PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN .. Those words were spoke by the "Mighty Wizard of Oz" to scare away Dorothy and the other characters. That was a fantasy movie. Google is REAL. Google has been caught doing EXACTLY what they said they were NOT doing. Altering Search results and censoring posts. Google executives were caught on camera saying they will "prevent another Trump situation in 2020" and bragging that they "won't appear in front of Congress because we're not going to change and do what they tell us to do". Confidential documents were leaked that show internal memos describing "altering AI Algorithms to make them FAIR". Yes, Google Exec's decide what's "Fair". The employee that leaked the information said that those deciding what is "Fair" are the Left wing "social justice warriors". Some examples he gave were that it is "unfair" that there are many more male CEO's than woman CEO's so they change the CEO search results to produce more Females. They do not like that so many people equate Hilary Clinton with her email scandal so they suppress that in their search suggestions when you type "Hillary Clinton". They have targeted, de-monetized, and shut down Conservative Youtube Websites because they did not like their "narrative". This crap is STRAIGHT out of Orwell's 1984. How is it possible America is letting this happen? 1) The Loser media is ALL FOR IT. 2) Google (admitted in the expose) ignores Congressional investigations and waits for them to blow over.. which they do.. and 3) They hide behind Section 230 of the Code. This section of the "Code" treats search engines and many web operators as "Libraries not Newspapers". The section says that the sites are not responsible for content published by other people because they are just posting it on their site for use "like a library has books to check out". (You can thank Congressmen Ron Wyden and Chris Cox for that pile of crap Legislation). So, If you've been reading a while you know MY answer to this mess. I've been saying this for a few years now: Regulate them like a Newspaper if they are going to curate, alter, or censor material. Which they are DEFINITELY doing. So is FACEBOOK. You are either a platform for people to post ideas and for people to find content, or you are altering the content, which makes you a "publisher". Simple, Easy. Will it happen? If enough people complain.. and GOOGLE angers a few more Congressmen, it just MIGHT .... The United States slapped some MORE sanctions on Iran. This time it's against their top leaders and is aimed at cutting off their access to World Wide banking ability. Iran is dangerous. Their economy is crumbling...but.. Again, beware of those with nothing to lose... .. Down in the Swamp: Acting Homeland Security Secretary, Kevin McAleenan is being accused of being the LEAKER of plans for the Sunday ICE raids to the Washington Post. (Is it still a "Leak" if the Boss tells the papers?) . Homeland Security employees say that McAleenan is NOT onboard with the President's deportation plans and they can't figure out why he even has the job. The raids were postponed after Democrats in DC freaked out about them. (They were planning to deport criminals that were ordered deported by judges. It wasn't a random sweep). If the plan was not "Leaked" it would have happened before anyone had a chance to complain. The plan was postponed two weeks and now Lindsay Graham is trying to negotiate a "DACA kids stay in exchange for Border security funding and closing asylum loopholes". I think a deal might happen because Democrats are looking VERY bad when it comes to the "border" issue. Most Americans want "humane treatment" of the migrants but they are tired of lies and excuses and the BILLIONS of dollars it costs to take care of the migrants... ATTENTION FANATICAL CONSERVATIVES AND LIBERALS: There was all this FREAKING out about Justice Kavanaugh and Justice Gorsuch being too conservative and "wrecking the country". Well, if you watch the SCOTUS decisions, (and I DO) You'll see a Court that makes decisions based on the Constitution and the letter of the Law. Gorsuch sided with the Liberals on the Court AGAIN. This time it was over a gun law. The other decision, which is a bit of a non-sequitur here, had to do with the Trademark office banning Trademarks for "immoral or scandalous" reasons. The Court UNANIMOUSLY ruled against that practice. So, now clothing company F-U-C-T (which the Founder CLAIMS is to be pronounced by Letter. "EFF-YOU-SEE-TEE") can get a trademark .. and.. I'm sure many readers have visited or may visit Amsterdam. They just opened a "Hangover Bar"there. In order to get in they Breathalyzer you at the door and if you're not drunk you cannot come in. Inside, they have movies, quite music, couches, juice and water, and tylenol. AHAHHAH.. Funny... and .. if you missed it, the NEXT Generation of "Flying Wallenda" tight rope walkers walked a rope across Times Square. 25 Stories in the air!! You know what? Ratings STUNK. They were HALF of the last Wallenda event that was televised. Surprised? I am NOT. You know why? Tightrope walking with a safety line is NOTHING. Kids are watching WAY more dangerous "Tricks" on the Internet EVERY DAY. People do STUPID STUFF and video it to get attention. Tight Rope-NOTHING.. Check THIS out. HERE ..Both legs HAVE to be broken, right? .. and he did that for FREE. Some of the stuff is so dangerous and stupid that kids DIE. Kinda takes the "Fear Factor" away from the Wallendas, eh? ...
