The Fed Just Gave The Treasury A Record $19 Billion Holiday Bonus...

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 15:52
Wait, isn't direct funding of the Treasury against US policy: after all, hasn't Bernanke been on the record countless times repeating that the Fed does not monetize the US deficit? Not anymore...

Stocks Flash Crash Into Close As Emerging Market, Commodity Carnage Spreads

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 16:02

Swiss Army Chief Warns Of Social Unrest, Calls Upon Citizens To Arm Themselves

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 08:32 Swiss army chief André Blattmann warned, in a Swiss newspaper article on Sunday, the risks of social unrest in Europe are soaring. Recalling the experience of 1939/1945, Blattman fears the increasing aggression in public discourse is an explosively hazardous situation, and advises the Swiss people to arm themselves and warns that the basis for Swiss prosperity is "being called into question."

Caught On Tape: Saudi Warplanes Vaporize Coca Cola Plant In Yemen

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 15:40

The Oligarch Tax Bracket: How The Tax Rate For The Wealthiest 400 Americans Plunged From 27% To 17%

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 15:20 Operating largely out of public view - in tax court, through arcane legislative provisions and in private negotiations with the Internal Revenue Service - the wealthy have used their influence to steadily whittle away at the government’s ability to tax them. The effect has been to create a kind of private tax system, catering to only several thousand Americans. This is precisely what Obama will be remembered for by history, bailing out and protecting the 0.01%, at the expense of everyone else.

The Next Time Your Financial Advisor Tells You To Buy Stocks, Show Them This Chart

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 15:16 Perhaps mom and pop investors should show the following chart to their financial advisors, who directly or indirectly work for these institutions, and ask them: why should they be buying, when the counterparty they are buying from is, most likely, this very same financial advisor?

This Is The Best Investment Of 2015... Just Don't Adjust For Hyperinflation

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 15:00 It's that time of year again. When hindsight is 20/20 and coulda/woulda/shoulda gives way to reality. With the US equity market barely able to keep its head above green water, a look around the world shows investors could have done a lot better... (or not)


The terrorists won the day the "patriot act" was passed...

Terrorists Win? Brussels Mayor Cancels New Year's Eve Fireworks Over Threat

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 14:24 Brussels Mayor Yvan Mayeur has decided to cancel the New Year's fireworks display, after receiving the advice of Belgium's coordinating unit for threat analysis.

Obama's Hawaii Vacation: $8 Million; Secret Service: $317k; Nailing A 40-Foot Chip: Priceless

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 14:20 Thanks to the deep digging from Judicial Watch, we now know that President Obama's Christmas 2013 vacation to Hawaii cost taxpayers a handy $8.1 million. The itinerary, we are sure, was very similar to this year's golfing (and shave ice) extravaganza, which explains why, the known total expense to the American taxpayers thus far for all Obama travel is now $70,880,035.78. Well, it's only fair right?

"Coiled Spring" Stock Market Likely To Disappoint In 2016

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 14:00 2015's stock market range (from high to low) is among the narrowest since World War II. This 'compression' has led the horde of asset-gatherers and commission-takers to suggest that stocks are a "coiled spring" ready to burst higher from this newly-formed permanent plateau. However, as S&P Capital IQ's Sam Stoval notes, that is the exact opposite of what to expect based on history. In fact a narrow range year is typically followed by a low return year, not a high return year.

The New Cartel Running The Oil Sector

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 13:45 As oil prices wallow near multi-year lows, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the new cartel controlling oil prices is not OPEC but world credit markets. From Saudi Arabia’s record $100 billion deficit to shale oil’s continuing reliance on cheap credit funding, it’s clear that no major oil producer or company in the world right now is economically self-sufficient based on oil revenues alone. This situation has left the flow of oil and the decision on when to stop pumping the increasingly tarnished black gold in the hands of banks rather than oil men.

