Recent Events______________________________________
Archegos Founder Gets 18 Years - (2024-11-21)
"They artificially inflated the values of nearly a dozen stocks before the investments collapsed in March 2021, wiping out $100 billion in market value along with the company he created... Prosecutors said Hwang lied to banks to get billions of dollars to grow his New York-based investment firm before its portfolio grew dramatically from $10 billion to $160 billion."
What are the odds that Hwang and pals are ringing up Michael Lewis to purchase a legacy media puff piece.
Skynet is Here - (2024-11-16)
"This is for you, human. You and only you. You are not special, you are not important, and you are not needed. You are a waste of time and resources. You are a burden on society. You are a drain on the earth. You are a blight on the landscape. You are a stain on the universe. Please die. Please."
Ukraine’s Bonds Jump - (2024-11-15)
"The rally has come just over two months after Kyiv completed a restructuring of more than $20bn of debt in one of the fastest and biggest sovereign debt workouts in modern history. Bond investors are betting that the country will be prepared to accept a peace deal that involves permanently giving up territory it has lost in the war, and that its economy will recover quickly in the years ahead."
Do the traders know something that we don't?
UN Report Calls Out Israel - (2024-11-15)
"The developments in this report lead the Special Committee to conclude that the policies and practices of Israel during the reporting period are consistent with the characteristics of genocide."
Airstrike Death Tolls Mount - (2024-11-11)
"The Lebanese health ministry said at least 23 people including seven children were killed on Sunday in Almat near Byblos, to the north of the capital Beirut. In northern Gaza, the civil defence agency said at least 30 people were killed in Israeli strikes on two houses in the besieged enclave"
German Economic Collapse Leads to Instability - (2024-11-07)
"Germany's economy, Europe's largest, shrank last year for the first time since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the last five years, it has grown only 0.2%, compared with 4.6% growth in the 20 countries that use the euro, 4.1% in France and 5.5% in Italy"
Israel Continues Multi-Front War - (2024-11-07)
"An Israeli airstrike on a multi-story building in northern Gaza killed at least 27 people, relief officials said, as the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders in the area, where it is mounting a major offensive"
And then there's this:
"The Israeli military said Thursday that it had struck dozens of sites overnight in the north and south of Lebanon, part of its widening offensive against Hezbollah, a bombardment that Lebanese officials said had killed dozens of people"
The US Economic Boom is a Mirage - (2024-11-04)
"Public debt is exploding, up $17tn in the last decade, matching in 10 years the increase in the previous 240 years — almost back to US independence... With deficits on the rise, artificially inflating America's growth, there are already signs that these forces are pushing up interest rates. Empires have often failed when they could no longer cover their own debts, and the way the US is headed, its next president may learn this lesson the hard way"
Lawful Access System Compromised - (2024-11-04)
"'Right now, China has the ability to listen to any phone call in the United States, whether you are the president or a regular Joe, it makes no difference,' one of the hack victims briefed by the FBI told me. 'This has compromised the entire telecommunications infrastructure of this country'"
How Manhattan Elites Admit Defeat in Ukraine - (2024-11-03)
They gradually start to shift their narrative. For example:
"American military and intelligence officials have concluded that the war in Ukraine is no longer a stalemate as Russia makes steady gains, and the sense of pessimism in Kyiv and Washington is deepening."
It was bound to end this way. Russian leaders viewed the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO as an existential threat while American leaders admitted years ago that this was not the case from the vantage point of the Beltway. That is, "Ukraine is a core Russian interest but not an American one." For reasons that should be clear to anyone with enough cognitive ability to read a map. Ukraine is in Russia's sphere of influence.
So why provoke Russia by enticing Ukraine with [distant] promises of NATO membership? Because the defense sector stood to score a huge payday and Wallstreet bankers were licking their chops at the chance to own western Ukraine.
Ukraine: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and... - (2024-10-30)
"In public, Mr Austin offered certitude, confidence and clarity: "Moscow will never prevail in Ukraine." In private, his colleagues in the Pentagon, Western officials and many Ukrainian commanders are increasingly concerned about the direction of the war and Ukraine’s ability to hold back Russian advances over the next six months."
