America

In a new book due to hit shelves later this month, John Nixon, a former CIA officer who was responsible for interrogating Saddam Hussein after he was captured in 2003, admits being convinced by the fallen dictator that he was best suited to rule Iraq.  Per an excerpt published in Time Magazine, Nixon recalls an encounter with Hussein in which he warned that America would fail in Iraq because "you do not know the language, the history, and you do not understand the Arab mind."

Will Trump Lower the Cost of Speaking the Truth?

Paul Craig Roberts

Dear Donors:

Thank you for your committment to this website. You have kept your side of our agreement, and I will keep my side.

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I am fortunate that I grew up during a time when, despite the lies and disinformation, both private greed and government were checked by a sometimes honest media and an alert population. The power of the people’s votes had not yet been eclipsed by the power of campaign contributions.

Submitted by Tsvetana Paraskova via OilPrice.com,

President-elect Donald Trump has started naming his picks for key administration offices, and it looks like he is beginning to assemble a team to deliver on at least part of his campaign promises of An America First Energy Plan.

Submitted by Simon Black via SovereignMan.com,

One of the quirks about being an expat in a faraway land is that, whenever something unusual happens in your home country, your local friends look to YOU for answers.

You become, by default, the de facto expert of your home country’s nuances.

Case in point: this weekend we had an intercompany Christmas party down here at the farm for two of the businesses that I run.

Janet Yellen will deliver a keynote address during the University of Baltimore commencement ceremony this afternoon (when she will receive am honorary Doctor of Laws degree). The speech is expected to focus on the state of the jobs market and traders are watching for any hints on the Fed's direction heading into 2017.

Before she starts, with 3 hikes expected next year, here is the Fed Funds futures implications currently...

Headlines from her speech: