Musk Calls US & China ‘Conjoined Twins’ in Kowtowing CCP Trip.

Tech billionaire and Twitter chairman Elon Musk bent the knee to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on a trip to the Far East.

Musk, who recently hitched his wagon to Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis, was amongst a number of Western executives who travelled to China to pay court to the CCP this week.

“The interests of the United States and China are intertwined like conjoined twins,” said Musk, per the Chinese foreign ministry, rejecting proposals that America and the wider West should “decouple” from the hard-left dictatorship.

Musk’s relationship with the CCP – much like his recent hiring of World Economic Forum WEF) executive Linda Yaccarino as Twitter CEO – sits uncomfortably with his stated support for freedom of speech, a concept absolutely not tolerated by Beijing.

The South African’s links to China are strong. Chinese firms helped to fund his 2022 takeover of Twitter – despite its being banned in China – and he hailed the 100-year-anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party on Twitter equivalent Weibo in 2021.

>>18930429

https://thenationalpulse.com/2023/05/31/musk-calls-us-china-conjoined-twins-in-kowtowing-ccp-trip/

Meet Kevin Morris, Hunter Biden’s Newest Caretaker

Hunter Biden is being funded by a globalist named Kevin Morris.

Hunter and the Biden family have had several globalist millionaires and billionaires pay their bills, which has allowed the Biden family to escape accountability for their actions. Hunter Biden’s new BFF, Kevin Morris, is a globalist Hollywood lawyer who pays Hunter’s bills and cleans up his messes, taking the title of Biden Sugar Daddy to a whole new level.

Kevin Morris is a globalist Hollywood super lawyer with a history of donating large sums of money to Democrats and Democrat operations before his special relationship with Hunter Biden. Morris also loves donating money to RINO groups. Morris donated $50,000 to Americans Keeping Country First, an organization that supports pro-Trump impeachment “Republicans.”

Morris first became close with Hunter Biden when he helped finish Hunter’s memoir for him. Their relationship has only grown from there.

Morris was one of the influential figures in Hunter’s life who encouraged him to start painting. Morris even helped Hunter open his art gallery in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, where most of Hunter’s paintings are sold for over $100,000.

When Hunter Biden faced a federal investigation for unpaid taxes, it was Morris who gave Hunter Biden $2 million to pay off his back taxes. Many highlight that most Americans are charged with a crime and sent to jail for owing millions in unpaid taxes. Not only did Hunter Biden avoid jail, but Hunter was also fortunate enough to have someone else pay his debt for him. Many doubt Hunter would have been so lucky if his last name was anything but Biden.

Worse, Morris purchased Brad Pasiley’s old private jet, the 2001 Dassault Falcon 50, to pick up Hunter Biden in Washington D.C. and fly him down to Arkansas for his child support hearing. Most American males facing charges of refusing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in child support are charged with a crime and sent to jail. Not only did Hunter avoid jail time, but Hunter also arrived at his trial in comfort and style. The private jet then flew Hunter back to the White House.

Joe Biden’s economy is forcing Americans to do all they can to pay their bills and taxes. Unfortunately, the Biden DOJ and IRS seem to have an obsession with Republican voters’ taxes and income. Yet, the Democrats cannot hold their First Family accountable to the same rules they expect the rest of America to abide by.

https://nationalfile.com/meet-kevin-morris-hunter-bidens-newest-caretaker/

TRAITOR

McCarthy Says Biden Withheld 89% Of The Budget During Negotiations

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy said Wednesday on Fox News that lawmakers were only able to see a portion of the budget because President Joe Biden allegedly “walled off’ the rest during debt ceiling negations.

The House is slated to vote on the Fiscal Responsibility Act on Wednesday night, which is expected to pass with bipartisan support. The bill would suspend the debt ceiling through Jan. 1, 2025, but does not specify a dollar amount for raising the limit. It also includes work requirements for welfare recipients.

McCarthy said while the proposal isn’t a total solution, it begins to get to the core of the issue.

“This doesn’t solve all the problems, this is the first step,” McCarthy said. “I’m gonna announce a commission coming forward from the Speaker from both sides of the aisle. We only got to look at 11% of the budget to find these cuts. We have to look at the entire budget. Congress has done this before-”

“Why didn’t you see the whole budget?” Faulkner asked.

“Because the president walled off all the others. The majority driver of the budget is mandatory spending, Medicare, Social Security and interest on the debt.”

“So he wouldn’t let you see? Wow,” Faulkner interjected.

“You only have 11% to look at the budget. We were able to increase our defense to protect us, take care of veterans. But you know that non-defense, we’ll spend less than we spent in 2022. That’s a major victory,” McCarthy said, adding that the commission “will look at every single department in America so we can find the waste and we can make the real decisions to really take care of this debt.”

“I did not know you only got to see a certain part of the budget,” Faulkner said, shocked. “That is actually a travesty that you couldn’t see the whole thing.”

