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ISIS-Video-SS-Bring-It-On

Screenshot from the latest video purportedly released by the Islamic State (ISIS) taunting the U.S.-led coalition.

IRBIL, Iraq – The Islamic State (ISIS) is manufacturing weapons on an industrial scale in and around Mosul with products largely purchased in bulk from Turkey, according to a report published by the London-based Conflict Armaments Research.

The arms research group released their report on Wednesday showing that ISIS maintained a “robust and reliable” supply chain between Turkey and Iraq that gives the militant group a means to mass produce tens of thousands of weapons, CAR said. The group’s researchers studied ISIS weapons found at manufacturing facilities and on the battlefield during the Iraqi operation to retake Mosul that is still currently ongoing.

“Evidence documented by CAR during 29 months of operations along IS frontlines indicates that IS forces have made one-off , bulk-procurements of chemical precursors from single suppliers,” the report stated. “In other cases, production dates spanning a range of years suggest that IS forces have made repeated acquisitions of identical products from the same sources—almost exclusively from the Turkish domestic market.”

However, as U.S.- and Iran-backed Iraqi forces make battlefield gains, ISIS will lose more capacity to manufacture weapons on such a large scale. Still, the the research group’s executive director James Bevan warned that the group will take precautions to ensure their most valuable assets retreat.

“Given that this group is so organized, they clearly see the writing on the wall in Mosul,” Mr. Bevan said. He believes the Islamic State has already done so for highly trained bomb-makers previously located in Mosul. They’ve been moved into Syria and, despite being a NATO allied nation, the southern region of Turkey.

“They place a very high value on technical capacity and they will do everything they can to preserve it,” Mr. Bevan said, adding that ISIS militants turned to Turkey for weapons ingredients because they knew that their demand exceeded supply in Iraq.

Iraqi forces have been met with strong resistance during their efforts to retake Mosul since they began in October, suicide car bombs and logically capable ground forces. Since the offensive was launched, they’ve retaken only less than a quarter of the city, which was once firmly under U.S. control before President Barack Obama withdrew troops.

[pdfviewer width=”740px” height=”849px” beta=”true/false”]https://www.peoplespunditdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Standardisation-and-quality-control-in-Islamic-State’s-military-production.pdf[/pdfviewer]

A report by Conflict Armaments Research finds

Economy

FILE PHOTO - Robotic arms spot welds on the chassis of a Ford Transit Van under assembly at the Ford Claycomo Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Missouri April 30, 2014. (Photo: REUTERS)

FILE PHOTO – Robotic arms spot welds on the chassis of a Ford Transit Van under assembly at the Ford Claycomo Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Missouri April 30, 2014. (Photo: REUTERS)

The Labor Department reported Wednesday that the Producer Price Index (PPI) finds prices at the wholesale level rose 0.4% in November, easily beating the 0.1% forecast. It was the largest gain in five months, or since June.

Excluding the volatile food and energy components, producer prices still rose by 0.4%, topping the median forecast anticipating a rise of 0.2%.

The Producer Price Index (PPI) rose 1.3% during the 12 months through October, the biggest gain posted since November 2014. While the latest gauge doesn’t quite meet the Federal Reserve’s target 2% inflation rate previously considered the benchmark before raising interest rates, the new PPI does offer reason to be optimistic.

The so-called core PPI rose by 1.8% in the 12 months through November, the largest rise since August 2014 and just shy of the target. The core PPI increased 1.6 percent in the 12 months through October. On Wednesday, following the Federal Open Market Committee’s final two-day meeting of the year, they did raise the short-term benchmark interest rate for only the second time since 2006.

“Our decision to raise rates…is a reflection in the confidence we have in the progress the economy has made and our judgment that progress will continue,” Fed Chief Janet Yellen said at a press conference following the decision. “And the economy has proven to be remarkably resilient, so it is a vote of confidence in the economy.”

Federal Reserve Hikes Interest Rates for Second Time Since 2006

The Labor Department said Wednesday the Producer

Economy

A woman sits in Herald Square with bags of shopping during Black Friday sales in Manhattan, New York, U.S., November 25, 2016. (Photo: REUTERS)

A woman sits in Herald Square with bags of shopping during Black Friday sales in Manhattan, New York, U.S., November 25, 2016. (Photo: REUTERS)

The Commerce Department reported Wednesday U.S. retail sales rose by 0.1% in November, missing the median forecast looking for a 0.3% increase. The new numbers comes after two consecutive month of stronger-than-expected increases, though retails sales in October were revised down to 0.6%, instead of the previously reported 0.8% gain.

