Daily News Thread 3/13

Hillary Clinton's team met with Russian ambassador, says Kremlin spokesman, as he warns against 'hysteria'

Hillary Clinton’s team members met with the Russian ambassador during the election as well as Donald Trump’s, the Kremlin spokesman has alleged.
telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/13/hillary-clintons-team-met-russian-ambassador-says-kremlin-spokesman/

U.S. Northeast braces for late winter blizzard

Forecasters put the U.S. East Coast from New York City to Boston on a blizzard watch starting as early as Monday night, with authorities warning residents to prepare for the possibility of widespread power outages, road closures and flight disruptions.
reuters.com/article/us-usa-weather-idUSKBN16K0J7

Agency's analysis of Republican health bill may sharpen resistance to measure

A non-partisan report expected as soon as Monday on the costs of a Republican plan to replace the Obamacare healthcare law could harden opposition to the proposal, adding to the obstacles facing President Donald Trump's first major legislative effort.
reuters.com/article/us-usa-obamacare-idUSKBN16K0ZX

Wall Street Has Found Its Next Big Short

More and more, bears are convinced the inevitable death of retail will lead to big losses as defaults start piling up.
bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-03-13/wall-street-has-found-its-next-big-short-in-u-s-credit-market

Japan plans to send largest warship to South China Sea, sources say

Japan plans to dispatch its largest warship on a three-month tour through the South China Sea beginning in May, three sources said, in its biggest show of naval force in the region since World War Two.
reuters.com/article/us-japan-navy-southchinasea-exclusive-idUSKBN16K0UP

Wary of China, Duterte tells navy to build 'structures' east of Philippines

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the navy to put up "structures" to assert sovereignty over a stretch of water east of the country, where Manila has reported a Chinese survey ship was casing the area last year.
reuters.com/article/us-philippines-china-idUSKBN16K0UF

Threat of war increases in the western Balkans

The political and social crisis in the Balkans is exacerbating conflicts between the successor states of Yugoslavia, heightening the threat of another war in the region.
wsws.org/en/articles/2017/03/13/wart-m13.html

Leaked Treasury report warns of painful 'economic shock' if Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal

Report on post-Brexit economy seen by The Independent outlines 'serious consequences' for businesses and citizens – including higher taxes and rising food prices
independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-treasury-fears-leaked-document-article-50-theresa-may-eu-referendum-exclusive-a7624706.html

Brexit rebels prepare for last push to guarantee final vote in parliament

Article 50 bill returns to MPs on Monday afternoon, where they will consider two amendments inserted by peers
theguardian.com/politics/2017/mar/13/brexit-bill-faces-last-rebel-push-to-guarantee-final-vote-in-parliament

Sturgeon announces she will seek authority for indyref2

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announces independence referendum will be between Autumn 2018 and Spring 2019
bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-39255256

Rail strikes begin on Southern, Merseyrail and Northern networks

Industrial action on three networks over role of train guards leads to deserted stations, empty trains and heavy traffic
theguardian.com/business/2017/mar/13/rail-strikes-begin-on-southern-merseyrail-and-northern-networks

Former Catalan Leader Convicted Over 2014 Vote on Independence

Former Catalan President Artur Mas was barred from public office for two years by a court in Barcelona for organizing an illegal vote on the independence in 2014.
bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-13/former-catalan-leader-convicted-over-2014-vote-on-independence

Other urls found in this thread:

truth-out.org/opinion/item/39786-globalization-is-just-a-contemporary-word-for-financial-colonialism
propublica.org/article/when-it-comes-to-wall-street-preet-bharara-is-no-hero
daily.jstor.org/automation-in-the-1940s-cotton-fields/
truthdig.com/report/item/the_dance_of_death_20170312
vice.com/en_us/article/how-standing-rock-birthed-a-new-generation-of-independent-left-wing-media
nytimes.com/2017/03/12/us/opioid-epidemic-rural-farm.html
spiegel.de/international/world/erdogan-the-netherlands-and-a-perfect-campaign-storm-a-1138525.html
libcom.org/news/nhs-brink-nurses-view-march-4th-demonstration-where-nhs-heading-12032017
zerohedge.com/news/2017-02-26/stockman-after-march-15-everything-will-grind-halt
wsws.org/en/articles/2017/03/13/pers-m13.html
pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/10/09/5-facts-about-the-national-debt-what-you-should-know/
reddit.com/r/badeconomics/comments/5ao5ke/government_debt_is_not_household_debt/
hastebin.com/tabivaxupo.scala
twitter.com/SFWRedditImages

OP/EDs

Globalization Is Just a Contemporary Word for Financial Colonialism

John Smith's Imperialism in the Twenty-First Century argues that core capitalist nations are no longer reliant on military force and direct political control of other countries. Instead, they maintain a financial grip on the Southern Hemisphere in particular, exploiting labor in these countries to increase their own profits.
truth-out.org/opinion/item/39786-globalization-is-just-a-contemporary-word-for-financial-colonialism

When It Comes to Wall Street, Preet Bharara Is No Hero

The prominent U.S. attorney fired by Donald Trump this weekend has been justly acclaimed for his pursuit of political corruption. But his treatment of the Wall Street executives involved in the financial meltdown was far less confrontational.
propublica.org/article/when-it-comes-to-wall-street-preet-bharara-is-no-hero

Automation in the 1940s Cotton Fields

Automation is a bit of a Rorschach test for anyone interested in workers’ rights.
daily.jstor.org/automation-in-the-1940s-cotton-fields/

Chris Hedges: The Dance of Death

The ruling corporate elites no longer seek to build. They seek to destroy.
truthdig.com/report/item/the_dance_of_death_20170312

How Standing Rock Birthed a New Generation of Independent Left-Wing Media

A crew of journalism collectives and livestreamers were more effective at covering the movement than the mainstream media.
vice.com/en_us/article/how-standing-rock-birthed-a-new-generation-of-independent-left-wing-media

2 of a Farmer’s 3 Children Overdosed. What of the Third — and the Land?

