Trump supporters in China are up in arms and raging about a possible indictment: "Trump, America needs you"

"If Trump is arrested, it will signal the corruption of the American spirit," wrote one person on the Twitter-like Weibo platform. Donald Trump.Win McNamee/Getty Images Donald Trump has found an unlikely group of supporters — in China. There was a deluge of support for Trump on Weibo after he said he may be arrested on Tuesday. Trump-loving Chinese users urged him to fight the indictment, calling him a "comrade" and a "king." Former President Donald Trump has found a group of ardent supporters on Chinese social media as his claims of a looming arrest ricocheted across the Internet. On Saturday, news of a possible Trump indictment skyrocketed to the top of the charts on the Twitter-like Weibo platform at 11.30 p.m., Beijing time. The hashtag "Trump says he'll be arrested soon" was the 5th most-read topic on Weibo on Saturday night, with more than 59 million views.This was moments after Trump wrote Saturday on Truth Social that he will be arrested in New York next week. Trump's claim about a possible arrest was not based on any facts released by the Manhattan District Attorney's office. Susan Necheles, the former president's lead defense attorney, said Saturday no information came from the Manhattan DA's office that Trump would be "arrested," as Trump claimed, but was cautious not to directly dispute her clients' Truth Social post, Insider reported. "President Trump is basing this on press reports," Necheles told Insider.With the hashtag going viral on Weibo, there was also an outpouring of support for Trump on the platform. A slew of Trump-loving Weibo commenters — who made up the majority of the hundreds of posts seen by Insider — encouraged him to not give up and fight any criminal indictment with all his strength. "Donald Trump, don't back down. America is big enough to be split into two. Do what you need to do, MAGA!" read one comment."If Trump is arrested, it will signal the corruption of the American spirit," another comment read. "Trump, America needs you," a Weibo commenter wrote.Some Weibo commenters called on his "redneck supporters" to "rally around their king." Others called Trump their "comrade" — a term commonly used to refer to Chinese officials, including Chinese leader Xi Jinping — and encouraged him to "move forward bravely."Trump's detractors did speak up on Weibo too, but they were far outnumbered by his supporters."I'm looking forward to the old asshole being arrested and imprisoned," read one comment. "This lunatic needs to be locked up, or he'll be spouting nonsense all day long," another Weibo user wrote. And some Weibo commenters just thought the whole idea of Trump being indicted was exciting, likening his possible arrest to events on a reality TV show. "How fun! When does the broadcast begin?" read a comment from one Weibo user.  Weibo is a platform that is tightly controlled and rigorously censored by the Chinese government. That the viral thread — and the above comments — were not quickly scrubbed from the platform is a good indicator that such pro-Trump discourse is something the Chinese government is allowing to happen. It is not surprising that some Chinese people don't want Trump to be indicted, or for a possible jail term to derail his 2024 presidential ambitions.Researchers from the Brookings Institution think tank wrote in 2016 that some segments of the Chinese populace saw Trump as a boon for Beijing, viewing him as the presidential candidate who would focus more on boosting trade ties. CNN reported in 2020 that some Chinese social media users viewed Trump as a better candidate than President Joe Biden — surmising that he would help build China up by ruining America. Meanwhile, a possible indictment in New York now looms over Trump.Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is investigating if Trump's payments to the adult film actress, Stormy Daniels, violate New York election and document laws. Bragg is also investigating if these payments should be considered an illegal Trump campaign expense.Daniels says she had an affair with Trump in 2006. Trump has consistently denied that he ever had an affair with Daniels. He also denies that he paid her $130,000 to keep quiet about the relationship before the 2016 election.A spokesman for Trump and representatives for Weibo at Sina did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider. Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

Biden pledged to recalibrate the US-Saudi relationship over Khashoggi's brutal murder, but the oil crisis sparked by the Russia-Ukraine war has changed his stance. President Joe Biden is expected to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the near future.Bernd von Jutrczenka/Getty Images Hatice Cengiz, Jamal Khashoggi's fiancée, criticized Biden for his expected visit with MBS. "Biden's decision to meet MBS is horribly upsetting to me," Cengiz told CNN. Biden pledged to recalibrate the US-Saudi relationship over Khashoggi's murder, but the Ukraine war has changed his stance. Jamal Khashoggi's fiancée excoriated President Joe Biden over his expected trip to Saudi Arabia, which would likely include a face-to-face meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — the de facto ruler of the kingdom who the US explicitly implicated in the 2018 brutal murder of the journalist. Hatice Cengiz said that by meeting with MBS, as the Saudi leader is often called, Biden would insult defenders of human rights across the world. "President Biden's decision to meet MBS is horribly upsetting to me and supporters of freedom and justice everywhere," Hatice Cengiz said in a statement to CNN. Foreign policy experts and veteran diplomats have also questioned the wisdom of Biden's planned visit to Saudi Arabia."A presidential trip to Saudi Arabia right now is going to be confirmation, validation not just that it's business as usual but that MBS got away with murder," Aaron David Miller, a former US diplomat who advised multiple secretaries of state on the Middle East, told Insider last week.Dalia Dassa Kaye, a senior fellow at UCLA Burkle Center on International Relations, told Insider that Biden traveling to the kingdom would be a "serious mistake," adding, "This is a bad deal for Biden — he's risking his reputation and compromising on principles for modest returns."Khashoggi was killed in October 2018 in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The Saudi journalist went to the consulate under the impression that he would obtain a document that would allow him to marry Cengiz. His killing by Saudi agents sparked outrage in Washington and pushed many congressional lawmakers to call for the US to dramatically reassess its relations with the kingdom. Biden entered the White House pledging to recalibrate the US-Saudi relationship, vowing to make the oil-rich country a "pariah."After years of President Donald Trump ensuring that MBS did not face consequences for the murder of Khashoggi — who was a Washington Post columnist and US resident when he was killed — the Biden administration released a declassified intelligence report that directly tied the Saudi crown prince to the killing. The Biden administration imposed sanctions in concert with the release of the report but stopped short of slapping any penalties on MBS. Biden also said the US would cease support for the Saudi-led coalition in the Yemen war, and snubbed MBS by stating he would only communicate in an official capacity with Salman.There were early signs that Biden would make good on his pledges — though critics, including Democrats in Congress, have accused him of falling short on issues like Yemen due to ongoing arms sales to the Saudis.But the Russia-Ukraine war and the ensuing oil crisis, which has seen gas prices skyrocket, has pushed Biden into a corner. With midterms on the horizon, Biden is now seeking Riyadh's help in addressing the crisis. According to reporting from CNN, senior US officials have relayed to the Saudi government that the Biden administration is prepared to embrace a "reset" of the relationship between Washington and Riyadh. That effectively means allowing shared interests to trump punishing MBS over Khashoggi's murder. "Both sides have decided that for the sake of achieving peace and stability in the Middle East, we need to move past it," an unnamed senior US official told CNN in reference to Khashoggi's killing. Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

"Gradually, ...Then Suddenly!" Authored by Jim Quinn via The Burning Platform blog, “How did you go bankrupt?” Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.” - Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises “I do not say that democracy has been more pernicious on the whole, and in the long run, than monarchy or aristocracy. Democracy has never been and never can be so durable as aristocracy or monarchy; but while it lasts, it is more bloody than either. Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide. It is in vain to say that democracy is less vain, less proud, less selfish, less ambitious, or less avaricious than aristocracy or monarchy. It is not true, in fact, and nowhere appears in history. Those passions are the same in all men, under all forms of simple government, and when unchecked, produce the same effects of fraud, violence, and cruelty.”  – John Adams Hemingway’s famous quote about going bankrupt connects with so many because it is true on a personal basis and a civilization basis. It applies to individuals and empires in decline – like the American democracy. John Adams realized two centuries ago democracy was no better than monarchy or aristocracy over the long haul. We were handed a Republic by Franklin and his fellow revolutionaries, but we failed to keep it almost from the very birth of this nation. As we rush towards our World War 3 rendezvous with destiny, aided and abetted by politicians placed in power by globalist billionaires hellbent on the destruction of our way of life, so they own everything and you own nothing, I can’t help but ponder who is to blame and could we have avoided this dystopian outcome. The United States has been going bankrupt gradually for the last fifty years, both financially, intellectually, and morally. Nixon closing the gold window in 1971 and opening the debt door to morally bankrupt bankers and politicians set in motion a downward spiral accelerating at hyper-speed as we speak. The American Empire was born in the shattered global debris of World War II with the Bretton Woods agreement, which left the USD as the dominant currency in world trade, specifically as the settlement currency for all oil transactions. The empire has been sustained by currency supremacy, military might, and until 1980, manufacturing superiority. Once the most highly educated nation on the planet, decades of lowering the bar, less than mediocre union teachers, and replacing education with indoctrination, has created generations of ignorant zombies incapable and uninterested in critical thought. The road to bankruptcy was very gradual at the outset of empire, with the national debt topping out at $269 billion, 119% of GDP, in 1946. In 1960 it had only grown to $286 billion but had dropped to 54% of GDP. Rebuilding the world and being the dominant economic power paid huge dividends. After a decade of guns, butter and welfare programs, the debt grew to $398 billion, but continued to drop as a percentage of GDP to 35% in 1971. After decoupling from gold, the national debt soared to $908 billion by 1980, inflation surged to 15%, and Volcker had to raise interest rates to 20% to avert disaster. What happened over the next forty years was mind boggling in its recklessness, shortsightedness, and acquiescence to the Wall Street cabal. These decade-by-decade increases were obscene: 1980               $908B            32% of GDP 1990               $3.2T              54% of GDP 2000               $5.7T              52% of GDP 2010               $13.6T            90% of GDP 2020               $27.8T            129% of GDP Today             $30.3T            130% of GDP Rogoff and Reinhart postulated in 2010 that once a country passes 90% of GDP, economic growth slows dramatically, and the chances of financial crisis increase exponentially. With annual GDP growth of about 2% since 2010, their theory has proven accurate. Now we approach the existential financial crisis which could initiate the “going bankrupt suddenly” phase of our empire of debt. Larry Kotlikoff, Harvard, and Wharton educated economic professor at Boston University, estimates the unfunded welfare liabilities of the United States exceeds $210 trillion. We are a long way from when our Founders handed us a republic. “American money was never more sound, or banking more free, than 200 years ago. Since then, it’s been a long steady decline from the gold standard and competitive banking to our Fed-run system of inflated paper currency, deposit insurance, and perpetually shaky banks on the dole.” – Lew Rockwell There is no conceivable way this debt can ever be repaid, therefore it will not. It’s just pure math, which the average dumbed down American chooses not to question or dispute. In their own lives they need to make enough income to make their mortgage payment and car loan payment. It’s the same for the government. The only way debt obligations can be met is for tax revenue to exceed expenses. Borrowing to make debt and interest payments is unsustainable, reckless, and an example of imperial empire arrogance. The only unknown now is whether the debt is defaulted upon, it is hyperinflated away, or some sort of debt jubilee and currency collapse makes it mute. No matter the solution, the people will bear the brunt of the pain and drastic diminishment of their standard of living. Those in control will position themselves to benefit from whatever scheme is implemented to eliminate the debt. The current trend of running trillions in deficits per year is unsustainable and already resulting in raging inflation, declining GDP, and pushing the world towards a global depression. There is no disputing the facts I have presented. These facts trump the willful ignorance of the masses and the false narratives of the ruling class, along with their media mouthpieces pretending all is well. Those controlling the levers of power know this shitshow can’t go on. They have fully exhausted their propaganda tools, financial derivative schemes, and monetary machinations, leaving them nothing but crashing the system and implementing a Great Reset, which would keep them in control and the rest of us in squalor and subservience. We’ve been on the road to perdition for a long time, but we came to a peak on that highway in 2019 and the path has been straight down since, with our chariot of fire accelerating at breakneck speed towards its final destination with catastrophe and ruin. The rise and fall of the American Empire will be far more rapid than the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. With the inept and reckless leadership in place presently, I only hope we still have a nation after they successfully provoke World War 3. The gradually part of going bankrupt is over. Since the end of fiscal year 2019, our fearless leaders have added $7.6 trillion to the national debt, a 33% increase in less than three years. Meanwhile, the duplicitous Fed has added $5 trillion to their balance sheet, a 125% increase, while keeping interest rates at zero and creating a tsunami of inflation, crushing the poor and middle class. But at least the Wall Street bankers are raking in record bonuses, while still sucking at the teat of Fed QE to infinity. The blatant disregard for the lives of average Americans, while propping up the Wall Street cabal, billionaire oligarchs, and corrupt politicians should be met with pitchforks and torches in a just world. But that is not the world we occupy. The last time inflation was this high (15% as measured in 1980), Volker jacked the Fed Funds rate to 20%. Spineless Jerome Powell has the Fed Funds rate at .33% today. It’s almost as if they are promoting record high inflation to make the national debt load less burdensome. Destroying the finances of hundreds of millions, creating global energy and food shortages, and instigating World War 3 as a consequence of their actions is just a minor irritation for the global elite. In fact, it appears to be part of Schwab’s Great Reset plan. At first it seemed outrageous to think anyone would want famine, starvation, energy shortages, economic depression, and global war, but watching the insane decision making of politicians, trumpeted by the Deep State bootlickers in the media, has convinced me this is chapter 2 in their Great Reset book of horrors. Once you wrap your head around how vile, evil, and demented those who are pulling the strings behind this Great Reset are, your eyes are open to how far they are willing to go to institute their plan. It appears they will stop at nothing, kill as many people as necessary, create maximum chaos and pain, wreck any civic cohesiveness left, and destroy all moral and legitimate norms of society, in order to increase their control, power and wealth on this earth. They hold all the cards. They control the governments, corporations, banks, legacy media, social media, entertainment industries, military industrial complex, sickcare Big Pharma complex, and the mental processes of the masses through their mind control/propaganda technology. Their hubris and arrogance have reached peak altitude and exuberance. They believe they are invincible. That will be their fatal weakness. The sheer cavalcade of lies, misinformation, purposely created chaos, engineered conflict, and financial market manipulation, make the daily intrigues confusing and open to misinterpretation. There are various factions competing to control the future course of history. There is not a clear good versus evil battle underway. Sometimes it is tough to distinguish the New World Order Great Reset crowd from those opposing Schwab and his Davos billionaire satanists. I know we would like to root for the good guys, but there are no good guys running any country on this earth. Only bad guys, willing to sell their souls, are ever elevated to positions of power. They are selected by oligarchs, not elected by the people. The western propaganda spewing media machine specializes in demonizing those they are paid to demonize (Putin, Trump, non-vaxxers), while glorifying anyone the ruling elite have chosen to use to further their agenda (Zelensky, Fauci, vaxxers). Putin is most certainly a bad guy, ruthless in his consolidation of power, serious in enforcing his beliefs through political or military measures, and willing to use any means necessary to achieve his aims. But he is only one of many bad men leading their countries across the globe. The Panama Papers show Zelinsky to be a corrupt puppet of Ukrainian oligarchs. He was a two-bit actor installed by the US, Soros, and NATO to play a role. As a reward, he has millions parked in offshore bank accounts and a $35 million mansion in Florida. He’s such a democratic icon, he’s spent the last eight years bombing Russian speaking civilians in Donbass and Donetsk, and he outlawed all opposition political parties and media outlets last week. It seems our far-left media outlets have no problem supporting actual far-right Nazis in Ukraine, as long as they are paid to do so. They are nothing but faux-journalist whores. The fact is Biden, Trudeau, Macron, Johnson, Erdogan, Xi, and the leaders of every country in the world are bad guys. Venezuela and Iran were evil, until our gas prices hit $4.25 a gallon because of Biden’s Russian sanctions. Now Biden is frantically negotiating with these “bad guys” to get their oil. Orwell nailed it seven decades ago with: “The past was alterable. The past never had been altered. Oceania was at war with Eastasia. Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia.” – Orwell – 1984 We have always been at war with Russia, supporting the noble democracy of Ukraine, and fully supportive of those benevolent dictatorships in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Venezuela, and China when in our economic interest, no matter how many people they kill, imprison, or behead. Of course, if you don’t toe the line of the petrodollar, you get Iraq’d, Libya’d, or Syria’d. Those in control of the message just move from villain to villain in the their never ending narrative. First Trump, then Covid, then the anti-vaxxers, and now Putin. The real villains are the media and those who manipulate the minds of the masses to achieve their insidious aims. Hypocrisy is not a characteristic that registers with empires in their late stages. Bribing, bullying, and bombing are what the American Empire does to enforce their waning power upon other nations. The over-the-top sanctions against Russia have accelerated the American decline into bankruptcy, while ignorant Americans remain distracted by their iGadgets, NCAA tournament pools and the latest season of American Idol. Every conflict is manufactured to benefit the global oligarchs, the military industrial complex, and those seeking to keep the masses enslaved in debt and distracted by technology, entertainment, and hatred towards whoever they are directed to hate by the government/media propaganda machine. It’s always about wealth, power, and control. The key financial arrangement sustaining the American Empire, even as it internally crumbles from cultural rot, institutionalized corruption, and glorified ignorance of reality, is the global dominance of the U.S. dollar in trade. This is why the empire’s bankruptcy has been gradual and to many, unnoticeable. But Dementia Joe has accidentally, or purposefully as part of the Great Reset agenda, set in motion the rapid spiral into bankruptcy and collapse of the short-lived America Empire (1946 – 2022). By creating a global energy crisis over a border dispute 6,000 miles from our shores, with no strategic interest to our country, Biden has initiated the final countdown of the petrodollar as the global settlement currency for all energy transactions. Petrodollar warfare has been the policy of the U.S. for decades as economic imperialism has been enforced militarily against Iraq, Iran, Libya, Syria, and Venezuela. Trying to enforce this policy against Russia will be a bridge too far. And the consequences are already being felt. Biden’s sanctions against Russian energy are backfiring and will bring an end to the petrodollar regime. Russia is demanding payment from Europe for their oil, gas, and coal in rubles, rather than USD. Any propaganda being peddled about the U.S. filling the gap is nothing but bullshit, as proven by this chart:   Via  Eurostat.   Russia supplies 47% of the EU coal demand, 41% of their natural gas demand, and 27% of their oil demand. They will pay Russia in rubles or have their societies grind to a halt, with starvation, chaos, depression, and revolution as the result. This doesn’t even consider Russian wheat and fertilizer exports, vital to Africa and the Middle East. Living within the propaganda bubble encasing the United States, where only the Deep State surveillance state sanctioned narrative is allowed to be broadcast by the dying legacy media and controlled social media propaganda platforms, you would be under the mistaken belief the entire world is in lockstep with Biden and his Great Reset cronies. The vast majority of the world (countries in gray in the map below) are not supporting the sanctions imposed by Biden. As already noted, even the European countries in yellow are ignoring the energy sanctions. Biden has pushed Russia and China closer together, with the petroyuan rising as an alternative to the petrodollar. India has reached agreement with Russia regarding oil imports. Africa and South America, with all their natural resources, have told Biden to shove it. America’s bullying tactics are now giving rise to alternative currency schemes, such as cryptocurrencies and discussions about a gold backed yuan and gold backed ruble. We stand on the precipice of a global conflagration, with talk of nuclear war bantered about by unserious low-IQ government bureaucrats, vacuous bimbo journalists and talking heads on the boob tube, and spurred on by the despicable hero worship of the textbook symbol of this farce – a sitcom actor who played a president in a TV show, funded by a billionaire oligarch, who was installed as president of Ukraine in a campaign funded by that billionaire, has ruled as a U.S. puppet, and who the Hollywood elite wanted to share the stage with the most dim-witted virtue signaling narcissists on the planet at the Oscars to call for the West to intervene in his losing battle and start World War 3. Instead they virtue signaled their support for Zelensky during the ceremonies. The Hollywood elite ignore the actual Nazis fighting for Zelensky, his banning of political opponents and media outlets, and his government not allowing transgenders to flee the country because they are men. He belongs on-stage at the Oscars with the freaks, frauds, degenerates, pedophiles, and hypocritical scumbags who make up the American entertainment industry. He would have gotten a standing ovation for being such a glorious upstanding symbol of democracy, freedom, and the transvestite way. He could have stripped down, grabbed his guitar, and performed for a worldwide audience, while begging for missiles, fighter jets, tanks and drones. We should all be laughing at this farce, but Zelensky and his handlers, Biden and his handlers, along with the other EU/NATO jokers and fools, have chosen to provoke Putin into war, and are now ratcheting up the rhetoric and sanctions to the point where a wider conflict is all but ensured. These reckless psychopaths clearly have not studied history or human nature when it comes to how wars can escalate rapidly with unanticipated outcomes and death on a massive scale. In a recent communication with writer Margaret Anna Alice, she described perfectly why we are headed into a horrific period in history, as the bloodiest chapter of this Fourth Turning hurtles towards its climax: “The lethal combination of incompetency, obliviousness, hubris, psychopathy, narcissism, megalomania, and every other dark triad trait is on full display in those purporting to be our leaders.” With it being quite apparent there are no good guy leaders in the world, trying to figure out the least worst outcome of this current episode of As the World Burns becomes difficult to grasp. I am convinced this engineered conflict in Ukraine is part of the bigger Great Reset plan of the global elites. But writers I respect have differing viewpoints on whether Putin is playing his part in this scheme for a new world order or whether he and Xi are partnering to fight Soros, Schwab, Gates, and the Global Reset co-conspirators. Based on what I’ve observed, I don’t believe all these bad men have the exact same goals for how the world should be run and who should run it. But no matter who wins, the winners want more power, more wealth, more control, and an autocracy, with them calling the shots. When I take into account all that has happened since 2014, who has been calling the shots, who was getting paid off, and the families implicated in this Ukrainian debacle, I conclude the Great Reset collaborators see this war as the next step (after the Covid scamdemic) in their Great Reset – purposely provoking Putin into attacking and now believing they can bleed him dry by funneling arms and cash into Ukraine. Why did the Clinton Foundation receive more “donations” from the Ukraine, prior to the 2014 CIA coup, than any country on earth? Biden was involved in the coup to overthrow a democratically elected president, friendly towards Russia. There was no conflict within Ukraine prior to the coup. No death. No destruction. So, who is to blame for the bloodshed now? It’s not Putin. Biden’s crackhead son raked in millions from selling influence to the “Big Guy”, with the U.S. installed puppet presidents doing as they were told by Soros and his U.S. surveillance state agents. There has been a simmering conflict since Putin annexed Crimea, shortly after the coup, and Ukraine began attacking the eastern Russian speaking provinces. The ratcheting up of attacks in those eastern provinces and the rhetoric about Ukraine joining NATO is what provoked Putin to attack. Despite the all-out propaganda campaign, Russia is winning and will win against Ukraine alone. This is the point in history when the Great Reset acolytes have decided they can accomplish multiple goals by turning Ukraine into a nightmarish quagmire of death and destruction, fueled by a never ending flow of armaments into this war zone, as a means to overthrow Putin, create food shortages, raise the cost of fossil fuels to astronomical heights, implement further restrictions on civil rights, increase technological controls over the populace, and institute a Chinese like social credit scoring system to enforce obedience and compliance with government demands. The Ukrainian people are just cannon fodder to these evil men. After two years of demanding submission from the peasants regarding lockdowns, masking and vaccine mandates, the ruling elite believe they will be able to enforce food and energy restrictions with the same ease upon the American people. This is where I believe their master plan goes awry. Putin will not be cowed by Biden’s toothless sanctions, empty threats, and pathetic tough guy rhetoric. He will use any means necessary to defeat his foes. Economic sanctions are an act of war. Supplying his enemy with weapons to kill Russians is an act of war. NATO and the U.S. are one miscalculation away from starting WW3. At a minimum, Biden has pushed China and Russia into closer cooperation as a new economic bloc. Biden’s weakness and inability to comprehend global strategy has probably convinced China they can annex Taiwan without the U.S. intervening in a meaningful way, other than easily avoided sanctions and threats. The new world order may end up revolving around China, with Russia and India as strategic partners and the U.S. and EU as outcasts. The underlying anger in the country is bubbling to the surface. The raging inflation is crushing poor and middle-class families. Food and energy are the two largest monthly expenditures for families struggling to survive in this Federal Reserve induced billionaire boom society. When diesel fuel supplies dwindle to nothing, destroying our just in time, truck dependent supply chain, and real food shortages start inflicting real pain, civil disobedience and rioting will occur which will make the BLM riots looks like child’s play. When people no longer have anything to lose, they will lose it and start looking for the culprits who stole their livelihoods and future. I don’t believe their propaganda machine will be able to convince the masses this was the fault of Trump or right wing conspiracists. Their pain and suffering are due to Federal Reserve bankers, corrupt politicians of the uni-party, and the media who has lied to them non-stop for the last decade. Woke is going to mean something different in the near future. Pugnacious Putin has unwittingly, or possibly purposefully, initiated the “sudden” phase of the demise of the crumbling American Empire. A PR campaign and “USD subsidies” (aka bribes) to foreign countries will not save us now. Biden lit the fuse, and it is just a matter of when it blows. And does it just blow up the remnants of our empire, or the whole world? No one knows the answer to that question, but the future of civilization on earth depends on the answer. Most of the world continues to go about their daily lives staring at their phones, oblivious to the danger of having angry senile sociopaths and egomaniacal billionaires controlling the use of nuclear weapons. We are one rash arrogant choice by a low IQ psychopath politician from the final scene in the Planet of the Apes. “You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!” – George Taylor Are we destined to be victims? This Ukraine war has revealed both parties fully support never ending war. Left and right media outlets have been spewing the anti-Russian propaganda in lockstep. What has been set in motion will not be fixed at the ballot box, as if voting matters anymore in this empire of lies and deceit. Armed insurrection would not prevail with the current configuration of our society. The only option is to organize in local communities of like-minded people to try and survive the coming storm. Get out of cities. Prep as much as you are able, with enough food, water, and fuel to sustain your family for an extended period of time. Stock up on guns, ammo, cash, gold, silver, and barterable items. On whatever plot of land you occupy, try to raise some food, and if possible become friendly with local farmers. No one can escape what is coming, as it will be global in nature, but you can take steps now to increase your chances of survival. Our republic has degenerated into despotism, we’ve willingly relinquished our freedoms and liberties for the supposed safety and security of a Big Brother surveillance state, and now we will suffer the consequences of these cowardly actions. Life in America is about to become far harder than our generations of snowflakes ever anticipated. Those with no survival skills will not survive. If you are not prepared in mind, body, and spirit for what is coming, your future will be bleak. Only those already awake are likely to read this anyway, so good luck and Godspeed to you all. “A Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.”  - John Adams “Republics decline into democracies and democracies degenerate into despotisms.” -  Aristotle *  *  * The corrupt establishment will do anything to suppress sites like the Burning Platform from revealing the truth. The corporate media does this by demonetizing sites like mine by blackballing the site from advertising revenue. If you get value from this site, please keep it running with a donation. Tyler Durden Mon, 03/28/2022 - 17:40.....»»

