Seventh Generic Drug Manufacturer Is Charged In Ongoing Criminal Antitrust Investigation
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/seventh-generic-drug-manufacturer-charged-ongoing-criminal-antitrust-investigation
LBMA-COMEX Collusion Intensifies As CME Mass Approves 267 LBMA Gold And Silver Bar Brands
In a move which has gone entirely unnoticed in the precious metals markets, but which signals gold and silver bar delivery constraints for the COMEX gold and silver futures contracts, Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group (CME), operator of the New York based COMEX, has quietly and under the radar, hugely expanded its lists of eligible refinery gold and silver bar brands that can be delivered against the massively traded flagship GC 100 (100 oz gold) and SI (5000 oz silver) contracts.
These changes, which were implemented on 27 July and which are detailed below, also look to be serving an even bigger agenda of preparing for a radical change in the delivery procedures of these two famous contracts so as to facilitate gold and silver stored in London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) vaults in London, England, to be used in settlement against the GC 100 oz and the SI 5000 oz COMEX contracts. Note that the COMEX 100 oz gold futures contract is currently deliverable as either one 100 troy ounce gold bar, or three 1 kilo gold bars, while the COMEX 5000 oz silver futures contract is currently deliverable as five 1,000 troy ounce cast silver bars (with a weight tolerance of 10% either higher or lower).
To reiterate, these changes are to the gold and silver refiner brand lists of the big boy contracts GC 100 and SI. You may recall something similar happening for a new 4GC contract when it was rushed out in late March, but that was just a trial run. This is the main event.
From New York to London
As a reminder and as some background, CME (COMEX) and the LBMA began explicitly colluding on 24 March this year in an attempt to try to reign in the global precious metals markets following an Exchange for Physical (EFP) gold delivery failure in London which caused both a blow out between gold futures and gold spot spreads, as well as a bid-ask spread blowout in London spot gold, and which prompted the LBMA in a public statement to say that it had:
“offered its support to CME Group to facilitate physical delivery in New York”
On the same day, 24 March, Reuters, the embedded LBMA mouthpiece, reported that:
“The LBMA and executives at major gold-trading banks asked CME to allow 400-ounce bars to be used to settle Comex contracts, said the two sources, both of whom were involved in the discussions.”
Again, on the same day, 24 March, the CME Group hurriedly launched a new gold futures contract called the “Gold (Enhanced Delivery) futures contract” (ticker 4GC), a contract which is structured to allow delivery via 100 oz gold bars, or kilo gold bars, or 400 oz gold bars.
Notably, in the 4GC contract, a 400 oz gold bar can be delivered via “Accumulated Certificates of Exchange” (ACEs), a fractional paper construct created by the CME to, in its words, “facilitate the conversion of 400 oz bars in fractional units which can be used for delivery” where “the Clearing House will issue four ACEs. Each ACE will represent an equal share of ownership of the larger bar.”
More
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/lbma-comex-collusion-intensifies-cme-mass-approves-267-lbma-gold-and-silver-bar-brands
ICE, local law enforcement investigation reveals registered sex offender exploited a child under the age of 12
Homeland Security Investigations child exploitation case results in guilty plea
TACOMA - A registered sex offender currently jailed in Skamania County pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to production of child pornography, announced U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Acting Special Agent in Charge Eben Roberts and U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran. Steven Lee McBride, 51, faces a mandatory minimum 15-years in prison when sentenced by U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle on Oct. 26. Under the terms of the plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend no more than 25-years in prison, and the defense will recommend no less than 18 years in prison. Judge Settle is not bound by the recommendations and can impose any sentence up to the maximum of 30 years in prison.
