Billions of Dollars in Short Bets on U.S. Markets
February 1st, 2025…maybe the smartest thing to do is pull it.
Via: Telegraph:
Hedge funds have bet billions of dollars against Donald Trump’s America amid fears of a market crash.
Data from Goldman Sachs show there has been a surge in “short” bets against US stocks, meaning traders will make money when they fall in value, in a sign of growing concerns about the market.
In January, investors have placed 10 times more bets on US stocks falling than equivalent bets that shares in leading American companies would rise, the investment bank said. It suggests many traders are sitting on huge profits from the chaos earlier this week, when shares in big tech stocks slumped following a panic over the success of rival Chinese AI DeepSeek.
Musk Reveals Treasury Has Been Auto-Paying Everyone, ‘Even Known Terrorist Groups’
February 1st, 2025Via: ZeroHedge:
Well, well, well – DOGE moves into the Treasury, triggering their longest-serving, highest-ranked career official to quit in a huff, and they find that department has essentially been auto-paying everyone, according to Elon Musk.
“The @DOGE team discovered, among other things, that payment approval officers at Treasury were instructed always to approve payments, even to known fraudulent or terrorist groups,” said Musk in a Friday night tweet.
“They literally never denied a payment in their entire career.”
Musk Aides Lock Government Workers Out of Computer Systems, “That Contain the Personal Data of Millions of Federal Employees”
January 31st, 2025Via: Reuters:
Aides to Elon Musk charged with running the U.S. government human resources agency have locked career civil servants out of computer systems that contain the personal data of millions of federal employees, according to two agency officials.
Since taking office 11 days ago, President Donald Trump has embarked on a massive government makeover, firing and sidelining hundreds of civil servants in his first steps toward downsizing the bureaucracy and installing more loyalists.
Musk, the billionaire Tesla CEO and X owner tasked by Trump to slash the size of the 2.2 million-strong civilian government workforce, has moved swiftly to install allies at the agency known as the Office of Personnel Management.
The two officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, said some senior career employees at OPM have had their access revoked to some of the department’s data systems.
The systems include a vast database called Enterprise Human Resources Integration, which contains dates of birth, Social Security numbers, appraisals, home addresses, pay grades and length of service of government workers, the officials said.
NYC Subway Train Stolen for “Joyride”
January 31st, 2025Via: Fox5:
The NYPD is searching for the six suspects who are accused of stealing a subway train in Queens and taking it for a joyride.
According to police, the theft took place at 10 p.m. on Saturday near the 71st Avenue station in Forest Hills.
Police said that six suspects got into an empty R train that was sitting in a storage yard in Brooklyn and headed down the tracks over the weekend.
…
No arrests have been made, and no injuries have been reported.
Philadelphia: Learjet 55 Air Ambulance Crashes, Explodes Near Homes
January 31st, 2025Dashcam footage of the plane crash in Philadelphia. At least 6 people have been killed, according to FOX29 pic.twitter.com/6RH7MVNns5
— Faytuks News (@Faytuks) February 1, 2025
Via: Fox:
A medical ambulance plane transporting a pediatric patient crashed on a street near the Roosevelt Mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Friday night.
Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, the company operating the plane, said it’s Learjet 55 crashed while departing from Northeast Philadelphia Airport around 6:30 p.m.
The company said there were four crew members and two passengers – a pediatric patient and an escort – on the plane at the time.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed there were six people on the plane. The agency said the plane was heading to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri.
TRUMP IMPOSES 25% TARIFF ON IMPORTS FROM MEXICO AND CANADA, 10% ON IMPORTS FROM CHINA
January 31st, 2025Via: CNBC:
In an apparent ending to weeks of intense speculation, the White House confirmed Friday that President Donald Trump will be leveling aggressive tariffs this weekend on major U.S. trading partners.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said Trump will be implementing 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada as well as a 10% duty on China, in retaliation for “the illegal fentanyl that they have sourced and allowed to distribute into our country.”
The White House provided few details on exactly how the levies will be meted out, saying that they will be available for public inspection at some point Saturday.
F-16s Scrambled to Intercept “Potential Drone” Near Andrews Air Force Base
January 31st, 2025Via: The Warzone:
A C-32A VIP transport jet on a special air mission (SAM) had to delay landing at Joint Base Andrews on Saturday because two U.S. Air National Guard F-16C Vipers and a U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 helicopter were scrambled to intercept a “potential drone” flying near the capital region, according to Air Traffic Control (ATC) audio posted online the internet. The object was observed over Freeway Airport located about 10 miles north of Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, according to that audio. The incident began around 8:30 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday.
