Submitted by SouthFront.org, On September 27, a new regional war in South Caucasus arose from the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region. Pro-Armenian forces captured the region in the early 90s triggering an armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Further development of the hostilities and the expected offensive by pro-Azerbajian forces were stopped by […]

Here are the top ten, by Tomas Casas and Guido Cozzi: 1. Singapore 2. Switzerland 3. Germany 4. United Kingdom 5. United States China comes in #12, Mexico wins for Latin America, Poland overperforms and France (!) underperforms.  Botswana is #23, and Argentina…uh-oh.  I don’t quite understand how the index is constructed, but how much […]

Authored by Lawrence Franklin via The Gatestone Institute, The United States is in a “Tech War” with China, the victor will control the global dissemination of information. The winner will also write the world’s rules and standards for emerging technologies in the digital economy. Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Chairman Xi Jinping threw down the gauntlet […]

After previously touting that his own daughter was among the first to take the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, standing in as a prominent early ‘guinea pig’ of sorts vouching for its safety, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he plans to receive it soon, according to a story in Newsweek on Monday. Without specifying precisely when he […]

Authored by John Quincy Adams via The Strategic Culture Foundation, About twenty years ago The Atlantic published a piece by Jeffrey Tayler named “Russia is finished” subtitled “The unstoppable descent of a once great power into social catastrophe and strategic irrelevance.” Not a very successful prediction was it? But what he did was fashionable at […]

Following a two-month period which already saw a very noticeable uptick in Chinese PLA military drills in the regions of the Yellow, South China, and East China Seas, Beijing has announced the start of five simultaneous military drills which it says are “directed at Taiwan”. It’s only the second time in recent months that this […]

Authored by Leo Thuman via Campus Reform, A University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate student stepped down from leadership roles in the university’s graduate student union after admitting that she had dishonestly presented herself as a “person of color.” In a letter published on the website Medium on September 6, University of Wisconsin graduate student CV Vitolo-Haddad apologized and […]

By now, it is common knowledge that technology stocks, the FAAMGs, are in one of the biggest bubbles in capital markets history. Investors have quickly pivoted to these fast-growing tech firms, with an unprecedented concentration in AAPL, MSFT, AMZN, GOOGL, and FB. With the US presidential election fast-approaching, momentum and valuation concerns have materialized for these high-flying stocks, as the world’s most sophisticated family […]

Update (2338ET): Following an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity,” James O’Keefe released a second ballot-harvesting video featuring an apparent purchase of a ballot from a Somali resident of Minnesota. The video then features several allegations made by local Somalis regarding the alleged scheme – including Rep. Ilhan Omar’s direct involvement. “She’s [Ilhan Omar] the one […]

Authored by Omid Malekan via Medium.com, As you’ve probably seen, DeFi on Ethereum is now the hottest thing in all of crypto, further establishing the platform’s first mover advantage, and firing what should be perceived as a shot across the bow of traditional financial services. The success of the movement is attributable to three fundamental […]

The editor-in-chief of the Chinese Community Party run Global Times, Hu Xijin, has once again raised eyebrows with his typical bellicose and provocative statements and predictions. This time he took things to a new level, cryptically citing “information learned” — as if from an insider source or perhaps even Chinese intelligence — to suggest President Trump has a major ‘October Surprise’ in […]

If you’ve been watching our fundraiser headings, you’ll see our fourth goal, that of bonuses for Lambert and Jerri-Lynn and other honoraria, was close to being met before your great responses today to the “Double Your Donation” challenge. And you blew past that target quickly! And we are also just shy of our original donor […]

by Calculated Risk on 9/28/2020 08:50:00 PM

The bombshell New York Times report on Donald Trump’s tax returns is a remarkable feat of journalism. The team deserves special praise for making their findings comprehensible to general readers, and not getting lost in the details. Yet like many other revelations in the Trump era, the tax news falls into the category of “shocking […]

by Calculated Risk on 9/28/2020 07:11:00 PM

Pete Dominick and I discussed the legal, financial and political ramifications of that giant NY Times story on Trump’s chronic business losses and non-payment of taxes. (I start around the 26 minute mark). If you want the TL:DR, its this: the latest tax news drop won’t affect his hardcore base (about 30-40%), nor will it […]

