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Americans Are Not Optimistic About Money

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Pew survey: Americans and many Europeans gloomy about economy, but the Chinese are sunny about theirs.

By PAUL WISEMAN, AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans, Japanese and many Europeans are glum about their national economies. By contrast, Chinese, Indians and Australians feel positive about theirs.

Those are among the findings from a survey of 20,132 people in 16 countries by the Pew Research Center. Just 44 percent of Americans rated the U.S. economy as “good,” although that proportion has risen steadily from 18 percent in 2011.

https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2016-08-09/survey-americans-remain-gloomy-about-economy-chinese-sunny

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Iran: $400 Million in Cash Was Part of ‘Expensive Price’ to Free U.S. Hostages

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New Iranian television footage shows stacks of cash

BY: Adam Kredo
August 5, 2016 11:50 am

Iranian television has broadcast what some say is purported footage of the $400 million pallets of cash that officials claim was part of the “expensive price” paid by the Obama administration to free several U.S. hostages.

The footage, which could not be independently verified, shows images of large stacks of hard currency and features claims that the Obama administration sent this money over as part of an effort to free several U.S. hostages. The White House vehemently denied these claims this week following new reports about the cash exchange.

BBC Persian reporter Hadi Nili posted the footage on Twitter, describing it as showing the “pallets of cash” and quoting officials as saying “this was just part of the ‘expensive price’ to release Americans.”

https://freebeacon.com/national-security/iran-400-million-cash-part-expensive-price-free-u-s-hostages/

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U.S. Sent Cash to Iran as Americans Were Freed

Obama-Golf

Obama administration insists there was no quid pro quo, but critics charge payment amounted to ransom

By
JAY SOLOMON and

CAROL E. LEE
Updated Aug. 3, 2016 12:01 a.m. ET

WASHINGTON—The Obama administration secretly organized an airlift of $400 million worth of cash to Iran that coincided with the January release of four Americans detained in Tehran, according to U.S. and European officials and congressional staff briefed on the operation afterward.

Wooden pallets stacked with euros, Swiss francs and other currencies were flown into Iran on an unmarked cargo plane, according to these officials. The U.S. procured the money from the central banks of the Netherlands and Switzerland, they said.

The money represented the first installment of a $1.7 billion settlement the Obama administration reached with Iran to resolve a decades-old dispute over a failed arms deal signed just before the 1979 fall of Iran’s last monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-sent-cash-to-iran-as-americans-were-freed-1470181874

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Seven Years Later, Recovery Remains the Weakest of the Post-World War II Era

Obama-Golf

Despite longevity, total growth during this economic expansion is lower than for much shorter business cycles

By ERIC MORATH
Jul 29, 2016 10:39 am ET

Even seven years after the recession ended, the current stretch of economic gains has yielded less growth than much shorter business cycles.

In terms of average annual growth, the pace of this expansion has been by far the weakest of any since 1949. (And for which we have quarterly data.) The economy has grown at a 2.1% annual rate since the U.S. recovery began in mid-2009, according to gross-domestic-product data the Commerce Department released Friday.

https://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2016/07/29/seven-years-later-recovery-remains-the-weakest-of-the-post-world-war-ii-era/

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The U.S. economy grew far less than expected in the second quarter as inventory investment fell for the first time in nearly five years

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“Today’s (Friday’s)terrible GDP report is another signal that our economy is still struggling. It’s obvious that top-down, Washington-knows-best policies aren’t working and need to be replaced with ideas that empower people over special interests.” Rep. Scott Garrett CD-5

 

Inventory liquidation weighs on U.S. second-quarter GDP growth
By Lucia Mutikani

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. economy grew far less than expected in the second quarter as inventory investment fell for the first time in nearly five years, but a surge in consumer spending pointed to underlying strength.

Gross domestic product increased at a 1.2 percent annual rate after rising by a downwardly revised 0.8 percent pace in the first quarter, the Commerce Department said on Friday.

