Kissinger outlines Ukraine peace proposal

Elder US statesman invoked the missed opportunity to negotiate an end to WWI in 1916

Urgently negotiating an end to hostilities in Ukraine would prevent another world war, former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger argued in an essay published on Friday. The 99-year-old statesman noted that, in 1916, the US government had the chance to end the First World War through diplomacy, but missed it for reasons of domestic politics.

Kissinger laid out his reasoning in the December 17 issue of The Spectator, describing the current conflict as a “war in which two nuclear powers contest a conventionally armed country,” a clear reference to Ukraine being a proxy war between the US and Russia.

The “peace process” Kissinger proposes would “link Ukraine to NATO, however expressed,” as he believes neutrality for Kiev is no longer an option. He also wants Russia to withdraw to the lines before February 24, while the other territories Ukraine claims – Donetsk, Lugansk and Crimea – “could be the subject of a negotiation after a ceasefire.”

In addition to “confirming the freedom of Ukraine,” the arrangement would strive to “define a new international structure, especially for Central and Eastern Europe,” in which Russia should “eventually” find a place, he explained.

While some would prefer “a Russia rendered impotent by the war,” Kissinger disagrees, arguing that Moscow’s “historical role should not be degraded.” Dismantling Russia could turn its vast territory into a “contested vacuum,” where “competing societies might decide to settle their disputes by violence” and neighbors could seek to claim territory by force, all in the presence of “thousands of nuclear weapons.”

In substance, this is the same proposal Kissinger had first floated in May, for which he was labeled an enemy of Ukraine and added to the notorious ‘Peacemaker’ kill list. In an interview earlier this month, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky categorically rejected any sort of ceasefire that did not take Kiev’s claimed 1991 borders as the starting point.

It was also unclear whether Moscow would accept any Western-mediated ceasefire at all, after former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s admission that the 2014 Minsk armistice was intended to “give Ukraine time” to prepare for war.

What’s fresh in Kissinger’s Spectator essay is his reasoning. He points to August 1916, at the height of the First World War, when the warring powers sought US mediation to end the unprecedented bloodshed. Though “a peace based on the modified status quo ante was within reach,” President Woodrow Wilson delayed the talks until after he could get re-elected in November. By then it was too late, and the war would go on for two more years, “irretrievably damaging Europe’s established equilibrium.”

Asked about Kissinger’s proposal, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin was “eager to give the article a thorough reading,” but “hasn’t had a chance to do so yet, unfortunately.”

Russia sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, citing Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements, designed to give the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk special status within the Ukrainian state. The Kremlin demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that would never join any Western military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked.

https://www.rt.com/news/568389-kissinger-ukraine-peace-proposal/

US troops deployed near Russian border

Estonia’s defense ministry has announced the arrival of an American infantry company as part of NATO’s presence in the country

A United States infantry company arrived in Estonia this week as part of NATO’s effort to boost its deterrence on the military alliance’s eastern border, the Baltic country’s defense ministry has revealed.

A statement published on the ministry’s website on Friday said that US service members are stationed at Taara base in the town of Voru. One of their primary tasks is to train Estonian military personnel and enhance the two armies’ interoperability.

Commenting on the US service members’ arrival, Colonel Mati Tikerpuu, the commander of the 2nd Infantry Brigade of the Estonian Defense Forces, said he expects to be able to “integrate our allies on a brigade level and gain an additional maneuver unit.”

Colonel Richard Ikena, US 1st Infantry Division Artillery Commander, said American troops are “excited to be in Estonia” and “look forward to working shoulder-to-shoulder, alongside our Allies.”

The statement added that Washington is also expected to deploy a HIMARS platoon to Estonia along with associated command and control equipment and systems. Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said this would allow Estonian troops to “learn the ropes” of operating the multiple launch rocket systems before it receives its own HIMARS units by 2025.

The ministry said the arrival of US service members would be proof of Washington’s and Tallinn’s “shared values and interests” and would serve to illustrate the “excellent defense and security relations” between the two nations.

Military officials in Tallinn put the need for an increased NATO presence in the country down to the “deteriorating security environment” in Europe and to Russia’s “unprovoked aggression” in Ukraine.