According to records filed in the case, in 2007, McBride was convicted in Idaho of molesting two children under the age of 16 and was required to register as a sex offender following a state prison term of up to 15-years. Upon release from prison, McBride moved to a residence in Skamania County. There he moved next door to a distant relative and befriended that neighbor’s child. Between September 2017 and May 2019, McBride made sexually explicit images of the child by hiding a camera in the bathroom, molesting the child while the child slept and ultimately by posing as a school friend of the child online to demand the child send sexually explicit images. McBride threatened to kill the child’s family if the child did not continue to provide the photos.
Law enforcement learned of the production of child pornography when investigators in Queensland, Australia became aware of McBride providing sexually explicit images online in their jurisdiction. An undercover officer contacted McBride and got additional information about the identity of the victim from McBride. The Vancouver Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations moved quickly to alert the victim’s parent and arrest McBride on June 7, 2019.
McBride is charged in Skamania County Superior Court for the hands-on molestation. Under the terms of the plea agreement his state and federal sentences will run concurrently.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Vancouver Police Department and the Queensland Australia Police.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Angelica Williams.
HSI is a worldwide leader in the fight against the sexual exploitation of children. Prior to the creation of the agency in 2003, legacy U.S. Customs special agents investigated the disbursement of illegal child pornography that was often sent by mail or purchased overseas.
With the advent of the Internet, the sharing and trading of child pornography now primarily occurs online. In addition to the legacy expertise, HSI special agents also have the authority to investigate the illegal movement of people and goods across U.S. borders, and because the Internet is borderless, the sharing of contraband online is an international crime. An image on the Web of a child being sexually abused can be seen by anyone anywhere in the world.
Operation Predator draws on the agency's unique investigative and enforcement authorities to safeguard children. And, with 200 U.S. offices and more than 70 offices overseas, HSI has the ability to follow a case – to rescue a victim or arrest a predator – wherever in the world it may lead.
Collaborating with law enforcement partners around the country and the world, Operation Predator brings together an array of resources to target these child predators.
https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-local-law-enforcement-investigation-reveals-registered-sex-offender-exploited
Trump Is the Only One Providing COVID Relief—and Frustrated Americans, Including Democrats, Know It
Executive orders are generally not very popular among Conservatives. The exception could be when they slash needless regulations that put burdens on individuals or the economy. Undoing a predecessor’s executive overreach is usually applauded. Unfortunately, due to Democrats’ unyielding stonewalling on a COVID relief package, President Trump had little choice.
In many ways, Congress is just broken. It has become so hyperpartisan that party-line votes are the norm. This pattern is especially evident in an election year where Democrats don’t want to provide the president a win he can campaign on. Likewise, President Trump and the Senate Majority will not allow Speaker Pelosi and Chuck Schumer to put long-sought goodies into unrelated legislation.
This goal was apparent in the recent COVID relief negotiations. Democrats wanted money for their supporters in the American Postal Workers Union, mail-in voting, ballot harvesting, and even a repeal of the SALT cap all tucked into a COVID relief package.
The Democrat caucus played the same game back in March. In negotiations, they got several items for their base and supporters due to the urgency of assisting families and businesses in the face of the pandemic. This time President Trump and Mitch McConnell were not going to play. Hospitals had not spent all of the money allocated previously, and blue-state governors and mayors were pressuring their members to ensure excessive levels of relief to cover decades of fiscal mismanagement.
No Bailouts for Corrupt Blue States That Keep Running In the Red
When negotiations on the new package failed, and the House adjourned, President Trump issued a narrow executive order. It provided a payroll tax holiday for low- and middle-income workers, extended unemployment benefits with a $400 enhancement, and offer federal eviction and student loan relief through the end of the year.
Despite many commentators saying the president is on shaky legal ground with these orders, he is not in trouble with voters. A new Hill-HarrisX poll shows 68% of Americans support the executive orders. Many have noted that this includes 90% of Republicans, who are generally critical of questionable executive actions. Perhaps they have just had it with an ineffective Congress that appears to put partisan priorities ahead of the needs of struggling Americans.
