VPN Users Risk 20-Year Jail Sentences in the US Under New RESTRICT Act

A bill dubbed the ‘RESTRICT’ act that was submitted to Congress could have severe consequences for virtual private network (VPN) users in the United States.

U.S. lawmakers are widening their sights when it comes to cracking down on finance and technology.

The bipartisan “Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology (RESTRICT)” act was unveiled in early March.

It was initially dubbed the “TikTok Ban Bill,” but it has far wider ramifications. Furthermore, VPN users could face hefty fines or jail sentences under the bill.

Communications and VPN Tech Targeted

People often legitimately use VPN (virtual private network) services to add an extra layer of security for web communications. Furthermore, they allow users to mask or change their internet address. Accessing content that may otherwise be blocked or censored is often required.

The bill, if passed, would attempt to identify “information and communications technology products and services holdings that pose undue or unacceptable risks.”

This could include VPNs if they are used to access banned websites such as TikTok. But that is not all.

The proposed legislation contains ambiguous phrases like “desktop programs,” “mobile apps,” “gaming platforms,” “payment solutions,” and “web applications.” It targets relevant software with a user base exceeding 1 million in the U.S.

Essentially, it intends to scrutinize a long list of communications technologies. These include web hosting, cloud services, content delivery services, drones, artificial intelligence, and e-commerce.

The bill specifically directs the Secretary of Commerce to “identify, deter, disrupt, prevent, prohibit, investigate, or otherwise mitigate” national security risks associated with technology linked to countries adversarial to the U.S.

https://beincrypto.com/vpn-users-risk-20-year-jail-sentences-us-restrict-act/

Calls for Shell to apologise for ‘fuelling Nazi war machine’

A new book reveals the extent to which the oil company played a key role in Hitler’s war effort

The oil company Shell faces calls to apologise as a new book highlights the full extent of its role in fuelling the Nazi war effort.

According to ‘Crude Britannia’, by James Marriott and Terry Macalister, at the outbreak of World War Two the Anglo-Dutch company “effectively divided into an Allied corporation and an Axis corporation”. The Nazi-supporting branch of Shell, called Rhenania-Ossag, “swung in behind the [German] government as the Nazi state began to invade other countries”.

Or as Shell's official history states 'Following Hilter's annexation of Austria and Czechoslovakia, (Shell) Group managing directors sanctioned Rhenania-Ossag taking over Shell companies in those countries.' The same process took place in Hungary, Yugoslavia and Greece after Germany took control of those states.

Meanwhile Shell also supported Allied forces, producing aviation fuel for the RAF. The result, say the authors, was that “a dogfight over the Channel between a Messerschmitt and a Spitfire could have seen both planes powered by Shell fuel”.

The book, launched last week, recounts how oil shaped modern Britain, from the 1930s to today. Its section on Shell’s role in World War Two, based on the company’s own official histories, has shocked readers.

Speaking to openDemocracy, Marriott said: “Over the many years of studying the history of Shell, and other UK based oil companies, in the 1930s and 40s, we have been careful to draw heavily on the works published by the companies themselves – to gain the official line – and draw on the works of scholars.

“In reading Shell's history closely we came to understand how the company was key to the German economy in the 1930s – the fastest expanding market in Europe, especially in aviation fuel. Shell, and other corporations, adapted themselves to fit into the requirements of the National Socialist government.

“When war with Britain came in 1940, the company effectively divided in two – an Axis part and an Allied part. It sold fuel to both sides in the conflict.

“The Axis part,” he said, “gained assets in the states that came under German control”. Simultaneously, he said “ Many Shell staff played a huge part – and gave their lives – in the Allied war effort.”

“However after the war, the company was keen to play down its part in the Axis’ war effort. Only 60 years on did an official history truly begin to describe both sides, although still Shell has a tendency to pin corporate actions that supported the Axis war effort on a few individuals."

