Europe

Authored by Ryan McMaken via The Mises Institute,

Socialists have attempted many times to put their ideology into action. Socialism has been applied in the Soviet Union, Cuba, China (before Deng), North Korea, and by many other less-famous regimes.

In each case, the result has been economic impoverishment and political authoritarianism.

But the die-hard socialists refuse to give up. "Don't judge communism based on these results, " we're told. "Socialism has simply never really been tried."

Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com,

US Defense Secretary James Mattis announced plans on Sunday to ‘Take Apart’ Islamic State Caliphate. Civilian casualties do not matter one bit.

The fight against Islamic State has shifted to “annihilation tactics” to stop potential terrorists who’ve flocked to places such as Iraq and Syria from returning to their home countries to wreak havoc, Defense Secretary James Mattis said Sunday.

 

Commenting on the current state of the European experiment, George Soros warned the European Union has plunged it into an existential crisis as a result of "dysfunctional" institutions and austerity mandates, and will require the bloc to reinvent itself to survive. Speaking at the Brussels Economic Forum, the billionaire investor said the EU had "lost its momentum" as he urged policymakers to abandon hopes of "ever closer union" driven by a top-down approach from Brussels, a statement which will likely displease Germany.

Update: Moments ago, Farage responded on Twitter to the allegations:

In response to the Guardian article, it has taken me a long time to finish reading because I am laughing so much at this fake news.

— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) June 1, 2017

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S&P futures are little changed this morning, while Asian shares rise and European stocks (+0.5%) are poised to snap a five-day losing streak amid a broad-based rally. The pound declined as better-than-expected manufacturing data failed to offset political risk before the impending election, while crude oil gained.