March 6, 2019
Ohio Representative Jim Jordan appears on Laura Ingraham show to discuss the National Security Emergency at the U.S-Mexico border and the Pelosi impeachment plan.
Tag Archives: The Forecaster
Senator Graham Discusses House Impeachment Effort and His Relationship With President Trump…
March 5, 2019
Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham appears with UniParty apologist Martha MacCallum for a discussion about current political events and challenges for President Trump.
According to Senator Lindsey Graham, President Donald Trump and Senator Graham spent an hour-and-a-half discussing challenges including the ongoing border crisis.
Border Report: Since October 260,000 Illegal Aliens Apprehended Crossing Border, 66,000 in February Alone…
March 5, 2019
~ Compare and Contrast ~
To adequately absorb the scale being outlined here: it must be remembered in July 2014 President Obama and DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson declared a “border crisis” and requested $3.7 billion in budget appropriations for a total of 60,000 illegal border crossings during the migrant travel season. That’s 60,000 TOTAL in 2014.
According to NPR, citing current DHS Border Patrol stats, in the period of October 2018 through last week there have been more than 260,000 border apprehensions.
(Via NPR) The U.S. Border Patrol apprehended more than 66,000 migrants at the Southern border in February, the highest total for a single month in almost a decade.
The majority of those arrested were migrant families or children traveling alone or without a parent, according to figures released Tuesday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Many of the migrants say they’re fleeing criminal gangs and poverty in Central America to seek asylum in the United States.
“This is clearly both a border security and humanitarian crisis,” said CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan at a press briefing.
Between October and last week, Border Patrol agents have picked up more than 260,000 people — a 90 percent jump over the same period a year ago.
“The entire system right now is at full capacity. Actually, it’s overwhelmed,” said Manuel Padilla, a veteran Border Patrol agent who’s now director of Joint Task Force-West in San Antonio, part of the Department of Homeland Security. (read more)
Again, for scale: 2019 (Trump) -vs- 2014 (Obama):
July 10th, 2014 – Facing pushback from congress as well as sticker shock at the $3.7 billion he was requesting, President Obama sends his DHS team to Capitol Hill to ramp up anxiety, and threats of consequences:
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Thursday that as many as 90,000 unaccompanied child migrants could cross the southwest border before the end of this fiscal year in September.
That will place a huge strain on immigration agencies, which will badly need new money to get through the summer, Johnson says.
The 90,000 number — the highest yet given by the administration — is spelled out in written Senate testimony by Johnson as well as Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, who must also deal with the border crisis.
“We are preparing for a scenario in which the number of unaccompanied children apprehended at the border could reach up to 90,000 by the end of fiscal 2014,” Johnson’s testimony reads, and he bluntly warns that without an infusion of new funds, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will run out of money in August. (read more)
Now to 2019:
[…] Between October and last week, Border Patrol agents have picked up more than 260,000 people — a 90 percent jump over the same period a year ago. (read more)
CBP✔@CBP
February 2019 had the highest number of encounters of any February in the last 12 years with more than 76,000 total apprehensions and inadmissible arrivals. More here: https://bit.ly/2DZrwJ8
365 people are talking about this
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Justin’s Troubles: Ezra Levant and Manny Montenegrino Discuss Growing SNC-Lavalin Crisis…
March 5, 2019
Rebel Media host Ezra Levant and legal analyst Manny Montenegrino discuss the ongoing Canadian political scandal now engulfing Justin from Canada. {Background Here} and {Update Here}. On the surface the SNC-Lavalin bribery, corruption and political obstruction case may seem small, but the ramifications are huge.
Amid growing public sentiment that Justin Trudeau did indeed use his office for corrupt purposes; and with a second well-regarded cabinet minister leaving because she cannot support the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO); it was stunning to watch Trudeau’s political appeal to the Canadian electorate for support yesterday.
Prime Minister Trudeau pleaded with his political supporters to consider “the big picture” at stake. Trudeau argued his political value in achieving the progressive agenda was worth more than the Canadian judicial system. There’s a full blown constitutional crisis.
[Understanding the BACKSTORY Here]
[Second Cabinet Minister Resigns HERE]
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A Conservative motion in the House of Commons calls on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to testify. Calgary Nose Hill MP Michelle Rempel lays out exactly what this is about and why it matters:
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President Trump Signs Executive Order For A “National Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End Veteran Suicide”…
March 5, 2019
Earlier today President Trump signed an Executive Order: “President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide”—the PREVENTS Initiative.
