Slate Magazine’s Editorial Board Took CCP-Sponsored Trips To China.

Slate magazine founders and editors including Jacob Weisberg – whose podcast company produces shows including Ibram Kendi’s “Be Antiracist” show – have participated in trips to China sponsored by the China-United States Exchange Foundation: a Chinese Communist Pary-linked group courting journalists for “favorable coverage,” The National Pulse can reveal.

As evidenced from the Twitter account of former Slate Editor-in-Chief Jacob Weisberg, he and his Slate colleagues – including founder Michael Kinsley – visited China as part of a China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF) delegation in May 2012.

Since Weisberg’s CUSEF trip and Slate departure, he has co-founded Pushkin Industries, a podcast and audiobook production company, alongside author and New Yorker staff writer Malcolm Gladwell. Hosts for the company’s top shows include “anti-racist” activist Ibram Kendi and Democratic impeachment witness Noah Feldman.

Pay-For-Play.

CUSEF functions as part of the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front: an effort determined “co-opt and neutralize sources of potential opposition to the policies and authority” of the Chinese government. ” “The United Front strategy uses a range of methods to influence foreign governments to take actions or adopt positions supportive of Beijing’s preferred policies,” the U.S. government’s report on the operation continues.

Through Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) filings, The National Pulse has exposed how CUSEF sponsoring private dinners and trips to China for mainstream media journalists in exchange for “favorable coverage.” Documents also reveal that CUSEF has retained Western lobbyists to aid in their quest to “effectively disseminate positive messages to the media, key influencers and opinion leaders, and the general public” regarding the Chinese Communist Party.

The May 2012 Slate visit included visits with Chinese Communist Party officials, state-run media outlets, state-run universities, and military collaborators such as Huawei.

“Our nice minder wants to clarify that the plant’s best workers are Communist Party members,” Weisberg tweeted along with “best corporate PR I’ve ever heard. I’d invest. But you can’t. It’s employee owned” in reference to Huawei. Weisberg’s Twitter account also documents a lunch with CUSEF Executive Director Alan Wong and a parting gift of a stuffed animal wearing a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) uniform.

https://thenationalpulse.com/exclusive/slate-mag-took-cusef-trips-to-china-for-favorable-coverage/

D.C. Mayor Announces Vaccine Mandate For Government Employees, Weekly COVID Tests For Resisters

"All employees, contractors, interns and grantees of the Government of the District of Columbia must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19"

Mayor Bowser has announced that a full vaccine mandate for all 37,000 Washington D.C. government employees, contractors, interns, and grantees will be enacted by September 19.

“All employees, contractors, interns and grantees of the Government of the District of Columbia must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19,” Bowser said at a press conference. This includes Washington D.C. public school teachers and staff. All employees have until Sunday, September 19 to be fully vaccinated. Current employees who do not have a vaccination or exemption status can remain employed if they provide weekly negative coronavirus test results.

According to local politician Janeese Lewis George, the mandate covers “all DC government employees, contractors, interns, and grantees” beginning in mid September. Additionally, “new government hires” will be required to have the vaccine starting later this week.

There will be a process for those that wish to apply for medical or religious exemptions. Those that are exempt from the vaccine are required to partake in weekly coronavirus testing or face “adverse employment actions.” So far, 59% Washington D.C. employees have reported their vaccination status. Of those, 54% report being fully vaccinated. (READ MORE: VIDEO: French Police Patrol Coffee Shop To Enforce Vaccine Passports, COVID Tyranny)

Mayor Bowser implemented an indoor mask mandate for anyone ages two and over in Washington D.C. a few weeks before the vaccine mandate. The mask mandate includes anyone, regardless of vaccination status, to be masked in restaurants, museums, gyms, and other public settings in the city. The CDC specifically recommends people “wear a mask in public indoor settings if they are in an area of substantial or high transmission.”

However, according to the CDC, Washington D.C. remains in the “moderate” category of community spread. This lead to confusion due to a discrepancy in labeling between the CDC’s definitions and those of the D.C. Department of Health.

https://nationalfile.com/d-c-mayor-announces-vaccine-mandate-for-government-employees-weekly-covid-tests-for-resisters/

Man Gets 60 Years in Prison for Punching an Officer as Cop Gets Probation for Child Sex Abuse

Disgraced Kansas City, Missouri police officer, Vincent A. Spilker is a vile disgusting human whose actions victimized countless children. He admitted guilt to trafficking in horrifying child pornography, clearly illustrating that he is a danger to society. However, as we reported last month, Spilker won’t be going to jail. Instead, he is a free man, on probation.

“Mr. Spilker accepts full responsibility for this offense,” his attorney, John O’Conner, said in court documents. “He has tremendous remorse and regret for his behavior. He desires and will participate in any treatment program offered to him.”

Despite the state of Missouri asking the judge for 10 years in jail, the court sentenced him to probation instead.

“Spilker said he did, in fact, repost pictures of nude and partially nude females on the account,” court documents stated. “Spilker was not sure of the amount of pictures he reposted but said the girls appeared to be under the age of eighteen. Spilker said he believes some of the girls who were nude were probably between the ages of 10 to 12 years old. Spilker said he knew reposting the pictures was wrong and he did not want to be the kind of person who shared pictures of nude young girls.”

Yet he was the kind of person who did it, and he was posting the pictures.

What’s more, when authorities executed a search warrant for Spilker’s devices they found utterly horrifying images and videos. One of the videos showed an adult male holding down and raping an 8-year-old girl, who was crying, according to prosecution documents.

