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Thursday, December 27, 2018

Rand, Ron Paul Praise Trump’s Syria Withdrawal

Rand and Ron Paul have both commended President Trump on his decision to withdraw troops from Syria.

Both father and son are known for their positions of non-interventionism, often denouncing aggressive U.S. foreign policy driven by the military-industrial complex for decades.

“This is a very bold move for President Trump,” Rand Paul said during an appearance on ‘America’s Newsroom.’ “It is exactly what he promised the American people. In fact, it is one of the reasons he won the election — because he is different from so many Republicans who want us to be everywhere all the time around the world. They want us to be the world policeman, that every war on the planet we have to have our soldiers involved with.”

“President Trump said he was going to treat America first. I think bringing some of that money home, whether it goes towards border security or building bridges or roads in our country.”

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Mississippi family intends to sue after released murder suspect accused in deadly drive-by

TUPELO, Miss. — The family of a 66-year-old grandmother killed in a drive-by shooting in northeast Mississippi has signaled it intends to sue a city and a police chief.

Local news outlets report that the family of Annie Walton has filed a notice of claim against the city of Verona and Police Chief J.B. Long. That warning is required before suing a Mississippi government.

Latavious Betts, 17, was arrested last week on charges of shooting and killing Walton on Dec. 7. Authorities said Betts fired more than a dozen shots into a house, striking Walton and four others who were wounded. Betts, 17, is jailed without bail in Lee County on charges of murder and aggravated assault. A lawyer for Betts didn’t immediately respond to a phone call and email late Wednesday.

The family claims Long acted illegally by releasing Betts from jail in April on a murder charge after Betts was accused in the March 22 shooting death of Jazken Green at a Verona car wash.

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Experts warn the stress of divorce ‘can bring on depression, PTSD and suicidal thoughts’

Marriage break-ups are frequently followed by a collapse in mental health for divorced wives and husbands, lawyers said yesterday.

They warned that symptoms ranging from high stress to severe depressionfrequently strike couples engaged in divorce.

In some cases the impact of divorce can contribute to deep problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder or the onset of suicidal thoughts, lawyers at the Hall Brown Family Law firm said.

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Police: Once-Deported Illegal Alien Murdered American in 'Reign of Terror'

A previously deported illegal alien allegedly murdered a 51-year-old American while on a 24-hour “reign of terror” shooting and crime spree, according to Tulare County, California law enforcement officials.

Gustavo Garcia, a 36-year-old illegal alien, shot and killed 51-year-old Rocky Paul Jones of Visalia, California on December 17 at a gas station. Police said surveillance footage revealed Garcia and Jones spoke briefly before the killing, but that the two did not know one another.

During a news conference, according to the Fresno Bee, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said Garcia carried out a “reign of terror” and “had no regard for human life” before dying in a car accident in the midst of a police chase.

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Hungary to FT: Soros an 'Enemy of Democracy', Not 'Person of the Year'

The Hungarian government has hit out at the Financial Times naming George Soros their “Person of the Year”.

The famous salmon-coloured newspaper, something of a house magazine for the British establishment and financial elite, praised the billionaire currency speculator and convicted insider trader as “the standard bearer of liberal democracy and open society”.

Hungary’s conservative-populist government, which shares a mutual antipathy with the 88-year-old plutocrat on the subject of mass migration — opposed by Budapest, encouraged by Soros — has offered an assessment very much to the contrary, observing: “To the Financial Times, he’s Person of the Year, but to many ordinary citizens, Soros is anenemy of their democracy.”

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Memphis man and brother accused of shooting toddler in head in 2017 road rage episode

Memphis police announced arrests Saturday in the "senseless" and fatal road rage shooting of a 2-year-old girl 18 months ago.

Laylah Washington was riding in the back seat of her mother’s Nissan Maxima on June 13, 2017, when shots were fired into the vehicle and one bullet struck her in the head, police said in a Facebook post.

Police charged Tylan McCray, 21, with murder, saying he was the person who fired the shots. A cousin, Brandon McCray, 19, was charged as an accessory to the murder.

