Thousands rally for peace in Italy

Demonstrators in the cities of Genoa and Milan are demanding an end to weapons supplies to Kiev

Several thousand people turned up for peace demonstrations in the Italian cities of Genoa and Milan on Saturday. Union members and left-wing activists claimed, among other things, that authorities in Rome have breached national law by sending weapons to Ukraine.

The rally in Genoa drew nearly 4,000 participants from across the country as well as from Switzerland and France, local media reported.

Organized by the Collective Autonomous Port Workers (CALP) group with the support of the Italian communist party, the protest took place under the slogan “Lower weapons, raise wages.”

CALP’s Riccardo Rudino was cited in the media as saying that the “conflict in Ukraine did not begin last year” but rather “in 2014, with the massacre of the Russian-speaking population in Donbass.”

The demonstrators filed through the port of Genoa, demanding an end to the use of the facility for arms shipments destined for Ukraine.

CALP spokesperson Jose Nivoi accused the Italian government of violating law 185 of 1990, which “imposed a ban on the import, export and transit of weapons from Italy to states at war.”

The group’s representatives also described how they had been networking with like-minded “associations and activists in various European cities.”

The demonstrations in Italy coincided with one in the German capital, Berlin. There, tens of thousands of people heeded the call of prominent Left Party politician Sahra Wagenknecht and author Alice Schwarzer.

Named the ‘Uprising for Peace,’ the protest called for peace talks to end hostilities in Ukraine. The participants also urged the German government to stop shipping weapons to Kiev.

Addressing her supporters, Wagenknecht criticized Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government for allegedly trying to “ruin Russia,” and described Saturday’s protest as the start of a new peace movement in Germany.

https://www.rt.com/news/572091-italy-peace-rally-ukraine-russia/

Leftists Furious As Woody Harrelson Sneaks Covid Vaccine Mandate Joke Onto SNL

On his fifth time as guest host on the now far-leftist Saturday Night Live, Harrelson entered into a monologue which seemed to catch the New York audience off guard as the joke ended with a scathing indirect indictment of Big Pharma, lockdowns and vaccine mandates.

The progressive media is, not surprisingly, furious, accusing Harrelson of not only spreading a "conspiracy theory" but being high with the Rolling Sone's Marlow Stern claiming he was "apparently under the influence."

https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/leftists-furious-woody-harrelson-sneaks-anti-vax-mandate-jokes-saturday-night-live

Zelensky Berates, Threatens Unsupportive Americans

This is an example of how not to win over the American people: shame and berate them while claiming Washington's 'global leadership' is in peril.

"If they do not change their opinion…they will lose NATO, they will lose the clout of the United States, they will lose the leadership position they are enjoying in the world," Zelensky said at a press conference late last week, in reference to the US public… As if the average American struggling to get by amid soaring food and cost-of-living prices stays awake at night worrying about US global "clout":

A reporter had asked what Zelensky would tell the "growing number of Americans" who are increasingly critical of the billions in taxpayer money being shoveled into Kiev's coffers. Officials have lately voiced concern over "Ukraine fatigue" and waning support from the public for the Biden administration's Ukraine policies, also amid growing GOP resistance.

"The US is never going to give up on a NATO member state," Zelensky continued as part of the response. He then claimed Russia would "enter the Baltic states, NATO member states, and then the US will have to send their sons and daughters exactly the way as we are sending their [sic] sons and daughters to war."

"They will be dying," he then declared dramatically, before going on to claim that interrupting the flow of aid would cause Washington to "lose the support of a country with 40 million population, with millions of children."

Zelensky then posed: "Are American children any different from ours?"

Republican representative from Arizona Andy Biggs was one among those who quickly rebutted the Ukrainian leader's comments, pointing out the ridiculousness of the unusually confrontational rhetoric directed at the Western public generally…

"We don’t need Zelensky lecturing Americans on what to think and do," Rep. Biggs said on Twitter. "We have absolutely every right to question and end all aid to Ukraine."

