Last month when Elon Musk conducted a poll asking if he should step down as head of Twitter and claiming he would abide by the results, I contradicted his claim. I wrote the following in The Palmer Report: “Expect him not to step down. That’s also what fascists do, conduct polls or hold elections then refuse to abide by the results.” As you now know, brothers and sisters, Musk lost that poll. I was right, he didn’t step down. He shamelessly ignored the results of the poll.

I am not psychic. I just know my fascists and my narcissists, and Elon Musk is both. That is how I was able to predict that he wouldn’t step down. I’ll let you in on another secret about narcissists like Musk. They are often big losers and big cowards. Again, Musk is both.

First about Musk being a loser. Narcissists are also braggarts and as such they are too often incautious. Their incaution sometimes leads to huge mistakes. They frequently wade into situations where they are unqualified and ill prepared. Musk’s disastrous takeover of Twitter is a case in point.

Thanks to his spectacularly bad Twitter takeover his fortunes have flagged with his popularity and stock portfolio, and now Elon Musk just became the first human in history to lose two hundred billion dollars. That’s right, $200 billion. With a “b.”

I remember a time not too long ago when, with a personal fortune of about $30 billion, Bill Gates was the richest man in the world. Musk just lost 6.66 times that much money in about a month or so. Pretty soon Elon won’t be able to afford the eight dollars for his blue check mark.

Things have gotten so bad at Twitter HQ that employees have started bringing in their own toilet paper. That’s all part of Musk’s “brilliant” “cost cutting strategy.” This is what the “genius” of Tesla and SpaceX has come to. Like Donald Trump, Elon Musk is a child of wealth and privilege, a phoney with no real qualifications apart from what he claims about himself. A lot of fools believed him. A lot of fools still do.

Now to the part about Musk being a coward. Have you ever noticed that Republicans like Donald Trump, his stupid son Don Junior and people like Ted Cruz often insult and belittle people weaker than themselves? Recall, for example, how many times in the past Trump tweeted (and now “Truthed”) disparaging libels about people who are too weak to hurt him? Recall how Ted Cruz lost his spine and joined the parade of Trump sycophants after Trump called his wife ugly and claimed his father participated in the Kennedy assassination? That how cowards behave. Elon Musk is just such a coward.

One of Musk’s latest tweets claims that he is now going to put Dr. Fauci in prison. This will happen, according to Musk the “genius,” as a consequence of his releasing the “Twitter files.” He will be releasing these Twitter files, according to a tweet he made 5 hours ago (as I write this), “later this week.”

So, now I’m going to make another prediction. The release of the “Twitter files” will have absolutely no bearing whatsoever on Dr. Fauci’s legal status. More than that, it won’t cause the elderly doctor a single moment of embarrassment or even inconvenience.

In fact, I don’t think Musk is going to release anything at all. I think this is nothing more than a Trump-style empty threat or false promise, like when Trump promised to release a “beautiful” replacement for Obamacare, or when he promised to release his infrastructure plan, or his taxes, or any number of claims he made that he was going to make good on in “two weeks.” This is just Elon Musk’s two weeks. And as is true with phoneys like Trump and all the other Republicans, nothing will ever come of it.

And that’s okay, because just as Musk got away with lying about stepping down pending the outcome of his poll, Musk will get away with not producing a single shred of evidence against Dr. Fauci. Because Elon Musk is nothing more than a liar, a coward, a loser and a fake. Just like Donald Trump. And, as ever, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, comrades and friends, stay safe.

The post Two weeks notice appeared first on Palmer Report.

The World Bank is seeking to vastly expand its lending capacity to address climate change and other global crises and will negotiate with shareholders ahead of April meetings on proposals that include a capital increase and new lending tools, according to an “evolution roadmap” seen by Reuters on Monday.

The roadmap document – sent to shareholder governments – marks the start of a negotiation process to alter the bank’s mission and financial resources and shift it away from a country- and project-specific lending model used since its creation at the end of World War Two.

The World Bank management aims to have specific proposals to change its mission, operating model and financial capacity ready for approval by the joint World Bank and International Monetary Fund Development Committee in October, according to the document.

