Report: Andrew Cuomo Faces Accusations That He Broke The Law By Requiring Staffers To Work On His COVID-19 Book

According to reports, numerous current and past staffers of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo have claimed that, contrary to his office’s claims, their work on his for-profit book detailing his COVID-19 response was not voluntary.

“Under New York law, Cuomo and other state employees are prohibited from using government resources for personal gain,” Fox News detailed, reporting that Richard Azzopardi, a spokesman for the already scandal-embroiled New York governor, said last week that “As is permissible and consistent with ethical requirements, people who volunteered on this project did so on their own time.”“Azzopardi claimed the governor’s use of his staff was on their own time, legal and not a misuse of taxpayer money,” Fox reported.

“The staffers (or people speaking on behalf of them in some cases) reportedly told the newspaper that the work on Cuomo’s book ‘American Crisis’ was expected as part of their jobs: A ‘clear expectation that we would do political work to help with his campaign and run the governor’s personal errands in the Executive Chamber,’” the report continued.

“‘It was not optional,’ a former staffer who asked to remain anonymous reportedly told the Times Union. ‘It was considered a part of your job. Everyone knew that you did what was asked of you and opting out was never really an option,’” the report said.Fox reported that, “It’s known that two of the governor’s top advisers worked on the book, but along with Melissa DeRosa and Stephanie Benton, several junior staffers also reportedly helped the fast turnaround of the bestseller that Cuomo published in October, just months after starting it.”

“Some of the assignments at various stages in the writing process that were often doled out by supervisors reportedly included notetaking and typing from Cuomo’s dictation, mailing out copies of the book after they were signed by the governor and on one occasion printing out an edited copy and taking it to the governor’s mansion,” Fox added.

Detailing the accusations, Fox reported that “One person with direct knowledge of a junior staffer’s involvement called it ‘patently ridiculous’ that the staffer had volunteered for the project,” and that “A second person with direct knowledge of a separate junior staffer’s involvement with the book agreed the work was done alongside government work, the newspaper reported.”

http://www.scoopyweb.com/2021/04/report-andrew-cuomo-faces-accusations.html

'This child abuse is the result of the disastrous left-wing agenda': GOP Whip Steve Scalise shares footage from migrant camp where kids are packed in like sardines and forced to stepping over each other

Steve Scalise slammed Joe Biden's border policies as 'child abuse' as he shared images from the border including one of a migrant facility that is at 16 times its capacity.

'How could President Biden and Kamala Harris allow this to go on and not even come here and see it for themselves?' the House Minority Whip questioned during a press availability at the border. 'It's a disgrace.'

'We went into a facility — in the middle of a pandemic — that is designed to hold no more than 250 people. Today, there's more than 4,000 people,' Scalise continued as he was joined by a group of 10 other Republican lawmakers.

Biden and Vice President Harris have not yet visited the southern border – despite it quickly becoming the biggest obstacle and failure of the new administration so far.

Last month, Harris was appointed by Biden as point person for the administration's response to the crisis, specifically to address the root causes in Northern Triangle countries that lead to the mass amount of migrants fleeing to the U.S.

In the vice president's 18 days in charge of the growing immigration crisis, she has not once visited the southern border or Central American countries from which migrants are traveling.

http://www.stationgossip.com/2021/04/this-child-abuse-is-result-of.html

ADL: Immigration and High Fertility of Minorities Would Lead to a Catastrophic Great Replacement

https://www.unz.com/isteve/adl-immigration-and-high-fertility-of-minorities-would-lead-to-a-catastrophic-great-replacement/

Judge Permanently Bans David Daleiden From Releasing More Videos Exposing Planned Parenthood

As expected, a federal judge who has ties to Planned Parenthood permanently blocked undercover journalist David Daleiden this week from releasing additional videos that Daleiden says show evidence of infanticide in the abortion industry.

U.S. District Judge William Orrick issued the permanent injunction at the request of the National Abortion Federation (NAF) and demanded that Daleiden turn over the video footage, according to lawyers representing NAF.

The order applies to about 200 hours of video footage that Daleiden and other undercover investigators with the Center for Medical Progress recorded at a NAF conference.

Additionally, the judge granted NAF lawyers’ motion for summary judgment in the case. NAF sued Daleiden and the Center for Medical Progress for breach of contract.

