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It turns out, that voting from your kitchen table is easier than standing in line.
Elections are won by turnout. Absentee voting during covid produced more votes than ever.
The idiots that tried to tell us that machines were hacked, blew it. They should have looked at the paper ballots to see if they had creases from being folded in envelopes. Or if they were missing creases because they were mass produced.
Lets look at Georgia for the strangest and obvious absentee fraud.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-georgia.html
Biden 2,473,633
Trump 2,461,854
difference 11,779
total votes 4,999,960 (4,011,008 were Absentee according to the link above)
compared to one Senate seat that had to have a run-off
Perdue(R) 2,462,617
Ossoff (D) 2,374,519
Hazel(L) 115,039
Write In 265
Total votes 4,952,440
the difference of 47,520 more votes for President compared to Senate
How in the world did that many people voting from Home or standing in line, didn't vote at all
for the Senate?
The ballots can be different for each prescient because of local offices. Judge, State Senate etc.
How many absentee voters never voted for the local offices? How many only had a President vote?
If your voting from home, there is no excuse.
Fraud mass produced votes would have skipped the local offices. And they probably had the same ballot choices.
More Warmongers Elevated In The Biden Administration
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/more-warmongers-elevated-biden-administration
The Biden administration looks set to become even more warlike than it already was if you can imagine, with virulent Russia hawk Victoria Nuland and virulent China hawk Charles Q Brown now being elevated to lofty positions by the White House.
Nuland, the wife of alpha neocon Robert Kagan, has been named acting deputy secretary of state by President Biden, at least until a new deputy secretary has been named. This places her at second in command within the State Department, second only to Tony Blinken.
In an article about Nuland’s unique role in souring relations between the US and Russia during her previous tenure in the State Department under Obama, Responsible Statecraft’s Connor Echols writes the following of the latest news:
Nuland’s appointment will be a boon for Russia hawks who want to turn up the heat on the Kremlin. But, for those who favor a negotiated end to the conflict in Ukraine, a promotion for the notoriously “undiplomatic diplomat” will be a bitter pill.
A few quick reminders are in order. When Nuland was serving in the Obama administration, she had a now-infamous leaked call with the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. As the Maidan Uprising roiled the country, the pair of American diplomats discussed conversations with opposition leaders, and Nuland expressed support for putting Arseniy Yatseniuk into power. (Yatseniuk would become prime minister later that month, after Russia-friendly former President Viktor Yanukovych fled the country.) At one memorable point in the call, Nuland said “Fu–k the EU” in response to Europe’s softer stance on the protests.
The controversy surrounding the call — and larger implications of U.S. involvement in the ouster of Yanukovych — kicked up tensions with Russia and contributed to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to seize Crimea and support an insurgency in eastern Ukraine. Her handing out food to demonstrators on the ground in Kyiv probably didn’t help either. Nuland, along with State Department sanctions czar Daniel Fried, then led the effort to punish Putin through sanctions. Another official at State reportedly asked Fried if “the Russians realize that the two hardest-line people in the entire U.S. government are now in a position to go after them?”
In a 2015 Consortium News article titled “The Mess That Nuland Made,” the late Robert Parry singled out Nuland as the primary architect of the 2014 regime change operation in Ukraine, which, as Aaron Maté explained last year, paved the way to the war we’re seeing there today. Hopefully her position winds up being temporary.
In other news, the Senate Arms Services Committee has voted to confirm Biden’s selection of General Charles Q Brown Jr as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, replacing Mark Milley. A full senate vote will now take place on whether to confirm Brown — currently the Air Force Chief of Staff — for the nation’s highest military office.
Brown is unambiguous about his belief that the US must hasten to militarize against China in the so-called Indo-Pacific to prepare for confrontation between the two powers, calling for more US bases in the region and increased efforts to arm Taiwan during his hearing before the Senate Arms Services Committee earlier this month.
Back in May, Moon of Alabama flagged Brown’s nomination in an article which also noted that several advocates of military restraint had been resigning from their positions within the administration, including Wendy Sherman, the deputy secretary of state who Nuland has taken over for.
It’s too soon to draw any firm conclusions, but to see voices of restraint stepping down and proponents of escalation stepping up could be a bad portent of things to come
Remember "no child left behind" by Pres Bush? Teachers took the money.
