Government resigns amid mass protests in Kazakhstan

The government of Kazakhstan has been dismissed effective immediately, according to a presidential decree

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has dismissed the government after a wave of protests swept the country over a spike in the price of liquefied petroleum gas, leading to clashes with police.

The drastic move was announced on Wednesday morning, following a night of escalating and increasingly violent protests across the nation. While the decree is effective immediately, the current cabinet members will continue with their duties until a new government is formed. First Deputy Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov was appointed interim PM in the meantime.

On Tuesday night, President Tokayev declared a state of emergency and a curfew in Kazakhstan’s largest city of Almaty, as well as the Mangystau region, following clashes between riot police and demonstrators.

A number of photos and videos circulating online have shown mobs of protesters vandalizing and burning police cars, while officers were seen using flashbang grenades and other less-lethal weaponry to disperse the gathering.

Protests have gripped the former Soviet republic for three consecutive days, ignited by the government’s decision to lift price controls on liquefied petroleum gas, a move that saw prices roughly double. In a bid to placate critics, Tokayev reintroduced price limits, but the protest has turned increasingly political, with the demands of demonstrators quickly growing to the wholesale resignation of the government.

https://www.rt.com/russia/545179-kazakhstan-government-resigns-protests/

Macron vows to ‘piss off’ the unvaxxed into submission

The head of state outlined an unconventional strategy, saying the French government is intentionally making life unbearable for the unvaccinated to convince them to receive the jab

French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that deliberately ‘pissing off’ the unvaccinated will persuade more citizens to take their Covid-19 shots, saying he is doing all he can to eliminate vax skeptics from public life.

During a lengthy sit-down with the Le Parisien newspaper on Tuesday, Macron said his goal is to make life as difficult as possible for the unvaccinated, hoping that outrage among the group will somehow prompt more to get immunized.

“I am not about pissing off the French people. But as for the non-vaccinated, I really want to piss them off. And we will continue to do this, to the end. This is the strategy,” the president said, adding that only a “small minority” are still “resisting.”

“How do we reduce that minority? We reduce it – sorry for the expression – by pissing them off even more,” he went on, saying his administration is “putting pressure on the unvaccinated by limiting, as much as possible, their access to activities in social life.”

According to data compiled by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, just over 73% of France’s population has received two vaccine doses, leaving millions of residents in the “minority” slammed by the president.

Though Macron assured that authorities would not “forcibly” immunize or imprison the unvaccinated, his comments come as French lawmakers debate whether to tighten the country’s Covid restrictions to allow only the fully vaccinated to enter a long list of public spaces. Currently, in addition to proof of the shot, residents can also provide a negative coronavirus test to gain entry to the establishments in question, an exemption Macron has called to close.

Last month, the government also further escalated the restrictions by requiring citizens to receive a booster shot within three months of their second dose, warning those who fail to do so will no longer be considered “fully vaccinated” under its health passport system.

While France first imposed the passports last summer, it has apparently done little to stem the country’s greatest spike in infections yet, which kicked off in November, likely fueled by the more transmissible Omicron variant. Despite skyrocketing case numbers, recent polling suggests that many citizens still believe the passes can bring the pandemic to an end, according to the Guardian.

Macron’s interview segment was denounced by critics across the French political spectrum, with the leader of the socialist France Insoumise party, Jean-Luc Melenchon, calling his remarks “appalling” while arguing health passes amount to “collective punishment against individual liberties.” Marine Le Pen of the right-wing National Rally party similarly stated that Macon is seeking to turn the unvaccinated into “second-class citizens,” while conservative Senator Bruno Retailleau said “No health emergency justifies such words.”

https://www.rt.com/news/545181-macron-piss-off-unvaccinated/

Another Key Aide Leaving Kamala Harris’ Office Amid Biden-Harris Turmoil

Another Kamala Harris aide has resigned amid rumors of turmoil in the Biden-Harris Administration just weeks after four Harris staffers announced they were leaving.

Vincent Evans will leave Harris’ office to become the executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus.

“I am deeply honored to be named the executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus,” Evans said in the statement. “I started my career in Washington working for a member of the CBC, so I know firsthand the tremendous leadership and impact this caucus has in Congress and across the country.”

