OVERHEARD AT THE WHITE HOUSE ..
Hey Joe, Ill trade you my 2013 Pick up Truck with 90,000 miles for Air Force One ..
President Biden: Aw C'Mon Man !! That plane is SPENSIVE, Raj.
RAJ: Ill Throw in my multi-size Trailer Hitch
Biden: DEAL !!!
Britney Griner is coming home .. We traded her for terrorist arms dealer, Viktor Bout .. Biden left retired Marine Paul Whelan there.. who has been in a Russian Prison for 4 years....Instead of him, he brought home Griner.. Let that sink in a minute...
“Viktor Bout has been international arms trafficking enemy number one for many years, arming some of the most violent conflicts around the globe,” said Preet Bharara, the US attorney in Manhattan. (Yes, as in ultra liberal NYC.. and even HE says this is stupid) ..
We traded a man called "The Merchant of Death" for a pothead basketball player. .. and left a US Marine Behind.. What a FCKING disgrace!!!! ..
Ya gotta love the loser media reports .. "Critics are calling this a bad trade" .. WRONG.. Not critics... This is called a bad trade by EVERYONE NOT NAMED GRINER or her wife..
For all you, "But BIDEN says it was not possible to get Paul Whelan.. It was Griner or nothing." WHAT? YOU IMBECILE!!! .. Tell Putin it's Bout for Whelan or nothing!!
You are an INTERNATIONAL LAUGHING STOCK, JOE!!!... and Putin is peeing his pants laughing at you.. and American citizens traveling around the world are now LESS SAFE because of you and this STUPID move.. You BUMBLING IDIOT!!!..
But, Raj. Britney is an American citizen, too !! Well, yeah.. But, to all you "Save Britney" people.. You're such BIG FANS.. Lemme ask you all.. Without looking.. What WNBA team is she on?.. Yeah.. I thought so.. Lemme tell ya.. in the "Prisoner Negotiation Line" .. A US Marine is at the top .. and a WNBA player that wouldn't stand for the National Anthem is on the bottom of page 10.
Two Final Things:
If you think the timing of this .. the day after the Georgia Senate Runoff .. is a COINCIDENCE.. You are just plain stupid... and...
Dat B*tch better stand for the National Anthem at her first game back...
In Iran .. If you have not been following at all.. There have been protests against the Burka mandates ever since the 22 year old girl died after being arrested in Tehran by the "Morality Police". The protests are embarrassing to the Government but they need to be careful because the "World is Watching" .. well..
There was a big protest planned a few days ago where thousands of university students were going to march and demonstrate.. 1,200 of them could not go because they became sick. Food Poisoning... at the University cafeterias. Four different Universities.. .. AHAHHAAH.. That is fkcing GENIUS!!! I mean the government claims they didn't do it.. but ... OF COURSE THEY DID!!! It's HARDCORE.. But.. GENIUS...
IN DA SWAMP:
WTF: ?!?!??!?! .. Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema is LEAVING the Democratic Party. She says she joins many in Arizona saying the party is broken.. and that party politics are ruining the country.. and she is rejecting it.. She will NOT switch to Republican. She says she will not caucus with either side.. She will be a true independent (Bernie Sanders is Independent but caucuses with the Dems) ..
WOW.. This should be interesting, right??? .. No Senate Majority..and ..
CONGRESS WASTES MORE OF YOUR MONEY.
These idiot swamp rats spent a year of money investigating a "sexist workplace" claim at a private company. yes.. REAALLY.. The Washington Redskins Football team and owner Dan Snyder..
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform report identifies Snyder as central to the toxic workplace culture at the Washington football team. The team has faced allegations of significant sexual misconduct by women who worked for the team, allegedly perpetrated by male employees and even Snyder himself.
The report accuses Snyder of trying to silence his accusers, through a shadow campaign that included private investigators, harassment and attempts to pay hush money. It says that Snyder then deceived Congress about those tactics in his deposition to the committee that came after a prolonged fight
WHAT the EFFIN F !!!! Why the H*LL is our Congress WASTING our money on this crap?? Why do they have ANYTHING TO DO with an NFL owner being a sexist pig? The victims can sue in court and get PAID by the Redskins and Dan Snyder if the stories are true (and probably even if they are NOT)..
I am a GIANTS fan so by definition I hate the Redskin Commanders.. But, this is just ANOTHER example of the Swamp People WASTING OUR MONEY!!!!
The Swamp Rats passed their Same Sex Marriage Act .. So, Now Gay people have the right to be as miserable as the rest of us...
ELON REPORT: Wow.. The Twitter Files keep coming (Spend a few minutes reading them.. ) .. .
Oh My God.. All of the things the Conservative posters/politicians/commentators/reporters have been saying are 100% True. Twitter had a small group of radical left censors that not only suspended accounts that were NOT violating terms of use.. they made tweets unable to be seen.. Not by the general public, not by your followers.. NO ONE..
There are several techniques that fall under the "shadow banning" umbrella .. But.. It starts with "suppressing" and goes down to basically tweeting to yourself, even if you have a million followers.
