Tag: Presidential Campaign

Ep. 449 – Banks Caught Red-Handed?
The Kapital News
The Kapital News
Ep. 449 - Banks Caught Red-Handed?
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Major documents that are housed within the Treasury Department’s, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, have been released. These files are not to be released, nonetheless, various news agencies and investigative journalists got their hands on them and have been going through them for over a year – connecting the dots and painting a picture. The story it tells is one where between 1999 and 2017, banks flagged over $2 trillion in suspicious activity transactions. The suspicious activity reports or SARs that are filed by banks and sent to FinCEN, are done so for the purpose of identifying and tracking illegal behaviors. These actions can range from the financing of terrorism, drug operations, Ponzi schemes, kleptocratic regimes, and the like. These documents will be on the level of previous releases, such as the Snowden files, Panama Papers, and various Wikileaks reports.

Pertaining to finance, this of course has a global reach and engulfs the largest banks in the world, which despite filing the SARs, are still able to collect fees off of these transactions, and rarely if ever have to pay fines. Further, executives and board members are rarely if ever held to account either criminally or civilly. And should fines be paid, then it’s the shareholders who flip the bill and not the managers who knew about these activities and/or allowed them to continue. It is no surprise that the Treasury Department is not pleased that some of these documents are likely going to be published, and express their concerns on how such a release can compromise national security and law enforcement interests. This is the typical line that is given from the government – “hiding” behind national security. There is no question that legitimate national security and law enforcement activities are of concern and should be. However, how many times have we heard this as justification from the government, only to learn that they did so to conceal wrongdoing within various departments and to infringe on the peoples’ Constitutional rights? If we’re supposed to be a government, of, by, and for the people, then how can the people make the right decision(s) in electing our political leaders, and focus on the most important issues, if the people are intentionally left in the dark?

This story will not go away anytime soon. However, what does come into question, is how much attention it will get on the mainstream media, within the Congress, within the White House, and within the public. So do not be surprised if there is an attempt to “sweep this under the rug.” Stay diversified, stay vigilant, and stay with The Kapital News. #Economy #Banks #Fraud #Bailouts #Debt #USA #Recession #BuzzFeed

Ep. 448 – Weekly Wrap Up
The Kapital News
The Kapital News
Ep. 448 - Weekly Wrap Up
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News this evening is the passing of Associate Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was 87 years old and passed away in the presence of her family. Ginsburg was nominated by President Bill Clinton and served nearly thirty years on the bench of the Supreme Court. She was a tireless advocate for equal rights, especially among women – and her work alone in this area as a lawyer, would have made her an historic American figure even if she was not a Justice on the Supreme Court. May American history always remember her, and her dedication to equal rights, and may she rest in peace.

Other topics discussed today were those that were covered throughout this week. A recap of the town halls of President Trump and VP Joe Biden; further commentary on the 29.8 million Americans still receiving some form of unemployment assistance; and the likelihood of some type of additional spending/bailout coming down the pike. Enjoy your weekend! Stay diversified, stay vigilant, and stay with The Kapital News. #Economy #Jobs #Unemployment #Recession #USA #SupremeCourt #Gold #Silver #Inflation #Depression #Trump #Biden #Liberty #Revolution #BananaRepublic #EndTheFed

Ep. 447 – Town Hall Showdown, Trump v. Biden Pt II
The Kapital News
The Kapital News
Ep. 447 - Town Hall Showdown, Trump v. Biden Pt II
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This evening, from Scranton, Pa., former VP Joe Biden was at the town hall event hosted by CNN, and moderated by Anderson Cooper. Earlier in the week we discussed President Trump’s town hall, also in Pennsylvania. This state selection is not a coincidence as Pennsylvania is very much a battleground in the campaign. Recall that President Trump won the state in 2016 by a slim margin – Pennsylvania is typically a Democratic party stronghold in Presidential elections. Just as the President did what he needed to do, the same holds true for Joe Biden. Neither man had any major gaffe that would derail their respective campaigns. Nonetheless, this provides the country with a little sneak preview of perhaps how the first debate will look when that takes place on 29 September. Some topics of discussion during the town hall pertained to taxes, healthcare, and energy – all of which we explore during today’s podcast.

