Judicial Watch Uncovers the Cost of Travel Expenses for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s LAPD Security Detail

Judicial Watch announced today that it obtained the details of the travel expenses of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) security detail from fiscal years (FY) 2015 – 2018. Over the four-year period, $438,195.06 of taxpayer money was spent on their flights, lodging, meals and incidentals. These costs do not account for salaries and potential overtime.

This information was obtained from a California Public Records Act (CPRA) request seeking:

Any and all record concerning, regarding, or relating to monetary expenses of the Mayor’s security detail;

Every fiscal year budget of the Mayor’s security detail;

Any records and communications concerning, regarding, or relating to the Mayor’s security between the LAPD and the following entities:

The Office of the Mayor;

The California Fraternal Order of Police.

The timeframe of the records was July 1, 2013, to present.

The security detail travel expenses from FY 2015-2018 break down as follows:

Total Cost: $438,195.06

Airfare: $154,077.27

Lodging and Car Rentals: $132,516.87

Meals and Incidentals: $54,063.66

Specific International trip costs:

$16,408.81 to Paris

$5,525.47 to Aukland, New Zealand

$6,996.48 to Beijing

$22,270.16 to Rio de Janeiro

$4,842.52 to Doha, Qatar

$2,895.61 to Mexico City

$9,163.79 to Aarhus, Denmark

$10,712.44 to Berlin

$8,145.91 to Lausanne, Switzerland

$2,185.20 to Lima, Peru

$9,437.12 to Paris

On June 3, 2020, Fox News reported that Mayor Garcetti said, “that he tasked the city to ‘identify $250 million in cuts’” from the police department budget. Adding that, “Garcetti said it is incumbent on the city to ‘step up and say, “What can we sacrifice?’”

On June 3, 2020, The Los Angeles Times reported that in response to Mayor Garcetti’s request, Los Angeles officials stated that, “they will look to cut $100 million to $150 million from the city’s police budget as part of a broader effort to reinvest more dollars into the black community.”

On November 2, 2018, The Los Angeles Times also uncovered and reported that, “Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s security detail has racked up nearly $450,000 in travel costs since 2015 as Garcetti visited other parts of the United States and foreign countries …” According to the Times, Garcetti’s travel was intended, “to bolster his national profile ahead of a possible presidential run …”

“Mayor Garcetti would defund the police and weaken police protection for citizens while personally benefitting from police protection as mayor on junkets abroad,” stated Judicial Watch Tom Fitton.

https://www.judicialwatch.org/press-releases/garcetti-travel-expenses/

Ten experts on a NIH COVID-19 panel have ties to companies involved in coronavirus treatment

Eight members of NIH's COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel list financial ties to Gilead Sciences, whose COVID-19 drug remdesivir has been touted by Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Members of the National Institutes of Health's COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel have financial ties to a company behind clinical trials of a drug to treat coronavirus, as well as to another large pharmaceutical company involved with developing a COVID-19 vaccine.

According to the NIH, members of the panel include U.S. physicians, statisticians, and other experts who are developing treatment guidelines on COVID-19 "intended for healthcare providers."

A total of eight panel members list a financial relationship with Gilead Sciences on the panel's Financial Disclosure for Companies Related to COVID-19 Treatment or Diagnostics document: Judith Aberg, MD, Adaora Adimora, MD, Jason Baker, MD, Roger Bedimo, MD, Eric Daar, MD, David V. Glidden, PhD, Susanna Naggie, MD, and Pablo Tebas, MD.

The U.S. has reportedly bought almost all of Gilead Sciences' supply of the COVID-19 drug remdesivir. The company announced on June 1 the results of a phase 3 clinical trial of the drug in patients with moderate COVID-19.

On Monday, Gilead applied for FDA approval of remdesivir, which has been available for emergency use with patients hospitalized with severe cases of COVID-19.

"The data shows that remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), announced back on April 29 in an interview with NBC News, citing results of a large international study sponsored by his NIAID.

"And all of the other trials that are taking place now have a new standard of care," said Fauci.

Dr. William O'Neill, a cardiologist and Medical Director at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Mich., told Just the News contributor Sharyl Attkisson in an interview for her news program "Full Measure" that he is less impressed with remdesivir.

"There is a lot of hype for the drug," said O'Neil, adding that he sees "no big benefit" to remdesivir after reading medical journal reports on it.

Andrew T. Pavia, MD and Rajesh Gandhi, MD list Merck on the NIH disclosure form.

Merck is currently conducting clinical trials for a COVID-19 vaccine. Merck's target date for a licensed COVID-19 vaccine is early 2021, according to recent congressional testimony.

The COVID-19 treatment guidelines are "based on published and preliminary data and the clinical expertise of the panelists, many of whom are frontline clinicians caring for patients during the rapidly evolving pandemic."

Fauci is not listed on the NIH financial disclosure form.

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/coronavirus/ten-experts-nih-covid-19-panel-have-ties-companies-involved-coronavirus

Netanyahu, Ashkenazi hint Hezbollah behind Beirut blast

UNIFIL is a ‘half-empty vessel,’ Foreign Minister Ashkenazi warns ahead of UNSC discussion of renewing its mandate.

The massive explosion in Beirut shows Hezbollah uses of Lebanese civilians and cities to cover for their terrorist actions, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi told 12 ambassadors of UN Security Council member states at Israel’s northern border on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ashkenazi tied the massive explosion in Beirut to Hezbollah’s weapon stores in civilian areas of Lebanon.

