Early Bird Headlines 19 April 2015
Econintersect: Here are some of the headlines we found to help you start your day. For more headlines see our afternoon feature for GEI members, What We Read Today, which has many more headlines and a number of article discussions to keep you abreast of what we have found interesting.
Global
- Climate change threatens more than two-thirds of rabbit species (The Conversation) Rabbits, hares and pikas could become this century’s new climate migrants – with up to two-thirds of species forced to relocate. There are almost certainly going to be extinctions among some of the more sensitive and less adaptable species. The migrations will largely be toward the poles.
U.S.
- Cities And States Paying Massive Secret Fees To Wall Street: Report (International Business Times) Hat tip to Rob Carter. This is a topic we have mentioned before. State and local government pension funds are paying billions (probably tens of billions) annually to Wall Street firms to “manage” pension assets. In return, elected officials receive substantial “donations” for political campaign funds. Econintersect: This corrupt system is sucking money away from pension funds, often underfunded to meet obligations and enriching “managers” who are often (almost always) underperforming the market but are “managing” to build personal wealth. In recent days we have discussed in What We Read Today (members only – get free subscription) just how costly to pensioners and individual investors managed investments are. In one hypothetical example using 2014 data, over 50 years the investor ended up with $408k and the investment manager took out amounts that would have added $616k had they remained on th account.
- Montana Poised To Expand Medicaid Under Obamacare (Huffington Post) Democrats in both chambers of the majority-GOP Montana state legislature have joined with enough Republicans to advance the legislation. The state Senate sent the measure to Gov. Steve Bullock (D), a Medicaid expansion supporter, on Saturday following a state House of Representatives vote a week before. Proponents of the legislation say it will expand health coverage to as many as 45,000 Montanans.
- Mike Huckabee Says You Should Wait Until Obama Leaves Office To Join The Military (Huffington Post) Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) suggested Friday that young Americans planning to join the military should wait until President Barack Obama leaves office to do so because his administration has an “open hostility toward the Christian faith.”
- Walmart suddenly closes 5 stores, lays off 2200. Why? (American Thinker) Hat tip to Roger Erickson. We had this on a reading list within the past day or two. This goes deeper. The company claims the closings are related to ongoing and pervasive plumbing problems. But the conspiracy theorists believe it has more to do with workers who took part in the Black Friday strike than with faulty sewers. But Only one of the five stores took part in the Black Friday strike so it isn’t likely that’s the main reason for the closings. Or is it? The article goes on to examine the question in some detail.
Germany
- Thousands in Germany protest against Europe-US trade deal (Al Jazeera) TTIP protests, part of a global day of action organized by many activist groups, saw thousands march in Germany.
Greece
- Greece wants EU/IMF deal but impasse could bring referendum: deputy PM (Reuters) Greece aims for a deal with its creditors over a reforms package but will not retreat from its red lines, the country’s deputy prime minister told the Sunday newspaper To Vima, not ruling out a referendum or early polls if talks reach an impasse.
Netherlands
- Dutch Citizens Are Taking Their Government To Court Over Climate Change (The World) hat tip to Roger Erickson. A group of Dutch citizens headed to court this week in a bold effort to hold their government accountable for its inaction over climate change.
Nigeria
- ‘Mystery disease’ kills 18 in Nigeria – officials (BBC News) A “mysterious” disease has killed at least 18 people in the past several days in south-eastern Nigeria. The outbreak started in the Ode-Irele town, Ondo state, and spread rapidly. The disease – characterised by blurred vision, headache and loss of consciousness – killed the victims within 24 hours of falling ill. Local health officials and World Health Organization experts are now in the town to try to identify the disease. Laboratory tests have so far ruled out Ebola or any other virus.
Russia
- Russian Hackers Use Zero-Days to Try to Get Sanctions Data (Bloomberg Business) Hackers linked to the Russian government used previously unknown flaws in Microsoft Corp.’s Windows and Adobe Systems Inc.’s Flash to try to infiltrate government discussions on sanctions policy.
Mongolia
- Lake Baikal: incredible ecosystem threatened by Mongolian dam and pipeline (The Conversation) Mongolia is hoping a massive dam on its largest river could provide much needed power and water for the country’s booming mining industry. However environmental groups are concerned that the hydroelectric power plant and a related pipeline project will do immeasurable environmental damage to oldest and deepest freshwater body in the world: Lake Baikal in southern Siberia, Russia.
China
- Zhou Says China Has Room for Monetary Easing; May Not Use It (Bloomberg) China’s central bank Governor Zhou Xiaochuan said the world’s second-largest economy has scope compared with other nations to ease its monetary policies.
Mexico
- ISIS Camp a Few Miles from Texas, Mexican Authorities Confirm (Judicial Watch) ISIS is operating a camp just a few miles from El Paso, Texas, according to Judicial Watch sources that include a Mexican Army field grade officer and a Mexican Federal Police Inspector.
- Watchdog: Feds Plotting to Shut Down ISIS Warning (WND)
- ISIL near the border? Mexican town disputes rumors (USA Today)
Econintersect assessment: So far the ISIS “camp” or “base” in Mexico seems to be a ridiculous rumor.
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