Meta-Facebook Takes Ukraine’s Nazi Azov Regiment Off Dangerous Organizations List

Facebook announced it was removing the Nazi Azov Battalion from it dangerous organizations list.

Apparently, being a violent Nazi is a good thing now?

How do they square this peg?

Via Engadget.

Facebook parent company Meta has removed the Azov Regiment, a controversial unit within the Ukrainian National Guard with alleged far-right political leanings, from its list of dangerous individuals and organizations. The move, first reported by The Kyiv Independent, means members of the unit can now create Facebook and Instagram accounts and post without Meta automatically flagging and removing their content. Additionally, unaffiliated users can praise the Azov Regiment, provided they abide by the company’s Community Standards.

“The war in Ukraine has meant changing circumstances in many areas and it has become clear that the Azov Regiment does not meet our strict criteria for designation as a dangerous organization,” a company spokesperson told The Kyiv Independent. Meta did not immediately respond to Engadget’s comment request.

Sharing more information on the policy change, Meta told The Washington Post it recently began to view the Azov Regiment as a separate entity from other groups associated with the far-right nationalist Azov Movement. Specifically, the company pointed to Ukraine’s National Corp political party and founder Andriy Biletsky, noting they’re still on its list of dangerous individuals and organizations. “Hate speech, hate symbols, calls for violence and any other content which violates our Community Standards are still banned, and we will remove this content if we find it,” Meta said.

Ukrainian official Mykhailo Fedorov cheered the news.

As reported earlier in February 2022.

The Azov Battalion, is a neo-Nazi group associated with violent atrocities against immigrants, gypsies and transvestites in Ukraine.

The Obama/Biden Administration is friends of the neo-Nazi group the Azov Brigade. They recognized them in the US Embassy in Ukraine in 2014.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/01/meta-facebook-takes-ukraines-nazi-azov-regiment-off-dangerous-organizations-list/

Brazil, Argentina Holding Talks Over Possible Common Currency

Brazil and Argentina plan to advance talks about a common currency for financial and commercial transactions in an effort to improve economic integration, leaders of the two nations said on Jan. 21.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was sworn in on Jan. 1, and Argentine leader Alberto Fernandez shared details about the talks regarding a shared currency in a joint article published on the Argentine website Perfil, CNBC reported.

“We intend to overcome the barriers to our exchanges, simplify and modernize the rules and encourage the use of local currencies,” the two leaders wrote.

“We also decided to advance discussions on a common South American currency that can be used for both financial and commercial flows, reducing costs operations and our external vulnerability,” the article said.

Argentina’s economy minister Sergio Massa told the Financial Times that the two nations - South America’s two largest economies - will announce this week that they are beginning preparatory work on the common currency.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/brazil-argentina-holding-talks-over-possible-common-currency

NWO Plans 10 World Regions: "Ten Horns of the Beast"

https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/master_file/tenworldregions.htm

"I Take Full Accountability": Spotify Slashes Hundreds Of Jobs As Tech Layoffs Intensify

Add Spotify Technology SA to the growing list of tech companies laying off because they hired too many employees during the virus pandemic. We've read countless letters and memos from tech executives to employees over the last several quarters explaining how they made a colossal mistake by rapidly expanding operations because they thought pandemic demand would continue but were entirely blindsided by the incoming slowdown and forced to reduce headcount and other cost-cutting measures.

"Like many other leaders, I hoped to sustain the strong tailwinds from the pandemic and believed that our broad global business and lower risk to the impact of a slowdown in ads would insulate us," Spotify CEO Daniel Ek told employees in a letter.

As a result of poor business planning, Ek said Spotify is planning to slash 6% of its headcount.

"In hindsight, I was too ambitious in investing ahead of our revenue growth. And for this reason, today, we are reducing our employee base by about 6% across the company. I take full accountability for the moves that got us here today," the exec said.

The latest filings show the music-streaming giant has approximately 9,800 employees. The cut would be equivalent to about 600 workers.

Shares rose more than 6% in premarket trading to the $104-handle on the news. The stock lost more than 73% since peaking at $364 in early 2021.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/i-take-full-accountability-spotify-slashes-6-workforce-tech-layoffs-intensify

Vatican investigating ‘sex party’ in cathedral – media

Before taking his own life over sex abuse allegations, a British priest reportedly organized a lockdown-defying orgy

The Catholic Church is investigating allegations of a “sex party” that took place at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Newcastle while the rest of the UK was under strict lockdown rules, the Sunday Times reported. The probe is part of a wider Vatican inquiry into the diocese, involving multiple cases of sexual abuse.

