Trump on U.S.-China Trade War: ‘I Could Declare a National Emergency’
August 25th, 2019Via: CNBC:
President Donald Trump said Sunday he could declare the escalating U.S.-China trade war as a national emergency if he wanted to.
“In many ways this is an emergency,” Trump said at the G-7 leaders meeting of the ongoing trade battle between the world’s top two economies.
“I could declare a national emergency, I think when they steal and take out and intellectual property theft anywhere from $300 billion to $500 billion a year and when we have a total lost of almost a trillion dollars a year for many years,” Trump said, adding that he had no plan right now to call for a national emergency.
Vitamin D Deficiency in Middle Childhood Is Related to Behavior Problems in Adolescence
August 25th, 2019Via: PsychCentral:
Vitamin D deficiency in childhood may be associated with a greater risk for aggressive behavior and anxious and depressive moods in adolescence, according to a new University of Michigan (U-M) study of schoolchildren in Bogotá, Colombia.
The findings, published in the Journal of Nutrition, show that children with blood vitamin D levels suggestive of deficiency were almost twice as likely to develop externalizing behavior problems — aggressive and rule-breaking behaviors — as reported by their parents, compared with children who had higher levels of the vitamin.
Also, low levels of the protein that transports vitamin D in blood were related to more self-reported aggressive behavior and anxious/depressed symptoms. The associations were independent of child, parental and household characteristics.
“Children who have vitamin D deficiency during their elementary school years appear to have higher scores on tests that measure behavior problems when they reach adolescence,” said Dr. Eduardo Villamor, professor of epidemiology at the U-M School of Public Health and senior author of the study.
Villamor notes that vitamin D deficiency has been linked to other mental health problems in adulthood, including depression and schizophrenia, and some studies have focused on the effect of vitamin D status during pregnancy and childhood. However, few studies have extended into adolescence, the stage when behavior problems may first appear and become serious conditions.
Oil Down Nearly 2%
August 25th, 2019Via: Reuters:
Oil prices fell on Monday, pushing U.S. crude to its lowest in more than two weeks, as a ratcheting up of tensions in the U.S.-China war knocked confidence in the global economy.
Policing For Profit: How Civil Asset Forfeiture Has Perverted American Law Enforcement
August 25th, 2019Via: ammo.com:
The current state of civil asset forfeiture in the United States is one of almost naked tyranny.
Hong Kong Police Fire First Gunshot, Water Cannon in Protest Clashes
August 25th, 2019Via: AFP:
Hong Kong police used water cannon for the first time and at least one officer fired his sidearm during pitched battles with protesters Sunday, one of the most violent nights in three months of pro-democracy rallies that have rocked the city.
An afternoon rally in the district of Tsuen Wan spiraled into violent running confrontations between protesters and police, with officers several times caught outnumbered and isolated by masked youths wielding sticks and throwing rocks.
China Announces Tariff Hike on $75 Billion of U.S. Products
August 23rd, 2019Via: AP:
China has announced it will raise tariffs on $75 billion of U.S. products in retaliation for President Donald Trump’s planned Sept. 1 duty increase in a war over trade and technology policy.
The official Xinhua News Agency said Friday the tariffs of 10% and 5% take effect on two batches of goods Sept. 1 and Dec. 15 but gave no details on what imports would be affected.
Bill Gates Flew on Epstein’s Plane AFTER Epstein Spent Time in Prison for Soliciting a Minor for Sex
August 23rd, 2019Via: Daily Mail:
Bill Gates is hoping to ride out the storm, one week after it was revealed he had hitched a ride on Jeffrey Epstein’s plane.
The billionaire was the chairman of Microsoft at the time he traveled with Epstein on the Lolita Express in 2013, four years after the pedophile served time for soliciting a minor under the age of 18 for sex.
Flight records reveal that Gates flew with Epstein from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey to Palm Beach on March 1, 2013, one of the few flights that year where pilot Larry Viskoski recorded the name of a passenger.
