Neueste Heute 18.04.2024 17.04.2024
Workers Who Had Their Middle-Class Status Offshored By 40-Years Of Neoliberalism Are Finally Vindicated
18.04.2024, 19:05 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - Workers Who Had Their Middle-Class Status Offshored By 40-Years Of Neoliberalism Are Finally Vindicated By Benjamin Picton of Rabobank An Eye For An Eye Treasury yields fell yesterday for the first time this week. The 2-year was down 5.5bps to 4.93%, while Brent crude gave up 3% to be sitting well below the $90/bbl again. Crude is sending some interesting...
Jobless Claims Remains Deader Than Joe Biden's 'Uncle Bosey'
18.04.2024, 14:40 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - Jobless Claims Remains Deader Than Joe Biden's 'Uncle Bosey' In the real world labor market, 2024 has been a shitshow of layoffs... 1. Everybuddy: 100% of workforce 2. Wisense: 100% of workforce 3. CodeSee: 100% of workforce 4. Twig: 100% of workforce 5. Twitch: 35% of workforce 6. Roomba: 31% of workforce 7. Bumble: 30% of workforce 8. Farfetch: 25%...
Würde Israel gegen den Iran nuklear vorgehen?
18.04.2024, 07:39 Uhr. uncut-news.ch - https: - Douglas Macgregor Und würden die USA dabei mitgerissen werden? Douglas Macgregor Im August 1961, als die Spannungen zwischen Washington und Moskau auf dem Höhepunkt waren, schrieb Admiral Konstantin I. Derevyanko einen Brief an Premier Kruschtschow. Damit wollte er Kruschtschow auf das aufmerksam machen, was der Admiral als “Nuklearromantik”...
House Managers To Deliver Mayorkas Impeachment Articles To Senate
16.04.2024, 16:30 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - House Managers To Deliver Mayorkas Impeachment Articles To Senate Authored by Mark Tapscott via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas at the U.S. Capitol, on April 10, 2024. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images) Two counts of impeachment against Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, approved on Feb...
Futures Rebound On Strong Earnings Even As Global Market Mood Remains Dismal
16.04.2024, 15:16 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - Futures Rebound On Strong Earnings Even As Global Market Mood Remains Dismal S&P futures traded modestly in the green, erasing earlier losses and signaling a recovery after the S&P 500 fell more than 1% in the past two sessions, following stronger than expected earnings from index heavyweight UnitedHealth Group which soared 6% after reporting first-quarter...
Is Paxlovid A Dud?
16.04.2024, 01:40 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - Is Paxlovid A Dud? Authored by Maryanne Demasi via The Brownstone Institute, Of all the antiviral drugs for Covid-19, Pfizer’s Paxlovid has been the most successful. Not for its safety and efficacy, but for its ability to earn the company billions in profits despite being largely ineffective for most people. In November 2021, before any data had emerged...
Victor Davis Hanson: Gaming The 2024 Campaign
15.04.2024, 22:21 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - Victor Davis Hanson: Gaming The 2024 Campaign Authored by Victor Davis Hanson via American Greatness, We have seen enough of the Biden-Trump race so far to predict what lies ahead over the next seven months of the campaign. Currently, the polls are about dead even. Trump, however, for now enjoys small leads in the majority of the fickle swing/purple...
Massive Financial Strain – New Report Exposes Horrifying Situation
15.04.2024, 19:20 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - Massive Financial Strain – New Report Exposes Horrifying Situation Authored by Peter Reagan for Birch Gold Group, One idea has become abundantly clear over the last four years: You can’t add 41% to the money supply and expect inflation to remain “transitory.” But that’s exactly what the Fed did over two years, after which President Biden...
After Illegal Veto, Kentucky Becomes 45th State To End Sales Taxes On Gold And Silver
15.04.2024, 16:54 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - After Illegal Veto, Kentucky Becomes 45th State To End Sales Taxes On Gold And Silver Via Money Metals, In a high-stakes showdown with Gov. Andy Beshear over a gold and silver sales tax exemption, the Kentucky legislature today deemed his attempted line-item veto as an illegal act -- and directed the Secretary of State to enroll the exemption into law...
„Wir können uns nicht mehr vorstellen, was wir herstellen und anstellen können“ – Die Aktualität von Günther Anders
14.04.2024, 13:03 Uhr. NachDenkSeiten – Die kritische Website - https: - Hiroshima als Weltzustand. „Mit dem 6. August 1945, dem Hiroshimatage, hat ein neues Zeitalter begonnen. Das Zeitalter, in dem wir in jedem Augenblick jeden Ort, nein unsere Erde als ganze in ein Hiroshima verwandeln können. Seit diesem Tage sind wir modo negativo allmächtig geworden. Aber da wir in jedem Augenblick ausgelöscht werden...
