Chinese billionaire indicted in U.S. for alleged $1.8 billion aluminum tariff evasion

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Chinese billionaire has been indicted by a grand jury on charges he schemed with the aluminum company he founded to evade $1.8 billion of tariffs by smuggling huge amounts of the metal into the United States, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Liu Zhongtian, 55, and China Zhongwang Holdings Ltd (1333.HK), where he served as chairman and president, were among several defendants charged in a 24-count indictment by a Los Angeles grand jury.

The May 7 indictment had been kept under seal until late Tuesday. It came as U.S. and Chinese negotiators resumed talks to end trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies.

Neither Zhongwang or Liu, who is still the company’s controlling shareholder, have received any notice of the proceedings, the company said in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange on Thursday.

Zhongwang has previously described smuggling allegations as “misleading” and “without any factual basis.”

“The company would like to clarify that the group has always strictly abided by in its business operation the laws and regulations of the People’s Republic of China and destination countries of its exported products, and has developed overseas markets under the principle of fair and orderly competition,” it said in the statement to the exchange.

Zhongwang’s shares fell as much as 20.9% on Thursday to HK$3.17 ($0.41), the lowest since January 2016.

Liu is believed to be in China, which does not have an extradition treaty with the United States, and an arrest warrant has been drawn up, according to The Wall Street Journal. It was unclear whether Liu has a U.S.-based lawyer. Liu and his family are worth $3.2 billion, Forbes magazine said.

Prosecutors said the alleged scheme began as early as 2008, and eventually involved efforts to escape duties imposed by the U.S. Department of Commerce in 2011 on various types of extruded aluminum imported from China.

The indictment said companies affiliated with Liu went through ports in the Los Angeles area to import aluminum extrusions that were “tack-welded” together, to appear as finished “pallets” that were not subject to duties.

Prosecutors said Liu would then stockpile the aluminum at four southern California warehouses, and with his associates orchestrate bogus sales to companies he controlled to inflate Zhongwang’s financials and make it appear more valuable.

Liu, also known as “Big Boss” and “Uncle Liu” according to the indictment, was also accused by prosecutors of running a “massive” money laundering operation involving the use of shell companies to transfer funds to Zhongwang.

U.S. authorities said the scheme gave Liu’s companies an unfair advantage over American rivals and posed other hazards.

“Our national security is jeopardized when domestic industry loses its ability to develop and supply products for U.S. defense and critical infrastructure applications, forcing us to become dependent on unreliable imports,” Joseph Macias, special agent in charge for homeland security investigations in Los Angeles, said in a statement.

Liu and several other defendants face charges of wire fraud, money laundering, passing fraudulent papers through a customhouse and conspiracy.

Most counts carry a maximum 20-year prison term, and if served consecutively carry a maximum 465-year term.

The case is U.S. v Liu et al, U.S. District Court, Central District of California, No. 19-cr-00282.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-fraud/chinese-billionaire-indicted-in-u-s-for-alleged-1-8-billion-aluminum-tariff-evasion-idUSKCN1UQ238

Ratcliffe, in freaky QAnon fashion, claimed that leaked FBI texts revealed the existence of an anti-Trump “secret society” in the FBI, a story that was picked up by Sean Hannity and Fox News. Later, the meme was dropped.

Trump’s DNI pick laid out his right-wing fever dream should he land the Cabinet post — here’s why the intelligence community is pushing back

Imagine the indictment of a former national security official in the Obama administration for violation of the Espionage Act. Imagine James Clapper or Sally Yates facing the same charges as Julian Assange or Chelsea Manning.

That dream of right-wing media (and some left-wing critics) came one step closer to reality Sunday, when President Trump announced the appointment of Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas as the new director of national intelligence. On Sunday, Ratcliffe told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo, his number one idea for “investigation of the investigators”: prosecute a source of the Washington Post.

Ratcliffe expressed the hope that the Justice Department will investigate the leak to Washington Post columnist David Ignatius in January 2017 that led to the resignation of Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Ignatius’ reporting raised the possibility that Flynn had lied about a pre-inauguration conversation with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Flynn was forced to resign after only 24 days on the job.

