BIG ARIZONA FRAUD UPDATE: Law Enforcement Raids Nonprofits In ‘2000 Mules’ Ballot Trafficking Investigation – “Like Tweety Birds, They Sang”

Law enforcement has conducted a raid on Yuma County nonprofit organizations connected to the ballot trafficking scheme discovered by Yuma County citizens and revealed in the “2000 Mules” documentary.

True The Vote and Dinesh D’Souza’s groundbreaking new film revealed that the 2020 Presidential Election was stolen through illegal ballot trafficking and featured the undercover investigative work of David Lara and Arizona State Senate candidate Gary Snyder.

As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, The Yuma County Sheriff and Yuma County Recorder opened a new investigation into cases of impersonation fraud, false registrations, duplicate voting, and fraudulent use of absentee ballots.

The fake news media is already trying to deny everything. In a report titled, “The Yuma sheriff isn’t investigating election fraud because of ‘2000 Mules’”, The far-left dark money nonprofit Arizona Mirror reported,

The film alleges that by using geolocation data purchased by the filmmakers they were able to track “ballot mules” to drop boxes where they falsely allege the “mules” were paid to stuff the boxes with completed ballots. The practice, pejoratively referred to as ballot harvesting, is illegal in Arizona and many other states.

Wilmot announced last week that his office and the county recorder’s office are investigating voting fraud cases from 2020, but there is no indication that any of the cases involve the movie’s claims. Instead, YCSO said the cases include impersonation fraud, false registrations, duplicate voting and fraudulent use of absentee ballots.

In fact — All four of these voter fraud cases appear to be related to the evidence presented in the film.

Additionally, this investigation was announced just over one week after the nationwide premiere of the “2000 Mules.”

The “lame-brain” article even confused ballot trafficking for ballot harvesting, two very different things.

Trump-Endorsed Arizona Gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake broke the news from Yuma County this morning on Twitter.

TGP spoke to Lara and Snyder on Friday following this major announcement.

David Lara told The Gateway Pundit what he knows about the bust. He also revealed what happened when he spoke to New York Times reporter Alexandra Berzon about the incident.

There has been no official law enforcement press release at the time of this publication.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/05/big-arizona-fraud-update-law-enforcement-raids-nonprofits-2000-mules-ballot-trafficking-investigation-like-tweety-birds-sang/

Grassley Has the Receipts: GOP Senator Obtains New Hunter Records, Flagged Financial Affairs from Banks

Investigative reporter Catherine Herridge released a stunning report on Saturday morning.

Herridge reported that over 150 transactions involving Hunter Biden or Jim Biden’s global business affairs were flagged by US banks for further review. The concerns included large wire transfers.

Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) spoke with Catherine Herridge about this latest development.

Grassley believes James Biden was instrumental in Hunter Biden’s Chinese business ventures. James Biden’s organization The Lion Hall Group LLC was paid directly by a Chinese financed consulting firm.

Grassley said his team obtained the new records directly from the banks. No intermediary. No laptop.

https://rumble.com/v15kbw9-grassley-has-the-receipts-gop-senator-obtains-new-hunter-records-flagged-fi.html

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/05/grassley-receipts-gop-senator-obtains-new-hunter-records-flagged-financial-affairs-banks-video/

Russia bans 963 Americans

Russia releases a full list of banned US nationals including President Joe Biden and actor Morgan Freeman

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Saturday published a list of US nationals permanently banned from entering the country. The blacklist contains 963 individuals accused of anti-Russian activities.

“In response to the continuously imposed anti-Russian sanctions from the US and incoming requests about the exact composition of our national ‘stop list’, the Russian Foreign Ministry has published a list of American citizens who are permanently banned from entering Russia,” the ministry said in a statement.

Many new names have been added to the list in the three months since Russia launched its military operation against Ukraine, causing a downward spiral in relations with Washington. The individuals include US President Joe Biden, his son Hunter, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Russian sanctions have been also slapped on numerous US lawmakers and journalists, the document says. Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki made it onto the Russian list.

