Elon Musk predicts Trump will win a "landslide victory" if he is arrested in New York

No, We Don't Need More Nuclear Weapons Authored by Ryan McMaken via The Mises Institute, Republicans and Democrats may quibble over how federal tax dollars might be spent on various social welfare programs like Medicaid and food stamps. But alongside Social Security, there is one area of federal spending that everyone can apparently agree on: military spending. Last year, the Biden administration requested one of the largest peacetime budgets ever, at $813 billion. Congress wanted even more spending and ended up approving a budget of $858 billion. In inflation-adjusted terms, that was well in excess of the military spending we saw during the Cold War under Ronald Reagan. This year, Joe Biden is asking for even more money, with a new budget request that starts at $886 billion. Included in that gargantuan amount—which doesn’t even include veterans spending—is billions for new missile systems for deploying nuclear arms, plus other programs for “modernizing” the United States’ nuclear arsenal. Indeed, over the past year, the memo has gone out among the usual advocates of endless military spending that the US needs to spend much more on nuclear arms. This is a perennial position at the Heritage Foundation, of course, which has never met a military pork program it didn’t like. Moreover, in recent months, the Wall Street Journal has run several articles demanding more nuclear arms. The New York Post was pushing the same line late last year. Much of the rhetoric centers on the idea that Beijing is increasing its own spending on nuclear arms and thus the United States must “keep up.” For instance, last month, Patty-Jane Geller insisted that the US is in an “arms race” with China. Meanwhile, writers at the foreign-policy site 1945 claimed Congress must “save” the American nuclear arsenal. Congress will surely be happy to cooperate. Such spending is an enormous cash cow for weapons manufacturers, although it has little to do with actual military defense. The US nuclear arsenal is huge, and China’s efforts to expand its own arsenal will have no effect on the already substantial deterrent effects of the US’s existing nuclear arsenal. Although the 1945 article insists that China soon “will field a peer or superior arsenal to the United States,” it’s difficult to see by what metric this is actually true. Contrary to claims that the US nuclear arsenal needs to be “saved” or it will soon be eclipsed by the Chinese arsenal, the US remains well in the lead of every single nuclear power except Russia. Even if Beijing increases its arsenal to one thousand warheads, as the New York Post breathlessly predicts, the Chinese arsenal will remain well behind that of the US. This is true even if we remove all the retired US warheads from the equation. In that case, Moscow retains the global lead with more than forty-four hundred weapons, and the US comes in second with more than thirty-seven hundred. Presently, Beijing has approximately 350 of these weapons, France has 290, and the rest of the world is well behind that. Source: Data from Our World in Data, "Inventories of Nuclear Weapons." Like Moscow, Washington has a full-blown and well-developed nuclear triad, complete with a fleet of nuclear subs that can launch up to twenty missiles—each containing multiple independently targeted warheads—land-based missile silos, and bombers. Each option provides ways to deliver hundreds of warheads. The submarine fleet, of course, is constantly mobile, ensuring first-strike survivability. The Nonexistent Missile Gap This won’t stop advocates of more spending from calling for more. They’ll always have reasons why there is some sort of missile gap. Lately, the obsession is with hypersonic missiles and having various forms of delivery, as well as the claim that the current gap between the US arsenal and rival arsenal is not sufficiently large. There’s a reason US advocates of an aggressive nuclear posture invented the “missile gap” myth during the Cold War. It sows doubt about US security and ensures a certain level of paranoia about US nuclear capability. Nowadays, it’s acknowledged that the missile gap was always a myth, but this was much less known in the days when debates over US rocket technology were a frequent cause for alarm and debate. Nonetheless, the nonfactual basis of the “gap” was known at least as early as the 1960s, and then defense secretary Robert McNamara noted to John F. Kennedy: There was created a myth in the country that did great harm to the nation. It was created by, I would say, emotionally guided but nonetheless patriotic individuals in the Pentagon. There are still people of that kind in the Pentagon. I wouldn’t give them any foundation for creating another myth. How Much Do Numbers Matter? The myth persists, however, and Geller claims: “Given the hundreds of new Chinese missile launchers and other new weapons, the U.S. will need more nuclear weapons to hold these targets at risk. In nuclear deterrence, numbers matter.” How much do numbers really matter? Yes, in matters of deterrence, ten is certainly better than zero. But is three thousand better than one thousand, or even one hundred? That logic often works with conventional arms, but it makes little sense with nuclear arms, a single unit of which can destroy an entire city. As John Isaacs noted last year in the National Interest: In the nuclear age, a country that deployed 1,000 nuclear weapons rather than an adversary’s 500 is not twice as powerful since a handful of weapons could devastate both countries. But the Pentagon and political leaders did not learn this critical lesson. This is a numbers game that may have been relevant for tanks and battleships before [the invention of nuclear weapons] but is not today. What is key in nuclear deterrence is not simply numbers. Nuclear strategist Albert Wohlstetter identified this problem in the early 1960s and concluded that “the criterion for matching the Russians plane for plane, or exceeding them is, in the strict sense, irrelevant to the problem of deterrence.” Rather the key, Wohlstetter went on, is creating a force that is “survivable” to ensure the possibility of a retaliatory “second strike.” This is what establishes deterrence. Wohlstetter certainly wasn’t the only one to come to this conclusion. In a 1990 essay titled “Nuclear Myths and Political Realities,” Kenneth Waltz—perhaps the most influential scholar of international relations of the past fifty years—concludes that the total number of missiles in these enormous arsenals is of little importance for nations that are already well above the threshold for achieving nuclear deterrence. What really matters is the perception that the other side has second-strike capability, and this certainly exists in both US-Russia and US-China relations. Once each regime knows that the other regime has second-strike capability, the competition is over. Deterrence is established. Waltz notes: So long as two or more countries have second-strike forces, to compare them is pointless. If no state can launch a disarming attack with high confidence, force comparisons become irrelevant. . . . Within very wide ranges, a nuclear balance is insensitive to variation in numbers and size of warheads. The focus on second-strike capability is key because pro-arms-race policy makers are quick to note that if a regime’s first strike is able to destroy an enemy’s ability to retaliate in kind, then a nuclear war can be “won.” Second-Strike Capability Evens the Score But, as shown by Michael Gerson in “No First Use: The Next Step for U.S. Nuclear Policy” (2010) establishing second-strike capability—or, more importantly, the perception of it—is not as difficult as many suppose. Gerson writes: A successful first strike would require near-perfect intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) to detect, identify, and track all of the adversary’s nuclear forces; recent events surrounding U.S. assessments of Iraq’s suspected WMD [weapons of mass destruction] capabilities forcefully demonstrate the challenges of reliable, accurate, and unbiased information. Intelligence regarding where an adversary’s nuclear weapons are located and if the state is actually planning to attack could be wrong or incomplete, and an attempted first strike based on inaccurate or incomplete information could have far-reaching negative consequences. The threat of a successful first strike can be countered through a variety of methods, including secrecy and the ability to shift weapons delivery channels. This is why the US, Russian, and Chinese regimes have long been so enthusiastic about the so-called nuclear triad. It is assumed that if nuclear weapons can be delivered by submarine, aircraft, and land, then it is impossible for an opposing regime to destroy all three at once and achieve first-strike victory. But even in the absence of a triad, an opposing regime that seeks a total first-strike victory has few grounds for much confidence. As Waltz shows, “nuclear weapons are small and light; they are easy to move, easy to hide, and easy to deliver in a variety of ways.” That is, if a regime manages to hide even a small number of planes, subs, or trucks, this could spell disaster for the regime attempting a successful first strike. Gerson explains: A nuclear first strike is fraught with risk and uncertainty. Could a U.S. president, the only person with the power to authorize nuclear use and a political official concerned with re-election, his or her political party, and their historical legacy, ever be entirely confident that the mission would be a complete success? What if the strike failed to destroy all of the weapons, or what if weapons were hidden in unknown areas, and the remaining weapons were used in retaliation? Nor must it be assumed that a large number of warheads is necessary to achieve deterrence. Waltz recalls that Desmond Ball—who advised the US on escalation strategies—convincingly asserted that nuclear deterrence could be achieved with as few as fifty warheads. Proceeding on the assumption that an enemy has no warheads left following a first strike requires an extremely high level of confidence because the cost of miscalculation is so high. If a regime strikes and misses only a few of the enemy’s missiles, this could lead to devastating retaliation both in terms of human life and in terms of the first-strike regime’s political prospects. This is why a rudimentary nuclear force can achieve deterrence even with a small but plausible chance of second-strike capability. A small nuclear strike is nonetheless disastrous for the target, and thus “second-strike forces have to be seen in absolute terms.” Waltz correctly insists that calculating an arsenal’s relative dominance is a waste of time: “the question of dominance is pointless because one second-strike force cannot dominate another.” The US Is Already Far beyond the Deterrence Threshold One could certainly debate how much the US nuclear stockpile could be cut without sacrificing deterrence. Given the enormous size of the stockpile, however, the answer is that “most of it” could be cut. Indeed, the US arsenal could be cut by 90 percent and still have hundreds of warheads available for silos, submarines, and bombers. Moreover, reductions in the arsenal are prudent for reasons of avoiding unintended nuclear war. As Wohlstetter noted, a prudent policy also requires “strategic nuclear forces to be not only capable of riding out and operating coherently after an actual preemptive attack against them; but also completely controllable in times of peace, crisis, and war—and especially in the face of ambiguous warning—so as to avoid unauthorized operations, accidents, and war by mistake.” Having large numbers of nuclear warheads actually is imprudent because it creates more potential for accidents, mistakes, and unauthorized use. Maintenance remains expensive and risky. In spite of all this, it remains popular among some to keep arguing for more nuclear expansion year after year. Surely, some of these advocates are true believers, but there is also a lot of money at stake for government contractors. Thus, in one form or another, the myth of the missile gap - and its modern variants - endures. Tyler Durden Sat, 03/25/2023 - 22:30.....»»

