Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Thursday, 25 February 2016

The European Union Times


Posted: 25 Feb 2016 10:14 AM PST

Donald Trump is calling for an audit of the Federal Reserve.
The GOP frontrunner said it was important to audit the Fed and even called out his rival, Sen. Ted Cruz, for skipping a vote on Sen. Rand Paul’s “Audit the Fed” proposal back in Jan.
“It is so important to audit the Federal Reserve, and yet Ted Cruz missed the vote on the bill that would allow this to be done,” Trump tweeted out.
During Friday’s appearance on the Alex Jones Show, Trump insider Roger Stone was asked if Trump would call for an audit, and Stone said that he thought so but would pass the message along to the Trump campaign.
“He’s not a big fan of the Fed,” Stone pointed out. “He is scaring the central bankers; he is scaring the Washington/Wall Street/D.C. consultant/lobbyist class.”
“He’s deeply suspicious of the Fed and I think he is open-minded about the Fed… I’d suspect you’d get an audit of the Fed [with Trump].”

It now appears Trumps wants to do just that by calling for greater transparency on monetary policy-making from the Fed, which is sorely needed due to the central bank’s ability to create bubbles and usher in depressions through endless money creation known as “quantitative easing” that only leads to mass inflation and the ultimate destruction of the dollar.
In other words, while Bernie Sanders complains about the “rich” destroying the economy, it’s actually the Federal Reserve and Trump is targeting the Fed.
“While I would agree wholeheartedly that the US economy is in serious trouble, it is not because of the ‘greed’ of billionaires,” said Dr. Bill Anderson, an Austrian economist and Mises Institute scholar. “It is because the US government, through the Federal Reserve System, has created what [former Reagan economist] David Stockman has called the ‘casino economy’ that has substituted trading of sovereign debt and monetary manipulation for a real economy with interest rates that reflect actual economic fundamentals.”
A rollback of the Fed’s power has yet to be done successfully despite valiant attempts by both Sen. Paul and his father Ron Paul.
And Trump is doing something Bernie Sanders won’t do, despite the socialist claiming he’s against the banks; back in 2010, Sanders killed then-Rep. Ron Paul’s “Audit the Fed” bill.
“Bernie Sanders has sold out and sided with [Sen.] Chris Dodd to gut Audit the Fed in the Senate. His ‘compromise’ is what the administration and banking interests want,” Ron Paul wrote on Facebook not long afterwards.
Sanders finally voted “yes” on Sen. Paul’s more recent “Audit the Fed” proposal, but likely only because he was under more scrutiny than before.
As for Ted Cruz, his known ties to Goldman Sachs reveal why he skipped the latest “Audit the Fed” vote.
“You take a guy like Cruz, people are liking the Cruz — they think he’s for the free market, and [in reality] he’s owned by Goldman Sachs,” Ron Paul said of the Texas senator on Fox Business’ Varney & Company. “I mean, he and Hillary have more in common than we would have with Cruz and Trump or any of them so I just don’t think there is much picking.”
Source
        
Posted: 25 Feb 2016 10:06 AM PST

China warned the United States on Wednesday not to adopt punitive currency policies that could disrupt U.S.-China relations after Donald Trump’s win in the Nevada caucus.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing that “we are following with interest the U.S. presidential election.”
Hua was asked about China’s response to a possible Trump presidency and his announced plan to punish China for currency manipulation with a tax on Chinese goods.
“Since it belongs to the domestic affair of the U.S., I am not going to make comments on specific remarks by the relevant candidate,” she said.
Source
        