In 2016, researchers found unexplained connections between a Trump Organization server and the Russian Alfa Bank. They remain a mystery. John Durham in 2006. AP Photo/Bob Child In 2016, researchers found unexplained connections between a Trump Organization server and the Russian Alfa Bank. Special Counsel John Durham indicated a lawyer last month, accusing him of lying about the story's origins. Several investigations have produced different explanations for the server connections, but they remain unresolved. See more stories on Insider's business page. In September, the Justice Department brought an indictment against a cybersecurity lawyer with connections to the Democratic Party, accusing him of lying to the FBI in 2016 when he peddled a story about how the Trump Organization had hidden connections with a Russian bank.The charges came from an investigation led by John Durham, who former Attorney General Bill Barr had appointed to investigate the origins of the FBI investigation into former President Donald Trump's ties to Russia.As president, Trump hoped that Durham would "go after" former FBI Director James Comey, Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, and others he blamed for the Mueller probe. For vague reasons, he also wanted Durham to investigate former President Barack Obama and now-President Joe Biden, his opponent in the 2020 presidential election. Barr appointed Durham as special counsel, ensuring that the investigation would continue after Biden took office.The recent indictment gave oxygen to Trump supporters who saw the Mueller investigation as a "witch hunt," but legal experts are skeptical about the charges. The indictment also fails to resolve one of the lingering mysteries from the 2016 election, first laid out in a Slate article: Why was there a digital connection between a Trump Organization server and a Russian bank in the first place?Mysterious connections between 'mail1.trump-email.com' and a Russian bankIn 2016, cybersecurity researchers at Georgia Tech and the information security firms Neustar and Zetalytics made an unusual finding.They found that between May and July 2016, a server belonging to the Trump Organization had been communicating almost exclusively with a server belonging to the medical company Spectrum Health, as well as two servers belonging to Alfa Bank, the largest financial institution in Russia.The researchers - who The New York Times has identified as Zetalytic chief data scientist April Lorenzen and Georgia Tech computer scientists Manos Antonakakis and David Dagon - made their findings by studying DNS (Domain Name System) logs, which records device connections over the internet. The logs included a server with the name "mail1.trump-email.com," which had been registered to the Trump Organization. US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands at a joint press conference in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16, 2018. Chris McGrath/Getty Images The researchers also found that a Russian-made smartphone seldom seen in the US had been used on networks that had also been used by people at the White House and Trump Tower, according to the Times.The group shared their findings with Rodney Joffe, who was an executive at Neustar, an information security firm that provided the DNS logs the researchers used. Joffe is a cybersecurity expert in his own right, having worked for the Justice Department for 12 years and received an award from the FBI in 2013 for helping crack cybercrimes. None of the data allowed for researchers to see the actual contents of the communications between the purported Trump Organization server and the server belonging to Alfa Bank. So Joffe gave the information about the mysterious connections to his lawyer, Michael A. Sussman, who shared them with the FBI.Three possible explanations for the mysterious connectionsDurham's indictment claims Sussman misled the FBI about his clients, saying he represented not just Joffe but also Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.Sussman had represented the Democratic National Committee in 2016 for issues related to Russia's hacking of its servers. The Durham indictment says Sussman billed the Clinton campaign, not Joffe, for his discussions regarding the mysterious server connections.But the indictment does not deny that those connections existed. And while the Mueller report found numerous links between Trump associates and Russian officials, there remains no definitive explanation of the server communications.Over the past four years, cybersecurity researchers and government investigations have settled on several theories for the links:The Trump Organization and Alfa Bank had secret communications and took steps to obfuscate them. The group of researchers who uncovered the connections in the first place put forward this hypothesis.The communications were initiated by Hospitality Marketing, a third-party email marketing firm used by the Trump Organization to send mass marketing emails for its hotels. According to a Senate Intelligence Committee report, Jae Cho, the Trump Organization's corporate IT director, as well as Alfa Bank gave this explanation. But there are a few wrinkles:The Senate report partially redacts the section discussing its findings regarding the server links, so we don't have a full understanding of its conclusion.The FBI settled on a similar explanation, according to a 2016 New York Times article, but later Justice Department investigations didn't embrace the finding.A 500-page 2019 Justice Department Inspector General report that said the FBI found no cyber links between the Trump Organization and Alfa Bank but did not put forth the marketing email explanation.The Mueller investigation found that Alfa Bank officials with links to the Russian government had sought connections with Trump, but the investigation's report did not address the server issue.There "was likely human interaction and coordination" between people working for the Trump Organization and Alfa Bank. This was the finding of a separate Senate analysis, commissioned by the Armed Services Committee.According to the analysis, the Trump Organization-registered server wasn't configured to send mass emails. It had actually been configured to receive emails, unlike most marketing servers, and had internet activity that wasn't consistent with what would be expected from marketing emails, the analysis found.While the report found that Choe's explanation didn't entirely stand up, it didn't put forth a comprehensive alternative explanation.Joffe also provided the researchers' findings about the Russian-made smartphone to the CIA, according to the New York Times. It's not clear whether the agency ever investigated those findings.Durham may be using the indictment to tell a storyThe indictment Durham filed in September spends pages and pages alleging an alternative history for how the Trump Organization-Alfa Bank story came to be.It's what Lawfare's Benjamin Wittes refers to as a "speaking indictment" used by prosecutors to tell a larger story to the public. And according to the story set forth in Durham's indictment, the kerfuffle about Trump Organization's server's connections with Alfa Bank were advanced by the Clinton campaign, not independent researchers. The Alfa Bank logo is seen on top of a building in Kiev. Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Will this "speaking indictment" actually result in a conviction against Sussman? Legal experts told Insider's C. Ryan Barber that Durham will have a tough time. The indictment names only one witness, who has given different characterizations of Sussman's role over time. Sussman has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him."The cynic in me says they don't care if they lose, they just want all this backstory to get out there. They don't care about Sussmann," Barbara McQuade, a former US attorney, told Insider. "What they really want is to get this whole backstory to get out about how these tech experts were trying to poison public opinion about Donald Trump and his ties to a Russian bank."The researchers who first observed the connections between the servers still apparently believe in their hypothesis that Alfa Bank and the Trump Organization may had covered up communications between them."The findings of the researchers were true then and remain true today; reports that these findings were innocuous or a hoax are simply wrong," lawyers for Dagon told the Times.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

Trump DJ-ed at a party and was seen cruising around Mar-a-Lago in his golf cart, reported The New York Times, citing people close to Trump. Former President Donald Trump arrives for the pro-am at the Bedminster Invitational LIV Golf tournament in Bedminster, NJ., Thursday, July 28, 2022.AP Photo/Seth Wenig Donald Trump is still living a relaxed lifestyle, despite facing a possible indictment, per NYT. He was seen cruising around Mar-a-Lago in a golf cart and attending a party, per the outlet. People recently near Trump said he seems disconnected from the legal storm brewing around him, per NYT. Former President Donald Trump frequently appears disconnected from the looming prospect of his indictment and is often absorbed in leisure activities at his Mar-a-Lago resort, reported The New York Times journalists Michael Bender and Maggie Haberman.Citing several people who have spent time with Trump in the last few days, The Times reported that the former president was seen cruising around Mar-a-Lago in his golf cart.In another recent instance, Trump took on the role of unofficial DJ at an evening party, playing "The Phantom of the Opera" and songs by the Rolling Stones from his handpicked Spotify playlists, The Times wrote.Trump faces a possible indictment by a New York grand jury, as the Manhattan district attorney's office investigates the hush-money case involving porn star Stormy Daniels.He took to Truth Social on Saturday morning to claim without substantiation that he would be "arrested" on Tuesday. Contrary to Trump's claim, he was neither arrested nor indicted on Tuesday.The Times reported that Trump immediately went golfing after making the social media post, leaving his legal team to answer the public's confusion.After golfing on Saturday, Trump then flew to Oklahoma to watch collegiate wrestling, The Times reported. "He's entirely focused on the wrestlers," one staff member said, per the outlet.On Tuesday evening, Trump posted a video of himself attending the wrestling matches over the weekend, where he shook hands and snapped photos with athletes.His lawyer, Joe Tacopina, told Insider's Jacob Shamsian on Tuesday that the former president is "going about business as usual, doing what he does" despite the threat of a criminal indictment.Still, Trump has at least been partially involved in devising his legal playbook for the possible indictment, discussing the hush-money case every day last week, The Guardian reported.The former president has been regularly raging on social media against Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg's investigation, insisting that he's committed "NO CRIME OF ANY KIND" and throwing insults at Bragg.He's asked supporters to sign a petition against his possible arrest — while asking them to donate money to his 2024 presidential campaign. A representative for Trump did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent outside regular business hours. Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

China Threatens US With "Conflict And Confrontation" As Xi Issues "Unusually Blunt" Rebuke Of US Policy In an unexpectedly sharp escalation of diplomatic rhetoric, China's foreign minister said that the US should change its "distorted" attitude towards China or "conflict and confrontation" will follow, while defending the country's stance on the war in Ukraine and defending its close ties with Russia. Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of an annual parliament meeting in Beijing, Foreign minister Qin Gang took an uncharacteristically direct swipe at the US, and said that the U.S. had been engaging in suppression and containment of China rather than engaging in fair, rule-based competition. Foreign Minister Qin Gang "The United States' perception and views of China are seriously distorted," said Qin, a trusted aide to President Xi Jinping and until recently China's ambassador in Washington. "It regards China as its primary rival and the most consequential geopolitical challenge. This is like the first button in the shirt being put wrong." The U.S. says it is establishing guardrails for relations and is not seeking conflict but Qin said what that meant in practice was that China was not supposed to respond with words or action when slandered or attacked. "That is just impossible," Qin told his first news conference since becoming foreign minister in late December. U.S. officials often speak of establishing guardrails in the bilateral relationship to prevent tensions from escalating into crises. Qin's comments struck the same the tough tone of his predecessor, Wang Yi, now China's most senior diplomat after being made director of the Foreign Affairs Commission Office at the turn of the year. "If the United States does not hit the brakes, and continues to speed down the wrong path, no amount of guardrails can prevent derailment, which will become conflict and confrontation, and who will bear the catastrophic consequences?" Qin also likened Sino-U.S. competition to a race between two Olympic athletes."If one side, instead of focusing on giving one's best, always tries to trip the other up, even to the extent that they must enter the Paralympics, then this is not fair competition," he said, effectively suggesting that Biden is handicapped. While relations between the two superpowers have been deteriorating for years over a number of issues including Taiwan, trade and more recently the war in Ukraine, they worsened dramatically last month after the United States shot down a balloon off the U.S. East Coast that it says was a Chinese spying craft. During Qin's nearly two-hour news conference, he answered questions submitted in advance and made a robust defence of "wolf warrior diplomacy", an assertive and often abrasive stance adopted by China's diplomats since 2020. "When jackals and wolves are blocking the way, and hungry wolves are attacking us, Chinese diplomats must then dance with the wolves and protect and defend our home and country," he said. Qin also said that an "invisible hand" was pushing for the escalation of the war in Ukraine "to serve certain geopolitical agendas", without specifying who he was referring to. He reiterated China's call for dialogue to end the war. China struck a "no limits" partnership with Russia last year, weeks before its invasion of Ukraine, and China has blamed NATO expansion for triggering the war, echoing Russia's complaint. Additionally, China has declined to condemn the invasion and has fiercely defended its stance on Ukraine, despite Western criticism of its failure to single Russia out as the aggressor. While China has vehemently denied U.S. accusations that it has been considering supplying Russia with weapons, Qin said China had to advance its relations with Russia as the world becomes more turbulent and close interactions between President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, anchored the neighbours' relations. He did not give a definite answer when asked if Xi would visit Russia after China's "Two Sessions" event, which goes on for one more week. He did, however, say that the Ukraine crisis has a complex history and cause. In essence, it is an eruption of the problems built up in the security governance of Europe. "The Ukraine crisis is a tragedy that could have been avoided. But it has come to where it stands today. There are hard lessons that all parties should truly reflect upon." The Ukraine crisis is a tragedy that could have been avoided. But it has come to where it stands today. There are hard lessons that all parties should truly reflect upon. pic.twitter.com/orc0koUwWt — Hua Chunying 华春莹 (@SpokespersonCHN) March 7, 2023 Naturally, Qin also mentioned Taiwan, saying that "If the US truly expects a peaceful Taiwan Strait, it should stop containing China by exploiting the Taiwan question, return to the fundamental of the one-China principle, honor its political commitment to China, and unequivocally oppose and forestall Taiwan independence." Qin also warned that mishandling of the Taiwan question will shake the very foundation of China-US relations: "Separatism for Taiwan independence is as incompatible with peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait as fire with water." "For peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, its real threat is the separatist forces for Taiwan independence, its solid anchor is the one-China principle, and its genuine guardrails are the three China-US joint communiqués." The foreign minister then made several key observations, exposing US hypocrisy: "The Chinese people have every right to ask: Why does the US talk at length about respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity on Ukraine, while disrespecting China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Taiwan question?" "Why does the US ask China not to provide weapons to Russia, while it keeps selling arms to Taiwan in violation of the August 17 Communiqué?" Why does the US keep on professing the maintenance of regional peace and stability, while covertly formulating a “plan for the destruction of Taiwan”? The bottom line: "The Taiwan question is the core of the core interests of China, the bedrock of the political foundation of China-US relations, and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations." Asked whether it was possible that China and Russia would abandon the U.S. dollar and euro for bilateral trade, Qin said countries should use whatever currency was efficient, safe and credible. China has been looking to internationalize its currency, the yuan, which gained popularity in Russia last year after Western sanctions shut Russia's banks and many of its companies out of the dollar and euro payment systems. "Currencies should not be the trump card for unilateral sanctions, still less a disguise for bullying or coercion," Qin said, clearly referring to the weaponization of the US dollar in the aftermath of the Ukraine war. * * * It wasn't just the foreign minister lashing out at the US: Chinese leader Xi Jinping also issued what the WSJ dubbed an "unusually blunt rebuke" of U.S. policy on Monday, blaming what he termed a Washington-led campaign to suppress China for recent challenges facing his country. “Western countries—led by the U.S.—have implemented all-round containment, encirclement and suppression against us, bringing unprecedentedly severe challenges to our country’s development,” Xi was quoted by state media as saying on Monday, the WSJ reported. Xi’s comments marked an unusual departure for a leader who has generally refrained from directly criticizing the U.S. in public remarks—even as his decadelong leadership has demonstrated a pessimistic view of the bilateral relationship. The accusation of U.S. suppression of China’s development over the past five years comes as Mr. Xi faces charges from investors that China’s economy has been damaged by his policies, including the emphasis on national security. The comments were part of a speech to members of China’s top political advisory body during an annual legislative session in Beijing, according to a Chinese-language readout published by the official Xinhua News Agency. As the WSJ notes, "while Xi has mentioned the U.S. in critical tones during internal speeches, such remarks have often filtered out through subordinates relaying his messages for broader audiences, within the party and beyond." In statements made in public settings or directly reported by state media, Xi has typically been more measured and vague regarding the U.S. and other Western countries, referring to them as “certain” countries rather than naming them explicitly. Not this time: by directly accusing the U.S. of seeking containment, a term loaded with Cold War meaning, Xi appears to be associating himself more closely with nationalist rhetoric—widely used by lower-ranking officials and state media—that attacks Washington, at a time when bilateral tensions continue to simmer over trade, technology, geopolitical influence and discordant views on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The English-language version of Xi’s speech reported by Xinhua didn’t refer to containment or the U.S. Instead, it quoted him telling fellow officials to “have the courage to fight as the country faces profound and complex changes in both the domestic and international landscape.” The accusations by Xi against the U.S., delivered to an audience that includes politically connected businesspeople, appeared in part to be an effort by Xi to shift blame away from his own policymaking, including tough Covid controls that have weakened the economy and pressure on technology companies that cost the industry some of its dynamism. Tyler Durden Tue, 03/07/2023 - 09:20.....»»