Unicorn Mauling: Fidelity Slashes Valuation Of Startup Superstar Uber By 7.5%

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 13:37 In a move that will surely raise even more eyebrows if not launch a shockwave across Palo Alto just yet, Fidelity Investments said in its monthly holdings report that it has slashed the valuations of even more unicorns, starting with the biggest one of all, Uber, when it lowered the value of its stake in the company's Series D shares by 7.5% from Oct. 30-Nov. 30, while adding more pain to Dropbox investors when it lowered its value of the cloud service company by another -2.2%.

Puerto Rico To Default On Some Bonds January 1 - Live Feed

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 13:17 “To make a total payment will be almost impossible. If a partial payment is made: what bonds should we pay? It is an assessment that is being done. It is highly unlikely that there will not be default, in whole or partially.”

Downright Ugly 7 Year Auction Concludes Treasury Sales For 2015

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 13:15 First thing this morning, when previewing the key event of the day, namely today's auction of $29 billion in 7 Year Treasurys, we said that "with the issue not anywhere close to trading "special" in repo, the risk for a big tail - like in yesterday's 5Y auction - is high." And, just like yesterday, when we again correctly predicted the tail on the 5Year (following the very strong squeeze into the 2Year the day before) moments ago we got just what we expected when the Treasury announced that it had sold the $29 billion of Cusip N30 at a yield of 2.161%, the highest since September 2014, but more importantly tailing 0.5 bps to the 2.156% When Issued.

Art Cashin's 2015 Summary: From Caitlyn Jenner To Confederate Flags

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 12:55 Two Thousand Fifteen had high hopes at the start, but a sharp selloff in August nearly ripped us apart; Then Draghi and Yellen swore that hope hadn't departed, so we stuttered and sputtered to just get back where we started.... Hoverboards were this season's really, really hot toy; And Bruce Jenner's now Caitlyn - he's no longer a boy

Not The Onion: US Government Is Taking Credit For Bringing Peace To Syria

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 12:25 State Department spokesperson John Kirby is raising eyebrows after he released a reap of 2015 “success stories” in which he credits the United States for bringing “peace” and “security” to Syria and “stepping up” to help the country’s people at a difficult time. Using the hashtag #2015in5words to highlight last year’s wins, Kirby boasted: “Bringing Peace, Security to Syria.”

The Bail-Ins Are Back! Portugal Slaps Senior Bank Bondholders With €2 Billion Loss

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 12:01 If you are an institutional investor and you bought Novo Banco bonds, you just had a bad morning...

The Cultural Contradictions That Have Crippled The Great American Middle Class

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 11:35 Conventional explorations of why the middle class is shrinking focus on economic issues such as the decline of unions and manufacturing, the increasing premiums paid to the highest-paid workers and the rising costs of higher education and healthcare. All of these factors have a role, but few comment on the non-economic factors, specifically the values that underpin the accumulation of capital that is the one essential project of middle class households.

Brazilian Real Crashes Most In 4 Years As Hope Fades

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 11:13 Following recent strength on the heels of hope for a new finance minister, news that Ruosseff has sent the minimum-wage-hike Bill to Congress appears to have crushed the hype of any fiscal rectitude and sent Real tumbling. Down over 4% - the most since September 2011 - BRL is back above 4.00 per USD, giving up all the recent gains.

Goldman Admits It Was Wrong Forecasting 3% Yields For 2015 As It Forecasts A 3% Yield For 2016

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 11:10 If at first you don't succeed, try, try, keep trying again and again. That appears to be the mantra of Goldman's credit strategists.

UK Revolts Against "Pampered Student Emperors"

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 10:49 While stories of micro-aggression and "safe spaces" abound in America, it appears the growth so-called "little emperors" throughout the world's universities is on the rise. As Harry Mount rages in the following Telegraph op-ed, the babies of the late 90s – mollycoddled by their parents, spoon-fed by their teachers, indulged by society – have now reached university and "It's time to say No to our pampered student emperors."

