Air Force Helicopter Shot At From Ground Over Virginia, Injuring Crew

In an almost unheard of and unprecedented scenario, an Air Force helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing in Manassas, Virginia after someone shot at the helicopter from the ground.

The incident happened Monday, and military sources are now revealing the dangerous incident, which actually injured a member of the crew.

McClatchy details that a UH-1N Huey helicopter which flew out of Joint Base Andrews — where Marine helicopters which routinely fly members of Congress as well as the president are based (in the president's case, Marine One, as well as Air Force One are housed there) — was on a routine training flight after an unknown individual or individuals fired on it from the ground.

McClatchy describes the following based on airport and security statements:

Officials at Manassas Regional Airport said they received a call at about 12:20 p.m. alerting them that “a military helicopter was inbound and that paramedics were on the way,” said airport operations officer Richard Allabaugh.

A second airport official said the injured Air Force crew member was taken to a local facility for treatment. The helicopter remained at the airport as an investigation was launched into the shooting incident.

The FBI immediately dispatched special agents to the area to investigate after the Huey landed at Manassas Regional Airport.

“The FBI Washington Field Office is working jointly with our law enforcement partners, including the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident. One individual in the helicopter sustained a non-threatening injury, for which he was treated and subsequently released from the hospital,” the FBI said in a statement.

Federal agents are also asking for the public's help in identifying who shot at the helicopter.

The type of ammunition used has not been revealed, nor the extent of the crew member's injuries, however they were reported as non-life threatening.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/air-force-helicopter-shot-ground-over-virginia-injuring-crew

‘Those who play with fire will get burned’: Beijing warns Washington after US health chief’s visit to Taiwan

Attempts to meddle with Taiwan, which Beijing considers its territory, may cost the US dearly, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said. He advised its health chief to focus on the Covid-19 crisis at home instead of making foreign trips.

US Health Secretary Alex Azar landed in Taiwan on Sunday for a three-day trip, becoming the highest-ranking American official to visit the self-governed island, which has shown no desire in four decades to reunite with mainland China.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian has condemned the visit and warned Washington against making advances towards Taiwan.

On issues involving China’s core interests … the US must not harbor illusions. Those who play with fire will get burned.

The trip came amid increasing tensions between Washington and Beijing, and was used by Azar to launch another attack on China. He blamed Beijing for not warning the international community about the coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan at the end of last year, and refusing to cooperate with others in tackling the disease, thus allowing it to spread around the globe. Azar also suggested that if the initial Covid-19 outbreak had taken place in Taiwan or the US, it could’ve been “snuffed out easily.”

The Chinese spokesman denied US claims of poor handling of Covid-19 and expressed surprise that the US Health Secretary had decided to leave his country when the coronavirus is “out of control” there. The US has the worst situation with Covid-19 in the world, having already registered more than five million cases and over 164,000 deaths.

He ignored millions of Americans suffering from the virus and went to Taiwan to put on a political show.

Azar’s “behavior proves once again that, in the eyes of US politicians, American lives mean nothing when compared with their selfish political gains,” Zhao added.

Despite severing official ties with Taiwan in favor of China back in 1979, the US actively backs the island’s push for independence and remains its biggest arms supplier.

Only last month, the State Department approved a $620 million package to upgrade Taiwan’s Patriot surface-to-air missiles system, to which Beijing reacted by saying that it will impose sanctions on one of the main contractors in the project, US weapons maker Lockheed Martin.

Beijing has demanded on numerous occasions that arms deliveries to Taiwan be stopped, pointing out that they violate the ‘One China’ principle and further deteriorate bilateral relations with Washington.

https://www.rt.com/news/497821-us-taiwan-china-coronavirus/

Kanye West meets with Jared Kushner amid indications GOP operatives are pushing his campaign to hurt Joe Biden

What's going on here?

Kanye West, who is (kind of) running for president, reportedly met last weekend with White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, The New York Times reported.

After NYT reported on the meeting, West tweeted confirmation that he met with Kushner and offered to talk more about it publicly.

"I'm willing to do a live interview with the New York Times about my meeting with Jared where we discussed Dr. Claude Anderson's book Powernomics," West wrote on Twitter.

The meeting reportedly took place in Colorado, where West and his family have were camping and where Jared and Ivanka Kushner were traveling at the time. West flew to Telluride to meet with the Kushners.

Why is this notable? West has a very public positive relationship with President Donald Trump, so under normal circumstances a meeting between West and Kushner might not draw much attention.

But, West is running for president, and there have been reports and indications that Republican operatives are supporting the independent campaign as a way to draw votes away from Democratic nominee Joe Biden. From ABC News:

At least six operatives who have been prominently involved in the Republican political world have been linked to Kanye West's captivating 11th-hour independent 2020 presidential bid.

As the rivalry between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden intensifies with less than three months to go until the election, the involvement of the operatives in West's campaign, some of whom have ties to Trump's camp, raises questions about the motives of those helping to put his name on the ballot.

West is running as an independent, but has said he would have run as a Republican if President Donald Trump wasn't running for reelection. His campaign, from the limited amount of information that has come from it, is overtly against the Democratic Party and anti-abortion.

"To say that the Black vote is Democratic is a form of racism and white supremacy," West said, according to ABC News.

