“King of Sweetheart Deals” – New Book: How Five Members of Joe Biden’s Family Made Millions From His Political Connections, Power and Access

Peter Schweizer strikes again!

“Secret Empires” author Peter Schweizer wrote a new book titled, “Profiles in Corruption: Abuse of Power by America’s Progressive Elite,” and one slimy lifelong politician — Joe Biden — emerges as the “king of sweetheart deals” Schweizer said.

According to Schweizer, Hunter Biden wasn’t the only family member who made millions off of his political connections.

Five members of Joe Biden’s family enriched themselves because of Joe Biden’s lifelong ‘career’ in politics and Schweizer outlined his new book in a New York Post article shortly before its launch date.

JAMES BIDEN

Joe Biden’s younger brother James Biden often frequented the White House when old crooked Joe was Vice President and a construction management company he was affiliated with, HillStone International flourished.

James Biden was made Vice President of HillStone despite having ZERO experience in the field and next thing you know, the firm was a part of a $35 billion dollar project to build homes in Iraq.

Consider the case of HillStone International, a subsidiary of the huge construction management firm Hill International. The president of HillStone International was Kevin Justice, who grew up in Delaware and was a longtime Biden family friend. On Nov. 4, 2010, according to White House visitors’ logs, Justice visited the White House and met with Biden adviser Michele Smith in the Office of the Vice President.

Less than three weeks later, HillStone announced that James Biden would be joining the firm as an executive vice president. James appeared to have little or no background in housing construction, but that did not seem to matter to HillStone. His bio on the company’s website noted his “40 years of experience dealing with principals in business, political, legal and financial circles across the nation and internationally…”

James Biden was joining HillStone just as the firm was starting negotiations to win a massive contract in war-torn Iraq. Six months later, the firm announced a contract to build 100,000 homes. It was part of a $35 billion, 500,000-unit project deal won by TRAC Development, a South Korean company. HillStone also received a $22 million US federal government contract to manage a construction project for the State Department.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/01/king-of-sweetheart-deals-new-book-how-five-members-of-joe-bidens-family-made-millions-from-his-political-connections-power-and-access/

House Manager Declares President Guilty Of… "Attempted Bribery"

Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., will be one of the seven Democratic impeachment managers prosecuting President Trump this week in his Senate trial. However, he seems a tad unclear on what the trial is about or at least what the defendant is facing as the allegations of impeachable conduct.

Crow declared on CNN’s State of the Union that Trump was really guilty of bribery. The problem is that bribery was rejected as an article of impeachment. Not only is it grossly unfair to go to trial while alluding to uncharged conduct, it is especially bizarre when the Supreme Court seems prepared to reaffirm the very case law that I cited earlier in rejecting such expansive interpretations.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/house-manager-declares-president-guilty-attempted-bribery

Haftar Reportedly Declines To Sign Berlin Agreements As Libyan National Army Limits Oil Input Even Further

Leader of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar declined to sign the ceasefire agreement proposed during the Berlin conference on the Libyan conflict on January 19, according to a diplomatic source quoted by RIA Novosti.

After the Berlin conference, it was revealed that the supposedly reached agreements still have to be signed by the LNA and the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), as well as to be approved by the UN Security Council.

Meanwhile, the LNA continues blocking oil exports through its ports in order to pressure the GNA and its foreign backers.

On January 19, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) said that guards under LNA command had shut down the pipeline leading to the coastal city of Zawiya forcing the corporation to limit oil production at the Sharara and El Feel oil fields.

The El Sharara field (300,000 bpd) is operated by the NOC in a joint venture with Spain’s Repsol, France’s Total, Austria’s OMV and Norway’s Equinor

The El Feel field (70,000 bpd) is operated by the NOC and Italy’s Eni produces.

On January 18, pro-LNA forces shut down oil ports and oilfields in Libya’s east leading to the loss of 800,000 bpd production ($55 million daily) for the NOC.

The LNA decision to limit the Libyan oil export and to not sign the documents proposed in Berlin demonstrate its readiness to continue providing its pro-Libyan course and further, regardless the pressure that it’s facing from Western powers.

https://southfront.org/haftar-reportedly-declines-to-sign-berlin-agreements-as-libyan-national-army-limits-oil-input-even-further/

Jerusalem Prize presented to Prime Minister Scott Morrison

21 Nov 2019

Zionist Federation of Australia President Jeremy Leibler presented Prime Minister Scott Morrison with the Jerusalem Prize on Thursday.

The Jerusalem Prize was jointly awarded by the Zionist Federation of Australia, the Zionist Council of NSW and the World Zionist Organisation.

Before conferring the award, Mr Leibler said, “In just over a year as Prime Minister, Mr Morrison has made a strong contribution to the already excellent Australia–Israel relationship.”

Mr Leibler continued, “Since assuming office, the Prime Minister recognised West Jerusalem as capital of Israel and established a trade and defence office in the city. He also changed Australia’s voting pattern at the UN General Assembly, including now voting against the insulting resolution that declares as ‘null and void’ any Jewish claims to Jerusalem. Earlier this year, Mr Morrison called out the UN as ‘the place where Israel is bullied and where anti-Semitism is cloaked in language about human rights’.”