CNBC reported:

Another key aide is leaving Vice President Kamala Harris’ office following the departure of two other advisors.

Vincent Evans, Harris’ deputy director of public engagement and intergovernmental affairs, has taken a top job at the Congressional Black Caucus, he said in a statement provided to CNBC.

The CBC is led by Black lawmakers who advocate for issues important to minority communities across the country. The group is chaired by Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio.

Evans was a political director for Harris during the transition, and held the same post while she was a nominee for vice president during the later stages of the run-up to the 2020 election, according to his LinkedIn profile.

A person familiar with Evans’ departure says he is leaving on great terms with the vice president, and that he plans to maintain his close relationship with her. The move, this person added, has nothing to do with the other recent departures. Harris, according to this person, supports Evans’ decision. The person declined to be named in order to speak freely about the job change.

Kamala Harris is a ‘bully’ according to former staffers who had to endure her abuse.

“It’s clear that you’re not working with somebody who is willing to do the prep and the work,” one former staffer told the Washington Post. “With Kamala you have to put up with a constant amount of soul-destroying criticism and also her own lack of confidence. So you’re constantly sort of propping up a bully and it’s not really clear why.”

Last month it was reported Symone Sanders, a senior advisor and chief spokesperson to Kamala Harris, was leaving the White House at the end of December.

Kamala Harris’ Communications Director Ashley Etienne also left the administration in December to pursue “other opportunities.”

Joe Biden’s Communications Chief resigned just one day after Kamala Harris’ Comms Director announced she is leaving the administration.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/01/another-key-aide-leaving-kamala-harris-office-amid-biden-harris-turmoil/

Biden facing major vaccine lawsuit

As the commander-in-chief of the Texas militia, Governor Greg Abbot said he ‘will not tolerate’ President Biden's efforts to impose a federal vaccine mandate on the states’ armed forces

Texas Governor Greg Abbot has announced a lawsuit against the Biden administration, challenging a Covid-19 vaccine mandate for National Guardsmen, whom he argues are under the state’s authority.

In a Tuesday letter to Maj. Gen. Tracy Norris, Adjutant General of the Texas Military Department, Abbott said he had issued an order saying no member of the National Guard in the state will be “punished” for choosing not to get a vaccine, despite recently put in place mandates that have led to numerous military service members losing their jobs.

Abbott has been clear that he refuses to impose a vaccine mandate on his state’s military for weeks now, even in light of a Pentagon mandate put in place in August. Army National Guard members still have until June 30 to be vaccinated.

As commander-in-chief of Texas' militia, I will not tolerate Biden's efforts to compel Guardsmen to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.That is why I am suing the Biden Admin. over its latest unconstitutional vaccine mandate.Read my full letter:https://t.co/kt4prg1w4c

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 4, 2022

The question of authority over National Guard members is one multiple governors have opposed the White House on. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt launched a lawsuit that ultimately failed, also seeking to block mandates for the Guard.

According to Abbot, he is the commander-in-chief of the Texas National Guard and he holds ultimate authority over them, thanks to Title 32 of the US Code, which dictates that Guard members are under state authority unless called upon on federal orders, typically for an overseas deployment or national emergency.

Under Title 10, President Joe Biden can put the Guard members under federal orders, but they would still ultimately fall back under state control when those orders are completed. This leaves vaccine mandates in a gray legal area, as a military vaccine mandate would mean National Guard soldiers cannot be called upon for federal orders, should a challenge like Abbot’s prove successful. It could also mean, however, that National Guard soldiers would be required to be vaccinated against Covid-19 should their unit receive federal orders, which would mean Abbott's challenge would simply stall the mandate if successful.

While Abbott admits in his letter that his efforts could fail, he argued federal courts will be forced to decide whether Biden “violated” the law by “undermining” Abbott’s alleged authority with the mandate.

https://www.rt.com/news/545173-texas-national-guard-vaccine-lawsuit/

Corrupt Secretary of State Raffensperger to Investigate Himself After Allegations of Ballot Trafficking in Georgia 2020 Election

Georgia’s corrupt Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has announced that he will investigate himself after credible allegations came forward recently related to 2020 elections fraud in the state.

