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ZeroPointNow

zeropointnow
Wake up. Break the cycle. Teach your children.
Joined Oct 24, 2016
1,140 Blog Posts

Former FBI Director Robert Mueller Picked As Special Prosecutor In Russia Probe

Wed May 17, 2017 8:00pm EST 1

Former FBI director and DOJ executive Robert Mueller has been named as special prosecutor in the ongoing FBI investigation into Russian influence in the 2016 presidential election:

Mueller, 72 was appointed as the sixth director of the FBI by George W. Bush a week before the 9/11 attacks until exactly 12 years later when James Comey took the job. So there’s that.

Rumor has it he’s bringing some big guns with him:

Mueller’s appointment

Acting AG Rod Rosenstein (who reportedly threatened to resign last week over his portrayal during the Comey firing), appointed Mueller without notifying the White House first:

*WHITE HOUSE TOLD OF MUELLER APPOINTMENT AFTER ORDER SIGNED: DOJ

Mueller’s appointment comes amidst chaos in the wake of James Comey’s dismissal, a scandal most recently updated with the existence of a ‘Comey Memo’ from February alleging that Trump asked the FBI director to kill the Flynn investigation (which had already ended in mid-January).

 

Suddenly retiring rising star family man Jason Chaffetz approves.

John McCain has backed off, rejecting calls to impeach:

And while earlier today, one GOP Rep. Justin Amash already suggested that if the FBI memo story is true, impeachment would be appropriate, in the clearest sign yet that Trump may be safe after all, the Washington Examiner reported that John McCain said that calls from congressional Democrats to impeach President Trump are not “rational” adding that “I don’t think very many people take that very seriously,” he said Wednesday. -ZeroHedge

The Washington Post couldn’t be happier

Rosenstein could not have picked a better choice. As a former FBI chief, Mueller knows precisely what to look for and how to conduct an exhaustive investigation. Rosenstein therefore will be lauded for stepping aside and deemed to have recovered his reputation, sullied by involvement in Comey’s firing. –WaPo

A ZHer went quite deep in their analysis of Mueller

Some have pointed out issues with the Comey memo timeline

Trump has issued a statement reaffirming his innocence

And one day after Wolf Blitzer mentions impeachment, CNBC is talkin’ coup

Moving Forward

Mueller is clearly a deep state kinda guy, and Comey’s dismissal was a bold move against an establishment which may have thought they’d wrangled the President. If so, Mueller’s investigation is perhaps nothing more than leverage and political weaponry to ensure Trump tows the line.

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CSCO Issues Horrendous Forecast And Announces 1100 Layoffs – Down 8% AH

Wed May 17, 2017 5:27pm EST 2

Despite better than expected third quarter earnings, Cisco is getting hammered in after hours trading – off over 8% after the company issued horrendous guidance and announced the layoff of 1,100 jobs, adding to it’s previously announced cut of 5,500 last August.

The company reported a net income of $2.52 billion and earnings of .60c / share on sales of $11.94 billion after adjusting for stock-based compensation and other effects. Analysts were expecting .58c / share on sales of $11.89 billion.

But who the fuck cares about that?

CEO Chuck Robbins just guided way lower, predicting a drop of 4-6% vs. a 1% expected decline, with EPS estimates coming in light as well. Robbins is pointing to a slowdown in federal govt. spending as a ‘large factor,’ as well as a ‘lack of budget visibility.’

Sorry CSCO – looks like Trump has put the brakes on the bottomless govt. surveillance pit you guys have been leeching off for the better part of a decade.

 

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Human Rights Protesters Beat Down By Pro-Erdogan Goons Outside Embassy In D.C.

Wed May 17, 2017 4:11am EST 9

A brawl erupted blocks from the White House at a protest outside of the Turkish Ambassador’s residence in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, several hours after a meeting between President Trump and Turkish president Erdogan. Nine people were injured in the Sheridan Circle skirmish, two seriously – and two have been arrested including one charged with assaulting a police officer.

About two dozen protesters showed up with signs and a bullhorn in opposition of the Turkish President’s .

