Adam Schiff and Rep. Maloney Campaign in Paris with Rich Donors at “Stop MAGA Republicans” Fundraiser

While American families suffer under record inflation and gas prices and record crime, two top Democrats traveled to France to sip wine and hold a fundraiser for Democrats.

Representatives Adam Schiff and Sean Patrick Maloney have scheduled “Stop MAGA Republicans” fundraisers for the DCCC in Paris, London, and Switzerland.

Here are the DCCC invitations to supporters in Geneva and Paris.

Via FOX News.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., was spotted on video sipping wine with Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chairman Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y., and Democratic donors during a recent Paris event highlighted by Maloney’s opponent in the midterm elections.

Schiff and Maloney embarked on a tour of Europe last week to fundraise from Democrats living abroad, Punchbowl News first reported. The New York Times’ Shane Goldmacher tweeted a screenshot Sunday of one of the fundraising invites to a “cocktail reception and dinner benefiting the DCCC” in Paris on Oct. 1.

Another invite tweeted by Goldmacher was to a DCCC fundraiser in Geneva, Switzerland, on Oct. 3.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/10/pencil-neck-adam-schiff-rep-maloney-campaign-paris-rich-donors-stop-maga-republicans-fundraiser/

WTH? Teachers Union Boss Randi Weingarten Enters Ukraine to “Assess the Situation”

Teachers union boss Randi Weingarten caught flak for taking a trip to Ukraine while US schools still haven’t recovered from her Covid policies.

American children are behind in reading, writing and arithmetic… meanwhile Randi Weingarten is vacationing in a warzone and pretending to be a diplomat?

“Weingarten is joining pediatrician and public health activist Dr. Irwin Redlener, Karen Redlener and Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum in Ukraine this week to meet with Ukrainian students and teachers displaced by the war. The group went “to offer solidarity and support in the face of relentless attacks that have forced hundreds of thousands of refugees to flee the country’s east,”” Fox News reported.

“The AFT was invited by the Ukrainian teachers union, the Trade Union of Education and Science Workers, to bear witness and call attention to the effects on children, families and educators and the impact of Russia’s attacks on democracy and democratic institutions,” the press release explained.

“Woke up this am to reports of disgusting Russian missile strikes in Kyiv, Lviv & other cities .Heading to the border now to assess the situation. This Russian attempt to frighten civilians & the effect on children (who are learning online today) is why this Ukraine trip is so important” Randi Weingarten said Monday.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/10/wth-teachers-union-boss-randi-weingarten-enters-ukraine-assess-situation/

International Red Cross suspends operations in Ukraine

The move comes after Russia launched missile strikes across the country

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has suspended its work in Ukraine. The decision follows missile strikes by Russia across the country, which the Kremlin said, were in response to terrorist actions by Kiev.

“For security reasons, our teams have paused operations today,” an ICRC spokesperson told Reuters in an emailed statement. The spokesperson did not provide any estimates on when its activities might resume.

Earlier on Monday, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said it had also halted its humanitarian work in the country until it was safe to resume.

The suspension of activities by the aid groups comes in the aftermath of missile strikes on multiple locations across Ukraine, including the capital Kiev, launched by Russia early on Monday.

The assault damaged 11 key infrastructure sites across the country, according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal. At least 10 people were killed and more than 60 injured in the attack, the Ukrainian national police said.

The strikes came in retaliation for Kiev’s “terrorist” activities and attempts to target Russia’s critical civilian infrastructure, Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed. Over the past months, Ukraine has targeted high-voltage power lines connecting a Russian nuclear power plant to the electricity grid, attempted to sabotage an export gas pipeline, and ultimately, staged the blast that damaged the Crimea Bridge, the president said, warning that Moscow will no longer tolerate such “terrorist” tactics from Kiev.

https://www.rt.com/russia/564402-ukraine-strikes-red-cross/

Major Russian bank winds down Swiss business – top official

Operations will be referred to external banking partners, Gazprombank chairman says

Gazprombank will cease operations in Switzerland after “a strategic review of various options,” Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ivan Dun, said in a statement on Monday.

“The decision is the result of an in-depth strategy analysis and is being taken in close consultation with the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority [FINMA],” he clarified.

Gazprombank (Switzerland) was one of the last remaining institutions for financing trade between Russia and Switzerland after other major Russian banks became subject to Western sanctions.

Existing business relationships will be wound down or referred to external partners in the coming months, Gazprombank said.

In March, the Association of Swiss Bankers excluded Gazprombank and Sberbank from the Swiss system. In July, the Zurich-based bank announced a launch of a strategic review and plans to sell its subsidiary.

The main focus of the bank was trade and export finance, including transportation and processing of raw materials from Russia to Western Europe for commodity traders. EU companies used Gazprombank to pay for energy supplies. The bank, which employs about 80 people, also assisted Swiss industrial groups in financing exports to Eastern Europe.

The lender had been operating in Switzerland since 1966 and under the Gazprombank (Switzerland) name since 2009.

https://www.rt.com/business/564411-gazprombank-stops-swiss-operations/

Cyberattack Hits Websites Of Major US Airports

Early Monday morning, alleged hackers from 'within the Russian Federation' unleashed cyberattacks on websites of major US airports, according to ABC News, citing a senior US official.

Luckily, the attacks did not disrupt systems that handle air traffic control, internal airline communications and coordination, or transportation security.

"It's an inconvenience," the senior official said, adding the cyberattacks resulted in "denial of public access" to certain airport websites that report flight wait times and congestion.

