Emails Show ERIC Was SHARING Voter Information With Third-Party Group Tied To Zuckerberg In 2020 Election

100 Percent Fed Up reports – Newly acquired public records reveal that there’s much more to the exact relationship between the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) and the Center for Election Innovation and Research (CEIR) than meets the eye.

Emails obtained by the Public Interest Legal Foundation (and archived here) show Rhode Island Elections Director Rob Rock “working with CEIR” “to facilitate the secure transfer of . . . ERIC member data” to this private, third-party organization run by ERIC founder and ex-board member David Becker.

On January 12, 2021, Rock sought clarification from ERIC executive director Shane Hamlin on sharing data with CEIR in an email titled “EBU Follow-Up Data Request.” (“EBU” refers to eligible-but-unregistered individuals or residents who lawfully may but have not yet registered to vote.)

Later that day, Hamlin replied: “Yes, you’re good to continue working with CEIR. CEIR signed an NDA [non-disclosure agreement] with ERIC for the purpose of assisting ERIC and ERIC members with independent research ERIC’s effectiveness.” (It’s unclear when this agreement was signed, and whether ERIC has similar agreements with other third parties.)

“This should be the same process you used to provide the EBU list to CEIR,” Hamlin added. From Rock’s reply, it’s likely that transfers of EBU data follow the usual 60-day data transfer requirements outlined in the group’s bylaws, in which states send all of their voter list information to the data warehouse.

These revelations, while shocking, establish a pattern with documents retrieved from Georgia. A September 2020 email obtained via public records request by Verity Vote reveals a complex process wherein Georgia elections officials transmit data through ERIC to CEIR, generates a list of eligible-but-unregistered individuals to target with registration mailers (paid for by states). That list is then transmitted from CEIR back to ERIC, and finally on to the states.

Questions Upon Questions

Eligible-but-unregistered individuals are the key to ERIC’s value as a data aggregator for the activist Left.

As I’ve documented, Democratic strategists have pinned their hopes for future majorities on mass voter registration in swing states, spending hundreds of millions to transform America’s electorate by registering likely Democratic voters—minorities, Millennials, single women, etc.

ERIC is their best bet to discover where these hard-to-reach individuals live. Unlike traditional data vendors or campaigns, ERIC has access to personal information protected by federal privacy laws—information that has been transmitted to the partisan CEIR since at least 2020 (and probably much longer).

That’s probably why CEIR reports “limited direct lobbying of state government officials to encourage passage of legislation to permit membership in ERIC” in its latest IRS Form 990 disclosure.

Which other organizations does ERIC send this information to? Which organizations does CEIR pass it along to?

True Deniers

Journalists and election integrity researchers have sought this crucial information for years, yet many in “progressive” media seem totally uninterested in asking these important questions.

Worse, major liberal news outlets spread election disinformation by asserting that ERIC and CEIR have no connection whatsoever.

It’s no secret that both organizations were founded and run by David Becker, a partisan elections lawyer whose loathing of conservatives and so-called “election deniers” is known far and wide. Becker created ERIC in 2012 ostensibly to help states clean their voter rolls; in 2016, he left to found CEIR to promote election “reforms,” including vote-by-mail and early voting, yet remained a non-voting member of ERIC’s board until March 2023.

That a known Democratic operative with a partisan agenda created a politically neutral group, ERIC, was always hard to believe. Our groundbreaking report, The Best Data Money Can’t Buy, reveals the truth: ERIC was formed to funnel election-winning voter data to leftist groups, helping to turn red states (like Georgia) purple.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/bombshell-emails-show-eric-systems-were-sharing-voter-information-with-third-party-group-tied-to-zuckerberg-in-2020-election/

“It’s Constant, Constant Bogus Investigations. They Ignore the Biden Family Being Clearly on the Chinese Payroll…These are Marxists. They hate America.” – Attorney Mike Davis Unwinds the Current Bogus Investigations

Attorney Mike Davis is on top of the bogus charges against President Trump.

Attorney Mike Davis worked under Justice Gorsuch and Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley at different times in his career. He knows the law.

Attorney Davis has been all over the unlawful, unnecessary, and unprecedented raid of President Trump’s iconic home, Mar-a-Lago, by the corrupt Biden DOJ.

Davis shared the truth behind the illegal raid in August 2022, shortly after it occurred. President Trump has the Presidential Records Act that he complied with and did nothing wrong with the documents he brought from the White House with him to Mar-a-Lago.

(This however is not true about the top secret classified documents that Senator and VP Joe Biden had in his possession in various locations that were stolen from the government when he didn’t have the Presidential Records Act in his back pocket.)

This past week Davis discussed the bogus cases the DOJ is using to go after President Trump.

He first discussed the bogus NY Soros-backed corrupt DA Alvin Bragg non-crime. It’s a total joke and at best would be a bookkeeping error that is never prosecuted that is outside the two-year statute of limitations.

Davis said the bogus NY investigation is going to be detrimental to the bogus investigation in Georgia and the bogus Mar-a-Lago investigation by Jack Smith.

All three of these investigations are bogus but this Alvin Bragg investigation is the most bogus. His own office the Manhattan DA’s office and declined to prosecute this, so did the Manhattan US Attorney’s office.

Bannon said “there is something deeply sick about it” (these efforts to get President Trump). They are after him like “a pack of jackals”. Davis responded:

We’ve seen this since before he was elected, Russia, Russia, Russia. They’ve impeached him twice. It’s constant, canstant bogus investigations. They ignore the Biden family being clearly on the Chinese payroll. That’s indesputable now that there were payments to the CCP to the Biden family, over a million dollars…

This is not our parents or grandparents Democrat party. These are not liberals who love America and just disagree with conservatives on the best way to get there. These are leftists. These are Marxists. They hate America. They hate due process… They hate equality, they believe in equity. They hate free speech, they believe in censorship.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/its-constant-constant-bogus-investigations-they-ignore-the-biden-family-being-clearly-on-the-chinese-payroll-these-are-marxists-they-hate-america-attorney-mike-davis-unwinds-the-cu/

Trump New York Grand Jury Wednesday Session Canceled After Bombshell Report DA Bragg Withheld Evidence

The grand jury investigating President Trump over alleged 2016 hush money payments to two women who accused him of having affairs with them has cancelled its scheduled Wednesday session and may not meet again this week, according to a report by Business Insider. Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been trying find a away to indict Trump over alleged indirect payments in 2016 to quiet claims of affairs made against him by stripper Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.

Business Insider excerpt:

The Manhattan ‘hush-money’ grand jury has been told not to come in on Wednesday, a cancellation that comes on the brink of a possible historic indictment vote of former President Donald Trump, according to two law enforcement officers.

And while nothing beyond Wednesday is set in stone, it is unlikely that the grand jury will meet at all this week, said one of the law enforcement sources, who spoke to Insider on condition of anonymity.