Other files, according to court documents, contained images of the sexual abuse of children as young as 3-years-old.

This man’s crimes are utterly horrifying and his victims are countless, yet he will not be going to jail. His blue privilege runs deep and highlights the disparity between the two justice systems in the land of the free — one for those who serve the system, and one for everyone else. Take for example, the case of Joseph Wayne Fegurgur, 36, who was sentenced this week by Judge John Gauntt to 60 years in prison.

Unlike Spilker, Fegurgur did not abuse children and did not get his rocks off by watching 8-year-old girls cry while being sexual abused. Fegurgur punched a cop, and for this act, he will spend the rest of his life in a cage.

According to reports, Fergurgur was seen by hotel staff allegedly doing drugs in his hotel room in 2017. When police showed up to the call, a struggle ensued and Fergurgur punched an officer in the face. He was found guilty of the assault in June.

The judge upgraded his charges to a first-degree felony because Fegurgur had two prior convictions. According to the Texas Penal Code, this upgraded charge is punishable by two to 10 years in jail. Fegurgur got 60 years.

While Fegurgur deserves to be held accountable for his crimes, his sentence is extremely excessive and illustrates a rather insidious problem with America’s justice system. If you attack or harm someone connected to the system you can and will face the possibility of spending the rest of your life in a cage.

freestar

However, if are a part of the system and you participate in the horrifying abuse of society’s most vulnerable — even the atrocious sexual abuse of toddlers — you won’t even spend a single day in jail.

This is called “justice” in the land of the free.

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/mans-60-years-jail-punching-cop-child-probation/

Anti-vaxxers attack BBC again…this time online, over string of stories on hospitalised vaccine sceptics

The BBC has come in for some heavy criticism online for apparently overreporting stories about vaccine sceptics hospitalised with Covid-19 who are since urging others not to make the same mistake they did.

On Wednesday, the BBC was once again the target of anti-vaxxers as social media users lambasted the broadcaster’s repetitive publication of stories about vaccine sceptics falling seriously ill from Covid-19.

The national broadcaster ran a story on Wednesday about a 40-year-old musician from Staffordshire who was hospitalised with Covid-19. Marcus Birks told the BBC he was “ignorant” not to get the vaccine and urged others to do so.

The ‘Staffordshire man’ story was published less than a day after another report about a 40-year-old father-of-three from Northern Ireland who spent four days on a ventilator. Gerald Prentice told the broadcaster’s Northern Ireland arm that he’d have been “better off” with the vaccine.

These are by no means the only stories the BBC have run on hospitalised vaccine sceptics as people on social media have been keen to point out. Commenting on Twitter, several people said that they have had enough of the BBC’s reporting and were going to unfollow them.

Highlighting the regularity of such stories, one asked: “Again!! When will you stop, last week was 5 stories, today we are on the 3rd story of the week?” Another said the BBC were “taking the p**s,” claiming the repetition was starting to be “suspect.”

Some anti-vaxxers called it “government propaganda” and claimed the individual in the latest story was actually an actor. Another said that every time the BBC posts such stories it adds to their “defiance.”

However, the minority voices of the anti-vax community were duly put down by other social media users. One person asked why an anti-vaxxer was making himself out to be “some sort of resistance fighter.”

Others described it as “tragic” that anti-vaxxers were causing themselves so much harm. “It's like a voluntary cull,” they added.

Anti-vaxxers have already had a rough ride in the media this week after a group of protesters, seemingly misled by their research skills, tried to storm the former BBC headquarters as part of a demonstration against the broadcaster’s dissemination of Covid-19 news.

The revelation that the BBC mostly left the White City offices eight years ago only served to further their online persecution, with many, including famous Britons, posting jokes and sharing memes at their expense.

Despite the rather vocal opposition of the anti-vax community to the government, its vaccination campaign and Covid-induced restrictions, around 90% of Britons have come forward to get the first dose of the vaccine.

https://www.rt.com/uk/531769-bbc-antivax-covid19-twitter/

‘Immediately and unconditionally’: Washington demands China release Canadian sentenced to 11 years in prison for spying

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has demanded Canadian businessman Michael Spavor, arrested in China for alleged spying, be released “immediately and unconditionally” after he was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Wednesday.

In a Wednesday statement, Blinken accused China of “arbitrarily” arresting Spavor to “exercise leverage over foreign governments.”

“People should never be used as bargaining chips,” the secretary of state said.

Spavor was sentenced to 11 years in prison over charges of espionage. In a statement on the ruling, the court said Spavor was “illegally providing state secrets.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously condemned the arrest and the trial, which he claims “did not satisfy even the minimum standards required by international law.” Canada is working on the release of Spavor, as well as Michael Kovrig, another businessman arrested on spying charges in China.

The arrests of the two men in 2018 follow the detainment of an executive at the China-based company Huawei, Meng Wanzhou, whom officials claim conspired to violate US trade sanctions with Iran.

Wanzhou has denied any wrongdoing, but Canada has pointed to the new arrests as likely retaliation for the executive’s legal troubles – the US is currently seeking her extradition.

Spavor’s 11-year sentence followed a Chinese court upholding a death sentence for Robert Schellenberg, a Canadian citizen charged with drug trafficking in 2014. Originally slapped with a 15-year prison sentence, Schellenger was eventually facing a death penalty in January 2019, something critics again say could also be retaliation for Wanzhou. The Canadian government blasted the death penalty as “cruel and inhumane.”

Dominic Barton, Canada’s ambassador to China, has linked the cases of all three Canadian citizens in public statements, saying the arrests are “part of the geopolitical process.”

