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Here's why Wall Street is furious at the Trump tax plan

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Thu, 21 Dec 2017 05:05 UTC
TaxationNo!!!
© meposters-lib.uchicago.edu/KJN
Back in October 2016, the "millionaire, billionaire, private jet owners" of America's elitist, liberal mega-cities (A.K.A. New York and San Francisco) celebrated the tax hikes that a Hillary Clinton presidency would have undoubtedly jammed down their throats proclaiming them to be a 'patriotic duty'. Unfortunately, now that Trump has given them exactly what they apparently wanted...an amazing opportunity to 'spread their wealth around"...they're suddenly feeling a lot less patriotic.

Of course, as we've noted numerous times, while most people across the country and across the income spectrum will benefit from the Republican tax reform package, the folks who stand to lose are those living in high-tax states with expensive real estate as their SALT, mortgage interest and property tax deductions will suddenly be capped. And, as Bloomberg points out today, that has a lot of Wall Street Traders in New York drowning their sorrows in expensive vodka and considering a move to Florida.

Comment: Dollar for paper dollar, the rich are going to complain more (and louder). The only 'good taxation' is no taxation...if only!

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Arrow Down

The UN General Assembly vote on Jerusalem: Waffle House Waitress fails the US again

Alexander Mercouris
The Duran
Fri, 22 Dec 2017 19:41 UTC
Nikki Haley UN vote
Nikki Haley at the UN vote on Trump's Jerusalem decision
Threats and insults directed at UN Member States merely hardened attitudes against the US

Not for the first time Nikki Haley as the US's UN ambassador has acted in a way which furthers her own political interests within the US as opposed to those of the Trump administration of which she is a part.

I say this because of her extremely ill-advised conduct both in the UN Security Council session on Monday and during the extraordinary UN General Assembly session today.

Any well-informed diplomat should have known prior to the UN Security Council and General Assembly sessions that the great majority of UN Member States would oppose US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Any well-informed diplomat would have so advised the President and would also have advised the President that any vote against the US in the UN General Assembly would be both overwhelming and symbolic.

Comment: U.S. credibility in the eyes of the rest of the world is ebbing at an ever-faster rate. Hillbilly Haley seems to be doing everything she can to speed the process along.

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Bullseye

Brexit? It's the Bolsheviks fault! MPs' Russian interference debate


RT
Thu, 21 Dec 2017 17:55 UTC
Tom Brake
© parliamentive.tv"I'm not a conspiracy theorist...(but Russia did it)"
In a debate titled "Russian interference in UK politics and society," Parliament saw literally tens of MPs packed like sardines into a chamber built for hundreds. Sardines with lots of legroom and space to spread, as several did.

The poorly attended (come on, it is almost Christmas) debate was called by Tom Brake, who is one of the rarer sights in the House these days - a Liberal Democrat MP. When there's so few of your party in Parliament, jumping on a helpful bandwagon is one way of getting 15 minutes to speak - and alleged Russian interference in the Brexit vote via social media is one of the fastest, most-popular bandwagons you'll find at the moment.



Comment: Priceless footage of Brit-tards in 'Red' distress followed by Sir Edward Leigh's voice of reason.

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Briefcase

Jill Stein: Americans need evidential proof of Russian culpability in election meddling


Fox News
Fri, 22 Dec 2017 00:00 UTC
Jill Stein
© Sputniknews.com2016 Green Party candidate Jill Stein
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein told Fox News Thursday night that Americans "have yet to see the proof" that Moscow meddled in last year's election.

Stein confirmed earlier this week that the Senate Intelligence Committee had contacted her campaign to request documents, including emails, as part of its investigation into Russian activities and alleged collusion between campaigns and foreign interests.

"I think there are legitimate aims here in the investigation," Stein told Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tonight. "Interference in our election is much bigger than the Russians and ... I would like to see the evidence of Russian culpability here."

Stein compared the Russia investigation to the run-up to the Iraq War, saying, "We didn't get to really see the evidence [then] ... We are still paying that price -- $5.5 trillion and counting. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me a gazillion times, shame on all of us."

Stein also addressed her attendance at a now-infamous dinner in Moscow marking the 10th anniversary of RT, a Russian state-run news and propaganda channel. She was photographed sitting at a table with Russian President Vladimir Putin and future national security adviser Michael Flynn, who is now cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

Comment: For more on the infamous Putin-Flynn-Stein dinner and a plate of 'non-burgers' see:

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People 2

Trump administration considers plan separating families caught entering US illegally


RT
Fri, 22 Dec 2017 16:19 UTC
USflagimmigrants
© Hindustan Times
The Trump administration is considering a plan that would see families separated after entering the US illegally, according to officials cited by media outlets. The move could keep children away from their parents for years.

The policy being examined would send parents who are caught crossing into the country illegally to adult detention facilities. Meanwhile, their children would be placed in a juvenile shelter or with a "sponsor." That sponsor could be a relative living legally in the United States, although the administration may also tighten those rules, according to The New York Times.

The plan could potentially see families applying for asylum being separated for years, as such cases take a substantial amount of time to move through the system due to a backlog of more than 600,000 pending cases.

Comment: Strong measures become a strong deterrent -- but not as yet a done deal.

