Monthly Archives: February 2020

Feb 27 2020

Giddy Up – “Stronger”…


Posted originally on The Conservative Tree House on February 26, 2020 by 

Starts airing tomorrow in local TV markets in Denver and Colorado Springs:

Feb 27 2020

NIH Director Dr. Anthony Fauci Discusses Current Status of COVID-19 (Coronavirus)…


Posted originally on The Conservative Tree House  on February 26, 2020 by 

A member of the Coronavirus taskforce, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, appears on CNBC to discuss the latest information about the Trump administration response effort.

You can visit the COVID-19 Information Page HERE

.

CTH disagrees with Dr. Fauci on one point. Fauci doesn’t think additional countries will be added to the U.S. travel entry restrictions… CTH sees a strong possibility more countries will be added or restricted; possibly announced later today.

ps. Press briefing moved to 6:30pm.

Feb 27 2020

Federal Appeals Court Rules Trump Administration Can Withhold Funds From Sanctuary Cities…


Posted originally on The Conservative Tree House on February 26, 2020 by 

A big victory for the Trump administration as a federal appeals court rules today the Department of Justice (DOJ) can withhold funding from sanctuary cities and states refusing to cooperate with administration’s immigration enforcement.

A group of seven states including New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Washington, Massachusetts and Virginia, along with New York City, sued the DOJ in 2017 after then-AG Jeff Sessions announced the DOJ would start withholding funding from local governments that refused to share information about undocumented immigrants or provide jail access to federal authorities investigating inmates’ immigration status.

Today a three-judge panel on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously overturned a prior district court ruling saying the DOJ lacked the authority to impose immigration-related conditions on funding. [Ruling Here]

The Trump administration can now withhold funds from any city and state that declares themselves a ‘sanctuary‘ from immigration enforcement.

.

Feb 27 2020

President Trump Announces 6:00pm Press Briefing on Coronavirus – A Review of Response…


Posted originally on The Conservative Tree House on February 26, 2020 by 

In 2018 President Trump established a National Biodefense Strategy specifically to improve the speed of action for any biological risk to U.S. Citizens. [pdf here]

Following the initial reports from China, and in response to potential U.S. health risks; and anticipating multiple agency aspects of the U.S. government would need a unified command structure; on January 30th President Trump assembled a unified task force to coordinate all response efforts across the totality of government.

At the time the task force was established, January 30th, President Trump signed a presidential proclamation, using his authority pursuant to Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, temporarily suspending the entry into the United States of foreign nationals who pose a risk of transmitting the 2019 novel coronavirus.

The task force is coordinated through the National Security Council. It is composed of subject matter experts from the White House and several United States Government agencies, and it includes some of the Nation’s foremost experts on infectious diseases.

The task force is led by HHS Secretary Alex Azar and includes:  Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health; Ken Cuccinelli, Acting Deputy Secretary, Department of Homeland Security; Matthew Pottinger, Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor.

To establish protocols, build out the larger response framework, and initiate proactive coronavirus measures.  Immediately following the travel restrictions, January 30th HHS Secretary Alex Azar declared a nationwide public health emergency.

Using the authorities created by President Trump; and in accordance with the declaration, at 5:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time; Sunday, February 2nd, the U.S government implemented temporary measures to increase detection & containment of the coronavirus proactively.  Effective February 2nd:

Any U.S. citizen returning to the United States who was in Hubei Province in the previous 14 days was/is subject to up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine.

Any U.S. citizen returning to the United States who was in the rest of Mainland China within the previous 14 days was put through proactive entry health screening at a select number of ports of entry, and up to 14 days of monitored self-quarantine to ensure they had not contracted the virus and did not pose a public health risk.

All foreign nationals, other than U.S. citizens and permanent residents, who traveled in China within the prior 14 days were denied entry into the United States.  The temporary entry ban continues through today.

On January 31st the Coronavirus Task Force held a press conference.

[Video Here] and [Transcript Available Here]

Feb 27 2020

Remember You Are Dust, And To Dust You Shall Return


Posted originally on The Conservative Tree house on February 26, 2020 by 

Traditionally, Ash Wednesday and Lent have been associated with Catholicism, but that no longer holds true. More Christians are taking advantage of the “forty days” (it’s really 46) to prepare for Easter.