China Threatens US With "Conflict And Confrontation" As Xi Issues "Unusually Blunt" Rebuke Of US Policy In an unexpectedly sharp escalation of diplomatic rhetoric, China's foreign minister said that the US should change its "distorted" attitude towards China or "conflict and confrontation" will follow, while defending the country's stance on the war in Ukraine and defending its close ties with Russia. Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of an annual parliament meeting in Beijing, Foreign minister Qin Gang took an uncharacteristically direct swipe at the US, and said that the U.S. had been engaging in suppression and containment of China rather than engaging in fair, rule-based competition. Foreign Minister Qin Gang "The United States' perception and views of China are seriously distorted," said Qin, a trusted aide to President Xi Jinping and until recently China's ambassador in Washington. "It regards China as its primary rival and the most consequential geopolitical challenge. This is like the first button in the shirt being put wrong." The U.S. says it is establishing guardrails for relations and is not seeking conflict but Qin said what that meant in practice was that China was not supposed to respond with words or action when slandered or attacked. "That is just impossible," Qin told his first news conference since becoming foreign minister in late December. U.S. officials often speak of establishing guardrails in the bilateral relationship to prevent tensions from escalating into crises. Qin's comments struck the same the tough tone of his predecessor, Wang Yi, now China's most senior diplomat after being made director of the Foreign Affairs Commission Office at the turn of the year. "If the United States does not hit the brakes, and continues to speed down the wrong path, no amount of guardrails can prevent derailment, which will become conflict and confrontation, and who will bear the catastrophic consequences?" Qin also likened Sino-U.S. competition to a race between two Olympic athletes."If one side, instead of focusing on giving one's best, always tries to trip the other up, even to the extent that they must enter the Paralympics, then this is not fair competition," he said, effectively suggesting that Biden is handicapped. While relations between the two superpowers have been deteriorating for years over a number of issues including Taiwan, trade and more recently the war in Ukraine, they worsened dramatically last month after the United States shot down a balloon off the U.S. East Coast that it says was a Chinese spying craft. During Qin's nearly two-hour news conference, he answered questions submitted in advance and made a robust defence of "wolf warrior diplomacy", an assertive and often abrasive stance adopted by China's diplomats since 2020. "When jackals and wolves are blocking the way, and hungry wolves are attacking us, Chinese diplomats must then dance with the wolves and protect and defend our home and country," he said. Qin also said that an "invisible hand" was pushing for the escalation of the war in Ukraine "to serve certain geopolitical agendas", without specifying who he was referring to. He reiterated China's call for dialogue to end the war. China struck a "no limits" partnership with Russia last year, weeks before its invasion of Ukraine, and China has blamed NATO expansion for triggering the war, echoing Russia's complaint. Additionally, China has declined to condemn the invasion and has fiercely defended its stance on Ukraine, despite Western criticism of its failure to single Russia out as the aggressor. While China has vehemently denied U.S. accusations that it has been considering supplying Russia with weapons, Qin said China had to advance its relations with Russia as the world becomes more turbulent and close interactions between President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, anchored the neighbours' relations. He did not give a definite answer when asked if Xi would visit Russia after China's "Two Sessions" event, which goes on for one more week. He did, however, say that the Ukraine crisis has a complex history and cause. In essence, it is an eruption of the problems built up in the security governance of Europe. "The Ukraine crisis is a tragedy that could have been avoided. But it has come to where it stands today. There are hard lessons that all parties should truly reflect upon." The Ukraine crisis is a tragedy that could have been avoided. But it has come to where it stands today. There are hard lessons that all parties should truly reflect upon. pic.twitter.com/orc0koUwWt — Hua Chunying 华春莹 (@SpokespersonCHN) March 7, 2023 Naturally, Qin also mentioned Taiwan, saying that "If the US truly expects a peaceful Taiwan Strait, it should stop containing China by exploiting the Taiwan question, return to the fundamental of the one-China principle, honor its political commitment to China, and unequivocally oppose and forestall Taiwan independence." Qin also warned that mishandling of the Taiwan question will shake the very foundation of China-US relations: "Separatism for Taiwan independence is as incompatible with peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait as fire with water." "For peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, its real threat is the separatist forces for Taiwan independence, its solid anchor is the one-China principle, and its genuine guardrails are the three China-US joint communiqués." The foreign minister then made several key observations, exposing US hypocrisy: "The Chinese people have every right to ask: Why does the US talk at length about respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity on Ukraine, while disrespecting China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Taiwan question?" "Why does the US ask China not to provide weapons to Russia, while it keeps selling arms to Taiwan in violation of the August 17 Communiqué?" Why does the US keep on professing the maintenance of regional peace and stability, while covertly formulating a “plan for the destruction of Taiwan”? The bottom line: "The Taiwan question is the core of the core interests of China, the bedrock of the political foundation of China-US relations, and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations." Asked whether it was possible that China and Russia would abandon the U.S. dollar and euro for bilateral trade, Qin said countries should use whatever currency was efficient, safe and credible. China has been looking to internationalize its currency, the yuan, which gained popularity in Russia last year after Western sanctions shut Russia's banks and many of its companies out of the dollar and euro payment systems. "Currencies should not be the trump card for unilateral sanctions, still less a disguise for bullying or coercion," Qin said, clearly referring to the weaponization of the US dollar in the aftermath of the Ukraine war. * * * It wasn't just the foreign minister lashing out at the US: Chinese leader Xi Jinping also issued what the WSJ dubbed an "unusually blunt rebuke" of U.S. policy on Monday, blaming what he termed a Washington-led campaign to suppress China for recent challenges facing his country. “Western countries—led by the U.S.—have implemented all-round containment, encirclement and suppression against us, bringing unprecedentedly severe challenges to our country’s development,” Xi was quoted by state media as saying on Monday, the WSJ reported. Xi’s comments marked an unusual departure for a leader who has generally refrained from directly criticizing the U.S. in public remarks—even as his decadelong leadership has demonstrated a pessimistic view of the bilateral relationship. The accusation of U.S. suppression of China’s development over the past five years comes as Mr. Xi faces charges from investors that China’s economy has been damaged by his policies, including the emphasis on national security. The comments were part of a speech to members of China’s top political advisory body during an annual legislative session in Beijing, according to a Chinese-language readout published by the official Xinhua News Agency. As the WSJ notes, "while Xi has mentioned the U.S. in critical tones during internal speeches, such remarks have often filtered out through subordinates relaying his messages for broader audiences, within the party and beyond." In statements made in public settings or directly reported by state media, Xi has typically been more measured and vague regarding the U.S. and other Western countries, referring to them as “certain” countries rather than naming them explicitly. Not this time: by directly accusing the U.S. of seeking containment, a term loaded with Cold War meaning, Xi appears to be associating himself more closely with nationalist rhetoric—widely used by lower-ranking officials and state media—that attacks Washington, at a time when bilateral tensions continue to simmer over trade, technology, geopolitical influence and discordant views on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The English-language version of Xi’s speech reported by Xinhua didn’t refer to containment or the U.S. Instead, it quoted him telling fellow officials to “have the courage to fight as the country faces profound and complex changes in both the domestic and international landscape.” The accusations by Xi against the U.S., delivered to an audience that includes politically connected businesspeople, appeared in part to be an effort by Xi to shift blame away from his own policymaking, including tough Covid controls that have weakened the economy and pressure on technology companies that cost the industry some of its dynamism. Tyler Durden Tue, 03/07/2023 - 09:20.....»»

Friday Fun: Alice Debates Mad Hatter And Red Queen On Timing The Recession Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com, Alice challenged the Mad Hatter, the Red Queen, and the March Hare to a debate on whether or not the economy was in a recession... Setting the Stage for a Debate While traveling through Wonderland, Alice met Humpty Dumpty. He was reading the dictionary that he wrote.   Alice asked Humpty if he would discuss recession. "Sure, I will discuss anything," said Humpty. Alice quipped, "This sure seems like a strange non-recession."  "Oh," said Humpty. "In Wonderland, when you hint there may be a recession, you automatically agree to a debate".  "Wonderland loves nothing more than a debate on recession," said Humpty, adding "I will moderate and keep score."  With that, Humpty blew a horn signifying an unscheduled debate.  Cast of Characters Mad Hatter: Jerome Powell, Fed Chair Red Queen: Janet Yellen, Treasury Secretary March Hare: John Kerry,  U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Humpty Dumpty: President Biden  Alice: You decide  The Debate is On "Three on one does not seem fair," said Alice.  Humpty admonished, "If this was a scheduled debate it would have been 57-1. No one in Wonderland thinks we are in a recession or that one is imminent.  "Since you made the challenge you go first."  Housing  Alice started with housing. "Existing Home Sales Decline 10th Month, Down Another 7.7 Percent"  "And not only that", Alice continued, "Housing Starts and Permits Down Again in December Closing Out a Dismal Year." "Jobs," responded the Red Queen. "Jobs," said the Mad Hatter. "Jobs," said the March Hare. Humpty awarded 3 points to Team Wonderland.  Inverted Yield Curve Alice then brought up the inverted yield curve. "The Yield Curve is the Most Inverted Since the Early 1980s," said Alice.  "Jobs," said the Red Queen. "Jobs," said the Mad Hatter. "Jobs," said the March Hare. Humpty awarded another 3 points to Team Wonderland.  Industrial Production Alice then turned her attention to Industrial Production. "Signs Say Industrial Production Has Peaked and so a Recession is Imminent," said Alice.  "Jobs," said the Red Queen. "Jobs," said the Mad Hatter.  Alice thought she knew where this was going. However, the March Hare blurted out "Climate Change". With that reply, the debate took a turn. Climate Change  "What's climate change have to ..." started Alice, but she was rudely interrupted. "Jobs," said the Red Queen. "Good paying jobs," said the Mad Hatter.  "Union jobs," said the March Hare. Humpty announced "Nine points to Team Wonderland".  The Mad Hatter then added, "We expect to spend $50 trillion on climate change. And that will create 10,000 jobs." "Ten more points to Team Wonderland," said Humpty, "One point for each 1,000 jobs created." Jobs Saved "What!?" said a shocked Alice who noted "That's $5 billion for every job created."  "Tut tut," replied the Red Queen.  "Jobs are jobs, said the Mad Hatter. "My dear Alice," started the March Hare. "In Wonderland, we not only count jobs created, we count jobs saved." "Some people think the World Will End in 12 Years if we do nothing, but our calculations are different." "Our super-proprietary climate models say Florida will be totally underwater in precisely 5.7368 years and California will slide into the ocean 13 seconds later making Las Vegas a beach resort." The March Hare continued "There may be some advantages to Florida going underwater, but to save California we first have to save Florida." "That's a moot point because everyone knows we don't play politics in Wonderland," added the Hare.  "There are 9,563,000 jobs in Florida and 17,753,000 jobs in Florida and we will save every one of them." "That's over 27 million jobs saved." Team Wonderland cheered as Humpty awarded them another 27 points, one for each million jobs saved. Inflation "But what about the inflationary aspects of spending $50 trillion to create only 10,000 new jobs," asked Alice.  "Let me handle this one," said the Mad Hatter to his team. "There will be no inflation from this because we do not count food or energy and we are thinking about not counting shelter, cars, and air travel." "8 points to Team Wonderland," said Humpty.  "Why count anything at all?" Alice asked sarcastically.  Not picking up on the sarcasm, Humpty shouted "One point to Alice."  Team Wonderland nodded approval.  Full Time Employment Alice pointed out the huge discrepancy between jobs and employment. "Nonfarm payrolls are supposedly up 2.9 million but employment is only up 916,000." Alice also said she expected revisions to the strong jobs numbers noting Microsoft to Eliminate 10,000 Jobs Before the End of March "Jobs," said the March Hare. "Jobs trump employment," said the Mad Hatter. "Off with their heads," said the Red Queen, "It will be great for jobs."  Losing Jobs is Great for Jobs "That's impossible," said Alice. "Chopping off heads, by definition, cannot possibly be good for jobs." Alice was sure she won this point but the March Hare rebutted. "The more jobs we lose and the faster we lose them, the more likely we will be able to spend $50 trillion to create and save jobs," said the Hare. "It's imperative we lose enough jobs right away to save the world," added the Mad Hatter. "Off with their heads," said the Red Queen. Closing Remarks  "O.K. We need to wrap up," said Humpty. Alice lost the coin flip and had to go first.  She cited a litany of factors suggesting that a recession either started or was imminent.  Alice went over the yield curve, full time employment, industrial production, inflation, and housing.  "Time's up," said Humpty. "Team Wonderland, what are your closing remarks?" "Jobs," said the Mad Hatter.  "Off with their heads," said the Red Queen. "Climate change," said the March Hare. Humpty awarded 82 points to Team Wonderland for those closing remarks.  "That makes the final score 654 to -97," said Humpty. Team Wonderland erupted with a big round of cheers and high-fives.  Protest From Alice  Alice complained to Humpty. "This is a rigged score," she bitterly said. "Young lady, I don't take kindly to those remarks. -97 is an excellent score for your side. If you didn't suggest to not count anything regarding inflation, the score would have been 654 to -987. You are the first person to ever score a point against Team Wonderland!" "I am going back to my wall to tell you how it is." With that comment, Humpty climbed a ladder, sat on his wall, and started lecturing Alice. "In Wonderland, inflation is always and everywhere a good thing," admonished Humpty. "Sometimes, like now, we pretend to do something about inflation to keep the Wonderland peasants from revolting."  Soft Landing Humpty continued "Regarding recession, I get to make the call. A recession is whatever I say it is. It happens when I say it does." "And as long as I preside over this wall there will be no recession, lectured Humpty."  Humpty got increasingly agitated at Alice. His arms flailed wildly side to side and he started to slip. Alice could not bear to watch. She turned away and muttered, "I don't think this will be a soft landing." "Call out the king's horses," shouted the Red Queen.  "Money, money, money, money, money, money, money!" screamed the March Hare.  The Mad Hatter just stood there, too shocked to do or say anything.  The End *  *  * Please Subscribe to MishTalk Email Alerts. Tyler Durden Fri, 01/20/2023 - 13:00.....»»