The President delivered remarks during the signing ceremony for the initiative:
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[White House] The Executive Order establishes a task force that includes the Secretaries of Veterans Affairs, Defense, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security. The task force will develop a comprehensive public health roadmap for helping veterans pursue an improved quality of life and ending the national tragedy of veteran suicide.
- The roadmap will include a national research strategy for engaging with public- and-private sector stakeholders to better understand the underlying factors of suicide, and to lead to earlier identification and intervention.
- The roadmap will also include a proposal for equipping State and local governments with the resources and tools they need to empower veteran communities and provide needed services.
* To prevent suicide, the Federal Government must work side-by-side with partners across all levels of government and with the private and non-profit sectors.
* The Administration’s roadmap will help create a national and local ecosystem that cultivates active engagement with each veteran, rather than a passive system wherein the onus for engagement is placed on veterans.
A NATIONAL TRAGEDY: Veteran suicide is a national tragedy that has taken too many of our Nation’s heroes.
* Despite significant efforts and billions of dollars invested, suicide rates among veterans rose 26 percent from 2005 to 2016.
* In 2016, the suicide rate was one and a half times greater for veterans than for non-veteran adults.
* Each day, an average of 20 service members and veterans die by suicide, nearly 70 percent of whom are not engaged with the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) for their healthcare.
* Veterans often endure traumatic experiences—either emotional or physical—which make them susceptible to mental health issues.
STRENGTHENING VETERAN SUPPORT: This Executive Order will amplify the existing efforts of the Trump Administration to improve quality of care for our veterans.
* President Trump previously signed an Executive Order directing his Administration to improve access to mental health treatment and suicide prevention resources for veterans.
* President Trump secured a record $73.1 billion in funding for the VA to provide quality medical care for our veterans.
- This included $8.6 billion for mental health services and $206 million for suicide prevention.
* The President revolutionized the VA healthcare system by signing the VA MISSION Act.
* The President has expanded access to telehealth services to help reach more veterans, including through his “Anywhere to Anywhere” VA healthcare initiative.
[LINK]
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World Economy – Which End is Up?
Armstrong Economics Blog/Central Banks
Re-Posted Mar 6, 2019 by Martin Armstrong
QUESTION: Hey Martin
First of all, great work with the new Socrates. Thank you very much for getting it to us.
You have said that rates are exploding with fed raising rates for the pension funds and because of the lost confidence in government, at least here in Europe.
Am I correct when I take what you have said, as European, to invest in short term US government paper, short term US corporate paper?
That way I won’t get much yield but I get to benefit from the currency also?
Isn’t floating rate paper also good in times like this?
I also get that there is no other place, so the Dow will go up so I want some exposure to that also?
The commodities are bottoming in 2020 so I want to get some exposure to them also?
But how about real estate?
We as small investors don’t have any other choice but REITs, especially apartment REITs and you have talked against them, saying that they are volatile. So is it best to AVOID REITs and that way real estate all together?
Even if it is a hard asset and a inflation hedge? Also as a European it would not hurt to have some USD income?
With the taxes going up and socialists getting in to power all over I guess it is better to invest in accumulating funds instead of distributing ones?
If you could please find the time to comment on this. I know that there are lots of people asking the same questions as I am.
JP
ANSWER: We are all connected. There is no possible way for any country to move counter-trend to the whole. The European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan have destroyed their bond markets. Their stupid idea of Quantitative Easing and lowering rates to zero and negative was under their theory that people would borrow if it was cheap enough. Over the years, I have received calls from banks asking me if I wanted to borrow money. They call because we run high cash balances and have no debt. They always want to lend money to people who do not need it, but that then begs the question, what would I do with it anyway? If you have nothing in mind you want to buy then you are not interested in borrowing. Yes, there are margin loans for investors in shares. But I am talking about borrowing to expand or buy some business. That is what the Central Banks failed to grasp. If there is no CONFIDENCE in the future, you will not borrow at any rate.