Is this a real campaign? It seems to be a real campaign in some sense of the word, but it has not proven to be an effective or organized one. West has missed the deadlines to get on the ballot in numerous states, and in several states where he met the deadline, his paperwork and signatures were either incomplete or potentially fraudulent.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/kanye-west-meets-with-jared-kushner-amid-indications-gop-operatives-are-pushing-his-campaign-to-hurt-biden

Chicago Community Members Ask Protesters To Leave Police Station

Community members in Chicago asked protesters to leave the 7th district police station Tuesday, telling them that they didn’t show concern about the community unless it had to do with the police.

“I ain’t see none of you motherf*ckers when them kids got killed,” one man told the protesters, a video posted by Sun Times journalist Tyler LaRiviere showed. “Y’all don’t come out when the kids get shot. Y’all come out when it got something to do with the fucking police.”

“We’re out here every day watching our kids get their brains blew out with no f-cking funding, no resources, but you motherf-ckers getting all the resources and yall wanna come over here and disrupt our motherf-cking neighborhood.”

Some protesters left, but others continued to arrive, LaRiviere reported.

As tensions between community members and protesters escalated, some protesters attempted to block media from recording the altercations.

Sunday was the worst night of unrest in Chicago since May. Demonstrations began after a man was injured during a shootout with police.

Officers responded to a call of a man with a gun Sunday afternoon, and when they arrived, the suspect fled on foot before turning around and shooting at them, according to Deputy Chief Yolanda Talley. The officers returned fire, injuring the suspect. No body camera footage of the incident was found, the Chicago Tribune reported.

https://dailycaller.com/2020/08/12/chicago-community-members-protesters-leave/

Florida sheriff issues directive to officers: Don't wear a face covering while on-duty

The sheriff cited debate over mask effectivness

A Florida sheriff has banned his officers from wearing face masks.

POLL: Will Joe Biden still be the Democratic Party's presidential candidate when we get to November?

Amid debate over the effectiveness of face coverings, Marion County Sheriff Billy Wood has made the decision for his 900 employees: Under most circumstances, there shall be no wearing of face masks during work.

In an email to the staff on Tuesday, Wood said, according to the Ocala Star-Banner:

We can debate and argue all day of why and why not. The fact is, the amount of professionals that give the reason why we should, I can find the exact same amount of professionals that say why we shouldn't. Since the beginning of this pandemic the operation of this office has not changed and no wearing of masks has been put in place.

There are a few exceptions to Wood's directive.

Some officers who work in schools, the courthouse, the jail, at a hospital, and officers who are in contact with a person suspected of having the coronavirus or an individual who is high-risk for contracting the virus are allowed to wear face masks.

Wood also said that members of the public who enter the Marion County Sheriff's Office or any of its outposts who are "wearing a mask will be asked to remove it." If they refuse, they will be asked to leave the building, Wood said.

There is debate over whether on-duty police officers should wear face coverings. The concern is that officers cannot be understood when their mouth is covered.

Meanwhile, debate rages in Marion County over whether there should be a face mask mandate.

The city council of Ocala, the largest city in Marion County, passed a face mask mandate last week, which was promptly vetoed by Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn, a Republican.

The police chiefs of each of Marion County's three cities — Greg Graham in Ocala, Terry Holland in Belleview, and Mike McQuaig in Dunnellon — each told the Star-Banner that officers are not required to wear face masks while on duty. They each cited potential communication problems associated with coverings.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/florida-sheriff-declares-to-officers-dont-wear-a-face-covering-while-on-duty

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern Warns She May Delay Elections over Coronavirus

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern warned on Wednesday that she may choose to delay elections scheduled for September in response to a resurgence of the Wuhan coronavirus.

The same idea prompted a furious backlash from his critics when U.S. President Donald Trump raised it two weeks ago.

“We’re seeking advice from the Electoral Commission, just so that we make sure we have all options open to us. No decisions yet, as you can imagine, have been made,” the left-wing NZ Labour Party leader said on Wednesday.

Trump’s July 30 musings about a possible election delay on Twitter cited the dangers of replacing in-person voting with a universal mail-in voting scheme, which Trump’s opponents have assiduously promoted because the coronavirus ostensibly makes in-person voting too dangerous:

The opposition National Party in New Zealand said it was willing to consider an election delay if necessary, which is very different from the partisan response Trump received. The opposition in New Zealand has arguably been more energetic about pushing for a delay.

“It’s going to be very difficult to have an election in mid-September when we are now mid-August. It is very little time,” National Party leader Judith Collins said.

Collins has called for delaying the vote by two months, citing the difficulty of both campaigning and balloting while much of the country is under a coronavirus lockdown. Ardern resisted this suggestion when Collins made it, stating she was primarily concerned with fighting the coronavirus outbreak and would think about rescheduling the election later. Collins responded that it was unfair and unreasonable for the Ardern administration to keep the public in the dark about when the election would be held.

New Zealand’s parliament took the first concrete step toward delaying the election on Tuesday by declining to ceremonially dissolve the current legislature, a step scheduled to occur on Wednesday morning. Delaying the dissolution of parliament was legally vital to delaying the election under New Zealand’s system, although it remains possible for the election to be held on schedule.

“Parliament dissolving does mean that if we needed to convene Parliament for any reason, we wouldn’t be able to do so. We’ve therefore decided it would be prudent to defer the dissolution of Parliament by at least a few days, to preserve all options for, if needed, reconvening Parliament, or if needed, for the purposes of the date of the general election,” Ardern explained on Wednesday.