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence these are happening right now while events are going on in Vancouver,” he told reporters this week about the cases.

For his part, Blinken blasted China for a “lack of transparency” when it comes to the cases and claimed none of the accused have received the “minimal procedural protections.”

The Huawei executive is due to face a judge’s decision on potential extradition to the US in the coming weeks, something her lawyers have vehemently have argued should not happen, calling the arrest and charges politically motivated.

https://www.rt.com/news/531782-canada-china-spying-arrests/

So Blinken will go to war with China over a Canadian drug dealer

Ted Cruz and Kevin Cramer Introduce Bills Banning Mask and Vaccine Mandates

Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced bills on Tuesday banning mask and vaccine mandates.

“To protect the rights and privacy of Americans,” Sen. Cruz wrote in a press release, “I’ve introduced legislation that would prohibit federal COVID mandates. This means no mask mandates, no vaccine mandates, and no vaccine passports.”

“My legislation also provides civil rights protections for employees from their employers, to stop discrimination based on vaccination status,” Cruz continued. “The American people must have the freedom to exercise personal choice when it comes to protecting their health and the health of their families.”

Cramer also issued a statement:

When it comes to handling COVID-19, Americans are self-governed people who have more than enough information available to them on how to talk to their doctor and figure out what is best for themselves and their families. Efforts by the Biden Administration and its allies to bully or force people to comply with mask and vaccine mandates – even though their guidance has been inconsistent and haphazard throughout the pandemic – will only succeed at infringing upon the rights of the American people. Our legislation would protect Americans by preventing the federal government from allowing itself to make these important decisions on their behalf.

According to measures in the bill, mask mandates on public property and funding to enforce mask mandates would be prohibited, along with blocking future mask mandates the Biden administration may implement.

The vaccination portion of the bill would render it unlawful to mandate “someone to receive any COVID-19 vaccine originally approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) without first obtaining the patient’s informed consent.”

The bill would also protect the rights of parents and guardians “by requiring any person or entity administering the vaccine to obtain parental consent before administering a COVID vaccine to individuals under 18 years of age.”

“Under this bill, schools cannot give underage students a vaccine without first getting legal guardians’ permission,” the press release reads.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/08/11/ted-cruz-kevin-cramer-mask-vaccine-mandates/

China Accused of Inventing Swiss Scientist to Dispute Coronavirus Origin

Chinese state propaganda has been accused of inventing a Swiss biologist to dispute the origins of the Wuhan coronavirus.

In a post on Tuesday, the embassy of Switzerland in Beijing accused the communist dictatorship of spreading “fake news” by citing an apparently fabricated Swiss biologist to claim that investigations into the origin of the virus were politically motivated by pressure from the United States.

“Looking for Wilson Edwards, alleged [Swiss] biologist, cited in press and social media in China over the last several days. If you exist, we would like to meet you! But it is more likely that this is a fake news, and we call on the Chinese press and netizens to take down the posts,” the embassy wrote on social media.

In an archived version of an article from China Daily, — the largest English language propaganda paper of the Communist Party — Wilson Edwards was referred to as a “biologist in Switzerland”.

The state mouthpiece claimed that Edwards had written on his Facebook page: “As a biologist, I’ve witnessed in consternation over the past months how the origin-tracing of COVID-19 was politicized.”

“He added that the WHO’s new plans are largely politically motivated,” China Daily claimed.

The article has since been updated with Edwards’ alleged comments removed, however, no correction was issued.

The Global Times also cited the supposed Swiss biologist as well, attributing comments to him claiming that Edwards was worried about the World Health Organization’s “independence”. The apparently fictitious biologist went on to claim that the investigations into the virus’ origin in Wuhan from the WHO were a result of “enormous pressure” and “intimidation” from the United States.

“The US is so obsessed with attacking China on the origin-tracing issue that it is reluctant to open its eyes to the data and findings,” the figure referred to as Edwards said, apparently quoting a WHO source as having relayed to the alleged biologist.

The article has since been deleted.

Despite developing views that the coronavirus may have leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology laboratory, the Chinese Communist Party has — without evidence — claimed that the virus emerged from the U.S. Army laboratory in Fort Detrick, Maryland. China has also tried to claim — again without evidence — that the Wuhan virus emerged in Italy.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2021/08/11/communist-china-accused-of-inventing-swiss-scientist-to-dispute-coronavirus-origin/

More Rights For The Vaccinated: Merkel’s Govt Pushes for Vaccine Passports in Germany

Top members of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government are lobbying for the implementation of vaccine passports in a supposed bid to increase takeup of the jab throughout the country.

While Angela Merkel has previously ruled out making coronavirus vaccines mandatory in Germany, members of her government, including her chief of staff Helge Braun and Health Minister Jens Spahn, are calling for increased restrictions on the unvaccinated.

Neither official has openly committed to the idea of introducing a vaccine passport, as has been rolled out in France, however, they have both called for increased access to public venues for citizens who have had the jab.

“Masks and tests alone have to make it possible to do essential things, like ride public transport, or visit the hospital or town hall,” Jens Spahn said according to Deutsche Welle.

“But for discos, stadiums, or theatres, which aren’t essential, I can only imagine needing to be vaccinated or tested to get in,” he added.

Merkel’s chief of staff Helge Braun made similar comments last week, saying: “Those who have been vaccinated will definitely have more freedom than those who have not been vaccinated.”

It comes as Chancellor Angela Merkel and Germany’s 16 state premiers reached a decision on Tuesday to end government paid coronavirus tests.

