Pompeo Forgoes Meetings With Turkish Officials, Shifts Focus to Religious Liberty

ISTANBUL—Secretary of State Mike Pompeo focused his overnight stay in Turkey on private powwows with Christian faith leaders, eschewing meetings with senior Turkish officials on Tuesday.

Turkish officials have called on Pompeo to visit for some time, but scheduling conflicts prevented the Trump administration’s top diplomat from meeting with senior leaders in Ankara, the country’s capital, according to senior State Department officials. Turkey’s foreign ministry called Pompeo’s decision "extremely inappropriate."

State Department officials downplayed the diplomatic row, chalking it up to nothing more than a scheduling conflict. "There were moments when we thought it could and would [work], but then the Turks told us President Erdogan's schedule had itself changed and I attribute to this no political message whatsoever," a senior State Department official said. "It literally was a scheduling issue from the standpoint of the secretary of state and the scheduling issue from the standpoint of President Erdogan and his own travels."

Pompeo spent Tuesday afternoon touring religious sites in Istanbul and meeting with Greek Orthodox Christian leader Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I at the historic Church of St. George. Pompeo and Bartholomew I privately discussed ongoing tensions between the Turkish government and the Christian community living in the country. Pompeo's wife Susan and U.S. ambassador to Turkey David Satterfield joined Pompeo in the meeting.

Pompeo later toured the Rustem Pasha Mosque, a regional religious landmark built in 1563. At both the mosque and church, Pompeo promoted the Trump administration’s long-running religious liberty agenda, which has sought to build bridges between the region’s Muslim nations and its minority faith populations.

Pompeo also had a private meeting with Archbishop Paul Russell, a Catholic church leader who serves as apostolic nuncio to Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan. Monsignor Walter Erbi, chargé d’affaires at the apostolic nunciature in Washington, also joined the meeting.

https://freebeacon.com/national-security/pompeo-forgoes-meetings-with-turkish-officials-shifts-focus-to-religious-liberty/

Reminder

Pentagon senior adviser accused Pompeo and senior politicians of taking money and getting rich from ‘the Israeli lobby’

https://thedailycable.com/2020/11/13/pentagon-senior-adviser-accused-pompeo-and-senior-politicians-of-taking-money-and-getting-rich-from-the-israeli-lobby/

Trump’s attorneys battle for ‘legitimate votes’ as concern mounts over Dominion Voting Systems & Smartmatic

In 2010 and 2015 concerns grew over the use of Smartmatic voting machines in the Philippine general elections. Those concerns were well-publicized in newspapers around the world, the web, and on local cable news outlets throughout the Philippine nation.

In the United States, similar concerns and allegations of fraud have surfaced after the Nov. 3 general elections, some of these concerns suggested that the voting system’s software may have skewed the votes in the direction of former Vice President Joe Biden. The seeds of doubt — whether alleged fraud or glitches in the system – have surfaced all over the Internet. It makes it difficult to decipher what can be true and what needs to be investigated.

Those concerns have become more pervasive as President Donald Trump’s legal team works to prove that there was actual fraud in the 2020 general election. It won’t be easy.

There are significant and troubling questions regarding the allegations of fraud against Smartmatic and Dominion voting systems, which were used. Several U.S. officials, including a former senior intelligence source, met with me last week, alleged that eyewitnesses can directly testify that the system’s software was used to throw the vote to Hugo Chavez in the 2006 elections in Venezuela. They say the software that allows the fraud to go undetected is allegedly still in the system.

The witness affidavit, which was made public on Tuesday, states:

” I was a witness to the creation and operation of a sophisticated electronic voting system that permitted the leaders of the Venezuelan government to manipulate the tabulation of votes for national and local elections and select the winner of those elections in order to gain and maintain their power.

Importantly, I was a direct witness to the creation and operation of an electronic voting system in a conspiracy between a company known as Smartmatic and the leaders of conspiracy with the Venezuelan government. This conspiracy specifically involved President Hugo Chavez Frias, the person in charge of the National Electoral Council named Jorge Rodriguez, and principals, representatives, and personnel from Smartmatic which included purpose of this conspiracy was to create and operate a voting system that could change the votes in elections from votes against persons running the Venezuelan government to votes in their favor in order to maintain control of the government.