A World Bank spokesman said that the document aimed to provide details on the scope, approach, and timetable for the evolution, with regular updates for shareholders and decisions later in the year.

The development lender will explore options like a potential new capital increase, changes to its capital structure to unlock more lending and new financing tools such as guarantees for private sector loans and other ways to mobilize more private capital, according to the document.

But the World Bank Group (WBG) is not ready to bow to demands from some non-profit organizations to abandon its longstanding top-tier credit rating to boost lending, stating: “Management will explore all options that increase the capacity of the WBG whilst maintaining the AAA rating of the WBG entities.”

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has called for the World Bank and others to revamp their business models to boost lending and harness private capital to fund investments that more broadly benefit the world, such as helping middle-income countries transition away from coal power.

A U.S. Treasury spokesperson declined comment on the World Bank document.

The bank said proposals under consideration include higher statutory lending limits, lower equity-to-loan requirements and the use of callable capital – money pledged but not paid in by member governments – for lending.

Development experts say this shift would greatly increase the amount of lending compared to the current capital structure, which only utilizes paid-in capital.

“The challenges the world is facing call for a massive step up in the international community’s support,” the bank said in the document. “For the WBG to continue to play a central role in development and climate finance, it will need a concerted effort by both shareholders and management to step up WBG financing capacity.”

The roadmap document cautions that a build-up of lending for climate change, health care, food security and other needs may require a capital increase to boost the capacity of the World Bank’s middle-income lending arm, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).

IBRD’s $13 billion capital increase in 2018 “was designed to be prepared for one mid-sized crisis a decade, and not multiple, overlapping crises” including the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the effects of accelerating climate change, the document said. IBRD’s crisis buffers will likely be depleted by mid-2023, it said.

Another option, according to the roadmap, is for World Bank shareholder countries to step up periodic contributions to the lender’s fund for the world’s poorest countries, the International Development Association (IDA), which have declined in recent years despite increasing needs.

The roadmap also offers the option of creating a new concessional lending trust fund for middle-income countries that would focus on global public goods and be similar in structure to IDA, with regular funding replenishments that would be separate from the bank’s capital structure.

“Such a fund may attract donor bilateral resources separate from shareholder budget lines supporting the WBG, and potentially include donors beyond shareholders,” such as private foundations, the bank said.

The bank said that the evolution of its mission to increase climate lending while maintaining good development outcomes will require additional staff and budget resources, which have declined 3% in real terms over the past 15 years.

Actor Jeremy Renner, who played Hawkeye in the Marvel “Avengers” movies, was in critical but stable condition in a Nevada hospital on Monday, a day after suffering a traumatic injury while plowing snow, his publicist and local officials said.

Renner was in the intensive care unit upon undergoing surgery on Monday after he “suffered blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries” in the accident, publicist Samantha Mast said in a statement, according to media reports.

“Jeremy’s family would like to express their gratitude to the incredible doctors and nurses looking after him, Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue, Washoe County Sheriff, Reno City Mayor Hillary Schieve and the Carano and Murdock families,” the statement said, according to the Hollywood Reporter and CNN.

“They are also tremendously overwhelmed and appreciative of the outpouring of love and support from his fans.”

Renner, 51, was nominated for an Academy Award for best actor for his work in the 2008 film “The Hurt Locker,” which also won the Oscar for best picture, and he received a supporting actor nomination for his work in “The Town” from 2010.

After his success in “The Hurt Locker,” Renner starred in multiple Marvel projects as well as in two “Mission: Impossible” films, “Arrival,” and “American Hustle,” among others.

Renner has owned a home in Washoe County, Nevada, for several years, according to the Reno Gazette Journal. That area in northern Nevada received heavy snowfall on New Year’s Eve. The National Weather Service had a winter storm warning over the weekend in the area.

Last month, Renner shared updates on social media when the area received large amounts of snow. “Lake Tahoe snowfall is no joke,” Renner tweeted in December, with the post showing a vehicle covered in snow.

Over the weekend, officials warned those who had travel plans through the Sierra Nevada of icy roads and winter weather driving conditions.

Local officials said the actor suffered a “traumatic injury” on Sunday morning and was transported to a local area hospital in a care flight.

