Developing: Nationwide Leftist Protests Planned Today in Support of Sham Impeachment

Right on cue, Soros’s army of astroturfed protesters, with their faux outrage, plan on taking to the streets in protests across the country today in support of the sham impeachment trials.

Move On has launched the shill website impeach.org, and they are putting on the “Nobody Is Above The Law” protests:

Events are called for Tuesday, December 17th at 5:30 p.m. local time, but check your local event for a confirmed time and location. Numerous reports indicate that the House will vote on impeachment on Wednesday. December 18th.

Nobody Is Above the Law. That’s why we’re calling on Congress to Impeach & Remove Donald Trump.

The night before the House of Representatives takes a somber vote to impeach Trump, we’ll head to every congressional office and public square to declare that Nobody Is Above the Law as representatives finalize their positions and senators look on.

Join this historic nationwide mobilization on the eve of Trump’s impeachment vote: RSVP for an event near you or sign up to host one. Events will be visible, family-friendly, public gatherings to demonstrate to our lawmakers that their constituents are behind them to defend the Constitution—and that Trump has left them no alternative to uphold their oath of office but to support impeachment and removal.

A core principle shared by supporting organizations is a commitment to nonviolent, peaceful actions. All actions that are sponsored or organized on this page are intended to be nonviolent and peaceful. We expect all participants to act lawfully at all times and to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values.

The “commitment to nonviolent, peaceful actions” is pretty much coded language for “We expect antifa terrorists to show up and start rioting, but our organization will provide cover for them, then we’ll just tell the media that we had nothing to do with the riots and say it was a completely different group,” which is a play they always run when things descend into violence and chaos.

Interesting that they call this “nobody is above the law” when they themselves often violate several laws during the protests. We also have yet to see these groups call for Hillary, Obama, Holder, Biden (any of them), and the plethora of other far left luminaries to be held to the same standard of the law.

The site claims there are 618 protests planned. We’ll see.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/12/developing-nationwide-leftist-protests-planned-today-in-support-of-sham-impeachment/

"The Elites Don't Give A F*ck": Bannon Explains Why Boris Won, Blacks Dig Trump, And What GOP Needs Most Right Now

Former White House strategist Steve Bannon sat down with The Guardian, offering his take on everything from Boris Johnson's win the the recent UK election, to why minority support for Trump is on the rise, and finally - why the GOP needs its own version of AOC.

Bannon says that Boris Johnson's sweeping UK victory over Labour's Jeremy Corbyn is a "victory for populism," noting how he was fascinated by focus groups on British TV during the election campaign. "These were Labour voters and they were not going to vote for Labour and the reason was they kept asking, ‘How are these programmes going to be paid for?’ What I was most impressed with was the specificity and the granularity of the questions.."

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/elites-dont-give-fck-bannon-explains-why-boris-won-blacks-dig-trump-and-what-gop-needs

No more secrets? Pope Francis drops obligation of silence over clerical sexual abuse of minors

Pope Francis has abolished the Catholic Church’s ‘pontifical secrecy’ in cases of clerical sexual abuse of minors in a major reform of canon law. The rule had been heavily criticized for protecting abusers and silencing victims.

The pontiff issued two new documents on Tuesday changing how the Church handles abuse cases involving minors and vulnerable persons. They ban the imposition of silence on people who report sexual abuses, as well as raising the cutoff age for porn to be considered child pornography.

The Pope’s predecessor Benedict XVI decreed in 2001 that information in abuse cases must be covered by ‘pontifical secrecy’ to protect the privacy of the victim and the reputation of the accused. However, the move – the Church’s highest form of secrecy – has been heavily criticized for decades by victims for covering up abuses and preventing prosecution.

A breach of ‘pontifical secrecy’ was considered a grave sin, and its removal from abuse cases was a key demand from Catholic leaders at the first summit on Church sexual abuse in February. In the new documents, the Pope decrees that while information in abuse cases must still be protected to ensure its secrecy and integrity, the ‘pontifical secret’ no longer applies to accusations of abuse or to trials of the accused.

The pontiff also raised the lower age for material “for purposes of sexual gratification, by whatever means or using whatever technology” to be considered child pornography, increasing it from 14 or under to 18 or under.

https://www.rt.com/news/476097-pope-francis-sex-abuse-pontifical-secrecy/

Latvian government says it flagged ‘suspicious’ Hunter Biden payments in 2016

As the U.S. presidential race began roaring to life in 2016, authorities in the former Soviet republic of Latvia flagged a series of “ suspicious” financial transactions to Hunter Biden and other colleagues at a Ukrainian natural gas company and sought Kiev’s help investigating, according to documents and interviews.

The Feb. 18, 2016 alert to Ukraine came from the Latvian prosecutorial agency responsible for investigating money laundering, and it specifically questioned whether Vice President Joe Biden’s younger son and three other officials at Burisma Holdings were the potential beneficiaries of suspect funds.

“The Office for Prevention of Laundering of Proceeds Derived from Criminal Activity … is currently investigating suspicious activity of Burisma Holdings Limited,” the Latvian agency also known as the FIU wrote Ukraine’s financial authorities.

The memo was released to me by the Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s Office and confirmed by the Latvian embassy to the United States.

Latvian authorities said they did not get any incriminating information back from Ukraine to warrant further investigation and did not take additional action in 2016.

But the memo adds to the mounting evidence that there was ongoing investigative activity surrounding Burisma Holdings and Hunter Biden’s compensation as a board member in the weeks just before Joe Biden forced the firing of the Ukraine prosecutor overseeing the Burisma investigation in spring 2016.

The Latvian law enforcement memo identified a series of loan payments totaling about $16.6 million that were routed from companies in Beliz and the United Kingdom to Burisma through Ukraine’s PrivatBank between 2012 and 2015.

The flagged funds were “partially transferred” to Hunter Biden, a board member at Burisma since May 2014, and three other officials working for the Ukrainian natural gas company, the Latvian memo said.

The letter asked Ukrainian officials for any evidence about whether the funds were involved in corruption and whether Ukrainian officials were investigating Burisma and the recipients of the money.

“On the grounds of possible legalization of proceeds derived from criminal activity and corruption, please grant us permission to share the information included in the reply to this request with Latvian law enforcement entities for intelligence purposes only,” the letter said.

Arturs Saburovs, the Third Secretary at the Latvian embassy in Washington, confirmed his country flagged the transactions in February 2016 after seeing public reports that Burisma was under investigation in Ukraine and that Hunter Biden served on the company’s board. He said Latvia did not receive any evidence back from Ukraine to further its investigation.

https://johnsolomonreports.com/latvian-government-says-it-flagged-suspicious-hunter-biden-payments-in-2016/

UK PM Johnson Boycotts Davos Trip, Bans Ministers From Drinking "Champagne With Billionaires"

Just as President Trump refused to attend the globalist elites' party in Davos, so newly-crowned UK PM Boris Johnson has reportedly banned any of his ministers from attending the Swiss World Economic Forum snowfest next year (including himself).

As The Daily Mail's Jason Groves reports,

"Boris Johnson has banned ministers from attending next month's Davos summit - the annual gathering of the global elite.