Trump's latest rhetoric alarms experts on political violence. "Someone is going to get killed," one of them warned. Former U.S. President Donald Trump.Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Experts on political violence are alarmed by Trump's latest rhetoric as he faces a possible indictment. They warn that Trump's words could trigger riots or assassinations. Trump has mocked calls for peace and warned of "death and destruction" if he's charged. "RADICAL LEFT LUNATICS." "Degenerate psychopath." "THIS IS THE GESTAPO."That's just a sampling of the latest rhetorical attacks from former President Donald Trump as he wages a war of words against a New York grand jury investigation connected to a $130,000 hush-money payment to the adult film actress Stormy Daniels. He has viciously attacked figures like Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and mocked calls for peaceful protests — leading extremism experts to warn of the potential for political violence. "Trump is doing what he has always done. He walks to the line of openly calling for violence and stops just before making overt directives," Kurt Braddock, an American University professor who studies far-right extremism and the ways in which communication and propaganda contribute to political violence, told Insider."In many ways, the implications are the same. His supporters who are looking for an excuse to turn to violence will see this as his implicit approval," Braddock added.If there is violence as a result of Trump's words, the former president will "hide under a blanket of plausible deniability, saying that he never ordered anyone to become violent," Braddock said.  Trump's words could delegitimize the justice system in the eyes of many of his followers, leading them to view it as a politicized instrument being unfairly wielded against their leader — a warped worldview with the capacity to push a small but dangerous group of people into pursuing their own brand of justice. Though political violence experts are not especially concerned that the US is at risk of seeing a broader reaction or event akin to the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, they believe the chances of individual acts of violence are rising. Trump is "actively stoking political violence" with his social media posts, Brian Klaas, a political scientist at University College London and expert on democracy and political violence, said in a tweet on Thursday. "Someone is going to get killed," Klaas added, referring to Trump as a "serious threat to American democracy and security."Trump scoffs at being 'peaceful'As Trump faces a possible indictment by a Manhattan grand jury, he's followed a familiar playbook and taken to social media to portray himself as a victim of an unjust system. The former president has done this numerous times in the past, perhaps most notably in relation to the 2020 election he lost. Trump's rhetoric on the election ultimately helped catalyze the fatal riot on January 6, 2021, which saw him become the only president in US history to be impeached a second time. The former president predicted over the weekend — erroneously, it turns out — that he would be arrested this week. In recent days he has urged his supporters to "protest" and "take our nation back," a call to action that bears a striking resemblance to Trump's push for a "wild" and "big protest" against the certification of his electoral defeat on January 6.In one of his latest posts to Truth Social, Trump's social media platform, the former president threatened "death and destruction" if he's indicted.—Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) March 24, 2023 Trump on Thursday baselessly compared the US legal system to the Gestapo (the Nazi secret police) and authoritarian countries like Russia and China. No former US president has ever been criminally charged. But plenty of other democracies — including close US allies such as France and South Korea — have prosecuted, convicted, and jailed former leaders. Trump also went after Bragg and said the Manhattan district attorney was "CARRYING OUT THE PLANS OF THE RADICAL LEFT LUNATICS," adding, "OUR COUNTRY IS BEING DESTROYED, AS THEY TELL US TO BE PEACEFUL!"If there is violence on the back of Trump's words, and particularly if those implicated in any such incidents mention Trump, Braddock said this would be a form of stochastic terrorism — an act of violence inspired by language that dehumanizes or vilifies the targeted group or person.On Friday, police removed a suspicious white powder found in the mailroom of the Manhattan office building where the grand jury has been meeting; officials determined it wasn't a dangerous substance.Trump suggested that being peaceful is "something to be scoffed at, ridiculed, or ignored," Braddock said, going on to say that the former president's recent social media posts are in many ways even more suggestive than the infamous and provocative speech he delivered shortly before the violence on January 6.During that speech, Trump called for his supporters to "show strength" and "fight like hell," though he also suggested that his backers would demonstrate at the Capitol "peacefully." Shortly thereafter, Trump's supporters sent shockwaves around the world as they violently stormed the Capitol as lawmakers met to certify President Joe Biden's election victory. A number of those arrested over the insurrection have said that Trump's words drove their behavior.'A threat to democracy' Robert Fix shows his support for Donald Trump by flying a "Trump or death" flag near the embattled former president's Mar-a-Lago home on March 20, 2023 in Palm Beach, Florida.Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesTrump has repeatedly shown that he's willing to "demonize — and even dehumanize — his political opponents and whole swaths of Americans," Shannon Hiller, executive director of the Bridging Divides Initiative at Princeton University, told Insider. The former president's recent rhetoric in relation to his potential indictment is "dangerous" and poses "a threat to democracy," Hiller said, emphasizing that it "normalizes thinking of whole groups of our fellow Americans as 'the other' and not worthy of the same rights."Though some of Trump's recent posts are reminiscent of the lead-up to the Capitol riot, Hiller suggested that there's not as much of a danger of a January 6-style event if he is indicted. "I'm currently more worried about individual incidents," Hiller said.Trump is running for president again in 2024, and is widely viewed as the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination. Hiller expressed concern that as the 2024 GOP primary kicks off, other candidates may begin to follow Trump's lead and employ similarly threatening language. "I'd call on everyone to continue speaking out against this type of rhetoric," Hiller said.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

Medical, Financial, Political, & War Disasters Getting Worse: Dr. Chris Martenson Via Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com, Dr. Chris Martenson holds a PhD in toxicology from Duke University, is a futurist and economic researcher.  He is also a Wall Street Journal best-selling author with his new revised book called “Crash Course.”  Martenson said in August 2021 on USAWatchdog that the FDA approval of Pfizer’s CV19 vaccine named Comirnaty was “actually a fraud.”  He was right.  Now, Martenson is warning that medical, financial and war troubles abound and people need to get ready to deal with a reality that no human has ever seen before.  Martenson starts with the medical disaster called the CV19 vax and explains, “As you give these (CV19 injections) to people, their immune system gets worse and worse and worse.  That’s what is about to come through with common knowledge.  You can see them fighting it, but people are starting to notice, hey, my friend who is quadruple jabbed is getting sick all the time now with colds, Covid, whatever.  It is very clear this is the single most disastrous medical intervention in all of human history.” In short, the death and disabilities from the CV19 so-called vaccine will continue and be a huge drag on the economy and society. Then there is the debt-based economy that is in the process of collapsing under a mound of unpayable debt.  The problem was started with 0% and negative interest rates that went on for almost a decade.  When interest rates went up, the value of the debt went way down.  Dr. Martenson says, “Now, they are sitting on huge, massive losses... That is a small example of what happened to Silicon Valley Bank (SVB).  In 2019, there were $19 trillion in negative interest rate bonds.  The bonds are not just under water, there are trillions of dollars in losses, and the question is who is going to eat those losses? ...We don’t just have a banking crisis.  This is just a reflection of the monetary sickness because we were led by idiots or intentionally harmful individuals. . . . Zero percent interest rates caused damage every year it was done, and now the damage is already done.  To me, a very long period of very stupid monetary policy is now about to erupt.” Martenson says, “People need to be ready for a vast punishing return of inflation . . .  and a decade of shortages on everything because of years of price suppression.” Martenson also says we have been lied to about the Ukraine war.  Russia has been winning and not losing.  Martenson predicts it will not end well for NATO. On the political front, Martenson says a Trump indictment signals banana republic time, and that will “guarantee Trump will win in a landslide in 2024.” There is much more in the 54-minute interview. Join Greg Hunter of USAWatchdog.com as he goes One-on-One with Dr. Chris Martenson, founder of PeakProsperity.com, and best-selling author of the revised book called “Crash Course” for 3.21.23. *  *  * To Donate to USAWatchdog.com Click Here There is lots of totally free information and analysis on PeakProsperity.com Tyler Durden Thu, 03/23/2023 - 14:00.....»»

Former President Donald Trump appeared to mock calls for his supporters to remain "peaceful" as he stares in the face of a potential indictment. Former President Donald Trump.Scott Olson/Getty Images Trump ripped into the Manhattan DA in an all-caps Truth Social rant Thursday. He also appeared to mock calls for his supporters to remain "peaceful" as he stares in the face of a potential indictment. Trump's incendiary rhetoric over the last several days is reminiscent of the run-up to the Capitol riot. Former President Donald Trump accused the Manhattan district attorney of being a "Soros backed animal" — an accusation that plays into anti-Semitic tropes — and brushed off calls for his supporters to remain peaceful as he stares in the face of a possible indictment.In an all-caps rant posted to Truth Social early Thursday, Trump wondered why Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg wouldn't drop his office's investigation into an illegal hush-money payment that his then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, says he made at Trump's direction to the adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016.Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to multiple felonies connected to the payment, including tax evasion, bank fraud, and campaign finance violations."EVERYBODY SAYS THERE IS NO CRIME HERE," the former president wrote Thursday. "I DID NOTHING WRONG!"He went on to describe Cohen as a "CONVICTED NUT JOB WITH ZERO CREDIBILITY," adding that Bragg "REFUSES TO STOP DESPITE OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE TO THE CONTRARY."Trump continued, falsely claiming that "THIS IS NO LEGAL SYSTEM, THIS IS THE GESTAPO, THIS IS RUSSIA AND CHINA, BUT WORSE. DISGRACEFUL!"The former president, who over the weekend called on his followers to "protest" and "take our nation back," also mocked calls for his supporters to stay civil and peaceful.Bragg, he wrote, "IS JUST CARRYING OUT THE PLANS OF THE RADICAL LEFT LUNATICS. OUR COUNTRY IS BEING DESTROYED, AS THEY TELL US TO BE PEACEFUL!" He claimed without evidence over the weekend that he would be arrested Tuesday in connection to the Stormy Daniels investigation. He was not arrested that day, and as Insider's Laura Italiano reported, the Manhattan grand jury investigating the hush-money payment will not consider the case for the rest of this week.The grand jury meets three times a week, and law enforcement sources told Insider the panel is not expected to take up the case again until Monday at the earliest, which means Trump will not be indicted this week.Trump's accusation that Bragg is backed by the billionaire financier George Soros is a somewhat tenuous charge that, to a core audience, will be heard as an anti-Semitic dog whistle. Soros contributed money to a racial justice group, Color of Change, that then donated to Bragg's campaign, as the Washington Post has reported.The former president's rhetoric over the last several days is reminiscent of the run-up to the deadly January 6, 2021 Capitol riot.In one infamous December 2020 tweet, Trump told his supporters to converge on the Capitol to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election. "Be there, will be wild!" Trump tweeted at the time. Twitter banned Trump shortly after the riot, citing the risk of further incitement of violence. His account was reinstated after Tesla CEO Elon Musk bought the platform last year.The Justice Department is also conducting a sprawling investigation into events surrounding the riot, and the special counsel Jack Smith is overseeing aspects of the inquiry that relate to Trump. Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

NATO Shouldn't Trust Hungary And Turkey, Claims German Newspaper Die Welt Authored by Denes Albert and John Cody via Remix News, Hungary is “authoritarian” and NATO should consider withholding sensitive information from Turkey and Hungary, Die Welt foreign policy commentator Clemens Wergin writes German newspaper Die Welt claims in an opinion piece that Turkey and Hungary should not be trusted within the NATO alliance. The paper writes that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan continues to block Sweden’s NATO accession, and Hungary wants EU money in exchange for approving the membership of both nations. The author of the piece, Clemens Wergin, also claims that both nations have developed “unseemly” ties to Russia and then asks whether NATO should even share sensitive data with both countries. “And in their turn toward authoritarianism, Ankara and Budapest have also distanced themselves significantly from the community of values ​​for which NATO stands. The alliance is therefore well advised to treat both as partners with reservation. This should include, for example, no longer necessarily sharing certain sensitive data with Turkey and Hungary within NATO,” Wergin writes. When Wergin, the chief foreign policy correspondent for Die Welt, refers to “authoritarianism,” he makes no mention of the fact that French President Emmanuel Macron is facing mass protests in his country after ramming through pension reform without even a vote in parliament, or that he then banned protests in certain areas of Paris following the decree. In Germany itself, the current government is looking to ban one of the country’s top opposition parties, Alternative for Germany (AfD), even as the party soars in popularity. Such an authoritarian move would be met with an outcry from Brussels and Berlin if Orbán were to even consider banning opposition parties in Hungary. Regarding the “blackmail” Wergin claims Hungary is subjecting NATO to, it should be noted that the EU first “blackmailed” Hungary, demanding the country make rule-of-law changes in order to unlock billions in EU funds. Arguably, the Hungarian government has more of a democratic mandate than the German government, with Orbán’s Fidesz party receiving such high levels of support that it resulted in yet another landslide victory last year and a two-thirds majority in parliament. Wergin argues that Finland is likely to join NATO soon, as Erdoğan has given up his opposition to that country’s NATO membership. That means Finland is likely to join NATO without Sweden. He posits that this is because the Turkish decision is putting considerable pressure on the Hungarian government, which is also blocking membership, to agree to at least Finnish membership as well. “As a result, it has now become more likely that at least Finland, which is particularly vulnerable due to its long land border with Russia, will be able to join NATO in the near future. Sweden, on the other hand, will probably have to wait at least until after the elections in Turkey. Northeastern Europe would thus become an area of divided security for the time being, with the Finns inside the NATO umbrella and the Swedes on the outside,” he argues. He continues by writing that both states had turned the Nordic countries’ urgent application for membership, triggered by the Russian war, into a “farce” and prevented admission for extraneous reasons. Erdoğan wanted Sweden to impose a tougher policy on Turkish opposition groups and had also been outraged by an anti-Islam action by right-wing provocateur Rasmus Paulson, who had burned a Quran in Stockholm. He claims Paulson was funded by Russia but offers no evidence in support of his claim. On his recent trip to Turkey, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán repeated his country’s stance for immediate peace talks to end the war in Ukraine, saying that Europe was suffering from “war psychosis,” with the continent drifting further into war day by day. Tyler Durden Wed, 03/22/2023 - 02:00.....»»

