Jan 13

Today’s News 13th January 2021

  • Why OpSec Has Never Been More Important
    Why OpSec Has Never Been More Important

    Authored by Daisy Luther via The Organic Prepper blog,

    If you’ve been in prepper circles for long, you’ve probably heard the term OpSec. It is taken from military jargon and it’s short for Operations Security. In the preparedness and survival world, it generally means not letting other people know that you are prepped, or if they know, they definitely don’t know the specifics of what you have.

    Not only do we want to keep the level of our preparedness private, these days, keeping our opinions private might be likewise beneficial from a security perspective. More on that in a moment.

    Trigger Warning: There’s no way I can write this article without ticking somebody off. Some readers will feel that I’m siding with the right and others will feel like I’m siding with the left. I’m not because I am not a Democrat or a Republic, nor am I a conservative or a liberal. I’m a critical thinker with diverse opinions that fall into all sorts of categories. Yet others will feel I didn’t go far enough or that there’s some “fact” or conspiracy that I didn’t reveal. I’m not an ice cream cone. I can’t make everyone happy. Also, there may be some swearing.

    What is OpSec?

    Here’s a definition for those who aren’t familiar with the concept.

    Operations security (OPSEC) is a process that identifies critical information to determine if friendly actions can be observed by enemy intelligence, determines if information obtained by adversaries could be interpreted to be useful to them, and then executes selected measures that eliminate or reduce adversary exploitation of friendly critical information.

    In a more general sense, OPSEC is the process of protecting individual pieces of data that could be grouped together to give the bigger picture (called aggregation). OPSEC is the protection of critical information deemed mission-essential from military commanders, senior leaders, management or other decision-making bodies. The process results in the development of countermeasures, which include technical and non-technical measures such as the use of email encryption software, taking precautions against eavesdropping, paying close attention to a picture you have taken (such as items in the background), or not talking openly on social media sites about information on the unit, activity or organization’s Critical Information List. (source)

    This article explains the concept more thoroughly.

    OpSec goes hand in hand with the gray man principle. Here’s Selco’s definition of being the gray man.

    It is a simple concept that comes to be very important when SHTF, and it is often completely opposite to how a lot of preppers are planning to look or act.

    In the shortest definition, it is staying uninteresting or simply looking and acting like most of the people around you in a particular moment.

    It can be used in a lot of situations when SHTF, during prolonged periods of time, or during short-term events. (source)

    As tensions increase dramatically in the United States, many people will find it more important than ever to practice these principles.

    Extraordinary things are happening.

    Over the past few years, the United States has become extremely polarized – so much so that violence can break out simply because two people or groups of people support different presidential candidates.

    We’re seeing “othering” on an extraordinary level as Big Tech and the Mainstream Media throw gasoline on the raging dumpster fire that is our recent election. There’s a purge of conservative voices that goes beyond anything I’ve personally seen – way beyond the purge of alternative media a couple of years ago.

    While Donald Trump is on his way out of the White House in just under two weeks, the fact remains that the two largest social media outlets in the world, Facebook and Twitter, have suspended the accounts of a sitting President of the United States. Now, they’re private businesses – they get to make their own rules and they’re protected from any legal fallout by Section 230, unlike the rest of us folks on the internet. However, the fact that they would take such an action is simply astounding in its audacity.

    Go to a different outlet, you said? Well, that would be a great idea so we did. Conservatives and libertarians went to Parler in droves and the MSM sobbed into their lattes that it was a threat to democracy. And guess what else happened? Google effectively killed Parler today by removing the app from the store. José Castañeda, a Google spokesperson, said:

    “In order to protect user safety on Google Play, our longstanding policies require that apps displaying user-generated content have moderation policies and enforcement that removes egregious content like posts that incite violence.

    All developers agree to these terms and we have reminded Parler of this clear policy in recent months.

    We’re aware of continued posting in the Parler app that seeks to incite ongoing violence in the U.S.

    We recognize that there can be reasonable debate about content policies and that it can be difficult for apps to immediately remove all violative content, but for us to distribute an app through Google Play, we do require that apps implement robust moderation for egregious content.

    In light of this ongoing and urgent public safety threat we are suspending the app’s listings from the Play Store until it addresses these issues.” (source)

    Apple has also given Parler an ultimatum to either moderate content or get nuked there too.

    And speaking of egregious things, the glaring double standard between the media coverage in Washington DC on Jan. 6th and the coverage of “protests” all over the country for the past year is particularly flagrant.

    This blatant silencing of dissent is heinous and reminiscent of Communist China or North Korea. I mean, the DoJ did just revive the legality of firing squads. While we’re not currently being executed for dissenting opinions, people are losing their livelihoods, having their homes vandalized, and being ostracized. ABC News literally called for a cleansing of Trump supporters.

    “Even aside from impeachment and 25th Amendment talk, Trump will be an ex-president in 13 days,” ABC’s Rick Klein and MaryAlice Parks wrote for The Note on Thursday. “The fact is that getting rid of Trump is the easy part. Cleansing the movement he commands, or getting rid of what he represents to so many Americans, is going to be something else.”

    It now reads, “Cleaning up the movement he commands, or getting rid of what he represents to so many Americans, is going to be something else.”

    Klein also shared the original phrase on Twitter before deleting it.(source)

    Do they wish to “cleanse” all 74,223,744 people whose votes were considered official? It’s rather reminiscent of a recent hullabaloo when another guy on Twitter wanted to send Trump voters to re-education camps. (See #7 here.)

    Incidentally – neither Klein’s account nor ABC News’s account were suspended by Twitter. Nor was that guy who wants to forcibly re-educate people. Just the President’s. Oh and a whole bunch of other people who had the audacity to be publicly supportive of him. But not those cleanser and re-education people. They’re cool.

    Know what you’re getting yourself into before taking action.

    If you’re anything like me, your initial reaction is, “F*ck this. I’ll say what I want.” I agree wholeheartedly that this is outrageous censorship on a massive scale, it’s virtual book-burning, and the double standard is utter bullsh*t and I’m furious about it.

    But this is, first and foremost, a website about survival and preparedness. This is not a site about staging a revolution and I have really limited the coverage of politics since the 2016 election. I want it to be a place where everyone feels welcome to learn about preparedness and the events that affect us, regardless of their political beliefs, their religious beliefs, or which foot they put in their pants leg first.

    There will be people out there who feel it is their duty to fight. There are people who support that and people who do not.

    Unless you are making a conscious decision to get out there in the thick of the battle, imperiling your livelihood and risking ostracization due to cancel culture, it may be time for you to consider strengthening your OpSec. If you are going into this with your eyes open, then more power to you all.

    Crackdowns like what we’re seeing now start with polarization and information blackouts. They can lead to far worse scenarios.

    Selco wrote:

    It is a situation where all stakes are much higher, and solutions-actions  that the government ( ruling  party, military leaders or whoever in your case) wants to achieve will be attempted with all means. That can include some new rules where what you think about it usually does not mean anything.

    A lot of preppers think about “martial law” but in reality, they think about it still in normal terms, with rights, law, constitution, and rules…

    You cannot defy military, at least not openly, because they will deal with you fast and efficiently. In times like that it is so easy to get labeled that you are dangerous, an enemy of the state, a terrorist or anything similar, and most probably you will not have any help.

    Forget about the movie illusions of openly being a freedom fighter.

    No matter how well-organized you are, those who impose martial law have better organization than you. Remember that martial law usually means an information blackout.  “They” will own information and present it to the public the way that they want to present it. (source)

    While I’m not suggesting we’re necessarily headed for martial law, we have stepped into a brand new world where our media is tightly controlled and our every decision or utterance can come back to haunt us.

    Why do we need to focus more stringently on OpSec now?

    I want to focus on the survival and preparedness aspects of this unbelievable situation we now find ourselves in.

    As I’ve written before, survival is about surviving. Some people find this philosophy cowardly and feel we should all be willing to choose the hill of their choice to die upon. Others believe that it’s better to be strategic, live to fight another day, and choose their battles. This is a personal decision.

    If you don’t wish to be involved in the political aspects of the things going on right now, if you want to quietly live out your life with limited conflict, and if your focus is on the safety of your family, you need to think about the information you are giving away about yourself. This is not just information for people of one political party or race. It’s for those who don’t want to be targeted because of their beliefs.

    • Don’t make a visual statement. Do you have any political paraphernalia on display? Bumper stickers? Yard signs? Banners? T-shirts or hats?

