'The president should apologize to us,’ former FBI top lawyer says after IG report finds the agency made '17 significant errors' in its investigation into Trump

Former FBI general counsel James Baker wants President Donald Trump to apologize to him and the entire FBI following the release of the Department of Justice Inspector General's report that showed the bureau made "17 significant errors" in its investigation into the Trump campaign in 2016.

"I think the president should apologize to us," Baker said on CNN Monday night. "I respectfully ask him, I would ask him to apologize to me, to my colleagues, because the things he said are just wrong. And I think he should step up and do that at a minimum."

Baker, who was the FBI's top lawyer at the launch of the investigation into the Trump campaign, argued the IG report not only disproved Trump's claim that the investigation was politically motivated, but also that the FBI — and him personally — deserved an apology.

"The conclusions are quite clear that the president's statements over these past several years were all wrong — that there was no hoax, there was no conspiracy to overthrow anybody, there was no sedition, there was no treason, there was no evidence of any of that," Baker also added.

According to CNN, during the interview, Baker also said that Trump's attacks on the FBI were "traumatic" for him and his family.

http://www.yourdestinationnow.com/2019/12/the-president-should-apologize-to-us.html

Climate Activists Cheer as Al Gore Slams UK’s ‘Stupid’ Brexit Decision

Activists at the COP25 climate conference in Madrid, Spain burst into cheers and applause Tuesday when former U.S. Vice President Al Gore said Brexit is “perhaps the stupidest decision” a country could have made.

The former politician who served in Bill Clinton’s administration has flown to Madrid this week to exhort governments negotiating at U.N. climate talks to work harder to make sure climate issues are addressed.

Gore told attendees at the Climate Reality Project conference Brexit is “perhaps the stupidest decision a country could have taken,” Agencia EFE reports.

He then turned his attention to the world’s climate, warning of the “serious problem of global warming” that needs to be urgently mitigated, saying it is “causing millions of climate refugees who need to leave their homes to find other places to live.”

“We must stop breaking the water cycle and not continue ‘turning the sky into a sewer’ by the emission of polluting gases,” he stressed.

Gore has previously linked fluctuations in global weather to Britain’s decision to leave the European Union, as Breitbart News reported.

In 2017 Gore, who was speaking at an event to promote his latest global warming propaganda documentary – An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth To Power – said the Brexit vote in Britain was the result of “political instability” created by the “stress” caused by climate-change induced chaos in the Middle East.

Some 25,000 delegates have flown to Madrid for two weeks to talk about earth’s climate at COP25, with another 1,500 journalists also present to record the event.

https://www.breitbart.com/environment/2019/12/11/climate-activists-cheer-as-al-gore-slams-uks-stupid-brexit-decision/

Two Deported Child Rapists Arrested After Crossing California Border

San Diego Sector Border Patrol agents arrested two previously deported child rapists after they illegally re-entered the U.S. in separate incidents.

Agents patrolling the U.S.-Mexico International Boundary on the evening of December 5 encountered a group of migrants about seven miles into California. An initial interview determined all five migrants to be Mexican nationals illegally present in the U.S., according to San Diego Sector officials.

The agents arrested the five and transported them to the station for processing. All migrants apprehended by Border Patrol agents undergo a biometric background investigation. One of the men, a 49-year-old Mexican national, was an aggravated felon who had been previously deported, according to authorities.

Court records indicate that a Washington state court convicted the man in 2003 for Rape of a Child and Child Molestation, officials stated. The court sentenced the man to 131 months in prison. After being released, immigration officers deported the man back to Mexico. Officials did not disclose when the removal occurred.

On Monday night (December 9), agents patrolling near Dulzura, California, apprehended three migrants about three miles north of the Mexican border. An initial immigration interview identified the men as Mexican nationals illegally present in the U.S., officials stated.

The agents transported the three illegal immigrants to the Border Patrol station for processing and a biometric background investigation. Court records identified one of the men as a convicted felon.

A Nebraska court convicted the Mexican man in 2004 for Sexual Assault of a Minor, according to the press release. The court sentenced the man to 24 months behind bars. Following the completion of his term, ICE officers deported him to Mexico.

Agents placed both previously deported child sex offenders in custody pending removal to Mexico. Both men could face federal felony charges of illegal re-entry after removal as an aggravated felon. If charges are filed and a conviction results, each man could face up to 20 years in federal prison.

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2019/12/11/two-deported-child-rapists-arrested-after-crossing-california-border/

Turkey deports 11 French Islamic State members after spat with Macron over Syria

Turkey has repatriated eleven Islamic State fighters back to France after French President Emmanuel Macron accused Ankara of working alongside Islamic State proxies during its military incursion into northeast Syria.

Turkish President Recep Erdogan once again reiterated that Ankara would not be responsible for housing foreign terrorists while criticizing Western governments over their reluctance to take bake citizens who had joined the Islamic State, the Daily Express reports.

“The repatriation of foreign Isis fighters continues. In this context, 11 French nationals have been sent home,” a spokesperson for Turkey’s interior ministry said in a statement.

The eleven French nationals – four Islamic State brides and their seven children – were arrested in Turkey after escaping from a prison camp somewhere in northeastern Syria. Turkish officials have stated that the four women would be handed over to French authorities upon their arrival, while the four children would be given to social services.

Erdogan again warned western governments that he would continue to repatriate foreign terrorists to their respective countries even if their governments have stripped them of their citizenship.

“Whether [foreign Isis fighters]are stuck there at the border it doesn’t concern us. Whether they take them or not, it is not our concern,” Erdogan said while urging Western governments to “take care of your own problem”.

Between 400 and 500 French nationals are believed to be imprisoned in Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syria, including 60 Islamic State fighters. The French government has gone to great lengths to prevent its nationals who’ve joined the Islamic State from returning to Europe, arguing that they should be treated as “enemies” of the state.

In October, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian traveled to Iraq to discuss the transfer of French Islamic State members from Syria to Iraq – where they would be tried for their crimes.

Before Turkey’s invasion of northeastern Syria, Kurdish forces had previously held roughly 12,000 captured Islamic State members and their families in detention facilities.

https://voiceofeurope.com/2019/12/turkey-deports-11-french-islamic-state-members-after-spat-with-macron-over-syria/

Migrant Who Attempted to Set Bus of Children on Fire Blames Salvini

The migrant who attempted to set a bus full of children on fire earlier this year has claimed that populist leader Matteo Salvini is to blame for his actions due to his closed-port policies.

Ousseynou Sy, who attempted to light a bus on fire containing 50 children in March to protest the deaths of migrants in the Mediterranean sea, claimed in court that he was not a terrorist and that Senator Salvini was responsible for deaths of migrants in the Mediterranean, il Giornale reports.

