Exposing The CIA's Secret Effort To Seize Control Of Social Media

While the CIA is strictly prohibited from spying on or running clandestine operations against American citizens on US soil, a bombshell new "Twitter Files" report reveals that a member of the Board of Trustees of InQtel - the CIA's mission-driving venture capital firm, along with "former" intelligence community (IC) and CIA analysts, were involved in a massive effort in 2021-2022 to take over Twitter's content management system, as Michael Shellenberger, Matt Taibbi and Alex Gutentag report over at Shellenberger's Public (subscribers can check out the extensive 6,800 word report here).

According to "thousands of pages of Twitter Files and documents," these efforts were part of a broader strategy to manage how information is disseminated and consumed on social media under the guise of combating 'misinformation' and foreign propaganda efforts - as this complex of government-linked individuals and organizations has gone to great lengths to suggest that narrative control is a national security issue.

According to the report, the effort also involved;

a long-time IC contractor and senior Department of Defense R&D official who spent years developing technologies to detect whistleblowers (“insider threats”) like Edward Snowden and Wikileaks’ leakers;

the proposed head of the DHS’ aborted Disinformation Governance Board, Nina Jankowicz, who aided US military and NATO “hybrid war” operations in Europe;

Jim Baker, who, as FBI General Counsel, helped start the Russiagate hoax, and, as Twitter’s Deputy General Counsel, urged Twitter executives to censor The New York Post story about Hunter Biden.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/twitter-files-cia-exposing-secret-effort-us-intelligence-seize-control-social-media

Missouri State Rep. Ben Baker’s Daughter and Son-in-Law Killed By Gang in Haiti

Missouri state Rep. Ben Baker’s daughter and son-in-law were fatally shot by gang members in Haiti while serving as missionaries.

Baker’s daughter, Natalie, and her husband, Davy Lloyd, were living in Haiti and serving as full-time missionaries when they were fatally attacked on Thursday.

Baker announced the tragic news in a post on Facebook.

“My heart is broken in a thousand pieces,” Baker began. “I’ve never felt this kind of pain. Most of you know my daughter and son-in-law Davy and Natalie Lloyd are full time missionaries in Haiti. They were attacked by gangs this evening and were both killed. They went to Heaven together. Please pray for my family we desperately need strength. And please pray for the Lloyd family as well. I have no other words for now.”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/05/missouri-state-rep-ben-bakers-daughter-son-law/

Chechen Man Shot Dead Outside Home of US Spec Ops Command Member: FBI, Army Investigating

A deadly shooting earlier this month in Moore County has gained attention from the U.S. Army and the FBI.

Deputies of the Moore County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a home along Dowd Road in Carthage on May 3 around 8:15 p.m. after a trespassing at a home was reported.

A 911 caller explained that a person had been “taking photos on the property” and “became aggressive” toward a resident outside of their home, the sheriff’s office said.

CBS 17 has confirmed the man suspected of pulling the trigger is a member of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, according to spokesperson Jacqueline Hill. At this time, the soldier’s rank and position within the command are not known.

The man killed as a result of the shooting has been identified as 35-year-old Ramzan Daraev from Chicago, Illinois, who appeared to have been shot multiple times, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies said they located Daraev nearly 250 yards from the roadway, along a powerline on the residential property.

Daraev’s identity was later confirmed through family members and an international identification that was discovered in his vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office. At the time of his death, he was reported to have been working as a subcontractor for Utilities One, which is a company based in New Jersey. Investigators are still working to verify his official employment status, deputies said.

According to the news release, Daraev did not have any utility equipment, utility clothing or identification during the time of the shooting. The incident has been reported to the U.S. Department of Labor as well as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The FBI has also stepped in to help in the investigation, including providing a translator to assist with interviews of other reported Utilities One employees, the sheriff’s office said. Hill confirmed the primary investigating agency remains the Moore County Sheriff’s Office.

https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/chicago-man-identified-as-person-killed-in-moore-county-shooting-near-home-of-u-s-army-member-deputies-say/

UN's Top Court Orders Israel To 'Immediately Halt' Rafah Offensive

The top United Nations court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), has on Friday issued an emergency order for Israel to halt its military operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

"Israel must immediately halt its military offensive," judges at the ICJ, or world court (which deals with disputes between countries, while the ICC prosecutes individuals) said, saying conditions had been met to issue a new emergency order.