“Once the impact of a downward inventory adjustment is considered, the underlying pace of growth looks healthier than the headline number,” said Chris Williamson, chief economist at IHS Markit in London.

The economy was previously reported to have expanded at a 1.1 percent pace in the first quarter. Economists had forecast GDP growth rising at a 2.6 percent rate in the last quarter.

While the inventory drawdown weighed on GDP growth, that is likely to provide a boost to output for the rest of the year. Excluding inventories, the economy grew at a 2.4 percent rate. A measure of domestic demand grew at a 2.7 percent pace.

The Federal Reserve said on Wednesday that near-term risks to the economic outlook had “diminished.” With the second-quarter GDP report, the government also published revisions to data going back to 2013 through the first quarter of 2016.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/consumers-seen-powering-u-economic-050213059.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw

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Homeownership Rate in the U.S. Drops to Lowest Since 1965

Ridgewood Realestate

Prashant Gopal mrgopal
July 28, 2016 — 10:25 AM EDT
Updated on July 28, 2016 — 1:04 PM EDT

Share fell to 62.9% in second quarter from 63.5% in the first
Rising prices putting purchases out of reach for many renters

The U.S. homeownership rate fell to the lowest in more than 50 years as rising prices put buying out of reach for many renters.

The share of Americans who own their homes was 62.9 percent in the second quarter, the lowest since 1965, according to a Census Bureau report Thursday. It was the second straight quarterly decrease, down from 63.5 percent in the previous three months.

The drop extends a years-long decline from the last housing boom, in part because of tight credit and a shift toward renting in the aftermath of the crash. First-time buyers have been struggling to find affordable properties as low mortgage rates and an improving job market spur competition for a tight supply of listings. Home prices rose 5.2 percent in May from a year earlier, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller index of values in 20 cities released this week.

“One of the biggest hurdles now is affordability,” Mark Vitner, a senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities LLC in Charlotte, North Carolina, said before the Census Bureau report was released. “Home prices are rising so much faster than incomes, so it’s hard for buyers to save for a down payment.”

The homeownership rate reached a peak of 69.2 percent in June 2004.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-28/homeownership-rate-in-the-u-s-tumbles-to-the-lowest-since-1965

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Federal Debt Tops $19,400,000,000,000

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By Terence P. Jeffrey | July 20, 2016 | 4:57 PM EDT

(CNSNews.com) – The federal debt moved above $19,400,000,000,000 for the first time as of the close of business on Tuesday, according to the data released today by the U.S. Treasury.

At the close of business on Monday, July 18, the total federal debt was $19,391,094,247,028.26, according to the Treasury. By the close of business on Tuesday, July 19, it had risen to $19,402,361,890,929.46.

On Friday, Oct. 30, 2015, Congress passed the “Bipartisan Budget Act,” which suspended the legal debt limit until March 15, 2017. President Obama signed that bill into law on Monday, Nov. 2, 2015

At the close of business on Oct. 30, the federal debt stood at $18,152,981,685,747.52.

In the less than nine months since then, the federal debt has increased by $1,249,380,205,181.94.

https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/terence-p-jeffrey/federal-debt-tops-19400000000000

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DOCUMENT SHOWS LESS LIMITS ON IRAN NUKE WORK

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BY GEORGE JAHN
ASSOCIATED PRESS

VIENNA (AP) — Key restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program imposed under an internationally negotiated deal will start to ease years before the 15-year accord expires, advancing Tehran’s ability to build a bomb even before the end of the pact, according to a document obtained Monday by The Associated Press.

The confidential document is the only text linked to last year’s deal between Iran and six foreign powers that hasn’t been made public, although U.S. officials say members of Congress who expressed interest were briefed on its substance. It was given to the AP by a diplomat whose work has focused on Iran’s nuclear program for more than a decade, and its authenticity was confirmed by another diplomat who possesses the same document.

https://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAN_NUCLEAR?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-07-18-14-12-14

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Foreign ownership of US debt slips again in May

Obama-Golf

WASHINGTON (AP) — Foreign holdings of U.S. Treasury securities fell for the second straight month in May.

