Goldman, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Hit With The Fed's Highest Capital Requirements

Following its stress tests earlier this year, this morning the Fed announced individual large bank capital requirements which will become effective on October 1.

Somewhat counterintuitively the Fed unveiled that banks without major net interest income - such as Goldman and Morgan Stanley (as well as the usual foreign suspects such as Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse) - would face the stiffest capital demands even though it emerged in recent quarters that balance sheet and loan exposure is in fact the biggest risk the US banking system currently faces.

As shown in the table below, the capital levels determined by the Fed’s most recent stress-test process, give Goldman Sachs the highest CET1 Capital Requirement target among domestic banks, with an overall capital minimum at 13.7% of risk-weighted assets, while Morgan Stanley is second with a target of 13.4%; JPMorgan Chase, the largest U.S. bank, will need to maintain 11.3% under the standards taking effect Oct. 1. Among foreign-based lenders, Deutsche Bank AG is highest at 12.3%, with Credit Suisse Group AG at 11.4% and UBS Group AG at 11.2%.

The below table shows the total common equity tier 1, or CET1, capital requirements for each large bank, which is comprised of several components, including:

Minimum capital requirements, which are the same for each firm and are 4.5 percent;

The stress capital buffer, or SCB, which is determined from the stress test results, and is at least 2.5 percent; and

If applicable, a capital surcharge for global systemically important banks, or GSIBs, which is at least 1.0 percent.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/goldman-morgan-stanley-deutsche-hit-feds-highest-capital-requirements

GOP Sen. Ron Johnson Subpoenas FBI Director Wray For All Records Related to Crossfire Hurricane

Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) FINALLY subpoenaed FBI Director Christopher Wray for all records related to the bureau’s CI investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign dubbed “Crossfire Hurricane.”

The subpoena, which was issued on August 6, demands Wray appear before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee by August 20 with all documents related to the Crossfire Hurricane investigation.

In July of 2016, Peter Strzok opened a counterintel investigation into Trump’s camp dubbed “Crossfire Hurricane” on suspicions (based on no evidence) that the Russians had infiltrated Trump’s circle.

The “electronic communication” that launched Crossfire Hurricane was written by Peter Strzok and obtained by Judicial Watch in May of this year as the result of a FOIA lawsuit.

The EC reveals Peter Strzok opened Crossfire Hurricane based on third-hand information that the Russian government “had been seeking prominent members of the Donald Trump campaign in which to engage to prepare for potential post-election relations should Trump be elected U.S. President.”

Peter Strzok also alleged Trump campaign foreign policy advisor George Papadopoulos claimed to an unnamed individual that “they (the Russians) could assist the Trump campaign with the anonymous release of information during the campaign that would be damaging to Hillary Clinton.”

Republican lawmakers have asked why documents related to Crossfire Hurricane have been kept secret for so many years.

Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton said its because the Obama Admin had no basis for opening the investigation.

“No wonder the DOJ and FBI resisted the public release of this infamous ‘electronic communication’ that ‘opened’ Crossfire Hurricane – it shows there was no serious basis for the Obama administration to launch an unprecedented spy operation on the Trump campaign,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton previously stated. “We now have more proof that Crossfire Hurricane was a scam, based on absurd gossip and innuendo. This document is Exhibit A to Obamagate, the worst corruption scandal in American history.”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/08/gop-sen-ron-johnson-subpoenas-fbi-director-wray-records-related-crossfire-hurricane/

‘Major Explosion’ in Baltimore, Children Trapped

Emergency personnel are responding to what has been described as a “major explosion” in Baltimore, with “multiple people” reportedly trapped, including children.

According to the Baltimore City firefighters union, the explosion occurred near Reisterstown Road, affecting several homes and trapping “at least” five individuals, including children. Authorities are responding to the scene:

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/08/10/report-major-explosion-in-baltimore-children-trapped/

‘ Ilhan Omar must resign: New evidence from nearly three dozen Somalis reveals a probable spree of felonies

The "open secret" is now simply open. Yet the media cowardice continues.

According to the media's general judgment, 2020 U.S. voters are most concerned with purportedly complex issues of crime and justice. Voters should place no trust in this. This same media forbade itself to investigate a simple, yet objectively historic corruption scandal of national interest.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has almost certainly committed the most extensive spree of felonies by a congressperson in U.S. history. As a criminal, she also appears to be historically inept. Scores of verified items of evidence against her are in the public record. Omar has never challenged their authenticity and has never produced a single piece of evidence to support her version of events.

She faces a primary on Tuesday. She again won her party's endorsement. She again won House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's endorsement — and her funding.

The mainstream media judges this remarkable situation to be irrelevant to Minnesota voters, let alone the dominant concern. Editorial malpractice on issues of crime, justice, and the 2020 election spreads everywhere this summer; by no coincidence, the spread can be traced to irresponsible media coverage of a deadly riot in Rep. Omar's district.

Below are 32 new, verifiable, archived pieces of evidence of Omar's historic crime spree.

• • • • *

• • • • *

Above: One of many Somali-language tributes to "Colonel Nur Said Elmi," Rep. Ilhan Omar's father, sent from around the world by family, friends, and contacts following his tragic June 2020 death from a COVID-19 infection. As a high-ranking officer in Somalia's (U.S.-backed) military from the 1970s until 1991, he was well known by this name and title.

