Netanyahu behind closed doors: ‘Deep state’ controls Israel

Claims to interlocutors that law enforcement has damning info on Lieberman, used it to ‘extort’ him into leaving right-wing

People who met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent months have heard lengthy speeches that seemed to be taken from one of Oliver Stone’s conspiracist screenplays. He told them that even though he has been elected repeatedly, in reality, the country is controlled by a “deep state.”

“There’s no democracy here, but a government of bureaucrats and jurists,” he said.

The strings of this shadow government are ostensibly pulled by the prosecution, which Netanyahu views as more dangerous than Hezbollah’s precision missiles. Prosecutors and judges, he believes, have a symbiotic relationship whose goal is ousting him.

“They want to see me sitting in jail,” he said in one private conversation, where “they” meant the entire system. Even before the judges hearing his criminal cases were chosen, he was convinced that a hidden hand would arrange the most “left-wing” and least lenient bench possible.

Before the elections, when several ministers asked why Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman sought to topple him, Netanyahu repeatedly blamed those same hidden forces. “He’s being extorted,” the prime minister said.

In his view, the law enforcement agencies have information that would justify a criminal investigation against Lieberman, but won’t use it as long as he’s working to destroy Netanyahu politically. The information, he says, relates to Lieberman’s involvement in a major corruption case in which other members of his party were charged.

Lieberman has his own fantastic theory, in which Netanyahu was behind the investigation of that case.

But a source familiar with both cases said that just as no evidence was found linking Netanyahu to his cronies’ corrupt behavior in the purchase of new submarines, no evidence was found tying Lieberman to his cronies’ behavior in the Yisrael Beiteinu case.

In 2009, when his political fate also depended on Lieberman, Netanyahu capitulated to all his demands, including the two portfolios that control the law enforcement system – justice (the prosecution) and public security (the police) – plus the chairmanship of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee and a representative on the Judicial Appointments Committee. At the time, Lieberman was suspected of taking bribes in a case ultimately closed due to insufficient evidence.

https://www.haaretz.com/misc/article-print-page/.premium-netanyahu-behind-closed-doors-deep-state-controls-israel-1.8736138

Australian state will install home surveillance hardware to make sure if you're in virus isolation, you stay there

Could be a wearable, could be wired. Backed by big fines and jail

The State of Western Australia has given itself the power to install surveillance devices in homes, or compel people to wear them, to ensure that those required to isolate during the coronavirus crisis don’t interact with the community.

Not all people will be required to use the devices. State Premier [equivalent to a US governor – ed.] Mark McGowan said they’ll only be used if: “Someone who is directed to self-isolate and fails to comply.”

The law enabling the regime, passed yesterday after very brief debate, is the Emergency Management Amendment (COVID-19 Response) Bill 2020 [PDF]. It outlines the monitoring regime, and the fact that the State Emergency Coordinator has the power to require use of surveillance hardware.

If the Coordinator makes that decision, they have the power to:

Direct the person to wear an approved electronic monitoring device.

Direct the person to permit the installation of an approved electronic monitoring device at the place where the person resides or, if the person does not have a place of residence, at any other place specified by the officer.

Give any other reasonable direction to the person necessary for the proper administration the electronic monitoring of the person.

Attempts to damage, remove or interfere with the operation of the devices, or refusal to hand one over to authorised officers, can result in a year behind bars, or a fine of AU$12,000 (US$7,400, £5,900).

The Register has learned of smartphone-based surveillance in aid of coronavirus-crimping in Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong, plus the UK is clearing policy roadblocks to make it possible. Russia has used facial recognition and public security cameras to detect quarantine-breakers.

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/01/west_australia_isolation/?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark

Dr. Fauci Cheered Hydroxychloroquine Success Treating MERS Coronavirus in 2013… But Today He's Skeptical… That's Weird?

On March 20th Dr. Fauci “corrected” the president during a press briefing on hydroxychloroquine saying, “You got to be careful when you say ‘fairly effective.’ It was never done in a clinical trial… It was given to individuals and felt that maybe it worked.”

Dr. Fauci quickly corrects Trump’s misstatements about hydroxychloroquine pic.twitter.com/Piim1PQSdh

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 20, 2020

Exactly two weeks later hydroxychloroquine has been deemed the most highly rated treatment for the novel coronavirus in an international poll of more than 6,000 doctors.