“For more than a year, our investigators have worked long and hard to ensure justice for Laylah,” the Memphis Police Department said. “This holiday season, the Washington family and all Memphians affected by this senseless killing can find some level of comfort in knowing that those responsible have been arrested and will answer for their actions.”

A call to a police tip line on the first anniversary of the murder led to the arrests, police said.

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https://www.foxnews.com/us/memphis-man-and-cousin-accused-of-shooting-toddler-in-head-in-2017-road-rage-episode

Woodrow Wilson Goes to Europe

We are now in the dubious position of “celebrating” – if that is the word – the 100th anniversary of US President Woodrow Wilson’s departure on December 4, 1918 on the liner SS George Washington for the Versailles Peace Conference where he was confident he would dictate his brilliant solutions that would end war in the world for all time.

Historians and psychiatrists – including Dr. Sigmund Freud himself who co-authored a book on Wilson – have endlessly debated whether Wilson was sane and just deluded or raving mad. Freud clearly inclined to the latter view. And he had ample evidence to support him. What is most alarming is that, as Henry Kissinger – significantly not born an American at all – points out, all US presidents either share Wilson’s ridiculous messianic fantasies or feel they must pretend to.

During the supposed dark age of the Cold War from 1945 to 1989, the recognition that the Soviet Union was at least as militarily powerful as the United States imposed the disciplines of realism and restraint on US policymakers. But since the Berlin Wall came down, the Warsaw Pact was dissolved and the Soviet Union peacefully disassembled, that restraint has vanished.

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“The Worst Is Yet To Come Next Year”

Nobody was talking like this even four or five months ago

When talking heads on mainstream news networks are using phrases such as “the worst is yet to come next year”, that is a clear indication that a new financial crisis has arrived.

And that is an extremely bold statement to make considering that this is already the worst quarter for the stock market in 10 years, this is the worst December for stock prices since 1931, and we just experienced the worst Christmas Eve that Wall Street has ever seen. So when Mark Jolley made the following statement during a recent guest appearance on CNBC, it definitely raised some eyebrows…

“I would love to be more optimistic but i just don’t see too many positives out there. I think the worst is yet to come next year, we’re still in the first half of a global equity bear market with more to come next year,” Mark Jolley, global strategist at CCB International Securities, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

At this point last year, nobody on Wall Street was talking like this.

In fact, nobody was talking like this even four or five months ago.

But after three extremely painful months the outlook has completely changed, and a lot of market participants are really starting to freak out.

And this is not just happening in the United States. The truth is that most most markets around the world started to fall well before U.S. markets did, and at this point almost all of the big global indexes are in a bear market

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Are the Investigations the Cover-Up?

Those of us who have been paying attention know that serious crimes were committed at the highest levels of government in an attempt to exonerate Hillary Clinton and frame Donald Trump. There was collusion between government agencies, including collusion with foreign agents, to illegally influence the 2016 Presidential election. There is enough evidence on the table to be confident of these claims.

And those of us who care about rule of law, who want to see justice done to the criminals in this conspiracy, have been waiting for years to see that happen. We hear that these serious matters are being investigated. We hear that there are whistleblowers inside the government who want to come forward and expose the corruption. We hear that there are many, many more documents which will substantiate our worst fears about one of the greatest scandals in the history of our country.

We have been assured that there are several investigations looking into the various aspect of this abuse of power. Inspector General Michael Horowitz, prosecutor John Huber, and others are looking into the corruption. Mueller is supposedly tasked with exposing foreign influence on the Presidential election.

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Joe Biden feels stung as Obama plays 'footsie' with other Democrats eyeing 2020 bid: Report

Vice President Joe Biden is reportedly upset that his former boss, Barack Obama, has been talking to other Democrats about a 2020 run for president.

Earlier this month, the Washington Post reported that Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who recently lost to Sen. Ted Cruz in their Texas midterm election contest, met with former President Obama last month as he considers his own White House bid.

According to insiders who spoke to Vanity Fair, word that Obama is speaking to potential Democratic contenders has miffed Biden, 76, who has privately been considering a campaign of his own against President Trump.

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Liz Weston: It's Time to Fix Social Security's Tax Burden

People on Social Security need a tax break. The rest of us need to make sure they get it — for everyone's sake.

