Data scraped from 500 million LinkedIn users found for sale online

IDs, names, email addresses and more personal details are part of the massive database of stolen data, which could be used to launch additional attacks on LinkedIn and its users.

A massive trove of LinkedIn account data has been found for sale online, containing 500 million user records including email addresses, phone numbers, links to other social media profiles and professional details.

Reported by CyberNews researchers, the leak was posted to a forum popular with hackers by a user asking for a "four-digit $$$$ minimum price" for access to the full database of stolen account information.

To prove the legitimacy of the info, the leaker included two million records as a sample that users on the form can view for $2 worth of forum-specific credits. CyberNews researchers were able to confirm that the data contained in the sample was legitimate, but added that " it's unclear whether the threat actor is selling up-to-date LinkedIn profiles, or if the data has been taken or aggregated from a previous breach suffered by LinkedIn or other companies."

Included in the leaked data was "a variety of mostly professional information," including LinkedIn IDs, full names, email addresses, phone numbers, user gender, links to LinkedIn profiles, links to other connected social media profiles, professional titles and other work-related data. The leaked data doesn't appear to contain any credit card or other financial details, or legal documents that could be used for fraud.

The lack of financial or identification documentation doesn't mean the leaked data isn't dangerous, though. "Particularly determined attackers can combine information found in the leaked files with other data breaches in order to create detailed profiles of their potential victims. With such information in hand, they can stage much more convincing phishing and social engineering attacks or even commit identity theft against the people whose information has been exposed on the hacker forum," CyberNews said.

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/data-scraped-from-500-million-linkedin-users-found-for-sale-online/?ftag=TRE684d531&bhid=22794125295308979481046407004546&mid=13325655&cid=2129965662

Montana Governor Tests Positive for COVID-19 Four Days After Taking Vaccine

Governor Greg Gianforte received his first coronavirus vaccine on Friday.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte and his wife tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday.

Governor Gianforte made the announcement on the governor’s webpage.

http://www.cuzzblue.com/2021/04/montana-governor-tests-positive-for.html

Facebook will not notify the half a billion users caught up in its huge data leak, it says

Facebook will not notify the more than half a billion people caught up in a huge leak of personal information, it has said.

Over the weekend, it emerged that a vast trove of data on more than 530 million users – containing information including their phone numbers and dates of birth – was being made freely available online.

Facebook said that the data was gathered before 2019. It later said that “ “malicious actors” had obtained the data prior to September 2019 by “scraping” profiles using a vulnerability in the platform’s tool for synching contacts, and that the loophole that allowed them to do so had now been closed.

But it said that it did not inform users when the leak happened, and does not have plans to do so now.

The Facebook spokesman said the social media company was not confident it had full visibility on which users would need to be notified. He said it also took into account that users could not fix the issue and that the data was publicly available in deciding not to notify users. Facebook has said it plugged the hole after identifying the problem at the time.

The scraped information did not include financial information, health information or passwords, Facebook said. However, the collated data could provide valuable information for hacks or other abuses.

Facebook, which has long been under scrutiny over how it handles user privacy, in 2019 reached a landmark settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over its investigation into allegations the company misused user data.

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, the European Union’s lead regulator for Facebook, said on Tuesday it had contacted the company about the data leak. It said it received “no proactive communication from Facebook“ but was now in contact.

The July 2019 FTC settlement requires Facebook to report details about unauthorized access to data on 500 or more users within 30 days of confirming an incident.

The Facebook spokesman declined to comment on the company’s conversations with regulators but said it was in contact to answer their questions.

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/facebook-data-breach-leak-users-information-b1828323.html?utm_source=reddit.com

F.O.I Request shows 2,207 died within 28 days of having the Covid Vaccine in Scotland during February

A freedom of information request made to Public Health Scotland has revealed that 2,207 people died within twenty-eight days of having either the Pfizer / BioNTech mRNA vaccine or the Oxford / AstraZeneca viral vector vaccine during the month of February.

The request for the information was made on the 20th February 2021 and asked –

“Could you please provide the total number of deaths for any reason within 28 days of having a Covid vaccine from the start of the vaccination roll out date?”

To which Public Health Scotland responded with –

“Using the latest mortality data available (Up to 26th February), 2,207 people have died within 28 days of vaccination (number of days between vaccine and death is 0-27 where 0 is the day of vaccination).”

But Public Health Scotland then added a caveat to this data by stating –

“Please note that these deaths are due to any cause, PHS is not currently aware of any deaths in Scotland that are considered conclusively linked to vaccination.”

Wake up and smell the roses people, it’s now or never.

https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/03/30/f-o-i-request-shows-2207-died-within-28-days-of-having-the-covid-vaccine-in-scotland-during-february/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

Beijing has more billionaires than any city in the world after bouncing back quickly from Covid-19, knocking New York off the top spot

Beijing has more billionaires than any other city in the world after bouncing back quickly from Covid-19, according to the Forbes' 2021 World's Billionaires List.

With 100 billionaires on the annual list, China's capital narrowly beat New York City's 99 entrants, which has previously held the top spot for seven years running.

Since the list was last published in 2020, Beijing added 33 billionaires, according to the business magazine.

