$3 billion payoff: 101 utilities cut rates, credit GOP tax cuts By Paul Bedard - June 7, 2018
The number of electric, gas and water utilities cutting customer charges due to the recently passed Republican tax cuts has passed 100, and the total savings is about $3 billion.
According to Americans for Tax Reform the number has reached 101, with most utilities either cutting bills or not passing on the costs of expanding their operations.
“When Democrats threaten to raise taxes if they get back into power they are threatening to raise your utility bill -- month after month,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform.
His group has been tabulating the economic payoff of the tax cuts, first by charting the hundreds of companies paying higher wages or bonuses, and now counting the benefits to utility customers.
The list includes statements from many of the utilities and the general total for the cuts is over $2.8 billion. Hundreds of millions more of added utility expenses won’t be passed on to customers, and the statements also included specific dollar cuts to bills.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act cut the corporate rate from 35 percent to 21 percent.
Several of the companies directly cited the act in cutting rates.
“Because of recent changes made to the federal tax law, customers will directly benefit. What Tampa Electric would have paid in corporate income taxes will instead be used to the cost of restoring power after Hurricane Irma and several other earlier named,” said Tampa Electric.
"We're working to ensure that our customers receive timely benefits from the new tax reform legislation," said Charles Rice, president and CEO of Entergy New Orleans. “We're glad to pass on these additional savings by reducing rates below what they otherwise would be, especially during the hot summer months when energy use rises along with the thermometer,” he added.
Thanks to GOP Tax Cuts, Utilities Are Lowering Rates Americans for Tax Reform - June 7, 2018
Thanks to the tax cuts passed by the Republican House and Senate and signed by President Donald Trump, at least 102 utilities across the country are lowering rates for customers, according to a report from Americans for Tax Reform. This means lower electric bills, lower gas bills, and lower water bills for Americans.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act cut the corporate rate from 35% to 21%. Utility companies are passing on the tax savings in the form of lower rates for customers.
Mata Hari journalism? Veteran Senate Intelligence Committee staffer, in romantic relationship with NYT reporter, arrested in probe of leaks By Thomas Lifson - June 8, 2018
James A. Wolfe, former director of security for the Senate Intelligence Committee, lost everything when he was arrested by the FBI last night. A review of media reports on the background of the arrest suggests that the lure of romance with a nubile female journalism school student was his undoing.
This is a story with at least two compelling themes: the apparent betrayal of national security by a veteran Senate staffer and the rise in a mere four years of a comely female reporter in a romantic relationship with Wolfe from unpaid undergraduate intern at McClatchy to the lofty post of New York Times national security correspondent.
The indictment of Wolfe indicates that lying to the FBI about his relationship with Ms. Watkins (REPORTER #2 in the indictment) is the basis for the arrest. It outlines the genesis of the relationship and the meteoric rise of Ms. Watkins from journalism major to a prestigious beat at the New York Times:
After the story was published, WOLFE congratulated REPORTER #3, using Signal, stating "Good job " and "I'm glad you got the scoop." REPORTER#3 wrote back, using Signal,"Thank you. [MALE-l] isn't pleased, but wouldn't deny that the subpoena was served."
Mike Cernovich pointed out that this guy, who was supposed to be in charge of security for the SIC, wasn't smart enough to know that he could easily delete the "Signal" app from his phone, which would wipe out all the stored messages. By periodically deleting it and reinstalling it, he'd have left no (or a very short) trail.
Impeachment time is over for Obama. Looks like Tokyo style fire bombing is the only way to stop this enemy of western civilization. ( I'm assuming nukes are not on the table, but may be necessary )
Trump was right to cancel Obama's illegal corruption deal with the Mullahs. We may never know how much Obama pocketed from the Iran deal.
Mike Cernovich pointed out that this guy, who was supposed to be in charge of security for the SIC...
James Wolfe, according to the indictment, was...
quote:
...employed as the Director of Security for the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI).