Moscow, in turn, has repeatedly condemned the buildup of the alliance’s forces on its borders and the funneling of arms into Ukraine, saying this will only prolong the conflict without changing the outcome.

https://www.rt.com/news/568395-us-troops-deployed-estonia/

MAXWELL DOCS UNSEALED: Epstein Victim Claims She Has Epstein’s Blackmail Videos That Expose Wealthy Elite

Exhibit DE 340-4 — Document #1295, Attachment #1

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4355835/1295/1/giuffre-v-maxwell/

Cover up

Full List Released Of Politicians Who Took Indicted Crypto CEO’s “Illegal Political Donations” — to Democrats And RINOs

SBF has been charged with violating campaign finance laws.

He has given $42 million to Democrats & "dark money" to Republicans.

But there hasn't been a full list of the politicians he paid.

Until now.

https://twitter.com/unusual_whales/status/1603757337461800967/photo/1

https://unusualwhales.com/politics/article/senate_ftx

“They Oughta Be Fired Today” – Steve Bannon and Seb Gorka Lash Out at Those Behind Trump Digital Cards Announcement

Those behind the announcement of Trump Digital Trading cards must be fired.

Two days ago, President Trump on Truth Social announced that he would be making a major announcement on Thursday. The buildup was brilliant. TGP had over 1,000 comments on the subject.

The country is on fire. The economy is blowing up and many have to cut back on Christmas this year. The markets are falling and inflation is at 40-year highs.

The 2020 Election was stolen and now the 2022 Election was as well. Evidence that Big Tech is colluding with the government and the Democrat Party to censor conservatives is in the open.

Now is the time for action.

And then President Trump releases an announcement that he will be selling digital trading cards. This took the breath away from the faithful. Those who have backed this President for years were in shock. This landed with a thud.

This was a devastating move for the Trump campaign for 2024. It was as if it was designed to derail his campaign. It was beyond a blunder. It appeared intentional.

Those backing the President noticed. They called for whoever’s idea this was to be immediately fired.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/12/oughta-fired-today-steve-bannon-seb-gorka-discuss-behind-digital-trump-cards-announcement/

Poland Demands Answers After 'Gift' Police Chief Received From Ukraine Officials Exploded

Poland's police chief Jaroslaw Szymczyk was hospitalized after a "gift" package that he received exploded, according to international reports, after a recent string of similar exploding mail and package incidents across Europe believed related to the war in Ukraine.

On Thursday Poland's Interior Ministry confirmed, "Yesterday at 7:50 a.m., an explosion occurred in a room adjacent to the office of the Police Chief." It's said that Szymczyk only sustained minor injuries. "During the Police Chief's working visit to Ukraine on December 11-12 this year, where he met with the heads of the Ukrainian Police and Emergency Situations Service, he received some gifts, one of which exploded," the statement detailed.

But that's precisely what's different and more bizarre about this case, compared to the anonymous threatening packages and in some cases mail bombs which have been sent to embassies and consulates in Europe over the past month which authorities have been scrambling to track down: the exploding "gift" actually came from one of the heads of the Ukrainian services, according to the Polish government.

"As a result of the explosion, the Commander suffered minor injuries and has been in the hospital for observation since yesterday," the ministry followed with.

Initially Polish investigators didn't reveal precisely what the gift was, leaving open the question of whether the Ukrainian side had intentionally given him an 'exploding gift'.

However, follow-up reports in Polish media said that it was a grenade launcher, thus it appears to have been an accident based on faulty or volatile munitions - or else Polish police may have been handling the weapon improperly indoors. Polish outlet Wyborcza reported [machine translation]:

According to unofficial reports, the cause of the explosion was the launch of a grenade launcher, which was kept in the "secret room" mentioned by the spokesman. There is no certainty as to the cause of the accident, but according to information from one of the people who had access to the scene, the police officers sitting in the room were playing with the grenade launcher.

But that's just one likely explanation of the incident. Speculation has abounded given how vague all of the initial Polish Interior Ministry statements were.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/poland-demands-answers-after-gift-police-chief-received-ukraine-officials-exploded

Fresh Missile Barrage Leaves Cities Across Ukraine Without Power Or Water In Sub-Zero Temps

"Another wave of massive Russian attacks on energy infrastructure," Ukraine's Energy Minister German Galushchenko announced Friday, describing a large Russian barrage of dozens of missiles across major cities. "There will be emergency power outages," he added.

