Trump Admin Cuts 70 Obama-Era Holdovers From NSC – More Cuts Coming This Week

The Vindman twins were just the beginning of the NatSec purge.

On Friday President Trump fired the Vindman twins from their National Security Council positions in the Trump White House.

This comes after Alexander Vindman admitted to working behind President Trump’s back in Ukraine.

The Washington Examiner reported Trump cut 70 Obama-era holdovers from the NatSec.

President Trump is making good on his promises to “drain the swamp” and cut Obama-era holdovers from his staffs, especially the critical and recently controversial National Security Council.

Officials confirmed that Trump and national security adviser Robert O’Brien have cut 70 positions inherited from former President Barack Obama, who had fattened the staff to 200.

Many were loaners from other agencies and have been sent back. Others left government work.

But President Trump is not done and neither is National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien.

The National Security Advisor is expected to announce more cuts in the NSC staff this week.

Trump’s goal is to cut the agency in half.

The NatSec became a bloated bureaucracy under Obama and Obama holdovers such as Eric Ciaramella, Alex Vindman and Sean Misko worked together to “take out” Trump.

Rep. Nunes took it a step further and urged President Trump to move the entire NSC apparatus out of the White House and across the Potomac River.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/02/it-begins-trump-admin-cuts-70-obama-era-holdovers-from-nsc/

Secretary of State Pompeo Speaks to US Governors – Says China Has a List of Sell-Out Governors and He Has Seen It

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke to the National Governors Association last week. During his speech Pompeo told the governors that China is keeping a list of the governors and China is rating US governors as “friendly, hardline, or ambiguous.” China knows who is “friendly” and who have sold out.

Then Secretary Pompeo dropped this bomb, “Last year a Chinese government-backed think tank in Beijing produced a report that assessed all fifty of America’s governors on their attitudes toward China. They labeled each of you friendly, hardline, or ambiguous. I’ll let you decide where you think you belong, someone in China already has. Many of you, indeed, in that report, are referenced by name. So here’s the lesson. The lesson is that the competition with China is not just a federal issue which is why I wanted to be here today.”

Pompeo has seen the list.

This must have sent a chill down the spine of many of those state leaders sitting in the room.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/02/busted-secretary-of-state-pompeo-speaks-to-us-governors-says-china-has-a-list-of-sell-out-governors-and-he-has-seen-it-video/

NYPD 'Declaring War' On 'Anti-Cop' Mayor De Blasio: Sergeants' Union

The Sergeant's Benevolent Association (SBA), which represents thousands of New York City police sergeants, said on Sunday that they will go to 'war' with 'anti-cop' Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) after several police officers were targeted in brazen attacks over the weekend, with one ending up in the hospital.

Suspect Robert Williams was arrested after allegedly attacking two officers within 12 hours - starting when he opened fire on a marked NYPD van on the evening of Feb 8, hitting officer Paul Stroffolino, 31, who was shot in the neck and chin. Almost 12 hours later, Williams walked into the 41st precinct station house just before 8 a.m. on Sunday morning and opened fire in the lobby in the presence of several police officers. He has been charged with attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon.

Stroffolino was released Sunday morning to applause from his fellow officers following a full recovery.

Earlier Sunday, the union tweeted that Mayor de Blasio would not be welcome to visit wounded officers in the hospital, and that the police has no "respect" for the Democratic mayor, according to The Hill.

"Mayor DeBlasio, the members of the NYPD are declaring war on you! We do not respect you, DO NOT visit us in hospitals. You sold the NYPD to the vile creatures, the 1% who hate cops but vote for you," tweeted the SBA.

"Police are being targeted.The anti cop tone infecting our city & state is causing bloodshed. Before any public official sends their thoughts & prayers, they should ask themselves how the language & behavior they've been tolerating has contributed to violence against police," the union continued.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/nypd-declaring-war-anti-cop-mayor-de-blasio-sergents-union

Merkel Successor Unexpectedly Resigns As CDU Leader In Latest Shock To Germany's Political Establishment

Following a series of reports in the German and broader European press claiming her imminent resignation, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer - better known as AKK - has confirmed that the rumors are indeed true. She will step down as the leader of Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, the center-right party that has ruled Germany for two decades, and won't run as the party's candidate to succeed Merkel during the federal election to pick Germany's next chief executive in 2021.