Posted: 25 Feb 2016 09:50 AM PST

The United States does not rule out a possible military action against North Korea, if Pyongyang continues to develop its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, says a top US military commander.
On January 6, North Korea said it had successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb, a move that outraged Washington and prompted Congress to hit back with more sanctions against the country.
The standoff between Washington and Pyongyang further escalated on February 7, after North Korea successfully launched a long-range missile allegedly carrying an earth observation satellite.
The missile was thought to have a range of over 10,000 kilometers, enough to reach the US mainland.
Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Admiral Harry Harris, commander of US Pacific Command, said North Korea’s nuclear test was a global threat and a US military action is possible if such moves continue.
“I think they have posed a very distinct and real threat, not only to peace and stability on the Korean peninsula but globally,” Harris said.
Harris said he was not convinced that Pyongyang was in possession of thermonuclear weapons, but nonetheless, the latest atomic test posed a threat to US as well.
“They are on a quest for nuclear weapons and a means to militarize them and the means to deliver them intercontinentally; they pose a real threat to Hawaii and to the West Coast of the mainland United States and soon to the entire US,” the commander added.
Harris also used the opportunity to point out the Pacific Command’s shortage of weapons, saying “critical munitions shortfalls are a top priority and concern.”
Pyongyang will use WMDs if saw fit
Also testifying before the panel on Tuesday, was General Curtis Scaparrotti, commander of US Forces Korea, who said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will not hesitate to use weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) if his leadership is challenged.
If he “thought his regime were challenged, he states that he would use WMD,” Scaparrotti said, noting that tensions on the Korean Peninsula have reached their highest level in more than 20 years.
The recent surge in tensions between the two countries has prompted Washington to deploy more missile systems and advanced fighter jets to South Korea, drawing criticism from Russia and China.
Source
        
Posted: 25 Feb 2016 09:37 AM PST

The US and Russia have adopted “Terms for a Cessation of Hostilities in Syria” and propose that a ceasefire start on Saturday at midnight Damascus time. Terror groups, such as ISIS and Al-Nusra, are not part of the truce.
According to the statement, the truce will “be applied to [all] those parties to the Syrian conflict that have indicated their commitment” to accept its terms. It will exclude Islamic State, Al-Nusra Front and “other terrorist organizations designated by the UN Security Council.”
The ceasefire plan also stipulates that other parties should indicate “their commitment to and acceptance of the terms for the cessation of hostilities” by no later than 12:00 (Damascus time) on February 26.
In terms of GMT, the ceasefire is due to take place on Thursday at 22:00, and all the parties should voice their agreement by 10:00.
President Vladimir Putin said he had a telephone call with Barack Obama and both the leaders welcomed the plan, praising it as an important result of several rounds of closed talks.
Putin noted strikes on terror targets are to continue.
“As for ISIS, Al-Nusra and other terror groups – regarded as such by the UN Security Council – they are totally exempt from the truce,” he said. “Strikes against them will continue.”
Moscow and Washington are to work together to determine which groups will not be targeted.
“This is a real chance to stop the bloodshed in Syria,” as well as to deliver humanitarian aid, Putin said in a televised statement. Russia is to exercise its influence on Damascus, he said, adding that he expects to see the same effort from the US with regards to the opposition forces and allies.
According to the joint statement, Russia and the US are also to set up a communications hotline and possibly a working group to exchange information after the cessation of hostilities comes into effect.
The document also announces the establishment of an International Syria Support Group (ISSG) Ceasefire Task Force under the auspices of the UN. It will be tasked with identifying territories held by terrorists, ensuring communications between all parties in order to “rapidly de-escalate tensions,” and reporting any “persistent non-compliant behavior by any of the parties.”
Riad Hijab, a coordinator for the Supreme Negotiations Committee – a group of Syrian opposition forces backed by Turkey and Saudi Arabia – also confirmed that a provisional agreement has been reached. He added that the deal would be “according to international guarantees.”
State Department spokesman Mark Toner said that the end of hostilities in Syria needs to be implemented by all groups, including Turkey.
“So as part of a cessation of hostilities, it’s incumbent on all the groups within Syria to either buy in or buy out, and if you buy out and if you don’t – if you refuse to participate, then you’re making your decision and you’re making it clear that you don’t, and that’s ultimately the decision of each of these groups on the ground … We’ve been very clear we want to see Turkey stop its shelling,” Toner said during a briefing.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier also welcomed the deal, saying that a cessation of hostilities is “within reach [and] as close as never before in years,” while adding that “it would be a much-needed success and a real ray of hope for the people of Syria, when perseverance, tenacity and patient negotiation would finally pay off.”
The announcement comes just a day after multiple blasts rocked the Syrian cities of Damascus and Homs, claiming the lives of more than 114 people and wounding hundreds.
A series of explosions hit the Sayeda Zeinab district in the south of Syria’s capital Damascus on Sunday. At least 83 people were killed and almost 200 injured when two suicide bombers reportedly blew themselves up in the crowd gathered in the area of the first blast.
Earlier on the same day, at least 34 people died in a double bombing attack in Homs. According to some reports the death toll in the incident reached 46 with more than 110 injured.
On Sunday, Syrian President Bashar Assad said Damascus is ready for a ceasefire, but will not tolerate terrorists exploiting it to restore their positions, adding that the Syrian Army will still continue fight Al-Nusra and Islamic State, as well as radical Islamist Ahrar al-Sham and Jaysh al-Islam.
Source
        
