Tag: news

American Airlines has come under fire after announcing that flight attendants are now allowed to wear Black Lives Matter flair on their uniforms while on duty, angering some employees – including some whose spouses or relatives are cops that say BLM promotes or condones violence, according to the New York Post.

“I take offense to this,” one veteran flight attendant told management in an email obtained by The Post. “Serious offense. My husband is a LEO (Law Enforcement Officer), as was my deceased father and as far as I’m concerned ALL LIVES MATTER.”

“I am completely disgusted at the fact that we can’t show support for our GOD, our COUNTRY, our LEOs but when it comes to BLM organization (which is controversial in itself), American Airlines says that’s obviously different,” she continued. “And we can. How is that right? Well, I don’t feel included.”

#AmericanAirlines Instead of supporting Blue Lives or All Lives, this company is supporting a Hate group! BLM pins are being made for all their workers to wear! A Flight Attendant asked if they could wear a Blue Lives Matter pin instead, they were told, NO! COMMENTS? pic.twitter.com/wuT4rTqPVG

— sharannp (@sharann1gmailc1) September 6, 2020

Another flight attendant who asked to be identified only as John said staffers who refuse to wear the pin will now “be ostracized and labeled as racist,” and described BLM as “a terrorist organization that promotes violence to further their agenda.”

“If this pin is sanctioned, I will wear my NYPD pin supporting the police department,” he said. –New York Post

The airline’s senior vice president for flight services, Jill Surdek, defended the decision, saying she had been “taken aback” by “widespread” complaints from black employees about “implicit bias and direct racism from customers and other team members.”

“American is truly committed to having an inclusive culture that is welcoming to all and a reflection of our country and world,” said Surdek, in an email, adding “One symbolic way to show our support is through a uniform pin.”

“We are working with our Black Professional Network on designing a specific pin that may be worn with the uniform. In the interim until this pin is produced, to recognize the significance of this moment in history, we are allowing people to wear a Black Lives Matter Pin.”

In a statement to The Post on Sunday, the airline said the company has employee “resource groups” working on several pin designs for various causes, including charitable groups that include UNICEF and others.

“Our Christian, veterans and LGBTQ groups, for example, have developed their own pin that can be worn as part of the uniform,” the statement said.

American said it views the BLM pin push “not as a political cause but as a universal cause about humanity and equality. Fundamentally, Black Lives Matter is an expression of equality.”

“It doesn’t mean other lives don’t matter, rather that in our society black lives should matter and be valued the same as others. That’s not political.” –New York Post

According to the report, angry AA employees think their airline jumped on the BLM pin thing to keep up with Delta Airlines, which has reportedly designed its own BLM pin for flight attendants to wear.

A top aid to former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly has become the latest former Trump administration official to deny The Atlantic‘s hit-piece claiming President Trump called soldiers ‘losers’ and ‘suckers.’

Speaking with Breitbart News, former Deputy White House Chief of Staff Zach Fuentes suggested that Kelly would never have stood by while Trump disparaged fallen Marines, and that the paper may have conflated comments Trump made the following day.

“You can put me on record denying that I spoke with The Atlantic,” Fuentes said on Monday. “I don’t know who the sources are. I did not hear POTUS call anyone losers when I told him about the weather. Honestly, do you think General Kelly would have stood by and let ANYONE call fallen Marines losers?“

Life experience should tell all of us that if a major part of a story is proven false, the rest of the claims from the same author should be considered garbage, especially with anonymous sources. https://t.co/AK8hldmEsG

— Scott Adams (@ScottAdamsSays) September 7, 2020

Fuentes added that he thinks The Atlantic‘s sources “are unlikely first hand accounts,” adding “They are conflating those people from something the day after.“

Fuentes also told Breitbart News he is upset that Trump has been speaking negatively about Kelly.

“On a separate note, I am disappointed to see POTUS talk about General Kelly so negatively in the middle of being accused of saying negative things about the military,” Fuentes said. “If anyone understands selfless service, it’s General Kelly.”

The fact that Fuentes—Kelly’s closest ally—is now publicly denying the report from The Atlantic is a monstrous strike against the credibility of the report. Several Trump critics, including former National Security Adviser John Bolton, have also denied this happened.

