Tag Archives: Human trafficking

Oct 22 2022

Twitter Stuff, Reports of Anticipated Turnover of Employees, Combined with Reports of Treasury Dept Considering CFIUS Review


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on October 21, 2022 | Sundance 

Whenever we begin to evaluate how the U.S. government may respond to Elon Musk buying out Twitter and changing the dynamic behind Jack’s Magic Coffee Shop, it is always worth remembering a key point.  Elon Musk is not in an adversarial relationship with the U.S. government.  Indeed, almost every Musk venture is tied into the matrix of multiple government institutions.

That said, only Elon Musk knows the full intent of his objective to utilize Twitter and his larger aspirations to open information systems to all people (Iran example).

Having listened to a lot of Musk’s explanations for his endeavors, I’ve yet to nail down how his statements mesh with the public-private partnership that forms the baseline of revenue for his various engagements.

The Washington Post is reporting that Musk may RIF (reduction in force) to 75% of Twitter employees.  “Elon Musk told prospective investors in his deal to buy the company that he planned to get rid of nearly 75 percent of Twitter’s 7,500 workers, whittling the company down to a skeleton staff of just over 2,000.” {link}

(WaPo) […] On Thursday evening, Twitter’s top lawyer Sean Edgett sent out a note to all employees saying the company did not have any confirmation from Musk about his plans. Twitter’s own, smaller-scale “cost savings discussions” were put on hold once the merger agreement was signed, Edgett said, according to an email viewed by The Post.

In internal Slack groups, Twitter employees reacted to the news with anger and resignation, supporting each other and making jokes about the turmoil of the past few months, according to people familiar with the conversations.

Twitter and Musk are expected to close the purchase by Oct. 28. Planning for the closing is moving forward in apparent good faith after months of legal battles, say people familiar with the negotiations who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. If the deal closes, Musk would immediately become Twitter’s new owner. (read more)

Meanwhile Bloomberg was reporting yesterday the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS), a Treasury Dept agency, was considering a national security review of the purchase due to foreign nationals investing and participating in the funding mechanisms for the buyout.  However, Bloomberg updated that angle today noting any CFIUS review would be unlikely:

(Bloomberg) Alarm over Elon Musk’s recent Russia-friendly tweets is driving Biden administration officials to explore using a secretive review panel to assess the national-security risks of his business interests.

Yet experts say that deploying the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US to investigate Musk’s dealings — including his pending $44 billion purchase of Twitter — is unlikely to work and would face legal challenges. 

There may be an argument for some sort of CFIUS review, but it’s thin, according to Emily Kilcrease, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. The panel would only get involved if foreign investors were taking a controlling stake in the new company, she said, something Musk doesn’t appear ready to allow.

CFIUS has the right to look at foreign investors, not Musk, Kilcrease said. “So if there’s concerns around Musk, CFIUS is a really messy, imperfect tool to try to deal with that — and I suspect would be subject to legal challenge,” she said. (read more)

Two things about Twitter and the U.S. government are true, and that makes predicting where this ends up quite challenging to game out.

♦First, the U.S. intelligence apparatus is actively involved in the background operations of Twitter.  The extent of the IC involvement may be debatable, but the IC being involved in Twitter is fundamentally true.

♦Second, if the U.S. government wanted to stop Elon Musk from purchasing Twitter, they could – very easily.  As noted, Musks network of business operations is heavily dependent on a partnership with the U.S. government (SpaceX, Starlink, Tesla, etc.)  The State Dept, Pentagon, NASA, FAA, and various intelligence agencies are all parts of a deep network of relationships with Musk’s organizations.

The fact that the U.S. government does not intervene in any Musk effort, including Twitter, is not evidence of Musk being outside the system.  Factually, it would be challenging to find another company with tentacles as wide, far reaching and connected to the U.S. government.