When Congress made Social Security benefits taxable in 1983, lawmakers didn't index the tax thresholds to inflation. They "forgot" inflation again when adding a second layer of taxation in 1993.

That means the proportion of recipients who have to pay federal income taxes on their benefits keeps increasing. Initially, only 1 in 10 Social Security recipients had to pay any federal tax. Now, it's over half.

Not indexing to inflation is a sneaky way of boosting taxes . Lawmakers can count on growing federal revenue without the politically uncomfortable act of repeatedly voting for those increases.

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Customers with guns surround men trying to steal from store

MARYSVILLE, Wash. — Authorities say two men were surrounded by customers with guns while attempting to steal tools from a Washington store.

The Daily Herald reports the men, ages 22 and 23, allegedly took four nail guns, each worth more than $400, from the Coastal Farm & Ranch store Saturday in Marysville.

The men walked out of the store and got into a Honda Civic, only to be surrounded by about six customers with guns raised.

More here

Trump Calls Fed the Problem, But For the Wrong Reason

The artificial bull market is officially over, with the SPX officially entering bear market today. BTFD is dead. Worst single day drop ahead of Christmas since 1918! As the first bear market in years hits the most artificial stock market in history, President trump tweeted today :

Trump is right, the Fed is the problem, but not for raising rates. Trump and the MSM media are saying the Fed is making a policy mistake by raising rates as the economy slows, and more importantly because the stock market is selling off. The current FF rate is sitting between 2.25 and 2.5%, which historically is still low and accomodative. But Trump should have stuck to his campaign version of the Fed, when he called out the Fed for the bubble in stocks, and for keeping rates to low which led to what he called a "big fat ugly bubble." After his election, he embraced the stock market, and now he owns it.

The Fed is the problem because they cut rates to Zero and held it there for 7 years. The Fed is the problem for helping orchestrate the bailouts. The Fed is the problem because they did multiple rounds of QE which did NOTHING for the middle class and the average Americans, instead it made the rich richer and created the largest wealth inequality. The Fed is the problem because they waited too long to begin raising rates, which helped create the largest asset bubbles the world had ever seen.

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Legion 64 Bull & Oyster Roast 2019


The 20 Best Ben Shapiro Quotes

I have long been a fan of Ben Shapiro’s work. He’s an excellent debater, a terrific columnist, and great on the radio. It has been fantastic seeing his career take off in the last few years. As a little show of gratitude for all the excellent work he’s done, here are the 20 best Ben Shapiro quotes.

20. “There are times when people are not so cordial and not so nice. My obligation, in debate, is to destroy them in front of as many people as possible.”

19. “Life isn’t about feeling comfortable. Life is about bettering yourself.”

18. “Freedom of speech and thought matters, especially when it is speech and thought with which we disagree. The moment the majority decides to destroy people for engaging in thought it dislikes, thought crime becomes a reality.”

17. “This is what makes leftists leftists: an unearned sense of moral superiority over you. And if they can instill that sense of moral superiority in others by making you the bad guy, they will. People on the left are taught from childhood that they are better than conservatives – it makes them feel good to hate conservatives. And that hatred is justified because, after all, conservatives are bigots.”

16. “The substitution of authenticity for solid thinking is not even an argument — it’s an emotional appeal.”

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Christine Blasey Ford Is the Poster Girl for Fake Sexual Assault Allegations

It’s hard to say with certainty whether Christine Blasey Ford has memory issues, mental problems, or is just a liar, but it is crystal clear that her allegations that she was sexually assaulted by Brett Kavanaugh aren’t true. So, when Sports Illustrated shoehorned her into announcing an award, it seemed really strange.

Crystal Mangum, the woman who falsely accused the Duke lacrosse team of rape, seems like a better fit here, but since she’s in prison, Ford may have been the next best option.

Of course, people get very angry when you point out the obvious fact that Ford made a false allegation. You get told, “This is why women who are sexually assaulted don’t come forward.” You should blame Ford for that. She’s the one who made a fake accusation during a high-profile Supreme Court confirmation hearing.

Others will say, “Ford is a victim! She’s a survivor.” However, in this case, the victim is Brett Kavanaugh. He was the one falsely accused of something he didn’t do in front of the world, which makes her the perpetrator.

