Putin lauds Chinese peace roadmap for Ukraine

It can be implemented only when West and Kiev are “ready” for it, Russian president said after talks with his Chinese counterpart

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in the Kremlin for official talks on Tuesday. Speaking after the meeting alongside Xi, the president lauded the 12-point peace roadmap for Ukraine recently floated by Beijing.

“We believe that many of the provisions of the peace plan put forward by China are consonant with the Russian stance and can be taken as a foundation for a peaceful settlement when they are ready for it in the West and in Kiev. However, so far we have not observed such readiness on their part,” Putin stated.

The Chinese president said Beijing continues to strictly adhere to the UN principles over the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, maintaining a balanced position. Xi also reiterated his call on all parties to exercise restraint and for a return to negotiations to seek a diplomatic solution to hostilities.

“We’re always for peace and dialogue, and we firmly stand on the right side of history,” Xi added.

The two leaders met behind closed doors first, with a number of top officials, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev and Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, taking part in the negotiations on the Russian side. The meeting was followed by another round of talks with expanded delegations, involving more government ministers and the heads of Russian state corporations.

The two leaders welcomed the developing ties between the two nations, with the Russian president stating they have already reached their “highest-ever level.”

https://www.rt.com/russia/573366-putin-xi-kremlin-talks/

Russia ready to switch to yuan in foreign trade – Putin

Settlements between Moscow and Beijing are already carried out mostly in national currencies, the Russian president says

Russia is ready to increase settlements in yuan in its foreign trade, President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday during talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, who is in Moscow on a three-day official visit.

“We are for the use of Chinese yuan in settlements between Russia and the countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. I am sure that these forms of settlements in yuan will be developed between Russian partners and their counterparts in third countries,” Putin said.

Two thirds of current trade between Moscow and Beijing is carried out in national currencies – the yuan and the ruble, the Russian president noted.

China’s trade with Russia hit a record high in 2022, growing by nearly a third amid Western sanctions against Moscow. Bilateral trade is on pace to hit over $200 billion this year.

The latest data from the Bank of Russia shows the yuan has become a major player in Russia’s foreign trade, with its share in the country’s import settlements jumping to 23% by the end of last year from only 4% in January 2022. The yuan’s share in export settlements also surged, from 0.5% to 16%.

READ MORE: Yuan share soars in Russian foreign trade – Central Bank

“It is important that national currencies are increasingly used in mutual trade. This practice should be further encouraged, and the mutual presence of financial and banking structures in the markets of our countries should be expanded,” Putin added.

Meanwhile, the share of the US dollar and euro in Russia’s export settlements last year dropped substantially, from 65% in January 2022 to 46% in December.

In February, the Chinese currency overtook the dollar as the most traded currency on the Russian stock market for the first time ever, according to data from the Moscow Exchange.

https://www.rt.com/business/573382-russia-yuan-foreign-trade-putin/

https://www.rt.com/business/573382-russia-yuan-foreign-trade-putin/

NYC GRAND JURY TO RECONVENE ON WEDNESDAY to Weigh Charges Against President Trump

NEW YORK CITY GRAND JURY TO RECONVENE ON WEDNESDAY IN TRUMP LAWFARE PROBE

ABC News reported minutes ago that DA Alvin Bragg’s Grand Jury will reconvene on Wednesday to weigh charges against President Donald Trump.

Democrats are hoping that they can interfere with democracy by disqualifying President Trump from running again for US president.

The Soros-funded and lawless New York City District Attorney Alvin Bragg promised before his election that he would go after President Trump. This is the new reality in America. If you cross the Communist Democrats you will be dealt with.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/breaking-nyc-grand-jury-to-reconvene-on-wednesday-to-weigh-charges-against-president-trump/

Wednesday is 3/22 2023

Biden Regime Now Releasing Hordes of Chinese Illegal Aliens Into US

The Biden Regime is now releasing hordes of Chinese illegal aliens into the United States with NTAs (notice to appear).

Fox News captured the Chinese illegals being released to an NGO in Brownsville, Texas on Tuesday.

The illegals were given NTAs because there are so many crossing into the US and no more space to house them, according to Fox News.

Border Patrol says the number of Chinese nationals illegally crossing the border has recently spiked.

Border Patrol has encountered over 4,300 Chinese illegals in 2023 – up from 2,176 in 2022 and 450 in 2021.

Cartel smugglers are cashing in on the Chinese illegals and charging them as much as triple what they charge other migrants from South America, Fox News reported.

More than 5 million illegal aliens have crossed over the border since Joe Biden was sworn into office in January 2021 and more than 1 million ‘gotaways’ are roaming around inside the US.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/biden-regime-now-releasing-hordes-of-chinese-illegal-aliens-into-us-video/

Liberals Melt Down After Idaho Passes Bill to Allow Execution of Death Row Inmates by Firing Squad

Boise, Idaho – The Idaho State Senate passed a bill by a veto-proof majority Monday which would permit execution by firing squad for death row inmates. The option would become available if the state is unable to acquire the drugs needed for lethal injections.

The final vote was 24-11. The Idaho State House approved the legislation back on March 3 by a 50-15-5 vote, which is also a veto-proof majority.

The bill now goes to Idaho Republican Governor Brad Little’s desk. While Little is a strong proponent of the death penalty, he has not said whether he will sign the legislation into law.

But even if he issues a veto, Idaho lawmakers have the numbers to override it.

Idaho previously allowed death by firing squad but never utilized the method. As reported by Live Now Fox, the state legislature removed the option in 2009 after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld death by lethal injection.

Accused serial killer Bryan Kohberger could be the first. The Gateway Pundit previously wrote about this possibility back in February.

California Democratic Governor Gavin Newson was peeved over the idea of firing squads. He trashed Republicans for not valuing the lives of society’s worst individuals.

He failed to mention the substantial number of innocent Californians gunned down every day by violent criminals, however.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/liberals-melt-down-after-idaho-passes-bill-to-allow-execution-of-death-row-inmates-by-firing-squad/

UK Sending Depleted Uranium Shells To Ukraine Tantamount To Using 'Dirty Bomb': Kremlin

The UK's junior Defense Minister Annabel Goldie told Parliament on Tuesday, "Alongside our granting of a squadron of Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, we will be providing ammunition including armor piercing rounds which contain depleted uranium."

