Today

Indonesia’s coffin makers struggle with demand as COVID-19 deaths continue to rise

Ari Rusmawan has worked as a coffin maker in East Jakarta for nine years.

Key points:

In the past week, Indonesia has averaged more than 1,000 deaths a day

Some coffin makers are working until late at night to keep up with demand

Crematoriums around Jakarta are also under increasing pressure

But for first time he and his colleagues are struggling to keep up with demand, overwhelmed with orders amid a surge of COVID-19 deaths in Indonesia.

Before the pandemic, they were producing no more than 10 coffins per day.

But now they've had to increase production to at least 30 coffins daily.

Indonesia has been dubbed the new epicentre for coronavirus as it battles with a surge of new infections and a climbing death toll caused by the Delta variant.

In the past week, the country has averaged 49,435 new cases and more than 1,000 deaths a day.

Its hospital system has struggled to keep up and now coffin makers and burial services have also fallen behind.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-21/coffin-makers-indonesia-covid-19-death-toll-delta-variant/100305964

13 Jan 2021

Indonesia is preparing to vaccinate up to 180 million people against COVID-19 in 15 months

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-13/indonesia-starts-rolling-out-jabs-of-chinas-covid-19-vaccine/13051430

Texas Reportedly Unveils Its Own Border Fence That Will 'Cut the Feds Out of the Equation'

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has reportedly launched the construction of his state’s own fence along the southern border in an effort to slow the border crisis and “cut the feds out of the equation.”

“I asked what a chain link fence is going to stop?” Fox L.A. reporter Bill Melugin tweeted on Tuesday. “Texas [Department of Public Safety] tells me the idea is to cut the feds out of the equation. No trespass signs allow them to arrest on local charges. Instead of calling Border Patrol, they will take migrants to jail for violating Texas law.”

https://www.westernjournal.com/texas-reportedly-unveils-border-fence-will-cut-feds-equation/

Former Falmouth Resident Pleads Guilty to Accessing Child Pornography

https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/pr/former-falmouth-resident-pleads-guilty-accessing-child-pornography

Sage Consulting Group, Inc. Agrees to Pay $4.8 Million to Settle Civil False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Act Allegations

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/sage-consulting-group-inc-agrees-pay-48-million-settle-civil-false-claims-act-and-anti

>>14162656

Russell-Jaye: Gould made reference to them rewinding repeatedly to influence the space time continuum

French police take down suspected cannibal after discovering teenager’s partially eaten head in a bucket

French police fatally shot a male suspect accused of cannibalism Monday morning following the grisly discovery of a decapitated and partially consumed head of a 13-year-old boy.

The suspect remains unidentified at the time of this reporting.

What are the details?

Authorities shot the 32-year-old suspect on Monday after arriving his Tarascon apartment following a call for what neighbors said appeared to be a dead body in a bag.

The child in question, which local authorities identify only as "Romain," reportedly had gone missing from a foster care home in Marseille, about 60 miles from the suspect's apartment. Authorities said the child had been on his way from his foster home to visit his mother, who was said to have lived on the same street as the suspect.

According to reports, authorities discovered a partially consumed head in a bucket near the suspect's apartment. Authorities discovered the body, reports added, in a bag with what appeared to be strips of flesh torn from the shoulder area.

Local authorities said the condition of the body sparked "suspicions of cannibalism."

The suspect reportedly fled as police approached his home, and began jumping from rooftop to rooftop in an effort to evade authorities. Police were ultimately able to catch up with the suspect and fatally shot him.

The mother, who remains unnamed at the time of this reporting, was reportedly heard screaming, "He killed my son! He killed my baby!" upon the horrific finding on her street.

What about the suspect?

Public prosecutor Laurent Gumbau said that the suspect, who reportedly had a psychiatric disorder and a history of mental illness, had past convictions for violent crimes.

Authorities added that the case is in preliminary stages of investigation, and stated that the dead suspect has not been formally identified as the teen's killer. Authorities also added that it is "impossible at the current time to confirm the hypothesis of anthropophagy" based on the current information available on the case.

Authorities continue to investigate the grisly murder.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/french-police-suspected-cannibal-head-in-bucket

US Federal Drug Enforcement Agent Arrested for Taking Part in Capitol Riot

US federal authorities charged a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent for taking part in the January 6 Capitol riot, the Justice Department said on Tuesday.

"[D]uring the course of the investigation into the events of January 6, 2021, law enforcement learned that Mark Sami Ibrahim of Orange County, California traveled to the District of Columbia, and participated," the department said in its criminal complaint to the US District Court in the District of Columbia.