Excluding the volatile auto component, sales rose 0.2%, compared to views for a 0.4% increase. While spenders cut back on automobiles, receipts at clothing stores showed little change, indicating a weak start to the holiday shopping season.

Retail sales were up 3.8% on the year and, excluding automobiles, gasoline, building materials and food services, retail sales ticked up only slightly by 0.1% last month after a downwardly revised 0.6% increase in October.

These so-called core retail sales, which correspond most closely with the consumer spending component of gross domestic product (GDP), were previously reported to have increased by 0.8% in October. Economists had forecast overall retail sales to gain 0.3% last month.

The Commerce Department reported Wednesday U.S. retail

Entertainment

Actor Alan Thicke dead at 69.

Actor Alan Thicke dead at 69.

Actor Alan Thicke, who was best known for his role as Dr. Jason Seaver in the 1980s sitcom “Growing Pains,” died Tuesday at the age of 69, his publicist confirmed. TMZ first reported Thicke’s death on Tuesday night, as the Hallmark Channel continues to run a series of holiday movies in which he also starred.

“Alan’s sudden passing has been confirmed,” Mr. Monique Moss wrote in a statement. “At present, we have no further details.”

Carleen Donovan, who is a publicist for Thicke’s son, singer Robin Thicke, told the Associated Press the actor died from a heart attack in Los Angeles. She had no further details.

“Thank you for your kindness concerning Alan Thicke’s passing. It is a shock. We were all just together for Thanksgiving. He was talented, funny and deeply devoted to his family. Rest In Peace, dear one,” Gloria Loring said on the passing of Thicke. Loring and Thicke were married from 1970 until 1984. They had two sons together.

The ABC series “Growing Pains” aired from 1985 until 1992 and featured Thicke as one of the most beloved TV fathers of all time. He played a psychiatrist raising his children along with his wife, a role played by Joanna Kerns. Kirk Cameron plated his oldest son, Mike, who was a bit of a trouble maker in the family.

More recently, he made appearances in the comedy “How I Met Your Mother” and the Netflix series “Fuller House.,” while being the frequent ad voice on Sirius.

Thicke was born in Ontario, Canada, in 1947 and was a popular Canadian talk show host before making his name in the United States. He was nominated for three Emmy Awards for his work in the late 1970s as a writer for Barry Manilow’s talk show, and later for a satirical take on the genre in the variety show “America 2-Night.”

He was also the composer of several popular theme songs, including the original theme to “The Wheel of Fortune,” and shows such as “The Facts of Life” and “Diff’rent Strokes.”

The Los Angeles County coroner’s office told the AP Thicke’s death was not reported to them.

Actor Alan Thicke, best known for his

Politics

President-elect Donald Trump, Vice-President-elect Mike Pence and House Speaker Paul Ryan wave at a rally Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016, in West Allis, Wis. (Photo: AP)

President-elect Donald Trump, Vice-President-elect Mike Pence and House Speaker Paul Ryan wave at a rally Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016, in West Allis, Wis. (Photo: AP)

People braved the cold in the afternoon waiting to see to President-elect Donald J. Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence in West Allis, Wisconsin, on Tuesday. At event that took place at the State Fair Exposition Center as part of his Thank You America Tour 2016, the incoming president praised Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, whom he compared to a “fine wine.”

“He’s like a fine wine. Every day that goes by I get to appreciate his genius more and more,” President-elect Trump said. Flanked by enormous Christmas trees behind a podium that boasted “Merry Christmas” in large letters, he thanked supporters for the victory in The Badger State, the first for any Republican presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan in 1984.

“I will never forget you and I will never ever stop fighting for you.”

Mr. Trump and his running mate have been traveling around the country holding rallies as part of the unprecedented tour, a first for any president-elect. His speech was preceded by Speaker Ryan, as well as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and the soon-to-be White House chief of staff, Reince Priebus.

In his speech, which began by mocking the recount in Wisconsin, he credited all three Wisconsin Republican natives and his running mate for helping him win the state on November 8. The New York business said the Democrats were truly behind the recount, which resulted in him gaining more votes over Hillary Clinton. Green Party candidate Jill Stein was the public and legal face behind the recount effort, but no one believes she had the ability to mount such a challenge and raise the money necessary.

During the recount, Dr. Stein raised more than twice the amount of money that she raised throughout the entire campaign and only challenged in states Clinton lost.