The "heads" of the areas of Twitter REGULARLY lied in public and said no tweets were ever banned for political reasons. Internal emails, texts, and other communications show it was CONSTANT. .. One ex-twitter clown that helped lead the political censoring (Head of the Strategic Response Team) named Jeff Carlton was named yesterday. He has also worked at the FBI and CIA.. Within minutes, he deleted his LinkedIn page and put social media under an alias to make it harder to find him..
A GIANT CESSPOOL OF CONSERVATIVE CENSORSHIP
Now, if you're one of the mooks saying, "But it's a private company. They can do what they want" .. Well, to a point.. but what they CANNOT do is Lie about it.. to Congress.. and people like that.. and I have been waiting for the lawsuit over censorship..
You cannot hide behind, "its an open venue, we are not responsible for the content" .. when you are, in fact, responsible for the content because you are curating and censoring it.. It makes you like a newspaper editorial page... and subject to lawsuits....
Elon's reaction to all of this: "We are working on a software update that will show you your TRUE account status so you can know clearly you have been shadowbanned, why, and how to appeal."
SPORTS:
WORLD CUP: Croatia vs Brazil 10:00am ET and Netherlands vs. Argentina 2pm ET. .. Brazil and Argentina are favored..
GOLF: DP World Tour: Dunhill Championship from Malelane, South Africa. Dave Ravetto has the lead mid round 2.
NFL: Baker Mayfield drives 98 yards and the Rams beat the Raiders 17-16 .. Geez.. Mayfield is like a cat.. Nine Lives..
CELEBRIDIOTS:
Celine Dion announced she has a rare neurological disease that causes her body to stiffen called (appropriately) "Stiff Man's Syndrome". Eventually, she says, it can turn people into human statues... What a sad situation. She cannot sing at the moment.. and the disease is progressive. I feel terrible for her.... Now...
I WANT to say, "A stiff man can be good to find" .. or ask, "But, will your heart go on" .. Is that mean? Is it too soon? ..
Model Veronika Rajek is wearing Tom Brady garb and going to games....HERE.. . In a veiled attempt .. not-so veiled attempt.. in an UNVEILED VERY DIRECT attempt to replace Gisele ..
Rajek claims she has trouble dating and gets trolled online because she has "The Perfect Body with Perfect Dimensions" (5 Foot 11 inches, 128 pounds.. 36-24-26) .. HERE.. HERE.. HERE... That might be perfect for TOM .. but. I'm 5 foot 11 inches.. when she wears heels she is looking DOWN on me!!!
What do YOU think????
From SeekingAlpha.com
Big Tech appears to be in for a rude awakening as the Federal Trade Commission flexes its muscles under the leadership of Lina Khan. The antitrust enforcer has voted 3-1 to block Microsoft's (MSFT) $69B deal for game developer Activision Blizzard (ATVI), making waves across the industry. The decision is a clear sign that Khan and her team at the FTC will be more aggressive in cracking down on the biggest U.S. tech giants, who frequently grow their influence or fight off upcoming challengers via acquisition. What are the concerns? Simply put, the FTC feels that the tie-up between Microsoft - the company behind Xbox - and one of the best known game developers could harm competition. Activision's Call of Duty and World of Warcraft are some of the most popular gaming franchises, and turning Microsoft into the No. 3 gaming company in the world could limit rivals' access to titles or raise prices for other gaming platforms. The FTC also said it would give the Xbox maker an unfair advantage in the new market for game subscriptions, as well as the emerging market for cloud gaming. Microsoft has gone to great lengths in recent days and weeks to assuage the fears, like inking a deal to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo (OTCPK:NTDOY) for the next decade. A similar offer to Sony (SONY) on same-day access to the game on its PlayStation platform has so far been rebuffed, but the Xbox maker remains "committed to helping bring more games to more people - however they choose to play." Microsoft President Brad Smith has also been spotted in Washington, meeting with lawmakers to argue that the deal would "create more opportunities for gamers and game developers." Go deeper: The U.S. is not the only jurisdiction where Microsoft might have to fight, as the transaction is also seeing in-depth reviews in Europe and the U.K. While the company initially took the concessions route, it now looks like it will be presenting its case in court. Prepare for a drawn-out battle that might include precedent of so-called vertical deals, whether withholding games from platforms would be profitable and whether Microsoft has made good on its past promises. The tech giant has also been in the antitrust spotlight before in a landmark DOJ suit from 1998, which saw Microsoft agree to modify some of its business practices. (89 comments)
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has revealed new guidance that could require publicly-traded companies to disclose to investors any potential impacts from the troubled cryptocurrency market. Moreover, firms may need to share information with their investors regarding their crypto holdings, as well as their risk exposure to bankruptcies in the emerging space. Lastly, they should consider risks pertaining to a company's liquidity position, according to the guidance. Backdrop: The latest development comes after the once-mighty crypto exchange FTX filed for bankruptcy protection in November. Traders rushed for the exit en masse upon discovery of its multi-billion dollar balance sheet shortfall, marking its demise as the industry's most high-profile downfall. FTX is facing a number of federal investigations, including by the SEC, while the mess sent shockwaves through the crypto ecosystem and caused high-profile crypto lender BlockFi to file for Chapter 11. "Recent bankruptcies and financial distress among crypto asset market participants have caused widespread disruption in those markets," the SEC's Division of Corporation Finance wrote in a sample letter. "Companies may have disclosure obligations under the federal securities laws related to the direct or indirect impact that these events and collateral events have had or may have on their business." Go deeper: The crypto market downturn has been highlighted by huge drawdowns in some of the largest digital tokens by market cap, including Bitcoin (BTC-USD) dropping some 70% from its November 2021 all-time high. A handful of U.S.