Billionaires’ wealth tops $10.2 TRILLION as millions struggle amid pandemic

A new report by UBS and PwC reveals that the world’s super-rich “did extremely well” during the coronavirus crisis this year, increasing their already-huge fortunes by more than a quarter.

According to the research, their wealth grew by 27.5 percent at the height of the crisis, from April to July, reaching a combined $10.2 trillion. The billionaires had mostly benefited from betting on the recovery of global stock markets, UBS said, noting that their wealth had hit “a new high, surpassing the previous peak of $8.9 trillion reached at the end of 2017.”

The number of billionaires has also hit a new record high of 2,189 – up from 2,158 in 2017. “Billionaires did extremely well during the Covid crisis. Not only did they ride the storm to the downside, but they also gained on the upside [as stock markets rebounded],” said Josef Stadler, the head of UBS’s Ultra High Net Worth department.

Stadler explained that the super-rich were able to benefit from the crisis because they had “the stomach” to buy more company shares when equity markets around the world were crashing. Billionaires typically have “significant risk appetite” and were confident to gamble some of their considerable fortunes.

The fact that billionaire wealth had increased so much at a time when hundreds of millions of people around the world are struggling could lead to public and political anger, Stadler said. “Is there a risk they may be singled out by society? Yes,” he said. “Are they aware of it? Yes.”

He has previously warned that the widening inequality gap between rich and poor could lead to a “strike back.”

https://www.rt.com/business/502770-billionaires-wealth-rise-covid/

India launches antitrust probe into Google’s alleged abuse in smart TV market

Silicon Valley giant Google is facing a new antitrust case in India in which it is alleged to have abused its Android operating system’s position in the smart television market.

According to Reuters, citing sources, the case has been filed by two Indian antitrust lawyers, Kshitiz Arya and Purushottam Anand.

One of the sources said the Competition Commission of India (CCI) had directed Google to submit its written responses to the allegations and that the company has sought more time.

The case is Google’s fourth major antitrust challenge in one of its key markets. The tech giant is currently facing public criticism from local Indian startups for enforcing certain policies and company charges they contend hurt their growth.

One of the sources also said that the CCI has since June been looking into allegations that Google engages in anti-competitive practices by creating barriers for firms seeking to use or develop modified versions of Android for smart TVs, such as Amazon Fire TV’s operating system.

https://www.rt.com/business/502811-google-antitrust-case-india/

FBI, DOJ Hold Press Conference On 'Matter Of National Security' As Tension Mounts Over 'Russiagate' Inaction

The Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI will hold a press conference on Wednesday morning regarding a matter of "national security," which - according to Fox News, will be about the UK-based ISIS terrorists known as "The Beatles" - and not the ongoing Russiagate investigation, as some had initially speculated.

The pair of ISIS operatives will be coming to the United States within the next few weeks to stand trial over their alleged role in the torture and beheadings of US hostages in Syria. In 2015, a British-Kuwaiti militant dubbed "Jihadi John" - believed to be the executioner in the ISIS videos, was killed in a US drone strike.

Update: WaPo just reported that the two ISIS terrorists were charged in the deaths of US hostages.

Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh are in U.S. military custody in Iraq. They were captured by a Kurdish-led militia in early 2018 but brought to Iraq last October.

The men have been accused of taking part in the kidnappings of international hostages, including journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and U.S. aid workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig. Kotey and Elsheikh have admitted their involvement in the kidnapping, sexual assault and death of Mueller in 2015. -Fox News

Department of Justice to Hold Virtual Press Conference on a matter of National Security.

The announcement of the press conference initially stoked speculation of some type of action in the ongoing Durham probe of FBI/DOJ conduct during and after the 2016 US election, following revelations that the Obama administration knowingly used fabricated information to target President Trump and his campaign, and that Hillary Clinton allegedly approved a plan to smear then-candidate Trump with Russia rumors.

Frustration has been mounting among Trump and his allies over a lack of progress, along with direct accusations that FBI Director Christopher Wray and CIA Director Gina Haspel are concealing evidence in the case.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/watch-live-fbi-doj-hold-press-conference-matter-national-security-tension-mounts-over

Church of England failings ‘shameful,’ Archbishop of Canterbury says, as inquiry finds Church hid child abuse to protect itself

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has said it was disgraceful that the Church of England had failed to protect children from sexual predators within its ranks.

A report by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) published on Tuesday claimed the Church allowed abusers to hide in an attempt to defend its own reputation.

“It’s shameful and disgraceful and reveals exactly what they said – a culture in which there was cover-up and hiding – and it is deeply shaming,” Welby told the BBC on Wednesday.

https://www.rt.com/uk/502784-archbishop-canterbury-inquiry-abuse/

Antifa has barraged Portland with nightly violence for months — yet city officials just got 'anti-white supremacy' training due to 'threats'

'The alt-right and white nationalist groups go to great lengths to radically intensify division during ANY crisis — creating anxiety, division, and exhaustion'

Portland Antifa militants have been physically attacking law enforcement, destroying property, ganging up on regular citizens, bullying elderly women, setting fires to buildings, and engaging in numerous forms of mayhem — including murder — on a nightly basis for months.

