ASSANGE HEARING DAY TWELVE—Lewis Challenges Diagnosis of Assange’s Autism as Suicide Risk

5:05 am EDT: Court is in session. Today’s defense witnesses are to be Dr. Quinton Deeley, an honorary consultant psychiatrist in the National Autism Unit, Adult ADHD Service, and Behavioural Genetics and Autism Assessment Clinic & Paul Mullen, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Monash University, Melbourne.

Defense attorney Edward Fitzgerald has presented the “adjudication sheet” from the razor blade incident to Judge Vanessa Baraitser to prove that Julian Assange was “charged” for concealing it. The charge was dismissed.

James Lewis QC for the prosecution told the court this evidence did not prove it “lead to a risk of suicide.” Lewis tried on Tuesday to use the razor blade incident as evidence that Assange is making up his risk of suicide.

“There is no doubt that prison officers made those allegations and made a charge,” Fitzgerald said.

Quinton Deeley has been sworn in on the witness stand inside the courtroom. Deeley’s testimony is similar to Dr, Michael Kopelman of Tuesday, describing how Julian Assange would be at “high risk” of suicide if extradited.

7:24 am EDT: On Tuesday prosecutor James Lewis went over many prison notes of Assange medical examinations to say they recorded him as alert, making eye contact and in generally good mood. Lewis’ intention was to show that Assange was somehow faking his depression and suicidal tendencies.

Fitzgerald on Wednesday went over those prison notes to point out that when they were marked that he had no suicidal intent it did not mean he was asked about it in the examination.

“That can be recorded in a prison medical record if he hasn’t spontaneously volunteered that he planned to kill himself,” Deeley testified. “It doesn’t mean he was asked.”

Deeley supported Kopelman’s view that Assange was reluctant to tell prison officials about his state of mind and suicidal feelings for fear of being isolated and constantly monitored. Deeley then set out in direct examination details of Assange’s Asperger syndrome and autism. He said it led to his “obsessive rumination” about suicide if he is sent to the United States.

On cross examination, Lewis again set out to question Deeley’s qualifications, noting he is not a forensic psychiatrist was only once in a prison in 2020, to interview Assange in January. Lewis then attempted to discredit Deeley’s diagnosis of autism, pointing out that Assange had a TV “chat show” on RT, has written books and articles and made speeches.

https://consortiumnews.com/2020/09/23/assange-hearing-day-twelve-lewis-challenges-diagnosis-of-assanges-autism-as-suicide-risk/

International Support Group Urges Lebanon's Leaders to Immediately Form New Government

The members of the International Support Group (ISG) for Lebanon in a joint statement on Wednesday called on the country's leaders to show unity to allow the timely formation of a new government that would be able to meet the legitimate aspirations of the Lebanese people.

"Members of the ISG urged Lebanon's leaders to unite in support of the timely formation of a government able to meet the legitimate aspirations expressed by the Lebanese people and committed to addressing Lebanon's multiple and acute challenges, notably its humanitarian, socio-economic and financial crises, the COVID-19 pandemic, the reconstruction of Beirut and the restoration of Beirut's heritage and historical buildings", the statement said.

Earlier on Wednesday, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the ISG held a virtual ministerial meeting co-chaired by the organisation's Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian.

Mustafa Adib, who was appointed Lebanon's prime minister in late August, has not yet been able to present a new cabinet, despite the conditions of French President Emmanuel Macron, under which a new government was to be formed in Lebanon by 14 September.

If this condition is met, Macron pledged to hold a conference on aid to Lebanon in Paris in October. The process of forming a government has become more difficult after the United States imposed new unilateral sanctions against two former Lebanese ministers, whom the US administration has accused of being connected with the Shiite movement Hezbollah.

The Hassan Diab government stepped down shortly after a devastating explosion in the Beirut port on 4 August killed at least 190 people and injured over 5,000 others. According to the Lebanese authorities, the explosion was caused by improper storage of 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate.

