What to make of this considering the sauce??

Secret 'COVID-19 Manhattan Project' Led By Billionaires Seeking To Influence Trump Admin

Last month Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey called for the bold and urgent launch of what he called "a Manhattan Project-type approach" to fight the coronavirus pandemic given the enormity of the health and economic impact, increasingly even harming US defense readiness.

Apparently there has been such a group operating behind the scenes, but very unlike the original Manhattan Project it's a private sector initiative, funded by a tiny network of ultra-rich industry titans working closely with government contacts. Meet "the secret group of scientists and billionaires pushing Trump on a Covid-19 plan" profiled in a lengthy Wall Street Journal investigation Monday:

These scientists and their backers describe their work as a lockdown-era Manhattan Project, a nod to the World War II group of scientists who helped develop the atomic bomb. This time around, the scientists are marshaling brains and money to distill unorthodox ideas gleaned from around the globe.

They call themselves Scientists to Stop Covid-19, and they include chemical biologists, an immunobiologist, a neurobiologist, a chronobiologist, an oncologist, a gastroenterologist, an epidemiologist and a nuclear scientist. Of the scientists at the center of the project, biologist Michael Rosbash, a 2017 Nobel Prize winner, said, “There’s no question that I’m the least qualified.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/health/secret-covid-19-manhattan-project-led-billionaires-seeks-gain-trump-admins-ear

17 pages here

https://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/Scientists_to_Stop_COVID19_2020_04_23_FINAL.pdf

Olivia Nuzzi to Ari Fleischer over ‘Vietnam’ Question: ‘Oh Shut the F*ck Up’

New York magazine Washington correspondent Olivia Nuzzi responded angrily to criticism from former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer on Monday evening, tweeting at him: “Oh shut the f*ck up.”

Fleisher, who served under President George W. Bush, criticized Nuzzi after a Rose Garden press briefing on the coronavirus pandemic in which she asked President Donald Trump: “If an American president loses more Americans over the course of six weeks than died in the entirety of the Vietnam War, does he deserve to be re-elected?”

The “Vietnam” talking point has been repeated among mainstream media journalists for several days.

One example is a “fake news” viral photograph of President Lyndon B. Johnson, which was presented by many Trump critics as if Johnson had been expressing grief over the deaths in Vietnam. (The idea behind the comparison is to suggest Trump has shown less empathy.)

In reality, Johnson was trying to hear a tape recording made by his son-in-law, who was serving in Vietnam at the time.

Trump deflected the question: “Yes we’ve lost a lot of people, but if you look at what original projections were — 2.2 million — we’re probably heading to 60,000, 70,000 — far too many — one person is too many for this,” he said, without showing anger.

Fleischer was unimpressed, suggesting that the question had a political motive:

https://www.breitbart.com/the-media/2020/04/27/olivia-nuzzi-to-ari-fleischer-over-vietnam-question-oh-shut-the-fuck-up/

>>8944887

>Ban her.

no free speech please

Albania to bring migrants from Turkey to Greek region

Albania’s Prime Minister, Edi Rama, has made a deal with Turkish President Recep Erdoğan to bring illegal migrants from Turkey’s massive reception centers to the Greek region of Albania, as reported by Albanian media.

The two countries recently signed a defence co-operation treaty. While its specifics have not yet been publicized, the Albanian news media is reporting that a leak shows that one of its clauses allows for the relocation of 30,000 asylum-seekers and illegal migrants from Turkey to Northern Epirus this year, according to a report by Greece’s Protothema.

Although flights to and from Albania have been halted as a coronavirus (COVID-19) prevention measure, an exception has been made for flights from Istanbul. Some believe this is an indication that the transfer of the migrants is imminent.

Northern Epirus, which was once part of Greece, was incorporated into Albania by the victorious Allies after both World Wars. Today it is still home to approximately 120,000 ethnic Greeks.

Greeks in Albania have long been subjected to harassment by the Albanian authorities, including school closures and property confiscation. The Greek media claims that the aim of the agreement with Turkey is to alter the demographics of the region and thus weaken Greek identity there.

Thodoris Goumas, the editor of Albania’s Greek news portal Himara, told Protothema that “the Albanian Prime Minister’s actions can only be described as suspicious. Without any transparency or public statement, we learn from leaks that there is an agreement with Turkey to host 30,000 migrants.”