“What’s on the footage from abortion industry tradeshows that [Planned Parenthood] leaders are so desperate to cover up?” Daleiden responded on Twitter Thursday. “Maybe it has something to do with the baby parts companies sponsoring the tradeshow? Maybe with our expert who says the [conversations] show infanticide? The truth must be revealed.”

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In February, Daleiden’s lawyer Peter Breen, of the Thomas More Society, told the judge that releasing the undercover footage is a matter of “public interest.” Breen said police and lawmakers especially should be allowed to view the videos if they are investigating NAF or Planned Parenthood.

But Orrick disagreed, arguing in his ruling that he personally reviewed the recordings and found “no criminal activity,” Breitbart reports.

Here’s more from The Federalist:

Daleiden’s defense team was hoping an expert report from an OB-GYN and longtime abortionist Forrest Smith, who reviewed the videos and testified that Planned Planned employees violated standard medical practices, would contradict Orrick’s own findings … It appears Orrick had no problem finding a way to disregard Smith’s report altogether, to instead rely on his own “personal review” of the videos.

In deciding whether the videos are of “public interest,” Orrick admitted that the Center for Medical Progress’s investigations “resulted in government investigations, criminal prosecutions, and regulatory activity,” but determined once again that the videos he watched “disclosed no criminal activity.”

In a statement, the Center for Medical Progress said Smith, the longest-practicing abortion provider in the U.S., reviewed the videos and found evidence of infanticide and sales of aborted baby body parts.

The judge’s “decision hides the most incriminating and damning footage under the fig leaf of trade show exhibit agreements which explicitly permitted exhibitor recording,” the organization said.

Meanwhile, NAF celebrated the ruling, arguing that the release of the additional videos could lead to “harassment, threats and violence directed at NAF, its members and abortion providers generally.”

https://www.lifenews.com/2021/04/09/judge-permanently-bans-david-daleiden-from-releasing-more-videos-exposing-planned-parenthood/

European Plans For ‘Vaccine Passports’ Were In Place 20 Months Prior To The Pandemic. Coincidence?

With the world being told that so-called ‘vaccine passports’ will be required for all international travel in future, and in many countries even to enter shops, restaurants, bars, gyms, hotels, theatres, concerts and sports events, the impression we are being given is that the measure is a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic. In Europe, however, which hosts 8 of the top 10 pharmaceutical exporting countries, planning for vaccine passports began at least 20 months prior to the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. Apparently, the pandemic conveniently provided European politicians with the ‘excuse’ they needed to introduce the idea.

The ‘European Commission’ – the executive body of Europe – first published a proposal for vaccine passports on 26 April 2018. Buried deep in a document dealing with ‘Strengthened Cooperation against Vaccine Preventable Diseases’, the proposal was essentially ignored by the mainstream media.

A roadmap document issued in early 2019 subsequently set out specific plans for implementing the European Commission’s proposal. The primary action listed in the roadmap was to “examine the feasibility of developing a common vaccination card/passport” for European citizens that is “compatible with electronic immunization information systems and recognized for use across borders.” The plan aimed for a legislative proposal to be issued in Europe by 2022.

Interestingly, the roadmap uses several terms that, while relatively uncommon in most countries prior to the pandemic, have since become heard on a daily basis in the mainstream media. Perhaps the most notable of these is ‘vaccine hesitancy’. Supporting European countries in “countering vaccine hesitancy” is listed in the document as one of the key action points.

The possibility of pandemics and “unexpected outbreaks” occurring is also referred to in the roadmap. Revealingly, specific reference is made to supporting the authorization of “innovative vaccines, including for emerging health threats.” Stating that the “vaccine manufacturing industry” has a “key role” in meeting the aims described in the document, the roadmap lists “improving EU manufacturing capacity” and stockpiling vaccines as further action points to be considered. Towards strengthening “existing partnerships” and “collaboration with international actors and initiatives,” the roadmap also refers to a global vaccination summit meeting that took place in September 2019. A close examination of the attendees and subject matter for this meeting is revealing.

https://www.dr-rath-foundation.org/2021/04/european-plans-for-vaccine-passports-were-in-place-20-months-prior-to-the-pandemic-coincidence/

“Who Is Putting Up the Signs Pointing to Asylum at the US Border in Texas” – Louie Gohmert Makes Startling Discovery on the Texas Border with Mexico

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) visited the southern Texas border with Mexico this week. Rep. Gohmert is an outspoken critic of Joe Biden and his planned border crisis.