IMF Chief Pours Cold Water On Optimistic Yellen, Says Growth "Will Be Disappointing"

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 10:22 In a guest article for Handelsblatt, Christine Lagarde warns that 2016 is likely to be a disappointment as the Fed hike and China's transition to a consumer-driven economy continue to weigh on global growth prospects. Sorry Janet, it looks like the IMF doesn't agree with your justification for liftoff.



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Stocks Down, Bonds Down, Gold Down, Crude Down, Dollar Down

Sell Mortimer, Sell!

Financial Armageddon Approaches: U.S. Banks Have 247 Trillion Dollars Of Exposure To Derivatives

by Michael Snyder, The Economic Collapse Blog:

Did you know that there are 5 “too big to fail” banks in the United States that each have exposure to derivatives contracts that is in excess of 30 trilliondollars?  Overall, the biggest U.S. banks collectively have more than 247 trilliondollars of exposure to derivatives contracts.  That is an amount of money that is more than 13 times the size of the U.S. national debt, and it is a ticking time bomb that could set off financial Armageddon at any moment.  Globally, the notional value of all outstanding derivatives contracts is a staggering 552.9 trillion dollars according to the Bank for International Settlements.  The bankers assure us that these financial instruments are far less risky than they sound, and that they have spread the risk around enough so that there is no way they could bring the entire system down.  But that is the thing about risk – you can try to spread it around as many ways as you can, but you can never eliminate it.  And when this derivatives bubble finally implodes, there won’t be enough money on the entire planet to fix it.
Read More…

Swiss Army Chief Warns Of Social Unrest, Calls Upon Citizens To Arm Themselves

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 08:32 Swiss army chief André Blattmann warned, in a Swiss newspaper article on Sunday, the risks of social unrest in Europe are soaring. Recalling the experience of 1939/1945, Blattman fears the increasing aggression in public discourse is an explosively hazardous situation, and advises the Swiss people to arm themselves and warns that the basis for Swiss prosperity is "being called into question."

Not "Buying" The Santa Rally: In Week When S&P Rose 2.8%, The Smart Money Sold (Again)

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 09:09 "Last week, during which the S&P 500 rallied 2.8%, BofAML clients were net sellers of US stocks for the second week, in the amount of $0.7bn. (Globally, our colleagues who track EPFR flow data have noted flows out of the US but into Europe and Japan in recent weeks). Net sales were chiefly due to institutional clients last week, who have sold stocks for eight consecutive weeks. Buybacks by corporate clients decelerated vs. the prior week, and YTD are tracking over $40bn, below last year’s record $45bn." So the smart money was selling, companies were not buying back, and stocks rallied nearly 3%.

Martin Shkreli's KaloBios Files Chapter 11: Full Bankruptcy Filing

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 08:51 Thus ends KaloBios' "turnaround in progress" - two months after it was dragged out of bankruptcy by Martin Shkreli in an attempt to crush the company's shorts and unleash a massive squeeze, Kalobios is again, well, bankrupt.

The Catastrophic Threat Of Bail-Ins

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 08:48 Once upon a time, we had strong, vigorously enforced laws that made a bank the safest place to store paper assets. That is no longer. Now banks are where your wealth is most likely to be stolen – and by the bank itself. Thanks to the bail-in, the term “bank robbery” now has an entirely different meaning.

Oil Slumps As Saudis "Won't Change" Policy, Russia Rethinks 2016 Price Forecast

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 08:19 “We will satisfy the demand of our customers. We no longer limit production. If there is demand, we will respond. We have the capacity to respond to demand," Saudi oil minister Ali al-Naimi told reporters on Wednesday, underscoring the kingdom's belligerent stance as "lower for longer" heads into 2016. Meanwhile, Russia's Finance Ministry may reconsider its forecast for $50/bbl crude, a move which could inflate Moscow's budget deficit.