“Oh, but she doesn’t have anything to gain!” Well, except for $850,000 in GoFundMe money that goes straight into her pocket, offers to do a book deal, Sports Illustrated holding her up to be some kind of hero, and what appeared to be a chance to prevent Republicans from gaining a Supreme Court seat. The motivation for her to lie was ENORMOUS.

So, let’s cut to the chase. Why should people not believe Ford’s story?

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UPDATE: Ocean City Loses Boardwalk Property Case; With Appeals Court Ruling, Circuit Court Must Change Decision

OCEAN CITY — The heirs of the historic Dumser’s Dairyland building on the east side of the Boardwalk got an early Christmas present late last week when a state appellate court ruled against the town of Ocean City in its bid to potentially have it removed.

The state’s Court of Special Appeals last Friday reversed an April 2017 ruling by the Worcester County Circuit Court, opining the town of Ocean City had not presented sufficient evidence to prove ownership of the historic building on the east side of the Boardwalk at South Division Street, which, for decades has been home to the iconic Dumser’s Dairyland. With essentially the mere formality of remanding the case back to Worcester County Circuit Court to adjust its 2017 opinion to reflect the state appellate court’s opinion issued last week, there was some measure of closure in the long-battled case for the property’s heirs, who, along with their legions of supporters, were grateful for the outcome.

“We are extremely happy that the Court of Special Appeals has reversed the prior opinion and we are also very grateful that the public reaction to this decision has been so overwhelmingly positive,” Nathans Associates spokesperson and family member Mona Strauss said in a letter to the editor to be published in this publication on Friday. “It is very gratifying to know that the public that had been so supportive of the Timmons and Rapoport families in the past is as pleased about this decision as we are. The appellate court has ruled in favor of Nathans and Dumsers.”

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'Christmas came early': Medicaid administrator celebrates new work requirements

The Trump administration has approved plans in Maine and Michigan that would require certain Medicaid enrollees work as a condition of staying enrolled in the program.

"Christmas came early for these Governors & we are proud to support local innovation all across this great country!" tweeted Seema Verma, the administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, of the proposals she approved.

CMS approved the requests from the states on Friday, just a couple of weeks before each state is set to have a Democratic governor sworn into office. The request to add work requirements to Medicaid came under the current Republican governors in each state, and they're opposed by Democrats.

Under the plan, poor people will need to work, volunteer, or take classes at least 80 hours a month to continue receiving Medicaid coverage, which is paid for by the government. People undergoing treatment for addiction and for caregivers, among other groups, are exempt from the requirements.

Maine and Michigan join five other states with similar plans, including Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin. Several other states have applied to join that list, including Virginia.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS! While Democrats Slept - President Trump Ended Disastrous Catch-and-Release Policies!

While Democrats were sleeping and ruining Christmas for everyone else President Trump announced new changes to United States immigration procedures.

This is a much larger shift in policy than was originally reported by The Gateway Pundit back in November

Without much media fanfare President Trump ended George W. Bush and Barack Obama’s insane catch-and-release policies.

From now on illegal aliens caught entering the United States will be sent to wait in Mexico while their applications are processed. Once their “notice to appear” is available they will allowed in to attend their court hearing. Aliens without valid claims will be deported to their home countries.

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Teacher Raped By Student Could Get $3 Million

A teacher raped by a student in September 2014 could get $3 million after a Florida school district failed to inform the teacher about the student’s troubled history.

The School Board of Miami-Dade County paid $200,000 to the teacher, identified as Jane Doe, as part of a $3 million settlement deal for the 2016 civil lawsuit. The district is seeking approval to pay the rest as government organizations are required to have legislative permission to pay anything that is more than $200,000 in damages. The school district’s insurer paid $1.5 million, the Miami New Times reported Wednesday.

Broward County Democratic state Sen. Perry Thurston filed a bill on Dec. 13 so the school district could pay $1.3 million if passed.

Doe was originally hired to work with elementary and middle school deaf students in the district in 2012, according to the Miami New Times. She was assigned to teach students with behavior and emotional disorders at South Dade Senior High School in August 2014, even though she did not have the license or self-defense training needed to handle such students.