The ISG also urged Lebanese political leaders to undertake critical reforms that would address the issues the country is currently facing and restore economic stability, improve the delivery of public goods and the credibility of the financial sector, the statement said.

It added that the ISG members asked the government to implement measures to fight corruption, tax evasions and undertake other measures ensuring substantial changes, transparency and full accountability to the Lebanese people.

The ISG, comprised of the United Nations, the European Union, the Arab League, China, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, was set up in 2013 to help mobilize support for Lebanon.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202009231080552821-international-support-group-urges-lebanon-to-form-new-government/

Daily Attacks On U.S.-led Coalition Convoys Continue In Iraq’s Saladin

Two convoys moving equipment and logistical supplies for the U.S.-led coalition were attacked in the central Iraqi province of Saladin.

The first convoy was attacked on September 22 afternoon in the district of al-Dujayl, around 60 km to the north of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. According to Iraq’s Security Media Cell, the convoy was targeted with an improvised explosive device. No human losses were reported.

“A convoy that was transporting equipment of the International [U.S.-led] Coalition retreating [forces] from Iraq was subjected, on Monday evening, to the explosion of an explosive device between the districts of Balad and al-Dujayl in Saladin,” the Security Media Cell said in an official statement.

On September 23 afternoon, a second supply convoy of the U.S.-led coalition was targeted in the district of Awja, more than 160 km north of Baghdad.

“An explosive device struck on a convoy transporting logistical equipment for the International Coalition in al-Awja district, Salah al-Din province,” the Iraqi security source told Baghdad Today, without providing any additional details.

In the last few months, a series of attacks targeted convoys moving equipment and supplies for the U.S.-led coalition in the central and southern regions of Iraq.

The attacks began after the January 3 U.S. drone strike on Baghdad International Aiport that claimed the lives of Iran’s Quds Force Commander, Maj. Gen. Qassim Soleimani, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Deputy-Commander of the Popular Mobilization Units.

Several Iraqi Shiite armed groups vowed to expel U.S. forces from the country in response to the assassination of the two leaders. These groups were allegedly behind the recent attacks.

https://southfront.org/daily-attacks-on-u-s-led-coalition-convoys-continue-in-iraqs-saladin/

Polish president for first time joins 5,000 pro-lifers to March for Life in Warsaw

It was the first time any President of the Polish Republic had taken part in the event.

WARSAW, September 23, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) ― The President of Poland joined 5,000 people in a recent pro-life demonstration in Warsaw.

Andrzej Duda, 48, was one of the marchers on Sunday’s Fifteenth March for Life and Family, which took place despite the Covid-19 panic that has inspired lockdowns throughout Europe. The President, recently re-elected after a campaign in which he stressed his commitment to the traditional Polish family, had been invited by the event’s organizers.

The motto of this year’s March for Life and Family was “Let’s defend the family together.”

According to online Polish news magazine Polonia Christiana, the March “affirming family, life and love” was “sunny and joyful” and made special by the presence of the Polish president. It was the first time any President of the Polish Republic had taken part in the event.

“We are honored that President Andrzej Duda accepted our invitation and took part in the March for Life and Family,” stated Paweł Ozdoba, the president of the Centrum Życia i Rodziny [Life and Family Center].

“We are happy that Polish families have the most important person in the country as an ally,” he continued.

“We trust that thanks to [Duda’s] political activity, the family, as well as marriage as a union of women and men, will be protected on many levels.”

Also present at the rally were Barbara Nowak, the Superintendent of Schools for Poland’s Małopolska region, and Duda’s presidential challenger from the right, Krzystof Bosak of the Confereracja party.

The March began at noon in Warsaw’s Plac Zamkowy [Castle Square] and processed along Krakowskie Przedmieście, a central street, to the baroque Church of the Holy Cross. The demonstration had two themes: the need to protect the lives of unborn babies who can still be killed for eugenic reasons and the need to protect the family from “ideological threats.”