We are protesting (Erdogan’s) policies in Turkey, in Syria and in Iraq

–Flint Arthur, Baltimore, MD

Arthur reported Erdogan supporters crossing police lines at least three times to attack the protestors. In video of the incident, several attackers can be seen kicking a protester with a bullhorn who had fallen, as well as a woman lying on the ground. Metropolitan police drove the pro-Erdogan contingency back with batons.

Aftermath: 

While the aggressors were initially reported as pro-Erdogan (pro-government) supporters, Voice of America reports that Erdogan’s guards participated in the violence as well. If so, it would be the second time the Turkish President’s security detail was involved in a dustup on US soil – having been accused last year of “kicking, shoving and verbally abusing” Turkish journalists attempting to enter an Erdogan speech.

Human Rights

Turkey has been criticized by Human Rights advocates over it’s attack on Syrian Kurdish populations in the Northern border town of Jarablus, as well as bombings of US allies in Iraq and Syria – and there have been massive protests of the government’s sweeping crackdown on all forms of dissent following a July 2016 coup attempt to unseat Erdogan. Over 100,000 people have been fired or suspended from work, and over 37,000 have been arrested – including journalists, academics, judges, prosecutors, military officials, prison guards, police officers, and civil servants.

And just last month, Erdogan narrowly won a hotly contested referendum, concentrating his power through an “executive presidency.” All executive and administrative authority will effectively transfer to the Turkish President, and the position of Prime Minister will be eliminated after 2019. Furthermore, Erdogan will be able to directly appoint top public officials, has the power to directly intervene in the judiciary, and gets to decide when the country is in a state of emergency. Despite winning the referendum, Turkey’s largest cities – Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir all voted no to the changes, resulting in country-wide protests.

In other words, Erdogan sent his goons throughout Turkey to purge and silence any and all who oppose him. The equivalent in the United States would be Trump immediately firing and /or arresting most MSM journalists, the majority of teachers, that pussyhat judge, Rosie O’Donnell, and anyone wearing Crocs. Antifa thugs would be professionally steamrolled by militarized police led by based stick man. Facebook and Twitter would become govt. entities, and Hollywood would be run by Mark Burnett while Bill Nye identifies as whatever gender his cellmate wants him to.

For a much deeper look into the current situation in Turkey, here’s a great look into Erdogan’s current footing in international affairs.

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Chaffetz Demands Comey Memo – “I Have My Subpoena Pen Ready”

Tue May 16, 2017 9:42pm EST 2

Hours after a New York Times report alleging President Trump asked former FBI Director James Comey to kill the investigation into National Security Advisor Mike Flynn, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) fired off a letter demanding the FBI turn over all “memoranda, notes, summaries, and recordings” between James Comey and the President. Chaffetz, Chairman of the House Oversight Committee who announced his sudden retirement from politics in April to spend more time with family, had this to say:

“According to the report, “Mr. Comey created similar memos — including some that are classified — about every phone call and meeting he had with the president.”

“So the Committee can consider that question, and others, provide, no later than May 24 2017, all memoranda, notes, summaries, and recordings referring or relating to any communications between Comey and the President.

Chaffetz later tweeted “I have my subpoena pen ready.”

‘Family Man’ Chaffetz told NBC news that if in fact the memo exists, and is true, “that seems like an extraordinary use of influence to try to shut down an investigation being done by the FBI.”

Journalist and Attorney Glenn Greenwald noted the very direct language used in the letter:

The FBI has 8 days to comply. Tick tock…

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SHOOK: Dow Futures Down Over 100 Points On Impeachment Talk And Russia Intel Controversy

Tue May 16, 2017 8:33pm EST 5

The last week has been nothing short of shock-n-awe out of Washington D.C. since the May 9th firing of former FBI Director James Comey – officially for mishandling the Clinton email investigation during the elections. Democrats, who hated the former FBI director 6 months ago, contend Comey was fired to stifle the Russia investigation – while Trump asserts Comey assured him 3 times that he wasn’t part of it. Trump animatedly repeated this to Lester Holt on May 11th.