Affidavit obtained by Sidney Powell, Attorney for President Trump

It sounds incredible, but with what we’ve discovered over the past four years with the FBI’s malfeasance in investigating President Donald Trump and the debunked claims that his administration was tied with Russia, it doesn’t surprise me one bit that there could be malfeasance in the election. But proving it is an entirely different story.

https://saraacarter.com/trumps-attorneys-battle-for-legitimate-votes-as-concern-mounts-over-dominion-voting-systems-smartmatic/

Hawley presses Zuckerberg on whistleblower complaint alleging Facebook coordination with Twitter, Google

Zuckerberg says companies coordinate on 'security-related topics,' but not content moderation decisions

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., on Tuesday pressed Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on a newly revealed whistleblower complaint alleging that Facebook employees coordinate with Twitter and Google employees to make certain content moderation decisions.

Hawley said a former Facebook employee "with direct knowledge of the company’s content moderation practices" contacted his office about an "internal platform called Tasks that Facebook uses to coordinate projects, including censorship."

"The platform reflects censorship input from Google and Twitter, as well," Hawley alleged. "…Facebook censorship teams communicate with their counterparts at Twitter and Google and then enter those companies' suggestions for censorship onto the Task platform so that Facebook can follow up with them and effectively coordinate their censorship efforts."

Hawley also tweeted a screenshot of an apparent Tasks page on Tuesday afternoon.

Zuckerberg said Facebook used the Tasks system for "people coordinating all kinds of work across the company," adding later that the company did "coordinate on and share signals on security-related topics," such as "a terrorist attack or around child exploitation imagery or around a foreign government creating an influence operation."

Facebook confirmed to FOX Business that Tasks has been used as a company-wide to-do list, and that the company has been public about working with other companies and organizations to address security concerns. Neither Twitter nor Google immediately commented.

The Missouri senator went on to ask whether Facebook, Twitter and Google employees coordinated content moderation decisions regarding "individuals, websites, hashtags [or] phrases to ban."

"Senator, we do not coordinate our policies," Zuckerberg said, adding later, however, that he "would expect that some level of communication."

Hawley also brought up a platform called Centra mentioned in the whistleblower's complaint. The complaint alleged that Facebook used Centra "to track its users, not just on Facebook, but across the entire internet."

"Centra tags different profiles that a user visits, their message recipients, their linked accounts [and] the pages they visit around the web that have Facebook buttons," Hawley said. "Centra also uses behavioral data to monitor users’ accounts, even if they’re registered under a different name."

https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/hawley-presses-zuckerberg-on-whistleblower-complaint-alleging-facebook-coordination-with-twitter-google

Attorney Sidney Powell: “The Kraken Was Released Several Days Ago – We Are Starting to See the Signs”

Sidney Powell said a few days ago that she would ‘Release the Kraken’. She and Rudy Giuliani talked about that, among other venues, on Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo.

A couple of days ago attorney Sidney Powell was on Lou Dobbs where she stated that there was massive fraud in the 2020 US election. She then noted that she would soon ‘Release the Kraken’!

On Sunday morning Powell told Maria Bartiromo.

We’re fixin’ to overturn the results of the election in multiple states, and President Trump won by not just hundreds of thousands of votes but by millions of votes that were shifted by this software that was designed expressly for that purpose… We have so much evidence I feel like it’s coming in through a fire hose.”

Then today Sidney Powell tweeted out —

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/11/attorney-sidney-powell-kraken-released-several-days-ago-starting-see-signs/

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker Won’t Say if He Will Stay in the State for Thanksgiving Despite Democrats Discouraging Nonessential Travel

Illinois Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker would not say if he would remain in the state for the Thanksgiving holiday as fellow Illinois Democrat Lori Lightfoot, mayor of Chicago, urges residents to avoid nonessential travel and “cancel traditional Thanksgiving plans.”

“That is my hope, but I will let you know,” Pritzker said after a reporter asked if he would remain in Illinois for the holiday during a press conference on Monday:

While @govpritzker asks Illinoisans to avoid traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday, Pritzker won't say whether or not he will be spending Thanksgiving in Illinois. #twill pic.twitter.com/p1nYNIv5mZ

— Illinois Rising Action (@ILRisingAction) November 16, 2020

Last week, Pritzker warned that another stay-at-home order could be forthcoming “if things don’t take a turn in the coming days.”

“The numbers don’t lie,” Pritzker said. “If things don’t take a turn in the coming days, we will quickly reach the point when some form of a mandatory stay-at-home order is all that will be left. With every fiber of my being, I do not want us to get there, but right now that seems to be where we are heading.”

Meanwhile, Lightfoot has already enacted a stay-at-home advisory for Chicago residents, urging them to cancel their traditional Thanksgiving plans altogether. She is also instructing residents to “avoid all non-essential, out-of-state travel” — something Pritzker was unable to commit to on Monday.

