Occupy Banksters & Crony Capitalism & GREED

NO-BID ICE CONTRACT WENT TO FORMER ICE AGENTS BEING SUED FOR FABRICATING CRIMINAL EVIDENCE ON THE JOB
TheIntercept | Sam Biddle | 04/17/25

U.S. IMMIGRATION AND Customs Enforcement just signed a contract worth $73 million with a firm whose executives are accused of taking part in a scheme to manufacture evidence against a co-worker during their time working at the Department of Homeland Security.

According to a contract document reviewed by The Intercept, federal contractor Universal Strategic Advisors will provide services pertaining to ICE's "non-detained docket," a master list of millions of noncitizens believed to be removable from the United States but not yet in the agency's custody. ... Read more

Full Speech: Not Russia, Not China? Lavrov Names NATO's Biggest Foe, and It's Not Putin | NATO Vs US | Hindudtan Times | 04/15/25 | 6:18

Trump tariffs sink global economy outlook
Click to enlarge
Axios | Felix Salmon | 04/14/25

Global fund managers have turned startlingly pessimistic when it comes to the chances that the world will be able to withstand the effect of across-the-board U.S. tariffs - and they're particularly bearish when it comes to the U.S. itself.

Why it matters: The most recent Fund Manager Survey from Bank of America underscores the thesis that global investors are selling America.

By the numbers: The most recent survey, which was conducted between April 4 and April 10, included 164 global fund managers who collectively have $386 billion of assets under management.

49% of them said that a hard landing is now the most likely outcome for the global economy, up from 6% in February and 11% in March. ... Read more

Trump says Powell's "termination cannot come fast enough"
Axios | Courtenay Brown | 04/17/25

President Trump blasted Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell on Thursday with the strongest suggestion yet of his intention to try to fire the nation's most powerful economic policymaker.

Why it matters: Trump's attack comes after Powell said that tariffs were likely to stoke inflation and slow economic growth.

What they're saying: "Powell's termination cannot come fast enough!," Trump posted on Truth Social.

Reality check: The Fed is an apolitical institution. It makes monetary policy decisions without political considerations, with protection from political retribution.

Much of what makes the U.S. the safest place to invest is the trust that the Fed acts in the best interest of the American economy - not the president. ... Read more

Trump wants to make a deal with China. Here’s how he’s trying to make that happen.
Politico | Megan Messerly | 04/16/25

President Donald Trump wants Chinese leader Xi Jinping to call. Making trade deals with China's neighbors is part of a broader White House strategy to get him to the negotiating table.

As the two countries face off in a bitter trade war, the administration's current theory of the case, which has been circulating among Trump allies and was confirmed by a White House official, is that tariff deals with Asian countries, as well as the dozens of others across the globe seeking to negotiate with the U.S., will isolate China, disrupt the Chinese supply chain and threaten to cut the country off from the rest of the world.

"Once you see a lot of countries - not just in southeast Asia or Asia, but all over - you'll see that they're willing to make deals with America, and that exerts pressure on China to hopefully come to the table," the official said. "Because China's economy is reliant on a lot of these other countries around the world, I think once people see, hopefully, deals being struck with these countries, that exerts pressure on China." ... Read more

Newsom says California to sue over Trump tariffs
Axios | Avery Lotz | 04/16/25

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that his state plans to sue in an attempt to block President Trump's sweeping tariff regime.

Why it matters: California, the fifth-largest economy in the world, could lose billions in Trump's trade war with China. The lawsuit marks the first time a state has sued Trump over his massive, market-rattling levies that sent ripples through the global economy.

Driving the news: The lawsuit will be filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. It argues that Trump's use of the International Economic Emergency Powers Act to impose his levies without congressional approval was unlawful. ... Read more

Trump dashed Musk's secret Pentagon briefing on China
Axios | Marc Caputo | 04/16/25

Beyond tariffs and court battles over Trump policies, two pieces of White House palace intrigue emerged Tuesday: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suspended two top Pentagon officials, Dan Caldwell and Darin Selnick, as part of an investigation into who leaked word of a planned top-secret briefing on China for Elon Musk. Axios learned that Musk or Hegseth didn't just decide to call off that briefing after the leak. President Trump himself ordered staffers to kill it. "What the f**k is Elon doing there? Make sure he doesn't go," Trump said, a top official recalled to Axios. ... Read more

Trump blames Zelensky again: "Millions dead because of 3 people"
Axios | Dave Lawler,Barak Ravid | 04/15/24

President Trump once again accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of starting the war with Russia on Monday, saying "you don't start a war with someone 20 times your size and then hope people give you some missiles."