Fast forward to the past 24 hours; a bombshell story from Fox5 D.C. on Seth Rich was followed just over an hour later by a story from the Washington Post claiming Trump shared classified Israeli intelligence with the Russians – news which was immediately disseminated throughout the MSM .

With the brand new “classified intel” story simmering throughout the MSM, the NYT reported yet another blockbuster today;

Unnamed “sources” allege that James Comey wrote a letter in February stating that Trump asked him to kill the investigation into former National Security Director Mike Flynn.

As both the classified intel story and Comey’s alleged letter began making waves, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked Senator Angus King (I-ME) if we are getting close to the possibility of impeachment, to which King responded yes.

Futures aren’t happy!

As today’s talk of impeachment ramped into the evening, Dow futures wilted – off over 100 points and holding as of this writing.

 

 

Google search for the phrase impeachment:


7 day chart

Dow Futures:

Looks like our old friend volatility may be back

If so, Fly’s post from Sunday is all the more prescient.

With all of the ‘two scoops’ business bogging down the Trump administration, rumors swirling about him going postal on his entire staff, there is a very real threat to all of his economic stimulus program suggestions. As such, you should head into this week’s trade with EXTREME caution.

My models suggest waiting out until Friday, to see if the broader indices outperform risk off assets.

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BOMBSHELL: Seth Rich Was In Contact With Wikileaks Says Former DC Homicide Detective

Mon May 15, 2017 11:08pm EST 32

It’s been close to a year since Seth Rich, the 27 year old computer expert who worked for the DNC, was murdered – shot twice in the back without anything of value taken from him.  Rich was found alive and in shock before he bled out – his death ruled nothing more than a botched robbery.

Many suspect Rich was the source of the leaked DNC emails provided to WikiLeaks – a rumor which was fueled by the odd circumstances surrounding his death, the sudden retirement of D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier five weeks after the murder, and an email John Podesta sent to Hillary’s inner circle about making an example of a suspected leaker.

In the aftermath of the shooting, the Rich family hired a private investigator – Rich Wheeler, a former D.C. homicide detective who says evidence on Seth Rich’s laptop suggests that he was in contact with WikiLeaks prior to his death.

Furthermore, Wheeler believes there has been a cover-up

“The police department nor the FBI have been forthcoming,” said Wheeler. “They haven’t been cooperating at all. I believe that the answer to solving his death lies on that computer, which I believe is either at the police department or either at the FBI. I have been told both.”

When we asked Wheeler if his sources have told him there is information that links Rich to Wikileaks, he said, “Absolutely. Yeah. That’s confirmed.”

“I have a source inside the police department that has looked at me straight in the eye and said, ‘Rod, we were told to stand down on this case and I can’t share any information with you.’ –Fox5

So a former D.C. homicide detective, hired by the Rich family, was told directly by a source within the police force that they were told to stand down.

That sounds like a cover-up…

It also destroys the Russian hack narrative…

Furthermore, Wheeler said there’s more to come:

I don’t think it comes from the chief’s office, but I do believe there is a correlation between the mayor’s office and the DNC and that is the information that will come out [Tuesday].

Assange

Let’s not forget Julian Assange heavily implied that Seth Rich was the leaker, and Wikileaks offered a $130,000 reward for information leading to the murderer of Seth Rich:

Tying together with Dr. Pie’s narrative

Right before the election Dr. Steve Pieczenik – ex deputy Sec. of State under Kissinger – told the world that the Wikileaks releases were part of a ‘counter-coup’ in which elements within the US Intelligence community decided Hillary Clinton and the globalist cabal she represented couldn’t be allowed to reach the Oval Office. Inside sources – not Russia, gave the DNC / Podesta / Hillary emails to Wikileaks to be exposed to the world.

How Wikileaks changed the course of history

When the Wikileaks were released, there was a massive crowd-sourced effort on 4chan and Reddit to connect the rapidly unfolding dots within tens of thousands of emails.

There was no table of contents or any other guide. Instead, these were raw – DKIM verified emails, which would take nothing short of a massive crowd-sourced effort to process and decipher. Within days however, dots were rapidly being connected across various message boards – mostly 4chan and Reddit’s “The_Donald”. New discoveries reached massive audiences through digital megaphones provided by social media giants Twitter and Facebook, and eventually made it into the mainstream.