Additionally, the city is restricting social gatherings to ten people.

“Furthermore, CDPH Health Orders require that indoor gatherings within private residences be limited to six non-household members,” per the November 12 press release. It adds that the city “has the authority to fine individuals for breaking this requirement and hosting large social gatherings in their private residences.”

“Lastly, earlier this week, CDPH updated the City’s emergency travel order, however, the recommendation remains for residents to avoid all non-essential, out-of-state travel,” the release added.

This would not be the first time Pritzker, who praised Lightfoot’s stay-at-home advisory, has not followed local guidance himself. In May, the billionaire governor admitted that his wife fled the state’s stay-at-home order, traveling to their $12.1 million equestrian estate in South Florida at the height of the pandemic. He also indicated that his wife and their daughter visited their farm in Wisconsin:

WATCH: @govpritzker asked where his family has been during stay at home order.

He admits they were in FL at one of their homes…and then traveled to another one of their homes in WI…to take care of farm animals. #twill pic.twitter.com/t95egrJ9kO

— Illinois Rising Action (@ILRisingAction) May 15, 2020

More recently, Pritzker took to the streets of Chicago to celebrate after several media outlets declared Joe Biden the winner of the presidential election:

Governor Pritzger showed up for the party! #Chicago #Illinois #Boystown #President #Biden #Harris #USA @JBPritzker pic.twitter.com/8n13gae1WG

— Shane (@somethingwitty_) November 7, 2020

On Monday, Biden suggested that Americans modify their Thanksgiving plans by limiting their gatherings to ten people “maximum.”

“They [health experts] strongly urge that, if, in fact, we’re going to have Thanksgiving with anyone, that we limit it to maximum, maximum, they suggest five people, maximum ten people, socially distanced, wearing masks, and people who have quarantined,” Biden told reporters:

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/11/17/illinois-gov-j-b-pritzker-wont-say-if-he-will-stay-in-the-state-for-thanksgiving-despite-democrats-discouraging-nonessential-travel/

Lindsey Graham: Biden Not ‘President-Elect’ Until Trump Concedes, or Court Cases Have Been Dismissed and States Certify

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told reporters on Tuesday that Joe Biden (D) is not officially “president-elect” until President Trump concedes or the states have certified the results and the court cases have been dismissed.

The Wall Street Journal’s Lindsay Wise detailed a Q&A with the South Carolina senator, who told reporters that it is “now” time for Trump’s team to provide proof to back its mounting questions on the integrity of the election.

“Bottom line is you’re attacking the voting machines, you have to prove that, you can’t just say that. You know, there may be proof, I don’t know. But it’s kind of time now to show it in a court of law,” Graham said, according to Wise.

“We are at the point now where recounts are going on and it’s now time to put it up,” he added.

When asked for a timeline on when it is time to collectively refer to Biden as “president-elect” — a term several reporters have already begun to embrace — Graham said it should occur “when Trump concedes or the court cases have been dismissed and the states certified.”

“If there is no concession there is a contest. If there is a contest in court & the party loses, that’s the end of the contest. There is no way to overturn a election other than a court of law,” Graham added:

GRAHAM: "We are at the point now where recounts are going on and it’s now time to put it up."

Q: What’s the standard in your mind for saying Biden is president-elect?

GRAHAM: "When Trump concedes or the court cases have been dismissed and the states certified." 2/4

— Lindsay Wise (@lindsaywise) November 17, 2020

Q. The electors don’t need to cast their votes to convince you?

GRAHAM: (Sigh)"…If there is no concession there is a contest. If there is a contest in court & the party loses, that’s the end of the contest. There is no way to overturn a election other than a court of law" 4/4

— Lindsay Wise (@lindsaywise) November 17, 2020

Graham also told reporters on Tuesday that he has been in contact with election officials in both Arizona and Nevada:

Just followed up with Graham: he says he spoke to Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and someone else in Nevada, not the Secretaries of State in AZ and NV.

— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) November 17, 2020

Just followed up with Graham: he says he spoke to Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and someone else in Nevada, not the Secretaries of State in AZ and NV.

— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) November 17, 2020

On Monday, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) accused the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman of implying that he should “look hard and see how many ballots you could throw out” during the recount effort in the Peach State.

“I want to be clear, you say Senator Graham wanted you to find ways to get rid of legally cast ballots. CNN asked him about these allegations. He denied them and said that’s ridiculous. His words, ‘that’s ridiculous,’” CNN’s Wolf Blitzer said.

“Well, just an implication that ‘look hard and see how many ballots you could throw out.’ And I think that they’re looking at that as part of a court case,” the secretary of state said.