Yves here. This post is a departure from typical (earnest!) fundraiser fare. As many of you regularly point out, one of the strengths of Naked Capitalism is its well-informed, engaged commentariat. Most readers highlight the information and sharp analysis found in the comment section. But oddly, they don’t often mention another strong feature: the humor, […]

This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 1019 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Read about why we’re doing this fundraiser, what […]

Presented by UW–Madison’s La Follette School of Public Affairs and WisPolitics.com (October 2, 12 noon central) Friday, October 2, noon to 1 p.m.  Join UW–Madison’s La Follette School of Public Affairs and WisPolitics.com for this noon-hour discussion on crucial policy issues leading up to this fall’s election. Swing State Wisconsin: The Major Issues for Voters […]

by Calculated Risk on 9/28/2020 04:05:00 PM

The author is David Edmonds, and the subtitle is The Rise and Fall of the Vienna Circle.  I very much enjoyed this book, and found its direct style refreshing, and I hope it will serve as a model for others.  The author actually tells you what you want to know! I enjoyed the small tidbits.  […]

This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 1015 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Read about why we’re doing this fundraiser, what […]

Authored by Paul Joseph Watson via Summit News, Researcher and attorney Michael P. Senger suggests that the Chinese government launched an aggressive propaganda campaign to exaggerate the severity of coronavirus in order to force the rest of the world into a draconian lockdown that would serve to benefit Beijing. In an article for Tablet Magazine, Senger details […]

Apparently unaware of the effect a multi-billion dollar gamma squeeze had on the NASDAQ over the last 6 months, ARK Invest’s Cathie Wood would rather attribute her success to something way more “woke”: diversity. The fund manager told Bloomberg this week that her firm’s success comes from the fact that almost none of her analysts […]

Authored by Lance Roberts via RealInvestmentAdvice.com, “Enormous Uncerntainty.” That is how SimplyWise stated the situation in their latest “retirement confidence survey.” Such is despite a surging stock market from the March lows, trillions in liquidity support from the Fed, and a rebound in economic activity. So, what’s the problem? Here is SimplyWise: The current public heath, economic, and […]

There’s been another horrific and bloody weekend in Chicago, after multiple weekends running of a surge in shootings and homicides. As of the start of Monday at least 49 people had been shot, including seven fatally, based on police tallies and local reports. Via Chicago Sun-Times This past weekend was particularly tragic as it included the stabbing death […]

This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 1012 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Read about why we’re doing this fundraiser, what […]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is preparing for the off-chance that neither President Trump nor Joe Biden will win an outright Electoral College victory – leaving the fate of the presidency to the House of Representatives. In such a scenario – which hasn’t happened since 1876 – each state’s delegation would receive a single vote […]

Authored by Roger Koops via The American Institute for Economic Research, 2020 is a year when many things besides people have died, or at least placed on indefinite life support. Music and most arts and culture (at least audience-based), education, a person`s livelihood, social trust and interaction, common sense and common decency, debate, and we […]

Ted Lasso on Apple TV. My go to feel-good show. The relentlessly optimistic US soccer coach Ted Lasso finds himself teaching a moribund team of British footballers. Everyone needs some Ted Lasso in their life! Especially now. Hat tip: Joshua Gans. Mythic Quest on Apple TV a situation comedy where the situation is game developer’s […]

Armenia could trigger its collective defense pact with Russia, the latter which also has a sprawling military base at Gyumri in the northwest part of the country, but on Monday the Armenian Ambassador to Moscow, Vardan Toganyan, has said the escalation of fighting with Azerbaijan has not reached that point yet.  The Ministry of Defense of […]

Authored by Jonathan Turley, It appears that Judge Amy Coney Barrett has gone from a “cult member” for being a devout Catholic to a possible “white colonizer” for adopting two Haitian children.  Where most of us saw a loving interracial family at the White House ceremony on Saturday,  Ibram X. Kendi, the new director of the Center […]

by Calculated Risk on 9/28/2020 10:40:00 AM

TikTok-owner ByteDance greeted news of last night’s court ruling blocking a White House executive order with relief. But as we noted, while the ruling will at least delay a Trump Administration order to strip the app from app stores owned by Google and Apple, the court battle will likely continue, particualrly as the Nov. 12 […]

