Manhattan Private School Encourages Students to Stop Using Words Like “Mom” and “Dad” to be More ‘Inclusive’

A private school in Manhattan is now encouraging students to stop using words like “mom” and “dad” to be more inclusive.

This is child abuse.

Grace Church School, in the well-to-do neighborhood of North of Houston Street, issued a 12-page guide to children and staff explaining how to be more inclusive and stop making assumptions about kids’ home lives.

“Families are formed and structured in many ways. At Grace Church School, we use inclusive language that reflects this diversity. It’s important to refrain from making assumptions about who kids live with, who cares for them, whether they sleep in the same place every night, whether they see their parents, etc.,” the guide reads.

The New York Post reported:

A Manhattan private school aiming to use more “inclusive language” is encouraging its students to stop using the terms “mom,” “dad” and “parents” because the words make “assumptions” about kids’ home lives.

The Grace Church School in Noho — which offers academic courses for junior kindergarten through 12th grade — issued a 12-page guide to students and staff explaining the school’s mission of inclusivity.

The detailed guide recommends using the terms “grown-ups,” “folks,” “family” or “guardians” as alternatives to “mom,” “dad” and “parents.” It also suggests using “caregiver” instead of “nanny/babysitter.”

The document also states how to use appropriate terms relating to gender, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity.

Instead of asking a person, “What are you? Where are you from?,” the query should be, “What is your cultural/ethnic background? Where are your ancestors/is your family from?,” according to Grace’s guide.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/03/manhattan-private-school-encourages-students-stop-using-words-like-mom-dad-inclusive/

Digital Health Pass: IBM and Moderna Hook Up to Capitalize on COVID Reset

ARMONK, NEW YORK — IBM is partnering with Covid-19 mRNA vaccine maker Moderna to track vaccine administration in real time through its various blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, and hybrid cloud services. According to a company press release, the collaboration will “focus on exploring the utility of IBM capabilities in the U.S.,” such as a recently unveiled pilot program for a Covid-19 Digital Health Pass in the State of New York, which effectively deputizes private businesses to enforce government-imposed Covid-19 regulations.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the initiative, billed as the “Excelsior Pass,” during his 2021 State of the State Address in January and the program’s initial phase was tested at the Barclays Center during an NBA game, followed by another test at Madison Square Garden for an NHL game on March 2.

According to the state’s official website, the trial runs were designed to maximize “return on investment and saving development time” before submitting the “wallet app” to the Google and Apple app stores.

“The Excelsior Pass will play a critical role in getting information to venues and sites in a secure and streamlined way,” said Cuomo, who in February rolled out the state’s reopening guidelines for sports and entertainment venues, which would pave the way “to fast-track the reopening of these businesses and getting us one step closer to reaching a new normal (emphasis added).”

Built on IBM’s Digital Health Pass technology, the QR code-based health data tracking app is only one of multiple blockchain ledger applications the company will leverage as part of its partnership with Moderna. Others include their Blockchain Transparent Supply and Food Trust services, which use the open-source Hyperledger technology to share supply-chain and food sourcing “credibility” data respectively with enterprise customers.

ANNOUNCING: IBM Digital Health Pass will integrate with @salesforce Work. com to help businesses, schools and governments verify vaccine and health status in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learn more: https://t.co/tNW8zM767y. pic.twitter.com/yCMBHiZczu

— IBM Watson Health (@IBMWatsonHealth) December 18, 2020

IBM’s Blockchain World Wire cross-border payment processing service rounds out the blockchain ecosystem that will serve to “enhance” supply chain visibility and “real-time” vaccine management and administration.

Transparent coercion

Using what have already become clichéd industry buzzwords like “transparency,” “trust,” and even “privacy,” IBM’s Digital Health Pass marketing literature describes the mass tracking app as a “smart way to return to society” that allows people to “return to the activities and things they love.”

Still in the “voluntary” stages of use, according to IBM’s Steve LaFleche, the Digital Health Pass and similar mobile health verification apps, like CommonPass, cease to be so once government guidelines and regulations force the private sector to enforce their implementation, as in the case of New York’s reopening rules for stadiums, theaters and other venues.

https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/79453/digital-health-pass-ibm-and-moderna-hook-up-to-capitalize-on-covid.html

Horowitz: Number of sex offenders caught at the border tripled since last year

The flood of criminal aliens together with the torrent of migrants is the biggest reason why the border wall needs to be completed

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled … sex offenders … yearning to …" Wait … what?

