European Parliament Seeks SWIFT Shut-Off For Russia "If Ukraine Aggression Continues"

Days after President Putin warned the West of a "harsh" and "asymmetrical" response if it crosses Russia's 'red line' concerning NATO troop positioning and the recently renewed Ukraine standoff, the European Parliament in Brussels has proposed a new resolution to disconnect Russia from the SWIFT payment system.

Dated Wednesday, April 28, it's entitled, "European Parliament resolution on Russia, the case of Alexei Navalny, the military build-up on Ukraine’s border and Russian attacks in the Czech Republic." The over 50 European Parliament lawmakers cited "aggression and continued destabilization of Ukraine, hostile behavior towards and outright attacks on EU member states and societies."

It further appears a 'preventative' and threatening measure in the instance of any future scenario of major Russian troop build-up in Crimea and along Ukraine's border such as occurred over the last month. Despite the Kremlin last week ordering a troop draw down after the conclusion of Black Sea military drills, the EU is clearly seeking to drastically beef up the "cost" automatically imposed on Russia for "threats" against Ukrainian sovereignty.

Here's what the key section of the new punitive resolution says on SWIFT:

…Underscores that if such a military build-up were in the future to be transformed into an invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, the EU must make clear that the price for such a violation of international law and norms would be severe; insists, therefore, that in such circumstances imports of oil and gas from Russia to the EU be immediately stopped, while Russia should be excluded from the SWIFT payment system, and all assets in the EU of oligarchs close to the Russian authorities and their families in the EU need to be frozen and their visas cancelled;

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/european-parliament-seeks-swift-shut-russia-if-ukraine-aggression-continues

Washington rejected Moscow’s offer of complete reset in Russia-US relations shortly after inauguration of Biden, FM Lavrov reveals

The Kremlin proposed a complete reset in the strained relationship between Moscow and Washington after the inauguration of US President Joe Biden, but it was turned down by the White House, Russia’s chief diplomat said on Tuesday.

Speaking to journalist Dmitry Kiselyov, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov explained that Russia wants to get back on a sound footing in its relationship with the US.

“If it only depended on us, we would return to normal relations,” Lavrov explained, noting that the first step would be to cancel the expulsions of Russian diplomats from Washington, and US diplomats from Moscow.

“We offered this to President Biden’s Administration as soon as he took all the necessary oaths and assumed power,” he continued. “I mentioned this to Secretary of State [Antony] Blinken.”

According to Lavrov, the crisis began when former President Barack Obama took measures against Russia prior to his leaving office. After the election of Donald Trump, Moscow remained patient and waited for the new administration to reverse the “excesses” of the outgoing president, but it never happened.

“I very much hope that Washington, as we do, recognizes their responsibility for stability in the world,” Lavrov continued. “There are not only problems between Russia and the US that complicate the lives of our citizens… but also disagreements that put international security at serious risk, in the broadest sense of the word.”

https://www.rt.com/russia/522343-lavrov-us-rejects-better-relations/

Judge Won’t Release Bodycam Footage Showing Andrew Brown Trying to Hit Deputies with His Car Before They Fired Shots

Last week a 40-year-old black man was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

According to reports, deputies were serving a search warrant last Wednesday morning in the 400 block of Perry Street, off Roanoke Avenue.

The man, 40-year-old Andrew Brown, got into his car and began to drive away when deputies opened fire.

The family and the family’s lawyer insisted Brown, who was a father to 10 children, was unarmed and was executed by deputies.

Earlier this week the Brown family reviewed 20 seconds of the bodycam footage and publicly accused the deputies of executing Andrew Brown.

On Wednesday, a North Carolina judge decided not to publicly release the bodycam footage after prosecutors argued Andrew Brown tried to hit deputies with his car before they fired shots.

Judge Jeffrey Foster said the video represents material “of a highly sensitive nature” and decided not to release the bodycam footage while the case is under investigation.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/04/just-judge-wont-release-bodycam-footage-showing-andrew-brown-trying-hit-deputies-car-fired-shots/

7 Italians linked to far-left group detained after decades of terrorizing the country

Paris police have arrested seven Italians who were on the run after being convicted in Italy for terrorism charges linked to the far-left militant Red Brigades group, which carried out violent attacks in the country for decades.

The arrests came after a joint operation between Paris and Rome to locate the individuals who secured refuge in France after the end of the ‘Years of Lead’ violence that plagued Italy for 20 years and left hundreds dead amid clashes between terror groups and the government.

The French president’s office confirmed the arrests and said that authorities in the country are still searching for a further three suspects who are on the run.

“France, also hit by terrorism, understands the need for justice for the victims,” a spokesperson for the French president said in a statement.

Among those detained, police captured Giorgio Pietrostefani, who co-founded the far-left organization Lotta Continua and was sentenced to 22 years in prison in 1972 for the murder of a Milan police commissioner, while the other six were part of the Red Brigades and received life sentences for a string of murders and kidnappings.

The ‘Years of Lead’ – which ran from 1968 to 1988, and were a period of social and political turmoil throughout Italy as the nation attempted to industrialize – still haunt the country, seeing a resurgence from 1999 to 2005.

While seven have now been arrested and three more are being sought by authorities, Italy is still seeking the extradition of more than 200 people who were linked to the violence that occurred throughout that two-decade period.

France’s interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, confirmed that the individuals arrested will now be taken to a domestic court which will decide whether they will be extradited to Italy to serve their sentences.

The joint operation followed a meeting between the French and Italian justice ministers, who were considering what measures to take before the statute of limitations for the European arrest warrants issued expire between the end of this year and 2023.

https://www.rt.com/news/522349-italians-far-left-red-brigades-arrested-france/

Value Investing Icon Jumps Off Manhattan Skyrscraper To His Death Days After Liquidating Fund

Desperate analysts languishing on the bottom rung of finance's long career ladder aren't the only ones committing suicide anymore.

Charles de Vaulx, a renowned value investor and co-founder of International Value Advisors, "died suddenly Monday afternoon, leaving the asset management industry in shock. It was an apparent suicide, according to the New York Police Department, who confirmed to the press that de Vaulx jumped from the 10th floor of a Manhattan skyscraper to his death. The apparent suicide comes just days after he finished winding down his investment firm.

As Barrons adds, "de Vaulx, 59, had built a long career as a risk-aware global investor who never deviated from his deep-value approach, even when it meant keeping as much as 40% of his funds in cash because he couldn’t find attractive investments during a 13-year stretch in which the markets favored faster-growing companies. De Vaulx’s conviction set him apart in the industry, even among other battle-tested contrarians." He was also a father of two.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/value-investing-icon-jumps-manhattan-skyrscraper-his-death-days-after-liquidating-fund

Hunter Biden’s new gig as ‘fake news course teacher’ becomes latest battlefield for partisan wars in US

President Biden’s troubled son Hunter has a new job that he doesn’t appear to be qualified for, so it’s time for political Twitter to either drag him through the mud or cry ‘nothing to see here’, depending on political persuasion.

Tulane University has included Hunter Biden on its list of nine guest speakers who will teach students a 10-week course titled ‘Media Polarization and Public Policy Impacts’. Ironically, it seems reaction to the news may well serve as a case study at the class, considering how it predictably split along partisan lines in the US.

