Dem Congressman Leading Election Reforms Has 6-Figure Investments In Chinese Communist Espionage-Linked Firms.

Rep. Jim Langevin (RI-2) – a Democratic Party Congressman leading his party’s so-called ‘election security reforms’ – retains six-figure investments in a Chinese Communist Party-linked tech firm flagged by the U.S. State Department for aiding the regime’s military and espionage capabilities, The National Pulse can reveal.

The Biden-endorsing Congressman serves as co-chair and co-founder of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus, a subcommittee of the House Committee on Homeland Security. He was tapped for the Democrat’s Congressional Task Force on Election Security in 2017.

Fueled by allegations of pro-Trump Russian election interference, the task force produced a list of recommendations for the federal government to improve election infrastructure. Langevin remarked:

“With the 2018 elections just months away, Congress must act now to bolster our election cybersecurity especially as intelligence leaders are confident that Russian interference will not stop. The report recommendations and corresponding legislation are important first steps in restoring the American people’s trust in our democratic system and securing our elections for years to come…”

Langevin himself, however, has financial ties to a foreign adversary – the Chinese Communist Party – through six-figure investments in Alibaba. The Chinese e-commerce giant, whose executives include powerful members of the Chinese Communist Party, has been flagged by the U.S. State Department as a proxy of the brutal regime.

Alibaba has also been involved in the “research, production, and repair of weapons and equipment for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)” and has a “deep record of cooperation and collaboration” with China’s “state security bureaucracy,” former Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation Christopher Ford revealed.

The State Department has also flagged the company as a “tool” of the Chinese Communist Party, aiding in its build-up of “technology-facilitated surveillance and social control.”

The report states:

Significantly, the modern “China Model” is built upon a foundation of technology-facilitated surveillance and social control. These techniques for ruling China have been – and continue to be – in critical ways developed, built, and maintained on behalf of the Party-State by technology firms such as Huawei, Tencent, ZTE, Alibaba, and Baidu. As these companies export their products and services to the rest of the world, the security and human rights problems associated with this “China Model” are progressively exported with them.

https://thenationalpulse.com/exclusive/dem-election-security-reformer-invested-in-ccp-tech-firm/

https://www.scribd.com/document/519220518/Ls-Disclosure-Member-2020-Annual-Report-327-1603968789-1#from_embed

Dominion files yet more billion-dollar lawsuits over election fraud claims, this time targeting Newsmax & OAN

Dominion Voting Systems has filed defamation suits against conservative networks Newsmax and OAN, as well as Overstock founder Patrick Byrne, over claims made about the 2020 presidential election.

Dominion has previously targeted vocal supporters of Donald Trump like MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, lawyer Sidney Powell, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, blaming all of them for conspiracy theories involving Dominion Voting Systems machines being manipulated in one way or another to rig the election in Joe Biden’s favor. Dominion has also filed a suit against Fox News. There has yet to be any official proof of widespread fraud in the election, despite continued claims by Trump and others.

Newsmax and OAN, Dominion claims in its $1.6 billion defamation suits, “​​helped create and cultivate an alternate reality where up is down, pigs have wings, and Dominion engaged in a colossal fraud to steal the presidency from Donald Trump by rigging the vote.” OAN anchors Chanel Rion and Christina Bobb were specifically listed in the suit against the network.

The networks floated conspiracy theories that could be easily disproved, the company argued, and it gave platforms to the loudest voices dubbing the election fraudulent, such as Giuliani and Powell. Newsmax – which was sued in Delaware state court and not in federal court, like OAN and Byrne – “created an entire brand” out of going after Dominion, the suit adds, citing a segment by host Greg Kelly called ‘Democracy or Dominion’.

OAN was called to task for airing similar segments, as well as hosting the premiere of Lindell’s documentary ‘Absolute Proof,’ a much-maligned film claiming the election was stolen and Dominion machines were manipulated.

Dominion attorney Thomas Clare called out the network for showing a “barely legible” legal disclaimer before the movie, distancing themselves from its more outlandish claims.

“OAN was fully aware that Lindell's ‘docu-movie’ was full of lies, but – like Fox News, Newsmax, and others – was content to deceive its viewers in exchange for ad dollars,” the lawyer said in the new suit.