The Nikola One semi truck has been at the center of much of the controversy surrounding Nikola. Namely, it is now becoming famous for being the semi that the company has admitted it rolled down a hill in a video where it described the semi as “in motion”, leading many to believe the truck was […]

How do you market beer in the midst of a pandemic lockdown? What do you do when sporting events get cancelled, and bars and restaurants were closed down. Oh, and one of your largest brands is called “Corona.” That was the challenge facing Pedro Earp, Chief Marketing Officer at AB InBev. The world’s leading brewer […]

Does Boris Johnson take the population for idiots? His latest offering suggests so Independent. Robert Fisk. Britain will seek coronavirus ‘herd immunity’ covertly or by default – thanks to the failure of lockdown Independent. Patrick Cockburn. A Real Vaccine Before the Election? It’d Take a Miracle. ProPublica The Case for Independent Centers for Disease Control […]

There’s a lot not to like about how private equity managers use debt, the degree that some commentators are pointing to private equity being on track to cause a new financial crisis. As much as we aren’t fans of private equity, we’ve explained why these concerns are overblown, particularly with regard to collateralized loan obligations. […]

That is the topic of my latest Bloomberg column, here is one excerpt: Now consider another of my favorite pastimes, watching professional basketball. I have been following the NBA bubble with great interest. The Miami Heat are now favored to reach the NBA Finals, even though they were only the fifth-ranked team in the East […]

This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 905 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Read about why we’re doing this fundraiser, what […]

I would like to know more, but here is one new paper on the topic, by Lottie Brown, et.al.: Serological testing is emerging as a powerful tool to progress our understanding of COVID-19 exposure, transmission and immune response. Large-scale testing is limited by the need for in-person blood collection by staff trained in venepuncture. Capillary […]

This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 1007 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Read about why we’re doing this fundraiser, what […]

Authored by Dr. T.P.Wilkinson via GlobalResearch.ca, In 1973, the world economy was brought almost to a halt by a supposed shortage of oil. The ostensible trigger for this alleged shortage was the so-called Yom Kippur War in which the armed forces of the Anglo-American Empire’s settler-colonial offshore enterprise in Palestine, also known as the State […]

A couple of Canadians were living in Charlie Brooker’s dystopian science fiction television series called Black Mirror on Thursday (Sept. 24) when a Boston Dynamics robot ‘dog’ came walking down the street.  The whole encounter was caught on video by Canadian Twitter user @bIoodtear. The 18-second video was straight from the Black Mirror episode titled “Metalhead,” where a four-legged robotic dog started killing people. However, […]

Via Priceonomics.com, With the coronavirus pandemic and related shutdown, 2020 was the year that many Americas discovered delivery services for their essentials. E-commerce, grocery delivery, and food delivery have all seen ​unprecedented growth ​in usage this year. For cannabis consumers, delivery has long been a popular service, but coronavirus has made this method more important than […]

The Colorado Secretary of State is under fire after mailing postcards to dead people and non-citizens, urging them to go online and register to vote. According to CBS4, at least a dozen people are confirmed as receiving the postcards who shouldn’t have – while the number of unconfirmed erroneous mailings is of course unknown. “Which […]

Authored by Ben Norton via TheGrayZone.com, Western government-funded intelligence cutouts trained Syrian opposition leaders, planted stories in media outlets from BBC to Al Jazeera, and ran a cadre of journalists. A trove of leaked documents exposes the propaganda network. Leaked documents show how UK government contractors developed an advanced infrastructure of propaganda to stimulate support […]

Today in “news you definitely don’t need to get in the middle of an already tumultuous 2020”, some Texas residents are being told not to drink their water due to it potentially being tainted with a “brain-eating microbe”. An advisory was issued for Lake Jackson, Freeport, Angleton, Brazoria, Richwood, Oyster Creek, Clute and Rosenberg to not […]

Authored by Jonathan Church via Quillette.com, A review of Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything about Race, Gender, and Identity―and Why This Harms Everybody, by Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay, Pitchstone Publishing (August 25th, 2020), 352 pages. In November 1964, the American historian Richard Hofstadter published an essay in Harper’s Magazine about the paranoid style in American politics, arguing […]

Despite Kim Jong-Un offering a nearly unheard of apology for last week’s shooting death of a South Korean fisheries official after he was found to have breached the disputed border in waters of the western coast, tensions are still running high which could set off further conflict.  North Korea’s military says it is searching for […]