[brid video=”84724″ player=”2077″ title=”LIVE Stream PresidentElect Donald Trump Rally in West Allis WI 121316″]

People braved the cold waiting to see

Economy, Markets

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City November 10, 2016. (Photo: Reuters)

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City November 10, 2016. (Photo: Reuters)

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) and the S&P 500 (INDEXSP:.INX) hit new record highs on Tuesday, ahead of a critical Federal Reserve meeting. The Federal Reserve Open Markets Committee (FOMC) two-day meeting where it is widely expected to raise rates for the second time since the financial crisis.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 67.56 points, or 0.34% to 19,863.99. The S&P 500 was up 10.14 points, or 0.45% to 2,267.17. The Nasdaq Composite (INDEXNASDAQ:.IXIC) added 56.51 points, or 1.04 percent, to 5,469.24.

With the Dow surging again this week, an extension of a several weeks-long rally following the election of President-elect Donald J. Trump last month, some stock pickers are wondering whether the historic 20,000 mark is about to be breached. The market rally continues as the U.S. central bank starts its meeting later Tuesday. The policy-setting committee will consider that it already hiked its benchmark overnight interest rate last December, which was the first time they had done so in nearly a decade.

The surge in the U.S. dollar (USDUSD) relative to the currencies of its main trading partners between June 2014 and January 2016 caused deflation to be imported, which in turn has kept inflation below the Fed’s 2% target for a rate hike.

After fading for most of the year, the the U.S. dollar bounced back to rally following the election and has increased by 3.5% on a trade-weighted basis since the election on November 8.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) and

Economy

File photo: Shipping cranes and containers at a U.S. port depicting the trade of imports, exports and overall gross domestic product, or GDP. (Photo: REUTERS)

File photo: Shipping cranes and containers at a U.S. port depicting the trade of imports, exports and overall gross domestic product, or GDP. (Photo: REUTERS)

The Labor Department said on Tuesday U.S. import prices fell 0.3% in November, the biggest drop in nine months since February that was fueled by Petroleum costs. The drop follows two consecutive months of increases, including a now downwardly revised 0.4% gain in October.

The report also found export prices falling slightly by 0.1% in November after gaining 0.2% in October.

However, declining petroleum costs coupled with relative dollar strength threatens to keep imported inflation below expectations. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast import prices falling 0.4% last month after a previously reported 0.5% gain.

Import prices have fallen by only 0.1% over the last 12 months, marking the smallest decrease since July 2014. In October, they fell 0.3% during the 12 month period. Export prices were down 0.3% on a year-over-year basis, representing the smallest decline since August 2014. That followed a 1.0% drop in October.

Nevertheless, the Federal Reserve is still expected to raise interest rates on Wednesday after the U.S. central bank starts its two-day meeting later Tuesday. The policy-setting committee will consider that it already hiked its benchmark overnight interest rate last December, which was the first time in nearly a decade.

The surge in the U.S. dollar (USDUSD) relative to the currencies of its main trading partners between June 2014 and January 2016 has caused deflation to be imported, which in turn has kept inflation below the Fed’s 2% target.

After fading for most of the year, the the U.S. dollar bounced back to rally following the election of President-elect Donald J. Trump’s last month. It has increased by 3.5% on a trade-weighted basis since the election on November 8.

Imported petroleum prices dropped 4.7% last month, the largest decline since February, after gaining 7.3% in the month prior. Import prices excluding petroleum were unchanged after slightly sliding 0.1%. Oil is currently trading around $50 per barrel and is expected to continue to climb. That would allow inflation to rise at least toward the Fed’s target.

Food costs, on the other hand, surged 1.5% and prices for imported capital goods fell 0.2% and imported automobiles 0.1%, respectively. Imported consumer goods prices excluding automobiles fell 0.1% last month.

The Labor Department said Tuesday US import

Elections

President Barack Obama talks with his nominee for Labor Secretary, Thomas E. Perez, during a announcement, Monday, March 18, 2013, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (Photo: AP/Associated Press)

President Barack Obama talks with his nominee for Labor Secretary, Thomas E. Perez, during a announcement, Monday, March 18, 2013, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (Photo: AP/Associated Press)

Behind closed doors, controversial Labor Secretary Thomas Perez indicated that he plans to announce he will run for the chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). The party is looking to replace their disgraced interim chair Donna Brazile, who replaced Debbie Wasserman Schultz after she was forced to resign in disgrace, as well.