Yet Portland officials just received "anti-white supremacy" training due to the "threats" that the alt-right and white nationalists pose.

Say what?

Portland City Council and city bureau directors attended trainings on the history of white supremacy and its "devastating impact on Portland and the nation," the city said in a news release, adding that the move stems from a 2019 council resolution condemning white supremacist and alt-right hate groups.

Dave Urbanski

Portland Antifa militants have been physically attacking law enforcement, destroying property, ganging up on regular citizens, bullying elderly women, setting fires to buildings, and engaging in numerous forms of mayhem — including murder — on a nightly basis for months.

POLL: What is the most important issue in the upcoming election?

Content warning: Language:

Yet Portland officials just received "anti-white supremacy" training due to the "threats" that the alt-right and white nationalists pose.

Say what?

Portland City Council and city bureau directors attended trainings on the history of white supremacy and its "devastating impact on Portland and the nation," the city said in a news release, adding that the move stems from a 2019 council resolution condemning white supremacist and alt-right hate groups.

The move also reflected a Core Values Resolution the council passed in June — and among the adopted values is "anti-racism."

"We made a commitment to becoming an anti-racist city," Mayor Ted Wheeler said, adding that the training "will help us understand the white nationalists and improve our response to the very real threats they pose to our community."

https://youtu.be/WjiqS8gPPB0

https://youtu.be/4l5NvdAjiu8

Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty added that "given our state's history of white supremacy and our current national leaders' efforts to downplay its dangers, it is critical local governments like ours understand the threat and take the steps to protect Portlanders as we continue working together to build a more equitable Portland."

https://youtu.be/KlCTpywgEQk

More from the news release, which fails to mention Antifa:

In recent months, alt-right and paramilitary organizations have mobilized in opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement and government actions aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19. Portland's leadership in racial justice reform and community demands for change have made the city a target for right-wing politicians and white supremacist groups, who use Portland as a rhetorical tool for division.

"The alt-right and white nationalist groups go to great lengths to radically intensify division during ANY crisis — creating anxiety, division, and exhaustion. Their goal is the devastation of an inclusive and civil society," Commissioner Dan Ryan said. "Portlanders will not be fooled. We will come together as one to amplify our inclusive and loving values. We will build forward from the profound lessons of 2020 with shared humility, sacrifice, prosperity and pride." "While the federal administration adopts fascist policies like banning Critical Race Theory in federal agencies, white supremacist groups in turn have become even more visible and confident," Commissioner Chloe Eudaly said. "I am grateful to local experts Western States Center for showing Council how to identify and disrupt white supremacy in our community. I am committed to applying my learnings to eliminate extremist ideologies from our city and our government."

Anti-white supremacy training is being planned for all city staff, the release said.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/antifa-portland-anti-white-supremacy-training

The real ‘useful idiots’? Putin says Trump opponents using ‘Russia card’ to damage US president are playing into Moscow’s hands

Russian President Vladimir Putin has backed up what smart observers have said all along: that attempts to humiliate his American counterpart by accusing him of ties with Russia only boost the country’s international standing.

Viewed from Moscow, one of the curious things about the Trump presidency has been the manner in which his political and media enemies have consistently attempted to smear him as “Putin’s puppet” or a “Kremlin agent” in domestic US discourse. But this merely upgrades Russia’s status, by making it seem far more powerful than it really is.

“When someone is trying to humiliate or insult the incumbent head of state, they anyway elevate you and me, and talk about our incredible influence and might,” Putin told Rossiya-1 television on Wednesday. “To a certain degree, this plays into our hands.”

The president further stated that the Russian government is not interfering in the US election campaign, and it is up to voters to make their choice about the candidates. He added that Russia is willing to do business with any American president who is selected by the electorate.

“Voters – US citizens, in this case – should assess the positions of candidates to become president of such a power,” he commented. “We are uninvolved onlookers. We are not interfering. We will be ready to work with any future US president, with the person in whom the American people will vest their trust.”

Putin pointed out that there were varying degrees of positives and negatives in bilateral relations during Donald Trump’s time in the office. On the plus side, he particularly lauded the increased trade volume and stabilization in the energy markets, while among regrettable issues, he said, were sanctions and the US withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

Putin also appeared to suggest the Kremlin may be more satisfied with a Joe Biden victory than a second term for the incumbent, citing the Democrat challenger’s willingness to discuss arms control agreements. “Biden has publicly said that he is ready to extend New START [Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty] or to sign a new treaty on limiting strategic offensive weapons,” the Russian leader noted. “It is already a key element of our possible cooperation in the future.”

https://www.rt.com/russia/502806-putin-trump-opponents-russiagate-talks/

Trump Can't Block Subpoena For Tax Returns, Appeals Court Finds

Update: as expected, this matters is once again going to SCOTUS:

TRUMP ATTORNEY SEKULOW SAYS THEY WILL FILE FOR A STAY AT SUPREME COURT ON U.S. APPEALS COURT DECISION ON TRUMP'S TAX RETURNS

The only question is whether they wait until ACB is confirmed as RBG's replacement.