Several Republicans have spoken out against the legislation, such as South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, Texas Rep. Chip Roy and South Carolina Reps. Ralph Norman and Nancy Mace. More than two dozen Republicans have pledged to oppose the bill, meaning the bill must receive Democratic support to pass.

https://dailycaller.com/2023/05/31/mccarthy-says-biden-withheld-89-of-the-budget-during-negotiations/

British Politicians Are Now Legitimate Military Targets, Threatens Kremlin

State-sponsored terrorism threat as a well-known Kremlin figure says British leaders are now considered legitimate military targets over the UK’s involved support for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.

Military and civilian officials of the United Kingdom engaged in aiding Ukraine are to be considered a “legitimate military target”, so says close Putin ally Dmitry Medvedev in his latest tirade against the West, and anyone opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Medvedev, a former president and prime minister of Russia and ally to Vladimir Putin who now sits on the nation’s national security council is well known for his intemperate outburts, threatening to make nuclear strikes against Russia’s enemies. Several of these threats have been against the United Kingdom, which Medvedev says is one of Ukraine’s most active allies and an “eternal enemy” of Russia.

Medvedev said today, caliming to cite the “Hague and Geneva Conventions” that the United Kingdom was technically a party at war with Russia and “goofy” British politicians could expect to be attacked. He said:

Today, Great Britain is acting as an ally of Ukraine, by providing it with equipment and personnel as military assistance, that is de facto waging an undeclared war against Russia. Therefore, any of its [the UK’s] officials, both military and civilian ones, who are making a contribution to the war effort, can be viewed as a legitimate military target.

The comments came in response to the United Kingdom’s Foreign Minister James Cleverly, who said yesterday recent drone strikes against Russian territory by Ukrainian forces — although Ukraine, for their own reasons, deny being involved — were a legitimate projection of force. Russia strongly disputes this and calls the Ukrainian drone strikes terrorist attacks, despite doing exactly the same thing to Ukraine as well.

Cleverly told Russia that it was time to admit their invasion had failed, and that they should withdraw from Ukraine.

While it might be supposed Russia would be too busy to open another front in its ongoing war, the state has launched terror attacks within the United Kingdom in the recent past, including a botched attempt to assasinate a Russian defector living in Salisbury, England, with a powerful nerve agent.

While the plot to kill Sergei Skripal failed, he and several other people became ill over exposure to the Novichok nerve agent and one unconnected member of the public was killed. The agent is so powerful, the ambulances and police cars used as first response to the poisonings were buried underground rather than risk being decontaminated and put back into use.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/05/31/british-politicians-are-now-legitimate-military-targets-threatens-kremlin/

EU Commission Hails End of Petrodollar, Welcomes ‘Multipolar Global Currency Regime’

The European Commission has apparently publicly welcomed the end of the American petrodollar, heralding what they describe as a new “multipolar global currency regime”.

Responding to a written question from a member of the European Parliament, the European Commission has said that it welcomes the beginning of a new “multipolar” without the U.S. dollar at its centre.

Formerly a cornerstone of the 21st-century world order, the petrodollar system which underwrites American economic hegemony is now under attack, with both Russia and China working to insert their own domestic currency as a viable alternative for the purchase and sale of fossil fuels worldwide.

Now, it appears that the EU may be interested in muscling in on U.S. territory in this regard too, with the European Commission saying that it would like to see its Euro currency adopted for more international energy transactions in the near future.

Writing in response to a parliamentary question on the fall of the petrodollar, EU financial services commissioner Mairead McGuinness said that she and her colleagues welcome a global shift away from the U.S. currency in favour of a more competitive landscape.

“The Commission will continue promoting the international role of the euro and, more generally, is supportive of a multipolar global currency regime which can be beneficial to improve the stability of the international financial system by limiting the impact of external and idiosyncratic monetary shocks on the economy,” the commissioner wrote on Tuesday.

“To strengthen the international role of the euro, the Commission continues to pursue targeted actions,” she continued. “As regards the use of the euro in the energy and commodities sectors, the EU will continue to discuss with key stakeholders to further increase the share of the euro.”

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/05/31/eu-commission-hails-end-of-petrodollar-welcomes-multipolar-global-currency-regime/

Virginia Dept of Health Promotes ‘Queer Kid Stuff,’ Chat For ‘LGBTQ+’-Identifying Teens

The Virginia Department of Health promoted an organization called “Queer Kid Stuff,” as well as an online chat service marketed to teenagers who identify as “LGBTQ+.”

“Queer Kid Stuff is an LGBTQ+ and social justice website for kids and families. The site includes links to helpful resources, videos, and more,” the Virginia Department of Health posted on its website.

Queer Kid Stuff is an organization dedicated to engaging in leftist activism in the education system, with a specific focus on the minds and beliefs of young children. The organization is “working to actively destigmatize queer topics in early childhood spaces.”

