Columnist Urges Mike Rowe To Run For Governor Of California

Over the last couple of years, one thing has become very clear.

California needs help.

One columnist thinks TV host and hard work enthusiast Mike Rowe would be a great person to lead the state back to greatness.

Rich Karigaard writes at Forbes:

Mike Rowe for California Governor 2022

Dear Mike,

We met once, a decade ago when you emceed an XPRIZE event in San Francisco. We briefly chatted, but you won’t remember me out of the hundreds in the audience that included Robin Williams and Sergey Brin.

Many, like me, were impressed by your onstage charisma. As Forbes publisher since 1998, I’ve met many stars in business, finance and entertainment. Surprisingly few have a presence that is both magnetic and appealing.

Please consider the following as advice – a plea, actually – from a fan.

Mike, please jump in the California governor’s race in 2022. You’re the only candidate who can restore sanity and balance to California’s governance. And you can win. You are this season’s Schwarzenegger, Ventura, Trump.

California is cruising for a bruising. The economy is lopsidedly dependent on a shrinking base of major industries. You can count them on one hand: technology (but only tech that scales rapidly from startup to global footprint, along with the vaults of VC money to do so), biotech, entertainment and tourism.

Rowe has not said if he would consider it or not, but he is flattered.

FOX News reports:

Mike Rowe reacts to op-ed calling on him to run for governor of California: ‘It’s flattering’

Amid California’s pressing homeless crisis and exodus of manufacturing jobs, TV host and author Mike Rowe on Friday reacted to a Forbes op-ed calling on him to run for governor of the Golden State in 2022.

“It’s very flattering,” Rowe told “Fox & Friends,” noting that he had read the article but stopping short of throwing his hat in the ring…

Rowe said that capital gains tax revenues are a disproportionate part of California’s state budget and that homelessness was an issue.

“All [capital gains] are tied to real estate and the stock market. Those things are going to come down. When they come down, that money is going to dry up,” he said. “I mean, manufacturing is gone, aerospace is gone, banking is gone, energy is gone.”

California would probably be much better off with a guy like Mike Rowe in charge.

Let’s hope he considers this idea seriously.

Cross posted from American Lookout.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/01/columnist-urges-mike-rowe-to-run-for-governor-of-california/

FBI Attorney Dana Boente Signed FBI Response to FISA Court Abuse – This Is Same Dirty Cop Who Signed Fraudulent Carter Page FISA Warrant!

This is appalling!

The FBI responded to the FISA Court’s request for information on what it will do to ensure FISA Warrants in the future are no longer fraudulent bags of garbage.

Based on who signed the FBI’s response, it’s clear that the FBI will do nothing to ensure the reliability and legality of FISA Warrant applications.

We reported over a month ago that the FISA Court was warned multiple times over the past few years about abuse and criminal actions by the Obama Administration. These warnings were ignored until the latest actions after the DOJ’s devastating FISA Abuse report regarding the Carter Page FISA warrants. What took so long?

Jeff Dunetz reported at the Lidblog the following:

After the Horowitz report was issued, Judge Collyer, head of the FISA Court, ripped the FBI for the falsehoods used on applications to wiretap former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. The judge ordered the agency to go through their FISA warrants to find any other abnormalities and recommend solutions to prevent falsehoods from ever happening again, all by January 10th. But is Judge Collyer and the FISA court just as culpable as the FBI? The court was provided multiple warnings since 2016 that the warrant application process, especially in the case of Carter Page.

Dunetz reminded readers that the first warning the FISA Court had was in October of 2016 shortly before the 2016 election:

On October 24, 2016, NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers told Judge Collyer of the FISA court that there were significant issues with the way the NSA was complying with its minimization procedures. This was three days after Judge Collyer approved the FISA warrant to spy on Carter Page.

Admiral Rogers ordered an audit of the FISA process and the results were shared with the FISA Court in October 2016 with the report was released with multiple redactions in April 2017. We reported in April of 2018 that the stunning April 2017 report covered results of an investigation or audit into FISA searches made by Obama’s NSA, FBI and DOJ during Obama’s time in office.

The report stated that James Clapper’s NSA had an institutional “lack of candor”. Also, the FISA Court Ruling showed widespread abuse of the FISA mandate. According to the report, Obama’s FBI, NSA and DOJ performed searches on Americans that were against their 4th Amendment rights. This went on for years. One paragraph in the report states that 85% of the Section 704 and 705(b) FISA searches made during the time of the audit (a few months in 2015) were non-compliant with applicable laws and therefore criminal.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/01/corrupt-as-hell-fbi-attorney-dana-boente-signed-fbi-response-to-fisa-court-abuse-this-is-same-dirty-cop-who-signed-fraudulent-carter-page-fisa-warrant/

"Do Not Kill Your Protesters" - Trump Warns Iran As Crackdown On Growing Protests Begins

Protests in Iran have spread for a second consecutive day after student-led demonstrations and clashes with police at a Tehran university Saturday saw crowds chanting "death to liars!" and "Khamenei] resign, resign!" They are demanding that Iran's leaders, including Ayatollah Khamenei step down over their initially concealing the truth about the accidental Ukrainian airline shoot down, which killed all 176 people on board.