Netanyahu spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, saying: “In order to avoid disasters like the one at the Beirut Port, we have to confiscate the explosives and missiles that Hezbollah has hidden in civilian population centers in Lebanon.”

It would be a “big mistake” for Hezbollah to try to distract from the situation in Lebanon by attacking Israel, the prime minister added.

Netanyahu also praised Macron’s leadership on the international response to the Beirut blast, repeating Israel’s offer to provide humanitarian aid.

Ashkenazi made thinly-veiled hints that the Iranian-backed terror group was responsible for the blast and that the 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored at the Beirut Port may have belonged to the terrorist organization. Israel has long held that Hezbollah controlled the port.

“Israel cannot remain apathetic to Hezbollah’s attempts to harm Israeli sovereignty and citizens,” Ashkenazi warned 12 ambassadors of UN Security Council member states at Israel’s northern border on Tuesday.

“Hezbollah is acting in urban and populated territories and using Lebanese citizens as human shields as we saw in the unfortunate event last week, in which hundreds of innocent Lebanese civilians were injured,” he said.

Lebanon’s political instability allowed Hezbollah to take over “practically the whole country,” he added.

“Iran has taken Lebanon hostage through Hezbollah,” he said.

Ashkenazi also repeated the offer of humanitarian aid, saying Israel is still prepared to send equipment to Lebanon or treat injured people in Israel.

The foreign minister spoke with the ambassadors hours before a UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday to discuss the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), ahead of an expected renewal of its mandate this month.

“Israel supports a mandate that will strengthen UNIFIL’s mandate to effectively perform its tasks,” Ashkenazi said. “Otherwise, the mandate is a half-empty vessel.”

https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/fm-ashkenazi-israel-supports-strengthened-unifil-mandate-638232

The Future is 'Clear', And It's Dystopian: Virus Hype Ushers in a Covid-1984 Nightmare of Restricted Access

Clear's new Health Pass and other 'Covid hi-tech innovations' are a stark warning of how the globalist 'New Normal' being mapped out will operate. Access to travel, sport & restaurants may be barred for all who refuse to comply.

"Originally launched in May, Health Pass is an extension of Clear's mobile app. The service links COVID-19 related data like a health questionnaire and temperature check to assess whether someone is healthy enough to enter a certain venue. Additionally, the app has the capability to link COVID-19 test results through partnerships with labs, and eventually vaccination status."

That's how Condé Nast Traveller described the latest piece of technology by the biometric ID company Clear, which will help the authorities determine who will, and who will not, be allowed to go to the ball.

Apartheid may have officially ended in South Africa almost 30 years ago, but it is coming back big-time in countries that pride themselves on their commitment to 'human rights.' Only, this time, it won't be people's color that will determine what they can and cannot do, but their digital 'Health Pass.' Don't want to get tested or vaccinated for coronavirus? Then just stay at home, old bean. It's your 'choice.' The fact that a large percentage of the elderly don't have smart phones and so can't download apps doesn't matter. Age discrimination, and discrimination against the disabled, is a key element of the coronavirus 'New Normal.'

It's likely that the World Economic Forum (WEF) will be very excited by Clear's work. The hardcore globalist organization has been promoting on Twitter a 'Covid-Pass' app, due to launch in September, that could "revive global travel and large events during the pandemic."

https://www.sott.net/article/439420-The-Future-is-Clear-And-Its-Dystopian-Virus-Hype-Ushers-in-a-Covid-1984-Nightmare-of-Restricted-Access

White House: $400 per Week Unemployment Benefits Starting in About 2 Weeks

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the $400 weekly unemployment benefit payment, authorized under President Donald Trump’s recent executive action, will be distributed within several weeks.

Trump on Saturday issued an executive order to continue the expanded federal payments, which include $300 in federal money and $100 in state money.

On Monday, Mnuchin said in a late evening press conference that the payments could be expected “within a week or two.” A reporter was asking questions to him and President Trump in the briefing.

“Within the next week or two, most of the states will be able to execute,” he said in full.

And on Tuesday, White House adviser Larry Kudlow, who is in charge of the National Economic Council, told Fox News that the payments will be sent out in about two weeks.

The federal unemployment payments of $600 per week were discontinued on July 31, while Congress has remained deadlocked in talks on a forthcoming measure. Top Democrats have said that they want to see those benefits continue until early next year, while Republican Senators sought to pay $200 per week.

“The baseline of unemployment from states is roughly $400 per person per week, that’s the median. On top of that, the federal government is going to put in $300. … We will work with [governors] if there’s any complications,” Kudlow said.

Kudlow stipulated that other Democrat-proposed measures “too high,” adding that “a third of it has nothing to do with COVID-19,” referring to the House-passed HEROES Act. “That needs to be stripped out. That’s Democratic left-wing wish list, take that out, chop their number down.”

Some governors this week said they are not receptive to the White House’s plan on unemployment.

“We started with a $30 billion hole, and your solution [will] cost me another $4 billion? Thank you,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) told a press conference. “That’s handing the drowning man an anchor. Hold on to this.”

https://www.theepochtimes.com/white-house-400-per-week-unemployment-benefits-starting-in-about-2-weeks_3457867.html

Bezos, Dimon Other CEOs Pledge To Hire 100,000 Minority Workers In New York

The Council will also sponsor apprenticeships for 25,000 students at CUNY

New York City’s jobless rate was 20.4% as of June.