Shell's German subsidiary, Rhenania-Ossag, fired all the Jewish members on its board in May and June 1933. The appointments to replace them included a member of the Nazi party. The official history states, “the far reaching changes to the Rhenania-Ossag board could not have taken place without the full consent of [Shell Central Offices… No questions of principle or moral judgements about the Hitler regime appear to have arisen.” Shell’s historians were not able to establish what happened next to these Jewish staff members.

Seven years later, after Germany invaded Holland, the Swastika flew outside Shell’s HQ in The Hague.

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/calls-for-shell-to-apologise-for-fuelling-nazi-war-machine/

Manhattan DA Chief Assistant Meg Reiss LOCKS DOWN Her Twitter Account – Then DELETES Twitter Account After TGP Exposes Her Unhinged Anti-Trump Tweets

Early on Thursday morning, The Gateway Pundit released a report that did a deep dive into Alvin Bragg’s Chief Assistant District Attorney Meg Reiss’s Twitter Account.

In the report, it was discovered Reiss liked several anti-Trump tweets that called for Americans to “Dump Trump”, “drive out everything he (Trump) represents” and more.

She also retweeted a video of Rep. Hakeem Jeffries calling for Democrats to put “Maturity over Mar-a-Lago.”

Just a few hours after the report was released, Meg Reiss locked her Twitter account.

It didn’t end there though, Reiss proceeded to delete her entire account.

When you search for her Twitter handle @MegGreiss now, this is what shows up:

The move by Reiss to nuke her Twitter account is a major red flag and is added proof the Manahan DA’s case against Trump is a political stunt.

If you haven’t already make sure to read the original report.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/manhattan-da-chief-assistant-meg-reiss-locks-down-her-twitter-account-then-deletes-twitter-account-after-tgp-exposes-her-unhinged-anti-trump-tweets/

Insurrection! Leftists Demanding Gun Control Storm Tennessee Capitol Chanting, “No Action, No Peace!”

Insurrection!

Leftists demanding gun control stormed the Tennessee Capitol on Thursday.

Protestors showed up to the Tennessee state Capitol demanding gun control after a transgender terrorist killed 6 Christians, including 3 children, at a private Christian school in Nashville earlier this week.

The insurrectionists chanted, “No action, no peace!”

The Tennessee Capitol police struggled to push the insurrectionists back.

The Tennessee Democrats advertised for the insurrection all week and encouraged protestors to storm the Capitol.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/insurrection-leftists-demanding-gun-control-storm-tennessee-capitol-chanting-no-action-no-peace-video/

McCarthy backs Netanyahu as Biden admin knocks Israeli reform plans

Earlier this week, Biden encouraged Netanyahu to abandon the reforms, saying he was "very concerned" and that he hoped Netanyahu could reach some compromise.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy voiced support on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he battles internal dissent over a proposed judicial reform and faces criticism from the Biden administration.

Netanyahu has attempted to introduce reforms to the Israeli judiciary, generating internal outcry and prompting President Joe Biden to personally encourage him to abandon such efforts. The effort is on hold until the legislature's April session amid intense backlash.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu is an Israeli patriot, statesman, and most importantly, a great friend of the United States of America," the House Speaker said, according to The Hill. "Free societies have vigorous and open debate. Israel is no exception. I support Prime Minister Netanyahu, and America’s support for Israel’s strong, vibrant democracy is unwavering."

"Now is an important time for Americans to stand together in support of our long, mutually respectful, and important friendship with Israel," he continued.

Earlier this week, Biden encouraged Netanyahu to abandon the reforms, saying he was "very concerned" and that he hoped Netanyahu could reach some compromise, per the outlet.

The proposed reforms would grant elected officials more power to select Supreme Court justices and allow the Knesset, Israel's parliament, to override court decisions by a majority vote.

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/mccarthy-backs-netanyahu-biden-admin-knocks-israeli-reform-plans

Netanyahu is a war criminal!