The pause comes after unexpected testimony Monday by Robert Costello, who was allowed to address the grand jurors at the defense’s request.

Costello, who previously served as Cohen’s legal advisor, said at a press conference Monday that he attacked his former client’s credibility during his testimony. Cohen had just spent two days of testimony walking grand jurors through the chronology of Trump’s involvement in the payment.

MSNBC confirmed the scoop by Business Insider:

The pause comes after a bombshell report Costello that he told the grand jury that District Attorney Alvin Bragg had withheld several hundred pages of documents from them.

TGP excerpt: “Gregg Jarrett: I mentioned it yesterday, I think, when Bob Costello got into that Grand Jury room and told them, “Wait a minute. You don’t have the hundreds of pages I handed over to Alvin Bragg over here? You only have six cherry-picked documents?” You know, hiding from grand juries exculpatory information is reprehensible and unconscionable. And the conduct of Alvin Bragg and his henchman Mark Pomeranz, who specifically says in his book, “We’re targeting zombies because we don’t like his beliefs,” those guys should face disbarment proceedings.”

Robert Costello is a former Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division for the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York, who has represented many prominent New Yorkers in private practice.

Trump posted earlier on Wednesday on Truth Social, “The Rogue prosecutor, who is having a hard time with the Grand Jury, especially after the powerful testimony against him by Felon Cohen’s highly respected former lawyer, is attempting to build a case that has NEVER BEEN BROUGHT BEFORE AND ACTUALLY, CAN’T BE BROUGHT. If he spent this time, effort, and money on fighting VIOLENT CRIME, which is destroying NYC, our once beautiful and safe Manhattan, which has become an absolute HELLHOLE, would be a much better place to live!”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/trump-new-york-grand-jury-wednesday-session-canceled-after-bombshell-report-da-bragg-withheld-evidence/

Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate gave no jail time to man who sexually assaulted 15-year-old

The liberal candidate in a contentious race to fill a vacancy on the Wisconsin Supreme Court is having to defend accusations that she has given some violent offenders light sentences.

Though Wisconsin Supreme Court races are officially non-partisan, there seems to be little doubt about the political persuasions of both candidates. Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly was initially appointed to the court in 2016 by then-Gov. Scott Walker (R). The conservative justice lost re-election in 2020, but is seeking to return.

Kelly's opponent, Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz, has collected hundreds of thousands of dollars for her campaign, much of it from out-of-state Democrats and their supporters. Protasiewicz has professed support for so-called abortion rights and argued that in overturning Roe, the U.S. Supreme Court ignored "the will of the people."

However, Protasiewicz has been largely criticized for the light sentences she has issued to some violent offenders. For example, in September 2020, Kenneth D. Wright, 28, pled guilty to third-degree sexual assault after he kidnapped a 15-year-old, raped her, continued a sexual relationship with her, and eventually impregnated her.

At his sentencing, Wright expressed no remorse and may have even blamed the victim and her parents for the assaults. Despite the horrific details of the crime and Wright's lack of contrition, Protasiewicz gave him no jail time.

"But for COVID, I would be giving you some House of Correction time," she said at sentencing. "These are strange times, Mr. Wright. I’m not going to do that."

That light sentence had deadly consequences. Less than a year later, Wright was driving under the influence in Milwaukee when he hit a speed of over 80 mph in a 30-mph zone and crashed his vehicle. The force of the crash caused Wright's passenger, Jamera Doyle, to be ejected from the vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene, and Wright later pled guilty to reckless homicide.

Wright is not the only sexual predator whom Protasiewicz treated lightly from the bench. In late 2017,Jovian Reese, then 18, raped his cousin after she fell asleep while at his home. She awoke during the assault and ran to report it to her sister. Though Reese initially denied the accusations, her DNA was found on his penis, and his DNA was discovered on her breasts.

In March 2019 at Reese's sentencing for third-degree sexual assault, Protasiewicz apparently doubted the claims the victim made in her impact statement and instead seemed to treat the crime as a possible learning opportunity.

"Are you a danger to the public? I don't think so," she said to Reese. "I mean, I don’t think that you did anything other than engage in a crime of opportunity; and hopefully you’ve learned your lesson."

https://www.theblaze.com/news/liberal-wisconsin-supreme-court-candidate-gave-no-jail-time-to-man-who-sexually-assaulted-15-year-old

National Archives Sued for Shielding Documents Declassified by Trump

The National Archives and Records Administration is illegally withholding documents that were declassified by former President Donald Trump, according to a new lawsuit.

The archives, or NARA, has repeatedly refused to provide the documents Trump declassified just before leaving office on Jan. 19, 2021.

The documents relate to the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation, a counterintelligence probe that examined purported links between Trump and Russian actors.

John Solomon, a journalist, and Kash Patel, a former Trump administration official, asked NARA for the documents in 2022 after being named Trump’s representatives to NARA.

Gary Stern, a NARA official, said that the declassified records had been sent to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) per a memorandum from then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who directed on Jan. 20, 2021,the DOJ to review the materials and release them with redactions.

“I have asked DOJ to complete its review as quickly as possible, so that we can all have a fully releasable set of records,” Stern said in one message on Aug. 17, 2022.

NARA did find a box with about 2,700 pages but could not ascertain the box’s classification status and is thus treating it as top-secret, Stern said in another email.

NARA is violating the Presidential Records Act, which states that presidential records of a former president “shall be available to such former President or the former President’s designated representative,” the new suit states.

The government defendants “have wrongfully taken or are wrongfully in possession of and/or detaining the subject records,” it states.

Solomon filed the suit in federal court in Washington.

He is asking the court to order the DOJ to immediately return the records to NARA and to order NARA to turn the records over once received.

“President Trump declassified these records so the American public could see for itself the abuses and failures of the FBI during the Russia collusion case. But at every step of the process, the public has been thwarted,” Solomon said in a statement. “These declassified records are clear records of the Trump presidency, have clear historical value, and have been wrongly kept from the Archives and its employer, the American people, by the DOJ for more than two years.”

The DOJ did not respond to a request for comment.

“We don’t comment on litigation matters,” a NARA spokesperson told The Epoch Times via email.

Emails Reveal Details

Emails attached to the complaint showed NARA repeatedly resisting efforts by Solomon and Patel, who is an EpochTV host, to access the declassified documents.

Trump designated the pair as his NARA representatives on June 19, 2022. Three days later, Solomon asked for the declassified binder of documents.

Trump had said in his order, “I hereby declassify the remaining materials in the binder.” He said he accepted the FBI’s proposed redactions and directed the attorney general to implement the redactions and return the redacted copies to the White House.

Meadows, in a memo (pdf) to the attorney general the next day, said he was sending the bulk of the binder to the DOJ with instructions to “expeditiously conduct a Privacy Act review under the standards that the Department of Justice would normally apply, redact material appropriately, and release the remaining material with redactions applied.”

The documents were still with the DOJ, Stern, with NARA, said on June 23, 2022.

https://www.ntd.com/national-archives-sued-for-shielding-documents-declassified-by-trump_908925.html

Biden White House Urges Xi Jinping to Call Zelensky, Play ‘Constructive Role’ in Ukraine

National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby told reporters in White House briefings on Monday and Tuesday that China could play a “constructive role” in the Russian invasion of Ukraine by reaching out to the latter nation’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and “press[ing] Russia to pull its troops out of Ukraine.”

Kirby emphasized that if Zelensky “can get behind” a path to peace, even one promoted by China, “he’ll find no better friend in that effort than the United States.”

The Chinese Communist Party began mounting a full-scale publicity effort in February to insert itself in the Ukraine invasion. Beijing is one of Russia’s closest allies but maintains friendly relations with Ukraine, as well. Ukraine is a member of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), an infrastructure plan in which China ensnares impoverished countries with predatory loans used to pay China to build roads, ports, and railways China later seizes when the countries default on their debts. Zelensky has repeatedly made public appeals to hold a conversation with Chinese dictator Xi Jinping, to no avail, and for China to encourage Russia to end its invasion.

Xi Jinping departed Moscow on Wednesday after a two-day visit featuring hours of talks with Putin. Both sides revealed that they discussed the Russian invasion in Ukraine, but did not indicate that Xi and Russian leader Vladimir Putin came to any definitive plans of action together on the matter.

Upon arriving in Russia on Monday, Xi proclaimed that China would “stand guard over the world order.” The Chinese Foreign Ministry and its state media arms have aggressively promoted China as the best potential mediator to stop the conflict. China debuted a “peace plan” for Ukraine in February, on the anniversary of Putin’s “special operation” to oust Zelensky, that consisted of ending sanctions on Russia, opposing the use of nuclear weapons, and all parties moving to “calm down as soon as possible.”

“If there is a country able to play a role in mediating the Ukraine crisis, it has to be a country with a true neutral stance and a position of justice, and the US has already lost this position,” the Chinese state-run newspaper Global Times asserted on Monday, “so in the next stage, China will keep making efforts for mediation, and during Xi’s visit to Russia, the world will hold high expectations of what progress China will make with Russia.”

Speaking to reporters in the White House briefing room on Tuesday, Kirby repeatedly rejected the idea that China was an “impartial” actor given its close relationship with Russia and rejection of Western sanctions on Russia’s top industries. Kirby did not, however, entirely reject Chinese meddling in eastern Europe and suggested that China could take steps to developing impartiality.

“So, now, if China wants to play a constructive role here in this conflict, then they ought to press Russia to pull its troops out of Ukraine and Ukrainian sovereign territory,” Kirby said. “They should urge President Putin to cease bombing cities, hospitals, and schools; to stop the war crimes and the atrocities; and end the war today. It could happen right now.”

Kirby dismissed the description of China as “impartial” due to a lack of communication with Ukraine.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/03/22/biden-white-house-urges-xi-jinping-call-zelensky-play-constructive-role-ukraine/

Nolte: Democrat-Run City Bans New Gas Stations to Fight Climate Change

The lunatics in charge of Louisville, Colorado, have decided to ban any new gas stations from moving into their city.

Currently, Louisville has a population of 21,000 people and only six gas stations.

“We have an obligation to take every step possible to address the changes to our climate that are ravaging our planet and directly impacting the health, well-being, and livelihoods of the constituents we represent in Louisville,” councilwoman Maxine Most told Fox News.

Additionally, any new “gas stations and service stations will also be required to have at least two charging stations for electric vehicles and be 1,000 feet from existing stations unless they are part of a large retail center, according to the ordinance.”

How does banning the number of gas stations help fight Climate Change (which is a hoax)?

Even though it is a hoax, let’s pretend Climate Change is real…. So how does banning gas stations decrease carbon emissions?

Like this lunatic city council, I’m no scientist, but it seems to me that if you limit the number of gas stations, two things will happen: 1) people waiting in line to get gas will idle their cars longer than they normally would, and 2) people will have to drive further to get gas. In both cases, you get cars running longer than they would otherwise, which puts more carbon in the air.

I guess this all makes sense when you realize this is more about religion than science. I mean, there’s a reason high school dropout Greta “Damien” Thunberg was granted an honorary degree in … theology. Louisville city council must think that if they “sacrifice” gas stations to Mother Earth, Gaia will reward them with good weather.

Here’s the kicker…

According to the Daily Mail, the Louisville city council knows this ban will not do the climate any good:

Speaking before the vote, councilwoman Most admitted that the move wouldn’t stop climate change, but said the small community should continue with the plan anyway.

‘We should be taking whatever incremental steps to not create additional fossil fuel infrastructure,’ said the councilmember, who also serves on the city’s Economic Vitality Committee.

There you have it. This city council is inconveniencing its constituents for purely symbolic reasons.

It gets worse… The city council has decided “the entire city’s municipal electricity needs” must come from “carbon-free sources by 2025.”

That’s less than two years from now.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/03/22/nolte-democrat-run-city-bans-new-gas-stations-to-fight-climate-change/

‘Have You Vaccinated Your Children?’: Rand Paul Grills Moderna CEO Over Adverse Vaccine Reactions

Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul grilled Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel on Wednesday over whether the shot is safe for teen boys, citing an increased risk of myocarditis.

Bancel testified before the Senate on raising the cost of COVID-19 vaccines.

“Is there a higher incidence of myocarditis among adolescent males ages 16-24 after taking your vaccine?” Paul asked.

“We care deeply about safety and we’re working closely with the CDC to –”

“Pretty much a yes or no,” Paul interjected. “Is there a higher incidence of myocarditis among boys 16-24 after they take your vaccine?”

“The data … has shown there’s less [risk] for people who get the vaccine versus people who get the COVID infection.”

“You’re saying that for ages 16-24 among males who take the covid vaccine, their risk of myocarditis is less than people who get the disease?”

“That is my understanding.”

“That is not true,” Paul shot back, adding six reviewed papers to the record that have shown an increased risk and claiming that Moderna’s president recently acknowledged the increased risk in myocarditis.

“The fact that you can’t say it in public is quite disturbing. Do you think it’s scientifically sound to mandate three vaccines for adolescent boys?”

Bancel tried to avoid answering the question before Paul pushed back and noted Bancel “has been advocating for it.”

Paul then noted that that myocarditis is likely to appear after the second dosage of the vaccine and questioned why there is no conversation happening around reducing the recommendation down to one dose. Currently the CDC recommends getting three doses of Moderna for those between the ages of 6 – 17, calling vaccines “safe and effective.”

“I’ll ask you this question: your 16-year-old had COVID, your 16-year-old gets better and now has recovered from COVID. You vaccinate them and they get myocarditis, are you gonna give them two more vaccines? Your child, give them two more vaccines?”