Graham has stood by the president in the days following the election, explicitly stating that Trump “should not concede” during a November 8 appearance on Sunday Morning Futures.

“To my Republican colleagues out there, we have to fight back, or we will accept our fate,” he said at the time. Days later, he defended his call for Trump and his allies to question voter irregularities.

“We don’t need their permission to look into these allegations. We owe it to those who voted for President Trump and the country at large to test the system,” Graham said.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/11/17/lindsey-graham-biden-not-president-elect-until-trump-concedes-or-court-cases-have-been-dismissed-and-states-certify/

Trump Mulling Near-Total Withdrawal of US Forces From Somalia Amid Global Pullback, Report Suggests

Following to removal of US Defense Secretary Mark Esper, the Pentagon and acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller have announced a withdrawal of thousands of troops from Afghanistan and Iraq, leaving around 2,500 residual personnel in both countries.

US President Donald Trump is reportedly looking to withdraw nearly all US military personnel from Somalia as part of a global pullout that is slated to see a decline in American forces in Afghanistan and a reportedly smaller withdrawal from Iraq.

Citing anonymous US officials, Reuters reported Tuesday that Miller, who previously served as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, is seeking to carry out a near-total withdrawal of the roughly 700 US troops in Somalia, who have been stationed in the East African country to combat local al-Shabaab militants.

The US has recently conducted pullouts in the Somali cities of Bossaso and Galkayo. Somali Colonel Ahmed Abdullahi Sheikh told the outlet that further withdrawals by the US would undermine trust and provide militants with an upper hand.

“It would create a vacuum. The Somali security forces have good morale because of the US troops … there’s the possibility of air support if they are attacked, they can have medevacs,” he declared.

However, no finalized decisions have been made, and no orders have been delivered to US military leadership regarding Somalia, according to the US officials who spoke to Reuters.

Miller announced Tuesday afternoon that the Pentagon would be officially reducing the US military presence in Afghanistan and Iraq to 2,500 troops each, USA Today reported. There are presently around 4,500 US military personnel stationed in Afghanistan and 3,000 personnel in Iraq.

“This is consistent with our established plan and strategic objectives,” he argued, hours after informing members of the US Congress of the decision.

Many US officials and allies have expressed concern over the now-confirmed pullout of troops from Afghanistan.

"The price for leaving too soon or in an uncoordinated way could be very high. Afghanistan risks becoming once again a platform for international terrorists to plan and organize attacks on our homelands,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement to CNN on Tuesday.

“And [Daesh] could rebuild in Afghanistan the terror caliphate it lost in Syria and Iraq.”

The US President tweeted in December that Americans should expect to see the “small remaining number of our BRAVE Men and Women serving in Afghanistan home by Christmas!”

However, with no finalization in the Afghan peace process, the region is already facing a possible “humanitarian disaster” linked to government and Taliban clashes, according to UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

“If this peace effort collapses then we could see a big humanitarian disaster in the country that is for sure, I hope it won’t,” he told the Associated Press Tuesday. “I think we need to be ready for everything here, we need to be ready for more humanitarian issues.”

https://sputniknews.com/africa/202011171081196034-trump-mulling-near-total-withdrawal-of-us-forces-from-somalia-amid-global-pullback—report/

New Free Speech App Parler Could Cause ‘Harms’ to ‘Democracy’: Tech Researcher on CNN

A lead researcher for technology condemned conservatives for doing what many on the left have told conservatives to do — join a new social media platform. And she used CNN to do it.

Political ads lead researcher Bridget Barrett seemed disgusted by the fact conservatives have any safe-haven online to share their ideas. She joined CNN in an interview Nov. 15. Her comments in the interview demonstrate that liberals don’t care about conservatives’ rights to free speech, but merely want those views to be silenced. CNN anchor Michael Holmes began with a leading question about how Parler constitutes an “echo chamber” and asked “what are the risks in that?” Barrett responded by panicking over how Parler will enable “the spread of hate, of false information” and “terrorists, both foreign and domestic to recruit or plan.”

Barrett also warned that Parler could cause “harms” to “our democracy” itself:

“[I]f you allow a space where none of these claims are going to be countered, that people are going to believe that an election was unfair or illegitimate when every valid and legitimate source has been clear that this was one of the best run elections that we’ve had in years.”

But conservatives concerned about free speech are abandoning Twitter for good reason.

Twitter has a reputation for moderating posts based on political biases rather than objective truth, however. Twitter banned feminist Meghan Murphy’s account for tweeting such statements as “Women aren’t men” and “How are transwomen not men? What is the difference between a man and a transwoman?”