The initial hundreds or possibly thousands strong gatherings in Tehran spread to other cities amid a broad heightened security response which the day prior saw authorities briefly detain the British ambassador, reports Reuters; however, the size still pales in comparison to the tens of thousands which took to the streets in November, and more recently the some two million which took to the streets in support of slain IRGC Quds chief Qasem Soleimani during his funeral.

Riot police have been deployed to the University of Tehran campus after fresh protests there, with reports of tear gas and after the previous day opposition social media accounts advanced unconfirmed claims that live fire was being used. On this point, President Trump had an early Sunday message for the Islamic Republic's leaders and security forces:

Should the momentum of the protests carry into this coming week, Iran's leadership will likely brace for the worst given Trump is publicly backing anti-regime demonstrations, and the proverbial gloves of the security forces will be coming off.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/do-not-kill-your-protesters-trump-warns-iran-security-cracks-down-growing-protests

Philippines Taal Volcano Spews Mega Ash Cloud - Evacuations Underway, Flights Canceled

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) has raised the alert level on Sunday after a volcano south of the Philippine capital of Manila erupted, prompting evacuations and canceled flights, reported Reuters.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/philippines-taal-volcano-spews-mega-ash-cloud

Iran summons UK ambassador over his participation in ‘illegal rally’ following his arrest at anti-govt protest

The UK envoy’s detention during an anti-government rally in Tehran has sparked a diplomatic scandal. The envoy, summoned on Sunday by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, says he was at a “vigil” for victims of the Ukrainian plane crash.

“Today, Rob Macaire was summoned because of his unconventional behavior of attending an illegal rally on Saturday,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It also demanded that the British government provide clarification on the matter.

The diplomat was briefly detained late on Saturday outside of Amirkabir University in Tehran, as part of a group of people attending a chaotic vigil – held for the victims of the Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 crash – which turned into an anti-government rally. According to Iranian state media, the official was seeking “to organize, instigate and direct some radical and destructive actions.”

While many people brought candles and flowers to the event, seeking to mourn the dead, some showed up with anti-government banners and began chanting slogans, demanding “prosecutions and constitutional changes.” The event escalated into clashes between the police and protesters, who were ultimately dispersed.

The ambassador, however, maintains that he was only seeking to attend the vigil. The Ukrainian plane was accidentally downed by Iranian air defenses on Wednesday after the passenger jet was mistaken for an incoming cruise missile.

“Thanks for the many goodwill messages. Can confirm I wasn’t taking part in any demonstrations! Went to an event advertised as a vigil for victims of #PS752 tragedy,” the diplomat tweeted earlier on Sunday, insisting that he was detained half an hour after he left the event.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called the incident a “flagrant violation of international law,” insisting that Macaire was detained without any "grounds or explanation.” Commenting on the issue, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell called for “de-escalation and space for diplomacy”.

https://www.rt.com/news/478058-iran-summons-uk-ambassador/

Trump’s defense secretary admits he ‘didn’t see’ evidence about Soleimani planning attacks against US embassies

President Donald Trump warned that Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani was planning “imminent” attacks against Americans, but his own defense secretary seems to be unable to back this claim.

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper revealed in a Sunday interview with ‘Face the Nation’ on CBS that he “didn’t see” specific evidence that supported the president’s claim that Soleimani was planning attacks on four US embassies, which Trump touted in a Friday interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham.

“The president said that he believed that there probably could have been attacks against additional embassies,” Esper said to host Margaret Brennan. “I shared that view. I know other members of the national security team shared that view.”

“‘Probably and could have been,’ that is — that sounds more like an assessment than a specific tangible threat with a decisive piece of intelligence,” Brennan replied.

“Well, the president didn’t say there was a tangible — he didn’t cite a specific piece of evidence,” Esper said.

Asked if there was any specific evidence, Esper then replied, “I didn’t see one with regard to four embassies. What I’m saying is I shared the president’s view that probably, my expectation is they were going to go after our embassies.”

Esper later told CNN’s Jake Tapper that the president never claimed to have “specific evidence” of the imminent attacks he has warned Americans about.

The administration’s shaky reasoning for Soleimani’s assassination has earned them plenty of heat, with some saying they can’t “keep their story straight.”

“The public justification for this action has been all over the place from the beginning. They cannot keep their story straight. They’re just throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks. Admitting it was an ideological revenge killing would be much more honest,” journalist Mike Tracey tweeted in response to Esper’s ‘Face the Nation’ interview.

https://www.rt.com/usa/478078-trump-soleimani-esper-evidence/

Federal Court Rules Cops Can Taser, Choke You Because Trouble Understanding Them is ‘Resistance’

MUSKOGEE, Okla. — (TRI) An Oklahoma federal court has refused to hold police responsible for brutalizing an African-American man who, despite complying with police orders during an arrest, was subjected to excessive force and brutality, including being thrown to the ground, tasered, and placed in a chokehold that rendered him unconscious and required his hospitalization for three days.

In granting the police officers’ motion to dismiss a Fourth Amendment lawsuit filed by attorneys for The Rutherford Institute on behalf of Jeriel Edwards, the court ruled that Edwards’ confusion and trouble understanding police directions constituted “resistance” that justified the force used by the four police officers involved in the violent arrest.