The guests sat in awkward silence until Trump's audio reconnected. He then said: "What happened was that the radical left was working on the phone." Michael Flynn, Donald Trump and Roger Stone.Dustin Franz/Getty Images, Alex Wong/Getty Images, Win McNamee/Getty Images Donald Trump claimed left-wing forces interrupted his prayer call with Roger Stone and Michael Flynn. Trump was abruptly cut off during the call. Guests sat in awkward silence until Trump reconnected.  When Trump got back on the call, he blamed being disconnected on the "radical left," without evidence. An online prayer session organized by a pro-trump Christian group ran into technical difficulties. Former President Donald Trump, who was the guest of honor on the call, immediately blamed it on the "radical left."The "Pastors For Trump National Prayer Call," held on Monday invited guests like Trump ally Roger Stone and retired Gen. Michael Flynn, a Trump-era national security adviser, and Trump himself. A recording of the call was uploaded to Youtube on Monday. Shortly after Trump joined the call, host Jackson Lahmeyer, who describes himself as a pastor and entrepreneur, asked him what specific prayer request Trump had for the pastors on the call.At that point, Trump's audio disconnected. The guests sat in awkward silence for a couple of minutes before Trump managed to reconnect to the call."Okay, I guess we have some phone miscommunication. And I think what happened was that the radical left was working on the phone. There is no question about it," Trump claimed, without providing further evidence.Speaking to The Daily Beast's Zachary Petrizzo, Lahmeyer blamed "trolls" for flooding the "backstage" of the prayer call."Everything froze on our end," Lahmeyer told The Daily Beast. "I think the system got overloaded with the number of viewers." Steven Cheung, Trump's spokesman, did not address Insider's query whether there was any proof of hackers messing with the call when reached for comment. The prayer call was held to pray for Trump as he faces a potential indictment in New York regarding hush money payments to the adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Trump claimed without evidence in a Saturday Truth Social post that he will be arrested on Tuesday, and called on his supporters to protest on his behalf.During the prayer call, Stone said that Trump was the victim of a "weaponized judicial process" in which a "routine campaign finance violation" was being used to unfairly target him.Stone has been a long-time Trump ally. He was present at Trump's 2024 re-election announcement at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach in November, which was attended by very few congressmen. He was also sentenced to 40 months in prison for making false statements and tampering with evidence in an investigation into Trump, a sentence Trump commuted. Michael Flynn, who was briefly Trump's national security advisor, pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about his communications with Russia. He was pardoned in 2020 by Trump. Flynn is also known for his links to the QAnon conspiracy theory, and for pushing a wild, unsubstantiated theory that COVID-19 vaccines are being snuck into salad dressing. Flynn claimed during the prayer call on Monday that Trump is saving the country from going along a "godless path."Cheung said of the call: "Millions of Americans are praying for President Trump because he is the only one standing in the way of radical, liberal prosecutors abusing their power from targeting citizens they disagree with."Stone, Flynn, and Lahmeyer did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours. Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said on ABC's "This Week" that Donald Trump welcomes "chaos and turmoil" but only on his terms. Chris Christie (left) and Donald Trump.Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images; Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images Donald Trump and his allies have claimed that an indictment will only help his election prospects. Chris Christie, a former district attorney, said Trump thrives on "chaos and turmoil." But an indictment "never helps anybody," Christie said on ABC's "This Week." Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said on Sunday that an indictment won't help Donald Trump, countering the former president's claims that it'll only make him more popular.While discussing Trump's possible indictment for hush-money payments to adult actress Stormy Daniels, Christie said on ABC's "This Week" that Trump thrives on conflict but only when he's behind the narrative reins."The circus continues. I mean, look, he only profits and does well in chaos and turmoil. And so he wants to create the chaos and turmoil on his terms," Christie said. "He doesn't want anybody else's terms … He wants it on his terms."However, Christie, who is also a former district attorney, added: "But look at the end, being indicted never helps anybody. It's not a help."—This Week (@ThisWeekABC) March 19, 2023A few weeks before the possibility of an indictment further materialized, Trump said he "wouldn't even think about" dropping out of the 2024 race even if he was charged with a crime."Probably it will enhance my numbers," he said, per an ABC News report.Some of his closest allies echoed that sentiment."If the Manhattan DA indicts President Trump, he will ultimately win even bigger than he is already going to win," Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on Twitter on Saturday.Twitter CEO Elon Musk also claimed Trump will be "re-elected in a landslide victory." If Manhattan prosecutors deliver an indictment, Trump would be the first former president in US history to be formally charged with a crime — let alone a former president who is also running a third election campaign.The closest a former president came to being charged with a crime was Nixon before he was granted a pardon by Gerald Ford in September 1974. The last time a presidential candidate was indicted was in 2011, when John Edwards, John Kerry's 2004 vice presidential running mate, was charged with campaign finance violations. "I don't think that the American people will probably see this as a huge crime," Christie said. "But the vision of a former president of the United States being processed, fingerprinted, mug shotted ... What else do you expect Trump to say ... than to say that it helps his campaign?"Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

"No Notification": Trump Team Walks Back Indictment Prediction, Promotes 'Reelection' Rally Instead Update (1315ET): The Washington Post reports that Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said Saturday morning there had been no “notification” of an indictment and said Trump’s supporters should attend a rally he is holding next week in Texas for his 2024 reelection. Susan Necheles, a lawyer for Trump, said his remark about the timing of his arrest was gleaned from media reports on Friday about local and federal law enforcement players expecting to convene early next week to discuss security and logistics related to Trump’s expected indictment. “Since this is a political prosecution, the District Attorney’s office has engaged in a practice of leaking everything to the press, rather than communication with President Trump’s attorneys as would be done in a normal case,” Necheles said in a statement. *  *  * As the banking crisis and the Hunter Biden laptop scandal continues to unfold, the potential indictment of former President Trump on felony falsification charges could be the only headline that really matters next week.  Fox News anchor John Roberts informed viewers on Friday afternoon that the Manhattan District Attorney's Office has requested a "meeting with law enforcement ahead of a potential Trump indictment." He said, "to discuss logistics for some time next week, which would mean that they are anticipating an indictment next week." "Same sources familiar with the planning said they will go over security preparations in and around the courthouse in lower Manhattan. Secret Service will take the lead in what they will allow or will not allow, the source cautioned, mentioning, for instance, that the decision to handcuff the president, the former president, or not, they will set the tone and will escort him into the courtroom," Roberts continued.  “We are learning that the Manhattan DA office has asked for a meeting with law enforcement ahead of a potential Trump indictment. The meeting is to discuss logistics for some time next week which would mean they are anticipating an indictment next week” pic.twitter.com/IkbM46Naoe — Acyn (@Acyn) March 17, 2023 Trump's lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, told AP News that if the former president is indicted, "we will follow the normal procedures." If Trump is charged with felony falsification of business records, he would be forced to surrender to New York authorities and make an appearance in a Manhattan courthouse. The former president allegedly coordinated a transfer of $130,000 to pornstar Stormy Daniels through former attorney Michael Cohen.  "The payments were made to a lawyer, not to Stormy Daniels. The payments were made to Donald Trump's lawyer, which would be considered legal fees," the lawyer told MSNBC earlier this week, adding that Cohen "was his lawyer at the time and advised him that this was the proper way to do this to protect himself and his family from embarrassment. It's as simple as that. That is not a crime." According to New York Daily News, the Manhattan District Attorney's office held meetings with several law enforcement agencies to discuss security concerns ahead of a possible indictment.  And if Trump is charged next week, he might as well kick off his presidential campaign -- would be a hell of a way to start.  If this happens, Trump will be re-elected in a landslide victory — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 18, 2023 Hard to imagine a prosecutor engaging in more egregious election interference than indicting a presidential candidate (and former president) on a charge so vague and petty, no reasonable person would think it’s a crime *of any kind* — Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) March 18, 2023 It is possible that a PR campaign is underway to divert the attention of the American public from banking failures and the Biden family. Trump will most likely be in the spotlight next week. On Saturday morning, he wrote this on Truth Social:  What exactly is Trump suggesting his followers do? Those last few words seem to play right into Democrats' narratives. ... and forget about those regional banks and Hunter Biden headlines next week. It might be all about Trump.  *    *    *  Here's more on next week via submission by 'BlueApples,'  Apparently, arrest warrants for populist politicians are en vogue right now. On the same day that the International Criminal Court ("ICC") announced the issuance of an arrest warrant for Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin, reports out of New York suggest the same fate is forthcoming for former president Donald J. Trump. Local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies met with security agencies concerning the logistical preparations necessary to handle Trump's arrest. That preparation is in anticipation of an indictment against Trump from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for felony charges of falsification of business records, according to NBC News. The crux of the charges stems back to Trump's handling of the Stormy Daniels saga that enveloped his 2016 presidential campaign. According to Trump's attorney, Joe Tacopina, the former president is not guilty of the presumably impending charges. In Trump's defense, Tacopina shifted the blame to Michael Cohen hose cooperation with the Manhattan District Attorney's office has accelerated its action against Trump. Under Cohen's directive, Trump authorized a payment to Daniel's that the Manhattan District Attorney's Office contends was falsely categorized as a legal fee when Trump reimbursed Cohen for it. The potential charges coming from the Manhattan district attorney's office are a near carbon copy of the federal charge Cohen pleaded guilty to in 2018 concerning the $130,000 payment Trump made to Daniels in the 11th hour of his 2016 campaign. According to Cohen, the directive to issue the payment came directly from Trump. Cohen categorized the order from Trump for the purpose of influencing the 2016 Presidential Election. Cohen contended that the payments to Daniels were made by him directly and that Trump reimbursed him for the $130,000, a transaction that was itemized as a legal fee by Trump's company. Cohen testified to a grand jury for a second time preceding the emergence of reports about a potential indictment of Trump. President Trump declined to appear before the same grand jury Cohen testified to earlier this week following an invitation from the District Attorney's Office. Despite not testifying before the grand jury, Tacopina has addressed the probe behind the looming charges against Trump. "We are not convinced they will bring a case, but if so we will deal with it," Tacopina said in the wake of the Manhattan District Attorney's office extending an invitation to Trump to testify before the grand jury. Trump himself categorized the probe as a "Scam, Injustice, Mockery, and Complete and Total Weaponization of Law Enforcement in order to affect a Presidential Election!" in a post made on his social media platform Truth Social. Cohen's appearance before the same grand jury came following over 20 meetings with prosecutors. Potential charges from Manhattan's District Attorney would come at a time where Trump is already under the scrutiny of Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith. The Special Counsel's probe into Trump envelopes the former president's role in the events of January 6th, 2021 as well as his handling of the classified documents at the core of the FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago. Like that FBI raid, Trump is sure to capitalize on any charges coming out of Manhattan to fortify the narrative of his 2024 presidential campaign. Like in 2016, Trump has repeatedly framed himself as an anti-establishment candidate despite any record substantiating that claim accrued during his time in office. The FBI raid of Mar-a-lago, coupled with charges that he may be indicted on next week, will surely be categorized as evidence of a political witch hunt against him, just as he has described the Russiagate narrative that emerged following his initial election in 2016. As reports suggest, the gravity of that continued persecution of Trump is not lost upon the NYPD, New York State Court Officers, the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. The law enforcement and security consortium all met to discuss how booking Trump under any charges would be handled. However, sources reporting these deliberations have indicated that the meeting has yet to take place but that the Secret Service would have over-arching authority on the handling of any indictment. If the Manhattan District Attorney's Office does indeed move forward, it will mark the second high-profile case it has engaged in against Trump. In December 2022, the Trump Organization was convicted on charges of tax fraud and falsifying business records. Though Trump himself was not a defendant in that case, former CFO Allen Weisselberg eventually plead guilty to 15 felony charges. Trump's attorney Joseph Tacopina breathed life into the reality of similar felony charges against the former president by conveying that his client would follow normal booking procedures if he was indicted, according to CNBC. While falsification of business records can be charged as a misdemeanor in New York State, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has elected to modify the charges as a felony. The same federal officials who charged Cohen decided against pursuing similar charges against Trump. Despite any charges against being exalted as an immense victory against Trump by his opposition, any indictment doesn't appear to dissuade him from his 2024 campaign. In discussing potential federal charges regarding his possession of classified documents, Trump assured his supporters that his commitment to running for election would remain unfettered. Trump told James Rosen of Newsmax that he would run for president regardless of any charges levied against him. BREAKING: @realDonaldTrump told me @CPAC just now that he will stay in the race for the @WhiteHouse even if he is indicted in one or more of the pending criminal investigations into his activities. Watch @NEWSMAX to see the video. — James Rosen (@JamesRosenTV) March 4, 2023 Trump's incorrigible defiance in the face of looming charges against him serves as the pathological pillar of his 2024 campaign, assured to revitalize the devout allegiance to him that may have been fractured by the emergence of the likes of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as a competitor for the Republican Party's nomination in the next presidential election. Knowing the poignancy of how an indictment could reaffirm the belief that Trump is the victim of a continued political witch hunt, the decision by Bragg may eventually become an example of cutting one's nose off to spite its face. Even if a conviction or guilty plea were to come from any felony charges, that may prove to be little more than a Pyrrhic victory for Trump's opposition as it may stoke the same support that led to his election in 2016. In the end, that hubris could lead to the establishment's demise once again as the Democratic Party struggles to put forward a worthy opponent for 2024. Tyler Durden Sun, 03/19/2023 - 14:25.....»»

