Sussman was a distraction

Major EU states oppose granting Ukraine candidate status – Italy

Many of the bloc's members oppose Kiev jumping the queue, the Italian PM warned

https://www.rt.com/news/556402-italy-eu-ukraine-membership/

US insists it won’t give Ukraine weapons that could attack Russia

Washington has been ‘very clear’ on which weapons it’s sending to Ukraine, an envoy claims

https://www.rt.com/news/556406-us-rockets-ukraine-russia/

Germany held back weapons for Ukraine – media

Chancellor Scholz accused of “doing Putin’s bidding”

https://www.rt.com/news/556404-germany-ukraine-weapons-deliveries/

Ukraine’s Azov Battalion swaps neo-Nazi insignia – media

The infamous nationalist unit has stopped using the controversial Wolfsangel symbol, The Times reports

https://www.rt.com/news/556379-azov-batallion-nazi-insignia/

Timofei Bordachev: Henry Kissinger is trying to warn Westerners that they are running out of time in the fight for Russia

If the acute phase of the conflict in Ukraine turns out to be lengthy, which now seems likely, then basic survival will force Russia to cut ties with Western-aligned Europe

https://www.rt.com/news/556371-europe-demarcation-growing-conflict/

"Our Legal System Is Corrupt" - Trump Responds After Sussman 'FBI-Russia-Hoax-Lie' Acquittal

Update (1600ET): Following the Sussman acquittal, Former President Donald Trump was quick to respond, raging that the legal system isn’t working properly…

“Our Legal System is CORRUPT,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, adding that “our Judges (and Justices!) are highly partisan, compromised, or just plain scared” before lamenting that Michael Sussmann, the lawyer, was found not guilty.

Jason Miller, a former Trump campaign aide, also reacted to the verdict, writing on Gettr that Sussmann admitted to giving opposition research to the FBI and not telling the bureau that the research was conducted for Clinton.

“How did Sussmann get off??? RIGGED SYSTEM!!!” Miller wrote.

The jury unanimously found Sussmann not guilty.

“I don’t think it should have been prosecuted,” one juror told reporters.

“There are bigger things that affect the nation than a possible lie to the FBI.”

We are unsure what that has to do with the legal principles involved in judging Sussman's guilt?

As Constitutional lawyer Jonathan Turley responded to this juror's comments:

"Telling a lie to the FBI was the entire basis for the prosecution. It was the jury's job to determine the fact of such a lie and its materiality.

…Of course, this statement can be a simple criticism of the underlying charge without admitting to bias in weighing the elements. Yet, it would have prompted a challenge in the courtroom if expressed during jury selection."

But then again…

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/hillary-lawyer-sussman-acquitted-lying-fbi-russia-hoax-farce

Supreme Court Temporarily Blocks Texas Law that Prohibits Social Media Companies from Banning Users Based on Viewpoints

A federal appeals court earlier this month reinstated a Texas law that prohibits social media companies from banning users based on their political views.

U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman blocked the law in December after NetChoice and CCIA filed a lawsuit claiming that the law violated their right to free speech under the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. According to Judge Pitman, social media platforms are protected by the First Amendment and have the right to moderate content.

Governor Abbott signed the HB20 last September, prohibiting the social media giants from banning users based on their political views and requiring them to produce regular reports of removed content, create a complaint system, and disclose their content regulation procedures, according to Texas Tribune.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked the Texas media law in a 5-4 ruling.

Justices John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Sonia Sotomayor, and Stephen Breyer ruled in favor of far-left social media giants, while Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, and Elena Kagan dissented from the ruling.

CNBC reported:

The Supreme Court blocked a controversial Texas social media law from taking effect in a decision released on Tuesday, after the tech industry and other opponents warned it could allow for hateful content to run rampant online.

The law, HB20, prohibits online platforms from moderating or removing content based on viewpoint. It stems from a common charge on the right that major California-based social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are biased in their moderation strategies and disproportionately quiet conservative voices. The platforms have said they apply their community guidelines evenly and it’s often the case that right-leaning users rank among the highest in engagement.

Texas’ attorney general Ken Paxton, a Republican, has said this is not the case, writing in a response to the emergency application, that the law does not “prohibit the platforms from removing entire categories of content.”

In the 5-4 decision, Alito dissented from the decision to lift the stay, issuing a written explanation for his vote, which was joined by two other conservative justices, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch. Justice Elena Kagan, a liberal, also voted against vacating the stay.

Alito’s dissent opened by acknowledging the significance of the case for social media companies and for states that would regulate how those companies can control the content on their platforms.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/05/supreme-court-temporarily-blocks-texas-law-prohibits-social-media-companies-banning-users-based-viewpoints/

Chuck Grassley accuses senior FBI official of partisan bias

"Can we give Kentucky to the Russian Federation?" Thibault tweeted last month

Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is calling for an investigation into a senior FBI official who allegedly "demonstrated a pattern of public partisanship."

