📺#CNN’s #Trump Debacle
🏠#HomeSales🆙, #MortgageRates⬇️
🎢#Stocks🔼#Inflation Slows
🔥#Santos Arrested
⏰#TikTok Collects #Sex Orientation Data
📺 #TuckerCarlson #Twitter Show
📺CNN’s Trump Debacle
It felt like 2016 all over again!
Donald Trump repeatedly telling lie-after-lie, insisting the election was rigged, that the January 6th rioters were patriots, that he would have stopped the Russian war on Ukraine before it even happened, he denied E. Jean Carroll's allegations of sexual assault, which a jury found him liable for, and repeatedly talked over CNN moderator Kaitlyn Collins, at one calling her a ‘nasty person’.
The first questions asked by CNN’s Collins were about Trump’s refusal to accept his loss in 2020, and his false claims of fraud.
“I think that, when you look at that result and when you look at what happened during that election, unless you’re a very stupid person, you see what happens,” Trump said, calling the election he lost “rigged.”
Collins fact-checked Trump throughout the 70-minute town hall. "The election was not rigged, Mr. President," Collins told Trump at one point during the event. "You cannot keep saying that all night long."
Yet, he did. Trump frequently ignored or spoke over Collins throughout the evening as he unleashed a firehose of disinformation upon the country, which a sizable swath of the GOP continues to believe.
Trump later said he was “inclined” to pardon “many” of the rioters arrested on Jan. 6, 2021, after the attack on the Capitol,
Additionally, he said the U.S. should default on its debt if the White House does not agree to Republican spending cuts, refused to say whether he wants Ukraine or Russia to win the war, and declined to give a straight answer on abortion.
It was Donald Trump's ranting Truth Social feed brought to life on live TV. CNN’s Collins did a yeoman’s job of live fact checking but was put in an unwinable position, with the town hall conducted in front of a Republican audience that applauded Trump.
It’s going to be a rough 2024 campaign.
🎢Stocks🔼Inflation Slows
Stocks mostly higher as Inflation slowed for a 10th straight month in April. The just released Consumer Price Index climbed 4.9% from a year earlier, less than the 5% economists had expected. The tech-heavy Nasdaq adds 1.04%, closing at 12,306.44. The S&P 500 up 0.45% to close at 4,137.64. The Dow inches downward by 0.09%, or 30.48 points, to end the day at 33,531.33.
Meantime at the White House: Debt-ceiling talks continue Friday, after on Monday they didn’t generate any movement, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said after meeting with President Biden.
They were joined at by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell — but the ultimate responsibility to resolve the standoff by June falls on the president and speaker.
GisermanGroup Translator: The Debt Ceiling is the maximum amount of money Congress allows the federal government to borrow to cover its bills.
It all comes after the Fed raised interest rates by a quarter-point — signaling a possible pause in increases for the near future.
Exiger CEO Brandon Daniels, a GisermanGroup.com Client tells Fox Business another FED rate hike could trigger a recession:
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🏠Home Sales Surprise
The average interest rate for 30-year loans is down to 6.48% from 6.50% on word the Fed may pause —that was enough to cause a surge in mortgage demand last week.
SitusAMC’s Tim Rood, a GisermanGroup Client breaks it all down to Fox’s
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Home sellers and builders are seeing a stronger-than-expected business this spring, capitalizing on the recent fall in mortgage rates and the shortage of existing homes for sale.
New-home sales soared to a yearly high in March as purchases leap 9.6%.
Tim Rood, former FannieMae Executive, on Yahoo Finance, FBN's Cavuto and on Scripps News says Housing is the Cinderella Story of the Year:
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🔥Santos Arrested
Congressman George Santos, the Republican whose pivotal victory in New York was soon followed by revelations that he had falsified his biography on the campaign trail, pleads not guilty to federal criminal charges. He was released on a $500,000 bond after he was arraigned at a federal courthouse in Long Island,
Santos was charged with seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.
Santos has tweeted for the first time since the charges against him were reported. His statement: “WITCH HUNT!” (a phrase often used by Donald Trump)
Despite calls for his resignation, Santos will likely be allowed to remain in Congress while he fights the charges. “In America, you are innocent until proven guilty,” Speaker Kevin McCarthy said.
During his brief time in office, Santos has been accused of breaking campaign finance laws, violating federal conflict of interest laws, stealing cash meant for an Iraq War veteran’s dying dog, masterminding a credit card fraud scheme, lying about where he went to school and worked and even lying about being Jewish.
📺Tucker’s Twitter Show
Tucker Carlson announcing he’s bringing his act to Twitter:
https://twitter.com/seanspicer/status/1656040418373451790?s=46&t=HxN3w_t7vCxi1xT-VML0sw
Carlson says the program would closely resemble what he did before, potentially violating his noncompete clause with Fox News. It’s a sign that talks to end Carlson’s contract, worth $25 million a year until it ends in January 2025, may have broken down.
