US home prices hit new high
'...The index, covering all nine census divisions, reported a 6.3% annual gain for April...'
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News article references and commentary scraped from the web in an effort to inform the federal government worker on Federal Pay, Federal Benefits, Federal Retirement and all information relating to the Federal Workforce.
'...The index, covering all nine census divisions, reported a 6.3% annual gain for April...'
'Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index declining to 100.4 from 101.3 (revised from 102.00) in May. ...while the Expectations Index fell to 73.0 from 74.9. ...material weaknesses in the labor market appear, Confidence could weaken as the year progresses."'
'..."We have to get him out or this country is not going to survive," said Trump. "According to the much better National Crime Victimization Survey, there has actually been a 43% increase in violent crime since I left office, including a 58% increase in rapes and 89% increase in aggravated assaults, and a 56% increase in robberies." Trump promised that the minute he takes office...'
'The debt outlook never gets better. The annual deficit is likely to hit $1.9 trillion for 2024, according to the latest estimate from the Congressional Budget Office. That’s up from an estimate of $1.5 trillion just four months ago. ...The real outlook is worse than the CBO numbers suggest. ...'
'...The Biden administration, using broad powers created by the Trump administration, on Thursday will announce plans to bar the sale of Kaspersky Lab's antivirus software in the United States, a person familiar with the matter said, citing the firm's large U.S. customers including critical infrastructure providers and state and local governments. The company's close ties to the Russian government were found to pose a critical risk, the person said, adding that the software's privileged access to a computer's systems could allow it to steal sensitive information from American computers, install malware or withhold critical updates. ...'
'Democrats always accuse Republicans of what they are doing themselves. ...Now they’re worried, with the possible return of Donald Trump to the White House, that they may get a treated themselves the way they’ve been treating us. ...In this case in particular, I’m talking about Joy Behar and Rachel Maddow. J'
'Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to ratchet up public pressure on the Biden administration over “withholding weapons.” ...The announcement of the hold on the weapons shipment was met with mixed reactions, including strong condemnation from Israeli officials and some US lawmakers of both parties....'
'...American college graduates are losing jobs and opportunities in President Joe Biden’s high-migration economy, admits the Washington Post. “Despite strong labor market, new college graduates struggle to find employment,” says the June 16 article, which continues: Hiring in professional and business services — which includes jobs in tech, consulting, finance and media that are popular among new grads — has fallen 12 percent, according to federal data … Today’s recent graduates ages 22 to 27 have a higher unemployment rate — 4.7 percent, as of March — than the overall population, according to an analysis by the New York Fed. ...'
'...thanks to former President Barack Obama lending a hand. Yet, the clip going viral about this event isn’t about anything either man said, but the closing moment here where Joe Biden might be aloof again. Obama must carry him off stage, holding his hand:...“Biden is senile and decrepit but not sure Obama needed to lead him away,” wrote Hume on Twitter. “Biden had been applauding moments earlier and then stood there absorbing the applause for a bit when Obama reached out and grabbed his wrist. I bet White House staff is annoyed with Obama.” Then again, maybe Biden did short-circuit again. Who knows, but we can expect these moments to come a dozen at a time as the summer continues.'
'...The Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed that it was declining to prosecute Attorney General Merrick Garland after the House of Representatives voted to hold Garland in contempt of Congress concerning his refusal to comply with Congressional subpoenas....'
'President Biden pulled another “absent-minded” wander-away Thursday, this time on the world stage; count it as one more reason to publicly release the tape of his conversations with special counsel Robert Hur, so voters can get a take on his mental fitness. ...The transcripts (cleaned up to some extent by Merrick’s minions) are already public, but the Biden team has asserted executive privilege to keep the audio under wraps. ...'
'...withholding a mandated report on Iranian sanctions — along with any waivers on Iranian sanctions — from Congress. The report is required from the Treasury Department through a provision in the national security supplemental legislation signed into law by President Joe Biden earlier this year. Included by Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Tim Scott (R-SC), the report must identify all Iranian and Iran-linked assets worth $5 million or more held outside Iran and was due within 30 days of the president signing the legislation. ...'