According to the Senegalese-background man, Salvini was “responsible for the deaths of children and other people in the Mediterranean” and went on to allege that Salvini was involved in “crimes against humanity”.

He added that the closure of Italy’s ports to migrant transport NGOs, a policy spearheaded by Salvini which led to a reported decline in drownings, prevented the rescue of migrants at sea and added that Africa has “always been the object of bullying by the West”.

“I hope that justice will also be done for us Africans. I, too, am a child of Africa, that Africa that you know very well, that has seen its children stripped of human dignity, of every right to serenity, happiness, even today,” Sy added.

Salvini replied to the comments stating: “I await the learned comments of newspapers, intellectuals, and various claims. At least someone will agree with this delinquent, shall we bet?”

The attempted attack by Sy in March saw no children injured thanks to swift action by Italian police to ram it off the road and allowed the children to escape.

“He handcuffed us and threatened us. He said that if we moved, he would pour gasoline and light the fire. He kept saying that people in Africa die and the fault is Di Maio’s and Salvini’s. Then the carabinieri [police] saved us,” one of the children told police at the time.

Only days after the attack, Sy told Italian magistrates he had no regrets, saying: “Repent? No repentance. It was something I had to do, and I would do it again. A Hundred times. Why did I do that? To send a signal to Africa. Africans have to stay in Africa.”

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/12/11/migrant-who-attempted-set-bus-children-fire-blames-salvini/

Senator Elizabeth Warren’s Letter to Barack Obama Requesting Exoneration of Notorious Communist Spy Ethel Rosenberg

Ethel Rosenberg and husband Julius Rosenberg, two of the most notorious spies in US history, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit espionage in 1951 and were sentenced to death. The Rosenbergs were accused passing top-secret information concerning the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. The Rosenbergs were the first U.S. citizens to be convicted and executed for espionage during peacetime.

Julius Rosenberg, an open communist, reportedly recruited Ethel’s younger brother, David Greenglass, to give information to the Soviets. While serving in the U.S. Army, Greenglass had been assigned to work on the famed Manhattan Project, which led to the creation of the atomic bomb, and he delivered notes and sketches of classified materials to Julius Rosenberg. According to Greenglass, Ethel took the notes and typed them up for the Soviets. This accusation seems to be the only direct evidence of Ethel’s involvement in her husband’s spying activities.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower had this to say about the Rosenstein’s before their executions. “I can only say that, by immeasurably increasing the chances of atomic war, the Rosenbergs may have condemned to death tens of millions of innocent people all over the world. The execution of two human beings is a grave matter. But even graver is the thought of the millions of dead whose deaths may be directly attributable to what these spies have done.”

In January 2017, before Barack Obama left office, Senator Elizabeth Warren sent the Democrat president a letter requesting a pardon for Ethel Rosenberg.

Here is the full letter from Senator Elizabeth Warren to Barack Obama.

Via Chris McCarthy and Ken Pittman

Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s… by Jim Hoft on Scribd

Fortunately, even crazy Obama was not this radical to exonerate this notorious US traitor.

If Liz Warren ever comes close to the White House this is the type of lunacy we can all expect.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/12/exclusive-senator-elizabeth-warrens-letter-to-barack-obama-requesting-exoneration-of-notorious-communist-spy-ethel-rosenberg/

Texas Border City School Board VP Arrested on Federal Bribery Charges

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – The vice president of a Texas border city school board is facing federal charges for allegedly using her position to solicit bribes from vendors.

On Tuesday afternoon, FBI agents arrested 48-year-old Sylvia P. Atkinson as she made her way to a meeting of the Brownsville Independent School Board where she serves as vice president, a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office revealed.

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2019/12/11/texas-border-city-school-board-vp-arrested-on-federal-bribery-charges/

The Zionist Regime Defies All Ethical Values ​​and Norms

By Evelyn Hecht-Galinski

On December 9, 1987, the first intifada began in illegally occupied Palestine in response to the assassination of four Palestinians outside the Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza. This fight for freedom has been going on for decades and will not end until Palestine is free. The indignation of the young Palestinians about their hopeless situation has consequently dammed – even after they had long ago noticed that their political leaders did nothing for them, but only appeased and arranged with the occupiers, and more or less under the occupation left their country to their fate. Thus, the desperate Palestinians saw no other possibility than in the refugee camps, in the occupied West Bank and in the annexed East Jerusalem to stand up and fight back. They took control of the neighborhood, barricaded the streets to prevent the penetration of the Zionist occupiers with their vehicles and tanks, who want to break their resistance. Quite similar to today, only stones were left to defend themselves against the weapons-rousing Zionist occupying forces. And today and again and again the Hasbara speaks of “militant Palestinians”, whereas the Zionist armed to the teeth occupiers only “defend”. Quite similar to today, only stones were left to defend themselves against the weapons-rousing Zionist occupying forces. And today and again and again the Hasbara speaks of “militant Palestinians”, whereas the Zionist armed to the teeth occupiers only “defend”. Quite similar to today, only stones were left to defend themselves against the weapons-rousing Zionist occupying forces. And today and again and again the Hasbara speaks of “militant Palestinians”, whereas the Zionist armed to the teeth occupiers only “defend”.

1987: More than 300 Palestinians murdered, more than 20,000 injured

For decades, nothing has changed in this rhetoric. On the contrary, the Jewish “defense army” has always used live ammunition, tear gas and the toughest of reactions against the desperate demonstrators. Palestinians were and are being murdered indiscriminately, including women and children. Those who have experienced these days will never forget that. When the protests were unstoppable, the occupiers reacted with curfews, mass arrests, closures of kindergartens, schools and universities. Houses and farms were destroyed as well as fields and olive groves. Trees like humans were uprooted, denied any building permits on their own land, water sources dispossessed, and illegal Jewish settler hordes attacked stunned and helpless Palestinians.

Already at that time videos were used to prove the asymmetry of the weapons, ie the upgraded Jewish “defense soldiers” against the unarmed Palestinians. At that time, the cry for a Palestinian state was growing louder and louder. While Yasser Arafat and his Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) tried to work together with the United Nations from its Tunisian exile, which at that time was as unsuccessful as it was today, a newly formed resistance organization, the Hamas, until today the Gaza Strip, emerged only alternative to the PLO / Fatah. In fact, it was and is the only alternative to the outdated, corrupt West Bank government run by a power-hungry “Vichy-Abbas” Palestinian president. Hamas did the right thing and called on the Palestinians to focus on the basic goals of the Palestinian struggle for freedom, with no scruples and the ultimate goal of liberating Palestine and ending the illegal Zionist occupation. Since then, the US has consistently voted against draft resolutions of the UN Security Council and vetoed them to prevent Israel from being charged with its human rights abuses and the notorious non-compliance with the Fourth Geneva Convention.

https://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2019/12/11/israeli-myths-that-defy-moral-reality/

‘David Duke in Uniform’: NYPD Officers Say Top Cop Told Them to Target Black and Latinx Commuters on Subways

A high-ranking NYPD leader who oversees the department’s subway policing division has come under increased scrutiny in the last week as former subordinates have publicly called out the leader on his racism—even going so far as to refer to him as “David Duke in uniform.”