Turkey Foils New Year's Eve ISIS Suicide Plot

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 08:02 Even as Islamic State oil continues to flow from Syria and Iraq through Turkey, Ankara says it's cracking down on ISIS sleeper cells. In the latest example, Turkey has arrested two men the government says were planning a suicide attack on New Year's Eve in the country's capital.

Frontrunning: December 30

• Oil rebound fizzles, sending global shares lower (Reuters)
• Saudi Arabia Won’t Change Oil Production (WSJ)
• China suspends forex business for some foreign banks (Reuters)
• Republicans come up short in search for diverse voters in 2016 election (Reuters)
• Oil Prices Become a Problem for U.S. Steelmakers (BBG)
• Oil-Producing States Battered as Tax-Gushing Wells Are Shut Down (BBG)

Global Stocks, Futures Dragged Lower By Commodities As Oil Slumps Back Under $37

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/30/2015 - 07:02 With just two days left in 2015, the main driver of overnight global stocks and US equity futures remains the most familiar one of all of 2015 - crude oil, which, after its latest torrid bounce yesterday has resumed the familiar "yoyo" mode, and again stumbled dropping below $37 on yesterday's surprising API 2.9 million crude inventory build, as well several more long-term "forecasts" by OPEC members, with Kuwait now budgeting for $30 oil, while Venezuela's Maduro said the oil price fell to $28/bbl and is "headed downward." As a result U.S. futures declined and European stocks fell, extending their worst December drop since 2002 in thin volume on the last full trading day of the year.

The Big Short's Michael Burry Warns "The Little Guy Will Pay" For The Next Crisis

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 - 23:45 "We are right back at it: trying to stimulate growth through easy money. It hasn’t worked, but it’s the only tool the Fed’s got. The biggest hope I had was that we would enter a new era of personal responsibility. Instead, we doubled down on blaming others, and this is long-term tragic..."

China Suspends Foreign Banks' FX Trading As Offshore Yuan Spread Signals Massive Outflows

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 - 22:50 For the first time since the August collapse, Offshore Yuan is trading over 1000 pips weaker (relative to the USDollar) than onshore Yuan, signalling outflows are once again escalating. Following the chaos in HIBOR money-markets, Offshore Yuan has crashed to 6.5970 (below August spike lows) to the weakest since Dec 2010. On the heels of this recent divergence between on- and off-shore Yuan, China has suspended some foreign banks from FX trading, we suppose to try and stem the capital outflows.

In Latest NSA Spying Scandal, World Learns Obama Lied Again; Congress Furious it Was Spied On

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 - 22:45 "The bottom line is that people around the world, regardless of their nationality, should know that the United States is not spying on ordinary people who don’t threaten our national security, and that we take their privacy concerns into account in our policies and procedures.  This applies to foreign leaders as well." - Barack Obama, January 17, 2014

Trey Gowdy Show Season 2 Cancelled!

from The Marshall Report:

In Gowdy’s first event to support Rubio he got slammed with negative questions. Let it be known this will get worse. Social media is already going viral, just not in the way the GOP establishment wanted. It is a major backlash. The publicity is that of outrage, not of votes.
This is another wake up call that once again proves the establishment thinks we are mindless sheep that can be herded. They really don’t understand why the people liked Gowdy, nor do they have a clue why it is that now they don’t. Did they really believe we were rock star stupid here?
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Where’s the “Dumb Bid” in the Junk-Bond Rout?

from Wolf Street:

There is a reason why the Focused Credit Fund, a mutual fund that specialized in junk bonds, imploded on December 11 – the first fund to do so since the Financial Crisis. It experienced a run by its beaten-up investors and had to dump assets to cover the redemptions. This “forced selling” drove down prices even further. Finally, the fund blocked withdrawals. It would liquidate its assets gradually and pay the remaining investors the leftover subway tokens at some later time.
It was a classic liquidity mismatch, where a mutual fund held “illiquid” junk bonds, while investors were entitled to daily redemptions. This was exacerbated by the “first-mover” advantage in these kinds of open-end funds: the first investors out the door where made whole; those left behind ended up holding the bag [read… It Starts: Junk-Bond Fund Implodes, Investors Stuck].
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OPEC Predicts Oil Prices WILL NOT Return To Triple Digits Until 2040: “Strikingly Bearish”

