WASHINGTON WATCHING AS OBAMA PONDERS WHEN AND HOW TO PARDON HILLARY CLINTON FOR EMAIL CRIMES

by Geoffrey Grider, NowTheEndBegins:
We should first note that the Obama administration’s decision not to prosecute Mrs. Clinton would not bind the Trump administration. Until relevant statutes of limitations have expired, she could still be prosecuted by the new administration.
FROM PRES. OBAMA’S PERSPECTIVE, THE DECISION TO GRANT OR WITHHOLD A PARDON IS A POLITICAL AND A PERSONAL ONE. LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS DO NOT DIRECTLY ARISE.
Executive orders barring offshore drilling in most U.S. Arctic waters; an abstention at the U.N. permitting the Security Council to declare all Israeli settlement activity to be illegal and an obstacle to peace; the possibility of further action at the U.N. to formalize the administration’s comprehensive vision of a two-state solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict—Pres. Obama is sprinting, not jogging, to the finish-line.
In dashing through his last few weeks in office, will one of Pres. Obama’s final acts be to pardon Hillary Clinton for any violations of federal law she might have committed while she was secretary of state?
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Federal Appeals Court Revives Hillary Email Case Leaving Key Decision To Trump's Attorney General

“This ruling means that the Trump Justice Department will have to decide if it wants to finally enforce the rule of law and try to retrieve all the emails Clinton and her aides unlawfully took with them when they left the State Department.”

Rebalance Rout: Stocks Slump Most Since October As Bonds, Bullion Bounce

Bank EPS Misses On Deck: Rising Rates Lead To Biggest Bank Portfolios Losses Since The "Taper Tantrum"

After hitting a recent high of $34 billion in gains three months ago, the reported amount of net unrealized gains has tumbled, and from a gain it has turned into a loss of $14 billion as of the week ended December 14. On a 4-week rolling basis, the change amounts to $37 billion in losses, the biggest monthly drop since the 2013 Taper Tantrum.

Hawaii Restaurant Bans Trump Voters: "You Cannot Eat Here! No Nazis."

"If you voted for Trump, you cannot eat here!  No Nazis."

Trump Slams Obama "Inflammatory Statements", Tells Israel To "Stay Strong, Jan 20 Is Fast Approaching"

"Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks... We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect..Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!"

Freezing Winter Sees Natural Gas Prices Surge

Natural gas prices are surging as cold weather eats into U.S. inventories, tightening the market much more quickly than many analysts had expected.

Grab-Bag Of Resolutions For 2017

Here's a grab-bag of resolutions with something for just about every persuasion...

Brits Are Hoarding Cash Amid "Economic Uncertainties" As FTSE Hits Record High

"This growth in personal deposits may also suggest that consumers are looking to grow their cash reserves against potential economic uncertainties, such as an expectation of lower wage growth."

Ritterbusch Warns OPEC Agreement May "Collapse Within Months": Here's Why

According to a recent report by Ritterbusch, US drillers are returning to work at a far faster than anticipated pace. This would allow US producers to grab "a significant portion of OPEC's market share," and could cause the OPEC production cut/freeze agreement to break apart as early as next spring.

Russia "Tired Of Obama Lies About Hackers", Vows Response To Any New Sanctions

"The outgoing US administration still hopes to have time to do something else for bad relations with Russia... Frankly, we are tired of the lies about the "Russian hackers", which continues to flow into the United States from the very top...It only remains to add that if Washington really takes new hostile steps, it will get the answer."

"Cry Bibi "

Bibi Blasts Kerry's Speech As "Biased Against Israel", Delivers Statement - Live Feed

Following his earlier tweet to president-elect Trump thanking him for his "warm friendship," Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at US Secretary of State John Kerry's speech as "biased against Israel," as he said Israel "will never have true peace" with the Arab world if it does not reach an accord based on Israelis and Palestinians living in their own states. Netanyahu will make a statement shortly...

Circle January 15th: 70 Nations Will Gather In Paris To Discuss The Creation Of A Palestinian State

by Michael Snyder, The Economic Collapse Blog:
On January 15th, representatives from 70 different countries will gather in Paris, France for an unprecedented global conference. The stated goal of this conference is to promote a “two-state solution” as the way that lasting peace will be brought to the Middle East. In Israel, there is a tremendous amount of concern that whatever is agreed upon at this conference will immediately be used as the basis for a UN Security Council resolution that would permanently divide the land of Israel and create a Palestinian state. But things would have to move very rapidly in order for that to happen, because Barack Obama’s time in the White House comes to an end on January 20th, and Donald Trump has already made it exceedingly clear that he would never support such a resolution.
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California Man Arrested, Charged With Driving Under The Influence Of Caffeine

38-year-old Joseph Schwab has been fighting a DUI for over a year, despite the fact that he was not under the influence of any illegal drugs at the time, he did, however, test positive for caffeine.