Flynn’s “phone call with the Russian ambassador was a highly classified NSA intercept,” Ratcliffe said. “Someone in the Obama administration leaked that call to the Washington Post. That’s a felony.”

Both legally and factually, Ratcliffe’s statement is open to question, which is no surprise. Ratcliffe, a former federal prosecutor who has served in Congress since 2015, is short on intelligence experience and long on dubious claims. According to ABC News, he took credit for a terrorism financing case that other attorneys say he had nothing do with. He claimed that leaked FBI texts revealed the existence of an anti-Trump “secret society” in the FBI, a story that was picked up by Sean Hannity and Fox News. In fact, the Daily Beast notes the reference to “secret society” was a passing joke, and Trump’s defenders have dropped the “secret society” meme. Whether Ratcliffe’s nomination will be approved by the Senate Intelligence Committee is an open question.

https://www.alternet.org/2019/07/trumps-dni-pick-laid-out-his-right-wing-fever-dream-should-he-land-the-cabinet-post-heres-why-the-intelligence-community-is-pushing-back/

Don't forget. 😏

Democrats just purged white party staffers, and it's a bigger deal than anyone wants to admit

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the House Democrats’ powerful campaign arm, has just abruptly purged half a dozen staffers. Why? Because they are white.

It appears that no one had anything against these particular staffers … except for the color of their skin. Although roughly half the committee’s full-time staff (13 of 27) were nonwhite, this was not enough for some Democratic members of Congress. They complained DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos of Illinois had brought in too many white staffers when she won the position. And they put enough pressure on her that she sacrificed her loyal staffers to the god of diversity.

Even if all these staffers ended up with cushy lobbying jobs as a reward for their loyalty, this is still a lot more shocking than people perhaps realize.

There are two possible interpretations of this mass-purge at the DCCC. Either a few Democrats are making a racial issue out of a patronage question, once again knifing each other under the cover of intersectionality, or Democrats are genuinely angry that half the staff at the DCCC are white. As often happens with the Democratic Left, it is difficult to tell just where the insincerity ends and the fanaticism begins.

But either interpretation implies that this is not a party fit to govern.

Nobody wants to see whites take up identity politics or demand a certain quota of jobs anywhere. But that isn't what this was about. This is about an organization that fires people from their current jobs because of their skin color. The insinuation that racist influences led Bustos to choose her staff and pass over better nonwhite candidates marks a continuation of what New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez started when she absurdly accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of racism and sexism.

This firing, and that’s what it is, not a free resignation, sends a message to everyone, and especially to young people of any race who are interested in politics. If an organization is actually willing to fire you from your job just because you’re white, do you really want to be involved with it?

Would you even want to vote for it?

It's not healthy for American democracy that racial groups should turn against one another politically. And the country should look forward to the day when politics are less racially polarized. But according to exit poll data, whites have been increasingly abandoning the Democratic Party in the last 20 years. They voted just four points more Republican than the median voter in the 1982 midterm election, but 18 points more Republican in 2018.

That's still not enough to prevent Democrats from winning, but it already means they can't win in most states without consistently holding together 90% of the black vote and vast majorities with other minority voting blocs.

Do they really think that's a realistic winning strategy in the long run? If so, then this week’s purge might have been a smart move.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/democrats-just-purged-white-party-staffers-and-its-a-bigger-deal-than-anyone-wants-to-admit

I got 911 CLOCKED. How do I know ? The NSA flunkies blocked me for posting my PINNED TWEET on the five dancing Isralies . BWTM!!!! Read the wiki leaks Link in the comment section by NSA analyst Wayne Madden to Cross reference.

https://twitter.com/dispensaryexch/status/1156854905761488896

Scarborough blasts 2020 Democrats for attacking Obama's policies more than Trump's

MSNBC "Morning Joe" anchor Joe Scarborough on Wednesday night slammed 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, saying they were spending more time attacking former President Obama's policies than President Trump during the second round of primary debates.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/455658-scarborough-blasts-2020-democrats-for-attacking-obamas-positions-more-than

"These candidates are attacking Barack Obama’s policy positions more than Donald Trump," Scarborough, a former GOP congressman who left the Republican Party to become an independent, said on Twitter. "That is politically stupid and crazy."