by Mac Slavo, SHTFPlan:
With oil trading under $40 and threatening to unhinge the entire industry from Texas to Russia, analysts the world over are working overtime to predict what happens next. Some, like financial investment firm Goldman Sachs, say the price could go as low as $20 per barrel because of a major supply glut evidenced by the scores of full oil tankers anchored off the coast of the United States and elsewhere. At the same time, others suggest the next spike to $100 could be just around the corner.
This week the Organization for the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which essentially controls the supplies behind the majority of the world’s oil production and has thus far refused to reduce oil output, released a report indicating that low oil prices are here to stay and that it could be at least two decades before prices return to triple digit levels:
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Paul Craig Roberts: Why World War III Is On The Horizon

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 - 22:30 At this point in time, nuclear war can only be avoided in two ways. One way is for Russia and China to surrender and accept Washington’s hegemony. The other way is for an independent leader in Germany, the UK, or France to rise to office and withdraw from NATO. That would begin a stampede to leave NATO, which is Washington’s prime tool for causing conflict with Russia and, thereby, is the most dangerous force on earth to every European country and to the entire world. If NATO continues to exist, NATO together with the neoconservative ideology of American hegemony will make nuclear war inevitable.

In Latest NSA Spying Scandal, World Learns Obama Lied Again; Congress Furious it Was Spied On

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 - 21:45 "The bottom line is that people around the world, regardless of their nationality, should know that the United States is not spying on ordinary people who don’t threaten our national security, and that we take their privacy concerns into account in our policies and procedures.  This applies to foreign leaders as well." - Barack Obama, January 17, 2014

The Big Short's Michael Burry Warns "The Little Guy Will Pay" For The Next Crisis

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 - 18:45 "We are right back at it: trying to stimulate growth through easy money. It hasn’t worked, but it’s the only tool the Fed’s got. The biggest hope I had was that we would enter a new era of personal responsibility. Instead, we doubled down on blaming others, and this is long-term tragic..."

China Suspends Foreign Banks' FX Trading As Offshore Yuan Spread Signals Massive Outflows

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 - 22:50 For the first time since the August collapse, Offshore Yuan is trading over 1000 pips weaker (relative to the USDollar) than onshore Yuan, signalling outflows are once again escalating. Following the chaos in HIBOR money-markets, Offshore Yuan has crashed to 6.5970 (below August spike lows) to the weakest since Dec 2010. On the heels of this recent divergence between on- and off-shore Yuan, China has suspended some foreign banks from FX trading, we suppose to try and stem the capital outflows.

Sweden's First Month Of 'Islamic Multiculturalism' - Rapes, Acquittals, & Severed Heads

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 - 22:45

Some 30 Muslim men thought that the woman was in violation of Islamic sharia law, by being in Sweden unaccompanied by a man. They thought that she should therefore be raped and her teenage son killed. At first, the woman did not want to call the police. "She felt sorry for him [the rapist] ... and was afraid he would be deported back to Iraq." Two Swedish citizens were convicted by a Gothenburg Court of joining an Islamist terror group in Syria and murdering two captives. Video evidence showed one victim being beheaded. One week after Sweden raised its terror alert level to the highest ever, the police raised another alarm -- saying their weapons are simply not good enough to prevent a potential terror attack.

How The U.S. Dollar Spread Across The World

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 - 22:00 The U.S. dollar is currently accepted as the world’s reserve currency, but it hasn't always been this way...

The "Perks" Of Being An ISIS Jihadist

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 - 21:30 In addition to receiving a salary and a constant stream of weapons courtesy of regional Sunni benefactors, and on top of being allowed to live in a perpetual state of dark, bacchanalian revelry, Islamic State soldiers also recieve 20% of the "loot" in captured territory and belong to a kind of militant Sam's Club which guarantees a 50% discount on a variety of fun items.