Also covered today were the typical data points related to initial jobless claims, which came in at 860,000 for the week ending 12 September. The prior week’s number was also revised upward by 9,000 to 893,000. When looking at the report in aggregate we see that the total among persons claiming some form of unemployment benefit came in at 29.8 million. This is a week-over-week increase of some 98,000. This is for the week ending 29 August, as their is a lag for these figures. What is interesting to note in this report is that this grand total weekly change saw a notable increase to the “Regular State” category of some 215,000. Is this indicative of the next wave of layoffs? It can be reasoned that if this is the case, that a significant portion of these potential layoffs will be borne by white-collar jobs. We have been seeing a marked increase in the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency UC programs over the last few weeks, which were creations of the Nobody CARES Act. Under these programs, assistance was extended and/or given to those who typically would not qualify for Regular State unemployment benefits – such as gig/contract workers and the self-employed. The fact that we are now seeing an increase in Regular State, may very well indicate that another round of layoffs is underway. Also indicative of this is the fact that we are still experiencing several hundred thousand layoffs per week, several months into this pandemic.

Per our analysis, this is not surprising to see, unfortunately. However, it is still difficult to gain a true sense of the jobs picture because of the distortionary effects of fiscal and monetary policy. So it will likely be at least a few more months until be we gain a better view on the jobs front – as moratoriums are lifted/expire, evictions pick up, and further bankruptcies and insolvencies come down the pike. Stay diversified, stay vigilant, and stay with The Kapital News. #Economy #Jobs #Unemployment #DNC #RNC #Bailouts #Debt #Recession #Inflation #Gold #Silver #Depression #USA #Trump #Biden #Liberty #Revolution #BananaRepublic #EndTheFed

Ep. 446 – Fed Speaks + No Leadership
The Kapital News
The Kapital News
Ep. 446 - Fed Speaks + No Leadership
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The world is and has been crying out for the truth and leadership for quite a while, and unfortunately, it is getting neither. Whether it’s central governments and central banks continuing with their fraudulent and asinine policies that seek to perpetually kick the proverbial can down the road, in attempts to sustain the unsustainable, to the massive amount of political corruption and mismanagement, to various social issues that seemingly never go away, one thing is certain – there is an absence of leadership. Global protests were here well before COVID-19 and they will be with us for the foreseeable future and they will gain momentum and intensify. A political sea change is here and it needs to be, because this global system is collapsing under its own weight. The question then becomes, what policies do we, as a nation, and even as the human race, adopt? Because if it’s more of the same – then we get more of the same. But if we restore our founding principles and free-market capitalism, then our future can outshine all of this darkness that we are experiencing.

Today was also the conclusion of the FOMC meeting whereby the Fed, as expected, kept rates unchanged at the zero bound (0.00 – 0.25bps). It was a terrible performance by Jay Powell, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, during the press conference. Despite facing relatively weak and predictable questions, the fact that what the Fed has and continues to do, makes it very difficult for even the Fed Chairman to defend. In addition, he cannot simply gloss over the devastating economic reality with half the country broke and in debt. Furthermore, the corporate debt load is simply staggering, thus creating one zombie company after the next, which all but guarantees slow and anemic growth ahead. Then you have to take into consideration the massive amount of evictions, insolvencies, bankruptcies, and layoffs that are just around the corner. Take all of this together and not many would have had a solid press conference performance – unless of course one was inclined to tell the truth and to be a leader. But since we do not hear the truth and thus have no leadership in these positions of power, then we will continue to get the same devastating and destructive results. #Economy #Jobs #Leadership #Inflation #Recession #Depression #USA #Liberty #Revolution #BananaRepublic #EndTheFed #Bailouts #Debt #Gold

Ep. 445 – Town Hall Showdown, Trump v. Biden
The Kapital News
The Kapital News
Ep. 445 - Town Hall Showdown, Trump v. Biden
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This evening the President gave a town hall event, hosted by ABC News, in Philadelphia, Pa. The President fielded questions from the audience and he held is own. Of course, the President was his usual self with a mixture of the truth, misinformation, distortions, exaggerations, and lies, but nonetheless, the President speaks in a manner that still resonates with many people. The audience was comprised of supporters and non-supporters and asked questions related to healthcare, the pandemic, race relations, and other relevant and timely topics. This gives us a little sample of the upcoming Presidential debates and how the President may respond to similar questions.