The comments from Scarborough, a frequent Trump critic, came as a cadre of Democratic presidential candidates targeted policies that former Vice President Joe Biden helped oversee during the Obama administration.

These candidates are attacking Barack Obama’s policy positions more than Donald Trump. That is politically stupid and crazy.

— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) August 1, 2019

Candidates including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) got into heated debates with Biden over health care reform.

Biden called the criticism of ObamaCare "malarkey."

He also faced a barrage of criticism as the debate shifted to immigration. Multiple protesters at one point shouted "3 million deportations" after CNN's Don Lemon asked the former vice president a question that cited the nearly 800,000 deportations that occurred during the Obama administration.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro and de Blasio were among the candidates to target Biden on his record on immigration in the Obama administration.

“You can’t have it both ways,” Booker said. “You invoke President Obama more than anyone in this campaign; you can’t do it when it’s convenient and then dodge it when it’s not.”

@Kentuckyweather this is from Danville. The sky is bright from a fire. This is huge, biggest one I ever saw.

https://twitter.com/Kentuckyweather

Plans were submitted for a music room… with a spa and an underground theater. I love working out in my music/satanic temple that has a bed and no workout equipment. These people ARE stupid.

1/2

Jeffrey Epstein's bizarre blue-striped building on private island raised alarm

The building was supposed to be a music pavilion. But the actual structure bears little resemblance to the plans that were submitted to agency officials.

The bizarre blue-striped building on Jeffrey Epstein's private Caribbean island was supposed to be a music pavilion with a strikingly different design, according to permit records viewed by NBC News.

The building, shaped like a giant box and initially topped with a gold dome, has fueled rampant speculation and online conspiracy theories.

Drawings supplied by Epstein's architects to the U.S. Virgin Islands agency that oversees coastal development show that it was designed to be a haven for music: an octagonal 3,500-square foot pavilion housing a grand piano.

But questions remain over whether it was built according to the plans that were submitted to the Department of Planning and Natural Resources.

Those 2010 plans, which were part of a permit application that raised concerns inside the agency, included drawings of a building that looks almost nothing like the structure that was built.

The plans for the pavilion, top, called for a different design than what was completed, bottom.

The drawings show a building with a 10-foot facade, stone exterior and multiple windows. The structure that was erected has no windows or stone exterior and appears to rise at least 30 feet.

One Department of Planning and Natural Resources acknowledged that there were differences.

"The major difference seems to be in the shape of the building itself," Marlon Hibbert of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources said in an email request that contained a link to a photo of the odd-looking structure.

"In the link you provided the building looks rectangular and in the drawings it looked octagonal."

But neither Hibbert nor his fellow top officials responded to subsequent requests asking if the agency approved the building as it now appears.

It's no surprise that Epstein would have wanted a grand music room on his private island. Friends and former co-workers have described Epstein, a wealthy financier now accused of trafficking and sexually abusing young girls, as a talented pianist.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jeffrey-epstein-s-bizarre-blue-striped-building-private-island-raised-n1037511

>>7290647

2/2

Jeffrey Epstein's bizarre blue-striped building on private island raised alarm

The building was supposed to be a music pavilion. But the actual structure bears little resemblance to the plans that were submitted to agency officials.

The blue-striped structure sits on a look-out point on the southeastern edge of Little St. James island, which Epstein purchased in 1998 for $7.95 million. The building is surrounded by an expansive terrace painted bright white with red shapes. Locals say the structure's gold dome was blown away during Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Records viewed by NBC News show that the building was among proposed new construction that raised alarm inside the Department of Planning and Natural Resources. In March 2011, a top official sent a letter to Epstein's attorney expressing concern over development on the island.

A few months earlier, Epstein's lawyer, Maria Tankenson Hodge, submitted a request to add a 3,000-square foot spa to a permit application that included the music pavilion, a pool and 2,000-square foot cabana with a coral stone deck, living space and rest room. That portion of the island already housed a gym, tiki hut, nature observation cabana and dive pavilion, according to the documents.