Massey University professor Claire Robinson was skeptical of the calls for an election delay in a UK Guardian op-ed on Wednesday, arguing that the opposition’s concerns about campaigning during the lockdown are a “red herring” offered primarily because Ardern is doing well in the polls and they want more time to chip away at the support she has accumulated by handling the pandemic well.

Robinson said it should be possible to hold the vote with proper coronavirus safety precautions, using hand sanitizer, social distancing, protective clothing, and precautions such as encouraging voters to bring their own pens. This, again, is very different from the argument for universal mail-in balloting advanced in the United States.

Much of New Zealand is presently under a remarkably strict coronavirus lockdown after the discovery of “four probable community-based cases,” the first reported in about three months. The island nation’s largest city, Auckland, imposed a three-day stay-at-home order beginning on Wednesday.

Massive lines and panic buying were reported at Auckland stores after the snap lockdown was announced, while the highways were clogged with people attempting to leave the city. Collins said on Tuesday she was “extremely disappointed” the coronavirus was allowed back into New Zealand and described Ardern’s handling of the resurgence as a “failure.”

https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2020/08/12/new-zealand-pm-jacinda-ardern-warns-she-may-delay-elections-over-coronavirus/

Migrant Attacks Police, Brags Judge Will Do Nothing

A migrant arrested after attacking police in Rome continued to make threats against officers while in custody, boasting that judges would not do anything to him.

Police arrested the migrant on Monday evening after police were called to the San Lorenzo area where the 36-year-old African was throwing bottles in a public park. When police arrived, the migrant became aggressive and assaulted one of the officers.

He then shouted at officers: “I’ll kill you with my own hands. I’ll take you out.”

He then ran towards a shop, but police blocked him, bought him under control using pepper spray, and placed him into custody, Il Giornale reports.

While in the officer’s police car, the African continued to be aggressive and threatened the officers, saying: “The judge will do nothing to me tomorrow, and I will be out waiting for you.”

According to the newspaper, the migrant is already well-known to local police and has a long list of criminal charges. The officer he assaulted was treated at a local hospital for his injuries and was given ten days’ leave.

Meanwhile, another African migrant was arrested for violence this week in Catania after he broke a glass bottle across the face of a tourist from Turin.

The Gambian, who came to Italy illegally, attempted to extort the tourist by removing his glasses and demanding money to get them back.

Then the tourist refused, the 28-year-old Gambian hit him several times in the face with a glass bottle, causing deep lacerations that required stitches.

Police later found and arrested Gambian, with officers discovering he had been arrested for the same crime just days before.

The case comes just days after it was revealed several migrants had travelled to a town on the Italian Riviera using government “holiday bonus” cash to rob and assault tourists.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/08/12/migrant-attacks-police-brags-judge-will-not-do-anything-him/

>>10264624

Notable

John McAfee Arrested For Wearing A Woman's Thong As A Facemask In Germany

John McAfee, former founder of McAfee Antivirus Software, was reportedly arrested in Germany for making an unwelcome fashion statement with his face cover when he wore a woman's thong - instead of a face mask - over his head.

McAfee tweeted out on Monday that he had been detained because he wouldn't put on a medically certified mask instead of the thong.

He wrote: "Visited Catalonia just before Europe banned Catalonians from travelling. Tried to return to Germany and were refused entrance. They demanded we wear masks. I put on my thong mask. They demanded I replace it. I refused. Tussle. Jail. Black eye. Released."

“Trivial issue but waiting for high level beaurocrats [sic] to arrive. Slow bastards, as you know," he wrote while the issue was unfolding. “My Coronavirus mask is the problem. I am insisting it is the safest available and I’m refusing to wear anything else — for my health’s sake. Authority!?!?!?!?” he continued.

“Going to have to cancel the Red Scarf Society meeting. I am so sorry. Note to future adventurers: Always joke with you [sic] captors. No matter what,” he concluded.

Then, his wife said she would take over his account "until John escapes (usual method), bribes someone (very quick – might be out in a few hours), retains the right lawyer (will be a few days) or becomes warden of the jail, in which case we will have to force him out."

His wife, Janice, continued: “He was not arrested for wearing the thong as a mask. He was arrested for refusing to replace it with a ‘medically certified’ over the ear mask. I refused as well. But they chose to arrest John, and leave me be.”

She later left on a private jet back to Munich without John.

“I’m following John’s instructions and heading back. He assured me he would be released,” she later said. In a Tweet later in the day McAfee said he was "back in Belarus" and commented:

“I cannot speak publicly about my fun and games yesterday, regrettably, but after a few hours sleep I will be back with my usual stream of conscious [sic],” he added.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/john-mcafee-arrested-wearing-thong-over-his-head-facemask-germany

Flu and pneumonia have killed more people than Covid-19 in England and Wales for seven weeks in a row

Fresh statistics have revealed that dramatically more people in England and Wales have been killed by the flu and pneumonia than Covid-19 for seven weeks in a row.

According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, the combined death toll from influenza and pneumonia in the two constituent countries of the UK was five times higher than that from Covid-19 between June 19 and July 31.

Flu and pneumonia, which are usually combined to provide neater data for deaths as the result of serious respiratory illness, killed 6,626 people in England and Wales in the seven-week period in question. During the same time frame, 2,992 Covid-19 deaths were recorded.

These figures are subject to change and may even be revised upwards, given the new framework for recording coronavirus deaths, which was implemented after months of record keeping ‘mishaps’.