Byrne has also been accused by the company of promoting “fake evidence to convince the world that the 2020 election had been stolen.”

https://www.rt.com/usa/531656-dominion-lawsuits-oan-newsmax/

Twitter suspends Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene for claiming Covid-19 vaccines are ‘failing’

Twitter has suspended Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) from the platform for a week after claiming the firebrand Republican spread misleading information on “failing” Covid-19 vaccines.

“These vaccines are failing & do not reduce the spread of the virus & neither do masks,” Greene tweeted on Monday night. She had also warned that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should not give full approval to the Covid-19 vaccines as “there are too many reports of infection & spread of #COVID19 among the vaccinated.”

The message was a fourth strike against her from Twitter, which has a five-strike policy on what it deems to be Covid-19 misinformation. A fourth strike results in a one-week suspension, while a fifth would trigger a permanent ban.

A Twitter spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday to CNN that Greene had violated the platform’s “misleading information policy.” The account will now be in “read-only mode” due to the multiple violations by Greene.

In her own statement, Greene accused Twitter of political bias against conservatives – a common accusation levelled against the platform – and took aim at everyone from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California), who “doesn’t care” about Greene’s constituents, to White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Greene blasted Fauci for criticizing the motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota as a potential coronavirus super spreader event, but ignoring Obama’s recent celebrity-filled birthday bash where many, including the president, were pictured maskless.

Greene also called out Twitter for “[allowing] porn” on their site – clips are regularly shared on the platform – but closing down “any real discussion of the truth” when it comes to Covid-19 and the vaccines.

“Twitter suspended me for speaking the truth, and tweeting what so many people are saying,” she said. “Twitter suspends me because the truth is so offensive to the fragile hypocrites all over Twitter!”

This suspension is Greene’s third on Twitter. She was suspended in July after tweeting what the platform deemed misleading information on elections in Georgia, then in July for 12 hours for sharing Covid-19 misinformation. She was also briefly suspended in March, though Twitter claimed at the time that this was a system error.

https://www.rt.com/usa/531674-marjorie-taylor-greene-twitter-covid19/

Cops Thought They Were Transporting Cocaine for the Cartel, But it Was Actually the FBI

An 11th Circuit panel on Monday unanimously rejected two former Miami police officers’ challenge to their drug-trafficking convictions.

Former officers James Archibald and Kelvin Harris were caught as part of an undercover FBI sting operation designed to root out dirty cops in the Miami Police Department.

Despite proof that the officers actively participated in a fake drug-running conspiracy – even going so far as to activate their police lights to help an agent posing as a drug courier navigate heavy traffic – Archibald and Harris claimed that the evidence was insufficient to convict them.

The Atlanta-based appeals court was unpersuaded.

Writing on behalf of the panel Monday, Senior U.S. Circuit Judge Stanley Marcus found that the evidence against the men was “ample.”

Along with a third officer, Archibald and Harris participated in three separate operations to protect FBI agents who they believed were drug dealers delivering cocaine to Miami hotels. Harris received a $10,000 cash payment for his efforts and Archibald received $6,500.

Both men were charged with conspiring to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Harris was also convicted of possessing a firearm during the commission of a drug-trafficking crime.

After a 10-day trial in June 2019, Harris was sentenced to 27 ½ years in prison. Archibald was sentenced to 10 years.

Marcus, a Bill Clinton appointee, wrote that the men made many statements to an undercover agent and their fellow officers that they were “in” or “all in.”

“[Harris] and Archibald also repeatedly discussed only involving people they could trust in the scheme and devised strategies for keeping their activities secret. [Harris] went so far as to caution the crew not to change their lifestyles to avoid detection, and even promised that the organization’s activities would ‘live and die with [him],’” the judge wrote.

Archibald and Harris repeatedly affirmed their commitment to the scheme, the ruling explains.

After he was told that the organization had moved 100 kilos of cocaine in one month, the ruling states that Harris “seemed calm, and, notably, was not surprised at the amount of cocaine that had been trafficked.”

The panel also rejected Archibald’s arguments that he only agreed to participate in the scheme because he was scared and uncomfortable.

