… on a quiet day, I can hear her breathing

Tag: corruption

  • ‘Brazen Act of Self-Dealing’: Trump Regulator Approves Trump Family Crypto Firm’s Bank Application

    Spread the love

    Article by Jake Johnson republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

    Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and others ring the Nasdaq opening bell on August 13, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

    “We have never seen financial conflicts or corruption of this magnitude.”

    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, a regulatory agency whose leader was chosen by President Donald Trump, granted preliminary approval on Friday to World Liberty Financial’s application for a federal bank charter.

    World Liberty Financial is a crypto venture launched in 2024 by the president’s two eldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and several partners. The firm’s website states that WLF is 38% owned by “an entity affiliated with Donald J. Trump and certain of his family members.”

    RECOMMENDED…

    Elon Musk Holds Town Hall Ahead Hotly Contested Wisconsin State Supreme Court Election

    Trump Admin Permanently Guts Law ‘Designed to Stop Criminals from Laundering Money’ After Push From Elon Musk

    US Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) speaks during a congressional hearing on June 10, 2026.

    Raskin Launches Probe of Scheme to Sell Insider Access to Trump Truth Social Posts

    WLF applied for a US bank charter in January, drawing alarm from lawmakers and watchdogs who said the review process would be rife with conflicts of interest. “We have never seen financial conflicts or corruption of this magnitude,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, said at the time.

    The OCC, headed by Jonathan Gould, announced the approval decision in a letter published Friday. WLF’s application was assessed by career OCC staff, the agency said.

    “The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has reviewed your application to establish a new national trust bank, which will engage in operations of a trust company and activities related thereto, including fiduciary activities, with the title of World Liberty Trust Company, National Association,” the letter states. “The OCC hereby grants preliminary conditional approval of your charter application upon determining that your proposal meets certain regulatory and policy requirements.”

    In response to the news, Warren wrote on social media that “this is the most brazen act of self-dealing our financial system has ever seen.”

    Reuters reported that the charter, if finalized, would allow World Liberty’s “to directly issue its USD1 stablecoin, as well as custody the US dollar assets backing it, both of which are now handled by a business partner, BitGo.”

    “Hoping to capitalize on the Trump administration’s crypto-friendly stance, the industry has been knocking on the OCC’s door for such charters,” Reuters noted. “They allow crypto companies to hold assets on behalf of clients nationwide under a single federal charter, as well as to provide other settlement and asset servicing functions—making it easier to court major institutional clients. Other crypto firms, including Ripple and Circle, have received preliminary approval for such charters under Comptroller Jonathan Gould.”

    World Liberty Financial welcomed the OCC’s preliminary approval as “a milestone in a multi-step chartering process.” The firm said in a press release that the newly formed bank’s board would be chaired by Zach Witkoff, the son of Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East.

    Last year, Trump reaped around $527 million in proceeds from token sales by WLF, according to financial disclosures released in late June.

    “They are making sure they are rich beyond their wildest dreams long after Trump departs the White House (if he departs the White House),” journalist Mehdi Hasan wrote in response to the OCC decision. “It’s so openly and nakedly and obviously corrupt, I’m not sure it can be overstated.”

    Article by Jake Johnson republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

    Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes' concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country's economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
    Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
    Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
    Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
    Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
    Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

  • ‘Dizzying revolving door of corruption’

    Spread the love

    https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/dizzying-revolving-door-corruption

     A general view of staff on a NHS hospital ward at Ealing Hospital in London

    Campaigners slam conflict of interest over top health official’s Palantir ties at time of NHS bidding

    HEALTH campaigners demanded the government put an end to the “dizzying revolving door of corruption” after it was revealed today that a top health official had close ties with Palantir while it was bidding for a £330 million contract with the NHS.

    Samantha Jones, the Department of Health and Social Care’s most senior civil servant, was an adviser to a partner of the controversial US surveillance tech firm at the time of the patient record contract.

    A permanent secretary at the DHSC, Ms Jones was also acting as an adviser to health consultancy Carnall Farrar, which is part of a consortium with Palantir, according to the Financial Times.

    Keep Our NHS Public co-chairman Dr Tony O’Sullivan slammed the government, saying: “The revolving door of official corruption is dizzying.”

    “It is important to expose it,” he told the Morning Star. “The links — between public servants, consultancies who advise both Palantir and government at the same time — stink of legal corruption.

    “The stables must be swept clean, unethical links exposed, the Palantir contract ended, and a change of direction established to invest wholly and ethically in the publicly provided NHS.”

    …

    Continues at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/dizzying-revolving-door-corruption

  • ‘Mind-Blowing Corruption’: Traders Placed Massive Bets Minutes Before Trump Post on Iran

    Spread the love

    Original article by Jake Johnson republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

    Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on March 18, 2026 in New York City.  (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

    “Who was it? Trump? A family member? A White House staffer?” asked US Sen. Chris Murphy.