Investors Bet On Further Rise In US Gasoline Prices
14.04.2024, 03:38 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - Investors Bet On Further Rise In US Gasoline Prices By John Kemp, senior energy analyst at Reuters Portfolio investors have amassed one of the largest bullish positions in U.S. gasoline futures and options since before the coronavirus pandemic, anticipating that prices will continue climbing over the next few months. U.S. gasoline has emerged as the...
How Biden's Inflation Reduction Act Failed To Reduced Electricity Costs In Pictures
13.04.2024, 18:50 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - How Biden's Inflation Reduction Act Failed To Reduced Electricity Costs In Pictures Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com, Let’s check in on the not exactly impressive energy and inflation results of Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)... Data from the BLS, chart by Mish Biden’s energy policy has been an inflationary disaster. And make...
Biden's Sticky Inflation: Auto Insurance Rates Record Biggest Annual Jump Since 1976
13.04.2024, 17:05 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - Biden's Sticky Inflation: Auto Insurance Rates Record Biggest Annual Jump Since 1976 Joe Biden's sticky inflation continues to ravage the working poor as Bidenomics falls flat on its face. The president's ally at the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, has yet to achieve the 2% inflation Fed target ahead of the November elections. As inflation heats...
German Defense Chief Compares Putin To Hitler
12.04.2024, 10:15 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - German Defense Chief Compares Putin To Hitler Amid the recent days of stepped-up major Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, which the Kremlin on Thursday said is necessary in response to Ukrainian forces' own cross-border attacks on Russian oil refineries, the rhetoric out of Europe is becoming unhinged. In but the latest example of this...
Hidden Behind Climate Policies, Data From Nonexistent Temperature Stations
11.04.2024, 18:42 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - Hidden Behind Climate Policies, Data From Nonexistent Temperature Stations Authored by Katie Spence via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), (Illustration by The Epoch Times, Getty Images) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts July, August, and September will be hotter than usual. And for those who view warmer temperatures...
Spring, Summers, Nuclear Fall(out), Or Winter?
11.04.2024, 18:02 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - Spring, Summers, Nuclear Fall(out), Or Winter? By Michael Every of Rabobank Yesterday’s US CPI was radioactive. Headline and core were both 0.4% m-o-m, and 3.5% and 3.8% y-o-y. Energy prices were higher, which is bad. Shelter inflation was stuck at 5.7%, which is worse. But worst of all, services excluding shelter were 0.8% m-o-m and 4.8% y-o-y. In...
Futures Slide As "Punched In The Face" Market Eyes Surging Yields Ahead Of ECB, PPI
11.04.2024, 14:30 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - Futures Slide As "Punched In The Face" Market Eyes Surging Yields Ahead Of ECB, PPI Futures are weaker signaling further losses on Wall Street as stubborn inflation forces investors to reduce their expectations for Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts; tech stocks are underperforming following the significant surge in Treasuries yields which has continued...
Von Greyerz: Gold & Silver Are Entering Their Exponential Phase
11.04.2024, 12:31 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - Von Greyerz: Gold & Silver Are Entering Their Exponential Phase Authored by Egon von Greyerz via VonGreyerz.gold, "The desire of gold is not for gold. It is for the means of freedom and benefit." - Ralph Waldo Emerson Gold is now in a hurry and silver even more so. The price moves in the coming months and year are likely to be spectacular. The combination...
Michael Nehls im MEGA Radio Interview über „Das Indoktrinierte Gehirn“
11.04.2024, 06:11 Uhr. tkp.at - https: - Das indoktrinierte Gehirn beschreibt einen neurobiologischen Mechanismus der Indoktrination, der bisher weitgehend unbekannt war. Er hat tiefgreifende Persönlichkeitsveränderungen zur Folge, schrieb PD. Dr. med. Michael Nehls als Einleitung zu seinem TKP-Gastartikel im August 2023 über sein Buch „Das indoktrinierte Gehirn“. Nach seinem Interview...
CDC Hid Finding Of Possible Link Between COVID Vaccines and Tinnitus
10.04.2024, 23:00 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - CDC Hid Finding Of Possible Link Between COVID Vaccines and Tinnitus Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its partners uncovered signs that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines might cause the persistent condition called tinnitus but never disclosed...
