Traffickers At U.S.-Mexico Border Earned As Much As $14M A Day Last Month: Report

Traffickers bringing men, women and children across the U.S.-Mexico border made as much as $14 million a day in February, according to a new report published Monday.

“Trafficking is a multibillion-dollar industry,” former Tucson Border Patrol Chief Roy Villareal told Fox News.“A lot of these vulnerable populations use their life savings. Some are essentially indentured servants and they’re working off this debt for a long period of time. In other cases, some of these migrants are asked to transport narcotics or some form of crime to work off a different part of their debt,” said Villareal, who recently retired after 30 years with the agency.

According to smuggling fee revenues estimated by the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), traffickers made $411.5 million in February ferrying people from Mexico and Central American countries to the U.S. border — or $14.7 million for each day in February.

The report comes as costs of the border crisis are rising for the federal government. The cost to U.S. taxpayers now tops $5 million a day, based on 2019 figures provided by Health and Human Services that put daily “influx” shelter costs at $800 per illegal alien, Fox reported.“Additional costs will include overtime and hotel costs for the hundreds of agents reassigned to Texas from other areas. For context, in 2019 Congress appropriated an extra $4.6 billion to handle a similar migrant surge. In 2014, Congress gave President Obama an extra $2.7 billion to deal with his border crisis,” Fox wrote.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden’s administration on Sunday awarded the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency $86.9 million to house illegal aliens in hotels near the U.S.-Mexico border.

The hotel rooms will be used by families who have not yet been ordered deported but are undergoing immigration proceedings for their potential expulsion.

“The contract, through Texas-based nonprofit Endeavors, provides 1,239 beds and ‘other necessary services.’ The families will receive a comprehensive health assessment, including COVID-19 testing,” according to Fox News.

Jon Allman, president and CEO of Endeavors, said the money will provide “critical services to migrant families, which is a continuation of services we have delivered to the migrant population since 2012.”

Endeavors’ services will also include “therapeutic regiments, educational resources and mental health care,” Fox reported. “Endeavors also offers culturally appropriate, trauma-informed, child-centered case management, home study, and post-release services for unaccompanied children and their sponsors.”

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday said the surge of foreigners at the southern border is the worst in 20 years.

http://www.tathasta.com/2021/03/traffickers-at-us-mexico-border-earned.html

'You killed our mother and fathers, Cuomo!': NY families of nursing home residents who died from COVID gather for memorial and demand 'bullying' governor be held accountable for 'sending their loved ones to their deaths'

Relatives of nursing home residents who died of COVID-19 attacked Andrew Cuomo on Sunday for 'inflicting an unimaginable horror on the most vulnerable', accusing him of a callous disregard for their relatives' lives after his controversial decision to allow convalescent patients back into their facilities.

Dozens of people gathered Sunday at the We Care Memorial Wall in Brooklyn to call for the governor's resignation or impeachment, with some holding signs saying they were 'Cuomo Covid Orphans' because of Cuomo's nursing home policies.

The memorial, which stands about 10 feet high and is full of photos and other memorabilia from people who died of COVID-19 while in nursing homes, is erected in front of the Cobble Hill Life Care Center in Brooklyn, the site of a number of those deaths, according to 77ABC.

It was a year ago this week the New York governor ruled that nursing homes must readmit residents who had tested positive for COVID-19, so they could recover in their nursing homes and free up hospital beds.

He reversed the decision on May 10, but by then thousands of people had been readmitted to the care facilities, and the pandemic was killing huge numbers of elderly people in nursing homes.

Cuomo even wrote a book about his 'leadership' during the crisis after he became a national hero with daily televised press briefings - something relatives of those who perished in nursing homes say is particularly galling.

Cuomo has now been accused of covering up the true scale of the deaths, after the attorney general, Letitia James, found that 15,000 residents had died - meaning Cuomo's official tallies undercounted the deaths by as much as 50 per cent.

http://www.stationgossip.com/2021/03/you-killed-our-mother-and-fathers-cuomo.html

Sex trafficked on Facebook: Victim reveals how predator sent her friend request, lured her at age 15 with promise of modeling job - then raped her and forced her to have sex with paying strangers

A sex trafficking victim has spoken out about her horrifying ordeal in a warning to vulnerable girls, revealing how a predator used Facebook to lure her when she was just 15 years old.

