Amazon deletes 20,000 reviews after evidence of profits for posts

Amazon has deleted approximately 20,000 product reviews, written by seven of its top 10 UK reviewers, following a Financial Times investigation into suspicious activity.

The FT found evidence the users were profiting from posting thousands of five-star ratings.

Those who had their reviews deleted included Justin Fryer, the number one-ranked reviewer on Amazon.co.uk, who in August alone reviewed £15,000 worth of products, from smartphones to electric scooters to gym equipment, giving his five-star approval on average once every four hours.

Overwhelmingly, those products were from little-known Chinese brands, who often offer to send reviewers products for free in return for positive posts. Mr Fryer then appears to have sold many of the goods on eBay, making nearly £20,000 since June.

When contacted by the FT, Mr Fryer denied posting paid-for reviews — before deleting his review history from his Amazon profile page. Mr Fryer said the eBay listings, which described products as “unused” and “unopened”, were for duplicates.

At least two other top 10-ranked Amazon UK reviewers removed their history after Mr Fryer. Another prominent reviewer, outside the top 10, removed his name and reviews, and changed his profile picture to display the words “please go away”.

The FT’s analysis suggested that nine of Amazon’s current UK top 10 providers of ratings were engaged in suspicious behaviour, with huge numbers of five-star reviews of exclusively Chinese products from unknown brands and manufacturers. Many of the same items were seen by the FT in groups and forums offering free products or money in exchange for reviews.

Although some reviewers removed their history, the reviews themselves remained online until Amazon took action on Friday. After the FT published details of its investigation, the company removed all of the reviews written on the platform by seven of the users highlighted.

The Competition and Markets Authority, the UK’s competition watchdog, in May launched its own probe into online stores over “suspicious” and manipulated reviews, which it estimates influence £23bn in UK online shopping spend every year.

“We will not hesitate to take further action if we find evidence that the stores aren’t doing what’s required under the law,” a CMA spokeswoman said.

https://postnewsd2.blogspot.com/2020/09/amazon-deletes-20000-reviews-after.html

Donald Trump says he believes former chief of staff John Kelly is behind claims he called dead troops 'losers' and 'suckers' as he attacks the gold star father for getting 'eaten alive' and being 'unable to function' in his White House

President Donald Trump attacked former White House chief of staff John Kelly at an extraordinary White House press conference Friday evening as the possible source for a report that he had called fallen troops 'suckers.'

Trump denounced the report and tore into Kelly, saying the former Marine General 'got eaten alive' and 'petered out' serving as his top advisor in the White House.

Trump ripped Kelly when asked about the brutal Atlantic story that reports he spoke of fallen U.S. soldiers as 'losers' and 'suckers' while skipping a planned solemn centennial visit to a cemetery in France that houses fallen Marines over concerns about getting rained on.

'I know John Kelly. He was with me – didn’t do a good job. Had no temperament. And ultimately was petered out. He was exhausted,' Trump said, when asked about Kelly's notable absence from public comment about the story.

Trump did not assert definitively his belief that Kelly was the source of the report – which he also asserted may have come from made-up sources.

But he accused the former top aide of bad mouthing him.

'This man was totally exhausted. He wasn’t even able to function in the last number of months,' Trump said.

'He was not able to function. He was sort of a tough guy. By the time he got eaten up in this world, he was unable to function.'

'I told him: John you’re going to have to go,' Trump said, describing Kelly's prolonged departure. 'And now he goes out and bad-mouths. Now, there are people that are jealous. There are people that are upset that they’re not here anymore. There are people – we’ve done an incredible job, the virus came in, and now w’ere doing an incredible job again,' Trump said, his thoughts shifting to the pandemic.

'I don’t know that it was him. I haven’t seen that. I mean I see "anonymous." But it could have been a guy like a John Kelly – just so you understand,' Trump said.

Kelly was a key figure who appeared twice in the story, once regarding the 2018 trip to Belleau Wood, and once regarding Trump's 2017 visit to Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day.

More

http://www.stationgossip.com/2020/09/donald-trump-says-he-believes-former.html

Iran Launches Gold-backed Cryptocurrency as Anticipation for Crypto-Rial Grows to Evade US Sanctions

A gold-backed cryptocurrency has been launched in the Islamic Republic of Iran,. The cryptocurrency known as Peyman (the Persian word for covenant) is the fruit of cooperation between four banks and Ghoghnoos Company.

The four partner banks are Parsian Bank, Bank Pasargad, Bank Melli Iran, and Bank Mellat. Iran Fara Bourse, an over-the-counter exchange, is also expected to host the new currency, Iranian English daily Financial Tribune reports.

Tokenization of Assets Belonging to Banks

According to a Ghoghnoos director, Valiollah Fatemi, Peyman will be used to tokenize banks’ assets and excess properties:

https://www.ccn.com/iran-launches-gold-backed-cryptocurrency-as-anticipation-for-crypto-rial-grows-to-evade-us-sanctions/

Facebook video of sexual assault found by teenage victim's mother leads to 7 arrests

A Facebook video of a 16-year-old girl being sexually assaulted while unconscious at a house party in Providence, Rhode Island, has led to charges against eight men, police said. The girl's mother found the video, recorded it on her cellphone and took the recording to authorities.

Col. Hugh Clements Jr., chief of the Providence police, described the assault as one of the worst he could recall in his 35 years with the department.

"The incident was horrifying, devastating, disturbing on so many levels to this young girl, to her family and to this community," he said at a news conference Wednesday. He said the suspects "should be held to the highest extent of criminal prosecution."

Police Maj. David Lapatin said the mother's discovery of the video helped police charge eight men in connection with the sexual assault of the teen after she lost consciousness at the house party in December.

In March, someone told the girl's mother that a video of her daughter's being sexually assaulted had been posted on Facebook by one of the perpetrators. She found it, recorded it and sent it to police.

"It helped us a lot in identifying a lot of people," Lapatin said in a telephone interview Thursday.

Seven of the men were arrested and charged within the past two weeks.

Six men — Malcolm Baptista, 19; Luis Cabrera, 19; Carlos Chacon, 20; Erving Keith Colon, 25; Luis Luna, 19; and Jose Vargas, 19 — were arrested and charged with assault with intent to commit sexual assault and conspiracy.

A seventh man, Richard Tarell Chester, 20, was arrested and charged with first-degree sexual assault. The eighth, Carlos Vasquez, 19, was being sought on charges of assault with intent to commit sexual assault and conspiracy.

Colon, Vargas and Chester are being held without bail, jail records show. Cabrera, Chacon, Baptista and Luna were released on bail, Lapatin said. They could not immediately be reached for comment.

Police said the suspects are friends.

"They are players that are well-known by members of the Providence Police Department," Clements said.

The teen had been invited to the party at a residence on Glenham Street by two people she knew, Lapatin said. She recalled drinking and smoking marijuana and then feeling unwell, he said. She told police that she went to a bedroom to lie down, that someone made her consume more alcohol and that she then lost consciousness, Lapatin said.