“Since we can now offer vaccines comprehensively to every citizen in Germany, we will be ending the free COVID-19 tests for everyone effective on October 11,” Merkel said.

“Those who are not vaccinated will, in the future, need to be tested regularly when they are indoors with other people,” a draft of the decision read.

Following October 11th, unvaccinated people will be forced to pay for their own coronavirus tests, except in the case of children, teenagers, and those with medical exemptions that prevent them from taking a vaccine.

Merkel said that the purpose of the measure was to try to convince people to become vaccinated against the Chinese virus, saying that it provides “protection for everyone.”

At present around 60 per cent of German adults have received one jab, yet less than half of the country has been inoculated with the full two doses. In comparison, the UK has seen 75 per cent of its population have two jabs.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2021/08/11/more-rights-merkels-government-pushes-for-vaccine-passports-in-germany/

Dozens of Single Adult Migrants Walk Through Inland Texas Ranch

On Sunday, a Texas rancher near Brackettville captured video of a group of migrants walking along a ranch fence in broad daylight to escape Border Patrol and travel further inland. The video was captured by the rancher’s game camera and was turned over to the Kinney County Attorney’s office.

The video shows the moments when groups single adult migrants calmly walk along a fence line. The game cameras are strategically placed to monitor the movement of deer and other game.

In addition to their intended purpose, ranchers are discovering the cameras are more frequently capturing migrants in numbers not seen in recent history. The video, provided by Brent Smith, County Attorney for Kinney County, is one of many handed over to local officials to demonstrate the extent of migrant traffic on the local ranches.

As reported by Breitbart Texas, the County has begun prosecuting the migrants apprehended by the Brackettville Sheriff’s office and Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers for criminal trespass. The charges can also be upgraded to human trafficking, burglary, or theft of property when those crimes are discovered. Ranchers have reported increased property damages as a result of the current migrant surge.

According to Smith, the weekend this video was taken was exceptionally busy for the state and local law enforcement working in the area. On Monday, he said, “We’ve arrested more than 50 in the last 48 hours that we are going to prosecute.” The migrants who are prosecuted in Kinney County and other South Texas areas by state and local law enforcement will be transported to the Briscoe Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Dilley.

The current influx of migrants has overwhelmed Border Patrol in the Del Rio Sector, which covers the Brackettville area. The processing and humanitarian care of 1,000 migrants or more daily has impeded the Border Patrol’s ability to adequately cover patrol routes. The task has fallen largely to the state and local law enforcement as a result.

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2021/08/10/watch-dozens-of-single-adult-migrants-walk-through-inland-texas-ranch/

It’s official: Cannabidiol Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Replication and Promotes the Host Innate Immune Response – NOT BY SMOKING THOUGH

“Cannabidiol inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication and promotes the host innate immune response.”

“Our results suggest that CBD can block SARS-CoV-2 infection at early stages of infection, and CBD administration is associated with a lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans.”

“High dose CBD usage in patients is significantly correlated with a reduction in COVID-19 positivity.”

“CBD inhibits viral replication after SARS-CoV-2 entry into the host cell.”

“Cannabidiol (CBD) is a potent inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro.”

Basically, the coronavirus has a ‘key-like’ tool that it uses to get into the cell through a receptor called an ACE2 receptor. Turns out that CBD uses that very same ‘key hole’ as the coronavirus does. So, if the ‘key hole’ is already being used by a ‘CBD key’, then the coronavirus can’t get into the cell (as easily) to replicate itself.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7987002/

Ron Paul: Covid update. Something is happening to the vaxxed! What’s going on?

https://newsrescue.com/latest-uk-data-vaccinated-people-3-times-more-likely-to-die-from-delta-variant-than-unvaccinated/

https://newsrescue.com/2500-covid-spike-seen-in-spain-peninsula-despite-99-vaccinated-population-similar-pattern-observed-globally/

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/ron-paul-covid-update-something-is-happening-to-the-vaxxed-whats-going-on/

Predator Hunters Who Recorded Alleged Pelosi Employee Solicit 14-Year-Old Boy For Sex Release Full Video

CC Unit has released the full video of the child predator sting operation against alleged Nancy Pelosi employee Clint Alan Goss.

CC Unit, a movement out of California that aims protect children from online criminals, has posted the official video of the child predator sting operation conducted against a man identified as Democrat LGBT activist Clint Alan Goss for allegedly soliciting sex from what he believed to be a 14-year-old boy online.

As National File previously reported, a man identified as LGBT activist Clint Alan Goss was captured on video during a child predator sting operation led by CC Unit. Goss claimed in the video and allegedly in explicit text messages to work for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other high profile Democrats, and appears to have been photographed alongside prominent Democrats including Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee and Chasten Buttigieg, the husband of Biden administration Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

In the video, it is revealed that Goss allegedly solicited sex from an individual he believed to be a 14-year-old boy prior to being approached by the YouTuber in the apparent sting operation. (READ MORE: UPDATE: Democrat LGBT Activist Accused Of Soliciting Sex From 14-Year-Old Boy Blames ‘Grindr’ As Pelosi Remains Silent)

Hours after the original publication of the article, Goss posted on Facebook “That’s what I get for getting on grindr,” appearing to suggest that the online interaction with what he believed to be a 14-year-old boy occured on the popular homosexual dating site “Grindr.” Prior to the aforementioned stories publication, National File reached out to Nancy Pelosi’s campaign for comment regarding Goss’ claims that he worked for her. National File has still not received any response from Pelosi’s campaign.

https://nationalfile.com/predator-hunters-who-recorded-alleged-pelosi-employee-solicit-14-year-old-boy-for-sex-release-full-video/

Reuters: Half of Paris Cafes And Bars Refusing to Comply With Vaccine Passport Scheme

Though you wouldn't know it from watching the media's highlight reels of compliant sheep going along with France's vaccine passport rollout, half of Paris cafes and bars are reportedly refusing to comply with the control scheme despite the government's terroristic threats.

