Pope Francis praises nun for opening ‘trans home’ for men claiming to be women, calls them ‘girls’

Pope Francis told the 'nun of the trans' that 'God who did not go to the seminary or study theology will repay you abundantly. I pray for you and your girls.'

NEUQUÉN, Argentina, August 18, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – After a controversial nun opened in Argentina a residence for ‘trans women’ — men who choose to identify as women — Pope Francis praised her work, referring to the men as “girls.”

Sister Mónica Astorga Cremona, 53, known locally in Argentina as the “Nun of the Trans,” cut the ribbon on the new complex of twelve small apartments dedicated solely to housing men claiming to be women and their partners.

Upon hearing the news the Pope responded in a communication, according to the nun, “Dear Monica, God who did not go to the seminary or study theology will repay you abundantly. I pray for you and your girls.”

The Supreme Pontiff, according to the nun, referred to the males, reported to be between 40 and 70 years old, as “girls.”

“Do not forget to pray for me. May Jesus blesses (sic) you and may the Holy Virgin take care of you,” he added, according to a report by Newsflare.

Last year, Cardinal Raymond Burke and Bishop Athanasius Schneider, joined by other prelates, issued a public declaration of truths of the faith where they called it a rebellion and “grave sin” for a man to “attempt to become a woman.”

“The male and female sexes, man and woman, are biological realities created by the wise will of God (see Gen. 1: 27; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 369). It is, therefore, a rebellion against natural and Divine law and a grave sin that a man may attempt to become a woman by mutilating himself, or even by simply declaring himself to be such, or that a woman may in like manner attempt to become a man, or to hold that the civil authority has the duty or the right to act as if such things were or may be possible and legitimate (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2297),” the document states.

Pro-LGBT Jesuit priest Fr. James Martin was delighted with the Pope’s congratulatory words to Sister Monica Cremona, saying in a Tweet: “Wow. Pope Francis sends his support for a Catholic sister in Argentina who ministers to transsexual women.”

Wow. Pope Francis sends his support for a Catholic sister in Argentina who ministers to transsexual women.

"God, who did not go to seminary or study theology, will repay you abundantly." #LGBTQ https://t.co/ZhxzdayPDH via @Revista_VN

— James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) August 18, 2020

Sister Monica has affirmed since 2015 that Pope Francis has known of her work and that he supports it. Her personal relationship with the pontiff dates back well before that, back to “before he was a bishop,” according to a 2017 Crux report.

The Discalced Carmelite explained in a “Queering the Church” report at the time that the Pope told her in an email, “In Jesus’ time, the lepers were rejected like that. They [the trans women] are the lepers of these times. Don’t leave this work on the frontier that is yours.”

“Though indistinct in English … Francis used the female pronoun when saying that the transgender persons are the lepers of today,” according to Crux’s Inés San Martín.

In 2016, Pope Francis referred to a woman who had undergone a sex-change operation as a “man,” and also referred to her as having “married” another woman and admitted to receiving them in the Vatican last year.

Referring to the post-trans surgery woman, the Pope said, “He got married.”

‘He that was ‘her’ but is he,’ explained Pope Francis.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pope-francis-praises-nun-for-opening-trans-home-for-men-claiming-to-be-women-calls-them-girls?utm_source=featured&utm_campaign=standard

United States Files False Claims Act Complaint Against Drug Maker Teva Pharmaceuticals Alleging Illegal Kickbacks

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-files-false-claims-act-complaint-against-drug-maker-teva-pharmaceuticals

ICE lodges detainers for MS-13 members, associates arrested by FBI for sex trafficking a minor

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington Field Office has placed immigration detainers on 10 individuals arrested by the FBI for sex trafficking or physical assault of a minor. The 10 are known members or close associates of MS-13, a notoriously violent transnational criminal gang, designated as a transnational criminal organization by the Department of Treasury in 2012.

ICE lodged immigration detainers against unlawfully present Salvadoran nationals Moises Orlando Celaya-Veliz, 25; Jose Eliezar Molina-Veliz, 20; Santos Ernesto Gutierrez Castro, 21; Carlos Jose Turicios Villatoro, 22; Jonathan Rafael Zelaya-Veliz, 24; Nelson Ezequiel Caballero Portillo, 24; Luis Alberto Gonzales, 31; unlawfully present Guatemalan national Gilberto Morales, 31, and unlawfully present Honduran nationals Sioni Alexander Bonilla Gonzalez, 20, and Orlando Alexis Salmeron Funez, 38. Celaya, Molina, Gutierrez, Turicios and Bonilla entered the U.S. as unaccompanied minors. An 11th individual was arrested by the FBI and is not currently subject to immigration enforcement. However, ICE is monitoring the case.

