Incident during drills: At least 19 killed, 15 injured on Iranian ship near Strait of Hormuz

At least 19 Iranian sailors were killed and 15 injured in an incident during an exercise, the military has confirmed. Earlier unofficial reports said that an Iranian frigate accidentally fired a missile at a naval support vessel.

The incident involving the naval logistics and support ship Konarak occurred during an exercise in the port city of Jask in the Gulf of Oman on Sunday evening, local media reported earlier, citing the Iranian Navy.

Rescue teams were quickly deployed to the site where they evacuated the wounded. The damaged ship was taken to a port, and an investigation was launched to determine the cause of the incident.

Unofficial reports that emerged shortly after the incident claimed that the Iranian frigate Jamaran, belonging to the nation’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), accidentally hit the Konarak with an anti-ship missile before it could sail away from a floating target that it was towing to a designated position. There is no official confirmation so far.

The narrow Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean, is one of the world’s most vital oil shipping routes. The area has become an arena of tension due to the diplomatic row between Iran and the US.

Last month, Iranian patrol boats and US Navy ships were involved in a standoff in the Persian Gulf, with both sides accusing each other of provocations and dangerous maneuvers. The US and Iran have repeatedly traded warnings that they would strike each other’s warships in self-defense.

https://www.rt.com/news/488338-incident-iran-drills-strait-hormuz/

MSNBC Founder Admits That Biden’s Not ‘Ready For Prime Time Election Season,’ Even With ‘Softball’ Interviews

MSNBC and CNBC founder Tom Rogers, who is currently the editor-at-large with Newsweek, believes that Joe Biden is not “ready for prime time election season,” and has been unable to articulate a winning message — even with all the “softball” interviews he’s been doing.

Rogers recently penned a column titled “Words Matter. And Joe Biden Needs to Use His Better” and went on MSNBC to discuss it.

“Trump has been dominating the media as we all know and Biden has not been in the spotlight, but that is going to shift, and when it shifts Biden needs to perform,” Rogers said. “The bottom line is the candidate needs to able to articulate a clear and convincing message and particularly when it comes to the pandemic, what my piece says is he’s not there yet.”

“It pains me to say this, it really does, but his performance in being able to come up with a compelling narrative and a passionate story line that really is ready for prime time election season — when it comes to talking about the legacy of Donald Trump, of mass death and economic collapse — he’s just not there yet,” he continued. “His performances have been very unsatisfying and basically he’s been getting softball interviews with the exception of yours, Mika, on the sexual harassment issue.”

Rogers explained that while Biden will clearly never be a great orator, he needs to get better at delivering a message. The gaffe-prone candidate has been coming across as forgetful and unable to produce coherent thoughts without forgetting what he was saying.

“Joe Biden is never going to be Obama or Clinton when it comes to being an orator, but when you listen to him on the pandemic, a lot of disconnected phrases, it doesn’t really come together in a very convincing message.”

“Every morning you guys put together and crystallize what that critique of Trump is. It’s not hard, and he can do it in an op-ed. But when it comes to social distancing and television and he’s prime time in the spotlight, in the campaign, that articulation is going to have to be much clearer than it has been,” Rogers added, concluding, “I really fear a crisis for the candidate if he cannot come up with a more convincing way and a more eloquent way to put out there exactly what the critique of Trump is during this crisis. It’s a problem.”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/05/msnbc-founder-admits-bidens-not-ready-prime-time-election-season-even-softball-interviews/

Trump Furious After NBC 'Apologizes' For Chuck Todd's Propaganda Edit Of Barr Interview

President Trump demanded on Sunday that NBC fire "Meet The Press" host Chuck Todd, after the network admitted to 'inadvertently cutting short' a sound byte from Attorney General William Barr regarding the DOJ's decision to move to dismiss the Michael Flynn case.

Except, it wasn't 'inadvertently cutting short anything. It was clear propaganda.