Ibrahim was still a federal special agent at the time and was carrying his DEA-issued firearm. He had, several weeks before, given notice to the DEA of his intention to resign. He was on personal leave, was not on duty for the DEA and had no role as a law enforcement officer on the Capitol Grounds, the complaint acknowledged.

"According to Ibrahim’s friend, Ibrahim went to the rally in order to promote himself - Ibrahim had been thinking about his next move after leaving the DEA and wanted the protests to be his stage for launching a 'Liberty Tavern’ political podcast and cigar brand," the Justice Department said.

During the protest, Ibrahim posed for several photographs in which he flashed and displayed his DEA badge and firearm. Ibrahim’s friend took these photos at Ibrahim’s request. A video posted to the internet shows him carrying a flag with the words "Liberty or Death" inscribed, the complaint said.

https://sputniknews.com/us/202107201083425408-us-federal-drug-enforcement-agent-arrested-for-taking-part-in-capitol-riot/

Senior FBI Official Improperly Took Gifts From Journalists Amid Trump Investigation: DOJ Watchdog

The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) inspector general on Tuesday found that a former senior FBI official repeatedly violated the bureau’s policy by having unauthorized contact with the media.

The inspector general’s office, according to report, said the unnamed official had “received items of value from members of the media” and had “numerous unauthorized contacts with the media” between 2014 and 2016.

Describing the behavior as a violation of the FBI’s policy, the report said the FBI official had “unauthorized social engagements outside of FBI Headquarters involving drinks, lunches, and dinners.”

The official also accepted tickets from media members to two black-tie dinner events, including one valued at $300 and the other at $225. They also received transportation to the event from a reporter, who was not named, the report said.

“When later contacted by the [inspector general’s office] for a voluntary interview, the Senior FBI Official declined to be interviewed,” the office wrote, adding that it indeed has “the authority to compel testimony from current Department employees upon informing them that their statements will not be used to incriminate them in a criminal proceeding.”

But the office “does not have the authority to compel or subpoena testimony from former Department employees, including those who retire or resign during” the course of the investigation, the report said.

Although the inspector general’s report released Tuesday provided scant details, the findings are sure to bolster claims that some FBI and other U.S. intelligence officials have developed a cozy relationship with members of the media in recent years.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/mkt_app/senior-fbi-official-improperly-took-gifts-from-journalists-amid-trump-investigation-doj-watchdog_3910078.html?v=ul

Can the Biden Administration Censor the Internet Through Private Companies?

Misinformation has become one of the most abused words in contemporary dialogue. Any reasonable person should immediately raise red flags when someone shows concern to regulate “misinformation” as they are likely referring to simple narratives and content that they don’t like. This is why we should all be extremely concerned about the recent sentiments espoused by the Biden Administration to not only focus on misinformation but police it.

In particular, Press Secretary Jen Psaki stated that private companies like Facebook should do more to shut down “misinformation.” Not only does that risk opening up a slippery slope to even greater discretion for censorship down the line, but it raises potential constitutional questions and is by no means an appropriate area of intervention for the government.

The Constitutional Question

Online media services like Facebook and Twitter are protected from civil lawsuits on content moderation by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. The law was enacted with the purpose of allowing the internet sector to grow into a diverse and competitive market without being held back by constant lawsuits over content. It keeps the blame on the original author rather than the service merely acting as a platform or publisher. At the same time, it also allows firms to moderate content largely to their own discretion. Section 230 explicitly shields actors from civil liability for

“(A)ny action voluntarily taken in good faith to restrict access to or availability of material that the provider or user considers to be obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable, whether or not such material is constitutionally protected.”

Of course, while good faith and otherwise objectionable means is another debate, it has largely been interpreted to give interactive computer services near full discretion over content moderation. This may or may not change as lawsuits and reform efforts gain traction.

Asking Facebook and other social media companies to police “misinformation” can be theoretically challenged as unconstitutional under the state action requirement. Cornell Law explains,

“According to the Supreme Court in Edmonson v. Leesville Concrete Co., Inc., 500 U.S. 614 (1991), “Although the conduct of private parties lies beyond the Constitution’s scope in most instances, governmental authority may dominate an activity to such an extent that its participants must be deemed to act with the authority of the government and, as a result, be subject to constitutional constraints.””

