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@Tim said in US Politics:
Interesting article and I agree with this point:
Yet very few people are calling for a criminal investigation or the prosecution of these leakers, nor demanding the leakers step forward and “face the music” — for very good reason: The officials leaking this information acted justifiably, despite the fact that they violated the law. That’s because the leaks revealed that a high government official, Gen. Flynn, blatantly lied to the public about a material matter — his conversations with Russian diplomats — and the public has the absolute right to know this.
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Anyone wanna bet the house on Snowden being parcelled up & sent back to the US to shift the news focus any minute now? Because only that or a major terrorist attack is shifting the focus. And even I don't think the Trump team are capable of finding a Yemeni, a Syrian & an Iranian & planting them at a bombing. So Edward, you're fucked buddy.
Also re the intelligence agencies motives, worth remembering while they knew Flynn was compromised & was still sitting in on major briefings the Russians were arresting a stack of folks thought to be US intelligence sources in Russia. That'll put the wind up even the most jaded spook.
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in a STUNNING shock Apple came out today & said "when we get all our overseas cash back at fuck all tax percent, we wil use it on share buybacks not factories for coal digging fucking morons" -
Apple has quashed Donald Trump's hopes that it would build its products in the US, saying it would give the extra money earned from relaxed tax laws to shareholders rather than investing in manufacturing at home. President Trump has promised to lower repatriation taxes, which take a large chunk out of companies' earnings when they try to move cash from abroad back to their home country.
This move could benefit Apple, which holds more than 90pc of its vast $237bn (£190bn) cash pile overseas. However Luca Maestri, Apple's chief financial officer, indicated that shareholders would stand to benefit, rather than manufacturers. The news will come as a blow to President Trump, who said on the campaign trail that he would "get Apple to build their damn computers and things in this country instead of in other countries".
One of Mr Trump's reasons for lowering taxes is to create more jobs in the US. But, speaking at a Goldman Sachs investor conference, Mr Maestri said the rule changes would give Apple "additional flexibility around our capital return activities". He dismissed the feasibility of building products such as the iPhone in America because of the lack of components. "Essentially, the supply chain for the tech industry is not in the US today," he said.
As most of its cash is held abroad, Apple currently uses debt to pay shareholders. To date it has paid $200bn in dividends and share buybacks. It said it would use the extra cash to pay more money to shareholders and speed up this process. Mr Trump's tax reform proposals also include the controversial "border adjustment system", which would see all imports to the US subject to tax, with export revenues exempted. Apple criticised the proposals, against which European Union lawyers are preparing to mount a legal challenge.
"It is very hard for us to imagine that a border tax would be good for the US economy," Mr Maestri told the Financial Times. "It is a tax that would end up burdening the end consumer. It presupposes an idea that the dollar would have to appreciate very significantly from where it is today, which is already too strong." To avoid losing out if the border adjustment plan goes ahead, Apple could manufacture more products in the US. But Mr Maestri gave no indication that this would happen, saying it is "very, very difficult to speculate at this point" on the policies.
"One of the points that we are making in Washington is the fact that we have been a very large contributor to the US economy during the last decade," said Mr Maestri. "It's important to keep that in mind." Apple did, however, mull the possibility of manufacturing in the US soon after Mr Trump was elected. The company reportedly asked its two manufacturers Foxconn and Pegatron to assess the cost of US assembly. It is not clear if it has ruled the possibility out because of prohibitive expenses.
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@gollum said in US Politics:
in a STUNNING shock Apple came out today & said "when we get all our overseas cash back at fuck all tax percent, we wil use it on share buybacks not factories for coal digging fucking morons" -
Apple has quashed Donald Trump's hopes that it would build its products in the US, saying it would give the extra money earned from relaxed tax laws to shareholders rather than investing in manufacturing at home. President Trump has promised to lower repatriation taxes, which take a large chunk out of companies' earnings when they try to move cash from abroad back to their home country.
This move could benefit Apple, which holds more than 90pc of its vast $237bn (£190bn) cash pile overseas. However Luca Maestri, Apple's chief financial officer, indicated that shareholders would stand to benefit, rather than manufacturers. The news will come as a blow to President Trump, who said on the campaign trail that he would "get Apple to build their damn computers and things in this country instead of in other countries".
One of Mr Trump's reasons for lowering taxes is to create more jobs in the US. But, speaking at a Goldman Sachs investor conference, Mr Maestri said the rule changes would give Apple "additional flexibility around our capital return activities". He dismissed the feasibility of building products such as the iPhone in America because of the lack of components. "Essentially, the supply chain for the tech industry is not in the US today," he said.
As most of its cash is held abroad, Apple currently uses debt to pay shareholders. To date it has paid $200bn in dividends and share buybacks. It said it would use the extra cash to pay more money to shareholders and speed up this process. Mr Trump's tax reform proposals also include the controversial "border adjustment system", which would see all imports to the US subject to tax, with export revenues exempted. Apple criticised the proposals, against which European Union lawyers are preparing to mount a legal challenge.
"It is very hard for us to imagine that a border tax would be good for the US economy," Mr Maestri told the Financial Times. "It is a tax that would end up burdening the end consumer. It presupposes an idea that the dollar would have to appreciate very significantly from where it is today, which is already too strong." To avoid losing out if the border adjustment plan goes ahead, Apple could manufacture more products in the US. But Mr Maestri gave no indication that this would happen, saying it is "very, very difficult to speculate at this point" on the policies.
"One of the points that we are making in Washington is the fact that we have been a very large contributor to the US economy during the last decade," said Mr Maestri. "It's important to keep that in mind." Apple did, however, mull the possibility of manufacturing in the US soon after Mr Trump was elected. The company reportedly asked its two manufacturers Foxconn and Pegatron to assess the cost of US assembly. It is not clear if it has ruled the possibility out because of prohibitive expenses.