In the original clip, CBS News' Catherine Herridge asks Barr how history would judge the DOJ's decision - to which Barr responds "Well, history is written by the winners, so it largely depends on who's writing the history.

Todd cuts the clip off there, and says that he was "struck by the cynicism of the answer – it's a correct answer, but he's the attorney general. He didn't make the case that he was upholding the rule of law. He was almost admitting that, yeah, this was a political job."

In fact, that's exactly what Barr said.

"I think a fair history would say it was a good decision because it upheld the rule of law," said the AG, adding "It upheld the standards of the Department of Justice, and it undid what was an injustice."

In other words, Todd literally stole Barr's line about 'upholding the rule of law' and flipped it around in a case of blatant propaganda.

Greg Price of the Daily Caller calls out the "blatantly dishonest" reporting by Todd.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/trump-furious-after-nbc-apologizes-propaganda-edit-barr-interview

Released Transcripts PROVE DOJ LIED IN ROGER STONE CASE – Had No Proof Russia Gave Emails to WikiLeaks

Late last week transcripts were finally released from interviews under oath three years ago in front of Congress after lying Adam Schiff was pressured by the Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell to release the documents.

As we reported on Friday, the release of documents from the Intel Community that were held up by corrupt liar, Rep. Adam Schiff, show shocking revelations that destroy the Deep State’s many lies. The biggest lie was the tale that Russia hacked the DNC and then gave the hacked emails to WikiLeaks, who in turn released them before the 2016 election.

The whole story was a lie!

Aaron Mate on Twitter identified this first:

As we reported in March, we knew Crowdstrike was backpedaling on their actions related to the fraudulent claim that Russians hacked the DNC and shipped these hacked emails to WikiLeaks. Now we know what they claimed under oath and there was no evidence that Russia hacked the DNC and sent emails to WikiLeaks.

Roger Stone

This brings us to Roger Stone, the last American indicted by the Mueller gang.

On January 23, 2019, Stone was indicted for a number of frivolous crimes where he was accused of lying to Congress. Looking at the indictments, Stone had a good case that he did not lie.

In his case, Stone claimed that the DNC servers in 2016 were never examined by Crowdstrike and asked for proof that this was the case, because it was pertinent to his case. Stone was indicted for lying to Congress about Russians hacking the DNC and sending the hacked emails to WikiLeaks:

It was uncovered in the Roger Stone case that CrowdStrike gave the US government three “draft reports” on the so-called hack by Russia which were full of redactions and the FBI just took Crowdstrike’s reports at face value. The FBI never inspected the DNC servers. It was also reported that the DOJ never received the unredacted copies of Crowdstrike’s reports:

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/05/exclusive-released-transcripts-prove-doj-lied-roger-stone-case-no-proof-russia-gave-emails-wikileaks/

‘Open anti-Semitism’: Leaked letter shows Ukrainian police demanded Jews’ names & addresses ‘to fight organized crime’

Outrage is brewing in Ukraine after the leak of an inquiry letter in which the national police demanded the Jewish community in a small city disclose the names and addresses of its members, supposedly to fight organized crime.

The letter was apparently sent in mid-February by a senior police official to Yakov Zalishchiker, the Jewish leader in the city of Kolomyya in the western Ivano-Frankivsk region. The official said he needed to know the names, phone numbers, and addresses of Orthodox Jews and university students “of Jewish ethnicity” who belong to the community.

The data was said to be necessary to fight “transnational and ethnic criminal organizations,” which is the task of the department whose head sent the inquiry. Photo of the letter and Zalishchiker’s written refusal to comply were published on Sunday by Eduard Dolinsky, director of the Ukrainian Jewish Committee.

“It’s a total disgrace and open anti-Semitism,” Dolinsky told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “It’s especially dangerous when it comes from a law enforcement agency that we have to fight the very thing it is perpetrating.” The man regularly posts news about honors bestowed on Ukrainian nationalists who slaughtered Jews, Poles, and other ethnic groups, often on behalf of the occupying Nazi forces.