Its website says it emphasizes “Centering queer identity, experience, and history at the core of all of our work with particular emphasis on unearthing historic erasure, honoring the Black and Brown trans women at the core of the modern (and historic) LGBTQ+ movement.” In addition, the group is “dedicating our primary efforts toward liberating all children from white supremacist systems.”

The organization’s YouTube channel includes a video titled “What is Transitioning?” that discusses using hormones and surgery to masculinize or feminize an individual. It even mentions “top surgery” and “bottom surgery.” The video goes on to discuss “trans kids” and the use of puberty blockers. The description says Queer Kids Stuff hosts an “LGBTQ+ educational web series for children ages 3+ hosted by a tie-wearing queer lady, Lindsay, and her non-binary best-stuffed friend, Teddy.”

In another video, two drag queens teach children to make gay and transgender Pride flags. Another video provides educators with “5 tips for making your classroom QUEER-INCLUSIVE.” The first suggestion is to avoid the phrase “boys and girls.” All of the videos feature a teddy bear puppet. In addition, the organization also hosts “Queer Teachers Rock: A Miniconference for Queer Teachers by Queer Teachers.”

Meanwhile, the Virginia Department of Health also promotes the QChat Space, an online chat platform for those as young as 13 who identify as “LGBTQ+.” The online chat platform has hosted conversations on drag, sex and relationships, and even “queer youth activism.” Another talk was titled “Finding Chosen Family.”

The QChat Space website includes a green button at the bottom of the page, allowing users to leave the site quickly. The button, which reads “Click/tap here for a quick escape,” takes users to the Google homepage when pressed.

One academic article published on the National Library of Medicine website praised the QChat Space, saying, “The platform’s chat-based nature likely helps youth avoid concerns about family members accidentally overhearing their conversations.”

http://www.stationgossip.com/2023/05/virginia-dept-of-health-promotes-queer.html

Secret Service Refuses To Hand Over Emails Naming Biden’s Delaware Visitors

Republicans have been demanding answers on the lack of transparency on visitor logs from President Joe Biden’s Delaware home — and the response they just got won’t make things better moving forward.

The U.S. Secret Service is reportedly refusing to hand over emails identifying visitors to Biden’s homes in Delaware as a Freedom of Information Act request was filed.

“Please be advised that emails reflecting visitors to President Biden’s residences in Wilmington, Delaware, and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware are not agency records subject to the FOIA. See Doyle v. U.S. Dep’t of Homeland Sec., 959 F.3d 72 (2d Cir. 2020) (finding that emails regarding expected visitors to the sitting President’s residence were not agency records subject to the FOIA.),” the officer said in a letter.

The NY Post noted that it had filed its own FOIA request and that the Secret Service claimed last year that “no records were located” of Biden’s Delaware visitors.

“A Secret Service FOIA officer cited a federal appeals court ruling in New York regarding visitor information for former President Donald Trump’s residences, even though the ruling doesn’t bind the actions of officials in Delaware or in DC,” the New York Post reported.

Earlier this year, the Secret Service said it was “gathering” information about who visited Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware amid a scandal involving the president’s potentially illegal possession of classified documents.

The Washington Examiner reported the demand includes information on “all individuals” who visited the residence as well as other places where Biden stashed classified documents, including a private office he used at the Penn Biden Center in Washington, D.C.

The outlet noted further:

Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson wrote to the Secret Service on Monday in a letter first obtained by the Washington Examiner and requested the visitor logs. Now, the Secret Service said it is evaluating that letter and is “currently in the process of gathering” various information, as well as “working through appropriate channels” to locate what “may be responsive to Congressional inquiries.”

“We are in receipt of Senator Grassley’s letter and it is currently being reviewed,” Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Secret Service, told the outlet, which reported that he also said the USSS does not maintain “formal and comprehensive visitor logs for protected residences.”

https://conservativebrief.com/secret-refuses-73732/

George Soros' son has visited the White House at least 17 times since Biden took office, records show

Alex Soros also maintains close connections with prominent Democratic lawmakers

Alex Soros, son of liberal billionaire George Soros, has maintained access to the upper echelons of President Biden's White House and has frequently taken advantage of those channels.

The younger Soros, who chairs the board of directors for his father's Open Society Foundations network, has now visited the White House at least 17 times since 2021, according to a Fox News Digital review of visitor logs.

Alex's most recent visits include three meetings between February 8th and 10th, records released Tuesday show. The visitor logs list Jon Finer, the principal deputy national security adviser; Jordan Finkelstein, special assistant to the president and the chief of staff for senior Biden adviser Anita Dunn; and Mariana Adame, the adviser to the counselor of the president, as the individuals who greeted Alex.

It remains unclear precisely who Alex may have met with for the sessions, as the records can contain White House staff who book appointments, meet the guests and take them to other personnel.

For example, a White House official confirmed to Fox News Digital in January that two of Alex's past visits were with Ron Klain, Biden's former chief of staff, who was not listed in the records. OSF did not answer questions on the nature of his most recent meetings, and the White House did not respond to an inquiry.