"Such rounds are highly effective in defeating modern tanks and armored vehicles." News of Britain sending armor-piercing tank rounds for Challenger II tanks to Kiev triggered a fierce reaction from the Kremlin, with a strong-worded statement emphasizing that such a weapon will be treated as tantamount to using a nuclear dirty bomb.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in words posted to Telegram highlighted the dangerous health effects of depleted uranium for all when introduced on the battlefield.

"Yugoslav scenario. These shells not only kill, but infect the environment and cause oncology in people living on these lands," she said, in reference to cancer and other deadly ailments.

"By the way, it is naive to believe that only those against whom all this will be used will become victims. In Yugoslavia, NATO soldiers, in particular the Italians, were the first to suffer. Then they tried for a long time to get compensation from NATO for lost health. But their claims were denied," she said.

Zakharova then added, "When will they wake up in Ukraine?… Their benefactors poison them." During the US occupation of Iraq, use of depleted uranium by NATO allies was linked to cancer and birth defects among the Iraqi population.

According to a summary of the hazardous weapons technology in the journal Scientific American:

Used as ammunition, it penetrates the thick steel encasing enemy tanks; used as armor, it protects troops against attack. And when it was used in the Gulf War and later during the Allied bombing of Yugoslavia and Kosovo, depleted uranium (DU) was hailed as the new silver bullet that would solve most of the military's problems.

After the end of Operation Allied Force, however, several Italian soldiers were diagnosed with leukemia. Politicians and the media soon forged a link between the disease and depleted uranium use. They further drew a parallel with Gulf War Syndrome, and in no time, depleted uranium became the Agent Orange of the Balkan conflict.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/uk-sending-depleted-uranium-shells-ukraine-tantamount-using-dirty-bomb-kremlin

18 European Countries Sign Joint Ammunition Donation For Ukraine

A total of 17 EU member states plus Norway have signed a joint agreement on the procurement of ammunition to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities, the Brussels-based European Defense Agency (EDA) announced on Monday.

Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden are the EU countries that have joined the initiative.

Under the agreement, the signing countries will seek to procure 155 mm artillery rounds in the short term on a fast-track basis and several types of ammunition in the longer term.

The EDA said the agreement sends a clear message to the defense industry to increase production capacity and confirms the EU’s commitment to supporting Ukraine.

“The project set up by the EDA provides a solid framework for the acceding member states to provide ammunition to Ukraine as soon as possible. The flexible and inclusive nature of the agreement will allow additional member states to join the initiative at a later stage,” stated a press release from the agency.

The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell — who is also the head of the EDA — welcomed the decision taken by the 17 EU member states.

“By procuring together through the EDA project and mobilizing financial support from the European Peace Facility, we will deliver more and faster to Ukraine. Once again, we are breaking a taboo and unlocking the potential of EU cooperation in joint procurement,” Borrell said on Monday following a meeting of EU defense and foreign ministers.

Hungarian Defense Minister Attila Szalay-Bobrovniczky, who was present at the Monday meeting of EU foreign and defense ministers together with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, revealed that Hungary had stayed out of the agreement, opting instead for “constructive abstention.”

He said that one proposal was for member states to transfer all or part of their existing ammunition stockpiles to Ukraine, and this is not something Hungary considers to be productive in its call for peace at the earliest opportunity.

“On this issue, Hungary, as it does not support the war with weapons or soldiers, has used the so-called constructive abstention,” he told reporters. “In other words, (Hungary) will not block other countries’ plans in this direction based on mutual respect for the decisions of individual member states.”

At the same time, as the proposal would not put an end to the bloodshed, but rather would further increase the chances of an escalation, Hungary does not consider itself bound to participate in the initiative, he added.

https://rmx.news/european-union/18-european-countries-sign-joint-ammunition-donation-for-ukraine/

Stew Peters Show: Freedom Caucus Cowards Lied to Voters, Won’t Impeach Biden

Joe Biden should be impeached for war crimes, explained attorney Francis A. Boyle.

Nationally-syndicated news host Stew Peters was joined by attorney Francis A. Boyle for a segment exposing the House Freedom Caucus over its failure to move forward with impeaching Joe Biden and open-borders DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkis. Boyle has already drafted the articles of impeachment and handed them over to the Freedom Caucus, which has refused to act. This is despite Freedom Caucus members, like Marjorie Taylor Greene, campaigning and raising money on Biden’s impeachment since the day he was installed as President.

Citing Joe Biden’s belligerence related to the Russo-Ukrainian Conflict, his brazen violations of the War Powers Clause of the US Constitution, and his open egging on of a World War 3 scenario, attorney Francis A. Boyle joined Stew Peters to explain the action that can immediately be taken against the administration to stop the madness.

Biden’s violations, Boyle explained, constitute felonies that could lead to prison time.

Boyle, who’s been a longtime advocate for peace and against government corruption, has previously called for International Criminal Court action to be taken against George W Bush and Dick Cheney, for similar war crimes that they committed in the Middle East.

“Last summer, because of the highly belligerent steps being taken by Biden and the Bidenites, I drafted a bill of impeachment against President Biden,” Boyle told Peters, explaining that his “bill of impeachment against President Biden is right now in the hands of the Republican House Freedom Caucus,” which refuses to act.

Additionally, Boyle has offered, free of charge, to serve as impeachment counsel for the Freedom Caucus should they actually introduce the articles of impeachment against Biden.

“The Republicans have a majority in the House,” Boyle went on. “They can vote to impeach Biden very quickly [and] ship it to the Senate for trial. I think that if that was done, the Biden Administration would be dead in the water.”

https://nationalfile.com/stew-peters-show-freedom-caucus-cowards-lied-to-voters-wont-impeach-biden/

CDC Warns of Dangerous Fungal Infection Spreading Through US at ‘Alarming Rate’

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning of an increasingly drug-resistant emerging fungus that the health agency says presents a “serious global health threat.”

Candida auris is a rare fungal disease that is easily spread through contact with contaminated surfaces or from person-to-person and can cause severe illness in hospitalized patients and those with weakened immune systems, according to health officials.

In some rare cases, the yeast can enter the bloodstream of patients and spread throughout the body, causing serious invasive candidiasis infections, which can affect the blood, heart, brain, eyes, bones, and other parts of the body and can prove fatal.

Data from a limited number of patents shows that 30 to 60 percent of people diagnosed with the fungal disease have died. However, healthy people typically do not get sick from the fungal disease.

