Tag Archives: Bill Gates

May 1 2023

Victor Davis Hanson Gives Big Picture Perspective on Fox News and Tucker Carlson Firing


Posted originally on the CTH on April 30, 2023 | Sundance 

Victor Davis Hanson often has a unique big picture perspective on current events, linking and contrasting the disconnected high-brow outlook to the pragmatic perspectives of the modern populist movement.

Hanson takes an academic approach to the reality of current social constructs, yet in his own unique way he can describe the current status in a thoughtful and practical way.  In this analysis VDH contrasts the goals of the ideological media, specifically the goals of those in the Republican wing of the media control apparatus, to the reality they have created by removing the voice of Tucker Carlson.  WATCH:

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In their quest to control the mounting opposition to the corporate manipulation behind the DC Potemkin Village, the corporate media are creating a nimbler and more consequential army of opposition to their efforts.  The need for control is a reaction to fear.

There is a particular type of spider that carries several hundreds of young on her body after birth.  If you spot one of these in your shower, and your irrational fear instinct is to smash what seems to be a big scary spider, what you discover in the aftermath is the bathtub walls moving.  Yes, you may have squished the spider, but hundreds of smaller spiders are now crawling all around you.

May 1 2023

Wall St Journal Outlines Documents from Jeffrey Epstein Showing Contact with Highly Influential People, Including Current CIA Director Bill Burns and Clinton/Obama Lawyer Ruemmler


Posted originally on the CTH on April 30, 2023 | Sundance

Despite no one knowing ‘how’ Jeffrey Epstein actually made his money, one of the great mysteries amid a labyrinth of rabbit hole mysteries, the network of government officials and high-profile names who associated with and met Epstein has never been fully outlined or absorbed.

Other than a few random and specific names that surface from time-to-time, the lack of media curiosity into the bigger context of the Epstein story has always been somewhat perplexing.  One would ordinarily think the opportunity for a Pulitzer might entice an intrepid media outlet to do a lengthy dive into the matrix of Epstein; alas, no effort toward that objective ever surfaced.

Today, another fragment in the story seemingly finds its way to the surface as the Wall Street Journal outlines a list of names that were not included in the “black book” story, but nonetheless were intertwined with Epstein *after* his first conviction as a sex offender [STORY HERE].

Two of the names within documents, schedules and calendars attributed to the Epstein life include current CIA Director Bill Burns and former White House lawyer Kathryn Ruemmler.  In addition to being the White House legal counsel, Ms. Ruemmer was also the foundation lawyer for Bill and Hillary Clinton as well as the personal lawyer for Susan Rice.

(Wall St Journal) – The nation’s spy chief, a longtime college president and top women in finance. The circle of people who associated with Jeffrey Epstein years after he was a convicted sex offender is wider than previously reported, according to a trove of documents that include his schedules.

William Burns, director of the Central Intelligence Agency since 2021, had three meetings scheduled with Epstein in 2014, when he was deputy secretary of state, the documents show. They first met in Washington and then Mr. Burns visited Epstein’s townhouse in Manhattan.

Kathryn Ruemmler, a White House counsel under President Barack Obama, had dozens of meetings with Epstein in the years after her White House service and before she became a top lawyer at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. in 2020. He also planned for her to join a 2015 trip to Paris and a 2017 visit to Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean.

[…] The documents show that Epstein arranged multiple meetings with each of them after he had served jail time in 2008 for a sex crime involving a teenage girl and was registered as a sex offender. The documents, which include thousands of pages of emails and schedules from 2013 to 2017, haven’t been previously reported.

[…] Mr. Burns met with Epstein about a decade ago as he was preparing to leave government service, said CIA spokeswoman Tammy Kupperman Thorp. “The director did not know anything about him, other than that he was introduced as an expert in the financial services sector and offered general advice on transition to the private sector,” she said. “They had no relationship.”

Ms. Ruemmler had a professional relationship with Epstein in connection with her role at law firm Latham & Watkins LLP and didn’t travel with him, a Goldman Sachs spokesman said. Epstein introduced her to potential legal clients, such as Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates, the spokesman said. “I regret ever knowing Jeffrey Epstein,” Ms. Ruemmler said.