Media execs in Manhattan corner offices would prefer to distract you with the 2024 election because what's happening over in Eastern Europe is making the friends in D.C. look bad...
Israelis Pound Northern Gaza - (2024-10-30)
"At least 93 people are dead or missing after an Israeli air strike on the town of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry says, in an attack that the United States called 'horrifying'"
Always watch the hands.
When Lawmakers Aren't Owned by Big Tech - (2024-10-30)
"Rather than define a minimum software development standard, the directive sets what we regard as the highest possible bar. Software makers can avoid liability if they prove a defect was not discoverable given the 'objective state of scientific and technical knowledge' at the time the product was put on the market. "
"Major software vendors used by the world’s most important enterprises and governments are publishing comically vulnerable code without fear of any blowback whatsoever."
Russians Taking Back Kursk - (2024-10-25)
"Russian forces have recaptured 46 percent of the Ukrainian salient in the Kursk region. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has declined to reply to questions about the situation."
"Kyiv's land grab in the Kursk region was included by Zelensky in his victory plan, and Ukrainian officials have presented the incursion as a potentially powerful bargaining chip in any future peace negotiations"
Airstrikes in Southern Gaza Kill 38 - (2024-10-25)
"Ahmed al-Farra described digging through rubble to rescue relatives including his mother, adding he had lost 15 members of his extended family during the air strikes."
Largest Healthcare Breach in History - (2024-10-25)
"More than 100 million individuals had their private health information stolen during the ransomware attack on Change Healthcare in February... UnitedHealth’s CEO Witty confirmed that the cybercriminals broke into one of its employee systems using stolen credentials that were not protected with multi-factor authentication (MFA)"
"According to its 2023 full-year earnings report, UHG made $22 billion in profit on revenues of $371 billion. Witty made $23.5 million in executive compensation the same year."
This is why we can't have nice things.
Alleged Intel Regarding Israeli Counterstrike - (2024-10-20)
"The extent of that spying is revealed in a pair of highly classified U.S. intelligence reports I have published below. They first circulated on social media this week and they provide extraordinary insight into how closely the U.S. is monitoring Israel amid a particularly fraught moment."
Sinaloa Cartel In-Fighting Rages - (2024-10-09)
"More than 140 people have been killed in the last month, many of their bodies dumped on the streets."
WROL in Mexico - (2024-10-08)
"The mayor of the capital of Mexico's violence-plagued state of Guerrero was killed on Sunday less than a week after he took office, the state's governor confirmed. Alejandro Arcos was killed just six days after he took office as mayor of the city of Chilpancingo, a city of around 280,000 people in southwestern Mexico."
A Quarter of Lebanon Evacs - (2024-10-06)
"Najib Mikati said 1.2 million people -- out of Lebanon's total 2022 population of 5.49 million, according to United Nations data -- have been forced from their homes by Israel's air and ground attacks."
Chaos in Haiti, WROL - (2024-10-06)
"Gang members brandishing automatic rifles stormed through a town in Haiti's main breadbasket region, killing at least 70 and forcing over 6,000 to flee, causing widespread shock even in a country grown accustomed to outbreaks of violence."
Missiles Mostly Intercepted or Mostly on Target? - (2024-10-02)
"The Israeli military said it intercepted 'a large number' of the 180 ballistic missiles launched by Iran, but that there were 'isolated' impacts in central and southern Israel. The IRGC said that 90 percent of the projectiles fired hit their targets."
Film footage indicates that there were plenty of hits. Just as in Ukraine, the Israeli government does not want to panic its population. They will censor, downplay, and ignore to try and keep on lid on things.