    • Avoid political conversations. Back when I was a kid, I was told that politics and religion were topics that were bad manners unless you were in the company of those you knew really well.

    • Keep your preps under wraps. Trust me, when The Great Toilet Paper Crisis of 2021 happens – and it will – you don’t want to be the house with all the toilet paper that the guy repairing your furnace saw. Nobody needs to see your preps. Put things in cardboard boxes with misleading labels like “Christmas” if someone is going to be in the area where you store supplies. Don’t have shelves and shelves of canned goods out in your kitchen.

    • Tighten your circle. If you thought 2020 was bad, 2021 is here and it’s old enough to drink. As expected, 2021 is not going to be a walk in the park. Selco recommends that the worse things become, the smaller your circle should be. Focus your efforts on the things you can control and your energy on the people in your inner circle.

    • Remember what you learned about people. We learned a lot about how those around us handled stress during the first round of lockdowns. Don’t forget the lessons you learned about those in your circle, as well as what you discovered about friends, neighbors, and coworkers. A lot of folks were really surprised by the behavior of others when they were under stress. Think about who you really want to let in – this may have changed after the past year. Do your best to make sure that people are truly worthy of your trust.

    • Be neutral on social media. Remember, the internet is forever. Even if you delete an ill-advised post, someone may have taken a screenshot or be able to find that post on the Wayback Machine. People don’t have to have the visible proof of those posts either to remember you dislike Trump or Biden, or that you’re super liberal or super conservative. Posting meme after meme expressing your adoration for certain political figures or beliefs is the digital equivalent of running your mouth in a crowded bar. You never know who’s watching or listening, nor do you know how that might come back to haunt you.

    Don’t make yourself a target.

    When people are hungry they’ll do things they might never have imagined doing before, like stealing food. Many of the jobs lost in 2020 are not going to be coming back in 2021, people are dealing with major financial problems, and we have supply chain issues. There’s a very real chance that we will see greater poverty in America happening to a greater number of people than we’ve ever seen in our lifetimes.

    Those people will be wracking their brains trying to figure out how to survive. Don’t give them a reason to think of your place as a supply nirvana.

    (If you are in that desperate position, check out this book – it’s free and it may help you make difficult decisions.)

    When people are angry, they’ll also do things they normally would not and mob mentality is contagious. Take this former CEO, for example.

    “My decision to enter the Capitol was wrong, and I am deeply regretful to have done so,” Rukstales said in a statement. “Without qualification and as a peaceful and law-abiding citizen, I condemn the violence and destruction that took place in Washington.”

    Rukstales also apologized to his family, colleagues and “fellow countrymen” for his actions.

    “It was the single worst personal decision of my life,” the exec’s statement continued. “I have no excuse for my actions and wish that I could take them back.” (source)

    Don’t make yourself a target for the rage of people who aren’t behaving rationally. Your memes and banners and bumper stickers aren’t going to change their minds.

    Tyler Durden
    Wed, 01/13/2021 – 00:05

  • Upbeat Xi Says "Time And Situation On China's Side" Amid Turmoil & Pandemic Rise In US
    Upbeat Xi Says “Time And Situation On China’s Side” Amid Turmoil & Pandemic Rise In US

    While the political gridlock and alarmist headlines out of Capitol Hill as well as a dramatic Democratic move to impeach look to define Trump’s final week in office, Bloomberg notes that China’s President Xi Jinping is sounding “unusually upbeat”. 

    According to the publication he issued an unusually upbeat assessment about China’s future, noting that “time and the situation” were on the country’s side in a new year marked by domestic turmoil in the U.S.

    The purpose of the speech before a top-level meeting of government officials in Beijing on Monday was to lay out the Communist Party vision over the next three decades, which included the presence of the Politburo Standing Committee, Beijing’s highest decision-making body.

    “The world is in a turbulent time that is unprecedented in the past century,” Xi said, striking a tone which many pundits observed stood in contrast to recent more dire sounding warnings. “But time and momentum are on our side. This is where we show our conviction and resilience, as well as our determination and confidence.”

    And further according to the Monday remarks in the closed-door meeting:

    “At the same time, we must see clearly that, for now and until this upcoming period of time, while our country is at an important period of strategic opportunity for development, there will always be changes to our opportunities and challenges,” Xi was quoted as saying.

    “The extensiveness of these opportunities and challenges is unprecedented but, all in all, the opportunities we face outweigh our challenges,” he added, calling for unity, diligence and flexibility to achieve the party’s goals.

    The cautious optimism continued, as South China Morning Post writes, while he made vague or remote references to both the pandemic and political turmoil and uncertainty afflicting the United States:

    In his speech, Xi also again emphasised Beijing’s new “dual circulation” economic strategy first announced in May amid global challenges brought by the pandemic and China’s slowing growth.

    “Only by being self-reliant and developing the domestic market and smoothing out internal circulation can we achieve vibrant growth and development, regardless of the hostility in the outside world,” Xi said.

    Elsewhere in the speech he continued urged that self-reliance would in part come through rapid technological innovation in order to build and maintain a “super-sized domestic market” to boost consumption.

    Meanwhile, Biden has previously issued vague promises to “get tough” on China via restoring and shoring up alliances in the region…

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    One commentator who is cited in SCMP summarized of Xi’s address: “Xi is now cautiously very optimistic. He sees the general environment and development as positive for China to assert a new historical role and sees challenges but feels confident that China under him will be able to make the most of it.” 

    Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London, continued: “It is a – to paraphrase Napoleon – declaration that the conditions are right for the previously slumbering lion to roar and he will see to it that it does.” He added: “Xi has not specified [the exact policies China will implement]. What he has declared is that the conditions are ripe, and if China will rally around the leadership and follow the leader it will get there. The world should take notice.”

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/12/2021 – 23:45

  • Without Freedom Of Speech, What Is Going To Happen To America?
    Without Freedom Of Speech, What Is Going To Happen To America?

    Authored by Michael Snyder via The Economic Collapse blog,

    It is quite ironic that many of those that are always telling us that we need “diversity” in our society are also some of the strongest voices against a “diversity of viewpoints” on social media.  The founders of this nation wanted to make sure that nobody would ever take the right to freedom of speech away from us, and that is why it was enshrined in the Bill of Rights.  Unfortunately, courts have greatly eroded that right over the last several decades, and now we are facing an all-out assault on freedom of speech that is unlike anything that we have ever seen before.  And once freedom of speech is completely gone, all of our other rights will soon follow, because there will no longer be any way to defend them.

    When the United States was established, government was really the only major threat to free speech.  In early America, corporations were severely limited in size and scope, and that is because our founders were determined not to let them get too big or too powerful.

    Our founders knew that enormous concentrations of money and power would be great threats to freedom, and that has definitely turned out to be the case.

    In the old days, if you wanted to express yourself you could grab a soapbox and head down to a local street corner.  The reason why we use the term “marketplace of ideas” today is because people literally used to gather in marketplaces and town squares and exchange ideas with one another.

    In our time, the Internet has become the place where we all gather to exchange ideas, but unfortunately control of all of the most important gathering spaces is in the hands of a very small group of colossal tech corporations.

    When Facebook, Twitter and others were first growing, they generally allowed people to say pretty much what they wanted to say, and information flowed pretty freely.

    But censorship has escalated dramatically over the past four years, and it reached a crescendo the other day when Twitter announced that it would be permanently suspending President Trump’s account.

    How would our founders feel about that?

    Tech giants such as Facebook and Twitter now have more money than many entire countries do, and in many ways they also have the same level of power that many national governments possess.

    Just think about this – President Trump could never take away your ability to express yourself, but Facebook and Twitter can.

    Of course big corporations dominate just about every other aspect of our society as well.  These collectivist institutions have become extremely dangerous, and they are really starting to throw their weight around.

    Until the power of the big corporations is addressed, we will never have a truly free society again.

    Just like leftist governments, big corporations seek to gather as much money and as much power under a single umbrella as possible.

    Our founders wanted to empower the individual, and that is why they wanted to limit the size of government and that is why they also wanted to limit the size of corporations.

    Sadly, it wasn’t just President Trump that got booted off Twitter in recent days.  Hordes of conservative accounts have been wiped out, and this has led many to use the word “purge” to describe what has been happening.

    On my Twitter account, I have literally lost more than a thousand followers in just a few days.  Others have lost a lot more.