The woman, 24, asked to remain anonymous and was too fearful even to reveal her face as she described her nightmare experience in an interview with 60 Minutes that aired on Sunday night.

She described how a trafficker used Facebook to gain her confidence before raping her and posting an ad on Backpage.com to sell her for sex to strangers.

The victim has a pending lawsuit against Facebook, accusing the company of failing to take steps against sex predators on its platform. A Facebook spokesman told DailyMail.com that the company takes strong measures to thwart sex trafficking.

Clearly overcome with emotion, the woman known only as Jane Doe struggled to compose herself and share her ordeal in the 60 Minutes interview.

'I don't think I can do this,' she told correspondent Laurie Segall before getting up to leave the interview. Moments later, Doe sat down and agreed to continue.

In 2012, the young woman was just 15 and living with her mother in Texas when she got a friend request from someone she believed was her own age.

'I wanted to have all my friends on Facebook,' the woman recalled.

In reality, her new online friend was a sex trafficker in disguise, using a fake account.

The predator groomed her over Facebook, telling her that she was beautiful and offering to pay her $2,000 a week to work as a model.

'He waited until I got into an argument with my mother,' she recalled. 'And I just wanted to go. So I was feeling like the best option was to go make $2,000 being a model.'

The sex predator picked her up at her home and drove her to a hotel to take 'modeling photos' – but Jane Doe quickly realized that something was horribly wrong.

http://www.womensystems.com/2021/03/sex-trafficked-on-facebook-victim.html

Biden regularly consults with Barack Obama on a 'range of issues', Psaki says

Press Secretary Jen Psaki said she expects the pair will continue to consult throughout Biden's presidency

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Monday said that President Biden maintains "regular" communication with Barack Obama on a number of issues.

Psaki was asked by a reporter whether Obama had visited the White House and how often the two speak, to which she responded that Obama and Biden have a relationship that is not defined as president and vice president – instead, they are "friends."

"They consult and talk about a range of issues and I would expect that continues through the course of President Biden’s presidency," Psaki said. "That can be done over the phone it turns out, and I think if President Obama had been here, you would all know."

Psaki declined to give an exact number of times that the powerful pair had spoken, but said they "keep in regular touch" and their respective teams also were in regular touch "about a range of issues."

Psaki added that given Obama’s work on the Affordable Care Act, which Biden has committed to strengthening and expanding, that is one issue they will talk about.

She pointed questions as to what else Obama would specifically be involved in to his team.

Biden has tapped a number of individuals who previously served in the Obama administration to join his team, including chief of staff Ron Klain, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Despite the longstanding friendship, Obama drew interest from the media after he waited until late in the campaign cycle to formally endorse Biden

Meanwhile, Biden drew criticism throughout the campaign from Democratic contenders who accused him of running on Obama’s legacy.

During one 2019 debate, for example, Julián Castro, who served as Obama’s housing secretary, said Biden wanted to take credit for the Obama administration’s victories – but did not want to answer for any potential shortcomings.

"My problem with Vice President Biden … every time something good about Barack Obama comes up, he says, ‘Oh, I was there, I was there, I was there, that’s me, too,’" Castro said. "And then every time somebody questions part of the administration that we were both part of, he says, ‘Well, that was the president.’ I mean, he wants to take credit for Obama's work, but not have to answer to any questions."

Biden responded at the time that he stood with Obama over the eight years of his term.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-white-house-communication-barack-obama

Israel prepares for Capitol siege-style attack on Knesset after election – reports

Security agencies fear that January’s events at the US Capitol, which was stormed by Donald Trump’s supporters after the election, may repeat themselves at the Knesset and are training to avert such a scenario, local media said.

Tensions are running high as the Israelis are expected to go to the polls for the fourth time in two years on Tuesday.

The Knesset Guard and security agencies are even considering the possibility that those unhappy with the results of the vote may try attacking the Israeli legislature in West Jerusalem.

The scenario, which resembles the Capitol siege, was one of several included in the election day preparations of the security forces, Israeli Channel 13 reported.

On January 6, hundreds of supporters of Donald Trump overran the Capitol building in Washington as the US Congress met inside to certify the presidential election results in favor of his rival, Joe Biden. Five people died in the unrest, including a police officer, with hundreds of rioters later facing federal charges.

A special room will be set up inside the Knesset on Tuesday by the police, the Shin Bet security agency and the state prosecution to monitor potentially violent or inflammatory activity, according to the report.