Blacks, Hispanics have suffered the most from the pandemic

A group of 27 chief executive officers, including Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Jeff Bezos of Amazon (AMZN), Satya Nadella of Microsoft (MSFT) and Arvind Krishna of IBM (IBM) have promised to hire 100,000 “traditionally underserved” minority New Yorkers over the next decade.

The pledge is part of new program called the New York Jobs CEO Council, which will “collaborate with educational institutions, community organizations and nonprofits to hire skilled workers, meet employer needs and connect New Yorkers – with a focus on low-income and Black, Latinx and Asian communities – with the skills that they need for today's and tomorrow's workplace.”

The Council will also sponsor apprenticeships for 25,000 students at City University of New York, or CUNY.

"Access to quality education and training for in-demand jobs is key to creating economic opportunity for youth and workers in New York," said Council leader Gail Mellow, a former president of LaGuardia Community College. "Our mission is to ensure people in New York's most vulnerable communities can access the skills that they need to pursue promising career pathways and benefit from the city's economic recovery."

New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said: "The COVID crisis highlighted a sad societal truth: underserved communities too often pay the highest price, and as we work to build back better from this virus, New York is confronting this injustice head on. The new initiative will play an important role [in] connecting underserved communities with career resources and access to New York's world-class educational institutions, helping ensure economic prosperity is a dream anyone can realize, no matter their zip code."

Bloomberg reported that lower income New Yorkers – particularly Blacks and Hispanics – have been more heavily exposed to the pandemic as they tend to work in service jobs requiring close contact with others.

Dimon said of the initiative: "Many New Yorkers are stuck in low-paying jobs that could be lost in the future or are struggling to navigate the labor market as the COVID-19 crisis has further exacerbated the economic inequities in the city. As companies with a long-standing commitment to the New York area and its residents, we are using our collective power to prepare the city's workforce with the skills of the future.”

Krishna said the Council will create “much-needed economic opportunities for New Yorkers in diverse and underserved communities.”

According to the New York State Labor Department, as of June 2020, the statewide unemployment rate was 15.7% and New York City’s jobless rate was 20.4%.

https://www.ibtimes.com/bezos-dimon-other-ceos-pledge-hire-100000-minority-workers-new-york-3026421

Amy McGrath Habitually Failed to Pay Property Taxes

Local authorities fined Kentucky Dem for back taxes six times in five years

Kentucky Democratic Senate nominee Amy McGrath was penalized for delinquent property tax payments on her Virginia home six times in five years, local real estate records show.

McGrath and her husband purchased a $739,000 home in Alexandria, Va., in November 2010. According to the city's real estate assessment office, the couple was up to five months late on six semi-annual property tax payments between November 2011 and October 2016, garnering fines of about $500 for the delinquent payments.

McGrath sold the home for $835,000—a $96,000 profit—in October 2016 to move to Kentucky and challenge GOP congressman Andy Barr. She lost to the Kentucky Republican by nearly 10,000 votes in 2018 despite outspending Barr by more than $2.5 million in a Democratic wave election.

The McGrath campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the delinquent payments.

While many homeowners pay property taxes out of an escrow account managed by their mortgage lender, escrow is not required if the owner holds at least 20 percent equity in their home. McGrath received a loan for $591,200—80 percent of the Alexandria home's sale price—in 2010, meaning she was eligible to waive the escrow account and make property tax payments on her own.

McGrath narrowly emerged from the state's Democratic Senate primary in June, defeating progressive state legislator Charles Booker by fewer than 3 points. She spent nearly $30 million on the primary while Booker spent just $4.2 million.

Booker endorsed McGrath on Friday, more than a month after the primary result was finalized on June 30. While McGrath has acknowledged the need to win over Booker's progressive base to defeat Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R.), the state legislator's support did not come without criticism. In his statement endorsing McGrath, Booker "urged her to authentically listen to and lift up the people of Kentucky," assuring progressives that he would not give McGrath "a pass to maintain the status quo." He did not explicitly urge his supporters to vote for McGrath, instead asking them to give her a "chance to earn your vote."

"I hope everyone who supported my campaign joins me in earnestly engaging Amy's campaign and giving her the chance to earn your vote," Booker said in a statement.

McGrath's bid to unseat McConnell has further cemented her status as a strong national fundraiser with limited local appeal. An August 6 Quinnipiac University poll found that just 32 percent of Kentucky voters view the Democrat favorably. In addition, just 17 percent of McGrath voters said they support her "mainly because [they] like Amy McGrath." Just 3.5 percent of McGrath's campaign cash comes from within Kentucky, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

https://freebeacon.com/2020-election/amy-mcgrath-habitually-failed-to-pay-property-taxes/

Ajo Border Patrol agent arrested and charged with drug trafficking

TUCSON, Ariz. – A Buckeye, Arizona, man was arrested Sunday on multiple counts of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. The charges resulted from an investigation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Southern Arizona Corruption Task Force, significantly assisted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, NATIVE Task Force in Sells, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Carlos Victor Passapera Pinott, 53, was charged by complaint, and had his initial appearance Monday before United States Magistrate Judge Leslie A. Bowman of the District of Arizona.

According to the complaint, Passapera is a U.S. Border Patrol agent assigned to the Tucson Sector Ajo Border Patrol Station. On Aug. 9, at approximately 3:15 a.m., Passapera left his residence and drove south to a remote area of the border west of the Lukeville Port of Entry. Passapera then drove to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, where he loaded two duffel bags into another vehicle. Law enforcement agents stopped the driver of that vehicle after it left the airport, and searched the duffel bags. The bags contained multiple packages of substances that field tested positive for the characteristics of cocaine (21 kilograms), heroin (1 kilogram), and fentanyl (1 kilogram). The bags also contained approximately 350,000 pills. A sample from the pills field tested positive for the characteristics of fentanyl.

