Wednesday, May 25, 2016

5-25-16 Expert Guests for Your Show

1. Lowell Ponte: Union Workers May Lose More than Half of Their Pensions
2. Crista Huff: USITC Report Portrays Lackluster TPP Economic Benefits
3. Michelle Seiler-Tucker: Did Uber Try to Change the World Too Fast?
4. Daniel Greenfield: The Muslim World is a Permanent Refugee Crisis
5. Michael Stumo: U.S. Trade Rep’s Parallel Universe
6. Rabbi Ganz: How to Fix Our Broken Immigration System... Permanently


Union Workers May Lose More than Half of Their Pensions

407,000 workers – mostly unionized Teamster truck drivers and retirees – learned days ago from the Central States Pension Fund director Thomas Nyhan, that the pensions they were depending on may be cut to “virtually nothing.” Bleeding $2 billion a year that it cannot replace, this fund proposed to the government that it could remain solvent by slashing pension payments by a retirement-crushing 60 percent. The U.S. Treasury’s response: No. Even cutting pensions by 60 percent would not be enough to keep this underfunded fund going for much longer. The cuts must be far deeper, or the cost to workers must be much higher. [more...]


USITC Report Portrays Lackluster TPP Economic Benefits

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) issued its long-awaited report on the potential outcome of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement on May 18, 2016. The report shows the TPP potentially resulting in “small gains in U.S. gross domestic product and a very slight uptick in employment over the 30-year implementation period of the deal.” Here are some of the report’s projected economic results of the TPP... [more...]


Did Uber Try to Change the World Too Fast?

What do the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and the Teamsters all have in common? They all want to represent Uber drivers in a burgeoning Uber Driver union bid. Uber, the ridesharing startup which revolutionized the way people move through cities, may have tried to change the world just a little too much. Uber’s drivers are not employees, but rather independent contractors. This allows Uber to keep costs low and grants drivers the flexibility to work when they want. Some drivers, however, want benefits and bargaining power; and this is why the Machinists, Electrical Workers, and Teamsters have joined forces with Uber drivers. [more...]


The Muslim World is a Permanent Refugee Crisis

Forget the Syrian Civil War for a moment. Even without the Sunnis and Shiites competing to give each other machete haircuts every sunny morning, there would still be a permanent Muslim refugee crisis. The vast majority of civil wars over the last ten years have taken place in Muslim countries. Muslim countries are also some of the poorest in the world. And Muslim countries also have high birth rates. Combine violence and poverty with a population boom and you get a permanent migration crisis. No matter what happens in Syria or Libya next year, that permanent migration crisis isn’t going away. [more...]


U.S. Trade Rep’s Parallel Universe
By Michael Stumo, CEO of Coalition for a Prosperous America

I listened to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership yesterday on a business group conference call, after the U.S. International Trade Commission report came out. Despite the fact that the report nullified Froman's entire economic case for the TPP, you would never know it from his talk. Froman created a parallel universe which was enabled by the Business Forward group sponsoring the call. The U.S. International Trade Commission report on May 18 should crush the case for the TPP. The report shows worsening trade deficits and basically no growth or job creation which CPA outlined here. In addition, manufacturing will shrink and lose employment. [more...]


How to Fix Our Broken Immigration System... Permanently

Number 1: DON’T build a security fence along the U.S.-Mexico border. It would likely cost hundreds of billions if not trillions and take years to complete. And walls don’t work. Ask Israel. Despite being well armed and technically advanced, they cannot stop Hamas terrorists in Gaza from tunneling under the few miles of border they share. With billions to be made from smuggling drugs and illegals, the many tunnels under the 2,000-mile wall would quickly turn our very expensive barrier into a very sad joke. [more...]