The police demand drags up haunting memories of the Holocaust, several Ukrainian public figures said, expressing outrage after learning about it. “First the mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk gives a state funeral to a veteran of the SS-Volunteer Division ‘Galicia’ with people dressed in Nazi uniforms standing around. Now the local police want a list of local Jews,” MP Maks Buzhansky said on Facebook. “What did you expect from them?”

Buzhansky was referring to a January event in the provincial capital. A veteran of the Waffen-SS unit, which was manned by Ukrainian nationalist volunteers and commanded by officers from the dreaded Nazi secret police, was laid to rest. The funeral was attended by top city officials and featured the unit’s flags and uniforms

https://www.rt.com/news/488339-ukraine-police-list-jews/

‘Prepared to hand back the British flag?’ BA chief savaged by Labour MP over ‘outsourcing’ jobs, sitting on £8.7bn cash reserves

British Airways boss Willie Walsh has been asked whether he is willing to “hand back the British flag” by a Labour MP, after revealing some jobs will now be outsourced abroad in response to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Walsh – who is the CEO of BA's parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG) – faced a grilling from UK lawmakers on the Transport Committee on Monday, following the announcement that 12,000 jobs are to be cut by the embattled airline.

The Irish chief executive has come under fire for not safeguarding the jobs of British workers, particularly in light of IAG revealing in the last week that the group is sitting on £8.7 billion (€10 billion) in cash reserves.

BA’s CEO Alex Cruz has reportedly written to workers’ unions to say that the restructuring of IAG will include outsourcing jobs currently at London Heathrow out of the UK.

The issue was seized upon by Labour MP for Ilford South Sam Tarry, who questioned whether it was right that BA – who have taken advantage of the UK government’s furlough scheme – should now give precious job roles to “citizens in different parts of the world.”

https://www.rt.com/uk/488363-walsh-british-airways-flag-outsourcing/

Colorado restaurant illegally reopens. Restaurant packs in hundreds of customers — with no social distancing in sight.

Caused quite a stir

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A group of 16 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and 34 adults left Greece Monday morning on a flight to the United Kingdom, where they will be reunited with family members who are already there.

The move is part of a program to relocate about 1,600 unaccompanied refugee children to European countries. So far, Luxembourg has taken 12 children and Germany nearly 50, while Finland is to take about 100 later this month. Government spokesman Stelios Petsas said Monday that a further 22 people are to be relocated to Switzerland.

Tens of thousands of refugees and migrants, including thousands of unaccompanied children, are living in squalid conditions in overcrowded camps on several Greek islands after arriving from the nearby Turkish coast. Many more are housed in camps, apartments and other shelters across the mainland.

The flight heading to the UK will return to Greece with 130 Greeks who had been stranded in Britain due to the travel restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, the Migration and Asylum Ministry said.

“It is proof and confirmation that modern challenges that go beyond the borders and capabilities of each country individually, are dealt with only with international cooperation and the joining of forces,” Alternate Migration and Asylum Minister Giorgos Koumoutsakos said.

https://voiceofeurope.com/2020/05/50-migrants-fly-from-greece-to-uk-for-relocation/

Malta Ambassador Says Merkel Has ‘Fulfilled Hitler’s Dream to Control Europe’

Malta’s ambassador to Finland has had to resign his post after saying that Germany’s Angela Merkel had “fulfilled Hitler’s dream” to “control Europe” on social media.

“75 years ago we stopped Hitler,” wrote Michael Zammit Tabona in a Facebook post commemorating Victory in Europe Day.

“Who will stop Angela Merkel? She has fulfilled Hitler’s dream! To control Europe,” he added.

Malta, as a former Crown Colony of the British Empire, was the lynchpin of the Allied presence in the Mediterranean for much of the war, and its population was bestowed with a collective George Cross — which still adorns the national flag today — for the long siege it suffered at the hands of the Axis powers.