The CDC said it is concerned about Candida auris for three main reasons: it is often multidrug-resistant, it is hard to identify using standard laboratory methods, and it has rapidly caused outbreaks in health care settings.

Additionally, individuals who have been hospitalized in health care facilities for long periods of time—especially those who have breathing tubes, feeding tubes, and central venous catheters going into their bodies—appear to be at the highest risk of contracting Candida auris.

Other risk factors are generally similar to risk factors for other types of Candida infections and include recent surgery, diabetes, and recent use of antibiotics or antifungal medications, initial data shows.

CDC Data Shows Rise in Cases

Infections of Candida auris, also referred to as C. auris, have been found in patients of all ages, from preterm infants to the elderly, health officials say.

According to CDC data, the drug-resistant fungus, which was first detected in the United States in 2016, has been spreading “at an alarming rate” among hospitalized patients in recent years, with clinical cases of the fungus nearly doubling in 2021 and continuing to rise in 2022.

There were at least 2,377 confirmed clinical cases of Candida auris in the United States in 2022, according to CDC statistics, up from 1,474 cases in 2021 and 757 cases in 2020.

Data shows the fungal disease is now present in more than half of U.S. states.

Separate data from the CDC published in the Annals of Internal Medicine on March 20 also found that screening cases—in which the fungus is detected but is not causing infection—tripled from 2020 to 2021, from 1,310 to 4,041 cases.

The CDC has said it is concerned with the tripling in 2021 of the number of cases that were resistant to echinocandins, antifungal drugs that are typically the first line of treatment for Candida auris.

CDC officials said in a press release that the number of Candida auris cases may have risen for multiple reasons, including poor general infection prevention and control practices in health care facilities, although enhanced efforts to detect cases may have also contributed to the rise.

“The timing of this increase and findings from public health investigations suggest C. auris spread may have worsened due to strain on healthcare and public health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic,” CDC officials added.

https://www.ntd.com/cdc-warns-of-dangerous-fungal-infection-spreading-through-us-at-alarming-rate_908667.html

https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/abs/10.7326/M22-3469?journalCode=aim

THEFT

Janet Yellen Says More Bank Bailouts Could Be On The Horizon

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in remarks Tuesday that regulators may insure all deposits at more banks following the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank depositor bailouts.

Yellen said the bailouts were essential to safeguard the U.S. banking system in prepared remarks at the American Bankers Association Tuesday, referencing the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve’s actions in guaranteeing the deposits of SVB’s customers.

“Similar actions could be warranted if smaller institutions suffer deposit runs that pose the risk of contagion,” she said.

Previously, Yellen had said similar actions would only take place for banks whose failure could pose a threat to the banking system.

“A bank only gets that treatment if a majority of the FDIC board, a super majority of the Fed board and I, in consultation with the president, determine that the failure to protect uninsured depositors would create systemic risk and significant economic and financial consequences,” Yellen said.

“Treasury is committed to ensuring the ongoing health and competitiveness of our vibrant community and regional banking institutions,” Yellen said, according to CNBC.

U.S. officials are examining possible methods to increase Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) coverage to more deposits as a way to stave off a possible financial crisis, according to Bloomberg.

Staff in the Treasury Department are evaluating if federal regulators possess sufficient emergency authority to temporarily insure all deposits over the $250,000 limit existing on most accounts, following the steps taken to cover SVB and Signature Bank depositors, according to Bloomberg.

As of now, authorities do not believe this move is essential, but they are working on a strategy in case circumstances devolve, according to Bloomberg.

“Since our administration and the regulators took decisive action last weekend, we have seen deposits stabilize at regional banks throughout the country and, in some cases, outflows have modestly reversed,” White House spokesman Michael Kikukawa said, not acknowledging if this step is being investigated, according to Bloomberg.

https://dailycaller.com/2023/03/21/janet-yellen-more-bank-bailouts-could-be-on-the-horizon/

Germany Celebrates its First Arabic Language Street Sign

Leftward-leaning German politicians have lauded the decision to erect the nation’s first street sign in Arabic script as a “a symbolic expression of social inclusion.”

This month, the North Rhine-Westphalian state capital of Düsseldorf has begun exhibiting the name of Ellerstrasse in Arabic letters: .

Touted as a campaign to underscore the diversity and international flair of Düsseldorf, the Arabic street sign has been placed in Oberbilk, a district with a particularly large number of people with Moroccan roots.

According to a decision by the city’s “integration council,” there will eventually be bilingual street signs in ten different places around the metropolis.

The councilor for Oberbilk, Green party politician Samy Charchira, said the new sign bespeaks a symbolic expression of “social inclusion,” showing that people identify with their district and the diversity of its residents.

The more people do that, the more social responsibility they can assume, he said.

The politician also said that the sign holds up for admiration and gratitude the many “people, families, and tradespeople with a Moroccan and Maghrebian background” who have “helped to build” Germany for several generations.

Moroccan Consul General Lalla Loubna Ait-Bassidi and chairman of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, Aiman ​​Mazyek, similarly praised the move.

“I am grateful that integration is being expressed in a way that people from 20 Arab nations can read and understand,” Ait-Bassidi said. “The sign symbolizes that the migrants are recognized and it stands for the diversity of Düsseldorf, one of the most diverse cities in North Rhine-Westphalia.”

“Düsseldorf shows diversity and shows respect for immigrant Germans,” wrote Mazyek on Twitter.

https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2023/03/21/germany-celebrates-its-first-arabic-language-street-sign/

Russia Threatens Canada With ‘Most Serious Consequences’ After Trudeau Govt’s ‘Regime Change’ Comments

Russia summoned the Canadian ambassador on Monday to complain about “Russophobic” comments by the Trudeau government earlier this month about seeking “regime change”, with Moscow threatening “serious consequences” in return.

Canada is subverting international norms in diplomatic relations and international law, Russia — which invaded a sovereign country last year and apparently has no sense of irony — has alleged in an angry despatch through state media publisher TASS.

The comments come weeks after comments by a top Canadian government minister caught headlines worldwide. Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly made the remark while discussing Western sanctions on Russia, and said she was “seeing potential regime change in Russia”. Underlining the point and making it clear that’s what Canada wanted, Joly continued: “The goal is definitely to do that, is to weaken Russia’s ability to launch very difficult attacks against Ukraine. We want also to make sure that Putin and his enablers are held to account.”

Russia’s ambassador to Canada dismissed the comments at the time, claiming the government’s actions enjoyed the support of a majority of Russians and that Western politicians were blind to that.