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/zelensky-berates-threatens-unsupportive-americans

Amazon Sued for Selling Products Containing Donkey Meat

Amazon has been hit with a lawsuit for selling products that contain donkey meat.

The lawsuit was filed by the Center for Contemporary Equine Studies, which says that the retail giant is illegally selling products that contain “ejiao.”

Ejiao, also sometimes referred to as “gelatina nigra,” is a form of gelatin made using the skin of donkeys. It can be used in a range of products from food to beauty products.

The sale of eijao violates California’s animal welfare law. Walmart and eBay have already pledged to remove any products containing the gel and stop selling it moving forward.

The Center for Contemporary Equine Studies argues that Amazon’s sales are potentially contributing to the skinning of millions of donkeys every year.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/02/amazon-sued-for-selling-products-containing-donkey-meat/

Another train derails after Ohio chemical spill

A train derailed in Lexington, North Carolina, USA on Saturday, Norfolk Southern Railway has confirmed. The incident comes just weeks after another cargo train operated by the same railway company came off the tracks in East Palestine, Ohio, causing a major toxic spill.

The incident in Lexington appears to be on a much smaller scale, with a Norfolk Southern spokesperson telling Fox News that only “one set of wheels” derailed on a single car out of 132 on the train.

“There are no reports of a hazmat situation or danger to the public,” the company’s representative said, adding that the train’s crew were unharmed.

However, the spokesman noted that the derailment would still require “clean up” work, with additional personnel deployed to Lexington to carry it out.

The incident led to a stoppage of traffic and delays to numerous passenger trains, according to the US media.

https://www.rt.com/news/572084-train-derails-us-norfolk/

https://www.rt.com/news/572084-train-derails-us-norfolk/

NewsGuard Misinfo Watchdog: Contracts With DOD, WHO, Pfizer, Microsoft, & AFT

NewsGuard is a self-appointed misinformation watchdog. It seems to be just one more way Americans are not allowed to think for themselves. Co-CEOs Steven Brill and Gordon Crovitz claim it is the “librarian for the internet.” Set up specifically to rate online journalistic integrity, Brill states NewsGuard provides services that “explain to people something about the reliability and trustworthiness and background of those who are feeding them the news.” Eric Effron is the organization’s Editorial Director.

Brill is a Yale graduate and lawyer who has authored multiple best-selling books and was, among other things, CEO of Verified Identity Pass, Inc., the first U.S. biometric Voluntary Credentialing Program that went bankrupt in 2009. It was the parent company of CLEAR which went back online in 2010 and then went public in 2021.

According to MintPressNews, “Crovitz held a number of positions at Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal, eventually becoming executive vice president of the former and the publisher of the latter before both were sold to Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp in 2007. He is also a board member of Business Insider, which has received over $30 million from Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos in recent years.”

Crovitz’s alliances might account for the organization’s favorable 100 ratings for WSJ and the Washington Post. He is also a contributor “to books published by the American Enterprise Institute and Heritage Foundation,” which are also favorably rated by NewsGuard.

Notable NewsGuard Partnerships

NewsGuard has partnered with Microsoft, Pfizer, the Department of Defense with a 2021 $749,387 one-year contract, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and the WHO using NewsGuard’s trademark “new Misinformation Fingerprints” analyst and AI cataloging tool. NewsGuard’s other products include NewsGuard, HealthGuard, and BrandGuard—which help marketers concerned about their brand safety.

https://www.uncoverdc.com/2023/02/21/newsguard-misinfo-watchdog-contracts-with-dod-who-pfizer-microsoft-and-aft/

US Energy Department Now Claims COVID Came from a Lab But US Agencies Still Not Willing to Say COVID Was Dropped Intentionally

The US Energy Department has come out and claimed that COVID was released from a lab. But no American entity has yet to claim that the release was intentional.