The modern-day ambassador’s remarks, however, were not well received either in Berlin or the Maltese capital of Valetta, with foreign minister Evarist Bartolo telling the Times of Malta that he had been told to take down the post and promising the Germans would receive an apology for its “insensitive” nature.

Despite the florid terms in which they were expressed, the sentiments of the ambassador — now confirmed to have stepped down — are not unique in Europe, with commentators such as Britain’s Peter Hitchens having suggested that the European Union, in particular, is “the continuation of Germany by other means”.

Germany does indeed appear to have an outsize influence within the EU, with Chancellor Merkel — currently enjoying her fourth consecutive term in office, albeit with her party forced into a so-called “grand coalition” with its traditional Social Democratic Party rivals — having made a particularly large impact on the bloc with her unilateral decision to let in an unlimited number of supposed refugees in 2015.

While her invitation was, technically speaking, only to Germany, the move had an enormous impact on the EU’s border states and the states standing between them and Germany — many of which ended up stuck with large numbers of illegal migrants when the crisis grew out of control and Berlin closed the floodgates somewhat.

Merkel’s proposed solution to this crisis was to force compulsory migrant redistribution quotas on other EU member-states at the European Council, even if they had completely opposed her decision to open the borders in the first place — a move which is still being fought out in the EU courts to this day.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/05/11/malta-ambassador-says-merkel-has-fulfilled-hitlers-dream-to-control-europe/

George Soros: Trump Is Self-Destructing, Wannabe Dictator

George Soros, progressive billionaire and mega Democrat donor, claimed in a Monday interview President Donald Trump would be a “dictator” if it weren’t for the U.S. Constitution and is self-destructing during the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.

“Donald Trump would like to be a dictator,” Soros told the Independent. “But he cannot be one because there is a constitution in the United States that people still respect. And it will prevent him from doing certain things. That does not mean that he will not try, because he is literally fighting for his life.”

“I will also say that I have put my faith in Trump to destroy himself, and he has exceeded my wildest expectations,” he added.

In another part of the interview, the Hungarian-born Soros warned the coronavirus pandemic, which originated in Wuhan, China, threatened humanity as a whole.

“This is the crisis of my lifetime,” Soros told the British newspaper. “Even before the pandemic hit, I realized that we were in a revolutionary moment where what would be impossible or even inconceivable in normal times had become not only possible, but probably absolutely necessary.”

“And then came Covid-19, which has totally disrupted people’s lives and required very different behavior. It is an unprecedented event that probably has never occurred in this combination. And it really endangers the survival of our civilization,” he added.

The left wing multi-billionaire’s remarks come after his Open Society Foundations pledged to donate $130 million to fight the pandemic and “[push] back against government encroachment on political freedoms,” in mid-April.

Soros said the funds will be used for a wide range of causes, including support for low-income workers in the United States, countering “disinformation” in Europe, and emergency health care services in parts of Africa. Earlier in April, the hedge fund manager donated $1.1 million to help Budapest prepare for the deadly outbreak.

“The COVID-19 pandemic knows no boundaries, not between countries, communities, religions or people. Anyone can become infected, but some of us are more vulnerable than others,” he told Forbes of the donation. “I was born in Budapest, in the middle of the Great Depression, barely a decade after the Spanish Flu left thousands of dead in Budapest. I lived through World War II, the Arrow Cross rule and the siege in the city. I remember what it is like to live in extreme circumstances.”

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/05/11/george-soros-donald-trump-is-self-destructing/

U.S. Congress Group Backs Ally Australia Against China Trade Threats

A bipartisan U.S. Congress group has slammed China for threatening punitive economic sanctions against Australia. The support follows Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s refusal to drop his call for an independent investigation into the origins of the global Chinese coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter to Australia’s U.S. Ambassador Arthur Sinodinos released by the Sydney Morning Herald, the 27 senators and House of Representatives members said China had made “deeply disturbing” threats against long-term U.S. ally Australia for seeking an inquiry into the origins of the viral outbreak first identified in the southern Chinese city of Wuhan. The politicians said in part:

This incident is part of a broader and concerning pattern from the Chinese government.

