By Tyler Durden
Bitcoin just topped $1100 for the first time since Dec 2013, bringing it closest to gold ever…
The last time bitcoin approached parity with gold, it marked the top in the virtual currency…
But the current price of gold in bitcoin is now at a record low…
Brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “as good as gold.”
Source: Bitcoin Nears Parity With Gold
Rupert Murdoch has a big decision to make: who will he promote to take Megyn Kelly’s slot in Fox News’ prime time lineup? …read more
Source: Who will replace Megyn Kelly at Fox News?
By Tyler Durden
On the last day of calendar 2016, total US public debt jumped by $98 billion, mostly as a result of end of quarter Social Security debt allocation, which accounted for $70.4 billion of the daily increase. As a result, total US government debt on December 30, 2016 was $19,976,826,951,047.80.
This compares to $18,922,179,009,420.89 on the last day of 2015 and means that the increase in US federal debt in 2016 was just over $1 trillion, or $1,054,647,941,626.91 to be specific.
Putting this increase in context, during Barack Obama’s time in office, federal debt has increased by $9,349,949,902,134.72, or 88%, rising from $10,626,877,048,913.08 on Jan. 20, 2009, the day of Obama’s inauguration to $19,976,826,951,047.80 on the last day of 2016.
That equals $78,553.84 for each of the 119,026,000 households in the country as of September.
Our condolences to anyone who doubted that Obama would be able to hit $20 trillion in Federal debt before leaving the White House.
* * *
For a somewhat amusing take on this disturbing statistics, here is Simon Black with: “US national debt soars by $100 billion. . . in just 8 hours”
According to the latest statement issued yesterday afternoon by the Department of Treasury, the US national debt has reached $19,976,826,951,047.80.
That’s $19.976 trillion, as of the close of business on Friday December 30, 2016.
(The government is typically a day or two behind when it sends out these reports.)
That number itself is obviously remarkable, just shy of $20 trillion.
But what’s even more astounding is that, according to the Treasury Department’s own figures, they STARTED the day with a debt level of ‘just’ $19.879 trillion.
So literally in the span of a single 8-hour workday, the US government amassed an astonishing $97 billion in debt.
That’s simply incredible– $97 billion is larger than the entire GDP of New Mexico or Luxembourg. In 8 hours.
I review these reports every single day. Needless to say, an increase of this magnitude occurs… almost never.
And when I saw it yesterday afternoon, the “Holy Shit!” that came out of my mouth caused a rush of staff into my office asking “What happened?!?”
As I recovered from my shock, I explained that the US federal government had increased its debt by nearly $100 billion in a single day, to which one of them asked,
“What did they buy?”
I thought it a brilliant question, almost child-like in its simplicity. Indeed. What did they buy?
How many aircraft carriers did they purchase?
How many colonies on Mars did they build?
Did President $20,000,000,000,000BAMA acquire a controlling stake in the Walt Disney corporation on behalf of the taxpayers of the United States?
Did Congress suddenly recapitalize the FDIC, or any one of the half-dozen insolvent US trust funds?
Perhaps they fixed a decent portion of the nation’s crumbling infrastructure.
Or maybe they just decided to send a check for almost $1,000 to every household in America.
Nope. None of the above.
The reality is that these people indebted every single taxpayer, including future generations of taxpayers who won’t even be born for decades, with …read more
Source: US Ends 2016 With $19.98 Trillion In Federal Debt; Up $1,054,647,941,626.91
By Tyler Durden
In an effort to front-run any plans to suggest further problems in US healthcare are due to Republican/Trump meddling, the president-elect tweeted the narrative that should be well understood when it comes to President Obama’s legacy…
Republicans must be careful in that the Dems own the failed ObamaCare disaster, with its poor coverage and massive premium increases……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2017
like the 116% hike in Arizona. Also, deductibles are so high that it is practically useless. Don’t let the Schumer clowns out of this web…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2017
This follows yesterday’s initiation of the process to repeal Obamacare and Chuck Schumer’s comments that “GOP will regret making Obamacare repeal the opening issues.”