John Solomon at Just the News reported this evening:

Georgia authorities have launched an investigation into an allegation of systematic ballot harvesting during the state’s 2020 general election and subsequent U.S. Senate runoff and may soon issue subpoenas to secure evidence, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger confirmed to Just the News.

Georgia law strictly prohibits third-party activists from picking up and delivering ballots on behalf of voters, a tactic called “harvesting” that liberal organizers have tried to get legalized in many battleground states without success. The U.S. Supreme Court this summer rejected Democrat efforts to overturn an Arizona law that outlawed harvesting in the battleground state.

Unfortunately, Raffensperger is the Secretary of State in Georgia and these issues were under his purview. So his running an investigation into any related election issues is Raffensperger investigating himself.

We’ve reported on numerous suspected fraudulent and questionable activities in Georgia since the media first reported on a broken water main on Election night 2020. Although Solomon reports that Raffensperger, “defeated an effort by prominent Democrat lawyer Marc Elias to overturn the harvesting ban”, we reported on two agreements Raffensperger signed behind closed doors with Elias before the election that were not widely shared before the election.

Sadly, this effort with good cause may be another corrupt action by Raffensperger to add to his mantle of corrupt actions.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/01/rigged-corrupt-secretary-state-raffensperger-investigate-allegations-voter-fraud-georgia-2020-election/

>>15311380

>https://www.rt.com/news/545167-quebec-unvaxxed-liquor-cannabis-ban/

Literally the home of bootleg booze production

Former Trump Intel Official Cliff Sims Calls Out Big Tech, Wall Street for Aiding Communist China’s Rise

Former senior Trump intelligence official Cliff Sims in a recent interview called out Big Tech companies and Wall Street for aiding Communist China’s rise at the expense of America.

Sims, in an exclusive interview with SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Saturday, criticized companies like Apple for tying their future profits to China, where foreign businesses must abide by the Chinese Communist Party’s rules — which are aimed at China’s domination of the world economy.

“China is far and away our number one national security threat, issue, challenge that we have to tackle. They aspire to dominate the world, technologically, militarily, economically, culturally, across the board, he told host and Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle.

Sims, who served as U.S. deputy director of national intelligence for strategy and communications, said as the Trump administration confronted the threat of China, one of the recurring challenges was that American companies were funding the rise of China’s economy.

For example, he cited Apple CEO Tim Cook, who secretly struck a more than $275 billion deal with China wherein he promised that Apple would “do its part to develop China’s economy and technological prowess through investments, business deals, and worker training,” according to an exposé by The Information. Sims continued:

Tim Cook was the one who was credited internally at Apple as the one who really opened Apple up into China. He bet on China big before he was even CEO, he’s doubled down on it since being CEO. And so he’s got a lot of reputational and financial stuff wrapped up in this as well. So this is a guy who has made quotes in the past about human rights, it’s about treating people with dignity and respect…but you haven’t heard a peep, not a single peep out of Tim Cook and Apple about the CCP’s mass surveillance state inside of China, about the ongoing genocide of Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

They don’t say a word about these things. And the reason is Tim Cook has made Apple’s business a hostage to China. They are so dependent on China for their manufacturing capacity, their supply chain, all of these different things. At this point, if he said a word about that and China snapped their finger and shut that down, Apple would be in serious, serious trouble. They would not be able to get you an iPhone or any of these things anymore because they’re so dependent on China.

This is a case study. And what is happening with, with other businesses, China is an authoritarian state. Anyone who says otherwise is misguided or completely full of crap. There is no such thing as a private company in China, all of them by law are required to assist the surveillance state, the national security state there, and to serve the CCPs ends.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/01/04/former-trump-intel-official-cliff-sims-calls-out-big-tech-wall-street-for-aiding-communist-chinas-rise/

Glenn Loury: We Need Asian Migrants to Offset Loser Americans

The U.S. government should import more Asian workers because Americans are mediocre laggards, says Glenn Loury, a professor at Brown University.

“I think we need these [Asian] people,” Loury said in a December 20 conversation with Amy Wax, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Loury continued:

Let them come. I mean, in fact, that’s the only way we’re going to survive the challenge of the Chinese behemoth going forward another generation or two, because if I look at what’s going on in the legacy population — white and black — of the United States of America, I see a lot of mediocrity, I see a lot of laggardliness, I see a lot of decay and corruption and so forth, of people not realizing the full human potential … I don’t know what the alternative is.

“Think about what you’re saying,” Wax responded:

Glenn, we’ve got the whole heartland! We can’t just kind of give up … [on] this whole heartland population, okay? This is the population, the descendants of people that built this country, that conceived this country, that thought of the basic compact and the basic paradigm and the fundamental ideas of this country for a couple of centuries. And now you’re basically saying, they’re spent, it’s over for them. They’ve sunk into mediocrity and indifference.

Well, I agree those [problematic] things are happening. But why are they happening? What can we do to revitalize? Can we revitalize this — let’s just say it — this mainly white population?

Loury’s claim that Americans cannot keep pace with Asian workers echoes multiple claims by investors who demand more visa workers instead of domestic political reform.

Ex-Google chief Eric Schmidt wrote in a 2020 op-ed:

The ability to attract and retain top-tier talent from around the world is the backbone of a trifecta where the best talent comes to the U.S., to work at the best institutions on the most cutting-edge intellectual property. Our nation’s own National Security Strategy says it best: ‘The United States must continue to attract the innovative and the inventive, the brilliant and the bold.’

The Loury-Waxman conversation has prompted claims by progressive reporters that Waxman is “racist” for defending Americans of all races from companies’ self-serving importation of Asian workers.

In a January 2 reply to the suggestion of racism, Wax wrote:

As long as most Asians support Democrats and help to advance their positions, I think the United States is better off with fewer Asians and less Asian immigration. There needs to be more focus on people who are already here, and especially the core (and neglected) “legacy” population, and a push to return to traditional concepts and institutions and Charles Murray’s “American Creed.”

In the December 20 conversation, Loury backpedaled when Wax questioned him:

What’s your theory for why Americans are not going into these fields, not getting the PhDs in science, even in economics or fields like that? What’s your theory for the pall of despair, of lassitude, that’s settled over people who are not at the very tippy top, who are not part of the elite?

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/01/04/glenn-loury-we-need-asian-migrants-to-offset-loser-americans/

Florida Democrat issues tweet claiming that the state's GOP governor 'is doing everything he can to become a dictator' and is 'already half of that word there'

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried, a Democrat who hopes to become the Sunshine State's next governor, posted a cringeworthy tweet on Tuesday evening in which she declared that Ron DeSantis, the state's current governor, "is doing everything he can to become a dictator," and that DeSantis is "already half of that word there."

She later added another tweet that contained a doctored image of DeSantis standing in front of potatoes.

DeSantis, who is a very popular figure on the political right, is up for reelection during the state's 2022 gubernatorial election contest.

Fried has her sights set on the governorship and is competing in the Democratic primary.

"Trying to be like Trump. Not sure why all the people who screamed about Trump’s behavior aren’t pushing back. Also, a lot of people in South Florida actually fled a real dictator," Erick Erickson tweeted in response to Fried's tweet.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/florida-democrat-issues-tweet-claiming-that-the-state-s-gop-governor-is-doing-everything-he-can-to-become-a-dictator-and-is-already-half-of-that-word-there

https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1478594096499503104

Jon Stewart says J.K. Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter’ goblin characters clearly antisemitic

‘That’s a caricature of a Jew from an antisemitic piece of literature’: Comedian surprised there wasn’t wider outcry over depiction of hooked-nosed characters that run the banks

JTA — In recent years, some “Harry Potter” fans have reconsidered their love for the series in light of the controversy surrounding its author J.K. Rowling, who has been criticized for comments about the transgender community.

But after the release of an HBO special last week that celebrates the “Harry Potter” movies’ 20th anniversary, some are critiquing the series for a different reason: the inclusion of goblin characters that run the wizarding world’s bank.

In the “Harry Potter” world, Gringott’s Bank, the bank that serves wizards and where treasures are stored in a mysterious network of underground tunnels and chambers, is run by goblins, who are depicted as ill-tempered, short-statured creatures with long noses and ears with a love of gold.

Jon Stewart, the comedian and former host of “The Daily Show,” called the characters antisemitic caricatures on a recent episode of his new show, “The Problem with Jon Stewart.”