Archibald “appeared relaxed” and “showed no surprise” as one of the fake couriers counted 15 bricks of false cocaine in a hotel room, according to the ruling. He also did not make any attempt to contact any law enforcement agency about the illegal activity.

“Between September 28 and October 11, Archibald took no steps to walk away from what he admittedly understood was extensive criminal activity,” Marcus wrote.

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/cocaine-cowboy-cops-busted-in-fbi-sting/

Top Public Relations Director at Chinese Social Media Giant Weibo Arrested

SHANGHAI—Chinese authorities have arrested a top public relations executive at Chinese social media giant Weibo Corp, local Chinese media reported widely on Aug.10 and confirmed to Reuters by a company source.

According to an internal memo sent to staff and seen by Reuters, Mao Taotao, director of public relations at Weibo, which is partly owned by e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., is suspected of bribery and had “seriously harmed the interests of the company.”

“In accordance with company policy and the law, we have decided to fire Mao as punishment, and will not re-hire him,” the memo said.

The firing comes as Alibaba faces backlash over delaying action relating to an employee’s allegations of sexual assault against her manager and a client. On Aug 9, Alibaba announced the manager had been fired.

Mao joined Weibo in 2010 and quickly rose through the ranks of the marketing and PR department, the memo states.

Weibo did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters. Mao could not be immediately reached.

Weibo has come under fire lately in the wake of a scandal involving Chinese-Canadian pop singer Kris Wu, who Chinese authorities arrested on allegations of soliciting sex with underage girls. Wu has denied the allegations.

Not long after Wu’s arrest, state media outlet People’s Daily published an op-ed admonishing social networks for over-hyping celebrities to generate traffic.

Weibo later suspended a widely used feature that ranks celebrities by popularity.

Alibaba did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Mao’s firing at Weibo.

https://www.ntd.com/top-public-relations-director-at-chinese-social-media-giant-weibo-arrested_657786.html

Cofvefe Coffee Releases New ‘America First’ Ad After Being Canceled By Chase Bank For Being Pro-Trump

The pro-Trump coffee brand canceled by big tech and anti-Trump banks is refusing to back down

Covfefe Coffee, the pro-Trump coffee brand canceled by Chase Bank, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for their America First values, has released a new commercial highlighting their values after they were canceled by Chase Bank’s WePay payment processor, ostensibly for being pro-Trump, and after competing Black Rifle Coffee Company called many of its consumers racist in an interview with the New York Times.

The ad explains that Covfefe Coffee is “unapologetically America First, we believe that the people make the nation, we’re a nation of explorers, innovators, and rebels. We believe in the American Spirit that never quits, while helping others, and giving thanks to God” and encourages viewers to “Enjoy the highest grade coffee available without rewarding big corporations.”

Speaking to National File, Covfefe Coffee’s CEO explained that the coffee company doesn’t “have to do anything overly sensational, all we have to do is reflect on our values. Our values and our heritage? Nothing can trump that.” Referring to their competitors’ advertising, he added, “No number of tanks, explosions, or men dressing up as women will compare to America First values. We’re what normal people relate to and care about.”

“We don’t give people who want to eradicate our way of life money. We’ve been banned from Amazon, we refused to work with Walmart, we’re not allowed to work with Facebook, YouTube, Instagram,” said the Covfefe Coffee CEO. “We reflect American values and we’re taking steps to get away from the globalist machine. We want to leave PayPal. We practice what we preach.”

Covfefe Coffee also noted that they were recently canceled from Chase Bank’s WePay payment processor with no explanation, and their CEO believes the ban was motivated by the brand’s America First and pro-Trump stance. He said this motivated his push to get away from anti-Trump corporations. “It’s time to take money away from the people who hate us.” After Covfefe Coffee was canceled by Chase, their sales shot up by 8,000% as Americans sought to to support the pro-Trump brand.

Covfefe Coffee’s CEO recently appeared on National File TV to discuss his competition, Black Rifle Coffee Company, calling large numbers of of their consumers racist. In the interview, it was revealed that Black Rifle Coffee Company received an unknown influx of money from a Democrat-allied venture capitalist firm prior to their rise to the top of the marketplace.

https://nationalfile.com/cofvefe-coffee-releases-new-america-first-ad-after-being-canceled-by-chase-bank-for-being-pro-trump/

Biden’s ATF Nominee Did Not Tell Senate He Interviewed With CCP-Run Network.