• • • • *

In mid-June, Ilhan Omar's father tragically died from a COVID-19 infection. Expressions of grief, condolences, and prayers arrived from around the world, but particularly from the Somali-speaking immigrant community of Minneapolis and from the U.K. By all accounts, he earned his reputation as a gentle, kind neighbor, well known and beloved within Cedar-Riverside, as he had been in Somalia.

His relevance to Rep. Omar's landmark scandal is, of course, his birth name. Upon arriving in the United States in 1995, he claimed to be "Nur Omar Mohamed" and received a Social Security number with this name. However, all appeared to know him as Nur Said. He presented himself as Nur Said. Both Ilhan and her sister Sahra Noor referred to their father as Nur Said (prior to deleting the evidence). He is identified on-screen as "Nur Said, Ilhan's father" in the 2018 documentary film "Time for Ilhan" and again as "Nur Said" in the credits. Twice.

Most importantly, British citizen Leila Nur Said Elmi declared her father to be "Nur Said Elmi, military officer" on her 1997 marriage application. (Click the link to see the application and a photo of Leila Nur Said Elmi with both Ilhan and Nur Said.)

From 2009 until 2017, Ilhan Omar was married (by a Christian minister) to British citizen Ahmed Nur Said Elmi. Somali naming customs are patrilineal and do not use family surnames. For example, "Ahmed Nur Said Elmi" implies that Ahmed's father is "Nur," his grandfather is "Said," and his great-grandfather is "Elmi."

Also from 2009 until 2017, Ilhan Omar lived with, raised three kids with, and illegally filed multiple joint tax returns with a second man — not Ahmed Nur Said Elmi.

Just a couple months after marrying, Ilhan and her legal husband both enrolled at North Dakota State University and received federal financial aid. Married couples are not required to submit evidence of their respective parents' assets on FAFSA applications and thus likely receive much more favorable loan terms.

More

https://www.theblaze.com/op-ed/ilhan-omar-must-resign-new-evidence-from-nearly-three-dozen-somalis-reveals-a-probable-spree-of-felonies

Nearly 50% of all smartphones affected by Qualcomm Snapdragon bugs

Several security vulnerabilities found in Qualcomm's Snapdragon chip Digital Signal Processor (DSP) chip could allow attackers to take control of more than 40% of all smartphones without user interaction, spy on their users, and create un-removable malware capable of evading detection.

DSPs are system-on-chip units are used for audio signal and digital image processing, and telecommunications, in consumer electronics including TVs and mobile devices.

Despite their complexity and the number of new features and capabilities DSP chips can add to any device, unfortunately, they also introduce new weak points and expand the devices' attack surface.

Hundreds of millions of devices exposed to attacks

The vulnerable DSP chip "can be found in nearly every Android phone on the planet, including high-end phones from Google, Samsung, LG, Xiaomi, OnePlus, and more," according to Check Point researchers who found these vulnerabilities.

Apple's iPhone smartphone line is not affected by the security issues discovered and disclosed by Check Point in their report.

Check Point disclosed their findings to Qualcomm, who acknowledged them, notified device vendors, and assigned them with the following six CVEs: CVE-2020-11201, CVE-2020-11202, CVE-2020-11206, CVE-2020-11207, CVE-2020-11208, and CVE-2020-11209.

According to Check Point, these vulnerabilities make it possible for:

• Attackers to turn the phone into a perfect spying tool, without any user interaction required. The information that can be exfiltrated from the phone includes photos, videos, call-recording, real-time microphone data, GPS and location data, etc.

• May be able to render the mobile phone constantly unresponsive. Making all the information stored on this phone permanently unavailable -including photos, videos, contact details, etc–in other words, a targeted denial-of-service attack.

• Can use malware and other malicious code can completely hide their activities and become un-removable.

Qualcomm fixed the vulnerabilities, security updates incoming

Although Qualcomm has already patched the six security flaws found to affect the Qualcomm Snapdragon DSP chip, mobile vendors still have to implement and deliver security fixes to their devices' users, the threat is still there since the devices are still vulnerable to attacks.

Check Point researchers did not publish the technical details behind these vulnerabilities to allow mobile vendors to develop and deliver security updates to users to mitigate any possible risks.

"However, we decided to publish this blog to raise the awareness to these issues," Check Point explained in a research report shared earlier with BleepingComputer.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/nearly-50-percent-of-all-smartphones-affected-by-qualcomm-snapdragon-bugs/

‘I am a product of a child molester; do I deserve to be loved?’ RT speaks to victims of horrific Berlin pedophile abuse scandal

When a famed sex educator convinced Berlin authorities to house young orphans with known pedophiles, the bizarre scheme led to shocking abuses. Two of his victims spoke to RT in a revealing new documentary.

Dr. Helmut Kentler was a star amid the loosening of sexual morals that started in the 60s. A psychologist and sex educator, he lived as an openly gay man and would even by today’s standards be seen as a progressive. He set up his Pedagogical Center in Berlin to spread his ideas, and this center would eventually be tasked by the city’s senate with placing vulnerable children into care.