As we continue to confront this deadly disease and its consequences, we will be faced with many tough decisions, including those that may arise from the Chinese government’s continued lack of cooperation and transparency.

No matter the external pressure or coercion, we will always have Australia’s back, just as Australia has always had ours.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio, Republican House member Liz Cheney and the co-chairs of the Friends of Australia caucus, Democrat Joe Courtney and Republican Mike Gallagher are just some of those included in the group supporting long-term ally Australia and its refusal to be bullied into silence by Beijing.

They went public with their backing after China’s ambassador to Australia, Cheng Jingye, warned the Australian government’s call for China to explain its bungled handling of the deadly coronavirus pandemic could spark a boycott by Chinese consumers, as Breitbart News reported.

The ambassador said Australia’s inquiry push was “dangerous” and destined to fail, adding to previous criticism from Beijing, which portrayed Canberra as unblinking lackeys of the U.S. in the Pacific.

“I think in the long term… if the mood is going from bad to worse, people would think ‘Why should we go to such a country that is not so friendly to China? The tourists may have second thoughts’,” he said.

“The parents of the students would also think whether this place which they found is not so friendly, even hostile, whether this is the best place to send our kids.”

Australia’s call for China to come clean over its handling of all facets of the coronavirus pandemic followed the United States’ pause of funding for W.H.O. at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump, who said the organisation was promoting Chinese “disinformation” about the virus.

Trump warned China then that actions have consquences:

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/05/11/u-s-congress-group-backs-ally-australia-against-china-trade-threats/

VENICE: Californians Refuse To Comply – Reopen Laguna Beach Themselves

This week, the people of California decided the hypocrisy was over and decided to go to the beach themselves. A video uploaded to Twitter shows the power people have when it comes to civil disobedience in numbers.

As hundreds of potential beach goers anxiously watched from the sidelines as police threatened arrest, one brave woman disobeyed the order and walked out on the beach. She was quickly approached by two cops who began placing her under arrest for daring to violate Newsom’s orders.

While being arrested, the unidentified woman was put on her knees and her flag confiscated as unrest fomented in the crowd on the sidelines.

“Get out there! Get out there!” one of the protesters yells from the sidewalk. “Civil disobedience!”

When the tipping point was reached, and enough people overcame the fear of arrest, they stormed the beach. Dozens of others joined the woman as she was being arrested and police had no choice but to stand down and let her go.

The woman was allowed to walk away and then the two cops appeared to engage in civil conversation with the other people on the beach. Just like that, rights were asserted, and peaceful resistance had won. It also led to what appears to be a healthy conversation between police and the citizens.

www.dcclothesline.com/2020/05/10/watch-citizens-swarm-cops-arresting-woman-for-being-on-beach-force-them-to-stand-down/

California police were in the process of arresting a woman for going on the beach. When dozens of other people joined her, the outnumbered police let her go and stood down.

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/venice-californians-refuse-to-comply-reopen-laguna-beach-themselves-video/

Earthquake hits Rome as the city emerges from coronavirus lockdown

Magnitude 3.3 quake struck at 5.03am 10 miles north of the Italian capital

Firefighters received numerous calls, but no reports of injuries or damage

Italy is one of Europe's most earthquake-prone countries thanks to fault lines running along the Apennine mountain range

The country's last major earthquake struck in 2016, leaving 299 people dead

A mild earthquake shook Rome on Monday morning as the city tries to adjust to life following coronavirus lockdown.

The quake had a magnitude of 3.3 and struck at 5.03am with an epicentre in Fonte Nuova, a small town around 10 miles outside the capital.

