US Senator Rand Paul is not looking at the big picture.

The country needs an infusion of spending to stem the losses of the financial markets. The USA has to keep it's people working and spending. 

I agree that fiscal responsibility is important and it needs to be addressed, but, turning loose the financial markets with deregulation and anarchy is not responsible policy.

The financial markets are in bad condition, but, the American people need to continue to work and right now that is more important than fiscal restraint. The worst thing that can happen right now is a government shutdown. It is irresponsible governance.

February 8, 2018
By Deirdre Shesgreen 

Washington — Sen. Rand Paul, (click here) a conservative Kentucky Republican and one-time presidential contender, temporarily blocked a Senate vote on a sweeping bipartisan budget deal on Thursday — a move that could force Congress to miss a midnight funding deadline and trigger a partial government shutdown.

The bipartisan budget deal would lift strict budget caps and pave the way for lawmakers to spend an extra $300 billion over the next two years on defense and domestic programs. It seemed poised to easily clear the Senate — until Thursday afternoon.

That’s when Paul objected and said he would only allow the budget bill to advance if GOP leaders gave him a vote on an amendment to restore the budget caps, set in 2011 to rein in deficit spending. If Paul got an amendment, then every senator would want one. And if any amendment passed, it would blow up the budget agreement.

“All Senator Rand Paul is asking for is a 15-minute vote on his amendment to restore the budget caps,” Paul’s spokesman, Sergio Gor, said in an email Thursday. “He is ready to proceed at any time.”

By Thursday evening, the White House was preparing for a lapse in appropriations. The federal Office of Management and Budget told federal agencies to plan for a "limited shutdown" of perhaps a few hours....

Rob Porter demonstrates a White House out of control. Where AGAIN is the Congressional oversight? There are direct threats to national security TODAY in the Trump White House!

This is the party the Republicans conducted at the White House when the tax law was signed. Enough of the brotherly love and on with conducting the country's business.

Pakistan just never leaves it alone.

As soon as India's public rhelm begins to take on a peaceful content, Pakistan let's loose with bullets. 

I know this isn't in international news in a real way, but, it needs to be. There is a movement within India to bring the Muslim faith to the foreground as an accepted part of their culture. There was a big salute to the Indian national flag recently by influential Muslims within India. Today, Prince Charles and the Dutchess announced a new bond fund for furthering the health and condition, including education, of the Indian people which is to expand to include Bangladesh. It is time for the international community to deal with Pakistan.

February 8, 2018

Poonch: (click here) The Pakistan on Thursday violated ceasefire in Krishna Ghati sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district.

“The Indian Army is retaliated strongly and effectively,” official said.

Yesterday, Pakistan again violated ceasefire in Manjakote sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, according to reports....

Enough is enough. Afghanistan for all it's trying is never a quiet place either. It may be the USA presence in Afghanistan adds to Pakistan's chronic anxiety, but, what the heck is going to stop this pervasive aggression from Pakistan? Nothing? 

One of the problems that exist in the region is Pakistan's chronic identity that India would wipe out the Muslim faith. India is doing everything it can to demonstrate on a national level the Muslim faith is there to stay in India. There is absolutely no reason for aggression in the J-K region. This has to stop and the generational upheaval has to end.

Before this gets out of hand YET AGAIN, it is time for the United Nations to identify the problems within Pakistan that causes these eruptions of violence, including the ISI. There is a laundry list of problem in Paksitan and it has to be addressed. Pakistan can no longer be a safe haven for extremists that would see forever wars simply because it supports money to terrorists from the poppy culture. 

There needs to be movement forward against these aggressive forces within that country. It has to end, this is a prime example of how weaponizing "the person" only promotes hate, discord and death.

If Americans paid attention to the US House, they would have heard one of the country's great humanitarians speaking about the need for continued protections for profoundly good people.

February 7, 2018

By Phil McCausland

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (click here) made history on Wednesday by delivering an eight-hour speech in protest of Speaker Paul Ryan’s unwillingness to commit to legislation that would protect "Dreamers."