Every person who was allegedly in the room who has spoken up so far has denied the account of what happened. Fuentes’ denial, reported here exclusive on Breitbart News first, deals another strike against The Atlantic’s credibility. –Breitbart News

“I also think any President, regardless of political affiliation, deserves to have candid and private conversations with trusted advisors,” Fuentes continued. “If the President decides to talk about it, that is his right, but generally, I don’t think it is my place to divulge private conversations I’ve had with him.”

In other words – Kelly and his top aide, neither of whom are known for being MAGA types, are supporting the president over The Atlantic.

Meanwhile, Atlantic Editor in Chief Jeffrey Goldberg conceded that they may have gotten part of the story wrong. Read about that here at The Federalist.

Via S&P Global Platts Insight blog,

California’s power market feels pressure from extreme high temperatures in this week’s selection of energy and commodities trends to watch. Plus, EU gas vs coal power generation, the link between crude oil and US inflation, and more.

1. Extreme California heat boosting power demand, prices 

What’s happening? The California Independent System Operator imposed restrictions on maintenance September 5-6 with demand forecast to top 40 GW and temperatures forecast to reach as high as 118 degrees Fahrenheit even as the region continues to battle numerous wildfires. Spot power prices spiked, with peakload and temperatures forecast to climb. Pricing point SP15 on-peak day-ahead for September 3-4 traded around $75/MWh on the Intercontinental Exchange September 2, a 135% jump day on day compared with its previous settlement.

What’s next? Broadly, these conditions should not change over the short term: an excessive heat watch is in place across most of California and parts of Nevada and Arizona, which could lead to elevated power prices this week. Additionally, wildfires continue to burn across much of the state, which could impact electricity infrastructure. Firefighters are battling more than 20 major fires and lightning complexes in California, with tens of thousands of people currently evacuated.

2. German gas-fired generation margins fall as fuel costs rally

What’s happening? German gas-fired generation margins have fallen from record highs in July, moving below comparable coal-fired margins for 2021, S&P Global Platts data show. Behind the latest swing is a sharp rebound in fuel costs: front-month gas on the benchmark Dutch TTF hub has tripled from lows in May. EU CO2 prices dipped in August, but remain high enough to keep less efficient coal units offline for now. Power prices, meanwhile, continue to strengthen amid gradual demand recovery, supported by record-low nuclear generation in Germany and  France.

What’s next? Germany’s first coal plant closure compensation auction for 4 GW of hard coal capacity ended September 1. Units awarded compensation are to close by end-2020. Newer, more efficient coal plants with 45% efficiency, however, are likely to return gradually from Q4 as clean dark spreads edge above clean spark spreads. While 2020 coal generation is set for a new record low, German gas-fired output is on track for significant on-year gains with the long-term trend of improved gas margins remaining intact. This has prompted RWE and Uniper to return mothballed gas plants to service from October 1.

3. US FED boost to inflation supportive to oil but not enough to lift prices higher

What’s happening? Oil prices have partially recovered from April lows, when the expiration of the May WTI contract pushed them into unprecedented negative territory. The oil price recovery has coincided with a rise in implied inflation and a weaker dollar. Implied inflation – the difference between nominal interest rates and inflation protected Treasury rates – received a boost recently, associated with a policy shift by the US Federal Reserve, to likely allow inflation run above its 2% target for a period of time.

What’s next? Oil ultimately trades on its own fundamentals, though implied inflation and the value of the US dollar are recognized by the market at the margin. The recent disconnect between oil and implied inflation is partly related to oil entering a seasonally soft period for crude and product demand, along with weak refining margins and excess inventories. Longer term, oil will only be supported, or strengthen further, if excess inventories are worked off, refining margins improve, and product demand recovers. S&P Global Platts Analytics believes that could occur deeper into Q4, but more likely not until H2 of 2021. For now, the uptick in implied inflation is supportive to oil prices, but is not sufficient, of itself, to pull prices higher. Ultimately that requires stronger fundamentals.