A spokeswoman for Latham & Watkins said Epstein wasn’t a client of the firm.

[…] Mr. Burns, 67 years old, a career diplomat and former ambassador to Russia, had meetings with Epstein in 2014 when Mr. Burns was deputy secretary of state.

A lunch was planned that August at the office of law firm Steptoe & Johnson in Washington. Epstein scheduled two evening appointments that September with Mr. Burns at his townhouse, the documents show. After one of the scheduled meetings, Epstein planned for his driver to take Mr. Burns to the airport.

Mr. Burns recalls being introduced in Washington by a mutual friend, and meeting Epstein once briefly in New York, said Ms. Thorp. “The director does not recall any further contact, including receiving a ride to the airport,” she said.

The following month, October 2014, Mr. Burns stepped down from his role at the State Department to serve as president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a think tank. He ran the Carnegie Endowment until he was nominated in early 2021 by President Biden to serve as CIA director.

The documents show that Epstein appeared to know some of his guests well. He asked for avocado sushi rolls to be on hand when meeting with Ms. Ruemmler, according to the documents. He visited apartments she was considering buying. In October 2014, Epstein knew her travel plans and told an assistant to look into her flight. “See if there is a first class seat,” he wrote, “if so upgrade her.”

[…] Epstein and his staff discussed whether Ms. Ruemmler, now 52, would be uncomfortable with the presence of young women who worked as assistants and staffers at the townhouse, the documents show. Women emailed Epstein on two occasions to ask if they should avoid the home while Ms. Ruemmler was there. Epstein told one of the women he didn’t want her around, and another that it wasn’t a problem, the documents show.

Ms. Ruemmler didn’t see anything that would lead her to be concerned at the townhouse and didn’t express any concern, the Goldman spokesman said.

[…] Over the next few years, Ms. Ruemmler, then a partner specializing in white-collar defense at Latham & Watkins, had more than three dozen appointments with Epstein, including for lunches and dinners.

“In the normal course, Epstein also invited her to meetings and social gatherings, introduced her to other business contacts and made referrals,” the Goldman spokesman said. “It was the same kinds of contacts and engagements she had with other contacts and clients.”

In 2015, she was scheduled to fly with Epstein to Paris and in 2017 he planned to stop in St. Lucia to take her to his island home in the U.S. Virgin Islands for the day, according to the documents. (read more)

Sketchy… All of it!

Dirty people, working amid a system that trades dirt as currency…

Apr 30 2023

The Press Called Out To Their Face – Refuse to Answer They Are Just Propaganda Agents Today


Armstrong Economics Blog/Press Re-Posted Apr 30, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Apr 30 2023

U.K. Business Leaders Unimpressed With Ron DeSantis Visit and London Leg of Book Tour


Posted originally on the CTH on April 29, 2023 | Sundance 

As Florida Governor Ron DeSantis finishes up his long-scheduled foreign policy tour, he finishes the trip on a down note in London, England.  Apparently, the political and business leaders were unimpressed by the diminutive stature of the Top-Gov and had lots of uncomplimentary things to say about him.

Meanwhile, on the domestic front, the most recent Trump -vs- DeSantis poll shows another slip for the DeSantis brand managers, despite the considerable lifts they put in his shoes to assist the optics.  President Trump now leads Ron DeSantis 62% to 16% in polling, a 46-point advantage {link}.

Governor DeSantis is scheduled to arrive back in Florida this week as the consultants organize bill signing ceremonies for legislation completed during his absence.  The bills will include a change to the Florida election laws permitting Ron to start officially campaigning for president instead of pretending not to run.  The ‘official’ announcement, which appears to have been planned for several years, is scheduled for mid-May next month.

LONDON — He hopes to win the hearts and minds of devoted Donald Trump supporters ahead of next year’s U.S. election.

But Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis failed to impress British business chiefs at a high-profile London event Friday, in a tired performance described variously as “horrendous,” “low-wattage” and “like the end of an overseas trip.”

The Florida governor, expected to launch his bid next month to challenge Trump as the Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential race, met with more than 50 representatives of major U.K. firms and business lobbying groups as a part of a four-country “trade mission” ending in London Friday.