Guest Post: Is The West Disintegrating?

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 - 21:00 The movement toward deeper European integration appears to have halted, and gone into reverse, as the EU seems to be unraveling along ideological, national, tribal and historic lines. If these trends continue, and they seem to have accelerated in 2015, the idea of a United States of Europe dies, and with it the EU. And this raises a question about the most successful economic and political union in history - the USA.

With Stock At 15-Year Low, Freeport Co-Founder Walks Away With $80 Million Golden Parachute

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 - 20:30 "On one occasion, he told shareholders worried about the prospects of a gas well that they needed only to 'Trust Jim Bob'"...

Iran Fires Rockets 1,500 Yards Away From A US Aircraft Carrier

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 - 20:00 As we recently reported, the US aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman had made its way through The Mediterranean Sea, launchiung airstrikes on Syria and Iraq on its way. While the proximity of so many vessels, fighter jets, coasts, friends, enemies, and frenemies was always precarious, NBC News reports that the carrier came within 1500 yards of an Iranian rocket fired in a live-fire exercise in the Straits of Hormuz last week. US officials said this was "unnecessarily provocative and unsafe" from Obama's nuclear-deal partners.

The Rising Threats To Our Health

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 - 19:30 Though evidence of a looming global healthcare crisis is plainly visible, few seem to realize the consequences will be catastrophic to individuals, households and national economies.

Why Energy Investors Are Hoping Saudi Arabia And Iran's Oil Price Forecasts Are Dead Wrong

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 - 18:57 "At current prices we estimate that valuations for the oil and gas group reflect an implied Brent crude oil price in the range of $65-70/bbl while natural gas leveraged companies reflect a Henry Hub natural gas price in the range of $3.00/Mcf."

The Russian Economy Is Cracking, "Social Unrest" Coming In "A Few Months", Official Warns

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 - 18:00 As the ruble plunges to record lows against the dollar, we take a close look at the outlook for inflation and GDP growth in 2016 in the context of The Kremlin's budget, which assumes $50/bbl crude. We also ask whether the deficit - expected to balloon to 4.4% of GDP in the event oil hovers around $35/bbl - will grow as a result of a planned bailout for insolvent state lender VEB.

Asia's Largest Commodity Trader Was Just Downgraded To Junk: Collateral Calls Next?

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 - 17:52 "Moody's downgrades Noble Group to Ba1; outlook negative.... "The downgrade of Noble's ratings reflects Moody's concerns over the company's liquidity," says Joe Morrison, a Moody's Vice President and Senior Credit Officer. The Ba1 ratings also reflect low levels of profitability and consistent negative free cash flow from core operating activities, which exclude proceeds from asset sales."

This May Be The Greatest "Explanation" Ever For Cooking The Company's Books

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 - 17:40 "... On 12 December 2015, the Company was notified by the local public security bureau that the Truck was found but not the Lost Documents. As at the date of this announcement, although the possibility of finding the Lost Documents is not high, the Group has nonetheless deployed all possible resources in search of the Lost Documents."

Santelli Thanks Plunge Protection Team As Bond Bloodbath Sparks Buying Frenzy In Stocks & Commodities

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 - 17:34

California Politicians Could Soon Be Forced To Wear Logos Of Top Corporate Donors

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 12/29/2015 - 17:30 In the next week, a potential ballot measure, submitted to the Office of the Attorney General in October, is expected to receive title and summary for the 2016 election, meaning its advocates will be able to collect signatures in order to secure its official place on the ballot. The proposed law would require legislators and candidates to sport the emblems of groups that donate money to their campaigns.

Obama’s Four-Point Gun Confiscation Plan

by Dave Hodges, The Common Sense Show:

The Obama administration is engaged in a four part plot to eviscerate both the First and Second Amendment;

1. Criminalize certain groups as being terrorist simply because they belong to groups who oppose government policy of any type and then labeling these groups as terrorists (see Assistant Attorney General John Carlin).
2. Criminalize free speech which opposes any government program, action or official (eg Loretta Lynch).

