In Actual Russia, No Sign of Sanctions

This outcome comes as no surprise. Anyone with access to a map could see that the chances of Ukraine prevailing against Russia were slim to none.

The only way Ukraine could have emerged victorious — which would, according to the Ukrainians themselves, mean pushing it out of Crimea and deposing the separatist pro-Russian republics of Donetsk and Luhansk — would have been if the United States and its Western allies had been willing to launch nuclear weapons, which would have led to global annihilation. Once the decision was made not to start World War III, Ukraine’s defeat became inevitable. This, everyone sane knows, is for the best.

Determinative to this conclusion was an unusual pair of motivations. Normally, when a war is fought on one country’s territory, the invaded country fights harder than the invading forces. Paradoxically, despite suffering damaged infrastructure, the invaded state enjoys the home advantages of complete knowledge of the battlefield and much shorter supply lines. Aside from sporadic cross-border missile strikes, this war has been fought entirely on Ukrainian territory.

This conflict is different because Russia has to win; it cannot walk away. Ukraine has a 1,200-mile border with Russia, it wants to join an anti-Russia military alliance and its government was openly hostile to Russia before the war. And when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, its armies came through Ukraine, where the Nazis were greeted as liberators. Unlike America, which could bring its troops home after losing on the other side of the world in Afghanistan and Iraq and shrug off its imperialist misadventures and could leave Vietnam after pretending that more political will on the home front would have resulted in victory, Russia sees its military operation as existential. Ukraine isn’t a misbegotten side project. It’s as essential in the same way the United States would respond to a Canada that turned hostile to the U.S.

Unfortunately, and dangerously, American media consumers are being pounded with an endless deluge of propaganda promoting the ludicrous idea that Ukraine is winning and/or will ultimately prevail militarily. This fantastical assertion props up political support for shipping $60 billion worth of weapons to Ukraine, with more on the way — never mind the 70% that President Volodymyr Zelensky’s wildly corrupt government sells on the black market and the Javelin missile systems that wind up for sale on the dark web. (Christmas is coming! Don’t forget your favorite political cartoonist and columnist.) By way of comparison, the U.S. Department of Health of Human Services estimates that we could abolish homelessness here for $20 billion.

We’re also being told that Russia is crumbling under the crushing blow of vicious Western sanctions deployed as part of the White House’s openly stated war aim that it wants “to see Russia weakened.” The Russian economy, it is said, is collapsing. Russian elites, they say, will soon overthrow President Vladimir Putin.

Let me tell you firsthand: There is zero sign of economic distress in Russia.

https://southfront.org/in-actual-russia-no-sign-of-sanctions/

Cartel Imposes Curfew on Border City Near California as US Embassy Issues Alert

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel threatened widespread violence over the weekend in Baja California, prompting warnings from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico.

A message reportedly sent out from the cartel threatened violence to urge the government to free captured members.

“Be warned. As of Friday at 10 p.m. through Sunday at 3 a.m. we’re going to create mayhem so the [expletive] government frees our people. We’re the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, we don’t want to hurt good people but it’s best they don’t go outside, we’re going to attack anyone we see on the streets on these days,” the cartel said, according to KSWB-TV and other outlets.

The U.S. Department of State, meanwhile, issued warnings to Americans in Baja California, including Tijuana. They said that U.S. government employees should shelter in place starting Friday. The shelter-in-place order ended on Sunday afternoon, according to the U.S. Embassy website.

“The U.S. Consulate General Tijuana is aware of reports of multiple vehicle fires, roadblocks, and heavy police activity in Tijuana, Mexicali, Rosarito, Ensenada, and Tecate. U.S. government employees have been instructed to shelter in place until further notice,” the consulate in Tijuana wrote on Twitter on Aug. 12.

A second message from the U.S. consulate said that U.S. citizens to “avoid the area,” “seek secure shelter, if in the area,” “monitor local media for updates,” “be aware of your surroundings,” and “notify friends and family of your safety.”