The Bank of Japan could simply agree to tear up its federal bonds. That would impact its balance sheet whereas Japanese bonds are not really held outside the country. The ECB, on the other hand, has no such option for the debt it holds is of individual member states since there was never any consolidation of the debt federally. As far as the US Federal Reserve, its holding of federal debt is under 20% of the $22 trillion and 30% of the debt is held by foreign governments with 28% held by interagency. The US could not be saved if the Fed tore up its bonds. It is not enough.
The pension funds are also linked to government debt. Defaulting on government debt would wipe out all pension funds. The interconnectivity is not considered by so many who summarily assume we can just tear it all up.
Rates will rise to start 2020/2021 as the general public begins to see there is trouble in the wind. The Bank of Japan and the ECB have already destroyed their bond markets and there will be no going back. There will be no buyers when they need them. This is why you need to stay short-term as a buyer of debt and if you are a borrower, then lock it in for as long as you can at a fixed rate.
This is a cycle where governments are collapsing. Clearly, stay in the private sector. Blue-Chip corporate debt SHORT-TERM is better than a government. Even during the Great Depression, AAA corporate debt appreciated. The spread above US Treasury dropped from about 1.3% to 0.5% and the US was the safe haven back then as well. It was Europe which defaulted along with South America and Asia.
Real Estate is not a movable asset so it can be taxed and you cannot leave. They will raise taxes dramatically trying to survive. But governments cannot avoid their collapse for nobody is willing to step up and take decisions for the long-term.
Equities are liquid. This is going to be a game between value and liquidity. Remember! The City of Detroit suspended all debt in 1937. They resumed and paid it off with cheaper dollars in 1963. So they claim they never defaulted. Liquidity is also a top priorit
Government Corruption in Municipalities is Off The Charts
Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption
Re-Posted Mar 5, 2019 by Martin Armstrong
One of the secret tools government pulls is to deny the people the right to vote on key issues they want that are often cloaked in backroom deals. Seattle is a great example of how the local government pulls every trick in the book to hide the truth about what they are really up to. The Seattle Mayor has been caught outright hiding the details of a proposal to allow homeless people to take over public parking lots.
Meanwhile in Illinois, one politician wants all politicians to wear body cameras so people will see the backroom negotiations that are filling the swamp. While this proposal sounds like a good idea, there is nothing to stop them from meeting on personal time to take the under-the-table bribes. Even in Florida, a town on the shore suddenly found politicians voting for a major hotel when the people never wanted it. The political chaos and hints of corruption have filled the air that politicians were just paid off to vote against the people in Madeira Beach.
Trying to prove corruption and bribes is difficult. Government knows how to protect itself very well. This merely begs the question, how much longer will the people put up with this treatment? It is starting to look as if 2021 may be the spark that really ignites a major shift in trend following the US Presidential Election in 2020.
The Solution
COMMENT: If every 16-year-old school student had to write a thousand-word essay on this presentation the world as we know it would change miraculously within a generation.
JM
REPLY: Thank you. I agree. If we stopped and looked at the facts, putting politics aside, we would see that we deserve what we get if we do not act.
Britain & Labour’s Proposal for a Permanent Customs Union
Armstrong Economics Blog/BRITAIN
Re-Posted Mar 5, 2019 by Martin Armstrong
The leader of the British Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, is desperately trying to prevent the Labour Party from fracturing and splitting into two parties. Most Labour Party members want a second referendum in the hope that the people would vote to Remain this time around. Many Labour members remain under the impression that the policy agreed at a conference last year was that the party would support a second referendum if it could not force a general election. However, that policy maintained that as “a public vote” was one of the options that had to remain on the table.
Instead of moving that option to the forefront, Corbyn has abandoned that posture and asked for a permanent customs union – one “that includes a UK say on future EU trade deals.” This means that Labour is proposing a new permanent customs union with the European Union (EU) after Brexit which would allow the UK “a say” in future trade deals. Britain never wins any trade deal anyway and it has witnessed nothing but a declining economic trend ever since it joined the EU.
Anyone who would bother to look at trade would immediately see that the EU needs the UK. The biggest market for Germany to sell cars is the UK since it maintains the old-world mercantilist economic model. That means that the UK has a better consumer market that supports Europe – not the other way around. Belgium and the Netherlands have a higher per capita income compared to Britain which is significantly higher than that of Germany. Remaining in the customs union would be a disaster. The UK could not negotiate its own deal with the USA for France would be able to veto it from the start.
Centinel2012 