Institute attorneys argued that, as shown by dash cam video of the arrest, Edwards was peaceful, did not defy police orders, and did nothing to provoke the clearly unreasonable and excessive force employed by the police.

Affiliate attorney Andrea Worden is assisting in the defense of Edwards’ Fourth Amendment rights.

“If you ask police what Americans should do to stay alive during encounters with law enforcement, they will tell you to comply, cooperate, obey, not resist, not argue, not make threatening gestures or statements, avoid sudden movements, and submit to a search of their person and belongings,” said constitutional attorney John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute and author of Battlefield America: The War on the American People. “The problem is what to do when compliance is not enough. How can you maintain the illusion of freedom when daily, Americans are being shot, stripped, searched, choked, beaten and tasered by police for little more than daring to frown, smile, question, challenge an order or merely exist?”

On October 25, 2016, Jeriel Edwards was sitting in his car in the parking lot of a Muskogee Wendy’s restaurant when he was approached by a City of Muskogee police officer who ordered Edwards to put the car in park and provide his identification.

Body and dashboard camera video of the encounter shows that the officer made the request even though he already knew Edwards’ identity. The officer then ordered Edwards to get out of the vehicle and remove his hands from his pockets.

Edwards complied with all the officer’s orders. At this time, a second Muskogee police officer arrived at the scene. As Edwards exited the vehicle, he was ordered to face the vehicle and place his hands behind his back.

At this point one of the officers grabbed Edwards’ right arm while the other officer shoved him into the corner of the car door, followed by the officers aggressively grabbing Edwards’ upper body and pushing his head into the corner of the car door as they attempted to place his hands behind his back. One officer then told Edwards to get to the ground, but before he could do so, the officers slammed him to the pavement.

As the officers pushed Edwards’ head and neck to the ground, they also placed a knee on his body to pin him to the ground. Edwards repeatedly asked why the officers were abusing him, but got no answer. Instead, the first officer fired a taser at Edwards as he lay on the ground. A third officer arrived on the scene and made two striking motions at Edwards, the impact of which can be heard on the body camera video. A fourth officer arrived at the scene and put Edwards in a chokehold.

As the four officers dragged Edwards to the ground, another joined the fray and held Edwards down by digging his knee into his body. Edwards lost consciousness en route to the hospital, where he was admitted to the ICU.

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/court-rules-understand-force/

Revealed: McCabe Pushed to Highlight Trump ‘Golden Shower’ Rumor in Public Russia Report — and Comey Approved

An email proves disgraced ex-FBI Director James Comey personally approved an FBI effort to have the wild and unsubstantiated “golden showers” claim about President Trump included in material to be considered for publication in the U.S. Intelligence Community’s official report on alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

The Comey email, which has not received media attention until now, was revealed inside the Justice Department’s recently released 476-page Inspector General report on the FBI’s Russia collusion investigation.

The IG report further discloses a separate email in which Andrew McCabe, who served under Comey as the FBI’s deputy director, specifically wanted dossier author Christopher Steele’s unverified “pee” charges against Trump to be included in the body of the January 6, 2017 U.S. Intelligence Community report, known as the ICA, assessing alleged Russian interference efforts.

McCabe opposed a CIA compromise to only reference Steele’s controversial dossier in an appendix of the ICA report, with McCabe arguing for it to be included in the body of the report where it would clearly get more attention.

In his email on the subject, McCabe seemed to be speaking on behalf of Comey’s FBI, using the noun “we.”

Referencing Steele’s charges, McCabe wrote:

We oppose CIA’s current plan to include it as an appendix; there are a number of reasons why I feel strongly that it needs to appear in some fashion in the main body of the reporting, and I would welcome the chance to talk to you about it tomorrow.

Comey himself personally approved of the inclusion of Steele’s wild claims in the ICA assessment, an email published in the IG report discloses. The IG report relates that the CIA did not want Steele’s claims to be included at all, downgrading Steele’s charges to “internet rumor.” Still, Comey and McCabe pushed for the wild anti-Trump claims to be part of the ICA assessment, which was ultimately made public.

The ICA was a joint effort of the FBI, NSA and CIA with oversight from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), which published the report.

Comey, former CIA Director turned anti-Trump activist John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence and Trump critic James Clapper have been the subjects of a dispute over which top Obama administration officials advocated for the infamous Steele dossier to be utilized as evidence in the ICA report.

Now the IG report cites emails from Comey and McCabe as well as testimony from members of the intelligence community showing it was Comey and McCabe who lobbied for Steele’s wild sexual claims about Trump to be part of the official ICA probe.

Steele’s dossier infamously claimed that while Trump was staying in the presidential suite at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Moscow in 2013, the real estate mogul hired “a number of prostitutes to perform a ‘golden showers’ (urination) show in front of him.” The dossier claimed Trump wanted to “defile” the bed because he learned that President Obama had used the same suite during a trip to Russia.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/01/12/revealed-mccabe-pushed-to-highlight-trump-golden-shower-rumor-in-public-russia-report-and-comey-approved/

Mike Lee: ‘I’m Worried’ About the Integrity of Information from the Trump Administration About Iran

On Sunday’s broadcast of CNN’s “State of the Union,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) said he is worried about the “integrity of the information” given by the Trump administration to justify the killing of former Quds force commander Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.