The two Republicans differ in their upbringings, how approach to the media, and the way they present themselves to the public. Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.Alon Skuy/AFP via Getty Images and Scott Olson/Getty Images DeSantis could end up running for president in 2024, and he's widely viewed as similar to Trump.  But the two men have a lot of differences, and they'll need to sharpen them in the months ahead, operatives said. They include upbringing, policy positions, and how they handle the press and opponents.  Plenty of pundits, donors, Democrats, and even other Republicans see similarities between former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. At first glance, the parallels are easy to spot: DeSantis and Trump are both combative, have a flair for showmanship, and eagerly stoke the culture wars.In lengthy news profiles, DeSantis often gets defined in relation to Trump. He's "Trump without the baggage," "Trump with a brain," Trump "without the drama," and "Trump's Mini Me." The Trumpy nicknames are popping up in focus groups, too. Gunner Ramer, political director for the anti-Trump Republican Accountability Project, told Insider that a participant recently described DeSantis as "Trump not on steroids." The Democratic National Committee is playing up DeSantis as a Trump twin, with a recent email to reporters slamming DeSantis' "Extreme MAGA Agenda." The pile on is a problem for both men should DeSantis join Trump in the ring for the 2024 nomination contest.After all, why vote for "Trump's Mini Me" when you can have the real thing? Why vote for Trump himself when you can have someone younger who could be in the White House for eight years instead of four? Why vote for either if you hated Trump's term in office? In a 2024 contest, it'll be crucial for both men to highlight their differences. One of the most well-known, important rules for winning in politics is that candidates have to define themselves early. They can't let anyone else — particularly opponents — do it for them. "If we go down this path, DeSantis is going to spend a whole primary showing how he's different," Sean Spicer, who was White House press secretary for Trump, told Insider. As it turns out, taking a closer look at both men shows there are plenty of ways they differ. They have radically different backgrounds, they diverge in how they handle criticism, and have distinct ways of working and making decisions. "DeSantis is his own man," Saul Anuzis, managing partner of Coast to Coast Strategies, LLC, a political consulting firm, told Insider. "It is an oversimplification to somehow imply that they're in the same lane."So how, exactly, are the Republican men not interchangeable? Insider asked GOP strategists and people close to both men for their insight. Here's what they had to say: Born to wealth v. working class familyOne of the most immediately recognizable differences between Trump and DeSantis is their backgrounds.There's Trump: The rich 76-year-old real estate tycoon who took over his father's business, rolled through several bankruptcies, and became a reality TV star. He used to donate to political campaigns. A few days after his 69th birthday, he announced his own. Trump won the presidency once before going on to lose the next one without conceding, and was impeached twice including over incitement of the violent riot on January 6, 2021.  Then there's DeSantis: A 44-year-old who grew up in the small town of Dunedin, Florida, raised by a mom who was a nurse and a dad who installed Nielsen TV rating boxes. Baseball and good grades got him into Yale and then Harvard Law.After serving in Navy, he went into politics where he was a US congressman that didn't gain much fanfare. Then the spotlight of the Florida governor's office turned him into a conservative darling. His 2021 financial disclosures showed he had almost $319,000 in the bank and more than $21,000 student loans. (A not-yet-disclosed book advance in 2022 is expected to have vastly increased his personal wealth.)—Insider News (@InsiderNews) November 9, 2022 "The contrast is clear — an athlete, veteran, conservative that knows how to govern versus a non-ideological, transactional former president that lost to Joe Biden," Scott Reed, a veteran Republican strategist and former advisor to the US Chamber of Commerce, told Insider. "The GOP is sick of losing and is searching for a forward looking-conservative."But Trump supporters see DeSantis' early entrée into politics as a potential area of vulnerability. Lately, right-wing media and major donors have been siding with DeSantis, which could help elevate Trump's "outsider" status and pin DeSantis as a member of the establishment.  "He's a career politician," Alex Bruesewitz, a Trump supporter and CEO of X Strategies political consulting firm, told Insider of DeSantis. "And the America First movement hates career politicians, and people don't know that about Ron." He predicted DeSantis, a favorite of megadonors such as Citadel investment firm CEO Ken Griffin, would be "beholden" to them. A poor legislative performance by congressional Republicans could also affect DeSantis' chances while being out of his control, Jennifer Carroll, who was lieutenant governor under DeSantis predecessor GOP Gov. Rick Scott, told Insider. "Folks are gonna wonder: 'Should we trust the establishment anymore? Because we gave them a chance and they did nothing,'" she said. Former President Donald Trump endorsed then-candidate Ron DeSantis when he ran for governor in 2018. The backing helped DeSantis seize the GOP nomination.Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesCompulsion v. control Trump is famous for being impulsive, saying what he thinks in the moment when asked, and firing off big decisions over Twitter that sent his aides scrambling.  Meanwhile, DeSantis is a careful planner who turns off the combativeness at times. For instance, he welcomed President Joe Biden's help after Hurricane Ian, and sat alongside first lady Jill Biden during the one-year anniversary of the Surfside building collapse. DeSantis has the "ability to understand moments that transcend politics," Brian Ballard, president and founder of the powerhouse lobbying firm Ballard Partners and a longtime fundraiser for DeSantis, told Insider. "There's plenty of time to have the typical political debates, arguments, and infighting," he said. "But in times of national emergency and crisis he has governed exceptionally and in a bipartisan fashion."DeSantis also reads studies and gets into the minutiae of legislation, whereas Trump tends to be focused more on the big picture. Still, DeSantis, like Trump, explains complicated policies in a simple way when he's in public. "He's measured where Trump is not," Carroll said. "And he does understand that you don't need to respond to everything, particularly at the time that people want you to respond. I believe he has a very good communications crew that he listens to, that affords him the luxury of doing that."Direct v. subliminal Trump began attacking DeSantis publicly just before Election Day. He nicknamed him "Ron DeSantimonious" then lashed out at the governor for being disloyal after DeSantis left open the question over whether he'd run for president.For Trump's base, his directness is a good thing. "What's so great about Trump is he's transparent," Bruesewitz said. "He's a real person. He doesn't have these people that say, 'Sir, you have to say this at this time.'"DeSantis hasn't directly hit back at Trump. He instead blamed the press for stirring up division. Yet he was also viewed as taunting Trump indirectly when he said Republicans should "check out the scoreboard" on Election Day — when he did well and Republicans flopped nationally. On December 13, DeSantis announced several anti-COVID vaccine measures, taking aim at one of Trump's top presidential accomplishments but one his base despises due to the Biden administration's shot mandates. While he never mentioned the ex-president, he made the announcement geographically close to Mar-a-Lago, the oceanfront private club and estate where Trump lives in Palm Beach. "He knows how to not only get things done, what the people want, but to shove it in his opponents faces specifically when its their weaknesses," said Sam Nunberg, who advised Trump's 2016 campaign. DeSantis often holds major announcements at locations that carry subliminal messages. On the January 6 anniversary, he held a press conference again in West Palm Beach on an unrelated matter, but when Insider asked him about the Capitol riot he was prepared to answer, saying the press was working to "milk the attack." His comments made national headlines. "So much of what we do in politics has to do with tone and image and how you present yourself, versus what you say," Anuzis said. Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Sioux Gateway Airport on November 3, 2022 in Sioux City, Iowa. TStephen Maturen/Getty ImagesHumor v. policy Trump knows how to make his audience laugh, which made him relatable to the middle class, Carroll said. When he talked about his vision for the US, it was simple and easy to understand. "Trump's comms skills are some of the best comms skills you'll ever see a major politician ever have because he knows how to speak to America," Nunberg said. "He's not interested in being lawyerly or political." While there's a major swath of voters who despise Trump, he retains a loyal base that feels personally invested in him, in part because of who he is as a person. In contrast, DeSantis is more policy-oriented, Nunberg said. As DeSantis has gotten more attention, several news outlets have reported comments from sources who say he's a social misfit. That's something Trump supporters are quick to point out. "He's not likable," Bruesewitz said. "And it's going to be difficult when you go to these grassroots meetings and you're trying to get people to like you."Anuzis, however, said that humor can sometimes backfire because it may "belittle the office and the seriousness of the situation." Voters may be in a place in 2024 in which they're looking for "sanity, calmness, and strength of leadership," he said. DeSantis doesn't crack many jokes when he's at a podium. He starts on time, takes a victory lap over his accomplishments, and comes with prepared remarks. When hard questions come, he's ready for them. "They are very different candidates in terms of charisma," Nunberg said. "You're not going to have your socks knocked off with Ron DeSantis, you're just not. And you have to accept that." But DeSantis can still shape how voters see his personality. Spicer described DeSantis as a "fun guy," recounting a game of catch, darts, and a golf cart race with the governor after a Newsmax town hall. "We know what we get with President Trump," he said. "You have to have been living under a rock to not know what you're going to get. DeSantis is still new." On the media: Personal v. explainingTrump and DeSantis both know how to effectively use and criticize the media. But that's where the comparisons on their press strategies end."They might have the same 50,000-foot approach, but when you get down to 1,000 feet you realize there are big differences," Spicer said. Trump got significant free air time in 2016, when cable news outlets would air his rallies in full. He criticized major news outlets as "fake news," and when he got to the White House he insulted reporters viciously and personally. Despite all this, Trump sat down with mainstream outlets and even with authors who wrote books about him — no matter how scathing they turned out to be. And he keeps doing it. "He's very direct in saying whatever he wanted to say about the media, which at times really turned people off and then also made the media mad at him because they didn't feel like he was respectful," Carroll said. "But they had access." In contrast, DeSantis' sit-down interviews are more limited to conservative press, though after Hurricane Ian he interviewed with CNN and local outlets. He appears often on Fox News, which receives exclusives of major announcements.This year, his team barred numerous reporters from a fundraiser, and his team has explained on Twitter that they won't cooperate with press they view as biased. Yet there is one way DeSantis is accessible: When he holds press conferences he answers questions even if they are off topic. And his team also livestreams the exchanges and posts them to social media. That means even national outlets that don't have correspondents in Florida can tune in. During these events, DeSantis can sometimes have tense exchanges with reporters — but they're on the substance of their question rather than who they are as a person. One CBS "60 Minutes" response debunking a story about his COVID vaccine rollout went viral."When he takes on the media he's calling them out, but he does it in a way in which rather than personalize he says, 'That's not true. Here are the facts,' and puts them in their place," Anuzis said. Carroll said she noticed that DeSantis' communications team will also attack the media for him, including by posting screen shots of press inquiries on Twitter or mocking stories."His communications people tend to do it more so than he directly," Carroll said. "So it gives him more of a cushion in his pushback on the media, having an intermediary."According to Ramer, DeSantis' approach is working to get his name ID out. People in focus groups even in other states such as West Virginia bring up his name as favorite for the 2024 nomination. But Bruesewitz saw a weakness in DeSantis' strategy, which he called "calculated" and "theater." "It's all scripted," he said. "You can't be scripted in a debate against Donald Trump."Then-President Donald Trump campaigns with Ron DeSantis at a rally in Pensacola, Florida, on November 3, 2018.AP Photo/Butch Dill, FileVoting rigidity v. voting malleabilityThe way Trump and DeSantis encourage voters to cast their ballots could be crucial to how they perform in a primary. Trump has trashed mail-in, absentee, and early voting, even during the 2020 presidential election, when the COVID-19 pandemic made it harder for voters to leave their homes. Republican political arms, however, are beginning to concede that they're at a disadvantage if Democratic voters have more time and can more easily cast their votes. While DeSantis tightened Florida voting laws as governor, including setting up a police unit dedicated to investigating voter fraud, he has benefited from certain rules that make voting easier. For instance, at campaign stops during his 2022 reelection, DeSantis urged people to vote early in Florida, even to do so on their way home from that very rally. At the Republican Jewish Coalition's annual leadership meeting in November, DeSantis even pushed Republicans to engage in "ballot harvesting." The governor was referring to state voting laws that allow third parties to collect and deliver completed ballots on behalf of people who can't get to polling stations. In Florida, DeSantis pushed the legislature to limit ballot collection by non-family members. But he said at the Las Vegas-based RJC meeting that Republicans should try to benefit from election laws in other states. "Whatever the rules are, take advantage of it," he said. Tested v. untestedDeSantis won a historic, 19-point victory in Florida on Election Day, all without Trump's help. It was the one "red wave" Republicans got out of the 2022 midterms.But whether DeSantis can replicate that success nationally is still an open question, political insiders say. Carroll said that DeSantis' Democratic challenger, Charlie Crist, wasn't particularly standout during his time in Congress. He also had been "all over the map" and "was not well trusted" because he used to be a Republican governor, and then an Independent, before settling on the left, she said. "If DeSantis had run against a candidate that was likable, recognizable, or was more credible, it may have been a different turnout — it could have been the same, but we really have to put it in context in terms of who was running against whom," she said. Crist, the Florida Democratic Party, and national Democratic political arms also didn't put up much of a fight, Bruesewitz said.  "Ron has never been tested," he said. Should DeSantis enter the 2024 contest, other GOP candidates are more likely to pile onto him as the runner up so they can try to get head-to-head with first-place Trump. What will it look like when millions of opposition research and ads go into attacking the Florida governor? As for Trump, it's widely accepted that his MAGA base isn't going anywhere. Trump invokes a "deep-rooted personal connection," Nunberg said. "It's something you rarely see." They've followed him through numerous personal, legal, and political scandals, and perhaps even a pending indictment. "He has a base that's unquestioned, that has stuck with him through thick and thin for the past six years," Ballard said. While a few news outlets have described Trump as "diminished," Ramer from the Republican Accountability Project said it was still possible for the former president to get stronger ahead of the 2024 election. He noticed in focus groups that Republicans were souring a bit on Trump during the Select Committee's hearings about January 6, because it reminded them of all the baggage that came with his presidency. But after the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago, there was a "rally-around-Trump" effect. Whether it be DeSantis or anyone else, the ex-president is unmatched in getting away with scandals that would torpedo most people's political careers. "He was a one-of-a-kind politician in our generation," Anuzis said.  Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

THE TWITTER FILES: The Removal Of Donald Trump, Part 3 After an unexplained delay, journalist Bari Weiss has dropped the third installment of THE TWITTER FILES: The Removal of Donald Trump. Parts 1 and 2 can be found here and here. The new drop reveals that Twitter employees did not believe former President Trump had violated Twitter's policies. "I think we’d have a hard time saying this is incitement," wrote one staffer in an internal message, adding: "It's pretty clear he's saying the ‘American Patriots’ are the ones who voted for him and not the terrorists (we can call them that, right?)..." Another staffer agreed, writing: "Don’t see the incitement angle here." "I also am not seeing clear or coded incitement in the DJT tweet," wrote Anika Navaroli, a Twitter policy official. "I’ll respond in the elections channel and say that our team has assessed and found no vios”—or violations—“for the DJT one.” Read the entire thread below: 2. 6:46 am: “The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!” pic.twitter.com/7L252fqqK6 — Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) December 12, 2022 Continued; 3. 7:44 am: “To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th.” 4. For years, Twitter had resisted calls both internal and external to ban Trump on the grounds that blocking a world leader from the platform or removing their controversial tweets would hide important information that people should be able to see and debate. 5. “Our mission is to provide a forum that enables people to be informed and to engage their leaders directly,” the company wrote in 2019. Twitter’s aim was to “protect the public’s right to hear from their leaders and to hold them to account.” World Leaders on Twitter: principles & approach 6. But after January 6, as @mtaibbi and @shellenbergermd have documented, pressure grew, both inside and outside of Twitter, to ban Trump. 7. There were dissenters inside Twitter. “Maybe because I am from China,” said one employee on January 7, “I deeply understand how censorship can destroy the public conversation.” 8. But voices like that one appear to have been a distinct minority within the company. Across Slack channels, many Twitter employees were upset that Trump hadn’t been banned earlier. 9. After January 6, Twitter employees organized to demand their employer ban Trump. “There is a lot of employee advocacy happening,” said one Twitter employee. 10. “We have to do the right thing and ban this account,” said one staffer. It’s “pretty obvious he’s going to try to thread the needle of incitement without violating the rules,” said another. 11. In the early afternoon of January 8, The Washington Post published an open letter signed by over 300 Twitter employees to CEO Jack Dorsey demanding Trump’s ban. “We must examine Twitter’s complicity in what President-Elect Biden has rightly termed insurrection.” 12. But the Twitter staff assigned to evaluate tweets quickly concluded that Trump had *not* violated Twitter’s policies.“I think we’d have a hard time saying this is incitement,” wrote one staffer. 13. “It's pretty clear he's saying the ‘American Patriots’ are the ones who voted for him and not the terrorists (we can call them that, right?) from Wednesday.” 14. Another staffer agreed: “Don’t see the incitement angle here.” 15. “I also am not seeing clear or coded incitement in the DJT tweet,” wrote Anika Navaroli, a Twitter policy official. “I’ll respond in the elections channel and say that our team has assessed and found no vios”—or violations—“for the DJT one.” 16. She does just that: “as an fyi, Safety has assessed the DJT Tweet above and determined that there is no violation of our policies at this time.” 17. (Later, Navaroli would testify to the House Jan. 6 committee:“For months I had been begging and anticipating and attempting to raise the reality that if nothing—if we made no intervention into what I saw occuring, people were going to die.”) 18. Next, Twitter’s safety team decides that Trump’s 7:44 am ET tweet is also not in violation. They are unequivocal: “it’s a clear no vio. It’s just to say he’s not attending the inauguration” 19. To understand Twitter’s decision to ban Trump, we must consider how Twitter deals with other heads of state and political leaders, including in Iran, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. 20. In June 2018, Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tweeted, “#Israel is a malignant cancerous tumor in the West Asian region that has to be removed and eradicated: it is possible and it will happen.” Twitter neither deleted the tweet nor banned the Ayatollah. 21. In October 2020, the former Malaysian Prime Minister said it was “a right” for Muslims to “kill millions of French people.” Twitter deleted his tweet for “glorifying violence,” but he remains on the platform. The tweet below was taken from the Wayback Machine: 22. Muhammadu Buhari, the President of Nigeria, incited violence against pro-Biafra groups.“Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war,” he wrote, “will treat them in the language they understand.” Twitter deleted the tweet but didn't ban Buhari. 23. In October 2021, Twitter allowed Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to call on citizens to take up arms against the Tigray region. Twitter allowed the tweet to remain up, and did not ban the prime minister. 24. In early February 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government threatened to arrest Twitter employees in India, and to incarcerate them for up to seven years after they restored hundreds of accounts that had been critical of him. Twitter did not ban Modi. 25. But Twitter executives did ban Trump, even though key staffers said that Trump had not incited violence—not even in a “coded” way. 26. Less than 90 minutes after Twitter employees had determined that Trump’s tweets were not in violation of Twitter policy, Vijaya Gadde—Twitter’s Head of Legal, Policy, and Trust—asked whether it could, in fact, be “coded incitement to further violence.” 27. A few minutes later, Twitter employees on the “scaled enforcement team” suggest that Trump’s tweet may have violated Twitter’s Glorification of Violence policy—if you interpreted the phrase “American Patriots” to refer to the rioters. 28. Things escalate from there. Members of that team came to “view him as the leader of a terrorist group responsible for violence/deaths comparable to Christchurch shooter or Hitler and on that basis and on the totality of his Tweets, he should be de-platformed.” 29. Two hours later, Twitter executives host a 30-minute all-staff meeting. Jack Dorsey and Vijaya Gadde answer staff questions as to why Trump wasn’t banned yet. But they make some employees angrier. 30. “Multiple tweeps [Twitter employees] have quoted the Banality of Evil suggesting that people implementing our policies are like Nazis following orders,” relays Yoel Roth to a colleague. 31. Dorsey requested simpler language to explain Trump’s suspension. Roth wrote, “god help us [this] makes me think he wants to share it publicly” 32. One hour later, Twitter announces Trump’s permanent suspension “due to the risk of further incitement of violence.” 33. Many at Twitter were ecstatic. 34. And congratulatory: “big props to whoever in trust and safety is sitting there whack-a-mole-ing these trump accounts” 35. By the next day, employees expressed eagerness to tackle “medical misinformation” as soon as possible: 36. “For the longest time, Twitter’s stance was that we aren’t the arbiter of truth,” wrote another employee, “which I respected but never gave me a warm fuzzy feeling.” 37. But Twitter’s COO Parag Agrawal—who would later succeed Dorsey as CEO—told Head of Security Mudge Zatko: “I think a few of us should brainstorm the ripple effects” of Trump's ban. Agrawal added: “centralized content moderation IMO has reached a breaking point now.” 38. Outside the United States, Twitter’s decision to ban Trump raised alarms, including with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Prime Minister Angela Merkel, and Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. 39. Macron told an audience he didn’t “want to live in a democracy where the key decisions” were made by private players. “I want it to be decided by a law voted by your representative, or by regulation, governance, democratically discussed and approved by democratic leaders.” 40. Merkel’s spokesperson called Twitter’s decision to ban Trump from its platform “problematic” and added that the freedom of opinion is of “elementary significance.” Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny criticized the ban as “an unacceptable act of censorship.” 41. Whether you agree with Navalny and Macron or the executives at Twitter, we hope this latest installment of #TheTwitterFiles gave you insight into that unprecedented decision. 42. From the outset, our goal in investigating this story was to discover and document the steps leading up to the banning of Trump and to put that choice into context. 43. Ultimately, the concerns about Twitter’s efforts to censor news about Hunter Biden’s laptop, blacklist disfavored views, and ban a president aren’t about the past choices of executives in a social media company. 44. They’re about the power of a handful of people at a private company to influence the public discourse and democracy. 45. This was reported by @ShellenbergerMD, @IsaacGrafstein, @SnoozyWeiss, @Olivia_Reingold, @petersavodnik, @NellieBowles. Follow all of our work at The Free Press: @TheFP Tyler Durden Mon, 12/12/2022 - 13:17.....»»

The Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and four members are being tried for seditious conspiracy related to their involvement in the Jan 6 riot. Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Legacy Sports USA on October 09, 2022 in Mesa, Arizona.Mario Tama/Getty Images A jury was told that Trump's tweets encouraged the far-right Oath Keepers to storm the Capitol.  After Trump lost the 2020 election, he tweeted that there would be a "big protest" that would be "wild." One Oath Keeper later said, "He called us all to the Capitol and wants us to make it wild!!! Sir  Yes Sir!!!" Donald Trump's tweets about protests in Washington DC to oppose the January 6 certification of President Joe Biden appeared to pump up the far-right Oath Keepers, a jury has heard. The militia group's founder, Stewart Rhodes, and four associates are being tried for seditious conspiracy. Seditious conspiracy is a Civil War-era law against attempting to overthrow the government. In the case of the Capitol riot, it refers to an attempt to block the transfer of presidential power.After Trump lost the 2020 election, the court heard testimony from an FBI agent about a string of tweets from the former president, shown to the jury. On December 19, Trump rallied his supporters to a "big protest" on January 6 and said, "Be there, will be wild!" reported AP. Kelly Meggs, an Oath Keepers leader from Dunnellon, Florida, wrote to other group members, "He wants us to make it WILD. He called us all to the Capitol and wants us to make it wild!!! Sir Yes Sir!!!" AP reported. An Oath Keeper from Idaho in Bozeman, Montana.William Campbell/Corbis via Getty ImagesThe indictment against the Oath Keepers details how the group planned to bring weapons to Washington DC on January 6, after hosting "unconventional warfare" training.Meggs also wrote on December 25: "We need to make those senators very uncomfortable with all of us being a few hundred feet away." adding, "I think Congress will screw him [President Trump] over. The only chance we/he has is if we scare the shit out of them and convince them it will be torches and pitchforks time if they don't do the right thing. But I don't think they will listen." Defense lawyers for Rhodes plan to argue that the Oath Keepers founder is not guilty because he believed Trump was poised to invoke the Insurrection Act. The far-right militia he led would be called upon to defend the nation's capital.He was in Washington DC on the day of the riot but did not enter the Capitol but was "like a general looking over the battlefield, surveying and communicating while his troops stormed inside," prosecutor Jeffrey Nestler said in his opening statement to the court earlier this month.This case is not the first time this specific Trump tweet has been described as encouraging the Capitol rioters. In a July hearing of the January 6 panel, Representative Stephanie Murphy described Trump's "be wild" post served as "a call to action and in some cases as a call to arms."Representative Jamie Raskin said the former President's tweets "electrified and galvanized" rioters and extremists. Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