If Donald Trump is criminally indicted in New York, he'll have a mugshot taken and be swabbed for DNA. Secret Service will never leave his side. Former President Donald Trump is facing a looming indictment in New York.Insider If Trump is indicted in New York, he'll be treated like any defendant, but with key exceptions. Trump would be fingerprinted, swabbed for the state DNA database, and photographed for his mugshot. But he likely won't be 'perp walked' before the cameras, and handcuffs are also unlikely. Don't count on handcuffs.Don't expect a dramatic, flash-bulb-dappled perp walk.But yes, there will be a mugshot, and fingerprinting, and a mandatory DNA cheek-swabbing. And there will be an appearance before a judge, and a not-guilty plea — likely, though not necessarily, in open court.If former President Donald Trump is indicted, arrested and arraigned in the New York "hush-money" investigation, he'll be treated like any defendant, but with many key exceptions.Here are predictions for how and when this would roll out, courtesy of some of Manhattan's top defense lawyers, former high-ranking prosecutors, and a retired Secret Service special agent.Will Trump be arrested on Tuesday, as he predicted?Almost certainly not.Trump has claimed on Truth Social that he will be arrested on Tuesday. But Insider has learned that the grand jury has one more witness to hear when it meets for three hours on Monday afternoon, making a Tuesday arrest extremely unlikely.Trump's legal team remains in the dark about when he would hypothetically turn himself in to District Attorney Alvin Bragg, lead defense lawyer Susan Necheles told Insider over the weekend. In fixing on "Tuesday," Trump may just be ad-libbing off of this Fox story, which says the DA's office has "asked for a meeting" with law enforcement early this week, ahead any civil unrest and crowd control issues that may arise from an anticipated indictment. Trump is, after all, calling for supporters to "protest" and "take our nation back." If Trump is indeed indicted and arrested, it will be over his strident denials of wrongdoing.The case is a "fairy tale," he wrote Saturday on Truth Social. Earlier this week, Trump wrote that the prosecution is a "Scam, Injustice, Mockery, and a Complete and Total Weaponization of Law Enforcement in order to affect a Presidential Election!"At what precise millisecond is Trump, officially, a perp?Here's how it plays out in state court in New York.Trump would be officially indicted in the instant that the grand jury foreperson signs his indictment, a document listing the charges the former president — plus any co-defendents — is alleged to have committed.This could happen immediately, right after the grand jury votes to indict."That's called 'walking it through,'" explains Diana Florence, a former white-collar crime prosecutor for the Manhattan district attorney's office.But that foreperson signature could also come days after the vote, Florence said. "Prosecutors can say, we don't have the draft indictment ready," Florence said, especially if the grand jury votes "yes" for some counts and "no" for others."They can tell the foreperson come back two weeks from Wednesday, or something," to sign the revised indictment, Florence said. However long that signature takes, it's only at that crucial moment — foreperson's pen to paper  — that Trump would become the first former president in history to face criminal charges. So what'll it say? The consensus among experts, Trump's defense team, and a trail of breadcrumbs left for hungry reporters by star witness Michael Cohen, is this: if there is an indictment, it will likely list multiple counts of falsifying business documents.Those low-level felony charges will likely relate to the 2016 election-eve hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels. They carry a potential maximum sentence of four years in prison. But a judge could also set a sentence of as little as zero jail plus probation.Can we see it? Can we? Please? Not so fast. The indictment starts out as a sealed document.Ink still wet, it's handed back to the prosecutor, then delivered under seal to the central clerk, whose office manages the paperwork for Manhattan felonies. There, the indictment is assigned an identifying docket number, stuffed into a wide, otherwise empty folder called an indictment jacket, and then tucked away in a locked file where not even Trump or his lawyers can get to it.In those early hours and days, only the grand jurors, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and a select few prosecutors who actually worked the case would know what's inside this yawning, hypothetical indictment jacket.There can always be a leak, of course, somewhere between indictment and arraignment, which is the court proceeding where Trump would plead not guilty.And the DA could always ask the judge to unseal the case early, according to veteran Manhattan defense lawyer Ron Kuby, "given the public interest in the case." But typically, only in a courtroom, during arraignment, will the physical indictment — in stapled, hard copy form — be handed to the defense team.Whenever the judge unseals it — either at the arraignment, or earlier on Bragg's request — the district attorney's office will probably quickly release PDF copies to the press and post it on the DA website. At which point the historic document will blow up Twitter feeds worldwide.Who gives Trump the news? That would be his lawyers."As a matter of course, you, the prosecutor, call the defense attorney, and say, 'Okay, he's been indicted, and the indictment has been filed,'" said Florence."The prosecutor will say, 'We're looking at, you know, March 27,' or something like that. 'How does that work for you?' And then you negotiate the date for them to surrender themselves."It's once that surrender date is agreed on that "everybody finds out" Trump has been indicted, even if the charges themselves remain a secret, predicts Kuby."Half the DA's office and their husbands and wives will know once they set a surrender date. All of Trumpville will know," Kuby said. "Between the two, it'll be out in two hours."Then Trump turns himself in?That's what typically happens in white-collar indictments, said Karen Friedman Agnifilo, a former chief assistant with the Manhattan district attorney's office.The defendant surrenders at the DA's headquarters in Lower Manhattan at a set time on the agreed-upon date and is immediately handed over to the custody of DA investigators — armed peace officers who are often former NYPD cops.At that point, Trump, if this is how it plays out, would be "under arrest" Friedman Agnifilo explained.He would be escorted by elevator to the seventh or ninth floor to be booked. DA investigators would take his prints and mugshot. They'd swab his cheek to get a mandatory sample for New York's DNA database. They'd take his "pedigree" information."That's where you lie about your height, lie about your weight," cracked Kuby. "'I'm six-three and 205 pounds.' Sure you are. Color of hair? 'Orange.'" A small Secret Service detail would accompany Trump every step of the way — as he arrives, as he's booked, and as he waits for his prints to come back clean, meaning no outstanding warrants, from the FBI database.They'd be there as he is then escorted to the arraignment courtroom, through the arraignment itself, and as he leaves."The Service won't abandon its mission," says Bill Pickle, the former special agent in charge of Al Gore's vice presidential detail.Pickle predicts that given the long, excellent relationship between Secret Service and New York City law enforcement — in the one city presidents visit most often — all those details will be easily worked out."They will never leave him, no," Pickle said of Trump's detail.Once his prints come back, Trump, if he were any other high-profile white-collar perp, would be walked in handcuffs by DA investigators down a courthouse hallway — with the press shouting and filming from behind barricades — to the courtroom.There, he'd see the hard copy indictment for the first time, and plead not guilty, or his lawyers would enter that not-guilty plea on his behalf.So that's how it'll go?It's a very possible scenario.Bragg, the district attorney, could well decide he's doing this one by the book, with no preferential treatment, and Trump would move from surrender to booking to arraignment just like any other white-collar defendant.But nothing about this surrender, booking, and arraignment will be typical, experts predict. But they gotta arrest him, right? If he's indicted? Calm down. Not necessarily.Trump could be arraigned without ever spending a moment in custody, according to a former top prosecutor in the office of the previous Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance."My strong bet, and it's what I would do, is that they not arrest him," said the ex-prosecutor, speaking anonymously because they were not authorized to comment on the case."Instead, the court could issue him a criminal summons," an order directing him to appear for arraignment, they said. "He would appear in court and then get printed before or after. No cuffs." Would they do that? "Who knows," they said. "But logistically, it's the only thing that makes sense. Some would criticize that he's being treated differently. OK. He is different. And this is unprecedented. I would not arrest him, or, at worst, I would have it done in the back of the courtroom."So, he'd still have to come to court? Again, not necessarily."It is possible they could schedule a virtual arraignment, and go through the booking procedure later, which is not typical, but they could do that," Kuby said."The judge would have to agree, the defense and prosecution would have to agree, and there would have to be some follow-up," to get Trump printed, mugshot, swabbed, Kuby said."But there's no legal reason why a defendant cannot appear for their arraignment virtually."Arraign him virtually? What?I know. The biggest courtroom drama in the history of the US presidency could quite possibly be broadcast on Zoom. Trump could conceivably do it all from Mar-a-Lago, in a suit and pajama bottoms. This is highly unlikely, but possible.No handcuffs? No perp walk?All of this would ultimately be Bragg's call. But even if Trump does need to surrender in person, Secret Service would likely give the perp walk a hard pass."That walk is not going to happen," said Pickle, the former Secret Service special agent. "You're not going to expose him to people who could cause him harm.""My guess," he added, "is this is going to be a much more sedate event than you envision."As for letting Trump be seen in handcuffs, even left-leaning defense lawyers believe that would expose Bragg, a Democrat, to accusations of election meddling, and of political bias. Handcuffs would severely limit the former president's mobility in the event, heaven forbid, of an emergency. And an image of Trump in handcuffs would enrage Trump's base.It would be a bad look all around, said Kuby."I mean the man is beloved by 20 percent of the American population. Admittedly they're fascist psychos," Kuby deadpanned."But still. Why contribute to a perception of unfairness?" Would Trump stay out on bail? Yep. It's pretty much a certainty that Trump would remain free, and likely without any bail set at all.Under New York's recently-reformed, progressive bail laws, defendants can only be ordered held on bail if the judge finds they are a flight risk. "Happily, under the current bail laws, you cannot consider whether he constitutes a danger to the community," quipped Kuby, an avowed liberal. "I think nine out of ten jurists would find that Donald Trump constitutes a clear and present danger, but those woke liberals prevented that from happening with New York's bail laws," he added."Oh, if only they could consider future dangerousness, and the likelihood of committing another crime, like in the old days," he joked.  This story is being updated to reflect news developments. Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