“It was one of those things where I saw it on the screen and I was expecting the crowd to be like ‘holy shit, she did not in a wizarding world just throw Jews in there to run the fucking underground bank.’ And everyone was like, ‘Wizards,’” Stewart said with a shrug.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/jon-stewart-says-the-harry-potter-goblin-characters-are-clearly-antisemitic/

US tech founder out after screed blaming COVID on Jews wanting to exterminate people

David Bateman, founder and board chair of Utah-based company Entrata and onetime prominent figure in state Republican politics, resigns after email diatribe

A Utah tech company founder and onetime prominent figure in state Republican politics resigned from the board of the company he started Tuesday after sending an email outlining an antisemitic vaccination conspiracy theory.

David Bateman, founder and board chair of the company Entrata, claimed the COVID-19 vaccine is part of a plot by “the Jews” to exterminate people, Fox13 reported.

The email attacks the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine and urges people not to get it. It claims the pandemic and “systematic extermination of billions of people” will lead to an effort to “consolidate all the countries in the world under a single flag with totalitarian rule.”

The recipients included the owner of NBA’s Utah Jazz, Ryan Smith, GOP Gov. Spencer Cox and Utah Senate Minority Whip Luz Escamilla, a Democrat.

Bateman confirmed he sent the email in a text message to the news station. He said he had “nothing but love for the Jewish people” but he echoed the assertions in the email. The email contained his personal opinion and was intended for a few friends, he said.

He has retired as CEO of Entrata, a property management software company, but had remained chair of the company’s board. Bateman had also been a prominent figure in Utah Republican politics, financially bailing out the party a few years ago when its legal debt mounted during a court fight over paths for candidates to get on the ballot.

The Entrata board of directors asked Bateman to step down Tuesday, and he agreed.

“The opinions expressed by Dave were his alone and do not reflect the views or values of Entrata … To be absolutely clear, we at Entrata firmly condemn antisemitism in any and all forms,” CEO Adam Edmunds said in a statement.

His email was also met with shock and dismay from people like Blake McClary, another prominent Utah tech executive who runs the Salt Lake City chapter of Silicon Slopes, a nonprofit representing the state’s tech industry. He tweeted a call for Bateman to step down from Entrata and “not embarrass us.”

Rabbi Avremi Zippel of Chabad Utah called the email “blatant anti-Semitism” and a “flaming pile of garbage” that could lead to real-world violence.

“We know how quickly things go from ridiculous conspiracy theories online and in emails, how that jumps to violence rather quickly,” he said.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-tech-founder-out-after-screed-blaming-covid-on-jews-wanting-to-exterminate-people/

Government military secretary spotted partying with NSO executives

Military secretary Avi Gil criticized over large, unmasked New Year’s gathering, where he was seen alongside NSO CEO Shalev Hulio and the underfire spyware company’s spokesman

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s military secretary Brig. Gen. Avi Gil was spotted at a large New Year’s party that did not follow the state’s COVID regulations — and was seen partying alongside senior executives at the embattled NSO Group.

Channel 12 news reported Tuesday evening that Gil was seen at a gathering organized by the OTD event production company. Gil was criticized for partaking in a large event where masks were not being worn as the Omicron variant has sent daily case rates skyrocketing.

But Zman Yisrael, The Times of Israel’s Hebrew sister site, also revealed that Gil was partying alongside the founder and other executives from NSO Group, the controversial Israel-based spyware company that is the target of multiple lawsuits and sharp international condemnation.

OTD’s co-founder Shai Baron is said to be friends with Gil, and invited him to the party. According to OTD’s website, the company’s clients include NSO as well as Pfizer, amdocs, Sodastream and other firms.

NSO founder and CEO Shalev Hulio was also seen at the gathering in a video of the event posted on social media by OTD. Oded Hershkovitz, NSO’s spokesman, was also present at the event, and even posed for a selfie with Gil. Hershkovitz served for more than 20 years in the IDF and was deputy IDF spokesman.

Hershkovitz and Gil, who are said to be friendly, did not arrive together to the gathering, but met at the party alongside a wide range of other prominent businessmen. The proximity between the prime minister’s military secretary and NSO officials is yet another layer in the ties between the company and government officials. One of Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked’s closest friends is Shiri Dolev, president of NSO.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/government-military-secretary-spotted-partying-with-nso-executives/