When she awoke, she was naked in the shower, surrounded by eight to 15 men, Lapatin said. Asked Thursday whether additional suspects were being sought, Lapatin said: "The case is not closed by any means."

He said that the nearly two-minute-long video is "sickening to watch" and that detectives had a difficult time getting through it.

"I've seen some bad triple murders of children," said Lapatin, who has worked in law enforcement for 37 years. "And this ranks right up there as one of the horrors we've had in our city."

The teen gave police a statement in December, but the case did not move forward until the Facebook video surfaced.

"There were a lot of suspects," Lapatin said. "She really didn't know who exactly they were. She had nicknames. She had a couple of names."

https://postnewsd2.blogspot.com/2020/09/facebook-video-of-sexual-assault-found.html

X22Report: Dark Forces Infiltrated the US by Blackmailing Those at the Top, Their Plan Is Pure Evil - Cyrus Parsa

When the voices in your head are giving orders: Pentagon scientists say “talking laser” that beams messages directly into your head coming soon

It may sound like something you only see in science fiction, but experts say we may be just a few years away from “talking lasers” that have the power to beam messages right into our heads.

A military initiative known as the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate is working on laser weapons that are capable of transmitting clear snippets of speech across great distances. The program develops ways to stun, deter and otherwise stop adversaries without killing them.

One weapon they are working on uses a “laser-induced plasma effect,” which sees a high-powered laser being fired to create a ball of plasma. A second laser is then shot to oscillate this plasma, which has the effect of creating sound waves. When enough of these bursts are fired from the laser at the right frequencies, the vibrations of the plasma will sound just like human speech. This technology could be used by military personnel to target specific people with warnings or messages without putting themselves at risk.

The Military Times reports that a military-ready version of this weapon could be ready for use in five years. Although it can pass through glass into buildings, it cannot yet penetrate other types of solid barriers. The technology would therefore be best used for protecting static areas like permanent installations and forward bases, experts say. However, with the right power source, it could be mounted to a small vehicle to serve as mobile crowd control to keep individuals away from convoys.

These lasers and plasma balls could be used to keep perimeters secure instead of sending troops out there in person to tell people they need to move. It can give voice commands such as, “Stop, or we’ll be forced to fire upon you.”

Pentagon scientists are hoping to create a version of the laser that is capable of beaming clear messages hundreds of miles away. With such a laser, orders could even be sent down from an aircraft.

Lasers being designed to carry out multiple functions

These lasers can also target people with heat that feels like microscopic pin pricks right through their clothing. This causes a very uncomfortable feeling that prompts people to move out of the way quickly. Although they claim the drilling of the laser does not cause damage, it sets off nerve responses that can lead to extreme discomfort.

The same laser can also be used as an ongoing flashbang grenade that can create repeated sounds to confuse or disorient people. Standard flashbang grenades can only make one or two loud blasts.

MIT researchers are working on a version of the talking laser that is focused at civilians. Their prototype, which was described in the Optics Letters journal, employs a laser beam that wiggles water molecules in the air near a listener’s ear. This creates calculated molecular collisions that generate sound waves. The researchers say these lasers could be used to send messages to specific people across crowded rooms or warn individuals about dangerous situations.

The goal is to come up with a single system that can produce a variety of different effects — such as light, heat and noise — to replace several current non-lethal weapons that produce similar effects individually.

The idea of a safer way for our military to send messages without putting themselves in harm’s way is a good one, but like many inventions that appear to have relatively noble purposes on the surface, it is not hard to imagine all the ways that firing talking plasma laser balls could go wrong. What could these voices be used to drive people to do in the wrong hands?

http://www.stationgossip.com/2020/09/when-voices-in-your-head-are-giving.html

Judge temporarily bans Detroit police from using anti-protest gear. Chief says this changes nothing.

A federal judge on Friday ordered a temporary ban on Detroit police officers using anti-protest gear — such as shields, batons, tear gas, rubber bullets, and more — against peaceful protesters following a lawsuit from protest group Detroit Will Breathe.

The ruling will prohibit officers from using such crowd control tactics on "peaceful protesters" for a period of at least 14 days.

Detroit Police Chief James Craig says he supports the move, and insists that his officers have only used force when demonstrators were not peaceful.

What are the details?

The organization filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Detroit police habitually used "unnecessary, unreasonable, and excessive force" during protests, which violated demonstrators' constitutional rights.

The order states, "For a period of 14 days, to be extended upon a showing of good cause, but not beyond 28 days absent consent by … the City of Detroit, including the Detroit Police Department … is enjoined from: using striking weapons (including, but not limited to, batons and shields), chemical agents (including, but not limited to, tear gas and pepper spray), or rubber bullets against any individual peacefully engaging in protest or demonstrations who does not pose a physical threat to the safety of the public or police."

Other temporarily prohibited actions include "[d]eploying chemical agents or a sound cannon against persons peacefully engaging in protest or demonstrations without an audible warning and a reasonable amount of time to disperse."

Police are also prohibited from placing any demonstrators "in a chokehold," or "ramming with a vehicle any individual attending a demonstration."

The order added, "In the event that Plaintiffs seek relief for an alleged violation of this Order, the City must respond to the motion for relief within 24 hours."

The organization's suit accused police of using forceful tactics to disperse peaceful protesters, including tear gas.

"[Peaceful protesters] have been tear-gassed, pepper-sprayed, beaten, and otherwise subjected to unconstitutional excessive force, shot with rubber bullets … put in chokeholds … and arrested en masse without probable cause."

http://www.tathasta.com/2020/09/judge-temporarily-bans-detroit-police.html

NYC Mayor de Blasio won’t allow people to dine in restaurants until a vaccine is deployed

New Yorkers wanting to eat out again will not be able to do so until a vaccine for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) becomes commercially available, according to a decree from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Indoor dining will remain off-limits in the Big Apple at least until June 1, 2021, de Blasio announced, and only on the condition that New Yorkers agree to get whatever WuFlu jab is ready at that time.

“We do expect – and pray for and expect – a vaccine in the spring that will allow us to get more back to normal,” de Blasio stated at his daily press briefing.

“But I will absolutely tell you, we’re going to keep looking for that solution where we can push down the virus enough where we would have more ability to address indoor dining.”

Despite a meager 0.59 percent infection rate – “one of or lowest” since March, de Blasio admitted – NYC is on track to remain closed indefinitely. Meanwhile, nearby New Jersey is reopening its restaurants for indoor dining at 25 percent capacity starting Friday.

Even other areas of New York state, including neighboring Long Island and Westchester, have had limited indoor dining for several weeks now. But not NYC, which remains under total lockdown for reasons that even de Blasio himself could not elucidate.

“Is there a way where we can do something safely with indoor dining?” he asked during the presser. “So far we have not had that moment, honestly.”