While Parler is nowhere near the size of censorious Big Tech establishment platforms, its rise to popularity has accelerated as censorship has grown worse on Facebook and Twitter.

In an interview with Mornings with Maria on Fox Business, Parler CEO John Matze described his website’s appeal: “I think people are really just fed up with what’s going on on Twitter and Facebook and these other places that are really cracking down and trying to just interfere, I guess, with what people are trying to talk about during this time.” The platform’s Community Guidelines have explained, “While the First Amendment does not apply to private companies such as Parler, our mission is to create a social platform in the spirit of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.”

Parler “was the most downloaded app on both Android and Apple devices for most of last week, according to data from Google and analytics firm App Annie,” The Wall Street Journal reported. Rebekah Mercer, daughter of conservative mega donor Robert Mercer, is among the company’s financial investors. Mercer said in a post that she and Matze “started Parler to provide a neutral platform for free speech, as our founders intended.” She later added that this enterprise was made in response to “ever increasing tyranny and hubris of our tech overlords.”

https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/techwatch/alexander-hall/2020/11/17/new-free-speech-app-parler-could-cause-harms-democracy

2018 NY Times Video: Professor Shows Students How Easy It Is to Hack a Dominion Voting Machine

Much to their current chagrin, in April 2018, The New York Times published a video of a University of Michigan computer scientist, J. Alex Halderman, showing a group of students how easy it is to rig a Dominion Voting Machine. The name of the video is “I Hacked an Election. So Can the Russians.” A caption next to the title read, “It’s time America’s leaders got serious about voting security.”

At the time, Democrats were focused on Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel investigation and were anxiously waiting for his team to find evidence that President Trump had colluded with the Russians to win the 2016 election.

A colleague of mine, The Western Journal’s Jared Harris, dug up this little gem.

The video shows Homer Simpson using a touch screen to vote for Barack Obama, but it instantly turns into a vote for John McCain.

Professor Halderman narrates the brief video and tells students that the Dominion Accuvote TS and TSX machines are obsolete models, but were still being used in American elections.

Halderman continues his monologue:

I’m here to tell you that the electronic voting machines Americans got to solve the problem of voting integrity, they turned out to be an awful idea. That’s because people like me can hack them, all too easily.

I once turned a voting machine into a video game. Imagine what the Russians and the North Koreans can do.

I’ve even gone to Congress to raise the alarm.

He is seen testifying at a Congressional hearing. “These machines are vulnerable to sabotage and even to cyberattacks that could change votes.”

Halderman tells viewers how to hack the Dominion voting machines.

Step 1: Buy a voting machine on eBay, or if you’re the North Koreans, Hack the manufacturer and steal their software code.

Step 2: Write a virus.

Step 3: Email your virus to every election official responsible for programming the voting machines with new ballots.

Step 4: Wait.

Step 5: Hijack the programming and let the election officials copy your invisible malicious code onto the voting machines.

Step 6: Watch your code silently steal votes.

He told students he would be conducting a poll to see how many students preferred their own school, the University of Michigan, over their “arch-rival, Ohio State.”

Students are seen voting for Michigan. “But here’s a little secret between you and me. I’ve already hacked these portless machines.”

Ohio State is the winner…Following a chorus of boos, he informs the students he had hacked the computers, however, a count of the paper ballots shows that Michigan has won.

The last scene shows President Trump speaking at a news conference. He tells reporters, “It’s old fashioned, but it’s always good to have a paper backup system of voting. It’s called paper.”

I bet the New York Times rues the day they published this video.

https://bongino.com/2018-ny-times-video-professor-shows-students-how-easy-it-is-to-hack-a-dominion-voting-machine

Three more NY sheriffs tell Gov. Andrew Cuomo to get stuffed over his Thanksgiving COVID-19 ban

'I can't see how devoting our resources to counting cars in citizens' driveways or investigating how much turkey and dressing they've purchased is for the public good'

Another three sheriffs from upstate New York said they won't be enforcing far-left Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Thanksgiving coronavirus restrictions on gatherings in private residences, the New York Post reported.

Cuomo announced new restrictions last week in response to the COVID-19 surge, saying gatherings in the state would be limited to just 10 people, including at private residences.

"New York follows the science," Cuomo said of his decision. "We know indoor gatherings and parties are a major source of COVID spread. To slow the spread, NYS will limit indoor gatherings at private residences to 10 people. This limit takes effect Friday at 10 p.m."