“I’m not a physician , I would have to discuss –” Bancel said.

“You have children!” Paul said. “Have you vaccinated your children?”

“I have.”

https://youtu.be/hxs8cv4D02E

https://dailycaller.com/2023/03/22/have-you-vaccinated-your-children-rand-paul-grills-moderna-ceo-over-adverse-vaccine-reactions/

Art of Diplomacy: Russian Security Boss Responds to Putin Arrest Warrant by Threatening to Bomb Court

Russia’s former President, security council deputy chairman, and Putin stooge has threatened to bomb the International Criminal Court in the Hague in response to it issuing an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin.

Dmitry Medvedev, a former President of Russia who now serves as the trigger-happy deputy chairman of its security council, has issued wild threats that his country could bomb the International Criminal Court in the Hague after it issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin.

The Russian head of state is wanted by the court in relation to alleged war crimes perpetrated in Ukraine relating to the forcible transfer of civilians — including children — from the invaded country to Russia.

Russia has not taken kindly to the accusations, with POLITICO reporting that the country’s own law enforcement officials have now opened up a criminal investigation into the judges and prosecutors in the court that helped reach the decision.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/03/22/art-of-diplomacy-russian-security-boss-responds-to-putin-arrest-warrant-by-threatening-to-bomb-court/

Lebanon Forces fire tear gas to disperse protesters amid anger over economic conditions

Lebanese security forces fired tear gas, on Wednesday, to disperse hundreds of retired soldiers in the capital, Beirut, amid protests against deteriorating economic conditions, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Hundreds of retired soldiers gathered outside the government headquarters in central Beirut to demand better pay, according to an Anadolu reporter.

Protesters waved banners calling for improving living conditions amid a collapse of the local currency.

Lebanon's currency registered 110,000 against the US dollar on Tuesday.

Security forces fired tear gas to disperse the protesters as they attempted to break through the fence leading to the government headquarters.

Injuries were reported among protesters.

Since 2019, Lebanon has been facing a crippling economic crisis that, according to the World Bank, is one of the worst the world has seen in modern times.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230322-lebanon-forces-fire-tear-gas-to-disperse-protesters-amid-anger-over-economic-conditions/

Seymour Hersh: CIA Planted Nord Stream Cover-Up Story in the Media

Sources told Hersh the CIA was instructed to concoct a cover story after President Biden met with Chancellor Scholz

Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh published an article on Substack on Wednesday that said the CIA was instructed to come up with a cover story for the Nord Stream bombings that was fed to The New York Times and the German newspaper Die Zeit.

The cover-up story was created to shift blame from the US after Hersh’s bombshell report published on February 8 that said President Biden ordered the attack on the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines, which connect Russia to Germany. “It was a total fabrication by American intelligence that was passed along to the Germans, and aimed at discrediting your story,” Hersh was told by a source within the American intelligence community.

Hersh said that the CIA was ordered to come up with a cover story after President Biden met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Washington on March 3. Scholz’s visit was very brief and did not include the routine joint press briefing that usually follows a meeting between the president and another world leader. Hersh was told that his report detailing how the US took out Nord Stream was discussed by Biden and Scholz.

Hersh writes: “I was told by someone with access to diplomatic intelligence that there was a discussion of the pipeline exposé and, as a result, certain elements in the Central Intelligence Agency were asked to prepare a cover story in collaboration with German intelligence that would provide the American and German press with an alternative version for the destruction of Nord Stream 2.”

The result of the CIA’s work was published in The New York Times and Die Zeit on March 7. The New York Times report was very vague and said US officials are now claiming the Nord Stream bombings might have been carried out by a “pro-Ukrainian group.” The Die Zeit report claimed German investigators believe it was carried out by six people using a yacht rented in Poland that was owned by two Ukrainians. Other Western media outlets published similar articles reinforcing the cover story in the following days.

Hersh said the information The New York Times received “originated with a group of CIA experts in deception and propaganda whose mission was to feed the newspaper a cover story—and to protect a president who made an unwise decision and is now lying about it.”

The cover story offers a radically different narrative than what Hersh’s February 8 report alleges. Using anonymous sourcing, Hersh reported that the Nord Stream pipelines were destroyed by explosives planted by US Navy divers in June 2022 under the cover of NATO drills in the Baltic Sea. The operation was done in coordination with Norway, and a Norwegian spy plane detonated the explosives by dropping a sonar buoy on September 26, 2022.

The last time Scholz visited Washington was on February 7, 2022. Biden vowed during a press conference that day that if Russia invaded Ukraine, he would “bring an end” to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. According to Hersh, the plot to destroy the pipelines was already underway at that time, and the plotters took Biden’s comment as a blatant threat.

On Scholz’s possible complicity in the operation, Hersh said in his new article: “At this point, it must be noted that Chancellor Scholz, whether or not he was alerted of the destruction of the pipeline in advance—still an open question—has clearly been complicit since last fall in support of the Biden Administration’s cover-up of its operation in the Baltic Sea.”

https://news.antiwar.com/2023/03/22/seymour-hersh-cia-planted-nord-stream-cover-up-story-in-the-media/

McCarthy says Iraq military authorizations will first go to House committee

Ahead of expected Senate passage of a measure that would repeal two decades-old Iraq-related military authorizations, Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday he sees a strong chance the Republican-controlled House will pass a similar bill.

McCarthy, R-Calif., speaking to reporters at a Republican retreat in Florida, offered his most supportive remarks to date of the bipartisan Senate effort to repeal the 1991 Gulf War authorization for use of military force and the 2002 Iraq AUMF. But he indicated the House Foreign Affairs Committee would hold its own markup before it gets to the floor.

“It’ll have to go through committee. … I think it has a good chance of one getting through the committee and getting to the floor,” McCarthy said. He also indicated he would support repeal of the two Iraq AUMFs as long as a third one, a 2001 AUMF focused on terrorism, remains in place.

Last weekend marked the 20th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. The attack toppled the regime of dictator Saddam Hussein but failed in other strategic objectives, including finding the weapons of mass destruction cited by the George W. Bush administration to justify the invasion to Congress and the United Nations. Such weapons were not found.

The U.S. military occupation also largely failed to bring stability to the Iraqis, instead creating a political vacuum that Iran exploited to expand its influence over its smaller Arab neighbor, using armed proxy militias operating in Iraq. The instability in Iraq also offered terrorist groups — notably the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS — a base to plot and carry out attacks on Iraqis and in the broader region.

McCarthy said it would be “very healthy” for lawmakers to debate repealing the Iraq-related authorizations.

“I support in keeping the worldwide (AUMF) so there’s action that can be taken if there’s a terrorist (attack) anywhere in the world. But Iraq and 20 years into it, I don’t have a problem repealing,” McCarthy said.

