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Politics

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, and President Donald Trump during a family photo with G7 leaders at the Ancient Greek Theater of Taormina during the G7 Summit, Friday, May 26, 2017, in Taormina, Italy. (Photo: AP)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, and President Donald Trump during a family photo with G7 leaders at the Ancient Greek Theater of Taormina during the G7 Summit, Friday, May 26, 2017, in Taormina, Italy. (Photo: AP)

President Donald J. Trump is reportedly expected to announce the U.S. will pull out of the global climate change deal known as the Paris Climate Agreement. Though senior White House officials cautioned that no final decision had yet been made, two sources told Fox News that President Trump will withdraw from the Paris Agreement.

“I will be announcing my decision on the Paris Accord over the next few days. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” President Trump tweeted Wednesday morning.

While Fox News is reporting a pull out altogether, sources tell People’s Pundit Daily (PPD) that President Trump may seek better terms in a new deal.

In what was a clear shot at President Trump, the official Twitter account for the United Nations (UN) tweeted the claims “Climate change is undeniable” and “Climate action is unstoppable.”

Worth noting, in February, a high-level whistleblower at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) came forward to reveal they used a flawed global warming study to influence the decision-making by world leaders at the Paris Climate Change Conference. Dr John Bates, a top NOAA scientist with an impeccable reputation, gave The Daily Mail “irrefutable evidence” that NOAA–the world’s leading source of climate change data–intentionally rushed to publish a landmark paper that exaggerated global warming.

It was based on misleading, “unverified” data.

The Arc de Triomphe is illuminated in green with the words ”Paris Agreement is Done”, to celebrate the Paris U.N. COP21 Climate Change agreement in Paris, France, November 4, 2016. (Photo: Reuters)

The timing of the released report was also intended to bring about the historic Paris Agreement on climate change.

Data Science,Climate and satellites Consultant John J Bates, who blew the whistle to the Mail on Sunday

Data Science,Climate and satellites Consultant John J Bates, who blew the whistle to the Mail on Sunday

Dr Bates, one of two Principal Scientists at the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), accused the lead author of the paper of “insisting on decisions and scientific choices that maximized warming and minimized documentation.”

According to the Mail report, Thomas Karl, who was until last year director of the NOAA section that produces climate data, engaged “in an effort to discredit the notion of a global warming pause, rushed so that he could time publication to influence national and international deliberations on climate policy.”

Big media basically ignored the revelations, and they aren’t the first of their kind. In fact, NOAA isn’t the only agency to have been caught with oft-cited climate data that was systematically “adjusted” or “revised” to show global warming trends.

The U.S. government’s Global Historical Climate Network (GHCN), whose data were amplified by The Goddard Institute for Space Studies (Giss) and the National Climate Data Center (NCDC), made suspicious one-way “adjustments” to originally recorded temperatures taken by the GHCN.

In 2012, it was revealed that the average state temperature records used in current trend analysis from the NCDC, which is operated by NOAA, do not reflect the actual published paper records from the historical written record. Temperatures published in Monthly Weather Reviews and Climatological Data Summaries from 1920s & 1930s have been “revised.”

NOAA-Climate-Data-Versus-Verified-Data.jpg

In 2015, Dr. H. Sterling Burnett of the Heartland Institute says that Switzerland has joined Australia, Paraguay, and the United States in “adjusting” their weather data in an effort to demonstrate a global warming impact.

“Switzerland joins a growing list of countries whose temperature measurements have been adjusted to show greater warming than actually measured by its temperature instruments,” Dr. Burnett wrote. “In previous editions of Climate Change Weekly, I reported weather bureaus in Australia and Paraguay were caught adjusting datasets from their temperature gauges. After the adjustment, the temperatures reported were consistently higher than those actually recorded.”

During the third leg of his first trip overseas last week, European leaders pressed President Trump to break his campaign promise and keep the U.S. in the Paris Agreement. The deal, which was agreed upon by the Obama Administration and almost 200 other countries in 2015, would force the U.S. to reduce fossil fuel emissions by nearly 30% by 2025.

President Donald J. Trump is reportedly expected

Economy

Homes are seen for sale in the northwest area of Portland, Oregon, in this file photo taken March 20, 2014. (Photo: Reuters)

Homes are seen for sale in the northwest area of Portland, Oregon, in this file photo taken March 20, 2014. (Photo: Reuters)

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) said the Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) declined in all 4 major regions in April for the second straight month. The PHSI, a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, fell 1.3% to 109.8 in April from a downwardly revised 111.3 in March.