AKK reportedly resigned in protest over flirtations by the party's conservative wing to ally with Alternative für Deutschland, or the AfD, to achieve common political aims.

The centrists in the CDU, including Merkel herself, have denounced the AfD as a far-right borderline hate group populated by Nazi sympathizers. Meanwhile, AfD's leaders have taken steps to expel Nazi sympathizers and others who might alienate the general German public.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/merkel-successor-steps-aside-cdu-leader-says-she-wont-run-chancellor

Turkey strikes Syrian Army positions after ‘5 troops killed in shelling’

Five Turkish troops were killed in the shelling of an observation post in Syria’s Idlib province, Ankara has said, blaming Damascus for the attack. Turkish forces then fired on Syrian Army positions.

“Five of our troops were killed and five others were injured in the shelling by the Syrian regime,” the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Monday, adding that “return fire was opened.”

It’s not the first shelling incident between Turkish and Syrian forces in Idlib. A week ago, six Turkish troops were killed by Syrian artillery fire in an incident that Russia said was a result of miscommunication.

The casualties could have been avoided if Ankara properly notified Damascus that it was moving troops in a border area where Damascus was holding an anti-terrorist operation at the time, Moscow said.

Turkey retaliated for the Monday attack, claiming that dozens of Syrian troops were killed, and called on Moscow to put pressure on Damascus to halt its offensive in Idlib.

The Idlib province in northwestern Syria remains the last terrorist enclave in the country. The area has been declared a “de-escalation zone” under an agreement between Russia, Turkey and Iran.

Ankara is expected to use its influence on anti-government militants to prevent fighting with Damascus troops in order to create the basis for a peaceful resolution.

However, jihadist groups in Idlib continue hostile activities, with Russia saying there were several thousand attacks in the last two months alone, in which hundreds of Syrian troops and civilians died.

https://www.rt.com/news/480506-turkey-syria-shelling-idlib/

Multiple Depts Caught Not Only Ignoring Rape Kits, But Destroying Them With No Investigation

Plymouth, MN — Illustrating the careless and utterly ineffective nature of many police departments in the United States is the fact that rape kits go untested from coast to coast. However, one recent and particularly egregious case out of Minnesota shows just how brazen police can be in ignoring rape victims. Police in Plymouth, Minnesota aren’t just ignoring the rape kits, they are destroying them without investigation.

For those who may be unaware, after being raped, victims are subject to more humiliation by having to undergo DNA evidence testing in the form of a rape kit. Thinking that this will help catch their abuser, most victims undergo these tests.

When one woman — who wishes to remain anonymous — walked into the Plymouth police station after being brutally raped, she underwent this humiliating experience in an attempt to catch her rapist. After providing the rape kit, she assumed police would investigate it.

However, they did not. Not until nine years later did this woman find out police never sent the kit to the lab and instead destroyed it. As a result, the rapist went on to beat and rape many more victims. He would eventually get caught in Colorado and now sits in jail. But this predator could’ve been caught years earlier had it not been for these criminally negligent cops.

“They could have stopped him,” said the woman. “But I went through all of that for nothing. That is the worst feeling in the world.”

According to a report out of KARE 11, this woman is not alone and departments across the state have destroyed hundred of kits.

Even though Minnesota recently received a $2 million federal grant to DNA test the state’s backlog of thousands of untested rape kits, a KARE 11 investigation has found that more than 220 kits will never be tested because they’ve already been destroyed.

Overall, police agencies across the state destroyed more than 450 rape kits in unsolved and uncharged cases. Legal experts told KARE 11 it would be almost impossible to bring charges in a case involving a destroyed rape kit.