• • *

A federal appeals court rejected President Trump’s latest effort to block the Manhattan district attorney from getting eight years of his tax returns and other financial records, although in light of the recent - and now largely forgotten - NYT leak, does anyone care any more?

The ruling, from a three-judge panel for the Second Circuit Appeals Court affirmed a federal judge's decision in August that rejected Trump's claims that the subpoena from Manhattan Democrat District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. was overly broad and issued in bad faith. Despite the latest loss - Bloomberg points out that Trump has so far failed in all his courtroom efforts, including in the U.S. Supreme Court, to halt the criminal subpoena - it’s unlikely that the NY DA will obtain the records in the 27 days before the presidential election.

As a reminder, the Manhattan DA Office last year subpoenaed Trump's accounting firm, Mazars USA, for the president's personal and business tax returns and other financial records. Trump initially challenged the subpoena by arguing that presidents have sweeping immunity from the criminal process but in July, the Supreme Court rejected that argument and sent the case back to the lower courts for further proceedings. Trump then filed a new complaint that argued that the subpoena is too broad and amounts to presidential harassment.

Trump’s final hope rests, once again, with another appeal to the high court with the president certain to ask the Supreme Court to intervene. In its opinion Wednesday, the New York-based appeals court said Vance has agreed that Trump can seek to appeal to before the district attorney enforces the subpoena. The Supreme Court previously rejected Trump’s claim that he had immunity as president from state grand jury investigations, although now that a conservative judge will replace RBG the outcome may well be different.

Ultimately, with Trump's tax returns now yesterday's news courtesy of a leak to the NYT which seems like an eternity of news cycles ago, few will care even if Trump ultimately does produce his tax returns.

The full ruling is below:

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/trump-cant-block-subpoena-tax-returns-appeals-court-finds

Trump Tax Ruling

https://www.scribd.com/document/479079119/Trump-Tax-Ruling#from_embed

Greece’s far-right Golden Dawn party declared criminal organization in historic ruling as crowds gather in Athens

In a landmark court ruling, Greece’s far-right Golden Dawn party has been found to be operating as a criminal organization. The five-year trial had 68 defendants and included the murder of a rapper and cases of violent attacks.

Protesters held banners comparing the political party, which is controversial for its fiercely anti-immigrant views, to Nazis as they stood outside the Athens courthouse. Videos show the massive crowd filling the main roadway and side streets surrounding the building. Fights broke out in the crowd, with police using tear gas and a water cannon to restore order

In its decision, the court ruled that seven of the party’s former lawmakers, including party leader Michaloliakos, were guilty of running a criminal organization. In total, 68 defendants were involved in the case, including 18 former parliamentarians.

The trial considered four separate criminal charges involving the murder of Greek rapper Pavlos Fyssas in 2013, attacks on migrant fishermen, attacks on left-wing activists and whether Golden Dawn was involved in criminal activity.

The trial began in 2015, after a supporter of Golden Dawn was accused of murdering Fyssas, who was known for his anti-fascist views. As a result, Michaloliakos and more than a dozen party members were arrested and charged with participating in a criminal enterprise. Golden Dawn claims that the trial is a political witch-hunt.

At its peak, Golden Dawn was Greece’s third-most popular party as voters looked for radical change during the nation’s crippling financial crisis. The far-right party lost its remaining seats in parliament in last year’s elections.

https://www.rt.com/news/502776-golden-dawn-greece-trial-verdict/

Mysterious green fireball lights up Mexican skies, rains fire on northern state

Residents across northeastern Mexico were stunned when a green-hued fireball lit up the night sky on Tuesday. Authorities reported that the fiery debris caused localised bushfires in the vicinity.

Reports came flooding in from across the northern state of Nuevo Leon after the suspected meteorite streaked across the sky at approximately 22:14 local time on Tuesday night.

Eyewitness and doorbell cam videos captured the intensity of the fiery phenomenon as it burned bright through the darkness.

The amazing light show sparked a flurry of speculation online. Some claimed it was merely part of the Draconids meteor shower which is taking place between October 6 and 11, with an estimated frequency of 20 meteorites per hour. Naturally, some had more outlandish theories, suggesting the only logical explanation for the phenomenon was either that Elon Musk or aliens were responsible.

Civil protection teams were reportedly deployed to extinguish brush fires which broke out soon after the fireball passed overhead, sparking concerns the unknown object may have disintegrated, posing a greater danger to the local area than previously thought.

https://www.rt.com/news/502778-fireball-lights-mexico-night-skies/

Supreme Court Reinstates Witness Signatures For South Carolina Mail-In Ballots

The Supreme Court has upheld the requirement for witness signatures to be on mail-in ballots in South Carolina, overturning lower court rulings.

Democrats Claim Witness Signatures “Risky” During Pandemic

South Carolina had previously had the requirement for witness signatures for all mail-in and absentee ballots. The signatures are meant to combat voter fraud, ensuring at least one other, trackable person has signed off that the ballot is legitimate.

However, lower courts had ruled that the requirement was a “risky imposition” during the current coronavirus pandemic, USA Today reported.

