Supreme Court Ends Dems Attempt To See If Trump Lied To Mueller

The Supreme Court just ended the Democrats’ attempt to continue the Russia-Trump witch-hunt.

The Supreme Court vacated earlier rulings and denied congressional Democrats records from the Mueller investigation’s grand jury proceedings.

CNN reported:

Congressional Democrats’ years-long attempt to nail down whether then-President Donald Trump lied to special counsel Robert Mueller effectively ended on Friday, with the US Supreme Court wiping away court decisions where the House Judiciary Committee was told it could access secret grand jury records from key witnesses in the Mueller investigation.

The House now won’t get those grand jury records — bringing to a close Democrats’ pursuit of what witnesses in the Mueller investigation said confidentially under oath about their interactions with Trump and others during the 2016 campaign.

Since 2019, the Judiciary Committee had sought access to records from the Mueller investigation’s grand jury proceedings, which were cited in Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 election. The House had repeatedly said it wanted the records so it could consider whether to impeach Trump for attempting to obstruct the Russia investigation, which Mueller also documented.

But over the past two years, the fight plodded through the court system, with the Justice Department under Trump unsuccessfully arguing to block the release of the grand jury documents. The Supreme Court initially had agreed to hear the case, but then delayed it following Trump’s loss of the presidency in November.

As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, the Mueller investigation took over two years and spent tens of millions of dollars trying to find a crime while harassing the President the entire time.

It came up empty.

President Trump was completely exonerated by Attorney General Bill Barr and the Mueller Report on Thursday. Democrats, the liberal media and GOP elites were hurt the most.

Mueller’s team of angry Democrats spent over two years looking and hoping to find a crime to no avail.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/07/supreme-court-ends-dems-attempt-see-trump-lied-mueller/

Israeli Merchant Ship Hit With "Unknown Weapons" In Persian Gulf

Initial reports from Hezbollah-affiliated news publication Al-Mayadeen claim an Israeli cargo ship "was hit by an unknown weapon in the northern Indian Ocean." However, Reuters reports the vessel was on its way from Jeddah to the United Arab Emirates during the incident.

Israeli defence officials were checking whether an Israeli-owned cargo ship was attacked on Saturday by Iranian forces on its way from Jeddah to the United Arab Emirates, Israel's N12 Television News reported.

The crew was not hurt and the ship was not badly damaged, N12 said, citing unnamed sources within Israel's defence establishment. Lebanese pro-Iranian TV channel Al Mayadeen had reported earlier that the ship was attacked in the Indian Ocean.

Israeli news Ynet said the "ship that was attacked is CSAV TYNDALL, which is partly owned by the Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer."

According to The Jerusalem Post's Anna Ahronheim, Al-Mayadeen reports indicate the Israeli owned cargo ship attack "is in retaliation for an attack on Iranian nuclear site that damaged centrifuge production."

There are still no reliable images of the incident that we can find at this moment. Several images that have been posted on Twitter appear to be fake.

We should note a past bombshell report in The Wall Street Journal in March showed how Israel bombed dozens of Iranian oil tankers.

It's evident by now that Israeli and Iranian ships have both been bombed in regular attacks this year in a dangerous game of battleship.

*This story is still developing…

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/israeli-merchant-ship-attacked-indian-ocean-lebanese-news-reports

FF?

France Probes Fashion Retailers For Concealing "Crimes Against Humanity" In China

The government of France has opened an investigation into several fashion giants suspected of profiting off of Muslim Uyghur labor in China's Xinjiang region, including specific efforts of concealing "crimes against humanity."

French prosecutors are probing four companies, identified by French media website Mediapart as Uniqlo France, a unit of Japan's Fast Retailing, Zara owner Inditex, France's SMCP and Skechers.

The investigation will examine allegations the fashion retailers profited off of forced labor, which has been for years documented as part of Chinese communist authorities' network of 're-education camps'. "An investigation has been opened by the crimes against humanity unit within the antiterrorism prosecutor's office following the filing of a complaint," a source privy to the probe was cited in AFP as saying.

Among the French NGO's who initiated the lawsuit take up by the prosecutor's office further said, "Multinationals must not profit, with impunity, from the forced labour of Uyghurs."

While Beijing officials have in the past admitted to running 'rehabilitation' camps to "combat extremism" and what they alternately call job training sites, the US has long condemned the Uyghurs prisons, which are also widely believed to be massive forced labor camps. China has long denied these charges, instead accusing the West of meddling in its affairs and fabricating allegations.

So far the companies issuing public statement have strongly rejected the accusations, also vowing to fully cooperate with any investigation while noting "rigorous" traceability and sourcing controls in place:

Fast Retailing said in a statement from Tokyo that it had not been contacted by French authorities and that none of its production partners are located in Xinjiang.

"If and when notified, we will cooperate fully with the investigation to reaffirm there is no forced labour in our supply chains," it said.

"French prosecutors have opened an investigation into four fashion retailers suspected of concealing 'crimes against humanity' in China's Xinjiang region" – a reference to the Chinese government's pervasive use of Uyghur Muslim forced labor. https://t.co/SPvMWEdNFa pic.twitter.com/FCWbBgMvUt

— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) July 2, 2021

Meanwhile there remains the likelihood of significant negative repercussions for French companies in China on the mere basis of the government opening the probe.