Reopening NYC will require a “huge step forward,” de Blasio warns

Failing to disclose what metrics he is using to determine when it might be “safe” to reopen the city, de Blasio went on to warn that it is still going to take “a huge step forward to get to that point,” suggesting that returning to any type of normalcy is still a long way off.

As for when a vaccine from President Donald Trump’s Operation Warp Speed program might become available, federal officials have already indicated that one could be ready before the end of the year, and possibly even in time for the election.

Since it is still summer, outdoor dining has worked for some NYC establishments – less than half are currently open, though. But the al fresco program currently in place is set to expire on Oct. 31.

After this time, NYC will be too cold for most types of outdoor dining, save for those restaurants that have heavy-duty heat lamps. But de Blasio is planning to extend the al fresco measure regardless, as if this will somehow help restaurants stay afloat through the winter months.

“We’re looking at that right now,” he is quoted as saying. “We’re trying to get a sense from the restaurant community how much interest there is in going longer. There’s definitely openness on our part to going longer if we think it will contribute something.”

On Twitter, one user responded with what most were probably thinking following de Blasio’s announcement:

“Who is the psychopath that is going to dine outdoors in NYC in November?”

There are currently more than 300,000 service industry workers in NYC that remain unemployed due to de Blasio’s continued lockdown orders. All of these are on unemployment waiting for a time, which may never come, when de Blasio will end his reign of terror and get out of the way.

Andrew Rigie, head of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, is one such person who is urging the mayor to cut the crap and bring indoor dining back as soon as possible.

“We need to extend outdoor dining and allow heaters past October, but that’s not a sole solution,” he is quoted as saying. “We need a plan for indoor dining immediately, not a re-evaluation in a month.”

http://www.stationgossip.com/2020/09/nyc-mayor-de-blasio-wont-allow-people.html

NYC Mayor de Blasio won’t allow people to dine in restaurants until a vaccine is deployed

New Yorkers wanting to eat out again will not be able to do so until a vaccine for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) becomes commercially available, according to a decree from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Indoor dining will remain off-limits in the Big Apple at least until June 1, 2021, de Blasio announced, and only on the condition that New Yorkers agree to get whatever WuFlu jab is ready at that time.

“We do expect – and pray for and expect – a vaccine in the spring that will allow us to get more back to normal,” de Blasio stated at his daily press briefing.

“But I will absolutely tell you, we’re going to keep looking for that solution where we can push down the virus enough where we would have more ability to address indoor dining.”

Despite a meager 0.59 percent infection rate – “one of or lowest” since March, de Blasio admitted – NYC is on track to remain closed indefinitely. Meanwhile, nearby New Jersey is reopening its restaurants for indoor dining at 25 percent capacity starting Friday.

Even other areas of New York state, including neighboring Long Island and Westchester, have had limited indoor dining for several weeks now. But not NYC, which remains under total lockdown for reasons that even de Blasio himself could not elucidate.

“Is there a way where we can do something safely with indoor dining?” he asked during the presser. “So far we have not had that moment, honestly.”

Reopening NYC will require a “huge step forward,” de Blasio warns

Failing to disclose what metrics he is using to determine when it might be “safe” to reopen the city, de Blasio went on to warn that it is still going to take “a huge step forward to get to that point,” suggesting that returning to any type of normalcy is still a long way off.

As for when a vaccine from President Donald Trump’s Operation Warp Speed program might become available, federal officials have already indicated that one could be ready before the end of the year, and possibly even in time for the election.

Since it is still summer, outdoor dining has worked for some NYC establishments – less than half are currently open, though. But the al fresco program currently in place is set to expire on Oct. 31.

After this time, NYC will be too cold for most types of outdoor dining, save for those restaurants that have heavy-duty heat lamps. But de Blasio is planning to extend the al fresco measure regardless, as if this will somehow help restaurants stay afloat through the winter months.

“We’re looking at that right now,” he is quoted as saying. “We’re trying to get a sense from the restaurant community how much interest there is in going longer. There’s definitely openness on our part to going longer if we think it will contribute something.”

On Twitter, one user responded with what most were probably thinking following de Blasio’s announcement:

“Who is the psychopath that is going to dine outdoors in NYC in November?”

There are currently more than 300,000 service industry workers in NYC that remain unemployed due to de Blasio’s continued lockdown orders. All of these are on unemployment waiting for a time, which may never come, when de Blasio will end his reign of terror and get out of the way.

Andrew Rigie, head of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, is one such person who is urging the mayor to cut the crap and bring indoor dining back as soon as possible.

“We need to extend outdoor dining and allow heaters past October, but that’s not a sole solution,” he is quoted as saying. “We need a plan for indoor dining immediately, not a re-evaluation in a month.”

http://www.stationgossip.com/2020/09/nyc-mayor-de-blasio-wont-allow-people.html

'I had no reason to question how old she was': Oscar-winning filmmaker Alexander Payne denies raping Rose McGowan when she was 15 and says they 'went out on a couple dates' after she auditioned for a role that 'required actors of age'

Filmmaker Alexander Payne has denied allegations that he 'groomed' and sexually assaulted actress Rose McGowan in the 1980s when she was just 15 years old.

Payne says he and McGowan first crossed paths years later - in 1991 - and went on 'a couple of dates' after she left a note asking him to call her when she auditioned for a part in his first directing job, which was a comic short he was making for the Playboy Channel that required actors who were 'of age'.

The acclaimed director broke his silence on Friday, three weeks after McGowan accused him of 'grooming' and having sex with her when she was underage and he was 28 years old.

http://www.yourdestinationnow.com/2020/09/i-had-no-reason-to-question-how-old-she.html

Trump’s Pick for Afghanistan Ambassador Wants to Withdraw US Troops Immediately

Will Ruger has been trying to end the war for years.

For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis, the election, and more, subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter.

In a move the could have major implications for the longest running war in US history, the Trump administration is planning to nominate Will Ruger to be the next ambassador to Afghanistan, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. Ruger, an anti-interventionist conservative, has long championed an immediate withdrawal of American troops from that country.

“A peace deal between Afghans shouldn’t be a prerequisite for doing the right thing for the US.”

Ruger’s planned nomination, which a source familiar with the matter confirmed to Mother Jones, speaks to President Trump’s desire to remove troops from Afghanistan as quickly as possible. Though the United States signed a much-criticized peace deal with the Taliban in February, the administration has been hazy about when to expect a full withdrawal of troops. Trump reportedly wants troops home before Election Day, but the Pentagon has advocated for a much “slower withdrawal schedule,” the New York Times reported in May.

Ruger, like Trump, supports a more expeditious departure. In his role as vice president for research and policy at the Charles Koch Institute, Ruger has long pushed for an immediate end to the two-decade-old war. “We should not equate Afghanistan with Iraq,” he wrote in response to a Washington Post editorial criticizing Trump’s negotiations with the Taliban last year. “Staying longer will not magically achieve the broad and unnecessary goals that have eluded us to date.”