For several of those present, however, the statesmanship was lacking.

One U.K. business figure said DeSantis “looked bored” and “stared at his feet” as he met with titans of British industry in an event co-hosted by Lloyd’s of London — the world’s largest insurance marketplace.

“He had been to five different countries in five days and he definitely looked spent, but his message wasn’t presidential,” they told POLITICO. “He was horrendous.”

A second business figure who was in the room said it was a “low-wattage” performance and that “nobody in the room was left thinking, ‘this man’s going places’.”

They said: “It felt really a bit like we were watching a state-level politician. I wouldn’t be surprised if [people in attendance] came out thinking ‘that’s not the guy’.” “There wasn’t any stardust.” (Read More)

Please clap…

Apr 30 2023

Oh Snap, Did Neil Oliver Just Go Full Tucker Carlson?


Posted originally on the CTH on April 29, 2023 | Sundance 

In the big picture you might boil down this week’s Neil Oliver monologue to say there’s good and bad, and people need to pick a side.  However, the reality of the details he uses to frame the battle against the “baddies” is a series of current event datapoints the powers that be are likely not going to appreciate.

In his monologue Neil hits on the power behind the Potemkin Village, the multinational corporations behind the scenes, the groups who control the public impressions of politics while orchestrating their next exfiltration of wealth.   Incredibly, Oliver goes into the background of Sudan and Ukraine to outline how the corporations that control government need assistance from the military those government officials control.

Think about the dynamic behind that truth: the corporations that control government need assistance from the military the government controls, because that’s the reality of the thing we are not supposed to talk about.  What that truth outlines is what’s known on these pages as ‘the exfiltration dynamic‘.

Talking about the secret thing is not permitted; yet talk about it he does, in detail, in sunlight.  Oliver is going full Tucker.  WATCH:

Apr 30 2023

Scheme Finance – FDIC Asks Big Banks for Takeover Proposals and Bids for First Republic


Posted originally on the CTH on April 29, 2023 | Sundance

There’s something sketchy afoot in the world of high finance.  Following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, the most likely first contagion bank would have been First Republic Bank; both California banks carried similar vulnerabilities.  However, once the Treasury Dept agreed to cover all deposits, even those unsecured deposits over the $250k FDIC insurance protection, suddenly First Republic Bank survived.

After the FDIC announcement, a group of 11 larger banks lent First Republic a tranche of money ($30 billion) to secure its holdings and help stabilize it.  Approximately six weeks passed, suspiciously perhaps the burn rate for the tranche in combination with risk averse exits says I, and suddenly First Republic starts destabilizing again.  [Insert Suspicious Cat here]

The First Republic stock value collapsed further last week, and the FDIC is now trying to get a takeover bid secured before government regulators are forced into a position of receivership.   I’m not dialed in to the banking industry, but it looks to me like the six-week interim phase was an agreement to give the illusion of stability and afford time for highly exposed, ¹likely well connected, stakeholders to exit.

With the Treasury taking the prior SVB position, thereby securing all deposits regardless of scope, the FDIC is now on the hook if the collapse includes a govt takeover.  The FDIC seems to be playing hot potato and looking for a buyer.  Additionally, the FDIC is asking JP Morgan-Chase if they are interested.  JPMorgan holds more than 10% of all deposit funds in U.S. banking.  From a regulatory position, JPM cannot legally take any more institutional deposits.  So, what gives?  It is all sketchy, all of it.

(Bloomberg) — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has asked banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co., PNC Financial Services Group Inc., US Bancorp and Bank of America Corp. to submit final bids for First Republic Bank by Sunday after gauging initial interest earlier in the week, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The regulator reached out to some banks late Thursday seeking indications of interest, including a proposed price and an estimated cost to the agency’s deposit insurance fund. Based on submissions received Friday, the regulator invited some of those firms and others to the next step in the bidding process, the people said, asking not to be named discussing the confidential talks.

