Tag: Iran

Ep. 311 – Trial Day 1 + Business-Cycle

The Kapital News
The Kapital News
Ep. 311 - Trial Day 1 + Business-Cycle
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The House Managers presented their opening argument today in front of the US Senate. They will have three 8-hours days to present their opening arguments if they so choose to use all of that time. Then following their arguments, the defense counsel for the President will likewise have three 8-hour days to make their arguments. Following this, it is expected that the Senators will have time to ask questions of the managers – not orally, but rather in writing. These questions will go through the Chief Justice, whom is presiding. There still remains several unknowns and the most important perhaps, pertains to the question of witnesses and documents, especially new witnesses and new documents. We would hope that the Senate takes this seriously and allows and demands a fair, open, and transparent trial. This would entail witnesses and documents. For months the Republicans have been arguing about process and how the Democrats have not brought forth “first-hand” fact witnesses. Now in the Senate, with the ability to call and subpoena new first-hand fact witnesses, thus far, they are not doing so. One cannot complain about not having first-hand witnesses and then turnaround and be an advocate for not calling first-hand witnesses to testify when one has the opportunity to do so. If there’s nothing to hide, then release the documents (White House, State, DoD, etc.) and have the first-hand witnesses come forth. If this information further shows the President abused his powers and obstructed Congress, then so be it – remove. And if the information shows that it exonerates the President of wrongdoing, then so be it – acquit. Let the truth be known, and may justice be served. This is all we are after and we are asking for the whole truth.

Another day, another Davos. Today the statement is that the “business-cycle,” is dead. This was made by Bob Prince, Co-CIO of Bridgewater, the world’s largest hedge fund, co-managed by founder, Ray Dalio. Recall, Dalio stated, that “cash is trash.” We do not believe that the business-cycle is dead. It has most definitely been manipulated with massive amounts of fiscal and monetary stimulus. And yet despite all of this stimulus and money-printing, the global economy is barely growing. Hmmmm…can’t imagine why? (Major eye-roll). The business-cycle remains in tact and the “bust” phase of this cycle, not if, but when, it strikes, will likely be global in its reach and be as bad, if not worse than the Great Depression. Stay diversified, stay vigilant, and stay with The Kapital News. #Impeachment #Truth #Justice #Recession #Congress #Constitution #Republic #Economy #Politics #BusinessCycle #Debt War #Oil #EndTheFed #USA

Ep. 309 – The Week Ahead 01.20.2020

The Kapital News
The Kapital News
Ep. 309 - The Week Ahead 01.20.2020
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The weeks that lie ahead are ones of historic importance for the United States. The impeachment trial of President Donald J Trump is set to commence on Tuesday, 21 January 2020. Many of the rules that are to guide the process in the US Senate are still yet to be determined. It is imperative that the Senate places the US Constitution above partisan politics. It is their duty. It is their solemn obligation to uphold and defend the Constitution. Let the truth be know and may justice be served. This is what the American people deserve and it is what the Constitution requires. This then means that the process must be open, transparent, and fair. And that relevant fact witnesses and documents need to testify and be entered into the record. If not, then the US Senate has failed and with it – the health of the Republic remains in the balance.

On a global front, worldwide protests continue with violence escalating in Lebanon. So many people around the world are at the “end of their ropes,” and have nothing left to lose – so they’re protesting. We’ve been saying two things for quite awhile regarding these protesters – they are the only leaders in the world and these protests are not transitory, but rather history in the making. This is a global sea change and the people of the world are tired of the abuse, fraud, nepotism, and corruption that has for too long reigned in their respective governments. This will get much worse before it gets better. Stay diversified, stay vigilant, and stay with The Kapital News. #Impeachment #Truth #Justice #Peace #Economy #Politics #Recession #EndTheFed