And Pelosi, 77, a California Democrat, did it all while standing in four-inch heels, to the amazement of admirers on Twitter, and without taking a bathroom break. She broke a 109-year-old House record for longest speech from the floor by nearly three hours.

“I don’t know when we would have another opportunity that matches today for us to just get a simple commitment from the speaker of the House that he would give us a vote,” she said. “There is no guarantee — have the debate, people will weigh in, they will make their voices heard — Congress again will work its will, but do not diminish this House of Representatives.”...

The opposite of that was a set of statements General Kelly made quoting unnamed sources, in that the DACA people that were not signed up were either too lazy or scared to 'sign up.' I think the correct frame is they didn't "apply."

It is my estimation the many who did not apply for DACA knew there would be this impasse. However, there is also the reality those that did not apply may already be employed with someone or a company that has helped them apply for permanent status. Employers can do that. The DACA people are extremely talented, grew up in the USA, benefited from our educational system and NOW ARE GIVING BACK in the way of a valued employee and/or student with ambitions that could be attributed to any American. It is a huge mistake to turn these people away simply because they haven't been "processed in" correctly. 

The idea there is some kind of resentment against the DACA people in stating they are too afraid or too lazy is unconscionable. Besides the obvious racism, to declare such things about people who know no other country as their own and find themselves in circumstances created outside of any control, is simply a bridge too far. There is no clarity to those statements. There is no truth there and it sets them up for prejudice and injustice. Why repeat those statements unless there is some understanding there is truth within those words? There is no truth there, that is a fact. Please measure statements that would impact innocent people. The DACA people are innocent people. Let there be no doubt, they are innocent, ambitious and great Americans. They are great Mexican - Americans to be exact.

The State of Tennessee needs to bring this Sheriff's career to an end and soon. He is out of control.

The Sheriff killed, willfully killed, an unarmed man when he presented to danger to anyone except himself. Old men and old trucks should be respected.

I have to wonder what was going on with Mr. Dial. It appeared he had his truck and trailer full of personal items. Was he leaving town? What kind of relationship did he have with the Sherrif? The entire encounter raises a lot of questions. Had anyone pulled him over for a valid reason to know Mr. Dial has a suspended license or did the Sheriff's Department know Mr. Dial? 

“They said ‘We’re ramming him,’” Shoupe can be heard saying after Dial’s death. “I said, ‘Don’t ram him, shoot him.’ Fuck that shit. Ain’t gonna tear up my cars […]

Sheriff Shoupe had his deputy so upset by the end of the chase he crashed the car anyway. 

February 7, 2018
By Max Greenwood

...After Dial was shot, (click here) Shoupe arrived on the scene, where his comments were picked up by a body camera worn by one of the deputies.

"I love this shit," Shoupe said, according to The Guardian. "God, I tell you what, I thrive on it."

The chase with Dial began after police attempted to pull the man over for driving with a suspended license. But he drove away, prompting the car chase.

The county declared last year that the shooting was justified and that law enforcement officials had acted reasonably....

The US White House stated, "I didn't see it happen in front of me,..."

Excuse me. The words that follow that statement is, "...therefore, it didn't happen."

I am not surprised such attitudes exist among the Trump White House, what is intolerable is the fact this is an ongoing saga of the abuse of women and girls. This is still another piece to the puzzle of the level of abuse against women this White House seems to believe they are entitled to. YES, entitled to.

There is no degree of abuse of women, men or children tolerated in this country and to think this is being touted as 'status quo' for men in the White House that believe beating women is part of the package is outrageous. This is a continuous exposure of a White House that conducts itself above the law.

There are now at least three large residential or hotels leaning in Taiwan.

The dead are still be found and there are still missing.

This is the last Pacific warning from the Tsunami Warning Center. It is some time ago and there are no current warnings. No tsunami warning was issue for Taiwan. Do they have buoys?

It looks as though Taiwan needs quake proof buildings as well.

000

WEPA40 PHEB 231108
TSUPAC

TSUNAMI MESSAGE NUMBER 3
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
1102 UTC TUE JAN 23 2018

...PTWC FINAL TSUNAMI THREAT MESSAGE...