Customs and Border Protection announced yesterday that more than 100,000 illegal aliens were apprehended at the border. That is more than any time in recent history except for the peak months of the 2019 border crisis. And it's getting worse every day. But what few people have noticed is that it's not just impoverished illegal aliens coming in. The cartels and smugglers use that flow of family units and children to tie down border agents with processing and medical care while they bring in some of the worst human beings alive, including previously deported sex offenders.

Buried in the newly released border apprehension numbers is the deduced fact that year-to-date, CBP is apprehending, on average, more than three times the number of sex offenders they did in fiscal year 2020.

https://www.theblaze.com/op-ed/horowitz-number-of-sex-offenders-caught-at-the-border-tripled-since-last-year

FinCEN Warns Art and Antiquities Traders of New AML Measures

U.S. authorities will impose new anti-money laundering rules on the art and antiquity market which is believed to have been frequently used for concealing the origins of illegally obtained money and even for terror financing.

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a so-called Blue Box Notice on Tuesday to inform art and antiquities traders that they will be held to the same reporting standards as financial institutions are under the 1970 Bank Secrecy Act (BSA).

This means that they will have to submit suspicious activity reports (SARs) for antiquities trade.

The new rules come just months after a congressional bill gave the Treasury Department a year to come up with regulations to help mitigate the threat of money laundering, crime and terror financing in the antiquities trade.

“Financial institutions with existing BSA obligations, including the reporting of suspicious activity, should be aware that illicit activity associated with the trade in antiquities and art may involve their institutions,” The Blue Box Notice read.

It also said that crimes relating to antiquities and art may include looting or theft, the illicit excavation of archaeological items, smuggling, and the sale of stolen or counterfeit objects as well as money laundering and sanctions violations.

Such crimes “have been linked to transnational criminal networks, international terrorism, and the persecution of individuals or groups on cultural grounds,” the document said.

Indeed, the trade, which according to a 2018 report by Standard Charter Bank is believed to be a multi-billion dollar industry has been found to be a frequent funding source for terrorism and organized crime.

“You cannot look at it separately from combating trafficking in drugs and weapons. We know that the same groups are engaged, because it generates big money,” said Catherine de Bolle, Executive Director of Europol after a major crackdown on the illegal antiquities trade back in May.

The looting of cultural property from active war zones is also considered a war crime under the 1954 Hague Convention.

While art and antiquities traders in the U.S are becoming accustomed to the new regulations, in the U.K., art dealers have already found loopholes to circumvent regulations imposed in January, the Art Newspaper reported.

Shocking the U.K. art scene, the British government began requiring sellers to conduct due diligence checks on buyers. However, according to Art Newspaper, too often the art sellers have been relying on the word of the market’s middle-men, thereby maintaining the buyer’s anonymity, something long valued in the art world.

According to experts however, that’s not good enough.

“They tell you, ‘I have checked my client and they’re okay.’ They don’t reveal the collector’s name, and the deal proceeds,” Susan J. Mumford, co-founder of ArtAML told the Art Newspaper. “The problem is: that’s not how reliance works.”

According to guidelines by the British Art Market Federation, even when accepting due diligence from a third party, the identity of the final buyer still needs to be known.

https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/14033-fincen-warns-art-and-antiquities-traders-of-new-aml-measures

MADNESS AT THE BORDER — HUGE LINE of Undocumented Immigrants Filmed Flooding Across the Rio Grande in Texas

A huge line of immigrants was filmed waiting for smugglers to take them across the Rio Grande and into the US in Texas.

The video was taken on Wednesday morning.

Joe Biden opened the borders and the illegals are FLOODING IN!

At the current rate, over three million illegal immigrants will have entered America by the end of Biden’s first term.

A smuggler can be seen carrying immigrants across the Rio Grande and unloading them calmly, even while being filmed.

Illegal border crossings totaled over 101,500 in February in Joe Biden’s first month in office.

resident Biden is fueling the fire to the border crisis. What he is allowing to happen will lead to the loss of thousands of American jobs and will increase the spread of the coronavirus during a pandemic. Undocumented immigrants are being let into America like it’s Disneyland.

The border crisis was non-existent under Trump, whereas almost two months into Biden’s Administration it is rampant.

Allowing the invasion on U.S. soil should be an impeachable offense.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/03/madness-border-huge-line-undocumented-immigrants-filmed-flooding-across-rio-grande-texas/

site is under attack again CP shills are here tooBO/BVcan't report due to system issues

64K Migrants Apprehended in Texas-Based Border Sectors in Feb. — Up 27 Percent from Jan.

