3 killed and 45 wounded in Chicago shootings over the weekend

A week since Chicago Police Superintendent Brown claimed that gun violence is on the decline, various shootings wounded 45 and killed three this weekend alone. Among those murdered, two have yet to be identified. According to Sun-Times Media Wire, no one is even in custody for any of these shootings.

Two of the wounded were 17-years old. They were shot in a drive-by shooting at three o’clock in the afternoon Saturday. Both are in good condition.

A 14-year-old boy was also wounded later that night. He was playing with his friends outside just before seven o’clock in the evening when a gunman opened fire. Out of his friends, he was the only one injured and is now in stable condition.

https://saraacarter.com/3-killed-and-45-wounded-in-chicago-shootings-over-the-weekend/

Military Situation In Afghanistan On June 14, 2021 (Map Update)

On June 13, Taliban reportedly captured Khan Abad district in Kunduz province

On June 13, Taliban reportedly captured Sayyad district in Sar-e Pol province

On June 13, Taliban reportedly captured Posht-e Rud district in Farah province

On June 13, Taliban reportedly captured Saghar district in Ghor province

On June 13, 33 Taliban militants were killed and 22 others were wounded in Achin and Spinghar districts of Nangarhar, according to the Afghanistan MOD

https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-afghanistan-on-june-14-2021-map-update/

Vague Alternatives and G7 Summitry: The Build Back Better World Initiative

Summits often feature grand statements and needless fripperies. In Cornwall, the leaders of the G7 countries were trying to position and promote their relevance as the vanguard of democratic good sense and values. They, the message went, remained relevant, valuable and essential to the order of the earth, despite challenges posed by the autocrats.

Never let contradiction get in the way of such a united front. Babbling about liberal democratic values matters little when it comes to crusty realpolitik. The UK and the US continue to supply armaments to their favourite theocracy, Saudi Arabia, even as they take issue with Russia and Chinese actions they deem aggressive, cruel or authoritarian. Germany’s position on dealing with Russia remains distinct within the grouping, not least on the issue of energy politics and the Nord Stream 2 gas project. Nor does the G7 necessarily share the same attitude in dealing with China, each having had its slant in coping with Beijing’s actions in recent years.

The China Syndrome has produced some form of united response at the summit. Welcome, then, to the Build Back Better World (B3W) initiative. This will entail, according to a White House factsheet, “a values-driven, high-standard, and transparent infrastructure partnership led by the major democracies to help narrow the $40+ trillion infrastructure need in the developing world, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.” The initiative will also involve “the G7 and other like-minded partners” coordinating and mobilising “private-sector capital in four areas of focus – climate, health and health security, digital technology, and gender equity and equality – with catalytic investments from our respective development finance institutions.”

A senior official in the Biden administration told Reuters that, “This is not just about confronting or taking on China. But until now we haven’t offered a positive alternative that reflects our values, our standards and our way of doing business.”

Since 2013, President Xi Jinping’s multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has niggled the sphere of influence watchers. While the developed world went into something of an investment coma after the Great Recession of 2007-9, notably in developing economies, China took its wallet out. Attached conditions to the investment would be few; questions about human rights, freedoms and business transparency would not be obstacles. As this was happening, high-income states went into chatter mode while keeping their shut purses, formulating principles for quality infrastructure investments.

The BRI infrastructure program, currently featuring 2,600 projects, is China’s geopolitical bridge to developing states, linking Beijing through an assortment of road, maritime and rail projects. These include the $100 billion China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, and the $62 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor. Over time, the initiative has moved into 5G technologies and fiberoptic networks.

https://southfront.org/vague-alternatives-and-g7-summitry-the-build-back-better-world-initiative/

Lobbyists for Putin’s Pipeline Dodge Foreign Agent Laws

The State Department labels Nord Stream 2 executives as 'foreign persons'

Beltway firms lobbying for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline have dodged foreign lobbying laws, even though the Biden administration has affirmed that the company behind the project has engaged in sanctionable activity that serves the Kremlin’s geopolitical interests.

BGR Group and Roberti Global, two prominent Washington, D.C., consulting firms, have taken in nearly $9 million lobbying for Nord Stream 2 AG, the Swiss company building the pipeline. McLarty Inbound has received $2.6 million in fees from five private European companies that have loaned billions to Nord Stream 2. The company is based in Switzerland but wholly owned by Gazprom, a Russian gas company controlled by the Russian government.

Lobbyists for Nord Stream 2 have come under renewed scrutiny after the Biden administration waived sanctions that would have halted construction of the 764-mile pipeline, which will transport gas directly from Russia to Germany. Biden administration officials have defended the controversial waiver, saying they do not want to harm relations with Germany by imposing sanctions to block construction on the pipeline.

Sources tell the Washington Free Beacon that Nord Stream 2’s lobbyists should still have to register as agents under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

"Lobbying Congress for a Russian geopolitical power grab is pretty much the definition of why FARA was created, so Americans would know who was pushing foreign interests," said a Republican national security veteran who works on the Nord Stream 2 issue. The Republican was baffled that the pro-pipeline lobbyists have escaped FARA registration.

The companies disclose their revenue through the Lobbying Disclosure Act, which is far less stringent than FARA. Lobbyists can be exempt from filing under FARA if their activities involve "bona fide commercial activity" that does not primarily serve a foreign interest.

But the State Department affirmed language in Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act (PEESA), a sanctions bill passed by Congress, that said Nord Stream 2 AG and its chief executive are "foreign persons" who engaged in sanctionable activity.

The term is significant for FARA, which requires agents to register for any work they do for foreign governments, companies, or individuals to influence public policy. The State Department has also called the pipeline a "Russian geopolitical project" that threatens European energy security.

"If this is in fact, as [Biden officials] call it, a foreign influence operation, anyone working on behalf of this ought to at least have to register under FARA," said Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, an expert at the Project on Government Oversight, a watchdog group that supports tougher foreign agent regulations.

