United States

While many "conventional" indicators of US economic vibrancy and strength have lost their informational and predictive value over the past decade (GDP fluctuates erratically especially in Q1, employment is the lowest this century yet real wage growth is non-existent, inflation remains under the Fed's target despite its $4.5 trillion balance sheet and so on), one indicator has remained a stubbornly fail-safe marker of economic contraction: since the 1960, every time Commercial & Industrial loan balances have declined (or simply stopped growing), whether due to tighter loan supply or decl

One of the last acts of Obama's presidency was to "impose costs" on Russia over election-hacking allegations (so far unproven) by expelling 35 Russian diplomats and seizing two compounds in NY and MD. Putin initially warned of "proportional response" but then surprised many by "refusing to sink to 'kitchen' diplomacy." However, six months later, Reuters reports Russia may seize U.S. diplomatic property in Moscow.

Who better to defend Qatar it is a hotbed of terrorism-funding (as per a recent list released by Saudi Arabia et al according to which 59 individuals and 12 entities in Qatar are terrorist) than the US Attorney General who served during the September 11 attacks, John Ashcroft. At least that's what the government of Qatar is thinking, which hired the former US AG to defend the world's wealthiest (on a GDP/capita basis) nation from accusations by Donald Trump and Arab neighbors that it supports terrorism.

One month after the US intercepted Russian tactical bombers flying in proximity to Alaska on several occasions, and just four days after Russia returned the favor earlier this week when a Russian Su-27 was scrambled to "accompany" a US B-52 bomber flying over the Baltic Sea, on June 9 a Russian fighter jet was "photobombed" in a series of dramatic photos while intercepting a group of US warplanes over the Baltic Sea during annual military drills over the Baltic Sea, the US Department of Defense said.

(GLOBALINTELHUB.COM) – 6/9/2017 For those who are not drooling on their lazy-boy high on Prozac and Lays (both strong brands) know that the world is not as seen on TV.  But even in TV, on shows such as “White Collar” – the strange relationship between the ‘police’ and the ‘bandits’ can be seen and understood.