MSM Fails To Mention 'Showers With Dad' , Molestation After Ashley Biden Diary Leaker Jailed
10.04.2024, 20:40 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - MSM Fails To Mention 'Showers With Dad' , Molestation After Ashley Biden Diary Leaker Jailed On Tuesday, a Florida woman was sentenced to a month in prison and three months of home confinement for stealing and selling the diary of Ashley Biden, President Joe Biden's daughter. Harris pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in August 2022, admitting that...
Consumer Prices Print Hotter Than Expected, Led By Surge In Energy & Shelter Costs
10.04.2024, 14:37 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - Consumer Prices Print Hotter Than Expected, Led By Surge In Energy & Shelter Costs After increasing MoM for the last five months, headline CPI was expected to slow modestly in March (from +0.4% MoM to +0.3% MoM), but obviously still rising. However, it did not, rising a hotter than expected 0.4% MoM (equal highest since August 2023) and pushing it up...
7 More States Sue To Block 'Most Generous Ever' Student Loan Program
10.04.2024, 13:20 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - 7 More States Sue To Block 'Most Generous Ever' Student Loan Program Authored by Bill Pan via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), President Joe Biden faces a fresh lawsuit from a seven-state coalition challenging his “most generous ever” federal student loan repayment plan, under which millions of borrowers would have a monthly bill of $0. In their...
One More Hot CPI Print Could Prove Existential Difference Between “Being And Nothingness” For Traders
09.04.2024, 17:05 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - One More Hot CPI Print Could Prove Existential Difference Between “Being And Nothingness” For Traders By Michael Every of Rabobank Being and Nothingness With a solar eclipse as the epic backdrop, and 10-year US Treasury yields over 4.40% and testing towards 4.50% despite (or because of?) pledged Fed rate cuts, markets are focused on US CPI tomorrow...
Warnung vor Eskalation
09.04.2024, 12:11 Uhr. uncut-news.ch - https: - Trotz ukrainischer Niederlagen ist der Kriegs- und Siegesrausch des Westens gegen Russland nicht verraucht, im Gegenteil. Die Auslieferung der ersten F-16-Kampfflugzeuge an Kiew rückt näher. Für das zweite Quartal dieses Jahres hat Dänemark 19 Flieger angekündigt. Wann die Niederlande die ersten ihrer im August 2023 zugesagten 42 Jets freigeben...
FDA Finally Takes Down Ivermectin Posts After Settlement
09.04.2024, 04:23 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - FDA Finally Takes Down Ivermectin Posts After Settlement Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Social media posts urging people not to take ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19 have been taken down by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA removed posts from X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn...
New EPA Emissions Standards Defy Reality
09.04.2024, 02:20 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - New EPA Emissions Standards Defy Reality Authored by Christian Milord via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), The recent stringent Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) carbon emissions standards for internal combustion engines defy economic realities. The EPA would have us believe that coercing folks to buy electric vehicles (EV) will somehow reduce...
Russia Is Preparing For A Gasoline Shortage
09.04.2024, 00:20 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - Russia Is Preparing For A Gasoline Shortage By Tsvetana Paraskova of OilPrice.com Russia is seeking to import gasoline from Kazakhstan in case shortages occur on the Russian market because of the diminished refining capacity due to maintenance and damages from Ukrainian drone attacks, Reuters reported on Monday, citing industry sources. Russia has...
Here's What Will Push Oil Above $100/Bbl
08.04.2024, 21:46 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - Here's What Will Push Oil Above $100/Bbl Back in early December, just after Powell's dovish pivot shocked everyone, many closet oil bulls like BofA's energy strategist Francisco Blanch, predicted that a dovish Fed would send oil back to $100. Unfortunately for him, oil did nothing and just one month later, as no oil buying had materialized, Blanch threw...
Leserbriefe zu „‚Brandbrief‘ an die SPD: Historiker biedern sich bei Militaristen an“
07.04.2024, 14:02 Uhr. NachDenkSeiten – Die kritische Website - https: - In diesem Beitrag kommentiert Tobias Riegel den Offenen Brief von fünf prominenten Historikern um Heinrich August Winkler, der der SPD vorwerfe, „Russland in die Hände zu spielen“. Der Brief zeige aber auch, dass es offenbar wachsende interne Unruhe bei der SPD gebe. Für innere Widerstände in der SPD gegen die Kriegsrhetorik...
Military and Political Crisis in Ukraine: Front Line at Great Risk of Collapse. Russia’s “Big Attack” in August? Odessa and Kiev Risk of Falling? Will Peace Negotiations Be Revived?
