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Politics

Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kansas, speaks to the press about the findings of the House Select Committee on Benghazi. (Photo: AP)

Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kansas, speaks to the press about the findings of the House Select Committee on Benghazi. (Photo: AP)

CIA Director Mike Pompeo slammed WikiLeaks, calling founder and editor Julian Assange the leader of a hostile intelligence service that threatens the U.S. The remarks, which are a far cry from the praise the anti-secrecy group has received from his boss, came  on Thursday during his first public speech since becoming head of the Central Intelligence Agency.

“It is time to call out WikiLeaks for what it really is — a non-state hostile intelligence service,” Director Pompeo said, adding a claim that it is often aided by nations such as Russia. “WikiLeaks walks like a hostile intelligence service and talks like a hostile intelligence service.”

WikiLeaks played a not-so insignificant role during the 2016 presidential election, obtaining and publishing damning revelations relating to Hillary Clinton that the liberal-dominated corporate media refused to cover. In fact, hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta revealed deep collusion, coordination and corruption between the media and Democrats.

Among the worst offenders were CNN, The Washington Post, The New York Times, POLITICO, and NBC News.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange over the lobby of the CIA Headquarters Building in McLean, Virginia, August 14, 2008. (Background Photo: REUTERS)

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange over the lobby of the CIA Headquarters Building in McLean, Virginia, August 14, 2008. (Background Photo: REUTERS)

The group recently published documents they claimed to be the full hacking capacity of the CIA. The 8,761 documents and files–released as “Vault 7 Part 1” and titled “Year Zero”–were allegedly obtained from an “isolated, high-security network” at the CIA’s Center for Cyber Intelligence (CCI) in Langley, Va., according to the press release.

The treasure trove of intelligence documents revealed the CIA “recently” lost control of the majority of its tools in the hacking toolbox, to include malware, viruses, trojans, weaponized “zero day” exploits, malware remote control systems and associated documentation. WikiLeaks said its source leaked the files because they believed questions surrounding the CIA’s reach “urgently need to be debated in public.”

By the end of 2016, CCI had produced more than a thousand hacking systems, which are now “loose.”

Director Pompeo told the audience at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington that WikiLeaks has encouraged followers to pursue jobs at the CIA in order to obtain intelligence.

Director Pompeo said Mr. Assange is not a champion of government transparency, but rather a “narcissist” and a “fraud — a coward hiding behind a screen.”

CIA Director Mike Pompeo slammed WikiLeaks, calling

US

A Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), aka the "Mother of All Bombs," being prepared for testing at the Eglin Air Force Armament Center in 2003. (Photo: Courtesy of the Department of Defense/DoD)

A Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), aka the “Mother of All Bombs,” being prepared for testing at the Eglin Air Force Armament Center in 2003. (Photo: Courtesy of the Department of Defense/DoD)

The U.S. dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb on the Islamic State (ISIS) in Afghanistan, known as a Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), a.k.a. “Mother of All Bombs.” The 21,000-pound, 30-foot GBU-43/B was dropped from a C-130 aircraft a little after 7 p.m. local time on Thursday, 18,700 pounds of which was the warhead.

As it is designed to do, the bomb exploded in the air above its target close to the Pakistan border, resulting in downward pressure that crushed tunnels and everything in them. The strike in eastern Afghanistan comes days after a U.S. Army Special Forces A-Team member, a Green Beret, was killed fighting ISIS in that area.

“At 7:32 p.m. local time today, US forces – Afghanistan conducted a strike on an ISIS-K tunnel complex in Achin district, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, as part of ongoing efforts to defeat ISIS-K in Afghanistan in 2017,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement.

ISIS-K refers to the ISIS offshoot in Afghanistan and Pakistan, otherwise known as ISIS-Khorasan or the Khorasan Group.

“The strike used a GBU-43 bomb dropped from a US aircraft,” the statement said. “The strike was designed to minimize the risk to Afghan and US forces conducting clearing operations in the area while maximizing the destruction of ISIS-K fighters and facilities.”

WATCH – Actual Footage of the ‘Mother of All Bombs’ (MOAB) Dropped in Afghanistan

Russia, Pakistan, and China had all warned the Obama Administration of increasing ISIS activity in Afghanistan.