Spokespeople for JPMorgan, PNC, US Bancorp, Bank of America and the FDIC declined to comment. Bank of America is considering whether to proceed with a formal offer, one of the people said. Citizens Financial Group Inc. is also involved in the bidding, Reuters reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

The bidding process kick-started by regulators — after weeks of fruitless talks among banks and their advisers — could pave the way for a tidier sale of First Republic than the drawn-out auctions that followed the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank last month. Authorities are stepping in after a particularly precipitous drop in the company’s stock over the past week, which is now down 97% this year.

Unclear to some involved in the process is whether regulators might use a bid for a so-called open-market solution that avoids formally declaring First Republic a failure and seizing it. The stock’s drop — leaving the company with a $650 million market value — has made such a takeover at least somewhat more feasible.

[…] A group of 11 banks that deposited $30 billion into First Republic last month — giving it time to find a private-sector solution — have proved reluctant to band together on making a joint investment. A few proposals that surfaced in recent days called for a consortium of stronger banks to buy assets from First Republic for more than their market value. But no agreement materialized.

Instead, some stronger firms have been waiting for the government to offer aid or put the bank in receivership, a resolution they view as cleaner — and potentially ending with a sale of the bank or its pieces at attractive prices.

But receivership is an outcome the FDIC would prefer to avoid in part because of the prospect it will inflict a multibillion-dollar hit to its own deposit insurance fund. The agency is already planning to impose a special assessment on the industry to cover the cost of SVB and Signature Bank’s failures last month. (more)

¹This is pure speculation on my part, but if you were a well-connected California big fish and you had exposure in FRB, after the SVB collapse you might ask the govt to construct an exit plan to assist you.

$11 billion flows in, you make your quiet withdrawals, and after exit the delayed outcome proceeds accordingly.

Apr 28 2023

Trudeau Claims He Never Forced COVID Vaccinations


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption Re-Posted Apr 28, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Schwab’s favorite Young Leader is rewriting recent history by claiming he never forced the COVID vaccinations on the public. WHAT?! This man prevented people from exiting or entering the country without their shots. He shut down Canada’s economy, stifled all media outlets from questioning the COVID narrative, froze bank accounts of vaccine protestors, and made countless people choose between their job or schooling and getting the experimental vaccine.

Trudeau now admits “there are potential side effects in vaccinations. And there are people who’ve probably gotten very sick from vaccinations,” but he claims that Canadians were actually provided an option to choose.

“Individuals are allowed to make their own choices. There may be all sorts of reasons why someone is hesitant to get vaccinated. But I make a distinction, and I always have, between someone choosing for personal reasons to choose not to get vaccinated and someone deliberately using misinformation to mislead and scare other people with so-called facts that aren’t facts at all that lead them to make a choice that endangers their lives and the lives of other citizens.”

Unbelievable! His Ministry of Truth is working hard to gaslight the people. He once claimed only a “fringe minority” believed misinformation, but he still forced them to choose between life as they knew it or the jab. Let us recall his true words before they are scrubbed from the internet (begins in French before transitioning to English):

Apr 28 2023

Ukraine Out of Control


Armstrong Economics Blog/Ukraine Re-Posted Apr 28, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin (born 1961), is a confidant of Putin. He published on Telegram on April 14th, which demonstrates what I have been warning about. The American Neocons have full control of the Biden White House, the IMF, UN, ICC, and of course NATO. They have spent their entire lives dreaming of the day they get to destroy Russia.  They tried to persuade Ronald Reagan not to even meet with Gorbachev. They have been against any negotiation and they were behind the ploy to negotiate the Minsk Agreement only to buy time for Ukraine to build an army to launch war against Russia.

Here is the translation of his post:

Angry Patriots Club
Angry Patriot Club Manifesto

We are angry patriots. We love Russia. Our country is waging a serious war, but this war is being waged mediocre.

The opportunity for a quick and bloodless victory over the Ukrainian state, which has become a weapon of NATO, was missed back in 2014 by the signing of the treacherous Minsk agreements. The military operation launched in 2022 could have gone according to a completely different scenario, but a mediocre organization at the strategic, operational and tactical level led our country to a war of attrition.

Defeat in the war will lead Russia to catastrophic consequences. The United States and NATO countries do not hide their intentions to dismember the Russian Federation and bring the Russian people into submission to the new yoke, which this time came from the West.

