Looks Like the U.S. Could Be Facing Another Recession

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Barack Obama once said we were in a summer of recovery. Such a proclamation was followed promptly by roughly zero (0) recovery. Our economy has more or less remained stagnant, and, while on its face it’s looked positive, the employment numbers have indicated a huge number of people have simply given up any hope of finding a job.

And things could go from bad to worse, if this particular forecast is true: Deutsche Bank predicts a 60% likelihood that the United States will fall back into a recession. This comes from the Wall Street Journal:

The so-called yield curve suggests there’s a 60% chance of a U.S. recession occurring in the next 12 months, according to analysts at Deutsche Bank, led by Dominic Konstam. The calculations attach the highest probability to an economic contraction since the financial crisis.

The yield curve, typically measured using the level of long-term rates relative to short-term rates, has gained particular attention this year because of the narrowing difference between the two, often thought to signal an economic slowdown. Some measures are at their flattest since 2007.

 

The yield curve can be a fairly technical thing to explain, but what is important about it is that it isn’t something that is determined by the government, or by individual companies. It is a measure of the marketplace itself. What the current yield curve shows is what’s called an “inverted yield curve” – that the yield is better in the short term than the long term.

That’s not very good, and the yield curve has historically been pretty accurate at prediction U.S. recessions. The last inverted yield curve was in 2007 – five months before the Great Recession began. The U.S. Treasury’s means of using quick fixes to keep firms happy has created an atmosphere where the near future is more lucrative than long-term planning. This game they’re playing could very well cause the nation even further harm.

The post Looks Like the U.S. Could Be Facing Another Recession appeared first on RedState.

Source: Red State

Looks Like the U.S. Could Be Facing Another Recession

Written by

Barack Obama once said we were in a summer of recovery. Such a proclamation was followed promptly by roughly zero (0) recovery. Our economy has more or less remained stagnant, and, while on its face it’s looked positive, the employment numbers have indicated a huge number of people have simply given up any hope of finding a job.

And things could go from bad to worse, if this particular forecast is true: Deutsche Bank predicts a 60% likelihood that the United States will fall back into a recession. This comes from the Wall Street Journal:

The so-called yield curve suggests there’s a 60% chance of a U.S. recession occurring in the next 12 months, according to analysts at Deutsche Bank, led by Dominic Konstam. The calculations attach the highest probability to an economic contraction since the financial crisis.

The yield curve, typically measured using the level of long-term rates relative to short-term rates, has gained particular attention this year because of the narrowing difference between the two, often thought to signal an economic slowdown. Some measures are at their flattest since 2007.

 

The yield curve can be a fairly technical thing to explain, but what is important about it is that it isn’t something that is determined by the government, or by individual companies. It is a measure of the marketplace itself. What the current yield curve shows is what’s called an “inverted yield curve” – that the yield is better in the short term than the long term.

That’s not very good, and the yield curve has historically been pretty accurate at prediction U.S. recessions. The last inverted yield curve was in 2007 – five months before the Great Recession began. The U.S. Treasury’s means of using quick fixes to keep firms happy has created an atmosphere where the near future is more lucrative than long-term planning. This game they’re playing could very well cause the nation even further harm.

The post Looks Like the U.S. Could Be Facing Another Recession appeared first on RedState.

Source: Red State

VA Just Made It Illegal to Marry Girls Under 16. Here’s How Many States Have Yet to Follow Suit…

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Believe it or not, it is actually legal to marry teenagers under the age of 16 in several states across the country.

Until last week, one of these states was Virginia.

The law now states that you must be 18 to marry, even if parents are fine with the arrangement.

This comes as a result of bipartisan consensus, with Virginia lawmakers Jill Holtzman Vogel and Jennifer McClellan heading up the effort.

Vogel, a Republican, began fighting for this idea when an older man in her district was accused of having sex with a young girl.

Instead of being prosecuted by the law, he married her.

This skirting of the law impacted Vogel deeply:

“Now they’re married, and there’s no crime,” she said.

“She dropped out of high school. Her life is ruined.”

The Tahirih Justice Centre, a non-profit, was also instrumental in getting these laws changed.

A representative from the organization, Jeanne Smoot, spoke about the reasoning behind the change:

“We hope that legislators will see the efforts in Virginia as a wake-up call about how their laws can facilitate forced marriages of children,” she said.

According to statistics published by Independent UK, around 4,500 minors have gotten married in Virginia since 2003, with 200 of them below the age of 15.

But Virginia isn’t the only state to allow minors to marry:

There are 7 other states that still allow some version of this practice.

In Georgia, you can get married at the age of 16, provided you have parental consent. The same goes for the states of Missouri, Idaho, and Hawaii.

It’s age 15 and older in Mississippi, though this is only for females. Inexplicably, the age is raised to 17 for males.

