Are You a Deplorable? Take This Quiz to Find Out

by Charles Hugh Smith, Of Two Minds:
Regardless of your ethnicity, class or religion, if you perceive the institutions that govern American life as corrupted, riddled with favoritism and spin or as broken, you’re a Deplorable.
Are you a Deplorable? The answer might surprise you. Take this short quiz to find out.
1. If you agree with this characterization of American Elites: “The self-satisfied cosmopolitan culture that sprang up among the affluent 20% or so of the industrial world’s population, who became convinced that the temporary ascendancy of policies that favored their interests was not only permanent but self-evidently right and just.” (The Fifth Side of the Triangle The Archdruid Report)
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Trump Nominates Billionaire Virtu Founder Vincent Viola As Secretary Of The Army

President-elect Donald Trump has announced the nomination of Vincent Viola as secretary of the Army. Viola is a retired paratrooper, former chairman of NYMEX, founder of HFT trading powerhouse Virtu Financial and current owner of the NHL’s Florida Panthers team.

IMF Head Lagarde Convicted Of Negligence, Faces No Jail Time

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde was found guilty of one count of negligence by a French court today, according to Bloomberg News. She was accused of failing to prevent a massive government payout to businessman Bernard Tapie eight years ago, while serving as France’s finance minister, but most surprising, she will face no fine or jail sentence.

Key Events In The Coming Pre-Holiday Week

The key economic releases this week are durable goods and GDP on Thursday. Chair Yellen’s speech on the labor market on Monday afternoon is also likely to garner considerable attention.

Obama Admits Hillary "Lost Badly" By Failing To "Make An Argument" That Inspired People To "Show Up"

"So as a consequence, you've got a situation where there're not only entire states but also big chunks of states where, if we're not showing up, if we're not in there making an argument, then we're going to lose.  And we can lose badly, and that's what happened in this election."

Saudi Arabia Lobbying To Amend Sept 11 Law

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Sunday he has been lobbying US legislators to change a law allowing victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks to sue the kingdom. "We believe the law, that curtails sovereign immunities, represents a grave danger to the international system," Jubeir said at a press conference next to John Kerry.

"This Is Stupid" - Pennsylvania Electors To Get Police Protection

Electors in Pennsylvania will have police protection as they cast their ballots on Monday, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. One Pennsylvania elector, Ash Khare, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he receives thousands of emails a day trying to sway his vote.

China's True FX Outflows Since August 2015 Are $1.1 Trillion, Double The Official Number

Cumulatively from August 2015 through November, FX outflow according to Goldman's alterantive measure totaled roughly US$1.1 trillion, while implied FX sales suggested by PBOC’s FX position (headline reserves after adjusted for currency valuation effect) were approximately US$630bn (US$540bn).

JPM: "The Most Significant Recent Development Is The Changing Narrative Around Trump"

"The most significant development over the last several days is the changing narrative around Trump. Whereas initially markets were enthused by the GOP sweep and the ostensibly pro-business implications of the Trump/Ryan fiscal/regulatory agenda, investors are now beginning to filter that platform through the lens of political and mathematical reality. "

Global Stocks, Yields, Dollar Fade In Muted Volume As Traders Close Out 2016 Books

Global markets begin the last full week of trading of the year in subdued fashion, with U.S. equity futures rising 0.1%, to 2,258.5, European shares decline, halting two straight weeks of gains, and Asian shares hitting a four-week low.

Coup Or No Coup: What To Watch For As The Electoral College Votes On Monday

At this point it's looking more and more likely that the coup attempted by Harvard's Larry Lessig will fail when the Electoral College votes tomorrow.  That said, anything is possible and, as such, here are a couple of things you should be on the look out for as electors get set to cast their ballots.

America Warns European Travelers: Christmas Shoppers In Jihadist Crosshairs

"Credible information," quotes Newsweek, prompted a warning to American travellers to "exercise caution at holiday festivals, events, and outdoor markets," given planned attacks by Al-Qaeda and ISIS. Meanwhile, in Britain, the entirety of the country's elite Special Forces, the SAS, have had their leave cancelled as a consequence of undercover deployments across the nation's Christmas shopping districts.

"Gold Is Now Effectively Illegal" In India - The Consequences Of Creating A Cashless Society

Jayant Bhandari warns "there are clear signs that in a very convoluted way, possession of gold for investment purposes will be made illegal" as he discusses India's attempts to create a cashless society (and consequences of it) and why precious metals and geographical diversification are the most viable options investors around the world, not just India, should be taking.

Russophobia And Anti-Trumpism Running Wild In America

"The fever pitch of things today is unprecedented in my memory, McCarthyism on steroids, along with a plot afoot to deny Trump his electoral triumph, things on a fast track toward full-blown tyranny."

Trump Can't Stop It: "The People Who Have Been Orchestrating The Collapse Have Not Halted Their Agendas"

There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that there is an agenda that Trump will follow that is larger than his own. The global manipulators behind the scenes have handed the American people their “champion” and a slight reprieve to avoid a revolution that would have been far from bloodless.