Border Patrol agents assigned to the five Texas-based sectors apprehended nearly 64,000 migrants in February. This represents an increase of more than 27 percent from the previous month.

Agents assigned to the Rio Grande Valley, Laredo, Del Rio, Big Bend, and El Paso Sectors apprehended 63,734 migrants in February, according to the Southwest Border Land Encounters Report released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials on Wednesday. This represents an increase of 13,619 migrants over the January report. Note: The El Paso Sector includes apprehensions in New Mexico.

The Texas sectors account for 65 percent of all migrant border apprehensions, the report indicates.

The Rio Grande Valley Sector is clearly the epicenter of the current border crisis with nearly 28,000 migrants (nearly 29 percent) being apprehended out of the total apprehensions of 96,974. The apprehensions in the RGV Sector jumped 63,7 percent from January’s 17,056.

The El Paso Sector is next with 13,181 apprehensions — up 24 percent from January. The Big Bend Sector experienced an increase of 16 percent over the previous month. The Del Rio and Laredo Sectors both reported a slight decrease in apprehensions — 0.7 and 1.7 percent respectively.

By demographic category, the five Texas-based sectors apprehended 41,467 single adults, 7,056 unaccompanied alien children, and 15,211 family unit aliens.

In the Rio Grande Valley Sector alone, Border Patrol agents apprehended 10,489 unaccompanied minors representing more than 55 percent of the 18,945 minors apprehended in all nine southwest border sectors.

In a press conference on Wednesday, Troy Miller, senior official performing the duties of the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported more than 3,000 of the unaccompanied minors apprehended nationally are under the age of 12. The remaining minors are between 13 and 17 years of age.

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2021/03/11/64k-migrants-apprehended-in-texas-based-border-sectors-in-feb-up-27-percent-from-jan/

Critics: Joe Biden’s $4 Billion Promise Is ‘Fig Leaf’ to Hide Extraction Migration

President Joe Biden’s deputies say he is trying to repair Central America’s migration-crippled economies with $4 billion in financial aid for the next four years.

But “The $4 billion is a fig leaf to conceal the fact that the real policy is to allow everyone to come in,” responded Jessica Vaughan, the policy director at the Center for Immigration Studies. The aid “is a prop to give the public the impression that they are dealing with the problem,” even though they continued to extract valuable young migrants from Central America for use in the U.S. economy, she said.

The U.S. is “strip-mining” the Central Amerian countries of their young people, in tacit cooperation with the cartels and coyotes who traffick the migrants in exchange for a share of their wages, she said.

The aid promised by Biden’s people is very limited. It is far less than the taxpayer spending migrants trigger among U.S. state and local governments, and far less than the money sent from the United States by migrants back to their home countries.

Biden’s aid would total $4 billion over four years for the 33 million in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. The works out to $121 per person, or $30 per year, while huge numbers of young people exit those countries to accept open-borders invitations, jobs, and the hope of U.S. citizenship from Biden and his deputies.

In contrast, the three countries received roughly $10.3 billion in remittances in 2019 from their emigrants, the vast majority of whom are now living and working in the United States, according to Pew Research Center. The flow of remittance is 10 times Biden’s promised flow of aid.

The promise of $30.22 per person was sketched out by Roberta Jacobson, Biden’s “Special Assistant to the President & Coordinator for the Southern Border.”

The President has committed to seeking $4 billion over four years to address the root causes of migration, including corruption, violence, and economic devastation exacerbated by climate change. As part of that plan, we will address the causes that compel individuals to migrate, including improving governance and providing a foundation for investment and economic opportunity, strengthening civilian security, and the rule of law … Only by addressing those root causes, can we break the cycle of desperation and provide hope for families who clearly would prefer to stay in their countries and provide a better future for their children.

Yet the U.S. government still will welcome migrants from those countries and will even fly them from those countries directly to the United States, she said.

“Working across the whole of [U.S.] government, we will look at access to international protection and refugee resettlement and rethinking asylum processing to ensure fair and faster consideration … Going forward, we will continue to look for ways to provide legal avenues in the region for people needing protection while we continue to enforce our laws.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/03/11/critics-bidens-4-billion-promise-is-fig-leaf-to-hide-extraction-migration/

The Flu No Longer Exists — Covid is the Only Thing that Exists

The world has gone Covid mad. Cancer, strokes, leukaemia, depression, or any other disease outside of Covid-19 are seemingly no longer an issue. The only thing to worry about is Covid-19, because the elite never let a good crisis go to waste.