"[FARA’s] intended to shine a light on people trying to wield foreign influence over U.S. policy in general," he said.

https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/lobbyists-for-putins-pipeline-dodge-foreign-agent-laws/

Wisconsin bill targets unequal private funding of elections, a major concern in 2020

Democratic governor expected to veto GOP-passed measure to require state to distribute private funding equitably.

A bill passed this week by the Wisconsin State Assembly would forbid local municipalities from accepting private funds for election management, directing those funds to pass through the state government and be equitably distributed throughout Wisconsin.

The measure is a response to ongoing concerns over the millions in private election funding poured into the state by the Center for Tech and Civic Life, a Chicago-based nonprofit heavily funded by Facebook co-founder/CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Passed largely on party-line votes in both the state House and Senate, the bill is likely to be nixed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

The legislation directs that, with few exceptions, "No official or agent of a county or municipality may apply for or accept any donation or grant of private resources for purposes of election administration."

The bill would require that any private election funding in the state go through the Wisconsin Elections Commission to be distributed "to each municipality in [the] state on a per capita basis." Any funds expended by the commission would have to be approved by the state Joint Finance Committee.

The legislation's equitable distribution measures "were drafted and introduced in response to the concerns that emerged following the windfall of private funds from the Center for Tech and Civic Life for the 2020 presidential election," Republican state Sen. Duey Stroebel, a cosponsor of the bill, told Just the News.

"These concerns grew as evidence began to emerge revealing that these funds were allocated disproportionately to a select group of Wisconsin cities and had influenced how the election was administered in those cities," he said.

The Center for Tech and Civic Life's major funding of Wisconsin election administration has been the subject of intense criticism and scrutiny starting last summer when it announced an initiative to pour millions into the election systems of several cities in the state, all of them Democratic strongholds.

With the help of Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, who eventually funneled $350 million to CTCL, the group expanded its funding programs to numerous other cities and jurisdictions in Wisconsin and across the country. Critics have pointed to its heavy funding of the Wisconsin Democratic districts as a possible deliberate scheme to throw an advantage to Democrats in the state that Joe Biden eventually won by about 20,000 votes.

https://justthenews.com/government/state-houses/long-shot-wisconsin-bill-would-target-unequal-private-funding-elections

U.S. Coast Guard Offloads $143.5M in Cocaine at Port Everglades

MIAMI — Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma’s crew offloaded more than 7,500 pounds of cocaine in Port Everglades, an estimated street value of $143.5 million, Monday, after three interdictions in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

A maritime patrol flight spotted a vessel on April 16, and a Coast Guard law enforcement detachment team on the HMCS Saskatoon apprehended five suspects and nearly 4,000 pounds of cocaine from the low profile vessel.

The vessel was destroyed as a hazard to navigation.

A maritime patrol flight spotted a vessel on April 20, and Tahoma’s law enforcement team apprehended four suspects and 2,400 pounds of cocaine from the low profile vessel.

The vessel was destroyed as a hazard to navigation.

While on patrol, a Tahoma crewmember found cocaine bales floating in the water on April 23. The bales were recovered totaling nearly 1,200 pounds of cocaine.

On April 1, U.S. Southern Command increased counter-narcotics operations in the Western Hemisphere to disrupt the flow of drugs. Numerous U.S. agencies from the Departments of Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security cooperated in the effort to combat transnational organized crime. The Coast Guard, Navy, Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with allied and international partner agencies, play a role in counter-drug operations.

https://breaking911.com/just-in-u-s-coast-guard-offloads-143-5m-in-cocaine-at-port-everglades/

College to charge unvaccinated students $1,500 'Health & Safety' fee

Rhodes College will charge unvaccinated students the $1,500 each semester and require weekly testing.

Vaccination will be required for all students, staff, and faculty on campus after the FDA issues formal approval.

Starting Fall 2021 , Rhodes College will charge unvaccinated students $1,500 per semester to “cover the costs of mandatory testing.”

The school, located in Memphis, Tennessee, announced the policy in a June 8 letter.

Rhodes College will require the COVID-19 vaccine for all students, staff, and faculty on campus after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) formally approves the vaccines. As of this writing, the school strongly encourages vaccination.

Students who choose not to receive the vaccine can file a medical or religious vaccine exemption before the start of the Fall semester. Non-vaccinated students will also be required to undergo weekly COVID testing.

Rhodes College Vice President for Student Life Meghan Weyant told WREG3 asymptomatic testing was free for all students in the Spring semester, but as vaccines have become available, the college expects students to get fully vaccinated.

“As we prepare to welcome our returning students home and the largest incoming class in Rhodes history, we believe a campus-wide commitment to vaccination will really allow us to do our part in getting our students back on campus for the academic experience that we know they so much want,” Weyant said.

She added that she has not received push back from students saying they don’t want to take the vaccine. “The response has been positive,” she said. “Students want to be back on campus.”

Weyant said in the same interview that international students who do not have access to vaccines in their home countries will be offered a chance to take part in a vaccine clinic upon arrival.

Campus Reform reached out to Rhodes Director of Communication Dylan Sandifer asking for a breakdown of expenses included in the $1,500 fee as well as the reasoning behind the fee. This article will be updated accordingly.

https://campusreform.org/article?id=17643

DNA Wars: Privacy Being Destroyed At The Cellular Level

Your DNA, responsible for making you who you are, is the ultimate surveillance quest for Technocrats and Transhumans. TN has repeatedly warned against giving up samples of your DNA, but the government has broken down those barriers to harvest samples throughout society. The risks and dangers are immense.

“When you upload your DNA, you’re potentially becoming a genetic informant on the rest of your family.”— Law professor Elizabeth Joh

“Guilt by association” has taken on new connotations in the technological age.

