Cracks in America's economy are growing

CNN Money | by Patrick Gillespie @CNNMoney | January 29, 2016: 5:12 AM ET

America's economy hit the brakes during the holidays.

Some recent economic data even raises fears that we might be heading towards a possible U.S. recession in 2016. Big banks like Morgan Stanley (MS) estimate there's a 20% chance of recession this year.

On Friday, the government will release data that show how the U.S. economy fared in the last three months of the year. Many experts forecast that the U.S. economy barely grew -- about 1% or less -- between October and December of 2015 compared to a year ago.

Even the Federal Reserve admitted Wednesday that the economy "slowed" at the end of last year.

On Thursday, the bad news continued. A key sign of confidence is orders for new products and equipment -- known as "durable goods" -- placed by companies to power their business. Orders for durable goods fell 5% between November and December, according to the Commerce Department. That was a lot below expectations that orders would be flat.

It shows that some companies are delaying or deciding not to purchase any new piece of equipment they need.

The news on durable goods caused Barclays (BCS) to lower its GDP forecast to 0.4% on Thursday. Capital Economics, a research firm, admitted the new data posed risks "firmly to the downside" for its estimate of 1%.

Related: Apple CEO: 'extreme conditions' in global slowdown

Here are 3 more warning signs that the U.S. economy is heading in the wrong direction:

1. Americans are not spending much

U.S. economic growth depends on shoppers. Consumer spending makes up two-thirds of the nation's economic engine. Yet they're sending mixed signals: U.S. retail sales declined a bit in December and they were negative or flat seven times last year.

Consumer confidence has wavered too. It peaked at 98% in January 2015 but has since drifted down in general. Consumer confidence is currently 93%. While it's a lot better than what it was just a few years ago, any downward movement is still a cause for concern.

2. U.S. manufacturing already in recession

American factories are suffering from the global economic slowdown. Manufacturing makes up 10% of the U.S. economy, according to Morgan Stanley.

The key ISM manufacturing index has declined for six straight months, and its been negative -- below 50% -- for the last two months.

The strong dollar is making products manufactured in the U.S. more expensive overseas, lowering demand for American made goods. The slowdown in emerging market economies isn't helping trade either.

Related: U.S. economy: recession fears are growing

3. Corporate America is hurting

Earnings season isn't over yet but one thing is clear: American companies are making less money than a year ago. Put together, when America's biggest companies -- and employers -- suffer, the economy follows suit.

The S&P 500 -- the benchmark for U.S. stocks -- is down 7% so far in January. Apple, the nation's biggest company by market size, just announced record profits with a gloomy outlook ahead. It believes iPhone sales will decline in the first quarter of this year for the first time in 13 years.

Apple CEO Tim Cook expressed serious caution about the global economy. When a major American CEO raises the warning flag that's not good for the U.S. economy.

"We're seeing extreme conditions unlike anything we have experienced before just about everywhere we look," Cook said Tuesday.

DEMOCRATIC DEBATE TOTALLY STAGED: CNN HAS AUDIENCE PRACTICE APPLAUSE, PRE-SUBMITTED QUESTIONS PLANTED

Steve Watson | Infowars | JANUARY 26, 2016

IMAGE CREDITS: MOHAMED NANABHAY / FLICKR.

In order to fit in with the sterile, pre-packaged scripted fake media driven world we live in today, CNN staged every aspect of last night’s Democratic debate, planting prepared questions in the audience, and even having them practice clapping the candidates before the “show” began.

Politicians, and particularly Presidents, are supposed to be able to react on the fly to the most unexpected of events and situations, but it seems that we’re now firmly in the age of the teleprompter President.

Rarely anything you see anymore is spontaneous or improvised. Everything HAS to go off exactly as planned and without a hitch. Everything is one giant PR program designed to hook mainstream America in and deliver exactly what the powers that be think it wants.

Which is exactly what happened during another snorefest of a Democratic debate presented by CNN.

Before the candidates even took to the stage, CNN had the audience practice applauding, as Anderson Cooper alluded to during the monotonous hours long “build up,” now a mind numbing aspect of every major vacuous TV presentation of the modern day.

Because, obviously, were they not told to clap beforehand, this brain dead mass of blubber and skin would just sit there in utter confusion and boredom, wondering why it had been over five minutes since they got their last fix of fake sincerity to lose their shit to.

Then there were the candidates themselves.

Bernie Sanders said he was going to raise taxes in order to give away some free shit for the 18 billionth time:

Hillary Clinton waddled on stage and denied for the 800 billionth time that her home made email server constituted misconduct, and once again claimed “nothing that I did was wrong.”

The viewers at home in an alpha wave induced stupor also would not have noticed that the questions the candidates were “asked” constituted bigger softer balls than those owned by the Stay Puft marshmallow man.

Sanders was asked if he was “surprised” by his support and the hashtag associated with the “Feel the Bern” slogan.

Getting down to the nitty gritty there.

He was then asked if he supported “women’s issues”.

OOOO, tough one for Bernie.

Hillary was asked by the CNN hosts if she found it surprising that Obama thinks she is “wicked smart,” “knows every policy inside and out,” and gets “undue criticism”.

WOW, get out of that one if you can Hillary.

An Audience member also asked her exactly how she would go about the EXTREMELY DIFFICULT task of “protecting the constitutional rights of all groups of people”.

A muslim woman asked Clinton what she thought about… muslims and Trump… or something, to which she responded by nearly crying.

Nothing about taking money from mega banks and giant oil companies, multiple rape allegations against her husband, or knowing that Americans were killed in a terrorist attack and lying about it though, unsurprisingly.

Then came the kicker at the end of the night when what appeared to be a 11 year old stammering boy stood up and declared that “I can see why they gave you this” before asking Hillary which former President she admired the most.

It wasn’t Bill Clinton.

Staged, sterile, scripted and completely lifeless. Which is exactly what you’d expect from CNN and every Democratic candidate in this Presidential race. Everyone went home happy and slept soundly like babies.

Next up, Anderson Cooper presents the build up to the 2024 Presidential election and asks will another Obama be running, and especially with that hair cut.

Go to commercial.