Now, Russia threatens the country “reserved the right” to take action “depending on the further steps of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s ruling regime in the context of his declared policy of confrontation with Russia”. Calling the regime change comments a “Russophobic attack”, the Russian state said they would have “the most serious consequences for bilateral relations”.

The top Canadian diplomat, Brian Ebel, was summoned by the Kremlin this morning to receive a “strong protest” against Joly’s words earlier in March.

While the Joly comments were a first in terms of a top NATO leader saying the words “regime change” out loud, they do not appear to be uncharacteristic in terms of intent. U.S. President Biden said shortly after the invasion began in 2022 that “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power”.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/03/21/russia-threatens-canada-with-most-serious-consequences-after-trudeau-govts-regime-change-comments/

Foot Locker becomes latest chain to close stores nationwide with more than 400 under-performing shops to close by 2026

Foot Locker is set to close 420 stores across the United States in next three years

It said the closures will allow the company to introduce new store concepts

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11885363/Foot-Locker-latest-chain-close-stores-nationwide-400-shops-close-2026.html?ito=push-notification

UNBELIEVABLE: Federal Judge Hands Over Trump’s Lawyer’s Notes to DOJ

The top DC federal judge did more than force Trump’s lawyer to testify. She actually turned over docs directly to investigators.

The Democrats have destroyed our judiciary.

Another sacred tenet of our judicial system – legal attorney-client privilege – unconstitutionally shredded by the Democrats.

On her final day as the top judge in the District of Columbia on Friday afternoon—in her final act—Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell did more than grant the Justice Department permission to question former President Donald Trump’s personal attorney. She actually took the rare step of handing over the lawyer’s notes to federal prosecutors, according to a person familiar with the arrangement.

In doing so, Howell may have planted the seeds for a future constitutional challenge. But in the immediate term, she’s handed Justice Department Special Prosecutor Jack Smith a parting gift: what she deemed evidence of a crime involving the former president improperly hoarding classified documents after he left office.

M. Evan Corcoran, a former federal prosecutor, has represented Trump in that classified documents scandal. And while Corcoran already has his hands full as Trump’s lawyer, the probe now appears to have put Corcoran in legal jeopardy himself….

https://gellerreport.com/2023/03/unbelievable-federal-judge-hands-over-trumps-lawyers-notes-to-doj.html/

Fentanyl Mixed With Animal Sedatives Found 48 States, DEA Warns

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said Monday that authorities seized fentanyl mixed with a pharmaceutical drug used to sedate animals in 48 states, warning the American public of a widespread threat.

Authorities said in a public safety alert that the agency confiscated Xylazine, also known as “tranq,” and fentanyl mixtures, which could cause severe wounds, including necrosis that may lead to amputation.

“Xylazine is making the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier,” Administrator Anne Milgram said in a news release.

Milgram said the DEA Laboratory System reported approximately 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA contained Xylazine in 2022.

The National Institute of Drug Abuse labels Xylazine as a non-opioid veterinary tranquilizer that has been linked to the increasing number of overdose deaths nationwide.

“Research has shown Xylazine is often added to illicit opioids, including fentanyl, and people report using xylazine-containing fentanyl to lengthen its euphoric effects,” the institute’s website reads. “Most overdose deaths linked to both xylazine and fentanyl also involved additional substances, including cocaine, heroin, benzodiazepines, alcohol, gabapentin, methadone, and prescription opioids.”

Between 2015 and 2020, the Northeastern region of the U.S. saw the largest impact from overdose deaths involving Xylazine, with Pennsylvania increasing from 2% of overdose deaths nearly 26%. Maryland reported 19% of all drug overdoses in 2021 involved Xylazine, and 10% in Connecticut in 2020.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 107,735 Americans died between August 2021 and August 2022 from drug poisonings, with 66% of those deaths involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl, according to the news release.

Authorities said experts always recommend administering naloxone if someone might be overdosing on drugs, although Narcan does not reverse effects on non-opioids.

DEA authorities blamed the vast majority of fentanyl trafficked into the United States on the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco Cartel in Mexico, which primarily source the chemicals from China.

The federal agency’s latest public safety announcement comes nearly two years after its last one when authorities warned the public about increases in the lethality and availability of fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills, which was further updated to say that six out of ten fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.

http://www.stationgossip.com/2023/03/fentanyl-mixed-with-animal-sedatives.html

Toxic PFAS Chemicals Found in Ketchup, Mayo, Other Common Foods

Highly hazardous PFAS, or per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, are leaching out of plastic containers and contaminating food products, according to research published by the American Chemical Society this month.

Highly hazardous PFAS, or per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, are leaching out of plastic containers and contaminating food products, according to research published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters this month.

The data confirm the results of prior research focused on the propensity of PFAS to contaminate various pesticide products through storage containers.

That data led the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue a warning over the potential for direct PFAS contamination of food.

The current study, conducted by scientists at Notre Dame University, confirms these worst fears and shows that the containers of commonly used products like ketchup and mayonnaise are leaching out levels that post a threat to human health.

“Not only did we measure significant concentrations of PFAS in these containers, we can estimate the PFAS that were leaching off creating a direct path of exposure,” said study co-author Graham Peaslee, Ph.D., professor of physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Notre Dame.

In breaking news on Tuesday, EPA is setting standards for two PFAS, PFOA and PFOS at no more than 4 parts per trillion in drinking water.

While testing will be required, this measure is limited by its scope, requiring only monitoring of a few other PFAS compounds.

At issue are HDPE, or high-density polyethylene, containers, a type of plastic that may or may not be fluorinated prior to filling them with various materials.

Fluorinating these containers “allows for cheaper and more efficient production of plastics that contain desirable properties, primarily increased barrier properties,” according to the study.

In other words, fluoridation is being used to address the potential for gasses, water vapor, light and other factors that would impact the quality of product in the packaging.

The material is as common as your milk jug and used to store a wide variety of substances — from foodstuffs to shampoo, motor oil, detergents and pesticides.

Using food samples retrieved from glass jars, scientists tested them by adding samples to both fluorinated and non-fluorinated HDPE containers. Scientists tested the amount of PFAS in these containers using plain water, methanol and acetone as reference.

And food samples added to both treated and untreated HDPE containers, including ketchup, olive oil and mayonnaise were also analyzed for their PFAS levels.