In his speech awarding the Prime Minister the award, Mr Leibler said, “the bond between Australia and Israel is strong and unshakeable.” These sentiments were later echoed by the Prime Minister.

Referring to the increase in anti-Semitism around the world and, in particular, the worrying prospect of a Jeremy Corbyn-led government in the United Kingdom, Mr Leibler told the Prime Minister on Thursday evening, “When Jews elsewhere in the diaspora are increasingly worried about their place in contemporary mainstream politics … true leadership shines bright. Yours is true leadership, Prime Minister. Yours is true friendship. And that is what this prestigious international award is all about.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was humbled to accept the award, and stressed the importance of defending Israel’s right to exist in the face of increasing threats. “We will say so for as long as we have breath.” “Israel is a beacon of democracy… Israel can always rely on Australia”, he said.

In his speech, the Prime Minister expressed pride that Australia accepted the largest number of Holocaust survivors per capita, with the exception of Israel.

The Prime Minister said he was looking forward to welcoming Israeli President Reuven Rivlin to Australia next year.

Israeli Ambassador Mark Sofer said to ZFA President Jeremy Leibler, “For being at the forefront of Israeli advocacy, thank you.”

Background

The Jerusalem Prize is jointly awarded by the Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA), the Zionist Council of NSW and the World Zionist Organisation.

The Prize is awarded annually to an individual who has been exceptional in strengthening Australia-Israel relations. Previous recipients include former Governor-General Sir Zelman Cowen, then-Prime Minister John Howard, former Prime Ministers Bob Hawke and Julia Gillard, and then-Foreign Minister Alexander Downer.

http://www.zfa.com.au/jerusalem-prize-presented-prime-minister-scott-morrison/

Amazon Echo’s Privacy Issues Go Way Beyond Voice Recordings

Amazon Echo and the Alexa voice assistant have had widely publicized issues with privacy. Whether it is the amount of data they collect or the fact that they reportedly pay employees and, at times, external contractors from all over the world to listen to recordings to improve accuracy, the potential is there for sensitive personal information to be leaked through these devices.

But the risks extend not just to our relationship with Amazon. Major privacy concerns are starting to emerge in the way Alexa devices interact with other services – risking a dystopian spiral of increasing surveillance and control.

The setup of the Echo turns Amazon into an extra gateway that every online interaction has to pass through, collecting data on each one. Alexa knows what you are searching for, listening to or sending in your messages. Some smartphones do this already, particularly those made by Google and Apple who control the hardware, software and cloud services.

But the difference with an Echo is that it brings together the worst aspects of smartphones and smart homes. It is not a personal device but integrated into the home environment, always waiting to listen in. Alexa even tries to make light of this with the creepy “Ask the Listeners” function that makes comments about just how much the device is spying on you. Some Echo devices already have cameras, and if facial recognition capabilities were added we could enter a world of pervasive monitoring in our most private spaces, even tracked as we move between locations.

https://www.activistpost.com/2020/01/amazon-echos-privacy-issues-go-way-beyond-voice-recordings.html

Teacher’s Aide Convicted Of Sexually Abusing Half A Dozen Girls

LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles Unified School District teacher assistant pleaded no contest to sexually abusing six students.

Lino Cabrera, 27. entered a no contest plea to one felony count each of continuous sexual abuse and lewd act upon a child under 14 and four misdemeanor counts of child molestation.

Deputy District Attorney Ranna Jahanshahi said Cabrera is expected to be sentenced to eight years in state prison.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, he also will be expected to register as a sex offender for life.

Cabrera was a teacher assistant at Oxnard Elementary School in North Hollywood at the time he was charged with inappropriately touching girls ages 10 and 11. Cabrera, who worked at the school’s computer lab, engaged in lewd acts with the students at the school from September 2016 to May 2019, according to prosecutors.

The Los Angeles Police Department, Juvenile Division’s Sexually Exploited Child Unit investigated the case.

https://breaking911.com/teachers-aide-convicted-of-sexually-abusing-half-a-dozen-girls/

Multiple rockets hit Baghdad’s Green Zone, trigger sirens at US embassy

Three rockets have exploded inside Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the US Embassy and other foreign diplomatic facilities. No casualties have been reported.

At least two explosions went off near the US Embassy on Monday night, while a third rocket also landed elsewhere in the Green Zone complex, according to security sources. The attack was launched from a district on the outskirts of Baghdad.

Video footage circulating on social media appeared to show an area near the complex, where emergency sirens could be heard blaring.

The attack comes on the heels of a series of similar incidents in recent weeks, with another rocket salvo fired near Camp Taji – a US coalition base north of Baghdad – last Tuesday, wounding at least one Iraqi soldier. Days prior, eight Katyusha rockets hit the Al-Balad air base, another facility housing US troops, injuring four Iraqi personnel. No group has taken responsibility for the attacks.

https://www.rt.com/news/478751-rockets-baghdad-green-zone/