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Eye 2

Netanyahu calls UN 'House of lies' preemptively rejects vote on Jerusalem

Herb Keinon
The Jerusalem Post
Fri, 22 Dec 2017 20:05 UTC
Benjamin Netanyahu
© sputniknews.com
Key countries to watch in vote: eastern and central EU countries, non-Muslim African states, India and Mexico. Netanyahu thanks Trump and Haley for 'courageous and uncompromising' stand for Israel.

Calling the United Nations a "House of Lies," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu preempted by some five hours a vote scheduled to take place there Thursday on the status of Jerusalem and said that "Israel completely rejects the vote even before it takes place."

"Jerusalem is our capital, we will continue to build it, and the embassies of countries - first that of the United States - will move to Jerusalem," he declared. "This will happen."


Netanyahu's words came at a dedication ceremony for the new Assuta Medical Center in Ashdod. The UN is expected to easily pass a resolution in the General Assembly pushing back against US President Donald Trump's recent decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move its embassy there. A similar resolution in the Security Council was vetoed on Monday by the US.
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Bulb

Putin urges Russians to end discord over the Soviet era


TASS
Fri, 22 Dec 2017 19:10 UTC
Putin cited a host of Soviet era achievements in science, space exploration, the country's defense, social sphere, healthcare and education

Putin
© Sergei Savostyanov/TASS
As Russia marks the centenary of the October Revolution, President Vladimir Putin has urged the society to end discord over the Soviet era.

"This year, the centenary of the October Revolution, we have been seeking to encourage the society to abandon confrontation, to see themselves as a single society and realize that we are continuing our common centuries-long history," Putin told a session of the Council for Culture and Art.

"Whether we like certain years or not, but there was everything there - bad things, but also a lot of good things that should not be forgotten," he said.

As fears were voiced at the session over negative consequences of people's discord over the Soviet era times, Putin acknowledged the problem.
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Nuke

Justice Department requests explanation from FBI on evidence found in Clinton-facilitated Uranium One deal


RT
Thu, 21 Dec 2017 17:41 UTC
Killary
© Rebecca Naden / ReutersHillary Clinton speaks at the Cheltenham Literature Festival in Cheltenham, UK, on October 15, 2017.
FBI agents have been asked to explain evidence regarding the probe into a deal that gave a Russian company control of 20 percent of US uranium and involved Hillary Clinton.

Justice Department prosecutors have been asking the agents to describe the results of the now dormant investigation in recent weeks. The agents have also been asked if there was any inappropriate effort to stop any prosecution from taking place, law enforcement sources told NBC News.

A source told the news outlet that there were allegations of corruption regarding the Uranium One deal. However, no charges have been filed.

The NBC report comes after Attorney General Jeff Sessions directed federal prosecutors last month to "evaluate certain issues" surrounding Clinton's alleged corrupt role in the Uranium One deal. Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs Stephen Boyd wrote a letter to House Judiciary Committee chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), in which Boyd said that Sessions had "directed senior federal prosecutors to evaluate certain issues raised in your letters."

Comment: This, too, is looking like an investigation that is going nowhere very, very fast. But hey, the tables are turned on the Dems for five minutes and it's got Russians in the narrative so why not, right?

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Chess

Was Putin thanking CIA for helping thwart terrorist attack in Russia a joint Trump-Putin PR move?

Professor Filip Kovacevic
Newsbud
Thu, 21 Dec 2017 18:26 UTC
putin trump phone call
A quiet December 17 Sunday morning in the U.S. was shaken by a geopolitical sensation. Many long-time Russia watchers could hardly believe their eyes. The cause for their surprise was a three-paragraph press release on the official website of the Russian president Vladimir Putin detailing an unexpected and unusual phone conversation between Putin and the U.S. president Donald Trump.

According to the press release, Putin "thanked" Trump for the information provided to the Russian intelligence agencies by the CIA which "was enough to locate and detain" the individuals who planned to commit terrorist acts in several well-known public places in St. Petersburg, including the Kazan Cathedral.[i] Putin asked Trump to "convey his appreciation" to the CIA director (who was, interestingly, not named) and the CIA operatives involved in the intelligence sharing. Last, but not least, Putin "assured" Trump that the Russian intelligence agencies would return the favor, if they ever came into possession of the information of similar importance for the U.S. national security.

Soon after the Kremlin's press release, there was a press release from the White House. The White House release essentially repeated what was already stated by the Kremlin. However, it included a sentence which, in my opinion, is very significant for understanding Putin's action. "Both leaders agreed that this serves as an example of the positive things that can occur when countries work together." The press release also stated that Trump called the CIA director Mike Pompeo "to congratulate him, his very talented people, and the entire intelligence community on a job well done!"[ii]
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Info

How each country voted at the UN on Jerusalem resolution


Al Jazeera
Fri, 22 Dec 2017 19:13 UTC
Nearly 130 member states voted in favour of the resolution
© UN/Al JazeeraNearly 130 member states voted in favour of the resolution
The United Nations has voted by a huge majority to declare a unilateral US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital "null and void".

At an emergency session of the body's General Assembly on Thursday, 128 countries voted in favour of a resolution rejecting US President Donald Trump's controversial decision on December 6.

Nine countries voted against, while 35 abstained.

Trump had earlier threatened to cut aid to UN members who would vote against his decision.

Comment: See also:

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