"I am very concerned that major development is occurring on Little St. James Island through the processing of a series of minor" permit applications," Jean-Pierre Oriol, the then-director of the Coastal Zone Management program, wrote in a March 2011 letter to Epstein's attorney.

Oriol called on Hodge to provide a detailed inventory on "all existing structures on Little St. James" and a status report of all permits issued to Epstein's company "for which the scope of work is not completed."

Oriol also requested a meeting to discuss development on Little St. James.

The two sides did get together after the letter was sent, according to an agency official.

"They presented a survey of the existing site at the meeting and expressed no new buildings would be requested across the island," Hibbert said in a statement. "Our files do not reflect any other permit request since that 2011 time frame."

Hodge, Epstein's lawyer, did not return a request for comment.

Epstein, 66, is now facing up to 45 years in prison on charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy. Prosecutors say he preyed on girls as young as 14 and paid some of them to become recruiters who provided him with a steady supply of victims in the early 2000s.

NBC News reported Tuesday that Epstein was seeking to expand his island estate during the same period that his lawyers were secretly negotiating a lenient deal with federal prosecutors in Miami investigating similar allegations against him.

Epstein ultimately struck a 2008 deal that spared him the prospect of a long federal prison sentence. He pleaded guilty to two state prostitution counts and served 13 months in jail in an arrangement that allowed him to leave for 12 hours a day, six days a week, on work release.

While the two sides were still hashing out the agreement, Epstein was moving forward with plans to triple the size of his 8,124-square-foot island residence and add a new pool, spa and underground theater, according to permit records viewed by NBC News.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jeffrey-epstein-s-bizarre-blue-striped-building-private-island-raised-n1037511

“Eye for an eye…”

…for an eye, for an eye, for an eye.

German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) politician Walter Lübcke, who recommended anti-mass migration Germans to leave the country, was found dead at his house, having been shot in the head.

The 65-year-old, who became well-known for his support of CDU Chancellor Angela Merkel’s open borders policy during the height of the migrant crisis, was found dead on Sunday on the terrace of his home in a village near Kassel, French newspaper Le Monde reports.

During the migrant crisis, Lübcke caused controversy after attacking those against mass migration saying: “Those who do not share these values ​​can leave this country at any time.”

So far, investigators say they have no suspects in the case and are still investigating the incident. A colleague of Lübcke claimed that the politician had received many threats from the Reichsbürger group, a grouping of sovereign citizens who do not recognise the legitimacy of the post-war German constitution.

Last year, the German domestic intelligence agency claimed that there were as many as 16,500 people involved in the Reichsbürger movement across the country.

German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier reacted to the murder saying: “We do not know anything about the origin of the crime, but there is something cynical, detestable, disgusting, and obnoxious about the satisfaction some people have expressed on social networks when they learn of his death.”

Several social media users had expressed celebrations over the death of the CDU politician, angering Steinmeier who added: “To be honest, I would like more indignation than I see at the moment, as well as more sense of responsibility on the part of platforms that continue to spread such feelings of hatred.”

The case is just the latest incident of violence toward politicians in Germany. Earlier this year, populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) MP Frank Magnitz was attacked by masked men in what some referred to as an assassination attempt.

Lübcke is also not the first open borders politician to be violently attacked. In October 2015, Cologne mayor Henriette Reker was stabbed in the neck by an attacker opposed to her mass migration policies.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/06/07/german-pro-mass-migration-politician-found-shot-dead/

The man who HATES America is using the DEM party because they are the easiest to use.

Twitter account that pushed QAnon conspiracy theories suspended hours after Trump retweet

Hours after Trump retweet, Twitter account suspended

Twitter reportedly suspended an account on Tuesday night that had been retweeted by President Trump just hours earlier.

Trump on Tuesday afternoon retweeted the account, which went by the name “LYNN THOMAS” and had posted a tweet that included a graphic which called Democrats “THE TRUE ENEMIES OF AMERICA," the Daily Beast reports.

