graphic, make sure to check out this https://www.voronoiapp.com/entertainment/Netflix-subscription-cost-around-the-world-403
of Netflix prices by country, showing how much a basic subscription package costs around the world.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Thu, 11/07/2024 - 04:15
https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/visualizing-cost-1-gb-mobile-data-worldwide
The Next Stage In Western Civilization Dawns
The Next Stage In Western Civilization Dawns
By Russell Clark of the https://www.russell-clark.com/p/the-next-stage-in-western-civilisation
substack
A lot to take in, and think about, but here are are collection of thoughts. It always seemed clear to me that whoever won, the US deficit was not going to shrink. With the US 30 year treasury yield spiking back to 4.6% the market knows this as well.
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Why investors have continued to be bullish on TLT remains a mystery to me. Shares outstanding in TLT US should really be falling, not rising, but old habits die hard I guess.
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The thing about the President Trump getting reelected and likely sweep by the Republicans is that America First is here to stay. In some ways, this moves US political practice is closer to US business practice. What I mean by that, is that rules are not so important - leverage and power is. If you want to have an independent policy from the US, then you need to have an independent military, and supply chain. Only two or three nations have this, Russia and China and possibly India, and are the only nations that can negotiate with US, mainly as they have an independent military base. The three countries that I have lived in, Australia, Japan and the UK, and now closer to vassal states, than truly independent nations. The UN is also largely redundant. We are back to Great Power political era.
The likely outcome of a Trump win, is the rise of strongmen politicians everywhere, and the remilitarisation of every corner of the globe. The EU needs a European army to remain relevant, but I suspect distrust runs to deep for that to be realistic. Ultimately, the reelection of Trump, signals the end of trade and trust led growth. It ends the era of all getting prosperous together. The market was already foreshadowing this with the dominance of US equities, and this seems likely to continue. The dominant trade of long S&P500 and short Treasuries, also looks likely to continue.
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The depressing thing about all of this, is that the countries that bet most heavily of the US remaining a leader of free trade and democracy, are likely to lose the most. Europe that had largely demilitarised after the horrors of two world wars, will be forced to remilitarise, and ponder whether this can be done without conflict. Japan, who has built its economic model around trade with the US, and was the original supporter of buying treasuries instead of gold, is seeing real wages decline, and its economy stagnate. I always found gold in yen terms, are fascinating chart - and its continued sell off points to collapsing relative wealth of the Japanese.
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Japan embraced the treasury over gold trade with gusto, accumulation all of its foreign reserves as US treasuries. While forward thinking at the time, it seems to be backward looking now.
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It is striking how the relative performance of gold versus treasuries has matched up with the % of gold in central bank reserves. For gold bugs out there - if we assume we go back to 40% holdings of foreign reserves, and the US tried to maintain nominal value in treasuries, then you get a price of US 10,000 for gold. The alternative is gold stays where it is, and you get 20% interest rates in the US.
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Where does it end? Well the US pursued a growth through trade policy, in the hopes that it would export democracy to the rest of the world, while also securing the leading position of the US. It is no coincidence that Trump and the Republican party have changed position when growth through trade looked to be strengthening rivals. The American public has chosen a different path. And US economic dominance in the early 20th century was built upon the destructive wars in Europe and Asia that hobbled rivals, while leaving the US unscathed. America first policies also includes others must fail politics.
The victory of Trump and Republicans also potentially is the next step on moving to a true digital world, that is distinct from the nation state world we live in today. American corporations control almost all the important aspects of the digital world - from optic fibre cables, to social media, to operating systems to payment systems. Large US corporates operate on purely global scale, that is at odds with the domestic focus of nation state. We have already seen that the nation state struggles to enforce its will against large US corporates, and with the reelection of Trump, tax rates will likely fall further. Elon Musk has already made the jump from businessman to politician (with control over SpaceX and Starlink making him the most powerful single person in military matters). The support of Bitcoin, which is outside of the control of the US government, also adds to the idea that we are moving to a new stage in Western civilisation, or returning to an age of Empire, with US tech company the digital world overlords. This would be similar to the arrangement between the UK government and the East India Company back in the day.
In the short term, the obvious trades will work. Long S&P 500, gold, bitcoin and short treasuries. In the longer term, I would bet on politics in the rest of the world turning more violent. Rule of law and free trade politicians are useless against a Trump administration. I see the return of the general-politician globally, and the end of the lawyer-politician. I think that is a shame - but if the most powerful nation wants it that way, then that’s the way its going to be.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Wed, 11/06/2024 - 12:45
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/next-stage-western-cilivization-dawns
If Trump Wins...
If Trump Wins...
https://brownstone.org/articles/if-trump-wins/
Trump enjoys the momentum.
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Four of the most recent major national polls show him up 2 to 3%, while Democratic-friendly outlets like the New York Times and CNN both show a TIE race in their final surveys.
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The 2016 and 2020 elections were razor close even though Clinton (5%) and Biden (8%) had solid polling leads at this point.
We need to contemplate a Trump win not only in the electoral college but also in the popular vote.
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Here are some thoughts:
JD Vance ascendant, obviously. Big implications for the Republican trajectory.
Will Trump replace Fed chairman Jay Powell? Or merely jawbone for a change in policy? In a new CNBC https://x.com/stealthqe4/status/1849421966517658008
, former Fed governor Kevin Warsh argues that the Fed has juiced both the stock market and inflation. Would reducing inflation, which Trump has promised, automatically therefore lead to a stock market correction and economic slowdown? Not necessarily. If Trump unleashes productive economic activity and Congress ends the fiscal blowout, the Fed could normalize monetary policy without causing a major economic slump.
Will Trump impose the broad and deep tariffs he proposed? Or will he mostly threaten them as a bargaining tool with China? I’m betting on some of the former but more of the latter. We notice, however, Trump allies are floating a trial balloon to replace income taxes with tariffs. As impractical and improbable as that may be, we’re glad to see the mention of radical tax reform reemerge after too long an absence from the national discussion.
How will he organize the “deportation” of illegal migrants? In the best case, it will be difficult. There will be scuffles and chases. Critics will charge the new Administration as cruel and worse. How much stomach will Republicans have for a messy process? One idea would be to offer a “reverse amnesty” – if you leave peacefully and agree not to return illegally, we will forgive your previous illegal entry(s) and minor violations. This would incentivize self-identification and quiet departure. Plus it would help authorities track those leaving. Would migrant departures truly hit the economy, as critics charge? We doubt large effects. Substantial native populations are still underemployed or absent from the workforce.
We should expect a major retrenchment of regulatory intrusions across the economy – from energy to crypto. Combined with recent Supreme Court action, such as the Chevron reversal, and assisted by the Elon Musk’s substance and narrative, it could be a regulatory renaissance. Extension of the 2017 tax cuts also becomes far more likely.
Trump has never worried much about debt, deficits, or spending. But he’s tapped Elon Musk as government efficiency czar. It’s an orthogonal approach to spending reform instead of the traditional (and unsuccessful) Paul Ryan playbook. Can this good cop-bad cop duo at the very least return out-of-control outlays to a pre-Covid path? Can they at least cancel purely kleptocratic programs, such as the $370-billion https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2024/10/22/overnight_success_bidens_climate_splurge_gives_billions_to_nonprofit_newbies_1066437.html
? Might they go even further – leveraging the unpopular spending explosion and resulting inflation to achieve more revolutionary effects on government spending and reach? Or will the powerful and perennial forces of government expansion win yet again, sustaining a one-way ratchet not even Elon can defeat?
What if the economy turns south? One catalyst might be the gigantic unrealized bond losses on bank balance sheets; another might be commercial real estate collapse. Although reported GDP growth has been okay, the inflation hangover is helping Trump win on the economy. But many believe the post-pandemic economic expansion is merely a sugar-high and has already lasted longer than expected. A downturn early in Trump’s term could complicate many of his plans.
How will NATO and its transatlantic network respond? Or more generally, what will the neocon and neoliberal hawks, concentrated in DC and the media, but little loved otherwise, do? Does https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/10/trump-authoritarian-rhetoric-hitler-mussolini/680296/
from Anne Applebaum — arguing Trump resembles Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin all rolled into one — portend continued all-out war on prudent foreign policy? Or will they adopt a more sophisticated approach? If the neocons move wholesale and formally (back) into the Democratic fold, how long will the coalition of wokes and militarists hold? On the economic front, Europe, already underperforming vis-a-vis the US, will fall even further behind without big changes. Reformers should gain at the expense of the transatlantic WEF-style bureaucrats.
Can Trump avoid another internal sabotage of his Administration? Before then, if the election results are tight, will the Democrats seek to complicate or even block his inauguration? Can he win approval for his appointees in the Senate? Can he clean house across the vast public agencies? How long will it take to recruit, train, and reinvigorate talented military leadership, which we chased away in recent years? And how will Trump counter – and avoid overreacting to – taunts, riots, unrest, and lawfare, designed to bolster the case he’s an authoritarian?