Domestic Left-Wing Extremist Groups More Dangerous Than 'MAGA Republicans': Experts Authored by Scott Wheeler via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), National security analysts, scholars, and a federal indictment reveal that threats from left-wing extremist groups in the United States are more dangerous than right-wing and “MAGA Republican” groups recently cited by the Biden administration as “threats to democracy.” An Antifa extremist pushes a burning recycling bin at Trump supporters during a free speech rally in Berkeley, Calif., on April 15, 2017. (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images) According to the U.S. government, some of the left-wing groups are being funded by Russian influence operations to “sow discord, spread pro-Russian propaganda, and interfere in elections within the United States.” On July 29, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the indictment of a Russian national for working on behalf of the Russian government to sow discord in the United States. “From at least December 2014 until March 2022, Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov, a resident of Moscow, together with at least three Russian officials, engaged in a years-long foreign malign influence campaign targeting the United States” the indictment alleged. A DOJ press release stated, “Ionov—working under the supervision of the FSB [Russia’s Federal Security Services] and with the Russian government’s support—recruited political groups within the United States, including U.S. Political Group 1 in Florida, U.S. Political Group 2 in Georgia, and U.S. Political Group 3 in California, and exercised direction or control over them on behalf of the FSB.” Russia Supports Left-wing Groups Ionov’s activities were not in support of right-wing groups, the operation was allegedly funding left-wing groups that promoted socialism, defunding police, and California secession, according to multiple reports. In August, the Tampa Bay Times reported that “Political Group 1” named in the indictment is the African People’s Socialist Party (APSP) of St Petersburg, Florida. On the group’s website, its chairman, Omali Yeshitela, is quoted as saying “we need a revolution” and promotes calls for reparations for slavery. On July 29, the same day the indictment for Ionov was unsealed, it was raided by the FBI, according to the APSP. When contacted for comment, a spokesman for the APSP said it was unlikely that the group would be able to answer questions from The Epoch Times based on advice from counsel. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution identified “Political Group 2” in a July 29 article as the Atlanta-based Black Hammer Party. On May 31, 2020, the group’s website featured a statement by Ionov responding to the death of George Floyd that stated: “Justice for George Floyd and all Colonized people (aka “people of color”), who have died at the hands of White Power Colonial terrorism (aka america’s racist police system).” The group states it exists to “take the land back for all colonized people worldwide … Currently, our physical and intellectual labor is being coerced to build for the capitalist white colonial state, but it can be redirected to a noble cause.” The Black Hammer Party could not be reached for comment. The Sacramento Bee identified “Political Group 3” as Yes California, an organization formed to promote California secession from the United States. Louis Marinelli, the founder of the organization, had worked in Russia teaching English. According to some news sources, Marinelli may once have held conservative views, however, the Yes California Twitter feed was critical of President Donald Trump and suggested that his “reactionary” policies were helping to drive the California secession movement. Marinelli could not be reached for comment. President Joe Biden delivers a primetime speech at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia on Sept. 1, 2022. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Politicizing Domestic Threats Critics have accused the Biden administration of using the levers of the federal government to attack his political opposition by prioritizing what he calls threats to democracy and domestic tranquility. Biden’s list of targets has included Trump supporters, “election deniers,” and “white supremacists.” In early September, bathed in a red-lit backdrop and flanked by two U.S. Marines, Biden told the nation, “There is no question that the Republican Party today is dominated, driven, and intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans, and that is a threat to this country.” Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has made groups and individuals that Biden considers a threat a priority for investigation. The DHS refused to be interviewed for this report but provided a “Summary of Terrorism Threat to the United States” which was published in the June National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin. The bulletin stated: “The continued proliferation of false or misleading narratives regarding current events could reinforce existing personal grievances or ideologies, and in combination with other factors, could inspire individuals to mobilize to violence.” Many of the domestic threats listed in the bulletin were identifying those who question the administration’s policies: “Some domestic violent extremists have expressed grievances related to their perception that the U.S. government is unwilling or unable to secure the U.S.-Mexico border.” “Given a high-profile U.S. Supreme Court case about abortion rights, individuals who advocate both for and against abortion have, on public forums, encouraged violence, including against government, religious, and reproductive healthcare personnel and facilities, as well as those with opposing ideologies.” The bulletin also predicts, “As the United States enters mid-term election season this year, we assess that calls for violence by domestic violent extremists directed at democratic institutions, political candidates, party offices, election events, and election workers will likely increase.” While the DHS and the Biden administration say they are expecting violence from right-wing groups, others say there is a more pressing threat from the left. Academic Report Fears Leftists In the summer of 2020, Rutgers University’s Miller Center for Community Protection and Resilience issued a report (pdf) that found evidence that left-wing groups pose a considerable threat: “Anarcho-socialist militias which explicitly glorify Martyr narratives, classic authoritarian narratives, and revolutionary narratives are now formally organizing—and are growing.” The Miller Center cited leftist groups such as the Youth Liberation Front, John Brown Gun Club, Redneck Revolt, and the Socialist Rifle Association, among others, which claim 10,000 to 40,000 members on social media accounts. The Miller Center report says these groups use social media to promote violence: “Extreme anarcho-socialist fringe online forums on Reddit use memes calling for the death of police and memes for stockpiling munitions to promote violent revolution.” The report cites the example of Willem Van Spronsen who was shot and killed during a shootout with police in July 2019. Van Spronsen was fire-bombing an Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Washington state. Multiple news reports state that Van Spronsen was a member of Antifa and the John Brown Gun Club. According to the global nonprofit organization Counter Extremism Project (CEP), many of these groups operate “under the wide umbrella of Antifa” which is made up of individual cells and “the leaders of these cells remain autonomous,” states CEP’s reporting. John Farmer, Director of the Miller Center, in an email response to questions from The Epoch Times, stated that he does not see a serious national security threat from either the right or left. “Quite frankly, I don’t view either the so-called ‘anarcho-socialist extremists’ or the ‘white nationalist extremists’ as a serious threat to national security,” Farmer stated. However, extremists on both sides do pose problems, according to Farmer: “Each in their own way is a threat to public order; each, for different reasons, seeks to destabilize our institutions and overthrow the established norms of democracy. Each has proven violent, even murderous, in differing contexts.” What Political Attacks Mean J. Michael Waller, a national security and intelligence expert at the Center for Security Policy, told The Epoch Times that the Biden administration is “trying to frighten the public” by labeling Trump supporters as threats to democracy: “They are trying to create a political, psychological, and legal pretext for cracking down on groups and larger movements that they can connect through guilt by association.” Waller compares this sort of labeling to the so-called “red scare” period during the Cold War. “If you apply subjective definitions to words, and you make the words mean what you want them to mean, and you recklessly apply those words to your opponent, you are creating a 21st-century red scare.” Waller says he sees a disturbing pattern in Biden’s words. “You label someone you don’t like with an inflammatory term that objectively does not apply, which gives you the public support you need to amass more power to create more bureaucracy. You then have the legal grounds to go after what amounts to political opponents.” “Look at the way they throw around the word ‘fascists,” Waller said. “They are not even using the objective definition of fascist.” Why Trump Supporters Emily Finley, author of “The Ideology of Democratism,” told The Epoch Times that the Biden administration is laying the groundwork to “normalize the idea that MAGA Republicans are extremists,” adding that “the larger philosophical impetus” behind Biden’s Philadelphia speech is to segregate and “marginalize” MAGA Republicans. Read more here... Tyler Durden Fri, 10/14/2022 - 23:00.....»»

Julian Assange And Our Impunity Democracy Authored by James Bovard via The Mises Institute, On Saturday, protests supporting Julian Assange occurred around the world. In London, Assange supporters linked arms around the parliament building. Protests also occurred outside the Justice Department headquarters in Washington (I was one of the speakers), D.C., and in San Francisco, Tulsa, Denver, and Seattle, as well as in Australia. Four years ago, I wrote a USA Today column calling for Assange to receive a Presidential Medal of Freedom. My piece failed to sway the Trump White House and the Biden administration has taken up the prosecution of one of the most important truth tellers of this century. Assange has been locked away for years in a maximum-security prison in Britain. He is facing extradition to face 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act for disclosing classified information. If the Brits deliver Assange to the U.S. government, he has almost no chance for a fair trial because of how prosecutions are rigged in federal court. The last four years have revealed why activists like Assange, who has been held for years in a maximum-security British prison, are vital to any hope of making rulers accountable to the citizenry. Attorney General Ramsey Clark warned in 1967, “Nothing so diminishes democracy as secrecy.” At this point, America is an Impunity Democracy in which government officials pay no price for their abuses. Assange was targeted by the U.S. government after his organization, Wikileaks, disclosed tens of thousands of documents and some videos exposing crimes committed by the U.S. military against Afghan and Iraqi civilians. A 2010 Christian Science Monitor report on the leak noted that it was “unclear how Americans might react to revelations about apparent indiscriminate killing of Afghan civilians” by American forces. But the Monitor headline captured the verdict in Washington: “Congress's response to WikiLeaks: shoot the messenger.” Vice President Joe Biden denounced Assange as a “high-tech terrorist.”  Federal agencies could not prove that any of the information that Wikileaks released was false. At the court martial of former Army Corporal Bradley Manning, who leaked the documents, prosecutors failed to show that any information Wikileaks disclosed had led to the death of a single person in Afghanistan or Iraq. That conclusion was re-confirmed by a 2017 investigation by PolitiFact. Even Biden admitted in 2010 that “I don't think there's any substantive damage” from the Wikileaks revelations.” But Assange was guilty of violating the U.S. government’s divine right to blindfold the American people. Washington policymakers damned Assange and expanded the role of the U.S. military in the Afghan conflict. Atrocities continued, helping turn the Afghan people against the U.S. military and a Kabul government that was seen as a Washington puppet. When the Afghan military collapsed like a house of cards in 2021, Washington policymakers were stunned at the Taliban’s lightning triumph. But they were shocked simply because they had ignored the truths that Wikileaks revealed. When the federal indictment against Assange was announced in 2019, a New York Times editorial declared that it was “aimed straight at the heart of the First Amendment” and would have a “chilling effect on American journalism as it has been practiced for generations.” Unfortunately, Americans and foreigners continue to suffer because of the perennial cover-ups of U.S. foreign interventions. After Britain arrested Assange on behalf of the U.S. government in 2019, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) whooped that Assange "is our property and we can get the facts and the truth from him." But Manchin had no recommendations on how Americans can “get the facts and the truth” from the federal government. Biden has ramped up U.S. bombings in Somalia: who exactly are we killing? It is a secret. Which Syrian terrorist groups are the U.S. government still bankrolling? It’s a secret. Why is the U.S. continuing to assist Saudi atrocities against Yemeni civilians? It’s a secret.  And then there’s the biggest and most dangerous secret operation on the horizon right now - the U.S. intervention in the Russia-Ukraine war. Folks can condemn Russia and support Ukraine without believing that Washington policymakers deserve a blank check to potentially drag America into a nuclear war. Are CIA analysts or Pentagon officials issuing warnings about U.S. government actions in this conflict could lead to a spiral that ends in catastrophe? Unfortunately, Americans won’t learn of any such memos until damage has been done. And if a disaster occurs, then we’ll see the same sham that occurred after the Iraq War – some Senate Committee blathering that no one is to blame because everyone in Washington was a victim of “group think.” Federal prosecutors stress that Assange leaked “classified” information. But federal agencies are creating trillions of pages of new “classified’ secrets each year. Yet, any information which is classified is treated like a political holy relic that cannot be exposed without cursing the nation. Pervasive secrecy helps explain the collapse of trust in Washington. Americans today are more likely to believe in witches, ghosts, and astrology than to trust the federal government. Adding Assange’s scalp to the Justice Department’s trophy wall will do nothing to end the mistrust of the political ruling class that has dragged America into so many debacles.  Assange is guilty of lese-majeste - embarrassing the government by exposing their follies, frauds, and crimes. Assange declared years ago, “If wars can be started by lies, they can be stopped by truth.” Dropping the charges against Assange is the best way for the Biden administration to prove it is serious about ending excessive secrecy. Tyler Durden Mon, 10/10/2022 - 05:00.....»»

The war in Ukraine has isolated Moscow internationally and raised doubts about the quality of Russian-made military hardware. A prototype of Russia's Su-75 Checkmate fighter jet at the MAKS-2021 air show outside Moscow in July 2021.AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko The Su-75 "Checkmate" is Russia's attempt at building a fifth-generation fighter for export. But the war in Ukraine has isolated Moscow internationally and raised doubts about Russian hardware. Those issues may steer even Russia's traditional defense partners toward other fighter options. The Su-75 "Checkmate" is Russia's attempt at an export fifth-generation fighter.Billed as a cheaper F-35 with better specs than the JAS-39 Gripen, Russia designed the Su-75 specifically to sell to countries with no homegrown aeronautical industry.Originally revealed at the MAKS Airshow last year, the Su-75 was hailed as a solid move by Russia's United Aerospace Corporation, building off the Su-57 platform — Russia's first fifth-generation fighter.However, since its release, the fortunes of the Su-75 have fallen quite far.Stats and specsA Su-75 Checkmate prototype at MAKS-2021 in July 2021.Sputnik/Alexei Nikolskyi/Kremlin via REUTERSThe Sukhoi-designed Su-75 boasts many features to make it attractive to foreign buyers. Its single engine means fewer maintenance costs as well as less fuel consumption. Stealth characteristics such as an internal weapons bay, diverterless inlets, and a unique tail design are all a must have for fifth-generation fighters.Additional fifth-generation aspects of the Su-75 are its ability to coordinate with drones, an emerging technology and doctrine which air forces hope to use to overcome enemy air defenses. These drones will be managed by an advanced AI onboard computer and avionics system which is capable of tracking and engaging up to six targets at once.These upgrades represent a major step up from previous Russian exports such as the Su-30 and Mig-35. However, they are balanced by an affordable $25 million to $30 million price tag, one-quarter of the cost of an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.A Rostec spokesperson described the new fighter jet as a cutting-edge addition to the air-defense realm. They note that "The Checkmate fighter is outfitted with versatile armaments capable of fighting any threat: from unsheltered command posts to especially sensitive targets for a potential enemy."The jet was allegedly designed using a supercomputer and modern-day virtual modelling and digital calculations.Initial interestA prototype of Russia's Su-57 at the MAKS-2021 air show.AP Photo/Alexander ZemlianichenkoAfter the rollout of the Su-75, it appeared that Vietnam and India were to be the primary buyers with Argentina also potentially pursuing a deal.Additionally, as early as January of this year, the United Arab Emirates seemed to be involved in a deal with the UAC to assist in the production and manufacture of the Su-75 following the suspension of a $23 billion arms deal with the US.A critical blunderRussia's ill-conceived invasion of Ukraine has put a major damper on their aerospace industry and hopes for the Su-75. International sanctions have crippled Russia's ability to acquire and produce essential components of modern aircraft.Most notably, precision machining equipment and semiconductors, without which the advanced avionics system is completely unable to function. This has ramifications for the production of an airworthy Su-75, now projected to fly in 2024 as well as future sales. If Russia struggles to guarantee parts and maintenance, it may turn off potential buyers.Beyond questions of production, there is the rather large elephant in the room that is the performance of Russian jets in Ukraine. The loss of Su-30s, 34s, and even a 35 may make nations leery of purchasing aircraft untested by combat.Making the process more difficultIn addition to the challenges presented by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the sanctions which arose from a Russian Invasion, the UAC seems intent on making the development process as difficult as possible.Apparently, designers are working on an unmanned version of the Su-75 in parallel with the manned variant. Given the inherent challenges in designing an unmanned combat aircraft (UCAV) — none have yet been used in combat and the only UCAVs currently flying are based on modifications to existing, proven airframes — it is difficult to see how Russia expects to develop the Su-75 into a UCAV when the manned version has yet to have a successful test flight.Su-75 and the futureA Checkmate prototype at the MAKS-2021 air show.Sputnik/Alexei Nikolskyi/Kremlin via REUTERSFor now, it seems that the Su-75 program continues to limp along. Russian officials claim the jet will have its first flight in 2024 however it remains to be seen whether they will meet this deadline under the stringent sanctions and with the ongoing war in Ukraine.Furthermore, it appears that the United Arab Emirates has at least paused its involvement in the project, drying up a critical source of funding and R&D.While Vietnam and India may still be interested, it is unclear whether Russia will find a market for the Su-75 if it does enter production. As Harrison Kass of 19FortyFive says "…countries within the Russian sphere of influence are still going to buy Russian equipment, regardless of whether the international community is upset with Putin."It remains to be seen, however, whether other concerns trump traditional considerations when it comes to arms purchases. Additionally, if the production estimates of the Su-75 continue to be delayed, foreign clients may look elsewhere to fulfill their fighter needs.Maya Carlin is a Middle East Defense editor with 19FortyFive. She is also an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has bylines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