While visiting the border Louie Gohmert made an alarming discovery. There were signs in the desert pointing to US Border Patrol stations. The signs were in Homeland Security bags!

Obviously, this flood of migrants and fake refugees was expected by the Democrats.

The Daily Caller reported:

In the video, Gohmert pointed out a sign hung on a tree near where he said illegal immigrants were coming out of the river. That sign, he said, gave directions to a Border Patrol processing station a few kilometers away.

“It’s amazing how many women and children are coming right now, just because the president is promising them amnesty down the road,” Gohmert said. “But the great irony here is theses are on Homeland — they put these messages in Homeland Security bags so they’ll stay nice and dry and fresh for the thousands and thousands of people that are coming up from the river right over here.”

“Tarantulas, snakes and all kinds of stuff around here,” Gohmert continued, adding, “This is no place people ought to be coming in.”

Louie Gohmert was on OAN this week to discuss the ongoing crisis at the border.

http://www.stationgossip.com/2021/04/who-is-putting-up-signs-pointing-to.html

Intel officials say Mossad behind Natanz power cut; Iran calls it ‘terrorism’

Alleged Israeli cyberattack said to strike serious blow to Iranian atomic program; security cabinet to meet next week to discuss recent exchanges with Tehran

Israel’s Mossad security service was behind a major power cut that halted uranium enrichment at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility on Sunday, unidentified intelligence sources told Hebrew media outlets, in what Iran described as an act of “nuclear terrorism.”

In the early hours of Sunday morning, the underground Natanz facility suffered an electrical disruption in what was widely speculated to be an Israeli cyberattack. Iran said the attack did not cause any casualties and did not cause radioactive pollution. Israel has officially refrained from commenting on the matter, and Iran has not specifically accused the Jewish state of being responsible for the incident.

On Sunday evening, unnamed intelligence sources were cited by a number of Hebrew news outlets as saying that the Mossad was involved in the attack, which was reportedly more severe than Iran had indicated.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/western-officials-say-mossad-behind-natanz-power-cut-iran-calls-it-terrorism/

Erdogan Meets Ukraine’s Zelensky, Trolls Putin

Turkey backs Ukraine’s NATO bid & Crimea policy, says military industry cooperation with Kiev is ‘not aimed against 3rd countries’

https://theduran.com/erdogan-meets-ukraines-zelensky-trolls-putin/

Hosting US defense chief, Gantz says Iran nuclear deal must protect Israel

Defense minister says US is a ‘full partner across all operational theaters’; Austin doesn’t mention Tehran, pledges consultations to ensure Israel’s regional military superiority

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin touched down in Israel on Sunday, kicking off a two-day visit with a meeting with his Israeli counterpart, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, at military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Following the meeting, Gantz said the two had discussed the threat posed to Israel by Iran and its nuclear program, as well as plans to ensure the Jewish state’s military superiority in the region.

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“During our conversations I emphasized to Secretary Austin that Israel views the United States as a full partner across all operational theaters — not least Iran,” Gantz said.

We will work closely with our American allies to ensure that any new agreement with Iran will secure the vital interests of the world and the United States, prevent a dangerous arms race in our region, and protect the State of Israel,” he said.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/hosting-us-defense-chief-gantz-says-iran-nuclear-deal-must-protect-israel/

Biden's American Jobs Plan could cost taxpayers about $666,000 per job created

The Washington Post gave Biden "two Pinocchios" for claiming the American Jobs Plan, his infrastructure and jobs proposal, will create 19 million jobs.

President Joe Biden's proposed $2 trillion American Jobs Plan could end up costing taxpayers more than $666,666 per job created.

The Washington Post gave Biden "two Pinocchios" for saying the American Jobs Plan, his infrastructure and jobs proposal, will create 19 million jobs. Both Biden and his Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have made the 19 million jobs claim. The source of the statement is a Moody's analysis, which CNN pointed out had estimated the U.S. economy would add about "16.3 million jobs over the same period if the infrastructure proposal does not get passed."

Subtracting Moody's 16.3 million figure from Biden's 19 million projection would equal 2.7 million net jobs created by the infrastructure plan. Rounding up to 3 million jobs and dividing by $2 trillion equals $666,000 per job. If the jobs plan leads to 2.7 million jobs created, the cost to taxpayers would be $740,740.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that House Democrats hope to draft the formal legislation for the American Jobs Plan by May and finalize it by July 4. The White House fact sheet about the plan includes a description of key parts of the proposal but does not list the specific infrastructure projects the bill would fund.