There is the observation this is an unusal occurrence. I strongly suggest building standards and tsunami warnings carry brevity in future regulations for Taiwan. Please minimize the death and missing threats. The Pacific rim has become very active over the past decade and there is no estimation that will abate. The people living in the region of the Pacific, that includes Alaska, the USA West Coast and Hawaii should be as prepared for increasing threats. Taiwan's people need to be just as safe as anyone else.

February 7, 2018

By TAIJING WU

Hualien, Taiwan (AP) — Rescuers worked Wednesday (click here) to free people trapped after a strong earthquake near Taiwan’s east coast caused several buildings to cave in and tilt dangerously. At least six people were killed and 76 could not be contacted following the quake.

Videos and photos showed several midsized buildings in worst-hit Hualien county leaning at sharp angles, their lowest floors crushed into mangled heaps of concrete, glass, iron and other debris. Firefighters climbed ladders hoisted against windows to reach residents inside apartments.

The shallow, magnitude 6.4 quake late Tuesday night caused at least four buildings to cave in and shift on their foundations. That was likely caused by soil liquefaction, when the ground beneath a building loses its solidity under stress such as that caused by an earthquake.

A maintenance worker who was rescued after being trapped in the basement of the Marshal Hotel said the force of the earthquake was unusual even for a region used to temblors.

“At first it wasn’t that big … we get this sort of thing all the time and it’s really nothing. But then it got really terrifying,” the worker, Chen Ming-hui, told Taiwan’s official Central News Agency after he was reunited with his son and grandson following the quake. “It was really scary.”...

The focus in California has been more than San Andreas. As scientists have stated the San Andreas is overdue, the people are also looking more closely at the Elsinora Fault Zone. There was a 4.0 there in January and it surprised the people.

I am a firm believer that long time residents of these areas are reliable when they make observations of new events and surprises. People can be counted on to be alert to change in their safety.

It dissolves "The Sequester."

The Republicans can no longer be the party of obstruction due to concerns for the national debt.

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has a moral issue regarding the deadline of March 5th to protect some of the precious generations' most productive Americans. They are Americans through and through and it is time the DACA generation take their seats at the table.

US House Speaker should seek a veto proof edition of the Senate bill and then meet in the middle under reconciliation. GET IT DONE, RYAN!

February 7. 2018
By Erica Werner

...The move came (click here) amid rising fury from House liberals and immigration activists as congressional leaders appeared on the cusp of announcing a massive two-year budget deal without a fix for “dreamers.” Although it was not immediately clear how many Democrats would follow Pelosi’s lead, her announcement raised new uncertainty about whether congressional leaders would be able to finalize the deal as planned Wednesday.

The rumored budget deal to bust spending caps for the military and domestic programs and pile hundreds of billions of dollars onto the debt already faced a threatened rebellion from the right, as House conservatives fumed about the increased spending.

Without congressional action, the government will begin to shut down Thursday at midnight....           

Donald Trump is using his office for politics and not conducting the country's business.

To begin with Adma Schiff is not a little person. He is an adult something Donny Trump still hasn't mastered. And one other thing; the so called comedians that mimic Trump's hand expressions when he speaks are NOT nearly effeminate enough. Please get it right.

Little Adam Schiff, who is desperate to run for higher office, is one of the biggest liars and leakers in Washington, right up there with Comey, Warner, Brennan and Clapper! Adam leaves closed committee hearings to illegally leak confidential information. Must be stopped!

I believe Trump makes decisions and demands loyalty for the reason of his own political career while in office. I also believe that was an underlying motivation for first asking for and not receiving a loyalty pledge from Comey. Trump asked for loyalty because he saw the FBI Director's power work to his advantage against Hillary Clinton. The fact Comey's statement to the press altered the Clinton lead into the 2016 election is now fact in a book.

That fact is also why then Attorney General Lynch stated Comey was not to interfere with the election with the meaningless announcement he made. As soon as he made it, I knew it was an attack on Clinton and not necessary. The emails on Weiner's laptop would demonstrate the same character of Hillary Clinton no matter where they were found. Hillary Clinton has conducted herself in the same way since she was the daughter of Hugh Rodham. She is rock solid and there would be no additional surprises about the woman about to be elected President. THAT reality is what the FBI and Justice Department could honor in their policy of non-interference. The same character was a dependable fact. The emails would prove nothing new. And nothing new was proven. I want to know what drove Comey to do it. I am confident he has reflected on his conscience by now.