    Many conservatives have been fleeing to Parler, but over the past several days the big tech giants teamed up to take that entire platform down…

    Parler will likely go offline for “a while” Sunday evening given Amazon Web Services’ decision to suspend the upstart social media platform after Wednesday’s U.S. Capitol riot, executives said Sunday.

    “We are clearly being singled out,” Chief Policy Officer Amy Peikoff told “Fox & Friends Weekend” one day after Apple suspended Parler from its App Store even as it surged to the No. 1 spot in the free apps section earlier in the day.

    I was absolutely stunned when I heard that had happened.

    These people are not playing games.

    For the moment, Gab.com is still up, and their traffic has surged more than 750 percent in just the last few days…

    Gab.com, the free speech friendly social network, says traffic has increased by more than 750 percent in the past few days, following the blacklisting of President Donald Trump from most mainstream tech platforms.

    “Our traffic is up 753% in the past 24 hours. Tens of millions of visits,” said Gab in response to a question about slow loading speeds.

    But how long will it be before Gab is taken down as well?

    The big tech companies don’t want diversity, they don’t want competition and they don’t want dissent.

    What they want is complete and total domination.

    Cancel culture is not good for our society.  If everyone with viewpoints that are not “politically correct” is eventually “canceled” we will have a society that looks a whole lot like communist China.

    And I suppose that is precisely what a lot of people out there truly want.

    It is not always easy to listen to viewpoints that you consider to be offensive.  Personally, I do not like most of what my fellow citizens are saying in 2021.

    But in the United States we are not supposed to silence opposing viewpoints that we do not like.  Instead, we are supposed to strive for victory in the marketplace of ideas by showing that our viewpoints are better.

    Unfortunately, the big tech companies have decided that millions of Americans should no longer be allowed to participate in the marketplace of ideas because their viewpoints are just too offensive.

    Ironically, many of those that are doing the censoring have the most offensive and the most dangerous viewpoints of all.

    Needless to say, if we stay on the path that we are currently on there is no future for America.

    Without free speech, the system of government that our founders established simply won’t work.

    What is the point of even having elections if we can only express one point of view?

    In China, no dissent is allowed and one political party runs everything on a permanent basis.

    America appears to be heading in the same direction, and there are millions of people in this country that are actually quite thrilled that this is happening.

    *  *  *

    Michael’s new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/12/2021 – 23:25

  • FAA Issues New Rule To Spur Commercial Supersonic Flight
    FAA Issues New Rule To Spur Commercial Supersonic Flight

    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published new regulations last week that streamline the US’ supersonic flight testing process. 

    “Today’s action is a significant step toward reintroducing civil supersonic flight and demonstrates the Department’s commitment to safe innovation,” said Elaine L. Chao, U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary, on Wednesday. 

    According to an FAA press release, the new rule will “help ensure that companies developing these aircraft clearly understand the process for gaining FAA approval to conduct flight testing, which is a key step in ultimately bringing their products to market.” 

    “The FAA supports the new development of supersonic aircraft as long as safety parameters are followed…the testing of supersonic aircraft at Mach 1 will only be conducted following consideration of any impact to the environment.” said Steve Dickson, FAA Administrator.

    Aerion Corp. and Boom Technology Inc. are two companies buikding commercial supersonic aircraft that could soar above the skies by the mid-2020s. Transatlantic travel between New York and London could be reduced by half, to around three hours. 

    Boom’s XB-1 Demonstrator In Development 

    XB-1 demonstrator. Source: Boom Supersonic

    Boom is expected flight testing sometime this year of its prototype XB-1 aircraft. 

    Boom’s XB-1 Demonstrator Design 

    XB-1 demonstrator. Source: Boom Supersonic

    A full-scale size of the craft could be produced as early as 2022. If current schedules hold, the company could begin its first commercial flights by 2026. 

    Overture. h/t Boom Supersonic  

    Since the Aerospatiale/BAC Concorde crash in June 2003 – Air France and British Airways have since retired their supersonic jet fleets. 

    By no means is supersonic commercial air travel new technology, though it could eventually lead to hypersonic travel in the 2030s. 

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/12/2021 – 23:05

  • Investment Ban Creates Windfall For Bargain Hunters
    Investment Ban Creates Windfall For Bargain Hunters

    By Ye Xie, macro commentator for Bloomberg Markets Live

    Is the S&P 500 still the go-to stock benchmark when the continued rotation toward value and small caps dominates the market? While the S&P 500 was little changed Tuesday, the Russell 2000 of small caps rallied 1.8%. In FX, the dollar was on the back foot again, helping the offshore CNH to trade at a premium to onshore CNY again. But one has to wonder how long the crowded short-dollar bets can keep working, now that real yields are on the rise.

    Back in China, lending data that came out after the market closed showed that while credit growth continued to moderate, it’s hardly a sudden stop in stimulus. Money supply (M2) has slowed to 10.1%, from a peak of 11.1% in June. Assuming 2% inflation, that’s consistent with GDP growth around 8%.

    Switching gears, mainland investors kept flocking to Hong Kong to scoop up sanctioned Chinese companies. China Mobile, SMIC, China Telecom and CNOOC topped the buy list again. Mainland investors are happy to take advantage of forced selling by U.S. funds and index followers that was triggered by Trump’s banning of U.S. investments in Chinese companies considered linked to the military. Stock ownership in these sanctioned names via the south-bound stock

    Indeed, the ban has created large price wedges in the same stocks trading in the domestic and Hong Kong markets. Take China Railway Construction. Its shares have rallied 12% in Hong Kong since Jan. 5 when MSCI removed sanctioned Chinese companies from its benchmarks. The H shares are still trading at a 50% discount to equivalent shares in Shanghai, the most since the peak of China’s stock bubble in 2015. A mere return to the average discount of some 30% would represent a windfall for investors.

    Retail Chinese investors are known for their gambling instincts. But they proved to be quite savvy bargain hunters over the past year. The south-bound flows to Hong Kong surged in March. It pretty much marked the trough of the global stock market. Chances are that they may have done it again in picking the bottom for sanctioned Chinese companies.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/12/2021 – 22:45

  • Army Receives Two Robotic Combat Vehicles That Will "Revolutionize" Combat Operations 
    Army Receives Two Robotic Combat Vehicles That Will “Revolutionize” Combat Operations 

    The US Army wants to field light, medium, and heavy robotic combat vehicles to prepare for future combat on the modern battlefield as part of a rapid modernization effort. 

    American defense firm Pratt Miller tweeted about a week before Christmas that it delivered two Robotic Combat Vehicle-Light unmanned ground vehicle prototypes (RCV-Ls) to the Army. 

    “RCV-L’s 3 and 4 were delivered to GVSC today, 2 weeks ahead of schedule. This completes the full contracted delivery of Robotic Combat Vehicle – Light in preparation for 2021 testing and experimentation,” Pratt Miller tweeted. 

    Pratt Miller partnered with U.K.-headquartered defense contractor QinetiQ. Both firms were awarded the contracts in January. 

    “Robots have the potential to revolutionize the way we conduct ground combat operations,” Brig. Gen. Ross Coffman, director of the NGCV CFT, told Defense News earlier this year. 

    “Whether that’s giving increased firepower to a dismounted patrol, breaching an enemy fighting position, or providing [chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive] reconnaissance, we envision these vehicles providing commanders more time and space for decisions and reducing risk to soldiers,” Coffman said. 

    RCV-Ls can operate in human or semi-autonomous modes and are equipped with hybrid-electric motors for longer-range reconnaissance or attack missions.

    The Army also awarded contracts to QinetiQ and Textron to build four light (RCV Light) and four medium (RCV Medium) sized robotic tanks.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/12/2021 – 22:25

  • Ron Paul Posts Criticism Of Censorship On Social Media Shortly Before Facebook Blocks Him
    Ron Paul Posts Criticism Of Censorship On Social Media Shortly Before Facebook Blocks Him

    Authored by Jonathan Turley,

    We have been discussing the chilling crackdown on free speech that has been building for years in the United States. This effort has accelerated in the aftermath of the Capitol riot including the shutdown sites like Parler.  Now former Texas congressman Ron Paul, 85, has been blocked from using his Facebook page for unspecified violations of “community standards.” Paul’s last posting was linked to an article on the “shocking” increase of censorship on social media. Facebook then proceeded to block him under the same undefined “community standards” policy.