The polls predict that the ruling Likud Party of the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who had been running the country since 2009, is going to win the election with 30 seats in the Knesset, beating the nearest rival by some 11 seats.

However, many in Israel are unhappy with Netanyahu, accusing him of corruption and crackdown on democracy. A March 20 rally demanding the PM’s swift resignation saw between 20,000 and 50,000 people gathering outside the Knesset walls to send that message to Netanyahu.

https://www.rt.com/news/518853-israel-election-capitol-siege/

stage setting

After Complaints from Congress, Air Force Basing Decision for Space Command Under Review

A congressional watchdog organization will review the U.S. Air Force's choice to house U.S. Space Command headquarters at the Army's Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama.

The Government Accountability Office has accepted a congressional request to look into the issue, Chuck Young, spokesman for the organization, told Military.com on Monday.

Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., submitted the request in February, his office said in a release.

"I am very pleased that the Government Accountability Office is conducting an investigation of the methodology behind the headquarters selection process for U.S. Space Command," Lamborn said Friday. "I believe the process the Department of the Air Force used was fundamentally flawed. It is crucial we thoroughly review their entire process to ensure that the decision was both sound and rooted in our national security interests."

In November, the service selected six candidate locations to host SPACECOM. The bases included Redstone; Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico; Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska; Patrick Air Force Base, Florida; Port San Antonio at Kelly Field, Texas; and Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado.

Then in January, the Air Force chose Redstone as its preferred location for the combatant command, which reactivated in 2019.

The Air Force said the other locations remain reasonable alternatives until an environmental impact analysis on Redstone is complete. The final decision is expected in 2023, according to a release.

But the decision has drawn ire from lawmakers who say the process may have been influenced in unintended ways.

Colorado lawmakers are especially unhappy with the Air Force's decision to move the command, which is temporarily housed at Peterson in Colorado Springs.

Days following the decision, Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper said they didn't see a compelling reason to move SPACECOM when their state already offers a robust, space-focused infrastructure with multiple military bases, including nearby Schriever Air Force Base and Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station.

"We are deeply disappointed the Trump administration is trying to move Space Command from Colorado to Alabama," Bennet and Hickenlooper said in a joint statement. "We do not believe this decision reflects the best choice, or even a rational choice, for our national security and ability to confront threats in space."

The senators added that Colorado reportedly had been the "Air Force's top choice" for SPACECOM until then-President Donald Trump got involved.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/03/22/after-complaints-congress-air-force-basing-decision-space-command-under-review.html

US Intel Cartel: All Nations We Hate Interfered in Our Elections

We will never be given any solid evidence for these U.S. spy claims, writes Caitlin Johnstone. Yet U.S. foreign policy officials and mainstream news coverage of them will act as though we have.

A report from the U.S. National Intelligence Council assesses that most of the governments the U.S.-centralized empire has targeted for destruction are guilty of seeking to interfere in the nation’s 2020 election.

Yeah, so, that’s the news. According to the U.S. intelligence cartel, the nations which sought to interfere in the outcome of the U.S. election include Russia, Iran, China, Lebanese Hizballah, Cuba and Venezuela. Interestingly, exactly zero nations aligned geopolitically with the United States are listed as having interfered in its electoral process.

“We assess that Russian President Putin authorized, and a range of Russian government organizations conducted, influence operations aimed at denigrating President Biden’s candidacy and the Democratic Party, supporting former President Trump, undermining public confidence in the electoral process, and exacerbating sociopolitical divisions in the US,” the report informs us.

“A key element of Moscow’s strategy this election cycle was its use of proxies linked to Russian intelligence to push influence narratives —including misleading or unsubstantiated allegations against President Biden — to US media organizations, US officials, and prominent US individuals, including some close to former President Trump and his administration.”

“We assess that Iran carried out a multi-pronged covert influence campaign intended to undercut former President Trump’s reelection prospects-though without directly promoting his rivals-undermine public confidence in the electoral process and US institutions, and sow division and exacerbate societal tensions in the US,” the report adds. “We assess that Supreme Leader Khamenei authorized the campaign and Iran’s military and intelligence services implemented it using overt and covert messaging and cyber operations.”