The country's quick response to and containment of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the rise of its technology firms and stock markets, helped it gain the number one spot. China was the only major world economy to grow at all last year.

http://www.yourdestinationnow.com/2021/04/beijing-has-more-billionaires-than-any.html

Pop-up mass vaccination clinic in Colorado is shut down after 11 people who got Johnson & Johnson shot suffered nausea and dizziness and two are hospitalized

Eleven people had adverse reactions to shots at the 'Vaccines for All' event at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City on Wednesday

Two people were transported to a hospital for additional monitoring

Event sponsor Centura Health said the reactions included dizziness and nausea

Centura said the reactions accounted for less than one percent of the more than 1,700 people vaccinated at the event

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9448189/Colorado-vaccine-site-shuts-11-adverse-reactions-Johnson-Johnson-shot.html

Can Blood from Young People Slow Aging? Silicon Valley Has Bet Billions It Will

The Spanish firm Grifols helped set off a kerfuffle last year when it, along with other firms, offered nearly double the going price for blood donations for a COVID-19 treatment trial. Brigham Young University in Idaho had to threaten some enterprising students with suspension to keep them from intentionally trying to contract COVID-19. The trial failed, however, and now the Barcelona-based firm is hoping to extract something far more valuable from the plasma of young volunteers: a set of microscopic molecules that could reverse the process of aging itself.

Earlier this year, Grifols closed on a $146 million-deal to buy Alkahest, a company founded by Stanford University neuroscientist Tony Wyss-Coray, who, along with Saul Villeda, revealed in scientific papers published in 2011 and 2014 that the blood from young mice had seemingly miraculous restorative effects on the brains of elderly mice. The discovery adds to a hot area of inquiry called geroscience that "seeks to understand molecular and cellular mechanisms that make aging a major risk factor and driver of common chronic conditions and diseases of older adulthood," according to the National Institutes of Health. In the last six years, Alkahest has identified more than 8,000 proteins in the blood that show potential promise as therapies. Its efforts and those of Grifols have resulted in at least six phase 2 trials completed or underway to treat a wide range of age-related diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Alkahest and a growing number of other geroscience health startups signal a change in thinking about some of the most intractable diseases facing humankind. Rather than focusing solely on the etiology of individual diseases like heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's and arthritis—or, for that matter, COVID-19—geroscientists are trying to understand how these diseases relate to the single largest risk factor of all: human aging. Their goal is to hack the process of aging itself and, in the process, delay or stave off the onset of many of the diseases most associated with growing old.

The idea that aging and illness go hand and hand is, of course, nothing new. What's new is the newfound confidence of scientists that "aging" can be measured, reverse-engineered and controlled.

https://www.newsweek.com/2021/04/16/can-blood-young-people-slow-aging-silicon-valley-has-bet-billions-it-will-1581447.html

Feds investigate whether Matt Gaetz engaged in sex trafficking when he 'took trip to Bahamas with marijuana entrepreneur who hired escorts to join them'

A trip Matt Gaetz allegedly took to the Bahamas with a marijuana entrepreneur over two years ago is reportedly being scrutinized by federal officials investigating sex trafficking allegations against the Florida congressman.

CBS News reported the development on Wednesday, citing multiple sources with knowledge of the Justice Department's investigation of Gaetz.

The sources said Gaetz took the trip to the Bahamas with Dr Jason Pirozzolo, a hand surgeon and co-founder of The American Medical Marijuana Physicians Association (AMMPA), in late 2018 or early 2019.

Pirozzolo footed the bill for the travel expenses and accommodations - as well as female escorts, the sources said.

Investigators are allegedly looking into whether the escorts were illegally trafficked across state or international lines for the purpose of having sex with Gaetz.

'Traveling across state lines is what creates a federal hook for a prosecution,' Arlo Devlin-Brown, a former prosecutor and partner at Covington & Burling, told CBS.

'It doesn't matter that [Gaetz] personally paid them as long as he knows someone is doing that.'

Investigators are also working to determine whether Gaetz accepted the escorts in exchange for political access or legislative favors, the sources said.

'If there's evidence of a quid pro quo that the congressman was provided with benefits in return for him sponsoring some legislation that's of interest to the donor, that's a federal crime,' Devlin-Brown said.

Pirozzolo spoke about his ties to Gaetz in a July 2018 Ganjapreneur podcast, where he said he was working with the congressman to draw up federal legislation to bolster medical research of cannabis.

'Congressman Matt Gaetz is in the process of working on legislation up in Washington, DC, that will help facilitate research on the nationwide level. And we should see a lot of good benefit from them,' Pirozzolo said.

http://www.yourdestinationnow.com/2021/04/feds-investigate-whether-matt-gaetz.html

Pushing For War: Why Is The Biden Administration Pushing Ukraine To Attack Russia

by Ron Paul of Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity

On March 24th, Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky signed what was essentially a declaration of war on Russia. In the document, titled Presidential Decree No. 117/2021, the US-backed Ukrainian leader declared that it is the official policy of Ukraine to take back Crimea from Russia.

The declaration that Ukraine would take back Crimea from Russia also followed, and was perhaps instigated by, President Biden’s inflammatory and foolish statement that “Crimea is Ukraine.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was a chief architect of the US-backed coup against Ukraine in 2014, continued egging on the Ukrainians, promising full US support for the “territorial integrity” of Ukraine. Many Americans wonder why they are not even half as concerned about the territorial integrity of the United States!

Not to be outdone, at the beginning of this month US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin – who previously served on the board of missile-maker Raytheon – called his counterpart in Ukraine and promised “unwavering US support for Ukraine’s sovereignty.” As the US considers Crimea to be Ukrainian territory, this is clearly a clear green light for Kiev to take military action.

Washington is also sending in weapons. Some 300 tons of new weapons have arrived in the past weeks and more is on the way.

As could be expected, Moscow has responded to Zelensky’s decree and to the increasingly bellicose rhetoric in Kiev and Washington by re-positioning troops and other military assets closer to its border with Ukraine. Does anyone doubt that if the US were in the same situation – for example, if China installed a hostile and aggressive government in Mexico – the Pentagon might move troops in a similar manner?