Kentler, in a shocking move that was supported by Berlin’s left-wing senate of the early 1970s, decided to house these boys with known pedophiles, well aware that these predators would have sex with them. That didn’t bother Kentler, who argues as recently as 1999 that pedophilia “can have a very positive effect on a boy’s personality development.” In a parliamentary hearing in 1981, he claimed that pedophiles made for great foster fathers, as they “fell in love with” the boys. The practice was allowed to continue until 2003.

While Kentler insisted the pedophiles made for loving parents, their victims told RT otherwise. “If you didn’t obey as willingly as he thought you should, there were beatings,” one victim told RT. The victim was housed with Fritz H., a convicted pedophile who raped at least nine boys in his care, some as young as six or seven.

Every day with this man was a struggle to survive.

He described how Fritz – a “psychopath” – allowed a malnourished and disabled boy to die in his care. Fritz gave him cheap food by force, and beat him if the poor child refused to take it.

Marcel Kramer died of a simple flu right before our eyes at the age of 21. He simply suffocated.

All the while, Kentler vouched for Fritz as a “trustworthy” guardian, and enjoyed the support of politicians, left-wing academics, and social welfare officials. At least three other pedophiles were signed up by Kentler as guardians, in a sordid scheme that played out for decades.

Kentler and Fritz are both dead. Although some senators have pushed for an investigation into the scandal, files detailing the full extent of the abuse, as well as its enablers, are still under lock and key in the city archives.

“Those responsible are still sitting in their offices or have retired,” one of the victims told RT, adding that one politician responsible is still serving with Germany’s Social Democratic Party. Life for the victims is, however, a daily struggle. “Sometimes you lose the will to live,” one explained.

You think ‘why? I’m a person who does not deserve to be loved. I was, and still am, a product of a child molester.’

Watch the shocking documentary to learn more about Kentler’s legacy of abuse, and its impact on his victims.

https://www.rt.com/news/497589-victims-berlin-pedophile-abuse-scandal/

Third of English Schools Say Pupils Are Groomed by Criminal Drug Gangs

Criminal gangs have swept through so much of the educational system in England that staff at one-third of the country’s secondary schools believe gangs have groomed pupils, a report has found.

A poll of teachers at almost 1,300 English schools found that drug dealers and other criminal gangs are controlling pupils as young as eight, with the rot spreading throughout the country and not just limited to urban areas.

According to an analysis conducted by The Times — which covered schools with approximately 500,000 pupils — over 60 per cent of secondary schools have been forced to search pupils with metal detectors and drug-sniffing dogs. Children have increasingly been found to be bringing weapons to school, including hammers, knuckle dusters, lasers, and so-called zombie knives.

The survey, which was conducted before the Chinese coronavirus lockdown, found that during the 2018/19 academic year, some 24 per cent of schools referred children to the police or social services out of fear that they were involved in criminal gangs.

The poll also found that 33 per cent of secondary schools believe children in their care are involved with criminal gangs, with two per cent of primary schools reporting similar activity.

The Children’s Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, said that the report demonstrates that the government needs to be more proactive in tackling the scourge in schools.

“This investigation shows how criminal gangs operating in England are ruthless organisations, using sophisticated grooming to lure children in and then using violence to keep them compliant,” Longfield said.

“Thousands of children in towns and cities across England are at real risk, and the same attention must be paid to protecting them as to other major threats to children. The government must ensure resources are allocated to stop children becoming involved in gangs,” she added.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/08/10/one-third-english-schools-say-pupils-have-been-groomed-criminal-gangs/

Justice Department Seized Large Buildings. Money Laundering Charge. Connection to Biden, Clinton, Obama, Crowdstrike, Ukraine, IMF, Atlantic Counsil, Cyprus.

Seized Buildings

The two seized buildings are worth a combined $70 million. For those not familiar with “forfeiture”, it means those two large commercial buildings are now seized loss of property to penalize a failure to act in accordance with legal requirement.

Source www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-seeks-forfeiture-two-commercial-properties-purchased-funds-misappropriated

archive.md/f026p

Building 1. Louisville office tower known as PNC Plaza.

www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/08/07/feds-seek-seizure-of-louisvilles-pnc-plaza-says-was-purchased-in-laundering-scheme/3324223001/?ref=hvper.com

archive.md/CJsUU

Building 2. Dallas office park known as the former CompuCom Headquarters.

www.dallasnews.com/business/real-estate/2020/08/06/us-wants-to-seize-north-dallas-office-campus-it-says-was-bought-with-laundered-ukrainian-money/

archive.md/70fyj

More Buildings To Be Seize?

Will all the OTHER real estate the PrivatBank money was used to buy in Cleveland and Miami will also end up being seized?

Buildings:

One Cleveland Center: 1375 E. 9th St. Acquired for $86.3 million in May, 2008

55 Public Square. Acquired for $34 million in July, 2008.

Huntington Building: 925 Euclid Ave. Acquired for $18.5 million in June, 2010.

AECOM/Penton Media Building: 1300 E. 9th St. Acquired for $46.5 million in August, 2010

Crowne Plaza Building: 777 St. Clair Ave. Acquired in a joint venture with Denver-based Sage Hospitality Group.

