{"id":22142,"date":"2018-10-20T22:00:57","date_gmt":"2018-10-21T06:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/?p=22142"},"modified":"2018-10-20T23:05:02","modified_gmt":"2018-10-21T07:05:02","slug":"us-coin-fails-no-grand-strategy-no-strategy-just-tactics-kill-them-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/us-coin-fails-no-grand-strategy-no-strategy-just-tactics-kill-them-all\/","title":{"rendered":"US COIN Fails: No Grand Strategy, No Strategy, Just tactics–kill them all."},"content":{"rendered":"

We Say Fight Back!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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NYU<\/span> Students Disrupt Appearance by Henry Kissinger<\/h1>\n

\"H18<\/p>\n

in New York City, students at NYU<\/span> protested former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger at an event organized by the school on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Protester<\/strong>: \u201cAre you telling me that you\u2019re not a war criminal, that you do not deserve to go to jail for the crimes that you have enacted? You deserve to answer to war crimes, to crimes against humanity! You deserve to go to jail and then rot in hell! You have enacted crimes against Chile, against Argentina, against Cambodia, against Vietnam! You are a war criminal, and you deserve to rot!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Kissinger served as the top foreign policymaker under President Nixon. During his tenure, he led massive bombing campaigns in Cambodia and Laos; prolonged the devastating war in Vietnam; supported death squads and coups in Latin America, including in Chile and Argentina; greenlighted Indonesia\u2019s 1975 invasion of East Timor, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths; supported anti-liberation insurgencies in Angola and Mozambique; and supported Pakistan\u2019s genocide in Bangladesh. This is NYU<\/span> student Madison Kelts, speaking at a protest outside of the building where Kissinger appeared.<\/p>\n

Madison Kelts<\/strong>: \u201cDuring his time as secretary of state and national security adviser, Henry Kissinger perpetrated massive violence, massive crimes, against people in Vietnam, from Laos to Cambodia, illegal secret bombing campaigns. He is an imperialist warmonger who has to answer for\u2014which he has not answered for yet\u2014thousands and thousands, hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths.\u201d\u00a0 www.democracynow.org\/2018\/10\/17\/headlines\/nyu_students_disrupt_appearance_by_henry_kissinger?fbclid=IwAR34iPZTJjPSej2-xmt1_JIF6tCaLY3opQ-oEvJlldcOaTLm_0FA_9zVqrY<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

www.facebook.com\/teleSUREnglish\/videos\/1912339835512845\/?t=70https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FTheHalloweenPage%2Fvideos%2F901898663179536%2F%3Ft%3D60https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newyorker.com%2Fmagazine%2F2018%2F10%2F22%2Fdonald-trump-self-made-billionaire-the-early-years%3Fmbid%3Dsocial_facebook&fbclid=IwAR16HPWJGZO3mahSXAdkdaYdnmaAQsNTduZ6VowTqpNDtCmoUhF846AXqNE<\/a><\/p>\n

The Little Red Schoolhouse<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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San Diego State University and the military-university complex<\/h2>\n

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Over the past several decades, universities in San Diego, a major historic naval hub and headquarters for defense contractors since World War II, have developed into key assets for US militarism.<\/p>\n

With encouragement from university administrations, the schools act as spaces for recruiting and training students for the highest occupations in the US military and intelligence apparatus. Schools such as San Diego State University (SDSU) and the private University of San Diego (USD) have become regional hubs for military training programs with exclusive benefits afforded to military affiliates.<\/p>\n

The Military Ally Program, sponsored and run by the on-campus Joan and Art Barron Veterans Center at SDSU, was created in 2015 to \u201cprovide insight into and awareness of the unique cultural and social background of the military community.\u201d Intended to be open to all faculty and students, including off-campus community organizations and businesses, the program hosts a monthly four-hour seminar about \u201cmilitary culture, [presenting] relevant data and demographic models,\u201d to stress the benefits of having the military on campus and in communities. Those who complete the seminar become a part of the \u201cMilitary Ally network,\u201d receiving a placard to place in their workspace and a lapel pin to wear as visible indicators of their membership.<\/p>\n

