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đ˘Help Wanted: So Called âExpertsâ Wrong Again
đŤAntisemitism: UPenn Pres Pressured to Resign
âĄď¸Trump: Promises Dictatorship
đ¤Taylor Swift: Timeâs Person Of The Year
đşNorman Lear: TV Legend Dead
đ˘âExpertsâ Wrong Again Help Wanted!
Stocks higher as so called âexpertsâ are wrong again. Despite their predictions the economy continued to generate robust job growth in November, suggesting there is still juice left in a labor market that has been slowing almost imperceptibly since last yearâs pandemic rebound.
Employers added 199,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department reported Friday, while the unemployment rate dropped to 3.7%.
It all brings into question whether the Fed will raise interest rates next month to further cool the economy.
BTW: The hottest job in the US pays $80,00 a yearâand it doesnât require a college degree. Wind-turbine service technicians will increase almost 45% over the next decade, the Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts âfaster than in any other occupation.
Many still betting on a Santa Claus Rally.*
The Dow rose to another new high last month bringing its 2023 gain to nearly 9.4%, after it notched a new 2023 high and capped off its best month in more than a year. The S&P 500 closed at its highest level since March 2022. The Nasdaq is up over a whopping 11% for the year.
GisermanGroup Translator*Santa Claus Rally: The tendency for stock markets to rise in the last trading week of December and first two trading days of the new year
GisermanGroup.com client, Mario Veneroso, of Kingsview Wealth Management tells Fox Business stocks are following up on a bang-up first half of the year:
đŤSpeaking Of Jobs UPenn President May Be Out
Congress has opened an investigation into Harvard, M.I.T. and University of Pennsylvania after the university Presidents refused to call out antisemitism.
The University of Pennsylvaniaâs board of trustees held an emergency meeting Thursday, and the powerful Wharton Board of Advisors that leads the universityâs prominent business school called for a leadership change at the university, as school president Liz Magill faces scathing criticism over her performance at a House hearing earlier this week.
During Tuesdayâs House hearing, Magill, along with the presidents of Harvard and MIT, did not explicitly say that calling for the genocide of Jews would necessarily violate their code of conduct on bullying or harassment. Instead, they explained it would depend on the circumstances and conduct.
đŞBitcoin Highs For 2023
Bitcoin soared to a new high for the year and crypto-linked stocks followed it higher on speculation of a bitcoin exchange-traded fund. The world's biggest cryptocurrency is above $40k
Exigerâs Samar Pratt, a GisermanGroup.com client, Client, on FinTechTV says Crypto has also gained a foothold at BNY Mellon:
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đGold notched another record to kick off the week â with prices touching $2,100 an ounce.
đ Home Prices Highs, Mortgages Near 7%
Home prices hit new records up 3.9% higher in September compared with the same month a year earlier, up from a 2.5% annual gain in August, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index.
Mortgage rates fell to just above 7% for the first time in around four months. The average rate on the standard 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 7.03%, according to a survey of lenders released Thursday by mortgage-finance giant Freddie Mac. Mortgage rates haven't averaged 7% or lower since August.
SitusAMCâs Tim Rood, a GisermanGroup.com client, breaks it all down to Foxâs Neil Cavuto:
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Demand for homes around the country continues to outpace supply, despite a rapid rise in borrowing costs.
Rood, on Scripps News says Housing is the Cinderella Story of the Year:
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đŤFailed Professor Charged With Killing Spree At UNLV
The man suspected of killing three people during a daylight mass shooting at the University of Nevada Las Vegas has been identified as a professor who failed to secure a job at the school.
Anthony Polito, 67, who was killed by police, had unsuccessfully applied to a professor position at UNLV before he unleashed his deadly rampage on the Las Vegas campus according to law enforcement sources.
A fourth person was taken to an area hospital where they are listed as critical but stable condition.