Republican legislators had urged the Supreme Court to overturn these rulings.

“Each passing day increases the risk that ballots will be returned that, in mistaken reliance on the district court’s injunction, do not comply with the witness requirement,” one Republican official argued.

South Carolina Democrats instead insisted the Supreme Court stick by the intial ruling of the lower courts, arguing that “the witness requirement increases the risk of COVID-19 infection and transmission and unconstitutionally burdens the right to vote.”

Democrats also argued that ruling in favor of witness signaturies would put a “burden” on black voters, “whose communities have been hit disproportionately hard by COVID-19.”

Temporary SCOTUS Ruling Keeps Signatures in SC, For Now

While the case continues through the court, an initial ruling has been granted by the Supreme Court to ensure that witness signatures will be required on all ballots.

https://thepoliticalinsider.com/supreme-court-reinstates-witness-signatures-for-south-carolina-mail-in-ballots/?utm_campaign=TPI10062020BR1&utm_source=criticalimpact&utm_medium=email&utm_content=1d09840caddec138a6473c7b9fa19141&source=TPICI

Handwritten Notes by OGC Attorney Released from Day After General Flynn Ambush Interview — DOJ Admits It Altered Notes!

On Wednesday Acting US Attorney Michael R. Sherwin and Acting Principal Assistant US Attorney Jocelyn Ballantine released handwritten notes taken the day after the General Flynn ambush interview in the Trump White House in January 2017.

Here are the handwritten notes taken by the Office of General Counsel Attorney the day after the General Flynn ambush interview in the White House.

The DOJ admits it “inadvertantly” altered the Flynn notes!

This is a lie.

They were targeting Flynn and they lied and got caught and now we have proof!

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/10/breaking-handwritten-notes-ogc-attorney-released-day-general-flynn-ambush-interview-doj-admits-altered-notes/

US, UK, and France Block Ex-OPCW Chief’s Testimony at UN

Jose Bustani was set to deliver a statement on the Douma investigation

On Monday, at the UN Security Council, the US, the UK, France, and allies blocked testimony from a former director-general of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Jose Bustani is a Brazilian diplomat and was the first director-general of the OPCW, which was formed in 1997.

Bustani was pushed out of the organization in 2002 by the Bush administration for his efforts to negotiate with Saddam Hussein. The Brazilian was prepared to deliver testimony to the UN Security Council on Monday over the OPCW’s investigation into an alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria, in April 2018.

The US, UK, and France responded to the alleged Douma attack with airstrikes on Syrian government targets. After the strike, OPCW inspectors arrived in Douma to investigate.

Since the OPCW released its final report on the alleged Douma attack in March 2019, a trove of leaked documents have surfaced. The leaks, along with whistleblower testimony, suggest the OPCW suppressed evidence and ignored the findings of senior inspectors to fit the narrative that the Syrian government carried out a chemical attack in Douma.

In October 2019, Bustani attended a panel hosted by the Courage Foundation that heard testimony from an OPCW whistleblower who presented evidence that the Douma investigation was corrupted. After hearing the evidence, the panel released a statement urging the OPCW to revisit its investigation into the Douma incident.

The Grayzone published Bustani’s prepared statement that he was blocked from delivering at the UN Security Council. In his statement, Bustani urges Fernando Arias, the current OPCW director-general, to hear out the inspectors who were on the ground in Douma and had their findings suppressed:

“I would like to make a personal plea to you, Mr Fernando Arias, as Director General of the OPCW. The inspectors are among the Organization’s most valuable assets. As scientists and engineers, their specialist knowledge and inputs are essential for good decision making. Most importantly, their views are untainted by politics or national interests. They only rely on the science. The inspectors in the Douma investigation have a simple request – that they be given the opportunity to meet with you to express their concerns to you in person, in a manner that is both transparent and accountable.”

https://news.antiwar.com/2020/10/06/us-uk-and-france-block-ex-opcw-chiefs-testimony-at-un/

As 98,000 Businesses Permanently Closed, the Fed and Treasury Have Sat on $340 Billion of Untapped Money from the CARES Act

When both parties in Congress came together in March to pass the CARES Act, which was signed into law by President Trump on March 27, the clear intention of the legislation was for the U.S. Treasury to hand over $454 billion of taxpayers’ money to the Federal Reserve. The Fed, in turn, was to leverage the money by 10 times to approximately $4.54 trillion to deploy to keep the economy moving, credit flowing, workers employed and businesses alive until the pandemic had been brought under control.

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell made an unprecedented appearance on the Today show on March 26 and explained the plan like this:

“In certain circumstances like the present, we do have the ability to essentially use our emergency lending authorities and the only limit on that will be how much backstop we get from the Treasury Department. We’re required to get full security for our loans so that we don’t lose money. So the Treasury puts up money as we estimate what the losses might be…Effectively $1 of loss absorption of backstop from Treasury is enough to support $10 of loans.”

But according to the latest H.4.1 release from the Federal Reserve (and backed up by recent Senate Testimony), six months after the CARES Act was signed into law, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has handed only $114 billion of the $454 billion over to the Fed. That leaves $340 billion allocated by Congress unaccounted for. (See Paragraph 5 (Liabilities) and the related footnote 14 at this link on the Fed’s H.4.1 release.)