It marked the first time since March that flu and pneumonia have been a more common cause of death for citizens in England and Wales than Covid-19.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the two nations recorded their highest number of new coronavirus cases within the seven-week period under scrutiny, with 1,148 infections and 102 deaths announced. Viewed another way, however, deaths from Covid-19 reached a 19-week low, despite the worrying new spike in cases, particularly among those aged under 65, the numbers of which have been rising since the lockdown was eased.

The total number of cases globally since the pandemic began has now climbed to over 312,000. The official death toll across the world currently stands at more than 46,600, but clearly this figure is fluid.

https://www.rt.com/uk/497778-flu-pneumonia-deaths-coronavirus-britain/

"Hard Times Are Here": UK Economy Suffers Record Collapse As GDP Plummets To 2003 Levels

The British economy shrank by a record 20.4% in the second quarter when the coronavirus lockdown was tightest, the most severe contraction reported by any major economy so far, with a wave of job losses set to hit later in 2020, according to Reuters. The (sequential) Q2 GDP slump exceeded the 12.1% drop in the euro zone and the 9.5% fall in the United States.

"Today’s figures confirm that hard times are here," said finance minister Rishi Sunak. "Hundreds of thousands of people have already lost their jobs, and sadly in the coming months many more will."

The data confirmed that the world’s sixth-biggest economy had entered a recession, with the low point coming in April when output was more than 25% below its pre-pandemic level. In recent months there has been a modest improvement as GDP rose by 8.7% M/M in June. Cumulatively through the first two quarters of 2020, GDP fell by 22%. Given the scale of that shock, the level of GDP at the end of Q2 was in line with the level of quarterly GDP in mid-2003, meaning

The monthly GDP data, however, offered a silver lining: growth restarted in May and quickened in June, when the economy expanded by a monthly 8.7% - a record single-month increase and slightly stronger than consensus expectations. From its pre-virus peak in February to its post-lockdown trough in April, GDP contracted by a cumulative 26%. As government restrictions were subsequently lifted, GDP began to recover, rising by 2.4%mom in May and 8.7%mom in June.

In the final month of Q2, services output accelerated from +1.5%mom to +7.7%mom, manufacturing output accelerated from +8.3%mom to +11.0%mom, and construction output accelerated from +7.6%mom to +23.5%mom. Within the services sector, retail returned to a level around 6% short of its pre-virus peak, while hospitality remained around 83% short. All in all, the level of aggregate GDP in June was still 17% below its pre-virus peak.

The evolution of GDP within the second quarter is encouraging, but the contraction in GDP between the first and second quarter is historic, with the sequential drop in Q2 a record 20.4% qoq. Cumulatively through the first two quarters of 2020, GDP fell by 22%. Given the scale of that shock, the level of GDP at the end of Q2 was broadly in line with the level of quarterly GDP in mid-2003.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/hard-times-are-here-uk-economy-suffers-record-collapse-gdp-plummets-2003-levels

Former MI6 Chief: TikTok Gives CCP Backdoor Into Politicians’ Data via Kids’ Phones

A former chief of Britain’s security service, MI6, warned top politicians in Britain that if their children use the Chinese social media app Tik Tok, the communist regime may have a backdoor into their private data.

Nigel Inkster, the former director of operations and intelligence for the British Secret Intelligence Service, said that TikTok could serve as an entry point to access the data prominent figures in the United Kingdom if family members are on the same WiFi network.

“Where the Chinese intelligence services are very strong is in identifying non-obvious entry points to certain targets,” Mr Inkster told The Telegraph.

“They have shown a lot of skill in this regard: attacking a target from a variety of different directions, none of them obviously pointing to the target, but that will bring them closer to it,” Inkster said.

“This [TikTok being used as an entry point] is something I am sure people are having to think about,” he added.

The former MI6 cheif said that short of a ban on the Chinese-owned short-form video app, it will be difficult to prevent family members of government ministers and politicians from downloading TikTok.

“I don’t underestimate the difficulty of doing that with families. Individuals employed by the Government, that is easy enough to do,” Inkster said.

“You can say ‘Thou Shalt Not’ as a condition of employment, but extending that to families may be problematic and not that realistic,” he explained.

A Government spokesman said: “All departments have robust processes in place to ensure communication around Government business is secure.”

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/08/11/former-mi6-chief-tiktok-gives-ccp-a-backdoor-into-politicians-data-through-their-kids-smartphone/

Why Markets Are Convinced The Tech Giants Will Never Be Hurt By Congress

Ben Evans is out with 2 pieces on the future of Tech industry regulation. His take is that effective rulemaking is a matter of getting into the weeds (as Europe has done) and breaking up US Big Tech is unlikely to fundamentally damage Google or Facebook. Our take: Ben’s right, and his view explains why markets discount any chance of dramatic/damaging regulatory action.

Ex-Andreessen Horowitz staffer Ben Evans had two recent tech thought pieces with overlapping themes. Here’s a brief summary of each and a few thoughts of our own.

#1: “Regulating technology”

“… when software becomes part of society, all of society’s problems get expressed in software…” and “… When something is systematically important to society and has systematically important problems, this brings attention from governments and regulators.”

Regulations, however, typically address specific issues, not “industries”. Car companies must install seat belts, but automakers aren’t liable if one of their vehicles is used in a robbery, for example.