Welcome To The "Say Nothing" Phase Of This 'Fourth Turning' Authored by Jim Quinn via The Burning Platform blog, ‘Whatever you say, say nothing.’ – Old Irish Phrase “God made the Catholics, but the Armalite made them equal.” ― Patrick Radden Keefe It has become clear to me, since the installation of dementia patient Biden as the illegitimate figurehead president by his globalist Deep State handlers, their agenda is to tear down our modern civilization and replace it with a totalitarian techno-gulag where you will be electronically monitored, disarmed, own nothing, be judged by social credit score, live in fear, and be happy – or else. I’ve been pondering in which direction this Fourth Turning will flow, while observing the words and actions of our pedophile president and the other World Economic Forum puppets like Trudeau, Macron, and a myriad of other EU lackeys. I intellectually understand all Fourth Turnings reach their climax after immense bloodshed, climactic battles which could have gone either way, and in some cases saw citizens slaughtering fellow citizens. But I have tried to avoid thinking about the reality of what is likely to happen over the next five to ten years, as this Crisis turns from rhetoric and debate to violence and death. Keyboard warriors will yield to real warriors. After reading Patrick Radden Keefe’s – Say Nothing – a fascinating tale of the brutal violence which lasted for three decades from the 1960’s through the 1990’s in Northern Ireland, I’ve come to the realization of what civil war might look like here in America. In reality, the conflict in Ireland between the Catholics and Protestants dated back centuries. “In 1689, Protestant forces loyal to William of Orange, the new king, had managed to hold the city against a siege by a Catholic army loyal to James II.” ― Patrick Radden Keefe The vitriolic discord and purposeful fracturing of our shared societal values, which have bound this nation since its inception, has situated the country in an 1860 moment, a veritable powder keg with a lit fuse. The country has been gravely splintered for at least two decades, but the fissure has expanded at an accelerated velocity since the unanticipated election of Donald Trump in 2016. The rule of law no longer exists. A four-year coup against Trump, with Clinton, Obama, DOJ, CIA, FBI, Congress, Judiciary, legacy media, and social media titans as co-conspirators, has now devolved into an Orwellian police state, with the Constitution trashed and government tyranny reaching unthinkable heights. The third world totalitarian tactics being used by Biden’s handlers to destroy the opposition party and its leader is being cheered on by the left and their media mouthpieces. Biden’s diabolically dark, hateful speech, with satanic blood red background, on the sacred ground where our Founding Fathers declared our independence from a tyrannical despot, appears to be the spark which will ignite real violence in the coming years. The simmering hatred between the left and right has been rising towards a boiling point since the 2016 election. Everything Biden and his Obama handlers have done since his installation as president in the rigged 2020 election has been designed to sow discord, create chaos, and tear apart the fabric of this country. Authoritarian despots always accuse the opposition of crimes they themselves are guilty of having committed. When you control the levers of power and the propaganda machine known as the media, you can literally flaunt the laws of the land and persecute those who disagree or fail to comply with your dictates. Elevating a protest by a few goofballs who were lured into the Capital by undercover FBI plants (Ray Epps) as an armed insurrection (with no arms), has been a pitiful display of partisanship and failed to accomplish the task of having Trump charged with a crime. This after two failed impeachment attempts based on actual crimes committed by the Biden crime family. With the approach of the November midterms, Covid fear being replaced by vaxx injury outrage, inflation raging at 17% (the way it was measured in 1980), a recession in progress, layoffs beginning to ramp up, stock market falling, Russia sanctions only hurting the American and European working class, and Biden’s approval rating at 38%, the globalist Deep State invisible government have decided it’s time for some civil chaos to further their New World Order agenda. It all began with pitting those who chose to let their immune systems do their jobs and/or using safe effective cheap treatments like ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, zinc/quercetin, and vitamin D, against Fauci, Biden and their Big Pharma benefactors forcing an untested, dangerous, experimental gene therapy into the bodies of every human on the planet. They lied about its effectiveness, spike protein remaining confined in arms, safety, immunity power, and length of efficacy. They colluded with Twitter, Facebook, and Google to censor and suppress the truth about the vaccines, doctors with contrary opinions, and the safe effective alternatives. All done to enrich Big Pharma, who paid off politicians, doctors, hospitals, and a plethora of apparatchiks willing to sell their souls and sacrifice lives for the almighty buck. When Biden and his handlers decided to scapegoat and vilify those who chose to not become guinea pigs in the unwarranted vaccine war against a relatively non-lethal flu (unless you were 85 years old and/or extremely obese), knowing his national vaccine mandate was un-Constitutional and unenforceable, those with critical thinking skills could see the budding authoritarianism from Biden, along with the other WEF acolytes like Trudeau, Macron, and Boris Johnson. Biden’s willingness to have people fired, ostracized, and destroyed for exercising bodily autonomy regarding a vaccine that didn’t prevent you from getting it, spreading it, being hospitalized, or dying was a flashing warning light of what was going to happen in the last month. The lockdowns, destruction of small businesses while promoting big business, forced masking as a mark of obedience and compliance, and utter disregard for the education of our children, were all part of this Great Reset scheme to remake the world in the vision of Gates, Schwab, Soros, and the rest of the Davos billionaire satanic cult. These acts of vengeance against those with differing political, economic, and social viewpoints have intensified over the last several months as a sense of impending doom has shrouded the totalitarian, communist, woke, incompetent Biden administration, with the looming loss of both the House and Senate leading to gridlock, increasing conflict, and more desperate executive orders from the senile pedophile. The ramping up of grooming children at drag queen shows and encouraging children towards irreversible mutilation of their bodies in the name of gender choice is beyond evil and can only be explained as further attempt to destroy our society as part of the Great Reset agenda. The FBI raid on Biden’s chief political adversary and likely opponent in 2024 over some documents requested by the National Archives is a red herring in the never-ending coup against Trump and a last-ditch attempt to keep him from running in 2024. During his first term Trump made the drastic mistake of not purging the DOJ, FBI, CIA, and State Department of his enemies. He hired swamp creatures and neo-cons into his cabinet whose sole purpose was to thwart whatever he tried to do. And his biggest blunder was believing Fauci, Birx, and the rest of the Covid cultists in locking down the country, schools, and businesses, while cheering on and promoting the Big Pharma jabs which have killed and injured more people than they supposedly saved. His continued support for these never-ending shots from hell is mind bogglingly idiotic and should make anyone question his ability to succeed in a second term. Is he better than Dementia Joe, the Kneepads Kackler, or any of the other left-wing loons on the Democrat bench? Yes. But is that good enough with an economic collapse, civil war, and global war just over the horizon? The skies are darkening, and the direst days of this Fourth Turning are almost upon us. I know the degradation of the intellectual, moral, and critical thinking skills of the American populace due to decades in government indoctrination centers known as public schools along with relentless propaganda and misinformation spewed from our boob tubes and now “smart” phones has reached critical mass, with little hope for a reversal until a full-out societal collapse. Well, that is where we are headed, because that is the course set in motion by those we trusted to lead this country. What ails this country, and the world is too much debt, too much corruption, too much materialism, too many lies, too much propaganda, too much delusion, too much stupidity, too much evil, and absolutely no solutions put forth which are capable of saving us from the course we chose decades ago. We are hurtling towards an abyss and there is no way of voting ourselves out of it. The uniparty agrees on 90% of the issues and pass trillions in spending bills while jointly supporting never ending wars and unaccountable central bankers who print fiat to infinity. Political parties have failed the people and rooting for our team is still used to keep us divided and unaware of how badly we have been screwed over by these politician puppets doing the bidding of the globalist billionaire cabal who really run the show. This all set the stage for Biden’s Satanic Verses speech this past week. The Trojan Horse president didn’t write that hateful war declaration against half the country. He didn’t choose the location of Independence Hall. He didn’t ask for the blood red and dark palette as his background. He didn’t station marines in the background as a symbol of war. He didn’t remember what he read off the teleprompter the next day. He and his left-wing apparatchiks can try to walk back his declaration of war, but his satanic hate manifesto will forever be burned into the minds of the 74 million Americans who voted for Trump and the millions more who voted for Biden, thinking his unifier drivel during his basement campaign was truthful. Biden’s handlers purposefully designed this speech to ignite civil chaos. It was a dog whistle to the left-wing BLM, ANTIFA and other violent hate groups that it is open season on Trump and his supporters. Declaring them extremists and an imminent threat to the country, Biden dehumanized anyone who does not support his authoritarian regime. We have already seen the attempted assassination of Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh and harassment and threats of violence against other justices. There has been a concerted effort by the left (and possibly operatives within the government) to have Steve Bannon and Marjorie Taylor Greene assassinated by the police through technologically advanced swatting calls. Next, we will have any home flying a Trump or MAGA flag burned to the ground by Biden’s army of woke thugs. Biden’s managers and his diversity hire spokesbimbos continue to fan the flames of violence. They are attempting to goad Trump supporters into acts of violence so they can declare an emergency and either cancel the November elections or institute mail-in voting once again to steal them as they did in 2020. Despite Biden’s repulsive war-mongering rhetoric, and threats to use F-15s against those who don’t bow down to his demands, it is highly unlikely Trump supporters will take the bait and initiate violence against the government or their Soros funded left wing lackey militias. The average hard-working American, getting destroyed by Biden’s policies, is content to watch Democrat controlled shithole cities go up in flames as lawlessness reigns, mass murder occurs on daily basis, and businesses flee to safer confines. They are told by the GOP portion of the uniparty to vote republican in November and save the country. Of course, the RINOs in control of the republican party don’t have the guts or desire to change anything. If they were to take Congress, they would not impeach Biden, investigate Hunter, prosecute Fauci, or stop the DOJ and FBI from conducting their ongoing vendetta against Trump. Biden and the left have already declared war. They will do whatever it takes to win. It’s already clear the Constitution, election laws, and First Amendment are meaningless in their thirst for power, control, and wealth. As of now only the Second Amendment keeps them from forcefully putting us in re-education camps. It’s only the 400 million legally owned guns (give or take a few) keeping Biden and his totalitarian hordes at bay. Biden’s speech was an act of desperation, as his handlers seeing their Great Reset agenda going awry, are trying to initiate another engineered “Covid-like” national emergency they can utilize to subdue dissent. The next two months may decide the future course of history in this country. They appear to be laying the groundwork for a false flag of immense proportions. The apparent suicidal actions being taken by European leaders regarding Russian gas and Putin shutting the Nordsteam 1 pipeline until the West revokes their sanctions will either lead to surrender by the EU and splintering of their subservient submission to the American Empire or actual conflict between NATO and Russia, with China and India supporting Russia. We already know it is just a matter of time until the U.S. financial markets break under the strain of reality, with stocks, bonds and real estate all poised to fall by at least 50% over the coming years. Has the globalist cabal concluded their dementia ridden sucker is expendable and will engineer another JFK moment, with an assassination attributed to some Trump dupes? The FBI already engineered the fake Whitmer kidnapping plot. Taking out their useful idiot Biden to further their agenda wouldn’t give these vile Deep State operatives a second thought. Combining a global conflict, with a financial implosion, and a false flag event blamed on Trump would be the perfect storm to cancel the November elections and lockdown the country once again. All signs point toward something big about to ignite the powder keg and propel this Fourth Turning to a new level of violent upheaval. Here is where Patrick Radden Keefe’s documentation of the violence, retribution, hatred, and resolve of “civilized” Irishmen during the battle for Northern Ireland, known as The Troubles, from the 1960’s through the 1990’s until an uneasy accord was reached in 1998, offers a glimpse into what a civil war might look like in America. A key point is when the definition of humanity in the minds of those at war stops at the border of their tribe. The enemy is not considered human; therefore, it is not murder when you kill them or blow them up. The ethical justification for killing “innocents” becomes easier when your enemy is not considered human. Biden has already set in motion that anyone who voted for or supports Trump is a dangerous sub-human, providing the justification for his side, including his government police thugs and woke military, to treat us as the enemy. During The Troubles, the Irish Republican Army planted car bombs in London and in Northern Ireland business districts, killing and maiming whoever happened to be in the vicinity. They blew up Lord Mountbatten on his boat. They attempted to blow up the Queen in Scotland in 1981. They came very close to assassinating Margaret Thatcher at the Brighton Hotel in 1984, killing five and injuring dozens. British soldiers were lured into traps and executed. Over the three decades of The Troubles there were 3,500 deaths, with more than half being civilians. Factions within the IRA killed each other. There were undercover agents and double agents for each side. If you said something while under British interrogation, you were likely to be disappeared into the Irish bogs. It was a violent and ruthless conflict with no rules and no mercy. The British committed as many atrocities as their Irish opponents. Legality and rule of law was paid no heed. As Keefe documented, the conflict began as a dispute between the unionists and loyalists and grew into a vicious civil war of neighborhoods versus neighborhoods. “We beat them with stones at first, and they had guns. Our people had to go and get guns. Wouldn’t they have been right stupid people to stand there? Our people got shotguns at first and then got better weapons. And then the British, who were supposed to protect us, came in and raided our homes. What way could you fight? So you went down and you blew them up.” ― Patrick Radden Keefe The political and religious hatreds had been brewing for centuries in Ireland. The level of vitriol and hate in the U.S. has really only reared its ugly head over the last two decades, with a notable hastening since Obama’s election in 2008. He proceeded to divide America through his communist agenda and blatant efforts to create racial and gender rifts, while still kowtowing to the Wall Street and globalist cabal which placed him in power. The ascendancy of Trump to the throne drove the left mad, as burning, and looting cities over the perceived fake race issues enflamed by Obama was cheered on by the left-wing media and politicians. Violence has been promoted and condoned by the left. The question is, what will it take to provoke a violent response by the right, who happen to own most of the firearms in this country. What will it take to turn Twitter warriors into armed warriors? Keefe laid out thoughts about Irish Americans during The Troubles which addresses real war versus verbal war. “Indeed, it could occasionally seem that support for the armed struggle was more fervent in Boston or Chicago than it was in Belfast or Derry. The romantic idyll of a revolutionary movement is easier to sustain when there is no danger that one’s own family members might get blown to pieces on a trip to the grocery store. Some people in Ireland looked askance at the “plastic Paddies” who urged bloody war in Ulster from the safe distance of America.” ― Patrick Radden Keefe Most of those on the right are hardworking, law abiding, family-oriented individuals who are slow to anger and do not react violently to incoherent left-wing rhetoric, verbal threats, or even being called dangerous extremists. When they or their families are threatened with violence, all bets are off. The left can allow their cities to burn and the inhabitants to shoot each other over drugs, but once the threat of violence reaches the countryside and suburbs, where a considerable number of awakened critical thinking citizens are armed, Biden and his cronies will get their civil war. The extremist MAGA minions will not shoot first, but once alerted to the threat from what passes for our government and their BLM/ANTIFA terrorist arm, they will be poised to fight back. If this powder keg ignites, it will make the three decades of violence in Northern Ireland look like a walk in the park. Those who live their lives with a linear mindset, brainwashed by public school indoctrination, distracted by their myriad of electronic gadgets, and trapped on the hamster wheel of trying to accumulate more material goods while going further in debt, are unprepared for the coming level of violent upheaval about to be unleashed upon this nation. No one with a conscience and morality is rooting for a civil war, but our figurehead president has already declared war, with the shooting yet to commence. It feels much like the ambiguous period between Lincoln’s election in November 1860 and the attack on Fort Sumter in April 1861. We are waiting for the event and/or act which will initiate the vicious phase of this Fourth Turning. We know it will happen, but we don’t know when, where or who will pull the trigger. “Picture yourself and your loved ones in the midst of a howling blizzard that lasts several years. Think about what you would need, who could help you, and why your fate might matter to anybody other than yourself. That is how to plan for a saecular winter. Don’t think you can escape the Fourth Turning. History warns that a Crisis will reshape the basic social and economic environment that you now take for granted.” – Strauss & Howe – The Fourth Turning Our civilized society is about to turn into a barbarous hellscape, unrecognizable from the comfort and safety we have grown accustomed to since the last Fourth Turning. The cycles of history spin from highs to lows, with death and destruction always entering the picture at some point. Human nature never changes; therefore, we are condemned to repeat the errors of the past while creating new errors along the way. That feeling of doom you should be experiencing at this point in history is well founded. Prepping for the coming storms is a worthwhile expenditure of your time but making sure you tribe up with like minded armed individuals will be your best bet to survive. You have been declared an enemy of the state. That is all the incentive you should need to do whatever is necessary to win this coming war. Remember – Whatever You Say, Say Nothing. *  *  * The corrupt establishment will do anything to suppress sites like the Burning Platform from revealing the truth. The corporate media does this by demonetizing sites like mine by blackballing the site from advertising revenue. If you get value from this site, please keep it running with a donation.   Tyler Durden Tue, 09/06/2022 - 16:20.....»»

Numerous Russian state television programs have broadcast the promotional trailer to "My Son Hunter" in its entirety, The Daily Beast reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin toasts during reception for military servicemen who took part in Syrian campaign on December 28, 2017 in Moscow, Russia.Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images A right-wing film attacking Joe Biden and his son Hunter is getting attention on Kremlin TV. Numerous programs have broadcast the promotional trailer in its entirety, The Daily Beast reported. One host said she hopes the film will help in the US "to bring our beloved Trump back into power." Russian state media propagandists are aggressively promoting "My Son Hunter," a film attacking President Joe Biden and his son that will be distributed by the far-right Breitbart when it premeirs on September 7.Numerous Russian state television programs have broadcast the promotional trailer in its entirety, The Daily Beast reported. The trailer hints at drug abuse and allegations of illegal activity by Hunter Biden and attempts to draw connections to the president.There are also references to a laptop, allegedly belonging to Hunter Biden, that became the subject of a highly controversial New York Post story with several red flags that raised questions about its authenticity.One Russian state media show host who is also a deputy of Russia's State Duma, Evgeny Popov, said Republicans produced the "scandalous" film because "they got tired of waiting for justice," The Daily Beast reported. He suggested the film is intended to help them during the midterm elections, and called the laptop former President Donald Trump's "main 'trump card.'"Co-host Olga Skabeeva said, "We're waiting for the premiere and hoping for a big success in the United States, to bring our beloved Trump back into power."Another seven-minute segment on the state TV show Vesti at 20:00 included the promo and clips of Fox host Tucker Carlson and Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, accusing the FBI of "interfering in elections" by not investigating the laptop, The Daily Beast reported.Republicans are itching to ramp up investigations of Hunter if they win control of Congress in November. They hope to find wrongdoing they can link to the president ahead of the 2024 election, in case he chooses to run again.Breitbart says the film marks its expansion into film distribution. The trailer was released on Truth Social last week. Hunter Biden has previously disclosed a federal investigation into his taxes. No evidence has suggested that his work influenced Joe Biden's policy decisions.On Monday,Trump demanded reinstatement as president or "a new Election, immediately" after news that Facebook temporarily limited a controversial story about Hunter Biden's laptop in users' news feeds before the 2020 election.With the war in Ukraine raging on and the Biden administration firmly backing Kyiv as both sides experience heavy losses, the Kremlin's propagandists have ramped up rhetorical support for Trump — particularly in the wake of an FBI raid on his Florida home. Russian state news has parroted talking points of the far right in the US, baselessly presenting Trump as the victim of a politically motivated investigation. Like prominent figures on the far right, the Kremlin's mouthpieces have suggested that the raid could spark civil war in the US. In recent years, the national security community in the US has repeatedly warned that the Kremlin wants to sow divisions in the US."The Russians are trying to get us to tear ourselves apart," FBI Director Christopher Wray said during a cybersecurity conference in New York City last month, per the New York Times.The US intelligence community concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 and 2020 elections to boost Trump's chances of winning, though it's underscored that none of these efforts altered final results. With midterms on the horizon, US intelligence agencies and congressional lawmakers continue to express concerns about Russian election interference. The Department of Homeland Security in June warned that Moscow will "probably" attempt to undermine the November elections as retribution for US support for Ukraine, according to a report obtained by CNN. "We expect Russian interference in the upcoming 2022 midterm elections, as Russia views this activity as an equitable response to perceived actions by Washington and an opportunity to both undermine US global standing and influence US decision-making," the report said.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

The Mesa County DA sought the warrant this week after he said that Peters made an unauthorized trip, and he revoked her $25,000 cash bond. yPillow CEO Mike Lindell told Vice News that Peters is now "holed up" in a safe house.Getty Images, Mesa County An arrest warrant was issued for former Mesa County election clerk Tina Peters on Thursday. The Mesa County DA said that Peters made an unauthorized trip to Las Vegas. In Vegas, she spoke at a conference and signed a recount letter for the primary she lost. A Colorado judge issued an arrest warrant for pro-Trump former Mesa County election clerk Tina Peters after she violated her bond agreement by attending a law enforcement conference in Las Vegas, according to court documents.Mesa County District Attorney Daniel Rubinstein sought the warrant this week after he said that Peters violated the terms of her bond agreement; he also revoked her $25,000 cash bond.According to the warrant, Peters traveled without seeking authorization from the court to attend and speak at the Constitutional Sheriff's and Peace Officer's Association conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The DA said that they were partly tipped off because a video of the conference was streamed on MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell's website Frankspeech.com."Looking at the website of the organization, they had a conference scheduled in Las Vegas at that time," Rubinstein said in the warrant. "DA Investigator Struwe has also now found a video on Frankspeech.com with the three-hour video from 7/12/2022 in Las Vegas of the conference. At the 2:27:50 second mark, Ms. Peters takes the stage."Peters also signed a notarized letter to Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, demanding a recount of the Republican primary for Secretary of State that she lost weeks ago. The letter was signed in Nevada, the DA said."Ms. Peters is a gold-star mother with a love for public service and longstanding ties to her community and the State of Colorado," Peters' legal team said in a motion to quash the warrant, adding that Peters did not know she was barred from traveling to Vegas.Last year, Colorado District Judge Valerie J. Robison alleged that in March 2021 as a county clerk overseeing elections, Peters allowed an unauthorized consultant to access the county's voting machines, with one of her aides requesting that election-department cameras be turned off for two weeks — long enough to allow that unauthorized third party to make a "forensic image" of the hard drive used by Dominion vote-tabulating equipment.In March 2022, Tina Peters was indicted on 10 counts by a Mesa County grand jury related to her alleged role in the election data breach, according to the county's district attorney. Her aide, Belinda Knisley was indicted on six counts related to the breach.Peters was indicted on counts of attempting to influence a public servant, criminal impersonation, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, identity theft, first-degree official misconduct, violation of duty, and failing to comply with the secretary of state. Prosecutors are now seeking federal charges against Peters."Using legal muscle to indict political opponents during an election isn't new strategy, but it's easier to execute when you have a district attorney who despises President Trump and any constitutional conservative like myself who continues to demand all election evidence be made available to the public," Peters said in response to the March 2022 indictment.Peters pleaded not guilty to the charges.For two years in a row, Peters has been barred from performing clerk duties, and in June Peters lost in a Republican primary for the Colorado Secretary of State, which she made a trip to Mar-a-Lago for in May and campaigned for alongside Mike Lindell at times.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

