ISIS kills dozens of mushroom hunters in Syria – media

Islamic State terrorists attacked a group of locals collecting truffles in the desert, SANA news agency has reported

At least 26 people have been killed in an attack by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) terrorists in Syria’s province of Hama, SANA news agency reported on Sunday. A source within the regional police told the news agency that local residents were collecting truffles in the desert in the east of the province when they were assaulted by terrorists.

Syrian media reported that over 30 civilians had allegedly been shot down in the incident. A local hospital director in the city of Salamiyah told the media that his facility had received the remains of 26 people murdered in the attack.

Last week, Syria’s Al Watan newspaper warned people against going out into the Hama desert in search of truffles, citing high risks stemming from unexploded mines and shells, as well as activities of the ISIS remnants in the area.

A total of 47 people have been killed and 71 injured while collecting truffles between February 5 and March 22, a Syrian Arab Red Crescent official told Al Watan. Many people have also gone missing in the area, the newspaper reported, adding that they may have been kidnapped by ISIS extremists as well.

One of the major ISIS attacks was carried out in mid-February, when 53 civilians were killed by terrorists while collecting truffles, SANA reported.

Desert truffles are not as rare and prized as their rather distant European cousins but they are still quite popular in the Middle East. The mushrooms are usually sold by the kilo and can cost between $22 and $65 per unit. Some desert-truffle types can cost as much as $237 per kilo, depending on the crop’s quality. According to Al Watan, though, the harvest has been abundant this year, leading to lower truffle prices on Syrian markets.

https://www.rt.com/news/574838-isis-kill-mushroom-hunters-syria/

Sen. Johnson Discusses ‘Jaw-Dropping’ Biden Family Grifting

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) joined Fox News to discuss the revealing Biden family bank records and the media ignoring his 2020 report on the grifting family.

The Gateway Pundit reported on the media’s constant coverups to protect the Biden family. After 18 months The New York Times and Washington Post finally admitted the Hunter Biden laptop was authentic and not Russian propaganda as they originally reported.

Johnson has come under fire for his efforts to expose the truth to the American people. In an interview with on the Dan Bongino Show in 2021, Johnson said he was “set up” by FBI-Stasi agents to stop him from talking about Hunter Biden and his filthy perverted lifestyle.

In his interview with Fox News, Johnson discusses the shocking extent of the revelations on the Biden crime family.

SEN. JOHNSON: Let’s face it, Senator Grassley and I pretty well laid out the case against the grifting Biden family back in September of 2020 before the election. Our report was completely ignored by the media, just as they ignored the Hunter Biden laptop because their advocates for the left themselves. And so what we’re finding out now is just new pieces of evidence of the grifts that the Biden family have been involved with. The bank records that basically confirm what the Treasury records showed from Sen. Grassley’s and my report.

I think what recently reported on Fox is the trying to get into the sovereign wealth funds of like Ireland and some of these other countries. You know, our report shows something like a dozen different countries that Hunter Biden, was again peddling the family name, trying to sell influence. But I think, the trying to tap into sovereign wealth funds I think is pretty revealing.

Why would governments who own those sovereign wealth funds, why would they want to pay into the Biden family coffers and the Biden family grift? Well, it’s to gain influence. It’s, you know, who knows exactly how it might benefit them. But the level of compromise of this president, I think, is just jaw-dropping. And maybe even more jaw-dropping is how the media, except for a few outlets like Fox News, is completely ignoring it. I guess they’re okay with it.

When asked any of the grift can be directly tied to Joe Biden, Johnson replied:

SEN. JOHNSON: Yes. Unfortunately, Sen. Grassley and I ran out of time, that was toward the tail end of that Congress and then we lost the majority so didn’t have the chairmanship any more. But now the House does, so certainly I’m encouraging James Comer and the House Committees to subpoena the other bank records.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/04/sen-johnson-discusses-jaw-dropping-biden-family-grifting/

‘Fiddler on the Roof’ star was Mossad spy – media

Chaim Topol won a Golden Globe for his performance as Tevye in the 1971 production of the classic musical

Chaim Topol, the late, award-winning actor who starred in such films as ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and ‘For Your Eyes Only’, lived a double life as an agent for the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, his family has claimed in an interview with Israel’s Haaretz newspaper.

Topol, who died in Tel Aviv last month at the age of 87, was one of Israel’s most respected cultural figures – but this was, according to several members of his family, balanced with a life of conducting clandestine operations on behalf of his country’s intelligence services in London.

“I don’t know exactly what the appropriate definition is for the missions and duties he performed,” his son Omer, 61, told Haaretz. “But what is clear is that Dad was involved in secret missions on behalf of Mossad.”