But according to the media branch of the US military-industrial-Congressional-media complex, Russian troop movements are not a response to clear threats from a neighbor, but instead are just more “Russian aggression.”

The unhinged US “experts” behind the 2014 coup against the elected Ukrainian president are back in power and they are determined to finish the job – even if it means World War III! The explicit US backing of Ukraine’s military ambitions in the region are a blank check to Kiev.

But it is a check that Kiev would be wise to avoid cashing. Back in 1956 the US government pumped endless propaganda into Hungary promising military backing for an uprising against its Soviet occupiers. When the Hungarians, believing Washington’s lies, did rise up they found themselves all alone and facing Soviet retaliation.

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/pushing-for-war-why-is-the-biden-administration-pushing-ukraine-to-attack-russia/

New Hampshire Senate Joins House – Passes SB43 to Mandate an Audit of Windham’s Fradulent 2020 Election Results – Off to Governor to Sign!

UPDATE— This is breaking news — via Ken Eyring at Granite Grok.

In a HUGE WIN for We, the People, and for New Hampshire election integrity, the NH Senate voted 24-0 just minutes ago to concur with the House amended version of SB43. This Bill was championed by Senator Bob Giuda and will validate election integrity in our state by mandating a forensic audit on Windham’s 11/3/20 general election ballots and voting machines as configured on November 3, 2020.

The forensic audit will determine the huge discrepancy between the election day results and subsequent recount of Windham’s November 3, 2020 State Rep. race where a difference of 1,363 total votes from just 10,006 ballots was uncovered.

New Hampshire lawmakers were scheduled to vote on the Windham Amendment SB43 this week.

And now it has passed the New Hampshire House and Senate.

Via Granite Grok:

Why is SB43 Important?

Senate Bill SB43 mandates an audit of Windham’s disturbing November 3, 2020 general election results that produced a massive discrepancy between the machine vote tally for the State Rep race on election day and a hand recount 9 days later. The recount showed a difference of 1,363 votes for the State Rep race being shifted with only 10,006 ballots were cast. That is a big discrepancy – and we need to know why!

Senator Bob Giuda spearheaded a herculean effort to push SB43 through the Senate with a 24-0 vote in February because the AG’s office refused to perform an investigation into the disturbing results. The Bill was subsequently strengthened via a house amendment and passed by the House Election Law Committee 20-0. It will now be voted on by the full house tomorrow or Thursday.

The passage of SB43 into law is critical to ensure election integrity is verified not only in Windham, but across NH – because the same machines are used to count 85% of all votes in NH.

On Thursday morning we received word from GOP official Dave Strang that the bill passed through the New Hampshire House.

Hi Jim:

Just a quick FYI email. SB43, the NH bill that will compel the AG and Sec. of State to investigate the Windham voting anomaly, passed the House of Reps today by virtue of being on the consent calendar.” This is where bills that are expected to pass without opposition go. Because this bill was modified by the House Election Law Committee. (where stronger language was inserted), it must be revoted on in the NH Senate. That could happen as early as tomorrow. I expect it will pass the Senate without opposition (no one in the NH Legislature has voted against this bill yet) and conceivably it could be on the Governor’s desk as early as tomorrow evening. Feel free to do a follow up to your article on the website today with this info included.

Stay tuned,

Dave Strang

More from Dave — Once signed, the clock starts ticking. It requires the forensic audit of the machines and ballots

within 45 days of passage of the bill (signature by the Governor).

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/04/update-new-hampshire-house-passes-sb43-mandate-audit-windhams-disturbing-2020-election-results/

Vaccine Passports Can “drive forced consent, standardization” of Digital Identity Schemes: WEF Summit

The Global Blockchain Business Council CEO tells the Davos crowd that she hopes the rise of vaccine passports will help “drive forced consent to standardization” of global digital identity schemes.

“I’m hoping with the desire and global demand for some sort of vaccine passport — so that people can get traveling and working again — will drive forced consent to standardization, and frankly, cooperation across the world” — Sandra Ro, CEO at Global Blockchain Business Council

A digital identity encompasses everything that makes you unique in the digital realm, and it is a system that can consolidate all of your online activity data, including which websites you visit, your online purchases, health records, financial accounts, and who you’re friends with on social media.

It is also a scheme that, when used by authoritarians like in Communist China, enables a dystopian social crediting system where freedom is granted and restricted based on how citizens behave and who they associate with in both the physical and digital worlds.

https://www.activistpost.com/2021/04/vaccine-passports-can-drive-forced-consent-standardization-of-digital-identity-schemes-wef-summit.html

Report: Biden May Expel Russian Diplomats and Impose More Sanctions

Sources told Bloomberg the US is preparing actions over unsubstantiated allegations, like the claim Russia was behind the SolarWinds hack

According to a report from Bloomberg, the Biden administration is wrapping up its review of alleged Russian actions and could announce measures against Moscow soon.

One unnamed source told Bloomberg the moves could involve sanctions on individuals close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the expulsion of Russian diplomats the US will claim have ties to Russian intelligence.

The actions would be framed as “retaliation” for the hack of the software firm SolarWinds and alleged election interference. Both accusations are entirely unfounded, as the US has failed to present evidence for either claim.

In January, US intelligence officials claimed the SolarWinds hack was “likely” Russian in origin without offering evidence, and the Russian government has repeatedly denied any involvement. Congressional testimony from SolarWinds’ current CEO and former CEO revealed that the software firm’s password, which was “solarwinds123,” was publicly available on the internet for years. And a cybersecurity expert that used to advise SolarWinds said the hack “could have been done by any attacker, easily.”