According to court documents, in August 2018, a 13-year-old identified as MINOR 2 ran away from a youth home in northern Virginia. Shortly after running away, MINOR 2 was introduced to members of MS-13. Members of the gang beat MINOR 2 26 times with a baseball bat as part of a gang initiation. Gang members then sex trafficked MINOR 2 in Virginia and Maryland using the currency of cash and drugs. While in Virginia, men lined up to have sex with her in a wooded area behind one target’s apartment complex. The men gave her drugs in exchange for sex. She was also harbored in various apartments in northern Virginia where men paid her and her handlers cash for sex.

According to court documents, MINOR 2 was later beaten again with a bat 26 times. After the second bat beating, MINOR 2 was transported to Maryland, where she was sold to numerous gang members and other customers in exchange for cash. Law enforcement recovered photographs and videos of MINOR 2 while being sexually exploited, along with numerous social media messages regarding the trafficking and sexual exploitation of MINOR 2.

ICE lodges immigration detainers on individuals who have been arrested on criminal charges and who ICE has probable cause to believe are removable aliens. The detainer asks the other law enforcement agency to notify ICE in advance of release and to maintain custody of the alien for a brief period of time so that ICE can take custody of that person in a safe and secure setting upon release from that agency’s custody.

This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which is composed of FBI agents and task force officers from the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, the Fairfax County Police, the Arlington County Police, the Alexandria City Police, the Prince William County Police and other surrounding agencies. Investigative and tactical assistance was provided by the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement Removal Operations, the FBI Baltimore Field Office, the FBI Norfolk Field Office, the FBI Richmond Field Office, along with the Prince George’s County Police and the Montgomery County Police.

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-lodges-detainers-ms-13-members-associates-arrested-fbi-sex-trafficking-minor

US military made $2M in civilian casualty consolation payments over five years in Afghanistan

The U.S. military has made about $2 million in condolence payments to civilians in Afghanistan over the past five years, according to Pentagon data that sheds new light on how officials have sought to address the impact of unintended injury and death in America's longest war.

The catalogue of "ex gratia payments," which has not been made public previously, shows that the amount of condolence offerings has fluctuated in recent years, peaking in 2016 with nearly 300 payments totaling $1.4 million. Individual sums have varied dramatically, ranging from $131 to $40,000.

The tally obtained by The Washington Post, which also includes "battle damage" outlays and payments to families of local partner forces killed in the line of duty, provides a rare glimpse into the military's uneven, typically opaque handling of the civilian toll of battlefield operations.

But activists said the military must do far more to mitigate civilian harm, calling on the Pentagon to standardize and increase amends payments under a more transparent system, even as the United States seeks to wind down nearly two decades of counterinsurgent wars.

In recent years, operations have been conducted largely from the air, meaning that troops have little up-close interaction with adversaries — and the noncombatants who are sometimes caught in the crossfire.

Daniel Mahanty, director of the U.S. program for the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), said the Pentagon has become more responsive but that "the process has been stymied by a lack of transparency or consistency and internal doubts about the value of the program."

Those factors have made it "impossible to know where the military stands on providing condolence payments to survivors and victims, and making it nearly impossible to know how to pursue a claim," Mahanty said.

The new data, which details payments from 2015 to 2018, comes as the Trump administration seeks to conclude the long campaign in Afghanistan with plans to withdraw additional troops ahead of hoped-for peace talks and reduce involvement in other areas that have dominated Pentagon officials' attention since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Together with 2019 data made public earlier this summer, they provide new insights as the Pentagon develops its first-ever policy on preventing and responding to civilian casualties, an initiative that began in 2018 amid scrutiny over a massive discrepancy between estimated death tolls recorded by the U.S. military and outside groups.

In the U.S.-led campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, for example, the watchdog organization Airwars estimates that at least 8,200 civilians have been killed since 2014. The U.S. military puts that figure far lower, around 1,380.

The Pentagon has made amends payments to civilians for decades, since at least the Korean War, but they have generally been distributed in an ad hoc manner, varying significantly between conflicts and incidents. It has typically been difficult for civilians to seek out such payments.

https://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/us-military-made-2m-in-civilian-casualty-consolation-payments-over-five-years-in-afghanistan-1.641631

Sudan and Israel say talks underway for deal to normalize ties

‘No reason for enmity to continue,’ says Khartoum official, predicting pact could be clinched by end of year; Netanyahu says Israel will do everything to make agreement happen

Sudan on Tuesday expressed interest in a peace deal with Israel, saying a treaty creating diplomatic ties between Jerusalem and Khartoum could be signed by the end of the year or in early 2021.