Joe Biden’s nominee for heading the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) failed to inform the Senate that he had appeared on Chinese Communist Party (CCP) run TV network CGTN in 2012.

As The National Pulse has previously reported, the China Global Television Network (CGTN) is a CCP-run propaganda spreader. It relies on American experts to provide it with a “facade of credibility.” CGTN airs forced confessions and propaganda aimed at discrediting the credible accusation that the CCP is committing genocide in China’s Xinjiang province.

David Chipman joined CGTN in 2012 for a discussion about the Unites States’ response to the deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Chipman was working at the time for Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Everytown for Gun Safety, “an anti-firearm group dedicated to sparking more gun control in the United States.”

In the course of his interview with CGTN, Chipman stated his belief that “unless we do something about it” there would be more shootings. Fox News said Chipman’s interview about “U.S. failures to contain gun violence” was used by CGTN as a distraction from a mass stabbing in China’s own Henan Province of 23 children in a school.

Chipman gave the US Senate at least 16 pages detailing his past media hits but did not list CGTN, even though in 2019 the US started to classify the Communist network as a “foreign agent,” under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Chipman wrote the Senate a disclaimer, saying, “I have done my best to identify all interviews given, including through a review of my personal files, and searches of publicly available electronic databases. Despite my searches, there may be other materials that I have been unable to identify, find, or remember.”

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) said that Chipman’s TV hit on CGTN raises “very serious concerns,” and added that there is with Chipman a “consistent pattern of focusing on partisan priorities of Democrats at the expense of fulfilling our responsibility to the American people.” Cruz condemned the ATF nominee for the TV hit, saying that the Senate committee did not have a chance to ask or receive answers to important questions such as “Did [Chipman] know that [his interview] would be used as propaganda to cover up the atrocities in Communist China?”

Cruz further deplored the fact that the Senate committee leadership does not seem to care about the CGTN interview and alleged racist comments the ATF nominee has made. Cruz criticized Democrat Chairman Dick Durbin for refusing to hold a second hearing after allegations of Chipman’s racism while an ATF agent surfaced. “So what this committee is saying is that allegations of racism, if you’re a partisan Democrat, no problem at all. Not even worth asking about,” Cruz said.

https://thenationalpulse.com/breaking/bidens-atf-nominee-did-not-tell-senate-he-interviewed-with-ccp-run-network/

Second Federal Court Blocks Biden Mandate Requiring Doctors To Perform Trans Surgeries Against Conscience

A federal court has blocked President Joe Biden’s mandate that would require doctors to perform transgender surgeries against their consciences.

Judge Reed O’Connor of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Wichita Falls Division, granted “a permanent injunction” to the Christian plaintiffs “to be exempt from the government’s requirement to perform abortions and gender-transition procedures.”

“Today’s ruling protects patients, aligns with current medical research, and ensures doctors aren’t forced to violate their religious beliefs and medical judgment–a victory for common-sense, conscience, and sound medicine,” vice president and senior counsel at Becket Fund for Religious Liberty Luke Goodrich said Monday.

The plaintiffs are a religious hospital and a group of over 20,000 healthcare professionals, Goodrich noted.

The ruling permanently enjoins Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra “from interpreting or enforcing” the law “in a manner that would require them to perform or provide insurance coverage for gender-transition procedures or abortions, including by denying Federal financial assistance because of their failure to perform or provide insurance coverage for such procedures or by otherwise pursuing, charging, or assessing any penalties, fines, assessments, investigations, or other enforcement actions.”

Former President Barack Obama’s administration issued a mandate in 2016 requiring doctors and hospitals to provide transgender surgeries upon a mental health professional’s referral. The transgender mandate, an interpretation of an Affordable Care Act’s nondiscrimination clause, did not include conscience or religion exemptions.

An association of over 19,000 healthcare professionals, several religious organizations and nine states challenged the mandate in two different courts, according to a website on the mandate run by Becket.