The Treasury Department says total foreign holdings dropped 0.5 percent to $6.21 trillion after slipping 0.8 percent to $6.24 trillion in April.

Japan, the second-biggest foreign owner of Treasury securities, reduced its holdings by 0.8 percent to $1.13 trillion. China, the biggest foreign investor in Treasurys, increased its holdings slightly to $1.24 trillion.

The national debt is nearly $19.4 trillion and is expected to grow, which means the United States will need foreigners to keep buying Treasury securities.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/foreign-ownership-us-debt-slips-200134265.html
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US WOULD CONSIDER EXTRADITION REQUEST FOR EXILED CLERIC

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BY BRADLEY KLAPPER
ASSOCIATED PRESS

LUXEMBOURG (AP) — The Obama administration would entertain an extradition request for the U.S.-based cleric that Turkey’s president is blaming for a failed coup attempt, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday.

In a televised speech, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the United States should extradite Fethullah Gulen. Erdogan said Turkey had never turned back any extradition request for “terrorists” by the United States and stressed Turkey’s joint role with the U.S. in fighting terrorism. “I say if we are strategic partners then you should bring about our request,” he said.

Visiting Luxembourg, Kerry said Turkey would have to prove the wrongdoing of Gulen, who left Turkey in 1999.

Gulen has harshly condemned the attempted coup attempt by military officers that resulted in a night of explosions, air battles and gunfire that left dozens dead. But Erdogan’s government is blaming the chaos on the cleric, who lives in exile in Pennsylvania and promotes a philosophy that blends a mystical form of Islam with staunch advocacy of democracy, education, science and interfaith dialogue.

Erdogan has long accused Gulen, a former ally, of trying to overthrow the government. Washington has never found any evidence particularly compelling previously.

https://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_UNITED_STATES_TURKEY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-07-16-14-00-41

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8 YEARS AFTER HOPE AND CHANGE, VOTERS ARE ANGRY, ANXIOUS

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BY JULIE PACE
AP WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT

ARVADA, Colorado (AP) — Eight years ago, Barbara Conley was one of the millions of Americans swept up in Barack Obama’s promises of hope and change when he accepted the Democratic nomination at a packed stadium a few miles from her home in the Denver suburbs.

But those optimistic days are almost unrecognizable to Conley now.

https://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CAMPAIGN_2016_EVENING_IN_AMERICA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-07-16-07-56-19

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Global Corporate Defaults Just Hit 100, On Pace To Surpass Financial Crisis Record

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by Tyler Durden
Jul 15, 2016 7:05 AM

The bizarre financial paradoxes unleashed by central planning continue.

While the S&P rises to new all time highs day after day, the IMF is about to downgrade global growth again, $13 trillion in global bonds trade with a negative yield, and the shape of the US yield curve is where it was the last time the US entered a recession. But what remains the most perplexing aspect of the unprecedented disconnect between market surreality and fundamentals, is the ongoing surge in corporate defaults, which is now on pace to surpass 2009, the worst year in history for corporate bankruptcies.

According to S&P, with half of 2016 in the history books, corporate bond defaults just hit the milestone “century” mark, or 100, last week, rising by 50% from the number of bankruptcies at this time last year and the highest level since the US emerged from recession in 2009. The number rose by four to 100 in the first full week of July, as defaults in the US oil and gas sector ratcheted higher, according to Diane Vazza of S&P Global Ratings, the FT reports.

As a result, the total amount of defaulted debt has risen to $154 billion.