SPORTS: MLB: Lots of Baseball teams played other baseball teams and I just can't get interested because the season is so long and we aren't even at the All Star Break .. I think the more interesting story in Baseball today is this Phil Regan guy that the Mets hired as their new pitching coach. He is 82 YEARS OLD. The guy once won BOTH GAMES of a doubleheader and he played with Sandy Koufax and Harmon Killebrew. I guess you can't say he doesn't have experience ...The College World Series is going on and Michigan beat Vanderbilt 7-4 in Game One..and then there is Jeopardy James Holzhauer who entered the World Series of Poker for the first time in years. Since a "Sponsor" paid his entry fee, James agreed to donate HALF his winnings to Charities. THAT was yesterday (Spoiler Alert: Half of ZERO is ZERO. He is ALREADY OUT and finished with NO money) .....
CELEBRIDIOTS: RIP to NY Post Legendary reporter Steve Dunleavy. This should say it all, the POST called him, "Hard Hitting and Hard Drinking" .. AHHAHAh.. The Chicago PD released a bunch of video in the Smollett case..and OH BOY, this Prosecutor that let him go needs to be fired or arrested or BOTH. The cops have VIDEO from the taxis that dropped off Smollett's friends that supposedly "attacked" him right on the corner were the alleged attack happened. They were talking about the "arrangement" and have testified Smollett hired them. Texts, video footage, and testimony of the "hired assailants" and the prosecutor drops the case? ... and Sylvester Stallone is in the UK promoting his last Rambo movie. The events will feature a dinner with Stallone on stage talking about the movies. Cost $230. But, if you want a picture with Stallone that package costs $1550. So, $1320 to get your picture taken with Stallone. What DOPE would pay that? .. and.. Camila Mendes is talking about her bouts with eating disorder and how she didn't really understand the problem until she was 24 and working in the "business". HERE Actually, HERE is a better idea of what she looks like... Well, Camila. I think you need to get over here NOW. I will feed you.. I don't like those super skinny girls .. and Ill do WONDERS for your self-esteem.
From Seekingalpha.com
Crude prices are on watch as the Trump administration ordered new sanctions against the assets of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several Iranian military commanders, as well as plans to target Foreign Minister Javad Zarif later this week. The penalties effectively freeze the business operations of the Supreme Leader's office, which controls a global network of private companies that some experts estimate is worth between $100B-$200B. Tensions already worsened in May, when Washington ordered all countries to halt imports of Iranian oil, and then escalated following a series of apparent Iranian-backed skirmishes in the Middle East. "Imposing useless sanctions is the permanent closure of the path of diplomacy," Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi wrote on Twitter.
Investors are peeling back from recent record highs, taking a defensive stance on risk amid a new set of sanctions on Iran and as U.S. officials downplayed expectations for a breakthrough on China talks at this weekend's G20 summit. U.S. equity futures dipped 0.2% overnight, setting up the S&P 500 for its first three-day decline since early May, while gold rose to a fresh six-year high of $1,438.63 per ounce, taking its three-month advance past 8.8%. Market focus is also largely attuned to the U.S. central bank, with no less than four Fed policymakers, including Chair Jerome Powell, scheduled to speak today.