Overdoses are churning through agricultural pockets of America like a plow through soil, tearing at rural communities and posing a new threat to the generational ties of families like the Winemillers.
nytimes.com/2017/03/12/us/opioid-epidemic-rural-farm.html

Netherlands Dispute Gives Turkey Perfect Election Fodder

Ankara is piling on in its dispute with the Netherlands after the country refused to allow key government members to hold political rallies in the country over the weekend. Turkey is calling for retaliation in the "harshest ways" and President Erdogan has found the perfect election issue.
spiegel.de/international/world/erdogan-the-netherlands-and-a-perfect-campaign-storm-a-1138525.html

NHS on the brink? A nurse's view on the March 4th demonstration and where the NHS is heading

On March 4th, around 250,000 NHS workers, patient activists, union members and members of the public from across the country joined a 'Save the NHS' march in Central London.
libcom.org/news/nhs-brink-nurses-view-march-4th-demonstration-where-nhs-heading-12032017

Upcoming Debt Ceiling Crisis
Old news, but it'll be relevant in a few days
zerohedge.com/news/2017-02-26/stockman-after-march-15-everything-will-grind-halt

former Reagan Administration White House Budget Director David Stockman says financial pain is a mathematical certainty. Stockman explains, “I think we are likely to have more of a fiscal bloodbath rather than fiscal stimulus. Unfortunately for Donald Trump, not only did the public vote the establishment out, they left on his doorstep the inheritance of 30 years of debt build-up and a fiscal policy that’s been really reckless in the extreme. People would like to think he’s the second coming of Ronald Reagan and we are going to have morning in America. Unfortunately, I don’t think it looks that promising because Trump is inheriting a mess that pales into insignificance what we had to deal with in January of 1981 when I joined the Reagan White House as Budget Director.”

So, can the Trump bump in the stock market keep going? Stockman, who wrote a book titled “Trumped” predicting a Trump victory in 2016, says, “I don’t think there is a snowball’s chance in the hot place that’s going to happen. This is delusional. This is the greatest suckers’ rally of all time. It is based on pure hopium and not any analysis at all as what it will take to push through a big tax cut. Donald Trump is in a trap. Today the debt is $20 trillion. It’s 106% of GDP. . . .Trump is inheriting a built-in deficit of $10 trillion over the next decade under current policies that are built in. Yet, he wants more defense spending, not less. He wants drastic sweeping tax cuts for corporations and individuals. He wants to spend more money on border security and law enforcement. He’s going to do more for the veterans. He wants this big trillion dollar infrastructure program. You put all that together and it’s madness. It doesn’t even begin to add up, and it won’t happen when you are struggling with the $10 trillion of debt that’s coming down the pike and the $20 trillion that’s already on the books.”

“I think what people are missing is this date, March 15th 2017. That’s the day that this debt ceiling holiday that Obama and Boehner put together right before the last election in October of 2015. That holiday expires. The debt ceiling will freeze in at $20 trillion. It will then be law. It will be a hard stop. The Treasury will have roughly $200 billion in cash. We are burning cash at a $75 billion a month rate. By summer, they will be out of cash

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Granted opiates are a problem, This is a story of a single farmer with 3 drug addicted children. Its not tough to cherry pick very bad situations. Find a family in the hood, and the headline could read "entire family overdoses - what of the pitbull?"

idk. drugs are a problem but making it sound like every farmer in rural america is shooting up is kinda sensationalist

Daily reminder: public debt is insignificant and no cause for concern. They hysteria over public debt created by Republicans is just another way for them to cap spending on welfare services.

Private debt is the real issue.

Read this.

US saber rattling against North Korea intensifies
Amid a barrage of commentary in the American and international media inflating the threat posed by the Pyongyang regime, the Trump administration is actively considering “all options” to disarm and subordinate North Korea. The immediate pretext is North Korea’s test-firing of four medium-range ballistic missiles last week, following the launch in February of a new intermediate-range missile. However, the drumbeat of US military threats has been preceded by months of high-level discussions in American foreign policy and military circles over action to prevent North Korea building an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of hitting the continental United States.

President Barack Obama, who, according to the New York Times, was considering the most extreme measures against Pyongyang, urged then-President-elect Donald Trump to make North Korea his highest security priority. Since taking office, the Trump administration has been conducting a top-level review of US strategy toward Pyongyang, considering every option, including, as a White House official told the Wall Street Journal, those “well outside the mainstream” such as “regime-change” and military strikes on North Korean nuclear facilities and military assets.A worried New York Times editorial last week, headlined “Rising Tensions with North Korea,” underscored the dangers of war breaking out in North East Asia. “How Mr. Trump intends to handle this brewing crisis is unclear, but he has shown an inclination to respond aggressively,” the newspaper wrote. “On Monday, the White House denounced the missile tests and warned of ‘very dire consequences.’”

The Trump administration flatly rejected China’s proposal for a “dual suspension”—of North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs and massive US war games underway in South Korea—as the basis for renewed negotiations.By ruling out talks, the White House is setting course for confrontation, not only with North Korea, but also with China. By preparing for military action against North Korea, the US is also menacing China, which it has identified as the most immediate challenge to American global hegemony.

wsws.org/en/articles/2017/03/13/pers-m13.html

Reminder that animu pics make anything 100% less relevant.

spark notes please, I glanced at the number of pages and immediately closed.

Why should I not care about public debt?

I should just be OK with debt slavery on a national level?

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