Following last month’s decline, the index is now 3.3% below a year ago, which is the first year-over-year decline since last December and the largest since June 2014 when it was 7.1%.

“Much of the country for the second straight month saw a pullback in pending sales as the rate of new listings continues to lag the quicker pace of homes coming off the market,” Lawrence Yun, chief economist for NAR said. “Realtors® are indicating that foot traffic is higher than a year ago1, but it’s obviously not translating to more sales.”

The PHSI in the Northeast fell 1.7% to 97.2 in April and is now 0.6% below a year ago. In the Midwest, it fell 4.7% to 104.4 in April and is now 6.1% below levels in April 2016.

In the South, the Pending Home Sales Index decreased 2.7% to an index of 125.9 in April and is 2.3% below last April. The index in the West gained 5.8% in April to 100.0, but is still 4.2% below a year ago.

[brid video=”143386″ player=”2077″ title=”Lawrence Yun on PHSI Falling for Second Straight Month”]

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) said

Elections

State Treasurer Josh Mandel, right, celebrates his 2010 win with his wife, Ilana, in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo: AP)

State Treasurer Josh Mandel, right, celebrates his 2010 win with his wife, Ilana, in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo: AP)

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., endorsed Ohio State Treasurer Josh Mandel for his bid for the U.S. Senate in 2018, marking his second big endorsement for May. Earlier in the month, the popular Republican incumbent Sen. Rob Portman endorsed Mr. Mandel, who, absent a serious primary challenge, will face incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.

“When I first met Josh five years ago, I was immediately impressed by his dedication and passion for advancing conservative principles,” Sen. Cruz said. “He has shown his willingness to stand up and fight for those values, leading the charge in Ohio to stop sanctuary cities, crack down on illegal immigration, and put an end to Common Core. I look forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with him in the Senate and encourage all Republicans to do the same.”

Sen. Portman offered similiar praise in his endorsement a few weeks ago, calling his state treasurer “a fiscal conservative who has led the charge to make our state’s government the most transparent and accountable in the entire country.”

“I’m encouraging all Republicans to unify behind Josh so we can work together to get this economy moving again, to fight for more jobs and higher wages, and to restore America’s leadership role in the world,” Sen. Portman added. “Just as Josh served two tours of duty in Iraq protecting us, he’ll continue to work hard to keep us safe as a United States Senator.”

The endorsements show Mr. Mandel has been successful at consolidating the various wings of the Republican Party. Sen. Cruz is a leading conservative in the party, while Portman offers more Establishment-friendly support. He also enjoys the backing of conservative groups such as the Club for Growth and Senate Conservatives Fund.

“In 2018, Josh Mandel will be 40 years old and Sherrod Brown will be 40 years in politics,” Senate Conservatives Fund President Ken Cuccinelli said in an email. “Sherrod Brown has been running for office since Richard Nixon was President and has been in Washington for over two decades. He’s become one of the biggest alligators in the swamp.”

A recent People’s Pundit Daily (PPD Poll) Big Data Poll offered good news for the Republican challenger and indicated it will be a steep uphill climb for the Democratic incumbent in the 2018 midterm elections.. The latest PPD Buckeye State Battleground Poll conducted in early May found Mr. Mandel leading Sen. Brown 49% to 44%.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., endorsed Ohio State

World

Afghan officials inspect outside the German embassy after a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan May 31, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

Afghan officials inspect outside the German embassy after a blast in Kabul, Afghanistan May 31, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

At least 80 are dead and 350 injured after car bomb rocked a highly secure diplomatic area in Kabul, Afghanistan during rush hour on Wednesday morning.

Officials said the massive explosion–believed to be from a suicide car bomber–was so large that more than 30 vehicles were either destroyed or damaged at the site of the attack.

“We don’t know at this moment what was the target of the attack, but most of the casualties are civilians,” said Najib Danish, deputy spokesman for the Interior Ministry.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Signmar Gabriel said employees of the German Embassy in Kabul were wounded and an Afghan security guard was killed. The Foreign Ministry activated a crisis team to help deal with the aftermath.