Israel must further halt "any other action in the Rafah Governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part," according to the ruling issued by the body's president Nawaf Salam. He also called the situation 'disastrous' for the Palestinians.

Now weeks into the offensive, at least 800,000 people have fled Rafah, which prior to the assault had some 1.2 million to 1.5 million mostly displaced Gazans packed into its environs.

The request for such an emergency ICJ declaration originated last week when South Africa's lawyers asked the Hague to intervene to ensure the survival of the Palestinian people.

South Africa has also led the charge in bringing the International Criminal Court (ICC) case against Israel's leaders, which has resulted in an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and his defense minister Yoav Gallant.

As for the ICJ's "order" - it is of course largely symbolic and the UN top court has no enforcement capability. But it serves to pile the pressure on Tel Aviv at a moment its international standing and reputation has taken a serious hit. The court invoked the 'Genocide Convention' in issuing its ruling.

An Israeli government spokesperson has responded to the ICJ's action by stating that "no power on Earth will stop Israel from protecting its citizens and going after Hamas in Gaza."

And finance minister Bezalel Smotrich quickly said on X that "the State of Israel is at war for its existence." He stated, "Those who demand that the State of Israel stop the war, demand that it decree itself to cease to exist. We will not agree to that."

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/uns-top-court-orders-israel-immediately-halt-rafah-offensive

Zelensky’s legitimacy is over – Putin

Russia will only hold peace talks with actual legitimate Ukrainian authorities, Vladimir Putin has said

Russia must be absolutely sure it’s dealing with the legitimate Ukrainian authorities to engage in meaningful and legally binding talks to conclude the conflict between the two nations, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said, noting that Vladimir Zelensky’s legitimacy was over.

The president made the remarks in Minsk on Friday during a joint press conference with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko. Putin was asked for comment on Zelensky’s presidential term running out earlier this month and the impact of this development on potential talks.

Putin reiterated Russia’s readiness to engage in talks with Ukraine to wrap up the hostilities, stating that negotiations must be based on “common sense” and acknowledge “realties on the ground,” while taking the preliminary agreement reached early into the conflict as the foundation.

“But with whom to negotiate? That’s a peculiar question, I agree. We realize that the legitimacy of the incumbent head of the [Ukrainian] state is over,” the Russian leader stated.

The upcoming “peace summit,” scheduled to take place in Switzerland next month and actively promoted by Kiev is designed, among other things, to prop up Zelensky in his role, Putin suggested.

“I think one of the goals of this conference for the Western community, the sponsors of today’s Kiev regime is to confirm the legitimacy of the current – or not already – head of state,” he suggested, adding that “such PR moves are meaningless for legal documents.”

It’s up to Ukraine’s legal system, its “parliament, constitutional court and some other governing bodies” to determine whether Zelensky is now a legitimate leader or not, Putin suggested. As for Russia, in order to engage in any meaningful talks with Kiev, it must be absolutely sure it’s dealing with the country’s legitimate authorities, the president stressed.

Zelensky’s term expired on Monday, while no elections were held under the pretext of the martial law introduced by Kiev early in the conflict with Russia. The Ukrainian Constitution explicitly prohibits holding parliamentary elections under such circumstances, yet does not mention presidential elections. However, while setting the length of the presidential term, it also specifies that power is transferred the moment a new president is sworn in.

https://www.rt.com/russia/598198-putin-zelensky-legitimacy-constitution/

Ukrainian intelligence ‘directly involved’ in Moscow terror attack – FSB

More than 20 people have been detained in connection with the assault at the Crocus City Hall, service chief Aleksandr Bortnikov has said

Ukrainian military intelligence was directly involved in the deadly terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall just outside Moscow in March, the director of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Aleksandr Bortnikov, has said.