As Reuters notes, "Several Western brands including H&M, Burberry and Nike have been hit by consumer boycotts in China after raising concerns about reports of forced labour in Xinjiang."

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/france-probes-fashion-giants-concealing-crimes-against-humanity-china

The Covid Cult Has Been Slowly Killing America’s Economy And There’s Not Much Time Left

Sometimes it’s important to step away from a problem in order to better understand it. I recently went on a trip across the Pacific Northwest to revisit some old stomping grounds and to take a break from the often disconcerting developments of today’s world, at least for a little while. We all need a vacation from the information war at times, and though I was happy for the rest, I am also happy to be back. After traveling on the road across four states I was able to gauge the general condition of the US in terms of the social and economic effects of the pandemic mandates and covid propaganda. I have some good news, and some bad news…

The good news is that the propaganda has not been all that effective in most places. The overall picture looks something like this:

In the majority of rural and semi-rural areas, as well as cities in red counties regardless of the state, the majority of people were NOT wearing masks and the bulk of businesses were not demanding that people wear them. The vaccine ads and propaganda were also at a minimum. This includes Washington State and Oregon, which have been notorious lately for their draconian restrictions. While Washington has technically lifted mandates (starting only a couple days ago), the pressure to vaccinate is ever present there. Oregon was the worst state I passed through in terms of business pressure and mob pressure, but even in most towns I visited the ratio of masked cultists to normal unmasked people was around 50/50.

Most of businesses I entered said nothing to me about not wearing a mask. And, so far there doesn’t seem to be any major push for vaccine passports, though, I suspect this will come soon enough.

It was only in or near progressive run cities like Portland and Seattle that covid controls were clearly present and oppressive. Near Portland, I saw numerous people wearing their masks outside and even in their own cars. It was truly bizarre, considering that it is almost impossible to catch a virus outside in open air and in sunlight (which is scientifically proven to kill microorganisms). Clearly, the leftists in these places are operating within their own little bubbles of ignorance and collectivism. Needless to say, I kept my time in Oregon to a bare minimum.

The strangest aspect of the whole mess is that WA and OR have relatively high rates of “vaccination”. The people religiously wearing masks have no doubt been vaccinated by now, so, either they must not actually believe in the effectiveness of the vaccines, or, they are wearing their masks anyway as a tool for virtue signaling. Luckily, this insane mentality has not spread much beyond the boundaries of metropolitan areas.

After all, covid infections and fatality rates have been plunging. They were plunging in red states which struck down mandates well before vaccines were released to the public. Why continue the charade?

https://alt-market.us/the-covid-cult-has-been-slowly-killing-americas-economy-and-theres-not-much-time-left/

‘Workplace deaths & dismissals scarier than Covid’: Labor unions hold massive rally in Seoul despite PM's warning

Around 8,000 members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) marched through downtown Seoul on Saturday, despite the prime minister’s warning that the gathering will cause a spike in Covid-19 cases.

The unions had planned to hold a rally in Yeouido, western Seoul, but they decided to gather at a new location after police attempted to block them from going to Yeouido by erecting barriers.

“We have gathered here to protect the lives and safe employment of workers,” KCTU chief Yang Kyung-soo, said during the rally, which lasted for about two hours, according to the Yonhap news agency.

The union members demanded that job cuts be stopped, the minimum wage be raised, and support be increased for workers affected by the lockdowns.

“Korea has the 9th-largest GDP among OECD member countries, but the lowest minimum wage. They are supporting [large corporations] by sucking the blood of small businesses and workers,” KCTU Vice Chairman Park Hee-eun said. KCTU reported that one person was arrested on the way back from the event.

On Thursday, the Seoul government postponed for at least a week its plan to lift some of the restrictions on outdoor rallies in the capital, due to the continuing rise in infections.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum urged the unions to postpone the rally due to Covid-19 restrictions and threatened the protesters with action if they failed to comply. “No matter how important the rights and freedoms are, one should not threaten the lives and safety of others,” the PM wrote in a statement on social media a day before the event. “The massive rally in the capital … is a dangerous act that can pour fuel on the fire in terms of the coronavirus.”

The unions rejected the PM’s plea. “What is scarier than infection are workplace deaths and dismissals, as well as the world of inequality and discrimination,” KCTU said in a statement to the media.

South Korea’s daily count of Covid-19 cases shot past 800 on Friday, which was the highest amount in nearly six months, according to Reuters. On Saturday, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported 748 locally transmitted and 46 imported cases, bringing their total number to 159,342.

https://www.rt.com/news/528308-seoul-labor-unions-rally/

Hacking attack forces Swedish supermarket chain with 800 stores to shut down

A major supermarket chain in Sweden has been forced to close most of its stores throughout the country after a hacking attack on its digital services provider broke its cash registers.

The Coop Sweden chain had to suspend most of the approximately 800 stores it operates nationwide. It said only shops in Varmland, Oskarshamn, Tabergsdalen, Norrbotten and on the island of Gotland were unaffected.

