Establishment Republican Ken Buck, Seeking CNN Gig, Joins Amy Klobuchar to Push JCPA Media Bailout Bill… Again!

Allum Bokhari 28 Sep 20231

Establishment Republican congressman Ken Buck (R-CO), who is on his way out of Congress, is once again teaming up with Democrats to push theJournalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA), a bill that would funnel billions of dollars from Big Tech companies to far-left legacy media companies.

Rep. Buck, who is set to leave Congress, has been a staunch supporter of the same legacy media industry that regularly smears Republicans and Republican voters as bigots, domestic extremists, and conspiracy theorists. Backed by donations from the legacy media’s top lobbyists in DC, Rep. Buck was the lead Republican sponsor of the JCPA in the House of Representatives.

The Congressman, who presented himself to Republican primary voters as a staunch “Tea Party” conservative back in 2010, is now on his way out of Congress, and is reportedly seeking a job at leftist, Republican-hating channel CNN.

In the meantime, he’s still looking to bail out the same media industry he hopes to join, by a last-ditch effort to push the JCPA. Earlier today, the Congressman appeared on a Washington Post podcast with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), the bill’s lead Senate sponsor, defending his decision to back a piece of corporate welfare for the media industry.

.@SenAmyKlobuchar (D-Minn.) and @RepKenBuck (R-Colo.) join @PostLive to discuss their bipartisan push for the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act and the role of the free press in a democracy. https://t.co/KsdOi97SdL

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 28, 2023

One of the first bills introduced by Democrats during their time holding the majority in the House, the JCPA allows some of the nation’s largest legacy media companies to form a legal cartel, immune from antitrust law, to pressure tech companies for special favors.

The cartel could force tech companies, through arbitration, to funnel massive amounts of ad revenue to media companies owned by the likes of Hearst and Gannett — giant corporations with billions of dollars in revenue.

Following the passage of a similar bill in Canada, Facebook and Google blocked news links across the country, with little impact on their own traffic or usage.

When it looked like the JCPA might pass through the defense bill in 2021, Facebook said it may have to do the same in the U.S.

The bill was repeatedly pushed by Democrats when they held the majority in the

House and Senate, although the party failed to pass it as a standalone bill.

The JCPA lobby was determined, though, and succeeded in attaching theprovisions of the JCPA to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in 2022— despite the fact that bailing out the media has nothing to do with national defense. Only a massive blowback by Republicans stopped the JCPA from making it into the NDAA’s final draft, preventing the media’s golden giveaway from making it into law.

The Speaker of the House, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), has said that despite Democrat efforts, the JCPA is “dead in the House.” The bill has numerous other Republican opponents, including Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Steve Daines (R-MT), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Mike Lee (R-UT), Mike Braun (R-IN), Katie Britt (R-AL), and Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Steve Scalise (R-LA), and Ben Cline (R-VA).

https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2023/09/28/establishment-republican-ken-buck-seeking-cnn-gig-joins-amy-klobuchar-to-push-jcpa-media-bailout-bill-again/

Exclusive: Georgia Senate GOP Caucus Ousts Senator for Trying to Remove Fani Willis from Office

Wendell Husebø 28 Sep 2023

The Georgia Senate Republican caucus voted on Thursday to remove State Sen. Colton Moore from the caucus for taking a first step in August to defund, investigate, and possibly impeach Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who levied 13 counts against former President Donald Trump.

In a letter to Gov. Brian Kemp (R), Moore announced an initiative in August to begin an emergency session to conduct a thorough investigation into the actions undertaken by Willis. An emergency legislative special session can come about two ways in Georgia: The governor can call an emergency session, or one can be called if 3/5 of both legislative chambers sign a letter demanding it.

Kemp and State Senate Republicans apparently oppose working to investigate, defund, and impeach Willis, and instead ousted Moore. “Today’s removal is a direct result of me calling on my Republican colleagues in the Senate to do their job and sign onto an emergency session to investigate Fani Willis,” Colton said in a statement exclusively obtained by Breitbart News:

The Georgia Constitution clearly outlines the legislature’s power to call an emergency session to investigate a judicial officer. After urging my Republican Senate colleagues to join me — they responded by acting like children and throwing me out of the caucus. I stand by my Republican principles. I stand by the Republican platform. I will continue to serve as a Republican Senator from the great state of Georgia. Unfortunately, now I will be forced to refer to my colleagues, who ran on being “Trump conservatives,” as the RINO caucus.

The people of Georgia are 100 percent with me. This is the fight of our lifetime, and I will continue to double down to defend the rule of law and do what is right.