The story seems tailor-made to give conservatives another opportunity to dunk on Hunter – and by extension, his presidential father.

Some were quick to point out the younger Biden – who has degrees in law and history – never worked in the media, apparently making his qualification to teach a university course on ‘fake news’ is about as convincing as the qualification that allowed him to get hired by a Ukrainian gas firm in 2014.

Hunter Biden teaching a course on "fake news" is about par for the course these days. Frankly, he's better qualified to teach a course on the uses of parmesan cheese.

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) April 28, 2021

Hunter Biden is as qualified to teach a college course as he is an expert of Ukrainian energy markets

— Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) April 28, 2021

Those more interested in personal attacks recalled the more sensitive issues in Hunter’s life, like drug abuse and engagements with sex workers.

Those on the other end of the political spectrum took the story as a nothingburger by default. The US Left prefers to see Hunter Biden as an innocent victim of the vitriol targeting his father, so any negative article about him gets the standard ‘your people are way worse anyway’ treatment.

Hunter Biden is trending because right-wing propagandists have nothing on President Joe Biden; they are pathetic and desperately grasping at straws. #100DayswithBiden

— David Weissman (@davidmweissman) April 28, 2021

Since Hunter Biden is trending on Twitter again, let me remind you all that Matt Gaetz is being investigated for actual sex trafficking.We can do this every day, if needed.

— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) April 28, 2021

So, Ivanka Trump gained 41 trademarks in China including coffins plus voting machines, her hubby Jared Kushner used the White House to find debt loaners for himself, and both made $640 million while “working” in daddy Trump’s administration, but Hunter Biden is the problem? Sure.

— Andrea Junker ® (@Strandjunker) April 28, 2021

Ironically, each side pointed fingers at the other, saying the story was somehow meant to distract public attention from something the other party recently did wrong.

Hunter Biden trends when the NYPost purposefully writes a false story Hunter Biden trends when Tucker Carlson endorses a white supremacist rallying cryHunter Biden trends whenever the right needs a distraction.See the pattern? pic.twitter.com/cjgR7sBTa3

— Desiree (@Desarrayed) April 28, 2021

https://www.rt.com/usa/522367-hunter-biden-teacher-media/

US Orders Staff To Leave Afghanistan Embassy Due To Threats

Not willing to allow the world to witness another Vietnam-style emergency helicopter departure of American diplomats from an embassy under fire, the State Department on Tuesday ordered "the departure from US Embassy Kabul of US government employees whose functions can be performed elsewhere."

The US is citing "increased threats" as the reason behind the order, leaving only essential personnel and the Marine security detachment, ahead of Biden's drawdown of troops from the country. US officials confirmed to CNN that embassy employees "whose functions can be performed elsewhere" were ordered to leave Kabul.

"By minimizing the number of employees in Afghanistan whose functions can be performed elsewhere, personnel who are urgently needed to address issues related to the drawdown of US forces and to continue the vital work we are doing in support of Afghanistan and its people will be able to remain in place," the State Department said.

Saturday May 1st was the deadline for the pullout brokered under the Trump deal with the Taliban; however, with Biden extending this to Sept.11 it has provoked Taliban outrage. Taliban spokesman have recently vowed a "nightmare" for US troops should they stay past this date.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-orders-staff-leave-afghanistan-embassy-due-threats

New Judge in Election Case in Arizona, Judge Martin, Was Picked by Judge and Wife of Maricopa County Supervisor, Bill Gates!

You can’t make this stuff up.

Don’t you always wonder how these judges get picked for cases around the country? For example, how was it that an Obama Judge was picked to review Trump Election cases in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Michigan? Note there were enough electoral college votes in these three states to give President Trump his election win.

In Arizona it was reported that it was an Obama Judge who threw Sidney Powell’s case out:

Powell’s team also filed a temporary restraining order (pdf) seeking to immediately block Ducey from delivering the certified election results to the electoral college while the court hears the case. Arizona certified its presidential election results on Nov. 30.

Judge Diane Humetewa threw out the lawsuit on Wednesday, saying that its allegations “are sorely wanting of relevant or reliable evidence” and that it sought extraordinary relief.

Attorney and Professor David Clements shared in this presentation for Regent University that Judge Humetewa never provided Powell an opportunity to present her case and had her verdict completed a day after the attorneys were called in present their cases. This judge likely had her mind made up before she even saw the case:

We are not sure how these judges were selected for these cases but we suspect that it was not a random event that they were.

This leads us to Arizona today:

We received information on how Judge Martin was picked for the election court case in Arizona after Judge Coury recused himself on Sunday. Judge Martin, you may recall, was appointed by former Governor Janet Napolitano.

Our reporter made a couple of phone calls to determine who chose Napolitana-appointed Judge Martin to handle this election case in Arizona.

The first call made was to the office of Judge Pamela Gates. It apparently is currently her responsibility to appoint judges in civil cases in the state. Here is a portion of Judge Gates’ bio from the State’s website:

Judge Pamela Gates was appointed by Governor Jan Brewer in September 2009 to serve on the Maricopa County Superior Court. Judge Gates currently serves as the Civil Presiding Judge. Prior to her rotation to the Civil Department in June 2018, Judge Gates served as the Associate Presiding Judge of the Criminal Department. A call was made to Judge Gate’s office, the woman who answered the phone said that it is Judge Gates’ responsibility to appoint judges to civil cases in Arizona, except for election and related audit cases. This lady shared that for the current election audit case, it was Judge Thomason who selected Judge Martin for the case.

So a call was made to Judge Thomason’s office. The lady who answered the phone there said that for the current case Judge Thomason did not select the judge for the case. She said that the judge’s name was provided to their office and Judge Thomason released the information on who the judge was. The woman shared that for recusals it’s the Presiding Judge who appoints the judge. She then shared that it was Judge Gates who provided Judge Martin’s name.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/04/breaking-exclusive-huge-new-judge-election-case-arizona-judge-martin-picked-judge-wife-maricopa-county-supervisor-bill-gates/

Biden's $1.8 trillion American Families Plan makes tax-and-spend liberalism great again

President Joe Biden will bring tax-and-spend liberalism roaring back into style during an address to a joint session of Congress Wednesday night, proposing $1.8 trillion in new spending initiatives and tax credits over the next decade to be paid for with increased taxes.

The "American Families Plan" calls for at least four years of free education — including universal pre-K and free community college tuition — direct money payments to American families with children, new government-funded family and medical leave programs, and expanded Obamacare subsidies. The president also wants Congress to "adjust the length and amount of [unemployment insurance] benefits unemployed workers receive depending on economic conditions."

The plan calls for spending $1 trillion and offering $800 billion in tax credits to meet these goals. The White House claims that increased taxes on Americans making over $400,000 annually will fully pay for this dramatic increase in spending in 15 years.

Here's a breakdown of what Biden's plan calls for:

Education

$200 billion for free universal preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds in America;

$109 billion for two years of free community college;

$80 billion to fund new Pell Grants;

$62 billion to attempt to increase college completion and retention rates in "disadvantaged communities" by providing child care and mental health services, emergency needs-based grants, support for transfer agreements, and "evidence-based remediation programs";

$46 billion to subsidize tuition at historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and tribal colleges and universities;

$9 billion to "train, equip, and diversify American teachers" with increased scholarship funding for would-be teachers and additional targeted spending for "candidates of color."