The Military Ally Program operates with the stated mission to \u201cbridge the civilian-military gap.\u201d In other words, its goal is to make the military a more regular and comfortable presence to the campus population. This thinly veiled indoctrination program sprung up after an influx of veteran students from the wars waged in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Veterans Center on campus was a small-scale operation in 2000, but it now resides in the administrative center of campus and is highly accessible to students affiliated with the military.<\/p>\n

The effort to make the military a regular campus presence coincides with a national effort to shore up financial incentives for joining the military at the expense of public education funding. Following the 2008-09 financial crisis, the military saw a significant upsurge in enlistment. As university tuition skyrockets and job prospects dwindle, recruiters prey on low-income students, advertising enlistment as a financially viable option to pay for school.\u00a0 www.wsws.org\/en\/articles\/2018\/10\/18\/sand-o18.html<\/a><\/p>\n

How LAUSD Lost Over a Half Billion Dollars of Taxpayer\u2019s Money \u2026 without Being Reported<\/h1>\n

In the bumbling world of LAUSD attorneys, LAUSD never pursued almost $600 million paid to contractors which did not go to the projects they were hired to work on despite the protest and formal investigation results by the District\u2019s own Office of the Inspector General Supervising Investigator Bob Williams going back to 2003.<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Times<\/em> and other local media organizations never reported this either; rather Leslie Dutton\u2019s Full Disclosure did. Had mainstream media reported this, there would have been heated School Board meetings with angry parents complaining of misappropriation of funds and schools\u2019 unfulfilled needs. \u00a0Instead, The Los Angeles Times<\/em> and other corporate media allowed LAUSD to get away with this and move on to pursue money losing bogus payroll lawsuits<\/a>, all the while attempting to pass another bond measure.<\/p>\n

With that much missing money, what unknown favors were handed out during the then tenure of Superintendent Roy \u201cMr. Outsider\u201d Romer (a former Colorado Governor)? \u00a0\u201cMr. Outsider\u201d turned out to be the biggest insider, forcing out unsung hero OIG Inspector Don Mullinax who was courageously trying to clean up LAUSD corruption.<\/p>\n

As such, the madness has continued since 2009 with LAUSD creating more financial loss with its false payroll debacle lawsuits wherein LAUSD spends far more than it takes in. \u00a0Though most defendants default, LAUSD rarely pursues recouping these defaults.\u00a0 LAUSD loses money on the payroll lawsuits even with the continued help of LA County Court \u201cjudges\u201d such as Elizabeth R. Feffer who recently at a July trial (BC632878) allowed LAUSD, beyond belief, to claim \u201cBreach of Contract\u201d, though for two-years and at trial LAUSD was NOT required to provide the actual UTLA-LAUSD Contract as evidence (despite being opposed by defendants\u2019 Answers and two defense Motions).<\/p>\n

It was reported to me by attending trial defendants that \u201cjudge\u201d Feffer, like a number of \u201cjudges\u201d before her, took LAUSD at its word. Consequently, LAUSD in-house attorney Terrye Cheathem testified successfully that the number of hours teachers work is \u201c1635\u201d, rather than the UTLA-LAUSD contract\u2019s correct \u201c1224\u201d. Ms. Cheathem did so orally, NOTHING in writing; thus Feffer believed LAUSD. If LAUSD argued, obviously fraudulently, that teachers work a hyperbolic \u201c1635\u201d annually, then LAUSD proved \u201coverpayment\u201d. Two defendants saw this kangaroo court first-hand and settled.\u00a0 www.citywatchla.com\/index.php\/2016-01-01-13-17-00\/los-angeles\/16416-how-lausd-lost-over-a-half-billion-dollars-of-taxpayer-s-money-without-being-reported<\/a><\/p>\n

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Harvard\u2019s Bogus Admissions Process, Once Secret, Is Unveiled in Affirmative Action Trial<\/span><\/h1>\n

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…here on a big screen are his emails with the university\u2019s fund-raisers, suggesting special consideration for the offspring of big donors, those who have \u201calready committed to a building\u201d or have \u201can art collection which could conceivably come our way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Court documents and trial testimony have introduced Harvard admissions jargon<\/a>: \u201ctips\u201d are bumps given to applicants, the \u201cdean\u2019s interest list\u201d is a compendium of applicants with clout, and the \u201cZ-list\u201d is a sort of back door into the college for students who are borderline academically. For everyone, the odds are long<\/a>, as nearly 43,000 applicants sought spots in the Class of 2022 and just 2,024 received letters prompting high-fives and teary phone calls.<\/p>\n

