Kiev comments on US congresswoman’s allegations

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has responded to Victoria Spartz, who claimed Zelensky’s chief of staff “raises many concerns”

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko on Saturday accused US Congresswoman Victoria Spartz of attempting to bring “Russian propaganda” into American politics.

Spartz had earlier called on the US administration to develop a mechanism for tracking military assistance provided to Kiev, and expressed doubts about the reliability of President Volodymyr Zelensy’s chief of staff in an open letter to Joe Biden.

“We advise Ms. Spartz to stop trying to earn extra political capital on baseless speculation around the topic of war in our country and the grief of Ukrainians. Especially cynical are manipulations about Ukraine and its leadership from a congresswoman of Ukrainian origin,” Nikolenko wrote on Facebook.

He also called on Spartz to “stop undermining the existing mechanisms of providing US military assistance to Ukraine,” claiming that Kiev’s interaction with its American partners is completely transparent. Any “further bureaucratization and delaying the process” will only help the Kremlin, the Foreign Ministry spokesman claimed.

On July 8, in an interview with Fox News, Spartz called on Congress to establish “proper oversight” of billions of dollars in assistance provided to Ukraine. Just a few days prior to that, the Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said that “some of the foreign weapons supplied by the West to Ukraine are spreading throughout the Middle East region, and also end up on the black market.”

The head of Interpol, Jurgen Stock, also expressed concern that the conflict in Ukraine would result in numerous weapons being sold illegally.

In her open letter to the president, a redacted version of which was published on the same day, Spartz said the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, “raises many concerns with a variety of people” in the US and around the world. However, the congresswoman noted, he is believed to be “highly regarded” by Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

“Based on a variety of intelligence, actions taken by Mr. Yermak in Ukraine and his alleged dealings in connection with Russia, Congress needs to obtain this information urgently to confirm or deny various serious allegations,” Spartz’s office explained.

https://www.rt.com/news/558737-congresswoman-ukraine-allegations-response/

French, German Leaders Warn Populations "Prepare For Total Cut-Off Of Russian Gas" As Social Unrest Looms

European populations are bracing for a frigid upcoming winter amid an impending avalanche of high energy costs and emerging inflation. On Sunday French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire warned that Russia is poised to totally halt gas supplies to Europe and that people must now "prepare".

"Let's prepare for a total cut-off of Russian gas; Today that is the most likely option," Le Maire told an audience at an economic conference in Aix-en-Provence.

He later additionally explained to reporters, "You also have to prepare load-shedding plans, we are doing it. It means looking in a very specific way at each company, each employment area; Which are the companies that should reduce their energy consumption and which are the ones that cannot."

He said the government is currently compiling a list of these major companies which would be too at risk if their facilities were suddenly deprived of gas supply. They would receive priority in the likely event of a shut-off from Russia. "We have to anticipate and to put ourselves in order of battle as of now," he emphasized.

As an example, he offered according to Politico:

Le Maire mentioned Saint-Gobain, a major construction materials producer, as an example of companies that should not be deprived of gas supply, even in case of emergency. He pointed to possible damage to production equipment and the risk of environmental consequences.

Germany too is fearing the worst, as its main conduit for Russian natural gas, Nord Stream 1, has long been scheduled to go down for 10-day maintenance starting Monday. But the persisting fear is that Moscow won't bring it back online, for the purpose of squeezing the German economy further as punishment for its Ukraine stance, forcing Berlin into emergency rationing.

https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/french-german-leaders-warn-populations-prepare-total-cut-russian-gas-social-unrest-looms

US blames Sri Lankan crisis on Russia

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has claimed that “Russian aggression” may have contributed to the unrest

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed on Sunday that “Russian aggression” in Ukraine may have been partly to blame for the turmoil in Sri Lanka. The island nation has been in a state of unrest for several months, with food and fuel in short supply and prices skyrocketing. It escalated on Saturday as thousands of protesters stormed the president’s residence, forcing him to flee.

“We’re seeing the impact of this Russian aggression playing out everywhere. It may have contributed to the situation in Sri Lanka; we’re concerned about the implications around the world,” Blinken told reporters in Bangkok.

He claimed that “growing food insecurity” around the world “has been significantly exacerbated by the Russian aggression against Ukraine.” Blinken reiterated his call on Moscow to allow 20 million tons of grain to leave Ukrainian ports which, in his opinion, Russian forces are blocking as part of their military offensive.

https://www.rt.com/russia/558725-us-russia-sri-lankan/

US Senators Meet With Ukrainian President, Discuss Designating Russia As "State Sponsor Of Terrorism"

U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the capital city of Kyiv on July 7 to discuss legislation that would assign a terrorism designation to Russia.

The proposed bill seeks to designate Moscow as a “state sponsor of terrorism” and would place Russia alongside countries like North Korea, Syria, and Iran, Graham told Reuters in the joint interview with Blumenthal.

Graham insisted that the proposal could garner near-unanimous support in the U.S. Senate.