In a letter reported by the newspaper on Sunday, the Archbishop of Liverpool said that he had been asked by the Pope’s advisers to compile “an in-depth report” into events leading up to the resignation of Robert Byrne as the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle in December.

Byrne was made bishop in 2019, and immediately appointed Father Michael McCoy as the Dean of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Newcastle.

When the UK was placed under strict lockdown rules the following year, McCoy allegedly approached several parishoners and asked them to attend “a party” at the cathedral, a source told the Times. This event was described by the source as “a sex party taking place in the priests’ living quarters attached to Newcastle cathedral.”

There is no evidence that Byrne knew about or took part in the sex party. McCoy will not be able to testify about the alleged event either, as he committed suicide in 2021 after police opened an investigation into historic allegations of child sex abuse involving the clergyman. He had not been charged with an offense at the time of his death.

McCoy is not the only priest with an apparently checkered history to pass through Byrne’s diocese. A separate investigation by the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA) is probing reports that Father Tim Gardner, a convicted pedophile, was offered church-owned accommodation within the diocese after he had been found guilty and sentenced to eight months in prison.

Gardner had been caught with more than 500 illicit images of children on his computer, some of which he took himself. He was teaching religious education at a Catholic school in London at the time of his conviction.

https://www.rt.com/news/570368-sex-party-church-vatican/

Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego Linked to CCP-Epstein-Tied Humpty Dumpty Institute, Running for Senate in 2024

Gallego, a Democrat Congressman, has already announced his plans to run for US Senate in 2024, and is listed as a member of the Epstein and CCP-tied Humpty Dumpty Institute's "Congressional Advisory Board"

Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-3), who was just re-elected to Congress in 2022, has already announced his intentions to run for the Arizona US Senate seat currently held by Kyrsten Sinema, who recently changed her partisan affiliation from Democrat to Independent. National File can now report that Gallego is tied to the CCP-partnered, Epstein-linked Humpty Dumpty Institute, a notorious influence operation that’s been extensively covered by this publication.

Though he’s relatively new to Capitol Hill, Ruben Gallego has wasted no time in joining up with Washington’s uni-party establishment. The Arizona Democrat is already listed as a member of the Chinese Communist Party-tied, Epstein-connected Humpty Dumpty Institute’s “Congressional Advisory Board“, along with several other uni-party legislators.

National File has extensively reported on the Humpty Dumpty Institute’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), its People’s Liberation Army (PLA), and other anti-American actors out of Israel and the former Soviet Union, among other corners of the world.

The group is even tied to Mark Epstein, the brother of dead globalist pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The Humpty Dumpty Institute, once run by the brother of late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, has managed to stay largely out of the news despite its ties to the United Nations, US State Department, several members of Congress, global elite, and Chinese Communist Party. Jeffrey’s brother, Mark Epstein, was listed as a Director and main financier until at least 2019.

Functioning as a globalist influence operation, the Humpty Dumpty Institute has been a mainstay around the United Nations for roughly two decades, positioning itself as a middleman between international powers and holding “congressional staff delegations” at the UN, to bring the administrative side of Capitol Hill under its purview as well.

Much like other left-wing, globalist influence operations, the Humpty Dumpty Institute is deeply involved with Communist China, and its members have engaged in Maoist rituals with members of the CCP and its PLA.

In 2018, Humpty Dumpty Institute leadership joined other members of the CCP sphere at the Taihe Institute’s “Civilizations Forum,” to discuss how they’re promoting a Communist China-centric future.

Among those chairing the event was Irina Bokova, a former UN official and KGB agent with ties to Brazil’s recent contested election.

A direct arm of the CCP’s People’s Liberation Army, the Taihe Institute is a communist “think tank” in a longstanding partnership with the Humpty Dumpty Institute. Despite its public links to the Chinese military, Taihe even operates “research centers” in the United States and Germany.

Irina Bokova chaired the Taihe Institute’s “Civilizations Forum,” which was based on “the establishment of a community of a shared future for humankind,” centering around China’s Belt and Road initiative for economic dominance.

In attendance was the Epstein-directed Humpty Dumpty Institute’s Joseph Merante, who provided updates on how HDI, a close Taihe partner group, was promoting the forum’s CCP agenda.

https://nationalfile.com/arizona-rep-ruben-gallego-linked-to-ccp-epstein-tied-humpty-dumpty-institute-running-for-senate-in-2024/

Alec Baldwin slammed for photo caption of son with ‘sexually suggestive innuendo’

Alec Baldwin is being slammed for sharing a picture of his wife and young son with a bizarre, sexually suggestive caption — his first post since authorities announced he will be charged with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal 2021 shooting on the set of ‘Rust.’