California has no age limit on marriage with parental consent. This means that someone as young as 13 can get married if the parents and a judge are okay with it. The law does require a parent to accompany the minor applying for the license, though.

Residents of New Hampshire can get married at the age of 13 with parental consent. However, with males the restriction is raised to the age of 14.

Earlier this year, a YouTube prankster organized a stunt in which he paraded an elderly man with his much younger bride around New York City.

The results speak for themselves.

The post VA Just Made It Illegal to Marry Girls Under 16. Here’s How Many States Have Yet to Follow Suit… appeared first on Independent Journal Review.

Source: Independent Journal Review

‘Full Metal Jacket’ Star R. Lee Ermey Reveals the Sad Reason He Hasn’t Done a Movie in Five Years

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Fans of actor R. Lee Ermey, best known for his role as a hard-nosed drill sergeant in the film “Full Metal Jacket” and, more recently, as the host of the Outdoor Channel’s “GunnyTime,” know that the 72-year-old isn’t one to mince words.

While Ermey — who spent 11 years as a Marine, including 14 months in Vietnam — may have made his mark on Hollywood by embracing his military heritage, it seems that there are other aspects of the veteran’s personal character that his peers don’t appreciate quite as much.

During a recent interview with FOX411, Ermey said that even though he’s been in over 70 movies in the course of his career, he’s found that his offers from Hollywood have been drying up lately.

And he thinks he knows exactly why.

In fact, the abrupt end to acting opportunities has led Ermey to level some strong accusations against the entertainment industry:

“Do you realize I have not done a movie in five to six years? Why? Because I was totally blackballed by the… liberals in Hollywood. They can destroy you.

They’re hateful people [who] don’t just not like you, they want to take away your livelihood… that’s why I live up in the desert on a dirt road… I don’t have to put up with their crap.”

Ermey adds that there’s a very simple reason as to why he’s been “blackballed”: his Hollywood peers “found out that [he’s] a Conservative.”

According to the actor, though, it’s not even that he’s conservative that’s the problem, but rather, it all boils down to one particular comment he made:

“I’m an Independent, but I said something bad about the president.

I had something unsavory to say about the president’s administration, and even though I did vote for him the first time around, I was blackballed.”

Specifically, Ermey was speaking at a charity event in 2010 when he said that much of the fault for the U.S.’s floundering economy at the time was due to Obama administration policies, which he said were “destroying this country.”

That Ermey openly supports gun rights also might not sit very well with his Hollywood peers, many of whom have publicly shown their support for President Obama’s gun control policies.

He is also a board member of the National Rifle Association; here he is talking about “gun-free zones” and explaining why “everybody should be armed.”:

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While some are sure to question the veracity of Ermey’s claims, a group of Hollywood conservatives who make up an organization known as “Friends of Abe” has also reportedly worked hard to maintain a low profile over concerns of how they would be treated within their industry.

For now, though, the actor may have found a perfect fit in his reality show “GunnyTime” — a show focused on weapons technology where he gets to test-drive some very serious weaponized vehicles — and has also entered into a partnership this year with KA-BAR Knives, the same kind he carried during his time in the Marine Corps.

On both accounts, they certainly seem like roles in which the outspoken Marine vet can feel right at home.

The post ‘Full Metal Jacket’ Star R. Lee Ermey Reveals the Sad Reason He Hasn’t Done a Movie in Five Years appeared first on Independent Journal Review.

Source: Independent Journal Review

Hillary Won’t Be Charged for Sending Classified Info, But Here Are 5 Govt Workers Who Paid the Price

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Earlier today, FBI Director James Comey announced that he will not recommend that the Department of Justice charge Hillary Clinton in relation to her email scandal.

While Clinton’s now in the clear, here are five other government employees who mishandled classified information and did pay the price for it.

1. Ex-FBI employee Shamai Leibowitz:

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - JULY 13: Standing between an Israeli policeman (L) and their Israeli lawyer Shamai Lebowitz (R), British activists Alex Perry (center left) and Saul Reid, both from Manchester, England, are handcuffed to each other during a deportation hearing July 13, 2003 in the Tel Aviv District Court in Israel. The two are amongst eight members of the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement (ISM) who were arrested by the Israeli army in the West Bank last week and who face deportation under army guidelines made public in recent months. (Photo by David Silverman/Getty Images)

Image Credit: David Silverman/Getty Images

In 2010, FBI employee Shamai Leibowitz was found to have leaked classified information to a blogger. According to the Washington Post, Leibowtiz shared “communication intelligence activities” with the blogger in question.

While the full details of what was leaked are still unknown, Leibowitz was sentenced to 20 months in prison for his crime.

2. Stephen Jin-Woo Kim:

Kim worked for the State Department as an expert on weapons of mass destruction. During his time at the State Department, he agreed to help Fox News’ James Rosen get some breaking news on North Korea.