    Paul, a libertarian leader and former presidential candidate, has been an outspoken critics of foreign wars and an advocate for civil liberties for decades.  He wrote:

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    “With no explanation other than ‘repeatedly going against our community standards,’ @Facebook has blocked me from managing my page. Never have we received notice of violating community standards in the past and nowhere is the offending post identified.” 

    His son is Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) tweeted,

     “Facebook now considers advocating for liberty to be sedition. Where will it end?”

    Even before the riot, Democrats were calling for blacklists and retaliation against anyone deemed to be “complicit” with the Trump Administration. We have been discussing the rising threats against Trump supporters, lawyers, and officials in recent weeks from Democratic members are calling for blacklists to the Lincoln Project leading a a national effort to harass and abuse any lawyers representing the Republican party or President Trump. Others are calling for banning those “complicit” from college campuses while still others are demanding a “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” to “hold Trump and his enablers accountable for the crimes they have committed.” Daily Beast editor-at-large Rick Wilson has added his own call for “humiliation,” “incarceration” and even ritualistic suicides for Trump supporters in an unhinged, vulgar column.

    After the riots, the big tech companies moved to ban and block sites and individuals, including Parler which is the primary alternative to Twitter.  Also, a top Forbes editor Randall Lane warned any company that they will be investigated if they hire any former Trump officials.

    The riots are being used as a license to rollback on free speech and retaliate against conservatives.  In the meantime, the silence of academics and many in the media is deafening. Many of those who have spoken for years about the dark period of McCarthyism and blacklisting are either supporting this censorship or remaining silent in the face of it. Now that conservatives are the targets, speech controls and blacklists appear understandable or even commendable.

    The move against Paul, a long champion of free speech, shows how raw and comprehensive this crackdown has become. It shows how the threat to free speech has changed. It is like having a state media without state control. These companies are moving in unison but not necessarily with direct collusion. The riot was immediately taken as a green light to move against a huge variety of sites and individuals.  As we have seen in Europe, such censorship becomes an insatiable appetite for greater and greater speech control.  Even Germany’s Angela Merkel (who has a long history of anti-free speech actions) has criticized Twitter’s actions as inimical to free speech.  Yet, most law professors and media figures in the United States remain silent.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/12/2021 – 22:05

  • Beijing Orders Passengers To Scan QR Health Codes Before Entering Uber 
    Beijing Orders Passengers To Scan QR Health Codes Before Entering Uber 

    The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and domestic tech companies are developing new techniques to track and mitigate the spread of COVID-19. One way this is being done is through health QR codes. 

    On Monday, Beijing authorities imposed a new rule for taxi firms and car-hailing platforms in the metro area that forces users to show their health QR codes before vehicle entry. 

    “The move is a response to drivers repeatedly testing positive for the coronavirus,” the state-run Global Times newspaper reported.

    The color-based health QR code system produces a code about the user’s health. 

    As explained by RT News, “A ‘green’ one means they are free to roam around the capital, while ‘yellow’ and ‘red’ codes call for self-isolation or supervised quarantine.” 

    Health QR codes have already become mainstream in Beijing. Before entering shopping malls, restaurants, and even riding public transportation, these codes must be shown. 

    This all comes as the polar vortex has split into two, and Arctic air pours into parts of China, especially into Beijing. According to Goldman Sachs, colder temperatures may increase the probability of COVID-19 outbreaks.

    So the Chinese are taking immediate precautions in mitigating the spread by widening the use of health QR codes. There’s also news of nearby cities to Beijing have instructed residents to stay home for the next couple of weeks as virus cases increase. 

    An alleged video has surfaced on Twitter of Chinese officials sealing people in homes amid the virus outbreak. 

    These new monitoring systems are leaving privacy experts worried that CCP is expanding their surveillance of health data to monitor citizens. 

    Americans should be terrified that President-elect Biden may follow CCP by implementing some sort of tracking program to mitigate the spread in the US. 

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/12/2021 – 21:45

  • Russia & US Are Building Up Their Forces In Syria Ahead Of Biden Inauguration
    Russia & US Are Building Up Their Forces In Syria Ahead Of Biden Inauguration

    Via AlMasdarnews.com,

    The large Russian landing ship, the Saratov, entered the waters of the eastern Mediterranean this week, en route to a Syrian port, the Interfax News Agency reported, citing local Turkish media.

    According to the report, the Saratov transited the Bosphorus Strait and moved closer to the Syrian port-city of Tartous, where it is expected to dock in the coming days. The Russian naval fleet currently in the Mediterranean consists of more than 10 combat and auxiliary ships, which are part of different units in the Navy.

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    This report was confirmed by the Turkish maritime observer and photographer, Yoruk Isik, who released a set of photos showing the Saratov transiting the Bosphorus Strait on Monday, January 11th.

    The large landing ships and auxiliary ships of the Russian Navy, in addition to ships chartered by the Russian fleet, are participating in the process of transporting supplies to the Russian aviation group stationed at Hmeimim Airport (Lattakia countryside).

    Over the last five years, the Russian Armed Forces have increased their shipments to the Syrian government, as they not only provide humanitarian aid, but also new weapons to the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).

    AFP file image: US convoy in Syria

    Just days prior to the Russian warship reinforcement, a large convoy of vehicles belonging to the U.S.-led Coalition entered northeastern Syria, making its way to an army base in the Deir Ezzor Governorate. The large convoy was observed entering from Iraq this past weekend.

    According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), who cited local sources, the U.S.-led Coalition reinforcements sent military and logistical reinforcements to their base in Deir Ezzor after entering the Syrian Arab Republic from the Al-Waleed Crossing, which is controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces.

    Brett McGurk has been picked by the Biden administration to join the NSC as coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa.

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    The agency quoted local sources as saying that a column of about 30 vehicles, including trucks loaded with heavy weapons, including cannons, and tanks belonging to the U.S. army, entered Al-Hasakah from Iraq’s Nineveh Governorate, before making their way to the base in Deir Ezzor.

    The sources indicated that the convoy took the Al-Kharafi Road between Deir Ezzor and Al-Hasakah, accompanied by U.S. helicopters and military vehicles. This convoy of US military reinforcements is likely part of the troop rotation that takes place every few weeks; they often enter the country from neighboring Iraq and move supplies to one of their bases inside the Syrian Arab Republic.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/12/2021 – 21:25

  • Large Soleimani Statue Erected In Beirut Stirs Outrage, Divides Lebanese
    Large Soleimani Statue Erected In Beirut Stirs Outrage, Divides Lebanese

    A newly erected large bronze statue of slain Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in the middle of the Lebanese capital Beirut is driving outrage and division, causing deepening rifts in the population over the role of Hezbollah and Iranian influence in the country.

    The unveiling ceremony for the bust that’s about ten feet high occurred last week. It’s located in a roundabout in the area of Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs on a street that also bears his name, and the street is linked to a nearby highway named for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini.

    Via AFP

    In the days following the unveiling ceremony the statue created a social media storm of controversy.

    According to one Saudi-backed newspaper:

    Many Lebanese, mostly critics of Hezbollah, took to social media to lambast the celebration of a foreign military leader in Lebanon’s capital. “Occupied Beirut,” tweeted one Lebanese, Amin Abou Mansour, who posted it with the hashtag #BeirutFree_IranOut.

    Others lamented what they described as the cultural hegemony of the militant Hezbollah and its ally, Iran. Wael Attallah, a Lebanese Canadian, tweeted: “This is a cultural aggression being imposed on Lebanon. Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese today feel violated and powerless. The Schism is getting wider day by day, little by little.”
    One Lebanese media personality said she received death threats after her criticism on social media of the new statue.

    The criticism has triggered a backlash from supporters, who started a Twitter storm with the hashtag: #Soleimani-is-one-of-us.

    Much criticism has naturally centered on the fact that the Soleimani statue represents the presence and influence of a foreign power on Lebanese soil. However the small Mediterranean country has long been subject of foreign meddling in recent history, including the Saudis, Syrians, Israel, and the US – not to mention the French Mandate period in the 20th century.

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    And as another Gulf-based newspaper pointed out, Hezbollah in prior decades used to be against statues, considering them ‘un-Islamic’. Yet Soleimani’s face has become iconic throughout the Middle East, representing “resistance” to US and Israeli designs on the region.

    The Soleimani memorial has also no doubt angered the US Embassy in Beirut, given it’s such a prominent display of devotion to someone considered an archenemy of the US.