Trump's call to action echoed his words preceding the deadly Capitol riot. But there's no proof of his claim he's about to be arrested. Former President Donald Trump.Drew Angerer/Getty Images Trump issued a siren call for his supporters to "protest" and "take our nation back" on Saturday. He made the call after claiming without evidence that he will be arrested Tuesday. His lawyers and advisors said they have no knowledge of an impending arrest. Former President Donald Trump called on his backers to "protest" and "take our nation back" in an all-caps Truth Social post Saturday in which he predicted his own arrest, despite a lack of evidence he has been charged in an ongoing case before a New York grand jury.Citing "illegal leaks," Trump wrote that he "will be arrested on Tuesday of next week.""PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!" he added, in an ominous echo of the words that preceded the deadly January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.He followed up in a second all-caps post, writing, "IT'S TIME!!!""WE JUST CAN'T ALLOW THIS ANYMORE," Trump wrote. "THEY'RE KILLING OUR NATION AS WE SIT BACK & WATCH. WE MUST SAVE AMERICA!PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!!"Trump's extreme rhetoric was reminiscent of his infamous December 2020 tweet asking followers to converge on the Capitol on January 6 to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's election victory. "Be there, will be wild!" Trump tweeted at the time.Trump's lawyers and advisors said they have no indication that the former president will be arrested Tuesday. "President Trump is basing this on press reports," his lawyer, Susan Necheles, told Insider."This is a political prosecution and the DA leaks things to the press instead of communicating to the lawyers as they should," Necheles said.A Trump spokesperson also said in a separate statement that the Manhattan district attorney's office has given "no notification" of an impending arrest. The statement added that Trump "will be in Texas next weekend for a giant rally."Still, the former president's most ardent supporters backed him up.Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a far-right firebrand and one of Trump's most stalwart loyalists, said in a tweet following Trump's statement that the GOP "base has had enough of Republicans that won't stand up for the people and against the Democrats war against Trump, his admin, his supporters, and traditional values."House Speaker Kevin McCarthy threatened the Manhattan DA's office with investigations."Here we go again — an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against President Trump," McCarthy tweeted. "I'm directing relevant committees to immediately investigate if federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions."In a message accompanied by a foreboding image, Trump's eldest son Donald Trump Jr. falsely claimed that if his father was indicted, it would mean the government would target individual freedoms next. "If they can take him out they're one step closer to taking you and your freedoms out… and apparently that's been the plan all along," Trump Jr. wrote. —Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 18, 2023Rep. Matt Gaetz said the "impending indictment is based on an untested, tortured legal theory" and should "be seen for the partisan pathetic ploy it is."Right-wing commentator Dan Bongino said: "The police state is here," adding that it's a story he expects to come out of North Korea. —MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) March 18, 2023Trump spokeswoman Liz Harrington called the charges — which do not appear to have been made — "phony.""Only failing third world nations try to arrest the political opposition on phony charges. Evil people are trying to destroy America, but they will not win!" Harrington said in a Telegram post.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

"Take Our Nation Back": Trump Calls For Protests As 'Imminent' Arrest Expected As the banking crisis and the Hunter Biden laptop scandal continues to unfold, the potential indictment of former President Trump on felony falsification charges could be the only headline that really matters next week.  Fox News anchor John Roberts informed viewers on Friday afternoon that the Manhattan District Attorney's Office has requested a "meeting with law enforcement ahead of a potential Trump indictment." He said, "to discuss logistics for some time next week, which would mean that they are anticipating an indictment next week." "Same sources familiar with the planning said they will go over security preparations in and around the courthouse in lower Manhattan. Secret Service will take the lead in what they will allow or will not allow, the source cautioned, mentioning, for instance, that the decision to handcuff the president, the former president, or not, they will set the tone and will escort him into the courtroom," Roberts continued.  “We are learning that the Manhattan DA office has asked for a meeting with law enforcement ahead of a potential Trump indictment. The meeting is to discuss logistics for some time next week which would mean they are anticipating an indictment next week” pic.twitter.com/IkbM46Naoe — Acyn (@Acyn) March 17, 2023 Trump's lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, told AP News that if the former president is indicted, "we will follow the normal procedures." If Trump is charged with felony falsification of business records, he would be forced to surrender to New York authorities and make an appearance in a Manhattan courthouse. The former president allegedly coordinated a transfer of $130,000 to pornstar Stormy Daniels through former attorney Michael Cohen.  "The payments were made to a lawyer, not to Stormy Daniels. The payments were made to Donald Trump's lawyer, which would be considered legal fees," the lawyer told MSNBC earlier this week, adding that Cohen "was his lawyer at the time and advised him that this was the proper way to do this to protect himself and his family from embarrassment. It's as simple as that. That is not a crime." According to New York Daily News, the Manhattan District Attorney's office held meetings with several law enforcement agencies to discuss security concerns ahead of a possible indictment.  And if Trump is charged next week, he might as well kick off his presidential campaign -- would be a hell of a way to start.  If this happens, Trump will be re-elected in a landslide victory — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 18, 2023 It is possible that a PR campaign is underway to divert the attention of the American public from banking failures and the Biden family. Trump will most likely be in the spotlight next week. On Saturday morning, he wrote this on Truth Social:  What exactly is Trump suggesting his followers do? ... and forget about those regional banks and Hunter Biden headlines next week. It might be all about Trump.  *    *    *  Here's more on next week via submission by 'BlueApples,'  Apparently, arrest warrants for populist politicians are en vogue right now. On the same day that the International Criminal Court ("ICC") announced the issuance of an arrest warrant for Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin, reports out of New York suggest the same fate is forthcoming for former president Donald J. Trump. Local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies met with security agencies concerning the logistical preparations necessary to handle Trump's arrest. That preparation is in anticipation of an indictment against Trump from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for felony charges for falsification of business records, according to NBC News. The crux of the charges stems back to Trump's handling of the Stormy Daniels saga that enveloped his 2016 presidential campaign. According to Trump's attorney, Joe Tacopina, the former president is not guilty of the presumed forthcoming charges. In Trump's defense, Tacopina shifted the blame to Michael Cohen. Under Cohen's directive, Trump authorized payments to Daniel's that the Manhattan district attorney's office contends was falsely categorized at legal fees. The potential charges coming from the Manhattan district attorney's office are a near carbon copy of the federal charge Cohen pleaded guilty to in 2018 concerning the $130,000 payment Trump made to Daniels in the 11th hour of his 2016 campaign. According to Cohen, the directive to issue the payment came directly from Trump. Cohen categorized the order from Trump for the purpose of influencing the 2016 Presidential Election. Cohen contended that the payments to Daniels were made by him directly and that Trump reimbursed him for the $130,000, a transaction that was itemized as a legal fee by Trump's company. Cohen testified to a grand jury for a second time preceding the emergence of reports about a potential indictment of Trump. President Trump declined to appear before the same grand jury Cohen testified to earlier this week following an invitation from the District Attorney's Office. Despite not testifying before the grand jury, Tacopina has addressed the probe behind the looming charges against Trump. "We are not convinced they will bring a case, but if so we will deal with it," Tacopina said in the wake of the Manhattan District Attorney's office extending an invitation to Trump to testify before the grand jury. Trump himself categorized the probe as a "Scam, Injustice, Mockery, and Complete and Total Weaponization of Law Enforcement in order to affect a Presidential Election!" in a post made on his social media platform Truth Social. Cohen's appearance before the same grand jury came following over 20 meetings with prosecutors. Potential charges from Manhattan's District Attorney would come at a time where Trump is already under the scrutiny of Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith. The Special Counsel's probe into Trump envelopes the former president's role in the events of January 6th, 2021 as well as his handling of the classified documents at the core of the FBI of Mar-a-Lago targeting him. Like that FBI raid, Trump is sure to capitalize on any charges coming out of Manhattan to fortify the narrative of his 2024 presidential campaign. Like in 2016, Trump has repeatedly framed himself as an anti-establishment candidate despite any record substantiating that claim accrued during his time in office. The FBI raid of Mar-a-lago, coupled with charges that he may be indicted for next week, will surely be categorized as evidence of a political witch hunt against him, just as he has described the Russiagate narrative that emerged following his initial election in 2016. As reports suggest, the gravity of that continued persecution of Trump is not lost upon the NYPD, New York State Court Officers, the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. The law enforcement and security consortium all met to discuss how booking Trump under any charges would be handled. However, sources reporting these deliberations have indicated that the meeting has yet to take place but that the Secret Service would have over-arching authority on the handling of any indictment. If the Manhattan District Attorney's Office does indeed move forward, it will mark the second high-profile case it has engaged in against Trump. In December 2022, the Trump Organization was convicted on charges of tax fraud and falsifying business records. Though Trump himself was not a defendant in that case, former CFO Allen Weisselberg eventually plead guilty to 15 felony charges. Trump's attorney Joseph Tacopina breathed life into the reality of similar felony charges against the former president by conveying that his client would follow normal booking procedures if he was indicted, according to CNBC. While falsification of business records can be charged as a misdemeanor in New York State, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has elected to modify the charges as a felony. The same federal officials who charged Cohen decided against pursuing similar charges against Trump. Despite any charges against being exalted as an immense victory against Trump by his opposition, any indictment doesn't appear to dissuade him from his 2024 campaign. In discussing potential federal charges regarding his possession of classified documents, Trump assured his supporters that his commitment to running for election would remain unfettered. Trump told James Rosen of Newsmax that he would run for president regardless of any charges levied against him. BREAKING: @realDonaldTrump told me @CPAC just now that he will stay in the race for the @WhiteHouse even if he is indicted in one or more of the pending criminal investigations into his activities. Watch @NEWSMAX to see the video. — James Rosen (@JamesRosenTV) March 4, 2023 Trump's incorrigible defiance in the face of looming charges against him serves as the pathological pillar of his 2025 campaign, assured to revitalize the devout allegiance to Trump that may have been fractured by the emergence of the likes of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as a competitor for the Republican Party's nomination in the next presidential election. Knowing the poignancy of how an indictment could reaffirm the belief that Trump is the victim of a continued political witch hunt, the decision by Bragg may eventually become an example of cutting one's nose off to spite its face. Even if a conviction or guilty plea were to come from any felony charges, that may prove to be little more than a Pyrrhic victory for Trump's opposition as it may stoke the support that led to his election in 2016. In the end, that hubris could lead to the establishment's demise once again as the Democratic Party struggles to put forward a worthy opponent for 2024. Tyler Durden Sat, 03/18/2023 - 11:00.....»»