The Senate on Tuesday agreed by a vote of 67-28 to a motion to proceed to the AUMFs repeal legislation from Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Todd Young, R-Ind.

“I hope Republicans will work with us to keep the bill moving forward, because AUMF repeal in the Senate is now a matter of when, not of if,” Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said in floor remarks. “It’s my hope that we’ll finish our work on the AUMF as soon as possible. We will have an amendment process. There is no reason to drag this out.”

The Senate leader previously said he would permit votes on a limited number of amendments he deemed reasonable. The Senate could take final action on the bill as early as this week, but the timing remains uncertain.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on Tuesday introduced an amendment to the Kaine-Young legislation that would repeal the 2001 counterterrorism AUMF six months after enactment of the underlying legislation.

Paul offered a similar amendment at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee markup of the bill earlier this month. It was rejected in a 1-20 vote. Several Democrats voting against it said they supported repeal of the 2001 authorization but that they viewed the amendment as harmful to the bipartisan effort to sunset the Iraq-focused AUMFs.

“A driving force behind the AUMF was Saddam’s supposed possession of weapons of mass destruction — allegations that were later revealed to be untrue,” wrote Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., and Bridget Moix, general secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker lobby organization, in a weekend op-ed on CNN.com.

The two said leaving the 2002 AUMF on the books offered an opportunity for a future U.S. administration to use it in a way Congress did not initially envision when lawmakers first approved it.

https://americanmilitarynews.com/2023/03/mccarthy-says-iraq-military-authorizations-will-first-go-to-house-committee/

Don't forget who told congress!

NETANYAHU TESTIFIES TO THE U. S. CONGRESS ON WMD IN IRAQ SEPTEMBER 12, 2002

https://youtu.be/1aqcsMQdbdk

Fmr. CDC Director Dr. Redfield: "This Pandemic Was Caused by Science"

https://rumble.com/v2e4db0–fmr.-cdc-director-dr.-redfield-this-pandemic-was-caused-by-science.html

Missouri AG says probe uncovered 'shadowy' network of clinics helping minors change gender

Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey suggested the probe started with a whistleblower complaint.

Missouri GOP Attorney General Andrew Bailey said Wednesday an investigation by his office has uncovered a network of clinics that are helping minors transition from one gender to another.

"There's a shadowy, clandestine network of these clinics across the state of Missouri that are encouraging kids to come in," Bailey said on the John Solomon Reports podcast. "They're encouraging them to believe they have mental health problems and then are jumping the gun to administer puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones and recommending – ultimately –surgery that's damaging and irreversible."

Last month, Bailey's office started an investigation into the Pediatric Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital after a whistleblower made allegations of child transitioning going too far.

"This is a whistleblower that voluntarily worked at a pediatric transgender clinic because she believes in transgender rights," Bailey explained. "She is self described as a progressive. And so when she says these procedures go too far and that there aren't adequate safety guards in place and the children are being harmed, we've got to take it seriously."

The focus of the ongoing investigation, Bailey says, is whether such clinics are using experimental drugs on children without parental consent, which is illegal.

"This is a woke left-wing ideology that's masquerading as medicine and it's harming children," he said. "I mean European nations that are far to the left of America like Sweden, Norway, England and France-they've abandoned these kinds of treatments.

"And when I say treatments, I'm talking about just experimental medication and puberty blockers and cross sex hormones that are not approved by the FDA for this kind of procedure."

https://justthenews.com/nation/states/missouri-ag-says-investigation-uncovered-network-transgender-clinics-are

Think Tank Executive Provided ‘Explosive’ Info to FBI About Hunter Biden’s Chinese Deals, Lawyer Claims

An Israeli think tank executive claims he told the FBI in 2019 that members of the Biden family warned a Chinese energy executive about a coming federal investigation, allowing him to flee the country before being placed under arrest.

Gal Luft, the co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, a Washington-based foreign policy think tank, provided the "explosive" details to the FBI and Justice Department in March 2019, according to his lawyer. Sources close to Luft told the Jewish News Service members of the Biden family "tipped…off" their Chinese partner, China Energy Fund Committee chairman Ye Jianming, that he was the target of an FBI probe.

The details emerge as House Republicans have homed in on the Biden family’s dealings with CEFC China, and amid an ongoing Justice Department probe of the troubled first son. Republicans released a report last week that a close friend of the Biden family, Rob Walker, wired millions of dollars from a CEFC-linked company in 2017 to Hunter Biden, his uncle Jim Biden, and his sister-in-law, Hallie Biden.

The timing of Luft’s incendiary claims are certain to draw scrutiny. He came forward with allegations about the Bidens last month after the Justice Department sought his extradition from Cyprus on charges of illegal arms trafficking. Luft denies the charges and alleges that the "DOJ is trying to bury me to protect Joe, Jim & Hunter Biden."

While Luft’s specific allegations have yet to be verified, there is evidence that he has direct insight into CEFC’s affairs. There is also reason to believe that he met with the FBI and Justice Department as he claims. His lawyer, former U.S. assistant attorney Robert Henoch, said in filings to the Justice Department under penalty of perjury that he accompanied Luft during his 2019 meeting with FBI and Justice Department officials. Henoch has called Luft a "whistleblower" and said he planned to submit letters to Congress with details of Luft’s case and his meeting with investigators.

The Washington Free Beacon reported that Luft served as an adviser to CEFC China Energy during the same time span that the energy conglomerate paid millions of dollars to the Biden family for business consulting and legal services. CEFC, which is widely suspected to be a front for the Chinese Communist Party, paid Luft’s think tank $350,000 to collaborate on events to promote China’s Belt and Road infrastructure project. Ye, the chairman of CEFC, served on the board of trustees for the institute, which included former high-level intelligence officials like ex-CIA director James Woolsey and Robert McFarlane, a national security adviser for former president Ronald Reagan.

Luft and Biden worked closely with Patrick Ho, the head of CEFC’s think tank, the China Energy Fund Committee. A former employee of that think tank, David Riccardi-Zhu, told the Free Beacon that he frequently saw Ho with Luft and Woolsey, who served under former president Bill Clinton. Ho organized several events for Luft and his think tank to promote the Belt and Road Initiative and various clean energy initiatives.

CEFC China hired Hunter Biden in November 2017 to represent Ho after his arrest on charges that he tried to bribe African officials on behalf of CEFC. Biden, who received $1 million for the legal work, appeared to suspect that Ho worked for Chinese intelligence. In May 2018, Biden referred to Ho as the "fucking spy chief of China" in a voice recording. Emails from Biden’s laptop show that he spoke to FBI agents about Ho after his arrest in November 2017.

https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/think-tank-executive-provided-explosive-info-to-fbi-about-hunter-bidens-chinese-deals-lawyer-claims/

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says it has reached an agreement with Ukraine on funding worth $15.6bn (£12.8bn).

The organisation's first loan to a country at war is expected to be approved in the coming weeks.