The Court came to a similar conclusion in Norwood V. Harrison (1973), where it found that a Mississippi state program providing subsidized textbooks to a private school that engaged in discrimination to be unconstitutional. Supporting the discriminatory private school with public resources consequently categorized it as a state actor and therefore mandated that it follow the 14th Amendment requiring equal protection.

If the government can be shown to be sufficiently colluding with or coercing a private institution, the institution’s actions must follow the Constitution. This prevents the government from simply using a private actor for accomplishing otherwise unconstitutional ends. Although there has yet to be a successful lawsuit against social media companies with this argument, that may also be because there has never been as explicit of an edict from the state until now.

https://www.activistpost.com/2021/07/can-the-biden-administration-censor-the-internet-through-private-companies.html

Terry McAuliffe Rakes in Big Labor Cash After Right To Work Flip-Flop

Virginia Dem takes $2.2 million from top unions after pledging to sign repeal of popular labor law

Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe raked in millions of dollars from Big Labor after he vowed to sign a bill repealing the state's popular right-to-work law, a policy he once said should "never change."

Nearly 30 percent of McAuliffe's June fundraising haul—roughly $2.2 million—came from a slew of the nation's largest labor unions, the Democrat's most recent campaign finance report shows. The contributions began rolling in just weeks after McAuliffe pledged to sign a bill reversing Virginia's right-to-work law, which prohibits companies from requiring workers to pay union dues.

"If it came to my desk, sure I'd sign it," McAuliffe said in April after touting his status as the candidate with the "most international union support."

The assurance contradicts McAuliffe's unabashed praise for right to work during his first gubernatorial campaign. McAuliffe ran as a "moderate, pro-business Democrat" and repeatedly expressed his support for "keeping Virginia as a right-to-work state," going as far as to say the policy should never be repealed.

"We are a great right-to-work state. We should never change that," McAuliffe said in 2013. "It helps us do what we need to do to grow our businesses here in Virginia. I think it's very important."

McAuliffe's Big Labor donors include the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Service Employees International Union, and National Education Association, all of which combined to give the Democrat $1.3 million. The National Education Association's $400,000 contribution came one week after president Becky Pringle said the union's educators "are not going to be afraid" to teach critical race theory in schools, as "we know that to not teach it, we are not telling the truth." McAuliffe in June called critical race theory a "right-wing conspiracy … totally made up by Donald Trump."

McAuliffe did not return a request for comment.

Virginia adopted its right-to-work law in 1947, and the policy remains popular in the state. In a July Forbes Tate Partners poll, 72 percent of Virginia voters said they are concerned about ending the state's right-to-work status. Some Virginia Democrats have responded by distancing themselves from efforts to repeal the law. Mark Warner, for example, is one of just three Senate Democrats who have not backed the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which would nullify right-to-work laws across the country.

CNBC ranked Virginia number one in its 2021 "Top States for Business" list, which uses right-to-work status as a factor. As governor, McAuliffe touted the state's pro-business environment in a 2017 letter to Amazon, writing that "in Virginia, we put corporate partners first." Amazon announced its decision to house its second corporate headquarters in Virginia in 2017, and McAuliffe defended the deal from progressive criticism during a May primary debate.

"We're lifting up families," McAuliffe said. "That's what the governor is supposed to do."

In addition to right to work, McAuliffe has seemingly shifted left on foreign policy during his second run for governor. The Democrat in June embraced the support of an activist group that staunchly defends the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, which McAuliffe condemned in 2017. The group, Emgage Action, calls support for "the right to boycott" a "key part" of its endorsement process.

"It's sad but unfortunately not expected to see Terry McAuliffe sell out Virginia workers and the state's economy for his Big Labor patrons," National Right to Work Committee vice president John Kalb told the Washington Free Beacon.

The generous labor contributions helped McAuliffe outraise GOP opponent Glenn Youngkin, who brought in $3.6 million in June to McAuliffe's $7.5 million. The pair will face off in November.

https://freebeacon.com/democrats/terry-mcauliffe-rakes-in-big-labor-cash-after-right-to-work-flip-flop/

Robert De Niro issues warning to Donald Trump supporters

Robert De Niro was the first guest on the premiere of The Alec Baldwin Show on ABC. While there, he expressed concern for the many Republican politicians who continue to support Donald Trump in spite of the things he has said and done.

De Niro said, “Many of these people who are tied to Trump are going to be tainted for the rest of their lives.” Many politicians, like Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham did not initially support a Trump nomination in the GOP, but have since heavily supported the president’s agenda regardless of whether it is morally or fiscally sound.