Recent reporting from The New York Times and Gothamist have highlighted the accusations against Deputy Inspector Constantin Tsachas, currently the second-highest ranking cop among Brooklyn’s transit police. Multiple officers have filed new affidavits against Tsachas for comments he allegedly made between 2011 and 2015, claiming he dissuaded them from arresting “soft targets” at New York subway stations (which he characterized as white and Asian people) and urging his officers to arrest black and Latinx men instead.

In other words, saying the quiet part loud.

“Tsachas would get angry if you tried to patrol subway stations in predominately white or Asian neighborhoods,” former NYPD officer Christopher LaForce said in an affidavit, according to the Times. Tsachas, who served as a police commander in South Brooklyn at the time, would redirect his officers to subway stations in majority black and Latinx neighborhoods.

LaForce says Tsachas’ directives eventually drove him out of the police force entirely—“I got tired of hunting black and Hispanic people because of arrest quotas,” he said.

In total, the Times reports, more than a half-dozen officers have come forward with signed affidavits in support of a discrimination lawsuit against Tsachas, filed in 2016 by four black and Latinx officers. Each of the affidavits tells a similar story: that Inspector Tsachas gave explicit and racist commands to officers to target black and brown men in New York City’s subway system.

“He’s David Duke in uniform,” Lieutenant Edwin Raymond, a plaintiff in the lawsuit, told Gothamist. “I don’t throw that around lightly. Others know how to mask or euphemize this stuff, but when you asked him to explain a ‘soft’ or ‘hard’ target, he’s completely blatant.”

Raymond, who’s now a patrol supervisor in Brooklyn, provided the Times with the affidavits.

From the Times:

The allegations in the affidavits were bolstered by a police union official, Corey Grable, who gave a deposition in June in the same lawsuit that recounted his interactions with Inspector Tsachas. He recalled Inspector Tsachas had once complained about a subordinate who Inspector Tsachas said seemed to go for “soft targets.”

Unsure what that meant, Officer Grable asked if the officer was ticketing old ladies for minor offenses? Inspector Tsachas responded: “No, Asian.”

Officer Grable, who is black, asked, “Would you have been more comfortable if these guys were black or Hispanic?”

“Yes,” Inspector Tsachas replied, according to Officer Grable’s recollection.

http://www.hideoutnow.com/2019/12/david-duke-in-uniform-nypd-officers-say.html

IT’S COMING: Bank Bailouts Hit $362B…Second Highest!

“It’s About To Get Very Bad” – Repo Market Legend Predicts Market Crash In Days

… at the largest US banks, something we addressed previously when we discussed how JPMorgan gamed the financial system to trigger “NOT QE”, and a topic that Bloomberg touches on overnight in “Repo Firepower Reduced by Falling Cash Levels at Big U.S. Banks.”

As Pozsar cautions, the core problem at the heart of the repo blockage is that as banks shifted from owning reserves to collateral (mostly Treasuries), for reasons we will address shortly, large U.S. banks like J.P. Morgan that are central to year-end flows spent some $350 billion of excess reserves on collateral since the beginning of the Fed’s balance sheet taper, leaving banks (and especially JPMorgan) dangerously low on reserves.

How & Why Central Banks are Preparing for the Crash

https://youtu.be/rJ08a0tXe4Q

Take a seat and don’t hold your breath !

BTW, there are only 4 big banks in America then only 50% are in problem , let guess the overseas are German DB and biggest France or Italy bank !

Good Enough for a meltdown !!

https://youtu.be/S2xPU53L77Q

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/its-coming-bank-bailouts-hit-362b-second-highest/

Members of Congress can use non-public information to make stock trades “insider trading”– and there’s no law against it.

Martha Stewart went to jail for it. Hedge fund honcho Raj Rajaratnam was fined $92 million and will go to jail for years for it. But members of Congress can do the same thing -use non-public information to make stock trades — and there’s no law against it. Steve Kroft reports on how America’s lawmakers can legally make tidy profits on information only they know, simply because they won’t pass a law against themselves. The report will be broadcast on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Among the revelations in Kroft’s report:

* Members of Congress have bought stock in companies while laws that could affect those companies were being debated in the House or Senate.

* At least one representative made significant stock purchases the day after he and other members of Congress attended a secret meeting in September 2008, where the Fed chair and the treasury secretary informed them of the imminent global economic meltdown. The meeting was so confidential that cell phones and other digital devices were confiscated before it began.

If senators and representatives are using non-public information to win in the market, it’s all legal says Peter Schweizer, who works for the Hoover Institute, a conservative think tank. He has been examining these issues for some time and has written about them in a book, “Throw them All Out.” “[Insider trading laws] apply to corporate executives, to Americans…If you are a member of Congress, those laws are deemed not to apply,” he tells Kroft. “It’s really the way the rules have been defined…[lawmakers]have conveniently written them in such a way as they don’t apply to themselves,” says Schweizer.

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/members-of-congress-can-use-non-public-information-to-make-stock-trades-insider-trading-and-theres-no-law-against-it/

IT’S OFFICIAL: Mueller Targeted the Four Individuals Deep State Illegally Spied On – Carter Page, General Flynn, George Papadopoulos and Paul Manafort

Below is a thread from Nick Weil on Twitter from January that presented a plausible analysis on the number of investigations that the FBI had on President Trump – all based on a fake dossier. We knew then that there was enough evidence to shut down the Mueller investigation and have the Obama far-left goons in the FBI and DOJ arrested and in jail –

More

http://www.cuzzblue.com/2019/12/its-official-mueller-targeted-four.html

How can “We the People” trust our government when they lie to our face and each other about our President on live TV?

How can “We the People” trust our government when they lie about our President on live TV?

Not one bit of testimony or documents provides objective evidence that the President was seeking Political favor for exchange of US foreign aid.

Every single witness that actually was part of the entire Ukraine call and negotiations have said that the President NEVER told them or asked them or mentioned to them to negotiate political favor in exchange for US money.

The witnesses willfully admitted that they themselves created the the quid quo pro with their own presumptions and little minds without any influence to do so from the President or even Rudy Giuliani.

Not one witness says that Rudy aske them, insinuated or ordered them to negotiate US money for Political favors or personal benefit of the President.

Yes, we have our elected leaders literally making it all up as they go. Putting words that the President never spoke into public record as if he said them. This is fraud.

