2020 US Presidential Election

[Christiaan]

New York investigation into Trump Organization now criminal, says attorney general

State joins Manhattan attorney general in launching 'active' probe into allegations the former president falsified property values to boost income

The New York attorney general's office has opened a criminal investigation into Donald Trump's company, increasing the legal risk for the former president and his family.

(...)

Attorney general Letitia James has been investigating whether the Trump Organization falsely reported property values to secure loans and obtain economic and tax benefits.

"We have informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the organization is no longer purely civil in nature," Fabien Levy, a spokesman for the attorney general's office, said in a statement.

"We are now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity, along with the Manhattan DA," he said.

(...)

Separately, Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance, also a Democrat, has been investigating Trump*s pre-presidency business dealings for more than two years.

(...)

Vance's probe began after Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen paid hush money to silence two women before the 2016 election about extramarital sexual encounters they claimed to have had with Trump.

James has said she opened her inquiry after Cohen testified before Congress that Trump's financial statements were manipulated to save money on loans or reduce his real estate taxes.

(...)

Cohen, who once said he would take a bullet for Trump, pleaded guilty in 2018 to campaign finance violations and other crimes and is currently serving his three-year sentence under home confinement.

"As more documents are reviewed by the NYAG and NYDA, it appears that the troubles for Donald Trump just keep on coming! Soon enough, Donald and Associates will be held responsible for their actions," Cohen said in a text message to Reuters on Tuesday night.

 

[Luman]

New York investigation into Trump Organization now criminal, says attorney general

State joins Manhattan attorney general in launching 'active' probe into allegations the former president falsified property values to boost income

The New York attorney general's office has opened a criminal investigation into Donald Trump's company, increasing the legal risk for the former president and his family.

(...)

Attorney general Letitia James has been investigating whether the Trump Organization falsely reported property values to secure loans and obtain economic and tax benefits.

"We have informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the organization is no longer purely civil in nature," Fabien Levy, a spokesman for the attorney general's office, said in a statement.

"We are now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity, along with the Manhattan DA," he said.

(...)

Separately, Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance, also a Democrat, has been investigating Trump*s pre-presidency business dealings for more than two years.

(...)

Vance's probe began after Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen paid hush money to silence two women before the 2016 election about extramarital sexual encounters they claimed to have had with Trump.

James has said she opened her inquiry after Cohen testified before Congress that Trump's financial statements were manipulated to save money on loans or reduce his real estate taxes.

(...)

Cohen, who once said he would take a bullet for Trump, pleaded guilty in 2018 to campaign finance violations and other crimes and is currently serving his three-year sentence under home confinement.

"As more documents are reviewed by the NYAG and NYDA, it appears that the troubles for Donald Trump just keep on coming! Soon enough, Donald and Associates will be held responsible for their actions," Cohen said in a text message to Reuters on Tuesday night.

This is nothing but a distraction, by the Democratic Party in NYS, to take the focus off of the extremely slow-moving "investigation" of Cuomo. Trump has the best accountants and legal teams in the world, and this glorified audit is very unlikely to hurt Trump. The REAL criminal that the Attorney General of NYS should be worried about, is Governor Andrew Cuomo, who should have been impeached and charged in court, by this time. Even if Trump is guilty of tax fraud or whatever, it pales in comparison to what many people believe Cuomo has done.

The Cuomo Impeachment Probe Is a Sham

 

[Born To Slay]

This is nothing but a distraction, by the Democratic Party in NYS, to take the focus off of the extremely slow-moving "investigation" of Cuomo. Trump has the best accountants and legal teams in the world, and this glorified audit is very unlikely to hurt Trump. The REAL criminal that the Attorney General of NYS should be worried about, is Governor Andrew Cuomo, who should have been impeached and charged in court, by this time. Even if Trump is guilty of tax fraud or whatever, it pales in comparison to what many people believe Cuomo has done.