“Such attacks do not change our resolve in continuing to support the Afghan government in the stabilization of the country,” he said.

City police spokesman Basir Mujahid told Reuters that the explosives were hidden in a sewage truck. He also indicated that the German embassy might not have been the target of the bombing.

“There are several other important compounds and offices near there too,” he told Reuters

Windows were shattered in shops, restaurants and other buildings up to a half mile from the blast site.

At least 80 are dead and 350

Politics

Comedian and CNN New Year's Eve host, Kathy Griffin, left, and President Donald J. Trump, right.

Comedian and CNN New Year’s Eve host, Kathy Griffin, left, and President Donald J. Trump, right.

President Donald J. Trump said “Kathy Griffin should be ashamed of herself” for a photo depicting her in an ISIS-like pose holding up his severed head. The President said on Twitter that the picture depicting their father’s bloody and beheaded bothered his children, “especially my 11 year old son, Barron.”

(UPDATE: CNN has terminated their agreement with Kathy Griffin after nearly 24 hours of harsh backlash.)

Griffin, a comedian and CNN New Year’s host, set off a firestorm with the photos and offered an equally criticized apology. She appeared in a hastily thrown together video sounding arrogant and aggravated, claiming she “crossed the line” but that she was a comic.

“I crossed the line. I move the line.”

She also deleted several tweets showing the photo. But they were taken by a well-known photographer named Tyler Shields. In a behind-the-scenes video deleted from YouTube “by the user,” Griffin says she and Shields “are not afraid to do images that make noise.”

kathy-griffin-trump-head-screengrab-1

Meanwhile, Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., was scheduled to appear at the Beverly Hills theater on July 7 as part of his book tour and Griffin was slated to appear at the event. Jennifer Carnahan, the head of the Minnesota Republican Party, called on Sen. Franken to cancel the appearance with Griffin. In a statement, his office denounced the photo but did not address the joint appearance.

“Sen. Franken thinks Kathy Griffin is a talented comedian and respects her right to free speech, but believes this image was inappropriate and not the kind of thing that should be part of our national discourse.”

President Donald J. Trump said "Kathy Griffin

Politics

National Security Adviser Michael Flynn puts Iran 'on notice' during a press conference in response to a missile launch. (Photo: AP)

National Security Adviser Michael Flynn puts Iran ‘on notice’ during a press conference in response to a missile launch. (Photo: AP)

Former national security adviser Michael Flynn will turn over documents related to his businesses that were subpoenaed by the Senate Intelligence Committee. The Wall Street Journal reported that Lt. Gen. Flynn has decided to turn over the material, but he initially refused to do so in what his lawyer called a highly politicized environment ripe for a “witch hunt.”

From The Wall Street Journal:

According to this person, Mr. Flynn will start to turn over records demanded by Senate investigators from two companies that he controlled, as well as some personal documents as soon as next week. Those records had been subpoenaed by the Senate as part of an investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election, including questions about whether anyone in President Donald Trump’s orbit colluded with foreign agents.

As People’s Pundit Daily previously reported, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was focused on Michael Flynn, not President Donald Trump, before Robert Mueller was appointed Special Counsel. Investigators were digging into the relationship between Lt. Gen. Flynn and a Turkish businessman to determine whether it played any role in his decision-making during the brief time he served as President Trump’s national security advisor.

From PPD report:

The firm received $530,000 from Inovo late last year to investigate Fethullah Gulen, the Turkish cleric with ties to Hillary Clinton currently residing in the United State. Turkish authorities claim he was behind the orchestration of a failed attempted coup against the government last year.

A grand jury subpoena issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia to Ekim Alptekin, a business associate of Lt. Gen. Flynn, shows that federal prosecutors are focusing on whether payments Lt. Gen. Flynn received influenced his decisions during the transition and his brief time as national security adviser.

Lt. Gen. Flynn was fired by President Trump after it was revealed he misled Vice President Mike Pence about conservations he had with the Russian ambassador. He was cleared by the FBI of any wrongdoing as it relates to the content of the conversation, but the investigation turned to his firm, Flynn Intel Group.

The conversation was revealed after Susan Rice, the former national security adviser for Barack Obama, put in dozens of requests to “unmask” the names of President Trump’s transition officials caught up in surveillance, to include Lt. Gen. Flynn. The intelligence reports in which members of the Trump transition were unmasked by Rice involve personal details unrelated to national security, PPD confirmed and reported in early March.