Why it matters: Trump's comments come a day after a "60 Minutes" interview in which Zelensky suggested the Trump administration was operating in an "altered reality" in terms of the origins of the war. ... Read more

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sits down with Scott Pelley to discuss U.S. support for Ukraine, the war, the Oval Office meeting | 60 Minutes | 04/12/25 | 13:41

Gold bars and an FBI probe: Inside Trump's effort to pry back $20B from Biden's climate spending
Politico | Jean Chemnick | 04/15/25

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin (left) looks on as President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order in the White House on Tuesday. | Evan Vucci/AP

Former President Joe Biden's appointees crafted an unusual strategy for funneling hundreds of billions in government and private dollars to climate projects in lower-income communities - and for doing it fast enough that an incoming Trump administration would be unable to stop it.

Now, the program is fighting for its life.

A federal judge has given herself until Tuesday to rule on whether EPA can continue freezing the $20 billion in federal dollars at the heart of the climate effort, while the courts sort out whether the administration can cancel the grants entirely.

The nonprofits have already committed over $2.6 billion of the money to projects across the U.S., according to a POLITICO analysis of investments by five of the eight groups. But most of that is now halted. ... Read more

Trump & Tariffs: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | John Oliver | 04/13/25 | 27:05

The World's Highest Security Prison: CECOT (The most evil are kept here) | Ruhi Cenet | 02/14/25 | 20:51

Trump's hardline stance
Axios | Marc Caputo | 04/14/25

Business leaders are calling and back-channeling President Trump to dump on Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, trade adviser Peter Navarro and their pro-tariff views, hoping to end the trade war.

Why it matters: Make no mistake: Trump is wholly unmoved, top White House officials tell Axios. This is his disruptive policy, done his disruptive way. "This is the team," one said.

The Trump administration is trying to present a unified front as it implements its controversial tariff policies that have rocked financial markets. Officials loathe palace-intrigue stories that make the team look divided.

CEOs want the Treasury-Secretary-Scott-Bessent-on-truth-serum approach. But they keep running into the reality that Trump is more Navarro. ... Read more

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sits down with Scott Pelley to discuss U.S. support for Ukraine, the war, the Oval Office meeting | 60 Minutes | 04/12/25 | 13:41

Whiplash: Trump adds fresh chaos and uncertainty to his flailing tariffs agenda
MSNBC | Steve Benen | 04/14/25

"I know what the hell I'm doing," the president said last week, referring to trade tariffs. There's fresh evidence to the contrary.

As the world struggled to keep up with the White House's erratic approach to trade tariffs, Rep. Jim McGovern told his congressional colleagues last week, "How is any company supposed to forecast for their future, build a plant, hire workers, if they have no idea what the hell this president is gonna do in his next tweet?"

The Massachusetts Democrat added, "I need a neck brace to be able to get through all this."

Alas, that was before the administration added even more uncertainty to its own flailing plan. ... Read more

Xi's counterpunch: How China will ensure the trade war hurts the U.S.
Axios | Dave Lawler | 04/11/25

Chinese President Xi Jinping has no shortage of pressure points to ensure Americans feel the pain from President Trump's superpower trade war.

The big picture: China on Friday increased its tariffs to an eye-watering 125% in response to Trump's 145% levies. And ever since trade war 1.0, Beijing has also been developing a wider array of tools that it's now putting to use.

Here are seven ways China can punch back as Trump continues to dial up the pressure. ...

The world's hot new trade is "sell America"
Axios | Ben Berkowitz | 04/11/25

President Trump's whiplash tariffs may have inadvertently achieved his goal of reordering the global economy by inspiring investors to sell U.S. assets and move their money elsewhere.