Tijuana Mayor Montserrat Caballero said in a video and an accompanying news conference this weekend that criminal gangs will not force Tijuana, which is located near San Diego, California, to shut down. About 3,000 federal troops in Baja California would assist police, she said

“We are not going to allow a single Tijuana citizen to pay the consequences of those who didn’t pay their bills,” she said Saturday, according to Fox News. “We ask that you make the people who owe you pay up, not the families and citizens who work.”

Earlier this week, drug cartel members attacked a series of convenience stores across the country.

“Business leaders are very concerned about the climate of insecurity that exists in some areas of our country and we need to have the guarantee of the full application of the rule of law,” Mexico’s Chamber of Commerce said last week.

The plea followed a night of violence in the central states of Guanajuato and Jalisco on Tuesday, where military personnel clashed with cartel members, prompting the U.S. embassy to issue a travel warning in the area.

https://www.ntd.com/cartel-imposes-curfew-on-border-city-near-california-as-us-embassy-issues-alert_824868.html

Researcher: National Emergency Alert System is Easy To Exploit

The Emergency Alert System is most commonly used to issue Amber alerts and severe weather warnings. It is also used to warn of military attacks, nuclear power plant failures, or send virtually any other message.

The Department of Homeland Security is telling state and local governments to update software and beef up security around devices connected to the nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS). The recommendation comes days after security researcher Ken Pyle revealed vulnerabilities in devices used by officials to encode EAS alerts.

Pyle told KerbsOnSecurity that he first discovered the vulnerabilities in 2019 after buying old EAS equipment on eBay. He quickly found the vulnerabilities and alerted the FBI, DHS, and the manufacturer of the devices. Pyle decided to give the manufacturer and government time to address the issue before going public.

He started to worry after the Jan 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol, fearing that the vulnerabilities could be used “to start a civil war.”

That is because despite a patch being issued in 2019, many of the devices have not been updated either because they are too old for the new firmware or because of simple neglect by the operators. Pyle also says that many operators do not perform basic security measures recommended by the manufacturer, like changing the default password and putting the devices behind a firewall.

This is a problem because of the way EAS messages are distributed. There is no central authority and the process is automated in most cases. This means that someone could issue an alert locally and as long as it is accepted as a real EAS alert, it could spread nationwide.

“These devices are designed such that someone locally can issue an alert, but there’s no central control over whether I am the one person who can send or whatever,” Pyle told KerbsOnSecurity. “If you are a local operator, you can send out nationwide alerts. That’s how easy it is to do this.”

One device obtained by Pyle was a non-functional EAS device, purchased from an electronics recycling company. While the device no longer operated, the person who discarded it and the recycling company neglected to wipe the hard drive, giving Pyle access to cryptographic keys allowing him to broadcast messages on Comcast’s network, the third largest cable company in the US.

Comcast told KerbsOnSecurity in a statement that the EAS was lost by a third-party shipper and that the keys and credentials found on the device will no longer work on their system. They also thanked Pyle for his research and for informing them about the issue.

EAS vulnerabilities have been exploited in the past. In 2013, someone hacked the EAS networks in Great Falls, Montana, and Marquette, Michigan, using their access to issue an alert saying that zombies are rising from their graves. That same prank was repeated in Indiana in 2017. There have been other incidents, though they did not include zombies.

https://sputniknews.com/20220814/researcher-national-emergency-alert-system-is-easy-to-exploit-1099592162.html

https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1558917296026013697

New Tapes, Interviews Released on Ray Epps Reveal Several Inconsistencies in His Testimony to FBI — But They Still Gave Him a Pass

Back on June 18, 2021, The Gateway Pundit was the first national news website to post on the mysterious Ray Epps and his bizarre antics caught on video in Washington DC on January 5th and 6th.

On the eve of the January 6th protests, a middle-aged man in a MAGA hat showed up, defended Antifa, and told the crowd they needed to “go into the Capitol” on Jan. 6. The man made the demands while standing next to Antifa organizer John Sullivan.

This was the night before the Trump rally of a million patriots. This was the day before VP Mike Pence stabbed President Trump in the back and approved the fraudulent 2020 election results.

The Gateway Pundit identified the man as Ray Epps from Arizona.