As People’s Pundit Daily reported in 2015, the presence of ISIS in Afghanistan began growing before the fighting season in 2014. Published photos emerged showing an Islamic State training camp operating in the eastern Afghan province of Logar. The Islamic State’s “Khorasan Province,” which is named after a Taliban commander who was killed in 2012, was in full promotion and propaganda mode at the Ustad Yasir camp.

The Sa’ad bin Abi Waqas Front was led by Sa’ad Emarati, a former Pakistan Taliban commander who defected to the Islamic State’s Khorasan Province in 2014 along with other disaffected Taliban commanders from Afghanistan and Iraq.

PPD also previously reported the prior January that Mullah Abdul Rauf, a former Taliban commander and prisoner at Guantanamo Bay released by the Obama Administration, was put in charge of recruiting members of the Taliban in a nearby province. But the previous administration didn’t respond in kind and the threat festered and grew. In 2016, Afghanistan lost roughly 15% of its territory to the Islamists.

“As ISIS-K’s losses have mounted, they are using IEDs, bunkers, and tunnels to thicken their defense,” Gen. John W. Nicholson, the commander of US forces in Afghanistan, said in the statement. “This is the right munition to reduce these obstacles and maintain the momentum of our offensive against ISIS-K.”

WATCH – Actual Footage of the ‘Mother of All Bombs’ (MOAB) Dropped in Afghanistan

[brid video=”132739″ player=”2077″ title=”MOAB Mother of All Bombs GBU43B”]

The U.S. dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb

Polls

Republican Karen Handel, left, Jon Ossof, center and Bob Gray, right, candidates for the jungle primary in the special election for Georgia's 6th Congressional District.

Republican Karen Handel, left, Jon Ossof, center and Bob Gray, right, candidates for the jungle primary-like general special election for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District.

A new RRH Poll sponsored by Decision Desk HQ finds Democrat Jon Ossoff leading a crowded field in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, but not by enough to win. Eighteen candidates filed to run: 11 Republicans, 5 Democrats, and 2 independents, and Mr. Ossoff is ahead with just 39% of the vote, followed by Republican Karen Handel with 15% and Bob Gray with 12%.

All candidates will compete in the same general election on April 18 and, if no candidate receives at least 50% of the vote, which is almost a certainty, the top two vote-earners will compete in a runoff regardless of party affiliation on June 20.

“This number is even lower than our target ceiling for Democratic candidates in the 6th Congressional District and is just not good enough,” Rich Baris, the head of polling and election projection at People’s Pundit Daily said. “Combined Republican support is far more than Ossoff’s and, in fact, isn’t all that far from Tom Price’s performance in 2016.”

The poll found Dan Moody trailing Mr. Gray with 11%, and Judson Hill at 10%. The poll also surveyed another Democrat, Ron Slotin, who earned 4% overall in the poll, and David Abroms, a Republican being backed by Evan McMullin, who earned 3%. With Slotin’s share of the vote, Ossoff is still about two points below the ceiling calculated by PPD’s Battleground State Likely Voter Metrics.

Democrats had hoped President Donald J. Trump, who underperformed significantly in the district, would be a drag on the ticket in an off year. President Trump only edged out Hillary Clinton by less than two points in the Atlanta-suburb district, which still voted for his Health and Human Services secretary by nearly 30 points. The poll found 46% approve and 46% disapprove of his job performance.

The state and national Democratic Party quickly coalesced behind Mr. Ossoff, the establishment-picked candidate and are already holding D.C. fundraisers for him. They have recruited a celebrity, Alyssa Milano, who doesn’t have any roots in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, to help Mr. Ossoff, who also doesn’t live in the district. Still, combining the share all Democratic candidates and Republicans candidates earned, the Republicans lead slightly with 51% to 43%.

Democrats initially held a large early vote lead, but Republicans are now closing in on their advantage.