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"It's An Inconvenience:" Cyberattack Hits Websites Of Major US Airports

Tyler Durden's Photo

by Tyler Durden

Tuesday, Oct 11, 2022 - 01:56 AM

Early Monday morning, alleged hackers from 'within the Russian Federation' unleashed cyberattacks on websites of major US airports, according to ABC News, citing a senior US official.

Luckily, the attacks did not disrupt systems that handle air traffic control, internal airline communications and coordination, or transportation security.

"It's an inconvenience," the senior official said, adding the cyberattacks resulted in "denial of public access" to certain airport websites that report flight wait times and congestion.

The attacks were first detected around 0300 ET when the Port Authority contacted the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency that LaGuardia Airport was hit. Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Des Moines International Airport, and Los Angeles International Airport were also targeted.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had its website restored as of 1030 ET. This is what ATL's website looked like earlier…

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/its-inconvenience-cyberattack-hits-websites-major-us-airports

Los Angeles City Council members face mounting pressure to resign after leaked audio reveals racist remarks

Three L.A. City Council members are being asked to resign after leaked audio from a private meeting last year revealed offensive and racist remarks, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday. It is unclear why the meeting was secretly recorded or who recorded it.

The leaked audio, originally posted on Reddit, was from an October 2021 meeting on redistricting and included Council President Nury Martinez, Federation President Ron Herrera, and Councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León.

Martinez can be heard on the recording making racist remarks about the child of another council member, Mike Bonin. Martinez mentions that Bonin's child misbehaved during a Martin Luther King Jr. parade several years ago.

The group discussed Bonin, who is white, and his adopted child, who is black. During the conversation, Martinez called Bonin a "little bitch."

De León chimed in and said that Bonin used his child as an accessory and compared him to a designer bag. He called Bonin the council's "fourth black member."

Martinez talked about how the child had misbehaved during a Martin Luther King Jr. parade several years ago. On the leaked audio recording, she explained that she, Bonin, and his child were on a float together during the parade and that the child nearly caused the float to tip over.

"This kid needs a beat-down," Martinez said during the discussion about Bonin's child. "Let me take him around the corner, and then I'll bring him back."

At one point in the conversation, Martinez described Bonin's son as "ese changuito," or "that little monkey."

Following snippets of the audio shared by the Los Angeles Times, Martinez, Herrera, and de León released apology statements. Cedillo claimed that he did not recall the conversation.

Protesters filled the street outside Martinez's home over the weekend, calling for her immediate resignation.

"In a moment of intense frustration and anger, I let the situation get the best of me and I hold myself accountable for these comments. For that I am sorry," Martinez wrote. "The context of this conversation was concern over the redistricting process and concern about the potential negative impact it might have on communities of color."

De León stated that his comments during the discussion were "wholly inappropriate."

"I regret appearing to condone and even contribute to certain insensitive comments made about a colleague and his family in private," de León wrote. "On that day, I fell short of the expectations we set for our leaders — and I will hold myself to a higher standard."

In a Sunday statement, Herrera said, "There is no justification and no excuse for the vile remarks made in that room. Period. And I didn't step up to stop them and I will have to bear the burden of that cross moving forward."

Bonin called on Martinez, Herrera, and de León to resign. In a statement, Bonin said, "The entirety of the recorded conversation … displayed a repeated and vulgar anti-Black sentiment, and a coordinated effort to weaken Black political representation in Los Angeles."

https://www.theblaze.com/news/los-angeles-city-council-members-face-mounting-pressure-to-resign-after-leaked-audio-reveals-racist-remarks

More Infrastructure Sabotage: Germany Hunts Culprits of Cut Cables That Brought Rail Network to Knees

Already exacerbated fears about infrastructure sabotage were dramatically underlined at the weekend when two apparently coordinated acts against the backbone system which controls train movements saw Germany’s railway network grind to a halt for several hours. Europe has been suffering such attacks, often attributed to actors of the ultra-left, for many years.

Backhaul communications cables concerned with the Germany Railway (Deutsche Bahn, DB) radio system, safety-critical equipment without which modern, tightly timetabled and high speed trains cannot safely operate, were “willfully and intentionally severed” on Saturday morning by people with “very precise knowledge of the railway’s radio system.” The two cables damaged were 340 miles apart from each other and cut simultaneously.

The impact of the sabotage on the fibre-optic cables was that trains both regional and long-distance were disrupted for several hours over the weekend. While the immediate disruption may be felt to be small, the attack nevertheless has been front-page news in Germany since, given the way in which it seriously underlines the vulnerability of critical national infrastructure. Just weeks before, the Nord Stream and Nord Stream Two undersea gas pipelines were — if reports are to be believes — blown up, severing a major route of importing energy for Germany.

As Die Zeit notes, German general Carsten Breuer warns in the aftermath of the railway cable cutting that much infrastructure — the networks that transmit power and data and underpin modern life not least among them — are extremely vulnerable to attack. He told the German press: “Every substation, every power plant, every pipeline can be attacked, can be a possible target… This is not about an enemy army with soldiers and tanks attacking our country [but] pinpricks in the population that are intended to stir up uncertainty and shake confidence in our state”.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2022/10/10/more-infrastructure-sabotage-germany-hunts-culprits-of-cut-cables-that-brought-rail-network-to-knees/

Drunk Dem Mayor Involved In Vehicle Crash Gets Arrested

Fort Wayne, Indiana’s Democratic mayor was arrested Saturday night for intoxicated driving after involvement in a crash, according to The Associated Press.