More details:

Biden is calling for a "national partnership with states" to provide free preschool for 3- and 4-year olds. The quality of care is supposed to be high with "low student-to-teacher ratios, high-quality and developmentally appropriate curriculum, and supportive classroom environments that are inclusive for all students."

All pre-K program employees will earn a minimum wage of $15 per hour.

Biden's free community college plan will include offering free tuition to illegal immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as minors, so-called "DREAMers."

Pell Grant awards will be increased by about $1,400 and will be offered to DREAMers.

Welfare for Families

$225 billion to subsidize child care for working parents and give child care workers a $15 minimum wage;

$225 billion for guaranteed 12 weeks of comprehensive paid family and medical leave, providing workers up to $4,000 a month with a minimum of two-thirds of average weekly wages replaced;

$45 billion for free and reduced-price meals for schoolchildren during summer vacation, expanded meal programs during the school year, and expanded Obama-era healthy foods demonstrations;

$200 billion to make the increased Obamacare subsidies under the Biden COVID-19 relief plan permanent;

The Child Tax Credit increases from the Biden COVID-19 relief plan will be extended through 2025 and will be paid regularly in advance;

Reimburse families making less than $125,000 annually for 50% of their child care costs for children under age 13 by making the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit expansion permanent;

Make the Earned Income Tax Credit Expansion for workers without children permanent.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/bidens1american-families-plan-tax-and-spend-liberalism

Congressman Exposes Billion Dollar Vaccine Company Ties to Facebook’s Fact Checker

On Wednesday, Congressman Thomas Massie — who is known for calling it how he sees it — tweeted a bombshell claim about factcheck.org, one of Facebook’s most prominent “fact checking” groups. In short, Massie claimed that the folks fact checking claims on vaccines are funded in part by an organization that holds over $1.8 billion of stock in a vaccine company.

“Who pays the paychecks of the factcheckers?” Massie wrote, adding, “The vaccine fact checkers a @factcheckdotorg, who claim to be independent, are funded by an organization that holds over $1.8 billion of stock in a vaccine company, and is run by a former director of @CDCgov”

In his Tweet Massie linked to an article from theblaze.com which laid out the connections clearly. The folks at Factcheck.org also weighed in on the thread, linking to their financial backer page which confirms their ties to the industry.

According to their own source, Factcheck.org is funded in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. According to the foundation’s 2019 financial statement, the project holds over $1.8 billion of stock in the COVID-19 manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson.

What’s more, the CEO of the foundation is Richard Besser, the former acting director of the CDC under Obama and ABC News’ former chief health and medical editor. According to the article in the Blaze, Congressman Massie has personal ties to Factcheck.org as they allegedly ran a hit piece on him.

Rep. Thomas Massie forced the CDC to correct a report that implied there is evidence that the current vaccines on the market can convey a greater degree of immunity than prior infection. FactCheck.org cannot allow Massie to get away with taking away market share from its donors by dissuading people with prior infection from getting the vaccines, so the site wrote a hit piece on him trying to suggest that he had made an error.

With over 3,400 reported deaths and tens of thousands of adverse reactions reported to the CDC’s surveillance system – and it’s well known that just a fraction of those events are reported – how can we allow the government to actively work with a corporate and tech monopoly, funded by the very people who stand to benefit, to censor important data, science, and medical information? We have already seen the government temporarily suspend one vaccine, while the CEO of Pfizer conveniently waited until people already got sucked in to say they will need a third shot and likely more. Nothing to see here? Pure as the wind-driven snow?

Anyone who even questions the safety of the vaccine on Facebook’s platform is immediately slapped with a fact check warning by this group. This is in spite the alarming number of reported adverse reactions, including thousands of deaths within the CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).

As TFTP reported, the sheer number of reports alone should be enough to set off some alarm bells. But this has not happened. Instead, the mainstream media “fact checks” those who merely try to point out this information.

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/congressman-massie-facebook-fact-checkers/

Married Hillsong pastor resigns after allegedly sexting church volunteer

Another married Hillsong East Coast pastor has left the megachurch following a sex scandal.

Darnell Barrett — the creative director of Hillsong’s Montclair, New Jersey, chapter — resigned Tuesday after allegedly sharing a revealing post-workout selfie with a church volunteer and trying to play it off as a mistake, the Daily Mail reported.

“Hey! I think I might’ve added you to my close friends list by accident. I’m so sorry. Trying to figure out how the hell to edit it,” Barrett, 32, a married father of two, texted the volunteer after purportedly sending the lewd photo of himself in front of a mirror, wearing only white Nike Pro tights. Barrett also supposedly posted two photos from the underwear selfie shoot to his “close friends” Instagram Story in February.

“Day 2 of kicking depressions tight a – -,” the clergyman wrote over the image, which he also sent to a 30-year-old woman who volunteered for him from 2014 to 2016 at the Australia-based church’s New Jersey branch. The second shot was captioned “TBH: Depression and anxiety got the best of me in the last 30 hours. Barely got out of bed yesterday. I’m just proud of myself for getting to the gym today even if it was a cheap 30 minute workout. One of the insidious things about grief is it’s capricious nature. I’m learning to give myself grace in how I deal with it.”

He reportedly texted the volunteer several times to convince her she’d only received the image by accident.

“Seriously, sorry about that. I guess,” he apparently messaged the volunteer after sending the pic, which he called “some real raw s – – t I send to my friends man. Lol.”

“Haha that’s alright,” responded the woman, who later sent Barrett a much harsher response before blocking him.

“To be honest, this whole ‘fishing’ scheme of yours to see if I will bite isn’t what even pisses me off. What pisses me off is knowing that I’m not the only person you’ve probably done this to,” she wrote. “I’m actually horrified by the thought of how many other innocent girls you’ve manipulated with this ploy of yours.”

“I’m sorry?” Barrett responded.

When the Daily Mail approached the pastor for comment, he admitted to sending the explicit selfie and informed the publication he had freshly resigned from his role.

https://nypost.com/2021/04/28/hillsong-pastor-resigns-after-allegedly-sexting-church-volunteer/

TEXAS: Sid Miller Slams Dustin Burrows For Slow Walking Bill Banning Kiddie Chemical Castration In New Ad

"One man standing in the way, that's your Rep. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock," said Miller. "Tell Dustin that sex change operations on minors are just flat wrong"

National File obtained a radio ad that began airing this morning that features the voice of Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller that excoriates Texas Rep. Dustin Burrows, who heads the Texas House Calendar Committee, for slow walking HB 1399, which would effectively ban chemical castration of minors in the state.

Miller says Burrows is dragging his feet on the bill as the end of the legislative session approaches in a clandestine bid to prevent Texas from passing a bill similar to legislation passed in Arkansas that made national headlines when the legislature overturned an attempted veto by Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

“You know that it’s wrong that sex change operations is perfectly legal on minors in Texas. Really? Hey, we don’t even allow minors to drink, buy cigarettes, vote, or engage in sexual activity. But we do allow them to have life-altering sex-change operations,” said Miller in the radio ad. “You know, House Bill 1399 will stop that here in Texas. By banning hormone, sex change and chemical castrations on minors.”