Musk is purchasing Twitter because the U.S. government wants to allow Musk to purchase Twitter.  Musk may be ‘dirty dancing‘ with the government while trying to retain the patina of an outsider, but the network of his company attachments to the U.S. government run counter to that outlook.

Again, I don’t know what Musk’s intent is, and hopefully the Twitter outcome is something much more open and transparent than currently exists.  However, that said, we should not assign too much weight to any media outline of the dynamic until we have actual reference points to any possible change.

Oct 21 2022

Iranian Drones


Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted Oct 21, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The western alliance is not the only one providing military training. Iran has sent military members to Crimea to train Russian troops. Specifically, they are training them to use Iranian drones. There were reports of Russian troops visiting Iran in August to learn how to operate unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Since then, there have been numerous reports of UAVs failing, but the successfully deployed UAVs are capable of causing serious damage.

Shaheds, also known as kamikaze or suicide drones, explode on impact and are capable of also carrying missiles. This drone is less expensive to develop, but it can travel up to 1,000 miles and leave a range of destruction in its path. Mohajer-6 UAVs can be used for spying purposes and can, of course, also hold a missile. Ukraine claims that they have shot down at least 200 drones and have the capability to jam radars.

Both Russia and Iran have denied trading weapons, but what do they have to lose now that all the cards are on the table? Russia has violated the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 by transferring arms from Iran. The West has already sanctioned Russia in every way possible. Numerous nations are placing sanctions on Iran now, but again, they are not too concerned. Tehran and Moscow, two nuclear powers, are strengthening their relationship and seem prepared to face any Western consequences while resuming trade.

Oct 20 2022

Biden Has Ensured the Fall of the USA


Armstrong Economics Blog/Energy

Posted Oct 19, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

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QUESTION: Marty, do you think that electric cars should be avoided? What do you see for the future? Biden looks like he has undermined Israel all over pleading for low gasoline prices.

thank you

FG

ANSWER: The goal of energy independence was achieved under Trump. Now, under Biden, he had depleted the oil reserves all to save the Democrats from their own policies of ending fossil fuels. Worse still, the Biden Administration has now opened the door to the decline and fall of the United States for another oil embargo would be devastating to the US economy and the people are totally unaware of how vulnerable their livelihood now stands thanks to the Democrats.

I’m sure the Democrats will be writing in as always. All I can say is PLEASE look at this objectively and do not vote simply because of party politics. Depleting the strategic oil reserves to just try to bullshit everyone for the midterm election and then afterward, screw you and your family, shows that they are counting on your stupidity and your bias.

I have studied military tactics. All they need do is cut off all oil again, the US will crumble, and your very job will be at risk if companies can no longer function. This is all total bullshit. It should be a crime for any president to take the strategic reserves for personal political gain. This is no different than robbing money from the Treasury.

I have warned, Beware of oil prices in 2023. Biden has completely undermined the security of the United States into 2032. The Arabs know see the crisis that they face. They would be insane to do anything that benefits the Biden Administration or the EU. Forcing prices to skyrocket will be the only thing to force political change from this climate insanity.

Electric cars are not practical. They may be ok as a second car for around town. But I would look at hybrids for we do not have the power grid to support electric cars. In addition, the first think you do in war is take down the power grid. With electric cars and digital currency, you complete shut down an opponent. Brain dead – just brain dead.

Oct 19 2022

Interview: Panic Cycle, Bank of England, Inflation, Increased Death Rate


Armstrong Economics Blog/Armstrong in the Media Re-Posted Oct 19, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Click here to listen to my latest interview: “Panic Cycle, Bank of England, Inflation, Increased Death Rate”

Oct 19 2022

Civil Unrest Growing in France


Armstrong Economics Blog/France Re- Posted Oct 19, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Protests are appearing across France as people are demanding changes. I must say, I do respect the French for always taking to the streets when their politicians fail them. And the politicians are certainly failing the people right now. There are ongoing protests regarding the rising cost of living. Winter is coming and people are concerned about basic necessities such as food and energy.