The crash involving Tom Henry and his wife did not cause any reported injuries, the outlet reported. He was let out of Allen County Jail less than 24 hours later.

Henry tweeted an apology to his city’s population and his family Sunday morning, saying he had been drinking at a local engagement and took “full responsibility” for his actions.

“I’m relieved that no one was hurt in this incident,” he added. “The Fort Wayne Police Department handled this situation with professionalism and followed all of the correct procedures and protocols.”

Henry said in front of press Sunday that he “knew better than to be in a position where there was gonna be impaired driving,” but did not answer questions about his political plans going forward, according to Fox 55 Fort Wayne. He declared his intention in June to run for a fifth four-year term as mayor after previously indicating he would not do so, Fort Wayne’s NBC reported.

A mayor’s office representative referred the Daily Caller News Foundation to statements Henry had publicly released. The Fort Wayne Police Department did not immediately respond to the DNCF’s request for comment.

https://dailycaller.com/2022/10/10/drunk-democratic-mayor-arrested-crash/

Four youth killed in the last 24 hours amidst ongoing Israeli wave of extra-judicial assassinations

Israel has revived its decades-old policy of "liquidation" in an attempt to quell the rising tide of armed Palestinian resistance, adopting extra-judicial assassination.

Three Palestinian minors and one 19-year-old were killed in the governorates of Ramallah, Qalqilya, and Jenin within the span of 24 hours. For the past nine months, Palestinians have experienced the deadliest year in their confrontation of Israeli colonialism since 2015. The death toll has reached 164 since the start of 2022.

On October 7, Israeli military forces shot and killed 16-year-old Adel Ibrahim Daoud in the city of Qalqilya, north of Ramallah. Hours later, the military invaded al-Gharbiyya 11 km northwest of Ramallah, killing 17-year-old Mahdi Ladadweh.

https://mondoweiss.net/2022/10/four-youth-killed-in-the-last-24-hours-amidst-ongoing-israeli-wave-of-extra-judicial-assassinations/?ml_recipient=68580334397032202

Author of op-ed supporting Vanderbilt transgender clinic fails to disclose her role as university spokeswoman

Argues that 'part of being a teen' is being allowed to make bad decisions, even if that includes cutting off healthy body parts.

A local Nashville paper recently ran an op-ed in support of Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s (VUMC) pediatric transgender clinic, which commits genital and chemical mutilations on kids.

The op-ed said residents were “lucky” to have the facility in town – the exact kind of language you’d expect from a paid spokeswoman for the university. While the spokeswoman for Vanderbilt made it sound like the clinic provides altruistic, loving care, in reality it’s all about the money, as exposed by Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh.

But the publication, the Nashville Scene, did not disclose that Betsy Phillips, the author, works in marketing for Vanderbilt University’s publishing arm, Vanderbilt University Press. The university is legally separate but works in partnership with VUMC.

Patrick Rodgers, the editor-in-chief, did not respond to an email Tuesday morning that asked about the lack of a disclosure, nor did Phillips.

“Everything else from today aside, I’m surprised to see how many people don’t know the university and the hospital are two separate entities,” she tweeted yesterday evening.

But her role as a spokeswoman means she presumably represents or could represent people who work at Vanderbilt University and are affiliated with the medical center.

For example, Walsh’s reporting uncovered that Professor Ellen Clayton warned that medical professionals who objected to the transgender surgeries could face consequences. Clayton is both a law and medical professor at Vanderbilt University. “Don’t work at Vanderbilt,” if you do not want to mutilate kids, Clayton said.

Phillips acknowledges harms from transgenderism, but says that’s just part of life

Phillips herself acknowledged that many kids who have their reproductive abilities permanently severed or get injected with hormones that can lead to serious medical complications, will regret it. She compares this to letting kids play football.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/author-of-op-ed-supporting-vanderbilt-transgender-clinic-fails-to-disclose-her-role-as-university-spokeswoman/

It’s Only A “Conspiracy Theory” When It Accuses The US Government

The Western political/media class has been dismissing as “conspiracy theories” all claims that the US is likely responsible for last month’s sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, even while leveling the exact same accusations against Russia without ever using that term. Which probably says a lot about the way that label has been used over the years, if you think about it.

At a UN Security Council meeting on Friday, US envoy Richard Mills repeatedly accused Russia of promoting “conspiracy theories” in its Nord Stream accusations against the United States, saying that “our Russian colleagues have decided to instrumentalize the Security Council meeting to spread conspiracy theories and disinformation.”

“It’s important that we use this meeting not to foster conspiracy theories, but to focus our attention on Russia’s blatant violation of the Charter and its crimes in Ukraine,” Mills argues, after saying that “the United States categorically denies any involvement in this incident” and that there is no justification for “the Russian delegation raising conspiracy theories and mass disinformation in this Council.”

Mills then hilariously spends the remainder of his remarks insinuating that it is actually Russia who perpetrated the attacks, mentioning the word “infrastructure” no less than nine times in his arguments to establish that in Ukraine, Russia has a history of attacking critical civilian infrastructure similar to the pipelines.

“Sabotage of critical infrastructure should be of concern to us all,” Mills says. “In the context of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, we have seen numerous Russian attacks damaging civilian infrastructure. We witnessed Russia recklessly seize control of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, risking a nuclear disaster in Europe. We saw countless attacks destroying civilian electricity infrastructure.”

“Despite efforts that we heard today to distract us from the truth, to distribute more disinformation and slightly wacky theories, the facts on the ground in Ukraine speak for themselves,” Mills concludes.