A representative for Gates has not responded to requests for comment, beyond claiming that the once-richest man in the world never had any financial or charitable ties to Epstein.
The pairing is an odd one given the work Melinda Gates and the couple’s foundation does for young women around the world.
And it is known that the two had spent time together previously, most notably at the annual Edge Dinner, which each year welcomes billionaires from around the world to come together and discuss advancements they are working in on the worlds of math, science and technology.
Brazil: Bolsonaro Admitted Farmers Could be Setting Rainforest Fires, Tells Foreign Powers Not to Interfere
August 23rd, 2019Via: Reuters:
Amid growing international criticism over the wildfires raging through the Amazon, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday admitted farmers could be illegally setting the rainforest ablaze but told foreign powers not to interfere.
French President Emmanuel Macron and United Nations Secretary General António Guterres both took to Twitter to express concern about the fires that have reached a record number this year, devastating vast swathes of forest considered a vital bulwark against climate change.
Bolsonaro responded angrily to what he regarded as meddling.
“These countries that send money here, they don’t send it out of charity. … They send it with the aim of interfering with our sovereignty,” he said in a Facebook Live broadcast.
Avoiding Oil Change Scams
August 22nd, 2019Via: Car Wizard:
Overstock CEO Resigns After His ‘Deep State’ Comments Sparked Stock Selloff
August 22nd, 2019Here’s the full text of Byrne’s press release, for whatever it’s worth:
August 12, 2019 at 7:03 PM EDT
Overstock.com CEO Comments on Deep State, Withholds Further Comment
SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Overstock.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:OSTK) CEO Patrick M. Byrne has released the following statement:
“Sara Carter has published two articles relating the following claims of mine:
Starting in 2015 I (operating under the belief that I was helping legitimate law enforcement efforts) assisted in what are now known as the ‘Clinton Investigation’ and the ‘Russian Investigation’ (in fact, I am the notorious ‘missing Chapter 1’ of the Russian investigation). It was the third time in my life I helped the Men in Black: the first was when my friend Brian Williams was murdered, and the second was when I helped the M.I.B. shake up Wall Street a decade ago. Unfortunately, this third time turned out to be less about law enforcement and more about political espionage conducted against Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump (and to a lesser degree, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz).
In July 2018 I put the pieces together. I immediately (last July) came forward to a Congressman and a senior military officer, to the Department of Justice this April, and (upon my Omaha Rabbi reminding me of my duty as a citizen late this June) to a small set of journalists this summer. Ms. Carter was among them. Her two stories are accurate.
Having confirmed Ms. Carter’s two articles, I have fulfilled those citizenship obligations of which my Rabbi reminded me. I will speak no more on the subject. Instead, having lived in places lacking Rule of Law and having witnessed the consequences of its absence, I plan on sitting back and watching the United States Department of Justice re-establish Rule of Law in our country.”
—
Via: CBS:
Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne resigned from the retailer on Thursday following his cryptic statement last week about the “Deep State” and his involvement in various investigations. He had also told The New York Times that he had an affair with convicted Russian agent Maria Butina.
In a letter sent Thursday to shareholders, Byrne said he had no choice but to resign following his comments. “My presence may affect and complicate all manner of business relationships, from insurability to strategic discussions regarding our retail business,” he said. “Thus, while I believe that I did what was necessary for the good of the country, for the good of the firm, I am in the sad position of having to sever ties with Overstock, both as CEO and board member, effective Thursday August 22.”
Byrne’s statement last week raised eyebrows, with the executive claiming to have assisted federal investigators in the “Clinton Investigation” and the “Russian Investigation,” seemingly a reference to the FBI probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Investors were spooked, sending shares of Overstock.com down by more than one-third over a two-day period.
Shares of Overstock jumped after the company said Byrne had resigned. In early afternoon trading, the stock was up more than 9%.