This makes “regulating technology” a complex matter because it is very situation/concern specific and, on top of that, no two countries think the same way about important issues like freedom of speech or privacy.

The bottom line: tech will certainly see more regulation in the coming decades, but history says it will be based on specific issues and geographies rather than blanket policy.

#2: “Would breaking up ‘big tech’ work? What would?”

The network effects so common in Big Tech are essentially natural monopolies.

You need a large user base to support more than one natural tech “monopoly”. In global smartphones, for example, there are just 2 operating systems at present: iOS and Android.

Breaking up Facebook or Google would do little to eliminate the global network effects of Facebook, Instagram, Google search or YouTube.

European regulators are addressing Big Tech’s power by proposing very specific business requirements (e.g. Google sharing its click and query data to third party search engines to help them improve their algorithms) rather than pushing for break-ups.

Bottom line: in the end, technology is often self-regulating when it comes to monopolies because something new always comes along. Microsoft, the subject of so much breakup chatter 20 years ago, missed mobile telephony and smartphones. It’s still a huge company by market cap, but no one thinks it is an impediment to competition anymore.

Some thoughts on Ben’s commentaries:

#1: They are good reminders of just how slowly regulatory frameworks develop and how far these will always lag behind disruptive innovation. It took 70 years for seat belts to become mandatory standard equipment on cars; the US law governing their installation passed in 1968, for example. Regulating current technology may not take that long, but Silicon Valley will always move faster than Capitol Hill.

#2: The only effective way to regulate Big Tech will be for lawmakers to go into the weeds, find solutions to specific problems, and enact legislation. Europe did this with measures like GDPR, but it is unclear if Congress has the staying power or attention span for such work.

#3: Breakups would do little to curtail the competitive moats of companies like Google or Facebook. Their assets have natural advantages because of network effects. As noted in the second piece, Microsoft Office was a stand-alone asset in the 1990s and is still relevant today because network effects can have very long tails.

Summing up: as much as US Big Tech will face regulatory issues for many years, Ben’s work is a good reminder that the actual problems are extremely complex and do not lend themselves to easy (and stock price-unfriendly) solutions.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/why-markets-are-convinced-tech-giants-will-never-be-dmaaged-regulation

Former Mexican President Named in Vote Buying Probe

A former Mexican president and one of his cabinet members were named in a large-scale corruption investigation involving the Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht, plus alleged bribes to buy votes and fund political campaigns.

Former President Enrique Pena Nieto (2012-2018) and his former Tax Secretary Luis Videgaray allegedly ordered the disbursement of $100 million pesos ($4.5 million USD) to foreign electoral advisors who worked in the 2012 presidential election, said Mexico’s Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero in a video message.

Gertz Manero said Pena Nieto and Videgaray also allegedly ordered the dissemination of $120 million pesos ($5.3 million USD) for vote buying in 2013 and 2014. The allegations are filed as part of an investigation that also implicated five senators and a congressman, the official said.

The information about the alleged bribery and other corrupt activities comes from the statements presented by Emilio Lozoya, the former head of Mexico’s state-owned oil company (PEMEX). Lozoya is currently facing bribery charges and is in modified home detention pending trial.

In recent days, Lozoya cooperated with authorities and presented his statements before Mexican prosecutors. In addition to the two allegations against Pena Nieto and Videgaray, Lozoya also mentioned other bribes including one for $200 million pesos ($8.9 million USD) that were allegedly used to fund an electoral reform in Mexico.

According to Getz Manero, the allegations have been turned over to his staff who will begin the case and track down evidence.

During the highly publicized trial of Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, witnesses pointed to multi-million dollar bribes paid to Pena Nieto and his top security chiefs in exchange for protection. Since leaving office, Pena Nieto has not been active in Mexico’s political scene. Videgaray is a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2020/08/12/former-mexican-president-named-in-vote-buying-probe/

World Bank Launches First-Ever Pandemic Bonds to Support $500 Million Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility

June 28, 2017

Washington, DC, June 28, 2017 – The World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development) today launched specialized bonds aimed at providing financial support to the Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility (PEF), a facility created by the World Bank to channel surge funding to developing countries facing the risk of a pandemic.

This marks the first time that World Bank bonds are being used to finance efforts against infectious diseases, and the first time that pandemic risk in low-income countries is being transferred to the financial markets.

The PEF will provide more than $500 million to cover developing countries against the risk of pandemic outbreaks over the next five years, through a combination of bonds and derivatives priced today, a cash window, and future commitments from donor countries for additional coverage.

The transaction, that enables PEF to potentially save millions of lives, was oversubscribed by 200% reflecting an overwhelmingly positive reception from investors and a high level of confidence in the new World Bank sponsored instrument. With such strong demand, the World Bank was able to price the transaction well below the original guidance from the market. The total amount of risk transferred to the market through the bonds and derivatives is $425 million.

“With this new facility, we have taken a momentous step that has the potential to save millions of lives and entire economies from one of the greatest systemic threats we face,” World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said. “We are moving away from the cycle of panic and neglect that has characterized so much of our approach to pandemics. We are leveraging our capital market expertise, our deep understanding of the health sector, our experience overcoming development challenges, and our strong relationships with donors and the insurance industry to serve the world’s poorest people. This creates an entirely new market for pandemic risk insurance. Drawing on lessons from the Ebola Outbreak in West Africa, the Facility will help improve health security for everyone. I especially want to thank the World Health Organization and the governments of Japan and Germany for their support in launching this new mechanism.”