Epps did an interview with reporters the night of January 5th after urging the crowd to enter the US Capitol the next day.

Epps was later filmed hurling a massive Trump sign at the Capitol Police during the rioting he was promoting. But Epps was never arrested.

Epps was also one of the first protesters to charge past the barricades in Washington DC.

Via Breb Corleone.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/08/new-tapes-interviews-released-ray-epps-reveal-several-inconsistencies-testimony-fbi-still-gave-pass/

In Less Than 3 Weeks States Can Begin Destroying Their 2020 Election Evidence – It’s Time to Petition that These Records Be Kept

The 2020 Election was one of the worst events in US history. It will be remembered as the day the US constitution was broken and fraudsters stole our election. In less than three weeks all evidence from that election will be destroyed.

The 2020 Election was arguably the most damaging event in US history and certainly the most horrific in modern times. The US Constitution was discarded as villainous and power-hungry people planned for and eventually stole the election. Then they worked hard to cover it up.

It took the Democrats and their senile candidate with a lot of help to steal the election. It never could have been done, however, without the assistance of the corrupt media, corrupt Big Tech, corrupt Trump-haters in the GOP, the corrupt DOJ and the corrupt FBI. Also, numerous individuals and state governments were involved.

President Trump tried to stop the steal but he and his team never had a chance. No honest American knew how corrupted and criminal numerous institutions across the country had become.

When some people tried to get to the bottom of the crimes, they were blocked. In some situations, like with machine data, all the information on the machines was erased. Yet with all the crimes related to the 2020 Election, no criminals were charged. Instead, good Americans who protested the election were charged with false crimes. America has been turned upside-down.

Slowly and now quickly, the time has come when the election will be for the history books. In less than three weeks all information related to the 2020 Election can be destroyed forevermore.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/08/less-3-weeks-states-can-begin-destroying-2020-election-evidence-time-petition-records-kept/

Pakistan’s Imran Khan Praises India for Continuing Russian Crude Purchases Despite US Pressure

Khan was ousted from power in April after losing a no-confidence vote, several weeks after attacking Western countries trying to pressure Islamabad into joining anti-Russian sanctions and asking if the West considered Pakistanis to be their “slaves.”

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has praised Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar for standing up to US pressure and continuing the purchase of discounted oil from Russia, and lamented that the current government in Islamabad doesn’t display the same kind of backbone.

“If India, which got independence at the same time as Pakistan - if New Delhi can take a firm stand and make their foreign policy as per the needs of its people, then who are they [Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government] who are towing the line?” Khan asked as a massive Independence Day rally in Lahore on Saturday.

“They [the US] ordered India not to buy oil from Russia. India is the US’s strategic ally. Pakistan is not. Let us see what India’s foreign minister said when the US asked them not to buy Russian oil,” Khan said.

The former prime minister then played a clip of the Indian foreign minister from his June 3 appearance at a security forum in Bratislava, Slovakia, where he responded to a moderator asking him whether Delhi was “funding” the conflict in Ukraine by purchasing Russian crude oil.

“Tell me, [Europe] buying Russian gas is not funding the war? I mean why is – it’s only Indian money and oil coming to India which funds but it’s not gas coming to Europe which funds? Somewhere – let’s be a little even-handed. If countries in Europe and the West and the United States are so concerned, why don’t they allow Iranian oil to come into the market? Why don’t they allow Venezuelan oil to come into the market? I mean they’ve squeezed every other source of oil we have, and then say ‘ok guys, you must not go into the market and get the best deal for your people,’” Jaishankar retorted.

“Jaishankar is telling them ‘who are you?’ Jaishankar said that ‘Europe is buying gas from Russia and we will buy it as people need it.’ This is what an independent country is,” Khan said, praising the Indian foreign minister for standing up for New Delhi's interests.

The former Pakistani prime minister recalled that he too had spoken to Russia about buying oil before his ouster. “But this government has no courage to say no to US pressure. Fuel prices are skyrocketing, people are below the poverty line. I am against this slavery,” Khan stressed.