Drop comes as Fintel options data reveals a sharp sentiment change in AMC stock Shares of American theatre operator AMC Entertainment (NYSE:AMC) plunged as much as 20.3% in trading on Tuesday after holders voted to approve the conversion of preferred APE units to ordinary shares and a reverse stock split at the special shareholder meeting. […] Drop comes as Fintel options data reveals a sharp sentiment change in AMC stock Shares of American theatre operator AMC Entertainment (NYSE:AMC) plunged as much as 20.3% in trading on Tuesday after holders voted to approve the conversion of preferred APE units to ordinary shares and a reverse stock split at the special shareholder meeting. .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Ray Dalio Series in PDF Get the entire 10-part series on Ray Dalio in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   At the time of the meeting, AMC ordinary shares dived while APE shares briefly spiked 20% higher. By the close, AMC shares recovered some of the losses to close the day with a 15% lower while the APE preferred stock reversed all gains to close 5.2% lower.  At last look this morning, shares were clawing back less than 3% of that decline in premarket trading.  The approved reverse stock split will see AMC issue 10 shares for each 1 share held by investors and will allow the company to convert the APE units that were issued within the last year. Around 88% of shareholders voted to approve the notions with CEO Adam Aron stating: “This is a landslide victory that shows your determination to keep AMC a strong and innovative company and the leader of our industry” Truth be told, the move was made in an effort by management to alleviate its debt burden with the ability to issue more shares. Court Hearing The only hurdle now remaining will be a court hearing slated for April 27 in the Delaware Chancery Court that could delay any further debt raisings. The hearing relates to a class-action lawsuit by disgruntled shareholders that were originally against the issuance of the APE preferred stock. B. Riley securities analyst Eric Wold believes it will be difficult for the Delaware judge to oversee upcoming the class-action lawsuit and rule against the validity of the vote, given the overwhelming support of AMC shareholders to proceed with the conversion and reverse split. The analyst also continues to view a positive path for AMC to raise capital, repair its balance sheet and also chase M&A opportunities but maintains a ‘neutral’ recommendation and $4.50 price target until final approval is granted and the conversion has occurred. Sentiment Shift  While we wait to see if the share price regains through the course of today, consider that research from Fintel's platform on AMC’s options data trends has revealed a sharp sentiment change in the stock. This has been highlighted by the Put/Call ratio of 1.56 which has spiked significantly from a value of 0.6 at the beinning of 2023. The ratio has increased over the last quarter as a result of put option demand growing and outweighing call demand in the stock. This ratio is calculated by assessing all of the put and call option demand in a stock over time to determine if underlying sentiment is bullish or bearish. A put/call ratio of below 1 indicates bullish sentiment, while a value above 1 indicates bearish sentiment for a stock. The trends of the ratio against the share price are shown in the chart above. Meme And More It's worth noting that AMC, one of the original r/WallStreetBets meme stocks, still continues to rank among the most mentioned stocks on the r/WallStreetBets Reddit channel. Its popularity on the forum often led to volatile stock prices, which Reuters noted last month don't reflect company fundamentals or financial condition.   During AMC’s most recent fourth quarter update at the end of February, the company reported sales of $990.9, declining from $1.17 billion in the prior year. The figure was marginally ahead of market forecasts. AMC generated positive adjusted EBITDA of $14.5 million, which surpassed analyst polled forecasts which expected a negative $10 million figure. The company burned $57.5 million in operating cash flows and had available liquidity of $842.7 million at the end of 2022. In general, analysts are broadly negative on the stock as highlighted by Fintel’s bearish consensus target price of $2.44. We expect analysts to re-adjust models and targets once the recent financing and legal overhangs on the stock are sorted. Article by Ben Ward, Fintel.....»»

AMC CEO Adam Aron lauded the 'landslide victory.'.....»»

Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch was scathingly critical of former President Donald Trump, even as his network pushed his election fraud claims. Former President Donald Trump, left, and Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch, right.Getty Images Rupert Murdoch said he thought Trump was going "increasingly mad" after his 2020 defeat.  The candid assessment is included in new legal filings by Dominion in its Fox News lawsuit.  The filings reveal Fox News executives were critical of Trump, while promoting his fraud claims. Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch told an associate he believed Donald Trump was going "increasingly mad" after the then president refused to concede defeat in the 2020 election. Murdoch sent an email on November 19, 2020 in which he wrote that Trump and his then attorney Rudy Giuliani appeared "increasingly mad" - a British and Australian expression for declining mental health. He added that Giuliani was "encouraging … and misleading him.""The real danger is what he might do as president," Murdoch wrote of Trump, according to legal documents. "Apparently not sleeping and bouncing off walls!""Don't know about Melania, but kids no help," Murdoch added. The frank assessment is included in a new trove of legal filings released by election machines company Dominion as part of its $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox News.Dominion alleges that Fox News promoted bogus claims by Trump and his allies that its machines were used as part of a plot to deprive him of victory in 2020. Private messages by Murdoch, his top lieutenants, and Fox News star hosts released by Dominion reveal their uncertainty over how to deal with Trump's refusal to concede after his November, 2020, defeat to Joe Biden. Murdoch, in the new messages, said he doesn't believe Trump's election fraud claims, and predicts that Trump will eventually concede and the news agenda will shift. "In another month Trump will be becoming irrelevant and we'll have lots to say about Biden, Dems, and appointments," he wrote to former Fox executive Preston Padden on Nov. 23, 2020.But Trump continued to deny the election results, and Fox News' guests and hosts continued pushing his stolen election claims to their audience. Executives in some messages expressed concern that viewers would abandon the network unless it echoed Trump's stolen election claims. "Nobody wants Trump as an enemy," Murdoch said in a January 19, 2023 deposition. When asked why, Murdoch said "because he had a great following, big.""Seventy-five million people voted for him," Murdoch said.Fox News has claimed that its right to broadcast the stolen election claims was protected under the First Amendment, and it was reporting them but not endorsing them. In a statement in response to the new filings, Fox News said Dominion is pushing "distortions and misinformation in their PR campaign to smear Fox News and trample on free speech and freedom of the press." Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

Whitney: The Plan To Wreck America Authored by Mike Whitney, In America, we have an oligarch problem, and it’s much bigger than the oligarch problem that Putin faced when he became president in 2000. The entire West is now in the grips of billionaire elites who have a stranglehold on the media, the political establishment and all of our important institutions. In recent years we have seen these oligarchs expand their influence from markets, finance and trade to politics, social issues and even public health. The impact this group has had on these other areas of interest, has been nothing short of breathtaking. Establishment elites and their media not only stood foursquare behind Russiagate, the Trump impeachment, the BLM riots and the January 6 fiasco, they also had a hand in the Covid hysteria and the host of repressive measures that were imposed in the name of public health. What we’d like to know is to what extent this group is actively involved in the shaping of other events that are aimed at transforming the American Republic into a more authoritarian system? In other words, are the mandated injections, the forced lockdowns, the aggressive government-implemented censorship, the dubious presidential elections, the burning of food processing plants, the derailing of trains, the attacks on the power grid, the BLM-Antifa riots, the drag queen shows for schoolchildren, the maniacal focus on gender issues, and glitzy public show-trials merely random incidents occurring spontaneously during a period of great social change or are they, in fact, evidence of a stealthily orchestrated operation conducted by agents of the state acting on behalf of their elite benefactors? We already know that the FBI, the DOJ and the intel agencies were directly involved in Russiagate –which was a covert attack on the sitting president of the United States. So, the question is not “whether” these agencies are actively involved in other acts of treachery but, rather, to what extent these acts impact the lives or ordinary Americans, our politics and the country? But before we answer that question, take a look at this quote from from a recent interview by Colonel Douglas MacGregor: I was reading a document that was authored by George Soros over 10 years ago in which he talks specifically about this all-out war that would ultimately come against Russia because he said this ‘was the last nationalist state that rests on a foundation of orthodox christian culture with Russian identity at its core. That has to be removed. So I think that the people who are in charge in the west and the people in charge in Washington think they have successfully destroyed the identities of the European and American peoples, that we have no sense of ourselves, our borders are undefended, we present no resistance to the incoming migrants from the developing world who essentially roll over us as though we owe them a living and that our laws do not count. Thus, far I would say that is an accurate evaluation of what we’ve been doing. And I think that’s a great victory for George Soros and the globalists, the anti-nationalists; those who want open borders what they call it an “Open Society” because you end up with nothing, an amorphous mass of people struggling to survive who are reduced to the lowest levels of subsistence … (Soros) even goes so far as to talk about how useful it would be if it was east Europeans whose lives were expended in this process and not west Europeans who simply won’t take the casualties. This is not a minor matter. This is the kind of thinking that is so destructive and so evil, in my judgement, that that’s what we’re really dealing with in our own countries and I think Putin recognizes that.” (Douglas Macgregor – A Huge Offensive”, You Tube;, 11:20 minute) The reason I transcribed this comment from MacGregor was because it sums up the perceptions of a great many people who see things the same way. It expresses the hatred that globalist billionaires have toward Christians and patriots, both of which they see as obstacles to their goal of a borderless one-world government. MacGregor discusses this phenom in relation to Russia which Soros sees as “the last nationalist state that rests on a foundation of orthodox Christian culture with Russian identity at its core.” But the same rule could be applied to the January 6 protestors, could it not? Isn’t that the real reason the protestors were rounded up and thrown into the Washington gulag. After all, everyone knows there was no “insurrection” nor were there any “white supremacists”. The protestors were locked up because they’re nationalists (patriots) which are the natural enemy of the globalists. The MacGregor quote lays it out in black and white. Elites don’t believe that nationalists can be persuaded by propaganda,. They must be eradicated through incarceration or worse. Isn’t that the underlying message of January 6? The other underlying message of January 6, is that ordinary people are no longer allowed to challenge the authority of the people in power. Again, political legitimacy in the US has always been determined by elections. What January 6 indicates, is that legitimacy no longer matters. What matters is power, and the person who can have you arrested for questioning his authority, has all the power he needs. Check out this excerpt from a post on Substack by political analyst Kurt Nimmo: “Klaus Schwab, a student of the war criminal Henry Kissinger, is a mentor to power-hungry and narcissistic sociopaths. The WEF “Great Reset” is designed to turn the world into an impoverished social concentration camp, where destitute serfs “own nothing” and this, in true Orwellian fashion, will set them free… I challenge people to investigate the WEF’s Global Redesign Initiative. According to the Transnational Institute in the Netherlands, this “initiative” proposes a transition away from intergovernmental decision-making towards a system of multi-stakeholder governance. In other words, by stealth, they are marginalizing a recognized model where we vote in governments who then negotiate treaties which are then ratified by our elected representatives with a model where a self-selected group of ‘stakeholders’ make decisions on our behalf. (Emphasis added.) In other words, large transnational corporate “stakeholders” will be deciding where you live, what you eat (insects and weeds), how you reproduce (or not reproduce; children produce carbon emissions), and what you can “rent” from them, or not be allowed to rent if you complain about an unelected globalist “economic” cartel driving humanity into serfdom, worldwide poverty, and depopulation.” (“WEF Calls for Destruction of America’s Middle Class“, Kurt Nimmo on Geopolitics) What Nimmo is saying is that these billionaire elites are now so powerful, that they can openly say they’re going to “transition away from intergovernmental decision-making” (ie– representative government”) to a system of “multi-stakeholder governance.” If I’m not mistaken, that is a pretty unambiguous declaration of a new form of supra-national government, in which only the billionaire stakeholders have a vote in what policies are implemented. But isn’t that the way things work already? On any number of topics from ESG, to digital currencies, to vaccine passports, to AI, to gain-of-function research, to 15-minute cities, to transhumanism, to war with Russia; the decisions are all being made by a handful of people of whom we know every little and who were never voted into office. And that brings us back to our original question: How many of these oddball events (in recent years) were conjured up and implemented by agents of the deep state to advance the elitist agenda? This seem like an impossible question since it’s hard to find a link between these dramatically divers events. For example, what is the link between a Drag Queen Children’s Hour and, let’s say, firebombing a food processing plant in Oklahoma? Or the relentless political exploitation of gender issues and the January 6 public show trials? If there was a connection, we’d see it, right? Not necessarily, because the link might not have anything to do with the incident itself, but instead, with its impact on the people who experience it. In other words, all of these events could be aimed at generating fear, uncertainty, anxiety, alienation and even terror. Have the intelligence agencies launched such destabilizing operations before? Indeed, they have, many times. Here’s an excerpt from an article that will help you to see where I’m going with this. It’s from a piece at The Saker titled Operation Gladio: NATO’s Secret War for International Fascism.” See if you notice any similarities with the way things have been unfolding in America for the last few years: Yves Guerin-Serac: the Black Ops Grandmaster behind Operation Gladio…. wrote the basic training and propaganda manuals which can be fairly described as the Gladio order of battle.”… Guerin-Serac was a war hero, agent provocateur, assassin, bomber, intelligence agent, Messianic Catholic, and the intellectual grandmaster behind the ‘Strategy of Tension’ essential to the success of Operation Gladio. Guerin-Serac published via Aginter Press the Gladio manual, including Our Political Activity in what can aptly be described as Gladio’s First Commandment: “Our belief is that the first phase of political activity ought to be to create the conditions favoring the installation of chaos in all of the regime’s structures…In our view the first move we should make is to destroy the structure of the democratic state under the cover of Communist and pro-Soviet activities…Moreover, we have people who have infiltrated these groups.” Guerin-Serac continues: “Two forms of terrorism can provoke such a situation [breakdown of the state]: blind terrorism (committing massacres indiscriminately which cause a large number of victims), and selective terrorism (eliminate chosen persons)… This destruction of the state must be carried out under the cover of ‘communist activities.’ After that, we must intervene at the heart of the military, the juridical power and the church, in order to influence popular opinion, suggest a solution, and clearly demonstrate the weakness of the present legal apparatus. Popular opinion must be polarized in such a way, that we are being presented as the only instrument capable of saving the nation.” Anarchic random violence was to be the solution to bring about such a state of instability thus allowing for a completely new system, a global authoritarian order. Yves Guerin-Serac, who was an open fascist, would not be the first to use false-flag tactics that were blamed on communists and used to justify more stringent police and military control from the state….” (“Operation Gladio: NATO’s Secret War for International Facism”, The Saker) Repeat: the first phase of political activity ought to be to create the conditions favoring the installation of chaos in all of the regime’s structures… This destruction of the state must be carried out under the cover of (communist) activities…. Popular opinion must be polarized in such a way, that we are being presented as the only instrument capable of saving the nation.” In other words, the objective of the operation is to completely disrupt all social relations and interaction, cultivate feelings of uncertainty, polarization and terror, find a group that can be scapegoated for the wide societal collapse, and, then, present yourself (elites) as the best choice for restoring order. Is this what’s going on? It’s very possible. It could all be part of a Grand Strategy aimed at “wiping the slate clean” in order to “transition away from intergovernmental decision-making” to a system of “multi-stakeholder governance.” That could explain why there has been such a vicious and sustained attack on our history, culture, traditions, religious beliefs, monuments, heroes, and founders. They want to replace our idealism with feelings of shame, humiliation and guilt. They want to erase our past, our collective values, our heritage, our commitment to personal freedom, and the very idea of America itself. They want to raze everything to the ground and start over. That is their basic Gameplan writ large. The destruction of the state is being carried out behind the cover of seemingly random events that are spreading chaos, exacerbating political divisions, increasing the incidents of public mayhem, and clearing the way for a violent restructuring of the government. They can’t build a new world order until the old one is destroyed. Tyler Durden Mon, 02/27/2023 - 23:00.....»»