The World Bank announced the creation of the PEF in May 2016 at the G7 Finance Ministers and Central Governors meeting in Sendai, Japan. The PEF will quickly channel funding to countries facing a major disease outbreak with pandemic potential. Its unique financing structure combines funding from the bonds issued today with over-the-counter derivatives that transfer pandemic outbreak risk to derivative counterparties. The structure was designed to attract a wider, more diverse set of investors.

https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2017/06/28/world-bank-launches-first-ever-pandemic-bonds-to-support-500-million-pandemic-emergency-financing-facility

US Has Almost 30 Times More COVID-19 Deaths per Population than Third-World Countries that Promoted Early HCQ Use

The liberal mainstream media can’t hide this truth from the public forever.

The latest international testing of hydroxychloroquine treatment of coronavirus shows countries that had early use of the drug had a 79% lower mortality rate than countries that banned the use of the safe malaria drug.

This means that Dr. Fauci, Dr. Birx, the CDC, the liberal fake news media and the tech giants have been pushing a lie that has had deadly consequences!

America has lost (reportedly) over 150,000 lives.

That could have been lowered by possibly 80% if HCQ use would have been promoted in the US!

We are talking over 100,000 American lives could have been saved!

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/08/jail-fauci-us-almost-30-times-covid-19-deaths-per-population-third-world-countries-promoted-early-hcq-use/

In the Pentagon and China’s propaganda wars, greedy Hollywood is a happy helper for both – the people and art are the victims

Hollywood won’t choose between the totalitarian Sauron of China and the authoritarian Darth Vader of the US military, but instead will support both evils, and the people of the world and the art of cinema will suffer greatly.

A propaganda war is being waged by China and the US military for control of Hollywood, and therefore the minds of the public, for their own nefarious purposes.

Not surprisingly, like whores at a battlefield brothel, the morally ambiguous harlots of Hollywood are trying to profit from servicing both combatants. PEN America, a group championing free expression, recently released an exhaustive report detailing how China has taken control of Hollywood.

The report states: “The Chinese government, under Xi Jinping especially, has heavily emphasized its desire to ensure that Hollywood filmmakers - to use their preferred phrase - ‘tell China’s story well.’”

China strictly controls films released in its own market, which is soon to become the largest box office in the world, and Hollywood wants in on that lucrative action. So, it appeases its Chinese overlords by obeying censorial demands, like whitewashing a Tibetan character from Marvel’s ‘Dr. Strange’, and strenuously self-censoring, like when it canceled a planned sequel to ‘World War Z’.

https://www.rt.com/op-ed/497687-hollywood-propaganda-us-china/

Ex-Soldier Booted over Child Molestation Conviction Asks Supreme Court to Intervene

A former staff sergeant has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to consider whether the Army violated his constitutional rights by booting him from the service a decade after he served time for child molestation.

Damon Claiborne submitted an Alford plea an admission that enough evidence existed to support a conviction, even as he maintained his innocence in 2004 after being arrested for having sex with a young woman he met at a bowling alley in South Korea.

Claiborne admitted he had relations with the girl, believing she was 19; however, she was a minor. He was sentenced and served 15 months in prison. After his release in 2006, he returned to duty at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, where the Army began involuntary separation proceedings against him.

A board recommended that Claiborne be discharged, but an acting commander decided to suspend his release for at least a year.

Later, it was dropped altogether, and Claiborne remained in the service, rising in rank and reenlisting in 2008, then again in 2010 for five years under an agreement that he would stay for 20 years under the REDUX retirement plan.

In 2013, Congress passed a defense policy bill with a provision requiring the services to administratively separate any service member convicted of a sexual assault offense whose conviction did not include a punitive discharge.

Later that year, then-Army Secretary John McHugh signed a directive extending the measure to everyone currently "serving in the Army, regardless of when the conviction for a sex offense occurred."

Claiborne and his attorney, John Maher of Maher Legal Services in Illinois, argue that the directive was unconstitutional.

"The law does not favor retroactivity. Instead, the law presumes that it is enacted and enforced tomorrow rather than yesterday," Maher said Tuesday during an interview with Military.com.

Claiborne filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asking the justices to consider his case. A district judge and an appellate court have sided with the Army, saying the civilian court did not have jurisdiction over the Army secretary's decision and that the Army has a right to determine who remains in service.

"The plaintiff could have been discharged under pre-existing regulations promulgated by the Army because [the regulations] allow the Army to change its mind about separation decisions," a panel of 9th Circuit Court of Appeals judges wrote in their unanimous decision March 12.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/08/12/ex-soldier-booted-over-child-molestation-conviction-asks-supreme-court-intervene.html

QAnon backer Marjorie Taylor Greene wins Georgia GOP runoff

Businesswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene on Tuesday won the Republican primary runoff in Georgia’s 14th District to replace outgoing Rep. Tom Graves (R), overcoming concerns about her past bigoted rhetoric and embrace of the QAnon conspiracy theory.

Greene and her opponent, neurosurgeon John Cowan, had both advanced to the runoff after neither candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote in the June 9 primary. Greene won with 60 percent of the vote on Tuesday, while Cowan trailed at 40 percent, according to The Associated Press.

Greene celebrated her victory, saying she would work to "Save America," "Stop Socialism" and "Defeat the Democrats."