Democrats are considering using budget reconciliation to move the bill through Congress to avoid the filibuster in the Senate. Democrats used that strategy for the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that Biden signed last month.

"We have this bill that we hope we can do, especially, the infrastructure bill," Pelosi said on Thursday. "It has always been bipartisan. We will do so in a bipartisan way. If we have to go to reconciliation, that is a lever, but I hope it is not something we need to do."

Biden oversaw the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009. The Obama administration estimated that the bill would "create or save" 3.5 million jobs by the end of 2009. Politifact rated former President Obama's claim in May 2009 that the bill "saved or created" 150,000 jobs as "mostly false."

At the time, Republicans as well as some political and economic analysts argued that it was difficult to measure how many jobs a piece of legislation could "save." In the end, the Congressional Budget Office

https://justthenews.com/government/white-house/bidens-american-jobs-plan-could-cost-taxpayers-about-666000-job-created

IDF vs Mossad: National interest takes back seat for credit - analysis

The immediate background is multiple attacks on Iranian targets which the Islamic Republic or various reports are attributing to Israel.

Are the IDF and the Mossad fighting over control of Iran policy as well as who should take credit for certain covert and less-covert operations?

If they are, does some of this derive from personal animus between IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi and Mossad Director Yossi Cohen?

And after that, could this rivalry end up costing Israel dearly regarding its security interests?

The immediate background is multiple attacks on Iranian targets which the Islamic Republic or various reports are attributing to Israel.

Last week, The New York Times reported that Israel informed the US that it had carried out Tuesday’s attack on an Iranian cargo ship, which was a central pillar of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps intelligence apparatus in the region.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman also confirmed last week that the Saviz was slightly damaged in the Red Sea off the coast of Djibouti.

He said the event occurred around 6 a.m. on Tuesday due to an explosion, though they had not reached a definitive conclusion about the cause.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/idf-v-mossad-on-iran-policy-natl-interest-taking-back-seat-analysis-664863

TX Rep Dan Crenshaw Suffers 'Terrifying' Medical Emergency Which May Leave Him Blind and His Haters Soulless

Texas Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw announced he’ll be “off the grid” for a while because of emergency surgery to fix his one remaining eye.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Crenshaw, a retired Navy SEAL, said an IED attack in Afghanistan that claimed one of his eyes may take the sight of his one “good” eye.

Crenshaw is known for his eye patch, which he uses in his election imagery and which makes him look like the badass he is.

But brave people know fear. He called that prognosis “terrifying.”

This is a terrifying prognosis for someone with one eye, and the nature of the injuries that I sustained in Afghanistan. Anyone who knows the history of my injuries know that I don’t have a “good eye,” but half a good eye.

He says the surgery went well but that he’ll be completely blind for a period of time while he lays face-down to assure that his eye heals properly.

During the surgery, they put a gas bubble in my eye, which acts as a bandage for my retina. This means I have to be face-down for the next week or so, unable to see anything.

That “week or so” may end up becoming several weeks, according to several people responding to the congressman’s announcement on Twitter who said they’d had the same surgery. Here’s just one example of a man who was face-down for 12 weeks.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/victoria-taft/2021/04/11/tx-rep-dan-crenshaw-suffers-terrifying-medical-emergency-which-may-leave-him-blind-and-his-haters-soulless-n1439026

IMF, World Bank Begin Push To Swap Debt Relief For Green Projects

The idea of forgiving debt held by poor countries in exchange for "green" investments gained ground this week during the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank, with concrete proposals expected in time for a global climate summit this fall.

Low-income countries face a double crisis – they are under pressure to pay down their debt while also confronting environmental problems.

That makes them "highly, highly vulnerable," Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, said this week, adding that it thus "makes sense" for the world to pursue so-called "green debt swaps."

A World Bank spokeswoman underscored that point.

"The Covid-19 crisis has made it significantly harder for developing countries to tackle the rising risks posed by climate change" and environmental disasters, said the spokeswoman, who declined to be named.

With already tight budgets, these countries have had to use emergency financial assistance to address the severe impact of the pandemic and the resulting economic crisis.