But what is most troubling is that at the current run-rate, with half of 2016 still to come, the global debt default total is on pace to surpass 2009 for the all time corporate bankruptcy record.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-07-14/global-corporate-defaults-just-hit-100-pace-surpass-financial-crisis-record

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Executive Order, to force schools, businesses, etc, to allow men to use girls’ locker rooms and toilets

RHS Toilet
June 11,2016

by Ron DuBois

Since the President saw fit to issue “guidelines” in an Executive Order, to force schools, businesses, etc, to allow men to use girls’ locker rooms and toilets, I’ve been following the fallout. Shortly after the decree, some schools and stores began welcoming trans-sexuals, and other gender-confused people, to use whatever bathroom or changing facility they identified most with. One reason given was that such persons should not be made to feel uncomfortable if, for example, they are males who believe they are really females trapped in mens’ bodies, and would prefer to use the ladies room rather than the men’s room.I don’t want to go into the usual arguments, like male predators wanting to see females in various stages of undress, but I wonder – if a male wants to use the female bathroom or locker room because he feels uncomfortable using the male facilities, did the President think how uncomfortable the girls might be with men coming in gawking at them? Transgendered people make up well under one percent of the population; why are we trying to accommodate their feelings at the expense of the, say 50 percent of females in the population, who will now be made to feel uncomfortable? It seems to defy logic, when maybe 80 or 90 females have to be made uncomfortable, so one male/female doesn’t.

Well, about a week after this started, I thought of an answer, but didn’t say anything because I was sure lots of others would also think of it. To date, I haven’t heard or read about anyone proposing my solution. I believe it’s because certain people (in power) on both sides don’t want a simple solution. It really isn’t about inclusiveness for all, it’s about breaking down the traditions that have served us well, like honesty and morality, like traditional marriage and the family, like teaching schoolkids about American History and the Constitution, and making them proud to be Americans. The actions of Progressives and others show just how astute Benjamin Franklin was, when he said the Constitution was only for a moral and religious people, and was totally inadequate for any other.

So here is the solution I propose. Every school, and every large store, has facilities to change, try on things, and go to the toilet; they have multiple places for these accommodations. Schools, for instance have faculty bathrooms, as well as student bathrooms. Since the  number of transgenders, cross-dressers, etc at each school, store or business is miniscule, only one toilet will be needed to accommodate them (maybe more on a college campus with thousands of students). One of the faculty bathrooms can be set aside for this purpose. Large facilities, institutions, and stores also have enough bathrooms to set one aside so transgenders, etc can use a toilet or change, without embarrassment.

For showering, I can only suggest that if someone is uncomfortable showering with others who have the same genitalia, they wait until they get home to shower. I do not advocate males being allowed to barge into a female shower room, and shower with them. I also believe that if a man wants to use the female showers, it should only be allowed if he has undergone the full medical change, so he is now a woman, like Bruce Jenner did. Just because a man feels feminine one morning does not give him the right to shower with the girls at school.

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Sticker Shock : Insurers are looking for Obamacare price hikes

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 Contributors s Note : We predicted it. We know it was all a lie and of course Dr. Gruber boasted and called the American people “Stupid”. 

“Obamacare plan customers should brace for sticker shock when the administration posts insurers’ preliminary rate requests for 2017 this week.
Health plans are asking for sharp price increases, after suffering big losses on exchanges in the last two years. Regulators caution that these are preliminary requests and final rates could a lot different.

Insurers cite rising drug costs and patients who utilize a lot of medical services for the price-hike requests, which range from 17 percent in New York, and more than 20 percent in Virginia, to 30 percent rate increase requests from Oregon’s largest insurers ”  Joe Killian

 

Bertha Coombs | @BerthaCoombs

Obamacare plan customers should brace for sticker shock when the administration posts insurers’ preliminary rate requests for 2017 this week.

Health plans are asking for sharp price increases, after suffering big losses on exchanges in the last two years. Regulators caution that these are preliminary requests and final rates could a lot different.

Insurers cite rising drug costs and patients who utilize a lot of medical services for the price-hike requests, which range from 17 percent in New York, and more than 20 percent in Virginia, to 30 percent rate increase requests from Oregon’s largest insurers.

https://www.cnbc.com/2016/05/23/insurers-are-looking-for-obamacare-price-hikes.html?__source=msn%7Cmoney%7Cheadline%7Cstory%7C&par=msn