Whoever controls the narrative controls the world.Those who control the dominant narratives will keep adjusting them as they see fit to advance whatever pre-existing agendas they have chambered up ready to fire. Truth simply does not feature.

https://consortiumnews.com/2021/03/22/us-intelligence-cartel-all-governments-we-hate-interfered-in-our-elections/

Nagging Data Points

There’s an 8’x 10′ white board visible to me at all times labeled “earworm?”, I cannot erase it yet because it forces me to remind myself to keep looking at data-points to discover the origin. Those who have followed CTH for years know these nagging issues stick with me, and I cannot let them go until they are reconciled.

That was the case with the 2012 election and Mitt Romney… how did that primary shape that way when Newt Gingrich was crushing the field until Florida.

It took two years, until I found the origin of the splitter strategy (2014 RNC winter convention) – and that made all the political data reconcile. This is an example of nagging stuff that balances history; because ultimately if we don’t know the accurate history -sometimes at a very granular level- we cannot prevent or avoid repeating mistakes in the future.

The COVID-19 narrative held four primary benefits. Without COVID weaponized we would not see:

(1) Mail-in ballots. The origination material of the 2020 fraud.

(2) Breaking down of alliance-minded gathering and assemblies. COVID blocked group gatherings to discuss what was around us and stopped us from recognizing the scale of our assembly. COVID also took down faith-based leadership and church assembly when it was needed most.

(3) Spending packages that were really blue state bailouts justified under the auspices of COVID relief.

(4) Government providing the crisis solution (and all the ramifications therein).

We also know in hindsight, the 2016 presidential transition team carried an unknown motive. Who was it that recommended: Dan Coats (ODNI), Michael Atkinson (ICIG), James Mattis (DoD), Dana Boente (NSD then FBI counsel). Who was the one steering these placements from inside the transition team?

Who was in charge of the transition team and also in charge of the COVID task force?

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2021/03/22/nagging-data-points/

Leaked Email: ‘Biden White House’ Is Out, ‘Biden-Harris’ White House Is In

A leaked email from a federal government agency reveals that the White House is playing word games to downplay Joe Biden’s occupation of the White House. Language is being used to elevate Kamala Harris in all official White House business.

The mandatory directive, the leak from Outspoken reveals, came from a high-ranking White House communications team member. It forces all agencies to refer to the Biden administration as the “Biden-Harris Administration.”

“Please be sure to reference the current administration as the ‘Biden-Harris Administration’ in official public communications,” the directive reads, with “Biden-Harris Administration” accented in bold.

The wordplay is a subtle psychological move to diminish Joe Biden’s control of the White House.

The @WhiteHouse Twitter account now reads “Welcome to the Biden-Harris White House!” This unprecedented move was unseen in the Trump and Obama administrations.

The new language requirements now appear on all 15 executive departments. Previously, only the president was named on these sites until now.

Outspoken reported that the leaker wishes to remain anonymous to avoid being targeted or harassed by the “Biden-Harris Administration.”

The quietly implemented move raised eyebrows among those who have been seeing a pattern that may indicate Joe Biden’s cognitive decline. It appears that Biden is gradually being pushed out and replaced by Kamala Harris.

Joe Biden frequently appears dazed and confused in public appearances. He is often seen with his wife Jill Biden, who appears to give him cognitive support.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/03/leaked-email-biden-white-house-biden-harris-white-house/

Chamber of Commerce: ‘Critically Important’ for Senate to Pass Amnesty

The United States Chamber of Commerce says it is “critically important” for the Senate to pass two amnesty bills that will pack the U.S. labor market with more foreign workers whom millions of jobless Americans will be forced to compete against.

Last week, the Democrat-controlled House — with support from 30 House Republicans — passed two amnesty bills. One of the amnesties would put about 4.4 million young illegal aliens on track for American citizenship while the other would provide green cards to up to 2.1 million illegal aliens claiming to have worked on U.S. farms.

The Chamber of Commerce praised the House Democrats’ passage of the amnesties. In a statement, the Chamber’s Vice President, Neil Bradley, called the amnesties “critically important” to big business and corporate interests.

“Both the American Dream and Promise Act and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act are critically important to the business community,” Bradley said:

For years, Washington has spent time bickering about immigration and letting huge problems go unaddressed. Today’s votes are steps in the right direction towards solving some of our nation’s pressing immigration challenges. The U.S. Chamber is committed to ensuring these proposals are passed in the U.S. Senate and signed into law. [Emphasis added]

In a letter to Congress, Chamber executives urged lawmakers to pass the amnesties, claiming “they provide bipartisan solutions to very important issues.”