They have spent now hundreds of millions of our tax payer dollars on this hoax and attempted soft coup.

We deserve and need to demand they stop it. It is eating us alive. It should even be illegal as it is inspiring insurrection on both sides. Fraud waste and abuse as well.

FBI Lied To FISA Court In Russiagate Investigation

Former CIA Director Brennan lied to Congress about Steele Dossier, IG report reveals

Gingrich: Pelosi Deliberately & Methodically Lied to the American People on Impeachment

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/how-can-we-the-people-trust-our-government-when-they-lie-to-our-face-and-each-other-about-our-president-on-live-tv/

>>7481433

US

American Soldiers Are Bodyguards for Saudi Royals

The Saudi royal court is a key institution of the Empire and is protected accordingly

President Donald Trump believes in America First except when it comes to the Saudi royal family. Then it is Saudi Arabia first.

At the end of November, U.S. military leaders were in Riyadh negotiating the employment terms for the royal’s new bodyguards. That is, the plan for an expanded American military presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), including Patriot missiles, Sentinel radars, a THAAD air defense system, fighter aircraft, and other equipment, as well as personnel, who will eventually number around 3,000.

Why is the president, who has loudly insisted that allies do more to defend themselves, even more determined to handle Saudi Arabia’s security? [That’s because where Europeans are merely foreign auxiliaries to the Empire, the Saudi court has so much influence in the Imperial Capital as to be another power center of the Empire in its own right, alongside Congress Beltway think-tanks, the Pentagon, the CIA…]

Of course, the royals themselves want American backing. Having grabbed control of their people’s wealth, they long have hired others to do the hard, unpleasant, and dangerous work—including the U.S. military.

The status-conscious KSA spends lavishly, especially on modern fighter jets. Last year Riyadh devoted $83 billion to the military. In 2017 defense expenditures ran $89 billion. That put the Kingdom in third place globally, after America and China. Alas, possession of fine equipment alone is not enough to ensure its good use.

In 2015 the Saudi regime attacked neighboring Yemen, one of the poorest nations on earth. De facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman, who became crown prince two years later, decided on war to reinstate a friendly ruler. Unfortunately, a campaign that was supposed to take a few weeks has lasted almost five years. Saudi pilots proved highly competent at slaughtering civilians, bombing weddings, funerals, hospitals, school buses, and markets. Humanitarian groups figure that three-quarters of the estimated 12,000 civilian deaths have resulted from air attacks—delivered by KSA aircraft provided, armed, guided, and, until recently, refueled by the U.S. The destruction of critical infrastructure has resulted in mass malnutrition and disease, which may have taken another 150,000 lives.

https://www.checkpointasia.net/american-soldiers-are-bodyguards-for-saudi-royals/

White Helmets Boost Presence in Idlib, Potentially Preparing a Provocation - Russian Special Envoy

Syria Civil Defence, better known as the White Helmets, is a non-governmental organisation registered in the United Kingdom. The group and its activities are widely endorsed by Western governments. Damascus, however, accuses the organisation of extremism and propaganda dissemination.

The White Helmets are ramping up their presence in Syria's Idlib, potentially readying a provocation, Russian President's Special Envoy Aleksandr Lavrentyev, said on Wednesday at a press conference following talks in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.

Lavrentyev added that Moscow is calling on all its partners to carefully assess the information about the potential provocation.

The White Helmets is a UK-registered NGO. They describe themselves as former bakers, tailors, engineers, pharmacists, painters, carpenters, students and workers of other professions who volunteer to go to the "most dangerous place on earth" and protect local civilians from violence. The group enjoys wide publicity and endorsement in the West but has been accused by Damascus of extremism and spreading propaganda.

Russia considers the group's activity an element of an informational campaign aimed at the vilification of the Syrian government. In particular, Moscow accused the White Helmets of staging a false-flag provocation in Syria in 2013 that later gave grounds for the West to accuse Damascus of chemical attacks.

On Astana Format

The Astana format remains the only process that has any real impact on the situation, Lavrentyev said.

"We are confident that [the Astana format is] the only relevant format that can have real influence, real impact on the situation, on the Syrian settlement," added Lavrentyev.

Lavrentyev also said that the work of the Syrian Constitutional Committee should not be artificially accelerated.

The new round of meetings of the constitutional committee was held in Geneva at the end of November, but the meetings of the small group (which is preparing the main initiatives) did not take place due to disagreements between the delegations. Earlier, an opposition member of the Syrian constitutional committee , Kassem al-Khatib, said that the delegation of the Syrian government sets preconditions for negotiations on the constitution and is stalling the process.

On Dialogue Between Damascus and Kurds

According to Lavrentyev, Dialogue between the central Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is the only possible way to resolve the crisis.

"Building dialogue between the leadership of the SDF and the central Syrian government, or between Kurds and Damascus, is another crucially important aspect. We believe this is the only possible way out, the only right way out," he said.

He added that the SDF as a force is not fully in opposition to the Syrian government.

"Some of the Arab tribes that are part of the SDF are a part of the Arab community. In this respect, we are ready to continue implementing necessary effort in order both to assist the central government and to engage in our mediating missions in contacts with the Kurds," Lavrentyev concluded.

Moreover, according to the envoy, Turkey is not currently capable of fulfilling its obligations on the stabilisation in Syria's Idlib and it does not control some of the radicals present in the neighbouring country, around Aleppo in particular.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201912111077542559-white-helmets-boost-presence-in-idlib-potentially-preparing-a-provocation—-russian-special-envoy/

Oklahoma Bill Would Block Unconstitutional National Guard Deployments

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (Dec. 10, 2019) – A bill prefiled in the Oklahoma Senate would prohibit unconstitutional foreign deployments of the state’s National Guard troops. Passage into law would effectively restore the founders’ framework for a state-federal balance regarding the state militia.

Sen. Nathan Dahm (R-Broken Arrow) prefiled Senate Bill 1101 (SB1101) last week. The legislation would require a congressional declaration of war before Oklahoma National Guard units could be deployed into combat in a foreign country. The legislation reads in part:

“The Oklahoma National Guard and any member thereof shall not be released from the state into active duty combat unless the United States Congress has passed an official declaration of war or has taken an official action pursuant to Article I, Section 8, Clause 15 of the United States Constitution to explicitly call forth the Oklahoma National Guard and any member thereof for the enumerated purposes to expressly execute the laws of the union, repel an invasion or suppress an insurrection.”

SB1101 specifically defines a declaration of war as ” an official declaration of war made by the United States Congress pursuant to Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the United States Constitution.”