Air raid sirens have been blaring throughout the day in this latest wave of strikes, which resulted in electricity and water outages in multiple cities and towns amid sub-zero temperatures.

Commander of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi tallied that Russia launched 76 missiles at critical infrastructure throughout the country. He then claimed that national air defenses were able to intercept and down a whopping 60 of the missiles.

More attacks rocked the capital as well. "Due to damage to energy infrastructure, there are interruptions to water supplies in all areas of the capital," a statement by Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko indicated. City authorities temporarily halted metro lines in order to provide a place for residents to take cover underground while the attacks ensued.

Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv is also completely without electricity, as are the the central cities of Poltava and Kremenchuk, among others. Ukrenergo, the national electric utility, said this has forced the country into a continued rationing situation as emergency crews work around the clock.

"We ask for your understanding regarding the power outages and temporary water and heat supply interruptions," a statement from President Zelensky's office said.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/fresh-missile-barrage-leaves-cities-across-ukraine-without-power-or-water-sub-zero

Justin Trudeau asks Twitter followers for questions — and it immediately backfires

Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau took to Twitter to ask followers for any questions they could think of after, according to him, conducting many interviews with media outlets before the end of 2022.

“Hey, everyone," the prime minister said. "As we approach the end of the year, I’ve been doing a lot of interviews with TV stations, with newspapers, with radio stations,” he said in the 14-second post.

“They’ve had a lot of great questions. But I know you do too. So, let’s hear them,” he finished.

With many wondering why the prime minister all of a sudden wants to answer questions or simply responding with images of him in blackface, it's hard to imagine why Trudeau's team thought it was a good idea to open the leader up to criticism from commentators, journalists, and creators from across the political spectrum.

The results were less than satisfying for the PM.

Popular French-Canadian YouTuber and candidate for the People's Party of CanadaViva Frei asked the Liberal if this was simply another provocation or antagonism:

"Is this AMA - like your invocation of Emergencies Act - merely an act of further antagonism / provocation of a population that you have been systematically abusing for the last few years, in an attempt to get people angry and lash out at your regime?"

Commentator Luke Rudkowski, who describes himself as an anarchist, criticized Trudeau for freezing the bank accounts of those who donated to the massive freedom protests in the winter of 2022.

"What gives you the moral authority to steal peoples bank accounts for criticizing you?" Rudkowski asked.

Reporter Savanah Hernandez simply asked, "Why are you such a tyrant?"

Journalist Keean Bexte, who has had frequent interactions with the prime minister, questioned his bank balance, asking, "What has caused your net worth to explode over the course of the pandemic?"

Justin Trudeau told his audience to "stay tuned," implying he will be addressing some of his more favorable questions.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/trudeau-asks-twitter-for-questions

Biden admin seeks to make citizenship test multiple choice, add new material

On Wednesday, the Biden administration's Department of Homeland Security announced plans to conduct a trial for alterations to the current U.S. citizenship test, including changing responses to multiple choice and adding new material.

Currently, the naturalization test has four separate components: reading, writing, civics, and English speaking. To pass the test, applicants must answer six of 10 questions correctly. The questions are pulled from a bank of 100 possible questions.

The current citizenship test asks applicants to answer the questions orally. Alternatively, the redesigned trial test will have applicants choose an answer from four multiple-choice options shown on a tablet.

The switch to multiple choice would "be consistent with the industry standard and best practice and increase standardization of test questions," according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The notice published in the Federal Register stated that the trial would not make any changes to the reading and writing portions of the test. Instead, the trial's purpose is to make formatting and content changes to the civics component and add a new English-speaking component.

"The trial test will also contain new test items based on a design framework that includes an external review by subject matter experts in the field of test development," the notice stated. However, it did not clarify what new testing items would be added.

The trial speaking test will ask applicants to describe three color photographs from a bank of approximately 70 images. The photographs will depict everyday scenarios such as activities, weather, and food.