Recent Rasmussen polling shows that 82 percent of Georgia Republicans say Trump is unfairly prosecuted by Willis. Seventy-seven percent of Republicans also say they are not satisfied with tax dollars being used to prosecute Trump. Another 74 percent of Republicans support the Georgia legislature convening a special session to stop Willis from prosecuting Trump.

Despite the feasible mechanisms and polling popularity, Kemp and many state Republicans dismissed Moore’s initiative out of hand. “Let me be clear: We have a law in the state of Georgia that clearly outlines the legal steps that can be taken if constituents believe their local prosecutors are violating their oath by engaging in unethical or illegal behavior,” Kemp said in August. “Up to this point, I have not seen any evidence that DA Willis’ actions, or lack thereof, warrant action by the Prosecuting Attorney Oversight Commission.”

Trump, along with many populist Republicans, praised Moore for “doing something” against what they term “the weaponization of the justice system.” “A highly respected Georgia State Senator called Moore deserves thanks and congratulations of everyone for having the courage and conviction to fight the radical left lunatics,” Trump said in a video.

“With almost no retribution for those murders. Shockingly indicted your favorite president, me, for a perfect phone call. She is very bad for America,” he added.

“She is very bad for Georgia.”

🚨 PRESIDENT TRUMP IS WITH ME!

He knows that my call for an emergency session to DEFUND the corrupt Fani Willis is the correct move.

Sadly, Georgia REPUBLICANS are blocking my efforts.

This is madness. No more empty promises. The people want ACTION…

TIME TO SIGN! pic.twitter.com/WYrb7ewTP3

— Sen. Colton Moore (@realColtonMoore) August 30, 2023

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/09/28/exclusive-georgia-senate-gop-caucus-ousts-senator-trying-remove-fani-willis-from-office/

Exclusive: Georgia Senate GOP Caucus Ousts Senator for Trying to Remove Fani Willis from Office

Wendell Husebø 28 Sep 2023

The Georgia Senate Republican caucus voted on Thursday to remove State Sen. Colton Moore from the caucus for taking a first step in August to defund, investigate, and possibly impeach Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who levied 13 counts against former President Donald Trump.

In a letter to Gov. Brian Kemp (R), Moore announced an initiative in August to begin an emergency session to conduct a thorough investigation into the actions undertaken by Willis. An emergency legislative special session can come about two ways in Georgia: The governor can call an emergency session, or one can be called if 3/5 of both legislative chambers sign a letter demanding it.

Kemp and State Senate Republicans apparently oppose working to investigate, defund, and impeach Willis, and instead ousted Moore. “Today’s removal is a direct result of me calling on my Republican colleagues in the Senate to do their job and sign onto an emergency session to investigate Fani Willis,” Colton said in a statement exclusively obtained by Breitbart News:

The Georgia Constitution clearly outlines the legislature’s power to call an emergency session to investigate a judicial officer. After urging my Republican Senate colleagues to join me — they responded by acting like children and throwing me out of the caucus. I stand by my Republican principles. I stand by the Republican platform. I will continue to serve as a Republican Senator from the great state of Georgia. Unfortunately, now I will be forced to refer to my colleagues, who ran on being “Trump conservatives,” as the RINO caucus.

The people of Georgia are 100 percent with me. This is the fight of our lifetime, and I will continue to double down to defend the rule of law and do what is right.

Recent Rasmussen polling shows that 82 percent of Georgia Republicans say Trump is unfairly prosecuted by Willis. Seventy-seven percent of Republicans also say they are not satisfied with tax dollars being used to prosecute Trump. Another 74 percent of Republicans support the Georgia legislature convening a special session to stop Willis from prosecuting Trump.

Despite the feasible mechanisms and polling popularity, Kemp and many state Republicans dismissed Moore’s initiative out of hand. “Let me be clear: We have a law in the state of Georgia that clearly outlines the legal steps that can be taken if constituents believe their local prosecutors are violating their oath by engaging in unethical or illegal behavior,” Kemp said in August. “Up to this point, I have not seen any evidence that DA Willis’ actions, or lack thereof, warrant action by the Prosecuting Attorney Oversight Commission.”

Trump, along with many populist Republicans, praised Moore for “doing something” against what they term “the weaponization of the justice system.” “A highly respected Georgia State Senator called Moore deserves thanks and congratulations of everyone for having the courage and conviction to fight the radical left lunatics,” Trump said in a video.

“With almost no retribution for those murders. Shockingly indicted your favorite president, me, for a perfect phone call. She is very bad for America,” he added.

“She is very bad for Georgia.”

