1.THREAD: The Twitter Files
TWITTER AND "OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES"
https://twitter.com/mtaibbi/status/1606701397109796866
18 Republicans Vote to Give $11.3 Billion to FBI to Target Domestic Extremists and Build the FBI a New Multi-Million Dollar Facility
The Uniparty $1.7 trillion Omnibus bill passed the US Senate on Thursday.
18 Republican Senators voted for the monstrosity.
The bill gives TENS OF BILLIONS of US dollars for the Ukrainian War Efforts.
The bill gives $410 million to secure the borders in Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, and Oman.
But nothing to secure the open US border with Mexico.
Via The Daily Caller.
The bill designated $11.33 billion for the FBI “to investigate extremist violence and domestic terrorism,” according to a summary of the bill by the House Appropriations Committee. The total is reportedly $569.6 million more than the enacted levels for the 2022 fiscal year and $524 million more than the president.
The FBI reportedly paid Twitter $3.5 million dollars as compensation for staff fielding the agency’s requests between October 2019 and February 2021, as was revealed during Elon Musk’s ongoing “Twitter Files” series which leaked information showing Twitter’s hand in suppressing users. The files also revealed that the FBI had close relations with Twitter staff and was involved in the suppression of the New York Post article regarding Hunter Biden’s laptop ahead of the 2020 election.
The FBI also flagged specific tweets for Twitter to remove from the platform. Former FBI agents were also employed at Twitter, according to the files.
Additional funding was set aside for United States Attorneys to “support prosecutions related to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and domestic terrorism cases.” The bill budgeted $2.63 billion, which is $212.1 million more than was budgeted for FY 2022.
FYI – Trump endorsed RINO John Boozman in his recent reelection over a MAGA conservative Jake Bequette.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/12/18-republicans-vote-give-11-3-billion-fbi-target-domestic-extremists-build-fbi-new-multi-million-dollar-facility/
Obama Judge Ronnie Abrams Recuses Herself from FTX Case Due to Husband’s Conflicts After Setting Low Bail for SBF, Ellison and Wang and Setting Them Free
Crime pays for those who pay corrupt politicians.
As previously reported, cryptocurrency exchange FTX went bankrupt only weeks ago. The entity saw billions go through its accounts. Ukraine used it to store money sent from the US. Millions were paid to politicians by FTX. Then FTX went bust.
The young leaders of FTX recently were arrested for their actions involved in FTX’s bankruptcy. Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) was released on bail yesterday and sent to his parents’ $4 million house in California to await trial.
SBF’s fellow accomplices at FTX, Caroline Ellison and Gary Wang paid their low bail amounts relative to their cases of $250,000 and were set free as well.
Yesterday, after setting bail for SBF and two of his accomplices, the judge in the case recused herself.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/12/obama-judge-ronnie-abrams-recuses-ftx-case-due-husbands-conflicts-setting-low-bail-sbf-ellison-wang-setting-free/
Credit Suisse Sues, Files Criminal Complaint, Against Financial Blog "Harshly Critical" Of The Bank
Today in things not to do when you're not panicking news…
Credit Suisse has reportedly filed a criminal complaint against a financial blog in Zurich, escalating a legal attack the bank has been putting in place over reader comments that were appended to a series of stories the blog ran about the bank earlier this year.
Bloomberg reports that the complaint follows a 265 page civil lawsuit that was filed over the comments, which the bank said "were harshly critical of it and some of its executives", including the bank's new CEO Ulrich Koerner.
The civil claim against the publisher was for 300,000 Swiss francs ($322,000) and demanded the retraction of comments on the blogs. The bank has argued that the blog, Inside Paradeplatz, should have exercised more discretion in picking what comments it allowed to publish.
Filing a criminal claim now escalates the situation, as a conviction of defamation could result in a fine or up to three years in prison, Bloomberg wrote on Friday.
Credit Suisse would not comment on the complaint and simply told Bloomberg it had “decided to proceed with a legal review of the legality of reader comments and texts. We are taking this step to protect our employees, who are regularly the subject of abusive and disparaging comments on the blog.”
Sure sounds like everything is going just peachy over at Credit Suisse…
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/credit-suisse-sues-then-files-criminal-complaint-against-financial-blog-was-harshly
Biden Signs Cybersecurity Bill to Ensure Data Encryption Used by US Government Is Quantum Proof
President Joe Biden has signed into law the Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act, legislation to push the federal government to adopt technology designed to protect against potential data breach attempts by a future quantum computer.
The Dec. 21 signing of the bipartisan measure, also called H.R. 7535, comes amid a race with China in advancing quantum computing technology and amid concerns that China and other adversaries of the United States could one day be able to decrypt existing forms of secure encryption, which rely on classical computers and are thus limited in computational ability compared to quantum computers.
The newly-signed legislation requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)—the largest office within the White House—to prioritize the migration of federal agencies’ information technology systems to post-quantum cryptography.