USCIS plans to conduct the trial in 2023 over five months. The agency aims to recruit 1,500 participants in adult education classes to participate in the trial. If the trial is successful, the new components could become standard and be implemented in late 2024.

"The naturalization test is a key step in becoming a U.S. citizen," said USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou. "We welcome input from – and the participation of – stakeholders who are familiar with this important process, as we continue to improve and update our naturalization test, ensuring that it is consistent with industry testing standards."

Previously, the Trump administration suggested changes to the naturalization test, requiring applicants to correctly answer 12 of 20 questions to pass. The Biden administration dismissed that proposal.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/biden-admin-seeks-to-make-citizenship-test-multiple-choice-add-new-material

FBI Reveals it has More Information on Slain DNC Staffer Seth Rich But Won't Release Most of it for 66 YEARS

"disclosure of the records would harm an FBI investigation into the allegations that Russians had hacked into U.S. systems"

The FBI not only has possession of a laptop computer owned by Democratic National Committee (DNC) staffer Seth Rich—who was murdered in 2016 by unknown assailants—but a report detailing forensic imaging of what’s being described as Rich’s work computer, the bureau revealed in a new filing.

The FBI’s records office located the report while searching for the work computer, Michael Seidel, chief of the office, said in a sworn declaration filed with a federal court in Texas on Dec. 9.

He described the document as “a three (3) page forensic report detailing the actions performed by an outside entity to image the work laptop.”

The report was among four documents that never had been disclosed by the FBI in relation to Rich’s case.

Journalist Sy Hersh said a source told him around 2017 about an FBI report on Rich. According to the source, Rich’s computer showed the DNC staffer had relayed DNC documents to WikiLeaks, a pro-transparency group. Hersh spoke about the source’s claims during a phone call with Ed Butowsky, an investor who later retracted claims about Rich’s brother Aaron being a WikiLeaks source, and discussed the call during a deposition.

Rich, the DNC’s voter expansion data director, was shot in the early morning of July 10, 2016, near his home in Washington. Rich’s murder remains unsolved. Authorities have claimed that the killing was a robbery gone wrong. Julian Assange, the head of WikiLeaks, has suggested that Rich passed DNC files to the group, which released the DNC files in 2016. U.S. authorities have alleged that Russians hacked into the DNC systems, but those allegations were made before the FBI received images from the DNC’s server to determine their validity.

The Metropolitan Police Department is the lead investigating agency into the death. It has declined to say whether the FBI was helping with the probe into Rich’s death.

NEW RECORDS

The new records were found after the records office contacted an unnamed FBI special agent during its search for Rich’s work computer, according to Seidel.

The other records include a letter from a third party that accompanied the work computer and two FBI chain of custody forms.

None of the records were indexed to Rich inside of the bureau’s central records system, and neither the forensic report nor the custody forms mention Rich’s name, according to the FBI. They also weren’t included in an electronic file created for Rich’s case.

The agent claimed that disclosure of the records would harm an FBI investigation into the allegations that Russians had hacked into U.S. systems.

The FBI now wants the court to agree to keep the new records shielded from Brian Huddleston, a Texas resident who filed a lawsuit against the bureau for ignoring a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for records on Rich.

Bureau officials initially claimed in sworn statements that the FBI had searched for records on Rich but didn’t locate any.

In 2020, for the first time, the FBI admitted it had files from a computer belonging to Rich. Some of those files were then released to Huddleston and made public, including documents that appear to suggest that someone could have paid for his death.

The FBI has said it has images from a second computer owned by Rich, which the bureau described as Rich’s personal laptop. A federal judge in September ordered the bureau to hand the images over to Huddleston, finding that the bureau improperly withheld them.

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/the-state/fbi-reveals-it-has-more-information-on-slain-dnc-staffer-seth-rich-but-wont-release-most-of-it-for-66-years

Up to 60 MEPs May Be Involved in EU Corruption Scandal

As many as sixty members of the European Parliament, mainly socialists, could be in the crosshairs of investigators as the European Parliament corruption scandal involving Qatar appears to be growing.

The ongoing corruption scandal in the European Parliament may involve far more MEPs than Greek socialist Eva Kaili and former Italian MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, who were both arrested last week and had 1.5 million euros seized from their homes by Belgian investigators.