All of those fascinating, genealogical searches that allow you to trace your family tree by way of a DNA sample can now be used against you and those you love.

As of 2019, more than 26 million people had added their DNA to ancestry databases. It’s estimated those databases could top 100 million profiles within the year, thanks to the aggressive marketing of companies such as Ancestry and 23andMe.

It’s a tempting proposition: provide some mega-corporation with a spit sample or a cheek swab, and in return, you get to learn everything about who you are, where you came from, and who is part of your extended your family.

The possibilities are endless.

You could be the fourth cousin once removed of Queen Elizabeth II of England. Or the illegitimate grandchild of an oil tycoon. Or the sibling of a serial killer.

Without even realizing it, by submitting your DNA to an ancestry database, you’re giving the police access to the genetic makeup, relationships and health profiles of every relative—past, present and future—in your family, whether or not they ever agreed to be part of such a database.

After all, a DNA print reveals everything about “who we are, where we come from, and who we will be.”

It’s what police like to refer to a “modern fingerprint.”

Whereas fingerprint technology created a watershed moment for police in their ability to “crack” a case, DNA technology is now being hailed by law enforcement agencies as the magic bullet in crime solving.

Indeed, police have begun using ancestry databases to solve cold cases that have remained unsolved for decades.

For instance, in 2018, former police officer Joseph DeAngelo was flagged as the notorious “Golden State Killer” through the use of genetic genealogy, which allows police to match up an unknown suspect’s crime scene DNA with that of any family members in a genealogy database. Police were able to identify DeAngelo using the DNA of a distant cousin found in a public DNA database. Once police narrowed the suspect list to DeAngelo, they tracked him—snatched up a tissue he had tossed in a trash can—and used his DNA on the tissue to connect him to a rash of rapes and murders from the 1970s and ‘80s.

https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/80178/dna-wars-privacy-being-destroyed-at-the-cellular.html

Netanyahu: We Will Topple the 'Fraudulent' Bennett Government

Benjamin Netanyahu rallied his party in his first meeting as opposition leader, asserting that his right-wing bloc of parties will work tirelessly to topple the "dangerous, fraudulent, leftist government."

The new Bennett-led government, he told Likud, Shas, United Torah Judaism and Religious Zionism, will fall due to the three factors that unite it: "hatred, exclusion and power. A lust for power that knows no bounds, and on this you cannot build a government." He reiterated the claim that Bennett committed election fraud by deceiving his voters with promises he did not keep.

He pointed to the 53 Knesset seats in his bloc, which he maintained are "steadfast and united" in their bid to oust the new government.

Netanyahu added that the opposition will unite to topple this government at the first opportunity: "I led the opposition in 1995 and again in 2005. We worked hard, together, and in both cases we achieved massive victories."

He stressed that he will enforce "ironclad discipline in the opposition," which has barely any room to maneuver, and that he requests cohesion and attendance from the parties' members at Knesset meetings. "We know, and I can feel in my fingertips, what their weak points are."

Netanyahu also requested that the bloc refrain from infighting. "If we clash with each other, we will not achieve" our objective, he said. "Therefore, I request that you aim your canons outwards and attack if we have the opportunity to do so. If we focus all of our efforts, we can topple them, and we have a good reason to topple them: the good of the country."

He closed his message to the bloc by reiterating that the government is one of "fraud, contradictions and forbidden mixtures. It cannot do a thing for our security, for a healthy economy. We will determine the rules among ourselves, and we will stand by them and go in this way – and redeem the State of Israel and the people of Israel, if God wills it."

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/EXT-LIVE-after-swearing-in-bennett-s-new-coalition-to-meet-with-president-1.9902709

Marketplace for Stolen Online Credentials Shut Down

Authorities from four countries shut down an online marketplace where vendors sold more than 80 million stolen login credentials to buyers, who frequently used them to make unauthorized transactions, including wire transfers, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday.

Slilpp Marketplace has been active since 2012, and U.S. law enforcement arrested or charged so far over a dozen individuals connected to it.

The FBI, Justice Department, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and law enforcement agencies from Germany, the Netherlands and Romania partnered to locate and seize the servers which hosted the marketplace infrastructure and its assorted domains.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said that the marketplace allegedly has caused victims worldwide to incur losses of hundreds of millions of dollars.

An audit published last year revealed that there are at least five billion stolen credentials available in criminal forums and marketplaces across the dark web, with an average asking price around US$15. Many valuable account credentials, like active bank account logins, commanded an average price of $71, while some banking account credentials were “sold for as much as $500 depending on the funds available and the freshness of the credential theft itself.”

It’s not clear exactly how extensive the operation reached, although based on current victim reports, stolen logins transacted over Slilpp have caused over $200 million in losses in the U.S. A recently-unsealed affidavit revealed that over 1,400 companies had been represented among the credentials available for sale at the time of the operation.

https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/14624-marketplace-for-stolen-online-credentials-shut-down

Six arrested for armed robberies of jewellery shops across Europe

An organised crime group behind a sting of violent armed robberies committed across Europe has been dismantled as a result of an international investigation facilitated by Europol.

A total of six individuals – all Estonian nationals – were arrested over the course of the past two years.

The smash-and-grab gang, armed with large hammers and a handgun, would hold up at gunpoint the employees of jewellery shops, before breaking the glass counters and running off with the jewellery.

This organised crime group has been linked to two robberies in Bastia (France) in 2016 and 2017, one attempted robbery in Venice (Italy) in 2017 and one robbery in Innsbruck (Austria) in 2017.

The investigation into these robberies was carried out by the French Police (Police Nationale), together with the Italian Carabinieri Corps (Arma dei Carabinieri), the Austrian Federal Police (Bundespolizei), the Finnish Police (Poliisi) and the Estonian Police (Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet).

The international coordination was carried out by Europol who brought together in 2017 the national investigators who have since been working closely together. Since then, Europol has provided continuous intelligence development and analysis to support the field investigators.