Source

www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2019/06/11/how-ukrainian-oligarchs-secretly-became-the-largest-real-estate-owners-in-downtown-cleveland

archive.md/2I8wl

This is a speculation and an interesting coincidence that on August 6th, 2020, while the FBI was seizing evidence of MONEY LAUNDERING, Trump was delivering a speech at the WASHING MACHINE factory Wirlpool, LOL 😉

Video

Full video published by the White House at

youtu.be/NBdwfNjJJbEYouTube

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/justice-department-seized-large-buildings-money-laundering-charge-connection-to-biden-clinton-obama-crowdstrike-ukraine-imf-atlantic-counsil-cyprus/

Germany is Hiring -Officers Wanted For Extracting Children From Parental Home || COVID MEASURES!

Link (German)

www.focus.de/familie/eltern/riesen-aufregung-um-briefe-an-familien-trennung-von-eltern-und-kindern-in-quarantaene-behoerden-fuehlen-sich-missverstanden_id_12290254.html

In short:

If Germans fail to lock up their kid after a positive Corona test, they will be extracted from the family home and put in a governmental kind of jail situation

Fines for not complying will be upped to €5.000-€10.000

Childrens’ organizations speaking of Psychic violence against children

Want a job?

Der Fuhrer HEIL

www.infranken.de/ueberregional/deutschland/nimmt-uns-der-staat-die-kinder-weg-aerger-um-corona-isolation-so-ist-die-lage-in-franken-art-5049216

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/germany-is-hiring-officers-wanted-for-extracting-children-from-parental-home-covid-measures/

Israeli intervention in US elections ‘vastly overwhelms’ anything Russia has done, claims Noam Chomsky

Veteran activist Noam Chomsky has accused Israel of “brazenly” interfering in US electoral politics in a way that vastly outweighs any efforts that may have been carried out by Russia.

In comments in which he accused much of the media of concentrating on stories he considered marginal and ignoring issues such as the “existential threat” of climate change, the 89-year-old linguist said in much of the world, the US media’s focus with Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 was “a joke”.

“First of all, if you’re interested in foreign interference in our elections, whatever the Russians may have done barely counts or weighs in the balance as compared with what another state does, openly, brazenly and with enormous support,” he said.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/israel-us-elections-intervention-russia-noam-chomsky-donald-trump-a8470481.html

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/israeli-intervention-in-us-elections-vastly-overwhelms-anything-russia-has-done-claims-noam-chomsky/

Esper Says There Will Be Less Than 5,000 US Troops in Afghanistan by November

Peace talks between Afghan government and Taliban expected to start soon

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said in an interview with Fox News that aired on Saturday that the US will draw down its presence in Afghanistan to under 5,000 troops by the end of November.

“We’re going down to a number less than 5,000 by the end of November,” Esper said. Esper said the withdrawal is “conditions-based” and will only happen if the Pentagon feels it can carry on its mission in Afghanistan with a smaller troop presence.

In an interview with Axios last week, President Trump made a similar statement and said the US was going to have less than 5,000 troops in Afghanistan by Election Day.

Esper also spoke of the Afghan peace process and called it a “windy road.” The US-Taliban peace deal signed in February calls for a complete withdrawal of US forces if the Taliban lives up to its end of the agreement.

The peace deal requires the Afghan government to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners as a precondition for intra-Afghan talks. On Sunday, the Afghan government announced that it will release the remaining 400 Taliban prisoners it agreed to set free under the deal. The Taliban said they are ready to begin intra-Afghan talks once the prisoner release is complete, and those talks can start as early as next week.

https://news.antiwar.com/2020/08/09/esper-says-there-will-be-less-than-5000-us-troops-in-afghanistan-by-november/

Trump urges Portland to bring in National Guard amid unrest, warns officials they will be 'held responsible'

President Trump calls the city 'out of control' after a riot was declared on Sunday

President Trump on Monday urged Portland to "bring in" the National Guard, after months of unrest, calling the city "out of control," and warning local officials that they will "be held responsible."

"Portland, which is out of control, should finally, after almost 3 months, bring in the National Guard," Trump tweeted Monday. "The Mayor and the Governor are putting people's lives at risk. They will be held responsible."

He added: "The Guard is ready to act immediately. The Courthouse is secured by Homeland!"

Trump’s tweets come after a riot was declared in Portland, Ore., on Sunday evening, as officers tried to quell unrest that saw protesters march on a police union building, throw objects at officers, block a road, and set dumpster fires, according to reports.

Live video had showed multiple dumpster fires had been set near the building, less than half an hour after police tweeted that “criminal activities including, but not limited to, vandalism, unlawful entry to the building, or fire starting," could be subject to arrest, the use of tear gas and/or crowd-control munitions, according to The Associated Press.

Portland's violent unrest almost in endless cycleVideo

Protests over racial injustice and police brutality have occurred nightly for more than 70 days, since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody in May.

Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler said violent protesters are also serving as political “props” for the president, while the president has called the protesters “sick and dangerous anarchists” running wild in the city’s streets.

Tear gas was used by police on protesters last Wednesday for the first time since the U.S. agents pulled back their presence in the city. But officers did not use it Thursday or Friday despite declaring the demonstrations unlawful assemblies.