According to the Wall Street Journal this morning:

The U.S. Energy Department has concluded that the Covid pandemic most likely arose from a laboratory leak, according to a classified intelligence report recently provided to the White House and key members of Congress.

The shift by the Energy Department, which previously was undecided on how the virus emerged, is noted in an update to a 2021 document by Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines’s office.

“The new report highlights how different parts of the intelligence community have arrived at disparate judgments about the pandemic’s origin. The Energy Department now joins the Federal Bureau of Investigation in saying the virus likely spread via a mishap at a Chinese laboratory. Four other agencies, along with a national intelligence panel, still judge that it was likely the result of a natural transmission, and two are undecided.”

TGP was the first major publication to report on the Wuhan Lab and the likelihood of COVID being released from that lab. We also reported that the lab was working on live animals and information coming out of China showed that the Chinese reported that the lab was the source of COVID through February 2020.

However, one thing that the experts in the States give China a pass on is whether COVID was released intentionally or not.

Why would the experts in our country who only now report on the lab leak claim that the leak in a lab was a “mishap”?

Last April, Dr. Li-Meng Yan says China released the COVID intentionally. She said that COVID was not an accident. Dr. Li-Meng was a virologist in Hong Kong who fled after the COVID pandemic.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/02/us-energy-department-now-claims-covid-came-from-a-lab-but-us-agencies-still-not-willing-to-say-covid-was-dropped-intentionally/

From Theft to Child Sex Abuse, FBI Agents Caught Committing Horrible Crimes and Face ZERO Consequences — Whistleblower

Internal reports show a disturbing pattern of misconduct going unpunished, former special agent Steve Friend claims

FBI agents caught committing a broad array of felonies have not only escaped going to prison for their crimes, but in many cases kept their jobs, according to internal reports from the agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility obtained by former special agent Steve Friend and published by Just the News on Thursday.

The disciplinary reports, dating from 2017 to the present, depict an increase in alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct, reflecting the “sense of entitlement that has seeped into the agency,” Friend, who resigned after blowing the whistle on civil liberties abuses in the FBI’s investigation of the January 6 Capitol riot, told the outlet. He believes today’s agents are coasting on the reputation of their predecessors.

According to his data, for failing to declare a romantic relationship with an incarcerated felon, an agent was suspended for just 15 days. Another agent arrested for stealing his girlfriend’s possessions after an acrimonious breakup got just 14 days. Numerous prohibited relationships between supervisors and underlings are mentioned, netting as little as one day of suspension as a penalty.

Of 23 drunk-driving cases, just five resulted in the agent being fired. One agent who hit a car while driving with a blood alcohol content twice the legal limit and multiple open bottles inside his vehicle was merely suspended for 50 days. Another got away with a 60-day suspension for drunk-driving his vehicle into a police car.

Another three dozen agents lost their guns, had them stolen, or otherwise handled them irresponsibly. One who shot a hole in the floor of his hotel room was suspended for 14 days.

An agent who hit his child, leaving bruises that were reported by the child’s teacher, was merely suspended for 40 days – despite the child apparently having “been coached to minimize what had happened.”

The FBI has its limits, however. Examples of agents whose conduct merited a “summary dismissal” listed in a 2017 report include an agent who admitted to sexually abusing his daughter and granddaughter for years, another who repeatedly stole drug evidence to feed their own addiction, and another who deliberately shot and killed two dogs belonging to neighbors.

The agency stopped disseminating the reports for seven months between 2021 and 2022, out of concern that “employees harmed by misconduct” would feel shamed, but ultimately resumed publication. In a statement to Just the News, it said the reports are actually proof that its disciplinary system works.

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/the-state/from-theft-to-child-sex-abuse-fbi-agents-caught-committing-horrible-crimes-and-face-zero-consequences-whistleblower

Project Veritas Staffers Release New Statement as Whistleblowers Say They Stand With James O’Keefe

Staffers at Project Veritas have released a new statement as whistleblowers say they support ousted founder James O’Keefe.