Firefighters said they had received numerous inquiries from people who had been shaken awake, but no reports of damage or injuries.

http://www.tathasta.com/2020/05/earthquake-hits-rome-as-city-emerges.html

Thunderbolt flaws affect millions of computers – even locking unattended devices won't help

Thunderbolt vulnerabilities can let attacker with physical access steal data from memory and encrypted drives.

A Dutch researcher has detailed nine attack scenarios that work against all computers with Thunderbolt shipped since 2011 and which allow an attacker with physical access to quickly steal data from encrypted drives and memory.

Researcher Björn Ruytenberg detailed the so-called Thunderspy attacks in a report published on Sunday, warning that the attacks work even when users follow security best practice, such as locking an unattended computer, setting up Secure Boot, using strong BIOS and operating system account passwords, and enabling full disk encryption.

Microsoft was sufficiently concerned about the vulnerability of Thunderbolt 3 to Direct Memory Access (DMA) attacks that it opted against including it in its Surface devices. Some Windows 10 OEMs have adopted Thunderbolt, while all Apple Mac computers since 2011 include Thunderbolt.

SEE: 10 tips for new cybersecurity pros (free PDF)

The technology is vulnerable to this type of attack because the Thunderbolt controller – a PCIe device – has DMA, which can allow an attacker to access system memory via a connected peripheral.

This risk was demonstrated by the Thunderclap Thunderbolt flaws disclosed in 2019, which affected Mac, Linux, and Windows devices.

However, Ruytenberg notes that Thunderspy differs to Thunderbolt, which relied on tricking users into accepting a malicious device as a trusted one. Thunderspy on the other hand breaks Thunderbolt hardware and protocol security.

While all Thunderbolt-equipped computers are vulnerable to Thunderspy, Intel, which develops Thunderbolt technology, says the attacks were mitigated at the operating-system level with Kernel Direct Memory Access (DMA) protection, but this technology is limited to computers sold since 2019.

Microsoft implemented kernel DMA protection in Windows 1803 to protect against physical access attacks using PCI devices connected to Thunderbolt 3 ports on Windows 10 devices from OEMs that have adopted Thunderbolt, including Dell, HP, and Lenovo.

The security feature allows device drivers to run in an isolated, read-only portion of kernel memory. However, Microsoft also notes that kernel DMA protection "does not protect against DMA attacks via 1394/FireWire, PCMCIA, CardBus, ExpressCard, and so on".

Linux kernel 5.x and later and MacOS Sierra 10.12.4 and later also include kernel DMA protection.

Intel notes that Ruytenberg hasn't demonstrated successful DMA attacks on computers with DMA protection.

For Thunderbolt 3, Intel developed a policy management feature called Security Levels that lets admins use cryptographic authentication to whitelist PCIe connections to approved peripherals.

But Ruytenberg contends that Thunderspy "completely breaks" Intel's Security Levels because Thunderbolt suffers from inadequate firmware verification, weak device authentication, use of unauthenticated device metadata, and is vulnerable to version downgrade attacks.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/thunderbolt-flaws-affect-millions-of-computers-even-locking-unattended-devices-wont-help/?ftag=TRE-03-10aaa6b&bhid=21735961543072688253262375158449&mid=12828901&cid=717936240

Covid test farce continues as parents of two teenage boys with symptoms of 'inflammatory syndrome' are among 'thousands' sent 'useless' kits with no barcodes or even a return address

Britain's coronavirus testing farce has continued as two teenage boys with symptoms of an 'inflammatory syndrome' were sent 'useless' kits with no labels or a return address.

Sabrina and Steve Legge, from Bath in Somerset, were left terrified when teenagers Dylan, 16, and Colston, 14, began to display symptoms of an illness linked to the deadly coronavirus.

The couple said both boys had suffered with sickness, diarrhoea, stabbing chest pains and blistering on their tongues since the end of April and were told by an NHS 111 call handler and their GP that the symptoms were 95 per cent likely to be related to Covid-19.