IN PRACTICE

Guard troops have played significant roles in all modern overseas conflicts, with over 650,000 deployed since 2001. Military.com reports that “Guard and Reserve units made up about 45 percent of the total force sent to Iraq and Afghanistan, and received about 18.4 percent of the casualties.” More specifically, Oklahoma National Guard troops have participated in missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Kosovo, Ukraine and elsewhere.

Since none of these missions have been accompanied by a Constitutional declaration of war, the Defend the Guard Act would have prohibited those deployments. Such declarations have only happened five times in U.S. history, with the last being in World War II.

BACKGROUND

Article I, Section 8, Clauses 15 and 16 make up the “militia clauses” of the Constitution. Clause 16 authorizes Congress to “provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia.” In the Dick Act of 1903, Congress organized the militia into today’s National Guard, limiting the part of the militia that could be called into federal service rather than the “entire body of people,” which makes up the totality of the “militia.” Thus, today’s National Guard is governed by the “militia clauses” of the Constitution, and this view is confirmed by the National Guard itself.

Clause 15 delegates to the Congress the power to provide for “calling forth the militia” in three situations only: 1) to execute the laws of the union, 2) to suppress insurrections, and 3) to repel invasions.

During state ratifying conventions, proponents of the Constitution, including James Madison and Edmund Randolph, repeatedly assured the people that this power to call forth the militia into federal service would be limited to those very specific situations, and not for general purposes, like helping victims of a disease outbreak or engaging in “kinetic military actions.”

RETURNING TO THE CONSTITUTION

It is this limited Constitutional structure that advocates of the Defend the Guard Act seek to restore. That is, use of the Guard for the three expressly-delegated purposes in the Constitution, and at other times to remain where the Guard belongs, at home, supporting and protecting their home state.

West Virginia Rep. Pat McGeehan served as an Air Force intelligence officer in Afghanistan and has sponsored similar legislation in his state.

https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/oklahoma-bill-would-block-unconstitutional-national-guard-deployments/

‘This Was Not Politically Motivated, There is No Deep State!’ – Feinstein Lashes Out at Bill Barr in Opening Statement (VIDEO)

Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz testified Wednesday morning before the Senate Judiciary Committee led by Chairman Lindsey Graham.

Ranking member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) lashed out at US Attorney General Bill Barr and said the FBI’s multiple investigations into Trump were not politically motivated.

To be clear, Horowitz’s report concluded there were 17 errors, 51 violations and 9 false statements ALL against Trump and Feinstein thinks the American people are stupid enough to believe that this was all a coincidence.

“Beginning last spring, the attorney general expressed his belief that senior government officials may have, quote, ‘put a thumb on the scale,’ end quote, because of political bias against Trump,” Feinstein said.

“There is no Deep State. Simply put, the FBI investigation was motivated by facts, not bias,” she added.

Feinstein is defending the FBI’s investigations into Trump because she was heavily involved the hoax and still hasn’t been held accountable for her actions.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/12/this-was-not-politically-motivated-there-is-no-deep-state-feinstein-lashes-out-at-bill-barr-in-opening-statement-video/

Pentagon Orders Training Pause for 850 Saudi Troops in US

The Pentagon has paused its training in the U.S. with Saudi nationals until officials conduct a thorough review. The directive follows a deadly shooting that killed three sailors and injured eight other people at NAS Pensacola, Florida, according to a senior defense official.

Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist issued a memo this week following the incident saying leaders would review security and screening procedures for foreign students attending training in the U.S., as well as ongoing bilateral training programs. But Saudi students in particular have been ordered to take a temporary operational pause in training in what the Pentagon says is a "safety and security stand down" during the review, the senior defense officials said in a phone call with reporters Tuesday.

"This will apply to all Saudi students in the United States. So they will all continue to have classroom training, but operational training will pause during the course of this review," the official said.

There are roughly 850 Saudi students in the U.S. at this time for various training programs, the official said. The Navy first issued its own temporary grounding for Saudi aviation students training at three Florida bases earlier on Tuesday.

The latest development comes as thousands of U.S. troops are in Saudi to deter malign behavior from Iran in the Middle East.

Norquist said he has directed the undersecretary of intelligence "to take immediate steps to strengthen personnel vetting for International Military Students (IMS) and to complete a review within 10 days of policies and procedures for screening foreign students and granting access to our bases," according to the memo.

"These efforts will seek to more closely align IMS vetting procedures with those we apply to US personnel," the memo states.

The senior defense official said the U.S. military has trained more than 28,000 Saudi students over the life of our security cooperation relationship "without serious incident." But "we are going to take some short term looks at our programs to see how we can address any shortcomings," the official added.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/12/10/pentagon-orders-training-pause-850-saudi-troops-us.html

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/12/10/pentagon-orders-training-pause-850-saudi-troops-us.html

Is The Government Hiding Advanced Technology? 5,000 Inventions Held Under “Secrecy Orders” at the US Patent Office

I wrote and posted this article in 2018. I recently revisited it and confirmed how important this information, gathered by Steve Aftergood, is.

For decades, people have been accusing the government of hiding advanced technology. Here we have a serious clue. Something in the record and on the record. It is only a very small piece of the puzzle, but it’s a potent piece, if you’ll stop and think about it.

The world is waking up to censorship of information by the press, by corporations, and by government. Here we have what amounts to a US government POLICY of censoring certain inventions, groundbreaking inventions.

Here is my brief 2018 piece:

How many of these patents, if granted, would be game changers for planet Earth? Who knows?

Buckle up. Here we go.

From FAS (Federation of American Scientists), Secrecy News, Oct. 21, 2010, “Invention Secrecy Still Going Strong,” by Steven Aftergood:

“There were 5,135 inventions that were under secrecy orders at the end of Fiscal Year 2010, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office told Secrecy News last week. It’s a 1% rise over the year before, and the highest total in more than a decade.”

“Under the Invention Secrecy Act of 1951, patent applications on new inventions can be subject to secrecy orders restricting their publication if government agencies believe that disclosure would be ‘detrimental to the national security’.”

“The current list of technology areas that is used to screen patent applications for possible restriction under the Invention Secrecy Act is not publicly available and has been denied under the Freedom of Information Act. (An appeal is pending.)…”

“Most of the listed technology areas are closely related to military applications. But some of them range more widely.”

“Thus, the 1971 list indicates that patents for solar photovoltaic generators were subject to review and possible restriction IF THE PHOTOVOLTAICS WERE MORE THAN 20% EFFICIENT. Energy conversion systems were likewise subject to review and possible restriction IF THEY OFFERED CONVERSION EFFICIENCIES ‘IN EXCESS OF 70-80%’.” (Emphasis is mine.)

https://www.activistpost.com/2019/12/is-the-government-hiding-advanced-technology-5000-inventions-held-under-secrecy-orders-at-the-us-patent-office.html

Spain activists protest against Saudi ship carrying US weapons to Yemen

Anti-war campaigners organised a protest yesterday at a Spanish port against the arrival of a Saudi cargo ship believed to be carrying US and Canadian manufactured arms to Yemen.