The 64-year-old embattled actor sent online trolls into a tizzy Sunday evening when he posted a sweet photo on Instagram of his son holding his mother’s shoulders — and wrote that the young boy was pulling “the old ‘let me give you a back rub’ ploy.”

Baldwin later amended the caption to indicate that he meant his child was acting sweet as a way to earn a treat.

He edited the caption to add: “Potato chips to follow” and noted in the comments, “I adjusted the text. I guess because…you know…there is so much of that Reddit trash out there.”

But the critics quickly piled on, eventually prompting the actor to limit who could leave comments on the post.

“Imagine being indicted for involuntary manslaughter and the first post you make after the announcement includes a picture of your attention-seeking wife, posed with your young son, and captioned with a sexually suggestive innuendo,” a person wrote.

Baldwin’s wife Hilaria made headlines last week when she lured the press away from their home by making a short statement as a distraction — and spoke in a Spanish accent, when she was born and raised in Boston.

Another critic added of Alec’s posting: “Does anyone else think this is creepy af with the caption? Pic is sweet. Caption makes it weird.”

Someone else said, “Sexualizing children is always so weird but your own child? Yikes.”

Another person wrote: “Dude you need to consult your team before you post man this does not help your case.”

One cheeky commentator commented, “Only ploy is your wife’s accent.”

New Mexico prosecutors announced Thursday that they are bringing an involuntary manslaughter charge against Alec for his part in the shooting that left cinematographer Halyna Hutchins dead.

The same charge is to be brought against the movie’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, after a real bullet was fired from a prop gun by Baldwin.

Assistant director David Halls, who gave the loaded gun to the actor, accepted a misdemeanor charge in a plea deal.

“If any one of these three people — Alec Baldwin, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed or David Halls — had done their job, Halyna Hutchins would be alive today. It’s that simple,” special prosecutor Andrea Reeb said last week.

https://nypost.com/2023/01/23/alec-baldwin-slammed-for-photo-caption-of-son-with-sexually-suggestive-innuendo/

Ex-Top FBI Agent Charged With Illegally Working For Russian Oligarch

Authorities charged a former Special Agent In Change of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division in New York and a court interpreter with breaking sanctions to work for Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, the Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Monday.

Charles McGonigal, 54, who investigated Deripaska during his FBI career ending in 2018, and U.S. citizen Sergey Shestakov, 69, were allegedly paid to investigate a rival Russian oligarch for him in 2021 and worked with his agent to conceal his involvement using shell companies and a forged signature, the office’s press release said. The U.S. government had sanctioned Deripaska in 2018 in connection with Russian government action towards Ukraine following the 2014 presidential declaration of a state of emergency there.

McGonigal is charged with conspiring to violate and evade U.S. sanctions, violating International Emergency Economic Powers Act, money laundering and conspiring to commit money laundering, while Shestakov faces those charges and one count of making false statements, according to the release. Each of their shared charges could land them 20 years in prison, while making false statements is punishable by up to five years.

“Russian oligarchs like Oleg Deripaska perform global malign influence on behalf of the Kremlin and are associated with acts of bribery, extortion, and violence. As alleged, Mr. McGonigal and Mr. Shestakov, both U.S. citizens, acted on behalf of Deripaska and fraudulently used a U.S. entity to obscure their activity in violation of U.S. sanctions,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge Michael Driscoll said. “There are no exceptions for anyone, including a former FBI official like Mr. McGonigal. ”

The FBI did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for further comment.

https://dailycaller.com/2023/01/23/ex-fbi-agent-charged-working-russian-oligarch-oleg-deripaska/

Report: Joe Biden’s Attorneys Misled DOJ About Classified Docs Stored at Residence

President Joe Biden’s personal attorneys reportedly misled the Department of Justice (DOJ) in November about classified documents being stored at his Wilmington residence.

Shortly after documents at the Penn Biden Center were unearthed on November 2, the White House and DOJ reportedly agreed to hide the scandal from the American people. It’s unclear why Biden’s personal attorneys were initially searching for his illegally stashed documents. The White House has failed to provide the initial reason or cause for the search.

After the initial discovery on November 2, Biden’s personal attorneys told the DOJ that the only location where troves of classified were stored was at the Penn Biden Center, the New York Times reported Sunday.

Weeks later, Biden’s personal attorneys unearthed additional troves at his garage on December 20. Still, the scandal remained hidden from the public, despite later claims of total transparency.