Ep. 307 – All The President’s Men

The Kapital News
The Kapital News
Ep. 307 - All The President's Men
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Phase 1 signing ceremony. Articles of Impeachment sent from the House to the Senate. And an exclusive TV interview from Lev Parnas, an associate of Rudy Giuliani, who has been charged by the US Attorney from the Southern District of New York. What a day! On the US-China trade front – this is a terrible deal and one that basically takes us back to where we were two years ago before this whole thing started. Most of the goods and services that may be purchased by the Chinese are to take place in 2021 not 2020. Most of the goods that China may purchase are goods that they need anyway – pork, soybeans, and energy. The Chinese can remove their tariffs on US goods at their leisure – not on an agreed upon timetable. Some US tariffs will remain in place on Chinese goods and services. Thus keeping prices artificially high and continues the trend of uncertainty. There is an escape clause that basically states that if one party believes that the other is acting in bad faith, that the agreement can be severed. China also stated that they will make their determination to purchase goods and services based on market forces – i.e. prices, not because of a trade deal. In short, this is a pathetic deal – if we can even call it a deal. And don’t forget the numerous amount of farmers who have filed for bankruptcy during this process. And don’t forget the tens of billions of US dollars, from the taxpayers that went to bail-out farmers, especially large corporate farms.

An historic day for the United States of America as the Articles of Impeachment have been formally sent from the House to the Senate. The trial is expected to start next week and will likely last for at least a couple of weeks. We imagine, if it is an open, fair, and transparent trial that it will last longer. Time will tell. All we want is the truth to be known and for justice to be served. Regardless of who is implicated and charged. Put the politics aside.

Lastly, Lev Parnas gave an exclusive interview to Rachel Maddow of MSNBC, part 1 aired this evening and part 2 is scheduled for tomorrow evening. Much of what was stated raises more questions than it does provides answers. However, some of the answers appeared credible and can be corroborated with documentation. Some answers can be reasonably presumed to be correct, however, further evidence is needed. Further, some answers were speculative in nature and they also require further investigation and corroboration – either documentation and/or personal testimony of other individuals. One of the key themes as outlined by Parnas is contradicting the President and stating that Donald Trump was fully aware as to what Parnas, Giuliani, and others were doing in Ukraine. Recall that Parnas has also submitted documents to the House and those documents will now be a part of the official record with respect to the impeachment inquiry. Also, do consider the motive of Parnas when it comes to his statements – remain skeptical and ask tough questions and demand the truth and further investigations. This is far from over and there are many questions that need to be asked and answered. And many of them need to be asked of and answered by the President’s Men. Stay diversified, stay vigilant, and stay with The Kapital News. #Truth #Justice #Impeachment #Economy #Politics #Peace #USA #China #Trade #War

Ep. 305 – Truth, Lies – What’s the Difference?

The Kapital News
The Kapital News
Ep. 305 - Truth, Lies - What's the Difference?
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The Phase 1 trade “deal,” the US-Iranian tensions, and the Federal Reserve are front-and-center during today’s podcast. Of all these topics, which one is the most fraudulent? Which one pushes the most misinformation? Disinformation? Propaganda? Outright lies? Whether it’s coming from the President himself, a member of the Administration, any member of either party in Congress, or members and officials of another country – trying to determine the truth is a monumental task. And then one has to ask himself – does it even matter? Are the powers that be just going to do what they want to regardless of the truth? Regardless of the righteous and moral action? Runaway government spending, runaway money printing, and geopolitical tensions that could place us in WWIII. Stay diversified, stay vigilant, and stay with The Kapital News. #Economy #USA #China #Iran #Peace # War #Politics #EndTheFed

Ep. 304 – Fed Up, Yet?