“DEMOCRATS ARE THE ONLY ONES INTERFERING IN OUR ELECTIONS. WHY DO YOU THINK THEY SO STRONGLY OPPOSE VOTER ID,” read the tweet that accompanied the graphic.

Twitter told CNN that the account was suspended for violating its terms and conditions but did not specify which rule had been broken. The platform bans users from artificially amplifying or disrupting conversations through multiple accounts.

The account, which was created in September 2018, called itself a "Fierce Trump supporter" and said, "I'm not a bot." It reportedly pushed QAnon conspiracy theories about Democrats murdering children, tweeting last week a meme that targeted former President Clinton and ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Daily Beast reports.

Trump told C-SPAN Tuesday night that he has “not much” regret about his frequent tweeting but added that “the bigger problem are the retweets.”

“You'll retweet something that sounds good, but it turned out to be from a player that's not the best player in the world, that sort of causes a problem," he said.

Trump has frequently come under fire for his tweets, including for tagging a Twitter account on Tuesday that is associated with the QAnon conspiracy theory as he renewed calls to expand voter identification laws.

The president is also under fire for a recent string of attacks against Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), whom he called a “racist” and a “brutal bully.”

Twitter said last month that it would soon tag, but not remove, tweets from world leaders that violate its rules, marking a potential to affect Trump and his remarks.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/455487-hours-after-trump-retweet-twitter-account-suspended

>>7290546

U.S. envoy slams Germany after reluctance on Hormuz mission

U.S. ambassador to Germany launched a scathing attack on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government on Thursday for its reluctance to join a naval mission

BERLIN (Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador to Germany launched a scathing attack on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government on Thursday for its reluctance to join a naval mission in the Strait of Hormuz, saying Europe’s biggest economy must assume more global responsibility.

Relations between the United States and Germany have soured since U.S. President Donald Trump took office, due to disagreements on a range of issues from defense spending to trade tariffs, the NordStream 2 gas pipeline and Iran.

On Wednesday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas ruled out German participation in a planned U.S.-led naval mission to the Strait of Hormuz, close to Iran, after the U.S. said it had made a formal request. He said Germany wanted to ease tensions with Iran and everything should be done to avoid an escalation.

Expressing frustration about that decision, Ambassador Richard Grenell said Germany had a duty to fulfil and told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper:

“Germany is the biggest economic power in Europe. This success brings global responsibilities.”

He said the United States had been trying to get support from Germany for weeks for the military mission in the Strait of Hormuz, and that while one minister spoke of looking at the requests, the foreign minister had rejected it.

Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer had said in Brussels that Germany was “reviewing” the request, striking a softer tone than Maas.

On the front line of the Cold War, West Germany was one of the United States’ closest allies, embraced as a bulwark against Communism after the World War Two defeat of Nazi rule.

“America has sacrificed a lot to help Germany remain part of the West,” Grenell told the newspaper, adding Americans were paying huge sums for 34,000 soldiers to be stationed in Germany.

Grenell has courted controversy since arriving in Berlin last year with his outspoken views and criticism of Germany.

On another issue that has caused friction, a U.S. Senate committee on Wednesday passed a bill to slap sanctions on companies, including several German firms, and individuals involved in building the NordStream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-usa/u-s-envoy-slams-germany-after-reluctance-on-hormuz-mission-idUSKCN1UR34H

2020 Democrat Candidates Rip Former President Barack Obama’s Record

Democrats challenged former Vice President Joe Biden during CNN’s Democrat presidential debate on Wednesday, but in the process, they criticized former President Obama.

Democrats like New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio criticized Democrats for continuing to support the concept of private insurance.

“There’s this mythology that somehow all of these folks are in love with their insurance in America,” he said.

Obama’s former secretary for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Julian Castro criticized Obama’s former Department of Homeland Secretary, saying that his concern about decriminalizing crossing the border illegally was merely a “right-wing talking point.”

He also criticized the Obama administration for high rates of deportation of illegal immigrants, challenging Joe Biden for failing to intervene.

De Blasio also pressed Biden on why he did not advise Obama to slow deportation during the administration. “Did you say those deportations were a good idea or did you go to the president and say, ‘this is a mistake, we shouldn’t do it,'” he said. “Which one?”