Will the Democrats reorient toward the center, a la Bill Clinton? Or will the blinding hatred of Trump fuel yet more radicalism? Orthodox political thinking suggests a moderation. Especially if Trump wins the popular vote, or comes close, pragmatic Democrats will counsel a reformation. James Carville, for example, already complains that his party careened recklessly away from male voters. And Trump’s apparent pickups among Black and Latino voters complicate the Democrats’ longstanding identity-focused strategy. Other incentives might push toward continued belligerence and extreme wokeness, however, and thus an intra-party war.
Will the half of the country which inexplicably retains any confidence in the legacy media at least begin rethinking its information diet and filters? Or has the infowarp inflicted permanent damage?
Will big business, which shifted hard toward Democrats over the last 15 years, recalibrate toward the GOP? Parts of Silicon Valley over the last year began a reorientation — e.g. Elon Musk, Marc Andreessen, David Sacks, and before them, Peter Thiel in 2016. But those are the entrepreneurs. In the receding past, businesses large and small generally lined up against government overreach. Then Big Business and Big Government merged. Now, a chief divide is between politically-enmeshed bureaucratic businesses and entrepreneurial ones. Does the GOP even want many of the big guys back? The GOP’s new alignment with “Little Tech” is an exciting development, especially after being shut out of Silicon Valley for the last two decades.
Industry winners: traditional energy, nuclear energy, Little Tech. Industry losers: Green Energy, Big Tech, Big Pharma, Big Food. Individual winners: X (nee Twitter), Elon Musk, RFK, Jr.
How will the Censorship Industrial Complex react? A Trump win will pose both a symbolic and operational blow to governmental, non-governmental, old media, and new media outlets determined to craft and control facts and narratives. It will complicate their mission, funding, and organizational web. Will they persist in their “mis/disinformation” framing and their badgering of old media and social media companies to moderate content aggressively? Or will they devise a new strategy? A.I. is pretty clearly the next frontier in the information wars. How will those who propagandize and rewire human minds attempt to program and prewire artificial ones?
How will Trump integrate RFK, Jr. and his movement? Will RFK, Jr. achieve real influence, especially on health issues? Big Pharma and Big Public Health will wage a holy war to block reforms in general and accountability for Covid mistakes in particular.
Trump has promised to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. On one hand, it should be easy. Despite what you hear from DC media and think tanks, Ukraine is losing badly. Hundreds of thousands are dead, and its military is depleted and faltering. Ukraine should want a deal quickly, before it loses yet more people and territory. Russia, meanwhile, always said it wants a deal, even before the war started, focusing on Ukrainian neutrality. Why Ukrainian neutrality should bother the US was always a mystery. And yet even critics of the West’s support for Ukraine, who want an agreement, think it will be difficult to achieve. The Western foreign policy establishment has invested too much credibility and emotion. It will charge “appeasement” and “betrayal” and make any deal difficult for Trump. Russia, meanwhile, has secured so much territory and now has Odessa and Kharkiv in its sights. Putin will not be eager to accept a deal he would have taken in 2021 or before. The far better path for all involved was a pre-war agreement, or the one negotiated but scuttled in April 2022.
What if A.I. launches a new productivity boom, enabled by an agenda of energy abundance, including a nuclear power revival? The economic tailwinds could remake politics even more than we currently see.
Can Trump, having run and won his last campaign, consolidate gains by reaching out and uniting the portions of the country willing to take an extended hand?
Republished from the author’s https://infonomena.substack.com/p/if-trump-wins
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Sat, 11/02/2024 - 22:10
The Golden Rule Is Real
The Golden Rule Is Real
https://dailyreckoning.com/the-golden-rule-is-real/
There’s so much to discuss right now, from the upcoming election to geopolitical instability. But today I want to talk about gold. I call it the once — and future — money.
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The use of gold as money existed from antiquity until gold backing broke down entirely in 1971. Still, central banks and finance ministries hold over 37,000 metric tonnes of gold in reserve.
Why? The answer is that gold is still at the base of global monetary systems. It’s simply the case that no government wants to admit this because the shortage of gold relative to bank notes would be exposed if they did.
But gold is coming to the fore of the monetary system again. Central banks are buying gold as fast as they can. Let’s look at some pertinent data before turning to the key geo-economic trends that will drive the dollar price of gold much higher in the near future.
The dollar price of gold today is $2,754 per ounce (subject to the usual daily fluctuations). As recently as Nov. 3, 2022, gold was $1,630. That’s a 69% gain in under two years. Gold was $1,375 per ounce in early June 2019.
That means the dollar price of gold has doubled in just over five years.
Most of the gains over that period have occurred in the past year. Gold was still $1,845 in October 2023. Whether we consider a multiyear trend or a more recent trend, gold has moved steadily higher with dramatic momentum lately.
There’s a simple but important bit of math behind these price moves that investors should understand. It’s the key to making huge profits in gold in the months ahead.
Investors tend to focus on the dollar price of gold and to analyze the price in round numbers. That makes sense.
If gold goes up $100 per ounce and you own 500 ounces, that’s a $50,000 profit. Another $100 per ounce gain means another $50,000 profit. That’s real money for you.
What investors may not realize at first is that each $100 gain (and $50,000 profit) is easier than the one before.
That’s because each gain is measured in constant $100 increments, but the measurement begins from a higher base. A constant dollar gain is a smaller percentage of an expanding base so it’s easier to achieve in percentage terms.
For example, if the price goes from $2,500 to $2,600 per ounce, that’s a 4% gain. But if the price goes from $2,900 to $3,000 per ounce (same $100 gain), that’s a 3.5% gain. Obviously, a 3.5% gain is easier to pick up than a 4.0% gain, but it’s the same $100 gain and $50,000 profit in your pocket.
This dynamic is even more dramatic if we look at $1,000 price increases. (That means $500,000 in profits if you own 500 ounces). When the price moves from $2,000 per ounce to $3,000 per ounce, that’s a 50% gain.
But when the price moves from $9,000 per ounce to $10,000, that’s only an 11% gain. Same $1,000 per ounce gain and same $500,000 in profit, but a much easier hurdle to move 11% compared with 50%.
The math is obvious, but the psychology is not. And investor psychology is the engine that will drive gold prices to much higher levels faster than most investors can imagine.
Below, I show you why gold is poised to blast off. Read on.
Gold Is on the Launchpad
The last time gold was taken seriously as a monetary asset was in the mid-1970s. The last time that retail investors had much appetite for gold investing was in the early 1980s. Gold hit $800 in January 1980. That was the all-time high at the time. Gold was flat to down from 1981–1999, hitting $250 per ounce in 1999 at the end of a 20-year bear market.
From there, gold reached a new high of $1,900 per ounce in August 2011, a 670% gain in 12 years. Then gold fell into a second bear market, falling $850 to $1,050 per ounce in December 2015. That was a 45% crash from the 2011 high.
If you treat the 1999 low of $250 per ounce as a baseline, the 2011–2015 crash was actually 51.5%: (850 / 1650 = 51.5%). That calculation is important. Jim Rogers, the greatest commodity trader of all time, told me that no commodity goes to the moon without a 50% correction along the way. Gold had its 50% correction in 2015. Now it’s off to the moon.
The point is that despite two bull markets (1971–1980 and 1999–2011) and two bear markets (1981–1999 and 2011–2015), gold investing never captured the popular imagination in the way that housing did in the early 2000s or that stocks have today.
Individual investors have been in and out of the market and investors from the early 2000s have done quite well. Hedge funds trade momentum but get out at the first speed bump. They don’t think of gold any differently than they do soybeans or oil. It’s just a trade.
The institutional investor footprint in the gold market is almost non-existent. From an investment perspective, gold has been an orphan asset with a few supporters but not many. That’s all about to change radically. Here’s why:
The first key to gold’s coming surge is the role of central banks. Retail and institutional investors may not be that interested in gold, but central banks definitely are. In recent years, central bank holdings of gold have surged from 33,000 metric tonnes to over 37,000 metric tonnes, a 12.0% gain measured by weight.
This increase has been heavily concentrated in two countries — Russia and China. Russian gold reserves have risen from 600 metric tonnes in 2008 to 2,335 metric tonnes today, a gain of 1,735 metric tonnes or nearly 200% from the 2008 base.
China also had about 600 metric tonnes in 2008 and today has 2,264 metric tonnes, a 275% gain. (There is good reason to conclude that China has undisclosed gold reserves, which would make those total and percentage gains ever higher).
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Source: TalkMarkets
The Big 10 holders of gold include the usual suspects — The U.S., Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland and Japan. But the list also includes some newcomers such as Russia, China and India.
Other important countries are vying for a place in the global gold club. In the second quarter of 2024 (most recent available data), Poland added 18.7 tonnes, India added 18.7 tonnes, Turkey added 14.7 tonnes, Uzbekistan added 7.5 tonnes and the Czech Republic added 5.89 tonnes.
Why the large gold holdings and why the rapid additions to gold reserves if gold is not a monetary asset? The question answers itself. Gold is a monetary asset.
Central bank net buying is equivalent to about 20% of annual gold mining output. That doesn’t indicate a gold shortage, but it does put a firm floor under the dollar price of gold. That creates what we call an asymmetric trade.
On the upside, the sky’s the limit, but on the downside, the central banks have your back to some extent because they will definitely buy the dips to increase their gold hoards. That’s the best type of trade to be in.