4. Asia’s energy transition ramps up with rising non-fossil fuel contribution

What’s happening? From hydrogen to solar power, Asian countries are stepping up efforts to prepare themselves for energy transition and reduce their dependence on fossil fuel imports.

What Next? The challenge of the energy transition in Asia and other fast-growing economies is to not only satisfy incremental demand growth with low-carbon or carbon-free energy, but also make strides toward decarbonizing existing demand. According to S&P Global Platts Analytics, in order to meet two-degree warming targets, Asia will need to curtail CO2 emissions by nearly 20% of 2019 levels by 2030, while growing total primary energy supply by an average annual rate of 0.7% to meet rising demand.

5. EU carbon prices hold above Eur28/mt, but supply hike looms

What’s happening? EU carbon dioxide allowance prices held up at above Eur28.00/mt in early September, amid stronger natural gas prices and as well as longer-term bullish elements linked to tighter carbon allowance supplies in the fourth trading phase which starts in January 2021. Adding to this, the European Commission is expected to announce a revamped EU 2030 emissions reduction target – likely in late September – which is very likely to play into a steeper fall in the annual carbon caps later in the decade to 2030, tightening the supply of allowances.

What’s next? However, recent carbon price strength may be tested as September progresses, with monthly auction volumes set to rebound to over 86 million mt, compared with just 37.5 million mt in August. This will become apparent this week, as auction volumes fully rebound after some holidays in late August and early September which reduced weekly volumes. Auctions volumes are set to jump to 20.8 million mt in the week starting Sept. 7, compared with just 11.8 million mt in the week starting Aug. 31, which may work to counteract some of the recent bullish sentiment.

Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding made a surprise announcement late last week – abandoning the Democratic party after months of anti-police protests and civil unrest, and switching his party affiliation to Republican, according to 14 News.

Wedding made the announcement Thursday outside White Stallion Energy in Evansville, where Mayor Lloyd Winnecke and Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch were in attendance.

Sheriff Wedding says the switch is to make a statement against what is going on nationally with civil unrest and negative attitudes towards law enforcement. He admitted that this will likely ruffle some feathers, but believes his track record in working with both Democrat and Republican leaders in the county will allow him to maintain those relationships despite the switch.

After the announcement, Wedding told us he feels the Democratic Party has lost its way. –14 News

 “The Democrats represented hard-working individuals,” said Wedding. “People who were just working class America and they believed in values, family and that you’ve got to work to achieve. I think we’ve lost that in the Democratic Party. I was one of the people who had nothing growing up and I’ve worked to achieve. I’m proud of where I was and where I am today.”

“Watching the daily burning of American flags, failing to be able to use the word God in any sentence at most Democrat-led functions, denouncing law enforcement as if we’re the evil people. I am very proud of my profession in law enforcement and when people attack us, it’s pretty insulting.”

Lots of people here outside White Stallion Energy for an announcement from Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and Sheriff Dave Wedding. pic.twitter.com/NEMUmi87By

— Joseph Payton (@JPayton14News) September 3, 2020

Following Wedding’s decision, the Democratic Party of Vanderburgh Country issued the following statement: 

Authored by Paul Joseph Watson via Summit News,

A video out of Portland shows a black woman involved in a confrontation with Antifa rioters who she accuses of calling her racial slurs as they temporarily block her vehicle.

The clip begins with the African-American woman telling the white Antifa rioters to get out of the way as they claim they are engaged in a “non-violent protest.”

“You setting fires in the street, no that’s violence,” responds the woman.

The rioters position themselves in front of her car as she tells them to go and “tear up” another neighborhood.

“Now they see how ignorant this looks, you don’t let someone call me a fucking nigger bitch, you don’t want no race war out here…fucking nigger bitch, that’s what you called me,” says the woman.

“You’re setting fires in the streets?” asks a black female driver tonight who is stopped by antifa rioters in north Portland. “Get out of my way!” She refuses to follow their orders. Video by @BGOnTheScene. #PortlandRiots pic.twitter.com/pd3cSN0Ikx

— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) September 7, 2020

The Antifa rioters deny being responsible for the racist slur before accusing the woman of pushing them with her car.

“If I was pushing you with my car, you’d be laying the fuck over,” responds the woman as the confrontation becomes more heated.