Blumenthal pointed to photos of suspected atrocities allegedly committed by Russian forces in the Ukrainian town of Bucha back in March 2022 to support his argument that Russia deserved the “state sponsor of terrorism” designation.

“If that isn’t terrorism, I don’t know what is,” Blumenthal said.

International prosecutors are still investigating the incident with Ukrainian counterparts.

The meeting between the U.S. senators and the Ukrainian president came as Russian President Vladimir Putin warned about more serious military action against the smaller nation.

“Everybody should know that largely speaking, we haven’t even yet started anything in earnest,” Putin said during a meeting with leaders of the Russian parliament. “We are hearing that they want to defeat us on the battlefield. Let them try.”

The Russian president also accused the West of wanting to “fight us until the last Ukrainian,” and said that attempts of the “collective West” to enforce “its version of the global order are doomed to fail.”

Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the Head of the Office of President of Ukraine, dismissed these statements, adding that there was no “collective West” plan and that Putin’s mantra of “war to the last Ukrainian” is proof of deliberate genocide, he said in a July 8 tweet.

Arming Ukraine

During the meeting, the Ukrainian president broached the subject of the United States providing more arms to his country.

“We appeal to you so that the Congress supports Ukraine in the matter of supplying modern air defense systems. We must ensure such a level of sky security that our people are not afraid to live in Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said, according to the official website of the Ukrainian president.

In their interview with Reuters, both senators agreed that Ukraine could use U.S.-supplied weapons systems in insurgency campaigns within Russian-occupied territories.

Blumenthal expressed support for further arming Ukraine, including providing air defense systems, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and HIMARS rocket systems “with longer ranges,” provided Kyiv does not use them to attack any Russian territory.

“Long-range artillery is very, very important. But so is the hand-to-hand insurgency that we are hoping to see in eastern Ukraine, in the territory that’s already been occupied by the Russians,” Blumenthal said.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-senators-meet-ukrainian-president-discuss-designating-russia-state-sponsor

The untouchable ally: US government lets Israel off the hook in the case of Palestinian-American journalist’s death

The State Department press release on the probe into the Al-Jazeera journalist’s killing contradicts multiple previous findings

The US State Department’s press release on Washington’s investigation into the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh has sparked outrage and triggered accusations of a whitewash.

Almost two months after the murder of the veteran Al-Jazeera reporter, Washington announced that an investigation by the US Security Coordinator (USSC) had concluded that Israeli gunfire was “likely responsible.” However, the statement asserted that the evidence was inconclusive and it could not say that Israeli forces were to blame, contradicting various other reports which had concluded the opposite. The US government also claimed that there is “no reason to believe” that the killing was intentional and instead was likely “the result of tragic circumstances,” to which Israel’s top human rights group B’Tselem responded by calling the investigation a “whitewash.”

“We are incredulous,” the family of Abu Akleh said in a statement of their own, in which they decried the State Department’s press release. What is perhaps most concerning about the State Department’s statement is its contradictory nature; it calls for accountability on the one hand, whilst simultaneously disagreeing with other reports that indicate Israeli guilt and making a poorly-substantiated assessment of intent. If the US government’s investigation cannot conclude Tel Aviv's guilt or prove an Israeli soldier fired the shot, then how can it conclude that the “likely” culprit did not intend to kill Abu Akleh?

According to a CNN investigative report, Abu Akleh was killed in a “targeted attack by Israeli forces,” implying that the evidence suggested the killing was indeed intentional. The claim made by the Israeli government, that a firefight had occurred in the minutes leading up to the murder, was seemingly debunked by the Washington Post’s own investigation into the incident. This is important because the Israeli military’s argument as to why they say the shooting was unintentional is based upon their claim that Israeli soldiers were likely trying to fire at Palestinian militants. Furthermore, according to the Washington Post, “Abu Akleh and other journalists identified as press would likely have been visible from the IDF convoy’s position.”

The New York Times also conducted its own investigation, in which it “showed that there were no armed Palestinians near her when she was shot” and debunked the Israeli government’s claims as to how many bullets were fired in the journalist’s direction. The New York Times also stated that “the bullet that killed Ms. Abu Akleh was fired from the approximate location of the Israeli military convoy, most likely by a soldier from an elite unit.” The United Nations’ probe likewise came to conclusions “consistent with many findings out there that the shots that killed her came from Israeli Security Forces.”

The other troubling element surrounding the US investigation has been the White House’s flip-flopping on its approach to achieving justice. When news first broke of Abu Akleh’s death on May 11, State Department spokesperson Ned Price stated that “the Israelis have the wherewithal and the capabilities to conduct a thorough, comprehensive investigation,” and seemed to indicate that a US inquiry would not be necessary. Later, however, it was reported that Israel would not conduct an investigation into the killing, and then a statement from an IDF military lawyer suggested that if an Israeli soldier were to be found responsible for firing the fatal shot, they would not be guilty of any criminal misconduct “absent further evidence.”

https://www.rt.com/russia/558510-us-investigation-shireen-abu-akleh/

All Macau Casinos Will Shut Down Monday As COVID Outbreak Worsens

The world's largest gambling hub, Macau, will shutter almost all casinos and non-essential businesses for a week from Monday as an outbreak of COVID-19 spreads across the autonomous region on the south coast of China.