So the stage is set. The simple math of easier percentage gains for constant dollar gains is the dynamic that can set off a buying frenzy and lead to super-spikes in the dollar price of gold. Central bank buying causes a relentless increase in the dollar price of gold and offers limited downside because they will buy the dips. All that is needed to set off the super-spike is an unexpected development that is not already priced in.
Now we have it. The BRICS met in Kazan, Russian Federation last week. The BRICS have a rotating presidency and this year Putin is president of the BRICS. The world is waiting for the announcement of a new BRICS currency. That may come in time, but not yet. The new currency may be 10 years away.
What happened instead was that Putin and the BRICS announced a new blockchain-based digital ledger to record trade payments using existing currencies of the BRICS members. The significance of this system (tentatively named “BRICS Clear”) is that there are no dollars involved and the secure payment channels are relatively safe from U.S. and EU sanctions.
Russia will sell oil to China for rubles, Brazil will sell aircraft to China for reais and India will sell technology to China for rupees and so on. (Alternatively, any BRICS member can elect to take the currency of any other BRICS member, all to be recorded on BRICS Clear).
Payments can be settled on a net basis instead of a gross basis. This means, for example, that Russia and China can trade goods and record payments. There will be “due to” and “due from” on the ledgers.
Those can be netted out with only the net amount changing hands. And this does not have to be done in real-time; it can be done monthly or quarterly. This greatly reduces the amount of payments and message traffic.
The central bank or commercial banks in each country can provide payments to local sellers in local currency while recording a due from the BRICS Clear ledger on its books.
That system can work well, but it leaves two issues unresolved compared to a single currency system. The first is stability in exchange rates while balances are left unsettled. The second is the overaccumulation of a certain currency by one party that may have limited use for that currency.
If you don’t want to take exchange rate risk, you can take your counterparty currency balances and buy gold. And if you have too much of a certain currency standing on your accounts, you can reduce the balance by buying gold.
The implications of this have not yet sunk into market pricing. It’s tantamount to an informal gold standard without fixed exchange rates. It relies on market forces (mostly denominated in U.S. dollars for now) and does not rely on huge hoards of freely convertible gold in central banks.
Still, it works. It positions gold as an anchor in a new international monetary system without the strictures of the classical gold standard.
The picture is now complete. Gold is on an upward path driven by central bank buying. Gold is poised to go much higher because the BRICS will use physical gold as their anchor instead of U.S. dollars. And investor psychology will cause a super-spike once the big dollar gains become a daily occurrence.
It’s a powder keg and the BRICS have just struck a match. The smartest move for everyday investors is to buy gold now before the fun really begins.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Wed, 10/30/2024 - 07:45
Megyn Kelly Eviscerates Michelle Obama Over "Whining" Speech "Ripping On The Country"
Megyn Kelly Eviscerates Michelle Obama Over "Whining" Speech "Ripping On The Country"
SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly blasted multi-millionaire Michelle Obama for making a speech that yet again complained about how racist and sexist the US is.
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Obama made the speech at Kamala Harris’ rally Saturday, also bashing men in the process.
Having realized that their candidate is horrible, Michelle Obama has decided that the best strategy is to suggest that Americans are racist and sexist for not supporting Kamala Harris.
This is what a losing campaign looks like.https://t.co/7SpQJ8wPjT
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1850305572773703944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
She also complained that people expect a presidential candidate to be articulate and intelligent.
Michelle Obama thinks voters are low IQ and stupid, and why should they expect Kamala to be "intelligent and articulate, and to have a clear set of policies."
Can the bar be ANY lower? https://t.co/WXPVtGkk1m
— Sara Rose 🇺🇸🌹 (@saras76) https://twitter.com/saras76/status/1850291332738097317?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
She asked why Harris is being held to a high standard, despite the fact that she’s been Vice President for almost four years.
M. Obama mocks voters who are wary of Kamala's lack of policy details and knowledge:
"Can someone tell me why we are once again holding Kamala to a higher standard than her opponent?"
Kamala is the sitting Vice President of the United States... https://t.co/RNtx6bb0nN
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1850286476103205291?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
You get the gist.
Kelly was having none of it and tore Mrs Obama to pieces.
“The Democrats were on bended knee with two dozen red roses begging Michelle Obama to run, especially when Joe Biden started to implode,” Kelly said, adding “They would have done anything to sub her in… I’m so sick and tired of Michelle Obama whining about how racist and sexist America is.”
“We made her rich, famous and beloved beyond any measure,” she urged.
“Everything she has is due to this country — her Martha’s Vineyard estate, her Chicago estate, her Washington, D.C., estate, her Hawaii estate and her trips on the David Geffen yacht. I am sick and tired of her complaining about us. It’s like Oprah. Just shut up!” the host declared.
“All of your gifts are due to us. All we want to hear you say is thank you. That’s it. That’s what we want to hear you say. Stop ripping on the country,” Kelly added.
Watch:
Kelly followed up with two more jabs.
The Dems kept the Obamas in reserve until now & their big plan now that they’re out there appears to be to shame ppl planning to vote in their own self-interest rather than to support the life choices of these yacht-loving, celeb-glomming, bored multi-millionaires. https://t.co/nKvShQCaNe
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) https://twitter.com/megynkelly/status/1850348945236537707?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Expecting Kamala to “dazzle” us? What we want is for her to spit out two coherent sentences that reflect ANY evidence - any at all - of a deep thinking, considered, authentic person. https://t.co/l4HoPKOQ3l
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) https://twitter.com/megynkelly/status/1850296824826839403?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
She’s right, every time the likes of Michelle Obama speak, it alienates every day Americans.
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Tue, 10/29/2024 - 16:20
Who Is Actually Running The Country?
Who Is Actually Running The Country?
Members of both American political parties and other concerned https://www.spiked-online.com/2024/09/13/who-is-running-america-right-now/
for a while now, "Who's actually running the country?"
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https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21040/who-is-running-the-country
says some answers include:
on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert:
"People would ask me, knowing what you know now, do you wish you had a third term? And I used to say, "You know what? If I could make an arrangement where I had a stand-in, a front man or front woman, and they had an earpiece in, and I was just in my basement in my sweats looking through the stuff, and then I could sort of deliver the lines, but somebody else was doing all the talking and ceremony, I'd be fine with that."
:
"Obama take his marching orders from George Soros."
, about whom Root wrote:
"[T]he real power behind the throne. The boss of bosses. The capo di tutti. China and the Chinese Communist Party. Everyone is taking orders from China and the CCP. China bribes all the politicians in America and around the world with billions in offshore bank accounts. China owns Biden and his family. China owns virtually the entire leadership of the Democratic Party -- and quite a few establishment RINO Republicans, too.... It's easy to see China is the top dog. You'd have to be blind, deaf or really dumb to not see that. Everything happening ... just happens to weaken and divide America while benefiting China."
And of course Jill Biden, who was recently asked by the president to https://hotair.com/jazz-shaw/2024/09/21/jill-biden-chairs-cabinet-meeting-whats-going-on-n3794808#google_vignette
a Cabinet meeting.
More often, it seems, it is a cadre of unelected bureaucrats – a faceless politburo – who uphold the law or not, according to political expediency or whim.
American author and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/presidential/3094217/ramaswamy-gop-competing-against-machine/
this group "a machine."
Are "open borders" legal or not? Are immigration laws being violated or not? Are illegal aliens, then, legal or not? Are prosecutions of presidential candidates within a month of a presidential election "election interference" or not? Were the deliberate lies of former US intelligence officials to the US public about the authenticity of Hunter Biden's laptop actionable "election interference" or not?
What we should probably be asking, as we head to November, is: "Do we really want to go on living like that?"
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Tue, 10/29/2024 - 06:55
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/who-actually-running-country
Hand Grenade Attacks In Sweden Have More Than Doubled In 2024
Hand Grenade Attacks In Sweden Have More Than Doubled In 2024
https://rmx.news/article/sweden-hand-grenade-attacks-have-more-than-doubled-in-2024/
Sweden is witnessing an alarming rise in the use of hand grenades by criminal gangs, with the number of explosions more than doubling in 2024 compared to last year. By mid-October, there had been 22 recorded grenade attacks, up from nine in 2023, according to figures from the Police National Bomb Data Centre.
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The Swedish Customs Administration has also reported a spike in the number of hand grenades seized at the border — 30 so far this year, compared to zero last year.
Officials say gangs have turned to grenades as an alternative to stolen commercial explosives, which have become harder to obtain.
“A hand grenade is already ready in its construction. It does not need to be manufactured but comes complete,” explained Malin Nygren, head of the National Bomb Data Centre, highlighting the ease of use for criminals seeking to cause explosions.
Customs authorities are seeing hand grenades become a significant contraband item, a shift from previous years. “In the past, hand grenades have been a completely non-existent contraband item from our perspective,” said Stefan Granath, deputy head of control at the Swedish Customs Administration.
This uptick in grenade use reflects broader concerns about rising gang violence across Sweden. Violence involving explosives, once rare, has become an increasing threat, with attacks regularly targeting residential areas and public spaces as migrant gangs conduct turf wars in the suburbs of the Scandinavian country’s major cities.