Almost 1,000 unborn babies in Poland are killed every year because they are diagnosed with serious disabilities, Polonia Christiana revealed. A Citizens’ Bill calling for the criminalization of the eugenic practice will be considered by the nation’s Constitutional Tribunal on October 22.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/polish-president-for-first-time-joins-5000-pro-lifers-to-march-for-life-in-warsaw?utm_source=featured&utm_campaign=standard

Prescription medicines the third leading cause of death

https://dogsareloyal1s.com/video/BigPharma.mp4

COVID is a data-driven operation, but suppose the data are wrong?

A recent New York Times article reported on a large study that concluded up to 90 percent of all US COVID cases are false-positives. [1]

There have been numerous reports of hospitals writing “COVID” on patients’ death certificates with no justification whatsoever. The CDC itself has stated that only 6 percent of reported US COVID deaths are FROM the virus. The rest are WITH the virus. This means something is very wrong. These mostly elderly people (the 94 percent) had prior medical conditions that were potentially lethal on their own. [2] [3]

Both COVID case numbers and death numbers show evidence of fraud.

According to law, significant fraud committed during a disaster is a felony, with a penalty of up to 30 years in prison.

Wouldn’t you expect a law-enforcement agency to be conducting an investigation of potential COVID fraud? After all, the lockdowns and the economic devastation are justified on the basis of…what? Case and death numbers.

Data. If the data are wrong, someone in the Justice Department should find that out.

A simple analogy: a rich man wants to buy a choice piece of land and build shorefront condominiums. Presently, there is a building on the land. The owner runs his business out of that building. His profit margin is slender. The rich man offers to buy the building, but the stubborn owner refuses.

One day, a building inspector shows up and does a full-on inspection. His report shows 20 code violations, some of them quite serious. The building owner must make major repairs, but he can’t afford them.

So he agrees to sell the building to the rich man.

But a local prosecutor receives a tip: the code inspector falsified his report.

False data.

An investigation ensues. To no one’s surprise, it turns out that, yes, the inspector committed fraud. In fact, there are no serious code violations.

Everyone understands this case. There’s nothing mysterious about it.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) should be very interested in the possibility of COVID case and death number fraud. Suppose the true numbers are much, much lower than official reports indicate?

The lockdowns and the economic devastation would have been unnecessary. And unjustified.

I’ll sketch out what a DOJ investigation could look like.

DOJ analysts dig in and find out that, in every state where a lockdown was ordered, the governor was receiving his data on case and death numbers from his public health department. They, in turn, were getting their numbers from state institutions who were receiving federal money.

For instance, in State X, University Y’s epidemiologists were collecting data and calculating case and death numbers, rates, percentages, and so on. University Y was then sending data reports to the governor’s public health department.

https://blog.nomorefakenews.com/2020/09/23/covid-is-a-data-driven-operation-but-suppose-the-data-are-wrong/

The Heroic CDC Insider William Crews Ripped Anthony Fauci and the CDC

A public-affairs specialist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will retire after revelations that he used a pseudonym online to savage the government response to the covid-19 pandemic — including the work of Anthony Fauci, who heads that agency, an NIAID, reports The Washington Post.

William Crews told NIAID officials he will retire after the Daily Beast revealed he is also the managing editor of the conservative web site RedState.com, where, under the pseudonym “streiff,” he has ridiculed the government’s activity against the coronavirus outbreak, according to the NIAID spokeswoman.

Under the pseudonym, Crews wrote that Anthony Fauci was a “mask nazi” and described him as the “attention-grubbing and media-whoring Anthony Fauci.”

“I think we’re at the point where it is safe to say that the entire Wuhan virus scare was nothing more or less than a massive fraud perpetrated upon the American people by ‘experts’ who were determined to fundamentally change the way the country lives and is organized and governed,” Crews wrote in a June post on RedState.

“This whole thing has been a total fraud, insofar as the policy response to Wuhan virus, from day one,” he wrote in June. “There has never been a need for a lockdown. There has never been a need for wearing masks.”