The Cuomo Impeachment Probe Is a Sham

View attachment 45052

So other than saying Cuomo is a criminal (which is a reasonable claim), what are you suggesting? Do you think NYS should not go after Trump if he committed financial crimes?

 

[Zugzug]

New York investigation into Trump Organization now criminal, says attorney general

State joins Manhattan attorney general in launching 'active' probe into allegations the former president falsified property values to boost income

The New York attorney general's office has opened a criminal investigation into Donald Trump's company, increasing the legal risk for the former president and his family.

(...)

Attorney general Letitia James has been investigating whether the Trump Organization falsely reported property values to secure loans and obtain economic and tax benefits.

"We have informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the organization is no longer purely civil in nature," Fabien Levy, a spokesman for the attorney general's office, said in a statement.

"We are now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity, along with the Manhattan DA," he said.

(...)

Separately, Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance, also a Democrat, has been investigating Trump*s pre-presidency business dealings for more than two years.

(...)

Vance's probe began after Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen paid hush money to silence two women before the 2016 election about extramarital sexual encounters they claimed to have had with Trump.

James has said she opened her inquiry after Cohen testified before Congress that Trump's financial statements were manipulated to save money on loans or reduce his real estate taxes.

(...)

Cohen, who once said he would take a bullet for Trump, pleaded guilty in 2018 to campaign finance violations and other crimes and is currently serving his three-year sentence under home confinement.

"As more documents are reviewed by the NYAG and NYDA, it appears that the troubles for Donald Trump just keep on coming! Soon enough, Donald and Associates will be held responsible for their actions," Cohen said in a text message to Reuters on Tuesday night.

Don't get me wrong, I like that Cohen is flipping on Trump, but man, talk about a manipulator and con artist. Dude is literally one notch less scummy than Trump and people (not you) are eating it up. It goes to show how important it is to have a real standard for integrity.

 

[Luman]

So other than saying Cuomo is a criminal (which is a reasonable claim), what are you suggesting? Do you think NYS should not go after Trump if he committed financial crimes?

Of course, but his organization is immense, he has the best lawyers, accountants, etc. It's not a coincidence that Attorney General Latitia James, seemingly out of the blue, started this penny-ante Trump investigation while pretending to be concerned with Cuomo.

The fact is, if Cuomo is impeached, there is a good chance that the far-left progressives could take over the party in NYS. I highly doubt that the Democratic Party is going to allow Andrew Cuomo to be impeached and/or put on trial in criminal court.

I expect that Trump will not be convicted of criminal behavior, perhaps his organization will get a few fines and Cuomo will not get his due, for what he did, at all.

 

[aot]

Things aren't looking good for Matt Gaetz.

 

[Zugzug]

Things aren't looking good for Matt Gaetz.

 

[KazM]

President Trump wasn't "coasting on Obama policy," it is an interesting thing with stock markets that they will climb or fall on the outcome of an election. I've been around long enough to see it happen time and time again.

 

[Christiaan]

It's sounds too much like a South Park episode, but this is for realzies

_________________________________________________________________________________
Rand Paul points finger at 80s pop star after receiving suspicious powder

• Senator accuses Richard Marx of encouraging violence
• Marx says Paul puts lives at risk by refusing to be vaccinated

After Rand Paul received a suspicious package containing white powder at his home on Monday, the Kentucky Republican senator pointed the finger at an improbable alleged instigator: the 1980s pop star Richard Marx.

"As a repeated target of violence, it is reprehensible that Twitter allows C-list celebrities to encourage violence against me and my family," Paul said in a statement.

"Just this weekend Richard Marx called for violence against me and now we receive this powder-filled letter."

After Paul said on Sunday he would not get vaccinated against Covid-19, Marx tweeted that if he ever met the senator's erstwhile neighbor, who broke Paul's ribs during a property dispute in 2017, he would "hug him and buy him as many drinks as he can consume".