In my past exchanges with Ruger, he has even been more blunt about the need for a withdrawal—even without a broader peace agreement between the Taliban and the Afghan government. (No such peace deal has been reached.) “An agreement would be nice but they are separate issues and a peace deal between Afghans shouldn’t be a prerequisite for doing the right thing for the US,” he said in an email last year, after Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg argued similarly for an immediate withdrawal during a fall Democratic primary debate.

If he is confirmed by the Senate—which is no sure thing, given the busy pre-election schedule—Ruger would represent a significant break from the hawkish officials Trump has often installed in key national security posts in the past. “The administration has put people in positions that are simply not aligned with the president,” a source familiar with the nominating process told me. “Under Johnny McEntee [who now leads the Presidential Personnel Office], that’s changing.”

The source added, “You’re going to see more like people like Will Ruger and less people like Brian Hook,” the hawkish special envoy for Iran who resigned last month.

Ruger’s nomination is not only a nod to the Koch empire—which had pronounced disagreements with Trump on trade and other issues even as it financially supported his party—but also a recognition of the growing bipartisan discomfort with America’s endless foreign wars. Last year, the libertarian-leaning Charles Koch teamed up with George Soros in a much-publicized move to fund the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, which aims to provide a dovish counterweight to the Washington, DC, think-tank community.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/09/trumps-pick-for-afghanistan-ambassador-wants-to-withdraw-us-troops-immediately/

Four Marines Safe After Super Stallion Helicopter Catches Fire Mid-Flight

Four Marines were able to get out of a heavy lift helicopter safely after it made an emergency landing just miles from their air station.

A CH-53E Super Stallion assigned to Marine Corps Air Station New River in North Carolina made an emergency landing on Thursday. The aircraft landed in Dixon, which is about 11 miles from New River.

All four crew members aboard the aircraft were safe and no injuries were reported.

The Marine Corps released few details about the mishap, citing an ongoing investigation.

"We are thankful for the quick response to the scene by the North Carolina Highway Patrol, Onslow County Sheriff's Office and Onslow County Emergency Medical Service," the service said in a Thursday statement.

The reason for the precautionary landing was not immediately known, the statement adds. The Daily News in Jacksonville said the aircraft started on fire shortly after it landed.

All the Marines were out of the aircraft before it caught fire, according to the paper.

In-flight aircraft fires are rare but not unheard-of. In June 2019, a Marine Corps Super Stallion caught fire while conducting a training flight over Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., and was forced to conduct an emergency landing. The crew emerged safely.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/09/05/four-marines-safe-after-super-stallion-helicopter-catches-fire-mid-flight.html

MOSSAD is pissed

Intel minister: We’ll act against sale of F-35s to UAE, including in US Congress

Amid reports signing of normalization deal will take place at White House within 10 days, Eli Cohen says Jerusalem will actively oppose advanced weapons deal

Israel’s intelligence minister on Friday said Jerusalem would firmly oppose the sale of F-35 fighters and other advanced weaponry to the United Arab Emirates, while continuing to deny Israel had given its approval — tacit or otherwise — to such a deal.

Eli Cohen told Kan TV news: “We oppose [it]. We will not agree to any sale… We will act against the sale of any weaponry that will hurt Israel’s qualitative military edge, including the F-35.”

His comments came as Channel 12 news reported that Israel and the UAE were gearing up for a signing ceremony of their normalization agreement in Washington within the next 10 days.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/intel-minister-well-act-against-sale-of-f-35s-to-uae-including-in-us-congress/

5th column?

Trey Gowdy Sides With Dems, Issues Rare Rebuke of President Trump

Former Rep. Trey Gowdy issued a rare rebuke of President Donald Trump this week.

During an interview with left-wing “comedian” Stephen Colbert, Gowdy appeared on his late-night show to promote his new book, titled, “Doesn’t Hurt To Ask.”

Gowdy was asked about the coronavirus and his opinion on how he thinks the Trump administration has handled the pandemic.

Gowdy did not necessarily tear into the president, but he did say that he wishes Trump would have acted sooner to encourage Americans to wear face masks.

Is this the worst comment? No.

But it’s a little bizarre that Gowdy would take the bait from Colbert — a well-documented anti-Trumper — and make a few negative comments about the president.

This is actually the second time in recent months where Gowdy has made a few not-so-flattering remarks about the president.

During an interview a few months ago on Fox & Friends, the former South Carolina GOP lawmaker said the president should not “punch down” at reporters during White House Coronavirus Task Force briefings.

To help avoid these confrontations and to dodge bad press, Gowdy recommended Trump let healthcare professionals handle questions on how to treat the virus.

Gowdy also said Trump should assume the role of “comforter in chief” to guide the American people through the coronavirus pandemic.

“My advice to the president is to let the healthcare professionals handle explaining our healthcare response. He should be the comforter-in-chief, the encourager-in-chief. He should mix in hope with a reality of the statistics, but let the healthcare professionals handle giving us advice on how we should treat this virus,” Gowdy said.

“It is very frustrating to feel like you’re constantly the object of unfair critique. But it’s been that way for four years, and I don’t think he needs to punch down to individual reporters during these White House briefings,” he added.

“I mean, let the doctors handle those questions, be the president of the United States. That’s an incredible honor that very few people will ever have, so don’t punch down the individual reporters as tempting as it may be,” he continued.

“This is an unprecedented event in our country, and it’s hard to be a leader, which is why so few people raise their hands and say, ‘I actually want to be the president of the United States,'” Gowdy said.

He continued, “Be the president of the United States. That’s an incredible honor very few people will ever have, so don’t punch down the individual reporters, as tempting as it may be.”

Gowdy said Trump has been fed up with the “D.C. media” who he said promoted the Democrats’ agenda to launch numerous investigations into his administration.

https://thedcpatriot.com/trey-gowdy-sides-with-dems-issues-rare-rebuke-of-president-trump/

TRUMPED: US Firms Move Supply Chains Out of China, Explore Options Closer to Home

The President has been right about the threat of the Chinese regime since inception. Nothing could have proven him more right than the deadly coronavirus pandemic that came from the rogue nation.

American learned very quickly that having all of your eggs in one basket with medicines, along with other key materials and goods in China was a terrible decision.

The following is from our friends at The Epoch Times:

The U.S.–China trade war and the COVID-19 pandemic have forced companies to reduce their excessive dependence on China as a single supplier.

U.S. brands have started to explore sourcing options closer to home, with Latin and South America gaining significant traction in recent months, according to a survey by Qima, a Hong Kong-based supply chain inspection company.

The survey conducted in July among more than 200 businesses around the world found that respondents are increasingly moving their sourcing away from China. Ninety-three percent of U.S. respondents reported that they had plans to further diversify their supply chains. Meanwhile, less than half of EU respondents had a similar strategy.

China is still a major global player for sourcing, however, its dominance has become “noticeably less dramatic” compared to prior years, according to a Qima report that shows key survey findings.

For example, 75 percent of respondents globally named China among the top 3 sourcing geographies this year, compared to an overwhelming 96 percent in 2019.