Lent is a time to fast, pray, give alms. Many Catholics will give something up. Sweets, alcohol, meat, cursing, something that is supposed to be sacrificial and difficult. We perform acts of penance, and frequently take part in public prayer, such as the Stations of the Cross, which most parishes will have weekly, often before a Lenten meal.

All this is meant to spiritually lead us into the desert, to prepare us to really be able to celebrate on Easter Sunday with a cleansed heart, open totally to Jesus in the Resurrection. It should also open us to our fellow men on this journey, particularly those in need.

If you have never thought much about Ash Wednesday and Lent, I invite you to consider making it a part of your life for the next six weeks. It’s one of the best things you can do for yourself as a Christian.  If you are in a dry spot, a time of struggle or you are stagnant and stuck, seemingly unable to grow and move in your faith, observing a penitential Lenten season might just be what your spiritual life needs.

Should you wish to participate in an Ash Wednesday service, you do not have to be Catholic. You will be welcome at any parish, and you can receive the ashes. As the priest, deacon, or perhaps layperson makes the cross on your forehead they will say “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” or “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”

Also, there are many Lenten services in Catholic parishes and I cannot think of any one of them where a non Catholic would be uncomfortable or especially, unwelcome. No one is going to try to strong arm you or harass you. You may participate as much or as little as you wish, the only thing to know, which I am sure is common knowledge, is not to receive the Eucharist if you are not Catholic.

Many denominations now have services on Ash Wednesday, and Good Friday, and I believe there are weekly services available through Lent at many churches. Check out your own church’s schedules or call around to find out about visiting a church that has services or perhaps even a Friday fish fry. I promise Easter will be much more joyful and meaningful for having walked those 40 days with Christ.

Reading 1 Jl 2:12-18

Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the LORD, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment.
Perhaps he will again relent
and leave behind him a blessing,
Offerings and libations
for the LORD, your God.

Blow the trumpet in Zion!
proclaim a fast,
call an assembly;
Gather the people,
notify the congregation;
Assemble the elders,
gather the children
and the infants at the breast;
Let the bridegroom quit his room
and the bride her chamber.
Between the porch and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep,
And say, “Spare, O LORD, your people,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
with the nations ruling over them!
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”

Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land
and took pity on his people.

Please note, this is not a political post, it is an invitation to delve deeper into your faith, or your questions about God if you are not a Christian. If this is not your cup of tea, please pass by. I won’t let this post, or any of the following Lenten and Easter posts, become a place to argue denominations or beliefs.

If you have further questions, or really just have to complain, do it through email. I will delete those comments who break the rules and moderate the repeat offenders. I am sorry to have to put these comments here, but it is that or give up the Christmas and Easter posts.

Feb 26 2020

A Technical Study in the Relationships of Solar Flux, Water, Carbon Dioxide and Global Temperatures, January 2020 Data


From the attached report on climate change for January 2020 Data we have the two charts showing how much the global temperature has actually gone up since we started to measure CO2 in the atmosphere? To show this graphically Chart 8 was constructed by plotting CO2 as a percent increase from when it was first measured in 1958, the Black plot, the scale is on the left and it shows CO2 going up a bit over 30.0% from 1958 to January of 2020. That is a very large change as anyone would have to agree.  Now how about temperature, well when we look at the percentage change in temperature from 1958, using Kelvin (which does measure the change in heat), we find that the changes in global temperature (heat) are almost un-measurable. The scale on the right side had to be expanded 10 times (the range is 40 % on the left and 4% on the right) to be able to see the plot in the same chart in any detail. The red plot, starting in 1958, shows that the thermal energy in the earth’s atmosphere increased by .30%; while CO2 has increased by 30.0% which is 100 times that of the increase in temperature. So is there really a meaningful link between them that would give as a major problem? The numbers tell us no there isn’t.

The next chart is Chart 8a which is the same as Chart 8 except for the scales which are the same for both CO2 and Temperature. As you see the increase in energy, heat, is not visually observably in this chart hence the need for the previous chart 8 to show the minuscule increase in thermal energy shown by NASA in relationship to the change in CO2. Based to these trends, determined by excel not me, in 2028 CO2 will be 428 ppm and temperatures will be 15.0o Celsius and in 2038 CO2 will be 458 ppm and temperatures will be 15.6O Celsius. This is what the data shows no matter what the reasons are, so I have no idea how the IPCC gets to predict that the world will end in ten or even twenty years.