Goumas noted that Albania lacks the infrastructure to host migrants and that the country is having economic problems stemming from the earthquake that struck there last year.

Protothema said that relocating Turks to a region on the Greek border was clearly intended as a provocation. It will also make it possible for the transferred migrants to attempt to enter the European Union by illegally crossing the Greek border, adding to the troubles of Greece’s already overburdened border security forces, which have been battling a new wave of migrants from Turkey since February.

As it stands, Germany has received nearly 200,000 asylum applications from migrants in Albania and other non-EU Balkan countries, as previously reported by Voice of Europe.

Greek military Lieutenant Colonel Christos Pougialis wrote that Greece is concerned that Turkey will send its own intelligence agents and perhaps even jihadis along with the 30,000 migrants with the aim of inciting tensions with Albania, according to a report by Greek City Times.

https://voiceofeurope.com/2020/04/albania-to-bring-migrants-from-turkey-to-greek-region/

Japan begins ‘mass manufacturing exodus’ from China

Japan is about to hit Covid Cover Uppers China with a massive manufacturing exodus following the Coronavirus pandemic that has brought the world to its knees.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has proposed “building an economy that is less dependent on one country, China, so that the nation can better avoid supply chain disruptions.” reports Nikkei Asia Review.

The plans have sent chills down the Chinese Communist Party’s spines as more of the worlds top economies are set to follow suit, Politicalite reports.

Britian, the EU and the United States – who have been touting an America First policy for almost four years could follow suit.

In Beijing, the ruling unelected Communist Party bigwigs are said to be in a state of panic.

“There are now serious concerns over foreign companies withdrawing from China,” a Chinese economic source said.

“What has particularly been talked about is the clause in Japan’s emergency economic package that encourages (and funds) the re-establishment of supply chains.”

“Had the pandemic not struck, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s maiden state visit to Japan would have been wrapped up by now with Xi proudly declaring a “new era” of Sino-Japanese relations. He would have cheered on Abe as Japan prepared for the next big event, the 2020 Olympics.”

“Instead, both Xi’s trip and the Tokyo Olympics have been postponed, and Sino-Japanese relations find themselves at a crossroads.

https://voiceofeurope.com/2020/04/japan-begins-mass-manufacturing-exodus-from-china/

Trump's decision on WHO puts lives at risk, says Rep. Engel

The Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs admitted that the WHO is “an imperfect organization.”

WASHINGTON – Rep. Eliot Engel, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, launched an inquiry on Monday regarding US President Donald Trump's administration's decision to cut funding for the World Health Organization. He sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday in which he asked to receive all relevant documents to the decision-making process by May 4.

“President Trump’s decision to halt funding for the World Health Organization (WHO) in the midst of a global pandemic is counterproductive and puts lives at risk,” Engel wrote to Pompeo. “Attacking the WHO, rather than the COVID-19 outbreak, will only worsen an already dire situation by undermining one of our key tools to fight the spreading disease.”

Engel went on to portray the administration’s explanation for the decision as “inadequate,” and added that “the Committee on Foreign Affairs is determined to understand the reasons behind this self-defeating withdrawal from global leadership.”

The Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs admitted that the WHO is “an imperfect organization.” He recognized that “it has made mistakes during the course of this unprecedented emergency, and I would support reforms to strengthen the organization. But, certainly, cutting the WHO’s funding while the world confronts the COVID-19 tragedy is not the answer. We are facing a global health emergency, requiring a comprehensive effort.”

He said that the Department of State’s justification for cutting WHO funding “has come to the Congress in the form of a one-page talking points 'fact sheet' that contains few facts, no plan, and no explanation of how suspending funds for the WHO will save lives here at home or around the world.” Engel went on to demand the Department of State to provide “and all documents referring, relating to, or referencing the decision to withhold funding from the WHO.”

Engel requested additional documents as well, including “all documents that assess the potential impact of the WHO funding suspension on both the global and U.S. responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the implications for longstanding relationships and coordination between WHO and U.S. agencies.”

https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/trumps-decision-on-who-puts-lives-at-risk-says-rep-engel-626160

Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar says his forces assume leadership in country

He pledged that LNA would seek to establish permanent civic institutions in line with the people’s will

CAIRO, April 28. /TASS/. The Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar assumes control of the country’s government, the LNA commander said in a video address to the nation late on Monday, according to Sky News Arabia.