Carlson may also moderate his own GOP presidential candidate forum. The idea for the forum, which would operate outside of the confines of the Republican National Committee debate system, has been discussed with Trump, who would take part in it, the Washington Post reports. Trump has indicated that he is likely to avoid the GOP-approved debates.
You won’t believe Carlson’s text to a Fox producer discovered by the New York Times:
Tucker Carlson January 7, 2021 — 04:18:04 PM UTC
A couple of weeks ago, I was watching video of people fighting on the street in Washington. A group of Trump guys surrounded an Antifa kid and started pounding the living shit out of him. It was three against one, at least. Jumping a guy like that is dishonorable obviously. It’s not how white men fight. Yet suddenly I found myself rooting for the mob against the man, hoping they’d hit him harder, kill him. I really wanted them to hurt the kid. I could taste it. Then somewhere deep in my brain, an alarm went off: this isn’t good for me. I’m becoming something I don’t want to be. The Antifa creep is a human being. Much as I despise what he says and does, much as I’m sure I’d hate him personally if I knew him, I shouldn’t gloat over his suffering. I should be bothered by it. I should remember that somewhere somebody probably loves this kid, and would be crushed if he was killed. If I don’t care about those things, if I reduce people to their politics, how am I better than he is?
The Times reports - The text message added to a growing number of internal issues involving Carlson that led the company’s leadership to conclude he was more of a problem than an asset and had to go, according to several people with knowledge of the decision. In other messages he had referred to women — including a senior Fox executive — in crude and misogynistic terms. The message about the fight also played a role in the company’s decision to settle with Dominion for $787.5 million, the highest known payout in a defamation case.
And get this: Carlson & Don Lemon, who is also out at CNN, have hired the same lawyer to get them big packages.
The prominent Hollywood lawyer, Bryan Freedman, has a track record of getting multimillion-dollar settlements for TV stars and other celebrities. He represents Chris Cuomo, the former CNN anchor who is seeking $125 million for wrongful termination after the network fired him in 2021, and secured a payout of Megyn Kelly’s full contract when she left NBC.
⏰TikTok Collects Sex Orientation Data
For at least a year, some employees at TikTok were able to find a list of users who watch gay content on the popular app, a collection of information that sparked worker complaints, according to former TikTok employees quoted by the Wall Street Journal.
The Biden administration is demanding TikTok’s Chinese owners sell their stakes in the video-sharing app or face a U.S. ban.
Matt Hayden Former Cybersecurity Czar at the Department of Homeland Security and a GisermanGroup client on Scripps News says TikTok is dangerous:
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🏦Is Your Money Safe?
Half of American surveyed say they are concerned about the safety of the money they keep in banks, according to a just released Gallup poll. That’s similar to worries during the 2008 financial crisis.
But Bank shares are rebounding —PacWest gained as much as 26% in premarket trading, while Western Alliance Bancorp and First Horizon Corp. rose 15% and 7%. PacWest shares fell as much as 50% to close at a record low while Western Alliance tumbled 25%. Comerica and Zions Bancorp are down sharply as well.
It comes after the FDIC seized First Republic Bank and immediately sold it to JPMorganChase — it’s the second largest bank failure ever in the U.S.
The selloff in PacWest flew in the face of Fed Chair Powell’s assertion that the government’s seizure and sale of First Republic Bank was “an important step toward drawing a line under that period of severe stress” for regional lenders.
Like Silicon Valley and Signature Banks—First Republic collapsed under the weight of loans and investments which lost billions of dollars in value as the Federal Reserve rapidly raised interest rates to fight inflation.
Over 100 banks may still be in trouble according to reports.
🏪WhiteSupremacist Blamed For Killing 9 In Texas Mall Shooting
It’s happened yet again!
A gunman fired into a crowd at a suburban Dallas mall Saturday, killing at least eight people including a 5 year old, also injuring seven others as horrific images of severely wounded shoppers hit social media. At least three of the survivors are critically injured. The gunman was fatally shot by a police officer. The gunman being investigated for espousing white supremacist and neo-Nazi ideology.
An AR-15-style rifle and multiple other firearms were found at the scene, according to a law-enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation, over 100 shell casings were found at the scene as well. Federal law enforcement official identified the shooter as Mauricio Garcia, 33. Investigators have unearthed an extensive social media presence, including neo-Nazi and White supremacist-related posts and images.
The gunfire erupted around 3:30 p.m. at the Allen Premium Outlets as throngs of shoppers filled the outdoor mall, which is about 25 miles north of Dallas and has more than 120 stores. Videos on social media show people dashing for shelter or running through a parking lot as loud popping noises can be heard in the background.
This is at least the 200th mass shooting this year in the U.S. — Congress are you paying attention?
🤖AI Dangers
The Google engineer widely considered the godfather of artificial intelligence, has quit his job and is now warning of the dangers of further AI development.
Geoffrey Hinton worked at Google for more than a decade and is responsible for a 2012 tech breakthrough that serves as the foundation of current AIs like ChatGPT.
He announced his resignation from Google in a statement to the New York Times, saying he now regrets his work. "It is hard to see how you can prevent the bad actors from using it for bad things," Hinton went on to say of AI.
