Israeli Jets Bomb Damascus Military Airport; Syria Vows It Will Respond To "Flagrant Attack"

Just as the Syrian proxy war showed some hopeful signs of finally dying down, the Syrian army command said on Friday that Israeli jets have bombed the Mezzeh military airport west of Damascus, accusing Tel Aviv of supporting terrorism, and warned Tel Aviv of repercussions of what it called a "flagrant" attack.

China Daily: Tillerson's "Disastrous" Actions Would Set The Course For A "Devastating Confrontation"

"Tillerson's statements regarding the islands in the South China Sea are far from professional. If Trump's diplomatic team shapes future Sino-US ties as it is doing now, the two sides had better prepare for a military clash... Should he act on them in the real world, it would be disastrous... and would set a course for devastating confrontation between China and the US."

Was it the FBI or CIA...?

In Bizarre "Takeover", Russia Today Broadcasts Live On C-SPAN Feed For 10 Minutes

In a strange "hostile takeover" of state TV broadcasters, not to mention a bizarre moment of startling symmetry with the current state of American politics, C-SPAN, the public affairs network that broadcasts political proceedings the United States House of Representatives and Senate, was interrupted by a live feed of Russia Today, the station accused of undermining the US elections.

Assange Agrees To Extradition If Obama Grants Chelsea Manning Clemency

Just hours after NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden urged President Obama to "save [Chelsea Manning's] life by granting her clemency," Wikileaks' founder Julian Assange says he will agree to be extradited to the United States if the president grants clemency to the former US soldier Chelsea Manning, who is currently serving a 35-year sentence for leaking documents.

Congress Announces ‘Unobstructed’ Criminal Probe Into Hillary Clinton

by Michael DePinto, Freedom OutPost:
With all the reports coming out claiming that well funded far-left activist groups intend to incite the largest riots in U.S. history in the days leading up to and during Donald Trump’s inauguration, there is good reason for well-informed Americans to be feeling a bit on edge, or a bit anxious these days. We are living in uncertain times to say the least, and the country is heading into uncharted waters to be sure.
Until recently, there has been a lot of speculation about whether the investigations into Hillary Clinton would continue or not, but as you’re about to learn, House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, just announced that Congress is throttling forward with their investigation of Hillary & Co.
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BOMBSHELL: Solving The Puzzle – “It’s DynCorp behind the mass shootings you see in America”

by SGT, SGTreport.com:
If you’ve been visiting SGT Report and ThePhaser.com in recent weeks, you’re probably familiar with George Webb’s You Tube series of videos titled ‘Where is Eric Braverman?‘.
Utilizing on-the-record research, documents and investigative reports from Seymour Hersh [Hillary Approved Sending Libya’s Sarin to Syrian Rebels], Eva Bartlett [ALEPPO: How US & Suadi-Backed Rebels Target ‘Every Syrian’] and other talented and courageous journalists, Webb’s series provides a quantifiable visual roadmap to the who’s who of the deep state criminal mafia. From Washington DC insiders, to the CIA to Hilary Clinton and the Clinton Foundation to DynCorp, the information conveyed in these must see video reports offers the prima facie evidence necessary to prosecute numerous individuals for crimes ranging from arms dealing to child trafficking and murder.
Webb began Day 81, Part 2 today with the words, “I think I’m ready to solve the puzzle.”
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S&P Downgrades City Of Dallas On "Continued Deterioration" Of Police Pension

Dallas CFO:  "The more the rating agencies learn about the crisis facing Dallas as a result of the police and fire pension, the more they understand what the City has been saying for some time – the pension is a significant risk to the fiscal health of the City."

Afghan "Ghost Soldiers" Are Costing US Taxpayers Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars Annually

Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko is once again warning about the long-standing problems of corruption in Afghanistan, and the amount of US “reconstruction aid” disappearing down black holes over the course of the years. As always, the discussion came around to “ghost soldiers.”

The Corporate Bond Market: Binge-Borrowing

For those tapping the fixed income markets, the borrowing bingefest is conspicuous in its constancy. Not only did global bond issuance top $6.6 trillion last year, a fresh record, sales are off to a galloping start thus far in January.

Chicago Thugs Targeting Amazon Delivery Drivers: "Take What You Want, Just Let Me Go"

Chicago's rash of violence, which resulted in over 800 homicides in 2016, a 20-year record high, has seemly focused its sites on a new type of victim, Amazon delivery drivers.

Why Are Wal-Mart, Boeing, & Lowe's Laying Off Workers If The U.S. Economy Is In Such Great Shape?

The stock market has been on quite a roll in recent weeks, but signs of trouble continue to plague the real economy. Even though economic conditions appeared fairly stable throughout 2016, our long-term problems just continued to get even worse.  So the truth is that we are more primed for a major crisis today than we have been at any point since the last recession.

Jeff Gundlach's Forecast For 2017

Investors will confront excessive debt, high P/E levels and political uncertainty as they enter the Trump presidential era. In response, according to Jeffrey Gundlach, U.S.-centric portfolios should diversify globally.