The Chamber’s push to pass the amnesties is significant because of the campaign cash that the business group continues to funnel to lawmakers, mostly Republicans. In the 2020 election cycle, for instance, the Chamber donated more than $573,000 to Republicans and nearly $212,000 to Democrats.

The biggest campaign donations went to lawmakers such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO), Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

The Chamber’s support for the amnesties comes as multinational corporations like Amazon, Google, Marriott International, Verizon, and Apple are driving the lobbying effort to pass the more expansive of the two amnesties in the Senate.

Annually, more than 1.2 million legal immigrants are awarded green cards, and another 1.4 million foreign nationals are given visas to take U.S. jobs. In addition, hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens are added to the U.S. population every year.

Flooding the U.S. labor market with more foreign competition, whom working and middle class Americans must compete against, is a boon to the corporate interests, Wall Street investors, and Big Tech as they seek to slash wages and widen profit margins.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/03/22/chamber-of-commerce-critically-important-for-senate-to-pass-amnesty/

Dem Rep. Escobar: Abbott Saying Migrants Bringing COVID Is ‘Racist’ and Could Spawn Violence

On Monday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “The ReidOut,” Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX) reacted to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) saying that the Biden administration is bringing coronavirus into the U.S. with its immigration policy by stating that Abbott is engaging in an “old, racist trope” that is “really dangerous.” And could spawn violence like the 2019 mass shooting in El Paso.

After viewing a clip of Abbott saying that the Biden administration is “importing COVID into the state of Texas,” Escobar said, “I just want to say, to our friends in Boulder, Colorado, my heart goes out to them with what’s happening there, the active shooter. We’ve had an active shooter in El Paso in the past, August 3, 2019. And so, I’m just praying for everyone there. But, you know, Jason, the words of Gov. Greg Abbott are actually really dangerous. Speaking of an active shooter, you know, we had an active shooter who came into El Paso whose hatred was fueled by xenophobic, anti-immigrant rhetoric that came not just from the White House at the time, from Donald Trump, but came from people like Gov. Greg Abbott himself. The idea of immigrants bringing disease, that is an old, racist trope intended to inspire fear and hatred. He’s done it before. It is absolutely reprehensible.”

She continued, “And something that folks should understand, FEMA, under the Biden administration, offered to help the state of Texas with testing migrants as they were coming into our front door. Gov. Greg Abbott rejected that help. And, in fact, has stood in the way of our ability to access that help. And yet, he immediately then goes on cable news shows, Fox News, to decry the fact that migrants might have COVID, when he can help us address the issue. It’s really shameful and dangerous.”

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2021/03/22/dem-rep-escobar-abbott-saying-migrants-bringing-covid-is-racist-and-could-spawn-violence/

Michelle Obama’s on Coronavirus Quarantine: ‘I’m Tired of My Husband’ — Need Some ‘Other Energy’

Former first lady Michelle Obama said Monday on NBC’s “The Kelly Clarkson Show” joked that she was “tired” of her husband, former President Barack Obama, during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.

Clarkson said, “When I went to the White House, I asked Dr. Biden what is the first thing she would do post-pandemic. So we know you are knitting now. She said, ‘get a martini and fries.’ So what are you going to do after knitting?”

Obama said, “I need to just remind Jill that they actually do have plenty of fries and martinis at the White House. You don’t need to wait. They got it all there. But I think maybe what she meant is that she wanted to have fries and a martini with some makeup on out in a restaurant somewhere. I’m in that same place, too.”

She continued, “The first thing I want to do is get back out in the world. I want to go to a concert. I want to go to Broadway. I want to see a play. I want to be with people. I want to sit in a movie theater. I’m tired of my husband. I have heard everything he has to say, and it’s really fascinating. It really is. But I just need some other energy.”

Clarkson said, “I get it. I just want to go out with my girlfriends to a dinner, have some wine, have a good time.”

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2021/03/22/michelle-obamas-on-coronavirus-quarantine-im-tired-of-my-husband-need-some-other-energy/

==CNN denies participating in a 'staged event' after questions arise about its footage of illegal border crossing

'So desperate for ratings'

A CNN producer denied participating in a staged event after questions arose about the circumstances surrounding footage of the purported crossing of the Rio Grande by migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border.