Although many selective colleges are known to engage in the same admissions tactics, Harvard\u2019s lawyers lamented in pretrial papers that being forced to produce application materials would be like divulging trade secrets, and would allow students and college counselors to game the process, which is in full swing right now….<\/p>\n

There is the special list for those whom the admissions dean has taken an interest in, some of whom are the relatives of wealthy donors. There is the vague \u201cpersonal\u201d rating, which can lift or hurt an applicant\u2019s chances based on an assessment of character traits and background, from \u201coutstanding\u201d to \u201cbland or somewhat negative or immature\u201d to \u201cquestionable personal qualities.\u201d And the trial this week has raised questions about whether unconscious bias affects the process, either on the part of admissions officials or the teachers and counselors who write letters on applicants\u2019 behalf.\u00a0 www.nytimes.com\/2018\/10\/19\/us\/harvard-admissions-affirmative-action.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage<\/a><\/p>\n

State wins case on sending money to non-public schools<\/h1>\n

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Michigan\u2019s public schools lost in court today. Multiple public school organizations and the ACLU sued the state over a multi-million dollar budget item.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit is over public money going to non-public schools for state mandates; things like safety drills and health requirements. In its opinion, the Michigan Court of Appeals said:<\/p>\n

The Legislature may allocate public funds to reimburse nonpublic schools for actual costs incurred in complying with state health, safety, and welfare laws. But only if the action or performance that must be undertaken in order to comply with a health, safety, or welfare mandate (1) is, at most, merely incidental to teaching and providing educational services to private school students (non-instructional in nature), (2) does not constitute a primary function or element necessary for a nonpublic school to exist, operate, and survive, and (3) does not involve or result in excessive religious entanglement.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The case goes back to the Court of Claims to sort out the details.\u00a0 www.michiganradio.org\/post\/state-wins-case-sending-money-non-public-schools?fbclid=IwAR134PY0b3bSQITWkXd1CY1Dcz_7qe04KiUlj50uQRGGQsE7wTe7qUbdQZ4<\/a><\/p>\n

Richard Blum, a $100 Million UC Investment, Feinstein Campaign Donations: Business As Usual at UC?<\/h1>\n

In the fall of 2017, UC regents shifted $100 million worth of university endowment and pension resources into a fund founded by a business associate of Sen. Dianne Feinstein\u2019s husband, regent Richard Blum<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

U<\/span>niversity of California regents approved a nine-figure investment in a private equity fund run by a major donor to Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, whose husband sits on the regents\u2019 board. The investment was disclosed just as some of the private equity fund\u2019s overseers and advisers were pumping thousands of dollars of donations into Feinstein\u2019s campaign, according to documents reviewed by Capital & Main.<\/p>\n

In the fall of 2017, UC regents decided<\/a> to shift $100 million worth of university endowment and pension resources into the RISE fund, operated by TPG. That firm was founded by David Bonderman, who has forged extensive<\/a> business<\/a> relationships<\/a> with Feinstein\u2019s husband, regent Richard Blum<\/a>. Over the past quarter-century, Blum served as a TPG executive<\/a>, founded a fund overseeing TPG\u2019s Asia business and partnered with TPG on numerous investment deals with his own investment fund, Blum Capital. The $100 million investment was UC\u2019s first investment with TPG.capitalandmain.com\/richard-blum-a-100-million-dollar-uc-investment-feinstein-campaign-donations-business-as-usual-at-the-board-of-regents-1015<\/a><\/p>\n

After-school program that never happened cost San Ysidro School District $276,000<\/h1>\n

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A San Diego woman<\/span> who touts her connections to former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger<\/span> and billionaire philanthropist<\/span> T. Denny Sanford to promote her after-school programs sold the San Ysidro School District a sports and cheer package<\/span> that never happened<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And two years later, the district is still trying to recoup the $276,000 it paid<\/a> upfront.<\/p>\n

