>>6406161 (pb)
Take a look at the unit she set up to investigate Mortgage Fraud Forclosures…Millions given for the project no accountability as to where the money went..and it didn't clear anything up at all..
State Department OKs nearly $6 billion in weapons sales to Gulf allies
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has approved a possible $6 billion worth of weapons sales to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in three separate packages, the Pentagon said on Friday after notifying Congress of the certification. The United States depends on allies in the region, including Saudi Arabia, to counter Iranian influence. In April, the U.S. moved ahead with part of a THAAD missile defense system sale to the kingdom.
In one of the notifications sent to Congress on Friday, Bahrain could potentially buy various Patriot missile systems and related support and equipment for an estimated cost of $2.48 billion. That potential Bahraini deal included 36 Patriot MIM-104E Guidance Enhanced Missiles known as GEM-T, an upgrade that can shoot down aircraft and cruise missiles.
In a separate State Department notification sent to Congress, Bahrain was also given the nod for various weapons to support its F-16 Block 70/F-16V aircraft fleet for an estimated cost of $750 million. That package included 32 AIM-9X missiles, 20 AGM-84 Block II Harpoon missiles and 100 GBU-39s which are 250-pound small diameter bombs and other munitions.
In a third State Department notification, the United Arab Emirates was given potential approval for $2.73 billion worth of Patriot missiles and related equipment including 452 Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) Missiles Segment Enhanced (MSE) and related equipment.
The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the possible sale. The notification process alerts Congress that a sale to a foreign country has been approved, but it does not indicate that a contract has been signed or negotiations have concluded. The principal contractors for the sales were Raytheon Co and Lockheed Martin Co.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-defense-arms/state-department-oks-nearly-6-billion-in-weapons-sales-to-gulf-allies-idUSKCN1S924P?il=0
Exclusive: Trump administration proposal would make it easier to deport immigrants who use public benefits
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration is considering reversing long-standing policy to make it easier to deport U.S. legal permanent residents who have used public benefits, part of an effort to restrict immigration by low-income people. A Department of Justice draft regulation, seen by Reuters, dramatically expands the category of people who could be subject to deportation on the grounds that they use benefits.
Currently, those legal permanent residents who are declared to be a “public charge,” or primarily dependent on the government for subsistence, can be deported - but in practice, this is very rare. The draft regulation would use a more expansive definition to include some immigrants who have used an array of public benefits, including cash welfare, food stamps, housing aid, or Medicaid. While the plan is at an early stage, might not become official government policy, and is likely to attract lawsuits, it is one part of efforts by the Trump administration to restrict legal immigration, in addition to its efforts to reduce illegal immigration to the United States. The full possible impact is not known, but the change in policy could affect permanent residents - also known as “green card” holders - who are legally entitled to use public benefits soon after their arrival in the United States, such as refugees. Department of Justice spokesman Alexei Woltornist said the agency “does not comment on or confirm draft regulations.”
U.S. law allows for the deportation of immigrants who have become “public charges” within five years of admission if their reason for seeking help preceded their entry to the United States - for example, if they had a chronic health condition that was not disclosed. But due to a 1948 ruling, the deportation of immigrants for using public benefits has been strictly limited to cases in which the government has demanded payment for public services, and the person has failed to pay. Immigration lawyers said they have rarely if ever heard of someone being deported for using public benefits. The draft rule indicates the government would override that precedent to allow for deportation of some permanent residents who have used certain public benefits within five years of admission. For the plan to go into effect, it would be subject to public comment, after which it could be revised. Attorney General William Barr would then have to sign off on it.
The public benefits in question include Supplemental Security Income (SSI), given to disabled and older people; the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps; Section 8 housing vouchers; many Medicaid benefits; and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), a cash assistance program. According to federal policy, many permanent residents do not qualify for public benefits unless they have had a green card for five years, making it unlikely they could be targeted for deportation on the basis of “public charge” even under the draft rule. But dozens of states have looser rules - for instance, allowing pregnant women and children who are permanent residents to access Medicaid without a waiting period. And the effort to tighten the rules could affect thousands of immigrant veterans, refugees and asylees, who are eligible to receive many benefits without time restrictions. Active members of the military would not be affected. Administration officials had earlier indicated that the Justice Department, which oversees U.S. immigration courts, planned to issue a regulation on who can be deported for using public benefits, but its details were not previously known.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-benefits-exclusive/exclusive-trump-administration-proposal-would-make-it-easier-to-deport-immigrants-who-use-public-benefits-idUSKCN1S91UR
Indeed, she also made a deal with Steve Mnuchin not to prosecute him for his crimes in the whole ordeal.