Enter Mr. Perez, a former Department of Justice (DOJ) assistant attorney general who came under a microscope after President Barack Obama announced his nomination for secretary of the Labor Department. Before his confirmation, an inspector general report concluded the department was grossly mismanaged, career attorneys were abused and intimidated by and under Mr. Perez.

The report also revealed threats made toward black employees who were willing to work on cases like the New Black Panther voter intimidation case, as well as another case in Mississipp. All involved civil rights violators and perpetrators who were black and white victims. In one such case, Attorney General Loretta King complained to then-Attorney General Eric Holder over Voting Section Chief Chris Coates, who was willing to use civil rights laws to protect white voters.

Mr. Perez got the order to “take care” of Mr. King.

The controversy over the voting rights case wasn’t even the first time Mr. Perez found himself in political hot water. He was caught abusing his power during a secret quid-pro-quo deal in 2011 with the city of St. Paul, Minnesota. He later perjured himself when he told Congress that the DOJ agreed not to intervene in two whistle-blower cases against St. Paul–in exchange for the city dropping its Supreme Court petition–because the cases were “weak.”

However, emails obtained after the Mr. Perez gave his congressional testimony clearly demonstrated career lawyers at DOJ believed those cases were strong.

Nevertheless, the post has to be filled by someone, as a series of leaked documents published by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks during the election showed interim Chair Brazile repeatedly helped Hillary Clinton cheat by providing debate questions to the campaign. Brazile replaced Wasserman Schultz as DNC chair after previous WikiLeaks emails revealed an anti-Sanders bias at the DNC during the primary.

Now, the Democratic Party, which now holds the weakest electoral position across nation since the 1920s, is looking to overhaul their image and brand after they suffered a devastating defeat up and down the ticket in November.

That effort thus far has proven difficult. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim lawmaker elected to the U.S. Congress, was considered the frontrunner and received the backing of several big names in leadership and grassroots, such as incoming Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and independent Democratic-socialist Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., respectively. But after new audio surfaced, in which he made controversial comments about the state of Israel, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) bailed on his bid.

Rep. Ellison, who also has ties to the radical Nation of Islam and defended its anti-Semitic leader Louis Farrakhan, went on to say “the Zionists joined with the Nazis in murdering Jews, so they would flee to Palestine.” The ADL called the statements “deeply disturbing and disqualifying.”

“Whoever wins the DNC chair race faces a lot of work, travel, planning and resource raising,” Rep. Ellison said in a statement. “I will be `all in’ to meet the challenge.”

Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was also re-elected to an eighth term as the leader of House Democrats, despite a challenge from Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan. The challenger argued that his party, under the stewardship of Leader Pelosi, had lost touch with working class American voters. In Rep. Ryan’s home state, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton was defeated by President-elect Donald J. Trump by almost double-digits, 52.1% to 43.5%.

It was the first time a Republican managed to carry the battleground state since 2004 and the largest margin since 1988. George W. Bush won it over John Kerry in 2004 by only 2 points. But this time, hundreds of thousands of voters who backed President Obama in both 2008 and 2012 voted for President-elect Trump over Clinton and incumbent Sen. Rob Portman over Clinton-ally and Democrat Ted Strickland.

But the numbers don’t lie and they aren’t confined to the House of Representatives. From 2008 to 2016, the Democratic Party has lost a net 9 seats in the U.S. Senate, 63 in the U.S. House of Representatives, 13 governorships, 949 state legislative seats and full control of 29 state legislatures.

The net 63-seat loss in the House under Pelosi tops the closest presidential tenure during the Nixon-Ford era by 14 seats. In other words, Democrats under President Obama underperformed their party’s candidates during Bill Clinton’s impeachment in the 1990s and their rival GOP candidates during and after the WaterGate scandal.

Party officials tried to draft Vice President Joe Biden and former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, but both Rust-Belters turned-D.C.-ites refused to seize the opportunity.

Yet, despite the effort by members who are forced to defend working-class districts in 2018, House Democrats largely filled the top leadership roles with East and West coast liberals. Not a single one is from the heartland or the Rust Belt.

“He is a leader whose character and visions are a strong addition to the conversation around where Democrats need to head,” said Henry Munoz, the DNC Finance Chairman. While noting his semi-Rust Belt childhood in Buffalo, he stressed Mr. Perez’s Dominican-American background and the role Latinos must play in the future of the party.

Controversial Labor Secretary Tom Perez indicated that

Politics

President-elect Donald J. Trump holds a rally in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 13, 2016.

President-elect Donald J. Trump holds a rally in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 13, 2016.