The announcement was immediately feted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met with Sudan’s transitional leader earlier this year in a diplomatic breakthrough after years of enmity.

Sudan’s declaration came days after the United Arab Emirates on Thursday agreed to forge diplomatic ties with Israel, sparking feverish speculation over which Arab country would next transform its covert ties with the Jewish state into open recognition.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/sudan-and-israel-say-talks-underway-for-deal-to-normalize-ties/

NSA Warns Location Tracking Settings on Mobile Devices Are Difficult If Not Impossible to Turn Off

here seems to be no shortage of expert warnings that smartphones and other wireless or “smart” devices offer infinite possibilities for surveillance and data collection.

Recent reports of government tracking software installed on hundreds of mobile apps and vulnerabilities on Samsung Galaxy smartphones are the tip of the iceberg. NSA has also warned about mitigation-resistant location tracking settings on mobile devices.

From Schneier:

SECURITY: The NSA on the Risks of Exposing Location Data

[2020.08.06] The NSA has issued an advisory on the risks of location data.

Mitigations reduce, but do not eliminate, location tracking risks in mobile devices. Most users rely on features disabled by such mitigations, making such safeguards impractical. Users should be aware of these risks and take action based on their specific situation and risk tolerance. When location exposure could be detrimental to a mission, users should prioritize mission risk and apply location tracking mitigations to the greatest extent possible. While the guidance in this document may be useful to a wide range of users, it is intended primarily for NSS/DoD system users.

The document provides a list of mitigation strategies, including turning things off:

If it is critical that location is not revealed for a particular mission, consider the following recommendations:

Determine a non-sensitive location where devices with wireless capabilities can be secured prior to the start of any activities. Ensure that the mission site cannot be predicted from this location.

Leave all devices with any wireless capabilities (including personal devices) at this non-sensitive location. Turning off the device may not be sufficient if a device has been compromised.

For mission transportation, use vehicles without built-in wireless communication capabilities, or turn off the capabilities, if possible.

Of course, turning off your wireless devices is itself a signal that something is going on. It’s hard to be clandestine in our always connected world.

https://www.activistpost.com/2020/08/nsa-warns-location-tracking-settings-on-mobile-devices-are-difficult-if-not-impossible-to-turn-off.html

Russian general killed, two servicemen wounded in Syria explosion

An improvised roadside bomb exploded 15 km from the city of Deir ez-Zor when a Russian military convoy was returning to its base after a humanitarian mission

MOSCOW, August 18. /TASS/. A military adviser in the rank of a major-general was killed in an explosion in Syria while two servicemen were wounded, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday.

An improvised roadside bomb exploded 15 km from the city of Deir ez-Zor when a Russian military convoy was returning to its base after a humanitarian mission on August 18, the ministry’s press office said.

"Three Russian servicemen were wounded in the blast. During the evacuation and the provision of medical assistance, a Russian senior military adviser in the rank of a major-general died of heavy wounds," the press office said.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu recommended conferring a state decoration on the killed officer posthumously. Russia’s Defense Ministry will also provide all necessary assistance to the killed officer’s family, the statement says.

Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on September 24, 2017 that the head of the group of Russian military advisers in Syria, Lieutenant-General Valery Asapov was killed near Deir ez-Zor.

https://tass.com/emergencies/1191115

Israel Launches Week-Long Bombing Campaign in Gaza Amid Ongoing War Crimes Investigation

Israeli leaders have characterized the latest bombardment as retaliatory, citing “incendiary balloons” and “riots” as justification.

Last Monday night Israeli fighter jets executed airstrikes on the besieged Gaza Strip for the ninth night in a row in an act that may be another on Israel’s long list of possible war crimes.

Israeli leaders characterized the actions as retaliatory, naming Gazan “incendiary balloons” and “riots” as justification.

This is just the latest in what mainstream media generally depicts as a “protracted conflict” between “the militant group Hamas and Israel,” after “months of calm” (5 Gazans have been killed in 2020; Israel has shot at farmers and fishermen hundreds of times; no Israelis have been killed).

The plight of Palestinians in Gaza, a population of almost two million crammed into a region the size of Detroit, has been hidden from the view of most, even as the US funds its occupier with over $10 million a day in military aid.

Not only does Israel limit the amount of food and medicine entering the Strip, but it has also attacked the population in three massive incursions and countless smaller forays, killing thousands while only suffering relatively minor casualties itself.