The three most recent visits come on the heels of his 14 prior visits to the White House. And while the younger Soros has taken advantage of the Biden connections, he's also maintained close contact with Democratic lawmakers, which he often boasts about and posts on social media.

Alex's Instagram shows dozens of pictures with top Democrats in the House and the Senate between 2018 and 2022. Two of the Democrats who appeared the most were Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, with at least nine meetings, and then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, with at least eight visits.

"Good to see majority leader [Schumer] earlier this week! Energized to elect at least two more Democratic senators so we can secure voting rights and a woman's right to chose!" Soros posted on his Instagram in July 2022 along with a picture of the pair.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/george-soros-son-visited-white-house-at-least-17-times-since-biden-took-office-records-show

Nearly Half Of All Americans Now Have A Chronic Disease

It can strike at any time and at any age. When someone develops a chronic disease, it can cause debilitating, life-altering changes that penetrate every aspect of daily life.

The prevalence of these conditions has surged over the past decade, creating a twofold health care and economic crisis affecting nearly half of Americans. By 2030, the number of U.S. residents struggling with at least one chronic illness is expected to surpass 170 million.

That’s more than half of the entire country, for perspective.

The expanding elderly population and adults aren’t the only age groups seeing an uptick. More than 40 percent of children and adolescents currently have at least one chronic illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

There’s also a tremendous cost burden. The spectrum of chronic diseases comprises a disproportionately large segment of U.S. health care costs. Of the nation’s $4.1 trillion annual health care expenditures, chronic diseases account for 90 percent.

That’s more than $3 trillion dollars of annual direct costs alone.

At an individual level, the price tag doesn’t look any better. Estimates for the treatment and management of chronic conditions—on average—tally more than $6,000 annually per patient.

Some chronic disease specialists and health practitioners say that figure is spot on, depending on the condition.

Beyond the Numbers

“For example, if you have type 2 diabetes, you are often checking in with your provider every three months. Four visits a year, times $300 a visit, plus the amount spent for medications per month … quickly adds up,” nurse practitioner Lola MacLean told The Epoch Times.

MacLean has worked in family and internal medicine for the past five years. In that time, she’s noticed a spike in the number of patients suffering from chronic conditions walk through the door.

“I have seen an uptick in chronic conditions, especially those related to metabolic disorders, [like] type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression,” she said.

Many chronic diseases require specialist care for management. Providers in these fields have also witnessed a surge in patients.

“Indeed, I have noticed an uptick in the number of patients with chronic diseases, particularly those with respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD [Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease],” John Landry told The Epoch Times.

Landry is a licensed, registered respiratory therapist and founder of the education platform Respiratory Therapy Zone. He noted chronic respiratory diseases often require expensive medications, frequent doctor visits, and hospitalizations.

“I find the estimate of $6,000 USD for the annual cost of treating chronic diseases to be plausible … This doesn’t even take into account indirect costs such as time off work for the patient and their caregivers.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/nearly-half-all-americans-now-have-chronic-disease

Inside the Pentagon’s New “Perception Management” Office to Counter Disinformation

“Perception management” came to prominence during the Reagan administration, which used the term to describe its propaganda efforts.

Not long after the 9/11 attacks, the Bush administration launched what it called the Office of Strategic Influence, which would seek to “counter the enemy’s perception management” in the so-called war on terror. But it quickly became clear that the office, operating under Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, would be managing those perceptions with its own disinformation.

As the New York Times reported at the time, its work was to “provide news items, possibly including false ones, to foreign journalists in an effort to influence overseas opinion.” In the nascent Internet age, observers worried the propaganda could boomerang back on Americans.

“The question is whether the Pentagon and military should undertake an official program that uses disinformation to shape perceptions abroad,” the Times reported in 2004. “But in a modern world wired by satellite television and the Internet, any misleading information and falsehoods could easily be repeated by American news outlets.”

Now, two decades later, “perception management” is once again becoming a central focus for the national security state. On March 1, 2022, the Pentagon established a new office with similar goals to the one once deemed too controversial to remain open. Very little has been made public about the effort, which The Intercept learned about through a review of budget documents and an internal memo we obtained. This iteration is called the Influence and Perception Management Office, or IPMO, according to the memo, which was produced by the office for an academic institution, and its responsibilities include overseeing and coordinating the various counter-disinformation efforts being conducted by the military, which can include the U.S.’s own propaganda abroad.

The memo contains a hypothetical exercise shedding light on the kind of work the IPMO does for the Pentagon:

Let’s say DoD wants to influence Country A’s leaders to stop purchasing a weapon system from Country B (because we believe the continued purchasing might jeopardize DoD’s military advantage, in some way, if the U.S. ever had to engage in armed conflict with Country A.) Assuming the IPMO has worked to establish the desired behavior change, how might key influencers be identified that have sway over these leaders’ thought processes, beliefs, motives, reasoning, etc. (including ascertaining their typical modes and methods of communication)? Thereafter, assuming an influence strategy is developed, how might the DIE or IC determine if DoD’s influence activities are working (aside from waiting and watching hopefully that Country A eventually stops purchasing the weapons system in question from Country B)?