From Reuters, "Coffee and croissant in a French cafe? You'll need a COVID pass for that":

PARIS, Aug 9 (Reuters) - The French morning ritual of a coffee and croissant became more complicated on Monday as people had to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test before taking a seat at their favourite cafe, though numerous eateries ignored the new rules.

A health pass now has to be shown to eat in a restaurant, drink in a bar, access non-emergency treatment in a hospital or travel on an intercity train, part of a government drive to contain a fourth wave of infections.

[…] Cafe and bar owners caught flouting the rule face a warning followed by a 7-day closure order on the second infraction. Two further contraventions could lead to a year's jail time.

Even so, of the 10 restaurant and cafe owners Reuters spoke to in Paris on Monday, half said they refused to run the health pass checks. Police would take a lenient view initially, the Interior Ministry said.

There is no public support for this control scheme.

https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=62447

ICE director picked by Biden halted the deportation of a criminally-convicted immigrant after acting on an email from head of group that aims to abolish all immigration detention

A serial criminal's deportation was halted after a far-left activist emailed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to say the criminal should stay with his family.

Tania Mattos' June 7 email demanding that Marvin Jerezano-Pena be allowed to remain in the US made it all the way to the inbox of ICE acting director Tae Johnson, and Pena's deportation was halted shortly afterwards.

The 26 year-old - who has been accused of beating his girlfriend - was saved from being booted out of the US by the Biden Administration appointee despite being convicted of multiple felonies for drugs and stolen property offenses.

Emails obtained by Tucker Carlson's team on Fox News showed Mattos appealing for a stay of deportation, arguing his case as a former DACA recipient married to a U.S. citizen, with a two-year-old son.

DACA recipients are people who were brought to the US illegally by their parents, who have been allowed to stay in the country - provided they do not commit any crimes.

But Mattos said his case served as 'an example of how many immigrants who interact with the criminal justice system are separated from their families unfairly.'

Pena was due to be deported on June 8, and activists held a vigil outside Bergen County Jail in protest, with 14 arrested.

On June 7 Tania Mattos, a policy director at Freedom for Immigrants, wrote to Angela Kelley, a senior immigration counselor at the Department of Homeland Security.

http://www.yourdestinationnow.com/2021/08/ice-director-picked-by-biden-halted.html

Putin Pledges Russia Will Ensure Security in Persian Gulf, Atlantic Amid Growing Piracy

The statement follows at least two people dying after the MV Mercer Street, a Liberian-flagged tanker, was attacked by unknown assailants off the coast of Oman on 30 July.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed that Moscow will ensure security in the Persian Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean amid a surge in piracy-related incidents across the globe.

Speaking at a UN Security Council maritime security conference on Monday, the Russian president stressed the necessity of tackling transnational crime.

"Unfortunately, there are also many threats along sea routes. And that is why it is so important that today we are considering substantive, practical issues related to the fight against piracy of the 21st century, meaning to establish a more effective counteraction to transnational crime and prevent the use of seas and oceans for criminal purposes", Putin said.

He underscored that Russia is interested in building productive relations with the Indian Ocean Rim Association and the Indian Ocean Commission.

Putin added that Moscow seeks to promote security in the Persian Gulf zone, as well as in the Atlantic, where cases of robbery at sea accompanied by the taking of hostages have become more frequent.

According to the Russian president, "the problem is that it is really difficult for some countries to tackle transnational syndicates of criminals, pirates, and terrorists on their own".

"That is why the question of uniting the power potential of special services and the relevant armed contingents of all interested states under the auspices of the UN comes to the fore", Putin pointed out.

Russia Ready to Share Experience in Anti-Terror Operations, Putin Says

He signalled Russia's readiness to share its experience in anti-terrorist operations and crime prevention, as well as tracking and neutralisation of gangs, including those in maritime areas.

The president added that the proposed structure could rely on the support of UN member states and that it could actively cooperate with experts, representatives of civil society, scientists, and even business people. "We hope that our partners will constructively consider the Russian proposal", Putin said.

The president additionally reaffirmed Russia's adherence to the common mission of combating maritime crime in all its forms and manifestations.

"We are ready to further promote the development of equal international cooperation on this topic", he concluded.

https://sputniknews.com/russia/202108091083563929-putin-pledges-russia-will-ensure-security-in-gulf-atlantic-amid-growing-piracy/

CDC officially recommends COVID-19 vaccine for anyone who is pregnant

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday officially recommended that people who are pregnant be vaccinated against COVID-19, updating and strengthening previous guidance due to new evidence.

"COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for all people aged 12 years and older, including people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now, or might become pregnant in the future," CDC said.

The agency's previous guidance said pregnant people were "eligible" and merely suggested a conversation with their health care provider.

According to the CDC, evidence about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy has been growing, and the benefits of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine outweigh any known or potential risks of vaccination during pregnancy.

“The vaccines are safe and effective, and it has never been more urgent to increase vaccinations as we face the highly transmissible Delta variant and see severe outcomes from COVID-19 among unvaccinated pregnant people,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said.