The current escalation is one example of the constant oppression and violence Gazans have experienced for thirteen years.

Palestinian resistance

Hamas is the democratically elected political party in Gaza, with a wing that engages in resistance against Israel’s 53-year de facto occupation and 13-year blockade – both of which are illegal. International law condones such resistance.

Most recent cases of incendiary balloons were not the work of Hamas, but of independent activist groups in the Strip, which have also been responsible for launching several rockets.

https://www.mintpressnews.com/israel-launches-week-long-bombing-campaign-gaza-amid-ongoing-war-crimes-investigation/270538/

ICE removes aggravated felon wanted for sexual assault of a child in Mexico

LAREDO, Texas — Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement removed aggravated felon, David Neri-Dominguez, 38, an unlawfully present Mexican man wanted for aggravated assault of a child in his home country of Mexico, Monday.

On Feb. 3, 2017, Mexican authorities issued an arrest warrant against Neri-Dominguez for the aggravated assault of a child. Additionally, Neri-Dominquez has a 2008 felony conviction issued by the U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas, for possession with intent to distribute marijuana that carried a sentence of 41 months. In 2018, Neri-Dominquez was also charged and convicted in the U.S. of illegal reentry.

Neri-Dominquez has two other convictions in the U.S. – one for possession of marijuana in 2007 and another for criminal trespassing in 2018.

“We are committed to removing foreign fugitives from the United States who are being sought in their native countries for serious crimes,” said Jose Correa, field office director for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) San Antonio. “The return of this alien to face criminal charges in Mexico is the result of ongoing cooperation between ICE and our foreign counterparts. Foreign fugitives should be put on notice – they will find no refuge here.”

ICE ERO first encountered Neri-Dominquez in January 2011 while he was incarcerated at the Big Springs Correctional Center and lodged an immigration detainer. An immigration judge ordered Neri-Dominquez removed from the U.S., and ICE ERO officers removed him to Mexico March 29, 2011.

Neri-Dominquez illegally reentered the U.S. near El Paso, Texas, in March 2017. Following his arrest and subsequent conviction in 2018 by Ector County Court for criminal trespassing, ICE ERO arrested him May 30, 2018. He was charged and convicted of illegal reentry Dec. 14, 2018, in Texas Western District Court, Midland, Texas, and sentenced to 30 months confinement.

He was transferred from U.S. Marshals Service custody to ICE ERO July 30. On Monday, Neri-Dominguez was escorted by ICE ERO officers to the Laredo, Texas, Port of Entry and transferred to Mexican authorities.

ICE has removed hundreds of thousands of criminal aliens since the agency was established in March 2003.

ICE removed or returned 267,000 aliens in fiscal year 2019. In fiscal year 2019, 86 percent of ERO’s administrative arrests consisted of aliens with criminal convictions or pending criminal charges.

ICE is focused on removing public safety threats, such as convicted criminal aliens and gang members, as well as individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws, including those who illegally reentered the country after being removed and immigration fugitives ordered removed by federal immigration judges.

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-removes-aggravated-felon-wanted-sexual-assault-child-mexico

Ben Swann Interview — Decades Of Mask Science Came To One Conclusion, So Why Can’t We Talk About It?

Joining Ryan Cristián today is investigative journalist Ben Swann to discuss his recent coverage of the mask debate, and how he dared to consider the decades of scientific studies leading up to today before formulating his opinion.

We also discuss how he was censored for objectively reporting on this past research, and its relevance to today, as well as his new platform, ISE.media.

As armies of online influencers attack anyone daring to think for themselves as “anti-maskers,” despite many merely wanting clarity, all we should truly be seeking is objective debate. Does anyone feel that is what’s actually taking place today?

5 NIH studies from 2004-2020 all finding verifiable health effects from wearing a face mask, including scientifically verified reduction is blood oxygen level:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29395…

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32590…

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15340…

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26579…

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31159…

SOME of the mask studies on efficacy:

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.11…

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.11…

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056…

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama…

https://www.cmaj.ca/content/188/8/567

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti…

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19216…

https://aaqr.org/articles/aaqr-13-06-…

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti…

https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/…

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/…

https://link.springer.com/article/10….

https://www.journalofhospitalinfectio…

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti…

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-persp…

https://www.nap.edu/read/25776/chapte…

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/…

https://academic.oup.com/annweh/artic…

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti…

https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.73…

Ben’s Links:

https://ise.media/

https://isegoria.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/21462…

https://twitter.com/benswann_?lang=en

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebenswann/

https://www.instagram.com/benswann_/?…

Ending Animation: “IN-SHADOW – A Modern Odyssey – Animated Short Film” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j800S…

https://www.naturalblaze.com/2020/08/ben-swann-interview-decades-of-mask-science-came-to-one-conclusion-so-why-cant-we-talk-about-it.html

Oracle May Compete Against Microsoft To Acquire TikTok’s US Operations

President Donald Trump has threatened to ban TikTok in the U.S.