Tyree Dillingham promised that her Greater San Diego After-School All-Stars would provide a yearlong<\/span> sports and cheer program for more than 1,600 of San Ysidro\u2019s students<\/span>. The program was important for a district that serves some of the poorest students in the county<\/span>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel that we were taken advantage of,\u201d<\/span> San Ysidro school board member Marcos Diaz<\/a> said. \u201cThat would be me personally. But even a little bit farther, our children were the ones that were stolen from, if that is the case and if that is what is proven.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While investigating questions about the after-school contract<\/a>, inewsource<\/em> discovered questionable claims Dillingham used in promoting her business online and in Arizona. Some of these claims have since been erased from her website.<\/p>\n

In one instance, Dillingham appeared in a photo with Sanford,<\/span> who lives in La Jolla<\/span> and made his fortune in credit and banking<\/span>. He is holding a $28 million check<\/a> that appeared to be made out to her company.<\/p>\n

A spokeswoman for Sanford<\/a> told inewsource<\/em> the philanthropist gave $500,000 to Dillingham\u2019s company \u2014 not $28 million. The check in the photo with Dillingham and Sanford is dated April 18, 2017,<\/span> the same day he was photographed giving a $28 million check<\/a> to the National University System.\u00a0 inewsource.org\/2018\/10\/17\/san-ysidro-afterschool-program-never-happened\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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The International Hot War of the Rich on the Poor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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One of the very few books describing why US COIN fails.<\/p>\n

US has limited contact, oversight of Afghan troops and the gear they\u2019ve been given (Sun Tzu: Feed on the Enemy)<\/h1>\n

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The Defense Department is still struggling to develop an Afghan military that can sustain itself, despite the U.S. having spent nearly $84 billion on Afghan security over the past 17 years, according to a new report. <\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Government Accountability Office has found that U.S. advisers almost never interact at the tactical level with conventional Afghan troops. As a result, there is little to no oversight over how well regular Afghan soldiers maintain U.S.-funded equipment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Advisers do spend significant time with Afghan special operations forces, such as the Afghan Commandos<\/a>, but those troops are generally better vetted, trained and remain more loyal to the Afghan government.<\/p>\n

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Conventional Afghan troops, though, make up roughly three-quarters of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, or ANDSF.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Under NATO\u2019s Resolute Support mission<\/a>, which began in 2015, U.S. and coalition forces do not embed with Afghan conventional forces below the corps and zone levels except in limited circumstances.<\/p>\n

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nstead, U.S. advisers must rely on Afghan troops to report information, which, according to Pentagon officials who spoke with the GAO, may be unreliable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cANDSF reporting is not verified by U.S. officials and can be unreliable in its consistency, comprehensiveness, and credibility, according to DoD officials and SIGAR,\u201d GAO officials said, using the acronym for the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction<\/a>. \u201cFor example, the ANDSF produce a monthly tracker on vehicle availability, maintenance backlog, repair times, and personnel productivity, but DoD officials told us that the trackers are of questionable accuracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also at issue is the tendency for U.S.-supplied gear to end up in the hands of Taliban fighters and wind up proudly displayed in propaganda videos.\u00a0 www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/10\/16\/us-has-limited-contact-oversight-of-afghan-troops-and-the-gear-theyve-been-given\/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EBB%2010.17.18&utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Military%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief<\/a><\/p>\n

Taliban propaganda showcases US weapons and radios as captured war spoils<\/h1>\n

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The Taliban have been posting propaganda pictures and videos of war spoils captured on the battlefield.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Since the resurgent group announced the start of Operation Mansouri \u2014 the annual spring offensive named after former Taliban leader Mullah Mansour who was killed in a U.S. drone strike last May \u2014 Taliban media representatives have been posting photos to social media accounts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The pictures may depict a trend of sophisticated U.S. military weapons and hardware supplied to the Afghan military falling into Taliban hands.\u00a0 www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2017\/08\/14\/taliban-propaganda-showcases-us-weapons-and-radios-as-captured-war-spoils\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Treason: Retired Navy commander gets 30 months prison for accepting ‘Fat Leonard’ bribes<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n

\"Troy<\/p>\n

In an email arranging to hand off proprietary Navy information to the flamboyant contractor Leonard Francis, Navy Cmdr. Troy Amundson described himself as \u201ca small dog just trying to get a bone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later that night, Francis procured the services of several prostitutes from Mongolia for Amundson, prosecutors say, just one in a string of bribes that Francis paid for leaked military data.<\/p>\n