The pair are alleged to have taken large amounts of cash from the governments of Qatar and Morocco, with MEP Kaili’s father being caught with a suitcase full of cash at the Sofitel hotel in Brussels.

As many as 60 MEPs, most of which are said to be members of the Socialists and Reformers (S&D) parliamentary group, may be also involved in the alleged corruption as part of a much larger network, the Italian newspaper Il Giornale reports.

Belgian prosecutors have also named Abderrahim Atmoun, Morocco’s ambassador to Poland, as a person of interest in the case.

Atmoun is believed to have been behind gifts given to both Mr Panzeri, his wife Maria Dolores Colleoni, and his daughter Silvia Panzeri.

The family is said to have used a credit card linked to a person only referred to as “the giant” by the family, although it is unclear whether or not ambassador Artmoun is the “giant” mentioned by Panzeri and his family.

Communications between the family members were made public as part of an extradition request that saw Panzeri’s wife mention the family had paid as much as 100,000 euros for the Christmas holidays last year.

Both the wife and daughter of Panzeri are in Italian custody, having been arrested on December 8th and are likely to be extradited to Belgium where they could face up to five years in prison.

Greek MEP Eva Kaili, meanwhile, has been stripped of her position as a vice president of the European Parliament but has denied taking cash from the Qatari government.

Greek prosecutors announced Thursday that they, too, would be opening an investigation into the activities of Kaili, which include allegations of bribery and money laundering. Economic prosecutor Christos Bardakis has assigned two assistant prosecutors to the case but Greece will only pursue charges if charges are not laid in Belgium.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2022/12/16/up-to-60-meps-may-be-involved-in-eu-corruption-scandal/

Saudi arrests hundreds of suspected drug smugglers

Saudi authorities have arrested 421 persons who are accused of trying to smuggle large quantities of drugs in four regions of the kingdom.

The official spokesman for the General Directorate of the Border Guard, Colonel Misfer Al-Quraini, said that land patrols in the areas of Najran, Jazan, Asir and the northern borders, thwarted attempts to smuggle 52.4 tonnes of the narcotic khat, 807 kilogrammes of cannabis, 475,166 tablets that are subject to medical regulation, and 145,597 amphetamine tablets.

Al-Quraini adding that 421 suspects have been arrested including 39 Saudi citizens and 382 who breached the border security system, who include 342 Yemenis, 38 Ethiopian and two Iraqis.

The Saudi border security official added that the

initial legal procedures against the suspects have been completed, and that they and the contraband have been handed over to the relevant authorities.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221216-saudi-arrests-hundreds-of-suspected-drug-smugglers/

Report: U.S. Intelligence Agencies Are Keeping From Congress Key Information About Covid Origins

U.S. intelligence agencies are obstructing congressional oversight by failing to disclose relevant information about Covid-19’s origins and potential connections to a Chinese bioweapons program, finds a new report from the Republicans on the House Permanent Select Committee On Intelligence. The HPSCI Republicans led by Rep. Brad Wenstrup of Ohio found “indications that SARS-CoV-2 may have been tied to China’s biological weapons research program and spilled over to the human population during a lab-related incident at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).”

U.S. intelligence agencies, along with corporate media and Big Tech, scrambled at Covid’s release to censor suggestions the virus leaked from a lab working on gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Publications such as The Federalist that reported on evidence for the lab leak theory were punished by internet censors.

Wenstrup confirmed during a press conference on Thursday that “right now, there’s no evidence that it came from nature.” He also said China’s communist government likely benefitted from misleading reports that Covid originated in a Chinese wet market, instead of from a government-run lab.

“Since the People’s Republic of China has not been transparent in sharing information, the IC is uniquely situated to provide relevant information. However, the IC has thus far failed to inform the public and failed to keep its Congressional oversight committees fully informed about what it knows,” the report states. “The IC owes the American people greater transparency on the information it already has and must be fully transparent to those in Congress with oversight responsibility.”