>>18609505

Proof he's a war criminal

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

Damascus Rocked By Israeli Attack On Heels Of Saudi-Iran Rapprochement

More Israeli airstrikes rocked Damascus early Thursday morning, wounding two Syrian soldiers, according to national SANA news agency and international reports.

State sources say Syrian air defenses were "confronting hostile targets" over the capital at around 1:20am, during the aerial attack which came from the direction of the Golan Heights. This marks the fourth major Israeli attack on Syria this month, which included two prior air assaults which temporarily shut down Aleppo International Airport.

"At around 01:20 am (10:20 GMT), the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial aggression from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights targeting several positions in the vicinity of Damascus," Syria’s defense ministry said later, also noting material damage.

After a short lull following a pattern of several years that included hundreds of Israeli attacks on Syria, there's been an uptick and return to more frequent attacks so far this year.

"A group monitoring the Syrian civil war said the Israeli missile strikes last week destroyed a suspected arms depot used by Iran-backed fighters at Aleppo airport," Al Jazeera observes. "On March 7, three people were killed in the Israeli air strike on the airport that also halted flights for three days."

Israeli officials have long claimed to be targeting Iranian military assets such as weapons shipments, but civilians and city infrastructure have long been targeted. "Along with airports, Israeli warplanes have also aimed at other critical infrastructure, including Syrian seaports," AJ notes further.

One likely explanation for Israel's ramped up aggression in Syria is the Saudi-Iran deal to reestablish and normalize diplomatic ties announced this month. Israel has long relied on robust US-Gulf (and GCC) efforts to counter Iran. Couple with this is that Syria's Bashar al-Assad is being welcomed in Gulf capitals such as the UAE and Oman.

US state-backed VOA has observed the post-earthquake diplomacy is part of "renewed efforts to bring Damascus back into the Arab fold." This scares Israel, which wants to see Syria perpetually isolated amid fears in Tel Aviv of deepened Iranian entrenchment in the region.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/damascus-rocked-israeli-attack-heels-saudi-iran-rapprochement

https://twitter.com/justinbaragona/status/1640731825336098818

UK Gov. confirms COVID Vaccines are deadly with new data showing Mortality Rates per 100k were LOWEST among the Unvaccinated throughout 2022

The UK government has just published a report that confirms Covid-19 vaccination is deadly, with figures showing mortality rates per 100,000 were lowest among the unvaccinated throughout the whole of 2022.

The report also reveals that the triple+ vaccinated accounted for 92% of COVID deaths.

The Government’s report on vaccination raises serious questions about the efficacy and safety of the Covid-19 vaccines, and it proves that being vaccinated does not provide the protection that was promised. It instead does the opposite.

On the 21st of February 2023, a UK Government agency, known as the Office for National Statistics (ONS), published data on deaths by vaccination status in England up to 31st December 2022.

The overdue dataset from the ONS is titled ‘Deaths by Vaccination Status, England, 1 April 2021 to 31 December 2022‘, and it can be accessed on the ONS site here, and downloaded here.

Table 1 of the latest dataset contains figures on the mortality rates by vaccination status for all-cause deaths not involving Covid-19 and we have extracted the data and produced the following two charts –

https://expose-news.com/2023/03/30/unvaccinated-had-lowest-mortality-rate-in-2022/

https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/deathsbyvaccinationstatusengland/deathsoccurringbetween1april2021and31december2022/referencetable.xlsx

LEAK: Manhattan Prosecutors Digging Into Trump ‘Hush Payment’ to Playboy Centerfold Karen McDougal

Manhattan prosecutors are now aggressively digging into Trump’s 2016 ‘hush payment’ to Playboy centerfold Karen McDougal, according to a leak to The Wall Street Journal.

Trump has been accused of paying porn star Stormy Daniels ‘hush payments’ through his then-attorney Michael Cohen in a scheme to silence her and stop the story about their alleged affair from being published in the National Enquirer.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg elevated the Stormy ‘hush payment’ case from a misdemeanor to a felony earlier this year in a effort to ‘get Trump.’