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    The Trump administration ordered a strike on the popular IRGC commander on January 3, 2020 – which resulted in his death as well as that of Iraqi paramilitary leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/12/2021 – 21:05

  • "I Will Not Yield To Political Games": Pence Responds To Pelosi, Won't Invoke 25th Amendment
    “I Will Not Yield To Political Games”: Pence Responds To Pelosi, Won’t Invoke 25th Amendment

    As we first reported last night, Vice President Mike Pence confirmed in a letter addressed to Nancy Pelosi late on Tuesday that he will not invoke the 25th amendment to remove President Trump from office, just hours before the House was set to vote on a resolution formally calling on him to do so.

    In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Pence said he does not “believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with our Constitution”, and adding that he did “not yield to pressure to exert power beyond my constitutional authority to determine the outcome of the election, and I will not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our Nation.” Instead, Pence, urged Pelosi and “every member of Congress to avoid actions that would further divide and inflame the passions of the moment,” in reference to last week’s deadly Capitol riots.

    Pence’s full letter is below:

    Dear Madam Speaker:

    Every American was shocked and saddened by the attack on our Nation’s Capitol last week, and I am grateful for the leadership that you and other congressional leaders provided in reconvening Congress to complete the people’s business on the very same day. It was a moment that demonstrated to the American people the unity that is still possible in Congress when it is needed most.

    But now, with just eight days left in the President’s term, you and the Democratic Caucus are demanding that the Cabinet and I invoke the 25th Amendment. I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with our Constitution. Last week, I did not yield to pressure to exert power beyond my constitutional authority to determine the outcome of the election, and I will not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our Nation.

    As you know full well, the 25th Amendment was designed to address Presidential incapacity or disability. Just a few months ago, when you introduced legislation to create a 25th Amendment Commission, you said, “[a] President’s fitness for office must be determined by science and facts.”

    You said then that we must be “[v]ery respectful of not making a judgment on the basis of a comment or behavior that we don’t like, but based on a medical decision.” Madam Speaker, you were right.

    Under our Constitution, the 25th Amendment is not a means of punishment or usurpation. Invoking the 25th Amendment in such a manner would set a terrible precedent.

    After the horrific events of this last week, our Administration’s energy is directed to ensuring an orderly transition. The Bible says that “for everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven…a time to heal, … and a time to build up.” That time is now. In the midst of a global pandemic, economic hardship for millions of Americans, and the tragic events of January 6th, now is the time for us to come together, now is the time to heal.

    I urge you and every member of Congress to avoid actions that would further divide and inflame the passions of the moment. Work with us to lower the temperature and unite our country as we prepare to inaugurate President-elect Joe Biden as the next President of the United States. I pledge to you that I will continue to do my part to work in good faith with the incoming administration to ensure an orderly transition of power. So help me God.

    Sincerely

    Michael R. Pence

    Vice President of the United States

    Pence’s expected announcement paves the way for House Democrats to move forward with impeachment legislation.

    The House is currently weighing a resolution that would call on Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, which allows a majority of the Cabinet to remove the president from office. House Democrats have previously said they will move forward on Wednesday with a vote on impeaching President Trump if Pence declines.

    Trump brushed aside calls for his removal over last week’s attack at the Capitol, saying the 25th Amendment is “of zero risk to me, but will come back to haunt Joe Biden.”

    “Be careful what you wish for,”  Trump said in Alamo, Texas, during a visit to the border earlier in the day. He said the impeachment effort mounted by House Democrats is “dangerous for the USA, especially at this very tender time.”

    Democrats have moved quickly in their efforts to remove Trump from office – and prevent him from running again in 2024 – following the assault last week on the Capitol. An article of impeachment introduced in the House on Monday and backed by more than 200 Democrats accuses Trump of “incitement of insurrection,” and says he “gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government.” Three House Republicans, including House GOP leadership member Liz Cheney, said they will vote to impeach the president.

    Earlier on Tuesday, the House Judiciary released a 76-page impeachment report which claimed that “President Trump remains a clear and present danger to the Constitution and our democracy.”

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/12/2021 – 20:45

  • SoftBank Vision Fund CEO Speaks At Goldman Tech Conference: Key Highlights
    SoftBank Vision Fund CEO Speaks At Goldman Tech Conference: Key Highlights

    In recent months, Japan’s financial conglomerate-cum-VC giant, SoftBank, has repeatedly made the news, starting with its terrible investment in WeWork (and several other not defunct unicorns), proceeding through its penchant for repurchasing gobs of its own stock any time its share price drops, continuing through SoftBank’s infamous – and very expensive – attempt to corner tech stock gamma in the public markets, yet culminating with a stock price which is now at all time highs, wildly surpassing its previous dot com record (from which it plunged at barely recovered).

    With this “fascinating” background, one can see why any representative of Masa Son’s very “eclectic” SoftBank would be highly sought after for their thoughts on the market (and how to manipulate it best), which is probably why Rajeev Misra, EVP of SoftBank Group and CEO of the SoftBank Vision Fund (and a former Deutsche Banker of course – SoftBank has quickly emerged as the company where all the financial professionals who blew up the “real deal” DB with their financial genius ended up) was such a highlight when he presented at the Goldman Technology and Internet Conference 2021 this week.

    Below, courtesy of Goldman, are the main highlights from his speech:

    View on the market. Misra noted that low interest rates and asset-buying by central banks have significantly improved market liquidity, justifying much of the valuation support for the public equity markets, and driving higher relative valuations compared to the private markets. He believes the SPAC, while not a new concept, has been a way for companies to take advantage of this and get access to the public markets more quickly, though it’s a smaller component to the broader public equity story today than interest rates and central banks.

    Investment landscape. Misra highlighted that the last 12-months have dramatically changed the landscape, with many of the changes in consumer behavior unlikely to go back to normal. The pace of disruption has covered three years of ground in just one year, and eCommerce in particular has seen as much penetration growth in the last 9 months as it saw in the prior 10 years. Verticals like education, food delivery, eCommerce, life sciences, and entertainment have been key beneficiaries.

    When thinking about the future of a post-COVID world, Misra pointed to China and South Korea, both of which are operating 6-9 months ahead of much of the rest of the world in terms of COVID suppression, noting that there have been aggressive hiring and investment cycles by companies benefiting from online shifts, something that highlights the sustainability of shifting consumer behavior. In addition, even in verticals negatively impacted by the pandemic, like ridehailing, technology-enabled companies are gaining share in a post-COVID world. Mr. Misra noted that for Didi, a Chinese ridehailing company, rides-per-day today are higher than last year, despite total market-wide rides only being at ~70% of pre-COVID levels in China.  

    Fund management strategy. SoftBank Vision Fund has over 100 investments, 85 of which are in Vision Fund 1 and 25 of which are in Vision Fund 2. Misra highlighted that despite SoftBank being the largest shareholder in 95% of its portfolio companies, the company has been more open over the last year to outside investors supporting follow-on fundraising rounds which helps to validate the valuation levels of these businesses. For Softbank’s portfolio companies, catalyzing business opportunities across Softbank’s ecosystem, whether that be creating business relationships or expanding geographical opportunities, is a large part of the vision. The company facilitates both debt and equity funding, including asset securitization.

    Specific investment verticals. While SoftBank portfolio companies operate in a number of verticals and geographies, Misra discussed in particular SoftBank’s focus on mobility, real estate technology, and healthcare technology, with capital deployments made with a longer-term investment trajectory. In mobility, Misra highlighted the opportunity for autonomous vehicles to dramatically lower costs for transport of goods and people, something he expects will take 3-4 years to come to market. Even prior to that, however, he expects the phasing-out of car ownership to provide meaningful tailwinds to core rides in the category, creating meaningful operating leverage for ridehailing businesses as they rationalize costs (e.g., Uber with ATG, freight).  

    In real estate, Misra noted that there are meaningful opportunities in real estate, both residential and commercial, given the size of the asset class and level of technological disruption to date. He noted that the residential and commercial office categories were the nearest term opportunities, with hospitality and retail being further out. In healthcare technology, Misra discussed the meaningful changes expected throughout the value chain, from diagnostics to treatment and even areas like gene editing and cell therapies, the latter which he expects will take 5-6 years but is among the most exciting opportunities. With healthcare the number one component of U.S. GDP, he reiterated the focus on companies best positioned to disrupt large asset classes.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/12/2021 – 20:45

  • Senate Could Have Votes To Impeach, McConnell “Pleased” About The Idea
    Senate Could Have Votes To Impeach, McConnell “Pleased” About The Idea

    Update 2015 EST: Pence Against Using 25th Amendment

    Numerous sources are reporting that Vice President Mike Pence has “ruled out” using the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump from office. The Vice President has instead urged congress to “focus on Biden transition and avoid impeachment,” according to AP.