Hand grenades have been used by criminal networks to settle disputes, intimidate rivals, or retaliate against authorities. Earlier this year, in one of the most notable incidents, a hand grenade exploded outside a residential building in Uppsala, damaging cars and windows. Fortunately, no one was injured, but the incident raised concerns about public safety.
Authorities are now focused on preventing these weapons from entering the country.
While efforts to crack down on explosive materials like dynamite have been effective, criminals have turned to simpler and more accessible weapons like hand grenades, often smuggled in from the Balkans, where they are more readily available.
Last year, Ardavan Khoshnood, a guest lecturer at Malmö University and senior fellow at Lund University, https://rmx.news/crime/only-mexico-surpasses-sweden-as-non-warring-nation-with-more-bombings/
and was second only to Mexico as the top country in the world not currently at war to experience the most bombings on its territory.
Earlier this month, https://rmx.news/article/sweden-teen-arrested-for-gang-like-assassination-of-man-in-his-50s-in-suspected-case-of-mistaken-identity/
in what police believed to be a case of mistaken identity amid escalating gang warfare.
Several hand grenades were also found at the scene and the suspect’s residence.
https://rmx.news/article/sweden-hand-grenade-attacks-have-more-than-doubled-in-2024/
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Fri, 10/25/2024 - 03:30
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/hand-grenade-attacks-sweden-have-more-doubled-2024
Turkey Bombs US Proxies In Northeast Syria Following Ankara Terror Attack
Turkey Bombs US Proxies In Northeast Syria Following Ankara Terror Attack
Turkey https://www.ft.com/content/87c73485-3505-42cf-9b2c-2d29c7744701
several airstrikes and artillery shelling across US-controlled north and east Syria late on Wednesday, targeting positions held by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The attacks targeted several villages and sites in the Syrian provinces of Aleppo, Raqqa, and Hasakah. One of the attacks hit an SDF military outpost in the countryside of the city of Al-Malikiyah, at the Syrian–Turkish–Iraqi tri-border region. Turkish artillery also hit SDF sites in the village of Umm al-Kaif in the countryside of the town of Tal Tamr, northwest of Hasakah.
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, Turkish artillery shelling hit the villages of Al-Sayyada, Aoun Al-Dadat, Al-Tukhar, and Al-Daraj.
On Thursday, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) https://www.syriahr.com/en/347305/
that the attacks killed at least "27 members of military formations operating in SDF-controlled areas," three soldiers from the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), and at least four civilians.
For its part, Turkiye's Ministry of National Defense said 32 targets in Syria and Iraq were "destroyed" in the aerial offensive without providing details on the locations that were hit. Officials added that "all kinds of precautions" were taken to prevent harm to civilians.
The intense attacks were launched hours after https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/23/europe/turkey-ankara-aerospace-attack-intl/index.html
set off explosives and opened fire at the headquarters of the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) in Ankara, which designs, manufactures, and assembles civilian and military aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and other defense industry and space systems.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya and Defense Minister Yasar Guler accused the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) of being behind the attack.
"We give these PKK scoundrels the punishment they deserve every time. But they never come to their senses," Guler said. "We will pursue them until the last terrorist is eliminated."
At least five people were killed and 22 injured in the Ankara attack. Two attackers – a man and a woman – were also killed.
Terrorist attack in Ankara Turkiye, numerous dead and injured.
At least one female attacker, amongst several carrying automatic weapons, struck a military aerospace company. https://t.co/ykAJgEpTrk
— Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) https://twitter.com/BowesChay/status/1849113174714294447?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Turkey regularly conducts air strikes against the PKK in Iraq and against the SDF in Syria. In 2014, the US military began partnering with the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), an offshoot of the PKK. The YPG later changed its name to the SDF.
Together, the US and its Kurdish proxies occupy Syria’s northeast, including Hasakah, Raqqa, and parts of Deir Ezzor, denying Syria access to its oil resources and wheat-producing agricultural land.
Wednesday's attack in Ankara came as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in the Russian city of Kazan to attend the annual https://thecradle.co/articles/brics-nations-make-urgent-call-for-palestinian-statehood-gaza-ceasefire
. He condemned the "hateful attack" alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Fri, 10/25/2024 - 02:00
Putin Warns Against 'Illusory' Attempts To Defeat Russia & America's 'Big Mistake' Of Weaponizing Dollar
Putin Warns Against 'Illusory' Attempts To Defeat Russia & America's 'Big Mistake' Of Weaponizing Dollar
On the final day of the BRICS summit hosted in the Russian city of Kazan, President Vladimir Putin warned that efforts to defeat Russia on the battlefield are "illusory".
Moscow's adversaries "do not conceal their aim to deal our country a strategic defeat," Putin https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/10/24/putin-warns-against-illusory-attempts-to-defeat-russia-a86795
the summit. "I will say directly that these are illusory calculations, that can be made only by those who do not know Russia's history."
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He described that the Ukraine conflict has essentially become a proxy war, as "Ukraine is being exploited to create critical threats to Russia’s security at the expense of its vital interests."
He also https://tass.com/world/1861465
the West is "ignoring... legitimate concerns and violating the rights of Russian-speaking individuals" - in reference especially to the Russian-speaking Donbass region in the East, which Moscow forces have been solidifying control over.
He also addressed the creation of a stable and fair Eurasian security order, through alliances like BRICS. "The idea is that by joining efforts, we can reliably guarantee genuine stability and create conditions for the peaceful development of all states and peoples on the continent," Putin stated.
Turning to the Gaza crisis, he stressed that though Russia stands against terrorism, the region is "on the brink of full-scale war." He argued that the establishment of an independent Palestine in some form is vital. "Addressing the historical injustice towards the Palestinian people could guarantee peace in the Middle East," Putin said.
The BRICS family photo has expanded from year to year, reflecting the admission of new members:
BRICS+ participants take family photo at summit in Kazan https://t.co/1kbs4o4Jeo
— RT (@RT_com) https://twitter.com/RT_com/status/1849362887531196874?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
He hit upon the familiar them of multipolarity in world affairs, and condemned forces that seek to "dominate everything and everyone." Of the Western drive to control the world, he described in the Thursday address that "As a result, regional and global strategic stability is eroded, violating the principles of equal and indivisible security and triggering transnational and internal conflicts."
And on Washington's "big mistake" of 'weaponizing' the dollar, he https://www.rt.com/news/606348-putin-dollar-political-gain/
: "The dollar remains the most important instrument of world finance and using it as a means of achieving political goals undermines confidence in this currency and reduces its capabilities." He explained that Russia is not trying to drop the dollar, but is actually "prevented from working with it" - and so "Then we are forced to look for other alternatives, which is what is happening."
Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro had some fiery words related to wars in the Middle East, and called out Israel...
🇻🇪 President Maduro at BRICS: "Every time a high-precision missile falls on an apartment building in Gaza, Beirut, or the South of Lebanon, killing men, women and children, it sets fire and destruction to the United Nations system... A new world is possible." https://t.co/0eRipWTdLP
— COMBATE |🇵🇷 (@upholdreality) https://twitter.com/upholdreality/status/1849402157713203650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
China's President Xi Jinping in addressing the forum said BRICS could be a "stabilizing force for peace." On the Middle East, he said "We need to continue to push for a ceasefire in Gaza, relaunch the two-state solution and stop the spread of war in Lebanon."
Xi added: "There should be no more suffering and destruction in Palestine and Lebanon."
Xi and Putin shared a very lively private chat, and have been frequently seen together at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia:
Mystery sealed with a handshake: Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping engage in a lively private chat at the BRICS summit
What were they talking about? 🤔 https://t.co/JciMrWgFnl
— RT (@RT_com) https://twitter.com/RT_com/status/1849397102431846426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
During the summit, the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine didn't got without criticism. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is later expected to meet one-on-one with President Putin, described that the full-scale invasion sets a "dangerous precedent" for the world.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Thu, 10/24/2024 - 17:20
Seven Israelis Accused Of Giving Info To Iran On Targeted IDF Bases
Seven Israelis Accused Of Giving Info To Iran On Targeted IDF Bases
In an unexpected and somewhat bizarre new development out of Israel, government authorities say they've busted up a significant spy network, arresting seven Israeli citizens for gathering information on behalf of Iranian intelligence.
Israel's internal security agency Shin Bet announced Monday that it "successfully dismantled a spy network involving seven Israeli citizens who were operating on behalf of Iranian intelligence."
The detained have been identified as Jewish residents of Haifa and the north, even including an IDF soldier who had deserted the military. They have been named in Israeli press reports as Azis Nisanov, Alexander Sadykov, Vyacheslav Gushchin, Yevgeny Yoffe and Yigal Nissan - with the other two names not disclosed as they have been deemed minors.
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Shin Bet has said the group conducted hundreds of small operations on behalf of Tehran, mostly focused on photographing and monitoring sensitive military sites, even the locations of where Iron Dome battery sites are positioned.
They reportedly spied on Kirya defense headquarters in Tel Aviv and the Nevatim and Ramat David air bases, along with other bases of the Israel Defense Forces.
