ZUCKERBERG IN THE CROSSHAIRS

Prompted by the revelation that Dr. Anthony Fauci—the nation’s leading infectious disease expert—communicated with Facebook...

https://uncoverdc.com/2021/06/07/the-fauci-e-mails/

..during the height of the coronavirus pandemic while the country was on lockdown, two top Republicans on the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees are demanding more information about the social media oligarchs role in “censoring” content about the pandemic, including the origins of COVID-19.

In a letter to Zuckerberg sent on Wednesday..

https://republicans-judiciary.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2021-06-09-JDJ-Comer-to-Facebook-re-COVID-19.pdf

..Ranking Members Jim Jordan and James Comer gave Zuckerberg until 5:00 pm on Jun. 23, 2021, to provide to them all documents and communications between Facebook employees and U.S. government employees, including Fauci, “referring or relating to COVID-19, including about the origins of the virus, nature of the virus, treatment of or remedies for the virus, or government policies relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

https://uncoverdc.com/2021/04/20/covid-19-and-vaccines-what-do-we-really-know/

Noting that “Big Tech is out to get conservatives,” the letter points out that in light of Facebook’s decision to censor certain COVID-19 content

https://uncoverdc.com/2021/05/05/facebook-oversight-board-upholds-trump-ban-but-criticizes-company-policy/

—including content about the origins of the pandemic

https://uncoverdc.com/2021/03/17/covid-19-is-anyone-telling-the-truth/

—communications with Dr. Fauci “raise the prospect that the federal government induced Facebook to censor certain speech in violation of the First Amendment.” The letter proceeds to state:

“For well over a year, Facebook has censored various speech related to COVID-19. Facebook censored speech about COVID-19’s prevention and treatment. It censored speech about citizens’ protests of government-mandated quarantines. Facebook also censored speech about COVID-19’s origins. While censoring and suppressing these types of speech, Facebook amplified sources like the World Health Organization—even though such sources have proven to be conflicted in the past.”

Fauci has faced mounting criticism since a stockpile of emails was published following a freedom of information request. Emails reveal Fauci was warned early in the pandemic that SARS-CoV-2 could have escaped from a lab, but the NIAID expert did not investigate further. With the growing suspicion surrounding the funding of ‘gain of function’ research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology using U.S. taxpayer dollars, the letter points out the possibility of a cover-up, noting:

“Shortly after President Biden announced that he had directed the intelligence community to investigate the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, Facebook announced that it would no longer censor certain content that effectively includes whether the pandemic originated in a Wuhan lab. It appears possible that Facebook’s altered approach to content moderation concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, after ‘consultation with public health experts,’ could have been driven or strongly encouraged by U.S. officials.”

DSouza:

https://twitter.com/DineshDSouza/status/1402068832236281861

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told FBN

https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/house-republicans-request-emails-between-facebooks-zuckerberg-and-dr-fauci

that the exchanges between Zuckerberg and Fauci raise questions,

https://uncoverdc.com/2021/02/18/facebook-ceo-zuckerberg-questioned-if-covid-19-vaccines-alter-dna/

and Congress deserves answers. Jordan states it’s conceivable that Facebook’s decision to shut down any debate over the nature and origins of COVID-19 could have prevented pressure from being put on government officials to take the theory more seriously. “Why is this big tech platform working in cahoots with the government to suppress certain type of information

https://uncoverdc.com/2021/02/16/who-is-behind-the-shadow-campaign-fortifying-our-elections/

that we now know was pretty darn credible?” asked Jordon, adding:

“There’s probably two explanations. Either Zuckerberg and Facebook was duped like so many Americans were and thought Dr. Fauci is the smartest man on the planet…or they were working with the government. And it seems to be more of the latter.”

With millions of Americans from all political platforms using Zuckerberg’s Facebook, the letter emphasizes that significant issues like “elections” and “climate change” remain before us. Further, the letter suggests that, given the censorship regarding COVID-19

https://uncoverdc.com/2021/06/09/experts-petition-fda-against-full-approval-of-covid-19-vaccines/

the tech giant appears likely to continue “throttling free speech” on those topics as well

https://youtu.be/2MndwrOzDvo

https://uncoverdc.com/2021/06/10/republicans-request-covid-19-documents-from-zuckerberg/

Deutsche Bank issues dire economic warning for America... [DS] PANIC

As the world economy awakens from the 15-month slumber caused by the pandemic, Deutsche Bank has launched a series of research articles to spark debate and discussion about pressing post-pandemic economic issues.

On June 7, Deutsche Bank issued its first report of the new series, titled "Inflation: The defining macro story of this decade."

According to the report, "US macro policy and, indeed, the very role of government in the economy, is undergoing its biggest shift in direction in 40 years. In turn we are concerned that it will bring about uncomfortable levels of inflation."

That could be deemed an understatement considering that the U.S. economy is already experiencing "uncomfortable" inflation.

Consider: Based on the most recent inflation report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "In April, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers rose 0.8 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis; rising 4.2 percent over the last 12 months."

An annual inflation rate of 4.2 percent is more than "uncomfortable." But the looming threat of inflation seems to have fallen on deaf ears in Washington, D.C., over the past year, as Congress has supercharged spending to levels unseen since World War II.

As Deutsche Bank notes, "The current fiscal stimulus is more comparable with that seen around WWII. Then, US deficits remained between 15-30% for four years. While there are many significant differences between the pandemic and WWII we would note that annual inflation was 8.4%, 14.6% and 7.7% in 1946, 1947 and 1948 after the economy normalised and pent-up demand was released."

If the U.S. economy descends into an inflation spiral like that experienced after World War II, we could be on the brink of excruciating economic pain.

However, the profligate spending by Congress is only part of the problem.

According to Deutsche Bank, "Monetary stimulus has been equally breath-taking. In numerical terms, the Fed's balance sheet has almost doubled during the pandemic to nearly $8tn. That compares with the 2008 crisis when it only increased by a little more than $1t, and then increased another $2tn in the subsequent six years."

As any economist will tell you, printing gobs of money over a short period (which is what the Federal Reserve has done during the pandemic) is a key inflation ingredient.

We have seen this happen many times over the past century. From Weimar Germany to present-day Venezuela, massive money printing never works and always spurs out-of-control inflation.

The Deutsche Bank report concludes with this dire warning, "We worry that inflation will make a comeback. Few still remember how our societies and economies were threatened by high inflation 50 years ago. The most basic laws of economics, the ones that have stood the test of time over a millennium, have not been suspended. An explosive growth in debt financed largely by central banks is likely to lead to higher inflation. ... Rising prices will touch everyone. The effects could be devastating, particularly for the most vulnerable in society. Sadly, when central banks do act at this stage, they will be forced into abrupt policy change which will only make it harder for policymakers to achieve the social goals that our societies need."

As mentioned above, the German people are well aware that skyrocketing inflation in and of itself can spark more than just economic upheaval. Hyperinflation, like that experienced in post-World War I Germany, can also lead to social disorder and political chaos.

In fact, one of the reasons Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power in Weimar Germany was the public's resentment concerning the hyperinflation they suffered as a result of endless money printing by Germany's central bank in the 1920s to pay off World War I reparations.

Of course, the rise of Hitler was not solely due to hyperinflation in Weimar Germany. But when out-of-control inflation takes hold, people (reasonably) panic.

Throughout history, we have seen inflation-spurred panic manifest in social, political and economic turmoil. The looming question is how Americans will deal with the strong possibility of a post-pandemic inflation environment the likes of which could be unprecedented in our nation's history.

https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/557743-deutsche-bank-issues-dire-economic-warning-for-america