This operation was carried out in the framework of the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT).

https://www.europol.europa.eu/newsroom/news/six-arrested-for-armed-robberies-of-jewellery-shops-across-europe

Interior Department Celebrates Flag Day by Raising ‘Progress Pride’ Flag

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland celebrated Flag Day on Monday by hoisting the “Progress Pride” flag above the Interior building in Washington, DC.

“Today we celebrate love,” Haaland wrote on social media with a picture of the flag. “For the first time ever, the Progress Pride Flag is raised over Interior. Happy Pride!”

The Progress Pride flag is a revised version of the gay pride rainbow flag, including black and brown stripes to represent gay, lesbian, transgender, and intersex people of color, as well as the colors of the pink and baby blue transgender flag.

Haaland went to the roof of the building herself to hoist the flag above the headquarters of the Interior.

It is unclear if Haaland intentionally featured the Progress Pride Flag on Flag Day, a day set to honor the American flag.

Biden issued a proclamation Friday, ordering the American flag to be flown on all government buildings June 14.

“Since the adoption of the Stars and Stripes, Americans — and people around the world — have continuously looked to our flag as a symbol of unity and liberty,” he wrote in his proclamation.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/06/14/interior-department-celebrates-flag-day-raising-progress-pride-flag/

Texas Power Grid Operator ERCOT Issues Conservation Alert, Asks Texans to Raise Thermostats, Unplug Appliances to Avoid Blackouts

Here we go…

Texas power grid operator ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) issued a conservation alert on Monday

ERCOT manages electric power to more than 26 million Texas customers and represents 90% of the state’s electric load, according to the company.

ERCOT told customers to raise thermostats to 78 degrees or higher, turn off lights, avoid using ovens, washing machines and dryers, and unplug appliances if possible.

“Tight grid conditions expected due to high number of forced generation outages” ERCOT said in a press release.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is asking Texans to reduce electric use as much as possible today through Friday, June 18. A significant number of forced generation outages combined with potential record electric use for the month of June has resulted in tight grid conditions.

Generator owners have reported approximately 11,000 MW of generation is on forced outage for repairs; of that, approximately 8,000 MW is thermal and the rest is intermittent resources. According to the summer Seasonal Assessment of Resource Adequacy, a typical range of thermal generation outages on hot summer days is around 3,600 MW. One MW typically powers around 200 homes on a summer day.

“We will be conducting a thorough analysis with generation owners to determine why so many units are out of service,” said ERCOT Vice President of Grid Planning and Operations Woody Rickerson. “This is unusual for this early in the summer season.”

According to generation owners, the number of outages should decrease throughout the week.

Wind output for today is expected to be 3,500 to 6,000 MW between 3 and 9 p.m. This is roughly 1,500 MW lower than what is typically available for peak conditions. Wind output is expected to increase as the week goes on.

Today’s peak load forecast may exceed 73,000 MW. The peak demand record for June is 69,123 MW set on June 27, 2018 between 4 and 5 p.m.

ERCOT suggested Texans take “simple actions” to hep reduce electric use:

Set your thermostat to 78 degrees or higher – every degree of cooling increases your energy use by six to eight percent.

Turn off lights and pool pumps and avoid using large appliances like ovens, washing machines and dryers.

If you don’t need something – we are asking you to turn it off and unplug it if possible.

ERCOT’s conservation alert comes after the power grid in Texas failed during an unusual cold snap in February.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/06/texas-power-grid-operator-ercot-issues-conservation-alert-asks-texans-raise-thermostats-unplug-appliances-avoid-blackouts/

AZ Audit: Hand Recount Will be COMPLETE TODAY – Senate President Karen Fann and Wyoming Officials Tour Floor – Rumblings of Future State Audits

The hand counting portion of the Arizona Audit is finally concluding with the last boxes of ballots on the floor. Audit officials have been replacing hand-counting tables with forensic imaging tables in order to expedite that section of the full forensic audit.

Additionally, HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP!

More tours are planned for today and more audits may start as soon as July!

We should have a hand count result in about a week and with the discrepancies found so far, it does not look like we will find all 2.1 million ballots certified in Maricopa County. At least, that is what we are hearing.

If we do not find the ballots, we do not have evidence that Joe Biden was the legitimate winner of Arizona. On Saturday, former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens told The Gateway Pundit that, if there are not enough ballots in Arizona, legislators must stand up and decertify the results.

We can expect a Freight Train of Audits to be in full steam with more states touring, and more audits potentially starting up next month.

Today, tours will be given to Arizona state Senate President Karen Fann and a delegation from Wyoming.

ALL 50 STATES need to come to Arizona to see this process and consider replicating it to secure their elections.

Why are our public servants not doing everything in their power to ensure our elections are safe?

It seems as though their reelection would depend on it unless they are possibly benefitting from a stolen election?

We are keeping our eyes on two states, Pennsylvania and Georgia, which may start audits as early as next month.

In Georgia, there will be a court hearing next Monday for Fulton County’s ballots. An audit of Fulton County, Georgia absentee ballots could start within 2 or 3 weeks after as Georgia elections expert Garland Favorito told TGP. But that is only if there is no more delay in the courts.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/06/az-audit-hand-recount-will-complete-today-senate-president-karen-fann-wyoming-officials-tour-floor-rumblings-future-state-audits/

REPORT: Several Hundred Thousand Maricopa County Ballots Missing, Boxes Identified With Totally Blank Ballots

I give this report from the audit in Maricopa County, Arizona, a little more weight for two reasons: First, Patrick Howley is generally accurate in his reporting by disposition; and second, the source of the information is on record, not anonymous.

If this reporting turns out to be accurate, this will be an explosive development. However, that said, if this report is accurate… this is likely the reason why Maricopa County officials have been fighting the audit, hiring lawyers and positioning themselves in an attempt to undermine the chain-of-custody of the ballots.