🔥🚨BREAKING: Akron Beacon Journal has reported that Lebron James "I Promise" school in Akron, Ohio’s eighth graders haven’t had a single student pass the state’s math test since the group was in the third grade. I still commend Lebron for stepping up. pic.twitter.com/Bv8MKiOZlE
— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) July 30, 2023
I hope Archer makes it there without being Clintonized.
Devon Archer Loses on All Appeals in $60 Million Securities Fraud. Will He Still Testify?
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/07/devon-archer-loses-all-appeals-60-million-securities/
Yesterday, former business partner Devon Archer lost on all issues brought in his appeal to the United States Court of Appeals Second Circuit. Archer had previously been released while awaiting judgement regarding the securities fraud case he was convicted in with co-defendant John Galanis.
Last month, and again earlier this week, it was announced that he would be testifying in front of the House Oversight Committee. Many have predicted that he would testify about at least 24 instances of Joe Biden’s engagement with Hunter’s foreign business partners over the phone.
Archer’s year-long prison sentence was upheld, but it is not clear when he will turn himself in and whether or not he will still testify.
Archer’s testimony could possibly be explosive in the case that has been built and revealed to the public over the last several months by Rep. James Comer and Sen. Chuck Grassley if he is still permitted to testify after the conviction.
The Walls are closing in on Joe
Release the hounds
Trump lawyers told to expect indictment of former president as grand jury meets in D.C. court
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/27/trump-election-probe-grand-jury.html
Notice, how they always seem to find your(my) stops.
insert profanity here !!
Make Pedo's great again.
The logo for Blue Hats .....
Mark Levin on what happened with the Hunter plea deal
As we discussed on radio at length, the Hunter Biden deal was an effort to coverup, then censor, then kill any investigation into Joe Biden. The question is, when will Merrick Garland and the other Obama-Biden Marxists who run the DOJ be directly exposed and held to account. These mob lawyers are destroying the country. The deal never made sense -- to anyone. It was a brazen mob deal, and our noses were rubbed in it -- despite the best efforts of the corrupt Democrat Party to run interference, yet again.
The deal called for no jail time for tax evasion on perjury on a gun application form. Plus, immunity from all other outstanding criminal conduct. The DOJ also let the statute of limitations run on tax fraud committed by Hunter in 2014 and 2015. MEANWHILE, DOJ said that the investigation was ongoing, thereby attempting to prevent any effort by Congress to look into any aspect of the investigation and the deal. The judge asked what was still being investigated? The prosecutors reluctantly said FARA when the judge herself brought it up. But the deal immunizes Hunter from FARA charges or any other charges.
The individuals at DOJ responsible for this must be held to account. The level and extent of corruption here is incredible. I have no doubt the White House is involved. Certainly, the Democrat Party media and Democrat Party will support all of this and more. This is what we are up against. The Democrat Party Hates America.
As we discussed on radio at length, the Hunter Biden deal was an effort to coverup, then censor, then kill any investigation into Joe Biden. The question is, when will Merrick Garland and the other Obama-Biden Marxists who run the DOJ be directly exposed and held to account.…
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) July 26, 2023
There is more to the story. I will tune into Laura at 7pm to see what the net net is.
It appears they tried to sneak in blanket immunity for any charge, inside the gun charge.
Unbelievable that the DOJ is working with Hunter to beat the charges. While we see what they are
doing to Trump.
Judge Rejects Hunter Biden Plea Deal; Biden Pleads Not Guilty to Charges
by Kristinn Taylor Jul. 26, 2023 12:29 pm
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/07/breaking-judge-rejects-hunter-biden-plea-deal-biden/
Judge Maryellen Noreika has rejected the sweetheart plea deal for Hunter Biden. The plea deal had covered Biden’s tax issues from 2014 to 2019, drug use and a gun charge that were to be pled as two misdemeanors for the tax charges and a diversion on the gun charge. The judge left the door open for a revised pleas deal, asking for briefs from both sides on issues she has with the deal, especially raising constitutional questions about her proposed role in adjudicating the gun charge diversion. The judge also questioned the tax charges plea, saying it just made her role a “rubber stamp,” leaving her no room to question whether the deal is acceptable.
In the meantime, Biden entered a plea of not guilty to the charges after the deal was rejected and was released by the judge “with conditions.”
CNN’s Paula Reid reported, “UPDATE: Judge now says she is not ready to accept Hunter Biden plea deal. Both sides will need to submit additional briefs and parties will have to return to court in future.”