Govt source: 'Our focus is on delivering for the people, not champagne with billionaires'"

Most notably, Johnson is now branding his administration as “the people’s government,” an image that might be undermined by the sight of him or his team brushing shoulders with the global elite at a Swiss ski resort.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/uk-pm-johnson-boycott-davos-trip

Tear gas & vehicles ablaze: Paris protests against French pension reform escalate into clashes with police (VIDEOS)

Protests against controversial French pension reform plans have escalated into clashes between demonstrators and police in Paris. Protesters pelted police with projectiles, while officers responded with tear gas and baton charges.

Over 350,000 people took to the streets of the French capital on Tuesday to protest the planned pension reforms, according to figures provided by the CGT trade union. The demonstration promptly became heated, escalating into clashes between protesters and law enforcement.

Footage from the scene shows crowds engulfed in thick plumes of tear gas, while riot police repeatedly charge groups of demonstrators with batons drawn.

At least 13 people were detained in Paris and one officer was injured, police told BFMTV.

For almost two weeks, France has been enduring mass protests and strikes against planned pension system changes. Emmanuel Macron's government insists that the reforms –which will see some 40 pension plans merged into one– is designed to simplify the pension system, making it more transparent. The trade unions, however, argue that the legislation is a rip-off, and simply strips workers of their hard-earned benefits.

Despite the protests, the French government said last week it would still proceed with the controversial reforms. The government's comments prompted an angry reaction from the unions, who said the government had crossed a “red line” with its persistence in moving ahead with the reform plan.

The anti-pension-reform marches were marred by scuffles at other locations across France as well; things got particularly heated in the northwestern city of Rennes. Footage from the scene shows police charging a procession of protesters and afterwards deploying an intense amount of tear gas, which blanketed the streets.

https://www.rt.com/news/476122-police-tear-gas-pension-paris/

McConnell Rejects Schumer’s Call For Four White House Witnesses in Senate Impeachment Trial (VIDEO)

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday rejected Chuck Schumer’s demand to call in four White House witnesses to testify in the Senate impeachment trial.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Sunday evening sent Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) his opening pitch and listed four White House witnesses he wants called in to testify at the Senate impeachment trial.

The four White House witnesses Schumer wants to call in refused to testify before the House impeachment sham show trials.

Schumer also suggested to McConnell how much time should be allotted for testimonies and arguments from witnesses and counsel.

McConnell dismissed Cryin’ Chuck on Tuesday and argued that it is the House’s job to call in witnesses.

You’ll get nothing and like it, Schumer.

McConnell also suggested that Schumer ‘might just be coordinating questions with people outside of the Senate.’

As expected, the Democrats and their stenographers in the media are accusing McConnell of a cover up because he is refusing to bow to Schumer’s outrageous demands.

The House of Representatives is expected to vote on two articles of impeachment on Wednesday and reportedly have enough votes to impeach Trump.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/12/take-that-democrats-mcconnell-rejects-schumers-call-for-four-white-house-witnesses-video/

Trump Urges Fed To Cut Rates, Launch QE To Counter "Strong" Dollar

President Trump took to Twitter this morning to admonish Fed Chair Powell (something he hasn't done for a little while).

Trump said "Would be sooo great if the Fed would further lower interest rates and quantitative ease."

Why? The economy is doing great right?

"The Dollar is very strong against other currencies and there is almost no inflation. This is the time to do it. Exports would zoom!"

There's just two things…

First, the dollar is at 5-month lows having tumbled since the Phase One trade deal was "completed"…

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/trump-urges-fed-cut-rates-launch-qe-counter-strong-dollar

Trump’s mean words harm our agency, says former FBI Director – just don’t ask about our past!

President Donald Trump’s verbal attacks on the FBI are a “dire threat” to the rule of law in America, according to former FBI Director William Webster. But the agency has a scandal-rich history and needs more, not less, scrutiny.

Trump has referred to certain FBI officials as “scum” and former agency Director James Comey as a “slimeball.” He’s accused Comey of launching the 2016 ‘Russiagate’ investigation against his campaign for nakedly partisan reasons, and his Attorney General, William Barr, has accused the agency of acting in “bad faith” in its handling of the 2016 probe.

This renewed attention on the FBI comes after the publication of a report by the Justice Department’s Inspector General last Monday. The report found 17 irregularities, inaccuracies and omissions in the FBI’s FISA warrant application, used to obtain permission to surveil former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, and criticized the agency for knowingly using the bogus ‘Steele Dossier’ as basis for this FISA application.

While the report stopped short of accusing the agency of bias, it didn’t do the FBI any favors in the PR department. Enter former Director William Webster, who set about correcting the record in a New York Times op-ed on Monday.

“Calling FBI professionals ‘scum,’ as the president did, is a slur against people who risk their lives to keep us safe,” he wrote. Barr’s accusations of bias, he continued, “risk inflicting enduring damage on this critically important institution.”

President Trump’s assertion last week that current FBI Director Christopher Wray “will never be able to fix the FBI” is another dangerous threat, Webster opined. “The independence of both the FBI and its director are critical and should be fiercely protected by each branch of government.”

Webster seems to forget that the FBI exists to protect America’s people and government, not the other way round.

Ironically, if anything, the Inspector General’s report shows that left to operate independently, the FBI cannot be trusted. Though Inspector General Michael Horowitz did not directly accuse the agency of bias, a mountain of evidence suggests otherwise.

https://www.rt.com/usa/476042-trump-attack-fbi-director/

Virginia county to fund militia, per US Constitution, in wake of Democrats' gun-control agenda

One official said the measure allows for immediate intervention if state legislation violates citizens' Second Amendment rights

Amid dozens of Virginia counties declaring themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries in case the state enacts strict gun-control measures next year, Tazewell County joined in — and took a big extra step.

In addition to passing a resolution declaring the county a Second Amendment sanctuary, the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 3 also passed a resolution underscoring the right to a well-funded and regulated militia as described in the U.S. Constitution and the commonwealth's constitution, WJHL-TV reported.

And even though Democrats outnumber Republicans 3-2 on the board, both resolutions passed unanimously, the station said.

What does it all mean?

The Second Amendment Sanctuary resolution indicates the county won't provide funds for any measure infringing upon its citizens' Second Amendment rights, the station said.

The militia resolution allocates county funds to maintain a well-regulated militia, board chairman Travis Hackworth told WJHL.

Vice Chairman Charles Stacey added to the station that the militia resolution also would provide immediate intervention if the Virginia General Assembly — which will be Democrat-controlled in 2020 — passes legislation violating citizens' Second Amendment rights.

Stacey and Hackworth also told WJHL that if state laws are signed that oppose the Second Amendment, Tazewell County will prepare an injunction.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/virginia-county-to-fund-militia

Italy: 3 MS5 lawmakers defect to Salvini’s League party

Three senators from the left-wing populist Five Star Movement (M5S) have left the party to join Salvini’s increasingly popular League party.

Senators Ugo Grassi, Fra Francesco Urraro, and Stefano Lucidi have all announced that they would be leaving the Five Start Movement for Matteo Salvini’s League, Il Giornale reports.