Regardless of whether it was tested, due to the wording in a state law passed 20 ago, KARE 11 discovered that destroying a rape kit likely starts the statute of limitations on when a case can be prosecuted. That can keep victims in the cases from ever seeing justice, even if new information surfaces.

“What you’re discovering is that these statutes of limitations are going to be a detriment to victims because somebody destroyed the kits,” said DFL Rep. Kelly Moller.

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/police-depts-destroying-rape-kits/

‘Puzzling’ virus of UNKNOWN origin with genes scientists can’t identify discovered in Brazil

Scientists in Brazil have discovered a virus which appears to be almost entirely new, consisting of unrecognizable genes that have been, until now, undocumented.

The Yaravirus (Yaravirus brasiliensis), named after a water deity in Brazilian mythology and folklore, was discovered in Lake Pampulha in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte.

In recent years, virologists and other researchers have discovered a variety of new viruses which challenge traditional thinking, including so-called “giant viruses” (named for their large protein shells, not their deadliness to humans).

These giant viruses possess a far more complex genome than scientists could have predicted, based on humanity’s knowledge of normal viruses, and are capable of repairing and replicating their own DNA.

“Contrary to what is observed in other isolated viruses of amoeba, Yaravirus is not represented by a large/giant particle and a complex genome, but at the same time carries an important number of previously undescribed genes,” the authors write, adding that it may be the first in “a new lineage of amoebal virus with a puzzling origin and phylogeny.”

In fact, 90 percent of the genes in the Yaravirus have never been described before in public scientific databases and literature.

Rather worryingly, the researchers conclude that the amount of unknown proteins within the Yaravirus throws open the door to a whole other world of as-yet-undiscovered viruses we know little to nothing about.

https://www.rt.com/news/480495-virus-unknown-origin-brazil/

Christians are being captured and killed across the globe: 'World Watch List' takes you inside the crisis

'An unparalleled glimpse into the 50 places around the world where it costs the most to be a Christian'

Millions of Christians across the globe live in perpetual fear that they will be punished, harmed — or even killed — for merely practicing their faith.

Worldwide persecution continues to be at a fevered pitch, with varying degrees of affliction for those who openly embrace the Bible.

(Listen: Candace Cameron Bure and more — Check out the best of "The Pure Flix Podcast")

This tragic reality is more than evident in Open Doors USA's latest "World Watch List," an annual report that offers "an unparalleled glimpse into the 50 places around the world where it costs the most to be a Christian."

According to the stunning 2020 report, more than 260 million Christians live in places where there is a high level of persecution, amounting to one-in-eight Christians worldwide.

Learn more about the horrors of Christian persecution:

The "World Watch List" gives a lens into some of the most unthinkable scenarios.

"It's the foremost grassroots data on the persecution of Christians," Open Doors USA president and CEO David Curry recently told "The Pure Flix Podcast." "It gives us an idea about the trends of religious liberty generally."

(Read also: Jesus Died For Us: 10 Powerful Bible Verses About Salvation)

He said there are restrictions in most places of the world, but that the areas of extreme oppression will likely shock those unfamiliar with the dire scenario.

From government seizure of property and social exclusion to violence and murder, there is a wide range of ways in which Christians can be oppressed for their faith.

"The most dangerous country where persecution was most intense was North Korea," Curry said. "But as far as violence, Nigeria pops up [high] on our list."

The government of North Korea, for instance, has "great control over every sphere of life," Curry said, with people who are found with scripture or who are suspected of being a Christian at risk of losing everything and being sent to labor camps.

In places like Nigeria — the 12th most dangerous place to be a Christian on the 2020 list — Islamic extremists with the Boko Haram terror group use extreme violence.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/christians-are-being-captured-and-killed-across-globe

Investigation Reveals State Arresting, Jailing Citizens Over Unpaid Medical Bills

Coffeyville, KS — A bombshell investigation from ProPublica revealed that law enforcement in Kansas is running a debtor’s prison and throwing people in jail over their medical debt. The story focused on the case of Tres and Heather Biggs’ who fell behind on their medical bills for their son’s leukemia and Heather’s Lyme disease. What happened next was nothing but sheer tyranny.