Some of these very sites were targeted by Iran's Oct.1st ballistic missile attack, or else they have also been targeted by Hezbollah rockets from the north.
The tasks also allegedly involved the exchange of maps with their Iranian handlers, detailing locations of military sites. It is being called one of the "most serious cases" of Iran-related spying in memory.
"In return for their actions, the suspects were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars, some of it in cryptocurrency, investigators say," https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-october-21-2024/
writes. The report notes further that "all of them have carried out espionage activities since the start of the war."
One of the locations that the group of alleged spies are believed to have passed information to the Iranians on is Golani Brigade training base, which just last week https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2024-10-14/ty-article/.premium/idf-website-reveals-details-of-golani-brigade-base-struck-by-hezbollah-drone/00000192-8b2b-d569-a3be-dfaf98550000
by a Hezbollah drone. Four soldiers died and dozens were injured when a kamikaze drone slammed into a crowded mess hall as troops were dining.
In recent years there have been multiple examples of Israeli intelligence operations on Iranian soil, either for assassinations or nuclear sabotage actions, but much more rare is to hear about Iranian intelligence operations conducted inside Israel.
Meanwhile, the US is scrambling to figure out the source of a recent leak of highly classified intelligence documents related to Israel's preparations to attack Iran...
BREAKING: U.S. officials are investigating the apparent leak of two top-secret U.S. documents that show American spy agencies tracking possible Israeli preparations for conducting an attack on Iran, U.S. officials say. https://t.co/EzuNVZi33S
— Breaking News (@BreakingNews) https://twitter.com/BreakingNews/status/1848059639486718284?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Just last month there was a prior major https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/israeli-jew-recruited-iranian-intelligence-assassinate-netanyahu
73-year-old Moti Maman from Ashkelon as being an Iranian intelligence asset. He reportedly expressed willingness to conduct an assassination campaign inside Israel at the behest of his Iranian handlers.
An Israeli Jew, Maman was accused of agreeing to receive one million dollars in total from Iranian intelligence if assassinations of some top Israeli officials were carried out. He's described as having used frequent trips as a businessman in Turkey and in the region as cover.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Mon, 10/21/2024 - 14:45
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/seven-israelis-accused-giving-info-iran-targeted-idf-bases
In Search Of Accountability For Anti-Trump Hoaxes
In Search Of Accountability For Anti-Trump Hoaxes
https://truthovernews.org/p/in-search-of-accountability-for-anti
,
It may be premature to start contemplating the implications of a potential Trump victory on November 5. Unfortunately, for certain issues, it may already be too late. This is because time is of the essence when it comes to holding individuals accountable for the numerous frauds and acts of treachery that characterized much of President Trump’s first four years in office.
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More specifically, federal law has a five-year statute of limitations, preventing prosecution for actions committed more than five years ago. However, urgent accountability is needed to ensure that those who defrauded the American public in their pursuit of Trump do not escape punishment.
Democrats and their allies are acutely aware of the five-year time limit. This is evident in their swift action to https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/social-media-influencer-charged-election-interference-stemming-voter-disinformation-campaign
Twitter user Douglas Mackey for creating a meme in 2016 that jokingly encouraged Hillary Clinton voters to text in their votes. As the statute of limitations on Mackey's “crimes” was set to lapse in 2021, Democrats, aided by “Republican” appointee Seth DuCharme, were locked and loaded to file charges as soon as Biden assumed the presidency.
Republicans would do well do follow this example, albeit for actual crimes. Accountability is needed in order to prevent renewed and repeated treachery.
We have examined aspects of three separate scams that may still fall within the five-year statute of limitations period by the time Trump assumes office on January 20, 2025, should he win the election.
Russiagate
The first area we examined is Russiagate, which, given that it is now almost nine years old, presents unique challenges in terms of holding anyone accountable. Russiagate originated as a Clinton campaign operation in early 2016. Of course, a dirty tricks campaign is not a crime in itself. Even lying to the media, as the Clinton campaign did repeatedly in its attempts to smear Trump as a Russian agent, is not a crime.
Instead, our focus is on government actors. The first documented instance of government actors co-opting the Russiagate narrative occurred when the FBI received the fraudulent Steele dossier on July 5, 2016. This was soon followed by various other actions, such as opening the sham Crossfire Hurricane investigation and spying on several members of the Trump campaign team. However, all these actions are now over eight years old and fall outside the statute of limitations. Unfortunately, even the most egregious aspect of the Russiagate hoax—the fraudulenthttps://www.dni.gov/files/documents/ICA_2017_01.pdf
that President Obama used to undermine the incoming Trump administration—also falls outside the statute of limitations. Subsequent actions involving corrupt FBI officials, such as Peter Strzok, James Comey, and Andrew McCabe, likewise fall outside the statute of limitations. In fact, all these individuals were fired more than five years ago.
However, there is one aspect of Russiagate that does not fall outside the five-year period: Igor Danchenko, the alleged primary source of the Steele dossier, who was identified by a group of Twitter users in July 2020. This means that the FBI’s actions concerning Danchenko—such as concealing his existence from congressional and other investigations, as well as hiding the fact that he had disavowed the fraudulent Steele dossier—may still fall within the statute of limitations.
Now, some may argue that Danchenko has already been prosecuted by Special Counsel John Durham in a case that suffered from numerous defects. While this is true, unlike Durham, we are not focusing on private individuals but rather on those within the government who undermined Trump. Incidentally, this was originally supposed to be Durham’s task, however, he inexplicably abandoned it.
There remains a possibility of pursuing corrupt FBI officials regarding any actions they may have taken with respect to concealing facts in connection with Danchenko. Put another way, Danchenko must be the focal point, as he was still being concealed by the FBI during the first half of 2020, a period for which the five-year statute of limitations has not yet expired.
Holding officials accountable for their actions regarding Danchenko is, of course, small potatoes in the broader context of Russiagate. This failure is largely attributable to Trump's hopeless first Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, as well as the scheming of his second Attorney General, Bill Barr. However, lamenting over past mistakes serves no purpose. If the goal is to salvage as much as possible, and if FBI officials can be held accountable, even at this late stage, it would at least offer a small consolation on which to conclude the entire Russiagate affair.
If this were to happen, it would need to happen very swiftly. On his first day in office, Trump would need to assign a team to sift through all records related to Danchenko in search of instances in 2020 where officials covered up matters pertaining to Danchenko and his Russiagate confessions.
Ukraine Impeachment Hoax
It is not coincidental that Trump's first impeachment, on charges of allegedly failing to send weapons to Ukraine, began one day after Robert Mueller testified before Congress that there was no Russian collusion. One hoax simply replaced another.
On July 25, 2019, Trump had his infamous conversation with Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky. The overarching premise of the impeachment scheme was to accuse Trump of withholding military aid to Ukraine, despite the fact that he had not done so. This allegation stemmed from a distorted interpretation of Trump’s phone call with Zelensky. It was claimed that Trump had offered a quid pro quo, suggesting that Zelensky investigate alleged corruption involving the Biden family in exchange for military assistance. However, when thehttps://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/6429028/Trump-Ukraine-Transcript-Unclassified-09-2019.pdf
of the phone call was released in September 2019, it became clear that this characterization was false. Nevertheless, by that time, the impeachment narrative against Trump was already in full swing, and neither the Democrats nor the media were deterred by the truth.
The Ukraine impeachment saga involved numerous individuals who testified before Congress, many of whom misrepresented the truth about Trump and about Biden corruption. At this point, it may be worth noting that lying in an official capacity within the jurisdiction of the government can include telling half-truths or concealing the truth. Some individuals who testified during the 2019 impeachment hearings, including Obama’s energy czar, Amos Hochstein, were well aware of the problem of Biden corruption in Ukraine. Did they report this to the impeachment inquiry? Geoffrey Pyatt, the Ambassador in Kyiv, assisted inhttps://x.com/HansMahncke/status/1689319512296890402
that Hunter Biden’s firm, Burisma, had bribed the Ukrainian prosecutor's office. Why was this information withheld from the inquiry?
We could delve deeper into this, but all of this transpired in 2019, and by the time we reach January 2025, the lies told—and truths concealed—during the impeachment investigation will fall outside the statute of limitations. Therefore, there is only a very narrow window that remains open, specifically regarding Trump’s Senate trial which took place from January 16 to February 5, 2020. (As a side note, it is more than ironic that while all this was occurring, another faction of the anti-Trump coalition, specifically bureaucrats led by Anthony Fauci, were concealing the fact that a deadly virus had been released from a laboratory.)
Thus, if there were to be any accountability for the Ukraine impeachment, it would likely need to focus on the events surrounding the impeachment trial. However, there are two major problems. First, the timeline is very tight. The first part of the Senate trial would already fall outside the five-year limitation period by the time Trump potentially assumes office. Second, and more importantly, the Senate ultimately decided not to call any witnesses. Lindsey Graham, apparently unironically,https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/479779-lindsey-graham-will-oppose-subpoena-of-hunter-biden/
that calling witnesses, such as Hunter Biden, would interfere with the 2020 election. Had witnesses been called, we would have gotten to the truth much sooner, and there would also now be a much greater opportunity to hold individuals accountable.
