Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

It’s not just the ultra rich, as well as a dazed and confused Bob Corker who is set to reap a $1+ million windfall from the passage of a tax bill which he opposed until just days ago, who will benefit from the passage of tax reform: according to Goldman Sachs among the biggest beneficiaries from the GOP tax cuts are, drumroll, the big banks. In an analysis from Goldman’s Richard Ramsden, the FDIC-insured hedge fund writes that based on its “preliminary analysis of the current tax bill under consideration by  Congress, our EPS estimates for our coverage would increase by 13% on average if the US statutory rate were to be reduced to the proposed 21%, all else being equal.”  Continue reading “Goldman Finds Tax Reform Will Greatly Benefit The Big Banks”

Freedom Outpost – by Tim Brown

Washington State Representative Matt Shea met with Shari Dovale of Redoubt News and dropped a bombshell concerning the sealed hearings that are currently taking place in the Bundy Ranch trials, informing Americans about the “unethical and potentially illegal behavior” of the Bureau of Land Management when it came to dealing with the Bundy family.

Shea began by putting forth a type of disclaimer, presumably in the event that he would end up dead or “suicided.”   Continue reading “Washington State Rep Matt Shea on Sealed Hearings in Bundy Ranch Trial & Why This Could Get The Bundy Case Tossed”

Breitbart – by AWR Hawkins

St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson (D) is reacting to the rising crime in her city by offering to give people groceries in exchange for their firearms.

She will do this via the kind of buyback program that Democrats in other cities have unsuccessfully implemented around the country.

On December 8, 2017, KSDK reported that St. Louis had witnessed more murders in 2017 than in any year since 1995. On December 11 the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department listed the number of murders, year-to-date, at 197.  Continue reading “St. Louis Mayor: Give Us Your Guns, We’ll Give You Groceries”

The Independent – by Tom Embury-Dennis

A 93-year-old woman was handcuffed and jailed after refusing to leave a care home she claimed was no longer accepting her rent.

Juanita Fitzgerald, from Lake County, Florida, was arrested on Tuesday after she said the National Church Residences’ Franklin House housing community had decided to “put her out” after blaming her for mould in her apartment.   Continue reading “93-year-old woman handcuffed and jailed after refusing to leave her care home”

Tech Crunch – by Devin Coldewey

Despite overwhelming opposition from Congress, technical experts, advocacy organizations, and of course the American people, the FCC has voted to eliminate 2015’s Open Internet Order and the net neutrality protections it established.

The order passed today, “Restoring Internet Freedom,” essentially removes the FCC as a regulator of the broadband industry and relegates rules that prevented blocking and throttling content to the honor system. The FTC now ostensibly has that role, but it is far from an expert agency on this topic and cannot make preemptive rules like those that have been in place for the last few years.   Continue reading “The FCC officially votes to kill net neutrality”

Fox News

The Argentinian submarine that vanished last month was being chased by a British helicopter and Chilean ship shortly before disappearing, one of the doomed vessel’s sailors told his sister in a “strange” message that was one of the last sent from the sub.

The sister’s account, made public Wednesday, was immediately blasted by Argentinian military officials as “completely untrue.” But Jessica Medina, whose brother Roberto Daniel Medina served aboard the sub, told Argentina’s La Gaceta newspaper in an exclusive interview that she received the message on WhatsApp just days before the vessel vanished Nov. 15.   Continue reading “Argentina submarine chased by British helicopter before vanishing, sailor’s sister claims”

Fox 2 News

ST. LOUIS, MO — Two police officers were shot at Thursday around 7:30am in north St. Louis County. They were hit in the chest. Their bulletproof vest may have saved their lives.  The officers are conscious and speaking.

The incident occurred in Bellefontaine Neighbors at the intersection of Chambers and Bellefontaine roads.  One suspect is barricaded in a home in the 10100 block of Bellefontaine.  He may be armed with an AR-15 rifle.  Police appear to be negotiating with him.   Continue reading “Two police officers shot in north St. Louis County; Suspect barricaded”

Business Insider

Republican leaders on Wednesday reached an agreement on their final tax bill, paving the way for an overhaul of the federal tax code by Christmas.

Republicans are moving with full speed to pass the tax bill, a process that gained urgency after the Democrat Doug Jones’ unexpected victory Tuesday in Alabama’s special election for a US Senate seat.   Continue reading “Republicans have a final deal on their tax bill — here’s what’s in it”

Oil & Gas Journal – by Nick Snow

US Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) has introduced a pair of bills designed to facilitate US exports of LNG. H.R. 4605 would let exporters begin shipments after completing the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s review process instead of requiring them to wait for US Department of Energy approval, Johnson said. H.R. 4606 would codify DOE’s efforts to begin exports of small volumes of LNG to Caribbean and Central and South American countries.   Continue reading “US House bills introduced aimed at easing LNG exports”

Yahoo News

Back in late-2015, the Federal Aviation Administration introduced new rules requiring owners of  small drones to submit their devices to a database and attach a registration code to the side of the product. In May of this year, a judge in the D.C. Circuit shot the rule down, and the FAA began the process of returning the $5 registration fee.