Whilst the whole world has focused disproportionately on Covid-19, there has been a curious absence of flu cases and deaths this winter in many countries. If we look at CDC figures for flu deaths in children in the US, there has only been one pediatric flu death this winter season, compared to 92 at the same point last year.

In Britain, Public Health England has not detected a single case of flu in 2021 yet. Colds and common infections have also plummeted this winter in England. In San Diego County, one official recently called for an audit of Covid cases, as flu has almost completely disappeared. As of December 2020, San Diego County reported only 39 flu cases, compared to around 20,000 at the same time the previous year.

https://www.naturalblaze.com/2021/03/the-flu-no-longer-exists-covid-is-the-only-thing-that-exists.html

11 States File Motion to Revive Fight for Trump’s ‘Public Charge’ Immigration Rule

Eleven states filed a motion in court challenging the White House’s move to rescind a Trump-era policy that ensures immigrants can financially support themselves in order to become American citizens or obtain permanent residency.

The motion, led by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, is part of a lawsuit that his office filed on Feb. 3 against a recent immigration policy issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that halts most deportations for 100 days.

But the new motion—filed in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals—pertains to the “Public Charge Rule” after the Biden administration abandoned the defense of the law in the Supreme Court.

“It is unconscionable to overwhelm our infrastructure and immigration personnel when we are dealing with the health and economic devastation of the pandemic,” said Brnovich, a Republican, in a news release on Thursday. “While regardless of one’s position on immigration reform, this reckless violation of federal law is only creating another national crisis and putting additional strains on our state and hardworking Arizona taxpayers.”

Brnovich’s lawsuit (pdf) said that “invalidation of the Public Charge Rule will impose injury on the states” to the tune of about “$1.01 billion in foregone savings in transfer payments for all states annually.”

The Supreme Court had agreed last month to hear challenges to the 2018 rule, but the current administration noted in its request that all parties agreed to ask the court to dismiss the case. Immigration advocacy groups, activists, and some Democrats said the rule was tantamount to a wealth test for immigrants seeking citizenship or a green card.

“The Trump rule erected an invisible wall in the form of a wealth test that discriminated against people on the basis of race as a condition for regularizing their immigration status,” said the Legal Aid Society last month.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also said his agency stopped the implementation of the 2019 rule.

https://www.ntd.com/11-states-file-motion-to-revive-fight-for-trumps-public-charge-immigration-rule_580084.html

Here Are The 20 Republicans Who Voted To Confirm Gun-Grabbing Merrick Garland As Attorney General

Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, Chuck Grassley among GOP senators who voted to confirm anti-gun zealot Merrick Garland

Merrick Garland was confirmed to the office of Attorney General under president Joe Biden by a margin of 70-30 in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday.

20 Republican senators voted to confirm Garland – who has a history of opposing gun rights and downplaying Black Lives Matter and Antifa violence – including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) and Lindsey Graham (SC).

The full list of Republicans who voted to confirm Garland can be read below:

Roy Blunt (MT)

Richard Burr (NC)

Shelley Moore Capito (WV)

Bill Cassidy (IL)

Susan Collins (ME)

John Cornyn (TX)

Jodi Ernst (IA)

Lindsey Graham (SC)

Chuck Grassley (IA)

Jim Inhofe (OK)

Ron Johnson (WI)

James Lankford (OK)

Mitch McConnell (KY)

Jerry Moran (KS)

Lisa Murkowski (AK)

Rob Portman (OH)

Mitt Romney (UT)

Mike Rounds (SD)

John Thune (SD)

Thom Tillis (NC)

In February, Minority Leader McConnell announced his intent to support the confirmation of Garland, setting the tone for Senate Republicans’ stance on the issue:

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-TN) stated Tuesday afternoon that he fully intends to support the nomination of President Joe Biden’s Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland, despite Garland’s unconstitutional views on the Second Amendment, supportive views of anti-white bigots, and politically biased classification of “domestic terrorism.”

According to Politico, McConnell simply responded “I do” when asked if he planned to throw his support behind the confirmation of Garland in the Senate.

Garland, failed Supreme Court nominee under the Obama administration, has a lengthy track record of supporting anti-Second Amendment legislation, as reported in some detail by National File.

Biden’s Attorney General has also claimed that Antifa attacks on federal courthouses do not meet his standard his definition of – “domestic terrorism” – which he liberally applies to to election integrity protesters – because they “happened at night.”