The Bahri Abha ship arrived yesterday morning from the US into the eastern Spanish port of Sagunto, Valencia.

At the demonstration the Control Arms Coalition demanded that the Spanish authorities prevent the ship from loading any weapons likely to be used by the Saudi government in the five-year war in Yemen following the 21 September Revolution in 2014.

The coalition of activists included organisations such as Amnesty International, FundiPau, Greenpeace and Oxfam Intermón.

Alberto Estevez, a spokesperson for the campaign said: “Since Yemen’s current war began in 2015, this same ship has carried weapons, mostly military aircraft components, worth €143 million [$158 million] on eight voyages from the United States to Saudi Arabia.”

“The Spanish government must intervene to ensure that this Saudi Arabian ship is not transporting more deadly cargo that could be used to commit further atrocities in Yemen,” he added.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191211-spain-activists-protest-against-saudi-ship-carrying-us-weapons-to-yemen/

Genetic Genealogy Company GEDmatch Acquired by Company With Ties to FBI & Law Enforcement—Why You Should Be Worried

This week, GEDmatch, a genetic genealogy company that gained notoriety for giving law enforcement access to its customers’ DNA data, quietly informed its users it is now operated by Verogen, Inc., a company expressly formed two years ago to market “next-generation [DNA] sequencing” technology to crime labs.

What this means for GEDmatch’s 1.3 million users—and for the 60% of white Americans who share DNA with those users—remains to be seen.

GEDmatch allows users to upload an electronic file containing their raw genotyped DNA data so that they can compare it to other users’ data to find biological family relationships. It estimates how close or distant those relationships may be (e.g., a direct connection, like a parent, or a distant connection, like a third cousin), and it enables users to determine where, along each chromosome, their DNA may be similar to another user. It also predicts characteristics like ethnicity.

An estimated 30 million people have used genetic genealogy databases like GEDmatch to identify biological relatives and build a family tree, and law enforcement officers have been capitalizing on all that freely available data in criminal investigations. Estimates are that genetic genealogy sites were used in around 200 cases just last year. For many of those cases, officers never sought a warrant or any legal process at all.

Earlier this year, after public outcry, GEDmatch changed its previous position allowing for warrantless law enforcement searches, opted out all its users from those searches, and required all users to expressly opt in if they wanted to allow access to their genetic data. Only a small percentage did. But opting out has not prevented law enforcement from accessing consumers’ genetic data, as long as they can get a warrant, which one Orlando, Florida officer did last summer.

Law enforcement has argued that people using genetic genealogy services have no expectation of privacy in their genetic data because users have willingly shared their data with the genetics company and with other users and have “consented” to a company’s terms of service. But the Supreme Court rejected a similar argument in Carpenter v. United States.

In Carpenter, the Court ruled that even though our cell phone location data is shared with or stored by a phone company, we still have a reasonable expectation of privacy in it because of all the sensitive and private information it can reveal about our lives. Similarly, genetic data can reveal a whole host of extremely private and sensitive information about people, from their likelihood to inherit specific diseases to where their ancestors are from to whether they have a sister or brother they never knew about. Researchers have even theorized at one time or another that DNA may predict race, intelligence, criminality, sexual orientation, and political ideology. Even if later disproved, officials may rely on outdated research like this to make judgements about and discriminate against people. Because genetic data is so sensitive, we have an expectation of privacy in it, even if other people can access it.

https://www.activistpost.com/2019/12/genetic-genealogy-company-gedmatch-acquired-by-company-with-ties-to-fbi-law-enforcement-why-you-should-be-worried.html

Previously convicted Kansas sex offender pleads guilty to sexually exploiting children

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A Kansas City man, who was already a registered sex offender in Missouri, pleaded guilty in state court to sexually exploiting at least three children.

This guilty plea resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Daniel Ontiveros, 61, of Kansas City, Kansas, pleaded guilty Nov. 25 to one count of child sexual exploitation in Wyandotte County, Kansas. Ontiveros has a prior conviction for attempted possession of child pornography in February 2013 in Missouri. As a result of this conviction, he was placed on the state’s sex offender’s registry. He also has a conviction for enticing a child in April 2013.

“Child exploitation cases remain at the top of our investigative priorities for one basic reason: children are our most precious asset and need our protection,” said Special Agent in Charge Katherine J. Greer, of HSI Kansas City. “By pooling resources with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners, we more effectively target child predators, and make our communities safer for children.”

This criminal investigation began April 15, 2018, when the parents of a minor victim contacted law enforcement to alert authorities their daughter had been communicating with Ontiveros via social media, had traded sexually explicit photos of herself, and that Ontiveros had traveled to Illinois to meet with her and engage in sexual activity.

Three days later, based on the information received, HSI special agents executed a federal search warrant at Ontiveros’ Kansas City residence and seized several computer items containing sexually explicit materials depicting minor children, as well as evidence of his plans to travel to Illinois. Subsequent analysis of the seized evidence recovered nearly 100 videos and nearly 300 images depicting child exploitation. Ontiveros was arrested June 12, 2018, based on this evidence.

As a previously convicted sex offender Ontiveros faces up to 25 years in state prison. He remains in state custody in Wyandotte County pending a sentencing date.

To date, HSI Kansas City has confirmed the identities of three minor female victims of Ontiveros; however, more victims remain unidentified. Anyone who believes they may have more information about this case should contact local law enforcement or HSI through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE, or by completing its online tip form. The number and online tip form are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

HSI Kansas City’s area of responsibility covers Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska. In FY 2019 the office conducted more than 100 arrests related to child exploitation, obtained nearly 100 indictments and more than 50 convictions, so far. In addition, the investigative team has rescued or identified about 15 child victims of sexual exploitation.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 19,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child exploitation material, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2018, more than 3,000 (3191) child predators were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 850 (859) victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page. HSI is a founding member of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/previously-convicted-kansas-sex-offender-pleads-guilty-sexually-exploiting-children

The FBI - Pushed By John Brennan - Lied To The Court Seven Times To Spy On The Trump Campaign

When Hillary Clinton was defeated in the U.S. presidential election the relevant powers launched a campaign to delegitimize the President elect Donald Trump.

The ultimate aim of the cabal is to kick him out of office and have a reliable replacement, like the Vice-President elect Pence, take over. Should that not be possible it is hoped that the delegitimization will make it impossible for Trump to change major policy trajectories especially in foreign policy. A main issue here is the reorientation of the U.S. military complex and its NATO proxies from the war of terror towards a direct confrontation with main powers like Russia and China.