On Friday, Amundson was sentenced to 30 months in prison. He joins the ranks of more than a dozen other Navy officials whose military service is now tarnished with felony records for getting cozy with Francis in what has become the worst corruption scandal to hit the Navy in decades.<\/p>\n

Amundson, a decorated combat pilot, told the judge that, at the time, he didn\u2019t realize what he was doing was illegal. The ship schedules laying out port visits in Southeast Asia that he passed on to Francis weren\u2019t classified and were regularly given to contractors, his lawyers said.<\/p>\n

But the judge disagreed, pointing to the secrecy with which Amundson operated.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was calculated. It was deliberate,\u201d U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino told him on Friday. \u201cI think you certainly knew what you were doing, sir. As decorated as you were, it\u2019s hard to fathom why you\u2019d sell out for so little.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike some other Navy officials who served Francis \u2014 nicknamed \u201cFat Leonard\u201d \u2014 and his Glenn Defense Marine Asia contracting company, Amundson didn\u2019t accept any cash bribes. But he had a good time on Francis\u2019 dime: lavish meals, parties, hotel stays and the services of prostitutes.\u00a0 www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/news\/courts\/sd-me-amundson-sentence-20181019-story.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Syria\u2019s Long War Will Be Decided in These Three Theaters<\/h1>\n

A bloody siege looms over Idlib, the U.S. is digging into the east, and conflict between Iran and Israel may put Syria in the crosshairs.<\/p>\n

\"syria-civil-war\"<\/p>\n

The Syrian civil war has always been devilishly complex, with multiple actors following different scripts, but in the past few months it appeared to be winding down.<\/p>\n

The Damascus government now controls 60 percent of the country and the major population centers, the Islamic State has been routed, and the rebels opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are largely cornered in Idlib Province in the country\u2019s northwest. But suddenly the Americans moved the goal posts and \u2014 maybe \u2014 the Russians have fallen out with the Israelis, the Iranians are digging in their heels, and the Turks are trying to multi-task with a home front in disarray.<\/p>\n

So the devil is still very much at work in a war that\u2019s lasted more than seven years, claimed up to 500,000 lives, displaced millions of people, destabilized an already fragile Middle East, and is far from over.<\/p>\n

There are at least three theaters in the Syrian war, each with its own complexities: Idlib in the north, the territory east of the Euphrates River, and the region that abuts the southern section of the Golan Heights.<\/p>\n

Just sorting out the antagonists is daunting. Turks, Iranians, Americans, and Kurds are the key actors in the east. Russians, Turks, Kurds, and Assad are in a temporary standoff in the north. And Iran, Assad, and Israel are in a faceoff near Golan, a conflict that has suddenly drawn in Moscow.<\/p>\n

Idlib<\/strong><\/p>\n

Assad\u2019s goals are straightforward: Reunite the country under the rule of Damascus and begin re-building Syria\u2019s shattered cities. The major roadblock to this is Idlib, the last large concentration of anti-Assad groups, jihadists linked with al-Qaeda, and a modest Turkish occupation force representing Operation Olive Branch<\/a>. The province, which borders Turkey in the north, is mountainous, and re-taking it promises to be difficult.\u00a0 fpif.org\/syrias-long-war-will-be-decided-in-these-three-theaters\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Timeline of United States military operations (year after year)<\/h1>\n

en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Timeline_of_United_States_military_operations?fbclid=IwAR2j8SA3KEp8O9a2UaZAmbLmWdHhzrL_9Qv3PBeJ5GSGrkdhNUm76b7fg2w<\/a><\/p>\n

35 Years on–The Grenada InvasionThe Last Prisoners of the Cold War were Black<\/a><\/h1>\n
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On March 13, 1979 a revolution took place in Grenada, the first in an African_Caribbean country, the first in the English_speaking world. The people who made up the revolutionary cadre were young, average age around 27. The uppermost leadership was predominantly middle class, educated abroad. They called themselves the New Jewel Movement (NJM). The revolution, or coup as some called it, was popular, replacing a mad dictator named Eric Gairy who spent much of the tiny country\u2019s (pop 100,000) resources investigating the reason Grenada was a favorite landing point for flying saucers. When I interviewed Gairy in 1996, he told me he was immortal, God. He died in 1997.<\/p>\n