The memo is signed by the IPMO’s acting director, James Holly. Holly previously served as director of special programs for U.S. Special Operations Command. He has an extensive intelligence background, having served as intelligence chief for an unnamed paramilitary in Iraq, according to publicly available biographies.

https://theintercept.com/2023/05/17/pentagon-perception-management-office/

The FDA Wants People To Report “Misinformation”

In a recent announcement, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has revealed the launch of a webpage designed to address and curtail what it says is the spread of misinformation related to health and medical topics online. This initiative, known as the “Rumor Control” page invites users to report instances of perceived misinformation on the internet, particularly on social media platforms.

It concluded by calling on users to check the FDA’s rumor control page to see how the agency was fighting misinformation.

However, this initiative has been met with a wave of criticism from various quarters. Critics argue that the Rumor Control Page could be misused and raises significant concerns over the FDA itself getting involved in policing misinformation when the FDA itself has been accused of spreading misinformation.

This is something the commenters below the announcement on Twitter were quick to point out.

https://reclaimthenet.org/the-fda-wants-people-to-report-misinformation

After John Durham bombshell, judge breathes new life into Clinton Foundation whistleblower case

U.S. Tax Court asks for new motions this summer from whistleblowers, IRS in aftermath of precedent-setting rulings.

Just a few weeks after Special Counsel John Durham revealed significant failures to investigate allegations against Hillary Clinton’s family charity, a U.S. Tax Court judge has once again breathed new life into a years-long whistleblower case alleging IRS improprieties involving the controversial Clinton Foundation.

U.S. Tax Court Judge David Gustafson has already once before denied an IRS request to dismiss the whistleblower case, first brought in 2017. And three years ago, he ordered the tax agency to reveal whether it criminally investigated the foundation, citing a mysterious "gap" in its records.

The IRS filed a new motion to dismiss, and all parties filed arguments over the last year. But on Monday, Gustafson postponed ruling on those motions, instead asking for new arguments in light of three recent precedent-setting court rulings, once again frustrating IRS efforts to make the case go away.

The three recent rulings in other tax cases "may affect the parties’ positions as to the pending motions," Gustafson wrote. "We will order further filings so that the parties may address those recent opinions."

File

ClintonFoundationMay302023Ruling.pdf

The judge gave whistleblowers John Moynihan, a former federal agent, and Larry Doyle, a corporate tax compliance expert, until June 30 to update their arguments and the IRS until July 28 to respond. That means the case will almost certainly stretch on for many more months.

The judge also noted the IRS hasn’t responded to a request to update the court record with new evidence.

Monday’s ruling adds new intrigue in a case that first surfaced nearly five years ago when Doyle and Moynihan, two respected forensic financial investigators, revealed the existence of their 2017 IRS whistleblower complaint against the foundation during a congressional hearing.

Moynihan and Doyle testified to a House committee in December 2018 that they believed the foundation wrongly operated as a foreign lobbyist by accepting overseas donations, then trying to influence U.S. policy.

The foundation "began acting as an agent of foreign governments early in its life and throughout its existence," Moynihan testified at the time. "As such, the foundation should've registered under FARA (Foreign Agents Registration Act). Ultimately, the foundation and its auditors conceded in formal submissions that it did operate as a (foreign) agent, therefore the foundation is not entitled to its 501c3 tax-exempt privileges as outlined in IRS 170 (c)2."

The foundation has acknowledged that past internal audits revealed compliance problems with some of its practices but insisted those have been fixed and that it always complied with the law, strongly disputing the whistleblowers' allegations.

In October 2020, Gustafson first allowed the whistleblower case to proceed, rejecting an IRS motion for summary judgement. He cited nonpublic evidence the FBI and IRS may have worked jointly on a criminal investigation focused on the foundation. Months later, the judge suggested the IRS whistleblower office may have evidence it had not disclosed to the court in the case.

"There are facts and information, uniquely within the knowledge of the Whistleblower Office that need to be considered in connection with the resolution of the petitioner's claim," he wrote in May 2021.

https://justthenews.com/accountability/political-ethics/after-john-durham-bombshell-judge-breathes-new-life-clinton

Russia Pulled Out of Its Nuclear Transparency Pact With the United States. The Biden Administration Still Shares Sensitive Data.

'This is bizarre behavior, and a reckless threat to American national security'

The Biden administration has resumed the public disclosure of sensitive nuclear data as part of a treaty with Russia that Moscow pulled out of months ago, providing the country with critical information about America's offensive capabilities at a time when Russian president Vladimir Putin is threatening to launch an atomic war in Europe.