Jesse Watters intro 7/25
Hunters lawyers places prank phone call to court.
LeBron James is 'scared and devastated' after son Bronny's cardiac arrest during USC practice as cardiologist warns 'this could end his career'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12336621/LeBron-James-scared-devastated-son-Bronnys-cardiac-arrest-USC-practice-cardiologist-warns-end-career.html
Kunstler topic in the making
Hunter's $1.3M art buyers: Dem donor who Joe appointed to prestigious commission and Hollywood 'fixer' lawyer are unmasked as those who bought First Son's paintings
Eight months after Hunter's gallery opened, Joe Biden appointed Elizabeth Hirsch Naftali to Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad
One single purchaser spent $875,000 on 11 of Hunter's paintings- though the identity of that person is unclear
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12333415/Hunter-Biden-art-purchasers-REVEALED-despite-promise-theyd-kept-secret-Democratic-donor-president-appointed-prestigious-commission-Hollywood-fixer-attorney-bought-sons-art.html
(I'm wondering if this story is a plant. To prevent the identity of foreign kick backs. Or is this how Hunter laundered his money through his lawyer)
Hunter Biden's artwork has brought in $1.4 million dollars, and it has been revealed that a top Democratic donor and Biden family friend who President Biden named to a prestigious commission was one of the top purchasers.
Despite a promise that all purchasers' identities would be kept a secret, two names have been revealed: Los Angeles-based real estate investor and Democratic donor Elizabeth Hirsch Naftali and Hollywood attorney Kevin Morris.
When Hunter Biden first announced he would make a high-dollar foray into the art world, the Biden team promised the identities of those who purchased Hunter's art would remain anonymous. On the campaign trail, Joe Biden promised an 'absolute wall' between his duties as president and his family's business dealings.
In 2021, Hunter made his debut at a ritzy New York art gallery, where the sticker price clocked in on some of his amateur pieces at $500,000.
The White House said at the time the buyers had been vetted and their identity was only known to the gallery - suggesting Hunter's latest business venture would not become a way to sell White House influence.
But Hunter Biden did in fact learn the identity of two of his art purchasers, according to an Insider report that cites three people with direct knowledge of Biden's art career.
In July 2022, eight months after Hunter's gallery opened, Joe Biden appointed Naftali to the Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad. It's not clear whether she had already purchased the art at that time.
Membership of the commission is unpaid and often filled by friends and allies of the president, much like ambassadorships.
Naftali is prominent in California Democratic circles. She's given some $13,000 to the Biden campaign and has donated $29,700 to the Democratic National Campaign Committee this year.
Last year she hosted a fundraiser that was headlined by Vice President Kamala Harris.
It's also not clear how much Naftali spent on Hunter's art. One single purchaser spent $875,000 on 11 of Hunter's paintings- though the identity of that person is unclear. The buyer apparently does not reside in New York and is listed as 'out of state' in purchasing documents obtained by Insider.
The gallery received a 40 to 45 percent commission on the total $1,379,000 in sales.
A White House official told Insider that Naftali's appointment had been recommended by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and there was no connection between her art purchase and her spot on the commission.
An email found on Hunter Biden's abandoned laptop suggests that he has helped people get a spot on the commission before. When a cousin wrote to Hunter asking for help in getting a similar appointment for their mother, Hunter wrote back: 'Eric asked me for one of these the day after the election in 2008.' He was referring to Eric Schwerin - a former business partner who President Obama appointed to the commission in 2015.
Morris, a confidant and 'fixer' for Hunter, has spent an undisclosed amount on the first son's art. The wealthy Los Angeles-based attorney has loaned Hunter some $2 million to pay the back taxes he owed and avoid felony charges. Hunter recently pleaded guilty two misdemeanor charges for his tax crimes.
Morris has at times paid Hunter's living expenses in Los Angeles, according. to the New York Times. He helped him find a high-powered literary agent for his memoir 'Beautiful Things' and helped him seal the art gallery deal.
Morris has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democratic causes.
Republicans have Hunter Biden in their sights for alleged influence-peddling schemes. Last week they released an unverified FBI form where a confidential human source detailed a conversation with a Burisma executive who claimed Hunter and Joe had been paid $5 million each in exchange for policy outcomes when he was vice president.