“Post-quantum cryptography is encryption strong enough to resist attacks from quantum computers developed in the future,” according to a summary of the legislation. The text of the legislation defines post-quantum cryptography as “those cryptographic algorithms or methods that are assessed not to be specifically vulnerable to attack by either a quantum computer or classical computer.”
“There is a race to build a fully capable quantum computer that would be so powerful, it could break encryption and allow adversaries to steal valuable information,” the office of Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.)—one of the lawmakers who introduced the bill—stated in a release back in April.
“It is believed that adversaries are conducting a practice called ‘steal now, decrypt later’ where they collect data to store for years until they possess a powerful enough quantum computer to decrypt it. To protect our country’s data, critical government systems must be secured with algorithms and encryption so difficult to crack that even a future quantum computer won’t be able to break the code. This can be done through post-quantum cryptography. … Because of stealing now and decrypting later, the federal government must begin planning now for this migration, and Congress should play an oversight role in this process.”
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) is working on setting standards for post-quantum cryptography. In July, it introduced the first four “quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms” it has chosen to become part of the standard. The standards are expected to be finalized in about two years—by 2024.
The bipartisan measure was first introduced in the House in April by Reps. Khanna and Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and passed the chamber in July. It later passed the Senate in early December, and passed the House for a final time before heading to the president’s desk. The legislation is co-sponsored by Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.).
https://www.ntd.com/biden-signs-cybersecurity-bill-to-ensure-data-encryption-used-by-us-government-is-quantum-proof_890777.html
Inflation Crisis Fail: German Foreign Minister Has ~$8k a Month Personal Stylist as Citizens Feel the Cold
Germany’s foreign office is reportedly paying a freelance stylist nearly $8,000 a month to keep its minister looking presentable.
Claude Frommen, a renowned freelance make-up artist who has reportedly worked with major clients such as Porsche and TUI, is reportedly being paid just under $8,000 a month by the government to keep its Minister of Foreign Affairs looking windswept and interesting.
The expenditure comes at a time when many Germans are struggling under massive inflation which has seen the price of fuel, food and other amenities rise substantially this year.
Nevertheless, according to a report by Bild, Germany’s Foreign Affairs ministry has found it somewhere within the budget to pay Frommen a flat rate of €7,500 (~$7,945) every month to work with Green party minister Annalena Baerbock.
Speaking to the newspaper, a spokeswoman from the ministry said that the pay includes “very time-consuming” trips to foreign countries, as well as “numerous appointments at weekends and at special times of the day”.
“Ms Frommen takes care of Foreign Minister Baerbock’s photo and television appointments with her make-up and hair styling,” the spokeswoman reportedly explained, before adding that the make-up artist also looks after the minister’s “photo and television appointments on trips abroad”.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2022/12/24/inflation-crisis-fail-german-foreign-minister-has-8k-a-month-personal-stylist-as-citizens-feel-the-cold/
UK biotech firm’s 750 mn GM mosquitoes will mate with females off Florida, sow a deadly gene
Oxitec, a UK-based biotechnology company, plans to release genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys islands off the US this month as part of a trial to curb mosquito-borne diseases like dengue and the one caused by the Zika virus. This is the latest genetic engineering experiment targeting mosquitoes that is aimed at tackling diseases that continue to kill thousands every year — an approach that has critics as well as backers. Only females of mosquitoes bite, while males feed on all nectar. The mosquitoes Oxitec plans to release will all be male, carrying a protein that will kill all their female offspring. The exact locations where the mosquitoes will be released have not been made public. The objective over time is to reduce the population of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which spreads both the above-mentioned diseases as well as chikungunya and yellow fever. Mosquito populations in Florida are believed to have grown resistant to a common group of insecticides, prompting worries.
https://www.geneconvenevi.org/articles/uk-biotech-firms-750-mn-gm-mosquitoes-will-mate-with-females-off-florida-sow-a-deadly-gene/
SKYDOME ATLANTIS: 666 GRAPHENE OXIDE BLACK RAIN (PART I OF II).
https://www.bitchute.com/video/CsvAuVUEKj0n/
Emhoff battles antisemitism as historic ‘first’ on White House team
When Doug Emhoff made history as the first second gentleman, he knew another title — first Jewish spouse of a U.S. president or vice president — was just as significant.
Emhoff has been at the epicenter of the White House response to the recent rise in antisemitism around the country.
During a Hanukkah party at the vice president’s residence this week — where a Holocaust survivor and rabbis recited the blessing as Emhoff and Vice President Harris lit the candles on the Menorah — the second gentleman used the opportunity to remind those in attendance about the growing threat against the Jewish community.
“We can’t normalize this. We need to speak up and speak out and call it out as well,” Emhoff said at the party. “And anyone who’s not speaking up and speaking out and not taking action will be called out.”