This leaves us with only a slim opportunity to pursue individuals for any actions they took after the impeachment trial. We would no longer be examining the lies themselves, but rather the efforts to conceal those lies afterward. In other words, actions taken to cover up the truth, even after Trump’s Senate trial concluded, would reset the statute of limitations, allowing for the prosecution of those involved. For instance, did anyone within the government work to conceal the truth about what Pyatt and Kent knew regarding Burisma? Were Freedom of Information (FOIA) efforts obstructed? We do not know the answers, but this is where our focus would be directed.
In sum, among all the hoaxes perpetrated against Trump, given the numerous limitations and obstacles, this is likely the one with the least prospect of holding anyone accountable at this stage.
Covid Origin Cover Up
Third, there is the Covid cover-up. No one has been held accountable for the Covid response, or for concealing the origin of the virus, despite 20 million deaths and at least $30 trillion in damages. In fact, there hasn’t even been any investigation or commission examining what went wrong, which seems very surprising given the immense human and financial toll incurred. A commission of inquiry can, of course, be established at any time. For all we know, this could occur 100 years from now. However, regarding actual legal liability, the five-year rule applies. Given that most of the events unfolded in 2020, there is only a very small window of opportunity to hold individuals accountable. However, unlike in the other two hoaxes, there is still time.
What would accountability look like? Who would be held accountable, and for what? It could be argued that decisions made by the government—such as unlawful mandates, lockdowns, and people being fired for refusing the “vaccine”—should not be subject to criminal penalties, given the novelty of the virus and the likely justification that officials were doing their best under the circumstances. While we do not agree with such excuses, they are likely to carry some weight in any legal proceeding and the prospect of holding officials accountable for the Covid response is extremely slim.
Another factor contributing to this conclusion is that politicians and public health officials were significantly misled by a small group of corrupt individuals led by Anthony Fauci. While this does not excuse violations of civil liberties, those who implemented mitigation measures—such as isolation, social distancing, contact tracing, shutting of businesses, and similar strategies—might argue that these approaches had been effective against previous viruses. This is the crux of the matter. Although mitigation measures may have arguably had some effect in the past, they were never going to be effective against Covid, a virus that had been engineered in a laboratory to infect human cells and facilitate human-to-human transmission. This fundamentally altered the entire landscape of the response. While the original SARS virus was poorly adapted for human transmission—resulting in only 774 deaths worldwide, with no fatalities in the United States—Covid was doing the exact opposite. (The majority of deaths during the 1918-1919 influenza pandemichttps://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/bacterial-pneumonia-caused-most-deaths-1918-influenza-pandemic
by secondary bacterial infections, for which there was no effective treatment at the time, rather than directly from the influenza virus.)
Thus, Covid mitigation measures were entirely ineffective from the outset, a fact of which Fauci was well aware. The damage and human suffering caused by these ineffective countermeasures are incalculable, and it all transpired because Fauci and a small group of U.S. government officials concealed the true nature of Covid. Had this not occurred, the country could have been spared lockdowns and numerous other injustices. At worst, the Swedish model would have been adopted, allowing schools and businesses to remain open. Furthermore, Trump could not have been blamed for a poor response to the virus if the public had understood that it was destined to spread through the population. He would most likely have been easily re-elected.
Fauci’s lies altered the course of history. Therefore, we argue that the most appropriate and effective means of ensuring accountability for Covid is to pursue Fauci and his group of collaborators. To clarify, we are not addressing Fauci’s involvement in the creation of the virus at the Wuhan lab; that is a separate and legally distinct matter. Currently, our focus is solely on Fauci's efforts to conceal the origin of the virus, actions that have caused immense harm.
Specifically, Fauci ought to be held accountable for concealing the truth from President Trump and from the Coronavirus Taskforce, to which he was appointed on January 29, 2020.
Two days earlier, on January 27, Fauci’s office receivedhttps://x.com/HansMahncke/status/1726670588767576236/photo/1
from Peter Daszak, the man through whom Fauci was funding the Wuhan lab. The email’s subject line was “Wuhan novel coronavirus – NIAIDs role in bat-origin CoVs.”
The body of Daszak’s email provided Fauci with talking points to deflect attention from Fauci’s collaboration with the Wuhan lab. At the time of Daszak’s warning, there had not been any public reporting of the link between Fauci and the Wuhan lab.
On January 31, Fauci
?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024
by a group of virologists that the Covid virus looked like it had been engineered in a lab. However, instead of reporting this information to President Trump and the Covid Task Force, Fauci initiated a cover-up. One of his actions to maintain this cover-up involved persuading the scientists who had discovered evidence of engineering—and who relied on funding from Fauci’s NIAID—to write a paper dismissing any theories regarding a laboratory origin. They complied, with Fauci overseeing the process.
Fauci had a responsibility to inform the Task Force of his knowledge regarding the virus. Instead, he misled the Task Force and concealed critical information, fostering a deceptive narrative about the virus's natural origin and falsely assuring President Trump that the virus posed no threat to the United States.
On February 3, when Kelvin Droegemeier, the White House Director of Science and Technology Policy,https://www.nationalacademies.org/documents/link/LD006CF17B5004C7B41F63CD7E0A0F4EDF738C451F32/file/D20D1390AB906330493E8A40B27E965A6761F4117EA2?dRevLabel=1&allowInterrupt=1
regarding the origins of the pandemic, Fauci and his hand-picked team of scientists responded by pushing the fraudulent natural origin narrative. This, too, constitutes concealment of material facts.
On April 17, while standing at the White House podium alongside Trump, Faucihttps://x.com/HansMahncke/status/1658318692222992387
the fraudulent paper which he had commissioned as irrefutable evidence that the virus originated in nature. Fauci did not disclose his involvement in the creation of the paper. Astonishingly, he even asserted that he was unaware of the authors, despite the fact that he both knew and funded them.
Fauci's statements on April 17 provide clear evidence of guilt and of a cover-up. Furthermore, since his actions will not lapse until April 16, 2025, there is time to hold him and his collaborators accountable for them.
Unlike the Russiagate scam and the Ukraine impeachment hoax, the cover-up surrounding the origins of Covid presents the most viable avenue for holding government officials accountable for their treachery, and for ruining Trump's first term. However, the window of opportunity for accountability is quite narrow and will necessitate prompt action if and when Trump assumes office.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Sun, 10/20/2024 - 10:30
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/search-accountability-anti-trump-hoaxes
After DEI Disaster, John Deere Announces More Layoffs Amid Worsening Farm Slump
After DEI Disaster, John Deere Announces More Layoffs Amid Worsening Farm Slump
Illinois-based John Deere said a deepening farm slump has led to a drop in demand for its agricultural equipment, triggering a new round of layoffs across multiple US-based tractor factories. This also comes as Deere pulled back on disastours diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives following conservative https://www.zerohedge.com/political/he-did-it-again-robby-starbucks-anti-woke-crusade-results-deere-pulling-back-dei-policies
.
Local media outlet https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/business/2024/10/16/john-deere-layoffs-announced-in-quad-cities-davenport-iowa-ag-economy/75706525007/
reported a new round of layoffs will total about 287 workers from two Deere factories.
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Deere executives were kind enough not to fire the workers before Christmas because doing so would have been a PR nightmare. The layoffs are concentrated at its Harvester Works factory in East Moline, Illinois, and just a handful of layoffs at its Cylinder operations in Moline, Illinois.
Another local media outlet, KWQC, received a statement from Deere explaining that the layoffs were not the result of shifting production to other plants but instead due to a worsening farm economy.
Bloomberg quoted the company:
"It is important to note these layoffs are due to reduced demand for the products produced at these facilities.
"As we have repeatedly stated, layoffs this fiscal year are due to the weakening farm economy."
Demand for tractors and combines has tumbled since crop prices dropped, borrowing costs remained elevated, and inflation continues eroding farmer margins.
In late September, former President Trump threatened Deere with tariffs on its tractors and farm equipment if it outsourced manufacturing to Mexico.
"I just noticed behind me John Deere tractors. I know a lot about John Deere, I love the company," Trump told farmers at a recent rally in Pennsylvania.
Trump continued:
"But as you know, they announced a few days ago that they're going to move a lot of their manufacturing business to Mexico.
"I'm just notifying John Deere right now, if you do that, we're putting a 200 percent tariff on everything you want to sell into the United States, so that if I win John Deere is going to be paying a 200 percent — they haven't started it yet. Maybe they haven't even made the final decision yet. But I think they have."
Well before Trump put Deere on notice, the company laid off approximately 600 staff members at plants in Illinois and Iowa. Months before that, the company laid off 2,600 workers across plants in Ankeny, Dubuque, Ottumwa, Waterloo and the Quad Cities' Davenport and East Moline. Even some of its white-collar workers in Johnston and Dubuque were not spared.
In combination with the farm slump, DEI backlash hit Deere this summer, forcing it to abandon "cultural awareness parades" and scale back on promoting a "woke" workplace for employees. A number of other US companies, including Caterpillar Ford, Harley, and others, https://www.zerohedge.com/political/caterpillar-pulls-back-dei-joining-john-deere-ford-and-others
or nuked DEI policies.