Hollywood star Morgan Freeman, 84, is the most high-profile celebrity on the blacklist. Back in 2017, he accused Moscow of meddling in US affairs and targeting the country’s “democracy” amid the fallout of Donald Trump’s election victory and the Russiagate saga. Despite continuous efforts to prove alleged “collusion” between Moscow and Trump or Russian “hacking efforts” to influence the 2016 election, US investigators failed to find any evidence to back up the claims.

https://www.rt.com/russia/555882-moscow-reveals-americans-blacklist/

Full list

https://www.mid.ru/ru/maps/us/1814243/

https://www.mid.ru/ru/maps/us/1814243/

More Bad News on the Energy Front: Entergy Corp Shuts Down Nuclear Power Plant in Michigan

Entergy Corp. announced on Friday that it had permanently shut down its Palisades Power Plant in Michigan after 50 years of operation earlier than planned.

“Control room operators at Entergy’s Palisades Power Plant safely removed the nuclear reactor from service for the final time on May 20. The plant was originally scheduled to permanently shut down on May 31, but after careful monitoring, operators made the conservative decision to shut down the plant early due to the performance of a control rod drive seal,” Entergy said in a statement.

The Palisades plant covers 432 acres in western Covert Township, Van Buren County, Michigan, and generates around 800 megawatts of electricity, that’s enough to power 800,000 residences in Southwest Michigan. The facility employed around 600 employees.

In 2017, Entergy Corp. announced that it would shut down its Palisades plant in the spring of 2022 due to a number of financial factors. The facility shut down also coincides with the expiration of the plant’s 15-year power purchase agreement with Consumers Energy.

The facility’s closure is a blow to Biden’s climate agenda. White House national climate adviser Gina McCarthy said that the Biden administration would need existing nuclear power plants to fulfill its agenda on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Reuters reported:

Entergy Corp said on Friday it has permanently shut a nuclear power station in Michigan despite a Biden administration plan to rescue plants like it because they generate electricity virtually free of carbon emissions.

White House national climate adviser Gina McCarthy has said that existing nuclear power plants will be needed to meet the Biden administration’s goals on slashing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Biden administration last month launched a $6 billion program to help save nuclear plants that are suffering rising security costs and stiff competition from other electricity generation sources including natural gas and renewable energy.

The first phase of the Civil Nuclear Credit program was meant to keep Palisades and California’s Diablo Canyon plant, owned by PG&E Corp, from shutting. It is uncertain whether Diablo Canyon can be saved by the program.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/05/bad-news-energy-front-entergy-corp-shuts-nuclear-power-plant-michigan/

'Imagine The Compliance': Pfizer CEO Pitches Davos Elites On WiFi Microchip Pills

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla may have forgotten he was on camera this week, as he dazzled the audience at the World Economic Forum in Davos with fantasies of ingestible computer chips that signal authorities when a drug has been digested.

"It is a, basically biological chip that is in the tablet. And once we take the tablet and dissolves into the stomach, sends a signal that you took the table. So imagine the applications of that - the compliance. The insurance companies know that the medicines patients should take, they take them.

Reactions to Bourla's dystopian pitch were about what one would expect - though Pfizer's defenders chimed in claiming it could be used in "specific" conditions such as 'schizophrenia and cancers' to assure compliance.

Right Said Fred is too sexy for Pfizer's dystopia:

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'Imagine The Compliance': Pfizer CEO Pitches Davos Elites On WiFi Microchip Pills

Tyler Durden's Photo

by Tyler Durden

Sunday, May 22, 2022 - 02:00 AM

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla may have forgotten he was on camera this week, as he dazzled the audience at the World Economic Forum in Davos with fantasies of ingestible computer chips that signal authorities when a drug has been digested.

"It is a, basically biological chip that is in the tablet. And once we take the tablet and dissolves into the stomach, sends a signal that you took the table. So imagine the applications of that - the compliance. The insurance companies know that the medicines patients should take, they take them.

Watch:

Reactions to Bourla's dystopian pitch were about what one would expect - though Pfizer's defenders chimed in claiming it could be used in "specific" conditions such as 'schizophrenia and cancers' to assure compliance.

Right Said Fred is too sexy for Pfizer's dystopia:

Where have we heard this kind of thing before?

As The Hill's Kim Iverson tweeted in response to Bourla: Repeat after me: “I shall never scoff at so called conspiracy theorists again. I will listen and remain open minded that perhaps what they’re saying is actually happening.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/imagine-compliance-pfizer-ceo-pitches-davos-elites-wifi-microchip-pills

CDC Urges One-Third of US Population to Mask Up Again in Public Indoor Settings and Based on Their Covid-19 Risk

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2022/05/18/press-briefing-by-white-house-covid-19-response-team-and-public-health-officials-may-18-2022/

NATO Plans to Rip Off Americans Even More as Sweden and Finland Set to Join

Both Sweden and Finland have applied for membership within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization this week, with both countries ending their long-standing policy of neutrality. On Wednesday, several NATO members announced they would immediately extend NATO-like military defense to both Finland and Sweden. In a joint statement, Denmark, Iceland, and Norway announced: "Should Finland or Sweden be victim of aggression on their territory before obtaining NATO membership, we will assist Finland and Sweden by all means necessary."