Emhoff, 58, a longtime entertainment lawyer, earlier this month hosted a roundtable with Jewish leaders on combating the “rapid rise” in antisemitism. Last month, he visited a kosher deli in Des Moines, Iowa, where he talked to a rabbi about how much it means to them to live proudly and openly as Jewish Americans.
He wrote an op-Ed in USA Today on Rosh Hashanah about battling antisemitism and posed a question: “What kind of world do we want to live in?”
At the roundtable — which came on the heels of a news reports revealing that former President Trump had dined at Mar-a-Lago with white nationalist Nick Fuentes and rapper Ye, who has made antisemitic comments — Emhoff acknowledged feeling “pain” because of the uptick in hateful acts and rhetoric against the Jewish community.
“There is an epidemic of hate facing our country. We’re seeing a rapid rise in antisemitic rhetoric and acts,” said Emhoff. “Let me be clear: Words matter. People are no longer saying the quiet parts out loud. They are literally screaming them.”
Those close to Emhoff say he has been an advocate for the Jewish community since assuming the role of second gentleman.
When he moved into the vice president’s residence last year, he and Harris hung a Mezuzah at the door. In September, he met with the National Council of Jewish Women Board at the White House.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/3785205-emhoff-battles-antisemitism-as-historic-first-on-white-house-team/
Scientists reconstruct face of ‘handsome’ Ramses II, possible pharaoh of Exodus
Using CT software that allows accurate facial reconstruction, scientists say they are able to reveal the ancient Egyptian ruler’s face at the age of 45 and 90
https://www.timesofisrael.com/scientists-reconstruct-face-of-handsome-ramses-ii-possible-pharaoh-of-exodus/
New gov't will allow businesses to refuse service to LGBTQ , non-Jews
Currently, a business owner who refuses to serve customers on religious grounds will, in most instances, be given a heavy fine.
Otzma Yehudit head MK Itamar Ben-Gvir on Friday defended a clause added to the new coalition agreements that will allow private business owners to refuse services to Israelis based on religious beliefs, meaning Israeli businesses will be able to legally deny service to LGBTQ individuals or non-Jews.
The clause, which was inserted into the Likud's agreement with the Religious Zionists Party (RZP) headed by future finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, will correct instances where the state "infringed on the rights of Israeli Jews in their own businesses," Ben-Gvir claimed in a KAN Reshet B interview on Friday morning.
According to current Israeli law, a business owner who refuses to serve customers on such grounds will, in most instances, be given a heavy fine.
The clause was added following late-night talks on Wednesday between incoming prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition partners, as Netanyahu fought against the deadline to announce his ability to form a government.
The clause also comes after Netanyahu stressed in several interviews and statements since his election victory that his new government will not violate the rights of Israel's LGBTQ community.
In an earlier statement, Smotrich also defended the clause, giving the example that a "haredi (ultra-Orthodox) or religious barber should not have to shave a man's beard with a blade in his own private business."
Ben-Gvir laments loss of individual liberties
In the Friday morning interview, Ben-Gvir leaped to his bloc partner's defense, expressing his satisfaction that Smotrich "wanted it and got it."
"An owner of a Beersheba printing shop received a fine from a court for refusing to print fliers advertising the Pride Parade. Is this normal?" Ben-Gvir said. "Where are his individual liberties? A man's right to his business?"
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-725725
Judge throws out parents’ lawsuit over schools hiding underage children’s gender transitions
Policy fails to meet constitutional conscience standard, judge claims
A Massachusetts judge this week threw out a parental lawsuit against a school district’s policy of hiding the gender transitions of two underage children, claiming the rule—while flawed—did not rise to the level of a necessary constitutional standard.
U.S. District Court Judge Mark Mastroianni professed himself “apprehensive” about the reported transgender policies of Ludlow County Schools, but that the suit brought by two parents against the district regarding those policies failed to meet a longstanding “shock-the-conscience” constitutional test.
The parents claimed in the suit that school officials hid the intended gender “transitions” of their respective children, ages 11 and 12 at the time. The students had reportedly asked to be identified by new names and pronouns while in school and to have these practices kept from their parents.
Mastroianni in his ruling claimed that “addressing a person using their preferred name and pronouns” is a matter of “the basic level of respect expected in a civil society generally.”
Though he tossed the lawsuit, the judge did acknowledge it “disconcerting that school administrators or a school committee adopted and implemented a policy requiring school staff to actively hide information from parents about something of importance regarding their child.”
“Students and parents would almost certainly be better served by a more thoughtful policy that facilitated a supportive and safe disclosure by the student, with support and education available for students and parents, as needed and when accepted,” he said.
https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/judge-throws-out-parents-lawsuit-over-schools-hiding-underage-childrens
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“Found no links to Russia,” says one analyst, but suggests he could “brainstorm” to “find a stronger connection.”
https://twitter.com/mtaibbi/status/1606701469813846017