…

A major role in directing the plot has fallen to Obama’s consigliere John Brennan, the current director of the CIA.

One part of the still ongoing deligitimization campaign was the FBI investigation of alleged Russian connections of four members of the Trump election campaign.

The Inspector General of the U.S. Justice Department Michael Horowitz has investigated the FBI operation against the election campaign of Donald Trump. Yesterday he published his report, Review of Four FISA Applications and Other Aspects of the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane Investigation (pdf). It is 480 pages long and quite thorough but unfortunately very limited in its scope.

Horowitz finds that the FBI was within the law when it opened the investigation but that the FBI’s applications to the FISA court, which decides if the FBI can spy on someone’s communications, were based on lies and utterly flawed.

Your host unfortunately lacked the time so far to read more than the executive summary. But others have pointed out some essential findings.

Matt Taibbi remarks:

The Guardian headline reads: “DOJ Internal watchdog report clears FBI of illegal surveillance of Trump adviser.”

If the report released Monday by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz constitutes a “clearing” of the FBI, never clear me of anything. …

Much of the press is concentrating on Horowitz’s conclusion that there was no evidence of “political bias or improper motivation” in the FBI’s probe of Donald Trump’s Russia contacts, an investigation Horowitz says the bureau had “authorized purpose” to conduct.

…

However, Horowitz describes at great length an FBI whose “serious” procedural problems and omissions of “significant information” in pursuit of surveillance authority all fell in the direction of expanding the unprecedented investigation of a presidential candidate (later, a president).

…

There are too many to list in one column, but the Horowitz report show years of breathless headlines were wrong. Some key points:

The so-called “Steele dossier” was, actually, crucial to the FBI’s decision to seek secret surveillance of Page. …

…

The “Steele dossier” was “Internet rumor,” and corroboration for the pee tape story was “zero.” …

https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/75693/the-fbi–pushed-by-john-brennan–lied-to-the-court-seven-times-to-spy-on-the-trump.html

Big Pharma Bought Access to Your DNA From Genealogy Company and What They’re Using It for Should Concern Everyone

Have you paid for an ancestry report? Perhaps someone gave it to you as a gift. Either way, pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline now owns your genetic fingerprint.

In a paradigm shift that is making some people uneasy, human DNA has been dubbed a commodity. The company 23andMe boasts the world’s largest database of genetic code. This extensive library of DNA has been acquired by offering the public a genealogy report in exchange for a fee.

Many people excitedly paid to hand over their DNA to the company not realizing it would become the “new frontier” for pioneering drugmakers. Pharmaceutical companies now stand to profit greatly from the DNA people paid to send in.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) purchased a $300 million share in the genlogy company 23 and me, which provides ancestry reports to those who submit their DNA. GSK’s CEO stated that this “merger” will accelerate the development of “novel treatments and cures.”

Now that GSK has access to customers’ genetic blueprints, the company says it can use this DNA in studies in order to fast track new drugs for approval, according to the press release.

Reports indicate that 80% of 23andMe customers opt-in to share their genetic fingerprint along with information about their health and lifestyle through a survey. This survey is simply framed to be for research purposes.

More than 5 million people have willingly submitted their DNA to 23andMe in exchange for a chance to access details about their ancestry.

Privacy Concerns

“If people are concerned about their social security numbers being stolen, they should be concerned about their genetic information being misused,” says Peter Pitts, president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest.

“This information is never 100% safe. The risk is magnified when one organization shares it with a second organization. When information moves from one place to another, there’s always a chance for it to be intercepted by unintended third parties.”

What is Pitts talking about when he says third parties? Health insurance companies is a big one. Here’s an alarming quote straight from the 23andMe website:

“Your genetic data, survey responses, and/or personally identifying information may be stolen in the event of a security breach. In the event of such a breach, if your data are associated with your identity, they may be made public or released to insurance companies, which could have a negative effect on your ability to obtain insurance coverage.” [emphasis mine]

Big pharma is laughing all the way to the bank seeing as how pharmaceutical companies can now use this DNA data to create experimental drugs. These experimental drugs can then be marketed to consumers based merely on their genetic profiles which may or may not be very accurate in the first place.

Even the FDA has pointed out that false positives or false negatives for certain genetic traits do occur. Of course this won’t stop them from approving fast-tracked experimental drugs based on genetic data.

If you want to close your account at 23andMe you can access that here, however, the company outright states,

“Any research involving your data that has already been performed or published prior to our receipt of your request will not be reversed, undone, or withdrawn.”

Tough luck for those who have willingly paid to hand over their DNA.

https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/75691/big-pharma-bought-access-to-your-dna-from-genealogy-company-and-what-theyre-using-it-for-should.html

Techno Fog's Giant List Of MSM Hacks Who Swore FBI Didn't Rely On Steele Dossier

As Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi wrote on Tuesday following the release of the long-awaited DOJ Inspector General's report on FISA abuse, the FBI went to "extraordinary, almost comical lengths to seek surveillance authority of figures like Trump aide Carter Page."

Indeed, as the credibility of the so-called 'Steele Dossier' was rapidly unraveling amid Republican claims that it was heavily relied upon, Democrats and their media lapdogs shifted into overdrive in early 2018 to insist that the FBI either didn't rely on - or barely relied on the salacious, Clinton-funded document as part of Carter Page's FISA warrant application.

Keep in mind - New York Times journalist Ali Watkins was banging the married former director of security for the Senate Intelligence Committee - who gave her a copy of Carter Page's FISA application - while the rest of the media and their cronies either swore the FBI's use of the Steele dossier was minimal - or insisted that its claims were either substantiated or 'not disproven.'

More

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/technofogs-giant-list-msm-hacks-who-swore-fbi-didnt-rely-steele-dossier

Neonatal nurse says government-mandated vaccines are “destroying an entire generation of children”

The VAXXED II film bus is currently touring the country in promotion of this groundbreaking sequel to the original VAXXED documentary. And one of the people interviewed by tour host and actress Polly Tommey was Michelle Rowton, a neonatal nurse who wasn’t shy in declaring that the conventional medical system is “destroying an entire generation of children” with toxic vaccines.

With more than 17 years of experience working in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit), Rowton has seen more than her fair share of premature babies whose lives have been destroyed by vaccination. She specializes in children ages two years and younger, especially those that are premature and sick, and it’s this particular demographic that’s perhaps most harmed by these government-recommended jabs.

While in undergraduate training, Rowton recalls never being taught anything about vaccines other than how to administer them. In graduate school, Rowton was further indoctrinated into various methods of “coercive rhetoric” that the medical system uses to manipulate as many parents as possible into agreeing to have their babies vaccinated.