The Federal Reserve’s H.4.1 release shows that the $114 billion it has received thus far from the Treasury has been allocated as follows: $10 billion to the Commercial Paper Funding Facility (CPFF); $37.5 billion to the Corporate Credit Facilities; $37.5 billion to the Main Street Facilities; $17.5 billion to the Municipal Liquidity Facility; $10 billion to the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF II); and $1.5 billion to the Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility.

The bulk of those programs are helping Wall Street, not Main Street. The one program actually called the “Main Street Facilities,” bears little resemblance to the kind of help actual Main Street businesses need right now. Minimum loan amounts in the Fed’s Main Street program are set at $250,000 while many businesses on real Main Streets in America would be highly reluctant to take a loan of that size, given the likely prospect right now that their business won’t make it.

What these businesses need more of are Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) loans where the loan will be forgiven if they keep their workers on payroll. That would allow workers to avoid eviction and help small apartment building landlords stay out of foreclosure. The PPP program, run through the Small Business Administration, ended on August 8. Despite the desperate need, Congress can’t get its act together and pass a new PPP program.

https://wallstreetonparade.com/2020/10/as-98000-businesses-permanently-closed-the-fed-and-treasury-have-sat-on-340-billion-of-untapped-money-from-the-cares-act/

Medical Doctor Warns that “Bacterial Pneumonias Are on the Rise” from Mask Wearing

“A group is suing Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum and Tulsa Health Department Executive Director Bruce Dart, saying the city’s mask mandate is harmful to healthy people,” reports Activist Post. The group includes business owners and two doctors who “are asking the city to immediately repeal the mask mandate which was passed by city council last month.”

At a press conference, optometrist Robert Zoellner said:

“…the fear factor has got to step back. This idea that I don’t want to give you something that I don’t even know that I have is almost at the point of ridiculous. Let’s use some common sense.”

Dr. James Meehan, MD followed by warning that mask wearing has “well-known risks that have been well-studied and they’re not being discussed in the risk analysis.

“I’m seeing patients that have facial rashes, fungal infections, bacterial infections. Reports coming from my colleagues, all over the world, are suggesting that the bacterial pneumonias are on the rise.

“Why might that be? Because untrained members of the public are wearing medical masks, repeatedly… in a non-sterile fashion… They’re becoming contaminated. They’re pulling them off of their car seat, off the rearview mirror, out of their pocket, from their countertop, and they’re reapplying a mask that should be worn fresh and sterile every single time.”

Dr. Meehan adds:

“New research is showing that cloth masks may be increasing the aerosolization of the SARS-COV-2 virus into the environment causing an increased transmission of the disease…”

In conclusion, Dr. Meehan states:

“In February and March we were told not to wear masks. What changed? The science didn’t change. The politics did. This is about compliance. It’s not about science… Our opposition is using low-level retrospective observational studies that should not be the basis for making a medical decision of this nature.”

https://www.globalresearch.ca/medical-doctor-warns-bacterial-pneumonias-rise-mask-wearing/5725848

Pro-Israel group airs ad for Biden in Florida & battleground states

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WATCH: Pro-Israel group airs ad for Biden in Florida & battleground states

contact@ifamericansknew.org October 6, 2020 Biden, Biden ad, DMFI, Election 2020, presidential election

WATCH: Pro-Israel group airs ad for Biden in Florida & battleground states

The Democratic Majority For Israel PAC has announced that it’s airing this 30-second ad for Vice President Joe Biden, starting in Florida, and then in other battleground states across the country. DMFI says the ad is “targeted to pro-Israel voters.”

https://israelpalestinenews.org/watch-pro-israel-group-airs-ad-for-biden-in-florida-battleground-states/

Pro-Israel groups audition Dems seeking top congressional foreign policy seat

Reps. Brad Sherman (CA), Gregory Meeks (NY) and Joaquin Castro (TX) Texas – vying for chair of the powerful Foreign Affairs Committee – will have Zoom meetings with the Democratic Majority for Israel and J Street…

By Ron Kampeas, reposted from JTA (Jewish Telegraph Agency)

WASHINGTON (JTA) — The three U.S. House of Representatives Democrats seeking the influential chairmanship of the Foreign Affairs Committee are meeting with donors and staff of pro-Israel groups and asking them to lobby the party leadership.

Reps. Brad Sherman of California, Gregory Meeks of New York and Joaquin Castro of Texas have or will soon have Zoom meetings with the Democratic Majority for Israel, a group that embraces pro-Israel policies close to the establishment pro-Israel community, as well as with J Street, the liberal Jewish Middle East policy group.

Eliot Engel of New York, the current committee chairman, was defeated in a primary this summer by a progressive, Jamaal Bowman. Engel is seen as one of the most reliable pro-Israel voices in Congress and opposed the Iran deal. Whoever replaces him will face growing calls from the party’s left-wing to put more pressure on Israel when it comes to reaching a two-state agreement with the Palestinians.