Business Insider has a new article out titled “The sabotage of gas pipelines were a ‘warning shot’ from Putin to the West, and should brace for more subterfuge, Russia experts warn.” The “experts” in question are as follows:

Former CIA director John Brennan, who was caught spying on US lawmakers and lying about it during the Senate’s investigation into CIA torture practices.

US intelligence veteran Andrea Kendall-Taylor, now a Senior Fellow at the warmongering think tank Center for a New American Security, whose top donors are the Pentagon and the arms manufacturer Northrop Grumman.

Cynthia Hooper, a history professor at the College of the Holy Cross.

That’s it; that’s all the experts. Two lying warmongers and a history professor.

https://www.activistpost.com/2022/10/its-only-a-conspiracy-theory-when-it-accuses-the-us-government.html

Los Angeles City Council president resigns after racist remarks emerge on leaked audio

Nury Martinez resigned as President of the Los Angeles City Council but will retain her seat

Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez resigned from her leadership role on Monday following a report about an audio recording capturing openly racist remarks made with other Latino council members last year, including those directed at a White colleague’s young Black son.

Martinez said in a statement Monday that, effective immediately, "I am resigning as President of the Los Angeles City Council." The move reportedly means she still retains her seat as a council member.

"I take responsibility for what I said and there are no excuses for those comments. I am so sorry," Martinez said in a follow-up apology statement on Monday.

"I sincerely apologize to the people I hurt with my words: to my colleagues, their families, especially to Mike, Sean and your son. As a mother, I know better, and I am sorry. I am truly ashamed. I know this is the result of my own actions. I am sorry to your entire family for putting you through this."

"As someone who believes deeply in the empowerment of communities of color, I recognize my comments undercut that goal. Going forward, reconciliation will be my priority. I have already reached out to many of my Black colleagues and other Black leaders to express regret in order for us to heal," she continued. "I ask for forgiveness from my colleagues and from the residents of this city that I love so much. In the end, it is not my apologies that matter most; it will be the actions I take from this day forward. I hope that you will give me the opportunity to make amends."

The Los Angeles Times first reported about the audio recording on Sunday of a conversation that happened back in October 2021 between Martinez, Councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León and L.A. County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera while discussing the redrawing of districts.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/los-angeles-city-council-president-resigns-racist-remarks-emerge-leaked-audio

FBI chief was found dead after exposing sickening truth about the elite

https://youtu.be/YEnp16b8cbg

West is pushing Ukraine towards war with Belarus — Lukashenko

Alexander Lukashenko stressed that the latest events on the Crimean bridge indicated a significant increase in the level of terrorist threat

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said that it would be absolutely senseless for Ukraine to open a second front on the Belarusian border, but the West is pushing it towards starting such a war.

"I have already said that Ukraine today it is not just discussing but planning strikes on Belarusian territory. Of course, the Ukrainians absolutely do not need this. Well, why should they open a second front on our southern borders - on their northern ones? From the military point of view this is madness," the BelTA news agency quotes Lukashenko as saying at a meeting on security issues.

"Nevertheless, the process has begun. They are being pushed by their patrons towards unleashing a war against Belarus in order to drag us into it and to deal with Russia and Belarus simultaneously."

Lukashenko recalled that he had warned about the threats on the western border at the very beginning of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine. He promised that Belarus would not permit anyone to stab the Russian forces in the back.

"I was very well aware then that the most dangerous direction for us is the western one. If we had left it unprotected, a war would be on our doorstep today. But we preferred to keep our armed forces there. Moreover, we strengthened the western direction," Lukashenko said.

He stressed that the latest events on the Crimean bridge indicated a significant increase in the level of terrorist threat.

"They are ready to fight with everyone now," Lukashenko added.

https://tass.com/world/1520399

Biden to ax Trump investigations of secret foreign money in higher ed, college groups say

Academic freedom group says the reported pledge looks like a "simple case of the chickens letting the fox manage the henhouse."

The Biden administration plans to shutter its predecessor's investigations into undisclosed foreign funding of U.S. colleges and universities, the subject of years of warnings from elected officials, law enforcement and academic freedom groups, according to higher education lobbyists.

The commitment was recorded in an August letter from a higher ed lobbyist recapping a June 23 virtual briefing by top Department of Education officials for the American Council on Education (ACE) and other university groups, including the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR), which includes medical centers and independent research institutes.

Section 117 of the Higher Education Act requires institutions of higher education to file disclosure reports twice yearly that document their gifts from, or contracts with, foreign sources that are valued at $250,000 or more individually or cumulatively within a calendar year.

Higher education groups are miffed at the department for "substantial expansion of Section 117 reporting requirements, similar to what was proposed" under the Trump administration, ACE Senior Vice President Terry Hartle told Office of the Under Secretary Chief of Staff Melanie Muenzer, General Counsel Lisa Brown and Office of Federal Student Aid COO Richard Cordray.

"We also remain concerned that ED continues to assert" that an institution's failure to report foreign gifts violates its "Program Participation Agreement" for federal student aid eligibility, Hartle wrote in the Aug. 16 letter recounting the meeting on behalf of the higher ed groups.

But they are "pleased to learn that ED plans to close the outstanding Section 117 investigations that remain open," he said.

Those plans aren't disclosed in the slide deck by Brown and Cordray for the meeting, which the department said was organized by ACE but which COGR said was called by the feds. It happened about a month before the next disclosure deadline.

The discrepancy was apparently first noticed by Hogan Lovells lawyers who summarized the updated federal guidance on Section 117 for the legal publication Lexology Sept. 19. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported on ACE's letter recounting the pledge Oct. 5.