Rene Boucher pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress after tackling Paul, allegedly in a squabble over landscaping.

In an outlandish turn of events, Paul linked Marx's dismissive social media barb to the potentially dangerous package, which according to Fox News contained an image of the senator in a neck brace, wearing a cast, using a crutch and with a gun to his head.

At the bottom of the picture was the caption: "I'll finish what your neighbor started, you motherfucker."

Law enforcement agencies including the FBI Louisville office, a local sheriff's office and Capitol police are investigating. On Tuesday, the Warren county sheriff said the substance in the package appeared not to be toxic.

Marx, meanwhile, has been bombarded by online attacks.

"You know who actually put multiple people's lives at potential risk?" Marx said on Monday, linking to an article about how Paul attended a lunch meeting and swam at the Senate gym before receiving a Covid-19 diagnosis.

Paul tested positive for the virus in March last year, the first senator known to have been infected.

Now, as the US wrestles with widespread vaccine hesitancy, Paul said last weekend he would not take a vaccine, contradicting guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Until they show me evidence that people who have already had the infection are dying in large numbers or being hospitalized or getting very sick," Paul said, "I just made my own personal decision that I'm not getting vaccinated because I've already had the disease and I have natural immunity."

 

[Juan]

President Trump wasn't "coasting on Obama policy," it is an interesting thing with stock markets that they will climb or fall on the outcome of an election. I've been around long enough to see it happen time and time again.

I think markets will react after the tapering starts and after the FED increases the interest rates. It's hard to spend. How much is it now? 6bn? 6tn? without producing inflation.

 

[Zugzug]

Funny.

 

[PeteJ]

...fixed that for you.

Hey, you don't have a thought of your own. Guess, that makes you one, too.

 

[Luman]

Judge Joe Brown speaks about Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States of America.

 

[Christiaan]

Funny.

View attachment 45238

Hmmm... things are now slowly getting out of hand within the Democratic Party. A Democratic Congressman calls Joe Manchin a corporate stooge and the new Mitch McConnell:

 

[Zugzug]

Hmmm... things are now slowly getting out of hand within the Democratic Party. A Democratic Congressman calls Joe Manchin a corporate stooge and the new Mitch McConnell:

View attachment 45273

Joe Mansion.

 

[Born To Slay]

Hmmm... things are now slowly getting out of hand within the Democratic Party. A Democratic Congressman calls Joe Manchin a corporate stooge and the new Mitch McConnell:

View attachment 45273

It's all political theater, Joe Manchin will fall in line and vote for a trillion or so dollar spending package that has amendments from Republican members. The interesting thing to see will be if it gets any Republican votes. The Democrats already passed the widely popular stimulus bill alone, if the Democrats then become the party that last the largest infrastructure overall in 80 years on their own after all these negotiations, the GOP is really gonna start to look worthless.

 

[Luman]

Kamala Harris is having a bad week, and some of her fellow Democrats are responsible for it.

White House goes into damage control mode after reports of dysfunction in Kamala Harris' office

 

[PeteJ]

Biden was asked when children under 12 will get vaccinated and could barely talk.

Yeah, that guy won the most votes in history, sure. Lmao.

Democrats and leftists here are the most gullible fools imaginable.

No wonder, you're so easily duped on COVID-19.

 

[Juan]

It seems Powell does not know what he's doing haha... Taking into account that he is doing now the opposite from what he advocated for in 2013, when he cried out for tapering and raising interest rates. Maybe the guy is losing his memory, who knows...

US housing inflation: the sleeping giant that might tip the Fed's hand

Higher rents and mortgage costs are quickly emerging as a pivotal indicator for the central bank

Todd David, the executive director of the Housing Action Coalition, a charity that works on housing policy in San Francisco, says all signs are pointing to a resurgence in rental costs in the Bay area after the pandemic-driven slump.

"A year from now, if we are not adding significant supply, which there's no indication that we will . . . prices in San Francisco for rents are [going to be] at all-time high again," he said. "The trend is up."

