NBC

There was some confusion yesterday when news hit that the SecState's wife, Theresa Heinz Kerry, was hospitalized. This came shortly after yet another fiasco involving Kerry who was caught in a rejection, then admission snafu, that while Egypt was burning he was on his yacht not one but two days in a row. We now get some clarity as to the affliction affecting the billionaire heiress:

HEINZ KERRY SAID TO HAVE BEEN HOSPITALIZED AFTER SEIZURE SIGNS
HEINZ KERRY'S DOCTORS HAVEN'T MADE EXACT DIAGNOSIS, PERSON SAYS
HEINZ KERRY'S CONDITION DISCUSSED BY PERSON CLOSE TO FAMILY

UPDATE: NBC Reporting 2 Dead, *SF GENERAL HAS '10 TO 12' CRITICALLY INJURED FROM JET CRASH

Just over an hour ago an Asiana plane inbound from Seoul, South Korea, crash landed at San Francisco airport. Given the images below, it is a miracle no one is reported dead (among the 291 passengers and 12 crew). An eyewitness noted:

*AIRLINER TAIL HIT NEAR END OF RUNWAY, EYEWITNESS TELLS CNN,
*AIRLINER SPUN COMPLETELY AROUND ON LANDING, WITNESS TELLS CNN

As far as they know, NBC reports, the pilot made no distress calls prior to landing and Federal officials indicate no indication of terrorism. The San Francisco airport will be holding a press conference shortly.

 Local NBC news is reporting that the plane appeared to power-up as it was landing short and its tail hit the seawall.

And What About Your Smart Meter?

The Government Actually DID Spy On the Bad Guys Before 9/11

Every night Americans prove that they are willing to do absolutely horrible things to their fellow human beings.  Most of the time, we never even hear about the sick and twisted things that happen on the side streets and dark alleys of America.  Once in a while a particularly twisted story will get picked up by the news, but usually most Americans are pretty much able to isolate themselves from the depravity that is happening all around them.  Unfortunately, the social decay that is eating away at our society like cancer is spreading. America is not the kind, loving and gentle place that is portrayed in our movies and on our television shows.  The sad truth is that America is becoming colder and meaner with each passing day.  Yes, there are definitely some Americans that are kind and compassionate, but they are in the minority.  As our economic decline becomes even more severe, the hearts of even more Americans are going to grow cold.

To think it only took the world's most (in)famous whistleblower to get the NSA to disclose that it had heroically managed to prevent terrorist attacks involving the New York Stock Exchange (we supposed they refer to the Manhattan-based TV studio and not the actual exchange where the servers are now housed in Mahwah, NJ) and the NY Subway. Because whereas there was a time in the past when the various US secret services would scurry at the opportunity to disclose their expertise to the general public, now it is a false negative that is supposed to disprove a positive (pervasive spying on the US population is good for you because...). Of course it takes one non-false positive to disprove a false negative, namely the Boston Bombers, who as far as we recall, used cell phones to communicate. But so much for details: now please praise the NSA, and also comply with the Administration's push to rescind the second amendment. Or is Obama no longer pushing for "arms control"?

Just a few days ago we warned of the surging incentives among auto makers - and the diminishing benefits of that margin compression. It seems GM, not to be outdone by its peers, has stepped up with a hefty $5,000 discount for the Chevy Volt with demand for electric vehicles (EV) low, and falling lower, and manufacturers desperate to try anything to try and increase sales. Normally, after a couple of years of underperforming sales a manufacturer would pull its car from the market, however EV manufacturers are under pressure to keep struggling along, partly due to regulations in California (the largest car market in the US) that require all major manufacturers to offer a minimum number of Zero-Emission Vehicles. Unintended consequences once again appearing amid government regulation and cheap credit.

In a considerably worse 'crash' than the Japanese stock market, a building has collapsed in Philadelphia with 12 injured and 2 still trapped in the rubble. Just as suddenly as the market went from euphoric stability to volatile entropic failure, perhaps a massive infrastructure spending project (Quantitative constructing?) is required in a country in which major urban building can be perfectly stable one moment and a pile of rubble the next...

With the euphoric market once again serving as a much needed distraction from far bigger geopolitical issues, many have forgotten the plethora of scandals the Obama administration has recently found itself engulfed in. This may change shortly, following news that the head of the US Department of Justice, Eric Holder himself, is now being investigated for lying under oath. Will he too receive an extended absence of leave (with pay) after pleading the fifth, or will the circle of lies slowly but surely start to unwind? Of course, in the New Normal it is probably not only expected, but given, that the chief legal enforcer is just a little more equal when it comes to the same justice he is tasked to enforce.

The Big Buyers ... Unmasked

Courtesy of NBC, here is 10-x sped up footage of the massive 2-mile wide tornado ripping through Oklahoma one short hour ago.

Read 'Em and Weep

Why There Is So Much Pro-War Reporting

• PBOC Says China Shouldn’t Be ’Blindly Optimistic’ on Inflation (BBG)
• Foreigners Buying Half of London New Homes Prop Up Building (BBG) - first they come for the foreign deposits, then for the real assets...
• Investors Rediscovering Margin Debt (WSJ) - well, yes: it is at record highs
• China issues new rules targeting wealth management fund pools (RTRS)
• Navy $37 Billion Ships Seen Unsuitable Have 2-Year Window (BBG)
• New York may have to drop claims against BofA over Merrill (RTRS)
• FBI Rejects Boston Police Stance in Spat Over Terror Data (BBG)
• In eastern Syria oil smugglers benefit from chaos (RTRS)