Law enforcement agents took Passapera into custody later that day while executing a search warrant at his residence. During the search, agents found approximately $329,000 in U.S. currency in Passapera’s residence, and an additional $40,000 in the vehicle Passapera used to transport the illegal narcotics.

Convictions for conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances carry a maximum penalty of life in prison, a mandatory minimum penalty of ten years, and up to a $10,000,000 fine.

A criminal complaint is simply the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The Public Integrity Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tucson is handling the prosecution

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ajo-border-patrol-agent-arrested-and-charged-drug-trafficking

Media Attacks Trump Campaign Lawyer for 'Misgendering' Pennsylvania's Health Secretary

Back in May, a Pittsburg radio station received heavy criticism after reporter Marty Griffin called Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine “sir” at least three times during a media conference call.

Dr. Levine, who is biologically male but transitioned several years ago, was aghast.

“Please don’t misgender me,” Levine told Griffin, telling him it was “really insulting.” Liberal virtue-signalers predictably expressed outrage that Griffin dared to think that the obviously male-sounding Levine was a “sir.”

On Monday, Jenna Ellis, a senior legal adviser to President Trump’s campaign, referenced Levine in a tweet that read: “This guy is making decisions about your health.”

Once again, the left-wing outrage mob came out in full force to defend Levine, who is, according to The Hill, one of only a handful of openly transgender public officials in the United States.

Changing one’s sex is biologically impossible. The World Health Organization considered transgenderism a mental illness until 2018; political correctness forced them to change their position. Gender in humans and most other mammals is determined by sex chromosomes. Females have two X chromosomes, while males have an X and Y chromosome. Plastic surgery and hormone treatments do not change one’s sex chromosomes.

Nevertheless, the left attempts to bully those who don’t believe that changing one’s gender is possible by calling them bigots and accusing them of committing hate crimes.

“Jenna Ellis is a bigot and Dr. Levine is a patriot — plain and simple,” said Alphonso David, the president of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) said in a statement. “Dr. Levine illustrates character and patriotism while Ellis cannot even define those terms.”

Undeterred by the attacks, Ellis told The Hill that the Human Rights Campaign “thinks it can define character and patriotism while it apparently can’t even define male and female.”

Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel responded to the so-called controversy by posting a screenshot of her tweet next to a photo of a “Trump Pride 2020” shirt.

“I have a lot of pride too that Donald Trump is your President! Great shirt,” Ellis tweeted in response. Mic drop!

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/matt-margolis/2020/08/11/media-attacks-trump-campaign-advisor-for-misgendering-pennsylvanias-health-secretary-n774928

China's Military Ordered "Not To Fire First Shot" In Any Stand-Off With US Forces

At a moment of increasingly dangerous military flexing both over Taiwan and in the South China Sea, the People's Liberation Army has reportedly been ordered “not to fire the first shot” in any potential confrontation with the United States. It suggests this emerging 'new Cold War' scenario could turn hot at any moment.

The South China Morning Post broke news of the standing military orders on Tuesday based on unnamed sources: China has told its service personnel “not to fire the first shot” as Beijing looks to de-escalate tensions with the United States in the South China Sea, it reports.

Further SCMP cites that "The sources said Beijing had ordered pilots and naval officers to exercise restraint in the increasingly frequent stand-offs with US planes and warships."

Word of the military order from Beijing constitutes perhaps the clearest evidence thus far that China envisions a likely future scenario where the two sides 'easily' stumble toward war through some kind of unplanned live-fire incident.

This summer the US has kept up a record daily number of flights and operations over and near the contested South China Sea. As we reported previously, a Beijing-based think tank counted over 50 sorties by US military aircraft in the region in the first three weeks of last month.

“At the moment the US military is sending three to five reconnaissance aircraft each day to the South China Sea,” the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI) described of July flyovers.

This prompted China’s Defense Minister Wei Fenghe and his US counterpart Mark Esper to hold urgent "crunch talks" — as SCMP earlier described the last Friday phone call, hoping to establish de-escalation procedures in the case of an active event, particularly a direct military hotline.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/chinas-pla-military-ordered-not-fire-first-shot-any-stand-us-forces

Greek Coast Guard Opened Fire At Turkish Boat In Aegean Sea

On August 11, the Greek Coast Guard opened fire at a Turkish boat off the island of Rhodes in the Aegean Sea. According to the Turkish side, two Turkish and one Syrian nationals were injured and the boat sank due to the attack.

The incident took place at 0040GMT in the Greek waters. The injured people were taken to the Marmaris State Hospital by the Turkish rescue team, it added.

Tensions in the region are on the rise due to the Turkish exploration and drilling activities of the hydrocarbon sources in the Mediterranean Sea.

Earlier, Turkey sent a ship to conduct a seismic survey in a disputed area of the eastern Mediterranean. Ankara is conducting the search for potentially rich oil and gas deposits south of the Greek island of Kastellorizo.

The Oruc Reis is accompanied by two auxiliary vessels and this mission goes contrary to the Greek-Egyptian gas exploration deal. The Greek said described the situation as a “new serious escalation” which “exposed” Turkey’s “destabilising role”.

https://southfront.org/greek-coast-guard-opened-fire-at-turkish-boat-in-aegean-sea/

What If Beirut Port Explosion Was Attack?