Why it matters: For decades, the world has invested in America. Now, a global moment of clarity threatens to redirect trillions of dollars of capital inflows and diminish the U.S. in the international economic order.

The big picture: The U.S. receives nearly $2 trillion each year in foreign capital inflows, according to government data - things like investments in businesses and bank lending, but also foreign investors buying U.S. stocks and bonds. ... Read more

Murphy: Trump Is Dismantling Our Democracy. We Must Come Together And Act Before It's Too Late. | Senator Chris Murphy | 04/11/25 | 19:22

Stocks plunge again as volatility reigns despite Trump tariff pause
Axios | Nathan Bomey | 04/10/25

Stocks plunged Thursday, erasing a big chunk of Wednesday's market rebound as traders digested the remaining threats from President Trump's tariff frenzy.

Why it matters: As escalating trade war with China has taken center stage.

By the numbers: Red ink was everywhere as of about 3 p.m., even though stocks had rebounded well off session lows:

1. The Dow was down 825 points, or 2%, to 39,787.
2. The S&P 500 index was off 2.8% to 5,306 after Wednesday posting the third largest single-day percentage increase since 1939.
3. The tech-heavy Nasdaq is down 3.6% to 16,513.
4. The small-cap Russell 2000 plummeted 4% to 1,837. ...

Inside the Oval: 3 reasons Trump buckled on tariffs
Axios | Marc Caputo | 04/10/25

President Trump's boosters hailed his decision to pause tariff increases for countries around the world as a strategic masterstroke.

But few are buying the spin. Trump buckled under tremendous, mounting-by-the-minute pressure from CEOs ... friends ... GOP senators ... the markets ... and bond prices. Trump himself admits he blinked when "people were getting a little queasy" about the bond market.

Why it matters: Inside the White House, the episode highlighted the roles of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick as they animated Trump's risky game with trade.

Inside the room: Both men were advising Trump in the Oval Office when he decided to post a message on Truth Social announcing the tariff pause for 90 days while the administration negotiated with as many as 75 countries. ...

Trump's tariff whiplash leaves world dazed and confused
Axios | Zachary Basu | 04/10/25

President Trump's epic tariff retreat shows there is no grand strategy for revolutionizing global trade, and that he's governing - as he always has - through gut instinct.

Why it matters: Trump's allies see a genius at work. His critics see a madman steering the economy toward crisis. And Wall Street sees, for the first time in weeks, a president who is receptive to external pain.

The big picture: Trump's stunning 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs - announced just one week after "Liberation Day" - caught virtually the entire world by surprise.

In one fell swoop, Trump shelved his maximalist tariff ambitions, intensified his trade war with China, and unleashed one of the biggest stock market rallies since World War II.

The tariff climbdown was vintage Trump: chaotic in execution, dramatic in tone, and instantly rebranded as a MAGA masterstroke. ... Read more

Dimon warns of recession, expects defaults as trade war worsens
Axios | Ben Berkowitz | 04/09/25

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon on Wednesday said he expects there to be a recession and for defaults to rise as President Trump's tariffs roil global financial markets.

Why it matters: Dimon's blunt forecast puts a headline on the market's broad fears that Trump's trade war has already set in motion a lasting global crisis.

The comments come amid a historic plunge in the bond market, part of what some strategists are calling a "sell America" trade. ... Read more

Trump's unknowable tariffs leave investors hanging
Axios | Felix Salmon | 04/09/25

With his new tariff announcement on Wednesday afternoon, President Trump has cemented his reputation for being unpredictable.

Why it matters: The markets like 10% tariffs more than they like the broad-brush application of a potentially erroneously calculated formula. But investors are still far from happy.

The big picture: The White House and its friends think of this as the art of the deal. (Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday it was Trump's intention all along.)

America's trading partners, and U.S. companies that crave predictability aren't likely to see much art in it. ... Read more

Elon Musk, in first DOGE team interview: "This is a revolution"
Axios | Ben Berkowitz | 03/28/25

Elon Musk described the Department of Government Efficiency's work as a "revolution" in his team's first interview on the department's behalf Thursday.

Why it matters: DOGE has forced out tens of thousands of employees, shuttered agencies, canceled grants and contracts and upended how the U.S. does business - changes the public tells pollsters they don't generally like.