Asked if department officials explained why they were closing investigations or portrayed it as a policy change, ACE Vice President of Public Affairs Jon Riskind told Just the News, "I'll defer to what's in the letter."

A department spokesperson did not answer whether the pledge was premeditated or represents a policy change; clarify who called the meeting; or explain why the new administration has yet to open a Section 117 investigation of its own.

"The Department is committed to helping institutions of higher education understand and comply with the reporting requirements of Section 117" but is "not in a position to state when it will be closing any of the investigations," the statement read, pointing to its list of investigations and closures, which detail the allegations and resolutions.

Only four out of 19 have been closed, against the University of Texas (Nov. 25, 2020) and Georgetown, Texas A&M University and University of Alabama (Jan. 15, 2021), with the latter also the most recently opened investigation: Dec. 22, 2020.

https://justthenews.com/government/security/biden-ax-trump-investigations-secret-foreign-money-higher-ed-college-groups-say

Sweden says it won't share Nord Stream findings with Russia

A Swedish investigation of the gas pipelines has found evidence of detonations and prosecutors suspect sabotage.

Sweden won't share findings of the investigation into the explosions of the Nord Stream gas pipelines with Russian authorities or Gazprom, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said on Monday.

A Swedish crime scene investigation of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines from Russia to Europe has found evidence of detonations and prosecutors suspect sabotage.

Last week Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin sent a letter to the Swedish government demanding that Russian authorities and Gazprom would be allowed to be involved in the investigation, which Sweden denied.

On Monday Andersson said Sweden won't even share the findings of the explosions that took place in the Swedish economic zone, with Russian authorities.

“In Sweden, our preliminary investigations are confidential, and that, of course, also applies in this case.”

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson

"In Sweden, our preliminary investigations are confidential, and that, of course, also applies in this case," she told reporters.

However, Andersson said Sweden had no power to stop Russian vessels from visiting the sites of the explosions now that the crime scene investigation was concluded.

"The Swedish economic zone is not a territory that Sweden disposes of. We have lifted the cordons now and then it is also possible for other ships to stay in the area, that is how the rules work," she said

Nord Stream leaks

Swedish and Danish authorities have been investigating four leaks after the pipelines, which link Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea and have become a flashpoint in the Ukraine crisis, were damaged last month.

Europe, which previously relied on Russia for about 40% of its gas, is facing an energy crisis in the aftermath of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, which has drastically cut supplies of fuel.

https://www.jpost.com/international/article-719340

Well if they found that Russia did it they would be shouting it from the roof tops

Inside Jacinda Ardern’s Dystopian Biowave Political Movement

We have just had local body elections here in New Zealand and we were entertained with the spectacle of Jacinda’s government-funded medico-political platform in full flood.

If you want a metaphor from popular culture watch ‘Divergent’ in which good people whose profession is to protect society, get injected and become compliant oppressors.

New Zealand news media website Stuff newspaper, in conjunction with sophisticated websites and government-funded scientists, led the campaign charge and sought to identify and publicly attack any candidates who had safety concerns.

The most revealing part of these attacks was the selection of the candidates’ personal interests which apparently should disqualify them from seeking office. These included:

Knitting, yoga

Wellness

Freedom of human rights

Free speech

Permaculture home gardening

Crochet

Adverse effects, herd immunity, lab leak theories

Social media, Natural products

Meditation

Dairy farming protest

Sharing links

Oh yes, and they threw in a Facebook friendship with myself.

There is even a hotlink button to anonymously dob in colleagues and report misinformation to the police and other government bodies including an emergency report team. Instructions encouraged you to report lawyers, health professionals, teachers, and worksafe breeches.

One of the principal advocates of Ardern’s biowave politics is a newly minted PhD and expert on, you guessed it – disinformation, who, as reported by Stuff, has the incredible distinction of writing “a million words.” Yes, a whole million of them.

According to some words, the principal danger of the above interests was that they all lead, after about a year, to a desire to replace democracy with far-right extremism and eventually “war.” Dangerous Stuff!! (Warning: they might have got some words confused here.)

On a serious note, how could anyone imagine that a political movement can be built around an ineffective and risky biotech intervention? Well apart from Jacinda Ardern of course… Wait a minute, let’s just add Justin Trudeau. That’s it right? Of course, there’s Joe Biden…. I could go on, couldn’t I? Covid vaccination doesn’t make you gullible, does it? It couldn’t possibly.

Don’t worry though, if Ardern has her way on the global stage, we will never know what happened. Knitting needles, crochet hooks, and yoga mats will disappear overnight, and health food stores will close their doors. They will all be erased from our internet history and excluded from printed books (if anyone is still taught to read).

Jacinda Ardern is apparently a scion of Klaus Schwab and a champion of that old saw of dictators – if you keep saying the same thing often enough it should stick, no matter how batty it is.

If I was Klaus, I would be very careful of tying my boat to Ardern’s. Labour didn’t do too well in the elections, there are far too many knitters in New Zealand. Or is that nutters? Some newspapers and political pandits seem unable to distinguish one from the other.

About the Author

New Zealand’s Guy Hatchard, PhD, is an international advocate of food safety and natural medicine. He was formerly a senior manager at Genetic ID, a global food safety testing and certification laboratory. He has lectured and advised governments in countries around the world on health and education initiatives. You can find more articles by Hatchard on his website The Hatchard Report HERE.