Remember, the county Board of Supervisors would not let the State Senate audit take place in their tabulations center. In an effort to block and stall the audit, the county officials forced the audit organizers to transfer the tabulation machines and truckloads of ballots to the Veterans Coliseum. Then the board of supervisors held closed-door meetings (shutting out the public) with their lawyers.

ARIZONA – Several hundred thousand votes that were counted in Maricopa County, Arizona are associated with missing ballots, according to an audit organizer who is speaking regularly with people on the audit floor.

“We found a ballot shortage, anywhere from 5 to 10 percent of the votes,” Josh Barnett, an audit organizer who led the affidavit drive to make the audit happen, tells NATIONAL FILE. “It looks like a couple hundred thousand ballots are unaccounted for. The ballots are missing.”

“I also know that there were boxes filled with blank ballots in those pallets. There were blanks in there,” Barnett said, citing a person who is frequently at the audit site as part of the audit process. “They (election officials) were doing it for appearance, to try to hide the fact that ballots are missing by saying, ‘It’s okay, they’re all right here.’ But the ballots are blank.” (read more)

Immediately after meeting with lawyers in April, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors then started looking to the feds for help. According to media reports at the time democratic party election groups sent hundreds of lawyers to the audit once it started.

Last month the Board of Supervisors and county election officials refused to attend a state senate hearing on the audit status. Arizona GOP Chairwoman Kelli Ward noted the Maricopa Board of Supervisors (BoS) was engaging in a propaganda war against the people of Arizona and the State Senate.

The propaganda was further evidenced when the Board of Supervisors sent the media a copy of the 13-page letter they claim to have sent to the Arizona Senate. However, AZ Senate President Karen Fann said she had never even see the letter. [LINK] The BoS sent the letter to the media before they sent it to the AZ Senate. Yeah, propaganda.

If there are actually hundreds of thousands of ballots missing, or even several thousand ballots, that is obviously a very big deal.

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2021/06/14/report-several-hundred-thousand-maricopa-county-ballots-missing-boxes-identified-with-totally-blank-ballots/

Arms Sales: What Americans Know About Bombs Dropped in Our Name

By the time citizens hear about a sale, the export licenses are already approved and Boeing factories are churning out weapons we’ve never heard of, writes Danaka Katovich.

At some point before the summer of 2018, an arms deal from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia was sealed and delivered. A 227kg laser-guided bomb made by Lockheed Martin, one of many thousands, was part of that sale.

On Aug 9, 2018, one of those Lockheed Martin bombs was dropped on a school bus full of Yemeni children. They were on their way to a field trip when their lives came to a sudden end. Amidst shock and grief, their loved ones would learn that Lockheed Martin was responsible for creating the bomb that murdered their children.

What they might not know is that the United States government (the president and the State Department) approved the sale of the bomb that killed their children, in the process enriching Lockheed Martin, which makes millions in profits from arms sales every year.

While Lockheed Martin profited from the death of 40 Yemeni children that day, top United States weapons companies continue to sell weapons to repressive regimes around the world, killing countless more people in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and more. And in many cases, the United States public has no idea this is being done in our name to benefit the largest private companies in the world.

Now, the newest $735 million in precision-guided weapons that are being sold to Israel are destined to have a similar fate. The news about this sale broke in the midst of Israel’s most recent assault on Gaza that killed over 200 Palestinians. When Israel attacks Gaza, it does so with U.S.-made bombs and warplanes.

If we condemn the abhorrent destruction of life that occurs when Saudi Arabia or Israel kills people with U.S.-manufactured weapons, what can we do about it?

Arms sales are confusing. Every once in a while, a news story will break about a certain weapons sale from the United States to some other country across the globe that is worth millions, or even billions of dollars. And as Americans, we virtually have no say in where the bombs that say “MADE IN THE USA” go. By the time we hear about a sale, the export licenses are already approved and Boeing factories are churning out weapons we’ve never even heard of.

How Arms Sales Work

Even for people who consider themselves well informed about the military-industrial complex find themselves getting lost in the web of procedure and timing of weapons sales. There is a gross lack of transparency and information made available to the American peoples. Generally, here’s how arms sales work:

There is a period of negotiation that takes place between a country that wants to buy weapons and either the U.S. government or a private company like Boeing or Lockheed Martin.

After a deal is reached, the State Department is required by the Arms Export Control Act to notify Congress. After the notification is received by Congress, they have 15 or 30 days to introduce and pass a Resolution of Joint Disapproval to block the issuance of the export license. The amount of days depends on how close the United States is with the country buying the weapons.

For Israel, NATO countries, and a few others, Congress has 15 days to block the sale from going through. Anyone familiar with Congress’s arduous way of doing things may realize that 15 days is not really enough time to carefully consider whether selling millions/billions of dollars in weapons is in the political interest of the United States.

https://consortiumnews.com/2021/06/14/arms-sales-what-americans-know-about-bombs-dropped-in-our-name/

https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1404525974776131595

BIDEN: “Please, please get vaccinated as soon as possible. We've had enough pain."

"Operation Ceasefire" Results in Over 60 Arrests

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edar/pr/operation-ceasefire-results-over-60-arrests

Mescalero man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of a child

https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/mescalero-man-pleads-guilty-sexual-abuse-child

Biden regime makes boldest move in history of America to ban, register firearms using federal bureaucracy

When Democratic presidential contenders like Beto O’Rourke say they are going after our guns, they mean it. When Democratic presidential contenders say they are pro-Second Amendment and pro-Constitution, they are lying.

Both of these facts have been proven anew thanks to a heinous new rule introduced this week by the Biden regime.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives believes it has the authority to confiscate, ban and register an entire class of firearms — tens of millions of them, in fact — without ever consulting Congress.