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

5-24-16 Excellent Guests for Your Show

1. James Hirsen: Zuckerberg Meeting Damages Facebook Brand
2. Wayne Allyn Root: Why Hillary is Sinking Faster than the Titanic
3. Daniel R. Joseph: 500% Steel Tariffs and the “Economic War” With China
4. Dr. Gerard Lameiro: Are Trump’s Supreme Court Picks Conservative?
5. George Lombardi: Trump, The Military and Vets
6. Lowell Ponte: Baltimore Trials of Police Officers are “Progressive Human Sacrifices”
7. John LeBoutillier: Could the Hillary-Bernie Split Cost the Dems the White House?


Zuckerberg Meeting Damages Facebook Brand

Mark Zuckerberg just made a bad problem worse. The Facebook founder recently held a public relations-oriented meeting with some of the nation’s leading conservative figures to address the bias that was revealed in the social media site’s Trending Topics section. The brand that Zuckerberg has carefully cultivated over the years for the social media platform is one in which content is provided by users themselves, without interference from gatekeepers. Although public relations in the form of damage control seemed to be at the heart of the right-of-center get-together, Zuckerberg nonetheless harmed his brand with the meeting’s very premise. The site’s brand is closely associated with being an unfiltered platform that encourages individuals to communicate and share information with one another. At the center of the Facebook universe is, after all, the individual user. Or at least this is how it is supposed to be. [more...]


Why Hillary is Sinking Faster than the Titanic

I’ve predicted publicly for a year now that Hillary Clinton, although a prohibitive favorite, still may never become the Democratic Party’s nominee. Don’t look now, but at this moment Hillary is still far from a sure thing to become the Democratic standard-bearer. This week, she lost Oregon and barely squeaked by in Kentucky. Bernie has now won 11 of the last 14 primaries and caucuses. Call me crazy, but don't presumptive nominees usually win about 80 percent of their races? This has to be the first time in history the leader of her party has lost 80 percent of them. I'm not sure you call someone like that a "leader" or "nominee." Usually you call someone like that..."loser!" [more...]


500% Steel Tariffs and the “Economic War” With China

“The Chinese government is a company disguised as a country and they are waging economic war on the United States.” This statement, by American Iron & Steel Institute Chairman John Ferriola, would certainly make sense to many Donald Trump supporters, many of whom agree with Mr. Trump that China is “raping” the U.S. relative to trade.  The decision last week by the Commerce Department to slap a 522% tariff on imports of Chinese cold-rolled flat steel would certainly lend credence to that point of view.  Before those who would like to see us “fight back” against China get too carried away, perhaps we should put this recent development into perspective.  [more...]


Are Trump’s Supreme Court Picks Conservative?

Last week, Trump’s Supreme Court picks list was made public. Altogether, Trump selected six Federal Appeals Court judges and five State Supreme Court judges for his list. Trump indicated that he might consider additional judges in the future to include on his current list.  He assured they would follow the same philosophy as those currently on the list. The question conservative voters, the media and others are asking is simple: “Are Trump’s Supreme Court picks conservative, progressive, or both?  Let’s look at these potential Supreme Court justices in more detail... [Go here for a complete analysis...]


Trump, The Military and Vets
By George Lombardi [Friend of Donald Trump]

This coming Memorial Day in Washington, D.C., hundreds of thousands will gather, including tens of thousands of a group called Bikers for Trump. In just about every speech he made from the beginning of his campaign, Mr. Trump has always acknowledged the men and women that served or are serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. It is no secret that Mr. Trump favors a strong military and that he personally supported many veteran charities. In a recent speech in Washington, D.C., Mr. Trump said, “My foreign policy will always put the interests of the American people and American security above all else. It has to be first. Has to be. That will be the foundation of every single decision that I will make.” [more...]