Featured image: Which local government candidates in Wellington and East Coast have ties to disinformation groups? Stuff, 2 September 2022

https://expose-news.com/2022/10/10/inside-arderns-dystopian-biowave-political-movement/

Detroit Terminates Contract with Election Software Company Konnech After CEO with Ties to China Is Arrested for Poll Worker Data Theft

Detroit has terminated its contract with an Okemos-based election software company after its founder was taken into custody on suspicion of poll worker data theft in California. The company had worked with the city since 2008 on various poll management and logistics systems over the course of several elections.

On Wednesday, Eugene Yu, the chief executive of Konnech, was arrested as part of a Los Angeles County-based investigation. Konnech had a five-year, $2.9 million contract with the county to administer poll worker assignments, communications and payroll. LA County prosecutors found that Konnech was storing information in China in violation of the agreement.

“Data breaches are an ongoing threat to our digital way of life,” LA District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement. “When we entrust a company to hold our confidential data, they must be willing and able to protect our personal identifying information from theft. Otherwise, we are all victims.”

Detroit had a similar contract with Konnech for the use of its PollChief software, which is said to have the ability to send mass letters, emails and phone calls to polling locations and record responses of election workers. The $320,000 contract, approved last year by Detroit City Council, was set to expire in June 2024. According to city and federal records, Konnech had worked with the city on several specific applications for more than a decade, including ballot “fast scanning” software and a mobile app for Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) returned ballots.

Following news of Yu’s arrest, Detroit terminated its current contract with Konnech. In a statement, City Clerk Janice Winfrey upheld the integrity of Detroit’s election process and the security of employee information.

“Our data, which is now back under our exclusive control, was housed on servers located in Lansing, Michigan. Konnech, per its contract, only provided logistical and call center support,” said Winfrey. “Out of an abundance of caution, all proper steps are being taken — including the termination of Konnech’s contract. My staff and I are confident that the 2022 election process will run smoothly delivering, after all votes have been counted, an unimpeachable work product.”

https://wdet.org/2022/10/07/detroit-terminates-contract-with-election-software-company-named-in-data-breach-investigation/

Republicans Demand Answers Over Report That 162 Scientists Who Worked At U.S. Nuclear Weapons Lab Went To Work For Communist China

On Wednesday, Republicans led by U.S. Congressman Mike Waltz (R-FL) sent a letter noting a report alleging that 162 scientists who had worked for the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, which performs research to support America’s nuclear weapons program, had went on to support the Chinese Communist Party.

Strider Technologies, Inc. issued the report, titled “The Los Alamos Club,” asserting that the scientists who had worked at the lab over a period of over 30 years had later returned to China to support the Chinese Communist Party.

“The Chinese Communist Party has been stealing our research and technology for decades through its foreign talents programs and it’s critical to our national security that we put an immediate stop to their espionage efforts,” Waltz wrote to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Arati Prabhakar.

“Over the years, we have seen numerous examples of the CCP practicing this tactic at our institutions of higher education through their Thousand Talents Program and their Youth Thousand Talents Program,” he continued. “These programs are part of the CCP’s overarching Military-Civil Fusion (MCF) national strategy. Under the MCF, the CCP targets seemingly innocuous key civilian technologies, acquires them illicitly, and exploits the ‘dual-use’ potential of these technologies to build up their military capabilities.”

According to the report, the scientists had returned to China to allegedly support the CCP in various domestic and military research and development programs.

“Republicans on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee specifically crafted policies to prohibit China’s recruitment programs and the Biden Administration must be transparent in its implementation of these policies,” he added.

Waltz also took aim at what he called “malign talent recruitment programs.”

“’The Los Alamos Club’ confirms the concerns surrounding malign talent recruitment programs, clearly demonstrating that the CCP’s had been successful at stealing and capitalizing on our research and development,” Waltz declared. “As a result, these malign talent recruitment programs have now resulted in a tangible national security threat to the United States.”

The Republicans also demanded answers about if the Department of Energy was aware of attempts to infiltrate the lab through recruitment programs, and if there were any precautions put in place to protect U.S. research.

http://www.stationgossip.com/2022/10/republicans-demand-answers-over-report.html

Democratic Consultant Convicted Of Coercion In 2020 Election

HOUSTON – A political consultant was convicted Friday for a failed scheme intended to affect the outcome of the race for Texas House of Representatives District 132 during the 2020 election cycle, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“At a time when threats against public servants are at an all-time high, it is critical to hold accountable those who would try to subvert the will of the people by coercing a state representative into dropping out of an election,” Ogg said. “We thank the jurors for their service.”

Political consultant Damien Jones was convicted of Coercion of a Public Servant for an anonymous threat texted to then-State Rep. Gina Calanni in an attempt to coerce her into resigning her position in HD 132, instead of running for re-election.

The threat was made on Dec. 2, 2019, just days before the 2020 primary election filing deadline. Instead of resigning, Calanni reported the threat to the Texas Department of Public Safety, which, in conjunction with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office Public Corruption Division, investigated the complaint. Because Jones was convicted of the Class A misdemeanor, he was facing up to a year in the Harris County Jail and up to a $4,000 fine or both.

Following a three-day trial, a judge sentenced Jones to one year of probation. Jones will be required to complete a class on making good decisions and 30 hours of community service.

The case was prosecuted by Kimberly Smith and Michael Levine of the District Attorney’s Public Corruption Division.

“This was a case of ambition that crossed the line into criminal conduct,” Levine said. “By trying to coerce a politician into resigning, he illegally sought to influence an election.”