AFP quotes Macau's top city official Andre Cheong in a press conference Saturday who said the gambling hub would enter "static management" between July 11-18, during which casinos will be closed. Only essential businesses like supermarkets, gas stations, and pharmacies will remain open.

The measure comes as Macau on Saturday reported 71 new COVID infections. A total of 1,374 infections have been recorded since June 18, a low number though high enough for the city to implement mainland China's strict zero-COVID policy.

Last week, authorities closed Macau's most popular casino, the Grand Lisboa, after 13 infections were reported at the casino/resort complex.

Macau is the largest casino hub in the world and trumps Las Vegas. More than half the city's GDP is derived from the gambling industry, and casinos employ 20% of the population. The curb will deal a hard blow to the town because of the economic impact of enforcing harsh lockdowns and mass testing.

The zero-COVID policies (especially locking down Shanghai for two months) have triggered an economic slowdown in the world's second-largest economy after President Xi Jinping made clear weeks ago that "COVID zero" isn't going anywhere. Probabilities are waning that Beijing's 2022 growth target of 5.5% can be achieved because of the lingering threat of new lockdowns.

Last week, Bloomberg reported Beijing has opted to unleash a massive 1.5 trillion yuan ($220 billion) of "special" local bonds in the second half of the year for infrastructure spending to offset the downturn.

And how will Macau gaming stocks react to the news this weekend well we suspect very negatively following an index of casino stocks in the town has failed to find support around a 2015/16 low which points to more downside.

https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/all-macau-casinos-will-shut-down-monday-covid-outbreak-worsens

Utah Ritualized Sexual Abuse Investigation: The Mormon Church And Child Sexual Abuse

An investigation into ritualized child sexual abuse was first announced by the Utah County Sheriff’s Office on May 31st. The USCO released a statement detailing how “multiple county and federal agencies are investigating reports of ritualistic child sexual abuse from as far back as 1990”. I have been following the investigation since the initial announcement and reporting on various angles of the story. I encourage readers to spend time with the previous four parts of this series, particularly the third report on the history of similar allegations in the state of Utah.

For this report I will be looking at the historical record, including lawsuits, church records, and previous reporting from other outlets to document the history of allegations involving members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, otherwise known as the Mormon Church. I have spoken with current and former members of the Church who hold varying views regarding allegations of ritualized child sexual abuse.

Some former members of the Church of Mormon believe the church itself is corrupted at its root which allows for these types of activities to happen in the first place. I have also spoken with members of the Church of Mormon who acknowledge that the church has a pedophile problem, but do not believe the core structures of the church are infected by pedophiles.

I want to make it clear that this investigation is not intended to be an attack on anyone’s religious beliefs, or individual Mormons. Nor is this piece intended to paint the picture that the entire Church of Mormon is aware of the reports of child sexual abuse. Although some former members of the church have gone so far as accusing the Church of Mormon of being a front for Masonic and/or Satanic activity, I am not ready to make such a judgement. However, I do believe these controversial claims warrant further investigation.

For part 5 of our series we will be examining 4 different examples of sexual abuse involving members of the Church of Mormon over the last 40 plus years.

THE PACE MEMO

In 1990, Glenn L. Pace, a general authority in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, wrote a memo to church leadership describing claims of widespread ritualistic abuse within the church. The memo, dated July 19, 1990, was based on the complaints of sixty members of the church who claimed they were forced to participate in various rituals, sometimes referred to as “satanic.”

“I have met with sixty victims. That number could be twice or three times as many if I did not discipline myself to only one meeting per week,” Pace wrote. “I have not wanted my involvement with this issue to become a handicap in fulfilling my assigned responsibilities. On the other hand, I felt someone needed to pay the price to obtain an intellectual and spiritual conviction as to the seriousness of this problem within the Church.”

Pace sent the memo to LDS President Ezra Taft Benson detailing a year of interviews with alleged ritual abuse survivors in Utah, Idaho, California, and Mexico. The Pace memo describes incidents of ritualized abuse, and even claims of human sacrifice.

More

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/utah-ritualized-sexual-abuse-investigation-the-mormon-church-and-child-sexual-abuse/

Ukrainian Forces Bear Some Blame for Civilian Deaths in Nursing Home Attack: UN Report

Ukrainian forces put civilians at risk during an attack on March 11 on a nursing home in southeast Kyiv, according to a report from the United Nations.

Just two weeks after Russia mounted an invasion into Ukraine on Feb. 24, a care house in the village of Stara Krasnianka was attacked. Located in the eastern region of Luhansk, the village is about 360 miles (580 kilometers) southeast of Kyiv.