Four others were hospitalized after suffering panic attacks and two officers were treated for minor injuries suffered while clearing buildings, LVMPDÂ police said.
The campus was placed on lockdown almost immediately after the shooting was reported. Police evacuated students and staff on campus âfloor by floor, room by room, building by building,â LVMPD Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a Wednesday evening press briefing.
An apartment in Henderson, Nevada, believed to be Politoâs home, was being searched, as law enforcement officials continued to investigate the shooting while gearing up to work overnight and into the morning hours
đ¨Terror Warning For Christmas
FBI director Christopher Wray warns Americans are facing the highest risk of a terrorist attack in years in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Wray warned the Senate Judiciary Committee that there are 'blinking red lights everywhere' when asked to assess the 'threat matrix' faced by the U.S.
'The threat level has gone to a whole 'other level since October 7,' Wray said.Â
His comments come at a time when U.S. forces are being subjected to a barrage of strikes in the Middle East and with Jewish and Muslim communities being targeted at home.
âĄď¸Cheney Warns: If Elected Trump Wonât Leave Office
President Biden says âIf Trump wasnât running, Iâm not sure Iâd be running'
Biden says Trump must be stopped.
The President made the comment after Former Congresswoman, Republican Liz Cheney said "there's no question" that Donald Trump will refuse to leave office if he wins a second term.
Cheney says the âU.S. is sleepwalking into dictatorship.â
GOP Presidential candidate Chris Christie, at the last Presidential debate, called Trump a dangerous man that other candidates refuse to talk about,
Could a second Donald Trump presidency slide into dictatorship?
A sudden spate of dystopian warnings in addition to that from Cheney has got America talking about the possibility less than a year before the elections.
Dark scenarios about what could happen if the twice-impeached Republican former president wins in 2024 have appeared in the space of a few days in major outlets that include The Washington Post, The New York Times and the Atlantic.
Together, they paint a bleak picture of an angrier yet more disciplined Trump than during his first spell in the White House, one who would wreak vengeance on his perceived enemies and possibly try to stay in power beyond the two-term limit.
Trump responded to the warnings in typical style by laughing them off -- with an edge.
"He says, you're not going to be a dictator, are you? I said no, no, no -- other than day one," Trump said when asked in a televised Fox News townhall on Tuesday if he would abuse power or seek retribution.
"We're closing the border and we're drilling, drilling, drilling (for oil). After that I'm not a dictator."
đ¨ââď¸Hunter Biden Charged
Hunter Biden charged with federal tax evasion in California
President Bidenâs son is accused of failing to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes from foreign business deals from 2016 through 2019. He faces nine counts.
Itâs his second indictment, following gun charges in Delaware in September.
He could go on trial twice next year while his father runs for reelection.
đU.S. Warship Attacked In Mideast
A U.S. destroyer and several commercial ships operating in the Red Sea came under drone and ballistic missile attacks, marking the most significant escalation on ships operating in those waters.Â
The USS Carney was hit by a drone that was and launched from a Houthi rebel-controlled part of Yemen, according to a Pentagon official.
At roughly the same time, the MV Unity Explorer, a Bahamas-flagged bulk cargo ship, came under a ballistic missile attack near the navy vessel, the official said. The commercial ship sent a distress call and the Carney moved toward the ship in response.. While the naval ship was near the Unity Explorer, a drone approached the two ships and the Carney shot it down, the official said.
A Houthi military spokesman, said in a televised address that the attack was launched in solidarity with Palestinians.
No injuries are reported in the incident.
đŁIsrael Resumes Combat Saying Hamas Broke Truce
Israel accuses the United Nations of moving too slowly to respond to accounts that Hamas carried out widespread sexual violence against women in its Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Israelâs ambassador to the U.N., said Hamas intentionally used rape and sexual violence as weapons of war in its assault on Israel and hostages.
Israel has pumps in place to flood the tunnels in Gaza.