Wow. https://twitter.com/JohnDeere?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
just issued this statement in response to me exposing them.
They say that going forward they commit to:
• No longer funding pride parades
• Business resource groups will no longer be divided on identity lines
• Audit all training materials to ensure the… https://t.co/jmcNc2DWpW
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) https://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/1813333366508290331?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
At the start of October, a new reading from the Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer Index https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/sentiment-american-farmers-implode
plunging farm sentiment across the Heartland, hitting levels not seen since 2016.
"These were the weakest barometer and future expectations readings since March 2016, when the farm economy was in the throes of an economic downturn," James Mintert and Michael Langemeier of the Purdue Center for Commercial Agriculture wrote in the report.
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In a separate note, researchers at the University of Missouri forecasted that farm income will plunge 35% next year, compared to a high in 2022. The good news is that incomes are above what farmers made in 2015-20, yet the drop is steep, given elevated input costs.
"Farmers will have a tighter situation … than they experienced in the last three years, and they'll have to be much more cognizant about having a very strategic marketing plan in order to make a good cash flow," said Bob Maltsburger, a senior research economist at the Food & Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the university.
It seems like farmers...
President Trump will stand up for American farmers & ranchers 🇺🇸 https://t.co/bDzkDJJtH7
— Mammoth Nation (@MammothNationUS) https://twitter.com/MammothNationUS/status/1839292589545238606?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
... want Trump back.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Thu, 10/17/2024 - 14:45
Elizabeth Warren Proves Democrats Are Still Against Bitcoin
Elizabeth Warren Proves Democrats Are Still Against Bitcoin
https://bitcoinmagazine.com/politics/elizabeth-warren-proves-democrats-are-still-against-bitcoin
If you were tuned into the Massachusetts Senate debate last night, you would have noticed a key exchange between pro-Bitcoin candidate John Deaton and his rival Elizabeth Warren, leader of Washington D.C.’s “anti-crypto army.”
?itok=OxCI76kg
When pressed by Deaton, Warren wouldn’t even defend herself.
After lying and attacking our industry for years, she said “https://x.com/Crypto_TownHall/status/1846401386407227635
.”
Seriously...
John Deaton Claims He Will Be Key To Crypto Freedom
John Deaton just called out Sen. Warren in their election debate for her "anti-crypto army."
Warren fired back, claiming Deaton is a puppet merely trying to line his own pocket.
Both can make a compelling case against the… https://t.co/VuujNKeGCp
— Crypto Town Hall (@Crypto_TownHall) https://twitter.com/Crypto_TownHall/status/1846401386407227635?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Crypto took up a large portion of the wide-ranging debate, with Warren claiming Deaton would be beholden to the crypto industry that has backed him in the race.
“If John Deaton has a chance to go to Washington, his crypto buddies are going to want a return on their investment. He's going to be there to fight for crypto,” Warren said during the debate, suggesting he’d prioritize the industry’s interests over working-class Americans.
“I've upset more crypto billionaires than anyone did,” Deaton replied, claiming to have done Warren’s job by exposing regulatory capture in the crypto space during her time on the banking committee.
“But here's the thing, her bill bans bitcoin self-custody in America, yet she's allowing the banks to custody bitcoin — another example that Senator Warren's policies do not help poor people, they do not help the working class.”
Warren again questioned his connections to the crypto industry, however.
“He's saying he has really made crypto folks mad, so mad that they came here to Massachusetts and are funding 90% of his campaign to try to take back this Senate seat to take it away from me.”
Deaton responded by questioning why the Senator was so focused on crypto.
“I wish Senator Warren would attack inflation the way she attacks crypto. I wish she would attack securing the border the way she's focused on crypto,” he said.
My big concern with this moment is that it says everything about the Democrats and the lip service they are paying to the Bitcoin industry.
It’s undeniable that Bitcoin has turned into a partisan issue in this country for the most part. Most Democrats have followed Warren in taking a strong stance against supporting Bitcoin (even if they won’t admit it). I suspect Presidential candidate Kamala Harris has done the same.
Case in point, even Harris this week issued a generic “we will support https://bitcoinmagazine.com/guides/what-is-blockchain
and digital assets,” while not specifying exactly what she would do to help it.
But oh wait, she actually did put forth a new https://bitcoinmagazine.com/politics/kamala-harris-proves-shes-the-worst-candidate-for-bitcoin-ownership-and-adoption
yesterday, and to no one's surprise, it was a race based one that excludes most Americans.
It was a https://x.com/nic__carter/status/1846181790232228303
in the industry.
I have to ask at this point, how much more do pro-Democrat Bitcoiners need to see?
The Republicans have clearly embraced the industry. They’ve put forth legislation proposals in an attempt to foster more innovation in the space. They defend the industry from attacks coming from the Democrats. They attend Bitcoin conferences and events, listen to industry leaders, and buy and hold bitcoin personally.
They have not been shy in their public support for Bitcoin, and have also actively made it an official part of their party platform. That’s how serious they are.
The current https://polymarket.com/elections
presidential candidate, Donald Trump, has made many pledges to support and grow the industry, proposing specific policy on what he would enact if elected.
Earlier this summer, Trump raised $25 million from private individual donors at the Bitcoin 2024 Conference in Nashville (his second highest fundraiser across his three campaigns). American Bitcoin miners have met with Trump in Mar-A-Lago to discuss what they need him to do as president to support their businesses.
Where Republicans have leaned into Bitcoin, we have seen the opposite with Democrats. At almost every single congressional and Senate hearing I watch, Democrats https://x.com/BitcoinMagazine/status/1811433986914238580
favorable Bitcoin regulation, and make verbal attacks on the industry.
At a congressional hearing only four months ago, Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters actually tried to make the case that we should implement a CBDC, and not ban it, because countries like China are embracing it. She called it the next “space race”.
It is crystal clear to anyone watching these congressional and senate hearings which side the Democrats have chosen when it comes to Bitcoin vs CBDC.
This is my big fear.
If elected president, I believe Harris would have little reason to support the industry, and every reason to continue attacking it, as she’s done as vice president over the last four years.
This election is a fierce battle for power of the United States of America. People and industries and choosing their sides, and if Kamala wins, she might not be so nice to the industries who heavily tried to get her opponent elected president.
If Bitcoiners want to see this industry not get attacked like it has these past four years, and see it thrive over the next four years, they need to make their voices heard at the ballot box this November – and, like it or not, they need to vote Republican.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Thu, 10/17/2024 - 10:25
https://www.zerohedge.com/crypto/elizabeth-warren-proves-democrats-are-still-against-bitcoin
Fed's Kashkari Says $1.3 Trillion Market Cap Bitcoin "Still Useless"; BlackRock's Fink Strongly Disagrees...
Fed's Kashkari Says $1.3 Trillion Market Cap Bitcoin "Still Useless"; BlackRock's Fink Strongly Disagrees...
Unlike his financial system overlord peer Jamie Dimon, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink continues to show an optimistic view on cryptocurrencies.
During yesterday's earnings call, Fink declared, "I'm not sure if either president would make a difference" on Bitcoin's growth,” adding "I don't believe [Bitcoin's rise] is a function of regulation."
He went on to compare Bitcoin’s growth to much larger markets like mortgages, noting liquidity and transparency drives adoption more than rules.
Well, first, I'm not sure if either President or other candidate would make a difference. I do believe the utilization of digital assets are going to become more and more of a reality worldwide.
Conversations we're having with institutions worldwide, conversations about how should they think about digital assets, what type of asset allocation there should be. I mean, we believe Bitcoin is an asset class in itself. It is an alternative to other commodities like gold. And so, I think the application of this form of investment will be expanded to the role of Ethereum as a blockchain can grow dramatically. So if we can create more acceptability, more transparency, more analytics related to these assets, then it will be expanded.
But I truly don't believe it's a function of regulation, of more regulation, less regulation. I think it's a function of liquidity, transparency, and then through that process, no different than when you - years ago when we started the mortgage market, years ago when the high yield market occurred, started off very slow, but it built as we built better analytics and data, and then through better analytics and data, more acceptance and a broadening of the market. And I truly believe we will see a broadening of the market of these digital assets.
And then we'll see how does each and every country look at their own digital currency. That's a very different asset than a Bitcoin in itself. But I do believe what we're going to witness as we build out better analytics, and then the question is, as you mentioned regulation, how do we see in this country the role of digitizing the dollar? And what role does that play? That's a very different question related to, let's say, Bitcoin and other items like that. But all of that is going to be under discussion.
And what we re witnessing in other countries, we're seeing big success in India, in Brazil in the digitization of their own currency for various different reasons. But we believe the technology of these blockchains are going to become very additive. And then you will overlay Al, and having better data analytics, the applicability and the broadening of these markets will occur.
But, there are always the naysayers, and true to his theme over the last ten years, Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari exclaimed yesterday that "bitcoin has been around a dozen years and its still useless".
?itok=0KnMwIgE
This should not come as a surprise since Kashkari has been comparing Bitcoin to Beanie Babies for years...
Fed President Neel Kashkari: https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bitcoin?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
— Bitcoin News (@BitcoinNewsCom) https://twitter.com/BitcoinNewsCom/status/1790794432737870209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
"When will the Fed put Bitcoin on its balance sheet?