In the DMFI meetings, Meeks and Sherman clarified what appeared to be their earlier endorsement of a proposal, popular among the party’s left, that Congress should ban assistance to Israel from being used to annex parts of the West Bank. They said they were simply pointing out that defense assistance cannot in any case be used for annexation or for other uses. Castro is set to meet with DMFI on Monday evening.

Meeks met privately with J Street last week, and meetings with Castro and Sherman are scheduled for this week. J Street has said it favors pressuring Israel to keep it from annexing territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said earlier this year he is ready to annex parts of the West Bank, but instead forged a normalization deal with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates that was contingent on putting aside the annexation plans. [This appears to be temporary]

Democrats are expected to retain their majority and control of committees after the Nov. 3 election.

Committee chairmanships are decided by caucus votes but are heavily influenced by the preferences of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the caucus leadership. Democratic donors, among them those whose main issue is Middle East policy [e.g. Haim Saban], lobby the leadership to advance favored lawmakers to leading positions.

https://israelpalestinenews.org/pro-israel-groups-audition-dems-seeking-top-congressional-foreign-policy-seat/

James O’Keefe goes NUCLEAR in debunking bogus Fox 9 report that defends illegal ballot harvesting

James O'Keefe

@JamesOKeefeIII

Not a chance @AOC, Project Veritas STANDS by our reporting.

We've issued a retraction request to @LydenFOX9 and we look forward to winning the ensuing lawsuits.

We don't flinch, and we aren't intimidated.

We're over the damn target and the only coordination is in THE COVERUP!

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/james-okeefe-goes-nuclear-in-debunking-bogus-fox-9-report-that-defends-illegal-ballot-harvesting/

Oprah Winfrey: America’s Racial ‘Caste System’ Was the ‘Template for Nazi Germany’

Billionaire multimedia mogul Oprah Winfrey described America’s “caste system” as “the template for Nazi Germany” in an interview with Isabel Wilkerson, author of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, for the latest episode of her Apple TV series, Oprah’s Book Club.

Wilkerson, an alumnus of the New York Times, characterized Caste as an analysis of what she describes as a race-based American “caste system.”

“How did you decide to focus the book on three cast systems, India, Nazi Germany, and the United States? I think a lot of people get riled up and offended that you’re comparing the caste system here to Nazi Germany, yet we discover that we were the template for Nazi Germany,” Winfrey said.

Adolf Hitler drew inspiration from American eugenicists in formulating the Nuremberg laws, noted Wilkerson and Winfrey. Neither acknowledged Margaret Sanger’s prominence in America’s eugenicist movement.

America’s racial “caste system,” Winfrey alleged, includes “systemic racism” and “microaggressions.”

Wilkerson explained the rationale behind her deliberate omission of the terms “racism” and “racist” in her writings, describing the terms as broadly ineffective and overused literary tools of persuasion in the context of her political polemics:

In the stories that I did for the New York Times, I didn’t use the word. In The Warmth of Other Suns, word does not appear. I pointedly stand here, sit here, stating that I don’t use the word and it’s for a reason. I think that it’s a word that is often misunderstood. It’s a word that has many different meanings to different people, even though social scientists have a singular definition for it, which would be prejudice plus the power to enforce that prejudice institutionally.

I don’t use the word because I think that we stop hearing what it means when we’ve heard something for so long, and which can be misinterpreted by so many different people.

I believe that [Caste] is a focus on the infrastructure of our divisions. It’s a focus in on what lies beneath, what we think we see, and it focuses us on the structure of a thing and that allows us to see how race has essentially been the cue and the signifier of where a person fits in that hierarchy.

Oprah Winfrey also falsely accused President Donald Trump of praising white nationalists in Charlottesville as “very fine people,” echoing the falsehood upon which Joe Biden’s latest presidential campaign was launched.

All episodes of The Oprah Conversation, Winfrey’s second eponymous series on Apple TV, have focused on racial politics. And the billionaire media mogul isn’t showing signs of letting up on this kind of political fare.

“Whiteness still gives you an advantage, no matter what,” declared Winfrey in the first episode of The Oprah Conversation. She described “white privilege” as a social force affording advantages to whites at the expense of blacks. She later warned how “whiteness” can be used “as a weapon.”

https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2020/10/06/oprah-winfrey-america-was-the-template-for-nazi-germany/

Sara Netanyahu had hairdresser visit home, in violation of lockdown

Sources representing prime minister’s wife say haircut was necessary for her appearance in a public service video urging Israelis to comply with virus rules

The wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu violated virus lockdown restrictions by having a hairdresser come to the premier’s official Jerusalem residence, according to a Wednesday report, the latest in a series of high profile figures to be accused of disregarding rules meant to stem Israel’s runaway infection rate.

Sara Netanyahu had the hairdresser come to the residence, on Jerusalem’s Balfour Street, on Friday, the eve of the Sukkot holiday, Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

Lockdown regulations forbid Israelis from entering other people’s homes for non-essential purposes. Hairdressers are not considered essential.

It was unclear whether she would pay a fine for violating the lockdown regulations. The law stipulates a NIS 500 fine for being in another person’s home, though that is generally levied on the visitor, not the host.