    Pence sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi stating “I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or the Constitution.”

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    Update 2001 EST: Senate May Have Enough Votes For Impeachment

    CNBC’s Eamon Javers is reporting that, according to a senior Trump official, there are enough Republican votes in the Senate to convict and remove President Trump from office if they receive articles of impeachment from the House on Wednesday.

    Update 1917 EST: GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick Introduces A Resolution To Censure Trump

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    Update 1806 EST: Several Republicans Join Cheyney In Voting To Impeach Trump

    “At least three GOP lawmakers will move to charge the president from their own party with high crimes and misdemeanors,” CNBC reports. They will join Liz Cheney in calling for impeachment of the President. 

    Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., earlier said he would support impeachment after the president stirred up a mob that attacked the Capitol last week while Congress counted President-elect Joe Biden’s presidential win. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., later joined Cheney and Katko. The riot left five people, including a Capitol police officer, dead.

    * * *

    Update: the GOP establishment has turned full anti-Trump: shortly after the McConnell report, House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney, the No. 3 Republican in the House, announced Tuesday that she plans to vote to impeach President Trump for inciting a violent mob at the Capitol last week.

    “On January 6, 2021 a violent mob attacked the United States Capitol to obstruct the process of our democracy and stop the counting of presidential electoral votes,” Cheney, of Wyoming, said in a statement. “The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing.”

    Cheney: I Will Vote To Impeach The President

    Washington – Wyoming Congresswoman and House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-WY) released the following statement ahead of votes in the House this week:

    “On January 6, 2021 a violent mob attacked the United States Capitol to obstruct the process of our democracy and stop the counting of presidential electoral votes. This insurrection caused injury, death and destruction in the most sacred space in our Republic.

    “Much more will become clear in coming days and weeks, but what we know now is enough. The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.

    “I will vote to impeach the President.”

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    Earlier on Tuesday, another Republican representative, New York’s John Katko, has also said he would back Trump’s impeachment.

    * * *

    Republican leader Senator Mitch McConnell is reportedly “pleased” about the idea of a second Trump impeachment, telling sources that he believes President Trump  “committed impeachable offenses”, according to a late Tuesday New York Times report.

    McConnell believes impeachment will make it easier to “purge [Trump] from the party” ahead of a Wednesday House vote to formally charge Trump with inciting violence against the country.

    Meanwhile, Trump ally and minority leader Kevin McCarthy of California has asked other Republicans whether he should call for Trump to resign in the aftermath of the events at the Capitol last week. McCarthy and others have decided not to formally lobby Republicans to vote against the impeachment. He is said to have reached out to Nancy Pelosi to gauge interest in pursing a censure vote, though Pelosi has reportedly ruled it out.

    McConnell has indicated that he “wants to see the specific article of impeachment that the House is set to approve on Wednesday,” the Times wrote. President-elect Biden even spoke to McConnell on Tuesday to ask about the possibility of “a dual track that would allow the Senate to confirm Mr. Biden’s cabinet nominees and hold a Senate trial at the same time”.

    The article is expected to draw support from “as many as a dozen” Republicans. 

    McConnell was outspoken after the Senate reconvened on Wednesday last week, stating “This failed attempt to obstruct the Congress, this failed insurrection, only underscores how crucial the task before us is for our Republic. Our nation was founded precisely so that the free choice of the American people is what shapes our self-government and determines the destiny of our nation.” 

    Taken together, McConnell and McCarthy’s respective stances represent a shift in sentiment and a break from Trump within the Republican party heading into the last days of the President’s term.

    Trump, on the other hand, has remained steadfast, stating on Tuesday that his remarks to his supporters were “totally appropriate,” and that the idea of impeachment was “causing tremendous anger”. 

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/12/2021 – 20:25

  • Gamma Energy: As XLE Call Buying Explodes, Energy Sector Braces For Huge Melt Up
    Gamma Energy: As XLE Call Buying Explodes, Energy Sector Braces For Huge Melt Up

    Remember the “gamma squeeze” in various tech names amid the unprecedented Robinhood/SoftBank call buying frenzy from the summer/late 2020? Well, while SoftBank’s market manipulation unit may have been “incapacitated” for the time being after suffering major losses, the record call buying has continued into 2021 as retail daytraders have put their $600 (and soon $2000) “stimmy” checks to “good” use. In fact, just last week we saw that 4th and 5th highest call volume days in history!

    Only this time there is a difference: unlike the FAAMG/tech euphoria that marked much of 2020, this time the rabid levered daytraders have turned their attention elsewhere. Surprisingly, it is to the one sector so many had left for dead in 2020 – energy.

    As Susquehanna’s Chris Murphy points out, “option investors have never been so bullish on energy stocks.” As shown in the chart below, open interest in call options for the most popular energy ETF, the XLE (or Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund) has exploded higher in just the last few days sending its ratio relative to puts to a record.

    This record energy call buying may explain why there has been a sharp spike higher in such energy names as Exxon in recent weeks; it’s also why the surge across energy names may be just starting.

    Curiously, this appears to be a phenomenon isolated within energy: other ETFs in cyclical sectors such as banks and small caps, haven’t seen a similar phenomenon in option activity.

    As Bloomberg notes, while President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to focus on green energy, which in turn has made such ESG ETFs as the TAN explode in late 2020, the potential for “trillions” more in  stimulus under a Democrats blue sweep, as well as Saudi Arabia’s shocking $1mm bbd crude-supply cut have sent WTI above $52 a barrel. The XLE ETF has already rallied 44% since Nov. 3.

    But if options traders have their way, this could be just the start of the next massive gamma squeeze.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/12/2021 – 20:25

  • The Great Social Silencing
    The Great Social Silencing

    Authored by Kalev Leetaru via RealClearPolitics.com,

    Last week Silicon Valley silenced the president. In unison, the social media giants, with an assist from Amazon and Apple, also eliminated their most popular conservative competitor and announced that their own moderation policies would now extend to other companies. Meanwhile, CNN openly called for Fox News to be banned from cable, while a major talk radio network issued new speech rules to its hosts, extending tech’s moderation policies to the offline world. Beyond all this, Congress and the European Union called for powerful new regulation of online speech.

    As a handful of unelected billionaires declare sovereignty over digital speech, where might the coming months take us?

    Twitter once touted itself as “the free speech wing of the free speech party” and rebuked Congress’ calls for it to ban terrorists, proclaiming that “the ability of users to share freely their views — including views that many people may disagree with or find abhorrent” — was its mission. Indeed, most of the early social platforms emphasized unfettered speech above all other considerations. Over the years, this utopian dream has given way to an emphasis on “healthy conversation” and ever-changing enforcement.

    Yet for most of their existence, social media platforms have largely avoided censoring elected officials in the U.S. even as they have deleted the accounts of foreign leaders. That all changed last year as Silicon Valley for the first time began labeling President Trump’s tweets as “disputed” and “false.” As progressive segments of the public embraced this new censorship, platforms moved from merely fact-checking posts to deleting them entirely and threatening to ban some lawmakers.

    The courts have repeatedly ruled that Trump’s Twitter account is an official government outlet and thus he is prohibited from blocking users with whom he disagrees. How then is a private company able to establish “acceptable speech” rules for a government publication or silence it entirely? 

    Perhaps more troubling is that speech rules no longer just govern social spaces. Uber, Lyft and Airbnb have all banned their services from being used by those whose online and offline political speech was deemed unacceptable. Facebook last year extended its reach to the offline world, banning certain kinds calls for protest while permitting others.

    It was a remarkable sight to behold Democratic lawmakers and the press lamenting that Congress does not have the power to silence voices with which it disagrees and instead urging Silicon Valley to exercise the power only it holds: the ability to silence any voice from the digital world. And this plea came from the very lawmakers who had once condemned social platforms as dangerous monopolies.

    Moreover, the companies’ announcements that they were permanently suspending the president referenced not potential illegal activity banned by law but rather the companies’ decision that permitting him to continue communicating with the nation posed too great a risk to democracy.