Grassi’s decision was applauded by populist leader Matteo Salvini, who said: “We welcome Senator Grassi. Our doors are open for those who, with consistency, competence, and seriousness, have positive ideas for Italy and who are not under the thumb of the Democratic Party. We will work with Senator Grassi on reforms, efficiency of justice, and the revival of Italian universities.”

Grassi said that teaming up with Salvini and the League provides a chance to pursue “targeted investments for the development of the South.”

Senators Stefano Lucidi and Francesco Urraro announced their plans to leave the Five Star Movement for the League later the same day.

“I am honored to begin this political path,” said Lucidi.

To this Salvini responded, “Today some Five Star senators joined, not because we offered or promised anyone but because they felt betrayed.” The League leader also slammed M5S leader Luigi Di Maio and Beppo Grillo, the party’s founder, for their inconsistencies and failure to stand up to the Democratic Party and globalist establishment.

Since the Five Star Movement captured nearly 33 percent of the vote in Italy’s 2018 national elections, support for the left-leaning populist party has dropped to just 17.5 percent. Meanwhile, support for Salvini’s League party has skyrocketed, jumping from 17.4 percent in 2018 to roughly 31.5 percent today.

If a center-right coalition government was formed today with Salvini’s League, the national-conservative Brothers of Italy, and Forza Italia, it would garner nearly 49 percent of the national vote. The ruling MS5 and Democratic Party coalition enjoys slightly over 35 percent of the national vote, according to the latest pollls.

https://voiceofeurope.com/2019/12/italy-3-ms5-lawmakers-defect-to-salvinis-league-party/

Giuliani Acknowledges White House Officials ‘Could’ Want Him Out, Says They’ve Bought Into ‘Democratic Spin’

President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham on Monday that it “could be” true that senior White House officials want him to go away.

Further, he claims that those officials who do want him to be quiet have bought into the “spin” of the Democrats.

“People in the White House today, according to these reporters who are talking on camera, are worried about your continuing role, fairly or unfairly,” Ingraham said, then playing a clip of ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl saying that senior White House officials are talking privately about how they want Giuliani to “go away and never be seen in public again related to any of this.”

“There’s great frustration,” Karl also said.

“Is that, in any way, in your view, accurate?” Ingraham asked.

“Are there people in the White House saying that? That could be,” Giuliani acknowledged.

“Is it accurate that in some way it’s going to hurt to show substantial amount of corruption that took place and that the president was doing what he should do when he asked for an investigation? I’d say that they are buying into the Democratic spin,” the former New York mayor added.

“The fact is, there is nothing to be defensive about. Joe Biden was involved in multi-million dollar corrupt scheme along with a number of other Democrats. It’s never been resolved,” Giuliani said. “They’ve never been held to account. As long as those issues remain between the United States and Ukraine, we really can’t fight corruption in the Ukraine.”

Giuliani’s efforts to expose corruption in Ukraine have taken center stage in the continuing impeachment drama swallowing Washington.

During his appearance Monday, he also admitted that he pushed out former Ukraine Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch.

https://dailycaller.com/2019/12/17/giuliani-white-house-officials-trump-ukraine-democrat-spin/

Is Eric Ciaramella Connected to Rudy Giuliani’s Accusations of Biden-Burisma Money Laundering?

If the CIA “whistleblower” Eric Ciaramella is a Ukraine specialist, why was he focused so intently on the Baltic countries in late 2015 and into 2016?

Perhaps it has some connection to the recent revelations by Rudi Giuliani about alleged money laundering operation involving Bidens and Burisma.

It is an established fact that Ukrainian prosecutor general Victor Shokin, who was investigating Burisma, was fired after then Vice President Biden threatened to withhold aid from Ukraine.

Giuliani said:

“All of a sudden Shokin gets this communique from Latvia [in February 2016” that shows a $16 million laundering transaction — classic laundering transaction. — it goes from Ukraine, to Latvia, it’s disguised as a loan to another company to ‘Wirelogic’ I believe — it then goes to Cyprus, gets disguised as another loan — this is called "Digitech” then it’s dispersed as payment as board fees.”

Giuliani added: "Now you don’t make two loans to make board fees unless you’re laundering the money — $3 million gets to Hunter Biden in that way — That is a straight out violation of a money laundering statute.”

Since 2014, it has been known that a major criminal network called the "Russian laundromat” served as a financial vehicle to move vast sums of money out of Russia.

Daniel L. Glaser, former Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing at the U.S. Department of the Treasury noted, "About 1 per cent of all the USD [U.S. dollars] moving around the world in 2015 were going through Latvia, that’s 30 times more than might be expected in this size of economy.”

Treasury officials later concluded the institution, ABLV Bank, was laundering money for corrupt clients in Russia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine.

In the Autumn of 2015, two heads of influential security committees of the Latvian parliament, Solvita Āboltiņa, head of the National Security Committee, and Ainārs Latkovskis, head of the Latvia’s parliamentary Defense Committee, were warned by both Glaser and the U.S. Department of State to clean up Latvia’s banking practices.

During late 2015, CIA “whistleblower” Eric Ciaramella held a number of meetings with high-level Latvians including one meeting with Solvita Āboltiņa and Ainārs Latkovskis on October 29, 2015.

Interspersed with the Latvian meetings, Ciaramella met with Nathaniel P. Dean, then Director of the Office of Nordic and Baltic Affairs in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, Department of State, who later became Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Nicosia, Cyprus.

As published earlier, here , December 2015 was a pivotal month.

During the first week of December 2015, Donald Trump began to establish a substantial lead over his Republican primary opponents.

Vice President Joseph Biden traveled to Ukraine to announce, on December 7th, a $190 million program to “fight corruption in law enforcement and reform the justice sector,” but behind the scenes explicitly linked a $1 billion loan guarantee to the firing of Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin, who had been investigating the energy company Burisma, which employed Biden’s son Hunter.

The problem with the Latvia-Ukraine-Cyprus money laundering investigation, which had been ongoing up until December 2015, was that it would potentially involve the Bidens.

It is not unreasonable to assume that a decision was taken by the Obama Administration to shift the emphasis of the investigation away from the Bidens and in the direction of Paul Manafort and the Trump campaign.

According to White House visitor logs, on January 19, 2016, Eric Ciaramella chaired a meeting of FBI, Department of Justice and Department of State personnel, which had two main objectives:

To coerce the Ukrainians to drop the Burisma probe, which involved Vice President Joseph Biden’s son Hunter, and allow the FBI to take it over the investigation.

To reopen a closed 2014 FBI investigation that focused heavily on GOP lobbyist Paul Manafort, whose firm long had been tied to Trump through his partner and Trump pal, Roger Stone.

That is, contain the investigation of Biden’s son and ramp up the investigation of Paul Manafort, who would soon join the Trump campaign. On face value, it appears to be a perfect solution as a political diversion.

