DOJ Working on Hunter Biden Plea Deal Despite Millions from China, Russia, Ukraine, etc. When His Dad was Obama’s VP

The DOJ is reportedly working on a plea deal with Hunter Biden. This indicates that many crimes related to trafficking drugs and women and extorting and taking bribes in the millions from foreign entities while his dad was Obama’s VP will go unindicted.

The New York Post reports on Hunter’s reported plea deal.

Reports that federal prosecutors are on the verge of wrapping up the Hunter Biden investigation suggest that a “generous” plea deal for the first son is in the works, a former Justice Department official said Thursday.

Lawyer Jim Trusty and other legal experts also discounted the notion that officials may be concerned about bringing charges because of the looming midterm elections, in which Democratic control of the House and Senate are both at stake.

Fox News and CNN reported Wednesday that the Delaware grand jury probe of Hunter Biden was at or near a “critical” stage, with sources telling CNN that officials recently discussed potential tax charges and a potential charge for making a false statement in connection with a handgun purchase.

Previous reports have said the investigation also involved suspicions of money laundering and violations of federal lobbying laws tied to Hunter Biden’s controversial overseas business dealings.

The Daily Mail also reported on the DOJ’s expected actions with Hunter:

As Federal prosecutors wrap up their investigation into Hunter Biden, a former Department of Justice official believes the president’s son has landed a ‘generous’ plea deal to only admit minor charges.

Lawyer Jim Trusty, former chief of the DOJ’s Organized Crime Section, said reports that the investigation is coming to an end suggests that Hunter will be hit with minor tax charges and for making false statements when purchasing a handgun in 2018.

He believed it was unlikely that Biden would face any charges involving the investigation into alleged money laundering and violation of lobbying laws that claimed Biden used his father for controversial business dealings overseas.

Hunter took millions from entities in Ukraine and China while his father was Obama’s VP. This apparently is going unnoticed. There is evidence Hunter made millions in Ukraine. The hotbed for DC corruption.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/07/breaking-doj-working-hunter-biden-plea-deal-despite-millions-china-russia-ukraine-etc-dad-obama-vp-jan-6-protesters-rot-dc-gulag/

Israeli Jets Strike Damascus On Heels Of Putin's Tehran Summit

Israeli fighter jets launched a major attack on and near the Syrian capital of Damascus just after midnight Friday, killing three solders and wounding seven, which activated the Syrian military's anti-air defenses.

While such brazen Israeli assaults on Syria have occurred almost weekly over the last months and even years, many have noticed the timing comes just after Russia's Vladimir Putin was in Iran where he met with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts.

"Heavy explosions were heard over both the Syrian capital and northern Israel, according to local reports," The Times of Israel observed of the overnight attack. "The state-run broadcaster SANA, citing a military source, said most of the missiles launched from over the Golan Heights were intercepted."

In the wake of the attack, one prominent Syria and Middle East analyst said, "After the trilateral meeting of Putin, Raisi and Erdogan in Tehran, I predicted on Wednesday an Israeli aggression on Syria" - given that Israel sees any legitimization of the 'regime' in Tehran as a direct challenge and threat to its security interests.

Further, the AP has underscored that during Putin's trip, only his second abroad since the Ukraine invasion started, Iran issued its most pro-Moscow statement to date:

Russian President Vladimir Putin won staunch support from Iran on Tuesday for his country’s military campaign in Ukraine, with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei saying the West opposes an "independent and strong" Russia.

Khamenei said that if Russia hadn’t sent troops into Ukraine, it would have faced an attack from NATO later, a statement that echoed Putin’s own rhetoric and reflected increasingly close ties between Moscow and Tehran as they both face crippling Western sanctions. NATO allies have bolstered their military presence in Eastern Europe and provided Ukraine with weapons to help counter the Russian attack.

Khamenei said to Putin on Tuesday: "If the road would have been open to NATO, it will not recognize any limit and boundary," and that the Western military alliance would have "waged a war" to return Crimea.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/israeli-jets-strike-damascus-heels-putins-tehran-summit

Pfizer Annual Revenue Doubled — to $81.3 Billion — Thanks to COVID Vaccines

Not only did Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines double the company’s annual revenue, but they also gave the drugmaker unique weight in determining U.S. health policy — something that concerns even staunch vaccine-pushers like Dr. Paul Offit.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a real boon to Pfizer. Not only has it doubled Pfizer’s annual revenue, but it has also given the drugmaker unique weight in determining U.S. health policy — something that concerns even staunch vaccine-pushers like Dr. Paul Offit.