Here They Come: Record Foreign Demand, Soaring Bit To Cover In Blockbuster 5 Year Auction

the most remarkable feature of today's auction was the foreign demand: at 71.4% for Indirect Bidders (with 24.5% for Dealers and 4.1% for Directs), this was the highest foreign central bank and official buyer take down on record, and confirms what we said on Friday, namely that foreign buyers are finally back and back with a vengeance

China's Central Bank Slams "Irresponsible" Media Reports Than Yuan Broke The "Psychological Threshold" Of 7.00/$

In what seems a remarkably quick and aggressive response to 'fake news' in a data feed, China's central bank issued a statement slamming "irresponsible media" reports that the onshore Yuan rate broke the "psychological threshold" of 7.00/$. The 6 handle flash-crash was not seen in offshore rates and has been removed from FX feeds since...

Uber & Out? Drivers Sue Sharing Economy Champion For Minimum Wage

Judge Michael Baylson of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania denied a motion by Uber in December to dismiss a civil suit brought by Uber drivers in Philadelphia. The drivers say they’re entitled to minimum wage and overtime while logged into the app and waiting for rides, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Global Debt Sales Hit A Record $6.6 Trillion In 2016

Courtesy of record low rates throughout most of 2016, overall debt issuance in the year rose to just over $6.6 trillion, breaking the previous annual record set in 2006. Corporations accounted for more than half of the $6.6 trillion, while the rest included sovereign bonds sold through syndication, US and international agencies, mortgage-backed securities and covered bonds.

2017: Where The Truth Lies

"When did it become de rigueur to lie to the people, let alone Congress and the UN? What have we become? When did that happen? I’m thinking there are still awfully few people who understand what’s happening in the world. What’s changing. And I don’t hold out much hope that they will until it hits them smack upside the backs of their heads."

Russian Embassy In Damascus Comes Under "Terrorist Shelling"

In the latest attempt to provoke Russia, less than two weeks after the Russian ambassador in Turkey was assassinated, moments ago the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement that the Russian embassy in the Syrian capital of Damascus was shelled twice on Wednesday afternoon; the ministry calling it a provocation aimed at derailing peace settlement in the country.

Unhappy Holidays: Houston Police Force Homeless People To Throw Away Food

At this time of giving, the Houston Police Department decided to target a group of homeless advocates who were attempting to hand out hot food and gifts to the homeless.

Pending Home Sales Tumble As Surging Mortgage Rates Paralyze Housing Market

"The budget of many prospective buyers last month was dealt an abrupt hit by the quick ascension of rates immediately after the election,” NAR chief economist Larry Yun said. "Already faced with climbing home prices and minimal listings in the affordable price range, fewer home shoppers in most of the country were successfully able to sign a contract."

China and the Butterfly Effect

by F. William Engdahl, New Eastern Outlook:
Sometimes small victories or positive actions are almost as important as major international ones as they can give a new quality of impulse to many related developments, what physicists call the “butterfly effect.” To be more precise, a butterfly effect says that “a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state,” or that small causes may have large effects. That’s tied to the reality that every part of our Cosmos is interconnected. Such, I believe, will be the “butterfly effect” of a recent decision by the government of China’s northeastern Heilongjiang Province that can give huge impetus to Russia-China trade and economic development and to events far beyond. It’s about building up good natural new structures.
On December 16, 2016, the Provincial Heilongjiang Legislature passed a total ban on the growing of Genetically Modified or GMO crops. The ban goes into effect on May 1, 2017, in some five months. Farmers in China’s Heilongjiang province, one of China’s top grain producing regions, will be prohibited from growing GMO crops, according to the provincial regulation just passed. According to the new law, the ban will be on growing of GMO corn, rice and soybeans. Further, illegal production and sales of GMO crops and supply of their seeds will also be prohibited, as will be illegal production, processing, sale and imports of edible GMO farm produce or edible farm products that contain GMO ingredients. Any GMO food can only be sold in a special zone, clearly indicated in stores as GMO food products, a variation on labelling.
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When Assets (Such as Real Estate) Become Liabilities

by Charles Hugh Smith, Of Two Minds:
It will be the middle class that accepted the notion that “real estate is the foundation of family wealth” that will be stripmined by higher taxes on immobile assets such as real estate.
Correspondent Joel M. submitted an article that struck me as a harbinger of the future: In Greece, Property Is Debt:
“At law courts throughout Greece, people are lining up to file papers renouncing their inheritance. Not necessarily because some feckless uncle left them with a pile of debt at the end of his revels; they are turning their backs on what used to be a pillar of Greece’s economy and society: real estate.
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Berlin In Lockstep With US — Planning “Center Of Defense Against Disinformation” Ahead Of Elections