Instead of “adequately” addressing lab leak theories, the committee said various intelligence agencies — including the CIA, FBI, DHS, the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Defense Intelligence Agency, the Department of Energy’s Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, and the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security — “downplayed the possibility that SARS-CoV2 was connected to China’s bioweapons program based in part on input from outside experts.”

Not only did intelligence bureaucrats fail to disclose to Congress which “experts” they relied on to reach that conclusion, they also omitted important information from the declassified version of their classified assessment.

These discrepancies, the committee stated, “could have been shared without damaging national security” but were not supplied. Even after “dozens” of rounds of congressional demands, intelligence agencies failed to “disclose to the public its confidence level regarding this bioweapons assessment.” They also “failed to correct claims” in accordance with new information that “undermined a key assertion in the report.”

“These omissions likely skewed the public’s understanding of key issues and deepened mistrust,” the committee noted.

The committee wants its report to encourage intelligence agencies to explore the ties between communist China’s weapons program and Covid-19. If those agencies continue to stonewall, the HPSCI says it welcomes a report from the Government Accountability Office.

“We have this responsibility to protect our national security and our national health,” Wenstrup told reporters. “And that’s why we’re looking into things. If something doesn’t add up, we have the responsibility on behalf of the American people to raise the issues so that we hope to be able to get people in front of us that would explain the differences between the two reports.”

Wenstrup also said that the committee plans to use its subpoena power if intelligence agencies refuse to disclose why there are discrepancies between the classified and unclassified reports.

https://thefederalist.com/2022/12/15/report-u-s-intelligence-agencies-are-keeping-from-congress-key-information-about-covid-origins/

https://republicans-intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/final_unclass_summary_-covid_origins_report.pdf

Intel Israel lays off dozens; thousands to reportedly be offered retirement packages

Company says global headquarters ordered reduction of expenses by billions of dollars over next three years, forcing firings in Israel and elsewhere

Intel Israel has laid off dozens of employees, the country’s largest private sector high-tech employer confirmed Thursday, as it sought to cope with financial struggles that have hit the firm globally.

Sources at Intel Israel told Hebrew media Thursday that the layoffs have been taking place over the past several weeks and that they amount to only a fraction of the company’s 14,000 workers in the country.

However, due to a directive from Intel headquarters in the fall for all branches to cut spending significantly, some fear that additional layoffs are in store.

The firings have taken place across multiple departments as the firm closes various projects, according to the Calcalist business daily.

In addition to the dismissals, other Intel Israel employees were offered retirement packages or unpaid leave. Channel 12 said thousands are slated to be offered such packages without citing a source.

“In response to the market conditions and macroeconomic changes, global Intel is acting to reduce expenses by billions of dollars over the next three years, including by making the size of teams more efficient and limiting the recruitment of employees. This will result in a reduction to the workforce across the world, including in Israel,” the firm said in a statement.

Intel Israel has a computer chip manufacturing plant in Kiryat Gat and R&D centers in Jerusalem, Petah Tikva and Haifa, and acquired self-driving technology firm Mobileye in 2017.

With high salaries and exorbitant perks, Israel’s high-tech sector had been breaking more and more records in recent years, though some observers warned of a bubble in the market given an investment frenzy and sky-high valuations.

Those assessments have appeared accurate, with the sector being one of the hardest hit during the ongoing inflation crisis.

The Kan public broadcaster reported that 3,000 high-tech employees were fired in the first three months of the year, and Channel 12 said that an additional 2,800 workers were fired in June and July.

Earlier this week, the SodaStream home seltzer machine manufacturer laid off 120 employees, mainly at its factory in southern Israel, as demand for its products returns to lower pre-COVID levels.

Earlier this month, Isracard announced that it was laying off 250 employees, 12% of its workforce, as Israel’s largest credit card company also embarked on a plan to streamline costs and operations.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/intel-israel-lays-off-dozens-with-thousands-reportedly-offered-retirement-packages/

House Democrats introduce legislation to bar Trump from office under 14th Amendment

A group of 40 House Democrats, led by Rep. David Cicilline (R.I.), introduced legislation on Thursday to bar former President Trump from holding future federal office under the 14th Amendment.

Section 3 of the amendment states that no one who previously took an oath to support the Constitution and engaged in “insurrection or rebellion” shall “hold any office, civil or military, under the United States.”