Baltimore Trials of Police Officers are “Progressive Human Sacrifices”

This week, Baltimore protesters began to gather again as the second of six police officers charged following the death of heroin addict and drug pusher Freddie Gray was found not guilty of all four charges against him. The Progressive politicians in Baltimore have offered four police officers to the mob as human sacrifices in what some legal experts call a Stalinist show trial. Edward Nero, the bicycle cop acquitted this week, was charged with the ‘crime’ of chasing down Gray after this urban terrorist who used chemical warfare to poison Maryland’s children ran when the officer looked at him. Freddie Gray, the mob martyr, reportedly had a rap sheet of 17 charges and was not unknown to police. Yet prosecutors charged Nero with a ‘crime’ for arresting Gray because he had no ‘probable cause’ to do so, even after finding a Baltimore-illegal knife in Gray’s possession. [more...]


Could the Hillary-Bernie Split Cost the Dems the White House?

Why can’t Hillary put Bernie away? Can the Democrats ever heal this rift? Could it cost them the White House? As for Trump, are his recent changes real or cosmetic? Can Trump win over unhappy Bernie voters? This – and much more – will be discussed by the POLITICAL INSIDERS – live - on Fox News Channel this Sunday evening – at 7:30 PM ET. [more...]

Thursday, May 19, 2016

The Day the TPP Died

By Michael Stumo
 
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) Commissioners and staff created their recent report: “Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement: Likely Impact on the U.S. Economy and on Specific Industry Sectors” and found that U.S. trade performance will worsen under the TPP overall and for the majority of sectors analyzed, including services. The Commission’s report should be viewed as the most optimistic result possible from the TPP if everything goes right.
 
However, TPP countries do game the system with modern mercantilist tactics by, for example, replacing tariff cuts with value added tax hikes, which Japan is engaging in now. Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore also use comprehensive and strategic industrial policies that benefit national champion, state-influenced or state-owned companies so they can win the global competition for jobs and growth. While the report is nearly 800 pages, the following core facts in the report are important in this “most optimistic possible” scenario... [more...]

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

5-18-16 Great Guests for Your Show

1. Michelle Seiler-Tucker: The Millennial Problem
2. Daniel Greenfield: Only Islam Can Save Us from Islam
3. Michael Stumo: Trade Deficit with Korea Increased Due to Advanced Technology Products
4. Dr. Gerard Lameiro: Who’s Ahead in the Trump-Clinton Race?
5. John LeBoutillier: Is Hillary in More Legal and Political Trouble Than We Know?


The Millennial Problem

Millennials are America’s biggest generation and, like it or not, they’re going to change the world. The question is, will this change be for the better? According to a new Gallup poll, Gen X and Baby Boomers must change along with these millennials to make sure the future goes well.  Gallup recently released an extensive study detailing how Millennials function in the workforce. Not surprisingly, millennials are a very different breed of employee. One of the most notable pieces of data is workforce engagement. Whiles it’s no secret millennials are the least employed generation, 55% percent are unengaged at work. This number is astonishing! Combined with the 16% who actively disengage at work, a meager 29% of millennials are actually engaged in their job.  This number is lower than any other generation. [more...]


Only Islam Can Save Us from Islam

At Rutgers, Obama claimed that restricting Muslim immigration “would alienate the very communities at home and abroad who are our most important partners in the fight against violent extremism.” If we alienate Muslims, who is going to help us fight Muslim terrorism? You can see why Obama doesn’t mention Islamic terrorism in any way, shape or form. Once you drop the “I” word, then the argument is that you need Islam to fight Islam... and Muslims to fight Muslims. [more...]


Trade Deficit with Korea Increased Due to Advanced Technology Products
By Michael Stumo, CEO of Coalition for a Prosperous America

This drastic increase in the advanced technology deficit is proof that our trade agenda is harming the economy rather than helping it. A successful producing and trading nation should move towards more advanced manufacturing in relation to primary manufacturing. We are going backwards along this development path as America’s advanced manufacturing clusters are offshored or displaced by trade rival countries with superior trade and competitiveness strategies. [more...]


Who’s Ahead in the Trump-Clinton Race?