Here’s One Surprising Deal that the Government Actually Got Right

by Simon Black, Sovereign Man:
On January 17, 1917, as the Great War raged in Europe, the government of the United States signed a deal to purchase the Virgin Islands from Denmark.
The agreement transferred Denmark’s territories in the West Indies, “including the islands of Saint Thomas, Saint John and Saint Croix together with the adjacent islands and rocks.”
Good thing they picked up those rocks!
The US government paid “a sum of twenty-five million dollars in gold coin of the United States.”
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Trump to Face Imploding Economy in 2017 – David Stockman’s Predictions

from FutureMoneyTrends:

Only a Counter-Coup Can Save American Democracy — Paul Craig Roberts

by Paul Craig Roberts, Paul Craig Roberts:
The CIA has long engineered coups in other countries. Now we are approaching at breakneck speed a CIA coup in the USA.
When the presstitute media first published unverifired, unsourced leaks attributed to unnamed CIA officials, both the FBI and the Director of Homeland Security said that they did not embrace the accusation that Trump’s election was a result of Russian interference in the US presidential election.
Now suddenly we have a report from the Washington Post, a rag whose integrity is in doubt and a mainstay of anti-Trump propaganda suspected of being a CIA asset, that the FBI and Homeland Security are in agreement with the anonymous leaks to the presstitutes:
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Trump Talked, the Fed Listened: Let’s Shrink the Balance Sheet, Bullard Says

by Wolf Richter, Wolf Street:
Even a Fed dove! This could get interesting.
The Dow is titillating the entire world by verging for days within a hair of 20,000 without actually getting there. Hitting the Big One would be another reflection of what Trump had called during the campaign an “artificial stock market” in a “very false economy,” created by the Fed that had kept rates low “for political reasons.” The crowds ate it up.
He pointed out that “the only thing that’s strong is the artificial stock market,” which was “only strong because it’s free money because the rates are so low.” But there’d be a hitch: “At some point the rates are going to have to change,” he said.
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Report: Obama Is Setting Up Shadow Government to Undermine Trump Starting on Inauguration Day

by Jim Hoft, The Gateway Pundit:
Author Ed Klein told Pete Hegseth on Fox and Friends Weekend this morning that Barack Obama is setting up a shadow government in Washington DC to undermine President Trump after Inauguration Day.
Ed Klein: For the past 100 years every president who is outgoing has packed up his stuff gone home and not criticized his successor. This is not what the Obamas are planning to do. They rented an eight-bedroom mansion in the section of Washington near Joe Lockhart, Bill Clinton’s last press secretary. In that house there’s enough room for Valerie Jarrett and Michelle and the kids. A place for ten cars to park. They are setting up what they are calling a shadow government.
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Nestlé Just Granted Permit to Double Water Extraction 120 Miles from Flint, MI

by Christina Sarich, Waking Timesy:
Nestlé is at it again. Recently publicly condemned for pumping 36 million gallons of water from Strawberry Creek in the San Bernardino National Forest, paying a meager $524 annually for a permit that expired long ago, the multi-national company is now planning to milk the citizens of Flint, Michigan, to keep their water privatization plan afloat.
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December 19 Surprise? U.S. Foreign Policy and the Electoral College Vote

by Prof Michel Chossudovsky, Global Research:
Obama’s statement at his December 16 White House press conference together with CIA Director John O. Brennan’s recent “revelations”, constitute an “official” acknowledgment that Vladimir Putin, president of the Russian Federation directly and deliberately interfered in the US presidential elections on behalf Donald Trump. These are serious and unsubstantiated accusations directed against Moscow as well as against the president elect.
What this suggests is that a “soft” Coup with the backing of US intelligence is underway to prevent Donald Trump from acceding to the White House.
The objective is clear: denigrate Trump in the eyes of public opinion, put pressure on the College Electors NOT TO VOTE FOR TRUMP on December 19 because he is “sleeping with the enemy”, he is an agent of Moscow.
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Obama Tees Off Last Presidential Vacation With Round of Golf

CNS News.com:
The latest on President Barack Obama’s annual two-week vacation in Hawaii (all times local):
3:10 p.m.
President Barack Obama enjoyed the first day of his annual holiday vacation in Hawaii playing over four hours of golf under mostly sunny skies at the marine base on the island of Oahu, where he was born.
The president played golf with a longtime friend and three aides.
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27 Last Minute Christmas Gifts For Your Favorite Prepper

by Tess Pennington, SHTFPlan:

It seemed like yesterday we were wishing each other a Happy Thanksgiving, and now half of December is gone. If you are stumped on what to get your favorite prepper or are shopping at the last minute, these gift ideas could be what you’ve been looking for.
I like to focus prepper gifts on striving to enhance a prepper’s skillsets or helping one acquire the equipment they need to live in a long-term off-grid environment.
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Silence Over Fedgov Anti-Media Bills Will Yield to Worse

from The Daily Bell:
Should journalists be worried about the Countering Disinformation and Propaganda Act? The Countering Disinformation and Propaganda Act was rolled into H.R. 6393 and is headed to the President for approval. -Network World
There is such a hush regarding H.R. 6393 that we can’t tell if it’s been signed by the President yet and likewise another anti-media bill H.R. 5181 – introduced by Congressmen Adam Kinzinger and Ted Lieu – has a very low, nearly non-existent, profile.
Taken together, these bills will create a significant change in how Congress and fedgov relate to the media, especially the alternative media.
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