Dr. William Allen, the co-author of Florida’s black history curriculum, appeared on Fox News to dispute the allegations the state is attempting to whitewash the legacy of slavery.
Allen appeared on Monday’s edition of “Jesse Watters Primetime,” where he claimed that Vice President Kamala Harris is being dishonest in her criticisms of Florida’s black history teaching guidelines. (RELATED: DeSantis Blasts MSNBC After Anchor Falsely Claims He Is Prohibiting Kids From Learning About Slavery)
“Permit me not to give you Kamala Harris’ motives. They’re invisible. I don’t know them. We can all have suspicions that there’s a dishonest purpose afoot. But what’s more important than that dishonest purpose is the truth, and this curriculum is devoted to telling the truth. Whereas, Kamala Harris has re-telled a lie. Now, it may have only have been a falsehood the first time she stated it. But when you repeat a falsehood, it becomes a lie,” Allen said.
Allen repeated a story from Frederick Douglass’ biography in which he described being taught how to read by his master’s mistress, a skill that he used to his benefit throughout his life.
“Such examples are numerous,” Allen said.
Allen defended the curriculum, saying that it centers on enslaved black voices and allows them to “tell their stories.” Allen said that critics of the curriculum are attempting to project modern sensibilities and grievances onto people of an earlier era. By doing this, they are erasing their stories and legacies, Allen claimed.
“Because what is being done here is the attempt to create stories for our time and impose them on people who told their stories in their own time, thereby erasing their stories,” Allen said.
He pointed out the “wonderful irony” that critics of the curriculum are accusing it of putting forth a whitewashed version of black history. Instead, those who claim the founding of America was “nothing but slavery,” are obscuring the past, Allen claimed.
“I can point out quickly enough that Frederick Douglass and Ida B. Wells in 1893 demonstrated in protesting the exclusion of blacks from the World Fair of 1893, amidst thousands of lynchings, that the accomplishments of black people post-slavery were the accomplishments not just of black Americans, but the accomplishments of American principles,” Allen said.
The Florida legislature was condemned last week when the national media reported the state would begin teaching that black slaves learned skills that could be used for their own benefit. Harris skewered the DeSantis administration over the supposed curriculum changes and held a rally in Jacksonville in protest.
https://dailycaller.com/2023/07/24/telling-truth-co-author-black-history-curriculum-slams-kamala-harris-lies-william-allen-florida/
$X US Steel trading higher this morning, on no news.
In other news
Twitter has changed it's logo to the letter X
😀
in bowling green
BREAKING: Senator Rand Paul's office was destroyed this morning in a fire, this comes a day after announcing Fauci had been referred for investigation. pic.twitter.com/48Cu7rfLZL
— Patrick Webb (@RealPatrickWebb) July 21, 2023
nasdaq rebalance inferno
AAPL, AMZN, GOOG, GOOGL, META, MSFT, NVDA, TSLA
What fool came up with this idea
Morgan Stanley reiterates over weight with a $155
today 10:41
stock at 137.68 midday
In Georgia, it pays for College Education, if you can maintain a B average.
As my nephew did in the 90's. Free education for his Mechanical Engineering degree.
Gainfully employed as an engineer and has no education loans.
BTW, on Wednesday I bought 5 quick picks. 30 numbers including power ball.
Not a single match. Not even $2. No incentive to buy more.
They increased the number range to get the big jackpots.
Grassley Releases Bombshell FBI Doc Discussing $10MM Biden Bribe; Burisma Boss Said Hunter 'Dumber Than His Dog'
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/grassley-releases-bombshell-fbi-doc-discussing-10mm-biden-bribe-burisma-boss-said
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has released a bombshell FBI document dated July 30,2020, in which a respected confidential human source (CHS) alleged that then-presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden received $10 million in bribes.
The document, a FD-1023 form, also alleges that the boss of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy firm which employed Hunter Biden to the tune of $80,000 per month, thought Hunter was a moron.
(more in link)
GOP Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy Responds to Scrutiny Over Alleged Ties to Soros, WEF, and Controversial Partnership with NIH for Centralized COVID-19 Patient Surveillance Database
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/07/gop-presidential-candidate-vivek-ramaswamy-faces-scrutiny-alleged/
GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has come under fire for alleged ties to George Soros, the World Economic Forum (WEF), his stance on masks, and a controversial partnership with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) over a centralized COVID-19 patient surveillance database.