06.04.2024, 21:23 Uhr. Global Research - https: - All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name (only available in desktop version). To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here. Click the share button … The post Military and Political Crisis in Ukraine: Front Line at Great Risk...
"The Allegation Is False": CIA Denies Meddling In Hunter Biden IRS, DOJ Investigations
06.04.2024, 19:29 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - "The Allegation Is False": CIA Denies Meddling In Hunter Biden IRS, DOJ Investigations The CIA has denied a whistleblower allegation that the agency "intervened in the investigation of Hunter biden to prevent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) from interviewing a witness," according to a response issued to House Republicans...
Fani Opened Up To Felony? DA Willis Now Accused Of Illegally Recording Lawyer, Given Till Monday To Recuse
06.04.2024, 18:16 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - Fani Opened Up To Felony? DA Willis Now Accused Of Illegally Recording Lawyer, Given Till Monday To Recuse Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been accused of illegally recording a lawyer in the Trump-Georgia case. During an interview with Townhall columnist and legal analyst Phil Holloway, an attorney for Trump co-defendant Harrison Floyd...
Ecuadorianische Polizei stürmt mexikanische Botschaft
06.04.2024, 16:20 Uhr. Anti-Spiegel - https: - Der Vorfall ereignete sich vor dem Hintergrund der sich verschlechternden Beziehungen zwischen Mexiko-Stadt und Quito, die die Ausweisung der mexikanischen Botschafterin zur Folge hatten. Die TASS hat die wichtigsten Informationen über den Vorfall zusammengefasst. Was den Konflikt verursachte Am 9. August 2023 wurde der Präsidentschaftskandidat Fernando...
Oil & Gold Soar On Week, But 'Good Data' Wrecks Rate-Cut Hopes, Slamming Stocks & Bonds
05.04.2024, 22:02 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - Oil & Gold Soar On Week, But 'Good Data' Wrecks Rate-Cut Hopes, Slamming Stocks & Bonds It was a 'good' week for macro data... Source: Bloomberg ...but 'soft' survey data remains mired in depression as the 'aggregate' hard data holds strong... Source: Bloomberg Of course, good news is bad news for the doves and rate-cut expectations for 2024 are down...
Mainstream Media Reluctantly Admits Elon Musk's Ukraine Takes Are Proving Correct
05.04.2024, 15:21 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - Mainstream Media Reluctantly Admits Elon Musk's Ukraine Takes Are Proving Correct "So, Musk may not be too wide of the mark after all": Politico. Something which could hardly be imagined a year ago or even six months ago has happened this week: a Politico op-ed voices agreement with Elon Musk on Ukraine. Of course, the Wednesday piece still takes...
Behörden-Dossier: Früher staatlicher Plan, Dr. Fuellmich auszuschalten
05.04.2024, 12:15 Uhr. uncut-news.ch - https: - Dem neuen zweiten Verteidiger Dr. Fuellmichs im Prozess vor dem Landgericht Göttingen, Rechtsanwalt Dr. Christof Miseré, ist ein amtliches Dossier zugespielt worden, aus dem er in der Verhandlung am 2.4.2024 vorgelesen hat. Daraus geht hervor, dass schon seit August 2021 ein staatlicher Plan verfolgt wurde, Dr. Fuellmich mit Hilfe von „Dritt-Akteuren“...
Brüssel beginnt mit der Mobilisierung seines Massenzensurregimes für die bevorstehenden EU-Wahlen
05.04.2024, 07:46 Uhr. uncut-news.ch - https: - Von Tyler Durden Verfasst von Nick Corbishley über NakedCapitalism.com, Dies ist der Höhepunkt eines Prozesses, der vor mindestens einem Jahrzehnt begann. Eine der wichtigsten (wenn auch am wenigsten berichteten) Entwicklungen des Jahres 2023 war der Start des Digital Services Act (DSA) der Europäischen Union, der Ende August in vollem Umfang in...
New York Judge 'Mistakenly' Describes Trump Jan. 6 Case As "Federal Insurrection Matter"
04.04.2024, 23:00 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - New York Judge 'Mistakenly' Describes Trump Jan. 6 Case As "Federal Insurrection Matter" Authored by Catherine Yang via The Epoch Times, On April 3, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan denied a defense motion to adjourn the upcoming trial scheduled for April 15, and in his order, referred to former President Donald Trump’s case before the...
15 Year Study: Vast Majority Of Children Grow Out Of Gender Confusion
04.04.2024, 15:08 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - 15 Year Study: Vast Majority Of Children Grow Out Of Gender Confusion Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, A landmark study conducted over the past 15 years has concluded that most children who experience confusion regarding their gender identity grow out of it and go on to feel content with their lives as men and women. The study, carried...