A North Dakota Eastern Division court struck down the mandate in 2021 and Judge O’Connor of the Wichita, Texas court struck down the mandate in 2019, ruling that the government “cannot force religious doctors and hospitals to perform gender transition procedures in violation of their conscience and professional medical judgment,” according to Becket.

https://dailycaller.com/2021/08/09/court-blocks-biden-trans-mandate-becket-fund-religious-liberty/

Swiss Cops Threaten to Stop Enforcing Coronavirus Measures

Police in Switzerland have threatened to stop enforcing coronavirus measures if the restrictions become too unpopular with citizens.

A Swiss police cfficer’s association wrote a letter to the Swiss Federation of Police Officers (FSFP) that warned of potential insubordination within the forces over the enforcement of coronavirus measures, major Swiss news outlet 20 Minutes reports.

The four-page letter comes amid similar messages shared on an online platform created by the association which allows policemen to state their opinions anonymously “without fear of sanctions or being sidelined”.

“If the measures were to conflict with the general opinion of the population, disproportionately limiting their fundamental rights, many police officers would no longer be willing to apply them,” the group said in the letter to the FSFP.

According to 20 Minutes, the letter has spread across social media and has been met with praise from coronavirus lockdown sceptics.

The FSFP, meanwhile, stated that the association that sent the letter only represented a part of the 26,500 members of the police federation, dismissing any threat of mass subordination among officers.

Adrian Gaugler of the Conference of Cantonal Police Commanders said that while he understood the group’s concerns, “an officer who refuses to enforce the law can be punished.”

Police refusing to enforce coronavirus measures is not unique to Switzerland. Earlier this year, police in the Canadian province of Ontario rejected new powers given by the provincial government that would have allowed them to stop any motorist or pedestrian and demand to know where they live and why they were not at home.

Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah rejected the measures meant to enforce the province’s stay-at-home order, saying: “I would like to reassure our citizens that our officers will not be conducting random vehicle or individual stops.”

Joanna Baron, executive director of the Calgary-based Canadian Constitution Foundation, also criticised the expansion of police powers, saying: “Ontario is one step closer to becoming a police state.”

Policing coronavirus restrictions has long been an issue in Europe, particularly as many countries, such as France and Italy, have rolled out coronavirus vaccine passports, resulting in protests from citizens in recent weeks.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2021/08/10/swiss-cops-threaten-to-stop-enforcing-coronavirus-measures/

Rules for Thee and Not for Me: UK to Relax Travel Restrictions for UN Climate Conference

Overseas delegates for the UN’s COP26 climate conference in Scotland will be subjected to more relaxed coronavirus travel rules than normal travellers, an official has confirmed.

Up to 25,000 government figures, media, and environmental campaigners from around the world will descend on Glasgow, Scotland, in the first two weeks of November for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson determined that, despite the ongoing Chinese coronavirus pandemic, a meeting in person would achieve more than an environmentally-friendly virtual summit to stop alleged manmade climate change.

Easing of restrictions for those attending the climate conference, many of whom will be flying to the UK in aeroplanes emitting massive amounts of CO2, will include a shorter quarantine period for vaccinated delegates travelling from red list high coronavirus-risk countries and no self-isolation for those coming from amber or green list countries.

“This includes a reduced quarantine period of five days for vaccinated individuals from red list countries,” a COP26 official confirmed, according to Reuters. “There will be no requirement for self-isolation on arrival to the UK for those coming from amber or green list countries whether vaccinated or not.”

Most travellers to the summit will be arriving in the UK in London. Under current travel rules in England, you are recommended against travelling to red list countries — the vast majority Asian, African, and Latin American — and are only allowed to enter the country from those nations if you are a British or Irish citizen or have residency rights.

If allowed entry, the traveller must still quarantine for ten days in a government-designated hotel, even if vaccinated. There is also a requirement to quarantine for ten days at home or where you are staying if arriving from an amber list country, if you are not fully vaccinated.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2021/08/10/rules-for-thee-and-not-for-me-uk-to-relax-travel-restrictions-for-un-climate-conference/

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2021/08/10/rules-for-thee-and-not-for-me-uk-to-relax-travel-restrictions-for-un-climate-conference/

Unaccompanied Migrant Teen Claims Gang Violence Forced Him to U.S.