A technical working group bringing together representatives not only of the IMF and World Bank but also of the United Nations and the OECD was launched this week to examine "creative options to help countries tackle these simultaneous challenges," the World Bank spokeswoman said.

"This work has only just begun," she said, "but we think a proactive approach is essential: we must look closely at how potential solutions to the challenges of climate and debt can be integrated to address the key development issues of our time."

While there is no timeline yet for announcing concrete measures, all parties involved are clearly pointing toward the COP26 climate summit to be held in November in the Scottish city of Glasgow.

"We are going to work with the World Bank. And by COP26 we will advance that option" of a debt swap, Georgieva said, adding that it will then be up to creditors and debtors to decide whether to take part.

For Thierry Deau, the founder and CEO of the Paris-based Meridiam group, which specializes in developing and financing infrastructure projects, if the green debt-swap option is pursued, it will have to be linked to clear "conditionalities" to ensure that debt relief in fact leads to the launching of green projects.

https://www.ibtimes.com/imf-world-bank-begin-push-swap-debt-relief-green-projects-3178714

This International Agreement Could Lead To Pandemics Worse Than COVID-19

Imagine if China had refused to share Covid-19's genetic sequences with other countries. Vaccine development would have been delayed indefinitely. Monitoring the virus would have been next to impossible.

Thankfully, that didn't happen. Chinese scientists shared the full SARS-CoV-2 sequence on Jan. 10, 2020, thus kickstarting the development of multiple vaccines created in record time.

But such a nightmarish alternative scenario is not farfetched. China could have referred to an international agreement known as the Nagoya Protocol to indefinitely withhold this vital data, even as the death toll soared around the globe.

Preventing nations from abusing the Nagoya Protocol will require another binding international agreement – one that specifically obliges countries to share pathogens in a timely manner, which would undoubtedly benefit society as a whole. Any commonsense approach to the Nagoya Protocol would exempt pathogens like SARS-CoV-2.

Thankfully, the member states of the World Health Organization have a chance to enact such reforms through the International Health Regulations, a legally binding international instrument currently under revision, or through the recently proposed international treaty on pandemics.

The Nagoya Protocol, which was adopted back in 2010 to effectively clarify the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD), gives nations the rights to their "genetic resources" – meaning everything from plants and animals to fungi and even bacteria, depending on how the country implements the protocol locally.

We could witness a situation where if country B wants access to a rare herb that grows only in country A, country B needs the informed consent of country A. Moreover, the protocol requires that a mutual agreement be reached to ensure that country A receives its fair share of any benefits derived from the herb's use. Absent that, the Nagoya Protocol allows country A to deny access to the herb.

https://www.ibtimes.com/international-agreement-could-lead-pandemics-worse-covid-19-3178648

ISRAELI-FRENCH DRONE SPOTTED IN MOROCCAN AIRPORT

A drone jointly developed by France and Israel was recently spotted in a Moroccan airport located on the coast of the disputed region of Western Sahara.

On April 10, a number of sources shared a photo showing the drone, identified as an EADS Harfang, in Dakhla Airport. A short video of the drone flying over an unspecified part of Morocco also surfaced online.

The Harfang, known as Système Intérimaire de Drone [The Interim medium-altitude, long-endurance drone system] was specially developed for the French Air Force by France’s EADS -now a part of European aerospace giant Airbus SE- and Israel’s IAI. The drone was built on the basis of the Israeli IAI Heron.

With a take-off mass of 1,200 kilograms, the Harfang can carry a 250-kilogram payload to height of 7,500 meters for a duration of 24 hours. The drone is equipped with a stabilized optical system with TV and IR sensors, a laser designator that doubles as a rangefinder, and a high-resolution, fixed echo suppressing synthetic aperture radar.

According to the available information, the drone was never exported. Yet, Moroccan sources said that the drone seen in Dakhla is owned by Royal Moroccan Air Force.

On December of last year, Morocco normalized its relations with Israel in a deal brokered by the US. Thus, the Arabian Kingdom should have no problems acquiring Israeli military tech.

Morocco is likely using the Harfang drone to keep an eye on Western Sahara, where clashes with the Sahrawi People’s Liberation Army – the Polisario Front renewed last year.

https://southfront.org/israeli-french-drone-spotted-in-moroccan-airport/

>>13404719

yep

BIDEN NOMINEE TO HEAD ATF WAS INVOLVED IN WACO MASSACRE, OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING, RUBY RIDGE AND FAST & FURIOUS

oe Biden’s anti-Second Amendment nominee to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) has a background ripe with controversy.