The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that it “responded to a traumatic injury in the area of Mt. Rose Highway in Reno, Nevada” on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. It said Renner was the only involved party in the incident, which was being investigated.

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Brazil has informed the United States government that it intends to charge George Santos with fraud in a fifteen year old case, according to the New York Times. This means he’ll be criminally tried in Brazil whether he attends or not, and if he’s convicted, he’ll face extradition to Brazil so he can serve his prison sentence.

Over the holiday weekend it was also reported that the Department of Justice and the Long Island District Attorney are each separately investigating George Santos for potential financial crimes during the course of his 2022 campaign for Congress.

The criminal case in Brazil appears to have already been completed years ago, while U.S. investigators are still digging in. So this points to a realistic scenario in which Brazil convicts and sentences Santos even as the U.S. is bringing indictments against him, which would raise extradition questions. But either way, if Santos is convicted, he’s going to end up in prison somewhere.

The kicker is that the way U.S. law is written, none of this will keep Santos from taking office tomorrow. If House Republicans had any gumption or sense, they’d force him not to take office by threatening to immediately expel him, and then they’d saddle up for a special election. Instead they’ll tepidly spend months letting their agenda get drowned out by the Santos scandal, and wait until he’s in a prison cell and of no use to them at all before finally cutting him loose.

To an extent, the system has to work this way. Otherwise some corrupt rural District Attorney could just fraudulently criminally charge every Democrat who wins a congressional seat, keeping them from taking office until they’re acquitted. The part that needs to change is that being convicted of a felony while in office should disqualify you from remaining in office.

In any case, it now appears that George Santos committed crimes in Brazil and then went to the United States in order to avoid prosecution, only to commit more crimes in the United States, and then commit even more crimes while running for Congress in the United States.

While it feels like a middle finger to democracy that George Santos gets to be sworn in tomorrow, keep in mind that this is a nightmare for House Republicans. Santos is the poster child for everything that’s gone horrifically wrong within the Republican Party. The Democrats will spend every day using Santos to weaken House Republicans’ 2024 prospects. And the Republicans are too afraid to get rid of him because they’re already unable to function with the tiny minority they currently have. Every day that Santos remains in office, Republicans’ odds of keeping the House in 2024 drop a little further.

The post Brazil informs U.S. government that it intends to criminally charge George Santos appeared first on Palmer Report.

The U.S. National Park Service closed Dry Tortugas National Park off the Florida Keys for several days starting on Monday after 300 immigrants had arrived on the islands in recent days, overwhelming first responders.

“Like elsewhere in the Florida Keys, the park has recently seen an increase in people arriving by boat from Cuba and landing on the islands of Dry Tortugas National Park,” the Park Service said in a statement announcing the closure to the public.

Cuba is experiencing a historic exodus of people fleeing the Communist-governed island nation amid extended economic hardship. While most seek overland routes to the United States through Central America and Mexico, others navigate the Caribbean Sea in makeshift vessels.

Park personnel had been providing food, water and basic medical attention until officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security could take over the relief effort, the statement said.

The Park Service said the closure would last several days.

In the meantime, ferry and seaplane services taking tourists to the islands were canceled, and all other visitor services were suspended, the Park Service said.

The park is part of a small archipelago about 70 miles (110 km) west of Key West, which itself is about 90 miles north of the closest part of Cuba.

The main island, which is dominated by the hexagonal Fort Jefferson, a disused military fortress made of brick, has no hotels and only a primitive campsite. Tourists are required to provide their own food and water while visiting.

The U.S. Coast Guard has reported it intercepted 6,182 Cubans at sea in fiscal year 2022, which ended on Sept. 20, plus nearly 3,000 more from then until Dec. 10.

A record 220,000 Cubans were caught at the U.S.-Mexico border in fiscal year 2022.

(NewsNation) — Kerri Rawson, the daughter of serial killer Dennis Rader, is speaking out, saying the family of the man accused of killing four Idaho students is likely “going through utter hell.”

“After being raised by a psychopath, I do know that they can hide very easily, that they can put on several masks … saying to you what you think they think you want to hear,” Rawson said in an exclusive interview with NewsNation’s Brian Entin. Her father was more commonly known as “BTK.”