I think Trump makes many decisions for his own personal reasons and not the business of the country. Comey was a double threat. He was powerful enough to displace Hillary Clinton's victory AND conduct an investigation into Russia's influence in promoting Trump into office. Comey scared Trump. Trump never realized that any FBI Director is afforded those powers for very real reasons and firing Comey would not dilute those powers. Trump does not discern power into CONTEXT so much as personal attributes. That is not a person able to lead so much as compete.

That is the fatal flaw of the Plutocracy that believes running the USA as a business that can produce profits and end taxes. It is nonsense. Government is about the people and NOT eliminating people that are not profitable.

Reagan was convinced the Space Shuttle could produce profits and demanded launches every two weeks, causing the deaths of our astronauts.

Zika has to be defeated globally to protect Americans.

February 5, 2018

A new study, (click here) led in part by the University of Washington, raises new concerns over the threat of the Zika virus for pregnant women and their babies.

It found that children who appear normal at birth may show signs of the debilitating disease years down the road.

“Our research team is showing now, for the first time, that Zika virus damage to the fetal brain can be incredibly subtle and difficult to detect during pregnancy,” says Dr. Kristina Adams Waldorf....

Zika is a virus and has no genetic footprint when amniocentesis is performed. It will only show up in ultrasounds as the fetus grows and brain development is hindered. In the case of the University of Washington study, the virus can effect what is viewed as a healthy and normal sized brain, too. Such problems will result in brain damage on a longer scale.

...But Waldorf's research looked at changes in the brains of primates and found that even when a baby is born with a normal-sized head, possible severe brain damage may have occurred and might not be diagnosed until years later....

Basically, what the University of Washington is saying is that it isn't just the number of cells of brain tissue that exists, it is the future of the integrity of functioning cells that can ultimately be effected.

...Researchers say Alzheimer's and dementia could also appear in toddlers and even teens years after they were infected because their brains contain similar neural stem cells....

Virus, by nature, are not self-replicating, they use the DNA of their victims to multiply. So, when Zika seeks out the brain cells, it is injecting it's own RNA and changing the STEM CELLS that are the basis of brain cell growth in order to form a brain.

Advising women to avoid countries where Zika exists is an interesting emergency measure, but, as we have seen in the USA with a highly mobile society the virus arrives anyway. Additionally, the mosquitoes that carry the virus are native to the USA. To continue to advocate women need to take care of themselves is not a long term permanent solution.

We have increasing seen diseases arrive in the USA that normally would not manifest naturally. They are arriving by vectors. Those vectors now have new land to infest because of the climate crisis and the increasing temperatures that would normally defeat them. This is a permanent posture for the USA now.

There are vectors that will now carry disease they never have before because Earth is becoming hotter. The hottest days of American history have been in the last decade and it is a trend that will continue until there is enough mitigation on Earth to end high Greenhouse Gas levels.

This is Taiwan right now after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake.

I am sure China and the region is beginning a response. Let's hope the casualties continue to be few, but, this level of devastation means the issues of food, water and shelter are an emergency priority. There will be many displaced people.

The Pacific rim has been extremely active. With any of these earthquakes, there is always worries for tsunamis. I can't see where one has been issued for Taiwan, so perhaps it was a minor disturbance at sea.

Several high-rise buildings sustained severe damage, with this one tilting heavily

Aftershocks (click here) continue to rattle Taiwan after a strong earthquake that killed at least two people and injured more than 200 others.

The powerful 6.4-magnitude tremor struck at 23:50 (15:50 GMT) about 20km (12 miles) off the island's east coast.

Residents in the city of Hualien have been told to stay away from their damaged homes, and about 800 have taken shelter in community buildings.

Hualien, a popular tourist hub, is home to about 100,000 people.

Images from the city showed tilted structures, scattered debris and extensive damage to roads in the area. Among the several badly damaged buildings was a hospital, local media said....