In the Trump-Clinton race this week, Trump has moved ahead by 2 points according to an NBC News / Survey Monkey Weekly Tracking Poll. According to this national tracking poll, conducted online among about 14,000 adults (about 12,500 registered to vote), Clinton holds the edge over Trump with 48% to 45%.  This is down from the previous week’s numbers, 49% to 46%.  The error estimate for this particular poll is +/- 1.2%.  It is nearly a statistical tie with the momentum currently going to Trump. This means the Trump-Clinton gap has moved from 5% to just 3% in only one week. [Go here for a complete analysis...]


Is Hillary in More Legal and Political Trouble Than We Know?

The FBI Primary and the suddenly missing e-mails: can this lose the election for Hillary? Is she in more legal and political trouble than most people realize? Is Trump going to change the GOP – or be changed by the GOP? Are his recent pivots helping or hurting him? This – and much more – will be discussed by the POLITICAL INSIDERS – live - on Fox News Channel this Sunday evening – at 7:30 PM ET. [more...]

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

5-17-16 Excellent Guests for Your Show

1. Rabbi Ganz: Two Secularists Who Don’t Know the Bible
2. Lowell Ponte: Could Bill Clinton Revive Our Sick Economy?
3. Wayne Allyn Root on Bill Maher May 27th with Bernie Sanders
4. Daniel R. Joseph: Trump vs. China - Round 1
5. James Hirsen: Clooney vs. Trump
6. Joe Messina: Obama’s Political Bathroom Movement
7. George Lombardi: Trump’s Outlook for the Far East


Two Secularists Who Don’t Know the Bible

Winston Churchill once said that the viability, the vitality, and the achievements of Western Civilization have, as their cornerstone, the Judeo-Christian ethical system which is founded on the moral principles of the Bible. Over the last 50 years there has been a steady erosion of this foundation. What has happened in the current election is that a society that, as a group, strayed from traditional Judeo-Christian morality in so many different ways expressed itself in the choice of the two presumptive nominees. We got what we deserve. We got what we are. Hopefully, the American public will somehow be inspired to reconnect to their traditional values. Should that happen, what we are and who we therefore elect will be very different. [more sensible guidelines to the ideal campaign...]


Could Bill Clinton Revive Our Sick Economy?

In the Clinton cosmology, they took office during the biggest budget deficit in history ($290 Billion), immediately reneged on a promised tax cut and imposed instead a retroactive huge tax increase, and left office eight years later with a budget surplus of $127 billion after creating 22.5 million new jobs. Hillary, after eight years of Barack Obamalaise of economic stagnation, has decided to win by evoking the Clinton mythology that she and Bill ruled over an economic Camelot of prosperity that another Clinton presidency could re-create. This fantasy, however, omits many inconvenient facts that we need to remember. We need to wake up and, again, smell the Clintons. In 1992, the Clintons had little need to revive the economy. By election day the economy had mostly revived itself and was again growing strongly. The Clinton-backing liberal media, however, concealed this and endlessly echoed the false propaganda about how bad things still were under President Bush. [more...]


Root on Bill Maher May 27th with Bernie Sanders

Donald Trump supporter Wayne Allyn Root doesn’t care if Trump masqueraded as his own publicist in a 1991 telephone interview. Root says he’s done it himself “and it worked out pretty good for me.” Root, who joins Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Bill Maher’s HBO show “Real Time” on May 27, said he often posed as his own agent and publicist. That was back in 1985-88, he said, when he was trying to become a TV anchorman. “I called every TV station in the country as Doug Miller (my best friend and mentor) representing Wayne Root. Eventually after a few thousand rejections I landed a few great interviews for ‘my client.’ I landed the job as lead anchorman for CNBC (then called FNN - Financial News Network).” [more...]


Trump vs. China - Round 1

According to Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, the dangerous faults which may affect a general include the following: 1) recklessness, which leads to destruction; 2) a hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults; and 3) a delicacy of honor which is sensitive to shame.  It’s almost as if the Chinese have been waiting two thousand years for Donald Trump to show up. Sun Tzu also says that “If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him.”  If Trump wins the White House, should we expect the first cross-border “irritation campaign” in history? Donald Trump is tooting his own horn as a skilled negotiator, particularly relating to China.  This is interesting because the Chinese are widely considered to be black-belt negotiators as well.  If it happens, it should be a fascinating match up. [more...]