Oracle may also seek to acquire TikTok’s operations in Canada, Australia and New Zealand

Oracle’s cofounder Larry Ellison is a Trump supporter

Oracle (ORCL) is reportedly bidding to acquire the U.S. operations of Chinese-owned video app company TikTok.

Oracle’s entry into this affair would pose a direct challenge to Microsoft (MSFT), which has also offered to buy TikTok’s U.S. operations from ByteDance of China.

President Donald Trump has threatened to ban TikTok in the U.S. unless it is taken over by a U.S.-based firm due to alleged security concerns. Trump has ordered ByteDance to unload TikTok’s U.S. operations by mid-November.

The Financial Times reported that Oracle has held preliminary discussions with ByteDance, and may also seek to acquire TikTok’s operations in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Oracle is also engaged in talks with a number of U.S. investors that currently own stakes in ByteDance, including private equity firms General Atlantic and Sequoia Capital.

Oracle’s main rival in this matter, Microsoft, has also said it was interested in TikTok’s operations in Canada, Australia and New Zealand – as well as its businesses in Europe and India. (Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has banned TikTok in his country).

However, Financial Times reported that ByteDance does not want to divest any of its TikTok assets outside of the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

https://www.ibtimes.com/oracle-may-compete-against-microsoft-acquire-tiktoks-us-operations-3030262

DARPA Launches Project CHARIOT in Bid to Shield Big Tech Profits

The U.S. Military-Industrial complex is sprinting on a chariot to shore up the encryption space before the next era of computation upends the entire digital edifice built on semiconductors and transistors. But, the core of the effort is protecting markets for Big Tech and all of its tentacles, which stand to lose years or even decades of profits should the new tech be rolled out too quickly.

DARPA’s newest program seeks to create an encryption technology standard across the breadth and scope of the Internet of Things (IoT). The Cryptography for Hyper-scale Architectures in aa Robust Internet Of Things or Project CHARIOT “will prototype low-cost, low-footprint, post-quantum cryptographic techniques with minimal energy use for devices in an IoT” on the 5G network, according to the Pentagon’s boutique agency’s SBO.

Consumer-side IoT, like smart home devices, had seen considerable growth in 2019 and expectations were high for that trend to continue. The disruption of their supply chains as a result of the outbreak in China hardly slowed down the $52.76 Billion market with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of between 23 and 27 percent. The biggest beneficiaries of the COVID-19 economic reset, however, would turn out to be the telemedicine and medical hardware industry in general, which alone will be worth $332 billion by 2025.

The projected worth of the global IoT market in 2026 has been calculated at roughly $1.3 Trillion and is expected to flood the world with 3 trillion devices in the next ten years. Hence the “Hyper-scale” in DARPA’s project moniker, which is taking the lead on behalf of the corporations who dominate this landscape to develop an encryption standard mandated by the NSA.

Microsoft, Cisco Systems and IBM are just a few of the names that top the list of IoT device and software providers. All three of these companies have interlocking interests with the federal government that in some cases, go back decades. Microsoft, in particular, is poised to finally become the U.S. government’s exclusive cloud services provider and has already taken over State Department communications systems along with Cisco. Cloud computing, in fact, will change the face of the industry yet again by facilitating large scale IoT applications and “lifecycle management.”

An encryption standard across IoT devices becomes pivotal for the full spectrum dominance of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) space sought by the U.S., which is currently threatened by China’s rising technological star. These considerations are left out of DARPA’s project brief, which instead presents a different kind of threat: Quantum computers.

https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/77767/darpa-launches-project-chariot-in-bid-to-shield-big-tech.html

Task Forces Nabs Ohio Priest Accused of Sex Trafficking For Decades

The Cleveland Division of the FBI—Lima Resident Agency, and the United States Attorney’s Office—Northern District of Ohio, announce the federal arrest of Michael Zacharias, age 53, of Findlay, Ohio.

Zacharias is federally charged with coercion and enticement, sex trafficking of a minor, and sex trafficking of an adult by force, fraud, or coercion. Zacharias was taken into custody today, August 18, 2020, without incident at his residence by members of the Northwest Ohio Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

According to the complaint, investigators, at this time, are aware Zacharias has engaged in sexual conduct with minors since the late 1990’s.