The Biden administration made an identical pledge, noting in a White House statement that while Sweden's and Finland's:

applications for NATO membership are being considered, the United States will work with Finland and Sweden to remain vigilant against any threats to our shared security, and to deter and confront aggression or the threat of aggression.

Although neither statement mentions Russia, it is clear that both statements were aimed at Moscow in terms of communicating that—regardless of what the formal membership process may be—both Finland and Sweden will immediately become de facto members of NATO.

Joe Biden's move expands the number of counties for which Americans could be expected to die and the number of countries that American taxpayers will be expected to subsidize with their tax dollars.

Also within the Biden statement was the often-repeated—and false—claim that the expansion of NATO benefits Americans overall:

NATO guarantees the security of one billion people in Europe and North America…. By joining NATO, [Sweden and Finland] will further strengthen our defense cooperation and benefit the entire Transatlantic Alliance.

But there are numerous problems with this claim. NATO membership has nothing to do with enhancing the defense of ordinary Americans. The American elites love NATO, of course, because it expands regime spending and influence in Europe. But when it comes down to actual military defense, expanding NATO only increases the odds that Americans will be pulled into a major conflict while offering Americans nothing in return.

Moreover, the Russian regime's inability to overrun Ukraine has demonstrated that Moscow presents no threat to Europe that the Europeans cannot quite thoroughly counter themselves.

But there's one way to make the addition of Sweden and Finland to NATO a good deal: NATO can add whatever countries it wants so long as the United States leaves as part of the bargain.

https://mises.org/wire/nato-plans-rip-americans-even-more-sweden-and-finland-set-join

Teen girl trafficked from Mavericks game found 10 days later in Oklahoma, 8 people arrested

Eight people were arrested in Oklahoma City for allegedly trafficking a 15-year-old Texas girl at a Dallas Mavericks game last month and now the girl’s family is questioning why more wasn’t done to get their daughter home quicker.

The teen went to the bathroom at the Dallas’ American Airlines Center on April 8 while attending the game with her father and never returned, her family’s attorney Zeke Fortenberry of the Fortenberry Firm, PLLC said in a release, obtained by Fox News.

She was missing for 10 days until she was located by law enforcement at an Extended Stay America hotel in Oklahoma City — roughly 200 miles away — on April 18.

The Oklahoma City Police Department arrested Saniya Alexander, Melissa Wheeler, Chevaun Gibson, Kenneth Nelson, Sarah Hayes, Karen Gonzales, Thalia Gibson and Steven Hill in connection with the trafficking case, according to Fox.

“We are thankful for the work of the Oklahoma City Police Department and the recovery of our daughter,” the girl’s mother said in a statement on May 5. “My heart breaks for the unimaginable things my daughter had to endure for the 11 days she was taken, and I am so glad she is safe as we work toward her recovery.”

https://nypost.com/2022/05/21/teen-girl-trafficked-from-mavericks-game-found-10-days-later-in-oklahoma/

Charges Dropped Against Teen Rapper Accused of Shooting Police Officer

Brooklyn drill rapper "C Blu" reportedly shot an NYPD officer in the leg during a scuffle

Charges have been dropped against a teen rapper who is accused of shooting a New York City police officer. The gun and assault case against Camrin Williams, a 16-year-old rapper who goes by the stage name C Blu, “cannot be prosecuted,” the city Law Department said in a statement Friday.

Williams had been facing charges after shooting 27-year-old Kaseem Pennant in the leg this past January. The teen rapper was already on probation for a prior gun case at the time of the shooting, according to The New York Post.

Bronx Supreme Court Justice Denis Boyle set the ascending rapper’s bond at $250,000 in February, which he posted. He had reportedly received an advance from Interscope Records, which he used to get out of jail.

Williams did not stay out of jail for long, however, as he was back in juvenile court just one week later after violating the terms of his probation.

The case was initially slated to be tried in adult court, but Judge Naita Semaj ruled that police had no reason to search him.