The rioters are finally forced to let the woman pass. One suspects that if she was white, they would have physically attacked her.

“What’s it called when a bunch of masked white people with a history of violence looting and burning black communities block a black woman from driving while calling her racial slurs?” asked journalist Tim Pool.

The video emerged after yet another weekend of terrible optics for Antifa and BLM which included them once again aggressively confronting diners outside restaurants in Rochester and Pittsburgh.

*  *  *

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Shut down gym owners in San Francisco have developed serious “roid rage” after finding out this week that gyms inside of government buildings have been open for months while privately owned establishments have remained shut down, per the government’s orders.

Gyms for police officers, lawyers, bailiffs, paralegals and government employees have been open since July 1, according to a new report from the Washington Examiner. 

Daniele Rabkin, of Crossfit Golden Gate stated: “It’s shocking, it’s infuriating. Even though they’re getting exposed, there are no repercussions, no ramifications? It’s shocking.”

Dave Karraker, owner of MX3 Fitness in the Castro, commented: “It just demonstrates that there seems to be some kind of a double standard between what city employees are allowed to do and what the residents of San Francisco are allowed to do. What the city has unwillingly done is created this great case study that says that working out indoors is actually safe.”

He continued: “So, at this point, we’re just demanding that they allow us to have the same workout privileges for the citizens of San Francisco that the employees of San Francisco have.”

This news comes just days after Nancy Pelosi was publicly ridiculed for getting her hair done, without a mask, at a salon that would otherwise have been closed. Public outrage about the hypocrisy reached peak levels, forcing Pelosi to make a public statement and face the media to “explain.”

Pelosi began in typical politician manner by blaming someone else – the salon owner – for the so-called “set-up” and then “apologized” for being caught in a set-up…

“I take responsibility for trusting the word of a neighborhood salon that I’ve been to over the years many times,” Pelosi told reporters on Wednesday.

“When they said they were able to accommodate people one person at a time, I trusted that. As it turns out, it was a setup.” 

By Michael Every of Rabobank

So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish

In a crowded field of political and geopolitical head-scratching moments, and on a glide path to goodness knows where, the UK is doing its best to make sure it stays competitive. No, not the ‘PM’s special advisor deciding to drive to a castle with his family under lockdown to test his eyesight’. Nor the Sky TV interview where the anchor asks Health Secretary Matt Hancock why the government had just appointed ex-Australian PM Tony Abbot as its trade ambassador given “he’s a homophobe and he’s a misogynist,” and Hancock –wearing an LGBTQ rainbow flag pin—replies: “Well, ah, he’s also an expert on trade.” Both are on the list though: who needs to watch political black comedy ‘In the Thick of It’?

Specifically, the British have laid down a 15 October hard deadline to agree a new deal with the EU; and yet this week the government is set to introduce legislation that will unilaterally break the terms of the current Withdrawal Agreement over state aid and Northern Ireland That, while calling No Deal still a “good outcome”. Hard ball it is then.

Indeed, while the EU has taken a very tough approach of its own (e.g., the UK must keep aligning itself with EU regulations, or the EU get a say in them; and if the UK insists on keeping all its own fish then the EU won’t buy them), the UK is also upping the ante. The Daily Express —where one goes to drink deep of Brexit thinking once considered unthinkable yet now as common as H20— reports the UK is considering punishing the EU for no deal by refusing to allow EU corporations to raise funds in The City; which is what will happen in a No Deal anyway.

An opinion poll over the weekend shows 50% of Brits asked believe all those fish (which they don’t really eat) and the setting of their own laws (which nobody really follows) are red lines that they will not be willing to compromise over: that matters, politically, even with an election years away. Indeed, UK Brexit Negotiator Frost has stated that this week is crucial to determining if a deal can be struck at all; yet the Express states preparation for a no deal has been ramped up with the “brightest and best” civil servants brought into a new Transition Hub. Indeed, they quote a senior Downing Street source that the UK has been “resigned to Australia rules for some time” as the probable outcome. Suddenly one starts to see where Tony Abbot’s expertise may come in: presumably he’s still in Oz, and knows all the right people in all the right pubs that the Brits will need to buy all the right drinks for in order to try to shift UK trade back towards Oz again, effectively doing an ‘inverse 1973’. Which is also handy for an Australia looking to diversify from China, of course.