In a candid and bold Twitter video, Ramaswamy addressed these allegations head-on. Expressing his readiness to take tough questions, he said, “We’re surging in the polls. The knives are coming out, the opposition research machines are churning. And you know what? That’s a good thing, because I’m running to be your next president. I want to lead this country, and I better darn well be able to take some questions along the way.”
One of the controversies that Ramaswamy answered was his alleged ties to George Soros.
Ramaswamy clarified that he has no connection with George Soros. However, his education was funded by a Soros family member.
In 2010, Ramaswamy received the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans when he was 24, which helped him pursue a Juris Doctor in Law at Yale University. This fellowship was named after George Soros’s older brother, Paul Soros, a Hungarian-born American businessman and philanthropist, often called “the invisible Soros.”
Ramaswamy asserted that he never met both Paul Soros and George Soros.
“What is my connection with George Soros? Answer none, zero, indirect, zero connection with George Soros,” Ramaswamy said.
“Back in 2010 – by the way, this was long before George Soros had completely fallen off the deep end and gone into progressive causes, funding what I perceive as disastrous and toxic prosecutors who are soft on crime, who I’ve also railed against.”
“In 2010, I won a scholarship when I was 24 or 25 years old and headed to law school that was partly funded not by George Soros but by Paul Soros, George’s brother. [Paul] made his money independently and who, by the way, is now dead, funded hundreds of people – hundreds of kids. I was one of them, to go to graduate school at the age of 24 or 25, back when I didn’t have a lot of money to do it.”
“If I had turned down that scholarship back then, that would have been so foolish that anybody that foolish probably should have no place anywhere near the White House doing trade deals on behalf of this country,” Ramaswamy added.
However, Ramaswamy’s Wikipedia page was updated to remove information about his association with Paul Soros, raising questions about the transparency of Ramaswamy’s candidacy according to critics.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivek_Ramaswamy
According to Mediate, Ramaswamy seems to have paid Wikipedia editor “Jhofferman,” to remove content from his page that Ramaswamy believed would undermine his candidacy in the Republican primary. A few days later, Ramaswamy declared his intention to run in 2024.
“According to the article’s version history, the editor removed lines about Ramaswamy’s receipt of a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans in 2011,” the outlet reported.
Ramaswamy’s bio can still be found at the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans’ website.
UBS raises to $143 from 136, neutral
Wedbush raises to $156 from 149
RBC cuts to $175 from 183
Yesterday's close $138.10
$MTB Unless they said something dumb in the earnings call, this could go to 160
The risk is commercial real estate in NYC
Man Finds $2 Million Worth of Gold Coins Buried in Kentucky Field
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/07/man-finds-2-million-worth-gold-coins-buried/
One lucky man in Kentucky found over 700 rare US gold coins buried in a cornfield in Kentucky.
The huge treasure haul has been estimated to be worth close to $2 million.
Most of the gold coins were dated from 1840-1862 and some of the most notable coins discovered in the haul were $1 Gold Indians, $10 Gold Liberties and $20 Gold Liberties.
The man and the location of where the gold coins were found have not been disclosed to the public due to privacy concerns, but a video of the discovery was released by the US Mint.
Many historians are speculating the gold coins were buried by a wealthy Kentuckian who was worried about Confederate troops advancing during the Civil War
Stephens & Co. analyst Mike Scialla maintains Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) with a Overweight and lowers the price target from $72 to $69.
Turnkey Scale-up Agreement
On July 17, 2023, MediWound Ltd. (the “Company”) signed a turnkey scale-up agreement (the “Scale-up Agreement”) with Biopharmax Group Ltd. This strategic agreement is designed to bolster our manufacturing infrastructure to support our long-term growth trajectory. The objective of this agreement is to establish, commission, and validate a cutting-edge, sterile, and GMP-compliant manufacturing facility. The venture aims to increase our production capacity significantly, projected to expand to six times the current capacity, aligning with our strategic plan to meet the escalating global demand for NexoBrid®.
The new facility, equipped with fully operational clean rooms, will be exclusively designed for NexoBrid production. It will comply with stringent regulations from the GMP, FDA, EMA, Israeli Ministry of Health, and relevant Israeli regulatory bodies. An estimated $12 million will be invested in the project, set for completion by mid-2024, with full-scale manufacturing expected to commence in 2025.