Posted: 25 Feb 2016 09:18 AM PST


During his National Governors Association speech Monday, President Obama joked there was a lot to get done during his final days in office, including “appointing judges.”
“Some of you may be in the final year of your term, working as hard as you can to get as much done as possible for the folks you represent, fixing roads, educating our children, helping people retrain, appointing judges, the usual stuff,” the president jested, as the crowd in attendance burst into laughter.
Last week, the president was criticized after it was announced he would not be attending the funeral of Associate Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
Obama was further lambasted when it was reported he spent less than two minutes paying his respects to Justice Scalia during the Saturday service at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.
Source
        
Posted: 24 Feb 2016 02:50 PM PST

Donald Trump widened his lead after Jeb Bush left the presidential race.
The GOP frontrunner experienced a surge in support once Bush suspended his campaign, and the only other candidate to gain at Bush’s expense was John Katich.
“The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of likely Republican voters finds Trump with 36% support, giving him a 15-point lead over Senator Marco Rubio who earns 21% of the vote,” the poll revealed. “Senator Ted Cruz is in third place with 17%.”
“For Trump, that’s a five-point gain in support from the beginning of this month just after the Iowa caucus and right before the New Hampshire primary when it was Trump 31%, Rubio 21% and Cruz 20% among likely GOP voters; Rubio’s support has held steady, while support for Cruz has fallen slightly.”
The poll also revealed that 71% of Republican voters now favor building a wall along the U.S/Mexico border and among these voters, 43% support Trump.
“The order of the candidates is Trump, Rubio and Cruz among Republicans of all ages, but Trump runs strongest among those under 40,” Rasmussen Reports added. “The billionaire businessman has a two-to-one lead over Rubio among male GOP primary voters.”
The poll was conducted during Feb. 21-22, and since then Trump has called for an audit of the Federal Reserve and theprosecution of Hillary Clinton, both of which will likely add to his already dominant lead.
Source
        
Posted: 24 Feb 2016 02:31 PM PST


The mainstream media continually aims to prop up the so-far-failed candidacy of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL).
The Drudge Report has declared Donald Trump “the nominee” in 2016 after his 45.9% landslide victory in Nevada’s caucuses on Tuesday night.
The Drudge Report, which is run by media mogul Matt Drudge, is clearly trolling the entire mainstream media—which continually aims to prop up the so-far-failed candidacy of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL).
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is also hanging in there for now, and the two are battling each other, but Trump—ever since Cruz’s comeback victory in Iowa’s caucuses—has been plainly dominating in every contest since.
Trump won New Hampshire’s primaries and then South Carolina’s primaries, both in landslide elections. Trump is the runaway leader in most polling in soon-to-vote states, leading Rubio in Florida, Ohio Gov. John Kasich in his home state, and in virtually every Super Tuesday state.
Source
        