POLICE BRACE FOR MORE PROTESTS IN PORTLAND AFTER ANOTHER NIGHT OF CLASHES

The president has been denouncing the violent demonstrations in Portland for weeks, and his administration deployed federal agents, including the U.S. Marshals Special Operations Group and a U.S. Customs and Border Protection team based on the U.S.-Mexico border, to protect federal property.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-portland-national-guard-unrest

Trump urges Portland to bring in National Guard amid unrest, warns officials they will be 'held responsible'

President Trump calls the city 'out of control' after a riot was declared on Sunday

President Trump on Monday urged Portland to "bring in" the National Guard, after months of unrest, calling the city "out of control," and warning local officials that they will "be held responsible."

"Portland, which is out of control, should finally, after almost 3 months, bring in the National Guard," Trump tweeted Monday. "The Mayor and the Governor are putting people's lives at risk. They will be held responsible."

He added: "The Guard is ready to act immediately. The Courthouse is secured by Homeland!"

Trump’s tweets come after a riot was declared in Portland, Ore., on Sunday evening, as officers tried to quell unrest that saw protesters march on a police union building, throw objects at officers, block a road, and set dumpster fires, according to reports.

Live video had showed multiple dumpster fires had been set near the building, less than half an hour after police tweeted that “criminal activities including, but not limited to, vandalism, unlawful entry to the building, or fire starting," could be subject to arrest, the use of tear gas and/or crowd-control munitions, according to The Associated Press.

Portland's violent unrest almost in endless cycleVideo

Protests over racial injustice and police brutality have occurred nightly for more than 70 days, since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody in May.

Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler said violent protesters are also serving as political “props” for the president, while the president has called the protesters “sick and dangerous anarchists” running wild in the city’s streets.

Tear gas was used by police on protesters last Wednesday for the first time since the U.S. agents pulled back their presence in the city. But officers did not use it Thursday or Friday despite declaring the demonstrations unlawful assemblies.

POLICE BRACE FOR MORE PROTESTS IN PORTLAND AFTER ANOTHER NIGHT OF CLASHES

The president has been denouncing the violent demonstrations in Portland for weeks, and his administration deployed federal agents, including the U.S. Marshals Special Operations Group and a U.S. Customs and Border Protection team based on the U.S.-Mexico border, to protect federal property.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-portland-national-guard-unrest

China Sanctions 11 US Officials, including Senators Cruz, Rubio, Toomey, Cotton, In Apparent Retaliation

No officials of the Trump administration were slapped with sanctions

Rubio and Cruz are two of the most vocal supporters of Hong Kong pro-democracy activists

Toomey has also spoken out against China’s policies in Hong Kong

In retaliation for similar acts by the U.S., China has sanctioned 11 Americans, including Republican Senators Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton and Pat Toomey, Bloomberg reported.

However, no officials of the Trump administration were slapped with sanctions.

“In response to the U.S.’ wrong behaviors, China has decided to impose sanctions on those individuals who behaved badly on Hong Kong-related issues,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Monday.

Zhao’s statement did not explain what such sanctions will actually mean.

Sanctions by Beijing were also imposed upon Rep. Chris Smith (R.-N.J.); Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth; National Endowment for Democracy President Carl Gershman; and Michael Abramowitz, the president of Freedom House.

On Friday, the Trump administration placed sanctions on 11 Chinese and Hong Kong officials, including Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, over their support of China’s controversial national security law which critics contend will compromise the city-state’s autonomy.

Rubio and Cruz, two of the most vocal supporters of Hong Kong pro-democracy activists in the U.S. government, were already hit with other sanctions by China in July in an apparent response to their comments about Beijing’s internment of Uighur Muslims in the far western Xinjiang province.

On Monday, Rubio sarcastically tweeted: “Last month China banned me. Today they sanctioned me. I don’t want to be paranoid but I am starting to think they don’t like me.”

Toomey has also spoken out against China’s policies in Hong Kong and praised the Trump administration’s sanctions.

"The Chinese Communist Party has been systematically eroding the basic freedoms that they themselves have promised to the people of Hong Kong," Toomey said. "Those responsible must be held accountable. Today's action is another important signal to the world that the United States stands behind the people of Hong Kong in their fight for freedom.”

https://www.ibtimes.com/china-sanctions-11-us-officials-including-senators-cruz-rubio-toomey-cotton-apparent-3025732

Lights, Camera, Action: Staging Of Protests in Belarus

In Belarus presidential elections were held. According to the Central Election Committee, the turnout was quite high and amounted to about 84% of the population. The results of the exit poll confirm the victory of the current President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko.

The election campaign was marked by unprecedented administrative pressure and a huge number of provocations. Shortly before the elections in Minsk were held large-scale protests in support of the main opponent of A. Lukashenko, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. Also, the results of the elections caused disapproval among the population. Given the scale of mobilization of the opposition electorate, such a high percentage of those who voted for A. Lukashenko is suspicious. Svetlana Tikhonovskaya said that she considers herself the winner of the presidential election in Belarus, and her team demanded the peaceful transfer of power to the elected head of state.

“The government does not hear us, it is completely detached from the people, but I must repeat that we are for peaceful changes. And the authorities should now think about how to transfer this power in a peaceful way, because at the moment they have only one way — violence against peaceful Belarusians, ” Tihanovskaya said.

https://southfront.org/lights-camera-action-staging-of-protests-in-belarus-videos/

Susan Rice Admits Under Oath She Emailed with Hillary Clinton on Clinton’s Private Email System, Claims 18 Times She ‘Couldn’t Recall’ Information

Obama’s former National Security Advisor Susan “Benghazi” Rice admitted under oath she emailed with Hillary Clinton on Clinton’s private email system.