Last month, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released an assessment that Putin ordered an influence campaign to “denigrate” President Biden during the 2020 election. Again, missing from the assessment was any evidence or an explanation of how US intelligence reached the conclusion.

Another issue that the Biden administration said it was reviewing early on was the claim that Russia paid bounties to the Taliban to kill US troops in Afghanistan. This accusation first appeared in The New York Times last June. But since then, just about every US military leader said no intelligence corroborated the story, and the claim has essentially been debunked. The Russian bounty story has quietly dropped from the list of anti-Russian talking points coming from Biden officials.

President Biden also ordered a review of the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, which the US has already taken action over through sanctions.

The Bloomberg report hinted that the action could go beyond sanctions and the expulsion of diplomats. A report from The New York Times last month said the US was preparing cyberattacks against Russia over the SolarWinds hack.

https://news.antiwar.com/2021/04/07/report-biden-may-expel-russian-diplomats-and-impose-more-sanctions/

Iran’s Rouhani Hails ‘New Chapter’ in Effort to Revive Nuclear Deal

The Iranian president spoke positively of the Vienna talks that established working groups that will figure out a way to revive the JCPOA

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday’s talks in Vienna between Iran and the other nuclear deal participants marked a “new chapter” in the effort to revive the agreement, known as the JCPOA.

An Iranian delegation met with officials from Russia, China, France, the UK, and Germany on Tuesday. Communications with the US were held through EU intermediaries, and both sides agreed to establish working groups that will figure out how the US can return to the JCPOA.

“In recent days, we have been witnessing a new chapter in the JCPOA’s revival,” Rouhani told a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, according to Iran’s Press TV. “All the countries that were committed to the JCPOA gathered in Vienna with different combinations, including the P4+1 and Iran as well as the P4+1 and the United States.”

The P4+1 refers to the four permanent members of the UN Security Council that are still a party to the deal plus Germany. Before the US withdrew from the deal, the group was known as the P5+1.

Rouhani added, “Everyone around the nuclear deal has come to the conclusion that there is no better solution than the JCPOA and no other way but the full implementation of the JCPOA. This is a new success for the Islamic Republic.”

While it appears positive progress is being made, the question now is if the Biden administration is willing to return to the original agreement or if it will make unreasonable demands and waste this opportunity.

Questions also remain over which sanctions the Biden administration is willing to lift. Since 2018, the US has slapped an enormous number of sanctions on Iran. Some are related to Iran’s civilian nuclear program, while others were imposed for alleged human rights violations and claims of terrorism. It’s not clear if the US is willing to lift non-nuclear-related sanctions.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Wednesday that the Biden administration is willing to lift sanctions that are “inconsistent” with the JCPOA but did not elaborate if this means non-nuclear-related sanctions when pressed by reporters.

https://news.antiwar.com/2021/04/07/irans-rouhani-hails-new-chapter-in-effort-to-revive-nuclear-deal/

Israel to tell ICC: You don’t have authority to investigate us

In formal response to court’s decision to launch war crimes probe, Jerusalem expected to say it won’t cooperate with the investigation

Israel will tell the High Court of Justice that the court does not have the authority to probe alleged war crimes by Israel and Palestinian terrorists.

In its formal response to The Hague-based court’s decision to open the war crimes probe, Israel will say it won’t cooperate with the investigation, according to a statement Thursday from the Prime Minister’s Office.

“In the letter, it will also be noted that Israel completely rejects the claims that it is carrying out war crimes,” the statement said.

The Prime Minister’s Office said Israel’s stance has been made known to the court by “central countries and world renowned experts” and stressed the Jewish state is “committed to the rule of law” and capable of investigating itself.

The decision on how to respond came after two days of talks held by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit and other top officials.

Last month, the ICC sent formal notices to Israel and the Palestinian Authority about the impending investigation, giving them a few weeks to seek a deferral by proving they are carrying out their own investigations. The deadline to respond is Friday night.

According to the Ynet news site, officials deliberated whether to tell the court that Israel would investigate the claims against it, but decided that doing so would be a recognition of the ICC’s authority.

Israel may also ask for more time to file a response, citing the political situation and efforts to form a government after inconclusive elections on March 23, the report said, quoting sources as saying ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda would likely approve the request. The report said such a request would not recognize the court’s authority.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-to-tell-icc-you-dont-have-authority-to-investigate-us/

Xi’s Historic Call to Merkel: Free Yourself From Washington, Help Us Build A New World

https://theduran.com/xis-historic-call-to-merkel-free-yourself-from-washington-help-us-build-a-new-world/

Ga. election chief Raffensperger in 'coverup mode,' says plaintiff in Fulton Co. vote fraud suit

"If he's trying to intimidate us, it won't work," said Voter GA co-founder Garland Favorito.

An attempt by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to block physical inspection of ballots cast in Fulton County, Ga. in the November presidential election is part of an election fraud "coverup," voting integrity activist Garland Favorito charged Tuesday in an interview with Just the News.

In December 2020, Favorito's organization Voter GA filed a suit against the then-chairperson of the Fulton County Board of Elections based on a sudden, implausible spike of 20,000 votes in favor of Joe Biden on election night, along with sworn testimony from hand count auditors who say they saw batches of counterfeit ballots during the county's post-election hand recount. The witnesses cite uncreased ballots, different paper stock, and ballots marked with toner instead of writing implements as reasons for their suspicions.

File

petition-for-declaratory-and-injunctive-relief-stamped.pdf

Based on the affidavits and other evidence, the judge in the case found probable cause to conditionally unseal the county's ballots for a forensic audit. Voter GA was given until March 25 to submit a plan to the judge detailing what the audit would look like — which experts they were going to use, where the audit would take place, etc.