The Scale-up Agreement encompasses various standard provisions, including those related to reporting, compliance, guarantees, representations, liability, insurance, confidentiality, and ownership. The foregoing description of the Scale-up Agreement for New Facility does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of such Agreement, a copy of which will be filed as an exhibit to the Company’s next Annual Report on Form 20-F.
Long-term Lease Agreement
Alongside entering the Scale-up Agreement, we have also secured a new lease agreement (the “Lease Agreement”) with the current property owner. This agreement allows us to continue the utilization of our existing facilities and the planned manufacturing site. This property, located in Yavne, Israel, serves as the base for our administrative headquarters, research and development laboratories, and manufacturing plant. The duration of the lease extends until 2035, with an option for a further three-year extension until 2038.
The property, measuring approximately 32,500 square feet, will encompass the new manufacturing facility. As per the Lease Agreement, our annual rent is set at approximately $625,000. This rent is indexed to the Israeli Consumer Price Index and will see a staged increase of 6% every three years.
The foregoing description of the Lease Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Lease Agreement, a copy of which will be filed as an exhibit to the Company’s next Annual Report on Form 20-F.
A Scott Ritter Investigation: Agent Zelensky - Part 2
'Massive US Oil Caverns' Are Now Empty, Will Take 'Decades To Refill' Thanks To Biden
https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/massive-us-oil-caverns-are-now-empty-will-take-decades-refill-thanks-biden
While it took the Biden administration the better part of six months to drain the US oil supply down to a precarious 20-days of emergency reserves (a 40-year low), it will take decades to refill - if that happens at all, Bloomberg reports.
Stroll through the West Hackberry oil facility on the US Gulf Coast and there’s not much to see: some pipelines and other industrial equipment. But buried deep beneath the surface are storage caverns so massive they’re tall enough to house the Empire State Building with plenty of room to spare.
Thanks to the Biden administration, these reserve sites are sitting half empty.
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) now sits at 346.8 million barrels - a level unseen since 1983 - out of a total authorized storage capacity of 714 million.
Perhaps even more noteworthy, the emergency reserves are equal to approximately just 20 days worth of supply - an all-time record low...
Replenishing the supply will be a nontrivial and lengthy process according to experts, who say that a lack of funding and ancient infrastructure will hinder the process, despite the Energy Department's vow to keep buying.
Now that energy costs are back down comes the task of refilling the reserve. That will be a complicated, expensive process. Oil prices are now much higher than when most of the inventory was originally bought — the average price paid for oil in the reserve was $29.70 per barrel, which compares with the current benchmark cost for US crude futures at about $75.
And there’s the balance between needing to buy and not purchasing too much at once, lest the oil market gets spooked and prices jump higher. -Bloomberg
"It would be a very slow process even if you had the money and the facilities were are all in good shape," said John Shages, who previously oversaw the oil cache for the Energy Department, adding "It could take decades."
The depleted SPR also means that the US could be vulnerable to oil price shocks. In particular, during domestic supply crunches, America will be left to the mercy of the Saudis, Russia and the rest of the OPEC+ cartel.
The SPR was established in the 1970s after the Arab oil embargo resulted in a global energy supply shock and a gasoline shortage in the US, in which Americans lined up for hours, on designated days, to refill their cars. Decades later, the SPR still serves a vital function, providing a safety net against geopolitical turbulence and potential supply disruptions.
The Biden administration's decision to release oil from the SPR has sparked outrage from Republicans - who have accused the admin of manipulating gas prices before the medterm elections last year in November, and have accused them of having no credible plan to refill the reserve.
"DOE’s mismanagement of the SPR has undermined America’s energy security, leaving the nation more vulnerable to energy supply disruptions, and increasing the ability for OPEC and Russia to use energy as a geopolitical weapon," wrote top House and Senate Republicans in a May letter to the Government Accountability Office, asking the federal watchdog for an audit of the reserve, Bloomberg reports.
The pace of refilling the SPR has been sluggish at best. While the Department of Energy (DOE) plans to replace barrels sold last year, it falls far short of the goal to replenish the reserves to its 2009 peak. Congress's decision to strip $12.5 billion earmarked for reserve oil purchases further complicates the situation - as the DOE is now left with a mere $4.3 billion to acquire oil, an insufficient amount to fully restore the SPR.