"We regret the situation and will do all we can to reopen swiftly," the cooperative said in a statement on its website.

The disruption started on Friday evening and persisted on Saturday, with a spokesman for the company telling Swedish media that the stores would likely remain closed throughout the day.

Some outlets linked the situation with a reported ransomware attack involving the Miami-based IT firm Kaseya, which happened on Friday. The US company offers digital management solutions for businesses and said it had to shut down its servers as a precaution to protect over 36,000 customers worldwide.

The company did not immediately report details of what had happened, but it was apparently the latest target of a so-called ‘supply chain’ attack. Its software was reportedly used to smuggle and execute ransomware code on customers’ networks. Kaseya said that fewer than 40 of its clients had been affected.

Ransomware encodes content on an infected system. The perpetrator then demands payment in exchange for an encryption key to restore the information. The incident in Sweden comes amid a series of high-profile ransomware attacks in recent weeks, with targets including meat processing company JBS and Colonial Pipeline agreeing to pay millions in ransom.

https://www.rt.com/news/528309-coop-sweden-supermarket-hackers/

11 People in Custody After Hourslong Armed Standoff on I-95

WAKEFIELD—An hours-long standoff with a group of heavily armed men that partially shut down Interstate 95 ended Saturday with 11 suspects in custody, Massachusetts state police said.

Police initially reported nine suspects were taken into custody, but two more were taken into custody in their vehicle later Saturday morning.

Two suspects were hospitalized, but police said it was for preexisting conditions that had nothing to do with the standoff.

Mass State Police Col. Christopher Mason said the suspects surrendered after police tactical teams used armored vehicles to tighten the perimeter around them.

The standoff shut down a portion of I-95 for much of the morning, causing major traffic problems during the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Authorities said the interstate is now reopened and the shelter-in-place orders for Wakefield and Reading were lifted.

In Massachusetts, Interstate 95 runs from the Rhode Island line, around Boston to the New Hampshire line. Wakefield is just east of where Interstate 95 and 93 meet north of Boston.

The standoff began around 2 a.m. when police noticed two cars pulled over on I-95 with hazard lights on after they had apparently run out of fuel, authorities said at a Saturday press briefing.

At least some of the suspects were clad in military-style gear with long guns and pistols, Mason said. He added that they were headed to Maine from Rhode Island for “training.”

“You can imagine 11 armed individuals standing with long guns slung on an interstate highway at 2 in the morning certainly raises concerns and is not consistent with the firearms laws that we have in Massachusetts,” Mason said.

He said he understood the suspects, who did not have firearms licenses, have a different perspective on the law.

“I appreciate that perspective,” he said “I disagree with that perspective at the end of the day, but I recognize that it’s there.”

The men refused to put down their weapons or comply with authorities’ orders, claiming to be from a group “that does not recognize our laws” before taking off into a wooded area, police said.

https://www.ntd.com/11-people-in-custody-after-hourslong-armed-standoff-on-i-95_637422.html

Private Gov’t Contractors Building Hellish Police State All at Taxpayers’ Expense

“When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.” ― Frédéric Bastiat, French economist

(TRI) If there is an absolute maxim by which the American government seems to operate, it is that the taxpayer always gets ripped off.

Not only are Americans forced to “spend more on state, municipal, and federal taxes than the annual financial burdens of food, clothing, and housing combined,” but we’re also being played as easy marks by hustlers bearing the imprimatur of the government.

With every new tax, fine, fee and law adopted by our so-called representatives, the yoke around the neck of the average American seems to tighten just a little bit more.

Everywhere you go, everything you do, and every which way you look, we’re getting swindled, cheated, conned, robbed, raided, pickpocketed, mugged, deceived, defrauded, double-crossed and fleeced by governmental and corporate shareholders of the American police state out to make a profit at taxpayer expense.

The overt and costly signs of the despotism exercised by the increasingly authoritarian regime that passes itself off as the United States government are all around us: warrantless surveillance of Americans’ private phone and email conversations by the FBI, NSA, etc.; SWAT team raids of Americans’ homes; shootings of unarmed citizens by police; harsh punishments meted out to schoolchildren in the name of zero tolerance; drones taking to the skies domestically; endless wars; out-of-control spending; militarized police; roadside strip searches; privatized prisons with a profit incentive for jailing Americans; fusion centers that collect and disseminate data on Americans’ private transactions; and militarized agencies with stockpiles of ammunition, to name some of the most appalling.

Meanwhile, the three branches of government (Executive, Legislative and Judicial) and the agencies under their command—Defense, Commerce, Education, Homeland Security, Justice, Treasury, etc.—have switched their allegiance to the Corporate State with its unassailable pursuit of profit at all costs and by any means possible.

freestar

By the time you factor in the financial blowback from the COVID-19 pandemic with its politicized mandates, lockdowns, and payouts, it becomes quickly apparent that we are now ruled by a government consumed with squeezing every last penny out of the population and seemingly unconcerned if essential freedoms are trampled in the process.

As with most things, if you want to know the real motives behind any government program, follow the money trail.

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/govt-contractors-building-police-state-taxpayers/