Host Jake Tapper said, “We have heard mixed messages and conflicting stories about the reason for the attack, whether it’s the existential threat that Soleimani posed, vs. imminent attacks, vs. an attack on one embassy, vs. an attack on four embassies. You and I have sat through this movie before, conflicting, changing information, intelligence juiced in order to justify certain actions. How worried are you about the integrity of the information we’re being told?”

Lee said, “Well, I’m worried. And as a United States senator and as a voter and citizen, I have learned not to simply take the federal government’s word at face value.”

He added, “I mean, look, we were lied to about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. We were lied to for a couple of decades about what was happening in Afghanistan. We have been lied to about a lot of things. It’s not to say that the government is always lying or that the people who run it are inherently evil. It’s just that they’re human. And these things do happen. And so that’s important to ask these questions, to make sure that we know the details. And insofar as we’re dealing with the inherent tension between the Article 2 commander in chief power enjoyed by the president and the Article 1, Section 8, declaration of war power on the other hand controlled by Congress, members of Congress do need to be apprised of the information underlying a particular decision.”

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2020/01/12/mike-lee-im-worried-about-the-integrity-of-information-from-the-trump-administration-about-iran/

UK Ambassador Denies Protesting in Tehran, ‘Arresting Diplomats Is Illegal’

The UK’s ambassador to Iran Robert Macaire denied that he had taken part in a street protest in Tehran before he was detained by authorities.

Tweeting on Sunday morning, the senior diplomat said: “Thanks for the many goodwill messages. I can confirm I wasn’t taking part in any demonstrations! I went to an event advertised as a vigil for victims of the flight #PS752 tragedy. Normal to want to pay respects — some of the victims were British. I left after 5 mins when some started chanting.”

He added: “I was detained for half an hour after leaving the area. Arresting diplomats is, of course, illegal, in all countries.”

Media sources said on Saturday that Mr Macaire had been attending a vigil near Amir Kabir University for the 176 passengers and crew who died when the Revolutionary Guard “unintentionally” shot down the Ukrainian passenger aeroplane.

Iranian media claimed that the diplomat was taking part in protests, which was in breach of the Vienna convention which prohibits diplomats from interfering in the internal affairs of host countries.

But sources speaking to British media said that the diplomat had attended the vigil but left as soon as he realised it had evolved into a demonstration. He was then reportedly picked up by Iranian authorities while he was at a barber’s waiting to get a haircut before planning to return to the embassy. He was briefly detained before being released.

Britain warned Iran that it faced “pariah status” for its actions. Foreign minister Dominic Raab said in a statement on Saturday night:

“The arrest of our Ambassador in Tehran without grounds or explanation is a flagrant violation of international law. The Iranian government is at a cross-roads moment. It can continue its march towards pariah status with all the political and economic isolation that entails, or take steps to deescalate tensions and engage in a diplomatic path forwards.”

On Sunday, defence minister told Sky News that Iran’s actions were “totally unacceptable” and in breach of the Vienna convention.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/01/12/british-ambassador-denies-tehran-protest-arresting-diplomats-illegal/

As discussed with Anon yesterday, is this the cabal trying to get a message to the regime??? Or something else???

Hungary Offers Free IVF Procedures with Goal of 2.1 Birthrate by 2030

Starting this year, the Hungarian government is set to offer free in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures for couples wanting children in order to boost the national birthrate to 2.1 children by 2030.

The Hungarian government has taken control of six private fertility clinics and plans to purchase new buildings in order to meet demands of the estimated 150,000 couples across the country who have fertility issues but want to have children, La Croix reports.

Previously, IVF procedures were largely out of reach for many Hungarian couples due to the costs associated with the procedure, but now the pro-family government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is planning to give all couples free access.

Secretary of State for the Family Katalin Novák commented on the new measures saying: “If all couples who want a child manage to have a baby, Hungary will no longer have demographic problems.”

Hungary currently faces a demographic winter if trends are not reversed, with the population expected to decline from the current 9.7 million to six million by the year 2070.

Other nations have largely relied on mass migration to counter demographic trends and ageing populations but the Orbán government has, instead, adopted arguably the most pro-family policies in the world in order to avoid turning to migration to reverse population decline.

Among the policies adopted by the government last year has been a 30,000 euro loan to couples which is completely forgiven if they have three children. Hungary has also introduced tax breaks for families as well as extending daycare options or an allowance for elderly relatives who care for children.

Another programme will also see women with four or more children becoming exempt from income taxes for the rest of their lives.

“In our minds, immigration means surrender,” Prime Minister Orbán said last year, and added: “If we resign ourselves to the fact that we are unable to sustain ourselves even biologically, by doing so we admit that we are not important even for ourselves.”

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/01/12/hungary-offers-free-ivf-procedures-with-goal-of-2-1-birthrate-by-2030/

In Wake Of Soleimani Hit, One NYT Reporter Amplified Iranian Propaganda

New York Times journalist Farnaz Fassihi has been amplifying Iranian propaganda into the media following Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani’s death.