It would also be one of the largest financing packages Ukraine has received since Russia's invasion.

The IMF recently changed a rule to allow loans to countries facing "exceptionally high uncertainty".

"Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues to have a devastating impact on the economy: activity contracted by 30 percent in 2022, a large share of the capital stock has been destroyed, and poverty levels have climbed," IMF official Gavin Gray said in a statement.

"The programme has been designed in line with the new fund's policy on lending under exceptionally high uncertainty, and strong financing assurances are expected from donors, including the G7 and EU."

Mr Gray also said the agreement would "mobilise large-scale concessional financing" for Ukraine from international donors and partners, without giving further details. The funding still needs to be approved by the IMF's executive board.

The IMF expects Ukraine's economy to record a slight contraction or growth this year.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said the funding would help the country "finance all critical expenditure and ensure macroeconomic stability and strengthen our interaction with other international partners".

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who made a surprise visit to Ukraine last month, said: "An ambitious and appropriately conditioned IMF programme is critical to underpin Ukraine's reform efforts."

The US is the IMF's largest shareholder and the biggest contributor to Ukraine in terms of money spent.

Earlier this year, President Joe Biden announced nearly half a billion more dollars of US military aid to Ukraine. This was on top of the $112bn spent by Congress in 2022 alone.

Military aid, which accounts for more than half of US spending on Ukraine, pays for drones, tanks, missiles and other munitions systems as well as training, logistics and intelligence support.

Money has continued to pour into the conflict from all over the world since Russia's invasion of Ukraine last February.

Last week, the IMF said its executive board had approved a rule change to allow funding for countries facing "exceptionally high uncertainty".

Without mentioning Ukraine, it said the measure applied to countries experiencing "exogenous shocks that are beyond the control of country authorities and the reach of their economic policies".

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-65034765

Israeli Strikes Place Syria’s Aleppo’s Airport Out Of Service For Second Time In Weeks

Early on March 22, a series of Israeli strikes hit Aleppo International Airport in northern Syria, placing it out of service for the second time in recent weeks.

The Syrian Arab News Agency, citing a military source, said that the Israeli fighter jets launched several missiles at the airport from over the Mediterranean sea, causing some material losses. The state-run agency didn’t report any casualties, however.

According to a notice sent by Syrian aviation authorities, known as a NOTAM, the runway at the airport was closed after the attack.

In a statement, the Syrian Ministry of Transport said that the airport’s runway and navigation equipment were damaged as a result of the Israeli strikes. All flights scheduled for Aleppo were redirected to the country’s two other international airports in Damascus and Latakia.

Two regional intelligence sources speaking to the Reuters news agency said that the strikes also targeted an underground depot at the adjacent Nairab military airport. The sources said the depot was used to store missile systems which had been delivered by Iranian cargo flights.

The airport is regularly used for Iranian weapons deliveries and the movement of troops, the two unnamed sources claimed.

This was the second confirmed Israeli attack on Aleppo International Airport in recent weeks. On March 7, a series of strikes hit the airport, placing it out of service for three days.

The airport has been a major channel for the flow of humanitarian aid into Aleppo since the devastating February 6 Turkish-Syrian earthquake that claimed the lives of more than 50,000 people, including more than 6,000 in Syria.

Israel carried out hundreds of strikes against alleged Iranian weapons storage and personnel deployment positions in Syria over the past decade as a part of a covert military campaign known as “the war between the wars.” Israeli officials have rarely acknowledged responsibility.

https://southfront.org/israeli-strikes-place-syrias-aleppos-airport-out-of-service-for-second-time-in-weeks-video/

FACT: Midazolam Matt Hancock turned Care Homes into Concentration Camps where the Elderly & Vulnerable were given Lethal Injections to create the illusion of a COVID Pandemic

Matt Hancock, the former UK Health Secretary who oversaw the pandemic response, should be in prison.

Because while you stayed at home to “protect the NHS, and (allegedly) save lives”, Matt Hancock orchestrated the mass murder of the elderly and vulnerable in care homes using a drug known as Midazolam and then told you that they had all died of Covid-19; and we can prove it…

You gave up over two years of your life due to a lie.

A lie that involved prematurely ending the lives of thousands upon thousands of people, who you were told died of Covid-19.

A lie that has involved committing one of the greatest crimes against humanity in living memory.

A lie that has required three things – fear, your compliance, and a drug known as Midazolam.

We’re told that serious illness in Covid-19 presents pneumonia and accompanying respiratory insufficiency. Therefore typical symptoms include breathlessness, cough, weakness and fever.

We’re also told that people who suffer deteriorating respiratory failure and who do not receive intensive care, develop acute respiratory distress syndrome with severe breathlessness.

Meanwhile, Midazolam is a drug that has been used in executions by lethal injection in the USA. It can cause serious or life-threatening breathing problems such as shallow, slowed, or temporarily stopped breathing which may lead to permanent brain injury or death.

Knowing that, would you use Midazolam to treat “patients” suffering Covid-19?

Because that’s precisely what the then Health Secretary, Matt Hancock decided to do.

Data taken from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows us that during April 2020 there were 26,541 deaths in care homes, an increase of 17,850 on the five-year average. This is half the amount of alleged Covid-19 deaths during the same period.

Why were these people in care homes and not in hospitals?

They were in care homes because Matt Hancock gave the order to put them there…

https://expose-news.com/2023/03/22/midazolam-matt-hancock-turned-care-homes-into-concentration-camps/

'LGBTQ+ Rights Are A Core Part of Our Foreign Policy,' National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby Says

Advancing "LGBTQ+ rights" is a "core part" of America's foreign policy, National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby announced during a press conference at the White House on Tuesday.

From CNS News:

At the White House on Tuesday, a reporter told Kirby that Uganda's parliament had passed an "anti-homosexual bill" and that Ugandan officials planned to attend an African summit to discuss and promote the passage of similar laws in other African states.

He also said that Russia was potentially backing such laws as a "wedge" against the U.S. and because the Biden administration "is currently engaging with Africa on other issues, is this a concern for the U.S.?"

Kirby replied, "President Biden has been nothing but consistent about his foundational belief in human rights, and LGBTQ+ rights are human rights."

"We're never going to be shy or bashful in speaking up about those rights for individuals to live as they deem fit, as they want to live," added Kirby.

"And that's something that's a core part of our foreign policy and it will remain so," he said.

Kirby wasn't exaggerating.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last year that he brings up gay sex in "every conversation" with the Saudis.

https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=63655

Medical Doctor and Treatment Facility Ordered to Pay Civil Penalties for Alleged Violations of the Opioid Addiction Recovery Fraud Prevention Act and Federal Trade Commission Act

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/medical-doctor-and-treatment-facility-ordered-pay-civil-penalties-alleged-violations-opioid

Operation Blue Lotus stops more than 900 pounds of fentanyl from entering US in first week

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that Operation Blue Lotus, a new and coordinated surge operation targeting fentanyl smuggling, has stopped more than 900 pounds of the drug from entering the United States during its first week.