Now, the teen rapper’s fortune seems to be turning around even further after charges against him were unexpectedly tossed. NYC Juvenile Court officials did not elaborate on why the case was being dropped, much to the dismay of the NYPD and police unions.

“Just because the city cannot prosecute doesn’t mean this individual should have been carrying an illegal weapon — a weapon which contributed to both him and an officer being shot,” the Law Department said in a statement. “Pursuant to Family Court Law, the case is now sealed and we are unable to say more about the matter.”

NYPD Police Benevolent Association President Patrick J. Lynch called the decision to let Williams walk “absurd.”

“This absurd decision should outrage every New Yorker who wants to get illegal guns off our streets. There is no dispute that this individual was caught carrying an illegal gun for the second time. If perps like this face absolutely no consequences, even after shooting a cop, we have to ask: why bother sending us out to get the guns at all?”

According to the NYPD, the teen rapper’s gun went off during a scuffle with police officers. They were responding to reports of a disorderly crowd when they encountered Williams.

Williams — who frequently references his gang affiliations — reportedly approached a police car with his hands in his pockets. When officers asked to see his hands he refused, which led to a scuffle.

He was previously arrested in the Bronx in May 2020, when he was just 14, for possession of a handgun, authorities said.

New York Mayor Eric Adams defended the NYPD’s handling of the situation this past March. “I don’t believe those officers broke the law,” said Adams, who claimed cops searched “C Blu” after recognizing him from a prior gun arrest. “We will never say breaking the law is a way of enforcing the law, but those officers that put their lives on the line to remove illegal guns off the street should not be demonized,” Adams added at the March press conference.

https://nationalfile.com/charges-dropped-against-teen-rapper-accused-of-shooting-police-officer/

‘Minister Of Truth’ Nina Jankowicz’s Firm is Still Receiving Federal Funds To Fight ‘Disinformation’.

Down, but not out, thanks to your tax dollars.

A consultancy firm advised by former “Ministry of Truth” Director Nina Jankowicz received a federally funded contract to combat the spread of alleged disinformation in the U.S. Air Force, The National Pulse can reveal.

The company, the Alethea Group, was founded in 2019 and purports to defend its clients from “disinformation campaigns.”

Jankowicz became the Alethea Group’s Director of External Engagement in September of 2021, remarking at the time: “I’m thrilled to lead Alethea’s external-facing research to continue to educate the public about the impact of disinformation on public safety, public health, and the functioning of global democracies.”

Just months after Jankowicz joined the Alethea Group, the company scored its first federal contract through the AFWERX program, dubbed the “the venture capital fund of the Air Force.” The firm was awarded an AFWERX Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract “to help the Air Force detect and mitigate instances of disinformation and misinformation,” according to a company press release.

“Artemis, Alethea Group’s machine learning platform, will be used to enable Air Force decision makers to proactively counter-message disinformation narratives in a way that’s appropriate for a government use-case.”

“Adversaries are finding the use of disinformation to be more effective in influencing behavior and have targeted the US military, Service members, Veterans, and their families,” explained an Alethea Group representative, who added:

“Narratives and false information resulting from disinformation have negative consequences for the military ranging from heightened political tensions that cause divisions between Service members, to lower COVID vaccination rates, to violence and offline action inspired by conspiracy theories.”

Established by Congress in 1982, the AFWERX SBIR program is supported by eleven federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, and is intended to adapt commercial technology to U.S. Air Force needs.

The unearthed contract follows the Biden White House pausing its plans to create a Disinformation Governance Board at the Department of Homeland Security, which would have been led by Jankowicz. Despite Jankowicz exiting the role shortly after it was announced, it appears the Alethea Group’s AFWERX contract is still active, allowing the firm to receive federal funds and advise the U.S. military on what constitutes “disinformation.”

https://thenationalpulse.com/2022/05/21/disinformation-board-leader-funded-by-us-air-force/

EU and UK Academics Collaborated with China’s Military on Thousands of Next-Gen Projects: Report

British and European Union universities and academics have collaborated on thousands of joint projects with institutions tied to the military of Communist China, an investigation has claimed.

A collaborative investigation between 11 European newsrooms, the Dutch investigative outlet Follow the Money, and German nonprofit CORRECTIV has identified nearly 3,000 scientific publications that were produced by European Union universities and military-tied institutions in China.

According to a report from the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle — one of the news outlets involved in the investigation — the scientific projects included research on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, quantum computing, and drone technology.