Again, according to White House logs, the attendees at the January 19, 2016 meeting in Room 230A of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building were:

http://www.domigood.com/2019/12/is-eric-ciaramella-connected-to-rudy.html

The Ultra Wealthy Are Planning to Avoid Taxes with Gold

This week, Your News to Know rounds up the latest top stories involving gold and the overall economy. Stories include: Why the ultra-wealthy are stockpiling physical gold, Goldman says central banks are taking up 20% of global gold supply, and gold’s exceptional 2019 run could spill over into the new year.

High-net-worth individuals are using physical gold to combat uncertainty

In the early lead-up to the 2020 elections, income inequality has been one of the Democratic candidates’ major talking points. Far from merely bringing up the issue, some of the top candidates have proposed somewhat radicalpolicies to help combat the problem. Senator Bernie Sanders suggested that taxes on the ultra-wealthy should start with a 1% levy on all married couples worth over $32 million and climb to 8% in the cases of individuals worth over $8 billion. Meanwhile, Senator Elizabeth Warren plans to impose a 2% tax on those worth more than $50 million and a 6% tax on anyone worth over 6% billion.

According to Goldman Sachs’ analysts, high-net-worth individuals are wasting no time stockpiling gold as a way to shield their wealth against these taxes. In their latest analysis, Goldman’s team explained that the ultra-wealthy’s preferred hedging method is to purchase gold and store it in a vault.

One of the reasons is that these individuals have grown increasingly concerned with the geopolitical outlook moving forward, with the global growth slowdown and trade tensions continuing to act as powerful drivers of gold demand. A November survey from UBS Wealth of 3,400 high-net-worth individuals echoed this sentiment. More than half of the participants said they expect a major market sell-off in 2020, 79% predicted a rise in volatility and 72% were more pessimistic about the state of the market compared to five years ago. In an environment such as this, Goldman explained that investors opt for physical gold in order to avoid adding an unnecessary risk into the equation.

Goldman forecasts that gold will climb to $1,600 in 2020 in a continuation of this year’s strong momentum. Past that, Goldman said that GDP growth in emerging markets will lead to a 4.6% annual increase in gold prices in the coming years.

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/the-ultra-wealthy-are-planning-to-avoid-taxes-with-gold/

Vox Media fires hundreds of freelance writers over California 'gig economy' law — and they're tweeting angrily about it

Hundreds of freelance writers in California got very bad news just ahead of Christmas when Vox Media informed them that they would be losing their jobs because of a new "gig economy" law intended to target Uber and Lyft.

"This is a bittersweet note of thanks to our California independent contractors," said SB Nation executive director John Ness in a statement published on Monday.

"In 2020, we will move California's team blogs from our established system with hundreds of contractors to a new one run by a team of new SB Nation employees," he explained.

California Assembly Bill 5 will go into effect in 2020 and is intended to force "gig economy" giants like Uber and Lyft to pay their drivers as if they're employees and provide more benefits. But it is also affecting other freelance workers and causing confusion among employers.

Ness added in a separate memo that writers could continue writing for the sports website, but without expectation of payment for their services.

Some took to social media to decry the decision.

"Today, along with literally HUNDREDS of my colleagues, I was told that I can no longer hold a paid position at SB Nation. California, you're breaking my heart (and taking my money)," tweeted Rebecca Lawson.

"Incredibly frustrating day today," tweeted Tucker Partridge. "Vox has decided to cancel all of its contracts for California workers. I'm one of those, despite running an Arkansas site."

"I have no idea what the future looks like, or what's going to happen to the site, but SB Nation's response has been subpar," he added.

A headline at one of their sites wondered, "Did Vox just fire the entire Golden State of Mind staff via Twitter?" and explained, "After toeing the line between volunteers, and underpaid contributors, it looks like Vox Media just axed our entire staff without notice… a week before Christmas."

Others blamed the law passed by the Democratic lawmakers in California, while still others opined that the firings were worth the effort to create fewer jobs with better pay and benefits.

Here's more about California "gig economy" law:

http://www.womensystems.com/2019/12/vox-media-fires-hundreds-of-freelance.html

A Devastating Look At Victims Of ‘Fake News,’ ‘Richard Jewell’ Is The Must-See Film Of The Year

How can you properly vindicate and honor a man who risked his life to save others, only to be utterly destroyed by the powerful forces of the FBI and the media for doing so?

I’m not sure you ever really can, especially 20 years after the fact. But Clint Eastwood’s latest masterpiece, “Richard Jewell,” comes as close as one can get.

Richard Jewell was working security at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta when he spotted a suspicious package. Jewell’s vigilance and dedication to his job allowed him and others to evacuate the area, potentially saving an estimated 100 lives.

Jewell was hero.

Or at least he should have been.

The Eastwood-directed film dissects the smearing of Jewell, which started just three days after the 33-year-old helped to minimize the impact of the attack.

From the deceptive and, frankly, unbelievable actions by the FBI — an agency Jewell revered — to the reputation-destroying mistakes printed and echoed by an overzealous media unaware of their own biases, “Richard Jewell” gives the audience an emotionally taxing peek inside the lives of such victims.

“I, Tonya” actor Paul Walter Hauser is stunning as Jewell; or, simply, he is Jewell. While the content of the film is serious, “Richard Jewell” is so heavy and challenging for the viewer largely due to Hauser’s performance. Understanding Jewell as an imperfect hero, Hauser makes you feel every ounce of injustice, every infliction of pain against the earnest, goodhearted soul that was Jewell. You want to reach through the screen and comfort the character; it’s almost agonizing.

And it’s not just Hauser with the impeccable acting. Every character is perfectly cast. Sam Rockwell as Jewell-friend and lawyer Watson Bryant couldn’t be a more charismatic bulldog. Kathy Bates nearly steals the film with her heartbreaking portrayal of Jewell’s mother Bobi during the now-famous press conference defending her baby boy. Jon Hamm, as an aggressive FBI agent, will make you loathe him. Olivia Wilde brings the right amount of complexity in her portrayal as reporter Kathy Scruggs.

Of course, the parallels to today’s political climate are unavoidable (see: Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the Covington Catholic high schoolers, President Donald Trump), and likely the real reason folks in the media have delivered an all-out assault on the film. However, their obvious deflection doesn’t detract from the message of “Richard Jewell.”

“Hollywood takes artistic liberties,” Hauser responded to the controversy during a Friday interview with ABC News. “While I appreciate their opinions, if they think it’s going to extinguish what we’re trying to do with the Jewell family, they would be incorrect.”

Perhaps the greatest endorsement of the film is the reaction from Bobi Jewell, who told ABC she believed her only son was “killed” by the FBI and media maligning him. “He was worn, torn, and tattered,” the hero’s mother said, adding that her boy “died of a broken heart.” (Jewell died at the young age of 44.)

However, though painful, the film has offered her boy vindication, Bobi Jewell said, noting that it was 20 years too late.