Concerns about miscarriages due to receiving the mRNA vaccines early in pregnancy were not borne out by the data, CDC said. In people vaccinated before 20 weeks of pregnancy, miscarriage rates were similar to the expected rate generally, the agency said.

Pregnant and recently pregnant people are more likely to get severely ill with COVID-19 compared with non-pregnant people, the agency said.

Additionally, pregnant people with COVID-19 are at increased risk of preterm birth and might be at increased risk of other adverse pregnancy outcomes, compared with pregnant people without COVID-19.

The update comes as the nation sees a significant spike in COVID-19 infections due to the delta variant, mostly among the unvaccinated.

CDC officially recommends COVID-19 vaccine for anyone who is pregnant

© iStock

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday officially recommended that people who are pregnant be vaccinated against COVID-19, updating and strengthening previous guidance due to new evidence.

"COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for all people aged 12 years and older, including people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now, or might become pregnant in the future," CDC said.

The agency's previous guidance said pregnant people were "eligible" and merely suggested a conversation with their health care provider.

According to the CDC, evidence about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy has been growing, and the benefits of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine outweigh any known or potential risks of vaccination during pregnancy.

“The vaccines are safe and effective, and it has never been more urgent to increase vaccinations as we face the highly transmissible Delta variant and see severe outcomes from COVID-19 among unvaccinated pregnant people,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said.

Concerns about miscarriages due to receiving the mRNA vaccines early in pregnancy were not borne out by the data, CDC said. In people vaccinated before 20 weeks of pregnancy, miscarriage rates were similar to the expected rate generally, the agency said.

Pregnant and recently pregnant people are more likely to get severely ill with COVID-19 compared with non-pregnant people, the agency said.

Additionally, pregnant people with COVID-19 are at increased risk of preterm birth and might be at increased risk of other adverse pregnancy outcomes, compared with pregnant people without COVID-19.

The update comes as the nation sees a significant spike in COVID-19 infections due to the delta variant, mostly among the unvaccinated.

Poll: Majority of parents against school vaccine mandates, support…

Biden meeting with business leaders who have mandated vaccines

Currently, only about 23 percent of people who are pregnant have received at least one shot of a vaccine.

The agency said its recommendation was for all three currently authorized vaccines.

The recommendation from CDC follows an endorsement from two of the nation's leading women's health organizations, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM).

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/567385-cdc-officially-recommends-covid-vaccine-for-anyone-who-is-pregnant

Judge orders accounting firm to give House panel some of Trump's tax records

A federal judge on Wednesday narrowed a House subpoena for former President Trump's personal financial records, ruling that the congressional inquiry was overly intrusive but may proceed with a more limited scope.

U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta upheld the subpoena to the extent that it sought information about Trump's lease with the General Services Administration (GSA) for his D.C. hotel property and whether he violated the Constitution's Emoluments Clauses.

He ordered Trump's accounting firm Mazars to hand over two years' worth of tax and financial records for the former president and his business to Congress.

But Mehta, who was appointed by former President Obama to federal district court in D.C., threw out the House Oversight and Reform Committee's effort to obtain a broad swath of Trump's personal financial records, saying that the lawmakers' rationale of seeking to bolster presidential disclosure laws does not justify the constitutional concerns posed by the subpoena.

"Such limited legislative need cannot justify the degree to which the Maloney Subpoena imposes on the separation of powers, even in the case of a former President," Mehta wrote.

The judge added, "The more Congress can invade the personal sphere of a former President, the greater the leverage Congress would have on a sitting President."

The decision can be appealed by either party. An attorney representing Trump and a spokeswoman for Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) were not immediately able to comment.

The ruling comes more than a year after the Supreme Court had waded into the case, overruling early victories for the House in the lower courts and advising judges to more cautiously balance the interests of the executive and legislative branches.

While Trump has since left office, Mehta said in his 53-page decision that he still has some protections from congressional inquiries under the Supreme Court's Mazars decision.

"Although the Committee’s explanation might validate the Maloney Subpoena were it directed at the personal papers of an ordinary citizen, this case is different," the judge wrote.

But Mehta ruled that Trump's lease with the GSA for his Trump International Hotel in D.C. is fair game for congressional oversight, and his decision to contract with the federal government before, during and after his time in office leaves him without the protections that might otherwise be afforded to a former president in a congressional investigation.

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/567369-judge-narrows-house-subpoena-for-trumps-financial-records

This shit again

British national suspected of spying for Russia arrested in Germany — prosecution

According to German authorities, the British national at least once handed over documents obtained in the course of his professional duties to "a representative of a Russian intelligence service"

BERLIN, August 11. /TASS/. The British national who was detained in Germany on suspicion of cooperating with Russian intelligence services has been placed under arrest, the German Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement on Wednesday.

"The investigating judge of the Federal Court of Justice today (August 11, 2021) issued the arrest warrant against British national David S.," the statement notes. It is added that the suspect was brought before an investigator on Wednesday.

The British national was detained in Potsdam on August 10. His home address and workplace were searched.

The German prosecution says that David S. previously worked in the British Embassy in Berlin. According to German authorities, the British national at least once handed over documents obtained in the course of his professional duties to "a representative of a Russian intelligence service." It is claimed that he received cash in return. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Russian Embassy in Germany said that the diplomatic mission "currently does not have any official information received from the German side on this issue.".

https://tass.com/world/1324853

Judicial Watch Obtains Additional Documents on Death Investigation of Capitol Police Officer Sicknick – Show Media Pressured Medical Examiner on Natural Causes Conclusion

Judicial Watch announced today that it received an additional 2,440 pages of records related to the death of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick which show major media representatives pressuring the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) of the District of Columbia over its conclusion that Officer Sicknick had died of natural causes.