by Claire Bernish, Activist Post:
Germany — In response to putative chaos in the U.S. election putatively caused by “fake news” and Russian hackers — for which no evidence has yet surfaced — Germany plans to create a center of defense against disinformation in advance of its elections next year.
Der Spiegel reports that the Federal Press Office in the Chancellery will take a sizable role in creating this fake news defense center, which will roll out a dystopian “intensification of political education work,” specifically targeting those the German government feels might be impressionable to ‘fake news’ — particularly “Russian-Germans” and “Turkish-speaking people.”
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Jim Rickards: Trump’s Stimulus Plan Not Happening

by Peter Schiff, Schiff Gold:
Economist Jim Rickards appeared on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” outlining his 2017 predictions for rate hikes, Trump stimulus, and the coming US recession. Rickards believes the markets are unwittingly pricing in a stimulus plan that will never materialize.
“Trump wants to cut taxes. Steve Bannon is talking to his advisors about a trillion dollars of infrastructure spending, cutting regulations. All of these things are viewed to be highly stimulative. That’s why the market is going up. Pharmaceuticals are going up on the repeal of Obamacare, banks going up on the repeal of Dodd-Frank.”
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A Storm is Coming: Preppers Must Stay Vigilant in 2017

by Jeremiah Johnson, Ready Nutrition:
ReadyNutrition Fans, this piece is an important exhortation to you – a sort of plea, if you will – to not lose your focus in preparations and your readiness-stance during these times. With the Dow-Jones Industrial skyrocketing, the Christmas Holidays in full gear, Donald J. Trump about to be inaugurated, and the glow of a new patriotic dawn, everything seems OK, right? Wrong. This is not alarmist, but pragmatic. We cannot allow a burst of patriotic positive fervor to dull the perception of the last 8 years.
Losing our focus is what allowed those 8 years in the first place.
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Are ‘Mall Brawls’ Across America Foreshadowing Chaos Or Full-Scale Revolution Ahead? Map Shows Over 20 ‘Mall Brawl Staged Event’ Locations Spread Across Country

by Stefan Stanford, All News Pipeline:
2017 Is Fixing Up To Be ‘The Year Millions Of Americans Lost Their Minds’
We’ve warned time and again on ANP that with 2016 and the presidency of Barack Obama winding down and 2017 and the presidency of Donald Trump soon to begin, those who’ve proven to the world they don’t know how to lose gracefully will likely go down fighting in a hail of fireworks and what we’re now witnessing all across America proves that point.
With loony liberal snowflakes and cupcakes still having breakdowns across the country, threatening violence and ‘white genocide’ more than a month-and-a-half after the election, the massive series of ‘mall fights’ that took place on Monday, the day after Christmas, in malls all across America should be seen as a sign to us of where this all might be headed in the 3+ weeks ahead until Trump is sworn into office and possibly well beyond.
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Saddam Thought America Would Turn to Iraq for Help Against the Terrorists

by Martin Armstrong, Armstrong Economics:
Former CIA Agent John Nixon, the man who interrogated Saddam Hussein and briefed Bush Jr. and Dick Chaney, reveals how intelligence got everything dead wrong in Iraq. He goes into when he was summoned to give a detailed presentation to George W. Bush at the Oval Office back in 2007. He states that Vice President Dick Cheney made a bad joke, “You sure Saddam didn’t say where he put those vials of anthrax?” It was not very appropriate given the fact that America had lost more than 4,000 troops. He goes into how Saddam thought Iraq and America would become closer because he had suppressed the terrorists, and Iraq was not run by religious zealots.
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A Deeper Understanding Of Technocracy

by Jon Rappoport, Alt Market:
Technocracy is the basic agenda and plan for ruling global society from above, so we need to understand it from several angles.
Consider a group of enthusiastic forward-looking engineers in the early 20th century. They work for a company that has a contract to manufacture a locomotive.
This is a highly complex piece of equipment.
On one level, workers are required to make the components to spec. Then they must put them all together. These tasks are formidable.
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This Could Result In A More Bullish Scenario For The Gold Price

by Frank Holmes, Gold Eagle:
Strengths
The best performing precious metal for the week was gold, down just 0.08 percent. Gold is steady in year-end holiday trading, reports UBS, and is trying to form a base around these levels. Physical markets have perked up, helping the market find stability. UBS says there is lack of urgency to jump into the yellow metal right now, and there “is room to be patient and gradually build strategic positions.” Similarly, Comerzbank AG believes gold is finding support from slightly declining bond yields and a marginally weaker U.S. dollar.
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