Aging infrastructure poses additional challenges. The Gulf Coast salt caverns that make up the reserve were initially designed with a 25-year lifespan. As such, the risk of cavern dissolution increases with each drawdown and refill. Maintenance issues, along with the ballooning costs of the $1.4 billion modernization program, add further strain to the already troubled reserve.
ouch, watch the hair
https://twitter.com/amuse/status/1680361112166969344;
Tucker Carlson reacts to Chris Christie
https://twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1680677536223854592;
Sounds like this could use a longer conversation. We just asked @GovChristie
to sit down and explain his views on Ukraine. He refused. You hate to think that Chris Christie is a blustery coward who plays the tough guy with sycophants at ABC but won’t answer real questions, but who knows? We hope he reconsiders.
Former President Donald Trump will speak at Turning Point Action’s Conference on Saturday, July 15.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/07/15/watch-live-donald-trump-speaks-at-turning-point-action-conference/
(video in link)
“Turning Point Action has become THE leading force in the conservative movement– and there is no more important time than now to bring the base together to focus on priorities ahead of the 2024 election,” the event description states. “Join us, and thousands of American Patriots, this July 15 & 16 in West Palm Beach, FL as Turning Point Action brings together the most prominent and influential voices of our generation for an event unlike any other. ”
Trump to DeSantis: Come Home to Florida and Do Your Job
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/07/15/trump-to-desantis-come-home-to-florida-and-do-your-job/
Former President Donald Trump will call on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to “get back” to Florida and “do the job he was elected to do,” during his keynote address at the Turning Point Action Conference in West Palm Beach, Florida, according to prepared remarks obtained by Breitbart News.
“It is time for Ron DeSanctus to get back here and do the job he was elected to do—be the Governor of FLORIDA,” Trump’s prepared remarks say. “He’s got to get home and take care of business.”
Trump will urge DeSantis to return to Florida to address the home and car insurance crisis affecting the state.
“He’s got to get home and take care of the insurance situation which is the worst in the nation,” Trump will say.
Trump’s remarks come one day after AAA announced it would not renew home and car insurance for some of its policyholders in Florida, joining Farmers Insurance.
“All the money he is using for a hopeless cause, his election, should be used to support the party winning against Crooked Joe Biden in November 2024,” Trump’s remarks continue.
Trump will suggest funds going to the DeSantis campaign should be put towards an operation to address the “Democrats’ cheating and ballot harvesting.”
“Now is the time when Republicans should be using those funds to build a state-of-the-art vote-gathering operation to swamp the Democrats’ cheating and ballot harvesting,” Trump’s remarks say.
Trump will also call out DeSantis and his “establishment handlers” for dividing the Republican Party.
“Instead, DeSanctus and his establishment handlers are wasting precious resources to divide our party right when we should be uniting against the unprecedented weaponization of law enforcement by Crooked Joe Biden and the Communist Left,” Trump’s remarks say.
“Never forget—our enemies want to stop us because we are the only ones who can stop THEM. They want to take away MY freedom because I will never let them take away YOUR freedom,” Trump’s prepared remarks add. “They want to silence me, because I will never let them silence you. In the end, they’re not after me, they’re after you—and I’m just standing in their way.”
Pence can go back to his Indiana radio show, now
I’ve never seen a Presidential Candidate commit suicide on stage before https://t.co/ZosHCzFnAr
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) July 14, 2023
5 consecutive days leading with cocaine gate as the lead segment. Gets old. I don't think he can take on the Secret Service and FBI.
no news today for such a harsh pullback.
Recent analyst action
7/12 Goldman lowers to 66 from 73
7/11 Citi neutral 62
7/11 UBS reduce to 63 from 66
6/30 Stephens overweight $72
https://tuckercarlson.com/ live in Iowa with some candidates
Sanctuary city San Francisco is fueling property boom in HONDURAS as $350,000-a-year fentanyl dealers send cash home, safe in knowledge they likely face light sentences and will never be deported
The town of El Pedernal in the Siria Valley, 80 miles north of the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa, is undergoing a construction boom thanks to remittances
Many of those who leave El Pedernal go to San Francisco, and a significant number become involved in drug trafficking
Of 130 Hondurans charged with drug taking, 60 showed a specific region: of those, 51 were from the Siria Valley area
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12289305/Sanctuary-city-San-Francisco-fueling-property-boom-HONDURAS.html
A small farming community north of Honduras' capital city Tegucigalpa is undergoing a construction boom thanks to large influxes of cash from San Francisco - where many of the local young men have set up a thriving drug market.