The Kapital News
The Kapital News
Ep. 304 - Fed Up, Yet?
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Fed up with the Federal Reserve yet? What about domestic US politics? What about geopolitics? Well pick your poison, and we imagine that you’re fed up in one way or another. When it comes to our all-knowing Federal Reserve, we now have word that the repo madness is likely going to continue through Q1 of 2020 and take us into April. Recall that it was supposed to be a one-off in Q3 of 2019. Then it got extended, and extended, and extended once more. No surprise to this audience. We informed you back in July that if the Fed was going to keep the gravy-train running that they would have to put the pedal to the metal and that’s exactly what we’re witnessing. This is why we have a melt-up in stocks, fueling an ever-increasing bubble. This is why we have a growing number of zombie corporations roaming the countryside. A day of reckoning will come – it always does. But perhaps, just perhaps, one day people will be so Fed up that they’ll wake up to this fraudulent practice and call for true price discovery and a return to something we call free-market capitalism. Stay diversified, stay vigilant, and stay with The Kapital News. #Economy #Politics #EndTheFed #Recession #Truth #Justice #Peace #War #USA #China #Iran

Ep. 303 – Act of War or Not?

The Kapital News
The Kapital News
Ep. 303 - Act of War or Not?
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Guess it depends on who you ask, but given the recent actions from both the US and Iran, it could be reasonably argued that both sides committed acts of war. Now this morning, President Trump addressed the nation and the world by stating that there appears to be de-escalation. This is a good thing. He then goes on to blame the Obama Administration for sending Iran $150 billion several years ago, calls the former assassinated general, a terrorist, calls out Iranian aggression since 1979, and places additional economic sanctions on the Iranians. Does this qualify as de-escalation? Let’s hope so, but we remain skeptical.

During today’s podcast, we continue our history lesson of US-Iranian relations and it takes us back to the 1950s, not 1979. We want to provide our audience a fuller picture so you are equipped with the information necessary to make a well-informed decision. The military-industrial complex is in full-stride and the swamp has yet to be drained. In fact, on many metrics, it is overflowing. Stay diversified, stay vigilant, and stay with The Kapital News. #Peace #War #USA #Iran #Economy #Politics #Truth #Protests #Love

Ep. 302 – Iran Retaliates

The Kapital News
The Kapital News
Ep. 302 - Iran Retaliates
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The first casualty of any conflict or any war, is the truth. With that said, in the fog of war it is too easy to get the facts wrong. This evening, Iranian forces retaliated against American interests by attacking with missiles, Iraqi air bases that house US forces. There is mixed reporting as to whether or not there have been any American injuries or deaths, but what we do know is that via twitter, statements have been made by both Iranian and US officials.

On the Iranian front, the Foreign Minister has stated that Iran was justified in attacking these air bases as a matter of self defense in response to the recent American assassination of a top Iranian general. He continues by stating that Iran does not want things to escalate and that Iran does not want war. President Trump also commented via twitter stating that “all is well,” at least for now. That the US will be assessing closely the situation and will take account of the damage at the air bases. The President is expected to make comments tomorrow morning.

There is early speculation and analysis that Iran targeted these sites purposefully with the intent of not doing any physical harm to any American life. This would afford the regime the ability to show their people that they responded with force against the Americans. Yet at the same time, allows for a message to be sent to the Americans that Iran has the capability to attack with precision, but having chosen not to could be a message to Washington, that they are serious in de-escalation. Time will tell. All we can hope for is that this leads to constructive dialogue and not further destruction. Let us pray for peace. Stay diversified, stay vigilant, and stay with The Kapital News. #Peace #War #USA #Iran #Iraq #Oil #Economy #Politics #Truth

Ep. 301 – The End Game: Economy + Iran

The Kapital News
The Kapital News
Ep. 301 - The End Game: Economy + Iran
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With so much breaking news taking place on the economic and geopolitical front, a reasonable question to ask is, “what’s the end game?” The Federal Reserve, along with many other global central banks are priming the presses and added billions of dollars of liquidity on a daily basis. The “temporary” repo market intervention appears to be anything but, as we make our way into the 4th month of Fed intervention. Just today, the Fed added nearly $77B into the market – the result? US markets starting out the day in the red and ending in the green. There is no market. There is no price discovery. This is a completely manipulated market. Meanwhile, we continue to see further economic numbers showing a continued stalling and decline. A look at the Services PMI out of Japan is now in contraction as well with a reading of 49.2.