“This is information about their everyday lives,” Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said. “Sort of like in a divorce case where lawyers are hired, investigators are hired just to find out what the other person is doing from morning until night and then you try to piece it together later on.”

Rice herself has declined to participate in Senate hearings even though Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., had requested her to appear before his subcommittee. But she cannot as easily control the direction of Mr. Mueller’s investigation.

Former national security adviser Michael Flynn will

Economy

A International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) worker gestures at the General Motors Assembly Plant in Arlington, Texas June 9, 2015. (Photo: Reuters)

A International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) worker gestures at the General Motors Assembly Plant in Arlington, Texas June 9, 2015. (Photo: Reuters)

The Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey, the Dallas Federal Reserve gauge of regional factory activity, at 17.2 easily beat expectations for a 15.4 reading. This is the seventh straight month of significant strength for this index, which fell deeply into contraction following the 2014 collapse in oil prices.

In the regional manufacturing survey, firms are asked whether output, employment, orders, prices and other indicators increased, decreased or remained unchanged over the previous month.

Production posted a strong reading of 23.3, representing an increase of almost 9 points. Employment was also strong, hitting a 6-year high at 15.7 and 8.3 hours worked, indicating increased demand for employment in the future. Order readings were also solid. New orders came in at 18.1 and unfilled 8.1.

This all translates into stronger upward pressure on wages.

The Dallas Federal Reserve’s Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey is only the latest in a string of solid regional reports showing serious strength in national factory activity. However, it has not yet translated into national readings and on Thursday we will have the new Institute for Supply Management (ISM) report of national activist.

The new jobs report is due out on Friday, which will give us more insight into added factory payrolls.

The Dallas Federal Reserve conducts the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey monthly to obtain a timely assessment of the state’s factory activity. Data were collected May 16–24, and 113 Texas manufacturers responded to the survey.

The Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey, the Dallas

Economy, Markets

A Snapchat sign hangs on the facade of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., January 23, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

A Snapchat sign hangs on the facade of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., January 23, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

The State Street Investor Confidence Index, a gauge of investor confidence or risk appetite, blew past the forecast of 97.4 to hit 102.5 in May. The 5.1-point gain was fueled exclusively by the North American component, which increased from 95.1 to 104.1.

The European component rose only slightly, up 0.7 points to 96.9. Asia fell 3.5 points to 101.1. The index for April was revised downward by 2.1 points to 97.4.

By analyzing the actual buying and selling patterns of institutional investors, the index assigns a precise meaning to changes in investor risk appetite: the greater the percentage allocation to equities, the higher risk appetite or confidence.

The State Street Investor Confidence Index, a

Economy

A shopper walks down an aisle in a newly opened Walmart Neighborhood Market in Chicago in this September 21, 2011. (Photo: Reuters)

A shopper walks down an aisle in a newly opened Walmart Neighborhood Market in Chicago in this September 21, 2011. (Photo: Reuters)

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index declined slightly in May and now stands at 117.9, down from 119.4 in April but still solid and optimistic. The index also decreased in April.

But this month the Present Situation Index increased marginally from 140.3 to 140.7, while the Expectations Index declined from 105.4 last month to 102.6 in May. Those saying business conditions are “good” ticked down from 30.8% to 29.4%, but those saying business conditions are “bad” was unchanged at 13.7%.

“Consumer confidence decreased slightly in May, following a moderate decline in April,” said Lynn Franco, Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. “However, consumers’ assessment of present-day conditions held steady, suggesting little change in overall economic conditions. Looking ahead, consumers were somewhat less upbeat than in April, but overall remain optimistic that the economy will continue expanding into the summer months.”

Consumers’ assessment of the labor market also remained positive, though their outlook for the future was more mixed. The percentage of those stating jobs are “plentiful” fell slightly from 30.3% to 29.9%, but those claiming jobs are “hard to get” also decreased from 19.4% to 18.2%.

Meanwhile, the percentage of consumers expecting business conditions to improve over the next six months fell from 25.1% to 21.3%, even as those expecting business conditions to worsen also declined from 10.4% to 10.1%.