Pfizer’s revenue in 2021 was $81.3 billion — approximately double that of 2020 — and the COVID shot accounted for $36.78 billion of that.

Pfizer’s COVID jab dominates 70% of the U.S. and European markets, and Paxlovid, its COVID drug, has become a standard treatment choice in hospitals. This despite findings showing the shot doesn’t prevent infection or transmission, and that Paxlovid causes severe rebound and supercharges mutations.

The U.S. had thrown away 82.2 million expired COVID jab doses as of mid-May, yet the Biden administration ordered another 105 million doses at the end of June for a fall booster campaign that will cost taxpayers $3.2 billion.

Pfizer’s contracts are almost exclusively slanted in Pfizer’s favor. They’re guaranteed payment while having no financial liability for injuries and deaths, and it appears this indemnification applies even if they were to be found guilty of fraud.

According to Kaiser Health News (KHN), the COVID-19 pandemic has been a real boon to Pfizer. Not only has it yielded “outsize benefits” in terms of profits, but it has also “given the drugmaker unusual weight in determining U.S. health policy.”

“‘Based on internal research, the company’s executives have frequently announced the next stage in the fight against the pandemic before government officials have had time to study the issue, annoying many experts in the medical field and leaving some patients unsure whom to trust,’” KHN reporter Arthur Allen writes, adding:

“When last year Bourla suggested that a booster shot would soon be needed, U.S. public health officials later followed, giving the impression that Pfizer was calling the tune.

“Some public health experts and scientists worry these decisions were hasty, noting, for example, that although boosters with the mRNA shots produced by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech improve antibody protection initially, it generally doesn’t last.

“Since January, Bourla has been saying that U.S. adults will probably all need annual booster shots, and senior FDA [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] officials have indicated since April that they agree. …

“The company’s power worries some vaccinologists, who see its growing influence in a realm of medical decision-making traditionally led by independent experts. …

“When President Biden in September 2021 offered boosters to Americans — not long after [Pfizer CEO Albert] Bourla had recommended them — Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia … wondered, ‘Where’s the evidence you are at risk of serious disease when confronted with COVID if you are vaccinated and under 50?’

“Policies on booster recommendations for different groups are complex and shifting, Offit said, but the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], rather than Bourla and Pfizer, should be making them.

“‘We’re being pushed along,’ he said. ‘The pharmaceutical companies are acting like public health agencies.’”

The fact that a vaccine-pusher like Offit — infamous for claiming a baby can safely tolerate 10,000 vaccines at once — is questioning and pushing back against Pfizer’s influence over health policy reveals just how brazen, unethical and potentially dangerous that is.

https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/pfizer-revenue-81-billion-covid-vaccines-cola/

Sri Lankan protest camp raided

The move follows months of turmoil in the country that saw a new president elected

Sri Lankan security forces raided an anti-government protest camp outside the presidential office in Colombo on Friday. It comes amid a months-long political crisis sparked by a financial meltdown.

"A joint operation involving the military, police and police special forces was launched in the early hours to recover the presidential secretariat from the protesters as they have no legal right to hold it," police spokesperson Nalin Thalduwa told Reuters news agency.

According to police, the raid led to nine arrests, two of those detained were injured. The organizers of the protest claim that at least 50 people were injured, including several journalists. They also say they planned to hand over the presidential offices peacefully, an intention the police said they had no knowledge of.

The demonstrators accused authorities of a violent crackdown. "They beat us really cruelly," an activist told Reuters. "Mr Wickremesinghe doesn’t know what democracy is," he added.

Media footage from the scene appears to show soldiers in riot gear, armed with rifles, marching towards the camp, known as Gota Go Gama, that had been in place since April. The name of the camp makes an apparent reference to Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s former president, and calls for his resignation.

The move comes after Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as president on Thursday after his predecessor fled the country and resigned. Sri Lanka has faced unrest for several months over severe food and fuel shortages and record inflation.