"CNN did not participate in any type of coordinated effort to shoot a staged scene of migrants crossing the river nor have we found any credible evidence that suggests our team was unknowingly part of a set-up by Border Patrol or anyone else," tweeted CNN's head of strategic communications Matt Dornic on Thursday.

Immigrants rights advocates and others found many reasons to be skeptical about whether the CNN crew had stumbled upon a migrant smuggling boat. The American Prospect, a progressive news outlet, documented the objections:

In the CNN footage, the smuggler leading the boat wears fatigues and a black ski mask. Smugglers typically attempt to blend in with the migrants, to avoid more severe punishment should they be caught. Smugglers also don't normally provide face masks and life vests, nor ferry six boatloads of people across in broad daylight. Migrants also don't typically line up single file along the shore to cross.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/cnn-staged-fake-migrant-crossing

Trump ramps up activities, asserts power within GOP

Former President Trump is reemerging on the political scene after a months-long hiatus, and Trump World insiders expect him to ramp up his activity even more as the midterm elections get closer.

Trump on Monday called into Fox News and a new podcast hosted by conservative commentator Lisa Boothe for the kind of freewheeling interviews that were commonplace over the past five years.

The ex-president blasted President Biden for the border surge and railed against Republicans who have criticized him. Trump also reiterated his claims about election fraud — a topic that many Republicans are eager to move on from.

The interviews come as Trump’s allies say they’re developing a new social media platform for the former president, although there are few details about it at this point.

Trump flexed within the GOP. He endorsed a challenger on Monday to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R), a reminder that he intends to meddle in GOP primaries to retaliate against Republicans he views as insufficiently loyal.

Those close to Trump say he was always planning on returning to the political scene before the midterm elections but that he felt compelled to move his timeline up because Biden and the Democrats have been blaming him for the border crisis and hate crimes against Asian Americans.

“He’s going to ramp up his activity, but some of this is predicated on what the Biden administration has been saying about him,” said one former Trump campaign official. “He’s not just going to let that go.”

Not all Republicans are thrilled about the former president returning to the scene.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/544382-trump-ramps-up-activities-asserts-power-within-gop

Hill hit piece

Dozens Of Chinese-Owned Factories Have Been Torched By Myanmar Protesters

In yet more sanctions actions out of the White House Monday (following anti-China human rights related sanctions), Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced fresh measures against members of Myanmar's military for the continuing crackdown on pro-democracy protests after the Feb. 1 coup d'etat led by the army.

Myanmar's chief of police, Than Hlaing, and its Bureau of Special Operations commander, Lt. Gen. Aung Soe, along with two army units will be hit with sanctions "for being responsible for or complicit in or having directly or indirectly engaged or attempted to engage in, actions or policies that prohibit, limit, or penalize the exercise of freedom of expression or assembly by people in Burma," Blinken said, using the official US name for Myanmar.

Blinken cited the use of lethal force against peaceful protesters which has included charges that over the past days the above mentioned units spearheaded "the Burmese security forces' planned, systemic strategies to ramp up the use of lethal force," according to Blinken's statement.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/dozens-chinese-owned-factories-have-been-torched-myanmar-protesters

SEC Charges Co-Founders of San Francisco Biotech Company With $60 Million Fraud

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2021-49

Washington D.C., March 18, 2021 —

The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Jessica Richman and Zachary Apte, co-founders of uBiome Inc., a San Francisco-based private medical testing company, with defrauding investors out of $60 million by falsely portraying uBiome as a successful start-up with a proven business model and strong prospects for future growth.

The SEC's complaint alleges that Richman, uBiome's CEO, and Apte, its Chief Scientific Officer, raised funds from investors – millions of dollars of which went to Richman and Apte - by painting a false picture of uBiome as a rapidly growing company, which Richman told investors was "inventing the microbiome industry" and making "products that improve people's lives." According to the complaint, Richman and Apte portrayed the company as having a strong track record of receiving health insurance reimbursement for its clinical tests, which purportedly could detect microorganisms and assist in diagnosing disease. The complaint alleges that these claims were false and misleading because uBiome's purported success in generating revenue depended on duping doctors into ordering unnecessary tests and other improper practices that Richman and Apte directed, which, if discovered, would have led to insurers refusing to reimburse uBiome. According to the complaint, Richman and Apte acted to conceal the improper practices from investors and insurers, including directing uBiome employees to provide insurers with backdated and misleading medical records to substantiate the company's prior claims for reimbursement. Ultimately, the complaint alleges, Richman and Apte's efforts to conceal the practices unraveled, which led to uBiome suspending its medical test business and entering bankruptcy. According to the complaint, Richman and Apte were each enriched by millions through selling their own uBiome shares during the fraudulent fundraising round.

