US Justice Department heeds to Trump's demand to probe Epstein ties with Bill Clinton, JPMorgan

 

The U.S. Justice Department announced that it will follow President Donald Trump’s request to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to former President Bill Clinton and the bank JPMorgan. This means the government will look into whether Clinton or the bank had any inappropriate financial or personal connections with Epstein, who was involved in major crimes. The investigation is getting a lot of attention because it involves powerful people and a sensitive topic, and it raises questions about how deep Epstein’s network of relationships really went.

Trump pushed for this investigation partly to shift the spotlight away from his own past connection with Epstein, since people have questioned their relationship before. By directing attention toward Clinton and JPMorgan, Trump is trying to redirect the public conversation and put pressure on his political opponents instead of himself. This move is seen as a political strategy, especially because the timing suggests Trump wants to control the narrative and change what people are focusing on. To even stir up the pot a little more, there has been alleged rumors of Bill and Trump having a secret relationship.

Source : https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/global-trends/us-justice-department-heeds-to-trumps-demand-to-probe-epstein-ties-with-bill-clinton-jpmorgan/articleshow/125340607.cms?from=mdr&utm_

$2,000 Tariff Checks Need Approval From Congress—After Trump Says They'll Come 'Next Year

This article talks about how Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the proposed $2,000 “tariff checks” promoted by Donald Trump would require congressional approval before they could be issued. Trump has also stated that the checks could be issued starting next year, and households with high income, though not specifically defined, are excluded from receiving these checks.

While this plan might seem great and beneficial, the possibility of this plan even happening depends on congress and if they will approve this.

If passed, the checks could provide short-term financial benefits and relief for those who are in need, however there are risks that come with this. The project could cost hundreds of upwards of billions of dollars that could add inflationary pressure when the administration is also promising to lower prices. It goes without saying that this creates a potential conflict, and the both policies could possibly contradict each other. There is also a level of uncertainty that applies to who is eligible; many might feel excluded and neglected if they are not in contention for the checks. 

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2025/11/16/bessent-says-2000-tariff-checks-need-approval-from-congress-after-trump-says-theyll-come-next-year/

 

Crypto Bear Market Deepens, YTD Gains Erased

 This Article by Bloomberg editors Olga Kharif and David Pan discusses the crypto bear market that has erased recent gains in the digital currency marketplace. On October fifth, Bitcoin reached being up 30% year to date. Today, Bitcoin stands at up merely a 2 percent increase YTD, down over 20% in the past three months. Following president Trumps election in November Bitcoin rallied to an all time high of $126,251 on October sixth, only to begin tumbling four days later following the proposal of international tariffs from the Trump administration. 

Bitcoin relies upon Large institutional investors, and ETF's to be the provider of 'legitimacy' for Bitcoin. However, these large investors have begun to slowly and quietly begin to sellout of their positions.

 “The selloff is a confluence of profit-taking by LTHs, institutional outflows, macro uncertainty, and leveraged longs getting wiped out,” Jake Kennis, a senior research analyst at Nannen said, in an interview with Bloomberg.  Bitcoin and the crypto markets are famously volatile, however many investors have begun to view the alternative currency as a hedge to inflation due to its stable performance over the past year. Chris Newhouse, director of research at Ergonia, claims that general consumer sentiment has fallen off significantly and the while cyclicality is nothing new in crypto there don't seem to be any natural bullish catalysts coming forward  in the near future.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-16/bitcoin-erases-this-year-s-gain-as-crypto-bear-market-deepens?srnd=homepage-americas

Trump tariffs are helping drive U.S. beef prices to new highs

    This CNBC article covers beef prices in the United States. Donald Trump is blaming the meat packers and U.S. cattlemen for rising beef prices, but the tariffs implemented by the Trump administration are affecting farm equipment and machinery which add to the surge in price. Brazil is the biggest producer and exporter of beef, and since the 50% tariff rate for Brazil, beef exports have been diverted to other markets such as China. Exports from other large beef producing countries such as New Zealand and Australia have also decreased. This pullback in exports does not help the American beef industry, but reduces supply and adds pressures in the already tight US supply chain. These negative effects of tariffs come when the U.S. cattle herd is at a near 75 year low and the consumer demand for beef has grown. 

    Cattle ranchers in the US have already had difficulties in recent years because of environmental factors such as drought, which diminished the amount of grasslands to feed herds, leading to higher costs of buying feed. Many farmers have faced even more expenses, as some fertilizers facing double-digit tariffs, raising the cost of growing already scarce crops used for animal feed. Many ranchers have expressed their frustration, with one saying that they are in one of the toughest cattle cycles in history.

Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/13/trump-tariffs-high-beef-prices.html