Dr. Fauci was repeatedly skeptical of hydroxychloroquine’s effectiveness in treating the novel coronavirus.

But he wasn’t so skeptical back in 2013.

In fact, Dr. Anthony Fauci CHEERED the use of hydroxychloroquine appeared effective “only in cells in lab dishes” in treatment of against MERS.

Fauci, now so sour on hydroxychloroquine (+/- azithro) for covid19, despite its clinical promise, gushed in 4/2013 when a coronavirus [MERS] antiviral combo [ribavirin /interferon-alpha)] tested “only in cells in lab dishes” prevented viral replication! https://t.co/c9aN1b0nvZ pic.twitter.com/KBTLDUeIUW

— Andrew Bostom (@andrewbostom) April 4, 2020

That is interesting.

So Dr. Fauci thought a 2013 test in a “lab dish” was particularly encouraging.

But in 2020 after severl successful studies of hydroxychloroquine’s effectiveness in treating coronavirus patients he was suspect.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/04/wow-dr-fauci-cheered-hydroxychloroquine-success-treating-mers-coronavirus-2013-today-skeptical-weird/

11 Nations on Board as UN Secretary-General Pushes Global Ceasefire

As pandemic escalates, Guterres suggests parties put down their arms

With the world in the throes of the calamitous COVID-19 pandemic, UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres is pushing for a global ceasefire, seeing a planet-wide halt to war as a chance to allow an all-out effort to fight the virus.

This is getting some interest beyond NGOs and the Pope. As of Friday, 11 countries have endorsed the idea, including Cameroon, Central African Republic, Colombia, Libya, Myanmar, the Philippines, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen.

While the UN is still looking for a big nation engaged in foreign wars to really make this a thing, but some of these nations have some substantial domestic conflicts that might benefit from a ceasefire, and countries like Syria may find themselves influencing others.

These are also some of the countries most vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemics, with countries like Yemen, Libya, and Syria some of the nations least prepared for an outbreak, with war leaving the countries with little medical infrastructure.

Recognition that the wars would only make their situations worse, these nations are backing the global ceasefire, and while it’s still a long way from stopping any huge wars, it shows promising understanding that war and pandemic are two distinct priorities.

https://news.antiwar.com/2020/04/03/11-nations-on-board-as-un-secretary-general-pushes-global-ceasefire/

Vatican Watchers Stunned As Pope Francis Drops Title ‘Vicar Of Christ’ Assumes Power As Jorge Mario Bergoglio In ‘His Own Name’ Fulfilling John 5:43 Prophecy Of Antichrist

Archbishop Viganò said it’s as if Pope Francis now views himself as becoming “master of the Church, free to demolish it from within without having to answer to anyone. In short, a tyrant,” he said.

Roman Catholics from deep within the Vatican are sounding the alarm bells today because Pope Francis is once again doing wacky, end times stuff. Today’s story comes from an article on the Catholic site Life Site News from a statement they received from Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò. Viganò is quite alarmed that Pope Francis has dropped the title ‘Vicar of Christ’ in the annual Vatican Yearbook, and instead has listed himself in ‘his own name’ of Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Life Site News and Viganò are rightly alarmed by this breach of long-standing Vatican protocol, but if they knew anything about bible prophecy, they’d really be quaking in their boots. What Pope Francis did is a prophecy of Antichrist!

“But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.” John 5:42,43 (KJB)

The Roman Catholic Church is not the Church that Jesus shed His blood to create, it is the demonic counterfeit. Combined with Vatican City and the Holy See, it is actually MYSTERY, BABYLON from Revelation 17 and 18. Every pope for the last 1,700 years has pretended to be the ‘vicar of Christ’, the person ‘in place of Christ’ and running the Roman church. But every pope has also retained the title of Pontifex Maximus, the early pre-Catholic church fathers said that the Pontifex Maximus was the “King of Heathendom“, the evil high priest of the pagan mystery religion of Rome. And they were right.