    The companies themselves had little choice but to remove Trump or face even greater wrath from the new Democratic majority in Congress. Even the ACLU, in its condemnation of Twitter’s suspension of Trump, acknowledged the “political realities” of the incoming administration. Activist groups rushed to claim credit for silencing Trump, touting the high-level discussions they had had with Twitter leadership.

    While there has been widespread support for Silicon Valley’s actions, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned of the dangers in silencing a democratically elected head of state. Moreover, while Democrats are narrowly focused on the present, in a world in which lawmakers and activist groups can wield the monopoly power of social media to mute dissenting voices, what is to stop a future Republican Congress from using those very same powers to silence Democrats? Such is the slippery slope we find ourselves on.

    And what about alternatives to Silicon Valley’s platforms? Social media companies have long argued that they are not monopolies because it is possible for competitors to challenge them.

     

    Twitter clone Parler had emerged as just such a competitor, reaching number one on Apple’s App Store this week as conservatives flocked to its minimally moderated platform. Yet within days Apple and Google had banned the sale of it from their respective app stores and banishing it from mobile devices. Parler’s cloud hosting provider, Amazon Web Services, evicted it, taking the site offline until a conservative cloud provider agreed to host it. Yet even if it can rebuild in some fashion, without a smartphone app and blacklisted by most service providers, Parler will be merely a shadow of its former self.

    In taking these steps, Silicon Valley cited Parler’s lack of strong content moderation as grounds for elimination. In their letters to Parler, the companies demanded that it adopt acceptable speech policies identical to their own.

    Even offline media are not immune. Television channels must contract with cable carriers to transmit them into homes, syndicated radio shows must be hosted by stations, and even independent newspapers must have websites and mobile apps. With local news outlets diminishing, it is important to note that no matter how editorially independent some may be, all are still dependent on cloud providers, app stores, Internet service providers, etc. In the aftermath of Wednesday’s events at the Capitol, CNN openly called for cable carriers to drop Fox News, while Cumulus Media issued new acceptable speech rules to its conservative talk radio hosts.

    Where does this leave us?

    The nation’s founders chose not to give Congress the power to silence even a madman in the Oval Office, other than to remove him through impeachment. This week taught us that a handful of billionaires in California essentially have that power. Trump’s near-total disappearance from the digital world since his ban serves as a stark reminder of this.

    The near-unanimous support from the new Democratic majority for this ban means Silicon Valley is now emboldened to eliminate any voice, no matter how powerful. It creates a dangerous normalization of the silencing of dissent.

    The willingness of Uber, Lyft and Airbnb to ban some users for political speech shows that as technology companies’ tentacles reach into other industries, a new era of permanent societal exclusion, much like China’s “social credit” program, is emerging.

    To some, the newfound emphasis on combating “misinformation,” with private companies as curators of permissible speech and definers of “truth,” might seem like a positive development. After all, threats of violence, racism, sexism, doxing, sedition, harmful medical advice and the like are damaging to society. Yet billionaires that can silence presidents, a Congress that can silence dissent and private companies deciding what is “best” for the nation and what constitutes “truth” pose an existential threat to democracy. In the end, the very future of our shared society hinges on the ability of Silicon Valley to balance thoughtful moderation with freedom of speech. Perhaps the answer is for the tech companies to become democracies themselves and let society decide what is best.  

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/12/2021 – 20:05

  • Why Did These 40 Companies Continue To Fund Democrats Who 'Undermined Democracy' In 2005?
    Why Did These 40 Companies Continue To Fund Democrats Who ‘Undermined Democracy’ In 2005?

    An accelerating avalanche of companies have issued hurried press releases in recent days to signal how virtuous they are by cutting off political funding because – according to most of them – of the actions of various politicians (such as Rep. Hawley and Sen. Cruz) who, according to the mainstream media have “amplified the Big Lie”, “undermined democracy”, “inciting a riot”, and attempted to “delay Biden’s certification.”

    One example was as follows:.

    “The culpability for this untenable challenge to our Constitution and American values goes beyond the criminals that attacked our Capitol, and falls to a number of our elected leaders as well who, in effect, perpetuated the lies and untruths about the outcome of the 2020 presidential election,”

    The politicians ‘crimes’ – they dared to object to the certification of certain states’ Electoral College votes due to voting irregularities.

    What is a little odd – at least to us – is the fact these actions are certainly not unprecedented.

    As we noted previously:

    The last three times a Republican has been elected president — Trump in 2016 and George W. Bush in both 2000 and 2004 — Democrats in the House have brought objections to the electoral votes in states the GOP nominee won.

    In early 2005 specifically, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., along with Rep. Stephanie Tubbs, D-Ohio, objected to Bush’s 2004 electoral votes in Ohio.

    In fact, just for fun, let’s look at what none other than CNN did to report Sen. Boxer’s dastardly act (emphasis ours… to highlight the hypocrisy):

    Alleging widespread “irregularities” on Election Day, a group of Democrats in Congress objected Thursday to the counting of Ohio’s 20 electoral votes, delaying the official certification of the 2004 presidential election results.

    The move was not designed to overturn the re-election of President Bush, said Ohio Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones and California Sen. Barbara Boxer, who filed the objection.

    The objecting Democrats, most of whom are House members, said they wanted to draw attention to the need for aggressive election reform in the wake of what they said were widespread voter problems.

    In a letter to congressional leaders Wednesday, members of the group said they would take the action because a new report by Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee found “numerous, serious election irregularities,” particularly in Ohio, that led to “a significant disenfranchisement of voters.”

    “How can we possibly tell millions of Americans who registered to vote, who came to the polls in record numbers, particularly our young people … to simply get over it and move on?” Tubbs Jones told reporters.

    …

    Wait… no denigration? No treason? In fact, it gets better, as none other than Nancy Pelosi herself praised “democracy” in action:

    “Today we are witnessing Democracy at work. This isn’t as some of our Republican colleagues have referred to it, sadly, as frivolous. This debate is fundamental to our democracy,” she said at the time.

    “The representatives of the American people in this house are standing up for three fundamental American beliefs: The right to vote is sacred; that a representative has a duty to represent his or her constituents; and that the rule of law is the hallmark of our nation.”

    So, given all of that, why did the following 40-plus companies wait 16 years before pulling their political funding? The Wall Street Journal reports that these 40 or so companies have temporarily halted all political action committee donations, or donations to lawmakers who voted against certifying Electoral College votes.

    The (witch) hunt is on for more corporations that practically funded this insurrection, as Bloomberg reports that six of the biggest money managers gave a combined $1.03 million to Republican lawmakers who objected to certifying results of the 2020 presidential election, a new study shows.

    Anyone with an open-mind might think these announcements – at a time in the Washington cycle when political contributions slump anyway – are nothing but yet more corporate virtue-signaling as the outrage mob pressures companies big and small.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/12/2021 – 19:45

  • PBS Lawyer Fired After Project Veritas Expose
    PBS Lawyer Fired After Project Veritas Expose

    Update (1840ET): Michael Beller, the attorney in the Project Veritas expose, has been fired by NPR for hateful comments calling for the children of Trump supporters to be “put into re-eduation camps”

    “There is no place for hateful rhetoric at PBS, and this individual’s views in no way reflect our values or opinions,” said a spokesperson in a statement.

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    Authored by Sara A. Carter via saraacarter.com

    This is what the leftists, along with those that support their agenda, think about Americans. It’s in their own words. Believe them when they say it.

    “Americans are so fucking dumb,” said PBS Principal Counsel Michael Beller, who was chatting with one of Project Veritas‘ undercover self-described guerilla journalists. “You know most people are dumb.”

    Beller is just saying what I would hear over and over again in Washington D.C. parties and pubs. He’s not the exception and his disdain for our nation makes my stomach turn because he, and others like him, are seizing power from the people every day. They hold positions of power that actually can affect our daily lives and that of our children.

    And to think PBS if funded with our taxpayer dollars.

    “Kids who are growing up, know nothing but Trump, for four years, you’ve got to wonder what they’re (Trump supporting children) going to be like, ” Beller told the undercover journalist. “They’ll (Trump supporters) be raising a generation of intolerant, horrible people – horrible kids.”

    Beller suggests removing the children from parents who supported Trump and then sending them to enlightenment camps.

    IS BELLER FOR REAL!

    This idea is similar to what is actually happening in China, as the Chinese Communist Party has been terrorizing and removing the Uighur Muslim population to supposed “re-education” camps.