The full 40 page report explains how these charts were developed and why using NASA and NOAA data that are used without change to prove that The New Green Deal is not required and any attempt to complete that plan will be a worldwide disaster.

Click on the link below for the full report that you can download.

BLACKBODY TEMPERATURE 2020-01

Feb 26 2020

Fake News – Coronavirus & the Dow


Armstrong Economics Blog/Understanding Cycles

Re-Posted Feb 26, 2020 by Martin Armstrong

COMMENT #1: Marty, you are the only person who tells the truth in markets. If the coronavirus is spreading everywhere outside the USA, then why is money fleeing from the US stock market to run to places where there is the virus? This is fake news at its best. You are right. This is the “Bernie Effect” as you say.

Please live forever! Buck the cycle!

DF

COMMENT #2: Marty,
Even us small time retail investors see the writing all the wall.
…
Today’s headline…
“ Wall Street plunges as coronavirus spread sends investors fleeing”
Common sense asks…
Where are they fleeing to, if there are very little cases of coronavirus here in the USA?
You my good sir are spot on, they are afraid of a Bernie Sanders win and more importantly what’s really going on with the “Repo Crisis”. Honestly, for years I’ve tried to explain to people that markets never lie, people do.
I have some great books from the early 1900’s and those investors as well talked about how the media manipulates everything including the markets. Yet, most still believe, go figure.
Keep up the great work and I hope to make it this year to Florida for the WEC, still waiting for the 3rd edition of “Manipulating the world economy” to hit Amazon.
SR

COMMENT #3: Marty,
Thanks for all that you and your team do! I have been a long time reader and I am a subscriber to Socrates. I must admit the call on the collapse this week was amazing (yet not surprising Socrates was right).
I came across this article today where the Bank of Canada has acknowledged that it is working on its own cryptocurrency. Consistent with your messaging, governments will never allow the private crypto’s to take the lion’s share or surrender control.
Some notables from the article are:
“The Bank sees two main scenarios where the central bank could see the need to issue its own digital currency: firstly, if the use of cash is restricted or eliminated, and second, if private cryptocurrencies were to make serious inroads.” “In both scenarios, there would be an argument for the Bank of Canada to step in.”
“If one or more alternative digital currencies threatened to become used widely as an alternative to the Canadian dollar” then a central bank issued digital currency could be used to defend monetary sovereignty, the Bank said.
Thanks for all that you do!
RA

COMMENT #4: You have too much influence. You posted on the weekend the market would crash on Monday. It did. You posted that gold would peak on Monday. It did. Nobody can forecast markets like you which means you are too influential which is why you tend to be always right.

VE

REPLY: The people who write these stories are not analysts and are probably not even investors. There are pretend analysts who have no idea what is taking place and they just make up nonsense. They use the press to try to sell their analysis for they have no real client base.

Not just me, but all of the key people in the company have REAL LIVE experience. I often joke that we should change the name to Over the Hill Crowd. People on board have worked for banks even setting up dealing desks or have been brokers. They know what really goes on behind the scenes.

The governments are going broke. Cryptocurrencies will be their next solution. Be wise – not foolish.

Ans as to influence, just maybe the people who are in the press all the time are there because they are trying to find clients. They seem to have more influence since the majority is always wrong. I am very tired of this argument. When you have traded all your life, sometimes you can just smell the blood pouring out with the quotes. You sound like one of the bankers who bribe everyone and loses and then blames me for their own loss and corruption.

Feb 26 2020

Half-Billion $ Pandemic Derivatives


Armstrong Economics Blog/Disease

Re-Posted Feb 25, 2020 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong; Have you been called in by the World Bank because of the coronavirus? The rumor is you are advising on this pandemic from a financial crisis perspective. Yes or no? Some say you have a financial interest in not calling this a pandemic. Care to comment?