The crisis has been blamed on the Covid-19 pandemic, which cut tourist revenue for the island, and Rajapaksa’s ban on chemical fertilizers, which was a major blow to the agricultural sector.

https://www.rt.com/news/559436-sri-lanka-protest-camp-raid/

As Americans Continue To Suffer, One Industry Is Raking In Massive Profits: DC Lobbyists

Federal lobbyists have made huge profits in the second quarter of 2022, according to financial disclosures reviewed by Politico, while many Americans continue to feel the effects of inflation and the ongoing energy crisis.

Of the top twenty lobbying firms by revenue, just two saw revenue decreases when compared with the first three months of the year, Politico reported. The lobbying boom was largely attributable to reconciliation negotiations between Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, as well hotly contested deliberations on whether to dole out subsidies to domestic semiconductor companies.

Firms leading the pack for lobbying revenues in the second quarter were Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, and Holland & Knight, reeling in $15.2 million, $12.8 million, and $10.7 million respectively, Politico reported. The largest individual contract, between semiconductor firm Qualcomm and Covington & Burling, was worth $1.4 million.

K Street’s revenues come as the rest of the economy is facing decades-high inflation and teetering on the edge of a recession. The Consumer Price Index, a key gauge of inflation, soared to 9.1% in June, while the U.S. economy contracted in the first quarter of 2022 as Americans have been forced to spend less on basic goods thanks to sky-high energy prices.

The top spenders included the Chamber of Commerce, a trade organization representing U.S. businesses, and the National Association of Realtors, who spent $15.8 million and $14.8 million respectively, according to Politico.

https://dailycaller.com/2022/07/22/lobbyists-k-street-dc-inflation-profits/

Has NATO Now Taken Over Command of the U.S. Navy?

French General Philippe Lavigne was appointed to the post of Supreme Allied Commander Transformation by the North Atlantic Council on May 28, 2021. (Source.)

The North Atlantic Council is the political organization that controls NATO:

The North Atlantic Council is the principal political decision-making body within NATO. It oversees the political and military process relating to security issues affecting the whole Alliance. It brings together representatives of each member country to discuss policy or operational questions requiring collective decisions, providing a forum for wide-ranging consultation between members on all issues affecting their peace and security.

https://medicalkidnap.com/2022/07/20/has-nato-now-taken-over-command-of-the-u-s-navy/

Tony Blair Institution calls for the introduction of digital IDs

For all citizens.

A report by the Tony Blair Institute has recommended the adoption of digital IDs to help solve the problem of illegal immigration in the UK.

The report argues that one of the reasons the UK has an illegal immigration problem is the government’s failure to do away with a black market of agencies and employers who give jobs to illegal immigrants. So, it proposes a “digital identity verification” system that would be mandatory for every UK resident seeking work or benefits.

To obtain the digital ID, an immigrant would have to prove that they reside in the UK legally through the verification of their passport or an equivalent document.

However, all citizens would have to have a digital ID.

“The UK is an attractive destination partly because parts of our labor market are under-regulated, which means it is easier to work in the informal economy (and therefore disappear off the radar) than in countries where you must prove your right to work and reside,” said the report.

“Common sense would suggest that this continues to represent a significant pull factor for those seeking to attempt dangerous journeys to the UK.”

While he was Prime Minister, Blair proposed a similar plan, but it was abandoned when David Cameron took office due to backlash from activists, rights organizations, and security and privacy experts.

https://reclaimthenet.org/tony-blair-institution-calls-for-the-introduction-of-digital-ids/

Air Force general says U.S. and allies ARE considering sending an array of fighter jets to Ukraine and give pilots accelerated training to ramp up Western involvement against Russia

U.S. forces are now considering sending fighter jets to Ukraine as it continues to face an assault from Russia, according to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall.

Lieutenant Colonel Kendall said that Ukraine is busy dealing with its 'right now problem' in an allusion to its ground-based fighting in the Donbas region. But he also said that assistance in the form of aircraft may be needed.

'We'll be open to discussions with them about what their requirements are and how we might be able to satisfy them,' the Air Force head said during the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado on Wednesday.

Kendall appeared along with Air Force Chief of Staff General Charles Brown Jr. during the Security Forum this week.

General Brown also said that the U.S. has a responsibility to help train Ukrainian pilots on how to fly the different aircraft should they provide it to their forces.

The U.S. Air Force is looking to retire its A-10 Warthogs – and many have suggested that they be sent to Ukraine to help in air assaults in the war with Russia.