For the supporters of Trump, De Niro warned, “They think they want to be with him and it’s going to make them something but they are paying such a price making a deal with the Devil, it’s scary.”

De Niro has long been an outspoken critic of Trump, in fact he made a video prior to the 2016 election in which he urged people to vote in hopes of avoiding a Trump presidency.

While Trump may have the backing of many in the GOP, the two-time Academy Award winning actor said he can see right through Trump’s act. “I know what he is and he knows what he is, cause everything he says about other people – you’re a loser, you’re a this, you’re a that, is everything you’re saying about yourself,” said De Niro. He added, “He’s so transparent he’s projecting.”

http://englishwire.today/robert-de-niro-issues-warning-to-donald-trump-supporters/

Emails show Hunter Biden lined up lucrative lobbying gig for then-Veep dad Joe

Joe Biden’s claim that he never discussed business dealings with his son Hunter is taking another blow as emails emerge indicating plans to start a consultancy and law firm together, that the elder Biden would join in 2016 after leaving office as vice president.

The email exchange from 2014, first reported by the Daily Mail, is between Hunter Biden and longtime family ally Jeff Cooper, and outlines plans for a firm to be led by Joe Biden’s eldest son, the late Beau Biden, who was set to be paid $500,000 a year to sit atop the company.

In one email Hunter says, “In order to develop this as a platform for both JRB’s I think it is imperative we (the three of us) have full control come 2016 when JRB comes on board.”

The second JRB mentioned is presumably now-President Biden, the first is Beau who also had those initials, and “the three of us” are Cooper and the Biden brothers. The main subject matter of Cooper’s email is selection of a board of directors for the planned enterprise as well as client development.

Another email goes on to spell out the salary structure for the firm, which specified $500,000+ for Beau, $250,000+ for a senior attorney, $175,000 for a junior attorney, and a total salary baseline of “about 1.2 M” in the first year of operation.

The email exchange gets into detail about potential compensation for Beau, as Hunter writes, “My main concern is that he has at least that much income guaranteed for two years. He’s been offered that by Stuart Grant in return for joining his firm and being available to Stuart for client development”

https://nypost.com/2021/07/20/emails-show-hunter-biden-lined-up-lucrative-lobbying-gig-for-then-veep-dad-joe/

Colorado CEO and Fund Manager Arrested for $10 Million Securities Fraud Scheme

https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/colorado-ceo-and-fund-manager-arrested-10-million-securities-fraud-scheme

Former New Bedford Police Union Treasurer Agrees to Plead Guilty to Stealing Union Funds

Defendant served as Union Treasurer for nearly a decade

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/former-new-bedford-police-union-treasurer-agrees-plead-guilty-stealing-union-funds

Gladstone Man Indicted for Producing, Distributing Child Pornography

https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmo/pr/gladstone-man-indicted-producing-distributing-child-pornography

Former police officer gets 30 years for violating the civil rights of two men

McALLEN, Texas - A 26-year-old former local police officer has been ordered to federal prison after sexually assaulting two men while in his custody, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/former-police-officer-gets-30-years-violating-civil-rights-two-men

>>14163110

Woman Pleads Guilty to Unauthorized Removal and Retention of Classified Material

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/woman-pleads-guilty-unauthorized-removal-and-retention-classified-material

One Half of Duo Who Recruited Minor For Sex Trade Sentenced To 10 Years In Federal Prison

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell has sentenced Michael Davis, 37, Jamaica, NY, to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison for conspiring and attempting to engage in the sex trafficking of a minor. Davis was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender.

A jury had found Davis guilty on April 9, 2021.

According to evidence presented at trial, in August 2017, Davis began using a social networking website to recruit young women to engage in commercial sex. In December 2017, Davis and a co-conspirator, Samantha Broadhead, used the website to send a message to an individual whom he believed was a 17-year-old girl living in Denver, Colorado. Unbeknownst to Davis, he was communicating online and by telephone with an undercover agent who was investigating individuals who engage in child sex trafficking.

Over the course of several weeks, Davis conspired with Broadhead to attempt to recruit, entice, transport, and obtain the purported 17-year-old girl to travel to the Tampa Bay area so that he could cause the “child” to engage in commercial sex. In an effort to persuade the “child,” Davis discussed the lavish lifestyle that the “child” could have and sent photos depicting large amounts of cash and marijuana. Davis orchestrated the purchase of a one-way bus ticket for the notional “child” and promised to pick her up from the bus station. The day before the “child” was expected to arrive in Tampa, federal agents coordinated with local law enforcement officers to detain Davis. Davis admitted, among other things, that he had been communicating with the “child” and that he had also purchased a bus ticket for the “child.”