The results of the online efforts were staggering, as the world witnessed revelations of “Pay for Play” by Clinton Foundation donors who funded ISIS, the DNC cheating against Bernie Sanders, MSM collusion with the Clinton campaign, Hillary’s dreams of open borders, “unaware and compliant” citizens, #SpiritCooking, Wet Works, and evidence of Aliens and Zero Point Energy – or a completely insane Edgar Mitchell (15052).

Back to detective Wheeler and Seth Rich

If Seth Rich was in fact one of Wikileaks’ sources, it’s far less of a stretch to conclude that he was murdered. Moreover, what’s left of the Russian hacking narrative is now – in my opinion, absolutely moot. This is going to get very interesting…

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UPDATE: HP Issues Patch For Factory Installed Keylogger

Mon May 15, 2017 5:09pm EST 2

HP has issued a patch for the recently reported keylogger installed on various laptops, after Swiss security firm Modzero reported the software last Thursday in the Conexant HD audio driver package found on dozens of HP laptop models.

The driver stored every keystroke in an unencrypted text file on the user’s hard drive, which included passwords, visited websites, and any other sensitive information – all vulnerable to malware or anyone with local access.

In a statement, the company said “HP is committed to the security and privacy of its customers and we are aware of the keylogger issue on select HP PCs. HP has no access to customer data as a result of this issue”

In an after-hours call Thursday, HP vice president Mike Nash said the keylogger was mistakenly added to the driver’s production code and was not meant to be rolled out to end users. The patch is now available on Windows Update and HP.com for affected models.

The keylogger was scheduled to start automatically upon boot, with it’s stated function to detect user input so it could react to shortcut functions such as microphone mute/unmute. The application then logged each keystroke in a text file, which was overwritten upon the next login.

Wither an innocent mistake or something more nefarious, it’s disconcerting to think that a pre-installed factory program would log keystrokes and store them in an unencrypted local file. Good thing there are security firms like Modzero who are actively hunting for such vulnerabilities…

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Former Trump Employees Claim 30 Years Of Covert Taping – Once Even Used In Lawsuit

Sun May 14, 2017 2:31am EST 18

Three former employees of Donald Trump claim to have personally witnessed him recording phone calls at Trump Tower in New York, and a fourth person said a recording of him was entered into evidence in a lawsuit – the Wall St. Journal reports.

Mr. Trump sometimes taped phone conversations with associates and others from his Trump Tower office in New York, according to three people who say they have direct knowledge of the recordings.

Mr. Trump had one or more recording devices that he used to tape his phone calls from his office, the three people said. All are former high-level employees who worked for Mr. Trump over a span of three decades. They said they saw devices in use recording phone calls.

One employee claims Trump recorded ‘virtually everything’

“He recorded virtually everything in the office,” one former high-level Trump Organization employee said. “I know many of my conversations when I called him were recorded before and after I was working there.

The new claims come on the heels of a Friday Tweet from the President suggesting former FBI Director James Comey better check himself before he further wrecks himself.

Hours later, Comey announced he wouldn’t be testifying before a closed session of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

“It is our hope in the not-too-distant future that we can find a time for [Comey] to come in and talk to our Committee” -Vice Chairman Mark Werner (D-VA)

Thursday evening, the President made waves in an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt when he said that Comey requested a dinner in which he asked to keep his job as FBI Director, and allegedly told the President that he wasn’t under investigation:

It is unclear whether Trump’s tweet the next day about ‘tapes’ was in reference to the dinner with Comey or other conversations with the former FBI director.

Trump’s attorney responds

According to the WSJ, Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen said he wasn’t aware of any such recording devices;

“In the decade that I worked for Mr. Trump, I have never seen a recording device attached to his phone, nor am I aware of any occasion where he taped a conversation.”

During a Friday briefing with the press, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer did not comment on whether or not the President had made recordings featuring the former FBI Director, or whether the President records conversations at the White House.

If true, is it legal?