The race was thrust into the national spotlight in June after a number of videos showing Greene making bigoted remarks were unearthed by Politico.

The comments included Greene comparing Democratic donor George Soros to a Nazi, saying the 2018 midterms were like an “Islamic invasion of our government” and asserting that African Americans “are held slaves to the Democratic Party."

The comments were quickly condemned by Republicans, including Rep. Jody Hice (Ga.), who rescinded his endorsement of her.

Greene also gained attention over comments in which she expressed support for QAnon, a conspiracy theory that posits that President Trump and his allies are working together to expose and arrest an underground cabal of global elites who control the government.

"He is someone that very much loves his country, and he’s on the same page as us, and he is very pro-Trump," she said of "Q," the mysterious figure at the center of the conspiracy theory, in a YouTube video from 2017.

"I’m very excited about that now there’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take this global cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles out, and I think we have the president to do it," she continued.

Despite the negative attention, Greene remained competitive with Cowan throughout the race, edging him in the initial June primary with just more than 40 percent of the vote to Cowan's 21 percent.

An internal poll from Cowan’s campaign showed the two candidates neck and neck at 38 percent heading into the runoff. Additionally, Greene appeared to have a fundraising advantage in the race.

Greene raked in $1.59 million as of July 22, including a $900,000 loan from herself. She has spent $1.44 million in the campaign and has roughly $143,500 in the bank.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/511396-qanon-backer-marjorie-taylor-greene-wins-georgia-gop-runoff

France’s Macron warns Iran against ‘interference’ in Lebanon

Speaking to Iranian president, French leader urges Tehran to ‘support the putting in place of a government which can manage the emergency’

PARIS, France — French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday warned Iran against any interference in Lebanon after the gigantic blast last week that has prompted a political crisis in the country.

In telephone talks with President Hassan Rouhani, Macron emphasized the “necessity for all the powers concerned… to avoid any outside interference and to support the putting in place of a government which can manage the emergency,” the Elysee said.

Lebanon’s government under Prime Minister Hassan Diab resigned this week following days of demonstrations demanding accountability over the explosion at the Beirut port last week that devastated entire neighborhoods of the city.

Bregancon, southern France on August 11, 2020. (Daniel Cole / POOL / AFP)

PARIS, France — French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday warned Iran against any interference in Lebanon after the gigantic blast last week that has prompted a political crisis in the country.

In telephone talks with President Hassan Rouhani, Macron emphasized the “necessity for all the powers concerned… to avoid any outside interference and to support the putting in place of a government which can manage the emergency,” the Elysee said.

Lebanon’s government under Prime Minister Hassan Diab resigned this week following days of demonstrations demanding accountability over the explosion at the Beirut port last week that devastated entire neighborhoods of the city.

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Iran wields huge influence in Lebanon through the Shiite terror group Hezbollah which was strongly represented in the outgoing government and has an alliance with the faction of President Michel Aoun.

The explosion, which left 171 people dead, has been blamed on a vast stock of ammonium nitrate allowed to rot for years at the port despite repeated warnings.

Macron, who was the first world leader to visit Beirut after the explosion, has taken the lead role in coordinating the international response and at the weekend chaired a virtual aid conference that drummed up more than 250 million euros ($295 million) in pledges.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/frances-macron-warns-iran-against-interference-in-lebanon/

Trump calls QAnon GOP primary winner a 'future Republican Star'

President Trump on Wednesday offered his full-throated support for a Georgia congressional candidate who has made incendiary comments about Black people and Muslims and believes in the QAnon conspiracy theory.

"Congratulations to future Republican Star Marjorie Taylor Greene on a big songressional primary win in Georgia against a very tough and smart opponent," Trump tweeted. "Marjorie is strong on everything and never gives up — a real WINNER!"

Greene won the GOP primary in Georgia’s 14th District to replace outgoing Rep. Tom Graves (R). She defeated neurosurgeon John Cowan in a runoff after neither candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote in the June 9 primary. Greene won with 60 percent of the vote on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.

Greene is likely to win her general election in the heavily Republican district.

She has garnered national attention after Politico unearthed past racist, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic comments she made, including comparing Democratic donor George Soros to a Nazi, saying the 2018 midterms were like an “Islamic invasion of our government” and asserting that African Americans "are held slaves to the Democratic Party."

Greene also gained attention over comments in which she expressed support for QAnon, a conspiracy theory that posits that President Trump and his allies are working together to expose and arrest an underground cabal of global elites who control the government and run sex trafficking rings.

The conspiracy theory has been blamed for violent incidents, and social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook have taken action in recent weeks to suspend groups and accounts associated with the theory. Trump's embrace of Greene is likely to further fuel supporters of the conspiracy theory.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/511633-trump-calls-qanon-gop-primary-winner-a-future-republican-star

Hadassah head reveals Israel’s role in Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday his was the first country to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine.

Hadassah Medical Center will help test a vaccine for coronavirus that Russia says it has developed, Hadassah head Zeev Rotstein told The Jerusalem Post.

“We are playing a part in conducting safety and efficacy studies,” he said, noting that the country is now recruiting hospitals to collaborate in the clinical trials and the hospital’s branch in Skolkovo, Moscow, has volunteered.

“We expect to hear more information from the mayor of Moscow in a very short period of time,” Rotstein said. “We are in direct contact with our people in Moscow and we are getting information as it is available.”