“Richard Jewell” is a must-see, compelling inside look at the victims created by authorities abusing their power and neglecting their responsibilities. Come for the acting, stay for the timely message.

http://www.hideoutnow.com/2019/12/a-devastating-look-at-victims-of-fake.html

Pharmaceutical Companies & Buying Immunity

Most people are unaware of the EXTREME DANGER posed by the Pharmaceutical Industry and their effort to force vaccines on the entire population by law and at the same time to exempt themselves from any liability. In 1987, Democrat William Herbert Gray sponsored H.R.3545 – Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987. Stuffed in this act was the amendment to exempt the Pharmaceutical Industry from all liability for killing children with even untested vaccines. This is the way corruption flourishes in Washington. It is a major reform we desperately need. They can stick in a bill something that has absolutely nothing to do with the purpose of the bill and the law is thereby changed and it is bought and paid for against the people.

Vaccine NJCVC S2173 Amendments 12_12_19

Now in New Jersey, the Pharmaceutical Industry has bought the Democrats again bribing the politicians, and they have removed those who have opposed the Pharmaceutical Industry from any position on the committee. The Pharmaceutical Industry has launched an all-out effort to deny both human rights and parental rights with respect to their children. New Jersey is considering that all children must receive a battery of vaccines all at once if they do not have them before children can go to school. Parents are to be denied any right under penalty of law to object. The Pharmaceutical Industry poses a MAJOR THREAT to society because they have bribed Congress to EXEMPT them from all liability for even killing children who would not respond to a vaccine. Vaccines are by no means 100% safe. Perhaps the majority will have no adverse reaction, but giving them complete immunity for failing to even test to see which children would be at great risk of a vaccine is unthinkable for any politician.

My parents had me vaccinated and there was no problem. I took my children and they were vaccinated without an issue. That does not mean there are no risks and when I or my children were vaccinated, nobody ever said anything about the risk of death. Plus I do not recall more than 10 vaccines – not over 50. On top of that, they are presented as “free” because the government pays 100%. Even if you are on Medicare, they cover the annual flu shot. The Pharmaceutical Industry has a subsidized guaranteed income thanks to government and then they can’t be sued.

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/pharmaceutical-companies-buying-immunity/

Brawl breaks out at Adam Schiff speech after protesters unfurl Trump 2020 flag — and it's all on video

Video captured a brawl between supporters of Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and protesters who unfurled a Trump 2020 flag during his town hall event on Saturday.

Schiff was speaking at an event organized in support of a measure to condemn the Armenian Genocide in Glendale, California.

Protesters disrupted the event as he spoke by holding up signs reading "don't impeach!" in reference to his efforts as a Democratic leader.

When they were asked to leave the event, they responded by chanting "liar!" and a brawl broke out.

The scuffle was captured on video and posted to social media:

https://youtu.be/BV34ZvxbRy8

http://www.womensystems.com/2019/12/brawl-breaks-out-at-adam-schiff-speech.html

Big Tech Billionaires Host Major Fundraiser for Mayor Pete Buttigieg in California

he wealthiest families in Big Tech are hosting a private fundraiser for Mayor Pete Buttigieg on Monday evening in California.

Attendees of the fundraiser are set to include Netflix CEO and co-founder Reed Hastings. the co-host of the event, as well as Nicole Shanahan, the wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin; Wendy Schmidt, the wife of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt; and Michelle Sandberg, the sister of Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, according to a report from Vox.

“The Brin, Schmidt, Hastings, and Sandberg families have a combined net worth of about $80 billion,” the Vox report estimates.

To meet with Mayor Pete in this intimate setting, guests must donate $2,800 per person to his campaign.

“When a candidate brags about how beholden he feels to a group of wealthy investors, our democracy is in serious trouble,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren said of Buttigieg in a speech on Thursday.

Buttigieg has already received donations from 39 billionaires in 2019.

On Sunday evening, another fundraiser for Buttigieg at Napa Valley’s Hall Rutherford winery featured guests dining at a table made of onyx, under a chandelier that contains 1,500 Swarovski crystals.

“For $1,000, guests got to take a photo with Buttigieg. For $2,800, they could be listed as co-hosts,” according to a report from Business Insider.

http://www.hideoutnow.com/2019/12/big-tech-billionaires-host-major.html

Likud expels anti-Netanyahu members

The Likud party in Israel has expelled around 100 members who are known to be against the policies of its leader Benjamin Netanyahu, the Jerusalem Post reported on Monday. The current Prime Minister has been heading the Likud for 14 years.

The expulsions come just 10 days before the Likud leadership primaries slated for 26 December. According to a senior Likud official, Michael Kleiner, the party decided to expel the new members after individual hearings. “This group acted like a fifth column inside the party,” said Kleiner.

He pointed out that they told people not to vote for the Likud. “Sharing a post telling voters that they have the choice not to vote for the Likud because of its corruption is certainly an acceptable reason to expel them.”

One of the leaders of the group of new Likud members, Nir Hershman, was reported by the Israeli newspaper as saying that it had registered about 10,000 people with the party.

“They expel certain members in order to affect the result [of the leadership vote],” Hershman explained. “They are monitoring people like Stasi [the former East German Ministry of State Security].” Stasi has been described as one of the most effective and repressive intelligence and secret police agencies ever to have existed. “The Likud needs to be cleaned up,” he added.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191217-likud-expels-anti-netanyahu-members/

Gideon Sa’ar: Two-state solution an ‘illusion’, Israel from river to the sea

Likud hopeful Gideon Sa’ar said yesterday that the two-state solution is an “illusion” and stressed the boundaries of the state of Israel are “between the river [Jordan] and the [Mediterranean] Sea”.

Sa’ar, who seeks to take over leadership of the Likud party from Benjamin Netanyahu, said: “Throughout the world they say that a two-state solution remains the path to an agreement, but I have to say to you, this is not a position that helps anyone. Two-states is an illusion.”

Arab48 reported that Sa’ar had claimed that the two-state proposal was initiated in 1937, during the British Mandate, and was discussed during the governments of Ehud Barak, Ehud Olmert and Netanyahu.

The Times of Israel reported Sa’ar saying that decades of peace talks around the two-state solution failed, blaming the Palestinians for “never being able to agree to a compromise, despite very generous offers.”

Sa’ar also rebuked Netanyahu for claiming that the two-state solution was the only existing one for more than a decade, referring to Netanyahu’s famous speech at Bar-Ilan University in 2009 when he expressed support for a Palestinian state.

He also claimed that Netanyahu has made “endless concessions” to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, including a freeze on settlement building.

The proposed alternative by Sa’ar was a solution which should be an autonomous Palestinian entity linked together in a federation with Jordan, stressing: “Between the Jordan River and the [Mediterranean] Sea there cannot be another state.”

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191217-gideon-saar-two-state-solution-an-illusion-israel-from-river-to-the-sea/

Afghanistan War – the Crime of the Century

“We were devoid of a fundamental understanding of Afghanistan. We didn’t know what we were doing.” So said Gen. Douglas Lute, who oversaw the US war on Afghanistan under Presidents Bush and Obama. Eighteen years into the longest war in US history, we are finally finding out, thanks to thousands of pages of classified interviews on the war published by the Washington Post last week, that General Lute’s cluelessness was shared by virtually everyone involved in the war.