The remarks went viral on social media, with both Pakistanis and Indians expressing surprise over Khan’s comments and praising him for his forthright sentiment.

https://sputniknews.com/20220814/pakistans-imran-khan-praises-india-for-continuing-russian-crude-purchases-despite-us-pressure-1099587813.html

Major blow for Jacinda Ardern as one of her own team goes rogue and attacks her government with claims of bullying and misspending of taxpayer funds

NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has denied bullying culture in Labour Party

MP Gaurav Sharma has gone public with claims of bullying and wrongdoing

He raised claims of misspending of tax dollars which an investigation cleared

Number of the MP's former staff quit within months of taking jobs in his office

He was blocked from hiring staff after issues with management were found

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has denied a bullying culture in New Zealand's Labour Party as a rogue MP continues to make destructive claims about senior party figures.

Gaurav Sharma, Labour's Hamilton West MP, has gone public with claims of bullying, misspending of taxpayer funds, and wrongdoing by staffing and standards agency Parliamentary Service.

However, it has since been revealed that a number of Dr Sharma's former staff quit within months of taking jobs in his office, citing serious misgivings over his management style.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11111381/Jacinda-Ardern-Major-blow-PM-one-MPs-attacks-government-claims-bullying.html

Biden’s CIA Director Employed Chinese Communist Party Members While Heading Elite DC Think Tank

CIA Director William Burns formerly headed a prominent D.C. think tank while it employed Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members, a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation has found.

Carnegie employed at least 20 CCP members while Burns was president, four of whom were brought on during his tenure, the DCNF found.

“If any Communist Party members have easy access to any sensitive information whatsoever, they’re certain to get a visit from Chinese intelligence,” a former vice-presidential national security adviser said.

Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns formerly headed an influential D.C. think tank while it employed undisclosed Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members as well as individuals with Chinese government ties, the Daily Caller News Foundation has found.

During Burns’ tenure as president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace from February 2015 to November 2021, the think tank employed at least 20 policy experts whom the DCNF has identified as CCP members. These CCP members worked at both Carnegie’s Washington, D.C., headquarters and Carnegie-Tsinghua — the Beijing center Burns’ predecessor, Jessica Mathews, launched in 2010 in cooperation with Tsinghua University.

Yet, expert profiles on Carnegie’s website don’t disclose these individuals’ ties to the CCP. The DCNF only discovered their communist ties after analyzing hundreds of Chinese-language, Communist Party branch records and personnel profiles from more than a dozen CCP-linked organizations.

Burns’ tenure at Carnegie coincided with increased alarm from the FBI concerning the CCP conducting “malign influence operations” against key American institutions. In July 2020, FBI Director Christopher Wray warned that the CCP seeks to “influence our policymakers” and “manipulate our public opinion” by exploiting the “openness” of our society.

Considering such warnings, employing CCP members and those with Chinese government ties raises red flags, national security experts said.

“It’s pretty much a fatal cul-de-sac that [Burns] finds himself in,” Steve Yates, former deputy national security adviser to the vice president, told the DCNF.

“Either he appears to have allowed government-linked experts from a hostile power to affiliate with an organization boasting many former and future U.S. appointees or he didn’t know or bother to check — a remarkable lapse in operational security for a highly-cleared former U.S. official and pretty disqualifying for a director of Central Intelligence,” said Yates. “If you can’t track who was in your think tank, running a much larger intelligence agency is the wrong line of work.”

CCP members swear an oath to the Communist Party pledging to “fight for communism” and “sacrifice everything for the party and the people,” according to the Constitution of the Communist Party of China. Moreover, in keeping with China’s “Thousand Grains of Sand” intelligence-gathering strategy, Chinese intelligence often recruits members of the overseas Chinese community to collect information for the state, according to the CIA.

“If any Communist Party members have easy access to any sensitive information whatsoever, they’re certain to get a visit from Chinese intelligence,” said Yates. “They will have no choice but to gather and disclose on a regular basis going forward.”

https://dailycaller.com/2022/08/14/william-burns-cia-carnegie-cusef-marco-rubio/

>>17396080

open a fresh page then bake