On January 9, the scandal was leaked to CBS News. White House officials are reportedly suspicious about how Biden’s classified document scandal was leaked to the press after only a select group of White House and DOJ officials knew about the violation.

The leak of the scandal apparently caused Biden’s attorneys to resume searching his home for more classified documents. The searches took place and unearthed more classified materials on January 11 and 12. At that point, a total of 25 classified documents had been found to be mishandled by the president.

On January 14, the White House claimed that all searches for all classified documents were completed but would not confirm if additional classified documents remained under Biden’s personal possession in violation of the law.

The additional troves unearthed by Biden’s personal attorneys were followed by the DOJ’s request to conduct its own search of his home. The president’s attorney’s agreed. The DOJ’s search was conducted Friday and found six more items consisting of classified marking, according to the president’s personal attorney, Bob Bauer. The trove unearthed Friday is in addition to the about 25 classified documents Biden’s personal attorneys found in past weeks both at the Penn Biden Center and his residence.

After the continued revelations of documents discovered under Biden’s possession, the DOJ is reportedly weighing searching additional locations linked to Biden. It is unclear if that pertains to the president’s family members, such as Hunter and James.

While visiting California Thursday, Biden said he has “no regrets” about mishandling the classified materials and claimed there was “no ‘there’ there.” The classified materials were initially unearthed just days before the midterm elections.

“I think you’re gonna find there’s nothing there. I have no regrets. I’m following what the lawyers have told me they want me to do. That’s exactly what we’re doing. There’s no ‘there’ there,” he said.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/01/23/report-bidens-attorneys-misled-doj-classified-docs-stored-residence/

Germany: Ukraine Losing Hundreds of Soldiers Every Day

Washington believes Kiev is expending significant resources in the battle for Bakhmut

The German foreign intelligence service assesses that Kiev is losing a "three-digit number" of soldiers daily, according to a report in Der Spiegel. Berlin informed politicians of the assessment during a secret meeting this week.

Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND) is "alarmed" by the high number of losses Ukraine is suffering. The report says Berlin believes Ukraine was losing a three-digit number of soldiers every day during the battle of Bakhmut with Russian forces. The BND informed German politicians of the high number of injured and killed Ukrainian forces during a covert Bundestag meeting last week.

The BND believes the Ukrainian casualties will have severe consequences during future battles. The German intelligence service also believes that Russia is suffering high casualties and using its soldiers as "cannon fodder."

Reuters reported officials in Washington believe Kiev spent significant resources attempting to defend Bakhmut. The White House is currently advising Ukraine not to launch any major counteroffensives to recapture the city. The Joe Biden administration is additionally advising Kiev that continuing to pour soldiers into defending Bakhmut is preventing Ukrainian forces from attacking Russians defending other cities.

Ukraine is seeking tanks from its NATO partners. However, many countries, including the US and Germany have resisted sending their modern tanks to Ukraine.

Bakhmut is located in the Donetsk region. The BND believes if Russia takes the city, it will open the door for additional gains. Bakhmut has seen fierce fighting for several months, but the intensity picked up last week. Russian forces have made some gains in the city.

https://news.antiwar.com/2023/01/22/germany-ukraine-losing-hundreds-of-soldiers-every-day/

Into Whose Pockets Did the Missing $trillions of our money go?

Pentagon can’t account for $220 billion in gov’t property, fails fifth audit | 18 Jan 2023 | A Tuesday report by the Government Accountability Office revealed that the Department of Defense failed its fifth audit in a row after it could not account for at least 220 billion in government-furnished property, the Daily Caller News Foundation reported. The DOD has been mandated by federal law to complete audits since 1994; however, the mandate was ignored for decades due to the agency’s massive size, according to Military dot com. Since launching its first independent audit, in 2017 the Pentagon has never passed. The Pentagon failed its fifth audit in November after the agency could not prove expenditures for 61% of its 3.5 trillion in assets. To perform this year’s overall audit of the DOD, which was expected to cost 218 million, the agency aggregated 27 separate audits conducted by approximately 1,600 auditors. According to Military.com, the auditors performed 220 in-person site visits and 750 virtual site visits. https://www.theblaze.com/news/pentagon-can-t-account-for-220-billion-in-gov-t-property-fails-fifth-audit

Remember: on 9/11 whatever hit the Pentagon wiped out the documents and experts reviewing them looking for the missing $trillion. That was 22 years ago.

https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2023/01/22/into-whose-pockets-did-the-missing-trillions-of-our-money-go/

Research Finding 'The Vax' Is A Bioweapon Developed By DARPA Over 10 Years Ago Explains How The 'Vaxxed' Are Walking Talking Bioweapons, Pumping Out Deadly mRNA On The Rest Of Us

• CDC Pushing More Kill Shots Has Americans Calling Them Out For Crimes Upon Humanity

Back on December 31st, we'd reported in this story on ANP that according to 'COVID vax injury and death analyst' Ed Dowd, something horrible was going on in America and all around the world, with Dowd also warning of the globalist media mafia: "The longer they ignore it, the more criminal it is."