This is not the first time that Pope Francis has asserted authority in his own name, it happened back in 2015 when he addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations. You can see it in the video below. This is what he said on that day:

“Thank you for your kind words. Once again, following a tradition by which I feel honored, the Secretary General of the United Nations has invited the Pope to address this distinguished assembly of nations. In my own name, and that of the entire Catholic community, I wish to express to you, Mr Ban Ki-moon, my heartfelt gratitude. I greet the Heads of State and Heads of Government present, as well as the ambassadors, diplomats and political and technical officials accompanying them, the personnel of the United Nations engaged in this 70th Session of the General Assembly, the personnel of the various programs and agencies of the United Nations family, and all those who, in one way or another, take part in this meeting. Through you, I also greet the citizens of all the nations represented in this hall. I thank you, each and all, for your efforts in the service of mankind.” source

https://youtu.be/LtPu1-CxhHA

https://www.nowtheendbegins.com/vatican-watchers-are-stunned-as-pope-francis-drops-title-vicar-of-christ-jorge-mario-bergoglio-his-own-name/

The Mainstream Media Spins a Pandemic

A New York Times report this week criticizes pro-Trump media figures who downplayed the threat of coronavirus. Fair enough.

But it is worth examining how mainstream media outlets treated lawmakers who were warning about the virus and about China's potential malfeasance early on.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.), for example, encouraged President Donald Trump in January to implement a travel ban from China. He told CBS's Face The Nation on Jan. 26 that China had a "record of dishonesty and incompetence" in combating health crises and cautioned that while Washington was consumed with Trump's impeachment trial, it was the viral outbreak that was the "most important story in the world."

Citing Cotton, a Politico report in early February warned that a travel ban and quarantine measures "could undercut international efforts to fight the outbreak by antagonizing Chinese leaders."

Cotton also argued that the virus might have originated at a Chinese biochemical lab in Wuhan that sits near the seafood market where Chinese officials initially claimed the disease originated. The New York Times accused him of spreading a "conspiracy theory," writing that it was "the sort of tale that resonates with an expanding chorus of voices in Washington who see China as a growing Soviet-level threat to the United States, echoing the anti-Communist thinking of the Cold War era."

"Right wing media outlets fan the anger," Times business correspondent Alexandra Stevenson wrote on Feb. 17. Presumably, the right-wing outlets providing a megaphone for this conspiracy theory were different from the ones that were dangerously minimizing the threat of the illness.

Heads, the Times wins; tails, Republicans lose.

What most mainstream news reports have refused to acknowledge is that when it comes to the coronavirus, the right, the left, and, unfortunately, the scientific experts are flying blind, writing and rewriting the rules ad hoc and trying to muddle through.

There have been enough miscalculations to go around. The Times‘s effort to classify them by political inclination is laughable. There was the Vox explainer published in early February comparing the coronavirus to the flu. "Half the people in America do not get a flu shot and the flu, right now, is far deadlier," CNN's Anderson Cooper said on March 4th. "So if you're freaked out at all about the coronavirus, you should be more concerned about the flu."

It is also worth noting which voices have proved prescient. The Washington Post’s David Ignatius, in a Friday column that quotes Cotton, writes now that alas, "scientists don’t rule out that an accident at a research laboratory in Wuhan might have spread a deadly bat virus that had been collected for scientific study."

He writes about a theory percolating in scientific circles about "an accidental lab release of bat coronavirus."

https://freebeacon.com/coronavirus/the-mainstream-media-spins-a-pandemic/

Trump warns of rough week ahead: 'There will be death'

President Trump on Saturday warned the nation of a deadly week ahead in the fight against the coronavirus as the number of Americans infected passed 300,000.

"This will probably be the toughest week – between this week and next week," Trump said Saturday at the beginning of his coronavirus task force briefing at the White House.

"There will be a lot of death, unfortunately. But a lot less death than if this wasn't done," Trump said of the nationwide precautions underway. "But there will be death."

The sober briefing comes as the virus is spreading rapidly and more testing is revealing a steep uphill rate of infection.

On March 27, the United States hit the 100,000 case benchmark. On April 1, the number of Americans infected doubled to more than 200,000 cases. Just three days later, on Saturday, positive COVID-19 cases topped 300,000.

To respond, Trump said he's deploying 1,000 medical military personnel to New York, the epicenter of the United States outbreak. Reinforcing his hope for the use of the malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine, in treatment against COVID-19, Trump said the United States is stockpiling 29 million does of the drug.

"What do you have to lose? Take it," Trump said of hydroxychloroquine.

The warning of the tough days ahead is because infections have not yet hit their apex in certain hotspots.

Dr. Deborah Birx, who serves on the White House coronavirus task force, said the modeling shows that the three major hotspots the country in New York, Detroit and Louisiana will peak in the next six or seven days. She urged vigilance in social distancing to mitigate the spread.