The U.S. is pushing Israel to do more to spare civilians in Southern Gaza amid signs that Israelâs military is preparing a ground invasion of the area.
Seemingly in response, Israel on Sunday instructed Palestinians to abandon areas near Khan Younis, the southern city where Israel believes top Hamas militants are hiding.
Israel has reportedly recalled its team of negotiators from Qatar after reaching a âdead endâ in talks aimed at securing a fresh pause in fighting. Negotiations broke down over the terms for releasing women still held in Gaza.
Israel says the truce was broken when Hamas fired rockets toward Israel in the hours before the truce was set to expire, and Israel responded with strikes on Gaza.
Israelâs closest and most important ally, has begun pushing Prine Minister Netanyahu to limit the number of civilian deaths in Gaza.
Meanwhile The NY Times reports Israeli officials knew Hamasâs battle plan for the Oct. 7 terrorist attack more than a year before it happened, but military and intelligence officials dismissed the plan as aspirational, considering it too difficult for Hamas to carry out.
Late word 3 Israelis being held hostage by Hamas â including an elderly grandfather and a female kindergarten teacher â have died in captivity, Israel says. Kibbutz Nir Oz wrote on its Facebook page that the deceased, who all lived in its community, included: grandpa Aryeh Zalmanovich, 85; kindergarten instructor and mom of four Maya Goren, 56, and photographer Ronen Engel, 54.
At least three people were killed and six others wounded when two Palestinian gunmen affiliated with Hamas opened fire near a bus stop on the outskirts of Jerusalem on Thursday morning, according to Israeli authorities.
Eight more Israeli hostages were released by Hamas on Thursday before the truce ended.
It comes a day after Hamas released 10 more people held hostage in Gaza, including a woman with dual US-Israeli citizenship, the second U.S. citizen released.
4-year-old Israeli-American Abigail Edan, was among hostages released earlier.
Abigail was snatched by Hamas after her father and mother were killed during the October 7th attack. Her older siblings, 6 and 10, were able to escape after hiding in a closet for 14 hours.
Thousands continue to rally in Tel Aviv to keep pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure the release of all the 200 or so hostages still held by Hamas.
The initial handover of a group of 13 hostages taken from Israel went smoothly.the previous day. Hamas also handed over 12 Thai citizens taken hostage. Qatar confirmed that 39 Palestinians held in Israel were freed as part of a prisoner swap arrangement with Hamas. A cease-fire between Israel and Hamas appears to be holding.
Israelâs military released video it says shows a Hamas tunnel at Al-Shifa Hospital.
President Bidenâs approval rating has declined to the lowest level of his presidency â 40% â as strong majorities of all voters disapprove of his handling of foreign policy and the Israel-Hamas war, according to the latest national NBC News poll.
đťWalmart Latest to Drop Ads On X After Musk Tells Advertisers to F**k Off
Walmart, the nationâs largest retailer, says it is no longer advertising on Elon Muskâs social media platform X, one of the latest major companies to say it has dropped the site.
It comes after Musk said he had a message for all the other advertisers fleeing X (Twitter) due to Muskâs views on the Mideast â Go F**k yourselves:
The owner of X was talking shop on CNBC -- on the heels of his recent Israel visit, and in the wake of antisemitism allegations -- and he fired away about the exodus of corporations cutting ties with X (Twitter). "The whole world will know that those advertisers killed the company," Musk said, refusing to acknowledge the reality that the world's leading companies have fled his platform because he has personally made it absolutely untenable to be associated with it.
More than 100 brands have âfully pausedâ their ads on X while dozens of others are listed as âat risk.â Disney said it was pausing spending on X, as did Lionsgate, Apple has now joined IBM stopping advertising on the social media platform, after Musk affirmed a post accusing Jewish communities of hating white people. Facebook cofounder and Asana CEO Dustin Moskovitz said Musk should resign.