“When the smoke clears on this Wuhan virus tragedy (and I mean the tragedy of the working men and women of this nation who have seen their livelihoods and life’s work and, sometimes their actual lives destroyed by the unreasoning panic inflicted upon us by the public health nazis), one thing will become blindingly obvious: the nation and the Trump administration were failed at every turn by the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci,” Crews, under his pseudonym, wrote in July.

“A government that can force you to wear a purely symbolic face mask in a prescribed manner can make you wear a yellow Magen David and get on the boxcar,” Crews wrote in July.

“I have worked in the CDC and seen the politicization up close,” he wrote in July. “It is a hotbed of progressive activity. It also has more than its share of idiots. And 90% of the people who work there should be named Karen. They desperately want to manage your life.”

As of 2018, according to a former RedState editor, Crews was among the site’s most widely read contributors.

https://www.targetliberty.com/2020/09/the-heroic-cdc-insider-william-crews.html

‘Sextortionist’ Sentenced To 40 Years Over Child Pornography After Threatening To Post Nudes, Contact Info Of Up to 150 Underage Girls

A 25-year-old Georgia man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after being convicted of producing and distributing child pornography.

Benjamin Jenkins was convicted in January for contacting underage girls as young as 13 by pretending to be someone else. He would coax the girls into providing him sexually suggestive photos of themselves. Once she sent a photo, Jenkins would then threaten to post the photos online or send them to her friends and family if she did not send him additional photos, the Justice Department said in a press release on Tuesday. Jenkins victimized as man as 150 girls in this way.

“Jenkins exploited as many as 150 girls for his perverse satisfaction, causing unbelievable trauma to these children and their families,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. Pak. “The sheer degradation and depravity that Jenkins forced his victims to endure is unimaginable. This sentence will hopefully help these courageous victims and their families heal.”

Jenkins was convicted on nine counts of producing child pornography and three counts of distributing child pornography.

The Justice Department described Jenkins as a “prolific sextortionist” and explained that he would instruct the girls on how to pose in subsequent photos and what body parts they should show him, as well as “what objects to insert into their genitals and anus.”

“If a girl did not provide him with a photo or video quickly enough, he would start a countdown clock: the girl had a certain amount of time to provide him with an image before he started posting her other images online. Jenkins further humiliated his victims by forcing them to send him videos showing them drinking their own urine or licking toilets. He also humiliated many of his victims by making them watch him masturbate,” the Justice Department said.

Some girls blocked Jenkins online and he would retaliate by following through on his threats. He would send the photos to the girls’ parents and friends, demanding she start sending pictures again. He would also post the photos online with the victim’s contact information, calling on other men to contact the girls for photos or for sex.

Jenkins was sentenced to 40 years in prison and a lifetime of supervision after he is released. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.

“No sentence will ever bring back the innocence that this monster stole from hundreds of girls,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations operations in Georgia and Alabama. “These victims were trapped in a vicious cycle from which they could not escape. We will continue to go after these predators while educating our youth about the dangers of sextortion.”

Jenkins’ case was part of the Justice Department’s Project Safe Childhood, which was launched in 2006 to help protect children from online exploitation and abuse.

http://www.tathasta.com/2020/09/sextortionist-sentenced-to-40-years.html

>>10758593

THIS

Dozens Killed In Fierce Battle Between Syrian Army, ISIS Terrorists In Southern Raqqa

A fierce battle between the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and ISIS terrorists has taken place in the southern countryside of Raqqa.

According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the battle began in the early hours of September 22. The terrorist launched a large attack on SAA positions near the town of Resafa.

The SAA repelled the attack following heavy clashes. Russian warplanes provided Syrian troops with close air support. Large reinforcements were also brought to the region.

Around 13 Syrian service members and 17 terrorists were reportedly killed in the clashes, which went on for more than 24 hours.

Earlier this month, ISIS launched a similar attack on SAA positions in Resafa. Back then, a series of fierce airstrikes by the Russian Aerospace Forces forced the terrorists to retreat.