Susan Rice said in her written response to Judicial Watch that she also received emails related to official government business on her own personal email account.

Rice said she ‘does not recall’ a total of 18 times in a 13-page interrogatory in response to discovery granted to Judicial Watch by Judge Royce Lamberth.

Judicial Watch in 2015 discovered Hillary Clinton used a private server and blew the story wide open after uncovering emails she sent from a non “state.gov” email account.

The conservative watchdog group filed a FOIA lawsuit seeking records on “talking points or updates on the Benghazi attack.”

Susan Rice appeared on various media outlets in 2012 falsely claiming the Benghazi terror attack — that left 4 Americans dead — stemmed from a YouTube video.

It’s no surprise Susan Rice used Hillary Clinton’s tactics and claimed she ‘couldn’t recall’ anything.

Via Judicial Watch:

In responding to each of the 13 questions asked of her, Rice claimed 18 times that she “does not recall” critical information.

When asked to describe meetings or discussions about the events in Benghazi other than daily intelligence briefings, Rice said that she had discussions with friends and family, and “does not recall attending any meetings focused on the events in Benghazi between September 11, 2012 and September 16, 2012, other than attending a ceremony on September 14, 2012, at Joint Base Andrews … ” Rice said she believes she would have discussed the Benghazi attack with members of her UN staff, colleagues at the United Nations, and individuals in attendance at the ceremony on September 14, 2012, at Joint Base Andrews.

When asked why she used a non-government email accounts to conduct U.S. government business while U.S. Ambassador to the United States, Rice acknowledged using her personal email account, at times, to conduct official government business without answering the question why she used non-government email accounts.

Rice did not directly answer a question about deleting emails. Rather, Rice answered that “when emails related to U.S. government business were sent to [her] personal email account, [she] took steps to ensure that a copy of that email was also on her government email account.” and she “does not recall having need to review and return emails form any non-governmental email account.”

“Susan Rice didn’t recall much about the Obama administration’s response to the Benghazi terrorist attack,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “Similarly, Hillary Clinton couldn’t recall much in her written sworn responses to Judicial Watch questions – which is one reason why a federal court judge ordered her in-person deposition testimony.”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/08/susan-rice-admits-oath-emailed-hillary-clinton-clintons-private-email-system-claims-18-times-couldnt-recall-information/

Turkey – Libya – Egypt – Greece Maritime Dispute Fallout Continues

Turkey’s announcement that it will resume searching for oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean is “extremely worrying”, the EU said on Sunday. Turkey announced the decision after Greece and Egypt signed an agreement delineating their respective exclusive economic zones in the region, which include areas claimed by Turkey and Libya.

The discovery of vast gas reserves in the region in recent years has sparked a prospecting scramble by Greece, Turkey and Egypt as well as Cyprus and Israel. The dispute has become much more heated with the ongoing conflict in Libya, particularly after one of the two rival authorities in Libya (the Government of National Accord) signed a maritime agreement with Turkey that included areas claimed by Greece and Egypt.

In response, Egypt and Greece recently signed a maritime boundary agreement of their own last week purporting to define the respective countries’ exclusive economic zones. On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the resumption of oil and gas exploratory operations accusing Greece of failing to keep its promises.

The European Union has expressed its concern over the rapidly deteriorating situation.

“Latest naval mobilisations in eastern Mediterranean… will lead to a greater antagonism and distrust,” foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement on Sunday, calling the development “extremely worrying”.

“Maritime boundaries must be defined through dialogue and negotiations, not through unilateral actions and mobilisation of naval forces.”

Borrell added that “disputes must be solved in accordance with international law,” and said Brussels was “committed to help solving such disputes and disagreements in this area of vital security interest”.

The deal between Greece and Egypt aimed to establish maritime boundaries between the two countries and appeared to be a direct response to a similar accord reached last November between Turkey and the UN-recognised government in Libya.

The agreement considerably enlarged Turkey’s maritime territory and drew accusations from several countries, led by Greece, that Turkey was trying to assert its dominance in the region. LINK

In a related development, a spokesman for Egypt’s ​Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources said on Saturday that the new maritime border demarcation agreement with Greece would allow for more bids to be launched regarding oil and gas exploration in the Mediterranean.

During a phone-in with Ahmed Moussa’s TV show “Ala Massoulity” (By My Responsibility), Abdel-Aziz stated that had the borders not been demarcated, Egypt would not have been able to conduct oil exploration.

He explained that the border demarcation process provides a legal basis for the government to conduct exploratory activities in the zone and offer exploration permits to international consortiums, as occurred following the demarcation of maritime borders with Cyprus which led to the discovery of the Zohr field.

Egypt and Greece signed an agreement on Thursday to define an exclusive economic zone between them.