Ukrainian authorities had blamed Russian forces squarely for killing more than 50 civilians in what it said was an unprovoked attack. But the report by the U.N.’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released in late June, suggests that Ukrainian soldiers bear some blame for the situation.

The report (pdf) covers what the U.N. has assessed as violations of international humanitarian law that have occurred in the ongoing Ukraine–Russia war from Feb. 24 to May 15.

According to the report, soldiers from Ukrainian armed forces had entered the care house in Stara Krasnianka on March 7, because the site “had strategic value due to its proximity to an important road.”

The report stated that on the morning of March 11, soldiers from Russian-affiliated groups “attacked the care house with heavy weapons, with patients and staff still inside.”

At the time, 71 patients with disabilities and 15 staff, as well as Ukrainian soldiers, were in the care house with no access to water or electricity.

“A fire started and spread across the care house while fighting was ongoing,” the report stated of the March 11 attack. “Some staff and patients fled the care house and ran into the forest, until they were met five kilometers away by Russian affiliated armed groups, who provided them with assistance.

“According to various accounts, at least 22 patients survived the attack, but the exact number of persons killed remains unknown.”

Prior to the attack, in early March, the management of the care house had requested local authorities to evacuate the residents, but it was “was reportedly impossible as Ukrainian armed forces had allegedly mined the surrounding area and blocked roads.”

The OHCHR said that it is concerned that both Russian and Ukrainian soldiers launched military operations near civilians but didn’t take any measures to protect civilians, as required under international humanitarian law.

“OHCHR is further concerned by reports of the use of human shields, which involves seeking to use the presence or movement of the civilian population or individual civilians to render certain points or areas immune from military operations,” the office added. “The use of human shields is specifically prohibited by article 28 of Geneva Convention IV and article 51(7) of additional protocol I.”

David Crane, a former Defense Department official and a veteran of numerous international war crime investigation, told The Associated Press that Ukrainian forces may have violated the laws of armed conflict by not having evacuated the occupants in the care house.

“The bottom-line rule is that civilians cannot intentionally be targeted. Period. For whatever reason,” he told the news agency. “The Ukrainians placed those people in a situation which was a killing zone. And you can’t do that.”

https://www.ntd.com/ukrainian-forces-bear-some-blame-for-civilian-deaths-in-nursing-home-attack-un-report_806565.html

Election Fraud Documentary ‘The Deep Rig’ To Premiere in Naples Florida on July 21

The documentary is based on a best-selling book of the same name by Overstock.com founder Patrick Byrne

https://nationalfile.com/election-fraud-documentary-the-deep-rig-to-premiere-in-naples-florida-on-july-21-2022/

Donald Trump Calls Elon Musk a ‘Bullshit Artist’ at Alaska Rally

Former President Donald Trump referred to Tesla CEO Elon Musk as a “bullshit artist” at his Alaska rally on Saturday. Referring to Musk pulling out of his deal to buy Twitter and also recent claims of voting for a Republican for the first time, Trump said, “He’s got himself a mess, you know, he said the other day, ‘I’ve never voted for a Republican.’ I said I didn’t know that. He told me he voted for me. So he’s another bullshit artist but he’s not going to be buying it, although he might later. Who the hell knows what’s going to happen? He’s got a pretty rotten contract. I looked at his contract, not a good contract. Sign up for Truth. We love Truth.”

Former President Donald Trump had some choice words for Tesla CEO Elon Musk at his rally in Alaska on Saturday. Musk recently called off his $44 billion deal to purchase Twitter claiming that the company failed to disclose details about the number of bots on the platform.

However, it should be noted that Twitter provided Musk with access to its “firehose” of user data weeks before the deal was called off. In June, experts warned that determining which Twitter accounts are bots and which are real people may not be as easy as Musk thought. Twitter has claimed that spam or fake accounts make up around five percent of its daily active users, but Musk believes the number is close to 20 percent.

Musk’s decision to walk away from the Twitter deal, his claims of voting for Republicans, and Trump’s own Truth Social platform were all featured during the rally.

https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2022/07/10/donald-trump-calls-elon-musk-a-bullshit-artist-at-alaska-rally/

Japan ruling party heads to victory in wake of Abe’s death

Japan’s governing party and its coalition partner have scored a major victory in a parliamentary election, possibly propelled by sympathy votes in the wake of the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

Japan ruling party heads to victory in wake of Abe’s deathBy MARI YAMAGUCHIAssociated PressThe Associated PressTOKYO

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s governing party and its coalition partner scored a major victory in a parliamentary election Sunday, possibly propelled by sympathy votes in the wake of the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Early results in the race for the parliament’s upper house showed Abe’s governing party and its junior coalition partner Komeito securing a majority in the chamber and adding more. The last day of campaigning on Saturday, a day after Abe was gunned down while delivering a speech, was held under heightened security as party leaders pledged to uphold democracy and renouncing violence.

