• Israel in the Middle East: A civilizational and metaphysical war
• Alastair Crooke: The Middle East strategic "balance" shredded
• A panicked Israel is an even more dangerous Israel

"Fracking is very expensive... but everything was premised on the notion that the price of oil would stay very high. The Saudis and the Russians were hurt by the emergence of the American fracking industry; they've hated that industry from day one because it's a competitor."

The notion that they are fighting each other is an illusion, Wolff says. "And now finally the Russians together with the Saudis are fighting the United States because by bringing the price of oil down, all of those US fracking oil companies go belly up. They are done."

He adds that the fracking companies "can't repay their debts and that plunges the credit market and the banks into a whole new crisis which we are just beginning to learn to understand and which threatens the whole system.

"You put coronavirus together with the oil and you have a one-two punch that is making most of Wall Street realize that the glowing description of the American economy as the greatest in the world was the self-delusion of politicians and has no basis..."

• Gantz surges in polls against Netanyahu, who faces indictment
• Just can't help himself: Netanyahu's latest election dirty trick blows up in his face
• Israel's third snap election? Gantz tells President Rivlin he can't form a government
• Nothing to lose? Arab lawmakers in Israel endorse Gantz for prime minister
• Chutzpah: Netanyahu accuses opposition of trying to 'steal the election' as vote approaches
• Gantz has one month to form new Israeli govt - Otherwise, it's back to the voters

• British spy Chris Steele to meet with US officials regarding dodgy dossier
• Durham expands investigation into FBI misconduct based on new evidence
• FBI paid dossier author Christopher Steele, heavily redacted docs reveal

Did you know that Bill & Melinda Gates, the CIA, the World Economic Forum, Bloomber / Johns Hopkins, the UN Foundation & more ran a scenario for a Cor-na Virus Pandemic in December 2019? I have clips from that event to share with you as well as other shocking material.

• Retrieved from the memory hole: Deleted Daily Mail online article - "US backed plan for chemical weapon attack in Syria to be blamed on Assad"
• Pentagon Trained Syria's Al Qaeda "Rebels" in Use of Chemical Weapons
• Washington's False Flag: United Nations Confirmed that US Supported Syrian "Rebels" Were Using Chemical Weapons in 2013

Trump has baffled traders and ordinary netizens after he took to Twitter in the wake of his national address earlier on Wednesday to assure the public that his order to suspend all travel from Europe pertains only to the movement of people, but not goods.

"Very important for all countries & businesses to know that trade will in no way be affected by the 30-day restriction on travel from Europe. The restriction stops people not goods."

The tweet raised more questions than answers, as Trump rather explicitly stated during his much-hyped address on the coronavirus that the temporary suspension of travel from Europe would have far-reaching consequences for trade as well.

"These prohibitions will not only apply to the tremendous amount of trade and cargo, but to various other things as we get approval. Anything coming from Europe to the United States is what we are discussing," Trump stated during the address which was broadcast live.

The White House soon clarified that the ban "only applies to human beings, not goods and cargo."

Some blamed the turnaround on Trump's difficulties with reading from a teleprompter during prepared remarks. The US president is known for his propensity to go off-script during official speeches and addresses.

The gaffe sparked panic on stock markets, which tanked on the news of the sweeping travel ban.

The Trump administration will take "unprecedented" action to give financial relief to Americans affected by the coronavirus, ordering tax exemptions for those infected or under quarantine, as well as low-interest loans for firms.

The measures include instructing the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide capital and liquidity to any firms impacted by the outbreak, as well as tax relief he said would inject some $200 billion of liquidity into the US economy.

"Effectively immediately, the SBA will begin providing economic loans in affected states and territories," Trump said in a national address on Wednesday night, while also asking Congress to increase funding for the program by $50 billion. "These low-interest loans will help small businesses overcome temporary economic disruptions caused by the virus."

The president also called on Congress to approve "immediate payroll tax relief," and said arrangements would soon be made to allocate aid for sickened workers who are forced to take time off work, as well as those caring for infected individuals.

The measures come in addition to an $8.3 billion emergency aid package signed into law last Friday, which provides funding for research into treatments and vaccines, and offers federal funds for states to help with prevention and containment efforts.

After meetings earlier this week, major health insurance companies agreed to waive all co-payments for coronavirus treatments and extend coverage, the president said, adding that the administration is now "cutting through massive amounts of red tape" to fast-track antiviral therapies.

The UK has counted 590 cases of the virus so far, with 10 deaths - hardly numbers to boast about, but less dire than the situation in Italy or Germany.

Trump reprised his boast about taking the "boldest step of all" by closing borders with China before noting Europe "has some hot spots that are really bad." He mentioned Germany, France, and Italy before concluding on an optimistic note: "we think we'll reestablish pretty quickly once this ends."

Responding to a reporter's question on why he hadn't consulted individual European countries about the travel ban, Trump said, "when they raise taxes on us, they don't consult us, and I think that's probably one and the same."

After the sudden announcement roiled markets on Thursday, Trump clarified that he might shorten or lengthen the 30-day timeframe of the ban, set to take effect on Friday.

He expressed hope that travel between the US and Europe, as well as the US and China, could be restored "very quickly." The president also opined on the Tokyo Olympics, suggesting they be postponed for a year because he couldn't imagine holding them without spectators.

European officials condemned the US decision to impose a ban "unilaterally and without consultation." European Council and European Commission Presidents Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen insisted the EU was "taking strong action to limit the spread of the virus."

The EU has largely left member states to fend for themselves with regard to decisive response to the epidemic. EU leaders in a conference call on Tuesday merely agreed to prevent shortages of medical equipment and promote vaccine development, as well as creating a fund to offset the economic impact of the epidemic. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has suggested 60 to 70 percent of the population will be infected, but has not made any moves toward imposing travel restrictions or closing borders. France's Emmanuel Macron has criticized Austria and Slovakia for closing their own borders with coronavirus-stricken Italy, but French officials have hinted they plan to shift to a "Phase 3" response - the highest level of government action - soon. Italy, the hardest-hit of all EU countries, has imposed a nationwide lockdown, shuttering shops and restaurants and advising all residents to stay home and avoid travel for the rest of the month as the death toll jumped to 631 on Wednesday.