The same Manhattan prosecutors are now digging into Trump’s $150,000 ‘hush payment’ to Playboy model Karen McDougal.

Karen McDougal claims she had a 10-month affair with Donald Trump in 2006.

Trump has denied the affair.

According to reports, McDougal signed a contract with the National Enquirer to give them the exclusive rights to her story (known as ‘catch and kill’) about her years-old relationship with Trump.

It is unclear if prosecutors will bring charges related to Trump’s payment to Karen McDougal or use it to establish a ‘pattern of conduct’ by Trump, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The Wall Street Journal reported:

Manhattan prosecutors investigating Donald Trump’s role in paying hush money to a porn star also have been examining a $150,000 payment to a former Playboy model who alleged that she had an affair with the former president, according to people familiar with the matter, raising the prospect that Mr. Trump could face charges connected to the silencing of both women.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has been presenting a grand jury with evidence of Mr. Trump’s involvement in a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels since January. In those proceedings, the people said, Mr. Bragg’s prosecutors also have questioned grand-jury witnesses extensively about an earlier deal involving Karen McDougal, Playboy Magazine’s Playmate of the Year in 1998, who has said she began a 10-month relationship with Mr. Trump in 2006.

The extent of prosecutors’ interest in Ms. McDougal hasn’t been previously reported. Prosecutors could use any McDougal evidence either to bring charges directly related to the McDougal payment or to establish an alleged pattern of conduct by Mr. Trump, the people said. Participants in the deals with both women allege that Mr. Trump played a central role.

The Manhattan grand jury probing Trump’s payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in on a break and will reportedly resume on April 24.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/03/leak-manhattan-prosecutors-digging-into-trump-hush-payment-to-playboy-centerfold-karen-mcdougal/

Joint Base Andrews on lockdown over reports of armed individual

Authorities are currently searching for the individual.

Joint Base Andrews in Maryland is on lockdown following reports of an armed individual near base housing.

"Lockdown! An Armed individual has been reported near base housing. Stay away from base housing. Initiate Lockdown Procedures!" read a post from the base's Facebook page. "Individual is a white male, wearing a purple sweatshirt, black shorts, carrying a ar-15 style rifle with no orange tip."

A spokesperson for the base said no shots have been fired and there are no known casualties, according to the Associated Press. The base is home to Air Force One.

Authorities are currently searching for the individual.

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/joint-base-andrews-lockdown-over-reports-armed-individual

>>18609932

Ultimate KEK

ABC News staffers have been left stunned after the media outlet laid off several senior executives, according to CNN.

ABC News President Kim Godwin told staff in a memo that “teams are being impacted by the downsizing that was announced several weeks ago, including our own ABC News family,” CNN reported Thursday.

“While these actions are never easy, they are a necessary step to ensure we’re on solid footing for the years ahead as we chart a sustainable, growth-oriented path forward for the entire organization,” the memo reportedly continued. “This is a difficult time for all of us – particularly those directly affected by these tough decision – it’s important to remember that together, we are resilient, and will emerge from this period of transition stronger than before.”

Senior vice president of news gathering Wendy Fisher, senior vice president of talent Galen Gordon, vice president of talent Mary Noonan, vice president of communications Alison Rudnick, senior executive producer Chris Vlasto, Los Angeles bureau chief David Herndon and executive editorial producer Heather Riley are among those who have been laid off, CNN reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

“There’s a ton of shock that’s gone through the newsroom,” an anonymous ABC staffer told CNN. “So many people with institutional knowledge are gone.”

Other unfilled positions were also reportedly slashed, with a total of roughly 50 roles gone, CNN reported.

The move comes after Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger said in February that the company would lay off roughly 7,000 staffers over the course of the next few months.

https://dailycaller.com/2023/03/30/abc-news-layoffs-downsizing-disney-bob-iger/