Mike Norman Economics

European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi took a swipe at Washington on Thursday for talking down the dollar, a move he said threatened a decades-old pact not to target the currency and might force his bank to change its own policy. ReutersECB hits out at Washington for talking down the dollarBalazs Koranyi, Francesco Canepa

Princeton economist estimates there are 5.3 million Americans who are ‘absolutely poor’ by global standards MarketWatchKey Words: U.S. has more truly destitute people than either Sierra Leone or Nepal, says Nobel economist Deaton Greg Robb | Senior Economics Reporter

Stirring up the hornet's nest.Sic Semper Tyrannis Trump kicked the Islamic world in the teeth today, and loved doing it.Col. W. Patrick Lang, US Army (ret.) At the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lang was the Defense Intelligence Officer (DIO) for the Middle East, South Asia and counter-terrorism, and later, the first Director of the Defense Humint Service. At the DIA, he was a member of the Defense Senior Executive Service. He participated in the drafting of National Intelligence Estimates....

Russia looks set to dominate the business of exporting nuclear power plants worldwide, as its share of the market has now reached 60 percent after concluding contracts with countries like India, Turkey, Egypt and Hungary for the construction of new plants and technical cooperation. Gas station no longer. Russia InsiderRussia Unrivaled in Nuclear Power Plant Exports, Crushes Market Sentaku Magazine

Any push by Turkish forces toward Manbij, part of a Kurdish-held territory some 100 km (60 miles) east of Afrin, could threaten U.S. plans to stabilize northeast Syria and bring them into direct confrontation with U.S. troops deployed there.“Those who support the terrorist organization will become a target in this battle,” Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said.“The United States needs to review its solders and elements giving support to terrorists on the ground in such a way as to avoid a...

Palace intrigue. Tom Cotton is positioning himself for a presidential run down the line.LobeLogTom Cotton Appointed “Never Trump” Bill Kristol’s Son Legislative Director Eli Clifton

Brazil slips back to banana republic status.CounterpunchBrazil’s Democracy Pushed Toward the AbyssMark Weisbrot

The most influential US foreign-policy membership society has issued a report affirming the new Cold War and its eagerness to fight it. Here we go again. Cold War = arms race.The US military has been advancing on Russia and China for years and Russia and China have responded to the perceived threat predictably by arming up. Now the US is claiming that Russia and China are threatening US interests and the US needs to commit more resources in order to stay on top.It's a self-augmenting cycle...

Is this a shoe dropping, or maybe a hammer? The Alt Right is going ape over this, while the Democrats are taking steps to head it off at the pass by discrediting it before it is released. I haven't posted on it previously, since it has been speculative and the reporting most biased by the side doing the "reporting." Harper provides a piece that is of interest. I suspect we will be hearing a lot more about this as the drama unfolds.Sic Semper Tyrannis Harper: Is This FISC Document...

While audiences of Western media may be seeing the group, they aren’t actually being provided the proper context of who the MEK and NCRI are. Instead, MEK protests are being shown across Western media as “anti-regime” protests representative of the general mood of Iranians. The problem with these protests — which have been highlighted by outlets like Fox, Salon, and Vox — is that they aren’t actually taking place in Iran. Instead of highlighting the concerns of the legitimate protests in...