The report said that sources representing Sara Netanyahu confirmed the hairdresser came to the residence, but that she believed the taxpayer-funded haircut was allowed because it was for an appearance in an informational PR video. According to the report, the prime minister has been allowed to continue having his hair done due to his public appearances.

“Sara Netanyahu strictly adheres to the Health Ministry guidelines. During the lockdown she did not leave home and she manages her work routine as a child psychologist mainly through Zoom meetings and telephone calls,” the sources said. “Before the Sukkot holiday, Mrs. Netanyahu filmed an informational video in the service of the public in which she called on everyone to wear masks. Since she is an influential public figure and this was an informational video in the service of the public, she assumed she was allowed to use the services of a hairdresser.”

Both Sara Netanyahu and the barber wore masks and gloves, and she “even asked the barber to avoid conversation out of caution,” the statement said.

In the video, published on Sara Netanyahu’s personal Instagram account, she called on the public to wear masks and stick to distancing rules.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/sara-netanyahu-had-hairdresser-visit-home-in-violation-of-lockdown-report/

Munitions explode at military base near Ryazan in central Russia after fire

According to an emergency service source, the fire continues to spread because of wind gusts and the shells are exploding nearly every ten seconds

MOSCOW, October 7. /TASS/. An ammunition depot went on fire on the territory of a military garrison near Ryazan in central Russia, with sporadic explosions taking place, the press office of the Western Military District reported on Wednesday.

The blaze occurred near the settlement of Zheltukhino after the grass caught fire, the press office said.

"A gusty wind spread the fire to the artillery ammunition storage site. The military garrison’s on-duty fire-fighting team started to extinguish the blaze but failed to stop the fire outbreak. Sporadic munition explosions are currently observed on the technical premises of the military base," the Western Military District said.

Reports from the scene say that the military and civilian personnel have been evacuated and there are no injuries.

According to an emergency service source, the fire continues to spread because of wind gusts and the shells are exploding nearly every ten seconds. "The fire has not been contained and the shells are exploding about every ten seconds," the source said.

The local fire-fighting and rescue service has sent teams and a fire-fighting train to the scene of the incident. An Il-76 plane of Russia’s Emergencies Ministry is ready to join the fire-fighting effort.

Traffic on the R-22 "Kaspiy" highway has been halted. According to the Emergencies Ministry, over 1,600 locals, including almost 150 children, have been evacuated from 14 settlements in the Ryazan Region. "According to preliminary data, over 1,600 people have been evacuated from 14 settlements," the Ministry's press service said.

"Evacuation has been organized in cooperation with Skopinsky District's authorities," the regional government disclosed. "First and foremost, all children have been evacuated from the settlements: 130 schoolchildren and 16 younger children. All of them are currently with their relatives, in a safe zone."

https://tass.com/emergencies/1209731

Top Democrats introduce resolution calling for mask mandate, testing program in Senate

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), the top Democrat on the Rules Committee, are pushing for the chamber to require masks and establish a formal testing program amid a spike in new cases.

The two top Democrats introduced a resolution on Wednesday, which would also call for the enforcement of social distancing requirements either in the Senate office buildings or the Senate-side of the Capitol and a contact-tracing program.

“Senate Republicans must join us here in reality and acknowledge that through their inaction, they are creating a truly dangerous situation," Schumer said in a statement.

Klobuchar added that the resolution includes "common sense measures our government must have in place to protect the Senate community, including our staff, and to fully function during this pandemic."

The resolution would throw Senate support behind the chamber following public health guidelines and call the lack of a "coordinated and comprehensive COVID–19 strategy in the Senate … a threat to the legislative branch."

The two Democratic senators are also calling for a ban on a person going to the Senate floor or to a committee after a positive coronavirus test and until a person tests negative, and that any person that has either had the coronavirus or has been exposed to it get two negative tests on separate days before returning to the Capitol. Neither of those details are specifically included in the resolution.

The resolution comes after three GOP senators tested positive for the coronavirus and another three are quarantining due to exposure to their colleagues.

In total five senators are known to have tested positive for the coronavirus so far this year: Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.).

Sens. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) have said they have tested positive for coronavirus antibodies, suggesting they were previously exposed to the virus.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/520027-top-democrats-introduce-resolution-calling-for-mask-mandate-testing-program

Justice Department Charges 500+ Domestic Violence-Related Firearm Cases in Fiscal Year 2020

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-charges-500-domestic-violence-related-firearm-cases-fiscal-year-2020

Six Additional Individuals Indicted On Antitrust Charges In Ongoing Broiler Chicken Investigation

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/six-additional-individuals-indicted-antitrust-charges-ongoing-broiler-chicken-investigation

Derek Chauvin Freed After Posting $1 Million Bail

Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis Police Officer charged with murdering ex-con George Floyd after a confrontation outside a corner store, has posted $1 million bail, NBC News reports.

The news could trigger another wave of protests, as Floyd's murder, caught on video depicting Chauvin callously pressing his knee into Floyd's neck for more than 8 minutes, was widely credited as the spark that ignited the racial tensions sweeping the country this year.