The United States earlier this month began publishing—after a two-month pause—detailed information about its offensive nuclear capabilities as part of the New START treaty, an arms transparency pact that Moscow stopped implementing in February amid its war in Ukraine. Defense experts warn that pulling out of New START is part of Putin's plan to bolster a nuclear Russia—and lawmakers share their concerns.

"In the interest of transparency and the U.S. commitment to responsible nuclear conduct, the United States is voluntarily releasing aggregate data for its nuclear forces," the State Department said in a May 12 announcement that included detailed information about America's ballistic missiles, nuclear warheads, and heavy bombers.

The data were released just days before Moscow deployed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, a major escalation potentially made in response to the new information about America's capabilities. Defense hawks on Capitol Hill said they are baffled by the Biden administration's decision to publish sensitive nuclear data at a time when Russia is not only hiding its own capabilities but also threatening to start an atomic war in Eastern Europe.

"The U.S. is making concessions while our adversaries and enemies proliferate their nuclear arsenals," Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told the Washington Free Beacon. "Worse, the Biden administration seems to be proud about it. This is bizarre behavior, and a reckless threat to American national security."

The State Department's data dump is only the latest foreign policy issue to land the White House in the hot seat. Members of the House China Committee raised concerns earlier this month that the United States is ill-equipped to combat China, and a government watchdog concluded that America's missile defense system is in tatters.

Cruz says the Biden administration's commitment to implementing New START is on par with its dedication to implementing the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, even as Tehran "is brazenly violating" the agreement.

The State Department says its voluntary release of sensitive U.S. military data is "especially important in periods of high tension."

But Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon adviser and military analyst at the American Enterprise Institute, said the Biden administration's commitment to New START will not moderate a leader like Putin.

"Transparency might sound good in theory, but exposing secrets isn't going to moderate Putin," Rubin said. "To the contrary, it will only help him plan as he seeks his own nuclear dominance."

https://freebeacon.com/national-security/russia-pulled-out-of-its-nuclear-transparency-pact-with-the-united-states-the-biden-administration-still-shares-sensitive-data/

Assistant Secretary of State says FISA abuses 'disturbing' but cost of ending program 'significant'

"It was disturbing and unfortunate. But the fact that those came to light was because of the reporting and transparency requirements," he said.

Assistant Secretary of State Brett Holmgren said that abuses of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act are "disturbing" but warned that if Congress does not reauthorize the controversial surveillance program it "will have significant costs for U.S. diplomacy."

Holmgren, who oversees the department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research, highlighted what he saw as the need for Section 702 during a talk Tuesday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a D.C.-based think tank.

The State Department uses 702 for assessment on Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, as well as to advance "human rights and climate security," Holmgren said, according to the State Department's official transcript of his speech. "To give our diplomats [an] information advantage, they will continue to need every tool at our disposal—especially Section 702."

He also said, "The State Department is only a consumer of intelligence derived from 702 collection, so my colleagues at [the Justice Department] and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence are best placed to address potential reforms to the program."

After the speech, he was asked to comment about the FBI's alleged abuses of FISA, which were detailed in a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court filing unsealed earlier this month. The document revealed that the FBI improperly used the Section 702 database to surveil George Floyd protesters and Jan. 6 participants.

"On the FISC court opinions that you mentioned, I think I was like a lot of us. It was disturbing and unfortunate. But the fact that those came to light was because of the reporting and transparency requirements that have been instituted by the director of National Intelligence, so in some respects, it shows that the oversight process is ultimately working to help expose practices that obviously need to be addressed," Holmgren responded.

Section 702 is set to expire on Dec. 31 if Congress does not renew it. A bipartisan effort is underway in Congress to revamp the law to better protect civil liberties.

https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/assistant-secretary-state-says-fisa-abuses-disturbing-cost-ending

Biden Regime to Send Another $300M Package for Ukraine

No need to wait for the flawed uniparty debt ceiling deal vote!

On Wednesday, the Biden regime announced the release of a new $300 million defense aid package for Ukraine.

From the press release:

Today, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced additional security assistance to meet Ukraine’s critical security and defense needs. This authorization is the Biden Administration’s thirty-ninth drawdown of equipment from DoD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021. It includes key capabilities to support Ukraine’s air defenders as they bravely protect Ukraine’s soldiers, civilians, and critical infrastructure amid Russia’s continuing air strikes killing civilians across Ukraine. This security assistance package also contains artillery, anti-armor capabilities, and ammunition, including tens of millions of rounds of small arms ammunition, valued at up to $300 million to help Ukraine continue to defend its sovereign territory.

The capabilities in this package include:

• Additional munitions for Patriot air defense systems;

• AIM-7 missiles for air defense;

• Avenger air defense systems;

• Stinger anti-aircraft systems;

• Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);

• 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds;

• 105mm tank ammunition;

• Precision aerial munitions;

• Zuni aircraft rockets;

• Munitions for Unmanned Aerial Systems;

• AT-4 anti-armor systems;

• Over 30 million rounds of small arms ammunition;

• Mine clearing equipment and systems;

• Demolition munitions for obstacle clearing;

• Night vision devices;

• Spare parts, generators, and other field equipment.