There are now protests demanding that France abandon NATO. The people do not want to enter a war. On the same day that President Macron announced 2,000 Ukrainian troops would be trained on French soil, thousands took to the capital to demand a stop to this madness. The protestors, per usual, called for Macron’s resignation. In addition to abandoning NATO, the French people would like to abandon the European Union. The idea behind the creation of the European Union, a union to end and prevent war in Europe, has clearly FAILED. “Frexit” is becoming a trending topic as the people now see that those in Brussels do not care about the people.

Our computer has indicated that civil unrest would rise going into November. There are protests appearing all over the world, and unfortunately for the opposition, those protests will only heighten as conditions worsen and policies are passed at the expense of the people.

Oct 18 2022

Soldiers Training Globally for WWIII


Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted Oct 18, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

I explained that Romania is becoming a World War III training battleground for NATO. There are currently 40,000 troops on the ground throughout Eastern Europe, with more set to arrive. Colonel Vincent Minguet, the commander of the NATO Combat Group in Romania, believes the training will last up to FIVE years. Stronger militaries are training their allies now in preparation for what is to come.

This is expanding beyond Eastern Europe. France announced that they are welcoming 2,000 Ukrainian troops. French President Emmanuel Macron was hesitant at first, and only permitted 40 Ukrainian soldiers to be trained on French soil since February. As Zelensky and those holding his strings beg for more aid and a full-on escalation, world leaders are folding to his demands.

“It will not be in a belligerent fashion because we are not at war. We are helping a country that is at war,” French Minister for the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu stated. They are directly involved in the conflict. The West has gone to war with Russia economically and now is directly contributing to the war effort in Ukraine. World leaders do not want the people to see what is unfolding before their eyes.

Under Operation Interflex, the UK has coached 10,000 Ukrainian fighters. The program puts soldiers through an intense five-week training program to learn basic skills before being returned to the frontline.

Ireland has been tasked with helping Ukraine learn to dismantle explosives and IEDs. The US has training facilities for Ukrainian soldiers in Germany, while the UK has opened up air bases for Canadian forces. Every nation is preparing for endless war. “We are probably, unfortunately, in the long haul when it comes to the war against Russia to stop Putin’s aggression against Ukraine. Therefore, we need also long-term planning and training,” Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod admitted.

“[I]t’s clear (that if) the European Union armies pull together all their capacities, they can do much more than each one of their side,” stated EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell. Multiple nations combining their military power to defeat a common enemy – that is a world war.

Oct 18 2022

The Next Winter of Death


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption Re-Posted Oct 18, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Remember when Biden publicly chastised the unvaccinated population last year? Do the “right thing,” and you will “get through this.” Those selfish enough to choose medical autonomy, the president stated, were “looking at a winter of severe illness and death for yourselves, your families, and the hospitals you may soon overwhelm.”

We have definitive proof that Pfizer did not test the vaccine against transmission. Governments globally pushed a false narrative, a blatant lie, to force people to take these vaccines. Biden’s memorable speech demonized a portion of the population. You will get sick because of them.

Now that the lie has finally been revealed, the White House is still pushing Americans to receive yet another booster. Headlines are appearing across the liberal news about the “temperatures dropping,” as if that is a factor. Look into it yourself, and you will notice the “temperatures dropping” fear-mongering in the media as if COVID and not the depletion of energy resources should be the catalyst for fear.

The White House expected between 13 and 15 million Americans over the age of 12 to receive another dangerous booster. That means only 5% of the eligible population is willing to play along with the COVID games. Washington and the CDC will unleash a marketing campaign to sell the toxins one way or another, but fewer will comply. Politico reported that they expect less than 30% of the population to receive the next shot.

The next winter will be one of death and destruction, but not because of COVID. The energy crisis will cause death and destruction, as will the war in Ukraine and every nation it “may soon overwhelm.”