With Dowd having warned in an interview back then with Mike Adams of Natural News that the numbers were showing him that every day, approx. 7,500 Americans were being disabled or killed by the 'jabs,' the large majority of them 'working Americans' who were rendered unable to work following their injuries, Adams warned in that video we were watching the 'decivilization' of America unfolding before our eyes, but most were still far too blind to see it.

And with the three weeks following that story still not showing the mainstream media, politicians or 'medical establishment' coming clean to the American people on just how many people are being maimed or killed by those jabs, with a recent twitter announcement by the CDC that "It’s not too late to get vaccinated. You can get the #mpox vaccine at the same time as your #flu and #COVID vaccines," we wonder if the CDC reads the replies to their tweets for if they did, they'd see that by and large in 2023, the American people no longer trust a word they say.

With the CDC also encouraging us to "talk to our 'vaccinator' about what is right for you," if those 'vaccinators' weren't being heavily compensated by the likes of Pfizer and Moderna, do you think they'd actually be warning young and healthy Americans that the jabs could drop them dead suddenly while they're out on the playing field, "playing," or kill them off while they're sleeping, like is happening to so many? The replies on twitter to the CDC's tweet were priceless and including the following gems.:

John Garrett - Replying to @CDCgov: There is no statute of limitations on crimes against humanity. Remember that.

TheUrbanFarmer - Replying to @CDCgov: Waiting for Covaxin. You know the traditional vaccine, with long term safety data, US trials showing robust protection against variants and zero serious side effects. Same one denied EUA while you EUA’d mrna gene therapy “vaccines” saying it “stops transmission” Yup still waiting.

PDD - Replying to @CDCgov: I just want the FDA to post results from the clinical trials so I can read myself. Their lack of transparency speaks volumes.

Alan Novacs - Replying to @CDCgov: You have lost all credibility, CDC.

Woof Melbourne - Replying to @CDCgov: You lot need to be abolished. Apart from myocarditis in both covid & monkeypox (smallpox) vax (mpox is using covid vax side effects as a justification ) @CDCDirector belongs in prison. @RandPaul @SenRonJohnson.

Neutrino Ghost Delicioso - Replying to @CDCgov: The covid vaccine is poison. Don’t take.. ever!

And with even Elon Musk 'red-pilling' the masses when he announced on twitter that following his 2nd booster, he had major adverse effects that left him feeling he was going to die for days, while also claiming he has a young and healthy cousin who immediately ended up in the hospital following a vax due to myocarditis, we'd ask Musk if we got a chance why he ever took the 'kill shot' in the 1st place.

So while at least Musk is now speaking up about his adverse reactions to that 2nd booster shot and telling the world about his cousin who got myocarditis from the vax, we've got to take a look within this story at a recent warning from pre-eminent cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough that 'vax shedding' is real, with mRNA transferring from the vaxxed to the unvaxxed, and "every shot accumulating in the body with no ability for the body to get rid of it."

https://allnewspipeline.com/The_Vaxxed_Are_Walking_Talking_Bioweapons_Factories.php

Israeli settlers destroy 350 trees in West Bank olive grove

Israeli settlers have destroyed 350 olive trees in groves near the village of Jit, to the east of Qalqilya, in the latest attack on Palestinian livelihoods in the West Bank.

A group men from the Kedumim settlement felled hundreds trees on Palestinian land, many of which were over 13 years old, according to the farmer’s brother.

The settlers snuck into the olive groves early on Sunday morning and set about destroying the trees before they could be stopped, local resident Ahmad Faruq Sedda told Palestinian news agency Wafa.

https://www.newarab.com/news/israeli-settlers-destroy-350-trees-west-bank-olive-grove

China To Accelerate The Construction Of Coal-Fired Power Plants

China expects to add 70 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired power generation this year, up from 40 GW of capacity from coal installed in 2022, a report from the power sector’s group, China Electricity Council, showed.

The coal additions, however, will not be the biggest capacity increases in China in 2023, per the report quoted by Bloomberg.