“This goes beyond just expressing your opinion. This was a threat,” Smith said. “This is a prime example of showing that no matter what your profession is, you are going to be held responsible for what you say and do.”

https://breaking911.com/democratic-consultant-convicted-of-coercion-in-2020-election/

US-Brazil Investigation Leads To Takedown of Transnational Cryptocurrency Fraud Ring

As part of Operation Poyais, the Brazilian Federal Police executed 20 search and seizure warrants in the states of Parana, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for multiple violations of Brazilian criminal statutes.

The violations include international money laundering, operating a criminal enterprise, fraud, and crimes against the national financial system.

“We are grateful to the Brazilian Federal Police for their continued partnership in combating transnational financial fraud schemes,” said HSI Brazil Acting Attaché Eric Cardiel. “This successful operation shows the importance of international collaboration when it comes to disrupting criminal organizations operating in multiple countries around the world.”

The warrants are the culmination of a multi-year police investigation into a transnational cryptocurrency fraud ring led by a 37-yearold Brazilian national and former U.S. resident.

The U.S. investigation revealed that the organization allegedly deceived investors in over a dozen countries by falsely claiming that they had developed fully functioning, cutting-edge cryptocurrency-related financial products. In reality, the organization is suspected of advertising fraudulent partnerships and licenses that were used to dupe victims into investing millions into cryptocurrencies minted by the suspects. The cryptocurrencies eventually held little to no value.

In January 2022, after the leader of the transnational criminal organization relocated from the U.S. to Brazil, HSI special agents assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil, requested the assistance of the Brazilian Federal Police in coordinating binational investigative efforts. A subsequent investigation by Brazilian authorities identified similar criminal activities being conducted in Brazil, with an estimated 4 billion Brazilian Reais ($800 million) moved via the Brazilian banking system alone, separate from illicit proceeds that were transferred via cryptocurrency.

https://breaking911.com/us-brazil-investigation-leads-to-takedown-of-transnational-cryptocurrency-fraud-ring/

Assange tests positive for Covid-19 in prison

The Wikileaks publisher has been put on 24/7 lockdown in Belmarsh, his wife reports

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has tested positive for Covid-19 and is being kept in total isolation at Belmarsh Prison as he continues to fight extradition to the US, his wife Stella told media on Monday.

“The next few days will be crucial for his general health,” the lawyer, who married Assange in March, told reporters, adding “He is now locked in his cell for 24 hours a day.” Assange became sick on Friday with a cough and fever and was given paracetamol before testing positive for the virus the following day, she said.

The Australian native applied in early 2020 to be released on bail due to a chronic lung condition he has suffered from for over a decade, placing him in a high-risk category for Covid-19 infection. However, his request was declined, and a UK court ruled earlier this year that he can be extradited to the US to face espionage and hacking charges for making classified Pentagon documents public.

The Wikileaks publisher’s health has suffered noticeably during his confinement in Belmarsh, where he has been confined since the Ecuadorian government revoked his asylum status in 2019. He lost a significant amount of weight and the ability to speak coherently following his incarceration, leading prison authorities to move him to the hospital wing. In December, he suffered a stroke, leaving him with a drooping eyelid, memory problems and apparent neurological damage, according to his wife, who said the incident was triggered by the stress of ongoing extradition proceedings.

Prior to his arrest, Assange spent seven years on de facto house arrest in London’s Ecuadorian embassy, having fled there to avoid extradition to Sweden on sex crimes charges that have since been dropped. While he has long since served time on the only charge brought against him in the UK - bail-jumping regarding the no-longer-extant Swedish case - he remains incarcerated pending extradition to the US.

While a UK court initially ruled in his favor against extradition, agreeing with his lawyers that he would be kept in conditions in the US that would easily provoke suicide, that ruling was reversed last year.

Assange faces a 175-year sentence on charges he leaked secret documents he received from a US Army analyst regarding the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Wikileaks supporters have argued that he was only practicing journalism by publishing the documents, which were redacted to remove some sensitive information, and accused Washington of retaliation against the outlet for exposing its own war crimes.

https://www.rt.com/news/564427-assange-positive-covid-belmarsh-lockdown/

Russia opens probe over ‘mass grave’ video in Ukraine

Disturbing footage purportedly shows murdered civilians thrown into a pit

Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a probe over a disturbing video showing what are believed to be massacred civilians thrown into a mass grave. The news was announced by the body’s head, Aleksandr Bastrykin, on Monday.

The footage in question had been shared on social media by a notorious member of Ukraine’s neo-Nazi Azov regiment with a history of showing gruesome imagery of killed “pro-Russian” civilians.

“Experts with the Russian Investigative Committee will take measures to establish the circumstances of the death of civilians, as well as all those involved in their torture and murder, in order to bring them to criminal justice,” the Committee said in a statement.

The graphic clip was originally released online on Sunday by Maksim Zhorin, a senior commander with the neo-Nazi Azov regiment, outlawed in Russia. The far-right fighter said the video was shot in the town of Kupyansk, recently taken by Ukrainian forces.

The video shows a big hole dug in the ground with several bodies in civilian clothes lying semi-buried in it. Another body of an almost-naked man with his hands tied behind his back and legs held together by tape can be seen rolling down a steep slope into the pit. A shovel can be seen in the foreground, indicating that whoever shot the video was in the process of burying the bodies in a mass grave, while several men sporting military camouflage can be seen in the background.

Zhorin initially said that the video showed “civilian population” and warned that “there will be retaliation”. Shortly after the publication of the disturbing footage, Zhorin altered his post, claiming the video was taken from a phone owned by an “occupant,” implying the murder had been committed by the Russian military.