This is less than a day of activity. Alaska just had a 7.4 at the end of January. The tsunami was 4 to 5 feet high.

The only (click here) military parade ever conducted in Washington, DC is that of a flag-draped caisson. I fully expect that never to change!

Rep. Chris Stewart drank the Cool-Aide. There is nothing anyone can do about that. There is nothing anyone should want to do about that. "The Memo" is an interesting document because the Republicans are lost without a Hillary effigy. 

Do you know Chelsea Clinton is a millionaire many times over. I can't understand who the Republicans are more afraid of Hillary or her daughter if Chelsea turns to politics.

Look, if a FISA court is handing down decisions for surveillance because of political affiliations or not then we are really in trouble.

Once again. US Senator John McCain and Mr. Steele are people that carry brevity in the FISA Court. There is no issue of politics if the court is making a decision. Senator McCain's name alone is going to get a FISA judge's attention. So, if the FISA court was given the facts that Steele had information that Senator McCain valued, then, OF COURSE, the warrant had to be issued.

There is a missing piece here. US Senator John McCain would not go to the FBI with a Steele document because he wanted to play politics. Either one believes in the integrity of John McCain or not. Obviously, Rep. Stewert is one of the Trump minions that doesn't think John McCain should have been a POW, okay?

I still want to know from Comey who leaned on him to go to the media about the Weiner laptop? Anyone know? I find it odd that Comey would simply bypass standard agency policy and override the directions of the then Attorney General Lynch. I found the entire episode strange and my initial gut reaction was, "Who leaned on Comey?"

Either Comey was possessed by Nunes demons or he is a real idiot. I cannot believe Comey simply acted without authority because he could. Something had to motivate him or the USA simply believes tall white men make batter FBI Directors.

If Comey acted on his own for personal political preferences, then the USA has a far bigger problem than Wall Street.

Ambition to space travel is useless, if there aren't real answers to protect human life and the biosystems that support it.

Watching those Space X boosters land is pretty darn exciting. Congrats, Space X. Another will land at sea. Amazing.

Space X has a really incredible and unique mission. Wow.

I hate to burst the bubble for Elon about his Mars delivery of his car. The intensity of sunlight is less than Earth. A new form of solar panel to intensify available sunlight will be needed to charge it and drive it. Think about it.

My understanding is Elon's car will slingshot around the sun to gain acceleration to speed up the trip to Mars. Very exciting stuff. 

The late Gene Roddenberry helped launch Elon's dream. Fantastic. I hope all goes well. If I remember correctly, it was Star Trek IV, The Voyage Home (click here) where slingshotting around the sun engaged time travel.

While I think this is a very interesting venture, it still needs specifics about human space travel. One of the biggest concerns of scientists out of the Goddard Space Center was the radiation met in space by human beings unable to live through it's intensity and speed. Slingshotting around the sun has to raise that intensity as well. 

Elon needs to mimic the Ozone Layer when travelling outside the safe life giving Earth. It probably can be done. A manmade Ozone Layer to encircle space travelers. Even travel to Earth's moon is somewhat safer than the solar wind of Sol. 

An Ozone Layer surrounding a planet that has none is a very different animal. The physics are completely different.

Morally, if humans are serious about space travel to far away places, the first step is to create a ship that is safe and supports human life all by itself. A ship that can conduct it's own research into events that could destroy their lives. If space travel is to venture to living on other Earth-like planets there needs to be a moral retreat in the way of a space ship that sustains their lives when nothing else does. The ambition has to be tamed by a morality that values life over adventure.

Regardless, the low interest rates for the past ten years, the average American is still suffering from 2008.

Housing Starts (click here)

U.S. Bureau of the Census and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Housing Starts: Total: New Privately Owned Housing Units Started [HOUST], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; February 6, 2018.

If one recalls, the financial sector declared they recovered less than a year after the Great Recession of 2008, but, the actual economic return to the average American never arrived. The unemployment rate does not prove there is an end to the recession of the American people. The ONLY thing the unemployment rate reflects is a far less paid labor market that finds it necessary to work more than one job to sustain their families.