So?
Trump is after the influx of cash as much as anything else. -
I had to laugh.
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Regarding the Apple post above. It's not news that they intend to spend a large amount on stock buybacks, they have been doing exactly that for the past few years.
If they get the deal that they have been after to get the lower tax rate on the overseas cash (I think over 200 billion now?), that will be a top priority for them. All I read above was posturing for what they are going to have to give up in return for that repatriation.
If India can get them to build local plants to build iPhones, I don't see why the US can't do the same. And sure, even if they do it will be a bit disingenuous as most of that production line is now automated, but the supporting indistries and staff required if they do bring some of that over will bring jobs. It might also be a first step in returning a modern version of manufacturing to the US.
Apple would like that as it will help them plug the leaks they have in their current manufacturing chain.
There are also rumours that they are going to start building their own chips instead of relying on Intel (who have been delaying them now for over a year). If the compromise is that they build that in the US, that will still be a win for the Trump administration.
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Puzder goooooooooooonnnnneeeeeeee
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@gt12 said in US Politics:
The whataboutery from people changing positions on issues is funny to watch. I'm beginning to make the The Intercept one of my first calls for media.
Works both ways though. The amount of people railing against big brother and the fascist state... who support the treatment of Flynn is also amazing.
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When you ask anyone how important their freedom is, they'll answer strongly in the affirmative.
When you ask them how important it is to stop terrorist attacks, they'll also answer strongly in the affirmative.
If you point out that sacrificing some freedoms is important to stop terrorist attacks, it gets murky. And the arguments move towards subjective convenience.
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Addit: particularly when recent terror attacks on US soil have so often involved US citizens. That is a dilly of a pickle.
You eventually get the crowd who say: the innocent have nothing to hide, so surveillance shouldn't threaten them. But some of the onlookers are paranoid that the NSA will discover they're into rubber sex elephants and use it to blackmail them or something.
From another angle: is everyone cool with catching paedophile rings even if all the boxes haven't been ticked? Or are ticked retrospectively?
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@NTA said in US Politics:
When you ask anyone how important their freedom is, they'll answer strongly in the affirmative.
When you ask them how important it is to stop terrorist attacks, they'll also answer strongly in the affirmative.
If you point out that sacrificing some freedoms is important to stop terrorist attacks, it gets murky. And the arguments move towards subjective convenience.
I have a similar discussion with anyone who tells me how nice it must be to live in Japan. It is brilliant to live in a place where pretty much everyone is polite and all systems work as they are meant to. But, equally, you have to be prepared to give up just enough of your own independence, and freedom I guess, in order for it to work. If everyone is playing by the - sometimes very arbitrary - rules, it works well.
@Baron-Silas-Greenback , yeah I see that too. What interests me is the changing of positions based on who is in power. That's probably natural, I'm a hypocrite, just like most people I guess.
For example, I'm supportive of tapping conversations with foreign diplomats, even when that involves local people, even myself, if there is appropriate oversight of course, that's the problem). In this case, I think it's pretty reasonable for him to have expected the calls to be monitored, and therefore don't be stupid enough to talk about that stuff. I haven't seen the actual conversation of course, but I think he was incompetent to not predict that the Russians were being bugged, and then, if they talked about something consequential, the minimization procedures can be rolled back to see who he is.
Having said that, I also think that Pres. Obama should have fired Clapper - for lying though, not the program itself.
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The New York Times is real class....
A pic of a senior Whitehouse officials head on a spike?
FFS
Some of the imagery in the media being used now is just next level. -
@gt12 said in US Politics:
The whataboutery from people changing positions on issues is funny to watch. I'm beginning to make the The Intercept one of my first calls for media.
The co-founder of the Intercept is refusing to come on Bill Maher because Milo will also be on. A principled stand or virtue signalling????
-“MILO Yiannopoulos is many bridges too far” wrote Scahill. “He has ample venues to spew his hateful diatribes. There is no value in ‘debating him.'” He also alleged that MILO’s appearance could be used to “incite violence against immigrants, transgender people, and others.”
Personally, I think many on the left are afraid to debate Milo.
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I hear that a lot about Milo. I've watched a fair bit of him and I can't remember any times he has actually incited violence against anyone. Would be great if they could point to some direct quotes?
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Could be. Or, it could be that ignoring him is a better play. I don't know. I don't have a problem with his views on free speech - I'm happy to let him speak wherever he pleases, and equally happy to ignore him too.
He doesn't seem like he really gives any real toss about anything, except for being a troll and causing a ruckus. He's called himself a sociopath and seems to only enjoy trolling people like a 14 year old boy. So, I don't see a project here worth interacting with - you feed him, he wins.
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I too have been watching many Milo videos having been told by good friends that he is a nazi white supremiscist fascist (complete with links to guardian articles about that nut who shot up that canadian mosque). The contrast from actually listening to him is incredible. I would love to see him debate against someone who can hold their ground intellectualy. The fact that no one really has been able or willing to speaks volumes about his message. The closest i saw was Joe Rogan disagreeing with his religious take and a really early clip of David Mitchell and Boy George again on the religious/self loathing front. He can be a bit of a bitch though which lets him down.
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@No-Quarter said in US Politics:
I hear that a lot about Milo. I've watched a fair bit of him and I can't remember any times he has actually incited violence against anyone. Would be great if they could point to some direct quotes?
He retweeted tweets from a fake Leslie Jones account. The fake account made racist comments. He also called her a man, etc. That was a clear violation of twitter's terms of service. It's not inciting violence but it is encouraging harassment. He has also done the same thing to transgendered people.
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