His widow, Galia, maintained that the specifics of Topol’s second career were “not discussed” but he was, she said, “always motivated by adventure and courage.” She added that she could recall several memories of Topol bringing a small Minox camera and recording devices on foreign trips; the destinations of which were rarely disclosed.

Topol’s liaison in Mossad was his close friend, Peter Zvi Malkin, according to another of his sons, Adi. In one secretive operation detailed by Haaretz, the pair traveled to a European capital city to wiretap the embassy of an Arab country while renting the apartment next door.

When security services became suspicious of the drilling sounds and knocked on the door, Topol employed his acting skills to suggest he was merely engaged in some dentistry, the report says.

His fame, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s, afforded him access otherwise denied to more traditional agents. He was greeted warmly in China and in the Soviet bloc despite their tense relations with Israel. He took advantage of these situations to deploy sensitive recording devices, Haaretz reported.

On the silver screen, it was ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ for which he was best known. It garnered him a Golden Globe win and an Academy Award nomination. He was also nominated for a Tony Award for the 1991 Broadway revival of the famous musical.

In 2015, he was awarded an ‘Israel Prize’ – the country’s most prestigious honor – for his achievements and contributions to the Israeli state and society.

https://www.rt.com/pop-culture/574839-actor-chaim-topol-mossad/

Biden Announces New Actions On Secret Documents After 'Embarrassing' Leak

President Joe Biden on Friday announced new actions that restrict access to classified materials in the wake of an embarrassing leak of apparent classified U.S. military intelligence that ended up spreading widely on social media.

The suspected leaker, a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard named Jack Teixeira, was on Thursday arrested and charged in federal court on two counts, including unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information charges.

“I commend the rapid action taken by law enforcement to investigate and respond to the recent dissemination of classified U.S. government documents,” Biden said in a statement.

“While we are still determining the validity of those documents, I have directed our military and intelligence community to take steps to further secure and limit distribution of sensitive information, and our national security team is closely coordinating with our partners and allies,” the president added.

Teixeira was an IT specialist responsible for military communications networks, which allowed him to get a higher level security clearance.

The leaked documents include maps and details about deliveries of weapons, with some bearing markings classifying them as “Secret” and “Top Secret.” Some showed what looks like locations for front-line Russian and Ukrainian military units and artillery guns.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/biden-announces-new-actions-secret-documents-after-embarrassing-leak

>>18705824

kek

New York Times reporter says paper worked to identify leaker but wouldn't have if he leaked to NYT

Reporter Glenn Greenwald said the tweet was "a surprisingly candid and very important admission."

New York Times military journalist David Philipps called out his employer in a since-deleted tweet that said the paper would have protected the identity of the Pentagon leaker had he given the information to the Times.

"The NYT worked feverishly to find the identity of the guy leaking TS docs on Discord. Ironically, if they same guy had leaked to the NYT, we'd be working feverishly to conceal it," Philipps tweeted Friday with a link to his paper's story about Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman who faces charges under the Espionage Act for allegedly leaking sensitive Pentagon documents online.

The following day, Philipps tweeted: "I just deleted a tweet that lacked nuance. Much more nuance coming soon." Many users responded with screenshots of the reporter's deleted tweet calling out the paper.

Philipps' next tweet said: "Though his motivations may be different, the latest intelligence leaker is remarkably similar to other leakers who were young, low ranking and had security clearances that were the intel equivalent of having the keys to dad’s red convertible."

"NYT Military Correspondent lets truth slip out," EpochTV host Jeff Carlson tweeted about the deleted post.

Reporter Glenn Greenwald said the tweet was "a surprisingly candid and very important admission."

Teixeira, who faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted, started posting the sensitive documents on a Discord online chat group late last year, officials said.

https://justthenews.com/accountability/media/new-york-times-reporter-says-paper-worked-identify-leaker-wouldnt-have-if-he

Clowns are getting desperate

FBI nabs Air National Guardsman who applied as an assassin on a parody website

A Tennessee Air National Guardsman is facing federal charges after meeting with an undercover agent Wednesday to arrange a murder-for-hire, U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis announced Friday.

Josiah Ernesto Garcia, 21, was charged Thursday in a criminal complaint involving the use of interstate facilities in the commission of murder for hire.

Garcia's status as an airman first class in the Air National Guard since July 2021 was confirmed by CBS News.

Garcia submitted an employment inquiry to a parody website called "rent-a-hitman" while searing for contract mercenary jobs to support his family back in February, according to the release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Tennessee.