Biden defended Obama for trying to pass comprehensive immigration reform but vowed that he would “absolutely not” resume similar deportation rates as the Obama administration.

Castro also joined the criticism of the Obama administration, suggesting that the former president had made mistakes in office.

“First of all, Mr. Vice President, it looks like one of us has learned the lessons of the past and one of us hasn’t,” he said to Biden.

Biden reminded Castro that he also served in the Obama administration.

“I never heard him talk about any of this when he was the secretary,” he said pointedly.

But even Biden found himself implicitly criticizing Obama’s proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal, which Trump killed, when asked if he would rejoin the proposed trade agreement with Asian nations.

“I would not rejoin the TPP as it was initially put forward,” he said.

Biden also criticized the surge of troops in Afghanistan, which took place in 2009 under President Obama.

“I opposed the surge in Afghanistan,” he said, adding that he felt going into Afghanistan was a mistake.

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard also criticized both parties for allowing the war in Afghanistan to continue.

“For too long, we’ve had leaders who have been arbitrating foreign policy from ivory towers in Washington without any idea about the cost and the consequence, the toll that it takes on our service members, on their families,” she said.

Ultimately, Biden reminded his political rivals that Obama was the one that chose him as the vice president.

“Everybody is talking about how terrible I am on these issues. Barack Obama knew exactly who I was,” he said, noting that he was fully vetted as vice president. “He chose me, and he said it was the best decision he made. I’ll take his judgment.”

After the debate, Obama’s former Attorney General Eric Holder cautioned Democrats for their attacks against the Obama administration.

“To my fellow Democrats. Be wary of attacking the Obama record,” he wrote on Twitter. “Build on it. Expand it. But there is little to be gained – for you or the party – by attacking a very successful and still popular Democratic President.”

To my fellow Democrats. Be wary of attacking the Obama record. Build on it. Expand it. But there is little to be gained – for you or the party – by attacking a very successful and still popular Democratic President.

— Eric Holder (@EricHolder) August 1, 2019

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/07/31/2020-dem-candidates-rip-barack-obama-record/

@billieeilish upside down crosses… Rachel chandler abused look… 33… 666… symbolism much? Poor girl. Was it Daddy that’s the Satan worshipper? Through acting connections?

UK ‘up to its neck’ in Russiagate affair, says George Galloway, as secret texts reveal British role

While hysteria raged about possible Russian “interference” in the 2016 US election, British intelligence officials were secretly playing a “key role” in helping instigate investigations into Donald Trump, secret texts have shown.

“Turns out it was Britain that was the foreign country interfering in American affairs,” former MP George Galloway told RT, speaking about the new revelations published by the Guardian about early British involvement in the ‘Russiagate’ investigation.

The Guardian reported on texts between former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe and Jeremy Fleming, his then counterpart at MI5, who now heads GCHQ. The two men met in 2016 to discuss “our strange situation” – an apparent reference to Russia’s alleged interference in US domestic politics.

British intelligence “appears to have played a key role in the early stages,” the report said.

Galloway said the revelation was not surprising because people “already knew” that British intelligence had played a part in the Russia-related investigations in the US. He recalled that it was former British spy Christopher Steele who drew up the now-infamous Steele dossier, which made multiple unverifiable and salacious claims about Trump and has since been largely discredited. Britain is “up to its neck in the whole Russiagate affair,” he said.

The texts also reveal that the Brexit vote was viewed by some in the FBI as something that had been influenced by Russia.

Asked what the UK stood to gain by trying to implicate Russia in a US election scandal at a time when then-foreign secretary Boris Johnson was dismissing baseless claims of Russian interference in the Brexit campaign, Galloway noted that Johnson’s comments on Russia have appeared to strangely sway between friendly and antagonistic.

Johnson is like “a sofa that bears the impression of the last person to sit upon him,” the former MP quipped. What happens next will depend on who is leading the tango, “the orange man in Washington or the blonde mop-head in London.”

n June 2016, the FBI opened a covert investigation codenamed ‘Crossfire Hurricane’ into Trump’s now disproven collusion with Moscow, which was later taken over by special counsel Robert Mueller.