"We allege that Richman and Apte touted uBiome as a successful and fast-growing biotech pioneer while hiding the fact that the company's purported success depended on deceit," said Erin Schneider, Director of the SEC's San Francisco Regional Office. "Investors are entitled to know the material risks of the companies they are investing in, no matter how transformative those companies claim to be."

The SEC's complaint, filed in federal court in San Francisco, charges Richman and Apte with violating the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws. The SEC is seeking court orders, including officer and director bars, to prevent Richman and Apte from engaging in future fraud, as well as orders requiring them to disgorge their ill-gotten gains from the violations and pay civil penalties.

In a parallel action, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California today announced criminal charges against Richman and Apte.

The SEC's investigation was conducted by David Zhou, Tracy Combs, Crystal Boodoo, and Thomas Eme and supervised by Jennifer J. Lee and Monique C. Winkler of the San Francisco Regional Office. The SEC's litigation will be led by Bernard B. Smyth, David Zhou, and Thomas Eme.

The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.

https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2021-49

==Abramovich files defamation lawsuit against author and publisher of Putin’s People book

In her book, Catherine Belton, a former

==

Financial Times Moscow correspondent, alleged that Abramovich was involved in corruption and bought Chelsea Football Club at the Russian authorities’ instruction

LONDON, March 23. /TASS/. Russian businessman Roman Abramovich has lodged a lawsuit against the HarperCollins publishing company, which published a book Putin’s People this spring, written by former Moscow correspondent and investigative journalist Catherine Belton.

In his statement, published on the website of Chelsea Football Club, which he owns, Abramovich wrote that the author of this book and the publishing company made defamatory statements about him.

"Today my legal representatives have issued legal proceedings in England in relation to a book that was published in the UK. The book contains a number of false and defamatory statements about me, including about my purchase, and the activities, of Chelsea Football Club," Abramovich said.

According to the billionaire, this action was not taken lightly because it has never been his ambition to gain a public profile and he has always been reluctant to provide commentary on any matters, including any false or misleading statements about him or Chelsea Football Club.

However, it has become clear that the false allegations in this book are having a damaging effect, not only on his personal reputation, but also in respect of the football club’s activities. "My objective has been to avoid a legal case and my legal team has engaged with the publishers to try to find an amicable resolution. We have provided them with detailed information addressing the various false allegations about me in the book, including the repetition of allegations that have already been held to be false in the English High Court during previous legal proceedings."

In her book, Catherine Belton, a former Financial Times Moscow correspondent, alleged that Abramovich was involved in corruption and bought Chelsea Football Club at the Russian authorities’ instruction.

https://tass.com/society/1269073

FBI had doubts about Russia informant's allegation that helped prompt Mike Flynn probe

Stefan Halper's story of Flynn trip with Russian woman deemed 'not plausible … not accurate.'

Five days before the FBI formally opened the Michael Flynn probe in summer 2016, a confidential informant alleged to agents that Donald Trump's national security adviser had left a 2014 foreign meeting alone with a Russian woman. Agents ultimately deemed the account "not plausible" and "not accurate" but proceeded to investigate Flynn anyway, newly declassified documents show.

FBI confidential human source (CHS) reports show Stefan Halper, an academic who long worked for the bureau as a trusted informant, was the original source of a story that Flynn had left a 2014 event in Cambridge, England, with the Russian scholar Svetlana Lokhova while he was still the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency.

The story was later leaked to the news media and became the focal point of a defamation lawsuit by Lokhova that is now on appeal. It also was listed in FBI documents as part of the reason the bureau opened a counterintelligence probe of Flynn.

Robert Luskin, a lawyer for Halper, did not return an email seeking comment Monday. Flynn and Lokhova did not immediately return calls or emails seeking comment.

The memos show Halper offered the Lokhova story during his first Russia collusion debriefing on Aug. 11, 2016, shortly after Donald Trump had accepted the Republican presidential nomination and days before the bureau opened an investigation codenamed Crossfire Razor focused on whether Flynn was wittingly or unwittingly aiding Moscow.