Recording a conversation in New York or Washington isn’t illegal as long as at least one party knows it’s happening. Florida, where Trump spends a lot of time at his mar-a-lago resort, requires all parties to consent to being taped unless it’s in public.

Democrats flip out over tweet, Wikileaks makes a friendly offer

In response to Trump’s Friday morning tweet, congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) shot off a harshly worded letter to Trump’s attorney seeking answers about the suspected recording.

Trump’s past recordings

During a 1989 lawsuit against Trump’s Atlantic City casino, the owners of the Sands, Pratt Hotel Corp, sued the Trump organization for interfering with their attempts to buy a construction project near Trump Plaza Casino. In court, Trump’s legal team presented a recording Trump had made of a conversation between himself and the president of Pratt, William Weidner – in order to show that Weidner had lied on the stand.

In another incident during the 2016 presidential campaign a reporter for the WSJ sat down with Mr. Trump for an interview, informing him that he planned to tape – to which Trump replied he would be taping as well. Trump then slid a newspaper across his desk with a smartphone underneath, presumably recording.

Indeed, it appears that former FBI Director James Comey should watch what he says – perhaps explaining his refusal to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee next week.

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Indian IT Job Market Crashing – Poor Growth, Automation and Trump’s ‘America 1st’ Blamed

Sat May 13, 2017 8:35pm EST 7

Reports are rolling in that the Indian IT industry is undergoing one of the largest cuts ever experienced, with the number of layoffs in 2017 expected to double that of 2016. Automation, inadequate growth, rising costs, and US President Trump’s ‘America 1st’ nationalist agenda are cited as reasons for the mass layoffs of more than 56,000 engineers.

As a result of Trump’s new policies, many IT companies are in the process of hiring US citizens and asking Indian H-1B Visa holders to return back to India. According to Livemint, Infosys has announced plans to hire 10,000 US citizens over the next two years and Wipro has already hired over 2,800 US citizens in the past 18 months. –India Today

Heavy cuts are expected at seven of the largest IT firms opreating in India, including Cognizant ($CTSH), Mahindra, Snapdeal, and Infosys, as well as DXC Techonlogy, Aircel, and Wipro.

AI and Automation

After experiencing rapid growth throughout the 2000’s, Indian IT companies have come under pressure in recent years. Cost cutting measures have included automation – as AI has been increasingly supplanting human beings for menial tasks. In a study by HfS Research, large-scale automation of non-customer facing positions (back office / IT / processing) will threaten around 640,000 low skilled jobs in India by 2021.

No Outlook

For the first time in 25 years, Indian IT industry public policy makers Nasscom declined to issue a growth projection for 2017-18, citing economic and regulatory uncertainty in the US and around the world.

“We have nothing new at this point to add but given the huge set of uncertainties, whether in terms of macro economic outlook or some of the currency fluctuations or political volatility with the new government in the US, discretionary spending by BFSI clients have also not gone up,” -R Chandrashekhar, president, Nasscom.

Nasscom has sought to allay fears over this decision by stating the Indian IT industry is simply undergoing a ‘realignment,’ and claims that the industry is a ‘net hirer.’

I’m not buying it.

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Trump Trolls Comey With ‘Tapes’ Tweet, Dems Trip, Wikileaks Welcomes

Fri May 12, 2017 3:11pm EST 14

President Trump fired off a tweet in the wee hours of Friday morning suggesting fired FBI Director James Comey better watch his mouth before ‘leaking to the press.’

The MSM immediately got to work construing Trump’s Nixonian tweet as a threat, which White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer dispelled during an afternoon briefing, adding “The President has nothing further to say on that.”

Some have suggested that Trump’s firing of Comey compares to Watergate, in which President Richard Nixon removed the special prosecutor investigating the scandal, and it was revealed that Nixon taped private conversations in the White House.

Reeeeeee!

In response to Trump’s Tweet, congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) shot off a harshly worded letter to Trump’s attorney seeking answers about the suspected recording.

 

Wikileaks has offered to help with a tongue-in-cheek offer:

If tapes of Comey and Trump do exist, Trump needs to leak them pronto. Not only would they quash what remains of the Russia investigation, Ratings would be YUGE!

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