During the course of the investigation, Davis made threats to Broadhead in an effort to coerce her to retract her own statements to law enforcement and report that she was the main person, not Davis, who had been communicating with the undercover agent.

Broadhead previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in the sex trafficking of a minor. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 2, 2021.

Special Agent in Charge, Michael F. McPherson stated, “Individuals attempting to engage in the sex trafficking of minors represent an abhorrent threat to our children. The FBI and its law enforcement partners collaborate each day to identify, investigate, and stop those conducting this heinous crime.”

https://breaking911.com/one-half-of-duo-who-recruited-minor-for-sex-trade-sentenced-to-10-years-in-federal-prison/

New Round Of Violence On Armenian-Azerbaijani Border

The Armenian Ministry of Defense claimed that the Azerbaijani forces had opened mortar fire on the border territory near the village of Yeraskh.

According to Armenian local sources, the head of the administration of the village of Yerash, Rudik Odikyan, was wounded during the shelling.

“On July 19, at 18.40, the Azerbaijani armed forces have shelled Armenian positions stationed on the border near the village of Yeraskh for several hours in a row with firearms of various calibers. Mortars were also used, ” the ministry’s report says.

The ministry added that the Azerbaijani leadership was responsible for the recent escalation in the region.

On the other side, two hours after the incident in Yeraskh, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported shelling of the Sadarak district of Nakhichevan by Armenian forces.

No losses were reported.

“On July 19, at 20:50, the positions of the Azerbaijani Army in the direction of the Sadarak district of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic were again shelled with weapons of various calibers from the territory of Armenia,” the report says.

The situation in the border regions is steadily deteriorating. Fire exchanges are reported on a daily basis, while the number of casualties is growing. Amid the ongoing escalation, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called on Russia and the CSTO for help in resolving the situation.

https://southfront.org/new-round-of-violence-on-armenian-azerbaijani-border/

REVEALED: FBI Played Larger Role in Whitmer Kidnapping Case Than Previously Reported: FBI Informants Helped Hatch the Plot!

In October 2020, the FBI announced during a press conference that it thwarted a plot by a so-called “right-wing militia” to kidnap and kill Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and overthrow the state government.

The Whitmer kidnapping plot was in the media 24/7 and used to bludgeon Trump with just a few weeks to go until Election Day.

The FBI used at least 12 informants in the Michigan Whitmer kidnapping case.

There are 6 defendants and 12 FBI informants.

But it’s much worse than previously reported.

According to a new report out by BuzzFeed News, the FBI was involved in every aspect of the Whitmer kidnapping case – starting with its inception!

FBI informants/agents actually helped hatch the kidnapping plot which means there would be no conspiracy case without the FBI.

One FBI informant organized all the meetings early on and paid for hotel rooms and food to entice the patsies.

Defense lawyers are arguing the informants drew people into the conspiracy and that there is potential evidence of entrapment.

BuzzFeed reported:

An examination of the case by BuzzFeed News also reveals that some of those informants, acting under the direction of the FBI, played a far larger role than has previously been reported. Working in secret, they did more than just passively observe and report on the actions of the suspects. Instead, they had a hand in nearly every aspect of the alleged plot, starting with its inception. The extent of their involvement raises questions as to whether there would have even been a conspiracy without them.

A longtime government informant from Wisconsin, for example, helped organize a series of meetings around the country where many of the alleged plotters first met one another and the earliest notions of a plan took root, some of those people say. The Wisconsin informant even paid for some hotel rooms and food as an incentive to get people to come.

Last week, the lawyer for one defendant filed a motion that included texts from an FBI agent to a key informant, the Iraq War veteran, directing him to draw specific people into the conspiracy — potential evidence of entrapment that he said the government “inadvertently disclosed.” He is requesting all texts sent and received by that informant, and other attorneys are now considering motions that accuse the government of intentionally withholding evidence of entrapment.

Two FBI agents/informants in the Whitmer case have been arrested – which of course only bolsters the defense.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/07/revealed-fbi-played-larger-role-whitmer-kidnapping-case-previously-reported-fbi-informants-helped-hatch-plot/

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/07/revealed-fbi-played-larger-role-whitmer-kidnapping-case-previously-reported-fbi-informants-helped-hatch-plot/