What we learned in what is rightly being called the “Pentagon Papers” of our time, is that hundreds of US Administration officials – including three US Presidents – knowingly lied to the American people about the Afghanistan war for years. This wasn’t just a matter of omitting some unflattering facts. This was about bald-faced lying about a war they knew was a disaster from almost day one.

Remember President Bush’s Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld? Remember how supremely confident he was at those press conferences, acting like the master of the universe? Here’s what he told the Pentagon’s special inspector general who compiled these thousands of interviews on Afghanistan: “I have no visibility into who the bad guys are.”

It is not only members of the Bush, Obama, and Trump Administrations who are guilty of this massive fraud. Falsely selling the Afghanistan war as a great success was a bipartisan activity on Capitol Hill. In the dozens of hearings I attended in the House International Relations Committee, I do not recall a single “expert” witness called who told us the truth. Instead, both Republican and Democrat-controlled Congresses called a steady stream of neocon war cheerleaders to lie to us about how wonderfully the war was going. Victory was just around the corner, they all promised. Just a few more massive appropriations and we’d be celebrating the end of the war.

Congress and especially Congressional leadership of both parties are all as guilty as the three lying Administrations. They were part of the big lie, falsely presenting to the American people as “expert” witnesses only those bought-and-paid-for Beltway neocon think tankers.

What is even more shocking than the release of this “smoking gun” evidence that the US government wasted two trillion dollars and killed more than three thousand Americans and more than 150,000 Afghans while lying through its teeth about the war is that you could hear a pin drop in the mainstream media about it. Aside from the initial publication in the Washington Post, which has itself been a major cheerleader for the war in Afghanistan, the mainstream media has shown literally no interest in what should be the story of the century.

We’ve wasted at least half a year on the Donald Trump impeachment charade – a conviction desperately in search of a crime. Meanwhile one of the greatest crimes in US history will go unpunished. Not one of the liars in the “Afghanistan Papers” will ever be brought to justice for their crimes. None of the three presidents involved will be brought to trial for these actual high crimes. Rumsfeld and Lute and the others will never have to fear justice. Because both parties are in on it. There is no justice.

Just days after the “Afghanistan Papers” were published, only 48 Members of Congress voted against the massive military spending of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. They continue as if nothing happened. They will continue lying to us and ripping us off if we let them.

https://www.unz.com/rpaul/afghanistan-war-the-crime-of-the-century/

Democrat NJ Mayor accused of stealing $190k from Democratic campaigns, laundering money through charity

A New Jersey mayor was indicted on charges that he stole $190,000 from various Democratic political campaigns and laundered the money through his charity.

Attorney General Gurbir Grewal tweeted a statement about the charges against Ronald DiMura, the mayor of Middlesex Borough.

"We won't tolerate officials who exploit their positions & betray the public's trust to benefit themselves. Today, the Mayor of Middlesex Borough was charged with stealing $190k from local political campaigns & laundering the funds through a charity he ran," Grewal tweeted.

Grewal said in the statement that DiMura served as the treasurer for the Middlesex Borough Democratic Campaign Committee for seven years and used the position to pocket donations to a local charitable organization he runs.

He was also charged with running what amounts to a Ponzi scheme to defraud $75,000 from investors.

DiMura is facing nine charges related to theft and official misconduct, including tampering with public records and misapplication of trusted property.

"As mayor and as a local party leader, DiMura was trusted in Middlesex Borough,'' said Grewal.

"But DiMura repeatedly betrayed that trust, we allege, by misappropriating funds, abusing his office, and using a charity to hide his actions. We are determined to hold officials accountable if they break the law and corruptly exploit their public positions for personal gain," he concluded.

https://postnewsd2.blogspot.com/2019/12/democrat-nj-mayor-accused-of-stealing.html

Pentagon Dismisses Afghanistan Papers: Look Forward, Not Back

Experts say they don't expect any policy changes

Pentagon officials are continuing to react dismissively to questions about the Afghanistan Papers, and the revelation that the Pentagon systematically lied about the state of the war. This is leading the experts to conclude that the Pentagon does not intend to change its policies.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper echoed comments from other spokesmen, who say that they weren’t entirely familiar with the stories in the media, but that instead of looking back on their misdeeds, they want to look forward into the future of the war.

Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman surprisingly attacked the primary point of the papers, that the Pentagon was misleading the public, and used that to dodge questions about whether the Pentagon would be more honest in the future. He said the reports of dishonesty were just what people “believed at the time.”

In other words, he isn’t promising that the Pentagon won’t keep lying in the exact same manner. The only indication that things might be different is that since the papers came out,the Pentagon has been refusing to provide any details at all, which seems to be one way to prevent them from lying to the public for the time being.

Analysts say they don’t believe the Pentagon sees any upside to addressing the complaints, and so they are just ignoring it, and pointing out that most people keeping track of the Afghan War knew about this dishonesty long ago.

18+ years into the Afghan War, the Pentagon has largely claimed things are going well, and that they are just about to turn the corner. The Afghanistan Papers show that officials knew this was never the case, but kept telling the public it was anyhow.

https://news.antiwar.com/2019/12/16/pentagon-dismisses-afghanistan-papers-look-forward-not-back/

WATCH: Videos of Illegals Lining Up For Driver’s Licenses in NY Go Viral

New York as we all know is a liberal cesspool. The video’s of hundreds if not thousands of illegal non U.S. Citizens lining up to get drivers licenses is staggering..

New York became the thirteenth state to allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses this week, of which there are an estimated million in the State. To “prove” their identity, illegals are allowed to provide expired work permits, foreign birth certificates, and even Border Crossing Cards (which are only valid for 72 hours for a stay in the U.S. near the border).

The States with the highest concentrations of illegal aliens not-coincidentally have the highest percentage of drivers who drive without insurance, and this sort of policy will only encourage even more to drive, exacerbating that problem.

Numerous videos and photos from DMVs around the State showed overwhelming turnout – as if the wait at the DMV wasn’t bad enough.

https://thedcpatriot.com/watch-videos-of-illegals-lining-up-for-drivers-licenses-in-ny-go-viral/

Russia expands list of sanctioned Ukrainians

Moscow added items to the list of Ukrainian goods banned for import to Russia, according to a relevant decree

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has expanded the list of Ukrainian citizens on whom special economic measures are imposed by Russia, as per the government order of December 16 published on the official legal information website.

According to the document, nine more people were included in the list, while two Ukrainians were removed. Therefore, now around 570 people are under sanctions.

On November 1, 2018, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a government order implementing a presidential decree aimed at introducing "economic restrictions following Ukraine’s unfriendly actions towards Russian individuals and companies." The document slaps restrictions on 322 Ukrainian individuals and 68 companies. The measures against individuals include blocking of non-cash funds, uncertified securities and property in Russia and a ban on the withdrawal of capital from Russia.

In December 2018, the initial list was expanded. The prime minister then clarified that "it is done to protect the interests of the Russian state, companies and Russian citizens."

Ban on Ukrainian imports to Russia

The Russian government has expanded the list of Ukrainian goods, which are banned for import to Russia. The relevant decree has been published on the official legal information website.