"The CHS relayed an incident s/he witnessed when CROSSFIRE RAZOR (CR) spoke at [redacted name of Cambridge event]. The CHS was unsure of the date, but noted that CR was still in his/her position within the USIC," the informant report relayed. "The CHS told the team that after CR spoke and socialized with [redacted] at dinner and over drinks, [redacted] got CR a cab to take CR to the train station to bring him/her to London."

The event Flynn attended in 2014 was part of the Cambridge Intelligence Seminars.

"The CHS stated that a woman, Svetlana Lokhova, surprised everyone and got into CR's cab and joined CR on the train ride to London," the report added. "The CHS stated that s/he is somewhat suspicious of Lokhova as she has been affiliated with several prominent members of [redacted]. CHS believes that Lokhova's father maybe a Russian oligarch living in London."

File

Halper Source Documents_final.pdf

https://justthenews.com/accountability/russia-and-ukraine-scandals/fbi-had-doubts-about-russia-informants-allegation-helped

Ukraine-Turkey Cooperation and Offensive Preparations

Large Ukrainian force against the pro-Russians

Information about the Turkish presence in Ukraine has been widely circulated for a long time, now Russian social networks claim that this presence was widely expanded and may become a trigger for the developments in Eastern Ukraine.

Russian sources report the imminent presence of Turkish commandos, who will train their Ukrainian counterparts to conduct military operations in populated areas in the so-called civil war, which is one of the most specialized and “difficult” chapters of modern warfare.

Sources cite Turkish-Ukrainian defense co-operation, stressing that Turks and Ukrainians already have close ties in many other areas, such as the BAYRAKTAR unmanned aerial vehicle supply, for example.

“At the end of May this year, Turkish military experts will arrive in Ukraine to conduct a series of trainings for Ukrainian military personnel on conducting Close Quarter Battle (CQB) in urban areas by mid-July.” – said Katehon center, citing Svarschiki telegram account.

It is worth noting that the Ukrainian generals were very interested in the experience of the Turkish army gained during the war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Among the Turkish officers, there will be participants in the recent 44-day war in Nagorno-Karabakh,” say Russian sources, and that tells us a lot.

It is estimated that the Turks will send as trainers to the Ukrainians its Special Forces personnel with extensive military experience in southern Turkey and Syria, while they will also send officers with experience from the war between the Azerbaijani and Armenians.

InfoBRICS: Turkey has become the main instigator of a possible war between Ukraine and Russia

The InfoBrics portal states that Ankara does not recognize the Russian status of Crimea, calling the events in 2014 “illegal annexation of Crimea”. At the same time, the Turkish side is establishing important military-technical cooperation with Kiev. So, on March 14th, military cargo from Turkey was delivered to Ukraine by at least two planes.

It is noted that Ankara and Kiev were gradually creating an alliance, Turkey has become the main instigator of Ukraine’s war against the Russian Federation. The InfoBrics publication, cited by Reporter, predicts that Ukraine, with Turkey’s support, may launch a new offensive against the pro-Russian-oriented republics of Donbass .

As it was reported earlier this week, Kiev expert Oleg Zhdanov predicted “another thrashing” this spring in the conflict zone in Donbass.

https://southfront.org/ukraine-turkey-cooperation-and-offensive-preparations/

Professor Says Conservatism May Be ‘Euphemism for White Supremacy’ During ‘Religion of White Rage’ Panel

Louisiana State University recently held a panel discussing the “Religion of White Rage,” during which a guest Syracuse University professor stated that conservatism is a “euphemism for white supremacy.”

The comment was made by Biko Gray, a religion professor at Syracuse University.

Campus Reform reports that during the live panel, Gray stated that “maybe conservatism away from being a financial and economic and political policy is just a euphemism for white supremacy and its affective variant; white rage.”

The three militant leftist speakers on the panel wrote a book titled The Religion of White Rage: Religious Fervor, White Workers and the Myth of Black Racial Progress. Their thesis is that “it is not economics but religion and race that stand as the primary motivating factors for the rise of white rage and white supremacist sentiment in the United States.”

Video of the event is age-restricted on YouTube, but can be viewed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEcLCvgE6rc

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/03/professor-says-conservatism-may-euphemism-white-supremacy-religion-white-rage-panel/

>>13278688

never stick your dick in crazy

>>13279269

So should we expect our uniforms in the mail?