Powell takes the stage at 11 a.m. ET, just 24 hours after President Trump accused the central bank of behaving like a "stubborn child" in refusing to lower interest rates. The Fed Chair is likely to reiterate or intensify a recent dovish turn on interest rates - which has traders pricing in a 100% chance of a July reduction in the Fed Funds rate and a 73.3% chance of two more cuts between now and the end of the year - but there's also the possibility he could walk back some of the market's dovish interpretation of last week's FOMC meeting.
FedEx (NYSE:FDX) is suing the U.S. Commerce Department, saying the Trump administration's export restrictions would require the company to "police the contents of the millions of packages it ships daily even though doing so is a virtually impossible task." FedEx had previously ignited Chinese ire over its business practices when a package containing a Huawei phone sent to the U.S. was returned last week to its sender in Britain, in what it said was an "operational error." Fears that China would blacklist the firm as a result sent FDX shares down 2.7% on Monday.
Those hoping for a quick fix to the strained Renault-Nissan (OTCPK:RNLSY, OTCPK:NSANY) alliance are set to be disappointed after the Japanese carmaker said that inequality between the two companies could unravel their two-decade-old partnership. "If necessary, we will put our capital structure on the table," Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa declared at a raucous annual general meeting in Yokohama. "If the relationship becomes a win-lose one, the relationship will break up very quickly."
The most difficult launch SpaceX (SPACE) has ever performed proved to be as complicated as Elon Musk had expected. The third mission for the Falcon Heavy rocket occurred at 2:30 a.m. ET, carrying 24 experimental satellites for NASA and U.S. military research laboratories. After a picture-perfect launch, the returning center core booster missed its droneship in the Atlantic, though SpaceX caught the rocket's nose cone in a net and demonstrated the first reuse and landing of the Heavy's two side boosters. The cargo will be deployed into three different orbits over the first 3.5 hours of the Falcon Heavy's flight.
Ann Sarnoff, president of BBC Studios Americas, has been appointed as new CEO of Warner Bros., marking the first woman to run one of Hollywood’s most powerful studios in its 96-year history. The former chairman and CEO, Kevin Tsujihara, resigned from the company in March amid accusals of sexual impropriety. AT&T (NYSE:T) acquired Warner Bros. as part of its $85B purchase of Time Warner last year, and recently disclosed that some Warner Bros. content will be distributed on a new WarnerMedia streaming service set to launch in early 2020.
What else is happening...
"A Rule That Makes Sense Of The Fed" by contributor e21.
EU will allow Italy to increase deficit if it helps the country's economy.
Swiss ready to retaliate over stock market access.
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) wins partial tariff waiver for battery cell material.
Beauty sector thrown a curveball by Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) store opening.
Today's Markets
In Asia, Japan -0.6%. Hong Kong -1.2%. China -0.9%. India +0.7%. In Europe, at midday, London -0.3%. Paris -0.2%. Frankfurt -0.1%. Futures at 6:20, Dow -0.2%. S&P -0.2%. Nasdaq -0.3%. Crude -0.1% to $57.83. Gold +1.1% to $1434.40. Bitcoin +4.3% to $11320. Ten-year Treasury Yield flat at 2.02%
Today's Economic Calendar
8:45 Fed's Williams Speech 8:55 Redbook Chain Store Sales 9:00 FHFA House Price Index 9:00 S&P Corelogic Case-Shiller Home Price Index 10:00 Consumer Confidence 10:00 Richmond Fed Mfg. 10:00 New Home Sales 12:00 PM Fed's Bostic Speech 1:00 PM Jerome Powell Speech 1:00 PM Results of $40B, 2-Year Note Auction 6:30 PM Fed's Bullard Speech
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