'...administration prepares potential new benefits for others without legal status ...Biden had not been presented with the proposal for his final approval, adding to the uncertainty for the timing of any announcement.'
'...While those with high-incomes thrive, most consumers face recession, undermining prospects for US gasoline demand this summer, argues Phil Verleger. ...'
'...For the elite establishment Democrats, this is all still about politics. For the American people, it’s about survival. Economically, Biden’s destructive policies make life more expensive. Culturally, people are sick of radical dictates that denigrate religious liberty and seek to indoctrinate children against the will of their parents. Finally, as a matter of safety, Americans realize that Biden does not have the knowledge, ability, or wits to defend our nation against our adversaries. ...'
'...the CEO of Trump Media & Technology Group — raised concerns Tuesday about "manipulation." Nunes wants to investigate whether "Wall Street insiders" are engaged in "naked" short selling of the stock, which trades under the DJT ticker. Illegal naked short sales involve shares that haven't actually been borrowed. He and Trump Media have been trying to crack down on short-sellers who've been betting against Truth Social — whom many of its supporters have blamed for its bumpy performance. ...'
'...Despite President Joe Biden touting his economic “accomplishments,” a new report reveals that there are more foreign born workers in the United States than American workers. New Bureau of Labor Statistics data released this week found that there are 637,000 non-American citizen workers in the country. On the contrary, nearly 300,000 native-born Americans lost their jobs. ...'
'... the migrant influx from the porous southern border is "wreaking havoc" on U.S. schools. "Right now, that we know of, 10 million illegals have entered the country illegally under Joe Biden for the last three years. We say 'we think we know.' We really don't know," he said. "Because now there's a term … gotaways. We believe that approximately 500,000 illegal children are now in this country. And one of the very first places we feel the impact of illegal immigration is our K-12 schools."...'
Snippet of Article: "...80th anniversary of D-Day.
The Allied invasion, which began on June 6, 1944, led to the defeat of the Nazis and the end of the war. The assault began with Allied aircraft bombing German defenses in Normandy, followed by around 1,200 aircraft that carried airborne troops. As dawn broke, Allied forces started bombing German coastal defenses and shortly after that vessels began putting troops ashore on five codenamed beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. By the end of the day, nearly 160,000 Allied troops had landed in Normandy, although there were thousands of casualties.
Few witnesses to history’s biggest amphibious invasion remain alive today. ..."
'...If you want to know why the Department of Justice is doing everything it can to block Joe Biden's special counsel interview from seeing the light of day...Yeah, it's that bad, and the crescendo of the President of the United States challenging the interviewing reporter to a fight is proof enough of that. ...As TIME's fact-check points out, nothing the president said there is true. Wages have not outrun inflation over Biden's term. ...Biden is senile, and those around him are too scared to keep him out of the spotlight. That's a bad combination. '
'...President Joe Biden’s executive order ensures one migrant can cross the United States-Mexico border for every two American births. ...The order permits thousands of migrants to cross the southern border between Ports of Entry and still claim asylum until a threshold of about 17,500 migrants over a week is met. ...'
'...A gunman was captured after a shootout at the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon's capital, Beirut, on Wednesday — an attack that took place as U.S. ally Israel signaled it could soon launch an offensive in the country against Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. ...'
'...While Hunter isn’t on the same level as former President Trump, he is still the son of the current president and therefore his gun trial should garner a lot of attention and it probably would if ABC, CBS, NBC weren’t so in the tank for Team Biden. If their refusal to cover any of the recent Biden family scandals is a guide, don’t expect ABC, CBS, NBC to plaster their evening and morning shows with reports on Hunter Biden’s gun trial. The following are five brand new Biden family scandals (from the last three months) that ABC, CBS, NBC refused to report: ...'