“One man standing in the way, that’s your Rep. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock, who chairs the Calendars Committee and is holding up the bill because woke corporations put pressure on him. We need to fight back,” Miller declared. Miller then instructed listeners to call Burrows, and lists a phone number before asking listeners to “Tell Dustin that sex change operations on minors are just flat wrong” and “If he won’t stop them, you’ll replace him with someone who will.”

Burrows previously resigned from his position as Chair of the Texas House GOP caucus after he was caught in an audio recording plotting to target fellow Republicans who were political opponents of former House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Despite this, Burrows was reelected, and former Texas candidate for U.S. House Chris Ekstrom told National File that he is widely viewed as a “hatchet man” for Abbott and corporate interests in the state.

“We assume that Rep. Barrows was given this important position in order to protect the priorities of Governor Abbott and the current Speaker. He’s their hatchet man, he’s there to snuff conservative bills,” Ekstrom told National File. “I am horrified to realize I live in a Texas that is becoming a dystopia. Governor Abbott promised not to allow us to become California. He lied, Texas is on its way to California.”

“Abbott’s woke corporate cronies have decreed that we can’t be Texas anymore, and no one’s taken more money from them than Greg Abbott, no one in the country,” said Ekstrom. “Not even Joe Biden.”

Legislation forbidding minors from undergoing life altering surgeries and chemical castrations has become a major issue for conservative voters, with Fox News host Tucker Carlson lambasting the Arkansas governor when he attempted to prevent similar legislation from passing. Hutchinson later had his veto overridden by a majority of the Arkansas legislature, effectively preventing chemical castration of children in the state.

https://nationalfile.com/texas-sid-miller-slams-dustin-burrows-for-slow-walking-bill-banning-kiddie-chemical-castration-in-new-ad/

Officials Investigating Mail-In Ballots Cast By Deceased Individuals In 2020 Election.

Officials in Washington are investigating nearly 20 fraudulent mail-in ballots cast in the 2020 general election.

Authorities from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are investigating the ballots believed to have been filed under the names of deceased individuals. The Washington Secretary of State is also involved in the case.

Of the 17 ballots flagged for fraudulent activity, eight were caught by election officials in November and nine more were discovered in January.

“All ballots in question were filed by voters later found to be dead,” a local news outlet summarized.

https://thenationalpulse.com/breaking/officials-find-20-fraudulent-ballots/

FBI pfffft

Biden Chief of Staff’s Wife Openly Collaborated with Chinese State Media.

Monica Medina – the wife of President Biden’s Chief of Staff – has repeatedly contributed to Chinese Communist Party-run media outlets.

Medina is also set to join Biden’s State Department as an Assistant Secretary in the Bureau and Oceans and International Environmental and Science Affairs despite the president’s “no family members pledge.”

Medina, currently the founder and publisher of an environmental e-newsletter, has appeared on the Chinese Communist Party-run media outlet China Global Television Network (CGTN) to discuss climate change. Medina described going on the program as one “of the cool things I have done,” despite the outlet airing forced confessions and spreading propaganda to discredit credible accusations of genocide in the country’s Xinjiang province.

The propaganda-pushing network relies on participation from American experts such as Medina to grant a facade of credibility to its operation.

Also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, Medina praised the work of Greta Thunberg and other female climate change activists in an interview with CGTN host Rachelle Akuffo.

https://thenationalpulse.com/breaking/biden-cos-wife-collabs-with-chinese-media/

Chinese National Sentenced to 14 Years for Laundering Drug Money for Mexican Cartels

A federal judge in Illinois on Tuesday sentenced a Chinese national to 14 years behind bars for laundering the proceeds of illegal narcotics on behalf of Mexican drug traffickers, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin imposed the sentence on April 27 after a hearing in federal court in Chicago, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois said in a press release.

Xianbing Gan, a 51-year-old Chinese national, arranged for over $500,000 in illicit drug proceeds to be picked up in Chicago in 2018, prosecutors said. The money was supposed to be transferred to drug traffickers in Mexico through various bank accounts in China.

“Unbeknownst to Gan, a purported money courier who picked up the drug proceeds in Chicago was an undercover law enforcement agent,” according to the release.

Gan, who prosecutors said facilitated the money transfers while living in Guadalajara, Mexico, was arrested in November 2018 at an airport in Los Angeles during a layover on a flight from Hong Kong to Mexico, and has remained in U.S. custody since his arrest.

“The defendant was part of a recent phenomenon in which a relatively small network of Chinese money brokers based in Mexico have come to dominate international money laundering markets,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean J.B. Franzblau and Richard M. Rothblatt argued in a sentencing memorandum.

“Many of these brokers are also engaged in legitimate business, and use that business as cover for and to further money laundering activity. It does not matter that defendant never personally distributed narcotics—drug distribution and money laundering are two sides of the same malignant coin,” they added.

Gan was convicted by a federal jury in Chicago last year on three counts of money laundering and one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.

The insidious Chinese presence in the drug trafficking arena has been growing for years and now dominates the global money-laundering business and chemical production—both critical services to cartel operations in Mexico, Colombia, and beyond.

“Clearly the Chinese are way more dangerous, way more sophisticated, way more complex, and way more of a national security threat to America—it’s not even a comparison [with Mexican cartels],” Derek Maltz, former head of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) special operations division, told The Epoch Times in an interview last summer.

Agreements between cartel leaders and the heads of Chinese money laundering operations based in Mexico have cemented the relationships and provided fertile ground for rapid expansion, according to the DEA.

Maltz said traditional money laundering organizations charged around 8 percent for laundering bulk cash, but Chinese networks overtook the industry by undercutting the competition and charging commissions as low as 1 percent, or even nothing.

“It’s a brilliant business idea,” Maltz said. “They set up very sophisticated, complex, trade-based money laundering schemes where hundreds of millions of dollars are picked up and used to buy consumer goods in China. And then the consumer goods are shipped into Central America, South America, all over the region in Latin America, to launder the proceeds for the drug traffickers in Mexico as well.”

https://www.ntd.com/chinese-national-sentenced-to-14-years-for-laundering-drug-money-for-mexican-cartels_604482.html

Watch: Fauci Justifies Children Wearing Masks Outside — ‘They Are More at Risk of Getting Infected’

During a Wednesday appearance on NBC’s “Today,” White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci discussed the new mask guidelines that allow vaccinated people to go outside without masks.

Host Savannah Guthrie asked Fauci when kids are going to be able to play without masks.

Fauci suggested that time would come once they are vaccinated. He cautioned that since children are unvaccinated and out in the community, “they are more at risk of getting infected.”

“It is going to be a situation — well, first of all, kids will ultimately wind up getting vaccinated, but you want to have some activity in that direction before they do. High school kids will likely get vaccinated as we get into the fall term, and children of any age will likely be vaccinated by the time we get to the end of the year. But let’s not talk about the end of the year. Let’s talk about the immediate or intermediate future. When children are out in the community, when you have 30,000, 40,000, 50,000 new infections per day, they are unvaccinated now because children can’t get vaccinated now. And for that reason, they are more at risk of getting infected because they are out in the community where there is a lot of infection. When the community level starts to go way down, the risks to everybody, including the children, is going to be dramatically diminished,” Fauci replied.