Father Michael Zacharias was a priest at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Findlay. He has been placed on leave by the Diocese of Toledo.

The FBI is encouraging anyone that has had contact with Michael Zacharias where they may have been “groomed” for possible future sexual purposes, they were inappropriately touched, or they were sexually assaulted by Michael Zacharias to contact the FBI at (216) 622-6842. All information will be strictly confidential.

https://breaking911.com/just-in-task-forces-nabs-ohio-priest-accused-of-sex-trafficking-for-decades/

Mali Coup Underway As Mutinying Soldiers Storm President's Palace, Arrest Country's Leaders

A military coup is underway in the West African country of Mali, as amid an armed uprising defected soldiers have “arrested” President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse, according to the breaking AFP report.

Soldiers were seen storming the president's residence in the evening hours Tuesday (local time), and the pair of leaders were reportedly transferred to a rebel military base near the capital of Bamako.

The mutiny is being condemned by the United States, France and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), after beginning earlier in the day at the Kati military base which lies 15 km outside Bamako.

Gunfire could be heard as chaos erupted, and a number of senior civilian government as well as military officials were detained in the mutiny.

Coup in progress in Mali to bring an end to the French-backed administration of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

The protesters whose movement led to the coup want the end of France's influence in the country. pic.twitter.com/BF43NcEIUi

— Africa Facts Zone (@AfricaFactsZone) August 18, 2020

The country had seen rolling mass protests since June over widespread allegations of corruption and a deteriorating security situation, in what some citizens have condemned as a sense of lawlessness due to corrupt security forces and officials tasked with overseeing them.

Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse arrested by mutinying soldiers, according to media reports . A coup is underway in Mali right now 🇲🇱 pic.twitter.com/N1Y4cYKyem

— MUGAMBO WA AFRICA , MBS . (@IanJamesMwai) August 18, 2020

https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/77771/mali-coup-underway-as-mutinying-soldiers-storm-presidents-palace-arrest-countrys.html

USEFUL IDIOTS

>>10332769

they are live in the main link

RAND Corporation And Pentagon Simulate US-China War Over Taiwan: China Wins Every Time

The US Department of Defense and the Rand Corporation are continuously simulating war between the US and China over Taiwan.

It appears that Washington loses every time, Real Clear Investigations reported.

“Around a large table with a map and icons representing ships, submarines, planes, missile batteries, land-based forces, space-based sensors, and other apparatuses of modern warfare, officials from the Pentagon and the Rand Corp. fight a thus far unimaginable conflict.”

The Red Team, composed of experts on the Chinese military, aims to use all available forces to capture Taiwan.

The Blue Team, made up U.S. military personnel with operational experience — fighter pilots, cyber warriors, space experts, missile defense specialists – must try to defeat the Chinese invasion.

It just goes poorly for the Blue Team, more or less, every single time.

“It’s had its ass handed to it for years,” David A. Ochmanek, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for force development and now a defense analyst at Rand, told the outlet. “For years the Blue Team has been in shock because they didn’t realize how badly off they were in a confrontation with China.”

Obviously, this is a war simulation, and it is not real world where economic, diplomatic and cultural considerations have a very tangible effect on what takes place.

There’s also one thing most experts on China agree on – it’s not going to war over Taiwan “any time soon.”

The US appears to be causing a sort of deterioration of the situation – the US Secretary of Healthy and Human Services Alex Azar visited Taiwan, in the highest-level visit in 40 years.

To make it worse, the US Congress is to vote on the “Taiwan Defense Act” – it ends the US policy of “strategic ambiguity.” The bill would force the US “to delay, degrade, and ultimately defeat” an attempt by China “to use military force to seize control of Taiwan.”

The bill suggests that both parties in the US Congress strongly support Taiwan.

As China faces more criticism from the US and other Western countries, it is obvious that achieving what Beijing calls the “reunification of the motherland” would be a significant and sought-after achievement for the Chinese Communist Party and its President Xi Jinping.

“As several military analysts put it, the days of unfettered American military superiority in the Western Pacific are over. China has, the analysts say, achieved what’s called anti-access area denial, or A2/AD, which would prevent American forces from being able to penetrate anywhere near Taiwan once a war there started.”

With the A2/AD capability, China has a 2-million-strong military and could directly attack Taiwan, with a standing force of 220,000, hoping that the U.S. would stay out of the conflict. But the U.S. would have powerful reasons for not allowing that to happen.