    Beller needs to be fired by PBS. My daughter watches PBS and she won’t be anymore. This is absolutely intolerable.

    Oh, Beller also said that if “even if Biden wins, we go for all the Republican voters, Homeland Security will take their children away…”

    Folks, welcome to America’s worst nightmare.

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    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/12/2021 – 19:33

  • Peter Schiff: The Bond Market Is Rigged!
    Peter Schiff: The Bond Market Is Rigged!

    Via SchiffGold.com,

    You may have noticed that the financial media has started talking about inflation. But by and large, it’s not a warning. It’s reassurance. Many analysts are dismissive of any concerns raised about inflationary pressure. They often claim the bond market isn’t signaling inflation. But as Peter Schiff points out in a clip from a recent podcast, the bond market is rigged.

    The narrative is that the bond markets aren’t signaling much concern about inflation. Treasury yields have risen in recent weeks with the 10-year rate now above 1%. As Peter pointed out in a more recent podcast, the upward trend does indicate some investors are starting to get nervous about inflation, and at some point, we could see “an explosive move up in interest rates.” But so far, the broader market hasn’t caught on. Even though the trend is up, yields remain historically low and they don’t exactly scream “inflation problem.”

    After all, if investors were concerned about inflation, why would they be willing to loan money to the US government for 10 years at 1%?”

    Typically, inflation is a major concern for lenders. If you plan to lend somebody money for 10 years, you have to consider what that amount of money will buy when you get it back. In effect, you’re giving up the opportunity to buy something with your money today in order to lend it to somebody else. You’re willing to do this because the borrower is paying you for the service of loaning him that money. But if inflation is going to eat away your purchasing power over time, you will want to charge a higher rate of interest to compensate for that loss.

    So, the interest rate the lender charges typically reflects the expected rate of inflation over the term of the loan. If a lender expects higher inflation, he will build those expectations into interest rates. And from the borrower’s point of view, she’s fine with paying the higher rate because she knows that she’ll be repaying the loan in the future with money that has less value than it does today.

    Since we’ve not seen a huge spike in bond yields, most analysts assume inflation must not be a concern. But given the massive deficits and the ballooning money supply, why are the markets downplaying inflation? Peter said they’re missing the elephant standing in the middle of the living room.

    That is the Fed! And actually, there are a few elephants in the living room in the form of other central banks that are distorting the bond market. The bond market is not working the way it has in the past because the Fed is artificially manipulating interest rates. The biggest buyer is the Federal Reserve.”

    When the Fed buys bonds, it isn’t worried about losing money on a loan. The Federal Reserve isn’t lending money in the way an actual lender does. The Fed isn’t making a business decision. It’s making a political decision.

    The Fed is trying to affect policy. It’s trying to influence the economy, stimulate the economy, prop up the stock market. That is the purpose of the Fed buying Treasury bonds. So, the Fed is not looking at Treasury bonds yielding under 1% and thinking, ‘Wow, this is a lousy buy. Why do I want to buy these bonds at less than 1% and hold them for 10 years? We’re going to take a big loss.’ The Fed doesn’t care about losses. The Fed doesn’t have to work for its money. It creates it out of thin air. What do the guys at the Fed give a damn how much they lose by buying these low-yielding bonds? And so when you have the Fed in the market, the whole thing is distorted.”

    And the Fed has become a major player in the bond market. As we reported recently, the Fed now owns a record 16.5% of US debt. In just one year, the Fed doubled its holdings of Treasuries, adding a staggering $2.4 trillion in US government bonds to its balance sheet – most of that since March. The Fed’s total share of US debt has spiked from 9.3% in Q1 to 16.5%.

    It isn’t just the Fed itself that distorts the bond market. The central bank’s presence creates an environment ripe for speculators who are just in it for the short-run.

    Whenever there is a sell-off in the bond market and you see a backup in interest rates, what happens? Speculators who can borrow money real cheap, also thanks to the Fed, come into the market and buy the dip. Why do they do that? Because they know they can sell to the Fed. They can flip the bonds back to the Fed because the Federal Reserve is trying to keep a lid on long-term interest rates because the economy is so loaded up with debt – and again thanks to the Fed. The Fed has to keep interest rates at rock bottom so people can afford to pay. Also, the Fed is trying to maintain these excess stock market valuations. And the key to the overvalued stock market is the overvalued bond market because we keep comparing stocks to bonds, and so to make that comparison favorable, the Fed has to keep the bond market propped up and keep interest rates down.”

    Speculators don’t buy bonds because they think they’re a great long-term investment. They have no intention of holding them until maturity. They’re buying to flip to the Fed.

    On the other side of the equation, the Fed has to keep bond prices high (and therefore yields low) in order to create enough demand on the open market for the US Treasury to sell enough bonds to finance the massive budget deficits. With the Democrats controlling both houses of Congress and the White House, it seems likely the borrowing and spending will increase in the coming months – certainly not slow down.

    So that’s what’s going on in the bond market. You have speculators who are front-running the Fed. They have no intention of holding the bonds to maturity. And then you have the Fed that will hold to maturity and isn’t concerned about how much money it loses to inflation.

    In a nutshell, the bond market is completely rigged.

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/12/2021 – 19:25

  • F-35 Stealth Jet Still Has 871 Flaws Including Some "Potentially Serious Issues"
    F-35 Stealth Jet Still Has 871 Flaws Including Some “Potentially Serious Issues”

    The Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter jet has 871 software and hardware flaws that could affect combat operations, according to Bloomberg, citing a report from the Pentagon’s testing office.

    “The F-35 continues to have many flaws. Many of those flaws have already been discovered during the development and testing phase, which ended with 941 flaws in April 2018,” Robert Behler, the director of operational testing, said in a new assessment seen by Bloomberg.

    The assessment outlines the long list of flaws – down two from 873 that Behler reported last year.

    Ten out of the 871 unresolved deficiencies found by Boehler are “potentially serious issues,” Bloomberg writes. These “Category 1” issues could endanger the pilot or aircraft safety or diminish combat effectiveness against Chinese or Russian stealth fighters. 

    At least 70% of the flaws are considered “low priority.”

    To date, 970 F-35s have been built are being used by the US and eight more countries, including the Netherlands, UK, and Japan. The flaws will be addressed over time, much of which will come from software updates. 

    One of the flaws include a “stalled one-month simulation exercise required to certify the plane is combat-ready against the toughest Russian or Chinese threats and thus ready for a decision on full-rate production,” said Bloomberg. 

    Here are other unresolved glitches of the F-35 program (the partial list via Defense News):

    • When the F-35B vertically lands on very hot days, older engines may be unable to produce the required thrust to keep the jet airborne, resulting in a hard landing.
    • After doing certain maneuvers, F-35B and F-35C pilots are not always able to completely control the aircraft’s pitch, roll and yaw.
    • Supersonic flight in excess of Mach 1.2 can cause structural damage and blistering to the stealth coating of the F-35B and F-35C.
    • Cabin pressure spikes in the cockpit of the F-35 have been known to cause barotrauma, the word given to extreme ear and sinus pain.
    • The spare parts inventory shown by the F-35’s logistics system does not always reflect reality, causing occasional mission cancellations.
    • If the F-35A and F-35B blows a tire upon landing, the impact could also take out both hydraulic lines and pose a loss-of-aircraft risk.
    • Possible maneuvering issues when the aircraft is operating above a 20-degree angle of attack.
    • The F-35’s logistics system currently has no way for foreign F-35 operators to keep their secret data from being sent to the United States.

    And yes, did we mention the F-35’s 25 mm Gatling-type rotary cannon has “unacceptable” accuracy of hitting ground targets?

    An independent cost analysis shows the F-35 program will need tens of billions of dollars more over the next several years for upgrades, research and development, aircraft procurement, operations and maintenance. 

    Behler wrote, “the overall number of open deficiencies has not changed significantly” since early 2019, adding that “due to ongoing problems with initial software quality” and “limited lab and flight test capability, resulting in a high rate of problem discoveries” found in the field.

    Currently, the F-35 program is undergoing a “Block 4” upgrade costing at least $12 billion to correct some of the flaws. 

    Behler warned that the Block 4 process “is not working.” He said, “it’s causing significant delays to planned schedules and results in poor software quality, containing deficiencies.”

    Bloomberg noted defense officials who have seen the Behler assessment said many of the flaw will be resolved with production changes and software upgrades. 

    Tyler Durden
    Tue, 01/12/2021 – 19:05

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