Larry Kudlow: I've Changed. This Is War. Seal the Borders. Stop the Visas … A hardline shift from an immigration reformer. I know this is not my usual position. But this is a war. Therefore I have come to believe there should be no immigration or visa waivers until the U.S. adopts a completely new system to stop radical Islamic terrorists from entering the country. A wartime lockdown. An...Read More

Is ISIS Simply A "Saudi Army In Disguise"? … Something major missing. In recent weeks I have been increasingly unsatisfied by the general explanations about who is actually pulling the strings in the entire Middle East plot or, more precisely, plots, to the point of reexamining my earlier views on the role of Saudi Arabia. – New Eastern OutlookDominant Social Theme: The House...Read More

Clock ticks on Swiss banking secrecy … Many Swiss believe banking secrecy cannot be sustained … Switzerland is facing mounting pressure finally to abandon its long tradition of banking secrecy. The United States has already told the Swiss government it expects Swiss banks to provide the US authorities with automatic information about US clients. Now the European Union is demanding the...Read More

The Silver-Skelos 'defense': Corruption is the way of Albany … How do you defend the indefensible? If you're former state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, you do the same as your Assembly counterpart, Sheldon Silver: You don't. Like Silver, Skelos opted not to testify on his own behalf — likely realizing the jury wouldn't believe a word. – NewYorkPostDomina...Read More

It's going to get much worse for gold … It's been another tough year for gold. The precious metal has fallen 10 percent in 2015 and is tracking for its longest yearly losing streak since 1998. And according to one technician, the pain will continue heading into 2016. "I think there's still downside here," Rich Ross said Monday on CNBC's "Trading Nation." &...Read More

In Brazil, Rising and Rampant Racism Is Written On The Wall … A group puts racist tweets on billboards in the neighborhood in which the troll lives. The biggest lawyers group seeks an apology and reparations for slavery. Brazil is combating racism in new ways. – NPRDominant Social Theme: The real problem with Brazil is its history of racism.Free-Market Analysis: In this article, we wil...Read More

The twentieth century has witnessed the beginning, development, and end of the most tragic experiment in human history: socialism. The experiment resulted in tremendous human losses, destruction of potentially rich economies, and colossal ecological disasters. The experiment has ended, but the devastation will affect the lives and health of generations to come. The real tragedy of this experiment...Read More

Greeks told to declare cash "under the mattress," jewelry and precious stones … When earlier today we read a report in the Greek Enikonomia, according to which Greek taxpayers would be forced to declare all cash "under the mattress" (including inside) or boxes that contain more than 15,000 euros as well as jewelry and precious stones (including gold) worth over 30,000 eur...Read More

Get Your Flu Shot Before the Flu Is Widespread: CDC … Everyone 6 months and older should be vaccinated before holiday trips and gatherings, experts say … While relatively few cases of flu have surfaced so far in the United States, health officials say the holiday season will likely change that, so everyone should get a flu shot now. People will be shopping, traveling and going to gathe...Read More

It Begins: Desperate Finland Set To Unleash Helicopter Money Drop To All Citizen … Finland is considering giving every citizen €800 a month. Proposals for a national basic income are intended to simplify the social security system and encourage more unemployed people to take on temporary work. – ZeroHedgeDominant Social Theme: Let's turn central banks into a force for good by...Read More

Will the IRS Take Your Passport? … A little-noticed provision in the highway funding bill Congress passed this week threatens a right most Americans take for granted: the right to travel abroad. The provision in question gives the Internal Revenue Service the authority to revoke the passport of anyone the IRS claims owes more than $50,000 in back taxes. Congress is giving the IRS this new po...Read More

Yellen signals growing likelihood of a December rate … Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen told Congress Thursday that economic conditions appear to be improving enough for policymakers to raise interest rates when they meet in two weeks — as long as there are no major shocks that undermine confidence. Yellen said that even after the first rate hike, the Fed expects future rate increase...Read More

A few cheering thoughts on terrorism … Terrorism by Moslems in America and Europe cannot be stopped. If attacks do not occur, it will be because nobody tried very hard. Stopping them would require excluding Moslems, deporting them, or controlling them by totalitarian methods. Or, improbably, minding our own business in the Middle East. What you think of the foregoing approaches doesn't m...Read More

Gold ends near 6-year low as Yellen comments point to rate hike … Janet Yellen all but says interest rates are rising. Gold futures on Wednesday marked their lowest settlement in nearly six years, as a rise in November U.S. private-sector employment and comments from the Federal Reserve's chairwoman supported the likelihood that the central bank will agree to raise interest rates when it...Read More

Fourteen people were confirmed killed and 17 more wounded in a mass shooting at a San Bernardino community social services building. "We do have some preliminary numbers of upwards of 14 people that are dead and upwards of 14 people that are injured," said Chief Jarrod Burguan of San Bernardino Police. The number of injured was later upped to 17. – CBSLocalDominant Social Theme: Te...Read More

Federal Reserve official: Economy on track for 'normalization' phase … "I believe the national economy is on a reasonably solid trajectory," said Dennis Lockhart, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Speaking Nov. 19 at a DeKalb Chamber of Commerce general business meeting at the Georgia Aquarium, Lockhart added. – The Champion...Read More

Obama pushes for gun control after Planned Parenthood shooting … After a gunman opened fire at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood on Friday, killing three people and injuring several others, President Obama urged the nation to increase controls over "the easy accessibility of weapons of war." – CBS NewsDominant Social Themes: Guns kill people.Free-Market Analysis: Do guns...Read More

IMF approves China's yuan as reserve currency … Inclusion in elite list alongside US dollar and euro described as a milestone for world's second largest economy. With the decision, the yuan, also known as the renminbi, will join the US dollar, euro, Japanese yen and British pound next year in the list of currencies the IMF uses as an international reserve asset. – Al JazeeraDom...Read More

Hours Before the Terror Attacks, Paris Practiced for a Mass Shooting … Since the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January, from which 16 people died, Paris-area ambulance crews and emergency personnel have taken part in regular exercises designed to test their readiness for possible attacks. One such exercise was held on Friday morning, the day of the latest terror attacks. In a twist of fate, the s...Read More

Migrant crisis laid bare: 1.5 MILLION people have entered EU countries illegally this year … The staggering figure was revealed by European Council President Donald Tusk, as leaders from across the continent desperately tried to thrash out a way of stemming the flow of refugees into Europe. Hundreds of thousands of migrants – many fleeing war and persecution from North Africa and the M...Read More