Gairy had modeled his rule on a mix of Haitian Papa Doc Duvalier\u2019s thuggery, populist appeals to peasant- workers and small_land_holders, and claims to mystical-sexual powers, a powerful constituency in Grenada. Gairy had been a teacher and union leader, was instrumental in winning Grenada\u2019s independence from Great Britain. Gairy was entrancing but he brooked no opposition and shared with few. His Mongoose gang was implicated in several murders, served as the stick to Gairy\u2019s charm. The educated classes, and many others, were restive. The NJM \u201crevo\u201d of 1979 took 24 hours, the culmination of years of unarmed struggle. It was no mistake that but two people were killed in the revolution. Grenada\u2019s size means that everyone knows nearly everyone. Each death is a personal and collective tragedy. The NJM leadership never fit the bloodthirsty caricature later stamped on them by U.S. officials.<\/p>\n

At the time of the uprising, Eric Gairy was in the US visiting with Nazi war criminal (and United Nations Secretary General ) Kurt Waldheim. Gairy simply didn\u2019t return. Maurice Bishop, Jacqueline Creft, Bernard and Phyllis Coard, were among the key New Jewel leaders. Bishop and Coard had been childhood friends.<\/p>\n

The NJM leadership were socialists, though their socialism was eclectic__hardly the doctrinaire image the U.S. later created. They borrowed judiciously and won investments from any government they could, from the British to the USSR to Iraq and Cuba (which provided mostly doctors, construction specialists, nurses, and educators). The exacting Brandeis-educated Bernard Coard, leading the financial sector, was recognized throughout the Caribbean as a rare, honest, economist.\u00a0 www.counterpunch.org\/2004\/06\/05\/the-last-prisoners-of-the-cold-war-are-black\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The International Economic War of the Rich on the Poor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

Seeing red: US deficit jumps $779 billion, adding budget pressure<\/h1>\n

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The U.S. federal government is sliding deeper into the red.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The country\u2019s deficit<\/a> rose to $779 billion in fiscal 2018, its highest level in six years as Republican-led tax cuts caused the government to borrow more heavily. That represents a jump of 17 percent over last year, the largest figure since 2012, when the U.S. was spending to stimulate its economy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The higher deficit spending is expected to add downward pressure on future defense budgets<\/a>. On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump called for government spending to be cut 5 percent across every federal department, and while his prescription for future defense spending was confused, he seemed to suggest a cut from $717 billion in FY19 to $700 billion in FY20.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The U.S. Treasury announced<\/a> Monday the deficit rose $113 billion over the previous year as government spending outpaced revenues. Receipts were generally flat in FY18, while spending increased 3.2 percent as Congress gave more funds for military and domestic programs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cPresident Trump prioritized making a significant investment in America\u2019s military after years of reductions in military spending undermined our preparedness and national security,\u201d Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said…<\/p>\n

Revenues generally tumbled after December when Trump signed into law $1.5 trillion of tax cuts over the next decade. The tax cuts have caused economic growth to accelerate this year, with Federal Reserve officials anticipating gains of 3.1 percent. But the Trump administration initially promised that the tax cuts would pay for themselves through stronger growth \u2014 and there is no sign so far of that happening.\u00a0 www.defensenews.com\/smr\/federal-budget\/2018\/10\/19\/seeing-red-us-deficit-jumps-779-billion-adding-budget-pressure\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

Detroit police find 63 fetuses in boxes, freezers of funeral home<\/h1>\n

Detroit police removed 63\u00a0fetuses\u00a0Friday from a Detroit funeral home, as state inspectors shuttered the facility that is under investigation on allegations of mishandling remains and fraud.<\/p>\n

Police raided Perry Funeral Home on Trumbull Ave. Friday afternoon and found 36 fetuses in boxes and an additional 27 fetuses in freezers there, Detroit police chief James Craig said.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m stunned,” Craig said. “My team is stunned.\u00a0God help those families.”<\/p>\n

The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs announced Friday it had\u00a0suspended the mortuary science licenses of Perry Funeral Home and its director Gary Deak.<\/p>\n

The decision to close the facility came after an inspection Friday which uncovered “an imminent threat to the public health and safety,” LARA spokesman Jason Moon said in a press release.<\/p>\n