What they're saying: "This is a revolution, and I think it might be the biggest revolution in the government since the original revolution," Musk, flanked by seven DOGE colleagues, told Fox News.

Musk suggested the balance of that work could be done soon.

Zoom in: He holds "special government employee" status, which means he can work on government business for 130 days in every 365-day period. Fox host Bret Baier asked Musk if he had any plans to stay on past that 130-day window. ... Read more

Trump's shadowy, big-money fan clubs
Axios | Alex Isenstadt | 03/28/25

About a dozen political groups, using unlimited and undisclosed donations, are running ads with twin goals: Boosting - and flattering - President Trump.

Why it matters: The groups - separate from Trump's official political operation - have combined to spend more than $20 million since his election. Their spending is expected to escalate dramatically in the coming months.

The TV and digital ads are being run in Washington, D.C., where they can be seen by lawmakers.

Some also are being aired in the Palm Beach, Fla., area, so they can catch Trump himself when he's at his Mar-a-Lago club - a sign that some of the groups are looking to curry favor with the TV-obsessed president.

One such ad campaign is by a group called the Vapor Technology Association, which is running a flight of commercials in South Florida in which self-described vaping enthusiasts talk about how they turned out for Trump in the election. ... Read more

Elon Musk's Family History in South Africa Reveals Ties to Apartheid & Neo-Nazi Movements | DN | 03/27/25 | 24:34

The Atlantic releases screenshots of timing, weapons used in Yemen war plans Signal chat
Politico | Eric Bazail-Eimil | 03/26/25

The Atlantic on Wednesday released the screenshots of messages sent between top Trump administration officials through the encrypted app Signal detailing the timing and weapons used in military strikes against the Iran-backed Houthi militant group in Yemen, arguing that spin from the White House warranted as full a release as possible.

In a piece published Wednesday, the magazine said that it decided that "there is a clear public interest in disclosing the sort of information that Trump advisers included in nonsecure communications channels, especially because senior administration figures are attempting to downplay the significance of the messages that were shared." ... Read more

The Atlantic publishes more Signal messages after Trump admin denials
Axios | Avery Lotz | 03/26/25

The Atlantic on Wednesday published additional messages Trump administration officials sent in a Signal group chat that inadvertently included the magazine's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg.

Why it matters: President Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other administration officials strongly denied that "war plans" and "classified materials" were shared - essentially daring The Atlantic to publish info it had previously opted not to release.

The newly disclosed messages include a text from Hegseth with specific times and sequencing of planned U.S. strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen. ... Read more

What is Signal, the app Trump officials used to discuss war plans
Axios | Angrej Singh | 03/26/25

Top Trump administration officials used the messaging app Signal to debate highly sensitive plans for bombing Yemen and accidentally included the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic in a group text in the encrypted chat.

Why it matters: The incident has raised serious questions about whether the group chat violated laws including the Espionage Act and some Democratic lawmakers are calling for an investigation and potential repercussions against the officials involved.

Signal is a secure messaging service that uses end-to-end encryption, which means only the sender and recipient can read messages. The service provider cannot access or read private conversations and calls from users on its app.

1. A phone number is required to register and create an account.
2. Signal does not track or store any sensitive information and message history is stored on users' own devices, according to its terms of service.
3. Signal includes a function that automatically deletes all messages from a conversation within a set time frame, configurable from one second to four weeks after they've been read by the recipient. However, a recipient can always take a screenshot or screen record to retain messages.

How to Use Signal App - Signal Private Messenger | TechZG | older | 8:15

The mystery of Trump's tariff bomb
Axios | Courtenay Brown | 03/24/25

The Trump administration is expected to soon announce the most aggressive pivot in U.S. trade policy in decades. For a change so big, businesses know surprisingly little about what's coming in mere days.

Why it matters: The fallout might be a scramble to adjust to the new trade normal that could jolt the global economy.

Trump has called April 2 "the big one" and "Liberation Day," referring to the wide-ranging levies expected to be announced and potentially take effect a week from Wednesday.