Housing expenses are the sleeping giant that could tip the scales of the increasingly heated debate on US inflation. They are quickly emerging as a pivotal indicator for officials at the Federal Reserve, within the Biden administration, and among private economists.

So far this year, the shelter component of the consumer price index has shown smaller increases compared to the soaring expense of items such as used cars, airfares and energy.

But housing costs have nonetheless been edging up, showing a year-on-year increase of 2.6 per cent in June compared to a 1.5 per cent annual rise in February.

Line chart of Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Shelter in US City Average (annual % change) showing US housing costs have been edging up

If shelter prices remains relatively contained, they are likely to help ensure that inflation can be controlled, validating expectations at the Fed and the White House that price pressures will subside.

But if they keep increasing at even a small but steady pace on the back of booming house values in many cities, it could signal that high inflation will be sustained for longer than expected.

Shelter costs account for about a third of the overall CPI, and comprise rental prices as well as what is known as "owner-equivalent rent", the estimated cost of a house occupied by an owner if it were rented out.

"We calculate the market won't be fully in balance until 2023 or 2024. So I'm not sure that the uptick in rents is particularly shortlived," said Ali Wolf, chief economist at Zonda, a property market advisory group.

She added: "Assuming the economy continues to improve, and we continue to see the job growth numbers get better, I do think there will continue to be some upward pressure on rents."

So far, the rise in rental costs in the economy has not been particularly large and has not even bounced back to pre-pandemic rates that were comfortably above 3 per cent.

But if it continues, or even accelerates, it might pose a significant problem for the Fed because the cost increases would be embedded in rental contracts, making them hard to reverse. Higher rents could also affect inflation expectations, which are a crucial factor in monetary policymaking.

The Fed's preferred measure of inflation, the personal consumption expenditure index, does not weight housing costs as much as the CPI, but the central bank may find any rising expenses in shelter increasingly hard to ignore.

"People don't buy a used car every month whereas many pay rent every month," Tim Duy, a professor at the University of Oregon and chief economist at SGH Macro Advisors wrote in a note this week.

During a pair of congressional hearings last week, Jay Powell, the Fed chair, was repeatedly quizzed by lawmakers on the affordability of housing, in a sign that rising costs were becoming increasingly sensitive politically, for Democrats and Republicans alike.

"I don't know what housing prices will do in the future. But there is just a lot of demand," Powell said. "Even if mortgage rates go up as they ultimately will, I think we will be looking at a lot of demand. Then the question will be how much supply can be brought to the market? And that's really out of our control."

Housing experts say that supply constraints remain significant as homebuilders try to catch up with demand after pausing during the early stage of the pandemic. Changing zoning restrictions to allow for more housing to be built is an often contentious process that can take a long time to achieve.

At the moment, Wolf says the biggest rent increases are mainly occurring across the Sunbelt states like Arizona and Texas, with big coastal cities including San Francisco seeing much more tepid jumps.

One worry among some economists is that when pandemic-era moratoriums on evictions are lifted later this year, landlords might increase rents to make up for lost income, based on higher property values and the expectation that tenants are flush with income.

But other economists do not believe that housing inflation will become problematic, pointing to the fact that the shifts are slow and cyclical. "We're just not all that concerned or convinced that we've seen a regime change in inflation yet," said Julia Coronado, co-founder of MacroPolicy Perspectives.

Even so, Janet Yellen, the Treasury secretary, last week expressed some concern about excessive heat in the housing market, particularly to the extent that it is affecting low and middle-income families.

"I do worry about affordability and the pressures that higher housing prices will create for families that are first-time homebuyers or have less income," she told CNBC.

At the Fed, the debate around housing inflation is occurring as the central bank is preparing to start slowing the rate of its monetary support for the economy, which has resulted in low interest and mortgage rates that have helped fuel the boom in house prices.