“But isn’t it a weird situation?” Guthrie followed up. “Because I’m not fully vaccinated yet. I can take off my mask and walk home. She can’t. Like, doesn’t that just point up that the CDC guidelines, there’s some kind of disconnect, if that’s the situation?”

“Well, yeah,” Fauci stated. “What you’re pointing out — what you’re referring to, Savannah is the top two not fully vaccinated, that people can go out without masks, if you walk, run, with members of your household, attend a small outdoor gathering, fully vaccinated with friends. Then after that, everything has a mask on it, as you’re showing correctly now on the screen. So, what you’re asking, if you are on the left-hand part and you see un-vaccinated people, walk outdoors with members of your household. And you’re asking now if your child is a member of your household, can you walk outdoors with your child without a mask? According to that chart, the answer is yes.”

“But the child can’t?” she wondered. “Not to beat it to death.”

Fauci responded, “Yes, yes.”

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2021/04/28/watch-fauci-justifies-children-wearing-masks-outside-they-are-more-at-risk-of-getting-infected/

Russia Expels Diplomats From Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia

Russia on Wednesday ordered the expulsion of seven diplomats from Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, in retaliation for the expulsion of Russian envoys in the wake of Czech accusations that Russian intelligence was behind a deadly 2014 blast.

Moscow and Prague are locked in their biggest row since the end of the Communist era in 1989, which has spiraled into a series of diplomatic disputes with other European Union and NATO countries as Russia’s ties with the West linger at post-Cold War lows.

Russia’s foreign ministry gave the three Slovak and two Lithuanian diplomats, as well as an envoy from Latvia and another from Estonia, one week to leave Russia.

Russia accused the four countries of showing “pseudo-solidarity” with the Czech Republic, which ordered most Russian diplomatic staff in Prague to leave last week after accusing Russian spies of being behind the blast at an ammunition depot.

Meanwhile, Bulgaria said on Wednesday prosecutors were collecting evidence on the possible involvement of six Russians in four explosions between 2011 and 2020 at Bulgarian arms depots that were storing munitions destined for export to Ukraine and Georgia.

Russia has branded the Czech accusations absurd and dismissed the Bulgarian probe.

Moscow’s latest diplomatic expulsions come days after President Vladimir Putin ordered the government to draw up a list of “unfriendly” states that will be subject to restrictions.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday the list would soon be published. The ministry’s spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, has already confirmed the United States would be on it.

Izvestia newspaper reported on Tuesday that the list could also include Poland, the Czech Republic, and the three Baltic states.

The two suspects named by Czech authorities in the 2014 ammunition depot explosion, known under the aliases Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov, were reported by the New York Times in 2019 to be part of the elite Unit 29155 in Russia’s GRU military intelligence service.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said after its publication that the article amounted to “pulp fiction.”

Britain charged the pair in absentia with attempted murder after the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter with the nerve agent Novichok in the English city of Salisbury in 2018. Russia denied involvement in that incident.

https://www.ntd.com/russia-expels-diplomats-from-slovakia-lithuania-latvia-and-estonia_604585.html

UK Councils Advertising Covid Marshall Roles Beyond End of June Restrictions

Around one-in-nine councils across England are employing covid marshals even after the end of restrictions on June 21st, with reports some contracts allow for the extension of roles until 2023.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the rollout of “COVID Secure Marshals” in September 2020, a form of civic officer to “help ensure social distancing in town and city centres”. The government later outlined that COVID Secure Marshals do not have the authority to either enforce social distancing rules or issue fines.

Funding for the stewards comes from central government rather than local or regional authorities. The government made available £30 million in taxpayers’ money for all local authorities in England “to spend on COVID-19 related compliance and enforcement activities”, with funding for the marshals coming from this budget.

The Telegraph reported on Tuesday that of the councils it had contacted, one in nine were planning to continue employing community coronavirus marshals after the projected end of restrictions. Some authorities told the newspaper that it was keeping the number of marshals under review, and were prepared to hire more if they deemed it necessary.

One such local authority is Hertfordshire County Council, on the outskirts of Greater London, which is offering a contract worth some £3 million a year to a third-party organisation to provide 60 marshals from July to January 2022, with the contract coming with a one-year extension to 2023. Their roles include advising businesses on the regulations and encouraging “compliance”.

The marshals’ job description outlines the following responsibilities: “Provide practical support to aid and encourage compliance, such as dedicated staff in public areas, business support, or support for individuals.”

“Introduce measures to aid public and business awareness and understanding of regulations and guidance,” the contract notice continued.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2021/04/28/uk-councils-advertising-covid-marshall-roles-beyond-end-june-restrictions/

UK Confirms NHS Vaccine Passport App Will be Introduced for Foreign Travel

A National Health Service (NHS) app will serve as the first vaccine passport for international travel, requiring the British public to present their coronavirus status in order to leave the country, a government minister confirmed on Wednesday.

Transport Minister Grant Shapps said that he can “confirm” that the government is working on adding functionality to the NHS app used to book appointments. The app will contain health information about the user, including their vaccination status or if they have recently tested negative for the Chinese virus.

“I’m working internationally with partners across the world to make sure that system can be internationally recognised,” Shapps told Sky News.

The minister said that he will reveal “in the next couple of weeks” the countries which will be on the government’s so-called ‘green list’ — countries where Britons will be able to travel without being quarantined upon return.

Foreign holidays, which are currently banned under the government’s lockdown regulations, are set to resume next month.

It is currently unclear which countries will recognise the UK’s vaccine passport app.

Greece, which is heavily dependent on foreign tourists for its local economy, has said that an agreement with the UK is “forthcoming” and that they will even accept paper proof of vaccination until a digital health pass is developed.

Harry Theoharis, the Greek tourism minister, told The Times: “Until the UK has a digital passport, we have seen the paper cards that are provided with the two vaccine appointment dates and we are recognising them. They can be used on the ground and at the borders.”

However, the Portuguese have signalled that they will not accept the paper as proof, as it could be susceptible to forgeries.

Portugal’s tourism minister Rita Marques said: “It is very important that we avoid fraud and an integrated digital pass is the way forward, with a QR code. We are working with the European Commission to have in place a system that will allow us to welcome holidaymakers safely.”

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2021/04/28/uk-confirms-vaccine-passport-will-be-introduced-for-foreign-travel/

Mexican Mayoral Candidate on DEA Most Wanted List

A political candidate in Mexico is running for mayor even though he is currently listed as a Most Wanted fugitive by the Houston DEA office.

“El Canario” (Canary), Rogelio Portillo Jaramillo is listed as a DEA Most Wanted Fugitive who is “armed and dangerous.” He is wanted out of Houston, Texas, on drug trafficking conspiracy charges. Portillo Jaramillo is a mayoral candidate for the Morena Party in Huetamo, Michoacán. It remains unclear if the political party knew of the charges and if the candidate will be allowed to proceed under its banner in the June 6 elections.