But Cuomo didn't say how the new restrictions would be enforced, leaving those decisions up to local authorities — and Fulton County Sheriff Richard Giardino apparently took the Democrat at his word.

"With regard to the Thanksgiving Executive Order, the Fulton County Sheriff's Office will NOT be enforcing it against our County residents," Giardino wrote in a Facebook post.

"Frankly, I am not sure it could sustain a Constitutional challenge in Court for several reasons including your house is your castle. And as a Sheriff with a law degree I couldn't in good faith attempt to defend it Court, so I won't," the sheriff added. "Who and how many people you invite in to your home is your business, unlike outdoor gatherings which may receive a police response if disorderly or other violations of public nuisance laws occur."

Giardino later added that he trusts his residents to use their best judgment while still urging them to take precautions when around those who are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus.

Three more sheriffs enter the fray

And now joining Giardino is Washington County Sheriff Jeff Murphy who said there won't be any Thanksgiving enforcement of Cuomo's restrictions, the Post reported, adding that Saratoga County Sheriff Michael Zurlo said Monday that goes for his jurisdiction as well.

"I can't see how devoting our resources to counting cars in citizens' driveways or investigating how much turkey and dressing they've purchased is for the public good," Zurlo said in a news release, according to the paper.

Erie County Sheriff Tim Howard said his office would also ignore the indoor gathering limit, the Post reported.

Giardino also said in an interview with the Albany Times Union that Cuomo is "scaring the hell out of people."

"People have common sense. They are not going to jeopardize family members. They are not going to jeopardize close friends. Most people respect the masks," Giardino added to the Times Union. "Basically, as a lawyer, former DA and judge, if I got brought into court, I can't justify it constitutionally. The threat is not so great that we should be limiting who they can have for Thanksgiving."

What did a Cuomo adviser have to say?

Cuomo adviser Richard Azzopardi reacted by saying, "We urge everyone to continue to be smart and act responsibly. We know this makes people unhappy, but better unhappy than sick or worse," the Post reported.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/more-sheriffs-oppose-cuomo-thanksgiving-covid-ban

“Great Reset” Mastermind Suggests Risk Assessment “Brain Scans” Before Allowing Travel

Implantable microchips to read thoughts.

“Great Reset” mastermind Klaus Schwab suggests a number of draconian measures for controlling the population under the umbrella of the ‘4th Industrial Revolution’, including risk-assessment brain scans to cross borders and implantable chips to read people’s thoughts.

World Economic Forum founder Schwab has repeatedly emphasized how technocrats need to take advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to implement “The Great Reset,” a sentiment that was echoed by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a recent UN video conference.

But the “Great Reset” isn’t just about restructuring the economic system, implementing a ‘Green New Deal’, making more jobs fully automated and lowering energy consumption and living standards, there’s also a policing aspect to the agenda.

That agenda is explicitly detailed in Schwab’s three books, The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Shaping the Future of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: A Guide to Building a Better World, and Covid-19: The Great Reset.

Schwab notes that the use of such technology to conduct mass surveillance and tracking of the population “run(s) counter to healthy, open societies,” yet goes on to present it in a positive light anyway.

“As capabilities in this area improve, the temptation for law enforcement agencies and courts to use techniques to determine the likelihood of criminal activity, assess guilt or even possibly retrieve memories directly from people’s brains will increase,” he writes, suggesting Minority Report-style pre-crime programs.

The globalist also goes beyond merely the mandating of vaccine certificates to travel, suggesting that, “Even crossing a national border might one day involve a detailed brain scan to assess an individual’s security risk.”

He also makes clear that implantable microchips will be the cornerstone of a transhumanist agenda that will merge man with machine.

“Today’s external devices—from wearable computers to virtual reality headsets—will almost certainly become implantable in our bodies and brains,” he writes.

“Active implantable microchips that break the skin barrier of our bodies” will “change how we interface with the world” and force us “to question what it means to be human,” according to Schwab.

Such technology could also facilitate the expression of “potentially unexpressed thoughts or moods by reading brain waves and other signals,” according to Schwab.

Schwab suggests that the population could be encouraged to adopt brain-reading chips as part of a business model that involves someone “trading access to his or her thoughts for the time-saving option of typing a social media post by thought alone.”

A voluminous and frightening summary of everything Schwab and other globalist technocrats are pushing for is contained in this excellent article published by Winter Oak.

https://summit.news/2020/11/17/great-reset-mastermind-suggests-risk-assessment-brain-scans-before-allowing-travel/

Twitter Blocks Iran Oil Minister’s Account

Twitter has blocked the official account of Bijan Zanganeh, the Petroleum Minister of Iran, IRNA has reported.

