Tag Archives: Political Corruption

Jul 30 2018

Magnitsky Act & the Strange Backdrop


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption

Re-Posted Jul 30, 2018 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong – thanks for your efforts on providing us with links to the Magnitski video. I began watching the video last night and then came back to it this morning and was truly amazed that the link was no longer active.

I’m curious. Was Magnitski ever charged with anything and or why were they holding him? Yes, you are living proof that one can be held without a charge, but in your case, they wanted something. What is it that they wanted from Magnitski? Perhaps it’s obvious and I’m hoping you can fill in that void.

Again, thanks for the efforts to provide us with a different ways to look and understand our world!

Best regards,

Steve
ANSWER: The director of the film, Andrei Lvovich Nekrasov, obviously began the film believing Browder. The more he dug into the film, the more the alibi of Browder did not make any sense. What he failed to do was actually investigate Hermitage Capital beyond 2000. If he did, he would discover that Browder was a MINORITY shareholder and Edmond Safra was the MAJORITY through Republic National Bank. Only after Safra was murdered, probably by Putin for allegedly blackmailing Yeltsin, then in the takeover of Republic National Bank, HSBC did not want to have anything to do with Hermitage Capital from an ownership perspective. They became the manager & trustee of the fund, which was very unusual to wear two hats if not unethical. That is when Browder gained his MAJORITY shareholding.

I believe Magnitsky was being held not just simply because of tax fraud in Russia by Hermitage Capital, but also for its involvement in the blackmail of Russia which ended up involving the Bank of New York $7 billion money-laundering case. CNN Money reported on September 1st, 1999 before everyone removed the theft from the IMF: “[They] funnel billions of IMF money meant to help transfer Russia’s communist economy into a capitalist one through a private company called Benex Worldwide Ltd. Eventually, the money went into and back out of Bank of New York (BK) and Republic National Bank, a unit of Republic Bancorp (RBNC), as well as several institutions in Europe, including the Union Bank of Switzerland AG and Deutsche Bank AG and its Bankers Trust Unit.” Nekrasov has had his hands full just trying to get the film shown. He is up against tremendous obstacles to shutting it down by Browder. (let’s see how long it takes them to remove the CNN story which states what I have been saying for years, they got Yeltsin to take funds from the IMF)

This is just the tip of the truth behind the entire case. I believe Magnitsky was being held in hopes that he would give evidence against the entire affair and that went beyond just tax evasion. What is really strange is that Browder resigned his American citizenship to escape worldwide taxation, yet he is able to get John McCain to sponsor his Magnitsky Act trying to get his money back from Russia. The US government has used the Magnitsky Act to demonize Russia and Putin and it has kept adding people to the list who cannot come to the USA even though they have NEVER been tried, charged, and had no connection with Magnitsky whatsoever. There is obviously duel purposes being served here and those in Congress just overlook Browder and his history

Jul 30 2018

Refugees Storming Ceuta Border to Get Free Welfare


Armstrong Economics Blog/Refugees

RE-Posted Jul 30, 2018 by Martin Armstrong

The rush to get into Europe for free welfare has led to a land invasion of Spanish territory in Africa. Around 400 African refugees stormed the beautiful Spanish exclave Ceuta on the border with Morocco just on the African side of the Pillars of Hercules. They have climbed over the double barbed wire fence which are over 18 ft tall (6 meters). They attacked guards throwing corrosive Quicklime at them, which of course burns. Quicklime is not a very stable material. Due to lime being an alkaline product, contact with skin can cause full scale burning. Attacking the border guard to get in is certainly not the type of person you want to offer shelter to under these circumstances.

Ceuta and Melilla, also a Spanish exclave, are effectively the only EU external borders on the African continent. Therefore refugees are simply invading like barbarians but want handouts. More than 850 refugees had crossed the border to Ceuta in a single month. Spain has recently overtaken Italy in becoming the number destination for newly arrived boat people. Almost 19,600 people arrived in Spain since the start of 2018, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Categories: Refugees
Jul 30 2018

The Refugee Crisis – Germany Can’t Find 50% of those They Now Want to Deport


Armstrong Economics Blog/Refugees

Re-Posted Jul 30, 2018 by Martin Armstrong

Merkel’s nightmare is simply beyond description. Now that Europe is trying to at least deport some of these pretend “refugee” migrants from North Africa, the shocking reality is starting to surface. Now 50% of the “refugee” migrants cannot be deported from Germany because nobody can find them. According to a report, every second person to be deported is simply not found. By the end of May, of the about 23,900 announced repatriations, Germany could only find about 11,100 who were actually deported. Around 12,800 deportations that the government attempted could not be completed because the people could not be found. They have permanently infiltrated Europe and are not embedded deeply in the underground economy.