Some Fed officials are arguing for the central bank to more rapidly curtail its $40bn in monthly purchases of mortgage-backed securities in order to take some heat out of the housing market, but others argue the effect would be modest.

 

[Wrfortiscue]

Papi Biden will fix America.

 

[Luman]

Papi Biden will fix America.

And that is someone who can't put a sentence together, yet has become the most powerful person in the world. We have to get a good Republican to run, in 2024, the Democrats are hell-bent on destroying this country.

 

[Wrfortiscue]

And that is someone who can't put a sentence together, yet has become the most powerful person in the world. We have to get a good Republican to run, in 2024, the Democrats are hell-bent on destroying this country.

The hate for Trump is why he won lol.

 

[Greg Sacramento]

Deep pockets have many ways to benefit from government and population growth. Benefits are all over the place that include rental housing fees and real estate to healthcare. Look at cities and States where costs have increased the most. Still forgotten is the disabled and much of the elderly.

 

[Daniel Lion]

Deep pockets have many ways to benefit from government and population growth. Benefits are all over the place that include rental housing fees and real estate to healthcare. Look at cities and States where costs have increased the most. Still forgotten is the disabled and much of the elderly.

Hi @Greg Sacramento, just saying hi. No political comments or insights. Just wishing you well my friend. Lots of Love straight at you.

 

[Luman]

The hate for Trump is why he won lol.

We now have a man with brain problem as President and a person who prostituted herself to become a politician, as our Vice President.

I did very well under Trump. Money talks, and if he runs again in 2024, I'll vote for him for the second time. Biden and what's her name will have to do a whole lot better than they're doing, for me to even consider voting for either one of them.

 

[Juan]

At least the Russians know what they are doing. The FED could learn something from them:


Russia raises rates by 1 percentage point to combat persistent inflation

 

[PeteJ]

It seems Powell does not know what he's doing haha... Taking into account that he is doing now the opposite from what he advocated for in 2013, when he cried out for tapering and raising interest rates. Maybe the guy is losing his memory, who knows...

US housing inflation: the sleeping giant that might tip the Fed's hand

Higher rents and mortgage costs are quickly emerging as a pivotal indicator for the central bank

Todd David, the executive director of the Housing Action Coalition, a charity that works on housing policy in San Francisco, says all signs are pointing to a resurgence in rental costs in the Bay area after the pandemic-driven slump.

"A year from now, if we are not adding significant supply, which there's no indication that we will . . . prices in San Francisco for rents are [going to be] at all-time high again," he said. "The trend is up."

Housing expenses are the sleeping giant that could tip the scales of the increasingly heated debate on US inflation. They are quickly emerging as a pivotal indicator for officials at the Federal Reserve, within the Biden administration, and among private economists.

So far this year, the shelter component of the consumer price index has shown smaller increases compared to the soaring expense of items such as used cars, airfares and energy.

But housing costs have nonetheless been edging up, showing a year-on-year increase of 2.6 per cent in June compared to a 1.5 per cent annual rise in February.

Line chart of Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Shelter in US City Average (annual % change) showing US housing costs have been edging up

View attachment 45612

If shelter prices remains relatively contained, they are likely to help ensure that inflation can be controlled, validating expectations at the Fed and the White House that price pressures will subside.

But if they keep increasing at even a small but steady pace on the back of booming house values in many cities, it could signal that high inflation will be sustained for longer than expected.

Shelter costs account for about a third of the overall CPI, and comprise rental prices as well as what is known as "owner-equivalent rent", the estimated cost of a house occupied by an owner if it were rented out.

"We calculate the market won't be fully in balance until 2023 or 2024. So I'm not sure that the uptick in rents is particularly shortlived," said Ali Wolf, chief economist at Zonda, a property market advisory group.

She added: "Assuming the economy continues to improve, and we continue to see the job growth numbers get better, I do think there will continue to be some upward pressure on rents."