Clooney vs. Trump

While Clooney was attending the Cannes Film Festival he was asked whether his new film “Money Monster” depicted a future under a Trump administration. “Let’s start much simpler,” Clooney replied. “There’s not going to be a President Donald Trump. It’s not going to happen because fear is not going to be something that drives our country. We’re not going to be scared of Muslims or immigrants or women. We’re not actually afraid of anything, so we are not going to use fear. It’s not going to be an issue,” he added. Clooney claimed that Trump has been successful because the media have not been diligent enough in their interrogations of the now-presumptive GOP presidential nominee. [more...]


Obama’s Political Bathroom Movement

Last week Mr. Obama decided that he was going to make it plain and order ALL public schools to open up all bathrooms to transgenders. With all that is going on in the world and across America, THIS is the issue at the top of the list? Less than 1% of the population identifies as transgender. We are losing hundreds of veterans every year because they can’t get in to see a doctor and he signs a transgender order? Why doesn’t he make it for private schools, private colleges... heck, make it for all government restrooms in every state? Why? Because it’s a political move... you know, like Benghazi. He figures there are enough Americans on his side on this one and that any opposition from Republicans will kill them in their respective races. [more...]


Trump’s Outlook for the Far East
By George Lombardi [Friend of Donald Trump]

“’America first’ is a timeless principle. My foreign policy will always put the interests of the American people and American security above all else. It has to be first.” This is clearly the core of Mr. Trump’s policy concerning U.S. foreign relations. The way we should interpret it is not in an isolationist manner, as some of his critics like to paint it, but as a basic principle that reflects the core of most, if not all, nations on earth. Even those few nations like China and Russia that seem to foster globalization and the breakdown of national barriers are really promoting their own nationalistic agenda. And their fake globalization principles only favor their own interests. The European Union may be relatively sincere in its desire to break down barriers and open its borders and its economy to all comers; and we all see the disastrous results of this foolish policy. Trump says: “Our foreign policy is a complete and total disaster. No vision. No purpose. No direction. No strategy.” I want to identify five main weaknesses in our foreign policy. [more...]

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

5-11-16 Great Guests for Your Show

1. Michelle Seiler-Tucker: A Bold Prediction
2. Lowell Ponte: Is Our Economy Causing the Obesity Epidemic?
3. George Lombardi: Trump’s VP Pick
4. Daniel Greenfield: "Allahu Akbar" Shouting Muslim Stabs 4, Germany Blames Mental Illness
5. Michael Stumo: Hillary’s Anti-TPP Response Omits Trade Deficit Mention


A Bold Prediction

I’ve been saying it since Trump announced his candidacy in June last year, Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States. For close to a year, pundits have been saying Trump can’t win; they said his campaign would fizzle out. At every turn, Trump proved the establishment wrong. He knew he had a silent majority that would show up for primaries, and he was right. State by state, Trump consistently beat the polls. Looking towards the general election, I bet we will see this sort of success repeated. One way or another, in just under six months, America will know its next president, and right now Trump is closer than anyone else. [more...]


Is Our Economy Causing the Obesity Epidemic?

Feeling hungry? In one European country, this now entitles you to steal food from the local supermarket. An Italian court on May 2nd set a dangerous precedent by ruling that a person’s “need” in the form of “hunger” gives him or her the right to steal the property of others. Western civilization was built on property rights, but these and other rights are rapidly being destroyed by court rulings, government regulations, executive orders, political social engineering, Nanny state-ism, and the deliberate debasement of our money. Get ready for this Italian legal ruling to be echoed soon by American courts. [more...]