The town of El Pedernal is now flush with gaudy mansions emblazoned with the San Francisco 49ers logo, and homages to the California city's iconic Golden Gate Bridge.
One photo seen by DailyMail.com shows a man posing outside an impressive home with an imposing metal security fence, complete with a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge incorporated in its metal work.
There's no suggestion that man or the property itself is linked to criminal behavior - but locals say many of the fancy new homes springing up in El Pedernal are being purchased with ill-gotten gains sent home from the City by the Bay.
Some of the dealers working in the Californian city told The San Francisco Chronicle, which spent 18 months researching the town, that they earned $350,000 a year, and that San Francisco's policies as a sanctuary city made it an appealing destination.
That's because there's little risk of deportation if they're caught and convicted of drug dealing - with San Francisco also known among dealers for handing out light sentences if they do get caught dealing.
El Pedernal used to be a sleepy agricultural town of 1,600 people: now, construction is a prime industry, with workers earning $35 a day - four times what a farmer makes.
One teacher in El Pedernal told the paper he has stopped teaching and become a full-time metal artist, creating customized replicas of Bay Area sports team for the new houses.
Oscar Estrada, a Honduran author who wrote a book on drug trafficking's impact on the country, said the ostentatious design was new to the area, and an echo of classic Colombian 'Narco houses'.
'I have seen from, probably the '90s, this remittance architecture, which was very obvious and they have this very clear design and usually is related with aspirations of the immigrants to the United States,' said Estrada.
'But this is not that. It looks more like a typical Narco house. The one you see in places like Colombia, you see the kind of architecture totally over the top of the community. That's very clear.'
One veteran San Francisco dealer, returning to El Pedernal for a vacation, told the Chronicle that the three-bedroom home occupied by his wife and children cost him $150,000, which he had earned in five good months of drug sales in the Tenderloin district.
He said the scale of construction around his own home in El Pedernal was impressive.
'A little boy, 17 years old, he built this house,' the dealer said, pointing to a mansion under construction.
'You open the door — beautiful.'
The vast majority of Hondurans who cross illegally into the United States find work in areas other than drug dealing.
For the 12 months ended in September 2022, U.S. immigration officials encountered more than half a million people from this region at the Southwest land border, including 213,023 Hondurans, according to data published by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The figure amounts to about 2 percent of the country's population of 10 million.
But in San Francisco, more than 200 Honduran migrants have been charged with drug dealing since 2022, the paper reported - a figure which massively downplays the true scale of the network.
The number does not include Honduran dealers who were convicted in previous cases or others who have never been arrested.
The majority come from the Siria Valley, according to multiple dealers and court records obtained by the paper.
Many of those involved come from the same extended families and grew up together.
An analysis by the newspaper found that, of the 130 defendants who could be confirmed as Hondurans, 60 showed a specific city, town or region: of those, 51 were from the Francisco Morazan region, which includes the valley, with high concentrations in the villages of El Pedernal and Orica.
Wade Shannon, who ran the federal Drug Enforcement Administration's San Francisco office before his recent retirement, told the paper that the Hondurans are the street-level dealers, selling narcotics from Mexico - particularly fentanyl.
The drugs are produced by the Sinaloa Cartel, previously headed by Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, and the upstart Jalisco New Generation Cartel: their operatives then transport them up the West Coast.
A retired police officer told The Chronicle that the Hondurans have been involved in drug trafficking in the Tenderloin district for 35 years, but have recently risen to control the open-air drug markets in the famously progressive city.
Only six percent of people charged with drug-sale crimes in San Francisco from 2018 to 2022 have so far been convicted on a drug charge.
Sentences ranged from one day to three years, with an average of 168 days, records show.
The paper found that the most common charges used in drug-sale plea agreements are for accessory and accessory after the fact, which carried an average sentence of 38 days in jail.
And San Francisco's policies meant that the dealers had little cause to fear deportation.
The city jail does not allow ICE to pick up undocumented people upon release, so they can be deported.
The only way most dealers face deportation is if they are arrested on federal charges or in another city.
One dealer told the paper that the policies made San Francisco the dealing city of choice.
'The reason is because, in San Francisco, it's like you're here in Honduras,' he said.
'The law, because they don't deport, that's the problem. Many look for San Francisco because it's a sanctuary city. You go to jail and you come out.'