4 More Christians Found Guilty Over Prayer Gathering At Nashville Abortion Clinic
04.04.2024, 05:00 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - 4 More Christians Found Guilty Over Prayer Gathering At Nashville Abortion Clinic Authored by Beth Brelje via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), It is likely that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will be throwing an elderly survivor of a communist concentration camp in federal prison for sitting in a wheelchair in the hallway of an abortion business and...
In Wake Of Khan's 14-Year Sentence Being Overturned, Pakistani Judges Say Intel Operatives Threatened Them
04.04.2024, 02:40 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - In Wake Of Khan's 14-Year Sentence Being Overturned, Pakistani Judges Say Intel Operatives Threatened Them Early this week a Pakistani court suspended the 14-year jail sentence previously handed down to former prime minister Imran Khan while allowing for appeal of his conviction for graft. The Islamabad High Court ruled in favor of Khan as his lawyer...
Chicago Police Called To Illegal Immigrant Shelter Hundreds Of Times In 2023, Records Show
04.04.2024, 01:40 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - Chicago Police Called To Illegal Immigrant Shelter Hundreds Of Times In 2023, Records Show Authored by Samantha Flom via The Epoch Times, Chicago police were called to an illegal immigrant shelter hundreds of times over the last year, in many cases to investigate allegations of violent crimes, records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request...
New York's Election Year Anti-Crime Strategy Too-Little, Too-Late, Critics Say
03.04.2024, 22:23 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - New York's Election Year Anti-Crime Strategy Too-Little, Too-Late, Critics Say Authored by Michael Washburn via The Epoch Times, Facing a critical election year and constant evidence of the progressive rollback of tough-on-crime policies, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and other Democrat leaders are scrambling to counter the narrative that theirs is the...
Biden Halts Attempts To Refill SPR As Oil Price Soars
03.04.2024, 21:05 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - Biden Halts Attempts To Refill SPR As Oil Price Soars More than a year ago, we laughed at the thought that the Biden admin would actually follow through with its promise to refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve when oil fell below $80, which in turn prompted area idiots to really rub it in our face when WTI tumbled as low as $73. WTI is $73 now https://t...
Brussels Begins To Mobilise Its Mass Censorship Regime For Upcoming EU Elections
03.04.2024, 09:34 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - Brussels Begins To Mobilise Its Mass Censorship Regime For Upcoming EU Elections Authored by Nick Corbishley via NakedCapitalism.com, This is the culmination of a process that began at least a decade ago. One of the most important (albeit least reported) developments of 2023 was the launch of the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which...
Facebook Shared Private DMs With Netflix 'For Nearly A Decade' According To Lawsuit
02.04.2024, 19:09 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - Facebook Shared Private DMs With Netflix 'For Nearly A Decade' According To Lawsuit Facebook parent Meta is alleged to have allowed Netflix to see private user DMs "for nearly a decade" in order to help the streaming giant tailor content to users, according to claims made in an explosive new lawsuit. According to court documents originally filed last...
JOLTed Snoozer: Job Openings Unchanged As Hiring And Quits Unexpectedly Rise
02.04.2024, 16:43 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - JOLTed Snoozer: Job Openings Unchanged As Hiring And Quits Unexpectedly Rise After steep declines in US job openings accelerated in the last few months of 2023, prompting economists to pat themselves on the back for predicting a soft landing and validating their expectations for Fed rate cuts, only to see the trend reverse dramatically in the last month...
Tucker Carlson spricht mit TKP-Gastautor Michael Nehls und Das indoktrinierte Gehirn
02.04.2024, 11:51 Uhr. tkp.at - https: - Das indoktrinierte Gehirn beschreibt einen neurobiologischen Mechanismus der Indoktrination, der bisher weitgehend unbekannt war. Er hat tiefgreifende Persönlichkeitsveränderungen zur Folge, schrieb PD. Dr. med. Michael Nehls als Einleitung zu seinem TKP-Gastartikel im August 2023 über sein Buch „Das indoktrinierte Gehirn“. Nehls hat seit Februar...
America’s Controversial Stealth Fighter Jet Can Now Carry Nukes
02.04.2024, 05:04 Uhr. ZeroHedge News - https: - America’s Controversial Stealth Fighter Jet Can Now Carry Nukes Authored by John Haughey via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), It was a routine Pentagon announcement during a regular briefing the Friday before the president typically submits his annual defense budget request to Congress on the second Monday in March. As of October, a spokesman for...