The opening page of the site warns readers against competing unsafe "marketplaces for carrying out nefarious deeds." They claim, tongue-in-cheek, to offer services for people who are "tired of getting bullied" and say they can "make any troubled relationship disappear."

To add to what would seemingly be readily apparent as a joke, the site boasts "100% compliance" with the obviously non-existent "Hitman Information Privacy & Protection Act of 1964 (HIPPA)." Further, they provide testimonials from customers like "Laura," who caught her husband cheating, but after availing herself of the site's services, is "single again."

Garcia, apparently unaware the site was a parody, applied for work on the site as a hired killer via a webform. A disclaimer on the bottom of the form currently notes "Due to contractual restrictions, Rent-A-Hitman is no longer affiliated with Diners Club, Kanye West, the Illuminati, Rudolph Giuliani, Alec Baldwin, Kyle Rittenhouse or Carole Baskin."

Garcia followed up by submitting a resume and identification documents to the site, the DOJ says. His resume reportedly said he had earned the nickname "Reaper" from his military experience and marksmanship.

An undercover FBI agent began communicating with the young guardsman, who agreed to kill a person for the sum of $5,000.

When Garcia met the agent at a park in Hendersonville, Tennessee Wednesday, he received a packet of information about the fictional target along with a down payment of $2,500. Garcia agreed to the terms and inquired about whether he would need to provide a photo of the dead body.

After he was arrested, FBI agents searched his home and recovered an AR style rifle.

If convicted, Garcia will face up to 10 years in prison.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/fbi-arrests-air-national-guardsman-for-applying-as-hitman

‘The Most Irresponsible Statement’: Sen. Lindsey Graham Rips MTG For Defending Pentagon Documents Leaker

Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham condemned Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for defending the 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman who allegedly leaked classified Pentagon documents.

The leaker, Jack Teixeira, allegedly posted the classified documents on a Discord chat with a group of males in their late teens, 20’s and 30’s, leading to his arrest by the FBI Thursday. The court charged him with unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information and unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents.

Greene wrote in a Thursday tweet that Teixeira is “white, male, Christian, and anti-war” and thus an “enemy to the Biden regime.” She suggested that President Joe Biden’s administration, not Teixeira, is the “real enemy” for “waging war in Ukraine.”

“Ask yourself who is the real enemy?” Greene wrote. “A young low level national guardsmen [guardsman]? Or the administration that is waging war in Ukraine, a non-NATO nation, against nuclear Russia without war powers?”

Graham condemned Greene’s “irresponsible” statement on ABC’s “This Week” and accused her of “putting America in serious danger.”

https://dailycaller.com/2023/04/16/the-most-irresponsible-statement-sen-lindsey-graham-rips-mtg-for-defending-pentagon-documents-leaker/

https://dailycaller.com/2023/04/16/the-most-irresponsible-statement-sen-lindsey-graham-rips-mtg-for-defending-pentagon-documents-leaker/

Sons Of “El Chapo” Among 28 Charged In U.S. Fentanyl Investigation After Sinaloa Cartel “Infiltrated” By DEA

The Justice Department Friday announced charges unsealed in the Southern District of New York, Northern District of Illinois, and District of Columbia, against several leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, a transnational drug trafficking organization based in Sinaloa, Mexico, and its facilitators across the globe.

“Today, the Justice Department is announcing significant enforcement actions against the largest, most violent, and most prolific fentanyl trafficking operation in the world – run by the Sinaloa Cartel, and fueled by Chinese precursor chemical and pharmaceutical companies,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Families and communities across our country are being devastated by the fentanyl epidemic. Today’s actions demonstrate the comprehensive approach the Justice Department is taking to disrupt fentanyl trafficking and save American lives.”

The Sinaloa Cartel is one of the most powerful drug cartels in the world and is largely responsible for the manufacturing and importing of fentanyl for distribution in the United States. Fentanyl is a dangerous synthetic opioid that is more than 50 times more potent than heroin. Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 49, and it has fueled the opioid epidemic that has been ravaging families and communities across the United States for approximately the past eight years. Between 2019 and 2021, fatal overdoses increased by approximately 94%, with an estimated 196 Americans dying each day from fentanyl.

The Sinaloa Cartel operated as an affiliation of drug traffickers and money launderers who obtain precursor chemicals – largely from China – for the manufacture of synthetic drugs, manufacture drugs in Mexico, move those drugs into the United States, and collect, launder, and transfer the proceeds of drug trafficking. Once led by Joaquin Guzman Loera, aka El Chapo, and Ismael Zambada Garcia, aka El Mayo, the Sinaloa Cartel’s members and associates – allegedly including the sons of Guzman Loera, collectively known as the Chapitos – smuggled significant quantities of drugs through Mexico and into the United States. The Chapitos are Ivan Guzman Salazar, 40, Alfredo Guzman Salazar, 37, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, 36, and Ovidio Guzman Lopez, 33.