But Kendall said it's 'largely up to Ukraine' to decide what aircraft it wants.

http://www.stationgossip.com/2022/07/air-force-general-says-us-and-allies.html

What a coincidence! New Sri Lankan president and both UK PM candidates are part of the WEF program

The new Sri Lankan president is a WEF member:

What a coincidence! They are taking the world one bite at a time. Next, we will check for Italy and then for every country where an influential and charismatic political person resigns or is dismissed…

https://strangesounds.org/2022/07/what-a-coincidence-new-sri-lankan-president-and-both-uk-pm-candidates-are-part-of-the-wef-program.html

Verdict Reached in Steve Bannon’s Criminal Contempt of Congress Trial: GUILTY ON BOTH COUNTS

The jury on Friday reached a verdict in Steven Bannon’s criminal contempt case.

Update: A jury found Steven Bannon guilty on two counts of contempt of Congress.

NBC News reported:

A jury on Friday found former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon guilty on two counts of contempt of Congress for blowing off the Jan. 6 select committee.

Upon sentencing, Bannon will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 days incarceration and up to one year behind bars. He could also be fined between $100 and $100,000. He is expected to appeal.

“This case is not complicated, but it is important,” Assistant U.S.

Attorney Molly Gaston told jurors during closing arguments on Friday.

Bannon, Gaston argued, “did not want to recognize Congress’ authority” or play by the government’s rules.

At 2:30 ET, the jury sent a note to the judge, according to CNN.

“Lawyers from both sides in the case are assembling in the courtroom.” CNN reported.

Politico’s top legal reporter Josh Gerstein: 2:41: Awaiting judge and jury

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/07/breaking-verdict-reached-steve-bannons-criminal-contempt-case/

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NIH accidentally unmasks official who hid Chinese-submitted coronavirus data in March 2020

Agency asks court to seal records related to FOIA lawsuit that name NIH "curator" who approved removal request and Chinese researcher who submitted it. Whistleblower support activist says names were publicly available to researchers, not "classified information."

The National Institutes of Health deleted two "sequencing runs" of pangolin coronavirus from its National Library of Medicine (NLM) at a Chinese researcher's request on the eve of U.S. COVID-19 lockdowns, months before a previously known removal requested by a different Chinese researcher, according to newly disclosed records.

Now the agency is trying to convince a federal court to seal portions of those records and a litigant's filing that name the earlier Chinese researcher and his NIH handler, claiming it "inadvertently failed" to redact them in responding to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit.

The government is trying to "put the toothpaste back in the tube," said Empower Oversight founder Jason Foster, whose whistleblower support group filed the lawsuit last fall.

The former Senate Judiciary Committee investigator told the John Solomon Reports podcast the feds are suddenly "moving heaven and earth" when it comes to the privacy of a researcher "associated with the Chinese government" and information that could shed light on "the origins of the pandemic."

This is "a huge contrast to what we see them doing" with U.S. government whistleblowers, including a case he's working on, Foster said.

The first emails obtained by Empower in the lawsuit showed an NIH staffer agreeing to remove a genetic sequence from public view in June 2020 upon the request of a Wuhan University researcher and asking for clarification on whether to remove another sequence. Both names were redacted.

The new batch of emails show NIH staffers deliberating how to respond to questions last fall from Jesse Bloom, who runs a virus and protein evolution lab at Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.

His preprint paper on NIH's sequence removal at the Wuhan researcher's request prompted a tense meeting months earlier with scientists, including then-NIH Director Francis Collins and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthonyo Fauci. Bloom recounted both officials saying they weren't asking him to withdraw the paper from public view.

"I'm writing to inquire about some more deleted deep sequencing runs from China on the SRA," Bloom wrote Oct. 12 to Steve Sherry, acting director of NLM's National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), which hosts the Sequence Read Archive.

He noticed "curator" Rick Lapoint deleted the two pangolin coronavirus sequences March 16, 2020 at the request of the Chinese scientist who submitted them, Kangpeng Xiao of South China Agricultural University, "under the stated rationale that they were accidental uploads unrelated to the project."

https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/nih-accidentally-unmasks-official-who-hid-chinese-submitted-coronavirus

7-Eleven Layoffs 2022: 880 Jobs Slashed In Restructuring Effort

Following its acquisition of Speedway gas stations, 7-Eleven has cut about 880 corporate jobs in the U.S. as it looks to complete a company reorganization.