The C-32A was using callsign SAM47, which makes it clear neither POTUS nor VPOTUS were on board, although it was likely operating in support of the President’s movements to the West Coast.
…
“Just be advised that we have an active scramble about 10 miles north of Andrews and just waiting on the jet to depart there … active intercept so that is the reason for the delay vector,” the ATC operator explained.
The ATC operator told the Coast Guard helicopter, callsign BLACKJACK01 and one of the F-16s, callsign BRAVE01, that the target of interest (TOI) was “a potential drone [flying at an altitude of] between 5,000 and 6,000” feet. A second Viper, callsign BRAVE02, was also launched to track down the potential drone.
“BLACKJACK01, the TOI is now off about one to two o’clock, four miles south,” the ATC operator told the helicopter, guiding it toward the target. “It looks like it is in the vicinity of Freeway Aiport,” a privately owned airport in Mitchellville, Maryland.
Several minutes later, ATC asked if BLACKJACK01 had intercepted the TOI.
“Negative for BLACKJACK01, negative.” the helicopter responded before being given further guidance from ATC.
“BRAVE01, turn right heading 320 last known radar ping was northwest of your position at six miles,” ATC told the Viper’s pilot.
“BLACKJACK01, navigation is approved and just be advised I’m not showing a target anymore,” ATC told the helicopter a few minutes later. “No more TOI.”
U.S. Army Black Hawk Helicopter Collides Midair with American Airlines Jet Near Near Reagan Washington National Airport
January 29th, 2025Update: More Video Emerges
Two new videos obtained by CNN show new angles on Wednesday night’s midair collision above Washington DC.
In the videos both aircraft can clearly be seen flying towards each other, then exploding and falling into the river after the fatal explosion. pic.twitter.com/W89o5387fp
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) January 31, 2025
—
Update: Continuity of Government Training Mission
Via: The Warzone:
The crew of a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter involved in a mid-air collision over the Potomac River last night were training for what is known as a continuity of government mission. In the event of a major attack or other especially serious crisis, Army helicopters would be among the assets tasked with spiriting senior U.S. officials and lawmakers safely out of Washington, D.C. at a moment’s notice so that critical aspects of the country’s government continue to function.
—
Nothing makes sense here. How did the Blackhawk pilot not see the jet with its landing lights on?
Note: If you go looking for information on x.com, please be aware that X is amplifying posts with made-up information on this incident.
Via: Fox:
A massive search and rescue effort is underway after an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair with an American Airlines jet at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia on Wednesday evening.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan National Airport around 9 p.m. local time.
White House Claims New Jersey Drones, “Flown by the FAA for Research and Various Other Reasons”
January 29th, 2025Ha. What a load of bollocks.
If the drones belonged to the FAA, why didn’t the agency admit it weeks ago?
Via: ZeroHedge:
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt provided much-needed transparency regarding the “dronegate” incident that sparked nationwide concerns over potential threats from China and Russia.
In a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Leavitt said the drones spotted over New Jersey and New York in December had been authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration for “research purposes.”
“An update on the New Jersey drones. After research and study, the drones flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the FAA for research and various other reasons. Many of these drones are hobbyist and recreational drones that enjoy flying drones,” Leavitt said during her press conference.
She concluded on the drone subject: “This was not the enemy.”
Donald Trump Offers Eight-Month Buyouts To All Federal Employees
January 29th, 2025Via: USA Today:
The Trump administration is offering buyouts to all federal employees who don’t wish to return to work at the office, in a push to significantly reduce the size of the federal workforce.
The offer, outlined in a memo the U.S. Office of Personnel Management sent to employees Tuesday, would give federal workers eight months of pay and benefits through September if they resign by Feb. 6.
“If you choose not to continue in your current role in the federal workforce, we thank you for your service to your country and you will be provided with a dignified, fair departure from the federal deferred resignation program,” the memo reads.
The move, first reported by Axios, comes after President Donald Trump signed an order last week requiring all federal workers to return to in-person work. Work-from-home policies enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic remain in place for many federal workers.
The memo was titled “Fork in the Road,” the same subject line that billionaire businessman Elon Musk used when he gave X employees a similar ultimatum in 2022.