In a Feb. 24 video statement, Project Veritas staffers said they “are at a crossroads” due to the dispute between O’Keefe and the organization’s board of directors.

O’Keefe departed Project Veritas this week after being suspended and stripped of his authority. The board has said it uncovered signs of “financial malfeasance” but that it did not terminate O’Keefe. Staffers said Thursday that supporters should “give us a chance” as they work to continue O’Keefe’s mission.

“We want James back,” staffers said in the new video. “But we have a duty to our generous supporters, to all of you, and to our journalistic integrity to break record stories, which impact our culture, and most importantly, the future of our country.”

Staffers said they’re committed to continuing working to expose waste, fraud, and abuse, and that “no board or donor ever tells us what to report.

“We will never replace James O’Keefe. But for now, we see it as our job to hold the torch for him while keeping the door wide open for his return. We will keep the spirit of James’s mission alive for as long as we are able. We have investigations underway and stories to release. Our reporters are in the field,” they said. “As James has always told us, content is king. Our visionary may not be with us right now, but the Project Veritas mission is vital. We will produce stories and break news until a day may come when we can’t.”

The group acknowledged that many supporters are disenchanted with O’Keefe’s ouster.

“We don’t want to see a Project Veritas without James O’Keefe,” they said. “Due to decisions made outside of our control, it’s possible we may never earn back the trust of this audience. But we owe it to all of you to try.”

O’Keefe has said that, after board members rebuffed his request for them to resign, he could not return to the company. In a farewell message to staffers at the group’s headquarters, he said he was planning to “start anew” and that he hoped to see some of the staffers soon.

O’Keefe has since posted several times on Twitter, sharing a new email address for tips.

“Those who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who actually do,” he said in his last update on Feb. 24.

Whistleblowers Speak Out

Whistleblowers who have spoken out through Project Veritas, meanwhile, released a video on Feb. 24 saying they stand with O’Keefe.

“I stand with James O’Keefe,” Zach Vorhies, a Google whistleblower, and the other whistleblowers said.

https://www.ntd.com/project-veritas-staffers-release-new-statement-as-whistleblowers-say-they-stand-with-james-okeefe_903858.html

Energy Department Concludes That COVID-19 Pandemic Likely Originated From Chinese Lab Leak: REPORT

The U.S. Department of Energy in a recent classified intelligence report concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic likely originated from a leak in a Chinese laboratory, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Sunday.

The report was shared with the White House and select members of Congress, according to the WSJ. Significantly, the report represents a move away from the previously undecided stance of the Energy Department in relation to the origin of the virus.

Taking the form of an update to a 2021 document from the office of Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence (DNI), the revelation positions the Energy Department in relative alignment with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) over the laboratory leak conclusion, the WSJ reported.

Although the Energy Department reportedly views the laboratory leak conclusion with “low confidence,” their position is significant as it comes from newfound intelligence, according to the WSJ. The FBI maintains “moderate confidence” in the laboratory leak conclusion.

Stanford University microbiologist David Relman, who encouraged impartial investigations into the origin of the pandemic, praised the updated report by congratulating “those who are willing to set aside their preconceptions and objectively re-examine what we know and don’t know about Covid origins,” the WSJ reported.

The Energy Department did not comment on the report but in a statement maintained that it “continues to support the thorough, careful, and objective work of our intelligence professionals in investigating the origins of COVID-19, as the President directed,” according to the WSJ.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) pushed back on World Health Organization (WHO) attempts to investigate the origins of the pandemic in the country. Republican members of the U.S. Congress have urged investigations into the potential role of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, located in the Chinese city of Wuhan, in the spread of COVID-19.

https://dailycaller.com/2023/02/26/energy-department-concludes-covid-19-pandemic-likely-china-lab-leak-origin-report/