The United States will continue to work with its Allies and partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs and longer-term security assistance requirements.

According to DOD, Since the start of the Biden regime, the United States has committed over $38.3 billion of taxpayer’s money in security aid to Ukraine. Of this total, over $37.6 billion has been allocated since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/05/what-debt-ceiling-crisis-biden-regime-send-another/

Proclamation on “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month”

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/05/31/a-proclamation-on-lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender-queer-and-intersex-pride-month-2023/

Project Veritas files suit against ousted founder James O'Keefe

The suit claims that "O'Keefe must be held accountable" to the organization he created.

Project Veritas, which ousted its founder James O'Keefe earlier this year, has filed a lawsuit against O'Keefe alleging financial misdoings. Veritas is a 501c(3) not-for-profit that subsists on donations. The suit was filed in New York.

"Being known as the founder of an organization does not entitle that person to run amok and put his own interests ahead of the organization," the suit claims, alleging that O'Keefe "failed in his duties" to Veritas, thereby "causing it serious and significant damage."

The suit claims that "O'Keefe must be held accountable" to the organization he created, which continues to live on without him, though many investigative journalists have left and O'Keefe has started a new company, called OMG, or O'Keefe Media Group. He stated at the time of that founding that it would behoove him to have his name in the company.

Veritas didn't stop at allegations against O'Keefe, however, stating that his right-hand man RC Maxwell and Anthony Iatropoulos "breached their own contracts" by going to work with O'Keefe after he was forced out of his own company.

The suit claims that O'Keefe violated his contract by not keeping confidential that information he knew about Veritas' business and investigative operations, that he behaved "unprofessionally during team meetings," and has "targeted female employees with mean-spirited comments about personal situations like pregnancies."

Veritas claims O'Keefe had "strained" relationships with donors, that employees saw "obscene" messages between O'Keefe and others when they access his phone, and that there was "financial misconduct," including using his business card for personal expenses.

The complaint alleges that O’Keefe "breached his fiduciary duties" to Project Veritas by forming OMG "while still employed by Plaintiffs," and by soliciting employees and donors to join OMG.

They allege that O’Keefe failed to return donor lists and contact information as well as equipment, and that the use of this property enacted "actual losses and irreparable harm" on Project Veritas.

https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-project-veritas-files-suit-against-ousted-founder-james-okeefe

https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-project-veritas-files-suit-against-ousted-founder-james-okeefe

Jeffrey Epstein's Schedule Shows Meetings With Billionaires Mort Zuckerman, Tom Pritzker, Reid Hoffman And Peter Thiel

Jeffrey Epstein's private emails and calendar indicate he had meetings with billionaires Mort Zuckerman, Tom Pritzker, Reid Hoffman and Peter Thiel.

All four are diehard supporters of Israel and we know from previous reports that Epstein was given at least $200 million from pro-Israel billionaires Lex Wexner and Leon Black.

Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell have both been accused of being Israeli agents running a honeypot blackmail operation.

From The Daily Mail, "EXCLUSIVE: The Jeffrey Epstein Files: Trove of never-before-seen emails and calendars gives unprecedented insight into late pedophile's network of power and influence that includes Chris Rock, Peter Thiel, Richard Branson and Irina Shayk":

A vast trove of Jeffrey Epstein's private calendars and emails are being revealed today by DailyMail.com.

The hundreds of pages in the files give an unprecedented insight into the late pedophile's extraordinary network of power and influence.

Among the revelations is that Epstein appeared to know personal details about the marriage of Bill Gates and his ex-wife Melinda – while magician David Blaine had numerous dinners with the financier.

Presidents, prime ministers, royalty and famous names previously not linked to Epstein are also featured in the hundreds of pages of documents.

[…] On September 8 [in 2014] the schedule said that at 10am Epstein was to meet Gates and billionaire Tom Pritzker at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan.

They were to walk to the office of Leon Black followed by a meeting with Mort Zuckerman, both billionaire investors.

Later that day, Gates and Epstein would meet Kathy Ruemmler, the former Obama White House counsel, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Manhattan.

Epstein's pursuit of Gates appears to have culminated in the dinner at his New York home with Melinda Gates, which is thought to have been the only time she met Epstein.

Epstein rolled out the red carpet with some of his most important friends: Thorbjorn Jagland, the former Norwegian politician, and Norwegian diplomat Terje Rød Larsen, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and his wife and Eva Dubin, his former girlfriend and her daughter Celina, who treated Epstein like an uncle.