Following Guzman Loera’s arrest in January 2016 and extradition to the United States in January 2017, the Chapitos allegedly assumed their father’s former role as leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, along with Zambada Garcia and Damaso Lopez Nunez, aka Licenciado. The Chapitos subsequently amassed greater control over the Sinaloa Cartel by allegedly threatening and causing violence against Lopez Nunez, his family, and his associates and, as a result, became principal leaders and drug traffickers within the Sinaloa Cartel.

https://breaking911.com/sons-of-el-chapo-among-28-charged-in-u-s-fentanyl-investigation-after-sinaloa-cartel-infiltrated-by-dea/

South Korea Fires Warning Shots At North Korean Patrol Boat That Breached Boundary

A dangerous live-fire incident has been reported in a disputed sea border patrolled by both North and South Korea on Saturday.

Reportedly a North Korean vessel had been pursuing a Chinese fishing boat, according to the military statement, and subsequently retreated after warning shots were fired from a South Korean military patrol boat.

"Our military maintains decisive battle posture while monitoring the enemy’s movements in preparation for potential provocations regarding NLL (Northern Limit Line) violations by North Korean patrol boats," the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a Sunday Statement, confirming the prior day's incident.

Tensions are already soaring after a series of joint US-South Korea military drills which have been answered with the north conducting a series of major weapons tests, including of ballistic missiles and what's been described as an underwater nuclear drone.

Saturday's incident on the seas may have involved a collision, as The Hill describes:

The disputed sea border between the two countries, the Northern Limit Line, has served as a theater for provocation and naval showdowns in the past. South Korean officials said one of its ships came into "minor" contact with a Chinese vessel due to poor visibility, but said there were only slight injuries reported.

As for Pyongyang's spate of recent missile tests, Time has analyzed missile launch data by North Korea and compared it to last year's:

Last year was already record-breaking: data from the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, which has been documenting North Korean missile launches since 1984, showed 68 tests in 2022—10 times more than in 2021. And there are no signs that the country plans to let up.

Already the country is on track to surpass this:

On Thursday morning local time, prompting a temporary evacuate-or-seek-shelter warning in Japan, North Korea reportedly fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea—Pyongyang’s 12th test of the year so far, according to a review by TIME of reports by North Korea’s state news agency, South Korea’s military, and international media.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/south-korea-fires-warning-shots-north-korean-patrol-boat-breached-boundary

Online safety reminder as AFP reveals extent of young children posting sexually explicit content

The AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) is urging parents to supervise children online and discuss online safety, revealing for the first time the volume of sexually explicit content produced and posted online by children with no adult criminality involved.

ACCCE Commander Helen Schneider said the ACCCE received, on average, five to 10 reports every week about children as young as five who had filmed or photographed themselves naked, sometimes displaying sexually explicit behaviour, and posted the content online, without adult criminality or involvement.

She said police usually saw the number of reports received of children uploading videos or images to social media platforms increase by up to 20 per cent after the school holidays, when children had spent more time online.

“In multiple cases, children filmed and uploaded videos of themselves naked by accident and they have done this from a parent’s phone or computer left unattended,” Commander Schneider said.

“It is important parents lock shared devices and supervise their children while they are online.

“While these images are also often taken and shared intentionally by minors, the flow-on effects can be damaging with content reaching the hands of child sex offenders.

“Offenders often visit popular social media platforms looking for self-produced content and share it with other offenders, or may even try to contact the child to groom them to create more extreme content.

“Children must be reminded about what content is appropriate to share online, and to always seek help from a trusted adult if something makes them feel unsafe.”

While offenders sextorting teenagers for financial gain has been a concerning trend in the past year, AFP child protection investigators have conducted welfare checks on multiple families across Australia about photos or videos showing a child naked or displaying sexual behaviours that appear to be self-generated by the child and which were found to have been posted without adult involvement.

The AFP is often alerted to these cases after they are flagged by social media platforms and reported to the United States’ National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

“When we receive an alert about a video or image appearing on a social media platform, we need to check who has created and posted it and make sure the child involved is safe,” Commander Schneider said.

“Often parents do not know what their child has done – the only warning may be a social media account being shut down – and the child isn’t aware of the implications.

“We also urge parents to remind their children never to share any personal information online with people they have never met and trust in person.

“Parents, caregivers and the community are the first line of defence when it comes to protecting children.

https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/online-safety-reminder-afp-reveals-extent-young-children-posting-sexually