Cicilline said in a release announcing the legislation that Trump “very clearly” engaged in an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, with the intention of overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election.

“You don’t get to lead a government you tried to destroy,” he said.

The release states that the bill includes testimony and evidence demonstrating how Trump engaged in the insurrection.

The bill also specifically describes how Trump helped encourage the violence on Jan. 6, tried to intimidate state and federal officials when they did not support his false claims of the election being stolen and refused to denounce the mob that stormed the Capitol for hours during the riot.

“The 14th Amendment makes clear that based on his past behavior, Donald Trump is disqualified from ever holding federal office again and, under Section 5, Congress has the power to pass legislation to implement this prohibition,” Cicilline said.

Cicilline, who served as an impeachment manager during Trump’s first impeachment, sent a letter to his Democratic colleagues last month to solicit co-sponsors for a bill to bar Trump from office.

Trump was impeached on a charge of “incitement of insurrection” in the aftermath of Jan. 6, but he was acquitted by the Senate. This was the second time Trump was impeached, with the first coming in December 2019.

Last month, Trump became the first major candidate to announce a run for the presidency in 2024.

The 14th Amendment was ratified in the aftermath of the Civil War, when ex-Confederates and seceded states rejoined the Union.

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3777492-house-democrats-introduce-legislation-to-bar-trump-from-office-under-14th-amendment/

160 People Arrested During Massive Human Trafficking Raid Including Teachers and Disney Employees

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies arrested 160 people in a seven-day operation focused human trafficking in its area. Deputies said the arrests from “Fall Haul 2” included school teachers, a state corrections officer, and a Disney employee.

https://youtu.be/Vgm1A4doGg0

Brazil: George Soros' Part in Huge Corruption Scandal and Current Influence in Stolen Election

The media in Brazil and the rest of the world are ignoring the fact that millions of Brazilians have been protesting in the streets for 43 days against Lula. The Globo Corporation that owns the largest newspaper in Brazil is now a member of George Soros' Project Syndicate and is accused of being a tool for destabilization in the South American country.

On November 16, purported Vice-President Gerald Alckimin announced that Pedro Abramovay would be a member of purported President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s transition team. Abramovay has been executive director of the Open Society Foundations in Latin America and the Caribbean since 2013. During Lula’s first reign 2003 to 2011, Abramovay was an adviser to Minister of Justice Márcio Thomaz Bastos, who served 2003 to 2007 and died 2014.

As Minister of Justice, Thomaz Bastos helped Lula pack the Supreme Court with many of the far-left Justices that today stand accused of state capture and whitewashing election fraud. As a lawyer, he defended several companies involved in Brazil’s massive corruption scandal known as “Car Wash” (Lava Jato) and is accused of money laundering going back before 2007, Antagonista reported 2018. Thomaz Bastos died with a fortune estimated at R$393 million (US $73 million), not bad for a lawyer.

In August 2008, George Soros’ Quantum Fund invested $811 million in Petroleo Brasileiro (PetroBras), “making the Brazilian state-controlled oil company his investment fund’s largest holding” at 22% of Quantum’s holdings at the time, Bloomberg reported.

By a lucky coincidence, the Obama administration soon thereafter began funding offshore drilling in Brazil. In August 2009, the U.S. Export-Import Bank announced it was loaning PetroBras $2 billion “to finance exploration of the huge offshore discovery in Brazil’s Tupi oil field in the Santos Basin near Rio de Janeiro”, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Soon after, President Barack Obama announced a ban on offshore drilling in the USA in December of 2010 and ended oil tax breaks for US companies in January 2011. Obama “was declared in contempt of court for defying a federal judge who ordered the moratoriums reversed. Some wondered if the president wasn’t intentionally acting against U.S. interests,” Business Daily wrote.

The massive influx of cash allowed PetroBras to sell $70 billion in new stock, the largest stock issue in history, for what Reuters called “the world’s biggest oil exploration program” for the Tupi oil field, discovered in 2007, which was renamed “Lula” (squid).