Trump’s VP Pick
By George Lombardi [Friend of Donald Trump]

Trump announced that Ben Carson would be in charge of the selection committee that would recommend the most qualified person to be Vice President. Trump said repeatedly that he wants an experienced politician who can help him with Congress, and that narrows it down. But it is by studying Trump’s personality and previous choices that we can get a better picture of the section process. As many who have watched the TV show “The Apprentice” know well, Trump usually chooses (and fires) by results and by loyalty to the team. He values dedication, smarts, and loyalty above all. [more...]


"Allahu Akbar" Shouting Muslim Stabs 4, Germany Blames Mental Illness

There are (as we all know) no Muslim terrorists. Instead there are terrorists who happen to be Muslim who "misunderstood" their religion. This misunderstanding often occurs due to mental illness. How do we know they're mentally ill? They keep shouting “Allahu Akbar” while murdering people even though everyone knows that Islam is a religion of peace. So the only explanation for why Muslims keep misunderstanding their own religion for 1,400 years is some sort of mental illness. Call it Islamophilia. [more...]


Hillary’s Anti-TPP Response Omits Trade Deficit Mention
By Michael Stumo, CEO of Coalition for a Prosperous America

Hillary Clinton responded this week to a candidate questionnaire from the Oregon Fair Trade Campaign (OFTC) on international trade and trade deals. She reiterated her opposition to the TPP and to holding a vote in the lame duck session. Many folks, including Hillary's own supporters, do not trust her to stay firm against trade deals. Her past support for NAFTA and the South Korea agreement, both of which were economic debacles, is one reason for the distrust. [more...]

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

5-10-16 Expert Guests for Your Show

1. Dr. Gerard Lameiro: Will a Third Party Candidate Deny Both Trump and Clinton Needed 270 Electoral Votes?
2. Rabbi Ganz: The Ideal Presidential Campaign
3. Wayne Allyn Root: Republicans Need to Get Behind Trump
4. Daniel R. Joseph: Trump’s “Raping Us” Comment Keeps China in the Crosshairs
5. James Hirsen: Sanders Supporters May Gravitate Toward Trump
6. John LeBoutillier: What Will the Trump-Hillary Race Be All About - Substance or Will it Be a Political Battle Like Never Before?


Will a Third Party Candidate Deny Both Trump and Clinton Needed 270 Electoral Votes?

A third party candidate might prevent both Trump and Clinton from getting the 270 electoral votes necessary to win the 2016 presidential election by winning only about six states. What third party candidate scenarios are possible? Why are people considering them? What’s likely to happen next in this historic, critical and often tumultuous 2016 presidential election? [Go here for a complete analysis...]


The Ideal Presidential Campaign

As the 2016 U.S. presidential race continues on its lurid, nasty road, I find myself reflecting on the virulent, sickening process we Americans engage in to elect our leaders, and wondering if there could not possibly be a better way. Growing up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the elementary school I attended was small but vibrant. As a way of teaching the students about politics and civics, a student election was held every year. The campaign began around three weeks before Election Day in November. The school insisted that in order to run for office, a student had to be worthy of being a role model. The candidates were well-behaved kids who were also good students. Excluded from running were those with a history of unacceptable conduct who were frequently in trouble because of what they did and how they spoke. [more sensible guidelines to the ideal campaign...]


Republicans Need to Get Behind Trump

I keep hearing Ted Cruz conservatives dissing Donald Trump. I keep seeing the idiotic slogan #NeverTrump. I have a message for all of you: Stop your whining and childish hissy fits. Stop the distortions of Trump’s record. Of course Trump is better than Hillary. Of course all Republicans need to unite behind Trump. Of course he’s a conservative. I’ll prove it to you... [more...]


Trump’s “Raping Us” Comment Keeps China in the Crosshairs

“We can’t continue to allow China to rape our country.  That’s what they’re doing. It’s the greatest theft in the history of the world.”  For anyone who thought Donald Trump might soften his approach to China, think again.  Trump said this while campaigning in Indiana, right before crossing the primary finish line and firmly positioning himself as the Republican Party’s presumptive candidate.  China was a prominent theme during the Trump campaign and the comment in Indiana indicates that Trump is not likely to let up on China any time soon. [more...]