Ultimately, the two-year-long probe that followed came up short, producing no evidence to prove a conspiracy or collusion between Trump campaign officials and Russia.

https://www.rt.com/uk/465510-galloway-uk-intelligence-russiagate/

U.S. Dept of Defense

‏Verified account @DeptofDefense

Wheels down! 🛠️

@usairforce airmen with the @911_Airlift Wing, Pittsburgh IAP Air Reserve Station, Pa., perform maintenance on a C-17 Globemaster. The C-17 can rapidly deliver troops and all types of cargo in combat. It’s also used for aeromedical evacuations. #KnowYourMil

3:00 AM - 1 Aug 2019

https://twitter.com/DeptofDefense/status/1156867165645094912

muh russia, russia, russia….

NWO Hack Cory Booker: Trump Won Michigan Because Russians Suppressed Black Voters

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) claimed during Wednesday evening’s Democrat presidential debate that part of the reason President Donald Trump won Michigan in the 2016 election was due to Russia suppressing the votes of black Americans.

“We lost the state of Michigan because everybody from Republicans to Russians were targeting the suppression of African American voters,” said Booker. “If the African American vote had been like it was four years earlier, we would have won Michigan.”

President Trump won Michigan by a margin of 0.23%, with 47.50% of the votes over the 47.27% of then-Democrat White House nominee Hillary Clinton. Political observers attribute the president winning the state to his support from white working-class voters, a group for normally votes Democrats.

Booker made similar comments about Russia’s so-called suppression of African-American votes before the Urban League Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, last Friday, saying instead of President Trump addressing the Kremlin’s actions, the president has treated Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “pal.”

A Senate Intelligence Committee report on Russian interference efforts states the panel’s own two-year investigation could not find evidence that any votes were changed by Russian hackers.

Of Russian interference, it was actually far-left Hollywood director Michael Moore who participated in a November 2016 rally against then-President-elect Donald Trump that was allegedly organized by Russia in an attempt to sow division in the United States.

The Fahrenheit 9/11 moviemaker joined protesters outside Trump Tower in New York City to participate in the “Trump is NOT my president” rally, which then former special counsel Robert Mueller revealed was one of several events designed to stir unrest in America in the country.

https://www.breitbart.com/2020-election/2019/07/31/cory-booker-trump-won-michigan-because-russians-suppressed-black-voters

Coroner: At least 1 killed after massive explosion in Kentucky

August 1, 2019 at 4:01 AM CDT - Updated August 1 at 5:17 AM

JUNCTION CITY, Ky. (WKYT/Gray News) - Authorities said a massive explosion has occurred in Lincoln County early Thursday morning.

The Lincoln County Coroner’s Office confirms at least one person is dead. Several structures are on fire in the area of the Indian Camp Trailer Park.

NEW VIDEO: Traci Boyle sent us this video of the Lincoln County explosion early Thursday morning.

READ MORE: https://t.co/Ah5K3D4GFO pic.twitter.com/dXZm43Qu9H

— WKYT (@WKYT) August 1, 2019

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said the explosion happened in the Moreland community near Junction City and Hustonville. U.S. 127 is closed in the area as a result. At its peak, emergency managers estimated the flames to be 300 feet in the air.

Emergency managers said the explosion was caused by a ruptured gas line.

Update: From the Lincoln Co Emergency Management Agency: All individuals that have been evacuated due to the fire, New…

Posted by Perryville Kentucky Fire Department on Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Crews have been able to shut off the gas. People evacuated from the scene, and New Hope Baptist Church is providing shelter to some of those affected.

"It was impressive. It's tragic. We hope it doesn't get worse," Lincoln County Emergency Management Director Don Gilliam said.

Viewers in several counties reported seeing the fire, including people in the Lexington metropolitan area.

Chief Meteorologist Chris Bailey says the fire showed up on radar.