So far, the rise in rental costs in the economy has not been particularly large and has not even bounced back to pre-pandemic rates that were comfortably above 3 per cent.

But if it continues, or even accelerates, it might pose a significant problem for the Fed because the cost increases would be embedded in rental contracts, making them hard to reverse. Higher rents could also affect inflation expectations, which are a crucial factor in monetary policymaking.

The Fed's preferred measure of inflation, the personal consumption expenditure index, does not weight housing costs as much as the CPI, but the central bank may find any rising expenses in shelter increasingly hard to ignore.

"People don't buy a used car every month whereas many pay rent every month," Tim Duy, a professor at the University of Oregon and chief economist at SGH Macro Advisors wrote in a note this week.

During a pair of congressional hearings last week, Jay Powell, the Fed chair, was repeatedly quizzed by lawmakers on the affordability of housing, in a sign that rising costs were becoming increasingly sensitive politically, for Democrats and Republicans alike.

"I don't know what housing prices will do in the future. But there is just a lot of demand," Powell said. "Even if mortgage rates go up as they ultimately will, I think we will be looking at a lot of demand. Then the question will be how much supply can be brought to the market? And that's really out of our control."

Housing experts say that supply constraints remain significant as homebuilders try to catch up with demand after pausing during the early stage of the pandemic. Changing zoning restrictions to allow for more housing to be built is an often contentious process that can take a long time to achieve.

At the moment, Wolf says the biggest rent increases are mainly occurring across the Sunbelt states like Arizona and Texas, with big coastal cities including San Francisco seeing much more tepid jumps.

One worry among some economists is that when pandemic-era moratoriums on evictions are lifted later this year, landlords might increase rents to make up for lost income, based on higher property values and the expectation that tenants are flush with income.

But other economists do not believe that housing inflation will become problematic, pointing to the fact that the shifts are slow and cyclical. "We're just not all that concerned or convinced that we've seen a regime change in inflation yet," said Julia Coronado, co-founder of MacroPolicy Perspectives.

Even so, Janet Yellen, the Treasury secretary, last week expressed some concern about excessive heat in the housing market, particularly to the extent that it is affecting low and middle-income families.

"I do worry about affordability and the pressures that higher housing prices will create for families that are first-time homebuyers or have less income," she told CNBC.

At the Fed, the debate around housing inflation is occurring as the central bank is preparing to start slowing the rate of its monetary support for the economy, which has resulted in low interest and mortgage rates that have helped fuel the boom in house prices.

Some Fed officials are arguing for the central bank to more rapidly curtail its $40bn in monthly purchases of mortgage-backed securities in order to take some heat out of the housing market, but others argue the effect would be modest.

The USA is collapsing (slowly or more accurately, planned and gradually) and they picked a stooge with dementia they can control quite easily.

They had to ensure he got in by fraud.

But, people unconditionally believe what the MSM tell them, like gospel.

 

[PeteJ]

The hate for Trump is why he won lol.

That makes no sense. The mainstream media claimed Biden got 80 million votes and he can't even pack a small room for a speech. Lol.

 

[Luman]

At least the Russians know what they are doing. The FED could learn something from them:


Russia raises rates by 1 percentage point to combat persistent inflation

No, Biden and Harris are working on getting the U.S. on track like Spain, where there has been double digit unemployment for years. In 2012, it was 25%. In 2021, unemployment in Spain is about 16% the second highest in the EU. This is the model for those who stopped Trump, whose administration had record low unemployment, and the highest African American rate of employment in history.

 

[Juan]

No, Biden and Harris are working on getting the U.S. on track like Spain, where there has been double digit unemployment for years. In 2012, it was 25%. In 2021, unemployment in Spain is about 16% the second highest in the EU. This is the model for those who stopped Trump, whose administration had record low unemployment, and the highest African American rate of employment in history.

I thought unemployment in the US was still at a historical low, being financed of course by those hard-working Chinese, which are the holders of the never ending emissions of US debt.