While the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that the agreement to demarcate the maritime borders between Egypt and Greece covers a region that is part of the Turkish continental shelf, and that the agreement is a violation of Libyan maritime rights as well, the UAE and Bahrain on Friday welcomed the agreement to demarcate the maritime borders between Egypt and Greece, establishing an exclusive economic zone between them. LINK

https://southfront.org/turkey-libya-egypt-greece-maritime-dispute-fallout-continues/

Leaked Documents Reveal What TikTok Shares with Authorities — in the U.S.

President Donald Trump’s executive order banning Americans from using TikTok is driven by concerns that the company might hand over user data to Chinese authorities. Recently hacked police documents reveal the nature of the company’s relationship to law enforcement — not in China but in the United States.

TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is headquartered in Beijing, where the government censors social media content and maintains other forms of influence over tech companies. But a glimpse at what TikTok does in the U.S. underscores that data privacy issues extend beyond China.

Documents published in the BlueLeaks trove, which was hacked by someone claiming a connection to Anonymous and published by the transparency collective Distributed Denial of Secrets, show the information that TikTok shared with U.S. law enforcement in dozens of cases. Experts familiar with law enforcement requests say that what TikTok collects and hands over is not significantly more than what companies like Amazon, Facebook, or Google regularly provide, but that’s because U.S. tech companies collect and hand over a lot of information.

The documents also reveal that two representatives with bytedance.com email addresses registered on the website of the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center, a fusion center that covers the Silicon Valley area.

And they show that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security actively monitored TikTok for signs of unrest during the George Floyd protests.

The number of requests for subscriber information that TikTok says it receives from law enforcement is significantly lower than what U.S. tech giants reportedly field, likely because police are more accustomed to using data from U.S. companies and apps in investigations. TikTok enumerates its requests from law enforcement in a biannual transparency report, the most recent of which says that for the last half of 2019, the company received 100 requests covering 107 accounts. It handed over information in 82 percent of cases. Facebook, by contrast, says it received a whopping 51,121 requests over the same period, and handed over at least some data in 88 percent of cases. A 2018 document found in BlueLeaks titled “Law Enforcement Technology Investigations Resource Guide” gives police details on how to obtain records from Musical.ly, which was acquired by ByteDance and merged into TikTok that year.

https://theintercept.com/2020/08/10/blueleaks-tiktok-law-enforcement-privacy/

Twitter BANS All Links To Video-Sharing Site BitChute

Twitter has banned all links to the video-sharing site BitChute, in another crackdown by Big Tech against alternative tech companies.

BitChute serves as an alternative platform to YouTube, where creators can upload their videos without the worry of censorship. However, this of course, can’t protect BitChute itself from being deplatformed from Big Tech sites, such as Twitter.

“It appears as if Twitter has started blocking all Tweets that contain BitChute videos,” the official BitChute account tweeted on Friday morning, encouraging Twitter users to try posting a tweet with any link to their site.

“In just 5 months BitChute has doubled its montly traffic from 15 million monthly visitors to 30 million monthly visitors,” the account continued. “Despite all obstacles Silicon Valley has placed in our way we have continued to grow and we will continue to grow.”

“Don’t let the authoritarians win,” they added.

It appears as if Twitter has started blocking all Tweets that contain Bitchute videos

Please test this and share your experience in the comments below

— BitChute (@bitchute) August 7, 2020

Consider also bookmarking the bitchute website or even setting it to your homepage. Don't let the authoritarians win

— BitChute (@bitchute) August 7, 2020

Many Twitter users then proceeded to post examples, including independent reporter Tim Pool. When trying to post a BitChute link, users would see an error message, claiming that “something went wrong, but don’t fret – let’s give it another shot.”

Another message sometimes also appears, saying that Twitter can’t complete the request “because this link has been identified by Twitter or our partners as being potentially harmful.”

Twitter seems to have blocked Bitchute

I tried a couple links, they did not work

cc @Styx666Official pic.twitter.com/YzeFWH0qpn

— Tim Pool (@Timcast) August 7, 2020

https://twitter.com/TLAVagabond/status/1291757254379798529

using a link shortener/redirection doesn't even work either pic.twitter.com/GajHMdlDqn

— Matt Christiansen (@MLChristiansen) August 7, 2020

This is what happens when I try to share a @bitchute link.

Tried 3 different harmless videos. Puppy, outdoors, family related. pic.twitter.com/n4hl3HQT6q

— 🇺🇸 RIP NFL 🇺🇸 (@ClintKane) August 7, 2020

In fact, the censorship is not limited to new links either. Previously tweeted BitChute links now have a warning that the link may be “unsafe.” The potential reasons given include “malicious links that could steal personal information; spammy links that mislead people or disrupt their experience; violent or misleading content that could lead to real-world harm.”

My past tweets have an unsafe warning but I can get there on old links. pic.twitter.com/xrTzj5qgjj

— Herbicat (@oesoes) August 7, 2020

Darren Beattie, a former speechwriter for President Trump, said that what Twitter had done amounts to a “Chinese Firewall” on BitChute. “Actual information is becoming a luxury in the ostensible ‘information age’,” Beattie continued. “The corrupt ruling class had to shut down the free and open internet. They had no other choice.”

Twitter has done a "Chinese Firewall" on Bitchute, a YouTube alternative that does not censor speech.