A Chinese seizure of Taiwan would enormously expand China’s power and position in Asia, especially if combined with its absorption of the entire South China Sea into its maritime territory.

If China felt that the U.S. would intervene, military planners from the Pentagon and Rand who have gamed out scenarios believe a war over Taiwan would most likely begin with a massive attack by advanced Chinese missiles against three American targets: its bases on Okinawa and Guam, its ships in the Western Pacific, including aircraft carrier groups, and its air force squadrons in the region.

https://southfront.org/rand-corporation-and-pentagon-simulate-us-china-war-over-taiwan-china-wins-every-time/

>>10332803

THE HIDDEN HAND BEHIND RAND

Free dose for every Aussie: Agreement to buy Oxford vaccine if it works

Every Australian will get a free coronavirus vaccine dose as the Morrison government confirms on Wednesday an agreement to secure at least 25 million doses with a British pharmaceutical giant if trials prove successful.

The deal with AstraZeneca, valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars, will ensure Australians will be among the first in the world to receive the Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine if human trials are judged as successful, safe and effective.

The government will on Wednesday also release its multibillion-dollar vaccine strategy, to be led by Department of Health secretary Brendan Murphy. It includes a $24.7 million deal with American medical technology giant Becton Dickinson to secure 100 million needles and syringes.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said under the deal, every Australian would be able to receive the Oxford University vaccine free. Priority candidates for the first doses will probably include over-60s and Australians with co-morbidities such as asthma, heart disease, transplant recipients and cancer patients.

Mr Morrison said the Oxford trial was in a phase-three stage and warned more work was needed to prove its viability. He said if the vaccine proved successful, Australia would manufacture and supply vaccines "straight away under our own steam".

"The Oxford vaccine is one of the most advanced and promising in the world, and under this deal, we have secured early access for every Australian," he said.

"However, there is no guarantee that this, or any other, vaccine will be successful, which is why we are continuing discussions with many parties around the world while backing our own researchers at the same time to find a vaccine."

The letter of intent signed with AstraZeneca to supply the University of Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine candidate to Australia includes development, production and distribution. It commits to production of the vaccine in Australia subject to safety and effectiveness.

The final agreement will probably include Australia's biggest health company, CSL, producing the vast majority of the vaccine under a licensing deal at its advanced manufacturing facility at Broadmeadows in Melbourne's northern suburbs.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/free-dose-for-every-aussie-agreement-to-buy-oxford-vaccine-if-it-works-20200818-p55mz7.html

The U.S. Foreign Policy Establishment’s Obsession with Russia

During an August 16 segment on Fareed Zakaria’s GPS show on CNN, Richard Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), described his organization as a “non-partisan institution“. Under the ironic title of “Disinformation and Election 2020“, an August 8 CFR webinar, includes this excerpt from host Carla Robbins, a vanguard for the U.S. media’s responsibility to society:

“And The Times mentioned yesterday, in a story about the State Department report on Russian disinformation, about Michael Averko, who is a particular favorite of mine, who’s a writer for something called Strategic Culture Foundation, which is a front for the Russian Intelligence Service. And how he had published a repeated op-eds in the Yonkers Tribune which is a local Westchester New York newspaper attacking a former Obama official Evelyn Farkas, who was making a run in a primary. And it’s interesting that the local paper didn’t check where he came from, or what his agenda was for this, do you see this, you know, the sort of targeting of other local, you know, in other local campaigns? And how do local media, which have fewer resources–and I’m not saying that the big papers don’t make mistakes, too–how do we protect ourselves?“

• • *

“Yeah baby, yeah!” A Dave Chappelle conducted musical piece comes to mind. I’m also reminded of Dr. Zaius from “The Planet of the Apes“, who sought to protect society via censoring measures. This mindset serves to explain why Carla didn’t invite me on, even though I’m a “particular favorite” of hers.

The late Georgia Democratic Congressman John Lewis is lauded for his advocacy of making “good trouble.” At issue is what does and doesn’t constitute “good trouble.”

In matter of fact terms, Robbins states that the Strategic Culture Foundation (SCF) is a Russian Intel front. Some conclusive proof please. Regardless, my views aren’t influenced by whether the SCF is or isn’t linked with Russian Intel. With no disrespect to the SCF, the likes of Robbins are a greater motivator for me. Ditto situations like a U.S. taxpayer wasted FBI visit. (The FBI seems to have some serious issues.)

In the above CFR excerpt, I’m described as “attacking“, which some might construe as my being subjectively overbearing. That characterization is a parody from Julian Barnes’ August 5 New York Times article reference of me. Seeing how she perceives things, Robbins might take this piece of mine as an attack on her, unlike her apparent perception of being comparatively more objective.