The Daily Caller spoke with retired retired army intelligence officer Tony Shaffer and former CIA chief of station Daniel Hoffman about some of her tweets, where she cited anonymous Iranian sources.

Shaffer said he believes Fassihi could be getting information fed to her directly from the Iranian government in an effort to get Americans to sympathize with Soleimani’s death.

In the days following the Jan. 2 strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, one New York Times journalist in particular became the focus of criticism for consistently amplifying Iranian messaging.

The journalist was by no means an isolated case. Iranian propaganda and propagandists managed to get air time on CNN, Yahoo, the NYT and Washington Post, among other outlets, and a fake American death toll that made headlines on MSNBC was actually sourced directly to Iranian media. Above it all though was New York Times reporter Farnaz Fassihi.

More

https://dailycaller.com/2020/01/11/soleimani-nyt-reporter-amplify-iranian-propaganda/

Can the cops secretly record your home for eight months without a warrant?

Yesterday the First Circuit became the first federal court of appeals to hear oral argument on the constitutionality of the warrantless placement of a secret video camera on top of a utility pole after the ACLU’s 2018 victory in the Supreme Court case Carpenter v. United States. Carpenter represents a growing recognition that we have a right to be free from long-term surveillance that catalogs the whole of our physical movements, even in a public place. Yesterday’s oral argument in United States v. Moore-Bush focused on Carpenter’s impact on a person’s expectation of privacy against the placement of a video camera directed at a home for eight months without any judicial oversight.

The Supreme Court has long viewed the home as the core of Fourth Amendment protection. But new technologies are testing the boundaries of our right to privacy in our most private space. A video camera placed on a utility pole across the street from your house, for example, can document and record every time you leave your home, what you do in your front yard or driveway, and all of your visitors. Undetected, a camera like this can capture children playing in the front yard, the precise time of day a family leaves each week to worship, a local Girl Scout ringing the doorbell, and visits from friends and family.

During the investigation at issue, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms placed a camera on a utility pole across the street from an unsuspecting family in Springfield, Massachusetts. For eight months, this camera captured every car and person who visited the home, amassing an enormous database of digitally searchable personal and private information that would otherwise be unknowable to the government.

In June, a Massachusetts federal district court judge ruled in this case that the government’s warrantless pole camera surveillance violated defendants’ reasonable expectation of privacy, suppressing eight months of footage. Judge Young’s opinion expressed concern that the invasive nature of long-term surveillance can chill associational and expressive freedoms and reveal intimate and private details that one might not want exposed to the world. It’s one thing for a police officer to sit outside your house all day and watch who comes and goes. It’s quite another for a police officer or federal agency to install a camera that automatically tracks and catalogues all of this activity. While it takes significant time and police resources to physically monitor a home, approximately $200,000 in wages for one officer over eight months, it takes virtually no resources for police to install the camera and let the technology do all the work. Digital is different, as the Supreme Court recognized when it held in Carpenter that police must get a warrant before tracking our historical cell phone location data. If a person need not abandon their use of a cell phone to avoid leaving behind a trail of historic location data, people surely need not refrain from leaving their home and to avoid exposing their familial, political, professional, religious, and sexual associations. Thankfully, Judge Young, relying on Carpenter, recognized that difference applies to pole cameras, too.

https://privacysos.org/blog/can-the-cops-record-your-property-for-eight-months-without-a-warrant-first-circuit-set-to-decide/

https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/75961/can-the-cops-secretly-record-your-home-for-eight-months-without-a.html

Cities, Towns, Councils and Countries That Have Taken Action Against or Banned 5G. Is Yours One of Them?

People and animals have been getting sick where 5G has been installed and turned on (see 1, 2, 3, 4). Lawsuits, opposition, requests for moratoriums (see 1, 2) and warnings regarding the technology increase daily. Telecom companies have still offered no scientific evidence that it’s safe. Unfortunately, none of this has stopped installation everywhere.

Thanks to both Global Research and Smombie Gate for providing chronological running lists of action being taken by communities and countries around the world. If yours isn’t one of them – there are plenty of organizations offering free resources online to help you get the ball rolling where you live (see list below).

https://www.activistpost.com/2020/01/cities-towns-councils-and-countries-that-have-taken-action-against-or-banned-5g-is-yours-one-of-them.html

Calm prevails in Tripoli as cease-fire takes effect

Calm prevailed in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Sunday as a cease-fire called by Turkey and Russia went into effect Anadolu Agency reports.

The cease-fire took effect at 12 midnight local time and the decision was celebrated with fireworks in the capital.

On Saturday, forces loyal to Libya’s renegade Gen. Khalifa Haftar accepted a joint call by Turkey and Russia for a cease-fire and truce in the battle for Tripoli.

Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari said in a video message that the forces accepted the cease-fire call but would harshly respond if violated.

The cease-fire announcement came minutes after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, held a telephone conversation.

Erdogan and Putin urged a Tripoli ceasefire Wednesday by Jan. 12, following a meeting in Istanbul.

On April 4, Haftar launched an offensive to capture Tripoli from the UN-recognized government.