Early Voters

  • Jon Ossoff (D) 50%
  • Ron Slotin (D) 6%
  • All Democrats surveyed 56%
  • Karen Handel (R) 13%
  • Dan Moody (R) 13%
  • Judson Hill (R) 7%
  • Bob Gray (R) 6%
  • David Abroms (R) 3%
  • All Republicans surveyed 42%
  • Undecided (RRH categorized this as “other” since the surveyed voters picked “already voted”): 4%

Handel is the slight Republican favorite among those who have yet to cast their ballots. Even though Ossoff is still ahead, he does not have enough votes left in the field (if Republicans vote) to clear the threshold. For Democrats, it is imperative that turnout among Republicans remain low and he clears the bar during the first round of voting. If not, Republicans will retain control of the traditionally Republican district, only 46.8% of which backed Hillary Clinton.

Not Yet Voted

  • Ossoff (D) 35%
  • Handel (R) 16%
  • Gray (R) 15%
  • Hill (R) 11%
  • Moody (R) 10%
  • Slotin (D) 1%
  • Abroms (R) 1%
  • Undecided 7%

“While it’s true Mr. Ossoff leads the entire crowded field, we do not believe he has the ceiling to defeat an equal Republican in what is likely to be runoff,” Mr. Baris added. “The fundamentals of the race, the latest data from the PPD Battleground State Likely Voter Metrics and now this poll, all still point to a Republican advantage.”

The survey of 321 Likely Voters was conducted from April 5-10, 2017 using both an IVR automated phone survey (220 voters) and an online survey (101 voters) and has a margin of error of 5%. All survey design and data analysis is the responsibility of RRH Elections; funding was provided by their readership and co-sponsorship by Decision Desk HQ.

A new RRH Poll sponsored by Decision

News

Gap-consumer-sentiment-reuters

(A shopper leaves the Gap with a bag in New York City. (Photo: REUTERS)

The Survey of Consumers, a closely-watched gauge of consumer sentiment, showed new strength in April after cooling down from historic post-election highs. A preliminary reading on consumer sentiment came in at 98.0, higher than the median forecast of 97.0.

The Current Economic Conditions Index rose to its highest level since 2000

“Consumer sentiment inched upward in early April mainly due to more favorable views of current economic conditions,” said Richard Curtain, the chief economist for the Survey of Consumers. “The Current Economic Conditions Index rose to its highest level since 2000 and nearly reached its all-time peak of 121.1 set in 1999.”

While the Expectations Index improved modestly, remaining favorable but largely unchanged for the past three months, partisanship had no impact on the Current Conditions Index this month. Democrats and Republicans differed by just 0.4 points, suggesting the beginning of a convergence on the Expectations Index. The figure for Democrats rose 7% and it fell for Republicans by 7%. Independents have tracked more closely with Republicans.

Still, the gap still remained a whopping 50.5 Index points.

“Much more progress on shrinking the partisan gap is needed to bring economic expectations in line with reality,” Mr. Curtain added. “A slow pace of convergence will make it more difficult to disentangle political fervor from what appears to be a growing sense among consumers that the economy will experience fundamental changes in the years ahead.”

The Survey of Consumers, which is conducted by the University of Michigan, hit a 12-year high following the election. It continued its post-election rally in January and slowed slightly in February, but remained historically high through March.

Next data release: Friday, April 28, 2017 for Final April data at 10am ET

The Survey of Consumers, a closely-watched gauge

Economy

A Citigroup logo is pictured from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange July 9, 2014. (Photo: Reuters)

A Citigroup logo is pictured from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange July 9, 2014. (Photo: Reuters)

Citigroup Inc (NYSE:C) reported a first quarter (1Q) profit that beat analysts’ estimates on Thursday, fueled largely by higher trading revenue and interest rates.

The New York-based bank’s earnings report revealed it earned $4.1 billion, or $1.35 a share, compared with $3.5 billion, or $1.10 a share, during the same period last year. The median forecast called for Citigroup to earn $1.23 a share.

“The momentum we saw across many of our businesses towards the end of last year carried into the first quarter, resulting in significantly better overall performance than a year ago,” Citi CEO Michael Corbat said. “Revenues increased in both our consumer and institutional lines of business, most notably in areas where we have been investing such as Equities, U.S. Cards and Mexico.”

Citi had a strong quarter in its investment banking division, which represents its biggest business by revenue and profits. Citi reported net income of $3 billion in the division, up 61% from a year ago. In consumer banking business saw income fall to $1 billion from $1.19 billion a year earlier. While revenue was up, the bank had higher expenses relating to money set aside to cover bad loans.