One of the main Chinese collaborators identified in the investigation was the National University of Defence Technology (NUDT), which not only trains elite military personnel in China but also plays a central role in developing military technology, including hypersonic and nuclear weapons and quantum supercomputers.

The top school is run directly by the Communist Party’s Central Military Commission.

The investigators claim that nearly half of the identified Sino-European scientific studies were published by people connected to the NUDT, alongside academics in universities in Britain, the Netherlands, and Germany.

The University of Bonn, the University of Stuttgart, and the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany were reported to have collaborated with the Chinese military school on research into areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum research, and computer vision, an emerging field with mass surveillance applications.

A central issue of the collaborations between European researchers and those tied to the Chinese military is that it is not always clear whether the research has military applications.

Alex Joske, an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said that it can often be “grey and unclear,” explaining: “One year you work on AI and algorithms for coordinating groups of objects, and the next year that very same research could be applied to military drone swarms, for example.”

However, in some instances, the military applications of supposedly civilian research was more clear, with one academic telling the investigators that you would “have to make a real effort not to see the dual-use applications here — you can’t rule out that it can be used to track Uyghurs” — the Muslim minority group that has been subject to mass internment in concentration camps, torture, organ harvesting, and mass surveillance in the Western province of Xinjiang.

Problematically, academics and scientists in Germany are allowed to determine if they believe that their research has military applications, and therefore can skirt many of the local and EU-wide regulations on working with foreign countries.

“For every couple of papers that are published, you will possibly also see an actual Chinese military officer who’s worked and studied at a European university and built a relationship that’s led to these collaborations and research papers,” Joske said.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2022/05/21/european-academics-worked-on-thousands-of-joint-projects-with-communist-chinas-military-report/

European Union Used Taxpayer Money for Drag Queens in Youth Education Programme

The European Union has spent hundreds of thousands of euros on Drag Queen Story Hour-esque performances for young people in Germany, Spain, and Slovenia, Breitbart London can reveal.

A report examining publicly available EU expenditures compiled by German MEP Nicolaus Fest, provided exclusively to Breitbart London, has found that at least €221,550 has been spent on Drag Queen projects and performances intended for young people through the bloc’s Erasmus+ programme.

The programme, which is intended to support youths in education, training, and sports, has an estimated €26.2 billion at its disposal. The taxpayer money has been revealed to have gone directly to funding Drag LGBT projects, such as “Dragtivism” in Barcelona, Spain, “Drag It Up!” in Berlin, Germany, and “United with Pride” in Slovenia, home country Melania Trump, the former First Lady.

The Drag It Up! project in Berlin in 2020, which received €21,700 in taxpayer money to educate “38 young queer people”, was described by the European Commission as “using non-formal and informal education” to teach how to put on makeup and wigs, walking in high heels, and “methods of blurring and exaggerating traditional binary gender roles”.

“They will get to know the rich and diverse drag and queer scene in Berlin and will learn about the historical, social and political contexts of drag, queer activism and queer art,” the description added.

While Erasmus+ is under the jurisdiction of the European Commission, in countries such as Germany the federal government has wide discretion on the use of local funds, with the report saying it is “fair” to implicate the German government in the decision to promote Drag Queens to youths.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2022/05/21/exclusive-european-union-used-taxpayer-money-for-drag-queens-in-youth-education-programme/

The 16 Biggest Lies the U.S. Government Tells America About the Ukraine War

In any war, the first casualty is truth. Here are the biggest lies:

1. “Ukraine is a democracy”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky banned all opposition parties and banned the use of Russian as a second state language. Why did he violate his 2019 campaign promise to stop the genocidal killing of thousands in Donbas, even though they voted for him? Did he lie because neo-Nazis threatened to kill him if he did not do what they wanted? [1] Or is he afraid of the CIA, which has assassinated other leaders, making him their puppet? Are we to trust the judgment of a man who demands a no-fly zone which could cause a global nuclear holocaust? Zelensky oversees torture and assassination of political dissenters.[2]

1. “National sovereignty is sacred”

When Idi Amin perpetrated genocide in Uganda, the UN violated Ugandan sovereignty to stop it. When Ukraine perpetrated genocide in Donbas and planned to escalate, Russia stopped it. [3] The U.S. violated Cuba’s sovereignty to take the planet to the edge of nuclear holocaust. The U.S. has violated lots of sovereignties in recent wars, killing millions. Given Ukraine’s genocide of a national minority, Ukraine’s sovereignty should not be respected.