On August 11, 3 Israeli battle tanks crossed a technical fence on the Israeli-Lebanese contact line, the official Lebanese News Agency reported.

According to the Lebanese side, Israeli forces broke through the technical fence in the town of Mays al-Jabal and at least one of the battle tanks fired a phosphorous bomb was fired by one of the tanks.

Later, the battle tanks withdrew from the area. No casualties were reported.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) did not comment on the incident. The technical fence is an Israeli constructed fence along the 79 km contact line between Lebanese and Israeli forces.

In the recent weeks, tensions between Israel and Hezbollah/Iran were especially high on the Lebanese-Israeli contact line and in the Israeli-occupied area of the Syrian Golan Heights. The IDF announced that it had deployed additional forces there and several times threatened Hezbollah with strikes inside Lebanon. An earlier Israeli strike also killed a Hezbollah member in Syria.

The August 4 explosion in Beirut port contributed to even further escalation of tensions in the region. The Beirut explosion, that left more than 200 dead and 6,000 injured, caused a deep political and social crisis in Lebanon. While the official version is still that it was a result of the accident with poorly stored 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate, the version about some ‘attack’ or ‘sbotage act’ in Beirut has been becoming more and more popular. Probably, the most interesting fact is that this version is supported by the United States on the highest level.

US President Donald Trump was among first to say that the Beirut explosion may have been a result of the attack. Trump described the incident as a “terrible attack.”

“It would seem like it based on the explosion,” Trump said. “I’ve met with some of our great generals and they just seem to feel that it was not a — some kind of manufacturing explosion type of event. This was a… seems to be according to them, they would know better than I would, but they seem to think it was an attack. It was a bomb of some kind.”

Later, Defense Secretary Mark Esper also confirmed that the United States is considering this version.

“The bottom line is we still don’t know” what caused the explosion, Esper told Fox News. “On the first day, as President Trump rightly said, we thought it might have been an attack, some of us speculated it could have been, for example, a Hezbollah arms shipment that blew up, maybe a Hezbollah bomb making facility, who knows?”

This stance of the United States contributed to the speculations with both pro-Iranian/Hezbollah and pro-Israeli sources accusing each others of the tragedy. According to the Israeli version of the events, the explosion may have been caused by some incident at a Hezbollah weapon depot that triggered a larger explosion of ammonium nitrate. In own turn, pro-Iranian sources even accused Israel of conducting a missile or sabotage attack that resulted in the August 4 tragedy.

https://southfront.org/what-if-beirut-port-explosion-was-attack/

DOJ Lawyers Hint At Explosive New Evidence That Led Barr To Drop Charges Against Michael Flynn

Michael Flynn’s case took center stage again Tuesday, as his attorney Sidney Powell argued to the D.C. Circuit Court that dismissing the case against her client is the judicial and appropriate legal action to take since Justice Department prosecutors had asked for the case to be dismissed.

Stunningly, it appears that there is more evidence that has not been made public in the case of Flynn that led the Department of Justice and Attorney General William Barr to request that the charges be dropped. For Powell and Flynn the news of new evidence supporting his innocence is significant.

It has been a tumultuous battle over the past year against Judge Emmet G. Sullivan, who has been fighting against the DOJ’s decision to drop the charges against the three-star general, who once served under President Obama as his director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Powell has been arguing all year that Sullivan’s actions teeter on extreme bias against her client and she has also stated that his actions, which have prolonged the case against Flynn, are unjustified.

The Justice Department attorney Jeffery Wall, along with Powell argued and answered questions of the panel that was grilling them on all the details of the case. It was during the trial that Wall hinted at the new evidence in support of Flynn.

He told the judges that Barr’s decision to drop the charges against Flynn, were in part, due to information that the DOJ hasn’t yet shared with the public. Wall said “the Attorney General sees this in the context of nonpublic information from other investigations.”

“It may be possible that the attorney general had before him information that he was not able to share with the court and so what we put in front of the court were the reasons that we could, but it may not be the whole picture available to the executive branch,” he added. “The attorney general made that decision or that judgment on the basis of lots of information. Some of it is public and fleshed out in the motion. Some of it is not.”

The hint at more evidence and information obtained by Barr in Flynn’s case is not surprising as the Justice Department has its own ongoing investigation into the FBI’s alleged malfeasance in the handling of Flynn’s case and that of its investigation into President Donald Trump’s campaign.

Wall did not reveal what the information might be but it may have something to do with the ongoing investigations at the Justice Department.

These Justice Department investigations are separate but concurrent with the current trial against Flynn that was instigated by the same culprits in the FBI. Sullivan’s handling of the case before his court has been consistently criticized by Flynn’s supporters, who view the charges against him as concocted.

Powell, who has been fighting for Flynn’s freedom since taking over his case last year, told the 10 panel judge court that her client is guaranteed by the Constitution a fair and speedy trial. His trial has been nothing of the sort, she argued, as Sullivan, who is overseeing his case has failed to adhere to the Justice Department’s request to dismiss the case against her client.

“Gen. Flynn is a defendant without a prosecutor,” Powell told the court. She stressed to the judges that it’s the DOJ that determines whether or not to prosecute a case, not the judge that is supposed to be ‘by law’ impartial.