Currently serving as a senior policy advisor at former representative Gabriel Giffords’ anti-gun lobbying group “Giffords,” David Chipman used to carry a semi-automatic rifle while raking in a taxpayer-funded paycheck.

The Biden nominee’s government career places him on location or being directly involved in some of America’s most infamous events over the last few decades.

Daily Mail reports that Chipman was “at the Ruby Ridge standoff,” in 1992 near Naples, Idaho.

After the federal government entrapped a man into selling two sawed-off shotguns with barrels shorter than the legal limit, the individual suspected a conspiracy against him and refused to surrender when agents showed up to his home.

In what turned into an 11-day standoff, the man’s 14-year-old son, his wife and their dog were all killed by U.S. Marshals and FBI agents.

The father, Randy Weaver, and his three daughters, surrendered after the mother, son and pets were murdered.

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The Weaver family was given $3.1 million by the government as part of a court settlement following the tragic incident.

The very next year, Chipman was directly involved in overseeing the Waco Siege.

Breitbart refers to the Waco standoff as “a big, sexy, made-for-TV siege — a PR move to rebuild reputations after the government’s breathtaking debacle at Ruby Ridge.”

According to his own resume, Chipman was the “Case agent in the Branch Davidian Trial.”

The following image shows the Biden ATF nominee standing over a burning pile of rubble while ironically holding a long rifle.

Somewhere in the ashes behind him laid the remains of some 82 Americans, including 25 children and two pregnant women.

https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/79682/biden-nominee-to-head-atf-was-involved-in-waco-massacre-oklahoma-city-bombing-ruby-ridge-and-fast-.html

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California Eyes Three-Strikes Reform to Exclude Juvenile Offenders

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón joined Assembly Member Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) today to unveil legislation that would stop strikes committed by minors from later being used against them in adult proceedings.

Assembly Bill 1127 also would allow people to petition the court for resentencing if their prior juvenile adjudication was used to enhance an adult felony conviction.

“As we continue to institute criminal justice reform in California, we must work together to instill equity and fairness in the juvenile system,” District Attorney Gascón said.

“This bill underscores the real purpose of the juvenile justice system: to rehabilitate young people. To use crimes committed while an adolescent’s brain is still developing to punish them as adults just does not make sense,” he said. “When we put our energy toward rehabilitating young people, we improve community safety by reducing recidivism. That’s how this bill will help us reduce mass incarceration and end the disparate impact that juvenile strike laws have on people of color.”

“Californians must lead in fighting mass incarceration and to do that, we must start with our youth,” said Assembly Member Miguel Santiago, lead author of AB 1127. “In juvenile court, juvenile strikes are not treated the same as adult strikes for many reasons. However, when someone is convicted of a future adult strike, California counts juvenile strikes like prior adult strikes, leading to harsher punishments and longer sentences. We must reverse this backwards system so that we focus on rehabilitating, not incarcerating our communities, and so we can treat all Californians with fairness and dignity, especially people of color.”

District Attorney Gascón thanked Deputy District Attorneys Michael Mallano and Katharine Yaske for recommending this legislation and Alisa Blair, his Special Advisor on juvenile issues, and Special Assistant Deputy District Attorney Daniel Felizzatto, for their work on this bill. He also recognized Assembly Member Bill Quirk (D-Hayward), who co-authored the bill.

California’s current Three Strikes law permits specified felonies that are found true in a juvenile court proceeding to be alleged as a strike prior in a future adult criminal proceeding to enhance a defendant’s potential length of incarceration.

https://breaking911.com/california-eyes-three-strikes-reform-to-exclude-juvenile-offenders/

“I COULD LIVE WITH THAT”: HOW THE CIA MADE AFGHANISTAN SAFE FOR THE OPIUM TRADE

“I decided I could live with that.”

– Stansfield Turner, Jimmy Carter’s CIA director, on the extreme level of civilian casualties in the CIA’s covert war in Afghanistan.