Further tests were conducted where containers and food were heated, to determine if that increased the effects. Testing methods employed a similar approach recently taken by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to measure PFAS in foods.

Results from even nonfluorinated containers represented a risk, ranging from 10 parts per trillion to 880 parts per trillion. Fluorinated containers hit between an astounding 45,120 and 94,810 ppt.

These numbers include a summation of a range of PFAS analytes, including PFOA, PFDA, PFBA and many others.

https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/toxic-pfas-chemicals-ketchup-mayo-foods/

College Gets Millions from U.S. to Develop Tool for Journalists to Combat Misinformation

The public university that recently got more than half a million dollars from the U.S. government to combat science misinformation in black communities is also receiving a chunk of change from American taxpayers to develop a “precision tool providing journalists with guidance against misinformation.” The fact-checking engine is called Course Correct and the academics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who are creating it assert it will help journalists identify trending misinformation on social media, strategically correct false claims and test the effectiveness of corrections in real time. “Challenges of misinformation are not restricted to elections and COVID or to a particular community,” according to one of the professors working on the project. “Countering misinformation will require vigilance and adaptation.” And apparently a lot of money from the government.

Public funding will flow through the National Science Foundation (NSF), the federal agency established by Congress in 1950 to promote the progress of science, advance national health and secure national defense. In two separate grants the NSF is awarding the University of Wisconsin-Madison north of $5.7 million to develop Course Correct. The first grant, for $750,000, focuses on delivering an innovative, three-step method to identify, test, and correct real-world instances of online disinformation by using computational means such as language processing, machine learning, social network analysis and computer vision to identify posts and accounts susceptible to misinformation. “Democracy and public health in the United States rely on trust in institutions,” the grant announcement states. “Skepticism regarding the integrity of U.S. elections and hesitancy related to COVID-19 vaccines are two consequences of a decline in confidence in basic political processes and core medical institutions. Social media serve as a major source of delegitimizing information about elections and vaccines, with networks of users actively sowing doubts about election integrity and vaccine efficacy, fueling the spread of misinformation.”

The initial NSF investment will support and empower efforts by journalists, developers, and citizens to fact-check information, the grant document says. They urgently need tools that can enable testing of fact-checking stories on topics such as elections and vaccines across social media platforms like Twitter, Reddit, and Facebook, according to the science agency. In short, the project is motivated by a desire to understand and help address what the Biden administration calls “two democratic and public health crises facing the U.S.” They are described as skepticism regarding the integrity of U.S. elections and hesitancy related to COVID-19 vaccines. “Both of these crises are fueled by online misinformation,” the NSF writes in the grant document.

https://www.judicialwatch.org/college-gets-millions-from-us/

"I Couldn't Remain Silent": Physician Assistant Fired For Reporting COVID-19 Vaccine Adverse Events To VAERS

For her efforts to report injuries to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) and to educate others in her hospital system on doing the same, Physician Assistant Deborah Conrad said she was labeled an anti-vaxxer and fired from her job.

Today, the New York-based Conrad tells her story at medical freedom conferences throughout the country, the most recent being one in Mississippi where physicians, scientists, and the vaccine injured warned state lawmakers to pull the COVID-19 vaccines from the market.

Conrad told The Epoch Times she began to see early danger signals in 2021 upon the vaccine rollout, and with that, resistance among her colleagues to report on them.

“After the vaccines came out, there was this uptick in unusual symptoms, some of which I had never seen in my 20-year career,” Conrad said. “In every case, it was in somebody who had received the COVID-19 vaccine.”

Conrad said she had never admitted an adult patient with RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) until the COVID-19 vaccines.

“And every patient who came in with RSV was vaccinated for COVID,” Conrad said. “It wasn’t normal.”

Then, there were the adolescents with no previous medical conditions who had gotten the COVID-19 vaccine a week prior and, suddenly, they were struck with pneumonia and not able to function, she said.

“They weren’t able to walk or eat, and they were completely and totally fatigued,” Conrad said.

This was in 2021 before myocarditis was being discussed, so many of those early cases that were probably myocarditis were diagnosed as pneumonia, she said.

“A lot of these myocarditis cases came in with fevers because of this massive inflammatory response that was taking place in the body, so they would be labeled as septic, treated as if we were treating pneumonia or fevers of unknown origin,” Conrad said. “We’d treat them with antibiotics and all sorts of other things, not realizing that they were having heart failure.”

Conrad began reporting to VAERS, which she said was an overwhelming task not made easy by its multiple user-interface complications.

“My entire life had been taken over by doing these VAERS reports by myself,” she said.

In meetings with leadership, she would propose implementing a reporting system and hiring someone to manage the reports, she said.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/i-couldnt-remain-silent-physician-assistant-fired-reporting-covid-19-vaccine-adverse

2010 be careful who you follow

Ritter's sex charges from 2001 unsealed

Judge finds "prior bad acts" can be used as evidence at his trial

William Scott Ritter Jr., a former United Nations weapons inspector who gained renown for his criticism of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, contends his online sexual encounters with teenage girls were only fantasy.

Nearly two years ago, Ritter, of Delmar, watched his computer screen reveal that an anonymous person who had been exchanging sexually charged messages with him for 80 minutes was not a 15-year-old girl.

It was a cop from a small town in northeast Pennsylvania, alone in his station house and trolling the Internet for suspected child predators.

Ryan Venneman, a detective for the Barrett Township Police Department in Monroe County, had enough after Ritter allegedly transmitted streaming video of himself masturbating.

"(Y)ou know ur in a lot of trouble don't u," Venneman typed in a Yahoo chat-room message. "Im a under cover police officer u need to call me asap."

"Nah," Ritter answered. "Your not 15. Yahoo is for 18 and over. Its all fantasy. No crime. … As far as I know, you're a 56 year old housewife."

The problem for Ritter, 49, a volunteer fireman and married father of two daughters, is that the encounter with Venneman is at least the third time he's been snared in an Internet sting case involving police posing as minors. Now, the past is coming back to haunt Ritter.

A Pennsylvania judge ruled last week that two Colonie case files involving Ritter be unsealed so they can be used as evidence against him at his upcoming trial.

In the spring of 2001, Colonie police say Ritter twice showed up for meetings with what he believed would be teenage girls. The first time, Ritter was questioned but let go by police who had been posing as a curious 14-year-old girl.

Two months later, Ritter turned up at a fast-food restaurant, where police said they had set up a sexual meeting while posing as a 15-year-old girl. Ritter was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of soliciting a minor. Despite his national prominence, Ritter's arrest was not publicly announced.