A 2020 election worker described losing her "sense of security...all because a group of people starting with number 45 decided to scapegoat me." Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., hugs Wandrea "Shaye" Moss, a former Georgia election worker, after she testified as Ruby Freeman, mother of Moss, hugs Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.Chip Somodevilla/Pool Photo via AP State and local officials testified about a pressure campaign following the 2020 election. Trump and his allies tried to strongarm state officials and send fake electors to Washington. Two former Georgia election workers also detailed "horrible" threats and harassment they recieved. The House select committee investigating January 6 showcased in bracing detail how President Donald Trump and his allies pressured Republicans to overturn the election, leading to threats against both high-profile officials and regular workers. The committee's fourth hearing highlighted three Republican officials who found themselves on the receiving end of Trump's intense pressure campaign: Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Georgia Secretary of State Chief Operating Officer Gabriel Sterling.It also featured the testimony of Wandrea "Shaye" Moss, a rank-and-file local election worker from Fulton County whose life was upended by Trump's allies making her the center of their false accusations that the 2020 election in Georgia was rigged. "The point is this, Donald Trump did not care about the threats of violence," Rep. Liz Cheney said at the beginning of the hearing. "He did not condemn them, he made no effort to stop them." Rusty Bowers, Arizona state House Speaker, testifies before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)A top Arizona Republican threw cold water on Trump and Giuliani's claimsOn Tuesday, Trump preemptively sought to discredit Bowers before his testimony in a statement attacking Bowers as a "RINO" and said Bowers told him the 2020 election was rigged. But in powerful testimony, Bowers firmly rebuked Trump's claims and described how he stood up to an intense pressure campaign."Anywhere, anyone anytime has said that I said the election was rigged..that would not be true," Bowers testified. Bowers also detailed how Giuliani pressured him to hold hearings investigating the 2020 election, but failed to present any evidence that the election in Arizona was tainted by massive fraud or rigged. "I refused," Bowers said. "At that time, the circus had been brewing with lots of demonstrations both at the counting center, at the Capitol, and other places. And I didn't want to have that in the House." Bowers later said that Giuliani told him, "We have lots of theories, we just don't have the evidence." He recalled telling Giuliani in response, "You are asking me to do something that is contrary to my oath when I swore to the Constitution to uphold it. You're asking me to do something against my oath, and I will not break my oath."John Eastman, Trump's legal adviser, also pressured Bowers to go along with a plot to invalidate Arizona's election results, saying, "just do it and let the courts sort it out."The January 6 Committee displayed texts between an aide to Sen. Ron Johnson and an aide to Vice President Mike PenceAP Photo/Jacquelyn MartinAn outlandish plot to send Trump fake electors to Washington.The hearing also revealed new information about the scheme spearheaded by Giuliani and Eastman to assemble slates of unofficial Trump electors in states that voted for Biden. "Essentially, he turned the call over to Mr. Eastman, who then proceeded to talk about the importance of the RNC helping the campaign gather these contingent electors in case any of the legal challenges that were ongoing changed the result," RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel recalled in her deposition. The phony electors were not certified by government authority and had no legal weight or authority whatsoever. And several current and former Trump aides testified that the bulk of the White House's counsel's office thought the plan was unlawful. "We were just kind of useful idiots or rubes at that point," said former Trump staffer Robert Sinners in a deposition. "I'm angry, because I think in a sense no one really cared if people were potentially putting themselves in jeopardy." In Michigan, the unofficial slate of Trump electors even tried to hid in the state capitol overnight to meet and cast their votes. The hearing also documented the disorganized scramble to get the slates of electors to Pence."Freaking trump idiots want someone to fly original elector papers to the senate President," Mark Jefferson, the executive director of the Wisconsin Republican Party, wrote in a Jan 4, 2021, text message. "They're gonna call one of us to tell us just what the hell is going on." An aide to Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, one of the senators who objected to the election results, texted Vice President Mike Pence's legislative director the morning of January 6 attempting to arrange a handoff of an "alternate slate of electors for MI and WI." "Do not give that to him," the Pence aide, Chris Hodgson, replied. Brad Raffensperger, Georgia Secretary of State, testifies as Gabe Sterling, Georgia Deputy Secretary of State, listens.AP Photo/Jacquelyn MartinTrump pressures Georgia election officials.Raffensperger said that he looked into Trump's claims that there were missing ballots in the Georgia vote count and found no evidence to support them."The numbers are the numbers and the numbers don't lie," he told the House select committee."We had many allegations and we investigated every single one of them." Trump went as far as to make acting US Attorney of Northern District of Georgia Bobby Christie investigate this matter. Christie later told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he found no evidence of voter fraud and dismissed the case, Raffensperger said.The committee played recordings of Raffensperger's calls with Trump where the former president pressured him to investigate election fraud. When Raffensperger pushed back and said there was no evidence, Trump then responded, "there's either two answers, dishonesty or incompetence."Raffensperger testified about how he and his family members were harassed by pro-Trump supporters, saying that people broke into his daughter-in-law's home and sent his wife threatening text messages. "I think sometimes, moments require you to stand up and just take the shots by doing your job. That's all we did," he said.Wandrea "Shaye" Moss, a former Georgia election worker, is comforted by her mother Ruby Freeman, right, as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol continues to reveal its findings of a year-long investigationAP Photo/Jacquelyn MartinA mother and daughter election worker duo speak out. Wandrea "Shaye" Moss, a rank-and-file local election worker from Fulton County recalled, in harrowing detail, receiving threatening messages against her and her mother in the aftermath of the Georgia vote count. Moss and mother Ruby Freeman, who worked as a temporary election worker in 2020, became the targets of a baseless conspiracy pushed by Trump and Giuliani claiming that election workers counting ballots at State Farm Arena in Atlanta committed fraud. "I've lost my name and I lost my reputation. I've lost my sense of security. All because a group of people starting with number 45 and his allies, Rudy Giuliani, decided to scapegoat me and my daughter Shaye," Freeman said.Moss said she no longer works in elections."I don't go to the grocery store at all. I haven't been anywhere at all. I gained about 60 pounds. Just don't do nothing anymore," Moss said. "I second-guess everything that I do. It's affected my life in a major way, every way. All because of lies." Freeman testified that as January 6, 2021, neared, she left her home for two months on the advice of the FBI."I felt horrible," she said. "I felt homeless. I can't believe this person has caused this much damage to me and my family to have to leave my home."Moss said a lot of the messages she received were "racist" and "painful." Her grandmother was also subjected to harassment. Moss recalled her grandmother calling her and telling her that people tried to push their way into her home and make a "citizen's arrest.""This woman is my everything I've never even heard her or seen her cry ever in my life and she called me screaming at the top of her lungs. She was just screaming, I didn't know what to do. I wasn't there. I just felt so helpless and so horrible," Moss said. "There is nowhere I feel safe. Nowhere," Freeman said in her deposition. "Do you know how it feels to have the president of the United States target you? The president of the United States is supposed to represent every American, not target one. But he targeted me."Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

Greenwald: The Demented - And Selective - Game Of Instantly Blaming Political Opponents For Mass Shootings Authored by Glenn Greenwald via greenwald.substack.com, At a softball field in a Washington, DC suburb on June 14, 2017, a lone gunman used a rifle to indiscriminately spray bullets at members of the House GOP who had gathered for their usual Saturday morning practice for an upcoming charity game. The then-House Majority Whip, Rep. Steven Scalise (R-LA), was shot in the hip while standing on second base and almost died, spending six weeks in the hospital and undergoing multiple surgeries. Four other people were shot, including two members of the Capitol Police who were part of Scalise's security detail, a GOP staffer, and a Tyson Foods lobbyist. “He was hunting us at that point,” Rep. Mike Bishop (R-MI) said of the shooter, who attempted to murder as many people as he could while standing with his rifle behind the dugout. Buffalo Police on scene at a Tops Friendly Market on May 14, 2022 in Buffalo, New York. At least 10 people were killed after a mass shooting at the store with the shooter in police custody. (Photo by John Normile/Getty Images) The shooter died after engaging the police in a shootout. He was James T. Hodgkinson, a 66-year-old hard-core Democrat who — less than six months into the Trump presidency — had sought to kill GOP lawmakers based on his belief that Republicans were corrupt traitors, fascists, and Kremlin agents. The writings he left behind permitted little doubt that he was driven to kill by the relentless messaging he heard from his favorite cable host, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, and other virulently anti-Trump pundits, about the evils of the GOP. Indeed, immediately after arriving at the softball field, he asked several witnesses whether the people gathered "were Republicans or Democrats.” A CNN examination of his life revealed that “Hodgkinson's online presence was largely defined by his politics.” In particular, “his public Facebook posts date back to 2012 and are nearly all about his support for liberal politics.” He was particularly "passionate about tax hikes on the rich and universal health care.” NBC News explained that “when he got angry about politics, it was often directed against Republicans,” and acknowledged that “Hodgkinson said his favorite TV program was 'The Rachel Maddow Show' on MSNBC.” Indeed, his media diet was a non-stop barrage of vehement animosity toward Republicans: "His favorite television shows were listed as 'Real Time with Bill Maher;' 'The Rachel Maddow Show;' 'Democracy Now!’ and other left-leaning programs.” On the Senate floor, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) divulged that Hodgkinson was an ardent supporter of his and had even “apparently volunteered” for his campaign. A Sanders supporter told The Washington Post that “he campaigned for Bernie Sanders with Hodgkinson in Iowa.” The mass-shooter had a particular fondness for Maddow's nightly MSNBC show. In his many Letters to the Editor sent to the Belleville News-Democrat, reported New York Magazine, he “expressed support for President Obama, and declared his love for The Rachel Maddow Show". In one letter he heralded Maddow's nightly program as "one of my favorite TV shows.” While consuming this strident and increasingly rage-driven Trump-era, anti-GOP media diet, Hodgkinson “joined several anti-GOP Facebook groups, including ‘Terminate The Republican Party’; 'The Road to Hell Is Paved With Republicans’;, and 'Join The Resistance Worldwide!!'" Two of his consuming beliefs were that Trump-era Republicans were traitors to the United States and fascist white nationalists. In 2015, he had posted a cartoon depicting Scalise — the man he came very close to murdering — as speaking at a gathering of the KKK. Once Trump was inaugurated in early 2017, the mass shooter's online messaging began increasingly mirroring the more extreme anti-Trump and anti-GOP voices that did not just condemn the GOP's ideology but depicted them as grave threats to the Republic. In a March 22 Facebook post, Hodgkinson wrote: “Trump is a Traitor. Trump Has Destroyed Our Democracy. It's Time to Destroy Trump & Co." In February, he posted: “Republicans are the Taliban of the USA.” In one Facebook post just days before his shooting spree, Hodgkinson wrote: “I Want to Say Mr. President, for being an ass hole you are Truly the Biggest Ass Hole We Have Ever Had in the Oval Office.” As NBC News put it: “Hodgkinson’s Facebook postings portray him as stridently anti-Republican and anti-Trump.” Despite the fact that Hodgkinson was a fanatical fan of Maddow, Democracy Now host Amy Goodman, and Sanders, that the ideas and ideology motivating his shooting spree perfectly matched — and were likely shaped by — liberals of that cohort, and that the enemies whom he sought to kill were also the enemies of Maddow and her liberal comrades, nobody rational or decent sought to blame the MSNBC host, the Vermont Senator or anyone else whose political views matched Hodgkinson's for the grotesque violence he unleashed. The reason for that is clear and indisputable: as strident and extremist as she is, Maddow has never once encouraged any of her followers to engage in violence to advance her ideology, nor has she even hinted that a mass murder of the Republican traitors, fascists and Kremlin agents about whom she rants on a nightly basis to millions of people is a just solution. It would be madness to try to assign moral or political blame to them. If we were to create a framework in which prominent people were held responsible for any violence carried out in the name of an ideology they advocate, then nobody would be safe, given that all ideologies have their misfits, psychopaths, unhinged personality types, and extremists. And thus there was little to no attempt to hold Maddow or Sanders responsible for the violent acts of one of their most loyal adherents. The same is true of the spate of mass shootings and killings by self-described black nationalists over the last several years. Back in 2017, the left-wing group Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) warned of the “Return of the Violent Black Nationalist.” In one incident, “Micah Xavier Johnson ambushed Dallas police officers during a peaceful protest against police brutality, killing five officers and wounding nine others.” Then, “ten days later, Gavin Eugene Long shot six officers, killing three, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.” They shared the same ideology, one which drove their murderous spree: Both Johnson and Long were reportedly motivated by their strong dislike of law enforcement, grievances against perceived white dominance, and the recent fatal police shootings of unarmed black men under questionable circumstances, specifically the shooting deaths of Alton Sterling of Baton Rouge and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota . . . Needless to say, the ideas that motivated these two black nationalists to murder multiple people, including police officers, is part of a core ideology that is commonly heard in mainstream media venues, expressed by many if not most of the nation's most prominent liberals. Depicting the police as a white supremacist force eager to kill black people, “grievances against perceived white dominance,” and anger over “the white supremacism endemic in America’s system of governance from the country’s founding” are views that one routinely hears on MSNBC, CNN, from Democratic Party politicians, and in the op-ed pages of The New York Times and The Washington Post. Yet virtually nobody sought to blame Chris Hayes, Joy Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Jamelle Bouie or New York Times op-ed writers for these shooting sprees. Indeed, no blame was assigned to anti-police liberal pundits whose view of American history is exactly the same as that of these two killers — even though they purposely sought to murder the same enemies whom those prominent liberals target. Nobody blamed those anti-police liberals for the same reason they did not blame Maddow and Sanders for Hodgkinson's shooting spree: there is a fundamental and necessary distinction between people who use words to express ideas and demonize perceived enemies, and those who decide to go randomly and indiscriminately murder in the name of that ideology. Since that 2017 warning from the SPLC, there have been many more murders in the name of this anti-police and anti-white-supremacist ideology of black nationalism. In June of last year, the ADL said it had “linked Othal Toreyanne Resheen Wallace, the man arrested and accused of fatally shooting Daytona Beach Officer Jason Raynor on June 23, to several extremist groups preaching Black nationalism." He had “participated in several events organized by the NFAC…best known for holding armed marches protesting racial inequality and police brutality.” He had a long history of citing and following prominent radical Black anti-police and anti-White ideologues." Also in June of last year, a 25-year-old man named Noah Green drove a car into a Capitol Hill Police Officer, killing him instantly. The New York Times reported that he follows black nationalist groups, while a former college teammate “recalled that Mr. Green would often talk to fellow players about strategies to save and invest, emphasizing the need to close the wealth gap between white and Black America.” Just last month, a self-identified black nationalist named Frank James went on a terrifying shooting spree in the New York City subway system that injured dozens. He had “posted material on social media linked to black identity extremist ideologies, including the Nation of Islam, Black Panthers, Black Liberation Army, BLM and an image of black nationalist cop-killer Micah Johnson.” Angie Speaks, the brilliant writer who voices the audio version of the articles for this Substack, reported in Newsweek that James had “posted prolifically on social media and hosted a YouTube channel where he expressed Black Nationalist leanings and racial grievances." In 2019, The New York Times reported that “an assailant involved in the prolonged firefight in Jersey City, N.J., that left six people dead, including one police officer, was linked on Wednesday to the Black Hebrew Israelite movement,” and had written “anti-police posts.” Most media outlets and liberal politicians correctly refused to assign blame to pundits and politicians who spew anti-police rhetoric, or who insist that the U.S. is a nation of white supremacy: the animating ideas of these murders. Yet in these cases, they go much further with their denialism: many deny that this ideology even exists at all. “The made-up 'Black Identity Extremist' label is the latest example in a history of harassing and discrediting Black activists who dare to use their voices to call out white supremacy,” claimed the ACLU in 2019. PBS quoted a lawyer for an advocacy group as saying: “We're deeply concerned about the FBI's 'black identity extremist' designation. This is mere distraction from the very real threat of white supremacy...There is no such thing as black identity extremism.” The same year, The Intercept published an article headlined “The Strange Tale of the FBI’s Fictional ‘Black Identity Extremism' Movement,” which claimed over and over that there is no such thing as black extremism and that any attempt to ascribe violence to this ideology is a lie invented by those seeking to hide the dangers of white supremacy. It is virtually impossible to find any ideology on any part of the political spectrum that has not spawned senseless violence and mass murder by adherents. “The suspected killer of Dutch maverick politician Pim Fortuyn had environmentalist propaganda and ammunition at his home,” reported CBS News about the assassin, Volkert van der Graaf. Van der Graaf was a passionate animal rights and environmental activist who admitted “he killed the controversial right-wing leader because he considered him a danger to society.” Van der Graaf was particularly angry about what he believed was Fortuyn's anti-Muslim rhetoric. As a result, “some supporters of Fortuyn had blamed Green party leader Paul Rosenmoeller for "demonizing Fortuyn before he was gunned down in May just before general elections.” In other words, simply because the Green Party leader was highly critical of Fortuyn's ideology, some opportunistic Dutch politicians sought absurdly to blame him for Fortuyn's murder by Van der Graaf. Sound familiar? During the BLM and Antifa protests and riots of 2020, an Antifa supporter, Michael Reinoehl, was the leading suspect in the murder of a Trump supporter, Aaron J. Danielson, as he rode in a truck (Reinoehl himself was then killed by federal agents before being arrested in what appeared to be a deliberate extra-judicial execution, though an investigation cleared them of wrongdoing, as typically happens when federal agents are involved). In 2016, The New York Times reported that “the heavily armed sniper who gunned down police officers in downtown Dallas, leaving five of them dead, specifically set out to kill as many white officers as he could, officials said Friday.” The Paper of Record noted that many believed that anti-police protests would eventually lead to violent attacks on police officers: it “was the kind of retaliatory violence that people have feared through two years of protests around the country against deaths in police custody.” Then there are the murders carried out in the name of various religions. For the last three decades at least, debates have been raging about what level of responsibility, if any, should be assigned to radical Muslim preachers or Muslim politicians when individuals carry out atrocities and murders in the name of Islam. Liberals insist — correctly, in my view — that it is irresponsible and unfair to blame non-violent Muslims who preach radical versions of religious or political Islam for those who carry out violence in the name of those doctrines. Similar debates are heard with regard to Jewish extremists, such as the Israeli-American doctor Baruch Goldstein who “opened fire in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, killing 29 Muslim worshippers.” Many insist that the radical anti-Muslim speech of Israeli extremists is to blame, while others deny that there is any such thing as “Jewish terrorism” and that all blames lies solely with the individual who decided to resort to violence. To be sure, there have been a large number of murders and other atrocities carried out in U.S. and the West generally in the name of right-wing ideologies, in the name of white supremacy, in the name of white nationalism. The difference, though, is glaring: when murders are carried out in the name of liberal ideology, there is a rational and restrained refusal to blame liberal pundits and politicians who advocate the ideology that animated those killings. Yet when killings are carried out in the name of right-wing ideologies despised by the corporate press and mainstream pundits (or ideologies that they falsely associate with conservatism), they instantly leap to lay blame at the feet of their conservative political opponents who, despite never having advocated or even implied the need for violence, are nonetheless accused of bearing guilt for the violence — often before anything is known about the killers or their motives. In general, it is widely understood that liberal pundits and politicians are not to blame, at all, when murders are carried out in the name of the causes they support or against the enemies they routinely condemn. That is because, in such cases, we apply the rational framework that someone who does not advocate violence is not responsible for the violent acts of one's followers and fans who kill in the name of that person's ideas. Indeed, this perfectly sensible principle was enshrined by the U.S. Supreme Court in the landmark 1982 unanimous free speech ruling in Claiborne v. NAACP. That case arose out of efforts by the State of Mississippi to hold leaders of the local NAACP chapter legally liable for violence carried out by NAACP members on the ground that the leaders’ inflammatory and rage-driven speeches had “incited” and “provoked” their followers to burn white-owned stores and other stores ignoring their boycott to the ground. In ruling in favor of the NAACP, the Court stressed the crucial difference between those who peacefully advocate ideas and ideologies, even if they do so with virulence and anger (such as NAACP leaders), and those who are “inspired” by those speeches to commit violence to advance that cause. “To impose liability without a finding that the NAACP authorized — either actually or apparently — or ratified unlawful conduct would impermissibly burden the rights of political association that are protected by the First Amendment,” ruled the Court. This principle is not only a jurisprudential or constitutional one. It is also a rational one. Those who express ideas without advocating violence are not and cannot fairly be held responsible for those who decide to pick up arms in the name of those ideas, even if — as in the case of James Hodgkinson — we know for certain that the murderer listened closely to and was influenced by people like Rachel Maddow and Bernie Sanders. In such cases, we understand that it is madness, and deeply unfair, to exploit heinous murders to lay blame for the violence and killings on the doorsteps of our political adversaries. But when a revolting murder spree is carried out in the name of right-wing ideas (or ideas perceived by the corporate press to be right-wing), everything changes — instantly and completely. In such cases, often before anything is known about the murderer — indeed, literally before the corpses are even removed from the ground where they lie — there is a coordinated effort to declare that anyone who holds any views in common with the murderer has “blood on their hands” and is essentially a co-conspirator in the massacre. A very vivid and particularly gruesome display of this demented game was on display on Saturday night after a white 18-year-old, Payton Gendron, purposely targeted a part of Buffalo with a substantial black population. He entered a supermarket he knew was frequented largely by black customers and shot everyone he found, killing 10 people, most of them black. A lengthy, 180-page manifesto he left behind was filled with a wide variety of eclectic political views and ideologies. In that manifesto, Gendron described himself as a "left-wing authoritarian” and “populist” (“On the political compass I fall in the mild-moderate authoritarian left category, and I would prefer to be called a populist”). He heaped praise on an article in the socialist magazine Jacobin for its view that cryptocurrency and Bitcoin are fraudulent scams. He spoke passionately of the centrality and necessity of environmentalism, and lamented that “the state [has] long since heavily lost to its corporate backers.” He ranted against “corporate profits and the ever increasing wealth of the 1% that exploit the people for their own benefit.” And he not only vehemently rejected any admiration for political conservatism but made clear that he viewed it as an enemy to his agenda: “conservatism is corporatism in disguise, I want no part of it.” But by far the overarching and dominant theme of his worldview — the ideology that he repeatedly emphasized was the animating cause of his murder spree — was his anger and fear that white people, which he defines as those of European descent, were being eradicated by a combination of low birth rates and mass immigration. He repeatedly self-identified as a "racist” and expressed admiration for fascism as a solution. His treatise borrowed heavily from, and at times outright plagiarized, large sections of the manifesto left behind by Brenton Tarrant, the 29-year-old Australian who in 2019 murdered 51 people, mostly Muslims, at two mosques in New Zealand. Gendron's manifesto included a long list of websites and individuals who influenced his thinking, but made clear that it was Tarrant who was his primary inspiration. Other than extensive anti-Semitic sections which insisted that Jews are behind most of the world's powerful institutions and accompanying problems, it was Tarrant's deep concern about what he perceived is the disappearance of white people that was also Gendron's principal cause: If there’s one thing I want you to get from these writings, it’s that White birth rates must change. Everyday the White population becomes fewer in number. To maintain a population the people must achieve a birth rate that reaches replacement fertility levels, in the western world that is about 2.06 births per woman…. In 2050, despite the ongoing effect of sub-replacement fertility, the population figures show that the population does not decrease inline with the sub-replacement fertility levels, but actually maintains and, even in many White nations, rapidly increases. All through immigration. This is ethnic replacement. This is cultural replacement. This is racial replacement. This is WHITE GENOCIDE. Within literally an hour of the news of this murder spree in Buffalo — far too little time for anyone to have even carefully read all or most of Gendron's manifesto, and with very little known about his life or activities — much of the corporate press and liberal pundit class united to reveal the real culprit, the actual guilty party, behind this murder spree: Fox News host Tucker Carlson. So immediate and unified was this guilty verdict of mob justice that Carlson's name trended all night on Twitter along with Buffalo and Gendron. Twitter trending topics, May 14, 2022 The examples of liberal pundits instantly blaming Carlson for this murder are far too numerous to comprehensively cite. “Literally everyone warned Fox News and Tucker Carlson that this would happen and they fucking laughed and went harder,” decreed Andrew Lawrence of the incomparably sleazy and dishonest group Media Matters, spawned by ultimate sleaze-merchant David Brock. “The Buffalo shooter… subscribed to the Great Replacement theory touted by conservative elites like Tucker Carlson and believed by nearly half of GOP voters,” claimed The Washington Post's Emmanuel Felton. “See if you can tell the difference between [Gerdon's manifesto on 'white Replacement’] and standard fare on the Tucker Carlson show,” said Georgetown Professor Don Moynihan. “The racist massacre in Buffalo rest [sic] at the feet of Donald Trump, Tucker Carlson, and the GOP,” decreed Hollywood's nepotism prince Rob Reiner. The shooter was inspired by “a white nationalist conspiracy theory that Tucker Carlson has defended on his show,” was the verdict of The Huffington Post's Philip Lewis less than six hours after the shooting spree began. And on and on. That Carlson was primarily responsible for the ten dead people in Buffalo was asserted despite the fact that there was no indication that Gendron even knew who Carlson was, that he had ever watched his show, that he was influenced by him in any way, or that he admired or even liked the Fox host. Indeed, in the long list of people and places which Gendron cited as important influences on him — “Brenton Tarrant, [El Paso shooter] Patrick Crusius, [California Jewish community center killer], John Earnest, [Norwegian mass murderer] Anders Breivik, [Charleston black church murderer] Dylann Roof, etc.” — nowhere does he even allude to let alone mention any Fox News host or Carlson. To the contrary, Gendron explicitly describes his contempt for political conservatism. In a section entitled “CONSERVATISM IS DEAD, THANK GOD,” he wrote: "Not a thing has been conserved other than corporate profits and the ever increasing wealth of the 1% that exploit the people for their own benefit. Conservatism is dead. Thank god. Now let us bury it and move on to something of worth.” In this hated of conservatism, he copied his hero Brenton Tarrant, who also wrote that “conservatism is corporatism in disguise, I want no part of it,” adding about conservatives: They don’t even BELIEVE in the race, they don’t even have the gall to say race exists. And above all they don’t even care if it does. It’s profit, and profit alone that drives them, all else is secondary. The notion of a racial future or destiny is as foreign to them as social responsibilities. So desperate and uncontrolled was this ghoulish attempt to blame Carlson for the Buffalo shootings that my email inbox and social media feeds were festering with various liberal pundits demanding to know why I had not yet manifested my views of this shooting — as though it is advisable or even possible to formulate definitive opinions about a complex mass murder spree that had just taken place less than five hours before. “Still working on your talking points to defend your buddy Tucker or are you holding off on trying out your deflections until the bodies get cold?,” wrote a pundit named Jonathan Katz at 6:46 pm ET on Saturday night in a highly representative demand — just four hours after the shooter fired his first shot. Demands to assert definitive opinions about who — other than the killer — is to blame for a mass murder spree just hours after it happened can be called many things; "journalistic” and "responsible” are not among them. As it happened, I was on an overnight international flight on Saturday and into Sunday morning; I deeply apologize for my failure to monitor and speak on Twitter twenty-four hours a day. But even if I had not been 40,000 feet in the air, what kind of primitive and despicably opportunistic mindset is required not only to opine so definitively about how your political opponents are guilty of a heinous crime before the corpses are even taken away, but to demand that everyone else do so as well? In fact, Katz was particularly adamant that I opine not just on the killings but on the list of pundits I thought should be declared guilty before, in his soulless words, “the bodies get cold” — meaning that I must speak out without bothering to take the time to try to understand the basic facts about the killer and the shootings before heaping blame on a wide range of people who had no apparent involvement. But this is exactly the morally sick and exploitative liberal mentality that drives the discourse each time one of these shooting sprees happen. Rachel Maddow had far more known connections to Scalise's shooter James Hodgkinson than Carlson has to Gendron. After all, as Maddow herself acknowledged, Hodgkinson was a fan of her show and had expressed his love and admiration for her. His animating views and ideology tracked hers perfectly, with essentially no deviation. And yet — despite this ample evidence that he was influenced by her — it would never occur to me to blame Maddow for Hodgkinson's shooting spree because doing so would be completely demented, since Maddow never told or suggested to anyone that they go out and shoot the political enemies she was depicting as traitors, Kremlin agents, plotters to overthrow American democracy and replace it with a fascist dictatorship, and grave menaces to civil rights and basic freedom. The attempt to blame Carlson for the Buffalo shootings depended entirely on one claim: Carlson has previously talked about and defended the view that immigration is a scheme to “replace” Americans, and this same view was central to Gendron's ideology. Again, even if this were true, it would amount to nothing more than a claim than the shooter shared key views with Carlson and other conservative pundits — exactly as Hodgkinson shared core views with Maddow and Sanders, or the numerous murderers who killed in the name of black nationalism shared the same views on the police and American history as any number of MSNBC hosts and Democratic Party politicians, or as Pim Fortuyn's killer shared core views with animal rights activists and defenders of Muslim equality (including me). But nobody is willing to apply such a framework consistently because it converts everyone with strong political views into murderers, or at least being guilty of inciting murder. But all bets are off — all such principles or moral and logical reasoning are dispensed with — when an act of violence can be pinned on the political enemies of liberals. If a homicidal maniac kills an abortion doctor, then all peaceful pro-life activists are blamed. If an LGBT citizen is killed, then anyone who shares the views that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton had until 2012 about marriage equality is blamed. If a police officer unjustifiably kills a black citizen, all police supporters or those who dissent from liberal orthodoxy on racial politics are decreed guilty. But liberals are never at fault when right-wing politicians are murdered, or police officers are hunted and gunned down by police opponents, or an anti-abortion group is targeted with firebombing and arson, as just happened in Wisconsin, or radical Muslims engage in random acts of violence. By definition, "moral reasoning" that is applied only in one direction has nothing to do with morality and everything to do with crass, exploitative opportunism. Though it does not actually matter for purposes of assigning blame, it is utterly false to claim that Carlson's ideology — including on “replacement” — is the same as or even related to the views expressed by the killers in Buffalo or New Zealand. Indeed, in key respects, they are opposites. Both Tarrant and Gendron targeted citizens of the countries in which they carried out their murder spree. They justified doing so on the ground that any non-white citizen is automatically an "invader," regardless of how long they have been in the country or how much legal status they have. “It would have eased me if I knew all the blacks I would be killing were criminals or future criminals, but then I realized all black people are replacers just by existing in White countries,” Gendron wrote. To claim that Carlson ever said anything remotely like this or believes it is just an outright lie. Indeed, with great frequency, Carlson says that the priority of the U.S. Government should be protection of and concern for American citizens of all races. Tarrant and Gendron believe and explicitly say that any non-white citizen of a European country is automatically an “invader” who must be killed and/or deported to turn the country all-white. Carlson believes the exact opposite: that the proper citizenry of the United States is multi-racial and that Black Americans and Latin Americans and Asian-Americans are every bit as much U.S. citizens, with all of the same claims to rights and protections, as every other American citizen. His anti-immigration and "replacement” argument is aimed at the idea — one that had been long mainstream on the left until about a decade ago — that large, uncontrolled immigration harms American citizens who are already here. There is no racial hierarchy in Carlson's view of American citizenship and to claim that there is is nothing short of a defamatory lie. But even if these liberal smear artists were telling the truth, and Carlson's view of immigration and “replacement” were similar or even precisely identical to Gendron's, one could certainly say that Carlson holds immoral and despicable views. But he would still no more carry blame for the Buffalo murders than liberal pundits have blood on their hands for countless massacres carried out in the name of political causes they support and theories they espouse, whether it be animus toward the police or anti-imperialism or opposition to Israeli occupation of the West Bank or the belief that the United States is a fundamentally racist country or the view that the GOP is a fascist menace to all things decent. The distinction between peaceful advocacy even of noxious ideas and those who engage in violence in the name of such ideas is fundamental to notions of fairness, justice and the ability to speak freely. But if you really want to claim that a public figure has "blood on their hands" every time someone murders in the name of ideas and ideologies they support, then the list of people you should be accusing of murder is a very, very long one indeed. To support the independent journalism we are doing here, please subscribe, obtain a gift subscription for others and/or share the article Tyler Durden Sun, 05/15/2022 - 18:30.....»»