Also Sunday, police in western Japan sent the alleged assassin to a local prosecutors’ office for further investigation. A top regional police official acknowledged possible security lapses that allowed the attacker to get so close and fire a bullet at the still-influential former Japanese leader.

Preliminary vote counts showed the governing Liberal Democratic Party on track to secure a coalition total of at least 143 seats in the 248-member upper house, the less powerful of the two chambers. Up for election was half of the upper house’s new six-year term. With a likely major boost, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stands to rule without interruption until a scheduled election in 2025.

That would allow Kishida to work on long-term policy goals such as national security, his signature but still vague “new capitalism” economic policy, and his party’s long-cherished goal to amend the U.S.-drafted postwar pacifist constitution.

Kishida and senior party lawmakers observed a moment of silence for Abe at the party election headquarters before placing on the whiteboard victory ribbons next to the names of candidates who secured their seats.

In the wake of Friday’s brazen killing, Sunday’s vote took on a new meaning, with all political leaders emphasizing the importance of free speech and their pledge not to back down on violence against democracy.

“It was extremely meaningful that we carried out the election,” Kishida said. “Our endeavor to protect democracy continues.”

https://www.breitbart.com/news/japan-votes-for-key-election-in-shadow-of-abe-assassination/

Pritzker: Ban Assault Weapons, High Capacity-Magazines Nationally

Governor J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that assault weapons and high-capacity magazines need to be banned nationally in the wake of the mass shooting in Highland Park, IL on the Fourth of July.

Pritzker said, “We need to ban assault weapons, not just in the state of Illinois but nationally, and then high-capacity magazines. There’s no reason why someone should have 90 bullets at the ready, 30 in each of the cartridges that he used. And that’s just something I don’t think civilians should have. And I’ve talked to police since the shooting who would tell you that the size the caliber of the bullets that were being fired is much larger than the size, caliber, and speed of bullets than even police carry with them. Why do civilians need this? The name of the weapon that this shooter was using is the Smith & Wesson M&P 15. You know what M&P stands for? Military and police, and that’s who, perhaps, should have these weapons, not civilians being able to just walk in and buy one.”

Anchor Jake Tapper said, “So, even after all the warning signs, the shooter’s father sponsored his son’s application for the gun license. He now says he thought his son’s earlier threat to kill everyone was just a childish outburst. Is it possible that the parents might be charged with something?”

Pritzker said, “Well, listening to the state’s attorney in Lake County, it does not sound like that will happen, but no final conclusion has been reached. I certainly think that it’s possible that the father could be held civilly liable. But at this point, anyway, the authorities are saying that no charges have yet been decided upon.”

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2022/07/10/pritzker-ban-assault-weapons-high-capacity-magazines-nationally/

German Court Confirms Mandatory Coronavirus Jabs for Military

A German court has rejected attempts by members of the country’s armed forces to challenge the government’s mandatory Wuhan virus vaccination policy for all troops.

The 1st Military Service Senate of the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig determined that the government’s policy, which requires all troops to be fully vaccinated against the Wuhan virus, was legitimate, despite complaints by two Luftwaffe officers, who claimed the mandate violated their right to physical integrity.

The court did, however, leave possible challenges to mandates open in the future, saying the German Defence Ministry should re-examine the coronavirus situation before making booster doses of the vaccine mandatory, newspaper Kronen Zeitung reports.

“The diminishing of the dangers of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the reduction in the effectiveness of the currently available vaccines are circumstances that make a renewed discretionary decision to order further booster vaccinations seem appropriate,” the court stated.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2022/07/10/german-court-confirms-mandatory-coronavirus-jabs-for-military/

Germany’s Leftist Govt Will Give Residency to 130,000 Failed Asylum Seekers

Germany’s leftist coalition government, led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, has announced it is looking to give residency to some 130,000 failed asylum seekers as part of an overhaul of the country’s immigration system.

The government is set to give a one-year residency to migrants who failed in their attempts to claim asylum in Germany but were given so-called tolerance status as the government determined that they were not able to return to their countries of origin.

The new overhaul of the immigration system will allow those who received tolerance status and have lived in Germany for at least five years to be able to claim permanent residency in Germany, the European Union-funded website InfoMigrants reports.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser commented on the new policy on Wednesday by saying: “We are a diverse immigration country. Now we want to become a better integration country.”

According to InfoMigrants, those who qualify for the new scheme must not be convicted of any “serious” crimes or used multiple or false identities. Some exceptions do exist for those convicted while they were supposedly minors.

Reem Alabali-Radovan, Germany’s integration commissioner, said of the new immigration policy: “We are reshaping Germany as a modern immigration country. A first important step: With the right of residence, there will finally be fair prospects for all those who have been living here on a tolerated basis for 5+ years. We are also opening up access to integration courses for everyone.”

The overhaul of the immigration system is a policy the leftist “traffic light” coalition of the Social Democrats (Reds), the Greens (Greens), and the Free Democrats (Yellows) have spoken out on before.