Sanders Supporters May Gravitate Toward Trump

The growing discontent with Hillary among those who “feel the Bern” foreshadows a serious problem that the Clinton campaign may have with Sanders supporters should she be named the Democratic nominee. Hillary is viewed as a bona fide member of the same political establishment that proponents of Sanders despise. Bernie has spotlighted Clinton’s ties to Wall Street donors both on the campaign trail and in media appearances, while he simultaneously exploits her severe credibility problems. Assuming that the Democratic convention holds a Hillary coronation, as is currently expected, many of those in the Sanders camp will be searching for voting alternatives, and the campaign of the presumptive GOP nominee would most certainly be happy to provide a new political home. [more...]


What Will the Trump-Hillary Race Be All About - Substance or Will it Be a Political Battle Like Never Before?

What will the Trump-Hillary general election be all about? What will the framework of the election be? How can the media pundits – who have been wrong for two years – now be listened to about the Trump-Hillary race? Is the FBI Primary over or could a politically damaging shoe still drop? This – and much more – will be discussed by the POLITICAL INSIDERS – live - on Fox News Channel this Sunday evening – at 7:30 PM ET. [more...]

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

5-4-16 Great Guests for Your Show

1. Michelle Seiler-Tucker: Halliburton to Pay Baker Hughes $3.5 Billion After Failed Merger
2. Daniel Greenfield: Trump Won Because He Was the Safe Choice
3. Michael Stumo: TPP Unlikely to Empower U.S. to Write Global Trade Rules 
4. Jeff Cox: Apple has been 'The Biggest Wealth Destroyer' for Investors


Halliburton to Pay Baker Hughes $3.5 Billion After Failed Merger

Halliburton, the oil services provider few look at fondly, paid rival firm Baker Hughes $3.5 billion in terminations fees after an attempted merger was shot down from every direction. Halliburton is the second largest such company, with Baker Hughes in third (first goes to industry giant Schlumberger). Once valued at $34.6 billion in 2014, this merger would now have only been worth $28 billion given the precipitous fall of oil over the last two years. The oil industry’s near collapse was a major factor leading to the scuttled deal. Halliburton and Baker Hughes both rely on oil company contracts; and, given that oil was, until recently, too expensive to pull out of the ground for many producers, their services saw little request. But the oil industry is slowly recovering. So what else killed this deal? Hint: the government. [more...]


Trump Won Because He Was the Safe Choice

Could it be that the same primary process that gave us McCain and Romney also gave us Trump? Yes. And for the same reasons. This campaign has been full of tilting at establishment windmills. The establishment makes for a convenient strawman, but the Republican Party of today, much like that of 1860, is neither an establishment nor a big tent. Instead, it's a bunch of opposing factions held together by a professional corps. Being strongly identified with one or more of those factions gets you a base of support, but also eventual defeat. That's why Seward never became the Republican nominee, instead a guy named Lincoln did. [more...]


TPP Unlikely to Empower U.S. to Write Global Trade Rules 
By Michael Stumo, CEO of Coalition for a Prosperous America

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement is unlikely to put the United States in a better position than countries like China to write and enforce the rules of the global economy. On Monday, President Barack Obama said in an op-ed piece published in the Washington Post that the TPP agreement would allow the United States - and not China - to write the trade rules for the world economy. The U.S. failed miserably to enforce WTO regulations and there is little reason to believe Washington will be able to write enforceable trade rules through TPP. [more...]


Apple has been 'The Biggest Wealth Destroyer' for Investors
By Jeff Cox - Finance Editor for CNBC.com

Investors managed to make it through a volatile April modestly ahead of the game, though individual returns were held back by one principal culprit: Apple. The tech giant was "the biggest wealth destroyer" for market participants during the month, according to Openfolio, a social networking platform that compares more than 65,000 shared portfolios within its community.  [more...]