Trump Sues Hillary Clinton, Says She 'Maliciously Conspired' To Weave Collusion Conspiracy Theory Former US President Donald Trump sued Hillary Clinton and several other Democrats on Thursday, alleging they attempted to rig the 2016 US presidential election by fabricating a conspiracy theory tying his campaign to Russia. "Acting in concert, the Defendants maliciously conspired to weave a false narrative that their Republican opponent, Donald J. Trump, was colluding with a hostile foreign sovereignty," reads the lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Florida. Remember this? Computer scientists have apparently uncovered a covert server linking the Trump Organization to a Russian-based bank. pic.twitter.com/8f8n9xMzUU — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 1, 2016 Meanwhile, a flashback: Authored by Paul Sperry via RealClearInvestigations.com, A Hillary Clinton campaign operation to plant a false rumor about Donald Trump setting up a “secret hotline” to Moscow through a Russian bank was much broader than known and involved multiple U.S. agencies, according to declassified documents and sources briefed on an ongoing criminal investigation of the scheme. In addition to the FBI, the 2016 Clinton campaign tried to convince the Obama administration’s State Department, Justice Department and Central Intelligence Agency to look into the hoax, and continued pressing the issue even after Trump was inaugurated in January 2017.The goal was to trigger federal investigative activity targeting her Republican rival and leak the damaging information to the media. “The Clinton machine flooded the FBI with pressure from a number of angles until investigations of Trump were opened and reopened,” said one of the briefed sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive law enforcement matter. "The deception was wide-ranging." Michael Sussmann: The indicted former Clinton campaign attorney wasn't the only one feeding the bogus Alfa Bank story to the feds. perkinscoie.com Special Counsel John Durham outlined the FBI part of the scheme in a felony indictment of Michael Sussmann. The former Clinton campaign lawyer was charged last month with making a false statement to the former general counsel of the FBI when he claimed he was not working “for any client” in bringing to the FBI’s attention allegations of a secret channel of communication between computer servers in Trump Tower and the Alfa Bank in Russia. According to the indictment, Sussmann was in fact acting on behalf of clients including the Clinton campaign, and an unnamed tech executive who RCI has previously reported is Rodney L. Joffe, a regular adviser to the Biden White House on cybersecurity and infrastructure policies. Internal emails reveal the Clinton operatives knew the links they made between Trump and Russia were “weak,” even describing them as a “red herring,” but fed them to investigators anyway. The Sussmann indictment revealed the doubts of those developing the Alfa Bank story. U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia After Sussmann’s meeting with the FBI in September 2016, the Clinton campaign approached the State Department the following month with the same lead, this time using paid Clinton campaign subcontractor Christopher Steele to feed the rumors. A former British intelligence officer, Steele was offered as a reliable source to help corroborate the rumors. On Oct. 11, 2016, Steele gave his contact at Foggy Bottom documents alleging that a supposed hidden server at Trump Tower was pinging Moscow. Christopher Steele: Author of the debunked dossier passed the Alfa Bank story to the State Department, which passed it along to FBI agent Peter Strzok. (Aaron Chown/PA FILE via AP) Two days later, a State official who previously worked under former secretary Clinton funneled the information to the FBI’s then-top Eurasia/Russia counterintelligence official, Stephen Laycock, according to recently declassified notes and testimony. Laycock, in turn, forwarded the information to Peter Strzok, the FBI agent who led the investigation of Trump and his campaign and had just weeks earlier texted a bureau lawyer, “We’ll stop [Trump from being elected].” "I informed Peter Strzok and another supervisor,” Laycock testified last year in a closed-door Senate hearing. Telephone: After Steele fed the Alfa Bank story to State, it was passed to the FBI’s then-top Eurasia/Russia counterintelligence official, Stephen Laycock (left), who in turn passed it on to lead FBI agent on Trump-Russia, Peter Strzok (right). Facebook/Twitter Steele, who later confessed he was “desperate” to defeat Trump, was the author of the debunked dossier claiming Trump colluded with Russia to steal the election. He even misspelled the name of the Russian bank as “Alpha.” Still, the FBI took his rumors seriously enough to interview tech vendors working for the Trump Organization and obtain warrants to search Trump Tower servers. Within days of receiving the State Department tip, Strzok also used Steele’s dossier to secure a wiretap on Trump adviser Carter Page. Clinton foreign policy adviser and current National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan would put out a written statement trumpeting the Trump-Alfa Bank story, which was shared by then-candidate Clinton on Oct. 31, 2016, after Slate reported on it. Fusion GPS, the Washington opposition-research group that worked for the Clinton campaign as a paid agent, and helped gather dirt on Alfa Bank and draft the materials Sussmann would later submit to the FBI, reportedly pressed Slate to publish the story by the account of its author, journalist Franklin Foer. The Clinton campaign played up the Trump-Alfa Bank story on the eve of the 2016 election. Twitter/@HillaryClinton “This was a highly sophisticated operation using enablers in both the media and federal agencies,” George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley told RealClearInvestigations. The Clinton campaign did not let up even after Trump won the election. In mid-November 2016, it enlisted top Justice Department official Bruce Ohr – whose wife, Nellie, worked for Fusion GPS – to add credibility to the Alfa rumors. That month, Ohr advised the FBI that Steele had told him that the Alfa Bank server was a link to the Trump campaign. Then in early December, Ohr met with the FBI case supervisor who worked for Strzok at least twice. Declassified notes and other records show that during those meetings, Ohr provided him with thumb drives he had received from paid Clinton opposition researcher and Fusion GPS co-founder, Glenn Simpson, and Ohr’s wife and Simpson’s colleague, Nellie. Quoting his Clinton sources, Ohr insisted the alleged backdoor computer channel between Trump and Alfa was real. Bruce Ohr: The Justice Department official -- linked to Clinton opposition research firm Fusion GPS through his wife Nellie, a Fusion employee -- brought the firm's arguments and materials to the FBI. The Global Initiative The FBI spent months investigating the claim, eventually dismissing it as baseless. After the FBI closed the case, Sussmann turned to the nation’s top intelligence agency for assistance, as RCI first reported. In December 2016, Sussmann called then-CIA Director John Brennan’s general counsel – Caroline Krass – to set up a meeting to brief her about the same Alfa Bank rumors. Krass expressed interest in the tip. Then in early February 2017, officials from her office formally sat down with Sussmann for more than an hour to discuss the Trump-Russian bank rumors. Sussmann provided them updated versions of the materials he had handed off to the FBI. Caroline Krass: General counsel to then-CIA Director John Brennan welcomed Sussmann's pitch of the Alfa Bank story, which reportedly passed from the CIA to FBI. CIA/Wikipedia The CIA, in turn, referred the rumors to an FBI liaison for further investigation, according to the sources briefed on his case. Strzok was the lead FBI liaison to the CIA at the time. Among the documents Durham has obtained is a CIA memo memorializing the meeting with Sussmann, according to the sources. In his grand jury indictment, Durham accused Sussmann of also misleading the CIA, which he referred to only as “Agency-2.” The special counsel alleges that Sussmann, as he did when meeting with an FBI official, had also failed to inform contacts at Langley that he was representing a client – in the latter case specifically Joffe – tied to the Clinton campaign operation and who had been promised a high-level job in a Clinton administration. Billing the Democrat’s campaign for his work on the “confidential project," Sussmann recruited Joffe and a team of federal computer contractors to mine proprietary databases containing vast quantities of sensitive, nonpublic Internet data for possible dirt on Trump and his advisers. In a new court document filed last week, Durham revealed his team has obtained more than 80,000 pages of documents in response to grand jury subpoenas issued to more than 15 targets and witnesses, including the computer contractors. Among others receiving subpoenas: political organizations, private firms, tech companies and other entities, including a major university — Georgia Tech — which allegedly participated in the Clinton conspiracy as a Pentagon contractor. Some witnesses have been granted immunity and are cooperating with prosecutors, the sources close to the probe said. Jonathan Turley: "One would expect a CIA official to express reluctance in an investigation that would have a largely domestic focus," says the law professor. CNN “While Sussmann may have hidden his work for the Clinton campaign, this was obviously a useful attack on Trump,” Turley said. “One would expect a CIA official to express reluctance in an investigation that would have a largely domestic focus. But as with the FBI, the Clinton campaign found eager officials to move on any such allegation.” The CIA is largely barred from collecting information inside the United States or on American citizens.“The CIA has no business involving itself in a domestic political issue,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton told RCI. “The evidence suggests the primary purpose of the meeting was political." Fitton said his watchdog group has filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the CIA demanding all records generated from the contacts Sussmann had with the agency in December 2016 and February 2017. The CIA did not return requests for comment.For good measure, old Clinton hands tried another pressure point. In early February 2017, Clinton's foreign policy adviser Sullivan huddled with Fusion GPS's Simpson and Daniel Jones, an FBI analyst-turned-Democrat-operative, to reboot the same smear campaign against Trump. (As RCI previously reported, Sullivan, who spearheaded the campaign's effort to promote the narrative of a disturbing Trump-Russia relationship via the Alfa Bank story, is under scrutiny for possibly lying to Congress about his role in the operation.) Jones, in turn, reached out to his former colleagues at the FBI, who reopened the investigation into the old allegations of a cyber-link between Trump and Alfa Bank. Jake Sullivan played a pivotal role in the Alfa Bank story as 2016 Clinton foreign policy adviser. AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File The next month, acting on Jones’ recycled tip, FBI agents visited the offices of the Pennsylvania company that housed the Trump server, which was actually administered by a third-party hotel promotions firm – Cendyn, based in Florida. But their second investigation proved to be another dead end. The sinister communications Jones claimed were flowing between an alleged Trump server and Alfa Bank were found to be innocuous marketing emails. In other words, spam. Sources say it is odd that FBI headquarters continued to pursue the allegations, because internal FBI communications reveal that the bureau’s own cyber sleuths had pooh-poohed them within days of Sussmann’s briefing, RCI has learned. Strzok himself had been briefed on that assessment of the materials Sussman dropped off at headquarters on Sept. 19, 2016. In fact, in a Sept. 23, 2016, internal message to Strzok, an FBI official relayed his preliminary findings following an interview with Cendyn, the Florida marketing firm that managed the alleged Trump server.“Followed up this morning with Central Dynamics [Cendyn] who confirmed that the mail1.trump-email.com domain is an old domain that was set up in approximately 2009 when they were doing business with the Trump Organization that was never used,” according to the message. Reacting to the Durham indictment, Strzok recently tried to distance himself from the Alfa scandal, insisting in a Lawfare blog: “I had a minor role in the events in question, insofar as I transferred the material Sussman gave to Jim Baker, the FBI’s general counsel at the time, to the personnel who ultimately supervised and looked into the allegations.” Echoing other critics, Strzok complained that Durham – who originally was tapped to investigate the origins of the Russia “collusion” investigation by Trump’s Attorney General Bill Barr – is conducting a partisan witch hunt on behalf of Trump. Strzok's claims notwithstanding, Barr's successor, the President Biden-nominated Attorney General Merrick Garland, testified last week that he has renewed funding and staffing for Durham’s far-reaching investigation for the next fiscal year. “[Y]ou can readily assume his budget has been approved,” Garland assured Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee.   Tyler Durden Thu, 03/24/2022 - 14:20.....»»