    Just minutes before US President Donald Trump momentarily boosted the stock market—and sent oil prices tumbling—with his disputed Monday announcement of peace talks with Iran, unknown traders loaded up on positions that allowed them to profit from the resulting movement in equities and commodities.

    The Financial Times reported that “roughly 6,200 Brent and West Texas Intermediate futures contracts changed hands between 6:49 am and 6:50 am New York time on Monday, just a quarter of an hour ahead of the US president’s post on Truth Social that there had in recent days been ‘productive conversations’ with Tehran to end the war in Iran.”

    RECOMMENDED…

    Explosions heard in Tehran as new Israeli airstrikes hit Iranian capital

    ‘Insane This Is Legal’: Bettors Make Huge Profits From Suspiciously Timed Wagers on Iran War

    Prediction Markets Face Increased Scrutiny Over Insider Trading Allegations

    Watchdog Demands Insider Trading Probe After ‘Highly Suspicious’ Bets on Iran War

    FT added that the notional value of those trades was $580 million.

    “Trading volumes for Brent and WTI leapt at the same time, 27 seconds before 6:50 am,” the newspaper reported. “Futures tracking the S&P 500 share index jumped in price moments after the oil trade, with volumes also rising significantly during that timeframe. It was not known whether one entity or several entities were behind Monday’s trades.”

    An unnamed trader at a “major hedge fund” told FT that “my gut from watching markets for the last 25 years is this is really abnormal.”

    “It’s Monday morning, there’s no important data today, there aren’t any Fed speakers you’d want to front-run. It’s an unusually large trade for a day with no event risk,” the trader said. “Somebody just got a lot richer.”

    A BBC review of market data similarly found that “traders bet hundreds of millions of dollars on oil contracts just minutes before” Trump’s announcement of talks with Iran. Iranian officials publicly denied that they are negotiating with the Trump administration, and Iran’s top lawmaker accused the US president of peddling “fake news” in an attempt to “manipulate the financial and oil markets.”

    The suspiciously timed bets ahead of the US president’s post heightened concerns that Trump administration insiders are illegally trading on—and profiting massively from—nonpublic knowledge.

    Responding to a report that $1.5 billion worth of S&P 500 futures was purchased just five minutes before Trump’s Monday announcement, US Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) asked: “Who was it? Trump? A family member? A White House staffer?”

    “This is corruption,” the senator wrote. “Mind-blowing corruption.”

    Last week, Murphy joined US Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) in unveiling legislation that would ban prediction markets on “government actions, terrorism, war, assassination, and events where an individual knows or controls the outcome.”

    The bill came on the heels of suspiciously timed, highly profitable bets related to US military actions in Venezuela and Iran.

    The Guardian reported Monday that several newly created accounts on the online prediction platform Polymarket “laid bets on a US-Iran ceasefire over the weekend that appeared to show signs of insider knowledge, according to experts.”

    Researcher Ben Yorke told the newspaper that the accounts—which are anonymous—“definitely” look like “someone with some degree of inside info.”

    The Guardian noted that “online crypto watchers and experts suggested that the bets bore the signs of insider trading—both because they bought their positions at market price, and because some of the accounts looked like they could belong to a single investor attempting to conceal their identity by splitting their bet between multiple wallets.”

    According to Yorke, “Typically, when you see wallet-splitting and deliberate attempts to obfuscate identity, it’s one of two scenarios: either a very large investor trying to shield their position from market impact, or insider trading.”

    The Trump White House insisted Monday that any suggestion of insider trading “is baseless and irresponsible reporting.”

    “The White House does not tolerate any administration official illegally profiteering off of insider knowledge,” said White House spokesperson Kush Desai.

    Original article by Jake Johnson republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

    Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying only 9 days ago that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won.
    Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying only 9 days ago that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won.
    Donald Trump warns against following the Onaquietday.org blog, says that he's heard that she's a which with a black cat and a dangerous kitchen.
    Donald Trump warns against following the Onaquietday.org blog, says that he’s heard that she’s a which with a black cat and a dangerous kitchen.
    Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes' concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country's economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
    Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.

  • Trump Energy Chief Accused of Manipulating Oil Markets With Deleted Post About Strait of Hormuz

    Spread the love

    Original article by Jake Johnson republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

    US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and President Donald Trump listen to Energy Secretary Chris Wright during an event on March 4, 2026.  (Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

    “The fusion of war-making and market manipulation by top Trump officials isn’t entirely without precedent,” said one observer, “but the speed and brazenness does seem new.”