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2021/04/28/mexican-mayoral-candidate-on-dea-most-wanted-list/

North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Production of Child Pornography

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/north-carolina-man-pleads-guilty-production-child-pornography

Federal Grand Jury Returns a Superseding Indictment Adding New Charges in the Conspiracy to Kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer

Three Defendants Charged with Conspiracy to Use a Weapon of Mass Destruction and Two Defendants Charged with Federal Firearms Violations

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal-grand-jury-returns-superseding-indictment-adding-new-charges-conspiracy-kidnap

Analysis Finds ‘Over 600,000 Illegal Votes Were Found’ In Georgia

Former advisor to President Trump, Peter Navarro, says that, in an analysis of the 2020 Presidential election in Georgia, at least 600,000 illegal votes were found.

On the Saturday episode of Steve Bannon’s War Room, Dr. Peter Navarro goes through the election fraud receipts in Georgia, with over 600,000 illegal votes in a race decided by less than 12,000. He precisely points out how and why they are the next state to do a full forensic ballot audit like what’s going on in Arizona now, especially after what that audit finds.

“Over 600,000 Possible Illegal Votes”- Peter Navarro Breaks Down The Voter Fraud Situation In Georgia

Democrats steal elections then open OUR borders! There is a WAR at the US borders because that's what the ILLEGITIMATE & GLOBALIST Democrat Party wants.https://t.co/cY9iJCJJBR

— ExposeTheMedia.com (@ExposeTheMedia) April 28, 2021

Navarro begins by discussing an agreement that Governor Kemp and his Secretary of State Raffensperger signed months before the election. This and other agreements with the Democrats were the beginning of the corrupt 2020 election in Georgia.

https://en-volve.com/2021/04/28/analysis-finds-over-600000-illegal-votes-were-found-in-georgia/

FAMILY BUSINESS: John Kerry’s Daughter Married Iranian National; Best Man Was Son Of Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs

FAMILY BUSINESS: John Kerry’s Daughter Married Iranian National; Best Man Was Son Of Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs

Kerry’s daughter Vanessa is married to an Iranian national and physician. His best man at the ceremony was the son of Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. Zarif was also and Kerry’s chief counterpart in the nuclear deal negotiations. Cozy crew.

Look no further why Kerry hates Israel and has green lighted billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to Iran to build its nuclear arsenal. And don’t forget about the millions of dollars paid to Iran in ransoms to get our American hostages back.

KERRY’S DENIAL ON LEAKING TO IRAN DOESN’T ADD UP: “This isn’t a lie designed to smear Kerry. There’s no good reason to think Zarif is lying to the interviewer. Kerry’s reputation is collateral damage in a fight among factions within the Iranian government. We as Americans have very little ability to influence who runs what within the Iranian regime. But we can decide which people can be trusted with secrets within the U.S. government — and John Kerry isn’t one of those people.”

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/family-business-john-kerrys-daughter-married-iranian-national-best-man-was-son-of-irans-minister-of-foreign-affairs/

US Still Servicing Saudi Warplanes That are Bombing Yemen

President Biden said he was ending support for 'offensive' operations in Yemen, but Pentagon contractors continue to maintain Saudi Air Force

The Biden administration has finally clarified the extent to which it is still supporting Saudi Arabia’s military in Yemen.

In comments to Vox, Pentagon officials admitted that the US is still maintaining Saudi Arabia’s warplanes by using contractors. The US could cancel the contracts at any time, which would effectively ground the Saudi Air Force, ending the vicious bombing campaign that has been raging since March 2015.

“The United States continues to provide maintenance support to Saudi Arabia’s Air Force given the critical role it plays in Saudi air defense and our longstanding security partnership,” a Pentagon spokesperson told Vox over the weekend.

The maintenance is done through the Pentagon’s Foreign Military Sales program, which means Saudi Arabia pays the US to provide contractors that can maintain the warplanes.

The admission comes over two months since President Biden said he was ending support for Riyadh’s “offensive” operations in Yemen. Vox reporter Alex Ward asked Pentagon spokesman John Kirby on Monday if the planes that the US is servicing could be used for offensive operations in Yemen. Kirby admitted that the “maintenance support for systems could be used for both” offensive and defensive operations.

Biden’s special envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking, claimed to Congress last week that he was not “in the information loop” on how much support the US is giving the Saudi-led coalition. Later in the week, Gen. Frank McKenzie said the US was not providing intelligence or logistics for Saudi operations inside Yemen and that his role consisted of warning Riyadh of imminent Houthi attacks when he can.

Besides continuing to maintain the Saudi Air Force, the Biden administration has given Riyadh the political cover to continue enforcing the blockade on Yemen. Biden officials have claimed that Yemen is not under a blockade, even though Saudi warships are preventing fuel shipments from docking in the port of Hodeidah, which makes it impossible to deliver food to Yemen’s starving civilian population.

The State Department tried to shift the blame to the government of exiled Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, who the US claims is choosing to deny the entry of ships to Hodeidah. But much like the Saudi Air Force, the Hadi government would have absolutely no power if not for foreign support. Hadi has been living in Saudi Arabia since 2015.

The UN is warning that if conditions don’t change, 400,000 Yemeni children under the age of five will starve to death in 2021 alone. Despite the grim statistics, President Biden is choosing to maintain a good relationship with Saudi Arabia and is putting no pressure on Riyadh to make a sincere effort to end the war.

https://news.antiwar.com/2021/04/27/us-still-servicing-saudi-warplanes-that-are-bombing-yemen/

Trump Preparing to Restart MAGA Rallies as Early as Next Month

President Trump is preparing to restart MAGA rallies as early as next month.

Trump will also announce if he is running for president again after the 2022 midterm elections.

“Recently, Trump has initiated discussions about resuming the signature MAGA rallies that fortified his nascent political movement in 2016 and continued throughout his presidency. While he has vowed to travel to Alaska to campaign against Murkowski and is said to be interested in hosting campaign events for some of the candidates he’s already endorsed, aides said the logistics are still being worked out but that he could resume rallies as early as May.” – CNN reported.

“It will definitely be different in terms of the setup, but we got really good at planning these events in 2020, so we will probably use a lot of those same vendors again,” said the person close to Trump’s post-White House operation.

Donald Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity last Monday evening that he is very seriously considering a 2024 presidential bid.

“Are you running again in 2024? Hannity asked Trump during an exclusive, sit-down interview.

“I am looking at it very seriously, beyond seriously,” Trump said as he bashed Joe Biden and the Democrat party.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/04/trump-preparing-restart-maga-rallies-early-next-month/

Lavrov calls on EU to tackle the issue of private ownership of ammo storage depots

Brussels must answer Moscow's question of what the EU does to control the adherence of its members to their obligations within various documents in the sphere of arms trade, the top diplomat said

MOSCOW, April 28. /TASS/. Brussels should look into the issue of private entrepreneurs being involved in ammo depots in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a press conference on Wednesday, commenting on the accusations of Bulgaria against Russia.

"I think that the EU should consider the situation in the Czech Republic and in Bulgaria. The situation when some private entrepreneurs have some involvement in the arms trade and the storage of ammunition and weapons. The EU must answer the question that we posed, which comes down to what the EU does to control the adherence of its members to their obligations within various documents in the sphere of arms trade," Lavrov said in response to a question by TASS.