According to the decree, the goods banned for import include cornstarch, glucose and fructose, medical air ducts, tubes, heating pads, catheters, hemostatic tourniquets, and a number of other medical devices. The ban also applies to radiators, central heating boilers and parts of liquid pumps. The list of products which are prohibited for export from Russia to Ukraine is supplemented by recyclable paper or cardboard (waste paper and related waste).

https://tass.com/politics/1100231

Finland's New Millennial-Female-Run Govt Decides to Take In ISIS Kids

Finland's new finance minister, Katri Kulmuni, held a poll on Instagram last week asking the public whether they should repatriate "children only" or "children and mothers" from an ISIS camp in Syria – it looks like "children only" won.

From Sputnik, "Finnish Government Decides to Take 'Home' Daesh Children 'As Soon as Possible'":

Around a dozen of Finnish women and nearly 40 children are currently stranded at al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria. Their fate has become an important test for Finland's new, women-dominated government.

The Finnish left-of-the-centre government led by the Social Democrats has decided to bring home the children of Daesh terrorists from Kurdish-run al-Hol camp in Syria "as soon as possible", the newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet reported.

Presenting the decision, Sanna Marin, who was last week elected the world's youngest prime minister in a move that helped avert a government crisis, stressed that there is no obligation to help their mothers, who volunteered to go to Syria and join the so-called "caliphate", unlike the children.

In its decision, the Finnish government stressed that the authorities should at all time ensure compliance with Finnish law and international law. The decisions on whether to bring Daesh children back to Finland will be made on a case-by-case basis. The stated goal is to always ensure the best interests of the child. A special representative appointed by the Foreign Ministry will oversee the process.

The government pledged to do everything in its power to ensure that those returned to Finland do not pose any security threats to Finland's residents. Under the constitution, the safety of those living in Finland must not be jeopardised. However, the government will review and amend the legislation on terrorist activities, if necessary.

Fate of Daesh Detainees Hot-Button Issue in Finland

The fate of 11 Finnish women and 39 children stranded in al-Hol sparked a hot debate in Finland. While national broadcaster Yle last week reported, citing leaked official documents, that Marin’s government had actually prepared a plan to bring back “all individuals who agreed to repatriation”, the foreign minister Pekka Haavisto denied the existence of such a plan. Later, Finland's newly appointed Finance Minister Katri Kulmuni added fuel to the fire by running an Instagram poll on what to do with the jihadi wives left in Syria after the collapse of the “caliphate”. Following the backlash, she deleted the poll and apologised.

A similar situation happened last year in Spain where they threw open their borders to migrants after their prime minister appointed a majority female cabinet.

https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=61031

Rudy Giuliani Declares War on Obama, Says He’s Ready to Release Some Bombshells

As we have been reporting all day, Rudy Giuliani has been releasing bombshell after bombshell on Twitter about some of the corruption he has uncovered during his investigations into Ukraine, Biden, Burisma and a hell of a lot more.

What we have seen so far is mind boggling to say the least.

So we decided to publish a summary of sorts from The National Sentinel which provides even more details than we published earlier.

Giuliani Adds More Context To Recent Bombshells On Obama-Era Corruption In Ukraine, Pledging ‘More To Come’ (Complete Summary)

(TNS) Last week, One America News‘ Chanel Rion, who was traveling throughout Eastern Europe with presidential attorney Rudy Giuliani, was privy to some bombshell findings regarding members of the Obama administration and Ukraine, among other countries.

As we reported December 9th:

On Saturday before departing for Florida for campaign events, President Donald Trump told the media that his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani — in Ukraine for more investigative work regarding 2016 election corruption — had “found plenty” of “good information” during his trip there and to other European countries.

The president then said he believes Giuliani wants to present a report to the Attorney General William Barr and to Congress. …

No wonder Democrats are moving so quickly with impeachment.

Giuliani found:

— Ukrainian officials offered up six criminal cases involving Joe and Hunter Biden, including “money laundering;”

— One Ukrainian official produced official communiques and documents he says proves that Obama’s U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine and ‘impeachment witness’ Maria Yovanovich perjured herself during her hearing;

— Another, Victor Shokin, the former Ukrainian prosecutor general, described how then-President Petro Poroshenko came into his office and told him he’d better stop investigating Hunter Biden or the country would lose a billion dollars in aid, as Joe Biden threatened (Shokin was fired);

— There are dozens of inquiries open into possible misallocation of U.S. funds in Ukraine, with the U.S. Embassy’s involvement.

Giuliani — a former federal prosecutor who knows how to investigate and follow leads — traveled to Kiev, Ukraine; Budapest, Hungary; and Vienna, Austria. Here is Rion’s report:

https://www.dcclothesline.com/2019/12/17/rudy-giuliani-declares-war-on-obama-says-hes-ready-to-release-some-bombshells/

If You Want Peace You Get War; If You Want War You Get Rich

Land in Colombia has been militarized to secure the profits of the elite, writes Vijay Prashad.

A quarter century ago, Victoria Sandino Palmera joined the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (FARC-EP). She had previously been a militant in the Communist Party and – when FARC-EP was above ground in the 1990s – joined the Patriotic Pole. But the repression of what she calls the “traditional oligarchy” sent her back to the jungle over and over again. Victoria Sandino made it clear that she was not keen on this war. “We didn’t take up weapons because we felt the need to use violence,” she told me in 2015. “We took up weapons because we tried to resolve the land question through democratic means, which was violently responded to by the state. Violence was imposed on us.”

The Historical Memory Group of the National Centre for Historical Memory, based in Bogotá, Colombia, calculates that between Jan. 1, 1958, and Dec. 31, 2012, at least 220,000 people were killed in the civil war. The landmark report by the National Centre for Historical Memory notes that the root cause of this war has been the “appropriation, use and possession of land.” This assessment stings: “The sectors whose economic and political power have been based on land have fraudulently opposed agrarian reforms as well as any effort to democratise land ownership or to return what had been stolen. Both in the past and present, they have used legal artifices as well as violent methods, which have included assassinating the leaders and persecuting the members of organisations of small farmers.” This is in agreement with Victoria Sandino’s statement that violence was imposed on us.

https://consortiumnews.com/2019/12/16/peace-for-war-war-for-the-rich/

Manafort Hospitalized After ‘Cardiac Event’

Paul Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign chairman, has been hospitalized for a cardiac event, according to a new report.

Manafort is serving a seven-year sentence for charges related to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation in a federal prison in Pennsylvania.

“Manafort has been recovering since last Thursday at a local Pennsylvania hospital under the watch of correctional officers. Sources tell ABC News the 70-year-old longtime Republican strategist is stable and could be released soon,” ABC News reported.

Manafort was scheduled for a court appearance on Wednesday but his attorney was informed that he would not be appearing. Todd Blanche, who has represented Manafort since his conviction, tells ABC News, that he has not communicated with Manafort since early last week. Blanche was updated on his client’s condition Tuesday afternoon but would not comment further when contacted by ABC News.