Musk drew attention to a tweet that said Jewish people âhave been pushing the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them.â Musk replied to that tweet in emphatic agreement, âYou have said the actual truth.â
đ¤Taylor Swift Timeâs Person of the Year
Taylor Swift is Time magazine's person of the year, the first entertainer ever to be a solo honoree.
Swift's Era's Tour was a national phenomenon, she dominated the charts, had multiple albums hit No. 1 in a single year, and released a blockbuster concert film to boot.
Swift's year ranks with the likes of the Beatles, which released three No. 1 albums in 1966, and Michael Jackson, who ruled over 1983 with "Thriller," Axios' Troy Smith notes.
đşNorman Lear Dead
Norman Lear, the writer, director and producer who revolutionized primetime television with âAll in the Family,â âThe Jeffersonsâ and âMaude,â propelling political and social turmoil into the once-insulated world of TV sitcoms, has died.
A liberal activist, Lear fashioned bold and controversial comedies that were embraced by viewers who had to watch the evening news to find out what was going on in the world. His shows helped define primetime comedy in the 1970s, launched the careers of Rob Reiner and Valerie Bertinelli and made middle-aged superstars of Carroll OâConnor, Bea Arthur and Redd Foxx.
Norman Lear was 101.
đŠď¸AirFares Drop, â˝ď¸Gas Pumps Lower
Airfares have fallen to their lowest levels in months. Holiday travel is far cheaper than it was last year.
Airlines have been flying bigger schedules this year. They are planning about 8% more seats from Wednesday through next Monday than for the comparable period a year ago, according to Cirium, a data provider.
Due to the Israeli/Gaza war, fares in particular to international destinations are way down.
The national average for gallon of regular gas was about $3.31 on Monday, 25 cents cheaper than a month ago and 36 cents lower than the same period in 2022, according to AAA.
Meantime the auto club projects more than 55 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home over the Thanksgiving holiday. This year's Thanksgiving forecast is an increase of 2.3% over last year and marks the third-highest Thanksgiving forecast since AAA began tracking holiday travel in 2000.
đ¨Santos Expelled From Congress
Former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) expelled from Congress over ethics violations is scheduled to stand trial next year for a lengthy list of crimes that includes charges he defrauded donors, lied to election officials and stole unemployment benefits.
Under New York law, the vacancy of Santosâs seat requires New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) to call for a special election within 10 days of the vacancy.
Santos is only the sixth lawmaker ever kicked out of the chamber. The resolution passed with a tally of 311-114, with 105 Republicans voting in favor.
Santos is the first member of Congress expelled since the Civil War who wasnât first convicted of a felony.Â
The last straw for many lawmakers was an Ethics Committee report, which detailed "substantial evidence" of "uncharged and unlawful conduct" including allegedly stealing from his 2022 campaign and using the funds to pay for a shopping spree and for Botox treatments.
đItâs The Economy Stupid
A man went to a McDonaldâs in Idaho, and ordered a limited edition âsmokyâ double quarter pounder BLT with fries and a Sprite. The meal cost $16.10, and he posted the receipt on TikTok.
Even though he had ordered a novelty item, the video about a $16 McDonaldâs order went viral, racking up hundreds of thousands of views and the story was picked up by Newspapers and TV across the country.
The average Big Mac nationally as of this summer cost $5.58, up from $4.89 â or roughly 70 cents â before President Biden took office, according to an index maintained by the Economist. Thatâs up more than 10 percent, but itâs not $16.
Still, Americans blame President Biden for what they see as a runaway economy, as illustrated by the McDonaldâs story, and increasing grocery prices.
Consumers have grown pessimistic about the economy, data shows. At the same time, President Bidenâs polling numbers have fallen, with the economy seen as a glaring weakness.
Bidenâs advisers are pushing back. They pointed to strong Black Friday data as a sign of the economyâs resilience. Still, inflation remains a particular sore point with voters.