"There are enough materials in the Western press. For example, I just remembered that Mr. Gebrev [Emilian Gebrev, owner of the EMCO arms company - TASS] or his employees stated that there were no anti-personnel mines at the depots in the Czech Republic, that there were simply casings for anti-personnel mines," the Russian foreign minister noted. "But at the same time, the media mention that there were several cases of Mr. Gebrev exporting these casings of anti-personnel mines to some other country, where these mines received the corresponding submunition." The top diplomat pointed out that there are several scenarios in this case, considering "just how tricky those selling arms in violation of laws and international conventions are."

"The EU needs to explain to the global community how this corresponds to the international conventions and agreements that EU members signed together," Lavrov concluded.

Explosions in Czech Republic and Bulgaria

Earlier on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the Bulgarian Prosecutor General’s Office Siika Mileva informed that the Bulgarian top prosecutor suspects six Russians of organizing four explosions at the country’s arms factories over a nine-year period from 2011 to 2020. The factories stored weapons belonging to Bulgarian arms dealer Emilian Gebrev.

Before that, the Czech Republic accused Moscow of having been allegedly involved in the ammunition depot blasts in Vrbetice in 2014. On April 17, 2021, Czech officials announced their decision to expel 18 employees of the Russian Embassy in Prague, who were allegedly "officers of Russian intelligence services." The Russian Foreign Ministry lodged a strong protest to the Czech government and declared 20 employees of the Czech Embassy in Russia’s capital personae non gratae.

On April 25, Czech President Milos Zeman said in a statement that the Czech Security Information Service’s reports had no mention of any evidence of the presence of any "Russian agents" at the ammunition depot in Vrbetice and this theory had surfaced only in recent weeks. Moreover, according to the Czech president, national officers of the law found evidence that Bulgarian arms trader Emilian Gebrev had been involved in the explosions at the ammunition depots in the village of Vrbetice.

https://tass.com/politics/1284279

Report: Labor Secretary Stonewalled Release of Sex Abuse Docs

Boston mayor releases alleged pedophile cop docs concealed by Walsh administration

President Joe Biden's point man on labor issues blocked the release of documents related to a major union officer accused of sexual abuse, according to the Boston Globe, which attempted to obtain the records through public records requests.

Labor Secretary Marty Walsh's mayoral administration in Boston overruled a public records supervisor and stonewalled a Boston Globe investigation into an alleged pedophile in the ranks of the city police department. The files, released by Walsh's successor on April 20, revealed that a major Boston police union had threatened to file a grievance on behalf of a former police union president who was the subject of an internal affairs investigation into allegations he sexually assaulted a minor.

Acting Boston mayor Kim Janey, who took office in mid-March after Walsh was confirmed as labor secretary, authorized the release of the documents to the public after Walsh's administration refused to release them. The city released 13 pages of the 105-page internal affairs report. Walsh's administration said that it would never release the files because of concerns for the victim's identity.

"When members of law enforcement violate their sacred duty to protect and serve the community, we have no choice but to expose their misconduct and attempt to rebuild trust," Janey said in a statement. "We are providing as much information to the public as possible about the circumstances surrounding the internal affairs investigation and how leadership at the time responded to the findings."

The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the situation. Both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris called for Trump to fire then-labor secretary Alexander Acosta, citing his involvement as a federal prosecutor in a federal settlement with convicted millionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Acosta resigned from the Department of Labor after he became embroiled in the underage abuse scandal.

Janey's statement also detailed how officer Patrick Rose was "allowed to have contact with young victims of sexual assault during the course of his career, and we now know that he allegedly went on to assault several other children." Rose was able to return to duty two years after an internal affairs investigation and eventually became head of the police union.

The Boston Police Department referred a request for comment to the Boston mayor's office, which did not respond to a request seeking further comment on the Walsh administration's decision to block the release of the files. Walsh, in a roundtable discussion Tuesday afternoon, did not address a pre-submitted question from the Washington Free Beacon concerning the incident. The Department of Labor also did not return a message seeking comment.

The Boston Globe reported that the paper attempted to obtain the records relating to Rose's case in October 2020. Walsh's administration refused to release the files, citing a law protecting the identities of victims of sexual violence. In a March 5 letter to the Globe, a Walsh spokesman said the records could not be sufficiently redacted and the records would never be released. A city records official had asked Walsh's administration for a fuller explanation of why it refused to release the files.

Janey's reversal came less than one month after Walsh was confirmed as Labor Department secretary.

https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/report-labor-secretary-stonewalled-release-of-sex-abuse-docs/

Dem Gov Accused of Misusing Taxpayer Funds to Fight Sexual Assault Claim

New Mexico's Democratic governor Michelle Lujan Grisham is under fire from top Republicans in the state for misusing taxpayer resources to push back on an accusation of sexual assault.

The top Republican in the state legislature is calling foul on Lujan Grisham for using her official staff to defend the governor against allegations that she grabbed a man's crotch when they were initially made in 2019. The same government spokeswoman who initially defended the governor against the allegation of sexual assault now says she cannot comment on the allegation because it's "not official state business."

Jim Townsend, the Republican leader in the New Mexico House of Representatives, says the new statement indicates a misuse of government resources by Lujan Grisham, who has since paid off her accuser with campaign resources.

"Governor Lujan Grisham used her official office press secretary to defend her in the face of allegations of sexual harassment and to discredit her alleged victim in 2019," Townsend told the Washington Free Beacon. "At face value, this looks like the clear misuse of taxpayer money by Michelle Lujan Grisham and raises even more questions about a serious issue filled with inconsistent statements and actions from the governor."

Lujan Grisham's government spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett told the press in December 2019 that the accusations made by campaign staffer James Hallinan were false, and offered the official government response to the allegations.

"Three other people who were in the room attest to the fact that what he says happened did not happen. It's not a he-said, she-said situation," Sackett told the press, adding in an official statement that Hallinan's accusations were "bizarre and slanderous."

Hallinan has now been paid at least $62,500 in settlement money by Lujan Grisham, according to filings from the governor's campaign, which was used for the payments. Sackett, who is still the governor's official spokeswoman, said earlier this month that "the state doesn't have any comment as this is not official state business."

Lujan Grisham's office did not respond to a request for comment.

Kendra Arnold, the executive director of the watchdog organization Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, told the Free Beacon that Sackett addressing campaign issues while in a government role raises questions.

"Government officials are not allowed to campaign or engage in political activities while serving in their taxpayer-funded role," Arnold said. "This is both to protect taxpayer funds and to ensure there isn't tacit government approval of a campaign or political issue."

Hallinan first accused Lujan Grisham of assault in a tweet on Christmas Day 2019. "A governor … is not above the law for her sexual and physical abuse of employees including (me!!!)," Hallinan wrote.

Hallinan says he was convinced not to come forward with his accusation by another government employee, Dominic Gabello, who at the time was working as Lujan Grisham's campaign manager.

It remains unclear whether Lujan Grisham will make any further payments to Hallinan. Her campaign has thus far made five monthly payments totaling $62,500.

https://freebeacon.com/democrats/dem-gov-accused-of-misusing-taxpayer-funds-to-fight-sexual-assault-claim/

Biggs asks Biden to suspend John Kerry’s security clearance

After calls for former Secretary of State and Biden administration official John Kerry’s resignation continue, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) penned a letter on Tuesday to President Biden, demanding that he suspend Kerry’s security clearance. This comes after the reported revelation that Kerry knew about covert Israeli attacks in Syria.