In 2018, Manafort appeared in court in a wheelchair citing serious medical conditions related to his diet and sought leniency during his sentencing due to health issues.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/12/breaking-manafort-hospitalized-after-cardiac-event/

Whistleblower Alleges Mormon Church Has Secretly Stockpiled $100 Billion

A whistleblower complaint filed at the Internal Revenue Service in November by a knowledgeable church member alleges that a non-profit supporting organization controlled by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints used member tithes to amass more than $100 billion in a set of investment funds and the Church misled members about uses of the money.

The complaint may be the most important look at LDS finances in decades, a window into one of the wealthiest religious organizations in the United States and the world. Details of the IRS filing reveal financial assets largely hidden from the church’s membership (often known as “Mormons”) and the public view.

The 74-page document filed with the IRS and obtained by Religion Unplugged shows that Ensign Peak Advisors, Inc. (EPA) owned assets under management grew to more than $100 billion from $10 billion in the past 22 years, fueled by a mix of investment strategy and tithe money from church members.

Religion Unplugged reached EPA’s managing director Roger Clark by phone on Monday, offering to explain key parts of this story and to ask questions for EPA to give a response. “We don’t really answer questions with the public press. So thanks,” he said, before hanging up the phone.

Ensign Peak Advisors' articles of incorporation confirm Ensign Peak is an arm of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As registered under section 509(a)3 of the Internal Revenue Code, Ensign Peak Advisors, Inc. EPA is a “supporting organization” of the Church under article 3 in its registration document. Upon dissolution, all Ensign Peak assets go the Church or affiliated organizations according to article 5 and that article cannot be changed without “the written consent of The First Presidency” of the Church. Because Ensign Peak Advisers is a support organization to a church it is not subject to disclosure requirements that other non-profit organizations are required to make.

A former Church member in Minnesota named Lars Nielsen published a 74-page document filed with the IRS that makes several allegations. The filing also included several internal EPA documents including an EPA Policy book, an EPA master plan, an EPA New Staff Orientation Guide, statements of financial condition and data downloads and analysis of the firm’s investment portfolio. One presentation slide in the document from March of 2013 is labeled “New Staff Orientation Deck” and shows a Church investment governance structure including a “Council on Disposition of Tithes” that allocates funds from tithes to holding organizations in the church such as EPA.

Nielsen learned of the allegations from an LDS church member, who prefers to be unnamed. The whistleblower worked with Nielsen on a two-month research project to research and explain the inner workings of EPA. The complaint (Form 211) was filed with the IRS whistleblower office on Nov. 15, 2019 and received by the IRS on Nov. 22, 2019. Nielsen has chosen to go public with the allegations by releasing the report online and explaining the allegations in videos.

“I started to suspect that EPA was not compliant with its 501c3 or acting in accordance with its Articles of Incorporation around 2013,” the whistleblower writes on a notarized cover letter to the IRS obtained by Religion Unplugged. “I raised several flags and concerns over the years.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/whistleblower-alleges-mormon-church-has-secretly-stockpiled-100-billion

Family Emergency Keeps Jerry Nadler Out Of Impeachment Hearing

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler missed Tuesday’s impeachment hearing in the Rules Committee due to a family emergency.

According to a report from Politico, Nadler went home to New York to handle a family emergency — the details of which were not initially disclosed — and was expected to return to Washington either late Tuesday or early Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, the hearing went on as scheduled, led instead by Democratic Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin.

https://dailycaller.com/2019/12/17/family-emergency-jerry-nadler-impeachment-hearing/

The West Slides into Satanism - Russia's Most Prestigious Political Talk Show (Russian TV)

This segment highlights how healthy Russian society is in contrast to US news shows which bloviate about how great transgenderism and multiculturism are and why it's good to love Big Fag.

The speaker here, Sergey Mikheev, is a popular political scientist and a regular guest on this show, called 'Evening with Vladimir Soloviev'. He is a devout Christian, and frequently brings his faith into his discussions. The host, Vladimir Soloviev, is a Jew, one of many who dominate Russian media.

https://youtu.be/wwgxqXCImgU

Transcript:

- Humanity is destroying itself. Sergey Alexandrovich, please.

Sergey Mikheev, political analyst:

- Vladimir, you said you didn’t want to offend anyone, but I do. I'm itching to offend someone. So that they would wake up and realize what they are doing. From a metaphysical point of view, because for me, it is the most important thing, and from the point of view of a believer, it is definitely Satanism.

What does the enemy of the human race want? He wants you to kill someone first, and then kill yourself. That would be its ideal course of events. First, you kill someone and then you commit suicide. A perfect situation. If you were somehow pushed to such an outcome, it would be a victory for the devil. That's what they're trying to do.

Let's stop raising children, let's allow homosexual couples to reproduce, no matter how they do that. They don't care how they do it, by the way, as long as it happens. They show that this is allowed. The picture we saw is on the altar. How did the first humans have descendants? There's a long list of them. How did they come about? As they say, no comment. However, let's not exhale carbon dioxide. Let's kill most people so they don’t breathe. They ruined the environment by breathing.

The next step of the radicals is to commit mass suicides to cleanse the planet. I can assure you this is where it's going. It seems weird to me when open-minded people fail to notice this. At this place, I'm not going to call any names, but in this very studio, there was a person who argued fervently with everyone, while calling himself Orthodox, and he said: "Where did you get it from? There's no such thing in Europe. It doesn't even exist."

— I know who you're referring to.

— He said,"It's you who are crazy. Because you nitpick to find some exceptional cases but it's not a thing over there."

An 8-year-old girl self-identified as transsexual when she was four and now she speaks in the parliament. This isn't a thing over there.

Greta Thunberg is nominated for a Nobel Prize but she's a lunatic.

— But she received an alternative award.

— But she's a lunatic!

— You are perfectly aware of this.

https://russia-insider.com/en/west-slides-satanism-russias-most-prestigious-political-talk-show-russian-tv/ri28051

Child sex offender in custody after trying to flee country in missing yacht

A child sex offender has been extradited from the Northern Territory, after he was caught trying to flee Australia in a missing yacht.

Authorities began searching for Neil Hawkins, aged 52, after he negotiated to buy the boat One Too Many from a Darwin man, who handed it over before receiving payment.

The man realised he may never see the boat again, after Mr Hawkins stopped taking his calls, and contacted NT Police.

"He was worried about his yacht disappearing but, secondly, he was unsure of whether the man could sail or not," said Sergeant Andrew Hocking from the Water Police Section.

CCTV footage from boat ramps in Darwin revealed the yacht had been launched from Dinah Beach, where the man's car and the trailer were found.

After an initial search of Darwin Harbour, the missing yacht was reporting to the rescue coordination centre in Canberra.

It was then discovered the 52-year-old had an outstanding revocation of parole warrant in New South Wales relating to fraud and domestic violence offences, as well as a history of child sex offences.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/northern-territory-child-sex-offender-extradited-after-attempting-to-flee-australia-in-stolen-yacht/f1e71bc2-41ac-4714-8b05-91a7e9092419

>>7535097

Trust Wray??

>>7535156

>>7535141

Indeed????

>>7535190

>>7535212

FUCK THIS BAKER DELIBERATELY KEEPING IMPORTANT SHIT OUT OF NOTES

Never hands off