What they're saying: "Because of the attention President Trump has drawn to April 2, presumably something is going to happen. The hard part is trying to figure out what precisely that might be," UBS economist Jonathan Pingle wrote Friday in a client note. ... Read more

In DOGE effort to combat fraud, Social Security's core mission at stake
Axios | Emily Peck | 03/24/25

The Trump administration's drive to eradicate a small amount of fraud in Social Security is risking the agency's longstanding mission to serve the public, current and former Social Security Administration officials tell Axios.

Why it matters: The DOGE-led effort threatens a system that provides critical benefits to more than 74 million Americans. It's also starting to ignite some political blowback for the Trump administration.

The big picture: "Social Security has always talked about its twin missions of stewardship and service," says someone familiar with the agency's longstanding effort to combat fraud.

But now, we're in a moment where fighting fraud is in the driver's seat. "That's probably going to be bad for a lot of people around the edges," this person said.

Rich GOP spokesperson | "Only fraudsters would complain if they didn't get their SS checks" | 03/24/25 | 0:20

The Real Reason Trump Is Firing Park Rangers | Eric Hanson | 03/23/25 | 23:20

Elon Musk visits Pentagon after bombshell reports on access to China war plans
Axios | Rebecca Falconer,Natalie Daher | 03/21/25

Elon Musk met with the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday after President Trump and other officials denied reports that he was originally scheduled to receive a top-secret briefing for a potential war with China.

Why it matters: Some lawmakers and ethics experts have raised conflict of interest concerns about Musk's role as senior adviser to the president while his companies hold substantial government contracts - in particular SpaceX, which has deals with the Pentagon and NASA.

The billionaire CEO has been the face of DOGE-driven federal cuts that have triggered protests and seen Tesla vehicles and dealerships targeted in attacks the FBI is investigating as domestic terrorism

After a New York Times reporter asked Hegseth what he and Musk spoke about, the Defense Secretary responded: "Why would I tell you?" ... Read more

'Access Denied': Trump stops a meeting at the Pentagon to brief Elon Musk on potential war plans | MSNBC | 03/21/25 | 9:20

AI infrastructure's all-out spending spree
Axios | Scott Rosenberg | 03/21/25

The AI Infrastructure Partnership announced Wednesday that it was adding Nvidia and xAI as new partners in its fund, which aims to build data centers and energy facilities supporting AI, mostly in the U.S.

Microsoft, BlackRock and UAE-based MGX were already key investors in what was announced last September as a $30 billion fund that could be leveraged up to $100 billion.

Thursday, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told the Financial Times he expects his company will manufacture "several hundred billion" dollars' worth of electronics in the U.S. over the next four years.

The Abu Dhabi-based wealth fund ADQ and U.S. heavyweight Energy Capital Partners intend to invest over $25 billion in projects to power data centers and other industrial consumers, Axios' Ben Geman reported Wednesday. ... Read more

Probationary federal workers who were fired
Click to enlarge
Axios | Emily Peck | 03/19/25

All over the country, fired federal workers got a bit of good news this week - they're getting their jobs back. For now, anyway.

Why it matters: The recently rehired could soon become the newly re-fired, and the productivity of the entire federal workforce is taking another hit.

Where it stands: Two federal judges have ordered agencies to reinstate the tens of thousands of probationary workers they've terminated over the past month, but the White House is appealing those orders.

Meanwhile, the administration has also told agencies to do even more layoffs - this time through the more formal process of reductions in force, or RIFs. ... Read more

Climate change indicators hit record levels in 2024, UN study finds
Axios | Andrew Freedman | 03/19/25

A new scientific report depicts a rapidly warming Earth, with widespread consequences such as sea level rise, melting glaciers and extreme weather events.

Why it matters: The World Meteorological Organization's State of the Global Climate 2024 report is designed to inform policymakers of the status of the climate system.

It depicts a planet with a high - and increasing - fever due to record high levels of human-caused greenhouse gases.

Zoom in: The United Nations agency's annual report, which dates back to 1993, doesn't contain many surprises for those closely following climate science. But it drives home how widespread and unprecedented climate change's effects already are. ... ... ... Read more

Changes at the Social Security Administration | 60 Minutes | 03/17/25 | 1:00

Cuts 'absolutely going to crater' Social Security, says former commissioner | MSNBC | 03/19/25 | 7:47