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Breakthrough: Chinese Scientists Turn Copper Into 'Gold'

A team of Chinese researchers from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Liaoning, has transformed copper into a new material “almost identical” to gold, according to a new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances, and first reported by the South China Morning Post on Saturday.

Professor Sun Jian and his team of scientist blasted a copper target with a stream of hot, electrically charged argon gas. The fast-moving ionized particles smashed the copper atoms. The atoms cooled and condensed on the surface of a collecting device, producing a thin layer of sand.

South China Morning Post said each grain of sand measured a few nanometers, or a thousandth of the size of a bacterium.

The researchers placed the material in a reaction chamber and used it as a catalyst to turn coal to alcohol, a complex and intricate chemical process that only precious metals can handle efficiently.

"The copper nanoparticles achieved catalytic performance extremely similar to that of gold or silver,” Sun said in a statement on Saturday.

“The results … proved that after processing, metal copper can transform from ‘chicken’ to ‘phoenix’,”claimed Sun, who was not available for comment.

Copper has a similar weight and looks to gold.

The research paper notes that the new material based on copper can replace gold and silver in the manufacturing process of electronic devices, which requires significant amounts of precious metals.

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Petition Drive Underway To Stop OC’s Property Buy

OCEAN CITY — A petition drive is underway in an attempt to circumvent the Town of Ocean City’s attempt to acquire the World Gym property at 67thStreet.

Last week, the Mayor and Council approved on second reading an ordinance that would authorize the city to purchase the existing World Gym property at 67th Street for a little over $1.2 million. The 18,000-square-foot parcel is one piece of a larger collection of properties sought by the city for a future water treatment plant.

The existing water treatment plant at 44th Street has been in service for over six decades and has outlived its useful life, according to city officials. To that end, the city has been piece-meal purchasing parcels in the area of 67th Street for the purpose of planning and ultimately building a new water treatment plant. The city has already purchased the old Elks Lodge property in the area of 67th Street for the same purpose.

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Trump to Democrats: Gov shutdown until we have wall

President Trump has a Christmas message for Democrats – the government is going to remain partially shut down “until we have a wall [or] fence.”

Trump, speaking to reporters Tuesday in the Oval Office during the fourth day of the impasse, also revealed that he will be going to the border in Texas for a “groundbreaking” ceremony for a portion of the project at the end of January.

“While we’re fighting over funding, we’re also building, and it’s my hope to have this done, completed, all 500 to 550 miles, to have it either renovated or brand new by Election Day,” he said.

Democrats, though, remain opposed to approving additional funding for a border wall as part of a new government spending package -- and their hand only strengthens once the party takes control of the House next month. The White House warned over the weekend that the shutdown standoff could extend into the new year, and Trump on Tuesday made clear he's not planning to budge either.

“I can’t tell you when the government is going to be open,” Trump said. “I can tell you it's not going to be open until we have a wall, a fence, whatever they want to call it.

“It’s a barrier from people pouring into our country,” he added. “It’s a barrier from drugs.”

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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trumps-christmas-message-to-democrats-government-shutdown-will-last-until-we-have-a-wall

Obamacare cannot stand without its mandate

A federal judge in Texas recently struck down Obamacare as unconstitutional. He’s entirely correct.

With Republicans eliminating the individual mandate, what remains of Obamacare cannot stand on its own. It’s like a bar stool with only two legs.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) made patients less safe (byrestricting choice of doctor/treatment) and healthcare more expensive. But the problem it was originally intended to address was very real. Millions of Americans were going without insurance,getting sick, clogging up emergency rooms and running up debts they’d never be able to pay back.

So in 2009, Obama and congressional Democrats decided to completely redesign US healthcare in a bid to prevent sick people from ending up without insurance. The backroom deals they struck with insurers and lobbyists were murky to say the least. Ultimately, the Democrats hatched a half-baked compromise to keep everyone happy: All people would be forced to buy insurance, but insurers would also have to sell to everyone, even the very sick, for the same price.

It was certainly unconstitutional, but it made some sense— it was intended as a one-off “deal with the devil” in which everyone would get insured, and from then on keep their insurance.