The entire movement in Britain where they called anyone who was against allowing wholesale “refugee” migrants into Britain were labeled “racists” and horrible people. There is now absolutely no way to even deport half of the migrants when the governments are absolutely clueless as to their whereabouts. These can be more than just rapists, now you have within this group the clear distinction of possible terrorists just waiting for the right moment.

The images of cute children were used to open the doors to Europe. But more than 70% were not families, but young men. Photos of boats from North Africa of migrants clearly show the lack of women and children. You would think that if this was a legitimate refugee operation, the people would have been limited to Syria and that ONLY families should have been allowed to enter. Was it really that hard to use a little common sense?

Jul 29 2018

Sunday Talks: Vice-President Mike Pence Discusses MAGAnomics and Trade Initiatives…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 29, 2018 by

Maria Bartiromo has an exclusive interview with Vice President Mike Pence to discuss the state of the economy and the ongoing administration policies therein.  VP Pence discusses the ongoing trade negotiations and the possibility of an agreement in principle between the U.S. and Mexico; a specific assignment for U.S.T.R. Robert Lighthizer.

Jul 29 2018

Sunday Talks: Rudy Giuliani -vs- Chris Wallace…


RE-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 29, 2018 by

President Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani appears on Fox News Sunday to talk about Donald Trump’s former legal counsel, Michael Cohen.

Jul 29 2018

Fighting the DEEP STATE


Published on Jul 26, 2018

After the Strozk tetimony, there’s not much doubt about the existence of a Deep State. The question is, what can Donald Trump do about it?

 

Jul 29 2018

Is CNN Creating a Civil War?


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics

Re-Posted Jul 29, 2018 by Martin Armstrong

COMMENT: From Europe, we are looking at your CNN and it really has become just propaganda and fake news. I was not a fan of Trump, but I have to say, he has done a great job probably better than any world leader. He has revised trade and has turned North Korea while your unemployment is now below 4% at 1960s level and you have a GDP growth of 4% while we have unemployment still in the 60% level among the youth and economic growth is at best 2.4%. It is hard to see why CNN turns everything negative.

HD

REPLY: It is really becoming blatant. This is one joke image going around, but it clearly demonstrates the point. America’s GDP growth is 4.1%, which is about twice that of Europe. Trump’s hardline threats of tariffs have yielded the first real new fair trade deal with the European Union. North Korea is actually returning the remains of our fallen American soldiers which have made a huge difference to many families.

The immigration issue where families were being separated was portrayed as if it was something brand new under Trump. CNN never bothered to report this was a policy that predated Trump and that Obama deported more people than any other president in history. They intentionally ignored the immigration issue under Obama and only used it against Trump demonstrating how corrupt CNN has become acting as only a political propaganda network. The damage CNN is doing to the country and the world is beyond description. My greatest concern is they are fueling a Civil War and what comes AFTER Trump? The people will NOT be satisfied with a career politician any longer. We are witnessing the Trump Revolution around the world and even within the Democrats.

Trump should stop the verbal assault on the press and reinstate the Fairness Doctrine and FORCE the press to present both sides and ned this reign of propaganda.

However, the owner of CNN, Time Warner, the Chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes came out and stated PUBLICLY that Trump does not pose a grave threat to free speech, but rather it was the Democrats. Speaking at Business Insider’s Ignitiion, Bewkes made it very clear that the Democratic Party’s commitment to campaign finance reform was a threat to free speech. He pointed out that Hillary Clinton said she would push for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, the Supreme Court decision that lifted restrictions on political spending by corporations and interest groups. She wanted to reduce free speech that was being funded against the Democrats.

Jul 29 2018

Reuters: Multinational Car Manufacturers Assemble To Coordinate Strategy Against U.S. President Trump…


RE-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 28, 2018 by

Interestingly Reuters uses the narrative from an anonymous Canadian “official” to frame an article about how global car manufacturers are coming together next week in Geneva to coordinate their strategy against the United States and President Trump.

Just let that part sink in for a moment…

Behind that context we can clearly see: 1) the economic importance of the Auto industry to the countries that are assembling; 2) their multinational corporate interest in retaining unlimited access to the U.S. market; and 3) the absolute need of all assembling corporations to find a way to keep their investments in NAFTA’s fatal flaw viable.

Who is gathering?  Canada, Mexico, the EU (ie. Germany), Japan and South Korea.

Where are they going?  To visit Geneva, Switzerland.  Why Geneva? Because that way China can attend (see Volvo/Sweden) without being on the official roster.  ::nudge, nudge:: ::wink, wink::  ::say-no-more Panda boy, say-no-more::  Additionally, Cecelia Malmström (EU Trade Minister), is the person Canada is relying upon to cover their anti-Trump position:

MEXICO CITY/OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada, the European Union, Japan, Mexico and South Korea will meet in Geneva next week to discuss how to respond to threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on U.S. imports of autos and car parts, officials familiar with the talks said.