Massive explosion and fire across northern Lincoln County. You can actually see this happen on radar. Wow! #kywx @WKYT pic.twitter.com/2Qtg5Rixfk

— Chris Bailey (@Kentuckyweather) August 1, 2019

https://www.14news.com/2019/08/01/coroner-least-killed-after-massive-explosion-kentucky/

Anons you broke them…. muh rebranding

Victoria Secret Fashion show cancelled says Angel Shanina Shaik

By Oluthando Keteyi . 01 August 2019

For the first time in 23 years, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show has been cancelled.

Launched in 1995, the annual fashion show has become something many look forward to each year.

According to Victoria Secret Angel, Shanina Shaik, the show will not be "happening this year", the 28-year-old revealed to Australian Daily Telegraph.

"It's something I'm not used to because every year around this time I'm training like an angel. But I'm sure in the future something will happen which I'm pretty sure about. I'm sure they're trying to work on branding and new ways to do the show because it's the best show in the world," added the model.

Shaik has been apart of the show since 2011.

The fashion show, which features some of the world's hottest models has become a firm part of the fashion industry because of their iconic shows, which feature performances some of the biggest musicians such as Bruno Mars.

Shaik added that she is " sure they're trying to work on branding and new ways to do the show because it's the best show in the world."

https://www.sabreakingnews.co.za/2019/08/01/victoria-secret-fashion-show-cancelled-says-angel-shanina-shaik

We have Senators PERSONALLY escorting foreigners over our border illegally. Not just passive nullification. Oh no. ACTIVELY, AFFIRMATIVELY BREAKING THE LAW. Do we have a Justice Department or nah? AG or nah?

5 asylum seekers denied entry — Booker helps them cross back into U.S.

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker this week became the first candidate running for president to help asylum seekers walk across the U.S. border.

New Jersey's junior senator on Wednesday crossed into Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to meet migrants trying to seek asylum in the United States.

He and immigrant advocates returned with five women who had previously been deported to Mexico to wait for their applications to be processed. The women are fleeing domestic violence.

Booker raised concerns with the way asylum seekers are being treated at facilities near the border and criticized the Trump administration's Migrant Protection Protocols, which sends people who try to cross the border without authorization or proper documentation back to Mexico to await proceedings.

The Department of Homeland Security says the MPP are necessary to address the "security and humanitarian crisis on the Southern border."

"Misguided court decisions and outdated laws have made it easier for illegal aliens to enter and remain in the U.S. if they are adults who arrive with children, unaccompanied alien children, or individuals who fraudulently claim asylum," the DHS website says. "As a result, DHS continues to see huge numbers of illegal migrants and a dramatic shift in the demographics of aliens traveling to the border […] from a demographic who could be quickly removed when they had no legal right to stay to one that cannot be detained and timely removed."

Jess Morales Rocketto, of Families Belong Together, the group that accompanied Booker, echoed the Democratic candidate's assessment that the Trump administration is to blame for the humanitarian crisis at the border.

“Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy is creating horrific suffering at the border and El Paso is at the center of this crisis,” she said. “Vulnerable people searching for safety are being sent back to dangerous conditions, without food or shelter, in violation of their human rights. This president continues to heartlessly put the lives of vulnerable people at terrible risk.”

Booker's border crossing, flanked by news cameras, came a day after he released a comprehensive border and immigration policy that would roll back many of the executive orders of President Donald Trump.

HAPPENING NOW: @SenBooker escorts victims of abuse seeking asylum across the Santa Fe bridge from Juárez, Mexico to El Paso, TX. The asylum seekers were sent back to Mexico under the MPP program. They have asked for their identities to be protected. @CoryBooker pic.twitter.com/FKXcIZAmHC

— Andrew Kimmel (@andrewkimmel) July 3, 2019

"Today I crossed the US-Mexico border in El Paso with @fams2gether and @LasAmericasIAC to help five women present themselves for asylum. These are my observations. Please don't look away," Booker said Wednesday on Twitter.

Booker's plan calls for ICE reducing raids at schools, churches and courthouses; ending the travel ban from certain Muslim-majority countries; eliminating immigration quotas; and ending criminal prosecutions of illegal border crossers.

So Sunday, former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke became the first presidential candidate to visit Juarez in order to highlight immigration policies.

https://nj1015.com/these-5-women-were-deported-booker-helps-them-cross-back-into-u-s/