On Friday, hundreds of migrants surrendered to waiting Border Patrol agents in Roma, Texas. Within the groups were dozens of unaccompanied migrant children and most appeared to be teenagers. One young man says gangs in Guatemala are the reason he is coming to the United States.

The two young men in the video seemed excited to be in the United States and spoke freely about where they were ultimately headed. The boys claimed they removed their bracelets provided to migrants by cartels in Mexico as proof of payment. Like most migrants, out of fear, they claimed to not have paid anything to the smugglers.

Both will be processed by the Border Patrol and held in custody until they can be transferred over to a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) emergency intake site. Once there, HHS volunteers will work to release them to sponsors.

The flow of unaccompanied migrant children across the southwest border is at an all-time high in 2021. According to the HHS, there were more than 17,000 migrant children in federal custody as of Friday.

These two minors were among 1,341 apprehended by Border Patrol on Thursday and Friday.

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2021/08/09/exclusive-video-unaccompanied-migrant-teen-claims-gang-violence-forced-him-to-u-s/

Biden working with the cartels?

Italy: Vaccinated test positive for covid-19, Unvaccinated test Negative

You know what time it is, right? It’s time to take your third booster.

Trust science.

Free West Media:

Eleven employees, out of 12, of the Casamaki restaurant in Abruzzo, Italy, tested positive for Covid. Most of them had had a double dose of the vaccine and a health pass. They are all currently in quarantine, including the owner of the restaurant in Piazza Salotto, Gianluca Cruciani.

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/italy-vaccinated-test-positive-for-covid-19-unvaccinated-test-negative/

>>14314972

but Israel works with China on cyber and supplied them with all their tools

see

Communist China

THE EMPEROR HAS NO CORONA

An investigation into the "Isolation" of the SARS-COV2 "virus"

https://www.bitchute.com/video/OCUElRebFJgW/

Mexican President: I Discussed ‘Complete Opening’ Of Border With Kamala

On Monday, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador revealed that he spoke with Vice President Kamala Harris about “the complete opening” of the roughly 2,000 mile border between the United States and Mexico, which has been closed to non-essential travel since March 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Obrador tweeted, “We spoke again with Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States. In good terms, we dealt with the immigration issue, the complete opening of the northern border to reactivate our economies and continue with mutual cooperation to face the pandemic.Earlier in the day, Lopez Obrador told a morning news conference, “This is what I’m going to suggest today, that we can demonstrate that we’re not putting the population at risk.”

The Trump administration closed the border with Mexico in March 2020; Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Chad F. Wolf wrote:

U.S. and Mexican officials have mutually determined that non-essential travel between the United States and Mexico poses additional risk of transmission and spread of COVID-19 and places the populace of both nations at increased risk of contracting COVID-19. Moreover, given the sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus, maintaining the current level of travel between the two nations places the personnel staffing land ports of entry between the United States and Mexico, as well as the individuals traveling through these ports of entry, at increased risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Accordingly, and consistent with the authority granted in 19 U.S.C. 1318(b)(1)(C) and (b)(2), I have determined that land ports of entry along the U.S.- Mexican border will suspend normal operations and process for entry only those travelers engaged in “essential travel,” defined below, for entry into the United States. Given the definition of “essential travel” below, this temporary alteration in land ports of entry operations should not interrupt legitimate trade between the two nations or disrupt critical supply chains that ensure food, fuel, medicine, and other critical materials reach individuals on both sides of the border.

DHS stated that “essential travel” included:

U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents returning to the United States; Individuals traveling for medical purposes (e.g., to receive medical treatment in the United States); Individuals traveling to attend educational institutions; Individuals traveling to work in the United States (e.g., individuals working in the farming or agriculture industry who must travel between the United States and Mexico in furtherance of such work); Individuals traveling for emergency response and public health purposes (e.g., government officials or emergency responders entering the United States to support Federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial government efforts to respond to COVID-19 or other emergencies); Individuals engaged in lawful cross-border trade (e.g., truck drivers supporting the movement of cargo between the United States and Mexico); Individuals engaged in official government travel or diplomatic travel; Members of the U.S. Armed Forces, and the spouses and children of members of the U.S. Armed Forces, returning to the United States; and Individuals engaged in military-related travel or operations.. vice president also told Lopez Obrador that Washington was committed to sending additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Mexico, on top of the 4 million doses already delivered, the White House said.”