Many companies especially those in textile and apparel have made supplier diversification a priority for a while, with Vietnam continuing to gain popularity as an alternative to China.

Among other Asian countries, Taiwan is emerging “an indisputable leader” as it enjoys overwhelming preference as a sourcing market among American companies.

The pandemic has also accelerated the need to reshore supply lines to the United States or near-shore to Latin and South America.

“Consistently ranking among China’s regional competitors, Vietnam continues to reap the most benefits of the continued mass exodus of Western buyers from China, with 40 percent of EU respondents and almost as many U.S. brands including Vietnam among their top sourcing regions,” the report stated.

“For U.S.-based companies, sourcing destinations closer to their home country continue to grow steadily, with the popularity of Latin and South America almost doubling compared to last year,” the Qima report stated.

https://thedcpatriot.com/trumped-us-firms-move-supply-chains-out-of-china-explore-options-closer-to-home/

MBS purges Saudi military generals as Kingdom continues to crumble

Via DW (https://www.dw.com/en/mohammed-bin-salman-saudi-arabia-crown-prince/a-54804532)…

This week Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — the kingdom’s strongman known as MbS — once again dismissed two members of the royal house on corruption charges.

The first was Lieutenant General Fahad bin Turki bin Abdulaziz, commander of the Saudi military coalition forces fighting in Yemen and also a prince. The second was his son, Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd bin Turki, deputy governor of the al-Jouf region in the kingdom’s northwest.

MbS handed instructions for the dismissals to the Saudi anti-corruption authority Nazaha. The body was charged with investigating “suspicious financial dealings monitored at the Ministry of Defense,” the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported Tuesday.

https://theduran.com/mbs-purges-saudi-military-generals-as-kingdom-continues-to-crumble-2/

>>10538626

see how the bread progresses

Harris on getting any COVID-19 vaccine before election: 'I would not trust Donald Trump'

Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris said she would not take President Trump’s word about the efficacy of a potential coronavirus vaccine released before the November election.

In an interview with CNN set to air in full on Sunday, Harris said she was not confident that health officials would get the “last word” on the effectiveness of a vaccine.

“If past is prologue that they will not, they’ll be muzzled, they’ll be suppressed, they will be sidelined, because he’s looking at an election coming up in less than 60 days, and he’s grasping for whatever he can get to pretend that he’s been a leader on this issue when he’s not,” the California senator said.

“I will say that I would not trust Donald Trump and it would have to be a credible source of information that talks about the efficacy and the reliability of whatever he's talking about,” she added.

BASH: "Let’s just say there’s a vaccine that is approved and even distributed before the election. Would you get it?"

HARRIS: "Well, I think that’s going to be an issue for all of us. I will say that I would not trust Donald Trump… I will not take his word for it." #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/jhxtdvaMF1

— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) September 5, 2020

The remarks come amid concerns that the administration is pushing for a vaccine to be produced prior to Election Day to boost the president’s reelection bid. CNN reported Thursday that Trump has pressured officials to accelerate the development of a vaccine to portray the sense of a close end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also asked state governors last week to fast track applications for building permits for vaccine distribution sites that would be up and running in early November before Election Day.

Polling has shown voters remain skeptical of Trump’s word on a coronavirus vaccine, with only 14 percent in a Politico/Morning Consult poll last month saying that that’d be more likely to receive a COVID-19 vaccination if the president recommended it.

By comparison, 46 percent said they’d take one on the advice of their family and 43 percent said they would on the advice of the CDC or Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert.

“Too much of the evidence points to the Trump administration pressuring the [Food and Drug Administration] to approve a vaccine by Election Day to boost the President’s re-election campaign,” Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement this week referencing a report from The Washington Post addressing the concerns.

“All Americans want a safe and effective vaccine as soon as possible, but if these important life and death decisions appear political, it will only undermine Americans’ confidence in a vaccine and prolong the pandemic.”

Officials have worked to downplay worries, with Fauci this week suggesting he’d trust health officials if they say a vaccine is safe.

“I mean I will look at the data and I would assume and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be the case that a vaccine would not be approved for the American public unless it was indeed both safe and effective. And I keep emphasizing both safe and effective. If that’s the case … I would not hesitate for a moment to take the vaccine myself and recommend it for my family,” he said.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/515266-harris-on-getting-any-covid-19-vaccine-before-election-i-would-not-trust

Harris on getting any COVID-19 vaccine before election: 'I would not trust Donald Trump'

Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris said she would not take President Trump’s word about the efficacy of a potential coronavirus vaccine released before the November election.

In an interview with CNN set to air in full on Sunday, Harris said she was not confident that health officials would get the “last word” on the effectiveness of a vaccine.

“If past is prologue that they will not, they’ll be muzzled, they’ll be suppressed, they will be sidelined, because he’s looking at an election coming up in less than 60 days, and he’s grasping for whatever he can get to pretend that he’s been a leader on this issue when he’s not,” the California senator said.

“I will say that I would not trust Donald Trump and it would have to be a credible source of information that talks about the efficacy and the reliability of whatever he's talking about,” she added.

BASH: "Let’s just say there’s a vaccine that is approved and even distributed before the election. Would you get it?"

HARRIS: "Well, I think that’s going to be an issue for all of us. I will say that I would not trust Donald Trump… I will not take his word for it." #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/jhxtdvaMF1

— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) September 5, 2020

The remarks come amid concerns that the administration is pushing for a vaccine to be produced prior to Election Day to boost the president’s reelection bid. CNN reported Thursday that Trump has pressured officials to accelerate the development of a vaccine to portray the sense of a close end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also asked state governors last week to fast track applications for building permits for vaccine distribution sites that would be up and running in early November before Election Day.

Polling has shown voters remain skeptical of Trump’s word on a coronavirus vaccine, with only 14 percent in a Politico/Morning Consult poll last month saying that that’d be more likely to receive a COVID-19 vaccination if the president recommended it.

By comparison, 46 percent said they’d take one on the advice of their family and 43 percent said they would on the advice of the CDC or Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert.

“Too much of the evidence points to the Trump administration pressuring the [Food and Drug Administration] to approve a vaccine by Election Day to boost the President’s re-election campaign,” Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement this week referencing a report from The Washington Post addressing the concerns.

“All Americans want a safe and effective vaccine as soon as possible, but if these important life and death decisions appear political, it will only undermine Americans’ confidence in a vaccine and prolong the pandemic.”

Officials have worked to downplay worries, with Fauci this week suggesting he’d trust health officials if they say a vaccine is safe.

“I mean I will look at the data and I would assume and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be the case that a vaccine would not be approved for the American public unless it was indeed both safe and effective. And I keep emphasizing both safe and effective. If that’s the case … I would not hesitate for a moment to take the vaccine myself and recommend it for my family,” he said.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/515266-harris-on-getting-any-covid-19-vaccine-before-election-i-would-not-trust

ICE Denver arrests child sex assault suspect at the airport

Denver Justice Center failed to honor ICE detainer

DENVER —U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested an unlawfully present Honduran man charged with sexual assault on a child at Denver International Airport Sept. 4.