Most recently, Garland promised to use his authority as the highest ranking law enforcement officer in the country to “ensure respectful treatment” of the pro-Biden corporate media.

https://nationalfile.com/breaking-here-are-the-20-republicans-who-voted-to-confirm-gun-grabbing-merrick-garland-as-attorney-general/

"Lock Him Up!" - Trump Jr Heralds Imminent Cuomo Arrest As Latest Abuse Referred To Albany Cops

Update (1400ET): AG Letitia James' investigation into the sexual harassment allegations lodged against Cuomo is strictly a professional affair. But following revelations that Cuomo aggressively groped a female staffer under her shirt, Albany Police Department officials said Thursday that they had received a complaint about the governor's actions from a state official.

The concern is that Cuomo's actions may have "risen to the level of a crime," according to Steve Smith, a spokesman for the Albany police, who explained that the department had not received a formal complaint from the woman, who has not been identified, but that it had reached out to a representative for the woman.

News of the criminal referral elicited a strong reaction on social media, as President Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. tweeted "lock him up!" - a humorous reference to a popular chant started by his father and often directed at his erstwhile opponent, Hillary Clinton.

Police have confirmed via the anonymous woman's lawyer that she didn't want to file a police report. Still, the issue was referred to the police in accordance with various protocols, according to an NYT report.

Mr. Smith said the call had come from the New York State Police. But the governor’s acting counsel, Beth Garvey, said on Thursday that she had called the police on Wednesday night and reported the allegations, after a lawyer for the female aide told the governor’s office that the aide did not want to file a report.

"As a matter of state policy, when allegations of physical contact are made, the agency informs the complainant that they should contact their local police department,” Ms. Garvey said in a statement. “If they decline, the agency has an obligation to reach out themselves and inform the department of the allegation."

"In this case, the person is represented by counsel and when counsel confirmed the client did not want to make a report, the state notified the police department and gave them the attorney’s information," Ms. Garvey added.

While the police department’s actions are part of standard procedure, the situation underscored the potential criminal exposure that the governor may face should the anonymous aide decide to press charges. Cuomo has denied touching anyone inappropriately.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/cuomo-denies-aggressively-groping-sixth-accuser-governors-mansion

Watergate Attorney Who Defended Richard Nixon Expects Trump To Be Indicted Soon

John Dean, who previously served as White House Counsel for President Richard Nixon, tweeted Thursday that it’s only a matter of days until former President Donald Trump’s indictment.

Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen allegedly met multiple times with the Manhattan district attorney’s office, as part of a criminal investigation into the former president’s taxes, according to the Hill.

“I assure you that you do not visit a prosecutor’s office 7 times if they are not planning to indict those about whom you have knowledge. It is only a matter of how many days until DA Vance indicts Donald & Co,” Dean said on Twitter.

The Supreme Court ruled in February that the investigation into Trump’s tax affairs could proceed, and that the tax returns will have to be released.

Cohen is currently serving a three-year home-confinement sentence after he was convicted of tax fraud, bank fraud and lying to congress about payoffs to a pornstar who allegedly had an affair with Trump.

The former Trump lawyer said the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the investigation to proceed was like a “holy grail” for Manhattan prosecutors, according to Reuters.

https://dailycaller.com/2021/03/11/john-dean-white-house-counsel-says-trump-indicted-days/

Biden Administration Announces Four Nominees to Round Out Key US Treasury Posts

Earlier, Janet Yellen was sworn in as the Biden administration’s Treasury secretary, marking her as the first woman to hold the post. Having been confirmed by a large bipartisan majority of the Senate, Yellen’s newly-acquired role will see her spearhead the White House’s response to the COVID-19-related recession.

US President Joe Biden revealed on Tuesday that he would be nominating four individuals to execute key posts of the US Department of Treasury, in an effort to round out the unfilled positions at the agency.

The announcement, which came as the administration is preparing to implement its $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, indicated that the Biden White House intended to fill posts for the Treasury’s undersecretary for domestic finance and assistant secretaries for tax policy, economic policy and legislative affairs.

Filing the undersecretary post would be Nellie Liang, a former official with the Federal Reserve who would help to bolster Yellen’s team of professionals intended to create policies that will allow a tougher oversight of Wall Street.

According to Bloomberg News, despite not yet being confirmed for the role, Liang has already taken up efforts to assist Yellen by serving as the “point person for cross-agency discussions” regarding regulation and stability. Specifically, Liang reportedly took part in talks over the social media-driven GameStop market fiasco that unfolded earlier this year.