-listed firms have already announced their exposures to Sam Bankman-Fried's short-lived crypto empire, namely Coinbase (COIN) and Silvergate Capital (SI). In November, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler also confirmed that crypto investors "need better protection in this space." (2 comments)
After 14 years of development, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, better known as COMAC, delivered its first domestically-developed passenger jet to launch customer China Eastern Airlines (NYSE:CEA). The C919, similar to the Airbus (OTCPK:EADSY) A320 and Boeing (NYSE:BA) 737 narrow-body jet families, brings China a step closer toward its ambitious goal of becoming a global civil aerospace player. The plane is expected to make its maiden commercial flight in the spring, with a trip between Shanghai and the capital Beijing, as well as hopes to quickly expand routes to other cities. Industry response: "Congratulations to COMAC for delivering the first C919, bringing a new model to the global civil aviation market," Boeing China wrote on its WeChat account. "We look forward to working with COMAC and other industry peers to continue working on the long-term sustainable development of the aviation industry," Airbus added in a statement. China's first national passenger jet contains 164 seats, with a maximum range of 3,450 miles. The C919's price tag also comes in at $99M, compared with costs of around $111M and $122M for similar-sized Airbus A320neos and the Boeing 737 Max family. In terms of backlog, COMAC has already booked 1,115 orders (mostly from Chinese lessors) versus the 6,200 and 3,590 order backlog for the A320neo and 737. Outlook: Despite the emerging C919, it will take many years before COMAC becomes a serious threat to the Western aerospace duopoly. Besides finding new customers outside of China, the program is expected to produce only 25 C919s per year by 2030, which is way lower than the monthly narrow-body production rates at its rivals. The C919 also relies heavily on Western components, including engines, flight systems and other critical parts that are manufactured by companies like GE (NYSE:GE), Honeywell (NASDAQ:HON) and Safran (OTCPK:SAFRY). (15 comments)
Costco (COST) uncharacteristically missed earnings estimates after the bell on Thursday. Investors were eager to hear the results given the headwinds facing the economy, as well as whether spending is being diverted from discretionary items to the necessities. Snapshot: The retailer reported $3.07 in earnings per share on $53.44B in revenue, compared to analyst expectations of $3.12 and $54.68B, respectively. The miss wasn't seen as major, with the stock hardly moving in response, but it did suggest that many shoppers are paring back on bigger ticket items. Comparable sales from stores open at least a year also rose 7.1% during the period, marking the first time the figure has fallen below 9% over the past two years. Other retailers have flagged weaker sales trends this past quarter, including Target (TGT) and Walmart (WMT). Costco may look to make up some of the lost profits with a membership fee hike, and CFO Richard Galanti said it wasn't a question of if, but when. "We feel that we're in a very strong competitive position right now and if we have to wait a few months or several months, that's fine." From the SA comments section: "I see it as more about the overall change in the economy than Costco, but it's been richly valued and vulnerable to a downturn," wrote user zingerizer. "I am a big believer in COST despite the miss," countered DividendLand. "On the surface one might think missing estimates is a serious problem. I think one has to dig deeper. Lack of inventory is a problem, and might be an explanation." (28 comments)
Today's Markets
In Asia, Japan +1.2%. Hong Kong +2.3%. China +0.3%. India -0.6%. In Europe, at midday, London -0.1%. Paris +0.1%. Frankfurt +0.4%. Futures at 6:30, Dow +0.2%. S&P +0.3%. Nasdaq +0.4%. Crude +0.7% to $71.98. Gold +0.6% to $1812.40. Bitcoin +2.3% to $17,242. Ten-year Treasury Yield unchanged at 3.49%
Today's Economic Calendar
8:30 Producer Price Index 10:00 Consumer Sentiment 10:00 Wholesale Inventories (Preliminary) 1:00 PM Baker-Hughes Rig Count Companies reporting earnings today »
What else is happening...
Lululemon (LULU) holiday quarter guidance misses high expectations. Broadcom (AVGO) to face European probe into VMware (VMW) deal. Updated COVID boosters cleared for children as young as six months. Lithium execs say mega-rally in prices could have more room to run. Keystone pipeline (TRP) shut after 14,000-barrel oil spill in Kansas. United Airlines (UAL) poised for major order of Boeing (BA) Dreamliners. Meta Platforms (META) set to face antitrust trial on virtual reality tie-up.
Regards,
Roger “Raj” Searing rajsearing@gmail.com "Raj Searing™”, "Read this First™", "@rajsearing™", "TheRantRoom™" and “TheRantroom.com™” are Trademarks of RRRAJ, LLC. All Rights Reserved-2003, 2008.
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