In letters on Tuesday to FBI Director Christopher Wray, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, Grassley accused Washington Field Office Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy Thibault of "likely" violating federal regulations preventing political bias.

While overseeing FBI corruption investigations, Thibault traveled to the Czech Republic to attend a seminar with Bruce and Nellie Ohr, the latter of whom was employed by Fusion GPS.

Grassley linked the FBI official to the Twitter account @tim_thibault, which has posted several controversial political statements.

"Can we give Kentucky to the Russian Federation?" Thibault tweeted last month.

He insulted other southern states in a post after the 2020 election, writing: "Thank God for Mississippi- state motto of Alabama."

Grassley also noted how on LinkedIn, Thibault showed support for "highly partisan" opinion articles about the Justice Department.

The Iowa Republican asked Wray and Garland to disclose more information about Thibault's work at the DOJ.

In his letter to the inspector general, Grassley specifically asked for an investigation to be opened into Thibault "for potential violations of federal regulations and Department guidelines designed to prevent political bias from infecting FBI matters, including the Attorney General Guidelines for Domestic FBI Operations and FBI social media policies."

https://justthenews.com/government/congress/chuck-grassley-accuses-senior-fbi-official-partisan-bias

https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/grassley_to_justice_dept.fbiwashingtonfieldoffice.pdf

>>16376684

>>16376820

some are precipissed

Daniel Andrews' department told to release COVID-19 pandemic surveys in the 'strong interest' of the Victorian public

The Victorian Premier's department are attempting to overturn a decision to release secret documents from the height of the coronavirus pandemic using taxpayers' money.

The Victorian Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC) have launched a last-minute taxpayer-funded bid to stop the release of secret COVID-19 pandemic papers.

Daniel Andrews' office was instructed by Information Commissioner Sven Bluemmel to hand over the documents, which included surveys and emails, that detailed the reactions of the community on how he and the government performed in 2020.

QDOS polled members of the public before and after the second lockdown, that lasted 112 days, to give the Premier, his leadership and how it acted "on advice from the health officials" a score out of ten, redacted documents showed.

Victorians were also questioned on their thoughts about the COVID-19 restrictions and whether it was "much too soft, too soft, about right, too harsh, much too harsh".

Another query posed was if "you are more concerned about the coronavirus impact on health and society OR its impact on jobs and the economy".

The Australian newspaper requested the DPC for the 64 documents under the Freedom of Information but Mr Andrews' office refused to release or hand over seven specific papers with heavy redactions.

Mr Bluemmel flagged the "particularly strong" interest from the public to see the documents after Melbourne became the world's most locked down city in the world at 262 days over the course of the pandemic.

"I'm not satisfied their disclosure would be contrary to the public interest," he told the publication.

"I also consider there is public interest in disclosure regarding the expenditure of public funds.

"In this case, where such funds are spent by government on surveying attitudes on issues of significance to the community that may influence and impact upon government decision-making, the public interest is particularly strong."

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/coronavirus/daniel-andrews-department-told-to-release-covid19-pandemic-surveys-in-the-strong-interest-of-the-victorian-public/news-story/860d61076ab38fe609e043ced697677f

How Barnaby Joyce's successor as Nationals leader found love with a glamorous bank executive just months after 'amicable' split with his wife of 20 years and the mother of his three boys

David Littleproud and Amelia Dobson, 37, have been an item since about 2020

45-year-old and his wife Sarah announced their 'amicable' split early in 2019

New Nationals leader and Ms Dobson pictured holding 'democracy sausages'

Mr Littleproud spectacularly ousted former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce

Newly-elected Nationals leader David Littleproud found love with a glamorous bank executive just months after splitting with his wife.

Mr Littleproud spectacularly ousted former leader Barnaby Joyce in the battle for the party's top job in a post-election leadership spill in Canberra on Monday.

The 45-year-old, who had a 20-year career in banking before he entered politics in 2015, couldn't wipe the smile off his face post-spill when he said: 'To be elected leader is one of the proudest moments of my life.'

The father-of-three posted happy snaps on Instagram of himself with Amelia Dobson, 37, as they cast their votes in the federal election and celebrated with 'democracy sausages' in his electorate Maranoa, west of Brisbane.

The pair are believed to have been an item since 2020 - after he and Sarah ended their 20-year marriage in 2019.

Mr Littleproud announced the separation the day after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed he had split from his ex-wife, Carmel Tebbutt .

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10866935/How-Nationals-leader-David-Littleproud-love-glamourous-banking-executive.html

Australia is so fucked

More than 550 monkeypox cases reported in 30 countries, WHO says

By CNN

The World Health Organisation is now counting more than 550 monkeypox cases worldwide, the group's expert on the disease said.

"We actually have today a count of over 550 confirmed cases in 30 countries across four of WHO's six regions," Rosamund Lewis said.

"What we're seeing now is really quite different," she said, given that the outbreak is happening in multiple places at once.

https://www.9news.com.au/world/monkeypox-cases-reported-in-more-than-fifty-countries-who/9052a674-acc9-4f56-8268-4b9eacec868e