As SSCI Director of Security, WOLFE was responsible for receiving, maintaining, and managing all classified information provided to the SSCI by the Executive Branch of the United States.
According to Wikipedia:
quote:
The United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (sometimes referred to as the Intelligence Committee or SSCI) is dedicated to overseeing the United States Intelligence Community—the agencies and bureaus of the federal government of the United States who provide information and analysis for leaders of the executive and legislative branches. The Committee was established in 1976 by the 94th Congress. The Committee is "select" in that membership is temporary and rotated among members of the chamber.
Here are the current SSCI members:
quote:
Richard Burr - North Carolina, Chairman Mark Warner - Virginia, Vice Chairman
Republicans: James Risch - Idaho Marco Rubio - Florida Susan Collins - Maine Roy Blunt - Missouri James Lankford - Oklahoma Tom Cotton - Arkansas John Cornyn - Texas
Democrats: Dianne Feinstein - California Ron Wyden - Oregon Martin Heinrich - New Mexico Angus King - Maine Joe Manchin - West Virginia Kamala Harris - California
The Bigger Story Behind the James Wolfe Indictment CTH - June 8, 2018
It is important not to get so granular that we miss the big picture. The indictment of former senior Senate Intelligence Committee staffer James Wolfe is filled with information to highlight a much bigger picture.
[snip]
Note also, it was the Senate Intelligence Committee where Wolfe worked. CTH has continually stated the SSCI is one of the most corrupt committees in Congress. It did not come as a surprise to see the staff from this specific committee leaking secret and top-secret classified information. The committee rots from the head down.
According to the indictment Wolfe was notified by the FBI of a classified intelligence leak investigation on/around October 30th, 2017. From the indictment we see that Wolfe was interviewed and confronted by FBI investigators on December 15th, 2017. After admitting he lied to those FBI investigators Wolfe resigned from his position.
On December 15th, 2017 Wolfe was busted; the FBI had him dead-to-rights. However, the grand jury proceedings didn’t start until May 3rd, 2018; and the indictment was sealed until June 7th, 2018. That means there were six months of investigative work taking place between busting Wolfe on Dec. 15th, and indicting Wolfe on June 7th.
On December 15th, according to the indictment, the FBI investigators were aware of four specific journalists, “reporters”, who participated in the leak material. They likely had more to choose from, but selected those four for specific intents and purposes in the confrontation with Mr. Wolfe. The reporters are not named, but their activity is outlined enough so that it is possible to determine who is who.
From the indictment (note: Male-1 is Carter Page):
-- Reporter #1 is likely Manu Raju of CNN. -- Reporter #2 is definitely Ali Watkins of New York Times. -- Reporter #3 is likely Marianna Sotomayor of NBC. -- Reporter #4 is likely Brian Ross of ABC.
Accepting there has been a great deal of work on the leak investigation, and accepting the purpose therein, the Wolfe indictment appears strategic in that it captures four of the largest media outlets within the net. Four mainstream media enterprises are now on notice. With more than six months of investigation, and with the timing of the indictment becoming public, it’s likely the FBI leak task-force caught more than just Wolfe; Wolfe is simply the first to be identified.
Suspicion: Wolfe will likely lead to Dan Jones.
On December 15th, with the evidence and admissions therein, and specifically noting the FBI showed Mr. Wolfe photographic evidence (he was also under physical surveillance), James Wolfe opened the door to an investigative path that was almost certainly followed. In essence anyone in contact with Wolfe would now be inside the investigative review.
(*Side-note* Consciousness of Guilt: On the day before this December 15th interview, Reporter #2 Ali Watkins (NYT) announced she would no longer be covering the Senate Intelligence Committee.)
This is important because again, Wolfe wasn’t arrested until six months after he was clearly busted. Within this time-frame others would be under investigation.
The FBI would be able to use the information gathered from Wolfe and exploit his compromise for search and surveillance warrants on other participants within his contact circle. The investigators would not want the downstream participants to know.