    US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, a former fracking executive, was accused on Tuesday of manipulating global markets after he posted a striking claim on social media: The American Navy, he wrote, had “successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure oil remains flowing.”

    The post on X was deleted minutes later, after “oil prices slid at their steepest pace in years,” according to the Wall Street Journal. The White House press secretary later acknowledged publicly that Wright’s claim was false, and the Energy Department—which has been scrambling to quell mounting fears of a sustained increase in oil prices and broader supply chain chaos stemming from the US-Israeli assault on Iran—threw unnamed staff under the bus, saying they “incorrectly captioned” the post.

    RECOMMENDED…

    'The Situation Is Scary': Global Economic Chaos as Trump’s Iran War Sends Markets Diving

    ‘The Situation Is Scary’: Global Economic Chaos as Trump’s Iran War Sends Markets Diving

    US LNG Unloaded At Revithoussa Terminal Near Athens

    Thanks to Trump’s Iran War, US LNG Giants Could See $20 Billion in Monthly Windfall Profits

    “So who just made $100 million dollars shorting oil for the 3 minutes that Chris Wright had that post up?” asked hedge fund manager Spencer Hakimian.

    Anti-monopoly researcher Matt Stoller wrote in response to the post and its deletion that “the fusion of war-making and market manipulation by top Trump officials isn’t entirely without precedent, but the speed and brazenness does seem new.”

    The debacle also notably drew a reaction from the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, who wrote on X that “US officials are posting fake news to manipulate markets.”

    “It won’t protect them from inflationary tsunami they’ve imposed on Americans,” wrote Araghchi. “Markets are facing the biggest shortfall in HISTORY: bigger than the Arab Oil Embargo, Iran’s Islamic Revolution, and the Kuwait invasion COMBINED.”

    The Strait of Hormuz has become a critical flashpoint of the US-Israeli war on Iran, whose military has threatened to attack vessels that attempt to pass through the route in retaliation for the deadly missile onslaught. An estimated 13 million barrels per day passed through the strait in 2025—roughly 31% of all seaborne crude flows.

    “At the beginning of the war we announced, and we announce again, no vessel associated with aggressors against Iran has the right to pass through the Strait of Hormuz,” said the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. “If you have doubts, come closer and find out.”

    Reuters reported Tuesday that, contrary to Wright’s deleted post, the US Navy has “refused near-daily requests from the shipping industry for military escorts through the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war on Iran, saying the risk of attacks is too high for now.”

    The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said early Wednesday that a cargo vessel in the strait was “hit by an unknown projectile,” causing a fire onboard and forcing crew members to evacuate.

    The report came hours after the US military said it “eliminated multiple Iranian naval vessels,” including “16 minelayers near the Strait of Hormuz.” The announcement followed, by less than two hours, a social media post from President Donald Trump declaring that “we have no reports” of Iran laying mines in the strait.

    “If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before,” Trump wrote. “If, on the other hand, they remove what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction!”

    After attending a classified briefing on Tuesday, US Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) wrote that it was obvious the administration “had no plan” regarding the Strait of Hormuz prior to launching its assault on Iran.

    “They don’t know how to get it safely back open,” Murphy wrote. “Which is unforgivable, because this part of the disaster was 100% foreseeable.”

    Original article by Jake Johnson republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

    Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an obviously insane, xenophobic Fascist.
    Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an obviously insane, xenophobic Fascist.
    Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn't bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.
    Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn’t bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.
    Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.
    Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.

  • Spread the love
    Andrew Feinstein slams Rory Stewart’s excuse for MP corruption

    …

    The agency to decide how our world is organised

    Finally, Feinstein finished with a rallying cry to voters and activists across the country:

    And I think that’s what we need to do. We need to realise that one of the things that the sort of late era neoliberal capitalism does is it intentionally stifles our imaginations and our creativity to make us believe there is no alternative. As Margaret Thatcher famously and evilly said, to believe that this is the only way the world can be organised. And it’s not. We have the agency to decide how our world should be organised and we need to take that agency.

    Referring to his upcoming book set for release in Autumn this year, he added:

    And this book [Making a Killing] is an attempt to give people the information and to propose some of the ways in which we can take agency about something that is destroying our societies and our politics. And I’m always reminded when people feel very depressed and defeated, which of course I sometimes do too, I’m always reminded of what Nelson Mandela said when he was asked how he retained hope in an apartheid prison and in very dark and depressing days.

    And he [Mandela] said, because anything is always impossible only until it’s done.

    And I think we have the ability, we have the brains amongst us ordinary people to change the world profoundly and fundamentally. And I hope that this book will be a very small contribution towards that.

    Rory Stewart and his neoliberal ilk can consider themselves ‘told’ after this brilliant takedown from a man who makes fighting corruption his day job.