The note says that 'Richard Branson may join the dinner'.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month Jeffrey Epstein attempted to blackmail Bill Gates into giving money to a JPMorgan Chase "charitable" fund by threatening to reveal an affair the Microsoft founder had with a Russian bridge player in 2010.

https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=63785

Biden Administration Sues Companies Owned by Republican Running for US Senate

President Joe Biden’s administration has sued more than a dozen companies owned by the Justice family, including West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican running for the U.S. Senate.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) says in the lawsuit that the companies and Justice’s son, who is the primary controller of many of the businesses, violated federal law by not paying penalties assessed for issues like not ensuring the stability of a dam and ignoring orders to halt mining until the problems were resolved.

A & G Coal Corp. and the other companies owe money for over 130 violations, which were assessed starting in 2018, according to the 128-page suit that was filed on May 30 in a U.S. court in Virginia.

The administration is asking the court to award more than $5.7 million in addition to interest, late payment penalties, and administrative expenses.

“Our environmental laws serve to protect communities against adverse effects of industrial activities including surface coal mining operations,” Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim, of the DOJ’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, said in a statement. “Through this suit, the Justice Department seeks to deliver accountability for defendants’ repeated violations of the law and to recover the penalties they owe as a result of those violations.”

James Justice III and the companies could not be reached. No contacts are yet listed on the court docket.

Accusations of Political Targeting

Jim Justice, 72, isn’t listed as a defendant, but he is the co-owner of multiple companies named in the suit.

Justice told an unrelated briefing on Wednesday that he did not know the details of the accusations but that he expected to be briefed by his son.

“I’ve announced as a Republican that I’m running for the U.S. Senate, and the Biden administration is aware of the fact that with a win for the U.S. Senate and everything, we could very well flip the Senate,” the governor said. “This could be something in regard to that.”

“The Democrats have seen the polls that show Jim Justice winning this race, and they’re panicking. So now the Biden Justice Department has decided to play politics,” Roman Stauffer, Justice’s campaign manager, added in a statement.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee offered a similar view.

“Joe Biden’s Department of Justice has gone totally rogue. Democrats weaponizing the federal government to attack the family of a Republican Senate candidate is a complete abuse of power,” Tate Mitchell, a spokesman for the group, said in a statement.

The DOJ and White House did not respond to requests for comment.

Democrats hold a slim 51–49 majority in the upper chamber. Republicans hope a GOP candidate in 2024 can flip the seat currently held by Manchin, 75. The Democrat has not yet decided whether to run for another term. Justice is one of several Republicans who are vying in the Republican primary for the seat.

Manchin won the 2018 race with 49.6 percent of the vote, beating West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey.

Justice, a billionaire who has a net worth of approximately $500 million, launched his campaign in April. He was a Democrat until 2017.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/biden-administration-sues-companies-owned-by-republican-running-for-us-senate_5303543.html

CBP officers seize $38 million worth of methamphetamine at Otay Mesa Cargo Facility

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers assigned to the Otay Mesa Cargo Facility seized $38 million worth of methamphetamine within a shipment of kale.

On Saturday, at approximately 12:08 p.m., CBP officers encountered a 34-year-old male driver of a tractor-trailer, with a shipment manifested for kale. During initial inspection, a CBP officer referred the driver and tractor-trailer for further examination.

A non-intrusive inspection of the tractor trailer was conducted, and irregularities were observed within the commodities. A CBP officer conducted a thorough examination of the shipment and discovered packages concealed within the kale.

CBP officers extracted 268 packages concealed within the shipment of kale. The narcotics were tested and identified as methamphetamine with a total weight of 5,788.41 pounds, and an estimated street value of $38,070,910.

“The collaborative effort of our CBP officers to achieve a common goal is remarkably inspiring,” said Rosa Hernandez, Port Director for the Otay Mesa Cargo Facility. “Our officers exemplify this every day as they dedicate themselves to protecting and serving their communities with unwavering commitment and outstanding work.”

https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/cbp-officers-seize-38-million-worth-methamphetamine-otay-mesa-cargo

Former President And Former Financial Advisor Of Law Enforcement Union Convicted Of Defrauding Union’s Annuity Fund

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/former-president-and-former-financial-advisor-law-enforcement-union-convicted

Former West Haven Employee and State Representative Sentenced to Prison for Stealing COVID Relief and Other City Funds

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ct/pr/former-west-haven-employee-and-state-representative-sentenced-prison-stealing-covid

REPORTER: “What do you say to the majority of Americans who believe that the President himself is corrupt?”

KIRBY: “Wow…”

https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1663989628586672128

Mike Pence to launch presidential campaign next week in Des Moines, Iowa - NBC News

https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1663977650199592960

The data released by Germany’s Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) showed a total of 48,320 Syrian nationals were naturalized across Germany last year, more than double the 19,095 naturalizations of Syrians recorded in 2021 — a figure that was already three times higher than any other year on record.

The figure is 24 times higher than the 2,263 Syrian nationals handed citizenship at the peak of the migrant crisis in 2016.

Syrians accounted for 29 percent of all naturalizations recorded in Germany last year, as the country granted citizenship to 168,545 foreign nationals.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/record-number-young-syrian-males-granted-german-citizenship-last-year

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>multiple sources told CNN

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