In November of last year, just prior to taking power, the coalition agreed to not only grant residency to those with tolerated status but to also expand family reunification — i.e. chain migration — to migrants with subsidiary protection, a lesser form of refugee status.

The coalition also promised to open so-called humanitarian corridors for asylum seekers from countries like Afghanistan.

Last month, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced a new agreement with Pakistan that would allow thousands of Afghans to come to Germany, and said that so far the government has brought 21,000 Afghan nationals to Germany.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2022/07/10/germanys-leftist-govt-will-give-residency-to-130000-failed-asylum-seekers/

Feds Seize 5,000 Pounds of Meth Setting Record for California Border County

Federal and local law enforcement officials seized a record-setting load of cartel-connected methamphetamine in San Diego County, California. The drugs, loaded 20-foot box truck, weighed in excess of 5,000 pounds and are reported to be the largest seizure in San Diego County.

During the afternoon of July 7, federal officials observed a box truck enter the U.S. through the Otay Mesa Commercial Port of Entry, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. Law enforcement agencies surveilled the truck to its destination in National City, California. The agents watched as the alleged drug smugglers unloaded the truck into a Dodge van.

At that point, law enforcement officers moved in and arrested Rafael Alzua, 37; Mario Contreras, 41; Ethgar Velazquez, 44; and Galdrino Contreras, 41, prosecutors stated. Officials listed all four suspects as residents of Tijuana, Mexico.

An inspection of the boxes revealed more than 5,000 pounds of drugs that later tested positive for methamphetamine.

“This is a significant accomplishment by our law enforcement partners,” U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said in a written statement. “Due to stellar work by law enforcement agents, the government stopped more than 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine from being distributed on our streets.”

The case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, Border Crime Suppression Team, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Border Patrol.

DEA Special Agent in Charge Shelly S. Howe stated, “This monumental seizure represents another win against drug cartels that fuel addiction in the United States. Because of our great partnerships with other law enforcement agencies, we will continue to disrupt the cartels’ flow of drugs into our cities.”

San Diego County Sheriff Anthony C. Ray added, “I am grateful for the hard work, vigilance, and steadfast dedication of our Sheriff’s Detectives, as well as our local, state, and federal partners. Our partnership and collaboration allow us to share information that is absolutely critical in keeping drugs from entering our streets and holding drug traffickers accountable.”

The four men from Mexico now face charges of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine. If convicted, each could face a prison term of ten years to life and a fine of up to $10 million.

Court records were not yet available in the document tracking system.

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2022/07/09/feds-seize-5000-pounds-of-meth-setting-record-for-california-border-county/

Hundreds Of Virginia Bureaucrats Quit After Youngkin Makes Them Show Up In-Person

Over 300 Virginia bureaucrats have quit since Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin announced in May that state employees must show up to their jobs following more than two years of remote work since the onset of the COVID pandemic.

Employees from five different state agencies resigned after Youngkin’s new work policy, some specifically citing “telework options” as their reason for leaving, ABC 8 News reported.

“Unfortunately we’re not surprised by this information,” Virginia Governmental Employees Association (VGEA) lobbyist Dylan Bishop told the outlet. “We had anticipated that the shift in policy would result in an exodus of workers, which is really concerning because of the state’s recruitment and retention issues.”

On May 5, Youngkin ordered all state workers to return to in-person work by July 5 to “balance the demands of government services with the needs of our public servants.”

“The governor is excited to welcome the Commonwealth’s workforce back in person and is encouraged by their continued dedication to serving Virginians,” Rob Damschen, Youngkin’s deputy communications director said in a statement, according to ABC 8 News. “We know an office-centric environment fosters collaboration and teamwork and provides an even greater level of service for all Virginians.”

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) took the biggest hit following the governor’s order with 183 employees leaving the agency, according to public records obtained by ABC 8 News. Twenty-eight VDOT workers named “telework options” as their reason for leaving the agency. Other VDOT employees said they were quitting over compensation.

Between May 5 and June 27, the Virginia Department of Health lost 78 employees, and the Virginia Employment Commission had 38 workers quit. The Department of Housing and Community Development and the Department of Emergency Management lost 13 workers combined from May 5 through the first week of July.

Youngkin’s policy change was met with immediate resistance as some bureaucrats mentioned the burdens of childcare and high gas prices as reasons they oppose returning to in-person work. A survey of 400 state employees released by the VGEA in early June showed that 50% of respondents were concerned with high gas prices and 25% mentioned childcare as the number one issue they were against returning to the office.

The VGEA requested Youngkin to delay the new in-person policy to September 12, but Youngkin kept the July 5 date.