Later this week, on Thursday, Joe Biden will be at a town hall event, hosted by CNN, in Scranton, Pa. A lot of media coverage, especially from the Republican side, has been hyping up the debates, and are looking for Joe Biden to have a major mess-up. Should this occur, then the image that the Trump campaign is creating of Joe Biden, of a bumbling, unaware, old-man, will play right into their hands. So, this town hall may very well play a key role in seeing how Biden can handle himself in front of a live audience. Of course, Biden was on the stage for several debates throughout the primary season, as well as other televised town hall events, and he is now the party’s candidate – implying that he too held his own. There are stark contrasts in style between Trump and Biden as with ideologies, and these town halls provide us with a glimpse of what to expect in the coming debates. Stay diversified, stay vigilant, and stay with The Kapital News. #Economy #Recession #USA #Inflation #Gold #Silver #Protests #BananaRepublic #Depression #EndTheFed #Liberty #Revolution

Ep. 444 – Economic Survey Says…
The Kapital News
The Kapital News
Ep. 444 - Economic Survey Says...
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Today’s podcast focuses on a recent survey conducted by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The focus of the poll was centered around the economic, social, and health fallout of the pandemic. The results were, “much, much, much worse than” what some directors of the poll were predicting. When taking into account the trillions of dollars thrown into the system with the Nobody CARES Act, the survey architects thought that the results would not have been this bad at this stage – the survey was conducted from 1 July to 3 August. The survey also focuses on the four largest cities within the United States – New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston. Truly heartbreaking and devastating data exists throughout, such as many households already going through their savings, and showing further evidence as to how many households around the country did not have any savings to begin with even prior to the pandemic. Further concerns expressed by respondents were that of delaying medical care and procedures – some of which being classified as major. This is likely going to have long-term effects on the country as well, since many people were unable to see a doctor or had to delay procedures due to the concerns related to the pandemic. And despite the city, some hospitals were simply overcrowded. Still yet, with many schools still not open or partially open, leaves families and households with the additional responsibility of playing teacher and/or assisting their children at home. Many households are experiencing added pressure and stress due to this reality. What is also disconcerting is the finding in the survey that illustrates how in Los Angeles, many families do not have the high-speed internet they need so their children can attend online classes – or if they should have an internet connection at all. This is but a sample of the overall survey and needless to say, this is not a pretty picture. Please check out this article and the survey’s findings by clicking on the link at the top of this write-up or here.

These are the very issues that we have been discussing since early 2019 – well before the onset of any pandemic. These were the similar stats that were telling us that a significant portion of the country was living paycheck-to-paycheck; and had minimal savings if any, and still had various debts to payoff. This was all a disaster in and of itself and in the making. This system of corruption, abuse, nepotism, excessive debts, excessive taxation, over-regulation, and banana republic money printing is unsustainable and is eating itself alive. All of this is readily apparent and unfolding right in front of our faces. These realities for millions if not billions of people around the planet, are the direct and indirect costs associated with this system that has been adopted and which the powers that be are doing everything they can to sustain it – this must stop. We have the blueprint to correct this – the Constitution of the United States of America and free-market capitalism. Stay diversified, stay vigilant, and stay with The Kapital News. #Economy #Depression #Jobs #Recession #Inflation #Unemployment #Liberty #Revolution #BananaRepublic #USA #EndTheFed #Gold #Silver #Protests

Ep. 443 – The Social Disorder
The Kapital News
The Kapital News
Ep. 443 - The Social Disorder
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This weekend we witnessed more protests with the return of the Yellow Vests in France and a large march in Belarus, amongst others. As The Kapital News has been arguing extensively since last year, these protests and riots will continue and get worse before they get better. The global financial and political system is coming to an end and it will not be a pretty decline. In other, but related news, as The Kapital News has also been reporting and warning of, the world’s weakest links are cracking and will continue to do so. We have covered Venezuela and Lebanon’s economic, social, and political turmoil for months and have been warning about the next links in the chain of Turkey and Iran. Over the weekend, we are witnessing significant declines in these countries’ currencies. A direct symptom of a system in decline. This type of weakness in one’s respective currency is already the result of inflationary actions, and if these declines continue, and The Kapital News believes that they will, then these countries and others should be bracing for hyperinflation as well.

The main discussion for today’s podcast centers around a recent documentary that was watched by podcast host, Alex Karidis, titled, “The Social Dilemma,” on Netflix. This documentary focuses on current and former tech executives and engineers responsible for building and monetizing some of the world’s largest social media platforms. The consensus among the group is that the negative side effects are outweighing the positive. They don’t see this ending anytime soon either, as there is simply too much money to be made. The film highlights the mental health issues that are being experienced by many, but with particular emphasis on children and teenagers. They also explore the political ramifications and election meddling that can and likely will take place – and not by “hacking” these platforms, but rather by simply utilizing the tools that these platforms already readily provide. These platforms play a major role in moving people further and deeper into their respective political silos, which creates a vicious downward cycle of division within this country and others. This is destructive and incredibly dangerous should this trend continue and it appears that it will for the foreseeable future. The Kapital News recommends that you watch this documentary with your friends and family or at least inform them of this most important and timely discussion for both political reasons, and more importantly, the mental health of your children and family. Stay diversified, stay vigilant, and stay with The Kapital News. #Economy #Protests #SocialMedia #USA #BananaRepublic #Protests #Riots #Inflation #Depression #Recession #Gold #Silver #Liberty #Revolution