The terrorists are attacking southern Raqqa from their hideouts in the nearby Homs desert. Hundreds of ISIS fighters and commanders and taking shelter there. ISIS terrorists are allegedly receiving support from U.S.-backed fighters in the nearby area of al-Tanaf.

https://southfront.org/dozens-killed-in-fierce-battle-between-syrian-army-isis-terrorists-in-southern-raqqa/

ICE publishes monthly report on enforcement actions due to cooperative agreements

WASHINGTON – An Ecuadorian national charged with assault and battery on a pregnant victim and strangulation/suffocation, and a Trinidad and Tobago national convicted of capital sexual battery and lewd and lascivious molestation, are two of the most egregious cases of detainers placed in August by local law enforcement officials with delegated 287(g) authority from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as detailed in the latest monthly report. The 287(g) program, authorized by Congress, allows local law enforcement agencies to participate as an active partner in identifying criminal aliens in their custody, and placing ICE detainers on these individuals.

ICE’s 287(g) reports detail examples of enforcement actions made as a direct result of the cooperation agreements between state and local law enforcement partners and the federal agency.

The August report highlights action taken in cases involving significant threats to public safety:

Texas – On August 26, 2020, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office 287(g) Program encountered a citizen of Mexico charged with murder/homicide -1st degree felony and placed an immigration detainer and warrant on the subject. The subject entered the United States on an unknown date and location without inspection.

South Carolina – On August 31, 2020, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Office 287(g) Program encountered a citizen of Guatemala charged with kidnapping and sex/criminal sexual conduct with a minor under 11 years old, first degree and placed an immigration detainer and warrant on the subject. The subject last entered the United States on an unknown date and location after having been previously removed.

In fiscal year (FY) 2019, the 287(g) program resulted in almost 25,000 law enforcement encounters with aliens in the custody of participating jurisdictions.

Under the 287(g) program, ICE has 77 jail enforcement model agreements in 21 states and 73 warrant service officer model agreements in 11 states.

ICE does not require law enforcement agencies to participate in 287(g). In fact, law enforcement agencies must request to participate in the 287(g) program and enter into a memorandum of agreement that defines the scope, duration and limitations of the delegation of authority. It also sets forth the training requirements, the terms of ICE supervision, and requires the partnering law enforcement agency to follow U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE policies when its designated immigration officers perform delegated immigration enforcement functions.

The 287(g) program allows ICE to have a presence at local jails across the country. Through training and with oversight, local officers can screen those booked into local custody on criminal charges and process the immigration case for ICE supervisory review.

The goal of 287(g) is to enhance public safety by identifying aliens, lodging immigration detainers, and initiating removal proceedings by issuing charging documents on criminal and removable aliens booked into the jail facility.

Law enforcement agencies interested in becoming a partner under the 287(g) program are encouraged to email ERO287g@ice.dhs.gov for more information on how to apply.

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-publishes-monthly-report-enforcement-actions-due-cooperative-agreements-0

>>10758691

put up or shut up Q

Coverup

GOP senators’ report calls Hunter Biden’s board position with Ukraine firm ‘problematic’ but doesn’t show it changed U.S. policy

A pair of Republican Senate committee chairmen released a report Wednesday that revived attacks on the son of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and argued his position with a Ukrainian energy company was “problematic,” but the report did not show that it changed Obama administration policy toward Ukraine.

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Finance Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) co-authored the report, which comes just weeks before the Nov. 3 election and just days before President Trump and former vice president Biden face off in the first presidential debate.

Much of the Republican report rehashes information that was already a key part of the GOP defense during the impeachment proceedings against Trump last year. The report concludes that “Hunter Biden’s position on Burisma’s board was problematic and did interfere in the efficient execution of policy with respect to Ukraine,” while charging that he and other Biden relatives “cashed in on Joe Biden’s vice presidency.”

But at the same time, the report states that “the extent to which Hunter Biden’s role on Burisma’s board affected U.S. policy toward Ukraine is not clear.”

Top-ranking Democratic senators slammed the GOP report, saying its key findings were false and “rooted in a known Russian disinformation effort.” The accumulated testimony, they argued, showed no wrongdoing by Joe Biden.