On April 20, one day after Officer Sicknick’s autopsy results were released, CNN reporter Jen Christensen emailed the medical examiner’s office, asking “how someone could die of natural causes after a traumatic event.”

In an April 20 email to the medical examiner’s office, reporter Sarah Mimms of BuzzFeed News presses for “clarity” on the death determination: “I’m really pressing on clarity here not only because of the importance of this case but also because USCP and the Justice Department initially said that Officer Sicknick died due to injuries he sustained at the Capitol. [Emphasis in original] We want to be accurate, which may mean updating those original stories about how he died, if the ME [medical examiner] can clarify this key point.”

Judicial Watch obtained the documents in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed after the medical examiner’s office denied a February 16, 2021, FOIA request (Judicial Watch v. District of Columbia (No. 2021 CA 000875 B)). Judicial Watch asked for:

All records, including but not limited to autopsy reports, toxicology reports, notes, photographs, and OCME [medical examiner] officials’ electronic communications, related to the death on January 6, 2021 of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick and its related investigation.

Pressure from this lawsuit helped lead to the April disclosure that Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick died of natural causes.

On February 7, Dr. Brent Harris, Director of Neuropathology at Georgetown University Hospital, emailed D.C. Medical Examiner Dr. Sasha Breland, saying, “Sasha, here’s the draft for your rush case and a paper I found on the topic. Take a look and let me know your thoughts.” The attached paper was titled, “Basilar artery thrombosis after cervical injury 2010.”

On January 8, medical examiner investigator Leigh Fields Broadbent emailed medical examiner colleagues regarding the Sicknick case, saying, “Accepted: 21-00132Please contact Special Agent Riley, FBI [redacted] regarding the start time of the autopsy. He will be waiting in his car outside the building by 0730-0800 hrs regardless. DONE – he and the US Attorney will be coming down btwn 0900-0930 hrs. MPD will present btwn 0800-0830hrs.”

Dr. Samantha Tolliver, the Chief Toxicologist for the medical examiner’s office, indicated that a “draft report” had been completed in the Sicknick death investigation on February 17.

A “preliminary toxicology report” on Sicknick was completed by March 2, 2021.

https://www.judicialwatch.org/press-releases/jw-sicknick-documents/

Unmasking Punishment: lllinois school district suspends students for not wearing masks

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said schools should treat students not complying with mask mandates as if they’re violating dress codes.

Parents across Illinois are sending their kids to school. Some kids are being suspended for not wearing masks.

The school year has started in some districts and schools are requiring masks, per Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s recent order. He said Tuesday the mask mandate is temporary, but necessary with rising COVID-19 case rates.

“This is a vital part of keeping people safe and healthy across the state,” Pritzker said.

For Marlena and Ben McCoy in Marion, they had their children politely refuse to wear masks Monday, saying it’s not healthy for them to breathe their own air for eight hours a day.

They said at first, administrators at Crab Orchard in Williamson County said to just take the kids home, but the McCoys insisted that if they’re not being disciplined, their children must be in class. The administrators eventually suspended the three children.

An administrator from the district didn’t return messages seeking comment.

Marlena said they couldn't stand by anymore without fighting back.

“It’s time to stand up and it’s time to fight against what is not the government’s to take,” Marlena said. “The Bible teaches us to give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and they are clearly asking something that is not Caesar's and we’re not going to be willing to give it anymore.”

It was tough to “walk into the fire,” but Marlena said her children understood.

“They’re excited to be part of whatever this movement is going to be,” she said. “My husband made kind of a silly comment, he said ‘your blood bleeds a little bit more red than most Americans right now,’ because they’re fighting what most won’t.”

Pritzker said Tuesday that schools must enforce masks, equating it to enforcing dress codes.

“I expect people will do the right thing, nonetheless, and not put their school district in the situation of having to tell somebody, you know, ‘follow the rules,’” Pritzker said.

At the same district, Amanda Phillips’ son Carson, who turns 13 in just a matter of days, went to school Monday with a mask, but decided to not wear a mask Tuesday and was given a day suspension.

“He’s putting everything on the line, his sports, his academics,” Phillips said, noting her son is a leader on the middle-school baseball team and a good student. “Suspensions are supposed to be for bad things like fights, not for good students.”

Phillips said her son may go back to school Wednesday with a mask in order to be eligible for a Thursday baseball game, but she also has her eye on a national day of action called “Walkout Wednesday.” She said that could have students across the country walking out of schools at noon to protest COVID-19 mitigation protocols.

https://justthenews.com/nation/states/marion-family-takes-stand-against-mask-mandate-three-children-suspended

Democratic-led Senate votes to authorize more than $4 trillion of spending in less than 24 hours

The Senate passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, which includes $517 billion in new spending, as well as a $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation proposal

The Democratic-led Senate voted to authorize more than $4 trillion of federal spending in less than 24 hours between Tuesday and Wednesday morning.

The Senate passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, which includes $517 billion in new spending and a reauthorization of funding from the highway bill, at 11:17am on Tuesday.

The Senate moved to debate on the Democrats' filibuster-proof $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation proposal. The framework for the plan authorizing that level of federal spending passed in a 50-49 vote early Wednesday morning at 3:50am.