'...Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough will appear before House lawmakers on June 4 to testify on improper benefits awarded to dozens of senior department officials last year as congressional concerns mount regarding the unfolding scandal. House Veterans’ Affairs Committee officials had requested that Under Secretary for Health Shereef Elnahal and Under Secretary for Benefits Joshua Jacobs — two officials at the center of the bonus issues...'
'...Former President Donald Trump’s campaign boasted Friday that it had received $52.8 million in donations in the 24 hours since a Manhattan jury found him guilty in his hush money trial. The staggering sum was contributed to the 77-year-old presumptive Republican nominee’s campaign through its online digital fundraising platform — and amounts to more than $2 million in donations per hour since the verdict was read. “Biden and his Democrat allies have turned our legal system into a political tool, and Americans from every corner of the country have had enough...'
'...You [BIDEN] didn't even show up. You have zero credibility. ...Both Joe Biden and Trump were invited, but it was Trump who accepted, in a historic move. “For the first time ever, a former president addressed the Libertarian Party. It was a rowdy crowd but we’re grateful for Pres. Trump’s time, and excited to make history,” said Libertarian national committee chair Angela McArdle after the speech in a statement.'
'...unlike President Trump, who obviously gave us a secure border and his policies were working, Joe Biden wants to give and is giving free healthcare, free travel, free housing, free education, free social services you name it to these illegal aliens. He has done irreparable harm to the country."...Everybody's worse off in the country under Joe Biden, unless you're an illegal alien and you're here because of Joe Biden's border invasion," Good said. "If we secure the border even today, only time will tell who Joe Biden has let into this country and the harm that they will perpetrate on the American people. "It's unconscionable how a president would intentionally do so much harm to his own country to the United States."'
'...It was driving Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) mad to have it right in her backyard; her district is nearby. She threw a fit about it She also praised God when she heard there was heavy rain this morning. But the rain cleared up, and it's a beautiful day with a ton of folks out. ...But New York is his home. These are his people.
One of the worst remarks was from Gov. Kathy Hochul. Even if you don't like Trump because you're a Democrat, you shouldn't be insulting Americans who might support him. You should treat all Americans with respect, even those who politically disagree with you. She's supposed to be the governor of New York. But she just insulted people, including New Yorkers attending the rally, calling them "clowns." '
'...Car theft might be a better barometer of the state of crime than other measures. Unlike other crimes, they tend to be logged accurately -- and have risen markedly. ...In recent weeks the Biden administration and many news outlets, including USA Today and The Hill, have touted declines in violent crime statistics to argue that America is becoming a safer place. ...They give a distorted impression of true levels of crime. They note that crime stats have become notoriously incomplete in recent years. In some years many big cities did not report their numbers to the FBI, and there are such wide discrepancies in these tallies that the picture they provide has more blur than clarity. Declining arrest rates and slowing police response times to 911 calls also help explain why polls show Americans believe crime is rising. '
Article Snip: "...The evidence, provided by IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, who probed the first son’s finances, reveals Hunter “indisputably” lied at least three times during his sworn testimony...Hunter, 54, claimed he was “high or drunk” when he sent a threatening text message to the wrong Chinese business associate — but phone records of the WhatsApp message show the associate, Raymond Zhao, responded and “knew exactly” what the president’s son was talking about when he asked to speak with the chairman of CEFC China Energy, Ye Jianming.
“Sure. I need some time to reach him,” Zhao, a translator for CEFC, wrote back in messages over the next day. “CEFC is willing to cooperate with the family.”
The first son also kept exchanging messages with Zhao after making the threat that he was “sitting” with his father, Joe Biden, and said they would both “hold a grudge” if the CEFC translator reneged on a “commitment.”...