Layoffs at the convenience store chain will occur at its support centers and field support operations in Irving, Texas, where 7-Eleven is headquartered, and Enon, Ohio, where Speedway is based, according to CNBC.

7-Eleven, which is owned by Japanese retail company Seven & i Holdings, picked up Speedway gas stations in a $21 billion deal from Marathon Petroleum in 2021, growing its locations to about 14,000 in the U.S. and Canada, Reuters said.

A spokesperson for the company told Reuters in a statement, “We are just over a year into our integration process following the $21 billion Speedway acquisition and have made significant progress. As with any integration, our approach includes assessing our combined organization structure.”

Seven & i Holdings has been under pressure from investor ValueAct Capital to divest its 7-Eleven assets and make additional reforms, including a new board of directors, CNBC reported.

The layoffs at 7-Eleven come as additional pressure mounts from inflation, record high gas prices, and increased operating expenses that are eating into company profits as it looks to cut costs.

A 7-Eleven spokesperson told CNBC, “These decisions have not been made lightly, and we are working to support impacted employees, including providing career transition services.”

https://www.ibtimes.com/7-eleven-layoffs-2022-880-jobs-slashed-restructuring-effort-3583512

Medical Device Manufacturer Biotronik Inc. Agrees To Pay $12.95 Million To Settle Allegations of Improper Payments to Physicians

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/medical-device-manufacturer-biotronik-inc-agrees-pay-1295-million-settle-allegations-improper

Interagency Collaboration Leads to 50 Arrests in the RGV

EDINBURG, Texas – Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol (RGV) agents disrupted four migrant smuggling attempts resulting in 50 arrests.

On July 21, the Mercedes Police Department (MPD) requested assistance from RGV agents, regarding a residence being used as a human stash house. Upon arrival, agents determined 31 individuals were illegally present in the U.S. Two caretakers were identified and taken into custody by MPD officers to face human smuggling charges.

Hours later, Texas Game Warden (TGW) officers observed several subjects running from an open field into an awaiting Ford F150, east of Falfurrias. As TGW officers approached the vehicle, the driver veered off the road through a property fence and several subjects bailed out. A search of the immediate area resulted in the apprehension of three migrants. The driver was not located.

Moments later, another human stash house was discovered in Rio Grande City by RGV agents in cooperation with the Starr County Sheriff Office. Agents apprehended a total of four subjects who were determined to be illegally present in the U.S. No caretaker was identified.

Later that afternoon, McAllen Border Patrol Station camera operators notified agents of several people entering a Chevrolet Tahoe in a well-known smuggling area in Hidalgo. Moments later, Hidalgo Police Department (HPD) officers encountered the vehicle and initiated a vehicle stop. The vehicle came to a stop where several subjects fled into a nearby store. HPD officers and agents were able to apprehend nine migrants who were illegally present in the U.S. A search of the vehicle yielded a firearm. HPD took custody of the vehicle, firearm, and driver to face state charges.

All subjects were taken into Border Patrol custody and will be processed accordingly.

https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/interagency-collaboration-leads-50-arrests-rgv

Former mayoral candidate sentenced for stealing from the Paycheck Protection Program

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/pr/former-mayoral-candidate-sentenced-stealing-paycheck-protection-program

Our Destroyed Country

Paul Craig Roberts

In a way Hitler won WW II. Jewish cultural Marxists fled Germany and brought their “march through the institutions” to America. They marched first through the universities and then the public schools, and they succeeded in separating the Democrat Party, corporate leadership, and much of the intellectual and educated population from the Western moral and cultural tradition.

The cultural Marxists did this by attacking the literary canon for lack of cultural diversity. They used education to indoctrinate students with the values and outlooks of those hostile to their own culture which was negatively portrayed. As time passed Shakespeare and Chaucer were replaced as topics of study by queer theory, post-colonialism, critical race theory, and gender theory. In place of the societal unity formed by enculturation, we have the divisiveness of Identity Politics.

Gender theory wipes out distinction between men and women, male and female. Critical race theory infuses white children with guilt and separates them from their race and their parents. Normality is damned for being exclusive and is replaced by the diversity of perversion. This has been underway for several decades in the universities and is now the agenda of the public school system which is staffed with the graduates acculturated into the new diverse culture of the Tower of Babel.