Ep. 442 – Small Business Pulse Check
The Kapital News
The Kapital News
Ep. 442 - Small Business Pulse Check
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Our typical Thursday discussion revolves around the initial jobless claims data, along with that of the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet, and M2 money stock. With respect to initial jobless claims, the number came in at 884,000, which was higher than market forecasts, but below that one million figure we’ve been witnessing for far too long. However, in aggregate when we review the total number of Americans claiming some form of unemployment insurance benefit, this figure now stands at 29.6 million. This is the second weekly increase where last weeks change added over 2 million to the total count. The bulk of these increases have been seen in the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program – a creation of the Nobody CARES Act. This program is for small business owners, contract workers, gig workers, and the like. So is this telling us something about the state of small business? On the monetary front, the European Central Bank, ECB, announced today that they will be keeping rates unchanged, and that they will be purchasing up to 1.35 trillion Euros of debt until June of 2021.

On the small business front, we highlight a recent article from Axios that covers a Goldman Sachs survey that questions 10,000 small businesses. There of course is some good news and some bad news. From the question, “Based on the situation today, do you think your business will survive?” An all-time survey low of 65% answered yes – the survey goes back to April. Those who answered, no, was at a survey high of 7%. While many small businesses are beginning to or are already completely open once again, a significant figure of 36% are claiming that without additional help from Congress, they will have to layoff workers and/or cut hours/pay. Further, 30% of respondents noted that without additional support from Congress, they will burn through their cash reserves by the end of the year. There are still many questions that need to be asked and answered and the distortionary effects that exist within the economy due to the policies implemented by Congress, the White House, and the Fed, make knowing the answers to these questions that much more difficult. One thing is certain, it is going to take a little while longer to gain a better picture of the real jobs market and the related economic fallout. Stay diversified, stay vigilant, and stay with The Kapital News. #Economy #Jobs #Unemployment #Depression #Recession #Inflation #USA #Gold #Liberty #Silver #Revolution #BananaRepublic #EndTheFed

Ep. 441 – Global Protests – History or Fad?
The Kapital News
The Kapital News
Ep. 441 - Global Protests - History or Fad?
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For those who have been with The Kapital News for a while, know that our take on the global protests is that they are not transitory, but rather history in the making. Time will of course tell all, but it must be understood that many of these protests were occurring before COVID-19, and they’re likely to pick up steam again, if they haven’t already done so. It’s important to stress that COVID-19 has revealed how weak and unsustainable the global system is. A global economy that builds itself on debt was just taunting this type of scenario, such as a pandemic, to occur. So while the economic and political fallout that has been underway throughout this year will surely blame the pandemic, especially politicians and policymakers, this audience must understand that the issues being protested against were years in the making. This is why so many of them were taking place prior to the pandemic and this is why we take so many efforts to stress this point. It was a collapsing system before the pandemic. And once the trillions of dollars that have been thrown into the global financial system begins to wear off, the true economic, social, and political fallout will begin. Despite how bad things have been for so many – we ain’t seen nothing yet. Stay diversified, stay vigilant, and stay with The Kapital News. #Economy #Protests #Depression #Inflation #Gold #BananaRepublic #Silver #EndTheFed #Liberty #Revolution #USA

Ep. 440 – Election Day Coming Soon
The Kapital News
The Kapital News
Ep. 440 - Election Day Coming Soon
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Since we’re only a couple of months away from election day, we wanted to take the time to discuss some of the many issues that are still circulating and waiting in the wings. Unfortunately, many of these structural issues are not likely even going to be discussed during the campaign, but the problems associated will continue to be experienced by millions of Americans. Some of these issues consist of, evictions and moratoriums, bankruptcies and insolvencies, issues in commercial and residential real estate, jobs and unemployment, federal government spending and Federal Reserve actions, protests and riots, COVID-19 and vaccine(s), national debt and deficits, amongst others. This is a lot to cover and what the campaigns are likely going to continue to do, is blame the other side and attempt to scare people by “creating” a window into the world that will exist if the other side is in the White House. This shows you their respective lack of focus and their contempt for you because they do not even want to discuss the structural issues that are causing the many other smaller concerns that they want you to focus on. This is pure propaganda, politics, and divide and conquer at play. Wise up and wake up to the real issues. Stay diversified, stay vigilant, and stay with The Kapital News. #Economy #Jobs #Election #USA #Inflation #Gold #Recession #Depression #Silver #Liberty #Revolution #BananaRepublic #EndTheFed