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$2,957,000,000: U.S. Taxpayers Will Fund Lion’s Share of UN Budget Again in 2016

by Patrick Goodenough, CNSnews:
American taxpayers will once again be liable for more than one-fifth of the United Nations’ regular budget next year, as well as more than one-quarter of the much-larger peacekeeping budget – a total of approximately $2,957,000,000.
The U.N. General Assembly just before Christmas approved a regular operating budget of $5.4 billion for the 2016-17 period. (That budget is calculated biannually.) Of the $2.7 billion earmarked for 2016, the U.S. will account for 22 percent, or $594 million. Of the separate peacekeeping budget – $8.27 billion for the year ending June 30 – the U.S. is liable for 28.5783 percent, or $2.363 billion. Combined, the two U.S. contributions amount to just under $3 billion.
In actual fact the full extent of U.S. funding for the U.N. system will be considerably more than that: The $2.957 billion figure comprises the U.S. “assessed contributions” to the two main budgets, but the U.S. in addition provides much more in “voluntary contributions” to a range of U.N. agencies.
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Captured Daesh Fighter Reveals Turkey’s Connection to ISIS, Predicts New 9/11

by Brandon Turbeville, Activist Post:
It appears that the week of Christmas in 2015 is quite the low moment for Turkey’s public relations department. In addition to be revealed as one of the top purchasers of ISIS oil by many in the alternative media, the Russian government, and a number of other sources, Erdogan’s own son has been pointed out as one of the principal smugglers and the Turkish President’s own daughter as the Florence Nightingale of the caliphate. If that wasn’t bad enough, an independent report by a Norwegian oil consulting firm also confirmed that much of the ISIS oil was being shipped directly to Turkey. A Turkish party member even revealed that the terrorists who committed the chemical weapons attack in Ghouta most likely received their chemical weapons from Turkey and committed the atrocity with foreknowledge and assistance from Turkish intelligence.
Yet the hits to the Turkish government’s public relations just keep on coming, the latest of which involves statements coming from an ISIS member who was recently captured by Kurdish troops in Syria, who has revealed that not only is Turkey a primary buyer of ISIS oil but that ISIS fighters were being trained both in and by Turkey itself to be deployed into Syria. The captured fighter also revealed that the ISIS fighters on the ground do not take the American airstrikes seriously, viewing them as nothing more than show.
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Democrat Calls for “Surtax” on the American People to Pay for War Against the Islamic State

by Kurt Nimmo, Infowars:
Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, went on the Morning Joe Show to call for a “small surtax” to pay for the war against the Islamic State. Coons said in addition to authorizing Obama’s unconstitutional Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) Congress must levy a new tax on Americans to pay for military action against IS.

The US has spent more than $5 billion on the war against IS since August, 2014.

“The daily tab for fighting ISIS had already climbed more than 20 percent between May 21 and October 15 of this year, from $9.1 million a day to nearly $11 million, according to the Pentagon’s latest public figures,” reports Vocative. “More than half of those costs came in the form of airstrikes, which the U.S. has employed since August of 2014 to pound Islamic State targets. Munitions, logistics and operational support accounted for the remaining costs, the Pentagon said.”

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Monsanto Offered $10M to Prove GMO Safety: Monsanto Never Shows…

by Christina Sarich, Natural Society:
On Monday December 21, students from Livingston High School joined Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai, an American scientist with a PhD in systems biology from MIT, to debate the ‘safety’ of GMO crops. Monsanto was invited to come and prove that there are indeed GMO safety assessment standards, and was even offered a $10 million enticement to send representatives to argue its side. But the company was entirely absent from the event. [1]
Dr. Ayyadurai had offered Monsanto a healthy prize for proving their GM crops such as soy, corn, or cotton had adequate safety standards.
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