Also, the orders had a 73% approval among independents and 45% among Democrats. Given that President Trump typically grabs less than 20% of Democrats in his daily approval ratings, it appears Pelosi and Schumer might have seriously overestimated their leverage on this issue. The president gave voters what they need, clearly and concisely. It seems most Americans were tired of the haggling.
And You Thought Democrats Wanted to Tax the Rich
Trump and the RNC need to capitalize on this approval and explain why the order was necessary through November. The simple truth is that Democrats placed their political priorities over the needs of their constituents to weather the lingering effects of the pandemic. Republicans wanted a narrow bill focused on families and businesses. There is a compelling story that helps expose the Democrats’ strategy of never letting a crisis go to waste in pursuit of power.
https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/stacey-lennox/2020/08/25/trump-is-the-only-one-providing-covid-relief-and-frustrated-americans-including-democrats-know-it-n842834
Shots fired at Trump supporters, including children, who were just waving flags in South Carolina
Police arrested a 23-year-old suspect
Supporters of President Donald Trump said that shots were fired at them from a vehicle as they were waving flags during a public political demonstration.
The incident unfolded Monday evening in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
The Fort Mill Police Department said in a statement posted to its Facebook page that the officers were called to the demonstration at about 6:50 p.m.
Demonstrators told them that three men in a vehicle drove by their group several times and yelled obscenities at them. They claimed that the driver of the vehicle extended his hand out with what appeared to be a gun and they heard gunshots ring out.
"All of a sudden you know bang bang bang bang bang bang bang," Matthew Ostrowski said to WBTV.
"It was ridiculous. There were kids everywhere," he added. "They drove by really slow and saw everybody, so they knew exactly who was there."
Later a highway patrol officer found the vehicle abandoned nearby. Police stopped a second car driving in the vicinity of the first car when the trooper noticed one of the riders wore clothing that matched the description they were given by witnesses.
Police say two of the men in the second car were released after an investigation, but a third, 23-year-old Marquise Damarius Asomani from Charlotte, was arrested.
They charged him with six counts of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, one count of unlawful carrying of a pistol, one count of pointing and presenting firearms at a person, and one count of possession of a firearm during a violent crime.
He was placed under a $75,000 bond and held at the York County Detention Center.
'This energizes me more'
Ostrowski said that the incident didn't intimidate him and the others in the group, instead they drew strength and inspiration from the alleged attack.
"If anything this energizes me more and after this incident," he said. "It's done the same for many many people."
But others, like Lindsey Portugal, said that the alarming incident was discouraging.
"I think it's sad honestly that we're showing support for the president and you have to be nervous about somebody coming and doing this," she said. "I mean that's just discouraging."
Here's another recent attack on Trump supporters:
https://www.theblaze.com/news/shots-fired-trump-supporters-sc
RNC cancels speaker after she promoted anti-Semitic conspiracy theories on Twitter
On Tuesday evening, CNN reported that the Republican National Convention has abruptly removed Trump adviser and “Angel Mom” Mary Ann Mendoza from the night’s speaking lineup.
This comes after Mendoza posted her support from a thread written by a QAnon supporter positing a Jewish conspiracy to take over the world.
Faced with backlash, Mendoza wrote a follow-up tweet saying, “My apologies for not paying attention to the intent of the whole message. That does not reflect my feelings or personal thoughts whatsoever.”
CNN now reporting that Mary Ann Mendoza has been abruptly removed from tonight’s program. Mendoza just tweeted an apology for retweeting anti-Semitic QAnon conspiracies https://t.co/rC8qaC9A5n
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) August 26, 2020
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/08/rnc-cancels-speaker-after-promoting-anti-semitic-conspiracy-theories-on-twitter/#.X0WrkSgvo6w.twitter
RNC Speaker Cancelled After Boosting QAnon Conspiracy Theory About Jewish Plot to Enslave the World
https://www.thedailybeast.com/rnc-speaker-boosts-qanon-conspiracy-theory-about-jewish-plot-to-enslave-the-world-1?ref=home