European Union serious and organised crime threat assessment

Serious Organised Crime (SOCTA/OCTA)

A corrupting influence: the infiltration and undermining of Europe's economy and society by organised crime

The EU SOCTA 2021 is the outcome of a detailed analysis of the threat of serious and organised crime facing the EU, providing information for practitioners, decision-makers and the wider public. As a threat assessment, the SOCTA is a forward-looking document that assesses shifts in the serious and organised crime landscape. The SOCTA 2021 sets out current and anticipated developments across the spectrum of serious and organised crime, identifies the key criminal groups and individuals involved in criminal activities across the EU and describes the factors in the wider environment that shape serious and organised crime in the EU.

The SOCTA 2021 provides an overview of the current state of knowledge on criminal networks and their operations based on data provided to Europol by Member States and partners and data collected specifically for the SOCTA 2021. In trying to overcome the established, and limiting, conceptualisation of organised crime groups, this assessment focuses on the roles of criminals within criminal processes and outlines how a better understanding of those roles allows for a more targeted operational approach in the fight against serious and organised crime.

Close to 40% of the criminal networks active in the EU are involved in the trade in illegal drugs.

Around 60 % of the criminal networks active in the EU use violence as part of their criminal businesses.

The use of corruption and the abuse of legal business structures are key features of serious and organised crime in Europe. Two thirds of criminals use corruption on a regular basis. More than 80 % of the criminal networks use legal business structures

Cite this publication: Europol (2021), European Union serious and organised crime threat assessment, A corrupting influence: the infiltration and undermining of Europe's economy and society by organised crime, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg.

https://www.europol.europa.eu/activities-services/main-reports/european-union-serious-and-organised-crime-threat-assessment

pdf EN SOCTA 2021 report [35.61 MB]

The New York Times Did a Big 180 in Favor of Absentee Voting

By making accusations of vote fraud he was not able to prove, both before and after the election, Donald Trump made it easy for his critics to dismiss as dishonest any and all concerns about election integrity. Typical was a New York Times “fact check” from late September denouncing as “false” GOP claims that expanding access to absentee ballots and voting by mail facilitated election fraud.

“There have been numerous independent studies and government reviews finding voter fraud extremely rare in all forms,” wrote Linda Qiu. That includes “‘absentee ballots’ and ‘vote-by-mail ballots’” between which there is “no meaningful difference.” Not only are both “secure forms of voting,” according to Qiu; they are considered the “gold standard of election security.”

To pass a law limiting the use of absentee ballots, as Georgia recently did, is no longer to choose a side in a legitimate debate over how to balance ballot integrity and ease of voting. Instead, to express concern about the risk of election fraud is seen as being engaged in a different sort of fraud – an illegitimate effort to disenfranchise the poor and minorities. The New York Times has aggressively insisted the last several months that worries over absentee and mail-in ballots, in particular, are dishonest violations of voting rights. Times staff opinion editor Spencer Bokat-Lindell wrote late in October that “[t]he effort to discredit and discourage mail-in voting” was the “culmination of a decades-long disinformation campaign by the Republican Party and others to suppress votes, especially those cast by Black and Latino Americans.”

https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2021/04/13/the_absentee_vote_logic_of_the_new_york_times_772343.html

Patient Recruiter Sentenced to Prison for $3.3 Million Cancer Genetic Testing Fraud Scheme

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/patient-recruiter-sentenced-prison-33-million-cancer-genetic-testing-fraud-scheme

>>13426394

FBI actually went after a crim……fuck me it must be Christmas

Biden: I'm going to end the war in Afghanistan after I extend it for awhile

'The terrorists think they beat us': Lindsey Graham says every extremist camp is 'on steroids' and Biden is 'paving the way' for another 9/11 by pulling troops from Afghanistan

Sen. Lindsey Graham took the first swing at President Joe Biden 's plan to withdraw all the U.S. troops from Afghanistan

Graham told reporters that the 'world is at risk' thanks to Biden's move

'Every terrorist camp in the world is on steroids today because in their world they beat us,' the South Carolina Republican warned

Graham accused Biden of choosing the 'highest risk option available' by pulling the remaining 2,500 troops out of the country

Sen. Lindsey Graham took the first swing at President Joe Biden's plan to withdraw all the U.S. troops from Afghanistan, scheduling a press conference Wednesday following the president's remarks.

Graham told reporters that the 'world is at risk' thanks to Biden's move.

'Every terrorist camp in the world is on steroids today because in their world they beat us,' the South Carolina Republican warned. 'In their world, they drove us out.'

Graham accused Biden of choosing the 'highest risk option available' by pulling the remaining 2,500 troops out of the country starting May 1 and ending before the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, which prompted the war.

He started the press conference by telling reporters how he missed his fellow Senate hawk, the late Sen. John McCain, who agreed with Graham on foreign policy decisions, but not on ex-President Donald Trump.

'I miss John McCain a lot, but probably no more than today because if John were with us I'd be speaking second, and he would be telling you a story about how unwise this decision is to withdraw all of our forces from Afghanistan,' Graham said.

'The likelihood of this happening again is going through the roof after President Biden's decision today,' Graham said. 'He's setting Afghanistan on a path to deteriorate rather quickly and for the enemy, radical Islam, to reconstitute. It can all be avoided with a minimal commitment compared to the past.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9471969/Graham-says-extremist-camp-steroids-Biden-Afghanistan-announcement.html

District Court Upholds Ohio Law Banning Down Syndrome Abortions

Ruling could spark Supreme Court standoff

A district court upheld an Ohio law banning abortions of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome Tuesday, marking a victory for the pro-life movement at the state level.