Actual information is becoming a luxury in the ostensible "information age"

The corrupt ruling class had to shut down the free and open internet. They had no other choice. https://t.co/8mPUmW5WeH

— Darren J. Beattie 🌐 (@DarrenJBeattie) August 7, 2020

Twitter has yet to respond to requests from BitChute about why the links are being blocked. This story will be updated if there is any comment.

https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/77699/twitter-bans-all-links-to-videosharing-site.html

War Crimes in Afghanistan Covered up by UK Ministry of Defence

The government has been caught out lying about evidence on the killing of civilians in Afghanistan by the elite Special Air Service (SAS).

Three years into a civil case in the High Court brought by Saiffulah Yar into the deaths of four family members at the hand of the SAS, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has finally handed over a tranche of e-mails and documents revealing official concerns about the killing of Afghan civilians. The MoD previously indicated it had no such documents.

The documents, written by SAS officers and military personnel, provide evidence of war crimes. They show that while the government claimed that there was no credible evidence about these events, the evidence had been sitting in Whitehall.

It is a damning confirmation of the criminality of the 2001 US-led invasion and occupation of Afghanistan that has led to more than 175,000 deaths, hundreds of thousands of wounded, and millions forced from their homes.

The intervention in Afghanistan, planned well in advance of the bombing of the twin towers in New York in 2001, was not launched to prosecute a “war on terrorism” but rather to project US military power into Central and South Asia. The US was intent on seizing control of a country bordering on the oil-rich former Soviet republics of the Caspian Basin, as well as China. The UK joined as a willing partner on behalf of its own oil corporations in this criminal venture.

The High Court has now ordered Ben Wallace, the Secretary of State for Defence, to explain why the ministry withheld evidence suggesting SAS soldiers executed 33 civilians in Afghanistan in early 2011. He has until November to reply. The MoD claimed it was not new evidence, as it had been reviewed by the official inquiry—Operation Northmoor—into allegations of civilian killings.

Saifullah brought the case against the MoD to discover what happened to his family and whether the case had been thoroughly investigated by the British authorities. His father, two brothers, and a cousin were killed during a raid on his family’s home in Qala-e-Bost, east of Lashkar Gah in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, under British occupation in 2011.

After the raid, Saifullah, who was 16 at the time, found his father, Haji Abdul Kaliq, 55, two brothers, Sadam, 23, and Atullah, 25, and a cousin shot dead. One of his brothers and his father had been handcuffed and hooded before being shot as they lay face down on the ground. Royal Military Police (RMP) officers had arrived at his family’s compound by helicopter and handcuffed and fingerprinted him, along with the other male members of his family, before he was taken to a barn with the women and children, where they were guarded by soldiers during the raid. He denies that his family had any weapons or were connected to the Taliban, the ostensible cause of the raid.

https://www.globalresearch.ca/war-crimes-afghanistan-covered-uk-ministry-of-defence/5720639

“DON’T PULL YOUR COMMUNIST BULLSHIT ON ME!” Anti-Mask Tirade Video Goes Viral

LONG ISLAND — A woman without a face mask threatened to “beat the shit” out of a supermarket employee after she was asked to put on her mask over the weekend. The incident happened at the King Kullen in Massapequa.

https://breaking911.com/dont-pull-your-communist-bullshit-on-me-anti-mask-tirade-video-goes-viral/

Breakthrough Technology Purifies Water Using the Power of Sunlight

A global research team has been able to transform brackish water and seawater into safe, clean drinking water in less than 30 minutes using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and sunlight.

In a discovery that could provide potable water for millions of people across the world, researchers were not only able to filter harmful particles from water and generate 139.5L of clean water per kilogram of MOF per day, but also perform this task in a more energy-efficient manner than current desalination practices.

The World Health Organization suggests good quality drinking water should have a total dissolved solid (TDS) of <600 parts per million (ppm). Researchers were able to achieve a TDS of <500 ppm in just 30 minutes and regenerate the MOF for reuse in four minutes under sunlight.

This world-first research was published in the prestigious journal Nature Sustainability.

Lead author Professor Huanting Wang from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Monash University in Australia, said this work opened up a new direction for designing stimuli-responsive materials for energy-efficient and sustainable desalination and water purification.

“Desalination has been used to address escalating water shortages globally. Due to the availability of brackish water and seawater, and because desalination processes are reliable, treated water can be integrated within existing aquatic systems with minimal health risks,” Professor Wang said.

“But, thermal desalination processes by evaporation are energy-intensive, and other technologies, such as reverse osmosis, has a number of drawbacks, including high energy consumption and chemical usage in membrane cleaning and dechlorination.

“Sunlight is the most abundant and renewable source of energy on Earth. Our development of a new adsorbent-based desalination process through the use of sunlight for regeneration provides an energy-efficient and environmentally-sustainable solution for desalination.”

Metal-organic frameworks are a class of compounds consisting of metal ions that form a crystalline material with the largest surface area of any material known. In fact, MOFs are so porous that they can fit the entire surface of a football field in a teaspoon.

The research team created a dedicated MOF called PSP-MIL-53. This was synthesised by introducing poly(spiropyran acrylate) (PSP) into the pores of MIL-53 – a specialised MOF well-known for its breathing effects and transitions upon the adsorption of molecules such as water and carbon dioxide.

https://www.naturalblaze.com/2020/08/breakthrough-technology-purifies-water-using-the-power-of-sunlight.html

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