“Through our earnings and the utilization of $800 million in Deferred Tax Assets, we generated $5.5 billion of total regulatory capital before returning $2.2 billion to our shareholders,” Mr. Corbat added. “Our CET 1 Capital ratio rose to 12.8% and we could not be more committed to continuing to increase the capital we return to our shareholders.”

Citigroup Inc (NYSE:C) reported a first quarter

Economy

Weekly-Jobless-Claims-Graphic

Weekly Jobless Claims Graphic. Number of Americans applying for first-time jobless benefits.

The Labor Department said Thursday weekly jobless claims fell by 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 234,000 for the week ending April 8, beating the median forecast. Economists had expected first-time claims for state unemployment benefits to rise to 245,000, indicating a further tightening in the labor market.

The previous week’s level was revised up by 1,000 from 234,000 to 235,000. No state was triggered “on” the Extended Benefits program during the week ending March 25 and no special factors influenced the data, though Louisiana was again estimated.

The 4-week moving average–which widely considered a better gauge–fell to 247,250, a decline of 3,000 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised up by 250 from 250,000 to 250,250.

Continuing claims are also down, 7,000 lower in lagging data for the April 1 week to 2.028 million. These readings are low and favorable and consistent with strong demand for labor.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending March 25 were in Alaska (3.7), New Jersey (2.9), Connecticut (2.8), Puerto Rico (2.8), Pennsylvania (2.7), Rhode Island (2.6), Massachusetts (2.5), California (2.4), Illinois (2.4), and Montana (2.4).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending April 1 were in Illinois (+2,060), Oregon (+1,133), Ohio (+1,022), Indiana (+898), and Kansas (+689), while the largest decreases were in California (-7,238), New York (-7,039), Pennsylvania (- 4,109), Texas (-2,205), and Connecticut (-1,184).

The Labor Department said weekly jobless claims

Policy

[brid video=”132611″ player=”2077″ title=”Economics 101 Small Government Is the Recipe for Creating Rich Nations”]

The recipe for growth and prosperity isn’t very complicated. The first part of the video, narrated by Abir Doumit, reviews success stories from around the world, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Chile, Estonia, Taiwan, Ireland, South Korea, and Botswana.

The recipe for growth and prosperity isn’t

Opinion

Bernie-Sanders-Rally-California-San-Diego-Reuters

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders holds a campaign rally in San Diego, California. (Photo: Mike Blake/Reuters)

I’m tempted to say that statism is sort of like a cult. Proponents of socialism and other big-government ideologies have a dogmatic zeal that blinds them to reality.

For instance, no nation has ever become rich with big government. But that doesn’t stop leftists from advocating in favor of higher taxes and more coercive redistribution.

They are equally capable of rationalizing that economic misery in places such as Greece and Venezuela has nothing to do with bad policy, and you can even find a few zealots willing to defend basket cases such as Cuba and North Korea.

So long as they don’t burn me at the stake for my heretical views, I guess I won’t get too agitated by their bizarre fetish for statism.

But I will periodically mock them. And that’s the purpose of today’s column. We’ll start with this nice comparison between a capitalist grocery store and a socialist grocery store. I have no idea, by the way, if the lower image actually is a supermarket in a socialist country, but let’s not forget that a real-world version of this comparison is one of the reasons there’s no longer an Evil Empire.

But the bad news about socialism is not limited to economic deprivation for the masses.

The system also leads in many cases to totalitarianism (see this article by Marian Tupy, for example).

Venezuela is a particularly poignant example. Once the richest nation in Latin America, it now is an economic laggard and also is a cesspool of oppression.

Which makes this set of images from Reddit‘s libertarian page both funny and sad.

As you might expect, Milton Friedman had some very pointed observations on this topic.

The really good part starts shortly before 2:00. He explains very clearly that socialism is based on force and coercion.

[brid video=”132610″ player=”2077″ title=”Milton Friedman Socialism is Force”]

Statism is like a cult. Proponents of

World

Ambassador Nikki Haley, the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), at a meeting on the situation in Syria.

Ambassador Nikki Haley, the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), at a meeting on the situation in Syria.