Despite this, the pair claim a medic at their local practice refused to test them, reportedly saying 'we don't hand out tests willy-nilly' and allegedly telling the family only those who are over 18 or critically ill are eligible for NHS testing.

Mr and Mrs Legge then decided to order throat swab testing kits from Randox Laboratories through a government scheme, but when they arrived the parents claim the kits were missing vital labels, instructions and barcode stickers needed for their return.

After calling Randox for guidance, the couple said they were told they were one of 'thousands' of people who called with the same complaint after a packaging error rendered tests 'useless'.

Randox said they were aware of the issue, while the Department of Health added 'urgent action' had been taken to mitigate 'small errors' within the testing process.

Mr Legge said: 'I think it's a disgrace that I, as a taxpayer, am paying for these kits and they're useless.

'I've already had to fight like crazy to see if my kids have got this killer disease, and then when the kits do finally come they are completely useless.

'When we called Randox, the guy on the phone apologised and told us there had been an error with packaging on a batch of tests, that there were thousands and thousands of them, and they'd had thousands of calls related to the same problem.

'They told us the kits were useless.

'You couldn't make it up. With everything that is happening how could they make a mistake like that? It's scary.'

http://www.stationgossip.com/2020/05/covid-test-farce-continues-as-parents.html

At Least $72 Million in Coronavirus Bailout Loans Went to Big Oil and Gas Companies

The oil business is in rough shape these days, but it’s got friends in high places. And they’re coming with cash.

Multimillion-dollar companies in the oil and gas sector scored at least $72 million in federally-backed loans earmarked for small businesses, according to financial records reviewed by VICE News. And that’s despite warnings from Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin that big companies should look elsewhere for funds to survive the pandemic, and could face audits or even “criminal liability” if they misstate their needs.

At least 16 drillers, fuel transporters, oil technology firms and service providers tapped the Small Business Association’s Paycheck Protection Program, which was created by the $2.2 trillion CARES Act in March, the records show. Most of those borrowers are valued at over $10 million on the stock market.

The Trump administration has been outspoken about supporting America’s oil industry, which has grown so large that the U.S. now pumps more oil than Saudi Arabia or Russia and has begun to see itself as more of a global oil supplier than just a big consumer.

The industry is buckling in the crisis: Widespread stay-at-home orders mean nobody’s using fuel to go anywhere. The glut has pushed oil futures into negative territory for the first time in history and sent fear rippling through executive suites. Trump ordered his officials to help U.S. oil companies on Twitter in April.

http://www.madnesshub.com/2020/05/at-least-72-million-in-coronavirus.html

Guaidó’s mercenary hit contract on Venezuela’s Maduro mirrors official US bounty, authorizes death squad killings

The leaked contract between Juan Guaidó and the Silvercorp USA mercenary firm closely resembles a DEA bounty placed on the head of President Nicolas Maduro and members of his inner circle this March. The deal tacitly authorizes the elimination of working class Venezuelans in proposed death squad activities by Silvercorp.

Juan Guaidó was expecting to be in Venezuela’s Presidential Palace by now. But the comically bungling May 3 invasion attempt by US mercenaries and opposition members was the latest indication of the desperate measures he and his cronies have resorted to. The fighters hired under his name were immediately overpowered in the sleepy coastal village of Chuao by disgruntled members of the House of Socialist Fishermen, and some of the highly trained mercenaries appeared to literally wet themselves in terror when apprehended.

Now, a 41-page contract outlining the details and conditions of the coup attempt has been leaked. It sheds new light on what the arrangement between Guaidó and Silvercorp, the American private security firm he hired,. The self-declared President of Venezuela promised to pay Jordan Goudreau, founder of the Florida-based firm, $212.9 million to capture, detain or “remove” President Nicolas Maduro and install him in his place.