Solar and wind will see massive growth in capacity additions this year, too, with solar power expected to add a huge 100 GW of capacity and wind—another 65 GW, China Electricity Council said.

China’s electricity generation capacity from renewable sources is expected to jump above 50% for the first time this year. According to the power sector’s lobbying group, low-carbon electricity sources will account for over 52% of total power capacity in China by the end of 2023, up from 49.6% at the end of last year.

After the end of the ‘zero Covid’ policy, China’s power demand is expected to jump by 6% in 2023, up from the 3.6% growth seen last year, according to the China Electricity Council.

Although renewable energy installations are set to jump, coal-fired capacity additions in China will also surge this year as Beijing has put more emphasis on energy security since the autumn of 2021 when power shortages crippled its industry.

In 2022, China said it would continue to maximize the use of coal in the coming years as it caters to its energy security, despite pledges to contribute to global efforts to reduce emissions.

In recent months, China has significantly boosted its coal production, following government orders.

China produced a record amount of coal last year, although output ended the year with a decline amid the latest surge in Covid infections. Total Chinese coal output for the year reached 4.496 billion tons, which was a 9-percent increase compared to 2021, according to official statistics data.

https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/China-To-Accelerate-The-Construction-Of-Coal-Fired-Power-Plants.html

Israel, US kick off massive war games in apparent message to Iran

Exercise, dubbed Juniper Oak 2023, involves over 140 aircraft, 12 naval vessels, and artillery systems from both nations drilling in Israel and Eastern Mediterranean

The Israel Defense Forces and United States Central Command on Monday kicked off a large-scale joint exercise in Israel and over the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the two militaries announced.

The drill, dubbed Juniper Oak 2023, will involve over 140 aircraft, 12 naval vessels, and artillery systems from both nations and last until Friday, CENTCOM said in a statement.

A senior US defense official told NBC News that the drill was aimed at showing adversaries, such as Iran, that Washington is not too distracted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and threats from China to mobilize a large military force.

“This exercise strengthens collective US-Israeli readiness and improves the interoperability of both forces, thereby contributing to regional stability. Exercises like Juniper Oak show that interoperability and integration represent the improved security in the region,” CENTCOM said.

“The exercise will test joint Israeli-US readiness and improve the operational relationship between the two armies,” the IDF said in a statement.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-us-kick-off-massive-war-games-in-apparent-message-to-iran/

The new prime minister of #NewZealand #ChrisHipkins Remember what he said before? If you are not jabbed we will come looking for you!! So if you thought #jacindaardern was crazy enough… look what #NewZealand has now…

https://twitter.com/GillianMcKeith/status/1616663310459338752

The Left's Largest Nonprofits Funneled $39 Million to China in 2021, Filings Show

Bill and Melinda Gates and Ford Foundations funded projects at Chinese universities, government agencies

Two of America's largest liberal nonprofits, the Bill and Melinda Gates and Ford Foundations, funneled $39 million to China in 2021—money that in some cases went to Chinese government agencies and universities that conduct military research.

The Gates Foundation, according to its latest IRS disclosure, sent nearly $30 million to Chinese organizations in 2021, including $2.5 million to the communist nation's National Health Commission and $1.4 million to its Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. The Ford Foundation, meanwhile, sent $9.3 million to China in 2021—recipients included three public universities that are overseen by the Chinese government's defense industry agency.

Both the Gates and Ford Foundations have long boasted of their work to influence policy and advance technology in China. But the foundations' partnerships with Chinese Communist Party-controlled entities—including some that work with China's military—is raising eyebrows among U.S. lawmakers and China experts, who argue that the CCP's iron grip on the nation means the party is likely to hijack data that advances its interests.

"If the last few years have taught us anything, it's that we need to heavily scrutinize every American dollar that goes to CCP-affiliated entities," Rep. Mike Gallagher (R., Wis.), who is set to chair a House select committee tasked with countering China, told the Washington Free Beacon. "Any American foundation contributing to causes that advance CCP-aligned interests in the developing world has serious questions to answer."

Neither the Gates nor Ford Foundations returned requests for comment.

While both foundations appear committed to continue funding Chinese projects, many U.S. researchers are reevaluating their work in the communist nation over fears of aiding China's military. American and German scientists, for example, partnered with researchers at China's Peking University to release a 2020 study on robotic fish. Such robots can be used militarily as underwater unmanned vehicles, Newsweek reported last week, and two of the study's co-authors work with the Chinese research facility tasked with developing hypersonic weapons. The Gates and Ford Foundations combined to send Peking University more than $1.7 million in 2021, tax filings show.