Lucas recently spoke with Insider about the challenges of governing during a pandemic and his approach to tackling tough, multilayered policy issues. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has focused intently on public safety and affordable housing since taking office.Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas strives for collaboration as he works on tough policy issues. "You stay dedicated on and with the issue. You've got to be straight up," Lucas told Insider. Since becoming mayor, Lucas has focused on public safety, housing, and boosting city services. When Quinton Lucas entered the race for Kansas City, Missouri mayor in 2018, he had a plethora of public policy issues that he sought to shape, including housing affordability and public safety in neighborhoods across the city.After he was elected in 2019, Lucas would have the opportunity to make his mark on how the city would approach some of its most vexing issues.But then the coronavirus pandemic struck, which presented a raft of public-health challenges that touched virtually every aspect of society. Public officials were faced with a host of enormous challenges, but Lucas said that mayors, often on the frontlines of huge policy debates, had to push through.And he looks at Kansas City — whose Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII earlier this month — as an example of resiliency."We've been pretty successful post-pandemic. We're a city that obtained the 2026 World Cup [as a host city]. We're a city that I think has continued to grow in population at a time many other major Midwestern cities have not," said Lucas, an attorney who had served as a councilman and a lecturer at the University of Kansas School of Law."My friends in Washington and our state capitals can wallow in negativity, fighting in battles and all of that," he continued to say. "We've got to get stuff done. And I think that's what you see responsible mayors trying to do."Lucas, who's running for reelection to a second term this year, recently spoke with Insider about the bipartisan infrastructure law, the challenges of governing during a pandemic, and his approach to tackling some of the larger social issues faced by mayors across the country.Questions and answers have been edited for brevity.Insider's John L. Dorman: President Biden during his recent State of the Union address spoke about the bipartisan infrastructure law, which has funded many projects that had been delayed for years. What have been some of the most tangible and immediate benefits of the law for Kansas City?Mayor Quinton Lucas: There are several things that we're working on here in Kansas City, and probably the most important long-term is our investment in 71 Highway. Like many cities, it was a highway that cut through the middle of our city. It dissected, bisected our Black community, forcing thousands of people to leave their homes. It was something that was a travesty when created, and thanks to the bipartisan infrastructure law, we're able to actually start addressing it. It is something that is incredibly important, in my view, that we get right. We've also invested in electric buses and making sure that our fleet, which is already zero-fare, will also be zero-emissions.Mayor Lucas speaks during the Kansas City Chiefs' victory celebration in Kansas City, Missouri, on February 15, 2023.AP Photo/Reed HoffmannJD: Kansas City's population sits at just above 500,000 people, its largest population size in history, based on the 2020 Census. With so many people attracted to living in the city core, how do you see it evolving over the next 10 to 15 years? What types of things do you think this growth will spur?QL: I think these updates are allowing for greater sustainability, which is something that this country needs badly. I think that these updates are allowing us to actually once and for all make sure that we are better addressing the long-term density in our communities. A lot of the things that we got away from in the '50s and '60s, we're still paying the price for now. And so I'm very excited and heartened by the fact that I think we're going to take real steps to both modernize our infrastructure, but also address fundamentally where we were underinvesting for generations.JD: What's been a big issue for your city that you've been able to raise with President Biden?QL: I've talked to the president a lot about public safety. I think he recognizes that public safety isn't just a story of sending cops somewhere all the time. There's also an important part of what are we doing to help prevent crime. A lot of that relates to our investments in things like housing, an area that is traditionally underinvested. So I've been able to share concerns with the underinvestment in HUD [Department of Housing and Urban Development] for generations. I think this administration has shown a real interest in doing better long-term and investing in HUD and transitional housing, and helping to fix homelessness issues all around our country.JD: At the federal level, we saw talks surrounding the George Floyd Policing Act basically collapse in 2021. However, with the death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis, Tenn., police officers, there are calls for members of Congress to get something passed. As a mayor and someone who deals with public safety every day, how are you able to influence the debate on such an issue?QL: Certainly our voices are important. We have the ability, even in a city like mine, with 500,000 people, to impact millions. I think that is one important step for what it is that we can do. So for us, visiting not just with the president, which has been an absolutely amazing, tremendous honor, but the other big thing that we can do is to make sure that we're prioritizing with our senators and our congressional delegations to state how important these steps are.Mayor Lucas takes the stage during a watch party for the announcement of the FIFA World Cup 2026 host cities on June 16, 2022.Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY SportsIt's easy here in the rest of the country, sometimes, to not know in many ways or not care what the heck is happening in Washington. Right? You can see it at the State of the Union, with [Georgia Rep.] Marjorie Taylor Greene shouting out and saying someone's a liar, which is the sort of thing that turns off a lot of people in our country. But the issues, the things that are done in Washington do matter to us. So that's why I think it is important for us, despite I think a lot of the rhetoric and the fact that our public has perhaps tuned some of that out, to make sure that we're actually participating in these important policy discussions in Congress.JD: You've spoken of the need to tackle poverty, homelessness, and housing insecurity in the city. What challenges have you faced in addressing these major issues?QL: I think, first of all, you stay dedicated on and with the issue. You've got to be straight up. We ain't gonna solve it in a decade. You may not solve it in one season. And I think a lot of the challenge in 2020 and 2021 was everybody was trying to solve homelessness like in a month. Everybody was trying to solve any questions on American policing in a month and that's not the way it works. In Kansas City, we've said: "How do we keep talking to people even if everybody's mad at each other in the room?" Make them sit there and make them work together and ultimately see what we can try to get accomplished.JD: What has been one of the more challenging things that you've had to face as the mayor of a city during a pandemic?QL: I think probably the hardest thing is when we were making decisions on emergency orders. Contrary to what the rhetoric was in the world, there was no mayor in the history of time who wants to shut down their city. And to do that, particularly at a time when you see the urbanization trend — a lot of our cities were rising. More people were moving downtown. They were becoming safer. There was a lot of good stuff that was happening. And to see that arrested was hard. So that remains one of the tougher things that I hope I never have the misfortune of repeating again in my life.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

"There will certainly be a moment when the fragility of Putin's regime is felt in Russia," Ukraine's President Zelenskyy told a journalist. Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) and Vladimir Putin (R).Alexey Furman/Getty Images, Mikhail Klimentyev/RIA Zelenskyy said that he believed his own people would eventually topple Vladimir Putin.  He said that eventually, they would turn on him and "will find a reason to kill the killer." Reports say there is a growing gulf between Putin and the country's elite as the war rages without sign of victory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated he believed his opponent Vladimir Putin would eventually be toppled by people from within Russia's political regime."There will certainly be a moment when the fragility of Putin's regime is felt in Russia," Zelenskyy told journalist Dmytro Komarov in a new documentary."Then carnivores will eat the carnivore. It is very important, and they will need a reason to justify this. They will recall the words of Komarov, of Zelenskyy. They will remember. They will find a reason to kill the killer," he says, per a translation by Ukrayinska Pravda."Will it work? Yes. When? I don't know," he said.The Ukrainian president sat down for an extended interview for the documentary, which was made to mark one year since Russia invaded Ukraine.A year after the war began, Russia has not had the expected swift victory and instead faced battlefield humiliations and heavy casualties.Russia has faced stringent international sanctions over the invasion and has become increasingly isolated on the world stage.The untrusting Russian leader is known to rely mainly on his close inner circle of advisers and confidants, but The Washington Post reported in December that there is increasingly a gulf between Putin and the country's elite."There is huge frustration among the people around him," a Russian billionaire with contacts with top-ranking officials told the paper. "He clearly doesn't know what to do.""He is in isolation, of course. He doesn't like speaking with people anyway. He has a very narrow circle, and now it has gotten narrower still," he said.One member of Putin's inner circle even voiced disagreement directly to him over his handling of the war, The Washington Post reported in October, according to information obtained by US intelligence.Putin has also faced discontent within the country over drafting the country's military reservists, with thousands of fighting-age men fleeing the country and people taking to the streets to protest against the move.Although denouncing the war is illegal in Russia, there have been rare moments of dissent, and Russia's military bloggers have started openly criticizing Moscow's military leadership.This week a Russian lawmaker appeared to mock Putin by watching his speech with noodles hung on his ears, in reference to a Russian idiom meaning to tell lies.Despite any murmurs of dissent, experts have previously said the Russian leader has made his regime "coup-proof" through a culture of distrust among Russia's intelligence agencies.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