Floyd's death preceded a string of other police killings involving black men (some of them armed, some of them unarmed) - incidents that have garnered widespread press coverage and spurred even more violence in the streets of American cities.

44-year-old Chauvin is facing second-degree murder and manslaughter charges stemming from the May 25 incident.

Four officers filmed detaining Floyd have been fired from the department and charged with aiding and abetting murder in Floyd's death.

Officers were responding to complaints of a $20 bill at a local convenience store when they encountered Floyd, who matched the description of the suspect.

The arrest led to a struggle, and at one point, all four officers were involved in trying to restrain Floyd. "Please, please, please, I can't breathe," Floyd begged in one video caught by a bystander. "My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Please, please. I can't breathe."

Floyd’s death was ruled a homicide by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, a death caused by "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression" along with other "significant" conditions like hypertensive heart disease, fentanyl intoxication and recent methamphetamine use.

Unsurprisingly, lefties took to Twitter to demand that whoever paid Chauvin's bail be identified, while bemoaning the injustice of the justice system.

Who helped Derek Chauvin pay his $1 million bail?

Why is a murderer who is charged with 2nd degree murder & manslaughter out on bail at all?

F*ck this injustice

This is a slap to the memory of George Floyd

And an insult to George Floyd's family

— 𝙱𝚎𝚍𝚊𝚣𝚣𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝙶𝚎𝚖™💎🏴‍☠️🏳️‍🌈𝚀𝙳 𝟸𝟶𝟾 (@Lady_Star_Gem) October 7, 2020

Note: these are the same people who, if prompted, claim they support "bail reform" to help root out inequality in the justice system.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/derek-chauvin-freed-after-posting-1-million-bail

Joe Biden Vows to ‘Pass Legislation Making Roe the Law of the Land’

Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden said, if elected, he will make “the only responsible response” to confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court, which, he said, is to ensure legislation passes that makes Roe v. Wade “the law of the land.”

On Monday evening, during an NBC town hall in Miami, Florida, Biden responded to a question by Cassidy Brown, who works in sports marketing, that expressed her concern about her inability to obtain birth control and an abortion should Amy Coney Barrett be confirmed to the Supreme Court.

“Number one, we don’t know exactly what she will do, although the expectation is that she may very well move to over … overview … overrule Roe,” Biden answered. “The only responsible response to that would be to pass legislation making Roe the law of the land. That’s what I would do.”

Roe v. Wade must remain the law of the land. pic.twitter.com/1Gq6Ncc2IK

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 6, 2020

In posing her question to Biden, Brown used the language of the abortion industry. She never mentioned the word “abortion,” but employed, instead, the euphemism “reproductive health care”:

I knew whenever I was graduating high school and entering college that I wanted to obtain my degree and start a career before starting a family. Having access to birth control and safe reproductive health care was imperative in making that true for me. So, considering the new Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett, what are your particular plans to protect women’s reproductive rights in the U.S.?

Brown also presented two common false narratives of the abortion lobby in her question.

First, she stated she would be unable to have a career without “having access to birth control and safe reproductive health care,” aka, abortion, and, next, that, somehow, her “access to birth control” is at risk, supposedly if Barrett is confirmed to the Supreme Court and weighs in on the future of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).

The first abortion industry narrative advances that women should not abstain from sex to avoid becoming pregnant. Instead, they should obtain free birth control, and, if that fails, have unfettered access to abortion. Both birth control and abortions can be obtained at Planned Parenthood.

Need condoms but don't have $$ to buy them? Stop by any of our health centers & pick some up at no cost! #CondomWeek pic.twitter.com/wZGiMbYMiH

— PlannedParenthoodWPA (@PPWPA) February 17, 2016

Second, the abortion lobby created the narrative that employers who objected to paying for contraception in health insurance plans are sexist, after Obama-era Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius administratively inserted birth control into Obamacare as an “essential preventive service” and made contraception a “mandate.”

Of course, inexpensive birth control was always available to women prior to Obamacare, and would still be available should the Affordable Care Act be dismantled.

President Trump has already addressed the issue:

Biden and Democrats just clarified the fact that they are fully in favor of (very) LATE TERM ABORTION, right up until the time of birth, and beyond – which would be execution. Biden even endorsed the Governor of Virginia, who stated this clearly for all to hear. GET OUT & VOTE!!!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 6, 2020

In a press release in September, Planned Parenthood Votes said its new “six- figure” ad buy to protect the “legacy” of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg shows “what is at stake if Donald Trump is allowed to fill” Ginsburg’s seat on the Supreme Court “with a nominee hostile to reproductive freedom, civil rights, democracy, and health care, continuing his takeover of the federal judiciary.”

Planned Parenthood Votes also admitted why the abortion industry is anxious to stop the dismantling of Obamacare (Affordable Care Act), referring to Barack Obama’s signature legislation as “the biggest advance for sexual and reproductive health in a generation.”

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/10/07/joe-biden-vows-to-pass-legislation-making-roe-the-law-of-the-land/

PRAY FOR EACH OTHER

WHERE ARE THE DOCUMENTS DOJ/FBI/C_A????