My comments concerning Evelyn Farkas are fair game. Farkas’ incessant Russia-bashing has been evident before, during and after her campaign. I’ve the right to express my views on such matter. What did I say in my pieces at issue that’s incorrect?

How does Robbins know about the decision-making behind the Yonkers Tribune selecting two commentaries from me? IMHO, the above CFR excerpt comes across as a round about way of supporting the kind of censorship discussed in my last article.

BTW, the Yonkers Tribune has a comments section under its posted material. To date, the few negative comments on my two pieces run at that venue on July 30 and May 25 are a flop. I’m of the impression that the truly good journalists don’t shy away from hard criticism. Relative to this observation, how often have the chief U.S. foreign policy establishment journos (including Fareed Zakaria and Tom Friedman) participated in that situation?

Shifting course, Aaron Mate’s August 14 Grayzone show featured Democratic foreign policy legal politico Norman Eisen. Along with a good number of the usual suspects (including Farkas), Eisen signed the August 11 Politico run open letter, that’s extremely negative towards Russia. That communication is an extreme response to the August 5 Politico featured open letter, which I debunked for its overly faulty opening, along with Farkas’ crackpot conspiracy theory, pertaining to the SCF and yours truly.

Mate is a great journalist. Nonetheless, Eisen got in some unchallenged and negatively inaccurate comments regarding Russia – the kind that I’ve refuted. On that show, Mate and Eisen said they’ll lock horns again. Their Russia-related give-and-takes are generally lacking in U.S. TV news media.

https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2020/08/18/us-foreign-policy-establishments-obsession-with-russia/

Sara Carter: It’s Now The ‘Democratic Marxist Party’

On Thursday’s episode of “The Sara Carter Show,” host Sara A. Carter discussed the future of the Democratic party, saying it’s shifted so far to the left that she’s now calling it “the Democratic Marxist Party.”

“They don’t care that Joe Biden,” Carter said. “Like I’ve said before, he’s going to be sitting in a corner with a bib around his neck drooling all over himself, as long as they got Kamala Harris to kind of run the ship, and they think they’re going to be able to control her too. They’re not they’re not.”

She added, “This is a very much turned into the Democratic Marxist party. That’s what I’m going to call it from now on the Democratic Marxist party, the DMP. This is now the DMP right. Here at the Sara Carter Podcast, we are calling it the DMP.”

With former Vice President Biden accepting the Democratic nomination for the 2020 Presidential election this week, many voters continue to question the promises he’s made along the campaign trail.

Carter cited a number of Biden’s past and present that won’t play well for the American people, she explained as she went through the Republican National Committee’s new website “TheRealJoe.com,” where Biden’s past dealings come to haunt him.

“Biden is refusing to allow the University of Delaware to release his senate records because he does not want them to be fodder in the campaign…Biden has connections to the top UD board members, and the Chairman of the Board even bought Biden’s house in 1996 for $1.2 million. Reportedly a top dollar price given its position,” She told listeners.

“Let’s look at Biden and China. Biden supported China’s membership in the World Trade Organization and granting China most favored nation trade status, which basically killed 3.7 million American jobs. This is not a man that is going to do the best for America, folks.”

https://saraacarter.com/sara-carter-its-now-the-democratic-marxist-party/

Senate Intelligence report finds no Russia collusion, FBI handling of probe 'flawed'

The report also concluded that one-time Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort was a 'grave counterintelligence threat'

The anticipated Senate Intelligence Committee report released Tuesday on Russian interference in the 2016 election found no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

The committee also found that the FBI’s handling of Russian threats to the election were “flawed,” and that the agency gave “unjustified credence” to allegations about President Trump's alleged ties to Russia that were included in the now-discredited dossier compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele.

The flaws were “based on an incomplete understanding of Steele’s past reporting record,” states the report, according to The Washington Post.

However, the bipartisan report by the committee found that Paul Manafort, who was briefly a Trump campaign manager, posed a “grave counterintelligence threat” due to his interaction with people close to the Kremlin.

The report also found extensive contacts between key campaign advisers and officials affiliated with Moscow’s government and intelligence services.

Manafort worked with a Russian intelligence officer “on narratives that sought to undermine evidence that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. election,” including the idea that Ukrainian election interference was of greater concern,” the report concluded.

https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/senate-intelligence-report-finds-no-russia-collusion-fbi-handling-probe

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Rand is cabal / trying to provoke a war between the US and China

Read this

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