Other than Seattle, Washington where the minimum wage reaches to $15 per hour, the purchasing of homes is anemic. One place the Democrats can investigate with guaranteed worries, "Who is actually purchasing USA land that drive prices in areas where the middle class if failing?"

Unions have never been more important. They need to dig in and cause Wall Street a great deal of stress. The ONLY way the USA is going to fully recover from the 2008 Great Recession is for Unions to demand greater wages and increase Middle Class wealth to purchase homes and afford mortgages.

The idea housing is expensive because there is a housing shortage is an odd reality, whereby the DEMAND is not there because Americans can't afford to purchase a home. First Time Homeowners are not coming to the surface. Americans continue to lack financial equity and they are ageing every day.

January 30, 2018

Washington — U.S. home prices rose sharply in November, (click here) with Seattle once again leading the way with the nation's steepest price increase.

A shortage of homes on the market is fueling the rapid rise in housing costs, experts say.

Standard & Poor's said Tuesday that its S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller national average home price index increased 6.2 percent in November from a year earlier after climbing 6.1 percent in October.

Seattle saw a 12.7 percent price increase, followed by Las Vegas at 10.6 percent and San Francisco at 9.1 percent. Washington, D.C., prices rose just 3.3 percent, lowest among the 20 metropolitan areas measured.

The national housing index has registered annual gains of 5 percent or more for 16 months, and Seattle has seen the steepest increases for most of that period....

USA home sales are tumbling, but, Ryan receives record half a billion for 2018 elections for the policies the Republicans are passing. There is something very wrong with this picture. The people's government is no longer benefitting them.

January 24, 2018
By Josh Boak

Washington — U.S. home sales slid 3.6 percent in December, (click here) as rising prices and a declining number of available properties stifled purchases.

The National Association of Realtors said Wednesday that sales of existing homes fell last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.57 million units. Despite the monthly setback, sales totaled 5.51 million in 2017. That was the highest level since 2006, yet it marked a slight 1.1 percent gain from 2016 as the months’ supply of properties on the market fell to the lowest level ever recorded by the Realtors.

The housing slump is more than fear of 2008, it is about the working poor and abandoned generation of "Occupy Wall Street." At the very least Democratic lawmakers should be trying AirBNB to find the story behind the people renting their homes. It is an eye-opener. They are good people; that is not the issue; but, if they are the Millenials there are multiple incomes into the household to achieve the American Dream.

The strengthening U.S. economy helped to lift home sales last year, but homeowners are choosing not to list their properties despite the rising prices and relatively low mortgage rates. The lack of homes for sale speaks to the lingering aftershocks from the 2007 housing crisis.... 

The American Dream is dying or already DOA. In addition to the stagnation of housing sales are our senior citizens using reverse mortgages to make ends meet. These homes are not available for sales. There are a lot of interesting financial tools within the housing market and it is hurting the American people.

...Just 1.48 million homes were listed for sale at the end of December, a 10.3 percent drop over the past year. There were just 3.2 months’ supply of homes on the market, the lowest level since the Realtors began tracking the figure in 1999....

Forbes has noted the financial sector benefits from government shut downs.

The government shutdowns are more than an inconvenience. The shutdowns effect the USA economy which extends into international economies and in turn to the reliability of the USA at all as a financial partner. The current shutdowns place the USA in the column of "banana republics," except with the financial sector that enjoys the lapse of time the government can audit their wrongdoing. What good are laws if they are a joke in the final analysis? The markets don't shutdown because the USA government can't conduct the people's business.

When the financial sector wins against the governance of a country, it impacts the reliability of doing business. The Plutocrats believe they can provide the only governance needed in any country; in the USA Trump's Plutocratic regime is proving Wall Street can't govern.

The Democrats have a very difficult role in these shutdowns in the USA because they are charged with the priority of protecting the people of the USA. I think pointing to the fact the Republicans have a majority in both the Senate and House and the Executive Branch is their best defense. The Democrats will not participate in passing laws that will harm the people of the USA. "The Dreamers" are important to the USA and it's best future. There is no reason for the Democrats to surrender to Republican politics when it harms real people living their lives as best they can. The Democrats have to place the people of the USA first in their own priorities.