Led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with coordinated efforts between federal, state, tribal and local partners, DHS is investing additional personnel, technology and other resources along the Southwest border to detect and seize this dangerous drug at and between ports of entry.

“This is one of many efforts HSI is taking alongside partners as part of an overarching strategy to combat illegal drugs like fentanyl,” said ICE’s Deputy Director and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director Tae D. Johnson. “We continue to seize record quantities of narcotics and will continue to use dynamic approaches to stem the flow of deadly substances within our borders.”

Since its launch on March 13, 2023, Operation Blue Lotus has led to 18 seizures, 16 federal arrests and two state arrests. Those seizures prevented over 900 pounds of fentanyl, over 700 pounds of methamphetamines and over 100 pounds of cocaine from entering the United States through March 19.

“This Administration has a multi-pronged strategy to combat the scourge of fentanyl that is devastating communities across the United States, and the Department of Homeland Security works every day to prevent it from coming across our border. In the past two years, DHS has seized more fentanyl than the previous five years combined. But we must do more,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “Operation Blue Lotus is a DHS-led, coordinated surge effort to curtail the flow of illicit fentanyl smuggled into the United States from Mexico and bring to justice the dangerous criminal organizations profiting from the illegal production, distribution and sale of this dangerous substance.”

The operation includes increases in targeted inspections conducted by HSI agents and CBP officers, canine units, and advanced technology along the border. Intelligence gained through Operation Blue Lotus will enhance the targeting of drug traffickers at the border. The operation is designed to help build criminal cases against the transnational criminal organizations behind the networks and facilitators dealing in this deadly substance.

Operation Blue Lotus leverages advanced analytics and intelligence capabilities at HSI and CBP. It includes the deployment of HSI personnel with CBP officers at ports of entry so they can immediately pursue investigations as contraband is discovered to expose the networks. CBP’s Forward Operating Labs at ports of entry conduct real-time analyses of unknown substances, enabling DHS to target, identify and examine unknown powders, pills, crystalline substances and organic materials for hard narcotics, precursor chemicals and components associated with the manufacturing or processing of synthetic drugs. In turn, investigations can proceed faster.

“CBP is on the front line of stopping fentanyl and other illegal narcotics that are primarily trafficked through ports of entry,” said CBP acting Commissioner Troy Miller. “Our dedicated personnel are already seizing record amounts of fentanyl, and we continue to make the interdiction of cross border smuggling one of our top priorities.”

Operation Blue Lotus builds on a tremendous amount of work already ongoing, such as the following:

DHS has initiated major investigative and enforcement operations targeting fentanyl, its chemical precursors and the supply chain.

HSI and CBP previously established Border Enforcement Security Taskforce units at CBP’s international mail facilities, express consignment hubs, land border ports of entry and international airports.

DHS investment in nonintrusive inspection technology, including the deployment of Multi-Energy Portal systems in cargo environments, is significantly expanding the agency’s ability to screen traffic through ports of entry.

Drug cartels have been trafficking in fentanyl for years, and DHS is bringing unprecedented force to its fight against them. In the past two years, DHS has seized more fentanyl than it did in the previous five years combined; in that time, it also arrested more people for crimes related to fentanyl and precursors chemicals than it did in the previous five years combined.

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/operation-blue-lotus-stops-more-900-pounds-fentanyl-entering-us-first-week

Warning: every dollar you donate to the Red Cross is bringing America to her knees…

Handing out detailed guides to illegals. Why?

Many are probably reading this annd wondering why on earth would The Red. Cross do such a thing? Well, that answer may be found in all the government contracts and projects The Red Cross is involved with on behalf of illegals.

It appears that illegal immigration is a very lucrative business for The Red Cross.

https://www.revolver.news/2023/03/warning-every-dollar-you-donate-to-the-red-cross-is-bringing-america-to-her-knees/

Approximately 15% of Americans who took a COVID-19 vaccine have some new medical illness and regret the shot. Many are looking to nattokinase in formulations of Spike protein support supplements asking is it safe, and what is the track record for this Asian discovery?

Chen et al reviewed human studies before the pandemic on the use of nattokinase with this introduction: “Natto, a cheese-like food made of soybeans fermented with Bacillus subtilis, has been consumed as a traditional food in Asian countries for more than 2000 years. Natto consumption is believed to be a significant contributor to the longevity of the Japanese population. Recent studies demonstrated that a high natto intake was associated with decreased risk of total CVD mortality and, in particular, a decreased risk of mortality from ischaemic heart diseases. Before the 1980s, very little was known about the mechanism by which natto consumption led to overall cardiovascular health. In 1987, Sumi et al discovered that natto contained a potent fibrinolytic enzyme called nattokinase (NK). Since then, a considerable amount of NK research has been performed on NK in Japan, Korea, China, and the United States, and these studies confirmed that NK, an alkaline protease of 275 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of approximately 28 kDa, is the most active ingredient of natto and is responsible for many favourable effects on cardiovascular health. First, NK has potent fibrinolytic/antithrombotic activity. In addition, in both animal and human studies, NK also has an antihypertensive, anti-atherosclerotic, lipid-lowering, antiplatelet/anticoagulant, and neuroprotective actions…The most unique feature of NK is that, as a single compound, it possesses multiple CVD preventative and alleviating pharmacologic effects (namely, antithrombotic, antihypertensive, anticoagulant, anti-atherosclerotic, and neuroprotective effects). There are no other drugs or drug candidates with multiple pharmacologic properties similar to NK. In addition, NK is a natural product that can be administered orally, has a proven safety profile, is economical to use, and provides distinct advantages over other pharmaceutical products.”

In drug development, the most important early observations are on safety. There are two units used in nattokinase dosing, e.g. 100 mg=2000 fibrinolytic units (FU). In the table, Lampe et al in 2016 tested nattokinase up to 10 mg/kg/day (~160,000 FU for an 80 kg person). That means in doses of 100 mg or 2000 FU twice a day are well within a safety range to avoid significant toxicities.

https://needtoknow.news/2023/03/nattokinase-in-the-prevention-and-treatment-of-atherosclerotic-cardiovascular-disease/

Biden Nominates Federal Prosecutor With Massive Conflict Of Interest Over Biden Family Corruption

A health-care executive who claims Jim Biden defrauded him was interviewed multiple times by the lawyer Joe Biden just nominated to serve as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. According to two sources, while the Delaware U.S. attorney’s office is aware of the allegations, that office is not investigating the potential fraud, leaving the matter solely in the hands of the conflicted-future U.S. attorney.