In recent years the march has reached the corporations and male and female sports. The CEO of Disney advocates indoctrinating children with critical race theory and gender theory. White male, heterosexual employees of US corporations, universities, government and military must attend sensitivity training. Recently, the Detroit Tigers celebrated “Pride Night” and encouraged donations to a LBGTQ+ organization of your choice. Men claiming female gender now compete in women’s sports. Clearly, the American culture today is one of total confusion.

How does a society this confused exist? Clearly there is no unity. Without unity there is neither a society nor a nation.

So what is the United States? Isn’t the name “United States” as outdated as Shakespeare and Christian morality? Identity politics and cultural diversity do not permit unity within one state, much less between states.

When there is no culture that can unite people, only force can. It is an artificial unity that is dependent on coercion. In such a country there is no room for a bill of rights and constitutional protections.

Even the concept of sin has been turned inside out. Today traditional morality’s disapproval of sexual perversion is damned for the sin of intolerance. Once morality is disarmed, all barriers to degeneracy fall.

And they have.

The new barriers are enforcements against the values of the overthrown culture. It is no longer permitted.

The young are born into a Tower of Babel. For them it is normality.

https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2022/07/20/our-destroyed-country/

Pelosi To Blinken: Designate Russia as State Sponsor of Terror or Else Congress Will

Currently, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria have the designation

According to a report from Politico, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told Secretary of State Antony Blinken to designate Russia as a “state sponsor of terrorism” or else Congress would do it.

The Politico report cited two sources familiar with the call who said the conversation happened earlier this week. As secretary of state, Blinken has the authority to designate a state as a sponsor of terror, and Congress could also do it by passing legislation.

The designation is meant to expand sanctions on the targeted nation. Currently, only Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria are designated by the US as state sponsors of terror. Cuba’s designation was lifted by the Obama administration but was reimposed during the final days of the Trump administration.

Since the US has already hit Russia with so many sanctions, the designation would have little impact on Moscow. But designating a state as a sponsor of terrorism opens up sanctions on other countries that do business with them. The move would also signal that US-Russia relations won’t be repaired for years to come as such designations are usually difficult to reverse.

Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) are pushing for the designation and introduced a resolution that would call on Blinken to enact it. The two senators traveled to Kyiv earlier this month and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the idea. While in Kyiv, the two senators expressed support for a “hand-to-hand insurgency” in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.

https://news.antiwar.com/2022/07/21/pelosi-to-blinken-designate-russia-as-state-sponsor-of-terror-or-else-congress-will/

Foreign Ministry calls on UNSC to condemn Israeli aggression on the vicinity of Damascus

Damascus, SANA- Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ministry sent two identical letters to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the President of the Security Council on the Israeli criminal acts of aggression on

the vicinity of Damascus

“The Israeli enemy carried out at 12:32 a.m. on Friday dawn an aggression with bursts of missiles from the direction of occupied Syrian Golan, targeting some points in the vicinity of Damascus, this cowardly aggression led to the martyrdom of three soldiers, the injury of seven others, and material losses ,” The Ministry said.

The Ministry added that Syria reaffirms that it reserves the right to respond by appropriate means recognized by international law and the Charter of the United Nations to these repeated Israeli aggressions”.

The Ministry reiterated its demand that the Security Council and the Secretary General of the United Nations to exercise their responsibilities under the Charter and condemn these aggressions.

The Ministry stressed that the Security Council’s failure to take the necessary measures to prevent and condemn these repeated attacks shows its inability to assume its responsibilities and its failure to achieve the minimum implementation of its duties in maintaining peace and security in the region, and the world.

The Ministry went on by saying that these Israeli attacks cannot be treated in isolation from the US aggression and violations of the principles of international law and its occupation of northeast Syria, its looting of oil and supplying of weapons to the militias hired by Washington in order to impede the political solution and

the restoration of security and stability to Syria.

The Ministry noted that these attacks are carried out in direct support of armed terrorist organizations that spread murder across Syria.

https://sana.sy/en/?p=278465

New Zealand Covid cases skyrocket despite widespread vaccinations, long-term lockdowns

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's economically-crippling measures delayed "inevitable" infections that could have built-up immunity, experts say.

New Zealand’s high rates of vaccination and severe lockdowns appear to be offering little protection, as a new Omicron wave gripping the country is resulting in record high death rates.