"The General Command of the armed forces assumes the governance of the country and announces the termination of the Skhirat agreement," he said. "Despite the heavy burden of responsibility, we accept the will of the people and the mandate they had delegated."

He pledged that LNA would seek to establish permanent civic institutions in line with the people’s will.

"People must have control over their fate and to choose their future by democratic means," Haftar said. "From the very first day, our goal was to protect the Libyan people’s will."

He claimed that the UN-brokered Skhirat agreement had put the country in peril, but "has become a thing of the dark past."

The Skhirat Agreement, also known as the Libyan Political Agreement, was signed in Morocco’s Skhirat in December 2015. It is based on the UN peace plan, that envisages the creation of the Government of National Accord and the Presidential Council. Both bodies are based in Tripoli and are led by Fayez al-Sarraj.

On January 19, an international high-level conference on Libya took place in Berlin, with at least ten heads of state and government attending the event including Russian President Vladimir Putin. The conference’s final communique includes a call to ceasefire, as well as the call for foreign countries to refrain from intervening in Libya’s affairs, while it also proposes creation of a single government and launch of reforms to restore statehood that was demolished by NATO almost ten years ago. The conflict sides also agreed to establish a special ceasefire monitoring commission.

https://tass.com/world/1150445

Reminder:

Israel’s Mossad Replaces CIA as Handler of Libyan Strongman Khalifa Haftar

Images

https://iftbqp.com/bookmark/newsbud-exclusive-israel-s-mossad-replaces-cia-handler-libyan-strongman-khalifa-haftar

Washington Post Publishes Damning Report On Trump Admin. DNI Ric Grenell Debunks It.

Acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Richard Grenell slammed The Washington Post on Monday over a report that claimed that President Donald Trump was presented with numerous warnings from U.S. intelligence agencies in January and February about the coronavirus outbreak in China.

The report claimed that the warnings were contained in the President’s Daily Brief (PDB), a classified document that contains sensitive information about the greatest threats and world events.

“But the alarms appear to have failed to register with the president, who routinely skips reading the PDB and has at times shown little patience even for the oral summary he now takes two or three times per week, according to the officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss classified material,” The Washington Post reported. “The frequency with which the coronavirus was mentioned in the PDB has not been previously reported, and U.S. officials said it reflected a level of attention comparable to periods when analysts have been tracking active terrorism threats, overseas conflicts or other rapidly developing security issues.”

Grenell, whose office is responsible for the PDB, told The Washington Post that their report was not true.

“This isn’t true,” Grenell tweeted. “And we told you this before you wrote. And you put the DNI denial of your premise in paragraph 9.”

U.S. officials have repeatedly had to refute false reporting on the matter dating back to the first week in April when ABC News reported:

As far back as late November, U.S. intelligence officials were warning that a contagion was sweeping through China’s Wuhan region, changing the patterns of life and business and posing a threat to the population, according to four sources briefed on the secret reporting.

Concerns about what is now known to be the novel coronavirus pandemic were detailed in a November intelligence report by the military’s National Center for Medical Intelligence (NCMI), according to two officials familiar with the document’s contents.

Several hours later, the U.S. military responded to the report by stating that it was false.

Official statement by Colonel (Dr.) R. Shane Day, Director, National Center for Medical Intelligence, Defense Intelligence Agency:

As a matter of practice the National Center for Medical Intelligence does not comment publicly on specific intelligence matters. However, in the interest of transparency during the current public health crisis, we can confirm that media reporting about the existence/release of a National Center for Medical Intelligence Coronavirus-related product/assessment in November of 2019 is not correct. No such NCMI product exists.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/washington-post-publishes-damning-report-on-trump-admin-dni-ric-grenell-debunks-it

Big Tech Consolidating Power And Profits As Small Firms Deemed 'Unessential' Are Shut Down

Big Tech giants like Amazon, Facebook and Google are seizing unprecedented power and consolidating profits during the coronavirus crisis while less politically connected small businesses deemed "unessential" are being forcibly shut down.

The Amazon-owned Washington Post on Monday detailed the disturbing power shift in as muted a way as possible in an article titled, "Tech giants are profiting – and getting more powerful – even as the global economy tanks."

From The Washington Post:

Tech titans spent much of the last year playing defense, fending off dozens of federal and state antitrust investigations and a public wary of their power.

