By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com 
The big story, with worldwide implications, is Iran threating to close down the Strait of Hormuz.  The Iranians are fighting mad at the U.S. and EU for plans to tighten sanctions on their oil and financial interests because of Iran’s nuclear program.  Iran claims it is for peaceful purposes.  Nevertheless, tensions with Iran have been escalating in recent weeks. 

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com 
Over the last several days, I began hearing a new description of the economy by the mainstream media (MSM)—“turnaround.”  I can’t tell you how many different ways this phrase was used, but it was enough to get my attention.  I don’t know who comes up with this stuff or where it is hatched, but I think this phrase is the new “recovery” term.  Remember when we started out with “green shoots”? 

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com
It looks like charities such as the Red Cross, CARE and Save the Children got some much needed money this Christmas, but it came from the Internet hacking group know as “Anonymous.”  It is being reported Anonymous broke into a reporting and security firm called Stratfor.  It stole thousands of client credit card numbers and donated money from those individuals to charity. 

Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com 
We have a deal on extending the payroll tax cut–for two whole months.  It may put a few extra bucks in the pockets of working Americans, but it is an accounting nightmare for business. This isn’t much of a fix to the ailing economy, but we really don’t have much in the way of leadership on either side of the aisle. 

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com
I had the pleasure of being on Infowars.com with Alex Jones this week.  We covered a variety of topics including the European debt crisis (which is really a bank solvency crisis), loss of the Constitutional rights of Americans with passage of the Indefinite Detention bill and FEMA camps to name a few.  I was having some audio problems that day; so, I winged it and used a telephone along with my Skype. 

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com 
Today marks the official one year countdown to the end of the Mayan calendar.  365 days from today will be December 21, 2012.  Some say it marks the end of the world, but others say it is really the end of an era.  An Associated Press (AP) report, yesterday, about Mexican tourism said, “It’s selling the date, the Winter Solstice in the coming year, as a time of renewal. Many archeologists argue that the 2012 reference on a 1,300-year-old stone tablet only marks the end of a …

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com  
Government politicians have gotten things all turned around.  Instead of them working for us, they think we work for them.  People are starting to speak out about the problems bubbling up, and it is not being appreciated by our elected officials.  This is not just a phenomenon for a big global protest like Occupy Wall Street, but it is trickling down to small cities like Pensacola, Florida. 

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com
 I think most people are simply oblivious to the enormous dangers the world economy faces.  Oh, I think we will all get through Christmas and New Years without a meltdown, but all bets are off in 2012.  A new acquaintance of mine told me last Friday, “Isn’t the economy getting better?”  I just looked at her and shook my head in the negative. 

Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com 
Congress held multiple hearings this week on what happened in the bankruptcy of MF Global. At least $1.2 billion in customer funds are missing, and none of the top executives, including Jon Corzine, knows anything.  Some are finding it hard to believe that Corzine, a former CEO of Goldman Sachs, a former Governor and Senator could be that much in the dark about what happened.
The IMF chief, Christine Lagarde, said the crisis in Europe is not only “unfolding but escalating.”  Iranians now say they brought down that American …

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com
Earlier today, I wrote a hopeful article about how the language in the “Indefinite Detention” bill (otherwise know as National Defense Authorization Act or NDAA) might be changed to not gut the Bill of Rights. I was way too optimistic.  It appears to be over, and the reconciled bill is on its way to President Obama’s desk to sign into law.  It also appears there is zero chance he will veto the bill.  I think this effectively means America has had its last Bill of Rights Day. 

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com 
Not everyone in Congress thinks it is a good idea to pass a law that will allow indefinite detention of U.S. citizens.  Senator Mike Lee and Representative Justin Amash think the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) needs major changes to preserve constitutional rights of all Americans.  Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have passed versions of this bill.  The bill the Senate passed recently (S 1867) is where all the controversy comes from. 

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com
Economist Dennis Gartman announced in his newsletter, yesterday, that he has sold all of his gold.  I don’t know if it was physical or paper gold in an ETF (exchange traded fund), but it is gone.  According to Bloomberg, Gartman said, “Since the early autumn here in the Northern Hemisphere gold has failed to make a new high. . . .

Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com 
I watched in amazement today at the Senate Hearing on the collapse of MF Global about 6 weeks ago.  The three top executives testified about what they knew and when they knew it.  CEO Jon Corzine, COO Bradley Abelow and CFO Henri Steenkamp all sat there and, essentially, said none of them knew where $1.2 billion of segregated customer money went.  It might as well have been Moe, Larry and Curly testifying.  

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com 
“Disintegration.”  That’s the word both billionaire George Soros and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have recently used to describe what’s going on with the European economic crisis.  It is really a solvency crisis for the big banks there, and leaders are trying desperately to fix the problem.  Last week, 26 European countries agreed to give up sovereignty and vote for new rules on tax and spending and tough sanctions to enforce them. 

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com 
There was a big meeting in Europe this week to try and find a solution to the sovereign debt crisis.  The fate of the European Union hangs in the balance.  French President Nicolas Sarkozy said, “Never has the risk of disintegration been greater.”  He was also quoted saying there could be an “explosion” if a solution is not found in the next few weeks.  Former MF Global chief testified in front of Congress and says he has no idea where up to $3 billion of segregated client …