JV

ANSWER: Yes, we have been called in to do studies and forecasts based on the coronavirus. No, we have no financial interest either way. That makes a really stupid rumor. We do not do such projects on some sort of a contingency basis. I am not at liberty to say by who. However, if there is a pandemic, the World Health Organisation gets to keep money and the bondholders lose. You figure out who would be asking for help.

For those who are not part of the conspiracy networks, this is related to the outstanding World Bank Pandemic Bonds which will come due for expiration this July here in 2020. This will be in the neighborhood of $500 million which is perhaps a structured derivative time bomb that most people have never heard of.

These pandemic bonds were sold to investors as a giant gamble in the global financial casino. The World Bank sold “pandemic bonds” which were a scheme like no other. In 2017, these bonds were sold to private investors on the premise that they would lose their money if any of six deadly pandemics hit. They did not pay out in 2019 when the Ebola virus broke out in Africa. The World Bank announced the creation of these structured bonds in May 2016 at the G7 Finance Ministers and Central Governors meeting in Sendai, Japan.

The World Health Organisation will keep the money and will use it to fight the outbreak. Investors bought the bonds and received regular coupon payments in return, which were substantial in this world of negative interest rates. If there is an outbreak of disease turned into a pandemic, then investors don’t get their initial money back. There are two varieties of debt that are scheduled to mature in July 2020.

The first bond issue raised $225 million and features an interest rate of around 7%! That was substantial. Payout on the bond is to be suspended if there is an outbreak of new influenza viruses or coronavirus. The second type of bond was even riskier which raised $95 million with an interest rate of more than 11%. This second type of bond keeps investors’ money if there is an outbreak of Filovirus, Coronavirus, Lassa Fever, Rift Valley Fever, and/or Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever.

Then the World Bank issued $105 million derivative that works in a similar way.

Obviously, we have cyclical models that also cover disease. It does not take much to figure out that we would be called in to project the risk. It would be in the interest of the World Health Organisation to declare this coronavirus a pandemic. They would benefit from the cash. The bondholders will lose. We have NOT been called in by the World Bank. That much I can say

Feb 26 2020

Internet Frauds From Hacking Emails to Dating Site Frauds


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption

Posted Feb 25, 2020 by Martin Armstrong

The amount of fraud taking place on the internet is in the billions. They will hack your email and then have money wired to Hong Kong. That is a popular destination. One guy lost $450,000 in three days. Then there are the fake nurses who claim to be working for the United Nations seeking love on dating sites. They are naturally on their way home, targeting lonely old men. At the last minute, they get robbed or lose their wallet and ask for hundreds to a couple of thousands to be wired, of course, to Africa. The money probably goes into the vault where some guy in Nigeria has hundreds of millions of dollars, and nobody to leave it to unless you give him your bank details.

The more common frauds on dating sites are girls looking to shake down lonely old men with promises of love. They are ready to hop on a plane at a moment’s notice provided you send them the money to buy the ticket. Others have a broken phone and need you to buy a new iPhone so they can tell you how much they love you. There are also guys conning windows with a whole host of excuses to clean out their bank accounts.

We are all aware of credit card fraud. I had it done to me once in an airport about 20 years ago. A legit company wanted me to read my credit card number over the phone and the guy in the next booth was writing it down. Obviously, I will never read my card over the phone again. The other time, I have no idea how someone was using my card to download music from iTunes. When I called the credit card company, they first tried say I had to call iTunes to have them change my account. I had to get angry and explain I did not have an account at iTunes. They finally reversed three months of charges.

Things have changed and they will change even more. We have to realize that we are moving to digital currencies and the unusual hype that has been spun around this coronavirus is very suspicious. A virus can live on paper for some time. China is disinfecting its paper currency. I would not be surprised that the West are hyping this virus to insane levels to use it as an excuse to eliminate paper currency that will aid tax collections.

If you have a family member, tell them to require approval for any wire from their account. Bank of America has a secure pass where they send an authorization to your phone with a number you must type in to send any wire. If your bank does not have something similar, it may be time to switch. As for those with lonely relatives trying out the internet, tell them to NEVER send money to anyone you have never met face to face. Those two precautions are vital in this new world of online fraud. Use some common sense. If some girl is a nurse working for the UN and everything is stolen, the UN will help her — not you.