SoftBank mulls IPO of $100 billion Vision Fund: source
(Reuters) - Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp is considering an initial public offering of its $100 billion Vision Fund, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday. The fund was set up in 2017 and has become the world’s largest technology investment fund. Its investments include ride-hailing pioneer Uber, chip designer ARM and shared workspace firm WeWork. The company has publicly stated it plans to set up a second investment fund. The senior banking source said Softbank was now talking to banks about helping it raise money, confirming an earlier report in the Wall Street Journal.
Softbank has spoken to half a dozen banks over the last month about a potential listing of the Vision Fund but has yet to start a formal process, the source said, adding he was not expecting such a process in the near term. “They asked banks questions on how they could possibly do it. It is still very much in exploration mode,” the source said, adding that Softbank had been possibly given the idea by fellow tech investor Naspers, which plans to list some of its assets. “The big difference is that the biggest asset in the Naspers portfolio is Tencent, which is listed, whereas the portfolio of the Vision Fund is all private,” the source said. China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd is a social media and gaming company listed in Hong Kong. A spokesman for Softbank declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.
SoftBank is also in talks with Oman for an investment in the fund, which has raised nearly all of its funding so far from Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, according to the WSJ report. Oman was not immediately available for a comment when contacted by Reuters, nor was there an immediate response from the Japanese conglomerate. SoftBank is seeking to raise new funds for “informal deals” chief executive officer Masayoshi Son negotiated in China for Vision Fund, one of the people told WSJ. The fund is also planning to double its staff over the next 18 months to keep up with the pace of deal making by SoftBank, the company’s top deputies reportedly said at a conference in Los Angeles this week.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-softbank-ipo-visionfund/softbank-mulls-ipo-of-100-billion-vision-fund-source-idUSKCN1S910W?il=0
So this is very much on the same level as what Madoff did, except here the profits of the Sears Holding Corp were used to keep up the the pay outs the hedge fund owed.
Agreed.. totally necessary.
Indeed and WW2 had nothing to do with it, wink wink.
CEO of Buffett-owned Brooks Running moves production out of China, cites tariff threat
OMAHA, Neb. (Reuters) - The chief executive of Brooks Running, part of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc, said his company will shed much of its presence in China by moving running shoe production to Vietnam, a result of the trade dispute between China and the United States. Jim Weber, who has run Brooks since 2001, said in an interview that Brooks made the decision in January, when U.S. President Donald Trump was threatening to boost tariffs on the shoes to 45 percent from 20 percent. Weber said the tariff threat weighed “massively” because Brooks cannot simply raise prices on its shoes, which typically retail for $100 to $160 a pair, and though trade tensions have cooled, the company could not wait for a resolution. “We’re going to pull most of our production out of China,” he said. “We’ve had to make a long-term decision on this picture. It’s disruptive, but the reality. So we’ll be predominantly in Vietnam by the end of the year.” About 8,000 jobs will also move to Vietnam from China, Weber added.
Vietnam is emerging as a preferred destination for companies looking to move production because of tariff concerns. The country generates about 55 percent of Brooks’ running shoe production, with China accounting for the remainder. Brooks shoes are sold in 56 countries, and account for the bulk of the Seattle-based company’s annual revenue, which grew 26 percent last year to $644 million. Revenue from January to April is up 22 percent in 2019, and Weber is targeting full-year revenue of just under $750 million. He hopes revenue will reach $1 billion by 2021. Brooks also sells apparel.
Weber said Brooks may start shoe production in a third, yet-to-be-determined country next year. The eventual breakdown could be 65 percent from Vietnam, 10 percent from China and 25 percent from the third country, he said. Brooks plans to continue research and development, as well as small production runs of shoes, in China. Weber also said Brooks hoped to “prototype small, custom personalized shoe runs” in the United States within the next several years, but much of the company’s technical know-how and automation is in Asia. “Volume is a long ways away,” he said. Brooks became part of Berkshire in 2006 when Berkshire’s Fruit of the Loom unit bought its parent at the time, Russell Corp. Berkshire spun out Brooks as a standalone unit in 2012. Weber began reporting last year to Berkshire Vice Chairman Greg Abel, after previously reporting to Buffett.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-berkshire-buffett-brooks/ceo-of-buffett-owned-brooks-running-moves-production-out-of-china-cites-tariff-threat-idUSKCN1S91DU?il=0
Indeed!