The Republicans are not living in the real world, that was validated by "The Memo." The Republican hubris is taking over the party as it's governance and it is very dangerous. It is the obligation of the Democrats to end the hubris of the Repubicans and govern. The USA is not about happy Plutocrats skimming their financial cushion from the USA Treasury, it is and always has been about responsible governance of the majority of people. That governance includes the innocent that find themselves confused about the intentions of the only country they know as their own.

January 22, 2018
By Jacob Frenkel

...Yet other extremely important (click here) but not defined in the “performing emergency work” category functions either slow or get shelved during a federal shutdown.

In the financial services industries, that includes banks and brokerage firms, there are ongoing audit functions entirely unrelated to enforcement programs. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, an independent bureau within Treasury, as well as the Federal Reserve, for example, will have auditors or examiners conducting regularly scheduled audits and examinations of the banking institutions they supervise. Similarly, the SEC’s Office of Compliance, Inspections and Examinations conducts inspections and examinations at broker-dealers, mutual funds, hedge funds and investment advisors.  One collateral yet immediate downstream effect is active audits, inspections and examinations last week – whether at the beginning, middle or end – may have come to a screeching halt, absent an emergency scenario associated with the work. Active conference rooms this past Thursday and Friday may be or soon be dark, with auditors, inspectors and examiners absent, possibly for weeks....

Child deaths have increased during this Flu Season. This is not the time to shut down the CDC or FDA. The shutdowns are costing lives.

... And a Washington Post story explained that the effect of a federal shutdown on the Department of Health and Human Services includes the Centers for Disease Control suspending its flu-tracking program and the National Institutes of Health not admitting new patients to clinical trials relating to life-threatening illnesses.  Similarly, the Food and Drug Administration will stop routine inspections and laboratory research.

In 2017, as the USA dollar was losing value, the Chinese yuan was gaining value.

When national Reserve Banks are bringing on the Chinese yuan, there is plenty of room for worry about the lost reputation of the USA's international profile.

January 16, 2018

...For the past 70 years, (click here) the US dollar has been the world’s dominant currency. Two-thirds of the world’s $6.9 trillion allocated foreign exchange reserves are held in US dollars. The yuan took a major step towards broader international adoption in 2016 when the IMF decided to include it in the basket of currencies that make up the Special Drawing Right, an alternative reserve asset to the dollar.

Still, as of the third quarter of 2017, just over 1% of foreign exchange reserves were held in yuan, according to the latest data from the IMF. Now, there are signs that this is about to increase....

...The Chinese yuan hit a two-year high against the US dollar this week, after the German Bundesbank said that it would include the yuan in its reserves for the first time. “The notable development from the European point of view over the past few years has been the growing international role of the renminbi in global financial markets,” Andreas Dombret, a member of the central bank’s executive board, reportedly said at a conference in Hong Kong (paywall). The decision was made last year and no investments have been made yet, as preparations are still in process. The French central bank then revealed that it already held some reserves in yuan....

Quid Pro Quo

Ryan admitted the half a trillion is a payment for the tax legislation. Minority Leader Pelosi needs to file ethics violations for every member of the US House that accepts the "dirty money."

Ryan needs to donate the 'pay off' to charity as soon as possible. That has to be a record donation to any political party. It is highly unethical. The Kochs donated the monies with the intention of corrupting the US House Republicans to continue to deregulate and fund Koch Wealth so the Republicans can receive more of the same.

It is blatant corruption. The only such power players are put back in their place among "the people." The Kochs do not own the USA unless the Republicans hand it to them. There is no need for an investigation. It is already done and it is already admitted.

January 28, 2018
By Michelle Ye Hee Lee

Indian Wells, Calif. — House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) (click here) credited the network of billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch for being “such a critical part of our historic success in 2017,” highlighting its support for the tax code overhaul.

“Your network has been instrumental for allowing us to reach so many milestones that have long been talked about, but until this year, have not been achieved,” Ryan said in a three-minute video message aired to hundreds of Republican mega-donors attending a three-day meeting here.

