From the Trenches World Report
Enforce our Bill of Rights
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said all loans of more than $2 million or more in a government relief program for small businesses will be audited to ensure they were justified after large public companies and big chains sparked outrage by taking funds. Continue reading “Small business loans above $2 million will be audited, Mnuchin says”
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A shooting in Louisiana’s capital city left one police officer dead and his wounded colleague fighting for his life Sunday, authorities said, adding a suspect was later taken into custody after an hourslong standoff in which shots were exchanged with a SWAT team. Continue reading “Police: 1 officer dies, 2nd wounded in Louisiana shooting”
Goldman Sachs had itself one of those patented bouts of good luck that you only see on Wall Street – for one reason or another.
Continue reading “Goldman Was Furiously Buying Mortgage Bonds In The Days Before The Fed’s Massive Bailout”
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The Trump administration on Tuesday ordered Chevron Corp. to “wind down” operations in Venezuela by Dec. 1, barring the California-based oil giant in the meantime from drilling or exporting, as the U.S. increases pressure on President Nicolás Maduro to give up power. Continue reading “Trump tells Chevron to “wind down” oil fields in Venezuela”
Daily Caller – by Anders Hagstrom
Attorney General Bill Barr said his Justice Department may pursue legal action against governors who maintain strict lockdown rules after their coronavirus outbreaks subside, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday. Continue reading “AG Barr Says DOJ May Go After Governors Who Persist With Strict Lockdown Rules”
Four class-action lawsuits have been filed against banks doling out federal stimulus funds earmarked for small businesses, accusing them of channeling funds to the largest companies to collect bigger fees. Continue reading “Banks Funneled Stimulus Funds To Largest Companies To Fatten Fees, Lawsuits Say”
Daily Caller – by Justin Caruso
Protests once again occurred across the nation Monday, with protesters in Kansas City, Missouri facing off with counter-protesters who blocked traffic, and protesters in Pennsylvania carrying rifles and driving in a military truck. Continue reading “Protest Showdowns: Anti-Lockdown Protesters Carry Guns In Pennsylvania, Kansas City Counter-Protesters Block Traffic”
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says that posts and pages attempting to organize protests against stay-at-home orders will be banned as “misinformation.” Continue reading “Mark Zuckerberg: Lockdown Protests Are ‘Misinformation,’ Facebook Will Ban Organizers”
Police shot and killed a man who allegedly opened fire inside a public transportation bus, hijacked the vehicle with people inside and engaged in a firefight with officers. Continue reading “Bus hijacker leads police on chase through Texas, killed in shootout with officers, officials say”
One police officer is dead and two others are injured after a shooting Saturday night in San Marcos, Texas.
The two injured officers are in critical condition, according to the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, the state’s largest police union. The San Marcos Police Department said they were taken to Seton Medical Center in Kyle, Texas, for surgery. Continue reading “Texas police officer shot and killed, 2 others injured after domestic disturbance”
Fox News senior judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano on Thursday slammed governors for issuing strict quarantine measures during the coronavirus pandemic, “crushing” Americans’ civil liberties in the process. Continue reading “Judge Napolitano blasts governors for ‘crushing civil liberties’ during coronavirus shutdown”
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said he was cutting off U.S. payments to the World Health Organization during the coronavirus pandemic, accusing the organization of failing to do enough to stop the virus from spreading when it first surfaced in China. Continue reading “Trump ends US aid to WHO, says not enough done to stop virus”
Patrons were caught on surveillance video streaming into an illegal San Francisco nightclub in early April in breach of tight restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus. Continue reading “People Stream Into Illegal San Francisco Nightclub During Coronavirus Shutdown”
At least 16 people were killed after tornadoes began ripping through the South on Easter, destroying homes and storefronts and leaving over 1 million people without power from an intense storm system now headed towards the Mid-Atlantic. Continue reading “At least 16 dead as dozens of tornadoes rip through the South”
Californian police say six people have been shot and injured at a “large” party despite the “stay at home” order in place in the US state. Continue reading “Six people shot at California house party during lockdown”
Faith-based organizations like churches and other houses of worship can be eligible to receive federally-funded, forgivable loans through the coronavirus stimulus package, authorities clarified this week.
And that includes payroll loans that could compensate ministers. Continue reading “Faith-based organizations eligible for SBA loans in coronavirus stimulus, officials say”
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Major U.S. lenders are preparing to become operators of oil and gas fields across the country for the first time in a generation to avoid losses on loans to energy companies that may go bankrupt, sources aware of the plans told Reuters. Continue reading “U.S. banks prepare to seize energy assets as shale boom goes bust”
New York Times – by Justin Wolfers
The jobless rate today is almost certainly higher than at any point since the Great Depression. We think it’s around 13 percent and rising at a speed unmatched in American history.
Continue reading “The Unemployment Rate Is Probably Around 13 Percent”
It’s the first day that America’s small businesses can apply for the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program, i.e., the $350BN program that is part of the bigger $2 trillion bailout package designed to provide small businesses access to capital for payroll and other overhead costs to the tune of 2.5 months of average payroll and which must be accessed via an existing banking relationship – and the rollout is predictably a mess, with some banks such as BofA already accepting loans (which convert to grants if used exclusively for payrolls and business continuity purposes), while others like JPM delaying the roll out to 1pm; a third group of banks such as Wells Fargo has conspicuously failed to provide its rollout plans – perhaps it is scheming how to cross-sell bailout loans with auto insurance or engage in some other typically Wellsfargoian fraud. Continue reading “Millions Of Small Businesses Stunned To Learn They Are Not Eligible For Bailout Loans”