The Gates Foundation labeled most of its grants to Chinese government agencies and universities—including the $2.5 million it sent to China's National Health Commission—as supporting "global health and development public awareness and analysis." The Ford Foundation's Chinese grants cover a wider range of issues, such as climate change, education, and finance. One $150,000 Ford Foundation grant to Beijing Normal University funds research on Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative, a CCP tool to subjugate foreign nations through direct infrastructure investment.

While the two foundations' Chinese grants largely differ in purpose, both nonprofits sent funding to public universities that are tied to China's military and national defense industry. The Gates and Ford Foundations, for example, combined in 2021 to give nearly $3.5 million to Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University—universities that the Australian Strategic Policy Institute designates as "high risk" or "very high risk" due to their "high level[s] of defense research" and alleged involvement in foreign cyber attacks. All three universities, according to the institute, are under the supervision of China's State Administration of Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense, which aims to deepen university involvement in the defense sector.

The foundations in 2021 also sent nearly $500,000 to Beijing Normal University, which has worked with the Chinese government to develop military vehicles, according to a 2021 Foundation for Defense of Democracies report. The university in June 2021 also hosted a two-week military training session.

For American Foreign Policy Council fellow Michael Sobolik, the Gates and Ford Foundations' China grants "work directly against America's national security interests."

https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/the-lefts-largest-nonprofits-funneled-39-million-to-china-in-2021-filings-show/

EU Commission VP Threatens Elon Musk: 'There Will Be Sanctions' If You Allow Free Speech on Twitter

EU Commission VP for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova threatened Elon Musk that he will be hit with "sanctions" if he allows free speech on Twitter.

"The time of the Wild West is over," Jourova told EuroNews while attending the World Economic Forum in Davos last week. "We will have the Digital Services Act [DSA]. We will have the Code of Practice as a part of this legislation.

"So, after Mr Musk took over Twitter with his 'freedom of speech absolutism,' we are the protectors of freedom of speech as well," she continued. "But at the same time, we cannot accept, for instance, illegal content online and so on. So, our message was clear: we have rules which have to be complied with, otherwise there will be sanctions."

Protecting free speech means banning "hate speech," Jourova said:

"How to push them to do things? We had some 'gentlemen's agreements,' like the Code of Conduct against Hate Speech, which was very important in 2016 when we saw an extreme rise of hatred online targeted to concrete people or groups of citizens."

"So, I always like to combine decent communication and discussion, and testing how far they can go under the framework of some sort of social responsibility."

Jourova also took part in a panel discussion at Davos last week where she predicted that the US will follow the EU and "soon" have laws to punish "illegal hate speech."

https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=63557

Hillary Clinton's campaign paid a British spy who worked with a Russian agent to create the Steele Dossier and the FBI official investigating Trump for Russian collusion was himself colluding with Russia.

https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1617576100116283396

4.3 Tons of Narcotics, 6,084 Seizures, 9,130 Agriculture and Biological Interceptions, More Than $105 Million in Fake Merchandise: Fiscal Year 2022 Yields Big Enforcement Numbers for Cincinnati CBP

CINCINNATI— U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and specialists in Cincinnati posted record-breaking numbers of enforcement actions during Fiscal Year 2022. From October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2022, Cincinnati seized 6,084 shipments, putting them in fourth place nationwide, and specialists issued 9,130 Emergency Action Notifications (EANs), third place nationwide and the highest number of agriculture and biological seizures ever recorded at the port.

Meth

“These enforcement statistics are a reflection of the talent and professionalism displayed by the men and women at the Port of Cincinnati,” said Cincinnati Port Director Richard Gillespie. “As the international trade volumes continue to soar, these officers and specialists consistently protect our frontline by stopping thousands of illicit shipments while facilitating more than 69 million legitimate transactions.”

During FY 2022, officers seized 9,471 pounds, or 4.3 tons, of narcotics in 1,043 shipments attempting to make entry, exit from, or transit through the United States. Remarkably, Port of Cincinnati outbound seizures increased by more than 1,400% from the previous fiscal year. Some notable seizures include:

When officers stopped a shipment of phone cases in March, they noticed the cases had an unusual crystalline texture that left a white residue on their gloves during inspection. They tested the cases and found they were formed from methamphetamine. The shipment originated in California and was destined to Australia.

In April, an officer became suspicious while inspecting a shipment of hammocks after witnessing a puff of powder rise up from a strand of the fabric during inspection. Tests showed the hammocks were soaked in methamphetamine. The shipment was coming from Mexico and headed to Spain.