http://www.tathasta.com/2021/08/news-mexican-president-i-discussed.html

Study Outlines The Damage to Democracy and Human Rights Under Lockdowns

In February of 2021, the former British judge Lord Sumption wrote an article proclaiming that liberal democracy might be the greatest fatality of the Covid-19 pandemic. He correctly noted the disturbing use of government power that was unleashed onto every aspect of society in a manner never before seen. If such powers are not correctly repackaged and locked away, liberal democracies worldwide would be in a much darker place and the grand experiment of a free and open society would fall victim to a demise of its own design. His sentiments are echoed by the latest addition of a comprehensive study published by the V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg which describes itself as follows,

“Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) produces the largest global dataset on democracy with almost 30 million data points for 202 countries from 1789 to 2020. Involving over 3,500 scholars and other country experts, V-Dem measures hundreds of different attributes of democracy. V-Dem enables new ways to study the nature, causes, and consequences of democracy embracing its multiple meanings.”

Their 2021 report notes that over the past ten years liberal democracy has been on the decline and autocracy has been on the rise. This is exemplified by populist and nationalist movements in countries such as India, Brazil, Poland, Turkey, and the United States. The number of liberal democracies has declined from 41 to 32 over the course of the past decade and electoral autocracies have become the most common regime type. Authoritarian countries like China and Russia not only solidified their power but expanded, such as with the recent crackdowns in Hong Kong and the annexation of Crimea.

The most shocking findings of the report were the extent of the abuse of power that transpired under the guise of fighting Covid-19. In Western liberal democracies, the restrictions were quite severe with prohibitions on travel, discriminatory behavior, executive overreach, attacks against free expression, and a lack of time limits on emergency powers being common themes. However, what has transpired in more autocratic regimes under lockdowns would make even the most tyrannical American governors blush. Ultimately, the report concludes that liberal democracy during the lockdowns took a hit, but the damage can be minimized if restrictions are lifted and emergency powers are reformed. Lockdowns, as devastating as they were, are only one factor in the chronic decline of our liberal democratic system. However, such a decline opens the door to even worse possibilities.

More

https://www.activistpost.com/2021/08/study-outlines-the-damage-to-democracy-and-human-rights-under-lockdowns.html

McConnell joins Democrats in voting to pass $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill

The bill moves to the Democratic-led House for consideration

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell joined Democrats in passing the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill on Tuesday.

The bill moves to the Democratic-led House for consideration.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she won't allow a vote on the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill until the Democrats' $3.5 trillion filibuster-proof reconciliation bill passes.

Vice President Kamala Harris announced on the Senate floor that the bill passed 69-30.

https://justthenews.com/government/congress/mcconnell-joins-democrats-voting-pass-12-trillion-infrastructure-bill

Former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas J. Spota and Government Corruption Bureau Chief Christopher McPartland Each Sentenced to Five Years in Prison

The Defendants Were Convicted of Obstructing a Federal Civil Rights Investigation

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/former-suffolk-county-district-attorney-thomas-j-spota-and-government-corruption-bure-0

11 Members and Associates of the Folk Nation Gangster Disciples Charged with Multiple Shootings and Related Firearms Offenses in Brooklyn

Arrests are the Result of a Joint Federal-State Effort to Dismantle Violent Gangs

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/11-members-and-associates-folk-nation-gangster-disciples-charged-multiple-shootings-and

8 Arrested For Around-The-Clock Crack Cocaine Sales In Times Square

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/8-arrested-around-clock-crack-cocaine-sales-times-square

Austin and Dallas School Districts Defy Texas Governor — Will Require Students to Wear Masks

The Austin and Dallas school districts are defying the governor and will require masks for students and staff members when they return in the fall.

The Austin Independent School District announced during a school board meeting on Monday night that they would be joining the Dallas Independent School District in defying the order.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed an order in May stating that no government institutions or schools districts can impose a mask mandate.

Austin ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde acknowledged that many people would not be happy with the decision, but that they were imposing it anyways.