[snip]
Another key aspect also seems entirely confirmed. Following the timeline from the start of the leak investigation (August 2017, per AG Jeff Sessions), to the FBI notification to Wolfe Oct 30, 2017, and subsequent interview Dec. 15, 2017, the Black Hat hunting is clear.
We suspected a sting operation because it was entirely too coincidental how the media was getting false information. Look at the timeline and you can see the FBI was coordinating false leaks to track:
-- Dec. 01, 2017 - Reporter #4 (ABC Brian Ross) gets fake news leak about Michael Flynn. Later retracted and Brian Ross suspended. [LINK]
-- Dec. 04, 2017 - Fake news leak about Manafort broadcast by ABC. Later retracted [LINK].
-- Dec. 05, 2017 - Fake News leak about Duetsche Bank subpoena for Trump bank records. Reported by Bloomberg; later retracted. [LINK]
-- Dec. 08, 2017 - Reporter #1 (CNN Manu Raju) gets fake news leak about WikiLeaks and Donald Trump, Jr. email. The date on the email was wrong. Broadcast by CNN, later retracted. [LINK – and Follow Up]
-- Dec. 15, 2017 – James Wolfe interview with the FBI.
Overlay the details and the big picture emerges. There is no doubt the operation to catch the DC intelligence leakers is a carefully executed FBI task-force effort. The capture of James Wolfe in December, 2017, opened the door to six months of surveillance on all contacts. Remember, he was not charged with the most serious aspects of his leaking of classified intelligence - he was charged with lying to the FBI.
No doubt some kind of deal was structured where the FBI investigation would continue and Wolfe would stay quiet. Those investigators have been working from that door being opened December 15th, all the way to today. We haven’t see the full outcomes yet, but suffice to say with the June 7th public indictment, the investigators are now comfortable enough to visibly shake the tree.
Lastly, notice the direction of all the stories. Each leak, and the subsequent story therein, was/is designed to undermine the Trump presidency and reinforce opposition to the president. Notice how no leaks ever flow in the other direction; all leaks frame a narrative against the administration.
Reindog, if you're lurking: I'm reading tonight that California Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox has "spoken with the White House" and President Trump will be traveling to Cali to support Cox's run for governor.
To all Americans and the rest of the world: I’m honored to call President Trump a friend. He’s one of the best negotiators of all time, and I’m looking forward to him adding to his historic success at the Singapore Summit.
President Trump Remarks and Press Conference Following G7 Meetings in Charlevoix, Quebec, Canada CTH - June 9, 2018
Earlier today President Trump and members of the administration delivered remarks following the G7 Summit in Charlevoix, Canada. President Trump is now heading to Singapore for a historic meeting with North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un.
Prior to departing Canada, President Trump took questions from the media on a wide variety of issues including trade: "Economic Security is National Security!"
Link to the English-language version of the Straits Times from Singapore, who has temporarily taken down their paywall so folks in the international community can follow their coverage of the upcoming Trump-Kim summit:
I'm going to make a few predictions about the Summit. I expect you folk to mock me without mercy on my misses. Enjoy.
1. We are not going to get a substantial, verifiable reduction in N. Korean nuclear weapons program. They won't let outsiders in to look around. Only limited, scheduled, preplanned visits to selected sites under strict supervision. Because Kim cannot allow foreigners to wander around, it wrecks his internal mythology. He cannot allow his subjects to talk to foreigners. So only selected propaganda & security people will be allowed to interact with "inspectors".
Thus any outsiders will be taken to empty buildings, while next door Uranium is being cast into shapes unmistakable as bomb parts.
2. I expect the North Korean delegation to declare they have been insulted, and walk out. They always have before. We get to pay for the stolen luxury hotel property. ( a given )
3. No matter what happens, Kim is going to go home and declare victory. Fair enough, so will Trump.
4. Nothing will happen on changing the slave status of Kim's subjects. It's not on the table, and won't be as long as Kim lives.
5. The best outcome expected is further, less publicized talks. In other words, this is theater. But everyone already knows that.