The U.S. government slapped sanctions Ion Zanganeh in late October, as part of a round of sanctions targeting the country’s oil industry specifically, including the National Iranian Oil Company and the National Iranian Tanker Company.

These were sanctioned for “their financial support to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF),” according to a Treasury statement.

Senior NIOC and NITC personnel have worked closely with Rostam Ghasemi, a senior IRGC-QF official and former Minister of Petroleum who was designated in 2019, and who has assumed a portion of former IRGC-QF Commander Qasem Soleimani’s role in facilitating shipments of oil and petroleum products for the financial benefit of the IRGC-QF,” the Treasury Department went on to say in October.

“OFAC is also designating multiple entities and individuals associated with the Ministry of Petroleum, NIOC, and NITC, including front companies, subsidiaries, and senior executives. In addition, OFAC is designating four persons involved in the recent sale of Iranian gasoline to the illegitimate Maduro regime in Venezuela.”

In response to the statement, Zanganeh tweeted, “Imposition of sanctions on me and my colleagues is a passive reaction to the failure of Washington’s policy of reducing [Iran’s] crude oil exports to zero. The era of unilateralism is over in the world. Iran’s oil industry will not be hamstrung.” The minister added at the time that he owned no assets abroad, so he was impervious to sanctions.

The reason for Twitter’s move remains a mystery. Its rules of conduct include account suspensions in case of promotion of terrorism or violence, abuse and harassment, and hateful conduct, among others.

Despite Washington’s efforts, Iran continues to export oil, according to data presented by a government official earlier this month: the daily average since March has been about 600,000 to 700,000 barrels. The country has had to become inventive, forging documents about the origin of the crude, using ship-to-ship transfers at sea, and switching off tanker transponders to cloak their destination.

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/twitter-blocks-iran-oil-ministers-account/

Media Hypes Moderna’s COVID Vaccine, Downplays Risks

Media mostly silent on safety concerns and lack of transparency surrounding Moderna’s experimental COVID vaccine, while stakeholders get richer.

For the second time in a week, news of a “promising” COVID-19 vaccine sent global stock markets on a joy ride and triggered an avalanche of positive news stories which, for the most part, avoided any killjoy questions about vaccine safety or transparency.

On Monday, Moderna announced that its mRNA-1273 COVID vaccine candidate was 94.5% effective, based on interim Phase 3 trial data.

Last week Pfizer announced that analysis of preliminary Phase 3 trial data indicated its BNT162b2 COVID vaccine, developed in partnership with Germany’s BioNTech, was “more than 90% effective.”

Both announcements came in the form of press releases — with neither company providing the actual data behind their claims. Though efficacy rates in the ninetieth percentile were enough to make Wall Street and most media outlets swoon, at least one publication, STAT, pointed out what the companies themselves didn’t: Both trials are ongoing, and as they continue, efficacy rates could decline, as “it’s often the case that a vaccine performs less well in the real world than it does in the setting of a clinical trial.”

STAT also noted that neither company can yet say how long the vaccine, which in both cases is administered in two doses, will provide protection as that “can only be determined over time as large numbers of people are vaccinated.“

Both drugmakers said they will seek Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their experimental vaccines as soon as they meet the criteria. The authorization, which allows vaccine makers to skip standard mandatory safety and compliance inspection of their vaccine manufacturing facilities, is a winner-takes-all-prize awarded exclusively to the first COVID vaccine approved by the FDA.

The announcements triggered sharp increases in the companies’ stock prices. Moderna stock shot up by nearly15% on Monday. According to STAT, “Every Tuesday Moderna’s top doctor gets about $1million richer” by selling his existing stock like clockwork through pre-scheduled trades, “earning him more than $50 million since the dawn of the pandemic.”

Moderna’s news also buoyed stock prices of companies that stand to benefit from the economy reopening, including airlines, cruise ships and banks.

Last week, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla raised eyebrows when he sold $5.6 million of Pfizer stock on the same day the vaccine maker made its “90% effective” announcement. Reporting on the sale, NPR said it was part of an increasingly controversial stock-trading plan that “aims to shield corporate executives from allegations of illegal insider trading plans.” The plan — which is legal but not without questions about abuse — allows major shareholders to sell a predetermined number of shares at a predetermined time and is often used by corporate executives to avoid accusations of insider trading.

https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/media-hypes-modernas-covid-vaccine-downplays-risks/?utm_source=salsa&eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=85227058-d7bf-4222-89c9-d93879f6c617

TRUMP - SILENT RUNNING

Norway Is Jailing People For Offensive Speech…America Could Be Next

This week, the Norwegian parliament announced an amendment to their penal codes, threatening jail time for those who make comments deemed “hateful” towards trans or bisexual individuals. According to Reuters, “people found guilty of hate speech face a fine or up to a year in jail for private remarks, and a maximum of three years in jail for public comments.”