Regardless, it’s not a news backdrop that suggests GBP has much further to climb near term.

And on the EUR side, the focus will obviously be on the same backdrop, one would think, and also the ECB on Thursday. There, the expectation is that nothing will happen but it will be wrapped up in just the right amount of hints of something that the incessant and unwarranted, and unwanted, appreciation of EUR will cease. Of course, this depends on the verbal finesse of Christine Lagarde. One might want to have a stiff drink at hand this week for another reason then.

But back to trade diversification. The last few days have seen significant signs that Europe might be ‘getting it’ in regards to the new global geopolitical landscape. Both a German government report and the EU’s Borrell have made clear they do not want to be forced to side with either the US or China in the event of a decoupling, and that they need to rapidly diversify trade relations to ensure they have the luxury of choice. That’s also negative for EUR, as transitions are painful. First on the export side, and second if it means less Chinese investment going forwards.

Meanwhile, even the Nordstream 2 gas pipeline, on which Germany has staked its energy future, is now being floated as something that can be simply frozen at the very last minute – which would at least avoid a row with the US ahead. The message again, however, is that the EU has made some exceptionally poor geostrategic choices –by refusing to recognize it needs to think geostrategically– and rectifying them is going to be expensive, slow, and not good for EUR. By all means, allow the market to think that the ECB this week is really the driver, but there is more going on here than just technocrat technobabble.

Yet staying with trade, Chinese data today showed another surge in exports (up 9.5% y/y in USD terms) and yet imports fell again (-2.1% y/y). That’s even though China’s economy is apparently back and nobody else’s is. Yet of course that’s not true: everyone else has been handing out stimulus to prop up demand; China has been doing it to prop up supply. And here we see why such stimulus won’t look like that going forwards without being ring-fenced.

Also worth noting is that even with imports down y/y, China is still hoovering up commodities, from oil to…well, fish.

Is this just because these things are now cheap? Or because there is a recognition that the current global state of affairs is going to lead towards everyone stimulating behind a protective wall, in which case history suggests it’s very useful to have stockpiled everything you might need in a pinch? Let those who ‘don’t do geopolitics’ say the former and good luck to them; and let those who do recognize the very fat tail-risks implied.

Hence “So long, and thanks for all the fish” has multiple possible interpretations. On which note, here are the lyrics to the song from the book of the same name:

“So long and thanks for all the fish; So sad that it should come to this

We tried to warn you all but oh dear!

You may not share our intellect; Which might explain your disrespect;

For all the natural wonders that grow around you

So long, so long and thanks for all the fish

The world’s about to be destroyed; There’s no point getting all annoyed

Lie back and let the planet dissolve around you

Despite those nets of tuna fleets; We thought that most of you were sweet

Especially tiny tots and your pregnant women

So long, so long, so long, so long, so long; So long, so long, so long, so long, so long

So long, so long and thanks for all the fish

If I had just one last wish; I would like a tasty fish

If we could just change one thing; We would all have learned to sing

Come one and all; Man and mammal; side by side, in life’s great gene pool.”

President Trump will be giving a 1pm ET press conference on Monday to discuss jobs and the economy.

As usual, however, we expect the real fireworks to begin when journalists begin asking about a disputed report in The Atlantic that Trump called military veterans ‘losers’ for fighting in Vietnam.

Joe Biden will speak in Harrisburg, PA Monday afternoon, where he’s scheduled to meet with the head of the largest federation of US labor unions, the AFL-CIO.

Meanwhile, both Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) will spend the day campaigning in Wisconsin, with Harris meeting with union workers and black business owners in Milwaukee, and Pence slated to tour an energy facility in La Crosse, according to KRQE.

Will be having a Labor Day News Conference today at the White House, 1:00 P.M. Jobs number, and the Economic comeback, are looking GREAT. Happy Labor Day!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 7, 2020

Watch Live:

As of Monday morning on the West Coast, at least 15,000 firefighters were battling 23 wildfires raging across the Golden State, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire).