The country in its present state cannot inflict on the enemy that crushing defeat which will force the enemy to accept peace terms acceptable to us. However, the military-political leadership of Russia does not realize the gravity of the situation.

Neither military nor industrial mobilization has been carried out on the required scale. Military operations continue to be led by people who, due to their abilities, are not worthy of wearing even the shoulder straps of sergeants. Everything is very similar to the Russo-Japanese or the First World War. What’s next?

Civil society and angry patriots as part of it have assumed many of the functions of the Russian state. First of all, we are talking about the direct supply and re-equipment of the fighting units of the Russian army. We will continue to do so in any situation. We have experience in solving other problems as well.

We understand that now is not the time to continue the confrontation between the reds and whites of a hundred years ago. In a most dangerous war, such disputes can be seriously conducted either by fools or by agents of the enemy.

Those who have transferred their capital and their loyalty to the West continue to remain in power and big business. They are ready for sabotage, as well as for direct collusion with the enemy and, therefore, betrayal. We do not rule out that they are preparing a pro-Western coup, capitulation and, consequently, the dismemberment of Russia.

We will counter this scenario with all available means.

We are ready to cooperate with all the healthy forces of society, with all those who do not want Russia to lose.

Everything for the front, everything for the Victory, glory to Russia!

Angry Patriots Club

He realizes that Ukraine is merely the spearhead of NATO and they could care less if all Ukrainians die in their war against Russia. The signing of the Minsk Agreements clearly established that you cannot negotiate a resolution with Ukraine for the American Neocons will never honor their agreements. That leaves only endless war. He rightly understands that the objective is to defeat Russia which he acknowledges will have catastrophic consequences. The United States and NATO states want to dismember the Russian Federation and bring the Russian people into submission. But just as the Neocons tried to prevent Reagan from taking with Gorbachev, they proclaimed that Russians can never be trusted and lie. Hence, because that is their view of all Russians, they act in the same manner that they “think” Russians act.

He was warned that the military-political leadership of Russia does not realize the gravity of the situation. He is probably correct in that statement. He sees the oligarchs who transferred their capital and their “loyalty to the West” are still in power and a threat to Russia. They will sabotage Russia as traitors to preserve their wealth. He warns that they are in direct collusion with the enemy and, therefore, traitors to the Russian people. He further warns that they may attempt a pro-Western coup, “capitulation, and, consequently, the dismemberment of Russia.” He vows to defend Russia at all costs against these traitors.

Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to try to assassinate Putin and his close allies inside Russia. This came precisely during the target week for the ECM with respect to Ukraine. This may yet prove to be a very significant event.

Zelensky sent a drone to kill Putin but it crashed not far from the target. Putin. on the other hand, ruled out any attempt to assassinate Zelensky. This reflects the sheer hatred I have encountered with regard to Ukraine v Russia. The Donbas should be free of Kyiv. What began the separatist movement was the wholesale slaughter of Russian-speaking Ukrainians in Odessa on May 2nd, 2014. They burned Russan-Ukrainians alive. The West played down that massacre because they were Russians who were being killed on the streets.

Ukraine is a complete fool and Russia would be totally now justified in assassinating Zelensky. Removing Putin will lead to serious repercussions for this will confirm that the United States and NATO are involved in regime change. The second tier knows this is really WWIII. Putin and China are desperately trying to prevent an all-out war, but Zelensky gets his marching orders from Blinken. The likelihood of Ukraine even existing beyond 2026.317 is not very good. This refusal to simply divide the country according to ethnic background is the ONLY possible solution to save the world. Just as the assassination of the Archduke by a Serb unleashed WWI, we are staring into the eyes of death and carnage and Biden is in a never-never-land and will not defend the American people against this American coup by the Neocons.

It was precisely on the Pi Target of January 10th, 2023 that the United States announced it would train Ukrainians on the use of Patriot Missiles. That clearly announced to Russia that the United States is in fact behind this war to take down Russia at all costs – the Neocon dream. As I have warned before, there is dissent inside Russia among the second tier but from the standpoint that Putin has restrained the military to only the Dunbas. They feel this is war and Ukraine is even fighting for NATO and is sending missiles into Russia and they should attack Kyiv. Some even believe that Kyiv should be nuked and that would make the rest of Europe rise up against their leaders to end this aggression against Russia.

