morning
SAM643 and SAM727 USAF G5's ne from JBA across the pond-two high-level AC's from 99th Airlift Squad to Yerp
pf housekeeping
Nancy back to JBA last night
>>108693 pb
BOXER42 USAF C-40C arrived at JBA from San Francisco-landed a litle over 5 hours ago.
It's on the schedule to sign
3:00pm EST Joe signs into law his Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, H.R. 3684, the “Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act”; The President and The Vice President deliver remarks.
Then he gotta stay up for this
7:45pm EST Joe meets virtually with His Excellency Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China
https://factba.se/biden/calendar
BNP hires advisers to explore $15 billion Bank of the West sale
BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA) is working with advisers to assess a sale of its U.S. arm Bank of the West as it seeks to retreat from the American retail banking market after struggling to compete with larger and better capitalised rivals, sources told Reuters.
The French lender, which overtook British rival HSBC (HSBA.L) last year to become Europe's largest bank by assets, is looking to part ways with its California-based retail banking subsidiary in a deal that could value it at about $15 billion, three sources with knowledge of the matter said. JPMorgan (JPM.N) and Goldman Sachs (GS.N) are preparing the business for a sale and have been working closely with BNP to gauge interest from prospective bidders, the sources said. Discussions are still at an early stage and no deal is certain, they said. Shares in BNP jumped more than 4% after the Reuters story and were up 5.11% at 1151 GMT. JPMorgan was first to secure a mandate from BNP during the summer, one of the sources said, having recently represented Spain's BBVA (BBVA.MC) in the $11.6 billion sale of its U.S. operations to PNC Financial Services Group Inc (PNC.N) - a deal BNP hopes to replicate. BNP was not immediately available for comment. JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs declined to comment.
Bank of the West, with $99.2 billion of assets as of June 30, ranks as BNP's biggest business outside Europe. A sale would give Chief Executive Jean-Laurent Bonnafé cash to invest on the continent where the European Central Bank is urging the region's lenders to merge as they have lagged their U.S. and Chinese rivals in profitability and size since the 2008 financial crisis, the sources said. While centred on California, the 147-year old Bank of the West operates 531 branches, primarily in the U.S. West and Midwest. It was bought by BNP in 1979 and subsequently merged with its local subsidiary, the French Bank of California (FBC).
To secure a successful sale of the business, BNP would have to overcome a number of challenges, the sources noted. U.S. President Joe Biden has called for more scrutiny of bank mergers, while the departure of Randal Quarles as the Federal Reserve's vice chair for supervision and uncertainty over Jerome Powell's future as chair has cast doubt on banking consolidation. Dealmakers, who spoke with Reuters on condition of anonymity, said this leadership void has created an effective hold on the approval of large bank acquisitions by the Fed, making it difficult for bank boards to sanction new transactions.
https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/exclusive-bnp-hires-advisers-explore-15-bln-bank-west-sale-sources-2021-11-15/
Rittenhouse trial
https://youtu.be/mvhxYyKMew4
02-5001 USAFSOC C-32B ne from Eglin and on final for NAS Oceana
00-9001 USAFSOC C-32B sw from McGuire AFB heading to Richmond, VA
Elected in 1974, Democratic Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy to retire
Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the most senior member of the Senate, said Monday he will not seek reelection in 2022 to the seat he has held for eight terms.
Leahy, 81, said he and his wife, Marcelle, have concluded that “it is time to pass the torch to the next Vermonter who will carry on this work for our great state. It’s time to come home."
The announcement marks the end of a political era. First elected to the Senate in 1974, Leahy is the last of the so-called Watergate babies who were elected after President Richard Nixon’s resignation. During his nearly half-century in the Senate, Vermont shifted from one of the most solidly Republican states in the country to one of its most progressive.
That transition will be critical to Democrats who hope to maintain control of the Senate after next year’s midterm elections. With the chamber evenly divided, the party can’t afford to lose any of its current seats.
https://www.wamc.org/news/2021-11-15/elected-in-1974-democratic-vermont-sen-patrick-leahy-to-retire
should be two terms and out.
Would lean towards one given our current situation(s)
No exceptions.
India ignores U.S. sanctions risk, receives Russian S-400 missiles
Move comes as Delhi, Moscow prepare for annual summit in December.
Ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India for an annual summit with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi next month, Russia has begun supplying S-400 Triumf missile systems to India, giving a boost to New Delhi's air defense capabilities along its volatile borders with China and Pakistan.
The $5.43 billion deal to buy five surface-to-air missile systems for the Indian Air Force was concluded between India and Russia in 2018. The deliveries risk triggering U.S. sanctions against India under the 2017 "Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act" (CAATSA), which imposes economic penalties on countries that purchase Russian military hardware. The threat comes despite New Delhi's strong defense and strategic ties with Washington: The two countries make up half the Quad, which is widely seen as aimed at limiting China's influence in the Indo-Pacific. "The supplies of the S-400 air defense system to India have started and are proceeding on schedule," Dmitry Shugaev, director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, was quoted as saying by Russia's state-run news agency Sputnik on Sunday.
Delivery of the first S-400 missile system, which can engage aerial targets including aircraft, drones, and ballistic and cruise missiles within a range of 400 km, is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The system comprises the firing unit, the control system and the missile itself. "The S-400 [will help] India defend itself from any aerial threat that China and Pakistan pose to it," N.C. Bipindra, a New Delhi-based defense strategist and editor of the news portal Defence.Capital, told Nikkei Asia, pointing out that Beijing already has this missile system, and that now New Delhi has "a countermeasure." "India is matching capabilities with China in [regard to] the S-400, and has the upper hand against aerial threats from Pakistan, which does not have this missile system," Bipindra said.