🚨 PRESIDENT TRUMP IS WITH ME!

He knows that my call for an emergency session to DEFUND the corrupt Fani Willis is the correct move.

Sadly, Georgia REPUBLICANS are blocking my efforts.

This is madness. No more empty promises. The people want ACTION…

TIME TO SIGN! pic.twitter.com/WYrb7ewTP3

— Sen. Colton Moore (@realColtonMoore) August 30, 2023

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/09/28/exclusive-georgia-senate-gop-caucus-ousts-senator-trying-remove-fani-willis-from-office/

When Zelensky Brought a Nazi to the Greek ParliamentSeptember 27, 2023

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been making a virtual world tour with video hookups to parliaments around the globe, as well as to the Grammy Awards and the U.N. Security Council, sometimes with troublesome results. On April 7, 2022 a major row erupted when Zelensky brought along a Ukrainian soldier of Greek heritage from the city of Mariupol, who just happened to be a member of the neo-Nazi Azov Regiment. Greece was under Nazi occupation during World War II and fought a bitter partisan war against Nazism (later to be betrayed by Britain and the United States.)

With Zelensky in the screen, the man, who gave only his first name, told Parliament: '''“I speak to you as a man of Greek descent. My name is Michail.

My grandfather fought against the Nazis in the Second World War. I am born in Mariupol and I am now also fighting to defend my city from the Russian nazis.”'''

Alexis Tsipras, leader of the main opposition party, SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance, blasted the appearance of the Azov fighter before parliament.

“Solidarity with the Ukrainian people is a given. But nazis cannot be allowed to speak in parliament,” Tsipras said on social media. “The speech was a provocation.” He said Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis “bears full responsibility. … He talked about a historic day but it is a historical shame.”

Former Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras called the video being played in parliament a “big mistake”. Former Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Kotzias said:“The Greek government irresponsibly undermined the struggle of the Ukrainian people, by giving the floor to a Nazi. The responsibilities are heavy. The government should publish a detailed report of preparation and contacts for the event.”

Former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis’ MeRA25 party said the event turned into a “Nazi fiesta.”

The Greek Reporter said a government spokesman admitted the mistake but then used it to smear SYRIZA as Russian apologists: “The socialist KINAL party issued a statement asking why Greek lawmakers had not been informed about the video intervention of an Azov Battalion member and called on the president of the Greek Parliament to bear responsibility.

Government spokesperson Giannis Oikonomou said the inclusion of the Azov Battalion message was ‘incorrect and inappropriate.’ However, he did not say who should be held responsible for this. Oikonomou, nevertheless, slammed SYRIZA for allegedly ‘using that mistake… to justify the Russian invasion. … It is time for a clear answer: are they on the side of the Ukrainians, who are fighting for their freedom, or [on the side of] Putin’s invaders?’ he said.”

Zelensky’s Spotty Sense of HistoryIn his speech, Zelensky said:

“I have been waking up every day for more than a month thinking about Mariupol, which is being destroyed by Russian troops. There are still 100,000 people on the border with Mariupol. There is no building left.

Mariupol has been destroyed…Ukraine is one of the Orthodox countries that was Christianised by the Greeks. In Ukrainian culture and history it will be seen that we will lose a big part of history if we lose the culture brought by Greek culture. Freedom or Death was what your revolutionaries were saying. We are shouting the same today.” [a reference to a slogan of the Greek Revolution of 1821.]

Ignoring Greece’s suffering under German Nazism was a slight made worse by bringing a Nazi along to address Greek lawmakers. Zelensky has gotten into trouble before by referring to a nation’s history in his addresses to parliaments.

He caused outrage in Israel for comparing what Ukraine is going through today to the Holocaust while completely ignoring the role Ukrainian fascists played in that Holocaust.

Just as Western governments and corporate media are doing, the Ukrainian embassy in Athens denied Azov is a Neo-Nazi regiment, despite sporting the Waffen-SS Wolfsangel on their uniforms and their open political alignment with Nazism. The embassy instead tried to turn the tables.

“For many years Russia tried to ‘plant’ into Greek minds the myth that ‘Azov’ Regiment is a paramilitary independent unit operating in Mariupol,” the embassy said in a statement. “The video … has nothing to do to those Nazi deeds, Russians commit on our land and against our people.”

Indeed, Western media have largely ignored the story. Neither The New York Times nor The Washington Post wrote anything about what happened at the Greek parliament and The Wall Street Journal only ran a photo story that didn’t mention the controversy.

https://consortiumnews.com/2023/09/27/when-zelensky-brought-a-nazi-to-the-greek-parliament/