He added that the investigation into the attack is still being conducted, but all indications are that Ukraine was behind the assault.

“The investigation is ongoing, but we can already say with certainty that Ukraine’s military intelligence has a direct relation to this attack,” Bortnikov said at a Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) special services leaders’ gathering in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

He said the preparation and financing of the attack, as well as the terrorists’ escape from the scene afterwards, was coordinated over the internet by members of Wilayat Khorasan, also known as Islamic State – Khorasan, or ISIS-K.

He added that two of the four criminals involved arrived in Russia from Türkiye shortly before the attack. Upon completion, he said, “the terrorists received a clear command to move to the Ukrainian border, where a ‘window’ had been prepared for them.”

The results of the investigation apparently confirm the FSB’s initial version of Ukraine being behind the attack. In April, the FSB director suggested that Ukrainian security services may have been involved in preparing the assault, possibly using the Islamists as proxies. He stressed that “all the circumstances of the crime will be established,” and those involved in this “heinous” terrorist attack “will not escape punishment.”

“We are currently establishing the full circle of those involved in the massacre. More than 20 people have already been detained, including the direct perpetrators and accomplices,” he said. Bortnikov added that “colleagues from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan” are assisting the FSB investigation.

The attack on the concert venue just outside Moscow on March 22 claimed more than 140 lives and left over 550 injured. Four gunmen stormed the building, shooting everyone in sight before setting it on fire.

Kiev has denied any involvement in the attack, while its Western backers have claimed that all evidence points to ISIS-K as the culprit. The group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

https://www.rt.com/russia/598161-ukraine-directly-involved-in-moscow/

New Report Finds Police Continue To Use Facial Recognition Even After It's Banned

Despite facial recognition being banned in several cities across the country, a new investigation has found numerous police departments have continued using the invasive technology in secret by outsourcing their surveillance needs to neighboring departments.

A major report in the Washington Post has found that law enforcement officers in U.S. several cities where facial recognition tech is banned for police have asked neighboring forces to search face databases for them.

Facial recognition has been prohibited in San Francisco since 2019. But Chesa Boudin, San Francisco’s former district attorney, sums up the problem: “Police are using it but not saying they are using it.” The Post says the SFPD have outsourced at least five attempts to make facial matches. Some of these were done by the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center (NCRIC), a “multi-jurisdiction program serving law enforcement agencies in the region.” Others were farmed out to the Daly City Police Department. None were successful.

Police in Austin, Texas, however – also among the biggest U.S. cities to ban facial recognition – recorded 13 requests to a neighboring department for assistance with biometric face matching, and some of these led to arrests. Austin city employees are barred from using facial recognition as well as “information obtained” from the technology, with certain exceptions. But the suburb of Leander, just a 30-minute drive north of Austin, has no such restriction.

Leander’s police force has access to Clearview AI, which has courted many law enforcement agencies in the U.S., despite lingering questions about whether its method of scraping the public internet for facial images is 100 percent consensual. According to the Post, the Leander force also has a recognized Clearview AI “influencer”: Officer David Wilson, who performed several searches for the Austin force via Leander’s Clearview account. Emails seen by the Post show that officers contacted Wilson directly for the express purpose of requesting facial recognition searches.

Clearview, to its credit, officially prohibits their clients in law enforcement from sharing access to accounts. Yet anyone with a Netflix subscription knows that formal rules only matter if they are enforced. Clearview CEO Hoan Ton-That has publicly promised customers that Clearview will try and close the loophole that allows police to export results of facial scans, even if they cannot share access. But Wilson sent most of his facial recognition results to Austin via email.

KXAN reports that Austin city council gave a statement saying the city was unaware of the complaint regarding police outsourcing facial recognition, and that investigations are underway.