Source: Trump Slams "Schumer Clowns" – "Dems Own Failed Obamacare Disaster"
The global cost of natural catastrophes hit $175 billion in 2016, led by devastating earthquakes in Japan. …read more
Source: Natural disasters caused $175B in damage in 2016
By GoldCore
2016 is behind us and we have started a new year with great gusto and no small measure of anxiety. The potential for unknown unknowns turning into banana skins is very high. Right now we are looking at:
Source: 2017 – The Year of Banana Skin
Tesla delivered 76,230 cars to customers in 2016, far more than the roughly 50,000 cars it delivered a year earlier. But the company fell short of its goal for 80,000 deliveries. …read more
Source: Tesla falls short of car delivery goal for 2016
By Tyler Durden
Following the horrific New Year's Day attack on an Istanbul nightclub which left 39 people dead (which ISIS claimed responsibility for), Turkish jets have carried out a number of airstrikes against suspected ISIS group positions in Syria. Aerial footage released today showed more than 100 suspected militant targets had been hit by Turkey and Russia in separate operations.
Russia began hitting ISIL positions near al-Bab last week after Ankara and Moscow jointly brokered a cease-fire between the regime and opposition groups. Russian support came after Turkey criticized the U.S.-led international coalition for not backing its military offensive against ISIL.
As TVNZ reports, Turkish jets struck eight IS group targets, while tanks and artillery fired upon 103 targets near Al Bab, Anadolu quoted a senior military official as saying.
At least 22 suspected militants were killed and many structures destroyed, the agency added.
Source: Turkey, Russia Unleash Over 100 Airstrikes On ISIS Targets After Nightclub Attack
By Tyler Durden
Submitted by Finian Cunningham via Strategic-Culture.org,
The dark, infamous days of American lynch-mob rule and burning witches at stakes are back as never before. But not in backwater enclaves of benighted bigotry. Oh no, the modern lynch mobs are running amok in Washington’s seat of government, across prime TV and on the editorial pages of its supposed finest newspapers.
It is the effete, self-regarding ruling US elite who are acting like a murderous rabble. The hate-figures are Russian leader Vladimir Putin and incoming president Donald Trump. Both are being lined up to be lynched, one as a foreign enemy, the other as a traitor.
Lynch mob blood-lust is a mere finger pointed, the baying of deranged crowds and the stringing up of some unfortunate from the nearest tree without pause for a fair trial. “Guilty!? shouted with red-faced thunder is all that’s needed. And anyone who dares to question the madding crowd is liable to meet the same grim fate.
Public opinion in the US is being stampeded to accept as unquestioned fact that Russia “attacked American democracy? as Senators like John McCain are claiming on prime time television. Furthermore, Russian President Vladimir Putin is accused of being the mastermind behind the alleged cyber attacks, which supposedly subverted the US presidential election in favor of Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Incumbent President Barack Obama, the US “intelligence community? and a consensus of lawmakers on Capitol Hill are all asserting without a flicker of doubt that Russian state-sponsored hackers interfered in the November election. The US mainstream media have abdicated any pretense of independence or journalistic standard by rowing in behind the assertions, stating what are fundamentally tendentious claims as if they are fact. The word “alleged? before the words “Russian hacking? has been shorn from headlines and commentaries. The American lynch mob has decreed Russia as guilty. No due process, no skepticism, no verifiable proof, just stampeding group-think let loose.
Never mind that Moscow has repeatedly rejected the vapid claims, and has demanded verifiable evidence to be presented. Never mind that Washington has failed to provide any verifiable evidence to support its accusations. Never mind that several respected former US intelligence experts, such as William Binney formerly of the NSA, have come forward to dismiss the claims of Russian hacking as preposterous.
The inherent lack of credibility in Washington’s narrative was given a seeming fix when Obama ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats last week. The intention of the sanctions was to brand the word “scumbag? over the Kremlin in the eyes of the world, a US cyber security expert told Reuters. This is more of the same demonization-mentality that resulted in African-Americans being dangled from branches or suspected sorcerers being torched alive by self-righteous American christians.
A second seeming fix to the attenuated “Russian hacker? story came with reports of an alleged attempt to disable the US power grid. The CIA-linked Washington Post broke the story of an electric company in Vermont finding “Russian malware? on …read more
Source: America’s Lynch Mob ‘Democracy’
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