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"Fewer People Can Afford A House": US Home Price Growth Slowest Since Trump Elected

The rapid slowdown in US home price growth is accelerating with Case-Shiller reporting a 5.03% YoY gain in October - theweakest since Nov 2016. Slowing for the 7th month in a row, if printing modestly above expectations of 4.80%, home prices rose 5.03% Y/Y, down from 5.21% a month ago, and confirming that the US housing market is clearly suffering:

Perhaps of greater note, the index of home prices actually declined MoM - the biggest drop since Jan 2016...

Despite the ongoing slowdown, all 20 cities in the index showed year-over-year gains, led by a 12.8% increase in Las Vegas (down from 13.5% last month), and almost 8% increases in both San Francisco and Phoenix. The weakest gains were in Washington, which rose 2.9 percent on year, Chicago, which climbed 3.3 percent, and New York, up 3.1 percent.

However, more dangers emerged on a month-over-month basis where prices fell in 8 cities, including Chicago (-0.3%), Cleveland (-0.5%), Denver (-0.3%), Minneapolis (-0.1%), Portland (-0.6%), San Diego (-0.1%), San Francisco (-0.7%) and Seattle (-1.1%).

Finally, much like NAR did this month, even the establishment hopefuls are admitting defeat: "The combination of higher mortgage rates and higher home prices rising faster than incomes and wages means fewer people can afford to buy a house. Fixed rate 30-year mortgages are currently 4.75%, up from 4% one year earlier. Home prices are up 54%, or 40% excluding inflation, since they bottomed in 2012" said David Blitzer, Chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices.

He added that "Reduced affordability is slowing sales of both new and existing single family homes. Sales peaked in November 2017 and have drifted down since then."

Realtors, academics, and bullish shareholders are now joining the chorus of Trump demanding Powell put a hold on rate hikes.

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US Economy Snaps As Richmond Fed Plummets Most On Record

Those seeking an economic indicator of an imminent recession just got one courtesy of the Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index, which tumbled from 14 in November to -8, crushing expectations of a modest rebound to 15, weighed down by drops in the indexes for new orders and shipments.

With analysts expecting the Richmond Fed to print between 12 and 17, the -8 print was a 20 sigma event relative to expectations.

The internals were an unmitigated disaster, with the shipments index print of -25 was its lowest reading since April 2009 even as the third component, the index for employment, rose. Additionally, respondents indicated a deterioration in local business conditions, as this index fell to −25, its lowest reading on record. Most other metrics were dismal:

Shipments fell to -25 after 12 the prior month
Local business conditions printed the lowest on record at -25 after 5 last month
New order volume slowed to -9 after 17 the prior month
Order backlogs fell to -18 after 15 the prior month
Capacity utilization slowed to -16 after 9 the prior month
Inventory levels of finished goods increased to 13 after 2 last month
Inventory levels of raw goods rose to 15 after 5 last month

Did Trump Put The Deep State On Notice With Syrian Withdrawal?

The reason so many people continue to misread the actions of US President Donald Trump is because they tend to confuse him with the actions and behaviors of past US administrations, where indiscriminate death and destruction was America’s calling card around a shell-shocked planet. Although certainly erratic in his actions, Trump thus far has been predictable on one score: keeping the powers-that-be guessing.

Last week, Donald Trump, acting unilaterally and within full power as Commander-in-Chief, derailed the Deep State’s plans for yet another disastrous regime change operation, announcing the withdrawal of US troops from Syria.

In a video released via Twitter, the American leader announced that, “We have won against ISIS…and it’s time for our troops to come home.”

In the not-so-distant past, such an announcement would have been greeted with cheers since it is generally agreed that war is - at least for those doing the grunt work - a very unpleasant enterprise. But the times have changed, together with the national agenda, and instead of applause filling the airwaves, the American people can hear nothing but the screeching of incensed hawks on both sides of the political aisle. That screeching is the sound of the Deep State expressing its deep displeasure and even pain.

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Trump wanted others to pay more at UN. No one really has.

President Donald Trump’s promise to save American taxpayers money by getting other countries to contribute more to international organisations has been put to the test at the United Nations.

It didn’t go well.

American diplomats in New York lobbied countries including India, Brazil, and Turkey to increase their financial support for the UN’s $6.7bn-a-year peacekeeping budget, but they came up short during negotiations this month.