The first indelible image of the war in Afghanistan for many Americans was probably that of CBS anchorman Dan Rather, wrapped in the voluminous drapery of a mujahedin fighter, looking like a healthy relative of Lawrence of Arabia (albeit with hair that seemed freshly blow-dried, as some viewers were quick to point out). From his secret mountainside “somewhere in the Hindu Kush,” Rather unloaded on his audience a barrowload of nonsense about the conflict. The Soviets, Rather confided portentously, had put a bounty on his head “of many thousands of dollars.” He went on, “It was the best compliment they could have given me. And having a price put on my head was a small price to pay for the truths we told about Afghanistan.”

Every one of these observations turned out to be entirely false. Rather described the government of Hafizullah Amin as a “Moscow-installed puppet regime in Kabul.” But Amin had closer ties to the CIA than he did to the KGB. Rather called the mujahedin the “Afghan freedom fighters … who were engaged in a deeply patriotic fight to the death for home and hearth.” The mujahedin were scarcely fighting for freedom, in any sense Rather would have been comfortable with, but instead to impose one of the most repressive brands of Islamic fundamentalism known to the world, barbarous, ignorant and notably cruel to women.

It was a “fact,” Rather announced, that the Soviets had used chemical weapons against Afghan villagers. This was a claim promoted by the Reagan administration, which charged that the extraordinarily precise number of 3,042 Afghans had been killed by this yellow chemical rain, a substance that had won glorious propaganda victories in its manifestation in Laos a few years earlier, when the yellow rain turned out to be bee feces heavily loaded with pollen. As Frank Brodhead put it in the London Guardian, “Its composition: one part bee feces, plus many parts State Department disinformation mixed with media gullibility.”

https://www.counterpunch.org/2020/07/10/i-could-live-with-that-how-the-cia-made-afghanistan-safe-for-the-opium-trade/

Use link 15 minute read

NSW Deputy Police chief denied investigators' request to travel to interview Christian Porter's accuser in SA

NSW detectives investigating the historical rape allegation against former attorney-general Christian Porter were denied permission to travel to South Australia to interview the complainant by the state's police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson.

Key points:

The NSW Deputy Police chief denied the investigators' request to travel to interview Christian Porter's accuser in SA

The application for travel was denied over "insufficient detail" to justify why the trip could not be deferred during COVID-19 restrictions

The trip was already signed off by the head of the NSW Police Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad

This was despite the trip having been recommended for approval by the head of the NSW Police Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad.

Four Corners can reveal Deputy Commissioner David Hudson declined to approve the trip during the March 2020 COVID restrictions, citing "insufficient detail … to justify why this travel cannot be deferred."

The revelation is included in a new cache of documents provided by NSW Police (NSWP) to the state's parliament, in response to an 'order for papers' in relation to Strike Force Wyndarra, which was set up to investigate the allegation.

The documents contain previously undisclosed details of the actions of NSW Police and their South Australian counterparts during the investigation.

Christian Porter has strenuously denied the allegation and is currently suing the ABC for defamation.

The woman, who had a history of mental illness, took her own life in June last year, the day after she told police "she no longer felt able to proceed with the report [to police]".

Two days before she took her own life, NSW police emailed her to discuss her availability and for a "victim welfare check and travel status update".

Interview process handled between SA and NSW police over several months

The documents show the complainant first contacted SA Police (SAPOL) in November 2019, "seeking information on the process involved in reporting a sexual assault".

She did not want to make a formal statement at this stage but indicated "she may decide to make a formal report to NSWP at a later stage".

SAPOL forwarded the initial information to NSW Police because the alleged incident had occurred in Sydney, one evening during an elite debating competition in 1988.

SAPOL advised, "should the [alleged] victim decide to formally report the matter, that they would again contact the NSWPF to commence an investigation".

Over the following months, SAPOL met or spoke with the complainant several times and continued to provide "victim support".

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-12/nsw-police-denied-travel-interview-christian-porter-accuser/100061776

9 of Hollywood’s Biggest Acts of Hypocrisy: China, #MeToo, Guns, Climate Change, and More

When they’re not making movies, TV shows, or albums, left-wing Hollywood elites can be found lecturing average Americans on how to live their lives. Gun control is imperative, lockdowns are necessary, and burning fossil fuels is wrong. Except when they do it, of course.

Hollywood hypocrisy comes in many flavors, and the varieties keep growing as more celebrities attempt to expand their social media reach (and their box-office bankability) through progressive activism. Last movie was a flop? Your Netflix sitcom got canceled after one season? Career redemption can be yours if you worship at the altar of woke politics.