On Tuesday, Russia announced that it will approve a COVID-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing. The message prompted alarm among global health experts, who said that with no full trial data, the vaccine is hard to trust – claims that Russia’s health minister on Wednesday dismissed.

In Israel, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said that Israel was interested in holding discussions with Russia about its vaccine but only “if we are convinced that it is a serious product then we will try to enter into negotiations.

“We are following vigilantly every report, no matter what country,” Edelstein continued during a press conference on Tuesday. “We have already discussed the reports from the research center in Russia about the vaccine development.

“If we are convinced it is a serious product, we will also try to enter negotiations. But I don’t want to delude anyone. The ministry’s professional staff is working on this all the time. The vaccine will not come tomorrow,” he said.

But Rotstein told the Post that Israel should not be so quick to dismiss the Russian coronavirus vaccine.

“I strongly recommend the authorities in Israel not focus only on the American companies that are manufacturing vaccines and not neglect the ability of Russian scientists,” Rotstein said. “I would have recommended that the foreign minister be in contact with the foreign minister of Russia in order… to not exclude the possibility that the vaccine be allocated to Israel too.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that large-scale production would begin in September and that the vaccination could be available for use in tens of thousands of people by October.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/israel-to-examine-russias-covid-19-vaccine-minister-says-638333

Chicago Charity Frees Accused Terrorist and Burglars

The Chicago Community Bail Fund has raised millions in the wake of the George Floyd protests, which it has used to post bond for many accused of violent crimes

A Chicago-based charity has worked to free at least 20 defendants facing felony charges—including attempted terrorism and assault of a police officer—as an unprecedented crime wave rocks the city.

The Chicago Community Bond Fund, which opposes cash bail and pretrial incarceration, has posted bond for the alleged felons, putting them back on the streets before their trials. The charity, like other community bond funds across the country, is now flush with cash, raising $3.5 million from 75,000 contributors in late May and early June. Bond funds together have taken in $90 million in the weeks following George Floyd’s death alone, according to the New York Times.

Much of that financial support came courtesy of celebrity donors like Harry Styles, Seth Rogan, Abbi Jacobson, and Lizzo, who urged fans to contribute to local bail funds. John Legend and Chrissy Teigen similarly announced that they would make a large donation to a national fund called the Bail Project.

Bond receipts obtained by the Washington Free Beacon show that the Chicago fund has posted bond for defendants charged with violent crimes. Of the 24 people the group freed on May 31 and June 1 in Cook County alone, seven faced weapons charges.

https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/chicago-charity-frees-accused-terrorist-and-burglars/

Judicial Watch Sues DC Government for ‘Black Lives Matter/Defund the Police’ Street Painting Records

DC agency claims it can’t release 615 of 616 pages of documents found

(Washington, DC) Judicial Watch announced today that filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Mayor of the District of Columbia, Muriel Bowser, the District of Columbia Department of Transportation and the District of Columbia Department of Public Works for records about the painting of “Black Lives Matter” and “Defund the Police” on a DC street in front of the White House (Judicial Watch. v. Muriel Bowser, et al. (2020 CA 003357 B)).

The FOIA lawsuit was filed after Mayor Bowser failed to respond to three separate FOIA requests, the DC Department of Public Works failed to respond to two separate FOIA requests, and the DC Department of Transportation stated that they located 616 pages of records, but could not provide 615 of the pages, “due to deliberative process privilege (internal discussions).”

The summary of the six FOIA requests are as follows:

Three FOIA requests to the Mayor seek all records related to the cost of, communications between District officials and outside organizations about, and policy and procedure for painting “Black Lives Matter” and “Defund the Police” on 16th Street. These records also include communications related to Judicial Watch’s request to paint “Because No One Is Above the Law!” on District streets.

Two FOIA requests to the Department of Public Works seek all records related to the cost of, communications between District officials and outside organizations about, and policy and procedure for painting “Black Lives Matter” and “Defund the Police” on 16th Street.

One FOIA request to the Department of Transportation seeks records of communication about the closure of 16th Street, N.W. between H and K Streets.

Initially, the Department of Transportation improperly asked for specific names of employees for emails and phone numbers for texts Judicial Watch was seeking. After Judicial Watch responded with a previous DC Court of Appeals ruling as to why the hold on the records search was improper, the Department of Transportation stated that it, “located 616 pages of public records held by DDOT that are responsive to your FOIA request” and that 8 “615 pages of these records have not been provided to you because, although responsive, they are exempt in their entirety from being disclosed due to deliberative process privilege (internal discussions).”

“Mayor Bowser is playing games with the First Amendment and the DC government is now hiding documents on using tax dollars to paint political messages on DC streets,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “First, Mayor Bowser refused to allow Judicial Watch to paint its own message, and now we are facing a cover up about this abuse.”

Separately, Judicial Watch filed a civil rights lawsuit against DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and other officials for First Amendment violations over their refusal to allow Judicial Watch to paint the message “Because No One Is Above the Law!” on a DC street. This lawsuit was filed after Judicial Watch sent a letter requesting permission to paint the message on another DC street near its headquarters by Capitol Hill in the identical size and coloring of the “Black Lives Matter = Defund the Police” painting.

https://www.judicialwatch.org/press-releases/blm-records/

>>10265064

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Dr. Betty Martini, D.Hum, Founder

Mission Possible World Health Intl

9270 River Club Parkway

Duluth, Georgia 30097

770 242-2599

www.mpwhi.com

>>10265149

no sauce