Several months later an Albany County prosecutor agreed to classify Ritter's case as an "Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal" (ACOD), an outcome in New York state's criminal law in which a prosecutor agrees to excuse a defendant's behavior in exchange for six months to one year of good behavior. After that time, the case is legally dismissed and the records are sealed from the public as though the incident never occurred. With an ACOD, a defendant becomes legally allowed to deny the arrest occurred, except in special circumstances, such as applying for a job as a police officer or a teacher.

In Ritter's case, his prosecutor was later fired for her decision.

https://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Ritter-s-sex-charges-from-2001-unsealed-921740.php

Israel Introduces Bill to Outlaw Teaching The Gospel of Jesus Christ, Sentence Violators to Prison

Two influential members of Israel's Knesset have introduced a bill to outlaw teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Israel and sentence violators to prison.

Israel already bans Christians from proselytizing minors but this new bill will go even further and "ban any and all efforts to tell people about Jesus."

From All Israel News, "EXCLUSIVE: Two Knesset members propose legislation to outlaw sharing the Gospel in Israel and send violators to prison – could it become law?":

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – Is it possible that the Israeli government this year could pass legislation making it illegal for people to share the Gospel message in the very land where Jesus was born, raised, preached, died, buried and rose from the dead?

Unfortunately, yes.

As Palm Sunday and Easter approach – the two most sacred days on the calendar for those who follow Jesus as both God and Messiah – two members of the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) introduced a bill last week that would ban any and all efforts to tell people about Jesus.

The bill would send violators to prison.

[…] The proposed legislation would outlaw all efforts by people of one faith who, in any way, want to discuss or try to persuade people of other faiths to consider changing their current religious beliefs.

The punishment for doing so would be “one year imprisonment.”

If the conversation is with minor – someone under the age of 18 – the punishment would be “two years imprisonment.”

This bill would apply to people having spiritual conversations with Israelis of any religion.

However, in their official explanation of the bill, the two Israeli legislators specifically emphasized the warning to stop Christians, in particular.

The bill’s primary objective, therefore, appears to be making it illegal for followers of Jesus (“Yeshua” in Hebrew) to explain why they believe that Jesus is both Messiah and God with the hope that Israelis might consider following Him.

The bill does not only make a simple personal conversation about Jesus with another individual a crime.

It would also make it illegal for “someone who solicits a person – directly, digitally, by mail or online – in order to convert his religion.”

Thus, producing and publishing online videos explaining the Gospel to Jewish or Muslim people in Israel – and to those of any other religious faiths – would suddenly become illegal.

Publishing books, other printed literature, online articles, podcasts, or other forms of media that explains the life and ministry of Jesus and His message found in the New Testament would also become illegal.

So would discussing the Gospel message via email, text messages, written letters and/or on social media, including answering questions initiated by people who don’t follow Jesus.

All Israel News has the full text of the bill.

This is how Christians are treated when they preach the Gospel in Israel:

https://youtu.be/PyBY6AybJ4M

https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=63650

>>18553054

FULL TEXT: Read the English translation of the newly proposed legislation to outlaw sharing the Gospel message in Israel

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – The following is a professional English translation of the full text of the newly-proposed legislation introduced by Knesset Members Moshe Gafni and Yaakov Asher.

Internal number: 2198904

The 25th Knesset

The Initiators: Members of the Knesset Moshe Gafni and Yaakov Asher

P/25/1526

Proposed Penal Law: Amendment – Prohibition of Solicitation for Religious Conversion – 2023

Amendment of clause 174A

1. In the Penal Law, 1977 (hereinafter: the Principle Law), in clause 174A-

(1) In the footnote, in the beginning will be added “solicitation or”

(2) What is written there will be marked “(B)” and before it will come:

“(a) someone who solicits a person, directly, digitally, by mail, or online in order to convert his religion, the punishment – one year imprisonment; and if the person was a minor, the punishment – two years imprisonment.”

Amendment of clause 368

1. In clause 368 of the Principle Law –

(1) in sub-clause (a), in place of “6 months imprisonment” will come “two years imprisonment”;

(2) sub-clause (b) – cancelled

Explanations

The Penal Law, 1977 (hereinafter – The Law) determines a number of offenses regarding solicitation to convert religion which are safeguarded in clauses 174A, 174B and 368.

Recently, the attempts of missionary groups, mainly Christians, to solicit conversion of religion have increased.

At times these attempts do not involve monetary promises or material gains and are therefore not illegal according to the current law, but the many negative repercussions, including psychological damages, warrant the intervention of the legislature.

This is particularly in light of the fact that most of the attempts to bring people to convert their religion target the weaker classes who, due to their social-economic standing, are more easily open to persuasion attempts such as these.

Therefore, it is proposed that alongside the prohibition of giving favors as an incentive to convert religion, also prohibited will be the act of solicitation to convert religion, when it is done directly to a person.

It is proposed to distinguish between a situation where the person being solicited is an adult – in which case the maximum penalty proposed is one year imprisonment – and a situation where the person being solicited is a minor in which case the maximum penalty proposed is two years imprisonment; and therefore it is also proposed to cancel clause 368B of the law which deals with solicitation of a minor to convert his religion.

Also proposed is to make stricter the punishment for someone who holds a ceremony of religious conversion of a minor, and make it two years imprisonment, instead of 6 months, as stated presently in clause 368A of the law.

A similar proposed amendment of the law was placed before the 24th Knesset by MK Moshe Gafni and a group of MK’s (P/24/1928).

The proposed law is identical to P/24/1928 and so was not re-checked by the legal department of the Knesset.

_____

Submitted to the Chairman of the Knesset and the Deputies and placed on the Knesset table 16 Tevet (January 9, 2023)

https://allisrael.com/full-text-read-the-english-translation-of-the-newly-proposed-legislation-to-outlaw-sharing-the-gospel-message-in-israel

Stormy Daniels Speaks Out About Possible Trump Indictment

Former adult film actress Stormy Daniels said she will celebrate if a Manhattan grand jury decides to indict Donald Trump.

Trump has been investigated by the district attorney's office in connection with a 2016 hush money payment he allegedly made to Daniels, who says they had an affair.

If indicted, Trump would become the first former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges.

Former adult film actress Stormy Daniels addressed a possible Donald Trump indictment on Tuesday morning, saying she's ready to celebrate if a Manhattan grand jury decides to charge the former president.