President-elect Donald J. Trump is set to confirm that he will nominate Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson for secretary of state (SOS) and reportedly his next secretary of energy (SOE). The announcement comes a few days after former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani withdrew his name from consideration and amid controversy Mr. Trump was seriously considering former Gov. Mitt Romney.

“It was an honor to have been considered for Secretary of State of our great country,” Gov. Romney said in a statement. “My discussions with President-elect Trump have been both enjoyable and enlightening. I have very high hopes that the new administration will lead the nation to greater strength, prosperity and peace.”

Gov. Romney, who was more than just the most vocal critic of the president-elect during the Republican primary, was an unacceptable choice to some in the inner-circle. But as PPD previously reported, the former Republican nominee’s stock began to fall last week and Mr. Tillerson’s began to rise. Sources also said that former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton is the top pick for the number two post at the State Department.

On Sunday, the president-elect during an interview on Fox News Sunday praised Mr. Tillerson and responded to critics claiming he did not have the requisite political experience. During the campaign, the New York businessman vowed to pass over “political hacks” and appoint the smartest private sector minds to the nation’s top posts.

“He’s more than just a businessman,” President-elect Trump said. “He’s a world-class player.”

Meanwhile, multiple sources with knowledge of the process say that former Texas Gov. Rick Perry will be chosen to head up the Department of Energy.

President-elect Trump continues his unprecedented “Thank You” tour Tuesday in West Allis, Wisconsin. He was the first Republican presidential candidate to carry The Badger State since Ronald Reagan’s landslide reelection win in 1984. As PPD previously reported, the Wisconsin recount requested by Green Party candidate Jill Stein, and backed by Hillary Clinton, resulted in Mr. Trump widening his lead slightly by more than 100 additional votes.

On Thursday, he make his next “Thank You” tour visit to Hershey, Pennsylvania, a state that hadn’t voted Republican since 1988. On Friday, he will return to Orlando, Florida.

President-elect Donald Trump will confirm he has

Politics

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Reince Priebus during an interview on NBC's "Meet The Press" with Chuck Todd on December 11, 2016. (Photo: Screenshot via YouTube)

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Reince Priebus during an interview on NBC’s “Meet The Press” with Chuck Todd on December 11, 2016. (Photo: Screenshot via YouTube)

A major detail in a story published by The New York Times, which claimed Russian hackers influenced the 2016 election, may not hold up to scrutiny. The Times, citing unnamed intelligence sources piggy-backing off an article from The Washington Post, claimed a review by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) concluded with a high level of certainty that Russian agents breached both the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

The Times report further claimed those hackers–via WikiLeaks–only released information from the DNC to help elect President-elect Donald J. Trump. However, while we could not confirm a formal and thorough CIA review, People’s Pundit Daily did confirm that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted a probe into a potential breach at the RNC following the initial DNC hack and subsequent leak last summer.

However, multiple FBI sources told PPD the Bureau was “unaware of any successful RNC hack” after more than three weeks of investigations.

“The Bureau conducted a thorough investigation at their [RNC] request and they cooperated with that effort,” they said. “We found no evidence then and are unaware of any successful breach to date. We can say that the RNC had taken more appropriate security measures [than did the DNC and Clinton campaign].”

The not-so minor detail of the story was debated ad nauseum when Chuck Todd interviewed outgoing RNC Chair Reince Priebus on NBC’ “Meet The Press” Sunday. Chairman Priebus, who President-elect Trump chose as his chief of staff, repeatedly told his liberal talk show host the RNC had not be breached.

“The other piece of this [NY Times story] Chuck is that the RNC was absolutely not hacked,” Chairman Priebus said. “If we were not hacked and that is absolutely not true, then where does that story lie?”

Mr. Todd, himself a frequent star of the WikiLeaks document dump indicating unethical collaboration between Big Media, the DNC and the Clinton Campaign, seemed unwilling to acknowledge the FBI probe. As Todd knows, an acknowledgement of one falsehood opens the door to further criticism of the rest of the Post story.

Democrats and the Democrat-friendly mediates like Todd are intentionally attempting to obfuscate the hacking issue. Like the RNC, there is no evidence state electronic voting machines and/or systems were hacked by anyone, let alone Russian actors who the Post claims are removed from government officials. There is no evidence that the integrity of the election was compromised by cyber activity.

[brid video=”84396″ player=”2077″ title=”FULL Reince Priebus interview On NBC’ “Meet The Press” with Chuck Todd (12112016)”]

A major detail in a story published

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