With over 30 years of experience under the Federal Reserve, Liang most notably served as the US central bank’s director of the financial stability division between 2010 and 2017, and worked to develop regulations with a focus on risks related to financial firms and markets.

https://sputniknews.com/us/202103111082318779-biden-administration-announces-four-nominees-to-round-out-key-us-treasury-posts/

Liberal Party donor Huifeng 'Haha' Liu 'engaged in acts of foreign interference': ASIO

A Liberal Party donor who developed relationships with Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar and MP Gladys Liu engaged in "acts of foreign interference" and activities for Beijing, according to Australia's domestic spy agency.

The bombshell findings by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) are contained in Melbourne-based Chinese businessman Huifeng "Haha" Liu's court application to fight the Federal Government to avoid deportation.

The case of Mr Liu, who ingratiated himself with Liberal Party MPs over the past five years, is a rare test of Australia's opaque strategy to counter alleged Chinese government interference by cancelling visas.

The 52-year-old stepped down as the president of a popular neighbourhood watch organisation which was also an official agency for the Chinese government, after ASIO deemed him a national security risk last year.

Federal Court documents released to the ABC reveal that in making the adverse security assessment, ASIO found the Chinese national "had engaged, and was at risk of engaging, in activities which constituted 'acts of foreign interference'".

According to Mr Liu's court application, ASIO concluded the former Chinese army soldier had lied in interviews with the agency about his work for, and ties to, unnamed Chinese officials.

"ASIO found that [Mr Liu] deliberately misrepresented the nature and extent of his relationships with officials of the Chinese government and the activities he has conducted on their behalf," Mr Liu's application said.

'Material errors in ASIO assessment'

Mr Liu is challenging ASIO's findings, accusing the agency of denying him a fair process and failing to demonstrate how his actions constituted "acts of foreign interference" under Australian law.

More

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-12/asio-assessment-revealed-in-haha-liu-court-application/13234740

Chinese takeover of island near Australian military training area causes unease inside defence and government

A decision to grant a Chinese linked company a mining licence on a remote West Australian island, close to a military training area, is raising concerns inside Defence and federal government ranks.

In October, the private Hong Kong-based entity was announced as the new owner of abandoned iron ore operations on Cockatoo Island in WA's Kimberley region, next to the Yampi Sound Defence Training Area.

Cockatoo Island is roughly 2000 kilometres from Perth and boasts an airstrip which was used to service past mining projects as well as a resort built by infamous businessman Alan Bond during the 1980s.

According to Western Australia's Department of Mines registry the new lease approved last year for 'Cockatoo Island Mining Pty Ltd' will expire in 2032.

Cockatoo Island Mining's directors say they want to "establish a world class and responsible mining operation, within an area that has demonstrated high-grade iron ore deposits," after the previous owner went into administration in 2015.

Company documents submitted to the Australian Security and Investments Commission confirm directors of the Cockatoo Island Mining venture reside in Australia, India, Hong Kong as well as mainland China.

The ABC has confirmed the 2020 takeover was examined by the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) but the deal has still alarmed some federal government figures who believe it is similar to the controversial lease of Darwin Port to a Chinese state-owned company.

Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, who previously served as Minister for International Development and the Pacific, has told the ABC she is alarmed at the deal.

"The Cockatoo Island 'transaction' is yet another example of why acquisition of strategic assets from governments in Australia by 'private companies' with links to Beijing should come within the scope of both FIRB and foreign relation legislation."

"This 'transaction' is another glaring example of our defective federal laws," the NSW Senator argues.

"China's company and national security laws require that the Chinese Communist Party 'control', not only China's state-owned entities, but also Chinese 'private companies'."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-12/chinese-island-lease-on-remote-wa-island-causes-concern/13240282

COVID-19 Origins To Be Found 'Within A Few Years' According To Wuhan Lab Affiliate Peter Daszak

In 2014, Peter Daszak, president of New York-based nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance, received a grant from Dr. Anthony Fauci's National Institutes of Health (NIH) to work with the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) and others to research how bat coronaviruses can 'evolve and jump into the human population.'

The grant's initial funding of $666,442 began in June 2014 with an end date of May 2019, and had paid annually to the tune of $3.7 million under the "Understanding The Risk Of Bat Coronavirus Emergence" project. Notably, the Obama administration cut funding for "gain-of-function" research in October, 2014, four months after Daszak's contract began, while the Wuhan Institute of Virology "had openly participated in gain-of-function research in partnership with U.S. universities and institutions" for years under the leadership of Dr. Shi 'Batwoman' Zhengli, according to the Washington Post's Josh Rogin.