Accusations of bias come from both facial recognition critics and affronted police

According to the Security Industry Association, a total of 21 cities or counties in 11 states, plus the state of Vermont, have enacted bans on facial recognition tools for law enforcement. Several came in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer, which set off a wave of demonstrations and pushes for police reform. In Jackson, Mississippi, facial recognition by police has been banned since 2020, following Floyd’s death. Councilors there cited privacy concerns, as well as “supercharged” discrimination, given that the technology “has been shown to programmatically misidentify people of color, women, and children” – notably, in a 2019 federal study.

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/cop-watch/new-report-finds-police-continue-to-use-facial-recognition-even-after-its-banned

Israeli, international figures react to ‘antisemitic’ ICJ ruling

Following the ICJ's ruling on Friday, forcing Israel to halt its operations against Hamas in Rafah, many politicians and various experts expressed their opinions on the ICJ and its ruling.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, fellow members of Knesset, and Jewish organizations around the world expressed their shock and disappointment following the ICJ's ruling on Friday, demanding the IDF halt all operations in Rafah.

Israeli reactions

In response to these rulings, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said: "The irrelevant order of the antisemitic court in The Hague should have only one answer: the occupation of Rafah, the increase of military pressure and the complete destruction of Hamas - until the complete victory in the war is achieved."

Strategic affairs Minister, Ron Dermer, said, "That Jews are treated differently is not a new story but a more than 2,000 year old story that is based on ancient hatred. Every year, the Human Rights Council passes more resolutions against Israel than all the other countries in the world combined."

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-802562

Argentina rejects International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu

Argentina expressed frustration at the prosecutor's decision, describing it as unhelpful and saying it would not help release the hostages.

Argentina's Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday that Argentina rejected the International Criminal Court prosecutor's request for arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

On Monday, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan asked the ICC to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, as well as Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, and Mohammed Deif.

The Argentinian Foreign Ministry condemned equating "The legitimate authorities of a democratic state" with the terrorist organization of Hamas.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-802494

Feds secretly knew for years Joe Biden met with son’s Chinese partners on official trip

Hunter Biden wrote his father was so enamored with China's communist leader "they all most kissed," new evidence shows

Federal agents gathered evidence during the 2016 election that Hunter Biden had used access to his father on an official government trip to Beijing aboard Air Force Two to connect prospective Chinese business partners with then-Vice President Joe Biden, according to a massive cache of documents recently turned over to Congress and obtained by Just the News.

"They got to meet Dad. All very good. Talk later,” Hunter Biden wrote in a December 2013 email confirming how he connected his Chinese associates with his father in a Beijing hotel after the vice president had met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The younger Biden also bragged in his emails that his father was so enamored with China's communist leader that "I think they are in love with each other," the emails showed.

"They all most kissed on departure,” Hunter Biden wrote in one of the emails seized by federal agents.

The younger Biden wasn't charged in that case, though several of his business partners were. But agents in that probe did gain extensive access to Hunter Biden's bank files, corporate records, and communications, including some that were not located on the first son's now infamous laptop that would be seized by the FBI in 2019 and become a subject of political controversy a year later.

The evidence, recently secured by the House Oversight Committee in the impeachment probe of President Joe Biden, shines new light on how Hunter Biden sought to cash in on his family's famous name overseas – sometimes in the vapor trail of his father's official duties. It also substantiates impeachment inquiry testimony from former Hunter Biden business associates Devon Archer and Jason Galanis, lawmakers told Just the News.

“The only reason Joe Biden wanted to kiss President Xi was because state-affiliated companies were about to line his family's pockets with foreign wires and lucrative business opportunities," said House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, who is leading the current impeachment inquiry.

https://justthenews.com/accountability/political-ethics/feds-knew-2016-hunter-connected-his-chinese-business-partner-his

California woman sentenced to prison for making anti-Semitic phone threats to former Executive Director of Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/california-woman-sentenced-prison-making-anti-semitic-phone-threats-former-executive

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