In February, Celin Villeda-Orellana, 33, was arrested by the Denver Police Department for sex assault on a child and ICE lodged an immigration detainer Feb. 11 with the Denver Justice Center. The document requested the DJC hold Villeda-Orellana briefly until ICE officers could pick him up prior to any planned release. DJC declined the detainer Feb. 21 and Villeda was released back into the community to reoffend.

“A man charged with hurting a child in such a heinous manner has been released from the Denver Justice Center and was found at the airport. How is it justice to the victims to release these types of criminals to the streets?” said John Fabbricatore, field office director, ERO Denver. “It is unconscionable to allow people like Villeda to be released and not honor our detainer while he potentially reenters the community to harm another child.”

Villeda was found Thursday at DIA and was arrested as part of Operation Noble Guardian.

Previously, Villeda entered the U.S. through Nogales, Arizona in April 2007 without being admitted by an immigration officer. ICE arrested Villeda in Chicago, Illinois Apr. 26, 2007. On Jun. 6, 2007, an immigration judge ordered him removed to Honduras and ERO officers removed him Jul. 19, 2007.

In November 2018, United States Border Patrol (USBP) arrested Villeda near Rio Grande, Arizona and he was issued a notice of intent to reinstate prior order (of removal) pursuant to Section 241(a)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. He was released in San Antonio Nov. 7 on an order of supervision due to him being part of a family unit.

Villeda is currently in ICE custody pending removal from the U.S.

Operation Noble Guardian is a focused effort by ICE to identify alien adults exploiting the U.S. border by arriving with a child in an effort to be deemed a family unit and avoid detention, and who then after securing entry into the U.S. subsequently return the child back to their native countries where they are frequently used again by other adults to then enter the U.S. again as an alleged family unit.

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-denver-arrests-child-sex-assault-suspect-airport

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks and answers to media questions at a news conference following an online meeting of the BRICS Foreign Ministers Council, Moscow, September 4, 2020

A full-format online meeting of the BRICS foreign ministers has ended. This is the second such meeting this year under Russia’s chairmanship.

The first was dedicated exclusively to mobilising efforts to effectively prevent the spread of the coronavirus infection.

Today, we discussed a wide range of international issues and key items on the agenda of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly as well as our practical cooperation among the five member states.

We have adopted a detailed and appropriate final communiqué. You can read it, so I will not dwell on the key international matters that the communiqué covers in detail.

I would like to note that the communiqué reaffirms the BRICS’ commitment to the principles of multilateralism, reliance on international law and resolving conflicts exclusively through political and diplomatic means and according to the principles enshrined in the UN Charter. Once again, we resolutely supported the central role of the UN in the search for collective answers to the challenges and threats facing humanity.

In this year of the 75th anniversary of Victory in World War II, we noted the importance of preserving the historical memory of this tragedy’s lessons in order to avoid repeating it in the future. We unanimously condemned any and all manifestations of Nazism, racism and xenophobia. The corresponding resolution that is adopted annually by the UN General Assembly is traditionally supported by all BRICS countries.

We agreed to strengthen and promote our strategic partnership in all key areas of BRICS activities, such as politics and security, the economy and finance, and cultural ties.

We are grateful to our friends for supporting Russia’s chairmanship of the Five under rather difficult circumstances, when direct international communication, face-to-face communication, has, in fact, been put on hold. Nevertheless, using modern technology, we have managed to carry out most of the planned activities. We have had over 50 activities and as many will take place before the end of the year. We have every reason to believe (our partners also mentioned this today) that all of the Russian chairmanship’s plans with regard to the BRICS activities will be fulfilled.

We have reached a number of practical agreements, including the one to promote investment and to support the effective participation of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises in international trade. Our respective ministries have adopted a joint statement in support of the multilateral trade system and WTO reform. Another important document, the Memorandum of Cooperation in the Competition Policy, was renewed for another term. Our development banks have agreed on an action plan for innovation and blockchain working groups. Other ministries and departments continue to work energetically.

Most of these initiatives are being drafted with an eye to approving them during the next summit, which is scheduled to be held in Russia in the autumn. We will determine the dates later based on the epidemiological situation.

These are the main results. Once again, the communiqué that we have circulated will provide a great deal of interesting information.

https://thesaker.is/foreign-minister-sergey-lavrovs-remarks-and-answers-to-media-questions-at-a-news-conference-following-an-online-meeting-of-the-brics-foreign-ministers-council-moscow-september-4-2020/

SHILLS ARE HERE IN FORCE

CYRUS PARSA CALLS out the entire cabal in the US and China and the shills want that hidden, try to discredit it, the OP and the sauce

PANIC top fucking KEK

>>10538761

>>10538781

yes

Flynn Files Joint Motion With DOJ: Requests Court Expedite A Ruling On DOJ’s Decision To Dismiss Case

Former National Security Advisor Michael T. Flynn and the Department of Justice filed a motion late Friday to expedite his case after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit denied his petition for a writ of mandamus against Judge Emmet Sullivan, who is overseeing the case.

Flynn’s case has been a roller coaster ride since the former Special Counsel Robert Mueller targeted the former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, who went on to be a loyal and trusted member of Trump’s team in 2016.

Moreover, Flynn has been up against a behemoth of opposition from former Obama officials and Sullivan, who has acted more like a prosecutor than a judge. The circumstances surrounding Flynn’s case have led Trump, along with many others, to call for his exoneration. Evidence discovered over the past year by the DOJ’s Inspector General, Flynn’s attorney, Sidney Powell, and an appointed counsel put in place by Attorney General William Barr reveal extensive malfeasance in the FBI’s handling of its investigation into the Trump campaign and Flynn.

The litany of evidence collected during the investigations led the Justice Department to request a dismissal Flynn’s case. Unfortunately, the request to dismiss the case was politicized by Judge Sullivan, who is overseeing Flynn’s case. He has been fighting the request and accusing Barr of intervening on behalf of Trump. Because of this, Sullivan appointed an amicus curiae, a friend of the court, to argue on his behalf as to why the case should not be dismissed until he reviews it further.

Powell fought back against Sullivan’s unusual actions but could not persuade the appellate court last week to order Sullivan to dismiss the case against Flynn based on the Justice Department’s motion to have his case dismissed.

In effect, Flynn and his family have faced an extraordinary ordeal over the past three years that has left the three-star general and war hero depleted of funds and emotionally strained.

“We look forward to getting a ruling on the government’s motion to dismiss as soon as possible,” Powell told SaraACarter.com. “Between the issues fully briefed for the Court of Appeals in which Judge Sullivan fully participated as if he were a party and the briefing already filed in his court, there is no reason for any delay.”

In the motion Powell and the Justice Department argue that it “is not necessary, however, for this Court to wait until September 21 to proceed with this case. The Court instead may, and should, set a schedule to resolve this case as soon as possible.”