Norway isn’t alone in threatening jail time for offensive speech. Far from it. Across the globe, free speech is wilting under the oppressive rule of governments intent on prioritizing political correctness and woke culture over freedom.

In England, a comedian was arrested and convicted after making a “tasteless” joke in videos featuring his dog.

In Germany, dozens of police raids have been conducted against those accused of making “hateful” comments on social media.

In Australia, a pregnant mother was forcibly taken from her home by police after making a Facebook post criticizing COVID-19 lockdowns.

Make no mistake about it, America is next.

It’s tempting to assume that our nation — founded on the idea that humans should be free from the oppressive overreach of government — will forever stand firm as a bastion of free speech and beacon of individual liberty for the world. Take a look at the state of free speech here, and the degree to which the Left despises it, and you’ll see how naive that assumption would be.

We already know what the playbook looks like, and we’ve already seen the groundwork being laid. It starts with convincing Americans free speech is not a freedom to cherish, but a burden to endure.

This part of the plan is already well underway, with leftist-dominated media and academia convincing the country, especially younger generations who often drive social change, that mean words are not just words, but violence. An overwhelming majority (81%) of college students now say words are tantamount to violence. And a perpetrator of violence, even “verbal violence,” must be held accountable, right?

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/norway-is-jailing-people-for-offensive-speech-america-could-be-next/

Chilling Dark Winter Trailer from 2013 becomes Relevant Seven Years Later

https://www.bitchute.com/video/DI0AqrYUay5o/

Thai cops fire water cannons at anti-monarchy protesters after they tried to force their way through parliament's razor wire barricades

Riot police fired water cannon and used teargas against anti-government protesters in Bangkok

Protesters tried to remove the coils of wire from the barricades and threw coloured smoke bombs at police

The protesters are demanding changes to the constitution drawn up by Thailand's former junta as well reforms to the monarchy and the removal of Prime Minister Prayuth Cahn-ocha

Thai lawmakers today discussed the possible changes to the constitution in Parliament in Bangkok Thai riot police blasted protesters with water cannon and used teargas today, hurting several people in a bid to push back a demonstration at parliament demanding constitutional changes that would touch on the powerful monarchy.

Protesters are demanding changes to the constitution drawn up by Thailand's former junta. They also want the removal of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former army ruler, and reforms to curb the powers of the monarchy.

Police set up barricades outside parliament, where hundreds of royalists earlier demonstrated to call on lawmakers not to change the constitution.

Live television images showed water cannon being fired against an advance guard of anti-government protesters who arrived with helmets and masks and tried to cut their way through razor-wire barricades remove the coils of wire. Then they fired teargas at the hundreds of demonstrators. Protesters threw back coloured smoke bombs at police.

Ambulances ferried the injured to hospital. Bangkok's Erawan Medical Center said five people were hospitalised due to teargas and others were treated at the scene.

'This is brutal,' said a 31-year-old volunteer with the FreeYouth protest group who gave his name as Oh. 'Dictator's lackeys!' the protest group posted on Twitter with pictures of the helmeted riot police using the water cannon.

Police declared that protests were banned within 50 metres of the area. Hundreds of protesters assembled nearby.

'Protesters tried to break through the barricades to enter the restricted area,' police spokesman Kissana Phathanacharoen told reporters.

Lawmakers were discussing several proposals for the way in which the constitution can be amended - some of which would exclude the possibility of changes to the way King Maha Vajiralongkorn's monarchy is treated under the constitution.

There is also discussion of the role of the Senate, which was entirely selected by Prayuth's former junta and helped ensure that he kept power with a parliamentary majority after a disputed election last year. Prayuth says the vote was fair.

Opposition parliamentarians have also called for changes to the constitution.

More

http://www.scoopyweb.com/2020/11/thai-cops-fire-water-cannons-at-anti.html

Sen. Lindsey Graham Gives Kamala Harris a Fist Bump on Senate Floor

Senator Lindsey Graham, showing just how disloyal he is to conservatives, was filmed giving Kamala Harris a fist bump on the senate floor on Tuesday.

Graham recently said that Biden should be getting classified intelligence briefings, like President Donald Trump does.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/11/watch-sen-lindsey-graham-gives-kamala-harris-fist-bump-senate-floor/