Now the registry is back on, courtesy of a bill signed into law earlier today by President Trump. The reinstated rules were one small piece of the $700 billion National Defense Authorization Act, about which the President reportedly said, “We need our military, it’s gotta be perfecto.” Likely the bit about drone registration didn’t even register a blip on the President’s radar.   Continue reading “Trump signs bill reinstating the FAA’s drone registration requirement”

Fox News

An illegal immigrant from Vietnam faces life in prison after being convicted Monday in the 2012 hammer-killing of a family of five after losing money at a casino earlier in the evening.

Binh Thai Luc, who had a violent criminal history and was supposed to be deported in 2006, was found guilty in the murders of a family of Chinese immigrants. He was also found guilty of five counts of attempted robbery and two counts of burglary.   Continue reading “Illegal immigrant found guilty in murder of family of five in San Francisco”

US News

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – A U.S. federal judge in the criminal conspiracy trial of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and three other men on Monday warned that prosecutors’ failure to produce documents that could support defense arguments may lead to a mistrial.

The four men, including two of Bundy’s sons Ammon and Ryan, are accused of conspiring to use the threat of force in a 2014 armed standoff with federal agents near Bundy’s ranch. It galvanized right-wing militia groups challenging U.S. government authority over public lands in the American West.

Continue reading “U.S. Judge Warns of Mistrial in Nevada Rancher Bundy’s Trial”

KXAN

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Three Texas Department of Public Safety troopers were injured and five people were arrested during a protest in downtown Austin Saturday, including one who pointed a gun at officers.

DPS said there were two opposing protests happening at the Texas State Capitol. One was an “anti-sanctuary cities” demonstration and one was an “anti-xenophobia in Austin” protest. In a series of videos on social media, protesters and counter protesters can be seen carrying banners and signs along with American flags and Confederate flags.   Continue reading “3 troopers injured, 5 people arrested Saturday in downtown Austin protest”

New York Post – by Larry Celona, Yaron Steinbuch and Natalie Musumeci

An ISIS-inspired Bangladeshi national set off an homemade explosive device at the Port Authority Bus Terminal subway station Monday morning, law enforcement sources said.

The suspected bomber – a 27-year-old who lived in Brooklyn – had wires attached to him and was armed with a five-inch metal pipe bomb and battery pack as he walked through the Manhattan transit hub, sources said.   Continue reading “Suicide bomber strikes Port Authority”

ABC 13

Emergency personnel are responding to an incident at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan.

Police sources describe the situation as involving a possible pipe bomb detonated in a passageway below ground at Port Authority.   Continue reading “Police responding to explosion at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan”

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Direct Expose

You have probably heard something about the crippled nation of North Korea but there aren’t a lot of genuine photos that show the harsh conditions. Korea used to be one nation until the country was divided following World War II, with the North becoming a communist state while the South became a democracy. It is very rare for Western photographers to document the poverty-ridden society under the dictatorship of Kim Jong-un. It is a risky adventure since it is illegal to take photos of everyday life and show them outside the country. Here are some incredible photographs that were smuggled out of the country:   Continue reading “These Photos Show You Just How Crazy North Korea Is Right Now”

USA Today

An Arizona jury on Thursday found former Mesa police officer Philip “Mitch” Brailsford not guilty of second-degree murder charges in the 2016 shootingof an unarmed Texas man who was on his knees begging for his life.

Eight jurors deliberated for less than six hours over two days, finding Brailsford not guilty of the second-degree murder charge as well as the lesser charge of reckless manslaughter.

The packed courtroom in Maricopa County Superior Court was quiet after one of Judge George Foster’s clerks read the verdict.   Continue reading “Ex-officer found not guilty in shooting death of Daniel Shaver”

Yahoo News

AZTEC, N.M. (AP) — The Latest on a shooting at a New Mexico high school (all times local): 11:50 a.m. Authorities say heroes helped save lives during a deadly shooting at a New Mexico high school.

San Juan County Sheriff Ken Christesen told reporters Friday that a substitute teacher heard the gunshots Thursday morning at Aztec High School but didn’t have a key to lock the door to the computer lab.   Continue reading “The Latest: Sheriff: Heroes saved lives in school shooting”

The Hill

Two Palestinians were killed and dozens more were injured in clashes along the Gaza Strip’s border with Israel that came in the wake of President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The Associated Press reports that more than 35 Palestinians were injured and that 30-year-old Mohammed Al-Masri was killed by live fire in the southern Gaza Strip.

The Agence France-Presse also reported a second Palestinian was killed in “anti-Trump clashes” in Gaza Friday.   Continue reading “Two Palestinians killed in Gaza clashes following Trump’s Jerusalem decision: report”