The rule seeks to ‘regulate’ the use of (ban) so-called “Stabilizing Braces” — attachments to sporting pistols like those chambered for the AR-15 round to make them easier (and safer) to fire by essentially turning them into rifles.

So why that suddenly makes a difference to these gun grabbing sons 0f you-know-whats is beyond us, given that actual AK and AR-style rifles will (for now) not be affected.

According to a fact sheet about the rule from SB Tactical, the rule, called, “Factoring Criteria for Firearms with Attached ‘Stabilizing Braces,’” is the second attempt by the agency to regulate the devices, the first rule having been withdrawn in December 2020 ahead of Biden’s expected ascendency into the Oval Office, which happened only because Democrats stole Donald Trump’s reelection victory.

“The [Notice of Proposed Rule Making] proposes amending the definition of the term ‘rifle,’ as contained in 27 CFR §§ 478.11 and 479.11, to ‘clarify that the term “rifle” includes any weapon with a rifled barrel and equipped with an attached ‘stabilizing brace’ that has objective design features and characteristics that indicate that the firearm is designed to be fired from the shoulder, as indicated on ATF Worksheet 4999,” the fact sheet begins.

“ATF explains that the purpose of the amendments would be to target attachments to pistols that the agency contends are designed to evade restrictions imposed by the Gun Control Act and the National Firearms Act,” which limits the size of shotguns and rifles, the fact sheet continues.

“While ATF acknowledges that some stabilizing braces are intended to assist those with disabilities or limited strength to fire pistols, ATF argues that the intent of many such braces is effectively to convert pistols into unregulated short-barreled rifles (SBRs),” says the fact sheet — a contention that makes no sense given that a) any firearm is ‘regulated’ in that every buyer must be cleared to purchase one; and b) making a short-barreled rifle into a rifle makes it (anyone?) a rifle.

So what’s the issue? Well, the issue is the Biden regime sees stabilizing braces as a way to get the camel’s nose under the tent of broader regulation and eventually registration and banning of all “assault weapon” types of rifles, and against the people’s will. Always remember, Democrats will never be ‘finished’ taking away guns until they can take away all of them, the Second Amendment be damned.

https://patriotrising.com/red-alert-biden-regime-makes-boldest-move-in-history-of-america-to-ban-register-firearms-using-federal-bureaucracy/

Why no one in America was arrested as part of Operation Ironside

Users of an encrypted app in the United States had their messages protected from a global police sting that brought down hundreds of alleged Australian criminals, a US court document reveals.

Key points:

More than 4,000 law enforcement officers were involved in Operation Ironside in Australia

US court papers show the FBI had help from Australia and an unnamed third country

Experts say Australia's involvement highlights weak privacy and human rights laws

Operation Ironside — known internationally as Trojan Horse — used encrypted messaging service AN0M to lure criminals into revealing their secrets to police in a three-year global collaboration between the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The app was used by organised crime gangs around the world to plan executions, mass drug importations and money laundering.

In Australia 251 alleged offenders were charged after raids across the country seized $45 million in assets and cash and almost 4 tonnes of drugs.

A document filed in the US District Court showed the FBI — with help from Australia and an unnamed third country — was spying on millions of messages in over 90 countries as part of the operation.

However, FBI agents were not allowed to download or read any messages sent from AN0M accounts in the United States because of privacy laws.

President of the NSW Council of Civil Liberties Pauline Wright said the US had "pretty strict protections around human rights and privacy" which Australia did not have.

"It illustrates that Australia is an outlier in terms of protections for human rights and civil liberties," she said.

"It seems to be the reason that Australia has been co-opted and used in this operation simply because we don't have those protections."

The unsealed court document is an FBI agent's affidavit supporting an application for a warrant to access a US Gmail account and gives more details about the arrangements between the FBI and the AFP.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-15/no-one-in-america-arrested-in-operation-ironside/100213036

Scott Morrison says he won’t answer the ABC’s questions on his ties to QAnon

Scott Morrison has slammed the ABC after it examined his close friend’s involvement in QAnon and claims he said he could influence the PM.

The Prime Minister has slammed the ABC’s “baseless conspiracy theories” over claims he was influenced by old family friends linked to the QAnon cult to refer to “ritual sex abuse” or that he planned to holiday with the couple in Hawaii during the bushfires.

The ABC’s Four Corners program examined the QAnon cult on Monday night and the involvement of a Sydney man Tim Stewart, whose activities have divided his own family and prompted his own sister to dob him in to the national terror hotline.

Mr Morrison and his wife, Jenny have been family friends with Mr Stewart and his wife Lynelle since the 1990s.

Jenny Morrison previously employed Lynelle Stewart at Kirribilli in a taxpayer-funded job. Both women were bridesmaids at each others’ weddings and Mr Stewart has posted pictures of himself at Kirribilli on social media.

According to Four Corners, the Stewart family also told Mr Stewart’s mother that they planned to holiday in Hawaii with the Morrison family in 2019.

“Tim and Lynelle were just sharing that there was a holiday planned in Hawaii, and my impression was that there was a holiday planned in Hawaii, and my impression was it was going to be quite a few families, which would include many who’ve been going to Hawaii for years,’’ Val Stewart said.

“Scott and Jenny were going to go as well. That was … that was mentioned. Scott and Jenny were going to go.”

Four Corners reported that the Prime Minister was forced to cut short his trip after a public backlash that he had secretly gone on holidays during the bushfires, on the same day as Tim Stewart’s family flew to Hawaii.

News.com.au has contacted the Prime Minister’s office for comment. Government sources claimed the Morrison family had not planned to holiday with the couple despite both flying to Hawaii around the same time.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister said he did not plan to answer questions raised by the ABC program.

The Party Games newsletter Get your political briefing from news.com.au's political editor Samantha Maiden.