On the geopolitical front, which still has major implications on the global economy, were the first shots of WWIII fired just last week when the US assassinated an Iranian general and other officials? Many analysts are saying yes. This is not a good day in world history. Yes, the Iranian general was not a good man, but how many other bad men are out there? Did another just take his place? When will this end? Which leads us to our question of this podcast – what is the end game? What kind of retaliation will there be from Iran? Or will this major gamble from President Trump pay-off? Let us pray for peace. But if history is any guide, and it’s usually one of the best, then this escalation is just getting started. Stay diversified, stay vigilant, and stay with The Kapital News. #Peace #War #Economy #Politics #Truth #Justice #EndTheFed #USA #Iran #Iaq

Ep. 300 – Marching Towards War?

The Kapital News
The Kapital News
Ep. 300 - Marching Towards War?
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They say hindsight is 2020. Well clearly that is not the case in the old US of A in the year 2020. Following the drone strike by US forces that killed a top Iranian general, we heard remarks from President Donald Trump, stating that we are not looking for regime change, and that this action was not taken to start a war, but to end a war. Really? No regime change? This general was expected to perhaps become the Iranian president in the not too distant future. This by definition is regime change. This action is not a declaration of war? Really? What happens if a US general travelling in Canada was killed by an Iranian strike at Toronto International Airport? – we imagine that the US would consider this an act of war. The rhetoric and actions taken by the Administration are eerily reminiscent of the language used to hype the Iraqi War in 2002-2003 (clear intelligence assessments and pre-emptive attacks). Have we learned nothing? It appears not.

There are many in the media claiming that President Trump is using this as a distraction from the impeachment trial. Perhaps. But perhaps this is also an attempt at distracting the American people from an economy that continues to show signs of weakness. Released today was the ISM Manufacturing PMI figure and it declined to 47.2 – a low not seen since June of 2009. Another report was also released showing signs that nine states are headed for contraction – this number has not been this high since 2009 as well. If everything is so great, then why are we comparing numbers to the Great Recession? And perhaps even further, the President is attempting to use geopolitical tensions and even war itself as the reason why the stock market experiences a major pullback. We’re not claiming that such a pullback is imminent or that one will even happen (although the data shows that it could), but that the President will use that as an excuse for any type of “poor” market performance. It’s only the 3rd day of 2020 – buckle up. Stay diversified, stay vigilant, and stay with The Kapital News. #Peace #War #Politics #Economy #Truth

Ep. 299 – Iran in the Crosshairs?

The Kapital News
The Kapital News
Ep. 299 - Iran in the Crosshairs?
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Given recent US strikes against Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria, is the US looking to escalate this conflict? Well, given the drone strike that just recently killed a Major General in the Iranian forces – the answer appears to be yes. The General was killed in Iraq near the Baghdad airport and both US and Iranian sources have confirmed the death. Several other officials were killed in the attack. Not surprisingly, the prices of crude and Brent oil are both up over 3% on the geopolitical news. President Trump’s campaign against Iran with his “maximum pressure” seems to be escalating from economic to military. Of course, some of the US response was responding to Iranian involvement in Iraq and Syria, and the recent killing of an American contractor. Don’t forget that both Iraq and Iran are locations that are contributing to the global protests. People around the world are at their breaking point due to economic hardships, cost of living increases, income inequality, and the fraud, abuse, corruption, and nepotism which exists in governments the world over. The Kapital News has been stating for months that these protests are not transitory, but rather history in the making. And it now appears that at some point in 2020 there will be further escalation, further military conflicts, and perhaps even war. Let us pray for peace. Stay diversified, stay vigilant, and stay with The Kapital News. #Peace #War #Economy #Politics