And in the end: Itâs the Economy Stupid that decides elections.
đ§Cyberattack on Your Drinking Water
Investigators warning your drinking water is at risk from a cyberattack. A group claiming to be from Iran breached the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa, near Pittsburgh and took control of a booster station, leaving the warning above on a computer screen at the facility.
The Water Authority pointed out that the attack did not impact the operations at the facility, the water supply, and the drinking water.
Matthew Mottes, the chairman of the board of directors for the MWAA, attributed the attack to the Iranian hacker group Cyber Av3ngers.
The Pro-Palestine group says it will target other water systems with âsoftware or components that are produced by Israeli companies.â
đ¤OpenAI CEO Returns To Company
Heâs backkkkâŚ
OpenAI says Sam Altman will return as chief executive of the artificial-intelligence startup that he co-founded, ending a dramatic five-day standoff between him and the board that fired him.
OpenAI said the parties were âcollaborating to figure out the details.â The company announced the formation of a new initial board that wonât include three of the four board members involved in removing Altman.
The new board will include Bret Taylor, the former co-CEO oF Salesforce, Larry Summers, the former Treasury secretary; and Adam DâAngelo, the only member of OpenAIâs previous board to remain. Taylor will be the chairman, the company said. Altman wonât be on the initial board.Â
Microsoft hired Altman and Greg Brockman, OpenAIâs president and a company co-founder who quit in solidarity with Altman after the original board fired him.
Hundreds of OpenAI staffers threatened to quit after board director and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever told employees that the fired CEO would not return. The board has instead named former Twitch head Emmett Shear as its new CEO.
đ¤A.I. Genie Out Of The Bottle
President Biden signing legislation to regulate Artificial Intelligence.
But Exigerâs JC Herz tells NewsNation the Genie is already out of the bottle - and canât be put back:
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đWord of the Year
The Oxford English Dictionary, has named the Word of the Year for 2023:
âRIZZâ
Rizz, a widely used word online, is defined as style, charm or attractiveness, or oneâs ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner. As in âCharismaâ
Among the finalists were âprompt,â âsituationshipâ and âSwiftie.â
Itâs a trying time for all of us.
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đ¸No Satisfaction AARP Sponsors Rolling Stones
What a Drag It Is Getting Old or maybe not.
AARP is sponsoring the Rolling Stones 16 city tour which begins on April 28 in Houston and concludes on July 17 in Santa Clara, California.
AARP members get first crack at seats.
đ¨Trump Can Be Held Liable for Jan 6 Riot
Donald Trump can be held civilly liable for the actions of the mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, an appeals court ruledin a long-awaited decision that could clear the way for lawsuits seeking financial damages from the former president.
His campaign defends Donald Trump calling his opponents âverminâ and suggesting that they pose a greater threat than countries such as Russia, China or North Korea. That language is drawing rebuke from the White House and historians, who compare it to that of authoritarian leaders like Hitler.
Trump said during a Veterans Day speech Saturday, âWe pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country that lie and steal and cheat on elections,â
White House spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement Monday, âUsing terms like that about dissent would be unrecognizable to our founders, but horrifyingly recognizable to American veterans who put on their countryâs uniform in the 1940s.â
Trump went on further to state: âthe threat from outside forces is far less sinister, dangerous and grave than the threat from within. Our threat is from within. Because if you have a capable, competent, smart, tough leader, Russia, China, North Korea, theyâre not going to want to play with us.â
Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Trumpâs campaign defended the former presidentâs comments, âThose who try to make that ridiculous assertion are clearly snowflakes grasping for anything because they are suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome and their sad, miserable existence will be crushed when President Trump returns to the White House.â
Meanwhile,. Liz Cheney ripped Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel for dodging questions about Trumpâs âverminâ comments, which Cheney described as âNazi propaganda.â
âWhen @GOPChairwoman refuses to condemn the GOPâs leading candidate for using the same Nazi propaganda that mobilized 1930s-40s Germany to evil, itâs fair to assume sheâs collaborating,â Cheney wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. âHistory will judge Ronna McDaniel and every republican who is appeasing this dangerous man.â
đď¸Biden Reportedly Calls Democrat Strategist âPrickâ
President Biden has disparaged veteran Democratic political strategist David Axelrod as a âprickâ for questioning whether the commander-in-chief should seek a second term â as a spate of polling shows the incumbent losing next year to former President Donald Trump.