“The Government will not be responding to the baseless conspiracy theories being peddled by Four Corners,’’ the Prime Minister’s spokesman told news.com.au.

https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/scott-morrison-says-he-wont-answer-the-abcs-questions-on-his-ties-to-qanon/news-story/2d00165b5e9ba5ee83a843bb96c746da

American Marxists, Take Your Fictitious Systemic Racism and White Privilege and Shove It

Over the past fifty years, the Marxist-inspired American Left has been hellbent on trying to convince the citizenry that the United States is and always has been a malevolent nation due to “systemic racism” and “white privilege.” According to their agitprop, the European branch of the Caucasian race (or more contemptuously, “Whites”) has, since the dawn of recorded history, been the principal promoters and beneficiaries of slavery and repression throughout the world. Those members of this villainous race who settled in this country over the past 400 years are responsible for imposing never-ending racism and inequity on the American continent.

Therefore, the current white population must openly confess their collective guilt and seek forgiveness. Additionally, and in light of this demonic legacy, every American of any race should be mortified to be a citizen of such vile irredeemable country and its historic roots in Judeo-Christian dogma.

Not coincidentally, this same American Left, or as Mark Levin more accurately labels them, American Marxists, have declared that there is a path toward national redemption and a mechanism to forever erase the stain of “white privilege” and “systemic racism.” It is for the American Marxists (almost entirely populated by members of the white race) to assume the reins of power in perpetuity and transform the nation into a one-party secular socialist paradise. Their permanent ascendancy to the top of the governing pyramid would be the only means for those members of the White race that are not part of the enlightened and ruling left to be granted absolution.

The American Marxists are apparently confident that a majority of Americans of the White race and European heritage are easily gulled, susceptible to guilt and shame and are willing to stand aside as the nation is transformed.

Well, I am a member of the Caucasian race and of European heritage, I am a naturalized citizen of the United States, and I am a Christian. I am extraordinarily proud of being all the above. Further, even if I knew who my ancestors were, I do not have a scintilla of guilt nor do I care about what they may or may not have done over the centuries. Nor am I about to roll over and allow the wannabe autocrats and their dimwitted acolytes in the American Marxist movement to use fictitious “systemic racism” and “white privilege” as vehicles to transform the nation.

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2021/06/american_marxists_take_your_fictitious_systemic_racism_and_white_privilege_and_shove_it.html

Military Whistleblower: Giant ‘Black Lives Matter’ Flag Hung at U.S. Base in Africa

A giant Black Lives Matter (BLM) flag was allowed to be prominently displayed at the barracks of a U.S. naval installation in Africa, according to an allegation by a military whistleblower to Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR).

The complaint was submitted through a whistleblower complaint page set him by the senator and Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) for service members to report examples of bias against conservatives in the military.

The whistleblower wrote that while deployed to a combat zone in Africa, there was a giant Black Lives Matter flag displayed at a U.S. naval installation. The whistleblower, who name was withheld, wrote:

In the barracks area of the installation, a massive BLM flag had been hung from the third story of the barracks, draping over both the second and first rows under it. The flag was probably fifty feet long, by fifteen feet wide. In addition to this, there were many service members that were wearing BLM t-shirts that sported additional BLM slogans, doo rags, and hats, all with BLM plastered on them. I am opposed to the BLM movement for many reasons, and seeing a constant reminder of this group daily, was offensive and distracting to me, especially in a combat zone. I also feel that it is a very politically driven and polarizing group, that has no business being advertised on a military base. There were also multiple people that I worked with, that felt the same way as I did about the group. I asked an individual that had influence on the base and with the base commander, why this was being allowed. He said it was the view of the commander that this movement was not political, and non-partisan, therefore, he had no issue with its advertisement. I asked him then if it would be ok if a hung a massive make America great again trump 2020 flag, and wore hats and memorabilia for the MAGA movement. He told me that would not be allowed, as that would be a very political statement, and cause a lot of offense to some people. I told him this seemed very one sided and hypocritical, and he said it was the commanders [sic] decision, and not his. I share this because I don’t think it was right then, or now, that there is such a double standard, when it comes to these issues. I felt powerless to affect any change, and just had to try and let it go and deal with it everyday.

There is no date for the complaint given. However, under current Pentagon policy updated July 2020, the Black Lives Matter flag would not be allowed to be displayed anywhere on a military installation.

This was one of about 30 other complaints Cotton submitted for the record during a recent Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday.

Cotton said during the hearing he and Crenshaw have received “hundreds” of complaints since they set up the web page just a few weeks ago.

The other complaints Cotton submitted contain instances where soldiers were forced to watch videos of systemic racism.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/06/14/military-whistleblower-giant-black-lives-matter-flag-hung-us-base-africa/

Mayor Fully Opens Up D.C. in Time for Pride Crowd: ‘We Are the Gayest City in America’

The nation’s capital has been suffering for almost 18 months under harsh coronavirus lockdown protocol but D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser opened up the city just in time for the LGBT annual Pride event.

“Muriel Bowser delivered remarks at the rally, condemning recent legislation in other states’ that’s taken aim at the rights of LGBTQ+ students and calling on D.C. to be an model of acceptance [sic],” the DCist reported.

“We are going to make sure that D.C. is a leader in LGBTQ issues,” Bowser said. “I’ve had the privilege of going literally around the world to tell people that we are the gayest city in America. That requires us to take on that position of leadership to tell other cities what they should be doing.”

This year’s Pride parade was for vehicles only, but photos accompanying the DCist story show large crowds in close proximity, most without masks.

The DCist, which is under the umbrella of the tax-payer funded National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate WAMU, reported according to the LGBT agenda by using “preferred pronouns” that don’t correspond with biological sex or even one individual:

For Andie U., coming out to D.C.’s pride celebration on Saturday was special — and not just because it marked an in-person return to the exuberance of the day that was lost to the pandemic last year.