Replying to a tweet that accused her of accepting a hush money payment "to Frame an innocent man," Daniels replied, "Sooo…tiny paid me to frame himself? You sound even dumber than he does during his illiterate ramblings."

Responding to the Twitter user's message telling her "good luck walking down the streets after this!," she said, "I won't walk, I'll dance down the street when he is 'selected' to go to jail."

Daniels' remarks come as Trump's legal fate in Manhattan remains uncertain. He has been under investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office in connection with a hush money payment he allegedly made to Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign. Over the weekend, Trump said he expected to be arrested as early as Tuesday.

However, early-morning reports indicated that the grand jury wouldn't be voting on an indictment until Wednesday, the jury's next scheduled date.

"Wow! It's a beautiful morning. It's always been my dream to sip coffee on my farm porch and watch my gorgeous horse graze. Anything exciting going on today?" she joked in a tweet.

Daniels has alleged that she and Trump had an affair in 2006, which he has denied. In 2018, it was reported that she had been paid $130,000 by Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen to keep quiet about the alleged affair.

Earlier this month, Cohen, who pled guilty to campaign finance violations in 2018, testified before the grand jury on multiple occasions. On Sunday, he told MSNBC he "absolutely" thought Trump would be fingerprinted, swabbed and photographed if arrested in the New York probe. But he added that he didn't want to see his former client in handcuffs out of "respect" for the "institution of the presidency."

If Trump is indicted by the grand jury, he will become the first former president in U.S. history to face a criminal charge.

https://www.newsweek.com/stormy-daniels-speaks-out-about-possible-trump-indictment-1789255

Credit Suisse In Bed With Sanctioned Chinese Entities

The bank’s sale to USB comes shortly after it reported its largest annual loss since the 2008 financial crisis, brought about by an exodus of shareholders and the release of media investigations exposing it as a safe haven of choice for unsavory clients.

The causes behind its financial woes can be found in its 2022 annual report, which documented “significantly higher withdrawals of cash deposits” from late last year and how “customer deposits declined by CHF 138 billion ($148.3 billion)” in the same quarter.

But with all this negative publicity at home in Switzerland, the bank’s activities in China with sanctioned state-owned entities have, until now, gone unnoticed. Its Hong Kong-based arm, Credit Suisse Securities, invests in listed Chinese entities, some of which are state-owned.

Data from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange reveals Credit Suisse’s investments in sanctioned entities and companies connected to sanctioned entities such as China Railway Construction (CRRC).

The Swiss banking giant is a significant shareholder in CRRC—formerly one of the largest construction and engineering companies in the world—along with a local Chinese bank.

Also known as “China’s crown”, CRRC is no stranger to criminality.

About a decade ago, CRRC was penalized by China’s ruling party for spending more than $100 million on hospitality expenses. In that same year, it began delivering locomotives to South Africa.

What followed was a highly corrupt set of deals, involving South Africa’s Gupta family and former President Jacob Zuma, in what amounted to State Capture. Media investigations led by South Africa’s Daily Maverick and amaBhungane found at least a fifth of all payments to CRRC were then paid as kickbacks to the Guptas - a family accused of state capture.

By 2020, the South African Reserve Bank froze over $215 million in payments to CRRC.

The following year, the construction enterprise was sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2021 as a Chinese military company.

The designation didn’t stop the Swiss banking giant from investing at least $175 million in CRRC securities the following year. Credit Suisse also trades substantial stock in CRRC separately and as part of a joint venture with China’s largest bank, ICBC.

The effect of the joint venture makes both banks one of the largest shareholders in CRRC.

“Credit Suisse complies with all applicable sanctions laws, including those imposed by the United States, EU, and Switzerland,” Credit Suisse told OCCRP.

However, the bank’s portfolio also includes the U.S.-sanctioned China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) and the Chinese tanker company COSCO.

“Banks like Credit Suisse just don’t seem to get it — after decades of trying to get them to stop engaging in financial chicanery and sanctions busting, they just keep it up,” said Jim Henry, an investigative economist and lecturer at Yale University. “This is why they ended up like the dozens of busted locomotives hanging around South African rail-yards.”

The bank’s share price nose dived by as much as 30% last Wednesday. This led to its forced acquisition over the weekend by UBS for $3.2 billion after a $54 billion liquidity backstop from the Swiss central bank failed to stop the bleeding.

The agreed purchase price between UBS and Credit Suisse will see the Swiss banking giant sold for pennies on the dollar, 60% less than its closing share price from Friday last week.

The sale is not subject to shareholder approval.

https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/17435-credit-suisse-in-bed-with-sanctioned-chinese-entities

i am from the Netherlands and can tell you that the Dutch have led in a Troyan horse by voting on the leader of the farmer citizen movement ( the BBB party = building back better). Caroline van der Plas ( a Jewish name) has ties to Bayer and Monsanto, so their role is to lure the farmers who are not sold out in the WEF agenda 2030 'sustainable' farming where EVERYTHING among which 'food' will be tracked and traced with nano sized graphene oxide and 5G and 6G.

She already called every opposition to her interrelation with Bayer and Monsanto antisemitic, and has said that a pro-Palestinian in the Netherlands group has to be attacked ( i don't know the right word in English).

Grants Reveal Federal Government’s Horrific Plans To Censor All Americans’ Speech

Our government is preparing to monitor every word Americans say on the internet—the speech of journalists, politicians, religious organizations, advocacy groups, and even private citizens. Should those conversations conflict with the government’s viewpoint about what is in the best interests of our country and her citizens, that speech will be silenced.

While the “Twitter Files” offer a glimpse into the government’s efforts to censor disfavored viewpoints, what we have seen is nothing compared to what is planned, as the details of hundreds of federal awards lay bare. Research by The Federalist reveals our tax dollars are funding the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning (ML) technology that will allow the government to easily discover “problematic” speech and track Americans reading or partaking in such conversations.

Then, in partnership with Big Tech, Big Business, and media outlets, the government will ensure the speech is censored, under the guise of combatting “misinformation” and “disinformation.”

AI and ML Technology Will Monitor Everything We Say and Read

The federal government has awarded more than 500-plus contracts or grants related to “misinformation” or “disinformation” since 2020. One predominant area of research pushed by the Department of Defense involves the use of AI and ML technology to monitor or listen to internet “conversations.”