But the global coronavirus pandemic is prompting a dramatic reversal of fortune for the tech giants. Amazon and Facebook are capitalizing on the fact that they are viewed as essential services for a public in lockdown, while Google and Apple are tracing the course of potential new covid-19 infections.

No doubt we'll find out in the coming months or years after the pandemic is over that these surveillance tools are being used to spy on Americans.

The pace of the probes against these companies has slowed as regulators and lawyers are forced to work from home. Emboldened tech lobbyists are fighting to delay the enforcement of a new privacy law this summer in California, saying they can't comply by the July deadline due to the upheaval.

And while the global economy faces potential unemployment and contraction not seen since the Great Depression, the tech giants – and a handful of medium-size tech firms – are already benefiting from new consumer habits initiated during the lockdowns that analysts believe will turn into longer-term shifts in how people shop, work and entertain themselves. The broader stock markets tanked in recent weeks, but share prices of Amazon and Microsoft hit at or near records. Facebook is moving to acquire high-skilled talent, announcing the hiring of 10,000 new workers this year.

The tech giants' deep pockets will enable them to withstand the coming global economic recession, a stark contrast to what industry insiders and analysts expect to be the biggest shake up of the tech landscape in years. As many start-ups collapse, tech giants will expand on the power they've accumulated using the playbook of the last decade: snapping up talent, buying or copying rivals, and eroding traditional industries. Some of those weakened companies may disappear altogether and cede even more territory to tech.

https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=61405

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>>8945116

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden told the Intercept's Glenn Greenwald recently this crisis has been exploited the same as 9/11 with the media inducing a panic to justify our civil liberties being stripped away.

"That moment of intense, instantly transmissible fear is what happened to us in 9/11," Snowden said. "It's what happens to us in the lead up to every war. It's what happens to us, whenever the government is trying to start a campaign to gather new authorities, they say, you know, we're gonna protect you from roving gangs, we're going to protect the children, we're gonna do whatever we can. And that moment, that window of vulnerability, where rationality goes out of the window, goes out of the room, we are all susceptible to it. And that is what we are seeing now."

https://youtu.be/Nd7exbDzU1c

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FCC Approves More Biologically and Environmentally Harmful WiFi (6E) for the US, Other Countries Have Not

Last week, Full Measure’s Sharyl Attkisson interviewed Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Ajit Pai. He proudly stated that, unlike other countries, the U.S. doesn’t have a “heavy handed regulatory framework”. Indeed. That’s why they were labelled a “captured agency.” Regulations and “safety standards” are 24 years old and DO NOT apply to how any of us use or are exposed to wireless sources today. Regardless, the agency refuses to update them and instead continues allowing Americans to be increasingly radiated.

The FCC has become more despicable since Trump was elected (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10). They are a perfect example of “The Swamp” he promised to drain. Lawsuits have been filed against them for NOT protecting Americans from unsafe levels of radiation (see 1, 2) and unwanted widespread 5G deployment (see 1, 2, 3) which includes satellites blasting it from space (see 1, 2, 3). 5G opponents include many highly respected organizations including the Department of Defense. Their opposition caused Congress to finally threaten to take action.

Regardless, the agency also recently approved saturating the country in more biologically and environmentally harmful radiation in the form of WiFi 6E.

From The Verge:

In a few months, there’s going to be a lot more Wi-Fi to go around. The Federal Communications Commission voted today to open up a plot of spectrum in the 6GHz band for unlicensed use — the same regulatory go-ahead that lets your router broadcast over the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. That means there are now more open airwaves — a lot more — that routers can use to broadcast Wi-Fi signals. Once the new spectrum is officially opened for business later this year, that should translate to faster, more reliable connections from the next generation of devices.

This is the biggest spectrum addition since the FCC cleared the way for Wi-Fi in 1989, so it’s a huge deal. The new spectrum basically quadruples the amount of space available for routers and other devices, so it will mean a lot more bandwidth and a lot less interference for any device that can take advantage of it.

“This is the most monumental decision around Wi-Fi spectrum in its history, in the 20 years we’ve been around,” Kevin Robinson, marketing leader for the Wi-Fi Alliance, an industry-backed group that oversees the implementation of Wi-Fi, said ahead of the vote.

Devices are expected to start supporting 6GHz Wi-Fi by the end of 2020, so its implementation isn’t far away. When it arrives, expect to see it branded under the name “Wi-Fi 6E.”