She also argued that Sullivan’s “court can’t continue a prosecution on its own.”

https://saraacarter.com/doj-lawyers-reveal-explosive-news-of-possible-evidence-that-led-barr-to-drop-charges-against-michael-flynn/

The Brookings Hand Behind Russiagate Points Back to Rhodes Trust Coup on America

An incredible report on Real Clear Politics by Paul Sperry on July 24 has revealed a new dimension to the Russiagate frenzy that contaminated American politics for the last four years. While all claims of Russian collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin have been thoroughly debunked over recent months, it was believed that the culprits of this coup effort were merely swaths of deep state operatives in the DNC alongside British Intelligence assets like Christopher Steele, and Sir Richard Dearlove.

All of these things are still very true, but the story has just become significantly more interesting.

As investigative journalist Paul Sperry rigorously lays out in his report, a major piece of the Russiagate puzzle was revealed when it became known that the primary source used by Christopher Steele in shaping his dodgy dossier was not the high level Kremlin insider which the world was told, but rather a former Brookings Institute employee named Igor Danchenko.

This young Russian-born analyst who hadn’t been to Russia in decades admitted to the FBI in January 2017 that he had no contacts with any notable Russian operatives anywhere near the Kremlin (or even Russia itself it seems), and was totally confused when he was asked why he believed Steele hired him to put together an intelligence dossier on Trump in the first place!

Such admissions didn’t seem to bother the FBI at this time, who ignored the evidence of the dossier’s fraudulent foundations and proceeded to use the Steele/Danchenko material to acquire FISA warrants on Carter Page. This dossier also fueled the fires of the Russiagate inquisition and first gave voice to the narrative that Russia “hacked” the DNC emails (which have been completely refuted by former NSA insider Bill Binney).

The firestorm of revelations surrounding the Brookings Institute, have induced Rep. Devin Nunes to announce a long-awaited probe on the powerful liberal think tank which has acted as a controlling force in America’s deep state for decades and the powerful figure of the Institute’s former president Strobe Talbott.

Nunes stated:

“You may remember that the State Department was involved and there were additional dossiers that weren’t the Steele dossier- except that they mirrored the Steele dossier. And we think there is a connection between the [former] president of Brookings and those dossiers that were given to the State Department.”

Strobe Talbott not only led Brookings for years, but served as former Deputy Secretary of State of the Clinton White House, former director of the Council on Foreign Relations, was a member of the Trilateral Commissions executive committee and also acted as Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Policy Board of the Obama White House. It was Talbott who deployed Danchenko’s Brookings Institute mentor Fiona Hill to acquire a job at the National Security Council in 2017 where she not only advanced an anti-Russian war plan but testified in Trump’s impeachment trial in 2019.

https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2020/08/10/the-brookings-hand-behind-russiagate-points-back-to-rhodes-trust-coup-on-america/

3 Military Members Among 9 Charged In Child Prostitution Sting In Texas

KILLEEN, Texas — On Saturday, August 8, 2020, the Killeen Police Department Special Victim’s Unit in partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety Human Trafficking Program, concluded a two-day child prostitution sting. The overall goal of this joint effort was to locate and arrest subjects who were willing to make overt efforts to pay minors to engage in sexual acts. During this operation nine suspects, three of whom are military, contacted officers through various social media platforms and made agreements for sexual acts with girls they believed were 15 or 16 years of age. These agreements were for fees that included money, drugs, and/or alcohol. The suspects were apprehended without incident when they arrived at a predetermined location.

The operation concluded with seven felony prostitution charges, two misdemeanor prostitution charges, and two guns were confiscated.

Anthony Xavier Antwon, 25, of Fort Hood, Felony Prostitution under 18

Javier Perez, 40, of Austin, Felony Prostitution under 18

Brian Harley Flynn, 21, of Temple, Felony Prostitution under 18

Brandon Anthony Lee, 25, of Killeen, Felony Prostitution under 18

Dustin Edward Johnson, 42, of Lott, Felony Prostitution under 18

Timmy Jones Jr., 30, of Fort Hood, Felony Prostitution under 18

Shaun Paul Moore, 39, of Kempner, Felony Prostitution under 18

Rakeem Jamal Nelson, 28, of Killeen, Class A Prostitution

Pierre Jean, 32, of Killeen, Class A Prostitution

https://breaking911.com/3-military-members-among-9-charged-in-child-prostitution-sting-in-texas/

Massachusetts Police Chief “Thoroughly Investigating, Hurtful” Vandalism To BLM Signage

Arlington, Mass — Police Chief Julie Flaherty reports that the Arlington Police Department responded to, and are actively investigating, four incidents of malicious vandalism across Arlington aimed at Black Lives Matter signage.

All four incidents were reported the morning of Monday August 10th and originated at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington, Cavalry Church, and at two private residences in East Arlington. At the First Parish UU, the Black Lives Matter banner was altered to read ALL Lives Matter. At the Cavalry Church two ”Black Lives Matter” signs and one mural were destroyed. At one private residence a KKK sticker was affixed to a ”Black Lives Matter” lawn sign and at another the same KKK sticker was stuck to a ”Hate Has no Home Here” lawn sign. In both cases the sticker depicts a Klansman wearing a white robe and mask on a horse with a torch.

“We are thoroughly investigating these incidents,” said Chief Flaherty. “The hurtful messages far outweigh the physical damage done and underscore the work that needs to be done to make Arlington a truly supportive and welcoming town.”

While these incidents took place in the last couple days, over the course of the last few weeks a number of Black Lives Matter signs have been stolen, egged, and vandalized, including the banner at the High School.