Of these, three were deemed “major blazes”, burning in Fresno, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties.

The wildfire crisis in California is worsening, fueled by a record-breaking heat wave. This comes after a dramatic rescue over the weekend of more than 200 campers trapped by flames. @Miguelnbc has more. pic.twitter.com/LZtwshhvm2

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) September 7, 2020

On Sunday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in San Diego, San Bernardino, Fresno, Madera, and Mariposa countries, the worst-affected by what’s shaping up to be another brutal wildfire season, exacerbated by a shortage of prisoners to press into service fighting the blazes.

But in his speech, Newsom prattled on about “the realities of climate change”. 

“California has always been the canary in the coal mine for climate change, and this weekend’s events only underscore that reality,” Newsom said. “Wildfires have caused system failures, while near-record energy demand is predicted as a multi-state heatwave hits the West Coast for the second time in a matter of weeks.”

Newsom also spoke about the record-high temperatures on Saturday, which were piling on the pressure to the state’s power grid.

“Californians are rising to the occasion to meet these unprecedented challenges for our energy grid, and I want to thank all of the businesses and individuals who are conserving energy. Californians should heed (California Independent System Operator’s) warnings and flex their power to shift energy consumption to earlier in the day.”

The heatwave added fuel to the wildfires and strained electrical grids, though rolling blackouts weren’t as massive as the ones seen in August. As of Monday morning, 50,000 homes and businesses had no power, according to Poweroutage.US. 

The California Independent System Operator (CA ISO), which operates a large chunk of the state’s power grid, announced a Stage 2 Emergency on Sunday, where it took steps to ‘defend the grid, manage transmission loss and avoid outages’. 

CA ISO said it “has taken all mitigating actions and is no longer able to provide its expected energy requirements. A Stage 2 warning requires ISO intervention in the market, such as ordering power plants online.” 

The Stage 2 Emergency is expected to be reissued on Monday from 3 p.m. through 9 p.m. as wildfires and hot temperatures persist.

#California is being impacted by many big #wildfires. Satellite imagery shows the smoke emanating from these fires. #SantaAna Winds will arrive to #SoCal Tuesday night-Wednesday, worsening the wildfire risk. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/PsKP55mUCE

— NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) September 6, 2020

In Los Angeles County on Saturday, a record 121F was seen, beating a previous record of 119F, set in July 2006. The unprecedented heatwave has “continued creating ideal conditions for wildfires,” the National Weather Service warned over the weekend. As of Monday, 23 fires are raging across California. 

The El Dorado Fire near Yucaipa began when someone lit a firework at a gender reveal party, sparked a massive fire that has burned more than 7,000 acres and was 5% contained as of Monday. 

According to @CALFIREBDU, “[a] smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used during a gender reveal party sparked the #ElDoradoFire burning near Yucaipa, which has charred more than 7,000 acres.” @abc7newsbayarea: https://t.co/iifdW2nY8L

— Ajit Pai (@AjitPaiFCC) September 7, 2020

A fire-nado was spotted…

EXTREME Fire behavior on the #ElDoradoFire created a fire whirl. pic.twitter.com/K3e9PeJ3Yx

— socalfirephoto.com (@SoCalFirePhoto) September 6, 2020

In Northern California, Creek Fire has burned tens of thousands of acres. It’s one of the major fires with zero containment. The fire surrounded a campground and destroyed building structures. Helicopters rescued more than 200 people to safety early Sunday, trapped by the blaze. 

Dozens of evacuees are evacuated to safety on a Cal Guard Chinook last night after the Creek Fire in central California left them stranded. Photo courtesy California National Guard. pic.twitter.com/mi7X6wchpN

— The California National Guard (@CalGuard) September 6, 2020

The 2020 wildfire season has been busy; nearly two million acres have been burnt since the season began, with more than 7,448 confirmed wildfires and upwards of 4,000 structures damaged or destroyed. 

This comes at a precarious time for California, as budgetary constraints from the virus-induced downturn, along with the threat by President Trump to defund liberal-run cities, the state could be on the verge of disaster.