According to the UN, more than 1,000 people have been killed since the start of the operation and greater than 5,000 injured.

Since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: one in eastern Libya supported mainly by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates and the other in Tripoli, which enjoys the UN and international recognition.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200112-calm-prevails-in-tripoli-as-cease-fire-takes-effect/

Peace is the prize

Pentagon chief says he 'didn't see' intelligence suggesting Iran planned to attack four US embassies

https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/477875-esper-said-he-didnt-see-intelligence-suggesting-iran-planned-to

L.A. mayor asks Trump administration for aid on homeless

The mayor of Los Angeles has written to the Trump administration to formally request federal assistance with the growing numbers of homeless on the city’s streets, a letter that shows he and Housing Secretary Ben Carson have had negotiations on the issue.

The letter from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to President Donald Trump, dated Jan. 9 and made public on Friday, seeks federal aid to “move our unhoused neighbors into shelter, build permanent housing” and supply services to the homeless.

“I appreciate Secretary Carson reaching out to me,” Garcetti says in the two-page missive.

“During our conversation he expressed a commitment to working with cities nationwide to help accelerate our progress in addressing this emergency by investing in strong, humane and lasting approaches that can help get people off the street and save lives,” Garcetti said.

The constructive tone is a sharp contrast to Trump’s rhetoric on Twitter and during previous visits to California, slamming public officials for the growing homelessness crisis.

On a visit to San Francisco and Los Angeles in September, Trump said conditions including trash, defecation, and hypodermic needles left by homeless people were hurting the prestige of those cities.

Earlier this week Carson posted two tweets that also referenced talks between the city and his office, mentioning Garcetti and Kathryn Barger, chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Supervisor’s office.

“The homelessness crisis in California has been an entrenched problem for a longtime. Per the request of @MayorOfLA & @kathrynbarger we look forward to a new partnership that will benefit our fellow citizens,” Carson said on Twitter.

An estimated 130,000 people are homeless somewhere in California on any given day, more than any other state, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. California is the most populous state in the United States, home to about 39.6 million people.

In September, Carson rejected requests from California for more money from the Trump administration to fight homelessness, blaming state and local leaders for the crisis.

White House officials are said to be readying a plan to crack down on homelessness in Los Angeles and other major California cities.On Thursday California Governor Gavin Newsom announced plans to create a $750 million fund to help house the homeless and directed the state to immediately start setting up tents and trailers as emergency temporary housing.

https://www.thedailysheeple.com/l-a-mayor-asks-trump-administration-for-aid-on-homeless/

Hmmmmmmmmmm

Putin Steps on the Polish Elite’s Toes

The head of Russia treaded on Poland’s favorite toe, when he called a Warsaw official “a bastard” and “an anti-Semitic pig.” We was talking about Poles during the time of the Third Reich, about a historical character, but the assessment was made within a framework which is painful for Warsaw even now.

“Pay and repent” – this notorious phrase is a favorite with the authorities of regimes that rule now the parts of the USSR.

The Balts, Eurocrats in Kiev, together with Poles and other “independent” Bantustans are engaged in a competition in portraying themselves as the most affected by the actions of the notorious “totalitarian regime.”

They all always turn their claims only in one direction – Russia. Warsaw, which received a huge chunk of German territory as a gift from Uncle Stalin at the end of the Second World War, and then also received a compensation from Germany, is still dissatisfied. We regularly hear howls from Poland that it wasn’t paid enough.

And while howling, they pretend that Polish authorities did not cooperate with Hitler and did not participate in the partition of Czechoslovakia. And did not oppress the Jews, either.

However, all interested parties perfectly remember how it was. And it is not for nothing that Donald Trump in 2018 signed a law on demanding compensation from Poland, which I told you about back then.

“Some actions in Poland in the near future will be related to Trump’s decision on signing the Law 447, where the talk is about Polish reparations to Jews. For a quite serious sum of money, based on what happened in World War 2. As agreed to by the document, which the media calls ‘Justice for Survivors’, Poland has to fork over $300 billion over the crimes of Polish Hitlerite accomplices.”

https://thesaker.is/putin-steps-on-the-polish-elites-toes/

In blow to Netanyahu, Knesset adviser rules immunity debate can go ahead

Move paves way for committee that will likely reject PM’s bid to evade prosecution; decision overrules Speaker Edelstein, who criticizes, but won’t challenge it

The High Court on Sunday afternoon rejected a petition by the Likud party seeking an injunction against the Knesset legal adviser, allowing Eyal Yinon to release a ruling that the Knesset cannot block the formation of a committee to deal with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for immunity from prosecution.

The ruling allows the parliament to consider — and, with the current balance of power, almost certainly reject — Netanyahu’s request to receive immunity from the indictment he faces in the three criminal cases against him.

The crux of Yinon’s ruling is that Speaker Yuli Edelstein, of Likud, does not have the right to prevent the Knesset plenum from forming a House Committee, the body that would consider Netanyahu’s request for immunity — and that is usually not convened in a transitional government.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/likud-asks-high-court-to-block-knesset-lawyer-ruling-on-pms-immunity-panel/

Congress struggles on rules for cyber warfare with Iran

The U.S. and Iran may have walked back from the brink of war, but the potential for a cyber battle looms with no clear rules of engagement.