On Monday, President Biden named Eric Olshan, currently an assistant U.S. attorney in the Pittsburgh office, to fill the vacancy left open when former U.S. Attorney Cindy Chung was confirmed to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

As I previously reported, Chung, whom President Biden had nominated to the federal appellate court, had been overseeing the criminal investigation into the bankrupt health-care business Americore—a business Jim Biden allegedly siphoned hundreds of thousands of dollars from to finance repairs for his beach house. Jim Biden is the current U.S. president’s brother.

Now, President Biden seeks to replace Chung with Olshan, raising serious concerns about a potential conflict of interest given Olshan’s involvement in the investigation of the Jim Biden-connected business, Americore.

Olshan had previously served as the lead investigator in the criminal case against Daniel Hurt. Hurt pleaded guilty to soliciting and obtaining kickbacks from the rural Pennsylvania hospital Ellwood City Medical Center, or “ECMC,” which Americore owned. ECMC had allegedly received some $25 million in fraudulent Medicare reimbursements.

According to an affidavit signed under oath by ECMC’s former CEO, Grant White, the president’s brother directed White to loan him (Jim Biden) approximately $400,000 to repay a past-due personal loan secured by Jim Biden’s Florida beach house. Jim Biden allegedly later pulled additional funds from ECMC, totaling about $250,000, but he would only repay about $25,000 to the medical center. ECMC would later go bankrupt and close, prompting a federal investigation.

To date, no charges have been filed related to Jim Biden’s alleged misappropriation of funds from Americore. Nor has anything come from the additional accusations made by Michael Frey, the president and CEO of the Tennessee-based Diverse Medical Management, against Jim Biden and his business partners.

Frey claims Jim Biden represented himself as a “principal” for Americore—even providing him a business card—and then entered into a scheme to defraud him. According to Frey, Jim Biden and his business partners promised to provide capital to implement Frey’s business model for rejuvenating failing rural hospitals.

But after Frey worked with various medical groups to put the plan in action, Jim Biden and his partners reneged on their agreement, he says. That left Frey holding the bag, forcing him to cover costs of about $1 million until he could unwind the various deals that had been put into motion.

The Tennessee business executive sued Jim Biden and the others allegedly involved in the scheme, before entering into a confidential settlement agreement with the defendants. The defendants breached the deal, however, according to Frey.

Frey plans to enforce the settlement agreement, but told The Federalist he first intends to retrieve copies of the thousands of text and email messages exchanged by the parties, hoping those documents will assist in his efforts. Frey says the text and email messages will confirm his allegations against Jim Biden and the others involved in the deal.

Frey’s accusations against Jim Biden are particularly concerning because Frey discussed his allegations and evidence with an FBI agent from the Pittsburgh field office, as well as with Olshan.

https://thefederalist.com/2023/03/22/biden-nominated-a-lawyer-for-pennsylvania-u-s-attorney-who-has-a-big-conflict-of-interest/

For Five Straight Years, The Pulitzer Prizes Have Rewarded Misinformation

The way the Pulitzer Prizes work seems simple enough – an Ivy league university hands out annual awards that ostensibly recognize important journalism. In practice, however, my former colleague Phil Terzian, a Pulitzer finalist who has served on the nominating committee, described the inner workings of the Pulitzers this way:

The Pulitzer Prizes are a singularly corrupt institution, administered by Columbia University and the management of the New York Times largely for the benefit of the New York Times and a limited number of favored publications and personalities. Any citizen who thinks that the annual distribution of awards has something to do with quality probably believes that the Oscar for Best Picture goes to the most distinguished film of the year. If you’re a connoisseur of unrestrained self-praise, may I recommend the citations when the Times awards itself the Pulitzer Gold Medal for Public Service.

While the Pulitzer Prizes have always been little more than self-dealing masquerading as journalistic beauty pageant, it was a lot easier to believe in this manufactured prestige back when journalism was at least slightly more competent and concerned with the appearance of objectivity. In fact, a spin through the last five years of Pulitzer recipients reveals some interesting choices that add up to a clear pattern.

In 2018, a Pulitzer for national reporting was given to The New York Times and Washington Post for reporting on the Donald Trump campaign’s alleged collusion with Russia. A 2019 Pulitzer for “Explanatory Reporting” was given to The New York Times for reporting on Trump’s taxes.

The 2020 Pulitzer for commentary was given to Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times for the 1619 Project. In 2021, a public service Pulitzer was given to The New York Times for its coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic “that exposed racial and economic inequities, government failures in the U.S. and beyond.” In 2022, the Washington Post won a public service Pulitzer for its coverage of January 6.

Every one of these major stories was badly handled by the media writ large, served activist political narratives, frequently involved credulously regurgitating actual misinformation, or some combination thereof. While there is always reason to be suspicious of Pulitzers, historically most of the objections to the awards handed out never rose beyond the level of newsroom gossip.

The Pulitzers always reflected journalism’s skewed priorities. However, this many high-profile failures in such a short time underscores the rapid and catastrophic descent of American journalism into radical political activism and makes winning a Pulitzer look definitively like a mark of ignominy.

https://thefederalist.com/2023/03/22/for-five-straight-years-the-pulitzer-prizes-have-rewarded-misinformation/

Federal Reserve Raises Interest Rates 25 Basis Points Amid Banking Crisis

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised interest rates 25 basis points – or 0.25% – amid the banking crisis.

Two US banks recently failed after they were unable to produce enough cash for depositors.

The banking crisis stems from the Federal Reserve’s decision to hike interest rates seven times in 2022.

Jerome Powell raised interest rates 450 basis points in 2022 to hedge inflation.

The rate hikes are crushing regional banks but the Fed raised rates again.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) indicated rate hikes are nearing an end.

“The Committee will closely monitor incoming information and assess the implications for monetary policy,” the FOMC’s post-meeting statement said, according to CNBC. “The Committee anticipates that some additional policy firming may be appropriate in order to attain a stance of monetary policy that is sufficiently restrictive to return inflation to 2 percent over time.“

CNBC reported:

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday enacted a quarter percentage point interest rate increase, expressing caution about the recent banking crisis and indicating that hikes are nearing an end.

Along with its ninth hike since March 2022, the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee noted that future increases are not assured and will depend largely on incoming data.

“The U.S. banking system is sound and resilient,” the committee said. “Recent developments are likely to result in tighter credit conditions for households and businesses and to weigh on economic activity, hiring, and inflation. The extent of these effects is uncertain. The Committee remains highly attentive to inflation risks.“

The increase takes the benchmark federal funds rate to a target range between 4.75%-5%. The rate sets what banks charge each other for overnight lending but feeds through to a multitude of consumer debt like mortgages, auto loans and credit cards.

Watch Chairman Powell speak live after the Federal Reserve hiked rates 25 bps:

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/just-in-federal-reserve-raises-interest-rates-25-basis-points-amid-banking-crisis/

Former Mayor of Les Irois, Haiti Arrested for Visa Fraud

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/former-mayor-les-irois-haiti-arrested-visa-fraud