In Praise of Tillerson, Trump's Secretary Of State Pick

"Anyone the collective neocon trio of McCain, Graham, and Rubio is displeased with, is assuredly a better choice than someone they like."

"Fake News" Facebook Lands On List Of "America's Most Hated Companies"

Facebook just can't seem to catch a break lately.  From questionable privacy policies and mass data collection of its users to its handling of the so-called "Fake News" epidemic, Mark Zuckerberg is pissing off a lot of people these days.

Justice Department Launches Probe Into The FBI, DOJ Actions During The Presidential Campaign

The Justice Department Inspector General has launched a review of the actions of the Federal Bureau of Investigations and Department of Justice leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

Obamacare's Death Throes

Obamacare was a failed experiment. Sharply increasing costs make it unaffordable for millions, leaving them woefully underinsured or for many without coverage because it’s too expensive to buy. Obamacare was designed for profit-making, not putting patient needs first. Replacing it with universal coverage is vitally needed - excluding middlemen insurers increasing costs while providing no care. That’s not what Trump and congressional Republicans have in mind.

Massive Security Preparations Underway For Trump Inauguration Amid Protester Threats To "Paralyze The City"

With just 8 days left until President Trump's inauguration ceremony in Washington D.C., a massive security force, including 7,500 Guardsmen and 3,000 police officers, is preparing for the worst as the event is expected to attract up to 750,000 protesters, some of whom have vowed to "paralyze the city."

Morgan Stanley Cuts Investment Banking Bonuses By 15%, Fires 5% Of Managing Directors

Ahead of the start of Q4 bank earnings season tomorrow, Morgan Stanley laid off 5% of its managing directors last week and cut bonuses by roughly 15% because of a decline in revenue from dealmaking and capital raising across Wall Street, Reuters reported.

Cash-Banning Harvard Professor Slams "Ignorant" Negative-Rate-Naysayers

"I find a lot of what is written by representatives of the financial sector, they’re very hostile to negative rates, to be kind of ignorant..."

A "Grateful" FBI Director Comey Responds To DOJ Probe

Following news that the Department of Justice Inspector General will probe the behavior of The FBI and DoJ during the presidential campaign, FBI Director Comey - the person likely at the center of the investigation - has issued a short statement in response...

Just 3 Things

Importantly, with economic growth anemic, consumers stretched and an economy heading into one of the longest post-recessionary expansions on record, there is little room for a policy misstep at this juncture. Maybe Trump will be wildly successful and the economy will come roaring back. That is a possibility. But there is also the risk it won’t. Optimism is one thing. Your personal capital and financial health is quite another.

VIX-Crushing, Panic-Buying Bounce Saves Stocks From Worst Day In 3 Months

Peso Traders Have An Unusual Solution To Halting The Collapse Of Mexico's Currency

Following central bank governor Agustin Castens' comments earlier in the day that "intervention is a tool to smooth changes in currency value," and "Trump’s win has created uncertainty on Mexico’s growth model," Mexican Peso traders have come up with unusual solution: instead of dumping billions in intervention with no effect, buy Twitter and shut it down.

Chatter Of Fed Balance Sheet Unwind Spikes Yield Curve

HARKER: WHEN RATES AT 1%, NEED TO LOOK AT UNWINDING BAL SHEET
BULLARD: BAL SHEET ROLLOFF MAY BE BETTER THAN AGGRESSIVE HIKING

Rand Paul: Trump Intel Leakers ‘Should Go To Jail’

by Steve Watson, Infowars:
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul said Wednesday that those responsible for leaking intelligence pertaining to Donald Trump, whether fake or not, should be prosecuted and jailed.
“What I would say is that if there is private information that someone is blackmailing a public figure and the public figure or someone takes it to the intelligence agencies, you would think it would be private. And really, this is so important that I think whoever leaked it should be prosecuted.” Paul told Fox News’ Neil Cavuto.
“Someone should go to jail. If this was an intelligence agency head talked to the media, they should go to jail. If it was the Obama administration, they should go to jail.” Paul urged.
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Trump’s Ignorance

by Hugo Salinas Price, Plata:
The president elect of the US, Mr. Trump, does not know what he is doing when he proposes protectionist measures to encourage the reindustrialization of the US and bring home again, the American industry that emigrated to foreign lands.
The US lost their industry as a result of the Bretton Woods Agreements, which were signed (under pressure) by representatives of the allied countries and of the countries conquered by the US in World War II. Those Agreements established the world’s monetary system for the post-war world, after the victory of the Allies, which was already in sight in 1944.
The monetary system was to be based on gold, which would be the world’s reserve currency, supplemented by the American dollar, which was to be considered “as good as gold”. So the world’s monetary system was founded upon a lie: that a promise can be as good as the physical thing it promises.
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Media Wars: MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski Slams CNN and BuzzFeed for Continual “Bias” Against Trump

by Mish Shedlock, Mish Talk:
In the wake of a preposterous allegation by BuzzFeed and CNN regarding Trump and Russia, MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski slammed the other networks.
For background to this story please see Trump Feuds With CNN, Calls BuzzFeed “Failing Pile of Garbage”
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