The new policy allowed for bureaucrats to submit applications to work remotely for part of the week. Agency heads must approve requests for remote work one day per week, while any requests for two days of working from home each week must be approved by cabinet secretaries. Youngkin’s Chief of Staff Jeff Goettman reviews any application for three or more days of remote work each week.

http://www.yourdestinationnow.com/2022/07/hundreds-of-virginia-bureaucrats-quit.html

CHD Films Presents — Infertility: A Diabolical Agenda

“When they’re through with Africa, they’re coming for you.” — DR. STEPHEN KARANJA

A film by award-winning filmmaker Andy Wakefield, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Children’s Health Defense. Watch the chilling tale of African women whose fertility was tragically stripped away through an experimental tetanus vaccination program. Are women everywhere next?

https://rumble.com/embed/v15txzo/?pub=4

Kellyanne Conway: Trump Needs to Ditch Jared Kushner

Kellyanne Conway worked as senior counselor for the Trump campaign and said that if Donald Trump wants success in his possible 2024 White House bid, he needs to do it without his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

In 2016, Conway was credited for successfully managing Trump’s winning campaign. Conway suggests that Kushner is a detriment and is only trying to “wash his hands” of responsibility for Trump’s alleged 2020 election loss.

Kushner is raking in billions of dollars thanks to his status but is bringing no real value to the former president’s possible return.

“There’s nobody who’s profited more handsomely from Donald Trump’s presidency than Jared Kushner,” Conway told the Washington Times. “If you believe the news reports … he’s gotten billions of dollars for his [investment] fund.”

Thanks to his status as Trump’s advisor, Kushner formed a private equity firm that has brought in around $2 billion in a single investment from the Saudi kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund.

Some Trump supporters have never been big fans of Ivanka and think she’s stood in the way of some of the former president’s plans. However, tensions began to brew between the father and daughter when she publicly said she believed there was no election fraud in 2020.

Some supporters were happy to see Trump hit back at Ivanka’s claims in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.

“Ivanka Trump was not involved in looking at, or studying, Election results. She had long since checked out and was, in my opinion, only trying to be respectful to Bill Barr and his position as Attorney General (he sucked!),” Trump said.

Conway also discussed her feelings towards Kushner while promoting her new book on The View.

“Some days felt like this extended, chaotic, ‘take your kid to work day’ when Jared was in charge of everything,” Conway said.

She went on to say that Kushner was smart, but had no accountability.

“He got in my way, and all Donald Trump asked us to do was work together,” Conway said. “I had been pushed aside by so many men throughout my political and professional career, and here was my shot. Donald Trump empowered me. He put me at the top of his campaign and all he wanted us to do was work together. But almost the moment Donald Trump won, Jared was getting in my way.”

With Trump possibly setting his sights on 2024, it’s not just Conway who hopes he leaves Kushner behind. Something has to give, and it may just be a lack of Kushner that could help Trump advance in the years to come.

https://thecongressionalinsider.com/kellyanne-conway-trump-needs-to-ditch-jared-kushner/

NHTSA opens THIRTY-SEVENTH Tesla crash probe after couple from California were killed when their Model 3 smashed into back of Walmart truck in Florida, with impact shearing car's roof off

The Tesla was driving on Interstate-75 when it exited off the highway onto a rest stop ramp 'for an unknown reason,' Florida Highway Patrol said in statement

The car drove through the parking lot where it rear-ended a Walmart 18-wheeler, killing the 66-year-old female driver and a 67-year-old male passenger

Authorities did not confirm whether Tesla's self-driving autopilot system was involved, but said they are looking into it

The accident is the second Tesla crash in a week to be investigated by the NHTSA

The crash bore a striking similarity to a score of Tesla crashes that have occurred since in which drivers were killed when their cars merged into tractor trailers

Camera sensors used to control autopilot often appear to get confused by flashing lights on emergency patrol vehicles

Tesla insists drivers should keep their hands on the car's wheel at all times and be ready to take over in the event of an emergency

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10998257/NHTSA-opens-THIRTY-SEVENTH-probe-Tesla-elderly-couple-California-killed.html

Guilty are Now Hiding Humanitarian Catastrophe – Dr. Pierre Kory

A month ago, world renowned CV19 critical care and pulmonary expert Dr. Pierre Kory, said ,” “This is a humanitarian catastrophe, and it has been ignored. It has been suppressed. It has been censored.”

Well, the dark powers who pushed the vax bioweapon have stopped ignoring the growing massive deaths and injuries and are now trying to shut people up. Namely, doctors like Perrie Kory, who is under investigation by his certification board for so-called “misinformation” about treating Covid and vax injuries that have followed the injections. The facts and data show Dr. Kory has been right all along. Dr. Kory explains, “I definitely think, and Dr. Robert Malone agrees and says, they are getting really nervous on the inside. There are a lot of people that promoted these policies and pushed this vaccine campaign, aggressively, even when the data was coming out that the initial trials were fraudulent. They mischaracterized and manipulated the data and ignored safety signals. . . . The stopping point for these vaccines was probably reached in the second week of January 2021. There were enough deaths being reported and enough injuries being reported that had the FDA been functioning as it should have, the vaccine campaign should have been stopped back then. We are at 15 months now. They are still pushing boosters. We are vaccinating toddlers. There is no limit to this vaccine obsession . . . . This is absolutely terrifying to behold.”