“The Arlington Human Rights Commission is appalled at this pattern of racist destruction, defacement, and vandalism,” said Sharon Grossman and Kristen Bauer, Arlington Human Rights Commission Co-Chairs. “The Commission has formed a working group to explore responses and ways to support the community.”

“The Board is extremely disappointed to see these acts of vandalism,” said John Hurd, Arlington Select Board Chair. “It is a painful reminder that racism exists in Arlington and reinforces the Town’s commitment to further promote diversity, equity and inclusion in Town. We appreciate the work the Arlington Police Department investigating this matter.”

“These acts of vandalism and attacks on free speech are unacceptable,” said Sandy Pooler, Acting Town Manager. “The Town supports Black Lives Matter and all those who express those sentiments.”

https://breaking911.com/massachusetts-police-chief-thoroughly-investigating-hurtful-vandalism-to-blm-signage/

“The CIA Simulated UFO Abductions In Latin America As Psychological Warfare Experiments” – Dr. Jacques Vallée

The Facts:

In his book, "Forbidden Science 4," Dr. Jacques Valle explains how he came in possession documents showing that forced "UFO abductions" were conducted by the CIA as psychological warfare experiments.

Reflect On:

What type of technology would the CIA have to have in order to pull something like this off?

The picture you see above is of Joseph Allen Hynek, American astronomer, professor, and ufologist. Hynek acted as scientific advisor to UFO studies undertaken by the U.S. Air Force under three consecutive projects: Project Sign (1947–1949), Project Grudge (1949–1952), and Project Blue Book (1952–1969). The man standing next to him is Dr. Jacques Vallee, more on him below.

Throughout history, the field of ufology and the examination of the extraterrestrial hypothesis has, without a doubt, been overcome with a plethora of disinformation. Those who have dived into the depths of ufology know this best, as it’s well documented that ‘outsiders’ from intelligence agencies and governments have infiltrated the field for the purposes of deceiving researchers and people who are interested in the topic for one simple reason, to keep them away from the truth. On top of these disinformation campaigns, which still seem to be in operation today, there has long been an “official campaign of ridicule and secrecy” (Roscoe Hillenkoetter, Ex CIA director) associated with the subject. This is why I encourage all those reading who dive into this subject to stick with facts, data, and evidence rather than entertain what seem to be outlandish claims that in no way, at all, can be verified.

I’d like to draw your attention to Dr. Jacques Vallee, who holds a master’s degree in astrophysics and a Ph.D. in computer science. The subject of UFOs first attracted his attention as an astronomer in Paris. He subsequently became a close associate of Project Blue Book’s J. Allen Hynek and has written several books on the UFO enigma. He is currently a venture capitalist living in San Francisco. Vallée co-developed the first computerized map of Mars for NASA in 1963. He later worked on the network information center for the ARPANET, a precursor to the modern Internet, as a staff engineer of SRI International’s Augmentation Research Center under Douglas Engelbart.

https://www.collective-evolution.com/2020/08/11/the-cia-simulated-ufo-abductions-in-latin-america-as-psychological-warfare-experiments/

Pentagon Gives Up Huge Slice Of Spectrum For 5G

An unprecedentedly quick 15-week review identified 100 mHZ of spectrum, now heavily used by military radars, that will be auctioned off in December 2021.

WASHINGTON: After a remarkably fast interagency review, the White House today announced a massive transfer of electromagnetic spectrum from military use to commercial 5G. It will be the “fastest transfer of federal spectrum to commercial use in history,” US Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios told reporters proudly this afternoon. But, Kratsios and Pentagon CIO Dana Deasy assured reporters ahead of the announcement, the rush won’t compromise military readiness or operations.

The 100 megahertz of spectrum runs from 3450 MHz to 3550, so-called mid-band frequencies prized by 5G developers because they allow longer-ranged transmissions than the millimeter-wave spectrum that makes up most of what’s been available in the US so far. Kratsios and other officials told reporters shortly before this afternoon’s announcement that the move would dramatically expand 5G access for all Americans – fulling a congressional mandate in the 2018 MOBILE NOW Act – and strengthen potential competitors to Chinese giant Huawei in the global market.

Currently, Deasy said, “the 3450-3550 mHZ band supports critical DoD radar operations, including high-powered defense radar systems on fixed, mobile, shipboard, and airborne platforms, [including] air defense, missile and gun fire control, counter mortar, bomb scoring [during training exercises], battlefield weapon locations, air traffic control, and range safety.”

That’s a wide range of military functions, many with life-or-death significance for either training safety or outright combat. Deasy and other officials didn’t detail how the Defense Department would work this massive transfer. Their remarks, however, suggested a mix of migrating military radars to other frequencies – a complex and costly process typically funded from a share of the FCC auction – and sharing frequencies with commercial users in specific times and places.

The White House formally made the request in April. Roughly 200 technical experts from all four armed services, the Office of Secretary of Defense, and the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy studied the problem for 15 weeks. The FCC, which has already endorsed the plan, will start auctioning the spectrum off in December 2021, Kratsios said, with commercial use beginning “as soon as mid-2022.”

That’s as fast as the transfer can possibly go through the FCC’s public rule-making process, officials said. Historically transferring spectrum takes six years or more. ““The timeline that we’re working with is absolutely unprecedented,” one senior administration official told reporters, “and I cannot underscore that enough.”

https://breakingdefense.com/2020/08/pentagon-gives-up-huge-slice-of-spectrum-for-5g/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Austin Voted to Defund the Police, its Murder Rate Rose 67%

The Austin City Council voted unanimously to defund the police.