Lawmakers and military officials say there’s no agreed-upon definition of what constitutes cyber warfare, leaving them to operate on a case-by-case basis on how best to respond to individual incidents.

“We've never really gone down the route to define what constitutes an act of war when it comes to cyberattacks,” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, told The Hill last week.

Sen. Gary Peters (Mich.), the top Democrat on the committee, told reporters it’s an issue that “needs some further attention,” and one that isn’t going away anytime soon.

“We’re likely to see this not just with Iran, but in the future you are going to see cyber as one of the main domains of warfare going forward,” Peters said. “So it’s important to try to get our arms around how we would define it.”

While Iran has been considered a major cyber adversary, joining the ranks of Russia, China and North Korea, its threat level spiked this month after President Trump ordered a drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and FBI subsequently issued a bulletin to law enforcement and briefed lawmakers of the threat of retaliation. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency at DHS issued a separate notification warning of Iranian cyber threats.

But what kind of cyber aggression might spark a return to hostilities remains unclear.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told The Hill that the Pentagon should be responsible for defining what level of cyberattack constitutes going to war with a nation state.

“I think the question of what is an act of war in the cyber domain is a serious policy question that needs to be addressed, and Congress so far has failed to address it,” Blumenthal said. “It’s really the Department of Defense that should be providing guidance. Congress should certainly be overseeing the question and addressing it, but we have pressed the Department of Defense to come to us with a proposal on it.”

The Pentagon in 2018 elevated U.S. Cyber Command to what’s known as “combatant command,” the same year it released its cyber strategy.

https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/477795-congress-struggles-on-rules-for-cyber-warfare-with-iran

Australia Bush Fires: Climate Protestors Want Prime Minister to Step Down

Blamed by at least one protester for lacking empathy over the raging bushfires in Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is facing calls to step down from advocates of climate change who believe it is linked to the fires.

Protesters chanted “Sack the Prime Minister” at Morrison for not taking global warming seriously and downplaying any role it may have had in the fiery disaster. So far 27 people have been killed and more than 10 million hectares (24 million acres or a country the size of Portugal) have been scorched.

Rallies on climate change have been held in Australia by thousands of protesters critical of the government’s handling of the bushfire crisis. In Sydney, an estimated 30,000 people attended a Jan. 10 demonstration in addition to other events held in other major cities.

The protestors also heaped scorn on “fossil fuel loving politicians” who they accuse of overseeing “decades of climate destruction.” When questioned about how Morrison could have improved his response to the bushfires, one protestor said, “Humanely, with empathy. I think that is a huge thing. I think the way Scott Morrison has handled this and his lack of empathy to the whole situation is embarrassing. I would like the firefighters to be funded more, I would like more schemes to be set up, and just money and to actually admit that climate change is real, like it is clearly happening and this is what we are doing about it. We are marching.”

Climate change activists and those that deny it will agree that that the record-setting hot dry season has made conditions ideal for bushfires to start. They may even agree on what sparked the flames, be it lightning, campfires or even arson. The arguments begin when the topic of climate change enters the discussion.

https://www.ibtimes.com/australia-bush-fires-climate-protestors-want-prime-minister-step-down-2900852

He threatened Soros, Clinton, and Obama–now he’s dead

Kevin Massey was a former member of the Texas border militia group, Rusty’s Rangers. In 2014 his group embarrassed the Obama administration’s Border Patrol by stepping in and proving illegal immigrants could be located and apprehended. Their successful high-profile civilian operation came under fire by illegal immigrant advocates and law enforcement.

Texas ranchers with land on the border praised the work of Massey and the other Rangers. For years the ranchers had pleaded with the federal government to do something about the problem of destroyed fences, stolen property, and missing or slaughtered livestock. Family members and workers no longer felt safe on these ranches until Massey and Rusty’s Rangers entered the picture.

Massey and others in his group were referred to as vigilantes and racists by the media and organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center, but they were popular where it counted, on the border near Brownsville, Texas. Dressed in military fatigues and well-armed, they patrolled, often at night , knowing there was a high probability they would encounter armed drug smugglers.

Their high-profile success lead to word getting out. Smugglers chose other areas to operate in rather than risk a run-in with the militia group. Their exploits were touted by advocates on social media, and Massey became a folk hero to those who believed the government was intentionally allowing our Southern border to be overrun. Obama’s Justice Department wanted him and his militia group gone.

Never one to shrink from confrontation, Massey loudly proclaimed himself to be outside the reach of tyrannical government laws. He flaunted this belief, and was eventually arrested for possession of homemade explosive devices. The militia group operated out of a ranch on the border and established a headquarters they referred to as Camp Lone Star.

Determined to silence Massey, federal authorities painted him as having an affinity for heavy weaponry and known to display an “alarming rage.” When the government federales publicly accuse a person of being “armed and dangerous,” you can count on a high likelihood of a death by cop.

https://www.dcclothesline.com/2020/01/12/he-threatened-soros-clinton-and-obama-now-hes-dead/

PELOSI: Trump Will ‘Be Impeached Forever’

VIDEO: In an exclusive interview, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi joins George Stephanopoulos on “This Week.”

https://breaking911.com/pelosi-trump-will-be-impeached-forever/

FBI Protecting and Hiding Sketchy FBI Agent Joseph Pientka?…

With increased scrutiny toward the actions, and lack thereof, from current FBI Director Christopher Wray, another sketchy aspect deserves some scrutiny.