“And because of your help, we have been able to take the ball and run with it,” he said.

Ryan rattled off policy priorities for 2018 that align with the influential Koch network’s goals, including deregulation and an overhaul of the criminal-justice system....

Part of the criminal-justice agenda of the Republicans is legalising racial profiling. There are reasons the FBI is in the cross hairs of the Republican Party. They are zealots. The acceptance of monies for legislative favors to donors proves that statement. The power to reform any aspects of the USA federal government is completely in the wrong hands.

December 30, 2017
By Mary Papenfuss

Former Sheriff David Clarke (click here) abused his authority when he ordered the mistreatment and intimidation of a fellow passenger on a flight to Milwaukee in January, according to a newly revealed FBI search warrant affidavit, because Clarke assumed the man was showing disrespect toward the right-wing Donald Trump booster.

The affidavit, which had requested a search of Clarke’s private email account, was revealed as part of a filing in U.S. District Court in Wisconsin on Thursday. It’s unclear if it indicates continued interest by the FBI or just details information from months earlier.

In May, federal prosecutors informed Clarke’s attorney that they weren’t going to pursue charges against him over his encounter with passenger Dan Black. But according to the affidavit, filed in March, investigators for the Audit Services Division of the Milwaukee County controller’s office determined as part of its own investigation that Clarke had “used his official position as sheriff of Milwaukee County in excess of his lawful authority to direct his deputies to stop and question Black without legal justification.”...

Why is the Republican legislative agenda wrong? Because there is no research to back it up. It is all populism for no reason except to have the Republican Party exist. The Republican Party are beneficiaries and not fiduciaries of the public trust.

It is time for the Iranian government to end the revolution and allow modern day a place in Iran.

February 5, 2018
By Eliza Mackintosh

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (click here) has waded into a highly charged debate over the country's mandatory hijab law, abruptly releasing a three-year-old report suggesting that nearly half of Iranians were opposed to the government dictating what women should wear.

The release of the report on Sunday by the Iranian Center for Strategic Studies -- a research arm of the President's office -- came just days after 29 people were arrested by police in the capital Tehran for their involvement in protests against the headscarf law.

Women across Iran have been removing their hijabs in public to protest Iran's strict Islamic dress code in recent weeks. The movement gained momentum amid a wave of anti-government demonstrations late last year, sparked by concerns over rising living costs and a stagnant economy....

Arguing with an Iranian study about Iranian people should not be tolerated. The people want a quality of life and women want fashion. This opens an entirely new economic area for development. Women's fashion is a large part of many economies. Iran is holding on to a past that saw the change from imperialism. The people want more than a theocracy can provide, they want to be part of the larger world. Iran should drop using "fashion police" to ruin the enthusiasm of Iranian women for self-expression.

Congress needs to address a growing problem. The Flu.

The truth is the Flu Shot this year is marginally helpful. The vaccine is effective in approximately 10 percent of the cases, because, the virus has mutated and is resistant to the vaccine.

The only path that is effective is to break the communicable transmission of the virus. That means when a child isn't feeling well, they stay home to prevent his or her classmates from contracting the virus.

There is also the social time children have these days. It is a very nice growing up environment our children have these days when they set up "play dates." However, parents have to be 'the heavy' and cancel these days together when children aren't feeling well.

There are all sorts of communication measures between parents and teacher to be sure class assignments are not missed.

Public awareness is important, in English, Spanish and other languages to be sure all American are safe.

February 2, 2018
By Kim Printer

Sixteen more children (click here) have died in a flu season that's recorded 53 child deaths and has seen hospitalization rates at their highest in nearly a decade, federal health officials said Friday.

“This is a very difficult season,” said Anne Schuchat, acting director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Weeks after officials hoped the epidemic might have peaked, it is instead going strong, with illnesses widespread in 48 states and flu activity high in 42 states and the District of Columbia, as of the last full week of January. 

"There’s lots of flu occurring simultaneously across most of the U.S.,” said Dan Jernigan, director of the CDC’s influenza division. That coast-to-coast onslaught “is an unusual pattern for flu in the U.S.”...