Welcome to Coffeyville, Kansas, where the judge has no law degree, debt collectors get a cut of the bail, and Americans are watching their lives — and liberty — disappear in the pursuit of medical debt collection.

This family’s nightmare began last year when they fell behind on their medical bills from Heather and her son’s conditions. Instead of simply being turned over to a collection agency, in Coffeyville, Kansas, the government joins in.

“We had so many — multiple health issues in our family at the same time, it put us in a bracket that made insurance unattainable,” Heather Biggs said. “It would have made no sense. We would have had to have not eaten, not had a home.”

Because they had unpaid medical debt, the apparently corrupt court system issued them a summons to appear in court. ProPublica reports that they were one of 90 people facing similar legal action in just a single month.

Judge David Casement entered the courtroom, a black robe swaying over his cowboy boots and silversmithed belt buckle. He is a cattle rancher who was appointed a magistrate judge, though he’d never taken a course in law. Judges don’t need a law degree in Kansas, or many other states, to preside over cases like these. Casement asked the defendants to take an oath and confirmed that the newcomers confessed to their debt. A key purpose of the hearing, though, was for patients to face debt collectors. “They want to talk to you about trying to set up a payment plan, and after you talk with them, you are free to go,” he told the debtors. Then, he left the room.

The first collector of the day was also the most notorious: Michael Hassenplug, a private attorney representing doctors and ambulance services. Every three months, Hassenplug called the same nonpaying defendants to court to list what they earned and what they owned — to testify, quite often, to their poverty. It gave him a sense of his options: to set up a payment plan, to garnish wages or bank accounts, to put a lien on a property. It was called a “debtor’s exam.”

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/medical-bills-jail-over-state-debt/

Crossfire Hurricane: Texts Suggest FBI Considered Using Agent’s Connection to Mike Pence Aide

Text messages reveal the FBI considered using a personal connection between an FBI employee and a member of Vice President Mike Pence’s staff to further its controversial probe into unsubstantiated and ultimately discredited allegations of collusion between Russia and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

The text messages in question were exchanges between disgraced FBI agent Peter Strzok and FBI attorney Lisa Page, the infamous texting duo who were previously reportedly romantically involved.

The detail was buried in a three-sentence footnote, footnote 480, on page 344 of the Justice Department’s previously released 476-page Inspector General report on the FBI’s Russia collusion investigation, known as Crossfire Hurricane.

A section of the report documents how James Comey’s FBI provided unclassified “counterintelligence awareness” briefings to the transition teams for the Trump and Clinton campaigns, including a briefing to Pence on September 9, 2016.

A footnote reveals the existence of the text messages between Page and Strzok suggesting the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane team probing Trump considered using a Pence employee for the purposes of its questionable Russia collusion probe.

The footnote reads:

We identified text messages between Strzok and Lisa Page from November 2016 suggesting the FBI may have considered using a connection between a then member of Pence’s staff and an FBI employee in some manner to further the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. We asked SSA1 about this. He said that he had been told of the connection but did not personally know the FBI employee, and that he did not change his approach to Pence’s FBI security briefing because of the connection. He also said he could not recall any discussions about using the connection to further the Crossfire Hurricane investigation, and we did not find any evidence that it was used.

SSA1 refers to a senior member of the Crossfire Hurricane team.

A separate 2018 Justice Department IG report on the FBI’s Hillary Clinton email probe described an extraordinary system of communication set up between Page and the FBI’s former deputy director, Andrew McCabe, that bypassed the ordinary chain of command to communicate important information about the agency’s probe of Clinton’s email server. The method of communication involved Strzok sending information on the Clinton probe to McCabe through Page, the report found.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/02/10/crossfire-hurricane-texts-suggest-fbi-considered-using-agents-connection-to-mike-pence-aide/

>>8092558

MOSSAD has the kitchen again

Hiding shit, we see you dirty fuckers