That will leave the “blue helmets,” who monitor conflict zones from South Sudan to Lebanon, with a $220m shortfall for the year, as the US refuses to pay more than a quarter of the total budget.

“Unfortunately, in a deeply dissatisfying and disappointing turn of events, every country decided reform was good and right for the UN, but not for how it is financed,” Ambassador Cherith Norman Chalet, the US representative for UN reform, said on Saturday.

The US remains the top contributor to UN budgets, paying more than $10bn a year when all expenditures are totaled.

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Farrakhan awash in federal dollars, anti-Semitic hate notwithstanding

What does an anti-Semite have to do to get ostracized around here?

Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan, 84, is America’s highest-profile Jew-hater. Former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke might covet that distinction, but he is far less in the spotlight today than yesterday. More importantly, Farrakhan can boast that his loathing for Jews has not stopped him from raking in federal tax dollars.

That’s right. The Washington Examiner reported last week that Farrakhan has received $364,500 in taxpayer money for preaching to prisoners.

Farrakhan’s many public anti-Semitic comments are almost too numerous to count. And ironically, he even managed to insult Jews on Oct. 16 while claiming not to be their foe. “I’m not an anti-Semite. I’m anti-Termite,” Farrakhan said – never mind that he equates Jews with home-destroying pests that routinely are exterminated with gas.

How charming.

The Washington Examiner reported that since fiscal year 2008, the Nation of Islam has received $354,500 in Justice Department grants to offer federal inmates “Nation of Islam religious services,” “Nation of Islam spiritual guide services,” “Nation of Islam study services,” and similar programs arranged by Nation of Islam’s leaders.

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https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/farrakhan-awash-in-federal-dollars-anti-semitic-hate-notwithstanding

German Supreme Court Rejects Anti-Child Marriage Law

The German Federal Supreme Court has made a new ruling on a child marriage case which could have implications on the way child marriages conducted legally overseas are treated in the country.

The ruling comes from a case involving a Syrian man who was separated from his underage “wife” when the pair arrived in Germany as asylum seekers in August 2015, Die Welt reports.

The pair, cousins, were married in February 2015 while the man was aged 21 and the girl aged only 14 in a marriage procedure that was done under sharia legally in Syria but was considered invalid by German authorities where the marriage age was 16 at the time.

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Are the Investigations the Cover-Up?

Those of us who have been paying attention know that serious crimes were committed at the highest levels of government in an attempt to exonerate Hillary Clinton and frame Donald Trump. There was collusion between government agencies, including collusion with foreign agents, to illegally influence the 2016 Presidential election. There is enough evidence on the table to be confident of these claims.

And those of us who care about rule of law, who want to see justice done to the criminals in this conspiracy, have been waiting for years to see that happen. We hear that these serious matters are being investigated. We hear that there are whistleblowers inside the government who want to come forward and expose the corruption. We hear that there are many, many more documents which will substantiate our worst fears about one of the greatest scandals in the history of our country.

We have been assured that there are several investigations looking into the various aspect of this abuse of power. Inspector General Michael Horowitz, prosecutor John Huber, and others are looking into the corruption. Mueller is supposedly tasked with exposing foreign influence on the Presidential election.

But what if the ‘investigations’ are really the cover-up? What if the investigations are carefully structured to protect criminal actions rather than expose them? What if the investigations are actually being used to hide evidence from the citizenry?

Peter Strzok, Andrew McCabe and others discussed the need for an “insurance policy” in case Trump won.

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The Chalk Guy Is Back...






US Holiday Retail Sales are Strongest in Years

Sales excluding autos rose 5.1% between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24 from a year earlier, according to Mastercard

Shoppers delivered the strongest holiday sales increase for U.S. retailers in six years, according to early data.

Total U.S. retail sales, excluding automobiles, rose 5.1% between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24 from a year earlier, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks both online and in-store spending with all forms of payment. Overall, U.S. consumers spent over $850 billion this holiday season, according to Mastercard.