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

5-3-16 Excellent Guests for Your Show

1. George Lombardi: Why Trump is the Best Choice to Bring GOOD Jobs to America
2. Lowell Ponte: Could Puerto Rico Be the First Falling Domino of Financial Doomsday?
3. Daniel R. Joseph: Could China Push the U.S. into Recession?
4. James Hirsen: D.C. - Entertainment Capital of the World
5. Dr. Gerard Lameiro: Will Kasich Assure Trump’s Nomination?
6. John LeBoutillier: This Week on Political Insiders


Why Trump is the Best Choice to Bring GOOD Jobs to America

Donald Trump is an entrepreneur, a businessman who has created jobs - good jobs - for decades. He has helped people create businesses and has built buildings, golf courses, parks and more where before there was just dirt. Trump understands how to create jobs and how to increase the worth of our land. The other politicians do not. Most rely only on government spending to produce cheap jobs, little opportunities, and spread misery and dependence. People are tired of paying outrageous taxes in order to keep a bloated government afloat. The great President Ronald Reagan said: “Taxation is forced labor; and if it goes beyond reasonable bounds, it is a yoke of oppression.” [more...]


Could Puerto Rico Be the First Falling Domino of Financial Doomsday?

On Sunday May 1, America's Caribbean Island Puerto Rico defaulted on a debt payment of $422 million. This island that Spanish explorers named “rich port,” Puerto Rico, is roughly the size of Connecticut and is home to 3.5 million U.S. citizens. How has it run up a staggering total debt of more than $72 billion, more than any U.S. state except New York and California? Puerto Rico has been turned into a cash-short poor port by U.S. economic manipulation along with welfare and government pension politics. The U.S. government built Puerto Rico's current economy on exotic tax breaks, especially for drugs. At one point, nine of America's 12 biggest drug companies had major facilities in Puerto Rico. [more...]


Could China Push the U.S. into Recession?

It seems like every time the Chinese stock market takes a big drop, so does ours.  When China reports particularly bad economic activity in a given month, hiring in the U.S. slows the next month. When the Chinese currency falls, analysts warn of the possible consequences of a currency war. It is not difficult to find news stories about all the capital that is fleeing China or predictions that China is on the verge of a financial crisis and/or economic collapse. With all the bad news coming out of China and the impact it seems to have on our economy, it is reasonable for Americans to wonder what exactly is happening with China’s economy and what impact is it likely to have on us.  I will try to explain the basics to the non-experts who don’t have time to track the details but want to know how worried they should be. [more...]


D.C. - Entertainment Capital of the World

Ever since the Obamas moved into the White House, the image and ambiance of Washington, D.C. has been transformed. Apart from the policies put forth by the president that have altered the national landscape, the nation’s capital has slowly turned into Hollywood East. It is not merely that the press has treated the First Family as if they were A-list movie stars, or that the president and his wife have appeared on more entertainment television programs than all of their predecessors combined, it is the manner in which Washington, D.C. has taken on the attributes of the entertainment capital of the world. [more...]


Will Kasich Assure Trump’s Nomination?

While John Kasich is largely being ignored by the media, will he inadvertently assure Trump’s nomination? According to a Public Policy Polling survey released this week, 49% of voters in John Kasich’s state of Ohio think it’s time for him to exit the race.  This is a big reversal from two months ago when 52% of Ohio voters thought he should stay in the race. Does it matter if Kasich stays in the race or not?  If he continues to stay in the race until the July convention, what is the impact on the Republican presidential nomination?  Does it favor Trump? Does it favor Cruz?  Does it matter at all? [Go here for a complete analysis...]


This Week on Political Insiders

On this week's POLITICAL INSIDERS, we discussed the importance of Indiana in the GOP race; Ted Cruz's myriad of moves; the current state of the Democrat race - including the FBI Primary; and the possible Trump-Hillary general election match-up. Watch the segments here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4. [more...]