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Ohio's Down Syndrome Non-Discrimination Act in a 9-7 ruling, overturning a three-judge panel that ruled against the law. The court found the law did not create an "undue burden" on the right to an abortion because it limited doctors from performing abortions only when a mother discloses she's requesting the procedure because her child has been diagnosed with Down syndrome.

"[The law] furthers three valid and legitimate interests by protecting: (1) the Down syndrome community from the stigma associated with the practice of Down-syndrome-selective abortions, (2) pregnant women and their families from coercion by doctors who advocate abortion of Down-syndrome-afflicted fetuses, and (3) the integrity and ethics of the medical profession by preventing doctors from becoming witting participants in Down-syndrome-selective abortions," the court wrote in its opinion. "[The law] allows doctors to perform such abortions when they do not know that Down syndrome is the reason, without undermining [the law's] specific purposes or objectives."

The court's decision comes in the middle of a number of state laws seeking to restrict access to abortion. Arkansas's attorney general asked the Supreme Court to intervene to reverse the striking down of a similar Arkansas law banning Down-syndrome-selective abortions. Meanwhile, blue state attorneys general are taking action to prevent laws restricting access to abortion from going into effect. New York attorney general Letitia James (D.) led a group of 20 state attorneys general in challenging a Tennessee law requiring women to get two in-person appointments before obtaining an abortion.

Chuck Donovan, president of the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute, said state laws restricting abortions for reasons of Down-syndrome diagnoses are pushing the conservative-leaning Supreme Court toward revisiting Roe v. Wade. He said the Court has signaled even if Roe is not overturned, justices are open to chipping away at current law.

"In certain countries, children with Down syndrome are being devastatingly eliminated from the population," Donovan said. "Justice Clarence Thomas has confirmed this is an issue of first impression and it remains an ‘open question' whether states may implement protections such as these. We are encouraged by this ruling and hope the Supreme Court will now weigh in on this important human rights issue."

The Sixth Circuit's decision marks a reversal from the Seventh Circuit appeals court's decision in 2018 to overturn an Indiana law that prohibited abortions based on the gender, race, or disability of a fetus. The overturning of the three judge panel's ruling also makes further review of Ohio's law more likely.

As the Biden administration expands federal support for access to abortion, Republican-controlled states are appealing to the judiciary. The likelihood of further review of the Ohio law, combined with Arkansas's direct appeal to the Supreme Court and blue state attorneys general challenging laws restricting abortion, forecasts a judicial showdown over abortion could be imminent.

https://freebeacon.com/courts/district-court-upholds-ohio-law-banning-down-syndrome-abortions/

Biden DOJ Pick Struggles to Defend Record on Black Panther Prosecutions

During confirmation hearing, Republicans pushed Kristen Clarke on her history of opposing civil rights cases against black defendants

Justice Department nominee Kristen Clarke struggled to explain her criticisms of a civil rights case lodged against members of the New Black Panther Party during her confirmation hearing Wednesday.

Clarke tried to duck questions about her opposition to prosecuting two Panthers for civil rights violations in the 2008 election while testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Republican lawmakers say the Black Panther case is a troubling indicator of her approach to enforcing civil rights laws.

Clarke's history of opposing civil rights prosecutions of black defendants has made her nomination contentious. If confirmed, she will lead the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and serve as top prosecutor for a range of nondiscrimination statutes.

Sen. Mike Lee (R., Utah) asked Clarke directly if the Justice Department was wrong to pursue a case against the Panthers. Clarke dodged, saying the department has the prerogative to bring any cases it deems appropriate. Lee doubled down, asking if she wanted prosecutors to abandon the case.

"I may have espoused that opinion publicly, but so did many people," Clarke replied. "I think there were many people who deemed that a weak case."

https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/biden-doj-pick-struggles-to-defend-record-on-black-panther-prosecutions/

>>13426624

Kushner

>>13426684

TOP KEK

>>13426763

U2's Bono 'Likes to Dress Up as a Hasidic Jew' While Cycling

https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/u2-s-bono-likes-to-dress-up-as-a-hasidic-jew-1.5340730

Second UK inquiry into ex-PM David Cameron lobbying scandal announced by select committee of MPs

The UK's Treasury Committee has announced it will hold an inquiry into the government lobbying scandal surrounding former Prime Minister David Cameron, which has now engulfed several ministers and is already facing a review.

The cross-party committee of MPs, which examines Treasury expenditure, administration and policy, said in a statement on Wednesday it has agreed “in principle” to an inquiry, which will be launched next week.

The group said their investigation will be into the “lessons” from the scandal, which involves collapsed financial lender Greensill Capital as well as former Tory PM Cameron.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday announced an independent review by legal expert Nigel Boardman into Greensill and the use of supply chain finance in government, although he did not explicitly mention lobbying.

Earlier on Wednesday, Johnson's Conservative government voted down a plan by the opposition Labour party to hold a wider parliamentary inquiry into the lobbying.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he wanted a “full” investigation into the scandal, which he said had exposed the “sleaze and cronyism” at the “heart” of the Conservative Party.

Cameron, who became an adviser for Greensill after he left Downing Street, allegedly lobbied ministers on its behalf in a bid to win government contracts for the firm.

His actions included sending text messages to Chancellor Rishi Sunak and taking Lex Greensill, the company's founder, for a private drink with Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

https://www.rt.com/uk/521051-new-cameron-lobbying-greensills-inquiry/