Posted: 24 Feb 2016 01:22 PM PST

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has announced plans to call a referendum on mandatory migrant quotas proposed by the EU as a solution to the current crisis engulfing Europe. Orban hinted he hoped Hungarians would reject the plan.
Orban said that the referendum question would be: “Do you want the European Union to be able to mandatory settle non-Hungarian citizens in Hungary, even without the approval of the Hungarian Parliament?” The PM added that those who choose not to back the EU’s proposal and reject the plan would thus be supporting Hungary’s independence.
“The EU has no right to make decisions that could change the lives of people without asking them,” the PM told a news conference on Wednesday, adding that such EU action “equals an abuse of power.” If introduced, the quotas would redraw the ethnic, cultural and religious map not only of Hungary, but of the whole of Europe, he warned.
A mandatory quota for the resettlement of migrants and refugees has long been rejected by the Hungarian government. By putting the issue to a national referendum, “the government is responding to public sentiment,” Orban said.
Without specifying when the voting might be held, the PM said that the question had already been submitted for approval to the National Election Office.
The government-initiated referendum can be taken as a sure thing because the majority in the Hungarian parliament “surely support it,” Mariann Ory, a journalist and political commentator from Budapest who was at the meeting where the statement was made, told RT.
The Hungarian governing party Fidesz has already started collecting signatures against the mandatory quota and have around 2 million so far, “so we can say that quite a lot of people in Hungary definitely do not support the quota,” Ory said.
To tackle the crisis, the Hungarian government argues that the EU should secure its external borders, Ory told RT: “Unless those borders are not secured, we can’t talk about any quota, be it a mandatory or a voluntary quota solution: we can’t talk about how to distribute people if these people just keep on coming.”
In September last year, in an effort to prevent migrants and asylum seekers from illegally crossing into Hungary, Orban’s government decided to erect a fence on the border with Serbia and introduced tough punishments of up to three years in prison for those who abuse the border crossing or damage the barrier.
However, the four-meter-high, razor-wire fence has not stopped thousands of illegal migrants from forcing their way into the country. More than 1,200 people have been caught at the border fence in February alone – a number four times higher than in December last year.
Source
        
Posted: 24 Feb 2016 12:30 PM PST

UPDATE: The “Kill Trump” account was finally suspended MINUTES after this story was published. It only took Twitter a mere 6 months.
As Twitter suspended the account of yet another conservative for the crime of having the wrong politics, an account called ‘Kill Donald Trump’ that advocates assassinating the Republican frontrunner is still active six months later.
The social media giant shut down an account belonging to conservative journalist Robert Stacy McCain on Friday night, the latest example of what some claim is a purge of voices on the political right.
Although no reason was given for the ban, McCain asserts that it was a reaction to his strident criticism of third wave feminism.
However, while Twitter seems keen to silence bloggers who challenge leftist narratives, it appears to be more apathetic about leftists themselves who openly advocate the assassination of America’s potential next president – Donald Trump.
An account entitled ‘Kill Donald Trump’ that was started in August last year is still active six months later. “Someone should kill Donald Trump already. EL CHAPO do your thing,” states the bio information for the account.
The account features retweets of numerous other Twitter users who have called for the assassination of Trump, as well as direct tweets from the account owner, including one that reads, “That bastard bitch #trump #Donald should fucking die. Anyone got any people? Go to his election and shoot him with a sniper.”

“Anyone know a person that can kill Donald Trump?” reads another tweet.
Despite representing an obvious violation of Twitter’s terms of service, which state that users must not engage in “Violent threats (direct or indirect),” the account has not been suspended.
Thousands of other Twitter users who have threatened to kill Trump or expressed a wish to see him assassinated have also not had their accounts suspended.
Twitter recently announced the creation of a new ‘Trust and Safety’ council under the guise of combating online abuse, but critics assert it will police free speech and censor conservative voices.
The council does not contain a single conservative group or organization that robustly defends free speech and is instead made up of groups like Feminist Frequency, led by Anita Sarkeesian, a woman who thinks disagreeing with a feminist is a form of “harassment”.
Although Twitter is a private company and can censor whoever it likes, social media platforms are increasingly beginning to resemble public commons where online speech has real world consequences.
With thousands of people being arrested for tweets every year, broadening the definition of what constitutes “harassment” and “abuse” threatens to set an Orwellian precedent where having the wrong opinion or challenging a dominant narrative can result in official oppression.
Source
        
Posted by Roberto Abraham Scaruffi at 19:29