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NOI - Garage Fire - Bradley Street - Hebron - Wicomico County

Date:  12/17/2018
Time:    9:12 p.m.
Location / Address:  110 Bradley Street, Hebron, Wicomico
Type of Incident:  Fire
Description of Structure / Property:  Wood frame detached garage
Owner / Occupants:   Ryan Worden
Injuries or Deaths:   None
Estimated $ Loss: Structure: $35,000   Contents: $5,000
Smoke Alarm Status:  N/A
Fire Alarm / Sprinkler Status:  N/A
Arrests(s):   None
Primary Responding Fire Department:  Hebron Volunteer Fire Department
# of Alarms: 1     # Of Firefighters:   36
Time to Control:   30
Discovered By:  Passerby
Area of Origin:   Interior portion garage
Preliminary Cause:   Accidental - Due to a heat lamp coming in contact with common combustibles.
Additional Information:  Primary residence also suffered minor damages as a result of the fire.

Teachers & Cops:

These are actual comments made on students' report cards by teachers in theNew York City public school system. All teachers were reprimanded (but, boy, are these funny!)

1. Since my last report, your child has reached rock bottom and has started to dig.

2. I would not allow this student to breed.

3. Your child has delusions of adequacy.

4. Your son is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot. (my favorite...)

5. Your son sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them.

6. The student has a 'full six-pack' but lacks the plastic thing to hold it all together.

7. This child has been working with glue too much.

8. When your daughter's IQ reaches 50, she should sell.

9. The gates are down, the lights are flashing, but the train isn't coming..

10. If this student were any more stupid, he'd have to be watered twice a week.

11. It's impossible to believe the sperm that created this child beat out 1,000,000 others.

12. The wheel is turning but the hamster is definitely dead.

These are actual comments made by 16 Police Officers. The comments were taken off actual police car videos around the country:

1. "You know, stop lights don't come any redder than the one you just went through."

2. "Relax, the handcuffs are tight because they're new. They'll stretch after you wear them a while."

3. "If you take your hands off the car, I'll make your birth certificate a worthless document."

4. "If you run, you'll only go to jail tired."

5. "Can you run faster than 1200 feet per second? Because that's the speed of the bullet that'll be chasing you."

6. "You don't know how fast you were going? I guess that means I can write anything I want to on the ticket, huh?

7. "Yes, sir, you can talk to the shift supervisor, but I don't think it will help. Oh, did I mention that I'm the shift supervisor?"

8. "Warning! You want a warning? O.K, I'm warning you not to do that again or I'll give you another ticket."

9. "The answer to this last question will determine whether you are drunk or not. Was Mickey Mouse a cat or a dog?"

10. "Fair? You want me to be fair? Listen, fair is a place where you go to ride on rides, eat cotton candy and corn dogs and step in monkey poop."

11. "Yeah, we have a quota. Two more tickets and my wife gets a toaster oven."

12. "In God we trust; all others we run through NCIC." ( National Crime Information Center )

13. "Just how big were those 'two beers' you say you had?"

14. "No sir, we don't have quotas anymore. We used to, but now we're allowed to write as many tickets as we can."

15. "I'm glad to hear that the Chief (of Police) is a personal friend of yours. So you know someone who can post your bail."

AND THE WINNER IS....

16. "You didn't think we give pretty women tickets? You're right, we don't.. Sign here."

Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda, But You Didn't!


Are there any 'good guys' left in Syria?

After President Trump announced the withdrawal of American troops from Syria, in his usual manner (via Twitter), a flurry of indignation struck him. The squall is no less than after the unilateral withdrawal of America from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in October of this year.

As we know, this flurry of indignation concerning nuclear missiles soon subsided. However, it sank only after Trump's critics finally bothered to read the text of the treaty and were able to ascertain that it concerns only land-based missiles and does not affect sea, air, and space-based nuclear weapons at all. At the same time, the USA has at least a tenfold advantage over Russia in sea-based and air-based nuclear systems. The hysteria about this in America and Europe has remained calm for a long time, but in Russia, this move of Trump still causes undisguised irritation.

I hope the unfair accusations of "betraying the Allies" and "New Year's gift to Iran and Russia" will soon also subside. An example must be taken from Russia – she has already learned her lessons in dealing with Trump, and there is no euphoria in the Kremlin about the "withdrawal of American troops" from Syria. Why?

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