The following month, Narcotics Detector Dog “Bruno” alerted to a shipment coming from Mexico and headed to Australia. The shipment held two electric popcorn poppers with methamphetamine concealed beneath foam insulation.

Officers also found methamphetamine in nasal spray, waterproofing sealant, horse saddles, baby diapers, bottles of honey, owl decorations, and molded into cardboard to form plates and into plaster to make kids’ chairs. Sometimes criminals didn’t bother to conceal anything at all, such as a 35-pound box full of nothing but methamphetamine enroute from China to New York.

Unique concealment methods for cocaine included packed inside jet ski parts, embedded within wooden ash trays and epoxy paintings, and slid into lead aprons.

Rifle barrels were found smuggled in curtain rods, cash was smuggled in microwaves, school supplies, and speakers, and heroin mixed into shampoo and slipped into sandal soles.

Another significant seizure came disguised as a custom-made child’s loveseat. Officers located 28 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms hidden behind expanding foam under the sofa’s seat cushions. The mushrooms had been on their way to a residence in Kissimmee, Florida from Toronto, Canada.

https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/43-tons-narcotics-6084-seizures-9130-agriculture-and-biological

Pentagon Can’t Account for $220 Billion of Gear Given to Contractors

The actual total is probably higher according to the Government Accountability Office's new report.

Auditors say the Pentagon cannot account for $220 billion worth of government-owned gear provided to military contractors—and the actual total is likely much higher.

In a report released Tuesday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) slammed the Pentagon’s handling of so-called “government-furnished property” (GFP) that has been passed off to contractors with little oversight. The GAO notes that auditors have asked for decades that the Pentagon develop a plan to account for that gear and equipment—which can include “ammunition, missiles, torpedoes,” and component parts for those items—to little avail. In 2001, the Pentagon said it would address the issue by 2005. In 2020, it said the process would be complete by 2026.

Perhaps someday we’ll know how much taxpayer-funded military gear has been handed out to contractors. For now, the GAO notes that the $220 billion estimate is “likely significantly understated.” That figure is based on a 2014 report, but in 2016 the Army told auditors that the actual figure is “unknown and that actual quantities may be greatly different than the Army’s documented property records reflect.”

The Pentagon failed a fifth consecutive audit in November, when it could only account for 39 percent of its $3.5 trillion in assets. Nevertheless, the military received $858 billion—a 10 percent budget increase—in the omnibus bill passed late last year.

The amount of taxpayer-funded military gear that’s been handed out to contractors is a relatively small sum compared to the Pentagon’s astronomical budget and gordian accounting issues. Even so, it serves as an illustrative example of the broader accountability problems within the most expensive portion of the federal discretionary budget.

“DOD’s lack of accountability over government property in the possession of contractors has been reported by auditors as far back as 1981,” the new GAO report states. “These long-standing issues affect the accounting for and reporting of GFP and are one of the reasons DOD is unable to produce auditable financial statements.”

It can also serve as a litmus test for the seriousness of would-be fiscal conservatives who are calling for spending cuts.

The new Republican majority in the House of Representatives has vowed to roll back discretionary spending to 2022 levels—effectively undoing the omnibus bill passed in December. But some are already indicating that they would like to exempt the Pentagon from that belt-tightening.

“During negotiations, cuts to defense were never discussed,” Rep. Chip Roy (R–Texas) said in a statement posted to his office’s Twitter account last week. “Spending cuts should focus on non-defense discretionary spending.”

That’s a bunch of nonsense. If the Department of Education couldn’t account for more than 39 percent of its assets, conservatives would rightly be outraged about the rampant waste. If the Department of Transportation had misplaced more than $220 billion of equipment, they would likely haul Secretary Pete Buttigieg before a committee to answer for the mess. The Pentagon should be treated no differently—in fact, given the long-standing accountability issues there, it should arguably be subjected to even tighter scrutiny.

A bipartisan group of senators including included Chuck Grassley (R–Iowa), Mike Lee (R–Utah), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I–Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D–Ore.), proposed a possible solution last year. Their bill would automatically cut 1 percent from the budget of any part of the Pentagon that fails an annual audit. If that had passed, 20 of the Pentagon’s 27 agencies would have faced budget cuts this year.

As it stands, there is little incentive for the military bureaucracy to get its act together because lawmakers from both parties will vote to shower more money on the Pentagon even when it can’t account for most of what it’s already been given. That won’t change until Congress’ approach to the Pentagon budget does.

https://www.globalresearch.ca/pentagon-cant-account-220-billion-gear-given-contractors/5805699

https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-23-105198.pdf

Epstein island was a cult ritual site

Look who went there!