"We will move heaven and Earth to safeguard our great American citizens," Trump said. "We will continue to use every power, every authority, every single resource we've got to keep our people healthy, safe, secure and to get this thing over with.

"We want to finish this war. We have to get back to work."

Trump thanked Americans for making tremendous sacrifices by staying home to stop the spread, but he again rejected calls for a nationwide lockdown and declined to criticize several governors who have not issued stay-at-home orders yet.

Trump expressed optimism that the United States will be back open for business by the end of the summer and safe for thousands of people to gather to celebrate his reelection nomination.

The Republican National Convention scheduled for August 24 to 27 will go on, Trump said.

"We have no contingency plan," Trump said.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-coronavirus-press-conference-saturday

Trump Says 'Doesn't Care About OPEC', Will Put Tariffs on Oil Imports If He Has to

Oil prices have collapsed recently both due to the lowered demand amid the rapid spread of COVID-19 and OPEC+'s failure to reach an agreement on cutting oil output in April.

President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he "does not care about OPEC" and that he will put tariffs on oil imports to the United States if he has to in order to protect the oil industry at home.

"I don't care about OPEC [the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries]", Trump told reporters at the White House press briefing. "If I have to level tariffs on all imported oil coming into this country, I will. I will do whatever it takes to protect US oil jobs."

Trump also called OPEC "illegal", adding that it is destroying itself.

"I've been against OPEC all my life, because what is it? It’s an illegal, you could call it a cartel, you could call it a monopoly, but it broke down very violently, so I don’t care about OPEC, I couldn’t care less about OPEC. They are destroying themselves", the president said.

Trump pointed out that OPEC works to the advantage of Russia and Saudi Arabia and that, according to the latter, a deal could be made soon at a 10-million-barrel reduction "or much more than that."

Trump also said he was confident in the US energy business.

"We are the number one producer in the world right now … I am a big believer in our great energy business, and we are going to take care of our energy business, and if I have to do tariffs on oil coming from the outside or if I have to do something to protect our thousands or tens of thousands of energy workers and our great companies that produce all these jobs I'll do whatever I have to do", Trump told reporters.

OPEC+ countries are set to meet in the coming week to discuss the potential of reviving an oil output cut deal that expired on 31 March after its members were unable to agree on an extension of a deal to limit oil production.

Jason Kenney, the premier of the oil-producing Canadian province of Alberta, suggested that the organisation had to find a solution to the ongoing issue. If the dispute is not resolved, the US and Canada may potentially impose tariffs on oil imports from Russia and Saudi Arabia, Kenney said.

"Prospective import tariffs on oil coming into North America" were currently being discussed, Kenney said, as quoted by the Financial Times newspaper. "Opec+ started this fire and they have to put it out. We're not going to surrender our industry and we're prepared to go the distance here", the Alberta premier stated, as quoted by the newspaper.

https://sputniknews.com/us/202004041078837283-trump-says-doesnt-care-about-opec-will-put-tariffs-on-oil-imports-if-he-has-to/

UN Blasted As "Absurd & Immoral" For Appointing China To Key UN Human Rights Panel

In what will no doubt be taken as a direct shot across the Trump administration's bow, China has been appointed to a key United Nations human rights post.

Fox reports on Saturday: "China has been appointed to a panel on the controversial U.N. Human Rights Council, where it will help vet candidates for important posts — despite its decades-long record of systematic human rights abuse that the U.S. has said fueled the coronavirus pandemic."

The timing couldn't be worse, given the soaring tensions and weeks-long war of words between US and Chinese officials, both floating bombastic charges against the other of intentionally spreading COVID-19.

President Trump has even taken to calling the deadly virus the "Chinese virus" - given as he said last month: "It could have been contained to that one area in China where it started." He followed at the time by saying of China "certainly the world is paying a big price for what they did."

Jiang Duan, minister at the Chinese Mission in Geneva, will represent Beijing on the U.N. Human Rights Council’s Consultative Group, alongside four other international representatives.

A Geneva-based human rights watchdog called UN Watch, meanwhile, slammed the development as “absurd and immoral” for the UN to allow China to have a hand in selecting human rights officials for the top body.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/un-slammed-absurd-immoral-appointing-china-key-un-human-rights-panel