It turns out Hollywood elites are deeply flawed spokespeople who frequently fail to lead by example. From #MeToo to climate change to China, the entertainment industry still clings to the old adage: do as we say, not as we do.

#MeToo

No controversy has exposed liberal Hollywood’s hypocrisy more than the #MeToo scandals that continue to rock the entertainment industry. Harvey Weinstein was one of Hollywood’s biggest Democratic fundraisers, backing the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. He is now sitting in a New York jail on a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault.

China

Hollywood has repeatedly labeled former President Donald Trump as a fascist. Yet the industry has eagerly jumped into bed with China, with studios bending over backward to please the dictators in Beijing. The Walt Disney Co. is the biggest offender, going so far as to shoot the live-action Mulan in an area known for concentration camps for Uyghur minorities, a place where authorities reportedly engage in the systematic rape of women. As China’s own box office overtakes the United States, Hollywood studios are gradually realizing that they need China more than China needs them.

Global warming

No cause is as dear to Hollywood’s heart as blaming human energy consumption for climate change. And yet they are some of the biggest offenders, with stars including Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Harrison Ford flying private jets and sailing on private yachts while they publicly support green initiatives.

Georgia

Hollywood loves Georgia’s financial incentives for movie and TV production, soaking up more than $800 million in annual giveaways funded by taxpayers. But showbiz elites hate Georgia’s new voter integrity law, with celebrities mobilizing to denounce it as an act of “voter suppression.” To show their appreciation for all the state has done for them, some Hollywood liberals are now refusing to work in Georgia in protest of the law.

Gun control

Celebrities love to promote gun control legislation, with stars cheering on President Joe Biden’s recent executive actions. Yet many stars employ private armed security while studio movies and TV shows thrive on fake gun violence.

https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2021/04/11/9-of-hollywoods-biggest-acts-of-hypocrisy-china-metoo-guns-climate-change-and-more/

Report: Biden Giving Federal Employees Paid Leave to Help Border Crossers

President Joe Biden’s administration is reportedly begging federal employees from various agencies to take paid leave to provide care to thousands of Unaccompanied Alien Children (UACs) arriving at the United States-Mexico border.

A report by the New York Times this weekend alleges the Biden administration is sending emails to federal employees asking them to take paid leave to help care for UACs who are arriving by the thousands every month.

The Times reports:

The desperate plea landed this week in the email inboxes of employees in government agencies like the Department of Homeland Security and NASA: Will you consider taking a four-month paid leave from your job to help care for migrant children in government-run shelters packed with new arrivals at the border? [Emphasis added]

…

A briefing memo sent to administration officials this week directed the health department to “identify and deploy all available federal volunteers to support” the effort to address the increase of minors, a drive reflected by the email seeking government workers to help. As of Friday, 2,722 employees across the government have volunteered, in most cases with their salaries being picked up by the health department. Some are caring for children at shelters. Others are helping with case management, I.T. services, food delivery, transportation and other logistics. [Emphasis added]

The reported redeployment of thousands of federal employees to aid border crossers comes as the Biden administration has seen the U.S.-Mexico border become overwhelmed as a result of the policy changes made by the president in his first few weeks in office.

In March, federal immigration officials apprehended nearly 170,000 border crossers including more than 18,600 UACs, nearly 53,000 family units, and nearly 97,000 single adults. The surge in illegal immigration under Biden marks a 72 percent increase in a single month and 243 percent increased compared to March 2020.

Most concerning is the number of border crossers who are successfully illegally entering the U.S. without being detected by federal immigration officials. Breitbart News exclusively reported that about 155,000 illegal aliens have successfully crossed into the U.S. since October 2020 — roughly 1,500 “got-aways” every day.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/04/11/report-biden-giving-federal-employees-paid-leave-help-border-crossers/

>>13404891

kek

Sunday Talks, John Ratcliffe Discusses Severe Political Compromise Within U.S. Intelligence Community

Former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe appears with Maria Bartiromo to discuss the issues with Hunter Biden’s laptop and the severity of political compromise within the U.S. intelligence apparatus. Ratcliffe notes how politicized the intelligence community and national security have become specifically in defense of lies being perpetrated by those behind the Biden administration.

Misinformation and disinformation is rampant as the Nat Sec community and Intel Community use their political ideology to advance false assertions.

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2021/04/11/sunday-talks-john-ratcliffe-discusses-severe-political-compromise-within-u-s-intelligence-community/