In fact, experts told Mail Online that previously low levels of infection due to strict Covid restrictions is behind the high fatality rate. Once dubbed the "hermit kingdom," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's economically-crippling measures delayed "inevitable" infections that could have built-up immunity, experts say.

There were 151 virus fatalities in the week ending July 16. The highest weekly fatalities prior to this was 115 during a March spike, Health Ministry data shows. This means the country’s current mortality rate is twice as high as the UK’s and four times higher than the US, The Daily Sceptic reports.

As of 11 pm on Thursday, the 26 Covid deaths that occurred in the previous 24 hours were among those over 60, the group most vulnerable to the virus.

The Omicron sub-variant BA.5 is driving the wave. Another 64,780 cases were confirmed last week, but authorities say the true figure will be much higher.

New Zealand was once considered a nation that largely went untouched by the virus, in part due to its swift response and geographic isolation.

In August 2021, New Zealand announced it would enter a sudden lockdown after an Auckland man tested positive for Covid, even though it was the first case in the country in six months. The nation strived for "zero Covid" and entered a national level 4 lockdown for three days, while Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula were on lockdown for seven days due to the risk of exposure from the man's travels.

In November 2021, Ardern told citizens they could start visiting family and friends' homes once again — and use the bathroom inside.

"Luxury," she said.

In March, Ardern said strict vaccine mandates were "undoubtedly" the reasons New Zealand reached a 95 percent vaccination rate for the eligible population and achieved the near-elimination of Delta over summer 2021. Vaccine mandates for some of the workforce were dropped in April.

Yet data from Oxford University-backed research platform Our World in Data show five people per million in New Zealand were dying with Covid every day in the week to July 21st — up by a third from the previous high of 3.68 in March.

During their worst periods of the pandemic, the UK and US registered 19 and 10 deaths per million, respectively. Both countries are now logging much lower death counts, at two and one deaths, respectively.

https://rumble.com/embed/vnczl7/?pub=4

https://thepostmillennial.com/new-zealand-covid-cases-skyrocket-despite-widespread-vaccinations-long-term-lockdowns

Steve Bannon Blasts “Gutless” January 6 Committee Members After Jury Returns Guilty Verdict in Contempt Trial

A DC jury on Friday reached a verdict in Steven Bannon’s criminal contempt case after a four-day trial.

After deliberating for three hours, the jury found Steven Bannon guilty on two counts of contempt of Congress.

Bannon is facing up to two years in prison.

Steve Bannon blasted the “gutless” January 6 Committee members in remarks outside of the courtroom.

“I only have one disappointment and that is the gutless members of that show trial committee, the J6 Committee didn’t have the guts to come down here and testify in open court,” Bannon said.

Bannon’s lawyer said he will file an appeal.

“You will see this case reversed on appeal,” Bannon’s defense counsel said to reporters outside of the courtroom.

Steve Bannon, the former chief strategist for President Donald Trump, faced two contempt of Congress charges for defying subpoenas to the controversial and completely biased January 6 Select Committee.

Recall, a DC grand jury indicted former Trump Chief Strategist Steve Bannon last November for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the House January 6 Committee.

Bannon refused to provide documents to the January 6 Committee because President Trump asserted executive privilege.

“Based on long-standing U.S. Department of Justice authority, you should not appear for deposition or provide documents,” Bannon said.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/07/steve-bannon-blasts-gutless-january-6-committee-members-jury-returns-guilty-verdict-contempt-trial-video/

Stephen K. Bannon Found Guilty by Jury of Two Counts of Contempt of Congress

Jury Finds He Failed to Comply With House Subpoena From Select Committee Investigating Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/stephen-k-bannon-found-guilty-jury-two-counts-contempt-congress

House Democrats Block Legislative Amendment To Prevent US Oil Sales To China

House Democrats have blocked a Republican effort to prevent the Biden administration from selling oil from the United States’ strategic reserve to entities with ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) offered an amendment as a motion during a House floor debate on July 20, to recommit a legislative spending package (H.R.8294) consisting of six House appropriation bills for the fiscal year 2023. A “motion to recommit” is a common procedural maneuver that allows the House minority party to amend a bill before a final vote for passage.