The Arizona congressman called for the suspension until a full investigation can be completed. “I urge you to immediately suspend Special Envoy John Kerry’s security clearance and prevent him from participating in any classified briefings until the full nature of his interactions with the Islamic Republic of Iran are investigated,” Biggs wrote.

“If Mr. Kerry provided sensitive information to Iran about Israel’s activities in Syria, he undermined a friend and bolstered an enemy,” Biggs wrote. “At best, such behavior would be despicable; at worst, it would verge on treason.”

Since the news broke, Biden has remained silent on the issue and Kerry denies the report. But Biggs demands action.

“For the sake of national security, I again urge you to act immediately in this matter,” he wrote.

https://saraacarter.com/biggs-asks-biden-to-suspend-john-kerrys-security-clearance/

Total WAR on FOOD targeting ranchers to outlaw all forms of meat, including cattle and backyard chickens

The total war against the food supply is now underway with a ballot initiative in Oregon seeking to criminalize all forms of meat production, including cattle and backyard chickens. Under the proposed new law, meat could only be harvested from animals after they die from “natural causes,” which would mean harvesting meat from old, diseased animals. Cancer burgers, anyone?

This effort to criminalize all forms of ranching and animal food production is part of the insane lunacy of left-wing nut jobs who also want to outlaw combustion engines and pollute the stratosphere to block the sun and collapse the global food supply. In summary, the attacks on food abundance are being engineered from multiple vectors, including:

Legislative efforts to criminalize animal ranching and meat production.

Geoengineering / terraforming efforts to block the sun and block photosynthesis of food crops.

Federal legislation efforts to outlaw combustion engines and end all forms of modern farming with tractors.

Mark of the Beast initiatives to tie food purchases to biometric scans of your palm, in order to limit food purchases according to new tyrannical food rules pushed by a totalitarian government.

Continued efforts to outlaw front yard and back yard gardening.

State laws banning the transportation of garden seeds. This is already a tremendous problem nationwide.

In truth, moronic liberals have no clue where food — even “vegan” food — really comes from. In this hilarious video, Quick Dick McDick explains that margarine comes largely from canola oil which is grown, harvested, processed and transported using diesel fuel, not “unicorn farts.”

As lunatic Leftists continue to destroy human civilization, they seem to be confused why the world they’ve created sucks so bad. When they destroy economies, they wonder why so many people are jobless. When they destroy health, they wonder why so many people are sick. And when they destroy the food supply, they wonder why so many people are starving.

If we really want to create a world without suffering, the real answer is to destroy the Democrats and stop their war against humanity.

https://www.dcclothesline.com/2021/04/28/total-war-on-food-targeting-ranchers-to-outlaw-all-forms-of-meat-including-cattle-and-backyard-chickens/

“Mistakes Were Made”, Video Outline to Explain History of FISA Court Abuse

With the jaw-dropping revelation of former DOJ-NSD head Mary McCord being enlisted by the FISA Court as an Amici Curiae (advisor to the court) it is worthwhile revisiting this previous video explanation of the FISA Court.

John Spiropoulos does a great job outlining the history of the FISC looking the other way when the fourth amendment protections against searching American citizens electronic communication are violated by the FBI. “Mistakes were made”… and made, and made, and made, and made….

Prior to the December 9, 2019, inspector general report on FISA abuse, FISA Court judges Rosemary Collyer (declassified 2017) and James Boasberg (declassified 2019) both identified issues with the NSA bulk database collection program being exploited for unauthorized reasons. Neither of them took any action against the FBI for warrantless searches of American citizen information.

So it should come as no surprise the 2020 report written again by James Boasberg, shows exactly the same issues still exist and the same unlawful abuses of the NSA database are still taking place. Taking events at their face value it would appear the court is in alignment with the FBI and thus the abuses have continued. Under that context Boasberg enlisting Mary McCord appears to be an institutional motive of covering-up the wrongdoing.

In order for corruption to continue advancing without consequence, those with institutional power have to pretend not to know things: “mistakes were made.”

Once again the FBI is outlined by the FISA court using the NSA database for warrantless searches of American citizen information. This is the fourth consecutive year the FISA court has outlined identical abuse of the NSA database by FBI workers, contractors and officials.

The latest 67 page FISA compliance review for the year 2020 was written by FISA Court Presiding Judge James Boasberg (same judge from Clinesmith trial). The opinion was written in November 2020 and declassified (with lots of redactions) in April 2021. [pdf version HERE] – [SCRIBD pdf HERE]

[…] In other words, the FBI is using FISA acquired information to investigate domestic crimes – not matters of foreign intelligence. These included investigations of “health-care fraud, transnational organized crime, violent gangs, domestic terrorism involving racially motivated violent extremists, as well as investigations relating to public corruption and bribery.”

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2021/04/28/mistakes-were-made-video-outline-to-explain-history-of-fisa-court-abuse/

Revealed: UK Campaign to Force Assange From Ecuadorian Embassy

A wide-ranging UK government campaign was brought to bear on Ecuador to press it to hand over WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange, new information by Declassified UK reveals.

Prime minister Theresa May was told in March 2018 to ‘butter up’ Ecuador’s president in order to get Assange out of Ecuadorian embassy in London

Later in the year, May’s government spent £20,000 to bring Ecuadorian officials and defence minister to UK

British foreign minister arranged Daily Mail hit piece on WikiLeaks publisher days after his eviction from the embassy

Same minister gave Ecuador’s president a plate from Buckingham Palace gift shop to ‘say thank you’ for handing over Assange

National security adviser Richard Moore, now head of MI6, was in Ecuador two weeks before Assange was expelled from embassy

The UK government paid £8,330 in November 2018 to bring Ecuador’s defence minister Oswaldo Jarrín to Britain, two months before the planned seizure of Julian Assange from the Ecuadorian embassy in London, it can be revealed.

It is unusual for foreign ministers to have their trips to the UK paid by the British government, and the week-long visit came after Prime Minister Theresa May had been told to “butter up” Ecuador’s president, Lenín Moreno, in order to get Assange expelled from the embassy.

The new information comes from UK Foreign Office documents released to Declassified, as well as the recently published diaries of former foreign office minister, Sir Alan Duncan, who was a key player in the Assange negotiations.

The documents note that “the main objective” of the November 2018 visit was Jarrín’s “participation” at an annual national counter-terrorism exercise that rehearses the government’s response to a major terrorist attack.

The exercise is organised by the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism, a part of the Home Office which “oversees the Security Service [MI5] and police counter-terrorism operations in the UK”.

It is unclear why Ecuador’s defence minister was chosen to attend a counter-terrorism exercise as the South American nation is not a target of terrorist groups.

The documents note that “one of the main meetings” was with then armed forces minister Mark Lancaster, after which the Ministry of Defence reported the two countries were “strengthening our ties”.

Jarrín also visited the Foreign Office’s “crisis centre” and met with the head of UK Export Finance, Louis Taylor.

More

https://consortiumnews.com/2021/04/28/revealed-uk-campaign-to-force-assange-from-ecuadorian-embassy/