"
'...Michael Cohen, an already uncredible witness, admitted to stealing tens of thousands of dollars. This man is the prosecution’s top witness and admitted to more crimes. He’s a serial liar, so while District Attorney Alvin Bragg rested his case, it circles back to how this trial was executed, with many legal observers noting the dangers of having Michael Cohen as one of the main witnesses and how they presented their case. Now, the man Bragg and his team are hoping to convict Trump just admitted to embezzlement. ...showed that any crime committed in that pursuit is fine regarding getting Trump.'
' Once again, the so-called misinformation of yesteryear has matured into the cold hard facts of today.
Proven
Snopes has updated its fact-check page on the diary, confirming both that the diary belonged to Ashley Biden and that the president's daughter accused him of inappropriate behavior.
...indicated that the claim that "a diary authored by U.S. President Joe Biden's daughter, Ashley, describes inappropriate actions toward her taken by the president when she was a child... The fact-check outfit was compelled to change its tune after Ashley Biden, 42, once again confirmed the diary was hers in an April 8 letter to the judge overseeing Harris' case in New York.
"I am deeply saddened that I even have to write this letter ...'
'Garland continues his refusal to turn over audio files of the interview former Special Counsel Robert Hur conducted with President Joe Biden. The interview was part of Hur's investigation into Biden for mishandling classified information as a private citizen. ...President Biden willfully and unlawfully retained classified materials while he was a private citizen. The Committees subpoenaed Attorney General Garland to produce documents and materials responsive to four specific requests concerning Special Counsel Hur’s investigation on February 27, 2024," Jordan continued. "To date, despite numerous requests from the Committees for certain audio recordings responsive to the subpoena, and a specific warning that failure to produce the audio recordings would result in contempt proceedings, Attorney General Garland has failed to do so. The Attorney General has further invoked no constitutional or legal privilege relieving his obligation to fully respond to the Committees’ subpoenas. Attorney General Garland’s willful refusal to comply with the Committees’ subpoenas constitutes contempt of Congress and warrants referral to the appropriate United States Attorney’s Office for prosecution as prescribed by law." ...'
'...“I’ve received and accepted an invitation from @CNN for a debate on June 27th. Over to you, Donald. As you said: anywhere, any time, any place,” Biden said in a post on X. ...In a post to Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump accepted the revised schedule: “I am Ready and Willing to Debate Crooked Joe at the two proposed times in June and September,” adding that he would “strongly recommend” more than the two debates proposed. A senior Trump adviser told CNN they are “ready to debate” Biden, and reviewing the terms but are eager for an onstage match-up. '
'...Biden issues a challenge to Trump as he withdraws from traditional debate dates...'
'...Homeowners insurance costs in the US hit roughly $175 billion in 2023, up 21% over the previous year...'
'...the puzzle around rent inflation, which is one-third of the CPI. It's stuck at 5.6% y/y and keeping overall inflation high. ...some worry that surprisingly-high demand and solid wage growth will keep rents high.
Most-convincing is this chart: Which highlights that the CPI rent number is currently higher than any of the private measures of rent.'
'Israel PM insists his priority is to prevent another terror attack like the October 7 Hamas' Jewish Genocide Massacre ...When asked on Sunday whether Israeli forces would move into Rafah, Netanyahu replied: "We'll go there. We're not going to leave them. You know, I have a red line. You know what the red line is? That October 7 doesn't happen again. Never happens again." The prime minister was referring to the murderous Hamas raid that killed more than 1,160 people in Israel and triggered the war. Without naming them, Netanyahu claimed he had the tacit support of several Arab leaders for driving ahead with the onslaught against Hamas. “They understand that, and even agree with it quietly...'
'...Supporters of Israel gathered outside the Manhattan office of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Friday, chanting “traitor” and calling on the nation’s highest-ranking Jewish politician to resign for “backstabbing” Israel and falling silent in the wake of a nationwide outbreak of antisemitism.
The demonstration featuring about 40 protesters occurred a few days after Schumer said he told reporters he had faith in President Joe Biden’s decision to withhold weapons shipments to Israel...'