Last week, Raffensperger, who is not a party to the suit, filed an amicus brief in an attempt to block the effort to unseal and examine the ballots. a Republican who has resisted demands by former President Donald Trump and others to investigate claims of vote-counting mischief in the state's 2020 presidential vote,

In the months following the November election, Raffensperger unbendingly defended the validity of the ballots cast in Georgia. In the process, he emerged as a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump, who repeatedly told Raffensperger that if his office scrutinized the ballots in Fulton County, they would find election cheating.

Favorito believes Raffensperger filed his amicus brief because Trump is right, and the secretary of state has something to hide. Raffensperger is "in coverup mode," alleged Favorito. "There's nothing new in this brief that concerns us. What concerns us is that we have a secretary of state who doesn't believe in election integrity."

File

sos-amicus-brief.pdf

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/w-georgia-sec-state-files-brief-prevent-ga-voter-group-auditing-physical

Watchdog group files formal complaint in Wisconsin alleging 'private control over election process'

"Private corporations and tech oligarchs should not be calling the shots."

A formal complaint filed in Wisconsin on Thursday alleges that public officials allowed private agents to "control significant aspects of the 2020 elections," up to and including vote counting and the curing of disputed ballots.

The filing with the Wisconsin Elections Commission, announced in a press release from the election integrity watchdog group the Amistad Project, claims that "emails obtained through public records requests" revealed that the Green Bay, Wisconsin mayor's office "handed over the keys to the [vote] counting room" to a local Democratic operative, one who "worked with the Center for Tech and Civic Life to bring in Democrat political consultants and lawyers to set election policy in the presidential election."

The Center for Tech and Civic Life, a nonprofit voting advocacy group, generated controversy during the 2020 election for having plowed millions of dollars into local election systems in what it said was an effort to ensure safe and easy voting last year.

The Amistad Project claimed that "several other left-leaning political advisors and lawyers [were] involved in deciding Green Bay’s internal counting room policy and the city’s targeting specific voter demographics favorable to Democrat Party candidates for outreach and voter turnout efforts."

“Private interests dictating how government manages elections ensures public doubt about election outcomes and involves government in playing favorites,” Phill Kline, the director of the Amistad Project, said in the release.

The Amistad Project "also filed a document detailing the minimum investigatory effort necessary to gain an understanding of who managed the 2020 election," the press release said.

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/watchdog-group-files-formal-complaint-wisconsin-alleging-private-control

Biden’s Treasury Department Ignoring National Security Responsibilities, Experts Say

Former Treasury officials and finance experts are concerned the Biden administration's political maneuvering may help enable drug traffickers, dictators, and other money launderers.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen so far has put the fight against financial crimes committed by terrorists and dictators on the backburner as she pursues the Biden administration's "equity" focused agenda. In public remarks, Yellen has prioritized issues such as gender relations and the environment over the growing threat of illicit finance from both authoritarian states and terrorists.

Marshall Billingslea, the former assistant secretary for terrorist financing at the Treasury Department and an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute, said Yellen’s approach does not reflect the Treasury Department’s mission or the priorities of the State Department, which has placed anti-corruption at center stage.

"Secretary Yellen’s decision to not mention corruption as a main priority seems out of sync with other parts of the administration, particularly the State Department," Billingslea said. "If the Treasury is not in the fight and is not committed to the anti-corruption campaign, this will be a major step backwards. Hopefully this will not be the case."

China, Russia, Venezuela and other authoritarian regimes use oligarchs and corrupt finance practices to both advance their influence and undermine the American-led financial system. Scott Greytak, the advocacy director for the U.S. office of Transparency International, said kleptocracy touches nearly all global challenges the United States faces.

"As a diplomatic tool, corruption is front and center in how [authoritarians] are growing their influence in some of the most important areas of the world," Greytak said. "If the United States government doesn’t see corruption as a national security and foreign policy priority, then they’re missing the bigger picture about how authoritarian influence operates and grows in the 21st century."

During the final months of the Trump administration, anti-kleptocracy advocates in Congress added legislation to bolster disclosure laws to crackdown on illicit finance practices within the United States to a larger defense bill. It remains a question, however, to what extent the Biden administration will follow up on tough action to combat global corruption.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan have spoken of the need to take a tougher stance on kleptocracy and corruption, but little action has emerged. Billingslea said Biden’s team needs to follow up their rhetoric with action if they want to maintain America's world leadership role.

"The global fight against corruption and kleptocracy really depends on the United States, and the Treasury in particular," he said. "It’s a huge issue. The world counts on the United States to lead in this area. When you don’t lead, or you ‘lead from behind,’ no action gets taken."

https://freebeacon.com/national-security/yellen-dodges-illicit-finance-aiding-terrorists-and-drug-traffickers/

15 Chinese Military Aircraft Fly Into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone

On April 7th, 15 Chinese military aircraft, including 12 fighter jets, flew into the southwestern part of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ).

The warplanes in question were eight J-10 fighters, four J-16 fighters, two KJ-500 airborne early warning and control planes, and one Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft.

Analysts have linked this week’s activity with the move south of China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier, earlier on April 5th.

Four People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shenyang J-16 fighter planes, four Chengdu J-10 fighter jets, and one Shaanxi KJ-500 early warning and control aircraft entered the southwest corner of Taiwan’s ADIZ, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND). In addition, one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane flew into the southwest and southeast corners of Taiwan’s identification zone.