Originally used as a marketing tool for businesses to track discussions about their brands and products and to track competitors, the DOD and other federal agencies are now paying for-profit public relations and communications firms to convert their technology into tools for the government to monitor speech on the internet.

The areas of the internet the companies monitor differ somewhat, and each business offers its own unique AI and ML proprietary technology, but the underlying approach and goals remain identical: The technology under development will “mine” large portions of the internet and identify conversations deemed indicative of an emerging harmful narrative, to allow the government to track those “threats” and adopt countermeasures before the messages go viral.

With AI and ML identifying in real-time the origins of supposed influence operations and how the messages spread, the government will have the ability to preempt the amplification of the speech, squelching even true reporting before the general populace has an opportunity to learn the news. To appreciate fully the danger this poses to free speech requires Americans to consider the use of that technology with these seven additional details.

https://thefederalist.com/2023/03/21/grants-reveal-federal-governments-horrific-plans-to-censor-all-americans-speech/

Craigslist Craig Funded The Censorship-Industrial Complex To Silence Dissent Online

The billionaire founder of Craigslist, Craig Newmark, is using his fortune to further shape journalism into partisan activism to help Democrats win elections. He is the nation’s leading financier of the “mis”- and “disinformation” industries and is now the largest private stakeholder in America’s legacy journalism schools.

The most recent Twitter Files released by Matt Taibbi add a deeply disturbing new layer to the story. They show Newmark is at the very heart of an incestuous web of government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and corporate media institutions operating in concert to censor political opponents on social media. Newmark is financing the largest coordinated assault on American free speech in living memory.

On March 9, journalist Matt Taibbi outlined how pre-Elon Musk Twitter acted as “a partner to government,” working in concert with the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Health and Human Services, Treasury, the National Security Agency, and local police. An elaborate system for reporting hundreds of thousands of accounts was set up, and Twitter obliged by deleting thousands of accounts on demand.

According to Taibbi, the grounds for reporting and deleting many accounts were “shaky.” He pointed to examples of several legitimate journalists and even leftist news outlet TruthOut appearing on internal “disinformation” lists.

However, Taibbi states the majority of requests for censorship did not come from government agencies. Instead, Twitter relied upon a coalition of machine learning, internal human review, and outside “partnerships” to detect “misinformation” on the site.

These outside partnerships played an aggressive role in pushing Twitter censorship. Taibbi calls this group the “Censorship-Industrial Complex.” A 2020 internal email from Nick Pickles, then public policy director at Twitter, set up a working group with nine disinformation non-governmental organizations (NGOs): First Draft, Centre for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), Alliance for Securing Democracy (ASD), International Republican Institute (IRI), Atlantic Council/DFRLab, Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO), Brookings, National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI).

As Taibbi points out, the NGOs should have checked the power wielded by government agencies within Twitter. In reality, members of the Censorship-Industrial Complex entered into an incestuous working relationship in which it became difficult to disentangle one from the other due to their shared drive for censorship to further leftist political goals.

It was well understood that a unified front could be financially rewarding and that, united, they were the de facto arbiters of truth online. Massive public funds were being injected into supposedly non-governmental organizations to help in this colossal censorship program.

Taibbi gives examples of the Global Disinformation Index receiving funding from the government’s Global Engagement Centre (GEC) and Newsguard receiving funding from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). When the government is funding the NGOs whose job it is to push back on government censorship of free speech online, the outcomes are predictable.

https://thefederalist.com/2023/03/21/craigslist-craig-funded-the-censorship-industrial-complex-to-silence-dissent-online/

https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1638242228932943872

Manhattan District Attorney Responds to House Judiciary Committee — ‘We will not be intimidated’ Out of Pursuing Charges Against Trump

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has responded to a letter sent by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan demanding that he testify before Congress about his “unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority.”

Bragg’s office said they would “not be intimidated” or “deterred.”

“We will not be intimidated by attempts to undermine the justice process, nor will we let baseless accusations deter us from fairly applying the law,” a spokesperson for Bragg’s office told Fox News on Tuesday.

“In every prosecution, we follow the law without fear or favor to uncover the truth. Our skilled, honest and dedicated lawyers remain hard at work,” the spokesperson added.

On Monday, Jordan had sent a letter to Bragg’s office saying, “in light of the serious consequences of your actions, we expect that you will testify about what plainly appears to be a politically motivated prosecutorial decision.”

“Dear Mr. Bragg,” the letter began. “You are about to engage in an unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority: the indictment of a former President of the United States and current declared candidate for that office. This indictment comes after years of your office searching for a basis — any basis — on which to bring charges, ultimately settling on a novel legal theory untested anywhere in the country and one that federal authorities declined to pursue. If these reports are accurate, your actions will erode confidence in the evenhanded application of justice and unalterably interfere in the court of the 2024 presidential election.”

The possible indictment stems from an alleged $130,000 hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016 over an alleged sexual encounter that the two had in 2006. His former attorney, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to charges over the payment in 2018 and was sentenced to three years in prison.

Jordan noted that by July 2019, federal prosecutors determined that no additional people would be charged alongside Cohen.

“Now, in the words of one legal scholar, you are attempting to ‘shoehorn’ the same case with identical facts into a new prosecution, resurrecting a so-called ‘zombie’ case against President Trump,” the letter said. “Even the Washington Post quoted ‘legal experts’ as calling your actions ‘unusual’ because ‘prosecutors have repeatedly examined the long-established details but decided not to pursue charges.”

The crime that the indictment will reportedly bring charges for is falsifying business records, a misdemeanor that is normally subject to a two-year statute of limitations. This would have expired years ago under usual standards. However, the letter points out that state law allows a district attorney to “elevate normal misdemeanor conduct” to a felony charge if the “intent to defraud includes an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof.”

Jordan stated that Bragg’s testimony would be required no later than 10 a.m. on March 23, 2023.

Bragg must also turn over records and communications between the New York County District Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice relating to the Manhattan DA’s investigation of Trump; all communications sent by and received from the ex-prosecutors Carey Dunne and Mark Pomerantz relating to Trump; and all documents and communications referring or relating to the New York County District Attorney’s Office receipt and use of federal funds.

The letter was also signed by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and House Committee on Administration Chairman Brian Steil, both Republicans.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/manhattan-district-attorney-responds-to-house-judiciary-committee-we-will-not-be-intimidated-out-of-pursuing-charges-against-trump/

>>18553242

REPORT CP

Only takes a few seconds