“Indeed, in this very case, the Court allowed briefing on the government’s motion to dismiss to continue while General Flynn’s petition for mandamus was pending before the court of appeals panel…Accordingly, the Court need not wait for the issuance of the court of appeals’ mandate or for the formal termination of appellate court proceedings before deciding the government’s motion to dismiss,” the motion states.

The proposed hearing dates for the case are Sept. 23, 24, 28, or 29.”

Flynn update – the DOJ and Flynn have filed a motion to expedite the resolution of the case.

The parties "agree that this Court should resolve the pending motion to dismiss with dispatch."

Proposed hearing: Sept. 23, 24, 28, or 29.

Full doc: https://t.co/PdMkQRRSXA pic.twitter.com/knYirF1Jtk

— Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) September 4, 2020

https://saraacarter.com/flynn-files-joint-motion-with-doj-requests-court-expedite-a-ruling-on-dojs-decision-to-dismiss-case/

Zuckerberg pours $250 million into group funding voting drives in Wisconsin Democratic strongholds

Group will fund "local election jurisdictions across the country."

Facebook's billionaire founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have gifted a quarter of a billion dollars to an election activist group pushing major government voting initiatives in several Democratic strongholds in the battleground state of Wisconsin.

The Center for Tech and Civic Life, a group which styles itself as "a team of civic technologists, trainers, researchers, election administration and data experts working to foster a more informed and engaged democracy, and helping to modernize U.S. elections," announced on Tuesday that it had received $250 million from Zuckerberg and Chan.

The organization plans to "regrant [the money] to local election jurisdictions across the country to help ensure that they have the staffing, training, and equipment necessary so that this November every eligible voter can participate in a safe and timely way and have their vote counted."

Notably, the CTCL has already poured a significant sum of money into a voting initiative in five Wisconsin cities. The organization announced in early July that it had partnered with the cities to implement the Wisconsin Safe Voting Plan, a "vision for a safe, inclusive, and secure voting process in 2020 elections" proposed by the mayors of those cities.

The mayors of Green Bay, Kenosha, Madison, Milwaukee, and Racine requested and received a collective $6.3 million from the organization in order to facilitate their respective election machines. A plurality of those funds — about 40% — went to support both vote-by-mail and early voting efforts. Around a million dollars went to "voter outreach and education efforts."

The Center for Tech and Civic Life last month also distributed a $10 million grant to the city of Philadelphia for a similar initiative. The city in its grant request pledged to spend over half of those funds on "mail-in and absentee and processing equipment," along with roughly a quarter of the grant on "satellite election offices for in-person mail-in voting."

Organization appears to target Democratic strongholds

The Center's major outreach efforts this election year appear as of this week to target predominantly Democratic strongholds. The five Wisconsin cities and Philadelphia all have extensive histories of voting for Democrats; five of the six municipalities voted in favor of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election, with only Kenosha going for Trump, by a razor-thin margin.

The CTCL did not respond to queries on Thursday asking if they've launched initiatives in other cities. Just the News also asked if the group had had any input or oversight into the development of the Wisconsin Safe Voting Plan.

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/zuckerberg-pours-250-million-group-funding-voting-drives-wisconsin

Tenacious fuckers

Look at this propaganda designed to discredit us

How Facebook, Google algorithms feed on hate speech, rage

Radical posts or conspiracy theories always seem to float to the top of social media feedsand there could be a very deliberate and sinister reason why.

Notice how those unsavoury posts liked by some long-forgotten friend always seem to float to the top of your curated social media feeds?

Wonder how an incitement to violence can stay on your screen for days?

What about that infuriating conspiracy that keeps getting forced down your throat?

According to an Australian digital security researcher, it’s no bug. It’s a feature. It’s a subliminal mechanism designed to extract maximum revenue out of your inbox.

Zac Rogers, a researcher for JBC Digital Technology, Security and Governance, says the evidence is mounting that social media monopolies such as Facebook and Google actually need the powerful appeal of hate forums to energise their marketing algorithms.

“We are participating in a system whereby attention markets are being assembled by an algorithm, which fundamentally is optimising for more rage, more extremism, more violence, more hatred,” he says.

More

https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/social/how-facebook-google-algorithms-feed-on-hate-speech-rage/news-story/d749b9f630b1caeeefa6946ddd0eb079

Germany, Not Russia, Should Answer Questions Over Navalny Case

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has all but accused the Russian government of attempted murder in the strange case of Alexei Navalny, the dissident figure who reportedly remains comatose in a Berlin hospital.

Merkel spoke after a German military laboratory announced earlier this week it had “unequivocal proof” that Navalny had been poisoned with “Novichok”, a Soviet-era military-grade nerve agent.

“It raises serious questions that only the Russian government can and must answer,” Merkel told media reporters. The chancellor’s assertions were immediately reinforced by the United States, Britain and the head of NATO, each demanding Moscow to be held to account.

The Russian government rejected the accusations, saying they were being made improperly. It noted that the German authorities did not inform Moscow of its claims directly, but rather communicated first with its Western allies. There is more than a suggestion that the Western response is being coordinated to railroad accusations against Russia without Moscow being afforded due process. There is a presumption of guilt which violates due process and diplomatic protocol. And, of course, this is not for the first time when it comes to Western contemptuous relations with Russia.

Contrary to Western assertions about Russia having to answer questions about the Navalny case, the onus is very much on the German authorities to explain their “findings” and to back them up with verifiable evidence. Otherwise it amounts to hearsay and innuendo.

First of all, the Germans say they have “unequivocal proof” that Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, reportedly from tests carried out on his blood samples. But the German military laboratory and doctors in Berlin have not provided any biomaterials to Russia for the latter to independently verify the alleged detection of Novichok.

Secondly, the Russian doctors who first treated Navalny after he suddenly fell ill on a flight from the Siberian city of Tomsk to Moscow on August 20 have affirmed that they carried out comprehensive toxicology tests on his biological fluids and organs, and they detected no traces of toxins. Specifically no traces of organophosphate nerve agents. The Russian medics concluded that Navalny may have become ill from a metabolic disorder, such as extremely low blood sugar.

The Russian doctors who treated Navalny, and possibly saved his life by their quick intervention, said they detected the presence of cholinesterase inhibitors which affect the nervous system, but such substances can be caused by a wide range of clinical pharmaceuticals, including those used for the treatment of diabetes which Navalny reportedly suffers from.

However, the crucial point is this: the Russian toxicology tests found no presence of Novichok or any other such nerve poison in Navalny’s body. The Russian medics reportedly still possess the original body samples taken when Navalny was being treated in Russia. It is the Germans who are claiming they have detected Novichok, but so far they have not provided verifiable proof. It is their word for it, that’s all.

There are more questions needing answers. Navalny was airlifted from Russia to Berlin on August 22 under heavy pressure from Germany and other Western states for Moscow to permit his relocation. Why the urgency to do so? Why did Moscow relent in allowing this strange foreign intervention in its internal affairs?