In 2014, a massive government scheme to defraud Petrobras was revealed, the largest corruption scandal in Brazilian history, “Car Wash”. “By March 2015 federal prosecutors had formally accused 110 people of corruption, money laundering, and other financial crimes. In April Petrobras … announced that the company had lost $17 billion to mismanagement and graft”, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

On March 4, 2016, former President Lula da Silva’s home was raided by police, and he was charged with money laundering. Lula’s successor as President, Dilma Roussef, tried to make him her Chief of Staff, to grant him immunity against prosecution, but on March 13, 2016, over a million Brazilians protested, calling for Roussef’s impeachment. On April 17, over two-thirds of the Deputies, including her former allies, voted to impeach Roussef.

Lula was considered the mastermind of the scandal and was charged with accepting bribes worth $1.1 million. His wife died in February 2016 of a stroke, In July, Lula was convicted of fraud and money laundering, and sentenced to 10 years in prison, later increased to 12. Lula should be ineligible to run for President as a convicted criminal, but the pro-Lula Supreme Court vacated the charges in 2021 in a transparent move to install their candidate and ally.

In the current election, the Supreme Court labeled it “disinformation” to even mention Lula’s criminal record. When Crusoé magazine revealed connections between members of the Supreme Court and the Car Wash affair 2019, Chief Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the story removed.

https://needtoknow.news/2022/12/brazil-george-soros-part-in-huge-corruption-scandal-and-current-influence-in-stolen-election/

Why Hasn't Governor DeSantis Stopped the COVID Vaccines in Florida When He Admits They are Killing People?

He is asking the Florida State Supreme Court to convene a Grand Jury to look into the drug companies that produced the shots, and "hold them accountable."

AND EVERYONE IN THE RIGHT WING ALTERNATIVE MEDIA CHEERED, while people in Florida continue to get the COVID-19 shots, and give them to their children who continue to die and become crippled.

Both DeSantis and Ladapo also bragged about their past actions "against" the COVID shots in this round table discussion. DeSantis goes out of his way to talk about how he opposed mandates, and allowed the people in Florida to "make their own decisions" about getting the shots and giving them to their children.

Ladapo bragged about the fact that back in March this year he was the first Surgeon General to not recommend the COVID shots for children. We covered that story back in March, and I said then that this was a meaningless action, and that potentially even MORE children could end up getting the shots since they were politicizing it. See:

Why Florida's Announcement to Be the First State to Stop Recommending COVID-19 Vaccines for Children is Meaningless and May Result in MORE Children Being Vaccinated

https://healthimpactnews.com/2022/why-hasnt-governor-desantis-stopped-the-covid-vaccines-in-florida-when-he-admits-they-are-killing-people/

@elonmusk Try searching @Breaking911 from an account that doesn't follow us, and our account will not show up (see image). This was deliberately done to suppress our large account by the former leadership at @Twitter

https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1603762391816323077

Judge Grants Kari Lake’s Request to Examine Maricopa Co Ballots in Preparation for Trial

This order, however, is dependent on Kari Lake’s petition surviving the motions to dismiss that will be filed over this weekend. Katie Hobbs’ Motion to Dismiss was submitted earlier today and it is still pending a ruling.

614842812-Lake-v-Hobbs-Order-on-Ballot-Inspection

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/12/breaking-judge-grants-kari-lakes-request-examine-maricopa-co-ballots-preparation-trial/

Woolworths salad varieties join 'hallucinogenic' spinach recall as number of poisoned nearly doubles

Woolworth have issued a product recall for two of its salad varieties, which have been linked to potentially-hallucinogenic baby spinach.

The supermarket giant said the items were sold across Victoria, New South Wales, ACT and Queensland. The products could potentially be contaminated "with unsafe plant material".

A statement warned consuming these could cause illness and asked anyone with the two varieties to return them to stores for a full refund.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/baby-spinach-causing-fever-sickness-hallucinations-warning-nsw/d3f46009-e54e-40ef-bbae-2e7c2d4dbfc0

Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe's Twitter account reinstated

On Twitter, Project Veritas tweeted, "BREAKING: @JamesOKeefeIII has just been RESTORED on Twitter!!! Thank you Elon"

https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-project-veritas-founder-james-okeefes-twitter-account-reinstated

>>17955338

"When the people need a new hero we will provide them with one"

P