Presidential candidate? Star Wars remorse? Weinstein accomplice? Rumors swirl as Bob Iger steps down as Disney CEO

Bob Iger is stepping down as CEO of Disney after transforming the company during his 15 years at its helm. Everyone from angry Star Wars fans to Project Veritas’ James O’Keefe is taking credit following the surprise announcement.

Iger will remain as executive chairman until his contract is up at the end of 2021, gradually transitioning his responsibilities to his successor while retaining control of the creative side of Disney. The new CEO, Bob Chapek, has been with the company for 27 years and previously ran “Experiences and Products” – theme parks and cruise ships – a role in which he oversaw Disney’s expansion in China and the near-doubling of Disney’s cruise ship fleet.

“With the successful launch of Disney’s direct-to-consumer businesses and the integration of 21st Century Fox well underway, I believe this is the optimal time to transition to a new CEO,” Iger said on Tuesday.

Judging by the reactions, much of the public was not convinced. Feverish speculation swirled about why Iger was leaving so suddenly. His contract had just been renewed, and Disney was doing fine financially, whatever one might think of Iger’s creative decisions. 

Several people suggested Iger was planning to jump into the 2020 Democratic primary now that the herd – at one point there were over two dozen candidates – has thinned significantly. Was this the reason Disney had gone all-in for cinematic wokeness?

Others thought that Iger was stepping down in shame over the mess he’d made out of Star Wars (Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012) and other beloved franchises, dragged down by the company’s leftward political drift.

Conservative muckraker James O’Keefe appeared to be taking credit for Iger’s departure, pointing out his Project Veritas had teased another chapter in its “Exposing ABC” series to drop on Wednesday. ABC is owned by Disney. While the last Veritas video about ABC concerned a shelved report on well-connected pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, this week’s is supposedly about election-related disinformation.

Still others suggested he was heading to jail, placing him somewhere between Jeffrey Epstein and just-convicted sex pest Harvey Weinstein. Actress Paz de la Huerta’s lawsuit against Weinstein added Iger to its complaint last year, arguing his decisions permitted Weinstein’s predation.

https://www.rt.com/usa/481684-disney-ceo-iger-resigns/

'Tigers' and 'wolves' duke it out in court: Russian armored car maker sues biker association leader over trademark

AMZ, the defense firm that makes the Tigr, one of Russia's modern armored cars, can't call their latest project 'Wolf' because Russia's largest biker club, the 'Night Wolves' owns the trademark. So AMZ is taking them to court.

Arzamas Machine-building Plant (AMZ) wants to call their latest armored car 'Wolf,' but they've hit a surprising road bump: the 'Night Wolves' have had the trademark for the word since 2000. Their leader, Aleksandr 'Surgeon' Zaldostanov, has personally owned it for 13 years now. So now, the Russian manufacturer has taken 'Surgeon' to intellectual property court, claiming he isn't using the trademark.

AMZ has been supplying Russia with its top-of-the-line Tigr armored car (or 'tiger' in Russian) for nearly fifteen years now. The Tigr protects its crew from gunfire, shrapnel from nearby grenades and artillery, and even mines. But time doesn't stand still, and AMZ has been working on an upgrade for its 'tiger': the Volk (or 'wolf' in Russian). The Volk is faster, better armored, and more powerful than the Tigr, and, unlike its predecessor, it's modular: the army can quickly convert it into an armored truck or an APC, if necessary. The new version is just about ready, but AMZ can't sell a vehicle called 'Volk' because the trademark belongs Zaldostanov.

Aleksandr 'Surgeon' Zaldostanov is the permanent leader of the 'Night Wolves.' Zaldostanov founded the group in the wake of the USSR's collapse with a handful of other motorcycle enthusiasts, but the club soon grew to be the largest association of bikers in Russia. The Night Wolves have since become something of a 'patriotic' organization: the club has organized motorcycle rides in support of the Russian Orthodox Church and 'traditional values,' and is one of the founding factions of Russia's Anti-Maidan, a counter-protest movement. Even Russia's President Vladimir Putin took part in several of their rides.

The trademark dispute surprised Zaldostanov, according to an interview in RBC. The biker said that he found out about the suit from the media, and that he thinks AMZ just couldn't get a hold of him. Surgeon stressed that he will not part with the brand itself, since it's a part of their history, but noted that he "will gladly transfer the rights to calls these wonderful armored cars 'Volk'."

AMZ has been building armored vehicles for decades. Originally a car parts factory for GAZ in the 1970s, by the 1980s, it began building Soviet armored personnel carriers like the BTR-80. Its next big production push came in 2006, when it started building the Tigr for the Russian Defense Ministry, which quickly became Russia's favorite APC.

The Tigr has remained popular both in Russia and abroad, with over a dozen countries using it, including China  and Uruguay. The Volk, developed in 2014, is on track to replace the Tigr as Russia's standard armored car.

https://www.rt.com/russia/481656-amz-russian-armored-car/

Pedophile allegations against MPs ‘should have rung alarm bells in govt’ but senior figures turned a blind eye – inquiry

Politicians, including former Conservative PM Margaret Thatcher, police and prosecutors “turned a blind eye” to allegations of child sexual abuse connected to Westminster and ignored victims, an independent inquiry has found.

The 173-page report compiled by the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse dismissed claims of a conspiracy involving an “organised Westminster pedophile network,” but did reveal serious cover-ups by British institutions. The review was published on Tuesday following hearings over the past two years.

The investigation, which went into allegations dating as far back as the 1960s, concluded that “political parties showed themselves, even very recently, to be more concerned about political fallout than safeguarding.” It goes on to say that the honors system “prioritized reputation” over the welfare of victims of the nominated persons.

The findings may prove to be uncomfortable reading for PM Boris Johnson. As recently as March last year, Johnson told LBC radio that money was being "spaffed up the wall" on historical child abuse investigations.

The inquiry was also scathing of the police who “paid little regard to the welfare of sexually exploited children.”

Most notably, the inquiry highlighted how Thatcher — who was UK PM from 1979 to 1990 — and ex-Tory party chairman Norman Tebbit were aware of rumors in the 1980s about MP Peter Morrison having "a penchant for small boys," but did nothing about it.

The report also named Liberal MP Sir Cyril Smith as being known to have a “sexual interest in children,” but who escaped prosecution. The allegations "should have rung alarm bells in government,” it said.

As a result of the investigation Lord Steel announced on Tuesday afternoon his resignation from the Liberal Democrat Party and as a member of the House of Lords. During the inquiries’ proceedings he admitted that he was made aware of child abuse allegations against Smith, but failed to report them.

https://www.rt.com/uk/481648-westminster-child-sex-abuse-inquiry/

>>8254910

One would have to marry a woman for your shit to matter.

>>8254965

What the fuck is it to you? Don't read it and move on. Go masturbate with a cheese grater to your trannies.

>>8255006