6. China will demand concessions on taking over Taiwan. At a minimum, territorial ownership of the artificial islands they are building bases on to surround Taiwan. Also restrictions in weapons sales from the U.S. To Taiwan.
This is all low hanging fruit.
I have some hope that Donald will have multiple plans to screw China and Kim for each of my predicted actions. I also hope I live to see the Korean War end. Not holding my breath.
I saw where actor John Cusack basically called for a coup yesterday to depose Trump because he’s Nazi, a fascist, and he’s crazy.
Somebody at the DNC really needs to get the updated list of talking points to Cusack. I’m not sure whether that’s still “Russian collusion” or if they’ve moved on to the next thing yet.
I saw where actor John Cusack basically called for a coup yesterday to depose Trump because he’s Nazi, a fascist, and he’s crazy.
Somebody at the DNC really needs to get the updated list of talking points to Cusack. I’m not sure whether that’s still “Russian collusion” or if they’ve moved on to the next thing yet.
It's kind of like during the Bush administration. I don't know how many times I would have people say "no blood for oil". Years after it was apparent that we had no plans to take over their oil fields. It got to where it was just fun to ask them to explain when they thought we were going to make the move to take the oil. For some reason, that question used to piss off a lot of people I knew.
I'm going to make a few predictions about the Summit.
My predictions are pretty much 180 degrees opposite of yours (for example, I predict "complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization" -- Mike Pompeo).
President Trump – Monday Schedule and Events in Singapore CTH - June 11, 2018
•President Trump Twitter Feed HERE •Press Secretary Sarah Sanders Twitter Feed HERE •Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Twitter Feed HERE •U.S. State Department Twitter Feed HERE •State Dept Spox Heather Nauert Twitter Feed HERE •Dan Scavino Twitter Feed HERE •U.S. Embassy Singapore Twitter Feed HERE
President Trump in Singapore Monday, June 11, 2018 11:50AM (Local) / 11:50PM (Sunday Night U.S.) THE PRESIDENT departs Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore en route to Istana Palace 12:00PM (Local) / 12:00AM (Mon U.S.) THE PRESIDENT arrives at Istana Palace 12:10PM (Local) / 12:10AM (U.S.) THE PRESIDENT participates in a 1:1 bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Singapore 12:30PM (Local) / 12:30AM (U.S.) THE PRESIDENT participates in an expanded bilateral meeting and working lunch with the Prime Minister of Singapore 02:05PM (Local) / 02:05AM (U.S.) THE PRESIDENT departs Istana Palace en route to Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore 02:15PM (Local) / 02:15AM (U.S.) THE PRESIDENT arrives at Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore 02:20PM (Local) / 02:20AM (U.S.) THE PRESIDENT participates in a meet and greet with the U.S. Embassy in Singapore
The President Secretary Mike Pompeo General John Kelly Ambassador John Bolton Mr. Stephen Miller Ms. Sarah Sanders Ms. Mira Ricardel Mr. Matthew Pottinger Ms. Sarah Tinsley Ms. Stephanie Syptak-Ramnath Ambassador Michael McKinley Ms. Allison Hooker Ms. Brenan Richards Ms. Melissa Brown
President Trump in Singapore Tuesday, June 12, 2018 (beginning Monday evening, June 11, 2018 in America):
9:00 a.m./9:00 p.m. est Initial Greeting – Following the initial greeting, President Trump and Chairman Kim will participate in •a one-on-one meeting, with translators only, •an expanded bilateral meeting, and a •working lunch.
9:15 a.m./9:15 p.m. est – One-on-One: President Trump and Chairman Kim
10:00 a.m./10:00pm est – Expanded BiLat includes: President Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Chief of Staff John Kelly, and National Security Advisor John Bolton.
11:30 a.m./11:30 p.m. est – Working Lunch includes: President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Chief of Staff John Kelly, National Security Advisor John Bolton, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, Ambassador Sung Kim, and National Security Council Senior Director for Asia Matt Pottinger.