1. “Putin is a war criminal”

If he is a war criminal for causing the deaths of civilians, what do we call Ukraine killing 10,000 civilians in Donbas since 2014? [4] Is anyone calling Zelensky a war criminal? Millions killed by the U.S. in other recent wars is hundreds of times worse. Calling Putin a war criminal stops Biden from negotiating with him with the excuse “one cannot talk to war criminals.” That makes it very difficult to stop this war. Evidently, the U.S. wants this war to continue to the last Ukrainian. The plan of the Rand Corporation is to “quagmire” Russia just like the U.S. bankrupted the USSR by starting the al-Qaeda opposition in Afghanistan.

1. “The world condemns Russia’s invasion”

Actually most of the world does not, including China, India, most of Africa, Israel, half of Latin America and many other countries. The two largest political parties in Russia do not oppose Russia’s intervention, the second largest party being the Communist Party.

1. “Putin has threatened to use nuclear weapons”

Russia has the same policy as the U.S. On March 22, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would only use nuclear weapons if its very existence were threatened, Tass news agency reported. [5] Russia had a “no first use” policy until the U.S. refused to do the same, so Russia dropped it. U.S. presidents have threatened to use nuclear weapons several times since the end of WWII against countries not a threat to the U.S. [6]

1. “With his back against the wall, Putin will resort to chemical warfare, just like in Syria”

Russia did not use chemical weapons in Syria. Russia negotiated Syrian stockpiles to be destroyed or removed. The chemical attacks in Syria were done by rebels supported by Saudi Arabia and the U.S. [7] If anyone has their back against the wall, it is the Ukrainians and neo-Nazis who are trained in false-flag tactics by the CIA. Like in Syria, the U.S. media are falsely blaming the Russians with no evidence whatsoever. Like in Syria, any chemicals released in Ukraine will probably be the work of opponents of Russia to blame Russia.

The U.S. gave Iraq chemical weapons which were used to kill thousands of Kurds and Iranians in 1982-83 before stockpiles were destroyed by Iraq. The U.S. is the chemical killer, not Russia which prevented it. History is full of U.S. false flags. [8]

https://z3news.com/w/the-16-biggest-lies-the-u-s-government-tells-america-about-the-ukraine-war/

Key Russian lawmaker reveals illicit Ebola, smallpox research at US-run Ukraine biolabs

According to the legislator, the information obtained indicates "aggressive goal-setting that underpins the foundation of these programs, de facto implemented by US Department of Defense on Ukrainian soil"

The US researched Ebola and smallpox viruses in Ukraine, says Irina Yarovaya, Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Commission on Investigation of US Biological Laboratories in Ukraine.

"Today, we presented an analysis of which pathogens the US was particularly interested in in Ukraine," she told reporters Friday. "Aside from the pathogens that are territorially bound to Ukraine, [the laboratories] researched viruses and pathogens that are endemically very far from Ukraine, such as Ebola and smallpox."

According to the legislator, the information obtained indicates "aggressive goal-setting that underpins the foundation of these programs, de facto implemented by US Department of Defense on Ukrainian soil."

"Unfortunately, it is necessary to particularly emphasize that the betrayal that the Ukrainian regime carried out against its own people has effectively left Ukrainian citizens defenseless in the face of these manipulations, experiments and clandestine research that the US is carrying out on Ukrainian territory," Yarovaya underscored.

She noted that Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin spoke as the main expert at Friday’s commission meeting.

"I would like to underscore that the dialogue that we had with the SVR chief today, combined with the proof obtained by the commission, fully confirms the US-created network of biological intelligence worldwide and the implementation of active military-biological exploitation of the globe, and Ukraine in particular. This essentially poses a serious global threat," Yarovaya warned.

According to the lawmaker, Russia’s main goal today is to guarantee the protection of its national interests and the security of the Russian people.

"But at the same time, [it should] urge the global community to seriously get to the bottom of this secret and dangerous military biological activity, implemented by the US. So that comprehensive measures pertaining to common, equal and indivisible security could be developed. Given the distinction between peaceful and non-peaceful use of bacteriological research and the study of toxins, it must be completely transparent and controlled. And there simply must not be any bacteriological weapons in the world, this is Russia’s principal position," Yarovaya stressed.

https://tass.com/politics/1453907

In trying to seize Russian assets, the US is taking a page from Chabad

The Brooklyn-based Hasidic movement has tried to regain a grand rabbi’s treasured library from Russia for decades. After the Ukraine invasion, it may have the leverage it seeks

When the United States government announced that it would seek to seize the assets of VEB, Russia’s main development bank, a lawyer for the Chabad Hasidic movement was thrilled.