“Chairman Johnson repeatedly impugned Vice President Biden in public on the basis of secret evidence he claimed to have obtained,” the Democrats said in their competing report, rebutting Johnson’s conclusion. “Contrary to his public insinuations, the Chairmen’s investigation found no evidence that the former vice president did anything wrong in his efforts to carry out official U.S. foreign policy in Ukraine.”

The Democrats added, “All first-hand witnesses testified that Hunter Biden’s position on the board of Burisma had no impact whatsoever on United States foreign policy.”

Hunter Biden received a lucrative job on the Burisma board while Joe Biden was vice president. At the time, Joe Biden and the Obama administration were seeking to root out corruption in Ukraine.

The Republicans’ report details how at least two administration officials, current deputy assistant secretary of state George Kent and former international energy envoy Amos Hochstein, raised concerns that “Russian actors” might try to undermine Joe Biden’s anti-corruption message in Ukraine by highlighting his son’s affiliation with Burisma. In 2015, Hochstein raised those concerns directly with the vice president and his son.

Kent testified last year in the House’s impeachment investigation of Trump and dismissed allegations that Joe Biden did anything wrong, saying the former vice president’s actions were consistent with U.S. policy.

Democrats argue that Johnson has “repeatedly impugned” Biden, and they pointed to his recent comments hinting that the report would shed light on Biden’s “unfitness for office,” as reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, to argue that the entire investigation was orchestrated as a smear campaign to benefit Trump.

In a statement issued before the report’s release, Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates accused Johnson of trying “to subsidize a foreign attack against the sovereignty of our elections with taxpayer dollars — an attack founded on a long-disproven, hardcore right-wing conspiracy theory that hinges on Sen. Johnson himself being corrupt and that the senator has now explicitly stated he is attempting to exploit to bail out Donald Trump’s reelection campaign.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/senate-gop-report-calls-hunter-bidens-board-position-problematic-but-offers-few-specific-examples-it-changed-obama-administration-policy/2020/09/23/4b66d41e-fd44-11ea-9ceb-061d646d9c67_story.html

The Big Short's Michael Burry Targets Tesla In Series Of Tweets

Could Tesla be The Big Short 2.0?

In a series of Tweets that started early Monday morning, Michael Burry, M.D. - of "The Big Short" fame - appears to have a healthy and growing skepticism of Tesla brewing.

Burry started Tweeting about Tesla in the hours leading up to the company's "Battery Day", which we now know was nothing short of a farce and was responsible for driving Tesla stock lower by 12% in Tuesday's after hours session.

On Monday, Burry pointed out how absurd Tesla's valuation was when compared to the rest of the industry. He posted a screenshot of the company's valuation versus its peers and pointed out that it trades for 18x sales when the rest of the global auto industry trades for about 0.35x sales.

He followed that up Monday afternoon by posting several charts from an FT piece that show the company's sale of regulatory credits was necessary for profitability.

He also pointed out the company's flat revenues and Tesla's "inferior lithium iron phosphate tech" while appending the Tweet with the hashtag #bubbles.

Since those Tweets, "Battery Day" largely failed to impress and Tesla stock is about 25% off of its recent highs. Tesla has mangled short sellers that have gotten in its way over the last 18 months and the stock has had some of the highest - albeit mysterious - returns on Wall Street. But, to quote Burry in The Big Short:

"Well, based on prevailing sentiment, the market, the banks and popular culture, yes, it's a foolish investment. But, everyone's wrong."

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/big-shorts-michael-burry-targets-tesla-series-tweets

Giant crack of more than 2 kilometers opens up in the Mexican desert (video and pictures)

A giant crack measuring more than 2 kilometers long opened in the desertic ground of Jiménez, Mexico.

The deep fissure has been discovered on September 15, 2020 by local residents.

https://youtu.be/k2fX0niokwk

https://strangesounds.org/2020/09/giant-crack-jimenez-mexico-video-pictures.html