You already said on record that you have an unlimited supply of dollars, doesn’t it make sense to trade some of them for a currency with a hard cap?"
Incredible clip
Kashkari's answer will be studied by future historians https://t.co/8kgFRUZTJi
— Alex Gladstein 🌋 ⚡ (@gladstein) https://twitter.com/gladstein/status/1776322529969447417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Of course, The Fed does not want anyone seeing this 'alternative' currency taking off since it exposes the potemkin reality that they spend every day defending. In fact, Bitcoin is breaking out this morning...
?itok=rFQ5VQ1O
...following the lagged surge in global liquidity right on cue...
?itok=4sSR-DDh
So, despite the $1.3 trillion market cap and 1.2 billion wallets using the cryptocurrency... and Fink's optimism over adoption... and Trump's plans for a strategic reserve... and Kamala's proposals to empower black men in the crypto world... a Fed head remains dissonant, presumably believing the entire crypto ecosystem is nothing but 'transitory'.
?itok=vjp4jiym
Bitcoin is the 10th largest asset on the planet...
?itok=EPrioHhI
Well, you know what else is transitory...
?itok=KdHo3_SA
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-06-12/nothing-lasts-forever
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Tue, 10/15/2024 - 10:00
Google Agrees To Buy Nuclear Power From Small Modular Reactors To Be Built By Kairos Power
Google Agrees To Buy Nuclear Power From Small Modular Reactors To Be Built By Kairos Power
First it was https://www.power-eng.com/nuclear/aws-acquires-data-center-campus-connected-to-susquehanna-nuclear-station/#gref
" will generate obnoxious amounts of alpha in the coming years by sending the same message: i) it's all about how all those data centers will be powered, and ii) in the future a growing number of data centers will be powered by small modular nuclear reactors.
On Monday, Google - picking up on what we discussed last week in "https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/google-turns-nuclear-power-power-its-data-centers
" - announced plans to buy power from Kairos Power’s small modular reactors (SMRs) as part of a growing industry shift toward nuclear energy to meet rising data center demands. By purchasing energy from multiple SMRs, Google aims to send a strong market signal while supporting long-term commercialization.
According to CNBC, senior director for energy and climate at Google, Michael Terrell, said on a call with reporters that "we believe that nuclear energy has a critical role to play in supporting our clean growth and helping to deliver on the progress of AI."
?itok=uu7jn5K2
"The grid needs these kinds of clean, reliable sources of energy that can support the build out of these technologies. … We feel like nuclear can play an important role in helping to meet our demand, and helping meet our demand cleanly, in a way that's more around the clock."
Only three SMRs are operational worldwide currently, none in the U.S.... but that's going to change.
SMRs offer a cheaper, faster alternative to traditional reactors. Kairos Power, backed by the Department of Energy, is building a demonstration reactor in Tennessee. Google expects the first reactor online by 2030, adding 500 megawatts by 2035.
"It is an incredibly promising bet, and one that, you know, if we can get these projects to scale and then scale globally, will deliver enormous benefits to communities and power grids around the world," Terrell said of backing nuclear power companies.
The news came just hours after we pointed out the short interest in one of our favorite SMR names, Sam Altman-backed Oklo, on the rise. Oklo has targeted its first SMRs to be online by 2027, three years ahead of Kairos' proposed timeline.
OKLO shorts decided to double down and push short interest to new all time high https://t.co/NkPjAtCrVj
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) https://twitter.com/zerohedge/status/1845847341904908788?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Today's news should not come as a surprise: less than a week ago we quoted Amanda Peterson Corio, global head of data center energy at Google, who said that “in the US, in highly regulated markets where we don’t have the opportunity to directly purchase power, we are working with our utility partners and the generators to come together to figure out how we can bring these new technologies — nuclear may be one of them — to the grid."
at the time said that the Biden administration aims to triple U.S. nuclear power capacity as demand rises and climate concerns grow.
Meanwhile, we recently https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/sam-altman-backed-nuclear-startup-oklo-signs-agreement-dept-energy-next-phase-siting-idaho
that Oklo announced it had finalized an agreement with the Department of Energy to advance the next phase of sitting at the Idaho National Lab.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has also been https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/nuclear-back-pa-governor-shapiro-pushes-fast-track-re-open-three-mile-island
.
The latest news out of Google provides substantial tail wind for our https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/next-ai-trade
" which we laid out in April as our favorite long-term trade, and where we outlined various investment opportunities for powering up America, playing out.
The https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/google-turns-nuclear-power-power-its-data-centers
of the trade in 2024 so far are just the start: as more capital is allocated to "those who provide the electricity to those who sell the picks and shovels for the next gold rush", the basket will blow away every other segment of the market, and the biggest winners will be not those who bet on the revolutionary technology that is AI, but those who backed something much more primitive: the electricity needed to power it.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Mon, 10/14/2024 - 15:40
Some 100 US Troops Will Deploy In Israel To Man Anti-Air Batteries
Some 100 US Troops Will Deploy In Israel To Man Anti-Air Batteries
On Saturday we were among the first outlets https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-troops-operate-thaad-anti-ballistic-missile-system-israel-army-radio
) amid the tense showdown with Iran.
The Pentagon in follow-up statements to the https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/13/us/politics/us-missile-defense-iran-israel.html
has confirmed the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) systems will be sent to Israel, and that about 100 American troops will operate them.
?itok=Mej3qi6w
This means that at least 100 American soldiers will be placed in positions likely to be targeted by another potential barrage of ballistic missiles from Iran, at a moment Israel is preparing its own counterattack in the wake of the the Oct.1st strikes (which witnessed about 200 missiles sent) on Israeli territory from the Islamic Republic. Each full missile battery and associated systems cost American taxpayers some $800 million to $1 billion.
All of this follows the Pentagon having weeks ago deployed thousands more US troops to the broader region amid escalation in Lebanon. Some of those forces were sent to Cyprus, and others likely to Gulf countries or possibly Jordan.
The Pentagon has tried to deflect from language which portrays the obvious: that without Congressional authorization American troops are entering an escalating overseas war zone to defend a foreign country.
The NY Times acknowledged the following https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/13/us/politics/us-missile-defense-iran-israel.html
:
When asked on Sunday, Mr. Biden said only that he had ordered the Pentagon to deploy the system “to defend Israel. General Ryder said in his statement that the battery would “augment Israel’s integrated air defense system.” It was not immediately clear how quickly the missile defense system and troops announced on Sunday would arrive in Israel.
“This action underscores the United States’ ironclad commitment to the defense of Israel, and to defend Americans in Israel, from any further ballistic missile attacks by Iran,” the statement said. “It is part of the broader adjustments the U.S. military has made in recent months to support the defense of Israel and protect Americans from attacks by Iran and Iranian-aligned militias.”
So interestingly this is the new talking point from the national security state: Americans are being deployed to defend Americans who happen to still be in Israel. This certainly marks a new and interesting rationale.
This big "gift" is being sent to Israel even after rising tensions between Netanyahu and Biden...
So by deploying THAAD to Israel, we're not really solving the problem, just incentizing Iran to build up more missiles. So what we are actually doing is tieing ourselves further into the Israel-Iran missile/BMD race for only short term benefits.
— Decker Eveleth (@dex_eve) https://twitter.com/dex_eve/status/1845496203984707852?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
One regional observers has observed that this is Netanyahu's longtime https://www.commondreams.org/news/us-troops-to-israel
:
Journalist Séamus Malekafzali https://twitter.com/Seamus_Malek/status/1845504726479376429
the U.S. deployment of troops and the THAAD system shows that "the Israelis are clearly planning something for Iran that is going to cause a retaliation they know their own systems are unable to take."
"U.S. troops being deployed to Israel in this matter is seismic," Malekafzali added. "The U.S. military is now inextricably involved in this war, directly, without any illusions of barriers. Netanyahu is as close as he has ever been to his ultimate wish: making the U.S. fight Iran on Israel's behalf."
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday had actually issued some soft criticism of Israel after two UN peacekeeping troops in south Lebanon were wounded by Israeli fire an a https://unifil.unmissions.org/
command post.
Austin "expressed his deep concern about reports that Israeli forces fired on U.N. peacekeeping positions in Lebanon as well as by the reported death of two Lebanese soldiers" in a phone call with his Israeli counterpart.
Netanyahu has spent a year treating Biden like a doormat, Biden is nonetheless sending American troops to protect Israel, and afterwards Biden will probably go back to pretending as if America has no meaningful leverage over Israel https://t.co/YNrHoxkb8y
— Gregg Carlstrom (@glcarlstrom) https://twitter.com/glcarlstrom/status/1845499417974948044?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
As for the missile battery contingent of 100 US troops being sent to Israel, likely there were already US special forces and commanders who have been in Tel Aviv and near Gaza in an "advisory" role. But this clearly marks a new much more direct role of US forces in the conflict, especially given the Iranians have already threatened that if hostilities escalate, anti-air batteries in Israel will come under attack.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Sun, 10/13/2024 - 15:45
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/some-100-us-troops-will-deploy-israel-man-anti-air-batteries