“That being said, I am responsible for the safety, the health and the welfare of each and every one of our students and our staff,” Elizalde said, according to a report from KUT. “If I err, I must err on the side of ensuring that we have been overly cautious, not that we have fallen short.”

Dallas Superintendent Michael Hinojosa announced their mandate on Monday morning.

“We’re in a situation that has gotten significantly more urgent,” Hinojosa said.

In a statement, Ben Mackey, Dallas’ school board president, said he was fully supportive of Hinojosa’s stance, the Dallas Morning News reported.

“The superintendent is the educational leader and chief executive officer of our school district tasked with the day-to-day operations of the district, which includes implementing safety protocols,” Mackey said. “Requiring masks for staff and students while on district property is a reasonable and necessary safety protocol to protect against the spread of COVID-19 and the new delta variant.

“Towards the end of last school year, we saw very low transmissions rates on campuses, thanks in part to masks being worn consistently by educators and students.”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/08/austin-dallas-school-districts-defy-texas-governor-will-require-students-wear-masks/

Idaho Man Federally Indicted For Sexually Exploiting Children In Alaska

ANCHORAGE – A federal grand jury in Anchorage returned an indictment charging a Bonner County, Idaho man with sexually exploiting children and production of child pornography in Haines, Alaska.

According to federal court documents, Christopher Panagiotou-Scigliano, 39, coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography. He is also charged in Idaho’s First Judicial District Court with the sexual abuse of multiple child victims.

In 2015 Panagiotou-Scigliano moved from Idaho to a farm in Haines. After their arrival, Panagiotou-Scigliano allegedly arranged for several of the children he had been grooming and abusing in Idaho to visit his farm in Haines. When the children arrived Panagiotou-Scigliano allegedly continued grooming and sexually exploiting them by taking numerous sexually explicit images and videos of the victims. Law Enforcement also recovered additional images and videos of child sexual exploitation that appear to have been downloaded from the internet.

Panagiotou-Scigliano was taken into custody in Boundary County, Idaho, on July 23, 2021. He made an initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Candy W. Dale of the U.S. District Court for Idaho, who ordered him detained without bail pending his return to Alaska. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years imprisonment, and a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.

https://breaking911.com/idaho-man-federally-indicted-for-sexually-exploiting-children-in-alaska/

>>14315398

>>14315350 Former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas J. Spota and Government Corruption Bureau Chief Christopher McPartland Each Sentenced to Five Years in Prison

Texas Supreme Court Rules Deserting-Democrats Can Face Arrest Upon Return

The entirely politicized judicial system in America strikes again.

In July, fifty-seven of the state's Democratic lawmakers abandoned Texas to prevent a Republican elections bill that they call claimed would restricting voting rights in the state.

Texas Governor Greg Abbot (R) called for their immediate arrests in order to re-establish a quorum for a vote on the bill.

A temporary restraining order from State District Judge Brad Urrutia, a Democrat, on Monday prevented authorities arresting the deserting Democrats from being arrested for 14 days, claiming that Democrats would suffer “imminent and irreparable harm” if Republicans were not barred from ordering arrests.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) quickly asked the state Supreme Court to stay the ruling, calling it an abuse of judicial power, and a spokeswoman for Abbott predicted the judge’s order would not stand.

“The ruling by the Travis County judge is contrary to the Texas Constitution and violates the separation of powers between the different branches of government,” Renae Eze, Abbott’s spokeswoman, said in a statement Monday.

“We are confident that this overstep will be overturned. Texas Democrats need to stop the charades and get back to work.”

And today, the Supreme Court of Texas on Tuesday halted that ruling that protected absent Democratic lawmakers from arrest, raising the possibility that lawmakers who recently returned from Washington could be detained and brought to the House so Republicans can pass new voting restrictions.

Police now have the authority to arrest the Democratic Texas legislators who broke quorum.

Perp walk time!!

However, in anticipation of possible action by the state Supreme Court, Texas House Democrats announced Saturday that 26 of them would maintain an “active presence in Washington … for as long as Congress is working and making progress” on the issue of voting rights.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/texas-supreme-court-rules-deserting-democrats-can-face-arrest-upon-return

https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1425158754014801924