The Trump administration has come under heavy criticism from automakers, foreign governments and others as it considers tariffs of up to 25 percent, a levy critics warn will hike vehicle costs, hurting auto sales and global industry jobs.

Several auto manufacturing powers have been talking to each other in recent days about their fears and a possible coordinated response to Trump’s “Section 232” investigation, which he ordered on May 23, into whether auto imports are a threat to U.S. security, sources say.

The probe could be completed within weeks, although similar ones ordered last year that led to tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum took about 10 months. The Commerce Department has 270 days to offer recommendations to the president after such a probe starts. He then has 90 days to act upon them.

It was not immediately clear what kind of response the countries could be looking at, although Canada, the EU and Mexico retaliated with their own tariffs after Trump imposed levies on steel and aluminum imports in March. Another option is to fight the United States at the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Deputy ministers will gather in Geneva on July 31 to hear each other’s views, a Canadian official and a Mexican official told Reuters, asking to not be named because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

“The meeting is meant to bring together major auto producing nations so we can discuss our concerns over the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Section 232 investigation of automobiles and parts,” said the Canadian government official. (read more)

Here’s where I will repeat the funniest aspect that seems continually missed by all of the international smart-set:

President Trump doesn’t care !

President Trump doesn’t care what the opinion of the Auto industry is.

President Trump is not beholden to the interests of the corporate auto industry.

President Trump doesn’t give a flip about what international leaders gather to discuss.

President Trump will do what is in the best interests of the United States and the workers within it. Period; end-of-story.  Done.

It is in the corporate and financial interests of the multinationals to retain their open-ended tariff-free access to the U.S. market by exploiting the back-door of NAFTA.  The multinational corporations have invested hundreds of billions on the supply chain and manufacturing system all using this NAFTA loophole. They have also paid hundreds-of-millions for the political policy of multiple world leaders, all to support and retain their interests therein.

Guess what?

President Trump doesn’t care.

If it is not in the best interests of the U.S., it simply will not be allowed.

The multinational corporate leaders can assemble and strategize until they are blue-in-the-face.  It matters not.

Seriously.  They might just as easily attend a Swiss pancake tossing contest.  POTUS Trump doesn’t care.  Eventually they are going to have to ask, beg, plead and grovel to retain their position.   When they accept the one constant in an ever changing universe, and finally realize the question is not “if” they will lose, but rather “how much”, then, and only then, will POTUS Trump enter the room with his golden tickets.

To get golden ticket access to the U.S. market, those multinationals are going to have to agree to President Trump’s terms.  Trump doesn’t care about their feelings; Trump doesn’t give a flip about their statements; Trump has one prism to consider any deal, negotiation or result: is it better for the United States of America?

If not, go spit.

That’s it.

Now, go make him a sandwich…

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The July 20th conversation with President Trump touched on the state of the U.S. economy; America’s trade reset; the timing of the trade reset juxtaposed against the current value of the U.S. stock market; the president’s news-making remarks about the Federal Reserve’s ongoing interest-rate hikes; and pragmatic insight behind the meeting with Vladimir Putin. Watch it, you’ll see:

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Wilbur Ross outlines the policy:

Jul 28 2018

White House Economic Advisor Kevin Hassett Discusses Details Within GDP Release…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 28, 2018 by

The head of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, Kevin Hassett shares his perspective on the 4.1 percent GDP growth, and the ongoing MAGAnomic America-First initiatives.   Hassett rightly points out that finished good domestic inventories dropped as an outcome of consumer purchasing outpacing manufacturing.  As more manufacturing comes on-line, the production capacity expansion leads to more GDP growth.

Remember, one of the unique attributes of the U.S. economy, thanks to the foresight of industrial titans who built it, is our internal consumption.  We are not only the worlds’ largest economy, we are the biggest self-sustaining economy in the history of the world; a massively consequential strategic advantage. Our leverage comes from nations needing access to our market; the U.S. does not necessarily need access to theirs. Therefore POTUS Trump can dictate the terms.

Jul 28 2018

Two Important Words From Granite City Illinois: “We’re Back”…


RE-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 28, 2018 by

Last week President Trump went to Granite City, Illinois, to celebrate the re-opening of a U.S. Steelworks manufacturing facility.

If you ever had any question about how important President Trump’s Main Street economic and manufacturing policies are to U.S. workers, well, just watch this interview with a formerly laid-off Granite City steelworker.  [Dusty Keyboard Alert]:

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“We’re back”

That’s the heartbeat of America right there!