By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com  (revised)

The situation in Japan is getting worse, not better. There are shortages in food, fuel and warm dry shelter. To make matters exponentially worse, nuclear power plants there continue to burn out of control and emit high levels of radiation. Japan is a stark reminder of how fast a modern technologically advanced society can be brought to its knees by an unforeseen calamity. (more…)

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com (revised)

The news from Japan is grim.  At least 10,000 people are reported dead from the killer quake that rocked the island nation last week.  Likely, the death toll will go much higher in the coming days.  There have been at least 3,400 buildings destroyed by the flood of a 3 story tsunami, the 8.9 earth quake or by fire.  Oil refineries were damaged and shut down.  Roads and bridges were destroyed by the quake and the rail system was wiped out in some areas.  (more…)

The world looked like a scary place yesterday for gold and silver investors.  There was a lot of talk about a global economic slowdown.  The price of oil dropped, and gold and silver sold off.  In the grand scheme of things, the correction was quite small.

If there is a slowdown, and there may be, do you think the U.S. Fed is going to stand by and watch the economy crash?  No way!  Expect the Fed printing press to go into high gear and shift from QE2 right into QE3.  The Fed will, once again, come to the rescue and save the day as it kills the dollar. (more…)

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com

Last Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported the economy created 192,000 new jobs and the unemployment rate fell to 8.9%.  The good news was reported almost everywhere as a turning point in the U.S. economy.  For example, CNBC said, “U.S. employers hired more workers in February than in any month since May last year and the unemployment rate fell (more…)

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com

This weekend, violence continued to erupt in the Middle East.   In Libya, the Gaddafi government launched counter attacks against the rebels.  Many fear there is a full blown civil war brewing in that oil rich country.

Yemeni loyalists also staged counterattacks against anti-government protesters in hopes of dispersing them.  They used sticks and stones, but still, 25 people were reported injured. (more…)

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com (revised)

In Guilford County, North Carolina, the Register of Deeds, Jeff Thigpen, is questioning if his county was cheated out of more than a million dollars real estate fees because banks did not file proper chain of ownership documents with his office.

Instead, the banks used a Virginia based company called MERS. It bypassed the local Register of Deeds office, not just in Guilford but all counties across the U.S. (more…)

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com

Yesterday, gold hit fresh all-time highs at $1,432.10 an ounce. Silver hit a 31 year high, closing at more than $34.50 per ounce. Oil nearly touched $100 per barrel, which is the highest it has been since September 2008.   What’s going on?  Part of the price spikes are, no doubt, due to riots and rebellions in the Middle East, but it is also the world’s awakening realization America’s crushing debt will never be repaid in real money.  (more…)

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com

Looking around the Middle East you can find turmoil and conflict almost everywhere you turn.  Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, Jordan, Syria, Oman and Egypt have all been caught up in a fire storm of anti-government protests.  Some appear to be mostly peaceful, such as the pro-democracy movement in Egypt; and some are descending into bloody civil conflict, such as Libya.   (more…)

What is going on in the Middle East is breathtaking and frightening at the same time.  The unrest and outright middle east revolution is not going to be a pathway to peace and prosperity.   Libya is sliding into a bloody civil war.  The military is in control of Egypt.  Riots and protests are intensifying in other countries in the region.  Meanwhile, the price of oil is spiking because of fears of supply disruption. (more…)

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com 

Monday, we started out the week with a front page story on USA Today that was more like a public relations stunt than real journalism.  The headline read “Dimon sees good times in 2011.”   The story was mostly an interview with JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon by CNBC news reader Maria Bartiromo.  I could not find any objectivity or tough questions put to the Chairman and CEO of one of the nation’s top financial institutions.  Please keep in mind J P Morgan was bailed out by taxpayers to the tune of $260 billion during the financial crisis.  (more…)

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com (Revised)

Saturday, the House of Representatives passed legislation with more than $60 billion of budget cuts.  It is the proverbial “drop in the bucket” when compared to the $14.1 trillion (and counting) outstanding federal debt.  Soon, this ever increasing national debt will eclipse the Gross Domestic Product (GDP.)   That means America will owe more than all the goods and services it produces in one year.  (more…)

Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com  (updated)

The government released a nasty little inflation rate surprise yesterday.  Prices increased .4% in January, which was 33.3% higher than the expected .3% increase.  It should come as no surprise to anyone who fills up at a gas station or shops in a grocery store that prices are on a tear.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report said, “Increases in indexes for energy commodities and for food accounted for over two thirds of the all items increase. The indexes for gasoline and fuel oil both increased in January, continuing their recent strong upward trend. (more…)

Protesters in Yemen

This week, protests in the Middle East continued to take hold in countries such as Bahrain, Algeria, Yemen and even Iran.  Call it Middle East unrest, the pro-democracy movement or people just fed up with dictators in power.

I pray for all men to be free and to have democracy, but freedom and democracy cannot produce energy, rainfall or fertile farm ground.  Those things are necessary for life itself.  A reader sent me a disturbing set of facts about Egypt, the most recent country to topple its dictator. (more…)

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com

If you believe government inflation rate numbers, inflation is 1.2%, according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI.)  That’s how much prices rose last year.  Last week, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke testified in front of the Republican controlled House of Representatives and inflation was a hot topic.  Even though the government says inflation is low, some lawmakers are not buying it. (more…)

By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com

“Egypt will explode.”  That was the reaction on twitter from Mohamed ElBaradei to Hosni Mubarak’s announcement not to resign the Presidency of Egypt.  ElBaradei is a former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency and Nobel Peace Prize winner.  Now, he has emerged as a leader of the opposition movement.  (more…)