United States

Authored by Mac Slavo via SHTFplan.com,

Tragedy struck the USS John S. McCain on Monday, when the destroyer collided with a merchant ship off the coast of Singapore, leaving 10 sailors missing and five injured. The US Navy is still struggling to find all of the remains of the missing sailors, and has ordered an operational pause for all naval fleets around the world as investigators try to figure out exactly why this terrible accident occurred.

Venezuela bonds are tumbling after the WSJ reported that the US government was considering a ban on trading in the country's debt. PDVSA’s 12.75% 2022s were trading at 44.75 this morning,down from around 45.65 at Tuesday's close and two points weaker than levels seen earlier in the week, according to MarketAxess. Bond traders also sold PDVSA's 6% 2026s, which had fallen about a point to 30.00.

What We Learned From Charlottesville

Paul Craig Roberts

We learned, although we already knew it, that the US media has no integrity.

We learned that the liberal/progressive/left holds fast to myths that justify hate.

We learned that misrepresentation is the hallmark of American history.

We learned that some websites that we thought were brave are not.

Trump's son-in-law and the White House "global peace" adviser, Jared Kushner, arrived in Cairo on Wednesday only to learn that his top-level meeting with Egyptian officials had apparently been cancelled, as Egypt lashed out at the Trump administration's decision to slash aid to the country.

• Trump Tries to Recharge His Base in Arizona Rally (WSJ)
• Trump Threatens Government Shutdown Over Border Wall Funding (BBG)
• Trump defends response to Charlottesville violence (Reuters)
• Trump Assails Media in Angry Defense of Charlottesville Response (BBG)
• North Korea presses rocket program, but amid signs of drama easing (Reuters)
• Military conflict with North Korea can be avoided: Germany's Merkel (Reuters)
• ECB chief Draghi: QE has made economies more resilient (BBC)