The Intercept reported on what Kim did for Rosen:

A classified report on North Korea had just begun circulating, and Kim was among the restricted number of officials with clearance to read it. He logged on to a secure computer, called up the report at 11:27 a.m., and phoned Rosen 10 minutes later. A few minutes past noon, he left the building again, and a minute later Rosen followed…

Around 3 in the afternoon, with typos that suggest it was written in haste, a story by Rosen was posted on the Fox News website under the headline “North Korea Intends to Match U.N. Resolution With New Nuclear Test…”

As news goes, Rosen’s story wasn’t, in fact, much of a scoop. It merely confirmed the conventional wisdom of the day. According to court documents, one State Department official described the intelligence assessment as “a nothing burger,” while another official said Rosen’s story had disclosed “nothing extraordinary.”

Nonetheless, Kim was sentenced to 13 months in prison.

3. U.S. Marine Major Jason Brezler:

Brezler was in Afghanistan in 2012 when he came upon some disturbing information about an upcoming Taliban attack. The information was classified, but Brezler still sent out an email warning about what could potentially happen.

Then, according to the Daily Beast:

Three young Marines were shot to death as they worked out in a gym by an Afghan teen brought on the base by the same corrupt and double-dealing pedophile police chief whom Brezler had declared to be an immediate threat.

After looking into the details, a board recommended discharging Brezler. However, he has fought the decision tooth and nail, and his case is once again under review.

4. U.S. Navy engineer Bryan Nishimura:

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During deployments in Afghanistan, Nishimura downloaded classified information onto his electronic devices. When he returned home, according to the FBI, there is no evidence he released the information to anyone.

However, that didn’t stop the courts from fining him $7,500, giving him two years probation and permanently revoking his security clearance.

5. Ex-CIA Director General David Petraeus:

WASHINGTON - JUNE 23: U.S. Gen. David Petraeus speaks during a confirmation hearing before the Senate (Select) Intelligence Committee June 23, 2011 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Gen. Petraeus will become the director of the Central Intelligence Agency if confirmed. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Image Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Petraeus had an affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell. He gave Broadwell access to classified information which he had written down in little black books during his time as a commanding officer in Afghanistan.

The documents included everything from the names of covert officers to the current strategy that was being used in the war. After a plea deal was reached, Petraeus was sentenced to two years probation and a $40,000 fine.

And that’s the price that five government employees (who aren’t Hillary Clinton) paid for sending and sharing classified information.

The post Hillary Won’t Be Charged for Sending Classified Info, But Here Are 5 Govt Workers Who Paid the Price appeared first on Independent Journal Review.

Source: Independent Journal Review

Patrons Scatter Fearing Terrorist Attack But What Was Actually in Man’s Backpack is Mind-Numbing

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Image Credit: Screenshot/KTVB

Just weeks after the horrific tragedy at Pulse Night Club in Orlando, Florida, the Horsewood Restaurant in Caldwell, Idaho was sent into a panic when a man sitting at the bar jumped on top of it with a backpack.

According to the restaurant owner, who posted about the incident on Facebook, the man then proceeded to announce:

“Please be quiet everyone…my name is David … I speak from my soul allah Akbar is the only one true God.”

Security camera footage shows the patrons responding immediately, scrambling for exits. But the owners and staff stayed behind, getting the man out of the restaurant, removing the backpack from him, then holding him until police arrived.

Image Credit: Caldwell Police Department

But that is not all they did. According to KIVI-TV, one staff member went even further to keep people safe:

“I grab the backpack and then I run it as far as I can to the alley, and then everybody is telling me throw the bag, don’t carry it, but you know, I’m trying to get it as far away as I possibly can. You know, better me than a hundred people,” said bartender Christopher Ozuna.

Although some feared that the backpack contained a bomb and that the man, later identified as Ralmanzow Bell, 21, may have been armed, police discovered no weapon and only a bottle of alcohol in the backpack.

KIVI-TV reports that the community doesn’t need to be alarmed by the incident:

“I’m sure people felt there was a threat at the time. If I was in there eating with my family and something like that happened I would definitely feel threatened, but there is no threat to the community,” said Lt. Joey Houdley of the Caldwell Police Department.

Bell was reportedly intoxicated at the time, and has had multiple run-ins with police. He was first taken to an area hospital due to his drunkenness, but was later booked into jail on a disorderly conduct charge.

Independent Journal Review reached out to the Horsewood Restaurant for comment but had not received a response by the time of publication.

You can watch security camera footage of the incident which was included in KTVB‘s reporting, below:

The post Patrons Scatter Fearing Terrorist Attack But What Was Actually in Man’s Backpack is Mind-Numbing appeared first on Independent Journal Review.

Source: Independent Journal Review