Clandestine Campaign To Defund ZeroHedge, The Federalist & Breitbart Traced To Kier Starmer Operation

Very early into the COVID-19 pandemic, ZeroHedge suggested that a little-known Chinese lab in Wuhan might know something about the novel coronavirus sweeping the globe. As a result, and as you know, we were subject to an intense demonetization / deplatforming campaign that included getting kicked off of Twitter, PayPal, Facebook and other platforms, dropped by our advertisers, and targeted by MSM hit pieces which colluded with foreign 'watchdogs' to inflict maximum damage.

These same groups also targeted outlets including The Federalist and Breitbart over various reporting, which suffered similar fates.

Now, thanks to a new book by investigative journalist Paul Holden that builds on reporting by Matt Taibbi, Paul Thacker and others, we learn that the origin of these campaigns, launched years before the pandemic, was none other than UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer's political machine, which began targeting left-wing outlets speaking critically of Starmer such as The Canary, and then went after conservative outlets in America - just in time for the 2020 US election.

Documents and internal accounts, many drawn from newly disclosed materials, reveal a coordinated project that operated behind a veil of anonymity, misdirection, and unreported political financing.

This murky operation known as the Stop Funding Fake News (SFFN) was launched and resourced through a think tank, Labour Together, that would later be fined for failing to declare £739,000 in donations between 2018 and 2020. Said funds helped underpin this clandestine anti-media strategy which affected news outlets from the UK to the United States.

At the center of the effort was Morgan McSweeney, a political strategist who has since become Starmer’s chief of staff and, according to public commentary by prominent journalists, one of the most powerful unelected figures in the modern Labour Party.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/clandestine-campaign-defund-zerohedge-federalist-breitbart-traced-kier-starmer-operation

State Department To Require Social Media Review For H-1B Visa Applicants

The U.S. State Department announced on Dec. 3 that it will add an online presence review to the vetting requirements for all H-1B visa applicants and their dependents starting Dec. 15.

H-1B visa applicants and their dependents will have to make their social media profiles public as of Dec. 15, according to the department. Student visa and exchange visitor applicants are already subject to this review.

The screening requirement, the department said, is part of an effort to safeguard Americans and national interests while ensuring that “all applicants credibly establish their eligibility for the visa sought.”

“Every visa adjudication is a national security decision,” the department stated in its announcement. “A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right.”

The department did not specify what criteria will be used to screen the online activity of H-1B visa applicants and their dependents. The Epoch Times reached out to the department for further details, but the request was not immediately returned.

The H-1B visa program allows U.S. companies to temporarily employ foreign workers for jobs that require “the theoretical and practical application of a body of specialized knowledge and a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent in the specific specialty.”

On Sept. 19, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation introducing a one-time $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications in a bid to curb the abuse of the visa program, saying it has been exploited by companies to replace American workers “with lower-paid, lower-skilled labor.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/state-department-require-social-media-review-h-1b-visa-applicants

US Treasury just bought back $12.5 Billion of its own debt, the largest buyback in history.

US Treasury just bought back $12.5 Billion of its own debt, the largest buyback in history.

Do you realize what’s happening?

Japan ran this same playbook in the 1990s when their debt hit 60% of GDP. They bought back bonds, extended maturities, and kept rates low. Thirty years later their debt is 260% of GDP.

Buybacks don’t fix spending problems.

https://citizenwatchreport.com/us-treasury-just-bought-back-12-5-billion-of-its-own-debt-the-largest-buyback-in-history/

India Forcing This App on Every Phone Overnight?

The telecom ministry has privately asked smartphone makers to preload all new devices with a state-owned cyber security app that cannot be deleted, a government order showed, a move likely to antagonise Apple and privacy advocates.

India is one of the world’s largest telephone markets, with more than 1.2 billion subscribers, and government figures show the app, launched in January, has helped recover more than 700,000 lost phones, including 50,000 in October alone.

Apple, which has previously locked horns with the telecom regulator over development of a government anti-spam mobile app, is among the companies, such as Samsung, opens new tab, Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi, opens new tab bound by the new order.

The November 28 order, seen by Reuters, gives major smartphone companies 90 days to ensure that the government’s Sanchar Saathi app is pre-installed on new mobile phones, with a provision that users cannot disable it.

https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/india-orders-phone-companies-to-install-govt-cyber-safety-app-in-every-phone-users-will-not-be-able-to-delete-it-2828694-2025-12-01

19 arrested across 4 countries for $2.5 MILLION US visa fraud scheme

The defendants face charges including racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and conspiracy to defraud the United States by impersonating US officials and misusing and counterfeiting US government seals and insignia.

Nineteen people were arrested Wednesday in the United States, Colombia, Ecuador, and El Salvador in a coordinated law enforcement operation targeting an alleged transnational visa fraud and money laundering network that authorities say stole more than $2.5 million from victims across Latin America.

US prosecutors said five of those arrested are charged in a federal indictment accusing them of participating in a four-year racketeering scheme that defrauded thousands of Central and South American nationals seeking to work lawfully in the United States. The defendants face charges including racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and conspiracy to defraud the United States by impersonating US officials and misusing and counterfeiting US government seals and insignia.

One defendant was arrested in Sacramento, California, and another in the Dallas-area city of Denton, Texas. Three others were arrested in Medellín, Colombia, and are expected to face extradition proceedings. Authorities said one indicted defendant in Colombia remains at large. Additional arrests in Ecuador and El Salvador were carried out by partner agencies and are expected to result in separate prosecutions in those countries.

Investigators say the scheme began with Facebook pages and websites that advertised help obtaining supposedly legal US work visas. Victims were then guided through what prosecutors describe as an elaborate but fake visa application process. Co-conspirators known as “asesores,” or consultants, allegedly operated out of illegal call centers in Colombia and communicated with victims by phone and electronic messaging, making false claims about jobs that were available or already offered.

Authorities say the deception escalated when conspirators allegedly impersonated US government officials during video calls and persuaded victims to make international wire transfers. The payments were described as required US fees but were routed instead to intermediaries in at least 16 US states. Victims were allegedly shown counterfeit documents, such as fake visa approvals and employment authorizations, bearing replicas of US government seals. The money was then laundered through multiple transfers as it moved from US-based intermediaries back to alleged enterprise leaders, prosecutors said.

Some victims were told they had appointments at US embassies in their home countries to obtain valid visas, investigators said. Many traveled long distances to embassies for appointments that did not exist. Officials said no legitimate visas or services were ever provided.

Law enforcement has interviewed about 700 victims to date and believes more than 7,000 additional people may have been drawn into the fraud. Reported losses range from approximately $50 to $90,000 per person. Investigators estimate that from roughly 2021 to the present, about $2.5 million was sent from victims in up to 15 countries to the United States in connection with the scheme.

https://thepostmillennial.com/19-arrested-across-4-countries-for-2-5-million-us-visa-fraud-scheme

Former President of Failed Oklahoma Bank Indicted for Bank Fraud

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-president-failed-oklahoma-bank-indicted-bank