In response, Taiwan scrambled planes, issued radio warnings, and deployed air defense missile systems to track the PLAAF planes. An ADIZ is an area that extends beyond a country’s air space where air traffic controllers ask incoming aircraft to identify themselves.

On April 7th, the US warned China against its “increasingly aggressive” moves towards Taiwan, as well as the Philippines.

State Department spokesman Ned Price reiterated at a regular briefing that the US commitment to Taiwan was “rock solid.”

“An armed attack against the Philippines’ armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the Pacific, including in the South China Sea, will trigger our obligations under the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty,” Price said.

“We share the concerns of our Philippine allies regarding the continued reported massing of PRC maritime militia near the Whitsun Reef,” Price said.

Price voiced “concern” about the Chinese moves.

“The United States maintains the capacity to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security or the social or economic system of the people on Taiwan.”

President Joe Biden has vowed a robust defense of allies and, in a rare point of continuity with his predecessor Donald Trump, has supported strong pushback against Chinese assertiveness.

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said the military threat against his country is increasing, and while he said it was not yet “particularly alarming,” the Chinese military in the last couple of years has been conducting what he called “real combat-type” exercises closer to the island.

“We are willing to defend ourselves, that’s without any question,” Wu said. “We will fight a war if we need to fight a war, and if we need to defend ourselves to the very last day, then we will defend ourselves to the very last day.“

Taiwan has spotted Chinese drones circling the Taipei-controlled Pratas Islands in the South China Sea and may shoot them down if they stray too close, a government minister said.

Speaking at parliament, Lee Chung-wei, who heads the Ocean Affairs Council under whose purview the Coast Guard falls, said that they had recently spotted Chinese drones circling the Pratas, though they have not flown over the islands.

“They have never entered our restricted waters and airspace, they’ve just flown around them at a certain distance,” Lee said.

Asked how the Coast Guard would react if a Chinese drone entered that restricted zone, Lee said they had rules of engagement.

“After it enters it will be handled under the rules. If we need to open fire, we open fire.”

https://southfront.org/15-chinese-military-aircraft-fly-into-taiwans-air-defense-identification-zone/

60 ISIS Terrorists Eliminated In Iraqi Airstrikes On Hamrin Mountains

On April 7, the Iraqi military announced that 60 terrorists of ISIS were eliminated in a recent wave of airstrikes on the country’s northern region.

The airstrikes were carried out by F-16 warplanes of the Iraqi Air Force (IQAF) on March 25. The airstrikes destroyed a network of tunnels and dens in the Hamrin Mountains, which are located along the administrative border between the provinces of Saladin and Kirkuk.

According to a spokesman for the Iraqi Commander-in-Chief, ISIS cells used the targeted tunnels and dens in Hamrin as hideouts.

The spokesman, Yehia al-Rasool, said that information provided by the military’s Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) was behind the successful airstrikes. CTS units tracked ISIS terrorists in the Hamrin Mountains for a while which led to the discovery of the hideouts.

“Today we confirm that these airstrikes resulted in the killing of 60 terrorists of ISIS remnants,” al-Rasool said in a statement.

Hamrin Mountains is a known stronghold of ISIS cells. From there, the terrorists launch attacks in Saladin, Kirkuk and other parts of northern Iraq.

The IQAF stepped up its combat operations against ISIS cells in the last few weeks. Heavy losses were inflicted on the terrorist group. Nevertheless, the group’s cells are still operating in the northern and western regions of Iraq.

https://southfront.org/60-isis-terrorists-eliminated-in-iraqi-airstrikes-on-hamrin-mountains/

NATO Ending War in Ukraine Like Arsonist Putting Out Fire

The indulgence and interference in Ukraine by the Americans and their NATO allies has been criminally reckless and is leading to a slow, agonizing scorched-earth conflict. The arsonists need to leave. Or Russia will have to act.

Before entering politics to become president of the Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky was better known as a TV comedian. He seems to have retained his talent for the absurd. This week he called on the NATO military alliance to fast-track membership for Ukraine as the best way to end the war in that country.

Zelensky made the preposterous claim that Ukraine was facing “Russian aggression” which, he said, was “a serious challenge to the security of all NATO members and the whole of Europe”.

In a phone call with NATO civilian chief Jens Stoltenberg, the Ukrainian president asserted that joining the alliance would send “a real signal to Russia”. And he called for greater deployment of NATO forces to the Black Sea region.

Zelensky’s decidedly unfunny comments about how to end the war in East Ukraine are far from a prescription for peace. They entail the opposite: the long-simmering conflict would blow up into a full-scale war between Russia and the U.S.-led NATO bloc. His call for NATO to end the war is tantamount to asking an arsonist to put out a fire.

NATO’s Stoltenberg sounded supportive, declaring “unwavering support” for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. There were also a flurry of similar statements from U.S. President Joe Biden, Britain’s premier Boris Johnson, and the European Union.

But this is empty posturing. No-one in their right mind could agree to Zelensky’s appeal to join NATO. Given its collective defense doctrine, Ukraine’s membership would inevitably drag the military alliance into a war against the Russian-backed separatists of Eastern Ukraine, also known as the Donbas. Moscow has consistently warned that the former Soviet republic joining NATO is impermissible from its national security concerns.

The trouble is that Western media and pro-NATO think-tanks are spinning a narrative that is adding to confusion and bad judgement. Several media reports in recent weeks lend credence to the claims put out by Zelensky and his government in Kiev that a buildup of Russian forces along the border with Ukraine is posing a threat. Moscow has said forces within its borders are no threat to anyone and maneuvers are a legitimate internal matter.