The 80-year-old Bidenâs hot temper and penchant for profanity are open secrets in Washington, and his disparagement of Axelrod â as reported Monday by Politico columnist Jonathan Martin â is the latest sign of strife between Biden loyalists and veterans of the Barack Obama administration.
Axelrod is credited with leading President Obamaâs 2008 victory and suggests President Biden drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
A series of polls released by the New York Times and Siena College showed President Biden trailing Donald Trump among registered voters in five of the six swing states surveyed.
Many say this is a sequel they can do without.
âď¸U.S. War Planes Strike Syria
U.S. war planes conducted airstrikes on two sites in eastern Syria associated with Iranâs Islamic Revolutionary Guard following attacks on U.S. personnel there and in neighboring Iraq, sparking fears of a wider conflict in the Mideast. It âs believed to be the first offensive action by the US since Hamasâs Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
The Pentagon said a pair of F-16 fighter jets dropped precision munitions on an ammunition and a weapons storage facility.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the ânarrowly-tailored strikesâ were a response to a series of nearly 20 assaults beginning Oct. 17, which he said had resulted in minor injuries to 21 U.S. service members.
The Pentagon has deploying 900 troops to the Middle East as regional tensions rise. Brigadier General Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said the personnel include Thaad and Patriot air defense operators. .
Itâs a trying time for all of us.
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đWegovy Reduces Heart Problems
The popular weight-loss drug Wegovy reduced the risk of serious heart problems by 20% in a large, international study that experts say could change the way doctors treat certain heart patients.
The research is the first to document that an obesity medication can not only pare pounds, but also safely prevent a heart attack, stroke or a heart-related death in people who already have heart disease â but not diabetes.
Zepbound, a new weight loss drug from Eli Lilly has been approved by the FDA, the latest entrant in the field which includes Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro.
The drug was shown in clinical trials to help people lose up to 52 pounds in 16 months. It will carry a list price of about $1,060 for a month's supply. Despite the steep price, some analysts have anticipated it will become the best-selling drug in history.Â
The cost may put the new drug out of reach for many people given that insurance companies are often reluctant to cover weight loss medications, and Medicare, by law, does not cover them.
In the United States, 4 in 10 adults have obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
đŠşDoctor Amazon
Amazon announces a new health care benefit program for Prime Members for $9 a Month (or $99 a Year)
âPrime members get high-quality, convenient care from One Medical, including 24/7 on-demand virtual care nationwide and easy to schedule office visits at any of One Medicalâs hundreds of locations across the U.Sâ
Itâs a trying time for all of us.
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đťTikTok Ban
New York City has banned China-owned TikTok on government devices, citing security concerns, joining a number of cities and states that have put such restrictions on the app.
The Biden adÂminÂisÂtraÂtion is deÂmandÂing TikÂTokâs ChiÂnese-ownÂers sell their stakes in the video-sharÂing app or face a full U.S. ban.
Matt Hayden Former Cybersecurity Czar at the Department of Homeland Security and a GisermanGroup.com client on Scripps News says TikTok is dangerous:
đťThey Want Your Password
Warning-New Scams to steal your passwords.
If you've had a password hacked recently, you aren't alone. The volume of password attacks has soared to an estimated 921 attacks every second. That's a 74% rise in one year, according to the latest Microsoft Digital Defense Report.
Exiger's Robert Kolasky with more on Bloomberg & CBS:
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