“However, the public raised alarm over the situation in the video. It indicates that the video was filmed recently, when the town was under the control of Ukrainian armed forces. The internal parameters of the video also show that it was filmed on the afternoon of October 9th. These facts speak of new war crimes by the Kiev regime,” the Committee noted.

Zhorin is already known for posting graphic images of Russian soldiers as well as of massacred civilians whom he accuses of being pro-Russian. In May, he released photos of apparent murder victims whom he identified as supporters of a Ukrainian opposition party. The extremely graphic imagery, deleted later by the neo-Nazi fighter, suggested the activists were brutally tortured and beaten to death.

https://www.rt.com/russia/564406-mass-burial-video-investigation/

Wisconsin Judge Stops Voters From Casting New Ballots; Virginia Lawmaker Questions Voter Registration Delay

A judge has ruled that voters in Wisconsin cannot cancel their ballot and submit a new one once a vote has been cast, while a state lawmaker in Virginia questions why over 100,000 voter registrations were delayed ahead of the midterm elections.

https://www.ntd.com/wisconsin-judge-stops-voters-from-casting-new-ballots-virginia-lawmaker-questions-voter-registration-delay_853727.html

Banking crisis breakthroughs win Nobel economics prize for ex-Fed chief Ben Bernanke and two other US-based economists

Former US Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke has won the Nobel Prize in economic sciences along with two other US-based economists for their research into the fallout from bank failures.

Key points:

The three economists won for having "significantly improved our understanding of the role of banks … particularly during financial crises"

The trio will share in a cash prize worth $1.4 million

They will receive the prize from Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf on December 10

Mr Bernanke, Douglas Diamond and Philip Dybvig were given the nod for having "significantly improved our understanding of the role of banks in the economy, particularly during financial crises, as well as how to regulate financial markets", the jury said.

"Their analyses have been of great practical importance in regulating financial markets and dealing with financial crises," it added.

Mr Bernanke, 68, the chair of the US Federal Reserve between 2006 and 2014, was highlighted for his analysis of "the worst economic crisis in modern history" — the Great Depression in the 1930s.

Mr Diamond, a professor at the University of Chicago born in 1953, and Mr Dybvig, 67, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, were in turn honoured for showing how "banks offer an optimal solution" for channelling savings to investments by acting as an intermediary.

'False Nobel'

The economics prize, set up by the Swedish central bank, was the only award absent from the original five created by scientist Alfred Nobel, sometimes earning it the moniker of the "false Nobel".

But like the other prizes it comes with a medal and an award sum of 10 million Swedish kronor (more than $1.4 million).

The winners will receive the prize from King Carl XVI Gustaf at a formal ceremony in Stockholm on December 10, the anniversary of the 1896 death of scientist Alfred Nobel who created the prizes in his last will and testament.

Last year, the honour went jointly to Canada's David Card, Israeli-American Joshua Angrist and Dutch-American Guido Imbens for research that "revolutionised" empirical work in their field and brought better understanding of how labour markets work.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-11/us-trio-including-ex-fed-chief-bernanke-win-economics-nobel/101520940

“Forever Chemicals” are Everywhere – Here’s What You Need to Know About Them

Whether you’ve heard of them before or not, “forever chemicals” are all around us. Stain-resistant carpets, non-stick pans, mascara and even some food packaging all contain these chemicals. But while these products can be very useful to us, the chemicals they contain have a darker side. Research has shown that they’re linked to health problems, including cancer. And one recent study even suggested that in utero exposure to forever chemicals can affect a man’s sperm count and quality later in life.

Here’s what you should know about them.

What are forever chemicals?

Forever chemicals are a class of chemicals collectively known as per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), which were first introduced in the 1940s.

Their high thermal and chemical stability, coupled with their ability to repel grease and water, make these chemicals uniquely suited for a variety of engineering and commercial uses. As such, they can be found in many consumer products, such as makeup, fire extinguishers, fast food wrapping, textiles, stain repellents and electronics. The actual number of PFAS in circulation worldwide has yet to be defined – though according to some resources, this number is well over 4,700 chemicals.

The reason PFAS are called forever chemicals is because they persist in the environment for decades. For example, it would take approximately 400 years to break down just 500 mg (roughly the equivalent of a paracetamol tablet) of a type of forever chemical called perfluorooctane sulphonic acid (PFOS). This chemical was once used as a spray-on stain repellent for textiles. The same amount of another forever chemical known as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) would take 800 years to break down. This chemical was used in the manufacture of non-stick pans.

Given that PFAS are used in so many everyday items, it also means they can find their way into the sewage system during washing, or into landfill after disposal – which may allow them to eventually end up in rivers. They’re also known to accumulate in plants and animals as they move through the food chain, so they may end up in the foods we eat including milk and eggs.

For instance, research from 2014 and 2019 showed traces of PFOA and PFOS – which have not been commercially produced in Europe for over a decade – were still present in most rivers, lakes and ground water in the UK. In 2021, PFOS was also detected in drinking water in Cambridgeshire. The source of the contamination was not clear, but may have been from historic use of firefighting foam from an airfield nearby.

These pollutants have even been found in formerly pristine parts of the world, far from where they were manufactured or used. This has created an immense environmental challenge which does not respect national boundaries. And due to their extreme persistence, these pollutants are likely to adversely affect future generations.

Health problems

Just as PFAS take a long time to break down in the environment, forever chemicals can also stay within our bodies for a long time – possibly even decades. They may also accumulate in our body the more we come into contact with them.

https://www.naturalblaze.com/2022/10/forever-chemicals-are-everywhere-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-them.html