The percentage of respondents expecting more jobs in the future months fell from 21.9% to 18.6%, but those expectating fewer jobs also decreased from 13.8% to 12.0%. The percentage of consumers expecting their incomes to increase ticked up again from 18.7% to 19.2%. The proportion expecting a decrease in income also rose, up from 7.6% to 8.7%.

Worth noting, earlier on Tuesday the Commerce Department reported consumer spending in April grew at the fastest pace in four months, fueled by a solid gain in personal income. Consumer spending, which accounts for 70% of economic activity, grew at the slowest pace in seven years in the first quarter (1Q), weighing down gross domestic product (GDP).

The economy expanded at a revised 1.2% rate at the start of the year in the 1Q, up from an initial reading of just 0.7%. The latest data means economists will be more optomisitic that GDP growth will rebound in the current quarter, shooting upwards to roughly 3% during April-June.

The monthly Consumer Confidence Survey is based on a probability-design random sample and conducted for The Conference Board by Nielsen, a leading global provider of information and analytics. The cutoff date for the preliminary results was May 18.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index declined

Polls

Graphic: President Donald J. Trump, the 45th President of the United States of America. (Photo: People's Pundit Daily)

Graphic: President Donald J. Trump, the 45th President of the United States of America. (Photo: People’s Pundit Daily)

After falling to a new low in mid May, President Donald J. Trump’s approval rating recovered significantly following his first trip abroad ending last week. The People’s Pundit Daily (PPD Poll) Big Data Poll finds 46% of likely voters nationwide approve of the job President Trump is doing, while 47% disapprove. Those numbers have improved from 41% (+5) and 48% (-1), respectively.

“The good news for President Trump is that he improved among nearly all voting blocs, including a 7-point swing with key voters in the middle,” R. D. Baris, head of the PPD Poll said. “The bad news for the President is that constant negative media coverage has hardened the opposition.

Steve Bannon, the Chief Strategist in the White House, will head up President Trump’s Russia war room, comprised of legal “A-Team” street fighters and surrogates. The team’s mission will be to respond, rebut and refute the “constant negative media coverage” and legal issues arising from the special counsel investigation led by former FBI Director Robert Mueller.

“Respondents’ comments in the survey show a clear need for a new response team,” Mr. Baris added. “But at this point, opposition could prove difficult to reverse, at least with certain voters.”

Nationally, 56% of white likely voters approve of the job the President is doing, while the percentage (39%) who disapprove remained unchanged. That’s up from just 50% in the prior survey and down from his high of 64%, which was measured in January after Inauguration Day. His support among whites since January has averaged 58%.

Support for the job President Trump is doing gained marginally in each voting bloc except for Asians, which ticked down slightly from 29% to 27%. Hispanic voters, up to 32% from 30%, approve of President Trump slightly more this week, as do 8% of black voters.

The latter remains largely unchanged at 8%, up just 1 percentage point from 7%. Still, after making considerable gains for a Republican politician among black likely voters, the percentage approving of the job he is doing remains in single digits, down from an impressive 18% in March.

The People’s Pundit Daily (PPD Poll) Big Data Poll was recently featured in The Washington Times for conducting the most accurate state-level polling in 2016.

(See full demographics and historical approval rating data, here.)

[pdfviewer width=”740px” height=”849px” beta=”true/false”]https://www.peoplespunditdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Donald-J.-Trump-Approval-Rating-Final-May-2017.pdf[/pdfviewer]

The PPD Poll follows level 1 AAPOR standards of disclosure and WAPOR/ESOMAR code of conduct. All publicly released surveys are subscriber– and individual reader donations-funded, not sponsored by any other media outlet, partisan or political entity.

The national poll was conducted from May 21 to May 28 and is based on 1502 interviews of likely voters participating in the PPD Internet Polling Panel. The Sunshine State Battleground Poll, a subsample of the PPD Battleground State Likely Voter Metrics, was collected in a separate state-wide sample.

The PPD Poll has a 95% confidence interval and is not weighted based on party affiliation (party ID), but rather demographics from the U.S. Census Current Population Survey–i.e. age, gender, race, income, education and region. Partisan affiliation is derived from a proprietary likely voter model and demographic weighting, not the other way around.

The sample identified a D/R/I partisan split of 36% Democrat, 33% Republican and 31% Independent/Other. Read about methodology here.

After falling to a new low in

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