“We don’t need somebody who’s a sworn officer and a gun in order to be able to accomplish what the community needs done,” Mayor Steve Adler falsely claimed.

Austin’s proposed budget targeted millions in cuts. These included 100 vacant police positions, delaying the next cadet class, delaying the replacement of duty weapons, and there were proposals by some Democrats council members to shut down the police academy, cut the bomb squad budget, and even demolish the city’s downtown police headquarters.

The proposed budget also includes a 3.5% tax increase.

Politicians limited the ability of police officers to use force against criminals and barred them from using pepper spray and tear gas against the violent mobs of Black Lives Matter rioters.

Now Austin is number one with a bullet after its homicide rate increase passed every major city.

Overtaking more violent cities like Chicago, left behind at number two, Philly at number six, and New York at number eight, Austin had the highest percentage homicide rate increase. Like the ‘Miracle on Ice’ in the 1980 Winter Olympics, Austin is the underdog that came from behind to blow everyone away with its ability to rack up bodies even faster than vegan soy hot dogs.

Austin’s percentage rate increased 64% over the year and 67% in June.

It just goes to show that even an underperforming bunch of criminals can really accomplish great things when the politicians get behind them and get the cops off their backs. If you don’t believe that defunding the police works, just stop by an Austin morgue.

Adelaido Bernabe Urias, a 68-year-old Mexican immigrant, was pushing his ice cream cart past a housing project when Marquis Davis, Jermaine Jones, and Devlon Wardy, allegedly pretended they wanted to buy ice cream from him, demanded money, and then shot the elderly man.

When some Karen called the police, the dying Mexican ice cream vendor told officers that he had been shot by three black men becoming an accomplice to the system of racist policing.

https://www.dcclothesline.com/2020/08/11/austin-voted-to-defund-the-police-its-murder-rate-rose-67/

How The Guardian Betrayed Corbyn and the Vestiges of British Democracy

It is simply astonishing that the first attempt by The Guardian – the only major British newspaper styling itself as on the liberal-left – to properly examine the contents of a devastating internal Labour party report leaked in April is taking place nearly four months after the 860-page report first came to light.

If you are a Labour party member, The Guardian is the only “serious”, big-circulation paper claiming to represent your values and concerns.

One might therefore have assumed that anything that touches deeply on Labour party affairs – on issues of transparency and probity, on the subversion of the party’s democratic structures, on abuses or fraud by its officials – would be of endless interest to the paper. One might have assumed it would wish both to dedicate significant resources to investigating such matters for itself and to air all sides of the ensuing debate to weigh their respective merits.

Not a bit of it. For months, the leaked report and its implications have barely registered in The Guardian’s pages. When they have, the coverage has been superficial and largely one-sided – the side that is deeply hostile to its former leader, Jeremy Corbyn.

That very much fits a pattern of coverage of the Corbyn years by the paper, as I have tried to document. It echoes the paper’s treatment of an earlier scandal, back in early 2017, when an undercover Al-Jazeera reporter filmed pro-Israel Labour activists working with the Israeli embassy to damage Corbyn from within. A series of shocking reports by Al-Jazeera merited minimal coverage from The Guardian at the time they were aired and then immediately sank without trace, as though they were of no relevance to later developments – most especially, of course, the claims by these same groups of a supposed “antisemitism crisis” in Labour.

Sadly, the latest reports by The Guardian on the leaked report –presented as an “exclusive” – do not fundamentally change its long-running approach.

Kicked into The Long Grass

In fact, what the paper means by an “exclusive” is that it has seen documents responding to the leaked report that were submitted by Corbyn and his team to the Forde inquiry – Labour’s official investigation into that report and the circumstances of its leaking. The deadline for submissions to Martin Forde QC arrived last week.

Setting up the Forde inquiry was the method by which Corbyn’s successor, Keir Starmer, hoped to kick the leaked report into the long grass till next year. Doubtless Starmer believes that by then the report will be stale news and that he will have had time to purge from the party, or at least intimidate into silence, the most outspoken remnants of Corbyn’s supporters.

More

https://consortiumnews.com/2020/08/11/how-the-guardian-betrayed-corbyn-and-the-vestiges-of-british-democracy/

Republican Drops Out Of Race For Congressional Seat The Day After His Arrest

A Republican running for Congress in Connecticut on Tuesday dropped out of the race after he was arrested for allegedly beating up a former girlfriend.

Thomas Gilmer was arrested Monday night, according to the Hartford Courant. Gilmer was reportedly charged with first-degree unlawful restraint and second-degree strangulation. He was released after posting a $5,000 bond and then dropped out of the election.

The incident was reportedly a violent altercation with a former girlfriend that police had been investigating the incident since July 22. In a statement, Gilmer said: “I cannot in good conscience move forward in this campaign while I am simultaneously forced to clear my name. And clear my name I will,” The Hill reported.

“While I must withdraw my name from the ballot at this time, I trust that our fight against Joe Courtney’s radical agenda will live on in each one of you,’’ Gilmer continued. “But ultimately, our movement — built on the tenets of good, old-fashioned Yankee conservatism — is too important to be sidetracked by the allegations facing me — allegations which I intend to fight.”

Gilmer was running in the 2nd Congressional District, a solidly blue district that Democratic Rep. Joe Courtney has held since 2007.

https://dailycaller.com/2020/08/11/republican-drops-out-congressional-race-on-primary-day-after-arrest-thomas-gilmer/