\"Detroit<\/p>\n

Friday’s grisly discovery is the latest development in a widening investigation into\u00a0alleged improprieties at\u00a0local funeral homes.<\/p>\n

Craig said earlier Friday law enforcement agencies are considering forming a task force to investigate the issue,\u00a0specifically targeting\u00a0improper\u00a0storage of remains\u00a0and\u00a0fraud.<\/p>\n

As part of that probe,\u00a0Detroit police raided another\u00a0funeral home Friday: Q A Cantrell Funeral Home in Eastpointe, along with a\u00a0home in Grosse Pointe Woods.\u00a0 www.detroitnews.com\/story\/news\/local\/detroit-city\/2018\/10\/19\/detroit-police-widening-investigation-into-local-funeral-homes\/1698282002\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Picture<\/p>\n

Federal Deficit Jumps 17 Percent As Tax Cuts Eat Into Government Revenue<\/h1>\n

The federal deficit ballooned to $779 billion in the just-ended fiscal year \u2014 a remarkable tide of red ink for a country not mired in recession or war.<\/p>\n

The government is expected to borrow more than a trillion dollars in the coming year, in part to make up for tax receipts that have been slashed by GOP tax cuts.<\/p>\n

Corporate tax collections fell by 31 percent in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, despite robust corporate profits. That’s hardly surprising after lawmakers cut the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21.<\/p>\n

Income taxes withheld from individuals grew by 1 percent. Overall tax receipts were flat. As a share of the economy, tax receipts shrank to 16.5 percent of GDP, from 17.2 percent the previous year.<\/p>\n

“The president is very much aware of the realities presented by our national debt,” said White House budget director Mick Mulvaney.<\/p>\n

He insisted that accelerating economic growth will eventually help fill the deficit hole, though so far there’s little evidence that growth is finding its way to government coffers.\u00a0 www.npr.org\/2018\/10\/16\/657790901\/federal-deficit-jumps-17-percent-as-tax-cuts-eat-into-government-revenue?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=2044&fbclid=IwAR3T6c0Do5ZpwPuDw4cxaCG7FkdiqFpCp2ST-FHe7QtyRa2oLo3_tyFlUNM<\/a><\/p>\n

Is Fraud Part of the Trump Organization\u2019s Business Model?<\/h1>\n

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What, exactly, is Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s business? The Trump Organization is unusual in that it doesn\u2019t appear to do the same thing for very long. It was a builder of apartments for the lower middle class, then a builder of luxury buildings and hotels, then a casino company, and, most recently, a brand-licensing firm, selling its name to anybody who wanted \u201cTRUMP<\/em>\u201d emblazoned on a building, bottled water, or whatever else. These are wildly different businesses. The way a company raises money, plans projects, and gains profit are entirely different in each of these fields. Middle-class housing, for example, is typically a slow, steady business in which profits come from careful cost control; luxury housing, by contrast, is riskier, with bigger and faster rewards but a higher chance of failure. One hires different sorts of accountants and salespeople and construction managers. Casinos are something else entirely, and licensing is entirely different from any of those other businesses.<\/p>\n

It is becoming increasingly clear that, in the language of business schools, the Trump Organization\u2019s core competency is in profiting from misrepresentation and deceit and, potentially, fraud. There are many ways to make money in real estate. The normal way is to identify a need in the market, raise money by convincing lenders or investors that your plan is sound, build the structure, then either profit through ongoing rent or by selling units.<\/p>\n

The key variables in such a business are what is known as product-market fit\u2014the accuracy with which a developer understands the housing or commercial needs of a place\u2014and the ability to execute well by keeping costs down without sacrificing the right level of quality. Perhaps more than anything, practitioners of a successful real-estate business obsessively focus on maintaining the ability to borrow money cheaply. The profit on many real-estate projects often comes down to simple math: the cheaper you can borrow money to build, the more money you make. The more trustworthy you are, through a long period of successful projects, the less interest banks will demand on their loans, so the more profit you can make, and the more successful you will be.\u00a0 www.newyorker.com\/news\/swamp-chronicles\/is-fraud-part-of-the-trump-organizations-business-model?mbid=social_facebook&fbclid=IwAR1zrOdsNOR_xqiGoOLq3WU7ParcvlS_ag_PSe1p-sx7tJM3ccpqVSTjqmg<\/a><\/p>\n