Here’s what we know so far about what to expect.

https://www.activistpost.com/2020/04/fcc-approves-more-biologically-and-environmentally-harmful-wifi-6e-for-the-us-other-countries-have-not.html

Ford’s Struggles Continue: 6 Top Executives Paid More Than Its 2019 Net Income

While Ford’s (F) vehicle production remains closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, the automaker is looking to preserve its cash, recently taking down $15 billion from its revolving credit facility, it has been revealed that the cumulative compensation of six of the company’s top executives exceeds its annual net income.

In 2019, Ford reported a net income of $47 million, down from $3.7 billion in 2018, but paid six executives $70 million combined, in a year where the automaker has been troubled by a botched Ford Explorer launch, recalls, and warranty costs, USA Today reported.

According to the news outlet, CEO Jim Hackett was paid $17.36 million in 2019, while Executive Chairman Bill Ford received $16.76 million, and Tim Stone, chief financial officer for the company, was paid $8.32 million after being hired on April 15. Chief Financial Officer Bob Shanks, who Stone replaced, reportedly made $8.32 million in 2019, while Jim Farley, who was president, New Business and Technology and Strategy, at the time, received $8.36 million while Joe Hinrichs, then-president, Automotive, was paid $11 million.

Cash has been Ford’s main focus as of recent, along with other automakers like GM that drew from its revolving credit facility and suspended dividends as well as stock buybacks. Ford has also suspended its dividend and is reported to have $30 billion in cash on hand as of April 9..

With the coronavirus continuing to bear down, Ford is in the midst of a struggle as it contends with re-opening plants during the COVID-19 pandemic and determining when its highly-anticipated Ford Bronco should be released as well as the new F-150 pickup truck – both scheduled for launch in 2020.

Ford reported that it expected a $600 million loss before taxes, but disclosed in its Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it had an estimated net loss of $2 billion for January through March because of the coronavirus pandemic due to shutdowns and a decline in vehicle sales, the news outlet said.

Shares of Ford stock were up 5.62% as of 3:51 p.m. EDT on Monday.

https://www.ibtimes.com/fords-struggles-continue-6-top-executives-paid-more-its-2019-net-income-2965927

>>8945149

To be fair those in the know would have read the Rockefeller LOCK STEP document from 2010 which speaks of the virus in great detail.

Scenarios for the Future of Technology http://www.nommeraadio.ee/meedia/pdf/RRS/Rockefeller%20Foundation.pdfand International Development

Goldman Was Furiously Buying Mortgage Bonds in The Days Before The Fed's Massive Bailout

Goldman Sachs had itself one of those patented bouts of good luck that you only see on Wall Street - for one reason or another.

The investment banking giant reportedly was in the market buying up mortgage bonds during the panic selling that hit markets last month, ostensibly before the Fed came out and said they were going to backstop every industry and every market.

The bet has "certainly made money since the Federal Reserve unveiled massive stimulus turning a crash into a rally," according to Bloomberg.

Goldman was buying mortgage backed securities from funds that were deleveraging and were being forced to sell. Goldman charged a fee for helping other banks and funds exit their positions, as the bank was offering other parties in distress a quick way to free up cash and "escape margin calls".

Goldman was able to stock its coffers because of how leveraged the mortgage bond market is. Sharp drops in asset values lead to quick margin calls and forced liquidations. The move was so sharp over the last two months that some margin calls couldn't be met, resulting in several REITs asking counterparties for forbearance agreements.

Goldman swears that all it was doing was making a market and that it would have been able to find buyers for the bonds in relatively short order. The only question is whether or not they thought that "buyer" would be the Fed.

Goldman Sachs said in a statement: “Making markets – buying from or selling to our clients – is the core activity of our Global Markets division, and we do it regardless of markets conditions. We had no advance knowledge of any of the facilities the Fed announced and assumed risk when we bought securities from clients during this period.”

For now, the bet just looks to have been "well timed". The Fed stepped in soon thereafter and calmed the markets when it committed to buying unlimited amounts of Treasury bonds and mortgage securities. Goldman, in turn, sold some notes to the Fed.

One Bloomberg index shows theses mortgage bonds rising 3% over the last month. A Markit iBoxx benchmark of non-agency securities rose 14%.

Goldman also reportedly executed several large trades with key clients and approached several other structured credit hedge funds to seek out trades. The bank has seen a trading increase of about 75% as of early April.

https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=61408

Seems like one big party for the elite atm stealing everything in sight