After Rogin exposed diplomatic cables last April expressing grave concerns over safety at WIV, he says (in a new book): "many of the scientists who spoke out to defend the lab were Shi’s research partners and funders, like the head of the global public health nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance, Peter Daszak; their research was tied to hers, and if the Wuhan lab were implicated in the pandemic, they would have to answer a lot of tough questions."

https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/covid-19-origins-be-found-within-few-years-according-wuhan-lab-affiliate-peter-daszak

Says the guy who covered it up for WHO

China Approves Hong Kong Elections Overhaul To Apply "Patriotism" Litmus Test

On Thursday China's parliament approved a resolution to impose sweeping changes on Hong Kong's electoral system which is ultimately aimed to ensure that mainland loyalists are in firm control of running the city.

The new requirement of "patriotism" to run for Hong Kong's legislature means the likelihood that future elections will merely be a competition among candidates over who is more 'loyal' to Beijing, rather than running based on bettering the city.

It will in essence give a powerful already largely pro-Beijing election committee oversight to vet candidates for office based on how "pro-China" they are, effectively choking off any opposition hopes for breathing space in the city's government. Their new powers over the Legislative Council (LegCo) which is to also include electing many its members will automatically dilute the number directly elected by the public.

Citing the further implications of what this will mean moving forward, and how blanket category of "patriotism" will be used to weed out any candidates for either the chief executive or a law-making seat, CNBC notes:

Hong Kong Secretary for Mainland and Constitutional Affairs Erick Tsang has defined patriotism as "holistic love" for China, including the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.

Beijing had promised universal suffrage as an ultimate goal for Hong Kong in its mini-constitution, the Basic Law.

Most pundits are in agreement it marks the beginning of the end for the "one country, two systems" agreement with the UK which had been in effect since 1997.

In unveiling China's parliamentary approval, Premier Li Keqiang used the occasion while addressing the National People's Congress (NPC) to warn the world not to interfere. He said China has committed to "resolutely guard against and deter" any meddling by external powers.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/china-approves-hong-kong-elections-overhaul-apply-patriotism-litmus-test

>>13187944

Campaign to Recall California’s Governor Newsom Claims Over 2 Million Signatures

While essentially every California governor in recent decades has faced some kind of recall effort, only one has actually been removed from office, and analysts have noted the trends visible in his downfall are largely absent from the present effort.

A movement to push California Governor Gavin Newsom from office is gaining steam, claiming on Thursday to have received more than 2 million signatures supporting the effort. If at least 1.5 million are verified, Newsom could face a vote on whether he should be forced to step down.

“The People of California are speaking loud and clear. We have cleared another milestone. Politics as usual in California are over as we know it to be,” Orrin Heatlie, Chairman of The California Patriot Coalition RecallGavin2020 Committee, said in a Thursday news release announcing the group had received 2,060,000 signatures.

The group has until March 17 to submit at least 1.5 million signatures verified to have been made by registered California voters; they claim to have 1.8 million already verified through a “third party vendor internal verification process,” but the final determination will be made by county election offices. If they’re successful, Newsom will be subjected to an up-or-down vote in a statewide referendum on his removal from office.

If it goes to a vote, it’s unclear what the outcome will be: a public opinion poll published by the Public Policy Institute of California last month found that 43% of California voters disapprove of Newsom’s job performance - a steady increase upward from the Spring of 2020.

The institute notes that his disapproval rating still sits far below that of Gray Davis, the only California governor to ever be successfully removed via recall vote. His disapproval rating hovered in the mid-70s before just 55% of California voters recalled him in 2003 as part of the fallout of the Enron scandal and the state’s electrical brownout problem.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the movement to oust Newsom is a strange agglomeration of forces generally grouped around supporters of former US President Donald Trump. Some of its primary bankrollers include John Kruger, an Orange County entrepreneur angry about how Newsom’s indoor gathering restrictions during the pandemic have limited church services; billionaire developer and Trump campaign bankroller Geoffrey Palmer; the Silicon Valley billionaire founder of Sequoia Capital, Douglas Leone; and Chamath Palihapitiya, another Silicon Valley venture capitalist and former Facebook executive who feels taxes are too high and might be eyeing his own run for Newsom’s seat.

Others who have been more explicit in seeking to succeed Newsom include Republicans John Cox, who lost to Newsom in the 2018 election, and the former two-term mayor of San Diego, Kevin Falconer.

The movement has also accumulated various disgruntled citizens angry about the COVID-19 vaccine rollout’s problems, that the state is providing aid to Latin American migrants they feel should be going to homeless Californians, and other niche issues that have arisen or been exacerbated during the pandemic.