It has been alleged that Russia fired a special missile to take out the underground bunker used by NATO to orchestrate the Ukrainian War. The West will never admit that any American or European was killed in such an action and would then confirm to the world would know they are really behind this war. Do not expect any media to confirm such an attack.

While China is trying to get Zelensky to respect the Minish Agreement and let the Donbas have their free elections, the likelihood of that is nill. Blinken will not allow it. We must still be on guard that the West will create a false flag for they now NEED a war to unfold before the 2024 US election. They are using the old-school playbook whereby no president has ever lost an election during a time of war. At the latest, we might see that false flag by April 19/20th, 2024.

Apr 28 2023

Collapsing at Home, DeSantis Travels to Israel and Proclaims He Moved U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, Not President Trump


Posted originally on the CTH on April 27, 2023 | Sundance 

This should be embarrassing, even for a seriously self-centered politician so filled with hubris and visions of grandeur that he cannot see anything except his own magnanimity.  Alas, for the Narcissus Top Gov and the branding organization behind him, no scale of hubris exclaimed is excessive enough.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was in Israel Thursday, doing the obligatory indulgency tour all Republican presidential candidates must undertake before they officially announce.  During his pre-planned events, DeSantis took credit for moving the U.S-Israel embassy to Jerusalem.

[…] DeSantis presented the Trump administration’s decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem as his own achievement, saying he worked to “cajole” the former president to make the move. He didn’t mention former President Trump by name. (link)

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had no independent source of wealth, prior to this 2024 endeavor and collaborative operation.  Together with the multinational financing operation around him, in combination with the Murdoch book deal and advance payment, the $300k Governor is now worth millions.  Funny how that happens.  It’s no wonder Casey is tiara shopping while Florida residents are crushed by skyrocketing housing, insurance, taxes, energy and other unavoidable costs of living.

“Bumped into”…. 

January 6, 2022

Apr 27 2023

REMINDER: Inflation was at 1.4% When Biden Took Office


Armstrong Economics Blog/Inflation Re-Posted Apr 27, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Inflation was only 1.4% when Biden took office. He began implementing policies on his first day that directly created the energy crisis in the US. He refused to reopen the economy under the pretense of COVID for as long as possible, disrupting the supply chain and damaging small businesses. Biden has created multi-trillion dollar spending programs that saddled the nation with more debt and increased price volatility. His team has been working to divide the people and create civil unrest. I could go on about his failures, but his worst move was involving America in the Russia-Ukraine war. Inflation has steadily risen to unsustainable levels nearly every month since Biden took office.

Biden’s team toys with the numbers to tout that inflation has gone down, but they are comparing the high and low both created under Biden. Wages cannot support the increase in costs and absolutely no one is better off under Biden. Considering the dire situation, it is infuriating that the US had a 1.4% inflation rate not long ago.

Inflation has soared by over 15% since Biden’s inauguration in January 2021. The “Presidential Inflation Rate,” (PIR) developed by the Winston Group, measures a president’s progress in handling inflation over time, from their inauguration month to the month of the most recent CPI report. As of March, inflation under Biden is 15%, which makes him the most inflationary president since Carter. Biden’s 24% “Presidential Inflation Rate” for rising electricity costs is higher than any of the previous seven presidents as it is now up 37.2%. The cost of food rose 18.3% under Biden, and eggs alone have soared by nearly 80%. Shelter costs are now at a 42-year high, and Biden’s PIR for rent has surpassed 13.5%.

Joe Biden takes no responsibility for the inflation caused by his policies and failures as a president. Inflation will continue to increase under Biden. He has absolutely no plans to address the issue, and the legislation he creates to address the problem only exacerbates it. Biden is a corrupt politician who lines his pockets with money from Ukraine and China. The investigation into his crime family that the media is sweeping under the rug reveals the truth. This man needs to be removed from office immediately, but the people alone must decide when they’ve had enough.