Hat Tip Techno-Fog for noting some remarkable FBI activity.

Supervisory Special Agent Joseph Pientka III was first identified by Senator Chuck Grassley in May of 2018 as the second FBI agent involved in the 2017 interview of Lt. General Michael Flynn.

Frustrated by the FBI stonewalling his Senate inquiry, Chairman Grassley dropped the revelation publicly on May 11th, 2018, in a letter to the FBI.

[…] the Committee’s oversight interest in the underlying documents requested more than a year ago now outweighs any legitimate executive branch interest in withholding it. So too does the Committee’s interest in learning the FBI agents’ actual assessments of their interview of Lt. Gen. Flynn, particularly given the apparent contradiction between what then Directory Comey told us in March 2017 and what he now claims.

[…] In addition, please make Special Agent Joe Pientka available for a transcribed interview with Committee staff no later than one week following the production of the requested documents… (link)

The FBI never produced Supervisory Special Agent (SSA-1) Joe Pientka for Chairman Grassley’s committee, and the conflict between the Senate Judiciary Committee and the FBI was never reconciled. (The DOJ/FBI made it to the safety of the mid-term election.)

Additionally, every single document containing information about the investigative activity of FBI agent Pientka has kept his name redacted. Not a single DOJ/FBI document has ever included his name.

However, around two months after Grassley outed his identity; we discover from the Inspector General that the DOJ-NSD (National Security Division) admitted to the FISA court that Agent Pientka was significantly less than forthcoming with “factual omissions” in the Title-1 surveillance application he assembled against Carter Page.

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/01/12/fbi-protecting-and-hiding-sketchy-fbi-agent-joseph-pientka/

PS. It isn’t just Pientka:

FBI Director Christopher Wray has named David W. Archey as special agent in charge of the Richmond Field Office. Mr. Archey most recently served as a deputy assistant director in the Counterintelligence Division at FBI Headquarters and was assigned as the FBI senior lead at the Special Counsel’s Office. (link)

Latest Episode in Juan Guaidó’s Venezuela Regime-Change Reality Show

Leonardo Flores reports on a farcical scene that was just the latest chapter in an absurdly bungled coup attempt.

Fistfights and screaming matches broke out at Venezuela’s National Assembly on Jan. 5, when the legislative body was scheduled to elect its leader. But the melee was not what the corporate U.S. media has portrayed it as.

The fights weren’t between the Chavistas who support the Bolivarian Revolution and President Nicolás Maduro on one side and opposition members on the other, but rather between competing members of the opposition itself.

More

https://consortiumnews.com/2020/01/11/latest-episode-in-juan-guaidos-venezuela-regime-change-reality-show/

'Corrupt acts’ by US, allies cause of current situation in region: Ayatollah Khamenei

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says ‘corrupt actions’ taken by the United States and its allies are the main cause of the current situation in the region, urging regional countries to boost cooperation to undo such actions.

The Leader made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in Tehran on Sunday.

Describing the current conditions in the region as unfavorable, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “The reason behind this situation in corrupt actions taken by American and its allies and the only way to counter it is to rely on inter-regional cooperation.”

Highlighting Iran's advances in various fields of science and technology, knowledge-based activities as well as such utilities as water and power supply, Iran’s president said Tehran was ready to transfer its experiences in these fields to the friendly and brotherly country of Qatar.

In another part of his remarks, the Leader pointed to good political ties between Iran and Qatar, saying, "The two countries' economic relations are not on the same level as political relations and Iran-Qatar cooperation should further improve in common fields."

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly announced and Mr. President [Hassan Rouhani] has also explicitly stated that Iran is ready for closer cooperation with regional countries," Ayatollah Khamenei noted.

The Leader stated, "Of course, some parties who have come to this region from across the world are not interested in the expansion of cooperation among regional countries, but this issue has nothing to do with them and regional countries and nations do not accept such bullying and interference anymore."

During the meeting, which was also attended by the Iranian president, the Qatari Emir pointed to the difficult situation in the region and said he completely agrees with Ayatollah Khamenei's remarks about the necessity for enhanced regional cooperation.

“Qatar believes that comprehensive dialog should be held among regional countries,” Al Thani said.

Referring to his talks with President Rouhani, he noted that the two sides agreed that Iran-Qatar Joint Commission session must be held within three months and expressed hope the two countries would increase the level of economic ties to the same level of political relations.

The Qatari Emir concluded his remarks by hailing Iran's support for his country, particularly at the time of Saudi-led sanctions against Doha.

Speaking at a meeting with President Rouhani in Tehran earlier in the day, Al Thani said his country attaches importance to cooperation with Iran as an influential player in the region, pointing out that any security coordination among regional countries will be of no avail in the absence of the Islamic Republic.

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/01/12/616011/Khamenei-Leader-Qatar-Emir-Tamim-bin-Hamad-Al-Thani-Rouhani

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