India and China have been locked in a tense border standoff in eastern Ladakh along their disputed Himalayan border since May 2020. A clash in the Galwan Valley left 20 Indian soldiers dead in June last year, the first deadly clash between the nuclear-armed Asian neighbors in 45 years. In February, China acknowledged for the first time that four of its soldiers were also killed in that clash. India's ties with Pakistan, meanwhile, have frayed over the last several years as direct talks have stalled and tensions continue over the disputed region of Kashmir. The S-400 shipments to New Delhi come as Putin is expected to visit India next month for an annual meeting with Modi. The precise date of the summit has not been announced, but a range of agreements is expected in fields such as defense, trade and science and technology. The two countries are also expected to hold their first "two-plus-two" dialogue ahead of the summit, featuring the foreign and defense ministers of both nations. India has established a two-plus-two mechanism only with three other countries -- the U.S., Japan and Australia. The two-plus-two meeting with Russia will be the first outside the Quad. India, which has been buying military hardware from Russia for seven decades, is hoping to get a sanctions waiver from the U.S. for the S-400 deal.
In late October, U.S. senators and India Caucus co-chairs Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, and John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, sent a letter to President Biden asking him to exempt New Delhi from the CAATSA sanctions. "We strongly encourage you to grant a CAATSA waiver to India for its planned purchase of the S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile system," they wrote, adding that imposing sanctions could have "a deleterious effect on a strategic partnership with India, while at the same time, not achieve the intended purpose of deterring Russian arms." These efforts on Capitol Hill show that a key segment of U.S. policymakers and lawmakers favor such an exemption, Bipindra said. "Considering that India is a major defense partner of the U.S., it is quite possible Washington may not impose CAATSA sanctions on India, and may provide a waiver because of the fact that India is a very important nation in the Indo-Pacific region, where China is already threatening the U.S. supremacy," he added.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/India-ignores-U.S.-sanctions-risk-receives-Russian-S-400-missiles
C202 US Coast Guard G5 west from Reagan National depart
Space Force satellite jammers shut down enemy communications, temporarily
U.S. military officials and analysts have warned that China and Russia are building an arsenal of weapons designed to interfere with space-based capabilities of the United States.
The United States meanwhile is building its own capabilities to counter enemies’ space assets. Most of those systems are classified but the Space Force has made public its plans to deploy advanced electronic jammers to disrupt enemies’ satellite communications signals.
The new satellite jammer, called Counter-Communications Systems (CCS) Block 10.2, was developed by L3Harris under a $284 million Space Force contract. The company additionally won a $125 million contract last month to produce 16 CCS units for use at U.S. military bases stateside and for overseas deployments.
Ed Zoiss, president of L3Harris Space and Airborne Systems, said the CSS allows the military to “dominate the electromagnetic spectrum.” “Denying our enemies the ability to use their space assets protects U.S. warfighter operations,” Zoiss said Nov. 15 in a news release about the company’s recent contract. The CCS Block 10.2, also known as Meadowlands, was declared operational in March 2020. Praveen Kurian, senior director and general manager of L3Harris’ space superiority division, said the jamming effects of the CCS are reversible, meaning that they do not cause permanent damage. It was designed to cause temporary disruption of satellite communications signals.
The 10.2 CCS upgrade replaces an older version the U.S. Air Force acquired more than a decade ago. The upgraded jammer passed a critical design review, Kurian told SpaceNews. “We’re ready to actually begin production of the hardware.” L3Harris has to deliver 16 units by 2025. The biggest changes in the new system is the automation in the software and the ability to conduct operations remotely, he said. “It’s a pretty significant improvement.”
https://spacenews.com/u-s-space-forces-new-satellite-jammers-shut-down-enemy-communications-temporarily/
Property Investors Bet $64 Billion on U.S. Homes in Record Buying Spree
Real estate investors acquired a record 18% of U.S. homes sold in the third quarter of 2021, wagering $64 billion that home prices and rents will continue to surge.
Investors bought more than 90,000 homes in the three months through September, up 10% from the prior quarter and 80% from a year earlier, according to a report by Redfin Corp. Low interest rates and a persistent shortage of affordable properties have pushed investors to stomach higher prices as they bank on rent growth and price appreciation. The record surge of capital into the housing market comes as soaring home prices have made it harder for many families to buy a house. “I largely attribute this to the decline of the middle class in America,” said Daryl Fairweather, chief economist at Redfin. “The more the rich get richer, the more opportunity there is for investors to buy homes and rent them out.”
Investors have typically focused on lower-priced homes, but in the third-quarter they ramped up their purchases of higher-end properties, reflecting increased competition and confidence that the housing boom will continue. The median price of investor purchases was $438,770, the highest on record. Three quarters of the homes were single-family residences, while the balance was a combination of condominiums, co-ops and other property types.
For the purposes of the report, Redfin defined investors as any buyer whose name included “LLC,” “Inc.,” “Corp.” or other keywords that indicate professional ownership.
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/property-investors-bet-64-billion-on-u-s-homes-in-record-buying-spree-1.1682103
or trying to coordinate this so it interrupts Joe's 'big moment' later.
00-9001 USAFSOC C-32B departed Richmond, VA after 02-5001 USAFSOC C-32B departed NAS Oceana
Both after pretty quick ground stops
czek't
kek