Dr. Kory says the people are waking up to CV19 vax nightmare. Dr. Kory sees vax deaths and injuries accelerating in his own practice. Dr. Kory says, “You can tell the population and the average Joe who have been lied to, drowning on propaganda, and censored from really accurate and appropriate guidance and data are figuring this out. You cannot hide a humanitarian catastrophe of this scale. You cannot hide it even with all the propaganda and censorship. You have young people dying everywhere for no good reason. That can no longer be ignored.”

Dr. Kory also says, “The excess mortality that we have seen and are seeing, first of all, it’s historically unprecedented. A few months ago, a number of life insurance companies were reporting increases in life insurance claims for young working age Americans 18 to 65 . . . up to 40%. Lincoln Financial, the fifth largest life insurance company in the country, just a week ago, announced in the last quarter of 2021 there was a 163% increase in life insurance claims over historical baselines. Those are the drop-deads, heart attacks and strokes. The excess mortalities of cancers we are seeing are going to continue to rage throughout the vaccinated population. That’s going to be going on for some time.”

While the medical boards keep trying to silence and punish people like Dr. Kory, he is still treating patients with vaccine injuries. Kory says, “Almost all the patients we are seeing are disabled (from the CV19 vax) and they cannot work, and if they can work, they are very limited. That is one pattern. Another is they get vaxed and they get sick, and then they get better, but a week or two later, weird stuff starts to happen. The most common symptom that is I see is #1 fatigue. The vast majority are having a chronic fatigue syndrome presentation.”

Dr. Kory is trying a variety of new treatments for the vax injured, but his baseline go-to drug is still Ivermectin because it binds to the spike proteins and removes them from the body. Ivermectin is also a very good anti-inflammatory, according to Dr. Kory. The good news is he is finding ways to help people with vax injuries and is learning more every day.

There is much more in the 53-minute interview.

Join Greg Hunter as he goes One-on-One with Dr. Pierre Kory, one of the top Pulmonary and Covid Critical Care experts on the planet, who is co-founder of the Front Line Covid-19 Critical Care Alliance (flccc.net) and author of the upcoming book “The War on Ivermectin.”

https://usawatchdog.com/guilty-are-now-hiding-humanitarian-catastrophe-dr-pierre-kory/

The Uber Files

The secret story of how the tech giant won access to world leaders, cozied up to oligarchs and dodged taxes amid chaotic global expansion.

How Uber won access to world leaders, deceived investigators and exploited violence against its drivers in battle for global dominance

When the ride-hailing giant called, powerful politicians answered, leaked text messages and emails reveal.

https://www.icij.org/investigations/uber-files/?utm_source=ICIJ

Moscow ends all operation of the Jewish Agency in Russia

Russia instructs the Jewish Agency to halt all operations amidst mounting anger towards "Israel", its stance towards Ukraine and its aggressions in Syria.

The Jewish Agency has been instructed by the Russian government to stop all operations inside the nation, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

The directive was stated in a letter the Russian government sent earlier this week. Jewish Agency representatives acknowledged that the letter had been received, but they declined to comment on the organization's planned response, which is presently being discussed in its headquarters in occupied Al-Quds in conjunction with the Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister's Office.

In a response to a question by the Jerusalem Post, the agency claimed that "As part of the work of the Jewish Agency's delegation in Russia, we are occasionally required to make certain adjustments, as required by authorities," adding that "The contacts with the authorities take place continuously, with the aim of continuing our activities in accordance with the rules set by the competent bodies. Even nowadays, such a dialogue takes place."

The order comes amid growing tension between "Israel" and Russia over "Tel Aviv's" support for Kiev and its leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, in the continuing conflict in Ukraine. Russia's foreign ministry requested an immediate end to the assaults on Syria on Monday, describing the Israeli attacks as intolerable.

A startling ruling requiring the Jewish Agency to cease operations in Russia might seriously impede Russian Jews' ability to go to "Israel" and make "aliyah" (the immigration of foreign Jews to "Israel"). Many of them have completed the necessary paperwork for immigration and have been waiting for flights to occupied Palestine, but due to the sanctions on Russia, most foreign airlines have stopped flying there, as described by Israeli officials.

Sources in Russia's Jewish community have communicated to the JP that "people from the Jewish community have been feeling the Iron Curtain setting on them and they fear they won't be able to escape the country."

According to one source, "a number of Jews have said that the Russian authorities are trying to arrest them and that they fear for their lives."

Promoting and facilitating "aliyah" from Jewish communities across the world is one of the primary objectives of the Jewish Agency. If it cannot operate there, it will be the first time in the last 30 years that "aliyah" attempts have been prohibited in Russia.

The Israeli Integration Minister said briefly that "aliyah" is a Jewish right and that it must be preserved. The minister said that they are worried about the consequences of the Russian decision and that they hope to work a solution out with Moscow.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/moscow-ends-all-operation-of-the-jewish-agency-in-russia