“I feel like I could cry just being out here,” said Andie, who declined to give their last name. Raised in a conservative household, Andie hasn’t come out about their gender identity or sexuality yet to their parents, who immigrated to the U.S. from Peru. “I’ve had to hide who I am for almost 20 years. I feel like I can scream that I’m queer and not be terrified anymore, and it’s just wonderful.”

Breitbart News reported that another politician also joined the Pride event:

During her appearance, Harris spoke to those in attendance and called for the Senate to pass the Equality Act, legislation the U.S. House of Representatives passed in February which would eliminate the legal definition of biological sex, cater to gender ideology, and designate protection for the unborn as “pregnancy” discrimination.

“We need to pass the Equality Act,” Harris said. “We need to make sure that our transgender community and our youth are all protected. We need still protections around employment and housing.”

The @SecondGentleman and I stopped by Capital Pride today! pic.twitter.com/vjx1k9DD5z

— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) June 12, 2021

“The weekend of festivities comes as D.C. officially ends all pandemic-era restrictions on nightclubs and bars – meaning businesses can pack however many people they’d like Saturday night, as the celebrations continue,” the DCist reported.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/06/14/mayor-fully-opens-time-pride-crowd-gayest-city-america/

CDC Holding Emergency Meeting over Cases of Heart Inflammation Disorder in Young Coronavirus Vaccine Recipients

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is holding an “emergency meeting” next week, June 18, to discuss cases of heart inflammation disorders among young people after receiving a vaccine for the Chinese coronavirus.

A CDC presentation via the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) detailed the preliminary findings in a slideshow presentation on vaccine safety updates for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), although it notes the findings and conclusions “do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).”

One of the topics covered was the emergence of myocarditis and pericarditis following mRNA vaccinations, reporting 475 cases in patients younger than 30.

However, according to the presentation, 226 of the 475 case reports actually “meet CDC working case definition; follow-up and review are in progress for remaining reports.”

“[Two hundred eighty five] of 475 case reports had known disposition at the time of report review,” the report reads, noting that 270 patients have been discharged, and 15 are still hospitalized, with three remaining in the intensive care unit.

“It’s a bit of an apples-to-oranges comparison because, again, these are preliminary reports,” Dr. Tom Shimabukuro, a CDC vaccine safety official, said. “Not all these will turn out to be true myocarditis or pericarditis reports.”

As the Hill noted, “a causal link to mRNA vaccines and heart inflammation issues has yet to be established, and health officials maintain the benefits of receiving the critical shot outweigh the risks.”

Those non-traditional vaccines are different in that they prompt the cell to create a “spike protein,” thereby triggering an immune response in the body.

Notably, Pfizer is now working on clinical trials of the vaccine in children 6 months to 11 years old. Moderna, the other mRNA vaccination, has filed for Emergency Use Authorization for its coronavirus vaccine in adolescents.

“We are pleased to announce that we have submitted for an emergency use authorization for our COVID-19 [Chinese coronavirus] vaccine with the FDA for use in adolescents in the United States,” Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna, said in a June 10 statement:

We are encouraged that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was highly effective at preventing COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 infection in adolescents. We have already filed for authorization with Health Canada and the European Medicines Agency and we will file with regulatory agencies around the world for this important younger age population. We remain committed to helping to end the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the CDC, over 173 million people in the U.S. have received at least one dose of a vaccine, representing 52.4 percent of the population. Of those, over 74 million of those considered “fully” vaccinated got the Pfizer shot, over 57 million got the Moderna shot, and over 11 million went for the Johnson & Johnson option.

https://www.breitbart.com/health/2021/06/14/cdc-holding-emergency-meeting-over-cases-of-heart-inflammation-disorder-young-coronavirus-vaccine-recipients/

Madeleine McCann suspect breaks silence to slam investigation

The prime suspect in Madeleine McCann’s disappearance has broken his silence, calling the investigation an “unbelievable scandal” and ridiculing prosecutors in Germany for continuing to zero in on him despite failing to bring charges.

German national Christian Brückner, 44, accused prosecutors of persecuting him in a handwritten statement released Monday from prison, where he’s serving time for the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old woman in the same area of Portugal where the British toddler went missing, the Telegraph reported.

“Charging someone with a crime is one thing. It is something completely different, namely an unbelievable scandal, when a public prosecutor starts a public prejudicial campaign before proceedings are even opened,” he said.

“You have proved worldwide, through arbitrary convictions in the past and through scandalous prejudicial campaigns in the present, that you are unsuitable for the office of an ‘advocate for the honest and German people who trust in justice,’ and that you bring shame to the German legal system.”

Brückner — who lived abroad in southern Portugal for more than a decade — was named as the prime suspect last year in the disappearance of Madeleine, a 3-year-old girl who vanished from her bedroom during a family vacation there in 2007.

German prosecutors have said they have “concrete evidence” she is dead and are treating the case as a murder, though no remains have ever been found.

“If you knew the evidence we had, you would come to the same conclusion as I do,” Braunschweig state prosecutor Hans Christian Wolte told the BBC.

“I can’t promise, I can’t guarantee that we have enough to bring a charge, but I’m very confident because what we have so far doesn’t allow any other conclusion at all.”

Along with his handwritten statement Monday, Brückner included a drawing of the prosecutors in a restaurant ordering a “fillet of forensic” — a reference to prosecutors’ acknowledgment that they don’t have “forensic evidence” tying him to the case, the Telegraph reported.

Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry, have remained hopeful over the years that they would find their daughter alive.

“All we have ever wanted is to find her, uncover the truth and bring those responsible to justice,” her parents said in a statement last year.

“We will never give up hope of finding Madeleine alive but whatever the outcome may be, we need to know as we need to find peace.”

https://nypost.com/2021/06/14/madeleine-mccann-suspect-christian-bruckner-breaks-silence/

>>13903165

Turn DC into a museum, people can go visit the failed foreign capital