The contract goes into detail about who the mercenaries were allowed to engage in “kinetic strikes” (i.e. assassinate and kill). It first names a number of paramilitary organizations like the Colombian FARC, and bizarrely, Hezbollah, but also on the list are a number of “illegitimate Venezuelan forces,” that include any armed supporters of Maduro and Constituent Assembly President Diosdado Cabello.

Maduro and Cabello happen to be the same figures placed at the top of a US Drug Enforcement Agency hit list. The US offered $15 million and $10 million respectively for their capture, effectively putting a bounty on the heads of the elected president and the head of his country’s main legislative body.

The contract signed by Guaidó and Silvercorp also enables the killing of anyone they deem to be “armed and violent colectivos.” For a sector of Venezuela’s upper-class opposition, the term “colectivo” is a dehumanizing, oft-used catch-all term applied to any working-class person. Trade unionists, pro-government protestors, even anyone riding a motorcycle is presumed to be part of an armed and dangerous gang in the lurid fantasies of the light-skinned elitists of Eastern Caracas. Therefore, the contract essentially permits Silvercorp to kill any member of the government’s popular support base with impunity.

https://thegrayzone.com/2020/05/10/guaido-mercenary-contract-venezuelas-maduro-us-bounty-death-squad/

=Trump's top economic adviser Kevin Hassett admits he is 'scared to go back to work' at the White House and says it's 'safer sitting at home than going to the West Wing'

One of Donald Trump's top economic advisers admitted Sunday that it's 'scary' to think about going back to work, voicing his own concerns about working at the White House in the midst of the pandemic.

'It is scary to go to work,' Kevin Hassett told CBS News Sunday morning. 'I think that I'd be a lot safer if I was sitting at home than I would be going to the West Wing. But, you know, it's the time when people have to step up and serve their country.'

The comments come after one of Trump's personal valets and Vice President Mike Pence's spokeswoman, Katie Miller, both tested positive for coronavirus.

Several administration and task force officials, including top immunologist Dr. Anthony Fauci, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn and the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Robert Redfield, are quarantining after potential exposure to the disease.

http://www.stationgossip.com/2020/05/trumps-top-economic-adviser-kevin.html

Rep. Ilhan Omar Asks For Contributions To Her Campaign To Help MN Food Bank…Food Bank Director Says Omar Has Nothing To Do With Project: “I have no idea where this money is going”

Ilhan Omar is a lot of things.

First, and foremost, she’s deceitful.

David Steinberg of PJ Media was one of the first investigative journalists to break the story about the anti-Semitic, freshman lawmaker’s marriage to her immigrant brother while she was still married to her first husband, who she has since divorced after having an affair with her current husband who was also married at the time of their affair. “Squad” member, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), has been caught in a number of scandals since then, including, but not limited to her most recent tweet that was exposed by journalist David Steinberg.

In her tweet, that has now been deleted (see screenshot below), US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar represented herself as being in a “partnership” with MN Food Share. The Democrat lawmaker asked her supporters to “chip in $5” to “power their efforts to keep our communities fed!”

http://www.madnesshub.com/2020/05/rep-ilhan-omar-asks-for-contributions.html

Visitors from two dozen states descend on Smoky Mountains Park on first day after reopening as officials slam crowds for not wearing masks and ignoring barriers to trek in blocked-off areas

Scores of nature lovers from two dozen states descended on the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee on Saturday as it reopened following coronavirus restrictions.

But officials blasted visitors for ignoring social distancing guidelines on crowded trails, trekking into blocked-off areas, and not wearing masks.

Even with some of the most popular trails closed, parking lots were packed and lines of cars snaked down tree-lined streets, in one case for about a mile leading up to a waterfall path, according to park spokeswoman Dana Soehn.

'It seemed like people were not respecting our suggestion that they avoid crowded areas,' said Soehn, adding that she counted license plates from 24 different states in one visitor center parking lot.

http://www.stationgossip.com/2020/05/visitors-from-two-dozen-states-descend.html