At no time was Rowton ever taught about the possible adverse reactions that might occur from the vaccines she was instructed to inject into tiny babies, nor was she told about potential complications or other associated problems. Instead, it was all scare tactics and propaganda, which many of her colleagues have sadly embraced as medical “wisdom.”

https://www.dcclothesline.com/2019/12/11/neonatal-nurse-says-government-mandated-vaccines-are-destroying-an-entire-generation-of-children/

The Wealthy Are Hoarding Physical Gold

The world’s rich are hoarding gold – this according to data buried in a recent Goldman Sachs note to clients.

In the note published over the weekend, Goldman recommended diversifying long-term bond holdings with gold, citing “fear-driven demand” for the yellow metal.

Hedge funds and other large speculators boosted their bullish bets on gold by 8.9% through the week ended Dec. 3, according to government data released last Friday. That represents the biggest gain since the end of September.

The Goldman note cited political uncertainty and recession fears as the catalyst for the move toward gold. It also mentioned worries about a wealth tax, increasing interest in Modern Monetary Theory (essentially money-printing) and the current loose central bank monetary policy.

Data buried in the note also revealed that owning physical gold appears to be the preferred method to “hedge against tail events” by the rich.

"Since the end of 2016 the implied build in non-transparent gold investment has been much larger than the build in visible gold ETFs.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/wealthy-are-hoarding-physical-gold

Jewish Activists Shut Down Border Patrol HQ In San Diego, Demand Illegals Be Given Free Flu Vaccines

Is this a "protest" or a guerrilla lobbying campaign for Big Pharma?

On Tuesday, Jewish activists from the group "Never Again Action" shut down a Border Patrol facility to demand illegal aliens be given free flu vaccines.

CBP wrote in a statement:

"Individuals in CBP custody should generally not be held for longer than 72 hours in either CBP hold rooms or holding facilities. Every effort is made to hold detainees for the least amount of time required for their processing, transfer, release or repatriation as appropriate and operationally feasible. Due to the massive influx of migrants recently and the changing demographics, at times, CBP has not been able to limit time in CBP custody to 72 hours. However, that is still the goal and the agency, working with partners, is still doing everything it can to move people out of temporary CBP holding facilities.

As a law enforcement agency, and due to the short term nature of CBP holding and other logistical challenges, operating a vaccine program is not feasible. Both ICE and HHS have comprehensive medical support services and can provide vaccinations as appropriate to those in their custody."

Next are they going to demand illegal aliens be given free Oxycontin to feed the Sackler empire?

More

https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=61012

Running Down The Clock? Barr Suggests Durham Report Not Coming For Another Six Months

During an interview with NBC News on Tuesday, US Attorney General William Barr suggested it would be another six or so months before US Attorney John Durham's criminal investigation into the origins of RussiaGate reaches a "watershed."

https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=61011

Bill Cosby loses appeal of sexual assault conviction

Bill Cosby lost his bid to overturn his sexual assault conviction Tuesday, as an appeals court upheld the verdict in the first celebrity trial of the #MeToo era.

In its ruling, the Superior Court affirmed the right of prosecutors to call other accusers to bolster their case — the same issue fought over in movie mogul Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assault trial, now set for Jan. 6.

“This decision is a reminder that no one is above the law,” Andrea Constand, the victim in Cosby’s case, said in a text message to The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Cosby’s lawyers had complained that the judge had let five women testify at last year’s retrial in suburban Philadelphia, although he had let just one woman testify at the first trial in 2017.

But the Superior Court said their testimony was evidence of Cosby’s “unique sexual assault playbook” and undermined any claim that he “was unaware of or mistaken about victim’s failure to consent.”

The prosecutor who took the case to trial praised Constand for inspiring other victims to come forward against powerful men. She went to police long before the #MeToo movement saw prominent men in entertainment, business, media and other fields brought down over their treatment of women.

“She came to law enforcement almost 15 years ago seeking justice for what was done to her,” Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said Tuesday. “The world is forever changed because of Andrea’s bravery.”

Lawyers for Cosby had argued eight issues on appeal. They challenged the judge’s decision to air Cosby’s damaging deposition testimony from a related lawsuit; said he had a binding promise from a former prosecutor that he would never be charged; and said a juror had prejudged Cosby’s guilt.

The appeals court rejected those arguments and also upheld his classification as a sexually violent predator subject to lifetime supervision.

Cosby, 82, can now ask the state Supreme Court to consider his appeal. He recently said he is prepared to serve the full 10-year sentence rather than express remorse to the parole board.

The long-married Cosby, once beloved as “America’s Dad” for his TV role as Dr. Cliff Huxtable on the hugely popular sitcom “The Cosby Show,” has acknowledged having sexual contact with a string of younger women. Many of them went to him for career advice and then took alcohol or pills he offered.

In response to the court ruling, a spokesman for the actor repeated the attacks that Cosby’s wife and handlers have long made on the judicial system. Cosby has called himself a political prisoner in the mold of Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr.

“This isn’t about justice,” spokesman Andrew Wyatt said Tuesday in a statement. “This is a political scheme to destroy America’s Dad.”

Cosby maintains his innocence, he said, and still hopes to prevail at the state Supreme Court.

http://www.hideoutnow.com/2019/12/bill-cosby-loses-appeal-of-sexual.html

Scottish actor and ballet dancer Jack Burns, 14, found dead in parent’s home

Jack Burns, the young star of Netflix drama Outlander was found dead in his parent’s home in Scotland earlier this month.

A 14-year-old actor who starred in the Netflix series Outlander has died suddenly.

The upcoming star and talented dancer, who was dubbed “the next Billy Elliot” for his exceptional ballet skills, was found dead at his parent’s home in Greenock, Scotland, on December 1.

The cause of the teenager’s death is unclear, but police say they are not treating it as suspicious.

https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/scottish-actor-and-ballet-dancer-jack-burns-14-found-dead-in-parents-home/news-story/3c4021da5da1ce15e35cb045683ca4f4

Lindsey Graham: ‘Director Wray, You’ve Got A Problem’

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham laid out the case that the FBI wrongfully set up members of the Trump campaign, during Wednesday’s hearing. The committee will question Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz throughout the day. Check SaraACarter.com for updates.

“Mr. Horowitz, The 17 irregularities that you found some of them are earth shattering, some of them should scare the hell out of all of us,” Graham testified.

Graham was critical of the FBI’s reliance on the Steele dossier used to spy on members of the Trump campaign. Further, he called on FBI Director Christopher Wray to testify before the committee citing a ‘problem’ with his agency.

“This is not normal. Don’t judge the FBI and the Department of Justice by these characters. We’re better than this. Like many of you, I’ve worked with the FBI a lot of my time in government. I have a great respect for it. Director Wray, you’ve got a problem,” Graham said.

https://saraacarter.com/lindsey-graham-director-wray-youve-got-a-problem/

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