But this has not stopped Western pundits from adding two and two to make five. The Atlantic Council, closely aligned with NATO, has this week accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of “testing” the resolve of the Biden administration and its support for the Kiev regime. The Council raised alarm bells by pondering if Russia was about to invade Ukraine. Western media reporting is thus fueling the narrative conjured up by anti-Russian Ukrainian nationalists.

And feckless indulgence of Kiev by Biden, Johnson, NATO’s Stoltenberg and the European Union is further emboldening the intransigence in Kiev to not resolve the conflict by implementing the 2015 Minsk peace accord. That accord which Kiev signed up to – and for which Russia, Germany and France were sponsors not participants – obliged the granting of regional autonomy to the Donbas. The Kiev regime has steadfastly refused to implement the accord and hence the conflict has rumbled on.

https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2021/04/08/nato-ending-war-ukraine-like-arsonist-putting-out-fire/

https://twitter.com/RaheemKassam/status/1380222054939639808/photo/1

What WASN'T in Hunter Biden's book: How he got unauthorized Secret Service protection, begged Joe to run for WH to salvage his own reputation and made porn films with prostitutes. Forensic experts prove laptop IS President's son's

Hunter Biden released his 'tell-all' memoir Beautiful Things on Tuesday, but left out shocking details

DailyMail.com can reveal those secrets after contents of his abandoned laptop - including a cache of 103,000 text messages, 154,000 emails, more than 2,000 photos - were verified by top forensics experts

Hunter left his MacBook Pro laptop at a Wilmington, Delaware computer repair shop in April 2019 and never returned for it

In texts from 2019, Hunter begged his father to run for president to salvage Hunter's own reputation

Hunter repeatedly dodged police action against him, despite constantly dealing with drug dealers and prostitutes and having multiple run-ins with the law

The president's son was guarded by a Secret Service agent while on a 2018 drug and prostitute binge in Hollywood, despite not being entitled to protection at the time

Hunter appeared to be obsessed with making porn films with prostitutes, videos and photos on his laptop show

Texts also show Joe Biden was afraid his conversations with Hunter were being hacked even as they discussed his White House bid

Hunter Biden's 'tell-all' autobiography promised the unvarnished story of his struggles with drugs, family turmoil and his controversial love life.

But there were many shocking details of his debauched life that the president's son chose not to share with readers, including details of his fragile relationship with his father.

Now DailyMail.com can reveal the secrets Hunter chose not to divulge, exposed in the contents of his abandoned laptop and verified by top forensics experts.

The bombshell cache of 103,000 text messages, 154,000 emails, more than 2,000 photos and dozens of videos are packed with revelations conveniently missing from the memoir, including:

How he begged his father to run for president in 2019 to salvage Hunter's own reputation

How he repeatedly dodged police action against him, despite constantly dealing with drug pushers and prostitutes and having multiple run-ins with law enforcement

Hunter was guarded by a Secret Service agent while on a 2018 drug and prostitute binge in Hollywood, despite not being entitled to protection at the time and amid denials from the federal agency

Joe Biden was afraid his text conversations with Hunter were being hacked even as they discussed his White House bid

How Hunter's laptop is brimming with evidence of apparent criminal activity by Hunter and his associates including drug trafficking and prostitution

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9445105/What-Hunter-Biden-left-tell-memoir-revealed.html

Looks like the algos have been changed again

searches are becoming harder on multiple engines

DC Ad Vans Funded by Hardline Socialist Who Spends 65% of PAC Money With His Own Companies.

The Left-wing “Really American” Political Action Committee, which has ruthlessly attacked President Trump, and currently tours anti-Marjorie Taylor-Greene and anti-Lauren Boebert ad vans around Washington, D.C., counts 65 percent of its total spending directed towards entities linked to its founder.

The PAC was formed in June 2020 by Justin Horwitz, who also describes himself as the Founder and Executive Director of the “largest grassroots Democratic Socialist organization in the United States on Digital Media.”

The PAC has released a litany of videos calling for the removal and prosecution of pro-Trump representatives like Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert, and Mo Brooks from office in addition to pumping out pro-Joe Biden content. “Join us in the fight to End the Nightmare of the Trump Presidency and right-wing rule,” the group’s mission reads.

The group spent $1,050,964 throughout the 2020 election cycle, all of which was itemized as either supporting Democratic candidates or attacking Republican candidates.

https://thenationalpulse.com/news/dc-ad-vans-funded-by-hardline-socialist-who-spends-65-of-pac-money-with-his-own-companies/

Ukrainian Ex-Judge Accused of Corruption Kidnapped In Moldova

A former judge who fled Ukraine after he was accused of accepting a US$150,000 bribe and burying it in his garden was kidnapped outside a gym in the Moldovan capital of Chisinau, where he had applied for asylum, his lawyer said in a video statement on Facebook.

Mykola Chaus was reportedly abducted by three armed men on April 3, 2021 and his lawyer, Julian Balan, speculated on social media Wednesday that the abductors may have had diplomatic plates, resharing images reportedly circulating on Telegram.

One image appears to show Chaus after a beating, with a black eye and swollen features, although OCCRP has no way to determine the legitimacy of these photos or when and where they were taken.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu expressed on Monday her outrage on social media and wrote that the disappearance of people in Moldova was “unacceptable” no matter their country of origin or legal status.

“I demand immediate actions from the management of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the main institution responsible for ensuring the security of citizens, and the Information and Security Service to clarify this worrying disappearance of a foreign citizen from the territory of the Republic of Moldova,” President Sandu said over Facebook.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine accused Chaus in August 2016 of taking $150,000 in exchange for a favorable court ruling. The judge reportedly tried burying the money in his garden hidden in a glass jar.