The reconciliation bill includes new spending programs related to tuition free community college, universal pre-K, support for child care and Medicaid expansion. It contains tax increases such as a corporate tax rate hike to pay for part of the bill. Once the proposal is turned into formal legislative language, it will be put up for a final vote on the Senate floor. It can pass with every Democratic senators' vote plus Vice President Kamala Harris as the tie-breaking vote.

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that both the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Democrats' budget reconciliation plan will ultimately cost more than Congress has estimated.

CRFB estimates that the reconciliation proposal would result in roughly $1.75 trillion of borrowing.

“It allows them to borrow $1.75 trillion,” said Marc Goldwein, senior vice president and senior policy director at CRFB. “They plan to spend $3.5 trillion with that authority but they could spend a lot more if they wanted.”

According to Congressional Budget Office figures, the separate bipartisan infrastructure plan will add over $340 billion to the deficit and cost $400 billion over 10 years. According to CRFB, Biden's agenda will cost taxpayers almost $3 trillion over the next decade.

In FY2020, the deficit hit a record $3.1 trillion. So far into FY2021, the deficit is at $2.2 trillion. The national debt is approaching $29 trillion for the first time in U.S. history.

The Senate votes come as inflation hit the highest level since 2008 at 5.4%.

https://justthenews.com/government/congress/democratic-led-senate-votes-spend-4-trillion-less-24-hours

Recent UAE Port Explosion Targeted Israeli Squad, Three Were Killed: Leaked Document

The July 7 explosion at Jebel Ali Port in the United Arab Emiratis (UAE) targeted an “Israeli squad” of six members, the al-Mayadeen TV reported on August 11, citing a document by Dubai Police.

According to the official document, that was recently leaked to the Beirut-based channel, the massive explosion, which unleashed a shock wave through the skyscraper-studded city of Dubai, was not the result of an accident. The explosion was in fact caused by a “bomb” that was hidden inside one of the containers at Jebel Ali port.

This claim is in line with early footage from the explosion site, which revealed that the explosion erupted aboard the Comoros-flagged OCEAN TRADER cargo ship that was at the time loaded with dozens of containers and anchored at the port.

In the leaked document, Dubai Police reports the death of three of the Israeli quad’s members and the injury of two others.

“Some of the bodies were buried and others were transferred to their countries under the supervision of the police due to the sensitivity of the situation,” the document reads.

The document, which is yet to be verified, didn’t provide any details on the Israeli squad or the nature of its work in Jebel Ali Port. The UAE stepped up its security cooperation with Israel and allowed trade with Israeli companies in the wake of the 2020 peace accord.

The information revealed by the al-Mayadin will not likely get verified any time soon. However, the available information from open sources indeed indicate that the explosion at Jebel Ali was not simply an “accident”.

https://southfront.org/recent-uae-port-explosion-targeted-israeli-squad-three-were-killed-leaked-document/

Why Has Israel Got an Arsenal of Nuclear Weapons?

It is far from inconceivable that Israel would employ its nuclear arsenal. After all, for what other reason does it have ninety nuclear weapons?

The main result of the meeting between Presidents Putin and Biden in Geneva on June 16 was the joint statement that “we reaffirm the principle that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.” This welcome recognition that nuclear war would probably destroy the world is especially relevant now, because August sees the 76th anniversary of the first — and so far the last — use of nuclear weapons in war. On 6 August 1945 a U.S. atomic bomb exploded over the Japanese city of Hiroshima, killing some 70,000 people. On August 9 another bomb destroyed Nagasaki city, causing about 40,000 deaths. Japan surrendered on August 15, thereby ending a world war that resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of people, mainly civilians. Estimates vary from 35 to 60 million, but whatever the number, the war was a major catastrophe — but not as great as the cataclysm that would befall the world if nuclear weapons are ever again employed.

While many of us may be confident that the U.S. and Russia will not make use of nuclear weapons against each other, even in the event of major confrontation, that sanguinity cannot extend to other situations, and it is notable that there are four nations that refuse to abide by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) which the UN describes as “a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament.”

The nuclear-armed nations that refuse to adhere to the NPT are North Korea (which signed but then withdrew), India, Israel and Pakistan. Of these, only Israel denies having nuclear weapons and it is notable that neither the U.S. State Department nor the CIA makes mention of Israel’s nuclear arsenal, programme or capabilities in any of their public material.

The State Department writes effusively that “Israel is a great partner to the United States, and Israel has no greater friend than the United States. Americans and Israelis are united by our shared commitment to democracy, economic prosperity, and regional security. The unbreakable bond between our two countries has never been stronger.” The CIA, whose Israel Factbook was updated on July 20, states that “the U.S. is by far the leading supplier of arms to Israel” which “has a broad defence industrial base that can develop, produce, support, and sustain a wide variety of weapons systems for both domestic use and export, particularly armoured vehicles, unmanned aerial systems, air defence, and guided missiles.”

Washington sees no evil and hears no evil where Israel is concerned, and when Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met Israel’s National Security Advisor, Dr Eyal Hulata and Senior Foreign Policy Advisor Shimrit Meir on August 3 she reiterated U.S. policy and made yet more Arab enemies by emphasising the “U.S. government’s unwavering support for Israel’s security.” Which presumably includes support for its nuclear weapons’ programme.

In February the Times of Israel carried an Associated Press report that “a secretive Israeli nuclear facility, supposedly at the centre of the nation’s undeclared atomic weapons program, is undergoing what appears to be its biggest construction project in decades.” There was much international speculation concerning the clandestine development, which was detected through satellite imagery, but nothing consequential was revealed.

https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2021/08/10/why-has-israel-got-arsenal-nuclear-weapons/