Who's Winning And Losing The Economic War Over Ukraine? Authored by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies via NakedCapitalism.com, With the Ukraine war now reaching its one-year mark on February 24, the Russians have not achieved a military victory but neither has the West achieved its goals on the economic front... When Russia invaded Ukraine, the United States and its European allies vowed to impose crippling sanctions that would bring Russia to its knees and force it to withdraw. Western sanctions would erect a new Iron Curtain, hundreds of miles to the east of the old one, separating an isolated, defeated, bankrupt Russia from a reunited, triumphant and prosperous West. Not only has Russia withstood the economic assault, but the sanctions have boomeranged–hitting the very countries that imposed them. Western sanctions on Russia reduced the global supply of oil and natural gas, but also pushed up prices. So Russia profited from the higher prices, even as its export volume decreased. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) reports that Russia’s economy only contracted by 2.2% in 2022, compared with the 8.5% contraction it had forecast, and it predicts that the Russian economy will actually grow by 0.3% in 2023. On the other hand, Ukraine’s economy has shrunk by 35% or more, despite $46 billion in economic aid from generous U.S. taxpayers, on top of $67 billion in military aid. European economies are also taking a hit. After growing by 3.5% in 2022, the Euro area economy is expected to stagnate and grow only 0.7% in 2023, while the British economy is projected to actually contract by 0.6%. Germany was more dependent on imported Russian energy than other large European countries so, after growing a meager 1.9% in 2022, it is predicted to have negligible 0.1% growth in 2023. German industry is set to pay about 40% more for energy in 2023 than it did in 2021. The United States is less directly impacted than Europe, but its growth shrank from 5.9% in 2021 to 2% in 2022, and is projected to keep shrinking, to 1.4% in 2023 and 1% in 2024. Meanwhile India, which has remained neutral while buying oil from Russia at a discounted price, is projected to maintain its 2022 growth rate of over 6% per year all through 2023 and 2024. China has also benefited from buying discounted Russian oil and from an overall trade increase with Russia of 30% in 2022. China’s economy is expected to grow at 5% this year. Other oil and gas producers reaped windfall profits from the effects of the sanctions. Saudi Arabia’s GDP grew by 8.7%, the fastest of all large economies, while Western oil companies laughed all the way to the bank to deposit$200 billion in profits: ExxonMobil made $56 billion, an all-time record for an oil company, while Shell made $40 billion and Chevron and Total gained $36 billion each. BP made “only” $28 billion, as it closed down its operations in Russia, but it still doubled its 2021 profits. As for natural gas, U.S. LNG (liquefied natural gas) suppliers like Cheniere and companies like Total that distribute the gas in Europe are replacing Europe’s supply of Russian natural gas with fracked gas from the United States, at about four times the prices U.S. customers pay, and with the dreadful climate impacts of fracking. A mild winter in Europe and a whopping $850 billion in European government subsidies to households and companies brought retail energy prices back down to 2021 levels, but only after they spiked five times higher over the summer of 2022. While the war restored Europe’s subservience to U.S. hegemony in the short term, these real-world impacts of the war could have quite different results in the long term. French President Emmanuel Macron remarked, “In today’s geopolitical context, among countries that support Ukraine, there are two categories being created in the gas market: those who are paying dearly and those who are selling at very high prices… The United States is a producer of cheap gas that they are selling at a high price… I don’t think that’s friendly.” An even more unfriendly act was the sabotage of the Nord Stream undersea gas pipelines that brought Russian gas to Germany. Seymour Hersh reported that the pipelines were blown up by the United States, with the help of Norway—the two countries that have displaced Russia as Europe’s two largest natural gas suppliers. Coupled with the high price of U.S. fracked gas, this has fueled anger among the European public. In the long term, European leaders may well conclude that the region’s future lies in political and economic independence from countries that launch military attacks on it, and that would include the United States as well as Russia. The other big winners of the war in Ukraine will of course be the weapons makers, dominated globally by the U.S. “big five”: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and General Dynamics. Most of the weapons so far sent to Ukraine have come from existing stockpiles in the United States and NATO countries. Authorization to build even bigger new stockpiles flew through Congress in December, but the resulting contracts have not yet shown up in the arms firms’ sales figures or profit statements. The Reed-Inhofe substitute amendment to the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act authorized “wartime” multi-year, no-bid contracts to “replenish” stocks of weapons sent to Ukraine, but the quantities of weapons to be procured outstrip the amounts shipped to Ukraine by up to 500 to one. Former senior OMB official Marc Cancian commented, “This isn’t replacing what we’ve given [Ukraine]. It’s building stockpiles for a major ground war [with Russia] in the future.” Since weapons have only just started rolling off production lines to build these stockpiles, the scale of war profits anticipated by the arms industry is best reflected, for now, in the 2022 increases in their stock prices: Lockheed Martin, up 37%; Northrop Grumman, up 41%; Raytheon, up 17%; and General Dynamics, up 19%. While a few countries and companies have profited from the war, countries far from the scene of the conflict have been reeling from the economic fallout. Russia and Ukraine have been critical suppliers of wheat, corn, cooking oil and fertilizers to much of the world. The war and sanctions have caused shortages in all these commodities, as well as fuel to transport them, pushing global food prices to all-time highs. So the other big losers in this war are people in the Global South who depend on imports of food and fertilizers from Russia and Ukraine simply to feed their families. Egypt and Turkey are the largest importers of Russian and Ukrainian wheat, while a dozen other highly vulnerable countries depend almost entirely on Russia and Ukraine for their wheat supply, from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Laos to Benin, Rwanda and Somalia. Fifteen African countries imported more than half their supply of wheat from Russia and Ukraine in 2020. The Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered by the UN and Turkey has eased the food crisis for some countries, but the agreement remains precarious. It must be renewed by the UN Security Council before it expires on March 18, 2023, but Western sanctions are still blocking Russian fertilizer exports, which are supposed to be exempt from sanctions under the grain initiative. UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths told Agence France-Presse on February 15 that freeing up Russian fertilizer exports is “of the highest priority.” After a year of slaughter and destruction in Ukraine, we can declare that the economic winners of this war are: Saudi Arabia; ExxonMobil and its fellow oil giants; Lockheed Martin; and Northrop Grumman. The losers are, first and foremost, the sacrificed people of Ukraine, on both sides of the front lines, all the soldiers who have lost their lives and families who have lost their loved ones. But also in the losing column are working and poor people everywhere, especially in the countries in the Global South that are most dependent on imported food and energy. Last but not least is the Earth, its atmosphere and its climate—all sacrificed to the God of War. That is why, as the war enters its second year, there is a mounting global outcry for the parties to the conflict to find solutions. The words of Brazil’s President Lula reflect that growing sentiment. When pressured by President Biden to send weapons to Ukraine, he said, “I don’t want to join this war, I want to end it.” *  *  * By Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies are the authors of War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict, available from OR Books in November 2022. Medea Benjamin is the cofounder of CODEPINK for Peace, and the author of several books, including Inside Iran: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Nicolas J. S. Davies is an independent journalist, a researcher with CODEPINK and the author of Blood on Our Hands: The American Invasion and Destruction of Iraq. Tyler Durden Fri, 02/24/2023 - 02:00.....»»

Matt DePerno and Kristina Karamo lost their races during a cycle where voters turned away from the state GOP, a boost to Democrats headed into 2024. Kristina Karamo could be the next chair of the Michigan Republican Party.Emily Elconin/Getty Images Two 2020 election deniers are the top candidates to lead the Michigan GOP headed into 2024. Matt DePerno and Kristina Karamo lost races for AG and secretary of state, respectively, in 2022. The party has over $2.3 million in outstanding debts in its state campaign coffers, per Bridge Michigan. The November 2022 midterms were not kind to Michigan Republicans.Not only was Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer reelected in a landslide over Republican Tudor Dixon, but state Attorney General Dana Nessel soundly defeated GOP opponent Matt DePerno and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson easily dispatched Republican Kristina Karamo. And Democrats reclaimed control of both houses of the state legislature, with the state Senate in Democratic hands for the first time since 1984.But DePerno and Karamo, who repeatedly questioned the integrity of the 2020 presidential election, are seen as the frontrunners to lead the Michigan Republican Party, according to Bridge Michigan.The state party on Saturday will decide on a leader to replace outgoing chair Ron Weiser.Weiser, a prominent real estate developer, gave the party over $3.2 million in personal contributions for the 2022 election cycle, per Bridge Michigan. But the outlet also reported that the state GOP had over $2.3 million in outstanding debts in its main state campaign account.DePerno and Karamo, who were both backed by former President Donald Trump in their respective campaigns last year, sought to funnel GOP outrage over the 2020 election into statewide victories, but they fell far short of that goal; DePermo lost to Nessel by nearly 9 points, while Karamo lost to Benson by 14 points.Former President Trump is backing Matthew DePerno to lead the Michigan Republican Party.Emily Elconin/Getty ImagesAnd Trump, who continues to wield enormous influence among grassroots activists as he begins to ramp up his third presidential campaign, last month threw his support behind DePerno."Republicans in Michigan must unite and work together if they want to save Michigan," the former president said in a statement at the time. "We must start by supporting Matt DePerno for chairman of the Michigan Republican Party. He is the only candidate running who can get the job done!"Both DePerno and Karamo are seeking to more closely tie grassroots conservatives to its GOP donor base.On Monday, Trump rallied for DePerno virtually and stressed the importance of Michigan, a swing state that in 2016 narrowly supported him over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton before now-President Joe Biden flipped it back to the Democrats in 2020."Michigan will be a key battleground center for the action," Trump said of the presidential election next year. "Victory in Michigan will be the difference in winning the election or not."Key to Biden's victory in Michigan was his strength not only in cities like Detroit, Ann Arbor, Lansing, and Grand Rapids, but the margins that he amassed in suburban communities in Southeast Michigan.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

"At this point we're getting hurt no matter what," Carlson texted his producer two days after Fox became the first network to call Arizona for Biden, per a new court filing. Tucker Carlson speaks during 2022 FOX Nation Patriot Awards at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on November 17, 2022 in Hollywood, Florida.Jason Koerner/Getty Images Tucker Carlson called Trump the "undisputed world champion" of destroying things, per a new court filing. Carlson texted his producer after the 2020 election that Trump could "easily destroy" Fox News if "we play it wrong." Carlson's text came after Fox News ignited Trump's fury by being the first to call Arizona for Biden. Two days after Election Day 2020, Fox News host Tucker Carlson texted his producer warning that Fox New's decision to call the state of Arizona for Joe Biden on election night could spell doom for the network.That's according to a newly released court filing Thursday. The document, a 200-page motion for summary judgment in Dominion Voting Systems' defamation lawsuit against Fox News, featured multiple deposition excerpts and texts from top Fox News figures including Carlson, Sean Hannity, Rupert Murdoch, and others. Fox was the first cable news network to project Biden's victory in Arizona, prompting a slew of angry phone calls and texts from people in Trump's camp."We worked really hard to build what we have," Carlson texted his producer, Alex Pfeiffer, on November 5, 2020, according to the filing. "Those fuckers are destroying our credibility. It enrages me."Carlson added that he had spoken with fellow primetime commentators Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity minutes earlier and that they were "highly upset.""At this point we're getting hurt no matter what," he wrote, according to the filing.Pfeiffer replied that "many on 'our side' are being reckless demagogues right now.""Of course they are," Carlson wrote. "We're not going to follow them." He went on to say that Trump was good at "destroying things. He's the undisputed world champion of that. He could easily destroy us if we play it wrong."At another point the same day, Carlson texted that "we've got to be incredibly careful right now. We could get hurt." It's unclear who the recipient of the message was.Dominion became a focal point for Trumpworld's election-related conspiracy theories shortly after Election Day 2020. "By November 11, Sean Hannity recognized the critical role the Dominion fraud narrative would play in winning back viewers," Thursday's filing said."In one week and one debate they destroyed a brand that took 25 years to build and the damage is incalculable," Hannity told Carlson and Ingraham on November 12, a week after the Arizona call."It's vandalism," Carlson replied, according to the filing.One of Ingraham's producers, Tommy Firth, struck a more blunt tone."This dominion shit is going to give me a fucking aneurysm — as many times as I've told Laura it's bs, she sees shit posters and trump tweeting about it," Firth wrote to a Ron Mitchell, a Fox executive overseeing Ingraham's show, according to a partially redacted text featured in the filing."This is the Bill Gates/microchip angle to voter fraud," Mitchell replied. Later that day, he circled back with Firth, writing, "How's it going [with] the kooks?"Responding to the document, a Fox News spokesperson said in a statement: "There will be a lot of noise and confusion generated by Dominion and their opportunistic private equity owners, but the core of this case remains about freedom of the press and freedom of speech, which are fundamental rights afforded by the Constitution and protected by New York Times v. Sullivan."This story is developing. Check back for updates.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»