The amendment was proposed by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. According to her proposal (pdf), petroleum would be banned from export to China and to any entity that does not certify that it is “not under the ownership, control, or influence of the Chinese Communist Party.”

Before the motion was put to a vote, Valadao told his colleagues on the House floor that supporting the amendment was “common sense.”

“We need to focus on increasing energy production and not supporting our adversaries while Americans are still suffering from outrageously high fuel prices here at home,” Valadao explained.

Despite Valadao’s plea for support, his motion was rejected following a 219–206 vote, when House Democrats unanimously voted against it. Every House Republican voted in favor of the measure except five who didn’t cast a vote.

“Every single Democrat just voted to put China’s national security over our own,” Valadao wrote on Twitter following the result.

Rodgers also took to Twitter to criticize House Democrats, saying that “they’re sacrificing America’s energy security and national security.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/house-democrats-block-legislative-amendment-prevent-us-oil-sales-china

Mike Davis: Judge Screwed Up and Would Not Allow Steve Bannon to Put Up a Defense in Court — Case Will End Up at Supreme Court

Since Monday morning former Chief Strategist for President Trump faced a one-sided and biased court in Washington DC. He was charged with not honoring a subpoena from the January 6 Committee. The Jan. 6 Committee is a selected group of Democrats and two Republicans who are running America’s first-ever public show trials. No defense or rebuttals to their concocted evidence is allowed in their nationally broadcast production.

The Select Committee is an unconventional committee in the fact that Democrat Speaker Nancy Pelosi would only allow approved Republicans to sit on this sham committee. Only two turncoat Republicans were allowed to sit in with Democrats — angry Never-Trumpers Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger.

This week Steve Bannon was the target – as he has been since he first took the job of campaign manager for President Trump back in 2016.

The court allowed the January 6 Committee to use their concocted evidence against Steve Bannon.

But the court would not allow Steve Bannon’s team to confront his accusers or put up a defense.

This is the new America under Joe Biden and the Democrat-Socialist regime. Only Democrats get court privileges. Republicans have no rights.

Steve Bannon was found guilty this afternoon.

Earlier today Mike Davis and The Article III Project weighed in on the Steve Bannon case earlier today before the verdict was announced.

Davis predicted that the ruling would come out this afternoon and Steve Bannon would be found guilty.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/07/legal-expert-mike-davis-judge-screwed-not-allow-steve-bannon-put-defense-court-case-will-end-supreme-court/

Tobacco giant to quit Russia

Philip Morris, the maker of Marlboro and L&M cigarettes, will give up its presence in Russia by 2023

Philip Morris International CEO Jacek Olczak said on Thursday that the tobacco firm will wrap up its business in Russia by the end of the year. The corporation, whose cancer-causing products are sold in 180 countries worldwide, announced the pullout in March, in the wake of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.

“We are working hard to conclude our presence in Russia but I don’t think it’s going to happen in the time frame of the next quarter,” Olczak told Bloomberg Television. The CEO added that withdrawing from Russia is “a pretty complicated process,” which should be finished “around year end.”

Marlboro posted record second-quarter financial results earlier on Thursday, with Bloomberg noting that the increased profits were driven by strong sales of its IQOS “smoke-free” heated tobacco devices and rising cigarette prices worldwide.

However, kicking Russia may be harmful to the cigarette firm’s financial health. According to figures from the company, Russia accounted for 8.4% of Philip Morris’ cigarette sales and 17.1% of sales of the aforementioned IQOS products in 2021. Only in Indonesia did the company sell more cigarettes, while Japan was the only country that consumed more IQOS products.

Nevertheless, Philip Morris announced in March that it would reduce production volumes and suspend planned investments in Russia. While the company continued to pay its more than 3,200 employees in Russia, Olczak said it was scaling down its Russian operations “in solidarity with the innocent men, women and children” of Ukraine.

Rival companies British American Tobacco and Imperial Brands also announced plans to withdraw from Russia and transfer their assets in the country to Russian owners. Imperial Brands has since gone through with its pullout, while British American Tobacco – which controls around a quarter of the Russian market – has not finalized its own withdrawal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin likely won’t be troubled by Western cigarettes leaving Russian shelves. Putin’s government has clamped down on smoking in public and restricted cigarette advertising, while placing health warnings on cigarette packaging and raising the excise duty on tobacco products.

https://www.rt.com/russia/559483-philip-morris-leaving-russia/