For years, Chabad has sought a collection of sacred texts and documents that were taken from the movement after the Russian Revolution and, during the Holocaust, ended up in the hands of the Kremlin.

And for years, the US had opposed Chabad’s efforts to seize Russian assets as a bargaining chip in that quest.

Now, the United States is going after the very same funds, establishing a legal connection between VEB’s assets and the Russian government.

“The federal government determined that VEB is a piggybank for the Kremlin, it’s essentially a tool of the Russian state,” said Steven Lieberman, an attorney who is representing Chabad pro bono.

In hunting for Russian assets to seize amid an effort to sanction Russia for invading Ukraine, the White House is to some degree following in Chabad’s footsteps. The saga began in 2004 when Chabad-Lubavitch, the Brooklyn-based Hasidic movement, filed a lawsuit in US federal court to demand that Russia return the texts.

The court ruled in Chabad’s favor and — after Russia failed to comply — imposed a fine of $50,000 a day on the country. Today, Russia owes Chabad more than $165 million. Subsequent court orders have authorized Chabad to claim certain Russian assets in the amount of the fine.

But claiming those assets requires finding them first. Because so much of Russian wealth is tied up in ostensibly private companies, not the state, that can be tricky. It requires a legal process of subpoena-writing that attorney Nicholas O’Donnell, who specializes in lawsuits against foreign governments over property such as Nazi-looted art, compares to a game of whack-a-mole.

“It’s hard especially in this case because the foreign sovereign, Russia, is acting in bad faith,” he said. “They are hiding assets to avoid paying the money that they owe.”

Chabad says it would prefer ownership of the collection to seeing fines continue to accrue. Known as the Schneersohn library and archive, it is a historic collection of 12,000 books and 50,000 documents named for Rabbi Joseph I. Schneersohn, who led the movement until his death in 1950. It is considered of particular sentimental value because it was amassed over 200 years and then stolen by government authorities bent on persecuting the Chabad movement and Jews in general.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-trying-to-seize-russian-assets-the-us-is-taking-a-page-from-chabad/

Nearly 3,500 Former Convicts Regain Right to Vote in Virginia

The civil rights of 3,496 formerly incarcerated Virginians were restored by the state’s Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Friday.

“I am encouraged that over 3,400 Virginians will take this critical first step towards vibrant futures as citizens with full civil rights,” Youngkin said in a May 20 press release. “Individuals with their rights restored come from every walk of life and are eager to provide for themselves, their families, and put the past behind them for a better tomorrow.”

The move was coordinated by the secretary of the commonwealth in conjunction with the Department of Corrections.

Individuals were also vetted by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and the Compensation Board, as well as the Department of Elections.

The restoration of rights offers the formerly incarcerated individuals a “fresh step forward,” said Secretary Kay Coles James.

Though these people have “made mistakes,” they have done their duty to the community and wish to be “full and productive citizens” of the commonwealth, she said in the press release.

Once released from prison, individuals convicted of felonies can request restoration of civil rights. Such rights include the right to vote, serve on a jury, become a notary public, and run for a public office.

In most states, convicted felons tend to get back their right to vote once their sentences are completed. However, 11 states permanently block the voting right once a person is convicted of a felony, one of them being Virginia.

The Virginia Constitution grants the governor the power to restore most of the rights back to convicted felons except the right to possess firearms, which would require approaching a Circuit Court judge.

In March last year, then-Virginia Gov. Democrat Ralph Northam restored voting and other civil rights for felons. Even if they live under community supervision, the felons can still be eligible to cast votes.

“To be eligible for restoration of civil rights, an individual must be free from any term of incarceration resulting from felony conviction(s),” according to Virginia’s official website for restoring rights. Individuals have to contact the secretary of the commonwealth to request rights restoration.

The decision comes as the Justice Department released a guide detailing state voting rules that apply after criminal convictions. While offering information about how each state differs in providing voting rights back to convicts, it also provides details on how to reach relevant officials if someone wants to register to vote.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/nearly-3500-former-convicts-regain-right-to-vote-in-virginia_4481744.html