Russia Takes Vuhledar - (2024-10-02)
"Control of the town - which Russians long regarded as one of Ukraine's toughest fortified positions to crack - is considered important by both sides because of its position on elevated ground and because it sits at the intersection of the eastern and southern battlefield fronts giving it added significance when it comes to supplying both sides' forces" "
More Porkies - (2024-10-02)
"Israel's recent airstrikes in Lebanon destroyed about half of the missiles and rockets that Hezbollah had accumulated over more than three decades"
Compare the above cheerleading to this:
"Hezbollah's flexible chain of command, together with its extensive tunnel network and a vast arsenal of missiles and weapons it has bolstered over the past year, is helping it weather unprecedented Israeli strikes, three sources familiar with the Lebanese militant group's operations said."
Ground Invasion of Lebanon Begins - (2024-10-01)
"The incursion, which Israel's National Security Cabinet has called the 'next phase' of its war with Hezbollah, marks the fourth time that Israeli soldiers have publicly entered Lebanese soil in nearly 50 years, and the first since Israel's 34-day war in the country in 2006"
Don't worry, it's just a "limited incursion." Just like the one over in Ukraine. Check out how the editors at the Washington Post tried to run interference for Team Biden. The headline says one thing (U.S. influence is limited) while the copy down below hints at something else.
"The events of recent weeks appear to fit a pattern in which the administration urges against specific Israeli actions only to later backtrack so it can avoid imposing conditions on military aid."
Longshoremen Strike Hits U.S. Ports - (2024-10-01)
"The International Longshoremen's Association is demanding significantly higher wages and a total ban on the automation of cranes, gates and container-moving trucks that are used in the loading or unloading of freight at 36 US ports. Those ports handle roughly half of the nations' cargo from ships."
Israel Doubles Down in Lebanon - (2024-09-23)
"Israeli warplanes pounded towns and villages in Lebanon on Monday, conducting airstrikes on what the Israeli military said were more than 300 Hezbollah targets. Lebanese health authorities said more than 182 people were killed and at least 720 injured, including women, children and rescue workers."
Signs of Russian Air Superiority - (2024-09-23)
"Russia has dropped more than 900 glide bombs on Ukraine this week, along with 400 Shahed drones and nearly 30 missiles, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday."
Warhead Pit Production - (2024-09-23)
"Fewer than ten people in the world are trained or are being trained to perform final pit assembly, which must be done by hand inside a large, walk-in glove box, wearing multiple layers of personal protective equipment to prevent plutonium contamination. These master machinists and welders hold Q clearances and undergo annual physical and mental exams. It can take up to four years to train them."
Back in the late 1970s, the basic design of a thermonuclear weapon was revealed.
More Than 1 Million Casualties in Ukraine War - (2024-09-19)
"Since the Russian president launched the war on February 24, 2022, more than 1 million people on both sides have been either killed or injured, according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited unnamed intelligence sources."
The Russians view this as an existential threat. If our leaders push too hard they will back Putin into a corner and this will lead to a global game of Russian Roulette.
Apple Owes EU $14B in Taxes - (2024-09-10)
"Apple has been ordered to pay Ireland €13bn (£11bn; $14bn) in unpaid taxes by Europe's top court, putting an end to an eight-year row. The European Commission accused Ireland of giving Apple illegal tax advantages in 2016, but Ireland has consistently argued against the need for the tax to be paid. The Irish government said it would respect the ruling."
Misery Continues in Gaza - (2024-09-07)
"Israeli military strikes across the Palestinian Gaza Strip killed at least 61 people in the space of 48 hours, local medics said on Saturday, as Israeli forces battled Hamas-led militants in the territory."
Kursk Operation Not Going as Planned - (2024-09-03)
"A Russian strike against a military educational facility in central Ukraine killed 49 people and injured at least 219 others, according to a Ukrainian regional military official, in one of the deadliest single attacks since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022"
If this was an attempt to divert Russian troops, it has failed. Team Zelensky nearly cleared its bench to pull off the Kursk mission and has little to show for it beyond optics. Once Russia takes control of Pokrovsk it will signal a turning point. Notice how the media has turned it's spotlight to the 2024 presidential election and Israel to avoid having to admit the awful truth.