Chaus fled to Moldova and applied for asylum and Moldovan citizenship, which was denied in March. Balan said on Facebook he was appealing the decision when Chaus was captured.

Chaus’s wife Svitlana claimed the corruption charges were trumped up, according to Reuters.

https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/14197-ukrainian-ex-judge-accused-of-corruption-kidnapped-in-moldova

Six arrested, charged with abuse at YDC in 1990s; officials say investigation continues

ix people were arrested Wednesday in connection with the two-year investigation into abuse of residents at the Manchester Youth Development Center (YDC) during the 1990s and 2000s, authorities announced.

The arrests signal investigators appear comfortable to bring charges in a complex case and prosecute them. Last year, officials had to drop charges against two suspects, saying they needed more time to investigate. Those two were re-arrested Wednesday.

Authorities said the investigation is ongoing and the arrests do not represent the culmination of their efforts.

“This is not over and we will continue to investigate these horrific allegations,” said Gov. Chris Sununu in a statement. Sununu said that when his administration launched the investigation, it pledged to leave no stone unturned until justice is served.

Deputy Attorney General Jane Young and New Hampshire State Police Col. Nathan Noyes announced the arrests Wednesday. All six worked at the YDC. Charged were:

Stephen Murphy, 51, of Danvers, Mass. He is charged with five counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault involving three then-residents between 1997 and 1999. Murphy was one of two people charged in July 2019, but prosecutors dropped the charges eight months later.

Murphy's employment with the state began in June 1993 and ended in October 1999.

Jeffrey Buskey, 54, of Quincy, Mass. Like Murphy, Buskey also was indicted in 2019 and then saw his charges dropped. He faces five counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault involving four then-YDC residents between 1996 and 1999.

Buskey's dates of state employment were December 1994 to November 1999.

Lucien Poulette, 65, of Auburn. Poulette faces the most charges: 11 counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault, 12 of felonious sexual assault and 10 of sexual assault. The allegations involve seven former residents and took place between 1994 and 2005. Poulette had been indicted in 2015, but the case was dropped after a witness did not want to go forward, according to Union Leader archives.

Poulette worked for the state nearly 32 years, from December 1983 to November 2015.

James Woodlock, 56, of Manchester. He is charged with three counts of being an accomplice to aggravated felonious sexual assault. The allegation involves two former YDC residents between 1997 and 1999.

Woodlock's state employment began in March 1988. He was placed on administrative leave in July 2019 when the department learned the charges were initially filed; his employment was terminated Wednesday.

Bradley Asbury, 66, of Dunbarton. He is charged with one count of being an accomplice to aggravated felonious sexual assault. The allegation involves a former YDC resident between 1997 and 1998.

Frank Davis, 79, of Contoocook. He faces one count of aggravated felonious sexual assault and five counts of sexual assault involving four previous YDC residents between 1996 and 1997. Buskey has waived extradition. Murphy’s extradition is pending.

https://www.unionleader.com/news/crime/six-arrested-in-connection-to-investigation-of-abuse-at-ydc/article_dc6df30b-d964-5ed7-a1c4-f0e0726e5d7e.html

Trump's Top Diplomat Mike Pompeo Hired as Fox News Contributor

Pompeo is bound to feel as being "at home" in his new role, since he often appeared on the Fox News Channel during his tenure as the head of the American diplomacy, giving his view on the global events from Trump's “American First” perspective.

Fox News has announced hiring ex-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to be a new contributor on both Fox News and Fox Business channels, with his first debut scheduled for 9 April on the "Fox & Friends" morning show. The former politician, who led the foreign part of President Donald Trump's agenda, will appear both during primetime and daytime on the channel to lend his expertise, the channel said.

"Mike Pompeo is one of America’s most recognized and respected voices on foreign policy and national security issues," Fox News said in a statement praised their latest addition to the contributors' roster.

The former secretary of state, in turn, promised in the Fox News press released to provide the channel's viewers with a "candid, no-nonsense look" at a variety of topics that include geopolitics, foreign affairs and the America First policies laid down during Donald Trump's tenure. Pompeo didn't miss the opportunity to praise his former boss' approach to foreign and domestic policies for charting "the course for unprecedented American prosperity and security."

During his tenure on the top diplomatic post, which started in 2018, Pompeo was already a frequent guest at Fox, just as Donald Trump was. He is also not the first Trump administration's member to be tapped by the broadcaster. Fox News earlier announced that former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany would hold the seat of one of the four female hosts at the "Outnumbered" daytime news and talk show. The program, hosted by four women and one male presenter (hence the show's name) focuses on the discussion of actual news and media headlines.

https://sputniknews.com/us/202104081082574898-trumps-top-diplomat-mike-pompeo-hired-as-fox-news-contributor/

Lance Armstrong’s son arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting teenage girl

Lance Armstrong’s son Luke has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a teenage girl after a party near his home in Austin.

The son of disgraced cycling icon Lance Armstrong has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a teenage girl in 2018.

The Austin Police Department says Luke Armstrong, 21, allegedly assaulted a 16-year-old girl after a party in Austin. He was 18 at the time.

His lawyer Randy Leavitt firmly denied the allegations, saying the pair were in a relationship at the time and what occurred was consensual.

“What occurred three years ago in high school was not a crime and was not a sexual assault,” he said.

“It was a consensual relationship then and continued consensually between two young people with both ultimately going their separate ways. These charges should not have been filed and certainly not three years later.”

https://www.news.com.au/sport/sports-life/lance-armstrongs-son-arrested-for-allegedly-sexually-assaulting-teenage-girl/news-story/80e98e45c51371975f6a9513b30fa2b4