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley took aim at Russia after they blocked a UN Security Council resolution condemning the Syrian chemical weapons attack. She called it a “strong day for the U.S., a weak day for Russia, a new day for China and doomsday for Assad,” referring to Syrian President Bashir al-Assad.

Last week, President Donald J. Trump ordered the U.S. military to launch Tomahawk missiles at airfields near the chemical weapons storage facility at Shayrat Airbase in response to one of the deadliest chemical weapons attacks in the country’s 6-year civil war. An estimated 72 people were killed and another roughly 400 were wounded.

China abstained in the vote, which still would have allowed the resolution to pass if it wasn’t blocked by the Kremlin. Russia just prior to the U.S. strike on Syria said their support for the Assad regime wasn’t unconditional, but President Putin in an interview with state-run media Wednesday double-down on that support.

The vote took place on the same day Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Moscow to meet with his counterpart Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin.

Ambassador Haley’s rhetoric has been markedly more aggression than Mr. Tillerson’s in recent days, after he toned down what sounded suspiciously like regime change.

“The United States firmly believes that a political process can work, despite the odds. We remain committed to the Geneva process. We are ready to throw our weight and resources behind diplomacy. We are ready to help bring this conflict to an end. But our commitment is not enough,” Ambassador Haley said in a statement. “The United States is looking for partners who are serious about using their influence over the Assad regime and towards defeating ISIS. Every country needs to do its part. All of us must commit in not just words but also actions towards the same goal: peace in Syria.”

Mr. Lavrov told his American counterpart that there is still an opportunity for cooperation to build a counterterrorism coalition between the two nations. However, both sides conceded that U.S.-Russian relations are at a low, with Lavrov saying the Trump Administration inherited “time bombs” set by Barack Obama.

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley took aim at

World

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson enter a hall during their meeting in Moscow, Russia, April 12, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson enter a hall during their meeting in Moscow, Russia, April 12, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that there is still an opportunity for cooperation between the two nations. The remarks came after Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to meet with Mr. Tillerson in Moscow earlier in the day.

“I believe that you have come at the right time. Your visit provides an indispensable opportunity to frankly and honestly discuss the outlook for cooperation on these issues, primarily the creation of a broad counterterrorism coalition, as President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump have agreed to do,” Mr. Lavrov said at their press conference. “More than once, we have reaffirmed our readiness for a constructive and equal dialogue and cooperation based on respect for the legitimate interests of the other.”

The icy Kremlin reception for Secretary Tillerson comes after President Donald J. Trump ordered the U.S. military to launch Tomahawk missiles at airfields near the chemical weapons storage facility at Shayrat Airbase in response to one of the deadliest chemical weapons attacks in the country’s 6-year civil war. An estimated 72 people were killed and another roughly 400 were wounded.

Privately, Mr. Lavrov said Russia viewed the U.S. military strike on the Syrian airbase last week was unlawful, and expressed the Kremlin’s view that they should not be repeated. He also told Mr. Tillerson that the Trump Administration inherited “time bombs” set by Barack Obama.

While Russia just prior to the strike on Syria said their support for President al-Assad wasn’t unconditional, they maintained that the chemical weapons were released when a conventional bomb hit a rebel storage depot and caused a leak in the containment. But Trump Administration officials said Russia had knowledge of in advance.

Following their earlier this week, the first since President Trump took office, G7 foreign ministers hoped to pressure Russia to withdraw its support for President Assad. In an interview with Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo, President Trump also said that Mr. Putin was backing “an evil person” in Syria, and it’s “very bad for Russia.”

“Our meeting today comes at an important moment in the relationship so that we can further clarify areas of common objectives, areas of common interest, even when our tactical approaches may be different, and to further clarify areas of sharp difference so that we can better understand why these differences exist and what the prospects for narrowing those differences may be,” Mr. Tillerson said at the press conference. “And I look forward to a very open, candid, frank exchange so that we can better define the U.S.-Russia relationship from this point forward.”

Still, President Putin said in an interview broadcast on Russian television that trust had eroded between the U.S. and Russia.

“One could say that the level of trust on a working level, especially on the military level, has not improved but has rather deteriorated,” he said, doubling-down on his support for President Assad.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia is

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