It recently was disclosed that Bryan Kohberger — arrested in the stabbing deaths of four Idaho college students — previously studied under serial killer expert Dr. Katherine Ramsland. Ramsland is known for having developed a close relationship with Rader, raising questions of whether Kohberger and Rader ever communicated.

“Knowing how personally connected Ramsland is to my father, I would not be surprised if Kohberger had at least tried to write my father,” Rawson said. “It concerns me that my father continues to have access to the public and the public has access to my father.

“You can be an expert on psychopaths, and they’re still going to trick you,” she said.

(NewsNation) — Accused killer Bryan Kohberger could be returned to Idaho as soon as Tuesday following a hearing in Pennsylvania, where the 28-year-old isn’t expected to fight extradition.

“There is going to be someone there looking him in the face and letting him know this is not going away anytime soon,” said Steve Goncalves, father of one of the victims, Kaylee Goncalves. “This is just the beginning.”

Kaylee Goncalves was one of four University of Idaho students killed in an off-campus stabbing in November. Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin also were killed.

Police on Friday arrested Kohberger in Pennsylvania in connection with the students’ deaths.

Now Steve Goncalves and his family’s attorney are looking for connections between Kohberger and the victims.

“I’m biased, but if you got to know my daughter I would think it would be impossible to hurt her,” Steve Goncalves said. “So I think we thought this was somebody who didn’t have a chance to meet her or talk to her or get to know her. She was very likable and didn’t have a mean bone in her body. I think there is a little comfort in knowing this person is not someone she trusted or loved.”

Kohberger’s public defender told NewsNation that in Mid-December, Kohberger’s father drove back with his son from Pullman, Washington, to Monroe County, Pennsylvania, in the white Hyundai Elantra police believe they had been looking for.

His attorney said Kohberger is eager to be exonerated.

Kohberger’s family didn’t answer when NewsNation senior national correspondent Brian Entin went to their house, where Kohberger was arrested. The family did, however, release a statement through the public defender, saying they are cooperating with law enforcement.

“First and foremost, we care deeply for the four families who have lost their precious children,” the statement read. “There are no words that can adequately express the sadness we feel, and we pray each day for them. We will continue to let the legal process unfold and as a family we will love and support our son and brother.”

Before moving to Washington State University to get his Ph.D., Kohberger received his master’s from DeSales University in Pennsylvania.

He was studying in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at the time of his arrest.

Students who studied with Kohberger told NewsNation they’ve been told to talk only to police, since they could potentially be called as character witnesses in the case.

“I feel like (Kohberger) was into this kind of thing,” Steve Goncalves said. “He made a lifetime commitment to crime. Solving crime. Figuring out how people got caught, interviewing people. Doing different things that a normal student wouldn’t’ be so interested in. I think maybe he got a little overconfident, and there isn’t a perfect way to commit a crime.”

(NewsNation) — Departures from Miami International Airport are experiencing delays while officials work to fix an air traffic computer system.

There have been several delays and a handful of flight cancellations out of Southern Florida after the Federal Aviation Administration reported an issue with air traffic control equipment at Miami International.

“The FAA has slowed the volume of traffic into Florida airspace due to an air traffic computer issue that is being resolved,” the agency said in a statement Monday.

On Twitter, American Airlines said “the ground stop for all Florida airports is affecting all carriers in and out of the area due to an issue at the MIA traffic control center.”

The ERAM system is a modern computer system at the air traffic centers that handles en route traffic, according to the FAA. It processes flight and surveillance data and displays that to air traffic controllers and also provides communication.

The flight-tracking website FlightAware shows increasing departure delays of about 1 1/2 hours at Miami International Airport.

Flights across Florida are being impacted, with Orlando’s airport reportedly seeing more than 30 percent of flights delayed. Fort Lauderdale and Tampa airports are seeing delays as well.

On a tour of the airport, a flight official described Florida as the highway of the skies. It’s a major destination and also serves as a hub for airlines, which means delays there can impact flights across the country.

FAA officials said the computer issue is being resolved, but did not have a timetable for when things could be expected to return to normal.

This is a developing report. Refresh for updates.