On Tuesday, Newsom briefly addressed the growing recall movement during an unusual State of the State address given in an empty Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, accusing those backing it of “promoting partisan political power grabs with outdated prejudices.” However, he spent much of the speech laying out a defense of his actions over the past year, including admitting to some “mistakes” but saying “we own them, we learn from them, and we never stop trying.”

https://sputniknews.com/us/202103111082318305-campaign-to-recall-californias-governor-newsom-claims-over-2-million-signatures/

>>13187944

Why they go after children

VIDEO: Pelosi Says ‘Of Course’ Democrat House Could Overturn Election Results To Let Democrat Win Months After Losing Election

"Yeah, but there could be a scenario to that extent, yes," said Pelosi.

After Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks won her race in Iowa’s second district against Democrat Rita Hart, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said “of course” the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives could overturn the election results.

“I respect the work of the committee. I did see, as you saw in the press, uh, what they uh, decided to uh, uh, and, and they were following my, as I read it, the requirements of the law as to how you go forward, and how you go forward is the path you’re on, and uh, and we’ll see where that takes us. Yeah, but there could be a scenario to that extent, yes,” said Pelosi.

https://nationalfile.com/video-pelosi-says-of-course-democrat-house-could-overturn-election-results-to-let-democrat-win-months-after-losing-election/

Chicago Suburb To Pay Black Residents Reparations Due To 'Wealth And Opportunity Gaps'

Evanston, Illinois is on the verge of becoming the first city in the United States to financially compensate black residents 'to address the wealth and opportunity gaps they have experienced because of historical racism and discrimination,' according to NBC News.

The Chicago suburb voted in 2019 to approve a measure for reparations which uses revenue from a 3% tax collected on the sale of recreational cannabis, community donations, and a city-established reparations fund which pledged to distribute $10 million over 10 years. In effect, people of color buying weed in Evanston are effectively paying reparations.

Since then, Evanston officials have been trying to figure out how to disburse the money - finally deciding that the first $400,000 would be used to address housing needs - giving qualifying residents $25,000 to use towards the purchase of a home, home improvements, and mortgage assistance. To qualify, residents must have either lived in or been a direct descendant of a black person who lived in Evanston between 1919 and 1969 and who suffered housing discrimination due to city ordinances, policies or practices. A vote on the use of funds is expected March 22.

While Evanston passed a fair housing ordinance in 1969, redlining and overt discriminatory housing practices were sharply evident for years afterward.

Real estate brokers developed a practice of informal racial zoning by treating a section of west Evanston as open to African Americans while excluding them from the rest of town, historian Morris "Dino" Robinson, founder and executive director of the Shorefront Legacy Center, told the Evanston Roundtable.

In addition, many Evanston banks refused to lend money to Black people to buy homes on blocks that were not viewed as "acceptable" for them. White homeowners also recorded racially restrictive covenants that provided that their homes "shall not be conveyed, leased to, or occupied by anyone not a Caucasian," he said. -NBC News

"Reparations is the most appropriate legislative response to the historic practices and the contemporary conditions of the Black community. And although many of the anti-Black policies have been outlawed, many remain embedded in policy, including zoning and other government practices," said alderman Robin Rue Simmons who introduced the legislation. "We are in a time in history where this nation more broadly has not only the will and awareness of why reparations is due, but the heart to advance it."

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/chicago-suburb-set-give-black-residents-reparations-address-wealth-and-opportunity-gaps

Jen Psaki: ‘We Recognize’ Joe Biden Policy Changes Enticing Children to the Border

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki admitted President Joe Biden’s decision to reverse former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies was bringing more unaccompanied minors to the country.

Psaki said Biden’s message was for unaccompanied children to “come and be treated with humanity” at the border.

“Some more may have come to our border and there have been a large flow of children cross the border,” she said. “We recognize that, but we made a policy decision because we felt it was the humane approach.”

Psaki said the “vast vast majority” of migrants were turned away at the border, but the path for unaccompanied children remained.

Over 3,700 migrant children are currently in border patrol detention facilities while they wait until officials can transfer them to Health and Human Services facilities before they are released to sponsors within the United States.

“The president is very focused and very in the weeds of the operational details here,” she said.

Psaki again refused to call the flood of children at the border a crisis.

“Our focus here is on getting to the root of the issues and taking actions, and we don’t feel the need to play games with what it’s called,” she said.

She instead described the events at the border as a “vital human challenge.”

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador described Biden as the “migrant president” after his virtual meeting with the president on March 1.

“They see him as the migrant president, and so many feel they’re going to reach the United States,” he said according to Reuters.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/03/11/jen-psaki-we-recognize-joe-biden-policy-changes-enticing-children-to-the-border/