President Biden says it remains to be seen if artificial intelligence is dangerous, but believes technology companies must ensure their products are safe before releasing them to the public.
More than 1,000 technology leaders and researchers, including Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, have urged artificial intelligence labs to pause development of the most advanced systems, warning in an open letter that A.I. tools present “profound risks to society and humanity.”
Artificial intelligence is taking over “clerical white collar work,” says IBM CEO Arvind Krishna. Jobs like customer service, human resources, and positions within finance and health care could all see ChatBots taking them over — not years from now but in the current day, according to Krishna.
📺Hollywood Writers Strike
Television and movie writers are on the picket lines. Negotiations between studios and the writers, which began in March, failed to reach a new contract before the writers' current deal expired just after midnight. All script writing is to immediately cease, the guild informed its members. The walk-off by the 11,500-member guild is the first major Hollywood work stoppage in 15 years and will massively disrupt the entertainment industry.
For viewers, the most immediate effect will be felt on talk and sketch shows. Late night shows like “Saturday Night Live,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” will likely go dark immediately. Reality series and some international shows, which are not covered by the guild, will be aired in heavy rotation.
💵US Running Out Of Cash
The Treasury warns the federal government could run short of money to pay all of its bills as soon as June 1 without a debt limit increase, adding urgency to a bitter fight between congressional Republicans and Democrats and the White House.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a letter to Congress that the agency will be unlikely to meet all government payment obligations “as early as June 1” without action by Congress.
President Biden meets with top Congressional leaders from both parties next week trying to work it out.
🚨Poll Finds Exhaustion Over Another Biden-Trump Election
The percentage of those approving of President Biden’s performance fell to 36%, six points lower than in February and a point off his previous low in early 2022, according to the survey conducted for ABC. Some 56% disapproved of his performance, while 68% regarded Biden, at 80, as too old for another term.
It comes after President Biden formally announced he would seek a second term.
In a 3 minute video he pitches himself as the Democrat best positioned to keep Donald Trump from reclaiming the White House, and needing to ‘finish the job’.
It comes as more Americans say they feel “exhaustion” over the prospect of a 2024 rematch between Biden and Donald Trump, according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll.
The survey of 1,530 U.S. adults, which was conducted from April 14 to 17, found that 38% chose exhaustion after being shown a list of eight feelings and asked to select all that “come to mind” when considering another Biden vs. Trump campaign.
Among registered voters, the number is even higher: 44%.
No other sentiment — not fear (29%), sadness (23%), hope (23%), anger (23%), excitement (16%), pride (8%) or gratitude (7%) — cracks the 30% mark among all Americans.
And an NBC News poll showed, most of those surveyed, by a 70%-to-26% margin, said Biden shouldn’t seek reelection, while 60% said Trump should bow out.
Overwhelmingly people feel the candidates are too old.
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🕕Crypto Rising
Bitcoin lower after it returned back around the $30,000 mark
Exiger’s Samar Pratt on FinTechTV explainsCrypto had just gained a foothold at BNY Mellon:
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🍀Americans Spend More On Weed Than On Beer & Chocolate Combined
U.S Legal sales of marijuana and marijuana products -- like edibles -- reached an estimated $30 billion in 2022, according to a report from MJBizDaily.
That total is more than Americans spent on chocolate and craft beer combined, -- $20 billion and $7.9 billion, respectively.
And get this — legal sales are still vastly outweighed by illicit ones – Whitney Economics estimates that legal transactions constituted just 25% of total cannabis market in 2021.
It’s a trying time for all of us.
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💊Weight Loss Wonder Drug Worth Billions
What price beauty?
An Eli Lilly drug if approved for weight loss could become the best-selling drug of all time.
Experts are confident that the drug, called tirzepatide, will be granted approval by the Food and Drug Administration sometime this year. If that’s the case, it would join two other popular — and expensive — recently approved weight loss drugs on the market, Wegovy and Saxenda, both from the drugmaker Novo Nordisk.
The drugs have been shown in clinical trials to be highly effective for weight loss. All three drugs — which are given as injections — work in a similar way: They’re a class of drugs called GLP-1 agonists, which mimic a hormone that helps reduce food intake and appetite.
Oh yea it would cost you $13,000 a year (and most insurances won’t pay)!
💻They 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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💰Money Does Buy Happiness
Money really does buy happiness.
The rule extends well beyond the $75,000-a-year salary threshold that had been seen as the upper limit for making an impact, according to a team of scientists that include the Nobel Prize-winning psychologist who introduced the idea of a happiness plateau more than a decade ago.
Happiness does increase steadily in line with incomes and even accelerates as pay rises beyond $100,000 a year and more — as long as the person enjoys a certain baseline level of happiness to begin with. That’s according to a study of 33,391 people living in the US, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.
The results contradict a famous 2010 paper by the psychologist Daniel Kahneman and economist Angus Deaton, which reported that happiness goes up with income until the relationship starts to “flatten” at between $60,000 and $90,000 a year.