If, for argument sake, the Kremlin had in some way plotted to cause Navalny harm with Novichok or some other poison, why would Moscow permit his relocation to Berlin where toxicology tests would uncover the purported plot? That scenario is illogical.

https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2020/09/04/germany-not-russia-should-answer-questions-over-navalny-case/

Bernie Sanders: 'America Must Be Prepared When Trump Refuses to Leave Office'

Every few days Democrats will trot out the tiresome charge that Donald Trump won’t leave office no matter what the result of the election.

Trump fans the flames of this charge by refusing to rule out a challenge if it’s close. What kind of an idiot would promise to leave office under circumstances that America is facing in 2020?

Joe Biden hasn’t promised to leave either. He was even encouraged by 2016 Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton to “never concede” the election.

New York Post:

Hillary Clinton has some advice for Joe Biden: If it is a close race on election night, do “not concede under any circumstances.”

In a clip from an interview with her former campaign staffer Jennifer Palmieri on Showtime’s docu-series “The Circus,” the failed 2016 presidential candidate was asked what she thought President Trump and the Republican Party would do if Biden triumphed in November.

Clinton outlined exactly the strategy that Republicans will use in a close election. It sounds a helluva lot like the Democrats’ strategy.

Clinton speculated the GOP would try “messing up absentee balloting” and would launch lengthy legal battles with an army of lawyers to contest the result. The Trump campaign has already begun suing states like New Jersey over their mail-in ballot plans.

“We’ve got to have a massive legal operation, and I know the Biden campaign is working on that,” Clinton says — predicting a bitter and messy election and urging fellow Democrats to not give “an inch.”

When Republicans do it — bad. When Democrats do it — good.

It sounds like Hillary is urging Biden not to give up. This is what Bernie Sanders is predicting Trump will do — except when Trump does it, it’s dirty politics.

Politico:

“This is not just idle speculation,” said Sanders, pointing to comments the president made at the GOP convention. “Trump was saying that the only way he could lose the election is if there was — let me get the exact quote — ‘the only way they can take this election away from us is if this is a rigged election.’ Now he is making that statement at a time when virtually every national poll has him behind.”

The Vermont senator said Trump also signaled the possibility of refusing to concede after defeat in a July interview with FOX News’ Chris Wallace, in which he was asked whether he would accept the election results. Trump said, “I have to see. Look, you — I have to see. No, I’m not going to just say yes. I’m not going to say no, and I didn’t last time, either.

Has anyone asked Joe Biden if he will “accept” the election results? Of course not. Biden will not concede anything until every mail-in ballot is counted — at least once. If past is prologue, they will keep “finding” ballots that had been “mislaid” by some unfortunate registrar. They will “find” these ballots until Biden is declared the winner.

Why should Trump concede under those circumstances, when Biden won’t either?

What Democrats are doing is sowing the seeds of doubt if the election result shows Trump winning. Trump is doing the same thing. It’s how the game is played and Democrats better stop playing “holier than thou” or we’re going to have a crisis the likes of which the U.S. has rarely seen.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/rick-moran/2020/09/05/bernie-sanders-america-must-be-prepared-when-trump-refuses-to-leave-office-n896207

Some Christian Schools Choosing To Make Mask-Wearing Voluntary For Students

A small Christian school in Michigan drew attention this week after it fired a music teacher who had expressed concerns about violating COVID-19 safety guidelines, highlighting possible broad problems as many schools throughout the nation reopen during a pandemic.

Teacher Nathan Smith told public radio station Michigan Radio that he was concerned about safety violations at Oakdale Academy, a grades K-12 school with about 200 students located about 35 miles from Detroit. When he brought the concerns up with the school's headmaster, it was made clear to Smith that the school would rather close its doors "than open with too many restrictions,” he said.

Oakdale Academy's mask-wearing policy is reportedly voluntary and the school noted that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's "actions [over a mask mandate] are being challenged in court.” The headmaster reportedly described mask-wearing as "divisive" and that he did "not want to allow our enemy Satan" to gain a foothold in the school.

Rejecting safety guidelines has not been limited to one small Christian school. Reports surfaced in late August that at least three people at Christian Collegiate Academy in Gulfport, Mississippi, tested positive for COVID-19, with the school ignoring state orders that require masks to be worn. In Illinois, Parkview Christian Academy in Yorkville, said it would make masks optional plans in the school year while Gov. J.B.Pritzker sues to mandate face coverings in schools.

Questions over the following of safety guidelines had surrounded private and public schools for much of the summer.

The dismissiveness of wearing masks seems to bear some similarities to the movement anti-vaxxers waged in May 2019. California's 27 Waldorf schools had very low vaccination rates for measles, with parents skeptical of medicine and science.

As Politico noted in July, "The same parents who loudly opposed school vaccine requirements in Sacramento last year are turning their attention to mask recommendations that districts are considering as they figure out how to send kids back to the classroom in the middle of a pandemic."

https://www.ibtimes.com/some-christian-schools-choosing-make-mask-wearing-voluntary-students-3040605

>>10538960

>>10538780

>>10538485 This is why

Did Fauci’s NIH Institute Financially Assist China’s Military?

How much US taxpayer money approved by Dr. Fauci has benefited the Chinese military?

U.S. patent number 8933106 entitled “2-(4-substituted phenylamino) polysubstituted pyridine compounds as inhibitors of non-nucleoside HIV reverse transcriptase, preparation methods and uses thereof” is assigned to the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences of China’s People’s Liberation Army.

One of the inventors of that patent, Shibo Jiang, is a graduate of the First and Fourth Medical University of the People’s Liberation Army, Xi’an, China.

He is a long-time collaborator with institutions associated with the Chinese military and, since 1997, a recipient of U.S. government research grants from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), headed by Dr. Anthony Fauci.

In one of the two scientific references used to support the above-mentioned patent “Discovery of diarylpyridine derivatives as novel non-nucleoside HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors,” Shibo Jiang is listed as a co-author, along with the four other inventors on the patent.

In the Acknowledgments section of that scientific publication, which supports the patent application, three separate NIAID grants are cited, two of which, AI46221 and AI33066, were awarded to co-inventors on the patent, Shibo Jiang and Kuo-Hsiung Lee, respectively.

Shibo Jiang and Kuo-Hsiung Lee are co-inventors on another U.S. patent, 8309602, also assigned to the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences of China’s People’s Liberation Army.

Although no scientific publications are listed in the 8309602 patent, you can compare the chemical compounds with those in “Diarylaniline Derivatives as a Distinct Class of HIV-1 Nonnucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors,” which has as co-authors all the co-inventors of the patent.

That research was also supported by three separate NIAID grants, two of which, AI46221 and AI33066, were awarded to co-inventors on the patent, Shibo Jiang and Kuo-Hsiung Lee, respectively.

NIAID funding of China’s military research programs does not appear to be restricted to those two patents.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/09/faucis-nih-institute-financially-assist-chinas-military/